1 chance to preach

[simonthezealot]

If you were given an opportunity to preach ONE time, to a captive audience (woman's prison) to a couple hundred people (many if not most being non-believers). What would you preach on?
What approach?

 

[Rimmy]

The Gospel and the gift of Salvation! That's the most important thing, especially when its mostly unbelievers.

 

[Tangible]

"Law and Gospel," said the Lutheran.

 

[simonthezealot]

I've been leaning toward "law and gospel" but 1st starting with Paul's conversion testimony, what do you think.
[FONT=&quot]Philippians 3:8-11 [/FONT][FONT=&quot] Paul writes: More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ and may be found in Him not having a righteousness of my own derived from the law but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings being conformed to His death in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.[/FONT]

 

[Cribstyl]

John 3:16.

 

[Yab Yum]

1 See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. 1Jo 3:1-3.

 

[simonthezealot]

1 See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. 1Jo 1:1-3.

The Hope in Him, this is good...
it's 1st john 3 though right?

 

[Rimmy]

John 3:16.

Amen!

Philippians 3:8-11 is one of my favorite passages, but when you're speaking to a group of people who don't know Christ well or not at all, I would say its best to use something simpler and not as wordy. Not that they're simpletons, but the simplicity of the Gospel and God's grace is all you need. =)

 

[Yab Yum]

The Hope in Him, this is good...
it's 1st john 3 though right?

You're right.

 

[simonthezealot]

John 3:16.

The greatest verse, though i feel some conviction is always always necessary in preaching the gospel.

 

[Rimmy]

The greatest verse, though i feel some conviction is always always necessary in preaching the gospel.

Definitely.

 

[simonthezealot]

Amen!

Philippians 3:8-11 is one of my favorite passages, but when you're speaking to a group of people who don't know Christ well or not at all, I would say its best to use something simpler and not as wordy. Not that they're simpletons, but the simplicity of the Gospel and God's grace is all you need. =)

Good point...
Maybe if i went with
"what does is profit a man to gain the whole world but lose his soul"
My thought is to share about the exchanges that's talked about in Phillipians and also the verse i just quoted...
Being in prison it's not a big gap to having the broken spirit and contrite heart the Lord desires, so this exchange that can take place...Brings them into God's glory.

 

[JamesAH]

If you were given an opportunity to preach ONE time, to a captive audience (woman's prison) to a couple hundred people (many if not most being non-believers). What would you preach on?
What approach?

The whole Bible from The OT to The NT.

 

[simonthezealot]

The whole Bible from The OT to The NT.

I have 25 minutes, should i still attempt this?

 

[Rimmy]

Good point...
Maybe if i went with
"what does is profit a man to gain the whole world but lose his soul"
My thought is to share about the exchanges that's talked about in Phillipians and also the verse i just quoted...
Being in prison it's not a big gap to having the broken spirit and contrite heart the Lord desires, so this exchange that can take place...Brings them into God's glory.

That is an awesome verse! Simple, but deep and convicting too. But then, the Holy Spirit can use whatever He pleases to convict someone.

 

[mont974x4]

I preach at the local rescue mission once a month. The audience has to be there and they are largely unsaved. It is not likely that the same people will be present the next time I am there, so you scenario is fairly common for me. I preach hope. Christ came for the lost, not the sheep safe in the fold. He came for the sick, not the well. The people I preach to there need hope heavily mixed with a call to repentance. They do not need to clean themselves up to come to Christ, He will do the cleaning.


That is, of course, an over simplified nutshell version but I generally only get about 15 minutes to preach.

This is a stripped down version. I usually expand on it a bit as I have time and the Spirit leads:

Not for the righteous but the unrighteous​

(Luke 5:32) ​

Joh 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Certainly God loves the whole world, for God is love. However, we often see the word “world” used to refer to the unsaved. So, we can say something like. “God so loved the lost, or the unsaved, that He sent His Son to die that we may live.”

Luk 19:10 "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."


Mat 18:11 ["For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.]
Mat 18:12 "What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying?
Mat 18:13 "If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray.
Mat 18:14 "So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.


1Ti 1:15 It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.


Luk 5:31 And Jesus answered and said to them, "It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick.
Luk 5:32 "I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance."


Matthew 20:28 “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom* for many.”


The idea of ransom in this verse is like paying someone’s debt in order to buy their release from debtors prison. Christ came to pay the price for our release. We may think our debt is too large for Him to pay the ransom, but the bigger the debt the more we need Him to pay the debt. The bigger the debt then the bigger the price. Consider the debt He has already paid for you. I know the huge debt He paid for me.


Ladies and Gentleman, God loves you. He sent His Son to die for you. He sent His Son to die for me. He did not come for those who were already holy and righteous. He came for those who are lost, for those who are wondering around in the dark.

We do not have to be perfect to be saved. We do not have to kick certain habits and overcomes certain sins in order to be saved. We are saved in our muck and our mud and THEN we are cleansed. THEN we overcome those sins and those old habits.

Php 1:6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

This is an ongoing work. Yes, when we are saved some things are done and gone away. Others take time. Some issues we are not even aware of until much later. As we learn what the Bible says and the Holy Spirit convicts us we overcome those issues. That is how we grow as Christians.

The important thing for us to realize tonight is that we are not too far gone. We may be tempted to say that we are too big of a sinner, or that God would not want us because of what we have done, but that is not the case. We are exactly the people that God sent His Son to save. Why? Because He loved the world so much that He was willing to sacrifice His own Son.

Luk 5:31 And Jesus answered and said to them, "It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick.
Luk 5:32 "I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance."

 

[Cribstyl]

If you were given an opportunity to preach ONE time, to a captive audience (woman's prison) to a couple hundred people (many if not most being non-believers). What would you preach on?
What approach?

Women are sensitive to the subject of love and parenthood. When they consider how much God loves them and have sacrificed His own Son for them, some will be moved to repentance.

 

[simonthezealot]

I preach at the local rescue mission once a month. The audience has to be there and they are largely unsaved. It is not likely that the same people will be present the next time I am there, so you scenario is fairly common for me. I preach hope. Christ came for the lost, not the sheep safe in the fold. He came for the sick, not the well. The people I preach to there need hope heavily mixed with a call to repentance. They do not need to clean themselves up to come to Christ, He will do the cleaning.


That is, of course, an over simplified nutshell version but I generally only get about 15 minutes to preach.

This is a stripped down version. I usually expand on it a bit as I have time and the Spirit leads:

Not for the righteous but the unrighteous
(Luke 5:32) ​

Joh 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Certainly God loves the whole world, for God is love. However, we often see the word “world” used to refer to the unsaved. So, we can say something like. “God so loved the lost, or the unsaved, that He sent His Son to die that we may live.”

Luk 19:10 "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."


Mat 18:11 ["For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.]
Mat 18:12 "What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying?
Mat 18:13 "If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray.
Mat 18:14 "So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.


1Ti 1:15 It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.


Luk 5:31 And Jesus answered and said to them, "It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick.
Luk 5:32 "I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance."


Matthew 20:28 “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom* for many.”


The idea of ransom in this verse is like paying someone’s debt in order to buy their release from debtors prison. Christ came to pay the price for our release. We may think our debt is too large for Him to pay the ransom, but the bigger the debt the more we need Him to pay the debt. The bigger the debt then the bigger the price. Consider the debt He has already paid for you. I know the huge debt He paid for me.


Ladies and Gentleman, God loves you. He sent His Son to die for you. He sent His Son to die for me. He did not come for those who were already holy and righteous. He came for those who are lost, for those who are wondering around in the dark.

We do not have to be perfect to be saved. We do not have to kick certain habits and overcomes certain sins in order to be saved. We are saved in our muck and our mud and THEN we are cleansed. THEN we overcome those sins and those old habits.

Php 1:6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

This is an ongoing work. Yes, when we are saved some things are done and gone away. Others take time. Some issues we are not even aware of until much later. As we learn what the Bible says and the Holy Spirit convicts us we overcome those issues. That is how we grow as Christians.

The important thing for us to realize tonight is that we are not too far gone. We may be tempted to say that we are too big of a sinner, or that God would not want us because of what we have done, but that is not the case. We are exactly the people that God sent His Son to save. Why? Because He loved the world so much that He was willing to sacrifice His own Son.

Luk 5:31 And Jesus answered and said to them, "It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick.
Luk 5:32 "I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance."

J,
This is awesome, i preached there one other time about 4 months ago and using my testimony i spoke about hope, this jives beautifully with the work the Lord used me for on my first opportunity. In fact that time i spoke about all the sinners He actually uses and went through a whole list. Thanks my brother i very well will use this as a guide.
Simon

 

[simonthezealot]

Women are sensitive to the subject of love and parenthood. When they consider how much God loves them and have sacrificed His own Son for them, some will be moved to repentance.

Nice i like this perspective.

 

[mont974x4]

Glad I could help, brother.