But this series is called The Gospel, the gospel.
Now I do hope that you hear the gospel from this Pulpit every
week. I do hope that you hear about
Jesus and how he saves us. But, you know, whenever I and
whenever any of us preach, we really ask three questions, when
we come to prepare, our talk or indeed, think through a series,
and they are these three questions number one, what is
your word saying? What is your words saying?
Lord number two, how do we apply that to our lives?
And then this is the other question that I asked, why are
you telling us now about it? Because the reality is, is that
this is all amazing, is it not? But God speaks to us.
And highlights things, when we need to hear certain things.
And as I was praying through and thinking, through this new
series, The Gospel. I really felt as if God was
sent. You need to preach this Mark?
Why? I think there's a few reasons.
I think truly. We don't fully understand it.
We talked about the gospel and we saved by the gospel.
But do we truly understand what the gospel is?
Or should I be more specific and say Whom The Gospel is?
Do you understand the ramifications of it?
Are we bold and courageous in sharing the gospel?
Do we have fully understand how we can share it?
I also think another reason Is that quite frankly?
There is a force, there are many false gospel is being preached.
And I'm going to touch on some of those variations as we look
through this series. And lastly, I think when we
fully comprehend to the degree that we were able to in this
life, certainly it leads to praise and adoration and pouring
out. When we fully grasp the
magnitude of the Gospel, it causes us to fall on our knees.
And so I feel for those reasons, the Lord is leading us to look
at the gospel. And if I'm honest with you, I do
so with a level of trepidation because I recognize that I
cannot fully convey nor explain the magnificence of the Gospel
to us all. But I nevertheless Endeavor to
do so with the help of his spirit and I pray that this
would be edifying and lifting for you and to give you maybe
some fresh insight into the gospel.
So we often hear the word gospel.
We know we've heard that word gospel.
What does it actually mean? Well the gospel is an angolans
Anglo-Saxon word. That's taken from a Latin word
that essentially means good news.
Gospel means, good news. And we read the gospel accounts
of course, which is the good news.
But good news of what and of whom.
It's the question that I'm going to address.
And so the next few weeks I'm going to look at four areas.
We got four weeks or topics. This week's topic, is why do we
need a gospel? But why do we even need it?
What's the point of the good news?
Next, we're going to look at what is the power of the Gospel?
Then the third week is, how do we live by the gospel?
And by the way, that might be news to you, we're not just
saved by the gospel but we live by the gospel.
And we're going to unpack that. And then the final week is how
do we share the gospel? And if you have any questions,
I'd like to address question throughout the series so
questions. Such as, can you lose your
salvation is a great question. We appointed or not, do we have
free choice, do we not? I'm going to try and address a
lot of these questions through this series, but if you have any
questions, you would like to ask email office at The Vineyard
Church .co.uk and I will collect them.
And through the course of the four weeks, I will address your
questions office at The Vineyard Church. .Co.uk send me your
questions. So let's kick off with this
week. So why do we need a gospel?
Well, you see in one sense, the existence of good news in a Why
do we need this? Good news suggest that bad news
exists or has the potential to exist?
Follow me. That the existence of good news,
suggest that there is bad news or the potential for bad news.
We've heard the saying, haven't we?
I have good news and I have bad news.
It's that duality of news, isn't it?
Let me give you an example. You know, the doctor has given
me the all-clear. It's great news, why?
Because the opposite could have been true which is a bad news.
Or good news the car passes at Mighty.
Thank the Lord for that. Because the bad news was that,
well, it wasn't going to pass as mot and I would have had to
spend lots of money on the car. And there are many examples that
I know you have around that duality of good news and bad
news because if every news was good news there wouldn't be good
news with their, it will just been used.
So good news is contrasted by the bad news.
You see, this is what I want to unpack today.
You see, the gospel message, isn't a message of, I've got
better news for you. It's I've got great good news
for you. Now follow me with this often,
this is how the gospel is presenting presented.
I know you're a good person. I know you live a good life and
it's great for you. There's a better way.
That's not the gospel. Isn't it?
No. Where was the bad news in any of
that? Well then what's the point of a
better life? It's like that's not the gospel,
the gospel is not You're a good person.
I know you. Like I know that your life is
good at the moment, but it could be better than that.
If you sign up to Jesus, you'll get more comfort more things and
you're going to really have a lot of fun.
That is not the gospel message. But I would suggest that that is
the prevalent message these days.
I mean you go into any Christian book.
Shop is not that many of these days.
We buy online of course and you look at a row of books on the
gospel and most of them look like self-help books or coaching
books, how you can lead your best life?
I'm sorry to say. And listen if you're visiting I
don't always get like angst like this.
But that is not the gospel. We have watered it down so that
it is pleasing for people. It says in the scriptures that
in the last days people will be looking for doctrine that
tickles. Their is that pleases them but
it says in the scriptures, the gospel is offensive.
You know, and that's why I have a real problem with Seeker
sensitive churches. Don't offend people just water
down the truth to the point at which it's comfortable for them.
You find you want to do that. You're going to preach another
gospel. Don't mention thin.
Am I think that bad? Well, I'm sorry to say we are
all bad. Until we become New Creations in
Christ, Jesus. And we don't get me started.
I've got notes Here, I should follow.
See, the gospel is good because the good news exists because
there is bad news and the bad news is terrible news.
And for this week in answering the question of, why do we need
good news? I'm going to spend a lot of time
on the bad news. Sorry to say thank you.
Sally encouragement next week the week after and the week
after that, it will be much better entertainment in regard
of been good news. So if you're here, visiting you
must be here next week. Lest you leave?
This place in despair, okay? But I am trying to for us to
fully comprehend, how good the good Good news is and I can't do
that. If I don't tell you how bad the
bad news is otherwise, what's the flipping point?
You might as well go home? All right.
I said flipping, that's not a swear word, is it?
That is the extent of my bad language.
I have to say Let me use an illustration to Labour the
point. If I were to say to you Chris,
I've got a key for you and it unlocks and gives you lots of
freedom. And assuming Chris, doesn't yet
know Jesus, of course, he does. It would say, well, I don't need
the key. I'm free already have a great
life. You like their point.
What if I said I've got a key for you because what you don't
realize is, you are locked in a prison cell and you can't get
out. Then all of a sudden that key is
very valuable and that truly is good news.
You understand that illustration?
Jesus is the key, but if we don't realize we're locked up
then, who cares? I don't need Jesus.
My life is perfect. Right?
And so I would like us to start at the beginning Genesis because
it is in this place that we uncover the bad news and let's
turn together to look at Genesis chapter 3 is going to be on the
screen and if you are at home or and maybe mobile watching this
on your mobile phone, the the scripture will be on your screen
as well. It's a rather large portion of
scripture, but I decided that I would like to read it all.
And you'll see why later as we unpacked this fully.
Now, the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the
field that the Lord God had made.
He said to the woman did God actually, say you shall not eat
of the tree in the garden. The woman said to the serpent.
We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden but God said
You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst
of the garden. Neither shall you?
Touch it, lest you die. Serpent said to the woman, you
will not surely die for God knows that.
When you eat your eyes will be opened and you will be like God
knowing Good and Evil. so when the woman saw that the tree was
good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes and that the
tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit
and ate and she also gave some to her husband who was with her
and he ate then the eyes of both were opened and they knew that
they were naked and they sewed fig leaves together and made
themselves loin cloths loin cloths and they heard the sound
of the Lord. God Walking In The Garden.
In the cool of the day in the man.
And his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God
Among the Trees of the garden. Little God Called To The Man
said to him. Where are you?
Instead, I heard that the sound of you in the garden and I was
afraid because I was naked and I hid myself.
He said he told you that you were naked.
Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to
eat. The man said the woman whom you
gave to be with me. She gave me the fruit of the
tree and I ate and the Lord God said to the woman, what is this?
That you have done? The woman said, the serpent
deceived me and, and I ate The Lord God said to the serpent
because you have done this cursor, you above all.
Livestock and above all Beasts of the field on your belly.
You shall go and dust. You shall eat all the days of
your life. I will put enmity between you
and the woman and between your Offspring and The Offspring.
He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel.
The woman. He said, I will surely multiply
your pain in. Childbearing in your pain, you
shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to
your husband that he shall rule over you.
And Adam he said because you have listened to the voice of
your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you.
You shall not eat it. Cursed is the ground because of
you in pain, you shall eat of it all the days of your life thorns
and thistles it shall bring forth for you.
And you shall eat the plants of the field.
The field by the sweat of your face.
You shall eat bread till you return to the ground for out of
it. You were taken.
You were dust, and to dust you shall return.
The man called his wife name, Eve, because she was the mother
of all living. And the Lord God made for a
demand. For his wife, garments of skin
and clothed them. And the Lord God said, behold
the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil.
Now lest he reached out his hand and take also of the tree of
life and eat and live forever. Therefore the Lord God sent him
out from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he
was taken, he drove out. The man and at the east of the
Garden of Eden, he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword,
which turned every way to God, the way of the tree of life.
Oh my word. What an account, what a story,
And this is the Genesis of the bad news.
This is the start of the bad news.
And momentous events which changed the course of our
history. Adam and Eve.
Because of the pride. The sin of Pride disobeyed God
and sin, came into the world. And what was the impact?
Well, God says, in verse 5, you will die.
That didn't mean a physical death, although they were going
to die prematurely that was not the intent that they would see
Decay but a spiritual death occurred.
They were no longer able to have a relationship with God.
It says that in verse 7 to 13, they experience shame.
They experience guilt. Bitterness, who want towards
one? Another There was a curse placed
upon them and upon this Earth of decay.
And God drove them out. No longer.
Could they be in the presence of a holy?
God, that is pretty bad news if you ask me Now, at this point
you may say to me well I understand that I've obviously
heard that Mark, but the question you might be asking is
what's that got to do with me? I mean that was Adam and Eve to
be fair. I would have done that probably
would have But you know, why does that impact me today?
Like this is the 21st century. What has their action got
anything to do with my present reality?
Why is there bad news my bad news?
In order to answer this I'd like us to look at Romans five verse
12 and in this scripture Paul gives us the answer to this.
He says this therefore just as Sin came into the world through
one man. And death through sin.
And so, therefore death spread to all men because all sinned.
Now, Scholars, couldn't theologians call this the
doctrine of original sin. Original sin that sin that we
experience originated from Adam and as the seed of Adam, you see
we inherit that that is what Paul is saying.
You see, therefore just as Sin came into the world through one
man and death through sin, that is the consequence of sin and so
death, spread to all men, all men.
That's why. It's important to us today in
the 21st century because we are from Adam.
And as we find out next week, the good news.
Is that Jesus is the second Adam that where death had come
through. One man, life comes through
another man, Jesus. You see God the only way God
could solve this issue. Was sending Jesus, incarnate
fully, man. Fully God be our second.
Adam just either. And I want to tell you how bad
the news is. That we inherit this sin.
We inherit the impact and the consequences by the fact that we
come from Adam, right? We see in fact we see that
around us and I talked about this last week that we see the
world falling apart the planet Earth because it is under a
curse. Now, as I said net last week,
that doesn't mean that we don't have any responsibility to be
good stewards, of course we do. But we can't say this planet,
God is going to have to redeem this planet.
Just as his redeeming us But you see the curse is everywhere
around us, and the impact that we see the, the thickness that
we experience, the bitterness, the anger that lasts all of
these things are a result of the fact that we come from Adam that
sin is coming through. But it gets even worse than
that, really? That's pretty bad Mark or we get
to terrible. You see what we need to
understand is we are not merely affected by that sin.
But we are completely corrupted by it.
It's in the Bible. I'm going to show you in a
moment. But listen, I want us to I want
to drive the point home because the more I can get us to
understand how bad it is. The more the good news is
amazingly good. Every aspect of our nature, when
we are born our mind, our emotions, our will is Tainted by
sin. Meaning that we are unable to
save ourselves and perform good works because everything all our
righteous acts are as if filthy rags as Impossibles.
That is the state that we are brought into and I'll give you
another doctor in it's called the doctrine of total depravity.
That is what Scholars refer to as the impact of original sin.
We are totally depraved. Now, you might get a fence built
offended by that. I don't wish to offend I wish to
paint the picture that the Bible paints for us, which is when we
are born, not only are we born into the consequences of a
sinful world and the sinful flesh, but we need to be
recreated. We sing.
We Are New Creation in Christ Jesus.
Why do you think we think that because our Nature has been
corrupted and it needs to be a new No point telling people your
saviors, I will say from what? Why am I New Creation in Christ
Jesus? Because I'm afraid to say your
corrupted right now. What?
Hey, I was a sinner want to do. And now he's pretty hard, isn't
it? And yet, this is the gospel
message. Now, by the way, when we look at
sharing the gospel I'm not going to suggest to you.
That you walk up to your closest and dearest who don't know.
Jesus, there you are. Corrupted.
I'm not suggesting. That's how we present the gospel
in word and In Deed. I'm trying to unfor us all here
to understand the reality of the bad news is that we can see how
amazing the good news is. So let me, let me just for you
just sum up in a nutshell, the bad news.
We will move onto a bit of good news.
In the moment, you are born. We are born into a state of
separation from God, okay? That is how bad this is, and our
very nature when we are born before.
We notice a yesterday Jesus has been corrupted, to the extent
that we are an enemy of God and the destination.
We are taken. Unless Jesus saves us, is that
we're going to hell. That is it in a nutshell that is
how urgent and how important it is to get the gospel out.
You know, recently a vicar came to speak at my alien Daniels
primary school. And I was a little bit dismayed
to hear when they reported to me, that the vicar said, number
one, Adam and Eve didn't exist. Which kind of breaks apart the
whole Redemptive story of the Bible, quite frankly.
Number two, that Evolution was how things were created.
And number three, there is no hell.
I rather wonder what Nerf this Vic is preaching.
What gospel are you preaching vicar what they're preaching?
A gospel of you can be better. You're great now but have a
better life that's not the gospel. show me a scripture that
says that and I'll show you a hundred more that tell you,
otherwise, I've got time for a side note.
Probably obvious. I'll take your encouragement.
I'm reading the really fascinating book at the moment
called beyond the cosmos over. I would like to tell you who the
author is, I think it's Russ, somebody is an astrophysicist.
And it is amazing to see how science is proving the creation
event that actually. In fact Albert Einstein's theory
of general relativity, proves that time is actually one of our
Dimensions time and space is a dimension.
And so therefore time had to have a beginning One of the
common questions is how if God exists who created God?
Well, that's the wrong question. There isn't a timeline outside
here. Eternity isn't just a lot of
time. It's a place that doesn't have
the time constraints that we have.
Anyway, it's a fascinating book. And also, I read a book
recently, about DNA about the story of how they found
intelligent design embedded in DNA, which couldn't have come
from some kind of primordial soup, where we just kind of
blob, blob, blob to something something, there is actually
code. If you like to use that, that
phrase of intelligent design, And in fact, I heard a report
that recently an evolutionist was speaking at a conference and
says I'm about to say something, I hope there's no creationists
around. I people that believe in
intelligent designer, we believe in God, that I don't believe
that Evolution can exist because there's too much intelligence in
the design. I love it.
When science catches up with the Bible, don't you?
It's save you a lot of time if you just read but the point I'm
trying to make why why do you think the enemy is out to
discredit Genesis the Book of Genesis because everything
hinges on it, you take away Genesis and the account of
creation everything. There is no need for Jesus.
And there is no Redemptive story.
If more time, honestly. Let me just read Ephesians 2
1-3. Lest you think I'm making this
up? This is the Apostle Paul telling
us about the impact of sim and he's speaking to Christians and
you were saying you were once you were before Christians and
you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once
walked you were dead. There was no Beating around the
bush. That's following the course of
this world, following the prince of the power of the air.
You see as I said last week, you're not a child of God until
you say yes to Jesus because you need to be adopted back into the
family and have and be a new creation in Christ, Jesus.
Following the prince of power of the air, the spirit, that is now
working in the sons of Disobedience.
You see, you have a choice to be, which part of which family
you want to be part of among whom.
All once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the
desires of the body and the mind and we're by Nature children of
Wrath like the rest of mankind, heavy words but this is the
gospel message. You know, it says in Galatians
Chapter 2, no chapter 1 when Paul was addressing the church
Larry says for I would I'm astonished his verse 6 that you
are so quickly. Deserting him, who called you in
the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel.
Not that there is another one. Of course, there's only one good
news, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort,
the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from
heaven, should preach to you a gospel, contrary to the one we
preached to you. Let them be accursed.
I mean this is how serious this is.
As we have said before. So now I say, again, if anyone
is preaching to you a gospel, contrary to the one, you
received, let him be accursed strong words from the Apostle.
Paul. It wasn't you, then it's not
new. Now, there is other gospels out
there that it distortions, enough of the truth in there to
think we'll that must be true but not the full truth.
Now, as I said to you next week, we're going to really dive into
the good news, but I felt like I didn't want to leave you in this
place of actual despair. And I want to show you something
fascinating and interesting that we find in Genesis because the
good news is that the gospel. The good news was declared
declared and demonstrated in chapter 3 as well.
All you're going to love this. And I suspect some of you know
this but some of this may be new to you.
Can we read Genesis 3:15? Again, we'll have it on the
screen. This is what God Said.
I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your
Offspring and her Offspring. Listen to this, he shall bruise
your head. And you shall bruise his heel.
There you go. That is a prophetic declaration
that Our Redeemer was going to come to crush the head of Satan
and redeem mankind. Right here in Genesis is the
gospel you know it's called the protoevangelium that's a flash
word that Scholars like to use Proto meaning.
First Evangelion is a Latin word for gospel.
That is the dick Declaration of the First Gospel of the good
news of Jesus. Jesus God didn't play catch-up.
It wasn't like he got rid of Adam and Eve and then spoke to
Jesus. And the Holy Spirit said, we've
got a bit of a problem going on here.
Anyone up for solving. This know, there was always a
plan, God is outside time because God is Not restricted to
our Dimension. He saw the end from the
beginning. Imagine if you see a parade, I
pray that's going on outside and you go to the highest building.
What do you see? You see the start of that
parade? You see the end of that parade.
That's God in you. Right?
And so in that very moment, he declared the gospel.
Now why do you think now listen, if you fully get this, it will
give you a different lens by which you read the Old
Testament. Why do you think Pharaoh tried
to get rid of all the first forms?
Hmm, he didn't want the, he didn't want Jesus coming.
Why do you think Herod wanted to get rid of all the firstborns?
It's a seed War. You read other accounts in the
Old Testament, we don't have time to go into it now about the
Nephilim and other things and you read about the wars that
Israel had with the Canaanites and others.
What do you think's going on? There is a seed War.
Because the enemy did not want the Savior to come.
This is the gospel. This is the story that we read
in here. You take away Genesis, take away
the Bible. But it gets even better than
that. Oh my word.
I'm getting too excited. Because not only was there a
declaration, a prophetic Declaration of the Gospel, there
was a prophetic act right there in the same chapter chapter 3
verse 21, and the Lord God Made For Adam and Eve his wife
garments of skin and closed him. What on Earth was that the
shedding of blood in order to cover over the sins of Adam and
Eve? Why?
Because the Fig leaves weren't cutting it.
Our own human attempts to cover over ourselves.
Don't cut it. You see it says in Hebrews 9:22
without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins.
and so in one chapter, We see the bad news and we see the good
news. In one chapter, we see the
gospel declared. Isn't God amazing.
I told you that when you fully grasp it, we leased the praise
right, like to invite the band up to help us with that police.
As I end. I want to say this, the bad news
is terrible news but the good news is all so much great.
This, if you're here this morning and you're wondering
what the gospel is all about, want to tell you this, the good
news is this a currently? If you don't know Jesus, you are
dead in Christ. You're separated.
So you're dead. You're separated from, G from
God. And for all eternity, you will
miss out on being with him in heaven.
In fact, there is a destination called hell.
Here's the good news Jesus has made a way for you to be born
again. Born again, to be a new creation
to walking, good things to have relationship with God, no more
shame, no more guilt to walk in peace and joy with a God who
loves you, who has called you to be his son and his daughter.
And how do you say? Yes, you just allow God to
clothe you, but the shed blood of Christ that's it.
You don't need to put together. Any fig leaves, God has created
so much better for you than that.
Let us stand as I pray. Thank you Jesus.