As we prepare for the Kingdom of God Seminars next week it is important to review some of our fundamental beliefs not only to solidify our own faith but also to be able to be Ambassadors for Christ as it tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:20. The gospel that Christ preached is truly Good News to a troubled world. This world is in need of hope and understanding and that is what we can offer through these seminars. Anyone who hears the seminars will immediately see that the Gospel we preach is unique from the churches in this world. The average person in the world today is not filled with optimism about the future. Rising unemployment, wars around the world, the breakdown of the family, all underscore the sorry state of today’s world. The churches of this world have a message of personal salvation to those few that follow a path that no one seems to be able to agree on. If the Churches of today have the right message then it’s hard to understand how few people adhere to it. If the message that is preached today is all there is then one can easily become skeptical of religion as a whole. Only 2 of 7 people in the world claim to be Christian and many of them are Christian in name only.

Is it any wonder how people have lost faith in the religious community. We have an opportunity to offer something Unique in the Christian world because there is something missing in the gospel message as preached in the worlds churches. The sermon today is based on a Bible study Mr. Walker wrote for the Ministerial News Journal called: The Missing Dimension of the Gospel as Preached by Mainstream Christianity On our seal for the United Church of God the mission of the church is stated “Preaching the Gospel, Preparing a people”. If we are to fulfill that commission we need to understand what the Gospel is and be able to share that information to those who seek an answer. Today we are going to discuss the missing dimension of the Gospel that has caused so many to not only miss the real hope in the Gospel message but have even caused some people to turn away from God. It seems extraordinary, doesn’t it? Well here is one example I can site. (Story: Former Boss and the stress of a Dad who was in Hell)

So what is missing from the Gospel message as preached in churches around the world? Why would some lose hope when hearing it, and why would others turn from it? You might say the problem is in the inclusiveness of the message. Now some would object, “Inclusiveness?” Jesus sacrifice was for all people. NIV 1 Peter 3:18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, So how could some feel this Gospel leaves some out? The heart of the Gospel message as told by so many churches in the world today is to come to Christ before it is too late. For some, seeing some of their loved ones that have died without Christ they don’t look forward to the prospect of saving only themselves. Where is the hope in that? This is partly why so many missionaries travel to the ends of the earth trying to reach everyone so the largest number of people could have a chance at salvation. Here the heart of what’s missing from the Gospel message as preached around the world today, Hope. People want to believe in something good and all-encompassing but the message given in so many churches focus on saving one person at a time and as people look at their neighbors and countrymen the prospects of any large scale salvation seem bleak at best.

Of course, there are a couple other approaches that try to widen the playing field so that it appears that God is winning much more over to His side. The first are those that lower the Bar for salvation. They say you only need to confess Jesus is Lord and you’re in. Of course, sympathetic people would look to that approach and say, “What about all of the Non-Christians out there?” If 5 out of 7 people today are going to perish then God is certainly not doing well is He? The second alternative is that God is compassionate and is not concerned about the legal requirements to salvation but rather, if you have a good heart then God will save you. The question I would ask is how to you explain scriptures like: Romans 3:23-24 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, KJV Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. John 3:16 16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

So this is where so many people of this world are left. If the scripture is right then so few have a chance and if the scripture is wrong, then how can anything be right. So what’s the answer? I often tell people when discussing spiritual matters that although there are many things in this world we don’t yet understand, when it is known to us we are going to do the V-8 bop on the forehead and say, “So that’s it”. The mysteries of God do not take a physicist to unlock or else Paul would never have written in 1 Corinthians 1:26-29: 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence. So is this just so God can punish those who are haughty? Those that think too much of themselves, or is this so that everyone can have a chance.

At work, we use a system of building a prototype computer. Instead of loading 75 different pieces of software on 1400 computers, we load that software on only one and use it to copy to the other computers. We use the least of the computers in the fleet to do this so that we know that every computer will work with the new configuration. I Corinthians is describing that process. The world has been blinded by the Satan, the god of this world, and it takes God to open their Eyes. That is what we have an opportunity to participate in. Understanding the Missing Dimension in the Gospel message is understanding that hope is alive for all those that have lived and died without the knowledge of our Savior Jesus Christ. So what is missing from the Gospel message as preached in the world’s Christian churches? In Mark 1:1 you find a phrase used only once in our bibles. Mark 1:1 NKJ The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. You can find the phrase Gospel of Christ another 10 times but this phrase only once. In looking up this passage in Expositors Bible Commentary I found this statement of the meaning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Expositor's Bible Commentary The word "gospel" comes from the old English "godspel" ("good news") and translates accurately the Greek euangelion [Strongs #2098 {yoo-ang-ghel'-ee-on} . The Greek word originally meant the reward for bringing good news but later came to mean the Good News itself. In the NT the Good News is that God has provided salvation for all men through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For Mark to convey this Good News, he has created a new literary genre—"gospel." "Mark's book has come to be called a Gospel because it contains the Gospel—the announcement of the Christian good news" So what is this Christian Good News? Here Expositors sums up this Good News to be the Salvation offered to mankind through Jesus Christ. The fact that the first 4 books of the New Testament are called Gospels and contain the life, death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ as our savior it would be understandable for the mainstream Christian to only focus on personal salvation as the Gospel message. But growing up in the Church of God I was more likely to hear this scripture in Matthew 24:14 to describe the Gospel Message Matthew 24:14 14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. So which is it?

Let’s start in 1 Corinthians 15: Listen to what Paul is telling the Corinthians 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 NKJ Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you -- unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, … 1. The Gospel –brought them in 2. Saved them, if they hold fast 3. Message that Christ died for them and was buried and raised the 3rd Day. So is that all there is to the Gospel? Well let’s look back at verse 3 again. The word first could refer either to first in time order, meaning that Christ’s death and resurrection is the first major event in God’s plan to save mankind, or it could mean that his death and resurrection is first in importance in the gospel message. But regardless of which meaning is intended, the very mention of the word first indicates that there is more to the gospel message than the death and resurrection of Christ, important though that is.

At the time of Christ we see a change in the communication between God and mankind. Up until the first century, God’s people relied on the Law and prophets to guide them through life. NKJ Luke 16:16 "The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it. We see that there was a new promise to guide Gods people in the New Testament. The NLT puts is this way. NLT Luke 16:16 "Until John the Baptist began to preach, the laws of Moses and the messages of the prophets were your guides. But now the Good News of the Kingdom of God is preached, and eager multitudes are forcing their way in. It’s important to understand this in trying to understand what the Gospel meant to the world of the first Century. Up until the time of Christ you had the Nation of God on earth in a number of Forms. First of all the Kingdom period were God’s presence dwelt in the Temple in Jerusalem. Later this nation split and eventually fell into captivity but they were, in their minds, God’s chosen people who were supposed to live by the Law and the prophets. That is what was preached in the synagogues and that is what people focused on.

Today many Christians believe the Law has been nailed to the cross and the focus is on the Gospel, as they see it, a message of personal salvation that needs to be proselyted or else most will suffer the fires of Hell. But Jesus did not come to abolish the law but to bring a Gospel about a reconciliation of mankind back to God in a way that the Law and Prophets could not. When Christ came he brought Good News to a troubled world. This Good News contains real hope for mankind. This gospel message needs to contain all of the solutions to man’s problems for it to truly be from God. If it only holds answers to those who have become “real” Christians, then how does the gospel give hope to the majority of humans that don’t qualify? We live in a global age and although most people spend too much time thinking inward they do understand that there are 7 Billion people out there and a solution that only works for a small subset of the population is by any definition a failure. God is not a failure so we should not look at His plan as a failure. God’s plan will be a success and all of the pain and suffering in this world will make sense and people will understand why it has been a mystery to so many from the time that Adam and Eve rejected the tree of life as Romans 16 tells us.

Romans 16:25-26 25 Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began 26 but now has been made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures has been made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith – 1. Grace and Salvation is part of the Gospel Message NKJ Galatians 1:6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him the father who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, Acts 20:24 24 "But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. Romans 1:15-16 15 So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also. 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. So the story of Christ and his incredible life on earth and the things that He suffered for us are definitely part of the Gospel message. But that’s not all. 2. The Kingdom of God completes the story Understanding of the Kingdom of God is crucial in knowing how all of the people who never knew Jesus Christ will have an opportunity for salvation. Now Critics would argue that the Gospel of Christ is mentioned 11 times whereas the Gospel of the Kingdom is only mentioned 4. But how do you ignore these four passages. Matthew 4:23 23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.

Matthew 9:35 35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. Matthew 24:14 14 "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. Mark 1:14-15 14 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." It is clear that the Kingdom of God is part of the Gospel, but this does not tell the whole story because this is by no means the only place that the Kingdom of God is mentioned. The expression “kingdom of God” appears 68 times in the NT (53 in the gospels). The phrase “kingdom of heaven” occurs 32 times (all but 2 in Matthew). Twenty NT passages conveying parables Jesus taught contain wording similar to “The kingdom of Heaven [or the kingdom of God] is like...” Let’s go through a number of scriptures showing how important the Kingdom of God was to the Gospel message.

Luke 4:43: “but He said to them, ‘I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.’” Luke 8:1: “Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings [same Greek word elsewhere as ‘gospel’] of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him…” Luke 9:6-11 6 So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere. 7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, 8 and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again. 9 Herod said, "John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?" So he sought to see Him. 10 And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done. Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. 11 But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.

Acts 1:3: “to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. Acts 8:12 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. Acts 19:8 And he went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God. Acts 14:21-22 21 And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God." Acts 20:25 25 "And indeed, now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more. Acts 28:23 23 So when they had appointed him a day, many came to him at his lodging, to whom he explained and solemnly testified of the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets, from morning till evening. So here we do not see that the Gospel replaced the Law and the prophets, but rather gave new meaning to what was up till that time a mystery that was prophesied right in the scriptures.

Acts 28:30-31 30 Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, 31 preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him. Paul spoke often about the Kingdom of God and about Jesus Christ as he preached. The Knowledge of the Kingdom of God is contained in the Holy Days we observe every year. The return of Jesus Christ is foretold in the Feast of Trumpets. The Day of Atonement pictures the removal of Satan as the king of this earth so that he does not interfere in the lives of those here. Christ return to rule on this earth is pictured in the Feast of Tabernacles, and the Last Great Day pictures a time when Salvation will be offered to everyone who never had the opportunity in this Life. That is what the Kingdom of God adds to the Gospel message and why it is the missing dimension in the Gospel heard in most churches today. When we look at the Gospel message of Salvation as preached in the world’s churches, what is plain to us is that the Christians of the this world can only focus on the hope that they can comprehend. The world does not know that God is sending His Son to this Earth to overthrow the Kingdoms of this world. They believe they are leaving this world to be with God.

The Jews of the first century did, as did the Christians, but as time went on the Jewish influence was demonized and the Christian Church turned its back on their understanding of God’s ultimate plan for mankind. Without the Holy days they stood no chance of understanding the whole plan of God. It’s like turning on a movie into the middle and trying to figure out what is going on. What they can see is Christ’s sacrifice for our sins. What they can’t see is a plan for those that never knew Christ at all. The Return of Christ has not been the focus of many churches because long ago there was a belief that the Kingdom had come to the world already. What did the apostolic church teach? The apostles and ministers of the apostolic church preached the gospel of the kingdom of God, the same gospel Jesus preached during His earthly ministry. Sadly, much of traditional Christianity has lost this fundamental aspect of the gospel message. An article titled “Days of the Martyrs” that was posted online by US News & World Report, April 16, 2001, explains how the message of the kingdom of God disappeared from the gospel preached by mainstream Christianity.

Here are some excerpts from that article: “It started simply enough, according to the Gospels, with the life of Jesus of Nazareth. During a brief career as an itinerant teacher… he preached the coming of God’s kingdom and performed extraordinary deeds. Many who followed him believed he was God’s ‘anointed one’: the long-awaited messiah presaged in the Hebrew Scriptures. Summarize the Fall of Jerusalem twice and the vilification of the Jewish desire for Kingdom “Yet while the church would flourish and prosper under its new status, it would also face new conflicts. Its theology would continue to change, even to the point, some argue, of abandoning traditional themes…. Preaching of ‘the coming Kingdom of God’ fell into neglect; the new idea… was that with Constantine and his successors, the plan of God has been fulfilled” We understand that God has a plan for all of mankind, not just the small number of Christians that have been called in this age. We know that the Kingdom of God is the missing dimension that this world so badly needs to hear.

Let’s get excited about the chance to participate in this process, to be used by God to help someone come to a better understanding of Gods Plan. Let’s study the fundamentals so we are ready to help those we might come across. One final verse that puts the whole gospel message together with the sacrifice of Jesus to His Second coming to this earth, let’s read Hebrews 9. Hebrews 9:27-28 27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.