Today I would like you to take
your Bible, please, and let's turn to 1 Thessalonians chapter
2. 1 Thessalonians chapter 2. Let me read to you three verses
from this second chapter of 1 Thessalonians. Paul, when he writes to them,
says that he preached the gospel, God's gospel. He says, we were
gentle among you even as a nurse, which cherishes or feeds her
children. So being affectionately desirous
of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you not the gospel
of God only, but also our own soul, because you were dear unto
us. Paul loved these people. And then he says in verse 9,
For you remember, brethren, our labor and travail, our labor
and trouble, for laboring night and day, because we would not
be charitable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel
of God. In verses 8 and 9 of this chapter,
we read this phrase two different times. Paul says that he preached
to them the gospel of God. The gospel of God. Now, this gospel and the word
gospel plainly means and simply means glad tidings or good news. It's a proclamation of God's
eternal purpose in and by and through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Chiefly, this gospel of God is concerning the Lord Jesus Christ,
and it's to His glory. To His glory. Secondly, this
gospel of God is concerning not only the glory of the Lord Jesus
Christ, but the salvation of His people from their sin, by
and through and in and because of our Lord Jesus Christ. The angel declared from heaven
Say, call his name Jesus. He shall save his people from
their sin. The gospel of God concerning
the Lord Jesus Christ declares at least four things. Now here's
what I want to talk to you about today. The gospel of God declares
these four important points. Let me give them to you and we'll
go back and look at them. The gospel of God, the gospel of
God's grace in Christ, the gospel of His glory, the gospel concerning
the Lord Jesus Christ, and it's all under the umbrella of the
gospel of God declares the love of God, the love of God which
is in Christ Jesus. God has loved His people, His
elect, His chosen with an everlasting love. Secondly, involves the
will of God, and the will of God involves the purpose of God. The decree of God, the gospel
of God, concerns the will of God, the love of God in Christ
Jesus. Thirdly, it concerns the blood
atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, the blood atonement. How is sin
put away? Not by our works, but by the
blood, the precious blood of the Lamb, the Lamb of God, the
Lord Jesus Christ. And here's the fourth thing.
This gospel of God, The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, which
is a good news of salvation to the guilty, declares the work
of God the Holy Spirit within the sinner, revealing Christ
as everything in salvation. Now, somewhere along the course
of human history, wicked men have sought to change God's gospel. They've sought to change it.
And to make it what the Apostle Paul called when he wrote to
the Galatians, another gospel, a man-centered gospel, a works
gospel that gives the creature glory, glory and honor instead
of God only, Christ only. Now let's go back and look at
these four points. We know, according to the Scriptures,
that God doesn't change. He said, I am the Lord, I change
not. Therefore ye sons of Jacob, ye are not consumed." You see,
this gospel of God is the ancient gospel. It's an old message,
as old as God himself. And it declares these four things.
Here's the first one. The gospel of God declares the
love of God. Now let me ask you a very important
question. I want you to think about it.
Is the love of God that's taught in Scripture, is it universal?
Is it universal? Is the love of God the same toward
all men without exception or without difference? And my friend,
my answer to you from the Scripture is no. The love of God is not
universal. Is His love toward Judas and
Peter the same? Jacob and Esau, is it the same? Paul, the Apostle, and Simon
Magus, did God love universally, love them and all men? Is it all the same? If you say
that it is, the love of God has nothing to do with the salvation
of a sinner. But my friend, what I'm saying,
the Scripture teaches this. Behold what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed upon us, upon His elect, upon His chosen,
that we should be the sons of God. The love of God is not universal. The love of God is revealed only
in Christ Jesus, and it is revealed toward His people. Now let me
give you four things about this love of God that the Scriptures
teach. First of all, it's eternal. It's eternal. God in Christ has
always loved His people. Always. He says in Jeremiah 31,
I've loved you with an everlasting love, therefore with lovingkindness
have I drawn you to myself. Secondly, the love of God is
sovereign. Remember what He said of Jacob
and Esau? The love of God is sovereign.
means that God will love whom He will. He said in Romans 9,
Jacob have I loved, Esau have I hated. Now that's the Word
of God. In Noah's day, we don't see the universal love of God
displayed, we see the sovereign love of God displayed. Millions,
they tell me, perished in the flood. If God loved all them
the same as He loved Noah and those within the ark, How can
you say that God loved all men universally in that day? The
love of God was manifested to Noah sovereignly to Noah and
his family within the ark. And that ark is a picture of
Christ. So the love of God is eternal. The love of God is sovereign. It is toward his people, toward
his chosen. He predestinated us in love. And thirdly, it's in Christ Jesus. Paul said in Romans 8, nothing
can separate us from the love of God. which is in Christ Jesus. And it's demonstrated, this love
of God is demonstrated at Calvary. He said, herein is love, not
that we love God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to
be propitiation for his people. Christ died not in order to make
God love his people, but because he did love his chosen. Having loved his own, he loved
them to the end. Shall anyone perish for whom
the Lord Jesus Christ loves? and for whom he died, for whom
he has chosen in that eternal covenant of grace? Absolutely
not. They all shall be saved. You see, this is a biblical view
of God's gospel and the right scriptural view of God's love
in Christ Jesus. The gospel of God secondly declares
this, declares the will of God in saving sinners. The will of
God, the purpose of God, in saving sinners. Now, if salvation were
left, if we were left to our own fallen sinful will in salvation,
none will be saved. You heard me right. Our Lord
said to those Jews recorded in John chapter 5, verse 39 and
40, he said, you will not come to me that you might have life.
Men love darkness rather than the light. Our Lord said again
in John 6, 44, no man can come unto me except the father, which
sent me draw him. Salvation is by God's will, purpose
and grace. Now let me give you these three
things. Salvation is by God's will, purpose, and grace. Now here's several scriptures.
Salvation is by the will of God. He says in John chapter 1, He
came unto his own, and his own received him not, but to many
as received him. To them gave he the will, the
right, the privilege, the power to become sons of God which were
born, not of blood, not of the will of flesh, not of the will
of man, but of the will and purpose of God. So salvation, this gospel
of God, declares the love of God and declares the will of
God, the purpose of God in saving sinners. And salvation is by
God's will, salvation is by God's purpose. He works all things
after the counsel of His own will and purpose. And salvation
is by the grace of God, the sovereign, eternal, redeeming, powerful
grace of God. The apostle put it this way in
Ephesians 2, for by grace are you saved through faith in that,
not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. So the
gospel of God declares the love of God, eternal, sovereign in
Christ Jesus, demonstrated at Calvary. The gospel of God also
declares the will and the purpose of God. We're saved not by our
free will, we're saved by God's purpose and grace in Christ Jesus. Now here's the third thing. The
gospel of God declares the effectual, powerful, particular blood atonement
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now here's the essential question. What happened at Calvary? What took place at Calvary? Did
our Lord Jesus Christ, did he die to put away sin? Did he make
an atonement for sin? Or did he try to put away sin?
Did he die for all the sins of all men everywhere? and make
an attempt to put away all their sin? Or did he die an effectual
death for his people as their substitute and representative,
effectually putting away their sin?" Well, the Scriptures teach
that the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ was and is effectual. How effectual? He said in Hebrews
10, Their sin and their iniquity will I remember no more. He appeared
once in the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice
of himself. The blood atonement of Jesus
Christ is effectual, powerful, particular. And I mean by that
when I say particular that the Lord Jesus Christ laid down his
life for his people. And it's powerful as well. The
blood of Christ cleanses God's people from all their sin. And it's satisfying, this blood
atonement, the substitute to surety of the covenant, is satisfying
to God Almighty. God made him to be sin for us,
who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of
God in him. Now, here's a vital question
to consider. Did our Lord Jesus Christ die
in vain? Are there some in hell for whom
he died? Now, if your answer is yes, then
the blood of Jesus Christ has nothing to do with our salvation
and redemption from sin. If there are some perish, if
there are some in hell for whom Christ died, and your answer
to that question is yes, then the blood of Jesus Christ has
nothing to do with our salvation and redemption from sin. But
if you say no, there's none that will perish because the blood
of Christ puts away all their sin. If you answer that question,
no, there's none that will perish for whom he died. Then the blood
atonement and sacrificial work has everything to do with the
justification of sinners through the blood and righteousness of
Jesus Christ. Now, here's the last point. Now,
we're considering this morning the gospel of God. The gospel
of God declares the love of God. The gospel of God declares not
only the love of God, but the will of God. And the gospel of
God declares the effectual, powerful blood atonement of Jesus Christ. Now, here's the last point. The
gospel of God declares the sovereign revelation and application of
the gospel within the sinner's heart by the work of the Holy
Spirit. Paul put it this way in Philippians
1, verse 6, God who hath begun a good work in you. Paul said,
Christ in you, the hope of glory. Our Lord said in Matthew 11,
25, He's hid these things from the wise and prudent and revealed
them unto His people, unto His babe. The Holy Spirit doesn't
try to get men to believe or try to bring men to believe on
Christ and come to Christ. He brings them willingly in the
day of His power. Through the preaching of the
gospel, the Holy Spirit sovereignly compels sinners to come to Christ. He says that in scripture, Psalm
65, blessed is he whom thou choosest and causes to approach unto thee. In Psalm 110 verse 3 he says,
Thy people shall be willing in the day of God's power." Through
the preaching of the gospel, God the Holy Spirit quickens
and regenerates and draws sinners to Christ with irresistible power. You hath He quickened who were
dead in trespasses and sins. And when He brings us to Christ,
He reveals that in salvation, Christ is everything. The Apostle
Paul, when he wrote to the Romans, said, I'm not ashamed of the
gospel of Christ. It is a power of God unto salvation
to everyone that believe it. And our believing is a result
of being born again of God by the Word of God and by the Spirit
of God. This gospel of God concerning
Christ Jesus is a power of God unto salvation. In this gospel
is revealed the righteousness that's accomplished, provided,
and accepted before God in Christ Jesus. Only that which God provides
will God accept. It must be perfect. And that's
what the gospel of God declares. The gospel of God declares this
message of a successful sacrifice that was appointed of God and
accepted of God by and through the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, I
pray that you'll consider this message today. And if you would
like a copy of it, you can call me at 631-9053. Or you can write
to me at Zebulon Baptist Church, 6088 Zebulon Highway, Pikeville,
Kentucky.