In this message, I emphasize the importance of embracing the fullness of God's character and the necessity of teaching the whole counsel of God as a foundation for effective evangelism. The call is for Campus Crusade to be deeply rooted in theological truth while actively engaging in evangelistic outreach. The essence of the gospel is not just in knowing the events of Jesus' death and resurrection but in penetrating through to the ultimate good offered in the gospel—the glory of Christ. Conversion is described as a miraculous work of God, where He opens blind eyes to see the beauty of Christ, leading to repentance and freedom from the devil's deception.
The teaching of the whole counsel of God is crucial because it provides the necessary framework for understanding the gospel. This includes knowledge about God, humanity, sin, Christ, the cross, the Holy Spirit, and faith. These truths are not just academic but are vital for a genuine encounter with Christ. The message challenges the notion that deep theological knowledge quenches passion, arguing instead that knowing God more deeply fuels a greater love and passion for Him.
The relationship between teaching and evangelism is highlighted, emphasizing that true knowledge of Christ comes through understanding true propositions about Him. In a world where many lack the basic categories to understand the gospel, teaching becomes an essential tool for evangelism. The message concludes with a call for Campus Crusade to fill campuses with this teaching, driven by a passion for Christ and a commitment to His mission.
Key Takeaways
1. The Fullness of God: Embracing the fullness of God's character, including His wrath, love, wisdom, and justice, is essential for a deep and transformative faith. This understanding should lead to a worship that is rich in theological content and a life that reflects the glory of God. [01:19]
2. The Miracle of Conversion: Conversion is a miraculous act of God where He opens blind eyes to see the beauty of Christ. This transformation is not something we can engineer but is a divine work that leads to repentance and freedom from the devil's deception. [04:19]
3. The Role of Teaching: Teaching the whole counsel of God is crucial for evangelism. It provides the necessary framework for understanding the gospel and encountering Christ. This teaching should be comprehensive, covering essential truths about God, humanity, sin, and salvation. [20:00]
4. Propositional Truths Matter: Knowing Christ savingly comes through understanding true propositions about Him. In a world that often dismisses doctrinal precision, it is vital to uphold the truth of the gospel as the means by which people come to know Christ. [30:29]
5. Passion Fueled by Knowledge: Contrary to the belief that knowledge quenches passion, a deeper understanding of God fuels a greater love and zeal for Him. This knowledge empowers believers to take risks and engage in bold evangelism, driven by a profound love for Christ. [44:09] ** [44:09]
What are the four steps outlined in 2 Timothy 2:24-26 for leading someone to Christ, as discussed in the sermon? [05:22]
According to 2 Corinthians 4:4, what is the ultimate good offered in the gospel, and how does it relate to the concept of conversion? [03:40]
In Acts 20:24-27, what does Paul mean by "the whole counsel of God," and how does it relate to his mission? [17:42]
How does the sermon describe the role of teaching in the process of conversion and evangelism? [05:09]
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Interpretation Questions:
How does the sermon explain the relationship between teaching and the miracle of conversion? Why is teaching considered an essential tool for evangelism? [05:09]
What does the sermon suggest about the importance of understanding the fullness of God's character, including aspects like wrath and justice, in developing a transformative faith? [01:19]
How does the sermon challenge the notion that deep theological knowledge quenches passion for God? What arguments are presented to support the idea that knowledge fuels passion? [11:54]
In what ways does the sermon suggest that propositional truths about Christ are vital for knowing Him savingly? How does this relate to the current cultural context? [30:29]
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Application Questions:
Reflect on your understanding of the fullness of God's character. How does embracing aspects like His wrath and justice impact your worship and daily life? [01:19]
Consider a time when you experienced a significant change in your faith. How did teaching or learning play a role in that transformation? How can you seek out more opportunities for learning? [05:09]
How can you actively engage in teaching others about the gospel in your community or campus? What steps can you take to ensure your teaching is comprehensive and rooted in truth? [09:26]
Think about your current level of theological knowledge. How can you deepen your understanding of God to fuel a greater passion for Him? What resources or practices might help you in this journey? [11:54]
Identify a specific area of your life where you feel blind to the beauty of Christ. What practical steps can you take to seek God's help in opening your eyes to His glory? [04:19]
How can you ensure that your evangelistic efforts are grounded in true propositions about Christ? What challenges might you face in maintaining doctrinal precision, and how can you overcome them? [30:29]
Reflect on a person in your life who may not have the categories to understand the gospel. How can you engage them in a way that builds their understanding and opens the door for the Holy Spirit to work? [38:29]
Sermon Clips
I pray that the fullness of your being and your love and your wisdom and your power and your justice and your truth and your eternality and your unchanging ways would come like a weight of glory upon this organization, so that that song would be explosive with theological content in its biblical fullness. [00:01:19]
People have the gospel and are saved when they penetrate through the events, through the offer to the ultimate final best highest good that is offered in the gospel, namely 2 Corinthians 4:4, the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God to be saved through the gospel is to see and savor and treasure Christ. [00:03:40]
Conversion is fundamentally verse six, the miracle of God who said let there be light, speaking that same creative word into the dead blind heart and saying let there be light and Christ shines with compelling glorious beauty and that's conversion and people are drawn to him, they can do no other. [00:04:19]
God may perhaps grant them repentance that's God's word you can't make anybody repent, you can't engineer this or in any way bring this about this is a work of God, repentance is a gift if it happens in a soul that you're talking to, God has mercifully made your teaching his instrument of bringing about repentance. [00:06:27]
The devil only has one power, deception. He's a liar and he murders through lying, and if eyes can open to see that there is a superior pleasure, a superior satisfaction, a superior truth, a treasure beyond anything the devil could offer, his power is broken. [00:08:29]
I don't want passion to be quenched by, and I'm tempted to say, knowledge, but it chokes me to talk like that, and the reason it does is because for about 40 years the opposite of that connection has been true in my life, that is knowledge chokes passion that has never been true for me. [00:11:49]
Knowing Christ savingly comes through knowing about Christ truly. Knowing Christ the person savingly comes through knowing about Christ truly. Therefore you can't as an organization, if you care about people knowing Christ and being saved, you cannot be indifferent about true propositions about Christ and the gospel. [00:30:29]
Students, along with everybody else, don't have the categories to embrace a simple gospel statement yet, by and large there are exceptions there are exceptions but you're the experts on this you tell me, do they have a right conception about God do they have a right conception about who they are as human beings in God's image. [00:37:08]
When you know him like I want you to know him, like I'm pleading with you to know him in the fullness of his being, more power more wisdom, more going more risk more death is going to flow from your life, you're going to be willing to die you're going to be willing to risk you're going to be willing to go to places and do things. [00:44:09]
I pray earnestly that you would grant a thorough, deep, comprehensive grasp not of everything, not of everything, there are things in your bible we want to believe it all I'm not saying we shouldn't believe it all but oh God we want to hold together around this pattern of sound words this standard of teaching. [00:46:26]
Lord granted campus crusade would hold together and not just hold together but would be explosively energized for this afternoon's dreaming and brainstorming explosively energized for catalytic ways of reaching 400,000 students on 100 campuses when you only have a half a dozen workers lord grant I pray. [00:47:40]
I pray that there would be dreams born out of the teaching, confidence born out of the teaching love born out of the teaching passion born out of the teaching risk taking born out of the teaching and a readiness to lay your life down in Tibet or China or Afghanistan out of the teaching. [00:48:26]