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Sermon Outlines by Brian A. Yeager

Who Or What Influences You The Most?


I. Introduction:

A. From the beginning of time, we see the power of influence (Genesis 3:1-13; cf. II Corinthians 11:3-4 and I Timothy 2:13-14).

  1. Influence can be for good (Philippians 3:17).
  2. Influence can be for evil (Galatians 3:1).

B. None of us live in an influence-free environment.

  1. From the beginning, it was not good that man should be alone (Genesis 2:18 and Ecclesiastes 4:8-12).
  2. Our need for interaction with others presents the challenge of this lesson. We need people around us who can influence us for good (Proverbs 11:14). Yet, is the influence of those around us for good or for bad?
  3. Besides people close to us there is entertainment, social media, news, podcasts, political voices, coworkers, algorithms, artificial intelligence, celebrities, influencers, economic pressures, medical information, and on the list could go.

II. Body: We Have To Evaluate Ourselves And Act Accordingly (Psalms 119:59-60, Lamentations 3:40, and II Corinthians 13:5).

A. How do I know who or what influences me the most? Ask yourself these questions:

  1. Start with fruit inspecting (Luke 6:44). When I look at my decisions, who or what influenced them most?

  1. Someone might say, “I watch or listen to that person, but they don't influence me.” Yet if that person's vocabulary, attitudes, priorities, fears, conclusions, or reactions gradually become yours; the evidence says otherwise.
  2. The Scriptures warn us that our associations can change us (Proverbs 13:20 and I Corinthians 15:33).

  1. Who or what is most capable of changing my mind?

  1. Jeremiah was under intense persecution. He suffered because he spoke the truth. He got to a point of despair. Yet, he just could not quit because of who influenced him most (Jeremiah 20:7-11).
  2. On the other hand, one of the wisest men to ever walk the earth allowed women to influence him to walk away from God (I Kings 11:1-11).

  1. Where do I turn first when I have a question (Isaiah 8:19-20; cf. Proverbs 19:21)?
  2. Whose approval matters most to me (II Corinthians 10:12; II Corinthians 10:18)?
  3. What occupies most of my voluntary attention (Psalms 1:1-2)?
  4. If I observed myself as a third party, who or what would my behavior remind me of (John 8:38-44, Galatians 5:7-9, and James 3:14-15)?
  5. When Scripture conflicts with something I want, which one moves? What does that say about the relationship I have with the Lord (John 15:10-14)?
  6. Who or what has the greatest influence on my emotions and reactions (Proverbs 29:25)?

B. How do I value the influence of the Lord?

  1. If the Lord is going to influence me the most, His words have to be the greatest influence upon my thinking and actions (Colossians 3:16-17; cf. Romans 14:14).
  2. I have to recognize thinking that did not come from Him (Matthew 16:21-23).
  3. Following Christ means sometimes rejecting the influence of people very close to me (Matthew 10:34-39).

C. How do I value the influence of my brethren?

  1. First, I want to caution here that sometimes the influence of our brethren isn’t good (Galatians 2:11-14).
  2. At the same time, God intends for faithful saints to be examples worthy of following (Philippians 4:9, I Timothy 4:12, Titus 2:1-8, and Hebrews 13:7).
  3. When we are influenced by brethren, we must be careful to look in front of them to see who has influenced them (I Corinthians 11:1).

D. Do I realize why the world should not be the source that shapes my thinking and actions (I John 5:19)?

  1. When I look around at the world [in the sense of people] about me, I should be vexed by ungodliness rather than becoming comfortable with it (II Peter 2:7-8).
  2. God repeatedly warned Israel not to learn the ways of the nations (Deuteronomy 7:1-4, Deuteronomy 12:29-32, and Jeremiah 10:1-2). Yet eventually they wanted to be like the nations around them (I Samuel 8:4-5).
  3. Saints are not to conform to the world (Romans 12:1-2 and II Corinthians 6:14-18).
  4. What does it say about my influences if my conduct can be described as, “But ye have not so learned Christ” (Ephesians 4:17-24)?

III. Conclusion: At the end of all things, whose influence on your choices is going to matter the most (Luke 6:46 and II Corinthians 5:10)? When all is said and done, who is the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him (Hebrews 5:8-9)?



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