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I. The position of man since his birth:
А. Rahab was born in Jericho.
B. The city of Jericho was a place that was to be destroyed. In the whole Bible Jericho typifies a cursed city that is doomed to be destroyed.
C. Since his birth, man has been under a curse and is due to be destroyed.
II. The situation of man:
А. Rahab was a harlot, which means that she belonged to the lowest class of women.
B. Before God, the position of man is that of a woman. Man should be only for God. If man were for something else, he would be like a harlot. A woman should be only for her husband. If she loves many others besides her husband, she is a harlot. The greatest sin of a woman is to be a harlot.
C. The greatest sin of man is loving many things other than God.
III. The salvation of God:
А. At that time, although God was going to destroy Jericho, He extended the grace of salvation to Rahab and her family. But His grace was conditional. Rahab had to bind the line of scarlet thread in the window of her house. When God was about to destroy Jericho, He saw that mark of scarlet thread and did not destroy Rahab or her family.
B. Although God is going to destroy this larger Jericho (that is, the world), He still has grace for mankind, with the blood of Christ as the great mark. The scarlet thread bound in the window looked like a line of blood. The Israelites were saved by striking the blood on the lintel. Rahab was saved by binding a scarlet thread in the window. Both are tokens of the blood of Christ. The mark of the blood of Christ will separate you from the world and will save you when God destroys the world.
C. God’s saving way and God’s judgment recognize only the mark and not who a person is. Whoever has the scarlet thread (that is, the blood of Christ) shall be saved. Whoever does not have it shall be destroyed.
IV. The way to be saved:
А. Rahab’s binding of the scarlet thread in the window was a type of our receiving the blood of Christ upon us by faith.
B. Not only did Rahab have the scarlet thread bound in the window, but she also stayed within the house that had the scarlet thread. This typifies that man not only needs to receive Christ’s redemption, but he also needs to be joined to Christ. The Israelites remained inside their houses, which had the passover blood on the lintel. Noah entered into the ark covered with pitch, and the whole household of Rahab hid inside the house that had the scarlet thread. All these typify that those who receive Christ need to be joined to Christ.
C. How to be joined to Christ.
Christ passed through death and resurrection and descended as the life-giving Spirit. If we will only open our heart to receive Him, we will be joined to Christ.
V. The unit of salvation:
А. That day not only Rahab herself was saved; her whole household was saved.
B. The unit of salvation is not an individual person but a household. When the Israelites ate the passover lambs, there was a lamb for each house. The ark was for the whole household of Noah. The house with the scarlet thread was also for the whole household of Rahab. In the New Testament the salvation of Christ is also for the household. Salvation came to the house of Zaccheus. The whole household of Cornelius was saved. The whole household of the prison guard at Philippi was saved. In the future all the saved ones will also be one large family. God does not save just individuals; He saves the whole household. So dear friends, if you do not believe, then all of you do not believe; or if you do believe, your whole household will believe with you.
Scripture: 2 Sam. 4:4; 9:1-13; 19:24-30; 21:7
This section is not only a gospel message but also a message about loving the Lord.
I. The position of man:
А. Mephibosheth was born as an enemy of David and should have been killed by David, because the only opponent of David on the earth was Mephibosheth’s grandfather, King Saul.
B. By birth we are enemies of God. As the king of a nation, David represented God, who is the Lord of the universe. Adam, the ancestor of man, was the enemy of God, just as Mephibosheth’s grandfather was the enemy of David. We do not have to do anything against God to become His enemy; we were born as enemies of God.
II. The condition of man:
А. Mephibosheth was lame; he was unable to walk. So it would have been very easy for David to kill him.
B. We were born as enemies of God, and every one of us is lame. We can have no merit or virtue; neither can we do good. We try to obey our parents and to be good, but we lack the power. To be lame is to be short of love, patience, ability, etc. We are short of these things because we are lame; we are crippled.
III. Man’s feeling:
А. Mephibosheth was frightened. He was afraid that David might kill him because he was the grandson of Saul.
B. Today man’s feeling toward God is just the same as Mephibosheth’s; man always thinks that God is coming to judge him, condemn him, and put him into hell and let him perish there.
IV. Man’s action:
А. Mephibosheth had no strength in his legs, but he could still escape from David.
B. Man has no strength to do good, yet he has strength to run away from God. Even after man has received God, he may still try to escape from God.
V. God’s seeking:
А. David was seeking for someone left of the house of Saul. Mephibosheth misunderstood David’s intention and thought that David was seeking revenge, not realizing that David just wanted to show his kindness to him.
B. Man misunderstands God and thinks that God is coming to judge. Man does not realize that God wants to show His love. God asks whether there is still someone left of the house of Adam. God came not for revenge but to show mercy to the man represented by Mephibosheth. While David was seeking for Mephibosheth, Mephibosheth was running away from David. Man also runs away from the very God who is seeking for him. The reason God seeks for man is that He loves him and wants to show His love for him.
VI. God’s salvation:
А. Because of the covenant he had made with Jonathan, David preserved Mephibosheth’s life and restored to him all his inheritance. David even dined with him at the same table, and they were joyful together.
B. All this typifies that God, because of the covenant He made with Christ, saves us from perishing, restores to us all the heritage that we lost in Adam, and also allows us to eat and be joyful with Him.
VII. The way to receive this salvation:
А. Mephibosheth did not have to do anything. He simply received all the grace freely bestowed upon him by David.
B. Today we also receive God’s salvation freely. God bestows His grace upon us only because of the covenant He has made with Christ.
C. After Mephibosheth received grace from David, he only looked at the riches on David’s table; he never again looked at his two lame legs underneath the table. In the same way, after we have been saved, we should look only upon God’s grace and not look at our own situation. Whenever we look at ourselves, we discover that we are lame, and we become discouraged. Anyone who still looks at his own lame condition does not really understand his salvation.
VIII. The security of salvation:
А. David was to deliver seven men of the sons of Saul to the Gibeonites, but David spared Mephibosheth because of the oath he made with Jonathan (2 Sam. 21:6-7). This speaks of the security of salvation. Once a man is saved, he shall be saved forever.
B. Because of the new covenant that God made with Christ, God can never deliver us unto death again.
Scripture: 1 Kings 18:21
I. The two sides in the universe:
А. Explain that in the universe there is God, and there is also Satan. God and Satan are the two sides, or two sources, in the universe. On God’s side there is light, good, heaven, life, etc. On Satan’s side there is darkness, evil, hell, death, etc.
B. Because of the two sides or two sources in the universe, man has two possible choices: he may choose to follow God, which means to choose light, a good life, and heaven, or he may choose to follow Satan, which means to choose darkness, evil, death, and hell.
II. The conflict within man:
А. Because man has two possible choices, he has a conflict within him. On the one hand, he is inclined toward light, but on the other hand, he is drawn toward darkness. He likes good, but he also has an appetite for evil. He desires life, but he also bends toward death. He wants heaven, but he cannot stay away from hell. Here we may give some examples to describe the condition within man.
B. Then explain that the conflict within man is a battle between God and Satan. Whenever man inwardly bends toward light, toward good, and toward life, that is the Spirit of God working inside of him to gain him. Whenever man inwardly bends toward darkness, evil, and death, that is Satan’s evil spirit working inside of him to gain him.
III. Man’s indecision toward the gospel:
Now we may draw people’s attention to the gospel.
А. Many people have heard the gospel, agreed with it, acknowledged it, and even almost believed it. But because they were still fond of darkness, evil, death, and the things of the flesh, they were not able to make a final decision.
B. The desire to believe is the working of the Holy Spirit. But indecision is the hindering of the evil spirit. At this point we should describe the feeling of the moving of the Holy Spirit and the feeling of indecision.
IV. The urging of the Holy Spirit:
А. You are hearing the gospel today because of the reminding and urging of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit not only urges you during the gospel meeting but also often urges you in private. Nevertheless, the strongest urging is in the gospel meeting.
B. Listen to the urging voice of the Holy Spirit saying, “How long will you remain in indecision?” Now you must check with yourself. If the gospel is not worthy of being believed, you should refuse it right away. If hell is the place you would like to go, you should go right ahead. If God ought not to be accepted, you should put Him aside. Obviously, you know that you should choose good and life, yet you would not give up darkness, evil, and death. How long will you falter between two opinions?
V. The way of decision:
А. It is easy to make a decision.
B. The faster you decide, the easier it will be.
C. Therefore, you should make a decision right now. Ask all those who want to make a decision to please stand up. Saying it in this way makes it sound very easy to stand up. To stand up is to make a decision.
Scripture: 2 Kings 5
I. Naaman’s position:
А. Naaman was a captain of the army, a man in a high position.
B. Today in society there are many people with high positions.
II. Naaman’s condition:
In preaching the gospel we can never stay away from position and condition.
А. Though he was a captain in a high position, Naaman was full of leprosy. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper.
B. Today many people, even though they are in high positions, are full of sin and evil. Leprosy keeps man from coming near to God. In like manner, sin cuts off the fellowship or communication between man and God.
III. Naaman heard the gospel:
А. Through a little maid from the land of Israel, Naaman heard that in Israel there was a prophet, Elisha, who could cure him of his leprosy. This was good news of great joy. This was the gospel.
B. Today there are many little Christian maids at the side of people in high positions. They are their maids or waitresses. They are the ones to whom people do not pay much attention, but they bring people the gospel. They tell them that there is a Savior who can save them, One who can take away all their sins.
IV. The Savior’s way of salvation:
А. The way Elisha healed Naaman was to tell him to go and wash in the Jordan River seven times.
B. At that time the savior was Elisha the prophet. Elisha typifies Christ. The way of salvation at that time was to wash seven times in the Jordan River. This typifies that the only way of being cleansed is to enter into the death of Christ. The Savior sent by God is Christ, and the way of salvation prepared by God is the death of Christ. For your sin to be taken away and for your leprosy to be cleansed, you have to accept the death of Christ.
V. The way to be cured:
А. You must give up the world’s method of being cured.
When Naaman heard that he had to go and wash in the Jordan River in the land of Israel, he was angry and demanded, “Are not the rivers of Damascus better than all the waters of Israel? Are there not rivers outside Israel?” (cf. 2 Kings 5:12). But eventually, he had to go to Israel’s Jordan River to be cured. The rivers of Damascus, the ways of religion, must be given up. Only by receiving Christ, including receiving the death of Christ, can anyone be cured.
B. You must be humble.
Because of his pride, Naaman nearly lost the opportunity of being cured.
C. You must believe the word of the Lord.
Naaman was cured because he believed the word of Elisha. Likewise, if a sinner wants to be saved today, he must believe the word of the Lord Jesus. The Lord said, “He who believes and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16). Therefore, you must believe and be baptized.
D. You must receive the Lord’s death and be buried into the water.
Naaman dipped seven times in the Jordan River, which typifies: (1) receiving the death of Christ, and (2) being united with Christ. As Naaman believed the word of Elisha in his day and washed seven times in the Jordan River, so today we must likewise believe the word of the Lord and be buried.
VI. The result of salvation:
А. When Naaman came up from the Jordan River, his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child.
B. The moment we believe in the Lord and receive the second birth, immediately the expression of that new life will be seen.
C. Since the old life was buried into the water of baptism (the Jordan River), we ought to live the new life as soon as we come up from that water.
Scripture: Job 19:25
I. Man’s position:
А. Man is born a sinner.
B. Because man is born a sinner, he, therefore, ought to die.
II. Man’s situation:
А. Man is sinful and is condemned.
B. Man commits sins and cannot redeem himself.
Points I and II tell us that man needs a redeemer.
III. Man’s need:
А. Man needs redemption.
The universe is not without an owner. It is ruled by God, who controls the universe with His rules. God’s rules are God’s laws. God’s law is righteous. He cannot regard a sinful man as sinless. Man has sin and is condemned under the law. Therefore, sinful man needs redemption. A price must be paid to fulfill the demand of the law and to redeem man from the condemnation of the law.
B. Man needs salvation.
To redeem man from the condemnation of the law is redemption. To save man from the bondage of sin is salvation. Redemption can free man only from the condemnation of the law, but it cannot free man from the power of sin. It cannot prevent man from sinning again. Therefore, after redemption we still need salvation.
C. The difference between redemption and salvation:
1. Redemption requires the payment of a price. Because of the law, the sinner has to pay a price for redemption.
2. Salvation requires power. Because of the forces of sin and evil, the sinner needs the power to be saved.
IV. The Redeemer:
А. Jesus Christ is the Redeemer whom God has prepared for men. Here we should say something about the Lord as a person. The Lord is God become flesh, God revealed in the flesh, to be our Redeemer.
B. The Lord Jesus shed His blood on the cross to bear our sins. He fulfilled the requirement of the law and redeemed us sinners from the condemnation of the law.
C. The Lord rose from the dead that He might be able to give life to His believing ones. This life is the mighty power of resurrection that comes into man and becomes the power to save man from the forces of sin and evil. Points B and C show us that the Lord has accomplished both redemption and salvation to meet man’s need of redemption and salvation.
V. How to receive this Redeemer:
А. We have to admit that we are sinners, ones who are under condemnation and under the power of sin as well.
B. We have to repent and confess our sins.
C. We have to believe and receive Jesus Christ as our Redeemer and Savior.
D. We must believe that we are redeemed and saved according to the word of the Bible.
Scripture: Job 22:21-30
I. The meaning of peace and blessing:
А. Peace is the rest and satisfaction within.
B. Blessing is the happiness and hope within. Happiness is for the present, and hope is for eternity. If anyone has this blessing within, he is happy at the present and has hope for the future. Explain that some people may have fame, wealth, and high position today, but they do not have real peace and blessing within.
II. The source of peace and blessing:
А. The source of peace and blessing is God. Man has been created for God. Only when he has received God is there the inward peace and satisfaction. Only when he has God as his life is it possible for him to have peace today and hope for the future.
B. The reason man does not have such peace and blessing within is that he has lost God.
III. The way to obtain peace and blessing:
А. Man lost his inner peace and blessing because he committed sins and was separated from God.
B. To regain the peace and blessing, man must receive God. To receive God, man must return to God and depart from sin. Emphasize the words in the book of Job: “Be well disposed to Him and at peace with Him; / By such, good will come upon you... / If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up. / If you put injustice far away from your tents” (Job 22:21, 23). To return to the Almighty is to come back to God; to put away iniquity is to depart from sin.
C. Accept the word of God and receive God according to His word. Explain that once a man receives the word of God, he has eternal life, forgiveness of sins, justification, and all other blessings.
D. Have delight in God and treasure Him:
Verse 26: “Then you will delight yourself in the Almighty, / And you will lift up your countenance to God.”
Verses 24 and 25: “Place your gold nuggets in the dust... / Then the Almighty will be your gold nuggets / And precious silver to you.”
Describe man’s real situation: how he loves his children, money, education, position, etc. Yet eventually, these things only hurt him. For example, if you love money, one day the bank may become insolvent; if you love your children, they may disappoint you.
E. Pray to God. He will hear you if you pray. Confess your sins before Him, ask for His forgiveness and cleansing, and sincerely receive the Lord Jesus as your Savior.
IV. The result:
А. The man who accepts the word of God, has delight in God, treasures Him, and prays, will be able to know God, and peace and blessing will come upon him.
B. He will have light, and the light will shine upon his ways. From this time on, there will be light in his life. He will behave in light, and he will have a way to go on.
C. He will be saved.
D. He will be exalted. A person who has accepted God is higher than other people, and he will become higher and higher until he reaches the New Jerusalem.
Scripture: Psa. 16:4
This is to explain the difference between the true God and false gods.
I. There is a God in the universe; there must be a God in the universe.
II. There is only one God.
III. God’s name is Jehovah:
Explain the meaning of the name Jehovah. God is the I Am. God is the One who is, and who was, and who is coming (Rev. 1:4).
IV. All other gods are not God:
Explain this point clearly with abundant materials to prove the point.
V. Those who choose another god:
А. Those who choose another god worship idols.
B. The result of idol worship is the multiplication of sorrows.
C. Use a lot of examples to describe the sorrowful conditions of the people who worship idols.
VI. Cast off idols and return to God:
А. Explain that men should worship the Lord of the heavens and the earth.
B. This Lord of the heavens and the earth became flesh, and His name is Jesus Christ.
C. Today if a man returns to God, he must return to the Lord Jesus.
VII. How to turn to the Lord:
А. Sin separates man from God and leads him to go astray to worship false gods.
B. Therefore, man must confess his sins and repent.
C. Man must accept the redemption of Jesus Christ and receive Him as the Savior.
D. Man must destroy the idols.
I. The cause of the suffering upon the cross:
А. Man sinned.
B. God is righteous.
C. God is also love.
II. The meaning of the suffering upon the cross:
А. During the time of the Roman Empire, crucifixion was the most cruel capital punishment in existence. In world history there has never been, in any democratic country, any capital punishment to compare with crucifixion. Only the Roman Empire, two thousand years ago, had adopted such a cruel capital punishment.
B. In Old Testament times, God had prophesied that the Savior would be punished with a kind of punishment similar to crucifixion. Give some examples from the Old Testament: (1) He that is hanged is accursed. (2) The serpent of bronze that was put upon a pole is the same as the Son of Man being lifted up on the cross. (3) A passover lamb was slaughtered by nailing its two front feet on a horizontal piece of wood, and binding its two rear feet on a vertical piece of wood. This picture clearly signifies the crucifixion.
C. The suffering of crucifixion is beyond description. The two hands are nailed to a horizontal piece of wood, and the two feet are laid upon each other and nailed to a vertical piece of wood. The weight of the whole body hangs down so that the muscles are stretched and the bones are out of joint, until the breathing out of the last breath.
III. The crucified One:
Explain that the crucified One to whom we refer is Christ.
А. Everyone being crucified is being executed.
B. Christ’s crucifixion was His being put to death for us sinners.
C. Because we had sinned and because God is both righteousness and love, Christ had to be crucified for us.
D. Christ bore our sins on the cross; therefore, He said, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matt. 27:46). God forsook Christ because Christ was bearing our sins. Christ is the beloved of God, and He obeys God’s will; therefore, God should be with Him all the time. When Christ was on the earth, He said that God was with Him. But when He was on the cross, God forsook Him. This is the evidence that He was bearing our sins.
IV. The suffering upon the cross:
А. He was poured out like water. According to Psalm 22, while His body was hanging down, He was like water poured out.
B. All His bones were out of joint. While the body was hanging down, each and every bone was out of joint.
C. His heart was like melted wax. Because the fierce fire of God was burning upon Him, inside of Him it was like melted wax.
D. “My strength is dried up like a shard” (v. 15). This is the losing of strength, or the exhaustion of strength. The suffering of exhaustion is very difficult to describe. On the cross Christ was totally and completely exhausted, even to the extent that there was no moisture left in His body. Yet He was still alive and suffering. Up to this day no one has been able to imagine what a suffering the Lord experienced on the cross.
E. “My tongue is stuck to my jaws” (v. 15).
F. “You have put me in the dust of death” (v. 15). He endured the taste of death, and death had buried Him.
G. “Dogs surround me; / A company of evildoers encloses me” (v. 16).
H. “They pierce my hands and feet” (v. 16). The Lord’s hands and feet were nailed to the cross.
I. “I count all my bones; / They look, they stare at me” (v. 17).
J. “They divide my garments to themselves, / And for my clothing they cast lots” (v. 18).
V. The reaction to the cross:
А. For generations many people have repented and turned to the Lord by hearing about the suffering of Christ upon the cross.
B. We hope that the message of the cross will also touch our hearts today.
C. Everyone who has been touched by the suffering of the cross should confess his sins and receive the crucified Christ as his Savior.
Scripture: Psa. 32:1-7
I. Man has sinned:
А. Make it clear, in principle, that every man has sinned, and every man has offended God.
B. We may pick up four or five items of practical sins in detail, such as stealing, lying, covetousness, lust, etc., to describe the situation.
II. The necessity of confession:
А. Man must confess that he has sinned in the eyes of God.
B. We must pray and confess our sin before God. Quote verses 3 and 5 of Psalm 32.
C. We should follow the inner feelings when we confess our sins, confessing them item by item.
III. The promise of forgiveness:
А. Forgiveness of sins is based upon the death of the Lord Jesus and the shedding of His blood. The reason God can forgive man’s sins is that the Lord Jesus has died and has shed His blood for man and has eliminated man’s sins.
B. The promise of forgiveness of sin is given in the Bible. After God resolved our sins through the Lord Jesus, He clearly told us through the Bible to believe, and we shall receive the forgiveness of sins. This promise is the gospel.
C. Only believe the word of the Bible, and you will obtain the promise of the forgiveness of sins. Once you believe, you receive the pardon; you will have no condemnation but, rather, justification.
IV. The blessedness of having sins forgiven:
А. When God forgives men’s sins, He not only covers and pardons our sins, but He also blots them out, just as though man had never sinned. That is why Psalm 32 says, “Blessed is the man to whom / Jehovah does not impute iniquity” (v. 2). In God’s eyes all who have been forgiven by Him are the same as those who have never sinned.
B. A man whose sin is forgiven will always have peace in his heart. All the heavy burdens are taken away.
C. Obtaining the joy of salvation: a man whose sins are forgiven shall always flow out ringing shouts of deliverance (v. 7).
Scripture: Psa. 40:12
I. Calamities of the human life:
А. Our human life is full of calamities. No one in this world has been without tragedy. The older you are, the more evils you have experienced.
B. Give practical examples of calamities. Choose the examples according to the audience.
II. The cause of calamities:
А. Calamities are a result of sin. The reason that there are calamities in this world is the existence of sin.
B. Speaking in a practical way, man experiences these evils because he has sinned. This needs to be explained in a substantiating way. For example, someone did a certain wicked deed and was elated because no one knew about it. But suddenly, some disaster came upon him, such as a terrible disease, his son may have died, or he may become blind, etc. Sin always causes man to suffer evil. Although we cannot say that all the calamities will be realized today, nevertheless, sins eventually always provoke calamities.
III. Sins take hold of a man:
А. If you commit a sin, you are planting a cause. A cause leads to an effect. It does not matter what kind of sin you have committed. All sins are a kind of cause. Therefore, there must be an effect.
B. This effect is that sin will take hold of you. You may be able to forget your sin, but your sin will never forget you. It will follow you forever.
C. The sins that have been following you sometimes overtake you at the present time; otherwise, they will take hold of you in eternity. If they overtake you today, the consequence will be calamity. If they take hold of you in eternity, the result will be destruction. We should use suitable stories to emphasize this point.
IV. The way to escape from sins:
А. If you want to escape from your sins, you must acknowledge them. When you confess that you have sinned, you will realize how numerous your sins are. The psalmist says, “They are more numerous than the hairs of my head” (Psa. 40:12).
B. You should be terrified by iniquities. When I remember my sins, as the psalmist says, “My heart fails me” (v. 12).
C. You must repent with a broken and contrite heart.
D. You must pray and confess your sins.
E. You must accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior.
