I Must Preach The Gospel

I Must Preach The Gospel

Many times when we come downtown to witness, we hear comments like “Go away”, “We don’t want to hear you”, “Shut up”, “Hail Satan”, “This isn’t Sunday” or “This isn’t church”. But we are compelled by God to come out and share God’s truth with you. Kelly must preach the Gospel. Aaron must preach the Gospel. I must preach the Gospel. 

Why must we preach the Gospel? Because we are followers of Jesus Christ. In Mark 16:15 Jesus said:  Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. Springfield, Mo is part of the world and you, each and every one of you are one of God’s creatures. Even those of you who deny God with your words and your actions. Yes, even those of you who deny God even exists, which is a foolish thing to say. You the creature, the created, are denying that there’s a creature. It’s utter foolishness.

What Did Jesus Say About Preaching?

But I must preach the Gospel. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior. When Jesus walked this earth 2,000 years ago, listen to His words: And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent (Luke 4:43). Jesus came to preach the kingdom of God. He came to preach the Gospel. Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10).

 

I must preach the Gospel. Kelly must preach the Gospel. Aaron must preach the Gospel. Erica must share the Gospel. Elise must share the Gospel. Serenity must share the Gospel. There are too many people in the Bible to list them all, but Noah was a preacher of righteousness. Jeremiah preached God’s truth and he was “rewarded” by being beat up and thrown in prison. Then Jeremiah says  For since I spake, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of the Lord was made a reproach unto me, and a derision, daily. Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay (Jeremiah 20:8-9).

Jeremiah Says I’m Not Going To Preach Anymore

Jeremiah says I’m not going to preach anymore. He says everyone makes fun of me so I’m not going say anything else. Oh, but listen to what he says next. He says But his word was in my heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing and I could not stay. In other words, he could no longer keep his mouth shut, he could no longer stay quiet. Jeremiah was saying I must preach the Gospel.

The apostle Paul felt the same way. In fact, Paul said:  For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me. What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel.

For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some (1 Corinthians 9:16-22).

Woe Is Me If I Preach Not The Gospel!

I must preach the Gospel and just like Paul, woe is me if I preach not the Gospel! The Lord compels me to come out here and share the Gospel with you. God is the One who gives us this desire. He’s the One who calls us to preach the Gospel. We are to go into the highways, byways and hedges. Just like Jesus came to seek and save the lost, we are to go out and look for lost sheep.  And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled (Luke 14:23). The Lord compels us to come out street witnessing and we are to compel you to come to Jesus.

So we come out here to plead with you, to implore you, to beg you to repent and trust Jesus. We are out here as ambassadors for Christ Jesus. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:20). We implore you on behalf of Jesus Christ to be reconciled to God.

And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;

And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight (Colossians 1:17-22).

You Need To Be Made Right With God

You need to be reconciled or made right with God because you have made yourself an enemy to God. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God (James 4:4).

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever (1 John 2:15-17).

For, lo, thine enemies, O Lord, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered (Psalm 92:9). Folks we are out here tonight pleading with you because of your rebellion against God; your rejection of God and love of self, you have made yourself and enemy to God. We all deserve His judgment. All of us deserve His righteous anger over our sins. Eternal suffering is all you earn if you die without Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

God Demonstrated His Love Toward Us

Listen up. Don’t miss this.   But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life (Romans 5:8-10).

There’s nothing we can do to deserve mercy. We haven’t done anything to merit being rescued. But God demonstrated His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God, took the punishment that you and I deserve. He shed His precious blood to save guilty sinners like us. He bore God’s wrath and gives you His righteousness if you repent and trust Him. Jesus saves from God’s wrath, God’s righteous anger over our rebellion and our sins.

We made ourselves enemies to God. God didn’t make us enemies to Himself. All of us have gone astray. None of us are righteous. You are not good tonight, no matter how good you think you are. You have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. I have come short of God’s glory. But Jesus reconciles us to God through His death on the cross. Oh, and not just His death, but His resurrection. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. He is the only Savior. You can be saved tonight because Jesus saves. He saves from everlasting damnation; Jesus saves from the flames of Hell. He saves us from our sins; if we repent and believe the Gospel.

We Want You To Be Saved

Oh, we want you to be saved tonight. We don’t want you to continue strolling down the broad road to Hell. Our hope, our prayer is that you will get right with God. That you will have godly sorrow over your sins, over your rebellion against God. Do you see tonight that you need saving? Can you understand the danger you are in? Do you realize that after you die you will stand before a Holy and righteous God and you will have no defense on your own? Oh, do you comprehend that the flames of Hell are chasing you every step that you take?

You need a refuge. You need a rock to stand on to escape the flames. Your eternal soul needs cleansed. You need your sins to be forgiven and only Jesus can save you. Only Jesus can clear your guilty conscience. Only Jesus can wash you white as snow. Come to Jesus. Confess and forsake your sins. Stop rebelling against God. Quit thinking that you are good enough on your own. Turn to Jesus Christ and be saved.

Jesus said I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent. Paul said for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! Aaron says that he must preach the Gospel. He can’t keep from preaching God’s truth to you. I must preach the Gospel because God compels me to do so. I must preach the Gospel. Woe is me if I preach not the Gospel. If Jesus Christ is not your Lord and Savior, then you need to hear the Gospel.

You Must Hear The Gospel

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. You must hear the Gospel to recognize that you need saving and that Jesus Christ is the only Savior. You need to hear the Gospel that unless you repent you will perish. The Gospel is Good News. It is the Good News that you can be saved through Christ alone.

Even though your sins are leading you to Hell (where you deserve to go), Jesus Christ suffered, bled and died in your place. He endured God’s anger over your sins and He offers eternal life to all who repent and surrender their lives to Him. Is this you tonight? Will you repent and put your faith in Jesus? Will you receive the everlasting Gospel tonight and be saved? Will you call upon the precious name of Jesus and be saved? Be ye saved. Repent and trust Jesus. Call upon the name of the Lord and be saved.

Then go out and share the Gospel with everyone you meet. Tell them about the Savior of mankind. Tell others about Jesus Christ who takes your sins and gives you His righteousness. Go, stand and speak the wonderful words of life. Tell others what great things God has done for you. Plead with lost souls to repent and believe the Gospel. When God grants your repentance and faith in Jesus, “I must preach the Gospel” will take on a whole new meaning for you. You too will be compelled to share the glorious Gospel with others.

(This message was lifted up on the square in downtown Springfield, MO on March 24, 2017)