Dale Partridge - Real Christianity #150： Preaching the Gospel with Scripture

00:00:00.000 Welcome to this episode of Real Christianity. My name is Dale Partridge, where each week

00:00:13.120 I offer 15 to 20-minute answers to tough theological and pastoral questions. This is

00:00:19.100 a 100% listener-supported audio ministry of relearn.org. And for those who don't know,

00:00:25.720 our mission at relearn.org is to educate and equip ordinary Christians to plant biblical,

00:00:31.860 confessional, and missional house churches. For more information, just visit relearn.org

00:00:37.580 forward slash house. Welcome to Real Christianity. I'm your host, Dale Partridge. 0.97

00:00:43.980 As many of you guys know, you can find the show notes for these episodes on our ministry's

00:00:48.120 website at relearn.org. I am excited to have the new format of the podcast coming out soon.

00:00:55.720 As many of you know that follow me along social media, I have been struggling with a Lyme

00:01:03.040 disease flare-up and found out that I am also struggling with mold toxicity, been struggling

00:01:11.060 for years with chronic health issues ever really since I went into ministry.

00:01:17.720 And we are in the throes of that right now, having a variety of different symptoms from

00:01:24.720 as simple as fatigue to as far as seizures. And so I have been a little bit off on my

00:01:33.400 production schedule. And you guys may have noticed that last week was the first week

00:01:38.920 in about three years and 150 plus episodes that I missed an episode. And it was because we had

00:01:46.760 a really hard uh week prior um but thank you guys for your patience and for your prayers

00:01:54.880 i am in the midst of um really journaling a lot about my experience and journey as you

00:02:01.800 heard a few episodes ago my hope is to write a book about chronic illness and um and uh yeah

00:02:10.900 some of you guys have emailed me your stories and thank you for that but today i'd like to

00:02:17.860 talk to you about the position the word of god has in the process of converting souls to the kingdom

00:02:28.100 and before we dive in i just wanted to mention just a few things one if you guys are a regular

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00:04:00.700 As I said, I wanted to demonstrate the link

00:04:03.360 between the word of God and the conversion of souls.

00:04:09.620 I think we have too many motivational speakers,

00:04:13.000 religious showmen, charlatans that are peddling messages

00:04:18.740 that are masquerading as sermons 0.65

00:04:22.100 or that they're preachers, but they're using a scripture-less gospel.

00:04:28.300 They're TEDx talk speakers in a church format.

00:04:33.560 And we've seen many of these throughout the Western church.

00:04:39.560 And I think we are continuing to see them, shockingly, that people still run to these types of preachers.

00:04:46.280 And the sad thing is that many people were raised in these churches or have been to one

00:04:52.380 of these churches, and I want to speak to that here shortly.

00:04:56.220 But a lesson that I have learned over the years is that what you win people with is

00:05:01.680 what you win people to.

00:05:03.580 And when you win people with the gimmicks and the emotional experience, the humanitarianism,

00:05:11.160 the churchianity, the moralism, you've won them to those things.

00:05:16.280 And if you've won them to the gospel, the Bible, and the covenant people of God, then you've won

00:05:24.820 them to those things. And so our hope, and my hope, is to demonstrate what the scripture says

00:05:33.020 about preaching the gospel. If you're out there and you'd like to faithfully share the gospel,

00:05:40.540 there's only one way to do that. I mean, there's obviously variation between how one person does

00:05:47.300 it to another, but there's only one gospel. And so many people have left out the two most

00:05:54.860 critical pillars of that gospel, and it is repent and believe. And so many of us are just going,

00:06:03.520 hey, we have a ministry and we're just going to go love on people. And I go, well, if you don't

00:06:08.220 preach the gospel, you're going to love those people all the way to hell. Because the gospel

00:06:12.980 is the only thing that saves. Secular love, carnal love, it does nothing outside of the gospel.

00:06:22.740 And so if we really love people, we will actually preach the gospel. And I think so many people are

00:06:29.240 afraid to preach the gospel. They hide behind, oh, I'm just going to love on people. I just want to

00:06:35.780 wait for the right time. And, you know, I think about Paul when he says, I'm not ashamed of the

00:06:40.220 gospel for it is the power of God unto salvation to those who believe. And I just, we have to be

00:06:45.840 unashamed of the gospel. Now, this doesn't mean that there's, you just spring the gospel in every

00:06:51.780 conversation. I know some people that do that, some evangelistically gifted individuals who do

00:06:58.380 that and do that well. But we want to be willing to share the gospel in season and out of season

00:07:06.120 when it's convenient and when it's not convenient. And I want to talk to you guys about what the

00:07:12.300 Bible says regarding conversion. So let's begin with Romans 10, 17. We've heard this passage so

00:07:19.800 many times you should memorize it. It says, so faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word

00:07:25.560 of Christ. So no person will ever be born again without hearing the preached word or the written

00:07:30.920 word of Christ. The key word in that passage is hearing, right? So faith comes from hearing and

00:07:37.380 hearing by the word of Christ. As you may recall, Jesus often used the phrase,

00:07:44.060 he who has ears to hear, let him hear. Meaning that while many people have heard the gospel

00:07:50.520 audibly with their physical ears, it doesn't mean that they've actually heard it spiritually

00:07:55.760 with the heart. And this is why, again, I believe we have thousands of Christians who've come to the

00:08:02.040 church, but they haven't come to Christ. They have an intellectual understanding of the gospel.

00:08:07.300 They know the lyrics of the classic hymns. They live a religious lifestyle of Christianity.

00:08:13.200 They're moralists, right? They might even understand the theological mechanics of the

00:08:17.040 Bible, but they're not alive in Christ. And this shouldn't shock anybody either. I mean, all you

00:08:23.600 need to do is go to the South and you can see how many people identify as Christian, yet they're 0.80

00:08:30.440 lacking the fruit culturally of the Christian life. We've just had too many years of people 1.00

00:08:37.480 confusing the physical act of coming forward to this repeat after me type prayer with the genuine

00:08:46.080 spiritual act of repentance and saving faith. This easy believism has plagued America for so long.

00:08:53.480 I mean, a full generation at least, but maybe even a few generations. And we are starting to see that

00:09:01.640 as cultural hostility is increasing and separating the sheep and the goats and the wheat from the

00:09:08.740 half we're starting to see who is the genuine born-again believer and who is not and so our

00:09:17.300 desire as christians should be longing for souls to see christ and there's a way to do that

00:09:28.660 and we need to look at the scriptures to understand how that process works

00:09:35.300 For a person to truly be born again, that person must hear in the heart the gospel of Jesus Christ.

00:09:48.240 They must simply believe, I should say, they must not simply believe that Christ just existed

00:09:57.580 or they believe in Christ was God even, or that they believe that he was crucified.

00:10:04.480 You got to remember that thousands of people saw Christ.

00:10:09.420 They heard his teachings.

00:10:11.460 They sat there and listened to him teach.

00:10:14.380 You know, hundreds of people witnessed his crucifixion.

00:10:17.840 That doesn't make any one of those people saved.

00:10:21.660 Truly born-again believers are made aware by the Holy Spirit of their sin in such a way

00:10:33.180 that it leads first to a reverential fear of God.

00:10:40.320 They feel, in a sense, convicted, or some might even describe it as condemned.

00:10:47.980 They feel the weight of their sin in connection or in contrast to a holy God.

00:10:56.640 That's key as a first step, is that we preach to men and women who are guilty.

00:11:06.440 And when someone hears it in the heart, it produces this reverential fear of God.

00:11:16.120 Second, it produces, as a result of that reverential fear, a gut-wrenching repentance of their sin.

00:11:25.640 usually tears. When someone hears the gospel and they feel the weight of their sin, the fear of

00:11:32.880 the Lord, and they turn and they go, oh Lord, I am so sorry. And they fall even to their knees

00:11:41.000 and they just go, oh, I'm so gross. I can't believe it. Like that spiritual awareness

00:11:46.220 of their sin is really vital to a second step. The third thing is that they're going to have a clear

00:11:55.040 understanding of their need for a substitute

00:12:00.280 in order to stand before God when they die.

00:12:04.380 They're going to need,

00:12:06.740 they're going to have this understanding

00:12:07.840 that they can't stand before God.

00:12:11.600 If they do, they're condemned.

00:12:13.380 If they do, they're done.

00:12:14.540 They're guilty. 0.99

00:12:15.280 They're going to hell. 0.97

00:12:17.680 And therefore, number four also,

00:12:22.340 is that they need to exercise an act of trusting in Christ alone

00:12:29.580 to be that righteous Savior,

00:12:32.440 for Christ to earn that righteous verdict on Judgment Day

00:12:36.840 that they cannot earn.

00:12:38.180 They're putting everything, all of their bet,

00:12:41.560 all of their trust, all of their hope,

00:12:44.560 all the chips are in, everything's going on Christ.

00:12:48.580 And they're just anchoring to Him.

00:12:52.340 That's the evidence of somebody who's experiencing true conversion.

00:12:59.800 But again, how is this made known to a person?

00:13:02.820 Well, it's not simply by transferring intellectual knowledge from one brain to another.

00:13:09.640 The gospel's fallen on many deaf ears.

00:13:13.620 Crowds of people have heard brilliant gospel presentations, theologically accurate gospel presentations.

00:13:19.720 They've read the book of John and they've done so without conversion.

00:13:25.300 So is it that these, you know, are just not compelling enough methods, right?

00:13:30.740 Is the gospel of John not good enough?

00:13:33.180 Is it outdated, right?

00:13:35.780 Do we need to simply try harder?

00:13:38.160 Are we, you know, to, you know, engage the use of better props and lights and greater

00:13:43.180 methods of enticement?

00:13:44.840 Should we attempt to be more persuasive?

00:13:47.080 Do we need better science and facts and apologetics to get there?

00:13:55.160 My thought is that no.

00:13:58.060 What we need simply is to be faithful, passionate, committed men and women of the gospel message.

00:14:09.500 We got to remember, it's not us who makes converts, right?

00:14:11.880 I could preach to a thousand people with a clear, concise gospel.

00:14:16.580 And if God does not sovereignly open up the ears, the eyes, and the hearts of those individuals, not one person will come to faith.

00:14:26.840 Not one person will be born again.

00:14:29.460 And we know that he is sovereign over these matters.

00:14:35.500 We know that it is him who brings us to life.

00:14:38.960 But he brings us to life through his word.

00:14:43.700 And I'll share with you just a few verses, and then I'll close us up here.

00:14:50.660 James 1.18, of his own will, he brought us forth by the word of truth.

00:14:58.360 That's how he brought us forth to life.

00:15:02.300 By the word of truth.

00:15:04.440 The word is the midwife to spiritual birth.

00:15:08.700 Okay. It is the agent by which we are brought to life. And it says again, James 1 18 of his own will, not our will, but of our, of his own will. He brought us forth by the word of truth, that purpose clause right there, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

00:15:36.120 Beautiful passage there. He brought us forth of his own will. I think of John 1, 12 through 13,

00:15:45.540 but it says, but as many as received him to them, he gave the right to become children of God,

00:15:51.540 even to those who believe in his name, who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh,

00:16:00.160 nor of the will of man, but of God.

00:16:05.540 It's God who brings us forth into the new birth.

00:16:09.500 It's the Holy Spirit coming and bringing us to life and regeneration.

00:16:14.280 And we need to remember that it's not our presentation of the gospel

00:16:21.640 in terms of its theological acrobats or acrobatics

00:16:25.780 acrobatics or our ability to be necessarily persuasive. It doesn't mean that we shouldn't

00:16:32.300 compel people. But what I'm saying is that it's really about preaching the gospel, the genuine

00:16:39.860 biblical raw gospel faithfully that will bring about life, spiritual life. 1 Peter 1.23 says,

00:16:49.620 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable through the living

00:16:57.740 and abiding word of God. We just need to have confidence in the word's ability to bring forth

00:17:09.500 new life. Hebrews 4, 12 through 13 says, for the word of God is living and active,

00:17:20.820 sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of

00:17:28.260 marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his

00:17:35.700 sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to 0.74

00:17:39.840 whom we must give an account." The Word is the most effective

00:17:46.180 tool in your evangelism. If you want to see your sister, your

00:17:52.940 biological sister, or your parents, or your friends, or

00:17:57.040 your neighbors come to Christ, use the Word of God. Use the

00:18:02.600 Word of God. Preach scripture. Preach the biblical gospel.

00:18:09.680 Read your Bible in such a way that when you evangelize, you do

00:18:15.380 so in a way that reflects the truths, the passages, the

00:18:22.720 theology of the Word of God. Memorize scripture. Recite

00:18:29.360 scripture to them. Let them know what the Bible says about

00:18:35.840 them. Let them read it themselves. Pull your Bible

00:18:40.740 out, show them where it says it. Let the word do the heavy

00:18:45.440 lifting. First Corinthians 1 18 through 24 says, for the word

00:18:53.460 of the cross, that is the gospel is folly to those who are

00:18:58.760 perishing. But to us who are being saved by it, it is the power of God. For it is written,

00:19:06.040 I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.

00:19:11.360 Where is the one who was wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has

00:19:17.820 God not made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since in the wisdom of God, the world did

00:19:24.080 not know God through wisdom. It's not an intellectual pursuit, people. It says, it pleased

00:19:30.280 God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and 1.00

00:19:38.220 Greeks seek wisdom. But see, this passage here is telling us it's not an intellectual battle. 0.87

00:19:46.200 Sure, there is study involved in accurately and faithfully preaching the gospel, especially as bigger questions come in and theological discussion happens.

00:19:58.580 But I just want to encourage you that so many people leave out the basics, the repent and believe.

00:20:07.560 And we've done several episodes on what is the gospel.

00:20:10.900 a great book to read is by Greg Gilbert. It's a little black book from Nine Marks called What

00:20:18.600 is the Gospel? But we really need to be faithful here. Lean on scripture, study, memorize,

00:20:32.180 get yourself prepared as an evangelist, not to preach your ideas, not to convince someone that

00:20:38.280 there is a God and that the Big Bang Theory isn't right and that the earth isn't this age.

00:20:45.740 And that's not the gospel. Get back to the gospel. Tell them that they are a sinner under

00:20:55.460 condemnation of the law, that they've broken the law of a holy God. Let them feel the weight of

00:21:04.360 their sins. Show them that they are in need of forgiveness. I have a sense that everybody has

00:21:13.140 this feeling that we have something to be forgiven for, but we don't know who to be forgiven by.

00:21:25.680 And there's all these people that ask the universe for forgiveness. Bring in these things.

00:21:32.340 The guilt and shame that exists in the hearts and souls of men and women, we are seeing so many people, psychologists and therapists that are trying to find creative ways to deal with guilt and shame for things that are sinful.

00:21:51.380 Don't be ashamed of that abortion.

00:21:53.520 Don't be ashamed of that sexual immorality.

00:21:56.760 You be you.

00:21:58.320 I've often said that you be you

00:21:59.960 is Satan's version of God's be holy as I am holy.

00:22:08.440 And so people show them that.

00:22:12.720 Let them see the weight of their sin.

00:22:17.080 When you get a chance,

00:22:18.640 if you listen to the audio of it

00:22:20.780 or you get a chance to read it,

00:22:22.480 read Jonathan Edwards' sermon

00:22:24.700 called Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.

00:22:30.280 This is a sermon that produced revival,

00:22:34.700 genuine revival.

00:22:37.360 And the weight of that sermon is missing today.

00:22:45.500 Let people see the reverence.

00:22:48.500 Bring them to the fear of the Lord,

00:22:49.740 which is the beginning of wisdom, says Proverbs.

00:22:52.280 Let them, by God's grace, exercise repentance and faith.

00:23:01.100 Pray for those souls.

00:23:02.140 Even if they've rejected the gospel in your presence,

00:23:04.380 pray for those souls when you leave.

00:23:07.140 But whatever you do, don't just love on them

00:23:09.300 and make them dinner without presenting them the gospel.

00:23:11.920 Get out there, use your Bibles,

00:23:14.180 and present the gospel of Jesus Christ.

00:23:18.380 Amen, amen.

00:23:19.540 Hopefully that was helpful for you guys.

00:23:21.560 Thank you guys again so much for joining me today and for your continued prayers for me.

00:23:26.240 I am slowly improving, but it is a long journey that I'm dealing with here.

00:23:32.540 So thank you for your continued support.

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00:24:12.660 for the strengthening of the church.

00:24:15.620 On that note, thank you for joining me

00:24:17.480 on this episode of Real Christianity.

00:24:19.280 My name is Dale Partridge, and I'll see you next week.

00:24:49.280 Thanks for joining us on this episode of Real Christianity.

00:25:01.700 We will see you next Wednesday.

Dale Partridge - June 16, 2021

Real Christianity #150： Preaching the Gospel with Scripture

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