The Gospel

I. God: He is Sovereign, Holy, and Righteous

A. His Sovereignty: God is the creator and ruler of everything.

The Bible tells us that God created all things. Everything belongs to Him and He has the sole right and authority to do as He pleases with His creation. All of creation is ultimately dependent upon God and man, who is created in His image, is made to have a relationship with Him. That relationship should include honor, respect, obedience, and worship because all of humanity is responsible to God and each one will give an account of their life before Him.

Gen 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

Psa 103:19 “The Lord has established His throne in the heavens and His sovereignty rules over all.”

B. His Character: God is holy.

Holiness means a separation from all that is sinful. God is perfectly holy and absolutely sinless in His character and His sovereign actions.

I Sam 2:2 “There is no one holy like the Lord, indeed there is no one besides You, nor is there any rock like our God.”

Rev 4:8 “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the almighty, who was and who is and who is to come. “

C. His Standard: God requires perfect obedience to His law.

The God of the Bible who creates, owns and rules His creation requires perfect obedience to His commands. All individuals are accountable and responsible concerning His holy standard.

Matt 5:48 “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

I Pet 1:16 “Because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’”

II. Man: He is Guilty, Condemned, and Deceived

A. His Guilt: Everyone has broken God’s law.

God has given us His law to obey perfectly. But our thoughts, our words, our actions and our motives are sinful. Sin is simply disobedience to God’s standard. We are all guilty sinners by nature and by choice, therefore no individual can escape the curse and guilt of sin.

Rom 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

B. His Condemnation: The penalty for sin is eternal death.

Spiritual and physical death occurs because of sin. Those who die in their sin will spend eternity in hell which is a place of daily punishment and eternal torment. Those who have been forgiven of their sin will spend eternity in heaven which is a place of joy, blessing, and the presence of God.

Rom 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

C. His Deception: Good works and sincere intentions cannot save anyone.

The road to hell is paved with good works and sincere intentions. No one is good enough or self righteous enough before a holy God who demands perfect righteousness. No person can justify their sin with any amount of good works and expect a holy God to overlook their sincere intentions for the forgiveness of their sin. The ultimate deception is religious deception. Many individuals are sincere, but they are sincerely wrong because they have a god of their own imagination, not the God of the Bible. Omelet ILL.

Titus 3:5 “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.”

Eph 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

III. Christ: He is God, Savior, and Lord

A. His Deity: Jesus is fully God and fully man.

God chose to reveal Himself to sinful humanity in the person of Jesus Christ, who became man in order to save sinners and glorify the Father.

John 1:1, 14 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . . And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory.”

John 10:30 “I and the Father are one.”

B. His Death: Jesus died on the cross for sinners.

Only the sinless Son of God can save sinners from the penalty of sin. Jesus voluntarily laid down His life as the substitute and offered Himself for sinners who will repent of their sin and put their faith in Him. The wrath of God was poured out upon Christ for sin, and at the cross He provided the gift of perfect righteousness and the only means of forgiveness of sin.

Rom 5:8 “But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

I Pet 3:18 “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit.”

II Cor 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

C. His Resurrection: Jesus is risen and is alive today.

Jesus Christ rose from the dead and thus conquered sin and death. His physical resurrection guarantees our spiritual resurrection.

Acts 2:23-24 “This Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.”

IV. Salvation: Repent, Submit, and Believe

A. His Command: The call to repent.

Repentance is marked by conviction, godly sorrow, and a turning away from sin. It is simply turning to Christ from sin in surrender of one’s life for the forgiveness of sin.

Acts 17:30 “God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent.”

Mark 1:14-15 “Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the Gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe in the Gospel.”

B. His Terms: The call to submit.

Jesus offers salvation to every sinner who will repent of sin and believe upon Him for salvation. But the offer of salvation comes at His terms, not the sinners. One must confess their rebellious sin before a holy God, expose and forsake their sin, and submit all their life to Christ in complete obedience.

Luke 9:23-24 “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.”

C. His Invitation: The call to believe.

The invitation to salvation for sinners begins and ends with the mercy of God. We must call upon the Lord to be saved.

Acts 16:31 .. ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, …