Sermon Application

We heard how one of the goals of the Bible is to tear down man's penchant for excuse making. From Romans 10 we saw how Paul dealt with (one of) the Jews' excuse for not believing the gospel. They were seeking to establish a righteousness of their own.

1. Excuse-making is not only a problem for unbelievers. We, as Christians, often make excuses for our sin which hinders our growth in grace. What area(s) of your life are in need of growth but are being hindered by excuse -making? Are there ways you need to grow in which you find yourself saying "I would but...", "I can't because...", "If only God would....then I'd..."?

2. What have been some of the excuses you've heard when trying to share the gospel with people? When doing evangelism and sharing that Jesus is the only way to the Father people will often deflect the issue by asking about people who have never heard or never able to hear the gospel. What should you say in that situation?

3. How, specifically, have you given in to the idea that people in your context are the hardest people to reach with the gospel? What are some specific excuses you make or have made regarding why you don't share the gospel with people? What are some Biblical passages you could read to help one another have Biblical vision for how he gospel has spread very quickly in a short amount of time?

4. Spend some time praying as a GCG for the Spirit to cause the word of the Lord to speed ahead and be honored in all of your evangelistic efforts. Pray that He would enable us to fight against making excuses when it comes to sharing the gospel. Ask the Lord to cultivate in you the same vision for His kingdom that He has given in His word.