Small Church Pastor
Coaching, Consulting, and Resources for Pastors of Smaller Churches.
Sermon outline
Copyright, Dave Jacobs 2010
"The hardest part about sermon preparation is coming up
with your outline. An outline is like the bones of a body. Once
you have the bones, all you need do is hang the meat on it."
                               - Dave Jacobs












I wish I had a preaching coach
when I started out. Even if you
have been fortunate enough to
have had a Homiletics class you
still will benefit from a preaching
coach. A good coach can
increase the effectiveness of a
speaker almost overnight.
Progress that might take
months can occur in days. If you
are a poor speaker I can help
you become a good speaker. If
you are a good speaker I can
help you become a great
speaker. And if you are a great
speaker I can help you become
better still.

If you'd like to learn more about
getting me as your preaching
coach, drop me an email or go
here for details and cost.
Each week I'll post a different sermon outline. This is an outline, not a full sermon. I
wanted to save you some time but not take away the responsibility of developing your
own message. The outline is like the bones of a body. Once you have the bones all you
need do is hang the meat on it. You can cut and paste the outline off of this page or
download a Word document. For a Word document of this outline click here.
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What are you made of?
Introduction:

2. I Cor. 3:10-15

a. foundations and materials are important

b. This morning I want to talk about materials. Not what a house
is made of or even a ministry is made of...but what are you
made of?

3. Possible titles for this message:

a. Things that reveal what we are made of
b. Things that reveal our character
c. Things that reveal our maturity

4. Let's look at three things that reveal our maturity level,
or reveal what we're really made of:

Body:

1. The first thing that reveals our character, that shows
what we're really made of is...criticism.

a. When you're criticized, how you respond reveals your
character, your maturity.

b. Examples of those who will criticize us:

-spouse
-parents, children
-boss, co-workers
-fellow-Christians

c. Sometimes those who criticize us are off-the-wall, and
sometimes they are right on target.

d. Either way, how we handle criticism reveals what we are
made of.

e. Bad ways to handle it:

- We get defensive

- We get hurt and bitter

- We'll criticize them right back

"Bless those who persecute you, bless and curse not."    Romans 12:14

f. Good ways to handle it:

- listen...even if they are off-the-wall there will be something you can learn from it.

"Everyone becomes our teacher if we've determined that we are going to be learners."

- Admit you're wrong if you are.

- If you don't see their point thank them for their input and bring it to the Lord in prayer for
confirmation.

- And always remember to forgive if their criticism hurt you.

"Forgiveness is the fragrance the flower leaves on the heal that crushed it."

g. We must learn how to handle criticism...it reveals what we are made of.

2. The second thing that reveals our maturity level, our character, is how we respond to
disappointment.

a. Life can be hard and things don't always work out the way we think they should.

- you weren't suppose to lose the job, be sick, get divorced, have children who turn to drugs...

- you weren’t suppose to have an unfulfilling  job or marriage...but you do.

b. The bible would call things like this, trials or time of testing

"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your
faith produces endurance, and let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and
complete, lacking in nothing."     James 1:2-4

"All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been
trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness."    Heb. 12:11

c. God is more interested in our character than our comfort

d. Trials will make you bitter or better

"People, like trees, often need storms to reveal their strength."

e. And its true that few things reveal our character better than how we respond to disappointment.

f. Bad response:

- We get depressed and focused on the problem

- We get moody and look for someone or something to blame

- We conclude that God must not like us

- We want to give up

g. Good response:

- Keep focused on Jesus

- Never doubt His love

- Never give up

h. We've got to learn how to handle life’s disappointments...few things reveal our character more
than this.

3. Finally, the third thing that reveals what we're made of is how we respond to authority, or how we
handle it when we have to do something that we don't want to do.

"Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from
God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore he who resists authority has
opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon
themselves."  
Romans 13:1-2

a. Examples of authorities established by God that we have to respond to:

- government
- institutional (like jobs, schools, etc.)
- parental
- spiritual (Pastoral authority)

b. All these examples have there limitations and  exceptions, but lets not get so caught up in the
exceptions to the rule that we forget the rule.

We've got to learn how to respond to authority correctly, it shows what we're made of...it reveals our
character.

Conclusion:

1. Where are you at this morning?

2. What do you relate to the most?

- have you recently been criticized?

- are you disappointed?

- is it an authority thing?

3. Is there an area you feel challenged to change in?