THE GOSPEL - Beginners

THE GOSPEL (Beginners)

Series 1

I. Question: Do you consider yourself to be a good person?

A. Are you good enough to go to Heaven?

B. God has His standard of goodness – They are called the 10 Commandments.

a. Let’s look at two of those commandments:

i. Question 1: Have you ever stolen any thing in your life, no matter how small the item?

1. Exodus 20:15 – You shall not steal.

ii. Question 2: Have you ever lied before?

1. Exodus 20:16 – You shall not bear false testimony against your neighbor.

II. 1John 3:4
    A. Breaking the Law of God is called “sin.”
    B. If God were to judge you according to His Law, would you go to Heaven?

III. Revelation 21:8
    A. All liars will experience the second death.
    B. If God were to judge you according to His Law, would you go to Heaven?

IV. Romans 3:23
    A. Who is guilty of sin?

V. Romans 6:23
    A. The wages of sin is death (the second death).
    B. But there is hope: God is willing to give us the free gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ!

VI. Romans 5:8
    A. While we were still sinners (law-breakers), Christ died for us!
    B. This is good news! This “good news” is called the gospel!

VII. 1Corinthians 15:1-4
    A. The word “gospel” means “good news.”
    B. The Gospel is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus (show the Gospel Illustration on page 13).

VIII. 2Thessalonians 1:6-8
    A. When Christ returns, He will punish those who do not know God and those who do not obey the Gospel.
    B. The gospel is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus (refer to the Gospel Illustration).
    C. How does one obey the gospel? It starts with discipleship ...

IX. Acts 11:26
    A. The term “disciple” means “student or pupil or learner.”
    B. The term “Christian/Christians” appears 3 times in the Bible while the term “disciple/disciples” appears over 280 times.
    C. The disciples were first called “Christians” by the people of the city of Antioch.
    D. Therefore, a disciple is a Christian and a Christian is a disciple.

X. John 8:31-32
    A. A true disciple follows the teachings of Christ.
    B. As a result, they will know the truth and that truth will set them free from sin.

XI. Luke 14:25-27, 33
    A. A disciple must:
        a. Hate (Greek word “miseo,” which means “to love less”) those whom they tend to love the most (e.g., family and self).
            1- People tend to be influenced by those they love the most.
            2- A disciple loves Christ more than his or her own family (see Matthew 10:37).
        b. Carry his/her cross.
            1- When Jesus carried His cross, He was mocked, spat upon and eventually nailed to that cross.
            2- A disciple is willing to suffer for Jesus.
        c. Give up everything.
            1- Jesus, salvation, forgiveness of sins, heaven, are worth more than any thing this world can offer!

XII. John 3:3-5
    A. A person must be born again to see and enter the Kingdom of heaven.
    B. One must be born of water and Spirit. The next passage will explain what this means.

XIII. Acts 2:37-38
    A. Repent (change your mind) and leave the practice of sin by following Jesus and His teachings.
        a. 1Corinthians 6:9-10 gives us some examples of sins.
    B. Be baptized (born of water) for the forgiveness of sins.
        a. John 14:6 – No one can go to the Father except through Jesus.
        b. Ephesians 1:7 – Forgiveness comes through the blood of Jesus.
        c. Question:
            i. Since Jesus shed His blood at His death, how does one get into His death?
            ii. And since Jesus is the way to the Father, how does one get into Jesus?
        d. Romans 6:3-4 – We enter Christ and His death through baptism.
            i. Remember when I asked you how does one obey the gospel (the death, burial and resurrection)?
                * - Verse 4 says we obey the death, burial and resurrection through baptism (show the Baptism Illustration on page 14)
                * - Mark 16:15-16 – those who believe (the gospel) and are baptized (obey the gospel) will be saved
    C. Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (born of Spirit)
        a. Ephesians 1:13-14 – The Holy Spirit is God’s seal on us that we are on our way to Heaven!
        b. Romans 8:26 – The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness.

XIV. Matthew 10:34-36
    A. Following Christ will not be easy.
    B. Your family will give you a hard time.

XV. Acts 22:16
Challenge:
    A. What is God telling you here?
    B. Are you ready to become His disciple?

If they person wants to get baptized, go over the “Discipleship” study with them. If the person is not ready to obey the gospel, give him/her a copy of the Gospel DVD. Ask him/her if he/she is willing to get together again. If he/she says “Yes,” arrange a time and teach him/her the “Love of God” study.