A Summary of Our Gospel

Q: What does the Bible say about the importance of Scripture?

The Bible emphasizes seeking God through His Word, as the truth and light necessary for spiritual understanding. Isaiah 8:19-20 and 1 Corinthians 2 highlight the necessity of seeking God through the Scriptures rather than following misleading preachers or false prophets. Isaiah warns against those who consult familiar spirits and encourages the people to turn to God's Word, stating that if those they listen to do not align with it, there is no truth in them. Paul echoes this sentiment, asserting that his preaching relied not on human wisdom but solely on the demonstration of the Spirit and power, so that faith would rest on God's Word and not human reasoning.

Q: How do we know that salvation is in Christ alone?

The Bible asserts that all spiritual blessings and redemption are found solely in Jesus Christ. The sermon clearly states that everything spiritual and eternal that God has for sinners resides in Jesus Christ. This is supported by Ephesians 1:3, which declares that God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ. This means that justification, sanctification, and every blessing necessary for salvation is exclusively found in Him. Colossians 2:3 further affirms that all treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ, underscoring that without Him, there is no true understanding or salvation.

Q: Why is faith essential for salvation?

Faith is vital because it is through belief in Christ that one receives eternal life. Faith in Christ is underscored as the means by which believers receive the blessings of salvation. Hebrews 11 emphasizes that without faith, it is impossible to please God, and examples from the Old Testament demonstrate how faith was central to the lives of God's people. It is through faith that one comes to know God and secures eternal life, as articulated in John 17:2-3, where Jesus states that eternal life is knowing the only true God and the one He sent. Therefore, faith is not merely intellectual assent but a deep, personal commitment to Jesus Christ.

Q: How does one achieve union with Christ?

Union with Christ is accomplished by faith, which allows believers to partake in His blessings. This sermon emphasizes that believers achieve union with Christ through faith, which is a gift from God and not a work of man. Faith connects individuals to Christ, enabling them to receive all spiritual blessings found in Him. The metaphors of the vine and branches illustrate how believers must abide in Christ to bear fruit and enjoy the life He imparts. This union is not a mere philosophical concept but a dynamic relationship that comes from believing the gospel and receiving Christ into one's life. Without this connection, believers cannot partake of the fullness that is promised in Him.

Q: Why should Christians avoid false teachers?

Christians must avoid false teachers because they distract from the true message of God's Word. The sermon warns against following those with familiar spirits and charismatic appeal who lead people away from the truth of Scripture. Isaiah and Paul advise believers to seek guidance solely from the Word of God, as false prophets can mislead with enticing words and emotional manipulation. 1 Corinthians 2 emphasizes that godly preaching rests on the foundation of Scripture and should not rely on human wisdom. Understanding this brings about spiritual maturity and guards against deception in a world filled with counterfeit teachings.

I would like very much for you
to pull up a chair and pay very special attention to this message
that I'm going to bring you today. I'm going to talk to you about
some very serious matters. Now, if you have your Bible,
open it to Isaiah chapter 8, verse 19 and 20. Isaiah the 8th
chapter, verse 19 and 20. Now, here's the title of the
message. And as you're listening to the
message, remember that it's available to you on cassette tape so that
you can play it for someone else or listen to it again for your
own instruction and edification. But a summary of our gospel,
that's what I'm going to talk about today, a summary of our
gospel. Now, Isaiah the prophet wrote
many, many years ago in Isaiah chapter 8, verse 19, When they
shall say to you, Seek ye the prophets," that's who he's talking
about, the preachers, that have familiar spirits. In other words,
if you want to know something about God and about spiritual
matters and about life eternal, go to the prophets who have familiar
spirits. In other words, he's saying they're
going to say this to you. Go to those people who claim
to have special unusual powers. powers to heal and powers to
cast out devils and powers to have divine visions and revelations
and dreams. Or they may say this to you,
seek ye the wizards, the wizards that peep and mutter, speak in
low muttering tones. That is, go to the preachers
who have charm and charisma, who sing like birds, who peep
like birds and who mutter in pleasant tones. He said, if you
go to these people, they'll mislead you. They'll mislead you. He asked this question, should
not a people seek their God? People tell you, go to these
folks that have familiar spirits. Go to these that peep and mutter.
Should not a people seek to their God? Shouldn't we go to God? Shouldn't we go to God's Word?
Shall we seek the living God? listening to dead men. Now notice
the next verse. He continued. Isaiah said, go
to the Scriptures. Go to the law and to the testimony. Go to the Word of God. Search
the Scriptures. And if those prophets and those
preachers to whom you listen, if they do not speak according
to the Word of God, according to the law and the testimony,
It's because there's no light in them. There's no dawning.
There's no truth. Now, this is what Paul says to
the church at Corinth. The same thing that Isaiah said
in the Old Testament. Don't go to those with familiar
spirits. Don't go to those who claim special
powers and special visions and revelations. Don't go to hear
a man because he speaks with charm or charisma. Go to the
Word of God. Don't seek the living God among
the dead. Go to the Word of God. Whomever
you may be listening to, if they do not speak according to the
Scriptures, it's because there's no truth in them. There's no
light in them. And Paul said this to the church at Corinth
in 1 Corinthians 2. He said, Brethren, when I came
to you, when I came to minister to you, and Paul was down there
in Corinth for a year and a half preaching to this church, to
these people. And when I came to you, I didn't come with excellency
of speech. I didn't depend upon oratory.
I didn't depend upon the power of words. I didn't come to you
with wisdom of words and intellectualism, declaring unto you the testimony
of God. That was not my method. That
was not my way. I determined when I was among
you to know nothing. but Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And He said, I was with you in
fear, in weakness, and in trembling. And my speech and my preaching
was not with philosophy, was not with enticing, entertaining
words of man's wisdom, but I preached to you the Word of God, the Word
of God, the truth of the Scriptures. I preached to you, not depending
on entertainment and charisma, and emotionalism and enticing
words of man's wisdom, I preach to you in the demonstration of
the Holy Spirit and the power of God." Why? That your faith
should not stand in the wisdom of men, in the logic of men,
in the reasoning of men. Your faith must not stand in
the wisdom of men. Your faith must stand in the
power or in the Word of God. You see, my friends, the Lord
did not send His preachers to entertain. He didn't send His
preachers to entice people and to rob people. He sent His prophets. You read this in the book of
Ephesians. He sent His prophets, His apostles, His missionaries,
and today we're called pastor-teachers. Those two words go together,
pastor-teachers. He sent them to preach and to
teach His Word to all who'll hear. God's preacher comes preaching
God's Word. Thus saith the Lord, what saith
the Scriptures. That's His platform, that's His
foundation, that's His ministry to teach you the Word of God,
that you might be mature in the things of Christ. And listen
to me now. As I've warned you before, and I've been on this
station for 18 years, preaching the gospel, teaching the Word
of God, and as I've warned you before, I warn you again. I warn
you again concerning these religious entertainers, these religious
showmen with their orchestras and bands and extravagant theater
productions. You see them. They're on all
the time. I warn you about these people.
Don't go to those with familiar spirits. Don't go to the wizards
that peep. Go to the Word of God. I warn
you against preachers who beg for money. I've warned you time
and again on this program. They beg for money in the name
of God Almighty. They carry on telethons in the
name of God Almighty to raise money. They sell trinkets. They sell idols. They sell religious
paraphernalia for the sole purpose of raising money for themselves
and for their programs. And I say to you with a heavy
heart, God did not send them. What God Almighty purposes, God
provides. Do you understand that? What
God purposes, God provides. And when God sends a man to preach
His Word, He supplies his need. God does. Miraculously, sovereignly,
according to His riches and glory through Christ Jesus. And the
preacher who is sent of God does not have to beg for money or
raise money or pressure people to send money or sell trinkets
and paraphernalia in the name of God to keep something going
which he claims is of God. If it's of God, God will provide. And I say unto you, and I warn
you, that's what Isaiah was warning, what he was warning the people
about hundreds of years ago. God's preachers are plain men. Plain men. They're humble men.
They're not philosophers, and they're not showmen, and they're
not entertainers, and they don't live in million-dollar houses,
and they don't wear expensive clothing. and jewelry. God's
preachers don't. They're plain men. I'm telling
you, go through the Scriptures. Study the men of God. Paul, Peter,
James, John, John the Baptist, Isaiah, all of these men were
plain men who came, not entertaining people, not enticing them, not
using them to accomplish their vainglorian purposes. God's preachers
come preaching God's Word. Is that not true? You know that
it's true. And God's preachers are not dishonest
men. They do not steal. They do not
beg. They do not borrow beyond their
means. They do not bring reproach on
the kingdom of God or the gospel of Jesus Christ. They're not
popular men. But they're God's men, and they're
preaching God's Word. They do not depend on the flesh
and the world, but they simply preach. They come preaching the
Word of God and teaching the Word of God, depending on the
power of that Word to accomplish the will of God Almighty. That's
what I'm trying to do on this program. And I beg of you, listen
to me and hear me. Don't be taken in by this promotion
today in the name of religion, by this entertainment and emotionalism
in the name of religion. God is the same yesterday, today,
and forever. Read the Scriptures. See who
He is, and see what He says. Search the Scriptures to see
if these things be so. And I want to repeat to you a
few points in this message today, which I entitled, The Summary
of Our Gospel. The Summary of Our Gospel. And
it's true. It's true. It's the Word of God.
That's what I try to do, give you a point, read it in the Scriptures,
and illustrate that point. Now listen to this. Here's what
I'm saying. Point number one, there'll be five of them. If
you have pencil and paper, jot it down. Here's the first one.
Everything spiritual, everything of any eternal value. I'm talking
about things of eternal value. I'm not talking about things
that fade away today and gone tomorrow and here today and gone
the next day. I'm talking about things that
last, things spiritual, things eternal. Everything spiritual
and eternal that a living holy God, has for you and for me,
sinners, sons of Adam, is in Jesus Christ our Lord." Now,
that's so. You remember that. Everything
spiritual. It's not in the church. It's
in Christ. It's not in an experience. It's
in Christ. It's not in a doctrine. It's
in Christ. Everything spiritual, eternal, of any value that God
has for a sinner that will last is in Christ Jesus. Now, you
can't add to that statement. You can't take away from it,
and you can't improve on it. Listen to Ephesians 1 and see
if this is not what Ephesians 1 is saying, verse 3. Now listen
to it. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual
blessings, all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. All spiritual blessings. I'm
not talking about a new car in your garage and financial improvement
and a healing for your sore back. I'm talking about something that's
going to last. I'm talking about something of great value. I'm
talking about something eternal. I'm talking about justification,
forgiveness, redemption, sanctification, fellowship with God. These are
spiritual blessings. And these are all in Christ Jesus.
That's where they are. We were chosen in Christ. We
are accepted in Christ. In Christ we have redemption.
In Christ we have the forgiveness of sins. In Christ we have an
inheritance reserved in heaven for us. It's all in Him. In Him. Listen to Colossians 2, verse
3. This is what the Word says. I'm not trying to excite you
and stir you up emotionally and get you to turn flip-flops there
behind your television. I'm trying to get you to listen. Faith is a hard work. It's a
hard understanding of what God has written. Don't go to the
wizards that peep. Don't go to those who claim special
familiar spirits. Go to the Word of God. All flesh
is grass, and all the glory of man is the flower of the field.
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, but the Word of God endureth
forever. Colossians 2, 3, listen. In Christ
are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Where's
wisdom? Where's knowledge? In Christ
Jesus. Listen to verse 9 and 10. In
Christ dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you're
complete in Him. All spiritual blessings in Him. It says in 1 Corinthians 1.30,
But of God are you in Christ? Who of God? Christ. is made unto us wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification, and redemption, that no flesh should glory in
his presence." It's not in the preacher. It's not in my philosophy
or my wisdom or my cheerleading powers to keep you stirred up.
All of this wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption
is in his Son and revealed in his Word. John 3, 35, listen
to this, "...the Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things
into his hands. He that believeth on the Son
hath life. He that believeth not the Son
shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." Now,
did I make that plain? We didn't jump over the pulpit,
and I didn't scream at you and assault you. and berate you,
I just told you, all spiritual blessings that God Almighty,
the living, holy God has for you and me as sinners is in Christ
Jesus. Or here's the second part. Those
spiritual blessings in Christ become ours. They become ours
by a living, personal union with Christ. Now, if God has put everything
in the Son, Then for me to have anything of that everything,
I've got to be where it is. I've got to be where God put
it. I've got to be in the Son. You see what I'm saying? Eternal
life is not just believing there's a God. It's not just believing
in God. It's not just learning the correct
doctrine. It's not just having an emotional experience. Eternal
life is to know God and to have the nature of God regenerated
in you. It's to know God and to have
the nature of God. Listen to this scripture, John
17, 2 and 3. This is Christ Jesus Himself
praying the priestly prayer. In John 17, 2, He said, Father,
Thou hast given Me power, that word's authority, over all flesh,
that I should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given
Me. And this is life eternal, that
they might know Thee. This is life eternal, that they
might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou
hast sent. That's eternal life, is to know
God, is to have the nature of God. Listen to I John 5.20. Now,
if words can mean anything, listen to this scripture. I John 5.20,
We know that the Son of God hath come, and hath given us an understanding,
that we may know Him that is true, and that we're in Him that
is true, even in Him. This is the true God, and this
is eternal life, even in His Son, Jesus Christ. God's Son has come and given
us an understanding that we may know Him, that we may be in Him. It pleased God, Paul said, to
reveal His Son in me. God revealed His Son in me. Salvation's
of the Lord. It's a birth from above. Christ
in you, that's the hope of glory. It's not Christ in a book, Christ
in a creed, Christ at an altar, Christ in you. I travail, Paul
said to the church at Galatia, till Christ be formed in you. So, God has put all things, spiritual
blessings, in Christ. And those blessings become ours
by a union with Him. We partake of and participate
in those mercies and blessings in Christ. And He illustrates
it several ways. He said, I'm the vine, you're
the branches. The branch cannot bear fruit
of itself, except it abide in the vine. Neither can you, except
you abide in Me. Without Me, you can do nothing.
I am the vine, the life, your branch, in Christ, participating
of the life of the vine. He illustrates it this way, the
head and the body. He said Christ is the head of
the church, the church is his body. The head's where the power
is, where the life is. I can live without an arm, not
without a head. I can live without a leg, but
not a head. There are several organs and
parts of this body without which I can live, but not without my
head. Not without Christ. The life's in Him. Husband and
wife are one flesh. Christ said, this is a picture
of Christ and His church. A husband and a wife. So He's
the heir. We're joint heirs with Him. Is
that clear? I've tried to make that clear
to you, haven't I? That's what the Scripture teaches. All spiritual
blessings are in Christ. They're only ours by union with
Christ. Well, how is this union with
Christ accomplished? That's the third point. This
union with Christ is the gift of God, no question about that.
It's the work of God. It's accomplished by the power
of God. But it's affected through faith. You see, without faith,
it's impossible to please God. He that cometh to God must believe
that God is, and that God's reward are them that diligently seek
Him. Without faith, it's impossible to please God. He that believeth
on the Son hath life. He that believeth not the Son
shall not see life. He that heareth my word, Christ
said, and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life,
and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto
life." Faith to believe God. You see, that great chapter,
I call it the Hall of Faith, the history of those great men
of days gone by, Abel, Noah, Enoch, Abraham, Moses. What does
it say about those men? Hebrews 11.4 says, By faith Abel
offered a more excellent sacrifice than kings. By faith. By faith
Enoch walked with God and was translated that he should not
see death and had this testimony. He pleased God. How? By faith.
Without faith it's impossible to please God. By faith Noah
Being warned of God of things not seen, moved with fear, prepared
an ark to the salvation of his house. Hebrews 8, 11, 8, By faith
Abraham went out, not knowing where he was going, but God called
him and he went out. I tell you, on that last great
day of the feast, When the feast was over, three days of celebration,
ceremonies, sacrifices, and teaching, and the people had nothing, going
away as empty as when they came. The water had been poured upon
the sacrifice. In that last great day of the
feast, our Lord Jesus stood in the midst of the people, and
he said, If any man thirst, let him come to me. Let him come
to me, and out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
let him come to me." Can you come to Christ by faith? That's
where the blessings are. Come to the fountain. That's
where the water is. Come to the rock. Out of my bondage,
my sorrow and night, Jesus, I come. Jesus, I come. Into thy freedom,
gladness and light, Jesus, I come to thee. Out of my sickness,
into thy health, out of my want, into thy wealth, out of my sin,
into thyself, Jesus, I come." That's faith. Without faith,
it's impossible to please God. So I've given you three things.
Do you understand, at least up here, what I'm saying? Everything's
in Christ, and everything's ours by union with Christ. And that
union with Christ is affected by faith. Faith in God. Believe God. "'Sirs, what must
I do to be saved?' the jailer asked. Paul said, believe on
the Lord Jesus Christ. The fourth thing, this saving
faith in Christ comes by hearing the Word of Truth, by hearing
the Word of Truth, by hearing the gospel of your salvation.
It's not going to come by listening to somebody speaking gibberish
and carry on an entertaining program and beg for money and
sell gimmicks and paraphernalia. It's not going to come by all
of this emotionalism and everybody's screaming and yelling at the
same time, it's going to come by hearing, hearing the Word
of Truth. Isn't that what Ephesians 1.13
says? In whom you trusted after you
heard the Word of Truth, the gospel of your salvation. Isn't
that what 1 Corinthians 1.21 says? It pleased God by the foolishness
of preaching, preaching to save them that believe. Romans 1.16,
I'm not ashamed of the gospel. It is the power of God unto salvation
to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first, also to the Greek. For therein, in that gospel,
is the righteousness of God revealed from one degree of faith to the
other. For the just shall live by faith.
My friends, Paul dealt with this in Romans 10. And that's the
reason we preachers need to speak calmly, We need to speak simply. We need to speak so that people
can understand what we're saying. Not like a fellow that's lost
his breath and screaming at people. We need to talk, communicate
with the hearts of people. Paul said, Whosoever shall call
on the name of the Lord shall be saved. But how are they going
to call on Him in whom they've not believed? And how are they
going to believe in Him of whom they've not heard? And how are
they going to hear without a preacher? And how are they going to preach
except they be sent? Faith comes by hearing, and hearing
by the Word of God. I hear people say, well, don't
preach to me. Don't preach to me. Well, I know what you're
saying. I know exactly what you're saying.
Don't pressure me. And I'm not going to. Don't nag
me. I'm not going to. Don't scold
me. I'm not going to. You're flesh. God knows our frame. He knows
we're flesh and dust. I know what you are because I
know myself. But I must preach the gospel because how can you
believe if you don't hear? And how can you hear if I don't
preach? And most people aren't preaching
the gospel. It's the gospel that saves. It's the Word of God that
saves. Hear it and believe it. Receive
it. It's the gospel of God. Oh, I wish I could make that
plain to you. Don't leave the simplicity of Christ. Preach
the Word of God and wait on God. Quit trying to talk people into
professions and trying to talk people into heaven. You can't
talk a man into faith. God has to reveal it to him,
reveal it to his heart from the Word. And if he ever sees it
from the Word and God reveals it, he'll confess Christ. And
last of all, the Holy Spirit must make that gospel effectual.
It's not by might. It's not by power. It's not by
entertainment. It's not by pressure. It's not
by coercion. It's not by this, that, and the
other. It's by the Spirit of God. That's where it is. It's
the Spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing. The
Holy Spirit does not speak of Himself either. He doesn't brag
on Himself. He comes to glorify Christ and
to speak of Christ. And, oh, that He might speak
to you and to me. from this Word and settle us
in Christ. Now, this message is entitled,
A Summary of Our Gospel. It'll be on a tape. On the other
side will be a message I'll bring next week. If you want it, here's
the address. The announcer will give you the
address, and you write to us. Send $2 to take care of the expenses. We'll mail it to you. Until next
week, may God bless you.

A Summary of Our Gospel

What does the Bible say about the importance of Scripture?

How do we know that salvation is in Christ alone?

Why is faith essential for salvation?

How does one achieve union with Christ?

Why should Christians avoid false teachers?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

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A Summary of Our Gospel

What does the Bible say about the importance of Scripture?

How do we know that salvation is in Christ alone?

Why is faith essential for salvation?

How does one achieve union with Christ?

Why should Christians avoid false teachers?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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