WESTSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH
PASTOR: TERRY VAUGHAN
SERMON TITLE: THE TRUTH OF THE GOSPEL
“For God so Loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth in Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:16-18
TEXT VERSE: Colossians 1:5-6 “For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel. Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth.” I want to preach on the latter part of verse 5 where it says the truth of the gospel.
1 Peter 1:3-7 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you. Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations. That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come to you.”
There’s a lot of people out in the world today that don’t know what the truth of the gospel is. There’s a lot of people that have heard about God and Jesus Christ. They know about attending church. Just because someone attends church it does not mean they know the truth of the gospel. Just because you go to church it does not mean they are saved by the grace of God. Your church membership will never carry you into God’s heaven. Thank God it still takes the blood. In order to preach on the truth of the gospel we’ll need to bring out a few verses that you will need to pay attention to.
1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” Your mom and dad can’t get you into heaven. The Deacon and the Pastor can’t get you into heaven. Your wife and your husband can’t get you into heaven. The Bible said there is only one mediator between God and men and that mediator is Christ Jesus. Jesus gave his life for you. Died on the cross of Calvary and paid your sin debt. I’m glad to be saved by the grace of God. The Bible says by grace are ye saved. Not of yourself but it’s a gift of God. It’s a gift just to be saved. Acts 4:12 “Neither is there salvation in other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” There is no other name than that of Jesus Christ that people can get saved. It can only come through Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:11 “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” There’s no other mediator. There’s no other way. There’s no other way. Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life. I’m glad I know Jesus Christ as my personal savior. I want to point out a few things in Peter.
NUMBER ONE: The resurrection of Jesus Christ. There’s a lot of people that talk about him. There’s a lot of people that have heard about him. But do you know him in the resurrection form? The Bible says he’s not the God of the dead but the God of the living. Not only do I believe my Jesus died for me and paid my sin debt but that they buried him and he arose on the third day. We’ve been justified...purified and one day after awhile we’re going to be glorified. I’m glad for the resurrection. Revelations says this: Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection on such the second death hath no power. If you have the resurrection the second death will never touch you. You say, what’s the second death? It’s the eternal lake of fire. How can we keep from that preacher? Believe in Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:22 “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” That’s what the resurrection is all about. The resurrection will either make a believer out of you or it will make a non believe out of you. There’s no other way. They either believe that Jesus Christ arose from the dead or they don’t believe. There’s a lot of people that are wishy washey. They believe in him and do for him one minute and not the next minute. God never quit on us and we shouldn’t quit on him. You’re either a believer or you’re a non believer. You either believe the truth or you believe a lie. God is not the author of confusion. You either have salvation or you don’t. There is no in between. My favorite scripture in the Bible is where Mary comes to the tomb and the angels says why seek you the dead among the living? He is risen, he is not here. You can believe in God if you want to. You can believe in his son Jesus Christ if you want to. But if you’re not a believer in the resurrection, you’re lost and bound for hell.
Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus Christ and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” It don’t anything about just believing in God. It says if you confess it with your mouth and believe it in in your heart that God has raised Jesus from the dead, you shall be saved. Some of them in the Bible wanted to go get the body out of the tomb and hide it somewhere and they’ll believe he rose from the dead. When they went there were some keepers there at the tomb and the Bible says they fell down as dead men. That old tomb wasn’t opened so Christ could get out. It was open so you and I could get in.
Something I noticed in these verses was not only the resurrection of Jesus Christ but I noticed the word reserved. So now I want to talk to you on the reservation.
NUMBER TWO: The reservation. A lot of people don’t know about that portion of the truth of the gospel. your soul has a reservation for eternity. You’ve either got a reservation in heaven or you’ve got a reservation in hell. This life we’re living in here...we’re just passing through. Our lives are like a vapor. We’re here for a short time and then it vanish away. Thank God the soul lives forever.
Hebrews 9:27 “And it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” It don’t matter what you do. You can not get out of death. Where are you going to stand at the judgment? You’ll either stand a saved person or a lost person. You’ll either be a child of God or a child of the devil. There is no in between. It don’t matter what church you go to. It don’t matter how good you are. It don’t matter how you dress, how you talk. When you stand before God in the judgment...it’s just going to be you and Him. You can’t use none of these earthly things to get out of something like you do now. Quit being babies and grow up in the Lord this morning. You better start learning how to stand for him now. Whether you want to or not...you will stand before him.
2 Corinthians 5:10 “For we must ALL appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that EVERY ONE may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” We’re going to be standing before him one day and we’re going to be listening to what he says. If we’re going to be receiving the things up there that we’ve done down here...we better be some do gooders. We better be about God’s business this morning and quit trusting in man. Quit trying to please men and start pleasing God. We’re going to stand before him either saved or lost. That’s our reservation. Then I want you to notice another word I noticed. It’s revealed.
NUMBER THREE: There’s going to be a revealing after the judgment. Romans 14:11-12 “For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” There’s not a knee that can get out of bowing. There’s not a tongue that will get out of confessing. There’s not a human that will not give account of himself to God. At that revealing you’ll either be found worthy or unworthy. In Matthew it says that when that day comes he’s going to gather all nations unto him and he’s going to separate them. It says he will set the sheep (the saved) on his right and the goats (the lost) on his left. He’ll say to those sheep... enter thou into the joys of the Lord but to those goats he’ll say...depart from me for I never knew you. If that ain’t a revealing, I don’t know what is. He’s going to show you whether you’re saved by the grace of God or not. You’ll either stand there just or unjust. You’ll either stand there Godly or ungodly as he reveals these things to you. One thing about this life...you can’t hide anything from God. A lot of people go to big churches because they think they can hide from God. The Pastor has so many people sitting in his congregation that he doesn’t even know they are sitting back there. They go around drinking and sleeping around behind their mates back and the Pastor wouldn’t even know it. But God knows. I didn’t say that’s why all of them go to big churches. Just some of them. You won’t have that big church to support you when you get up there. It’s just going to be you and God.
I’ve heard people say, That person sure had a good heart. I know a lot of people that have a good heart but that doesn’t mean they’re saved. Matthew 12:37 “For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” What comes out of your mouth in the day of revealing will determine to God whether you are justified or condemned. He said by your words. I like that scripture in John 3:18 “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten son of God.” If you don’t believe in him you’re condemned already and when you get there and God reveals it to you you’ll be faced with the unjust punishment with the wrath of God.
1 Peter 1:9 “receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.” I’ve talked to you about the resurrection. I’ve talked to you about the reservation. I’ve talked to you about the revealing. But now thank God there will be a receiving.
NUMBER FOUR: The receiving. All these play an important role in his call of salvation. It’s called the truth of the gospel. John 3:36 “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” You’re either going to receive everlasting life or everlasting condemnation.
Mark 16:16 “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” When you’re standing there and the revealing has already taken place, then has to come a receiving. I think about a court setting. They hear the plea. They hear both sides. But the judge has the final say. He holds a mallot in his hands and what ever that judge says, goes. If he says you’re free to go, then you’re free to go. But if says guilty then you’re condemned. That’s the way I picture the receiving according to how we believe. And in that receiving we’re either going to receive eternal life or eternal damnation. We’ll either receive heaven or we’ll receive hell. There are no other choices.
John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.”
You say this has been a short message. Yes but it’s the truth of the gospel. A lot of people think just getting up in church and doing something for someone it makes them God’s gift to Christians. It isn’t just doing something once on the outside., It’s living Christ on the inside everyday. Paul believed in the resurrection. Paul knew he had a reservation. Paul knew there would come a revealing and he knew there would come a receiving. I wonder are you ready this morning for the truth of the gospel. Do you know whether or not you’re really saved by the grace of God? If you don’t I beg of you to come and kneel down and accept Christ into your heart if he’s knocking on your hearrts door right now.
LET US PRAY; Father, I thank you for revealing yourself to me today through this message. I do believe that you sent your son Jesus to this earth to die on the cross at Calvary. I believe he did this to pay for my sins. I repent of those sins and ask that Jesus come into my heart right now. I believe after Jesus died that he arose on the third day and because of this resurrection I too can have eternal life. From this day forward may my life be a light to those that are non believers and may I always serve you in love. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
