The elders have a real simple goal this morning. We want to define what the gospel is. We're doing this to prepare you next Sunday morning in our small discipleship groups to present the gospel. We do this because after all, it's impossible to make disciples if we don't know the gospel that is the foundation that discipleship in Christ is built on. A person has to be a follower of Christ before they can become a disciple of Christ. Now, the gospel is different than our testimony. And sometimes we confuse those things. Our testimony is a story, our story, about how we came to Christ. And our testimonies probably are all very different. Some of us grew up in Christian families. Some of us were surprised by God's grace in some different setting that we were in. Some were inspired because primarily we wanted to avoid hell. I mean, that was our first instinct. Some were enticed by God's love. God's love just seemed to be an amazing thing to us. We all have our story. If we have come to Christ, we have a story about how that happened. And it would be good for us to sit down and write down our story, our testimony. It's a pretty nice thing to have somewhere that you can even hand to somebody and say, this is how it happened to me. And while the gospel is often offensive to people, sometimes when we tell people what God really says, and it doesn't say a whole lot of good things about us, people can get offended. But a person can think we are crazy when we tell our story, but it usually isn't offensive to them. They might look at us like, well, you're a nut, but it's a nice story. Because it's about us, it's not about them. And hopefully, when we tell our story, we're skilled enough to embed the gospel message in it, because that is how we came to Christ, after all. That's often the most effective way of telling the gospel to somebody else, is by including it in the story of our own lives. But what we're talking about this morning is not our testimony. It is not our story of how we came to Christ. What we're talking about this morning is the message of what the gospel is. What Jesus Christ came here to do. The fundamental core of how a person gets right with God. It's the message that God uses to save people. It's the truth that lives at the core of how anyone ever gets right with God. Now first, what does the word gospel mean? It's the Greek word euangelium, euangelium. I don't hear that much. And it really means a good message, good news. Now, is it good news? Well, I hope you and I think it's tremendously good news, great news. You and I can have a relationship with God that is not hindered by our sin standing in its way. It's an amazing thing. It really doesn't matter what you have done. It doesn't matter what sins you have committed. It doesn't matter what your history is, your records, your sins, your failures will not keep you from being right with God. That is astounding news, almost unbelievable news. As we get to know ourselves better, again, we keep coming back to, why would God want us? But he does. But it's good news to us. Now, is it good news to everyone? Well, not exactly. John 3, 18 through 21 says this, he who believes in him, he who believes in Christ is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into this world, and that's Jesus, and men love darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God. We see here that those who love darkness will not like the light. So we don't need to be surprised at all when people get angry when we share good news with them. Some people want what God is offering. It's the thing they've been waiting to hear all of their lives. They learn to love it. This truth becomes the very center of their world. That's what a Christian is. Some people hate it. And the longer they live, the more they hate it, and the more they reject it and respond against it. The question Which are you? Do you love the light over darkness or darkness over light? So what is the gospel? Well, it's best to take it directly from the ones who are preaching it. I mean, you can't go wrong with taking what, if somebody in the Bible says this is the gospel, well, that's a pretty good guess that, yeah, that's the gospel. So Brad read that this morning, 1 John 15, one through 11, and we'll just stick to verses one through three. Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preach to you, which also you receive and in which you stand, by which you also are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preach to you, unless you believed in vain, for I deliver to you first of all that which I receive. Okay, Paul is talking here to maybe one of the poorest examples of a church in the New Testament times. If you were to go through all the letters written to all the churches, you would pick Corinth as the least likely place to ever have a Christian. He was talking to the Corinthians. They lived in a world a lot like ours. Free sex, rampant immorality. The primary ideology in Corinth was hedonism, which is the love of pleasure, the worship of pleasure. And Paul says right up front that what he is about to say is the gospel. It is the way all of these people who were far from God came to Christ, if they're still standing in this faith. Now notice the requirement here. The requirement is not that they all live perfectly, or that they all live a good, wonderful life, but it is that they hold fast to that which was preached as the only way to be saved. They hold fast. The word for hold fast means to grip something solidly, to possess it, to retain it, to seize on it. This is not a word for something like you would put in safekeeping, like a bag of gold or something like that. It would be more like a life-saving ring that you would grip with all of your might because it's the only thing in this ocean that's keeping your head above water. That's the kind of hold fast we're talking about. So those who are saved by the gospel are those who are clinging to this message for their very lives. It's not like a cursory kind of understanding, yeah, that's a fact, that's okay, that's fine. It's more like, I've got to have this. I've got to hang on to this, I've got to know this. Now, what is the content of the gospel? What is it that people need to hear from our lips? for them to understand how they can be right with God. I like to ask this question because it helps get concise on what a person believes the gospel is. And this is the question. If you were standing at the gate of heaven and someone there were to ask you, why should I let you in? What would you say? Why should I let you into heaven? Now, not every believer can explain this well, but this is where the gospel should gush out of us in whatever way it's gonna gush if we understand the gospel properly. Paul puts it this way, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. In less than a sentence, that lays out the gospel. This is the message that has to be believed in order for us to be right with God. Now notice, there's no long checklist of what it is that our behavior must be like. Mike used to always say, you notice there's no checklist at the end of the Bible. You know, that I did this, I did this, I did this. There's nothing like that. There can't be, because there is no single thing that any of us as human beings can do to earn favor with God. That's hard on us. But it's true, it's impossible for us to earn favor with God. Now let's break this up to make it easier to present. First we start with the bad news. We start with our condition, and our condition is not good. We have sins. We are sinners, that is what scripture tells us about ourselves. This is normally how I present the gospel to somebody, like at the fair and that sort of thing. I just break it down into bad news and good news, and then I explain both. Paul says it in three words. He says, for our sins, that Christ died for our sins. Other scriptures have more to say. Romans 3.23 says, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. That's what God says about us. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Isaiah 53, six, all we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way. And the Lord has laid on Christ the iniquity of us all. Ecclesiastes 7, 20, for there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin. Psalms 53, two and three. God looks down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. Every one of them has turned to Zion. They have together become corrupt. There is none who does good, no, not one. Psalms 51.5, behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. I guess if there's one positive thing, of us that's different than any other of us in regard to how we were born in the state and the condition we were in, in needing something to happen for us that we couldn't do for ourselves. I have a handout that all of you probably have by now with many of the verses that we'll use this morning, so you don't have to worry about capturing all of them. But I'm trying to make the point very solid. We have bad news. We have sinned, and we are sinners. And it isn't just the bad human beings who have sinned. It's all of us. All of us. In fact, there is no good human from a strictly moral sin. You know, we might say that's a good person, but when you get to the most direct application of the word good, there is no good person. We're all spiritual washouts. Now, if we've all sinned, that really can't be that bad a thing, can it? I mean, surely God will just forgive everyone's sin, won't he? I mean, that would be one thing you might think. If all of us have sinned, God's not gonna destroy us all. Well, Romans 6.23 says, for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Psalm 66, 18 says, if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear. Psalms 5, 4 through 6 says, for you are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, nor shall evil dwell with you. The boastful shall not say in your sight, you hate all workers of iniquity. You shall destroy those who speak falsehood. The Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man. And then Proverbs 14, 12, it says, there's a way that seems right to a man, but the end of the way is death. Hebrews 9, 22 says, and according to the law, almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood, there is no remission. And that's really crucial there. Without shedding of blood, there is no remission. Basically, us, in our state, doesn't matter what we do, doesn't matter what we try, if there is not an external shedding of blood to cover our sins, we're toast. The big deal here is, from those verses and from the rest of Scripture, is that sin damns us. Our sin damns us, and rightfully so, and without exception. In fact, we are all born into a state of separation from God. We are damned from our first breath as a baby. That is the state that we are born into. Well, if that's true, what can we do? What can we do about it? How can we make this right? I'm a sinner. I can't do anything to earn favor from God. I'm sitting in this spot in the condemnation of God. What do I do? Now, we might think, oh, I know, I know what I'll do. I'll turn over a new leaf. Maybe I can make up for my sin by living a good life. A lot of people believe that. It's amazing how many people, when we talk to them at the fair, they think that that's how you get right with God, by being better, by being a better person. Well, Isaiah 64 kinda says not. Verse five, you meet him who rejoices and does righteousness. who remembers you in your ways, you are indeed angry, for we have sinned. In these ways we continue, and we need to be saved. But we are all like an unclean thing, Isaiah says, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rats. That's bad news. We all fade as a leaf and our iniquities like the wind have taken us away and there's no one who calls on your name who stirs himself up to take hold of you. For you have hidden your face from us and have consumed us because of our iniquities. Nope, this is all bad news and no good so far. Even our goodness is bad, even our best efforts is seen as being worse than worthless. Every single attempt we make to get right with God on our own, to earn our salvation, to earn God's approval, is futile. There's nothing we can do in and of ourselves to get right with God. That's the bad news. And it's very important that we understand the bad news and that we can support it with Scripture. Otherwise, the good news isn't good news. It's not good news until we go You see, the good news is not that we can add Christ onto our life as it is and He'll make our lives better. That isn't the good news. It isn't that He just teaches us a way to rationally live. Although He does teach us a way to rationally live, but that's not the good news. It isn't that we will no longer be lonely because we have a heavenly friend. There's some truth to that, but that isn't the good news. It isn't just that He helps us with our addictions or whatever it is that we struggle with in our lives. He does that, but that is not the good news. Those are not the punchlines of the gospel. The gospel is given to save our lives, not to improve the quality of them. We need to understand that as we present this to people. We aren't telling people, your life is good and Christ is gonna make it better. Our message is more like telling a person, your house is on fire. So what is the good news? What is the gospel? That Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and that he was buried and that he rose again on the third day according to the scriptures. Look how simple that is. Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. What this means is that our sin absolutely demanded a death penalty. That's what we read earlier. Sin deserves death. We had it coming. And it was a certainty. It would certainly have reached us. God's justice demanded that God's wrath be poured out against the sin that we had committed against God. Even the state of being we were in deserved God's wrath. Nobody wants to hear that. But that is the truth that God reveals in His Word. We need to understand the seriousness of this because that's the bad news. But, in Scripture we've learned so many times of the glorious but, but Jesus Christ took upon Himself our sin and received upon Himself the wrath of God that we deserve. For the sin that I committed, God's wrath came down on Jesus Christ. That's what it means when it says that Christ died for our sins according to the scripture. Then after that He was buried, and then three days later He rose from the dead. That is all part of the Gospel. It has to be, because there has to be undeniable proof that Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption. There had to be some external proof that would show that what Christ said He was dying for actually worked. And Christ raising from the dead was that proof. And it's amazing how certifiable that is with facts, even today, of Christ's resurrection. If you ever doubt Christianity, look into the resurrection of Jesus Christ, because it stands and falls right there. There had to be proof that God did what Christ said He would do, and that proof is the resurrection. And it's also the proof that we, too, will be raised as a result of what Christ did for us. You see, it wouldn't be much of a consolation to know that our sins are forgiven, but know that that's the end of it after we die. But what the resurrection proves is that there is life after death for everyone who believes in Christ. We have a glorious eternity that he has been preparing for us for 2,000 years. It's astounding when you think of it, given that he made the earth in seven days. It must be quite the thing. But what do we do with these facts? Well, we hold them fast. Other passages put it different ways. John 3, 16 through 18 says, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him, that's the holding fast, believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, and we can be thankful for that, but that the world through Christ might be saved. He who believes in him, in Christ, is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Some places we're told to believe. Other places we're told to have faith. Other places we're told to hold fast. Other places we're told to repent. But it's all essentially the same thing. We must trust that what Christ did, he did for us. That is what coming to faith in Jesus Christ is all about. It's not about being better. It's not about turning over a new leaf. It's not about being a better person. It's about coming to Jesus Christ and saying, you did that to me. And I believe it. I believe that what you did counted for me. We must trust that what Christ did, he did for us. We must believe that what he did on the cross was for us and that now the penalty for our sins has been paid by Jesus Christ. And all part and parcel of that belief is that we are now Christ's. That's what it is to believe. It's not a simple ascent in your head, but it is commitment of one's life. We are a follower of His. We turn from our lives of sin and self-determination. Our lives are now His to use as He sees fit. That's part of what faith is. Some have said that coming to Christ is giving all that we know of ourselves to all that we know of God through Jesus Christ. giving all that we know of ourselves to all that we know of God through Jesus Christ. Now, immediately we're tempted to be confused. We'll start to think, okay, then I need to do something to earn this. And it's always the thing that we come back to. I've gotta do something to make this mine by some kind of effort. But the truth is, it's impossible. It's impossible. It's either a free gift or it's no gift at all. Ephesians 2 through 10 says, for by grace you have been saved. And grace is unmerited favor. Mercy is when you deserve a kick in the butt that you won't get. Grace is when you deserve a kick in the butt and you get ice cream instead. Grace is giving to you something that you could never deserve. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourself, it is the gift of God, not of works. Why? Lest anyone should boast. Nobody can ever brag about being a Christian. That's always the oddest thing when people say that Christians are people who think they're better than everybody else. If they're really a Christian, it's the exact opposite. I know. I'm a sinner. I know the only way I got right with Christ was because of Christ, not me. Never had anything to do with any good in me. I know where I stood, I know where I stand, and it's not a result of any behavior on my part. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ for good works, which God prepared beforehand, and we should walk in them. Scripture leaves no doubt whatsoever. We aren't saved by trying hard. We can never earn what Christ did for us. We have salvation only by faith in what Christ did. By believing what He did counts for us. But if we truly have faith in Christ, if we have really given all that we know of ourselves to all that we know of God, it will reap results in our lives. We will have changed lives. We were created for good works. And God even prepared the spot where we were to play before He created us. God created the works before he created us. It's like he had everything in mind of how he's going to use everyone he brings to himself for his kingdom to accomplish the things that he wants accomplished. Faith will result in works, it always does, because we now have the resurrection power of Christ flowing through our veins. I hope you can see this morning how simple this message is. And I hope you can see what good news it is. I hope it's kind of like I'm thrilling your soul again and again with just how wonderful our salvation is. If you've never understood this before this morning, this morning could be the best morning of your entire life. Here's the message that can make you right with God. And it's a simple message, and it's open to everyone. It's the message that's being preached and shared all over the world this morning. Christ died for you. Now you can have new life in Him by believing in Him. And yes, it's really that simple at its core. It really is. Will you respond to Him? That's our message. Now, as we're training you and us and all of us together, and we're hashing this out and trying to practice next week, don't worry if you don't say it perfectly. but prayerfully ask God to provide a clear opportunity for you to share with someone. He will provide those opportunities. That's why it's His will. We know that's His will. Now next, there are two short videos, and I mean very short, about one method of sharing the Gospel. And this is just one method. Maybe it makes it easier for you. If it doesn't, use your method. This is not something that God said, use the three circles method. It's nothing like that. But this gospel we have is wonderful news, so let's do everything that we can to share it. And if you've never responded to this message before this morning, you can be right with God before you leave the doors. It's really that true. Just talk with anyone here who seems to understand the gospel, and they'll be happy to help you. Okay.