Learning The Substance Of The Gospel
The word "gospel" means good news. But good news is not truly "good" in our understanding unless we realize the trouble we are in.

Therefore, the description of the gospel below is summed up in four points of bad news followed by four points of good news.

The Bad News - Headed For A Bad Place
1. God is HOLY and PERFECT and He requires each of us, made in His image, to be PERFECT.

- 1 Peter 1:15-16 - we must be HOLY.
- James 2:10 - God says that even ONE sin breaks the whole law.

Illustration #1: How many links in a chain have to break before you lose what you're towing? Breaking one of God's commands breaks our chain of fellowship with Him.

- Matthew 5:48 - we must be PERFECT.

Illustration #2: When it comes to food, we utterly reject poison. How much gasoline would you like in your milk? Half and half? A teaspoon? An eyedropper? God wants perfection.

2. God calls breaking his law "SIN" and says that ALL of us have sinned.

- 1 John 1:8, 10 - We're DECEIVING ourselves if we say we haven't sinned.
- Romans 3:23 - ALL have sinned and fall short of what God requires.

Illustration #3: I'm a pretty good guy; let's say I've only committed three sins a day - one sinful thought, one sinful word and one sinful action. But in one year, that's over 1,000 sins; then multiply that by the years of my life. Whew! That's a lot of sins!

3. God's says that the just and proper penalty for sin is DEATH.

- Romans 6:23 - the payment for sin is DEATH. Death in the Bible starts with separation from fellowship with God in this life.

Illustration #4: When the phone line is cut, we say "the phone is dead." Why? It is cut off from communication with the outside world. A computer without a modem functions fine, but cannot communicate with the outside. Our spirit has been cut off from communication with God (see also Ephesians 2:1).

- Revelation 20:11-15 - One day, God will enter JUDGMENT against sinners; afterward, there is separation from God forever in a place called THE LAKE OF FIRE.

4. I cannot "save" myself from judgment by GOOD or RELIGIOUS works.

- Titus 3:5 - we are not saved by WORKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Illustration #5: Let's say my wallet is a record book of my sins (take out your wallet). I can really turn my life around (turn it), or turn over a whole new leaf (flip it), or fill my life with good works (cover it). But look, the record book is still there. All of my years of lawful driving can't erase my speeding offence.

- Ephesians 2:8-9 - salvation is not by WORKS; rather, it is God's FREE GIFT.

Illustration #6: Imagine how insulted you would be if you gave me a gift, and I started whipping out $20 bills to pay for it. How much do I have to pay you to change the gift to a bargain purchase? (1 cent)

- Isaiah 64:6 - God considers our good works as FILTHY RAGS.

Illustration #7: Who was Jesus toughest on? The Pharisees, the leaders of God's own Jewish religion, men who were known for their good and religious works!

The Good News - He Took My Place
5. God LOVES you and me, and He made a PLAN for us to be REUNITED with Him SAVED from the coming judgment.

- John 3:16 - Because God loved us, he sent his SON.

6. Jesus died as a SUBSTITUTE for us. He paid the PENALTY for our sin. But Jesus defeated SIN, DEATH, SATAN and HELL - and He ROSE AGAIN!

- Romans 5:8 - Christ died FOR US; He didn't wait for us to fix ourselves up for Him.

- 2 Corinthians 5:20-21 - God takes our SIN and places it on Jesus, and He takes Jesus' RGHTEOUSNESS and places it on US.

Illustration #8: During the Great Depression, a young man was brought in before a judge in Chicago for stealing fruit. The young man said he was starving. The judge found him guilty as charged and was told that the fine was $10. The judge then paid the fine and commented that the community should be helping its needy. Did the judge uphold justice? What if he had dismissed the charges due to the young man's poverty?

7. God offers each of us the FREE GIFT of eternal life ONLY through Jesus' death.

- Acts 4:12 - There is NO other way.

- John 14:6 - Jesus is THE way, THE truth and THE life (not merely A way).

Illustration #9: Many people say that Christians are bigoted to believe that Jesus is the only way. Let's say a ship like the Titanic was sinking, and God sent along a boat to save the drowning. Imagine someone treading water saying, "What, just one ship? Do you think your ship is the only ship?"

8. To receive God's gift of forgiveness of sins, TURN, BELIEVE, and RECEIVE.

- Acts 3:19 - TURN AWAY from your sin and ruling your own life.

- Romans 10:9-10 - BELIEVE that God will forgive you and TELL OTHERS that Jesus is your Lord.

- John 1:12 - RECEIVE God's free gift through His Son and become one of His children.

Illustration #10: Suppose I gave you a million-rand check and had enough money in the bank to cover it. You could take the check, jump up and down waving it and telling all your friends that you are rich … but you're not truly rich until you do what? You must do business with God - cash or deposit the check.

Talk with God about this today! Make it final!

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first, and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "the just shall live by faith." Romans 1:16-17

No matter where you are, if you placed your faith in Jesus alone for the forgiveness of sins, write to us, and we'll see if we can find a church reasonably close to you for follow-up discipleship!