W
hen you hear the word gospel what do you think of? What is the gospel? Many people would define it in many ways. Some say its the prospect of health, wealth, and happiness in abundance of material goods on this earth. Some are only familiar with the word because they've heard the term "gospel music." Others would say the gospel is to do better, live the best you know how and maybe God will let you into heaven when you die.
Sadly, none of these are the gospel. The gospel message is about what God, the Creator of the Universe, has graciously done by stepping down into time and redeeming a rebellious, God-hating creation. It is the story of all stories. It is the drama of all dramas. It is pure. It is true. It is a matter of life and death. It is the most important message your eyes will ever read and what you do with it will determine everything about where you spend eternity.
Here is that message.
Revelation 14:6-7 says,
Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
This God who made all is Supreme Ruler and Owner of all that He has created.1 Every individual, because they are created by God, will give an account to Him when they die.2
The bad news is the standard by which each individual will be measured is God's holiness; in other words, the standard is absolute perfection. Jesus said, you shall be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.3 This means that every individual is created to love God perfectly and love others perfectly. Obviously no one attains that standard. Everyone falls short of God's perfect holiness.4 Consider a few passages from scripture as evidence:
It is appointed for man once to die, and after this comes judgment. Hebrews 9:27
The wages of sin is death. Romans 6:23
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11
You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell. Matthew 5:27-30
But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death. Revelation 21:8
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. You shall not steal. You shall not lie. You shall not covet. Exodus 20:7, 15, 16, 17
As you can see you have no right standing before a holy God. If you die in your sin, God will give you what your sin and rebellion against Him deserves - hell for eternity.
Here is the good news. Jesus Christ, God's Son, has met God's standard of absolute holiness for sinners by living His life on earth completely without sin. Through the gift of salvation, God accepts Christ's performance as the performance of the repentant sinner. Jesus Christ has taken God's punishment for sin by taking on Himself the sin of every believer, and receiving God's wrath in the sinner's place through His death on the cross.
The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:21,
For our sake he [God, the Father] made him [God, the Son, Jesus Christ] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we [believers] might become the righteousness of God.
Thus, God's wrath and justice are satisfied. Christ's resurrection5 proves that God has accepted His Son's substitutionary sacrificial payment for the sins of His people. He has defeated death and hell. Death has no sting for the believer!6
Jesus says that you must be born-again.7 You must, by the Spirit of God alone, be changed from a state of spiritual death to spiritual life. In your current condition you can do nothing to please God.8 The Bible says you are an enemy of God in your mind through wicked works.9 You are helpless in sin unless God grants you pardon. He doesn't owe you pardon just as a righteous human Judge wouldn't owe a criminal pardon.10
Cry out to Him to pardon you and grant you11 eternal life. The scripture says in Acts 17:30-31,
God commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness.
Trust Christ alone as your only hope of salvation.12
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Being born-again and pardoned of your sin and their consequences will result in a life of seeking God and of every growing in Christlikeness13 as you, now a new creation14, strive to do all things for the glory of God15, which is what you were created to do.
If you continue in your sin without repenting and trusting Christ alone it is a sure evidence that you are spiritually dead, a child of wrath, and alienated from the life of God.16 All of the "religious" activities, if any, which you do will prove to be nothing more than weights tied around your ankles speeding up your fall into the pit of hell.
Is there any sin in your life that you are willing to cling to and spend eternity in hell for? I pray not.
Flee to the shelter of the Savior and avoid the wrath of God. He alone can make your heart clean. He alone can free you from the bondage of sin and its penalty.
With that said, we would like to share a story with you.
And it shall be said, “Build up, build up, prepare the way, remove every obstruction from my people's way.” For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite. For I will not contend forever, nor will I always be angry; for the spirit would grow faint before me, and the breath of life that I made. Because of the iniquity of his unjust gain I was angry, I struck him; I hid my face and was angry, but he went on backsliding in the way of his own heart. I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners, creating the fruit of the lips. Peace, peace, to the far and to the near,” says the LORD, “and I will heal him. But the wicked are like the tossing sea; for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up mire and dirt. There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.” Isaiah 57:14-21
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O nce there was a land where the people were ruled by a king who was so wise and so powerful and so uncompromising that none of his subjects could come near to him -- at least not the way they felt now. His palace was high in the White Mountain and his throne in the palace was very lofty. Huge winged creatures surrounded the mountain. And the palace seemed to float on a cloud of fire. The people of the land were very resentful of the king's authority, and had no respect for his power or wisdom. It hadn't always been this way. The first people in the land had stood in awe of the king and marveled that all his power and wisdom and riches were spent doing good for his subjects. It was as though he exalted himself in order to show kindness. But somewhere along the way, for some strange and dark reason, his subjects began to resent the fact that he exalted himself. Suddenly it didn't matter that his laws were good, what mattered was that they were laws. And the people rebelled, because they started to hate being told what to do. They wanted to make their own laws and appoint their own kings. And so things went very bad. Then something unexpected happened. A rumor was heard in the most rebellious town that the king had left his lofty throne, had passed through the cloud of fire and was coming down the Valley of Shades. That evening in fact, he appeared on his horse at the edge of town with his royal blue cape and blazing eyes and a host of White Mountain warriors that stretched out of sight up the valley. The town's people knew that one word of command and they would all lose their heads. They cringed and sneered and trembled. But the king gave no command. He got off his horse and walked down a side street as though he knew the town well. He stopped at the house of an old widow and knocked. When she opened the door her mouth fell open and she began to cry. The king went in and shut the door. They spoke until it was late. She fed him supper. She gave him a straw mattress. And in the morning he was gone, but on the table was a velvet box. After the king had gone, the people of the village were amazed. Why had the king come? And to dwell with that woman! Her husband had been killed erecting a tower of rebellion against the king. She herself had once been part of the prostitution religion which the king loathed. And after her husband died she served the local resistance as a volunteer. Only recently had she stopped coming to the protest assemblies. But the king had come and dwelt in this old woman's house. This was very surprising. It is surprising that the Lofty One whose name is Holy dwells with any of his subjects, not to mention an old conspirator. Surprising, yes, but not compromising. Not long ago this old woman, who had so long resisted the king's authority and had done all she could to flaunt her rebellion, had found in the archives of the town library an ancient copy of the king's edicts. She had taken it home and began to read. As she read she began to weep. For days and days she read and wept and wept. She began reading them comfortably in her chair but she finished reading them on the floor, bent over, trembling and crying. The edicts of the king were good. His plans and purposes for the land were glorious and sure. She saw and felt for the first time that real freedom and fulfillment didn't come by setting up her little rebellious plan against the king's, but by accepting the wonderful place he would give her in his plan. She was crushed and humbled. From that day on she would be the king's if he would have her. So when the king entered her house, he didn't enter the house of a rebel. He entered the house of one who in all brokenness and contrition revered his throne. So his visit was not a compromise, because the pride of his hostess had been crushed. It is not a compromise for the Lofty One whose name is Holy to dwell with crushed and humble saints. And now the woman sat staring at the little velvet box. To her it was not little. She was tempted to bow before it. Her hand trembled. Even a visit from the king had not made her presumptuous. Slowly she opened the box, and saw a delicate golden ring and a hand-written note from the king. She took up the note and read to herself, With this I cancel every sin And heal now every hurt within. The one who wears the royal ring Will be the daughter of the king. |
Today is the day of salvation. Repent and turn to your King.
Cry out to Him until He answers
May God be glorified.
Amen.
For a more in-depth read on the gospel message go here.
Scripture References:
1. Genesis 1, Isaiah 46:8-10, Job 38 2. Psalm 96:11-13, Acts 17:30-31 3. Matthew 5:48 4. Romans 3:23, James 2:10 5. 1 Corinthians 15:1-28, Romans 4:25 6. 1 Corinthians 15:50-58 7. John 3:1-20 8. Romans 8:7-8, Hebrews 11:6 9. James 4:4, Colossians 1:21 10. Romans 9 11. Philippians 1:29 12. John 14:6 13. 2 Peter 3:18 14. 2 Corinthians 5:17 15. 1 Corinthians 10:31 16. Colossians 1:21
