So what is the gospel? More specifically....what is to be preached from the pulpit on the Lord's Day? I myself am decades into this question....and always when it comes up in conversation....I'm told by others that their pastor preaches the gospel....where when I'm familiar with their sermons....that is definitely not the case. If you are really interested in this question....and I hope that you are...I would send you to a Google search on....'what is the gospel, Michael Horton...or R. C. Sproul.' You will find two conference talks on this subject....both a little over 50 minutes.....but your time will have been well worth it.
I happened to listen to Michael Horton this morning while on the treadmill.....work off calories while listening to the gospel....now that's an exercise routine! I'm sure I heard this talk before....maybe even in person. About two thirds into his talk he made a statement and it immediately resonated with me as to why the actual gospel should be preached from the pulpit every Lord's Day. Horton said while referencing Paul's words in Romans 4:3...."For what does Scripture say? 'Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness."....."this is totally counter-intuitive to who we are....and therefore it must be told to us over....and over....and over....and over again!" There it is. This is why the gospel.....not just Christ-centered....but Christ saturated....must be preached to us every Lord's day....for it has been proven by the history of the church....and should be obvious to us in our own lives....that it is within our nature to forget....and to add to the gospel our own works!
I happen to be a believer that the book of Hebrews is a model....a model of a sermon....just as Jesus gave us a model of a prayer. Christ and His glories are preached over the first two-thirds or so of the letter....and then having preached Christ....the servant of God may expound. If you get this backwards.....and only give a smidgen of the gospel at the end of a sermon....thus thinking you have preached the gospel....you have put the cart before the horse....and are going nowhere....for you have put the power behind the cart....and being only a smidgen....a few words to send us off....it wasn't much horsepower to begin with.
I happened to listen to Michael Horton this morning while on the treadmill.....work off calories while listening to the gospel....now that's an exercise routine! I'm sure I heard this talk before....maybe even in person. About two thirds into his talk he made a statement and it immediately resonated with me as to why the actual gospel should be preached from the pulpit every Lord's Day. Horton said while referencing Paul's words in Romans 4:3...."For what does Scripture say? 'Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness."....."this is totally counter-intuitive to who we are....and therefore it must be told to us over....and over....and over....and over again!" There it is. This is why the gospel.....not just Christ-centered....but Christ saturated....must be preached to us every Lord's day....for it has been proven by the history of the church....and should be obvious to us in our own lives....that it is within our nature to forget....and to add to the gospel our own works!
I happen to be a believer that the book of Hebrews is a model....a model of a sermon....just as Jesus gave us a model of a prayer. Christ and His glories are preached over the first two-thirds or so of the letter....and then having preached Christ....the servant of God may expound. If you get this backwards.....and only give a smidgen of the gospel at the end of a sermon....thus thinking you have preached the gospel....you have put the cart before the horse....and are going nowhere....for you have put the power behind the cart....and being only a smidgen....a few words to send us off....it wasn't much horsepower to begin with.
