¨Throughout the gospels (the bible books of Matthew,
Mark, Luke, and John) Jesus and his apostles preached throughout the areas.
¨Many people heard the word of God spoken through Jesus
as well
–In teachings
such as the sermon on the mount, Matthew 5:2-7:27, Jesus opened his mouth and
taught them (5:2) and the people were astonished at his teaching (7:28) NKJV
Hear the Gospel of Christ
¨Other teachings by Jesus are recorded throughout the
Bible. Many of these teachings are told in parables (Bible stories told by
Jesus)
¨One of the greatest parables recorded is the parable of
the seeds.
¨This parable illustrates perfectly how the souls of men
receive God’s Word.
Hear the Gospel of Christ
–“Behold, a sower went
out to sow. 4And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside;
and the birds came and devoured them. 5Some fell on stony places,
where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they
had no depth of earth. 6But when the sun was up they were scorched,
and because they had no root they withered away. 7And some fell
among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. 8But others
fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some
thirty. 9He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” Matthew 13:3-9 NKJV
Hear the Gospel of Christ
¨After Jesus spoke these things, His disciples asked Him
why he spoke in parables.
¨Jesus replied to them, saying:
–13Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing
they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. Matthew
13:13 NKJV
¨We may not want to see or hear the Word, yet it is
essential as Jesus our Lord taught!
Believe the Truth
¨Throughout the parables and the teachings of Jesus and
Hisapostles, people were taught to
believe the Truth of the Word of God.
¨Through this Truth, the love of the Lord transforms
your belief to Faith. Faith, as defined by Hebrews11:1, is:
–1Now
faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
NKJV
Believe the Truth
¨With our belief comes an intense hope for the Father.
We cannot see Him for because He is in Heaven waiting patiently for our return.
–6But
without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to
God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who
diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:6 NKJV
Believe the Truth
¨Many of the early Christians were named believers. An
example of this name is shown in Acts when the church was established.
–44Now all who believed were
together, and had all things in common. Acts 2:44 NKJV
–14And
believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and
women.Acts 5:14 NKJV
Believe the Truth
–22even
the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all £and on all who believe. For there
is no difference; 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory
of God, 24being justified freely by His grace through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus.Romans 3:22-24 NKJV
¨This Truth still abounds in our lives today
Repent and Change Your Ways
¨Once you have heard the Word of God and fully believe
that Jesus died for your sins, the next step is for you to repent and change
the way you live.
¨The old life has separated you from the presence of the
Lord.
Repent and Change Your Ways
¨Jesus spoke through parables, yet He was often
questioned once He finished. Jesus told them what they need to do…plainly!
–3I
tell you…unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Luke 13:3 NKJV
¨The apostles also taught repentance after Christ’s
death, burial, and resurrection.
¨The writer of Acts told listeners the reason behind
repentance.
Repent and Change Your Ways
¨He said
–19Repent
therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of
refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20and that He may
send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21whom heaven
must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken
by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. Acts 3:19-21 NKJV
Repent and Change Your Ways
¨Repentance is a change of life. It is a change of
everything about yourself, inside and out!
¨No longer will you look to this world for satisfaction
through your own lusts, but you will look to the Father.
¨He knows what you need and what your heart truly
desires…The Love of God!
Confess the Name of Jesus
¨After you have seen the Love of Jesus, face to face, it
is time to turn your back to the World in all of it’s darkness and face the
light and the Glory of Jesus and the Father.
¨The Christian completes the process through confession.
¨In front of men, Publicly take on Jesus as your Lord
and Savior. As they did before…
Confess the Name of Jesus
¨In Acts 8, Phillip and the Ethiopian Eunuch approach
the point that you may be at. The Eunuch, after Phillip preached Jesus to him,
asked what was hindering him from taking on Christ.
–Then Philip
said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.”And he (the Eunuch)
answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” Acts 8:37
NKJV
Confess the Name of Jesus
¨The Eunuch knew that Jesus came to this Earth, to die
for the Unworthy. He came to die for sinners like you and like me.
¨He also knew that Jesus fulfilled a covenant and he
also knew that…
Confess the Name of Jesus
¨Jesus has promised…
–32“Therefore
whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who
is in heaven. Matthew 10:32 NKJV
¨And he has also promised…
–33But
whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in
heaven. Matthew 10:33 NKJV
Be Baptized for Forgiveness
¨The story continues. The Eunuch, with Phillip,
exercised the Plan of Salvation to the full extent.
¨Once Phillip preached Jesus, the Eunuch asked what
hindered him.
¨Phillip then…
–commanded
the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the
water, and he baptized him. Acts 8:38 NKJV
Be Baptized for Forgiveness
¨This baptism emulates the death, burial, and the
resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
¨Jesus was killed…As we confess Jesus among men, we kill
the old being living for ourselves and our own lusts
¨Jesus was buried…Therefore we are buried in the water
of baptism.
Be Baptized for Forgiveness
¨Jesus was resurrected from his grave…We are brought up
out of the water in the newness of life. As the Eunuch was…
–39Now
when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away,
so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing. Acts 8:39
NKJV
Continue Steadfastly
in the Love of the Lord
¨The Eunuch went on his way rejoicing in the love and
righteousness of the Lord.
¨You can too!
¨Finish your purpose on this Earth.
¨Fulfill the desires only the Lord can satisfy!
¨Take on Christ as your Personal Savior, use the plan of
salvation to aid your actions.
