(Transcribed from the Words of Life Radio Broadcast)

This gospel broadcast is to talk about the wonderful things of our great God and we are glad you have tuned in today. Whether you are riding in your car or sitting at home or wherever you might be, it is our joy and pleasure to bring you good news.

Listen to a reading from the Word of God inspired by the Spirit of God. The apostle Paul wrote these words in 1 Corinthians 15 and I will begin with verse one and read through verse four. Maybe you would like to follow along. 1 Corinthians 15 the first four verses.

“Now I make known unto you, brethren, the gospel, the gospel which I preached unto you which also you received wherein also you stand, by which also you are saved if you hold fast the word that I preached unto you, except you believed in vain. For I delivered unto you, first of all, that is, of first important, that which I received that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried and that he has been raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”

We are introduced in this passage of Scripture to the gospel. This is a gospel broadcast. It is the purpose of the Christian faith to share the gospel. We want to talk this morning about the true gospel. Being made aware that there are others that say they have the gospel, they have good news, but it may not be the good news that the apostle Paul is talking about here. This gospel that Paul preached is the gospel we preach in the New Testament church and by way of this Words of Life broadcast. It is a message that people can receive. They can stand by it and it will bring to them everlasting life.

What good news, which, by the way, is exactly what the word “gospel” means. It is good news. And we in this radio ministry understand that the first two letters of the word “gospel,” G O tell us to go with this gospel. And so we go in our church pulpits or we go wherever we meet someone in need or we come by way of this radio broadcast to you. And maybe God ha caused you to be in the right place to hear this good news this morning. Will you stay tuned and, if you can, give attention to what we are getting ready to share this morning?

Those verses from 1 Corinthians reveal to us the very important truth. Christ died for our sins. He died in our place. The Scriptures forecast that throughout the Old Testament, but not only does the gospel tell us that he died, but that he took up his life again having been taken down from the cross, buried in another man’s tomb and raised on the third day exactly what the Scriptures said would take place. The verses following that tell us that he appeared to many different people. What a blessing it was to see the risen Lord.

Listen to me this morning, if you will. Pay attention as we talk about this gospel and we share with you, first of all, a little bit of a negative side, because I am afraid there are those who give another gospel other than the one we read about in 1 Corinthians 15. Listen to the apostle Paul in the book of Galatians chapter one and verse six. “I marvel that you are so quickly removing from him that called you in the grace of Christ unto a different gospel” and he goes on to say that it is not really another gospel. It is a message that has been perverted. It changes the message that was given to us directly from God by the Holy Spirit and there are those today who preach a gospel of a different kind.

Some would tell us there is the social gospel. That if we will just take care of everybody’s physical needs, make sure they have food to eat and they have clothes on their back and they have a house to live in, we help them with their emotional needs, that is the good news of the gospel. My friends, that is good news, to be sure, to those in need. But it is not the gospel we are talking about here this morning. There are those who preach a prosperity gospel that if you will just put your faith in God, then God will just pile things on you and you will just have an abundance of things. The emphasis in that gospel is on God blessing you with physical things, not spiritual things.

A social gospel, yes; a prosperity gospel; and then we have our Christian friend who refers to the full gospel and they believe and teach that if you believe in God and believe in the Lord Jesus and accept him, that all physical healing will take place with you, that you will have no sickness or if you do get sickness you pray and God will take it away.

Well, unfortunately, the Bible does not teach that. Certainly it says God loves us. God can heal our diseases. That is a truth. But the apostle Paul had that thorn in his flesh, a physical problem that was not healed. Others of his workers have difficulties that were not healed by God. And so there is a measure of truth to the full gospel, but we must be able to put it together with all of the other references in the Word of God.

I love the verse in the book of Romans chapter one and verse 16 where Paul tells us that the gospel is that thing which is able to save us even to the uttermost. Listen to these words, “I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is…” What is it? “It is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” May God help us to understand that good news.

There are some other references in the holy Word to this thing called the gospel. The book of Revelation chapter 14 and verse six tells us this regarding the gospel, “I saw another angel flying in mid heaven having eternal good tidings—that is the gospel—to proclaim to those that dwell upon the earth and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people.” There is a message delivered not just by man, but also by angels, this great gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and his salvation, the everlasting good news for all.

Matthew chapter four gives us another reference from the mouth of our Lord Jesus as he came in Matthew chapter four and verse 23. Listen to the words, “Jesus went about in all Galilee teaching in their synagogue, preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing all manner of disease and sickness among the people.”

The kingdom, the present kingdom of God is known as the Church, composed of those who are followers of the Lord Jesus and Revelation refers to the coming King of kings who will take those of us who have been called and chosen, have lived faithfully for him and we will share not only in the Church part of the kingdom, as we share today, but the beautiful future part of the kingdom that God is going to bring to pass on a new heaven and a new earth.

It is not surprising what the apostle Paul says in the book of Acts 20 and reading verse 24 as we think of the beautiful message of this gospel. Listen to what Paul says, “I hold not my life of any account as dear unto myself so that I may accomplish my course and the ministry which I received from Jesus to testify the gospel of the grace of God.” This gospel tells us that we can receive it even though we do not deserve it. We deserve judgment and we deserve eternal death. But what good news that we are able to receive grace as a gift from our wonderful Lord Jesus.

There is, indeed, a grace of God gospel as this passage talks about. The apostle again in Ephesians one and verse 13 tells us these words, “In whom you also having heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.”

This truth results in salvation. And not surprisingly over in chapter six of Ephesians and verse 15, the apostle Paul says this, “And have your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.”

The gospel brings you into peace with God and what good news that is. The gospel of Mark says it is the gospel of Jesus Christ. The whole message centers around him. Romans 1:1 says it is the gospel of God. It is from God. We can count on it as a result of that. In the book of 1 Timothy, the writer there in chapter one and verse 11 refers to this gospel as well. Listen to what he has to say about it, “According to the gospel of the glory of the blessed God which was committed to my trust.” Paul and Timothy both had the gospel committed to them and they were faithful in sounding forth the good news.

This is the gospel we have been committed to taking all around the world through this radio broadcast and through many, many other means, the message that deals with and emphasizes man’s spiritual need and the fact that God through the gospel meets that need. It is good news about the person of Jesus and the work of our Lord Jesus on Calvary on our behalf.

My friends, please find the Word of God and read it. Find a gospel believing church, a New Testament church that teaches the Word of God and go there and make your commitment to the Lord Jesus. That is our prayer and desire for you today and may God bless.

-Julius Hovan lives in Harrodsburg, KY  and preaches for the Bohon Church of Christ