For you to take your Bibles and
follow tonight, I'm going to be reading quite a number of
scriptures. I hope you'll not be weary from
turning to too many verses, but God has promised to bless His
Word. I think He blesses our teaching
of His Word, but I do know that He blesses His Word, that His
Word will not return unto Him void. It shall accomplish that
whereunto he hath sent it, and that which pleaseth him." I know
that Paul commanded Timothy to preach the Word in season and
out of season. There are no particular seasons
to preach the Word. We're to preach the Word at all
times. And so I'm asking you to do a little bit of reference
work tonight. First of all, in 2 Corinthians
4. Now, my subject tonight is the Gospel. One of our men was
in the study a moment ago, and he looked at my sermon topic,
and he said, you're going to preach the gospel tonight. And in all seriousness, I say
this, I do want to understand the gospel. I do want to understand
the gospel, for many do not. There are many preachers who
do not know the gospel. There are many deacons in churches
who do not know the gospel. They actually do not know the
gospel. The gospel. I'm not saying a
gospel. I think everybody has a gospel.
I'm talking about the gospel. Paul said they'll come to you
preaching another gospel which is not the gospel at all. It's
a perversion of the gospel. There isn't an error abounding
that doesn't have some truth in it. It wouldn't be received
if it didn't have some truth in it. Every error has some truth
in it. But this is the gospel I'm talking
about. I've underlined those two words,
the gospel. Not a gospel, not the Baptist
gospel, the gospel. That's what I want to understand.
And that's what I want to note. In 2 Corinthians 4, verse 3,
if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost. Now, there
are a lot of people who don't know the gospel because it's
hid. "...in whom the God of this world hath blinded their minds,
of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel
of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. I'm not going to make a lot of
comments on that verse. Just let it stay like it is.
That the gospel is heard from many people. And there are many
who have eyes, but they cannot see the gospel. They don't know
the gospel. And then Isaiah 53, turn over
there a minute. Here's further proof of this
statement which I've made. Here's the statement that I've
made. I want to understand the gospel. Because there are many
who do not understand the gospel and do not know the gospel. Many. Paul says the gospel is hidden
from them, and that Satan hath blinded their eyes and their
minds, and they don't know the gospel. And then in Isaiah 53,
verse 1, Isaiah said, Who hath believed our report? What is
his report? His report is the gospel. He's
talking about Christ and his crucifixion and his substitutionary
death and the shedding of his blood. But who hath believed
it? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? Is the arm
of the Lord been revealed to you? For he shall grow up before
him as a tender plant, as a root out of dry ground, He hath no
form, nor comeliness, and when we shall see him there's no beauty
that we should desire him. He's despised and rejected of
men. A man of sorrows and acquainted
with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces
from him. He was despised. If you think
Jesus Christ is popular or was popular, you're wrong. Not the
Christ of the Bible. I walked in the radio station
one time several years ago, And one of the announcers said, have
you heard the news? I said, I haven't heard a thing
this morning. I just got up and came down here to preach my sermon.
He said, well, this fellow Lennon, Lennon, is that his name, who's
one of the Beatles, said that he was more popular than Jesus
Christ. What do you think about that?
I said, I think he's right. He said, I beg your pardon? I
said, I think he's right. He is more popular than Jesus
Christ. Of course he is. Anybody that's got any friends
at all is more popular than Jesus Christ. He's despised and rejected
of men. A man of sorrows and acquainted
with grief. There's no form, no comeliness
about him that we should desire him. The Christ of the Bible
is hated by this world. That's what he said. Marvel not,
my brethren, if the world hates you. It hates me. It hated me
long before it hated you. The Jesus that's being preached
today is the popular Jesus, but not the God of the Bible. He's
not popular. Men hate him, and that's what
this scripture is saying here. Who hath believed our report,
to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? Now turn to Ephesians
6, and you'll find that the gospel is said in the book of Ephesians,
Ephesians chapter 6, verse 18 and 19, it is said to be a mystery. Now how many times in growing
up, I hope you haven't heard it around here because I hope
our people have a little more understanding than that, but
how many times growing up did you hear somebody stand and pray,
Lord enable the preacher to preach the gospel so simple that a little
child can understand it. How many times you heard that?
I don't care whether it's a little child or a grown man. I don't
care whether it's a third grade student or a university graduate. Nobody can understand the gospel
of Jesus Christ apart from the revelation of the Holy Spirit.
You don't preach the gospel so that a natural man can understand
it, because the gospel is a mystery. Now that's right, look at Ephesians
6, verse 18, "...praying always with all prayer and supplication
in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication
for all saints and for me. Pray for me," Paul said, "...that
utterance may be given me, that I may open my mouth boldly to
make known the mystery of the gospel." Now, brother, there's
a lot of difference there. Paul said, you pray for me. There's
a lot of difference in a man standing up and praying that
his pastor may put the gospel so simple that a little child
can understand it, and a man over here praying that his pastor
may preach with the power of the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit
of God might so reveal Christ that men and women, boys and
girls, shall come to understand the mystery of the gospel. The gospel's a mystery. I want
to know the gospel. the gospel. I want to understand
the gospel, because many do not. There are people right here tonight
who do not know the gospel. Now, they've memorized scripture,
and they've memorized the law, and they've memorized a lot of
other things, but as far as actually knowing the gospel, there are
people here who do not know the gospel. And you heard preachers
on the radio today, if you turn the radio on at all, and the
television, who do not know the gospel. Because the gospel is
a mystery. Secondly, I want to preach the
gospel. I want to preach the gospel.
Turn to Mark chapter sixteen. Mark the sixteenth chapter. Listen
to this command of our Lord Jesus Christ here. In Mark sixteen,
verse fifteen. And he said unto them, Go ye
into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized,
he that believes what? The gospel, not a gospel, not
any gospel. Not he that believes what you
say particularly, but he that believes the gospel and is baptized
is going to be saved. And he that believes not the
gospel shall be damned." The gospel. Boy, I'll tell you, when
you talk about the weight and responsibility of preaching,
you go into all the world, and everybody you talk to, preach
the gospel to them, and if a man believes that gospel, I'll save
him. If he doesn't believe it, I'll
damn him. So we're not playing games. Christ sent us to preach
the gospel. And Paul said, he didn't send
me to baptize, although he baptized some people, but he sent me to
preach the gospel, which is foolishness to some, but it's the power of
God to those that believe it. And brethren, it's dangerous
not to preach the gospel. Turn to Galatians 1, verse 9. In Galatians 1, verse 9, listen
to this. As we said before, so say I now
again. It's dangerous not to preach
the gospel. If any man preach any other gospel
unto you than that you have received, let him be accursed. In another
place, Paul said, Woe is me if I preach not the gospel. I'm under the wrath of God. There's
a curse resting upon me." Verse 8 says, "...though we or an angel
from heaven preach any other gospel, let him be accursed."
It doesn't matter who it is. And then as Brother Charlie prayed
a moment ago in 1 Thessalonians 1, you listen to this, "...and
brethren, the gospel must be preached in the Spirit." In the
Spirit. You can't just sit down and open
the Bible and have somebody cross the table from you and reason
with them and read to them so many words and convert them. Not only must that gospel be
preached in the power of the Holy Spirit, it must be received
in the power of the Holy Spirit. It takes the Spirit of God to
enable man to preach the gospel. It takes the Spirit of God to
enable a man to hear the gospel. Whom do men say that I am?" Christ
said to his disciples, out yonder in the public, what are they
saying about me? And one of the apostles said, well, some say
you're John the Baptist, some say you're Elijah, some say you're
one of the prophets, but whom do you say that I am? Peter said,
well, we know who you are, you're the Christ, you're the Messiah,
you're the Son of God. You're Jesus Christ, the Son
of God. And the Lord Jesus said, Blessed
are you, Simon Barjona. Flesh and blood did not reveal
that to you. You didn't figure that out by
yourself. If you were left to yourself,
you'd be just like all these other people out here, blind
and deaf and dumb. Flesh and blood didn't reveal
that to you, but my Father which is in heaven, The natural man
receiveth not the things of God, their foolishness to him, neither
can he know them. They are spiritually discerned.
Eyes hath not seen, ear hath not heard, neither hath it entered
the heart of man, the things prepared by God for them that
love him. But God hath revealed them unto
us by his Spirit." Now listen to this verse, 1 Thessalonians
1, 4, "...knowing, brethren, beloved, your election of God."
And here's how you found it out. For our gospel came not unto
you in word only, but it came to you in power, in the Holy
Ghost, and in much assurance, as you know what manner of men
we were among you for your sake." Our gospel didn't come in word
only. The gospel did come in word. It had to come in word. But it
didn't come in word only, it came in power, it came in the
Holy Spirit. God's Holy Spirit made the gospel
effectual to your heart. I want to preach the gospel for
Christ sent us to preach the gospel. I want to preach the
gospel because it's dangerous not to preach the gospel. I want
to preach the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit, not just
in words, but in spirit. Because the gospel is the power
of God unto salvation. I read that to you a moment ago.
The gospel is the power of God unto salvation. And then during
the 1 Corinthians 4 verse 15. Listen to this. 1 Corinthians
4 verse 15. This is most interesting here.
In 1 Corinthians 4 verse 15, Paul said, For though you have
ten thousand instructors, in Christ. Yet have you not many
fathers? For in Christ Jesus I have begotten
you through the gospel." I have begotten you through the gospel. Christ anointed me, Paul said,
made me an apostle, separated me to the gospel, sent me to
preach the gospel. I know it's dangerous not to
preach the gospel. Woe unto me if I don't preach
the gospel. If I don't preach the gospel,
let the curse of God rest upon me. And I must preach the gospel
to you in the power of the Holy Spirit. For in the power of the
Holy Spirit, the gospel is the power of God to begat in you
life. Turn to Ephesians 1.13. The gospel
is the power of God unto salvation. You are begotten through the
gospel. And in Ephesians 1 verse 13 it
says, "...in whom you also trusted." When? After you heard the word
of truth. The gospel. The gospel of your
salvation. And then, now watch this. And
this is so important right here, in Mark chapter 10. Mark chapter
10. Now I've said this. I've said
I want to know the gospel. Many do not. That's stating a
fact. Many do not. That's a fact. God says that
in His Word. The gospel's here. They're blind as a bat. Yes sir,
they're deaf. They can't see, can't understand.
Christ sent us to preach the gospel. It's dangerous not to
preach it. The gospel must be preached not
in the wisdom of the flesh, not with wisdom of words, lest the
cross of Christ be covered and not discerned, for it's the power
of God unto salvation. And thirdly, I want the blessings
promised in the gospel. In Mark chapter 10, verse 28,
listen to this. In Mark 10, 28. Then Peter began
to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. And Jesus answered and said,
Verily I say unto you, there is no man that hath left house,
or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children,
or lands for my sake, and the Gospels, but he shall receive
a hundredfold. Now in this time, houses and
brethren and sisters and mothers and children and lands with persecution,
and in the world to come, eternal life, eternal life. No man hath left any of these
things for my sake and the sake of the gospel, but what he shall
receive a hundredfold. Now, and in the world to come,
eternal life. Now then, I've been doing what
we do so often. I've been talking about the gospel.
But you know I hadn't preached the gospel? That's right, I've
been talking about it. I was reading Spurgeon one day,
and this is what preachers do so often. They talk about the
gospel and don't preach the gospel. And you pick up a book and it
says, The Gospel of Jesus Christ, and you read the whole thing.
And there's no gospel in it. It's talked about the gospel.
It's talked about the dangers of not preaching the gospel.
It talks about the rewards that come from knowing the gospel.
It talks about our responsibility to believe the gospel. But actually,
the gospel itself is not preached. I've heard dozens and dozens
of sermons that were beautiful. that were eloquently delivered,
but they didn't have any gospel in them. I thought back after
the sermon was over, well, he never preached the gospel. He never preached the gospel,
and if I'd been sitting there, an unsaved sinner, an unbeliever,
there wouldn't have been a thing in that sermon to tell me how
to change my state, or how to be anything but an unbeliever.
There's no way, there's no way in the world that a man could
be saved listening to that type of preaching. All right, let's
see now, tonight, the gospel. Turn to Romans, chapter 1. Romans,
the first chapter. Okay, let's see, let's ask the
men of the Bible to identify the gospel. First of all, Paul, in Romans,
chapter 1. Paul said, I'm a servant, that
is, a bond slave. of Jesus Christ. I am called
to be an apostle. I am separated. I am separated
unto the gospel of God. I am separated to the gospel
of God, which He promised afore by His prophets in the Holy Scripture,
which He promised, which He prophesied. Now, brethren, Men have never been saved but
one way. I know that people talk about
dispensationalism. The Bible does talk about dispensations. There's a dispensation of the
gospel committed unto me. But dispensations does not mean
that God saved people different ways in different periods of
time. In the Scofield reference Bible,
there is some reference to the fact that perhaps people were
saved back in the Old Testament under the law, or under judges,
or in the days of innocence. There's never been but one Savior,
and that's the Lord Jesus Christ. And there's never been but one
way of salvation, and that's through the death of Christ on
the cross. And there's never been but one way for a sinner
to be cleansed, and that's in the blood of the Lamb. Now let
me show you something. Hold Romans 1 there just a minute
and go to Hebrews, Hebrews chapter 10. Now this ought to settle
this issue once and for all. David is saved the same way that
I am. Abraham is saved, or I'm saved
the same way he was. And Moses is saved the same way
that I am, or you are. Anybody else? Through faith in
Christ and his blood. It says in Romans, or rather
Hebrews chapter 10, for the law, having a shadow of good things
to come, and not the very image of the things, it's talking about
Christ, can never, never, never, never, with those sacrifices
which they're offered year by year continually, make the comers
thereunto perfect. Verse 4, it is not possible,
it is not possible, it is not possible, that the blood of bulls
and goats should take away sin. It's not possible. These things
were types of Christ. People who were saved in Old
Testament times were saved anticipating Christ's coming, looking to Christ's
coming, expecting Christ's coming. And these sacrifices which they
offered were types of Christ. They're no more saved by their
blood sacrifices than we're saved by the wine at the Lord's table.
We take the wine at the Lord's table as Christ gave it to his
apostles and said, this is my blood. Drink ye all of it. Well, it's a type. It's a picture. It's a symbol. And we drink the
wine remembering his blood. They took the blood and put it
on the altar looking forward to his blood. Same thing. They
kept the Passover feast expecting Christ. We keep the Lord's table
remembering Christ. Abraham saw my day, Christ said,
and was glad. Moses wrote of me. Christ is
the Lamb slain before the foundations of the world. There's never been
any kind of salvation except in the covenant of grace, and
there's only one Savior in the covenant of grace, and the covenant
of grace is the original covenant. So Paul says in Romans 1, I'm
called to be an apostle, I'm separated to the gospel of God,
which is no new thing. It's the gospel which He promised
to forward by His prophets in the Holy Scripture, and it's
concerning His Son. Now, first thing about the gospel.
The gospel is concerning, not a plan. Preachers say, we'll
preach the gospel to you tonight. Now, if you'll repent, repentance
is to change your ways and change your manners and change your
masters and and change your methods and all these, if you'll believe.
And if you'll join the church and be baptized, if you'll make
a public decision, if you'll accept Christ, you'll be saved.
That's not the gospel. That's not the gospel. The gospel's
not a plane, it's a person. The only way that a man can preach
the gospel is to preach Christ. Christ in his deity, Christ in
his humanity. Christ in His obedience, Christ
in His death, Christ in His burial, Christ in His resurrection, Christ
in His ascended glory, and Christ in His coming power. Christ is
the gospel, it's concerning His Son. Jesus Christ our Lord, look
at it, which was made of the seed of David according to the
flesh. He was a Jew. He was of the house and lineage
of David. He came as a descendant of David.
He came as the rightful heir of David's throne. He was a man.
Concerning the flesh, he was the son of David. Concerning
his deity, verse 4, he's the son of God. So this gospel, Paul said, under
which I am separated, this gospel of God, which is promised by
the holy prophets, by the prophets of old, is concerning a person. who was of the seed of David,
a man, and the Son of God, deity." The gospel is not a program,
the gospel is not a law, the gospel is not a doctrine, the
gospel is concerning a person. Now if a man's going to preach
the gospel, he's not going to preach you, he's not going to
preach our forefathers, he's not going to preach our Baptist
heritage, he's not going to preach what you ought to do, he's going
to first of all preach Christ. Christ the God-man. Christ the
Son of David and the Son of God. Christ our surety, our representative. Christ who was the Word made
flesh and dwelt among us. He's going to preach Christ.
All right? The second thing. Now turn to 1 Corinthians 15. If he preaches the gospel, he's
going to preach Christ because it's concerning his son. And
he's going to preach the same thing these men preached in the
Old Testament. He's going to be in accord, he's going to be
in harmony with the Word of God. He's going to preach what Isaiah
preached and what David preached and what the apostles preached.
All right, 1 Corinthians 15. Now what about this person? Concerning
the flesh, he was the seed of David. Concerning his deity,
he was the Son of God. All right, 1 Corinthians 15.
Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel, the gospel,
which I preached unto you, which also you have received, and wherein
you stand, and by which you say, that is, if you keep in memory,
or hold fast, what I preached unto you, unless you believed
in vain. For I delivered unto you, first
of all, that which I also received, how that Christ died for our
sins according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried and that
he arose the third day according to the Scriptures. Now I want
you to turn to the book of Daniel. I want to show you something
very interesting over here. In Daniel, I'll give you a moment
to find it, but in Daniel chapter 6, I think this is one of the
best illustrations that I've ever found in the Word of God
to picture the Gospel. In Daniel chapter 6, Now there
was a king named Darius, Daniel chapter 6. And Darius had over
his kingdom a hundred, verse 1 of Daniel 6, a hundred and
twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom. And
over these hundred and twenty princes, he had three presidents. There was the king, and one,
two, three presidents, and a hundred and twenty captains, or princes.
And, in verse 3, Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents
and the princes, he was the number one president, because an excellent
spirit was in him and the king thought to send him over the
whole realm. Now then, in verse 7, all the
presidents of the kingdom, well look at verse 4, then the presidents
and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel. concerning the
kingdom, but they couldn't find any fault in him. These fellows
were jealous of him. They hated him, couldn't find
any fault in him. So then, verse 6, these presidents and princes
assembled together to the king, and they said thus unto him,
King Darius, live forever. Verse 7, all the presidents of
the kingdom, the governors, the princes, the counselors, the
captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute
and to make a firm decree that whosoever shall ask a petition
of any god or man for thirty days, except of thee, O king,
he shall be cast into the den of lions." Now these men knew
Daniel was a man of prayer. They knew Daniel worshipped the
Lord of heaven, and they knew Daniel would never go thirty
days without praise. So they came to the king, knowing
the king's ego and vanity, and they told him, they said, now
for thirty days let's establish a law, a statute, that if any
man asks any petition of any god, they didn't use the word
if any man prays to his god, because they knew immediately
the king would think of Daniel, who was a man of prayer, but
they said if he could ask any petition of any man or any god
for thirty days, cast him into the den of lions. Now, O King,
establish this decree and sign this writing. We want to honor
you, that it be not changed according to the law of the Medes and the
Persians, which cannot be altered. Wherefore King Darius, being
puffed up, I'm sure, and elated by that honor, signed the writing
and the decree. Now, verse 10, when Daniel knew
that the writing was signed, he went to his house. and his
windows being opened in the chamber towards Jerusalem, he kneeled
upon his knees three times a day, and he prayed. And he gave thanks
before his God, as he always did. Then these men assembled
and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his
God, and they came near and spake unto the king. Have you not signed
the decree that every man shall ask a petition of any god or
man within thirty days, save of thee, shall be cast into the
den of lions? The king answered and said, That
is true, according to the law of the meads and persons which
authoreth not. Then answered they and said,
King, that Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity
of Judah, regardeth not thee, nor the decree which thou hast
signed. He maketh his petition three times a day. Then when
the king heard these words, he was sore displeased with himself,
and he set his heart on Daniel to deliver him, and he labored
till the going down of the sun to deliver him." Now, quite a,
somebody call this Daris' dilemma. Here he was faced with his law.
He had signed this thing in the law, and the law could not be
changed. He would lose his throne. He
would lose the support of his nation. He had signed it into
law. Daniel had violated his law.
Daniel was his friend. He wanted to deliver him. He
didn't want to cast him into a den of lions. What could he
do? So he walked the floor. And these
men assembled, verse 15, unto the king, and they said, Now
know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, that
no decree nor statute which the king established can be changed."
What's he going to do? Almighty God, we go back to 1
Corinthians 15, Almighty God is faced with the same thing.
God has established a law. That's not a foolish decree like
King Darius, I know that. But God has established a law.
He said that if a man continueth not in all things written in
the law to do them, he shall be destroyed, he shall be damned. God said, I'll in no wise clear
the guilty. Almighty God has his law, and that law has been
broken by you and broken by me. We have sinned against God, and
the decree is that if a man sin against God, he shall die. The
soul that's in it, it shall die. The wages of sin is death, death
and hell, separation from God eternally. Now Darius looked
at Daniel and loved him, but the law said he has to go in
the lion's den, and God Almighty so loved the world The only way
that God can deliver the world from sin, us from sin, and be
true to his decree, and true to his law, and true to his righteousness,
is to find somebody to take our place. And that's what Christ
did. Christ our Lord came down here
according to the scriptures. And he died on the tree according
to the scriptures, according to every type, every shadow,
every example, according to the law of God, according to the
justice of God. Daniel's going to be cast into
the lion's den, unless somebody can be cast in Daniel's place.
And that's what the Lord Jesus Christ did for us. He was cast
into the lion's den in our place, and we go free. He bore our sins
in His body on the tree, that we might be made the righteousness
of God in Him. Now the third and last thing.
In 2 Thessalonians 1, verse 8, 2 Thessalonians 1, verse 8, THE
GOSPEL. It's concerning a person. THE
GOSPEL. It's concerning that person's
work. He was made flesh, dwelt among
us, in our place, obeyed God's law, in our place, went to the
cross, went to the lion's den, died for us. Because the law
of God cannot be changed, He will not clear the guilty. Now
in 2 Thessalonians 1 verse 8, in verse 7 it says, To you who
are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed
from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance
on them that know not God, and obey not the gospel of our Lord
Jesus Christ. Now brethren, I know a lot of
people say, well, I believe God's going to take everybody to heaven.
That's not so. It says God is going to take
vengeance on all who obey not the gospel. Our Lord said in Mark 16, he
that believeth not the gospel shall be damned. But I know preachers,
there's some people who are sincere, they're religiously sincere.
I know that they are too, but it says here that God is going
to take vengeance on all them that know not God and that obey
not the gospel. And if you'll turn to Romans
2, verse 16, and listen to this, Romans 2, verse 16. In the day, in the day when God
shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to
my gospel." Brethren, the issue in glory is not going to be what
church you belong to. The issue in glory or judgment
is not going to be how many sermons you preached or great works you
did in God's name. He's going to judge the world
according to the gospel. What is the gospel? I want to
know the gospel. As clear as I can define it,
the gospel is concerning a person, the God-man. The gospel is concerning
the substitutionary, sacrificial, vicarious work of that God-man. Here on this earth, as a man,
on the cross, as a sacrifice, in the tomb, as a shake gate
goat, at the right hand of God, as a high priest, coming again
as a reigning king, and sitting on the throne of judgment as
the judge of the world. And that judgment shall be based
upon, he that believeth the gospel shall be saved, and he that believeth
not the gospel shall be damned. Our Father, take thy word tonight
and send it deep, piercingly and eternally into our hearts. and reveal unto us the gospel
of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Bring every heart here
to love Him, to trust Him, to rely upon Him, to rejoice in
Him. Let our life be Christ, our hope
Christ, our foundation Christ.