What is the Gospel and Who Should Evangelise?
Updated: Sep 22
Date: 20 Sep 2026, 9.30 am
Speaker: Deacon Samuel Chan Sermon Text: Matthew 28: 18-20; Romans 10: 13-17; Ephesians 3:10
CLICK HERE to join in our Livestream service on Youtube
TRANSCRIPT
Good morning, and a warm welcome to all who are joining us at Mount Hermon’s service today, and to those tuning in online. Today, we continue our sermon series on personal evangelism, which is based on Mark Dever’s book The Gospel and Personal Evangelism. As Rev Kenny and Dn Jeremiah reminded us in the past two weeks, not all of us are called to be missionaries, but we’re all called to the mission of sharing the gospel with others. And this sharing need not be done overseas or at camps or big events. It can be through a conversation with friend or a chance encounter with an acquaintance. It can be personal evangelism.
To continue the series, we will look at what is the gospel, or more literally the good news, and who should be evangelising.
Before we begin, let me open us in prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, may your Holy Spirit grant us clarity of mind to hear your Word, conviction of heart to obey your commands, and strength of hands to persevere in doing your will. In Jesus’ name, amen.
I’m sure most of us have been part of a potluck meal before. If you haven’t, here’s how it goes. Each guest contributes something to the meal. The home cooks among us might bring their signature dish. The foodies might tapau a famous delicacy after queuing for an hour. If you’re like me, I chope bringing the drinks. It’s the easiest option.
Now, say I arrive at the potluck venue and go, “good news, I’ve brought the drinks!” What kind of reactions will I get? “Errrr ok, aren’t you supposed to bring drinks anyway??” or “and I got the pizza as promised, so what’s the news?”
In this situation, despite proudly declaring “good news”, “I’ve got the drinks” is hardly news, much less good news.
The same thing can happen when we share the gospel. We tell a friend “God loves you” thinking it is great news but are met with a non-enthused look.
That’s why it’s important for us to know what makes the gospel “news”, and why it is good news. Which brings us to the first point of our sermon outline today – know the gospel you proclaim.
1. Know the gospel you proclaim.
If you had to choose one bible verse to evangelise, how many of us would go with John 3:16? I imagine it goes like this: hey Bob, I’ve good news – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” That means God loved you so much that he gave his own Son so that you can have eternal life!
That sounds great, Sam. But what about the serial killers, rapists, school and workplace bullies in the world? Does God love them and want them to have eternal life too? If yes, that’s news to me, and frankly, not in a good way…
You may have come across this objection before. And it shows us that when we share about who God is to unbelievers, we can’t just focus on God’s love. Because God is more than just love. God is also holy and just. And the holy God, no matter how loving, cannot welcome anyone who is unholy into his presence. To do so otherwise compromises his holiness and justice, like a corrupt judge turning a blind eye to the criminals breaking the very law he is supposed to uphold.
And if we’re honest with ourselves, we are those unrighteous criminals. Each and every one of us, without exception, has gone against God’s commandments. Ever felt angry at someone else? Drivers, I’m looking at you. Jesus in his sermon on the mount says we are guilty of committing murder. Looked at someone with lustful intent? You’ve committed adultery in your heart. We may be keeping the letter of the law, but we have transgressed the spirit of the law, and not just for anger and lust. Paul states it plainly in Romans, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). All of us are unholy and unrighteous. We are criminals, and we deserve the penalty for breaking the law. This penalty is separation from God, the source of life, for as the author of Hebrews says, without holiness, no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). And that’s why Paul also says “the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23).
When we contextualise God’s love within his holiness and our active rebellion against God, we start to add depth to God’s love for us. Alright, so far, the gospel sounds like this: hey Bob, good news! The holy God loves you despite being the wretched, wicked, condemned sinner that you are. It still doesn’t sound like good news to Bob yet, but the good news is, the gospel doesn’t stop there.
No presentation of the gospel can or should get away without mentioning Jesus. The books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, also known as the four gospel books, are about Jesus. So of course, Jesus must feature in the gospel message! But similar to how we might inadvertently water down the truth about God and ourselves, we sometimes focus on the wrong aspect of Jesus to keep the gospel message non-offensive.
One common depiction of Jesus is that of a great moral teacher who wants to be your friend. And we say, come and get to know Jesus, you’d be hard pressed to find greater wisdom or purer companionship elsewhere. While not wrong per se, Jesus is so much more than that. Friendship and wisdom are but pale shadows compared to the central piece of good news of the gospel accounts.
I’ll let the gospel of John tell us what the good news about Jesus is. When John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him, he declared “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1: 29) Here is Jesus, Son of the holy and living God, who was there in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. This Jesus became flesh and descended into our world, to be the sacrificial Passover lamb, to spill his blood so that those covered by it may live and not die.
The apostle Paul helps us tie this together with what we’ve seen earlier about a holy God and our unrighteous selves. Earlier, I quoted Paul as saying in Romans that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and that the wages of sin is death. Let’s see how he continues his message:
Romans 3: 23-26 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
Romans 6: 23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
This is when the gospel starts becoming good news:
Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross reconciles sinful humanity with a holy God. Propitiation is the act of appeasing and reconciling, and we know that reconciliation is required because all have sinned and transgressed against a holy God. Because Jesus hung on that cross and died, we have propitiation by his blood. Jesus’ death redeemed us from our sin. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we can stand justified before the just God. The wicked sinner that once couldn’t stand in God’s holy presence can now look forward to being warmly welcomed to live eternally with God because of Jesus.
This redemption and eternal life found in Jesus is freely given. In both Romans 3 and Romans 6, Paul uses the word “gift” to highlight that redemption and eternal life in Jesus is freely given. As Singaporeans, we love our free stuff. In recent years, the Singapore government has been disbursing CDC vouchers. On the day the vouchers are disbursed, we remind everyone, “remember to redeem ah, free money you know!” It’s that simple – just redeem. There’s no training course or quiz to pass. In a similar fashion, there’s no requirement to meet to qualify for redemption in Jesus Christ. God has provided the sacrificial lamb by giving his only Son Jesus. Jesus obeyed God the Father and took upon the weight and penalty of our sins on the cross. We play no role in this redemption story other than contributing the sin that makes redemption necessary in the first place. And yet, redemption instead of death is offered to us. For free. By the God whom we’re rebelling against. Through the death of this God’s Son. This is the height and depth and breadth and texture to “for God so loved the world”.
But just like how we need to do something to start enjoying the CDC vouchers, a certain response is needed to receive God’s redemptive offer; it’s not automatically ‘downloaded’. And our response is faith in Jesus, our Lord. Faith is not merely intellectual belief. As we’ve seen in our ongoing study on the book of James this year, “even the demons believe – and shudder!” (James 2:19), and yet no one would claim demons to have faith in Jesus. Responding truly with faith in Jesus is to turn away from our sin and turn towards living for Jesus. Dever puts it this way: “repentance and faith are really two sides of the same coin; repentance is what you do if you really start thinking and believing Jesus with your life”. We will delve more into what believing in, and living in, the acknowledgement of Jesus as saviour and Lord mean in the third point of our sermon.
For now, let’s come back to Bob. We know now that the gospel we proclaim cannot shy away from revealing Bob’s sin, and the eternal death awaiting him. And we cannot sell God or Jesus short by taming them down to love and friendship.
We see that the gospel is a message of good news for those who recognise their desperate situation before a holy God. That the good news is how:
the holy God who created us so loved us despite our rebellion;
that he gave his only Son, Jesus, to die the death that we deserve;
that by Jesus’ blood, God’s judgement is turned away;
that by Jesus’ resurrection, all who repent and believe in Jesus can live the blessed eternal life we don’t deserve.
Last week, Dn Jeremiah got us to think: What must I remember about God and the gospel so that I actually want to evangelise? Remember all these. Preach this gospel to yourself regularly. Rejoice at the good news that is salvation through Jesus Christ. Meditate on the gospel until the desire to proclaim it to others is the overflow of your joy!
I must confess, this is not me. The number of people I have evangelised to this year is zero (0), and the number of days I’m truly rejoicing with gladness at the gospel is not many more. I sometimes have the excuse that I don’t know what to say or how to start evangelising. But preparing this sermon has helped me know better the gospel that I proclaim, and strengthened my conviction to proclaim the gospel, and I pray it has helped you too.
Just as every Christian is expected to know the gospel, each of us is expected to make it known. This brings us to the second point in our outline – know that you are called to proclaim the gospel.
2. Know that you are called to proclaim it.
In the past two Sundays, we’ve heard that the call to proclaim the gospel is for all Christians. We may not be called to xyz country but are called to proclaim the gospel in your neighbourhood, or the family or friend whom you’ve been praying for. Last week’s Hermon editorial article very helpfully articulated why every Christian should evangelise. I highly recommend reading it if you haven’t. It also makes my job today easier.
But to be honest, I still find myself hesitant to proclaim the gospel. The usual excuses come up: (i) surely it’s better if someone more qualified like a pastor or missionary shares the gospel, (ii) I’m not good enough, and (iii) I don’t know what to say?
If you have the same reservations, be encouraged knowing that God has commanded and equipped you to proclaim his gospel. Let’s consider how by recognisng that all Christians have (i) the same commission, (ii) the same Holy Spirit, and (iii) the same gospel message.
All Christians have the same commission, i.e., Matthew 28: 18-20, which was read for us earlier. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The first thing to note is that the great commission is a command. Not a suggestion for consideration, but an authoritative directive. Before giving the commission, Jesus begins by establishing his authority, which is absolute. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations. The great commission is an order from Jesus, the ultimate authority in heaven and on earth.
You might say that Jesus was speaking to the 11 apostles. Well, with whatever little authority I have, I say, go, and read last week’s editorial which briefly explains why the great commission applies to all Christians. But here’s the summary: if Jesus commands the 11 apostles to make disciples of all nations and teach them to observe all of Jesus’ commandments, then it must include this particular command to make disciples of all nations and teach them to observe all of Jesus’ commandments… So everyone who hears the gospel and becomes a disciple of Jesus, is to heed this command to go and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to, amongst other things, go and make disciples of all nations. Our call to proclaim the gospel is clear.
But there is an encouragement alongside the command. Jesus ends off by saying “behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Jesus, the ultimate authority in heaven and on earth, is with us always, even as we proclaim the gospel to everyone.
This encouragement is even more pointed in a parallel passage in Acts 1:6-8. Prior to his ascension into heaven, Jesus told the company of persons of about 120 (as mentioned in Acts 1:15), that “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth”. The disciples of Jesus, not just the apostles, will receive the Holy Spirit and they will be empowered by the Spirit to proclaim the good news about the salvation found in Jesus Christ.
And empowered they were. The book of Acts records for us the wondrous acts of the early church in boldly and gladly proclaiming the gospel. When the Holy Spirit first came down at Pentecost, the disciples began telling the might works of God (Acts 2:11). Later on, the apostles were testifying to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus with great power (Acts 4:33). And even when the church in Jerusalem was ravaged by Saul with the early believers forced to flee, “those who were scattered went about preaching the word.” (Acts 8:4)
These accounts are so wonderful that it reads like a movie plot. Too great and dramatic to be real life. But the book of Acts isn’t fiction. It is an orderly account of history recorded by Luke. And the Holy Spirit that is at work behind all these displays of great faith, is the same Holy Spirit given to all believers today. If you sit here today as a disciple of Jesus, having placed your faith in Jesus, the same Holy Spirit of Acts is residing in you today.
So all Christians have the same commission to go and proclaim the gospel to all, and all Christians have received the same Holy Spirit that empowers us to do so.
This reliance on the Holy Spirit isn’t passive. We don’t wait for divine inspiration. It can happen, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not something we should expect to be the norm. Instead, as Dn Jeremiah reminded us last week, we must actively pray and plan to create opportunities to talk about God, and ask the Spirit to help us be sensitive to the opportunities that present themselves, and to help us speak with conviction.
To this end, we are greatly helped when we remember that all Christians have the same gospel message. We can benefit from the many Christians, past and present, who have developed ways to help us share the good news with non-believers. So no worries if you feel you don’t know what to say. Two approaches that I’ve come across and like are:
Two ways to live. Through six fairly easy to draw illustrations, we can tell others about the good news that though we are condemned for our rebellion against God, God in his love has sent his Son Jesus to take the punishment for our sin, and that if we put our faith in Jesus, we can enjoy eternity in God’s glorious presence. If not, death awaits. We have two ways to live. Which way do you want to live?
The second one is to ask two questions to further a gospel conversation, which I understand is part of the Evangelism Explosion training programme. The two questions are: (i) “If you were to die tonight, do you know where you will spend eternity?” and (ii) “If you were to stand before God and He asked why He should let you into heaven, what would your answer be?” These questions can help steer our conversations towards sharing the good news.
If you find it scary to tell God, “Here I am, send me”, or if you’re tempted to say “here I am, also here’s John Piper and all these other powerful preachers and evangelists, send them”. Remember that we have the same commission as Piper, and we need not fear because we have the same Holy Spirit and are preaching the same gospel that the apostle Paul is not ashamed of, the same gospel that is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. (Romans 1:16).
If you need more motivation, can we have a show of hands, how many of you came to Christ because a pastor or missionary proclaimed the gospel to you? Now how many came to Christ because of someone else? If back then only pastors and missionaries evangelised, many of us will probably not be here today, praising God for his salvation. So go, obey the call to proclaim the gospel. Pray, prepare, be encouraged and empowered. How else then will your friends and family believe if they have not heard?
And it’s not just with our words. We proclaim the gospel with our lifestyles too. Which brings us to the last point in our outline – know that our lifestyle matters too.
3. Know that our lifestyle matters too.
A few weeks ago, Apple unveiled their latest iPhones, including the first ever foldable iPhone. Apple could’ve told you all about its big screen, the new features, etc. But Apple told you and showed you the new iPhone.
Similarly, we are called not just to tell the gospel, but to display it to a watching world. Remember, faith in Jesus is to believe, and live in, the acknowledgement of Jesus as saviour and Lord.
This definitely covers our personal conduct. Our individual actions and words must be consistent with our professed belief in Jesus. It’s as James said, “I will show you my faith by my works.” (James 2:18) But for our sermon today I want to focus on our corporate conduct – the role of the church in making visible the audible gospel.
In his book, Dever submits that “the outworking of faith through the community of a local church seems to be Jesus’ most basic evangelism plan. And it involves all of us.” The apostle Paul says something similar in Ephesians 3:10 – it is through the church that God is made known.
How does the local church make God known? This Sunday’s editorial helpfully outlines what a gospel-proclaiming life of the church looks like: “As church members, we must integrate our lives with one another, show hospitality, and make sacrifices for one another. We must invite correction for sin in our own lives and be willing to give it to others… We must get equipped to share the gospel, share it, and then live lives that bless outsiders.” If this sounds tough to do, you’re right! Integrating lives, making sacrifices, inviting correction, all these feel unnatural and cost you energy, time, and comfort.
But if we truly have faith and believe in Jesus, we can live such gospel-fuelled lives. When we see Jesus as head of the church, we can develop a profound sense of unity with other believers, our brothers and sisters united in the same body. When we consider Jesus’ example at the cross, we’re strengthened to follow his sacrificial example. When we look ahead to the riches of heaven awaiting us beyond this life, our attachment to the things of this world is loosened. When we let the gospel sink into our hearts and mind, we can, by the power of the Holy Spirit, be radically generous with our money, our time and energy, our love, and ourselves. To a watching world, that kind of generosity beggars belief. And when they ask us why, we point them to the gospel of Jesus the Son, the power of the Holy Spirit, giving glory to God the Father.
The evangelistic life of the church isn’t limited to how we live within the church. It must extend outwards. This means extending hospitality and charity to non-believers. As our editorial says, we should invite non-Christians to church and to informal gatherings of Christian friends, we should tell them about the joy of being a Christian and the fellowship enjoyed in a gospel-centred community that is the local church. Because building relationships and inviting them to witness the gospel’s transformative work in our own lives, is far more effective at making the gospel known.
When the church displays God-glorifying, self-sacrificing love to one another and to non-believers, we’re not just making the audible gospel visible. We’re making visible the gospel of the invisible God. I like to close with this quote from John Stott, “…the invisible God, who once made himself visible in Christ, now makes himself visible in Christians, if we love one another.”
Brothers and sisters in Christ. The good news is God the Father loves the unrighteous like you and me so much, that he gave his only son Jesus to die in our place, that we may be raised to life through Jesus’ resurrection. And now God has given us his Holy Spirit that we may know the gospel, and make it known, in word and in deed. Let us pray. Our Heavenly Father, thank you for your love and grace in sending your son Jesus, not to condemn the world as we deserve, but to redeem and reconcile sinners to you. Strengthen us with your Holy Spirit to be faithful witnesses to those around us, that our lives will show what it looks like to stand in the gospel of Jesus Christ. In Jesus name we pray, amen.
Comments