Today’s post in our Gospel Jump-Start Series is a reminder that the gospel is the power of God for salvation. Yesterday during the sermon, I made the statement that the power is in the message, not the messenger. This truth has always been encouraging to me and reminds me to not put confidence in myself, but in the gospel itself when we share it with others. The following is an excerpt form a sermon by Charles Spurgeon that it a great reminder of the power of the gospel. He was preaching at an open air evangelistic meeting when he said:
Oh! I love God’s “shalls” and “wills.” There is nothing comparable to them. Let a man say “shall,” what is it good for? “I will,” says man, and he never performs; “I shall,” says he, and he breaks his promise. But it is never so with God’s “shalls.” If He says “shall,” it shall be; when He says “will,” it will be. Now He has said here, “many shall come.” The devil says, “they shall not come;” but “they shall come.” You yourselves say, “we won’t come;” God says, “You shall come.” Yes! There are some here who are laughing at salvation, who can scoff at Christ, and mock at the gospel; but I tell you some of you shall come yet. “What!” you say, “can God make me become a Christian?” I tell you yes, for herein rests the power of the gospel. It does not ask your consent; but it gets it. It does not say, will you have it? But it makes you willing in the day of God’s power.
Spurgeon continued:
They shall come! They shall come! Ye may laugh, ye may despise us; but Jesus Christ shall not die for nothing. If some of you reject Him there are some that will not. If there are some that are not saved, others shall be. Christ shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hands. They shall come! And naught in heaven, nor on earth, nor in hell, can stop them from coming. (quoted in The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon)
Let Spurgeon’s zeal encourage you to proclaim the glorious gospel to others…for it is the power of God (Rom. 1:16, 1 Cor. 1:18), and He will accomplish His good work through it.
Written by Matt Baker