Question 1:
A MOTHER'S IMPACT: Greg
Laurie
Mothers play such a
vital role in our society. Not only do they impact their children, but they
also impact their grandchildren and maybe even their great-grandchildren. They
impact generations because of the truths they pass on.
“You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus.” - 2 Timothy 3:15
The apostle Paul wrote to young Timothy about the impact of Timothy’s mother and grandmother on his life: “I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you” (2 Timothy 1:5 NLT). This shows us the importance of a godly heritage. For Timothy, it started with his grandmother, Lois, went to his mother, Eunice, and next to Timothy. And then Timothy passed that faith on.
George
Washington said, “The greatest teacher I ever had was my mother.”
Abraham Lincoln said,
“All that I am or hope to be, I owe it to my angel mother.”
Ronald Reagan said,
“From my mother, I learned the value of prayer, how to have dreams and believe
I could make them come true.”
When you think about
it, a mother that points her children to Christ impacts them for eternity!
Trust
is a major issue in our society.
We live in a culture plagued
with identity theft, trafficking, and scams. In short, our culture is severely
lacking in trust, but fortunately there’s an answer. His name is Jesus. A
relationship with Him can always be trusted.
Romans 10:8b-10
The message is near
you, in your mouth and in your heart. This is the message of faith that we
proclaim: If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your
heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with
the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth,
resulting in salvation.
How is the Christian
faith more than just believing facts about God?
How would you summarize
the central message of the gospel?
The gospel message is
centered on the resurrection and lordship of Christ.
- The gospel of Jesus Christ is a message of
personal faith in Him as Lord.
- Only by trusting and believing in Christ alone
can we lay claim to God’s righteousness and receive His salvation.
What we do with our
mouths and hearts is seen in two simultaneous actions:
1. Believe in your
heart. Faith is believing and trusting in something or someone. Trust is
our reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of the thing or
person in which we place our trust. Our salvation is not dependent on anything
we do, but it is secured by our faith in what Jesus has done. Through faith in
Jesus, we believe and receive Him as our Savior, the perfect atoning sacrifice
through His death and resurrection. His resurrection is the validation of His
sacrifice for our sins. Jesus overcame death, and He
made the way for us to
be reconciled to God. This is the gospel we believe in our hearts.
2. Confess with your
mouth. We confirm our belief in the gospel and the lordship of Christ by
confessing it with our mouth. Confessing Jesus as Lord is to set Him apart from
anyone or anything else. There is no other god; only Jesus is Lord. We
acknowledge Jesus has paid the price for our salvation; therefore, our lives
are no longer our own. Since He paid the price, He is Lord and Master, having all
power and authority over us.
Romans 10:11-13
For the Scripture says,
Everyone who believes on him will not be put to shame, since there is no
distinction between Jew and Greek, because the same Lord of all richly blesses
all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be
saved.
What motivates you to
tell others about Jesus?
What does it mean to
recognize Jesus as Lord?
The gospel message
offers salvation to all people.
- All are in need of a Savior because all have sinned.
- The Lord is no respecter of persons; that is,
He shows no favoritism; He is impartial.
- Everyone who calls on the Lord in faith
believing shall be saved.
But the beauty of the
gospel is that, just as all of us are unworthy sinners, we all have the opportunity
to believe and accept the gospel. All of us—regardless of ethnicity or
background. The earliest Christians were slow in realizing this truth, but the
Book of Acts contains repeated reminders of this truth. When Jesus reminded His
followers of the promised Holy Spirit, He told them the Spirit would empower
them to “be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the
ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8b). The Holy Spirit would enable the disciples to
carry the gospel from Jerusalem, a solely Jewish culture; to Judea, the region
where Jerusalem was located; to Samaria, the beginning of Gentile territory;
out to the ends of the earth, which is inclusive of all people.
Those who believe and
call on the name of the Lord, regardless of who they are or where they come
from, are assured of receiving the gift of salvation and the blessing of God’s
abundant promises. God extends the invitation to all for a relationship with
Him. This means that, as believers carrying out the Great Commission, we should
be motivated to share the gospel with any and all with whom we cross paths.
Romans 10:14-17
How, then, can they
call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing
about him? And how can they hear without a preacher? And how can they preach
unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who
bring good news. But not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, Lord, who has
believed our message? So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard
comes through the message about Christ.
Why is it necessary
that people verbally share the gospel?
The gospel message
should be communicated to others.
- Believing requires a hearing of the message,
the word of God.
- Hearing requires someone who is faithful to
speak the message.
As beautiful as this
promise of salvation is, it does not happen in a vacuum. Someone had to
proclaim the message that calling on the name of the Lord leads to salvation.
Starting with the point of salvation, Paul walked us backward to see what was
involved and who initiated the whole process. It all begins with God Himself!
We are the ones who
deliver the message of life.
Two things should
motivate us:
- Gratitude. We
express our thanks to God for the salvation we have through Christ by sharing
that message of salvation with others. We can be grateful that God used someone
else to tell us about Jesus.
- Love. Just as God has loved
us, we can be a conduit of His love to others. We have benefited from His love,
and that love leads us to love others. “We love because he first loved us” (1
John 4:19).
Close:
Not much has changed
over the centuries. Various views still exist over how one gains right standing
with the Lord, or even if it is necessary. Some deny sin is a relevant factor
over which to have any
concern. Others are convinced that in the end everything will turn out okay;
that God as a God of love will accept everyone; that salvation is an entitlement,
a right. The view that gaining right standing with God is a matter of
performance—doing the right things, being a nice person—continues to be
popular.
But if Paul were
standing in our pulpit today, or interacting with others in our marketplaces,
he would denounce those messages as completely untrue. But he’s not standing in
our pulpit today, or in our marketplaces, we are, and we have been charged to
declare the truth. Salvation is found by faith in Christ. It calls for a great
commitment to Him as Lord.
