The Church: Its Meaning - The Protector and Proclaimer for the Gospel of God, Part 4

The songs of Christmas, nothing better than the songs of Christmas, except for maybe some of the sounds and sights and scenes of Christmas. But most importantly, the sermons of Christmas. They're the best. I love the sermons of Christmas. I love to preach about the Christmas story. For 29 years, that's all I've done during the month of December is preach about the coming incarnation of the living God. What a great thing to preach on. And yet, the reason he came and why he came is so important. And to help people understand that, we proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, our Lord, because the church is designed to protect and proclaim the gospel of God, the good news that brings great joy.

That's what we've been designed to proclaim. And we're looking at that and trying to help you understand what it is you need to proclaim as you engage in sharing the gospel. And we told you, you must remember the generosity of God. You must remember the depravity of man. You can call it the universality of sin if you want to, but you must remember that all of sin that comes short of the glory of God. You must remember the certainty of judgment, the eternality of heaven and hell, as well as the identity of the Messiah, the centrality of the cross, the reality of the resurrection, the primacy of faith, and the sovereignty of God.

You must remember all that when you present the gospel. Why? Because the next point, the necessity of repentance, and the one that follows that, the urgency of decision is absolutely crucial. In 1937, Arthur W. Pink, great preacher, author, was concerned about modern day evangelicalism in his day. And so in 1937, he wrote these words. Listen carefully. He says, the terms of Christ's salvation are erroneously stated by the present day evangelist. With very rare exceptions, he tells his hearers that salvation is by grace and is received as a free gift, that Christ has done everything for the sinner and nothing remains except for him to believe, to trust in the infinite merits of his blood.

And so widely does this conception now prevail in orthodox circles. So frequently has it been dinned in their ears, so deeply has it taken root in their minds that for one to now challenge it and denounce it as being so inadequate and one-sided as to be deceptive and erroneous is for him to instantly court the stigma of being a heretic and to be charged with dishonoring the finished work of Christ by inculcating salvation by works. Salvation is by grace, by grace alone. Nevertheless, divine grace is not exercised at the expense of holiness.

For it never compromises with sin. It is also true that salvation is a free gift, but an empty hand must receive it and not a hand which still tightly grasps the world. A heart that is steeled in rebellion cannot savingly believe. It must first be broken.

Those preachers who tell sinners they may be saved without forsaking their idols, without repenting, without surrendering to the Lordship of Christ are as erroneous and dangerous as others who insist that salvation is by works and that heaven must be earned by our own efforts. Mr. Pink, after writing that, would soon find himself isolated off the coast of Scotland for the last 12 years of his life because no one wanted to hear what he had to say. They branded him a heretic. That's unfortunate. Because if Jesus was here today and Jesus was to preach the gospel that he preached, he'd be branded a heretic in most churches today as well.

So I was thinking about today and how I would best introduce the idea of the necessity of repentance and the urgency of the decision of someone who's going to come to Christ. And I thought about one particular passage in the Bible. One that if I could preach one last sermon, this would be it. I'm not saying this is my last sermon. I'm just saying that if I was to preach one last sermon, this would be it. I would choose this passage because most preachers would never choose this passage to preach on if they had one to give.

But I think it's absolutely crucial. You see, we have heard the gospel wrong for so long that when someone preaches it right, we think right is wrong. Now that might have confused you. I didn't mean to do that. But the problem is that we have heard the gospel presentation in such an erroneous fashion that when someone comes and preaches the true gospel, we think that person is preaching heresy. So turn with me in your Bible to Luke chapter 13.

Luke chapter 13. And the Bible tells us in Luke 13 that Jesus is going from place to place, preaching and teaching the gospel of God. That's what he does. In fact, it says over in Luke's gospel in the fourth chapter, these words, Luke chapter 4, verse number 43, he says, I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose. And that's what Jesus did. Jesus preached the kingdom of God. He preached. He preached how to get into the kingdom. He preached how to grow up in the kingdom.

And he preached how to go out and preach the kingdom. Jesus was the consummate evangelist. Jesus wasn't a deeper life speaker trying to get people to commit to a deeper walk with the Lord. No, Jesus was an evangelist, right? He came to seek and to save that which was lost. And so when he preached, he preached the gospel. It was all about the kingdom of God. He was the king. And the king came to present the kingdom. And so he wanted people to understand how they could get into the kingdom of the living God.

So he went from place to place preaching that. That's what it says in Luke chapter 13, verse number 22. And he was passing through from one city and village to another, teaching it, proceeding on his way to Jerusalem. Now think about this. Jesus never lacked for a crowd. He never had an attendance issue. Everybody was following Jesus. As he begins the last half of the third year of his ministry, which is where it is in Luke chapter 13, he's compelled to share the gospel with everybody he comes in contact with, probably even more so than at the beginning.

Because he wanted people to know that the time was short. And so as he went from village to village and from city to city, he would preach about the kingdom of God. Notice that Jesus, Jesus wasn't a political preacher.

He didn't talk about politics. Jesus never talked about the politics of Rome. Or how to vote when the voting opportunity came about the politics in Rome. So it baffles me today when all these preachers are politically motivated, that they preach a political message. In fact, they have politicians come to their pulpits and preach. Why pray tell, I have no idea. But they have politicians come and they'll open up with the verse, and then they'll extrapolate on all kinds of laws in the land and tell you how to vote, when to vote, and where to vote.

The preacher was never called to be a political activist. The preacher was never called to tell you how to vote, where to vote, and who to vote for. The preacher was called to preach the gospel. Tell people the truth about who Jesus is. Yet we have myriads of churches today that have, have become so convoluted in their approach to the gospel that they want to politicize the gospel. Jesus never preached a message on politics. Just never did. Because that wasn't his issue. If you want to follow Christ and be a preacher like Christ, then you got to preach the way Christ preached.

He didn't have a moral message. It wasn't about a message of morality, how to live better, how to be better. No, it was all about how to turn from your sin and be saved. And so, because that's his message, and the people following him have heard the message, and he never lacked for an audience. And so you have scores of people following Jesus, right? And they're on the Jesus train, because after all, he banished disease in Israel. He healed everybody who came to him, and who wouldn't want to be a follower of that?

If you're blind, you see. If you're lame, you walk, right? If you're diseased, you're healed. Who wouldn't want to follow that? So Jesus had scores of people that followed him. And yet on this occasion, in Luke 13, someone was wise enough to ask the most important question. Here's the question. Someone said to him, Lord, are there just a few who are being saved? What would prompt that question? What would cause someone to ask that question? With all these people following Jesus, you would think, wow, this is great.

He must be the Messiah. Everybody's on the Messiah train. But someone wise enough in the audience says, Jesus, are there just a few people being saved? That's a good question. That's a great question. Why? Because someone was wise enough to realize that the crowds, as curious as they were, most of them were not committed at all. To the Christ. So he asked the question. And the question comes, saved from what? Saved from drowning? Saved from Rome? Saved from political tyranny? Saved from a bad marriage?

Saved from financial distress? Saved from anxiety, an anxiety-ridden life? Saved from inadequate feelings about myself? If you heard today's preachers, that's what they tell you. That Jesus is going to save you from all that stuff. But that's a problem. Because Jesus didn't come to save you from all those things. He came to save you from your sin. In fact, He came to save you from Him. He came to save you from the God of wrath that you might experience God as Father. He came to save you from the God who judges man in eternal damnation to be saved by the God who is a redeemer and deliverer of man from his sin.

God was so in love with the world, He came to save you from Himself. By the way, that's the answer to the question. What are you saved from? You're saved from God as judge, God as wrath. You're saved by the God who delivers man from Himself. Not man, but from God Himself. You might experience eternal glories with Him. And so Jesus is going to answer that question. But He doesn't answer it in a way that you and I would answer it. He answers it completely different. And He gives an invitation. And the invitation He gives is not the invitation you hear in 99.9% of the churches in the world.

That's a problem. That's a problem. So Jesus says this, Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many I tell you will seek to enter and will not be able. What kind of answer is that? Who gives that kind of answer? Well, the only one who can give that kind of answer is the God who is the author of the gospel, the good news that brings great joy. He says, nothing like, well, people just aren't praying properly. People just aren't committed. People just aren't wanting to walk down the proverbial aisle.

She had a few tears, come to me. No, He says to them, not to this one person, but He says to them, the text says, and that is to the crowd that's there, strive to enter, agonize my. It's a word that's used of hand-to-hand combat. It's a fighting term. Paul used it in the first Corinthians 9, 24 to 27.

We talked about beating his body into subjection. He used it in 2 Timothy 4, verse number seven, when he said he has fought the good fight. He used it in 1 Timothy 6, verse number 20 about fighting for the gospel. Jesus says, strive, fight your way to enter into the narrow door because many, I tell you, will not be able.

Now, listen to what I'm gonna tell you. God never saves a man apart from human will, never. God draws you, God calls you, God grants you gifts of repentance, faith, and belief. But once He calls you, you come. God never saves apart from human will. They work in conjunction with one another all under the direction of the sovereign God. That's why Paul says in Philippians 2, work out your salvation with fear and trembling because it's God who is at work in you, both to will and to do of His good pleasure.

So you have human volition, you have God's sovereignty, but you always work hand-in-hand. Do not divorce one from the other. If you do, you'll mess up your theology. You must understand that God never saves apart from human will, He never does. No one can come unless the Father draws him. But once the Father draws him, once the Father calls him, He comes, see? And both work hand-in-hand. So what Jesus is saying is very, very important. Strive to enter because I tell you, many, many, once they arrive at the door, they won't come.

Why is that? What are you striving against? What's the work here that's so hard? Is this a works-based salvation? No, not at all. It's all about repentance. And when you get saved, when God saves you, there's a war that takes place, a war against yourself, a war against sin, a war against society, and a war against Satan. That's why he says over in Luke chapter 16, these words, verse number 16, the law and the prophets were proclaimed unto John. Since that time, the gospel of the kingdom has been preached and everyone is forcing his way into it.

Wait a minute, how can you be forcing your way into the kingdom? Because Jesus said in Luke 13, you got to strive to enter. Why? Because when you come to Christ, there is a huge battle against yourself, against your sin, against society, and against Satan. Thank you, Siri. Of course, she doesn't answer. It's artificial intelligence. What do they know? I mean, come on. Those who didn't hear that on the tape are gonna wonder, what are we doing over here? All of that to say is, remember back in Matthew chapter 7?

In Matthew chapter 7, Jesus had preached this sermon on the Mount of Beatitudes. And he comes to verse number 13, says, enter through the narrow gate, for the gate is wide, the way is broad, that leads to destruction. And there are many who enter through that, but for the gate is small and the way is narrow, that leads to life. And there are few who find it. He talks about two ways. He talks about two gates. And the broad way doesn't say hell. The broad way says, this way to heaven. That's the broad way.

The broad way says, no repentance. The broad way says, no self-denial. The broad way says, no cross bearing. The broad way says, just come as you are. See, here's the problem. We want Jesus to save us along our existing path, that we can continue on in our existing path without any repercussions. No, Jesus, when he saves you, turns you completely around that path. That's what repentance is. It's a change of direction. It's a change of mind. It's a change of heart. There's a complete turnabout. First Thessalonians 1.9, how those in Thessalonica had turned to God from idols in order to serve the living and the true God.

There was a complete turnaround in their lives. And so what happens is that Jesus comes along and says, you need to understand this. There are two roads. Both say heaven. One is broad and one is narrow. There are two gates, one huge, one very, very small. And very, very few find the narrow way. Well, he goes on to talk about verse 13, false teachers, false preachers who leads you astray. And then he goes down to verse number 21. It talks about self-deception. Not only are you deceived by false teachers, you are deceived because your own self deceives you.

And then he comes to that last illustration about two foundations, one on the sand and one on the rock. And make sure you build your house on the rock and not the sand. Because if you build your house on the sand by going the broad way, and because you're self-deceived or deceived by others, that fall will be tremendously great. Then he concludes the sermon. And everybody marveled at the things that Jesus said. So now you come to Luke chapter 13. He reemphasizes the fact that, listen, narrows the way that leads to life and few there be that find it.

Now listen to this. And the few that find it, many of the few will never enter. Why? Because they find repentance too difficult. Are there just a few being saved? Yep. It was then and it is today. Only a few are being saved. You see, Christ wants you to understand that once you get to the gate and you realize the demands of the gospel and you realize what it means to be saved, what it means to repent of your sin. Christ said, if any man come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.

That was his gospel message. This is Jesus giving his divine invitation, an invitation that most evangelists do not give today, which is unfortunate because they're duping people into thinking they're going to heaven. You see, my job's not to convince you you're going to heaven. That's not my job. My job is to clearly give you the gospel so that you will know whether or not you're going to heaven or hell. I'm not here to convince you you're going to heaven. It's not my job. My job is to present to you the truth so you understand it.

And so when you come to realize this and you go over back to Luke chapter three, John the Baptist is preaching, right? Luke chapter three, verse number three.

And he came into all the district around Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make ready the way of the Lord, make his path straight. Every ravine will be filled and every mountain and hill will be brought low. The crooked will become straight and the rough road smooth and all flesh will see the salvation of God. In other words, he's saying he's been called to prepare the way of the Lord and hearts themselves must be prepared.

And how does the heart prepared? It's prepared because God tears down the high places. He lights up the dark places. He smooths out the rough places. All those things filled with sin, all those things filled with rebellion. You see, when a man comes to saving faith, there's truly a repentance in his life. There's truly a turning out. Now repentance is a gift, right? It's a gift given to us by God. So if it's a gift given to you by God, it makes no difference what Jesus calls for because if he grants you the gift, you're going to accomplish those things.

That's very important to understand that. This is not a works-based message. We got to work your way into heaven and you've got to turn yourself around. No, God's involved in doing all those things. It's a sovereign work of the almighty God. And he wants you to understand the importance of that. So Christ says to the man who asks them along with those in the crowd, strive to enter by the narrow door.

For many, I tell you will seek to enter and will not be able. Why? Because they don't want to let go of their sin. They don't want to let go of themselves governing their lives. They don't want to take up the cross and follow Christ. They don't want to give their life away that they might gain Christ's life. They want to hold on to their life. They want Jesus to be added to their existing life. They want Jesus to be assisting them down the path that they have chosen instead of having God re-alter their entire life.

So Jesus says this, there's a need, a need to repent. And repentance is what keeps people from entering the narrow door. That's why he said in Luke's gospel at the end in Luke chapter 24, he said these words, Luke 24, he opened their minds to understand the scriptures. And he said to them, thus it is written that the Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead the third day.

And that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in his name to all the nations beginning from Jerusalem. That's the message. It's a message of repentance. John the Baptist came and said, repent for the kingdom of heaven is in hand. Jesus followed John the Baptist and said the same thing. Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Repentance, the necessity of repentance is essential to the gospel presentation. There's an actual turning from sin to God that you might worship and honor the one true God.

If you're still hanging onto your sin with a tight fist, not willing to let it go, that you might serve the true and living God, you're still in your sins. There's a turning that takes place, a transaction that takes place when it comes to following the true and living God. The book of Acts, remember what it says in the book of Acts? In the fifth chapter, it talks about those in, I'm sorry, the 11th chapter. It says, when they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God saying, well, then God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.

God grants man repentance that he might be led to eternal life. And Paul's testimony before Agrippa, he said this, when he talks about who Jesus is and how God saved him on the Damascus road, his message was to rescue the Jewish people. He says to open their eyes, verse number 18, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and the inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in me. Christ sent me to preach the gospel of repentance that they might turn from their sins and follow the one true God, turn from the dominion of Satan, that they might be a part of Christ's domain.

That's the message. So Christ talks about the necessity of repentance. Why are there only a few being saved? Because man does not repent from his sin. He does not want to turn from a sin. He loves his sin too much. If it may be in Christ, he's what? He's a new creation. Old things have passed away. But old all things have become new. So he talks about the necessity of repentance and then he talks about the urgency of the decision. Look what he says. This is so insightful. Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door saying, Lord, open up to us.

They will answer and say to you, I do not know where you are from. Then you will begin to say, we ate and drank in your presence and you taught in our streets. And he will say, I tell you, I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evil doers. Strive to enter by the narrow door. Why? Because there's coming a day where the door will be shut. Who shuts the door? God does. And the opportunity to repent will no longer exist. So when does the door shut? Well, we know the door shuts at death, right?

So if you're not saved before you die, the door is shut. There's no longer an opportunity to be saved. You'll spend eternity without Christ. Jesus comes again, the door shuts. When Jesus comes a second time, God will shut the door.

There are also the time where God shuts the door because of the hardness of your heart. If you keep on sinning willfully, Hebrews 10 tells us, there no longer remains a sacrifice for a sin, but a terrifying expectation of judgment. So your heart becomes hard and God shuts the door. It's impossible according to Hebrews 6 to renew that person ever again to repentance. You just don't know when God's gonna shut the door. That's why it's the urgency of the decision. Today is the day of salvation, not tomorrow.

Don't wait for another day, do it today. Why? Because you might not be guaranteed tomorrow. You might not be guaranteed tonight. Because when the door shuts by way of death or Christ's return or your hardness of heart or by any other means that God decides to shut the door, it's impossible to be renewed to repentance. And therefore, you'll spend eternity without Christ in the fires of hell. So he emphasizes the urgency of decision. Remember the terrible, the 10 virgins? Matthew 10 to 25. Five had oil, five didn't, and the door was shut.

The bridegroom came, right? The bridegroom arrived. And the virgins with the oil, they entered into the chambers. Five without the oil, they wanted to borrow. They can't borrow it. Went back to get it, but it was too late. Couldn't get in because the door was shut. Very, very important. Because you see, whenever you share the gospel of people, you share with them the necessity of repentance, the urgency of the decision. Why? Because we've already told you about the certainty of judgment and the eternality of heaven and hell.

And that's what Jesus says. He says, verse 28, in that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out. And they will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. Behold, some are last who will be first.

Some are first who will be last. There is judgment that's going to come. It's certain. And people will say, you know, no one in hell is there because they think they deserve to go to hell. Nobody in hell thinks they deserve to be there. What are we doing here? But when I did this, I did that. And they say, well, Lord, did we not eat with you? Weren't you in our streets? Did we not dine with you? Didn't we carry on with you? Weren't we a part of the crowd with you? And Christ says, I'm sorry, I don't know you.

I don't know who you are, except for the fact that you're an evildoer. He calls them evildoers, those who practice lawlessness. And they do that because there's been no true repentance. There's been no giving your lives to the Messiah who saves them from their sin. See, Jesus preaches these sermons as thousands of people following him. But upon his death and resurrection, he had 600 nondescript disciples who were saved. That's it. Three years of ministry. Three years of the ultimate evangelist preaching the gospel.

No compromise. Three years of banishing all disease in Israel, healing everybody who came to him because he loved them so. It was all said and done. They wanted him dead. Why? Because they weren't looking for a spiritual savior. They were looking for a political savior. They were looking for a financial savior. They were looking for someone who would take care of their immediate needs. And see, that's the problem with our gospel presentation. Our gospel presentation is based on what? Immediate needs.

That's not the gospel. The gospel presentation in the mind of Christ is always about eternity. It's always about eternal life. The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Thanks be unto God for his indescribable gift. The gift of God is eternal life. Christ always thought in terms of eternity. When we share the gospel, we're not thinking about eternity. We're thinking about right now.

And so we want to say, okay, God can save your marriage. He can help you with your finances. He can help you with your family situations. He can help you with your momentary conflicts at work and at home. He can help you with all the things you're going through right now.

That's how great God is. That's not what salvation is. Salvation is about eternal life. It's about eternal things. And we need to keep that into perspective when we present the gospel. We're looking at souls that will perish without Christ in eternity in the fires of hell. Unless they repent and turn from their sin. And the only one who can grant them that gift is God himself. The gift to believe. The gift to have faith. The gift to repent of their sins. The great gift of grace that's granted to them by the sovereign will of the living God.

But our job is to compel them to come in. To share with them the urgency. Today is the day of salvation. Don't put it off another day. You have no guarantee about tomorrow. And you're going to gather together with your family during the holiday season. A lot of you have unsaved relatives. You need to compel them to give their life to Christ. You need to really urge them. Paul says, it was the terror of the Lord. Because of the terror of the Lord, I persuade men. I know about eternal damnation. I know it's coming.

And therefore, I'm going to persuade every man I can to help them understand the true nature of the gospel. That they might be saved and experience eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord. My friends, we are the protectors and the proclaimers of the gospel of God. That's what the church is. The church is not here to proclaim a political message. That is not a church. It's not. I don't care what they call themselves. We're not here to proclaim a moral message or a financial message. Anything material.

We're here to proclaim an eternal gospel that deals with the eternal souls of man. That they might be saved from their sin by the God who will condemn them forever. Unless they repent and come to Christ. We do that, why? Because of the glory of God. The glory of God. Listen to Philippians chapter 1, verse number 29. For to you, it has been granted for Christ's sake to believe in him. Do you know why you're saved? From God for his sake and not yours. It's all about the glory of God. God saves you for his sake.

God saves you for his purposes. And God gets all the glory when it comes to salvation. Because he is at work in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. And why do we protect the gospel? Why do we proclaim the gospel? It's all for the glory of the God of the gospel. It's all for him and not for us. Let me pray with you.

Father, thank you for today and the opportunity you give us to spend a few moments in your word. We are the church, church of Jesus Christ, the assembly of the redeemed. Those called out from the domain of Satan into the kingdom of God's dear son. We are your ambassadors. We are to proclaim the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. Lord, as we proclaim and protect the gospel, may we be found faithful every day until you come again for your sake and for your glory.

In Jesus name, amen.