FOCUS ON THE SCRIPTURES
May 25, 2002
Revised: August 11, 2002, January 08,2003 & November 6, 2004.
THE GOSPEL PREACHED BY JESUS CHRIST
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16 NASB).
From the very outset of His ministry, Jesus was preaching repent and believe the Gospel. The word Gospel, means good news; and the Gospel is the very words that God, the Father in heaven, had commanded Jesus to say and to speak during His ministry on earth. In this reference, and prior to His death and following His resurrection, we find the Gospel as it was preached by Jesus Christ in the New Testament.
The good news, the Gospel according to Jesus Christ, is His absolutely true and brilliant teachings regarding life now and hereafter; His words that convey absolutely essential information concerning mankind’s real life experiences; His miracles, that demonstrate His power over life and death; His parables, that teach true and practical lessons about how to do what is best; and His teachings and commandments to be obeyed by those who want their names recorded in the book of life.
It should, then, surprise no one that Mark 1:1 (NASB) begins by saying: "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the son of God." And it follows with a brief reference to the ministry of John the Baptist and the baptism of Jesus by John; heaven’s confirmation thereof; and the 40 days that Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness. "And after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying , The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the Gospel" (Mark 1:15 NASB).
"And Jesus cried out and said, He who believes in Me does not believe in Me, but in Him who sent Me. And he who beholds Me beholds the One who sent me. I have come as light into the world, that everyone who believes in Me may not remain in darkness. And if anyone hears my sayings, and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. He who rejects Me, and does not keep My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. For I did not speak on my own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me commandment what to say, and what to speak. And I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father told Me" (John 12:44-50 NASB).
"For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels; AND WILL THEN RECOMPENSE EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS" (Matthew 16:27 NASB). "It is appointed unto men to die once, and after this comes judgment" (Hebrews 9:27 NASB).
"For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17 NASB). Sadly, there are those in our day preaching a different gospel than that preached by Jesus Christ. They are falsely representing their different gospel to be the gospel of Christ, and by this many are being deceived.
The Gospel preached by Jesus Christ is the FAITH ONCE FOR ALL DELIVERED to the saints.
"Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to those who are the called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ. May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you. Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 1-3 NASB).
The saints are those called to be, and in fact are, the followers of Jesus Christ. And, they are those persons that are hearing and putting into practice His teachings and His commandments. The saints; the called; they are the church; they are the Christians that follow His teachings and obey His commandments because they know and love him, and He abides in them and they abide in Him.
Those who are routinely practicing the teachings of Christ, and obeying His commandments, are the true Church of Christ on earth; the called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ.
Ministers, who routinely practice and obey the teachings of Christ and are teaching others to observe all that Jesus commanded, are the true Ministers of Christ on earth.
Hear the words of Jesus: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20 NASB).
We should be, and we are surprised, when we find a church referring to its self as the Church of Christ not teaching the doctrine of Christ. Instead of the doctrine of Christ, some are teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men.
When one is converted to a humanly devised way of viewing God’s will and not converted to Jesus Christ, the indwelling and resident humanly devised paradigm, the precepts of men, is that which is guiding their daily walk and according to which they are living; and they are therefore not practicing the teachings that Jesus intended that His followers practice. Some are asking why is it that many in our day are leaving the Church? Is it possible that they have learned that the paradigm to which they were converted is not, in fact, the truth?
Jesus taught us, with the all authority given to Him by His Father, how to do what is best each and every day of our earthly lives. And, if we are faithful followers of the doctrine of Christ, then after this life is over we are fully prepared for eternal life in heaven with Him. Accordingly, when one is truly converted to Jesus Christ; then the Spirit of Christ is indwelling that person and so is the word of Christ.
Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you is the command of Colossians 3:16 (NASB). The fruits of the resident Spirit of Christ and His teachings are present and evident in the lives of the true believers. "And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which you are called in one body; and be thankful" (Colossians 3:12-15 NASB).
"Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is on account of these things that the wrath of God will come, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him" (Colossians 3:5-10 NASB).
"Let all bitterness wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you" (Ephesians 4:31-32 NASB).
It was Jesus who said: "You will know them by their fruits" (Matthew 7:16 NASB.).
The teachings of Jesus Christ, practiced by Christians, equip them to withstand the descending rains, the floods, the blowing winds and the storms of life that are sure to occur, because, in Christ, they are securely established on the rock.
The mark of a true Christian is one who hears and practices the teachings of Jesus and one who obeys His commandments. "And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, I have come to know Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not Him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has been truly perfected. By this we know that we are in Him" (1 John 2:3-5 NASB).
In the introduction to his book The Divine Conspiracy, Dallas Willard makes the following observation:
"It is the failure to understand Jesus and his words as reality and vital information about life that explains why, today, we do not routinely teach those who profess allegiance to him how to do what he said was best. We lead them to profess allegiance to him, or we expect them to, and leave them there, devoting our remaining effort to attracting them to this or that.
True, you will find few scholars or leaders in Christian circles who deny that we are supposed to make disciples or apprentices to Jesus and teach them to do all things that Jesus said. There are a few here and there, but they are, at least, not widely influential. Jesus’ instructions on this matter are, after all, starkly clear. We just don’t do it. You have only to look honestly at our official activities to see this. It saddens me to say such things, and I do not mean to condemn anyone. But it is a matter of extreme importance and unless it is openly acknowledged, nothing can be done about it."
Modern theology, based on creeds and humanly devised principles, as well as the inferences, deductions, and man-made laws derived therefrom, has reduced the teachings and the commandments of Christ to practical irrelevance.
Jesus said: "You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you saying, This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me. But in vain do they worship Me, Teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men" (Matthew 15:8-9 NASB).
What are the teachings of Christ, and what are the commandments of Christ?
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John record 36 Sermons of Christ; 57 Parables of Christ as well as 45 Accounts of the Miracles of Christ.
The following are not intended in any way to be a complete list but rather only a very few of the teachings and the commandments of Christ as found in the New American Standard Version of the New Testament.
Matthew 5:10-13: "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men revile you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of me. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Jesus said: "Why do you call Me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?" Let’s do it.
Matthew 5:16: "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Let’s do it.
Jesus said: "Why do you call Me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?"
Matthew 5:20-22: "For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that the ancients were told, You shall not commit murder and whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court. But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court."
Jesus said: "A wise man hears His words and acts upon them." Let’s obey the command to put away all anger.
Matthew 5:27-29: "You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery; but I say to you, that everyone who looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart."
1 John 2:15-17: "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever." Let’s do the will of God.
Matthew 5:31-32: "And it was said, Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of dismissal; but I say to you that every one who divorces his wife, except for the cause of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery."
1 John 2:4-5: The one who says, I have come to know Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in Him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him."
Matthew 5:38-39: "You have heard that it was said, AN EYE FOR A EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH. But I say to you, do not resist him who is evil; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also."
1 John 2:6: "the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked."
Matthew 5:40-42: "And if any one wants to sue you, and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. And whoever shall force you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you."
Jesus said: "Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?" Let’s resolve to do that which Jesus said was best to do.
Matthew 5:43-45: "You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy. But I say to you love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven."
Luke 23:33-34: "And when they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. But Jesus was saying, Father forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing."
Jesus practiced that which He preached. Let us prove ourselves doers of the word.
Matthew 6:1: "Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven."
Matthew 6:14-15: "For if you forgive men for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions."
Matthew 6:19-21: "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth or rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal."
Matthew 6:24-25: "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body than clothing?"
Matthew 6:31-33: "Do not be anxious then, saying, What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or with what shall we clothe ourselves? For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you."
Matthew 7:1-2: "Do not judge lest you be judged yourselves. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it shall be measured to you."
Matthew 7:7-11: "Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; and knock, and it shall be opened to you. For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened. Or what man is there among you, when his son shall ask him for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he shall ask for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him."
Matthew 7:12: "Therefore whatever you want others to do for you, do so for them."
Matthew 7:13-14: "Enter in by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it."
Matthew 7:14-15: "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits."
Matthew 7:21: "Not every one who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven."
Matthew 7:24-27: "Therefore every one who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house, and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock. And every one who hears these words of Mine, and does not act upon them will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand. And the rains descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and it fell, and great was its fall."
Matthew 10:32-33: "Every one therefore who shall confess Me before men, I will confess him before my Father who is in heaven. But whoever shall deny me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in Heaven."
Matthew 10:38: "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me."
Matthew 18:15-16: "And if your brother sins, go and reprove him in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed."
Matthew 18:21-22: "Then Peter came and said to him, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times? Jesus said to him, I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven."
Matthew 19:3-6: "And some Pharisees came to Him, testing Him, and saying, Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause at all? And He answered and said, Have you not read, that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said for this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh? Consequently they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate."
Matthew 20:25-28: "But Jesus called them to Himself, you know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It is not so among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and give His life a ransom for many."
Matthew 22:35-39: "And one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law? And He said to him, You shall love the Lord with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
Matthew 23:8-12: "But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. And do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is Christ. For the greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted."
Matthew 24:42-44: "Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. For this reason you be ready too; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will."
Luke 6:35-38: "But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. And do not pass judgment and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you shall not be condemned; pardon and you will be pardoned. Give and it shall be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, they will pour into your lap. For whatever measure you deal out to others, it will be dealt to you in return."
Luke 24:1-8: "But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened that while they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling apparel; and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, Why do you seek the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He is risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they remembered His words."
Luke 24:44-47: "Now He, [Jesus], said to them, These are my words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them, Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead the third day; and that repentance for remission of sins should be preached in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are the witnesses of these things."
Matthew 28:18-20: "And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
The Gospel Preached By Jesus Christ. HOW CAN IT BE ANY PLAINER THAN THAT? IF JESUS said it, we should believe it , and that should settle it.
Jim Davis
E-mail: jamesdavis@focusonthescriptures.com
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