I told you last week that I was starting a series on soul winning.
And, you know, I have preached a version of this sermon to this church before.
It was a couple of years ago. I've touched it up a little bit, changed it around a little bit.
But it is a very important sermon. When I think about the sermons that I've preached over the years,
you know, I usually preach in three times a week, sometimes four times a week.
So, you know, we get through a lot of sermons.
But when I think about, you know, what are the top five most important sermons that I've preached,
I would put this as one of those top fives, okay?
It's so important. It's not necessarily groundbreaking.
You know, it's not necessarily going to get you all necessarily excited for the Lord or anything like that.
But it's such an important truth that we need to absorb here.
You know, our job is to be ministers, to witness of Jesus Christ, to preach the gospel, to see people saved.
And, again, just by my observation and just by my own experience,
this is an issue that we're about to preach up to today that we sometimes miss in our gospel presentation.
It's not so much that we miss it. It's just that we don't give it the emphasis or the importance that it requires.
So look at 1 Corinthians 1, verse 18. 1 Corinthians 1, 18, it says,
For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness.
But unto us which are saved, it is the power of God.
So at the beginning of verse 18, it says, For the preaching of the cross,
the title of this sermon this afternoon is, The Preaching of the Cross.
The Preaching of the Cross.
Now, the next sermon in this series is going to be how I present the gospel,
a little change that I've made over the years as well.
But what I really want to focus on today is the importance of stopping and emphasizing
and making sure that the person you're preaching the gospel to understands what the cross is all about.
The preaching of the cross is to them foolish that perish foolishness,
but unto us which are saved, it is the power of God.
Now brethren, when we go soul-willing, we want the power of God.
Jesus Christ said, All power is given unto me.
As we go as witnesses to Christ, we are given that power.
But notice that power comes in conjunction with the preaching of the cross.
It's so important.
And here's the thing, it's so important that our nation as a whole understands the story.
They understand that it's a story to some extent.
They know that Jesus Christ came.
They know that he died on a cross.
They know that he rose again from the dead, right?
I mean, most Australians know this.
But then how many of them are actually saved?
So there's something missing, isn't there?
They know it. They know Christ came and perished on the cross.
They know he rose from the dead.
We celebrate it every year as Australians.
We celebrate Easter.
They understand this concept.
They've seen the Jesus movies.
They've seen the Hollywood productions and even that portrays Jesus on a cross.
And you know, even when it comes to most faiths that fall under the Christian umbrella,
even the Roman Catholics, they'll tell you,
Yeah, we believe that Jesus died on a cross.
We believe that he rose from the dead, but why aren't they saved?
Why is it that most people that claim the name of Jesus aren't even saved?
They'll say they're Christians.
They'll say they know of Christ on the cross.
But why are they not saved?
Because they do not understand the cross.
They don't understand the importance of the cross.
They don't understand it is this which is the power of God unto salvation.
Let's start there in verse number 17, 1 Corinthians 1.17.
For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to what?
Preach the gospel.
Alright, so what is this?
Not with wisdom of words,
lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
Notice how preaching the gospel comes together with the cross of Christ.
So we must make sure we emphasize this part.
Yes, it's important to tell people they're sinners.
Yes, it's important for them to know that sinners that die without Christ are going to hell.
Yes, it's important for them to know that the Father sent the Son,
that Christ was without sin.
Yes, it's important for them to understand that salvation is by faith.
But most important is that they understand what the cross is all about.
What the resurrection of Christ is all about.
What does this mean?
Because I realize, and I've had to change my presentation a little bit,
if I emphasize the cross a lot more, then people aren't left with questions.
If I explain the importance of Christ's death, then they're not wondering afterwards,
oh but you still have to do, surely there's still something more that you have to do.
Usually when people have that thought after you've given them the gospel,
I can't just be believed, but there's something, surely,
it's because you've not emphasized, you've not explained,
you've not helped understand the importance of the cross.
Because when you do that, people are not left wondering,
they fully understand, oh, it's all been done.
It's all been paid for.
And if something has all been paid for, there's nothing further that I have to pay.
Then it starts to click, then it starts to make sense when you emphasize the right things.
Look at verse number 18, well we read it already.
For the picture on the cross is to them that perish foolishness,
but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and I will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world?
Have not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
And after that, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom,
knew not God, notice the next words,
it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that belief.
You know, for those of you that went preaching today,
you know what the world thinks of you?
You know what your neighbors think of you, what the community thinks of you?
What foolishness.
They've come to my door, they're preaching foolishness is what they think.
And yet, it says there, it pleased God.
You know, when you go out and your community thinks you're foolish,
you're pleasing the Lord.
Please remember that. That will keep you motivated.
Okay, when someone says, what are you doing? Why are you coming to our door?
I'm not interested, you know. I don't care about the things of the Lord.
They think you're foolish.
Just remind yourself, when they think I'm foolish, I know I'm pleasing the Lord.
It's by this process that God wants the Gospels going out.
It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that belief.
Isn't that amazing?
You know, the reason you're saved is because you decided,
I'm going to put up with some foolishness.
I'm curious to know what the Gospel is.
Let's listen to some of this foolishness.
Oh man, Jesus did it all.
Praise God.
Praise God, I understand now.
I see what it meant for Jesus to come and to save me.
And then you've placed your faith on Christ.
You've believed that foolishness of preaching and you're saved.
Verse number 22.
For the Jews require a sign and the Greeks seek after wisdom.
Look at this.
But we preach, we saw earlier in verse number 17,
to preach the Gospel.
But what do we preach?
We preach Christ's, what?
Crucified.
Unto the Jews a stumbling block and unto the Greeks foolishness,
but unto them which are called both Jews and Greeks,
Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
Christ.
The cross of Christ is the power of God.
It is the wisdom of God.
Okay?
So we want to make sure that when we go and preach the Gospel,
we understand this really well,
we communicate this really well,
we emphasise this really well.
Okay?
Because it is the power of God.
The Bible says in Romans 1 16,
For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ,
for it is the power of God unto salvation,
to everyone that believeth,
to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
So what is the power of God unto salvation?
The Gospel of Christ.
The preaching of the cross.
As I said, the title of this sermon this afternoon is
The Preaching of the Cross.
You know, the reason this is so important,
the reason why you have to emphasise this part
is because when you're speaking to someone,
they don't know how to be saved,
they understand the general idea,
God created all things, God's going to judge us,
God sent Jesus Christ,
they understand those basic concepts.
Okay?
But when you're communicating the Gospel,
what you emphasise is what they're going to be left thinking about.
Okay?
It's going to be the thing that resonates in their mind,
what you emphasise.
You know, if you go to someone and you emphasise
that you're just a wicked sinner, right?
And look, should we tell people they're sinners?
Of course.
Okay, we believe in that.
We preach and explain to them
that they're sinners, they've broken the laws of God
and because of that, they've come short of the glory of God.
They can't be saved because they've already failed.
Hey, that's important.
Alright?
But what we really want to get to is what Christ has done for us.
That's what we want to meditate on,
that's what we want to spend time on,
that's what we should be excited to get up to.
You know, if you emphasise the wrong things,
you can be left, you can leave that person wondering,
you know, that salvation is by what you emphasise.
So for example, we know the Ray Comfort approach,
the No Comfort, the Ray Comfort No Comfort ministry, right?
The repent of your sins.
Hey, what does he emphasise?
He emphasises you're a wicked sinner,
you know, you've told a lie,
you've probably stolen something,
you've probably looked at a woman with lust in your eyes,
and so you're just a wicked, lying, adulterate heart
and a murderer because you've hated your brother.
And you're just a wicked person.
I mean, that is what he emphasises.
Okay?
And you're like, no, right, I'm just wicked.
Okay?
If that's the emphasis,
then what are you left thinking by the end of the conversation?
I'm so bad, therefore I must do something good.
I'm so bad, therefore I need to stop doing bad things to be saved.
That's what you're left with.
When you emphasise the wrong things,
we want to emphasise the cross of Christ.
So that if I ask any of you,
you know, are you sure you're going to heaven?
Are you sure you're saved?
You know what I want you to answer with?
I know I'm saved because of Jesus.
I know I'm saved because of the cross.
I know I'm saved because of the resurrection.
I know I'm saved because of the blood of Christ.
That's what you should be saying.
Alright?
But you know what a lot of people say?
Oh, I know I'm saved because I go to church.
I know I'm saved because I'm not as bad as the next person.
I know I'm saved because, you know,
I've got a relationship with Jesus, whatever that means.
And they'll say anything else.
It's me.
I know.
I just know it.
I just feel like I've got the Holy Spirit.
I just feel like I'm saved.
Praise God.
You know, they'll say anything.
But what people should be saying is are you sure you're saved?
I know because of what Jesus did for me.
But that's only if you emphasize the cross.
They're going to be left knowing,
Oh, I'm saved because of what happened there.
What happened during that gospel,
our ministry of Jesus,
the death, the burial, the resurrection.
I'll just quickly read to you very familiar passages.
1 Corinthians 15 verse 1.
You all know it.
Moreover, brethren,
I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you,
which also ye have received and wherein ye are called,
but which also ye are saved,
if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you,
unless ye have believed in vain.
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.
Brethren, this is what we have to emphasize.
The death, the burial, the resurrection of Jesus.
This is the gospel that we preach.
This is what we emphasize.
This is what we want to leave people wondering and thinking about.
Even if they don't call upon the lame of the Lord,
we just want them leaving.
Oh man, Jesus died for me.
He rose again for me.
That's what we want them left with.
And even if they do call upon the Lord,
we want them, yes, Jesus did that for me.
That was for me.
And this is why it's so important that we really get this
into the hearts of our fellow man
because I'm telling you the truth.
When you make this clear and it's obvious and it makes sense to them,
they won't be left asking questions.
They won't be wondering, what else do I have to do?
No, it's already been done.
It's about Christ.
Salvation is about Christ.
It's not about you.
It's not about your church.
It's not about your religious practices.
It's about what Christ has done.
It's not what you're doing.
It's what Christ has already done 2,000 years ago on the cross.
Can you please turn to Romans chapter 10.
Romans chapter 10, verse number 15.
Romans chapter 10 and verse number 15.
Thanks Caleb for the water.
Romans 10, 15.
Again, familiar passages that we often preach through
when we're preaching on soul winning, right?
Romans 10, 15.
How shall they preach except they be sent?
As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them,
look at this, that preach the gospel of peace
and bring glad tidings of good things.
So we learn that the gospel, the word gospel means glad tidings.
It means good news.
Hey, we're coming to preach the gospel of peace.
It's the gospel that brings peace between God and man.
And if we're preaching that gospel,
we must be preaching the death, the burial,
the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
As I said to you, brethren, you know,
if you emphasize the wrong things,
you're honestly, I know you have good intentions,
but you're going to confuse the listener.
You know, if you just skip over and Jesus died for you
and rose again and move on,
you know, it's not going to be that last in memory.
It's not going to be that they're trusted necessarily in that.
And we may, we may, you know, again, with good intentions,
we may call someone to call upon the name of the Lord
without actually trusting the gospel,
without trusting the cross of Christ,
because it wasn't emphasized.
Okay, we have to be careful.
We have to be careful about how we give the gospel.
Now, I'll get to turn to, what can I get to turn?
Please turn to 1 John 2, let's turn there.
1 John 2, verse 1.
I'm not preaching to you about how to explain these things.
I just want you to understand, as God's people, as Christians,
I want you to really appreciate what the cross is all about.
Because the better you understand it, the better you appreciate it,
the better you're going to be able to communicate that to others.
But 1 John 2, verse number 1.
1 John 2, verse number 1.
The Bible reads,
My little children, these things write I unto you that you sin not.
And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father,
Jesus Christ the righteous.
And he is the propitiation for our sins,
and not for ours only,
but also for the sins of the whole world.
So Jesus Christ is the propitiation for our sins.
Does anyone know what that word propitiation means?
Payment?
Yeah, it means satisfy.
A payment can satisfy.
It means to appease, to satisfy.
So there is something lacking.
When God looks down at this wicked world,
there is something to satisfy the Lord.
He sees the wickedness.
He desires to judge this wicked world.
And by dying without Christ, they're going to be judged in the lake of fire.
But there is something that satisfies the Father.
And that, of course, is Jesus Christ, the blood of Christ.
He is that which satisfies the Father.
So when you keep that in mind,
there's nothing that I can do to appease God.
There's nothing that I can do to satisfy God.
It's already been done in Jesus Christ.
The Bible says in 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.
There's only one that can take away sin from the world,
and that was the Lamb of God.
Reverend, he's taken your sins away.
So where did he put it?
On himself.
That's what he did.
It's not like he just took your sins and buried it in a hole deep down.
He put it upon himself.
He bore the brunt, the anger, the judgment,
the judgment that you deserved.
It was put upon Christ.
This is why it's so important for us to just think and meditate
about what Christ has done for us.
What he took.
His sacrifice took sins away.
And what did it say there?
Which take away the sin of the world.
And as we saw in 1 John 2.1,
Not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
Isn't that amazing?
That Christ has paid for already the sins of the entire world.
Even for those that won't receive him.
Even for those that won't accept him as Savior.
He's already bore the punishment.
This is why Calvinism is so stupid.
To limit Christ's sacrifice to just those that would believe.
No, Christ's suffering was much greater than that.
And when I think about that Christ has suffered for my next-door neighbour,
for my community,
and I don't want to go and give the Gospel to them,
but Christ has already done all the work.
I just have to tell them, Jesus has done it on the cross.
The Gospel's done.
You just have to believe it.
You just have to receive it.
I mean, look, presenting the Gospel is actually easy.
Right?
Just trust Jesus.
That's all.
Just put your faith on him.
Just trust his cross.
That's all it is really, isn't it, brethren?
At the end of the day, that's what we're telling people to do.
The hard work has already been done.
Their sins have already been paid for in Jesus Christ.
Yet, do they want to impute that upon them?
Do they want to receive the free gift?
That's their free choice.
It's free will, isn't it?
Can you please turn to 1 Peter, chapter 1.
1 Peter, chapter 1.
What took place on the cross?
1 Peter, chapter 1.
While you're turning to 1 Peter, chapter 1,
I'll read to you from Ephesians 1.7.
Ephesians 1.7, which reads,
In whom we have redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of sins,
according to the riches of his grace.
See, the blood of Christ had to flow.
You know, it wasn't just a death,
but that body had to be broken.
That blood had to flow.
It was to take away our sins,
the blood of Jesus Christ.
So precious, so precious.
And, you know, it said,
in whom we have redemption through his blood.
So, you know, we're redeemed.
We've been delivered, right?
You know, if you're going to redeem a voucher,
it means that you're taking the value of that voucher
and it's covering the cost of a certain item
or certain service or whatever it is.
You know, Christ has redeemed us with his blood.
It's paid for everything necessary for us to be saved.
What a beautiful thing.
But, you know, when we go door to the soul winning,
I don't use the words redemption.
I don't use the word propitiation.
I can barely say it.
I get tongue tied.
I don't use these big words.
I don't even use the word righteousness,
you know, when I go door to the soul winning.
Because I remember being a church-going person
and I was just as a kid wondering,
what does righteousness even mean?
What does justification even mean?
What does sanctification even...
These are big words.
I don't use this in my modern-day vernacular.
You know, my friends don't talk to me with these big words.
You know, I don't know what it means.
I guess righteousness is right.
You know, doing the right things.
You know, these words are here for the Bible.
You know, we're not to be ignorant.
We've got the wisdom of God, with the Holy Spirit of God
to teach us these things.
But as long as we understand it,
you know, then it's our job to go and tell others.
Don't forget the Ethiopian eunuch we saw last week.
You know, he was reading the book of Isaiah,
but he could not understand.
He needed a man to guide him.
Hey, brethren, same thing.
You're there to guide people,
to help them understand the concept of redemption,
the concept of propitiation.
Again, propitiation means to satisfy.
It's all been taken care of.
You know, there's nothing left to be paid.
You're there in 1 Peter 1, verse 18.
1 Peter 1, verse 18.
You know, I think of the Roman Catholic Church
when I read verse number 18.
Because they do literally believe
that you're redeemed by silver and gold, like literally.
Okay, like, you know, if you go to a Catholic Church,
and I know this because of my wife, former Catholic,
you're at the back of the church,
you can bring your finances, your money,
you dump it in a certain area,
and basically it's so the priest would pray for your loved one.
The more you give,
the more the priest will pray for your loved one.
You know, the loved one that has passed away, I should say.
Okay?
Because they believe in a place called Purgatory.
And I want my, let's say my mother passed away
and she's not saved, she's a Roman Catholic, whatever.
You know, I just want my mother out of that place.
I want my father out of that place, so I'll give money.
And they'll be redeemed by the priest praying for them.
The more I give financially, the more he'll pray
and get them out of Purgatory earlier.
That's what the Roman Catholics believe.
Okay?
But look at verse number 19, how are you redeemed?
Verse number 19.
But with the precious blood of Christ
as a lamb without blemish and without spot.
So it's important that we emphasize this.
The blood of Christ washes our sins.
Christ, a lamb without spot.
Christ was sinless.
He didn't die on the cross for his own sins.
He became sin for us.
He took on the curse for us.
And that's important to remind people
that, you know, he's our substitute.
He's taken it all.
Okay?
He was not dying for his own sins, he died for us.
And I'll quickly read to you 1 Timothy 2 verse 5.
It says, 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.
He gave himself a ransom.
What's a ransom?
A ransom is the price paid to free a prisoner.
Okay?
A slave or a kidnapped person.
That's how God looked down and saw us.
As prisoners, as slaves, as someone that is kidnapped.
We're under bondage.
We're under the bondage of sin.
And God says, I'm going to pay the ransom.
And the way he paid it was for Jesus Christ.
A ransom for all.
Again, the payment's been made.
Okay? It's already.
It's a done deal.
All we have to do is accept it.
All we have to do is believe it.
Now, I'm saying these things
because I really want to drive home.
We've seen the words propitiation.
We've seen the word redemption.
We've seen the word ransom.
Ransom.
Okay, again, these are words that,
you know, if you're using when you go and solve,
it's hard for them to capture.
But you want them to understand the principle.
It's all being paid.
And quite often when I give the gospel,
and sometimes, even today,
I spoke to a former Roman Catholic.
Well, as a child, he went to a Roman Catholic church.
And I said to him, okay,
can you finish this sentence for me?
Jesus paid for all of my,
and he thought about it,
he goes, sins?
I said, yep, he paid for all of my sins.
Okay, so you're right, you know?
I don't want to make people feel stupid at the door.
You know, if they're giving me a roundabout
or general right answer,
I'll be like, yeah, you know what?
You're on the right track.
You're not saying the right things, all right?
But he said, okay, you paid for your sins.
So I said, okay.
So if Jesus has paid for all of your sins,
your past sins, your present sins,
your future sins,
how much do you have to pay?
Because I don't know, do we have to pay it back?
In other words, he understands it's been paid.
So what do I have to do?
Do I have to pay it back?
I don't know, you know?
But the fact is, he gets it.
It's been paid, you know?
And that is so important that we drive that home,
okay, that it's all been covered,
it's all been paid for through Jesus Christ.
There's nothing more to do, okay?
There's nothing more to do.
It's a free gift, of course.
Can you please turn to,
where can I get to turn to?
Turn to Galatians chapter three, verse 13.
Galatians 3, 13.
The suffering of Christ must be driven home.
It must be emphasized, okay?
And please, you know, don't get in that habit
of just skipping over it very quickly.
So Jesus died on the cross,
he rose again from the dead,
he did it to pay for his sins.
Please just stop there for a moment.
Give that its required attention.
Explain that Jesus Christ has paid
for everything necessary for you to go to heaven.
The Bible says in Galatians 3, 13,
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law,
being made a curse for us,
for it is written,
cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree.
And of course, Christ did hang upon that tree,
you know, the tree of Calvary, the cross,
and by that he became cursed for us.
We don't have to sit under God's curse any longer,
because Christ took that curse from us, okay?
You know, it's so important.
They understand.
Everything that I deserved, my sin,
the punishment, God's curse, God's judgment,
was completely removed from me
and put on Christ 100%.
There's nothing left for God to judge me upon.
You know, it's a free ticket from here.
It's been covered by Christ.
I'll read to you from 2 Corinthians 5, 21,
which reads,
For he hath made him to be sin for us,
who knew no sin that we might be made,
the righteousness of God in him.
Okay?
So these are two things that you need to understand, okay?
Christ became the curse for us.
He became sin for us.
So I don't know.
You can use different illustrations, right?
If you've got a Bible, you've got something,
you say, well, this is me, Kevin.
These are all my sins that I've got, okay?
And this hand represents Jesus.
If you want to put it that way,
or whatever way, you know, you see fit.
You know, all of my sins were taken from Kevin
and put on Jesus.
The curse that fell upon me was taken off me
and put on Jesus.
There's nothing left for me to pay.
It's all been paid for.
But then it continued there in verse number,
at the end of verse number 21,
that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
All right?
So you might say, you might do it a different way.
You might say, well,
now this represents Jesus' righteousness.
This represents the fact that he's sinless,
the fact that he's perfect.
You know, Christ's perfection.
That's Christ.
I don't have that perfection.
But you know what?
Christ has given me his righteousness.
He's given me his perfection.
And so when God sees me,
he sees me perfect.
Not because I'm perfect,
but because Jesus Christ gave me his perfection.
Jesus Christ gave me his righteousness.
I gave him my sin.
I gave him the curse.
Christ gave me his righteousness.
There's been a complete swap.
You know, sometimes we think about the fact
that Christ has taken our sins,
which is wonderful,
but we forget that we have the righteousness of Jesus.
And again, this is important to drive home
because some people think,
all right, Jesus took our sin,
so now we need to try to keep righteous.
No, no, no.
He's taken our sin,
but he's also given us his righteousness.
That's why you can't lose it.
That's why, you know,
even if you mess up your life,
you destroy your life,
but you've trusted Christ,
the moment you stay before the Father,
he sees you for the righteousness of Christ.
Perfect.
Worthy of entering heaven
because of what Christ has done for you.
All right.
Now, as you're giving your gospel presentation,
you know, I recommend that when you,
when you're preaching about the cross,
don't talk about faith just yet.
Don't talk about believing just yet.
We'll get to that in a moment, okay?
Don't talk about the free gift just yet.
Just drive home that they understand
what Christ has done for them, okay?
And honestly, as I said to you,
I've said it already a few times,
if they get this,
if it just,
if it clicks in their mind what Christ has done,
then the next question will be,
all right, then it must all be done.
Like, then what part do I play?
You know, that's where you start
to bring us the next points.
In fact, all you have to do is believe.
I mean, look, if it's all been paid for,
what more do you have to do
except to receive the gift, okay?
So, you know, I truly believe
you park it here,
you're gonna make your soul winning presentation
a lot, what's the word I'm looking for?
A lot smoother, okay?
You're not gonna have to juggle things afterwards.
Because I remember when I went soul winning
the first time, I didn't really,
I explained the gospel,
I explained the direction of Christ,
but I didn't really pause on there.
And then people still be left,
but surely it's just can't be faith alone.
Can't just be believing.
You're saying you can just believe
and live however you want.
You're saying you can just believe
and not even go to,
I mean, why even come into my door
if it's just believing?
You know, I mean, they're thinking
I'm doing this, you gotta,
you know, but when I realize
if I just stop and explain
everything Christ has done for them,
it's been completely paid for,
then they're left wondering,
oh, then there's nothing that I need,
you know, what is it?
What do I have to do?
I mean, what part do we play in this process
if it's all been covered and paid for?
Then it just naturally follows
all you have to do is believe.
You have to place your faith.
Then it's not debated anymore.
It's not an issue anymore
because they understand
what Christ has done for them.
Once again, you know,
pretty much any so-called Christian,
even just your general Australian
that doesn't consider themselves a Christian,
they understand what Christ has done.
Any so-called Christian, you know, believes.
They'll say, I believe Jesus died for me.
I believe that he rose again from the dead.
Okay, but here's the problem.
They don't understand that
that was all that was necessary for salvation.
They still believe you've got to do some works.
You've got to go to church.
You've got to try your best.
You've got to maintain
a good relationship with the Lord,
whatever that means to them.
You know what?
And they're so mixed up.
You know, this is why I said
don't go to the faith aspect just yet
because when we say faith,
we know what we're talking about.
We're saying just trust Jesus, all right?
I believe in Jesus means
I trust Jesus what he's done.
But when they say faith,
they mean a life of faith.
They mean keep serving Jesus.
They mean just keep doing your best.
That's what they consider faith.
So when you say it's just a faith on Jesus
and you haven't emphasized the cross,
they'll be left thinking,
yeah, you know what?
Just keep serving Jesus.
I pray every day.
I talk to God every day.
So no, I'm saved.
That's what they think faith is.
Live in a faithful life.
No, salvation is a one-time event.
Simple faith on Christ.
You're born again.
It's not something you have to maintain
because it's not about you.
It's about Jesus.
It's about the cross.
It's about his resurrection.
When they get that,
then faith must mean something else.
There must be something a lot simpler to faith
than what I'm missing.
And yes, it is simple faith that saves.
You know, and this is it.
You know, once you explain that,
it's all been paid for.
And then you can go into that
illustration of the gift.
You know, if you give someone a gift,
it's a gift that you've paid for.
Hey, when you offer someone a gift,
how much do they have to pay for it?
They'll say nothing.
You know, if I'm giving you
whatever examples you want,
if I gave you this Bible
and I said it's a gift,
how much do you have to pay?
Nothing.
That's right.
Jesus Christ has paid it of all.
And so salvation has already been paid for in Christ.
It's a free gift.
So what do you have to do
when someone offers you a gift?
You have a choice, don't you?
You can either receive the gift
or you can reject the gift.
Okay?
And they then understand,
okay, receive or reject.
Do I want the gift
or do I not want the gift?
Okay?
And then it just makes simple sense
at that point that it's just faith.
Faith is what causes you
to receive that salvation.
You know, I use other examples,
you know, and I think I use even today.
I still use it quite a bit.
I'll just say, look,
if you owed my silent partner,
whoever my silent partner is,
let's say you owed him a million dollars
and you're struggling to afford that,
you can't afford it,
but I step in and I pay for it all.
You know, it's completely paid for.
I say, look, don't worry.
Let's call his name's Bob.
Don't worry, Bob.
I'll take care of that million dollars.
I'll take care of it.
No strings attached.
Hey, my silent partner's happy.
It's been paid for.
Hey, you're happy.
You can go free.
If I've paid completely for your debt,
how much do you have to pay?
Well, nothing.
It's been paid for.
Exactly.
It's all been paid for.
Christ's gospel message,
the death, the burial, the resurrection,
it's all that was required
to pay for your salvation,
for your way to heaven.
And so using these illustrations
helps convey that same truth,
Christ crucified on the cross.
Alright, can you please turn to,
please turn to Acts chapter 8.
Actually, you know what?
No, I'll get you to turn to someone else.
Please turn to Romans chapter 4.
Turn to Romans chapter 4, please.
Romans chapter 4 and verse number 9.
I just want to explain, show you,
just historically in the church,
or not historically in the church,
historically in the Bible,
how important the crucifixion of Christ was, okay?
So when you look at Romans chapter 4, verse number 9,
Romans chapter 4, verse number 9,
and again, I want to be clear about this.
The Old Testament saints did not know the name of Jesus,
okay, that they looked through,
as it were, a glass darkling, okay?
There was certain understanding of what we get.
We've got the benefit of the New Testament,
the Old Testament.
We understand exactly what Christ has done for us,
okay, it makes perfect sense to have faith
on that that saves us.
That wasn't extremely clear to the Old Testament saints.
Again, as we go from Nehemiah,
we've seen the symbolism of Christ,
of redemption, of salvation.
They had these object lessons,
and if they placed their faith on the Lord God
and called upon them on the Lord,
they too would be saved by faith, okay?
But what they had their faith upon,
were obviously that which symbolizes
the punishment of Christ,
his sacrifice, and his resurrection.
So when you look at Romans chapter 4, verse number 9,
Romans chapter 4, verse number 9, it says,
cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only,
or upon the uncircumcision also.
For we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham
for righteousness.
All right, so this blessedness,
is this for just Jews or for both uncircumcised?
You know, is it for all?
We know that Abraham was reckoned by faith.
It says there in verse number 10,
how was it then reckoned?
When he was in circumcision or uncircumcision?
Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.
So basically it's saying Abraham was saved
when he was uncircumcised.
Before he was circumcised, he was saved, okay?
Verse number 11, and he received the sign of circumcision.
Circumcision is a sign, it's symbolic,
kind of like our baptism.
Our baptisms are a sign that you have been saved,
a sign that you have trust in Christ.
And he received the sign of circumcision,
a seal of the righteousness of the faith,
which he had yet been uncircumcised.
Look at this.
That he might be the father of all them that believe,
though they be not uncircumcised,
that righteousness might be imputed unto them also.
Hey, the righteousness of Christ imputed unto them also.
We already saw that it's Christ's righteousness that saves us,
meaning that Abraham was also saved by the righteousness of Christ.
He also had the same righteousness that we've been given.
But notice it says he's the father of all them that believe.
Okay, that's how we get saved, by believing in Christ.
So if he's our father, our spiritual father of those that believed,
how do you think Abraham got saved?
By believing.
What did he believe?
That's a good question.
Let's keep going, verse number 12.
And the father of circumcision,
to them who are not of the circumcision only,
but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham,
which he had been yet uncircumcised.
Even the circumcised, the Jews,
are saved by the same faith of our father Abraham.
So you can see, whether you're Jew or Gentile,
regardless of Old Testament, New Testament,
regardless of time, we've always been saved the same way,
by the same faith that Abraham had.
What did Abraham have his faith on?
What did he have his faith on?
Well, again, let's go to another passage that we've looked at recently.
Let's go to Galatians chapter 3, verse number 6.
Galatians chapter 3, and verse number 6, please.
Galatians chapter 3, and verse number 6.
The Bible says,
Even as Abraham believed God,
and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
Again, just a double confirmation that his faith is what
accounted him for righteousness.
Verse number 7.
Know ye therefore, that they which are of faith,
the same are the children of Abraham.
We saw that already, he's our father of faith.
We're spiritual children of Abraham.
And the scripture,
foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith,
look at this,
preached before the gospel unto Abraham,
saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
Did God preach the gospel to Abraham?
Isn't that what the Bible just said?
Abraham knew the gospel.
Hey, if he was saved by faith by believing,
what did he have his faith on?
On the gospel.
Okay?
Sane.
So when the gospel was preached to Abraham,
it was said, In thee shall all nations be blessed,
so then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
You say, but Pastor Kevin, when you go and preach the gospel,
we don't say to people, you know,
In Abraham shall all nations be blessed.
Okay, now you're saved.
So what does it mean?
You know, what does it mean to say these words?
Well, we know, once again,
if we just leave it in the context,
this is the message that was given to Abraham.
This is the gospel message.
How so?
Please turn to Acts chapter 3.
Turn to Acts chapter 3, verse number 25.
Acts chapter 3, verse number 25.
This is what's wonderful about the New Testament.
The New Testament shines light on the Old Testament.
It gives clarification.
It helps us understand, right?
Acts chapter 3, verse number 25.
It says, Ye are the children of the prophets,
and of the covenant which God made with our fathers.
Look at this, saying unto Abraham,
And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
Notice that, okay?
So all the kindreds of the earth be blessed,
and in thy seed, right,
shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
Now when we read Galatians chapter 3,
it said, Preach before the gospel unto Abraham, saying,
In thee shall all nations be blessed.
Same thing.
All nations or all kindreds of the earth be blessed.
Okay, what does that mean?
Look at verse number 26.
Unto you first God, look at this,
having raised up his son Jesus,
sent him to bless you in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.
So when the gospel is preached to Abraham,
in thee shall all nations be blessed.
We know that that was coming through his seed.
We know his seed is Christ,
and Christ blesses every nation, all kindreds.
It says here in verse number 26,
Having raised up his son Jesus, sent him to bless you.
The blessing is by the resurrection of Christ.
Hey, if there's a resurrection, there must have been a death
that would have brought forth that resurrection.
You see that?
The blessing to all the nations.
Isn't like the Jews are just amazing people.
Hey, the Jews are going to make you Hollywood movers and keep you entertained.
The Jews are going to set up banks, make sure you can purchase things.
That's not the blessing.
The blessing is Christ and him crucified and resurrected from the dead.
That's the gospel that was preached unto Abraham.
Now again, did he know the name of Christ?
No.
Did he understand the full context of it?
That it's going to be upon a cross, etc.?
Not necessarily.
But he had enough to know that through his seed,
everybody would be blessed.
Everyone would have the opportunity to be saved.
And again, it had to do with God raising his son Jesus.
Abraham knew something about a resurrection.
He knew something about a death that would lead to resurrection.
Something about this gospel message.
But he said, you know what, I place my faith on that.
That's why he's the father of us all.
Even though we understand better than Abraham himself.
But now go to Hebrews 11.
Hebrews 11, just to cement this, just to put a nail in the coffin here on this issue.
Hebrews chapter 11 verse 17.
Hebrews 11 verse 17 please.
Hebrews 11 verse number 17.
It says, by faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac.
Remember that story?
When God asked him to sacrifice his son Isaac.
His only son.
And he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son.
Of whom it was said that in Isaac shall thy seed be cored.
Accounting that God was able to raise him up.
Even from the dead.
Notice that.
Why was Abraham willing, even though as hard as it was to sacrifice your son.
As hard as it is to take that knife and plunge it into your own flesh and blood.
Why was Abraham willing to do it?
Because it says that accounting that God was able to raise him up.
He goes, I believe God's going to raise my son from the dead.
What do you mean? It says here, even from the dead.
From whence also he received him in a figure.
Abraham knew my son Isaac is a figure.
It's a picture of something that I've heard in me and in my seed to come.
That all nations be blessed.
That there would be some type of resurrection.
He said if I sacrifice my son he's going to rise from the dead.
Because it's just a figure of something greater.
And of course that figure was Christ.
What I'm just going to show you brethren is that Abraham was saved by faith.
Yes he was.
But he understood a death, a resurrection.
Somehow, some way God will deliver his people.
God will bless all nations.
People of all tribes and tongues will be able to be saved.
Through that seed that would come.
Through himself, through Isaac and ultimately Jesus Christ.
Through that lineage Christ would come and bless all nations by his sacrifice.
The preaching of the cross brethren.
You know again, it's clear for us today.
We know it.
Our fellow Australians, they know it, they've heard it.
But do they understand it?
No they don't.
And if they can't understand it, how can they believe it?
And that is our job.
To make sure we help them understand.
They understand exactly what Christ has done for them.
That the payment was done.
And it's simply your faith on that payment that will save you.
You know these passages, Romans 6.23,
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
It's a gift.
That makes a lot more sense.
You know people generally speaking, they don't want to receive a gift.
If you come to someone's door, hey I've got a free phone for you.
Oh come on, free phone.
What are the strings attached?
Do I need to sign up to your newsletter?
Do you need my bank, what do you need?
You know people are hesitant to receive a gift.
You know what, even when you come and preach the gospel,
And you say it's free.
It's a free gift.
I want nothing from you.
I just want to tell you what the free gift is.
People are like, come on, it can't be free.
Surely you want something out of me.
But again when you emphasise the cross,
And you say it's been paid for in Jesus.
Because then it must be free then.
The gift, it's a free gift.
It's been paid for in Jesus Christ.
Again emphasising the right thing.
And so brethren, just in conclusion,
You know, I have preached this sermon, a variation of it before, a few years ago.
But I think it's just so important that we make sure that as we give the gospel,
We just stop at that moment.
You know, telling someone they're a sinner,
You don't have to labour that point.
Like most normal people, logical people that just don't have any ulterior motive,
They're just happy to admit, yeah, you know what, I'm not perfect.
You know what, yeah, I probably told a lie.
How many lies? I don't know. I lost count.
You know, so you're a sinner. Yeah, I'm a sinner.
You're not perfect. You've never done, you know, you have done wrong things.
Anybody. The average person is happy to admit they're a sinner.
So you know what, you don't just have to sit on that topic,
You know, as the seconds go by, you don't just have to sit there,
So you're a sinner. You get you're a sinner.
Right, I mean you're just a wicked man, just move on, they get it.
They get that they're a sinner.
And then you show them the second death, the lake of fire.
Okay, not just this body dying, but the soul going to hell.
Again, and you know, okay, that's what the Bible says.
Don't have to labour that point.
The next, what you're trying to get to is what?
The gospel. The glad tidings.
Okay, what is it, you know, because at the end of the day, being called a sinner,
being told that you're going to cast into hell, it's important, but it's not the most important part.
Okay, you want to get to the next point.
So do you think God wants you to go to hell?
Well, no. So God did something.
And I should say this, God did something so you don't have to go to hell.
What do you think God did?
And I usually ask that question because maybe 50% of the time, people actually give you the right answer.
Oh, he sent his son.
God sacrificed himself. They'll say something like that.
And look, as long as it's kind of on the money, I'll just be like, hey, you got it right, that's right, you know.
Christ did that, exactly.
And I'll take it to Romans 5-8, that God commanded his love toward us and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
And again, I'll emphasise that while we were yet sinners, because I don't want them to think that it's saying, hey, we tried to stop sinning and that's why Christ died for us.
No, even while we're just openly rejecting Jesus, openly going into sin, God still sent Jesus Christ to die for us.
Because it's not about our performance, it's about what Christ has done for us.
And then you just sit there for a moment and explain what Jesus did.
Explain that Jesus is the Son of God, the Father sent the Son.
Explain that Jesus was sinless, he was perfect.
Explain that when he died on the cross, that he died for you, he died for me, he died for the sins of the whole world.
Explain that it's as though, think about all the wrong things you've done, think about the bad things you've done.
It's as though as Jesus did them himself.
And he's taken your punishment, he's taken the curse, he's taken the judgment for you, so you can go free.
And I tell you, you just emphasise that a little bit more, it's going to make your gossip presentation a lot easier, a lot more straightforward.
And you won't get the arguments, the confusion at the end of the presentation.
Alright brethren, let's pray.