Living the Gospel

There is a pretty widespread misunderstanding in Western Christianity when it comes to the gospel. Too many people see the gospel merely as the path to salvation. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the path to salvation. The problem is the gospel is not only the path to salvation it is the path we walk everyday of our lives as Christians. The gospel isn’t just the way into God’s kingdom. The gospel defines every aspect of life in God’s kingdom. To fail to understand this is to fail to understand what it means to be a Christian. Today I want to help us to see that we must live the gospel.

Turn in your Bibles to . God delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt. The people had been wandering in the wilderness for about 40 years. The generation that first left Egypt refused to failed to trust God and as a result they died in the wilderness without seeing the promised land. Now the next generation was on the verge of crossing the Jordan River and taking possession of the land. Moses is preparing them by reminding them that they must keep the covenant God made with them. God gave them His law and that law spelled out how they were to live in relationship with God. Adhering to God’s law was necessary if they were to experience success and blessing in the promised land. Read the text.

As Christians we are not under the old covenant as the Israelites were. But we are under a new covenant with God. In the old covenant the law is what told God’s people how to live in relationship to Him. Under the new covenant it is the gospel of Jesus Christ that spells out how we are to live in relationship with God. What God says to the Israelites about living according to His law applies directly to us in our need to live according to the gospel. There are three very important reasons why we must live according to the gospel.

I. The gospel is our life. (Vv 1-5)

A. Our very lives depend on our continued adherence to the gospel.

B. Pay very close attention to the authoritative rules that I am giving you.

C. Listen with the goal of obedience.

1. Do them. (V 1)

1. Do them. (V 1)

2. Don’t add to or take away from commands to make sure it is God’s commands you are obeying and not man’s. (V 2)

a. Notice the three-fold repetition of “command.”

3. The reason for the giving of the commands is obedience. (V 5)

D. The reason for obedience is that you may live. (V 1b)

E. An incident recorded in illustrates the life and death importance of obedience.

Numbers 25:1–5 ESV

While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. And the Lord said to Moses, “Take all the chiefs of the people and hang them in the sun before the Lord, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.” And Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you kill those of his men who have yoked themselves to Baal of Peor.”

E.

E.

F. Your life depends on you continuing to hold fast to the gospel.

Hebrews 2:1 ESV

Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.

G. Under the new covenant our responsibility is to repent of sin and trust Christ alone for the forgiveness of sin.

1. This is not a one-time act. We are to continually turn away from sin and turn to Christ. This is living the gospel.

H. It was the church at Sardis’ failure to do this that caused the Lord to speak these words to them.

Revelation 3:3 ESV

Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.

I. We must not view the gospel as merely the way we enter into relationship with God. The gospel is also the terms of our relationship. It’s how we maintain that relationship.

1 Everyday trusting

Your very life and eternal destiny depend on what you do with the gospel. So you must live the gospel, everyday. But the gospel is not only our life. The gospel is our witness.

II. The gospel is our witness. (Vv 6-8)

A. It is our faithfulness to the gospel that makes us effective as witnesses for Christ.

B. It was the Israelites’ obedience to God’s law that would cause them to stand out from the nations around them. (V 6)

1. The people would see the presence of God with His people. (V 7)

“The theology of the nations at large taught that the supreme gods were remote and inaccessible. Though they were perceived in highly anthropomorphic terms, they also were thought to be so busy and preoccupied with their own affairs that they could scarcely take notice of their devotees except when they needed them. It was in contrast to these notions, then, that Moses drew attention to the Lord, God of Israel, who, though utterly transcendent and wholly different from humankind, paradoxically lives and moves among them” (E. H. Merrill)

2. The people would see the holy behavior of God’s people. (V 8)

“The theology of the nations at large taught that the supreme gods were remote and inaccessible. Though they were perceived in highly anthropomorphic terms, they also were thought to be so busy and preoccupied with their own affairs that they could scarcely take notice of their devotees except when they needed them. It was in contrast to these notions, then, that Moses drew attention to the Lord, God of Israel, who, though utterly transcendent and wholly different from humankind, paradoxically lives and moves among them” (E. H. Merrill)

2. The people would see the holy behavior of God’s people. (V 8)

3. This is how Israel would draw the eyes of the world to the One True God.

C. The way we draw the world’s eyes to Jesus is to live everyday according to the gospel.

Imagine a young man fresh out of Army bootcamp moving into a dorm full of college freshmen. Suppose that young man continued to do the things he was taught in bootcamp. He rises at 5 am every morning to exercise. He makes his bed everyday, with perfect hospital corners. His shoes are always shined. His closet always organized and neat. His hair, high and tight. Do you think that young man would stand out in his dorm? Absolutely! And while some may ridicule him for the way he acts, it would open doors for a lot of conversations. When you and I live the gospel everyday we are going to stand out in the world. And while some may ridicule us, doors will open to have conversations about Jesus.

D. Living the gospel means living out the change Christ has made in us.

Matthew 28:20 ESV

teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

E. When we live the gospel we will stand out.

1. People will see the presence and power of God with us (Jesus).

2. People will see our holy behavior.

F. This is an opportunity for us to draw attention to Jesus.

We should live the gospel because our very lives depend on it. And because our witness as believers depends on it. But there is another very important reason we should live the gospel.

III. The gospel is God’s Word. (Vv 9-14)

III. The gospel is God’s Word. (Vv 9-14)

A. The gospel is not a a friendly suggestion from a neighbor that we can either take or leave.It is a directive from the Creator of the Universe.

B. Be extremely careful to guard your souls from forgetting. (V 9)

C. They were not to forget that God Himself spoke to them and gave them the law.

1. “Let them hear my words.” (V 10)

2. “The Lord spoke to you.” (V 12)

3. “He declared to you His covenant.” (V 13)

D. The fact that they saw no form, only heard His word points to the primacy of the word in Israel’s relationship with God.

E. God spoke to them and gave them the covenant that they might live according to it.

1. God spoke His words that the people might fear Him and teach the children to do so. (V 10)

2. God spoke His words that the people might fear Him and teach the children to do so. (V 10)

2. The Lord gave the commandments to His people that they might do them. (V 14)

F. Don’t forget that this law is the very Word of God and should be treated as such.

It’s like the little boy who runs into the play room and says to his brother, “Mama says it’s my turn to play the video game.” Does the big brother let his little brother play the video game? It depends on whether or not he believes his mama really said those words. If he believes mama said those words, he’ll do it because he knows there are consequences for ignoring what mama said. Why should you live according to the gospel? Because the gospel is the Word of the Living God. And there are consequences for ignoring what God says.

F.

Hebrews 12:25 ESV

See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven.

G. The Christian continually turns away from sin and turns to Christ in faith. The Christian lives out the change Christ has made in him. Because God Himself has commanded us to do so.

Big Idea: Live the gospel.

The Patriot's stunning comeback win in the 2017 Super Bowl was just one of the dramas in the big game. There was also the yearly conversation about Super Bowl ads. An NBC article noted that the 30-second, $5 million TV spots mark "the perfect opportunity for brands to showcase their latest big-budget commercials." But this year some of the ads seemed to trigger controversy around our divisive political environment.

For example, an ad for Budweiser beer highlighted the company's founder, an immigrant from Germany. An article in the New Yorker magazine claimed, "Arriving, as it did, on the heels of a tumultuous week—after the Trump Administration issued a travel ban on all refugees and on visa holders from seven Muslim-majority countries, and an outraged portion of the country rose up against it—the ad was interpreted as making a clear political statement. Lines were quickly drawn: people either lauded it as a rousing celebration of immigrants in America or else derided it as an example of a brand sticking its nose where it didn't belong." A representative for Anheuser-Busch tried to do damage control by reminding people that "We believe beer should be bipartisan, and did not set out to create a piece of political commentary."

Study Guide

Then the New Yorker article argued (pointedly and sadly): "Despite what Budweiser wants us to believe, beer is not bipartisan. Right now, nothing is … The nation's mood demands that lines be drawn, and that everyone from average citizens to celebrities to mostly faceless multinational conglomerates make a choice, announce where they stand and what they believe."

That’s exactly what God’s Word is calling us to do today. It’s time to choose sides. It’s time to announce where we stand and what we believe. The way we do that is by living the gospel. No more treating the gospel like it’s only some religious creed we have to sign. It’s time to let the world know where we stand and what we believe by continually repenting of sin and trusting Christ, by ordering our lives by the teachings of Jesus. Live the gospel.

Study Guide

How do you think the average church member thinks of the gospel? As a door? A way of life? Explain.

Read then answer questions 2-5.

2. How were the Israelites’ circumstances about to change (v. 6)? How might their lives be different in this new setting? In their new homeland, what circumstances might cause the Israelites to stray from or neglect God and His ways?

3. What did Moses tell the Israelites to do to help them maintain loyalty to God in their new circumstances (vv. 5-6)? What are the implications of these instructions for us?

4. What kinds of changes in our lives might cause us to drift away from God?

5. How do these verses relate to the witness of God’s people?

6. Read . What was Moses trying to teach the people in these verses? What specific memories was he calling them to hold in reverence and to pass on to their children? How is this significant for Christians today?

7. What does it mean to say that the gospel is the terms by which we live in relationship with God?