Sermon Outline June 29, 2008 Morning Service

Topic: Have You Heard Of The Holy Spirit?  

Text:     1 Thessalonians 1:6-10   

    Introduction                                                                 

I.        When you visit a place you’ve never been before, you tend to follow the directions very closely.

II.       There are two kinds of knowledge talked about in the New Testament: factual knowledge and experiential knowledge.

III.      One of the most common designations of Christianity in the Book of Acts is “the Way”.

Text

I.        Knowing Jesus More Adequately.

A.       Where did they get the designation: “the Way” (“I am the way, the truth and the life…” (John 14:6))?

B.       Obviously, if we’re going to know the way of God more adequately, we have to get to know Jesus in a personal way.

1.       We need to know the facts.

2.       We need to know Him intimately.

C.      Make your pursuit of this relationship the most important thing in your life and before long you’ll get to know Jesus.

II.      Knowing Baptism More Adequately.

A.       The mode of baptism in the New Testament was immersion.

B.       The meaning of baptism.

C.      Let’s look at the misunderstandings about baptism in our text tonight:

1.       Both Apollos and the 12 men in Ephesus claimed to “know” the baptism of John.

2.       But there were differences in what each knew.

D.      A lot of church members like Apollos and these 12 men.

III.     Knowing The Holy Spirit More Adequately.

A.       There are some groups who claim that there are two baptisms: a water baptism and a Holy Spirit baptism.

1.       The Bible plainly teaches that there is “one Lord, one faith, one baptism…” (Ephesians 4:5).

2.       “He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” (Titus 3:5-6).

B.       There is great confusion concerning the Holy Spirit today that typically leads to one of two serious errors: placing too much emphasis on the Holy Spirit and not placing enough emphasis on the Holy Spirit.

C.      Let’s take a look at what happened in this passage.

D.      Now, perhaps you’re saying, “I still don’t understand the Holy Spirit. I placed my faith and trust in Jesus Christ and I was baptized but I didn’t get any kind of electrical shock or emotional experience from the Holy Spirit. I didn’t go into a trance or anything. What’s the big deal?”

Conclusion

I.        Please take notice that every one of the things we discussed today involves an intimate relationship with Jesus.

II.       At the beginning of this message, I mentioned that there were two basic kinds of knowledge: factual knowledge and knowledge by experience.

III.      What is your understanding of “the Way”?