Classic Sermon Outlines (continued)
CLASSIC SERMON OUTLINES — George Whitefield made a covenant that if He would obey, suffer, and make Himself a sacrifice for sin He "shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hands" (Isaiah 3:10).
C. It Is the Father's Love.
The apostle when here speaking of the Christian's blessings, lest they should sacrifice to their own worth or think that their salvation was owing to their own faithfulness or improvement of their own free will, reminds them to look back on the everlasting love of God the Father—"who of God is made unto us."
Il. THE EXPLANATION OF THE BELIEVER'S BLESSINGS.
A. Christ the Believer's Wisdom.
1. The meaning of true wisdom negatively stated. (a) It is not indulging | the desires of the flesh: eat, drink, and be merry. This is only the wisdom of brutes. (b) It is not the gaining of things: for riches often take wings and fly away. "A man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth" (Luke12:15). (c) It is not the gaining of knowledge. It is possible for you to tell numbers of the stars and call them all by their names and yet be mere fools. Learned men are not always wise.
2. The meaning of true wisdom positively stated. (a) It is to know one-
— self. One of the wise men of Greece said, "Know thyself" This is certainly true wisdom. It is the wisdom spoken of in the text. We are made to know ourselves so as not to think more highly than we ought to think. (b) It is to know what we are by nature. Once we were in darkness, fallen creatures, dead in trespasses in the sins, sons, and heirs of hell and children of wrath.
(c) It is to know what we are by grace. Now we are light in the Lord and know He is the only Savior and have received Him as our all in all.
B. Christ the Believer's Righteousness.
1. This means the imputation of Christ's righteousness to the believer. Christ's whole personal righteousness is made over to and accounted to the believer. God the Father blots out our transgressions as with a thick cloud; our sins and iniquities He remembers no more. We are made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, who is the end of Law for righteousness to every one who believeth (Romans 10:4).