That may be one of my favorite,
favorite songs. I love that line. Prisons would
palaces prove if Jesus would dwell with me there. Turn with
me back to Mark chapter 16. Mark chapter 16. Look again at verse, beginning
with verse 15. And he said unto them, the Lord, the Lord himself spoke
to his disciples. And he said unto them, go ye
into all the world and preach the gospel. Go ye into the world and preach
the gospel to every creature. And he that believeth and is
baptized shall be saved. But he that believeth not shall
be damned. This is the command of the Lord. to preach the gospel to every
creature. Paul wrote over in 1 Corinthians,
he said, Christ sent me not to baptize, but rather he sent me
to preach, to preach the gospel, preach the gospel to every living
creature. This is done in many, many ways,
supporting the work of missionaries, who go into distant lands and
preach the word. You know, we use this sermon
audio to broadcast messages. It amazes me the places where
the word, the Lord's pleased to send his word. The work of evangelism. We have
men in our congregation, they go elsewhere and preach to men. Preach to other churches. We
have men come here. We're very blessed that men come
here and preach the word for us. Paul told Timothy, he said,
watch thou in all things and do the work of an evangelist. We're very thankful to have the
gospel here, but it's our desire that the Lord would take this
word and continue to spread it. to preach to other men. There's witnessing, witnessing
to others. I don't know if you remember
this. Our Lord, he told that man in
the tombs, remember that man in the tombs that was, he was
out of control, wasn't he? He ran around the cemetery naked. He couldn't be bound with chains.
He cut on himself. He was just an absolute mess,
and yet the Lord was pleased to have mercy on that man. I often wonder, if that fellow
showed up at our back door, what would our response be to him? The Lord dealt with him in mercy
and love. He is only he can. He removed
those devils from that man and cast them into a bunch of swine
that ran over the hill and drowned. And the next time you see that
man, just think about this. That man of the Gadarenes, he
was sitting, he was clothed, he was in his right mind. The
Lord had mercy on him. And when the Lord left town,
that man followed him. He followed him to the ship that
the Lord was gonna get on, and he prayed to the Lord. That man
that had been possessed with the devils, he prayed that he
might be with the Lord, that he might just follow him everywhere
he went. And we read that the Lord suffered
him not, He had other things in plan for
him, didn't he? He said, you do this. Just go home. Go home to your friends. Go home
to your family. And this is all you do. You tell
them what great things the Lord had done for you. And that's
what he did. Scripture says he departed and
he began to publish in Decapolis how great things the Lord did
for him, and men did marvel. The command, go into the world
and preach the gospel. Well, what is this gospel that
we preach? That's so important, isn't it?
This gospel we preach. This gospel we preach, first
it does this, it declares salvation for the lost, salvation for sinners. In Psalm 142, we read this, that
the Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see
if there were any that did understand, if there were any that did seek
after God. And you know what he saw? Scripture says this, this is
what he saw, that they were all going aside. They're all together
become filthy. There is none that doeth good. No, not one. When those self-righteous
scribes and Pharisees saw the Lord eating with publicans and
sinners, they said to his disciples, That troubled them. They said,
why is it, how is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans
and sinners? They didn't have to reply, did
they? The Lord replied and he said this, I didn't come to call
the righteous. I came to call sinners to repentance. In Ezekiel 34 verse 16, He says, I will seek that which
was lost. I'll bring again that which was
driven away. I'll bind up that which was broken. I'll strengthen that which was
sick. He said, I'm going to destroy
the fat and the strong. I'll feed them with judgment.
He came to save sinners. Matthew wrote this, the Son of
Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. Second, the gospel we preach,
it's the gospel of the grace of God. Turn with me to Acts
chapter 20. Hold your place there and mark.
Turn to Acts chapter 20. Look at verse 24 of Acts 20. None of these things move me. Acts 20 verse 24. None of these things move me.
Neither count I my own life dear to myself, so that I might finish
my course with joy, and the ministry which I have received of the
Lord Jesus to testify the gospel of the grace of God. It's not by works of righteousness
which we've done, but according to his mercy, he saved us. Scripture says by the washing
of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost, The reason
of redemption is not found in man. I know that's counter to
what this world says, but the reason for redemption is not
found in man. It's not found in us. You know,
it's nothing but foolishness to think that a man or a woman
or a young person can come to God apart from the Lord Jesus
Christ. It's not man's will. The Apostle
Paul, whom God called, he said this of Paul. He said, he's a
chosen vessel. And yet Paul said this. He said, I know that in me, that
is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. He said, the will is present
with me, But how to perform that, which is good, I find not. It's not man's will that saves
man. It's not man's merit. God created
the worlds. God created everything in this
world. What is man going to produce that's going to impress God?
What do we have to offer before a holy and righteous God? It's
not by works of righteousness. That's clear in scripture. It
says, not by works of righteousness which we have done. It's not
by man's deeds. It's not by what a man does or
what a man does not do. Scripture says, by the deeds
of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight. And by
nature, we wander further and further from God until he puts
forth his hand and is pleased to draw us to himself. Only he can. The Lord saves his
people. Again, not by works of righteousness,
but wholly and completely because of his mercy and grace. It's all in Christ. It's the
gospel of his grace. Simply said, Salvation is of
the Lord. Call His name Jesus, for He shall. I ask you, what shall He do?
It says He shall. Do you know the answer to that
question? What shall Jesus do? God's Word says this, He shall
save. Who's He going to save? Who is
He going to save? His Word says He's going to save
His people. His people. What's He going to
save them from? You know the answer, don't you?
Their sin. He shall save His people from
their sin. That's the truth. That's what
God's Word says. In the book of Matthew, Matthew
1.21, it says, She shall bring forth a Son, and shall call His
name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins."
Third, this gospel. It's the gospel concerning His
Son. We declare Jesus Christ the Son
of God. Turn with me to Mark, Mark chapter
1. Mark 1, verse 1. The beginning of the gospel of
Jesus Christ. Who is he? He is the Son of God. The Son of God. Whosoever shall
call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. You know, we
make distinctions in this world, whether we want to admit that
or not. We do, don't we? There's black, there's white,
there's rich, there's poor, there's learned, there's unlearned. We
put all kind of people in different categories. What'd that say? Whosoever. Whosoever shall call
on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Acts 4.12 says, neither
is there salvation in any other. For there is no other name under
heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. Nothing, no thing, no person,
no matter how strong, no matter how powerful, not kings, not
princes, not even ministers or preachers in the church. None
but the name of the Lord Jesus Christ can save. His person,
His work, His blood, His righteousness. It's all, all of Him. God determined it. God purposed
it. God decreed it in His counsel,
in His covenant. He determined to save a people. To save a people. And He appointed
His Son. to be the salvation of them. He determined who he would save,
when he would save, how he would save. Saved, how are we saved? Saved by the blood of the crucified
one. Saved by him and no other. No other. No other way. And he saves whomsoever he is
pleased to save. No other name. There's no other
name under heaven whereby we must be saved. The Spirit of
God performs a divine operation in the heart of his people. Think about that. The Lord gives
us a heart to receive his word. He opens the eyes to see the
gospel. He opens the ears to hear his
word. I've heard men say this. I cringe
when I hear it. They say they've led men to Christ. Only the Holy Spirit can lead
a man to Christ. Scripture says this, as many
as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Only the Father can draw men
to his Son. That's what our Lord said in
John 644. He said, no man can come to me
except the Father which has sent me draw him. Fourth, this gospel
we preach, it's the gospel of peace. Peace, not peace where
there is no peace, but true peace. Turn to Romans 10. Verse 14. Romans 10, verse 14. How then shall they call on him
of whom they've not believed, And how shall they believe in
him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without
a preacher? And how shall they preach except they be sent? As
it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach
the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things. This gospel is the gospel of
peace. In Ephesians 2, we read that
we were by nature the children of wrath. That doesn't sound
very peaceful, does it? The children of wrath. In Psalm
7, David wrote this. He said, God is angry with the
wicked. He's angry with the wicked. Now man, man says that God loves
everybody. Man says a lot of foolish things.
And you know, we would be much better served to
spend a lot less time listening to what man has to say. But rather, what does God's word
say? God's word says that God is angry
with the wicked. It says that he hates the workers
of iniquity. And the wrath and judgment of
God has been upon man since the day Adam fell in the garden. Why is that? Because of sin. Our sins have separated us. And
God has to be reconciled. He's the offended party. It really don't matter if we're
offended, does it? God's the offended party. There
has to be peace, peace in heaven, peace toward men. And the Lord
Jesus Christ came to this earth and he removed that cause of
enmity. He removed that cause of wrath. He removed sin. He took the sins
of his people upon himself. He died for the sins of every
Believer, he died for the sins of his elect. All those, all
those who in time are gonna receive Christ, he died for his sin,
he died for their sins, all of his sheep. What a miracle of his grace that
he sent forth his only begotten son to die for the sins of his
people. And as a result of that, there's
peace, peace in heaven. That's what we, peace in heaven,
goodwill toward men. Fifth, this gospel we preach,
it's the gospel of eternal salvation. Turn with me to 2 Thessalonians.
2 Thessalonians. Look at 2 Thessalonians 2, verse
13. Paul writing to the church here,
he says, we're bound to give thanks always to God for you,
brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning,
when? When I made a decision, when
I decided to do this, no, from the beginning, chosen you to
salvation. The Lord willing here in a little
bit, we're gonna witness the baptism of a couple of our brothers. There won't be any new names
written down in glory. Those names have been written
from before the foundation of the world. chosen in Christ from
before the foundation of the world. God has from the beginning
chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the spirit
and belief of the truth. Those whom he loved eternally,
those whom he loved with an everlasting love, he loved us and sent his
son to be a propitiation, a sin offering. a sacrifice for us. He saved us. Turn to 1 Corinthians
chapter 15. Look at verse one. Paul says,
moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel
which I preached unto you, which also you've received. He said,
you received it, and wherein you stand, by which also ye are
saved, if you keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless
you believed it in vain. For I delivered unto you first
of all that which I received, how that Christ died for our
sins according to the scriptures He said, you received it. You received. The Lord Jesus
Christ came into the world. The world was made by him, and
yet the world didn't know him. He came into his own, and his
own received him not. But what does the scripture say?
As many as received him. To them gave he power to become
the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name, which
were born. not of blood, not of the will
of the flesh, not of the will of man, but of God. Sadly, there are those who will
not receive him, will not receive his word. They have no use for
it. No use for his word, no use for
his hymn, but I tell you who will receive him, his sheep will. Have you received his word? Acts
2 41 says this, they gladly received his word. They gladly received
his word and were baptized. He said, you stand in it, this
word. You stand in it, you continue safe and sound in it. You stand
unharmed in it, you stand in it prepared, without wavering,
without hesitation, just like those children of Israel. when
they stood there at the Red Sea. Remember the command? Was it
break out your weapons and fight, get busy doing something? What
was the command? Stand still. Just stand still
and see the salvation of the Lord, which he'll show unto you
this day. It's the gospel you received.
It's the gospel wherein you stand. It's the gospel by which you're
saved. It's the means of salvation.
The gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation. There's power in that word. Power
that speaks life to dead sinners. Power that opens the eyes of
the blind. Power to reveal Christ. power
to declare salvation in Christ and Christ alone. And then last, there is but one gospel. Only, only one. Not many, but
one. Turn with me to Galatians. Galatians
chapter one. Galatians 1 verse 6, I marvel that ye are so soon
removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ
unto another gospel, which is not another. But there be some
that trouble you and would pervert the gospel of Christ, but though
we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel than that which
was preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before,
so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel than
this gospel, let him be accursed. This gospel, it declares Salvation
for lost sinners. It's the gospel of His grace.
It's the gospel of His dear Son. The gospel of peace. The gospel
of eternal salvation. Eternal salvation. A salvation
that cannot be taken away. With man, that's not impossible,
or that's not possible, but with God, all things are possible. Eternal salvation. And there's just one. There's
just one gospel and no other. This present evil world, this
world sees these things as foolishness. And we're told that'll happen
in God's word, aren't we? The preaching of the cross is
to them that what? Perish. Foolishness. But unto us which are saved,
it is the power of Almighty God. And those that hear this gospel,
those that love this gospel, those that believe this gospel,
Those that are saved by the power of God. Those that He's been
pleased to save. You can't hide that. You cannot
hide that. And listen, as a result, they
confess Him. They confess Him in Believer's
Baptism. Turn back to me, back to Mark
16. Again, verse 15. He said unto them, go ye into
all the world, preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth
and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall
be damned. He that believeth and is baptized,
Baptism, it's a picture of the Lord's death, His burial, His
resurrection. Baptism is a picture of us being
buried with Christ, buried with Him. And our sins washed away
by His blood, by His death, by His work of substitution. Baptism
is a picture of his resurrection. It points to his resurrection.
As we die with Christ, we're risen to walk with him in newness
of life. And baptism is, it's for believers. It's for those that believe.
It's the answer of a good conscience toward God. in this baptistry. That's what
they're saying. Like, I believe God. That what he said he'd do, he
did. That Christ is everything to me. I believe this gospel
and I want everyone here to know that, to identify with him. And again, we have two men here
this morning that have expressed their desire to confess our Lord
in believer's baptism. Isaac's going to come lead us
in a hymn, and we'll make preparation to baptize our brother Mike and
brother Sam. All right.