What is the true Gospel?
Some people believe and teach that the Gospel is the fact that Jesus died and was raised on the third day. But according to the Scriptures, this is not the true Gospel, it may be a piece of it, but it's not the true Gospel message.
Jesus and His Apostles were preaching the Gospel for at least three years before the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Matthew 11:4-5 Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: "The blind receive their sight and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
Mark 13:10 "And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.
Luke 4:18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.
Luke 9:6 So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.
Here we have Jesus and His disciples preaching the Gospel to all the people. But look at Peter's response when Jesus tells them He must be crucified and raised on the third day.
Matthew 16:21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.
Jesus dying and being raised on the third day. This is what most people believe and teach as the Gospel. But now listen to Peter's response.
Matthew 16:22 Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!''
Now keep in mind that Jesus and the Apostles have been preaching the Gospel up until this point. If the Gospel message they were preaching was that Jesus must die and be raised on the third day then Peter should have been rejoicing to the fact that this was about to happen to Jesus, but we don't see him rejoicing.
So what is the true Gospel that they preached? It's the same Gospel we should be preaching, the good news of God's coming Kingdom.
Matthew 4:23 Now Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.
Matthew 24:14 "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
Mark 1:14 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God.
Matthew 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Mark 1:15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.''
After Jesus' resurrection He was seen by many people. What do you think Jesus spoke about His last 40 days on earth? You guessed it, the Kingdom of God.
Acts 1:3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
The coming Kingdom of God was so important to Jesus that He spent His last hours explaining things pertaining to the Kingdom.
The good news of God's coming Kingdom is the message we should be preaching to all the world. We should be telling people to be ready for the Kingdom. We as God's people should be watching and praying for Jesus is going to come as a thief in the night.
Paul says that if angels come and preach any other Gospel then what they have preached they are to be accursed.
Galatians 1:8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
He even states it again because of it' importance.
Galatians 1:9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
If we make the Gospel to mean that Jesus died for our sins then Jesus may find us sleeping when He comes. People won't have enough oil in their lamps and will be shut out by the Bridegroom. They may get behind the plow and after a short time start looking back.
Luke 9:62 But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.''
Jesus' death paid for the sins of the whole world whether people believe it or not but this does not mean everyone will be saved. Jesus made it possible for all to come and be washed. His ministry is to wash a people with words to make them ready for the coming Kingdom.
Ephesians 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Jesus will teach us daily in our walk. His sheep will hear His words and obey them, in this He is giving them eternal life.
John 10:27-28 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
We obey Him so we can enter into the Kingdom.
Matthew 7:21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
This Kingdom is very valuable to God. It's so valuable that He gave His only begotten Son so that we can be partakers of the Kingdom.
Romans 8:17 And if children, then heirs heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
This suffering comes as a result of living holy in an unholy world.
When we truly come to understand the value of the Kingdom then we will die to self and live for the Kingdom.
Matthew 13:44-46 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, "who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
Seek first the Kingdom does not mean it's the first thing you do in the morning, but rather, as a priority over all things.
Let us preach the true Gospel message of God's coming Kingdom so we can help make a people ready by giving them the hope that anchors the soul.
Hebrews 6:19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil.
It's this coming Kingdom that Abraham looked forward to and it changed his life. We are to have the faith of Abraham.
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
This coming Kingdom will be a time of peace and great joy. No more death, sickness or sorrow. Many different things can bring sorrow but in the Kingdom there will be no sorrow because there will nothing that can bring sorrow. There will be no wars or dirty politics. No thiefs or murderers or anything that defiles. This Kingdom is God's promise to all His faithful and it will never end. Knowing and believing this gives power through hope to live for it.
Some people believe and teach that the Gospel is the fact that Jesus died and was raised on the third day. But according to the Scriptures, this is not the true Gospel, it may be a piece of it, but it's not the true Gospel message.
Jesus and His Apostles were preaching the Gospel for at least three years before the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Matthew 11:4-5 Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: "The blind receive their sight and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
Mark 13:10 "And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.
Luke 4:18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.
Luke 9:6 So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.
Here we have Jesus and His disciples preaching the Gospel to all the people. But look at Peter's response when Jesus tells them He must be crucified and raised on the third day.
Matthew 16:21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.
Jesus dying and being raised on the third day. This is what most people believe and teach as the Gospel. But now listen to Peter's response.
Matthew 16:22 Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!''
Now keep in mind that Jesus and the Apostles have been preaching the Gospel up until this point. If the Gospel message they were preaching was that Jesus must die and be raised on the third day then Peter should have been rejoicing to the fact that this was about to happen to Jesus, but we don't see him rejoicing.
So what is the true Gospel that they preached? It's the same Gospel we should be preaching, the good news of God's coming Kingdom.
Matthew 4:23 Now Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.
Matthew 24:14 "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
Mark 1:14 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God.
Matthew 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Mark 1:15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.''
After Jesus' resurrection He was seen by many people. What do you think Jesus spoke about His last 40 days on earth? You guessed it, the Kingdom of God.
Acts 1:3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
The coming Kingdom of God was so important to Jesus that He spent His last hours explaining things pertaining to the Kingdom.
The good news of God's coming Kingdom is the message we should be preaching to all the world. We should be telling people to be ready for the Kingdom. We as God's people should be watching and praying for Jesus is going to come as a thief in the night.
Paul says that if angels come and preach any other Gospel then what they have preached they are to be accursed.
Galatians 1:8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
He even states it again because of it' importance.
Galatians 1:9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
If we make the Gospel to mean that Jesus died for our sins then Jesus may find us sleeping when He comes. People won't have enough oil in their lamps and will be shut out by the Bridegroom. They may get behind the plow and after a short time start looking back.
Luke 9:62 But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.''
Jesus' death paid for the sins of the whole world whether people believe it or not but this does not mean everyone will be saved. Jesus made it possible for all to come and be washed. His ministry is to wash a people with words to make them ready for the coming Kingdom.
Ephesians 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Jesus will teach us daily in our walk. His sheep will hear His words and obey them, in this He is giving them eternal life.
John 10:27-28 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
We obey Him so we can enter into the Kingdom.
Matthew 7:21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
This Kingdom is very valuable to God. It's so valuable that He gave His only begotten Son so that we can be partakers of the Kingdom.
Romans 8:17 And if children, then heirs heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
This suffering comes as a result of living holy in an unholy world.
When we truly come to understand the value of the Kingdom then we will die to self and live for the Kingdom.
Matthew 13:44-46 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, "who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
Seek first the Kingdom does not mean it's the first thing you do in the morning, but rather, as a priority over all things.
Let us preach the true Gospel message of God's coming Kingdom so we can help make a people ready by giving them the hope that anchors the soul.
Hebrews 6:19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil.
It's this coming Kingdom that Abraham looked forward to and it changed his life. We are to have the faith of Abraham.
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
This coming Kingdom will be a time of peace and great joy. No more death, sickness or sorrow. Many different things can bring sorrow but in the Kingdom there will be no sorrow because there will nothing that can bring sorrow. There will be no wars or dirty politics. No thiefs or murderers or anything that defiles. This Kingdom is God's promise to all His faithful and it will never end. Knowing and believing this gives power through hope to live for it.