1. God’s Love

John 3:16 (NLT)
“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

2. God’s Heart’s Desire and Demonstration of HIS Power

Mark 16:15-18 (NLT)

¹⁵ And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. ¹⁶ Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. ¹⁷ These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. ¹⁸ They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”

 

Matthew 28:18-20 (NLT)

¹⁸ Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. ²⁰ Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

 

3. God’s Power Given To Us

Romans 1:16-17 (NLT)

¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. ¹⁷ This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”

 

 

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for … Believing and preaching the gospel constantly put Paul in a bad light

In these verses Paul gives a clear declaration of God’s power and purpose in the Gospel message. Romans 1:16-17

4. I AM NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL

These two short verses present one of the greatest summaries of the Gospel ever written by man. In these verses Paul gives a clear declaration of God’s power and purpose in the Gospel message.

Paul tells us that the Gospel is the “power of God”. The word “power” comes from a word that refers to the “might, energy, force and strength that dwell within God.”

Paul’s statements about the Gospel begin in a strange fashion. First, he tells his readers that he is “ready to preach the Gospel to you that are at Rome,” v. 15. Then, out of the blue he tells them that he is not “ashamed of the Gospel,” he is ready to preach. Why would anyone be ashamed a message as powerful, as profound, and needed as the Gospel?

1. The moral conditions of that day.Nero was the Emperor of Rome. He was a wicked, degenerate man. The city of Rome was a cesspool of sin and wicked living. The Gospel Paul preached, with its demands for repentance, holiness and godly living, was diametrically opposed to everything Rome stood for and represented.
2. Everywhere Paul went preaching the cross; he was ridiculed, cast out, imprisoned, or treated cruelly.

• He had been imprisoned in Philippi (Acts 16:23, 24)
• Chased out of Thessalonica (Acts 17:10)
• Smuggled out of Berea (Acts 17:14)
• Mocked in Athens (Acts 17:32)
• Called a fool in Corinth (1 Cor. 1:18, 23)
• Stoned in Galatia (Acts 14:19)
• Yet, Paul remained eager to preach the gospel in Rome—the seat of contemporary political power and pagan religion. Many would not have been able to endure that kind of shame.

 

With all these things in mind, it is easy to see why Paul would want to be clear about his commitment to the Gospel message. He would want these people to know that they were hearing from a man who believed his message and was willing to pay the price to share it.

 

5. The Results Of Obedience

John 21:6

 And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch.” So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish.

 

Luke 5:1-10 (NLT)

The First Disciples

5 One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. ² He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. ³ Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.

⁴ When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.”

⁵ “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” ⁶ And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! ⁷ A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.

⁸ When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man.” ⁹ For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. ¹⁰ His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed.

Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” ¹¹ And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.