Sermon Outlines

By Frederick F. Schwindt, Evangelist

WHEN SATAN COMES OUT AHEAD

1. To seek and to save that which was lost:
   1. He came to call, not the righteous, but sinners - Luke 15:7
   2. That, of course, includes all of us - Isa. 53:6; 1 Pet. 2:25
2. But He came, also, to train workers for the work of the gospel:
   1. One can see this fact in most of His ministry; He always took some of His disciples into His daily ministry.
   2. Our text is a vivid illustration of this training for His disciples.

1. Mountain top glory: - Matt. 17:1-5
   1. The transfiguration of our Lord. What a scene that must have been for the disciples!
   2. It gave them a preview of coming glory in Christ's kingdom.
   3. The three disciples became so enchanted by the divine panorama that they would have continued there.
   4. Little did they sense the gloom and frustration of their fellow disciples at the foot of the mountain.
2. Valley gloom and defeat:
   1. A different scene meets us when we leave the mount of Transfiguration and re-enter the valley below -
      1. A devil-plagued child.
      2. A perplexed father.
      3. A group of defeated disciples - Mark 9:14-29
   2. This scene is quite typical of Christ's modern disciples.
   3. Some of them, too, have mountain top experiences, while some of their brethren have experiences of defeat because of sin in their lives.
   4. Worldliness, in one form or another, keeps them powerless to cope with ever present problems of their Christian profession.
3. When Satan comes out ahead:
   1. The afflicted boy - verses 18, 19
   2. The troubled father - verses 17, 18
   3. The perplexed and defeated disciples -
      1. The multitude pressed them for action to prove their connection with God.
      2. Their heart condition was such that they were woefully unprepared for their mission.
      3. They had been separated from their Master, and spent much of their time in faultfinding with each other.

1. In the school of Christ we find that God leads His people in mysterious ways:
   1. He invites us to see and taste the glory of things to come - 1 Cor. 2:9-11
   2. We are, at times, enchanted by the glory that is portrayed in Bible prophecy.
   3. The scene before us helps us to forget, for the time being, the trials and disappointments of the everyday life. That is one of God's ways to encourage us in our experience.
   4. Even the Son of God was strengthened, by the joy that was set before Him, to take the cup of suffering that faced him - Heb. 12:2
2. But there is another side to our opening text:
   1. We are not ready to continue in the rapture of heavenly glory.
   2. There are souls to save; they are waiting for us to bring them the message of salvation.
   3. We have a work to do - John 9:4
3. Of special importance for us is:
   1. That whenever we become involved in our sinful pleasures, Satan comes out ahead; he uses our weakness to hinder the work of God.
   2. That is, I believe, one of the primary lessons to be gathered from our opening text.
   3. Whenever we become separated from the Lord, we lose connection with the power to win against Satan and sin.
   4. Fasting and prayer, according to the Words of Christ, is the key to power to become useful in the cause of soul winning.