The Power of the Gospel to Transform
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Intro
Intro
One of my favorite verses in the Bible is:
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Paul says that he is not ashamed of the gospel, he is not embarresed by it, he does not doubt it, he does not negotiate with it, he does not question it.
Because the Gospel is the very power of God.
The power of God displayed when he open the sea for his peoplke, the power displayed w hen fire rained down from heaven, the power displayed whgen a fillar of fire led the people though the wilderness - all this power is contained in the glorious Gospel of Christ.
The Gospel
Jesus is of course central to the Gospel. He is both its message and its messenger.
He preached about Himself. Declaring that Hec was trhe Lamb of God, that He was the Good Shepherd, that He was trhe bread of life, That He was the light of the World.
When it came to the Apostles they did the same, all they preacghed about was Jesus.
5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.
The Power of the Gospel is that it is both trhe message and the means of Salvation.
The Gospel reveals mans lost estate. The Gospel reveals mans hopelessness. The Gospel reveals God’s love. The Gospel reveals GYod’s provision. The Gospel reveals Christs sacrifice. The Gospel reveals Jesus victory of sin on the cross and over death at the grave. The Gospel reveals the necesity of faith and the Gospel reveals the peace which follows.
The Power of the Gospel is to forgive sinners their debt and take them from death to life.
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
Not just forgivness
However, the power of the Gospel is NOT just in the forgivness of sins. To say that is the Gospel just forgives the sinner and nothing more is an insult to it.
That would mean that the gospel saves a drowning sinner only to throw him back in.
To many people only seek God’s power as far as forgivness then stop.
But the power of the Gospel is not for forgivess but it is the power of Goid unto SALVATION.
And Salvation is much morte than forgivness of sins. Its goes beyond that.
Forgivness puts the drowning man on the boat, but Salvation then takes him to the shore where he is safe from drowing.
To many people want to be saved from drowning, but also want to stay in the sea.
But true Salvation involes not just the rescue, but also the moving vfrom the sea of sin to the shores of holiness.
The Power to Transform.
In other words, the power of the Gospel is both in forgivness AND in TRANSFORMATION.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
A person who has experienced the power of the Gospel is not only forgiven but only has had their whole self transformed by that same power.
and out of that transformation will flow wonderful works of faith, which out which, salvation has not happened.
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
What is God saying?
Many say “Im forgiven!” yet they show not evidence of transformation. True forgiveness will manifest itself by transformation.
How does this transformation work?
The cause of this transforming power is very simple. A person who has been forgiven by the work of Jesus Christ will be born again, and in that miracle of second birth you are given something.
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
And:
5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
You see that: When you are forgiven, you recieve a mind mind, the mind of Jesus.
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Pig will always be a pig.
If a sinner says they come to Christ, but go on sinning, then they are not new creatures with the mind of Christ.
Let me show you what is transformed:
1: The Will
The will is the mind and we have already seen this in
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
A transformed poerson no longer says “I will” but now, as Jesus did, says “Thy will vbe done.”
42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
There many be a lot of things I want.
I want to watch this tv show, I want to sleep in on a Sunday, I want to have sex when im not married, I want to gamble, I want to rest and not read my bible.
And a person who does whatever their will wants is clearly not transformed.
A transformed person does not follow their will, but God’s will for thrir lives.
2: their Affections
Your affections are simply the things you love or enjoy.
Before we were saved our affections where towards the darkness where we could hide.
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
But now, having been transformed by the Gospel the bible says:
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
The power of the gospel will make you love the things you used hate and hate the things you used to love.
I used to love my mother in klaw, but now God has fixed that...
As a husband my affectins are set on my wife - i looking out fort things that i know will bless her.
As a father my affections are set on my daughter - I look out for things that i know will bless her.
Now, as Transformed Christians my affections are also set on God - and i constantly am aware of things that could bless God or things that would upset Him.
3: Our Understanding
By understaning i mean the knowledge and wisdom of how te world works.
The unsaved have their understaing darknened.
18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
They think utter rubbish.
They believe that the orientation of the plants has anthing to do with their life.
That the lines on yur hand can tell your future and that dregs of your tea can tell you how to live.
They believe that millions of years ago monkeys got sick of walking on all fours and stood up and we came from them.
They believe that in the begging nothing magically became everything and thart from an explosion you can get a work of art.
But when you are saved, God gives you understanding.
2 That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;
We understand life, suffering, good and evil.
We know and understand the nauture of humanity, that people are not fundemantally good, but that people are evil.
10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
The mystries, shadows and darkness of existance has been revealed to us by the glorious light of God’s glory.
Conclusion.
Do not be decieved church. Those who have met Christ, must be changed by Christ for He leaves NOTHING the same after He has touched it.
He turned murders into Staints like Paul
Adulteres into kings like David
Prostitues into woman of reputation and honour like Rahab
Cowards into men of courage like Peter.
And he must have changed you too.
Prayer.