Classic Sermon Outlines (continued)
CLASSIC SERMON OUTLINES — Matthew Henry body and its appetites; no, they affect the soul. They are of a spiritual nature and satisfy.
2. The pleasures of sense. The brute creatures have the same pleasures of sense that we have; but what are those to man who is "taught more than the beasts of the earth and made wiser than the fowls of heaven"? .
C. It Is Abiding and Not Transitory.
1. Perishing pleasures. The pleasures of sense are fading and perishing. As "the world passes away,' so do the lusts of it. That which at first pleases and satisfies, after a while grows less attractive and becomes disgusting.
2. Permanent pleasures. The pleasures of godliness will abide; they wither not in winter, nor tarnish with time, nor does age wrinkle their beauty. Christ's joy which He gives to His own "no man takes from them."
II. THE PROOF OF THE PLEASANTNESS OF THE GODLY LIFE.
A. The Nature of True Godliness.
1, To know the true God and Jesus Christ. This is the first thing we have to do to get our understandings rightly informed concerning both the object and the medium of our religious or spiritual relations.
2. To cast all of our cares upon God. This is to commit all our ways and works to Him with an assurance that He will care for us. To be truly godly is to have our wills melted into the will of God in everything.
3. A life of communion with God. Good Christians have "fellowship with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ" and endeavor to keep up that holy converse. In reading and meditating upon Scriptures we hear God speaking to us. In prayer and praise we speak to God.
B. The Comfort and Privileges of Godliness.
1. The comforts purchased, promised, and provided. Christ purchased peace and pleasure for us. What He purchased has been promised to us and provision has been made for the application of that which has been purchased and promised: the Holy Spirit, the Scriptures, the ministry.