The Gospel Confrontation

Jeremiah 20:7-9

7 O Lord, You induced me, and I was persuaded;
You are stronger than I, and have prevailed.
I am in derision daily;
Everyone mocks me.
8 For when I spoke, I cried out;
I shouted, “Violence and plunder!”
Because the word of the Lord was made to me
A reproach and a derision daily.
9 Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him,
Nor speak anymore in His name.”
But His word was in my heart like a burning fire
Shut up in my bones;
I was weary of holding it back,
And I could not.

At the heart of the gospel, is the good news that Jesus Christ died for the sins of mankind…however, in order for that to be the good news, we must be made aware of the bad news! The Lord Jesus Christ always confronts our present conditions…conditions of our heart; this way, we can turn away from our sinful disposition, and know why.

How Shall they Know?

Romans 10:14

14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?

This very truth of the gospel is what divides many religions and faiths. Believe it or not, there are ‘Christian’ churches who have rejected this principle altogether.

They have simply given up on evangelism, or have stopped completely.

We live in a world of the offended: to keep the peace, many God-fearing churches have sacrificed their zeal for God in order to please men.

Matthew 24:9-11

9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.

Luke 6:26

26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

Understand this truth – the preaching of the gospel will make people upset. Jesus told us that this will happen…no one wants to be told about their shortcomings, and conviction isn’t something people rush into feeling!

This unchurched generation makes excuses for why they won’t attend church…

-        It’s boring

-        All the preacher wants is your money

-        I don’t need church to go to heaven

-        Church is in my heart, not in a building

The truth is, if you’re absent from Church, you’re absent from the conviction that comes from God through church.

Yet, it’s really sad when, even the church of Jesus Christ is sorely lacking in this conviction! If you’re not convicted when you come to church, it’s for 2 reasons…

1.  You’re so cold, God can get through to you

2.  The authentic, convicting preaching of the gospel isn’t found

We have been called by God to preach the full gospel and in doing so, there will be, no, there must be conviction given by the Holy Spirit!

John 16:8

8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

Standing for Truth

It’s been said that if you won’t stand up for something, you’ll fall for anything.

The church of Jesus Christ needs men and women to stand up and declare the gospel! This is in – your – face, personal evangelism! In other words, we’ve been called by God to tell it like it is!!

Acts 7:51-54

51 “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, 53 who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.”

54 When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.

It was a brave thing that Stephen did…it cost him his life, but his death was heaven’s gain. He went out like a soldier, like a real man of God…telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

I’ve often wondered how that episode touched something deep inside of Paul (Then Saul), that day?

We read his boldness in preaching the gospel, I wonder if the seeds of the gospel were sown into his heart all those years ago.

I’ve had people come to me, that I haven’t seen since high school, and they tell me that they’re saved and live for God, and always express gratitude for me standing up and preaching when I was in school…what about your impact?

Are you going to sit idly by and watch your family or friends die and go to hell and you say nothing? I hope not.

Shut up in my bones

Text:

9 Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him,
Nor speak anymore in His name.”
But His word was in my heart like a burning fire
Shut up in my bones;
I was weary of holding it back,
And I could not.

Jeremiah was obviously discouraged, but his love for God, and their relationship spoke louder than what he was going through, and he simply couldn’t hold in the Word of God! Can this be said of you?

Will we only tell people about Jesus whenever things are alright in our world, or no matter what?

Are you filled with the Holy Ghost? If so, His word will stream from your heart and you’ll be a witness for sure. There is a boldness and passion that only His Spirit can give to you and to me.

Let us be a people who will speak His Word, live the truth of it, and make known to the world the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Mark 16:15 – ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every living creature.’