Gospel outline

1. God – the Holy and Loving Creator

i. Sovereign Creator: Out of his pleasure and freedom God created and sustains us. Therefore, we are utterly dependent upon him for everything we have. We have no inherent rights. God is light, which symbolizes his majesty, purity and holiness. He sets the standard of right and wrong. He is God Almighty in heaven over his creation.

ii. Personal Creator: We are neither impersonal machines nor animals. Our significance is derived from our unique creation in the image of the God who is a person. God is love, and made us for the purpose of communion with him – to worship and honor him, and to fellowship with and delight in him. He is God, the Father of us his creatures.

Main Point: God has an absolute claim on our lives as our Creator. We are responsible to reflect God.

Key Verses: Psalm 100:3; Matthew 5:17-48; Exodus 19:16-20; 20:1-26; Acts 17:24-31

Question: Since God’s wonderful character, his rights as Creator, his blessings and his warnings are all designed to remind us of his loving ownership of us, why don’t we love him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength?

2. Man – the Sinful Creature

i. Definition of Sin: Willful rebellion by refusing to do what God commands; determining to do what he forbids. We find ourselves:

a. Playing God: running our lives as if God did not matter; ignoring God; trying to be self-sufficient and self-made people.

b. Fighting God: violating and disregarding his Law for living; wanting to decide for ourselves what is right and wrong.

ii. Consequences of Sin: Death (separation). Both physical and spiritual death due to the wrath of God.

a. Living Death: Separation now from God resulting in guilt, loss of identity, purposelessness, distorted relationships and so on.

b. Eternal Death: Separation of our souls from God forever. Hell is real.

Main Point: We are self-deceived if we think we are living our of our own resources, when actually we are creatures and guilty rebels under judgment who cannot help ourselves. We have chosen to reject God.

Key Verses: Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 1:20-25; 3:10-20; James 2:10; Isaiah 64:6-7; Philippians 3:4-6

Question: Why do we deny responsibility for our sins and continue to live with guilt?

3. Christ – the Merciful Redeemer

i. Teacher: Christ’s words and life reveal the nature of God. He communicates to our conscience, and we submit to his authority in Scripture.

ii. Sin-bearer: He offered himself as the innocent, substitutionary sacrifice for sin on behalf of all who acknowledge their sin. He took the guilt of sinners upon himself and endured God’s judgment for it in his death on the cross. He redeems them by his blood poured out, which satisfies the just anger of a holy God against sinful people.

iii. King: He rose from the dead (conquered sin and death) and ascended back to his Father to be Lord. His life of perfect obedience is now vindicated and he freely and sovereignty gives his reward of righteousness to undeserving sinners. He dispenses grace (unmerited favor) to whomever he will and rules, in love, over all united to him.

Main Point: Jesus as the God-man is the only way to life – by his life, death and resurrection as Redeemer.

Key Verses: Isaiah 53:1-11; Mark 10:33-34, 45; Ephesians 1:7; Acts 2:22-24, 36

Question: How does Christ’s death on the cross display both the holiness and love of God?

4. Our Necessary Response to Be United to Christ

On the basis of these historical truths, and because Christ is alive today, God invites and commands us now to:

i. Turn from our rebellion to Christ as Lord with our whole selves in our:

a. Minds: Agree with God that we have wronged him and deserve his judgment. Realize that his goodness shown to us in many ways was designed to humble us unto repentance.

b. Emotions: Despise our sins and our sinful nature.

c. Wills: Determine to turn from our rebellion and serve our Creator and Redeemer. See Christ alone as the payer for and the power over our sin.

Key Verses: Isaiah 55:7, 12:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10

ii. Trust in nothing that we can do, but only in the finished work of Christ as Savior with our:

a. Minds: Recognize Christ as the necessary and sufficient payment for sin.

b. Emotions: Long for Christ as the necessary and rejoice in his love for the undeserving.

c. Wills: Commit our lives to Christ by casting ourselves upon him as our only hope for reconciliation with God. Transfer our trust from ourselves to him. Take for ourselves his gift of forgiveness and righteousness. Ask for God’s mercy.

Key Verses: John 1:12, 3:16-18; Romans 3:21-26

Main Point: A person can only become a Christian by turning from a sinful life to Christ and by trusting in him as Savior and Lord. There is a cost to becoming a disciple of Jesus. Read Mark 8:34-38 and Luke 14:25-33. Ask the Holy Spirit to enable you to turn and trust.

Conclusion: Read Psalm 51:1-17; Isaiah 53:1-11; Galatians 2:20 and pray to God for his help. When he answers you, tell someone and seek out the friendship of Christians who take the Bible seriously.