The True Gospel
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Have you heard the “true” Good News
Have you heard the “true” Good News
(Intro) - very brief into about good news
(Good news-1 picture inserted here)
The most important news we can have, know, believe, respond to and then share is how to be saved. It is only through the gospel of Jesus Christ can that happen.
If there is good news, there is bad news, if there is a true gospel then there is a false gospel, do we know the difference? (expand on this 1-2 minutes)
(Transition) - The Word of God brings salvation, so it is the word that we need to turn to to know the true good news for it is:
The message Jesus wants all to hear.
Gods desire about the good news (1Tim2:3-4)
God’s desire that is good an acceptable is is to know His desire, His will for all men to be saved (check out 1Tim2:3-4)
Destination of the good news (Mk16:15)
Jesus words with specific direction was to go into “all” the world. See the destination for the good news is everyone, everywhere.
Reason for the good news (Jn3:18; Isa59:2; Jn3:16)
OK, enough summary of scripture, now is time for scripture. There is a reason for the good news that is needed
18 “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
This world, the people, have been judged and found lacking in this case condemned unless they believe. This is very personal notice the word “he.”
why condemned?
2 But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.
Your sins, your personal sins are the reason the good news is needed, but there is hope for those who believe.
Results of the good news (Jn3:16-17)
16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
17 “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
(Transition) I have to believe you have heard the Good News, or at least believe that you have. Are you sure it is the true Good News and not some perverted Gospel that Paul warned the Galatian church about, by the way we will get there in a couple of minutes.
The Good news, the true gospel of Jesus Christ is pure, it is simple, it is clear and is laid out in the scripture. The Good News has things for us to consider, facts for us to believe, commands to obey, and that is what we are going to look at in this installment of the “It’s all about the Gospel Series” today.
Things to consider
Things to consider
God has given us the ability to think, to consider, to ponder things. He did not make us robots. The gospel, the Good News, has things for us to think about, for us to consider, to evaluate.
When it comes to considering the gospel, consider these things.
The gospel is Good News (Lk2:10)
10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;
Good news that can replace fear, it brings great joy when we come to understand the good news that is needed.
The gospel Is power of God unto salvation (Rom1:16)
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
And then from an interpretive version.
16 It’s news I’m most proud to proclaim, this extraordinary Message of God’s powerful plan to rescue everyone who trusts him, starting with Jews and then right on to everyone else!
Good news that brings great joy, that is the power of God for salvation, we need to know and understand the “true gospel” for there are false gospels out there.
Beware of false gospels (Gal1:6-9)
6 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; 7 which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! 9 As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!
False gospels that can disturb you when you are not rooted in the true gospel. (expand on this for 1-2 minutes)
The true gospel must be obeyed (1Pt4:17)
17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?
Think about this, you have the gospel and it is vital to obey the gospel of God, why? there is penalty if not.
There is penalty if the gospel is not obeyed (2The1:9)
9 These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,
Remember a bit ago I read Isa59:2, our iniquities separate us, the penalty, the separation is eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord.
(Transition) I am not putting this out there to just question you, but as we go through today and through this series it may help each of us to understand the gospel message just that much more and to know it so we cannot be persuaded by some perverted gospel, which according to Paul is really not a gospel at all. There are things to consider and there are facts to believe, so now to the facts to believe.
Facts to believe
Facts to believe
Truth is truth regardless if you believe it, but without believe of the gospel there is no salvation. Hard truth, but the facts to believe are simple.
Jesus died for our sins (1Cor15:1-3; Isa53:4-6; 1Cor15:4-8, 14-15, 19)
1 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
I know we did these verses in the intro to our series last week, but they are of “first importance” as it says in (v.3). - Jesus died for our sins! The thing that separated us from God, and that he turns His face from us and does not hear as noted and read in Isa59:2 earlier.
Jesus died for our sins of His own free will (Isa53:4-6)
Turning again to Isaiah and the prophesy that the Christ would come and offer Himself up for our sins.
4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.
6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.
The iniquity of us all fell on Him, or should i say was placed on Him. By being smitten, afflicted, pierced, crushed, chastened and scourged so that we are healed!
Jesus death, burial and resurrection were foretold (1Cor15:4-8)
4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; 7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles;
8 and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.
If it were not true, our faith is in vain (1Cor15:14-15)
14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. 15 Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised.
oh wait, drop down a few verses (1Cor15:19)
19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.
(Transition) Our faith if we don’t believe the fact of the resurrection would be in vain and we would be most pitied.
Jesus is both Lord and King (Act2:33-36; 1Tim36:13-15; Mt18:19; Eph1:20-22; 1Pt3:22)
Jesus has been exalted to the right hand of God, look at Peter’s words on Pentecost
33 “Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. 34 “For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand,
35 Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” ’ 36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”
This Jesus, God has made Him both Lord and Christ! Why, because Jesus willingly laid down his life for us!
He is the king of kings and the lord of lords.
13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, 14 that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.
He stood before Pontius Pilate, innocent, but took on our guilt, our reproach so that He will be the Sovereign king of kings and lord of Lords! Why, because of His willing acceptable sacrifice, because of his resurrection!
To Him all authority has been given on heaven and earth (Mt18:19) but now look at this.
20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,
God raised him from the dead, seated Him in the heavenlies and gave him all rule, authority, power and dominion! and if you see all things in subjection under his feet which is similar to what Peter says in 1Pt3:22.
Jesus is coming again (Act17:30-31; 2the1:7-9; Eph2:8-9; Tit3:4-7)
Coming to judge in righteousness
30 “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, 31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”
We need to be ready, so to do that we need to obey the gospel. Look at the promise and the warning Paul gives to the church at Thessalonica
7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, 8 dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
9 These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,
another important fact on obedience (Eph2:8-9; Tit3:4-7)
We are saved by grace through faith, not of our own as it says in Eph2:8-9)
Then look what is said to Titus and the church in Crete
4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
(Transition) There is nothing we can do to earn our salvation, we have to receive. In the gospel there are things to believe and there are things to obey.
Commands to obey
Commands to obey
We cannot earn it, but to receive it there are things to do, and we want to look at those things for just a few minutes.
(million dollar check picture inserted here) - expand it is worthless unless it is cashed . So is the gospel, it avails nothing unless you do something with it.
First, we need to hear the gospel (Rom10:17)
For the gospel, the word, brings faith and that is needed for salvation.
You then need faith, you need to believe (Heb11:6; Jn3:18; Jn3:36)
6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
No greater reward is our entrance into heaven that is given to those who obey the gospel.
For without it, it is, not good, look at this.
18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Judged, condemned because of non-belief
Belief needs to be specific
36 “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
You need to believe in the Son to have eternal life, but wait there is more, you need to believe in the resurrection and we have covered that already.
So, do you have to personally believe who Jesus is and what God has done to have salvation? YES!
You must confess your faith (Rom10:9-10; 1Tim6:12)
9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
Now it is more than just a confession, it is a true confession and belief in the heart, for even satan and the demons believe in Jesus. It needs to be good confession.
12 Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
Another question to ask yourself, have you made a personal confession of faith? If not, don’t leave here today without doing that, without hearing, believing, obeying the gospel.
You must repent of your sins (Act2:38; Lk24:46-47)
The gospel commands repentance
38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
and even look at the words of Jesus
46 and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
Be baptized for forgiveness of sins (Mk16:15-16; Act2:38; Act2:41; Act2:47; ACt8:36)
Jesus commanded it.
15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.
Who is saved, the one who believes and has been baptized.
The Apostles commanded it as noted in Act2:38, but look at another one
16 ‘Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.’
THe people did it
41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.
And the Lord added to the church
47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.
So what did they do, they were baptized, how were they baptized, it is baptizo, it is immersion as noted in Act8:36.
There are many who proclaim a gospel that is not the gospel or pervert the gospel by distorting it and removing the command. It is not an option, it is not an afterthought because of believe and confession, it is with! This is a surrender to the work of God by the hand of God to apply the blood of the Son for the forgiveness of sins. This is the place where God’s gift of grace through faith is given and our sins are washed away calling on the name of Jesus.
If you have not obeyed the gospel as laid out in the scripture today, don’t wait, don’t delay, get that taken care of today, if you are wondering about it, then that the is Spirit calling you to respond.
We are called then to live obediently, learning to keep his commands (Mt28:20) do it to receive the crown of life (Rev2:10)
(What must I do to be saved picture inserted here)
Hear, believe, confess, repent, be baptized, live obediently
Have you done that? Are you sure you have with a good heart done that? If not do not delay, if you have then remember when and how and share that with others, for “Together we can” grow the kingdom of God!
(invitation song) prayer (exit slides)