Sermon Outlines

By Frederick F. Schwindt, Evangelist

"WE WILL SERVE THE LORD"

1. Joshua was a man of decision:
   1. That was a quality that fit him for leading Israel into the promised land.
   2. Indecision would have been fatal to him and his people.
2. He placed himself in the lead:
   1. To his nation and to his family, he could say, "follow me, as I follow the Lord."
3. My burden at this point is to point out the positive attitude and relationship of Joshua to his family:
   1. "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
      1. That shows that he knew the attitude of his family.
      2. They had confidence in his faith and followed his leadership.
   2. That was the testimony God gave to Abraham - Gen. 18:19

1. Joshua was a servant of the Lord:
   1. He lived his faith.
   2. So did Daniel - Dan. 1:8; 6:10
   3. God gave the same testimony to Job - Job 1:1-6
2. He won his family for God and his cause:
   1. Lot failed in this - Gen. 19:14
   2. Samuel, a mighty man of God, too, was unable to win his family for God - 1 Sam. 8:5
   3. How many of us have succeeded in our efforts to win our loved ones for God and His cause? We have tried!
   4. The winning of his family for the Lord and his service was one of the greatest achievements of Joshua on record.
   5. Happy are they who can at all times speak for themselves and their family, as Joshua did.
3. He devoted his life and interests to the service of God - "we will serve the Lord":
   1. They all took part in family worship.
   2. They all had a part in the activities of the church.
   3. They were all dedicated to the service and glory of God.
   4. Can that be said of us?

1. Negatively:
   1. It does not consist of outward forms, although they may be a part of our service.
   2. Because formalism without the spirit of truth is useless - Mark 7:1-13; Matt. 23:21-28 It takes more than to observe the outward tenets of our faith; we must have respect to the condition of the heart - Isa. 29:13
2. Positively:
   1. True service is the expression of loving obedience to the will of God. We serve Him because we love Him - John 14:15; 15:10
   2. True service expresses itself in loving sacrifice. That was true of Abraham - Gen. 22:1-12
   3. It includes living for others. That is what our Lord, the servant of all servants, did - Matt. 25:40; Jas. 1:27
   4. When God said of Abraham that all nations would be blessed in him; that meant that the life and faith of that man of God affects the lives of all God- fearing men in the world - Gen. 12:1-5
3. Effective service is possible only:
   1. When the Holy Spirit controls our lives - Gal. 5:16, 17
   2. The fruit of the spirit is the seed of fruit- bringing service - Matt. 7:15-21
   3. When Christ lives in us, we will render true and effective service to God and His children.
   4. We will keep ourselves unspotted from the world - Matt. 6:24; Rom. 6:19; Rev. 2:19