What is the Norm For the Christian Gospel?

Romans 8:3

By Ernest O'Neill

You would all smile, you who know some of the exciting things that go on these days, if you knew that when I was in seminary, my desire was to just preach a nice gentle message that nobody would oppose, so that I would have a successful popular ministry. And I'm glad God changed my heart on it, but that was, when I think back to those days, I think, oh you were a dreamer.

One of the things, loved ones, that we probably need to realize is that the people in communist countries are praying for you and me here in America because they think we're in a special danger because we don't face persecution. And that's interesting, you know. They pray for us in America because they feel we're in greater spiritual danger because we don't face persecution.

And that kind of seems strange to us. We feel, oh no, we should be praying for them. But it is true when you think about it that if you think of Uganda in our time, or you think of Palestine in the first century, whenever there was great persecution of the gospel or of churches, then people really grasped the reality of life and they really understood what the gospel was calling them to. And the gospel calls us to repentance and to turning from ourselves and to living for God and giving ourselves to Christ.

And the world, of course, does the very opposite. It calls us to live for ourselves and to give ourselves to it. And so the normal state for the gospel and the world is one of war. And we need to see that plainly. If the gospel is really preached truthfully and the world is still a fallen world, then they will be fighting like that all the time. They will always be in opposition one to the other.

And the world will always be persecuting those who preach a gospel. Now that's the norm for a real gospel. And why the loved ones in communist countries are worried about you and me is, do you know the truth? That isn't the norm here. It isn't the norm. In fact, in America, the gospel is supposedly popular and everybody's go-go for it. And we rah-rah when we hear about someone who is gaining more influence in politics and is a Christian.

And there's a great sense that Christianity is popular in America. That's why we have real trouble if anyone seems to oppose us. We are, you know, in a kind of state of sleep in a sense.

We're used, so used, to everyone approving what is Christian and approving of our preachers and our speakers that we're actually in a state of sleep so that if anyone ever dares to say anything bad about our preachers or our speakers, we're kind of caught off balance. Because in a subtle way, our belief in Christianity has almost come to depend on the popular vote. When you think about it, I think you'll see it so in our own lives.

We have so little opposition to the gospel and so little opposition to Christianity that you and I are in grave danger of approving of it because it seems the thing to do. And you know all our parents say, you stand up for truth, you stand up for Christianity, you stand up for the Christian faith. And we kind of get the idea, well everybody is doing that, so obviously we can tell if a thing is good by whether everybody approves of it or not.

And so when anybody seems to disapprove of it, or seems to attack it, or seems to oppose it, then we begin to realize how much our convictions are built on popular vote kind of consensus. So that's why we have real difficulty if somebody says something about our preacher and we've been listening to our preacher for years and we've watched him for years and we trust in his integrity and we think he's right, and then somebody comes and criticizes him, suddenly we're thrown off balance because we think, no, wait a minute, surely everybody sees that this is good. Surely everybody sees that it's true.

And so when somebody seems not to, they only have to voice opposition and you and I begin to have strange troubles. It's almost as if if someone says something, then you think, maybe that's true. Now one of the reasons God allows people to tell lies about preachers or other Christians is so that you would begin to find your faith on what is true and not what man says.

And so that you would begin to find your faith on what you believe and what you perceive. And so that you would begin to say, wait a minute, can I trust my own eyes? Can I trust my own ears? Can I trust my own judgment? Can I trust that this is in line with scripture and that this seems to have been consistent down through the years? Sooner or later, loved ones, you need to determine that. And that's why the Father allows us lovingly to face difficulties and contradiction and opposition, so that your faith will not rest on the popular vote and will not depend on nobody saying anything in opposition to you.

Now one of the reasons for that is the only thing that is required for the progress of evil is that good men do nothing. And if you begin to be good men who do nothing, evil itself will progress. And in this dear state of America, we are in a dangerous position.

Because if they tell us that one toothpaste gives a sex appeal, yeah, it gives a sex appeal. And if we tell us that another car is the car we have to have to be really in, then we believe that. We're almost programmed to believe what somebody else says.

We are used to accepting things that are suggested to us without examining them at all. And we are being prepared for the great Antichrist who will come and blast us through the media. And we'll be so used to believing the next suggestion that is made to us, that we will accept what he says.

Now, what is the norm? Because Christianity in America is not facing a normal situation. What is the norm? What is the norm for the Christian gospel? Well, loved ones, the norm for the Christian gospel is that it will always be opposed. Why is that not the norm here in the States? It's in this dear book here.

If you look at it in 2 Timothy 4 and verses 1 through 4. 2 Timothy 4:1: I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who is to judge the living and the dead and by his appearing and his kingdom, preach the word. Be urgent in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, and exhort. Be unfailing in patience and in teaching.

For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths. As for you, always be steady, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry."

One dear guy whom you all know and is just a national figure said, people will not bear this depressing preaching about sin and about hell. They will not now put up with it in our society. They do not want it. They want healthy minded, upbeat, positive preaching that makes them feel good. People will not pray and they will not pay to hear repentance preached.

And loved ones, that's the situation in our dear country. And deep down you know it.  I mean, Christianity has never been more popular in America. It is having a tremendous influence in politics and even in our laws. But the heart of the American people is largely untouched by it because it isn't a real gospel.

And if you question that, you know what we're facing. I mean, we just don't mention AIDS anymore to one another because we don't know where it will stop. We look at the things that are going on in our society and we just try to turn away from it.

And we turn to the hopes we have in that maybe people are being more influential in politics or people are being more influential in laws. Yes, but the heart of the American people is getting further and further away from God. Even as it seems so many of us are having outward influence for Christian thoughts, yet the heart of the American people remains largely untouched by this gospel.

And you who question it, you know the people you work with. You know the people you work with. You know how many of them go to church now but really aren't Christ-like in their own hearts or their own thoughts.

And really, loved ones, it's because the gospel that is preached now is a soft gospel. It's just a soft gospel. Men like me know that you won't put up with us if we preach a hard, strong gospel.

And so the gospel has been watered down and diluted until it is bearable and it can be received. And that's one of the reasons why there is so little persecution and so little opposition and why most of us preachers sail on merrily. Because we won't stand up and say things that are unpopular.

Now, what is the norm? Well, the norm, loved ones, when a gospel of repentance from sin and a complete and absolute surrender to Christ is preached, the norm is always opposition. And the opposition always comes from the same place. And you can look at it there in John 10. It's John 10 and verse 17.

And it is our dear Master, you know, that is doing the preaching. John 10 and 17. "For this reason, the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it again.
No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This charge I have received from my Father."

There was again, this is the response, a division among the Jews because of these words. Many of them said, he has a demon and he is mad. Why listen to him? Others said, these are not the sayings of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind? It may interest you to know who the ones were that accused him of being a demon. It was the religious leaders. And it's always the religious people that will oppose the gospel.

And you get it there in verse 31 and 33. "The Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me? The Jews answered him, it is not for good work that we stone you, but for blasphemy, because you being a man make yourself God."

And it's always the same. You don't like the message, so you have to get rid of the messenger. And the way you get rid of the messenger is always the same. You charge his integrity. You charge his life and his character.

And it's the same, you know, with Paul. If you like to look at 2nd Corinthians 7. The only thing maybe about Satan is he's boring because he keeps on trying the same technique all the time. And so in a way God enables us to perceive him and see him clearly.

2nd Corinthians 7 and verse 2. And it's amazing, you know, we all kind of think, oh Paul, Paul must have had no trouble because he was an apostle and so clearly used by God. The dear guy was always facing it. It's page 1007 and 2nd Corinthians 7 and verse 2.

Open your hearts to us. We have wronged no one and that's always the charge, you know, you've wronged somebody. We have corrupted no one, that's always the charge, you've corrupted someone. We have taken advantage of no one, that's always the charge, he took advantage of you.

Open your hearts to us. We have wronged no one. We have corrupted no one. We have taken advantage of no one. I do not say this to condemn you, for I said before that you are in our hearts to die together and to live together. I have great confidence in you. I have great pride in you. I am filled with comfort. With all our affliction I am overjoyed. And he says, open your hearts.

And then just in chapter 12, you know, (though it's all through those chapters from 7 to 12). But verse 14 of chapter 12 of 2nd Corinthians: "Here for the third time I am ready to come to you. And I will not be a burden..." because that's the charge.
You'll be a burden to us. "For I seek not what is yours but you. For children ought not to lay up for their parents but parents for their children. I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I love you the more, am I to be loved the less?"

And then he deals with some of these charges. "But granting that I myself did not burden you, I was crafty, you say, and got the better of you by guile. Did I take advantage of you through any of those whom I sent to you? I urged Titus to go and sent the brother with him. Did Titus take advantage of you? Did we not act in the same spirit? Did we not take the same steps?"

The truth is, you either accept the gospel or you have to get rid of it because you have to justify yourself. You either move into repentance and victory over sin or you join the accuser of the brethren and you accuse those who present such a thing.

So the dear word of God has told us plainly what to do when we face this kind of situation. Maybe you should look at it in 2nd Timothy chapter 4. 2nd Timothy chapter 4 and verse 1. "I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who is judge of the living and the dead and by his appearing in this kingdom, preach the word. Be urgent in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, and exhort. Be unfailing in patience and in teaching."

So loved ones, that's what I'm going to do and I've been doing it for 20 years so I'll just keep blasting until God tells me to stop. So I'd like to preach the gospel. Jeremiah 8:20 If you like to look at it.

"The harvest is past. The summer is ended and we are not saved." The harvest is past. The summer is ended and we are not saved. Now this is really real. It's hard to find the old-fashioned gospel. You know that.

It's hard to find guys that will preach it because if you preach it you empty the church and you don't have money and you can't carry on. So the preachers argue then I don't exist at all so I'd better preach something that people like and then I can keep the church open and I can keep on preaching what they like. It's hard, you know, to find somebody who will tell it like it is any longer.

It's hard to find any of us who are not dominated by our own self-interest or our own fear. It's increasingly difficult to get somebody to preach it to us straight. Christianity is popular as all get out but it's very hard now to find a real gospel.

Now how long have you been listening? You know some of you might be only here recently but some of you have been listening for longer and what I'm saying lovingly to you is the summer is ended. The harvest is past. It is now very difficult in the states to get a true and straight real gospel and it'll become more and more difficult and you can see the signs.

Not only is the society dying in its own poison, not only are we as a society sinking under our own diseases and are under our own lack of discipline, but some of us guys are gradually being choked. And we won't be around all the time and I'm just sharing facts, just facts with you. In a very real way, loved ones, the harvest is ended and the summer is past and can it be said of you we are not yet saved.

In other words maybe you have come here Sunday after Sunday maybe for several years or maybe for several months and you've listened and you agree you know and your heart rises to it and you say that's it that's the way it really is, that's truth, that's the real gospel and perhaps you've gradually grown in some way in it and you've improved in many ways in your own life and you've seen some changes take place and you understand Christianity a lot better than when you first started to come but you're not yet saved.

Now what does it mean saved? Saved from what? First of all saved from hell saved from hell. That's it. You know how I've shared it with you. I haven't done the brimstone and the fire stuff but you know that I've said repeatedly to you there is a place where God is not. There has to be. There has to be a place where God is not.

There has to be a place where those of us go who do not like God and are not willing to be like Him. Even if it's just that kind of situation you remember that Sartre talks about in his play "No Exit". Do you remember the room with the electric light bulb in it and I think there's one who is a homosexual, one is a lesbian, and the other is just a continual arguer and complainer.

They spend the first day in that room biting at each other. But, then they think well at least we'll get to sleep and we'll have a break from each other. Then they look up at the electric light bulb and it doesn't go out and so they spend the whole night at it. They come to the next day and of course they do that whole day and then it comes night again and suddenly they realize the electric light bulb will never go out and that they will burn in their selfishness and their lust and their backbiting with each other forever.

Loved ones even if it's that kind of burning there is a hell. There is a place that we will go to where we will fit right in except that we will torture ourselves forever. Now you remember it's God's own word you know that that says it if you look at it there it's Galatians 5 and verse 19. It's just put there not in emotional terms at all but in very matter of terms: Galatians 5:19.

"Now the works of the flesh are plain: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you as I warned you before that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."

And it's just plainly put that if those attitudes are in your heart then you will not inherit the kingdom of God. That's not man's words but it's God saying it. Jesus we always think of as the most loving person in the whole world. And yet he says some of the strongest words about hell. You'll see them in Mark 9:42. These words help those of us who in our so-called intellectual sophistication want to paint hell just a little more mildly. Yet, we have to look at the only one who has been off this earth and come back to tell us and what he says about it. It's Mark 9:42.

"Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go to hell to the unquenchable fire and if your foot causes you to sin cut it off, it is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin pluck it out it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched."

They're just fairly strong and plain words that there in hell the worm never dies and the fire is never quenched. We need to be careful loved ones before we start mellowing the thing out you know to something that is bearable. That is the Savior, the Son of God, explaining to us what is waiting in the next world for those of us who continue to have hearts that are filled with those attitudes.

It means first of all being saved from hell. Secondly it means being saved from present sin in this life. You remember the statement by the angel to Joseph and Mary:
"Thou shalt call his name Jesus for he will save his people from their sins." There's  nothing said about "he will save them in their sins".  but he will save his people from their sins."

The tragedy is that you and I have listened to a false gospel. Here's the false gospel: if you give mental assent to the belief that Jesus is God's son and He's died for you, Then God will automatically overlook anything that you do against him for the rest of your life. That's it. If you give mental assent to the belief that Jesus is God's son and that he died for you, then God will overlook anything that you do against him for the rest of your life. He'll just forgive you whatever you do. You just ask forgiveness and he'll forgive you. You just keep on and what it ends up doing is giving us a gospel where we: believe in Jesus, and do our best. That's why we have a nation that is living that. We're doing our best. 

Brother and sisters could I point out here that no businessman who would dream of dealing with another businessman in that way. No business man who has been offended by another business man will say to him, "Okay it doesn't matter what you do against me for the rest of your life -- consider our relationship restored. Consider that I've forgiven you. It doesn't matter what you do, I'll forgive you and things will always be as they were before you'd done anything against me."

Nobody would say that. They'd steal you blind. You'd say to him, "If you commit yourself to not doing that against me again, I'll forgive that and we'll get the relationship back onto the basis as it was before. But I expect you not to do the dirty on me again."

Now the real gospel is plainly stated if you look at it in 2 Corinthians 5:21. For our sake He (God) made Him (Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin. So that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." That's it, that's the gospel. God made Jesus to be sin for you so that you could become the righteousness of God."

It's not so that you can go on year after year, committing the same sins again and again and asking forgiveness for them -- and plunging a sword in Jesus' side every time you did it. Not that. But so that you might become the righteousness of God. That's the Gospel.

Paul says it in Romans 6:1. "What shall we say then, are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? How can we who died to sin still live in it?"  That's it. The gospel is that God did something to you in Jesus that frees you from present sin.

Look at one more piece in Romans 8:3. "For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do; sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."

That's it and it's so different from the gospel that we hear. We hear: "Believe in Jesus and it doesn't matter what you do God is going to forgive you." The gospel is that God has done something so radical and real to you in Christ that you are able to live above sin, free from sin and above unrighteousness. As the Holy Spirit works with you He comes against blocks but he brings you through those blocks and you come into victory over that sin. It may take a day, a month, a few years, but God delivers you from that sin because finally sin is rejecting that God has done a vital full work for you in Christ. That's it.

Loved ones that's what it is. We get angry because we don't believe that God took our anger and our selfish heart and put it into His Son Jesus and destroyed it there. Or, we do not want to believe that or we do not to let that become real in us. But that's what happened. When it says that God make Him to be sin who knew no sin it means that God took you and your hatred, your anger and your selfishness, and me and our unreality and our hypocrisy, our desire to stand up for ourselves and to want our own way, and insist on our own rights....He took all those things and put them into His dear Son Jesus on the Cross.

And when Jesus cried out: "My God, my God why hath thou forsaken me, it was because he had the weight of all your evil, all my evil, and all the evil in the world in his own heart. And it was being burned out by the wrath of God and condemned to death forever. That's what God has done in Jesus for you. And that has been done and made plain by Jesus's death and resurrection, it's been made plain by this book, and made plain by thousands and millions of lives that have lived free from sin since that day.

And the only way to be saved is as the Bible says: "by grace your saved through faith." It's by cleaving to Jesus and saying: "Lord Jesus I myself am unable to live above sin, and do what God wants me to do. I'm unable to avoid these things that you say will separate me from the presence of my Father in Heaven. I'm unable to do that but Lord God I believe that you put me into Jesus. I believe that you allowed me to be destroyed in yourself and you bore the pain and the hell of that. Lord Jesus I believe that. I owe my life to you Lord. There's only one thing I can do and that is give my life to you and tell you that it's yours. I only deserve death and you bore that death for me. So I give my life to you and I ask you to come into my life so you can live yours over again inside me."

Have you ever done that? Have you ever dealt personally with Jesus? Have you ever said to Him, "I see that my sin caused your death and agony. I turn from that sin now but I know Lord that I cannot live above it unless I allow all the evil in me to be destroyed in you. Now Lord, I do that. Show me if there is anything that I'm not willing to allow to be destroyed in you and I give it to you now. I receive you into my heart to trust you to live your life through me. That's what it is to be saved.

So I'd just ask you plainly. Have you ever done that? Maybe you've come here and agree with everything that is said, but you've never actually embraced Jesus as your own Savior and received Him into your heart by faith and begun to treat Him as your own Lord. I invite you to do it this morning. The harvest is past, the summer is ended and we are not saved.

I've been on this campus 20 years and I know some of you have listened for a long time. Will you make the move now? Because Brothers and sisters we won't all be around forever. This does not go on forever, and God has given us here in this room a lot of opportunity.

If God has spoken to your heart and if you need to receive Jesus as your Savior I encourage you during the last hymn to come up to the altar and settle things with the Savior. If you want me to pray with you stay at the altar, but if not, you can go back to your seat. If you have never received Jesus as your own Savior I would encourage you to do that this morning. Because once more you have heard the gospel...you have. He waits for you and has been waiting for a long time.