The Gospel at Costco

The Gospel as the Good News in a Time of Fear

I'm one of the pastors of a church in Mesa called Apologia Church and we're out here to preach the gospel. We're out here to give you the good news in light of all the bad news that you're receiving. See the gospel, that message proclaimed is what you need to hear the most.

The good news of who Jesus is and what he's done and who God is, is the message that we need to hear the most. It is the best of messages. It's an exclusive message in the fact that it's only by that message that we can be saved.

It's our response to it. The Bible says, and this is what the Apostle Paul said in Romans chapter 1, 16. He says, for I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation. So as we come out here as Jesus Christ did, as we preach the gospel, then God uses the gospel to save souls.

That's ultimately why we're out here, is because we're concerned about your soul. You see, we get it. It's a crazy time in our nation. It's a scary time. A lot of people are in fear and panic. But we need not worry about our first death, really the second death is what we need to be focused on.

The question I have to ask you is, where are you going to spend your eternity? Are you going to spend your eternity with God as you've turned from your sin and turned to Jesus Christ in faith, or are you going to be a recipient of God's wrath and justice and hell forever because you've disobeyed God's command to repent?

See folks, we do have good news for you as you go about it. And for some, it's going to be a sound of life. The scriptures call it an aroma of life. And for some, it's going to be the sound of death, an aroma of death.

Human Need, Judgment, and the Coming Day of Death

But regardless of how we're received, regardless of the way that we're treated out here, you need to hear this message. The message of the good news, folks, is that based upon what Jesus has done and what he has done alone, you can be saved.

Salvation is what you need the most. Right now, we're grasping. We're grasping for things that we think are going to fulfill us. We're grasping for items or safety or stability that we think that we truly need.

Maybe it's a full pantry, and we get that. We need food or toilet paper or paper towels. We get that. We need these type of things to live upon this earth that God created for us. But our ultimate need is a spiritual need.

Our ultimate need is to know for sure to have the assurance that we are right with God. The assurance that we will be declared not guilty on the day of our judgment. We need the righteousness that only Jesus Christ can give to us as we go to him exclusively for it.

See, folks, the reality is not if we're going to die. The reality is when that day is going to come. For most of us, we don't know when that day is. Some of us, we do. We deal with cancer or diseases or whatever it may be, but most of us don't know that appointed day when we're going to stand before the living God, the God who created each and every one of us in judgment.

And because we don't know when that day is headed our way, that's why we come out here and that's why we use an amplification amplifier to amplify the good news of the gospel so that in doing so, we can help you to be ready to meet the God who created you.

We can help you to be right with God as you would respond to the good news of the gospel in an obedient, submissive way, in a way that reflects faith towards Jesus and turning from your sin. That's what we want for you.

We don't come out here to cause any type of unnecessary panic. No, we come out here with a message of love, with a message of deep concern for your soul. See, those that love you the most, those that care for you the most are the ones that are going to be concerned with the state of your soul.

Because the Bible says this, our life is like a vapor. We are here today, gone tomorrow. David even said our life is like a blade of grass. When everybody is about to enter into eternity, that's what they'll tell you.

They'll say, you know what, this time just flew by, went by so quick. And a lot of us are thinking, you know what, I'm going to deal with the soul issue, I'm going to deal with eternity, maybe somewhere down the road.

As if your life was promised to you, but you have to understand tomorrow is not promised to you. It could be today or tomorrow or even minutes from now that your life is required of you. No, that's why the scriptures say this clearly, today is the day of salvation.

What does that mean? Today is the day in this life alone, not in the life hereafter. Today is the day that we need to be made right with God. Today is the day that we need to obey His commands to repent and place our faith in Jesus Christ.

So many mistakenly believe that when they die and they face God in judgment, that they're going to make it right with God in that moment. And folks, that is the reality. When you die, you go straight to judgment.

That's what God's holy word says. He says, it is once for us to die and then we face God in judgment. The Bible says that God has fixed a day when He will judge this world in righteousness and that by the man, Christ Jesus.

You see, when you die, you go to God in judgment. And again, on that day, you stand before Him. It's not going to be a day where you somehow present anything to Him that He takes in consideration. It's not a day where you can seemingly save yourself based upon your good works.

And that is what most people think. You ask Him, you say, how are you going to fare when you stand before God? And they say, you know what, I'm a pretty good person. They compare themselves to somebody else.

But man's innate deception that he is somehow good is his greatest deception. The greatest deception that sin deceives us, we to sin ourself, is to think that there's any good in us that we can somehow produce good works towards God.

And that would be some type of currency that we could use to pay God off or to bribe the judge. You see, folks, salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone and Jesus Christ alone. How are we made right with God?

How are we saved from the penalty of our sins against a holy God? It's only in and through Jesus. It is not based on anything that we can do in and of ourselves. A lot of people ask us, you know, there's thousands of religions upon this planet.

And we get it. There's thousands after thousands of religions upon this planet. There are people saying, head this way and head that way. Many seemingly directions that lead to God. But let us define for you the true path, the Christ, the narrow path that leads to life.

The narrow path that leads to life is salvation by Christ alone, not based upon any works that we could do. You see, all of the religion is a works-based system of salvation. If only if we try it hard enough, then maybe we could make it to heaven based upon our own merits or based upon our own effort.

But that is a lie. That's a lie. We cannot save ourselves. It is not based upon any religious activity. It's not based upon any good works whatsoever. It is based upon the work and the merits of Jesus Christ and him alone.

His life and his death are the only means by which we may be saved. That is one of the most important thing that you can ever hear. You will be justified by faith alone in Christ alone. Justified means that you will be made right with God.

Justified. And that's what we want for you as you hear this. That's what we would want for even our worst enemy is that he would be made or she would be made right with God. That they would know where they were going.

That they would have the assurance of salvation. That they would be forgiven of their sins. That they would be grafted in to the vine. That they would become adopted members of the family of God. Folks, that is what we want for you so desperately.

COVID-19, Divine Judgment, and the Call to Repentance

That's why we come out preaching this message of hope. Preaching this message of life. Preaching this good news for you. And we understand you wake up. I wake up every morning. You look on your phone.

You look at all the different news outlets. And it's nothing but doom, doom, doom. It's nothing but bad news. But we are here to offer you the good news. That listen, COVID -19 has nothing on God. COVID -19 has nothing on you.

Don't fear COVID -19. Fear God. Because the Bible says it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. That is something that we do not want anyone to do. You see, as we go about this life, and as we go about this life each and every day, we are understanding that everything comes from God.

That all things are from Him, through Him, and to Him. The Bible says that He works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will. And so folks, the reason that we are going through this time is because God is judging our nation.

This is the hand of God as this virus came directly from Him on a nation that spurns Him. What is COVID -19? Where did that come from? Did that come from Mother Earth? No, because she doesn't exist. No, COVID -19 came from the living God as an act of judgment against this nation because we have sinned against Him.

In more ways than we can even imagine. And what does a holy God do? How does a holy God respond to sins against Him and sins against His law? Well, He brings about judgment. This is what He has told us in His Word.

This is what we see throughout history. And even in His judgment, God is merciful because the ultimate judgment from a holy God is when He simply leaves us to ourselves. He leaves us to ourselves. He just leaves us running after our own idols and our own selfish pursuits.

No, what is COVID -19? The purpose of it ultimately? It's to call us to repentance. That is your greatest need of the hour. It's not to shelter yourself. It's not to store up for yourself material possessions, even though we know that you need those.

But your greatest need of the moment, each and every one of us, is to repent of our sins against this holy and righteous God. Unless the judgment increases in intensity and He turns the heat up on what He's doing.

We don't want that to happen to you. We don't want that to happen into this nation, in this nation. But you got to understand, as we continue to disobey His law, as we continue to not acknowledge Him as the God over us, as we continue to disobey the law of the King, then we will reap the whirlwind.

And that's what the scriptures say. They say, God is not mocked. You will reap what you sow. And we are reaping the sin that we've sowed against the holy God. Folks, listen loud and clearly. The message from God to you through His people is repent.

Turn from your sin. And even as Jesus said, go and sin no more unless something worse would happen to you. That's what Jesus said. He said, go and sin no more unless something worse would happen to you.

So the reason why judgment now is rolling across our nation and our globe is because we have sinned and broken God's law in more ways than we can even account for or imagine. And this is what you get when you do it.

We might profess to be atheists. We might profess not to believe in God, but it's just a hollow, empty profession. And it doesn't matter what we profess because we live in His world and we live according to His law, regardless if we like it or not, regardless if we want it or not.

And of course, as we've gone about breaking His law, day after day, moment after moment, in thought, word, and deed, now we're suffering the consequences of it as a nation. Folks, as you go about, go out to your car and load up your car.

God has brought us out here to tell you to repent of your sin. Repent of it. Turn to Jesus Christ. We know that this is something that cannot be worked up within yourself. We're praying that God, by His grace, through the message, would grant you faith and grant you repentance.

But the greatest need of this moment is repentance. You see, folks, the reality is we can't escape it. Ten out of ten people die. It's not a matter of if we'll die. It's a matter of when we will die. But that is the day that is headed our way.

That's an appointed day we stand before the living God that we cannot get out of. That's an appointment we cannot simply cancel. That's each and every single one of us will stand before Him. And on that day, again, He's going to judge us based upon the standard of His law.

His law commands us not to lie. His law commands us not to steal. God's law commands us not to covet our neighbor's wife or to have any other gods but Him and Him alone. You see, each and every single one of us has broken that law.

From the moment that we entered into this world, up into this point, we cannot do anything but break that law because of what sin has done in us and what sin has done in the heart of every person. The Bible says that sin is our greatest problem.

Listen, COVID -19 is not your greatest problem, folks. It isn't. I pray that it would wake you up. But your greatest problem is the sin, your sin against a holy God. It's an internal problem. It's this, as the scriptures say, a dead stony heart that only sins continually.

And then it's an external part, external problem. It's this massive rap sheet that we have against God. That's why the scriptures say the wicked will not stand before God in the day of judgment. You see, as we die and we stand before this living God, it's based upon that standard that He will judge us.

And when we compare ourselves to that standard, you ask yourself, have I ever told a lie? Have I ever stolen something? Have I ever blasphemed God's name and used His name as a curse word? The answer is, yes, we've all done that.

And that's exactly what the scriptures say. The scriptures say that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, that all of us are guilty before a living holy God. And then the scriptures say the wages of our sin is death.

What does that mean? The penalty for our sin is death. There are so many folks working hard in this life just to get to retirement. They've worked themselves to the bone to store up security in the form of money or 401k.

The Offense of the Gospel, the Law, and the Need for Grace

Hey, you're not a cop. Turn from your sins before it's too late for you, brother. That's what we want for you. You see, we understand as this gentleman just said this message is not going to be taken favorably because it's an offense to you.

That's what the gospel message does. It offends our pride. It offends our autonomy or this somehow independence that we think that we have. That's why it's so offensive to so many because, of course, it exposes our sin.

And as the scriptures say, the law of God is a tutor that teaches us that, no, if I would compare myself to the law of God, then I'm not good. Then I'm not okay. Then I'm actually not okay. I'm a guilty criminal before him.

That's what the law of God does. What was that, man? Well, that's what we're doing here. We're not getting paid to do this. You see, the need of the moment, as this woman just said, as we heard that we need to go get jobs or volunteer somewhere, you know, the need of the moment, the greatest need is not to care for our neighbor's temporal possessions, even their temporal needs, even though that's important here.

We appreciate Costco doing that. But our neighbor's greatest need is to receive the gospel, not to receive toilet paper. That is what Christians are designed to do. And that is what you need to receive the most.

That's the most important gift that you can receive right now is the message of good news that, again, you can be made right. There is forgiveness in Christ, that he is the way to salvation, the only way to salvation.

The Bible says, and Jesus says this, I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one can come to the father but by me. But before you, as you hear that good news, you need to hear the bad news, the bad news that you are in sin, that you are separated from God and outside of Christ, that you are headed to a literal hell without him.

Because, again, the penalty for all lawbreakers, which we all are, is an everlasting punitive sentence in hell, a place that we don't want you to go, a place we wouldn't want our worst enemies to ever go.

I can't imagine on that day when so many hear mocking God, if they don't repent and don't put their faith in him, that they would stand before this holy God and he would say, depart from me, you worker of iniquity.

And then he would begin at that point to pour out his wrath upon that individual, his just wrath. I couldn't imagine being a recipient of the justice of God. See, folks, you don't want to receive what you deserve.

You don't want to receive justice because that's you getting what you deserve. No, what we want you to receive is the grace and the mercy of God, something that you could never earn and something that you could never be worthy of receiving.

That's what we want you to receive. But that is only as you would turn from your sin and simultaneously turn to Christ in faith, putting all of your trust in him. See, most folks, they put their faith in themselves.

Again, I'm good enough. I can do this. You know what? I'm just going to go stand before God and I'm going to tell him what I think. I'm going to go stand before God and I'm going to somehow make it right with him.

That is the greatest deception of sin. See you guys. Yeah, that is sin's greatest deception upon all humanity is that deceiving us to believe that we could stand before the king of kings, our holy God, and somehow be made right with him based upon our own efforts.

That is not going to happen, folks, when you stand before this living God in judgment. That's not going to happen. It's not going to be a day where you could self-justify. It's not going to be a day where you can mediate your own case before God or somehow arbitrate your case.

Somebody believe that I'm just going to act as my own attorney before the living God on the day of judgment. No, the fool has himself for his own attorney. No, that's not going to be a day where God is going to be open to your input or somehow take your self-justification to an account.

No, that's going to be a day, a day of judgment, where God renders out his judgment on all of those who have disobeyed his command to place their faith in his son and turn from their sin. Again, on that day, it's not going to be a day of bribing the judge, folks.

It's not going to be a day of you somehow doing something to make it right with him. That's going to be a day when he sentences you to an everlasting punishment in hell. But God is not only righteous.

God is not only fully just. God is also gracious and merciful and absolutely kind beyond all our wildest imaginations. We can't even grasp the goodness and grace of God. You think about the feet that we have that takes us where we need to go.

Think about the lungs in our chest that breathe his air. We think about the heart in our chest that pumps the blood. That's all gifted to us. That God, even at this moment, is causing you to be alive.

That God is causing you and has caused you to receive every good that you've ever received doesn't come from yourself. The greatest deception that we believe is that we can somehow be self-made men and women.

But no, we can only boast ultimately in God, in God alone. He's given you your family. He's given you your children. He's given you your job. And just that you have life right now, just that you woke up on this Thursday morning, this Thursday afternoon, just the fact that you're living is because God is causing you to live.

The Bible says that he beholds all things by the word of his power, that all things are from him, through him, and to him, that we exist and have our being only in him. See, God is showing you so much common grace right now, even as we rage our fist against him, even as we go about disobeying him.

Can you imagine the long suffering of the God who created us? That he sees every single atrocity, every rape, every murder in and out of the womb, that he long suffers with us. He's gracious and merciful.

And God demonstrated his grace at the highest of levels, in the most clear fashion, by the giving of his son. The Bible says, for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever would believe in him will not perish, but will have eternal life.

Folks, the greatest gift that this world has ever received was Jesus Christ, that was God became man in the person of Jesus Christ 2 ,000 years ago. He lived a life that we could never live for 33 years, a life that we couldn't even live for 33 seconds, couldn't imagine to live.

So Jesus lives this life upon this earth, God upon this earth. He lives this life doing wonder after wonder. He's causing blind eyes to see, he's causing deaf ears to hear. He's raising folks from the dead.

He's walking on the ocean demonstrating his deity. It is God on the earth in the person of Jesus. And then he lives and he says, I only do that which the father tells me to do. He says, I have come to fulfill all righteousness.

He was the perfect law keeper on this planet, on behalf of those who cannot keep that law. But folks, the Bible commands us to be perfect as our heavenly father is perfect. But we can't do it. The scriptures say the sin of one man Adam has passed down to all of us, that we are all in Adam, that we are all born, Psalm 51 says, into iniquity, that we are all helpless before a holy God, helpless to save ourselves, enemies with God.

And so God demonstrates his love for us that while we were still sinners, Christ dies for us. God again just shows his grace. He didn't come down to a world that loved him. He didn't come down and save the worthy people.

There is no one worthy, no one righteous, no one good. No, he came down to save those who hated him. He came down into a world that would take his son and nail him brutally to a cross and murder the precious son of God.

That is the grace of God, folks. And after Jesus on that cross receives in himself the wrath of God for sins that he didn't deserve, but we rightly deserve, he's buried in the tomb. And after three days, he rises again.

He resurrects from the grave, forever defeating sin and death. And now where is Jesus Christ? Is he still dead? Is he in the tomb? No, of course, Jesus is alive. Jesus is seated at the right hand of the father.

He is ruling and he is reigning as the king of the universe. Nothing happens outside of his will. He has all authority in heaven and on earth. And the message accompanied with the good news, part of the good news that you need to hear is that the king of kings, the Lord Jesus Christ, commands you to turn from your sin and trust in him to be saved.

There's not many paths that lead to salvation. There's not many requirements that we can somehow make up in our own mind. Many people do that. I'm just going to figure this out myself. No, God has revealed the means by which we can be saved.

And that is only as we bow the knee to the king of kings. And so folks, here's the message from God to you today. Bow the knee to King Jesus. Turn from your sin at this moment, as Jesus said, unless something worse happens to you in this life and in the life to come, you're separated from him forever.

Your need of the moment again, folks, is to turn to Jesus Christ while you still have time and live, turn from your sin and turn to him today. That is what we want for you so desperately. We want you to know the life and the freedom, the redemption, the reconciliation that's in Jesus Christ and him alone.

He who has ears to hear, let him hear. Turn from your sin and turn to Jesus Christ while you still have time.