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Apologetics for Any Given Sunday How to Develop Your Message to Speak to Unbelievers

Brian Jones Senior Pastor

Calvary Bible Church Ypsilanti, Michigan

Introduction:

Mike: “Every week after your message, I had questions and objections to what you were saying and, it seemed like every time, the next week, you would answer them.”.

I. Apologetics in preaching is the application of God’s word to unbelievers.

A. A biblical message confronts unbelievers with an extended presentation of God’s truth.

“Apologetics is not an attempt to confront only the mind of the non-Christian while leaving the will and emotions to evangelism. When we defend the faith properly, we do not merely argue for Christianity in preparation for a later step of challenging the unbeliever to turn to Christ for salvation. Instead, apologetics confronts the entire personality of the unbeliever with the demands of God in Christ. Defending the gospel does not merely precede the offer of the gospel; it entails the declaration of the gospel.”1

1Richard L. Pratt, Every Thought Captive: A Study Manual for the Defense of Christian Truth (Phillipsburg,

N.J.: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, 1979), pp. 82-83.

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B. Many unbelievers will argue with you in their hearts while you preach a biblical message.

Romans 1:18: “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness”2

C. Anticipating and answering their arguments in your message can show them that they are under the Lordship of Christ despite their desire to be independent of God.

Romans 1:21-22: “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools,” Psalm 14:1a: “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”

Proverbs 26:5: “Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.”

Proverbs 26:4: “Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him.”

2 All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International

Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

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II. Answering key questions as you prepare can help you apply God’s word to your audience.

A. The best place to answer these questions is during your transition from exegetical study to sermon construction.3

B. Most of these questions will help you apply the Bible to believers.

1. What is the vision of God in this passage?

2. How does the vision of God translate to today?

3. What sin is addressed either directly or by implication in this passage?

4. How does that sin manifest itself specifically today?

3 I am planning a two-day workshop on sermon preparation. For more information, visit my website at

https://canyoncrossers.com/conference

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5. What is the vision of life (of the Christian life) conveyed in this passage or implied by it?

6. What other human needs are addressed in this passage?

7. How do those human needs show up in life today?

8. What was the original application to the original audience of this passage?

9. What is one specific action a believer can do to apply this message in his/her life?

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C. But thinking about how unbelievers will object to God’s word in every passage will help you apply the word to the unbelievers in your audience.

1. What questions would an unbeliever have about this passage?

2. How would you answer those questions? Explain, prove, apply?

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III. A few examples from my messages will show you how I do apologetics on any given Sunday.

A. Luke 7:31-35

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B. Luke 7:1-10