Sunday, Nov. 9, 2008

PROCLAIMING THE GOSPEL

Today we are doing something a bit different. We will be thinking and working through the meaning of “the gospel.” This is not necessarily a model of the way we ought to present the gospel. There are many ways the gospel can be presented effectively. Rather, we are attempting to get a framework for the way we think of the gospel. In a sense, we are attempting to grasp the big picture.

Let’s read Rom. 10:13-15…
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15. And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

Quoting from Is. 52:7, Paul reminds us of the beautiful feet of those who proclaim the gospel. Let me be clear. If you are a true believer, then your desire is to share the good news with others. Don’t let the enemy deceive you into thinking you have to smart, clever, or something special to share the gospel. That is both our privilege and responsibility. The better we understand the good news, the more effectively we will be able to share with others in the power of the Holy Spirit.

So let’s work together this morning to set this framework in our minds…

Why not start with…

God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life

Many of the people we deal with have little concept of who God is. God’s love is only seen against a background of who God is and who man is.

Jesus died for your sins

Who is Jesus? What are sins? Why did He die? Many who think they know what this means have little understanding.

Are you willing to admit you are a sinner?

In our society, that most often has very little meaning. Does the person know what he is admitting?


We start with God because that is where the Bible starts. “In the beginning God…” Let me put it like this: A person must repent and believe in order to be saved. In order to repent, he must understand sin. It is impossible to understand sin, if you don’t know who God is. All of these truths are tied together.

The gospel is good news, but only when it is the true gospel of the scriptures.

Proclaiming the Gospel

What is God like?

He is Almighty… We saw this in Isaiah 40. All the nations are like a drop in the bucket compared to God. “For all the gods of the nations are idols, the the Lord made the heavens” (Ps.96:5). “But our god is in the heavens; he hath done whatsoever he pleased” (Ps. 115:3).

He is holy... “Holy” means “set apart.” God is set apart from everything else. Man is creature; God is Creator. “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory” (Is. 6:3). Ps. 99:9, “Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his holy hill; for the Lord our God is holy.” He is identi-fied repeatedly as “The Holy One of Israel.” “There is none holy as the Lord” (I Sam.
2:2).

To say that God is holy is to say that He is in a class all by Him self. There is no one even close to Him. We see a picture of this in the tabernacle, where a thick curtain separates the Holy of Holies, where God dwells, from the rest of the temple. Even the priests could not go past that curtain into God’s presence.

He is righteous… Everything God does is right, without exception. “For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness” (Ps. 11:7). Deut. 32:4, "He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he." Abraham asked, “Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Gen.18:25). Indeed, He will. Again and again, we are told that God will judge the world with righteousness.

What is man like?

Man is sinful… We have already read this a number of times this morning. “There is none righteous; no, not one” (Rom. 3:10). “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way…” (Is. 53:6). “All our righteous deeds are like filthy rags” (Is. 64:6). Sin is basically man’s failure to be conformed to the law of God.

Sin goes deeper than just our outward actions. Jesus said... (Mark 7:20-23)
What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’ For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly. All these evils come from inside and made a man unclean (Mark 7:20-23, NIV).

“The heart is deceitful all things and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9). We have rebelled against God. From the time we come into this world, we are His enemies (Rom. 5:10)and stand in need of reconciliation (II Cor. 5:18-20). We do unrighteous deeds because we are corrupt to the core, with nothing good in us (Rom. 7:18). We are dead in our trespasses and sins and are the slaves of Satan himself (Eph. 2:1-3).

What is the problem?

Sinful man cannot stand in the presence of a holy God.

Ps. 15:1, “Who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?” In other words, who can stand in the presence of a God who is absolutely holy and righteous? Not sinful man! Peter quoted these words from the Old Testament: “Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy” (I Pet 1:16; Lev. 11:44).

God will have nothing to do with sin. If He did, He would no longer be holy. We read in Rev. 21:2 that nothing which defiles will enter into God’s glorious kingdom. In short, God hates sin. Because God is just and righteous, He must punish sin.

As a result of God’s holiness and man’s sinfulness, man is under the wrath of God (John 3:36). His sin has earned him a wage which is death (Rom. 6:23). That is more than physical death. Natural man comes into this world spiritually dead, will later die physically, and if something isn’t done, he will ultimately endure the eternal torment of hell. “Fear not them which kill the body, bur are not able to kill the soul, but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28).

The Bible speaks very clearly about the seriousness of man’s condition, telling us that it is appointed unto man once to die, but after that the judgment (Heb. 9:27).

Man’s solutions…

Having some sense of his situation, down through the centuries man has tried many things to ridge the gap between himself and God, including the performing of “good works,” trying to be religious, avoiding obvious evil acts, etc. All of this is to no avail, for no man can cleanse his unclean and wicked heart. Even a man as moral and religious and knowledgeable as Nicodemus would not earn entry into God’s kingdom (John 3:1-8).

In our day it is common for people to believe that the solution is to simply ask God for forgiveness. The scripture tells us that there is forgiveness with God (Ps. 130:3-4), that He is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy (Ps. 103:7). The idea is that God will just overlook our sins because He is merciful. He surely WILL NOT, because “he that justifies the wicked… is an abomination to the Lord” (Prov. 17:15). Because the Lord hates those who declare that the wicked are just, He certainly wouldn’t declare wicked men like us to be just/righteous. Every sin must be punished; there are no exceptions. And the punishment for sin is death, even eternal death.

It is clear that the solutions of many people will not be effective. Listen to Jesus words in Matt. 7:21-23…
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

God’s solution

So is there no solution to be found? None that man can find. The problem is basically this: Every human being comes into this world dead in his sins (Eph. 2:1). A dead man cannot do anything for himself. He is helpless and hopeless. The only possible solution is for someone outside the casket to do something for him, someone who is alive rather than dead. 1 John 4:9-10, "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." The key word is “propitiation.” A propitiation is a sacrificial substitute that turns away wrath. Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin for us in order to turn away the wrath of God from us. Jesus Himself took the Father’s wrath upon Himself when He bore our sins in His own body on the tree (Is. 53:10; I Pet. 2:24). The just died for the unjust, that He might bring us to God (I Pet. 3:18).

Jesus was qualified to be that sacrifice because He was absolutely perfect. Because He was God, He came into this world without sin. He pleased the Father in everything (Jn. 8:29). He deserved to live, but He was destined to die as the Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8). Out of love for His own, Jesus did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all (John 3:16; Rom. 8:32).

God’s Command/Invitation and Our Response…

Now that God has revealed Himself to us, He commands men everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30). Jesus commanded those who heard Him, “Repent and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15). On the other hand, He tenderly extends His invitation, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Matt. 16:24). Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved (Acts 16:31).

So we must repent and believe. But who can repent and believe, when he is dead, when his heart is so full of wickedness and corruption. Jesus said, "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:44). Praise God that the Father does draw people to Himself. If He did not, we would have no hope. Though no man, not even Nicodemus, and enter the kingdom through his own efforts, God’s Spirit can give us the new birth, which is the only qualification to enter His presence.

Our part is to repent and believe. Repent – change your mind about your own ability to earn God’s favor, to finally get good enough for Him. Renounce all your efforts and give up totally on yourself. Believe – trust yourself completely to Jesus Christ, who died for our sins according to the scripture, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures (I Cor. 15:3-4). Don’t be content to accept facts in your mind. To believe is to trust, cling to, adhere to, rely upon, give yourself to.

But what if you aren’t at that point? You don’t seem to be able or willing to repent and believe. Here the promises of God’s Word. “The Lord is nigh [near] unto them that are of a broken heart and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit” (Ps. 34:18). “Ye shall seek me and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart” (Jer. 29:13). “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else” (Is. 45:22).