Reflections: On the Gospel! (2022)
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Good News
Good News
Don’t you love a conversation that starts with good news?
Can you give an example or two of good news from your life?
Engagement/wedding announcement, first child announcement, first grandchild are a few that were good news to me.
In our series on reflections, our focus passage is.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
So what better thing can we reflect on than the Good News, the Gospel, the Euanggelion (GK)?
Previously we have reflected on the Bible, God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, Sin and now we are looking solution to sin, in other words Good News!
I. Introductory Considerations
I. Introductory Considerations
Gospel is Good News - in N.T. spoken only of the glad tidings of Christ and His salvation, the gospel - The complete Word Study Dictionary
Good news, great joy in N.T. (Lk2:10)
10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;
Good News, Great joy, that is spoken of in the O.T. pointing towards Christ. (Isa52:7, 61:1)
7 How lovely on the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who announces peace And brings good news of happiness, Who announces salvation, And says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
and cannot stay away from Isaiah
1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners;
Good News - Jesus wants everyone to hear (Mk16:15)
15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
Good News - It’s God’s power to save (Rom1:15-16)
15 So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Don’t be ashamed of the Gospel, be eager to share it with others. For it is God’s power to save!
Now we have to be honest there are false Gospels out there too, so . . .
Good News - beware of other gospels (Gal1:6-9)
There is only one true gospel, one true way, there are others that pervert the gospel, or proclaim a gospel which is not really a gospel at all.
6 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; 7 which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! 9 As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!
Others who teach anything other than the Gospel, Paul call for them to be accursed
Good News - The Gospel must be obeyed (1Pt4:17; 2The1:7-9)
To obey the gospel is not a work; it is surrender to God’s work
17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?
So what is the outcome of those who do not obey, surrender, to the gospel?
7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, 8 dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
9 These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,
So to know the gospel you have to hear the gospel, believe the gospel and obey the gospel. It has to be the gospel as proclaimed by Jesus and the Apostles. So now let’s press.
II. The Gospel in short order
II. The Gospel in short order
The Gospel: There are things to believe
Christ died for our sins according to scripture (1Cor15:1-3; Isa53:4-6)
1 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
You can also see this
4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.
and can’t stop there
6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.
Christ was buried and rose again! (1Cor15:4-8)
4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep;
7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; 8 and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.
Buried, rose again and exalted (Act2:33-36)
33 “Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. 34 “For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand,
35 Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” ’ 36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”
And the best is yet to come, for He is coming again, coming in judgment and the take those that obeyed the gospel home. (Act1:9-11, 17:30-31)
9 And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them.
11 They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”
30 “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, 31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”
No excuses, judgment is coming and we need to be prepared! we must obey the gospel, next we have
THERE ARE COMMANDS TO OBEY
What does command mean?
We must believe the Gospel (Mk16:16)
16 “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.
What is the result of one who does not believe?
We must confess our Jesus
We have to confess our faith in Jesus Christ (Rom10:9-10)
9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
Jesus told us in Mt10:32-33 we must confess Him before men, and He would confess them before the Father in heaven!
We must Repent (Act2:38, 3:19; Lk24:46-47)
38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
And
19 “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;
Or Jesus owns words after the resurrection
46 and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
Must be baptized for forgiveness of sins (Mk16:16; Act2:38; Act22:16)
16 “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.
and
38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
And
16 ‘Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.’
A command is not a suggestion, or just a good idea, it is an imperative and must be done. Beyond the commands there are promises to receive
Promises to receive
Remission of sins - blotted away, taken away (Eph1:7; Act2:38)
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace
The Gift of the Holy Spirit (Act2:38, 5:32 Jn7:38-39)
We just read Act2:38, so let me give you another
32 “And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”
As Jesus said
38 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ ” 39 But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Gift of Eternal life (does it get any better?) (Rom6:22-23; 1Jn5:11-13)
22 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
There is more but
11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.
13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.
Eternal life, that is a great gift, it’s yours, or it is available to you!
III. The Gift, the Gospel, the Conclusion
III. The Gift, the Gospel, the Conclusion
The Gospel, the Good News, I hope it is easy to conclude we all need it.
The Facts show God’s love and grace we need to believe
The Commands tell us how to receive the gift of the gospel
Surrender, obedience opens the door to the promises to receive
There is a sin problem and a gospel promise. The Gospel takes care of the sin problem if you have done something with it.
(lead to Invitation; insert Invitation Slide) (Song) Exit)