Redemption: The Gospel

Today we continue in the series Sound Doctrine, and we continue to investigate the area of our Redemption.  Today’s topic is the gospel, and that’s good news.

What is the gospel?

I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin.  Galatians 1:11

It is no message from men.  It is a message from God to us.

With that, let’s pray and ask God to speak into our time:

Lord Jesus, we need understanding and insight.  Impress on us the beauty of the gospel message and the effectiveness of its call.  Encourage us to be even more diligent to communicate the good news to others.  All this we pray, in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

We find the word gospel throughout the New Testament.  In the Greek, it is the word euaggelion (yü-än-ge'-lē-on).  The verb form of that word is euaggelizō (yü-än-ge-lē'-zō).  The English words we have derived from these are evangelism and evangelize.  The idea is good news and to tell or preach that good news.

Here are three passages which describe the gospel:

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people— the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace.  –Colossians 1:3-6

The gospel is something which we must believe, and it is our hope.  The gospel is not a static thing like a book on a shelf.  The gospel itself is grows or spreads and bears fruit.

But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation—if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.  –Colossians 1:22-23

The gospel message is about reconciliation. 

He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.  And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher.  –2 Timothy 1:9-11

Ultimately, when believed, the gospel brings about life and immortality.  And, we see the gospel message is spread primarily through people.   Another example of this can be found in Acts 5:42,

Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.” –Acts 5:42

And most succinctly, 2 Timothy 2:8 …

Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, --2 Timothy 2:8

It’s about Jesus, particularly the fact that He rose from the dead.  There is overcoming power in Christ.

This message as we see and know it came about during the life of Jesus.  There was a time when the gospel was not being preached, at least not as today.

 “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it.  –Luke 16:16

The gospel is not about following rules and accumulating righteousness by being good enough.  “Everyone” is suddenly eligible when the gospel is preached.  And yet, hearing alone is not enough.   Faith and obedience are needed, too.

For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed.  –Hebrews 4:2

The gospel is a call.  It is a call to obedience and faith: faith in and obedience to Christ.  The verse on your bulletin today is Matthew 11:28-30 …

“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”—Matthew 11:28-30

There is nothing like new fallen snow to bring about the idea of cleanliness, and the covering of that which is wrong or unsightly.  God calls us to reconciliation using that imagery of fresh fallen snow.

 “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” –Isaiah 1:18

And so, these two verses may lead us already to the answer to my question.  Who is calling?  We talked about how the gospel message is spread through people.  And yet, behind the message through people is the call of God.

For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.  And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified. –Romans 8:29-30

He called …

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. –1 Peter 2:9

Him who called …

God is faithful, Who has called you into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.  –1 Corinthians 1:9

Who has called …

The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” –Acts 2:39

The Lord our God will call …

… encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, Who calls you into His kingdom and glory.  –1 Thessalonians 2:12

God who calls …

And the God of all grace, Who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.  –1 Peter 5:10

God of all grace who called …

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.  –2 Peter 1:3

Him who called us …

The message comes by people, but the call is coming also from God Himself.  We talked last week briefly how the church is the ekklesia.  We are the called out ones.  We are called out by God.

After that barrage of verses, it is clear that we are called.  But what then are we called to:

We are called to belong to Christ and to be saints:

And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.  To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be His holy people: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.  –Romans 1:6-7

To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be His holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours: --1  Corinthians 1:2

We are called to live in peace:

But if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so. The brother or the sister is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace.  –1 Corinthians 7:15

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.  –Colossians 3:15

We are called to have freedom:

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.  –Galatians 5:13

We are called to have hope:

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in His holy people, --Ephesians 1:18

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; --Ephesians 4:4

We are called to lives of holiness:

For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.  --1 Thessalonians 4:7

We are called to patient endurance of suffering:

But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.  To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.  –1 Peter 2:20-21

Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.  –1 Peter 3:9

We are called to eternal life:

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.  –1 Timothy 6:12

He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.  –2 Thessalonians 2:14

Well … glory.  That’s some good news!  God Himself calls.  He calls us to peace, freedom, hope, holiness, endurance, and eternal life.

There also is an aspect of God’s calling which is referred to as the effective (or effectual) calling.  It means in this way that God’s call is irresistible.  Those who hear it are drawn to it.  Here are a couple of examples:

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.  –John 6:44

One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.  –Acts 16:14

What is the Gospel call or message?  What does it consist of?  Let’s start with a familiar passage from Romans 10:

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? –Romans 10:14

There is clearly an aspect of the gospel message being presented audibly.  Can you “hear” the gospel by reading?  I would say so.  But, I think this would be rare.  There is a message here which must be understood to be received.

Recently, I saw a comic [http://adam4d.com/gospel-telepathy/] which captures something which I found a little uncomfortable.  Have you heard the quote, “Preach the gospel at all times, if necessary use words.”

This quote is attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, but there is no evidence that he said it.  It cannot be found in his writings or those of his disciples or his biographers.  (If you’re curious about what St. Francis did say, the closest you can get is, “All the friars … should preach by their deeds.”  Saying that your words and deeds should be in agreement is not the same as placing deeds above words.)

And so, we must live lives of love, graciousness, kindness, and more.  Our actions should demonstrate God’s love.  Unfortunately, this quote implies that these types of actions are a means of “preaching the gospel.”

In the example of the comic, the guy holding the door is not “preaching the gospel.”  The guy in orange going in the door will not be convinced of his sinfulness or his need for a Savior from this simple act (or even many more like it).  We are still called to be kind, loving, and even sacrificial toward others.  But we are also called “to preach the gospel to a world that will perish without it.”  The gospel is news, good news, information that needs to be communicated.  You can’t preach the gospel without words.

The comic writer went on to give another example.  He compared the idea of preaching the gospel without words making as much sense as saying, “Order dinner at a restaurant; use words if necessary.”

His warning about this quote is that evangelism is challenging enough as it is.  We don’t need quotes (or posters) which imply that we’re being evangelists when we’re simply being kind.  And so, he amends the quote by saying, “Preach the gospel at all times.  Use words if you’re unable to communicate telepathically.”

I hope you can get the point here.  I’m not saying that being nice is wrong.  It’s just that being nice is not the same as preaching the gospel.  If you do a word study on the Greek verb form of evangelize.  I think you’ll quickly come to the conclusion that the gospel is communicated verbally rather than non-verbally.  I took just one example here:

And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.  –Luke 3:18

John used many words in exhorting and proclaiming the good news.

Let’s take a look at the components of the gospel message:

First, there needs to be an explanation of the facts concerning salvation.  Generally, that is done in a few steps.  One necessary point is that it should be clear that all people have sinned (or done wrong contrary to God’s standard).  A common verse to exemplify this is Romans 3:23:

… for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  --Romans 3:23

Then, it needs to be clear what the consequence of our sin is.  The penalty for sin is death:

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. –Romans 6:23

And then, the good news … Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins:

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  –Romans 5:8

Once the facts of salvation are clear, an invitation to respond to Christ personally in repentance and faith is needed.  We read earlier Matthew 11:28 where Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”  We should express the reality that this is a genuine, personal invitation from Jesus which is extended to individuals today.

In another passage, we see another conditional promise.  Receive and believe. 

He came to His own [home], and His own people did not receive Him.  But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, --John 1:11-12 ESV

Another passage which is a familiar part of the gospel presentation:

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.  –Revelation 3:20

This idea of invitation and response is carried throughout the New Testament and is found even within five verses of the end of the Bible itself:

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.  –Revelation 22:17

If we come to Christ and trust him to save us from our sin, we cannot cling to sin any longer.  We must willingly renounce it in genuine repentance.  Repentance means turning away from.  We must turn away from the wrong things we have done before.  We’ve already read some passages which mention faith as a part of responding to the gospel message.  And it is true, faith is often mentioned as a part of salvation, but not always.  However, repentance is always mentioned and in such cases faith is assumed.  The point is that repentance is the key point of receiving the gospel message.

I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.  –Acts 20:21

… and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.  –Luke 24:47

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles,

“Brothers, what shall we do?”

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  –Acts 2:37-38

  

That brings us to the last part of the gospel message, the promise of forgiveness and eternal life.  The good stuff:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  –John 3:16

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, --Acts 3:19 (also 2:38)

… whoever comes to Me I will never drive away.  –John 6:37

Believing in Jesus, we have eternal life.  Our sins are wiped out.  Jesus says of anyone who comes to Him, He will never drive them away.  Woohoo!

As we’ve already seen, the gospel message or gospel call is a critical part of our salvation and redemption.  Romans 10:14 makes it clear, “how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?”  Each person needs to hear this message of the gospel.  And so, we should be eager to share the message.

I saw an old story told by Charles Spurgeon.  Apparently, their church also supported hospitals in London.  In one of these hospitals, a doctor had taken a stray dog with a broken leg and treated the dog and healed its leg.  Subsequently, this dog would go out and bring other strays to the doctor for the doctor to take care of them.  Spurgeon used this as an example (and a warning).  We have been blessed so much by Jesus and our lives are healed.  We should be eager to bring others to the healer that they too can be saved and enter into eternal life.

God does not save us automatically without first seeking a response from us as whole people.  He addresses us intellectually, emotionally, and through our will.  He explains facts.  He gives a heartfelt personal invitation.  He asks us to respond willingly (in repentance and faith).

A funny thing happened yesterday evening while I was working on the message.  I was working here at the church.  I had brought my dinner with me, and I had gone to warm up my food in the kitchen.  When I returned, I saw that I had missed a call.  I didn’t recognize the number, so I didn’t bother to call back.  I must have just missed it because shortly after I sat down, the phone buzzed that a new voicemail message had been received.  I listened to it, and it was a nice lady inquiring about the couch I had put in the paper to sell.  Except, I didn’t put any items in the paper for sale.  I thought, “Well, I’ll finish eating and call her back.”  She’s not going to realize that she called the wrong number by mistake.

In about 10 minutes, I called her back, and the same friendly voice answered the phone.  I explained the situation, and expected her to say, “Oh, I’m sorry, I must have dialed the wrong number by mistake.”  But, that’s not what she said at all.  So, I told her my phone number and asked her the phone number listed in the classifieds.  Not surprisingly, they were off by one digit.  I forget now, but my number ends 6368, and I think she said 8368 or something similar.  I thought at this point, I have clearly communicated.  To my surprise, she said, “Well, they’re going to have a hard time selling that couch.  If you dial the number in the paper and it rings the wrong phone.  You’re probably going to get a lot of calls about that couch.”

I haven’t gotten any more calls about the couch.  What happened?  This very kind lady was unwilling to admit that she had dialed the wrong number herself.  It wasn’t that phone didn’t work.  She had just dialed the wrong number herself.  Even when I explained it to her, it was not enough.  She needed to respond willingly to my warning.  She needed to “repent” of her mistake and accept the truth.

If you’re here today, and you have not yet responded to the gospel message.  Please don’t be like this nice lady on the phone.  Don’t look somewhere else to assign blame.  Willingly come to Christ in repentance and faith.  Turn from your error, your sin, and trust Jesus.

Let’s pray:

Lord Jesus, thank you for the gospel message which is not something that was made up by men.  It is not of this world.  It is supernatural good news, and we rejoice in You.  Please open our eyes to opportunities to share the truth with others we meet whether in our schools, the marketplace, the workplace, the playground, or beyond.  You are so good to us.  May we bless You by telling others the good that You have done for us.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

[Much of the content of this message including many of the verse references came from the book Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem Chapter 33: The Gospel Call and Effective Calling.]