Ask the congregants if they are comfortable sharing the Gospel? If no, why?

The Gospel According to Jesus

Primary Text: Mark 1:14–15 Target Length: 15–25 minutes Central Truth: Jesus’ call to the gospel is simple: repent and believe.

1. JESUS’ OWN WORDS

Mark 1:14–15

“Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”

Jesus begins His public ministry by preaching the gospel.

And notice how He summarizes His message:

“Repent ye, and believe the gospel.”

Before Paul wrote Romans, before anyone called it the “Romans Road,” and before centuries of church tradition developed, Jesus Himself was preaching the gospel.

Paul's writings are inspired Scripture and profitable for doctrine. Church tradition can also be useful when it agrees with Scripture.

But when we are asking, What did Jesus Himself tell people to do in response to the gospel? the answer is remarkably simple:

Repent. Believe.

Not:

Repent, believe, and become a church member.

Repent, believe, and perform enough good works.

Repent, believe, and complete a sacrament.

Repent, believe, and earn God's favor.

Jesus said:

“Repent ye, and believe the gospel.”

Those two words are simple.

But they are also two of the most misunderstood and overlooked words in Christianity.

2. REPENT

Matthew 4:17

“Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

What does repentance mean?

Repentance is more than simply admitting that you were wrong.

You can say: “Yeah, I shouldn't have done that.”

And mean absolutely nothing by it.

You can admit that something was wrong without actually regretting it.

Biblical repentance involves recognizing the seriousness of our sin and turning from it toward God.

It is not merely:

“I'm sorry I got caught.”

It is:

“I have sinned against God, and I want to turn from my sin and be reconciled to Him.”

Repentance is a change of direction.

Imagine yourself walking in completely the wrong direction.

Repentance is not simply recognizing: “I'm going the wrong way.”

It is turning around.

You stop heading away from God and turn toward Him.

Jesus warned about the seriousness of refusing to repent.

Luke 13:3–5

“Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”

Jesus does not treat repentance as an optional spiritual exercise.

It is a matter of life and death.

But repentance also produces joy in heaven.

Luke 15:7

“Joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth.”

The God who commands repentance is also the God who rejoices when sinners repent.

And after His resurrection, Jesus told His disciples:

Luke 24:47

“That repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations.”

Repentance is part of the gospel message.

So ask yourself: Have I truly repented of my sin?

Not:

“Have I admitted that I'm imperfect?”

Not:

“Do I feel bad when I get caught?”

Not:

“Do I regret the consequences?”

But:

Have I turned from my sin and toward God?

3. BELIEVE

Jesus did not merely say repent.

He said:

“Repent and believe the gospel.”

John 6:47

“He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”

What does it mean to believe?

Biblical belief is more than acknowledging that something might be true.

To believe is to trust in something because you consider it reliable and true.

So what does it mean to believe the gospel?

It means trusting that the gospel is true.

And what is the gospel telling us?

That Jesus Christ is the One through whom God reconciles repentant sinners to Himself.

John 3:16

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

That is the gospel in a nutshell.

God loved.

God gave.

Jesus saves.

And the sinner is called to believe.

Jesus Himself is the object of our faith.

John 14:6

“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Notice that Jesus did not say:

“I am one of the ways.”

He said:

“I am the way.”

The gospel isn't ultimately about trusting in a prayer, a denomination, a ritual, or yourself.

It is about trusting Jesus Christ.

4. REPENTANCE AND BELIEF — TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN

Imagine that you are lost at sea.

It is pitch black.

There is a storm.

You have no idea where you are.

You are exhausted, but you keep swimming because you think you can find your own way to safety.

You don't know which direction to go.

Then suddenly, out of the darkness, you hear a voice:

“Turn around! I'm right behind you. I have a lifeboat!”

Now you have a decision.

You can keep swimming in the direction you were already going.

You may be sincere.

You may swim harder.

You may swim faster.

You may convince yourself that you're making progress.

But there is one problem:

There is no land in that direction.

Or perhaps you hear the voice and believe that it is telling the truth.

You turn around.

You see the light.

You see the boat.

You see a hand reaching toward you.

But you refuse to trust the hand.

You continue trying to save yourself.

In either case, something is missing.

Repentance without belief

You turn around.

You recognize that you were going the wrong direction.

But you don't trust the One calling you.

You're still lost.

Belief without repentance

You believe the voice is telling the truth.

You believe there is a lifeboat.

But you refuse to turn around.

You're still swimming away from it.

Both are necessary.

Repentance says:

“I am going the wrong way.”

Belief says:

“I trust the One who is calling me to safety.”

Repentance turns you around.

Belief causes you to reach for the hand.

And notice something important:

Neither one is the lifeboat.

The boat is what saves you.

Jesus is the One who saves.

5. GET IN THE BOAT

This is the point of the illustration.

You could swim harder.

You could swim longer.

You could try to improve your swimming technique.

You could tell yourself: “At least I'm trying.”

But none of that saves you.

The boat saves you.

And when Jesus reaches out His hand, the answer is not:

“Let me prove that I'm worthy of being rescued.”

The answer is to trust Him and take His hand.

That is why repentance and belief are not “works-based salvation.”

We are not saved because repentance earns salvation.

We are not saved because belief earns salvation.

Jesus saves.

Repentance and belief are our response to the gospel.

The issue isn't how well you swim.

The issue is whether you will trust the One who has come to rescue you.

6. THE CONSEQUENCES OF UNBELIEF

Jesus also spoke plainly about what happens when we refuse to believe.

John 3:18

“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already…”

Jesus does not present unbelief as a harmless alternative.

There are eternal consequences.

John 8:24

“If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.”

The issue is not merely whether we agree with Christianity.

The issue is whether we will trust Jesus Christ.

Mark 16:16

“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”

Whatever questions people may have about baptism, notice what Jesus identifies as the decisive issue in the second half of the verse:

“He that believeth not shall be damned.”

The fundamental problem is unbelief.

7. WHY BELIEVE?

Why should we trust Jesus?

Because Jesus doesn't merely offer escape from punishment.

He offers life.

John 6:29

“This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”

John 6:35

“I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”

Jesus is not simply offering us a better version of our current life.

He offers Himself.

And then He makes an extraordinary promise:

John 11:25–26

“I am the resurrection, and the life…”

And then He asks:

“Believest thou this?”

That is the question.

Not:

“Can you explain everything?”

Not:

“Have you earned it?”

Not:

“Have you figured out every theological question?”

Jesus asks:

“Believest thou this?”

CONCLUSION — THE VOICE IN THE DARK

Go back to the storm.

You're exhausted.

The water is cold.

It's dark.

You don't know where you are.

You have tried to save yourself, but you're running out of strength.

Then you hear the voice:

“Turn around. I'm right behind you. I have a lifeboat.”

The gospel is God's announcement that Jesus Christ has come to save sinners.

And Jesus' own words are remarkably clear:

“Repent ye, and believe the gospel.”

Turn around.

Trust Him.

Reach for His hand.

Get in the boat.

Because the boat is not a symbol of how good you can become.

It is a picture of Jesus Christ, who saves those who trust in Him.

So the question is not:

“How hard are you swimming?”

The question is:

“Have you repented?”

“Do you believe?”

And ultimately:

“Believest thou this?”

YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A PREACHER

Now, there is one more thing I want us to consider.

If this really is the gospel Jesus preached, then we have a responsibility to tell other people about it.

And I know what some of you are thinking:

“I don't know how to share the gospel.”

“I'm not good at talking to people about spiritual things.”

“What if they ask me a question I can't answer?”

“I'm not a preacher.”

That's okay.

You don't have to be a preacher to tell somebody about Jesus.

You don't have to know every answer.

You don't have to be able to explain every theological doctrine.

You don't have to memorize a complicated presentation.

You don't even have to know the Romans Road.

You can simply tell people what Jesus said.

TIP #1: START WITH JESUS

If you're uncomfortable explaining the gospel, don't start by trying to explain everything.

Start with Jesus.

Open the Bible and show them what Jesus said.

For example:

Mark 1:15

“Repent ye, and believe the gospel.”

You can simply say:

“Jesus said that the response to the gospel is to repent and believe.”

Then explain those two words in your own language.

Repent: Turn from your sin and turn toward God.

Believe: Trust Jesus Christ to save you.

That's the gospel.

TIP #2: USE ONE OR TWO VERSES

You don't have to take somebody through twenty passages of Scripture.

You can have two or three verses that you know well.

For example:

John 3:16

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Then perhaps:

John 14:6

“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

And then Mark 1:15:

“Repent ye, and believe the gospel.”

That's enough to start a conversation.

You don't have to give them a theological encyclopedia.

Give them Scripture.

Let Jesus speak for Himself.

TIP #3: TELL THEM WHAT JESUS HAS DONE FOR YOU

You don't have to be an expert to tell your own story.

You can say:

“I was lost in my sin, but I came to understand who Jesus is. I realized I needed to turn from my sin and trust Him.”

Your testimony isn't a replacement for Scripture.

But it can open the door to Scripture.

And you don't have to pretend that your life is perfect.

You can simply say:

“I'm not telling you that I'm a good person. I'm telling you that Jesus is a good Savior.”

TIP #4: DON'T BE AFRAID TO SAY, “I DON'T KNOW.”

This one is important.

Someone may ask you a question you can't answer.

Don't panic.

You can say:

“I don't know, but I'll try to find out.”

Or:

“That's a good question. Let me think about that.”

You don't have to win an argument.

You're not responsible for knowing everything.

You're responsible for being faithful with what you do know.

And remember:

Our job is to proclaim the gospel. God's job is to save.

You are not the Savior.

You don't have to convince someone through the force of your personality.

You don't have to win a debate.

You don't have to have the perfect answer.

Tell them the truth.

Tell them about Jesus.

Open the Bible.

Let the Word of God speak.

TIP #5: ASK THEM A SIMPLE QUESTION

Sometimes the easiest way to share the gospel is simply to ask a question.

You can ask:

“Have you ever personally trusted Jesus Christ?”

Or:

“What do you believe about Jesus?”

Or, after you've explained the gospel:

“Have you repented of your sin and believed in Jesus?”

And if they say they haven't, don't pressure them.

You don't need a sales pitch.

Remember what Jesus said:

“Repent ye, and believe the gospel.”

The gospel is not a product we're selling.

It's good news we're announcing.

A SIMPLE WAY TO REMEMBER IT

If you are nervous about sharing the gospel, remember three things:

TELL THEM THE PROBLEM.

We are sinners separated from God.

TELL THEM THE SOLUTION.

Jesus Christ came to reconcile sinners to God.

TELL THEM THE RESPONSE.

Jesus said:

“Repent ye, and believe the gospel.”

That's it.

You don't have to make the gospel complicated.

Just tell them what Jesus said.

“Repent ye, and believe the gospel.”