The One and Only Gospel

It's great to see you here, Tom. Thank you. Oh, okay. Hey. See you in a little bit. This is great, Tom, isn't it? Good to see you. Thanks, Tom. You be safe. Thanks. Bye-bye. Bye, bye, Tom. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye. Have a good one. Bye. Bye. Okay, bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. TRT. Bye. Here we go. Sing that with us this morning. We worship the God who was. We worship the God who is.

We worship the God who is. We worship the God who is. We worship the God who is. We worship the God who is. We worship the God who evermore will be. He opened the prison doors. He parted the raging sea. My God, He holds the victory. There's joy in the house of the Lord. There's joy in the house of the Lord today. And we won't be quiet. We shout out your praise. There's joy in the house of the Lord. And my God is sure to hear this praise. And we won't be quiet. So we shout out your praise. Oh, oh, oh. We shout out your praise. Oh, oh, oh. We sing to the God who heals. We sing to the God who saves. We sing to the God who always makes a way. Because He hung upon that cross. And He rose up from that grave. My God still holds the way. There's joy in the house of the Lord. There's joy in the house of the Lord today. And we won't be quiet. We shout out your praise. There's joy in the house of the Lord.

And my God is sure to hear this praise. And we won't be quiet. So we shout out your praise. Oh, oh, oh. Now we were the beggars. But now we're royalty. We were the prisoners. And now we're running free. We are forgiven, accepted, redeemed by His grace. Let the house of the Lord sing praise. Because we were the beggars. But now we're royalty. We were the prisoners. And now we're running free. We are forgiven, accepted, redeemed by His grace. Let the house of the Lord sing praise. There's joy in the house of the Lord. There's joy in the house of the Lord today. And we won't be quiet. So we shout out your praise. There's joy in the house of the Lord. And my God is sure to hear this praise. And we won't be quiet. So we shout out your praise. There's joy in the house of the Lord. There's joy in the house of the Lord today. And we won't be quiet. So we shout out your praise. There's joy in the house of the Lord. And my God is sure to hear this praise.

And we won't be quiet. So we shout out your praise. Oh, oh, oh. We shout out your praise. Oh, oh, oh. Oh, oh, oh. Oh, oh, oh. Oh, oh, oh. Oh, oh, oh. We shout our praise for the Lord this morning. Give Him praise. ♪♪♪ ♪ Restore in me the joy of my salvation. ♪♪ ♪ Take me back. ♪♪ ♪ Back to where it all began ♪ ♪ For all I ever wanted was your presence ♪ ♪ How I long to be there once again ♪ ♪ Light a fire that the world can't burn out in the flame ♪ ♪ Till nothing between us remains, my life is an altar to you ♪ ♪ Breathe again on the embers that burn in my heart ♪ ♪ A love taken back to the start, my life is an altar to you ♪ ♪ Renew in me a pure and living spirit ♪ ♪ Take me back to where it all began ♪ ♪ Before it all became so complicated ♪ ♪ How I long to be there once again ♪ ♪ Light a fire that the world can't burn out in the flame ♪ ♪ Till nothing between us remains, my life is an altar to you ♪ ♪ Breathe again on the embers that burn in my heart ♪ ♪ A love taken back to the start, my life is an altar to you ♪ ♪ God, I'm sorry, please forgive me for when I've gone cold ♪

♪ God, I need you, how I need you to awake my soul ♪ ♪ Light a fire that the world can't burn out in the flame ♪ ♪ Till nothing between us remains, my life is an altar to you ♪ ♪ Breathe again on the embers that burn in my heart ♪ ♪ A love taken back to the start, my life is an altar to you ♪ ♪ God, I'm sorry, please forgive me for when I've gone cold ♪ ♪ A love taken back to the start, my life is an altar to you ♪ You know this song well, church. We won't let the rocks cry out in our place, but we declare the Lord's praises together. Sing this out, give Him praise together in this place today. Sing it out. ♪ All the earth will shout your praise ♪ ♪ Our hearts will cry, these bones will say ♪ ♪ Great are you, Lord ♪ ♪ All the earth will shout your praise ♪ ♪ Our hearts will cry, these bones will say ♪ ♪ Great are you, Lord ♪ ♪ All the earth will shout your praise ♪ ♪ Our hearts will cry, these bones will say ♪ ♪ Great are you, Lord ♪ ♪ It's your breath in our lungs, it's your breath in our lungs ♪ So we pour out our praise, Pour out our praise. It's Your breath in our lungs. So we pour out our praise, We all need Your breath in our lungs. So we pour out our praise, Pour out our praise. It's Your breath in our lungs. So we pour out our praise, You know we need You. Great are You, Lord. Sing that again, great.

Great are You, Lord. It's Your breath. It's Your breath in our lungs. So we pour out our praise, Pour out our praise. It's Your breath in our lungs. So we pour out our praise, You know we need You. I did a little research this week, 2025 George Barna study, 2,000 people surveyed. Among self-identified Christians, 41% agree, quote, there are many paths to eternal salvation. You can choose whichever one you prefer. 41% of self-identified Christians. Lifeway and Ligonier did a survey, 3,000 plus adults in the United States surveyed, said that 49% of them agree that, quote, Jesus was a great teacher, but He was not God. And then this survey asked this question, a person who is generally good or does enough good things for others will earn a place in heaven, and 53% of self-identified Christians said yes, I agree with that statement. Well, what does the Bible say? We want to, in this series, we want to shine the light of God's Word upon these statements and these beliefs that people have and say, is this true? Jesus prayed in His great high priestly prayer, John 17, verse 17, He said, Father, sanctify them in the truth, set them apart in the truth, Your Word is truth. And so everything that we hear, we have to bring it back to the Word of God, is this true? You've heard me say many times, when I preach, you need to listen eagerly like they did in the Berean Christians, but these men were no more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for when Paul preached, they received the Word with great eagerness, and then they examined the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. And so, if we're going to be a Berean, it doesn't mean you have your defenses up, I'm not believing any of this stuff, it means you receive the Word with great eagerness, and then you go back and you say, OK, I'm going to double-check Pastor Jeff to make sure this is so.

And when you do, you'll find out Pastor Jeff was right. And because I'm telling you what the Word of God says. So, we want to talk today about the one and only Gospel. It's the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ that makes the difference between heaven and hell. It is so critical, it is so important, and the devil does all that he can to keep people from understanding the truth, from seeing the truth, from believing the truth. Now the Apostle Paul, he went on his first missionary journey in about 47 AD. And he went with Barnabas. Barnabas, whose real name was Joseph, but they called him Barnabas, that was his nickname because he was the son of encouragement. Barnabas and Saul, Acts chapter 13, go on their first missionary journey. And when they go on this first missionary journey, they travel to the regions and cities in Galatia. I have a map that shows you where they went. They left from Antioch, they went to Cyprus, and you can read about that, Acts 13 and 14. And then they go into Galatia. And when he's writing this letter. to the Galatians, he's talking to the churches that he planted in Pisidian Antioch, in Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe, all those up at the top of that map. Well, what happened was he goes, and he has a great ministry, and people come to Christ, and he founds churches there in those cities, and then he leaves. And soon after he leaves, the devil sends in his emissaries. Theologians call them the Judaizers.

And they were Jews who said, oh, yes, well, you need to know about Jesus, but let me tell you something, you Galatians, you can't become a Christian unless you first go through the way of Judaism, and you have to be circumcised, and you have to follow the law of Moses, and it's Jesus plus other things that secure your salvation. Well, Paul heard about it, and within a few months after these things took place, he wrote to the Galatian Christians. This is what he said, Galatians chapter one, verse one. Paul, an apostle, not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ, and God the Father who raised him from the dead, and all the brethren who are with me to the churches of Galatia, Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe, those four churches in Southern Galatia. He says, grace to you, and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins so that he might rescue us from the present evil age according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forevermore, amen. Now, he jumps right in. Here's what I wanna talk to you about. I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting him

who called you by the grace of Christ for a different gospel, which is really not another, only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed. He is to be anathema. He is to be eternally condemned. As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed. Wanna talk to you today about the difference between the true gospel and the false gospel. There is one true gospel. There are many false gospels. Just like on a compass, when we talk about direction, there is one true north and everything else. There's one true gospel and the devil's plethora of false gospels. Do you know the difference? And more personally, do you have the real McCoy? Three certainties for this morning. Certainty number one, God's true gospel is rooted in the grace of Christ. His true gospel is rooted in the grace of Christ. He talks about that. I am amazed, verse six, that you are so quickly deserting him who called you by the grace of Christ

for a different gospel. He says, well, it's a different gospel. It's really not another, because there is only one gospel, but there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. The gospel of Christ is the grace of Christ. And the good news, gospel just means good news. God's true gospel is rooted in the grace of Christ. So you ask yourself, well, what did Paul preach to those churches in Galatia? Well, several things that I want to mention. Number one, that salvation is found in Jesus Christ alone. That's what he preached to them. It's Christ alone. It's the grace of Christ. What is grace? Grace is charis in the Greek. It means the unmerited favor of God. Hey, you didn't earn it and you don't deserve it, but God gives it to you anyway. That is grace, the grace of Christ. And the gospel is rooted in Jesus Christ. When Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit in Mary's womb, remember Joseph wanted to divorce her because he thought she had been unfaithful. And the angel came to Joseph and said to Joseph, don't divorce her because that which is in her, that's which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And you shall call his name Jesus, for it is he who will save his people from their sin.

It is he and only he who will save his people from their sins call him Jesus the name Jesus means Yahweh saves and Jesus Christ born of a virgin is God in the flesh who came to seek and to save that which was lost and only he can do that Salvation is found in Christ Alone as they preached in Acts chapter 4 verse 12 Peter to the Sanhedrin He said and there is salvation in no one else for there is no other name There is no name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved except the name of Jesus no other name except Jesus and It's Jesus alone who saves it's not Jesus plus something else It's Jesus only and Paul preached that message Salvation is found in Christ alone. Secondly salvation is experienced by grace through faith It's by grace through faith Brian when he was baptizing mentioned Ephesians 2 8 and 9 baptizing Drex and How that scripture verse in Ephesians chapter 2 spoke to Drex's heart Drex grew up Catholic. I grew up Catholic I know exactly what that's like and In Catholicism, I was taught about good works. Well, the Bible is very very clear 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 now you think about what the Surveys showed these recent surveys a Person who is generally good or does good enough good things for others will earn a place in heaven Self-identified Christians 53% said yes, I agree to that Well, that's exactly the opposite of what Ephesians chapter 2 Verses 8 and 9 say it's not as a result of works lest any man should boast Titus chapter 3 verse 5 Not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy. He saved us Works have nothing to do with salvation

It is by grace through faith now faith in the Bible also has connected to it repentance Because the Apostle Paul said that he was solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of two things repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ Peter says in 2nd Peter chapter 3 verse 9 The Lord is not so slow about his promises as some men count slowness but is patient toward you not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance and when he says in 2nd Peter 3 9 repentance He's talking about turning from sin and turning to the Savior repentance and faith are used interchangeably You cannot get saved without repentance and true repentance is always going to be repentance with faith Jesus said in Luke 13 verses 3 and 5 unless you repent you will all likewise perish There is no salvation apart from repentance and there is no genuine repentance apart from faith And so grace through faith, that's how you come to know Christ by grace By grace, that's the unmerited favor of God think of grace. I've told you before think of grace alike Grace is like electricity that comes to your house faith Repentance and faith that's like plugging into the electricity Think of your life like a toaster. You're a toaster if you don't have Electricity coming into your house There's nothing you can do your your ripped potato chip I mean, it's like you're not making toast right because there's no electricity powers out But when the power's on and you're the toaster in the drawer Still not making toast You have to pull the toaster out you have to plug the toaster in when you plug the toaster in and the Electricity is flowing. Guess what that thing works Grace is electricity Faith is plugging in to God's grace for by grace You've been saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God You didn't do anything for it not as a result of works lest anyone should boast

That's what Paul was preaching to those people in Galatia and Salvation is expressed. It's found in Christ. It's experienced by grace through faith faith and it's expressed in good works This is where people get so fouled up with good works Works are not the root of salvation works are the fruit fruit of salvation. How do you know that you've truly been saved? Well, your life begins to change. That's how you know. There are good works associated with the Lord coming into your life. So Ephesians 2 verse 10 says, For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. So we're not saved by good works. We're saved for good works. James in James chapter 2. He said faith without works is dead being by itself. You show me your faith without the works and I'll show you my faith by my works. I had a professor in college as I took a New Testament class and he said this he said it's faith alone that saves but faith alone is never alone. Because faith true biblical faith will produce works and that's what James is saying. He's not saying you're saved by works. He's saying if you have genuine faith, guess what? I'll be able to see it. I was talking to somebody the other day and I was saying that I was praying for them that they would sell out to Jesus and

this person got offended by me. How do you know I'm not sold out to Jesus? I said, well, because if you were sold out to Jesus, I wouldn't have to wonder. It would be evident that you're you know, when when you're in love with the Lord people know that you can't help but but share that because Jesus is just on your mind all the time. And so when we really love him people know it because it is evident to them. There will be good works. So that was the gospel that Paul had preached. God's true gospel is rooted in the grace of Christ. Second certainty, Satan's false gospel works to distort the grace of Christ. Look what he says. So verse 6, I'm amazed he was blown away. I can't believe this you guys just got saved and just months ago and now you're so quickly deserting him who called you by the grace of Christ for a different gospel, which is really not another only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. That word distort means to pervert. It means to reverse, to change to its very opposite. And how does the devil work? He works to distort. He works to pervert. He works to and he's very subtle. Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field, which the Lord God had made. Genesis chapter 3 verse 1 and the devil is a master liar.

And his lies sound so much like the truth. They will get you off course big time, but they sound very plausible. So he says to Eve, indeed has God said you shall not eat from any tree of the garden and she said from any tree of the garden we may freely eat but from the tree that is in the middle of the garden the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. We shall not eat from it or touch it lest we die. He said you surely shall not die for God knows in the day you eat of it, check it out, you will be like God knowing good and evil. Oh man, Eve, you don't have to worry about dying. You're not going to die. Here's the reason God doesn't want you to eat of that tree because if you eat of that tree, you'll be like him and he doesn't want that. He says that's just all for him. He doesn't want you to get in on the good stuff. It's the same thing that he fell for when he sinned against God. He wanted to be like God. He wanted to be independent from God. Now here is the subtlety. Does God not want us to be like him? Yes, he wants us to be like him. But God does not want us to be independent from him. He wants us to be surrendered to him, depending on him and he makes us like him. First John chapter 3, See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called children of God and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us because it did not know him. Now we are children of God and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that when he appears we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is. We are going to be like him but like him in a surrendered way, not like him in an independent way. So that's how.

the devil works. And so when it comes to distorting and perverting the gospel, the devil is going to come at you and it's going to sound right. We have that phrase, there's no free lunch, and we use that and we believe that, and hey, no free lunch. And so you bring that into the realm of Christianity. Well, I mean to think that it's all of grace, so that's just crazy. No, you have to work for it, pal. This stuff isn't free. And so the devil is going to attack in his false gospel. He's going to attack, he's going to distort, he's going to pervert. Number one, the person of Christ. Who is he? The person of Christ. There will be an attack. Did you know in 2 Corinthians chapter 11 and verse 4, Paul got onto the Corinthians. Why? Because they were listening to false teachers come in and preach another Jesus whom we have not preached. Another Jesus. The devil has another Jesus out there. He goes by the same name, but it's not the real Jesus. Jesus said in John chapter 8 verses 23 through 25, he was saying to them, you are from below. I am from above. You are of this world. I am not of this world. Therefore, I said to you that you will die in your sins for unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins. So they were saying to him, who are you? Now, unless you believe I am he, that's how it's written in the New American Standard, but he is in italics. So he didn't really say that. They just added that for readability. This is what he said. Unless you believe I am, you will die in your sins. Well, they knew what I am meant. Remember, they're going to go on to pick up stones to stone him. He said, why are you going to stone me? For a good work we stone you not, but for blasphemy, because you being a man, make yourself out to be God. He said, before Abraham was born, I am. He said, I and the father are one. And they said, you are blaspheming. And when he said before Abraham was born, I am. You can't say that. That's the name of God. Yeah. Unless you believe I am, you will die in your sins. There's an attack on the person of Christ. What did the study show? It says that 49% agree that Jesus was a great teacher, but he was not God. Jesus is God. And so there's an attack on the person of Christ. And if you believe that Jesus is something else, guess what? You've believed in another Jesus whom we have not preached. So the Jesus of the Bible is the great I am. The Jesus of the Bible is the God who spoke the worlds into existence. And if you put your faith and trust in any other Jesus, guess what? That Jesus isn't real. You just made him up. The Jesus of the Bible is God. People love the sweet little Jesus boy that

they made to be born in a manger. Well, that sweet little Jesus boy grew up. He's king of kings and Lord of lords. He's the lion of the tribe of Judah. He's coming again in power and great glory. The false gospel always distorts the person of Christ. Now, Jesus is the God man. He is not 50% God and 50% man. He's 100% man and 100% God. Our minds can't comprehend, our minds can't fathom how that is, but that is the case. He's as much man as though he were not God at all. Yet he's as much God as though he were not man at all. And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory. Glory as of the only begotten of the father, full of grace and truth. Now, people in the late first century, early second century, you had Gnostic heresy. Gnostic is from the Greek word to know. Gnosis means to know. And they said, oh, we're in the know. Let me tell you about Jesus. He wasn't really a man. He just masqueraded as a man. He just pretended to be a man, but he was really just deity. He wasn't humanity. And they denied his humanity. People in today's world, cults in today's world, what do they deny? They don't deny his humanity. They deny his full deity. So Jehovah's false witnesses, the Mormons, they deny Jesus' full deity. his divinity. And they said, well, you know, he's not God. I mean, he's Lord, he's Savior, but he's not God. He's not co-equal, co-eternal with God the Father. They reject the Trinity, they reject the deity of Christ. The false gospel will always pervert and distort the person of Christ. And then it will pervert and distort the gospel of grace. It will add works to grace. Why is that the case? Why does the false gospel add works to grace? Because of Romans 11 verse 6. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works. Otherwise, grace is no longer grace. The Judaizers came in and said, oh, we're not saying that Jesus isn't important to those churches in Galatia. Yeah, Jesus is important, but here's the thing, it's Jesus plus your circumcision. It's Jesus plus you doing the law of Moses. Don't get the idea that you can just have Jesus. No, you got to add in your good works because there is no free lunch. And that seems to appeal to people. Well, that makes sense. I'm going to have to work. And so it's Jesus plus your good works, which equals salvation. Here's the problem with that. Grace is the unmerited favor of God. It can't be a formula where Jesus and his grace plus your good works equals salvation. Because the moment that you add works to grace, you destroy grace. If it is by grace, then it's no longer on the basis of works. Otherwise, grace is no longer grace. And in the King

James it goes on to say, and if it is by works, it is no longer on the basis of grace. Otherwise, works is no longer works. There are two separate things. You either get to heaven by your good works or you get to heaven by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. But you can't mix those together to be part of the root of salvation. As I said, salvation is by grace through faith. And then when Jesus comes into your life, he saves you for good works. Not by good works, for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. The false gospel always adds grace, always adds works to grace. You know, there are really only two religions, if we use that term, two religions in the world. One is spelled, do, what must I do? Islam's all about works. Catholicism is really rooted in works. It's you got to do all this stuff. All the cults, you got to do these things. You got to, you know, perform here, perform here, perform here. And those groups, they don't have any assurance of salvation. Why? Well, how would you possibly know if you've done enough? Because they're not saying you don't need Jesus. They're just saying it's not, Jesus by himself is not enough. You need Jesus plus your good works. And so good works is, I don't know if I've done enough good works. And so how do you know when you die, if you're going to go to heaven or not? Well, I hope I've been good enough. That's how people die. That's, I remember talking to my friend Bart at the laundromat, and I asked him the question, Bart, if you were to die, he's a Catholic guy. Bart, if you were to die today, do you know you would go to heaven? He goes, no, I don't. And you don't either. Nobody knows that. You can't know that. It's impossible to know that. You only find out after you die. And that's the way so many people think. Well, I hope so. Maybe so. Guess so. It depends on how good I was. It doesn't depend anything on how good you were. What it depends on is, did you put your faith and trust in Jesus and Jesus alone for your salvation? 1 John chapter 5 verse 12. John says, he who has the Son has the life. He who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I've written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God in order that you may know that you have eternal life. Do you have the Son? If you have the Son, you have the life. You say, how do I know if I have the Son? Because there'll be good works in your life. He produces that in you. That's how you know. He changes you from the inside out. That's how you know. And if you have the Son, you have the life and you can know that you are His. So we have the religion of dew. And then we have Christianity.

The true gospel, it's the religion of Dunn. Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe, sin had left a crimson stain, he washed it white as snow. When the Philippian jailer in Acts chapter 16, when there was that great earthquake and he thought all the prisoners had escaped, he pulls out his sword to kill himself and Paul and Silas say to him, hey, do yourself no harm, we are all still here. And he turned on the lights and he rushed before them and he fell down and he says, sirs, what must I do to be saved? What must I do? I don't know what was going through his head. Maybe he was thinking, what do I have to do, do I have to get circumcised? I'm willing to do it, don't want to, but I'm willing to do it. Do I have to get baptized? Okay, I'm willing to do it. Do I have to go to catechism class for six weeks? I'm willing to do that. You don't have to be circumcised, you don't have to be baptized, you don't have to be catechized. I think that's a word. You don't have to do any of that. He says, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you'll be saved. And your household too, if they believe. And he took them and he washed their wounds and he believed along with his household and they were baptized, not in order to be saved, but because they had put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Remember, baptism is the wedding ring of the Christian life. And when I do a wedding ceremony, what do I do? We do the vows and then right after the vows, right after they say I do, then we do the ring vows because it seals, you seal it with a ring, let everybody know. Now couples that don't wear a wedding ring doesn't mean they're not saved, just means

you're not showing everybody you're saved. And we want to show to the world that we belong to Jesus. The false gospel will always add works to grace. And then certainty number three, God wants us to boldly and clearly declare the truth. Boldly and clearly declare the truth. Paul says in one of the sternest passages in all of the New Testament, but even if we, verse eight, or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be anathema. He is to be accursed. He is to be eternally condemned. He is to be devoted to God for destruction. That's what that word means. And in case they didn't get it the first time, he says it again. As we have said before, I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed. He is to be anathema. We boldly proclaim the truth. Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy chapter 1 and verse 14, Timothy, guard through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us the treasure which has been entrusted to you. Timothy had a treasure entrusted to him. What was that treasure? The gospel. Every Christian has a treasure entrusted to them, the gospel. When you come to know Jesus Christ, then we're to go and tell. And what do we tell people? We tell them of Jesus who is mighty to save. We tell them about the gospel of grace that has nothing to do with works in the root of it. It has to do with works in the fruit of it. We tell them about Jesus.

We guard what has been entrusted. And the devil will come to try and distort the message, to try and pollute the message and pervert the message. We guard against that because the truth is what sets a person free. And if you're loosey-goosey with the truth, you're not guarding what has been entrusted to you. You're not seeing how important this is. The gospel of Jesus Christ is complete in him. It doesn't need you to add to it. It doesn't need you to take away from it. It is unchangeable and we guard it as is and we share it with other people. We share it from the gutter most to the uttermost, everybody in between. We share it in this community and beyond through radio and television and online. We tell people about the gospel. Now God wants us to boldly and clearly declare the truth. Do not cave to the pressure to be inclusive. There is tremendous pressure to be inclusive at your place of business, at school, in the community. We want to, we want people to like us. So how do you get people to like you? By being really narrow and real. rigid on salvation or being loosey-goosey? Well, you're loosey-goosey. You go the way of Joel Osteen. It's just, oh, yes, it's whatever you want, you know? It's good enough. Do you remember? I played this clip not too long ago when Joel Osteen was asked about Mitt Romney. Mitt Romney was running for president in 2012.

He's a Mormon. What do Mormons believe about the person of Christ? Jesus Christ is not co-equal and co-eternal with God the Father. He's the spirit brother of Lucifer. That's what Mormon theology says. Well, that's a far cry from the biblical theology. They have like Jesus from Miller, tastes great, less filling. He doesn't save. He's not real. He doesn't exist. You've made him up, and he's a false Jesus. He's another Jesus whom we have not preached. So they asked Joel Osteen, well, what about Mitt Romney and his Mormonism? He said, and I quote, because I looked this up, when I hear Mitt Romney says he's a believer, that he believes that Jesus is the son of God, that he's Christ raised from the dead, that he's his savior, that's good enough for me. I see him as being a believer in Christ, just like me. I realize Mormonism is different from Christianity, but that's enough for me. Well, that's not enough for the apostle Paul. Paul said, hey, people that are preaching that kind of different gospel, they should go to hell. He says it twice, and he says in verse 10, for am I now seeking the favor of men or of God,

or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ. You know what the Judaizers said about Paul? They came in behind him, and they said to those churches, listen, this Paul, he's not one of the 12. He wasn't with Jesus. He's a Johnny-come-lately apostle, and he just wants you to like him. So what is he doing? He's taking all the requirements from the Old Testament law, he's taking those out of the way so it'll be easy. Because how many of you guys want to be circumcised in order to be a Christian? And they said, well, none. And they said, see, he just wants to make it easy. He's a man pleaser. And Paul said, oh, I'm a man pleaser? He said, you preach a gospel contrary to the one which I preach. Even if we are an angel from heaven, preach a different gospel. Let that person be anathema. Let that person be eternally condemned. He says, there, you think I'm a man pleaser? Would a man pleaser say that? Do you think any of these guys that are just loosey-goosey, would they say that? Of course not, they're not gonna say that. Because that's hard and that's rigid and that's narrow.

And we don't like things narrow, but narrow is the way that leads to life. Jesus said, I am the way and the truth and the life. Nobody comes to the Father but through me. Narrow. Jesus is not a way to heaven. He's not a good way to heaven. He's not the best way to heaven. He's the only way to heaven. And Jesus is God in the flesh. And he shed his blood on the cross and he rose again from the dead. And there's nothing that you have to do other than receive him in order to be saved. There are no good works you have to do. There's no amount of penance you have to do. You don't have to beat yourself with a whip to show God how sincere you are. You just have to receive him. But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believed in his name. Do not cave to the pressure to be inclusive so people will like you. I had a guy tell me one time, he actually told me this. He said, Jeff, you know, if you weren't so hardline, if you were more like Joel Osteen, I think you would do better. I said, well, I'm not in this for a popularity contest. I'm living my life to please one person

and that's the Lord Jesus. I wanna hear him say, well done, my good and faithful servant. Listen, if you're not guarding what the Holy Spirit has entrusted us with the gospel of grace, if you're not guarding that and you get loosey-goosey with that because you want the praise of men, guess what you will not get? You will never hear the Lord say to you, well done, my good and faithful servant, because you weren't faithful with the treasure you've been entrusted with. We stand up and we speak up for the truth. We speak the truth in love to a lost and dying world and we trust God with the results. That is critical. So don't cave under the pressure. Secondly, understand the non-negotiables of the gospel. By grace alone, through faith alone. in Christ alone, that is the gospel. First Corinthians chapter 15, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried, that he's raised on the third day according to the scriptures, and that you come to know him by grace through faith. Repentance and faith brings you into a relationship with Jesus Christ. Those are non-negotiables, the person and the work of Christ.

Now, there are lots of things that are negotiable in the Christian life, lots of things that good and godly people can disagree on and still be brothers. For instance, you can disagree on eschatology. People say, well, you know, I don't believe, Jeff, like you do about when the rapture is coming and the tribulation period and all that stuff. I don't believe it like that. Okay, well, good and godly people can disagree about eschatology, about end times. Good and godly people can disagree about the sign gifts, speaking in tongues and miracles and things like that. Are those still around for today? Good and godly people can disagree on that. We can disagree on the sovereignty of God versus the free will of man. There are some that say, well, man has no free will, and we know that God is sovereign, God is in control, but how does man's free will fit into that? We can disagree on that, the subject of Calvinism, we can disagree on that, but when it comes to the gospel, the saving gospel of Jesus Christ, we cannot disagree and be brothers because there is true north and there's everything else. There is the truth of the gospel and there is the devil's lies, and the devil's lies are numerous. Anything to keep you from the truth. And then lastly, recognize what is at stake.

What is at stake? Why is this so important? It's so important because eternity is at stake, that's why. Jesus said, as he finished up his sermon on the mount, he had talked about enter by the narrow gate for the gate is wide and way is broad that leads to destruction. And many of those who travel that way, the gate is narrow, the way is narrow that leads to life and few there be that find it. And then he says this, not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my father who is in heaven, and what is the will of his father in heaven that we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. He said, many will say to me on that day, judgment day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name perform many miracles and in your name cast out demons? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness. Not that I knew you and I forgot you, I never knew you. And he says at the judgment, there will be many like that. Now you think about it, the many he's talking about are church people, they're religious people. Because the guys that hang out at the nightclubs and the strip joints and things like that, well, they're not, they couldn't say, well, Lord, Lord,

you remember when I preached in your name? And God said, no, I don't remember you doing that. Well, you remember when I cast out demons? Ah, no, I don't remember that. Remember when I performed all those miracles? No, because you never did any of that. They're not gonna say that to the Lord. It's the religious crowd, that's the Judas Iscariots of the world. Judas did all those things. He will say, Lord, Lord, I taught Sunday school, I was a deacon, I preached in your name, I was a pastor and I performed these great works and I was there every time the doors were open and I did this and I did that and I did the other. And the Lord says, yeah, but you never came to me by grace through faith, you never repented of your sin and trusted in me. And now I have to tell you, depart from me, you who practice lawlessness. I never knew you. You know why the gospel is so offensive to people, the true gospel is so offensive? Because it challenges us in the area of pride. You are a helpless, hopeless sinner on the highway to hell. That's who you are, that's who I am, that's who all of us are. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and the wages of sin is death. And we don't like that.

How dare you call me a sinner? And it challenges our sensibilities. What does the gospel say? The gospel said that God sent his son and what did his son do? He died on the cross for your sins. And the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 1, to the Jews, that's the stumbling block. You're saying that our Messiah, the one that's supposed to rule and reign, the one that is mighty, he's sinning. suffers and he dies on the cross. We don't like that. To the Greeks, to the Gentiles, it's foolishness. Your Savior died on a cross. Your Savior is weak. Your Savior suffers. Who wants a Savior like that? We want a Savior that's strong. We want a Savior that conquers. And so the gospel, it's an affront to people's pride. It's an affront to people's sensibilities as Oprah Winfrey said one time when the message was given to her. There's only one way to salvation. She said no way is that true. That can't be true. There are many ways to heaven because so many people don't come through the way of Jesus and these people over here are sincere. Yeah, they're sincerely wrong and they're going to hell because

there is only one way to peace and that's through the power of the cross. We proclaim Jesus Christ the King of kings and Lord of lords God in the flesh who died on the cross and rose again from the dead. You will never get to heaven apart from a personal relationship with him and you have to bow your life and bow your knee and say Jesus son of David have mercy on me. Forgive me of all my sins. I turn from my sin and I turn to you and if you do that he will save you and save you forever. The difference between the truth and the false it's the difference between what is the real McCoy and what is not listen, if you don't have the confidence and the assurance that you belong to Jesus the real Jesus the only Jesus the one who died on the cross and rose again from the dead the one who is mighty to say today is the day for you to make a decision and to surrender your heart and life to him and to believe the truth. Jesus said you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free lies. Don't free anybody. It's the truth that makes free. Now we come to the most important question of all have you turned from sin and selfishness and given your heart and life to Jesus listen, if not today is the day for you just pray this simple prayer from your heart or Jesus. I need you. I know that I'm a sinner and I can't save myself, but I believe Jesus that you are God in the flesh.

I believe you died on the cross for my sins and rose again from the dead and right now I ask you to forgive me and save me come into my life change me make me the person you want me to be I surrender my life to you and I promise to follow you all the days. I have left now if you pray that kind of prayer and mean it the Lord will come in and your life will never be the same. Listen, I would love to hear from you. So please contact me and share with me what's going on so we can pray for you. And if you are ever in the Texarkana area, we would love for you to visit us live and in person at FBC Texarkana. Listen, you really are important to God and you're important to us and we're here for you.