5 Ideas for One Verse Evangelistic Preaching

For the final week of Mission Month at SOULIES we have each year group running a BREAK IT DOWN event (your year group, your friends, doing your thing). Here are some ideas I’m passing on to leaders for preaching short evangelistic talks to their crew.

While it’s not the only approach, preaching from one verse can be a memorable way to give a short talk encouraging people to consider Jesus. It’s worth spending time understanding the verse in its context first and then working hard to explain the ideas that the verse presents.

Here is a useful method for preparing Bible talks

See below for 5 verses packed with gospel punch. I’ve got a few ideas under each passage on possible ways you could package a talk. I don’t have any illustration ideas, or intro/hooks. If you’re preparing a talk, let me know if you need any further ideas or feedback. Preach Jesus.

See below for verses and ideas:

John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.

• Believe the son > LIFE
• Reject the son > DEATH
• What does it mean to believe the son?

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

• WAGES: the payment we deserve for our sin is death
• GIFT: life in Jesus is a gift, we don’t earn it

2 Corinthians 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

• The Great Exchange
• Our sin transferred to Jesus the sinless one
• His righteousness transferred to us

Hebrews 9:27–28 27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

• Why was Jesus SACRIFICED?
• To deal with SIN
• To bring SALVATION

1 Peter 3:18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit

• “Christ Died” // the event // Jesus was sacrificed
• “for sins once for all” // the need // penal sacrifice
• “the righteous for the unrighteous” // the process // substitutionary sacrifice
• “to bring you to God” // the effect // atonement sacrifice

Ideas for longer than one verse:
Luke 15:11-32 – The Lost Sons
Luke 18:9-14 – The Pharisee and Tax Collector
Luke 18:18-34 – The Rich Ruler
Luke 19:1-10 – Zacchaeus
Luke 23:32-43 – Two Criminals

Here is a useful method for preparing Bible talks