The Foolishness of Preaching the Gospel

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The Foolishness of Preaching the Gospel

• Romans 1014-21
• Pg. 836 (pew Bible)

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Lets Read

• Romans 1014-21

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Romans 1014

• How then shall they call on him in whom they have
  not believed?

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Romans 1014

• and how shall they believe in him of whom they
  have not heard?
• and how shall they hear without a preacher?

Our Job WE MUST SOW SEEDS
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Three Sowing Options

1. Preach to the Lost.
2. Bring Preaching to the Lost.
3. Get the Lost to Preaching.

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Christians Sowing is Gods Plan

• 1 Corinthians 36
• I have planted, Apollos watered but God gave the
  increase.
• Jesus said
• Now the parable is this The seed is the word of
  God.
• (Luke 811)

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Romans 1015

• And how shall they preach, except they be sent?
• as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of
  them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring
  glad tidings of good things!

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1 Corinthians 121

• For after that in the wisdom of God the world by
  wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the
  foolishness of preaching to save them that
  believe.

The goal is to get people under the sound of
gospel preaching.
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What do Christians believe that the world would
consider utter foolishness or most ridiculous?

• Question

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Foolishness

1. There is a CREATOR God.
2. Adam and God walked together.
3. Satan, a fallen angel, influenced Adam to disobey
   God inflicting upon all a sin nature.
4. God gave divine words to primitive, nomadic
   tribal warriors, like Abraham, Moses, David,
   Isaiah and others.

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Foolishness

• 5. These promises have been preserved for 4000
  years in a book called the Bible.
• Hebrew
• Aramaic
• Greek
• Latin,
• German,
• English, Spanish etc. etc.

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Foolishness

• 6. The Messiah left the glories of heaven, became
  the God-Man in the womb of Mary and was born of a
  VIRGIN, who named him Jesus because an angel told
  her to do so.
• 7. God incarnate, Jesus lived a perfect life.
• 8. This same Jesus performed many miracles
  demonstrating supernatural power.

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Foolishness

• 9. He voluntarily laid down His life in order to
  redeem a multitude of people groups throughout
  human history.
• 10. That God the Father forgives sin and declares
  humans righteous because of the shed blood and
  sinless death of His Son.
• 11. Jesus rose from the grave demonstrating
  victory over death and the god of this world.

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Foolishness

• 12. King Jesus is presently on the right hand of
  His Father interceding on our behalf and at the
  Fathers command is coming again to judge all.
• The dead will rise first
• Those alive will meet Christ in the air

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The Ultimate in Foolishness

• The worst sinner can turn to God, with true
  repentance and faith ALONE in the Person and work
  of Christ on the cross and can be declared
  righteous, saved from the wrath of God, and spend
  all eternity in place far better than anything
  this world has to offer.

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More Foolishness of the Gospel

• We believe that God took away the legal demand
  for our transgressions of the Mosaic Law (the
  Commandments) by nailing the debt to the cross of
  Jesus.
• Colossians 213-14

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It Is Well with My Soulby Horatio G. Spafford

• My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious
  thought!My sin, not in part but the whole,Is
  nailed to the cross, and I bear it no
  more,Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my
  soul!

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More Foolishness of the Gospel

• We believe that Jesus our High Priest took His
  innocent, perfect blood to the Most Holy Place,
  in a heavenly Tabernacle (not made with human
  hands) to secure our redemption and establish a
  New Covenant between God and man, with Himself as
  the mediator.
• See all of Hebrews 9

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More Foolishness of the Gospel

• We believe those who trust in Christ for their
  salvation have Gods Spirit living in them.
• Ephesians 113
• 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,

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Required Human Response

• What does GOD expect?

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Intellectual Assent is NOT enough

• Romans 1016
• But they have not all obeyed the gospel.
• For Isaiah saith, Lord, who hath believed our
  report?

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• Authentic
• Repentant
• Obedient
• F A I T H

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Faith for Faith

• FAITH to Believe
• Romans 1017
• So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by
  the word of God.

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Consider this

• Genesis 12 -
• It was the Word of God that
• created the first Jew.

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Commentary

• As the NEB puts it, Faith is awakened by the
  message.
• Although it is true that faith is our response to
  the gospel, it is also true that the message
  itself awakens and makes faith possible.
• God is at work even in our response to his
  gracious offer of forgiveness.
• Robert H. Mounce

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Everyone is W/O X-cuse

• Romans 1018
• But I say, Have they not heard?
• Yes
• verily, their sound went into all the earth, and
  their words unto the ends of the world.

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Much Like in America, Israelites

• Could not honestly say I had no idea there was a
  person named Jesus who some consider both God and
  Savior?

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2 Timothy 315

• The Jews should have recognized Gods saving
  purpose through Christ Jesus
• To Timothy
• And that from a child thou hast known the holy
  scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto
  salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
  

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Israel Should have known

• Romans 1019
• But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses
  saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them
  that are no people, and by a foolish nation I
  will anger you.
• God had always planned to save Gentiles the
  first Jew was a Gentile.

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Romans 1020

• But Isaiah is very bold, and saith, I was found
  of them that sought me not I was made manifest
  unto them that asked not after me.

Lest we forget what saved by grace really means,
to the glory of God, Paul reminds us God found me
when I wasnt even looking for him!
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What is the last thing Paul presents about God in
this chapter?
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Romans 1021

• But to Israel he saith,
• All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto
  a
• disobedient and
• gainsaying obstinate/contrary people.

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Question

• As a follower of Christ, what should I take away
  from Gods example to Israel?