Sermon - Christians Need the Gospel

-Intro me and what I do (talk about holistic evangelism) (and define the gospel ASAP!!!)
-Be honest with hindrances – scary, rejection, naturally shy, I haven’t made it, I’d rather watch – or even talk about - a good movie

-Our task – evangelism (be specific about THEIR neighborhood and work throughout this whole thing!) – 1 Peter 2:9 (proclaim! We must do good works and show Jesus off – but we’re to speak about Jesus)

-What gets in our way? (Things I mentioned) – Question of values – if we loved the gospel more than other things, we’d talk about it (movie example). To love the gospel we need to experience it (dating). And to experience it, we need to HEAR it – over and over again – our memories are dull and the distractions are MANY (how many of you still celebrate the colts victory every day?)

-MBI – Christians need the gospel all the time. YOU need the gospel all the time. Only then will you participate in the joy that you should have in Jesus. And only then will you participate in God’s work in this world!

-Remind, read Romans 1:13-17,
-pray
-where we’re going:
-what’s going on this passage
-4 things that the gospel does
-leads to obedience(!)
-creates a debt (because of our sense of need)
-creates a boldness for the gospel
-it saves believers
-things you can do
(pray gospel; speak gospel; learn gospel)

I What’s going on…
-read v. 15
-how’d the church at Rome come to be?
-Paul longed to go
-wanted to preach the gospel to them!
-what it’s not (evangelistic crusade, special worship service with a juggler where the gospel is shared with a puppet show afterwards…)
-wanted to preach the gospel to CHRISTIANS
-shows us our need for hearing it –
-might say ‘ but I KNOW the gospel’ – (my example in youth group)
-really? If you believed it all the time you’d live out of such gratitude that you’d never sin. (house guest example)
-so again – the gospel is for Christians!

II - 4 things that the gospel does

1) leads to obedience – v. 13
-explain (w. Rom. 7:4)
-fruit = result – (ex: John 15)
-what that’s NOT! - self effort (Every Man’s Battle example)
-So stop believing that you can change your life – that you can make you a worshiper!
-And start believing that by hearing the gospel, the Holy Spirit will
-(repeat point)

2) creates a debt to everyone– v. 14
-what that’s NOT (debt to God)
-God owns everything (Acts 17)
-you have nothing to give him
-and makes a mockery of salvation/grace
- so do not act like you are a debtor to God – you’re not, you’re a child, who’s loved, and an heir of his Kingdom
-what that is – (verse again)
-why that debt exists…
-(I am Legend example)
-(my own story on the quad before graduation)
-they’re getting what I deserve
-elimnates prejudice! (race, income, education, age) – debt to everyone!
-(repeat point)

3) creates a boldness for the gospel – vv. 15, 16
-Why isn’t he ashamed? (v. 16b)
-(explain 16b – it’s the way God saves people!)
-So why would hearing the gospel motivate us to boldness? (reminds us of reality!) (talk about salvation here!)
-Polycarp example –

Then, the proconsul was urging him, and saying, "Swear, and I will set you at liberty, reproach Christ;" Polycarp declared, "Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury: how then can I blaspheme my King and my Saviour?"
The proconsul then said to him, "I have wild beasts at hand; to these will I cast you, except you relent." But he answered, "Call them then, for we are not accustomed to repent of what is good in order to adopt that which is evil; [449] and it is well for me to be changed from what is evil to what is righteous." [450] But again the proconsul said to him, "I will cause you to be consumed by fire, seeing you don’t fear the wild beasts, if you wilt not repent." But Polycarp said, "You threaten me with fire which burns for an hour, and after a little is extinguished, but art ignorant of the fire of the coming judgment and of eternal punishment, reserved for the ungodly. But what are you waiting for? Bring forth what you will."

-Why wasn’t Polycarp afraid? He was dwelling – camping, in the Gospel
(repeat point)

4) saves believers – vv. 16-17
-(explain)
-(The life of Martin Luther)
-Why would the righteousness of God be good news??? (1:18; 2:5-11) (run King/treason analogy throughout)
-(Rom 5:16-19)
(explain all this!)
(repeat point…)

-(repeat all four observations about what the gospel does…)

III – Three things you can do in response

1) Pray the Gospel
-what’s that look like? (confession, thanksgiving, asking for Kingdom!)

2) Speak the gospel
-at every opportunity, speak about Jesus
-be honest about your sins to others – so you can talk about forgiveness

3) Learn the gospel
-church!
-memorize Scripture (Romans 5!)
-don’t fill yourselves with what is Christian – light. (Christian twinkies! Taste good, but end up killing you)
(but rather, what is teaching Scripture in light of Jesus saving us by his death – 1 Cor. 2) (short book – 70 pages – cross centered life)


Dream a little bit with me. What would it look like to change your community. To change your family. To change your workplace. To change this city. To change this country. To change this world – to bring all of it into obedience to Jesus Christ, Ruler, Owner, and Creator of every individual person on this planet.

Who doesn’t want that? The fact is – it has to start here – in your own soul. And it starts – and continues – and grows – by hearing the Gospel.

You’re not going to change this world. You’re not going to change you. But the good news is that Jesus already has. And he’s going to continue to. And he’s going to make himself known through you. Through this church.

People of God, hear the Gospel! Jesus died. He rose from the dead as Ruler of this world! He forgives all of the disobedience of everyone who believes in him! He’s coming back one day to judge – and to bring every believer into his presence forever!