I would like for you to open
your Bible with me today to the book of Mark. I'll be reading
from chapter 1 of Mark's Gospel, verse 14 and 15. Now, here's
the title of this message. I'm going to be speaking on the
subject, The Gospel is a Command. Now, I'm going to sound a note
that I believe needs to be sounded, especially in this day loud and
clear. What I'm saying is this. Now
see that you understand from the beginning what I'm preaching.
I'm saying that the gospel of Jesus Christ, the gospel of God's
saving mercy in Jesus Christ is more than a mere invitation. It's more than a mere offer.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is a command. It's a command. Now you listen to Mark chapter
1 verse 14 and 15. It says, after John was put in
prison, Jesus came into Galilee preaching the gospel. Jesus Christ
our Lord came preaching the gospel. The gospel of the kingdom of
God and saying, the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at
hand, repent ye and believe the gospel. Repent ye and believe
the gospel. Now I know we hear a lot today
about the gospel invitation. And preachers today, especially
on television, put much stress on inviting men to believe on
Jesus Christ, and inviting men to accept Jesus Christ. and inviting
men to let God have a part in their lives. Now, without being
contentious, I don't mean to be contentious, and I don't mean
to be offensive, but I wish to declare unto you as clearly as
I can declare it, that the gospel of Jesus Christ is not just an
invitation, it is a command. Actually, my friend, the word
invite and the word invitation does not even occur in the Word
of God anywhere, not one single time. Not one single time do
you find in the Word of God connected with the gospel or anything else
coming from the mouth of God. You never find one time the word
invite or the word invitation. Now listen to me, listen clearly.
You and I may invite people to hear us preach. That's perfectly
legitimate. I invite people to come and hear
the gospel. Moses said to his father-in-law,
come with us. Come with us. We're the people
of God. Come with us and we'll do you good. That was Moses inviting
a man. And I may invite people to hear
me preach. I may invite people to listen
to this television program. And then as Paul said, you and
I may persuade men to look to Christ and be saved. He said,
knowing the terror of the Lord, I persuade men. And then you
and I may beseech men to be reconciled to God. That's what Paul said,
I beseech you, be ye reconciled to God. I may invite men to come
hear me preach. I may invite men to give attention
to the gospel. I may persuade men to seek the
Lord. I may beseech men to be reconciled
to God. But now listen to me. And let
me sound this note clearly. The king of kings and the lord
of lords does not invite rebels to obey him. He commands them
to obey. The king of kings and lord of
lords does not invite his subjects to believe his word. He does
not invite his subjects to believe his book. He commands them to
believe. It comes as a command. Even an
invitation from a sovereign is a command. And the King of kings
and Lord of lords does not invite men to honor him or to bow to
him. He commands them to bow. He said,
God hath given Christ a name which is above every name, that
at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue shall
confess that he is Lord. to the glory of God the Father. Every knee shall bow in heaven,
in earth, and under the earth. Not ought to bow, not should
bow, but they shall bow. Every knee shall bow, and every
tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, whether in heaven,
earth, or under the earth. Does that sound like an offer?
Does that sound like an invitation? My friend, that's a serious command. Now, to believe God is to reap
great benefits and blessings from his bountiful hand. He said,
as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must
the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life. Those are the benefits
and those are the blessings. Everlasting life, justification,
regeneration, sanctification, wisdom, all these things are
to be had in Christ. There to be found in Christ and
to receive Christ and to believe Christ and to come to Christ
is to receive all those benefits. But not to believe Christ, to
refuse to believe Christ is to incur great sin. He said, he
that believeth not hath made God a liar. He that believeth
not hath made God a liar. Now that's serious. That doesn't
sound like an offer or invitation. God said, believe my word. You
say, I won't believe your word because you're a liar. That's
what he's saying. And then to refuse to believe
on Christ is to be forever damned. In Mark 16, 16, it says clearly,
he that believeth not shall be damned. My friends, I preach
the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, as a command.
I know it is an invitation. I know there is in a sense an
offer involved, but this is an invitation from a sovereign,
from a king. This is an offer that cannot
and must not be refused. He commands men to repent and
believe the gospel. Now let me ask you something.
Is it optional to you to believe God? Is that optional? I shall
believe God or I shall not believe God. Is it optional to men to
believe God's Word? Is it optional to men to believe
God's Son? No, sir, it's a command. Not
to believe God is to make Him a liar. You parents, how many
of you parents out there invite your children to believe your
Word? How many of you parents out there invite your children
to obey you? Now, son, I invite you to bring
in the stovewood. Son, I invite you to cut the
yard. No, sir, there's a command extended. Son, cut the yard. And not to
cut the yard is to bring upon you the wrath of your father.
It's a command. It's a command to believe your
parents. It's a command to obey your parents.
It's a command to receive the Word of your parents. And it's
a command from God to believe His Word. I don't believe the
police in the tri-state area invite men and women to obey
the law. And neither does the living God
invite and beg and plead with men to believe Him. He commands
them to believe Him or be damned. That's exactly what the Scripture
declares. The gospel is a command. And
I preach the gospel to every creature expecting them to believe
it, expecting them to obey it, expecting them to receive it.
For God says, He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.
He that believeth not shall be damned. Now, secondly, it's not
optional to men to bow to the Lord Jesus Christ and worship
Him whom the Father has sent. It's a command. When Peter was
preaching on Pentecost, he said this in Acts 2.36. He said, God
hath made this same Jesus whom you crucified to be both Lord
and Christ. And they were troubled, they
were pricked in their hearts, They cried, men and brethren,
what shall we do? Well, Peter said, now, if you're
obliged to do so, or if you find you will turned in this direction,
why don't you repent? And why don't you be baptized
in the name? That's not what he said. They
said, what shall we do? We crucified the Lord of glory. Our hands are drifting with the
blood of the Son of God. What are we going to do? God
is angry. The wrath of God is turned against us. What are we
going to do? And Peter commanded them, listen,
He said, repent and be baptized every blessed one of you. Not
those who are disposed to do so. Not those who feel so led. He said, repent every one of
you. Confess Christ every one of you. No simple plea. No simple invitation. There was a command extended
there. And I'm saying this to you. All
men are going to bow to Christ. He said, every knee is going
to bow, here or hereafter. God has commanded it. Bow, kiss
the son lest he be angry. Bow to the crown rites of Jesus
Christ. Submit to the scepter of Shiloh,
the King of kings and Lord of lords. We will not have this
man reign over us. Oh yes you will. Oh, yes, you
will. God's designed it, God's decreed
it, and by His death He bought it. He's Lord of the dead and
the living. I heard a man say just this afternoon that he invited
God to have a part in his life. Well, my friend, in God you live
and move and have your being. You couldn't breathe without
God. You couldn't raise your arm without God. You couldn't
take a step without God. Almighty God, whether you know
it or not, has all power and all authority over you and has
put you in the hands of His Son with whom you have to do." Not
a question of inviting Him to have a part in your life. Our
Lord said to Pilate, Pilate said, do you refuse to answer me? Don't you know I have power to
crucify you? I'll let you go. And our Lord
said, you don't have any power over me at all except it be given
you from above. My friend, it's not optional
to men to repent and believe the gospel of the righteousness
and sacrifice of Christ. Look at Acts 17.30. What does
it say? God invites all men to repent.
It does not say that. It says, God commandeth all men
everywhere to repent. When Christ Jesus was on the
Mount of Transfiguration with the three apostles, what did
the voice of God say? This is my beloved Son. You sure
ought to hear Him. I'd be much obliged if you'd
let him speak to you. I invite you." He said, this
is my beloved son. Three words, Hear ye him. Hear ye him. That's a command.
If you believe not that I am he, Christ said, you'll die in
your sins. There's none other name unto
heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. Listen to me.
Abel was not invited to offer a blood sacrifice. He was commanded
to offer a blood sacrifice. Noah was not invited to build
an ark. God commanded him. He said, Noah,
make an ark. That's a command. Israel was
not invited to put blood on the door. They were commanded upon
penalty of death to put blood on the door. And you're commanded
to repent upon penalty of death. You're commanded to believe the
Word of God. You're commanded to bow to Jesus
Christ. You're commanded to receive Him
upon penalty of eternal damnation. Moses wasn't invited to build
a tabernacle. God told him to build one. He
was commanded. Abram was not invited to bring
an atonement into the Holy of Holies and put it on the mercy
seat. He was commanded to do that. And I'm telling you this,
and I'm saying this to myself and to all who will hear me,
I know we have the pleaders and the isle-draggers and the folks
that are trying their best to get folks to come down to the
front and let Jesus have His way and let God do something
else. Any God that you have to let do anything is no God at
all. The God of the universe is a
sovereign God who does as He will, when He will, with whom
He will. And His commandments are for
you to believe His Word. And His commandments are for
you to repent. And His commandment is for you
to believe His Son. Now, listen to me. Listen to
me, will you? Why is the gospel of Jesus Christ,
and all the Word of God for that matter, a command? Why is the
gospel more than just an invitation? Why is it a command? Well, now
listen, first of all, this is reasonable. It is a command in
keeping with the very character and honor of God. It's a command
in keeping with a great king. A great sovereign ruler does
not beg men to do his will. Can't you hear a general, a five-star
general, begging a private, private I invite you to go get my jeep
and bring it and have it in front of headquarters in five minutes,
if you're disposed to do so, if you feel led in that direction.
He'll say, I'll give you four minutes to have that jeep in
front of this tent. That's just a five-star general. I'm talking
about God Almighty. That's the character of God.
A great king does not bargain with slaves. Would you like to
row the ship? And a great judge, a just judge,
does not negotiate with criminals. And I'm telling you the truth.
I'm telling you who God is. And the God that we're hearing
preached this day is not worthy of worship, or worthy of your
faith, or worthy of your confidence. He can't do anything anyway,
unless men let Him. God's holy, and holiness must
prevail. God is just, and He will not
clear the guilty. The law is unchangeable, and
it shall be honored, and it shall be obeyed, either in the person
of Christ as your substitute or in yourself. But God's justice
will be honored. The gospel is a command. It's
a command in keeping with God's character. It's a command in
keeping with God's honor. Anything less than a command
coming from the throne of God would do dishonor to God Almighty. A king doesn't beg servants to
obey. And a king does not negotiate
with criminals. And a king does not bargain with
slaves. And that's what we are. And then
it's a command, secondly, to give boldness to God's ambassadors. God's ambassadors don't go out
here like the hucksters and merchandisers of soldiers' day, begging people
to let God have His way. Those aren't God's ambassadors.
God's ambassadors go forth in the victory of Jesus Christ.
Our Lord Jesus Christ stood on the Mount of Olivet and gathered
His disciples around Him before He sent them out to preach. Peter,
James, John, all the rest of them. And He said this to them,
He said to them, All authority is given unto me in heaven and
earth. Go ye therefore, go ye therefore
and preach the gospel. And I'm telling you this, God's
servants go forth in the name of Him who is victorious. God's
servants go forth in the name of Him who is King of kings and
Lord of lords. God's servants go forth in the
name of the conquering Christ who finished what He came to
do. And they go forth to call, through the preaching of the
gospel, His elect and His sheep and His people out of every tribe,
kindred, nation, and tongue unto heaven. And Christ said, My sheep
will hear My voice, and they will follow Me, and I will give
them eternal life. My word, My gospel, is not a
request, it's a command. And they'll believe Me. And then
I'll tell you this, the gospel is a command to encourage to
encourage the humble seeker. Now listen to me. If I am commanded
by Christ, if I am commanded by Christ to believe on Him and
to be forgiven, if I am commanded by Christ to receive His mercy,
then I am at full liberty to do so. What God commands me to
do, I can do. What God commands me to do, I'm
expected to do. When our Lord gives a command,
With that command comes permission and ability. Listen to him when
he stands outside the grave of Lazarus. He said, roll away that
stone. Lazarus was dead. He'd been dead
for four days. Our Lord stood outside the grave
of Lazarus, our Lord who is life itself, who is the giver of life,
the source of life. And he shouted so that his voice
could be heard all around. Lazarus, come forth. That's no invitation. That's
no helpless offer. That's no pitiful plea. That's
a command from the Lord of life. And brother, let me tell you
something. Old Lazarus walked out of that tomb. He couldn't,
but he did. And I'll tell you something else.
One day our Lord stood before a man who had a withered hand.
That hand had never known any strength or power. Our Lord said
to that man, stretch out your hand. That's a command. Stretch out your hand. And with
the command came permission With the command came the power. With
the command came the ability. Our Lord stood one day beside
the bed of a man who had been lame for 38 years. He hadn't
walked in 38 years. And my Lord said to him, Listen,
if you are so disposed, if you're so moved, if you'd like to do
it, why don't you take up your bed and walk? That's not what
He said. He said to that man, Arise, take up your bed and walk. That's a command. And that man
got up and walked away praising God. I'm saying when the Lord
of Glory gives a command, there's no reason for men to debate the
possibility of retraction. When God commands men to repent,
they have the ability to repent. When God commands men to believe,
I'm certain He means for them to believe. He commands it. Now,
this is terrible, but it's true. Won't you listen to me? The Lord
of Heaven today, in today's preaching, And I'm embarrassed by most of
it. In today's preaching, the Lord of heaven is pictured in
this way by the average preacher. He's a benevolent old granddaddy
up there in heaven of some sort, up there somewhere, somebody
up there somewhere, that's what they say, who's offering a reward
to everybody who will recognize him and take him into their lives
and let him bless them. Now, my friends, such is not
the case. The scripture says, the Lord
God omnipotent reigneth. The Lord God reigneth in the
armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of this earth. And
the Lord giveth it to whomsoever he will. He said, I have declared
it and it shall be done. My counsel shall stand. I declare
the end from the beginning and from ancient times the things
that are not yet done. None can stay my hand or say
unto me, what doest thou? God's not a beggar. He's a king.
He's a king. And He's not dependent upon any
human being. He's independent of all His creation. Everything that exists today
in matter, physically, every other way, came out of God. And
He was the same before He made us as He was after He made us. He's not dependent upon us. We're
dependent upon Him. He said, if I was hungry, I wouldn't
ask you. We're the ones that are hungry. We're the ones that
are poverty-stricken. We're the ones that need God.
I see these signs, God needs you. God doesn't need you. You
need God. And my friends, God created man
in holiness and righteousness and beauty. And man failed. He disobeyed God and he plunged
the whole human race into death, deceit, disease, and destruction. And Almighty God determined within
Himself, according to the good purpose of His own will, to redeem
a people and make them like Christ. He gave them to Christ. He made
Christ their servant. He purposed to save a race of
people out of Adam's race. He chose not to take upon himself
the nature of angels, but the seed of Abraham. And he promised
a Redeemer all through the Old Testament from Genesis 3, 15
to Malachi. He prophesied that a Redeemer
would come, a Christ would come, a Messiah would come, that he
would send one to redeem those people. And in the fullness of
time, He sent His Son into this world in the likeness of sinful
flesh as our substitute, as our representative, as our federal
head to meet His perfect holy law and obey it that we might
have a righteousness before God. And to die on that cross, bearing
our sins in His body on the tree. And He now commands men to believe
His Son and to honor His Son and to obey His Son. and to bow
to His Son. And I tell you this, He told
His disciples, you go preach this gospel. This is the gospel.
The gospel that is presented to a fallen race. The gospel
of a finished work. Christ redeemed us by His blood
on the cross. And the gospel that is able to
save to the uttermost them that come to God by Him. And you are
commanded, not just invited, you are commanded by God to believe
His Word. And not to believe it is to make
God a liar. And I don't know any more serious
charge that can be brought against a man in judgment than he made
God, who is the truth, a liar. Now, what is the obedience commanded
by the Gospel? What is it? First of all, four
things, quickly. First, we're commanded to hear
His Word. He said, Hear, O Israel, hear, the Lord our God is one
God. Ezekiel said, O ye dry bones,
Hear. That's the first thing. That's
the first thing. Hear the Word of the Lord. Our
God said, If you hear My Word, your souls will live. Our Master
said, He that heareth My Word, and believeth on Him that sent
Me hath everlasting life. Faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the Word of God. That's the first command. Hear
Him. Hear Him. This is My beloved Son. Hear
Him. Take heed what you hear. All
right, secondly, we're commanded to repent. He said, except you
repent, you'll perish. God commands all men everywhere
to repent. Repentance has to do with a change
of attitude, a change of thoughts about God, and a change of thoughts
about ourself. It has to do with bowing. It
has to do with acknowledging our sin. It has to do with confessing
our sin. It has to do with owning our
sins. It has to do with facing our inability. It has to do with
the Spirit. and an attitude toward God. That's
where repentance is. It's a heart work. As a man thinketh
in his heart, so is he. Out of the abundance of the heart,
the mouth speaketh. That's where the work of repentance
is done, in the heart. It's not just a change of habits,
not just a change of habitation. It's not just a change of companions.
It's a change of gods. It's under new management in
the heart business. And then thirdly, we're commanded
to believe. on the Lord Jesus Christ, who
He is, very God of very gods. What He did, He knew no sin,
was made sin for us. Why He did it, that God may be
just and justify where He is now. He's the man Christ Jesus
on the right hand of the majesty and glory. Fourthly, we're commanded
to confess Christ publicly. Our Lord Jesus Christ said, He
that confesseth me before men, I'll confess him before my Father
which is in heaven." That's what Peter's saying in Acts 2.38 to
those people. He's calling not only for repentance,
but he's calling for a public acknowledgement and public identification
and a public confession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Our
Master has no secret disciples. No king has secret subjects.
You're either for me or against me, Christ said. If you're not
with me, you're against me. There's no possible way for you
to play both sides of the fence. You can't do it. And then fifthly,
we're commanded to love Him. He said, Thou shalt love the
Lord thy God with all thy heart. If any man love mother, father,
husband, wife, brother, sister, yea, his own life more than me,
he's not worthy of me. And we're commanded to love one
another. Our Master said, This is my request, that you love
one another. Oh, no. Why? We don't read that
that way. That's not what the Word said.
This is my commandment. The king does not request, he
commands. This is my commandment, that
you love one another as I have loved you. Now, I have two messages
on this cassette tape. I have this one entitled, The
Gospel is a Commandment. Why don't you get this tape and
share it with someone? And on the other side of the
same tape, the two messages on one tape, on the other side is
a message that I'll be bringing entitled, Believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ. Now, you can have those. They
cost $2. Send a donation of $2 and I'll
mail you the tape. Until next week at this same
time, may the Lord bless you, everyone.