Sermons on Kingdom of God (Page 9)
Word and Deed
In Luke 4:31-44, Jesus begins His ministry with word and deed, proclamation and demonstration, of the Kingdom of God coming into the midst of the earth through Him. He has come to bring good news. He tells of that good news and He shows that good news in healing and deliverance. SERMON OUTLINE Jesus said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” (Luke 4:43) Amazed by…
Prepare
In Luke 3:1-38, John the Baptist appears as a forerunner to the Messiah. John is the Elijah-like prophet foretold, crying out in the wilderness for people to prepare for the Lord. Jesus comes to be baptized and we know He is the one for whom we all have been preparing. SERMON OUTLINE “The word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for…
Prophet
In Luke 1:57-80, John is born to Elizabeth and Zechariah. His name is prophetic and his role is prophetic. Zechariah’s tongue is loosed and he sings a prophetic song of what is to come with John. SERMON OUTLINE “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them.” (Luke 1:68) The Miraculous Name of the Prophet (Luke 1:57-63) The Infectious Joy Surrounding the Prophet (Luke 1:64-66) Fulfilled Promises and the Prophet…
Visitation
In Luke 1:26-56, Mary is visited by an angel and invited into God’s plans and favor. She is “highly favored” and responds to God’s invitation with ideal yielding of any disciple to their master: “may your word to me be fulfilled.” Mary and Elizabeth meet and their children leap in anticipation. Mary rejoices with the famous Magnificat, praising God for remembering and visiting His people. SERMON OUTLINE “You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to…
Promise
This week, Pastor Matt kicks off a 10-month exploration on the Gospel of Luke by looking at the promise of miracle children in Luke 1:1-25 who portend the promise of God. SERMON OUTLINE “But the angel said to him: ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.’” (Luke 1:13) Hungering for the Promise (Amos 8:11-12) Preparing for the Promise (Luke 1:5-17) Shocked by the Promise (Luke…
Messy Ends
The book of Judges ends (Judges 17-21) with an odd assortment of stories that take a different direction than the previous stories, leaving us with the sad state of affairs of a group of people with no leader where “everyone did as they saw fit” (17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25). SERMON OUTLINE “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.” (Judges 21:25) Five Things We Can Accomplish without a Leader’s Help (Judges 17-18; 19-21) Mixed-up Worship…
Samson, Nazarite of YHWH, Get in Touch with the Spirit!
Samson gets entangled with sexual sin and his own pride in a way that is both humiliating and difficult for God’s people (Judges 16:1-31). What happens when we see believers lose their standing through sin? In the end Samson achieves some level of redemption as he gives his own life to deliver God’s people from the Philistines. SERMON OUTLINE The Changeless Scene The Sorry Story The Burning Question The Sovereign Answer The Historic Sequels David Empowered to Defeat and Recruit…
Miracle Man and Revenge: Samson, Part 1
Samson (Judges 13:1-15:20) is the miraculous child given by God to bring hope to the Israelites. He is set apart and strengthened with power. Still, he operates as much on revenge as he does on God’s prompting. What happens when a deliverer does God’s work in wrong ways or mixes God’s work and wrong aims together? SERMON OUTLINE “Because he was very thirsty, he cried out to the Lord, “You have given your servant this great victory. Must I now…
The Outcast: Jephthah
Jephthah (Judges 10:6-12:7) was a gritty deliverer from a gritty background. The son of a prostitute, Jephthah was called by God and the people as deliverer almost reluctantly. Empowered by the Spirit, however, Jephthah brings a mighty victory over the Ammonites, but inflicts a terrible justice afterwards. SERMON OUTLINE What are the Israelites continuing to do? What is evil in the sight of the Lord Worshiping the gods of the people they had conquered Forsaking what God has done for them…
The Bramble King: Abimelek
Abimelek (Judges 9:1-57) follows the way in which his father, Gideon, lived the latter part of his life, setting himself up as king by murdering his brothers and oppressing the people. Abimelek’s story is in one sense the conclusion of Gideon’s story, but it also shows us what happens when a ruler walks away from God. SERMON OUTLINE “Then all the trees said to the bramble, ‘You come and reign over us.’” (Judges 9:14 ESV) The Beginnings of the Bramble…
All’s Well that Ends Well?: Gideon, Part 2
Gideon starts well (last week), but ends his life with bloodshed and idolatry, losing sight of the most important matters of serving God. It is easy as men and women of God to start well, but it is much harder to end well. What can we learn from Gideon (Judges 8:1-35) about beginning and ending well with God? SERMON OUTLINE “Now there was no king in the land, and everyone did what was right in his own opinion.” (Judges 21:25)…
Strength in Weakness: Gideon, Part 1
Gideon’s story in Judges 6:1-7:25 tracks an unexpected leader with plenty of doubts who moves to surprising victory. God tells Gideon to cut his army down from thousands to a hundred to remove the opportunity of boasting “my own strength has saved me” (7:2). What happens from there is the lore of great stories that show the power of God bringing strength in weakness. SERMON OUTLINE “Follow me Gideon and I will make you a kinsman redeemer of your people.”…