What is the gospel? No good news without bad news

Read Romans 1:17 “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.””

Intro

Today, we are beginning a new series on evangelism.

Our entire church has been focusing on evangelism the past couple months with a study called Tell Someone.

So we’re going to be joining them on this focus on evangelism with our first message of the series today.

But before we begin, I want to ask a question,

‘Do you find it easy to share your faith?’ (ask, raise hand if yes, raise hand if no).

I think one of common reasons why, is because of shame.

Sometimes we’re afraid to share what we believe in.

Because when we share something that our whole life is about,

we feel like we are sharing ourselves with others.

And when people reject what we share,

we feel like they are rejecting us.

And that’s where shame comes in.

It’s this feeling of humiliation, when we’ve done something wrong.

But we all know, that sharing our faith isn’t wrong.

In fact it’s the opposite, it’s the right thing to do.

So why are we ashamed to do the right thing?

One of the main reasons that people become ashamed to share the gospel,

is that people don’t even know what the gospel is.

When I first became a Christian, I was so confused on how to share the gospel, until a pastor explained what the gospel even is to me.

And Paul also teaches us what the gospel is in his letter to the Romans.

Look at v.14,

’‘I am a debtor (or under obligation) to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise’.

What is this obligation?

He tells us in v.1,

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God.

God has called Paul to serve him by ordering him to share the gospel, with all kinds of people who were not Jewish from the noble Greeks to the barbarians.

In other words, everyone.

That’s why Paul says in the next verse, v.15,

‘so as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.’

Because the Roman church had many non-Jews, it also meant that Paul had to preach the gospel to the Roman church too.

‘But I thought the gospel was only for non-Christians!’

That’s not true, because the gospel not only calls non-Christians to be saved,

but to also call Christians to continue walking in faith daily in the gospel!

Thats why the gospel must continued to be preached in church.

But Paul isn’t the only one called to share the gospel, we are too!

So why isn’t Paul ashamed?

He tells us in v.16,

‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.’

The reason why Paul is not ashamed of the gospel is because of the immense power it possesses.

If someone approaches you with a knife trying to kill you,

but you had a gun,

would you be afraid, timid, ashamed of the gun?

No, because the gun has far more power than a knife.

The knife stands no chance against you.

You would stand confident because of the great power you have.

And likewise, Paul is not ashamed because of the great power of the gospel.

We know the power of a gun is the ability to take life in an instant,

but what is the power of the gospel?

It’s the power of God to save everyone and anyone who believes.

It has unlimited power to save anyone who believes.

It does not run out of quantity when a certain number of people placed their faith in the gospel.

And it does not run out of strength with the greater sin and evil a person may bring to it.

That is the unlimited power of the gospel.

But by now you might be asking, ‘ok, but what is the gospel?’

And Paul tells us in v.17,

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘the just shall live by faith’.

You see, most of the time when people usually think of the gospel, or the NT, they think of love.

And it is.

But what’s fascinating here, is that Paul’s answer, is that the gospel is the revelation of God’s righteousness.

The gospel is about God making everything right.

And we see it,

‘from faith to faith’.

What this means, is that we see the gospel, God’s righteousness,

revealed in every person who places their faith in Christ from Abraham to today.

And it also means that a person is made right with God beginning and ending with faith,

in other words: faith alone.

You can only be made right with God, and see how righteous He is,

in nothing but faith.

But Paul is not making this up.

To prove and certify that what he is saying is true, he doesn’t ask another apostle like Peter,

but instead confirms it with scripture.

He quotes Habakkuk 2:4 which says,

‘The just shall live by faith’.

For Paul, the ultimate authority and verification to whether or not something is true, is scripture, and scripture alone.

That’s why he wrote in Galatians 1:8

Galatians 1:8 (ESV)

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.

So students let scripture, and scripture alone have the final say in your life.

So that’s what the gospel is: God revealing that He right.

God making everything right.

But there’s still a lot more to be explained.

So to explain more, Paul takes an interesting turn.

If someone asked you, do you want bad news or good news first, what would you choose?

In this passage, Paul chooses to share the bad news first.

You see, gospel means good news.

But in order to explain the good news, you have to understand the bad news first.

What’s kind of bad news, you may ask?

1. ________ deserves God’s wrath (v.18-23)

1. Everyone deserves God’s wrath (v.18-23)

Look at v.18,

‘For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men’.

This statement right here is the foundation of the gospel.

Without this piece right here, there is no gospel.

And that’s the fact that God’s wrath is against the ungodly and unrighteous.

In the previous verses, Paul describes God constantly as righteous.

But in contrast, people are unrighteous.

So what’s the natural reaction when righteous and unrighteous meet?

Righteousness destroys unrighteousness.

Since righteousness, describes one who lives upright and acts correctly, this is the outcome.

But to explain even more why God’s wrath is necessary, Paul then explains how wicked people are

In the next phrase,

‘who suppress the truth in unrighteousness’.

What this means is that people who deny God, are in reality ignoring Him.

They know that God exists and that He is righteous, but they choose to push the truth down and why?

Because they want to pursue sin.

People love and enjoy sin and they can’t enjoy when they know a righteous God is watching.

So instead of doing the right thing of giving God glory and honor,

they reject the very one who created them and gave them everything including their very breath.

They hate God.

And that’s why God being righteous pours his wrath on the unrighteous.

Students, when people tell you that God doesn’t exist, they are lying to you.

They are suppressing the truth about God because they want to cheat, they want sex outside of marriage, and they want to get drunk and get high.

Now one of the most common objections is,

‘What about people who never heard of God, such as people born in remote islands and jungles?’

(picture)

And Paul answers that objection in v.19-20

‘because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.’

‘For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse’.

What Paul is saying, that everyone including people in remote places

know that God exists.

What’s Paul is saying is that God has made it obvious to everyone that he exists through creation.

When you see nature and its beauty through a beautiful sunset, or mountain range, and you are in awe, you react that way because God has designed creation to express that God exists.

Even though God is invisible,

Paul says it makes Him clearly seen.

People will often say, I can’t see God so He doesn’t exist.

But Paul says, you can see creation and it makes it clear.

And it’s not just the mountains and beautiful nature views.

Creation also means you as a person.

As Paul said God made it obvious in them, meaning that God has created people with the innate knowledge that He exists.

In Romans 2:14-16 Paul explains this,

Romans 2:14–16 (ESV)

For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.

What Paul is saying here, is that God has created everyone with the knowledge that He exists.

Everyone knows right from wrong.

And that’s because God created everyone with the law in their hearts.

And when they do something wrong like stealing, knowing it is wrong, they feel guilty.

Because they broke the law that God put in their heart.

So people in remote places don’t need a Bible, to know God exists, and to even be guilty of sin.

Paul is saying that everyone knows God exists, and they are guilty of breaking His law in their heart.

That’s why back to Romans 1:20

Romans 1:20 (ESV)

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. So they are without excuse.

That’s why students, everyone deserves God’s wrath.

Even people in the remote places of the world with no Bible.

Because knowing God exists, they lie ignoring the truth of His existence.

Because they want to pursue and enjoy sin.

And God existing, ruins that.

It’s like people who shut their eyes and close their ears, and start yapping nonsense.

It’s also like a person who is about to drive off a cliff thousands of feet to sharp and rocky bottom. (picture)

But they close their eyes hoping that will stop it.

Unfortunately, when you’re over the cliff, closing your eyes and ignoring what’s happening, is not going to stop that person from falling into destruction.

That’s why, everyone deserves God’s wrath.

But the bad news doesn’t end here.

2. God’s wrath is happening right now (v.24-32)

Many people put off coming to Jesus,

because they think that God’s wrath is far off in the future.

Boy are they in for a rude awakening,

because God’s wrath in part, is happening right now.

One clear example Paul gives is sexual immorality

in v.24-27.

Paul says, ‘therefore God gave them up to uncleaness, in the lusts of their hearts’

Before we jump to the unclean and lust part,

There is something more frightening than that.

And that’s the fact, that God gives people up to their sin.

People often think that the worst part of God’s wrath is the extreme pain and torment that people will face for eternity.

But another part of it, is when God gives them what they want.

Because everyday,

God is holding back people from their sin.

If God didn’t hold people back from getting what they want,

there would be constant murder, theft, and rape.

But sometimes,

God lets go,

and lets people have what they want,

and then we see things like the Holocaust,

or we see things like 9/11.

We see war. (picture)

That is horrifying.

Paul then gives an even more specific example,

He says in v.27,

‘Men…leaving the natural use of the woman, burned with lust for one another’.

Men for men, women for women.

Homosexuality.

Paul is saying, that extreme sexual lust goes to far,

into homosexuality.

that, that is God’s wrath,

letting people go as far as they want.

But Paul doesn’t single out homosexuality,

As if it’s some special sin that’s worse than others.

Because in v.28-32,

he gives more examples of, hate, murder, deceit, unforgiving, unmerciful,

even disobedient to parents.

These are the results of God letting go,

and letting people get what they want.

Pure evil.

That’s God’s wrath, students.

When you see non-Christians, do nasty things like we mentioned,

that is partially God’s wrath, of letting people get what they want.

That’s bad news,

that God’s wrath is happening right now (v.24-32).

3. God can’t just forgive people and ignore justice

This is the final piece of bad news.

Because many people think,

‘Yeah but God can just forgive me’

So I can sin all I want.

But that’s wrong.

We see this in Proverbs 17:15

Proverbs 17:15 (ESV)

He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the Lord.

The key word is abomination.

This is an extreme evil or hatred.

What it’s saying here is that, if God let all of these unrighteous people go free, then that would be extremely evil.

Here’s an example of this.

Let’s say we caught Hitler, who murdered millions of people. (picture)

And Hitler stood on trial with a judge and jury.

And Hitler says to the judge, ‘judge, I’ve been doing good’.

I started going to church,

I gave money to the poor,

and I helped an old lady walk across the street.

Can you let me go?

And the judge says, ‘ok I’ll let you go free’

Is that right? (ask)

No, we know that, that’s just wrong.

It doesn’t matter if Hitler did these good deeds, because he killed millions of people.

Good deeds don’t pay for the life of people taken.

Life must be paid with life.

Romans 6:23, explains this

Romans 6:23 (ESV)

For the wages of sin is death

There’s only one way to pay for sin.

And that is death, or eternal punishment.

The punishment for just 1 sin, not 10, or 1000 sins, 1 sin

is eternity in hell.

But isn’t that too harsh of a punishment?

And the answer is no, and here’s why.

Let’s say you sin against a stranger, you tell a lie.

Not much will happen right?

But let’s go up the ladder.

Let’s say it’s you sin against your friend.

You will lose your friendship, and if its guys, you’ll probably lose some teeth as well.

But now what if you were married and sinned against your spouse.

You lose your family, your job and half of all you own.

Now a cop.

You go to jail.

The president.

This is called treason.

Which is punishable by death.

God?

The eternal one who created you, gave you everything you see and feel from the clothes you wear, the family you have, the food you eat,

and the very breath you breath.

And you refuse to give him honor and thanks?

That deserves not just death, but eternal punishment.

So now back to the Hitler example.

The judge can’t just forgive him and let him go.

So neither can God simply forgive you and let you go.

Because God is righteous.

He will not let injustice go unpunished.

Lastly, perhaps you are thinking,

Thankfully, I’m not Hitler.

I’m not a murderer, or a thief, I go to church, I’m a good person,

so I’m safe!

The final bit of bad news is in Romans 3:23

Romans 3:23 (ESV)

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

We are all sinners.

And we all have sin that God cannot just forgive and let go.

He cannot ignore justice.

Do you see the problem, students?

How can anyone go to heaven then? (Pause, and let people think)

Next Sunday, now that we went into full detail of the bad news,

we will explain in detail the good news.

But for now, I want you to think of your family, friends, coworkers, fellow classmates,

who are not Christians

and to pray for them

knowing the impossible problem they face

the bad news for them.

of trying to go to heaven without Jesus.

Gospel/conclusion

One of the reasons Paul shared the gospel to the church, is because there are non-Christians at church listening.

Which is why students, I always end of every sermon by sharing the gospel with you all.

If you are listening today, and you are not a Christian.

That what Paul just explained to us today, describes you,

then the good news, is that Jesus died on the cross

to pay for your sins on the cross.

The eternal life that you were to pay on hell,

Jesus pays it in full

for anyone who believes.

Because he lived a perfect sinless life

and died on the cross, to exchange it

with anyone who believes.

All you have to do is put your faith and only your faith,

As Paul said, the gospel is God revealing His righteousness from faith to faith,

beginning and ending with faith

in Jesus Christ to go to heaven.