Sharing the Complete Gospel

• 2 Core Principles of every Christian : – Loving everyone and Sharing the Gospel

• Goal: encourage people to love Jesus – Gospel pure, not watered down– 2 Delivery methods • Tender, but not watered down• Blunt, but not watered down

• Problem with the Church:– Diluted message designed to grow membership….– But a Diluted message Dishonors God

Text: Mt 3:7-10

2 Core Principles of Every Christian

• Love (everyone)• Witness (selectively)

Love Everyone

Description of Jesus’ Children Mt 5: 3-9 – right attitudeMt 5:38-42 – willing to suffer being wrongedMt 5: 43-48 – love our enemies

Love Everyone

Jn 13:34-35

1st Core Principle of a Godly life: Love One Another!

2nd Core Principle of a Godly Life: Share the Gospel

Love Everyone, but…..Sharing the Gospel is selective

6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. Matt 7:6 (KJV) (Guided by the Holy Spirit)

But should the Holy Spirit prompts us to share the Gospel…..

Our Gospel message must be crystal clear. Otherwise…

…..the Church will be filled with people Who think God winks at sin

God forgives and forgets sin, but

He will punish those who Dishonor Him with Sinful behavior

How should we share the Gospel

Tenderly and Gently? or Blunt, direct, and Specific?

Depends on you’re goal

Music is loud, but the Message is muffledLarge numbers of weak Christians….

….who are• afraid to stand up for The Gospel of Jesus Christ!• afraid to Confront Sin…..

Then Present a weak, watered down message.

But if you want Spiritual Warriors…..

Capable of going one on One with Satan, then…

Share the Complete Gospel of Jesus Christ

John the Baptist, Jesus, Paul

John’s message – clear:2, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Matt 3:2 (NASB)

:6, and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins. Matt 3:6 (NASB)

Message- Crystal Clear: Tender and Gentle

John’s message - clearMessage, :2, Repent. :6, ConfessionMethod, 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Matt 3:7 (NASB)Blunt / Direct / Judgmental

John’s message - clearMessage, :2, Repent. :6, ConfessionMethod, :7, Very Blunt / Direct / Judgmental

Offered Hope, "Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; Matt 3:8 (Bear Fruit? If you’ve truly Repented, stop sinning!)

John’s message - clearMessage, :2, Repent. :6, ConfessionMethod, :7, Very Blunt / Direct / Judgmental Offered Hope, :8Don’t Rationalize, :9do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father'; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. Matt 3:9

John’s message - clearMessage, :2, Repent. :6, ConfessionMethod, :7, Very Blunt / Direct / Judgmental Offered Hope, :8Don’t Rationalize, :9Judgment, :10, "The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Matt 3:10 (NASB)(Consequences!!!)

John’s message - clearMessage, :2, Repent. :6, ConfessionMethod, :7, Very Blunt / Direct / Judgmental Offered Hope, :8Don’t Rationalize, :9Warned of Judgment, :10

J.B. was:• Tender• Tough• Warned

Jesus’ Message - clearMessage, Mt 4:17, 19, John 3:16, 8:24, 14:6Method: Sometime….• Tenderly, Jn 8:1-11• Tough, Mt 23:13-36 (read)

13 "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people ; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. 14 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation. 15 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte ; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. Matt 23:13-15 (NASB)

16 "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.‘ 17 "You fools and blind men! Which is more important, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold? 18 "And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing, but whoever swears by the offering on it, he is obligated.‘ 19 "You blind men, which is more important, the offering , or the altar that sanctifies the offering ? 20 "Therefore, whoever swears by the altar, swears both by the altar and by everything on it. Matt 23:16-20 (NASB)

21 "And whoever swears by the temple , swears both by the temple and by Him who dwells within it. 22 "And whoever swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it. 23 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin , and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. 24 "You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! Matt 23:21-24 (NASB)

25 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. 26 "You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also. 27 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. 28 "So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. Matt 23:25-28 (NASB)

29 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 and say, 'If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.‘ 31 "So you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 "Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. 33 "You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell ? Matt 23:29-33 (NASB)

34 "Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city, 35 so that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 "Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. Matt 23:34-36 (NASB) (Blunt, Direct, Judgmental, Confrontational)

When Jesus shared the GospelSometimes….• Tender, Jn 8:1-11• Tough, Mt 23:13-36 (read)

Offered Hope, Mt 23:26

Jesus’ Message - clearMessage, Mt 4:17, 19, 3:16, 8:24, 14:6Method: Sometime….• Tender, Jn 8:1-11• Tough, Mt 23:13-36 (read)

Offered Hope, Mt 23:26Personal Decision required, Jn 1:12Warned of Judgment, Mt 13:24-30 (summarize), :36-43 (explanation)

36 And His disciples came to Him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.“

37 And He said, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, 38 and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares (weeds) are the sons of the evil one; 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. 40 "So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. Matt 13:36-40 (NASB)

41 "The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness,42 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

(Jesus warned of judgment to come)

43 "Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. Matt 13:41-43 (NASB)

Jesus was:• Tender• Tough• Warned

Review

• Neither J.B. nor Jesus ….would approve of– A watered down gospel message– Designed to make people feel good – Which does not required Repentance, Confession,

and Changed lifestyle– And does warn of the judgment to come

• Maybe Paul was kinder and gentler – lets see

Paul’s Message – clearMessage, Acts 16:31, 26:20

31 They said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."Acts 16:30-31 (NASB)

20 but Paul kept declaring……that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance. Acts 26:20 (NASB)

Paul’s Message – clearMessage, Acts 16:31, 26:20

Method – Blunt, Direct, 1 Cor 6:9-10

9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate , nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Cor 6:9-10 (NASB)

Paul’s Message – clearMessage, Acts 16:31, 26:20

Method – Blunt, Direct, Gal 5:19-21

19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality , impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, 21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Gal 5:19-21 (NASB)

Paul’s Message – clearMessage, Acts 16:31, 26:20

Method – Blunt, 1 Cor 6:9-10, Gal 5:19-21

Hope, 1 Cor 6:11

Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. 1 Cor 6:11 (NASB)

Paul’s Message – clearMessage, Acts 16:31, 26:20

Method – Blunt, 1 Cor 6:9-10, Gal 5:19-21

Hope, 1 Cor 6:11

Personal Decision required, 2 Cor 3:16

16 but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 2 Cor 3:16 (NASB)

Paul Warned of Judgment, 2 Thess 1:6-9

6 For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, 8 dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 2 Thess 1:6-9 (NASB)

Paul’s Message was: • Tender• Tough • Warned of Judgment to come

Review

• Neither J.B. nor Jesus nor Paul ….would approve of– A watered down gospel message– Designed to make people feel good – Which does not required Repentance, Confession,

and a Changed lifestyle– And does not warn of the judgment to come

2 Core Principles for every Christian:Love one anotherShare the Gospel

Absolutely No Compromise on the MessageMt 4:17 – Repent. Mt 4:19 – Follow

Or Rev 20:15 – Judgment

Lost: Holds on to sin. Do not understand thatEternal judgment awaits them

Saved: If you will let me live, I will seek you and serveYou everyday!

Believe. Repent. Follow. Or suffer…..Eternal Judgment

It is imperative thatWe Share the completeGospel Message.

2 Core Principles of every ChristianShare the GospelLove the Lost

Repent. BelieveFollow. Love.Share

Tender, orTough, butWarn of Judgment