The Old Gospel

I'd like to begin my message, friends, with a quote from Dr. J.I. Packer concerning the world of difference between the New Gospel and the Old Gospel. Please listen carefully, friends, to what Packer has to say, and then I will treat you to a story. Hear now, or his words.

The New Gospel conspicuously fails to produce deep reverence, deep humility, a spirit of worship, a concern for the Church. Why? We would suggest that the reason lies in its own character and content. It fails to make men God-centered in their thoughts and God-fearing in their hearts because this is primarily what it is trying to do.

The Old Gospel was always and essentially a proclamation of divine sovereignty, in mercy and judgment, a summons to bow down and worship the mighty Lord on whom man depends for all good, both in nature and in grace. Its center of reference was unambiguously God. But in the New Gospel, the center of reference is man.

The subject of the Old Gospel was God and his ways with men. The subject of the New is man and the help God gives him. There is a world difference.

Well, I agree with Jim Packer's observations on the Gospel, friends, and listen to this scripture verse from Jeremiah 6, 16, which states, Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths. Where is the good way? And walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.

Now with that verse in mind, friends, I promised you a story, and I won't disappoint you. Here now is the story of the legend of the King's Sword. There was a legend about a magical sword used by an old English king.

It seems that whenever the king used this particular sword, he experienced success and victory on the battlefield. His enemies learned to fear the king's sword. Eventually, the king grew old and feeble, and an adversary, the king, began to spread a rumor around the village that the king's sword no longer possessed supernatural powers, that it was now just an average, ordinary sword of little use to its owner.

This story began to spread among the peasants, until the entire village believed that the king's sword was now impotent. As the king's heir to the throne matured, he too grew up believing the story about the sword's uselessness, and ordered the royal blacksmith to forge him a new sword, a handsome, shiny, engraved sword with jewels, much more beautiful to behold than his father's old sword. This was done.

One day, an enemy force attacked the castle village and fell upon the inhabitants, killing and maiming many. The enemy then laid siege to the castle. The young prince grabbed his new bejeweled sword and went forth to defend his kingdom, but to no avail.

Rather than defeating his enemy, he was captured. In fact, the entire village of the royal family was now under bondage to this evil enemy. Time passed, and the villagers grown beneath the oppressive bondage of the evil power, but there was nothing they could do but suffer.

Eventually, the old king died, and his son, the prince, could not assume the throne because he was still a captive of this evil entity. The entire village groaned and lamented as they served their oppressive and evil new ruler. During this time, a nephew of the king grew to maturity, and one day this lad called on the prince of the castle.

The guards allowed this fair-haired, harmless-looking youth entry since he was royalty. The prince was held captive in a chamber with a guard at the door. When the lad was allowed to visit the prince, he asked him where the old sword was that once belonged to the king.

The prince pointed to a large cedar chest by the barred window. The chest was opened, and there, wrapped in an old blanket, was the leather scabbard which held the king's sword. The lad asked if he could have the sword as a memento of his uncle the king.

The prince nodded yes, telling the lad that it was just an old worthless sword of little use today. The lad left the castle with the sword wrapped in the old blanket. Upon arriving at his part of the village, he stopped by the barber to get a haircut.

The barber was one of the ancient men of the town. As the old barber cut the lad's locks, he inquired about the bundle by the lad's feet. The lad told the barber about the sword.

When the old man heard this, his eyes lit up and his stooped shoulders straightened. He then proceeded to tell the lad about all the powers that the sword formerly possessed. The lad was curious, and, as he left the barber shop, he visited an old baker.

He asked the elderly baker to verify the story of the magical sword. Oh, yes, said the baker. I was an eyewitness to the king's victories with that sword, for I used to be the royal baker, until the enemy captured the castle and placed us all in bondage.

The baker turned away. His eyes were full of sadness. The lad left the baker and went home.

In his little hovel, he unwrapped the blanket and pulled the old sword from the worn leather scabbard. Though it was large and double-edged, the sword seemed just an ordinary sword. In fact, it was almost too heavy to wield properly.

The lad lay down on a mat on the straw floor and fell asleep next to the sword. The lad dreamed of being a king. He dreamed he was king and fighting a battle with the sword.

The enemy fled from the lad in fear. Was it the magical sword? He awoke to sunlight pouring in from a hole in his thatched roof. The lad grabbed the sword.

Lifting it up with both hands, he exclaimed, it must be true. With a new faith, he rushed from his hovel, and the first enemy soldier he encountered. He brandished the sword and attacked.

The enemy fell down dead. Soon another enemy was upon the lad, but brandishing the sword again, he experienced victory. Finally, a troop of enemies fell upon the lad, but the sword saved him once more.

There was now eyewitnesses to these events, and soon word spread among the villagers that the king's old sword was once again magical. Word got to the evil ruler at the castle, and he personally led his largest band of soldiers to go out and attack the lad. All the lad had to do was to brandish the sword, and the enemy fell before him.

The lad was a hero. He and the sword set the captives free. The lad was made the new king.

The prince was so bewildered and jealous that he killed himself by falling upon his bejeweled sword. From that day on, there was peace in the valley of the king. The modern church has failed with its new swords and methodologies, and the church today lies between two extremes of lectures and liturgy, or laughter and easy believism.

Either way, the sword of the old gospel lies in its scabbard, collecting dust away from the battle of the devil and sin. Where, oh, where is the young preacher boy today who will believe the Bible to be true, and be like that lad in the story of the king, and take up the sword of the old gospel again? The old gospel has power to save. God will bless the man who will preach hard against sin and warn sinners about hell.

God will smile upon a man's preaching who doesn't fear man, and who will preach up Christ and him crucified. A preacher who will preach man's duty of repentance and man's necessity of regeneration will have power. God is looking for that man who will trod the old paths and preach the old gospel again, and warn mankind of a future judgment to come.

Oh great God, raise up a band of preacher boys who will make sword thrusts of the great doctrines of the Bible, and cut down sinners with holy spirit conviction. A man willing to preach the old gospel again. Send us such men.

Let us pray.