THE GLORIOUS MESSAGE OF THE
GOSPEL
By Pastor Nick Bibile
Unedited
THE MODERN DAY
SUGAR COATED GOSPEL
The word
"gospel" is translated from the Greek "euaggelos," which means
"good news." Basically almost every church-going Christian knows that the gospel
means good news. However, due to the weak doctrine that comes from most of the pulpits,
the true meaning of the gospel is lost today. We are living in days where the average
Christian has a weak understanding of the gospel. Some may have a zealous for evangelism,
witnessing, and making disciples. However, the true gospel is not presented and as a
result the churches are packed with truly unconverted people who have a form of
Christianity outside but are not truly regenerated. A weak gospel cannot save anybody and
no wonder the churches are packed today with unconverted souls. Today the church is
evaluated by the numbers of people, how large is the church building and by the wealth of
the church. Jesus said, "If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.
As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is
why the world hates you." (John 15:19) Listen my friend, if you give a worldly
gospel, the world would love to hear so it would make them feel religious. But if you
preached the gospel that convicts the sinner, many will leave the church. Jesus said,
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads
to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that
leads to life, and only a few find it." (Mat. 7:13-14) There are many gospels but
there is only one true gospel. Only the true gospel can save.
The most common way
to approach the sinner is to tell them that "God loves you and has a wonderful plan
for you, admit you are a sinner, repeat the sinners prayer and you will be saved" The
evangelist or the pastor at the end of the sermon will tell the people to raise their
hand, come forward and to say a prayer to accept Christ Jesus. My friend, where is the
true conviction of sin? Is the sinner seriously convicted of his guilt, the terror and the
consequence of sin? This is not how the apostles preached the gospel, nor the reformers or
the puritans. They all preached repentance first to convict the sinner, then after
salvation the believer realizes the love of God.
It was Charles
Finney who brought human efforts and human manipulation to the church, and today our
theology is shaped by the influence of Charles Finney (1792-1875). Finney was a Pelagian,
and denied the original sin. Charles Finney was an evangelist and became very popular in
THE GOSPEL IN
SCRIPTURE
1Co 15:1-2 ~ Moreover, brethren, I
declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and
wherein ye stand; by which also you are saved... (Salvation is found only by the
gospel)
Mk 1:1 ~ The
beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; (Without Jesus Christ there is
no gospel)
Lu 4:18 ~ The Spirit of the Lord
is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me
to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight
to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. (Christ's mission was to preach
the gospel)
Ro 1:1 ~
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of
God. (The priority in the church is not the programs or the building projects but
preaching the gospel.)
1Co
Mk
Mk
Ro
Ro
1Co
2Co 11:4 ~ For if he that cometh
preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which
ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear
with him. (There is a counterfeit gospel which looks like the original.)
Gal 1:6 ~ I marvel that ye are so
soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: (The
gospel is of grace and any form of works cannot be added to the grace of the gospel. The
false gospel will send people to hell.)
Gal 1:8 ~ But
though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we
have preached unto you, let him be accursed. (Satan can transform into an angel of
light and can come to preach another gospel)
1Th 2:8 ~ So being affectionately
desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only,
but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us. (The preacher's lifestyle should
confirm the gospel)
Mt 24:14 ~ And this gospel of the
kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall
the end come. (The gospel is not to be kept but to be shared to all the nations.)
THE BAD NEWS
There is no good
news without the bad news. The problem with the modern church today is that the gospel is
presented to the sinner as a means to solve their immediate problems and to meet their
practical needs. As a result there is no true repentance and holy living before the Lord.
God is being presented as a very loving person who understands and loves the sinners,
gives bear hugs to the sinners and winks at their sins. But my friend this is not the God
of the Bible. The God of the Bible is the almighty all-powerful God whom we need to
worship in reverence. Today there is no fear of God and no respect for God. No wonder
today's children do not have any respect for the parents as they do not have a concept of
God.
GOD IS INFINITELY
HOLY
Pr
Hebrews 12:14. ~
Holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. Isa 6:3 ~ And one cried unto another,
and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
The God of heaven is
infinitely holy and when man confronts the presence of God he should tremble in his sins.
In the above scripture we see that the attribute of God's holiness is elevated to the
third degree as he is called holy three times. In the Hebrew culture when a word is
repeated two times, like when Jesus said, "Truly, truly I say unto you...." it
means absolutely truly. But when a word is repeated to the third degree it means it is
elevated to the infinite degree. Isaiah was the prophet for the nation. He was the best
man in the town. But when he saw the infinite holiness of God with all his glory, Isaiah
did not say 'I am blessed as I have seen the Lord with all his holiness,' but he said,
"Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the
midst of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts." (Isaiah
6:5)
Isaiah, the man of
God, in the presence of God's dazzling holiness saw how filthy he was and said, "I am
undone." meaning 'I am ruined.' The man of God who proclaimed the word of God with
his lips, now saw that his lips were unclean, and not only his but all the people around
him were unclean also.
We are like Isaiah
and we believe we are good, upright, just, wise and holy until we are confronted by
holiness of God. Then we realize that we are unholy, unrighteous, full of pride, impure,
prone to hypocrisy, utterly defiled, and we deserve judgment and punishment. In the Old
Testament when the holy men of God saw the presence of God they trembled in fear.
"Let not God speak to us, lest we die" (Ex. 20:19). But today there is no fear
of the lord but laughter, and they even call it a holy laughter.
FALL OF MAN
Gen 3:3 ~ But of the
fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of
it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
Adam was righteous
and perfect before God as he was created in the very image of God. He had a free will to
obey or disobey God, as he was made perfect. But when Adam and Eve sinned they fell from
their original righteousness and communion with God. Just like God said, they became dead
in sin, and then sin polluted all parts, the soul, will and the body. Adam was the federal
head of the human race, so through Adam sin came to all humanity.
Romans 3:23 ~ For
all have sinned and fall short of the glory God...
Romans 5:12 ~
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus
death spread to all men, because all sinned.
We need to
understand that disobedience to God is a heinous crime. Adam and Eve revolted against the
authority of God, abandoned the commandment of God, as pride was the beginning of evil.
They despised the word of God; all reverence for God was gone. They did not honor God's
majesty. There was ambition and pride as they wanted to become like god. Man obeyed the
blasphemies of Satan. Is man a sinner because he sins? Absolutely not. Man is a sinner
because he is a sinner. the sin is inherent in us and it is the sin that is in us that
makes us to be sinners. David
said,
"Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me."
(Psalm 50:5) You do not have to teach a child to sin; he knows it already and he loves to
be disobedient because it is in him. "For I know that nothing good lives in me, that
is in my sinful nature..."(Romans 7:18)
THE LAW OF GOD
The law is given
because there are law breakers. If you see too many policeman in a particular town, that
means there are too many law breakers. We believe that we are good, compared to the
criminals. But the law of God showed that I am a sinner. The more light the greater guilt.
When the law comes home to the soul it is like light in a dark room revealing the dust and
the dirt which else had been unperceived. It is the test which detects the presence of the
poison of sin in the soul. Read the ten commandments and tremble as you read them., They
do not merely touch the outward act, but penetrate into the inner motive and deal with the
heart, the mind, the soul.
As we saw
previously, God is infinitely holy and righteous. God's holiness and righteousness in
manifested in the Ten Commandments, the law of God. As God is perfect so the law that came
from God is perfect. (Ps 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the
testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.) The only way we can make it to
heaven is to have a holiness and the righteousness equal to that of God. We need to be
absolutely holy, in observing and practicing every bit of the law. But we have failed
miserably and violated God's laws; we have sinned against the almighty God. Can we go to
heaven with our sins? No, because God will not live among the sinners. "You are not a
God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot dwell." (Psalm 5:4) And
God's eyes are too pure to look and approve evil. (Habakkuk 1:3) We need to be infinitely
righteous to be with the infinitely righteous God. God gave man the law and said, in Lev.
19:2 "Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them,
Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy." That means we need to live in
perfect holiness without any form of sin, keeping the entire law of the Old Testament and
not even sinning against the Lord ignorantly. "And if the whole congregation of
Israel sin through ignorance, and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly, and they
have done somewhat against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which
should not be done, and are guilty;" (Lev. 4:13) James said, "For whoever shall
keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all of it" (James
2:10)
Today the church is
hesitant in preaching the law. The law and the gospel go together. The law is God's
perfection. The law is the standard that all are going to be measured by. It is the
perfection and the glory of God. How have we measured up to the glory of the law? Romans
3:23 says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory God." The law is a
double edged sword that strips the sinner and show him his sinfulness.
One day a man came
to Jesus and said the following. And, behold, one came and said unto him, "Good
Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?" (Mt 19:16)
If this man came
today and asked the same question from an average Christian what will the Christian say?
Of course the modern day average Christian will say, "You want eternal life, that is
very easy, just say the sinners prayer and you will be saved." But Jesus went to the
law, and wanted to show his if he had kept all of the law. He saith unto him,
"Which?" Jesus said, "Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit
adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honor thy father and
thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." The young man saith unto
him, "All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?" Jesus
said unto him, "If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the
poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me." But when the
young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. (Mt
19:18-22)
Now what is the sin
of the young man? He had violated the first commandment, "You shall have no other
gods before me." The young man's god was his treasure. He thought he was a pretty
good person, then the law came and stripped him and showed his sinfulness. What does the
law do? It strips the sinner and shows his sins. We become conscious of sin by the Law. In
reality we have sinned against God in thought, by our speech, and by actions. Jesus
exposed the law and the inability of man to keep the law when he said, "You have
heard that it was said to those of old, You shall not commit adultery, But I say to you
whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his
heart." (Mat.5:27) Man sees the result of sin but God sees the cause for sin. The Law
condemned us and showed us to be guilty before the Lord.
When a person breaks
the law, he is indebted to the authorities of the law. He needs to pay the price of
breaking the law. Our human authorities are finite and the penalty is finite. But God is
infinite and the penalty is infinite as we have broken the law and the debt we owe to God
is an infinite payment. We lay powerless to pay the debt and sinned against the almighty
God.
MAN IS GUILTY BEFORE
GOD.
Man was born with
sin, and there is no way he can save himself, as God said, "Can the Ethiopian change
his skin or the leopard its spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing
evil." (Jeremiah 13:23)
When someone is
charged with a crime, he is brought to court before the Judge. But our crime is not
against just someone but against the Judge himself. He is not just a human Judge but the
God Almighty, the Judge of the Universe. How can we escape from the Judge as we stand
guilty before the Judge. We have robbed God's authority as we want to do our will, and
have sin against him by being disobedient.
What shall we
conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews
and Gentiles alike are all under sin. As it is written: "There is no one righteous,
not even one; There is no one who understands no one who seeks God. All have turned away,
they have together become worthless." (Romans 3:9-10) The Apostle Paul goes on to say
that the whole world stand guilty before God. (Romans 3:19) "If we say that we have
no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we say we have no sin, we
make God a liar." (1 John 1:10)
JUSTICE OF GOD
When we understand
how seriously we have hurt God and we feel terrified of God's justice. How can he pardon
my sins? Because my sins cry out for punishment. How can I escape his righteous wrath? God
will punish the sinner. The door to heaven is shut, and waiting for the dreadful day of
the judgment of God. A day will come when God will judge all the secret thoughts and
actions of men. The day of judgment is coming. "Just as man is destined to die once,
and after that to face judgment..." (Heb. 9:27)
Then I saw a great
white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there
was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne,
and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were
judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead
that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person
was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake
of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in
the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11-15)
The result is the
wrath of God. God will punish the sinners in hell. But isn't God loving and merciful? Yes,
but also God will not compromise with sin. The Lord will not leave the guilty go
unpunished. (Nahum 1:3) If the judge in your town or city allows all the law breakers to
go free, while telling the community, "I am a loving and a good judge, that's why I
am allowing the law breakers to go free," then is he really a good judge? No, a good
judge will punish the lawbreakers. God is the Judge of the Universe and he will punish the
sinners. "God is a righteous judge, a God who expresses his wrath everyday."
(Psalm 7:11) Let us not forget how the justice of God was displayed during the time of the
flood, and how God rained fire and brimstone out of heaven upon man's sin, and how the
earth opened her mouth to swallow the lawbreakers, how the Lord buried Nineveh and how God
slew Ananias and Sapphira. God is just and sin must be punished.
God is infinitely
holy His punishment will be infinite. If God is less holy then His punishment will be
less. And if God is not holy then there will be no punishment. That is why the cults and
the other religions will not believe in hell, as their gods are not holy. If you sin
against a very poor man, you may be able to get away with a very small punishment or no
punishment at all. But if you sin against the richest, the most popular man in the world,
everyone will know and the punishment will be much greater. In the same way God owns the
universe and He is infinitely powerful and righteous and sin against him deserves an
infinite punishment. Hell is a place of unquenchable fire, where the sinners will be
tormented in their bodies and minds for eternity. Every part of the body will be tormented
at the same time.
We saw in our
natural nature we were unrighteous before God as Apostle Paul said, "There is no one
righteous, not even one, there is no one who understands, no one seeks God. All have
turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good not even
one." (Romans 3:10-12)
We could not become
righteous by observing the law but we are lawbreakers and guilty before God. How
desperately we needed righteousness to go to heaven, but without righteousness we are lost
and on the way to the lake of fire.
SAVED FROM THE WRATH
OF GOD.
The Divine wrath and
vengeance of God, and eternal death, were upon us. We deserved horrible destruction and
were exposed to the curse of eternal death. We were without any hope of salvation, the
slaves of Satan, and captives under the slavery of sin, waiting for that horrible
destruction. Is it possible, then, that the sinner cannot be saved?
Then the horrible
destruction was interrupted as Christ came in between God and man and took the punishment
and the destruction upon Himself. He bore the judgment that was upon us, and with His own
blood He satisfied the anger of God toward the sinners and found peace between God and
men. Oh! the grand discovery of the gospel, the good news! the justice of God that was
angry with the sinner and now that justice is satisfied and have become the sinner's
advocate. Oh! how we can appreciate the good news and give glory to the Lord for the
salvation He has provided us as we now can understand that we are saved not from our
immediate problems, but saved from the wrath of God. Salvation means we are saved from the
wrath of God.
1Th 1:10 ~ And to
wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us
from the wrath to come.
Rom. 5:9 ~ Much more
then, having been justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
THE UNRIGHTEOUS WERE
MADE RIGHTEOUS
"BUT now a
righteousness from God, apart from the LAW has been made known to which the Law and the
Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all
who believe." (Romans 3:21)
The power of the
gospel is that it can make the unholy man into a saint; it can make the drug addict, the
drunkard, the thief, the adulterer and the self-righteous into a righteous man. Remember
Jesus' first miracle
was to turn water into wine. He came to turn the sinners into saints, the unrighteous into
righteousness. This is the power of the gospel.
"I am not
ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation of everyone who
believes; first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from
God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to the last, just as it is
written: The righteous will live by faith." (Romans 1:16-17)
JESUS FULFILLED THE
LAW FOR US
Jesus was born
without the inherited sin of Adam. He became our substitute and represented us. As our
representative, He fulfilled the Law which we have broken. He satisfied the justice of
God, and with sweat, tears, pain, agony and blood he fulfilled the law.
"Do not think
that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but
to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest
letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until
everything is accomplished." (Matt. 5:17-18)
We did not bring
glory to God, but brought dishonor as we lived in disobedience. But on the other hand
Jesus as our representative became obedient to the Father and brought glory to His name as
He accomplish the work of God.
"My food is to
do the will of him who sent me and to finish the work." (John 4:34)
"For just as
through the disobedience of one man the many were made sinners, also through the obedience
of one man the many were made righteous." (Romans 5:19)
"...because by
one sacrifice he has made perfect for ever those who are being made holy." (Hebrews
10:14)
"It is
finished." (John 19:30)
"I have brought
you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do." (John 17:4)
THE IMPUTATION OF
CHRIST'S RIGHTEOUSNESS
An imputation is
charging to another account. At the cross the guilt and the penalty due to us were imputed
(charged, or credited) to the account of Jesus. Then the righteousness of Jesus was
imputed (credited) to our account. Now we have become righteous, and it is not our
righteousness but a righteousness that is outside of us and that is the righteousness of
Jesus. For the Son of God, though spotlessly pure, took upon him the disgrace that was due
to us and transferred his righteousness and holiness to us.
We broke the law and
we deserved the curse, while Christ kept the law and He deserved the blessing. But the
curse and the blessing was exchanged as the curse due to us was imputed to Christ and the
blessing that was due to Christ was imputed to us! Oh! my friend, the justice of God which
was the great barrier to the salvation of sinners, does not stand as a barrier anymore.
Now the sinner can be pardoned, justified through the blood of Jesus Christ!
"God made him
who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of
God." (2 Corinthians 5:21) Also in Romans 4:22-24, the apostle wrote, "written
not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness for us who
believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead."
"Oh, hear that
piercing cry! What can its meaning be? 'My God! my God! oh! why hast thou In wrath
forsaken me?' "Oh 'twas because our sins On him by God were laid; He who himself had
never sinn'd, For sinners, sin was made."
Christ was not
guilty, and could not be made guilty; but he was treated as if he were guilty, because he
willed to stand in the place of the guilty. Yes, he was not only treated as a sinner, but
he was treated as if he had been sin itself in the abstract. This is an amazing utterance.
The sinless one was made to sin. In the Garden of Gethsemane, where he "sweat as it
were great drops of blood falling to the ground." The full pressure of it came upon
him when he was nailed to the cross. There in the hours of darkness he bore infinitely
more than we can tell. We know that he bore condemnation from the mouth of a man, so that
is written, "He was numbered with the transgressors." We know that he bore shame
for our sakes. Our hearts should tremble, when, they spit on his face. It was the most
cruel thing to do upon the most holy person. Oh! the love of Christ to the believer, that
we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Oh this weighty text! No man living can
exhaust it. Who could ever get to the bottom of this statement.
We are said to be
"made righteousness." What is more, we are not only made righteousness, but we
are made "the righteousness of God. "This is a great mystery. The righteousness
which Adam had in the garden was perfect, but it was the righteousness of man: ours is the
righteousness of God. Human righteousness failed; but the believer has a divine
righteousness which can never fail!
SAVED BY GRACE ALONE
Almost all
professing Christians believe that salvation is by grace. There are many preachers who
speak on the grace of God but when you analyze their grace there is works involved in it
and that is not grace.
For it is by grace
you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God --
not by works, so that no one can boast. (Eph. 2:8-9)
Some try to lay hold
upon salvation by grace through the use of ceremonies; but it will not do. You are
christened, confirmed, and caused to receive "the holy sacrament" from priestly
hands, or you are baptized, join the church, sit at the Lord's table; this is not grace my
friend, you are depending on your works for salvation. Salvation is given to us, not
earned by us. God does not owe us anything. So salvation is not a reward but of grace.
Grace is the unmerited favor of God. Grace is free! Grace is unconditional! Anything
earned, merited, or deserved by you s not grace. The man who thinks he deserves God's
salvation does not believe in grace. The person who believes that his acceptance by God
depends upon his works, does not believe in grace.
Many Christians
believe that we are saved because of our faith in God. If this is true, man has something
to boast about in his faith toward God for salvation. But the apostle goes on to say this
faith is not from ourselves but is the gift of God. My friend, listen very carefully, this
faith is not the product of man's free will and the power to accept Christ but the free
gift of God.
And if by grace,
then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then
is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. (Ro 11:6) Faith is a simple and utter
dependence and believing in the faithfulness of God, a dependence upon the promise of God,
because it is God's promise, and is worthy of dependence. It is a reliance with all our
might upon what God has said. This is faith, and every man who possesses this faith is
perfectly justified.
Repentance is to
leave The sins we loved before, And show that we in earnest grieve, By doing so no more.
Nothing in my hands
I bring,
Simply to thy
cross I cling;
Naked come to
Thee for dress;
Helpless look to
Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the
fountain fly,
Wash me,
Saviour, or I die.
(From the Hymn:
"Rock of Ages" by A.M.Toplady 1740-78)
Against thee, thee
only, have I sinned,
And done that
which is evil in thy sight;
That thou mayest
be justified when thou speakest,
And be clear
when thou judgest.
Behold, I was
brought forth in iniquity;
And in sin did
my mother conceive me.
[And] my tongue
shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
(Psalm 51:4-5)
CRY OUT FOR HIS
MERCY! INSTEAD OF HIS JUDGMENT
Two men went up into
the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and
prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as the rest of men,
extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week; I
give tithes of all that I get. But the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so
much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote his breast, saying, God, be thou merciful to me a
sinner.
I say unto you,
This man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that
exalteth himself shall be humbled; but he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. (Luke
18:10-14)
In this parable of
Jesus, we see the religious man was righteous in his own eyes and in front of others. He
was proud of himself and self-confident in approaching God. This self-confidence depended
on his works toward God. It was a prayer of thanks giving in order to exalt himself and
his own works.
But on the other
hand the tax collector stood far from the altar as he realized his unworthiness to come
closer to God. His prayer was short and different than the Pharisee. He trembled before
God as he realized he deserved the judgment of God. He saw how sinful he was in the
presence of the almighty holy and righteous God. He trembled in fear and beat his chest as
he realized he was guilty, filthy and deserved the wrath of God. It was a true confession
of sin, and he cried out for the mercy of God instead of the judgment.
Jesus' verdict was
the tax collector was justified, made righteous and went to heaven and not the religious
Pharisee. For whoever humbles himself before the Lord will be exalted. The tax collector
did not get saved by raising his hand, going forward in an altar call or repeating a
prayer, but by crying out to God in true repentance.
Now in conclusion, I
have tried to explain to you the "Glorious Message of the Gospel" in simple
terms. Now you can become God's friend instead of the enemy. If you are convinced of your
sin, my friend do not waste any time, go to your room, close the door cry on to God, and
confess your sins to him. Trust in the Lord Jesus for all what he did on the cross for
salvation. Now you will have peace with God which the world cannot give, and which the
world cannot take away. Now you can hunger and thirst for God's righteousness, by having a
deep passion for his Word, communicate to him through prayer. God who was so far away, can
become your heavenly Father.
"I am the bread
of life. he who comes to me shall never hunger, and he who believes on me shall never
thirst." John 6:35,36.
"If any man
thirst, let him come to Me and drink - he who believes on Me - as the Scripture has said,
"Out of His innermost being shall flow rivers of water". John 7:37-38
Read God 's word
daily for your spiritual food and attend a church that teaches and practices the holiness
of God and will not compromise with sin. (We strongly recommend for you to write to us and
we will give a list of good churches in your area)
THE WRATH OF GOD FOR
THOSE WHO ARE UNREPENTANT
John 3:36 ~ He that
believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not
see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
If you don't trust
in the work of the lord for your salvation, God said in Isa 13:9 ~ Behold, the day of the
LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he
shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
Ro 1:18 ~ For the
wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men,
who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
IF YOU WISH TO SHARE
THE TRUTH OF THE GOSPEL, WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO MAKE COPIES OF THIS AND DISTRIBUTE FREELY.
PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE THE CONTENT OF THE MESSAGE. WE NEED CHRISTIAN WORKERS WHO WILL
TRANSLATE THE GLORIOUS MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL INTO DIFFERENT LANGUAGES, PLEASE CONTACT
Agape Chapel
Ministries
WE PROVIDE FREE
AUDIO TAPES AND FREE BOOKLETS, WITHOUT ASKING FOR MONEY, REMEMBER TO PRAY FOR THIS UNIQUE
MINISTRY.
PASTOR NICK BIBILE'S OTHER
SERMONS