My subject today is recovering
the gospel of Christ. You know, my friends, the most
humbling thing, the most challenging thing that we face today, the
great concern of our hearts ought to be that our generation experience
a recovery of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am convinced that what
people today call the gospel is not the gospel at all. Tell
you why. Today's gospel emphasizes what
men should do for God. But what God Almighty emphasizes
is what God must do for us. Preachers today plead with sinners
to accept Jesus. But the publican cried, Be merciful
to me, I'm a sinner. The thief on the cross cried,
Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom. The leper
cried, Lord, if you will, you can make me clean. People today
say, well, I accepted Jesus. But you know what Paul said?
Paul said, I obtained mercy. People today say, I made a decision. Believers say, whom he foreknew,
he predestinated. Whom he predestinated, he called. Whom he called, he justified. True believers say this, we love
him because, because he first loved us. And our Lord said to
his disciples, you didn't choose me, I chose you. Secondly, Today's gospel emphasizes
these two things, heaven and hell. But the gospel emphasizes
these two things, Christ and sin. Preachers today say to their
congregation, wouldn't you like to go to heaven when you die?
Man's goal is to go to heaven when he dies. But the apostles'
goal, listen to this, the apostles' goal was this, to win Christ. and be found in Him, to know
Christ and the power of His intercession. Believers desire to depart from
this earth to be with Christ, which is far better. Listen to what our Lord said
in John 14, I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life, no
man, no man, coming to the Father, but my friends, you can't give
a man a hope for heaven without a love for Christ in his heart.
It just can't be done. You cannot, you cannot have repentance
without a conviction of sin. There can be no faith without
a love for the Lord Jesus Christ. He that believeth on the Son
hath life. He that believeth not on the
Son hath not life. Thirdly, today's gospel is a
message to a man's head, his head. The gospel of Christ, my
friends, is a message to the heart, not to the head only,
but to the heart. Men today profess what they believe. The Apostle Paul said, I know
whom I have believed. Now friends, there's a difference.
Today's preachers, they talk about what they believe. But
the Apostle Paul talked about whom he believed. I know whom
I have believed. I am persuaded he's able to keep
that. which I've committed to him against
that day." You know something? The disciples were called Christians. They were called Christians because
they knew and loved the Lord Jesus Christ. But what are we
called today? We're called Lutherans, Baptists,
Catholics, Calvinists, Wesleyans. Why? Because we follow the men
who taught us their doctrine. They're called Lutherans, Baptists,
Catholics, Calvinists, Wesleyans. But the Lord Jesus Christ said
this, listen, you call me Lord, Lord with your lips, but your
hearts are far from me. Today we believe in the resurrection. Paul walked with a risen Lord. There is a difference. That's
right. Today we believe in the resurrection,
but Paul walked with a risen Lord. We believe in life after
death, but Paul had a different statement. He said, for me to
live is Christ and to die is gain. Today's preacher goes forth
ordained by the church God Almighty sent his prophets, ordained in
the Holy Spirit. It was a man sent from God, whose
name was John. The church didn't send him, God
sent him. Today's preachers, they go forth
with titles, degrees, credentials, and the gospel of Christ. The
disciples went forth, they went forth in the power of the Holy
Spirit. You shall be endued with power
after the Holy Ghost comes upon you. Preachers are hired to preach
what people want to hear. Prophets are sent to reprove,
to rebuke, to exhort. And if they please men, this
is what Paul said, if they please men, they are not the servants
of God. Preachers preach. Listen to this. I heard this said by an old man
years ago. Preachers preach, and people
join their favorite church. The Apostle Peter preached, and
they were pricked in their hearts, and they cried, men and brethren,
what shall we believe? What shall we do? Preachers pray. Preachers pray, and the organ
plays softly. But Elijah prayed, and the fire
of God fell from heaven. Preachers, you know, most preachers
are afraid they're going to offend someone. That's right. They're
just so afraid they're going to offend somebody. But Paul,
the apostle, was afraid he would not offend people. He knew he would if he preached
the gospel. Because his gospel, listen to
me, His gospel is called the offense of the cross. That's what his gospel is called. The offense of the cross. What
is the offense of the cross? I'll tell you. You want to know
it? Listen. The atonement of Christ offends
man's pride. That's right. The gospel of the
cross of Jesus Christ offends man's wisdom. and addressing
all men as sinners offends man's dignity." That's right. Paul
said, it is the offense of the cross that I preach. My friends,
salvation, salvation is not a head work. It's not a head work. It's a heart work. It's a heart
work. The Lord is known to them that
are of a broken heart. The scripture says, keep your
heart out of it of the issues of life. With the heart, man
believes unto righteousness. With the mouth, confessions made
to salvation. My friends, when Paul preached
the gospel of God's grace to that woman Lydia, the Lord did
what? He opened her heart and she believed. I want to tell you something.
Today's gospel calls on men to stand up, stand up and be counted. When God's preacher preaches
the gospel of grace, men who believe that gospel, they don't
stand up and pop off, they bow down. They bow down and worship
the Lord, their God. My friends, the two-fold message,
the two-fold message of the gospel of true evangelism is this. Listen,
all flesh is grass and behold your God. That's the two-fold
message. All flesh is grass. Behold your
God. The two-fold message of true
evangelism will put down the glory of men, and proclaim the
glory of the Lord Jesus Christ." My friends, when Isaiah saw the
glory of God, he cried, woe is me, woe is me. I'm undone because
I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people
of unclean lips. Why? Mine eyes have seen the
King. Mine eyes have seen the King,
the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of hosts, and depths of mercy. Can there be mercy still reserved
for me? Can my God his wrath forbear,
and me the chief of sinners spare? You listen, listen to Brother
Mahan, and I'm telling you the truth. The glory of the church
today The glory of the church today is not the presence of
the Lord. The glory of the church today
is the size of its building. That's right. The glory of the
church today is the size of its building. It's the number of
people who attend its services. The glory of the church today
is the musical program, tooting the horns and beating the drums.
And I'll tell you what's happened. Ichabod is written above the
edifice, a bit above the church. The glory, the glory has departed. I close my message with a scripture
from 2 Corinthians 11, the Apostle Paul wrote. Listen, I fear, I
fear, lest by any means, as the servant beguiled Eve through
his subtlety, that your minds Men today, your minds should
be corrupted from the simplicity that's in our Lord Jesus Christ.
For if he that cometh to you preaching another gospel, another
gospel which we have not preached, if you receive another spirit
which you have not received, you might well bear with me. The Lord is saying through the
Apostle Paul, my friends, be sure you know the gospel, the
gospel of the glory of God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Be sure
that you guard against any other gospel. Preacher, what is the
gospel of God's grace? Three things. Listen to me now.
What is the gospel? It's the gospel of God's glory.
It's called according to the glorious gospel of the blessed
God which is committed to my trust. When the true gospel is
preached, Almighty God will be glorified. What is the gospel? Well, secondly, it's the gospel
not only of the glory of God, it's the gospel of free grace. Free grace. Not of the will of
man, but the grace of God. For by grace, Are you saved through
faith? And that, know yourself, is the
gift of God. Thanks be to God for His unspeakable
gift of grace. Thirdly, the gospel of God is
the gospel of God's glory, the gospel of free grace, and it's
the gospel of one person. One person, Paul, a servant of
God, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of
God concerning his son, Jesus Christ our Lord, by whom we have
received grace for obedience to the faith among all nations. Oh, amazing grace! How sweet
the sound! that saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, now I'm found. I was blind, now I see. And it
was grace that taught me how to fear, and grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear
the hour I first believed. And when we've been there ten
thousand years, Bright shining as the sun, we've no less days
to sing God's praise than when we've first begun. I hope you'll
join us next Lord's Day at this same time. Until then, may God
bless you, everyone.