# Clarifying the Confusion About the Gospel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRIKj2YrewQ

[04:55] We have we have an indoor one next week.
[04:57] but
[04:59] Okay, I'll go.
[05:00] Oh, Ed's going to introduce me anyhow.
[05:02] So, okay. Thank you.
[05:13] Good morning
[05:15] and welcome to Sugarland Bible Church.
[05:17] And this is the Sunday school hour.
[05:19] As you know, Pastor Andy uh is on sbatical.
[05:23] So, we have a a bunch of wonderful guest speakers lined up and this is our second one today.
[05:28] We'll hear from uh Dr. Dennis Roxer, who was here not long ago.
[05:31] So, many of you remember him.
[05:33] Uh but let me just tell you a little bit about him.
[05:36] Uh for 37 years, he led the Duth Bible Church in Duth, Minnesota.
[05:40] And then in August of 2022, he became the senior pastor of Grace and Truth Bible Church in Middle Georgia, where he continues to teach and his training ministry as well.
[05:50] He founded the Grace Institute of
[05:55] Biblical Studies to equip believers in the local church for specialized ministry roles such as pastor uh pastoral work, youth ministry, and missions.
[06:05] And then in 2000 he expanded his training to international as well with by launching the grace training international bible institutes which offers free biblical training to national pastors and teachers.
[06:18] Uh his ministry now reaches a number of countries including some in central America and Africa.
[06:25] And he's written a number of books and you might have noticed a book table.
[06:28] Many of his books are out there.
[06:30] So before you leave, you might take a look at that and uh and get some of the books that interest you.
[06:36] But let me introduce to you Dr. Dennis Roxer.
[06:39] Welcome.
[06:46] Well, good morning.
[06:48] What a privilege and a joy to be with you today as a fill-in Bible teacher for Dr. Andy.
[06:53] Can you fill in for him?
[06:56] don't know.
[06:58] But we believe in the doctrine of substitution today, right?
[07:01] As he's on sbatical this summer.
[07:04] So I I so appreciate Pastor Andy is graceoriented Bible teaching, his friendship, and the believers at Sugarland Bible Church.
[07:10] This is my fourth time I've taught the word of God here at Sugarland.
[07:15] And I so appreciate the church's faithfulness to the verse by verse study of the word of God from a graceoriented dispensational perspective due to a literal hermeneutic consistently applied to all of the scriptures, allowing the Bible to mean what it says and says what it means.
[07:35] Let me just mention that since my retirement from pastoral ministry last February, I'm devoting myself to by God's grace now to teaching at Bible conferences.
[07:43] I'm doing evangelism workshops.
[07:45] I'm writing for True Grace books, teaching at Chaffer Theological Seminary, a pulpit fillin at my local church in the Milwaukee area and speaking on two radio programs for Grace
[07:57] Global Radio.
[08:01] So I qualify that I have quote retired and I say it's from pastoral ministry not all ministry as I'm sliding for home.
[08:08] I'm not sliding for home wanting to running run the race till death or Jesus comes again.
[08:14] Now when I return in August 22nd and 23rd I've been invited to conduct again an evangelism workshop on Saturday night from 7 to 8:30 here.
[08:26] And I'm excited to hear reports of many believers from Sugarland Bible that are not only embracing how God wants to use you to preach the gospel and to bring others to faith in Christ, but are willing to be trained and equipped to do so.
[08:41] In fact, I read in your bulletin today that you have another John 3:16 illustrated training session coming up soon, and I commend you as God does not need us, but he does want to use us to preach and share the gospel with others whom he views as precious souls for whom
[09:00] Christ died.
[09:03] So on August 22nd, I'll repeat again some of the vital information on the how of evangelism,
[09:07] but I also hope to add some important new truths regarding followup and other important realities and ideas when it comes to evangelism.
[09:14] So I hope that you will attend.
[09:17] But if you want to explain the gospel to others, it's needful that it becomes crystal clear in your own thinking.
[09:25] Amen.
[09:27] So during this session, we want to study the scriptures together regarding clarifying the confusion of the gospel.
[09:39] Before we do, why don't we pray together?
[09:41] Our Father, we just thank you again for the wonderful good news that comes from you to us that in light of our great need of a savior, you sent your son, your only son, the Lord Jesus Christ,
[10:01] to die in our place to pay for the penalty of our sins,
[10:03] to be raised from the dead,
[10:06] to give eternal life, forgiveness, a home in heaven, and a purpose on earth to all who would simply embrace by faith the savior, trusting him and him alone for their eternal destiny.
[10:21] Thank you for these believers at Sugarland Bible Church.
[10:23] May by your grace you minister to them today through the teaching of your word and the fellowship they will enjoy.
[10:27] And whatever is accomplished, may you receive the glory due your name.
[10:34] For it's in Jesus' name we pray.
[10:38] Amen.
[10:40] Amen.
[10:43] In clarifying the confusion about the gospel, we are going to look at getting the gospel right and then we're going to follow that in the same hour and getting the gospel wrong as we're going to cover a lot in a short period of time.
[10:54] Now, this will be review for some of you, maybe new to others of you, but frankly,
[11:02] it's good for all of you as we learn about the wonderful good news of the gospel.
[11:08] So let me invite you first of all to open your Bibles with me to the book of 2 Corinthians chapter 4.
[11:16] 2 Corinthians chapter 4 as we look at getting the gospel right.
[11:25] Now dear friends, do you know what the word synretize means?
[11:30] It means to combine or attempt to combine the characteristic teachings, beliefs or practices of differing systems of religion or philosophy.
[11:42] And by the way, did you know that Satan is a master at synretatizing the gospel as he mixes his lies with God's truth to deceive people, both the unsaved and the saved, especially through religion.
[11:55] But you also need to note that Satan mixes in Christendom and even in the
[12:03] evangelical world a message of religious works with God's grace as a false recipe for salvation which is synratism.
[12:13] as Romans 11 and verse 6 makes it very clear and if it's by grace then it's no longer of works otherwise grace is no longer grace but if it's of works it's no longer grace otherwise work is no longer work.
[12:29] You see, works and grace are like oil and water.
[12:32] They do not mix.
[12:34] And when it comes to our eternal salvation, which is only by God's grace.
[12:39] Unfortunately, too many believers, yet too many pastors and Bible teachers are guilty of synretatizing false religious or philosophical concepts with biblical truths, even as it relates to the critically important issue of the gospel of salvation.
[12:56] And so we see here in Romans 11 and:e 6 the value of what I call gospel clarity through contrast.
[13:02] Telling us what it is.
[13:07] and telling us what it is not.
[13:10] The contrast gives us gospel clarity and contrast to desynatize that which religion has synretized.
[13:20] And this is why the apostle Paul when speaking at the Jewish synagogue in Antioch of Facidia in Acts chapter 13 not only reviewed the history of Israel with those present but proclaimed the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ or the Messiah.
[13:35] And then he makes a direct application to the Jews listening to him by saying therefore let it be known to you brethren that through this man Jesus Christ is preached to you what? the forgiveness of sins.
[13:48] Now watch this.
[13:51] And by him everyone who believes is justified from all things.
[13:54] That's the right response.
[13:57] From which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.
[14:00] That's the wrong response.
[14:03] And by the way, who's he speaking to?
[14:05] The very
[14:07] individuals who would trust in their Abrahamic descent combined with their efforts to keep the law in order to be righteous in the eyes of God.
[14:15] He's telling them how you're saved and how you're not saved.
[14:19] For in doing so, this will create clarity by contrast.
[14:27] And with the boldness of the Holy Spirit and without fear of offending anyone, as the gospel of grace can and does at times offend, especially the religious and self-righteous, Paul declares how to be justified.
[14:42] He explains how not to be justified.
[14:45] As a result, God was using that message to clarify what the real issue is.
[14:53] Is getting the gospel right?
[14:55] Important.
[14:59] It's crucial.
[14:59] And people's eternal destinies are at stake.
[15:02] Either an eternal heaven or an eternal hell.
[15:05] No wonder the
[15:08] Apostle Paul declared in Galatians 2:16, "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the law. For by the works of the law, no flesh shall be justified."
[15:33] Three times he contrasted these so that again we could understand how you're justified and how you're not.
[15:42] So very important for you see the gospel should be so clearly presented that the spirit of God can use the word of God in people's minds in order to convict them of their need and convince them of the truth so that they understand the issue is not what church do I go to what religion do I belong to how good do I have to be but they will
[16:09] see that God provided a sufficient savior in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
[16:14] And you see as we think of that gospel in in Romans 1 16 and 17, Paul wrote, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who what? Believes."
[16:29] You know that is so simple but missed.
[16:32] If you don't believe me, just pick up the average gospel track.
[16:37] What I do is I just turn it over to the end and read the punch line and then I throw it in the garbage can because the punch line is goofed up time and time again to everyone who believes for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
[16:49] For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith as it is written the just shall live by faith.
[16:56] And you know the word gospel means good news.
[16:58] Good news in this case from God to man.
[17:00] Not about a church, not about a religion, not about an experience, not about a feeling.
[17:05] It centers about a savior on a rescue
[17:09] mission who is Jesus Christ.
[17:13] And it's so powerful, it can result in salvation to everyone who what?
[17:15] Believes.
[17:17] Believes in who?
[17:17] Jesus Christ is presented in the gospel.
[17:21] And I've shared before and I'll share again.
[17:24] You can always discern a true gospel versus a false gospel if you ask yourself one question.
[17:28] Who or what is the spotlight on?
[17:30] That's the issue.
[17:33] Is the spotlight on Jesus Christ?
[17:38] That he died for our sins and rose again.
[17:41] That salvation is a gift.
[17:42] Or is the spotlight on starts with Jesus Christ but immediately turns to you and how you have to repent of your sins as Jesus in your heart, give your life to Christ.
[17:47] Da da da da da da.
[17:50] And where's the spotlight?
[17:51] And now, by the way, and if you're truly saved, that's the Ed Sullivan kind, that as a result, you're going to have ongoing faithfulness and fruitfulness all the days of your life or you're not really saved.
[18:10] On you? Are you going to find good news in you?
[18:13] No way. But will you find it in the Lord Jesus Christ?
[18:16] For you see, dear friends, true biblical Christianity is not a religion of human performance.
[18:20] It is a relationship of divine accomplishment based upon the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
[18:27] And that's why it stands in contrast to all the religions of the world.
[18:32] For religion always tells you to be saved or go to heaven, you need to do.
[18:36] Christianity tells you it is done.
[18:40] Religion emphasizes human works.
[18:42] Christianity emphasizes God's grace.
[18:45] Religion is man's way to reach heaven.
[18:48] Christianity is God's way of reaching down to man.
[18:50] In order to go to heaven.
[18:54] And thus, religion is emphasizes conditional law instead of unconditional love.
[19:00] Eternal salvation under religion is a reward for the righteous instead of a gift for the guilty.
[19:06] In fact, I asked the girl that just yesterday.
[19:08] My
[19:11] Waitress at the restaurant by the hotel.
[19:15] We started to talk.
[19:17] I was reading a little book and she says to me, "So, what are you reading?"
[19:20] Well, I'm reading a book called 10 principles to consider um when the unexpected happened by my good friend Sha Lock.
[19:31] And she said, 'Really, what is that about?'
[19:32] Well, you asked.
[19:37] And pretty soon I said, are you a person of faith?
[19:38] Yes, I am.
[19:40] Really?
[19:40] Do you know for sure 100% you're going to heaven?
[19:42] Yeah, I think I think it's 100%.
[19:45] Why would Jesus Christ let you in?
[19:46] Because not everyone gets in.
[19:48] So, what do you have going for you?
[19:50] And she goes, "Well, I, you know, I try to be a good person, da da da da da."
[19:55] And I said to her, I said, "You know, the Bible says Jesus Christ is a savior."
[19:59] You know what saviors do?
[20:01] She goes, "What?"
[20:01] I said, "They save."
[20:04] And you know what that implies?
[20:06] That you can't save yourself.
[20:09] And since the penalty for sin is death, what Jesus
[20:11] Christ did is he came and he died because that was paying the penalty.
[20:16] And he rose again.
[20:19] And we had this wonderful 5 to 10 minute conversation there.
[20:21] By the grace of God, she wasn't busy.
[20:24] We could converse and by the time the story was over, I gave her the booklet because they did have a short gospel presentation in she was interested as we talked again a little later in the conversation.
[20:37] Keep in mind that Satan uses a false religious gospel, even a garbled evangelical synretized gospel and other forms of synretatization to blind the minds of the lost from the truth of the gospel.
[20:51] And if Satan is especially involved in blinding the lost from this message, it highlights to us the importance of the message.
[20:58] If Satan thinks so highly, then he needs to blind people from it.
[21:03] And you should be turned to 2 Corinthians at this point, chapter 4.
[21:08] And in doing so, I call your attention to verse three.
[21:12] read, "But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing."
[21:18] The word veiled or blinded again refers to their spiritual condition.
[21:25] Furthermore, their destiny is they are perishing.
[21:27] Next verse, whose mind the God of this age has blinded who do not what?
[21:35] Believe.
[21:35] There it is again.
[21:38] Lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God should shine on them.
[21:45] So what does the god of this age Satan use to blind people so that they do not believe the gospel and be saved by God's grace?
[21:51] He uses false gospels.
[21:53] Now, how does Satan do this?
[21:57] Well, later in 2 Corinthians, he we read, "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ."
[22:08] And no wonder for Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of
[22:12] Life. You see, is anyone really confused about going to heaven when you encourage them to sin?
[22:20] No. No. What blinds people is their self-righteous religious works.
[22:26] It's religion that Satan uses.
[22:28] And that's why Vance Havner years ago said, "Satan is not fighting churches.
[22:31] He's joining them.
[22:32] He does more harm by sewing tears than by pulling up wheat.
[22:40] And you say, "Well, what if someone gets saved?"
[22:42] You know, Satan doesn't stop there.
[22:45] He doesn't say, "You know what? I was hindered from blinding them further."
[22:49] The gospel broke through.
[22:52] They understood the finished work of Christ.
[22:54] They trusted him alone.
[22:57] Now I need to stop them from growing.
[22:59] Now I need to stop them from getting equipped.
[23:01] Now I need to stop them from communicating that message of the gospel clearly to others.
[23:05] So right in 2 Corinthians chap 11, Paul says, "But I fear," verse three and 4, "Lest somehow, as the serpent
[23:13] beguiled Eve by his craftiness,
[23:16] so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ."
[23:18] Question is, he writing to believers or unbelievers here.
[23:22] To believers, he blinds the lost.
[23:25] He seeks to corrupt the mind of the saved so that they don't get the gospel right when it comes to communicating it to others.
[23:32] And he uses false teaching to do that even sometimes by genuine believers who have garbled the gospel.
[23:40] For we read, "For if he who comes preaches another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you may well put up with it
[23:53] due to ignorance or apathy or due to a willingness to compromise for the sake of pseudo unity and a good cause.
[24:02] But I say to you today, if there is any message that every believer should proclaim with complete biblical accuracy and precision without fuzziness,
[24:16] is it not the gospel?
[24:19] Now, regarding the importance of the clarity of the gospel, my good friend who's gone to be with the Lord, Art Royheim, who started AANA many years ago, said, "I am convinced that no one knows the gospel well until they know what it is not."
[24:34] He believed in gospel clarity.
[24:39] By contrast, another friend of mine, Dr. Charles Ryrie, who's also with the Lord, says, "Furthermore, it seems to me that those who believe in the inherency of the Bible ought especially to be concerned with accuracy in communicating the truth.
[24:52] All the Bible is inherent and important to us.
[24:54] But certainly, how we as Christians express the gospel ought to be our greatest concern.
[24:58] We do not want to confuse or short change or obscure God's good news of his grace, how he gave his son so that we might have eternal life through faith in him.
[25:12] Semantics is key in understanding and communicating the gospel.
[25:14] So as you think of the gospel,
[25:17] turn with me next to 1 Corinthians
[25:19] chapter 15.
[25:22] Just a few pages to your left there. 1
[25:26] Corinthians
[25:27] chapter 15. You see, if we're born again
[25:31] not of corruptible seed, but of
[25:32] incorruptible, by the word of God that
[25:35] lives and abides forever, should we not
[25:37] go by the word of God when it comes to
[25:40] presenting the gospel?
[25:42] And the most definitive passage that I
[25:45] know of in the Bible regarding the
[25:49] content of the gospel is 1 Corinthians
[25:51] 15. You say, "Well, Dr. Dennis, why do
[25:55] you say that?" Because of verse one.
[25:56] Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the
[25:59] gospel. That's why
[26:02] which I preached to you. Notice it's a
[26:04] message that is preached. It's not a
[26:05] right that is administered.
[26:08] Which also you received, in which you
[26:10] stand, by which also you are saved. If
[26:12] you hold fast that word which I preached
[26:14] to you, unless you believed in vain. For
[26:17] I delivered to you first of all that
[26:19] which I also received, that Christ died
[26:20] for our sins according to the
[26:22] scriptures, and that he was buried, and
[26:24] that he rose again the third day
[26:27] according to the scriptures.
[26:30] Now notice, he reminds them of the past
[26:33] encounter
[26:35] they had with the gospel when Paul came
[26:37] to Corenth. And he reminds them, he
[26:40] declared to them the gospel, the good
[26:43] news from God to man. Now, the word
[26:45] gospel isn't a technical term. Context
[26:48] and usage determines its meaning. The
[26:50] word gospel can be used in reference to
[26:52] the gospel of the kingdom. It can be
[26:54] used in reference to the gospel of God's
[26:56] rest, the faith rest life for the
[26:58] believers. Hebrews 4. But here he's
[27:01] talking about the gospel of Jesus
[27:02] Christ, the gospel of grace, the gospel
[27:05] of salvation.
[27:07] Notice it was something he preached to
[27:09] them in the past.
[27:12] Secondly, by which also they receive.
[27:14] They responded to it in the past. And by
[27:18] the way, the word receive carries the
[27:19] idea that they willingly chose to
[27:22] personally receive it. And as a result,
[27:25] they now were standing on that truth.
[27:29] And in the perfect tense means they were
[27:31] continuing to stand on that. And he was
[27:34] commending them for that because there
[27:37] was a problem that was going on in the
[27:39] church. Verse two, by which also you are
[27:42] being saved, if you hold fast the that
[27:46] word, the gospel which I preached to
[27:47] you, unless you believed in vain. You
[27:51] see, there was some false teaching going
[27:52] on in this church that again struck at
[27:56] the heart of the gospel. But the word
[27:58] saved there isn't talking about being
[28:00] saved from hell.
[28:02] The reason they needed to keep holding
[28:04] fast to that truth of the gospel is
[28:08] because it if you move away from the
[28:11] foundation of the gospel, it impacts
[28:13] your Christian life. It impacts your
[28:16] Christian living. It impacts your
[28:18] practical sanctification. It impacts
[28:21] your growth. And that's why it is a
[28:23] present passive indicative of soo.
[28:26] Uh again speaking of something that was
[28:29] ongoing here not talking about their
[28:32] justification but about their
[28:34] sanctification. But he doesn't question
[28:36] whether they believed. In fact he tells
[28:38] them they did which I preached to you
[28:41] unless you believed in vain. Did they
[28:44] believe? Yes. Would it be in vain? What
[28:46] does that mean? Does it mean it wasn't
[28:48] real saving faith? By the way, there's
[28:50] no such thing as saving faith. There's
[28:53] faith in Christ and he's the one who
[28:55] saves.
[28:58] We need to be very clear about that
[28:59] because again those in the lordship camp
[29:01] will say well you didn't have real
[29:02] saving faith and they now characterize
[29:05] faith based on its qualities instead of
[29:08] its object of faith.
[29:11] You see one is saved if they have faith
[29:14] in the savior and what he did for them.
[29:16] It's not a certain kind of faith. It's
[29:18] the right object of faith. And that is
[29:22] why you've heard it taught here by Dr.
[29:24] Andy and even myself when I visited
[29:26] about the three tenses of salvation.
[29:29] If I ask you today, are you saved? If
[29:33] you've trusted in Jesus Christ and his
[29:35] finished work, you could technically
[29:37] say, I have been saved from the penalty
[29:40] of sin. I am being saved from the power
[29:42] of sin. And one day I will be saved from
[29:45] the presence of sin. And you'd be
[29:47] absolutely accurate theologically.
[29:50] Now the question that was being dealt
[29:53] with at Corenth was an issue of the
[29:55] future resurrection. There are those who
[29:57] doubted a future resurrection. Paul
[29:59] reasons from the fact that if there is
[30:01] no future resurrection then was there a
[30:04] resurrection in the past. And isn't that
[30:06] an integral part of the gospel? Verse
[30:08] 12. Now if Christ is preached that he
[30:10] was raised from the dead, how do some
[30:12] among you say that there is no
[30:13] resurrection from the dead?
[30:16] And so holding fast to the truth of the
[30:18] gospel is imperative
[30:21] in order to
[30:25] grow in your Christian life. Now we move
[30:27] from the entrance of the gospel again to
[30:29] the elements of the gospel in verses 3
[30:32] and 4. And the first thing I want to
[30:34] note is the context of the gospel or
[30:37] what we oftenimes call is the bad news.
[30:40] Again in verse three, we read
[30:44] that Christ died for our sins. The only
[30:48] bad thing in that verse is the word
[30:50] sins.
[30:52] And by the way, that is the context
[30:54] because the Bible's very clear that God
[30:56] is holy. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of
[31:00] hosts
[31:02] both in the Old and New Testament. This
[31:04] is stated in contrast to God. We are
[31:07] sinful for all have sinned and fall
[31:09] short of the glory of God. And all our
[31:10] righteousness are like filthy rags. And
[31:13] because of that there's the penalty for
[31:15] sin which is death.
[31:19] Now it's very important that individuals
[31:22] understand the bad news before they
[31:25] hear the good news in many ways. And
[31:28] here's why. If I came up to you today
[31:30] and said, "I've got a cure for your
[31:32] cancer." and you say, "I don't have
[31:35] cancer," [laughter]
[31:37] you're not going to appreciate the cure.
[31:40] In the same way, until you know you are
[31:42] a hopeless, helpless, hellbound sinner,
[31:45] unable to save yourself, you will not
[31:47] appreciate the good news of the Savior,
[31:50] the Lord Jesus Christ, because you don't
[31:53] recognize the problem you're in. For
[31:55] your iniquities have made a separation
[31:58] between you and your God. The Bible is
[32:01] clear. And so this creates a sense of
[32:04] guilt. This is good. This is where the
[32:06] book of Romans begins. Again, the book
[32:09] of Romans begins by explaining basically
[32:11] the broad road that leads to hell and
[32:13] condemnation. And in doing so, it talks
[32:16] about the immoral man in Romans 1 and
[32:20] then the moral man in Romans 2:1-16 and
[32:23] then the religious man in Romans
[32:26] 2:17-29.
[32:28] And you see what religion has taught us
[32:30] unfortunately is that there's value in
[32:32] being a lane changer. You see, if you're
[32:35] in the immoral lane and you clean up
[32:37] your act and you get moral, this is
[32:38] good. Now, temporarily, they may have
[32:41] some benefits. But then if you get
[32:43] religious and you get with God, then as
[32:45] a result, this is really going to
[32:47] improve your status with God. But if you
[32:49] notice closely, all three lanes end up
[32:51] in the same place.
[32:53] And that's why Romans 3:10,
[32:56] there is none righteous. No, not one
[33:02] is the conclusion.
[33:05] And you see, as you think of that
[33:06] barrier of sin that separates a holy God
[33:08] from sinful man, none of your works can
[33:11] destroy that barrier. Because the
[33:12] penalty for sin is death. It's not
[33:16] baptism. It's not going to church. It's
[33:18] not loving your neighbor. It's not
[33:19] obeying the ten commandments. It's not
[33:21] the sacraments. For the penalty to be
[33:23] paid, someone had to die. And it's
[33:27] either accepting the death of Christ on
[33:30] your behalf or you paying for your own
[33:32] sins. And you see, when it comes to our
[33:34] salvation, the only thing we contribute
[33:37] to our salvation
[33:40] are the sins that put Christ on the
[33:42] cross.
[33:44] And that's why the good news is that
[33:46] Jesus Christ broke through the barrier.
[33:48] And as a result, the good news is found
[33:51] there in verse three. How Jesus Christ
[33:55] died for our sins. You see, the gospel
[33:58] of salvation centers in a specific
[34:00] person who is Jesus Christ, eternal
[34:03] deity who became sinless humanity.
[34:07] Again, the spotlight of the gospel is on
[34:10] Jesus Christ.
[34:14] And that's why John begins with in the
[34:17] beginning was the word and the word was
[34:18] with God and the word was God and the
[34:21] word became flesh and dwelt among us.
[34:26] You see Jesus Christ is eternal deity
[34:29] who became
[34:31] sinless humanity
[34:34] to provide the one and only way to
[34:36] heaven. That's why he alone could say in
[34:38] John 14:6, I am the way, the truth, and
[34:42] the life. No one comes to the father
[34:46] except through me. Or the Pauline
[34:48] version of this in 1 Timothy 2:5 and 6.
[34:51] There is one God and one mediator
[34:53] between God and man, the man Christ
[34:55] Jesus who gave himself a ransom for all.
[34:59] The mediator is not the pope. It's not
[35:01] Mary. It's not a priest. It's not a
[35:03] pastor. It's not a church.
[35:06] It's the one and only savior again, the
[35:10] Lord Jesus Christ who died for our sins.
[35:14] And that's the second key element of the
[35:16] content of the gospel, that the gospel
[35:18] of salvation centers in a specific work,
[35:21] namely that Christ died and rose again.
[35:27] That's what verse three says there. Now,
[35:30] why did he have to die? And I've already
[35:33] mentioned this because through his
[35:34] death, the penalty for sin was paid.
[35:42] You see, the penalty for sin by a just
[35:45] and holy God was death starting in the
[35:47] Garden of Eden and traveling down the
[35:50] ages to you and me. So when you think of
[35:52] the cross, think this. Jesus suffered
[35:56] God's wrath in your place.
[35:59] This is what you and I deserved. We did
[36:02] not deserve heaven. We deserved hell. We
[36:05] deserve God's wrath and judgment. And
[36:07] this is why salvation is solely by God's
[36:10] grace, his undeserved kindness to those
[36:12] who deserve the opposite. But not only
[36:15] did he die, but he rose again. Because
[36:19] through his death, he conquered sin and
[36:20] death and can now offer eternal life to
[36:23] you and me. You see, dear friends, no
[36:25] death means no forgiveness. No
[36:28] resurrection means no victory.
[36:30] And that is why if you were to go to the
[36:32] various graves of every founder of every
[36:36] religion that ever existed,
[36:38] you would see that their body is still
[36:40] there. But when it comes to the Lord
[36:43] Jesus Christ, what did the angel say? He
[36:46] is not here. He is risen just as he
[36:51] said. And dear friends, that is good
[36:54] news
[36:56] because as a risen savior, he can save.
[36:58] A dead savior cannot save you, but a
[37:02] risen savior can. And notice a third
[37:04] thing here. The gospel centers in a
[37:06] specific accomplishment. Namely, he died
[37:09] for our sins.
[37:11] By the way, for our sins is only
[37:14] attached to his death. He was not buried
[37:16] for our sins. He was not raised for our
[37:18] sins. He was raised for our
[37:20] justification.
[37:21] but not for our sins. Why? Because when
[37:24] he died for our sins, he paid for them
[37:27] completely, past, present, and future.
[37:30] And if you don't think he died for
[37:31] future sins, recognize the fact that
[37:34] when he died, all of your sins were
[37:35] future because you weren't even here
[37:38] yet.
[37:40] This is significant because Christ's
[37:42] death was a substitutionary
[37:44] sacrifice and a sufficient sacrifice.
[37:48] You see by substitutionary I'm pointing
[37:50] out the idea that the word for our sins
[37:53] hooper means on behalf of in the place
[37:56] of and so he died in our place paying
[38:01] for our sins. By the way the fivepoint
[38:03] Calvinist who believes that Jesus Christ
[38:05] died only for the elect cannot preach
[38:08] the same gospel that Paul preached.
[38:11] For the five-point Calvinist believes
[38:13] Christ died only for the elect, not for
[38:16] the sins of the whole world of the lost.
[38:18] So he cannot say what we read in verse
[38:20] three, Christ died for
[38:22] our sins.
[38:25] Because if they're not elect, he didn't
[38:27] die for their sins. The best you could
[38:29] say to them is Christ might have died
[38:31] for your sins if you're elect. But we
[38:34] don't know if you're elect. And we won't
[38:35] know until you die. Because if you don't
[38:37] persevere in faith and holiness all the
[38:39] days of your life, you were never saved.
[38:42] Is that the message Paul preached when
[38:44] he first came to Corinth? No. He said,
[38:46] "For our sins."
[38:49] Because he's a propitiation for our sins
[38:51] and not ours only, but the sins of the
[38:54] whole world. What good news that is,
[38:58] isn't it? As he came to be the lamb of
[39:00] God to take away the sin of the world.
[39:02] Not only was it a substitutionary death,
[39:04] but secondly, it was a sufficient
[39:06] sacrifice.
[39:07] And you see, this is what was
[39:08] significant to me
[39:11] with my Roman Catholic upbringing. I
[39:13] looked at a cross every Sunday. I said
[39:15] the Apostles Creed. If I was asked, did
[39:18] Christ die for our sins? I would have
[39:21] said, well, yeah, yeah, he did. Yeah, he
[39:25] did his 70%. Yeah,
[39:28] if I can do my 30, maybe I'll make it.
[39:32] So, if I could illustrate it for a
[39:33] minute,
[39:36] this may be a little hard for people
[39:37] over here. But you see, before I was
[39:39] saved, I had faith. We'll let this
[39:42] represent Jesus Christ and this
[39:44] represent works. I had faith in Jesus
[39:47] Christ plus my works.
[39:50] Was I saved by grace?
[39:52] If it's by grace, it can't have any
[39:54] works, right?
[39:56] If it's by grace, it's only through
[39:58] faith. It can't be faith plus. So, I had
[40:01] faith in Christ plus my baptism, plus my
[40:05] catechism, plus my good works, plus my
[40:08] efforts to get my good to outweigh my
[40:10] bad. And you know what? I was lost.
[40:14] When I got saved, I understood for the
[40:17] first time, it is finished. since I'd
[40:21] been paid for in full so that I now
[40:24] trusted
[40:26] in Jesus Christ alone.
[40:28] And that's when I was saved. You see,
[40:32] it's not a 7030 proposition. It's either
[40:34] finished or it's not. And sometimes I
[40:36] ask people, "Are you 100% sure you're
[40:38] going to heaven?" They say, "Well, I'm
[40:39] 98." And I say, "Oh, that's really too
[40:41] bad. You're going to miss heaven by 2%.
[40:44] That's really bad." And they're like,
[40:46] "Oh, what do you mean?" What I mean is
[40:49] if you have your faith in anything but
[40:50] Jesus Christ, you still haven't trusted
[40:53] in the Savior yet.
[40:56] That's why I'm told by EMTs and
[40:57] lifeguards that when they come to save
[41:00] you from drowning, they will not save
[41:01] you till you quit trying to save
[41:03] yourself. And then you finally rely on
[41:05] them. And when you rely on them, then
[41:08] they take you to shore. Now imagine
[41:10] you're sitting on shore. You just been
[41:11] saved by this lifeguard. Hey, could you
[41:13] rightfully say, "I have been saved from
[41:16] drowning." Absolutely. Would that be a
[41:19] boast in being such a great swimmer?
[41:22] No. No. I've been saved from drowning
[41:24] because of that guy right over there.
[41:26] That's why. And when we say we're saved,
[41:28] what are we saying? We're good enough to
[41:29] go to heaven? No. We're bad enough to go
[41:32] to hell.
[41:34] But that savior right over there died
[41:38] for my sins and rose again. I've trusted
[41:40] him. Now, let me use this illustration
[41:42] just a hair further. Now, let's say
[41:43] after I sat in the chair, I start losing
[41:45] faith in the chair. You know what that
[41:47] means?
[41:49] That means the chair keeps holding me up
[41:53] now. Do you understand the point? When
[41:55] you get saved, this isn't an ongoing
[41:58] faith. It's a moment of time faith. And
[42:01] while we grow in grace and we learn to
[42:03] walk by faith, you're born again as a
[42:05] one-time non-re repeatable event. And
[42:08] once you've trusted in the Savior, if
[42:10] you start to lose trust in him, guess
[42:11] what? He still keeps you saved.
[42:15] That's the doctrine of eternal security.
[42:18] Otherwise, salvation wouldn't be by
[42:19] faith. It would be by your faithfulness.
[42:24] And thus, you would be like Galatians
[42:26] 2:21. I do not frustrate the grace of
[42:28] God. For if righteousness come by the
[42:31] law, then Christ is dead in vain. And
[42:33] that's what I said to that lady
[42:34] yesterday. Tell me, if you could be good
[42:37] enough to go to heaven, why did God have
[42:38] to send a son to come to earth to die
[42:40] for you? It would be for nothing. and
[42:43] she goes, "That's a really good point."
[42:47] And my response is, "That's a really
[42:49] good savior."
[42:51] Again, the 7030 I'm going to just share
[42:54] a story because you some of you are
[42:56] involved in evangelism, even in fair
[42:59] evangelism. Great story here.
[43:01] This happened, I think, three years ago.
[43:03] It was the first night of the fair. We
[43:05] had just gotten set up. We were still
[43:07] kind of getting organized. We had the
[43:08] banner up. come take the spiritual
[43:10] viewpoint survey and see John 3:16
[43:14] illustrated. And the guys were kind of
[43:16] talking to each other and this lady
[43:18] comes up and he she taps one of our
[43:20] workers on the and she goes, "Is this
[43:24] where I can take the spiritual survey?"
[43:28] And he goes, "Yeah, this is it." Like,
[43:30] get with it, guy. Right. Yeah. Come on
[43:33] in. Sits down. So tell me, what are your
[43:35] chances of going to heaven?
[43:38] 35%. How'd she came up with 35? Who
[43:41] knows?
[43:42] 35%.
[43:44] By the way, whenever it's 50 or under,
[43:46] they all get saved.
[43:49] Why? Cuz they're guiltridden.
[43:51] And they know they're lost.
[43:54] 35%. And so when they ask, "Do you have
[43:55] any religious background?" She starts
[43:57] naming, "Yeah, I was raised Catholic,
[43:59] then Baptist, then Jehovah witness, then
[44:02] I was this." I mean, she named eight
[44:04] Mormon
[44:06] and she's at 35%.
[44:10] By the time she heard the gospel and she
[44:12] was done, she was at 100%.
[44:15] Tears coming down her cheeks.
[44:18] And she said, "I've been waiting all my
[44:22] life to hear this message,
[44:25] a message of grace, a message of
[44:27] Christ's finished work." And you see
[44:30] that's what the context content of the
[44:33] gospel is all about. Let me say thirdly,
[44:35] the one and only required response to
[44:37] the gospel of salvation to receive its
[44:39] blessing is by faith alone in Jesus
[44:42] Christ alone as presented in the gospel.
[44:46] And again, we're going to emphasize this
[44:47] a little bit as time permits here. But
[44:50] in doing so, the only response to the
[44:54] gospel is faith or believing. Faith is
[44:57] the noun. Believing is the verb and it
[44:59] means to rely on to trust in. And we see
[45:02] that right there in verse 11. Therefore,
[45:04] whether it was I or they, so we preach
[45:07] what? The gospel. And so you believed.
[45:11] And notice this is an aerys active
[45:14] indicative. And the active voice means
[45:16] you chose to believe. By the way, do you
[45:18] have a choice choice to accept the gift
[45:21] or not? You know, when I hear people say
[45:24] faith is the gift
[45:27] that God gives you to believe,
[45:33] if that gift is forced upon you, which
[45:36] is again what consistent Calvinism would
[45:39] teach, then it's not a gift at all.
[45:42] Because a gift can either be received or
[45:44] rejected. And if it can't be rejected,
[45:46] it's not a gift.
[45:49] And notice again, it's only by faith.
[45:53] What did they believe? The gospel of
[45:54] grace. They believed in Jesus Christ
[45:56] based on the gospel of grace. That's why
[45:58] Ephesians 2:8:9 says, "For by grace you
[46:01] have been saved." And when I read this
[46:03] at the fair or to others, I always say,
[46:05] "No, you think that's 50% saved there?
[46:08] 60%. 70. Oh, give me 100."
[46:13] You have been saved. Done deal through
[46:15] faith. The only thing consistent with
[46:17] grace is faith in who? Jesus Christ. And
[46:21] that's not of yourself. It is the gift
[46:23] of God. And again, the gift of God is
[46:26] referring not to the faith, but to the
[46:28] saved,
[46:30] not of works, lest anyone should boast.
[46:35] And what is the only thing consistent
[46:37] with grace is faith. A non-mirritorious
[46:40] voluitional response of trust. And the
[46:43] value of your faith depends again on
[46:45] your object of faith.
[46:48] So imagine for a moment that someone's
[46:50] offering to you a gift.
[46:52] It is the giver who pays for it. It's
[46:55] the giver who offers it. The receiver
[46:58] must simply choose to accept it. If I'm
[47:01] offering you a gift today, would you
[47:02] say, "Well, sure. I'll give you 20 bucks
[47:04] for that."
[47:06] Well, then it's not a gift.
[47:09] Would the giver say, "Well, this is a
[47:11] gift, but I want you to know I need you
[47:12] to wash my car every week, and if you
[47:15] don't wash my car every week, I've not
[47:16] given it to you." Is that a gift? You
[47:20] make promises and pledges to God. By the
[47:22] way, if I say, you know, I really want
[47:24] you to have this gift. Would you even
[47:26] have to say this? Oh, Pastor Dennis,
[47:29] would you please give me that gift? That
[47:33] would insult me. I've offered it to you
[47:36] freely.
[47:38] And that's why when again Paul and Silas
[47:40] were asked by the Philippian jailer,
[47:43] 'What must I do to be saved? Their
[47:45] answer was believe on the Lord Jesus
[47:49] Christ and you will be saved. Just that
[47:54] simple. And again, the word believe
[47:56] simply means to choose to believe,
[47:58] trust, or rely on.
[48:01] And the guarantee is you'll be saved. By
[48:03] the way, does God ever lie?
[48:05] So my salvation assurance is not based
[48:07] on my fruitfulness
[48:09] because that fluctuates.
[48:13] It's based on his finished work on the
[48:16] unfailing promises of God. So the moment
[48:18] I trust in Christ, I can know I'm saved
[48:21] and I don't even have a walk yet.
[48:24] So going back to the illustration of the
[48:26] drowned, the guy that was drowning, he's
[48:28] saved. Can he rightfully say, "I've been
[48:31] saved." Does he have to wait 3 days to
[48:33] see if he is or not?
[48:36] Now, let's say 6 days later you make a
[48:38] bad decision after you were saved from
[48:40] drowning. You know what that means?
[48:42] Means you were saved from drowning and
[48:44] six days later you made a bad decision.
[48:45] That's what that means. That's that's in
[48:48] the Greek, by the way. Very deep. Okay.
[48:52] What about two months later you begin to
[48:54] question whether you were ever safe from
[48:55] drowning? You know what that means?
[48:57] Means you're safe from drowning. Two
[48:58] months later you began to question
[48:59] whether you ever save and drown. That's
[49:01] what that means. When you've been saved,
[49:03] you're saved. And that's why I was never
[49:05] taught the doctrine of eternal security
[49:07] as a new believer. I just knew saved
[49:09] meant saved
[49:13] forever.
[49:15] So remember that if you add even one
[49:18] work to the message of God's grace, it's
[49:20] no longer a message of grace.
[49:24] All you have to do is add one work. In
[49:26] fact, let me illustrate it here for a
[49:28] moment. Here
[49:32] is a picture of clear water. You see
[49:35] that? Let's let this illustrate the true
[49:38] pure gospel uncoluted, uncontaminated,
[49:42] uncorrupted from religion.
[49:45] Okay? Now, if I come along and say,
[49:48] well, Jesus Christ died for your sins
[49:49] and rose again, and if you only repent
[49:52] from your sins and ask Jesus in your
[49:54] heart and whatever, that maybe you can
[49:57] you'll go to heaven.
[49:59] That's not the gospel. You see, if you
[50:01] add simply any work
[50:06] to the message of grace,
[50:11] does it look like it's the same message?
[50:14] It's not. This is the message.
[50:18] This is a garbled gospel, if not a wrong
[50:21] gospel, depending on what's told.
[50:24] We're hearing, dear friends, a lot of
[50:26] this today.
[50:28] instead of hearing the pure
[50:31] unadulterated gospel.
[50:34] Now you say, "Well, where do good works
[50:35] fit in?"
[50:37] Well, again, we know from Ephesians
[50:39] 2:10, "For we are his workmanship."
[50:42] Who's we? Those who have been saved by
[50:45] faith in Jesus Christ and the grace of
[50:47] God created in Christ Jesus. That's our
[50:50] position for good works
[50:54] which God prepared beforehand that we
[50:57] should walk in them. Does God want you
[51:01] to grow as a believer? Absolutely. As
[51:03] you walk with the Lord and grow, guess
[51:05] what happens? Good works come out of
[51:08] your life. But not to be saved, not to
[51:11] stay saved, but because as a saved,
[51:14] redeemed
[51:16] believer that has the spirit of God.
[51:18] Now, as you learn to walk by faith in
[51:21] the son of God based on the word of God,
[51:23] good works are produced by the spirit of
[51:26] God in your life. And again, we're
[51:28] dealing with second tense salvation. And
[51:31] that's why Paul in 1 Corinthians 15
[51:33] says, "But by the grace of God, I am
[51:34] what I am, and his grace toward me was
[51:37] not in vain, but I labored more
[51:40] abundantly than they all." Notice
[51:42] there's where good works came in. and
[51:44] yet not I, but the grace of God which
[51:46] was with me. As he grew in grace, good
[51:50] works resulted in his willingness to
[51:53] serve Jesus Christ.
[51:55] So again, there's only one response to
[51:59] the only right message. It's by faith
[52:02] alone in Christ alone is presented in
[52:05] the gospel. Now go to John chapter 3
[52:07] briefly.
[52:09] John chapter 3.
[52:21] And here's the story of Jesus talking to
[52:22] Nicodemus about being born again. And in
[52:25] doing so, we read in verse 14 an
[52:27] illustration from Numbers 21. And what
[52:29] is it? But as Moses lifted up the
[52:32] serpent in the wilderness, even so must
[52:34] the Son of Man be lifted up that whoever
[52:37] believes in him may have eternal life.
[52:41] Again, the children of Israel were being
[52:43] bitten by serpents. They were dying.
[52:46] Moses cries out to God, "What can we do?
[52:50] How can this stop?" And he says, "I want
[52:52] you to take a brass serpent, put it on a
[52:55] pole, as it were, and I want you to lift
[52:57] it up, and whoever looks will live.
[53:00] Whoever doesn't look will die."
[53:04] You know, if you heard that, how would
[53:05] you respond?
[53:07] It can't be that simple. How many people
[53:09] have you ever heard after you've given
[53:11] the gospel to people, they say, "It
[53:12] can't be that simple." But it is that
[53:15] simple. And if they're willing to look,
[53:18] they live. If they weren't willing to
[53:19] look, they die. Now, again, did they
[53:21] have to promise that they'll never sin
[53:23] again? No. Did they repent of their
[53:26] sins? No. Did they ask the serpent into
[53:28] their heart?
[53:30] No.
[53:32] Did they give themselves to the serpent?
[53:35] No. All they did was look. And by the
[53:37] way, how many times do they have to
[53:39] look?
[53:41] You know, for those who believe that
[53:42] true faith is ongoing, you'd have to
[53:44] look and keep looking and keep looking.
[53:48] Don't go to sleep. Just keep looking. If
[53:51] you ever quit looking, it was proof that
[53:52] you never looked.
[53:55] Not true.
[53:59] Verse 16, for God so loved the world
[54:00] that he gave his only begotten son that
[54:02] whoever believes in him number one
[54:05] should not perish. Number two, have
[54:07] eternal life. We've seen the bad news.
[54:09] We've seen the good news. We've seen the
[54:12] right response. And now we see two
[54:15] results. Number one, you will not go to
[54:18] hell. Is that good news? By the way,
[54:21] when you wake up this morning and
[54:22] someone asks you, "Is this a good day?"
[54:24] You could say, "Well, I'm not going to
[54:25] hell. This is a good day."
[54:28] Number two, you have eternal life. And
[54:30] when you have something, what does that
[54:31] mean? You possess it. How? It's not when
[54:35] you die you get eternal life. It's when
[54:37] you trust in Christ you get eternal
[54:39] life. And it's eternal. So you it lasts
[54:41] how long? And this is what I asked the
[54:43] girl yesterday. So how long does eternal
[54:44] life last for? She says, "Well,
[54:46] forever."
[54:48] Very good.
[54:50] Verse 17. For God did not send his son
[54:53] into the world to condemn the world, but
[54:55] the world through him might be saved.
[54:57] You say, why does it say might? Because
[54:59] you have to believe in order to be
[55:01] saved. There's a third result. Here's a
[55:05] fourth result. Verse 18. Whoever
[55:07] believes in him is not condemned. That's
[55:09] the fourth result. But whoever does not
[55:12] believe is condemned already because he
[55:14] has not believed in the name of the only
[55:17] son of God.
[55:20] It's just that simple.
[55:23] So why are people ultimately condemned?
[55:25] Because they didn't repent of their
[55:26] sins? No. Because they didn't ask Jesus
[55:29] in their heart? No. because they didn't
[55:31] give their life to Christ? No. Because
[55:34] they were never baptized? No. Because
[55:37] they never believed in the name of the
[55:39] only son of God. That's why they never
[55:43] trusted in Christ plus nothing. Now, by
[55:48] the way, would anyone apart from isoga
[55:51] Jesus and theological insertion of
[55:54] foreign concepts into the text ever
[55:56] conclude that the word believe in John
[55:59] 3:16
[56:01] means whoever believes in him that and
[56:03] by that they mean repent and turns from
[56:05] his sin totally surrenders to Christ as
[56:07] Lord and makes him a lifelong commitment
[56:09] to follow him as Christ slaves evidenced
[56:11] by ongoing fruitfulness and persevering
[56:13] faithfulness all the rest of your life.
[56:15] That's what it means to believe. Would
[56:18] anyone ever do that? When you heard the
[56:20] gospel, maybe you're John 3:16 at the
[56:22] age of seven. He says, "Whoever believes
[56:24] in him," you say, "Well, yes, I'm
[56:25] willing to turn from my sins and
[56:27] surrender to him as Lord and make a
[56:29] lifelong." Are you kidding?
[56:32] That's not what believes means. You know
[56:34] what believes means? That you put your
[56:36] trust in him.
[56:39] Should not perish but have everlasting
[56:41] life. Or would they understand it to
[56:43] mean again to choose to rely on to trust
[56:46] in him? By the way, I was thinking about
[56:49] this very same thing about the man who
[56:50] was born blind. Jesus healed them,
[56:52] remember? And then he sought him out
[56:54] later after he got kicked out of the
[56:55] synagogue. And Jesus heard that they had
[56:57] cast him out and having found him, he
[56:59] said, "Do you believe in the son of
[57:01] man?" And he answered, "Who is he, sir,
[57:04] that I may believe in him?"
[57:07] Jesus said to him, "You have seen him,
[57:09] and it is he who is speaking to you." He
[57:11] says,"Lord, I
[57:14] believe.
[57:16] I believe what you just said about
[57:18] yourself. I'm I'm believing in you. I'm
[57:20] trusting in you." Now, what did he mean?
[57:23] I'm I I'm willing to turn from my sin,
[57:26] totally surrender you as Lord, make a
[57:28] lifelong commitment to follow him as
[57:31] Christ slave, evidenced by my ongoing
[57:32] fruitfulness and persevering
[57:34] faithfulness all the rest of my life.
[57:36] Now, it's true he worshiped him. And why
[57:38] did he worship him? because you realize
[57:40] he is God.
[57:47] But believing, trusting in him versus
[57:50] all the stuff that lordship adds is
[57:53] again
[57:57] destroying the true gospel of grace. You
[58:00] see, again, where is the spotlight in
[58:02] the true gospel of grace? It's on Jesus
[58:05] Christ and what he's done. And that's
[58:07] why it says these things I've written to
[58:09] you. Believe in the name of the son of
[58:11] God that you may kn know that you have
[58:15] you possess eternal life. And by the way
[58:18] again is that 50% know
[58:21] 60% no. Any system of theology that
[58:25] doesn't arrive at 100% assurance. So of
[58:29] salvation is wrong. When I re read Piper
[58:32] saying you can't have 100%.
[58:35] I'm like, that's not what from my Bible
[58:38] says.
[58:39] When John MacArthur used to say, I'm
[58:41] 99.8% sure I'm going. See, that's not
[58:45] what my Bible says.
[58:47] And I keep hearing these men. And you
[58:49] know why they're not sure? Because in
[58:51] their mind, because of their Calvinism,
[58:54] they're not persevering till their death
[58:57] yet. They're not there.
[59:00] These people were alive that John was
[59:03] writing to.
[59:05] Furthermore, remember that the only
[59:07] response to the gospel is not
[59:10] that is not a work is faith.
[59:14] Romans 4:es 4 and 5. Now to him who
[59:16] works, the wages are not counted as
[59:19] grace but as debt. But to him who does
[59:22] not work but believes. Who does not work
[59:25] but believes. who does not work but
[59:29] which means believing is not a
[59:32] work. Very good.
[59:35] But the issue is where is your faith? It
[59:37] believes on him who justifies the godly.
[59:40] Is that what it says? Who justifies
[59:42] those who have repented of their sins.
[59:44] Is that what it says? No. The ungodly.
[59:48] His faith is accounted for
[59:51] righteousness.
[59:53] Thirdly, remember that the only object
[59:55] of faith that saves is Jesus Christ.
[59:57] Period. Not Jesus Christ plus. And
[01:00:00] remember, the false gospels always have
[01:00:03] the plus. Just look for the plus.
[01:00:07] You know, I like I found this years ago.
[01:00:09] I like this. Lord, I am a miserable
[01:00:11] bankrupt sinner. I have nothing to pay
[01:00:13] my sin debt, but I trust in you alone in
[01:00:16] your payment of my sins.
[01:00:19] And God the Father says, "I'm satisfied
[01:00:21] with that."
[01:00:24] Jesus Christ's death is a satisfactory
[01:00:26] death. God the Father says, "I'm
[01:00:28] satisfied." The question now is, "Are
[01:00:31] you satisfied enough to put your trust
[01:00:33] in him alone?"
[01:00:36] And if you are and you've trusted in
[01:00:38] Christ alone, you can have the assurance
[01:00:40] that the gabble would bang in the
[01:00:42] courtroom of God and God would declare
[01:00:44] you justified or righteous, not because
[01:00:47] of what you've done, but because of what
[01:00:49] his son has done for you. Dear friends,
[01:00:52] is that good news? That is really good
[01:00:55] news.
[01:00:58] Now, I say that because have you ever
[01:00:59] heard of an ADR,
[01:01:04] adverse drug reaction?
[01:01:07] Do you know that
[01:01:09] over 250,000
[01:01:11] fatil fatilities fatalities annually die
[01:01:15] due to ADRs?
[01:01:18] And I can't help but think of how many
[01:01:19] spiritual ADRs there are out there
[01:01:23] that are there intending. By the way,
[01:01:25] when someone gives you a drug in a
[01:01:26] hospital and it's a wrong prescription
[01:01:29] or whatever, do you think they
[01:01:30] intentionally give you the wrong one?
[01:01:33] I'm guessing most people that isn't
[01:01:34] true. They really are. And most people
[01:01:36] that are trying to preach the gospel
[01:01:38] today aren't intentionally trying to
[01:01:39] goof you up.
[01:01:41] But that doesn't mean it doesn't result
[01:01:43] in death yet, just like in the hospital.
[01:01:47] And that is why we must be so clear in
[01:01:50] doing this. Remember, they always have
[01:01:53] the plus. And I can see I'm out of time.
[01:01:58] So, we're going to just bring this to a
[01:02:00] close here today. And as far as these
[01:02:04] other pluses are concerned, every one of
[01:02:06] them, all you have to do is look at
[01:02:10] when they all they will all say it's
[01:02:13] faith in Jesus Christ.
[01:02:16] They will all say that, but then they
[01:02:18] slip you a mickey
[01:02:22] and they will add some works along the
[01:02:24] way.
[01:02:27] How can you tell a true gospel from a
[01:02:28] false one?
[01:02:31] Spotlight's on.
[01:02:33] Jesus Christ.
[01:02:35] False one always adds
[01:02:38] some works to it.
[01:02:42] Let's pray.
[01:02:44] Father, thank you again for your word
[01:02:45] and the opportunity to look into it and
[01:02:48] even these uh false responses that we
[01:02:51] didn't have time to cover. We know in
[01:02:53] each and every case
[01:02:56] it's faith in your son plus as if his
[01:03:00] work was not already finished. As if
[01:03:03] salvation was a reward for the righteous
[01:03:05] instead of a gift for the guilty. As if
[01:03:08] faith alone in Christ alone was not
[01:03:10] sufficient to save. And we know with
[01:03:13] every false gospel, even when it's given
[01:03:15] by well-intended believers at times,
[01:03:21] we know that you use your word. And we
[01:03:25] know that there are people who have
[01:03:26] asked Jesus in their heart that are
[01:03:27] really saved.
[01:03:29] But we know they're not saved because
[01:03:31] they asked Jesus in their heart. They're
[01:03:33] saved because they put their faith in
[01:03:35] Jesus Christ. We know there are people
[01:03:37] who say, "I gave my life to Christ that
[01:03:40] are really saved." Even though
[01:03:42] accurately saying it wasn't them giving
[01:03:45] their lives to Christ, it was Christ
[01:03:47] giving his life for them. But somewhere
[01:03:50] along the way, they did hear the gospel.
[01:03:52] They believed. Unfortunately, they
[01:03:54] picked up again these false responses
[01:03:56] and this extra baggage. And I pray that
[01:04:00] by your grace, just as Satan deceived
[01:04:03] Eve through his craftiness,
[01:04:05] I pray that our minds would not be
[01:04:07] corrupted from the simplicity
[01:04:10] that is in Jesus Christ.