Old Doxoblogy

Friday, September 16, 2005

Fill In The Blanks Yourself

This is an outline from a sermon I preached a year or so ago. I may republish it later in a full manuscript form. I would hate to leave you with nothing to read over the weekend though, since you all hang on my every word! Yeah, yeah, right. Still, here it is.
Good News In Jars Of Clay
II Corinthians 4:1-7

Introduction: In Qumran in the middle east in 1947 a young shepherd, following a goat that had gone astray, tossed a rock into one of the caves along the seacliffs and heard a cracking sound: the rock had hit a ceramic pot. The ceramic pot contained leather and papyrus scrolls that were later determined to be nearly twenty centuries old. Other pots were also discovered. Ten years and many searches later, eleven caves around the Dead Sea were found to contain tens of thousands of scroll fragments dating from the third century B.C. to A.D. 68 and representing an estimated eight hundred separate works. Each fragment is valued today any where from $80,000 to $3 Million.

I. The Ministry of Proclamation of the Good News is a Gift From God

A. His Mercy allows us the privilege of carrying it
B. It is such a privilege that we will not lay it down
C. It is such a privilege we will not forfeit the privilege
1. Won't resort to lies
2. Trickery
3. Adulteration
4. We Speak Clearly

II. The Good News is to be Proclaimed to all

A. Results are God's
B. World is Blind
C. Sovereign Work of God Opens their Eyes

III. What is the Good News?

A. Jesus is Lord
B. We are your Servants For Jesus' Glory

IV. The Gospel is a Treasure

A. God Spoke light out of darkness
1. In Creation
2. In our hearts (His sovereign work)
3. Speaks his light through the darkness of our lips
B. The Gospel has been committed to clay pots
1. A pot is a pot
2. The Gospel is God's treasure
3. The results are for God's Glory

Conclusion: In today's culture it is fashionable to decorate chests, luggage, boxes, and even clay pots, in order to display them in our homes. That is not what we as clay pots are to be. We have not been entrusted with the Gospel, in order that we may use it to decorate ourselves to be seen of men. Rather, we are black holes that the light of the Gospel shines through. We are chests that are buried and when unearthed are not praised, but the treasure that God has placed in us displays His Glory. We are clay pots. Nothing more, nothing less.

13 comments:

Joe said...

Hey! Speak not in jest.

We do hang on your every word!

If not for you, where would we learn the lessons you teach?

Hmmm? Ever thought of that?

Jeremy Weaver said...

Joe,
Did you know that Tennessee is putting a whipping on the Gators even as we speak?

Bhedr said...

How did you like that blocked kick. 7-7 Your speaking to early.

Jeremy Weaver said...

Stupid review!

Bhedr said...

oops! Fumble

Bhedr said...

Well it just cost 3 pts but theyll come back. It aint over till its over!

Jeremy Weaver said...

They could use the three points they lost at the half.

Steve Weaver said...

It's over! We stink!

J. Wendell said...

I can almost hear the homoletics comming through. Good outline brother, looking forward to the full manuscript.

Bhedr said...

Ah well, my condolances! It looks like the BCS is out of reach unless some weird stuff happens again.

Bhedr said...

I don't think that the Vols stink per se as they are going through sanctification and this suffering will help purify them. They are although clean inwardly because of the hope you have. So I would say that they do not stink but perhaps they stank.

Jeremy Weaver said...

Are you saying that the Vols are in purgatory?

Bhedr said...

LoL! Perhaps we will have to go to Catholic Answers.org to find out. They in turn will have to find out from Benedict and then will have the ability to tell us. Why not just visit a medium and gaze into a crystal ball to find out where the Vols are going this year. Hey the last couple of years have been wacky so maybe Voodoo has been at play.