Sermon Outlines for Busy Pastors: Volume 3

Table of Contents

Introduction

1. Fresh - Mark 1:16-20

2. Fresh - Worship - Isaiah 1:12-17

3. Fresh - The Word - Acts 18:9-10

4. Fresh - Courage - Joshua 1:1-9

5. Fresh - Mission - Matthew 28:19-20

6. Fresh - Perspective - 2 Kings 6:13-17

7. Fresh - Church - Matthew 16:18

8. Fresh - Gospel - 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

9. Rooted - The Bible - 2 Timothy 3:16-17

10. Rooted - What is God Like? - Genesis 1:1

11. Rooted - The Trinity - Deuteronomy 4:35

12. Rooted - Prayer - Matthew 6:8

13. Rooted - Angels, Demons, Spiritual Warfare - 2 Kings 6:15-17

14. Rooted - Baptism and Communion - Acts 10:47-48

15. Rooted - Sin - Isaiah 59:1-8

16. Rooted - Jesus Christ - Matthew 1:18

17. Rooted - Resurrection and Ascension - 1 Corinthians 15:13-19

18. Rooted - Becoming a Christian - 2 Thessalonians 2:14

19. Rooted - Sanctification, Perseverance, Assurance - Romans 6:18

20. Rooted - Death - Romans 8:1

21. Rooted - When Jesus Returns - John 14:1-3

22. Rooted - The Final Judgment - Romans 2:5

23. Rooted - Heaven - John 14:1-3

24. Great Commission - Our Commission - Matthew 28:16-20

25. Great Commission - Why Go? - Matthew 28:16-20

26. Great Commission - Where Do We Go? - Matthew 28:16-20

27. Great Commission - How We Make Disciples - Matthew 28:16-20

28. Great Commission - In Practice - Matthew 28:16-20

29. Church Revolution - Uprising or Revolution? - John 6:67-68

30. Church Revolution - Revolution Heart - Luke 10:25-37

31. Church Revolution - Don't Waste Your Life - Romans 6:13

32. Church Revolution - Called to Revolution - Genesis 12:1-4

33. Church Revolution - Revolution Boot Camp - Romans 12:2

34. Church Revolution - Take Up the Cross - Luke 9:21-26

35. Church Revolution - Finale - Luke 10:25-37

36. Harvest - Sent to Harvest - Luke 10:1-2

37. Harvest - Sowing the Seeds - Mark 4:26-29

38. Harvest - What It's Really All About - Revelation 7:9-10

39. Disciple - What is a Christian? - Acts 11:19-26

40. Disciple - What is a Disciple? - Luke 9:23-24

41. Disciple - Become a Disciple - Matthew 4:18-22

42. Disciple - Abide - John 15:1-5

43. Disciple - The Practical Stuff - Luke 9:23

44. Disciple - The Word - John 8:31-32

45. Disciple - Prayer - John 15:7

46. Disciple - Fellowship - John 13:34-35

47. Disciple - Witness - John 15:8

48. Disciple - Service - John 15:13

49. Disciple - Making Disciples - Matthew 28:18-20

50. Communion - So What? - 1 Corinthians 15:12-19

51. Baby Dedication - Psalm 127:3

52. A Wedding Ceremony - Genesis 2:21-24

53. A Funeral Message - Psalm 116:15

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About the Author

Dedication

To LifePointe Church, Amory, Mississippi, and Hebron Baptist Church, Smithdale, Mississippi, who have both been part of all these messages. Thank you for loving your pastor, even when he didn't make much sense! Teresa, Lauren, and I have been blessed beyond measure by you guys. We'll always love you.

Introduction

Pastors are the busiest people in our country.

According to my research, that statement is a fact. Of course, my research is not scientific, but I believe it to be accurate. My most trusted research data comes from my wife. She says we’re the busiest people in our country, and I always listen to my wife!

I know, firsthand, all the many different directions we are pulled, every single day. There are hospitals to visit, weddings to officiate, and funerals to preach. There are families to counsel, new believers to disciple, and leaders to train. There are worship services to plan, toilets to unclog, and light bulbs to be replaced. And some of us have these things to do WHILE working another job – doing the bi–vocational thing. There’s enough stuff going on to keep us busy twenty–five hours a day, eight days a week.

Oh yeah, and there’s sermons to prepare. We’ve got to work that in with all the other things vying for our attention. The one thing most of us feel to be our primary purpose, our calling – preaching the Word of God – has to compete with everything else for the one finite element in all of this. Time.

As a seminary student, I remember hearing someone say a pastor should dedicate an hour of preparation to every minute of his sermon. At the time, I thought that was an unreal amount of time to spend in sermon prep. Now, years and sermons later, I can’t even grasp the thought. If our average sermon length is thirty minutes, that equates to thirty hours of prep! For those who have a Sunday night message to prepare, and maybe one for Wednesday night, well, that doesn’t exactly leave time for much else.

There may be some of you who have that luxury of time, but for most of us, that amount of time is simply not there. So we do the best we can with the time we’ve got, and trust God to make something useful from our efforts. And our gracious and merciful Lord often does.

But we want to do better. We want to present our people with well–prepared messages. Messages that will not only fill a thirty minute time slot, but will also feed them spiritually, lift their hearts, convict them of their sin, and call them into a new or deeper walk with the Lord.

That’s why I’ve put this series together. These Sermon Outlines for Busy Pastors books are for those of you who can identify with any of the above. I want to give you something to build on. Something that’s been studied through, that gives you a head–start for your messages this Sunday. Something that will help you make the most of your limited time.

I don’t make any claims these are the best sermon outlines you’ll ever see. They may not be on par with anything you’ve prepared yourself. But they have all been studied over, prayed over, and preached. The outlines are complete, compiled from the sermon notes I take into the pulpit each week. Take them as a whole, or use them to spur your thoughts in other directions.

Another thing I remember hearing in seminary is: The Bible, the Word of God, has been preached by many, many preachers for two thousand years. You’re probably not going to preach anything that hasn’t been preached before. I would say that is an accurate statement. We’re influenced by the preachers and sermons we hear. God speaks to us through them. And He may speak those same words through us in our messages to others. I know that’s true sometimes in my case and I’m fairly certain that’s true for most pastors. And I’m sure many sermons you’ll find here bear the marks of those preachers I’ve heard or read.

Nevertheless, I offer these sermon outlines to you. Use them for your benefit and for the glory of our Lord. I pray this book, and the entire series, provides you with a tool to help you make the most of your time. And to make much of Jesus Christ.

Preach the Word!

Fresh

Fresh - Week 1

Mark 1:16-20

I. Intro

A. Can you believe how fast last year came and went?

1. I want you to think just a minute as we begin this morning.

2. I want you to quickly reflect over your past year.

3. Maybe you've already done it.

4. We did a little bit last week, but let's do it one more time.

B. What were the highlights of your year?

1. What are the good things that stand out?

2. Think about the good moments.

3. We can thank God for giving us those good moments last year.

C. Now, what about those not so good moments?

1. We all had those, too, didn't we?

2. There are some things we wish hadn't happened.

3. There are some things we'd like a do-over on, isn't there?

D. Last week, we talked about a memorial to the past year.

1. Today, and for the next several weeks, I want us to look forward into this new year.

E. The first of the year is when we always look forward.

1. We make those resolutions.

2. We make plans for the better.

3. WE LOOK FORWARD TO A FRESH START.

4. In this NEW SERIES: FRESH, that's what we're going to be talking about.

F. WE'RE GOING TO START TODAY BY LOOKING AT THE ESSENTIAL NEED FOR A FRESH START.

1. Not just a fresh start to survive, but a fresh start to thrive.

2. What we're going to talk about here is going to be essential for the rest of the series.

3. What is the one essential thing needed for a fresh start to begin the new year?

4. We're going to answer this question by looking at a couple of stories in the bible.

II. The first story is in Mark, chapter 1.

A. READ MARK 1:16-20.

1. This is the story of Jesus calling the first disciples.

2. Peter, Andrew, James, and John were fishermen.

3. Fishermen were not very high up the social totem pole.

4. I'm sure it was a respectable job, but there were better things to do.

B. There's also the way things were done in Jewish society at that time.

1. Most Jewish boys got an early education.

2. The goal was to find the best and brightest and move them into Rabbi status.

3. They would all go to say, the second grade.

4. Then the best were allowed to go forward, the rest were sent back to find something else to do.

5. Then there would be another culling process a few years later.

6. By the time they were around 13, only the smartest were left.

7. The Rabbis would then come and select who they wanted to teach.

8. They would call the ones they wanted.

9. The rest were done, they went back to whatever they could find or the family business.

C. I say all of that to take us back to Peter, Andrew, James, and John.

1. They were – what? – Fishermen!

2. That means at some point in their lives, THEY WEREN'T GOOD ENOUGH.

3. At some point, they were rejected, turned down.

D. I can't help but believe they thought about that often.

1. Pulling in those slimy nets full of stinky fish, they must have thought about it.

2. What might have been.

3. If only I had another chance at it.

4. If only I could get a new shot at it.

5. If I only had a FRESH START!

E. So here comes a young rabbi, JESUS.

1. Here's the chance they were looking for.

2. They just might get that fresh start yet.

3. They only had to do ONE THING to get that FRESH START rolling!

III. There's a second story in Mark I want us to look at.

A. READ MARK 10:17-22.

1. This is commonly called the story of the Rich Young Ruler.

2. And we have a different situation than the earlier story.

3. This young man seemed to have it all.

4. He was rich.

5. He had all kinds of possessions.

6. He had all kinds of money.

7. But it must not have satisfied him.

8. He was still searching for something.

9. He was looking for eternal life.

B. So he comes to Jesus.

1. Jesus gives the young man a quick run down of the Ten Commandments.

2. The young man seemed to be a moral person.

3. He seemed clean.

4. Then Jesus tells him to get rid of all the stuff that didn't satisfy him.

5. And then do this ONE THING and get a FRESH START.

IV. Two very different situations.

A. Two very different sides of the social scale.

1. One, a story of the rejected.

2. One, a story of the unsatisfied.

3. In both situations, there was the possibility of starting over.

4. The people in both situations could use a FRESH START.

5. And in both situations, there was ONE THING left to get that FRESH START.

V. It's January.

A. We're only a few days in to a new year.

1. All that happened last year is in the past.

2. All that's left is the future.

3. Whether the past was good or bad, we stand at the dawn of a new year.

4. We've got the chance at a FRESH START.

5. And the ONE THING left for us to get that FRESH START is the same as those stories.

6. Our ONE THING to a FRESH START is the same as the ONE THING of Peter, Andrew, James, and John.

7. Our ONE THING TO A FRESH START is the same as the ONE THING of the Rich Young Ruler.

VI. WHAT IS THIS ONE THING?

A. What is this ONE THING that Peter, Andrew, James, and John had to do for a FRESH START at life?

1. What is this ONE THING that the Rich Young Ruler had to do for a FRESH START at life?

2. What is OUR ONE THING we have to do to get a FRESH START at life?

3. Let's go back to our two stories to find out.

4. READ MARK 1:17.

5. READ MARK 10:21.

B. The ONE THING that leads to a fresh start in life is to ...FOLLOW JESUS!

1. You want a FRESH START in your life? FOLLOW JESUS!

2. You want to make this year a year you will never forget? FOLLOW JESUS!

C. Our two stories have very different endings.

1. Peter, Andrew, James, and John followed Jesus.

2. And their lives were never the same!

3. They saw things no one had ever seen.

4. They got to do things no one else ever got to do.

5. They changed the world.

6. And it all started with following Jesus.

D. The Rich Young Ruler walked away.

1. He left the only person who could change His life.

2. When Jesus called him to follow, he walked the other way.

3. He had an opportunity for a FRESH START, but he decided what he had gained in the past was enough.

VII. You want a fresh start this year?

A. The way to have it is still the same: FOLLOW JESUS!

B. You may be a Christian.

1. But you've just been playing the Christian game.

2. You haven't really let Jesus lead you.

3. You've been walking on your own path and telling Jesus to follow you.

4. Now, it's time to start over and FOLLOW HIM!

5. (That's what we're going to talk about in the coming weeks).

6.Right now, you just need to make the decision that this year, you are going to get serious about following the One who died for your sins.

C. You may not be a Christian.

1. And you may be like the Rich Young Ruler.

2. You may have stuff.

3. You may have possessions.

4. But you now know that's not what you thought it would be.

5. You know there's got to be more to life than this.

6. There is.

7. You can find it by FOLLOWING JESUS.

D. You want a FRESH START this year?

1. FOLLOW JESUS!

Worship

Fresh - Week 2

Isaiah 1:12-17

I. Intro

A. Well, we're nine days into 2011.

1. How are your resolutions doing?

2. It doesn't take long to lose that focus, does it?

3. I hope you're still pursuing that FRESH start we talked about last Sunday.

B. Last Sunday we started this new series: FRESH.

1. The whole idea behind this series is to realize we all have an opportunity for a FRESH start.

2. That it's never too late to begin again.

3. But, as we said last week, that FRESH start must revolve around one essential choice.

4. THE CHOICE TO FOLLOW JESUS!

C. Without following JESUS, there will be no lasting change.

1. Without following JESUS, we're left to change with our own strength and power.

2. We've all tried that FRESH start before in our own strength, haven't we?

3. And we all know how that worked out, don't we?

4. But when we start NEW by following JESUS, there is supernatural strength to make change permanent.

D. So, what does FOLLOWING JESUS mean, anyway?

1. OK, so I've decided that I want a FRESH start and I want to FOLLOW JESUS.

2. What's next?

3. How exactly am I supposed to FOLLOW JESUS?

E. That's what the rest of the series is all about.

1. When you decide to start FRESH and FOLLOW JESUS, things have to change.

2. All aspects of your life HAVE TO CHANGE.

3. The choice to TRULY FOLLOW JESUS must be followed by many other FRESH STARTS.

4. The first fresh start leading from your choice to follow Jesus is the fresh start to worship.

II. We've got to have a FRESH START with our WORSHIP.

A. What exactly is WORSHIP?

1. Isn't that what we've been doing already this morning?

2. Isn't this called a WORSHIP SERVICE?

3. We have been worshiping.

4. But what we think of as WORSHIP may not be the same as what GOD thinks of WORSHIP.

5. Here's what God said about a worship service a long time ago.

6. READ ISAIAH 1:12-17.

B. So what we consider WORSHIP may not necessarily be what God considers WORSHIP.

1. Our word WORSHIP comes from an old English word weordhscipe or worth-ship.

2. It means to give worth or value to something or someone.

3. Worshiping God means we give worth and value to Him.

4. When we truly worship God, we reflect on the VALUE, BEAUTY, and CHARACTER of GOD.

C. And the Bible says we do this in SPIRIT AND TRUTH.

1. We give worth and value to God in spirit and truth.

2. READ JOHN 4:23-24.

D. We WORSHIP, we give worth and value to God in SPIRIT.

1. Biblically, our SPIRIT is our inner self.

2. It is our true self, with all the masks and pretending stripped away.

3. This means we WORSHIP GOD from our hearts.

4. At the deepest level of who we are, we are to be in awe of God.

5. Our WORSHIP is to be GENUINE and HEART-FELT.

6. We must MEAN it and FEEL it.

7. Our ACTIONS are to be an EXPRESSION of how we ACTUALLY FEEL.

E. We are to WORSHIP, give worth and value to God in TRUTH.

1. We don't worship the God we want Him to be.

2. We don't worship the God of our fantasies.

3. We WORSHIP THE GOD AS HE IS REVEALED TO US, WHO HE TRULY IS!

4. HE IS sovereign. HE IS holy. HE IS not like us. HE IS mighty. HE IS awesome. HE IS the God who forms to no one's idea. HE IS GOD AS HE IS.

5. And WE WORSHIP HIM AS HE IS AND FOR WHO HE IS!

F. Our WORSHIP cannot be PHONY or a PUT ON.

1. We can't just go through the MOTIONS.

2. We can't sing WORDS we don't really MEAN.

G. That's why GOD had a problem with the WORSHIP SERVICE in ISAIAH.

1. There was all kind of pomp and circumstance.

2. It all looked good.

3. It was all planned well.

4. Everyone enjoyed it.

5. But none of it came from the HEART.

6. God saw their hearts and there was NO WORSHIP THERE.

7. And it made God sick!

H. SO, OUR FIRST STEP IN FOLLOWING JESUS AND A FRESH START IS TO START FRESH WITH OUR