“Gospel” is a buzzword that is widely circulated in Christian circles. There’s Gospel music, Gospel preaching, spreading the Gospel and standing for the Gospel.
There are full Gospel churches and Gospel revivals.
With all this talk about the “Gospel,” what is it really? What is “The Gospel?”
Some say that the Gospel is the entire word of God from Genesis to Revelation. However, while the scriptures contain the Gospel from Genesis to Revelation, the scriptures themselves are not the definition of the Gospel.
The Gospel is defined in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, which states that Paul delivered unto the saints at Corinth how Christ “died for our sins according to the scriptures, that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” Thus, the Gospel is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ for our sins according to the scriptures.
By giving His life on the cross, our Lord endured God’s punishment for sin, thus removing the condemnation of sin from us. We have been forgiven because our sins have been paid for, and it was Christ that made that payment.
By rising from the grave, Christ defeated death, and brought eternal life to all who believe.
This is the central message of the Bible, and the theme that runs through all the scriptures. The deeper you dig into scripture, the deeper an understanding you gain of the Gospel.
It is through the Gospel that we have salvation. It is through the Gospel that we find peace, and we find deliverance from shame and regret.
In His messages of repentance, Christ urged the people to believe the Gospel. By believing the Gospel, your faith is placed squarely on Christ and you will have salvation. With that salvation, you have the blessed assurance that you will spend eternity in Heaven.
To explore the theme of the Gospel throughout the Bible, check out The Gospel Expedition, posted via YouTube or Soundcloud below:
As part of our ongoing effort to promote the Gospel across all platforms, we are adding the Gospel Expedition podcast to our YouTube channel. By adding the Gospel Expedition to the YouTube platform, the podcast will be available to more listeners and will be readily available to users on an app that is often pre-installed on their smart phones. If you haven’t checked out the Gospel Expedition, give it a listen and let us know what you think.
Here’s a challenge for you… go to any Bible study, Sunday School class, or online Bible forum, and ask the question, “What is faith?”
You will get a variety of answers. One common answer is, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, thge evidence of things not seen.” That answer is a quotation of Hebrews 11:1. Your next step is to ask, “What does that mean?”
The tragedy of modern Western Christianity is that salvation comes by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), but most don’t even know what faith is.
If we don’t know what faith is, how can we be saved? If we don’t understand faith, can we truly experience redemption and reconciliation?
In John 3, Jesus is approached by Nicodemus, who recognizes that Jesus was sent by God, but the Lord’s radical teaching of repentance and faith did not always line up with the religious traditions that Nicodemus followed.
Nicodemus, unlike his fellow Pharisees, wanted the truth. Recognizing that Jesus came from God, and that what Nicodemus believed didn’t line up with what Jesus taught, Nicodemus came to Jesus to reconcile his personal belief system with what God actually wanted.
Jesus knew this, which is why Jesus said that a man “must be born again” in order to be saved.
The rest of the conversation in John 3 is about how to be born again, that is, how to be saved, or how to be redeemed and reconciled to God. John 3 is one of the most important passages of scripture, because it is here that Jesus, the only Begotten Son of God who went to the cross to pay for our sins, tells us how to be saved.
These instructions on how to be saved are as valid and true to us today as they were to Nicodemus. Nothing has been added or changed since, for if it were, this passage would not have been recorded in scripture.
In John 3, telling us how to be born again, Jesus tells us that “whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” And just in case we confuse ourselves on what it means to believe, Jesus tells us (and Nicodemus) and Old Testament Bible story.
In John 3:14, Jesus said, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
In this verse, Jesus references an incident from the book of Numbers, where Israel complained and rebelled against God. Because of the severity of their rebellion, the LORD sent what the King James Version refers to as “fiery serpents” into the camp. Fiery serpents were more than likely poisonous snakes, as the scripture described how they bit the people, and the people began dying.
As they died, they cried out to Moses for help. Moses prayed to God, and God told Moses to make a bronze serpent, place it on a pole, and set it up in the middle of camp. If anyone is bitten, they can look at that bronze serpent and live.
Being saved from the snake bites in Numbers was as simple as looking to that serpent on the pole. No sacrifices, no offerings, no religious works. Just a simple look.
In John 3, Jesus said in the same way, He was to be lifted up on the cross. And in the same way, if people look to Him on the cross, they will be saved. Looking to Jesus on the cross constitutes belief, because that is what you are depending on for your forgiveness and salvation. Because Jesus went to the cross, you know you have been redeemed and reconciled to God.
Belief in Jesus is as simple as looking to Jesus and remembering that He redeemed you through His death on the cross. And that belief is the ONLY condition that must be met in order to be saved.
Faith and belief are used interchangeably in the New Testament. They are both translated from the same Greek word. So, with that in mind, we conclude that faith simply means a belief, a trust in the Lord. We have faith because we believe that Jesus will receive us into Heaven, because He paid for our sins on the cross. That’s faith. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Faith is not a religious system. Faith is not an expression of religious works (on the contrary, your works reveal whether or not you have faith.) Faith is belief.
Do you believe in Jesus? Do you believe that He died on the cross for your sins? Can you look to Him on that cross and know that because of His death and resurrection, you are going to Heaven? If you can, and if you have done that, you have been saved, and you have become a Christian.
While that faith will change the way you live and think, please know and be assured that it is the faith that has saved you.
Are the things you are doing bringing you peace and fulfillment? Do you find purpose in those things, and are they rewarding? If not, why do you continue to do those things?
It is those questions and more that the Lord poses as He issues a great invitation to Israel in Isaiah 55.
In Isaiah 53, the Lord showed how Israel’s sin led them astray, but how God would redeem and restore them through Christ, who would give His life as a sacrificial lamb to satisfy the judgment and wrath of God.
Following that message of salvation, the Lord calls the nation to break forth into singing, because He would bring in a time of everlasting blessing. That promise was made in Isaiah 54. In Isaiah 55, the Lord invites the people to come, and to inherit that blessing by repenting of their sins and trusting in Him for salvation.
The picture the Lord paints in Isaiah 55 is of a benefactor offering water, wine and milk to the thirsty, and food to the hungry. He then questions why anyone would work for, or spend their money on anything less.
In the message posted above, Pastor Leland Acker addresses God’s invitation, and discusses what it means to “come to the waters.”
In this message, Pastor Leland Acker discusses how multiple, seemingly small decisions made to please ourselves lead us away from God. Scripture reference is Isaiah 53:6, which says, “All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way, and the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”
In Isaish 7, the Lord promised Ahaz, an unGodly king, that He would protect the him and his kingdom from a pending invasion. The Lord then invited Ahaz to ask Him for a sign. In essence, God extended His grace and provision to Ahaz, who rejected it out of his own pride.
In this message, Pastor Leland Acker shows how this fits into Isaiah’s theme of reasoning with God, and how we can align ourselves with God in our lives so we can experience the peace He offers.
In Isaiah 1:18, God says, “Come, let us reason together, saith the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
As we discussed last week, to reason with God means to come to the Lord, allow Him to convict you of your sin and correct your sin, and then God will cleanse you and forgive you of your sin.
In Isaiah 6, we see what this looks like, as Isaiah has his reasoning moment with God.
The hardest days begin when we wake up and realize how far we’ve fallen. How discouraging it is to know how blessed you were, or how great you were, and see how far off course you’ve drifted.
Whether it’s realizing you’ve gained 100 pounds, spent all of your inheritance, or whether it’s something more significant, like realizing the full consequences of a spiritual failure, seeing the devastation in your life and the long road to recovery can be a daunting moment.
Such was the case for ancient Israel during Isaiah’s day. The nation had been led by God out of Egypt, through a parted Red Sea, into the wilderness, and ultimately into the Promised Land. Ultimately, the nation enjoyed military success under King David, and political and economic success under King Solomon.
Those years also saw a Spiritual revival in Israel, as the Temple was built in Jerusalem, which replaced the Tabernacle in Shiloh. Israel was at its peak, militarily, economically, and Spiritually.
But, in the aftermath of the death of King Solomon, greed and self-interests entered in, resulting in a battle between two would-be successors to Solomon, which resulted in the Kingdom splitting in half. That set a series of events into motion which led to rampant idolatry in Israel, and the nation turning its back on God.
By the time Isaiah began to prophesy, the nation was a shell of what it used to be. Instead of being a military power, it was oppressed by its enemies. Instead of being a political power, it was the joke of the heathen nations surrounding it. Instead of being an economic power, Israel experienced famines, droughts, and a fledgling economy.
To solve their problems, Israel often turned to idols, instead of repenting and returning to God. Tragically, Israel could not see the connection cutting themselves off from God, who was the source of all their blessings, and the hardships they endured. So, things got worse.
Then, God called Isaiah to prophesy to the nation.
Isaiah’s ministry to Israel was to call the nation to repentance and to demonstrate the grace and redemption that the Lord brought. This theme was set out in Isaiah 1, where the Lord told the people that they were rebellious, but, “though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow.”
Despite how severely the nation of Israel rebelled against God, God was still going to set everything right.
This promise is extended to us as well. Now matter how badly we’ve messed things up, God will redeem us and restore us, using the adversity we experience to transform us. This is a promise we can believe in.
“Come, let us reason together, said the Lord, though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool (Isaiah 1:18).”
Over the next few weeks, we will explore how the Lord will redeem and restore us through a study in the book of Isaiah. You can join us in person at 11 am Sundays at 599 Sunrise Dr. in Early, TX, or joining us on Facebook Live at about 11:15 Sunday morning, or check out the video messages that will be posted here.
May God bless you with comfort, encouragement and peace as we study these passages together.
What was the name of Christ? When people approached Him on the street, how did they address Him?
It is becoming more popular among fringe groups in the Christian movement to try to differentiate between the names “Jesus” and “Yeshua.” Such groups advocate using “Yeshua” over “Jesus” in a supposed effort to align more with the name His family and disciples used. However, their doctrine distracts from the Gospel and causes unnecessary division among Christians.
The thing to remember when it comes to this issue is that the culture in Israel during Jesus’ day was a multilingual culture. Aramaic was the language spoken by the Jews living in the Holy Land, while Latin was the primary language of most Romans occupying the area. However, the international language of the day was Greek, which was not only used by world travelers, but was often the language of the market place.
As is the case with multilingual societies, names are often spoken differently. Take the culture around the Texas border, for instance. A young man may be known by His Spanish-speaking neighbors as “Juan,” while being referred to as “John” by his English-speaking neighbors.
The name, “Jesus,” is the English pronunciation of the Greek name, “Iesus,” which is the Greek pronunciation of the Hebrew name, “Yeshua,” which, pronounced in English would be “Joshua.”
Similarly, “Jesus” in Spanish is pronounced, “Hey-SOOS.”
The pronunciation changes from language to language, but what remains the same is the Christ to Whom the name refers, and the meaning the name conveys.
In Matthew 1, Joseph was told to name Him “Jesus,” because “He shall save His people from their sins.” The name (in Greek, Hebrew, English and Spanish) means “The Lord is Salvation.” Salvation is the Lord’s mission, and it is the very essence of His character.
The Lord came to seek and save that which is lost. Furthermore, He came to redeem and restore us, preparing us to enter into His eternal Kingdom.
One of the great tragedies of the digital age is the temptation to take alternative viewpoints in an effort to differentiate ourselves from others. We all want to be the smartest person on the internet, and a thought leader in the faith.
To do this, we often feel that we have to find a deeper truth that no one else has noticed. Then, we must leverage that to build a following.
This is not only tragic, it is sinful. This is the same thought process employed by the Pharisees in Jesus’ day, as well as the same process employed by false teachers.
The tragedy of the whole thing is that the Gospel gets completely lost in the exchange. When we lose focus on the Gospel to leverage a lesser known (and often illegitimate) doctrinal stance, we deviate from the message Christ gave us. We miss opportunities to see souls saved, we miss the redemptive power of Christ. Worse, we fail to fulfill the mission of Christ.
Christians have referred to Christ as “Jesus” for hundreds of years. Had this been offensive to God, we would know by now.
So, don’t get caught up in the name game. Praise the Lord, and fully believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Embrace His redemption, and look forward to the day He returns and establishes His Kingdom on Earth. And help others to come to experience His salvation and redemption.
The Point... 