We would warmly invite you to come and join us to learn more about the Christian Gospel. We would love for you to come and learn what the Bible teaches, who Christ is, and how to be a sinner each day. through the Lord Jesus Christ. We, as a church, proclaim the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. And I'm here because we care about you. We care about you and therefore we bring you this morning the good news of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. What is the gospel? The word gospel simply means good news. Good news. I'm going to read to you a few verses from 1 Corinthians 15, verses 3 and 4. Here we find the gospel in a summary form. The apostle Paul writes, For I have delivered unto you, first of all, that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried and then he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. This is the word of God. Now what is the gospel? Very simply, the gospel is the good news of the person and work of Jesus Christ. The gospel is the good news Jesus Christ, as we just read from 1 Corinthians 15, all tells us what the Gospel is. And if we consider those two verses, we will do so under two simple headings, two questions that I want to answer today. The first question is, who is Jesus Christ? The second question, what has he done for us and for our salvation? The Gospel is a Good news of the person and work of Jesus Christ. And so who is Jesus and what he has done? So the first question then, who is Jesus Christ? Well, Paul writes here in 1 Corinthians 15 verse 3, For I have delivered unto you, first of all, that which I also received, now that Christ Jesus Christ is more than a mere man. He is more than a good religion teacher. He is more than a prophet. John chapter 1 verse 1 The beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made. That was made. Yes, dear friends, the Apostle John tells us that Jesus Christ was in the beginning with God. before there was anything, before there was anything created. Jesus Christ walks with the Father. That tells us that Jesus Christ is eternal. He is not a created being. He is eternal with God from all eternity. All things were made by Jesus Christ, which means that Jesus Christ is not the Creator. Jesus Christ is the Creator God, who with the Father and the Spirit made the heavens and the earth. Jesus Christ is God. eternally existing with the Father and with the Spirit. The Bible also tells us that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God. John chapter 1 and verse 18 says, No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father. He hath declared Him. the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father. But Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. When the Bible says that Jesus is the only begotten Son, it's not saying that Jesus was created, or that Jesus became the Son of God. The Bible teaches that Jesus is the Son from all eternity. He is the second person of the Trinity. And from all eternity, Jesus Christ is in the bosom of the Father. He is in intimate communion with the Father. Jesus Christ and the Father are equal. They are two distinct persons, but they are the same in substance, equal in power and glory. Well, dear friends, the only God who exists, the only God is the God of the Bible, and He is triune. God is triune. There is one God who eternally exists in three persons. Three persons in one essence. 1 John 5, 7 says, For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one. There is one God, one essence, and there are three distinct persons. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. And Jesus Christ is the Son of God. The second, that's right ma'am, the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is the second person of the Trinity. The eternal Son of God. He is begotten, not made. He is very God of very God. being the same in substance with the Father, and by Him were all things made, who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and became a man. and was born of the Virgin Mary. So dear friends, as we answer that first question, who is Jesus Christ? The answer is that Jesus Christ is very God and very man. Jesus Christ is the second person of the Trinity, the eternal Son of God, physical with the Father and the Spirit. And in the fullness of the time, this glorious Christ, very God of very God, this glorious Christ became a man. So John says in John 1 verse 14, and the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. The eternal Word, Jesus Christ, became a man. The Word was made flesh. Two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ, who is God, He became a man. He was born of the Virgin Mary. 1 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 16 says, God was manifest in the flesh. Yes, dear friends, God was manifest in the flesh. Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. He is the God-man. very God and very man. The only Redeemer of God's elect is the Lord Jesus Christ, who, being the eternal Son of God, became a man, and so was and continueth to be God and man in two distinct natures, and one person forever. Jesus Christ is the God-man, and salvation is found in Him alone. Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." We live in a pluralistic society, where we are told that truth is relative. You can have your truth, I can have my truth, but dear friends, that is not truth. Do you know what Jesus said in John 14 and verse 6? Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation. There is no salvation outside of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is the only Savior of sinners. you today from Holy Trinity Presbyterian Church, a local Bible-believing congregation in Fort Lauderdale. Now secondly, the second question that we're seeking to answer is, what has Jesus done? What did Jesus do for us and for our salvation? Jesus Christ is God, and He became a man. Why did He come in this world? Why did Jesus become a man? Why was Jesus born of the Virgin Mary in the little town of Bethlehem? Well, the Bible tells us, especially this verse that I'm holding up for you today, from 1 Timothy 1, verse 15, the Apostle Paul tells us why Jesus Christ came. Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Yes, dear friends, this is the good news of the gospel. Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, who became a man and was born of the Virgin Mary, He came into the world to save sinners, sinners like you and me. But the question is, how did He save us? What did He do for us and for our salvation? Dear friends, the Bible tells us, the Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15, the verses that I read earlier, for I have delivered unto you, first of all, that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins. Did you hear that, friends? Jesus died for our sins. How did Jesus save us? By dying on the cross for our sins. Dear friends, you and I, we are sinners. The Bible says in Romans chapter 3, as it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one. There is none that understandeth. There is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way. They are together become unprofitable. There is none that doeth good, no, not one. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We are all sinners. We have broken the law of God. We are under the wrath of God. And the Bible says that the wages of sin is death. The soul that sins, it shall die. This is the reason we die. Because we are sinners. We are part of the ultimate statistic. Ten out of ten people die. The reason we die is because We are sinners. We have broken the law of God. And if God gives us justice, we would all be in hell. Because that's what we deserve. God is holy. He is light. In Him there is no darkness at all. And we are lawbreakers. We are sinners. This is the bad news. But the good news is that Jesus Christ died for our sins. Jesus Christ died for our sins. When Jesus went to the cross, He did not die for His own sins. He had none. Jesus Christ is the innocent, perfect, righteous Lamb of God. When Jesus went to the cross, He took our sins upon Himself. Our punishment. upon themselves. The punishment that we deserve was placed upon the Lord Jesus Christ. We died for our sins according to the scriptures. This is the message that the Old Testament teaches as well. The Old Testament tells us that the Messiah Jesus Christ was bruised for our iniquity. He was crushed for our transgressions. And with His strife, We are healed. Jesus died for our sins according to the scriptures. Dear friends, do you understand the significance of the cross? As Jesus hung on the cross, the wrath of God was poured upon Him. Even though Jesus never sinned, He is the sinless, righteous Lamb of God, but He died as our substitute. In our place, Jesus died on the cross, and He satisfied the justice of God. The perfect justice of God was satisfied by the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, the once and for all sacrifice, and Jesus shed His blood and died on the cross for our sins, the Bible says. And then Paul goes on to say that he was buried. Jesus Christ was buried. Why is it significant that Christ was buried? What does the burial of Jesus Christ teach us? Jesus would bury to prove that he really died. Jesus Christ didn't faint on the cross and then later regain his consciousness and came out of the tomb. No, no. He really died on the cross. And his dead body was buried, was put in the tomb. Jesus was buried. But then Paul goes on to say, that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. Dear friends, this is the good news of the Gospel, of the risen Savior that we bring to you. The Lord Jesus Christ, who died on the cross not for His own sins, He had none, but for our sins. That same Jesus was buried, but on the third day He rose again from the dead. Jesus Christ is the Risen Savior. This is what separates Christianity from all false religions. All the religions of the world have dead gods and dead saviors. But only Jesus Christ is the Risen Savior. Muhammad is dead. Buddha is dead. Joseph Smith is dead. But Jesus Christ died and rose again from the dead. And Jesus declares in John 11 and verse 25, I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die." Dear friends, if you hear those words, then Jesus declares that He is the resurrection and the life. And if you trust in Him, you will not perish, but you will have eternal life. I bring to you today the good news of the empty tomb, the good news of the risen Savior, that Jesus Christ is risen, He is the resurrection and the life, and therefore He alone can save you. from your sin and misery. Jesus alone can save you from the curse of the law. You broke the law of God and I broke the law of God, but Jesus paid the penalty for our sins. He died on the cross and he was buried, but on the third day he Jesus Christ rose again from the dead. And so, as I conclude, the first question that we answered was, who is Jesus Christ? The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is God. The second person of the Trinity, the eternal Son of the Father, who became a man 2,000 years ago, and was born of the Virgin Mary. Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. He is the only begotten Son of God. who came into the world to save sinners. And then secondly, the question we ask is, what did Jesus do for our salvation? How did he save us? And the Bible tells us that he saved us by dying on the cross for our sins and rising again on the third day. Jesus lived a perfect life of obedience, a perfect life of law-keeping, and then He went to the cross as our substitute and took upon Himself our punishment and satisfied the demands of the law and the justice of God. Jesus paid the penalty for our sins and then He was buried and then on the third day He rose again from the dead. And so I will conclude by asking this last question. What must you do to be saved? How can you appropriate or receive the benefits of the salvation that Christ has accomplished? How can you receive what Jesus has done on the cross. The only answer to that question is faith, and faith alone. Believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. This is the good news of the Gospel. John 3.16, For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. If you believe upon the Son of God, If you rest in Christ alone for your salvation, you will not perish, but have everlasting life. Romans 5 says, For scarcely for a righteous man will one die. Yet for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commended His own love toward us in that while we were dead sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 6.23 says, For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 10.9 says, If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, the dead, thou shalt be saved. If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Dear friends, this is the good news of the Gospel, and I plead with you, repent and believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Repent, turn from your wicked ways, and turn to the Savior, Jesus Christ. And if you trust in Him, you will not perish, but have everlasting life. Jesus calls you, come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am weak and gentle of heart, and you shall find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Dear friends, trust in Jesus Christ. If you trust in Him, You will not perish in hell, but you will receive eternal life and the forgiveness of your sins. As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children, the sons and daughters of God. Believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. We would love to to give you more information about the Christian Gospel. If you don't have a Bible, we would love for you to get a copy of the Bible, and we warmly invite you to come and join us tomorrow, the Lord's Day, the day that Jesus rose again from the dead, as we gather at 10 a.m. to worship the Lord Jesus Christ. We would love for you to come and learn about the Christian Gospel, And we are here to help you. And we are here because we care about you. Please repent and believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ. And thou shalt be saved. May God bless His Word to our hearts. Thank you.