Saturday, September 1, 2018

An Evangelistic Outline

The following is a biblical presentation of four non-negotiable truths designed to alert the unsaved with the serious consequences of dying without Christ.

1. LIFE IS SHORT.  James 4:13  "You do not know what your life will be like tomorrow.  You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away." 

As people we have the innate capacity to think, "That happens to other people, not to me," when we hear of accidents, catastrophes, and the like.  Even a close brush with death doesn't faze some people.  Still, as He sees fit, this truth can be used by the Holy Spirit to awaken a passive soul out of his self-deception, reminding him that he is not invincible.

2. DEATH IS CERTAIN.  Hebrews 9:27  "...it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment." 

After the sermon, a lady spoke to the pastor as she was leaving: "That's all you preachers do is preach about death... I'm sick and tired of gloomy, morbid sermons on death."  The pastor responded, "Okay, I'll make you a deal: you promise not to die, and I'll stop preaching about death." 

3. HELL IS REAL.  Revelation 20:14, 15  "Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.  This is the second death, the lake of fire.  And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." 

Denied by many, downplayed by others, the Bible still unflinchingly records the reality of hell without end.  The Lord Jesus Himself spoke more often about hell than He did about heaven.  Its unending torment forms the ominous backdrop that highlights what's at stake to die without salvation in Christ. 

4. ETERNITY IS FOREVER.  II Thessalonians 1:7b--9  "...the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God, to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.  These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power." 

The enormity of hell's horrific and tragic torment is magnified beyond imagination by the fact that it never stops.  No relief.  No respite.  Non-reversible.  No words can adequately convey the reality of hell and its never-ending excruciating pain. 

These points emphasize the blackness against which the brilliance of the gospel's message gleams like a diamond.  The darkness of sin must be presented in its fullness before the light of the good news will be welcomed. 

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