Lesson 3: Remember These Three Words

Recall the three memory trigger words to help you plant the seed of God’s Word:

1. God’s Love
2. Full Forgiveness
3. Already

Let’s explore each of these in more detail.

God’s Love:

In my experience, starting with the phrase “God’s love” is safe and benign. When people hear this phrase, they will automatically think, “God loves everybody!” Instead, we will be introducing a different kind of love.  We will proclaim God’s sacrificial love found in John 3:16.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

Full Forgiveness:

We can express that believers who trust in Christ’s promises receive assurance and peace by knowing that their sins are fully forgiven RIGHT NOW! Christ didn’t die on the cross to partially forgive our sins. Forgiveness is not based on our ability to earn or display it through our good works. Faith alone immediately receives the full forgiveness of our sins.

Already:

Assurance and peace centers squarely on the object of our faith, Jesus Christ. “Already” is that linchpin word that communicates the victory Jesus won for us on the cross. We can confidently proclaim that our sins are fully forgiven right now because of what Jesus Christ has already done for us. It is like announcing the birth of a child or that our favorite football team won the game. With great joy and enthusiasm, we are announcing something wonderful that has already happened. Christians believers can proclaim to others what Jesus Christ has already done for the world.

Exercise: Spot the Trigger Words

The following written example attempts to apply the transition phrase and the three memory trigger words. Can you spot them?

Proclaiming the gospel to my neighbor

Hi John. Glad to see that you are cleaning out your garage this morning. You have inspired me to think about cleaning out my own garage because it badly needs it. I hope you don’t mind, but I wanted to come over and ask you a few questions.  You know that I already attend St. John’s Lutheran on Main Street.  A few weeks ago, we mailed out these postcards to several thousand homes in the community.  Did you happen to get one in the mail? I’m curious to hear what you think of them. How does it look? Do you think this is a catchy theme? I really like the theme because our pastor talks about this in his sermon messages and Bible studies. He talks about the love of Christ and how he always delivers on his promises. We find true peace and hope from the assurance we have knowing that all our sins are fully forgiven right now! This is especially meaningful for me because I struggle with all that is going on in our world right now. But when I focus on what Christ has ALREADY done for me on the cross, and that all my sins have been forgiven and washed away because of Christ, I have peace. John, I want to make sure that you know that you and your wife are always welcome to join us on Sunday morning. We leave around 9:30 a.m.  And afterwards, we like to go out to eat and have a delicious breakfast. Would you like to join us?

Take Action: Answer the reflection questions on pages 4-6 of the study guide.