THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST

Romans 1:16-17

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. [17] For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."

The word “gospel” means “good news”…it pertains to the good news of salvation through Christ.

A simple way to summarize the content of the “gospel” is that it contains…

a. Facts to believe

b. Commands to obey

c. Promises to receive

I. FACTS TO BELIEVE

A. Christ was crucified for our sins.

B. Christ was raised from the dead.

C. Christ is exalted as King and Savior.

D. Christ is coming again.

A. CHRIST WAS CRUCIFIED FOR OUR SINS.

1. Fundamental to the gospel Paul preached –

1 Corinthians 15:1-3

“Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. [2] By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. [3] For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.”

2. As foretold by the Old Testament scriptures -

Isaiah 53:4-6

Surely he took up our infirmities

and carried our sorrows,

yet we considered him stricken by God,

smitten by him, and afflicted.

[5] But he was pierced for our transgressions,

he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,

and by his wounds we are healed.

[6] We all, like sheep, have gone astray,

each of us has turned to his own way;

and the LORD has laid on him

the iniquity of us all.

3. Why did Jesus die for our sins?

a. Because we are all sinners!

Romans 3:23.

b. Because the wages of sin is death! – Romans 6:23

--In love God offers His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins!

I John 4:9-10

“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. [10] This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

B. CHRIST WAS RAISED FROM THE DEAD.

1. Also fundamental to the gospel Paul preached.

I Corinthians 15:3, 4

“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, [4] that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”

2. Christ was raised…as proclaimed by Peter in the first gospel sermon.

Acts 2:32, 33

“God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. [33] Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.”

3. Christ was raised…as seen my many eyewitnesses.

I Corinthians 15:5-8

“and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. [6] After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. [7] Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, [8] and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.”

C. CHRIST IS EXALTED AS KING AND SAVIOR.

1. He is now both Lord and Christ.

Acts 2:36

"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."

2. He is head over all things.

Ephesians 1:20-23

“which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, [21] far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. [22] And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, [23] which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”

D. CHRIST IS COMING AGAIN.

1. As promised when He ascended to heaven.

Acts 1:9-11

“After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

[10 ]They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. [11] ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.’”

2. Coming to offer both rest and tribulation.

II Thessalonians 1:6-10

“God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you [7] and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. [8] He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. [9] They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power [10] on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.”

II. COMMANDS TO OBEY

A. Believe the gospel concerning Jesus Christ.

- Confession and Faith

B. Repent of your sins.

C. Be baptized for the remission of sins.

D. Be faithful unto death.

A. BELIEVE THE GOSPEL CONCERNING JESUS CHRIST.

1. The gospel is God’s power for salvation to those who believe.

Romans 1:16

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.”

2. We must believe that God raised Him from the dead.

Romans 10:9-10

“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. [10] For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”

- -For those willing to believe, eternal life can be theirs!

John 20:30-31

“Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. [31] But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

A PART OF BELIEVING IS WILLINGNESS TO CONFESS

YOUR FAITH IN JESUS.

--Confessing with our mouth the Lord Jesus leads to salvation.

Romans 10:9-10

“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. [10] For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”

--Jesus will confess us before God if we confess Him before others!

Matthew 10:32-33

"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. [33] But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.”

B. REPENT OF YOUR SINS.

1. Jesus wanted repentance preached in His name to all nations.

Luke 24:46-47

“He told them, ‘This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, [47] and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.’”

2. Peter therefore preached the need to repent to the Jews – Acts 2:38.

3. Paul likewise preached the need to repent to the Gentiles – Acts 17:30-31.

C. BE BAPTIZED FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS.

1. Jesus expected people to be baptized in response to His gospel.

Mark 16:15-16

“He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. [16] Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.’”

2. Peter proclaimed baptism for the remission of sins to those who believed.

Acts 2:37-38

“When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’"

[38] Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”

3. Paul related the place baptism had in his salvation from sin.

Acts 22:16

“And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.”

--When we submit to baptism, God does His work in saving us!

Colossians 2:11-13

“In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, [12] having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. [13] When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins.”

D. BE FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH.

Faithfulness is necessary if we desire to receive the crown of life.

Revelation 2:10

“Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

When one obeys the commands of the gospel, they receive wonderful blessings. These blessings are offered in the gospel as…

III. PROMISES TO RECEIVE

A. Forgiveness of sins.

B. Gift of the Holy Spirit.

C. Gift of Eternal Life.

A. FORGIVENESS OF SINS

We are promised the remission of sins!

Acts 2:38

“Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”

B. THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

1. Promised to those who repent and are baptized.

Acts 2:38-39

“Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. [39] The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call.’”

2. One aspect of this gift relates to His indwelling.

a. The Spirit indwells the Christian – I Corinthians 6:19; Romans 8:9-11.

b. The Spirit enables us to mortify the flesh – Romans 8:12-13.

c. The Spirit is God’s instrumental agent to strengthen the Christian – Ephesians 3:16.

d. The Spirit can produce wonderful fruit in our life – Galatians 5:22-23.

--Because we are His children, God has given us this wonderful Gift!

C. THE GIFT OF ETERNAL LIFE

1. In the sense of our eternal reward.

-- Received at the end of a life bearing the fruit of holiness.

Romans 6:22-23

“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. [23] For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in* Christ Jesus our Lord.”

2. In the sense of our abundant life, a life in Christ enjoyed even now.

I John 5:11-13

“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. [12] He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. [13] I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

Together with the Apostle Peter, we implore you…

“…Be saved from this perverse generation.” - Acts 2:40

Respond as they did (in faith and baptism, Acts 2:41), and rest assured that Jesus will save you and add you to His church! – Acts 2:41, 47