The Gospel That Never Fails Series

## **Introduction – A Message That Endures**

Video Ill.: Sermon Bumper 3

In our families, we all have things that we would consider timeless treasures.

Some of these may hold great monetary worth, while others are valuable for a much deeper reason — the memories attached to them.

For instance, I have an old clock radio that belonged to my great aunt. Monetarily, it is probably not worth much at all — especially after I dropped it the day she gave it to me. The case is cracked, the corner is missing, and I had to glue parts of it back together. It still works, though. Despite its flaws, that old clock radio sits in a place of honor on my desk. It is a timeless treasure because of the memories and meaning it carries.

If you look around your own home, you probably have timeless treasures, too — maybe not an old beat up radio, but maybe an old photograph, a set of books, a trinket from your grandparents, or a worn family Bible filled with notes and names written in the margins.

Their value is not measured in dollars and cents. They are treasures because their worth increases as they are passed down — generation to generation — each one attaching new memories, new meaning, and new gratitude. Their value is not constrained by the ebb and flow of opinions, ideas, and ever fluctuations in the stock market. They are valuable because they are constant and never changing. Their meaning grows as time passes.

The Bible Treasure

By Robert Leroe

(Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith)

Copied from Sermon Central

Kathleen Norris tells the story of a South Dakota rancher and his bride who received a leather-bound Bible as a wedding gift from the groom's grandfather. They wrote a thank-you note and stowed the Bible away on a closet shelf, out of the way.

As time passed, the grandfather repeatedly asked the couple how they liked the Bible. The rancher was confused as to how to respond. Hadn't they already expressed their appreciation? But the grandfather persisted. Eventually the young man dug out the gift; as he leafed through it, $20 bills fluttered out, 66 in all — one at the beginning of Genesis and in each succeeding book.

The Bible certainly became a treasure because of the money that was found within. But the Scriptures, the truth, contained in that Bible are the real treasure.

Billy Graham, "truth Is Timeless. Truth Does Not ...

By Sermon Central

Copied from Sermon Central

Billy Graham once said, “Truth is timeless. Truth does not change from one age to another, from one people to another, from one geographical location to another. Men’s ideas may differ, men’s custom’s may change, men’s moral codes may vary, but the great all prevailing truth stands for time and eternity.”

And, that is the heart of our study today: The truth of the gospel is timeless, in spite of how much and how fast the world changes.

You can almost measure time by how fast the world changes.

The way we communicate, the way we travel, the way we shop — it all looks completely different than it did just a few weeks, a few months, a few years ago.

Trends fade. Technology advances. What was “cutting edge” yesterday is “outdated” tomorrow.

But in a world where everything changes so quickly, there is one message that has not lost its power, its purpose, or its truth — the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In this season of fall, we are reminded that everything changes. And while everything else fades, God and His truth remain constant.

Two weeks ago, we began our study, “Unchanging”, learning that the Word of God endures forever. God’s Word stands unshaken — it is living, active and eternal.

Last week, we saw the God who never changes. We saw that God’s character, His goodness, and His Son remain the same yesterday, today, and forever.

This morning, we turn to the unchanging message the flows from both: the gospel never fails.

If God’s Word endures and His nature never changes, then the message of salvation through His Son must also remain true, powerful, and relevant — no matter the age, culture, or trend.

The good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ still saves, still transforms, and still stands as the power of God in every generation!

## **1. The Gospel Is Still the Power of God**

Paul wrote in Romans 1:?

16 … 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. (Romans 1, NKJV)

Notice here that Paul does not say that the gospel was the power of God. Paul choose to say that the gospel IS the power of God.