heard through the word of God." The title of this message is, Good News to Deliver. In Romans chapter 10, verses 1 to 4, we have the fact that the gospel is faith-based. It's not works-based. In verses 5 to 11, we have the reality that it's very accessible. You don't have to go on some kind of pilgrimage. You don't have to go hunting for it. been done, everything has been done for us, we just enter in by faith, it's on the lowest shelf, as it were. In 12-14, the universality of the Gospel message, that is, for everybody, is emphasized. And in 15-17, the obligation to share it. So there are four main points I want to make today from this passage. The first is this. The Gospel is a message. The Gospel is news, it is good news, that's basically what the word means, euangelion, the gospel, the evangel, good news. Here's verse 15 if you have the text in front of you, and how can they preach unless they are sent? As is written, how beautiful the feet of those who bring good news, the Lord who has Our message, good news message, preach. Verse 8, the word of faith we are proclaiming. The word of faith. Verse 18, their voice has gone out into all the earth. Their words to the ends of the world. The word gospel is found 96 times 96 times, it's information, it's news. This business of the feet of the runner might remind you of the story about the marathon. And at the Battle of Marathon, there was a runner who made his way to Athens to declare that the battle was won. And he ran some 26, 27 miles, it was short, there on the spot. And that is the legend or the story behind the idea of the marathon. The 26 whatever miles of running that people still do. Now that was a messenger. Somebody who's running with a message. Beautiful feat. Here it is. The good news. We won. We've beaten the Persians. You see what I mean? So that is where this comes from. And in those days you know that all the way, people had to run and come and tell you. And some of these people were runners, and that's what this has in mind. So, bringing information, Colossians 1.23, this is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven. Now, some say the words of the gospel are not enough, that you need more than that, that the church has to be proclaiming the gospel. Now certainly there are other things you can do, but if you get away from proclaiming the gospel, you have ceased to be a purveyor of the gospel. And that's what the church is meant to do. Okay, I went to the UCC website, and I was looking for something about preaching the gospel. Found nothing. Here's what I found. We labor ceaselessly to fight injustice. the hurt, the afflicted. Nothing about the gospel. Nothing about the word that needs to be communicated, that needs to be believed, that needs to work in people and transform them. No, we have to be involved in things like this, refugee and migration ministries, public policy and advocacy in Washington, D.C., climate justice, economic non-judgmental sex education resources. That's what we need to be doing. Practical things. Forget the gospel. We don't need the gospel. We just need to be doing good things for other people, helping them through this life. That's the view of many, many churches. You know, we have to think about the power of words. You know, why is it that there's this cancel culture going on? Where YouTube and Google and other places give their opinions are canceling anybody that doesn't fit the orthodoxy of the day, of the leftist media, let's say. Why is that happening? Why so many? Because people know the power of words. The power of words. Think about Hitler and World War II and his mass rallies in Nuremberg and elsewhere. Think about the preaching of Martin Luther King and the great rallies and how those to help people through their problems. What do they use? Words. You see what I'm saying? Words have power. We've got to understand that. And we've got to see it. We've got to believe it. This is powerful stuff. The Word of God. The Gospel is neither a discussion nor debate. It is an announcement. It is an announcement. It's not about us. It's about Him. That's what we're here to do, is just say, here He is. What are you going to do with that? That's the announcement. Do you see the importance of true biblical gospel preaching? You want to get it right, because it's so important. Secondly, the Gospel is about Christ and His work. Just in this one epistle alone, Christ, or Jesus, is mentioned 76 times. Everything is about Him. The Gospel is the good news about Jesus, what He's done, and how that Verse 13, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Romans 10.4, Christ is the end of the law, so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes, that if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. This is the gospel. 1 Corinthians 15.1 Paul explains what he's been preaching. He says, I want to remind you of the gospel I preach to you. By this gospel you are saved, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures. That's the gospel. 2 Timothy 2.8, remember Jesus Christ raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel. He was presenting Christ. This is the thing that changes people, to hear about Jesus, to hear about what he's done, and for people to see that this is my hope is in this Jesus. This is the gospel. If you deny that Christ died as a substitute for sinners, you basically deny the gospel. Now, I got a email from Carl Kint, who used to be a pastor here. He's in Missouri now. He said that, a few months ago, I was invited by the UCC Church and Ministry Committee to read an ordination paper and participate in the discussion of it with the candidate for ordination. In the paper, he stated he did not believe the father sent his son to die for our sins, because that would be divine child abuse. This is common in liberal churches these days. He asked me how I would respond. I said, this is a rejection of all that the Old Testament presents as preparation for the work of Christ in the Old Testament. Sacrificial system, the Day of Atonement, Passover, Kinsmen Redeemer, etc. Two, it's a rejection of the Gospel of the New Testament. Christ died for our sins and rose again. That's the only message. It's also, thirdly, a rejection of Christ choosing to give himself as a ransom for sinners. By the way, the guy was ordained in the UCC church. That was no problem. Okay, well, you know, this is not that important. What about the resurrection? The resurrection is absolutely critical because it's saying that the punishment that he's absorbing on the cross is a payment accepted by God. And it gives us the hope of eternal life because we will be raised in the same way. Resurrection is not just the same body. Again, Carl Kinn sent this to the General Minister and President of the UCC, Dr. John Dorhauer. He wrote this to him. In the account we have been given about our Lord Jesus' resurrection, it is reported that he insisted that they touch his risen flesh, saying that a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as it is she that I have. It is reported he also told them to give him something to eat. And he ate it before then. Do you believe this report to be true? This is to the president of the UCC. Do you believe this to be true? Dr. Dorhauer's answer, September 20th, 2022. I have no interest in answering this question. And I am trying hard to imagine why It even matters. Answering would give the impression that my response does matter. What? You don't have a resurrection, you don't have Christianity. What about Easter? I mean, we got Christmas, we got the incarnation. Many of them deny that. Now we have the cross being denied. Now we have the resurrection being denied. It doesn't even matter. He says, oh, it doesn't matter. Well, we are told already that if you don't believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you cannot be saved. So this is the problem we have with people who deny this gospel. You have a powerless Christianity without the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It's like taking the battery out of your phone. I mean, or having it, you know, be totally discharged, or no gas for the car, or no electricity for all your appliances at home. You have the appliance, but it doesn't have any power. Reminds me of 2 Timothy 3, 5, having a form of godliness, but denying its power. And then he says, had nothing to do with that, people who do that. A church that doesn't preach the gospel is not a true church. Thirdly, the Gospel is about personal salvation from wrath. Verse 13, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. What does saved mean? Well, it's used 160 times in the Old Testament. It's 100 times in the New Testament. It has to do with personal salvation. That is, getting right with the Holy God, so that when you stand and face Him, You know that you are covered in the righteousness of Christ. You are saved. You are forgiven. There is no condemnation in chapter 10, verse 10, for it is with your heart that you believe and are justified. Justified is used 11 times. Epistle. Justified has to do with being right with God. You're in a situation where you're under condemnation. You've got charges against you. You're in a court of law. It's justified. To be justified is to be acquitted. To be declared not guilty. That is what the Gospel is all about. Righteousness is mentioned like 35 Righteousness. Romans 117. For in the gospel, a righteousness from God is revealed. Romans 116. I'm not ashamed of the gospel because it's the power of God, the salvation of everyone who believes. Salvation. Justification. Righteousness. Ephesians 113. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Your salvation. Your personal salvation. 2 Timothy 1.10. our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. So the gospel has to do with having light and immortality. Individual has to do with immortality for the individual, being right with God. There's a thing called the social gospel that has made its way into the church And the idea here is that you are to change society. It does not have to do with individual salvation. The function of the church is to do its best to transform the world through political action, social action, and so on. Walter Rauschenbusch was an American theologian, professor, and pastor in a Baptist church. He was also at the, the Theological Seminary in Rochester, Rashevich did not understand Jesus' death as an act of substitutionary atonement. Rather, he came to believe that Jesus died to substitute love for selfishness as the basis of human society. Rashevich taught that the Kingdom of God, quote, is not a matter of getting individuals to heaven, but of transforming the life on earth into the harmony of heaven. That's the gospel. That's what you're supposed to do. That's the thing we're supposed to be busy doing, as opposed to getting individuals to heaven. By the way, he was against individualism and for collectivism. He was against capitalism and for socialism. He was against nationalism, and for internationalism, no borders. This is the basic idea of the liberal church. This is what we do. And that's not the Gospel. The Gospel is about personal salvation. You know, you change the Gospel, and God is not very pleased with that. We see this because we look at Galatians, where Paul says, I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel, which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned. This is the Apostle Paul talking about perversions of the gospel. Now the Galatians had adopted a works-based gospel, and that was a perversion. And he says, let those who do that be condemned. Jesus warned at least five times that we have recorded sheep's clothing. Listen to this. We believe that this sacrifice washes away all the sins that a person has committed. What sacrifice? Who said this? Well, it was Patriarch Kyril the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, suggesting that Russian soldiers who die while fighting against Ukraine will be absolved of their sins. This is like the Islamic jihad idea. If I die in a jihad, I go right to heaven. How could this be? This is another gospel. This has just been spoken by this patriarch. This is craziness. Now let me just say that personal salvation changes society. When you get saved, when you become a different, you're actually filling the world by giving out the gospel with new people. You're changing the world one person at a time. And it's very easy to understand how it transforms people. I mean, you can see it in your own life. Those of you who were saved later in life, you can see the transformation very clearly. in your mind, but think about this. If you're justified, if you have peace with God, you walk around knowing that you're beloved by the God of the universe, that he cares for you, that you're adopted into his family, you're reconciled with him. We're not enemies anymore. You're forming, you're reconciled, that changes you. Sanctification, you begin to change in reference to ethics and the way you function in life. You start to submit to God-ordained authority. Sexual purity becomes your goal. Honesty, hard work. You are different in reference to other people's possessions. You love others for the first time. You see all others as image-bearers. Racism? No, can't be. Everybody's a human being. Sexism? No. Everybody is the same. Ageism? No. Everybody is a soul that will spend an eternity somewhere. You need, when you have this, it changes your relationship to people. You rejoice in the Lord. You find happiness in obeying God. You rejoice in Christ. You rejoice in what he's done for you, what he's doing for you. So this leads to you not being into drugs. It leads to letting go of all the other things that dull the mind so you can get through. doing all these things and all these bucket lists, it changes you in reference to everything in life. And you become a better person, a better citizen, a better father, a better mother, whatever. This is the power of the gospel to transform society. I just read a book this week about Billy Sunday, the evangelist. Billy Sunday was a great baseball player. He could run faster than anybody. He'd get on base and he'd almost around the bases. I mean, it's just incredible. Anyway, so he was playing for all these professional teams and everything, but then eventually he felt called to preach because he was so good at it. I mean, you know, he's naturally gifted. You know, he lived, you know, say 1890s on to like 1935, I think he died. But you know, he went all over the place preaching the gospel. And he was sort of like a Billy Graham, you know, same sort of thing, you know. And when he'd go into a town and he preached the gospel, things happened. you can see the difference in the society as a result of his preaching. People getting right with God. For instance, I just read this a little bit from this book. In Wilkes Bar, Pennsylvania, a store clerk who had stolen $5.35 10 years before returned the money to his astonished employer. By the way, that's about $180 in today's dollars, so it's not just five bucks. But the idea, people were doing this continually all over the place as a result. They felt guilty about what they'd done. They wanted restitution and so on. Saloon keepers in South Bend and Mishawaka, Indiana, figured their intake lessened by 40%. Saloon keepers, none of us know bars, 40%. Businessmen saw long outstanding debts repaid. Even anonymous payments for shoplifted merchandise arrived daily in the mail. One store owner in Elwood, Indiana, received $2 for a knife pilfered two years before. It was just a few incidents. But it's just the idea. When you get saved, when you're right with God, you change everything. You start to reevaluate what you've done and how you live. and all the different ways that you hurt people. Who knows all the other events? I mean, just a few things that come to light. This is the power of the gospel. You believe in the providence of God, so you have more contentment. You're not so envious of other people. You understand God will judge evil people. You're told to forgive, and you can forgive, because you know, ultimately, vengeance is mine. I will repay, sayeth the Lord. changes the cycle of violence. You attack me, I'll attack you, back and over and over and over again. Think about Palestine and Israel. This changes the way you function. We're heaven bound, we're just pilgrims. This place is obviously never going to be a utopia. And we don't have that many expectations for this place as we did before. This was always ultimately when Christ is seated on the throne, literally, in this world. So the main purpose of the Church is to get the true Gospel out, because the true Gospel changes people, and changed people change the world. Lastly, the Gospel must be proclaimed, to be believed. 14 and following, how then can they call on the one they have not believed in? How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without somebody preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news. So somebody's gotta bring this good news. People don't just believe out of the blue. They've got to be told who's Jesus, what does he do, from their sins and from their corruption. This is a process that is followed throughout the world. To call out to Christ for salvation, you must believe on him. You have to have some doctrine. Who is Jesus? What do you mean Jesus? Some people don't even know who he is. We were in, well, along the Sea of Galilee, and there was a kibbutz there. Me and the pastor went into this kibbutz and talked to a 16, 17-year-old kid, and he did not know who Jesus was. I couldn't believe it. I was like, what? You live right here on the Sea of Galilee, you see all these people coming through? What do you think they're doing here? I mean, it's like, he didn't even know who Jesus was. But to call out to Christ, you have to believe on him, know who he is, know what he's done, he's the son of God. You have to know something about him, what he claimed, what he did. to believe one must hear about him by somebody. Somebody has to speak the truth to them. It's not a mystical thing. We don't tell people to go into a trance and meditate, and somehow then you'll get a picture of Jesus, and that's how you get saved. No. You hear the gospel. To hear, somebody has to preach to them. It has to be verbal, like this, or you speaking to somebody, or reading what has been written, reading it yourself, someplace online or whatever, but somehow it has to get across to people. And to preach, the preacher must be commissioned, that is, have some sense of authority to do this, to do these things, to speak these things. I think about perhaps an illustration of this is beginning of loving somebody, marrying them hopefully, and then making love, and then a conception, fertilization, and then a this process of speaking, giving it out, explaining who Jesus is, and ultimately you might have a baby, a convert, somebody who knows the Lord and has changed his life. Jesus was sent by the Father. of the universe, Jesus was sent by the Father. He said that like 40 times in the Gospel. The ones who sent me, the ones who sent me. I have been sent. And then he sends out the 12, a member of their mission in Matthew chapter 10. He sends them. Paul says that he was sent by Christ to the Gentiles, Acts 26. Well, what about us? Have we been sent? Bringers have beautiful feet. Who are the bringers in the gospels, or excuse me, in the book of Acts and the New Testament? Well, with the apostles, for sure. Peter gives it out on the day of Pentecost, and he gives it out again, and they're constantly, John, all the apostles are doing this, giving it out. Stephen and Philip, they were deacons. They had some ordained position. They were giving it out. But what about us? What about us? Well, in Acts 8, verse 1, it says, on that day when Stephen was stoned, a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered through Judea and Samaria. The apostles stayed, for some reason, in Jerusalem. And now look at this. Those who had been scattered preached The Word, wherever they went. So they weren't apostles, they weren't deacons, but they went and preached the Word. They felt sent just like everyone else. They must have taken the commission to apply to them as well. And I think it's just a natural thing. If you find water in the desert and You see another group of people that are so thirsty, and you don't tell them, here's the oasis, it's over here. What's the matter with you? What's the matter with you? Don't you love them? Don't you care about them? You find food, and people are starving. Aren't you gonna show them where it is? You see, this is what we do. We're all commissioned to give out the gospel. If you never share the gospel, You probably never have experienced it. You've never told anybody about it. You probably don't know the Lord Jesus Christ. You don't speak about it. You don't talk about it. You don't give the message to anybody. You know, you haven't personally experienced it. It was Spurgeon who said, every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter. You just have it. It's inside of you. You want to get it out. You want to tell people. You meet somebody, wherever they are, and you're thinking, is that person going to go to hell today because they died because of a car accident? You're thinking that. Typically, a true Christian is always concerned about where people are at with the Lord. You know, I think it was Moody, who used to give out the gospel all the time, even before he came to use evangelists. And somebody said, mind your own business, when he gave the gospel. And he said, this is my business. This is my business. This is what God has called me to do. I mean, it's not just preachers, it's every Christian. This is your business. You found water, you found bread, you found life, give it out to other people. So in conclusion, The world has many religions. It has but one gospel. The world has many religions, but it has but one gospel. This is not a religion. This is a gospel. This is about Jesus. This is about salvation. This is about a transformation internally of individuals. This is the gospel. It's a message. Number two, it's about Christ and his work. Number three, it's something that leads to personal salvation. And number four, it has to be proclaimed. Are you sharing it? That's the question. And if not, ask God for the grace to share it. I mean, you've got these souls around you that nobody else will have. You've got relationships with people that nobody else will have. Ask them questions. Find out where they're at. What are they thinking? What is their hope for eternal life? Can they even believe in eternal life? Where are they at? And then tell them what you know. Tell them what you've experienced. Tell them about Jesus Christ. That's it. That's the gospel. That's what it means to get out of the car. Let's pray. Father, we thank you that you've given us something wonderful and beautiful. Jesus said that those parables about buying the pearl of great price treasure in the field. We found it. It's come to us. We've experienced it and now Lord help us to be faithful in sharing with other people. Please show us the need to do this personally and as a church that this is what we should be doing. Getting this gospel out. Keeping it pure and sharing it with other souls. So continue to be with us Lord. We are still in this world. We want to be your postman as it were, giving this message, getting it through you. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen.