... but sanctify in your hearts Christ as Lord: being ready always to give answer to every man that asketh you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, yet with meekness and fear. - 1 Pet 3:15
"For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: 'I dwell in a high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones'"Isaiah 57:15. We can dwell with the High and Lofty One when we have a contrite and humble heart and spirit. He will revive us.
This is a wonderful description of repentance and faith being outworked in the life of the one coming to God, and God is seeking such to come to Him. He will revive us.
"Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, 'Thetime is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel'" Mark 1:14-15. The time here is the Greek kairos, the grace time, appointed time, a time of heart preparation, the 'ready' time. The time is fulfilled, the time is now; today is the day, and all is prepared. The kingdom of God is at hand, ready to manifest; we can touch it; it is ready to be entered and received.
The response to the Gospel
1. Repent = change your mind; an attitude we are to have all the time - being willing to change; do not be ruled by mindsets or thought patterns; do not be ruled by emotions or legalism; be willing to change.
2. Believe in the gospel = be ready to believe; fill up the vacuum in your life with faith in Jesus the Messiah. Put your trust in Him.
"Then Jesus said to them, 'Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day'" Luke 24:46. The Messiah had to suffer, to die and to rise again. Why? Because it is written! It was necessary for Christ to suffer, to die and to rise again on the third day. This is the summary of the gospel. Paul confirms this in1Cor.15:3-4.
Jesus then gives us the basic building blocks of the gospel: because Jesus suffered, died and rose again we can repent and receive remission of sins (Luke 24:47).
a) repentance will only work when it is based on the reality of the gospel, on the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah. Repentance is facing up to your sins, and wanting to be free of them.
b) Remission of sins - means being free from sin; having sins sent away; being cleansed of all unrighteousness by the blood of Jesus (1 John 1:9) .
c) we are to preach repentance and remission of sins in His name. We must preach repentance and remission of sins. We are not asked to preach to scare people about going to hell; we are to preach repentance - that people can change; and remission of sins - Jesus will forgive you.
d) it is all done in the name of Jesus. Remember Romans 10:13; "For whoever calls on the name of YAHWEH [the Lord Jesus] will be saved". Remember Paul's instructions in
Romans 10:9-10.
e) it is to all nations; repentance and remission of sins must be preached to all nations [Gk. Ethnos, every ethnicity, people group] to every people, tribe and tongue.
f) this preaching must begin somewhere: Jerusalem! SHILOH! Wherever you are!
The power to preach
"And you are witnesses of these things" Lu.24:48. Somebody has to tell somebody! And what are we going to tell them? That Jesus suffered, died and rose again so you can repent, have your sins remitted in Jesus name, being saved and become part of the Messianic community.
To fulfil this we must be empowered by the Holy Spirit. We need the power and the anointing to witness (Lu.24:49). We will receive that power when the Holy Spirit comes upon us to be His witnesses (Acts 1:8).
"For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: 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" 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. Paul declares to us the basic facts of the gospel. It is written! It is according the to Scriptures.
Paul preached the gospel, and many received. By believing the gospel, we enter into the kingdom of God (Jn.3:5), and we areable to stand (1Cor.15:1), able to stand against the devil, because we are now in a different kingdom (Col.1:13).
When we receive the gospel we are saved, that is, delivered. We are forgiven, and released from the power of demons in our lives. We are saved by holding fast the word (1Cor.15:2).
1) Christ died for our sins - we are forgiven through Him (1Cor.15:3)
2) Christ was buried - He actually died and was buried according to the Scripture (v.4). Isaiah 53:9 says, He was buried with rich. We are to buried with Him through baptism (Rom.6:4).
3) Christ rose again the third day according to the Scripture (1Cor.15:4). In His resurrection Christ Jesus was seen alive from the dead by over 500 people (v.6). We are to know Christ in His resurrection, and again this is the work of God in us through baptism, "Certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection" (Rom.6:5).
Peter preached the life, death and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah in Acts 2:2236. When the hearers were "cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, 'Men and brethren, what shall we do'", Peter gave them the ABCs of the gospel in verse 38.
a) repent
b) be baptised - immersed
c) into the name of Jesus the Christ: "Jesus" = "Yahweh (God) saving me"; Christ is the anointed deliverer, the great King who was to come.
d) for remission of your sins - they are remitted by being baptised in the name of Jesus Christ, sins already forgiven by blood are completely washed away and cut off; the old man of sin is done away with (2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 2:20).
e) you will receive the gift of Holy Spirit; you will be filled with His Spirit.
This is the beginning, the ABCs of the gospel. These are the first steps that must be taken by those who have heard the gospel of Jesus Christ adequately preached. Only then will the new believers be able to "continue steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers" Acts 2:42.
"The Beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God" Mark 1:1.
i. The beginning - the gospel began somewhere, Genesis 3:15 - the Seed of the woman will crush the head of Satan. God preached the gospel to Abraham (Gal.3:8) and Abraham believed God (Gen.15:6).
The gospel began in the New Testament with the appearance of John the Baptist preaching and baptising. John came to "prepare the way of the LORD to make His paths straight"
(Mk.1:2-4). John's ministry was the fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy. Through John, Jesus the Messiah, was introduced to Israel, and this was through Jesus being
baptised by John.
As soon as Jesus was baptised and filled with the Holy Spirit, "the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness" to be tempted of the devil (Mk.1:12-13).
When Jesus overcame the devil, He came out of the wilderness preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God (v.14).
ii. the gospel - Gk. Euangelion - the good news, initially it meant the reward coming from the good news. This means you have a reward when you repent and believe the gospel. The gospel includes both the promise of salvation (deliverance) and its fulfilment in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah.
iii. Jesus - who is Jesus? Literally "Jesus" is 'the Eternal One [YAHWEH] saving us from our sins'. Jesus is the Saviour; Jesus is the incarnation of the Eternal God.
iv. Christ - Literally "the Anointed One, the King". He is the greater son of David prophesied to come. Christ would be the Deliverer of His people; He would ascend the Throne of His kingdom
v. Son of God = Jesus is God manifest in the flesh, the Incarnation.
"This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come."The end of the gospel is the preaching of the kingdom of God at the end of the age.
The last picture we have of the apostle Paul in the Scriptures is that of him "preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him" Acts 28:31.
The gospel has never changed. When we first believe the gospel, we are to repent and be baptised. Having believed the gospel we are to continue to preach it until the end of the age. In fact this gospel of the kingdom must be preached universally before this age will end. Jesus gave clear instructions in Mark 16:15
a) Go into all the world, that is, to every nation, to all people, to every place, even such places as the island nations of the Caribbean, including Haiti; very difficult places such as Somalia and Libya.
b) Preach #2784 Gk. Kerusso, "to herald as a town crier", to proclaim. This word is translated preach 51 times, twice as proclaim, and five times as publish. Preaching is a very active broadcasting of the gospel message, even drawing the whole town to hear, as this is the task of the town crier.
c) the gospel: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes ... For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith" Rom.1:16-17.
d) to every creature, men and women, all people everywhere.
The fruit of the gospel being preached
Paul Galligan