The Gospel in Its Cosmic Setting
Art Katz explores the expansive cosmic significance of the Gospel and its implications for humanity's relationship with God and His covenant.
Art Katz emphasizes that the gospel encompasses a cosmic perspective of God's redemptive wisdom for all humanity, warning against reducing it to a mere formula. He highlights the significance of Abraham's calling as a response to the rebellion of nations, illustrating the gospel's expansive narrative that begins with God's promise to establish His rule on earth. Katz warns that any simplification of the gospel leads the church towards apostasy, as it diminishes the glory of God's plan. He points to the final days when nations will openly oppose God, yet affirms that Christ will ultimately reign over all. The sermon calls for a deeper understanding of the gospel's profound implications in light of God's overarching narrative.
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When you hear the word gospel, you need to think in terms of a cosmic overview of God's supreme wisdom of a redemptive kind for the whole of mankind. The gospel is more than a little truncated formula. Paul speaks of "my Gospel." There is a sense of affectionate, personal devotion to the great message of God, which, in our time and for the most part, has been reduced to a formula. Any time that the church will reduce the glory of this cosmic redemptive view to a simple formula for salvation, it is already in the process of apostasy.
So the gospel is much larger in its meaning than the way in which that word is presently used.
The gospel begins with the advent of Abraham, the calling of a nation, out of which will come a people for His name, and the establishment of His rule in the earth. Note how this call came to Abraham in Genesis chapter 12--immediately following the account of the Tower of Babel and the rising up and the formation of the rebellion of the nations. The very next chapter is God's statement against it through the call of Abraham.
So you need to see the whole Abrahamic gospel-faith, and redemptive saga in view of God's answer to the rebellion of nations. This drama will be brought to its final conclusion in what the scriptures call the last days. It will be a time of unbridled hostility. The nations will be ventilating the depth of their enmity against God. They hate the covenant because they hate the God of the covenant, and they do not want to submit to His rule. "We shall not have this Man rule over us" was the final statement of the Jewish people to their Messiah--but rule He will, not just over Israel, but over all the nations through that redeemed nation from the holy hill of Zion in Jerusalem. See Psalm 2.
Sermon Outline
- I points: - Understanding the Gospel as a Cosmic Overview - The Danger of Reducing the Gospel to a Formula - Personal Affection for the Gospel Message
- II points: - The Role of Abraham in the Gospel Narrative - God's Response to the Rebellion of Nations - The Establishment of a People for His Name
- III points: - The Final Conclusion of the Gospel in the Last Days - Hostility Against God and His Covenant - The Sovereign Rule of the Messiah Over All Nations
Key Quotes
“The gospel is more than a little truncated formula.” — Art Katz
“Any time that the church will reduce the glory of this cosmic redemptive view to a simple formula for salvation, it is already in the process of apostasy.” — Art Katz
“They hate the covenant because they hate the God of the covenant.” — Art Katz
Application Points
- Reflect on the grandeur of the Gospel beyond mere formulas.
- Recognize the historical significance of Abraham's calling in God's redemptive plan.
- Prepare for the challenges of faith in the face of growing hostility against God's rule.