Sermon Outlines

By Frederick F. Schwindt, Evangelist

FORBIDDEN BATTLEMENTS

1. It must have been a difficult assignment for Jeremiah:
   1. To give this message to Jerusalem the city of God
   2. The message came at a time when her enemies laid plans to take the city of military power
   3. Jerusalem had been fortified and to man's reasoning was well protected
2. But now, God says, "Take away her battlements"
   1. They were not of God's choosing
   2. They would not save the city because it was decreed otherwise

1. A world full of violence and turmoil is engrossed with seeking protection against what is called the inevitable:
   1. Never in the history of the world has man lived in greater fear of being destroyed by his enemies than today - Luke 21:5-26
   2. The age of the atomic bomb has made a nightmare of life
   3. The potentials of instant destruction are so great that the scientist who developed it despairs of his own life
2. Now imagine, dear friends, if Jeremiah would come to the present world with the message:
   1. "Destroy all atomic weapons"
   2. "Dispose of all modern weapons, and trust in the Lord only"
   3. Would the world receive his message or would men put him into the institution for the insane
3. But let us look at the reasonableness of the direction of the Lord to His people:
   1. God assured His people that He would be their defense - "As birds flying, so will the Lord defend Jerusalem; defending also He will deliver it, and the passing over He will preserve it" - Is. 31:5
   2. Think for the assurance in Psalms 90:91 - that is a promise from God

1. Carnal weapons, be they offensive or defensive are forbidden battlements:
   1. "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh" - 2 Cor. 10:3
   2. "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but might through God" - 2 Cor. 10:4. Examples: What weapons did Martin Luther have when he faced the might of the Papacy? What weapons did Elisha have when the army of Syria came to take him alive? 2 Kings 6:16-20
2. Let us note some of the battlements of God's children:
   1. David, who had plenty of evidence in his life of both offensive and defensive warfare assures us over and over, "God is my defense, I shall not be moved" - Ps. 62:2-6
   2. The Bible, the Word of God, is the battlement of God's children - Heb. 4:12
   3. Fervent prayer is a might battlement for the saints - Examples: Think of David Livingstone and the plot of his enemies to destroy him; then remember the defense of the apostles chained to soldiers - Acts 12:5-19; 16:25-33
   4. God's precious promises in the Bible are indeed the battlements of His people
3. If God is for us what can men do to harm us?
   1. Think of how Nebuchadnezzar sought the life of the three Hebrews - Dan. 3:17-22
   2. Consider what Satan will attempt to do to the people that are loyal to the law of God - Rev. 12:17
   3. What will be their defense - Is. 33:16? What a message God has for us in our opening text; do not trust in the carnal things in life; make the Lord thy defense and you shall never fail!