Sermon Outline Archive 2008:

Sermon Outline Jan 13, 2008 Morning Service

Topic: Abigail: A Woman Of Strength And Courage

I. This morning, we are going to begin a new series on women in the Bible.

II. Today, our scripture invites us to look at a lady named Abigail.

A. Do you remember Abigail?

B. Certainly you recognize the name, but does anybody know anything about her?

C. So, how can we benefit from an understanding of Abigail’s life?

I. Abigail stopped a hostile situation from taking place.

A. She protected her husband from the danger that he didn’t know was coming by taking care of David’s needs

B. Abigail’s attitude was, “The buck stops here…blame me.”

C. Too often pride gets in the way of good judgment.

D. Isn’t it interesting how often women attempt to step in to defuse a situation?

II. Abigail also recognized the injustice that took place.

A. Her husband’s servants told her how David and his men protected the herds.

B. Sometimes our judgment is clouded.

C. God expects us to stand up for what is right.

D. While we stand in awe of Good Samaritans, people like Abigail are busy being Good Samaritans.

III. Abigail offers David good instruction.

A. Good advice acknowledges the reality of the situation: Abigail admitted that her husband’s attitude toward David was wrong.

B. Good advice prevents a bad situation from getting worse: Abigail told David that his intentions toward Nabal were wrong.

C. Good advice helps us to put things in proper perspective: Abigail reminded David, “you can’t just kill Nabal. You are the future king.”

D. Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind about good counsel is that it is given.

E. Abigail was able to think straight when neither Nabal not David were doing so.

I. We could go on and on talking about Abigail’s character, but I want to leave you with several teachings that she has modeled for us.

A. Where an injustice has been committed, we must try to correct it.

B. She asked David for forgiveness.

C. She pointed out the consequences of acting in anger.

D. She also urged David to leave vengeance in God’s hands.

II. David blessed her for keeping him from acting hastily.

A. God did deal with Nabal in that when Abigail told him what happened, he suffered a heart attack and died.

B. God dealt with Abigail in that when David heard of Nabal’s death he asked Abigail to marry him.

III. Abigail teaches us that strength and courage allow us full access to God’s blessings.