Acts 20:1

You men of Israel, hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles, signs, and wonders, which God did by him in the midst of you, as you yourselves also know, was delivered by a determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. You have taken him and by wicked hands have crucified and slain him, whom God has raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should be beholden to it.

Now, verse 32: This Jesus has God raised up, whereof we are all witnesses. Therefore, being by the right hand of God exalted and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has shed forth this which you now see and hear. Verse 36: Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made that same Jesus, whom you have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

Now, when they heard this, they were all cut to the heart and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?"

Father, as we look now into your word, we pray that you would continue to work in us by the power of your gospel and by the power of your Spirit. Transform us, Lord, more and more into the image of your Son. As we just sang, you are our all in all.

As we are reminded of that through singing that song and by looking at your word, would you stir in our hearts that kind of devotion that says we yield ourselves completely to you? That you would be Lord and Christ in our lives individually and personally, so that wherever we go, we are directed by you and we are proclaiming your power and your grace.

God, work in us, your church, we pray. For we ask this in Jesus' name, and all God's people agreed, saying.

Amen. You can be seated. We have, for several years now, been studying through the Book of Acts and also examining the epistles, the letters of the New Testament. Most of the New Testament is comprised of letters, and so we have been reading and studying through those letters in chronological order alongside the history presented in the Book of Acts.

Currently, we are at Acts chapter 20 in our study. We have already covered the books of James and Galatians, as well as 1 and 2 Thessalonians and 1 and 2 Corinthians. In just a couple of weeks, we will begin the Book of Romans, which was written by the Apostle Paul while he was preparing to journey back to Jerusalem after everything that had taken place in Acts chapter 20.

Before we dive into Romans, I wanted to take some time, as we have for the last three weeks, to reacquaint ourselves with the Book of Acts. It is important to be reminded of what this great book is about. For all intents and purposes, it has no ending because Acts chapter 28, the last chapter of the book, leaves it open-ended. We, sitting here today as the Church of God, are continuing to write the story of what God is doing through His Church.

The Book of Acts is often called the Acts of the Apostles, at least that is what it is labeled in many Bibles. However, it is really the act of God in His Church. He is continuing to work in His Church throughout the world, here in our own place in North County, and in other locations like China, where our team just returned yesterday after serving the Lord for three weeks. We also have Luke and Kristen in Mozambique and Anna in Israel. God is doing so many great things through our church.

When you consider the larger context of the Church of God, it is clear that God is at work. The acts of God through His Church are still being written. We look forward to seeing all the great things He accomplished that we were not aware of when we get to heaven with the Lord. There is quite a bit going on that we may never even be aware of, even right here in our own church. There are people being led by the Lord to serve in capacities that go under the radar because God is always at work. Amen? God is always doing a great work.

As we have reviewed the Book of Acts, we have seen that it is a story of how God works in and through His Church.

To accomplish powerful and mighty things, we see the power of God at work through ordinary people doing extraordinary things. However, we have also seen that the Book of Acts tells the story of the enemy, our adversary, the devil, seeking to oppose the work that God is doing in His Church. Throughout the Book of Acts, we witness that opposition.

When we return to Acts chapter 20, we will see a group of men who made it their aim and life's ambition to kill the Apostle Paul. They were called the Daggermen, and their goal was so serious that at one point in the Book of Acts, they declared they would not eat any more food until he was dead. These men were determined to carry out their plan.

Throughout history, we have seen the enemy's opposition against the Church manifest in the form of persecution. While we do not experience this in our own nation, we may encounter some verbal opposition against the Church. For the most part, however, it goes completely unnoticed. We often fail to realize that there are many places in the world, even at this very moment, where people who name the name of Christ do so secretly, knowing that if they were to do it openly, they would be killed.

According to Voice of the Martyrs, an organization that publishes information on this topic, there are more martyrs now than at any other time in world history. For those of us who have experienced religious liberty here in America, it is difficult to fathom that people are currently being imprisoned, beaten, and killed for their faith in Christ. There has always been, and it will always be, opposition against the work of God in His Church until the Lord returns. The Book of Acts illustrates this reality.

Last week, we considered that the Book of Acts is also a story of radical transformation. God is able to bring transformation first in the life of an individual. Then, He takes those individuals—those who have been transformed by the Gospel of Christ—and makes them instruments for radical transformation in the world and context in which they live and move.

As you study through the Book of Acts, you will see names like Peter, James, John, Saul, Barnabas, Silas, Titus, Priscilla, and Aquila. These individuals were themselves radically transformed by God, and then God used them to bring about radical transformation. Thus, the Book of Acts is the story of the power of God.

The opposition of the enemy leads to radical transformation. As we will see today, the Book of Acts is about gospel proclamation. There is no radical transformation without gospel proclamation. God, in His wisdom, has chosen to use what Paul calls the foolishness of preaching to proclaim this gospel, bringing about salvation and radical transformation.

Individuals in the body of Christ have been brought into the body of Christ and have been radically transformed by the gospel. They are then called, with the power of God resident in them, to go forth and be gospel proclaimers, sharing the good news of the kingdom of God. From cover to cover, the Book of Acts tells the story of gospel proclamation. This is exactly what Jesus commissioned His disciples to do: to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

In Mark chapter 16, verse 15, Jesus said, "Go into all the world, preach the gospel to every creature." Everyone needs to hear this great and glorious good news. The Book of Acts is the story of the early fulfillment of that command. Jesus commanded His disciples to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, and the Book of Acts shows us that they did just that. For 2,000 years, this has been part and parcel of the church's mission. The church has been preaching the gospel, and there will be no church without the preaching of the gospel.

We need to recognize that God empowers us by His Spirit. Every single person who has put their confidence in Christ for salvation receives the indwelling Holy Spirit and the power of God through His Holy Spirit. He gives us His Spirit to be gospel proclaimers. This is exactly what Jesus said in Acts chapter 1, verse 8: "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts."

Every Christian empowered by God is empowered for this purpose: to be a gospel proclaimer. This is what the church prayed for when they were being persecuted, as seen in Acts chapter 4, verse 31: "God, enable us that we may preach Your word, that we may preach the gospel." And God did just that. He gave them boldness to preach the gospel, even in the face of persecution.

Whatever may come against the church, the church will never stop doing what it is sent into the world to do: to go and make disciples of every nation, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age, said Jesus.

We are to be those who have been radically transformed by God, who have the power of God resident in us. Even in the face of opposition, we are to be those who are proclaiming the gospel wherever He would take us. Whether it's just outside the doors of this facility in Escondido or San Marcos, or the surrounding region of inland North County, or if the Lord should say, "I want you to go to Africa," or "I want you to go to South America," wherever He would take us, we are to be those empowered by God, radically transformed by His word, who proclaim His word even in the face of opposition. Amen? This is what we are to be about.

Throughout the New Testament, we see ordinary people who did exactly that, starting with a guy by the name of John the Baptist. In Matthew chapter 3, verses 1 and 2, we read, "In those days came John the Baptist preaching." John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea. And what was he preaching? What was his message? We are told in Matthew chapter 3, verse 2, it was, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." It's right there for your taking. So repent. Repent. Turn from what you've been pursuing. Turn from what you've been enamored with to the Lord Jesus Christ and lay hold on eternal life.

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. That was the message of John the Baptist. Fairly simple. A lot of times, we can bog down the idea of the preaching of the gospel with all kinds of technique and technical sorts of stuff. But at the end of the day, it's simply this: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Turn to Christ because what you're pursuing after will not save you. Only He can.

And so John the Baptist preached the gospel of Jesus, the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God. This is what He was anointed of the Spirit and sent by God the Father to do. How do we know that? We know that from the scriptures. In Luke chapter 4, verses 18 and 19, Jesus goes to His hometown. He goes to the city of Nazareth, and there He goes into the synagogue. This was a place where these people knew Him, or they thought they knew Him, and He is given the opportunity there on the Sabbath day.

To read from the scroll of Isaiah, he reads from what we know to be Isaiah chapter 61. He says, "The Spirit of the Lord God" (Luke chapter 4, verse 18) "is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel unto the poor." The Spirit of God anointed Jesus for the purpose of preaching, declaring, proclaiming, and heralding the good news of the kingdom of God. He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, the recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are captive or bruised, and to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

He says, "I have been anointed and I have been sent to do this very thing, to preach the gospel, to proclaim the good news." This is the very thing he came to do. Jesus says this in Mark chapter 1, verse 38. The day before this, Jesus has been healing people, casting demons out of people, and doing many marvelous signs and wonders. The next day, he rises early in the morning and leaves the town he was in, there in Galilee. He goes into the hills around and is praying. His disciples come looking for him and say, "Master, there are tons of people that have come to see you because you're this great healer and you're doing miraculous things."

Jesus responds in Mark chapter 1, verse 38, saying, "Let us go into the next towns because I am here to preach the gospel. Therefore, am I come forth." The reason he is here is to preach. Yes, Jesus did perform miracles, signs, and wonders. Yes, he fed multitudes. He was an awesome character; he is God incarnate while he is here upon the earth. However, he didn't come for that sole purpose. He came to preach the gospel, and we should never lose sight of that.

There are many people in the church, many leaders in the church in America today, saying we need to focus on deeds. They argue that we should not necessarily focus on preaching the gospel with our words, but rather get involved in social justice and serve. All of that is right and true, and all of that is important. The things that we, the church, do should mirror that which we preach, but we should never neglect the preaching of the gospel. We must always be those who proclaim the word of truth, who proclaim the simple gospel of Christ. It's what Jesus did in his earthly ministry. Matthew chapter 4, verse 17.

It says, "From that time, Jesus began to preach and say, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" Listen, if it was good enough for the Son of God, the Messiah, to simply say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," it is good enough for us to be able just to simply say that to lost sinners as well. Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

So that's what He preached. That is what Jesus ordained twelve ordinary men to do. That's the very thing that He called out from the crowd and set apart twelve disciples to do. Mark chapter 3, verse 14—note it down if you're taking notes and look at it later. It says this: "And Jesus ordained twelve that they should be with Him and that He might send them forth to preach." He called these men out after a night of prayer. He calls them out and says, "I want you to come and be with Me." His intent, His plan, is that He is going to send them forth to preach. And that's exactly what He ultimately did.

In Mark chapter 10, verse 5, or Matthew 10, verse 5, it says, "These twelve Jesus sent forth." As He sends them forth, in that passage, He sends them only to people in the nation of Israel. He says, "As you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" I believe it's in Luke's Gospel that the same commission is given. He says, "As you go, preach, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'"

This is what John the Baptist preached. This is what Jesus preached. This is what Jesus ordained twelve ordinary men to preach: "Go and preach. Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." This is the essential mission of the church. This is the essential work that we have been sent to do in the world. It is what Jesus commissioned His disciples to do before He ascended into heaven.

At that time, the commission extended beyond the nation of Israel. In Matthew chapter 10, He merely said, "Only go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But then in Mark chapter 16, just before Jesus ascends into heaven, He says, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." Every creature. It's not only for those in the nation of Israel at that point. Now they are empowered by the Spirit of God to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria.

And the uttermost parts, He says, "Now go and preach to every creature, everywhere." What was it He commissioned them to preach? To preach repentance and to preach the kingdom of heaven. It's not only what He commanded His disciples to do; it's the very thing that they did.

In Mark chapter 16, just five verses later after He commissioned them, we read in verse 20, "And they went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word with signs following." Amen. The whole of the Scriptures, especially the Old Testament, the Old Covenant, are bent towards this reality that we are to be those who preach the kingdom of God. We are to be those who give forth, who herald and proclaim the gospel of the kingdom, the good news of Christ.

We know that from Luke's Gospel. Turn in your Bibles to Luke chapter 24, the last chapter of the book of Luke, just before the Gospel of John. Look at verse 44. Jesus said unto them, speaking to His disciples, "These are the words which I spoke unto you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which are written in the law of Moses and in the prophets and in the Psalms concerning Me."

I told you everything had to be fulfilled in the Old Testament, in the law, the prophets, and the Psalms. Then He opened their understanding so that they might understand the Scriptures. He said, "Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day."

Why? "That repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things."

So, Jesus, with His disciples, after He raised from the dead and just before He ascends into heaven, says, "Listen, I told you that everything in the Old Testament had to be fulfilled. I came to fulfill the law and the prophets and the Psalms, and I have fulfilled that in My death, burial, and resurrection. I've raised from the dead, and now you are to go and preach in the name of Jesus repentance and remission of sins among all nations."

Everywhere that you go, preach and proclaim.

Heralding the gospel was the daily practice of the early church. It was their essential mission to preach the gospel. Turn in your Bibles to Acts chapter 5. If you remember the context of Acts chapter 5 from a couple of weeks ago, you know that at that time, this group of people, followers of Jesus, had just been told by the religious leaders of their day in Jerusalem that they were no longer to preach and teach in the name of Jesus. They were commanded to stop.

Now, Jesus told them to do it, but the religious leaders said to stop. In Acts 5, verse 42, we see what they did. Did they listen to the religious leaders, or did they listen to Jesus? Look at verse 42: "And daily in the temple and in every house, they did not cease to teach and preach Jesus Christ." They did not cease; they would not stop. Though they were told by their culture and the leaders of their day to stop, they continued to preach and teach in the name of Jesus Christ.

Even when persecution came against them, trying to stop them from preaching in the name of Jesus Christ, persecution only scattered the persecuted. It didn't stop them; it only scattered the preachers. In Acts chapter 8, verse 4, we see this further illustrated. Acts 8, verse 1 states that a great persecution came against the church, governed by a man named Saul. Verse 4 says, "Therefore, they were scattered abroad and went everywhere preaching the word." Persecution did not stop the persecuted; it only scattered the preachers.

This work, the work of preaching the gospel, will be the work of the church until the end of the world. The Bible declares that there is coming a day when all of this will be gone. It is hard for us to imagine, but someday this will all burn with a fervent heat. Until that day comes, we, the church, will continue to preach the gospel. Jesus said this in Matthew chapter 24, verse 14: "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come."

The work of the church will not change from the time that Jesus commissioned His disciples to go into all the world and preach to every creature the gospel. It will not change until Jesus returns to receive His church to Himself. This will be the work and the job of the church: to preach and herald the gospel. We must never stop doing this.

Now, that word "preach," or "preaching," or "preached," has several different Greek words that are used in the New Testament and translated as "preached," "preaching," or "preach." The one that is used more than any other is the Greek word "euangelion," from which we get our English word "evangelize." So, we are to evangelize. We are to forth tell the good news of God. The word "preach," "preaching," or "preach" appears in the New Testament 134 times, with 37 occurrences in the book of Acts. The church was preaching in Acts 37 times. Why? Because Jesus said, "Go and preach." This is what they did.

Of course, Jesus did good works, and the church did good works. Jesus healed people, and the church healed people. The church also looked into dealing with social problems. In Acts chapter 6, we see that they took care of the needs of the widows in the church who couldn't take care of themselves. So, the church did engage in social activities to reach out to and bless the people around them. However, the primary thing that the church did was preach the gospel. We must always keep that as the primary focus in what we are thinking about and doing as a people called by God. We are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, God's own peculiar or special people.

First Peter chapter 2, verse 9 says that we may proclaim the praises of Him who called us out of darkness and into His marvelous light. That is why He called us. Every one of us, not just the pastors, elders, or leaders of the church, is called to be a preacher of Jesus, to proclaim the good news of Christ until the end.

Of course, the question then arises: What did they preach? If they were preaching the gospel, it may seem a little ambiguous. Just what was it that the church preached? Let's consider what the Scriptures say. I will mention a whole bunch of different Scriptures here. You may want to jot them down, or if you have really limber fingers and can move around quickly, you can follow along. Mark chapter 1, verse 4 tells us...

They preached the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. This is what John the Baptist was declaring, and this was before Jesus was revealed to the people. So, what we preach might be a tiny bit different, but he was giving the core of what we preach as well: the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

Secondly, we find in Mark chapter 6, verse 12, that they preached that men should repent. Now, listen, ladies, that means ladies too. I know all you ladies are thinking, "That's right, man, you need to repent." No, this is all-encompassing; it refers to humanity. They preached that people need to repent. Why? Well, we'll look at that in a moment.

Number three, they preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus. Acts chapter 8, verse 12 says exactly that. They preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus.

Number four, in Acts chapter 8, verse 25, they preached the word of the Lord. What does that mean? They taught and preached the very things that Jesus preached. This is what Jesus commissioned them to do in Matthew chapter 28, verse 19: "Go and teach all nations the things that I have taught you, teaching them to obey whatsoever things I have commanded you." So, this is what the church did. Acts 8, verse 25 states that they preached the word of the Lord.

Number five, in Acts 8, verse 35, they preached Jesus. They proclaimed Jesus as the Son of God, as the anointed, the Messiah.

Number six, we find in Acts chapter 9, verse 20, that Saul preached Christ. He preached the Messiah. He declared that the Messiah has come, the one that the nation of Israel was looking for and longing for. Saul comes on the scene and says, "Listen, he has come. The Messiah is here." There are Jews still today, 2,000 years later, who are longing for and looking for their Messiah, and he has come. He has come in the man, Jesus of Nazareth, who died on a cross 2,000 years ago, raised from the dead, and is seated at the right hand of God in heaven. So, Saul of Tarsus preached Christ.

Number seven, we find in Acts chapter 10, verse 36, that they preached peace by Jesus, and that he was...

The Lord of all preached that the only way to have peace with God and ultimate peace is to trust in the Lord of all, Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

In Acts chapter 10, verse 42, we find that they preached that Jesus was the one ordained by God the Father to judge all, the living and the dead. All judgment for all humanity has been committed into the hands of Jesus. In John chapter 5, Jesus proclaims this Himself. He has the authority; He has the jurisdiction to be the judge of all. This is one of the things that the early church preached and proclaimed.

In Acts chapter 11, verse 20, they preached that Jesus is Lord. Furthermore, in Acts 13, verse 5, they preached the word of God. They declared the word of God, the Scriptures. In Acts chapter 13, verse 38, they preached forgiveness of sins in Jesus. They declared and proclaimed that the forgiveness of sins is in Jesus. In Acts chapter 14, verse 7, they simply preached the gospel.

The gospel encompasses all of these things: forgiveness in Jesus, that peace comes by Him, that He is the Lord of all, and that He is the Creator. All of these elements are contained in this great word, gospel. It is all good news. Therefore, the early church, and every church from that point, has preached the gospel. If they do not preach the gospel, they are not the church. Preaching is the essential mission of the church. This is what He ordained us to do; this is what He commissioned and commanded us to do. This is what He is looking for us to do. When He returns, He will clear accounts to see whether or not we were good stewards of what He committed or commissioned us to do: to preach the gospel.

So, we know what they preached, but why did they preach? Why do we preach? First and foremost, we preach because we were commanded to do so. Amen? If that were the only reason, it would be more than sufficient that we were commanded to preach the gospel.

If you would, turn in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 1 and consider with me why the Apostle Paul...

Paul preached in answering this question from 1 Corinthians 1. We'll begin reading at verse 17. Paul says, "For Christ sent me not to baptize." Listen, baptism is good; it's important. We were commanded by the Lord to do so in the Great Commission. We follow Jesus' example and identify with Him in baptism. But ultimately, Paul says, "I was not sent to baptize." What was Paul sent to do? Look at what he says: "Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel." He sent me to preach the gospel, not with words of wisdom, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

For the preaching of the cross to them that perish is foolishness, but unto us which are saved, it is the power of God. Now, there are many people in our culture today, in 21st-century Western American culture, who look at what takes place in the church or from the church in the form of preaching and say, "That's just ludicrous. This is the 21st century. Who needs that preaching thing? That's so last millennia. We've moved beyond that. We've progressed away from that. We no longer need preaching, or just stop that whole preaching gig."

No one can sit through a message for more than 20 minutes, and obviously, that's not true here. I don't think I've ever taught a 20-minute message at all. So, they say preaching is foolishness. Listen, that's been what they've been saying for 2,000 years. Two thousand years ago, to those who were perishing, they said, "The preaching is foolishness."

Now look at verse 21 of the same chapter, 1 Corinthians 1, verse 21. "After that, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God. It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe."

Now let's unpack that a little bit. What is it that Paul is saying in 1 Corinthians 1, verse 21? After that, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God. What we see in that verse is a very important truth: you cannot find God in the box of creation. That means you cannot find God.

Through astral projection, transcendental meditation, or scientific observation, people often seek to understand the divine. However, all of these methods are contained within creation, within the confines of the universe, while God exists outside of creation. He spoke everything into existence but remains apart from and separate from His creation. He doesn't need His creation. Therefore, if you are trying to find God, as our culture in the West often does, through scientific observation, you will not succeed.

The only way to know God is through revelation or inspiration, which comes by His Spirit. Although God has created the universe in such a way that it points to Him, like a great sign directing our attention, the heavens declare the glory of God, and the earth shows forth His handiwork. All of creation cries out that there is a Creator, but ultimately, you cannot completely determine much about Him by merely observing creation. He must reveal Himself to us.

This is what Paul conveys. He states that in the wisdom of God, God knew that man would not find Him through their own wisdom. It pleased God, as noted in verse 21, to use the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe.

In America, we live in a culture that highly values knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. The increasing student loan debt in our nation is a testament to this obsession, reaching levels that are almost unpayable. Our culture is very similar to that of ancient Greece, which was deeply invested in the mind and wisdom of man. To the wise and understanding of man, preaching, revelation, and inspiration seem like complete foolishness. Yet, God has chosen to use what the world perceives as a foolish method to reveal the truths of salvation in the Kingdom of God. It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe.

The Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom. Many cultures around the world are enamored with the miraculous and the supernatural. In our culture, however, this interest is not as prevalent. While there are individuals who are curious about supernatural phenomena and miraculous events, it does not dominate our cultural landscape.

But for the most part, we're a culture that disregards or disbelieves miracles. Why? Because we have a very Greek-seated mind. The Jews required a miraculous sign, while the Greeks sought after wisdom. We're very Greek in that regard. As a result, the gospel comes across as pure foolishness to people with a Greek mindset.

Look at verse 23. We preach Christ crucified. To the Jews, it is a stumbling block; to the Greeks, like Americans, it is foolishness. But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. The foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than man. If there is such a thing as the foolishness of God, it is wiser than man. If man could figure out God, then God wouldn't be God. Yet, He has chosen to use what is seen as a foolish method to bring salvation.

He has committed that word—the word of truth, the message of reconciliation—to individuals who have received it and have been radically transformed by God. These individuals can then be instruments of radical transformation, empowered by the Spirit to proclaim the gospel in the culture in which they live. For us, that means North County, San Diego. Or, should the Lord call you to go somewhere else, wherever He would lead you, we are to be those who proclaim the gospel.

Consider with me also Paul's words in Romans chapter 1. Turn in your Bibles to Romans chapter 1, verse 15. Paul is writing to the church at Rome here. He has never visited this church, although he longs to go and visit them so that he may be able to preach the gospel among them and in their city. He says in verse 14, "I am in debt to do so." He has received this great gift from God. "Freely you have received," Jesus says, "freely give." So Paul states, "I am in debt to preach the gospel."

Look at verse 15: "So as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also." Why? "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." For therein, in the gospel, is the righteousness of God revealed, note this, from faith to faith.

As it is written, the just shall live by faith. Paul quotes the prophet Habakkuk in Habakkuk chapter 2, verse 4, and he says that God imparts righteousness to unrighteous, sinful individuals through the gospel and their trust in Him, their faith in Him for that righteousness.

Why is this important? Because, if you look across the world, the seven billion people living today are trying, through their own methods and means—be it through meditation, self-denial, good works, or the expansion of their intellect—to attain enlightenment, salvation, or to step to the next stage of evolution, or whatever it may be. They are trying to grasp at something with their own minds, wills, and abilities. What the Bible reveals is that there is nothing we can do to achieve that for ourselves. Righteousness, rightness, and salvation with God only come by putting our faith and confidence in Him for that salvation. We cannot attain it ourselves.

Paul says, "I’m not ashamed of the gospel because it is the very power of God to bring that salvation to everyone who puts their trust and confidence in God for salvation." Gospel proclamation is therefore important; it is essential.

There has been a saying that has been around for a long time, often attributed to a man named St. Francis of Assisi, although it may not have been said by him. It is something that has been significant in the church for a long time. People often say, "Preach the gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words." It is a nice, poetic saying. However, the reality is that the preaching of the gospel requires words. We must preach the gospel with our mouths.

Now, we should back up what we say by the way we live. Our lives and our works ought to be a mirror of what we are saying, but at the end of the day, the gospel must be preached. Look at what Paul says in Romans chapter 10. Turn there real quick.

Romans chapter 10, beginning at verse 8, states: "But what saith the word? The word is near unto thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart. That is the word of faith which we preach. That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and shall believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved."

For with the heart, man believes unto righteousness. By faith comes righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture says, "Whoever believes on him shall not be ashamed." There is no difference between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is over all and is rich to all who call upon him. "For whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

How then shall they call upon him whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe upon him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? How shall they hear without one who proclaims the gospel of truth? And how shall they preach except they be sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things."

Look at verse 17: "So then, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God." Thus, it is the essential mission of the church to preach the gospel. This is what the early church did every single day, from the temple to house to house. They preached the gospel. This is what the entire body of Christ is commissioned to do—not just the pastors, evangelists, or elders at the church. Every single person in the body of Christ is called to be a gospel proclaimer, empowered by the Spirit of God, in the face of opposition, to bring total radical transformation to the community in which they live. All of us are called to this.

Now, when we're confronted with that truth, a lot of times we find ourselves a little fearful because that actually means...

We have to say something. We actually have to talk. Now, it is true that it is highly unlikely that here in Escondido, California, you will experience the possibility of being put to death for preaching the gospel. However, for some in this room at this very moment, the idea of actually talking to your neighbor or your co-worker about Jesus is akin to being put to death with stones in Iran. You might say, "There's no way I can do that."

Yet, we are told that Jesus said, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be my witnesses." It is His power at work in us, in the face of opposition, to bring radical transformation. But we have a responsibility. In fact, Paul uses the words of having a debt to declare the gospel. It is our debt to proclaim the gospel to those who don't know it, haven't believed it, or haven't heard it yet. The reality is that there are many people in your neighborhood, perhaps in your family or in your workplace, who have not received it yet. Maybe they have heard it, but they have not received it, and so we are to preach the gospel.

What is the simple gospel message? Look at 1 Corinthians 15, verse 1. The first eight verses of this chapter give us the gospel defined, the simple gospel defined, and the gospel defended. In 1 Corinthians 15, verse 1, Paul says, "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel. I am retelling unto you the gospel, which I preached unto you, which also you have received, wherein you stand, by which also you are saved, if you keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless you believed in vain."

He states that this is the effect of the gospel. This is the potency of the gospel. It is preached, it is received, and it brings salvation to those who stand upon it. So, what is the gospel? In verse 3, Paul writes, "For I delivered unto you, first of all, that which I also received." The implication is that it was revealed to him. He continues, "How that, here it is, Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures."

Even some of the big skeptics in our community will agree with you, and it won't take very much talk with a skeptic for them to agree with you.

There was a man named Jesus of Nazareth who lived 2,000 years ago and died. Many people believe that Jesus died, but the important, potent reality of the gospel is found in the next three words after "Christ died" in that verse. In verse 3, it states, "Christ died for our sins." Would you circle that in your neighbor's Bible or yours? He died. That's fine, but he died for our sins as a payment for our sins, according to the Scriptures. Paul says this in fulfillment of what the Bible said prophetically in the Old Testament, most notably in Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53. He was bruised for our iniquity. The chastisement for our peace was upon him. By his stripes, we are healed. He is the sacrifice for us. That's what the prophecy about Jesus said 700 years before he was born.

According to the Scriptures, Jesus Christ died for our sins. In verse 4, it states that he was buried. You only bury dead people, so he is dead. He is really, really dead. He is not just mostly dead and in need of Miracle Max to help him revive; he is dead. They buried him. Then, he rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures. The death and burial of Jesus of Nazareth mean nothing without the resurrection. The resurrection is essential to the gospel. But he rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures. There is the simple gospel: he died for our sins according to the Scriptures, he was buried dead, and he rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures. That is the simple truth of the gospel. That is the gospel defined.

In verse 5, we see the gospel defended. He was seen. The risen Lord Jesus was seen by eyewitnesses. By whom? By Peter, then of the twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 brethren at one time. The greater part are still alive at the time when Paul wrote this letter; some have died. After that, he was seen by James and then by all the apostles. Last of all, in verse 8, he was seen by me, one born out of due time.

Paul states that the defense of the gospel is that Jesus was seen alive after his death, after his crucifixion. He was seen alive. The veracity of the gospel is in the resurrection of Christ. If Christ be not raised, look at what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15, verse 14: "If Christ be not raised, then is our preaching empty, and your faith is empty also."

It's vain. Look at verse 17. If Christ be not raised, your faith is empty or vain, and you are still dead in your sins. But if Christ is raised from the dead, as He was seen by over 500 witnesses, then He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins and the sins of all humanity. This is why the church is sent forth to proclaim the gospel.

As we begin to close— and I say "begin to close" because it's going to take a while— you cannot preach about the gospel without preaching the gospel. You've got to make it clear. How clear? Well, the Scriptures make it clear for us. Paul said in Romans 3:23, "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." How did we fall short of the glory of God? Romans 1:23 says we actually exchanged the glory of God for idolatry. So we gave it up. We've all fallen short of the glory of God. Every one of us has sinned. Ten out of ten people sin, and therefore ten out of ten people die because the wages of sin is death.

We've all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, but God loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. In Acts 16:31, Paul, while speaking with a Greek man in the city of Philippi, says to him, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved." Put your trust in Him for salvation. No longer in yourself, in your good works, in your intellect, in your self-denial, in your meditation— nothing that you do. You must put your trust completely in Him, and He, by His power and His righteousness, saves you, extending His righteousness to you because He who knew no sin became sin for us that we might be the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

This is the gospel. This is the message that we go about to preach and declare. This is the message that every single one of you who have received it have been called to give to those you come in contact with. We gather together here on a Sunday morning, where we are convicted of sins that we've done in the past. We confess them and receive the Lord's forgiveness once again because the gospel is important for our entire lives as Christians.

Then we get ready to go back out of here, sent forth to declare the gospel to our co-workers, our friends, students at the school we attend, our neighbors, family members— whoever we come in contact with. We are to be those who share this message.

By the power of God, in the face of opposition, we bring radical transformation through gospel proclamation. This is what we're to do here in North County. Should the Lord call you wherever He may take you, amen?

Now, you may say, "I don't know if I can do that. I'm afraid." Well, then you're denying the word of the Lord because He promised He would make you a witness by His Spirit. The early church, who actually faced physical persecution, when confronted with fear and opposition, said, "God, give us boldness."

So let's stand and pray for that. Let's ask the Lord to give us boldness and enable us to do what He has called and commissioned us to do. Father, we do ask right now that You, by Your Spirit, would give us again boldness—the ability to step outside of our comfort zone, the ability to step outside of ourselves and share the simple truth.

We need to say to people who are lost and dead in their trespasses and sins, who will stand before You one day because You are the judge of all, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is there awaiting for you to lay hold of it with your faith and trust in Jesus Christ." Lord, enable us to boldly say this.

I pray for all my brothers and sisters here in this room at this moment, this day, that You would not let any of us go through this week without being confronted with the reality of someone who needs the gospel. Bring into our path this week someone at the grocery store, the gas station, at our work, or at school—someone who needs Your grace. Lord, challenge us by Your Spirit to step out and share the gospel.

Help us in our day, in our culture, in our context, to do just what the church has done for 2,000 years. Thank You, Lord, for Your enabling power.

Now, it may be that as we stand here on September 30th, 2012, at noon, some in this place have not put their trust and confidence in Jesus for salvation. You have been confronted with the reality that you have sinned and come short of the glory of God. You have seen in the word of God that He has loved you so much and demonstrated His love towards you by dying for your sins. If you want to receive by faith the precious gift of salvation today, I want to give you that opportunity. If that's you and you've not received the grace of God, the gospel of God today, would you just raise your hand up high where I can see it?

Put your hand up if that's you. God desires all men everywhere to be saved. There is no other name under heaven given among men whereby men must be saved. If you have not received salvation, put your hand up. Amen.