Gospel of Jesus
amen Well, the gospel is the good news. And it is really really good news. We spent the last couple weeks beginning to unpack that we started in Romans chapter 1 verse 16, which says alright, I am not ashamed of the Gospel. I'm not ashamed of the good news. I'm not going to back down or back away from it. I'm not going to hide it. I'm not going to minimize it. I'm going to stand in it boldly Proclaim it I'm not ashamed of the Gospel why because it is the power of God for salvation for everyone not for the spiritually lead not for the people that are good and if not for the people that show up at church or the people that were born in the certain time or place not for the morally Pure or the religiously righteous. The gospel is good news for everyone who believes first to the Jew cuz that's who it came to first. But then to everyone else Cuz I'm not ashamed of the Gospel it is the good news. It is the power of God and last week. We saw what the power of God is intended for weeks on 1st Peter chapter 3 verse 18 price suffered once for sins the righteous for the unrighteous, I think that's a great way to summarize what the gospel is the defining defining definitive Act of Jesus on our behalf Christ suffered once for sins the righteous for the unrighteous that he might bring us to the good news of the Gospel is that in spite of our failure in spite of our weakness in spite of all the Brokenness in our world and in our hearts God has not given up on us. Has not rejected us. God will not cast us away. God is radically committed to restoring and reconciling all of creation. 2 mm cell Christ came and died and rose again. He suffered and took our sin upon himself so that we might get that's the essence of the good news. We get God and there's nothing better. There's no better news than that. But if all that's true and and it is true. It is true. If all that's true.
What's the problem with the gospel bearing more fruit in our churches in our lives and our families in our country? And in this world? Why do we not see the gospel? Consistently preached and demonstrated and live in power. Why do we why do we not see people more and more in love with God? Why is it that so many even and especially let me talk about those in the church tonight. We show up in a church. Maybe we participate in a small group. Maybe we serve in VBS, but there's no more power in our lives than the lives of our neighbor. That doesn't know Jesus. Mmmm, besides spending time in church is there is there much of a difference in our lives? Are are we really more connected to God? Thanks to those that are outside of the church. What what is it if the gospel is such good news if there's so much power in the gospel if the gospel really does save us in the gospel gets it gets us to God. Why do we see so little gospel fruit in the Church of America today? I think that for me in order to answer that question. I don't have to look at today. I can actually go back to the to the early church that many of you have a t-shirt with this quote on it many of you may be seen me wear at Saint Augustine. So this if you believe what you like in the gospel? And reject what you don't like.
It is not the gospel that you believe in but yourself. We are the most independent self-centered narcissistic culture that ever existed on the face of the planet for us. What are number one?
We think everything's about us and we stand in judgment over everything in our lives. We are by Nature As Americans Rebellion. We rejected Kings. We rejected Authority. We want to be our own authority and we are seeing that compounding snowball in our culture at an increasing rate. Now now in our culture we won't even be defined by science or biology. We wanted to find ourselves in every single way possible and I've seen that happen in the church over the last 30 or 40 years just as much we pick and choose the gospel as if the gospel is something for us to stand over in judgments. We hear the good news. We read the good news in the scripture and their parts of it that we resonate with those parts of it that we like. We're like, yes, I like that. It's good news because I like it. But then there's other parts of it we go. That doesn't that doesn't sit. Well with me got to asking something. I don't want to give God's condemning something that I like God's saying and declaring and and proclaiming things that the world doesn't agree with our doesn't like and and so I don't I don't feel good about that. And so so we begin to pick and choose why I like this part of the Gospel this part of the Gospel though. I'm not so sure about
I'm so now we have entire churches and denominations and groups that are just I mean wholeheartedly abandoning the parts of this gospel. They don't agree with as if they are the ones that Define truth. This may hurt your pride to here tonight. And if you don't know it, I'm glad to be the first person to say it's you but you do not get to defined truth. You simply don't have that power or that ability truth is not malleable. That's something that you get to describe we talk this way in our culture all the time. Well, that's your truth Stan. Right and I may not be your truth Jeff my truth. Is this and listen? I don't care what your truth is. You shouldn't care what my truth is because Dan you don't get to invent truth and you can imagine I certainly can't invent. Truth. Truth is truth. All truth is God's truth. There is an objective Santa to gospel built on the foundation of objective truth.
And I would submit that the parts of the Gospel that you don't like or actually the parts of the Gospel that you really need.
One of the big challenges facing the church in the west is this is not true in other parts of the world right now, and they are growing and prospering. Because they trust God and they submit to God. This is the Big Challenge in America. This is the Big Challenge in our culture. The gospel is only good news if we will submit in humility to it. Not my gospel or gospel. It's Jesus's gospel. It is the Gospel of Jesus. I want to unpack that threw a couple of hostages tonight to help us be rooted and grounded in the reality that the gospel is objective truth to stand in judgment over it. We are called to submit and be judged by it. And that is the way we find Freedom. And that is the way life comes to us. You got your Bibles. Let's go to 1st Corinthians chapter 15. You don't have your Bibles going to be up here on the screen 1st Corinthians chapter 15 verses 1 to 5. Paul is writing to a church church in Corinth. But in many ways is a culture very similar to the culture we find ourselves in. very divided very individualistic very proud lots of hubris
and the church is finding itself much like its culture divided and proud and at war with themselves and Paul's writings a try to bring peace and Harmony and unity. Cuz that's what the gospel to us. He says here in verse 1 of chapter 15 nieces now, I would remind you Brothers. Of the Gospel of the good news. I preached to you which you received and in which you stand when I came you didn't know Christ when I came you were dead in your sins. When I came you are under the authority of evil Powers when I tempt you did not know the good news, but when I came I Proclaim to you the good news of Jesus which you receive and in which you stand and by which you are being safe again the power of the gospel for salvation. Just let me remind you of the good news the good news wasn't if you just tweaked your theology a little bit. You're going to make yourself smart enough to get to heaven. The good news was not if you can morally perform in a different way, you'll make yourself. Perfect. Let me remind you of what I brought to you when I first came to you and let me remind you that this is a gospel that that you received that you've been standing in and if you hold onto you will be safe. Listen to what? He says if you hold fast to the word I preach to you unless you believed in vain for I delivered to you as of first importance what I also receive and I am I saying it's true because it's my gospel he saying it's true because it's the gospel that's been true for me. I didn't make this up. This is the gospel that I received and I passed it on to you. He says this Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures and that he was buried and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures. I want you to notice Paul's insistence that Jesus is death burial and Resurrection was a part of a much larger narrative. Botox Price die according to the scriptures Christ Rose according to the scriptures understand Christ is not an isolated event that stands alone in time. History Christ is the climax in the Fulfillment of The Narrative of redemption that began when sin entered into the picture way back before the garden frankly.
Understand what it's saying hear the gospel. Funnels and pointed to Christ who stands on top of all that came before and becomes the Gateway through which almost passed the future.
Receive your memory remind you of what I what I brought you what I taught you that remind you of the Gospel that brought you salvation. I Don't Preach morality I didn't preach theology. I didn't preach Behavior or I taught Christ Is the good news not of religious rules or behaviors? It is a good news of relationship with the Savior Jesus. Who is the king.
It wasn't an accidental salvation. It wasn't coincidental. It wasn't happenstance. It all happens in accordance with the Crips the Scriptures. It all happened because of the Sovereign wisdom and plan of God. The gospel is good news. If you'll stand it if you hold fast to it if you stay focused and centered on Christ. This has been very appeared to cephas and then to the twelve a resurrected. Jesus was not just an idea wasn't a hallucination wasn't a ghost wasn't a spirit. It was a resurrected physical Jesus back from the dead. Houses, I want you guys to remember. The essence of the gospel and what does he tell them Jesus? Remember it was Jesus Jesus became according to the scriptures Jesus who died according to the scriptures. Jesus was buried and rose according to the scriptures Jesus who appeared afterwards his disciples. If you keep bringing forth just stop with the 12 any appears to up the 500 and then he appears to James running to Paul at the very end.
I want you to remember the gospel. You need to remember Jesus.
I find that convicting. And I find it encouraging but let me explain first. I find it convicting because in my experience
I have been tempted time and time again just start with Jesus and then try to move on to something else.
To depend on Jesus to get me out of hell and guarantee that I get to go to heaven. But then the pain on a preacher that I liked or church that I liked or a behavior or spiritual discipline or cancel practice for my own morality or depend on myself my willpower my strength. I want to start with Jesus.
I don't want to surrender. And I don't want to submit. I want the benefits of Jesus. I want the perks of the Gospel, but I still want to be in control.
There's some control freaks in the house tonight.
And I in it and if you don't see yourself that way my only prayer is this that God would show you who you really are.
The essence of sin is control. We are all broken by sin. And and the way that sin has broken us all is that we want to control ourselves and our destiny now, we do it in radically different ways. But the one thing that every person that I've ever met and it's not just true for our culture probably every culture is that we are terrified of submitting and surrendering our control to someone else. So we want the benefits that Jesus offers, but we want to try to do it our own way at the same time.
And when we do that, we actually deny the very power of the Gospel.
So then it's no wonder that the gospels not bearing the fruit. Salvation and freedom of love and unity of joy and delight in God because we are claiming Jesus in name. We are grabbing on the Jesus with one hand spell with the other hand. We're still trying to repaint control on to ourselves.
We still believe the lie. That were better at leading our life than Jesus.
Jesus is better at leading your life. Then you are. You better leaving my life than I'll ever be. I am really really good at messing things up. I don't know about you. I do know about you, too.
I start out with great intentions. Don't wait till we start out with great attention. We see some truth. We see something to God we get some good ideas. We think all this would be awesome. We set ourselves. We devise a plan we set our heart to it that our will have 10 minutes and sometimes we make a little bit of progress. Sometimes we make a little bit more progress, but eventually left unto ourselves.
We break things.
Good intentions are not enough. We need good follow-through. We need the strength and ability to actually see it through to completion the good news of the Gospel. Jesus had more than good intention. They men that Jesus didn't just start out his work. He completed it. Jesus didn't just try to make it happen. He got it done. The good news is Jesus was faithful when all of us have never been faithful. Jesus was Justin righteous in ways that we were never just and righteous Jesus hold it off. And the good news is he didn't pull it off just for himself. He pulled it off for all of us.
What we need is Jesus.
In all of his glory. We don't need a piece of Jesus or a part of Jesus. We don't just start with Jesus. We need to stay rooted in and and in line with Jesus in every aspect of our life.
And that requires an active Gray.
That requires spiritual power that's frankly outside of ourselves. But let me explain that if you just flip over to Second Corinthians Paul's next letter to the church in Corinth.
10 Corinthians Chapter 4 verses 1 to 6 All right. Sissy says they're form. Many of the people in the church have been attacking Paul and his credibility. An Impulse is this I have the ministry I have. Because of the mercy of God not because I'm all that not because I'm so amazing anything that I have I have because of God's mercy. He says because I received this ministry by the mercy of God. I do not lose heart.
And we have pronounce disgraceful underhanded ways. We refused to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word. That's what I want you to hear tonight. The Temptation for Paul was to tweak God's word to make it more palatable to Corinthian ears so that they wouldn't reject him but they might Embrace him and the Temptation was you know, what if I give him a little bit of Jesus, but I hold back on the stuff that's going to confront and convince them to find it more palatable don't like it more and then the church in the ministry can grow quicker.
sound familiar because it sounds like every Church growth book. I've read that's been written in the last 50 years.
everyone
the problem is people don't like to hear the good news solution will let's just change the good news to make it palatable for people.
Also, we refuse we refuse to do that. We refused disgraceful underhanded ways. We refused to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word. Another word the ends don't justify the means. We want people to hear the gospel want people to get the guts for not going to try to manipulate them or trick them or or or contrived situations. Give him a little bit of it and hopefully grow into the rest later. We're not going to do that.
I'm not going to do that.
but by the open statement of the truth open statement of the truth. What is the truth Jesus is the truth pilate? What is truth dude? You're talking to him? The one who is the way the one who is the truth the one who is the Lie by an open proclamation of Jesus plant open open proclamation of the good news of Jesus? We would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God and I don't pump saying what God thinks about me is infinitely more important than what you think about me.
I'm not going to compromise. I'm not going to rationalize I'm not going to spiritualize. I'm not going to tweak and tamper with the Gospel of Jesus. Why because it's his gospel.
Isn't even if our gospel is veiled.
So this is their argument will the gospels hard to understand. So we've got we've got a tweak it we got a tamper with it so that people can hear it and like it and understand it smells like now you don't understand of course the gospel is veiled. The imagery there's that like there's there's literally a veil over their eyes so they can't see it.
Does even if the gospel is veiled it is veiled to those who are perishing in their case. Understand listen, listen carefully what you saying hear the gospel? Will often if not always be misunderstood. misperceived rejected and denied why because there's a veil between those who haven't received the gospel. And the gospel and that Veil is put there on purpose in that case the God of this world. That's the adversary the Satan the the the the the spiritual forces of evil in the Heavenly Realms that are opposed to the kingdom of God.
In their case the God of this world has blinded the minds of the unbeliever.
We're going to unpack this more in in several weeks, but just understand what this is saying every time we engage in the work of the Gospel every time we get in the conversation with somebody that doesn't know Jesus that doesn't has not by faith received. All that Jesus is we are talking to someone that has been spiritually blind.
Buy an evil power that is not infinitely, but incredibly more powerful than you and I are. Let that sink in. The work of the Gospel is spiritual work. It's Spirit or they've been blinded to the gospel by the enemy. In other words in order for the gospel to penetrate the veils got to be parted or lifted. I don't know about you, but I don't got the juice to make that happen. by myself
has been blinded. To keep them from what I'm seeing the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ.
Whose gospel is it? God gospel Jesus Is Gospel the gospel is to get us to God what he's the gospel is the gospel of the glory of Jesus the Christ.
That's what Satan wants to do he'll do anything in his power to keep people from seeing the Beauty and the wisdom No Love In the freedom that only Christ offer.
far too often
we get sidetracked. We're Rabbit Trail. We start talking with people. When we start talking with them about the gospel about non-central. non-fundamental non Bedrock issues nn sometimes that's cuz we do its utmost often those because the people that were talking with do it and all that is is the reality of the veil coming to back the enemy will do anything and everything to keep people from thinking about the most important thing which is Jesus. So will get stuck talking about unjust Wars or abortion or homosexuality or transgenderism or drugs or alcohol in far too often. We take the bait.
We don't stick with Jesus.
It says that they've been blinded from seeing the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ. Who is the image of God for what we Proclaim is not ourselves one of my favorite verses.
There's so much freedom in this. I didn't know this as a Young Man starting out in Ministry. I didn't understand. I thought it really it was on my shoulders.
It was up to me to convince the win-win people. I wanted to be a soul winner. I was up to me. I just study hard ride to pray more. I had to knock on more doors. I had to argue more convincingly was up to me all the freedom of the doors. We don't Proclaim ourselves, but we Proclaim Christ. Jesus is Lord.
And ourselves as your servants. for his sake There's so much Freedom so much joy, we're going to unpack that more later. But then listen to how he finishes to something for 6. He says for God. Who said let light shine out of darkness? When did God do that? Not a trick question? The beginning Wright Genesis is the beginning of our stitches in the beginning. There was God and God said let there be for this reality that God is creator. That when God speaks and calls things into existence. They come into existence by saying this he wants you to think Genesis. He wants you to think of God's unfathomable creative power. Forgot who said let light shine out of Darkness has now shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. What are you saying here is that spiritual birth or rebirth spiritual creation is just as much a creative act of God as creation was in the beginning in other words for you to be safe for the gospel to do its work in your life. God had to speak let there be life. And if you didn't you still be in darkness? And you may not have been aware that God did that you may have thought it was all you at the time but in order for it to happen God had to make it happen. Conversion repentance salvation is a work of Grace and it is God's Divine acting perogative. God doesn't show up nothing happens. That's true for us and it's true for everyone. So as we become fluent in the gospel for ourselves for our communities, and for the world, we have to stay grounded in the central reality that it is God's gospel is the Gospel of Jesus, and if Jesus doesn't show up nothing happens, but when Jesus shows up, Everything Changes
because the gospel is the very power of God for salvation.
Your neighbor your coworker your family member who is so resistant. So opposed to Faith and spiritual things in organized religion that those who have rejected Christianity out of hand and deny it as anything viable. Listen when Jesus shows up and Jesus is revealed to them and that Veil is parted and lifted everything canning Wilson. Your job's not to argue them into the kingdom your job. To win an argument. Your job is to love them with the love that Christ supplies so that in you and in your life, they might see Jesus because when they see Jesus Everything Changes,
we spent the last fifty years in the church saying your job is to get people to come to church.
You get people to come to church, but they don't get the Jesus nothing's happens. That's what's been happening in the church for the last 50 years. We've been getting people to church really getting people to religion. We've been getting people to spirituality. We've been getting people to behavioralism people to a particular political and religious agenda, but they haven't come to Christ and if they don't come to Christ they are still dead.
We don't come to Christ. We're still there.
The gospel. The good news is the good news about Jesus. Jesus is everything. We need to be Jesus people like radically Jesus people. I'm a little young to remember the Jesus Freaks of the 70s some of you around. Let's be honest most of you around.
Come on. Now. I say that in love.
Are we willing?
To embrace Jesus so wholeheartedly.
So absolutely. So focused and it committed the world looks at us and says they are crazy.
That's what the gospel is calling us to. a radical surrender and submission to Jesus That doesn't make any sense to the powers of the kingdoms of this world.
So that through the foolishness of what is preach?
We might be safe my dig into that next week. Next week. We're going to really think about what it is that we're proclaiming and why it's so often received as foolishness, but tonight tonight. Let's stick with Jesus. We're going to do that very practically right now by celebrating communion together.
