Now the Bible plainly declares that there is one Lord, one faith,
and one baptism. And if you'll turn to the book
of Galatians, chapter 1, Paul, the apostle, plainly declares
that there is one gospel. One gospel. And he was so bold
in his letter to the Galatians that he also said, if any man
preach any other gospel, even if it be an angel from heaven,
read it in verse 7. He said in verse 6, I marvel
that you 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 unto you than that
which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
one gospel. And yet in America alone there
are over 250 religious denominations, sects, and cults. And most of these 250 denominations,
sects, and cults are in total disagreement on that one Lord,
one faith, one baptism, and one gospel. Most of these organizations,
which call themselves churches and which call themselves religious
organizations, are in total disagreement as to how God saves sinners. My message this morning is, what
is the Christian message? What is the gospel? There is
a gospel. Paul said there's only one. There
is a message. There is only one Lord, one faith,
one baptism. I think I can sum it up in three
points. Now, you may think that's an
impossible task. You say, Preacher, this Bible
is made up of 66 books. It contains over a thousand chapters,
and it contains over 10,000 verses dealing with every subject in
the universe. How in the world can anybody
sum it up in three points? Well, Bishop J.C. Rowe was a
student of the Great Reformation. All of you are familiar with
the Reformation, the religious reformation of the Middle Ages
in the 1600s, 1700s. And it involved many nations.
The Reformation involved many nations. It involved millions
of people. The Reformation involved powerful
ecclesiastical machines. It involved popes who were considered
infallible. It involved kings and dictators,
monarchs and rulers, and eventually it affected the whole world,
this Reformation. Many of the freedoms you have
right now are the results of that Reformation. Men like Luther
and Calvin and Hus, we profited from these men and from their
ministry and from their courage. Bishop Riles said that the whole
Reformation, covering many years, the whole Reformation with its
complex, earth-shaking influence, with its power that reached hundreds
and hundreds of years, hinged on three basic points. Just three. All of the arguments
and the counsels and the burnings and the throne changes and the
martyrs and the dungeons and the persecution and the hatred,
all of these things hinged on three basic points. Number one,
the Scriptures alone. The Scriptures alone. The Bible,
said these Reformers, is the infallible Word of God. The Bible
is the only rule of faith. Not what the Pope says, not what
the Catholic Church says, not what the Independent Church says,
not what the Church of England says. But the Bible is the only
rule of faith and the only rule of practice, the only rule of
conduct, not the word of men, not the word of religious leaders,
not the word of the denominations or the writings of men or the
traditions or customs or practices of the early church or the ancient
fathers. But the Scriptures alone, the
Bible alone, is the only foundation of faith and conduct. The Bible
alone. And the second basic belief of
the Reformation, that which promoted it, that which brought it to
pass, that on which it was built, not only the Scriptures alone,
but grace alone. Grace alone. Salvation is the
free gift of God's grace. It is not by works, it is not
because of works, it is not as a result of works or the deeds
of men, it is by grace and grace alone. That's what these men
preached. They declared that the banquet of mercy is served
up by one host, the Lord of glory, the royal bath in which black
souls were washed white and cleansed from their evil, wicked sins,
was drawn from the veins of the Son of God. And no blood of noble
martyrs or confessors or ancient apostles has entered that stream.
Christ is the author and finisher of faith, salvation by grace
alone, not of works. Works do not contribute in any
way to the salvation of a man's soul. And the third point on
which the Reformation was built, the scriptures alone, grace alone,
apart from works, and Christ alone. These men taught Christ
is our wisdom, Christ is our righteousness, Christ is our
sanctification, Christ is our redemption. We are complete in
Christ. Nothing can be added. Nothing
need be added. Nothing should be added. Whether
it be baptisms, confirmations, sacraments, communions, nothing
can, should, or need be added to Christ and what he did for
us. We are complete in him. Now that's
what they taught. And the whole Reformation was
built upon those three things. Every argument, every persecution,
every battle, every division came from those three points.
The scriptures alone, grace alone, Christ alone. Now then, I say
that the Christian message today and any day can be summed up
in three points. If Bishop Rowe has the liberty
to sum up the Reformation, which I believe he effectively did,
in three points, a Reformation that covered nations and millions
of people and hundreds of years and affected everybody on the
face of the earth today, of which God was the author and giver,
if it can be summed up in three basic points, I believe the message
of salvation can be summed up in three points. The gospel.
What is the gospel? John said in 1 John 1 5, this
is the message. He felt like he had it. I feel
like I've got it. If I didn't with any confidence
feel that I had the message, the Christian message, the gospel
message, I would honestly resign from the ministry and from the
pastorate and seek some other occupation. But I have that message. And first of all, I say this,
the Christian message is a message about God. It's a message about
God. Our Lord Jesus Christ said in
John 17, turn over there with me, please. John 17, 2. Our Lord was praying before he
went to the cross. He was in Gethsemane's garden.
And he said in verse 2 of John 17, Thou hast given him power
over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many
as Thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that
they might know thee the only true God. It's not enough to
have a God. It's not enough to be religious.
It's not enough to go through the motions of worship. It's
not enough just to believe in a God. Christ said eternal life
is to know thee the only true God. That's eternal life, to
know the only true God, the living God, of whom David spoke when
he said, as the heart panteth after the water books, so panteth
my soul after thee, the living God. My friends, the God of the
Bible, the God of the universe, The God we worship, the true,
the living God, is eternal. Let's look at some scripture.
First of all, Hebrews chapter 7, verse 3. Now in Hebrews 7,
verse 3, the Apostle Paul is describing Melchizedek, the great
high priest who met Abraham. And he says in describing Melchizedek,
He is without father, verse 3, Hebrews 7. He is without mother. He is without descent. He has
neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like unto
the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Without father, without
mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days nor
end of life." God is eternal. Our Lord is eternal. He is the
uncaused being. God is a spirit. The scripture
starts out this way, in the beginning, God. Somebody said, God is a
circle whose center is everywhere. and whose circumference is nowhere. God is a spirit. God is eternal. God is the uncaused being. God is a circle whose center
is everywhere, whose circumference is nowhere. God is not in the universe. The
universe is in God. God is not in creation. Creation
is in God. If you'll turn to Psalm 139,
listen to this. Psalm 139. The Christian message,
first of all, is the message about God. Who is he? Where is
he? What does he do? In Psalm 139,
verse 7, David said, Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Whither shall I flee from thy
presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou
art there. If I make my bed in hell, behold,
art there. If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shalt
thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say,
Surely the darkness shall cover me, even the night shall be light
about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not
from thee, but the night shineth as the day. God is everywhere. Turn to Psalms 90, in the 90th
Psalm, verses 1 and 2. Psalms 90, verse 1 and 2. Lord,
thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations, before the
mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hast formed the
earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting. Thou art God. God is infinite. God hath no bounds, God hath
no measure. In Job 11, in the 11th chapter
of Job, verse 7, Job says, ìCan you by searching find out God?
Can you find out the Almighty under perfection?î It is high
as heaven, what canst thou do? It is deeper than hell, what
canst thou know? The measure thereof is longer
than the earth and broader than the sea. God is everywhere. God
is a spirit. And my friends, God is unchangeable
in his being. God is perfect wisdom. God is perfect power. God is perfect holiness. God is perfect goodness. God is perfect justice. God is perfect truth. In Isaiah 6 verse 3, the prophet
Isaiah said, ìWhen King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, and I saw
the Lord in his holiness.î And verse 3, the cherubims and seraphims
cried, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth
is full of his glory. And God is the creator of all
things. In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, and all things
were made by him, and without him was not anything made that
was made. In the beginning, God created
the heavens and the earth. God is a circle whose center is everywhere and
whose circumference is nowhere. God is a spirit. God is infinite. God is without measure. God is
sovereign. This is the true God. This is
the living God. This is where our message has
to begin. The gospel has to begin with
God, not with man, with God, because all things begin in God
and with God. God is sovereign, indisputably,
immutably, absolute sovereign. God created all things from eternity
by one act of power. Scripture says, ìKnown unto God
are all his works from the beginning. He declares the end from the
beginning and from ancient times the things that are not yet done,
saying, ìMy counsel shall stand, I will do all my pleasure.î God
knows all things from eternity by one act of knowledge. God
decrees all things from eternity by one act of will. Turn to 2 Peter 3. 2 Peter 3, verse 8. But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing,
that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand
years as one day. Without your turning, let me
quickly read you a verse from Psalm 90, verse 4. A thousand years is with the
Lord one day, and one day is a thousand years. And David said
in Psalm 90, verse 4, For a thousand years in thy sight, O Lord, are
but as yesterday. Are but as yesterday. Turn to Isaiah
45. I want you to turn with me here
and read with me. In Isaiah 45, verse 5, God is
sovereign, indisputably, absolute, immutably, unchangeably sovereign. And the word sovereign has the
meaning right in the word. R-E-I-G-N, God reigns. That's what it means. God reigns
in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth,
and he giveth it to whomsoever he will. Whatever the Lord pleased,
that did he in heaven, earth, and the seas, and all deep places. He doeth all things according
to the good pleasure of his own will. He worketh all things according
to the counsel of his own will. He is answerable to none of his
creatures, with whom took he counsel when he created this
world. He holds the reins of creation, the reins of providence,
and the reins of grace. And he said, I'll be merciful
to whom I will be merciful. I'll be gracious to whom I will
be gracious. In Isaiah 45, verse 5, he says,
I'm the Lord. There's none else. There's no
God beside me. I girded thee, though thou hast
not known me, that they may know from the rising of the sun and
from the west, from the setting of the sun, that there's none
beside me. I'm the Lord. There's none else. I form the light. I create darkness,
I make peace, I create evil, I the Lord do all these things.
Turn to Isaiah 46 verse 9. Remember the former things of
old, I'm God. How big is your God? All these
250 cults and sects and denominations have a God, but the message of
the of the gospel, the message of the Bible, is that God is
eternal, and God is infinite, and God is without measure, and
God is the creator of all things, and the God of the Bible is sovereign. He says, remember the former
things of old. I'm God, there's none else. I'm
God, there's none like me. I declare the end from the beginning. And from ancient times are things
that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, I will
do all my pleasure. And then, my friends, God is
the author of salvation. Jonah said, In the depths of
the sea, in the belly of the whale, with the iron bars closed
about him, he thought forever, and the weeds wrapped around
his head, salvation is of the Lord. Turn to Psalms chapter
3 verse 8. Salvation is of the Lord. In Psalms 3 verse 8. Salvation
belongeth unto the Lord. Where is salvation? It's in the
Lord. From whom does a man get salvation? From the Lord. Turn to Psalm
98. In Psalms 98, verse 1 and 2,
Psalms 98, verse 1 and 2, ìO sing unto the Lord a new psalm. For he hath done marvelous things,
his right hand and his holy arm hath gotten him the victory.
The Lord hath made known his salvation.î And David said in Psalms 115,
in answer to the question, ìWhere is your God?î The heathen said, ìWhere is your
God?î Psalm 115, verse 2, ìWhere is your God, David?î We know
where our God is. Heís where we put him. We made him out of stone. We made him out of wood. We put
him safely in our temples, in our houses of worship. And we
go there and we touch Him and we talk to our God. We know where
our God is. Our God is where we put Him.
Our God does what we let Him do. Our God does what we want
Him to do. Where's your God, David? David
said, Our God's in the heavens. And He hath done whatsoever He
hath pleased. Our God's sovereign. Our God
is the King of kings and the Lord of lords, answerable to
no one. Our God is above all gods. Our God gives no account to his
creatures. His creatures give account to
him. Our God is not responsible to
men. Men are responsible to him. That's
the true God. Our God hath done whatsoever
he pleased. If you want to do something sometime,
get your concordance and find out what it pleased God to do,
it's all in there. The Bible says it pleased God
to make you his people, just exactly like that. That's the
way it says it. It pleased God to make you his people, who were
not a people, who didn't deserve to be his people, who didn't
really in your heart want to be his people. and who were not
trying to be his people. He called them a people who were
not a people, who were aliens and strangers and foreigners.
And then it pleased God to send his Son into this world. In the
fullness of time, it pleased God to give Christ to be born
of a virgin. It pleased God that in him should
all the fullness of the Godhead dwell bodily. And it pleased
God to bruise him, to send him to a cross. Christ's death was
no accident. God gave him to die. He came
to die. He was born crucified. And then
it pleased God to reveal his Son in you. If God had left you
in your darkness, you would have perished in your sin. If God
had left you in your rebellion, you would have perished without
hope. But it pleased God. to awaken, to quicken, to call,
and to reveal Christ in you. It pleased him. It pleased him. Salvations of the Lord. This
is eternal life, that they might know thee, the only true God. And any less God than this is
an idol. And men are idolaters. They are worshiping a false God. I do know this, the Christian
message begins with God. I do know this, the gospel begins
with God. I do know there's no use us meeting
together if we're not going to worship the true God. I know
there's no use me trying to preach if I'm not going to preach the
true and living God. I know there's no need for you
to seek life everlasting unless you seek it from the hands of
the living God, the only true God. Isn't that right? You better
find out who He is. You better find out who He is. You could have a false God. Or
at the second point in this message, the message, the Christian message,
is about God. It's about God. And secondly, it's about sin. Turn to 1 John 1 again. John's
talking over here about the message. He says, This then is the message. 1 John 1, 5. This then is the
message which we've heard of God. That's where we got it.
We didn't get it from men. Paul said we got it from God.
It wasn't handed down from our forefathers. We got it from God.
And we declare unto you that God is light. That's the first
point. It starts with God. This is the
message that God is the Spirit, that God is eternal, that God
is sovereign, that God is the author of salvation, that God
is the giver of every good and perfect gift. that God is infinite,
immutable, unchangeable, without measure, that God contains in
himself all things. And then the second point of
our message is this, it's about sin. Now verse 8, John says,
if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. Verse 10,
if we say we've not sinned, We make God a liar. Now, brethren,
when the Bible talks about sin, it describes sin in a twofold
manner. Now, listen to this. This is
true. This is the message. This is
the gospel. This is the Christian message.
The Bible talks about sin, and it talks about sins. The Bible
talks about original sin. and it talks about actual sins. The Bible talks about what you
are, and the Bible talks about what you do. And if you don't understand that,
you don't understand sin. And if your preacher hadn't preached
that to you, he hadn't preached the fact of sin. Now, S-I-N is what we are. S-I-N. It says here in verse
8, if we say we have no sin, S-I-N, we're deceiving ourselves. We're fools. We shot ourselves
a curve if we say we have no S-I-N. I don't care who it is,
whether he's the Bishop of Calcutta or whether he's the deacon down
in in Elbow Bend, Kentucky, if he says he has no sin, I don't
care whether he's a Catholic, Baptist, or Nazarene. I don't
care whether he's had the first blessing, or the second blessing,
or the nineteenth blessing. If he says he has no S-I-N, he's
a deceived person. He's deceived if he says he has
no S-I-N. Now, where did it start, and
where did it come from, and what is it? Well, turn to Romans 5.
S-I-N, this is original sin. This is what, not what we do,
this is what we are. S-I-N, that's what we are. In
Romans 5 verse 12, wherefore by one man, S-I-N, sin entered
this world. Back yonder in the Garden of
Eden, Adam sinned, Adam fell, Adam rebelled, Adam sinned against
God. And when he did, S-I-N entered
this world, and death by S-I-N. And so death passed upon all
men. It's in their bones. It's in
the marrow of their bones. It's in their hearts. It's in
their innermost being. It's the leukemia of the spiritual
blood that flows down to the tips of their fingers and the
tips of their toes and the back of their heels and the end of
every hair on their head. It's S-I-N. It's death by sin,
spiritual death, spiritual corruption. It's S-I-N. And whether a man's in a house
of prostitution or whether he's a paralytic in a wheelchair,
he permeated with S.I.N. sin. It's in his bones. It's in his heart. It was born
in him. It came from his daddy who got
it from his daddy who got it from his daddy who got it from
Adam. If you say you don't have that
in you, you are deceived, totally deceived. You are a religious
hypocrite. Turn to Romans 5, verse 18. Watch it now. S-I-N. We are talking
about what we are. Preachers all over this country
this morning are preaching against what you are doing. What you
are doing is because of what you are. That's right. You just do what you are. You
are free to act according to your nature. You do what your
heart tells you to do. You never build a building until
you draw the blueprints in your heart. And Paul says in Romans
5.18, Therefore, as by the offense of one, judgment came upon all
men to condemnation. Romans 5.19, By one man's disobedience
many were made sinners. That's where it started. And
turn to Romans 8, verse 7. Listen to this. Romans 8, verse
7, because the carnal mind is enmity against God. The natural
mind hates God. It hates holiness. It hates truth. It hates light. When we were
born into this world, we were born with the nature of flesh.
Christ said, ìThat which is born of the flesh is flesh.î Flesh
is always the opposite of the Spirit, and flesh is inherent
corruption. And it's called in the Bible
the old man, which is corrupt. God made man righteous, and now
man, as a result of Adam's sin, is depraved and defiled. His
nature is corrupt. Instead of a living man, he is
a dead man. dead in his trespasses and sin. And Paul says in Romans 7, verse
17 and 18, It is no more I that do it, it is S-I-N that dwelleth
in me. For I know that in me, that is,
in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. To will is present with
me how to perform that which is good I find not. Why? Because S-I-N dwells in me. This is the bad, corrupt fountain
from which all the water flows. This is the corrupt principle
that dominates all our actions. Turn to Galatians 5 verse 19.
In Galatians 5 verse 19, listen to the Apostle Paul. Here in
verse 19 of Galatians 5, the works of the flesh, the works
of the flesh. The flesh is synonymous with
S-I-N. The flesh is synonymous with
that corrupt nature. The flesh is that polluted fountain
that started in the Garden of Eden. The flesh is that which
came from the original sin. It is S-I-N. And the works of
the flesh are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulation, wrath, strife,
seditions and heresies, envy, murder, drunkenness, reveling.
All these are the products, the fruit of the flesh. That's where
they come from. And this corrupt nature blinds
men to the truth and to the light. In Isaiah 5, verse 20, let me
read you something here without your turning to it, but just
quickly. Isaiah 5, verse 20. Woe to them that call evil good,
and good evil. Woe to them that call darkness
light, and light darkness, that call bitter sweet, and sweet
bitter. But that's what S-I-N did. It
so fouled man up that he doesn't know the difference. And then
my friends turn to Romans 3. Now here in 1 John 1 it says,
if we say we have no S-I-N, we deceive ourselves. You've got
it, it's in your nature. Why do you think what you think?
S-I-N. Why do you say spontaneously,
without thinking, what you say? S-I-N. Why do you feel what you
feel? S-I-N. Why do you do what you
do? S-I-N. It's the evil nature,
it's the corrupt principle that's within you. But also, if we say
we have not S-I-N-N-E-D sinned, we make God a liar. So sins are
what we do, all of us, from our youth. Romans 3, verse 10. As it is written, there's none
righteous, no, not one. There's none that understandeth.
There's none that seeketh after God. They're all gone out of
the way. They're all together become unprofitable. There's none that doeth, doeth,
doeth, doeth good, no, not one. S-I-N is what you are by birth,
by nature. S-I-N-S is what you do by choice,
by practice. And this Christian message has
to do with both of those things. S-I-N, sin, and S-I-N-S, sins. And then the third point, this
Christian message is not only the message about God, And the
message about sin, it's the message about Christ. Turn back to 1
John 1. Oh, good news! Oh, glad tidings! Oh, the angels came down here
that morning many, many years ago in happiness and said to
those shepherds, We bring you good news! We bring you glad
tidings of great joy! There's a Savior for sinners
like you. There's somebody to get you out
of the mess you're in. There's somebody to lift you
out of the pit in which you've fallen. There's somebody to reconcile
you to that holy God, that infinite, eternal God. There's somebody
to lift you from the dunghill and enthrone you with God. And He was born a Savior. Who
is He? Christ! That's who He is. Not
the church. Christ the Lord. It says in 1 John 1, this is
the message. It's about God. This is the message,
it's about sin. This is the message, verse 7,
it's about the good news that the blood of Jesus Christ, God's
Son, will cleanse us from all S-I-N, all of it. That old man, he's going to destroy
it. That old record, he's going to
wipe it clean. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's
Son, cleanseth us from All sin, not some sin, not one sin, not
many sins, all sin. The Father entered into a covenant
back yonder in eternity with the Son who agreed willingly,
voluntarily. He said, I lay my life down,
nobody is going to take it from me to be our Redeemer. The Father
entered into a covenant with the Son to undertake the work
of redemption for man. And he said in John 6, verse
37, All that my Father giveth me will come to me, and him that
cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. I came down from heaven
not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me. And
this is my Father's will, which hath sent me, that of all which
he hath in his sovereign good pleasure given unto me, I should
lose nothing, but raise it up again at the last day. In the fullness of time, our
Redeemer was made flesh. He came into this world to redeem
us. This is a fateful saying, Paul
declared, and worthy of the acceptation of all men, that Jesus Christ
is coming to the world to save sinners. Our Redeemer faced that
holy law. By the disobedience of one man,
we were made sinners. By the obedience of Christ, we
were made righteous. He honored the law, he fulfilled
the law, he was tempted in all points before the law, yet without
sin. And then our Redeemer actually
died on the cross. It says in 2 Corinthians 5, verse
21, God made him who knew no sin actually to be sin for us,
that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. And Christ hath
redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for
us. and he arose again, and he's
at the right hand of God, and he's our mediator, and he's able
to save to the uttermost them that come to God by him, seeing
he ever liveth to make intercession for them. That's the Christian
message. That's the gospel. You've got
to start with God. Who is he? And then you've got
to define sin. What is it? What is it? It's S-I-N. And it's S-I-N-S. And who can do something about
it? You can. I can. He can. Because that's
why he came. He said, I've come to seek and
to save the lost. He said he came into the world
to save sinners. That's his business. That's what
he came to do. That's not the church's business,
that's Christ's business. That's not the preacher's business,
that's Christ's business. It's the preacher's business
to tell what he knows. Paul said, what I've seen and
heard, I declare unto you. That's all. what I've seen, and
what I've heard, and what my hands have handled of the word
of life. For the life was manifested right here on the earth in the
flesh. The word was made flesh, and I declare it unto you." Now
what are you going to do with it? This is the message. Are you going to tune your ears
to the message of this world and keep listening to it, or
are you going to listen to God's message? Are you going to follow
the sirene songs of this world, or are you going to follow the
beautiful Music that comes from heaven. The glad tidings that
the angels sang on that morning many years ago. Good news. Unto you is born a Savior, Christ
the Lord. That's pretty clear, isn't it?
Unto you is born a Savior. Baptism? Uh-uh. Sacraments? Uh-uh. Church membership? Uh-uh. Good works? Uh-uh. The law? Uh-uh. Unto you is born a Savior. Who
is that Savior? Christ the Lord. Our Father,
by the power of the Holy Spirit, send this gospel into our hearts. And as it comes into our hearts,
may it meet, by the power of thy Spirit, with a reception
with love, with appreciation, with thanksgiving, with rejoicing. Oh, how wonderful to know, how
wonderful to know the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior. In his name
we pray, amen.