Classic Sermon Outlines
CLASSIC SERMON OUTLINES — Alexander Maclaren
'between teacher and taught into practical forgetfu the new covenant - "Tey bel eng God ohn 5).
I. THE TRUE LEADER OF OUR MARCH.
A. Israel's True Leader.
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B. The Christian's True Leader.
C. The Christian's Responsibility to His Leader.
1. Obedient step-by-step following. No doubt in all our lives there come times when we seem to have been brought into a blind alley, and cannot see where we are to get out; but it is very rare indeed that we do not see one step in eee the ee which lies next to us. a ace dna Ga sis SACO nsitts idence cece eee eee will be kept from many a mistake and led into a region of deep peace.
3. Reverent following. "Go after the ark, yet there shall be a space between it and you; come not near it, that ye may know the way ye ought to go" (Joshua 3:3, 4). If we impatiently press too close on the heels of our guide we lose the guidance. There must be a reverent following which allows indications of the way full time to develop themselves and does not — fing itself j Jechbusinienelienne 'cms ' Moses and Hobab
IV. THE CRAVING FOR A HUMAN GUIDE HAS BEEN MET IN THE GIFT OF CHRIST. |
A. Hobab's Qualification.
Moses sought to secure this Midianite guide because he was a native of the desert and had travelled all over it. His experience wa: q fllexander Maclaren
SERMON THREE
THE EAGLE AND ITS
BROOD
As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings.
—DEUTERONOMY 32:11
THIS is an incomplete sentence in the Authorized Version, but really it should be rendered as a complete one, the description of the eagle's action including only the two first clauses, and (the figure being still retained) the person spoken of in the last clauses being God Himself. That is to say, it should read thus, "As an eagle stirreth up his nest, fluttereth over his young, He spreads abroad His wings, takes them, bears them on His pinions." While the text primarily refers to the infant nation in the forty years — wanderings, it carries larger truths about us all; and sets forth the true meaning and importance of life.
I. A GRAND THOUGHT ABOUT GOD.
A. The Metaphor Used: The Vulture.
Now it may come as something of a shock if I say that the bird that is selected for the comparison is not really an eagle, but one which, in our estimation, is of a very much lower order such as, the carnivorous vulture. Our modern repugnance to the vulture as feeding on carcasses was probably not felt by the singer of this song. What | acteristics common to the eag! he brings into view are the charle and the vulture; superb strength in beak
The Eagle and Its Brood, and the emblem not unfitly shadows forth one aspect of the God of Israel, who is "fearful in praises," who is strong to destroy as well as to save, whose all-seeing eye marks every foul thing, and who often pounces on it swiftly to rend it to pieces, though the sky seemed empty a moment before.
C. The Lesson Taught by the Metaphor.
The action described in the text is not destructive, terrible, or fierce. we notice that its the male bird that is spoken about inthe text which young."
II]. AN ILLUMINATING THOUGHT OF THE MEANING OF LIFE.
A. The Purpose of Life. heaven. What is it all for? To teach us to fly, to exercise our half-fledged wings in the short flights, that may prepare us for, and make it possible to take, longer ones. Every event that befalls us has a meaning beyond itself; have to do reacts upon us, the doers, and either fits or hinders us for larger work. Life as a whole, and in its minutest detail, is worthy of God to give, and worthy of us to possess, only if we recognize the teaching that is put into the picturesque form in this text—that the meaning of all which God does to us is to train us for something greater beyond.
B. The Importance of the Purpose of Life.
'Itist e mystery of life. No man gets to the heart of the mystery of life or has in his hand the key which will enable him to unlock all the