a number of things, which people
look at—visitors and others who are somewhat made aware of what
goes on here—and they imagine that these are the things which
make us different from other churches. Visitors sometimes
make comments about the simplicity of our worship services. The
first thing observed by most people is that we have none of
the trappings of religion. no statues, no icons, no crosses,
no stained-glass windows, no ceremonies, none of those things.
And I guess sometimes folks think we're just too poor and can't
handle it, but we don't want them. We're not idolaters, we
worship God in the Spirit. Others have made comments, usually
with disapproving tone, about the fact that we have no specialized
ministries, no children's no singles ministries, no youth
ministry, no seniors ministry, no interracial ministry these
days, you know, no counseling, none of that stuff, none of it.
Because people have the idea somehow in this day and city
big business, no-God religion that somehow, if you can just
specialize, you can make the gospel, whatever they call the
gospel, acceptable to folks, you know, to young folks, single
folks, divorced folks, married folks, just specialize and appeal
to them. We have one message for everybody,
old and young, men and women, black and white, doesn't matter,
same message. And if our children don't believe
this message, they'll go to hell, and if you don't believe it,
you'll go to hell. That's just that, one message. And we're
not going to compromise it in order to make old folks feel
good rebelling against it, or to make young folks feel good
rebelling against it. Not interested in entertaining folks on their
way to hell. Some question why we don't have church ball leagues
and bowling leagues and all the stuff that other folks have to
keep people busy. Of course, some raise questions
about why we don't join in the various cooperative religious
endeavors with other churches. Don't cooperate with anybody.
Don't get along with anybody. Why aren't you affiliated with
any denomination? Don't you think anybody's good
enough for you? No, that's not the case. I've got two comments
to make about all these things. I hope you know them already. If not, I hope you'll learn them
and remember them. Number one, the absence of all this garbage. And I mean garbage. I've chosen
my words deliberately. The absence of all the nonsense
and garbage commonly associated with religion, with churches,
with church activities, and with preachers, is not accidental. It's deliberate and it's determined. I've made this promise to you
many times. I'll make it again. As long as
I have anything to do with this congregation, we won't have any
of it. We won't have any of it. You
want it, got to go somewhere else. Not going to happen here.
That's the first thing. The absence of these things is
deliberate and determined. Secondly, these are not, however,
the things which separate us from others. The absence of these
things may be what people talk about, because that's easy to
point your finger at and talk about that and say, well, everybody
does it. But that's not the thing that distinguishes us, and folks
know it. These are not the things which
distinguish us from other churches in town. that which distinguishes
us from every other church in town. And if it doesn't, find
me the church, and we'll join them, I promise you. I don't
have to stay here, I can go somewhere else and preach. Find me a place
where this is not the distinguishing thing, and we'll unite with them.
That which distinguishes us from every other church in this town,
that which distinguishes your pastor from all other pastors
in town, is the exclusive message we declare. And that's my subject
this morning, our exclusive message. I want to pick up right where
I left off last week, and I'm probably going to come back to
this when I come back from Hocumba in a couple of weeks, on trying
to define the gospel in biblical terms. What is the gospel? Is
it indeed an exclusive message? Turn with me now, if you will,
to 1 Corinthians 15, verses 1 through 4. I want to make another stab at
defining the gospel in biblical New Testament terms. Does the
Word of God tell us clearly what the gospel is? It's utterly irrelevant
what you think the gospel is. It's completely irrelevant what
Mama and Daddy taught you the gospel is. It's utterly irrelevant
what I think the gospel is. What does this book say concerning
the gospel? My only concern, and I hope yours,
is this. How does the word of God define
the gospel? What does God say in his book? How does Holy Scripture define
the gospel? The issue is not, does this shut
out my mama and daddy? That's not the issue. The issue
is not, does this shut you and me out? That's not the issue.
What does God say in his word? That alone is the issue. That alone is the issue. Now
here, this text is very, very, very important. Don't miss a
syllable. This is our exclusive message. Moreover, brethren,
I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which
also you have received, and wherein you stand. by which also you
are saved, if you keep in memory." Now, that doesn't simply mean
remember the doctrine. Remember the creed, it means
hold fast, if you never leave it. If you keep in memory what
I preached unto you, unless you have believed in vain. If you
don't hold it fast, Burroughs, your profession was just another
of many vain professions, unless you have believed in vain. Lots
of folks make professions of faith. I've never attempted to
keep the number of how many folks I've baptized, but I tell you
what, I don't preach near as many as I've gotten wet. I've come to believe in faith. Have a temporary faith, a notional
faith. Something excited them, something
got them disturbed. They want to make a profession of faith.
They confess faith in Christ, they hang on for a little while,
then they're gone. They believed in vain. for I delivered unto
you, first of all, first and foremost, that which I also received."
Now here's the key word, H-O-W, how? That Christ died for our
sins according to the Scriptures. Now that's how you find out how
he died, according to the Scriptures. And that he was buried, and that
he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. Here the Holy
Spirit tells us that there is but one gospel, and that all
truly God-ordained, God-called, God-sent preachers preach this
gospel, that all true believers have received this gospel and
stand in this gospel, and that this gospel is the means by which
we are saved. That's what that book says. We
just read it. I trust the Spirit of God will be pleased to speak
through me to your hearts for the glory of Christ. Let me show
you three things this morning. Number one, it must be clearly
understood that the gospel is an exclusive message, an exclusive
message. Paul did not say to the Corinthians,
I declare to you a gospel. as if there were many Gospels
or even many interpretations of the Gospel. He said, I declare
unto you the Gospel, in fact. As you read the New Testament,
if you read carefully, you cannot help noticing that the only time
the word gospel is used where there is no definite article,
definite noun or pronoun specifying the gospel as one, the only time
it is used without the definite article so that it might be translated
a gospel, the only time it is used in that way is when Paul
speaks of another gospel. Only time. Every other time the
word gospel is used in this book, it is specified as being one. One distinct, particular word
of good news from God Almighty. Not a gospel. Not an interpretation
of the gospel. You see, there are just two religions
in this world. Just two. Just two. One of you
was telling me last week about folks all getting together, churches
all getting together, swapping pulpits, you know. For, I guess
it was Easter service or sunrise service or something. I don't
even read the paper anymore. I get so disgusted reading it
most of the time. But I get together to change. No big deal. That's
what I expect. They all believe the same thing.
They all preach the same thing. Every Friday is one of them.
Now they wear different costumes and go through different jokes,
you know, calling it religion. But they preach the same thing.
Because there's just two religions in this world. The religion of
Cain and Abel. the religion of God and man,
the religion of grace or works, the religion of free grace or
the religion of free will. There are no alternatives. There's
either the broad way in which most folks choose to go, which
leads to hell and destruction, or the straight and narrow way,
which is Christ Jesus the Lord. You see, this is what God teaches
us in his word. The world says that there are
many gospels compromising preachers. They say, well, there's only
one gospel, but it's interpreted different by different men in
different ways. But the word of God declares
there's just one. Christ is the way. Every other
way is a false way. Christ is the door of life. Every
other door is a door of death. Christ is the truth. All other
ways are a lie. Christ is the life. All other
things are destruction and death. If indeed there's only one way,
one Savior, one gospel, you would be wise to find out that way
and get in it. You'd be wise to discover that
Savior and trust Him. You'd be wise to find out what
that gospel is and believe it. Now, the preaching of the gospel
is an exclusive message. The preaching of the new birth
is not the preaching of the gospel, though certainly we declare,
and it is true, that you must be born again. But the focus
of the gospel is not the experience of grace, but rather the grounds
of it. The preaching of the love of God. Everybody these days,
honk if you love Jesus. Smile, God loves you. God loves
you and has a wonderful plan for your life. Religion says
that. God never did. God never did. God never did. Nowhere in this
book, nowhere in this book do you have any validity for standing
before an unregenerate, unbelieving man and saying God loves you.
If you're without faith in Christ, the wrath of God is on you. If
you're without faith in Christ, justice demands your punishment.
If you're without faith in Christ, you have no reason to even slightly
suspect that maybe God may smile on you one of these days. The
only way the love of God is revealed is in the face of Jesus Christ
the Lord. The preaching of the love of
God is not the preaching of the gospel. We rejoice to declare
that God is love, but the gospel is not a declaration of God's
love. The gospel is a declaration of God's righteousness. Read
Romans chapter 3 and see. The preaching of Christ's second
coming. Everybody talks about Christ's second coming. Bible
colleges, seminaries, churches. all built around the second coming.
Denominations have been built around the second coming. But
the preaching of the second coming is not the preaching of the gospel.
We daily look for the promise of his coming. We look for him
with anxious, expecting hearts. But the gospel declares not what
Christ is going to do, but what he's done. There's a huge difference. The preaching of revivalism.
You know, every spring and every fall, churches have revivals,
and they have a revivalists to come in, stir folks up. I mean
stir them up. Get them crying and sobbing and
laughing and make decisions. And you go to churches and you'll
find that Folks, and they'll pack the houses out, get good
singing in, maybe get a singing and preaching team in. They'll
pack them out and they'll get folks to make decisions and repent
and rededicate. And same ones do it every year.
Every year, you go back and rededicate up again, get another dose of
religion. A little spasm will last a few weeks. So next fall
we'll have another revival. Well, the preaching of revivalism
is not the preaching of the gospel. Revivalism preaching focuses
on man and experience. Gospel preaching focuses on God
and his grace in Christ. And then there are folks who
love to preach about holy living. They talk about, you know, he
was a holy man. I have to say it, holy, just
right, holy man. The preaching of holy living
will produce self-righteous Pharisees, nothing else. Most preaching
of that kind is nothing less than the preaching of works and
self-righteousness. Now, gospel preaching inspires
and promotes holiness of life. But it talks not about man's
holiness, but God's. God's holiness revealed, manifest,
and satisfied in Jesus Christ. And that inspires holiness in
men and women who were blushed with embarrassment if you spoke
of them as being holy people. Holy brethren, yes, in Christ,
but my soul, look at this preacher and say, Holy Father, that's blessed in me. That's
blessed in me. No, no, just Don. And Don is full of sin, just
like you. And you are full of sin, just
like Don. And those who trust Christ for holiness never speak
of their own. The gospel of Christ is an exclusive
message. Now before we proceed a moment
further, I want to be understood. Those of you who do not believe
the gospel believe a false gospel. Those who do not preach the gospel
preach a false gospel. Those who do not walk in this
way, walk in the wrong way. They may be sweet, sincere, morally
good, upright people. They may just be so nice that
you just, you know, sugar melts around them. Just nice, nice,
nice people. But the fact is, if they don't
know the gospel, they're lost. They're lost. Some time ago,
was preaching along this line down in North Carolina, some
folks who were dear friends of mine, they came up to me with
grave concern after services one night and said, ìWell, Brother
Don, where does that leave us? Where were we before we came
to know the gospel?î I said, ìYou were lost, just like everybody
else.î You canít say that. Read Romans
chapter 1. Does Romans chapter 1 declare
that the heathen are lost? Does it? Well, of course it does.
And I recall several years ago, Brother Ken Wyman, when I first
got acquainted with him, he was preaching down in the Ivory Coast of Africa
and telling about listening to a religious leader down there
who was just a witch doctor, just a witch doctor. In other
words, worshipped a totem pole. I mean, just a barbarian. But he had mixed in who over
the years, folks passing in and out, going in and out, he had
mixed in various religions from the Hindus and various religions
of the barbaric tribesmen around whom he was raised, and even
Jesus in his death. Well, he worships Jesus. Surely
he's all right. No. The Jesus he worshiped is
a false Jesus. The God he worships is a false
God. And I'm telling you, that the God, the Jesus, the spirit
of this age is not the spirit of this book. And the gospel
preached in this age is not the gospel of this book. And many
women who don't believe the gospel are lost. Oh my soul, what an
urgency that places upon this congregation. Folks ask me all the time, why
do you do what you do? Why do you go here and there?
Why do you spend all your time doing this? Because folks are
lost without the light. And lay, we got the light. If this community, if this community,
the whole community, outside these four walls, suddenly we're
speaking with a plague, a deadly plague. Every man, woman, child
breathing outside these four walls has a plague that's going
to kill them. And we alone have the cure. It is barbaric, inhumane, and
murderous if we just sit in here and hold the cure. Murderous. We're as guilty as if we took
a gun and blew their heads off. And I'm telling you, this whole
world is perishing without the light of the gospel. God's given
us the cure. And it is murderous, barbaric,
inhumane. should we not proclaim the gospel
from every housetop in every nook and cranny corner of this
world as God gives us opportunity? All right, here's the second
thing. The gospel is an exclusive message about a past historic
event. The gospel preached by the apostles
always refers to something past, a finished work, an accomplished
deed, a completed task. This is very, very important.
You see, the pastness of the gospel is an essential aspect
of the gospel. The preaching of the gospel is
the declaration of something done in the past. It is presently
preached. It is presently received. It
presently says. It is presently enjoyed. But
it's a past, finished work which we declare in the gospel. It
involves these specific undeniable facts. Facts of history. You
don't just get them out of your Bible. As a matter of fact, before
the Bible was completed, you could pick up a history book
and read about them. They're just facts. Facts that cannot
be denied. Number one, we preach how that
Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. Christ died. Christ died. The Son of God actually died.
Now there's no getting around that. Jesus Christ, that man
who is God incarnate, died. But the declaration that he died
is no more gospel than the declaration that Abraham Lincoln died. That's
nothing. That's nothing, if that's all
there is to it. But rather, how that Christ died
for our sins, according to this book. How did he die? Read the
types and pictures in the Old Testament. Read them. How was that paschal lamb slain
and offered on sacrifice to God? By God's decree, according to
God's purpose for God's people, for the atonement of sin. That's
how he died. How was the turtle dove accepted
as a sacrifice? By God's decree, according to
God's purpose for God's people, for a toke. That's what, that's
exactly what happened. Not for everybody around, not
for the whole world, not, not, not that blood might be shed
so that God might possibly somehow in the future, if you behave
properly, look down and say, alright now, I'm going to forgive
your sin. That's The whole Old Testament is filled with types
and pictures of prophecy, how that Jesus Christ would come
into this world according to God's decree, by God's will,
to offer atonement, to offer blood atonement for the satisfaction
of justice for the sins of God's people, that God may be just
and the justifier of the ungodly. To declare then the gospel is
to declare that Jesus Christ died, the Lamb of God, for the
sins of God's people, and has effectually put away their sins
by the sacrifice of himself. Now, I know the whole world around
us, they talk about Jesus dying, and He died to redeem sinners. But now, that doesn't mean anything,
unless you believe. He died to put away sin, but
now, you've got to do something. He died to save us. You're going
to do something. He is dying. Bill Raleigh put
away somebody's sins. Guaranteed somebody's salvation
and secures the fact you're going to do something. You're going
to believe him. It is not your believing that
makes his death effectual. It is his death that makes your
believing effectual. And the two things are exact
opposites. Number two, we preach that he was buried. What do you
do with something dead? You bury it. Get it out of sight. Jesus Christ was made to be sin
for us, justice killed him, and God said, now let me bury my
dead out of my sight, and his body was laid in the tomb. Number
three, he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. According to the scriptures,
that's what the book said. Three days he'll rise again. One type, one type, one picture. Jonah. As Jonah was in the belly
of hell, or in the belly of the whale, which was hell, three
days and three nights, so shall the Son of Man be in the heart
of the earth three days. Then he'll rise again. Thou wilt
not suffer thy holy one to see corruption, but rather thou wilt
not leave my soul in hell, neither suffer thy holy one to see corruption.
You will show me the path of life. So three days before corruption
sets in, he's raised from the dead. Someone said to me the
other day that they heard a new twist from an infidel, said they
couldn't refute these things, and so this fellow has written
a pamphlet. He said what happened was Jesus
had an identical twin, and they kept him secret until he died.
They don't believe anything. They don't believe anything except
God. Except God. Brother Todd and
I have told a story I heard a long time ago. This guy was married
to an infidel skeptic. He said to her, he said, you
don't believe that Jonah stuff, do you? She said, what do you
mean? He said, you don't believe Jonah was really in the whale's
belly among all those gastric juices and then came out again
alive, do you? She said, I sure do. He said,
when I get to heaven, I'm going to talk to him about it. He said,
well, what if he's not in heaven? She said, you can ask him about
it. Yeah, the Son of God came out
of the earth. He rose from the dead. He rose
from the dead. And so shall we. But there's
more. When we preach the gospel, we
declare a fact which simply cannot be denied upon any reasonable,
just grounds. But it's such a phenomenal fact
that it can't be understood except by divine revelation. Now the
fact that Christ rose again, let me give it to you. Look in
1 Corinthians 15. Hold your hands there. Verse
5. Verse 5. Here's the fact. Find me anything
else in history. Find me anything else. If you
took this evidence right here, this right here, to a court of
law, to any court of law, and these people said, I saw Don
Fortner commit murder, and this is how he did it. I saw it. I
saw it. Take it to any court of law anywhere
in the world, and I'd be put to death if they got any justice.
Because facts can't be denied. Forget it now. Not only did he
rise the third day according to the Scriptures, but he was
seen of Cephas, Peter. Then he was seen of the Twelve.
After that, not all at one time, After that, he was seen by 500
just men at one time, 500 brethren at once, of whom the greater
part remain to this day. Paul said, they're still living
when I write this. But some have fallen asleep. After that, he
was seen of James. After that, he was seen by all
the apostles. Look at this now. These are tremendous
declarations of historic fact. And last of all, he was seen
of me also. I saw it too. I saw it too. Now, you've got
two choices. Either acknowledge the fact or
declare that every last one of these fellows are blatant liars. And then you've got to prove
they're liars. He raised from the dead. But nobody will ever
believe the gospel being convinced of those facts. You see, preaching the gospel
is more, much, much, much more than just declaring undeniable
facts. Forcing a sinner to believe facts,
cannot refute, cannot in any way, to convince him of facts
he cannot refute, will not in any way change his heart. Won't
change his nature. It will do him no spiritual good.
Actually, and I tell you, there's no point in arguing with fellas.
No point in debating with them. No point in trying to convince
them of facts. The preaching of the gospel is much more than
an exclusive message about a past historic event. The preaching
of the gospel is a message about a singular person who accomplished
a perfect, complete, finished work for a specific people. What do we preach when we preach
the gospel? We preach Jesus Christ crucified
and tell sinners to look to Him. But I'm not here to try to convince
you Baptist doctrine. I wouldn't spend five seconds
trying to make you a Baptist. I'm not going to try to convince
you of being a Calvinist. I don't give a hoot with your Calvinist
or Arminian. That doesn't matter. I want you to know the Son of
God. I want you to know the Son of God. If you know Him, you'll
get other things straight. If you know Him, you'll live
right. If you know Him, you'll follow Him. We're preaching a
person. The Lord Jesus Christ is that
one of whom the angel said, he shall save his people from their
sins. I wonder why the angel didn't
say he's going to save everybody from their sins. Because that's not
what he came to do. He came to save his people. That's
God's election. The scripture declares, for the
transgression of my people was he stricken. He died for someone
in particular and satisfied the justice of God for those people.
He finished transgression. He made an end of sin. He made
reconciliation for iniquity. He brought in everlasting righteousness.
And Daniel said that. That's justification. Jesus Christ,
by his blood, by his death, has come here to redeem and save
a particular people for whom he has put away iniquity, for
whom he has brought in everlasting righteousness. Now turn back
to Romans chapter 1. Paul gives this definition of
the gospel we looked at last week. And he tells us that it's
concerning Jesus Christ, God's Son, this gospel which God himself
devised. It's the gospel declared with
power by whom we have received grace. Now look at verse 6. Among
whom are ye also, look at it now, the called of Jesus Christ. How on earth is it that sinners come to believe the gospel? How
on earth? How on earth will a sinner be
made to believe the gospel. I mean believe it. Oh, I can
argue with you and convince you of the facts. That's not much
trouble. I'm not even a smart fellow and I can outwit an Arminian.
That's not much trouble. Free will is the most stupid
thing on this earth. Free will salvation? Man, free will won't
make you quit eating laced potato chips. Free will is nothing. Free will is will worships. Foolishness. Foolishness. But convincing you
of that, that's not going to change anything. That's not going
to change anything. What'll cause a sinner to look
to Jesus Christ alone as his Lord and submit to his righteousness? What'll keep you, what'll keep
you from trusting your righteousness? That's the issue. The reason you're without faith
in Christ, the reason you're on your road to hell is because
you still think you're good. That's the problem. And you won't
submit to the righteousness of Christ. Well, what will make
a man submit? The call. Oh, Spirit of God, take your
word now and call dead sinners by your resistible, almighty
grace to Jesus Christ the Lord. And if he calls you, right where
you sit, right now, you trust him. Amen. All right, let me introduce you
to him, please. In the Songs of Grace book number
41, here's the message. Go proclaim
it.