Colored by the Gospel
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It is interesting how every small town has a different culture. Neligh is different than Oakdale, Clearwater, Elgin, or Plainview. Each one is different than the other.
We could spend some time and tear apart each culture, explaining how different aspects of those cultures are good or bad. But we won’t, because most of the differences have nothing to do with the Bible.
I have the privilege of traveling to Brazil once and Germany twice. What I am about to say might be a shocker to you. Brazil and Germany are different from each other. And they are both different from the United States. When we flew back into the US, I was thrilled to see normal airports.
On each of those trips, my group leaders told us to not act like an American. We were going to work at youth camps and share the Gospel. We were told to not act like an America, but to take on the culture of the location, so that the focus would be on the Gospel, instead of on “those crazy Americans.”
We weren’t too successful with that. Turns out teenagers don’t change their culture that easily.
But, that warning by my group leaders has stuck with me to this day, and has been reinforced by my own ministry to international students in Dallas, and by training through RHMA.
If our goal is to share the Gospel, we must be student of whatever culture we are in, of whatever culture we are interacting with, so that the Gospel shines through, instead of us.
Some people call it being a chameleon. I call it being colored by the Gospel.
And this is what Paul writes about.
Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
Will you pray with me?
We are to be colored by the Gospel.
Let’s talk about the Gospel.
1. The Truth
1. The Truth
The Gospel is the truth of our salvation.
Paul writes:
I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
He is going to define for us what the gospel is in 1 Cor 15 1-8
Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
I am looking forward to preaching on these verses in a few months.
But, for now, let’s talk briefly about the Gospel.
A. We are sinners
A. We are sinners
Paul says that we are sinners. We have lived our lives apart from the holiness of God. That is quite a phrase, but what does that mean?
God created us. As his creation, he said that there is a standard that we should meet. Specifically, we are called to reflect him and his character.
So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
So, thinking about who God is, his faithfulness, his love, his justice, his righteousness, his perfection, his loyalty, his purity, every characteristic you can think of, we were called to reflect that.
But, we didn’t.
Instead, we chose to run away from God. We chose to worship ourselves, our reason, our desires, our priorities. We declared that we could provide everything we needed.
What happens when we try to be God? We mess it up. We messed up our lives. We messed up our world. We messed up eternity.
Because,
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God in his holiness cannot have anything sinful around him. His character drives sin away, as far away from himself as possible. Our sin, our choices, all those times we said that our priority is not God, have created this situation, that we are driven away from God. The farthest thing away from God is the place where he is not. Hell.
So all of the world is doomed to be in Hell for eternity because of our actions and our decisions.
We were created to image him, and we decided not to. And we will regret it for eternity.
It’s important to note, that everyone who ends up in hell will say that this was just. No one will be cursing God on that day. They will be cursing themselves for eternity, in the place that is the absence of God and his character.
The Gospel starts with an understanding of our state: We are sinners.
B. Christ died for us
B. Christ died for us
The Gospel continues with our hope: Christ died for us.
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
Our sin deserved death. Adam and Eve were created for eternity. But they died because of their sin. They died physically and spiritually. Physical death: a separation of the soul and the body. Spiritual death: separation between us and God.
Sin brings death. It brings separation. It never brings completion. That’s why the alcoholic or the drug addict is never satisfied. The addiction is promising something that it can never deliver.
Our sin brings death, physically and spiritually. It brings an eternity of death.
But God. He looked at our state, and sent his son to do what we could not do.
We are all doomed to eternity of death. And we cannot change that fact. No amount of good we do changes the fact that we are sinners. So, no matter what, our sin dooms us to an eternity of death, an eternity of separation from God.
But God.
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Jesus on that cross to our sin on his shoulders and paid the penalty for our sin.
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
With the last breath he breathed, freedom and forgiveness was offered to the world.
Salvation is offered through Jesus Christ. As he said:
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
He is the bridge to eternity.
C. He rose again
C. He rose again
Some might say, “how do I know that Jesus offers freedom and forgiveness? How do I know that this salvation is real? Why would you say that Jesus is the only way for salvation?”
Well, he offered proof. As Paul wrote:
that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
Very few people, statistically, have been brought back from the dead. Only one person has brought himself back from the dead. That is Jesus Christ.
There is overwhelming proof of his resurrection, we celebrate what he did and all that proof every year at Easter.
Paul mentions briefly that over 500 people saw him, at the same time, and interacted with him.
His resurrection is the seal, saying that this product is the real thing. He is really God. He really died for us. He really is able to provide complete forgiveness of sins and an assurance of eternity with him. And he is really the only way.
D. Not an accident
D. Not an accident
The Gospel: We are sinners and Christ died for us. We have proof given.
All this happened because of God’s plan. It wasn’t an accident.
We know John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Since the beginning of time, God has been orchestrating history to bring about our salvation.
In 1 Cor 15, Paul mentions twice that all this happened according to the Scriptures. We could spend several years, pouring through the Old Testament, and find so many prophecies pointing to Jesus, and describing specifically what would happen during his life, and ultimately pointing to his death, burial, and resurrection.
In God’s amazing grace, he chose to save us when we could not save himself. And it was not a knee-jerk reaction, but in his power, he brought it about in the necessary way.
E. We must believe
E. We must believe
Since he planned it, he brought it about, he provided the plan and the opportunity for salvation, a relationship with him, and an eternity of bliss, we must follow his plan.
Everyone knows John 3:16, but few people reflect on the verses after it.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
There are a lot of religious people in America. So many people say: Oh, I believe in God. What they are saying is that they believe there is a God.
As James writes:
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
The question is for each one of us: how is our Christianity or our religion, our faith, different than the devil’s?
It is not enough to merely believe there is a God. Scripture says we must make a decision to trust Jesus.
So many people get caught in the simplicity of the Gospel and say, “but I need to do something.” So some churches, to make people happy, start preaching that you need to do something. They say we need to get baptized, or we need to do good works, or we need to pray certain things, or we need to attend church.
Unfortunately, once we start adding things to the Gospel, it is not the Gospel anymore. It is a trust in ourselves and what we can do. However, as we said, we cannot save ourselves, so why would we trust in something we can do?
Paul wrote:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.
Once we realize our sin, and turn to Jesus in faith, confessing joyfully to trust in him alone for our salvation, we are saved. We are granted a personal relationships with the creator of the universe that we were created to have. And we are guaranteed eternal life.
Have you made this decision yourself? Or are you still trusting in your works? Or is your faith the same as the devil’s?
Jesus offers salvation to us. Will we accept it?
The Gospel is the truth of our salvation
2. The Passion
2. The Passion
The Gospel is the passion of our lives.
If we have been saved, we should be excited about the Gospel because it has changed everything about us. We were dead. Now we are alive. We were hopeless, now we have hope. We were purposeless, now we have purpose. We used to have a hole in our hearts. Now we are filled.
If anything should give us passion, it is the Gospel.
Paul told the Corinthians:
I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
I need a volunteer. Say someone walks up to you and randomly gives you $10,000. What would your reaction be? What would your conversations the next week be about?
Now, what if this person had given you a million dollars? What would your reaction be? What would your conversations be?
The gift would give you a passion.
The Gospel has changed our lives, radically. The Gospel has provided more for us than a million dollars could provide. Because, money cannot buy happiness or joy, or any of the other things that God offers through Jesus Christ.
This weekend, the Huskers are going to play Michigan, which is ranked #4 in the nation. If we beat them, everyone will be talking. But, that is just football, which doesn’t effect anything.
When we realize what God did for us through Jesus, truly realize, it becomes the passion for our life.
Paul said
I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
Paul loves the Gospel so much that he wants to have a share in the work of the Gospel. He wants his life to show everyone the nature of the Gospel.
Have you ever jumped into a pool or a lake with your clothes on? When you get out, water is pouring off of you. Your clothes are drenched. Everyone looks at you “why did you do that.” Everyone knows you were in the pool or the lake.
It’s the same way with Paul. He wanted the Gospel to be pouring off of him. Even if everyone looked at him “why did you do that?” He wanted his life to be defined by how the Gospel operates.
The Gospel is the truth of our salvation. It is the passion of our lives.
3. The Reason
3. The Reason
The Gospel is the reason for our actions and words.
Paul wanted the character of the Gospel, which is the character of Christ, to be evident through his life. Paul’s ultimate purpose in life was to share in the work and character of the Gospel.
Which is why he could say:
Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
Everything he did. Everything he said was so people could see the Gospel shining through him.
Some people might say, “Well, was Paul a hypocrite then?” No. He stood firm on truth. He didn’t change what he believed. What he believed, however, forced him to realize his priority was the Gospel. And the Gospel forced him to stand shoulder to shoulder with Jews, Gentiles, the socially dependent and vulnerable. To act in solidarity with every kind of person in every kind of situation, because the Gospel calls to all those people.
Paul wanted to live the character of the Gospel. That is not hypocrisy. That is a life built on the truth he said earlier:
For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
He would willingly give up his rights, he would willingly enter situations that would be uncomfortable, he would willingly interact with those who society did not like, so that by all possible means he might save some.
Think about Jesus. When he was on earth, he purposefully spent time with prostitutes and tax collectors, those who society spurned. Why? To reach their souls.
Translate that for our day: Either Trump supporters or Biden supporters purposefully regularly having lunch with someone from the other camp, committing to not talk about politics or elections, because the state of their soul is more important than anything else.
Paul wished that he was cursed for all eternity if only his nation would turn to Jesus. That’s pretty serious. What are we willing to give in exchange for the salvation of just those in our county or our town? What is our priority? What is our passion?
What does this look like for us?
What does it look like for the Gospel to be the reason for our words and our actions?
Consider our lives. Consider who we are with our families? Does the character of the Gospel color how we treat our spouse, our kids, our siblings, our parents? Are we standing with those in our family, so that we can know them, understand them, and transparently show the Gospel to them?
Consider who we are at work or in the community. Are we putting up walls between ourselves and other Christians, on issues that are no where near the importance of the Gospel? Are we putting up walls between ourselves and non-Christians? Eliminating any opportunity to share the amazing truth that Jesus died for sinners like us. And if he died for me, than he most certainly died for you.
Do people see us as having a passion for the Gospel? Or do we have a passion for something else? Do our lives say that the only hope for our nation is Jesus, or do our lives say that the only hope for our nation is something else?
What does it look like for the Gospel to be the reason for our words and our actions?
As we interact with society and each other, consider what we are willing to let slide, and what we are willing to live without.
We love our rights. But, would we be willing to give up those rights if it meant our family members and friends ultimately turning to Jesus. What is more important to us?
I think about Paul in Philippi. He had certain rights as a Roman citizen. But, he willingly gave up those rights. He was flogged and thrown into jail, because he gave up those rights. And a prison guard with his whole family turned to Christ.
Paul said: nothing is more important to me than the Gospel. So, I will stand shoulder to shoulder with all sorts of people, so that I can show them the Gospel, so that I can win them to the Gospel.
As Warren Wiersbe comments:
“Paul had the right to eat whatever pleased him, but he gave up that right so that he might win the Jews. Paul revered the Law (see Rom. 7:12), but set that aside so that he might reach the lost Gentiles. He even identified himself with the legalistic weak Christians so that he might help them to grow. It was not compromise, but rather total abandonment to the higher law of love. Paul followed the example of the Saviour and humbled himself to become the servant of all.”
What is the reason for our actions and words? Is it the Gospel? or is it pride, is it money, is it busyness, is it politics, is it insecurity?
The Gospel should be the truth of our salvation. It should be the passion of our lives. It should be the reason for our actions and words.
Is it?
Today, we get to celebrate what Jesus did for us by willingly dying on the cross for us.
The prophet Isaiah wrote:
Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was punished.
He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
After he has suffered,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
Today, we get to celebrate the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. As we celebrate, let us remember the truth, and commit to having it color our lives.