I believe the Gospel is the most important message a person can hear. And so while sometimes we can boil it down into some very quick, snappy sentences, if it's as important as we know it to be, it's worth explaining in a bit of detail. I hope you'll give me your attention for this message of supreme significance.
A message you need to hear
"Gospel" means good news. It is a message about the truth of Jesus Christ, who I announce to you as both God and King. Good news usually comes alongside, or in contrast to, bad news, and there is some of that, too. This is a message of hope - and a message of warning. The truth is sometimes hard to hear, but ultimately, it sets us free.
In the past, heralds would announce the arrival of royalty. Christians, who are followers of Jesus Christ, are called to be heralds of the Kingdom of God. Jesus says, I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life – no one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14:6). There is nothing more important to me than to be found faithful to serve my King – King Jesus. There is nothing more important for you to hear and respond to than the message I bring to you today. Because this is a matter of life and death. This is a matter of the meaning of everything.
Big questions
Any thoughtful person will at some point wrestle with questions like: Who am I? Why am I here? What makes something right or wrong? Where is this world headed? What will happen to me after I die? These are big, metaphysical questions. I want you to think about them, if you will allow yourself to be challenged for a moment.
The most important thing about you
The most important thing about you is not what you do for a living, or where you live, or how you dress, or what school you go to. It's not about how much money you have or who your friends are, or honestly who you think you are. No.
The most important thing about you is what you think about God.
And specifically, what do you do with Jesus Christ?
All major world religions acknowledge Jesus in one way or another. All people have some kind of opinion about Him. Is He just a historical figure? Or maybe a myth? Was he a madman? A revolutionary? A socialist? A great teacher?
Or was Jesus who He claimed to be in the Bible – to be God Himself? The Bible teaches Jesus to be the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity – the promised Messiah, the King not only of the Jews but the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Prince of Peace, the Desire of Nations, the Second Adam, the only perfect man, the God-man...
So who is He to you?
Encountering the real Jesus
When you encounter the truth of the real Jesus, it is impossible for you to just say, “Meh.” That's not how Jesus is.
You cannot be lukewarm about Him. You may hate Him, or you may love Him, but you cannot encounter Him and be unmoved. You cannot hear truly what He says and not be provoked to either love what He is about or despise what He is about. He does not fit in the box you will make for Him. He cannot be tamed, and you cannot shoehorn Him in to your personal feel-good philosophy or religious system.
Jesus is a mighty King. He is currently ruling over this world and reigning from His throne at the right hand of God the Father. He is currently making all His enemies a footstool for His feet. He is not your pet, any more than a lion will be your pet.
The Jesus of the Bible: Creator
Who does the Bible say that Jesus is? Well, that He is the Creator of the universe – and you, and me.
The book of Colossians says Jesus "is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him" (Colossians 1:15-16).
The Gospel of John say of Jesus, "All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being" (John 1:3).
Everyone knows God
The book of Romans says in the first chapter that all men already know God – that everyone already believes in God. It is rare to find someone who doesn't say they believe in God, at least in some way. You might deny this, but you deny it to your own peril.
Hear the word of God, from Romans chapter 1:
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Claiming to be wise, they became fools... "(Romans 1:18-22)
Wise in your own eyes
It's a dangerous thing to be wise in your own eyes (Isaiah 5:21; Proverbs 3:7). If you are relying on yourself, relying on your own ability to see rightly how the world works, you are in great danger, friend.
Because the Bible says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10).
God's word also says to "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6).
We must acknowledge God
We must acknowledge God. Sin is attempting to live without reference to the God who made you. It is to just carve your own path through this life, stumbling along as if there is no path laid out for you. The thing is, you know that there is a path. There is a way through, but in our sinful state we don't want to walk in God's way. Jesus says, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father but through Me. There is only one way that leads to life, but there are innumerable paths that lead to death.
So it is not enough to just believe in God, to believe in any God, to believe in a God of our own making. It is not enough to be “spiritual,” it is not enough to be vaguely religious or embrace all deities that claim to be God.
Our church is here to bear witness, very specifically, to the one true and living God, the one God of the Bible, a Triune God, an uncreated Creator of the universe who has always existed in three Persons: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. He is One God in Three persons, one What and three Whos - and the Son, Jesus Christ, is the only Way to eternal life.
Narrow and exclusive
So there is only one way that leads to life. Yes, this is narrow. It is exclusive. And this message offends people. Why? Because it tells people that they are wrong.
People don't want to come to God through the one door He provided, because we are proud. We like to think we are completely autonomous and independent. We are, after all, proud Americans, and we think that freedom means no one can tell us anything.
Slaves or free men?
But think back to 2020. Most of us proud Americans let the authorities from the governments of men compel us to live in fear and lock down and mask up and get vaccinated and tell us who is an “essential worker” and all the rest. Most people went along with this plan just fine. And most of our church leaders told us to just comply and get along and “love your neighbor.” We talk a lot about freedom, but we're actually just fine with slavery, as long as we feel safe at the end of the day.
Freedom has boundaries
See, freedom doesn't mean that there are no rules, or rulers. Freedom is a good thing, but it does have boundaries. I'm not free to just do anything I want – no one lives like that. You're gonna have to serve somebody, as Bob Dylan sang. The truth is, this is God's world, and we're just living in it.
Creator-rights
He is the Creator, and He has certain Creator-rights that only He has. If I create a painting, am I not free to do whatever I want with it? To make it look however I want? Or to start over or even destroy the canvas? An author has the right to tell his story however he wants – an author has the authority to bring in whatever characters or plot devices he desires to tell whatever story he wants to tell. And that's the case with God. God has established an orderly world, and has given us His Law to tell us exactly what it is we are to do or not do, and that authority comes right down to how we treat people, and what we say, and even what we think and what we do in our bedrooms.