Trusting in The Gospel of Jesus
Notes
Transcript
Romans 1:16-17: 3:23; 5:8-11; 6:23; 10:9-13
Romans 1:16-17: 3:23; 5:8-11; 6:23; 10:9-13
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Sing: “There’s nothing that Our God Can’t do.
Possible Game: Two truths and a lie
Have students write down 2 truths about themselves and one lie and put it on a notecard.
Read these out loud.
TRANSITION:
Last week we talked about Stephen was willing to die for the gospel. But I asked, “What is the Gospel?”
Stephen was willing to die for this story.
Let me tell you one of my favorite stories not worth dying for…
In 1982, Larry Walters decided to attach 43 weather balloons to a lawn chair.
He filled them with helium.
bought a parachute.
and off he went.
He ascended all the way up to 16,000 ft in a lawn chair…
TERRIFYING.
spotted by 2 different airplanes.
chair drifted near Long Beach Airport in california.
He had a CB radio which allowed him to talk to folks on the ground.
After 45 minutes in the air he shot some of the balloons out allowing him to descend.
Cables from his balloon got caught in a power line which caused a complete blackout in the Long Beach area for 20 minutes.
Walters survived and climbed to the ground and later sold the rights to his story.
If you watch youtube videos about Walters, you’ll hear him talk about his story as a fulfillment of a lifelong dream and that he has no regrets.
However, He must have had some regrets, because sadly…
this story ends with Walters killing himself in 1993, 11 years after his balloon flight.
Walters could have died in the balloon trip.
He later died, yes having done what he wanted, but clearly still missing something in his life.
Without the Gospel impacting our life, the best stories are still tragedies.
Because without Christ, even the good stories end in eternity with Him who matters most.
Jesus…
Today, we are going to talk about Paul’s explanation of the gospel through the book of Romans and 1 Corinthians.
Read 1 Corinthians 15:3-4
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
This is the Gospel guys.
Jesus died for our SINS!
He was buried
He rose again on the 3rd day
And it says twice that he did all that “According to the Scriptures.” Meaning, the OT foretold this would happen.
When you read throughout the Old Testament, many many places talk about the savor, the messiah, the one who would be the final sacrifice. The suffering servant. The one who would take our place.
The one who would pay the price of our sin.
You see, you really can’t believe in the gospel until you first understand your sin.
Read Romans 3:23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
What’s the difference in these two questions:
Why would a good God send people to hell?
Why would a good God allow anyone in to heaven?
What’s the difference? What are both of these questions asking? But what are the key difference in these questions?
Question 1:
How could a loving God send anyone to hell? That doesn’t sound very loving.
You’re right!
But the question assumes God is not just.
That God owes us Heaven; therefore, he is unjust by sending people to hell.
I’m good God… I deserve heaven.
Really?
The second question assumes God is just and loving.
Guys, when I really look at my life and all the sins I have committed. I don’t deserve heaven.
I think if you looked at your life, you’d say the same thing.
How many of you have lied?
How many of you have murdered?
yet Jesus says in Matthew 5:22 that if you hate somebody it’s the same as if you murdered them.
Lust?
It’s the same as if you really committed adultery on your wife.
WHAT!?
God that’s not fair.
You’re right it’s not fair.
It’s not fair that despite all of the insane amount of sins that we accumulate in our life…
Despite ALL OF THAT! God came down as a baby to give himself for us.
Read Romans 5:8-11
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
He died on the cross in our place.
The most unfair act ever committed is Christ giving himself for you. How unfair.
What if eternity is actually more about God giving people what they always wanted?
Would a loving God force someone to live with Him in heaven for all eternity when they spent their entire life ignoring Him on earth?
Is that loving?
What if Hell is exactly what someone lived for on earth.
That person rejected God time and time again and the grace he offers.
It is far more amazing that Jesus allows any of us into heaven… far more.
How good. How gracious. How merciful.
You see Paul realized the weight of his sin when he wrote Romans.
Paul remembered he was one of those men who killed Stephen for Stephen’s faith that we talked about last week.
And so Paul writes in Romans 1:16-17
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. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
How can Paul be so bold and unashamed?
There’s a song “What a beautiful name” that says, “My sin was great your love was greater. What could separate us now?”
That’s right.
The gospel becomes most beautiful when we realize how ugly we are.
Just like Freedom in America becomes much more appreciated when we see what Ukraine is going through right now.
Can you imagine?
How silly we are to take for granted what could so easily be taken away.
But in Christ, our eternal security can never be taken away.
If we believe in Jesus, Jesus offers salvation that can never be removed.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Our sin = death.
Jesus’s payment for our sin = life.
Do we realize the weight of that?
What do we have to do?
because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
You can’t live unashamed for what you don’t know.
DO you know Christ?
Have you confessed with your mouth that He is Lord.
Oh praise the name That made a way.
There’s nothing that our God can’t do.
What a beautiful name.
May we always be unashamed of the gospel!