WEBVTT 00:00:08.320 --> 00:00:10.480 Thank you, Brother Grant. 00:00:14.000 --> 00:00:16.559 Good afternoon, evening. 00:00:17.839 --> 00:00:19.120 After evening. 00:00:22.320 --> 00:00:34.240 We thank God for giving us this opportunity to worship Him together and to share His word together. 00:00:36.240 --> 00:00:44.880 Today I'm going to be talking about the cause of the gospel and the lostness of men. 00:00:46.719 --> 00:00:57.920 We see in this world, especially in 2026, especially among the young generation, they call them Gen Z or whatever. 00:00:58.640 --> 00:01:17.120 There is this movement of like everywhere you go, when you go to Facebook or you go to Texas Tech Free Speech Area, what you are going to see is everyone has a cause that they are passionate about in the world, something that they want to happen. 00:01:17.200 --> 00:01:27.359 And it is good and it is important because it shows that we care about justice, we care about the people who are around us. 00:01:27.519 --> 00:01:32.319 And, you know, we should stand up for good causes and pursue good causes. 00:01:32.400 --> 00:01:48.799 And my submission to you today is that for us as Christians, the principal cause or the most important cause we should pursue above everything else is the cause of the gospel. 00:01:49.040 --> 00:01:52.560 And I'm going to give two reasons uh for this. 00:01:52.959 --> 00:02:01.599 Uh, the first reason, let's go to the book of Matthew, chapter 28, verse 18 to uh 20. 00:02:05.439 --> 00:02:18.319 Uh Matthew chapter 28 from verse 18 says, and Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 00:02:18.639 --> 00:02:36.879 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you always to the end of the age. 00:02:37.280 --> 00:02:50.960 And in the book of Mark, chapter 16, from verse 15, and he said to them, Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 00:02:51.199 --> 00:02:57.120 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 00:02:57.599 --> 00:03:18.319 So the first reason is that here we see the head of the church, our master, the supreme being of the universe, one of his last commands to his people, to his disciples, is for us to go into the world and preach the gospel. 00:03:18.639 --> 00:03:28.560 And that alone should be enough for us to pursue this cause of the gospel just because of who it comes from, that command. 00:03:28.639 --> 00:03:41.120 So it's something that we should be intentional about and something that we should seriously pursue because our master, our head, Jesus Christ, taught us to do that. 00:03:41.520 --> 00:04:08.800 The second reason why the cause of gospel should be something that is important for a Christian and something that everyone should pursue is that above everything else, my dear brothers and sisters, above justice, above uh, you know, uh, above anything that we may think is important in this world, what the world needs the most is the gospel. 00:04:09.280 --> 00:04:21.759 And this is because the problem with humanity is not outside the humans, the problem is something that is deep within the heart. 00:04:21.920 --> 00:04:28.480 There's something wrong within the heart that has corrupted the human heart, and that is sin. 00:04:29.759 --> 00:04:36.800 And at the core of the gospel, at the core of salvation is salvation from sin. 00:04:37.040 --> 00:04:42.480 And above everything else, this world needs salvation from sin. 00:04:42.639 --> 00:04:46.000 Let's go to the book of uh Romans chapter 1. 00:04:46.160 --> 00:04:52.959 This is going to be my main uh my main chapter. 00:04:53.920 --> 00:05:00.160 Uh Romans chapter 1, uh, from verse 16. 00:05:01.040 --> 00:05:14.000 He says, For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 00:05:14.160 --> 00:05:25.439 For indeed the righteousness of God is revealed, uh, from faith to faith, as it is written, the righteous shall live by faith. 00:05:25.759 --> 00:06:03.199 So we see the gospel being referred here as to the power of God unto salvation, and above everything that we might pursue, above everything that the world needs, what they need the most is salvation, and that comes from us preaching the word of the gospel because the Bible tells us, Romans chapter 3, verse 23 says, uh, Romans chapter 3, verse 23, for all have sinned and fall short for the glory of God. 00:06:04.079 --> 00:06:18.399 So everyone has sinned, everyone has fallen short of the glory of God, and what they need the most is that salvation, is something that deals with that fundamental thing that is wrong, which is sin. 00:06:18.800 --> 00:06:22.160 And that comes from us preaching the gospel. 00:06:22.319 --> 00:06:29.519 Sometimes you might think, you know, we have this mindset where we are pursuing these utopias. 00:06:29.680 --> 00:06:31.279 We think like, you know what? 00:06:31.519 --> 00:06:41.360 If we just give everyone economic freedom, if everyone can live a soft, comfortable life, everything in the world will be okay. 00:06:41.600 --> 00:06:43.680 Let me remind you one thing. 00:06:44.720 --> 00:06:54.560 You uh in the audience, as Americans, I want you to realize that the life that you are living here is the utopia for some people. 00:06:54.800 --> 00:06:57.439 Like the life that you are living is the dream. 00:06:57.680 --> 00:07:10.720 Some people actually say, like, you know, I wonder why Americans are stressed, because you know, they can eat what they want, they they they they they can go where they want, when they want, they have air conditioning. 00:07:10.959 --> 00:07:16.800 Uh, you know, other places in Southeast Asia or Africa, they have a problem of malnutrition. 00:07:16.959 --> 00:07:19.600 In America, people have a problem of overnutrition. 00:07:19.839 --> 00:07:26.399 So you live the utopia, but still there's injustice, but still you are not fulfilled. 00:07:26.560 --> 00:07:28.800 There's still something that is amiss. 00:07:29.120 --> 00:07:33.600 So the problem is clearly not, you know, people not being rich. 00:07:33.920 --> 00:07:35.120 Because you are rich. 00:07:35.279 --> 00:07:36.319 Let me just tell you that. 00:07:36.480 --> 00:07:37.199 You are rich. 00:07:37.360 --> 00:07:42.079 The life you're living is the ultimate dream, and yet it's not enough. 00:07:43.360 --> 00:07:49.680 Because you need something else, you need something that transforms the heart. 00:07:50.079 --> 00:07:52.480 We have pursued as humanity. 00:07:53.040 --> 00:07:56.079 Sometimes we have pursued our civilization. 00:07:56.240 --> 00:07:57.759 We think that you know what? 00:07:58.000 --> 00:08:03.120 This world will be correct if we just pursue and pursue civilization. 00:08:03.279 --> 00:08:04.639 We need to be civilized. 00:08:04.879 --> 00:08:06.639 I want you to think about this. 00:08:07.360 --> 00:08:09.120 We are in 2026. 00:08:09.600 --> 00:08:12.399 We have information at our fingertips. 00:08:12.560 --> 00:08:21.279 We are at the top of our scientific revolutions, we're at the top of our advancement in philosophy and everything. 00:08:21.519 --> 00:08:25.439 Yet, there are over 65 wars happening right now. 00:08:25.680 --> 00:08:28.319 We're still spilling each other's blood. 00:08:28.720 --> 00:08:37.840 Yet, in the from 2000 alone, like, you know, we look at our ancestors and we're like, our ancestors were barbarians. 00:08:38.000 --> 00:08:39.919 They were raiding each other. 00:08:40.080 --> 00:08:43.039 We're still doing the same, maybe under different names. 00:08:43.279 --> 00:08:47.120 We say, like, oh, our ancestors, they did human sacrifices. 00:08:47.440 --> 00:08:48.399 You know what? 00:08:48.960 --> 00:08:57.360 Since the year 2000, about 1.4 billion babies had never had the chance to even come out of the womb. 00:08:57.600 --> 00:09:04.639 Being sacrificed to gods of comfort, gods of convenience, gods of you know, career and everything else. 00:09:04.720 --> 00:09:06.960 And yet we think we're civilized. 00:09:08.000 --> 00:09:09.519 That's not what we want. 00:09:09.679 --> 00:09:11.039 That's not what we need. 00:09:11.279 --> 00:09:18.559 What we need is something that addresses the problem within the heart, and that problem is sin. 00:09:19.519 --> 00:09:28.960 We as Christians we love standing up for the truth, we love standing up for laws that are right, that are correct, right? 00:09:29.919 --> 00:09:34.559 But that is good, by the way, and that is necessary. 00:09:34.799 --> 00:09:42.799 However, we must not just stop there because laws alone are not enough to change the heart of people. 00:09:43.039 --> 00:09:48.240 It's not just laws that change the heart of people, it's the gospel. 00:09:48.399 --> 00:10:03.600 People need the transformation within their heart, and humanity plays this game of pretense from one ideology to another, thinking that you know it will save us. 00:10:03.759 --> 00:10:07.600 And uh there was this preacher who told this story. 00:10:07.919 --> 00:10:13.360 He said that there was this guy, uh, he was desperate and he was looking for a job. 00:10:13.440 --> 00:10:31.200 Uh, he saw a poster that says, Oh, we're looking for somebody to work at the zoo, uh, and then he went, but to his utter horror, they said, Well, the only job we have for you is for you to play the role of a monkey, because we're out of monkeys. 00:10:31.440 --> 00:10:42.080 So, what he had to do, he had to go the next day, put in, uh put on a monkey costume, and then eat bananas and the kids throw at him and peanuts. 00:10:42.240 --> 00:10:48.879 So he went in the next day, early in the morning, he put on the monkey costume and he started acting like a monkey. 00:10:49.200 --> 00:10:53.919 And well, later in the day, the bananas got the better of him. 00:10:54.080 --> 00:11:00.320 So when he was trying to hop from one branch to another, he missed and fell into the lion's den. 00:11:00.960 --> 00:11:03.039 And he said, he was like, you know what? 00:11:03.279 --> 00:11:08.080 I'm going to uh I'm going I'm gonna need to cry for help here because I'm gonna die. 00:11:08.240 --> 00:11:10.639 So he started screaming, help, help. 00:11:10.879 --> 00:11:15.840 Then the lion leaned over and said, Shut up, you're gonna get both of us fired. 00:11:16.399 --> 00:11:32.960 Um, the thing is, we play this game of pretense, going from one ideology to another, thinking that, you know, this one will save us, this one is it, only to find out that, you know, our utopias are going to come crashing down. 00:11:33.120 --> 00:11:39.120 There's something that is going to always go wrong because people are still sinful. 00:11:39.279 --> 00:11:44.879 If we don't address that, every utopia that we can pursue is going to come crashing down. 00:11:44.960 --> 00:11:50.639 And when we scream help help, we find out that the next person is playing the same game that we're playing. 00:11:50.960 --> 00:11:53.600 So we need something more than that. 00:11:53.759 --> 00:12:01.039 We consume ourselves with this ideology, you know, uh, we need a communist revolution that will save us. 00:12:01.200 --> 00:12:07.679 We need a capitalist revolution, we need uh libertarian, uh, we need socialist, whatever it is. 00:12:09.200 --> 00:12:21.279 Of course, there are good and bad ideas of running a country depending on place and time and people, but that should not be our sole concern, that should not be our sole cause. 00:12:21.600 --> 00:12:28.960 The main problem is seen within the heart of mankind, and that's the problem that we should address. 00:12:29.200 --> 00:12:33.200 We look at the world as Christians, normally we are frustrated. 00:12:33.360 --> 00:12:40.399 We see immorality, we see like this move of, you know, think of the things that uh frustrate Christians. 00:12:40.559 --> 00:12:48.879 So instead of thinking that, you know what, uh, it's like we just need to vote for the right politicians, we just need to do this. 00:12:49.039 --> 00:12:56.080 All these wise decisions are good, but at the heart of it is that people need the gospel. 00:12:56.240 --> 00:12:56.960 Think about it. 00:12:57.120 --> 00:13:01.279 If you read down uh in Romans chapter 1, what do we see? 00:13:01.600 --> 00:13:29.279 Uh it says, for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness uh and unrighteousness of men who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth, for what can be known about God is plain to them because God has shown it to them for his invisible attributes, namely his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made. 00:13:29.440 --> 00:13:39.360 So they are without excuse, for although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 00:13:39.519 --> 00:13:49.440 Claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of God, of the immortal God for images resembling mortal men and birds and animals and creeping things. 00:13:49.600 --> 00:13:52.639 Then God gave them up in the last of their hearts. 00:13:52.799 --> 00:13:58.720 And as we go down, we see things that you know uh Christians are frustrated about, right? 00:13:58.879 --> 00:14:06.080 We see gross immorality, we're like, oh no, we see homosexuality, we see uh people with a reprobate mind. 00:14:06.159 --> 00:14:26.159 So instead of just saying, like, oh no, it's the leftist, oh no, it's the rightist, is the frangist, back is upist, tonist, whatever it is, like the core of it, this like if you look here, the Bible clearly says that although they knew God, they did not acknowledge God, the core problem is separation from God. 00:14:26.240 --> 00:14:33.039 And what we should see is the need for the gospel, that this world is hungry for the gospel. 00:14:33.200 --> 00:14:39.279 What this world needs the most is to be dubbed away from the slavery of sin. 00:14:39.440 --> 00:14:48.720 So behind everything else, beyond everything else, above everything else, let's bring the gospel to the people because that's what they need the most. 00:14:49.440 --> 00:15:02.480 And let me talk about what the gospel does when somebody is baptized into Christ, when somebody receives the gospel. 00:15:02.639 --> 00:15:08.480 Let's go to the book of Ezekiel, chapter 36, verse 26 to 27. 00:15:09.679 --> 00:15:20.720 Ezekiel, we see the promise of God here, Ezekiel chapter 36. 00:15:21.440 --> 00:15:25.919 Uh verse 26 to 27. 00:15:27.279 --> 00:15:42.000 He says, and I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I'll put within you, and I'll remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 00:15:42.320 --> 00:15:42.960 Right. 00:15:43.279 --> 00:15:47.120 Second Corinthians chapter 5, verse 17. 00:15:48.799 --> 00:15:59.759 Uh, 2nd Corinthians uh chapter 5 verse 17, it says, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. 00:16:00.080 --> 00:16:05.600 The old has passed away, behold, the new has come. 00:16:05.840 --> 00:16:10.080 And then we go to Titus chapter 3 verse 5. 00:16:14.159 --> 00:16:25.279 Uh Titus chapter 3, verse 5. 00:16:27.120 --> 00:16:38.399 It talks of he saved us not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit. 00:16:38.559 --> 00:16:48.080 So we see that when people receive Christ, there's this covenant that is promised all the way from the Old Testament where somebody can receive a new heart. 00:16:48.240 --> 00:16:59.919 So there's this transformation, not from outside, but from within, because you become a new creature, you get a new heart that is that that serves God and that is willing to save God. 00:17:00.080 --> 00:17:10.079 For the Bible also says when it talks about working out your own salvation, it says, For it is God working in you to will and to do as well. 00:17:10.400 --> 00:17:24.720 So, what people need, what this world needs the most, the injustice, the violence, and all these frustrations that we see, the evil that we see in this world, these are symptoms of a heart that is broken. 00:17:24.880 --> 00:17:28.160 These are symptoms of a heart that is hardened by sin. 00:17:28.240 --> 00:17:32.960 And what people need the most is a new heart that comes from God. 00:17:33.759 --> 00:17:47.119 So when we seek things, let's go to uh this world tries to uh tries to look for everything, every other solution except for God. 00:17:47.519 --> 00:17:53.599 And God talks about it in the book of Jeremiah chapter 2, uh, verse 13. 00:17:58.960 --> 00:18:18.160 Uh Jeremiah chapter 2, uh, verse 13, he says, For my people have committed two evils, they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out systems for themselves, broken systems that do not hold water. 00:18:18.400 --> 00:18:31.920 So sometimes people lean to these ideologies, lean to these things, thinking that, oh no, this is the ultimate solution, only to find out that they do not hold water, only to find out that at some point it is going to get ruined. 00:18:32.240 --> 00:18:40.640 Because the only source of life, the only source of living water, the only true solution is found in God. 00:18:41.119 --> 00:18:42.880 Isaiah chapter 55. 00:18:44.160 --> 00:19:02.079 We see this uh even in people's personal life, when people are struggling, they go into drugs, they go to find solution in alcohol, sometimes it's even like care pursuing careers, thinking, trying to fill that hole that was talked about this morning, trying to fill out that hole. 00:19:02.240 --> 00:19:12.799 Uh, Isaiah 55, verse 2, it says, Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread and your uh and labor for that which does not satisfy? 00:19:13.039 --> 00:19:18.559 Listen diligently to me and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. 00:19:18.720 --> 00:19:31.599 Incline your ear and come near to me, hear that your soul may live, and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast uh sure love for David. 00:19:32.240 --> 00:19:40.640 So we we spend our time, we spend our energy uh on these things that really do not help us. 00:19:40.880 --> 00:19:55.359 We spend yeah, immense amount of energy on things that really do not that are not really the solution, and God is saying, Come to me and I am the living water, come to me and I will give you life. 00:19:55.599 --> 00:19:58.640 And that's the effect of the gospel. 00:19:58.799 --> 00:20:05.200 When you come to Christ, this world we see that it's enslaved in sin, and the problem is sin. 00:20:05.279 --> 00:20:15.920 But Romans chapter 6, it tells us that when you are baptized in Christ, you become a new creature, and it says, sin has no dominion over you. 00:20:16.720 --> 00:20:29.839 And my dear brothers and sisters, I know all of us we care about the world, we care about truth, we care about righteousness, and we love our neighbors. 00:20:30.079 --> 00:20:36.640 And if we really love them, the most important thing that we can give them is the gospel of Christ. 00:20:36.880 --> 00:20:39.440 Because that's one thing they need the most. 00:20:40.559 --> 00:20:44.559 We need to spread the message of the gospel. 00:20:44.960 --> 00:20:52.400 Yes, other things they can help temporarily, other things can help advance, make their lives better. 00:20:52.559 --> 00:20:56.640 But the gospel does not only have promise for this world. 00:20:56.799 --> 00:21:06.400 You are giving them a permanent treasure because the Bible says, what does like you know, what gain do you get if you gain the whole world and you lose your soul? 00:21:06.880 --> 00:21:07.200 Right? 00:21:07.519 --> 00:21:21.279 You give them something that goes beyond what we have now, you give them something that is not just a tangible thing, but you give them a treasure that cannot rot, that cannot rust, and that comes through the gospel. 00:21:21.359 --> 00:21:28.559 So, above everything else, my dear brothers and sisters, my message for you tonight is for you to pursue the course of the gospel. 00:21:29.039 --> 00:21:38.960 And this should not be something that just happens to us, it is something that we should pursue intentionally. 00:21:39.440 --> 00:21:44.480 It's a clear command and something that we should do. 00:21:45.039 --> 00:21:48.880 And I want to give you an assignment today. 00:21:49.119 --> 00:21:53.759 When you go home, I want you to study the word of God, I want you to pray. 00:21:54.000 --> 00:22:05.039 Look around what God has given you in your life and think of ways that you can help to pursue and further the cause of the gospel. 00:22:05.279 --> 00:22:09.440 We have different gifts and we can help in many different ways. 00:22:10.079 --> 00:22:15.920 Look out for your part, look for what your role is in the cause of the gospel. 00:22:16.160 --> 00:22:20.559 Because look around in the world, look at the violence, look at the injustice. 00:22:20.720 --> 00:22:23.920 The world is desperate for a savior. 00:22:24.160 --> 00:22:35.519 The world is desperate, the problem is sin, and until we take care of that problem of sin, nothing is going to really bring permanent change. 00:22:36.000 --> 00:22:51.839 Now, if there's uh somebody who has not received Christ among us, I just want to tell you this that uh look around the world, look at the cycles of violence, things come and go. 00:22:52.400 --> 00:22:57.279 We have never really reached a utopia because the problem is sin. 00:22:57.599 --> 00:22:59.519 However, God is calling you. 00:22:59.759 --> 00:23:09.359 He says in the book of Isaiah, chapter 1, that even if your sins are red as scarlet, I will make them white as snow. 00:23:09.599 --> 00:23:14.880 This gospel we see that the righteousness of God is revealed within this gospel. 00:23:15.039 --> 00:23:22.160 You might have things that you have done, you might have even participated in this injustice of the of this world. 00:23:22.400 --> 00:23:26.960 You might have things that have done that, you know, you can't even look at yourself in the mirror. 00:23:27.200 --> 00:23:30.400 I want to tell you that nothing is impossible for God. 00:23:30.720 --> 00:23:37.839 You can be called perfect, not because of what you did, but because of what was done on the cross through Jesus Christ. 00:23:38.160 --> 00:23:41.599 And so God is calling you to come. 00:23:41.839 --> 00:23:46.000 And maybe you have been a victim of the injustice of this world. 00:23:46.160 --> 00:23:49.039 You've been a victim of many ills of this world. 00:23:49.279 --> 00:23:52.079 There's also hope for you within the gospel. 00:23:52.400 --> 00:24:03.680 Because the Bible promises that when Christ comes, the tears will be wiped away, and there's comfort and eternal rest. 00:24:03.920 --> 00:24:06.960 This world is not what all there is to existence. 00:24:07.119 --> 00:24:09.359 If it is, then it's a sorry existence. 00:24:09.599 --> 00:24:11.119 But I'm glad it's not. 00:24:11.599 --> 00:24:18.480 God is coming back and is coming back with rewards for you and rest for you. 00:24:18.799 --> 00:24:26.480 And if you want to become a child of Christ, uh, you can come up as we sing the invitation song.