HOW TO PREACH THE GOSPEL

Romans 1:16 says: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

The purpose of today’s sermon is to give you FUNDAMENTAL PASSAGES …

…. & practical BIBLE INSTRUCTION on how to preach the Gospel to the lost.

… so that you will be ready to PREACH THE GOSPEL in any given situation.

Whether you’re out DOOR TO DOOR SOUL WINNING …

… or simply preaching the Gospel to a family member or friend in your own living room …

& so I will be following the BASIC PRECEPTS of the “ROMAN ROADS” methodology in this sermon.

… & And there’s different aspects of the Gospel that we can focus on.

But I find the Romans Road method to be an proven & effective method that covers the basics of the Gospel.

And then you can always build your style of preaching from that foundation.

& we can also be organic & follow the leading of the Holy Spirit …

… but it’s important to have the BASICS or the FUNDAMENTALS of the Gospel …

… & to have a ROAD MAP of Bible verses that we can turn to & build upon.

So what I’m going to do is give you a COMPREHENSIVE VIEW of the Gospel …

I’m going to give you the longer version first …

… & then I’ll end the sermon w/ the shorter, more concise version that you may use in door to door or in case where you only have a few minutes.

& SO 1st STEP in the ROMAN ROADS method of PRESENTING THE GOSPEL …

… is understanding that WE HAVE ALL SINNED & come short of the glory of God.

It’s knowing that the WORLD & everyone in it is condemned under sin …

… by the perfection of GOD’S LAW.

Paul says in Romans 3:19: “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.”

& that leads THE MAIN GO-TO-VERSE that we normally go, which is ROMANS 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God”.

If you’re short on time, you sometimes only have 5-10-15 minutes at someone’s door …

… and so you don’t give them the LONG VERSION of THE GOSPEL, you give them the bullet points or main verses …

… because sometimes that’s all their going to give you.

… and then you can go deeper & more in-depth if they are interested.

AND SO today I’m going to give you MORE BIBLE VERSES than you need to preach the Gospel.

SO THE FIRST STEP, as I’ve shown is explaining that everyone has broken God’s perfect Law …

That there is none righteous, no not one (Romans 3:10).

Romans 3:10-12 says:
10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

& Most people will easily accept this fact.

But it helps to explain to them that we have ALL HAVE BROKEN GOD’S HOLY LAW …

Now, you don’t have to spend hours on this step …

Let’s get them to the good news …

But helping them understand that under GOD’S LAW they are condemned …

… leads to the very important understanding that they are in need of a Savior …

HAVE YOU EVER LIED?

Have you ever stolen anything?

Have you ever committing adultery, even in your heart?

Have you ever taken the Lord’s name in vain?

THE PURPOSE OF THE LAW is to convict man of his sins …

… & to open his eyes to the fact that he is justly condemned in his present condition.

Romans 3:20: “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

So the purpose of God’s Law is reveal that we are not going to heaven by following God’s Law or by doing good works or being a good person.

Because in God’s sight, none of us are good.

1 John 3:4 also says: “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: >>> for sin is the transgression of the law. <<<” So the Bible defines what sin is: it’s TRANSGRESSION OF GOD’S LAW. It’s not abiding by the Law. It’s a deviation from the perfect precepts of God’s holy Law. Galatians 3:22, 24: 22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe … … 24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. & while GALATIANS 3 differentiates between THE LAW & WORKS vs. FAITH & GRACE … … All of these verses reveal that the Law’s DEFINES SIN … … that The Law gives us knowledge of sin … … & the LAW reveals that we come short of the glory of God. That we’re not able to keep the Law by our own efforts. Romans 7:7 says: “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.” So the Law was the schoolmaster which EXPLAINED SIN to us … & proved EVERYONE GUILTY before the righteousness of God. Such knowledge leads the sinner to the realization that they are in need of a Savior. The first part of Romans 6:23 says: “For the wages of sin is death …” but the second part says: “but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Death is the WAGES of our sin … Just as a WORKMEN receives wages for the work he has done … … we receive wages for our sins … and those wages are death. That’s what we have EARNED. Those are our wages. And our wages are not only the PHYSICAL DEATH of the body … … but for the unbeliever, it is the SECOND DEATH, which is HELL and the LAKE OF FIRE. We see this in Rev. 21:8 where the Bible equates JUDGMENT in the LAKE OF FIRE with the SECOND DEATH … … which is in store for the unbeliever alone: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” Notice that it says ALL LIARS, because everyone has told a lie at some point in their life. And I usually point out that you may not have committed murder or sorcery, but you have told lies. You have broken the 9th commandment. … but some people say that REV. 21 is speaking of HABITUAL or CHRONICE LIARS. OK, then look at Revelation 22:15 which says that even telling A SINGLE LIE is enough to earn the wages of HELL: “For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, >>> and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. <<<” James 2:10 is another great SOUL WINNING verse for STEP #1: “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” Because if you’re relying on your ability to follow the Law or to be a good person, you have to keep the whole law, ALL OF IT. Galatians 5:1-4 says: 1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. 2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. 3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. 4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. And so that FIRST STEP can lead you into a discussion about …KEEPING the LAW vs. Receiving the FREE GIFT of ETERNAL LIFE … … by GRACE ALONE through FAITH ALONE. But again, sometimes you only have 5-10 minutes with someone … … and so simply giving them Romans 3:23 is sufficient for this entire section of STEP 1. I’m giving you more than you need & a comprehensive understanding of the fundamentals of the faith … … so that you can INTERNALIZE IT & EXPLAIN IT in your Gospel presentation. Again Romans 3:19 says: “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.” And that’s how God gets all the glory. The LAW CONDEMNS the WHOLE WORLD, so that none of us can BOAST … & And that EVERY MOUTH MAY BE STOPED … & all the world may become builty before God. By the LAW, NO MAN shall be justified. And so that’s the bad news … that’s STEP #1. And we can’t BOAST about our filthy rags and try to get into heaven because we think we’re generally a good person. Isaiah 64:6 is another GO-TO-VERSE: “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” AND SO ONCE YOU KNOW THAT WE ARE GUILTY & have broken God’s Law. I like to bring up Hebrews 9:27: “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” We are all going to be judged. & we’re either going to go before God DRESSED IN FILTHY RAGS (which are our works) … … or CLOTHED IN WHITE, UNBLEMISHED GARMENTS (which is the righteousness of Christ imputed unto us). SO TO RECAP THE SHORT VERSION OF STEP #1 – (ADMITTING THAT YOU’RE A SINNER) If you don’t have extensive time with a person, you can give them 3 SIMPLE VERSES: Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, & Revelation 21:8. These 3 VERSES ALONE are enough to cover STEP 1 if you have just a few minutes. • BUT ONE THING YOU DON’T WANT TO DO is to get into a back & forth debate. … because debating someone into heaven doesn’t work … … It’s best to simply turn to Scripture & let the power of God’s Word PLANT OR WATER the SEEDS OF SALVATION. Isaiah 55:11 says: “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” When we go out to preach, we rely exclusively on God’s Holy Spirit & His written Word … Hebrews 4:12 says: “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” GOD’S WORDS are a lot more powerful than my words. GOD’S WORD has the power to convert souls. Proverbs 19:7 says: “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.” In 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, Paul said: 1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. So let God’s Word do the heavy lifting of evangelism. STEP #2 Now that you’ve delivered the bad news, let’s focus on the good news. We’ve already established that WE HAVE ALL SINNED & COME SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD … … that THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NO NOT ONE … THAT THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH according to Romans 6:23 … & that we are ALL condemned by the Law. … & THE LAKE OF FIRE awaits the unbeliever according to REVELATION 21:8. But it’s important now to explain the love that God has for them, in that He sent His own Son, God became flesh in the Person of Jesus Christ … … to provide a WAY OUT from the penalty of sins. God loved us so much that He sent His only begotten Son to die for us. John 3:16, the most famous Bible verse of all time, is an obvious GO-TO-VERSE at this point: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Another great verse @ this juncture is Romans 5:8: “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” 1 John 4:9 is also another great verse: “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.” These verses directly address everything you have just explained in STEP 1 … … but it also gives hope to the sinner … … & the delivers the GOOD NEWS OF SALVATION … God did not leave us without A WAY OUT. & That WAY OUT is JESUS ALONE. John 14:6: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Acts 4:12 says: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” & WHAT NAME IS THAT? Philippians 2:9-11: 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. ONCE YOU’VE ESTABLISHED that God loves them & wants to save them … YOU CAN GET INTO THE MEAT OF STEP #2 … … which is that JESUS BECAME OUR SUBSTITUTE & DIED FOR US … … to save us from the penalty of our sins. Hebrews 7:25: “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” This is the SUBSTITUTIONARY BLOOD ATONEMENT of Jesus Christ. Now, for the short version, if someone will only give you a FEW MINUTES … … you can give them 1 or 2 verses. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4: 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: Jesus took the sins of the whole world upon Himself … … your sins, my sins & the sins of the whole world … … and He placed them on Himself, went to the cross & died in our stead. He took OUR WAGES upon Himself … He took what we deserved … Romans 4:25 says that Jesus was: “was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. 1 Corinthians 13:3 says: “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that hangeth on a tree:” So you can use any 1 or all of these verses in STEP 2: 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, Romans 4:25, & 1 Corinthians 13:3. IT COMES DOWN TO THIS: We are all going to FACE GOD @ the JUDGMENT. THE BOOKS are going to be opened … … & everything that we have done in this life is going to be revealed & judged … … from your birth to your death … … to every IDLE WORD you have spoken, to every sin you have committed. … and if we don’t have Christ, we are going to be JUDGED according to what we have done … … according to our WORKS. & the UNBELIEVER is going to find out that all of his works were as filthy rags before God. The Bible calls these “DEAD WORKS” in Hebrews 6:1. The UNBELIEVER is going to be shocked to learn that ROMANS 3:10 & ROMANS 3:23 is true … … that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God … & that there is NONE RIGHTEOUS NO NOT ONE. But those who have BELIVE ON & RECEIVED Jesus as their SUBSTITUTE … will not go through that judgment, because JESUS already went through it FOR YOU at the CROSS. And so at the JUDGMENT, we will either be JUDGED by OUR WORKS or JESUS’ WORK. … our FILTHY RAGS or HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS. Isaiah 53:5 says: “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” & Galatians 3:13a says: “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us …” 2 Corinthians 5:21: “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” But the question sometimes comes up: Why was Jesus qualified to die for us? How does the DEATH OF JESUS right every wrong in the universe? And the answer is that only Jesus was qualified to PAY THE PRICE … Because Jesus is GOD IN THE FLESH, GOD INCARNATE … … the SECOND DIVINE PERSON of the TRINITY or the Godhead … … GOD ALONE is qualified to be our substitute. In Mark 10:18, someone called Jesus “good Master” and His response was: “… Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.” Jesus wasn’t contradicting the man. He was proclaiming that He is God in the flesh and the only one ABLE to FULFILL THE LAW. Jesus FULFILLED THE WHOLE LAW perfectly, and He was the only Person ever to do so. & so God provided His own SUBSTITUTE in the Person of Himself, God made flesh. John 1:14 says: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” 1 Timothy 3:16 also says: “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” This point is so important, because if you’re not believing in the Biblical Jesus … … God manifest in the flesh, then you’re believing in another Jesus & another Gospel. THIS LEADS TO THE 3RD BASIC STEP in the GOSPEL PRESENTATION: What do you have to do to be saved? Well someone had the same exact question in the Bible. IN ACTS 16, someone asked the apostles what they must be to do be saved. Acts 16:30-31 says: 30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. Notice, the apostles didn’t instruct the person to clean up their life first & turn from their wicked ways … … or to make confession or get baptized … All they said, was “BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, AND THOU SHALT BE SAVED”. And so salvation begins in the heart & leads to confession with the mouth. Romans 10:8-13 says: 8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Notice, there’s no works involved there. Nothing that we can do other than to believe that Jesus is Lord … … that He died, was buried, & rose again … … that He stands in the judgment in our place … … & HIS righteousness is imputed unto us instead of our works. It’s all about what HE DID. I usually end STEP 3 with Ephesians 2:8-9 to drive home the point, with clear Scripture, that salvation is by grace through faith alone. Ephesians 2:8-9: 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. It’s not about giving your life to Jesus; It’s about Him giving His life for you. It’s by GRACE THROUGH FAITH that we are SAVED. It’s the GIFT OF GOD, the FREE GIFT OF SALVATION. If we have to WORK for it, it’s not GRACE. If we try to ADD TO IT, it’s not FAITH. If we have to EARN it, it’s not a GIFT. & If we think we can LOSE IT, it’s not FREE. My favorite quote from a friend of mine, named Mathias Venditto, is: “THE CROSS + SOMETHING = NOTHNG” A lot of preachers say, SALVATION IS BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH … … BUT you have to endure to the end … … BUT you have to have works. … BUT you have stop sinning … …. BUT you have to bear good fruit. Why can’t they just stop @ IT’S BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH ALONE? THE CROSS + SOMETHING = NOTHING. But the DEVIL likes to HIDE WORKS in the Gospel message, to confuse sinners & to bar the way from heaven … … because if he can get you to trust in your own works, instead of Jesus’ work … … then you’re believing a false gospel, no matter how sublte. MAN wants to partake in the process of his own salvation … … because MAN is FULL OF PRIDE. Man can’t stand to admit that he can’t save himself … Man can’t stand to add a small part of his own efforts to his own salvation. … because MAN IS PRIDEFUL. … and that is the GREATING STUMBLING BLOCK to getting saved. AND ONCE WE BELIVE & REST IN HIS WORK … … we are BORN AGAIN, SEALED BY THE SPIRIT … … & WE RECEIVE EVERLASTING LIFE. EVERLASTING LIFE BEGINS in an instant AT THE MOMENT of our salvation. SALVATION isn’t a PROCESS. SANCITIFACTION is a process. Being conformed to the image of God, after salvation, is a process. But SALVATION occurs in a single instant of GENUINE BELIEF. That’s the FINAL THING I LEAVE PEOPLE WITH. EVERLASTING LIFE is the FINAL STEP of PRESENTING THE GOSPEL. EVERLASTING LIFE is not what saves you … … it is the RESULT of BEING SAVED. And so I consider this the UNOFFICIAL but ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL 4TH STEP of presenting the Gospel … Because what saves you is Jesus Christ; what you receive is everlasting life. John 5:24 says: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” Notice that the Gospel of John says “HATH EVERLASTING LIFE”. EVERLASTING LIFE is not something we receive when we die. We have it now. 1 John 5:13 says: “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” The DOCTRINE OF EVERLASTING LIFE is essential to the preaching of the Gospel … … because it reveals that there is NOTHING that we can do … … to EARN, to MAINTAIN, or to LOSE OUR SALVATION. If you think that you can LOSE your salvation … it means that you’re not TRULY TRUSTING in Jesus’ substitutionary work … … it means that you’re ultimately trusting in your own ability to save yourself … … in your own work … … If you think that there’s is something you can do to lose your salvation … … it’s an indication that you thought there was something you did to earn it in the first place. AT THE MOMENT OF SALVATION … We are SEALED PERMANENTLY by the HOLY SPIRIT … … as an EARNEST or a DEPSIT towards our inheritance in Christ … … & we become a PURCHASED POSSESSION OF GOD. We are no longer our own. Ephesians 1:13-14 says: 13 In whom ye also [trusted], after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. & so there is nothing that we can do to LOSE our salvation. When you’re BORN AGAIN & regenerated by the Spirit … You can’t be UNBORN AGAIN. And now if you repent, you’re BORN AGAIN AGAIN. No, it’s a 1 time event. Romans 8:38-39: 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And it comes down to GRACE THROUGH FAITH ALONE. Romans 3:24-28: 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth [to be] a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, [I say], at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. 27 Where [is] boating then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. 28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. CONCLUSION: SHORT VERSION OF THE GOSPEL.