The Church is Saved by the Gospel
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Evangelion…what we call the gospel…is a Greek word…it is a powerful word…it is an important word...
It means good news…a joyful proclamation...news that is so good that those who believe it need to tell everyone…because it is news that changes everything…
And you know this about good news…the best news is good news because the alternative to the good news was very bad news…
Good news takes us from a fearful possibility…death…loss…cancer…failure…shame…guilt…fear...and speaks into that bad news…an alternative...good news.
And that is why the Gospel is the best news in the history of the world.
The alternative to the good news of the Gospel is...very bad news for us sinful people…we (and everyone you know or will ever meet or has ever lived) all of us are destined for bad news…and then someone breaks in to that reality and tells us that God has some good news for us.
We need some good news…we can not provide it on our own.
BUT GOD…can. And He did.
The Gospel is an announcement of good news that breaks into the darkness of this world and the fearful , terrible destiny of all human beings...and like the angel descending in the night sky upon the shepherds says.
“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy.” Luke 2:10
The Gospel is that kind of an announcement.
Yes things are bad…yes you are headed in the wrong direction…yes you desperately need a Savior…yes you have lived outside of the will of God…yes you have been living for your own glory…BUT...
“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy.”
A message to be delivered to all people that although they are headed towards pain and suffering and death and eternal agony unless something changes…there is good news…all who believe and respond to this news will be saved.
That is amazing news.
We live in a very interesting time. People in America and Europe are walking away from the church in record numbers. This is especially true among young people in America. Which we talked about last week…and we looked at the Biblical solution for that.
We are also living at a time where we are seeing an explosion of different
gospels...weak gospels or false gospels…human centered gospels in churches and on the internet...to try to get people back in the church…and in some cases it looks like it is working from the human perspective...
A human centered Gospel might draw people to entertainment or a certain speaker…but a human centered gospel does not eternally change hearts, lives, souls, and therefore creates people that do not truly have faith in the God of the Bible or who will persist in their faith until the end…through trials and suffering…or if the entertainment or celebrity preacher went away.
BUT the true gospel and powerful good news radically changes everything…the Spirit empowered biblical gospel is the only gospel that saves…and is the Gospel that builds the Church that the gates of hell will not stand against.
Therefore the Gospel is a message we must know, believe, teach, tell, preach and proclaim.
This is a message about the gospel and the church...because the gospel builds, shapes, and defines the Biblical church.
If you turn on the news or listen to people talk…there is something everyone seems to agree on...
We as a people in this country disagree on what the problem is…but everyone seems to know that there is a problem.
The culture, the country, the world seems to be headed in the wrong direction.
But to us…God’s people…we are not surprised by this…we are not caught off guard...the problem is obvious…and the problem is not new…it started in Genesis 3...
Ever since Adam and Eve in the Garden…people have been deceived…we love the darkness...we love ourselves and our way…we want to be our own God and make up our own way to live that suits our needs and desires…and even our own way to be saved and go to heaven…our own religion...and we, therefore, have walked away from God.
This being true means...the solution is obvious and there is only one solution...the Gospel. The Gospel will lead people back to the foot of the cross. The Gospel will cause people by the Spirit to be born again…to love Jesus and therefore live for Jesus.
The Gospel is empowered by the Holy Spirit. The Gospel is the power of salvation to call us to back God...
And that Gospel that has been entrusted to the Church...
A church with this Gospel has the power to change the world. We are the solution…we don’t look outside for the answer…we have the answer..
The Gospel is the power to change the world.
The world needs the Gospel…because the world needs Jesus.
And...
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
So...
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.
God saves by giving us a new heart…and a new Spirit…God has to do that. God gives the gift of faith. And how does He do that…through words...
Faith comes by hearing…the gospel is the power of God for salvation.
You may not have thought about this but this is the reason this earth is still spinning…so God’s people can give Him glory by speaking the Gospel and bringing the message of Jesus to the ends of the earth.
And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
This is what Paul could say…whoa to me if I do not preach the Gospel…
Or...
But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.
Because there is no power in any other message or or any other gospel.
The Church is built by gospel…we ere called by the gospel and saved by the gospel…because only through the Gospel can we receive the gift of faith…and receive God’s grace…because the Gospel tells how to believe in and receive the only one who can save.
Jesus.
So what is the Gospel? Or to be more precise in a world of many “gospels”…what is the true gospel?
The one that is the power of God for salvation to all who would believe it?
Notice how if we get this wrong…everything else falls...
What is baptism without the true Gospel? It becomes either a tradition…just a thing we do...or the way of salvation…thinking baptism is what saves.
What is the Bible without the true Gospel? If we do not know that the entire Bible tells us about Jesus and every word from Genesis to Revelation is telling us the Gospel...it becomes a book of sometime weird, seemingly related stories and letters and rules…but what if every word in the Bible tells the gospel…then whole Bible points us to Jesus.
What is marriage of we don’t know that it was created by God specifically to tell the gospel of the Church? It becomes about us and our needs and desires and wants…instead of a way to show the world the love of Christ.
What is a Christian if we do not know the gospel? It becomes a name you call yourself…instead of a description of who you are…who you belong to...versus who you used to be…and who you now live for…Christ…because you are a new creation in Christ by the Spirit through the gospel.
What is salvation without the gospel? It is a decision we make in our heads that gets us to heaven...instead of a radical change in our hearts...putting our our old self to death with Christ who died for us and raising with Him to a new life…for Him and him alone...
And what is the Church without this gospel? It is a social club…a place to show up on some Sundays...a weekly meeting…a tradition…an event…or a place to go on Christmas and Easter.
Instead of...
God’s people set apart to gather together and live out God’s purpose for us in the particular place God has put us…by Jesus…for Jesus…because of the good news about Jesus.
We have a deep desire to be a church that gives God glory. The Church He desires us to be. And in order to be that we need to know, love, speak, and live the Gospel.
In a few minutes we are going to read Ephesians 2:1-10.
These versus sum up the truth of the gospel more than maybe any in the Bible. When you take these together with verses of Romans 3:21-26, Romans 8 and John 3...you can best get the simple beautiful gospel that produces the faith of a child and the full biblical Gospel that grows andd matures that faith because of the deep, powerful life giving Gospel which will persevere your faith and leads to the salvation of the nations.
Most of you who have been around me over the last couple years know that I like to teach the Gospel or think of the Gospel or speak or preach or proclaim the Gospel...
I think of the Biblical Gospel in 4 words…which I will get to.
I am going to start even simpler today...let me tell you the Gospel in one word.
In one word the Gospel is...
God.
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God is the gospel.
The good news is God.
Why is it important to know that the gospel is all about God?
Because it will focus the glory where it belongs…it will move you from self to God...
It will help you discern weak or false gospel. We human beings with sinful natures want to make everything about us.
So I could stand here and list the numerous false gospels in our culture but the primary thing to know about these gospels is they are human centered. They make the story about us.
God is the gospel. The good news...starts with God and ends with God and is all about God. To him be the glory in the Gospel and in our lives.
What about the Gospel in 2 words.
Jesus saves.
The gospel of God for us...was given to Paul by Jesus…Jesus revealed the Gospel to Paul…
The true Gospel is from Jesus and about Jesus...because it is for Jesus and leads us to Jesus because salvation only comes through Jesus to those who believe in Jesus and turn to Jesus and love Jesus and treasure Jesus…because they have given their life to Jesus…who gave His life for us.
He is the way, the truth, and the life. No one finds eternal joy in heaven without Jesus...
Jesus saves.
Which brings us to the 4 word Gospel...
This is how I generally think of the Gospel and speak the gospel and teach the Gospel. It helps me remember the Gospel and not leave out any part of the Gospel…it will help you discern true Gospel from false Gospel.
The Gospel is power of God for salvation…may our powerful Gospel bring salvation to many.
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The Gospel in 4 words is:
God
Man
Jesus
Response
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GOD
The Gospel starts with God. He is the creator of the universe…everything from amoebas to the Andromeda Galaxy. Spoken into existence by the voice of God. Everything is His. And He created us....and we are therefore His. He is the creator and therefore the King.
And He is holy…perfect…righteous…everything He does is right…and good…whether we see it...or agree with Him...or not…He is always right and good.
As the Holy, Creator of the universe...He is defines what is good…because he is good…He defines what love is...because He is love...
And He is the definer of life because He created life...
And He created Man.
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MAN
The infinitely powerful and eternally existent God who needs nothing...created us in the overflow of His love and joy and happiness…and He did so for a specific purpose…
He created us for His glory and in His image.
You were created to be an image of God…a picture of God…
You were created to live in His image…
What does an image do?
It shows what something is like.
You were created so that all of creation and all other people could look at you and the way you live and speak and use the time and talent and possessions and life God has given you...and by looking at you and listening to you...they could see how wonderful and glorious God is…
We were created to live in a way that shows the world God’s glory.
To display the goodness and beauty and power and justice and trustworthiness of God by the way you live for him and talk about him and love him and trust him and honor him and glorify him with every part of the life that he has given you.
And something else is true of all of us…we have all fallen short of His glory.
Every one of us. Fallen short…lived for our self…came up with our own way…even our own version of Christianity…
We find our joy and put our desires in other things…and therefore we give those things…primarily our self the glory that only God deserves...
And that is sin.
In rebellion against Him...we do our own thing or make up our own way…and turn our backs on God.
And when you turn your back on an infinite and holy and eternal God.
When you turn your back on the one who created you…which we all have and some still are.
We rightfully deserve eternal and infinite separation from that God.
Sin is choosing hell…and since we chose it we all also deserve it.
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And you and I can not save ourselves from that.
Only God can.
And praise God…He had a plan for all eternity to save His people from themselves…to save us from sin and and the power of Satan.
Look at the rest of
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
In his love and mercy. God came to save us.
He emptied himself and came to the earth in the form of man...Jesus.
And in wonder of wonders…this was not a reaction to our sinfulness…it was His plan to give us His son from before the creation of the earth.
It is the ultimate display of love in all of the universe.
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
God did...
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JESUS
Jesus…the Son of God...came and lived the perfect life we did not live.
He is the perfect image of God…because He is!
And in grace and mercy…He willingly died the brutal and painful death we all deserve. All of the wrath of God for all of our sin…the punishment that we deserved....on Him.
We deserved to be separated from God forever…He took that seperation for those of us who put our faith in Him…that gift of faith was puchased for us on the cross…God turned His face away from His Son…because of us on the cross.
And Jesus felt the weight of that for us.
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
The only way for our eternal separation from God and for the punishment we deserve to be paid...is for a sinless human to pay it for us. One who didn't deserve it...to take it upon himself. And Jesus did that.
That is the cross. By his wounds we have been healed.
Jesus is the only Savior and He died for His people.
And He did not stay dead. The tomb is empty.
Jesus overcame death. He rose again. He ascended into heaven.
He is Alive!
Right at this very moment He is the King of the universe.
Therefore if he is not only the Savior we needed…He is also the Lord of lords. He is the King of kings.
And for those whom He came to save....He is our King. He is our Lord.
Jesus is the Savior you desperately need and Lord that is worthy to be obeyed.
This is Good news…the best news! There is no Good news without this good news...
This kind of news that demands a response.
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RESPONSE
We all respond in some way to this news.
Your life is a response to this news.
You can either by saying no thanks. I got this. I'm still gonna live my own way. Or have my own religion. Or try to make up my own way to Jesus. I'll create God in my image. I will find salvation and joy and peace and hope some other way.
You can respond by completely ignoring it and living for your self.
Or you can respond in repentance and faith.
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REPENTANCE AND FAITH
What is repentance?
Responding to this news…by changing your mind.
Repentance is seeing your life and your sin for what it is.
It is seeing that life without Jesus is a wasted life.
And not just seeing that and knowing that...
Repentance is turning away from that way of living because you have a new heart.
Seeing who you are without Jesus and putting that self death in order to live the rest of your life for the Jesus you love.
Why?
Because Jesus is better…He is worthy…He is joy…He is the treasure you have been searching for…He is the answer to all of your questions.
He is better than life.
NO SLIDE
Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
The Gospel is the answer to everything because Jesus is everything.
And when you turn from something you turn to something else...
Placing your faith in your self or your spouse or your job or your ideas or nature or money or science or the American dream or your retirement or your children is ultimately unsatisfying and leads to disappointment and death…because those things are not meant to be ultimately satisfying or infinite or eternal…only Jesus is.
The only worthy response to this news is to walk away from anything other than Jesus as the source of your life and joy and hope and salvation.
Put your faith 100% in the only one who is worthy of that faith.
We all put our faith in something or someone.
The only rightful response to the good news of the gospel is repentance (stop living for your self) and faith…complete devotion to Jesus as your Savior and Lord.
Let me show you that in God’s Word.
Open to.
Paul here is speaking the gospel to believers who he believes are saved…listen for the gospel and how they were saved…and who they were before they were saved.
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 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— 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. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
God is the Gospel.
The point of the gospel is to return us to God because He is the point.
Without Jesus…without God...
You are dead in your sin…following the ways of the world.
Following Satan....living for your self and your desires…your wants…your passions.
Therefore dead and under Gods wrath.
The God who tells Jupiter to spin. The God who tells the oceans where they will stop. The God who tells lightning when it will flash. The God who tells volcanoes when they will erupt...
The wind and the waves obey him...
And we have the audacity to say no God. I know better way. I'm gonna live for myself. When things go bad I may question and blame you God? And when I die I expect you to save me.
This is why Paul says no no no...we are already dead. Dead without God.
The truth of the gospel is that without a savior we are dead in our sin and without a Lord we will live our own way.
And there is nothing we can do to call our dead selves to life. Tradition cannot do it. Calling yourself a certain name Christian, Catholic, Lutheran cannot do it. There is no deed or work or decision you can make that will save you.
You are dead in your sin without someone to raise you to life.
But God...
rich in mercy...
because of the great love with which He loved us...
looked at us dead in our sin…
and sent His son…to die…so we could die to self...
and to raise to life…to bring us new life...
Jesus saves.
Only he can raise the dead to life. Only he can give eternal life and eternal joy because he is the source of eternal life and eternal joy.
By grace alone God in his love and his mercy God has saved His people.
Because Jesus is alive. He rose again. He's living right now. He has put death to death. He put sin to death. He overcame the evil one.
And in the ultimate display of love and mercy and glory...
God Himself in the man Jesus Christ came to be the Savior.
This is what makes true Biblical Christianity different than any other way of thinking, living, religion.
This is what makes it the truth.
When you hear people say that all religions are the same.
Like God is on top of the mountain we are all taking different paths to get to him and eventually will will all get there by our different ways...
That is not even close to the truth…because it assumes we humans can make it to the top of the mountain where God is on our own power.
The truth is that we are dead at the bottom of the mountain. Because we didn't trust God we tried to climb up our own way...the way that leads to death.
We are all dead...at the bottom of the mountain.
And Jesus all man and all God came down to us.
He is the only one…the only way. The only path that leads to salvation.
If you've already responded to this gospel...if you've already put your faith in Jesus Christ…this is a call for you to proclaim this gospel and live this gospel and to do so as part of a biblical church built upon this gospel. Whether as a missionary in Central Africa or South America or…here with us…or in the place He has put you with the people you've lived your entire life. Faith comes through hearing and hearing comes when someone speaks the Gospel…and for someone out there that someone may be you.
If you've never responded to Jesus in this way and you've heard this gospel today and you are feeling something in your heart…that feeling is likely you being called by God…to respond to Him...to turn your life to Jesus Christ...do not ignore that call.
Respond. Repent and put your faith in Jesus Christ.
Since it is not something you earn…it is not something you wait for.
Receive the gift of faith in Jesus Christ.
If you want to talk to me about that afterwards I will sit up here for a while after.
If you want to text me or someone here about it later please do! Do not delay.
Finally...if anyone is feeling called to be baptized…let us know...within the next few weeks we will be doing a message on baptism.
For those of you think visually. That need a word picture to help visualize what I am saying.
Let me end with this...
What does repentance and faith look like.
Imagine with me for a minute...you are on an airplane…the plane is packed with people…most of them seem fine…nice people…having some fun...
But you hear some news…the plane is going down…the plane is 100% going to crash into a mountain…everybody on the plane is going to die.
No engine. No pilot. Going down.
A few people seem to believe it…you are now convinced…but many of the people don’t seem to care…even some of your family and the people you are with.
And you are handed a parachute…and told…this parachute is your only hope…the only way for you to be saved.
What would it mean in that moment for you to believe…to truly believe in that parachute...
You could say I believe that the parachute will save me. And then just sit on the plane without putting on the parachute...
You could put the parachute on and wear a parachute but stay on the plane with your parachute on...like some people including me for most of my life...wear cross or go to church or call themselves Christian.
Or you could believe…believe the plane is going down…and that parachute was given to you as a gift…and without it you cannot save yourself...
You would have to do two things to show your belief that the parachute can save you....
You need to jump out of the plane…this is the picture of repentance. You jump…leave your old ways…change your mind about living for this world and in sin....and living for your self…because you know that will lead to death…eternal death.
Jump…repent.
And put your faith in the parachute...jump out of the plane and pull the cord of your faith...
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Do you believe?
Respond to the gospel.
Amen.