“By this Gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.” – 1 Corinthians 15:2
What’s something you hold onto most dearly?
There are many things you love in your life. Maybe you love friends, family, sports, and/or a pet. How about your church? You may even have some objects from your past that you cling to.
Have you ever been asked the question,
“If your house caught fire, what’s the one thing you would save?”
I sincerely hope that if you live with other people, they would top your list, but after the living ones, what would you save?
This question is supposed to force us to consider what really is important to us. However, there is one thing that fire can’t touch, which I hope would top your list of things most valuable to you…The Gospel.
A Counterfeit Gospel This is the warning and encouragement of our passage for today. It is by the Gospel that you are saved. However, there are many out there who would try to convince otherwise.
Be wary of the world – Some would tell you it’s complete rubbish and you need to hold onto something else. These people are easily spotted as offering something other than the Gospel. They are not always so easily resisted.
Be wary of Christians – Others, however, are more subtle. They call themselves Christians. They know the lingo and can make their message sound convincing. However, underneath it all, they are pushing you to trust in prosperity or works or enlightenment or societal change, etc.
Both are pushing you away from the Gospel, away from Jesus.
Know the Gospel. Hold onto the Gospel!
This is most important. Life and salvation depend on it. If you abandon the true Gospel, you abandon Jesus. So, you must know the Gospel and watch for false teachers. Pray in earnest that the Holy Spirit would protect and defend you and your loved ones in the Gospel. The Gospel is worth holding onto no matter the cost.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” – Ephesians 2:8-9
Dear Jesus,
Hold me in the faith Your Spirit has worked in me until the day of Your return. Give me wisdom and discernment to see when false teachers preach to me and give me the strength and will to reject them.
Amen.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
PS – How many of you have the song from Journey playing in your head right now? 😉
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” – Romans 1:16
Right now, everyone is waiting for a vaccine for the novel coronavirus. People are working feverishly to develop one. It is the power of medicine to save lives…for the moment.
Temporary Life Saving It’s true. the reality is that a vaccine will only protect you for a while. I don’t mean that you’ll have to get booster shots, I mean that eventually you and I still will die unless Jesus returns first. This is true for all medicines and medical procedures. They may prevent our death, but only for a while. Yet, these medical treatments are so important to us.
Permanent Live-Saving God’s power of salvation is different though. It isn’t temporary, it’s permanent, for all eternity. What is it?
The Gospel!
It isn’t a process or a pill or a procedure. It is the message of Jesus Christ, that He died and rose again for our salvation and that if we believe in Him we shall be saved.
It’s simple, but it’s powerful.
That is why we focus on the Gospel so much. In it, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we have life. So, we keep reminding ourselves and other Christians of it. We share it with those who don’t believe because they need it…even more than vaccine.
So, let us not be ashamed of the Gospel. Let us hold to it. Let us proclaim it!!
Dear Jesus,
Your Gospel is life. Please hold me firm in the faith of Your Gospel and help me to share it with others as the Good News that it is.