The complete gospel message includes three components:

• 1. The gospel message itself
• 2. Establishing people in the gospel
• 3. Helping people to persevere in the gospel message

The gospel is the good news of God whereby He invites sinners to enter into a personal relationship with Him through personal faith in the Messiah Jesus as Lord and Savior. It’s believing that the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah was sufficient payment for all of our sins and that complete forgiveness is granted when we believe in Messiah Jesus.

1. The Gospel Message Itself

The Gospel Defined

1 Cor. 15:3-4 — For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that the Messiah died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures Prophesied By Isaiah

Is. 53:5-6 — But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.

Prophesied By Jesus

Matt. 20:18-19 — Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, and will deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him, and on the third day He will be raised up.

2. Establishing People In the Gospel Message

It’s not enough for someone to simply make a profession of faith in the gospel message. They need to be established in the teachings of the Word of God. Spiritual growth, or sanctification needs to follow one’s profession.

A Profession is Not Enough

Matt. 7:21 — Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.

Established In Their Faith

1 Thess. 3:1-8 — Therefore when we could endure it no longer, we thought it best to be left behind at Athens alone; and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Messiah, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith, so that no man may be disturbed by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we have been destined for this.

For indeed when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction; and so it came to pass, as you know. For this reason, when I could endure it no longer, I also sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor should be in vain. But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always think kindly of us, longing to see us just as we also long to see you, for this reason, brethren, in all our distress and affliction we were comforted about you through your faith; for now we really live, if you stand firm in the Lord.

Eph. 4:11-15 — And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Messiah… As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Messiah

1 Pet. 2:2 — like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation,

Rom. 16:25-27 — Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus the Messiah, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith; to the only wise God, through Jesus the Messiah, be the glory forever. Amen.

3. Helping People To Persevere In the Gospel Message

It’s not enough for someone to simply make a profession of faith in the gospel message. They need to continue in their faith for the rest of their human life. If they abandon their faith it manifests that their faith was never genuine from the start.

There are two sides of perseverance. One is our side and the other is God’s side. We are presently looking at perseverance from our side.

What Is Our Side Of Perseverance?

It is simply our continuing to believe the gospel message through out our entire lifetime. Trials, afflictions, persecution, or any other type of difficulty will not cause us to abandon our faith in the Messiah Jesus.

Persevering In Faith

1 Cor. 15:1-2 — Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.

Col. 1:21-23 — And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach– if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven…

With so much at stake (the salvation of a soul), it is imperative that we are clear and thorough in our presentation of the gospel. It is true, we are not the one who does the saving(God does that), but we are responsible to dispense the true gospel.

To sum up, there are some extremely serious consequences for not believing and obeying the gospel of God. All of you have heard what the gospel is, the question is, do you believe it?

Serious Consequences

2 Thess. 1:4-8 — therefore, we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure.

This is a plain indication of God’s righteous judgment so that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering. For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.