I shall take for my text the one word “gospel.” I do not think there is a word in the English language that is so little understood in this Christian land of England as this very word “gospel.” We have heard it from our earliest childhood up. There is not a day, and with many of us not an hour during the day, but that we hear the word “gospel.” And yet, I say, a partaker of the gospel is a long time before he really knows the meaning of the word. It means “good tidings.” I think it would do us good sometimes to get a dictionary and hunt up the meaning of some of the words we use so often; some of those Bible words, such as “gospel” and “Christ.” I think it would change our ideas. I think this would be a very joyful meeting to-night, if every one really believed that the gospel is good news. Let a man or a boy bring a despatch into this audience and hand it to any one here, and if that brings good news you can see it immediately in the man’s face; his face lights up when he opens the despatch. You can see he really believes it. And if it is really good news, if it brings him the tidings of a long-lost boy coming home, why, if his wife is sitting next to him, he passes the despatch to her; he wants her to have knowledge of it too. He does not wait for her to ask for it; he does not wait till they get home. So when I preach, those who really believe the gospel, if I am near enough to look into their eyes, I see their faces light up and they look remarkably sharp; but those who do not believe it put on a long face, and look as if you had brought them a death-warrant, or invited them to attend a funeral.
THE BEST NEWS IN THE WORLD.
No better news ever came out of heaven than the gospel. No better news ever fell upon the ears of the family of man than the gospel. Hark! hear those shepherds talking to one another after the angels had gone away. They believed the message, and they were full of joy. You can see them on the way now to Bethlehem. They said, “Let us go and see what has taken place.” And what was the message that the angels brought to those shepherds? “Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour.” Now, if those shepherds had been like a good many people at the present time, they would have said, “We do not believe it is good news. It is all excitement. Those angels want to get up a revival. Those angels are trying to excite us. Don’t you believe them.” That is what Satan is saying now. “Don’t you believe the gospel is good news.” Because he knows the moment a man believes good news, he just receives it. I never saw a man in all my life that did not like good news. And every man and woman that is under the power of the devil does not believe the gospel is good news. The moment you are out from under his power and influence then you believe it. May God grant that the gospel may sink deep into your hearts, and that you may believe it and be saved.
It is the best news that ever came to this sin-cursed world. It means “Good spell,” or, in other words, “God’s spell.” We are dead in trespasses and sin, and God wants us to be reconciled. It is a gospel of reconciliation, and God is shouting from the heights of glory, “Oh, ye men, I am reconciled, now be ye reconciled!” We have glorious news to tell you—God is reconciled and beseeches his subjects to be reconciled. The great apostle says, “We beseech you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.” The moment a man believes the gospel, down goes his arm of rebellion, and the unequal controversy is over. A light from Calvary crosses his path, and he can walk in unclouded sun, if he will. It is the privilege of every man and woman in this vast assembly from this hour to walk in unclouded sun if they will. What has brought darkness into the world? Darkness came because of sin, and the man who does not believe the gospel is blinded by the god of this world. Now I want to tell you why I like the gospel. It is because it has been the very best news I have ever heard. That is just the reason I like to preach it. Because it has done me so much good. I do not think a man can preach the gospel until he believes it himself. A man must know it down deep in his own heart before he can tell it out; and then he tells it out but very poorly at the best.
POOR AMBASSADORS.
We are very poor ambassadors and messengers; but never mind the messenger, take hold of the message—that is what you want. If a boy brought me good news to-night, I would not care about the look of the boy; I would not care whether he was black or white, learned or unlearned. The message is what would do me good. A great many look at the messenger instead of the message. Never mind the messenger. My friends, get hold of the message to-night. The gospel is what saves, and what I want now is that you may believe the gospel now.
CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS.
Paul says in this fifteenth chapter of the 1st of Corinthians what the gospel is. He says, “I declare unto you the gospel.” And the first thing he states in the declaration to these Corinthians is this: “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.” That was the old-fashioned gospel. I hope we never will get away from it. I don’t want anything but that old, old story. Some people have itching ears for something new. Bear in mind there is no new gospel. Christ died for our sins. If He did not, how are we going to get rid of them? Would you insult the Almighty by offering the fruits of this frail body to atone for sin? If Christ did not die for our sins, what is going to become of our souls? And then he goes on to tell that Christ was buried, and that Christ rose again.
CHRIST RISEN.
He burst asunder the bands of death. Death could not hold Him. I can imagine, when they laid Him in Joseph’s sepulchre, if our eyes could have been there, we should have seen Death sitting over that sepulchre, saying, “I have Him; He is my victim. He said He was the resurrection and the life. Now I have hold of Him in my cold embrace. Look at Him. There He is; He has had to pay tribute to me. Some thought He was never going to die. Some thought I would not get Him. But He is mine.” But look again. The glorious morning comes, and the Son of man bursts asunder the bands of death, and came out of the sepulchre. We do not worship a dead God, but a Saviour who still lives. Yes, He rose from the grave; and then they saw Him ascend. That is what Paul calls the gospel. Not only Christ’s death and burial, but His ascension into heaven. He went up and took His seat at the right hand of God, and He will come back again. The gospel consists of five things: Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and coming again; for “I will come again,” said He. Thanks be to God, He is coming back by and by. He will come and take the kingdom; He will sway His sceptre from the rivers to the ends of the earth. A little while and He shall rule and reign. Let us lift up our heads and rejoice that the time of our redemption draweth near.