Biblical Strategy 4: Ardently Proclaim the Gospel

Romans 10:13–17 NASB95

13 for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14 How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? 15 How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!” 16 However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

INTRO: What if you could do one small act that was life-changing for another person?

ILL: There was a young man named Jeff who had fallen on hard times. His life was a mess. He was lonely and poor. He had no home, no food, and no hope.

One cold winter day Jeff was walking through town when the smell of fresh bread from the bakery grabbed his senses. He stopped and peered through the glass storefront and saw the inventory of fresh breads, pastries, and delights. His stomach growled. He could picture himself inside the store, sipping hot coffee and savoring a blueberry scone.

Just then, a woman exited the bakery and her eyes met with his. She smiled at him, handed him a dollar bill and said, “Here, go get you something warm on this cold day.”

Jeff was stunned. He couldn’t say a word- people usually avoided him. As the woman walked away, he looked back into the bakery. But instead of going in, Jeff stuffed the dollar bill into his pocket and walked purposefully toward a large office building. There, he used that dollar to purchase a newspaper.

Jeff scoured the classifieds and circled an ad for a construction worker. The next day, he showed up to the work site early to speak to the foreman about the job. Impressed by his eagerness, the foreman agreed to let Jeff work on a temporary basis. A month later, Jeff was hired full-time.

His life began to look much different. He found a place to live, saved his money, and even met a girl.

Five years later, Jeff walked down by that same bakery where the aromas once again stopped him in his tracks. He remembered how much he longed for that scone years before. So, he went inside. As he sat at the small table, a woman came in that he recognized. It was the same woman who had given him a dollar. He excitedly went up to her, and said, “You probably don’t remember me, but 5 years ago on a cold winter day, you gave me a dollar and changed my whole life.” Jeff went on to tell her his story. She said, “Wow. I didn’t know a dollar could do all that!”

He answered, “It was’t the dollar that did it, ma’am. It was your compassion. Thank you so much!”

Compassion is what happens when we recognize the unfortunate position of another, and take a step to make it better.

As Christians, we are compassionate especially towards those who do not know Jesus for they are spiritually bankrupt. Now, just like we cannot give every homeless person a home, we cannot fill the gap in the lives of those who are lost. So, what can we do?

Today, we will look at the final strategy that I will present in our series, The Healthy Christian. We’ve looked at 3 biblical strategies so far: Authentically Pursue Holiness, Accurately Portray Christ, and Activate Your Prayer Life. This morning, we will look at Biblical Strategy 4: Ardently Proclaim the Gospel.

Before we get into the instruction on the strategy, I want to first define some premises from which we will be working. You see, we’ve only taken a small sampling of Scripture. There is so much to be learned from this the more we understand the context.

Paul. talking to the Roman church, was acknowledging his desire for all of Israel to be saved. (1) The reality is that many Israelites would reject the Gospel and have heard it multiple times. However, Paul had his sights set on taking the Good News of Jesus to Spain, and Rome would be a great place for his missionary hub.

The first premise that we must work from is: Premise 1: There are MANY unsaved people who have no proper knowledge of the Gospel.

This is true all over the world as nearly 4 billion people do not have the bible in their native language.

It’s also true right here at home. While the Bible is accessible, many folks do not truly know what it says. They might have a vague concept, but a whole lot of people are ignorant of the Gospel of Jesus.

Now, the second premise: Premise 2: Salvation is a free gift of God, made available to all who call upon the Lord in genuine faith and repentance.

You cannot earn salvation.

God desires for all to come to repentance.

Both of these premises are laid out in Romans 10:1-12. And it’s from these two that we build our strategy. You see, these two premises offer the formula for the active compassion of Christians to enter into the work of God’s Mission.

There are a whole lot of folks in an unfortunate position. Actually it’s way worse than that. They are doomed.

BUT, there is GOOD NEWS! There is a WAY of rescue… and you know how to help their situation by pointing them there.

So with that in mind, won’t you take your bulletin and find the sermon guide there on the inside flap. I encourage you to use this to follow along and to take back to your small groups for further discussion this week.

Biblical Strategy 4: Ardently Proclaim the Gospel has three logical assertions that fuel this strategic step. We get these assertions by looking at Paul’s rhetorical questions, and then working backwards.

In total, they compose a bridge from where you and I are in Christ to where the lost and dying unbelievers are in the world. Let’s look at his questions again. (READ 14-15)

Assertion 1:

If I Am SAVED, Then I Am SENT (15)

Paul asked the question, in v. 15, “How will they preach unless they are sent?” That word ‘preach’ simply means ‘proclaim.’ We can break this ‘sentness’ into 2 categories: general and specific.

Specifically, we might think of preachers, missionaries, or evangelists. Certainly, there are specific callings that God has placed on the lives of men to become preachers of the Gospel. And that call demands that I proclaim the Good News of Jesus.

I believe that God sent me specifically to LRBC to proclaim the Gospel. It might mean that one day God may specifically send me somewhere else. But that’s His call, not mine.

Generally, however, every follower of Jesus has been sent out to proclaim this message of Jesus Christ. We know this because we have been reading our bibles! We have read the commands of Jesus and adopted His mission as our mission.

But, it’s important that we begin with a clear understanding of this assertion. We cannot give what we do not have. If you needed $100 and I don’t have $100, then I cannot give you $100.

Being sent, therefore proceeds from the call of being saved. God sent Jesus to us. Jesus sent His followers to the world. Look at John 20:21-22

John 20:21–22 NASB95

21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

Mark 16:15 NASB95

15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.

Paul, in his letter to the Corinthian church said this:

2 Corinthians 5:18–19 NASB95

18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

We have been sent and equipped with the Holy Spirit as our helper to guide us, to give us assurance of God’s power, and to shine forth the Good News of Christ, for the Holy Spirit testifies of Jesus!

What Paul is getting at is that you and I, as believers, partakers of God’s grace and forgiveness have been SENT to take the light into the darkness. We have a duty to our King. There are no exemptions. If you are saved, You are SENT.

The next assertion that we draw from Paul’s rhetorical questions:

If I GO, Then They Will HEAR (14)

(READ)

Paul asks, How will they hear?

ILL: I want you to imagine that your spouse is all the way across the house with headphones on, jamming out to some Chris Tomlin or LeCrae and you, on the other side of the house have something really important to tell them… maybe an emergency or something. You can yell, but they won’t hear you. What must you do? You must GO to them.

Unbelievers are in a bad spot. In our community, unbelievers drive past Gospel proclaiming churches every day. They have seen the invitations on church signs, received fliers in the mail, and likely social media posts that point to the Gospel. The problem is, that’s like yelling across the house. They might look up, but they won’t understand.

If we hope for them to turn to Christ, then we must recognize that a distant witness will not do the trick. That’s why Jesus, in the Great Commission, said, “Therefore GO to all people groups...”

GO to the unsaved neighbor who puts those political signs that you don’t like in their yard.

GO to the lost person who spends all weekend hiking in the forest or riding their bike on the roadways.

GO to the unbelievers who dress and talk differently than you.

GO.

And I know that you may not feel equipped to go. But you have the Holy Spirit and you have the knowledge of Christ and that’s how God changed your life!

When you GO, you make the Good News personal. You aren’t just waving your arms from a distance screaming, “Get out of that road!” You are going to them and taking them by the hand. You are demonstrating that compassion and love that comes from God because there is no greater love than that of Christ.

Practically, there are a lot of resources available to help you GO and share the Gospel. There are tracks, there are tools, we offer special training events from time to time, there are even videos that you can share. But, the best thing you can do for the one whose life is on the path to destruction is to GO to them. Go as a friend, one who sees them where they are. Go as an ambassador, seeking God’s best for them.

Sit with them. Listen to their story. Jesus sat at the table with sinners. He saw them, met them where they were, and spoke truth to them.

You cannot carry them across the spiritual bridge. You cannot drag them to salvation. But, If you GO, they will hear the good news.

If I am saved, I am Sent. If I Go, they will hear. The final assertion we see is:

If They CALL, God Will ANSWER (13, 16-17)

This is the best news. (READ 13)

I love that the Gospel is an offer that is made and there are no pre-requisites.

God didn’t say, Whoever has lived a good life and calls upon…

He didn’t say, Whoever understands the doctrine of salvation and the doctrine of the atonement...

He didn’t say, Whoever gives to the poor, whoever sings in the choir, or whoever brings some volunteer skills to the church

He said, WHOEVER WILL!!!

God is faithful. He is our Savior. He is our Hope and our Rescue!

In verse 10 up above, Paul explained this: (READ)

IF they believe, they can call upon Him. IF they have heard the GOOD NEWS and they believe, then they can call upon Him in repentance and faith and HE WILL ANSWER!

Now listen, and this is reality here. Look at v. 16-17 (READ)

You see, IF is a small word, but it has enormous meaning. And the truth is that the way is broad that leads to destruction, but the path is narrow which leads to eternal life. We must acknowledge that just because we share the gospel does not mean the person will respond in faith and belief.

But I think that, from my observation, we have a problem because we tend to answer on behalf of others. Here’s what I mean:

We might see an unsaved person and we think- “They need Jesus.” But as we consider that we could tell them about Jesus, we start to think, “Well, that would be awkward… they might ask me something I can’t answer. Or what if they get defensive, then what? You know, they probably wouldn’t hear what I said anyway, so I’m just going to go on my way.”

That’s like seeing someone trapped in a burning building and the fireman saying, well, he probably would be mad if I broke this window. Better not do that…

Our strategy to be healthy Christians does not involve projecting our assumptions upon those who need to be saved! IF THEY CALL, GOD WILL ANSWER!!

Faith, Paul says, comes from HEARING. And Hearing by the word of Christ.

Friends, as Christians we have a certainty that God will ALWAYS do what He has promised. And as we take this strategic step of Ardently Proclaiming the Gospel, then we can be absolutely confident that our labor is not in vain.

1 Corinthians 15:58 NASB95

58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.

If you are listening and you are not a follower of Jesus Christ. The ball is in your court.

You have heard of Jesus, the son of God who gave His life to pay the debt for your sins. Do you believe? I invite you to call upon His name today. WHOEVER WILL call upon the name of the Lord, will be saved. That’s Good News!

[PRAY]

Discuss: Reflecting on your own life, how has hearing the message of Christ transformed your faith? What ways can you be more intentional in sharing the Gospel with others?

Discuss: Paul emphasizes that the Gospel is for everyone, regardless of background (v. 12). How do we overcome barriers such as cultural differences, language, and prejudice when sharing the Gospel?

Discuss: According to verse 17, “faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” What is the relationship between hearing the word of God and developing faith? How can we actively nurture our own faith through hearing God’s word?