Greg Laurie - Tell Someone Talks (09/06/2017)
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Pastor Greg Laurie explains what the true Gospel is using John 3:16 and other Scriptures, emphasizing we live in a time of bad news but must boldly share the good news of Jesus Christ. He stresses the Gospel's core elements: we're all sinners needing repentance, Christ died for us, hell awaits those who reject Him, and salvation is only through Jesus. The message urges simple, clear proclamation so people hear and understand the real Gospel, not a distorted version.
What Is the Gospel?
All right, well, let's grab our Bibles and let's turn over to the book of the Gospel of John, I should say, and chapter three. We'll look at a very familiar verse there in a moment. But the title of my message is, What is the Gospel?
All right, so we live in a day of bad news, a day of divisive news, a day of depressing news, and a day of fake news, right? So we as Christians need to recommit ourselves to getting the good news out. And when I say the good news, I mean the good news of the Gospel. You all know that the word Gospel means good news.
And I believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ remains the hope of the world and the only hope for our country and the only hope for any person living on the face of the earth. And we need it perhaps more now in our country than maybe any other time in our history.
Now, when I say this, I'm not in any way saying we don't need to go out and do the good things we do as Christians. You know, nobody does more for hurting people than Christians. This is the bottom line. I mean, most churches I know of constantly are providing food and clothing and sometimes housing and rehabilitation for people who may have problems with drugs or are on the streets. Or we will provide free counseling for people with troubled marriages. And all day long, we help people in practical ways. We do that a lot, and so we should.
Good Deeds Must Not Replace Gospel Proclamation
But that should not take the place of Gospel proclamation. Because Jesus did not say, go into all the world and be a good example. No, He said, go into all the world and do what? Preach the Gospel.
Now, that doesn't mean I should go be a bad example. And the fact is, if I'm a good example, I'll in effect earn the right to preach the Gospel. I mean, if I go to a person on the street with no food and I buy him a meal, in a way, I've sort of earned the right to have a conversation with them about God. So you have that going.
But the main thing is, is we need to articulate. Now, don't be thrown off by the word preach. When we say, go into all the world and preach, it doesn't mean you have to be a preacher. Because when we hear the word preach or preacher, it's usually in a negative way, right? Hey man, we'll say, don't preach at me, right? It's a negative, never a positive. And it usually involves, you know, elevating one's volume and, you know, that sort of thing.
But that's not what we're talking about. When we say, go into all the world and preach the Gospel, we could just as easily say, go into all the world and talk the Gospel. Go into all the world and tweet the Gospel. Go into all the world and, you know, post on your Facebook page something about the gospel. Go into all the world and start conversations about the gospel.
So it's not about yelling. It's not about elevating your voice. So there are times for that. But it's just about communicating this message.
I mean, what would you think of watching the show, maybe the news that was on, say, at six. And the anchorman took his seat behind the desk with his perfectly coiffed hair. And the theme song rolled, and then the camera went in for the tight shot, and he just sat there and smiled. And he smiled for like 28 minutes, and that was the end of the program. He said, what was that all about? Well, the anchorman said, I was just being a good example. No, you're there to deliver the news, so give us the news.
So yeah, be a good example, but deliver the news. And that's what we're talking about in this series, articulating the message.
Many Have Never Heard the True Gospel
And listen to this. I don't think most Americans have heard a proper presentation of the gospel. I think they've heard versions of it. I think they've heard distortions of it. But I wonder how many people have heard a proper, biblical, and I might add loving, and understandable presentation of the gospel.
Here's some stats. 7 out of 10 American adults have no clue as to what John 3:16 means. Barely one-third of all adults know the meaning of the expression, the gospel. Only 4% of adults could define the Great Commission.
So when you go up to someone and say, the gospel, don't even assume they know what that word means. We have to break this down.
It's very important that we understand what the gospel is, because the Bible warns of a false gospel that people can believe in. Galatians 6, Paul writes, I'm astonished that you're so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ, and you're turning to a different gospel, which is really no gospel at all. Evidently, some are throwing you into confusion, and they're trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.
Paul says, if we, or even an angel from heaven, should preach a gospel than the one we preach to you, let him be eternally condemned. That's interesting. There can be a different gospel.
Warnings Against False or Distorted Gospels
Listen to this. Any gospel presentation that promises forgiveness without repentance is not the gospel. Any gospel presentation that promises the glory of heaven without warning of the horrors of hell is not the gospel.
So my fear is a lot of people are either hearing a distorted gospel, or they're hearing a watered down gospel. One that is so deluded and so benign and so vanilla that there's nothing in it. There's no teeth in this gospel, and it's not really a biblical gospel.
So a person is saying, well, I believed in Jesus, and I prayed and asked him in my life, so let's go get drunk. Uh, Houston, we have a problem. There's a disconnect between lifestyle and so-called conversion here.
So I think some people have believed a false gospel. Thus, they've had what we would call a false or fake conversion, and we're giving false assurance. So we want to make sure we're giving the real gospel.
So what elements must be in place for the gospel to be the gospel? Well, certain ingredients must be there. If I'm going to make a chocolate cake and I leave out chocolate, it's no longer a chocolate cake. And if I'm going to present the gospel and I leave these elements out, it's not really the gospel.
I already told you the word gospel means good news. Before we can fully appreciate the good news, we have to first know the bad news.
The Bad News: We Are All Sinners
I heard a story about two old guys who were wondering if there's baseball in heaven. So they promised each other if one of them died before the other, they would communicate from the other side and let them know if there's baseball in heaven. So one of them died, and then a week later, he spoke to his friend from heaven. This is a true story. No, it's obviously a joke.
So he spoke to his friend. He said, Joe, I've got good news. I'm in heaven, and guess what? There's baseball in heaven. Well, his buddy was so excited. He says, that's the good news, but there's some bad news. He said, what's the bad news? He said, well, you're pitching on Friday.
So that didn't, you know, that's bad. Good news, bad news jokes, right? There's a million of them. Okay, so the good news, yes, is forgiveness, but let's first begin with the bad news so we can fully appreciate the good news.
Here's the bad news. The bad news is we're all sinners, and we've sinned against the holy God. And no matter who we are, we have sinned. Now, sometimes maybe an ignorant, but we have often done it on purpose.
Romans 3:23, a verse every Christian should memorize: all of sin and fallen short of the glory of God. First John 1:8 says, if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
So these are important things to explain. So when you're talking to a non-believer, you have to establish with them that they're a sinner. Now, don't assume that a person who is not a believer understands what it means to be a sinner because they may think you're insulting them. Well, you're a sinner. Well, I'm a good person.
So first of all, you have to explain that you're a sinner too. And you have to explain what sin means. The word sin is translated many ways in the Bible. One definition is a trespass, a crossing a line. Ephesians 2:1 says, you are dead in your transgressions, trespasses, and sins.
So when we break a commandment of God, for instance, we're crossing a line. You know, you see the little sign in the park where the grass has just been planted, you know, no trespassing. So if you step over that line, you've just crossed that line. So we've all broken God's commandments. We've all crossed the line.
Sin as Missing God's Perfect Mark
But there's another definition of sin in the Bible, and it means to miss the Mark. To miss the Mark, and it's sort of the idea of archery. Firing at the target with your arrows, your bow and your arrows, and maybe you have 10 arrows, and the objective is to get all of them in the bullseye.
And you get, you know, one in the bullseye, and one in the outer part of the ring, and then one in the friend next to you, and one in a stray cow walking by, I don't know. But you know, so you've done a horrible job.
Now let's say I walk up after you, and I get all nine of mine in the bullseye, but one's just a little off. I'm still a sinner because I've still missed the Mark. Now granted, you missed the Mark more than I missed the Mark, but missing the Mark once is enough to technically miss the Mark.
The Bible says all have missed the Mark. Say, miss what Mark? God's Mark. God's standard for humanity, which is perfection.
So you say, here, here's the thing. You're a sinner. Don't take it personally. I'm a sinner too. They'll say, well, I'm a good person. You'll say, you know what? I'm not disputing that. Because in a broad sense, they may be a good person, relatively speaking.
But when we say a person is not good, we're not just saying they're bad in every way. We're simply saying they're not good enough to get to heaven. And when we tell them they're a sinner, we're acknowledging that we too are sinners and we have crossed the line and we've fallen short of God's standard.
And then they'll say, well, I've never sinned. And then that's when the Ten Commandments come in. You might say, well, have you ever lied? Have you ever taken the Lord's name in vain? Have you always honored your father and your mother? Have you ever stolen anything? Have you ever had lust in your heart for someone or committed adultery?
Well, if they're truthful, they'll say, okay, yeah, I have. So you say one sin is enough to keep you out of heaven. So you're establishing the problem. That's the bad news, that we're all sinners.
The Good News: Christ Died for Sinners
But here's the good news. The good news is God has done something to alleviate our condition. The good news is as Christ came to this earth to die on the cross for our sin.
Romans 5 says, when we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, no one is likely to die for a good person, though someone might be willing to die for a person who's especially good. But Christ showed his love toward us while we were sinners, he died.
So you would basically say, because there was no other way for you to satisfy the righteous demands of God, Christ died for you, you see. Because Jesus was fully God and he was fully man. There's never been a man who has walked this earth like Jesus. And that's why he and he alone is uniquely qualified to bridge the gap between sinful humanity and a perfect and holy God that we have all sinned against.
Okay, so you tell them this. And this is what Jesus did. And they might ask, well, what if I don't believe in Jesus? Because I don't really think I want to. What will happen to me?
The Reality of Hell and God's Justice
Now here's where a lot of Christians choke. Because we don't want to use the H word. We don't want to say hell. And so we'll sort of skirt the subject. What will happen to you? Let me ask you this. Do you like warm climates?
Sooner or later, you're going to have to say the truth. Well, here's the truth. If you reject God's offer of forgiveness, the Bible says you'll go to hell.
Hell, they'll say. Well, how could a God of love send people to hell is usually the question you will hear. And here's something to consider. Jesus Christ spoke more about hell than all the other preachers of the Bible put together.
Now usually we think of Jesus as the personification of love and grace. And indeed he was. But he talked about hell more than anybody else. Why? Because he has seen the horrors of it. He knows what hell is all about. And the last thing he wants is for any man or woman created in his image to spend eternity separated from him.
How could a God of love send people to hell? The fact is, God doesn't really send people to hell. We make that choice ourselves.
C.S. Lewis said, quote, There are only two kinds of people in the end. Those who say to God, Thy will be done. And those to whom God says in the end, Thy will be done. All who are in hell choose it, choose it, writes Lewis. Without that self-choice, there could be no hell. End quote.
Timothy Keller wrote, quote, People only get in the afterlife what they have most wanted, either to have God as Savior and Master or to be their own saviors and masters. Hell is simply one's freely chosen path going on forever. End quote.
So the idea is, God doesn't send you there. You send yourself there by your rejection of God's gift to you of forgiveness of sins that you have committed. And so only Christ can do this for you.
Salvation Through Jesus Alone
And then eventually you're gonna get around to John 14:6. Another verse every Christian should memorize, which is, Jesus speaking, I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no man comes to the Father but by me.
The Apostle Paul echoed these same words, Acts 4:12. There is salvation in no one else. Under heaven there is no other name for men to call upon to save them. Paul said the same thing. Excuse me, Peter said that other thing. Paul said in 1 Timothy 2:5, There's one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.
So, here's where you're headed. You're headed to the message of the death and resurrection of Jesus. See, that's the main thing. You'll use your testimony to build a bridge, telling your personal story. But the main thing is you wanna get to this essential message.
And you don't wanna get distracted and get off on rabbit trails. People wanna get into political discussions or debates about other things. Answer those questions to the best of your ability and bring it back home again.
Christ modeled this for us as we saw in our last time in John 4 with the woman at the well that kept wanting to debate subjects that were irrelevant to what he was talking about. And he brought her back to the main subject. And you must do the same.
Keep It Simple – The KISS Principle
Here's the key. It's the KISS principle. The KISS principle. K-I-S-S. An acronym for keep it simple. Stupid. Just keep it simple. Don't talk over a person's head. Don't make it over complicated. Present it in an understandable, simple way. Make sure the person understands what you're saying.
The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. Let me say that again. The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. And the main thing is the gospel. The life, the death, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
And getting to that message, I'm telling you, it has power. I'm still amazed, even though I've been preaching it for many years now, how when I proclaim this message, how it impacts lives. It's not my message. I'm just a delivery boy.
I've told you before, when I was a kid, I had a paper route. And I had my super cool Schwinn Stingray with a stick shift. They don't make them anymore because they're really dangerous to put a stick shift on a bicycle. Don't you think? Had sort of a slick back tire, smaller front tire, banana seat, sort of elevated handlebars. Very cool.
And I had my bags on there, my newspapers, and I got pretty adept at getting that paper as close to the front door as possible. My job as a newspaper boy was not to write the news. My job was not to make the news. My job was to deliver the news.
And that's our job. It's just to deliver the good news.
Success Is in Faithful Proclamation
And here's something to consider. You are successful in your conversations when the gospel is preached and understood. Let me say that again. Hear me on this. You are successful in sharing the gospel when it's preached and understood. That's your job.
Only God can convert a person. I've never converted anyone. I never will convert anyone. That's the work of the Spirit. But my job, my calling, my commission, and yours as well, is to bring the message to a person.
So if I have the opportunity to articulate the gospel message in an understandable way, I've done my job and I have succeeded.
Now sometimes God will have me sow a seed. Don't think because you sowed a seed that wasn't a good day. Listen, no seed is ever gonna be reaped if it isn't first sown. So first you sow it.
In other days, the Lord will have you water a seed someone else sowed. In other days, by his grace, he'll let you reap where others have sown and watered.