Sermon
#1292 Miscellaneous
Sermons
Title: WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?
Text: 1 Corinthians 15:1-4
Subject: The Meaning and
Exclusiveness of The Gospel
Date: Sunday Morning -
Tape # T-100
Romans
1:1-17 "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called
to be an apostle, separated unto the
gospel of God, (2) (Which he had
promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) (3) Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of
the seed of David according to the flesh;
(4) And declared to be the Son of
God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from
the dead: (5) By whom we have
received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations,
for his name: (6) Among whom are ye
also the called of Jesus Christ: (7) To
all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to
be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus
Christ. (8) First, I thank my God
through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the
whole world. (9) For God is my
witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without
ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers; (10) Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous
journey by the will of God to come unto you.
(11) For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift,
to the end ye may be established; (12) That
is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you
and me. (13) Now I would not have you
ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let
hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other
Gentiles. (14) I am debtor both to
the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. (15) So, as much as in me is, I am
ready to preach the gospel to you that are at
Introduction:
My message today arises, at least in part, from the
fact that our Bible Conference begins this Friday evening and I want to lay a
foundation for that which you will be hearing from the men who will preach to
us next weekend. These conferences involve a great deal of expense and labor.
We have been blessed of God to be able to host these conferences every year for
the past eighteen years. Some of you are asked by family and friends,
“Why do you have those conferences? What do you do?” I am sometimes asked the
same.
We have these conferences, I trust, for the glory of
God our Savior, to promote the preaching of the gospel of his free and
sovereign grace, for the comfort and edification of his saints in the blessed
fellowship of the gospel, and the salvation of God’s elect. They are usually,
for many, times of refreshing and reviving to our souls. For many of our
guests, who will be coming to us from the length and breadth of our nation and
from other countries, this is the only time in the year when they are
privileged to gather in the assembly of God’s saints and hear the gospel faithfully
preached.
I hope the Lord will allow this conference, as he
has in the past, to be a means of encouraging gospel preachers, inspiring them
with boldness, faithfulness, and confidence in preaching the gospel. Also, as
in the past, I trust that some of God’s saints who have no place to worship
where they live might be encouraged to do what they can to establish gospel
churches where they live.
These are the things I pray the Lord will be pleased
to do for others. For you and me, I am praying that the conference messages
will be blessed of God to our hearts, to comfort and rebuke, edify and humble,
establish and revive our souls in the knowledge of our dear Savior. And I pray
that as the gospel is preached, (Oh, may it be preached in the power of the Spirit!),
some of God’s elect may be granted life and faith in Christ by his almighty,
saving grace.
In my message today, I want to answer a question
from the Word of God that I am certain will be addressed many times in the
messages from our brethren next weekend. This is a question everyone
of us needs to be able to answer with clarity and confidence. Yet, it is a
question about which I fear some of you may yet be in utter confusion. The
title of my message is WHAT IS THE
GOSPEL?
Please understand, I am not asking, What do you think the gospel is?” Or “What is the Baptist,
Protestant, or Calvinistic gospel?” It is utterly irrelevant what you or I
think the gospel is. And it is utterly irrelevant what Baptists, Protestants,
Calvinists, Arminians, or Papists think the gospel is. My only concern, and I hope your only concern, is this: How does the Word of God define the gospel?
What does God say in his Word? How does the Holy Spirit describe the gospel?
We will begin in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. Every word in the text is important. Do
not miss a syllable.
1
Corinthians 15:1-4 "Moreover, brethren, I
declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have
received, and wherein ye stand; (2) By
which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless
ye have believed in vain. (3) For I
delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ
died for our sins according to the scriptures; (4) And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day
according to the scriptures:"
Proposition: Here the Holy Spirit tells us that there is but one gospel,
that all truly God ordained, God called, God sent preachers preach this gospel,
that all true believers have received and stand in this gospel, and that this
gospel is the means by which we are saved.
I trust that God the Holy Spirit will be pleased to
speak by me to your hearts for the glory of Christ. I want to show you seven
things by which the Word of God defines the gospel.
I. First, it should be clearly understood that THE GOSPEL IS AN EXCLUSIVE
MESSAGE.
Paul did not say to the Corinthians, I declare unto
you “a” gospel, as if there were many gospels or even many interpretations of
the gospel. Paul said, “I declare unto
you THE GOSPEL!” In fact, if you
read the New Testament carefully, you will find that the only time the word gospel is used without a definite
article, noun, or personal pronoun identifying it specifically as the gospel of
Christ, as the exclusive message of Christ crucified, is when it is used to
refer to another gospel!
This is what the Word of God teaches: THERE IS ONLY ONE GOSPEL. The world
says “There are many gospels.” Compromising preachers say, “There is only one
gospel; but it is interpreted by different men in different ways.” But the Word
of God declares that there is but one gospel.
·
Christ is the Way. Every other way is a way to destruction.
·
Christ is the Truth. All other ways are a lie.
·
Christ is the Life. All other ways are death.
·
Christ is the Door to Life. All other doors are doors to hell.
If, indeed, there is only one Way, one Savior, and
one gospel, you would be wise to get in that Way, find that Savior, and learn
that Gospel!
·
The preaching of the new birth is not the preaching of the gospel,
though we should and do declare to all men, “Ye
must be born again.” The focus of
the gospel is not the experience of grace, but the grounds of grace.
·
The preaching of the love of God is not the preaching of the gospel,
though we rejoice to declare that “God is
love.” The gospel is the declaration
of the righteousness of God. The love of God is the cause of the gospel;
but it is not the gospel. The gospel is not found in John 3:16. The gospel is
found in John 3:14.
·
The preaching of Christ’s second coming is not the preaching of the gospel,
though we are daily looking for the promise of his coming with anxious hearts. The gospel declares what Christ has done,
not what he is going to do.
·
The preaching of revivalism is not the preaching of the gospel.
Revivalism preaching focuses on man and his experience. Gospel preaching
focuses on God and his grace in Christ.
·
The preaching of holy living is not the preaching of the gospel. Most
preaching of that kind is nothing but the preaching of works and
self-righteousness. Gospel preaching
inspires and promotes holiness of life, but it talks about God’s holiness
revealed, manifest, and satisfied in Christ; and that inspires holiness in men
and women who would blush to hear anyone speak of them as “holy” people.
The gospel of Christ is an exclusive message. Before
we proceed any further, I want you to understand what I am saying. Those who do
not believe the gospel, believe a false gospel. Those
who do not preach the gospel, preach a perversion gospel. Those who do not walk
in this way, walk in the wrong way. They may be sweet, sincere, morally good
people; but those who do not know the gospel are lost.
Illustration: My Conversation in
II. Second, THE GOSPEL IS AN EXCLUSIVE MESSAGE ABOUT A PAST, HISTORIC EVENT.
The gospel preached by the Apostles always referred
to something in the past, a finished work, an accomplished deed, a completed
task. This is very important. The pastness of the gospel is an essential
aspect of the gospel. The preaching of the gospel is the declaration of
something done in the past. It is presently preached. It is presently received.
And it presently saves. But it is a past, finished work which we declare in the
gospel.
In preaching the gospel, we declare specific,
undeniable facts.
A. We preach “How that Christ died
for our sins according to the Scriptures.”
·
Sovereignty
·
Substitution
·
Satisfaction
·
Success
B. We preach “That he was buried.”
The Son of God really did die as a man at
C. In preaching the gospel, we declare that Christ “rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”
Psalms
16:9-11 "Therefore my heart is glad,
and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. (10) For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou
suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
(11) Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."
Yet, there is more.
D. When we preach the gospel, we declare a fact which cannot be denied
upon any reasonable grounds, but such a phenomenal fact that it cannot be
understood or explained apart from the gospel. - THE RISEN CHRIST WAS SEEN OF
MANY, ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS!
1
Corinthians 15:5-8 "And that he was seen of
Cephas, then of the twelve: (6) After
that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater
part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. (7) After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. (8) And last of all he was seen of me
also, as of one born out of due time."
However, preaching the gospel is more, much, much
more than just declaring undeniable facts. Forcing a sinner to believe facts he
cannot refute will do him no spiritual good. The preaching of the gospel is
more than just an exclusive message about a past, historic event.
III. Third, THE GOSPEL IS AN EXCLUSIVE MESSAGE ABOUT A SINGULAR
PERSON, A PERSON WHO ACCOMPLISHED A PERFECT, COMPLETE, FINISHED WORK FOR A
SPECIFIC PEOPLE.
To preach the gospel is to preach the Lord Jesus
Christ, the Son of God, to declare that he, by his perfect, complete, finished
obedience to God as a man, brought in everlasting righteousness, made an end of
sin, and obtained eternal redemption for God’s elect. Now, let’s see if I can
make good on that statement. Is that, or is it not the specific teaching of
Holy Scripture.
Matthew
Isaiah 53:10-11 "Yet it pleased the LORD to
bruise him; he hath put him to grief:
when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD
shall prosper in his hand. (11) He
shall see of the travail of his soul, and
shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify
many; for he shall bear their iniquities." REDEMPTION!
Daniel 9:24 "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy
people and upon thy holy city, to finish
the transgression, and to make an
end of sins, and to make
reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring
in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and
to anoint the most Holy." JUSTIFICATION!
Romans 1:1-6 "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called
to be an apostle, separated unto the
gospel of God, (2) (Which he had promised
afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) (3) Concerning his Son
Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made
of the seed of David according to the flesh; (4) And declared to be the Son of God with power,
according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: (5) By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to
the faith among all nations, for his name:
(6) Among whom are ye also the
called of Jesus Christ." CALLING!
Galatians
The preaching of he gospel
is not he preaching of possibilities, but the preaching of our Lord Jesus
Christ and his perfect, complete, finished work of redemption and righteousness
as our Substitute.
Hebrews 10:11-14 "And every priest standeth daily
ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take
away sins: (12) But this man, after
he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of
God; (13) From henceforth expecting
till his enemies be made his footstool.
(14) For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are
sanctified."
IV. Fourth, I want you to see clearly that THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST IS MORE THAN AN
EXCLUSIVE MESSAGE - THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST IS THE EXCLUSIVE MESSAGE OF
HOLY SCRIPTURE.
I sometimes actually hear preachers excuse
themselves from preaching the gospel under the pretense of preaching all the
counsel of God. Their excuse will not hold water. That man who said to the
Ephesians, “I have not shunned to declare
unto you all the counsel of God,” the Apostle Paul, is the very same man
who said, “I am determined to know
nothing among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified.” He is the same man
who exclaimed, “Necessity is upon me,
yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!”
The gospel of God’s free and sovereign grace in
Christ, the message of redemption and grace through the sin-atoning blood of
Christ is the singular, exclusive message of Holy Scripture. This is what I am telling you:
Though a man may preach the facts of Scripture and may even be true to the
letter of Scripture, no man preaches the Word of God who does not preach the
gospel. That is not Bible preaching which is not gospel preaching. That is exactly what Peter tells us in 1
Peter 1:23-25.
1 Peter 1:23-25 "Being born again, not of
corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and
abideth for ever. (24) For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as
the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: (25) But the word of the Lord endureth
for ever. And THIS IS THE WORD WHICH BY
THE GOSPEL IS PREACHED UNTO YOU."
V. Fifth, THE GOSPEL, THIS EXCLUSIVE MESSAGE OF REDEMPTION AND
GRACE IN CHRIST, IS THE POWER OF GOD UNTO SALVATION.
The preaching of the gospel is God’s chosen,
ordained means of grace, the means, the exclusive means, by which chosen,
redeemed sinners are born again, called to, and given faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ. I want you to see that this is the exact teaching of Holy Scripture. I
do not care if it throws a monkey wrench in your theological system. This is
exactly what God says in his Word.
·
God does not save sinners by a false gospel. If he did, Paul would not
have said, Let that Arminian, free will,
work monger be damned who preaches a false gospel (Gal. 1:6-9).
·
God does not save sinners apart from the preaching of the gospel.
·
Those who have a form of godliness while denying the power thereof are
religious men and women who deny the gospel of God’s free and sovereign grace
in Christ.
Romans 1:15-16 "So, as much as in me is, I am
ready to preach the gospel to you that are at
1 Corinthians
1
Corinthians 15:2 "By which also ye are saved,
if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in
vain."
James
Listen carefully to what the Scriptures declare. Those whom God intends to save he will save
by the preaching of the gospel. If that means Philip must meet a chosen
Ethiopian on a desert road, that is no problem to God.
If that means the ship carrying his messenger must be lost at sea to land that
messenger on an island inhabited by chosen barbarians, that
is no problem. God has his way in the whirlwind. If that means God’s messenger
must be falsely accused, arrested, and sent through an earthquake so that a
crusty old jailer at
The gospel of Christ is the power of God unto
salvation. The gospel is that by which we have been saved, are being saved, and
shall yet be saved. There is no point in the believer’s life in which he is not
being saved by the gospel. Are you hearing me? God’s elect are…
·
Regenerated by the gospel (1 Pet.
·
Sanctified by the gospel (John
·
Edified by the gospel (Eph.
·
Inspired in life by the gospel (1 Cor.
·
Ruled by the gospel (Gal.
·
Reproved and rebuked by the gospel (Zech.
·
Comforted and encouraged by the gospel (John 10:27-30; 1 John 2:1-2).
VI. Sixth, THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST IS THE EXCLUSIVE MESSAGE WHICH EVERY PREACHER
CALLED AND SENT OF GOD IS SENT TO PREACH.
Roland Hill was exactly right when he said, “Any
message which does not contain the three R’s (Ruin by the Fall,
Redemption by the Blood, and Regeneration by the Holy Spirit) ought never to
have been preached.”
Illustration: “That was a very poor sermon.”
Any man called of God to
preach is called of God to preach the gospel!
1
Corinthians
1
Corinthians 9:16-17
"For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of:
for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! (17) For if I do this thing willingly,
I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me."
Ephesians 3:8 "Unto me, who am less than the least of
all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the
unsearchable riches of Christ."
VII. Seventh, THE GOSPEL OF GOD’S FREE AND SOVEREIGN GRACE IN
CHRIST IS OUR ONLY HOPE BEFORE GOD.
Colossians 1:23 "If ye continue in the faith grounded
and settled, and be not moved away
from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven;
whereof I Paul am made a minister."
My hope is not in my goodness but in God’s grace,
not in my righteousness but Christ’s redemption, not in my faithfulness but in
his faithfulness. I am a man who is at war with himself, because of my sin and
corruption. Yet, in Christ I have hope and peace with God. I cannot express
myself better on this point than by using the words of William Romaine.
"It is true that I have
sin in me, but it is pardoned. God has forgiven me all trespasses. I stand
before Him in my Redeemer, Who undertook for me, and I am perfect in Him. The
Father chose me in His Son: He looks upon the face of His beloved, and sees me
in Him. In Christ He is well pleased, so He is with me! As He loves Christ - He
loves me! This is the glorious privilege which by faith I now enjoy. I deny
sight and sense, and I believe the Word of God! I adhere strictly to the Word
of God concerning me, believing myself to be dead indeed unto sin in Christ,
and in Him absolutely freed from guilt and condemnation. The Father is at peace
with me, and He loves me in His Son, with the same love with which He loves
Christ - His Father and my Father. With this persuasion I go to war with my
corruptions. They are fighting against everything that is dear and precious to
my soul. But having the promised grace of the almighty Savior for my help, I
desire to set upon them in His name. I am at war with sin but at peace in
Christ!"
“My hope is built on nothing
less
Than Jesus’ blood and
righteousness.
I dare not trust the
sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’
name.”
***********************************
“Could my tears forever flow,
Could my zeal no languor
know,
All for sin could not atone.
Christ must save, and Christ
alone.
Application:
Now, let me appeal to you who are yet under the
wrath of God. I speak to you, in the very words of my Master. “The time is fulfilled, and the