Sermon Outlines on The Gospels

Before any of the Gospels were written down and became part of the canon they were given orally. Therefore it already has a shape that the Bible preacher should respect.

When preachers speak it is for presentation. When preachers write it is often for publication. Thus, when someone reads the Gospels they might not assume that they are reading some of the early sermonic material of Jesus and the early church, but they should. For all the Gospels are, to some extent at least, intended to be sermonic.

What then should preaching from the Gospels be?

• First it should be Christ-centered.
• Second, it should be redemptive and evangelistic.
• Third, it should be revealing of the author’s intent and slant.
• Fourth, it should be based squarely on a specific text.
• Fifth, it should be indicative of the wide variety of Gospel genre.
• Sixth, it should have the accent on good news.

This book of sermons is an attempt in the direction of variety. The author attempted to share sermons from all four Gospels, from a variety of genre, from a variety of textual lengths, from a variety of themes, and from a variety of occasions that would match some of the special Christian seasons.

For the most part the sermons follow a basic chronological flow from a harmonized study of the life of Christ.

Sermon Outlines on Romans

This letter that Paul wrote to a church that he had not established seems to work very well today when preaching to churches at which you have never served. It served as Paul’s gospel to Rome.

They knew the good news of Jesus, but they did not understand several things about the significance and application of that truth. They needed to stay “in growth” in Christ, both individually and together as the church. Churches need to hear many of the same challenges to keep growing, to be sure of the gospel, and to celebrate the wonder of God’s magnificent grace.

Sermon Outlines on 1 Corinthians

These outlines on First Corinthians are meant for the use of the preacher and the Bible teacher. They have been presented as logical divisions of this New Testament book. These outlines have been designed to include enough teaching to get the thought process started. Commentaries on First Corinthians should be referenced as a means of gathering material to add to the points. The problems and attitudes detailed in the book of First Corinthians also apply to our church today.

Sermon Outlines on Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians

Galatians:
These outlines focus on Christian blessings and responsibilities.

Ephesians:
We live in a world divided—black/white, Arab/Jew, male/female, rich/poor. In the first century, the world was no less divided. Then the basic distinction was Jew/Gentile. For that reason some Jewish Christians had trouble accepting Gentile converts. Some even insisted they must first become Jews (see Acts 15; Galatians 1-2). Paul shows the Ephesians how God answered the world’s plea for oneness—it was in Christ.

After speaking of the greatness of the purpose of God in Christ, the glory of the high calling, and the life that should follow from it, Paul reminds his readers that such a life cannot be lived without spiritual battle.

Philippians:
A willingness to serve is the trademark of humility and Christlikeness.

Colossians:
Paul’s letter to the church at Colossae offers seven characteristics that mark an alive church which can apply even today, how to discern truth, the three basic Principles for growing Christians (the three R’s), encouragement to remember the contributions of each individual.

Sermon Outlines on Ephesians

Unlike other epistles written to specific churches, this epistle does not deal with specific problems in a local congregation. Instead, Paul addressed great themes that pertain to the Christian's position in Christ, as a member of the body of Christ, the church. As expressed in his prayer for his readers, it was his desire that they might know:

• What is the hope of God's calling (1:18)
• What are the glorious riches of God's inheritance in the saints(1:18)
• What is God's great power toward those who believe (1:19)

Put in a sentence, the theme is found in Eph 4:1-3—“The Church is to maintain the unity in practice which Christ has brought about positionally.” Pragmatically stated, “Christians, get along with each other!”…a worthy challenge for us all.

Sermon Outlines for Growing Christians

The sermon outlines in this book are divided into four sub-sections:

• Growing in Our Personal Relationship with God
• Growing in Our Efforts to Glorify Christ
• Growing Through Our Service to Others
• Growing Through Our Struggles with Life’s Adversities

Refer to the table of contents to see the variety of aspects for sermons applicable to each section.

Sermon Outlines for Seekers

To seek, verb

1 : to resort to : go to
2 : to go in search of : look for : to try to discover
3 : to ask for : REQUEST
4 : to try to acquire or gain : aim at
5 : to make an attempt : TRY

The sermon outlines contained in this book are of different types. Some messages are topical, some textual, and some expository. What makes these messages seeker sensitive is not their structural type, but the way in which they address some issue that seekers express curiosity about. This volume is produced with the conviction that the seeker is willing to embrace the Bible as the resource for this search.

These outlines are offered prayerfully, in the hope that they can be combined with the reader’s own unique modes of expression to give seekers genuine guidance.

Sermon Outlines for Special Days

The sermon outlines in this book are divided into two sub-sections:

• The Church Calendar
• Special Events

The table of contents gives you a list of which sermon outlines were designed for a specific event.