To Preserve and to Propagate
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What is the gospel? What is it’s purpose? Why is it important?
Intro
Intro
Bishop Curry at the Royal Wedding.
SARP: Substance Abuse and Rehabilitation Program - Portsmouth Naval Medical Center
Mixed message: I was to teach on how religion could help them, but not be specific
In other words teach another gospel.
The church’s mission is to deliver a very important message
Message - Gospel -root:ευαγγελιον
The good news of Jesus Christ. We must be careful of being overly involved in other things and sending other messages, or ignoring the message altogether.
Last week we looked at the importance of Gods Word, and now we look at the importance of what is in God’s Word. The Gospel of (about) Jesus Christ.
Drama
Drama
The Apostles were thrown in jail for preaching and teaching a message that did not coincide with the religious people of the day.
So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison.
But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy
But, God breaks them out and they go right back to teaching.
Now, we see that they are confronted again as they are obediently teaching God’s Word - The Gospel
It is out of fear that the religious of the time operate
Afraid the people might fight back
afraid that they may lose people to the Apsotles
“Sheep Stealing”
They are afraid of an uprising for their part in Jesus death
They are operating out of self-preservation
More worried about the response of men than of God
The apostles have a different response and that is what we will look at today:
Doctrine
Doctrine
God demands obedience of his people for the propagation of the gospel.
God demands obedience of his people for the propagation of the gospel.
Propagation - widely spreading or promoting
The Human Dilemma
God directly told the apostles to “stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.”
To share the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Gave them further direction that started with the Great commission
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The men of religious authority told them not to speak it
These men were enemies of God
Satan was using them to try and stop the good news from being spread
They were standing in the very place where God’s people already were - the temple
The disciples were obedient to their God
But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.
Once the decision was made he preaches the gospel again and proclaims Jesus as Lord over man
God was in charge of bringing Jesus to save the lost
God allowed man to kill Jesus
God has authority to exalt Jesus as Leader and Savior
Leader - originator, founder or beginning
Savior - One who saves
God is the one who provides a path to salvation through repentance and forgiveness of sins
This is the message we bring to people. Of course it is going to be rejected.
No man likes to be told they are not in control. No man likes to be limited in their resource for salvation.
The World looks to men for salvation. Always praising men for their accomplishments and how they will save the world.
Obama was to be the Messiah who would save America.
Barbara Walters admitted on a broadcast appearance with Piers Morgan that maybe Christmas wasn’t the time to say it, but it’s true – the media regarded President Obama as the “next messiah” because of his promises and policies.
“He made so many promises,” she said, The Blaze reported. “We thought that he was going to be – I shouldn’t say this at Christmastime, but – the next messiah. And the whole Obamacare or whatever you want to call it, that Affordable Health Act, it just hasn’t worked for him and he’s stumbled around on it, and people feel very disappointed because they expected more.”
She made the comments in answer to a question from Mr. Morgan about why Mr. Obama has faced such massive opposition. Mr. Morgan specifically asked: “Why is he struggling so much to really fulfill the great flame of ambition and excitement that he was elected on originally in 2009?”
Ms. Walters also said that it might have been better for Mr. Obama’s supporters if they hadn’t wanted so much from him.
“It’s very difficult when the expectations for you are very high,” she said, in The Blaze. “You’re almost better off when they are low and then they rise and rise.”
The Apostles were being obedient to God’s command to teach in the temple, and they brought the greatest message and just what the people needed. - The gospel of Jesus Christ.
It is through the Christians obedience that the gospel message goes out to the lost. When we share the gospel of Jesus Christ we are obediently propagating the truth - God’s truth.
God sovereignly governs all things in order to preserve the gospel.
God sovereignly governs all things in order to preserve the gospel.
God’s truth will not “return empty”
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
If God is truth, his words are true by their very nature
So, God’s words will be effective and will accomplish what he says they will
The gospel message is the sovereign means by which God saves the lost
The circumstances surrounding the gospel are governed by God to preserve this means
God breaks them out of jail
God withholds them being killed
A Pharisee named Gamaliel - an example
If something is of man it will fail
Theudas & Judas
For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered.
Acts 5:36-37
The things of God do not fail
but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice,
God’s plan of salvation will never be overthrown
Acts
His church will never be overthrown
A program or ministries success or failure is God’s doing
Seasons in church and changes in programs
The things of the church should be means of sharing the gospel
They will come and go - the Gospel remains unchanged
His means of saving people - the gospel - will not be overthrown
Satan will attack it
Are you for the spreading of the gospel or against it? Are you active in it or are giving way to Satan?
Satan may win with some of you, but be aware, God will remove you and replace you with someone who will obediently share the gospel.
God sovereignly governs the things of this world to preserve his Word
The Bibel itself
66 books over a span of 1400 years with over 40 authors. Stood the test of time.
Imagine all of the things that have happened in our lifetime, extend to the history of mankind, nothing else has lasted.
Chaplain Cary Cash “A Table in the Presence” tells of a story while in Iraq. He tells a story about a Bible that was lost on a convoy. He was amazed that months after returning to the same location that he Bible was found in the same spot that it had been lost. It survived sand storms, other convoys, damage from war, etc . . .
God’s Word will survive, because God governs his creation to ensure it does.
We serve a God who has a plan for saving the lost that uses the Gospel of Jesus Christ to draw men to himself.
App: If the Gospel is so important that God ensures it’s preservation, how important should it be to us, his followers.
The Gospel is important and it must be one of the most shared stories we have on our tongues.
God uses men in the face of opposition to convey the gospel.
God uses men in the face of opposition to convey the gospel.
They were beaten anyway! (40-42)
Leave it alone and see what happens. If it is f God it will succeed. If it is of man it will fail - like
The Apostles are on the front line and facing an attack by real men in real time
This is the persecution that they expected
Taught by Jesus
Sermon on the mount
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
A warning to the Disciples
But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake.
A warning to us
Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.
John 15:20
App: If you are a follower of Christ, Christian, you will be persecuted. You will be shunned, thought of as dumb and simple, useless to the forward progression of the world.
If you follow Jesus because it’s cool or you are a part of this church because it looks good, then you are here for the wrong reasons.
Our, sole use in the propagation of the gospel is to be the deliverer of that message. And we are on the frontlines of a war.
Satan uses men to try and stop this advance of the Gospel
God saves these men from this situation - why?
He was using them and empowered them to share the gospel
They were useful. Yes, he loved them and they were his, but they were also obedient and not dissuaded by the attacks of Satan
They found this suffering as a joy
They knew this was a season of persecution and that the message they had was not going to be well received
Yet, some would, it was the some that they desired to find
They knew this was only the beginning, not the end
App:
Some of us operate as if we have to save the world.
Start small, find one that is receptive to the gospel
Some of us live as if this world is it
We need to have a kingdom mindset
This world is only a season of our life
Eternal life with Jesus with all people called through the gospel
Romans
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Doxology
Doxology
Praise God he is saving people through the simple message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We must be obedient to our role in this and share this glorious message with the world
The Gospel
It must be a priority in our life
we must hear it again and again - preaching, teaching and reading
We must engage with this message in order to have it at the front of our minds and thoughts
We must remember the Bible is God’s word and it’s central message is the gospel of Jesus Christ
It must be the gospel of the Bible
Bishop Curry at the Royal Wedding.
Some men want to simplify the gospel - water it down and make it more palpable.
Bishop Curry at the Royal Wedding.
Some men want to tweak it and pervert it
Paul - warns of preaching another gospel
But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.
We must as God’s followers cling to the true gospel, that God has preserved for the salvation of men and hold true to our calling.
The message we have will be attacked as Satan continues try to extinguish the gospel and the way of salvation for mankind.
We must fight against this and hold fast to the true Gospel message, it must be central in our life and in the message we share with the world - that Jesus came to save that which was lost, a people and a world lost to sin.
When we do these things we are saying:
“we obey God rather than man” and we Glorify his name.
How many of us want TPC to be successful? How many of us want us to be used by God and be effective minsters of the gospel?
Make the gospel central and when each of us has lived this season of life and stand before Jesus entering the next we will here those longed sought-after words:
“Well done my good and faithful servants.”
Let us always be true to the propagation of the gospel and be found worthy of our calling!