The Gospel: The Central Truth for the Church

THE CENTRAL TRUTH OF THE CHURCH

INTRODUCTION:

WHAT IS THE CENTRAL, DRIVING TRUTH FOR THE CHURCH?

WELL, IT’S THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST.

EVERY HUMAN BEING NEEDS THE GOSPEL…

WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THIS STATEMENT, AND THE RAMIFICATIONS OF THIS STATEMTN, WE ARE REMINDED THAT EVERY MAN, WOMAN, BOY, AND GIRL ON THE PLANET NEEDS TO BE RECONCILED TO GOD, FORGIVEN OF THEIR SINS, REDEEMED FROM THE CURSE OF SIN, AND ASSURED OF EVERLASTING LIFE.

SO JUST SO WE DON’T LOSE FOCUS, I WANT TO REMIND ALL OF US WHAT THE CENTRAL TRUTH OF THE CHURCH IS TO BE.

SO LET’S UNPACK THIS VERSE WE JUST READ, AND SEE WHAT GOD HAS TO TEACH US THIS MORNING.

HERE’S THE FIRST THING I WANT YOU TO NOTICE HERE…

1. THE GOSPEL IS POWERFUL.

a. PAUL FOLLOWS HIS FAMOUS STATEMENT IN , “I AM NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL,” WITH A STATEMENT REGARDING THE FORCE OF THE GOSPEL.

b. HE USES THE GREEK WORD “DUNAMIS” TO DESCRIBE THE POWER THAT THE GOSPEL HAS.

c. DUNAMIS IS A WORD THAT MEANS FORCE, OR POWER, BUT IT ALSO MEANS VIOLENT POWER, MIRACULOUS STRENGTH, MIGHTY WORK.

d. IT’S THE WORD THAT OUR WORD “DYNAMITE” IS DERIVED FROM.

e. THINK ABOUT IT THIS WAY…THE TYPICAL USE OF DYNAMITE IS MINING, CONSTRUCTION, AND DEMOLITION…TO SEPARATE ONE THING FROM ANOTHER, SUCH AS ONE SECTION OF ROCK FROM ANOTHER.

f. AND THE SAME IS TRUE WITH THE GOSPEL.

g. THE PURPOSE OF THE GOSPEL IS TO MINE THE HEART OF A PERSON, TO DEMOLISH THE STRONGHOLDS PLACED THERE BY SATAN, AND TO RECONSTRUCT A NEW HEART THAT IS IN LINE WITH GOD’S PURPOSE AND PLAN.

h. THE PROBLEM IS THAT MOST PEOPLE HAVE NEVER ALLOWED THE GOSPEL TO CHANGE THEIR LIVES.

i. WE OFTEN CLAIM THE GOSPEL WITHOUT EVER LETTING THE GOSPEL CLAIM US.

j. THE GOSPEL IS NOT SOMETHING YOU EXPERIENCE ONCE AND THEN MOVE ON, IT IS THE TRUTH THAT GETS YOU OUT OF BED EVERY DAY.

k. ONE OF THE BEST DEFINITIONS OF THE GOSPEL I HAVE FOUND SAYS THIS: “THE GOSPEL IS THE JOYOUS PROCLAMATION OF GOD’S REDEMPTIVE ACTIVITY IN CHRIST JESUS ON BEHALF OF HUMANS ENSLAVED BY SIN.”

l. AND IF YOU REALLY TAKE THE TIME TO CONTEMPLATE THAT STATEMENT, IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE!

m. I READ A STORY THE OTHER DAY ABOUT AN IRAQ WAR VETERAN NAMED SCOTT QUILTY.

n. THE GOSPEL IS THE DYNAMITE THAT BLOWS APART LIFE AS WE KNOW IT, SO THAT GOD CAN BEGIN THE PROCESS OF REBUILDING OUR HEARTS FOR HIS PURPOSES.

o. THE GOSPEL IS GOD’S POWER FOR SALVATION.

2. THE GOSPEL IS CONTINGENT UPON BELIEF.

a. IT IS NOT CONTINGENT UPON ANY ACTION OTHER THAN THE ACTION OF BELIEF.

b. IT IS THE GOSPEL PLUS NOTHING.

c. PAUL CONTINUES IN WITH THE STATEMENT THAT THE GOSPEL IS GOD’S POWER FOR THE SALVATION OF EVERY WHO BELIEVES.

d. THE HYMN “TO GOD BE THE GLORY” REMINDS US THAT THE GOSPEL IS BASED UPON BELIEF.

e. THE FIRST TWO LINES OF VERSE 2 SAY THIS.

f. O PERFECT REDEMPTION, THE PURCHASE OF BLOOD,

g. TO EVERY BELIEVER THE PROMISE OF GOD;

h. - 16 “FOR GOD LOVED THE WORLD IN THIS WAY: HE GAVE HIS ONE AND ONLY SON, SO THAT EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT PERISH BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE. 17 FOR GOD DID NOT SEND HIS SON INTO THE WORLD THAT HE MIGHT JUDGE THE WORLD, BUT THAT THE WORLD MIGHT BE SAVED THROUGH HIM. 18 ANYONE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM IS NOT JUDGED, BUT ANYONE WHO DOES NOT BELIEVE IS ALREADY JUDGED, BECAUSE HE HAS NOT BELIEVED IN THE NAME OF THE ONE AND ONLY SON OF GOD.

i. LUKE WRITES ABOUT PAUL’S WORD TO THE PHILIPPIAN JAILER, AND SAYS THIS IN - 31 “BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS, AND YOU WILL BE SAVED—YOU AND YOUR HOUSEHOLD.”

j. IN , PAUL WRITES ABOUT THE SOURCE OF OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND SAYS THIS - 21 BUT NOW, APART FROM THE LAW, GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS HAS BEEN REVEALED—ATTESTED BY THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS 22 —THAT IS, GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST, TO ALL WHO BELIEVE, SINCE THERE IS NO DISTINCTION. 23 FOR ALL HAVE SINNED AND FALL SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD. 24 THEY ARE JUSTIFIED FREELY BY HIS GRACE THROUGH THE REDEMPTION THAT IS IN CHRIST JESUS. 25 GOD PRESENTED HIM AS A PROPITIATION THROUGH FAITH IN HIS BLOOD, TO DEMONSTRATE HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, BECAUSE IN HIS RESTRAINT GOD PASSED OVER THE SINS PREVIOUSLY COMMITTED. 26 HE PRESENTED HIM TO DEMONSTRATE HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS AT THE PRESENT TIME, SO THAT HE WOULD BE RIGHTEOUS AND DECLARE RIGHTEOUS THE ONE WHO HAS FAITH (BELIEVES) IN JESUS.

k. IN , PAUL SPEAKS OF THE PROMISE GRANTED THROUGH FAITH, THAT ABRAHAM’S FAITH…BELIEF…WAS CREITED TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND THAT IT IS ALSO CREDITED TO US FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

l. HE WRITES, “24 BUT ALSO FOR US. IT WILL BE CREDITED TO US WHO BELIEVE IN HIM WHO RAISED JESUS OUR LORD FROM THE DEAD.”

m. PAUL WRITES IN THAT RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH ALONE…BY BELIEVING…9 IF YOU CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH, “JESUS IS LORD,” AND BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART THAT GOD RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD, YOU WILL BE SAVED.

n. JOHN WRITES TWICE ABOUT THE PURPOSE OF THIS GOSPEL

o. - 31 BUT THESE ARE WRITTEN SO THAT YOU MAY BELIEVE JESUS IS THE MESSIAH, THE SON OF GOD, AND BY BELIEVING YOU MAY HAVE LIFE IN HIS NAME.

p. - 13 I HAVE WRITTEN THESE THINGS TO YOU WHO BELIEVE IN THE NAME OF THE SON OF GOD, SO THAT YOU MAY KNOW THAT YOU HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.

3. THE GOSPEL IS AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE.

a. CONCLUDES WITH THIS STATEMENT…”FIRST TO THE JEW, AND ALSO TO THE GREEK.

b. IN JEWISH WRITING, THERE WERE ONLY TWO KINDS OF PEOPLE, JEWS, AND EVERYONE ELSE.

c. SO WHEN PAUL WRITES HERE THAT THE GOSPEL IS GOD’S POWER FOR SALVATION FOR EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES, MANY JEWS MIGHT HAVE TAKEN THAT TO MEAN EVERY JEW.

d. BUT WHEN HE WRITES FIRST TO THE JEW, AND ALSO TO THE GREEK, IT IS UNDERSTOOD THAT PAUL IS COMMUNICATING THE TRUTH THAT THE GOSPEL IS AVAILABLE FOR EVERY PERSON.

e. THAT NO ONE IS EXCLUDED.

f. THE SECOND VERSE OF “TO GOD BE THE GLORY” REINFORCES THIS IDEA…IT SAYS…

g. THE VILEST OFFENDER WHO TRULY BELIEVES,

h. THAT MOMENT FROM JESUS A PARDON RECEIVES.

i. THOSE PEOPLE WHO WE MIGHT EXCLUDE FROM THE GOSPEL…

j. THAT PERSON WE DON’T AGREE WITH, OR THAT PERSON THAT WE DON’T LIKE…OR THAT PERSON THAT HARMED US IN SOME WAY…THAT IS THE PERSON TO WHOM THE GOSPEL APPLIES.

k. THE GOSPEL EXCLUDES NO ONE…SO WE CAN EXCLUDE NO ONE.

CONCLUSION:

SO THE GOSPEL IS POWERFUL.

IT HAS THE POWER NECESSARY TO RADICALLY CHANGE YOUR LIFE.

THE GOSPEL IS CONTINGENT UPON BELIEF.

BY THE GRACE OF GOD…THROUGH FAITH IN THE REDEMPTIVE WORK OF JESUS CHRIST.

AND THE GOSPEL IS AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE.

THE VILEST OFFENDER, WHO TRULY BELIEVES…

THIS MORNING, MY HOPE IS THAT, LIKE PAUL, WE WOULD ALL BE ABLE TO SAY, “I AM NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL.”

AND, LIKE PAUL, WE WOULD ALLOW THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST TO CHANGE US, SO THAT GOD CAN DO A GREAT WORK IN US AND THROUGH US.