Galatians chapter 1, Galatians chapter 1 beginning at verse number 1, Galatians chapter 1 and beginning at verse number 1 and reading down through verse number 9. Wonderful message that we bring. Not that I'm a wonderful preacher, but the message is wonderful. This is a wonderful message. And that's going to be the title of the message. Wonderful message we bring. Galatians chapter one, and beginning at verse number one, Paul, an apostle. Is that an ending sign? No. Paul, an apostle, and look at this, not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead. He's a living Savior, he's not dead. And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia. That means individual, local, visible assemblies. That's what a church is, a local, visible assembly, an ekklesia. Unto the churches of Galatia. Grace be unto you and peace from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ. who gave himself for our sins. Very important. You cannot save yourself. Jesus Christ gave himself for our sins. He paid the sin debt that he might deliver us from this present evil world. Won't that be wonderful? According to the will of God and our Father. in whom be glory forever and ever, amen. Then he says in verse six, after what a wonderful introduction, after he gives that wonderful introduction, he says, I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel. You've gotten away from the truth. He called you by his grace, and now you're off on a tangent. You're off in another direction, another gospel, which is not another, because there's only one gospel. But there be some that trouble you and would pervert the gospel of Christ, but though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you, what do you do? Then that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. Verse nine, as we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you, than that ye have received, let him be a curse. That's pretty heavy, isn't it? That's pretty strong. Any other gospel. The gospel is a wonderful message. It is a tremendous message. It is a powerful message. It is the message that the world needs today. We're not to be ashamed of the gospel. We are to share the gospel. We are to preach the gospel in our churches. We see that the message is good news. It is good news. I like good news. I love good news. I hear enough bad news. I like good news, good news. The very word gospel, euangelion, has a wonderful ring to it, euangelion, and it means good news. It means good news. The Protoevangelium is the first mention of the Gospel, and it's found in Genesis chapter 1 and verse The first mention of the gospel is found in Genesis chapter one and verse number five, where the Bible says there, and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed, it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. The seed of the woman is a Picture, it is a preachment about the coming of Jesus Christ. Jesus, yes, he will be bruised. The Bible says he's bruised. But what does he do to the serpent? Bruises the head. When you kill a snake, what do you do? Cut his tail off? When I was pastoring down in Ward, Arkansas, one of the ladies called, her husband was at work, She said, please come over, preacher, please come over. There's a big old snake, it's going up in my, oh, oh, oh. It's going up in my bird, bird box, my birds. And I said, all right, I'll run over there. And I ran over there. And I said, where's your husband's gun? She gave it to me and put a shell in it. And that snake was almost up in there to go in and get those birds, get the eggs, get the bird, mama bird. And I shot, but I shot low and cut off part of his tail. And that thing, so I put in another shell and he was almost had his head in there and pow, you know what killed him? I shot to the head. That's what this is talking about. It's talking about, yes, Jesus was bruised, but Satan is defeated. Defeated through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The gospel is glad tidings. There was a church in Ocean Springs that was called Glad Tidings. That's a pretty good name for a church, Glad Tidings. I love to get the glad tidings, the good news out to people. I love to share with people. I love to get the gospel out, get Bibles out and share the truth of the word of God. I love to do that. I love to talk about how God sent his son, the Lord Jesus. He came to this earth, he lived a sinless life. He died as a sinless savior. He gave his life that we might live, and he rose again that we might have life everlasting. Alfred Lord Tennyson asked this question of an elderly lady, and I will read it. what is the good news today? The woman replied, why Mr. Tennyson, there's only one, only one piece of news that I know, that is Christ died for sinners. And Tennyson replied, that is old news, That is good news, that is new news, that is the news. How wonderful that is. The gospel is good news. Aren't you glad that we have good news in this world of bad news? We have good news. We have the gospel of Christ who took our place. We have the good news, the good news. And what are we to do with the good news? We are to share the good news. I'll tell the world that I'm a Christian. Share with the world, give them the good news. And as you go, lift him up. You know, when you go into a jewelry store, And you wanna look at the pretties that they've got there, and they've got them where you can't get to them without a key, right? And you look in there, and most of the time, there'll be a black felt there, right? And then the diamonds, the rings, and all that'll be displayed, and there'll be light shining. and that blackness of that felt, and then the light shining on those jewels illuminates that jewelry, illuminates that wonderful, wonderful stone that is there. And the black background accentuates the beauty of the diamond. Well, our sinful nature is a black background, but the light of Christ, the light of the world, as he shines down upon us, his jewels situates his glory and his grace. Have you ever sung the old song, will there be any jewels in my crown? You and I are not to work for salvation, but we are to live for Jesus day by day. And we want to have crowns to throw at his feet. In Romans 5, 6, and 7, the Bible says this. For when we were yet without strength, there was a time I had no power, I had no strength to come to the Lord. Romans 5, 6, and 7. For when we were yet without strength, in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. He didn't die for people that were already godly, because none of us were godly. We're all ungodly. Died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die. Yet, peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. Taking the place of the murderer, the rapist, the bank robber. That's the picture. As it says here, peradventure. Scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet peradventure for a good man, some would even dare to die. I mean, that's quite an illustration because would you die for me or would I die for you? I love life. I like living. But Christ died for sinners. He took our place. And how wonderful that is. what good, good news it is. It was good news the night that I heard it. I had heard it and heard it and heard it, but the night I heard it, I heard the gospel. Maybe you've not heard it. And tonight, the Lord will reveal to you the good news, good news of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. And you can hear with that spiritual ear and a heart that is opened by regeneration. I was religious, but I was wicked. I had religion, but I didn't have salvation. I needed the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And then we find that there's a power that's needed. And the gospel is a power of God unto salvation. Romans chapter one and verse 16. Romans one and 16 tells us about this power of God unto salvation, and Paul tells us he's not ashamed of this wonderful message. He says here in Romans 1 16, for I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. It is a power of God, it is good news. I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, he said, and neither should we be ashamed of the gospel. Now listen, the gospel is not salvation. The gospel is not salvation. An old preacher, now with the Lord, Brother Paul Woods, told me many, many years ago, he said, people say, well, the gospel saves you. No, Christ saves you. But the gospel is that message that brings men to Christ. Yes, we must believe the gospel, but we must believe in the Christ of the gospel. It's not just believing in words, it's believing in the Savior. who died for sinners. You must look to Christ. Look and live, is what the hymn says. Look and live. Look unto Jesus. Jesus saved me. Not the gospel, but the gospel is that message that brings us to Christ. We must believe That message, but we must believe in the Christ of the gospel. The Bible tells us that it is the power of God unto salvation. And you've heard this many times, but the Greek word is dunamis, and it means a dynamite. It's explosive, it's powerful. The gospel is powerful. You may have a hard heart here tonight, but God can open that heart. He can crack open that heart by the work of the Holy Spirit of God. He is able to do that. He's powerful. And then the preaching of the gospel is sweetness. It is sweetness. The Bible says that it is sweetness in the nostrils of God. God loves to hear about his son's death and burial and resurrection. We go now to 2 Corinthians 2. 2 Corinthians 2 and verse number 12. 2 Corinthians 2 and verse number 12, and we'll look at some other verses in this great chapter that deal with the sweetness of the message. 2 Corinthians chapter 2 verse 12, Furthermore, when I came to Troas, by land and sea, to preach Christ's gospel, and a door was opened unto me of the Lord, and then in verses 14, 14 through 16, Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ and maketh manifest the savor of his knowledge by us in every place. That means the preaching of the word. For we are unto God a sweet savor, a sweet savor. And you know what that is, that's a sweet fragrance of Christ in them that are saved, rejoicing in the message, and in them that perish, to the one we are the saver of death unto death, and to the other, the saver of life unto life, and who is sufficient for these things. There are some who believe, there are others who don't believe. That message is a saver of life unto life to those who believe, but to those who do not believe, it's a saver of death. That's what the Bible says. It's not my responsibility to save anyone. I can't save them, you can't save them, only Christ can save them. We can't save anyone. But it is our responsibility to get the gospel out. It is our responsibility to get the message out. It is our responsibility to preach it, teach it, and share it all over the world. What a blessing it is to see a Chinese seafarer who's never seen a Bible take that Bible and just immediately open it and begin reading. I have seen them stand there or sit there as long as I was on the ship, and even after I left and was looking up, they were still reading that Bible. Oh, that we would have some people in America who would savor that, who would want that, but they do. It happens over and over on the Chinese ships. They've not seen a Bible. They're cracking down on it even more now in China. They do not want Christians. They do not want Christians. And there are certain tribes of people in China who are Christian people and they are actually exterminating them, just as happened during World War II to many of the Jews. So we need to get the gospel out. We're to preach the gospel to every creature. We're not to cull anyone. Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight. Mark 16, 15 says this. And he said unto them, go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to the elect. Is that what it says? No. Go ye and preach the gospel Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. I've had people say, well God knows who his people are and we don't need to preach. Oh yes we do, we need to preach the gospel. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Preach it. Get the gospel out. Be involved in missions at home and abroad. We need to fulfill our responsibility of the Great Commission by doing what we're told to do. And I'm telling how many times that my nanny would tell me, boy, don't you remember what I told you to do? Have y'all ever heard that? Remember what I told you to do? Well, the Lord has told us what to do in Acts 1 and verse 8. but ye, Acts 1 verse 8, but ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto me, both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and here it is again, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. How can you here at Wright City be witnesses to the uttermost parts of the earth? You support mission. Amen? And? I like the title, I like the name, Ship to Shore, Regions Beyond, getting the gospel out, getting the word out. And then we find that it is a message for the lost Jew and the lost Gentile. It's for all people. It is a message for the world, for every, 1. Colossians chapter 3, verses 11 and 12. Colossians 3, 11 and 12 tells us that this message, this gospel is for all of the world, not just for one race, one nation, one color, it is for the world. Colossians 3 and verses 11 and 12, where it says, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian or Scythian, bond or free, but Christ is all in all and in all. And then it says, put on therefore as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, Humbleness of mind, meekness, and long-suffering. I know some mean people who say they're Christians. They're not meek, they're not humble. They're mean. And that's not the way we are to be. We are to have a sweet spirit. Beloved, we are the beloved of God. Let's be a beloved people to others as well. And that's to be to the Jew first and also to the Greek. I like reading after Charles Spurgeon. I think anybody that reads likes Spurgeon. And Spurgeon said this. The descent of the Son of God into the world as a savior implied that man needed to be delivered from a great evil by a divine hand. He goes on to say, the pardon for human sin supposed men to be guilty, greatly guilty, and to be incapable of procuring pardon by doing of his own. We're that bad. We're that far off. If the mission did not refer to the guilty, and that's the work of the gospel, it was an unnecessary errand altogether that God would send his son as far as we can see. And then he closes by saying, what justifies the incarnation except man's ruin? Why would Christ come to earth, take on a body, and live that sinless life and die as he did for sinners and rise again if, if, if it was not for, man's ruined. Man's ruined without Christ, but he came that we'd be no longer ruined, amen? Ephesians 3, verses six and seven. Ephesians 3, verses six and seven emphasizes what we've just read. that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, not just the Jews, but that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise by the gospel, whereof I was made a minister, Paul is speaking, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. When we talk about this, we're talking about all nations, all tribes and peoples need to hear the gospel. And woe unto us if we preach not the gospel. A friend of mine, Brother Gladwin Carpenter, he said, I don't know what that woe is and I don't wanna find out. Woe is any church that does not preach the gospel. Any people who do not emphasize the gospel Although the gospel is the best message that mankind could ever have, there are many who seldom proclaim it. There are a lot of folks who never share the gospel, never get the gospel out. 1 Corinthians 9 and verse 16, the Bible says there, for though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of, for necessity is laid upon me, Yea, woe, there it is, woe is me if I preach not. The gospel necessity is on us. It is necessary that we get the gospel out. We also find that God chose, and this is not the way I would do it, but this is the way it's done, and God's in control. He chose the foolishness of preaching to save them which were lost. So we are to preach the word. Preachers ought to preach. And the world sees our preaching as foolishness. And sometimes they'll tell you that, oh, you old foolish preacher. 1 Corinthians chapter one and verse 17. And Paul, and I didn't understand this verse real good, I Corinthians 117, until about, well, 10 years ago. Paul had a different work. And it says here, in I Corinthians 117, for Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with the wisdom of words, but the cross of Christ should be made, that the cross, that the, let me go back and look at this. For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. I don't baptize many people anymore. I give the gospel, and he has sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel to all the world. If I am asked to baptize someone, then I do that under the authority of the Elliott Baptist Church. I have that ability. I've only done that once. And it was a gate watchman who wanted to be baptized. He trusted Christ as his savior. I got in touch with the church and told them of his desire. They gave me the authority. They've given me the authority by sending me out. And the church that he was to join, we talked to their pastor, and they said, yes, we will allow you to baptize, and he'll be a member of our church. I don't think there's a problem there, Brother Wayne. It's under authority. And now Chris is a good member at the Pioneer Baptist Church. But that's the only time I've baptized in a long time. He sent me not to baptize, but I am to preach the gospel. I am to get the gospel out all over the world. That's what I am to do. The Holy Spirit makes the gospel real to those who come to hear it with a heart opened by God and eyes made to see it by the Spirit. Romans 10, nine, that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. That's what the Bible says. But we're bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. That amazes me. It amazes me. God working, God moving, God leading. And so I ask you tonight, have you received the Christ of the gospel? Have you received the Savior? the one who took our place, the one who knew no sin but became sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God. For he, that's God, made him, that's Jesus, to be sin for us who knew no sin that we, sinners, might be the righteousness of God through him. What a message, what a message. John 1 and verse 12. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God. To them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. Do you believe on his name? Do you believe that Christ died for you? Which were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. As many as received him. I encourage you, receive him tonight. Look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Let's stand together. Brother Wayne will come. We'll have our verse of invitation tonight. trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ. The message is a wonderful message. Although the messenger may be feeble, the message is powerful. It's a powerful message. And I'm concerned about those who do not know the Lord. Oh, that you might see tonight that Christ is a wonderful Savior, and that you might believe, even tonight, only believe, only believe, only trust Him, only trust Him, only trust Him now, brother Wayne.