Classic Sermon Outlines (continued)
CLASSIC SERMON OUTLINES — George Whitefield
II. THE GOOD SHEPHERD'S ASSURANCE TO HIS SHEEP.
A. He Knows His Sheep.
1. He knows their number and name. If you belong to Jesus Christ, He is speaking of you when He says, "I know My sheep." What does this mean? Why, He knows their number, He knows their names, He knows every one for whom He died; and if there were to be one missing for whom Christ — died, God the Father would send Him down again from heaven to fetch — Him. "Of all (saith He) that Thou hast given Me I have lost none."
2. He knows all about them. Christ knows His sheep. He not only knows their number and name, but the words speak the peculiar knowl- | Sdyoneliro nea aso ih se er aun ee were only one single sheep in the world. He k 3 saints quainted with all of thee soreows, ras and temptations He bottles up paeeere ae
Gade sha dsjsabuddasmentdliliabtin ssa lesemenriaeranled aie tested not be justified there. He gives them eternal life, that is, assurance of it; the indwelling of the Spirit of God here is the earnest of the glory hereafter. sini keeps lela petro thesia aceasta ep a ei the eye, and the pride of life, all try to pluck them out of Christ's hand. We help all three to pluck themselves out of Jesus' hand; but "none shall pluck them out of My hand,' says Christ. Upon that text I can leave all of Christ's sheep to the protection of His love.
CONCLUSION
If you never w before, may He bring you now. Giomopeonenn ibaa ssid tai osc Den EO 'Shepherd draw your souls. Ifyou have never heard His voice before, God grant you may hear it now. And you, dear Christian, who are already in His hands, may God keep you from wandering and keep you near Christ's feet.
ASeNGE Whitefield
SERMON TWENTY-FIVE
THE CONVICTING WORK
OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
H lisciple 'They person neers to in the words of the text is Bi the eee Spirit, The promise was first made to our Lord's apostles and fulfilled on the day of Pentecost. Nevertheless, as the apostles were the representatives of the whole body of believers, we must infer that this promise must be looked upon as spoken to us and to as many as the Lord our God shall call.
I. THE HOLY SPIRIT CONVICTS THE WORLD OF SIN. eerie ofc he conte person was ever uly. Thusour Lor deal cation, uch asene fall his other sins probably at the onetime revived in
CLASSIC SERMON OUTLINES — George Whitefield
When the Holy Spirit accosts a sinner te peuanaeae ean carnal reasoning against original sin is immediately thrown down; and he is made to cry out. ppain enable tera ere War ieee > Now he does not so much bewail his actual sins as the inward perverseness of his heart which he finds to be in direct enmity against God
C. He Convicts the Sinner of the Sin of Legal Righteousness. cna Gite ORI ately go about to establish our own righteousness by works and think thereby to find acceptance with God. The Comforter convinces the soul of these false notions and makes the sinner to see that all his righteousnesses are as filthy rags.
D. He Convicts the Sinner of the Sin of Unbelief.
There is a fourth sin of which the Comforter convinces the soul and elspa yee ne rer ee ee ee worth mentioning. Indeed it is the root o well as the condemning sin of the wo
Ppt eta tee ane eee and man, However, in our text (asin a multitude of other places in Holy Writ) it refers to the active and passive obedience of our Lord; it is that perfect, personal, all-sufficient righteousness which He has wrought out for the world of which the Spirit is to convince.
B. Ste oa sate a ania
O says our Lord, "because I go to the Father, and sohcccubiitgi en ema This is one argument which the Holy Spirit uses to prove Christ's righteousness: because He is gone to the Fa-
The Conviating Work of the Holy Spirit erie see Him no more. Had He not wrought out a sufficient righaotbneet the Father would have sent Him back as not having done what He undertook.
C. The Importance of the Holy Spirit's Work of Convicting of Whoever knows himself and God must acknowledge that Jesus Christ ss to every one that believes and that ancreirooresertneeteneitisheebusions God in Him. Whatever other scheme of salvation men may lay, I acknowledge I can see no other foundation whereon to build my hopes of salvation but the rock of Christ's personal righteousness imputed to my soul.
D. The Reason for the Holy Spirit's Work of Convicting of Righteousness.
Many, I believe, have a rational conviction that salvation depends on the imputation of Christ's personal righteousness to the soul; but rational convictions, if rested in, avail but little. It must be a spiritual, experimental 'conviction of saving truth. Therefore our Lord says that when the Holy
Spirit comes He convinces of that righteousness; of its reality, completeness, and sufficiency to save a poor sinner. Ame?!
A. The Explanation of Judgment.
The next thing of which the Comforter, when He comes, convinces the soul is judgment. By the word judgment I understand that well-grounded peace, that settled ju udgment, which the soul forms of itself when it is enabled by the Spirit of God to lay hold on Christ's righteousness, which I believe it always does when convinced of righteousness.
B. The Significance of the Conviction of Judgment.
The soul being enabled to hold on Christ's perfect righteousness bya living faith has a conviction wrought in it by the Holy Spirit that the Prince of this world is judged. The soul now being justified by faith has peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. The strong man armed is now cast out;
CLASSIC SERMON OUTLINES — George Whitefield accuse, but he has now no share in me. Amen')
C. The Confidence of the Conviction of Judgment. dacetictuinl bee ae what s| @oduuiinascnenitheerpapiciesie beens eer Onn Such a one can triumphantly say, "It is Christ that justifies me, who is he that condemns?" Ame
CONCLUSION
sUnenleGod for HisgieORleHolySpiiteved.wouldnevenhavebeen. tent Rode bie Wa es AG ae you v n everlasting love an ig by His Holy Spirit, and that to9, not on account of any goo maces in you, but for His own - name's sake. Be humble and extol free grace. Walk as it becomes the children of light. And, oh, that the Holy Spirit would come and convince the See aa eae Ame ').
Acd thot ryan whe are "in" Christ Tesos real hein Aeve"
Nodvure Now Ww Mom, Be Con ined. , be Rae ey . feorge Miitefield
SERMON TWENTY-SIX
CONVERSION
ma lotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.
PETER charged his audience with the sin of murdering the Son of God. No doubt the charge entered deep into their conscience and that faithful monitor began to give them a proper sense of themselves. Then the apostle informed them that great as was their sin, it was not unpardonable; that although they had been connected with the crime of murdering the Lord and thereby incurred the penalty of eternal death, yet there was mercy for them as pointed out in the text.
I. MEN'S CONCEPTS OF CONVERSION.
I shall endeavor to show you what conversion is not. I believe there are thousands that think themselves converted, and yet at the same time, if you come and examine them, they know not so much as speculatively what _ real conversion is.
A. Some Think Conversion Is Only a Change from One Religious System to Another.
There is a notion that a person's change from one church or denomination to another is conversion. This may take place while no thought is given to Jesus Christ. This is conversion only from one persuasion to another persuasion.
CLASSIC SERMON OUTLINES — George Whitefield
B. Some Think Conversion Is Only a Change from one Doctrinal Position to Another.
Possibly a person may go further and be converted from one set of principles or doctrines to another. Neither is this real or Scriptural c conversion, that is, conversion that will bring a soul to heaven.
C. Some Think Conversion Is Only Reformation.
Some think they are converted because they are reformed; but reformation is not renovation. A man may be turned from profanity to a regard for morality, and because he does not swear nor attend the theater nor play cards he considers himself converted; yet he may still be unsaved. I speak not against reformation or being good. This is right in its place; but this conversion, or the two previously mentioned, you may have and yet never be truly converted.
II. SCRIPTURAL VIEW OF CONVERSION.
A. Its Meaning.
A man must be a new creature and be converted from his own righteousness to the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. As a child when born has all the several parts of a man, so when a person is converted to God there are all the features of the new creature and growth until he become mature in grace and is taken to glory. Anything short of this is but the shadow instead of the substance. Conversion means a person turned from hell to heaven, from the world to God.
B. Its Evidence.
They that are really converted to Jesus and are justified by faith in the Son of God, such will take care to evidence their conversion by grace diffusing itself through every faculty of the soul and making a universal change in them. He that is "in Christ is a new creature: old things (not will be, but) are passed away; behold, all things (not only will, but) are become new" (II Cotinthians 5:17).
C. Its Author.
The author of this conversion is the Holy Spirit. It is not man's free will; it is not moral persuasion; nothing short of the influence of the Spirit
4 Conversion of the living God can effect this change in our lives. We are said to be born of the Spirit John 3:5). "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3:6).
Ill. MOTIVES FOR CONVERSION.
A. Conversion Is Necessary for Soul Rest.
Permit me to say that you ought to repent and be converted, for until then you never can, never will, never shall find true rest for your souls.
B. Conversion Is Necessary for Eternal Happiness.
Unless you are converted you can never be happy hereafter. You must be converted if you will go to heaven. The unconverted man would not enjoy heaven, if he could enter, which, of course, he cannot.
C. Conversion Is Necessary for Deliverance from Condemnation.
I mention one more thing, which is, that you must be converted or be damned. This is plain English, but not plainer than my Master made use of when He said, "He that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:16).
IV. ANSWERS TO OBJECTIONS AGAINST CONVERSION.
A. There Is Still Sufficient Time to Be Converted.
The common saying is, "I do not care to be converted yet; I think there is time enough to be converted." You may think to put it off until the morning, but before morning you may be damned. If you were in prison and you would be permitted to leave, you would choose to go immediately. Why will you not do for your soul what you would do for your body?
B. People Will Laugh.
I would be converted but people will laugh at me. Suppose you were promised $50,000, but you must be laughed at all your lifetime. Would you accept the offer? There is none but would say, "Give me the $50,000." Ifyou loved God and your souls you would say, "Give me God and call me what you will." Is the Gospel the glory of our country and are you ashamed of the Gospel?
CLASSIC SERMON OUTLINES — George Whitefield
C. It Is Not the Right Time.
Is it time for the poor prisoners to be converted, who are to be hanged tomorrow morning? If it is time for them, it is time for you, for you may be dead before them. There was a poor woman who a few days ago was cursing most shockingly; now she is a dead corpse. God grant that may not be the case with you; but the only way to prevent it is to remember that "now is. the accepted time; now is the day of salvation" (II Corinthians 6:2).
CONCLUSION
Young people, I charge you to consider. God help you to repent and be converted. You middle-aged people, oh, that you would repent and be converted! You old, gray-headed people, the Lord make you repent and be converted that you may thereby prove that your sins are blotted out. I could preach until I preached myself dead. I would be glad to preach myself dead if God would convert you. May God bless His work on you that you may blossom and bring forth fruits unto Him.
THE ALMOST CHRISTIAN
Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.
THE CHAPTER out of which the text is taken contains an account of Saint Paul's conversion to Christianity which he gave before governor Festus and King Agrippa. The king accuses the apostle of madness to which he replies in the negative and confronts the ruler with the words, "believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest them." The text is Agrippa's confession.
I. THE IDENTIFICATION OF THE ALMOST CHRISTIAN.
A. He Wavers between Christ and the World.
An almost Christian, if we consider him in his duty toward God, is one that halts between two opinions; that wavers between Christ and the world; that would reconcile God and mammon, light and darkness, Christ and Belial. He is one who depends much upon outward form and therefore considers himself righteous, despising others; but at the same time he is a stranger to the divine life.
B. He Is Just to All.
If you consider him in respect to his neighbor, he is one who is strictly just to all. This does not proceed from any love to God or regard to man, but only through a principle of self-love. He knows dishonesty will spoil his _reputation and consequently hinder his thriving in the world.
CLASSIC SERMON OUTLINES — George Whitefield
C. He Depends on Negative Goodness.
He.is one who depends upon being negatively good and contents himself with the consciousness of having done no one any harm; even though he reads in the Gospel that "the unprofitable servant was cast into outer darkness" (Matthew 25:30) and the barren fig tree was cursed and dried up from the roots, not for bearing bad fruit, but because it bore no fruit (Matthew 21:19).
D. He Is Publicly Charitable.
He is no enemy to charitable contributions, if not approached too frequently; but he is unaquainted with the ministry of visiting the sick and imprisoned, clothing the naked, and relieving the hungry in a private manner. He thinks that those things belong only to the clergy, yet his own false heart tells him that nothing but pride keeps him from exercising these acts of humility.
E. He Practices Sobriety.
As he is strictly honest to his neighbor, so he is likewise strictly sober in himself. Both his honesty and sobriety proceed from the same principle of self-love. It is true, he does not run into the same excesses of riot with other men, but it is not out of obedience to God, but because he is naturally temperate or is fearful of forfeiting his reputation or unfitting him for business.
II. THE REASONS FOR BEING AN ALMOST CHRISTIAN.
A. False Ideals of Christianity.
Many who live in a Christian country do not know what Christianity is. Some consider that it is found in this or that communion, others think it is morality, many more hold it to be a round of performance of duties. Only a few acknowledge it to be what it is in reality, a divine life, a union of a soul with God.
B. Fear of Man.
A second reason that so many are only almost Christians is a servile fear of man. There are many who have been awakened to a sense of the divine life, yet out of a sinful fear of being considered peculiar they have al-
The Almost Christian lowed all of these good impressions to wear off. They love man's praise more than the honor which God gives.
C. Love of Money.
This was the pitiable case of the young man in the Gospel who inquired of our Lord what to do to inherit salvation, but went away sorrowful because he refused to part with his wealth (Luke 18:18—23). Thus many today when they find that they must forsake all to follow Christ say, "The Lord pardon us in this thing! We pray Thee have us excused."
D. Love of Pleasure.
Neither is the love of pleasure a less uncommon or less fatal cause why so many are no more than almost Christians. They have too great a love for pleasures. Tell them to "mortify their members" (Colossians 3:5) and they consider it as difficult as to cut off a right hand or to pluck out a right eye. They cannot think our Lord requires so much.
E. Instability of Character.
Many a minister and sincere Christian has wept over promising converts who seemingly began in the Spirit, but after a while fell away and ended in the flesh through an instability and fickleness of character. Christianity was to them a novelty, something which pleased them for a short time, but after their curiosity was satisfied they laid it aside.
III. THE FOLLY OF BEING AN ALMOST CHRISTIAN
A. It Is Not Salvation.
The first proof I shall give of the folly of being an almost Christian is that it is ineffectual to salvation. It is true that such men are almost good; but almost to hit the mark is really to miss it. God requires us to love Him with all our hearts, with all our souls, and with all our strength (Matthew
22:37). He loves us too well to admit any rival.
B. It Is Detrimental to Others.
An almost Christian is one of the most harmful creatures in the world. He is a wolf in sheep's clothing. He is one of those false prophets our
CLASSIC SERMON OUTLINES — George Whitefield
Lord bids us beware, who would persuade men the way to heaven is broader than it really is and thereby "enter not into the kingdom of God themselves; and those who are entering in, they hinder."
C. It Is Ingratitude toward Christ.
It is the greatest instance of ingratitude that we can express toward our Lord and Master Jesus Christ. Did He not come down from heaven and shed His precious blood to purchase these lives of ours and shall we only
give Him half of them? How can we say we love Him when our hearts are not wholly with Him?
CONCLUSION
Let us scorn all base and treacherous treatment of our King and Sav-
ior, of our God and Creator. Let us not take some care to go to heaven and yet be lost at last. Let us give God our whole hearts and no longer halt be_tween two opinions. If the world is god, let us serve that; if pleasure is a god, let us serve that: but if the Lord is God, let us serve Him alone. s— - "
A VENGE Whitefield
SERMON TWENTY-EIGHT
THE BELIEVER'S BLESSINGS
IN CHRIST
But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us, _ wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.
—TI CORINTHIANS 1:30
OF ALL the verses in the Book of God, this which constitutes our text is, I believe, one of the most comprehensive. What glad tidings it brings to believers! What precious privileges are believers herein invested! Without referring you to the context I shall from these words point out to you the fountain from which these blessings flow and then consider what these blessings are wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.
I. THE FOUNTAIN OF THE BELIEVER'S BLESSINGS
A. It Is God the Father.
First, I point out to you the fountain of the blessings that the children of God partake of in Jesus, "who of God is made unto us": the Father, He it is who is spoken of here.
B. It Is the Father's Covenant with His Son.
There was an eternal contract between the Father and the Son: "I have made a covenant with My chosen, and I have sworn unto David My servant" (Psalm 89:3). David was a type of Christ with whom the Father also