It is not that I did choose thee,
Lord, for, Lord, that could not be. Todd's Road Grace Church would
like to invite you to listen to a sermon by our pastor, Todd
Neiberg. We are located at 4137 Todd's
Road, two miles outside of Manowar Boulevard. Sunday services are
at 1030 a.m. and 6 p.m. Bible study is at
945 a.m. Wednesday services are at 7 p.m. Nursery is provided for all services.
For more information, visit our website at toddsroadgracechurch.com.
Now, here's our pastor, Todd Nybert. The most serious question
that you and I can consider is what is the gospel? Now, I have to consider that
before I consider whether or not I am saved or not. What is the Gospel. I heard about a young man that
I thought a lot of. I'd heard that he had departed
from the faith, and it shocked me. I'd heard this young man
preach. I was very impressed with him,
and I couldn't believe it, so I called him to find out for
myself. And during the course of that
conversation, it appears that if he keeps going in this direction,
he has departed from the faith. It broke my heart to talk to
him. And during the course of this
conversation, I asked him. Now, he was a man who said at
one time he preached the sovereign grace of God. Salvation is of
the Lord. And during the course of this
conversation, I asked him. Does God use the message of free
will? What do I mean by that? Well,
it's the message that God loves all men. Christ died for all
men. God wants to save all men, but
he cannot unless they, as an act of their will, decide to
allow him to do it. It puts salvation ultimately
dependent upon the will of man and not on the will of God. I asked this young man, does
God use that message of free will to birth people into the
kingdom of heaven and then perhaps train them up and teach them
more of grace later on? And he said, yes, I believe that
happens. I believe God does use that message. And as far as that
goes, I don't think I have any place to stand in judgment over
anybody. I can't see into anybody's heart,
so I'm not going to try to judge who's saved and who's not saved.
And I replied to this young man. The issue is not. Who is saved
and who's not saved? The issue is, what is the gospel? What is the actual content of
the gospel? What is it that a man hears and
believes and receives that God calls the power of God to salvation? What is the gospel? Now, let me ask you, when I ask
that question, what answer comes to your mind when I ask what
is the gospel? Well, what we're going to do
is look at what the Word of God says the gospel is. In Romans chapter 1, verse 16,
Paul the Apostle said, For I am not ashamed of the gospel of
Christ, for it, the gospel, is the power of God unto salvation. to everyone that believeth, to
the Jew first, and also to the Greek, for therein, in the gospel
of which I am not ashamed, for therein, in the gospel that is
the very power of God unto salvation, for therein is the righteousness
of God revealed. From faith to faith, as it is
written, the just shall live by faith. Now, in that passage
of Scripture, where Paul tells us what the gospel is, we learn
two things about the gospel. Remember, I'm asking the question,
what is the gospel? Two things about the gospel.
First, the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. to everyone
that believeth. That means it's the message that
God uses in His miraculous power to save people. And if you don't
hear the gospel, you can't be saved, or you won't be saved. If you don't believe the gospel,
you won't be saved. The gospel is the power of God
unto salvation. And then Paul tells us in verse
17, the gospel is that which declares and reveals and makes
known the righteousness of God. What a profound, awesome thought
that is. The gospel reveals the very righteousness
of God. And Paul said, I'm not ashamed
of the gospel. All who hide and conceal it,
all who hold back some truth of the gospel, all who believe
privately what they will not confess publicly so as not to
suffer persecution, all who use ambiguous language All who seek
to remove the offense of the cross in order to avoid persecution. All who seek to please men are
ashamed of the gospel. Now, the Lord said in Mark chapter
8, verse 38, Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and my
words. You see, you can't separate Christ
from His words, what He says. Now, it's true we preach a person. We don't preach a doctrine. We
preach a person. But that person is known and
identified by his words, by his doctrine. The Lord said, Whosoever
shall be ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and
sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed
when he cometh in the glory of his Father with his holy angels. Paul said to Timothy, Be not
thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of
me his prisoner, but be thou a partaker of the afflictions
of the gospel according to the power of God. Now, I'm not ashamed
of the gospels. As a matter of fact, I'm proud
of the gospel. The gospel I preach, it's not
my gospel, it's God's gospel. The gospel I preach is worthy
of God. It glorifies God. I'm proud of
the gospel I preach. I'm not ashamed of the gospel. Now notice he says, I'm not ashamed
of the gospel. A definite article is used. The gospel that excludes all
false gospels. Let me read a passage of scripture
in Galatians chapter 1 beginning in verse 6. Paul says to the
Galatians, I marvel that you're so soon removed from him that
called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel. And that tells me that the gospel
has something to do with the grace of Christ. And he says,
I'm amazed that you've left this for another gospel. Then he goes
on to say, which is not another. You see, there's only one gospel,
the gospel. This false gospel is not another,
but there be some that trouble you and would pervert or change
the gospel of Christ. But though we or an angel from
heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which we preached
unto you, let him be accursed. Let him be damned is what that
word means. Let him go to hell. That person
who preaches a false gospel, let him be cursed by God. And just in case you didn't hear
what I said, as we said before, so say I now again, if any man
preach any other gospel unto you than that which you've received,
let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men or
God? Or do I seek to please men? For
if I yet please men, I should not be the servant of Christ. Now, this gives us some idea
of how solemn this thing is. Oh, woe unto me, Paul said, if
I preach not the gospel. Now, I don't have to preach,
but I must preach the gospel. Now, in Romans chapter 1, in
the very opening of this book, Paul defines the gospel. He says
in verse 1, Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an
apostle, separated unto the gospel of God. Now, the Gospel is the Gospel
of God. It's the Gospel of which He is
the Author, of which He is the Subject, of which He is the Purpose. Paul said, I'm separated unto
the Gospel of God. Verse 2, the Gospel of God is
that which He had promised afore by His prophets in the Holy Scriptures. Now, he's talking about the Old
Testament Scriptures. The gospel according to the Old
Testament scriptures. Now, many people, if they use
the Old Testament at all, they just use it for character studies.
You know, how to be like Daniel, be brave like Daniel, or be a
leader like Moses. And that's, there's no doubt
many things we can learn about good character in the Old Testament. But the Old Testament scriptures
are given to teach us the gospel. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15,
when he declared the gospel, he said it's how that, Christ
died for our sins according to the Scriptures. And he's talking
about according to the Old Testament Scriptures. And the first example
that comes to my mind is the Passover. Was the blood over
everybody's door or just Israel's door? It's just Israel's door.
If somebody was in the house with the blood over the door,
were they safe? Is there any way they could be destroyed?
No. Christ died for our sins according to that Passover lamb.
Study the Passover and you'll understand something about the
gospel. Study the Day of Atonement in
Leviticus chapter 16. You'll understand something about
the gospel. Study Genesis 22 of Jehovah Jireh, the Lord will
provide himself a lamb, how he provided himself a lamb for the
salvation of his people. That's how the Christ died for
our sins according to the scripture. So a gospel that doesn't line
up What the Old Testament Scriptures is no gospel. The gospel is the
gospel of the Old Testament Scriptures. Now, it says in verse 3, the
gospel is concerning His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Now, I know this may come as
a shock, but the gospel is not about you. It's not about your
needs. It's not about your life. The
gospel is the gospel concerning His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. It's about Him. It's about His
glory, which was made of the seed of David according to the
flesh. This is talking about His humanity. God the Son became
flesh and declared to be the Son of God with power by the
Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead. Now, here's the
two things. Here's two things that tell us that Jesus Christ,
the man Christ Jesus, is God. Because of the Spirit of holiness.
He's the only holy man. He obeyed God perfectly. He had no sin. And the resurrection
from the dead. He was made sin. That's why he
died. The sins of God's people became
His, but He was raised from the dead because He satisfied the
justice of God. Sin was punished, satisfied,
put away, and God raised Him from the dead. Now, that is the
Gospel. It's the Gospel concerning His
Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, His humanity, His deity, that's the
person of Christ, and His work, the resurrection of the dead.
Now, in verse 14 of this same chapter, Paul said, I'm a debtor.
both to the Greeks and to the barbarians, both to the wise
and the unwise, so as much as in me is, I'm ready to preach
the gospel to you that are in Rome also." Paul said, I'm a
debtor to tell the truth. And I am too. I'm a debtor to
tell the truth as to how God saved me. Somebody once said,
preaching, true preaching, is one beggar telling another beggar
where he got bread. And that's what's going on right
now. I'm telling you where I got the bread of the gospel, the
bread of salvation. I'm telling you how God saved
me. And when I'm doing that, I'm not trying to talk about
my personal experience. I'm talking about what the scripture
says regarding God's salvation. I am a debtor to tell you the
truth as to how God saved me. Now Paul goes on to say in verse
16, For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. For it, the
gospel, is the power of God unto salvation. Now salvation, what
does that word mean? Salvation. I love the way it
sounds. I'd love to say it. What does the word mean? In Matthew
chapter 1, verse 21, one of my favorite verses in the scripture,
the angel tells Joseph and Mary, thou shalt call
his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. Now salvation is salvation from
sin. My biggest problem, really my
only problem, is my sin. All other problems come from
that problem, my sin, my disobedience, my law-breaking, my inability,
my sinful nature. I have a sinful nature that makes
it to where I can't do anything but sin naturally in and of myself. Sins are the things my sinful
nature does and I cannot save myself. My sin, like David said,
is ever before me. I need to be saved from my sin
and my sins. And I can't save myself. Now,
the gospel is this promise. He shall save his people. That refers to the elect, everyone
who believes. He shall save his people from
their sins. Now, sin has to be condemned. It has to be judged. and has
to be punished. Well, my sin, my personal sin
was punished when Christ bore it for me and I'll never have
to be punished for it. I've been saved from the penalty
of sin. I've been saved from the power of sin. In this sense,
I was dead in sins. I could not believe, I couldn't
repent, I couldn't come to Christ, I couldn't love God. But God,
by His Spirit, gave me life. A new life that was not there
before. A new creature in Christ Jesus.
And now I can believe. I'm believing right now. Now
I can repent. I'm repenting right now. I've
been saved from the power of sin. There was a time when I
couldn't. I can now. And I'll be saved from the presence
of sin, perfectly conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now that's salvation. Now this
power of God into salvation, the gospel is the power of God
to salvation, not to everyone. But to everyone who believes,
everyone who believes, the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Now, what's the power of God?
The power of God is the cause. That's the best definition I
can think of, of the power of God. It's the cause. Whatever
happens, He's the cause of it. He's the cause of creation. He
created the universe. He's the cause of everything
that happens in Providence. Everything that takes place, He's in control
of. He's the first cause behind. He is the cause of salvation.
If I'm saved, it's because He saved me. He is the cause altogether. It's His work. He's the power
of God unto salvation. Now that's the gospel. The gospel
is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes. to
the Jew first and also to the Greek. Now, listen to verse 17.
For therein, in the gospel, is the righteousness of God revealed
from faith to faith, as it's written, the just shall live
by faith. Now, what is it that the gospel reveals regarding
God? If you ask the average person,
they would say, well, the gospel reveals the love of God. Or the
gospel reveals the grace of God or the mercy of God. And I wouldn't
deny that, indeed, the gospel does show us of the grace and
mercy and love of God and the forgiveness of sins. I wouldn't
deny that. But when Paul talks about what the gospel reveals,
what does he say? He says, for therein in the gospel
is the righteousness of God. revealed from faith to faith
as it's written that just shall live by faith. Now I want to
read a passage of scripture to you from Romans chapter 10. Paul
said, brethren, now remember the gospel reveals the righteousness
of God, his rightness, his absolute justice, his absolute holiness,
his absolute hatred of sin. The gospel reveals the rightness,
the righteousness of God. Keep that in mind as we read
this verse of scripture together. Paul said, Brethren, my heart's
desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be
saved. Now he's talking about his Jewish
brethren, and two things are evident from this verse of Scripture. Number one, they were not saved.
And number two, Paul's heart's desire was that they might be
saved. And you know, when I'm preaching
this message, I say with Paul, my heart's desire is for you
to be saved. I want you to know God. I want
you to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. I want you to know what
it is to rest in Him and to believe Him. Now, he said, brethren,
my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they
might be saved, for I bear them record. They have a zeal of God.
They're very religious, very sincere. No one's questioning
that, but not according to knowledge. For they, being ignorant of God's
righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness,
have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God.
Now, they're ignorant of God's righteousness. They're ignorant
of God's righteous character. You see, if you see yourself
right now while I'm talking to you, and I'm speaking to myself
too, if you see yourself as anything other than completely sinful,
talking about your flesh, what you are by nature, you've never
seen the righteousness of God. Because if you've ever seen the
righteousness of God, you've seen that you are nothing but
sin, and your mouth has been stopped, that every mouth may
be stopped, and all the world become guilty before God. You've
understood God's righteousness in your condemnation. Let me
ask you a question. If God passed by in mercy, everybody
in this world but you, If He saved everybody but you. If He chose to save everybody
but you. If the Lord Jesus Christ died
for everybody but you. If God the Holy Spirit called
everybody but you. Could you charge Him with unfairness?
Could you say that's not fair? Oh, if that's what you say, you've
never seen yourself. You've never stood guilty before
God. Have you ever seen His righteousness
in sending you to hell? Now, the Gospel declares His
righteousness in condemnation, but here's the glorious truth
also. The Gospel declares and reveals
His righteousness in saving somebody like me or you. You see, the
Gospel message lets us know that God has found a way to be just
and justifier, that one that believeth in Jesus. And it declares
His righteousness for the remission of sins. Do you hear that? It
declares His righteousness. That means when God brings me
into heaven, it's the right thing for Him to do. Not just because
He's merciful. Not just because I've been forgiven.
But no, if God brings me into heaven, it's because I personally
deserve to be in heaven because I have no sin. Because I'm righteous
before God. That's what the Gospel declares.
It declares how God can be just and yet justify someone who is
not just. That declares the righteousness
of God. God is so righteous. All my sin,
Punished. And the very righteousness of
Jesus Christ is charged to me, so that I possess perfect righteousness
before God. Now, have you understood that?
That's what the Gospel declares. It reveals the righteousness
of God from faith to faith. As it's written, the just shall
live by faith. From faith. from his faithfulness
to our faith. You see, somebody had to believe
God perfectly, and Christ did. And we are saved, if we're saved,
by the faithfulness of the Lord Jesus Christ. But now the righteousness
of God without the law is witnessed, being manifested by the law and
prophets, even the righteousness of God, which is by the faith
of Jesus Christ upon all and unto all that believe. You see,
I'm saved by the faithfulness of Christ. The righteousness
of God from faith, from His faithfulness, from His righteous faithfulness
to our faith. He gives us faith. As it's written,
the just or the justified shall live by faith. Now, the glorious
gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ makes a man just. That's what justification is
all about. justified without guilt before God. Now, this is
the gospel I rejoice in. The gospel that makes a man just. The just shall live. They live
before God. They live before God's holy law.
Listen to me. I can stand before the Ten Commandments
and they can look me over and say, I find no fault. He's perfect. He's perfectly righteous. And
this is what the gospel does. Oh, it reveals the righteousness
of God. You see, I've got the righteousness
of God is my righteousness. The righteousness of Jesus Christ
is my righteousness before God. That's why I'm justified. I have
no guilt. That's what the gospel does. The just shall live before
God. The life of God in their soul
by faith. Faith is the evidence that God
has done something for me. I believe the Gospel. I live
by faith. I can't live off my works, but
I live off His faithfulness. Paul said in Galatians 2.20,
I live yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life that
I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God
who loved me and gave Himself for me. What is the Gospel? The gospel is that which is the
power of God unto salvation to those who believe. The gospel
is that message that reveals the righteousness of God in damnation,
of course, but also in salvation. And if that message is not preached,
the gospel is not preached. Oh, that we might have a reviving
in our day of the preaching of the gospel. Now, we have this
message on cassette tape, on DVD and CD. If you call the church
or write, we'll send you a copy. This is Todd Kniper praying that
God will be pleased to make Himself known to you. That's our prayer.
To request a copy of the sermon you have just heard, send your
request to messages at toddsroadgracechurch.com. Or you may write or call the
church at the information provided on the screen. that I did choose thee, Lord,
for, Lord, that could not be.