WEBVTT

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Tonight we consider or we continue our series

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concerning restoring New Testament Christianity

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I Hope over the last couple days. We've set a

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good foundation for the things that we hope to

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begin to talk about Concerning restoring the

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faith doctrine and practices of the church that

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Jesus Christ built Tonight we're going to talk

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about restoring the simple gospel plan for man's

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salvation God has a plan for your salvation.

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He has a plan for my salvation. It is a simple

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plan. And we want to go to the Bible tonight

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to study that plan and see what God has to tell

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us through His Word about His plan for man's

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salvation. The word gospel means good news. It

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literally means good news. And the gospel truly

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does consist of wonderful, amazing news. But

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you know sometimes I fear that Maybe people fail

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to appreciate the good news of the gospel because

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they first don't understand how bad news The

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bad news of sin really is so I want to spend

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a few moments with you tonight It would probably

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be good for all of us to be reminded how terribly

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bad The bad news of sin really is Sin is the

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worst news I want us to stop and think about

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our sin for just a moment. You know, in the beginning,

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God created mankind. He created him in His image,

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the Bible says. He created him unlike any other

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thing in creation. We were made in the image

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of God in that we have a heart, a mind, and a

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will, just like God does. And God put us on this

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planet and He provided everything we would ever

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need. The water we drink, the food we eat, the

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air that we breathe, the sunlight that lights

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our path. God provided everything that we would

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need. then He gave us a law to follow. He had

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expectations. He had a will for us to follow

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as we passed our time here on this planet that

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He created. He gave us dominion over this creation

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and told us to subdue it. And after all that,

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after all the wonderful amazing things that God

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did for us, To show us how much he loved us and

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care for us in making us creating for us and

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providing for us After all that it wasn't enough

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It wasn't enough You know God told Adam and Eve

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he said you see all these Trees here in this

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garden. He said you can eat of all the trees

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of the garden Except for that one tree in the

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middle of the garden, the tree of the knowledge

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of good and evil, God told Adam and Eve, don't

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eat of it, don't even touch it, if you do, you'll

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surely die. You know, they had one rule to live

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by. They had one rule to follow. They had a hundred

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yeses and one no. But you know what, it still

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wasn't enough. Because you know when Satan came

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in the form of a serpent and tempted Adam and

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Eve and told them to reach out and take hold

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of the one no When they had a hundred different

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yeses they could have took instead They gave

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in to the devil's temptation and they committed

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sin You know, they didn't want to feel like they

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were missing out, right? You know, that's one

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of the tactics I believe the devil used to deceive

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them Let them to believe that they were missing

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out, you know God knows in the day that you eat

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that fruit Your eyes will be open. You'll be

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as God's knowing good and evil You know the devil

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deceived him into believing, you know, you're

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really missing out on something God wants you

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to he wants to hold you back and have you miss

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out on something By not eating that fruit of

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the tree of the knowledge of good and evil You

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know, I know we're talking about Adam and Eve

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and a person can say well that was Adam and Eve

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That's not me. Is it really? Are we really all

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that much different than Adam and Eve? We have

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the will of God. We understand what He wants

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for us. But we do the very same thing, don't

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we? We commit sin. We transgress the will of

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God. We do things that are contrary to His holy,

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divine will after all the many wonderful things

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that He's done for us. In return for that, we

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give Him what? Rebellion. We give him what? Disrespect.

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We dishonor him. We disobey him. You know, that's

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what makes sin such terrible bad news. When we

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commit sin, we are dishonoring, disrespecting,

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and rebelling against the all -loving, all -powerful,

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all -knowing Creator who made us and everything

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around us for the purpose of reflecting His holiness,

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His glory, and His righteousness. That's why

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He put us here. And when we commit sin, we fall

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so far short of our purpose in living and being

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here on this earth. And for those reasons and

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more, I hope you can see and I hope you've been

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reminded tonight that sin is bad news. It's bad

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news. It separates us from God. We can't have

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a relationship with God when we're guilty of

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sin. God is a perfect sinless and holy God. And

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sin separates us and it drives us away from God.

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And that's even more evidence to the fact that

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sin is bad, terrible, the worst news imaginable.

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But you know what? The gospel is good news. You

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know, the gospel provides the solution, the only

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solution to this problem of sin. The gospel is

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the best news that I could ever imagine bringing

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to you tonight. The gospel is the good news of

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the fact that Jesus came, died, was buried, rose

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from the dead, and He offers salvation to all

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them who come to Him and trust Him and obey Him.

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despite the fact that we rebelled against God

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and dishonored Him and disrespected Him, despite

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that fact He still loves us and gave His Son

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as a sacrifice to cleanse us and forgive us and

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bring us out of that guilt and condemnation so

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that we can have that relationship with our God

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restored back to what God intended it to be.

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That is good news. Where would we be today without

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that? We'd be lost. With no hope of eternal life,

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we'd be helpless and we wouldn't have a chance

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of spending eternity with the God that made us.

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And for those reasons and many more, I'm here

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to tell you tonight, and I'm so glad to be here

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to tell you that the gospel is good news. It

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is good news. We need to understand a few things

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about the gospel. Romans 1 -16, Paul talks about

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the good news of the gospel. He says, For I am

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not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. Why? For

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it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone

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that believeth, to the Jew first and also to

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the Greek. The gospel is the saving power of

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God. God saves people today. And every time God

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saves someone, He does it. Through the gospel

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because the gospel is the saving power of God

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and we notice that that gospel is made Available

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to everyone. It's the saving power of God to

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everyone Not to a limited few or a select few.

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It's the saving power of God to everyone Who

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believes and comes to Jesus Christ according

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to the teaching of the gospel? Gospels powerful.

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It's God's power to save today When we talk about

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the gospel, the good news, it all boils down

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to three fundamental facts. The fundamental facts

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of the gospel are these, that Jesus died, that

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He was buried, and that He rose again. Now, the

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death, burial, and resurrection, it might seem

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like it just rolls off the tongue so quickly.

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And it's easy for us to say it and recite it.

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It's easy for us to talk about the death, burial

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and resurrection of Jesus. But it's not just

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the simple fact that he died, the simple fact

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that he was buried, the simple fact that he rose

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from the dead. It's the significance of his death.

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It's what his death means to us. The significance

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of that burial and that resurrection, everything

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that resurrection implies, everything it signifies,

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every blessing it makes available to us, all

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that is wrapped up in the good news of the gospel.

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But when you boil it all down to its to its fundamental

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facts, it's the death, burial and resurrection

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of Jesus. In First Corinthians 15, one to four,

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listen to what Paul says. Paul says, Moreover,

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brethren, he says, I declare unto you the gospel.

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Paul's gonna declare the gospel to these Corinthians.

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He says, which I preached unto you. He'd already

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preached this gospel to them. This wasn't the

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first time they heard it. He says, I preach this

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gospel to you which also ye have received and

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wherein ye stand. He acknowledges that these

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Corinthians had heard and received the gospel

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and they were standing in the present truth of

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the gospel. He says, by which also ye are saved.

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Same thing he told The Romans, the gospel is

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the saving power of God. He reminds them that

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they are saved by the gospel. But he says, if

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if you keep in memory what I preached unto you,

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unless you have believed in vain, even though

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they'd heard the gospel, they believed and received

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the gospel, even though they were standing in

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the saving grace of the gospel, Paul still found

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it necessary to remind them, didn't he? He said,

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I'm going to remind you anyway so you can keep

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the gospel in memory. It's good for us today

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to be reminded of the gospel. You may have heard

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the gospel for the first time 40, 50, 60 years

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ago. You may have put on Christ in baptism 40,

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50, 60 years ago. But guess what? It's still

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good for us today to hear that gospel, to be

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reminded of it, and to keep it in memory. If

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it was good for these Corinthians, it's good

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for us. Paul says in verse 3 he goes on to declare

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those three fundamental facts of the gospel.

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He says, for I delivered unto you first of all

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that which I also received. How that Christ died

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for our sins according to the scriptures. There's

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the first fact. Christ died for our sins according

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to the scriptures and that he was buried. There's

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the second fact, the burial of Jesus and that

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he rose again the third day. According to the

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scriptures. There's the third fact here in these

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verses. We find the simple gospel as It's laid

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out by God in the scriptures. It's the death

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It's the burial and it's the resurrection of

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Jesus Christ So when you think about the word

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gospel you we need to think about the good news

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We need to think about the idea that God saves

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people today through the gospel. He saves us

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through the gospel and the gospel consists of

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the fact that Jesus died, that He was buried,

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and He rose from the dead. That's what it's all

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about. This is what the gospel is all about.

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We could talk the rest of the night about the

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death of Jesus. We could talk the rest of the

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night about His burial, about His resurrection.

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It's a very touching message. It's easy to put

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it on a PowerPoint slide and make it look nice

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and give it symbols. But it's more than just

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words and illustrations on a screen. It's a story

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of God's love, mercy, and grace. How many people

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would you die for? How many people would you

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die for? Be honest. Would you die for me? Would

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you die for me? There are some people I would

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die for But I'm just going to be completely honest

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with you that the list of people I would die

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for is a short list It's a short list I Don't

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think I could die for every murderer every rapist

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every child molester every thief Every liar in

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Warren County. I don't think I could do that

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much less every murderer, rapist, thief, child

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molester, and liar in the state of Tennessee,

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much less every sinner in the United States of

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America, much less every sinner that has ever

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lived, is living, or will ever live. I couldn't

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do it. Would you give your only child, your only

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son as a sacrifice for every drunk? Every murderer

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every rapist every child molester every terrorist

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that's ever lived his living or will ever live

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I Couldn't do it. I Just don't love I love people

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I try to love people Because I understand the

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love of God and how much of God loves me and

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he loves people so I I'm bound I'm commanded

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by Jesus to love people and I try to do that

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But I'm here to tell you I don't love the world

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enough I don't love the world enough to give

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my only son for the sinners of this world. Somehow,

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someway, I don't know. It's hard to describe.

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It's hard to imagine. It's hard to fathom. But

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that's exactly what God did. He gave His only

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son. Not just for my sin and not just for your

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sin, but every sinner that's ever walked the

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face of this planet. How He did it, I don't know.

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I just know I couldn't do it. I'm glad he was

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able to do it because of his willingness, his

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love, his mercy, and his grace in giving Jesus

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to die for us. Every sinner that's ever lived

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has an opportunity to come to this salvation

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that comes through Christ and comes through this

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gospel. So you see, it's more than just words

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and an illustration on a screen. It's the most

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powerful story, the most touching story that's

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ever been told. Tonight we're going to put into

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practice a four -step approach that we talked

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about Sunday as we talk about restoring, going

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back to God's original pattern and plan for this

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gospel that we're talking about tonight. We're

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going to take a four -step approach. to consider

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the gospel plan of salvation. And the first step

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here is we're going to consider the original

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pattern of the gospel as it was revealed in the

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first century by the apostles and as is recorded

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in our New Testament. We're going to start with

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the original and go to the New Testament and

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see what it says about God's plan for our salvation.

00:15:34.519 --> 00:15:37.059
That original gospel that the apostles preached

00:15:37.059 --> 00:15:39.899
to first century churches was a gospel of grace.

00:15:41.159 --> 00:15:43.960
It was a gospel of grace. In fact, that's what

00:15:43.960 --> 00:15:46.240
Paul told the elders of the Ephesian Church in

00:15:46.240 --> 00:15:49.759
Acts 20 and 24. Paul is talking to them. He says,

00:15:49.919 --> 00:15:52.639
I want to finish my course or my race with joy

00:15:52.639 --> 00:15:55.299
and the ministry which I have received of the

00:15:55.299 --> 00:15:59.059
Lord Jesus to testify the gospel of the grace

00:15:59.059 --> 00:16:02.000
of God. Paul is telling them, I want to finish

00:16:02.000 --> 00:16:04.779
my race. I want to finish strong. I want to complete

00:16:04.779 --> 00:16:06.860
the work, the ministry the Lord's given me to

00:16:06.860 --> 00:16:11.370
do. And I'm just going to keep testifying. of

00:16:11.370 --> 00:16:14.370
the gospel, which he says is a gospel of the

00:16:14.370 --> 00:16:18.870
grace of God. You know, without God's grace,

00:16:20.750 --> 00:16:24.830
everything else is really pointless. If it hadn't

00:16:24.830 --> 00:16:30.129
been for the love, mercy and grace of God, none

00:16:30.129 --> 00:16:32.190
of this would really matter. All the doctrinal

00:16:32.190 --> 00:16:34.370
things that we're going to talk about as we go

00:16:34.370 --> 00:16:36.909
through this meeting, which are very important,

00:16:36.950 --> 00:16:40.169
none of those things would be important. if it

00:16:40.169 --> 00:16:42.330
wasn't for God's mercy and grace and the giving

00:16:42.330 --> 00:16:46.909
of His Son Jesus Christ. It all starts there.

00:16:48.090 --> 00:16:51.710
It all starts there. And we need to understand

00:16:51.710 --> 00:16:54.470
what grace is. You know, the gospel of grace

00:16:54.470 --> 00:16:57.649
means that the gospel is a gospel of undeserved

00:16:57.649 --> 00:17:03.090
mercy and favor from God. Were you so good that

00:17:03.090 --> 00:17:05.670
Jesus deserved the death that He died for you?

00:17:05.730 --> 00:17:07.589
Did Jesus die for you because you were so good?

00:17:09.000 --> 00:17:11.539
or we deserved it somehow, God owed it to us

00:17:11.539 --> 00:17:14.960
to give us His Son. Is that why Jesus went to

00:17:14.960 --> 00:17:17.799
the cross? Absolutely not. Jesus didn't go to

00:17:17.799 --> 00:17:20.619
the cross and die for us because we were so good.

00:17:21.480 --> 00:17:24.380
Romans chapter 5 teaches that while we were yet

00:17:24.380 --> 00:17:26.819
sinners, Christ died for us. It says every now

00:17:26.819 --> 00:17:29.420
and then occasionally some will die for a good

00:17:29.420 --> 00:17:34.640
man. Occasionally a secret service agent will

00:17:34.640 --> 00:17:36.890
step in front of the bullet For the president,

00:17:37.150 --> 00:17:39.289
right? Occasionally, on rare occasions, someone

00:17:39.289 --> 00:17:43.410
might die for the sake of another to protect

00:17:43.410 --> 00:17:46.009
an important person like the president, right?

00:17:46.849 --> 00:17:49.369
That's not why Jesus died for us, because we

00:17:49.369 --> 00:17:51.349
were so good and so special. We were sinners.

00:17:51.450 --> 00:17:58.529
We were lost and dead and sin. Yet Jesus still

00:17:58.529 --> 00:18:02.640
died for us. We didn't deserve his death. His

00:18:02.640 --> 00:18:05.599
death was a demonstration not of what we deserved

00:18:05.599 --> 00:18:08.579
or merited or earned, but it was a demonstration

00:18:08.579 --> 00:18:13.000
of God's undeserved favor and mercy. That's why

00:18:13.000 --> 00:18:17.440
it's called a gospel of grace. The original gospel

00:18:17.440 --> 00:18:19.440
that the apostles preached in the first century

00:18:19.440 --> 00:18:21.380
churches, not only was it a gospel of grace,

00:18:21.400 --> 00:18:25.579
it was a gospel for preaching. It was a gospel

00:18:25.579 --> 00:18:30.039
for preaching. In March 1615, this is what Jesus

00:18:30.039 --> 00:18:33.160
told his apostles right before he went back to

00:18:33.160 --> 00:18:36.539
the Father. These were his final orders to his

00:18:36.539 --> 00:18:40.220
apostles. We call it the Great Commission. The

00:18:40.220 --> 00:18:43.079
Bible says in March 1615, he, that's Jesus, said

00:18:43.079 --> 00:18:45.319
unto them, Go into all the world, he told them,

00:18:45.700 --> 00:18:49.210
and preach the gospel. Preach the gospel to every

00:18:49.210 --> 00:18:51.470
creature he that believeth and is baptized shall

00:18:51.470 --> 00:18:53.829
be saved But he that believeth not shall be damned

00:18:53.829 --> 00:18:56.750
or condemned notice Jesus told his apostles to

00:18:56.750 --> 00:19:00.630
go and To take that gospel with them and to do

00:19:00.630 --> 00:19:05.950
what to preach it That original gospel was a

00:19:05.950 --> 00:19:08.750
gospel of grace and it was for preaching not

00:19:08.750 --> 00:19:11.309
only was it a gospel for preaching It was a gospel

00:19:11.309 --> 00:19:15.839
for believing A gospel for believing. We read

00:19:15.839 --> 00:19:18.720
that right there in Mark chapter 16 verse 15

00:19:18.720 --> 00:19:22.339
and 16. He said, go preach the gospel in all

00:19:22.339 --> 00:19:26.119
the world. He said, he that believeth and is

00:19:26.119 --> 00:19:28.720
baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth

00:19:28.720 --> 00:19:32.880
not shall be damned. You see, part of the obedient

00:19:32.880 --> 00:19:35.759
response to the preaching of the gospel included

00:19:35.759 --> 00:19:39.440
belief, a choice to believe that gospel which

00:19:39.440 --> 00:19:42.779
was being preached. It was the Apostle's job

00:19:42.779 --> 00:19:47.039
to preach it. And for the people that heard that

00:19:47.039 --> 00:19:49.420
preaching, it was their job to believe it, to

00:19:49.420 --> 00:19:51.920
receive it. And, you know, that requires a choice,

00:19:52.880 --> 00:19:57.119
a conscious effort, a decision on our part, an

00:19:57.119 --> 00:20:00.980
act of our own volition and will. You know, we

00:20:00.980 --> 00:20:04.519
make choices all the time, don't we? We can choose

00:20:04.519 --> 00:20:07.180
every day to accept what we hear or reject what

00:20:07.180 --> 00:20:09.910
we hear. And when it comes to the gospel, the

00:20:09.910 --> 00:20:11.829
gospel was to be preached and those who heard

00:20:11.829 --> 00:20:15.349
it needed to make a choice. If they wanted salvation,

00:20:15.430 --> 00:20:17.869
they needed to make a choice to believe that

00:20:17.869 --> 00:20:20.630
gospel. It was a gospel that was for believing.

00:20:22.289 --> 00:20:25.269
The original gospel was a gospel of grace that

00:20:25.269 --> 00:20:28.210
was for preaching. It was for believing and it

00:20:28.210 --> 00:20:32.880
was also for obeying. The gospel, the original

00:20:32.880 --> 00:20:36.019
gospel was for obeying. And again, we go back

00:20:36.019 --> 00:20:39.599
to Mark 16, 15 to 16 to see that. Jesus said,

00:20:39.799 --> 00:20:43.859
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.

00:20:44.640 --> 00:20:47.640
There's that obedient response to the death,

00:20:47.640 --> 00:20:50.539
burial and resurrection of Jesus. A choice to

00:20:50.539 --> 00:20:53.259
be baptized, to submit to the water of baptism

00:20:53.259 --> 00:20:57.240
was necessary for salvation. If a person heard

00:20:57.240 --> 00:21:00.130
the gospel, Yes, they needed to believe it, but

00:21:00.130 --> 00:21:02.789
they also needed to obey it by being baptized.

00:21:03.430 --> 00:21:05.829
And I want to go back and I want you to see the

00:21:05.829 --> 00:21:08.750
significance of this obedience to the gospel.

00:21:09.250 --> 00:21:11.890
We understand that the gospel is the death, the

00:21:11.890 --> 00:21:14.109
burial, the resurrection of Jesus. We read that

00:21:14.109 --> 00:21:17.589
in 1st Corinthians chapter 15 verse 1 to 4. Well,

00:21:17.609 --> 00:21:20.210
the Bible teaches us in Romans 6 verses 3 to

00:21:20.210 --> 00:21:24.930
5 that we obey the death of Jesus through baptism.

00:21:25.410 --> 00:21:28.210
Jesus died for us and in baptism we die with

00:21:28.210 --> 00:21:32.309
Him. In baptism we are buried with Christ. Jesus

00:21:32.309 --> 00:21:34.730
was buried for us and in baptism we're buried

00:21:34.730 --> 00:21:38.009
with Him. And just like Jesus was raised up from

00:21:38.009 --> 00:21:41.690
the dead through His glorious resurrection, we're

00:21:41.690 --> 00:21:44.029
getting ready to see the Bible teach us that

00:21:44.029 --> 00:21:46.470
we come up out of the waters of baptism raised

00:21:46.470 --> 00:21:48.849
to walk in a new spiritual life. We have our

00:21:48.849 --> 00:21:51.789
own spiritual resurrection when we come up out

00:21:51.789 --> 00:21:55.279
of the water of baptism. So in baptism, you know,

00:21:55.279 --> 00:21:58.140
we have an intimate encounter with the death,

00:21:58.200 --> 00:22:01.180
the burial, the resurrection of Jesus. And according

00:22:01.180 --> 00:22:03.720
to the New Testament, it's the only way to obey

00:22:03.720 --> 00:22:07.599
the gospel. It's the only way it teaches to obey

00:22:07.599 --> 00:22:09.819
the death, the burial, the resurrection of Jesus.

00:22:09.859 --> 00:22:12.680
It's through water baptism. Let's read that for

00:22:12.680 --> 00:22:16.220
ourselves in Romans chapter 6. Romans chapter

00:22:16.220 --> 00:22:19.819
6, verses 3 to 4. Paul says, no, you're not.

00:22:19.960 --> 00:22:23.109
Don't you understand? that so many of us were

00:22:23.109 --> 00:22:26.869
baptized into Jesus Christ. He says you were

00:22:26.869 --> 00:22:31.690
baptized into his death. You were baptized into

00:22:31.690 --> 00:22:36.230
his death. He says therefore we are buried with

00:22:36.230 --> 00:22:41.109
him. We are buried with him. How? He says by

00:22:41.109 --> 00:22:45.990
baptism into death. That like as Christ was raised

00:22:45.990 --> 00:22:48.730
up from the dead by the glory of the Father even

00:22:48.730 --> 00:22:54.109
so we also should walk in newness of life. Do

00:22:54.109 --> 00:22:57.609
you see the gospel in that passage? Do you see

00:22:57.609 --> 00:23:01.869
the gospel? I see the gospel in that passage.

00:23:02.009 --> 00:23:06.690
I see a death. Jesus died for us. The Bible teaches,

00:23:06.730 --> 00:23:09.109
know you not that so many of us as were baptized

00:23:09.109 --> 00:23:11.450
into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death.

00:23:11.490 --> 00:23:14.849
That's what Paul says. I see a burial. He says

00:23:14.849 --> 00:23:17.950
therefore we're buried with him by baptism. And

00:23:17.950 --> 00:23:20.150
I see a resurrection. He says, just like God

00:23:20.150 --> 00:23:22.529
raised up Christ from the dead, we come up out

00:23:22.529 --> 00:23:25.690
of the waters of baptism, raised to walk in the

00:23:25.690 --> 00:23:29.970
newness of a new spiritual life. It's beautiful,

00:23:29.970 --> 00:23:34.849
isn't it? Baptism paints a perfect picture of

00:23:34.849 --> 00:23:37.529
what Jesus did for us to bring us salvation.

00:23:37.609 --> 00:23:40.890
His death, His burial, His resurrection. Now

00:23:40.890 --> 00:23:42.730
we don't have to go hang on a cross and die like

00:23:42.730 --> 00:23:45.230
He did. We don't have to be put in a tomb like

00:23:45.230 --> 00:23:48.069
He was. Just hope that the God that God is going

00:23:48.069 --> 00:23:53.069
to raise this up on the third day But you know

00:23:53.069 --> 00:23:56.130
in baptism we do reenact don't we that very thing

00:23:56.130 --> 00:23:59.089
That brought us our salvation the death the burial

00:23:59.089 --> 00:24:01.450
the resurrection of Jesus And that's the only

00:24:01.450 --> 00:24:04.250
way to obey the gospel according to the scriptures

00:24:04.250 --> 00:24:10.589
now we started by Going to the Word of God the

00:24:10.589 --> 00:24:13.269
New Testament and finding the original simple

00:24:13.269 --> 00:24:16.660
plan for man's salvation Now we're going to move

00:24:16.660 --> 00:24:19.019
to the second step in our four -step approach.

00:24:19.500 --> 00:24:22.839
Now we're going to do a quick survey of church

00:24:22.839 --> 00:24:25.519
history and see how that through the centuries

00:24:25.519 --> 00:24:30.519
many different forms of error have evolved concerning

00:24:30.519 --> 00:24:33.819
the teaching, the preaching, and the preaching

00:24:33.819 --> 00:24:37.819
of the gospel. I want to do a little bit of history

00:24:37.819 --> 00:24:41.309
here and help you see how that over time Error

00:24:41.309 --> 00:24:43.950
slowly evolved and one of the first things that

00:24:43.950 --> 00:24:46.289
happened even very early in the first century

00:24:46.289 --> 00:24:50.450
right after the gospel started being Preached

00:24:50.450 --> 00:24:54.750
false Gospels Came on the scene and false Gospels

00:24:54.750 --> 00:24:57.190
were actually preached in the first century churches

00:24:57.190 --> 00:24:59.950
We're gonna talk talk about Galatians chapter

00:24:59.950 --> 00:25:02.509
1 in just a moment and see the warning that's

00:25:02.509 --> 00:25:05.440
given there about preaching false Gospels I want

00:25:05.440 --> 00:25:07.839
to tell you another false gospel that was preached

00:25:07.839 --> 00:25:11.279
in the first, second, and third centuries of

00:25:11.279 --> 00:25:15.319
the church, and that was the rise of Gnosticism.

00:25:15.339 --> 00:25:17.440
Let me tell you a few things about Gnosticism.

00:25:17.700 --> 00:25:21.500
Gnosticism was an ancient worldview. It came

00:25:21.500 --> 00:25:25.700
into the church between 50 and 250 AD, but Gnosticism

00:25:25.700 --> 00:25:28.339
was much older than that. It existed in many

00:25:28.339 --> 00:25:30.259
different forms and many different varieties.

00:25:31.000 --> 00:25:34.190
So it was already around when the gospel began

00:25:34.190 --> 00:25:37.410
to be preached, but slowly over this 200 year

00:25:37.410 --> 00:25:39.849
period of time it sort of infiltrated itself

00:25:39.849 --> 00:25:42.170
into certain segments and parts of the church.

00:25:42.529 --> 00:25:46.490
And let me try to explain Gnosticism to you as

00:25:46.490 --> 00:25:49.529
best as I understand it. We learn a lot about

00:25:49.529 --> 00:25:52.769
Gnosticism by reading the writings of a man named

00:25:52.769 --> 00:25:57.970
Irenaeus. Irenaeus lived in the second century

00:25:57.970 --> 00:26:02.460
AD. He was a church leader He was an early theologian,

00:26:02.460 --> 00:26:06.839
we would say. He was a prolific writer. And Irenaeus

00:26:06.839 --> 00:26:11.339
wrote a work called Against Heresies. And in

00:26:11.339 --> 00:26:14.799
that work, Irenaeus was writing about and confronting

00:26:14.799 --> 00:26:18.319
some of the false doctrines and false gospels

00:26:18.319 --> 00:26:21.579
that were infiltrating the church. And so some

00:26:21.579 --> 00:26:24.420
of his writings give us insight into one of the

00:26:24.420 --> 00:26:26.759
false gospels being Gnosticism. Irenaeus wrote

00:26:26.759 --> 00:26:29.259
against it. And that helps us understand what

00:26:29.259 --> 00:26:36.160
it was. Gnosticism was this worldview that everything

00:26:36.160 --> 00:26:39.500
in the world that was made of matter, everything

00:26:39.500 --> 00:26:43.339
material in this world is evil by nature. So

00:26:43.339 --> 00:26:46.720
my boots, made of matter, evil by nature. This

00:26:46.720 --> 00:26:49.240
PowerPoint projector, made of matter, evil by

00:26:49.240 --> 00:26:52.299
nature. This pine tree out here, made of matter,

00:26:52.519 --> 00:26:54.480
evil by nature. That everything in the material

00:26:54.480 --> 00:26:59.000
world was evil. There was a spiritual world where

00:26:59.000 --> 00:27:01.259
things were good, but in this material world

00:27:01.259 --> 00:27:03.940
everything is evil. You can see it, touch it,

00:27:04.019 --> 00:27:07.859
taste it, feel it, hear it. It's evil. That was

00:27:07.859 --> 00:27:11.480
the world view. That was the idea. And so if

00:27:11.480 --> 00:27:16.079
you were a Gnostic and you wanted to become a

00:27:16.079 --> 00:27:18.460
Christian and you heard the gospel of Jesus Christ,

00:27:18.880 --> 00:27:20.660
it would be hard for you to accept the gospel

00:27:20.660 --> 00:27:23.980
of Jesus Christ because The idea that Jesus came

00:27:23.980 --> 00:27:26.099
into the world and He was the sinless Son of

00:27:26.099 --> 00:27:29.400
God, that was a hard pill for them to swallow.

00:27:30.400 --> 00:27:32.579
Because if Jesus came in the flesh, He was made

00:27:32.579 --> 00:27:35.740
of matter. And if all matter is evil, that would

00:27:35.740 --> 00:27:38.779
make Jesus evil. That would make Him sinful.

00:27:40.180 --> 00:27:42.200
And so it was hard for the Gnostics to believe

00:27:42.200 --> 00:27:44.279
that Jesus came in the flesh. You know what they

00:27:44.279 --> 00:27:46.799
taught? They taught the idea that Jesus didn't

00:27:46.799 --> 00:27:49.460
come, but He didn't come in the flesh. They were

00:27:49.460 --> 00:27:52.640
teaching that He was just a spirit being. Oh,

00:27:52.720 --> 00:27:54.940
yes, he looked like a physical being with a human

00:27:54.940 --> 00:27:56.980
body, but he was really just a spirit being.

00:27:57.000 --> 00:27:59.740
He didn't have any fleshly form. Now what's the

00:27:59.740 --> 00:28:02.700
problem with that? Well that changes the gospel

00:28:02.700 --> 00:28:05.579
completely, doesn't it? Because if Jesus never

00:28:05.579 --> 00:28:07.920
came in a physical body, a flesh and blood body,

00:28:08.180 --> 00:28:09.819
how is he going to die on the cross? How is he

00:28:09.819 --> 00:28:14.880
going to shed his blood? If he came in an immortal

00:28:14.880 --> 00:28:19.329
spiritual body, how is he going to die? See,

00:28:19.329 --> 00:28:21.670
that completely undermined and changed the gospel

00:28:21.670 --> 00:28:25.009
and that's why Gnosticism was a heresy and that's

00:28:25.009 --> 00:28:27.329
why it was so dangerous. That's why Irenaeus

00:28:27.329 --> 00:28:32.549
wrote against it. The Gnostics, any time they

00:28:32.549 --> 00:28:34.970
were confronted with this idea, know Jesus did

00:28:34.970 --> 00:28:37.470
come in the flesh. They would say, well, you

00:28:37.470 --> 00:28:39.829
just don't understand. We have this secret knowledge

00:28:39.829 --> 00:28:43.170
that God gave us and He told us, God gave us

00:28:43.170 --> 00:28:45.150
this secret revelation and secret knowledge that

00:28:45.150 --> 00:28:47.859
He didn't come in the flesh. And so that was

00:28:47.859 --> 00:28:50.980
their trump card, right? To anything and everything

00:28:50.980 --> 00:28:52.599
they might try to teach them from the Word of

00:28:52.599 --> 00:28:54.539
God, they'd say, well, you just don't understand

00:28:54.539 --> 00:28:56.160
and don't know because you don't have the secret

00:28:56.160 --> 00:29:02.079
knowledge that we Gnostics have. That's Gnosticism

00:29:02.079 --> 00:29:06.019
in a nutshell, and it was a false gospel. I believe

00:29:06.019 --> 00:29:10.140
the Apostle John was writing against some early

00:29:10.140 --> 00:29:12.519
forms of Gnosticism that were creeping into the

00:29:12.519 --> 00:29:14.880
church even in the first century. I want to show

00:29:14.880 --> 00:29:17.380
you this. 1 John chapter 4 verse 2. John wrote

00:29:17.380 --> 00:29:19.619
this. He said, Every spirit that confesseth that

00:29:19.619 --> 00:29:22.119
Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God.

00:29:22.640 --> 00:29:25.359
And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus

00:29:25.359 --> 00:29:28.160
Christ is come in the flesh is not of God, and

00:29:28.160 --> 00:29:31.779
this is that spirit of Antichrist. You ever read

00:29:31.779 --> 00:29:34.160
that and thought, well, that's kind of strange.

00:29:35.279 --> 00:29:37.740
Well, who in the world would believe that Jesus

00:29:37.740 --> 00:29:40.019
didn't come in the flesh? We don't run into that

00:29:40.019 --> 00:29:42.400
much today. Most everyone who calls themselves

00:29:42.400 --> 00:29:45.059
Christians believes, yes, Jesus came in the flesh.

00:29:46.339 --> 00:29:50.500
But you know, in the first century, Gnostic Christians

00:29:50.500 --> 00:29:53.160
were rejecting the idea that Jesus came in the

00:29:53.160 --> 00:29:57.279
flesh. And I think that's probably why John wrote

00:29:57.279 --> 00:29:59.599
what he did. He said, listen, anyone who says

00:29:59.599 --> 00:30:02.650
that Jesus did not come in the flesh, They're

00:30:02.650 --> 00:30:04.990
teaching something that is not from God. In fact,

00:30:05.069 --> 00:30:07.269
they have a spirit is not the spirit of God.

00:30:07.269 --> 00:30:11.730
It is the spirit of Antichrist. John refutes

00:30:11.730 --> 00:30:17.710
the false gospel of Gnosticism in 1st John. Here's

00:30:17.710 --> 00:30:20.029
the warning Galatians 1 gives us about teaching

00:30:20.029 --> 00:30:22.730
and preaching false Gospels. There are many other

00:30:22.730 --> 00:30:26.450
examples we could look at. But all of those false

00:30:26.450 --> 00:30:28.630
Gospels would be condemned by this scripture,

00:30:28.670 --> 00:30:33.140
this warning. Paul told the Galatians, Galatians

00:30:33.140 --> 00:30:35.799
1 6, I marvel that you are so soon removed from

00:30:35.799 --> 00:30:38.220
Him that called you into the grace of Christ

00:30:38.220 --> 00:30:41.119
unto another gospel, which is not another. But

00:30:41.119 --> 00:30:43.420
there be some that trouble you and would pervert

00:30:43.420 --> 00:30:46.640
or change or twist the gospel of Christ. But

00:30:46.640 --> 00:30:48.720
though we are an angel from heaven, preach any

00:30:48.720 --> 00:30:51.220
other gospel unto you than that which we have

00:30:51.220 --> 00:30:53.680
preached unto you, let him be a curse. That's

00:30:53.680 --> 00:30:56.579
a strong warning, isn't it? If anyone comes and

00:30:56.579 --> 00:30:58.940
brings any other gospel different than the one

00:30:58.940 --> 00:31:03.319
the apostles preached, Paul says it's a false

00:31:03.319 --> 00:31:05.940
gospel, it's a perverted gospel, it's not really

00:31:05.940 --> 00:31:08.480
a gospel at all because it's not the original,

00:31:08.559 --> 00:31:11.359
it's not the true gospel. He says let people

00:31:11.359 --> 00:31:16.279
that preach those gospels be accursed. So false

00:31:16.279 --> 00:31:19.210
gospels were something that... the church had

00:31:19.210 --> 00:31:21.049
to deal with in the first, second, and third

00:31:21.049 --> 00:31:24.289
centuries. As times continued to go on in church

00:31:24.289 --> 00:31:28.750
history, another attack came upon the true gospel

00:31:28.750 --> 00:31:32.150
of Jesus. And slowly over a period of about 600

00:31:32.150 --> 00:31:36.150
years, the idea developed that man could be saved

00:31:36.150 --> 00:31:40.569
by his own good works. Works -based salvation.

00:31:42.970 --> 00:31:47.980
This idea began to permeate Christianity and

00:31:47.980 --> 00:31:50.920
permeate the church from the year 100 to 600

00:31:50.920 --> 00:31:55.640
AD and this time period corresponds to the rise

00:31:55.640 --> 00:31:59.339
of Roman Catholicism. Over this period of time

00:31:59.339 --> 00:32:04.240
the idea of salvation shifted to this idea, the

00:32:04.240 --> 00:32:08.680
idea that a person is saved, a person is made

00:32:08.680 --> 00:32:14.000
worthy to go to heaven so long as they faithfully

00:32:14.000 --> 00:32:18.549
observe the seven sacraments or the seven sacred

00:32:18.549 --> 00:32:23.410
rites of the Roman Catholic Church. This doctrine

00:32:23.410 --> 00:32:26.130
of the sacrament slowly evolved over this period

00:32:26.130 --> 00:32:29.150
of time and Roman Catholicism still teaches today

00:32:29.150 --> 00:32:32.369
that salvation comes. A person is made worthy

00:32:32.369 --> 00:32:35.789
to go to heaven by their faithful observance

00:32:35.789 --> 00:32:39.490
to seven things, seven religious rites that the

00:32:39.490 --> 00:32:43.710
Catholic Church calls sacraments. So what has

00:32:43.710 --> 00:32:46.589
salvation become now? Salvation has now become

00:32:46.589 --> 00:32:50.630
a test as to whether or not how well or not so

00:32:50.630 --> 00:32:54.089
well that people can keep seven man -made doctrines

00:32:54.089 --> 00:32:56.730
and traditions that are raised up and called

00:32:56.730 --> 00:33:00.190
sacraments by the Roman Catholic Church. And

00:33:00.190 --> 00:33:03.549
that is a form of what we would call works -based

00:33:03.549 --> 00:33:06.509
salvation. Us being saved by our own abilities

00:33:06.509 --> 00:33:10.660
to follow some list man -made doctrines and traditions

00:33:10.660 --> 00:33:13.920
that are made tests for whether or not we can

00:33:13.920 --> 00:33:17.400
go to heaven. Okay, that's man man -made works

00:33:17.400 --> 00:33:20.819
based salvation in a nutshell. Okay, now here's

00:33:20.819 --> 00:33:23.019
what we understand about works based salvation.

00:33:24.380 --> 00:33:26.920
We can never work and earn our salvation from

00:33:26.920 --> 00:33:30.079
God. It's not how it works, right? Because as

00:33:30.079 --> 00:33:32.079
we've already seen the gospel is a gospel of

00:33:32.079 --> 00:33:35.660
grace and we are forever indebted to God for

00:33:35.660 --> 00:33:37.599
Him being good and gracious and giving us His

00:33:37.599 --> 00:33:41.799
Son Jesus. God owes us nothing. He owes us nothing.

00:33:43.079 --> 00:33:45.000
You know, in Romans 4 and 4, Paul says this,

00:33:45.160 --> 00:33:47.980
Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned

00:33:47.980 --> 00:33:52.339
of grace, but of debt. And that's what works

00:33:52.339 --> 00:33:54.779
based salvation taught. The idea that if you

00:33:54.779 --> 00:33:57.680
do all these works that God owes you this reward

00:33:57.680 --> 00:34:01.059
of salvation and taking you to heaven. He owes

00:34:01.059 --> 00:34:03.900
it to you because You know, you worked for it.

00:34:03.980 --> 00:34:07.759
You faithfully kept the seven sacraments. You

00:34:07.759 --> 00:34:10.579
see that nullifies really the gospel of grace,

00:34:10.699 --> 00:34:14.539
doesn't it? Nullifies the gospel of grace. Paul

00:34:14.539 --> 00:34:16.519
would later go on to explain that to the Romans

00:34:16.519 --> 00:34:19.599
in Romans 11 and six. He's talking about salvation.

00:34:19.639 --> 00:34:22.539
And he says, if it's by grace, then it is no

00:34:22.539 --> 00:34:25.579
more works. Otherwise, grace is no more grace.

00:34:25.679 --> 00:34:28.780
But if it be of works. then it is no more grace,

00:34:28.860 --> 00:34:31.719
otherwise work is no more work. Salvation by

00:34:31.719 --> 00:34:35.380
grace and salvation by works are incompatible.

00:34:36.239 --> 00:34:40.820
They're incompatible. They just won't work together.

00:34:41.659 --> 00:34:43.579
It's either going to be one or the other, not

00:34:43.579 --> 00:34:45.840
a little bit of grace and a little bit of works.

00:34:45.960 --> 00:34:48.679
It's going to be one or the other. Paul's trying

00:34:48.679 --> 00:34:51.500
to help the Romans, trying to help us understand

00:34:51.500 --> 00:34:55.940
that works by salvation. isn't compatible with

00:34:55.940 --> 00:34:59.039
this idea of a gospel of grace that saves us.

00:35:00.099 --> 00:35:02.599
The bottom line is this, we cannot earn our salvation

00:35:02.599 --> 00:35:05.719
by obeying the seven sacraments of the Roman

00:35:05.719 --> 00:35:08.940
Catholic Church. It's not God's plan for our

00:35:08.940 --> 00:35:12.380
salvation. In Ephesians 2, 8 -9, Bible says,

00:35:12.539 --> 00:35:14.800
For by grace are you saved through faith, that

00:35:14.800 --> 00:35:17.019
not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not

00:35:17.019 --> 00:35:22.980
of works, lest any man should boast. We continued

00:35:22.980 --> 00:35:26.409
forward. a little further in church history.

00:35:27.769 --> 00:35:29.849
And we come into a period of time around the

00:35:29.849 --> 00:35:35.110
1500s when there was another error that was introduced

00:35:35.110 --> 00:35:39.110
into Christianity concerning the gospel. And

00:35:39.110 --> 00:35:41.909
it is the idea that a person in and of themselves

00:35:41.909 --> 00:35:45.449
doesn't have the power or ability to believe

00:35:45.449 --> 00:35:48.110
the gospel because they don't have free will.

00:35:48.590 --> 00:35:50.750
I want to tell you a little bit about this doctrine.

00:35:50.969 --> 00:35:53.909
Sometimes it's called Reform Theology. Sometimes

00:35:53.909 --> 00:35:56.610
it's called Calvinism and that's attributed to

00:35:56.610 --> 00:36:00.989
one of its founding authors and founding formulators.

00:36:01.070 --> 00:36:03.889
His name was John Calvin. He was a French theologian

00:36:03.889 --> 00:36:07.090
who lived in the 16th century. He wrote many

00:36:07.090 --> 00:36:10.349
works, a lot of works which sort of formed the

00:36:10.349 --> 00:36:13.969
fundamental framework for Reform Theology or

00:36:13.969 --> 00:36:17.320
Calvinism. You remember Calvin was a leading

00:36:17.320 --> 00:36:20.619
figure in the Protestant Reformation from 1517

00:36:20.619 --> 00:36:24.940
on into the 1600s. And he came up with the Doctor

00:36:24.940 --> 00:36:28.380
of Calvinism. And this was Calvinism's teaching

00:36:28.380 --> 00:36:32.760
concerning salvation. Calvin taught that God

00:36:32.760 --> 00:36:36.639
is so sovereign. He's so high above us. He's

00:36:36.639 --> 00:36:40.420
so powerful and he is so sovereign that his sovereignty

00:36:40.420 --> 00:36:46.000
eliminates our own free will. to choose to believe

00:36:46.000 --> 00:36:49.119
the gospel. Calvin would tell us tonight that

00:36:49.119 --> 00:36:51.860
we could try as hard as we might want to to believe

00:36:51.860 --> 00:36:56.320
the gospel but we could not do it. We could not

00:36:56.320 --> 00:37:00.900
do it not unless God gave us the gift of faith.

00:37:01.619 --> 00:37:04.679
Faith itself was a gift from God and unless God

00:37:04.679 --> 00:37:07.280
gave you the gift of faith you could not believe

00:37:07.280 --> 00:37:12.329
the gospel. Try as hard as you want. It goes

00:37:12.329 --> 00:37:15.130
along with another idea, another doctrine, that

00:37:15.130 --> 00:37:17.210
before the foundation of the world, God already

00:37:17.210 --> 00:37:20.250
decided how many people would be saved, how many

00:37:20.250 --> 00:37:22.389
people would be lost, and that number of saved

00:37:22.389 --> 00:37:24.769
and lost could never be altered by anything man

00:37:24.769 --> 00:37:29.210
ever does. And if God preselected you for salvation,

00:37:29.269 --> 00:37:31.389
then He would give you the gift of faith so that

00:37:31.389 --> 00:37:33.829
you could believe and be saved. But if you weren't

00:37:33.829 --> 00:37:37.690
preselected for salvation, well, sorry, He wasn't

00:37:37.690 --> 00:37:39.469
going to give you the gift of faith. He was going

00:37:39.469 --> 00:37:41.780
to withhold that from you. so that you could

00:37:41.780 --> 00:37:46.099
never believe and you could never be saved. So

00:37:46.099 --> 00:37:49.659
the idea that God is so sovereign that man can

00:37:49.659 --> 00:37:51.739
never make a choice for himself, a free will

00:37:51.739 --> 00:37:55.539
choice to believe and accept Christ and come

00:37:55.539 --> 00:37:58.320
to salvation through his own choice of belief.

00:37:58.539 --> 00:38:00.639
That's the doctrine of Calvinism in a nutshell.

00:38:01.719 --> 00:38:04.039
Now, here's what I want you to understand about

00:38:04.039 --> 00:38:08.340
Calvinism, about reform theology. Calvinism was

00:38:08.340 --> 00:38:13.559
a reactionary response. to hundreds and hundreds

00:38:13.559 --> 00:38:17.559
and hundreds of years of man -made works based

00:38:17.559 --> 00:38:22.059
salvation that was given and taken away by a

00:38:22.059 --> 00:38:25.679
group of Corrupt religious leaders that's you

00:38:25.679 --> 00:38:28.619
got to realize the idea of Calvinism sounds strange

00:38:28.619 --> 00:38:30.800
until you think about everything Calvin ever

00:38:30.800 --> 00:38:34.000
knew about salvation You know Calvin and his

00:38:34.000 --> 00:38:35.960
parents and his grandparents and his great -grandparents

00:38:35.960 --> 00:38:37.360
his great -great -great -great -grandparents

00:38:37.360 --> 00:38:40.480
had seen for hundreds and hundreds of years They'd

00:38:40.480 --> 00:38:43.239
seen Catholic priests stand up and say, you can't

00:38:43.239 --> 00:38:45.699
be saved unless you keep the seven sacraments.

00:38:46.039 --> 00:38:48.199
And you know who administered the seven sacraments?

00:38:48.739 --> 00:38:52.519
The priest. The power of salvation was in the

00:38:52.519 --> 00:38:54.980
priest. If the priest didn't like you, guess

00:38:54.980 --> 00:38:57.360
what he'd do? Withhold the sacraments from you.

00:38:57.960 --> 00:38:59.860
And if he withheld the sacraments from you, guess

00:38:59.860 --> 00:39:01.380
what? You couldn't be saved and go to heaven.

00:39:02.360 --> 00:39:04.539
If the priest didn't like you, he withheld the

00:39:04.539 --> 00:39:06.340
sacraments and you couldn't be saved and go to

00:39:06.340 --> 00:39:11.090
heaven. That's all they had ever seen for hundreds

00:39:11.090 --> 00:39:13.150
and hundreds and hundreds of years that kind

00:39:13.150 --> 00:39:16.610
of system That's a terrible system. And so it

00:39:16.610 --> 00:39:20.030
doesn't excuse the error of Calvinism But it

00:39:20.030 --> 00:39:22.090
does explain how they came to the conclusion

00:39:22.090 --> 00:39:24.489
They said all we've ever seen is salvation in

00:39:24.489 --> 00:39:27.590
the hands of men based on works We're gonna take

00:39:27.590 --> 00:39:30.050
salvation out of the hands of men altogether

00:39:30.050 --> 00:39:32.130
so much so that you don't even get to decide

00:39:32.130 --> 00:39:35.980
whether you're saved or not And it's not going

00:39:35.980 --> 00:39:38.039
to be according to a man's choice. It's not even

00:39:38.039 --> 00:39:39.960
going to be according to your own choice. We're

00:39:39.960 --> 00:39:43.119
going to let God decide who is saved. And we're

00:39:43.119 --> 00:39:45.820
going to take salvation out of man's hands altogether

00:39:45.820 --> 00:39:50.019
and just put it in the hands of God. That's like

00:39:50.019 --> 00:39:52.139
swinging the pendulum from one extreme to the

00:39:52.139 --> 00:39:55.880
other, isn't it? It was a reactionary response

00:39:55.880 --> 00:39:59.059
to hundreds and hundreds of years of corruption

00:39:59.059 --> 00:40:03.179
and man -made and works -based salvation. Now

00:40:03.179 --> 00:40:06.909
Calvinism... is not in line with what the Scriptures

00:40:06.909 --> 00:40:09.309
teach. The doctrine of Calvinism is just another

00:40:09.309 --> 00:40:13.050
one of these false Gospels. Listen, God would

00:40:13.050 --> 00:40:17.449
never command us to believe if we were incapable

00:40:17.449 --> 00:40:21.190
of making a choice to believe. Would God ever

00:40:21.190 --> 00:40:23.469
command us to do something we were incapable

00:40:23.469 --> 00:40:29.960
of doing? In Mark 1 and 5, Mark 1 and 15 Jesus

00:40:29.960 --> 00:40:32.039
said the time is fulfilled the kingdom of heaven

00:40:32.039 --> 00:40:34.920
of God is at hand repent ye and believe the gospel

00:40:34.920 --> 00:40:37.579
Jesus preached and told people to repent and

00:40:37.579 --> 00:40:40.099
believe the gospel would God and Christ command

00:40:40.099 --> 00:40:42.900
people to believe the gospel If they didn't have

00:40:42.900 --> 00:40:46.880
any free will to make a choice to believe Not

00:40:46.880 --> 00:40:50.960
only that would God Admonish us for unbelief

00:40:50.960 --> 00:40:54.239
if we were incapable of believing That's exactly

00:40:54.239 --> 00:40:56.719
what Christ did to the apostles. He appeared

00:40:56.719 --> 00:40:59.840
to them after His resurrection and the Bible

00:40:59.840 --> 00:41:02.699
says He abraded them for their unbelief, for

00:41:02.699 --> 00:41:04.599
their hardness of heart because they believed

00:41:04.599 --> 00:41:07.900
not that which had seen Him after He was risen.

00:41:08.219 --> 00:41:10.519
The apostles after Christ was risen, they were

00:41:10.519 --> 00:41:13.019
hearing rumors that people had seen Him and they

00:41:13.019 --> 00:41:15.619
didn't believe it. They were living in unbelief

00:41:15.619 --> 00:41:18.679
and Jesus came to them and abraded them. He corrected

00:41:18.679 --> 00:41:21.760
them. He scolded them. Why did you not believe?

00:41:23.659 --> 00:41:25.599
Well, we didn't believe Lord because we don't

00:41:25.599 --> 00:41:28.380
have free will to believe, you know Belief is

00:41:28.380 --> 00:41:30.579
a gift. God will give us if he wants us to have

00:41:30.579 --> 00:41:34.559
it. Was that the Apostles response? No You know

00:41:34.559 --> 00:41:37.380
God God would never admonish us for unbelief

00:41:37.380 --> 00:41:39.760
if we were incapable of believing and certainly

00:41:39.760 --> 00:41:43.619
God would never punish us for unbelief If we

00:41:43.619 --> 00:41:45.840
were incapable of believing that's not a just

00:41:45.840 --> 00:41:49.280
God Jesus said he that believeth not shall be

00:41:49.280 --> 00:41:54.099
damned He that believes not is condemned the

00:41:54.099 --> 00:41:58.460
Lord truly going to condemn us and damn us for

00:41:58.460 --> 00:42:01.820
not believing you when all along we were incapable

00:42:01.820 --> 00:42:05.760
of belief I don't think God will do that I don't

00:42:05.760 --> 00:42:08.400
think he's that kind of a God this idea that

00:42:08.400 --> 00:42:10.619
we have no free will to believe the gospel is

00:42:10.619 --> 00:42:13.320
not in line with the scripture we can come to

00:42:13.320 --> 00:42:15.239
faith and belief in God and the Bible tells us

00:42:15.239 --> 00:42:18.300
how to do that doesn't it Romans 10 17 where

00:42:18.300 --> 00:42:20.849
does faith come from Faith cometh by hearing

00:42:20.849 --> 00:42:22.690
and hearing by the Word of God. That's where

00:42:22.690 --> 00:42:25.289
faith comes from. We don't sit back and wait

00:42:25.289 --> 00:42:27.989
for God to drop faith on our head, you know,

00:42:28.010 --> 00:42:30.110
like a gift so we can be saved. We go to the

00:42:30.110 --> 00:42:32.789
Word of God and the Bible tells us that we can

00:42:32.789 --> 00:42:35.389
cultivate faith. Faith comes by hearing and hearing

00:42:35.389 --> 00:42:39.969
by the Word of God. The fourth and the final

00:42:39.969 --> 00:42:44.150
error. I want to speak to you about tonight Concerning

00:42:44.150 --> 00:42:46.849
the gospel plan of salvation and this is the

00:42:46.849 --> 00:42:48.949
most recent error that we are more familiar with

00:42:48.949 --> 00:42:51.690
in our modern -day times It's the idea that people

00:42:51.690 --> 00:42:54.090
don't really need to obey the gospel and baptism

00:42:54.090 --> 00:42:56.289
that baptism really isn't all that important

00:42:56.289 --> 00:43:00.869
Now this this idea this false gospel really wasn't

00:43:00.869 --> 00:43:04.909
all that common until the 1940s, the 1950s on

00:43:04.909 --> 00:43:07.449
into the present day. And it corresponded with

00:43:07.449 --> 00:43:11.130
the rise of what was first radio evangelism and

00:43:11.130 --> 00:43:16.409
then later TV evangelism, okay? As radios and

00:43:16.409 --> 00:43:18.989
televisions became more common and more popular,

00:43:19.349 --> 00:43:21.889
preachers took advantage and they went to the

00:43:21.889 --> 00:43:24.289
airwaves and they got on television screens and

00:43:24.289 --> 00:43:26.469
they preached the gospel. But it was different

00:43:26.469 --> 00:43:29.380
this time. Because, you know, in the past the

00:43:29.380 --> 00:43:32.460
preacher had to be present with the people he

00:43:32.460 --> 00:43:34.699
was preaching to, with the sinners. And it was

00:43:34.699 --> 00:43:37.420
easy to encourage them to believe, repent, and

00:43:37.420 --> 00:43:40.539
be baptized. But now, you know, no telling where

00:43:40.539 --> 00:43:42.480
these people are that we're preaching to. They're

00:43:42.480 --> 00:43:44.599
in their television, maybe out in the middle

00:43:44.599 --> 00:43:46.559
of the woods or at the North Pole. You know,

00:43:46.639 --> 00:43:48.679
the people are all over the world hearing and

00:43:48.679 --> 00:43:53.079
seeing preachers preach on radio and TV. And

00:43:53.079 --> 00:43:55.119
there's not a convenient way to baptize these

00:43:55.119 --> 00:44:00.239
people. And so what slowly emerged is this idea

00:44:00.239 --> 00:44:03.460
that you can be saved listening to your radio,

00:44:03.940 --> 00:44:06.760
watching your TV, you can be saved by simply

00:44:06.760 --> 00:44:10.480
hearing and repeating a prayer, sometimes called

00:44:10.480 --> 00:44:15.039
the sinner's prayer. And as this sinner's prayer

00:44:15.039 --> 00:44:18.599
gained popularity, less and less emphasis was

00:44:18.599 --> 00:44:22.320
placed on the need to obey the gospel in baptism.

00:44:22.420 --> 00:44:24.539
This is one of the things that influenced the

00:44:24.539 --> 00:44:27.840
rise Not the only thing but one of the things

00:44:27.840 --> 00:44:30.639
that influenced this rise of the no need to obey

00:44:30.639 --> 00:44:34.800
the gospel and baptism false doctrine Now prayer

00:44:34.800 --> 00:44:38.119
is a good thing Prayer is a good thing. We should

00:44:38.119 --> 00:44:41.760
pray to God But you know what the Bible never

00:44:41.760 --> 00:44:45.320
teaches that salvation from our sin and the washing

00:44:45.320 --> 00:44:48.480
away of our sin comes through prayer We have

00:44:48.480 --> 00:44:51.219
the Apostle Paul. He was Saul of Tarsus before

00:44:51.219 --> 00:44:54.239
he was the Apostle Paul He went to Damascus.

00:44:54.420 --> 00:44:58.280
He met the Lord. He was blinded and he was led

00:44:58.280 --> 00:45:00.820
into Damascus. And the Bible tells us that Saul

00:45:00.820 --> 00:45:03.639
was there in Acts 9 and 9. He was there three

00:45:03.639 --> 00:45:06.860
days blind without his sight. Neither did he

00:45:06.860 --> 00:45:10.500
eat or drink. He fasted. The Lord appeared to

00:45:10.500 --> 00:45:13.659
a preacher in Damascus, Ananias, and told Ananias

00:45:13.659 --> 00:45:17.320
in verse 11, arise and go and go down straight

00:45:17.320 --> 00:45:19.599
street to the house of one Judas. And he said,

00:45:19.719 --> 00:45:24.349
inquire for one Saul of Tarsus. He's there. What's

00:45:24.349 --> 00:45:29.170
he doing? For behold he prayeth In the process

00:45:29.170 --> 00:45:31.449
of Saul's conversion he was blinded he couldn't

00:45:31.449 --> 00:45:34.550
see he was led to a house in Damascus and there

00:45:34.550 --> 00:45:37.789
he prayed and There he fasted the Bible tells

00:45:37.789 --> 00:45:44.010
us for three days Three days of prayer and fasting

00:45:44.010 --> 00:45:47.010
the Lord told Ananias to go find him and When

00:45:47.010 --> 00:45:49.349
Ananias found Saul, what did he tell Saul to

00:45:49.349 --> 00:45:52.820
do? Did he say Saul? You've been praying long

00:45:52.820 --> 00:45:57.360
and hard. Surely you're already forgiven of your

00:45:57.360 --> 00:46:02.340
sins." He said, no. He said, and now why tarries

00:46:02.340 --> 00:46:05.039
thou? Acts 22 -16, and now why tarries thou?

00:46:05.199 --> 00:46:07.579
Saul, what are you waiting for? Arise and be

00:46:07.579 --> 00:46:10.599
baptized and wash away thy sins, calling on the

00:46:10.599 --> 00:46:12.659
name of the Lord. After three days of prayer

00:46:12.659 --> 00:46:15.460
and fasting, Saul was still in his sins. You

00:46:15.460 --> 00:46:16.960
know what that tells me? And that should tell

00:46:16.960 --> 00:46:19.659
all of us that praying a simple prayer with the

00:46:19.659 --> 00:46:23.019
preacher on TV does not wash away our sins. It

00:46:23.019 --> 00:46:25.039
didn't wash away Paul's sins when he prayed for

00:46:25.039 --> 00:46:29.500
three days. He needed to do something more. There

00:46:29.500 --> 00:46:32.420
was one more thing he needed to do. Ann and I

00:46:32.420 --> 00:46:34.420
said, why are you waiting to do it? Get up and

00:46:34.420 --> 00:46:36.340
be baptized. And when you do that, what will

00:46:36.340 --> 00:46:38.420
happen? Your sins will be washed away because

00:46:38.420 --> 00:46:42.139
you'll be calling on the name of the Lord. And

00:46:42.139 --> 00:46:43.760
so this is one of the things the New Testament

00:46:43.760 --> 00:46:46.800
teaches us that makes us clear to us that this

00:46:46.800 --> 00:46:48.820
idea that you don't have to be baptized, just

00:46:48.820 --> 00:46:51.650
pray a prayer and you're saved. That's not the

00:46:51.650 --> 00:46:55.630
gospel that's given to us in God's Word. That's

00:46:55.630 --> 00:46:58.429
certainly not the gospel that Saul heard, believed,

00:46:58.530 --> 00:47:02.210
and obeyed when he was converted to Christ. Here's

00:47:02.210 --> 00:47:05.389
the fact. Here's a reality. Here's a fact. Jesus

00:47:05.389 --> 00:47:07.570
is coming back someday. We need to heed the warning

00:47:07.570 --> 00:47:11.250
of 2 Thessalonians chapter 1 verse 8 to 9. Jesus

00:47:11.250 --> 00:47:13.210
is coming back someday and when he comes he's

00:47:13.210 --> 00:47:15.010
going to come and take vengeance on those who

00:47:15.010 --> 00:47:17.469
don't obey the gospel. That's why it's so important

00:47:17.469 --> 00:47:20.170
that we obey the gospel. That's why it's so important

00:47:20.170 --> 00:47:22.309
that we encourage others to obey the gospel.

00:47:24.289 --> 00:47:26.309
The Bible says that Jesus is coming back and

00:47:26.309 --> 00:47:29.510
when he comes he's coming in flaming fire and

00:47:29.510 --> 00:47:31.530
he's going to be coming to take vengeance on

00:47:31.530 --> 00:47:36.920
them that know not God. those that obey not the

00:47:36.920 --> 00:47:39.360
gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall be

00:47:39.360 --> 00:47:42.699
punished with everlasting destruction from the

00:47:42.699 --> 00:47:44.500
presence of the Lord and from the glory of his

00:47:44.500 --> 00:47:49.760
power Jesus is coming back he's gonna take vengeance

00:47:49.760 --> 00:47:51.679
on two groups of people those who don't know

00:47:51.679 --> 00:47:54.920
God and those who don't obey the gospel that's

00:47:54.920 --> 00:47:58.320
why we teach and preach and beg with people to

00:47:58.320 --> 00:48:01.639
come to know God and come to a place where they

00:48:01.639 --> 00:48:05.079
submit and obey the gospel and baptism before

00:48:05.079 --> 00:48:09.199
it's too late. Now I want to keep working our

00:48:09.199 --> 00:48:11.480
way around the circle here. I want to go to our

00:48:11.480 --> 00:48:14.539
third step. I want us to stop for just a moment

00:48:14.539 --> 00:48:16.780
and consider some of the modern -day practices,

00:48:16.940 --> 00:48:18.920
some of the modern -day teachings concerning

00:48:18.920 --> 00:48:21.800
the gospel in our time today. We've looked at

00:48:21.800 --> 00:48:24.679
church history and how a lot of error has been

00:48:24.679 --> 00:48:26.800
taught concerning the gospel. What about today?

00:48:27.360 --> 00:48:31.219
You know, today it's very popular in our time

00:48:31.530 --> 00:48:34.610
to hear of the prosperity gospel. Prosperity

00:48:34.610 --> 00:48:37.610
gospel is a very selfish gospel. It's a gospel

00:48:37.610 --> 00:48:40.789
that promises us all the health and wealth and

00:48:40.789 --> 00:48:43.570
material blessings we could ever want or hope

00:48:43.570 --> 00:48:47.429
to gain. It's the idea, and we hear the preachers

00:48:47.429 --> 00:48:50.469
on TV and on the radio preach this gospel. They

00:48:50.469 --> 00:48:52.789
preach a message that God wants to bless us with

00:48:52.789 --> 00:48:54.829
all the material things our hearts have ever

00:48:54.829 --> 00:48:57.429
wanted, that God wants us to grant us our every

00:48:57.429 --> 00:49:01.219
earthly desire. And we know what our earthly

00:49:01.219 --> 00:49:06.760
desires are, right? Wealth, money, fast cars,

00:49:07.360 --> 00:49:10.300
nice houses, two or three houses if we can get

00:49:10.300 --> 00:49:15.159
them, right? All the earthly things this world

00:49:15.159 --> 00:49:19.920
has to offer. You know, Jesus came not to make

00:49:19.920 --> 00:49:22.980
sure we had our every earthly desire satisfied.

00:49:23.019 --> 00:49:27.780
He came to give us spiritual blessings. He came

00:49:27.780 --> 00:49:30.179
to save our soul, which is really our most valuable

00:49:30.179 --> 00:49:32.840
possession. You know, our soul, your soul, my

00:49:32.840 --> 00:49:34.920
soul, it's more valuable than all the cars, all

00:49:34.920 --> 00:49:36.719
the homes, all the lands, all the money I'll

00:49:36.719 --> 00:49:40.460
ever manage to have. My soul is more valuable

00:49:40.460 --> 00:49:42.699
than all that. Your soul is more valuable than

00:49:42.699 --> 00:49:45.139
any earthly possession you'll ever manage to

00:49:45.139 --> 00:49:48.139
gain. You know what Jesus was more concerned

00:49:48.139 --> 00:49:50.460
about when He came to this world? He wasn't as

00:49:50.460 --> 00:49:52.480
concerned about us having a big nice house or

00:49:52.480 --> 00:49:57.659
a nice fast car. He was concerned about the salvation

00:49:57.659 --> 00:50:00.179
of our soul because our soul is that which we

00:50:00.179 --> 00:50:02.760
will take on into eternity. Every house, car,

00:50:03.000 --> 00:50:04.699
piece of land I've ever owned I'm going to leave

00:50:04.699 --> 00:50:07.659
behind here on earth when I die and when the

00:50:07.659 --> 00:50:09.780
Lord comes back it's all going to be burned up

00:50:09.780 --> 00:50:13.480
in the end anyway. I'm only going to take one

00:50:13.480 --> 00:50:15.579
thing with me on into eternity and that's my

00:50:15.579 --> 00:50:18.300
soul. That's what makes my soul my most valuable

00:50:18.300 --> 00:50:22.320
possession. And this health, wealth, selfish

00:50:22.320 --> 00:50:26.599
prosperity gospel does very little To speak to

00:50:26.599 --> 00:50:29.480
the salvation of our soul what it speaks to is

00:50:29.480 --> 00:50:32.659
the satisfaction of men's covetousness and their

00:50:32.659 --> 00:50:37.380
greed and their desire for earthly things You

00:50:37.380 --> 00:50:40.139
know Paul told Timothy that there would come

00:50:40.139 --> 00:50:43.860
men who would Have perverse disputings. He's

00:50:43.860 --> 00:50:46.840
he warns about first perverse disputings of men

00:50:46.840 --> 00:50:49.539
of corrupt minds men that are destitute of the

00:50:49.539 --> 00:50:53.130
truth supposing that gain is godliness And that's

00:50:53.130 --> 00:50:55.489
really the underlying message behind the prosperity

00:50:55.489 --> 00:51:00.110
gospel that gain is godliness That if you're

00:51:00.110 --> 00:51:02.449
close to God God will give you all these things

00:51:02.449 --> 00:51:05.090
that your heart desires Paul told Timothy from

00:51:05.090 --> 00:51:08.769
such withdraw thyself Godliness is learning to

00:51:08.769 --> 00:51:11.449
be content with such things as we have that's

00:51:11.449 --> 00:51:14.610
what Paul would later go on to tell Timothy To

00:51:14.610 --> 00:51:17.969
be content with what little or what or what lot

00:51:17.969 --> 00:51:23.900
or what much God has blessed us with Here's another

00:51:23.900 --> 00:51:26.139
false gospel that we see preached today. It's

00:51:26.139 --> 00:51:30.800
a casual, faith -only gospel. It's the idea that

00:51:30.800 --> 00:51:34.420
you just need to believe in Jesus and as long

00:51:34.420 --> 00:51:37.099
as you come to Jesus as you are and just accept

00:51:37.099 --> 00:51:39.840
Him as your Lord and Savior, Jesus will save

00:51:39.840 --> 00:51:42.619
you and He just wants to tag along with you through

00:51:42.619 --> 00:51:45.639
life like your self -help coach, like your best

00:51:45.639 --> 00:51:48.760
buddy. You and Jesus can be pals. You really

00:51:48.760 --> 00:51:51.530
don't have to change your life. Jesus is really

00:51:51.530 --> 00:51:54.130
not looking for any kind of a commitment. Just

00:51:54.130 --> 00:51:58.150
come to Jesus. Just ask Him into your heart.

00:51:58.230 --> 00:52:01.829
You're saved. Go on about your way. And that's

00:52:01.829 --> 00:52:06.550
really about as deep as it gets. Right? It's

00:52:06.550 --> 00:52:10.670
a very casual, a very low commitment. Faith only

00:52:10.670 --> 00:52:12.750
gospel. Just believe and God saves you. Don't

00:52:12.750 --> 00:52:14.989
worry about the rest. I'm here to tell you tonight,

00:52:15.010 --> 00:52:16.809
that sounds good and it's appealing to a lot

00:52:16.809 --> 00:52:19.349
of people today, but that's not the truth of

00:52:19.349 --> 00:52:22.269
the gospel. You know, this is what Paul told

00:52:22.269 --> 00:52:24.369
the Romans. He taught the Romans that the gospel

00:52:24.369 --> 00:52:28.190
demands a life -changing commitment. In Romans

00:52:28.190 --> 00:52:31.210
6, 1 to 2, shall we continue in sin that grace

00:52:31.210 --> 00:52:34.510
may abound? God forbid. How are we going to come

00:52:34.510 --> 00:52:37.369
to Christ and accept Him and get salvation from

00:52:37.369 --> 00:52:40.340
our sin and just keep on living in sin? giving

00:52:40.340 --> 00:52:42.679
little thought to it or little care to how we

00:52:42.679 --> 00:52:45.619
live for the Lord. We don't want to continue

00:52:45.619 --> 00:52:47.920
in sin that grace may abound. God forbid, how

00:52:47.920 --> 00:52:50.820
shall we that are dead to sin live any longer

00:52:50.820 --> 00:52:53.440
therein? The gospel demands a life -changing

00:52:53.440 --> 00:52:56.360
commitment and a call to holiness and righteousness.

00:52:58.659 --> 00:53:03.320
Christ calls us to deny our will so that we can

00:53:03.320 --> 00:53:06.659
accept and embrace His will. It's not like we

00:53:06.659 --> 00:53:08.739
get to come to the Lord on our own terms and

00:53:08.739 --> 00:53:10.940
live our own life and do our own thing and Jesus

00:53:10.940 --> 00:53:14.019
will just follow us through life. It's the other

00:53:14.019 --> 00:53:17.039
way around. We need to sacrifice our will to

00:53:17.039 --> 00:53:21.300
get behind Him and follow Him. In Matthew 16

00:53:21.300 --> 00:53:24.239
24, Jesus said to His disciples, if any man will

00:53:24.239 --> 00:53:27.219
come after Me, let him deny himself, take up

00:53:27.219 --> 00:53:31.119
his cross and follow Me. That's what it means

00:53:31.119 --> 00:53:33.159
to be a true disciple. That's what it means to

00:53:33.159 --> 00:53:36.619
be a true follower of Jesus Christ. self -denial,

00:53:36.940 --> 00:53:41.000
laying aside our will to embrace the will of

00:53:41.000 --> 00:53:45.380
Jesus Christ. And then the last false gospel

00:53:45.380 --> 00:53:48.199
that we hear preached so often today is a gospel

00:53:48.199 --> 00:53:50.159
that tells us all we need to do is call on the

00:53:50.159 --> 00:53:52.840
name of the Lord and don't worry about anything

00:53:52.840 --> 00:53:55.500
else and God will save us. I want to talk about

00:53:55.500 --> 00:53:58.079
this call on the name of the Lord gospel. This

00:53:58.079 --> 00:54:00.079
idea that all we need to do is just trust Jesus

00:54:00.079 --> 00:54:02.739
as your personal Savior and cry out to salvation

00:54:02.739 --> 00:54:06.500
for Him. He will save you. You know this this

00:54:06.500 --> 00:54:08.659
idea comes from a verse in the New Testament

00:54:08.659 --> 00:54:10.539
It's found in a few different places. One of

00:54:10.539 --> 00:54:13.599
those places is Romans 10 13 This is where Paul

00:54:13.599 --> 00:54:16.159
says whosoever shall call upon the name of the

00:54:16.159 --> 00:54:19.980
Lord shall be saved Whosoever shall call upon

00:54:19.980 --> 00:54:21.960
the name of the Lord shall be saved you know

00:54:21.960 --> 00:54:24.340
I'm here to tell you brethren that verse right

00:54:24.340 --> 00:54:29.440
there Romans 10 13 is true All day long every

00:54:29.440 --> 00:54:34.679
day of the week and every day of the year It's

00:54:34.679 --> 00:54:37.480
true. Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will

00:54:37.480 --> 00:54:41.119
be saved. But the question we need to ask is

00:54:41.119 --> 00:54:43.079
this, what does it really mean to call on the

00:54:43.079 --> 00:54:47.280
name of the Lord? You know, if we miss the mark

00:54:47.280 --> 00:54:49.539
in defining what it means to call upon the name

00:54:49.539 --> 00:54:52.820
of the Lord, we miss the purpose and the meaning

00:54:52.820 --> 00:54:55.739
of this verse altogether. What does it mean to

00:54:55.739 --> 00:54:57.280
call upon the name of the Lord? You know, when

00:54:57.280 --> 00:54:59.239
you study this phrase, call upon the name of

00:54:59.239 --> 00:55:01.699
the Lord, here's what it means. It means to make

00:55:01.699 --> 00:55:04.860
an appeal to or invokes Christ's power and authority

00:55:04.860 --> 00:55:07.639
to save us. That's what it means to call on the

00:55:07.639 --> 00:55:10.519
name of the Lord, to come to Jesus in faith and

00:55:10.519 --> 00:55:13.260
submission to Him realizing He's the only one

00:55:13.260 --> 00:55:15.739
who has the power to save us and we need His

00:55:15.739 --> 00:55:19.059
help and we invoke and we appeal to Him to save

00:55:19.059 --> 00:55:20.739
us from our sins. That's really all it means

00:55:20.739 --> 00:55:23.599
to call on the name of the Lord. Here's the deal.

00:55:23.599 --> 00:55:25.900
We can't call on the name of the Lord. We can't

00:55:25.900 --> 00:55:29.219
appeal to Jesus to save us, but then turn around

00:55:29.219 --> 00:55:32.059
and outright reject and ignore everything Jesus

00:55:32.059 --> 00:55:35.440
taught about how to be saved. That's like saying,

00:55:35.440 --> 00:55:37.780
Lord, I want you to save me, but I'm gonna ignore

00:55:37.780 --> 00:55:41.760
everything you told me to do to be saved. We

00:55:41.760 --> 00:55:47.800
can't have it both ways. You remember what Jesus

00:55:47.800 --> 00:55:50.719
said in Luke 646? Why call you me, Lord, Lord?

00:55:51.500 --> 00:55:54.559
do not the things which I say if Jesus is our

00:55:54.559 --> 00:55:57.659
Lord and we're coming to him for salvation we

00:55:57.659 --> 00:55:59.820
need to be willing to hear receive and obey what

00:55:59.820 --> 00:56:03.360
he taught about salvation and we know there's

00:56:03.360 --> 00:56:05.219
some things that Jesus taught about salvation

00:56:05.219 --> 00:56:07.599
one being that we got to be baptized to be saved

00:56:07.599 --> 00:56:10.400
but people say oh no just call on the name of

00:56:10.400 --> 00:56:12.519
the Lord and you don't need to be baptized that's

00:56:12.519 --> 00:56:14.880
like saying Lord save me but I'm not gonna do

00:56:14.880 --> 00:56:17.969
what you said In Mark 16, 16, you told me to

00:56:17.969 --> 00:56:20.030
be baptized if I wanted to be saved. I'm not

00:56:20.030 --> 00:56:22.230
going to do that. I'm just going to expect you

00:56:22.230 --> 00:56:28.690
to save me in my rebellion, to your word. You

00:56:28.690 --> 00:56:32.050
remember in Acts 22, 16, we talked about this

00:56:32.050 --> 00:56:36.480
earlier, when Saul there in Damascus? When he

00:56:36.480 --> 00:56:38.980
got up and was baptized and had his sins washed

00:56:38.980 --> 00:56:40.960
away, what was he doing? The Bible says he was

00:56:40.960 --> 00:56:43.480
calling on the name of the Lord. Part of Saul's

00:56:43.480 --> 00:56:45.360
calling on the name of the Lord included this,

00:56:45.420 --> 00:56:47.920
included getting up and being baptized for the

00:56:47.920 --> 00:56:50.440
remission of his sins. That was part of his calling

00:56:50.440 --> 00:56:53.860
on the name of the Lord. So we can't divorce

00:56:53.860 --> 00:56:56.199
baptism from the idea of calling on the name

00:56:56.199 --> 00:56:57.980
of the Lord. They come hand -in -hand and they

00:56:57.980 --> 00:57:00.880
work together. We're gonna look at the fourth

00:57:00.880 --> 00:57:03.340
and final step in our four -step approach tonight.

00:57:05.840 --> 00:57:09.099
Given where we've been and how the gospel has

00:57:09.099 --> 00:57:11.360
changed so much and so much error has been taught

00:57:11.360 --> 00:57:13.559
about it through the centuries and how there

00:57:13.559 --> 00:57:16.579
are many false gospels taught today, let's talk

00:57:16.579 --> 00:57:20.340
about how we restore God's simple plan and pattern

00:57:20.340 --> 00:57:22.860
for the gospel. Here's what we need to teach

00:57:22.860 --> 00:57:25.860
and preach today. Here's what I teach and preach

00:57:25.860 --> 00:57:27.760
today and here's what I know this congregation

00:57:27.760 --> 00:57:30.599
stands for when it comes to the gospel today.

00:57:31.059 --> 00:57:33.690
People got to hear the gospel. How shall they

00:57:33.690 --> 00:57:35.769
believe in Him of whom they've not heard, Paul

00:57:35.769 --> 00:57:39.030
says in Romans 10 -14. People got to hear the

00:57:39.030 --> 00:57:42.269
gospel before they can have faith in it. After

00:57:42.269 --> 00:57:44.190
people hear the gospel because we're preaching

00:57:44.190 --> 00:57:47.219
it, people need to believe the gospel. In John

00:57:47.219 --> 00:57:49.780
8 24, Jesus said, if you believe not that I am

00:57:49.780 --> 00:57:52.840
He, ye shall die in your sins. So we've got to

00:57:52.840 --> 00:57:55.039
believe the gospel. If we don't believe the gospel,

00:57:55.059 --> 00:57:57.760
we will die in our sins. Not only do we have

00:57:57.760 --> 00:57:59.780
to believe the gospel, we got to believe it so

00:57:59.780 --> 00:58:02.500
much that we're willing to repent, to turn away

00:58:02.500 --> 00:58:06.300
from sin and turn toward the sinless Son of God.

00:58:06.780 --> 00:58:08.980
And that change in our life, a change of heart

00:58:08.980 --> 00:58:11.800
and mind leading to a change of course and direction

00:58:11.800 --> 00:58:13.760
in our life is called repentance. And we got

00:58:13.760 --> 00:58:16.349
to repent of our sin. It's part of the plan of

00:58:16.349 --> 00:58:20.849
salvation. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 7 -10,

00:58:20.949 --> 00:58:23.809
Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation.

00:58:24.570 --> 00:58:27.230
We're sorry for our sin, we turn away from sin,

00:58:27.250 --> 00:58:30.250
that's repentance, and that leads to what? That

00:58:30.250 --> 00:58:33.550
leads to salvation not to be repented of. True

00:58:33.550 --> 00:58:37.389
faith responds in obedience to God through bringing

00:58:37.389 --> 00:58:40.769
forth the fruits of repentance. Not only do we

00:58:40.769 --> 00:58:42.429
need to repent of our sin, we need to confess

00:58:42.429 --> 00:58:45.489
our faith in Christ. In Romans chapter 10 verse

00:58:45.489 --> 00:58:47.710
9 it says that if thou shalt confess with thy

00:58:47.710 --> 00:58:50.369
mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine

00:58:50.369 --> 00:58:52.489
heart that God raised him from the dead, thou

00:58:52.489 --> 00:58:55.150
shalt be saved. It says for with the heart men

00:58:55.150 --> 00:58:57.150
believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth

00:58:57.150 --> 00:59:01.170
confession is made unto salvation. It's not hard

00:59:01.170 --> 00:59:03.409
to confess our faith in Christ when we truly

00:59:03.409 --> 00:59:07.289
have that belief, that faith in our hearts. And

00:59:07.289 --> 00:59:09.389
then the last thing we need to do is we need

00:59:09.389 --> 00:59:12.929
to be baptized into Christ. We have to take that

00:59:12.929 --> 00:59:15.449
obedient step of baptism as we've talked about

00:59:15.449 --> 00:59:18.530
tonight. That's what Peter told the Jews in Acts

00:59:18.530 --> 00:59:21.789
2 on Pentecost Day. Acts 2 .38, Peter told them

00:59:21.789 --> 00:59:25.369
to repent and be baptized, every one of you,

00:59:25.489 --> 00:59:27.510
in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission

00:59:27.510 --> 00:59:30.130
or for the forgiveness of sins. And ye shall

00:59:30.130 --> 00:59:32.829
receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Baptism is

00:59:32.829 --> 00:59:35.190
for the remission, the forgiveness of our sins.

00:59:35.590 --> 00:59:38.769
That's why it's so essential that we take that

00:59:38.769 --> 00:59:41.760
step and obey the gospel. Obey the death, burial,

00:59:41.840 --> 00:59:44.659
and resurrection of Jesus in baptism, because

00:59:44.659 --> 00:59:47.239
when we do that, God gives us forgiveness and

00:59:47.239 --> 00:59:50.000
remission of sins. Just like we talked about

00:59:50.000 --> 00:59:52.199
the gospel, the death, the burial, the resurrection,

00:59:52.280 --> 00:59:55.599
we obey that gospel in baptism. God cleanses

00:59:55.599 --> 00:59:58.960
us and forgives us of our sin, raises us up to

00:59:58.960 --> 01:00:01.980
walk in a new spiritual life with Christ. That's

01:00:01.980 --> 01:00:04.659
the gospel we need to believe, and that's the

01:00:04.659 --> 01:00:09.929
gospel we need to obey. This is God's plan for

01:00:09.929 --> 01:00:11.869
our salvation and this is the plan we need to

01:00:11.869 --> 01:00:14.289
be teaching and preaching and by doing so guess

01:00:14.289 --> 01:00:17.769
what we can restore the pure and simple plan

01:00:17.769 --> 01:00:21.809
for God's salvation for all of us. I want to

01:00:21.809 --> 01:00:25.489
close tonight with a question and I hope you'll

01:00:25.489 --> 01:00:28.190
take this question to heart. I hope you'll stop

01:00:28.190 --> 01:00:32.230
and earnestly and carefully consider this question.

01:00:33.889 --> 01:00:36.449
Have you heard the true gospel? I don't know

01:00:36.449 --> 01:00:39.010
what you've been taught. I don't know where you've

01:00:39.010 --> 01:00:41.590
been. I don't know what churches you've been

01:00:41.590 --> 01:00:43.769
a part of or not been a part of. I don't know

01:00:43.769 --> 01:00:45.469
your religious history. I don't know what you've

01:00:45.469 --> 01:00:47.130
been taught. I don't know what you've heard in

01:00:47.130 --> 01:00:52.030
religion. But prior to the night, have you heard,

01:00:52.090 --> 01:00:53.969
have you been taught the true gospel of Jesus?

01:00:55.289 --> 01:00:59.230
Have you believed the true gospel of Jesus? And

01:00:59.230 --> 01:01:03.050
then have you obeyed the true and saving gospel

01:01:03.050 --> 01:01:06.289
of Christ? What gospel were you taught? Only

01:01:06.289 --> 01:01:09.610
you can answer that. I don't know. Only you can

01:01:09.610 --> 01:01:14.409
answer that. What gospel did you believe? And

01:01:14.409 --> 01:01:16.730
what gospel did you obey when you came to Christ,

01:01:16.769 --> 01:01:22.269
when you were converted? It is so very important

01:01:22.269 --> 01:01:25.110
that when it comes to hearing, believing, and

01:01:25.110 --> 01:01:27.170
obeying the gospel, that we hear, believe, and

01:01:27.170 --> 01:01:30.929
obey the truth. As we've already seen tonight,

01:01:31.309 --> 01:01:33.650
there's a lot of error. There's a lot of false

01:01:33.650 --> 01:01:35.989
teaching. in the religious world concerning the

01:01:35.989 --> 01:01:40.289
gospel. What should matter the most to us is

01:01:40.289 --> 01:01:43.030
that we hear, we believe, and we obey the truth.

01:01:43.250 --> 01:01:45.489
I want to show that to you from 1 Peter chapter

01:01:45.489 --> 01:01:49.650
1, verse 22 to 23. Peter says, seeing ye have

01:01:49.650 --> 01:01:51.510
purified your souls, he writes to Christians,

01:01:51.610 --> 01:01:53.889
people who were already saved, and he reminds

01:01:53.889 --> 01:01:57.630
them, he says, you purified your souls. In obeying

01:01:57.630 --> 01:02:02.559
what? Obeying the truth. Peter says we purify

01:02:02.559 --> 01:02:06.619
our souls in obeying the truth. Obeying error

01:02:06.619 --> 01:02:12.639
does not purify our soul. Obeying false teaching,

01:02:12.900 --> 01:02:17.219
false Gospels, false doctrine does not purify

01:02:17.219 --> 01:02:21.119
our souls. The Bible tells us that it's through

01:02:21.119 --> 01:02:25.639
obeying the truth. our souls are purified. Seeing

01:02:25.639 --> 01:02:27.659
you have purified yourselves in obeying the truth

01:02:27.659 --> 01:02:29.880
through the Spirit unto unfeigned it means sincere

01:02:29.880 --> 01:02:31.960
love of the brethren." He says, see that you

01:02:31.960 --> 01:02:34.179
love one another with a pure heart fervently.

01:02:34.559 --> 01:02:36.500
Look at what he says in verse 23, being born

01:02:36.500 --> 01:02:41.840
again. Being born again. We got to be born again.

01:02:43.579 --> 01:02:48.599
How? Not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible.

01:02:48.639 --> 01:02:51.300
Being born again by what? By the Word of God.

01:02:52.460 --> 01:02:55.059
Which liveth and abideth forever, you know if

01:02:55.059 --> 01:02:58.699
we were born again By something other than the

01:02:58.699 --> 01:03:01.980
Word of God if we were born again By the doctrines

01:03:01.980 --> 01:03:04.340
and traditions of men if we were born again by

01:03:04.340 --> 01:03:08.400
some false gospel Have we truly been born again

01:03:08.400 --> 01:03:11.380
by the Word of God that lives and abides forever?

01:03:13.139 --> 01:03:16.019
Have we truly purified our souls by obeying the

01:03:16.019 --> 01:03:19.920
truth if we were taught religious lies look this

01:03:19.920 --> 01:03:23.119
isn't This isn't a matter of questioning a person's

01:03:23.119 --> 01:03:25.960
sincerity or their love for God or their heart

01:03:25.960 --> 01:03:30.019
I Don't I try not to question anyone's sincerity

01:03:30.019 --> 01:03:32.659
or their love for God or their heart because

01:03:32.659 --> 01:03:36.079
I can't see their heart But you know what I can

01:03:36.079 --> 01:03:38.119
question and I think it's wise for all of us

01:03:38.119 --> 01:03:39.960
to question this whether or not we were taught

01:03:39.960 --> 01:03:42.659
the truth Because if we weren't taught the truth

01:03:42.659 --> 01:03:44.619
of the gospel, how could we believe the truth?

01:03:44.639 --> 01:03:46.420
And if we didn't believe the truth of the gospel,

01:03:46.440 --> 01:03:48.679
how could we obey the truth? That's the only

01:03:48.679 --> 01:03:50.820
thing we're calling into question. And that's

01:03:50.820 --> 01:03:52.940
the only thing I'm asking you to consider tonight.

01:03:55.219 --> 01:03:58.260
Were you taught the truth? Did you believe the

01:03:58.260 --> 01:04:01.159
truth? And did you obey the truth of the gospel?

01:04:01.179 --> 01:04:03.199
And if you were taught anything other than the

01:04:03.199 --> 01:04:06.420
truth, I want you to know this. When it comes

01:04:06.420 --> 01:04:09.699
to your soul salvation, getting it right matters.

01:04:12.400 --> 01:04:16.139
Getting it right matters more than anything.

01:04:17.239 --> 01:04:19.000
If you weren't taught the truth, if you didn't

01:04:19.000 --> 01:04:21.780
believe the truth, if you obeyed some different

01:04:21.780 --> 01:04:24.340
gospel, some false gospel, if you didn't obey

01:04:24.340 --> 01:04:28.059
the truth of the gospel, I've got good news for

01:04:28.059 --> 01:04:33.599
you. You can make it right tonight. I've taught

01:04:33.599 --> 01:04:36.079
you the truth tonight, straight from the Scriptures.

01:04:36.779 --> 01:04:39.400
The rest is up to you. You can believe that truth

01:04:39.400 --> 01:04:41.280
and you can obey that truth tonight. You have

01:04:41.280 --> 01:04:45.300
an opportunity to make it right and making it

01:04:45.300 --> 01:04:48.599
right makes all the difference. It's the most

01:04:48.599 --> 01:04:50.360
important thing in the world that when it comes

01:04:50.360 --> 01:04:52.920
to your salvation and your soul, you get it right.

01:04:52.920 --> 01:04:55.880
We don't want to stand before God and come to

01:04:55.880 --> 01:05:01.119
find out that we were wrong, that our faith,

01:05:01.179 --> 01:05:03.400
that our salvation was based on something that

01:05:03.400 --> 01:05:07.219
was false. You can be saved tonight look if you're

01:05:07.219 --> 01:05:11.059
here tonight, and you Need salvation if you can

01:05:11.059 --> 01:05:13.400
be saved by the truth error won't save us the

01:05:13.400 --> 01:05:15.940
truth will Jesus said if you continue in my word

01:05:15.940 --> 01:05:18.239
Then are you my disciples indeed you shall know

01:05:18.239 --> 01:05:20.000
the truth the truth shall make you free. It's

01:05:20.000 --> 01:05:23.539
as simple as this hear the word Obey the truth

01:05:23.539 --> 01:05:26.219
let Jesus make you free. It's as simple as that