June 30, 2019 AM
Dr. Michael Catt - 1902
#7 in series
Check Your Heart Regarding Evangelism
1 John 1:1-4, Acts 4
OVERVIEW
No letter in the New Testament demands a close examination of our hearts like 1 John. This beloved disciple of Jesus focuses on the essentials of the faith and how we can know that we have eternal life. All the evidences of salvation are present tense. This is not about a “hope so” salvation or a decision you made in the past that you can't recall – this is a look in the mirror to check your heart. In the last message, we examined our faith and what sets it apart from other world religions. We recognized faith as a gift from God and that which demonstrates love, obeys, and overcomes. Our conduct by faith is evidence of our conversion in Christ. As we wrap up this series, we’ll go back to the beginning and remember our calling as believers.
For further study, this series is available online at sherwoodbaptist.net/messages.
We’ve been in an emphasis for the past several months on “Who’s Your 1?” We’ve seen people walk through the waters of baptism because people have been intentional about sharing their faith. We all have a one – one person that we pray for, are burdened for, want to share Christ with, and want to come to saving faith. When you reach your one, then there’s a next one because everywhere we turn, every place we go, we see people who need Jesus. We’re going to end this series at the beginning of the book. John’s Gospel and his three short letters are written with a purpose: to show us the exclusivity of the gospel and to remind us of our personal responsibility as messengers of these truths.
I. WE ARE TO SPEAK OF HIS LIFE
The gospel train runs on two parallel tracks:
II. WE MUST SPEAK OF A LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE
III. WE MUST SPEAK WHILE THERE IS TIME
IV. WE MUST SPEAK BECAUSE IT BRINGS JOY TO THE HEART OF GOD