The Power of God: The Gospel
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Intro
Good evening students! It is great to see each and everyone of you here. I pray you have had a great week at school and are ready to hear from God’s Word tonight. Open your Bibles with me to Romans 1. We are continuing in our Romans 1 series this week. Last week, we saw how Paul introduced himself and outlined his desire to be with the Roman believers. As Paul did so, he closed with verse 15 in which Paul highlights his desires to come to Rome and to preach the gospel.
Paul understood the gospel as we will see momentarily. The gospel is the most important message as it is from God to man the very instruction on how to be saved from the penalty of sin.
However, preachers overtime have drifted away from the gospel and into false teaching. This leads to the distortion of the gospel which is not the gospel at all. For instance, there is the prosperity gospel which teaches that Jesus died in order that you would have wealth untold and great health. This false gospel leads people astray as it makes God out to be primarily concerned with material things such as money. Then, there is a new movement that is taking the world by storm and claims that you can claim a certain thing in Jesus name and it will take place. These two false gospels are not the gospel at all. It is not found in the Bible.
Steven Lawson said, “There are only two kinds of preachers. Those who preach the Bible. And those who need to resign.”
The true gospel is that each and every single one of us are sinners. We have rebelled against God by breaking His righteous law. In so doing, we are all condemned and worthy of hell which is the penalty of sin. However, Jesus, God’s only Son, stepped down from heaven taking on human flesh. He lived never sinning against God. The He was crucified on a cross not to purchase material wealth for you, but to purchase your soul in order that you would be free from the penalty of sin. Then, He rose from the grave victorious over sin and ascended to the right hand of God where He speaks to God on our behalf. That is the true gospel of Jesus Christ that must be preached from God’s Word.
With that being said, we will be taking a look at the gospel from God’s Word.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
Pray.
Paul has just wrapped up his introduction and explained his longing to visit these believers in Rome. At the end of his statement of longing, Paul mentions that his desire is to go to Rome in order that he may preach the gospel. In this same thought, he outlines the gospel for us in verses 16-17. These two verse will serve as the main idea for the remainder of the book of Romans. Paul is unashamed of the gospel because it is the very power of God for salvation. With that, point 1 is:
We can be unashamed of the gospel because it has removed our shame from sin.
We can be unashamed of the gospel because it has removed our shame from sin.
Look back with me at verse 16:
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Paul begins by stating that he is unashamed of the gospel. The reason that Paul is unashamed is because it is the power of God to save which we will look at momentarily. Paul understood the gospel that had brought about his salvation. Paul knew that it is all of grace that he is saved. Paul could not be ashamed as the gospel was brought to him even though he was a persecutor of the church. God’s grace was extended to him while he was a wretched sinner. Because of that, he could not be ashamed of this glorious gift that is Jesus crucified, buried, and resurrected. Paul was unashamed because Jesus had saved him from his sinned and removed the stain of sin.
12 I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, 13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. 17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
Jesus had changed Paul’s life through faith in the gospel.
As we spoke about prior to reading the Scripture, we understand that the gospel is the message of Jesus Christ crucified, buried, and resurrected. That is the saving message of Jesus Christ. Nothing else is to be added and certainly nothing is to be taken away.
As we understand the gospel, we must first understand the reason why Jesus had to come to earth in human flesh. Stemming back to the Garden, Adam and Eve were the first two humans created by God. They were to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. With that, they rebelled against God. Adam and Eve ate of the tree after being tempted by the serpent. In this one act, a cosmic fall took place. Sin spread to all mankind.
12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—
Each and every single person sinned against God in Adam. Therefore, you and I both sinned against God. Because of Adam, we are all born with a sin-nature which inclines us toward sin. We are born with an inability to seek God or please God. We are born with an ability to sin and an inclination toward sin. We are helpless. Even in the Old Testament, God gave the law to the Israelites. This law was given with one sole purpose to reveal the utter helplessness of humanity to live up to God’s holy standard. In the Law, the sinfulness of humanity was on display which would cause man toward the holiness of God and dependence upon Him.
With each of us born with a sin nature, we are hopeless and helpless without Jesus Christ. Scripture even calls us dead.
1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins
We had no hope. Without Christ we are in shame because of our sin. But in Christ, we are saved from sin and our shame is removed as we are His children free from sin. This leads us to point 2.
The gospel is the power of God to save wretched sinners.
The gospel is the power of God to save wretched sinners.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Paul was unashamed of the gospel because he understood his desperate condition in sin prior to faith in Christ. However, he continues on to point out that the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. In understanding what the power of God is:
John MacArthur writes, “The gospel carries with it the omnipotence of God, whose power alone is sufficient to save men from sin and give them eternal life.”
The gospel is the power of God to save a sinner. As we are dead in sin apart from Christ, the gospel has the power of God to pierce the heart of the depraved sinner turning him to faith in Christ. The gospel is the power of God for salvation. Salvation is the key. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the only way in which one is saved. Many may advocate for many paths or way to get to heaven. However, that is known as pluralism and it is an unbiblical concept as Jesus is the only way in which one can be saved from sin.
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
Notice, Paul writes to everyone who believes. The gospel is the power of God for salvation only those who repent and believe. Salvation is only for those who enter by the narrow gate which is Jesus Christ and walk down the narrow path to heaven. Repentance and faith in Jesus is the only way in which one is saved from the penalty of sin which is hell. If we do not place our faith in Jesus, we will not be saved. Likewise, there is no amount of human effort or good things we can do that will get us into heaven.
This is folly to the world as they deem that it is unfair that everyone is not saved. The world seeks to call out that everything is to be fair. For instance, this is the reason every team gets a trophy at the end of the season when they play a sport in little league. They want the reward to be fair across the board. This spills over into the church. People begin calling that everyone will go to heaven because that is fair. This is known as universalism. It is the belief that all be will go to heaven.
However, if we as humanity want to argue for what is fair, we would be very well condemning ourselves. You see, if we wanted to be fair, we all would be in hell because that is fair. We sinned against a holy and righteous God who is perfect and sovereign over all. Because we sinned against Him, it is only fair that we should spend eternity in hell. However, I praise God that He grants us grace in Jesus Christ to save us from our sins. That is the glory of the gospel. We do not get what we deserve instead we get what we do not deserve. We get Jesus Christ on the cross bearing our sin and the very wrath of God in order that we would be saved from our spiritually dead state and made alive in Christ Jesus with the future hope of heaven.
That is the glorious gospel that is the power to save. It is to the Jew first as they are specially chosen people of God and then to the Gentile. Now, the gospel has come to us.
Likewise, we rejoice that the gospel as come to us and we rejoice in God’s power to save because we understand that it is God who saves, not us. Remember that we are completely incapable of honoring God or saving ourselves. Therefore, God alone has the power to save the sinner. In order to repent and believe, God has to move within the life of the sinner.
44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
God draws us to salvation in Him. Furthermore, He is the one who gives us the ability to have faith.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
This faith that we have in Christ is a gift from God. He has enabled us to place our faith in Christ. It is all a work of God in saving us from our sins.
MacArthur further writes, “Through Christ, and Christ alone, men can be saved from sin, from satan, from judgment, from wrath, and from spiritual death.”
God allows us to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ while the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin that leads to repentance as God draws us and gifts us with faith in His Son Jesus Christ who was crucified on the cross of Calvary and rose from the grave on the Third Day in Victory.
The Christian is call to live by faith in Jesus Christ.
The Christian is call to live by faith in Jesus Christ.
17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
Paul closes out with application for the Christian who has been saved. The gospel is the power of God to save. Once the sinner is saved, the gospel calls for the believer to live out his or her faith in Jesus Christ. The gospel reveals to us the righteousness of God. In that, the sinner is no longer viewed as in sin. Instead, the sinner is seen as righteous as the righteousness of Christ is imputed upon the believer.
The righteous shall live by faith. The believer is made righteous through Christ. Now, we are called to live for Christ in faith. This is the call for each and everyone of us. This faith is the faith that we have in Jesus Christ. We are to live in accordance with such faith.
17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
Jesus’s death on the cross calls us to obedience. This is not an obligation. Jesus loved us so much so that He died on a cross for our sins. Our call is to serve Him through our faith in Him. This is not about obligation, but it is out of love for our Savior that we serve Him faithfully.
What does it look like to live by faith?
Sharing the Gospel.
Holy Living.
Faithful in the body of believers.
Gospel presentation.