If you will, turn back with me
to Galatians chapter 1. This is going to be a starting
place for us this morning. In verses 6 through 9, the Apostle
Paul, under divine inspiration, establishes three sobering Facts. First of all, that there is but
one gospel. You don't have to be a brain
surgeon if you have a TV or a radio to listen to those men who are
on there. It won't take you very long to
understand that they're not preaching the same thing. All you have
to do is listen. All you have to do is listen. There is but one gospel, one
gospel sin of God to call sinners into the grace of God in Christ. Now the idea read abroad by anti-Christ
religion is that all religion is of God. We're all just spokes
in a wheel. I remember Years ago, my pastor
told me that a man he went to seminary with, he said he was
trying to argue this down. And he told him, he said, well,
let me just give you an illustration. He said, salvation's like a large
gray elephant. And we're all blind. And one
man has a hold of his trunk, and he's describing what he feels. And another man has a hold of
his tail, and he's describing what he feels. And another man
has a hold of his leg, and he's describing what he feels. He
said, that's what salvation is. And Brother Henry said, well,
he said, I've got some problems with that. He said, number one,
salvation don't have anything to do with a large gray elephant. And number two, we're not blind.
God, people are not blind. They've been given eyes to see,
ears to hear. Paul said, I know whom I have
believed. There is but one gospel, one
gospel sin of God to call sinners into the grace of God in Christ. But the idea spread abroad universally
by anti-Christ religion is that all religion is of God and that these many gospels they
preach are all entitled to bear that name gospel and are all
used of God to call sinners to Christ. That's a lie. And that's what Paul's establishing
here in these verses. They're just one gospel. They're
just one gospel. Just one true gospel, and that
gospel was plainly preached and established by the prophets and
apostles in the power of the Holy Ghost. Secondly. Be he man or angel, Paul said,
anyone who preaches any other gospel than that which the apostles
established and wrote clearly in the New Testament epistles, that man is to be considered
accursed of God. You're not to respect him as
a preacher sent from God. They wear these gowns in the
hospital and they come into the rooms and their refined speech
and all of these things and they're dealing with the sick there.
Would you like me to pray for you? You don't have to have respect
to that man's character and title if he preaches false religion.
He's an imposter, he's a liar, and he's to be considered accursed
of God. You look at it here in Galatians
1, 8, and 9, he says it twice. He said, now I'm going to tell
you one more time, you see. And then he says the same thing. And he said, I don't care if
he's an angel from heaven. Now, that's not my opinion, and
that's not my interpretation. That's the Word of God. And then the third thing Paul
establishes in these verses that this so-called gospel which they
preach is a perversion. It's a perversion. There be some
that trouble you, verse 7, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. Now if this be so, and the scripture
tells us plainly that it is, then it's expedient for us to
know and understand the one true and effectual gospel. It's expedient. The whole idea
today of trying to define something and trying to declare something
plainly is being fought by religion abroad. You're not supposed to
do that. You're supposed to just speak
things in generalities and speak things that don't hurt anybody's
feelings. The title of my message this
morning is What is the Gospel? I cannot know and shun a perverted
gospel if I do not know the one true gospel of Jesus Christ.
I can't shun it if I don't know it. Now, understand what I'm
saying to you. I'm not trying to raise a controversy. I'm not trying to stir up some
kind of hornet's nest in the surrounding communities. And
I'm not trying to create something for you to debate about with
the people you work with or people you go to school with. I'm telling
you these things because it's the Word of God, it's the commandment
of God our Savior and for the good of your souls. If that man
who preaches another gospel is accursed of God, what of those
who hear him and follow him and promote him? So understand, I don't care how
sincere that, I get this all the time, they're so sincere.
Yes, I know that. I grew up in it. I know exactly
that. My father was one of them. He was sincere. He wasn't a phony. But I don't care how sincere
you are. I don't care how convinced you are. I don't care how dedicated
you are, how peaceful you are, and how zealous you are to believe
a false gospel. according to our Lord, is to
make a man twofold more the child of hell than the man who preached
it to him. Matthew 23, verse 15. And if
you need more than one, you can go to 2 Peter 2, verses 1 and
3. But you say, preacher, men's
lives are changed under their ministry. I know that. I know
that. But let me tell you something.
Satan don't care if you're a pervert or a preacher. He don't care. Satan don't care if you're a
drunk or a deacon, as long as you don't come to Christ. He's against Christ. That's what
antichrist means, against Christ and against the things of Christ.
You want an experience? He'll give you one. No problem. You want a change of venue? He'll
give it to you. You want a different kind of
life? He'll let you have it. You need some kind of physical
evidence? He'll give it to you. You need
to speak in tongues? He'll allow it. When God saves a man, now hear
me, He saves him by gospel truth. Gospel truth. Our Lord said to the Jews, they
suddenly, they saw some miracles that He did and it says many
of the Jews believed on Him and they professed faith in Him. And He turned to them and He
said, if you continue in My Word, that is, My doctrine, if you
continue in My Word, Then are you my disciples indeed and you
shall know the truth." Now listen, the truth shall set you free. Paul said, if our gospel be hid,
it's hid to the lost in whom the God of this world hath blinded
the minds of them that believe not. Lest the glorious gospel
of Christ should shine under them. Light has to do with knowledge,
has to do with knowledge. And the gospel brings light,
it brings truth. Now then, what is the gospel? What is the gospel? Well, first
of all, and this is, I want you to, if you've got a notepad,
take notes. I encourage you to do something.
The gospel is the testimony of God concerning the salvation
of a people he chose in Christ for the glory of his name. You
can't find the gospel anywhere in this Bible that is not talking
about those things. It's the testimony of God. It's
not what men think. It's not what men say. It's not
according to the philosophy of this world. It's the testimony
of God. Now, let me show you that in
the scripture, 2 Timothy chapter 1. This is a very familiar passage
to you. I quote it all the time. 2 Timothy
chapter 1, I want to read several verses to you here, beginning
with verse 9. Now up in verse 8, Paul said
he was a partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the
power of God, verse 9, who hath saved us and called us with a
holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His
own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus
before the world began. but is now made manifest by the
appearing of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death
and hath brought life and immortality to light by the gospel. Whereunto I am appointed a preacher
and an apostle and a teacher of the Gentiles, and for the
witch cause I also suffer these things. Nevertheless, I am not
ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that
he's able to keep that which I've committed unto him against
that day. Now, here's another scripture
I quote to you all over in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. Now, remember what
my subject, remember what I'm talking about. I'm talking about
the gospel being the testimony of God. It originated with him. It was brought to light through
Christ and through the preaching of the Gospel. 2 Thessalonians
2.13. But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you,
brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God has from the beginning
chosen you to salvation by sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the
truth. Here's another one over in 1
John 5.9. If we receive the witness of
men, the witness of God is greater. It's greater. For this is the
witness of God which He hath testified of His Son. What is the gospel? It's the
testimony of God. That's what it is. You want to
know what the gospel is, you go in the Bible and God will
tell you. It's His gospel. It's His gospel. Well, here's the first thing,
an answer to the question, what is the gospel? It's the testimony
of God concerning the salvation of a people He chose in Christ
for the glory of His name. And Paul said, let God be true
and every man a liar. All right, here's the second
thing. What is the gospel? It is a compilation of spiritual
facts concerning God, the sinner, and the Lord Jesus Christ. We
sit before men things that are facts. They're spiritual facts,
but they're facts, and they're facts established in the Word
of God. Turn with me to Romans chapter
6. The gathering of these spiritual
truths is called in the Scripture doctrine. Doctrine. You cannot preach the gospel
and not preach doctrine. Well, what do they preach then?
Oh, don't go down there. They preach doctrine. Well, you
can't preach the gospel and not preach doctrine. Listen to this, Romans 6, verse
17. Here he describes the conversion
of a sinner. Now watch this. Romans 6, verse
17. But God be thanked, you were
the servants of sin. But you have obeyed from the
heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then
made free from sin, you become the servants of righteousness." You know, the Pharisees said,
He didn't go to our school. Christ didn't go to our school.
He didn't graduate. We didn't give him a diploma.
See, he don't have any broad flat. He don't have the gown.
He didn't graduate. We don't even know how he understands
letters. Here's what our Lord turned and
said to him. He said, my doctrine is not mine, but his that sent
me. I didn't graduate from your school.
I graduated from his. I wasn't taught by you, I was
taught by Him. My doctrine is not mine, it's
His that sent me. The testimony of God. A simple explanation of doctrine
might be teaching. Teaching. The great commission
given over in Matthew chapter 28 verse 19 said, go ye therefore
and teach all nations. How am I to preach to them? Mark
says to preach to them. Matthew said teach them. It's
the same thing. Because when I preach to you,
I preach to you in the form of doctrine. In the form of doctrine. It's teaching. But it's teaching
by declaration. Go ye therefore and teach all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever
I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always,
even unto the end of the world." Over in 2 John, verses 9 through
11, 2 John just has one chapter. And
in 2 John, verse 9, it said, Whosoever transgresseth and abideth
not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine
of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any
unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into
your house, neither bid him God's feed." Don't give him that respect
that you would give to a man who is a preacher of the gospel,
a minister of God, a servant of God. For he that biddeth him
God's feed is a partaker of his evil deeds. All right. Now, if there is but one gospel,
and it is the testimony of God, and it is to be taught to men
and women by doctrine, How can a poor, ignorant sinner know
who's telling the truth and who's not? How do we know the difference? Well, first and foremost, by
the Word of God. Remember what I told you? It's
the testimony of God. First and foremost, by the Word
of God, 2 Timothy 3.16 says, all scripture is given by inspiration
of God. And it's profitable for what?
Doctrine. Isn't that what that says? Doctrine. And then for reproof and correction
and instruction and righteousness. that the man of God, God's messenger
and that man to whom He sent, that the man of God may be perfect,
that is, complete, throughly furnished unto all good works.
Listen to this over in Isaiah chapter 8 and verse 19. Isaiah chapter 8, verse 19. And when they shall say unto
you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits. What in the world is he talking
about? Well, here's a New Testament
explanation. They are of the world, therefore
speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. When
they speak, the world says, that's right. It's a familiar spirit. He connects. My soul, look at
these men. They're standing up there. They
don't know one end from the other. And they're
preaching to 100,000 people, 40,000 people. Huge auditorium,
packed wall to wall. Why do these men come there and
listen to him? He's of a familiar spirit. He connects. He connects. What do they need?
They need money. They need advancement. They need
this. They need that. And he stands
up and gives them what they want. Familiar spirit. When they shall
say unto you, seek unto them that have familiar spirits, And they speak these things that
seem right to natural men. And isn't that what men advise
you to do? Go somewhere where they're saying
something you want to hear? Seek unto them that have familiar
spirits, now listen to this, and unto wizards that peep and
mutter. I'm going to tell you something,
and I don't mean this to be a joke. But there's little difference
in a man who tells you what seems right to him and a wizard that
mutters and peeps. One's doing the same thing the
other one's doing. Now watch this. Should not a
people seek unto their God for the living to the dead? We're
all dead, dead in trespasses and sin. Shouldn't we seek God? Isn't He the One who has salvation? Isn't He the One who is all-wise,
Almighty God? Maybe we ought to listen to what
God has to say. Should not a people seek unto
their God for the living to the dead? Now watch this, Isaiah
8, verse 20. To the law, that is the first
five books of the Bible, and to the testimony, the whole of
the Old Testament prophets. To the law and to the testimony,
if they speak not according to this word, it's because there
is no light in them. So first of all, we make a distinction
in who's preaching the truth and who's not by the word of
God. Secondly, by a man chosen of God. And that man chosen of
God is ordained in a gospel church. Preachers are not manufactured
in seminaries. Man, don't just somebody your
age sits around and says, I think I'll be a preacher. That'd be
a good profession for me. I think I'll be a preacher. Well,
what do I need to do? Well, somebody said, go down
to seminary and sign up, and you go through four years and
get your degree. You might even go ahead, and
I knew a fellow that had a master's degree in theology. Master theologian. Preachers are not manufactured
in seminaries, and it's not a profession that a man decides he wants to
do. Preaching is a calling. It's a calling. How shall they
preach except they be sent? Paul left Titus in Crete to ordain
elders and pastors in all those surrounding cities. When God
calls a man to preach, that man's enabled to God to speak to the
hearts of God's elect. He connects, not with the world. The world can't stand what he
has to say, but he connects in the hearts of God's elect. He
rings the bell. And mature pastors recognize
his calling, and then they promote him as God's ambassadors as they're
convinced he is. They recognize not only his gift
to speak, but his doctrine and his hunger for the things of
God. You can't get him out of the Bible. It's all he wants
to do. And then by study and prayer,
these men show themselves approved of God as workmen that needeth
not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. How can a
poor ignorant sinner know who's preaching the gospel and who's
not? By the word of God, by a preacher called of God. The world by wisdom
knew not God. And it pleased God by the foolishness
of preaching to save them that believe. I'll tell you how you're
going to hear with a preacher if you hear from God. And then
thirdly, by the revelation of the Holy Spirit of God. Now,
I want you to turn with me on this to 1 John chapter 4. My nephew asked me years ago,
how is somebody who wasn't raised in religion, but who wants to know the truth.
I don't want to be led astray. I don't want to hear a lie. I
don't want to do all these things that the Scripture warns you
of. How in the world am I to know the difference? And here's
what I told him. If God don't intervene, you never
will. You never will. 1 John 4, verse 4. You are of God, little children,
and have overcome them." Now, if you read the first part of
this chapter, you'll see here he's talking about false prophets.
Try the spirits, whether they be of God or not. He's talking
about false teachers. You are of God, little children,
and have overcome them because greater is He that's in you than
he that's in the world. They are of the world, therefore
speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are
of God. He that knoweth God heareth us. He that's not of God heareth
not us. Hereby know we the spirit of
truth and the spirit of error. That's how you know. And if you
won't get down to it, that's the only way you can know. 1 Corinthians 2, verse 9 says,
I hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the
heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that
love him. But God hath revealed them unto
us by His Spirit. For the Spirit searcheth all
things, yea, the deep things of God. And Paul said, he goes
on to say, we've not received the Spirit of the world, but
the Spirit which is of God, that we might declare to you the things
freely given to you of God. And then he goes on to say this,
but the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit
of God. They're foolishness to him. You
mean I have to hear a preacher to be saved? Foolishness. Are you with me so far? The gospel
is the testimony of God concerning the salvation of a people He
chose in Christ for the glory of His name. And the gospel being
the testimony of God is to be set before men in doctrine. It's
a doctrinal declaration of the salvation of God's elect through
the person and work of Jesus Christ and all of this to manifest
the glory of God. And this doctrine is distinguished
from all other perversions by the word of God, the preaching
of the gospel, and the revelation of the Holy Spirit. All right. Third, the gospel is the good
news of the grace of God to fallen sinners. The grace of God, never
forget, the first time I ever heard that word. I thought, what
on earth is that? That's something different than
I've ever heard. What in the world is he talking
about? He's talking about something
undeserved, something free, something given, the gift of God. That's grace. That's grace. Paul said he went bound in the
Spirit to Jerusalem. He said, I don't know what's
going to befall me there, The Spirit has followed me and he
witnesses nothing but suffering and persecution everywhere I've
ever gone. And he said, I kept not my life
dear unto myself as I'm going that I might finish my course
with joy and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus.
What ministry? Here it is. To testify the gospel
of the grace of God. That was his calling. That's what he preached. That's
what he stood for. And that's why he was persecuted.
I'm going to tell you something. I'm not going to get into all
these individual doctrines. I'm just, in general, telling
you what the gospel is. What is the gospel? Everything
declared in the gospel has its beginning and ending with the
grace of God. Everything. One man told me one
time at this place where I used to go hunt. And there was a bunch
of men who gathered there to go hunt. And one of them saw
me reading and went over there. Oh, he said, you're reading there
in Ephesians about the grace of God. He saw the big letters
at the top of my notes. And he said, I believe that. He said, we're saved by grace.
We're sanctified by law. And I said, that's not what the
Bible says. The Bible said we're sanctified
by the grace of God. We're saved by the grace of God.
We're chosen by the grace of God. Everything declared in the
Gospel has its beginning and ending with the grace of God.
Listen to this, Romans 3.24, being justified freely by His
grace through the redemption that's in Christ Jesus, whom
God has set forth. Whose testimony is it? whom God
has set forth to be a propitiation for our sins through faith in
His blood to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins. Grace. How we justify it? By His grace. Our election in Christ is an
election of grace, Romans 11, 5, and 6. Grace and truth came
by Jesus Christ. Our quickening with Christ is
defined in Ephesians 2, 5, by grace you are saved. And the
gift of faith is stated this way, by grace are you saved. And through all of our troubles
and woes, we're told His grace is sufficient. How am I going
to get through this? His grace is sufficient. Our maturity is called growing
in grace. And the God we worship and serve
is described in 1 Peter 5, 10 as the God of all grace. And
you know what God told Moses when he said, show me your glory? He said, I'll be gracious. I'll
be gracious. And no matter what we are in
the kingdom of God, we know that we are what we are by the grace
of God. is the gospel of the grace of
God, and if by grace, then is it no more works, otherwise grace
is no more grace. I'm going to tell you something.
A fellow told me one time, he said, I'd like to fellowship
with you, but he said, we've got a division in election. I said, that's not our division.
Oh, yeah, yeah. He said, I disagree with you
over that doctrine of election. I said, that's not what divides
us. I said, the division between
you and I is the total depravity of man. If you believed in the
total depravity of man, you'd rejoice in the doctrine of election.
But you don't believe you're fallen. You don't believe you're
condemned. You don't believe you're cursed of God, and that's
why you won't have anything to do with election, because then
it don't seem fair to you. Huh? But if there's a bunch of
condemned prisoners ready to be taken out and killed, and
half of them have already been taken out and killed, and he
comes in and he said, you, you, you, and you, I'm going to pardon
you. Huh? Boy, that's good news, ain't
it? That's good news. If by grace, then it's no more
works, otherwise grace. There's no more grace. And our
race has fallen. Sin entered and death passed.
Our sin and depravity was proved. How was it proved? Our Lord said,
here's condemnation. Light came into the world. Men
loved darkness rather than light. He took a cross-section of all
men. They all hated Him without a cause. Every one of them involved
in His crucifixion. Fallen sinners are convinced
of sin because of their unbelief in Christ. And no man has any
part and any hope, I should say, no
man has any hope apart from the grace of God. He's got no hope. Because there's none righteous,
none that understandeth, and none that seeketh after God.
And if the God of all grace does not intervene and come to you
and give to you, you're a goner. You're a goner. He'll turn you
over to the God of this world, and He'll make you think you're
president. That's right. He'll let you get satisfied in
some little false religion, and you'll sit down there and promote
it and defend it to the day you die. It's all by grace. Let's look at this. The gospel
is the sum and substance of the whole counsel of God. I get so
tired of men telling me that I don't preach the whole counsel
of God. And by that, they mean I don't
preach tongues. Or I don't preach works. Well,
you're not preaching the whole counsel of God. The gospel is
the sum and substance of the whole counsel of God. Look at
this over here in Acts chapter 20. Paul said to the Ephesian
elders concerning his ministry to them of the gospel of the
grace of God. Now, watch this. He said, I take
you to record this day that I am pure from the blood of all men.
For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. How did he do it? In the gospel
of grace. That's right. The gospel of God's
grace. This is that determinate counsel
of which Peter spoke and foreknowledge of God whereby Jesus of Nazareth
was taken and with wicked hands crucified and slain. Acts 2 verse
23. This is that counsel that played
itself out when Herod and Pilate with the Gentiles and all the
people of Israel did what God determined before to be done. This is that counsel in which
we obtained an inheritance being predestinated according to the
purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His
own will. When we're talking about the
counsel of God, we're talking about the will of God. God doesn't
save men by their will, He saves men according to His will. Of
His own will begat He us with the Word of Truth. And His will is that everybody
that seeth the Son and believeth on Him may have everlasting life. His will is that everything that
He gave to the Son, the Son would redeem and lift it up, raise
it up again at the last day. His will is that every leprous
sinner that falls at His feet in full submission will find
Him willing to cleanse them from their sin. The gospel is the
gospel which declares the whole counsel of God. And let me give
you this and I'll close. The gospel is that by which the
sheep are separated from the goats. You say, that's a pretty serious
statement. Go ye into all the world and
preach the gospel. Preach it to every creature.
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. He that believeth
not. Believeth not what? The gospel
they preach shall be damned. It separates the sheep from the
goats. Over in John chapter 10, the
Pharisees said to him, that thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.
Quit beating around the bush. Just tell us if you're the Christ.
He said, I told you. But you believe not because you're
not of my sheep. Paul preached that same gospel
to the church at Antioch. And the Jews threw their nose
in the air and despised it and went about trying to stir up
trouble against them. And Paul said, well, since you
judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, he said, I'll
turn to the Gentiles. And he quoted an Old Testament
Scripture concerning the Gentiles out of Isaiah. And it said, when
the Gentiles heard that, they were glad. They were glad. Now watch this. And as many as
were ordained to eternal life believed. It separates the sheep from the
goats. And I'll tell you this, beware
of any man who says he's a child of God, but believes contrary
to the gospel of God's sovereign grace. You be wary of him. You be wary of him. Because any
man who preaches another gospel, I don't care Paul said, if I
come back and on another day, and I've deceived and drawn away
myself or an angel from heaven come preaching any other gospel
unto you than that which I've already preached to you, let
him be accursed. Let him be accursed. You judge that man cursed of
God. And you better judge yourself
cursed of him if you follow him. May the Lord add His blessing
to the preaching of His Word.