“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ…” Romans 1:16

The Natural man is ashamed of the gospel because the Gospel of Jesus Christ says that all men are sinners and that offends man’s dignity.  The religious person says:  “We be not sinners.”  That’s what they said to Christ; “we be not sinners”.

Christ said, “The Son of man is come to seek and to save the lost.” Paul said, “Christ came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief.” They said, “We be not sinners.”  Then, those outside the church say; “Well, we are not any worse sinners than the people in the church; we are no worse than they are.”

Then, the people out in profanity and blasphemy and evil, they say, “Well, we are not so bad; we’ve got some good traits.”  But, what does the Scripture say? The Scripture says:  “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God:

“All we like sheep have gone astray. We’ve turned everyone to his own way.”  The Scripture says:  “To offend in one point of the law, (just one jot or tittle), is to be guilty of the whole law of God.”

The Word of God says: “What the law saith it saith to them who are under the law that every mouth may be stopped and all the world become guilty before God. Your sins have separated you from God.”

That’s the first point of offense. That’s the first stumbling block; the Gospel of Christ addresses all men as sinners, not good sinners, not pretty good sinners, not pretty bad sinners, but just sinners, they are all grouped, under one heading:

“There’s none good, there’s none righteous, there’s none that seeketh after God. They are altogether become unprofitable. There is none that doeth good, no not one.”

Why is the true Gospel offensive? I didn’t say that religion is offensive; the natural man is religious.  I didn’t say that the average message of salvation is offensive, it’s not.

It tells the sinner what he can do in order to purchase salvation, what he can do in order to merit heaven, what he can do in order to merit God’s favor.  But, the Gospel of Christ is offensive.

– Henry Mahan

“Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: and let such as
love thy salvation say continually, let God be magnified” (Psalm 70:4).

Every believer can truly identify and say with David that we love the
salvation that God has abundantly, eternally and sovereignly given to the poor and needy sinner in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no doubt that everyone is in need of salvation (Rom. 3:23), but few seem to have any real interest. The warning of scripture is, “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?” (Heb. 2:3).  Why does the true believer love the salvation of God?  Let me give you several scriptural reasons:

1.   We love God’s salvation because of the experience of it in the heart.
This salvation is not only a perfect work accomplished for us at Calvary
with His justifying blood atonement, it is also a work of God the Holy
Spirit making application to the sinner’s heart (John 16:8-15). Salvation
that is revealed in scripture is an experience of the grace of God revealing Christ to the heart (Phil. 1:6).

2.   We love God’s salvation because of the method of it (1 Peter 3:18). The method of this salvation was devised, implemented and executed by God Almighty.  It is the way of sovereign grace through the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ who satisfied the demands of God’s justice and supplied every need for the guilty sinner (Phil. 4:19).

3.  We love God’s salvation because of the sureness of it (Rom. 4:16). We
run no risk when we trust the eternal welfare of our soul upon Jesus Christ the Righteous; it is truly a safe salvation (Psa. 62:6-8). He guarantees and gives eternal life to all those who believe on His name (John 3:36).

4.  We love God’s salvation because of the completeness of it (Col. 2:9-10).  Nothing remains unfinished or lacking. God’s salvation is not waiting upon the sinner to add something to make it complete or effectual. Only that which God provided will be accepted (Gen. 22: 8). Sin is put away (Heb. 9:26), redemption is accomplished (Heb. 9:12), righteousness is established (Phil. 3:7-9) and reconciliation is achieved (2 Cor. 5:18).

5.  We love God’s salvation because of the Person of it (1 John 5:10-12).
Jesus Christ Himself is the sum, substance and subject matter of the gospel (Rom. 1:1-3). “He is altogether lovely” (Song of Sol. 5:16). Salvation is not in a profession, place nor a position but rather in a glorious Person.  Surely, anyone who does not love this salvation must be a lover of self, and a hater of the God of all grace (1 Peter 5:10). Surely, those who love God’s salvation can say, “Let God be magnified” (1 Cor. 1:30-31).

– Tom Harding, Pastor, Zebulon Baptist Church, Pikeville, KY

“.  .  .  A sinner’s peace cannot come from himself, nor from the knowledge of himself, nor from thinking about his own acts and feelings, nor from the consciousness of any amendment of his old self.

Whence, then, is it to come?  How does he get it?

It can only come from God; and it is in knowing God that he gets it. God has written a volume for the purpose of making himself known; and it is in this revelation of his character that the sinner is to find the rest that he is seeking.  God himself is the fountainhead of our peace; his revealed truth is the channel through which this peace finds its way into us; and his Holy Spirit is the great interpreter of that truth to us:  “Acquaint now thyself with him (God), and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.”  (Job 22:21).  Yes, acquaintanceship with God is peace!”

– Horatius Bonar

As we have the privilege this morning to partake of this ordinance of our Lord Jesus Christ let us not forget to reverence Him and Praise Him for it.  We must remember that we are prone to forget the importance of this service because of its simplicity.  Rejoice believer, for in every part of this Supper there is the clear message of the gospel of our salvation.

Behold the bread which is a picture of the body of Jesus Christ that was broken for you (1 Cor. 11:24).  How precious was the body of the Only Begotten Son of God?  Behold how pure and perfect Jesus was as a man that God the Father could not refrain from crying out, “This is my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”  We had broken the law of God in our flesh.  We could never fulfil the righteousness of God and the law demanded that our flesh be torn by the justice of God.  But what we could not do in the flesh, Christ has accomplished by His obedience (Romans 8:3-4).

Behold the Wine that pictures to us the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 11:25). How precious was the blood of Jesus Christ?  The Justice and wrath of God demanded that every sinner be punished and eternal death was the only just reward for sin.  But God was not willing to impute the sins of His elect to them. Therefore God being just must have supplied an offering for sin and the only sufficient offering was the precious blood of Jesus Christ.  Believer meditate on the cup this morning and see that Jesus blood was shed for the remission of your sins. Jesus offered up His own blood to God and after God’s Justice as fully and perfectly satisfied Christ commended his soul to God. (2 Cor. 5:19-21).

Believer, by the renting of the flesh of Christ and the shedding of the blood of Christ the way to the Father is opened.  We have access unto God and He hears us.  He loves us and one day He will receive us into His presence forever because of the offering of the flesh and blood of Jesus.
Therefore believer let us eat these with hearts of thanksgiving, and praise unto our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ.  And as we eat the bread and drink the wine let us see that this is a picture of faith. “Whosoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life” (John 6:54).  This is not just to eat of this table, but it is to eat and drink by faith in His person and work as all your salvation.  And we that believe on Him have everlasting life.

– Fred Evans