THE GOSPEL AND DOCTRINES OF THE CHURCH PREACHED BY CHRIST IN THE FOUR GOSPELS PART- 2 Pastor Art Watkins of Coden Bible Church (Coden, Alabama) April 16, 2019 ****THE GOSPEL OF OUR SALVATION**** PAUL Paul defines the gospel that saves us in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4: For I 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 that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: He also wrote in 1 Timothy 2:5-6: For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. Paul preached the sacrificial death and resurrection of Christ for our sins. This is the gospel of our salvation. CHRIST AND THE GOSPEL In Matthew 20:28 he said: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. Matthew 26:26-28: And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. John 3:14: And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: John 12:32-33: And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die. John 6:51: I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. John 10:11: I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. John 10:15: As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. John 10:17-18: Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. Jesus said over and over again that he would die and shed his blood to save and ransom us from sin. This is the same gospel we preach today. Some dispensationalists say that Jesus preached the gospel of the kingdom and of course he did, but he preached the cross with it also just like the apostles and just like us for the simple reason there can be no kingdom without the cross and the kingdom of God is the inheritance we receive when we believe the gospel. Paul himself preached the kingdom of God at the same time he preached the gospel of grace. He said in Acts 20:24-25: But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. ****THE ETERNAL SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER**** PAUL Paul wrote of the eternal security of all believers in many places in his epistles. For example: In Ephesians 1:13-14 he wrote: In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. In Ephesians 4:30 he wrote: And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. CHRIST AND SECURITY John 10:27-29 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. Those who believe on Christ have a guarantee from him that they will NEVER perish and another promise that no one or nothing can pluck them out his hand or his Father’s hand. These are some of the greatest promises of eternal security in the Bible and they were made by Christ in the four gospels! John 6:39: And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. This is another verse concerning security. It’s a promise from Christ that he will not lose one believer his Father gave him. This means it’s not up to us to keep from losing Christ, it’s up to him to keep from losing us and he has never and will never lose one believer his Father gave him! ****FREEDOM FROM CONDEMNATION**** PAUL Paul preached freedom from eternal condemnation. He wrote in Romans 8:1: There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. CHRIST AND FREEDOM FROM CONDEMNATION John 5:24: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Christ preached freedom from condemnation years before God saved Paul. John 3:14: He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. We are free from eternal condemnation because Christ was condemned for us on the cross. ****PRESENT TENSE SALVATION**** PAUL Paul preached salvation as a present possession. 2 Timothy 1:9: Who hath saved us, (past tense) and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, Titus 3:5: Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, (past tense) by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; CHRIST AND PRESENT TENSE SALVATION Notice the tenses: John 3:36: He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: (present tense) and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. John 5:24: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, (present tense) and shall not come into condemnation; (future tense) but is passed from death unto life. (past tense) John 6:47: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. (present tense) Jesus Christ preached salvation and eternal life as a present possession years before Paul. ****THE ONENESS OF BELIEVERS IN CHRIST**** PAUL Throughout Paul’s epistles he wrote of the oneness of believers in Christ. Colossians 1:27: To whom God would make known what isthe riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: 1 Corinthians 1:30: But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: CHRIST AND THE ONENESS OF BELIEVERS John 14:16-20: And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Eventhe Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day (the coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2) ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. Before he left the world Christ made a promise to his apostles and their converts that he would send the Holy Spirit into the world to be their comforter. He said that in the day the Spirit came they would know he was in them and they were in him. In Matthew 16 he said he would build his church and this verse shows us his church is his body for he now dwells in the believer and the believer in him thus making them one body in Christ. The church is called the body of Christ for the simple reason Christ dwells in the believer and the believer is in Christ. Christ preached the oneness of believers with him years before Paul. ****THE BLESSED HOPE**** To see that Christ and Paul preached the blessed hope we will compare John 14:1-3 with 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. CHRIST John 14:1-3 says: Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. PAUL 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17: For the LordHimself shall descend from heavenwith a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christshall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord!”. There is a four-fold correspondence between these two passages: (1) Jesus said: “I will come again;” Paul wrote, “The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven.” (2) Jesus promised: “I will receive you unto myself.” Paul declared that the saints shall be “caught up together to meet the Lord in the air.” (3) The Savior promised, “Where I am, there ye may be also;” Paul assures us, “So shall we ever be with the Lord.” (4) The Savior prefaced His gracious promises by saying, “Let not your heart be troubled;” Paul the apostle concludes by saying “Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” The hope is one and the same and it’s the blessed hope of all believers. ****SALVATION OF THE WORLD**** PAUL Paul said Christ came into the world to save sinners. He wrote: 1 Timothy 1:15: This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. CHRIST AND THE SALVATION OF THE WORLD John 1:29: The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. John 3:16-17: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. John 4:42: And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world. John 6:33: For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. John 6:51: am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. John 12:47: And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. Dispensationalists say Jesus came to save Israel but the Bible says he came to save the world. Who are you going to believe? ****ETERNAL LIFE**** PAUL The gospel preached by Paul offered men eternal life. Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. CHRIST AND ETERNAL LIFE The gospel preached by Christ offered sinners eternal life. John 3:14-16: And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 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. John 4:14: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. John 5:24: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life,and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. John 6:40: And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:47: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. John 10:28: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. John 17:2-3: As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. Jesus Christ preached eternal life by believing on him years before Paul was saved. Just for the record; the words everlasting life appears 8 times in the 4 gospels, but only I time in Paul’s 14 epistles. The words eternal life appears 10 times in the 4 gospels but only 7 in the 14 epistles of Paul. ****THE LORD'S SUPPER**** Both Christ and Paul observed and preached the Lord’s Supper. CHRIST AND THE LORD'S SUPPER The first Lord’s Supper was observed by Christ and the 12 apostles the night he was betrayed. It says in Matthew 26:26-30: And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. PAUL AND THE LORD'S SUPPER 1 Corinthians 11:23-26: For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. Notice Paul said we should observe the Lord’s Supper till Jesus comes again and when we observe the Lord’s Supper we shew and declare publically that we believe his body was broken for us and his blood was shed for us on the cross. And yet there are many dispensationalists who refuse to observe the Lord’s Supper! Why? Because it is a memorial of the New Testament. They say the New Covenant was made with Israel and not the church and so they do not partake of it even though Paul the man they claim to follow said to observe it till Jesus comes again! This brings us to our next point: ****THE NEW COVENANT**** CHRIST Jesus Christ came to establish the New Covenant and to abolish the Old Covenant which he did at the cross. Hebrews 9:15-17: And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is,there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. The New Covenant took force when Christ died. Hebrews 10:8-10: Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, (old covenant law) that he may establish the second. (New covenant of grace) By the which (New Covenant) will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. It clearly says that by his death on the cross Jesus Christ took away the Old Covenant Law of Moses and established the New Covenant of grace in its place by which we are sanctified today. This is what John meant when he wrote John 1:17: For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. The grace that came by Jesus Christ is in the New Covenant, especially in his once for all sacrifice for sin on the cross. PAUL AND THE NEW COVENANT Hyper dispensationalists are quick to point out that the New Covenant was made with Israel but Paul is quick to point out that God made him a minister of the New Covenant which gives them spasms. In 2 Corinthians 3:6-11 he wrote: Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, (old covenant) but of the spirit: (new covenant) for the letter killeth, (old covenant) but the spirit (new covenant) giveth life. But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, (old covenant) so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: How shall not the ministration of the spirit (new covenant) be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, (old covenant) much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. (new covenant) This is why we observe the Lord’s Supper today for it is a memorial of the New Testament that Paul was a minister of. Gentile believers today partake of all the spiritual blessings of the New Covenant for we are made partakers of Israel’s spiritual blessings according to Romans 15:27. One of the greatest blessings he promised them was the New Covenant. Also, because we are Christ’s we are counted as Abraham’s seed and heirs to the promise and promises God made to his seed and one of the greatest promises was the promise of a New Covenant. (Galatians 3:29) (Next Part 3)