Title: Preaching the Gospel
Text: Luke 10:1-16
Take-off
1. Let’s go back to our series on using our authority in the kingdom of God. We come now to the second key of the kingdom: Preaching the Gospel.
2. Prayer can be done inside the four walls of our church. But preaching the Gospel cannot be done unless we go out and do it. Of course, we can preach the Gospel inside this church. But we will only reach those people who are already willing to come to us. What about those who would never come to us?
3. Jesus said we must “GO!” (Matthew 28:19-20) This means we have to take a risk and approach people we don’t know, get to know them, and somehow share with them the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Many people are scared about this.
4. Here is the truth: Obedience to the Great Commission is the greatest omission in the church today!
5. Actually preaching the Gospel is the third and most important key to seeing the kingdom of God come alive in the lives of people who may not know God. When we preach the Gospel – and if we do it correctly – we’re actually giving people an opportunity to experience the kingdom of God firsthand. SO LET’S GO AND PREACH THE GOSPEL NOW!
6. Luke 10:1-16 shows us how we can do this correctly. It involves the following steps:
a. Hear and obey the Lord’s command personally.
b. Go, and as you go, stay focused on the Great Commission.
c. Establish credibility.
d. Preach the Gospel through works and words.
e. Don’t take rejection personally.
Talk
1. Hear and obey the Lord’s command personally.
a. Verses 1 and 2 shows us that we need to hear personally from God and obey His call to fulfill the Great Commission.
b. These are the seventy-two, not the Twelve. We don’t hear about them anymore in the book of Acts. This means they are just ordinary believers! The Great Commission is addressed to everyone, not just the apostles!
c. The Lord was the one who appointed them and sent them out two by two. Tip: It’s good to have a partner who has the same conviction as you regarding the Great Commission. (Eccl 4:9-12) So start praying for one!
d. Notice the phrase, “and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.” Jesus has already determined the places. He has already prepared each place by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are simply to trust him and go where he wants us to go.
e. Notice verse 2 also, which talks about the importance of prayer. We are to pray for more workers! Why don’t we do it right now? (Prayer for workers)
f. Remember, when you begin to hear God call you – and he is calling you -- you must be ready to obey. Obedience to the Great Commission is the greatest omission in the church today! BUT YOU GO AND PREACH THE GOSPEL NOW!
2. Go, and as you go, stay focused on the Great Commission.
a. After we hear God’s call personally, we must go and do it. Verses 3 and 4 give us important reminders concerning our going.
b. We must go with a sense of awareness that we are engaging in spiritual warfare (v.3)! We are like lambs among wolves! So we must be aware and ready. We must stay focused on the Great Commission. Illus. Military operation against the Abu Sayaf
c. Secondly, we must go with a sense of priority (v. 4). We cannot allow ourselves to be distracted when we are fulfilling a very important mission. Illus. A salesman in his target area
d. The reason why many Christians fail to fulfill the Great Commission in their lives is because they are not focused. Remember, obedience to the Great Commission is the greatest omission in the church today!
e. Once we decide that we will fulfill God’s calling, we must stay focused. We cannot allow distractions to divert our attention. YOU MUST GO AND PREACH THE GOSPEL NOW!
3. Establish credibility.
a. This third step is very important. Jesus wants his disciples to establish relationships and get to know people. He also wants them to allow people to get to know them personally (vv.5-7).
b. Often Christians are so eager to share the Gospel to strangers that they fail to understand that talking about spiritual things is a personal matter. You need to build relationships first.
c. You must earn the right to be heard. This is what Jesus did. Some people think Jesus just appeared and started preaching the Gospel. The truth is he waited until he was thirty years old before he started preaching (Luke 3:23)!
d. This does not mean that we are to wait thirty years also! But, take note of this, the best place to share the gospel is in those places where you already have friends and loved ones. This is where you begin!
e. Take the time to enlarge your friendship circles. This is the reason why we are trying to establish contact points! Get to know people. Make friends with new people. YOU MUST GO AND PREACH THE GOSPEL NOW!
4. Preach the Gospel through works and words.
a. Verses 8 and 9 are important verses to remember. Sooner or later, we must confront people with the truth. But we do this in two steps: first by works, then by words.
b. We are to minister first (example, heal the sick) and then tell them the Good News! Never reverse this.
c. Christians are often accused of being self-righteous. The reason is because all we do is just talk. But when we minister first, we establish the foundation of our talk. People will listen to us because they can see that we really care.
d. We must find ways to bring the reality of God’s kingdom power in the lives of people. We do this by faith and by using our God-given authority as citizens of the kingdom.
e. The best way to do this is by visiting people in their homes or by talking with them personally to get to know their hurts. Don’t be so eager to share the Gospel. Instead seek to help people first using the power of God!
f. But when the time comes, be ready to explain the hope that you have. Learn how to present the Gospel in a simple way. Register today for our training on how to share the Gospel using our RLBS material. YOU MUST GO AND PREACH THE GOSPEL NOW!
5. Finally, don’t take rejection personally.
a. We are afraid of rejection. But Jesus gives us two important perspectives about rejection in verses 10 to 16. Let’s read it together.
b. First of all, we must understand that bringing the Gospel to people is a two-edged sword. If they believe, they will be saved. But if they reject our message, they will be condemned. So we must make sure that they understand our message very well. We don’t want them to be condemned because of our own fault of not explaining it well. That’s why we have a process called MP4!
c. Secondly, we must remember that they are not rejecting us but God. This is a very solemn responsibility! Instead of being angry, we should feel very sad for people who reject our message. They are now in danger of being judged by God himself! It’s terrible to fall into the hands of the living God! He is a consuming fire!
d. This means that we must not take rejection personally. It should not stop us from sharing the Gospel wherever we go. Instead it should motivate us to do it well, to really help people understand the Good News.
e. But if after everything that we have done, if they still choose to reject our message, then we can wash our hands. The Lord no longer holds us accountable for them. We can just move on and go to other places. YOU MUST GO AND PREACH THE GOSPEL NOW!
Touchdown
1. The second key to see God’s kingdom come in power is to preach the Gospel. We can do this by following these steps:
a. Hear and obey the Lord’s command personally.
b. Go, and as you go, stay focused on the Great Commission.
c. Establish credibility.
d. Preach the Gospel through works and words.
e. Don’t take rejection personally.
2. Remember, obedience to the Great Commission is the greatest omission in the church today! BUT YOU GO AND PREACH THE GOSPEL NOW!
