01 The Five Facets of the Gospel - The Gospel Events

The Five Facets of The Gospel

Part One, The Gospel Events

By Louie Marsh, 8-31-2025

 

1) Is This Sermon Really Necessary?

 

·  YES!!

Many Christians don't know what they believe.

Inviting people to church is good - but it’s not sharing the Gospel.

Besides that there are two major problem areas that make this series something YOU should pay attention to.

 

· The world continually DISTORTS what the Gospel is.

 

“³But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. ⁴For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.” (2 Corinthians 11:3–4, ESV)

 

Just talking about Jesus isn't enough!  We must speak the truth about the true Jesus

 

“²preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” (2 Timothy 4:2, ESV)

 

· Too often Christians get CONFUSED as well.

 

The Spectacular - miracles, "words of revelation knowledge," Side issues - music, abortion, politics, etc.

 

Psychologized Religion. This isn't an attack on all psychology - but on it's extremes. At its worst it denies the Gospel!

 

Robert H. Shuller, Self Esteem, The New Reformation, January 1982, Pg. 98; "The most serious sin is the one that causes me to say, 'I am unworthy.  I may have no claim to divine sonship if you examine me at my worst.'  For once a person believes he is an "unworthy sinner," it is doubtful if he can really honestly accept the saving grace God offers in Jesus Christ."

 

“⁸But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” ⁹For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, ¹⁰and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” ¹¹And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.” (Luke 5:8–11, ESV)

 

If that's true - and it isn't - the Gospel was never preached or accepted for nearly 2000 years!

The need for this series is clear, as the Reformers said, "Ecclesia Semper Reformanda," The church must always be reforming itself.

 

“¹⁹Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰Do not despise prophecies, ²¹but test everything; hold fast what is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:19–21, ESV)

 

2) The First Gospel Event

 

“¹Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, ²and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. ³For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁴that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁵and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.” (1 Corinthians 15:1–5, ESV)

 

·  Jesus DIED on the cross.

 

“³Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death…(Romans 6:3–4a, ESV)

 

His burial is mentioned as proof that He really died. Baptism is called burial. It's proof of our death to sin!

o Paul taught this.

 

“¹²Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?” (1 Corinthians 15:12, ESV) [2 Cor. 5:20-21; Gal. 1:4]

 

o Peter taught this.

 

“²³this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.” (Acts 2:23, ESV) ] Acts 4:27-28]

 

“³⁰The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree.” (Acts 5:30, ESV)  [Acts10:39, 13:28-29]

 

“²²“And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, ²³his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance.” (Deuteronomy 21:22–23, ESV)

 

3) The Second Gospel Event

·  Jesus PHYSCIALLY ROSE from the dead.

 

“²⁵who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.” (Romans 4:25, ESV)

“²³this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. ²⁴God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.” (Acts 2:23–24, ESV)

 

· These two events should DOMINATE my conversations about Jesus.

 

THESE should dominate our conversations about Christ.   NOT side issues That's hard to do.  The Gospel Confronts us.