Evangelism Sermon

Since I promised... the following are my notes in the raw... (with a few things removed to remove clutter) that I used for my sermons these past 2 Sundays. I hope it encourages and challenges you.

How Shall They Believe?

Romans 10:1-15

People don’t know what the gospel is.

People don’t know why other people need it.

How to witness to family member – same as everyone else!

Have a Passion for the Lost (1)

- This is very strong language. We see the seriousness of what Paul is saying here in the previous chapter, Romans 9:1-3 (read, comment).

o “Great sorrow and unceasing anguish”

- Desire their deliverance

o Paul is willing to trade his salvation!

- Pray for them

o God also desires that all people be saved

o 1 Tim 2:1-4 – prayer for the lost is good, because God wants all to be saved!

o 2 Pet 3:9 – God is delaying the apocalypse so that more may be saved!

Identify the Problem of the Unbeliever (2-3)

- Unbelievers need the righteousness of God (3) – “ignorant of the righteousness”

o Most are self-righteous (Prov 20:6, 21:2) – “I’m a good person”

o God does not like self-righteousness (Prov 26:12, Is 65:5, Luke 16:15).

o Attempting to justify oneself is futile (Job 9:20, Matt 23:25-28).

o God does not save you because you’re more worthy (Titus 3:5).

- Unbelievers need more than spirituality (2a) – “a zeal for God”

o God’s righteousness does not come from being “religious.”

- Unbelievers need to know God (2b) – “not according to knowledge”

o epignosis (different kind of knowledge than gnosis, fuller)

o Isa 5:13 – people go into exile for lack of knowledge

o Hos 4:6 – destroyed for lack of knowledge; forgotten the law

§ ignorance is willfull.

§ “forgotten” = ignored, ceased to care

§ These are not “honest mistakes”

o Relationship with God

- How do you convince someone of this?

- Why should they believe that this is a problem?

Recognize the Purpose of the Law (4-5)

- What it doesn’t do (4)

o It cannot justify you

§ I had a talk with my Latin teacher… he wouldn’t stop justifying himself…

- What it does do (5)

o Silences you (Rom 3:19a)

§ Shows you that you have no excuses: b/c conscience = “with knowledge”

§ Lady in San Fran who wouldn’t continue after the first question

o Sentences you (Rom 3:20)

§ Shows you where you deserve to go

§ No preacher, teacher, or evangelist can faithfully or effectively present the gospel if he does not first convince his hearers of their damning unrighteousness apart from Christ. - MacArthur

§ “You can’t judge people”

· The law does the judging. Let people convict themselves.

§ If God judges you by his law, will you be guilty or innocent?

§ Being guilty, where should God send you?

§ What are you going to do about it?

o Sends you to Christ (Gal 3:24)

§ Note: Law->No Hope->Anger

§ They need to: Admit sin->Admit Punishment->Express Concern->Gospel

Understand the Promise of Salvation (6-13)

- Two questions: how do you get it and who is it for?

o Do people understand the gospel? No!

§ Catholic guy (David?) at the mall.

- How it is done (6-10)

o The “formula” is not complicated (6-8,10)

§ No pilgrimage, baptism, priest

o Keep this question in mind: does the Devil know/do that?

o Repentance: Turn from sin (9a) (Acts study)

§ “Jesus is Lord” means that you are not!

§ Conviction of sin (John 16:8)

· Realize you’ve broken God’s law!

§ Contrition over sin (Ez 43:10, 2 Cor 7:8-11, Ps 51:17, Ps 38:18)

· Be sorry for what you’ve done!

· Hate it because it’s wrong, against God, God hates it

§ Confession of sin (James 5:16, 1 John 1:9, Ps 32:5, Neh 9:2)

· Get specific!

§ Conversion from sin (Rom 6:12f, Ez 14:6, Is 55:7, Matt 3:8)

· Stop sinning, and start doing good!

o Faith: Turn to Jesus (9b)

§ Jesus does NOT need your acceptance. You need his mercy.

- Who it is for: everyone! (11-13)

o List people: mall, school, work, family, etc.

Boldly Preach the Gospel (14-15)

- The questions Paul is asking are all rhetorical and the answer is always a negative one (i.e. “they can’t” or “no”). We can see this from the context. (Read and explain).

- The lost cannot be saved without believing (14a)

- The lost cannot believe without hearing (14b)

o What does it sound like it means?

- The lost cannot hear without a preacher (14c)

o Mark Cahill Quote

o A preacher is anyone who speaks God’s truth to someone else

- The preacher cannot preach unless he goes (15a) (Story of Lazarus – pers. evang.)

o Notice that the assumption is that the Christians go out, not that we bring the unbelievers in; It’s everyone’s job to share the gospel with everyone they know.

o What do you think happens when we die?

o Do you have a religious background?

o Did you get one of these?

- The goer cannot regret it (15b) (Jer 20:9)

o You will have the eternal thanks of everyone you talk to – everyone

Mark Cahill

- What is worse than a massacre? People who know what it takes to get to heaven, and be right with God, and don’t tell anyone. People who walked around the VA Tech campus as believers in Jesus Christ, and didn’t strike up a conversation or hand a tract to Cho, the Jewish professor, or any of those other students, and didn’t tell them about judgment day. Those people are just as selfish as Cho was. He didn’t want to live this life God’s way. That is also the description of someone who knows what it takes to get to heaven and will not tell anyone. Total, utter, selfishness and nothing less.

- Please Christians don’t live your life more selfishly than a mass murderer