Category Archives: Dead

Supernatural Prayer

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Lots of Goofy Ideas About Prayer

The world — and even the church — has some pretty goofy ideas about prayer. For some, prayer is like magic: if your faith is strong enough, you can pray the sick back to health! You can pray the dead back to life! I’ve heard prayers — by some who claimed to be believers — that sounded more like witchcraft or New Age spirituality, where prayer is like “The Force” and the battle against the dark side. And if God is going to win, you have to support Him with your prayers! In other words, the fate of the world — and even of God — is in your hands, or in your prayers.

Blasphemous Prayer

Then there’s the blasphemous “Word of Faith” teaching on prayer, or the “Prosperity Gospel” that makes God out to be little more than your personal “Jeannie in a Bottle.” You want health, wealth, and prosperity? Just name it and claim it! God is helpless against the power of your words if you claim it in Jesus’ name. He has to give it to you! That’s a perversion of what Jesus taught His disciples to pray. It’s a perversion of what prayer looks like in the New Testament.

Why Is Real Prayer Supernatural?

Prayer in the New Testament was supernatural! I mean by that, prayer was an absolute reliance and dependence on God. These perversions of prayer are humanistic in nature — the power is inside us. Biblical prayer, instead, depends on the power of God that is outside us. We’re admitting to our weakness and to our inability to affect change. We’re trusting in a supernatural God to do what we cannot do. Biblical prayer is expressed helplessness and dependence on God’s power. Let me put it another way: whatever we don’t pray about, we’re basically telling God, “I got this,” right? “Don’t need You for this one, God.” Let me get personal. How many of you get up early enough Sunday mornings to pray that God would move powerfully in your worship service? How many of you have prayed specifically for a certain person who needs to be saved? Whatever ministry you might be part of in your church — do you pray regularly over it? For the people who are part of it? I doubt that most of you really believe you can do God’s work without His supernatural help. But if you’re not praying over it regularly, it kind of casts doubt.

What Are Your Expectations?

We need the Holy Spirit’s conviction — that if we’re not spending significant time appealing to God in passionate prayer, we shouldn’t expect Him to do any supernatural work in our midst, in our lives, or in our church. By our failure to pray, we’re telling God, “I got this. Don’t need Your help.” Listen, the Holy Spirit doesn’t need our self-centered know-how. He doesn’t need us at all. But it seems to be God’s M.O. to engage His people in deep, passionate, humble, helpless, and desperate prayer before He does His great supernatural work. He includes us, and He uses our prayer to grow in us a deeper dependence on His power rather than our own. Will you repent of your false views of prayer — or your prayerlessness? God help us!
 

God’s Glory Over Our Sanctification

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It Begins At Our Sanctification

Eternal salvation begins for us the moment we are justified! Though we are born “…dead in trespasses and sins…”, we are made alive through Jesus’ substitutionary atonement on the cross, on our behalf. Because the sinless One paid the price for sin—the price that sinners should have paid—God is legally just to pass over our sin and grant us salvation. That’s why we say we are justified. Here’s a great way to remember what it means to be justified: “Just as if I’d never sinned!” Next, after God justifies us, He moves into our lives and begins to “clean house”—or to sanctify us by the power of His indwelling Spirit. 

Sin Loses It’s Power

Sin no longer has power over us! By God’s power, sin can be defeated. This is what it means to be sanctified. And God is glorified in our sanctification as well! He grows us spiritually, maturing us in our faith. Here’s what the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the church in Ephesus: “In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of His glory.” (Ephesians 1:11-12) In Christ, we have obtained an inheritance—an inheritance that has been predestined for us. However, we do not possess it yet.

Receiving Our Inheritance

Now, someone has to die before an inheritance can be received, right? Usually, someone else dies, and we receive an inheritance as a result. In regard to our eternal inheritance in heaven, however, we have to die to obtain it, don’t we? So, Paul seems to be referring to this time—right now—the time between our salvation and the moment we will inherit it. When Daniel was taken captive by the Babylonians, they intended to break him from his faith in Yahweh, in part by offering him a diet that had been sacrificed to their Babylonian gods. “But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine” (Daniel 1:8). In other words, Daniel was sanctified or set apart for God as he faced this decision. And God is glorified as we grow in our sanctification because He is the one doing the work in us! We submit to His work, but our spiritual growth is His work.

Work Out Your Own Salvation

There’s an incredibly interesting scripture related to this subject in Philippians chapter 2. I’d encourage you to memorize it or at least remember where it’s found: “Work out your own salvation,” Paul tells the church in Philippi, “with fear and trembling. For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purpose.” (Philippians 2:12-13) There’s no mistaking that God commands us to “work out your own salvation.” That’s an imperative! We are commanded to grow in our salvation—to be sanctified! But God actually does the work! He enables us and gives us the desire to grow in our faith. The flesh cannot produce a sanctified life. It appears that our brokenness and depravity are so thorough that we can’t even muster the desire to grow spiritually. God gets the glory for our sanctification—all of it!
 

God’s Glory In Our Salvation

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We’re Rendered Speechless

Music is a powerful medium, especially in a worship service! Just combine a deeply moving message— about grace, mercy, love, the cross, and salvation— with an appropriate musical score, and it locks up my vocal cords! I’m rendered speechless— I can’t sing! All I can do is praise Jesus in my heart as I listen to the congregation sing. That’s the kind of picture I get in my mind when I read about the worship service that will one day take place in heaven: “And I beheld, and I heard a voice of many angels round about the throne, and the beasts and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, AND GLORY, and blessing.’ And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying, ‘Blessing, and honor, AND GLORY, and power be unto Him that sits on the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever.'” (Rev. 5:11-13). 

Jesus, The Lamb, Is Worthy

Why? Why will there be such a scene in heaven? Because Jesus, the Lamb, is worthy! Jesus is worthy of blessing, honor, and GLORY! He willingly submitted Himself to the Father’s plan. He was the Lamb of God who shed His blood on our behalf so that we might be saved. And every believer since creation will sing praises to Jesus because our salvation is the result of Jesus’ work on the cross ALONE! Our salvation is God’s work alone, so He gets all the glory alone! There is no one else to praise.

Because Of His Great Love

We can take no glory for our own salvation! We were dead in our trespasses and sins— “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us, made us alive with the Messiah, even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! Together with Christ Jesus, He also raised us up and seated us in the heavens so that in the coming ages (that’s the scene described earlier in Rev. 5), He might display the immeasurable riches of His grace through His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast.” —Ephesians 2:4-9 

Nothing To Boast About

We have nothing to boast about in ourselves! We boast in Jesus and the cross! Our greatest preoccupation must be with God’s glory—it is for that purpose that we exist. Jesus is the hero of our story, not us! Our salvation didn’t require a little bit of our effort and a lot of Jesus’ work—all we contributed was our total depravity and brokenness. His coming to save us was nothing short of a rescue mission! And Scripture clearly teaches that He is to be offered praise for the entirety of our salvation. So, from the beginning of our faith in this life to the completion of our faith in heaven, He gets all the glory! It is appropriate that we remain committed to giving God glory for our salvation at every opportunity.

How Has Worship Changed You?

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Seeking After God

People are motivated to seek after God for all kinds of different reasons—some good, some bad, some seeking truth, some seeking personal power, some genuine, and some deceptive. Matthew’s Gospel reveals a “seeking after God” that was deceptive on the part of King Herod. When you think about Christmas, you might think of Herod as the “bad guy” in the story. He was seeking the Christ-child to destroy Him, and he was so committed to killing Jesus that he ordered genocide against all the male children under two years in an attempt to kill Him. His lust for power was insatiable!

Wise Men Worship Him

There was another group who were motivated to seek after God, but—in direct contrast to Herod—they were motivated not by personal gain, but out of a desire to worship Him: “…wise men from the east arrived unexpectedly in Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.’ …It (the star) led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed beyond measure. Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped Him” (Matthew 2:1-12). When worship of God is genuine, the heart and life will be changed!

Genuine Worship Looks Like This

Perhaps nothing contrasts that truth more than Herod and the wise men’s story.  Herod feigned worship in his attempt to kill Jesus, but he was a fraud. The worship of the wise men, however, was a heart and life changer because it was genuine. Their worship was intentional— “…we have come to worship Him…” (v.2). Jesus was their sole purpose for coming. They left their homes to search for Him. Their worship also elevated Jesus and lowered self—when “…they saw the child they fell to their knees…” To fall to one’s knees before another was the same as saying, “You have great dignity and I am lowly by comparison.” Their worship was also emotional— “…they were overjoyed beyond measure…” (v.10). If they had a gauge affixed to them to measure emotion, it would have broken!

Their Worship Was Sacrificial

Finally, the text says, “…they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh” (v.11). They sacrificed gold, which was offered to deities in that day—They honored Him as “Emmanuel”—God With Us! They sacrificed frankincense, which was used by the priests at the altar—Jesus is our great High Priest who offers Himself and intercedes for us! And, they sacrificed myrrh, an oil used primarily for embalming the dead—Jesus died for us! None of that is coincidental! God calls us out to worship Him—to “…offer your bodies as a living sacrifice which is your spiritual worship…” (Romans 12:1). We’re called to worship Him by giving ourselves to Him as a living sacrifice! That’s how worship changes us—we’re not our own (1 Cor. 6:19-20). We give ourselves to Him in genuine worship!

What Are Your Attachments?

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*TAKING SOME VACATION TIME* *RETURNING JULY 31ST*

Raised With The Messiah

My sinful life was the OLD me! But, that’s no longer who I am. Sin has no power to rule over me anymore than it had power over Jesus. In His resurrection, Jesus left the tomb! And, so should we! We’re no longer “dead” if we’re “in Christ.” We’ve been made “new”; or, ALIVE in Him. We’re no longer a dweller among the tombs! Do you know who you are? Do you identify with Jesus? Is He your Lord & Master as well as your Savior? The Apostle Paul says, “…if you have been raised with the Messiah, seek what is above, where the Messiah is, seated at the right hand of God” Colossians 3:1. 

It’s An Imperative

“Seek what is above,” he says! That’s an imperative! He’s commanding the Colossian believers to be seekers of something. That has everything to do with your “heart” or your “affections.”  We always seek after the things that our heart desires; what we’re attached to! Your ability to live in your identity in Christ; and your ability to defeat sin, has everything to do with the things that your heart is attached to! What are you ATTACHED to here? Where are you focused? If your heart & your affections & your attachments are in this world, you won’t be very effective in purging sin from your life.

Seek What Is Above

Your spiritual growth & sanctification will be stunted; and, the weeds, of SIN, will grow out of control in your life. Look at Paul’s words again:  “…if (or SINCE) you’ve been raised with the MESSIAH, SEEK WHAT is ABOVE, where the MESSIAH is…” Set your heart & your affections on Jesus! He’s the TREASURE our hearts ought to desire! None of the created stuff that so easily turns into idols will last. One day it’ll all burn up & pass away! Your spiritual growth has a direct correlation to how highly & how often you think of God; and, how little you think of yourself!

Set Your Minds

“Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on the earth,” Paul says in the next verse (Col. 3:2). Your spiritual growth & sanctification depend on what you “…set your minds…” Your ability to be kill the weeds of sin in your life is dependent on your thought life— the things you dwell on; and, think about. To mature spiritually, you have to see everything against the backdrop of eternity; not, this mortal world. We can no longer think like we did when we were still “dead in sin”; when we lived like this world was the only thing that mattered! He specifically tells us not to set our minds on EARTH!

Where Is Your Citizenship?

It’s so easy to get swept up in the nationalism & the politics & the drama of our nation! It’s so easy to “set our mind” & our conversation on those things, isn’t it? But, that’s not who we are!  We can no longer self-identify as an “American Christian”— that moniker says we are an “American” 1st and a “Christian” 2nd.  NO! “Our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,” Paul wrote the Church of Philippi. The Apostle Peter agreed! He called life, on planet Earth, a “temporary residence.” Don’t make country an IDOL! We belong to HEAVEN! We are heaven’s AMBASSADOR!  As such, our sole purpose for remaining on this planet is to “reconcile” the lost with the Father! That is the mission our Savior left us: “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19-20)
 

How Do We Fight?

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Succeeding In Your Thought Life

The Apostle Paul paints a picture, of what spiritual growth looks like, in his letter to the Church of Colosse. He tells these young believers:  “…if you have been raised with the Messiah, seek what is above, where the Messiah is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on the earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with the Messiah in God.  When the Messiah, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory” Colossians 3:1-4. Let’s think about the implications of Paul’s words—he seems to be saying that a successful fight against sin is won in the “thought life”, right? The battle against the “weeds” of sin is fought in your mind; which, means that it’s either “won” or “lost” in the mind!

Rooting Sin Out Of Your Life

I believe Paul is teaching us a principle that spiritual growth always relates to how highly & how often we THINK of God; and, conversely, how infrequently we think of ourselves! Using farming terminology, meditating on God & His Word is like spraying ROUNDUP on the weeds of sin in your life; and, dwelling on yourself is like fertilizing those weeds! Part of the Holy Spirit’s ministry is to empower us to root sin out of our life; while living for ourselves is the main cause for sin to thrive in our lives! So, let’s talk about how God’s Spirit supports our work to root out the weeds of sin.  Paul reminds the Church of Colosse that their “identity” is in Christ! So, any believer who hopes to be successful in the battle against sin has to know who they are!

It Starts With Jesus

See your position in Christ— “…so, IF you have been raised with Christ…” he says in v.1. Your spiritual growth & victory over sin doesn’t begin with YOU, it starts with JESUS! If you know Him as your Savior, you need to figure out that you’ve been raised with Him—Paul is pointing to the bodily resurrection of Christ on the 3rd day after His crucifixion; and, he’s telling the believers in Colosse, “…you’ve been RAISED with Him….” You DIED with Him in v.3; and, “…your life is HIDDEN with the Messiah in God.” You DIED with Him! And, you’ve been RAISED with Him! Though you were “…dead in trespasses & sins…” you’ve been made ALIVE, in Him, because Jesus rose from the dead & is ALIVE!

Know Your Position In Christ

In one sense, Paul says that our salvation— our place in heaven— is already SEALED! It’s a DONE DEAL! In the mind of God, He’s already raised us up and seated us in the heavens.  “But God,” Paul writes the Church of Ephesus, “who is rich in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us, made us alive with the Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! Together with Christ Jesus He also raised us up and seated us in the heavens” Ephesians 2:4-6.  We take hold of our identity when we begin, with the Spirit’s help, to kill the weeds of sin in our life; or to “mortify” the deeds of the flesh. My sinful life was the “old” me; but, that’s no longer who I am! I’m set free from the power of sin! The indwelling Holy Spirit has all the power; and applies all the necessary grace to progressively sanctify me and transform me into the image of Christ. My sinful, broken flesh will never allow me to reach sinless perfection; but a spiritual body awaits me at the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ! Praise God!

God Uses Us To Grow Each Other

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The Work Of Christ

God intends that the church of Christ would do the work of Christ! But, NOT in the strength of our flesh! “The Spirit gives life; and the flesh counts for nothing” (John 6:63) Jesus said He would send the Holy Spirit to indwell us when He completed His work on the cross & returned to the Father after His resurrection! He indwells us to empower us as God’s ambassadors; so, that He might reconcile the spiritually dead with the Savior; and, disciple them into the faith!

We Who Are Strong

Paul, inspired by God’s Holy Spirit, showed the Church of Rome what that looks like: “We who are strong have an obligation to bear the weaknesses of those without strength, and not to please ourselves. Each one of us must please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For even the Messiah did not please Himself. On the contrary, as it is written, The insults of those who insult You have fallen on Me. For whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that we may have hope through endurance and through the encouragement from the Scriptures. Now may the God who gives endurance and encouragement allow you to live in harmony with one another, according to the command of Christ Jesus, so that you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with a united mind and voice” (Romans 15:1-6). I can’t think of a better summary statement for that Scripture than something like this— never look down on anyone else unless you are reaching down to help them up!

Defer To The Needs Of Others

Paul’s charge, here, is to humble yourselves & to defer to the needs of others in the body; and, he uses Jesus as THE example! No one has ever humbled Himself more than Jesus! So, here’s the bottom line: God intends to use us— as local church faith communities— to help produce spiritual growth & maturity in the rest of the body! So, when we’re disinterested or disengaged from one another, we actually become a hindrance to the spiritual work in others, that Jesus intends to do through us. To begin with, the process is just as simple as willingly putting up with each other: “…bear with the weaknesses of those without strength…” (v.1) In other words, we’re not just here to please ourselves! We’re here to serve others! Even as His time to take up the cross for the sin of the world was drawing near, He still served His disciples by a selfless act of foot-washing. He concluded by instructing them: “I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you” John 13:15

Be Tolerant Of One Another

If we can’t tolerate the different personalities; or, the different stages of spiritual growth that we’re all at; then, we’re not useable for God’s purposes. Paul’s use of the terms “strong” & “weak” is relative— I am “strong” in comparison to my 4 grandchildren; but, I am “weak” in comparison to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, right? So it is spiritually! We can all find someone, in our faith community, who is stronger than we are spiritually; and, someone else who is weaker. Notice, when considering that, that Paul doesn’t command the weak to “SHAPE UP”; but, he does command the strong to “PUT UP.” To “BEAR” with the weaknesses of others means “to endure patiently; to indulge.” We need Holy Spirit help to be longsuffering & patient with each other! That’s how God intends to grow YOU & those He expects you to tolerate!

Daniel & The God Of The Impossible

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(Note: This is the 4th in a series of posts on Daniel’s life)

The “Miracle On Ice”

I’ll never forget where I was on Friday, February 22, 1980, when the United States Olympic Hockey team shocked the world by beating the powerful Soviet Union team 4-3 on their way to an Olympic Gold Medal! It’s the hockey match that will forever be remembered as the “Miracle On Ice” because no one gave the U.S. team a chance of beating the Soviets. The Old Testament prophet, Daniel, also faced an “impossible” circumstance in Babylon; and, after God delivered the miracle finish, Daniel was quick to deflect all the glory away from himself & redirect the praise to God. 

Facing The “Impossible”

This story— in Daniel, chapter 2— ought to serve as encouragement for you as you face all the “impossible” circumstances in your own life! Daniel fleshes out how a believer, a follower of God, can handle the stressful things in life & all the things we worry about! From time to time,  we all find ourselves in a situation we perceive to be “impossible.” The anxiety & the sense of panic can be suffocating. When chapter 2 opens— in Daniel’s book— we find Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar dealing with a case of insomnia over some dreams he had experienced (vs. 1-3).

Making Sense Of The Dream

So, he brings together 4 distinct groups of people to help him make sense of the dreams. These would be like his “wise men” & counselors. First, there were the “diviner-priests” who were scholars that claimed the ability to forecast the future. Then there were “mediums” who alleged to have the ability to communicate with the dead. The “sorcerers” practiced incantations or the casting of spells; and, the “Chaldeans” were students of astrology who studied the stars & other heavenly bodies to determine the future.  The narrative continues (in v.4-9) when the King gives them an “impossible” assignment. He demands that they give him not only the meaning of his dream; but, that they also tell him what he actually dreamed!

The Rest Of The Story

Now, we have the luxury of reading Daniel’s entire story in one setting; but, there are months & years involved! God is at work in the King’s heart. He’s using the King’s relationship with Daniel to challenge the King’s “worldview”; and, his faith in Babylon’s idolatrous religion! We’re starting to see some cracks in the King’s belief system! There’s a parallel application for us— don’t assume you know what’s going on in someone’s heart! God is always at work, wooing the sinner to come to repentance and salvation.

Caution: God At Work

Don’t write off a person simply because of the words they say; or, the way they’re currently living their life! Remember that as long as they have the breath of life the final chapter of their “story” hasn’t been written yet. The book of Daniel confirms that God is always at work; even, when it seems “impossible” that someone— like King Nebuchadnezzar— could ever come to faith! In vs. 10-13, the “wise men” & counselors are unable to tell the King what he dreamed! This is Sovereign God, behind the scenes, planting seeds of doubt in the King’s mind. God intends to draw a clear distinction between the false gods of Babylon; and, the true God of Daniel! When King Nebuchadnezzar responds with a “…tell me what I dreamed & the interpretation; or, I’ll have you all killed…” the stage was set for Nebuchadnezzar’s introduction to the God of Creation! And Daniel was ready & willing to introduce the king to Him!

How God Gets His Work Done

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One Messed Up Church

The Church of Corinth was one messed up church— they struggled with sexual immorality; and, they fought over the Lord’s Supper; and, their doctrine on the resurrection of the dead was problematic! So, when the Holy Spirit provoked the Apostle Paul to write a letter & call them out, he reminds them of the 1st time they met when he had introduced them to the Gospel:  “And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified…. my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” 1 Corinthians 2:1-5.

Embarrassed Over The Gospel

 I’m not intending to read into the text; but, it seems like maybe some in the Church of Corinth had become embarrassed over the Gospel. Perhaps they felt pressured to make the Gospel more appealing to their cosmopolitan neighbors by downplaying the cross, the shed blood & the atonement. If so, there’s probably an application here for the western Church— have we digressed so far from our calling that we feel compelled to sanitize the offensiveness of the cross? Have we become so “seeker friendly” that we’ve become “Gospel unfriendly”? Do we crave the world’s approval so badly that we feel compelled to “market” the Gospel by packaging it in a more user-friendly format?

A Doctrinal Reminder

It seems, in the reading of this letter, that Paul is intent on changing some faulty thinking! They needed a doctrinal reminder about HOW God gets His work done. To put it succinctly; and to the point, God doesn’t need our help! He doesn’t want us to figure out how to do church in our wisdom or strength! He will only bless the church whose strategy it is to follow His Sovereign plan! Paul seems to clearly emphasize interactive & relationships building discipleship over any kind of “church program.” Making disciples is all about life-on-life interaction! “…I came to you…I was with you” he said in vs. 1,2.  Paul also emphasizes the power of God over human performance. Human methods will come & go; so, focus on the one constant in the entire disciple-making process— the power of God to minister through us!

Do Your Ministry By God’s Grace

If our ministry focus is on us— how much effort WE need to put into it; or what methods WE create, our results will be sketchy at best! We’ll become neurotic & self-absorbed over whatever ministry we’re involved in because our efforts will center on us & our abilities rather than God & His power to do the spiritual work. Only He can do the necessary spiritual work in someone’s life! Only He can raise the spiritually dead to life, and make the spiritually blind to see again! When we attempt to do the work God’s work in the flesh, we can become very legalistic about it! When you compare doing ministry by “legalism” vs ministry by “Grace”, GRACE wins every time! When we perform ministry in the strength of the flesh it puffs us up; and, gives us the allusion that we’re helping God out; and He doesn’t need our help!

What Good News Can Do For You

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The Gospel Is An Announcement

The word “Gospel” literally means “good news.” In the original Greek language, it’s often translated as “Herald” or “Evangelist.” When a Greek king won a battle, he would send a “Gospel Herald” all over the kingdom to announce the “good news” of his victory! So, in its purest sense, the Gospel is an “announcement”— the Biblical writers used the word “Gospel” to announce that Jesus has won the battle for our salvation by His atoning death on the cross! The Gospel is the good news, about God’s forgiveness, by Christ’s substitutionary work in our place— “…He became sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” 2 Cor. 5:21.

Commissioned To Share The Good News

Once we’ve heard & accepted the good news— about Jesus’ payment for sin— we’re commissioned, by Him, to share the good news everywhere we go & to make disciples of Christ from all nations! When we get Jesus’ Gospel right, it’s a message that saves us from our “good works”— “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast” Eph 2:8,9.  And, Titus 3:5 says, “He saved us— not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” From my earliest recollections of myself, as a young boy, I remember trying to impress God with my good deeds.

Not From Yourselves

But, Scripture clearly says here that salvation “…is NOT from YOURSELVES…”; it’s “…NOT by (our) works of righteousness…” We can never change our ways enough to sway God! We can never justify ourselves before Him! We’re DEAD in our SIN! That’s why Jesus went to the cross— to pay the price we should have paid! It’s the “good news” of the Gospel that saves us from thinking that our good deeds can save us. When we get Jesus’ Gospel right, it’s a message that saves us from our “guilt”— “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins” God says in Hebrews 8:12. 

Saved From Our Guilt

The Psalmist wrote, “…then I confessed my sins to you and didn’t hide my guilt. I said, ‘I will confess my sins to the Lord,’ and You forgave my guilt.” Psalm 32:1-5.  The same Gospel that saves us from our good works, saves us from our guilt— when guilt is our motivator, we can never do enough! That’s the unbearable burden of a “performance-driven faith”— when have you done enough? How can you ever know if what you’ve done has met with God’s approval? But the Gospel, of Christ, says we’re saved by GRACE! When we accept this “good news” by faith, He saves us by His grace!

The Gospel Saves Us To Do Good Works

The Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle Paul to write: “For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them” Eph. 2:10.  Did you see that? Paul says, “…we are HIS creation”; and, it’s in our conversion to Christ that we are “…created…FOR good works”; and, it is God Who prepares us for those good works! His Holy Spirit takes up residence in our hearts & begins to “rearrange the furniture” of our lives in a way that honors God, and in a way, we could never accomplish by ourselves. These good works don’t save us! They’re the RESULT of our salvation— the RESULT of God’s sanctifying work IN US! When we truly see the beauty & glory of God’s grace in our lives, we will want to do good works out of love for Jesus Christ, our Savior!