"THE GOSPEL PART IV"

Proposition - These past three weeks we have learned about what is the Gospel by looking at 1) who is God?, 2) who is man?, and 3) who is Jesus?, today we are going to look at two responses to the Gospel: 1) The Acceptance of the Call, and 2) The Rejection of the Call.

Interrogative question - What have you done with the Gospel?

1. The Acceptance of the Call -

Logos AI - Summary: These passages emphasize the necessity of repentance, faith in Jesus Christ, and the call to follow Him daily, highlighting the transformative power of these actions in the life of a believer.

Application: This sermon encourages teens to understand that turning away from sin and embracing a relationship with Christ can bring profound change, offering them hope and strength to navigate the challenges of life.

Teaching: The sermon teaches the importance of repentance, confession, and active discipleship as essential responses to God's invitation to salvation and a transformed life.

How this passage could point to Christ: Throughout the Scriptures, these passages reveal Christ as the central figure of redemption, whose sacrifice enables believers to repent, confess, and follow Him in a renewed way of living, fulfilling the prophecies and teachings of the Old and New Testaments.

Big Idea: Embracing God's call to repent and follow Christ leads to a life of transformation and purpose, especially for the youth who are seeking direction.

Forsake and Find Grace -

Isaiah 55:7 NASB95

7 Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the Lord, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.

Logos AI - Perhaps you could emphasize the call to forsake wicked ways and thoughts in Isaiah 55:7 as an invitation to teenagers to turn away from paths that lead them away from God. This turning is met with God's compassion and abundant pardon. Highlight the grace of Christ that underscores this turning around, offering hope and a path to transformation.

Confess and Believe -

Romans 10:9 NASB95

9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

Logos AI - You might explore how Romans 10:9 articulates the simplicity and power of faith: confessing Jesus as Lord and believing in His resurrection leads to salvation. This point should encourage teenagers to understand that acknowledging Jesus’ lordship is foundational for a transformative life. Christ’s death and resurrection make this confession possible and meaningful, offering them a new identity and purpose.

Commit to Daily Discipleship -

Luke 9:23 NASB95

23 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.

Logos AI - Perhaps in Luke 9:23, you could focus on the call to daily discipleship through self-denial and taking up one’s cross. This challenging call encourages teens to live counter-culturally, making daily choices to follow Jesus. Highlight how Jesus’ own path of sacrifice and love provides the ultimate example and power for them to do this.

Repentance Required Now -

Acts 17:30 NASB95

30 “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent,

Logos AI - Consider using Acts 17:30 to illustrate the urgency of repentance. This passage tells us that God calls all people to repent, making it clear that response cannot be postponed. Urge teens to seize the opportunity to change with the promise of God’s forgiveness, made possible by Christ’s atoning work. The call is urgent, outwardly involving turning from wrong and inwardly embracing Christ.

2. The Rejection of the Call -

The unwillingness to respond to the Gospel -

Psalm 32:9 NASB95

9 Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding, Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check, Otherwise they will not come near to you.

Psalm 92:6–7 NASB95

6 A senseless man has no knowledge, Nor does a stupid man understand this: 7 That when the wicked sprouted up like grass And all who did iniquity flourished, It was only that they might be destroyed forevermore.

Proverbs 4:19 NASB95

19 The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know over what they stumble.

Romans 1:18–19 NASB95

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.

1 Corinthians 2:14 NASB95

14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.

Spiritual blindness is because of sin -

Lamentations 4:14 NASB95

14 They wandered, blind, in the streets; They were defiled with blood So that no one could touch their garments.

Zephaniah 1:17 NASB95

17 I will bring distress on men So that they will walk like the blind, Because they have sinned against the Lord; And their blood will be poured out like dust And their flesh like dung.

Mark 9:32 NASB95

32 But they did not understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask Him.

Luke 18:34 NASB95

34 But the disciples understood none of these things, and the meaning of this statement was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend the things that were said.

John 3:19–20 NASB95

19 “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20 “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

John 12:39–40 NASB95

39 For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, 40 “He has blinded their eyes and He hardened their heart, so that they would not see with their eyes and perceive with their heart, and be converted and I heal them.”

2 Corinthians 4:4 NASB95

4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Ephesians 4:17–19 NASB95

17 So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; 19 and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.

SO WHAT?

What have you done with the Gospel?