Real Faith #4: Gospel

The best news ever - Fountain Dr Pepper

You are rightly related to God only in Jesus

Acts 4:12 ESV

12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

You are connected to Jesus through the truth and reality of the gospel

Ephesians 2:12–13 ESV

12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

The Gospel is:

The Good News

I could talk about the fact that the bible word is Euangelion in greek and it means good news. But here it is - What would you consider to be good news? If I told you that they had found a cure for brain cancer - you could say… That’s good news. But If you had brain cancer and the Dr had told you that you had 2 months to live and you were at a month and a half - This would be the best news you could ever hear.

Ephesians 2:1–10 ESV

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

A Way to See Myself as a Sinner (And not have it crush me)

Mark 2:17 ESV

17 And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Luke 15:7 ESV

7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

2 Corinthians 12:9–10 ESV

9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Unique & Personal

1 Corinthians 15:1–11 ESV

1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

The Relational Connection Between Me and Jesus

Romans 8:1 ESV

1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:16–17 ESV

16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

The Cure for Spiritual Blindness

2 Corinthians 4:4 ESV

4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Objective & Universal for All People in All Times

It is an announcement of the truth. It is objectively true - Why does that matter?

Cosmically true & Individually true forever

Song we sang - You See Me. (Slides) This is true whether anyone else believes it. It is true whether or not we feel it. It is true whether or not you are offended or comforted by it. Which means the offer of salvation is available for whoever would come. The whoever believes of John 3:16 is open for all your friends whether they hate God or not.

The Way to See Christ as My Savior

Titus 3:4–7 ESV

4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Small Group Questions

Icebreaker

Would you rather not be able to see or not be able to hear?

Would you rather have no short term memory or no long term memory?

What is the best news you have ever heard? Fountain Dr Pepper?

What do you think about the fact that only those who are connected to Jesus can be right with God?

How do you usually feel when you realize that you are a sinner?

What should you do about it (Or how should you feel in light of what Christ has done)?

As a believer? As an Unbeliever?

How does condemnation (judgment for my wrong) affect a relationship?

How should the reality of “no Condemnation” (Rom 8:1) affect your relationship with God?

How have you seen that unbelievers are blind to what you know to be true as a Christian?

Why are we or others sometimes tempted to think we are the exception to God’s love or forgiveness in the gospel?