the gospel bridge illustration. questions to ask yourself do you consider yourself to be a...

The Gospel

Bridge Illustration

Questions to Ask Yourself

Do you consider yourself to be a Christian?

What is a Christian?

How does someone get saved? (Or become a Christian?)

All this comes down to the question……..What is the Gospel?

Questions to Ask Yourself

• We live in a confusing time with many different definitions for what being a Christian means. But what exactly does the Bible say about how someone becomes a Christian? If we believe the Bible to be true, and also that it was written by God, then we should go to the scriptures in order to determine how someone becomes a Christian, or to evaluate whether we are a Christian.

Gospel = Power of God

• Romans 1:16– 16For I am not ashamed of the gospel,

for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

– According to this verse the Gospel is equal to the Power of God, and that power is what saves us.

Gospel = Power of God

Salvation• God is saying in this verse that Salvation

comes from his power, and his power is the Gospel. So we see that salvation comes from the Gospel, which is the Power of God. So the question to ask now is……WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?

What is the Gospel?

• Gospel in the Greek means good news or good message. It is a message so that means it is information that needs to be preached, received, and understood.

Genuine Saving Faith

• Romans 10:17–17So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ

Genuine Saving Faith

• Faith is built upon the Word of Christ which is the Gospel. In order to have faith, be a Christian, be saved, you need to have a comprehensive understanding of the Gospel.

FaithFaithWord of Christ

Word of Christ

GospelGospel

Gospel

• Now we are going to go through the scriptures to see what the Bible says about what the Gospel is. Basically the Gospel is the message of Christ that extends throughout the entire Bible.

God is Creator

• “This is where the Gospel begins.”

• Genesis 1:1– 1In the beginning God created the

heavens and the earth.

• God created Man• God created YOU.

GOD Creator

Man Creature

• God is the Creator.• Man is the Creature

• How should a creature respond to his Creator?– Obey, Worship, Honor, Give Thanks.– This was the God ordained relationship that

man was supposed to have with God.

GOD Creator

Man Creature

The Fall of Man

• Genesis 3–Most people are familiar with this story.

Adam and Eve eat from the Tree of Knowledge when they were told not to by God.

– God laid down a commandment saying “Do not eat from that tree.” But instead of obeying God, Adam and Eve disobeyed and sinned against God.

The Fall of Man

• Genesis 3–Man disobeys God because Man thinks

that he knows what is best for him. Man tries to flip the relationship and put himself above God, or in God’s place, to be God of his own life.

GOD Creator

Man Creature

• In trying to flip the relationship, man doesn’t want to listen or obey God but instead do as he pleases. In doing so man breaks his relationship with God.

GOD

Man

Creator

Creature

GODMan

Gen 1:1 God Creator

Man Creature

Gen 3

1. Obey2. Worship3. Honor4. Give Thanks

God Creator

Man Creature

GOD• What is it called when you go against your

authority? (Hint: it starts with a R and teenagers are often called this)– Rebellion

Man

Creator

Creature

GODMan

Rebellion

SINMurder

Lying Stealing

Cheating

• So man has rebelled against God.

• Rebellion is the essence of sin.

• And things like murder, lying, stealing, and cheating are fruits of sin

Gen 1:1 God Creator

Man Creature

Gen 3


God Creator

Man Creature

GODMan• Now say we take God out of

the picture, would you still have rebellion?

• No you wouldn’t, sin would just become a moral issue, an offense against someone else.

Gen 1:1 God Creator

Man Creature

Gen 3


Rebellion

SINMurder

Lying Stealing

Cheating God Creator

Man Creature

GODMan• But with God, the Creator,

in this picturesin is rebellion against God.

• So every time you sin, you are rebelling against God.

• YOU have sinned and rebelled against God whether you knew it or not.

Gen 1:1 God Creator

Man Creature

Gen 3


Rebellion

SINMurder

Lying Stealing


Man Creature

Wages of Sin

• This sin has consequences• Romans 6:23– 23For the wages of sin is death, but

the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

• What is a wage?

Wages of Sin

• Say I worked for you for ten hours. You said you would pay me ten dollars an hour, so after ten hours I would receive my wage of one hundred dollars.

• A wage is a payment.

GODMan

Rom 6:23 Sin

Death

Payment

Gen 1:1 God Creator

Man Creature

Gen 3


• So Romans 6:23 says that the payment of sin is death.

• Notice that sin is singular.• ONE sin results in death.

Rebellion

SINMurder

Lying Stealing


Man Creature

Death• God demands a payment for sin, and that payment

is death. Since God is holy and just, he cannot tolerate sin, and has decided the payment for sin is death. This death not only refers to a physical death, but a spiritual death, or eternal separation and punishment from God. God cannot just let us get by with our sin, because that would contradict his nature and his holiness, and because he is righteous and just, justice must be served.

• The first time you sinned, you should have been struck down dead. The fact you are still alive shows that God is a merciful and saving God by nature.

Death• But obviously no one wants to die and go to

hell, so we try to appease God in order to exchange this death for something else, but is that possible?

• Is there anything you can pay God in exchange for death? What in this world can equal death?( think about it for a little then click )

– How much was the computer your using?1000$?

– Say I paid you 2000$ for it, I can pay for it right?– But this type of payment is not the case with death.– The only thing that equals death is another death.– Romans 6:23 clearly says that any one sin equals

death.

God Creator

Man Creature

GODMan

Rebellion

SINMurder

Lying Stealing

Cheating

BadGood

Gen 1:1 God Creator

Man Creature

Gen 3


• So Death = Death• Some people think if they do this

much bad,• and then do this much good,• that the good will cancel out the

bad.

Rom 6:23 Sin

Death

Payment

= Death

God Creator

Man Creature

GODMan

Gen 1:1 God Creator

Man Creature

Gen 3


Rebellion

SINMurder

Lying Stealing

Cheating

• But that fair exchange approach makes no sense in the case of death.

• Someone has to die to pay this payment of death

Rom 6:23 Sin

Death

Payment

= Death

BadGood

God Creator

Man Creature

GODMan

• But people want to bridge this gap between themselves and God. Whether it be by

• Good Works, Philosophy, False Religion• But these things will never bridge the gap, Rom 6:23

clearly says someone has to die

Good Works

PhilosophyPhilosophy

False ReligionFalse Religion

Gen 1:1 God Creator

Man Creature

Gen 3


Rebellion

SINMurder

Lying Stealing

Cheating

Rom 6:23 Sin

Death

Payment

= Death

BadGood

Hopeless• So here are some questions, ( give yourself time after you click )

– Do you want to go to heaven?• Probably yes right?

– Now do you deserve to go to heaven?• No you don’t. No one deserves to go to

heaven. There is no one who is righteous and no one who does not sin.

• Romans 3:10-12– 10as it is written, "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT

EVEN ONE; 11THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; 12ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE."

Hopeless

• Romans 3:23– 23for all have sinned and fall short of the

glory of God,• 2 Chronicles 6:36– 36"When they sin against You (for there is no man who does not sin) and You are angry with them and deliver them to an enemy, so that they take them away captive to a land far off or near,

Hopeless• This leaves man in a completely hopeless

situation. Man realizes that he is an unrighteous sinner, completely displeasing to God, and that he can offer nothing to please his Lord. All his attempts to bridge this gaps are futile and useless, because he has sinned and someone needs to pay the penalty of death for that sin.

• YOU have sinned, YOU are hopeless, and YOU need a savior.

Christ Pays the Wage

• Romans 5:8– 8But God demonstrates His own

love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us

• We couldn’t pay the payment, BUT Christ died for us.

God Creator

Man Creature

GODMan

• So Jesus Christ came to earth. He was 100% God and 100% Man.

• He lived the perfect sinless life, which ultimately led to His sacrifice on the cross to pay for our sins.

Rom 5:8Jesus Christ100% God

100% ManGen 1:1 God Creator

Man Creature

Gen 3


Rebellion

SINMurder

Lying Stealing

Cheating

Rom 6:23 Sin

Death

Payment

= Death

BadGood

Good Works



Christ Pays the Wage• Romans 5:7– 7For one will hardly die for a righteous

man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.

• Would you even die for a righteous person?–Christ died for you, an unrighteous

sinner.– You have been paid for, you have

been bought by Christ. Jesus died for you.

GODMan

• Let’s say for a moment God never sent Jesus to die for our sins. Would He still be a just God?

• The answer is yes. God didn’t have to send Jesus to die for us. He did it out of His love and mercy.



Man Creature

Gen 3


Rebellion

SINMurder

Lying Stealing

Cheating

Rom 6:23 Sin

Death

Payment

= Death

BadGood

Good Works



God Creator

Man Creature

GODMan

• As Romans 6:23 says sin deserves a payment. Death is well deserved for us all.

• But praise God that He did send Jesus to die for our sins.

Jesus ChristRom 5:8100% God


Man Creature

Gen 3


Rebellion

SINMurder

Lying Stealing

Cheating

Rom 6:23 Sin

Death

Payment

= Death

BadGood

Good Works



God Creator

Man Creature

GODMan

• So now you know that Jesus has died for you. Is this picture complete now? Is there anything we need to resolve?

• No, the picture is not finished, there is still rebellion against God.

• YOU are still in rebellion against God.



Man Creature

Gen 3


Rebellion

SINMurder

Lying Stealing

Cheating

Rom 6:23 Sin

Death

Payment

= Death

BadGood

Good Works



God Creator

Man Creature

• So what is it called when you resolve a conflict?(Hint it begins with an R also)

• Take for example that you are in a fight with your mother, the relationship has been broken, but then you apologize and say sorry and the relationship has been fixed, your relationship with your mother has been………

• Reconciled

Reconciliation• 2 Corinthians 5:18-20– 18Now all these things are from God, who

reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

GODManRom 5:8Jesus Christ

100% God

100% Man

Reconciliation

2 Corinthians 5:18-20

Gen 1:1 God Creator

Man Creature

Gen 3


Rebellion

SINMurder

Lying Stealing

Cheating

Rom 6:23 Sin

Death

Payment

= Death

BadGood

Good Works



God Creator

Man Creature

• This is why the Gospel is Good News, or a Good Message, because it offers a way to be reconciled back to God. It is Good News in that the message of the Gospel offers salvation to those who are hopeless and dead in their sin. Acknowledging yourself as a bankrupt hopeless sinner is a key attitude a person needs to have in order to be saved.

Reconciliation• Look back at Romans 5:8– 8But God demonstrates His own love

toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us

• God demonstrates His own love in order to reconcile us back to Him.

• God has done all the work of salvation for us. He has initiated it, and has given us the means to restore the right relationship that He intended. The lowly slaved on the bottom worshipping our God, our Creator, our Lord, and our Savior.

Reconciliation• God did it to reconcile you to Him. Just

escaping Hell isn’t the issue. It’s about being restored, coming back to God your father.

• Do you want to come back to your God?• To Obey, Honor, Worship, and Give

Thanks?• So there is a way to be reconciled back

to our Lord, but the question is how do we do it?

Jesus Christ the Only Way• John 14:6– 6Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the

truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

• Jesus makes it clear here, the only way to become reconciled back to our father and saved is through Him.

• Romans 5:11– 11And not only this, but we also exult in God

through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

• We have the message of reconciliation because of Jesus Christ.

What are we supposed to do?

• So now that we know that there is a way to be reconciled back to God, we have to ask the question what does the Bible say we need to do in order to become reconciled back to God?


100% God

100% Man

Rom 10:9“Confess Lordship”


Gen 1:1 God Creator

Man Creature

Gen 3


Rebellion

SINMurder

Lying Stealing

Cheating

Rom 6:23 Sin

Death

Payment

= Death

BadGood

Good Works



Reconciliation


God Creator

Man Creature

Jesus is Lord• Romans 10:9– 9that if you confess with your mouth

Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

• The keywords here are confess and Lord.• What is a Lord? (Think then click)– a person who has complete authority,

control, and power over others; a master or ruler.

• You have to confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

Jesus is Lord• In confessing Him as Lord you are calling

Him your Master, and you His slave. People often say “You need to have a personal relationship with Christ.” The relationship with Christ is that of a Master and slave. A slave has no rights of his own, his life is completely in the hands of his Master. A slave is completely submissive to his Master, and desires to obey Him and please Him.

• Ephesians 6:6– 6not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of

Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.


100% God

100% Man

Luke 9:23“Self-Denial”Luke 9:23“Self-Denial”

Gen 1:1 God Creator

Man Creature

Gen 3


Rebellion

SINMurder

Lying Stealing

Cheating

Rom 6:23 Sin

Death

Payment

= Death

BadGood

Good Works



Reconciliation




God Creator

Man Creature

Deny Yourself

• Luke 9:23– 23And He was saying to them all, "If

anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.

• There are no if, than, or buts’ in this verse. You MUST deny yourself if you want to follow Christ.

• What is denying yourself?

Deny Yourself

• Self-Denial is sacrificing everything you want, in favor of everything Christ wants. When you deny something, you reject it. You have to reject/deny yourself because you recognize you are a wretched sinner, and can offer nothing to the Lord. The Bible makes the statement that a slave cannot serve two masters, in the context it is talking about God and money, but the principle remains true especially because of what we have learned from Genesis 3 that Man tries to put himself as God and served himself instead of God. We must reject ourselves because we want to serve God only. Denying yourself is giving up everything in order to follow Christ. In taking up your cross daily, your sacrificing (giving up) everything you desire every day.


100% God


Man Creature

Gen 3

Rebellion

SINMurder

Lying Stealing

Cheating

Rom 6:23 Sin

Death

Payment

= Death

BadGood

Good Works



Reconciliation





John 3:16“Believe IN Him”John 3:16“Believe IN Him”


God Creator

Man Creature

Believe IN Jesus Christ• John 3:16– 16"For God so loved the world, that He gave

His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

• YOU have to believe IN Jesus Christ for everything that He is, your Lord and your Savior.

• The word in used here in the Greek is more like into. Sort of like submerging yourself into something. You need to submerge yourself into Christ and believe in Him for everything that He is, Lord and Savior.

Believe IN Jesus Christ• You need to believe in Jesus Christ the person, not just

facts about Him. That He was God in human flesh, He lived the perfect sinless life, that He sacrificed Himself on the cross for your sins, and that on third day He really rose from the dead. You can’t pick and choose what you want about God’s redemptive plan, you need to come to Him on His terms and beg Him for forgiveness. It isn’t enough to just know the facts about Christ, even Satan and his demons believe in the true God, but they don’t love and obey Him. Their faith is not genuine, true saving faith always responds in obedience. Jesus is Lord and when you obey Him your are acknowledging that and submitting to His authority. That doesn’t mean your obedience will be perfect but that is your goal.

It’s sort of like a circle

GODMan

Good Works





Man Creature

Gen 3

Rebellion

SINMurder

Lying Stealing

Cheating

Rom 6:23 Sin

Death

Payment

BadGood

Reconciliation







In the beginning God created man, man was supposed to obey God.

God Creator

Man Creature

GODMan

Good Works





Man Creature

Gen 3

Rebellion

SINMurder

Lying Stealing

Cheating

Rom 6:23 Sin

Death

Payment

BadGood

Reconciliation







Instead man wanted to follow his own way. Man tried to flip the relationship, putting himself above God.

God Creator

Man Creature

GODMan

Gen 1:1Rom 5:8Jesus Christ

100% God


Man Creature

Gen 3

Rebellion

SINMurder

Lying Stealing

Cheating

Rom 6:23 Sin

Death

Payment

= Death

BadGood

Good Works



Reconciliation







In flipping the relationship and not obeying God man began to be in rebellion to God, and the essence of sin is rebellion.

God Creator

Man Creature

GODMan

Gen 1:1Rom 5:8Jesus Christ

100% God


Man Creature

Gen 3

Rebellion

SINMurder

Lying Stealing

Cheating

Rom 6:23 Sin

Death

Payment

= Death

BadGood

Good Works



Reconciliation







Sin deserves a payment of death.

God Creator

Man Creature

GODMan

Good Works





Man Creature

Gen 3

Rebellion

SINMurder

Lying Stealing

Cheating

Rom 6:23 Sin

Death

Payment

= Death

BadGood

Reconciliation







Jesus Christ paid this payment on our behalf so that we could be reconciled back to God.

God Creator

Man Creature

GODMan

Rom 6:23

Sin

Death

Payment

= Death

Good Works





Man Creature

Gen 3

Rebellion

SINMurder

Lying Stealing

Cheating

BadGood

Reconciliation







And if you confess Jesus as Lord, deny yourself, and believe in Him, and repent of your sinful ways, you can be reconciled back to God.

God Creator

Man Creature

GODMan

Rom 6:23

Sin

Death

Payment

= Death

Good Works





Man Creature

Gen 3

Rebellion

SINMurder

Lying Stealing

Cheating

BadGood

Reconciliation







And bring the relationship back to the way it’s supposed to be. God above Man.

God Creator

Man Creature

Salvation• The Gospel is the Power of God for salvation. Our sinful

rebellion is what is separating us from God, and the only way to be reconciled back to our Father is through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only one who can forgive and transform us, and deliver us from the power, bondage, and penalty of sin. Christ death pained the penalty/payment of sin for us. His death satisfied the demand of God’s justice, which enables Him to forgive and save those who put their faith in Him. Salvation occurs after genuine conviction of sin, genuine repentance, which will lead to desperation and the need of a Savior. Then if you confess Jesus as Lord and Savior, deny yourself, and believe in Him for everything that He is, God promises to save.

GOD

Man GOD

Man

• After going through the Gospel, here is another question.Which is your relationship with God?God above man? Or Man above God?Think about it hard.

GOD

Man GOD

Man

• There is a difference between recognizing that God is above you, and living under His Lordship. Are you living under Christ’s Lordship? Is He Master over your life? Or are you trying to control your own life?

GOD

Man GOD

Man

• If your unsure or feel in between consider this.• Matthew 12:30– 30"He who is not with Me is against Me; and he

who does not gather with Me scatters.

GOD

Man

• If your relationship with God is a broken Man above God relationship, and you are living in active rebellion against Him, what do you want to do about your relationship with Him? Do you want to be reconciled back to your Lord and submit to Him?

GOD

Man• If so you need to get on your knees and pray to God.

Beg the Lord to forgive you of your sins against Him and your sinful rebellion. Beg Him to graciously save you. Confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, deny yourself, believe IN Him, and you will be saved.

GOD

Man

• If your unsure, or if you want to take some time to think about it, do just that. Take some time and think about it. Go through this illustration again if you have to. Jesus never wanted people to rush into a false confession of faith. He always wanted people to count the cost.

• Luke 14:26-35

– 26"If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. 27"Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28"For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? 29"Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, 30saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' 31"Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32"Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33"So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions. 34"Therefore, salt is good; but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned? 35"It is useless either for the soil or for the manure pile; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

GOD

Man

• But be fearful and convicted. Your sins have not been forgiven yet. You are still in active rebellion against God. You need to come back to your Lord.

• But take comfort in this: The Lord does love you, and He desires for all men to be saved. And His yoke is easy and His burden is light

• 1 Timothy 2:3&4– 3This is good and acceptable in the sight of

God our Savior, 4who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

• Matthew 11:28-30– 28"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-

laden, and I will give you rest. 29"Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. 30"For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

• Please print out the bridge illustration on the next page and look it over.


100% God


Man Creature

Gen 3

Rebellion

SINMurder

Lying Stealing

Cheating

Rom 6:23 Sin

Death

Payment

= Death

BadGood

Good Works

Philosophy

False Religion

Reconciliation


Luke 9:23“Self-Denial”


John 3:16“Believe IN Him”


God Creator

Man Creature

The End

the gospel bridge illustration. questions to ask yourself do you consider yourself to be a...

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