What is the Gospel

Introduction

Introduce the series...

We spent the last couple weeks at the end of Mark, speaking about the crucifixion and what Jesus did on the cross

We believe the gospel, acknowledge that is how we are saved…

yet, at some point… we begin to look to ourselves to keep us there

or we begin to believe that we are beyond the gospel...

Paul wrote to a group of people about this very thing in the book of Galatians.

we will look over the first chapter of his letter for the next month

3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by the Spirit, are you now finishing by the flesh?

The theme if you will for this series is…

 Are you so foolish? After beginning by the Spirit, are you now finishing by the flesh?

3 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father. 5 To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Today - What is the Gospel?

Paul, in this first chapter tells the gospel right from the start.

 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father. 5 To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

PRAY!

The Plan of God

Illustration - taking a trip with no plans… you might know all that you are going to do, you just know your going here. “Play it by ear.”

Sounds good… because most, have a planned out life. You have schedules, plans and once in a while you would like to just be…

might be great for a weekend at the lake… but can you imagine if God left your eternal destination in a state of we will see what happens when we get there?

God had a plan...

4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age

This is the gospel, the good news, that Jesus Christ came to rescue us from the evil age that we find ourselves in.

An age ruled by sin and evil

you only have to look back to last week and the Sri Lanka bombings to see the evil here.

But then you can also look right into the mirror, we have a heart that is geared toward selfishness and pride.

Charles Spurgeon; “We must recognize that we live in an evil age.”

that means that we cannot be so in love with this place…

Rescued - exaireo - to take out, deliver

This plan was from the beginning...

Last week we had our Easter Egg hunt… we had a hamburger lunch afterward… with no paper plates.

go over what the plan was for the paper plates.... where it fell through and what happened to ensure that we had paper plates.

God does not operate like this...

For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him.,f 5 He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.

For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him.,f 5 He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.

from the very beginning your salvation was planned out with Jesus being the center of the story.

not because you are awesome… you’re not. He is! look again at

to the praise of his… in the beloved one!

Why would we now think that we must do great things to stay in the grace of God? Or do we think that we need to continue to sin so that God’s grace can be glorified?

What should we say then? Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply? 2 Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

What should we say then? Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply? 2 Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

DPB (Doug Paraphrase Bible) Should I keep living a life of sin so that God can forgive me and be praised all the more? NO! If this is really how you live your life, you are not saved!

The Desire of God

Illustration… doing something that you do not want to do.

it never has your whole heart… you try to get it done as fast as you can so that you can move on to the things that you really want to do.

This is not the case with the gospel…

When Jesus prayed for the cup to pass, it was not that your debt would not be paid, it was if there was another way to satisfy the wrath of God other than having it poured out on him.

Your reconciliation is the desire of God… he is not forced to do it, he chose to, it is his desire!

according to the will of our God and Father.

Thelema - will - desire

this plan was the desire of God!

We are Jews by birth and not “Gentile sinners,” 16 and yet because we know that a person is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we ourselves have believed in Christ Jesus. This was so that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no human being will be justified.

The desire of God, is that you are justified!

just if I had died…

Easton’s Bible Dictionary Justification

As regards its nature, it is the judicial act of God, by which he pardons all the sins of those who believe in Christ, and accounts, accepts, and treats them as righteous in the eye of the law

Justification - As regards its nature, it is the judicial act of God, by which he pardons all the sins of those who believe in Christ, and accounts, accepts, and treats them as righteous in the eye of the law

As regards its nature, it is the judicial act of God, by which he pardons all the sins of those who believe in Christ, and accounts, accepts, and treats them as righteous in the eye of the law

God desires that all would come to repentance… that all would be saved by his grace.

15 We are Jews by birth and not “Gentile sinners,” 16 and yet because we know that a person is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we ourselves have believed in Christ Jesus. This was so that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no human being will be justified.

9 The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.

if we have been saved, that desire should be in us as well.

9 The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.

This is why we share the gospel… the good news. It is not something that we have received and hide, but tell all who will hear.

The Glory of God

Illustration - conversations where we make ourselves the center of the story...

somebody is sharing something with you and you turn it to say what worst has happen to you

or how you have done something better.

We have a tendency of doing that with the gospel…

that this is all for us… that we are the center of the story,

We are a part of the story… but a part, the story centers around God!

To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

God is the one who is to be glorified for the gospel…

we do not get credit for sinning!

What should we say then? Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply? 2 Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

We do not get to boast about anything but Jesus!

What should we say then? Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply? 2 Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—9 not from works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.

He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—9 not from works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.

This will be what we are doing for all of eternity!

God will be glorified for ever and ever!

Why would we want to do anything else?