This sermon was preached by Pastor Wagner in the Cincinnati Church in 2008 five years before he was ordained.
The outline is attached at the bottom of the page.
Effective Evangelism
I. The mandate to evangelize.
1. Because of the lack of understanding of the “great commission”, and poor doctrine, many Christians carry an unnecessary burden that requires them to witness to every person they meet in order to give them a chance at eternal life.
David's Life - A Warning to Christians
I. The importance of this study.
1. David was a man after God's own heart.
A. David was abundantly blessed by God.
B. We can learn from good examples in David's life.
2. But David made some very poor choices and was chastened by God for them.
A. As a result, David experienced a lot of pain and heartache that wouldn't have had to be.
B. "Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition..." (1Co 10:11).
C. "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." (1Co 10:12).
5. David experienced great victory early in his life.
A. David had a great victory over Goliath.
i. Before going in to battle, David was offered armour to protect himself, but he rejected it, not having proved it (1Sa 17:38-39).
a. We would do well to follow David's example and "prove all things" (1Th 5:21; Eph 5:10).
b. We should prepare to defend ourselves, but safety is ultimately from the Lord (Pro 21:31).
1) We shouldn't trust in our military for safety, but in God (Psa 20:7; Psa 44:6-7).
6. David's failures.
A. David multiplied wives unto himself.
i. Kings were forbidden to multiply wives unto themselves (Deu 17:17).
ii. Multiply - 1. trans. To cause to become much, many, or more; to make many or manifold; to augment the number, amount, or quantity of.
iii. David had at least 10 wives and 10 concubines.
a. Michal - (1Sa 18:27)
b. Abigail - (1Sa 25:40-42)
c. Ahinoam - (1Sa 27:3)
d. Maacha - (2Sa 3:3)
e. Haggith - (2Sa 3:4)
f. Abital - (2Sa 3:4)
g. Eglah - (2Sa 3:5)
h. Bathsheba - (2Sa 12:24)
i. David then took more concubines and wives (2Sa 5:13).
C. David didn't restrain and discipline his children.
i. David never displeased his son Adonijah at any time (1Ki 1:6).
a. In other words, David never told him "no".
b. Fathers, it is your job to displease your children often.
c. Your job it to first make them holy, and then happy.
d. Foolishness is bound in their hearts and they will naturally make the wrong decision nearly every time if left to themselves (Pro 22:15).
e. You must be like Abraham who commanded his children, not left them do whatever they wanted (Gen 18:19).
I. "Remember Lot's Wife." (Luk 17:32) is one of the shortest verses in the Bible.
1. Don't despise small things, though (Zec 4:10).
2. Some important verses in the Bible are very short. Consider the following profound, yet concise verses:
A. "Jesus wept." (Joh 11:35)
B. "Rejoice evermore." (1Th 5:16)
C. "Pray without ceasing." (1Th 5:17)
D. "Quench not the Spirit." (1Th 5:19)
E. "Brethren, pray for us." (1Th 5:25)
3. Wise men let their words be few (Pro 17:27-28).
4. Fools, on the other hand, are known for their much speaking (Ecc 5:3; Ecc 10:14).
I'm Converted, Now What?
I. What do I mean by "converted"?
1. Converted - 1. Turned, turned back. 2. That has turned or been brought over to a religious faith or profession, whether from a different religion or from irreligious life.
2. Conversion is turning to God from a previous life of sin and false religion (Act 15:3 c/w Act 15:19).
3. A complete conversion includes being baptized and added to a local church (Act 15:3 c/w Act 14:1, 21-23).
II. So now that I've been baptized and added to a true church, now what?
I. There are many things which keep people from submitting to Christ, such as:
1. Reprobation - some are natural men who have not the ability to understand and believe the gospel and submit to it.
2. Pride - the pride of even God's elect can prevent them from submitting to Christ.
3. Apathy - some people just don't care about truth.
4. Accountability - some people do not want to be held accountable to God's law by a church and pastor.
5. Love of sin and self - some people love themselves and their sin more than God and will not give it up to follow Him.
6. Love of family - some people love their spouse, parents, or children more than God and can't bear the thought of hurting or angering them by submitting to Christ.
A. The first and greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength (Mat 22:36-38).
B. Family must take a backseat to God.
i. Jesus didn't come to bring peace between families, but division (Mat 10:34-36).
ii. Jesus said that he that loves his father or mother, or son or daughter more than Him is not worthy of Him (Mat 10:37).
8. Fear of rejection by God - some people fear that God will not accept them because of their past or present sins.
A. It is true that God is holy (1Pe 1:16).
i. God can't even look on iniquity (Hab 1:13).
ii. The foolish can't stand in God's sight and He hates sinners (Psa 5:4-5).
B. God is fearful (Heb 10:31; Heb 12:29) and terrible (Psa 47:2).
i. Terrible - 1. Exciting or fitted to excite terror; such as to inspire great fear or dread; frightful, dreadful.
Trusting In and Fearing Men
I. There is a tendency among people to put too much trust and fear in men.
1. People have a tendency to trust men (governments) to provide for their needs and their safety.
2. People have a tendency to fear wicked men and governments.
3. Sometimes we give wicked men too much credit.
A. We credit them with controlling the markets, elections, world events, and even the weather.
B. Even if we view what they allegedly do with contempt, we still are in effect having confidence in them to control the world.
I. The blessing of a pastor
1. A pastor is a gift to the church from Jesus Christ (Eph 4:8,11).
2. As God sets members in the church as it pleases Him (1Co 12:18), so he gives ministers to the church (1Co 3:5).
3. God gives pastors after His own heart to feed His churches with knowledge and understanding (Jer 3:15).
4. God gives the church a pastor for several reasons:
A. For the perfecting of the saints (Eph 4:12).
i. Perfect v. - 1. a. trans. To bring to completion; to complete, finish, consummate; to carry through, accomplish.
I. The need for self-examination.
1. The thing that distinguishes human beings from all other creatures is our rational mind which is capable of self-reflection.
2. The spirit within man enables him to know himself (1Co 2:11).
A. We can think with ourselves (Act 26:9).
B. We can force ourselves to do something (1Sa 13:12).
C. We can keep ourselves from sinning (2Sa 22:24).
D. We can commune with ourselves (Psa 4:4; Psa 77:6; Ecc 1:16).
E. We can comfort ourselves (Psa 119:52).
F. We can consult with ourselves (Neh 5:7).
G. We can determine with ourselves (2Co 2:1).
I. God tells us to consider our ways (Hag 1:5).
i. If we do, and then turn from our wickedness, we will be spared death (Eze 18:28).
ii. This is true of a church, as well as individuals (Rev 2:4-5; Rev 3:1-3).
iii. It works with a nation, too (Jer 18:7-8; 2Ch 7:14).
2. We should ask God to try us (Psa 139:23-24; Psa 26:2).
A. Trying is the painful process of separating out sinful things in our lives and disposing of them.
A master copy of the indented outline in both MS Word and PDF formats can be downloaded at the bottom of this page.
I. Considering that some of you will certainly talk about the proper motivation for pastoring churches such as the ones we pastor, I want to discuss some things that should not motivate us to do what we do, namely:
1. Pride
2. Notoriety
3. Money
II. Pride
1. The first evil motivation for pastoring a church is pride.
Image from: envisionchurch.cc
A master copy of the indented outline in both MS Word and PDF formats can be downloaded at the bottom of this page.To Listen on YouTube, click here: Why Tarriest Thou? Arise and be Baptized
I. This is an admonition for those who have come to the knowledge of the truth of Jesus Christ, but have not yet been baptized and added to a true and faithful church.
Image from www.howgodprovides.com
A copy of the outline can be downloaded at the bottom of this page. To Listen on YouTube, click here: Peter - From an Immature to a Mature Christian
Peter - From an Immature to a Mature Christian
I. The life of Peter is an interesting study for many reasons.
1. Peter started out as an unlearned fisherman.
2. Peter was immature in his early Christian life.
Image from: kyyouth.org
To learn more about dealing with life's difficulties, click here: Dealing With ProblemsA copy of the outline can be downloaded at the bottom of this page. To Listen on YouTube, click here: Dealing With Child Molestation and Child Sexual Abuse
Dealing With Child Molestation and Sexual Abuse
Image from: jordanmarkstone.com
Pastor Phil Jonker preaches a sermon on the importance of a church caring for and feeding their pastor. There is no outline for this sermon.
Watch the video of this sermon on YouTube: Don't Waste Your Life (Part 1)A copy of the outline can be downloaded at the bottom of this page. To listen to or watch the next sermon in the series, click here: Part 2
Don't Waste Your Life
Watch the video of this sermon on YouTube: Don't Waste Your Life (Part 2)A copy of the outline can be downloaded at the bottom of this page. To listen to or watch the previous sermon in the series, click here: Part 1
Watch the video of this sermon on YouTube: Don't Waste Your Life (Part 3)A copy of the outline can be downloaded at the bottom of this page. To listen to or watch the previous sermon in the series, click here: Part 2
Watch the video of this sermon on YouTube: Don't Waste Your Life (Part 4)A copy of the outline can be downloaded at the bottom of this page. To listen to or watch the previous sermon in the series, click here: Part 3
3. Spend time studying God's word and learning the truth.
Watch the video of this sermon on YouTube: Greet One Another With An Holy Kiss
Greet One Another With An Holy Kiss
(The content of this outline was taken from Pastor Tim Boffey's essay "The Holy Kiss.")
I. The New Testament commands brethren to greet each other with an holy kiss (Rom 16:16; 1Co 16:20; 2Co 13:12; 1Th 5:26; 1Pe 5:14).
II. There are two important terms to define.
Preached in the Cincinnati Church
The outline is attached below.
Be Not Conformed to This World
I. Christians are commanded to "be not conformed to this world" (Rom 12:2).
1. The Lord instructs us to be nonconformists.
A. Conform v. - 1. trans. To form, shape, or fashion according to some pattern, model, or instruction; to make of the same form or character, to make like.
B. We are therefore not to pattern our thoughts and behavior after the way of this world.
C. We should not look, act, and think like the people of this world.
Preached at the Ecclesiastical Law Center Pastors Conference in Mesick, MI.
The outline is attached below.
Focusing on What Really Matters as a Pastor
I. What really matters to me as a pastor?
1. Believing and teaching the truth (Psa 119:97; Psa 119:127-128; 2Ti 4:2).
2. Keeping God's commandments (Joh 14:15; Joh 14:21).
3. Seeing that the brethren are walking in truth (2Jo 1:4; 3Jo 1:3-4).
4. Worshipping Jesus Christ in spirit and in truth (Joh 4:23-24).
5. Seeking God after the due order (1Ch 15:13).
Watch the video of this sermon on YouTube: The Brevity of LifeThe outline in Word and PDF formats is attached below.
The Brevity of Life
I. Our pilgrimage on this earth is short.
1. Our life on this earth is so short it is called a vapour (Jam 4:14).
Watch the video of this sermon on YouTube: Serving God From The Heart The outline is attached at the bottom of this page.
Serving God from the Heart
I. Our worship of God must come from both the head and the heart.
1. It's important for our faith and practice to be "by the book" (Mat 28:19-20; 1Co 11:2).
To learn more about dealing with life's difficulties, click here: Dealing With Problems The outline is attached below.
Dealing With the Death of a Loved One
I. Saying goodbye is hard.
1. The disciples were sad when Jesus told them that He would be leaving them (Joh 16:5-6).
2. The brethren wept when Paul left and would see them no more (Act 20:36-38).
3. Mary and Martha were filled with grief when their brother Lazarus died (Joh 11:32-33).
Watch the video of this sermon on YouTube: Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God The outline is attached at the bottom of the page.
Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God
I. Keep looking forward.
1. This has been a sad ending for the Minneapolis Church.
2. Though this is the end of the Minneapolis Church, it should not be the end of your Christian walk.
The outline is attached at the bottom of the page.
Fear Not Little Flock
I. God's true churches are often small in number.
1. Jesus had a little flock that it was God the Father's good pleasure to give His kingdom to (Luk 12:32).
A. Jesus preached to thousands of people (Mat 5:1-2).
B. But only very few stuck with him faithfully.
C. When He preached hard doctrine, most turned back (Joh 6:66-68).
D. His first communion service only had 13 participants including Himself (Luk 22:14-15).
The outline is attached at the bottom of the page.
Check out these sermons as well: Dealing With Problems in the Church.
Dealing With a Beef With Your Pastor
I. You are supposed to highly esteem your pastor in love for his work's sake (1Th 5:12-13).
1. If you do this there will be peace in the church (1Th 5:13).
2. You should entreat your pastor like a father, not rebuke him (1Ti 5:1).
3. You should hold your pastor in high regard (Php 2:29).
II. Don't despise your pastor if he rebukes you.
One Thing
I. There are many things that we have to devote our time, thoughts, and energies to.
1. Husbands have to spend much of their time and energy working to provide for their families (2Th 3:10-12; 1Ti 5:8).
2. Women have to spend much of their time and energy taking care of the house, cooking, cleaning, doing dishes and laundry, and caring for children (1Ti 5:14; Tit 2:3-5).
Pastor Wagner preached an extemporaneous sermon from Psa 37 exhorting himself and the brethren to "fret not thyself" because of the evildoers who have locked down the country.
Outline Attached Below
Never Look Back
I. "Remember Lot's Wife." (Luk 17:32) is one of the shortest verses in the Bible.
1. Don't despise small things, though (Zec 4:10).
2. Some important verses in the Bible are very short. Consider the following profound, yet concise verses:
A. "Jesus wept." (Joh 11:35)
B. "Rejoice evermore." (1Th 5:16)
C. "Pray without ceasing." (1Th 5:17)
D. "Quench not the Spirit." (1Th 5:19)
E. "Brethren, pray for us." (1Th 5:25)
3. Wise men let their words be few (Pro 17:27-28).
Image from: envisionchurch.cc
A master copy of the indented outline in both MS Word and PDF formats can be downloaded at the bottom of this page.
To Listen on YouTube, click here: 
Image from www.howgodprovides.com
A copy of the outline can be downloaded at the bottom of this page.
To Listen on YouTube, click here: 
Image from: kyyouth.org
To learn more about dealing with life's difficulties, click here: 
Image from: jordanmarkstone.com
Pastor Phil Jonker preaches a sermon on the importance of a church caring for and feeding their pastor. There is no outline for this sermon.
