well glory praise the lord i hope you brought your bibles with you today because you're going to need them uh... because we are going to travel extensively through them uh... through the pages of the word of god and i'm gonna share a lot of scripture with you today uh... i think it's very important that we do so and uh... spend a lot of time uh... we've been in a series of messages from the book of acts dealing with the beginning days of the early church, the emphasis has been on the gospel. I'm afraid today that there's a possibility that we have maybe come to the point that we have kind of lost sight of really what the gospel is, what the gospel is all about. And so what I want to do today spend a considerable amount of time, probably not a considerable, but spend enough amount of time and a considerable amount of the Word of God to try to go through and maybe for us to rekindle in our own hearts just how important the truth of the gospel itself is. You know, if the gospel, when we think about it, for which many like Peter and James and John and Paul and countless others gave their lives for it, I mean, when you consider it, they gave their life for it. It's amazing to me. It's absolutely amazing. Were it not true, if it were not true, First of all, why in the world would they give their lives for it? And if it were not true? You know, it's amazing that Jesus Christ is still and remains the center of conversations anywhere in the world that you go. Matter of fact, I was on the phone just this past week with a couple of our mission partners in the other side of the world. You know what's interesting about that? The conversation that we were having surrounded and centered around the gospel. So it's amazing to me, if in fact it were not true, people like Peter, James, and John, and Paul, and countless others that are recorded in scripture gave their lives for it, then why does Jesus Christ remain the center of conversation? Why is he still there? As Ravi Zachariah wrote, he said, Jesus stated that his purpose was to die at the hand of his enemies, not as a martyr, but as a savior. Not as a martyr, but as a savior. And most stop right there. But he went on to say this as well. And he answers the deepest questions of the human heart. I will tell you, there's only one who can provide the answers, the deepest answers of the human heart when you consider it. And let me say this this morning, the gospel is not an event. The gospel is not an event. It's about a person. And I think that's what we sometimes, you know, we get so centered on the events. Well, my dear friend, the gospel is not the events. The gospel is the person. Because the person who came to this earth, who lived a human life, and then died a cruel and heinous death at the hands of his enemies, and then rose again the third day from the grave, And then ascended to the right hand of the Father where He is today, making intercession for you and I. That's the gospel. But it's all in the person, not the events that led up to it. Take your Bibles this morning and turn with me to John chapter 1 and verse 14. John chapter 1 and verse 14. You know, here's the other amazing thing about the gospel. Here's the other amazing thing about Jesus Christ. His coming was predicted and His life was witnessed by others. His coming was predicted. It was prophesied in the Old Testament. Then He gave His life that was witnessed by many. His earthly ministry while he was on the face of the earth was witnessed by many. Of which Paul records that for us. And we're going to look at that a little bit later. But I want you to notice verse 14. And I want you to notice what it says. And the Word became flesh. And that's the key. That's what I want you to understand. The Word became flesh. and dwelt among us. And notice it says, and we beheld or we saw his glory. In other words, we witnessed it. We saw it. He was not just an ordinary human being, even though he was human. He was God in the flesh. And basically they said, as John records for us, the word was made flesh. It dwelt among us. We beheld His glory or we witnessed His glory, we saw His glory. The glory as of the only begotten. The only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. The Word became flesh. We have a phrase that we use, it's called incarnate. Jesus Christ became flesh and dwelt among us. You know what's interesting when you consider the person, when you consider Jesus Christ and you consider the gospel. What did Peter, on the day of Pentecost, as he stood to preach, what did his message center around? He started at the beginning and he went all the way through, but let me tell you where he concluded. He concluded it with Jesus Christ. He concluded it with the fact that you were the ones who crucified him. But the very ones that you crucified is risen again and he's ascended to the right hand of the Father. What you need to do is you need to repent and understand that Jesus Christ was the Messiah just as it was prophesied before that it would occur. And then we move from Peter and you find yourself with Philip in the Ethiopian eunuch. As Philip drew himself to the Ethiopian eunuch, and he got up into the chariot with the Ethiopian eunuch, and as the Ethiopian eunuch was reading from the book of Isaiah, from the scroll of Isaiah, even the scroll of Isaiah that the Ethiopian eunuch was reading from, Philip asked him, said, do you understand what you're reading? And he said, I don't unless someone comes and explains it to me. Philip got up there with the Ethiopian eunuch and began to relate to him from the scroll of Isaiah that the one that he was reading about was in fact Jesus Christ. And we see the result of that gospel presentation to the Ethiopian eunuch. The Ethiopian eunuch came to know Jesus Christ as his personal savior. And it completely changed his life. So we moved from Peter and we moved from Philip and we moved to Paul. Paul and Barnabas, as they began their missionary journeys and as they began to share the gospel, and as the gospel began to spread, lives were changed. Thousands of people were coming to know Jesus Christ as their personal savior. And I want you to understand this with me this morning. It wasn't the event. It was the person of Jesus Christ and who he was. and who he is. And my dear friend, as we consider today, as we talk about the gospel, I think sometimes we've gotten to the point that we get so centered on the cross and the resurrection and the ascension. My dear friend, the gospel is still alive today because it's in a person. It's not in an event. John tells us in his gospel, in the gospel of John, about signs not even recorded so that we might know who Jesus really is. And you say, really? Yeah. Turn with me to John chapter 20. Let's go to John chapter number 20. Things not even recorded. John chapter 20 and let's look at verse 30 and verse 31. John chapter 20 verse 30 in verse 31. And then there were many, in verse 30, there were many other signs that Jesus did in the presence of his disciples. And I want you to notice this next, which are not written in this book. They're not recorded here. But look at the next verse. Look at verse 31. But these have been written. Why have they been written? So that you might believe or may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. And that believing, you may have life through His name or in His name. Do you see that? There are things not even recorded about Jesus during His earthly ministry here. But John says, but these have been written. These have been recorded. so that you might believe or so that you can believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. That's who he is. None like him, never has been, never will be. And Jesus Christ provides the answers to the deepest questions of the human heart. And I will say, in the days of human history, if there's ever been a day where the gospel is so desperately needed, it's today. What we see going on today and what we're seeing taking place today, I will tell you, the only thing that is going to help bring it to the point that it needs to be is the gospel. It's the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's the person of Jesus Christ. So who is Jesus? So who is Jesus? If I were to ask everyone in this auditorium this morning to take out a sheet of paper, tell me who he is. Who is Jesus to you? Well, did you know that the New Testament, specifically the Gospels, contain a series of I am statements by Jesus. As a matter of fact, the large majority of them are in the book of John. They're in the gospel of John. And let me just share a few of them with you this morning. Jesus having a conversation with the crowd that had gathered, and he said, you know, he said, you had manna that came down when you were with Moses in the wilderness, and that manna came down from heaven. And it fed you, it was physical. But the difficulty was is that manna that came down from heaven, even though it provided physical life, it would not provide what you needed spiritually in your own lives. And so Jesus makes the statement in John chapter 6 in verse 35 when he says, I am the bread of life. And I am that bread of life that came down from my Father for you. You had physical bread in the wilderness under Moses that came down from heaven, but I am that bread of life that came down from the Father for you that will provide spiritually what you need. He goes on to say in John chapter 8 and verse number 12, he said, I am the light of the world. Matter of fact, the Pharisees that were there, when Jesus made that statement, he said, I am the light of the world. And in me, there is no darkness at all. And the Pharisees of course said, that's not so. That is not true. The claim that you make is not true. Well, my dear friend, let me share something with you today. Just as Jesus said, I am the light of the world. If you consider that in the darkest hour that we find ourselves in the world today, Jesus Christ provides the light that dispels all the darkness that may be there and all of the evil. So he said, I am the bread of life. He said, I am the light of the world. Well, he makes another statement in chapter 10 in verse number seven. He says, I am the gate for the sheep. And the gate come in, or the sheep come in at that gate. He said, I'm the gatekeeper. Jesus Christ is the gatekeeper today. When you consider what he said in John chapter 14 and verse number 6, yes, he said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me. He is the gatekeeper of the sheep. That's who he is. I am the bread of life. I am the light of the world. I am the gatekeeper of the sheep. Well, it didn't stop there. He goes on to say that I am the good shepherd. I am the good shepherd and my sheep hear my voice and they know my voice and they follow after me. He is the good shepherd. He is the shepherd by which all of provision that we need spiritually is provided by the good shepherd. He went on to say In John chapter 11 and verse 25, he said, I am the resurrection and the life. Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life. And matter of fact, in John chapter 11 is Jesus had the conversation with Martha and Mary at the death of Lazarus. Matter of fact, Jesus' good friend at the death of Lazarus, in the conversation that Jesus had with them there, he asked them, he said, do you believe in the resurrection? And of course, the answer was yes, we believe in the resurrection in the last day. And Jesus looked at them and said, I am the resurrection and the life. Where is Lazarus? Take me to him. And so they take Jesus to the tomb of Lazarus. They said, you don't know what you're getting ready to ask for. But he's been buried for four days, it's been sealed. He said, take the stone away from the entrance to the tomb. And Jesus, standing there, prayed and then he called forth Lazarus out of the tomb. A picture of the resurrection and the life. That's who Jesus Christ is. That's what Jesus Christ can provide. That's what Jesus Christ offers. He said, I am the bread of life. I am the light of the world. I am the gate for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I am the resurrection and the life. But it didn't stop there. He goes on to say, I am the way, the truth, and the life. John chapter 14 and verse number 6. He wanted to make sure that his disciples knew there was no reason for you to be afraid. There's no reason for you to fear at all. I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me. I hate to tell you this. There is no other way. And you say, well, wait a minute. That's a little exclusive. Yeah, it is. You're exactly correct. It is. There is no other way to get there. There is no other means. There is no other alternative. And I know the subject today, and I hear it across the board. As a matter of fact, it is gaining in popularity that God is love. I agree with that. God is love, but God's also a jealous God, and He's a just God. And God will judge sin one day. And he will judge it finally and completely. And my dear friend, the only way that you're going to get to heaven, the only way that you're going to get to spend eternity with the Father is through Jesus Christ. Not believing in an event, but placing your trust and faith absolutely in the gospel of Jesus Christ as a person and who he is. It's got to be personal. It's got to be relational. Matter of fact, on Wednesday nights as I'm going through 1 John, and I spend all of that time just on that first verse, we have an advocate with the Father, understanding what that advocate means, that advocate that is there on our behalf, the comforter that provides what we need in our lives each and every day. That's who this Jesus is. That's who this Christ is. Then in John chapter 15, Jesus made the statement that I am the true vine. As a matter of fact, Jesus said, I am the vine and my father is the husbandman. And he said, if you abide in me, I'll abide in you. And as the vine dresser, the husbandman tends to the vine itself. And as those branches that don't bear fruit are pruned off so that the other ones can grow and so more fruit can be borne by us, for us to bear fruit by abiding in Jesus Christ. So as you consider all of that about who he is and the statement that he made just out of the gospel of John itself, I am the bread of life. I am the light of the world. I am the gate of the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I am the resurrection and the life. I am the way, the truth and the life. I am the true vine. I don't know how much plainer it can be. Some folks say, well, Brother Robert, the gospel just seems to be so simple. It's too simple. There's got to be more to it. I'm thankful today that there's not any more to it. Jesus said, if you're going to follow me, that there's some things that has to take place, it has to be. You've got to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me. I will tell you, most people refuse and will not respond to the gospel message of Jesus Christ because I'm going to tell you what it calls for. It calls for you to put yourself to the side and put Jesus Christ in the place that he belongs in your heart and life, and that's first place. And so when I've got to set everything else to the side, and deny myself and take up my cross, understanding that it's gonna be costly. Hey, I'll say this, when you identify yourself with Jesus Christ and you identify yourself as a believer, is it a popular position? No, it's not. Is it a popular stance? No, it's not. But my dear friend, I have a simple question today. If it's not true, And if Jesus Christ is not who he claims to be, then why is Jesus Christ still the center of conversation around the world today regardless of where you go? I'll tell you why. Because it is. Because it is the truth. And the most shocking claim of all. Go to John chapter 8. John chapter number 8. The most shocking claim of all. And it just affirms who Jesus Christ is. And I will tell you something, I'd have loved to have been there. I'd have loved to just have been sitting there in the crowd just to watch the expression on the faces of those that Jesus had conversations with, the religious crowd. Those who were just absolutely, the anger inside of them was so intense. That anger was driving them that the only way we're going to get rid of him is to kill him. And my dear friend, when anger gets to that extent, and I want you to notice here in this chapter, chapter number 8 and verse 58, I want you to notice what Jesus, Jesus is having a conversation here that begins way back up in verse 52. when the Jews came to him and there was a conversation. Matter of fact, they basically told Jesus that you have a devil. That's what you have. And because they make the statement that Abraham is dead and so are the prophets. And you say, if a man keep my saying, he will never taste it. In other words, they're just prodding him all along the way. And so how in the world can you say anything about Abraham? Abraham's dead and so are the prophets. So who are you? So who are you? Well, you come down to verse 57 and verse 58, and I want you to notice, so the Jews said to him, basically what the Jews looked at him and said, we don't understand, okay, you're not even 50 years old yet. You're not even 50, and you've seen Abraham? Basically, let me tell you what they're saying, it doesn't make any sense here. You're not even 50 years old yet, and you're saying that you saw Abraham. Do you know how many thousands of years it has been since Abraham walked on the face, and you've seen him? Verse 58, so Jesus is going to answer them. Jesus said, here's what you need to understand. He said, verily, verily, or truly, truly, it's a truth that I'm going to say to you, and I want you to understand this. And I call you a match of what it probably did. Because here's the statement that he said. He said, before Abraham was born, he said, I am. You remember all them I am statements? I am the bread of life. I am the light of the world. I am the gate of the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I am the resurrection and the life. I am the way, the truth, and the life. I am the true vine. He says, before Abraham was born, I am. And let me tell you what that did. That sent a shockwave through that entire crowd that was there. And you say, well, how do you know? Look at the next verse. They took up stones to do what? They were going to stone him. They were going to stone him to death because they considered what he just said to be absolutely blasphemous. You see, Jesus did not come into being I've heard that statement made before. Jesus Christ came into being. Let me share something with you this morning. Jesus Christ did not come into being. He is the eternal I am. That's who he is. Jesus Christ has always been around. Jesus Christ was with the Father before creation ever was put into place. That's who he is. And so in the Gospel of John, all of these statements about the I am and who I am all pointed to things that were eternal. I have always been. Guess what? The I am is seated at the right hand of the Father today, making intercession on our behalf. Listen, my dear friend, that's what the gospel is about. And the word became flesh, and the word dwelt among us. Our eyes have seen it, our hands have handled it. First John chapter number one, in the beginning was the word. And so as we consider that, and we consider who he is, my dear friend, let's understand that the gospel is not about an event. It's about a person that's still alive today. We find five witnesses in scripture to affirm Jesus's statements. I don't have time this morning to go through all of them, but I want to share some of them with you. John chapter 3 and verse number 2. If you'll flip over to John chapter 3 and verse 2, Jesus speaking to Nicodemus. One of the five witnesses in scripture to affirm Jesus' statements that he made is the witness of his miracles themselves, starting with the very first miracle that Jesus ever performed at the wedding of Cana. in John chapter number two. But we come to John chapter number three, and here's Nicodemus. And oh, by the way, this is the same Nicodemus that went with Joseph of Arimathea when Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus to take down off the cross to go bury him. Nicodemus was with Joseph of Arimathea. And so Nicodemus, as he asked this question to Jesus that we find recorded here, in chapter number three and verse number two. And so, as Nicodemus comes to Jesus, and he asks Jesus a question, and it's interesting the way that he begins the question. He calls him rabbi. And my dear friend, I want you to understand the role that Nicodemus had as well was significantly a high role, and he was considered to be one of those of authority. And so he looks at Jesus and he says, Rabbi, or teacher, or master, we know, we absolutely know that you've come from God and here's what he says. And the reason for that is because no one could do the things that you've done or perform the signs that you've performed unless that individual was from where? From God. The witness of his miracles, John chapter 20 that we saw earlier this morning, didn't even record all of the things that Jesus did. Listen, there weren't enough volumes to contain all of it. We couldn't carry our Bible with us to church. You consider the whole time that during his earthly ministry and all of those things that Jesus was involved in, all of those that he touched, all of those people that he set free, all of those that he healed, all of those things that Jesus was involved in. The witness of the Father. John chapter 5 and chapter 8 and Mark chapter number 1, when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the River Jordan, the voice that they heard from heaven was, this is my beloved Son, in whom I am what? Well pleased. The affirmation of the Father himself, the witness of the Father over his Son, Jesus Christ. Then there's a third one, the witness of the Word. the witness of the Word itself, the Old Testament and the New Testament. When you consider the witness of the Word all throughout the Old Testament, and I've heard people say, well, you know, there are places in the Old Testament that you will find some references to Jesus Christ here and there. My dear friend, let me share this with you. From Genesis to the book of Malachi, Jesus Christ is presented throughout every book and across every aspect of every book all the way till you get to the book of Malachi. It's not here and there. There's a red cord that runs all the way through. Speaks of Jesus Christ himself and who he is. And all of those things that would be a part of his life. And then there was the witness of the Holy Spirit in Acts chapter number two. The Holy Spirit of God came. Matter of fact, one of the things that Jesus said, before the Holy Spirit can come, I must ascend to the right hand of the Father. And when I do, the Father will send the comforter. Acts chapter two on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit of God descended out of the very portals of glory itself and came down and indwelt mankind. My dear friend, that is an affirmation of who Jesus Christ is. Then, of course, the witness of the apostles. 1 Corinthians chapter 15. As the apostle Paul shares with us, as he makes the statement that I declare unto you the gospel, which I preach to you, which you also received and where you stand. And he said, and by also this, by which you're also saved. It's who you are. But I thought one of the interesting things was what Paul did as you go down through starting in verse number five. And I want you to notice as he goes down through, and you were seen of Cephas, and then of the twelve. He was seen of above five hundred at once, of whom the greater part remain under this present, but some have already died. And after that he was seen of James and of all the apostles. And last of all, and last of all, He was seen of who? He was seen of me. The list of all of those who saw him, all of those who witnessed him, all of those who touched him, all of those who listened at the sound of his voice. The I am, my dear friend, that's the gospel. It's about a person, it's not about an event. On Christ a solid rock I stand. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness on whose? Jesus' That's who it's built upon. And my dear friend, as we share the gospel, let's share the gospel. But my dear friend, if you're a disciple of Jesus Christ, then follow him like a disciple. Putting him first in all that we do. Understanding that is going to be costly. And my dear friend, let me share something with you today. If you hadn't already realized this or understand this, but as the days progress and we see the degree that we see ourselves in today and the divisiveness of the world and the culture that we find ourselves to stand up and identify yourself as an evangelical believer will be costly. Will be costly. My question is, what does it mean to you? What does Jesus Christ mean to you? Who does he mean to you? Is he just an event to you, or is he your personal savior? Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? That is the important part here, is to have a personal relationship with him. It comes down to two things. Number one, if you don't know him, You don't have a personal relationship with him, then let me encourage you to do this. By all means, then follow him. Follow him just as Jesus, as he called his disciples and as he met them and he spoke with them. And his closing words as he was getting ready to move on was, just follow me. Follow me and I will make you fishers of men. Matthew, the Levi, the tax collector. Those that were fishermen. All of those. He said, I will transform your life. I will change you from the inside out. And my dear friend, I will tell you what we need in our culture today is we need a change from the inside out. And there's only one who can do that. And that's Jesus Christ. So number one, follow him today if you haven't already. And then number two. Here's what the world needs to see. we need to start living out the truth of the gospel. We need to start living out the truth of the gospel. Is it important to you? What does it mean to you in your own life? Finally, John chapter 5. You say, Brother Roberts, you sure spent a lot of time in the book of John. Yeah, I did. The book of John as John recounts for us. And oh, by the way, the only one that was at the foot of the cross when Jesus was crucified was John. You ever thought about that? If anybody understood the significance of who he was, I believe it was John. Peter and all the other ones did too. Paul did as well. But I can only imagine the special relationship that must have been in the heart of John with Jesus Christ. John chapter 5 verse 45 through verse 47. John chapter 5 verse 47. I tell you what, let's start in verse 45. It's written in the prophets And they shall all be taught of God. Every man, therefore, that has heard and has learned of the Father comes to me. Not that any man has seen the Father, save that one which is of God. He has seen the Father. Let me tell you what, he's speaking of himself. He's speaking of himself here. And then look at verse 47. Verily, verily, or truly, truly, I say to you. And here comes the key. He that believes on me places his trust and faith in me. has everlasting life. And then verse 48 he said, I am that bread of what? I am that bread of life. I'm sorry, that should have been chapter 6, not chapter 5. Chapter 6, verse 45 through verse 48. Now go back to John chapter 5. You know, it's amazing how that passage just fit into what I was saying. Huh? I'm looking at it and I'm going, yeah, but it fits. Chapter 5, okay? And now look at verse 45 through verse 47. Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There's one that accuses you, even Moses, in whom you trust. Now look at verse 46. For if you'd have believed Moses, you know, if you'd have believed what Moses said, then you would have believed me. And notice what it says. Why? Because he wrote about me. Because he wrote about me. And now look at verse 48. Oh, wait a minute. Moses, he wrote about me? Moses wrote about me. Who's Moses? Who wrote the first five books of the Bible? Moses did. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Isn't that amazing? Jesus said he wrote about me. Did he? He did. Sure he did. Now look at verse 47. But if you don't believe his writings, If you don't believe the writings of Moses, then how are you going to believe? How are you going to believe my words? So let me ask you a question today. Is the gospel more to you than just an event? Is the gospel to you about a person? My question to you today is, where's your relationship with him today? Is it personal? Is it personal? I'm gonna tell you something. All throughout what we've been through since March, okay, really since January, is all of this has just continued to build. I think of the words of two of the songs that we sang this morning, Christ My Hope and Life and Death. My dear friend, he's my hope. I trust he's yours. I stand on the solid rock of Jesus Christ because it doesn't move. It will not come apart. It is always there. And my dear friend, that's what people need in their lives today, is the solid rock of Jesus Christ. Amen? We're going to close a little bit differently this morning. I'm not just going to say, everybody stand. We're going to pray. I'm going to have you stand. Miss Jenny's going to come play for us. I surrender all. And I want you to consider the words of that song. We're not going to sing it. She's just going to play it, okay? And I want us this morning, just as she plays, we know that song. I surrender all to Jesus, I surrender. Have you? Are you there?