Heavens Light 6-29-09 The Gospel – The Message of Jesus Christ – Gospel Promises Part 1

June 30, 2009 shaan Leave a comment

The Gospel – The Message of Jesus Christ

Gospel Promises – A Hope and a Future

Romans 8:31

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? NASB

The Gospel promises amazing benefits to those who obey it

God is the source of life and blessing. Mankind has willfully broken fellowship with God and in his sin is estranged from God and cut off from His life and blessing. In his sin, mankind is dying and separated from God. So often we find in Scripture the free offer to come and receive the blessing of God. God calls all estranged sinners to turn from their sin and to seek Him for life and blessing. God is seen in Scripture as inviting poor sinners to come to Him in repentance and receive once again the blessing and benefit of a right relationship with Him.

Isaiah 55:1-3 – 55 “Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost. 2 “Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And delight yourself in abundance. 3 “Incline your ear and come to Me. Listen, that you may live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you, According to the faithful mercies shown to David. NASB

This invitation from God is tied to repentance from sin. The picture is one of mankind turning from the evil of his sin which brings death, and returning to God who will have compassion on him and give him life. God freely offers forgiveness and restoration for those who will come to Him in repentance, and we are told to seek Him and to call upon Him.

Isaiah 55:6-7 – Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near. 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the Lord, And He will have compassion on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. NASB

And so the Gospel announces reconciliation to God and offers to us the astounding benefits of a restored relationship and fellowship with Him. Indeed through our Lord Jesus Christ all the promises which God has made become ours!

2 Corinthians 1:20 – 20 For as many as may be the promises of God, in Him they are yes; wherefore also by Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us. NASB

All the good promises of God in the entire Bible, both Old and New Testaments are said to be ours in Christ Jesus the Lord. These benefits are many and diverse, so much so that they are hard to categorize. The Scripture is filled with metaphors of life and blessing which are said to be the possession of those who have been reconciled to God through Christ. But chief among all these blessings is the fact that we have been restored in our relationship to God and we have received Him as our exceeding great reward. So complete is the cleansing from sin that we receive in salvation that we are now said to be the very temple of God and that He has come to live and reside inside of our being.

Romans 8:9 – 9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. NASB

2 Corinthians 6:16 – 16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people. NASB

What glorious words…..we shall be His people! Imagine this, a people belonging to God, for God’s own possession. Now it is one thing for us to make a commitment to God, for Him to be our God. But it is entirely another thing for God to make a commitment to us, that we should be His people. God keeps his promises! More than that He is the greatest power and authority in the universe, and He has the ability to make good on every promise He has made. So profound is this presence of God dwelling with us and making us His people, that He makes promises to us that are astounding in their scope such as Romans 8:28.

Romans 8:28 – 28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. NASB

Now here is an amazing promise from God. Nothing in the life of a Christian believer will ever turn out ultimately for harm, but every single thing that happens in our life, both good things and bad things, God causes them to work ultimately for our good. God only has good designs for His people. The 17^th century puritan pastor Thomas Watson writes of this verse; “He who loves God and is called according to His purpose, may rest assured that everything in the world shall be for his good. Why should a Christian destroy himself? Why should he kill himself with care, when all things shall sweetly concur, yea, conspire for his good? The result of the text is this. All the various dealings of God with His children do by a special providence turn to their good! Psalm 25:10 – “All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep His covenant.” It is an astounding promise indeed. Surely the Lord is with us to care for us and help us in our struggles. In fact, the Lord has promised to deliver us out of all of the afflictions that we face.

Psalm 34:19 – 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous; But the LORD delivers him out of them all. NASB

Again Watson writes, “Are we in great trouble? There is a promise that works for our good, “I will be with Him in time of trouble.” (Psalm 91:15) God does not bring His people into troubles and leave them there. He will stand by them. He will hold their heads and hearts when they are fainting. And there is another promise, “He is their strength in time of trouble” (Psalm 37:9) OH! Says the soul, I shall faint in the day of trial.” But God will be the strength of our hearts; He will join forces with us. Either He will make His hand lighter, or our faith stronger.” Moreover, consider that all of the promises of who God is for His people in Scripture mean that He is for us the very same thing. He is said to be Himself, our strength, our refuge, our hiding place and the stronghold and defense of our lives.

Psalm 27:1 – 7 The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread? NASB

Psalm 18:2-3 – 2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies. NASB

Psalm 28:7-8 – 7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him. 8 The Lord is their strength, And He is a saving defense to His anointed. NASB

Philippians 4:9 – 13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. NASB

It is no small thing that God Himself is our God and that He has promised to be for us the very strength of our lives. In fact, the Scripture goes so far as to say that He has promised to meet all of our needs so that we will not be lacking anything we need.

Philippians 4:19 – And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. NASB

Psalm 34:8-10 – O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! 9 O fear the Lord, you His saints; For to those who fear Him, there is no want. 10 The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; But they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing. NASB

Romans 8:31-32 – 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? NASB

But the blessings do not stop here. God does not leave us in our helpless state of sin and death but He heals us and transforms us so that we begin to take on His very nature in ourselves. He has given us everything we need to become like Him. We are said to “become partakers of the divine nature” and to be “transformed into His image” more and more as we grow in His grace and knowledge.

2 Peter 1:2-4 – 2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. NASB

2 Corinthians 3:18 – 18 But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. NASB

This teaching is a part of a 18 month series called “The Savior, The Cross, and The Gospel” ….

See the Outline here….. http://www.abqhcf.com/lessons/08-09/handouts/abc/Brochure-08-09.pdf

This teaching can be heard on audio here:

http://www.abqhcf.com/sermons/08-09/abc/03-15-2009_SundaySchool.mp3

If you would like to know how to know Jesus Christ and be ransomed from your sins and enter into eternal life…..click here to find out how…..

http://www.gty.org/Resources/Articles/2425

If you have comments or questions, please do respond to shaan@heavenslight.org

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Shaan Sloan

Heritage Christian Fellowship – ABQ

505-348–5092

The Lord is the Strength of My Life

Heavens Light 6-7-09 The Gospel – The Message of Jesus Christ – Justification By Faith – The Heart of the Gospel – The Basis of Justification Part 3

June 8, 2009 shaan Leave a comment

The Gospel – The Message of Jesus Christ

Justification by Faith – The Heart of the Gospel

Romans 8:33

Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; NASB

Justification is applied or received by Faith

This is to say that the benefits of Christ’s sacrifice become benefits realized for us through Faith or trust in Jesus work. We must believe in and rely upon the justifying work of Christ in order for it to be applied to us. This justification by faith is a gift (not earned) by God’s free grace.

Romans 3:21-24 – 21 But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; NASB

Romans 3:28 – 28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. NASB

So then, we receive these benefits by faith in what Christ has done and NOT on the basis of any merit in us or by some thing that we could possibly do. Justification comes to us by grace(God’s unmerited favor), through faith(by trusting and believing), in Christ alone(Christ is the only object of faith), and NOT on the basis of any good works that we have done.

Ephesians 2:8-9 – 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, that no one should boast. NASB

Romans 5:1-2 – 1 Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. NASB

In Galatians chapter 5, Paul clearly summarizes that seeking to be justified by the good works of the law, forfeits the value of Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross. He clearly states that trying to be justified by the law alienates one from Christ, who alone is the way of salvation.

Galatians 5:1-5 – 1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. 2 Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. 3 And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law. 4 You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. 5 For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness. NASB

Summary

By the merit of Jesus Christ only, can we be justified (declared righteous) before God, NOT on the basis of our own good works. It is on the basis of His perfect life and sacrificial death that we are justified. He fully met the requirements of the law and made a full payment (propitiation) for the penalties of sin, removed our guilt (expiation) and by His perfect life merited the righteousness of God for us which is credited (imputation) to us by faith.

Philippians 3:9-10 – 9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, NASB