Back to the Future

The Gospel as a story

Many people understand the gospel as simply, “Jesus died to forgive us of our sins…” But what if I told you it was more than that? What if I told you that the entire Bible is God’s story of rescuing us from our sin? Tonight that is exactly what I want to do. I want to cover some highlights of the Bible that will show you that from beginning to end God’s plan was always to rescue us from sin through Jesus Christ.

God Created us in his image to know him and 2

If you look at Genesis chapters 1 and 2 you will see something spectacular about the relationship Adam and Eve had with God. They were known by him and they knew him. Like Adam and Eve we were created in the image of God to know him and to be known by him. We were created to be in relationship with God. I think the most beautiful aspect of and 2 is the peace that covers both of those chapters. It is here that we see what man was truly created for.

Did you know that? Did you know that you were created to know God and to be known by him? You all are living in a particular time in your life where there is a frequent question that you may ask your self, “WHAT ON EARTH AM I HERE FOR?” What is my purpose? Guys, God created you to know him. What are you here for? To know God. What is your purpose? To know God. There is a hole inside of your heart that you will try to fill with all sorts of stuff that will inevitably leave you empty because that hole was never meant to be filled by anything other than a relationship with the God who formed you.

However, there is just one problem with that. “Seth I don’t desire God. I want the things this world has to offer me! They seem so much more satisfying.” You know what? Your situation is nothing new. Actually, Adam and Eve experienced the same thing.

We sinned and are separated from God.

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Notice anything familiar about this story? Eve saw that the fruit was good and she ate it. To put it another way … the things the world offered her was more satisfying to her than knowing God and being in relationship with him. So, Eve ate the fruit and then she passed it down to Adam and he ate as well. Because of this everything that was good and peaceful in this world was broken. The Image of good was distorted. Instead of reflecting God perfectly to the whole world we are like broken mirrors. And make no mistake… This brokenness has effected EVERYONE… “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way;” You are not a sinner because you sin… you sin because you are a sinner.

So, what was the result of Adam and Eve’s sin? They were removed from the Garden and from the presence of God. Likewise, our sin separates us from God. He cannot tolerate sin in his presence. As broken mirrors we must be put back together so we can reflect the glory of God rightly.

In Genesis chapter 3, God promises to bring us back. He will make things right. He says this to the serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

In his great love, God sent his Son Jesus to come as king and rescue his people from their enemies—most significantly their own sin

How does God bring us back into relationship with him? He did this by sending his Son Jesus. Jesus is the serpent crusher that God spoke of in . Jesus was sent to defeat our sin and to provide us the righteousness needed for us to be able to remain in fellowship with God.

“…he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

Jesus came on mission to reverse the curse of sin that infected all of humanity in the Garden of Eden.

Jesus defeated sin by living, dying, and raising

Christ reversed the curse of sin by living a sinless life. Yes, Christ never sinned. But what’s more amazing than that is that he died a sinners death. Christ had to be sinless in order for his sacrifice to be acceptable by God. He fulfilled the entirety of God’s law and bore the entirety of God’s wrath on our behalf. Think about that… God’s law… let’t look at the ten commandments. As I read them think about if you have broken one or more of the laws today…

Ten Commandments

1. You shall have no other gods before Me.

Are you giving things in your life more worth and value than God?

2. You shall not make idols.

John Piper describes an Idol this way, “It starts in the heart, craving, wanting, enjoying, being satisfied by anything that you treasure more than God. That is an idol.”

3. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.

This commandment goes deeper than saying things like, “Oh my God.” While I discourage you from saying that I want you to understand that this commandment penetrates every aspect of our speech. Do you your words glorify God or minimize him?

4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Have you set aside time this week specifically to rest in God?

5. Honor your father and your mother.

Have you honored you parents this week?

6. You shall not murder.

Hopefully no one has physically murdered anyone this week but have you hated someone in your heart? Jesus said, ““You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

7. You shall not commit adultery.

Whew! I am not married. At least I haven't broken this one. Not so fast… “But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Have you lusted after someone of the opposite sex this week?

8. You shall not steal.

This one is pretty self explanatory. Have you?

9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Have you told a lie about someone this week to tear them down?

10. You shall not covet.

Have you been jealous about something someone else has that you do not?

If you answered yes to even one of these questions you have not just broken one Law but all of it. James says, “Whoever keeps the whole Law but stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

Christ came to fulfill the Law on our behalf because we cannot do it. Remember, we are not sinners because we sin. We sin because we are sinners. Our nature because Adam sinned is to sin. Paul says in Romans,

“Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.”

The sin of Adam condemned all of us. But, the righteousness of Christ gives us life.

However, without a sacrifice there would be no forgiveness of sin. Christ came not to just live a sinless life but to die a sinner death. On the cross Christ bore the wrath of God reserved for you and for me!

And then three days later Christ rose again showing that his sacrifice was accepted by God.

“God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.”

“who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.”

In other words, Christ died to pay our debt of sin and was raised to show that the check had cleared!

Repent and Believe

He now calls us to repent of our sins and trust in Christ alone for our forgiveness.

He now calls us to repent of our sins and trust in Christ alone for our forgiveness.

says that God “commands” all people to repent and believe. Therefore, if you have not you are not simply choosing not to believe, you are putting yourself in opposition to the commands of God.

If we repent of our sins and trust in Christ, we are born again into a new life, an eternal life with God.

““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

From the beginning of the Bible until the end God is telling his story of his love for us.

There is something really cool about this story that I want you to understand. When we become in Christ and a new creation through our faith in him God gives us a part in this story. We Play the part of missionary. when you hear the word missionary you may envision someone in a remote village sharing the gospel. You are also missionaries who have been sent by God into your schools, ball fields and wherever you are to share this gospel with those who do not believe.

Before Jesus ascended into heaven he spoke these words, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” () God chose to use you and I as the means by which he would rescue the nations from their sin.