The Gift of the Eternal Gospel!
Today weâre going to talk about the gift of the eternal gospel, based on Revelation 14:6, Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth.
It was 499 years tomorrow, Oct. 31, that this Lutheran thing got going. Martin Luther started the Reformation by posting  95 theses for debate on the Cathedral door in Wittenberg, Germany.
At the time it seemed like a new thing, but it really wasnât. The basics of the Reformation, Grace Alone -- Faith Alone -- Scripture Alone, had already been around for 1500 years. Itâs just that grace had gotten lost along the way.
But that doesnât mean it didnât exist. The Gospel was around even longer than 1500 years before the Reformation, way back to the Garden of Eden, the Gospel was first revealed when God promised Adam and Eve a Savior.
But even before that, in eternity, the Gospel existed in the mind of God. He knew he would create the world; he knew it would fall into sin; and he knew He would send His Son to save the world.
Considering that, we can say that the Gospel is eternal. It always existed in the mind of God in the past, it exists now on the earth, and it will exist forever in heaven.
So weâre dealing with something thatâs really old, and yet something that never gets old; something thatâs been around forever, and will be around forever, but will never be outdated. Thatâs remarkable longevity!
Many things get outdated quickly in our fast changing, technologically advanced world. Computers used to look like this: Â Now thereâs a much more powerful computer in this little thing:
Medical treatments have changed dramatically. Years ago this   was used for an operating table: a kitchen table. Now doctors can do surgeries like this: . Amazing!
Thereâs so much thatâs gets outdated so fast in our world⌠itâs hard to keep up with it all.
Sometimes we can feel like âweâ are outdated, as life moves along.
No Country For Old Men⌠Tommy Lee Jones⌠Lately, been feeling overmatchedâŚ
We all age, and we may get to the point where we feel overmatched by a changing world. But this can happen when weâre young, too.
We can feel like we donât have what it takes to compete in this ultra-competitive world; or to stay in style or up to date.
And we can feel overmatched in other ways; for example, as we try to be good parents or children, or spouses, or brothers or sisters, or friends.
We can feel overmatched by the challenge of trying to be good and godly people in a world that doesnât necessarily reinforce or reward goodness.
We can feel overmatched by our own sinful nature, always trying to motivate us in the wrong ways, to do the wrong things.Â
When you feel overmatched, remember that you have a Champion, as heâs called in A Mighty Fortress: âBut now a Champion comes to fightâŚâ, One who is never overmatched.
The devil is a formidable opponent and he causes a lot of trouble in our world, but he met his match in the Champion. Against Jesus, the devil never had a chance.
Jesus won the victory for us. And He gives us that victory in the gift of an eternal gospel! Never-ending, never-changing, always real, and always relevant in a changing, aging, fading world; a world that will someday pass away.
Jesus said, Heaven and earth will pass away but my words will never pass away. Matthew 24:35
The Gospel will always be; it will always be true, and it will always be powerful to save!
Two things this means for us: It means that 1) the Law is always true, and 2) the Gospel never goes out of style.
If the Gospel is eternal and doesnât change, then neither does the Law, Godâs Commandments. Godâs law is always true for us to follow.
A smart man by the name of Albert once said, âPhysics is relative; morality is not.â Albert was his first name, can you guess his last name? Einstein.
Godâs Law is always true, so donât try to change godly morals and values just to fit into a changing world.
Romans 12:2 says, Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
In our Baptism, by the power of the eternal gospel, weâre being transformed to follow Godâs commandments to love one another, and not to conform to selfish, worldly values.Â
The truth is, we all conform to sin to some extent. But we have a source of eternal grace in the Gospel, forgiving us all our sins, and restoring us to live in confidence as the transformed people of the gospel.
Godâs Law is always true for us to follow. Because the Gospel is eternal, we can be sure that the Law is always true for us to follow.
Secondly, because the Gospel is eternal, it never goes out of style in saving us.
Fashions change and go out of style, but Godâs promises remain constant.
Fashions change. The latest social trends change. The Gospel remains true and relevant through it all!
The Gospel never goes out of style in bringing Godâs grace to us.
In this world, when someone dresses out of style, or uses out of style or outdated technology, people might snicker about it. We may even feel pressured to stay up to date in all these things.
But the gospel is eternally true and never needs updating.
Computers and cell phones are constantly needing their operating systems to be improved and updated to the latest version.
For Android phones there was Cupcake, then Donut, then Ăclair, then Froyo, then Gingerbread, then Honeycomb⌠then Ice Cream Sandwich, then Jelly Bean, then KitKat, then Lollipop, then Marshmallow, and most recently, Nougat, with many more sweet names yet to come.
The Gospel never needs an updated version, because Jesus did everything right the first time. There are changes in the way itâs applied; but no changes are needed to the content of the gospel, which is eternally true.
Unfortunately, the Gospel may go out of style in a particular culture or society, but it will never go out of style in making a difference in peopleâs lives, for those who believe, in saving them, in forgiving them, in bringing Godâs grace and peace to the world.
Love and joy and peace and hope and comfort and mercy; these are the things that never go out style, or shouldnât.
Theyâre always needed by people no matter the decade, or century, or millennium, because people are people, in every time and culture. All the things we need most, are offered to us in the eternal, unchanging Gospel!
What a gift it is: the eternal Gospel. Conceived in the mind of God before creation; promised to Adam and Eve at the Fall, and to all generations since; carried out by Christ on the cross, and given to us in Baptism by the Holy Spirit â itâs Godâs eternal gift to us.
Always hold on to the eternal, never changing Gospel, for it is eternally true, and eternally comforting, and eternally powerful to save you.
And finally, it will always give to you, the peace of God, which passes our understanding, and guards our hearts and minds, in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. Â