Post by disciple on Dec 3, 2011 14:18:05 GMT -5
What is the Gospel?
c. 4—Jesus Christ the Savior
A word of hope
o Thank God the bad news of human sin and God’s judgment is not the end of the story!
o You are a sinner destined to be condemned, BUT God has acted to save sinners like you!
o Even in the garden of Eden, God gave a word of hope—good news in the midst of their despair (Gen. 3:15)
o The rest of the Bible tells how this tiny seed of good news grew. The Bible is the story of God’s solution to sin—how He made things right, is making things right, and will one day make things right finally and forever.
Fully God, fully man
o The gospel writers begin their accounts of Jesus’ life by showing that He was no ordinary man (Mk. 1:1, Lk. 1:34-35, Jn. 1:1, 14)
o The Bible tells us that Jesus is both completely human and completely God
- If Jesus were just another man, He would be unable to save us (one dead man trying to give life to another)
- If Jesus were not fully human, He could not rightly represent us before the Father (Heb. 4:15)
The Messiah’s good news
o When Jesus began His ministry, He proclaimed a great message: “The time has come! The kingdom of God is here. Repent and believe the good news!” What was so great about this message?
- For centuries, God had foretold through the law and prophets of a time when He would put an end to the world’s evil and rescue His people from their sin
- God had promised that He would establish His kingdom through a Messiah-King (2 Sam. 7:11, Isa. 9:6-7)
- The gospel writers insisted that this King is Jesus (Lk. 1:32-33)
o However, Jesus’ kingdom was not what the Jews expected or wanted
- Jesus was not looking for an earthly kingdom (Jn. 18:36)
- Jesus came not only to inaugurate God’s kingdom but also to bring sinners into it by dying in their place for their sin, taking their punishment and securing forgiveness, and making them righteous in God’s sight
A suffering King
o John 1:29—what does it mean?
- Refers to the Jewish Passover. God’s judgment was coming on the Egyptians and on the Israelites too, unless they followed God’s instructions. When God saw the lamb’s blood on the doorposts, He would “pass over” and spare the firstborn.
- The Passover became a reminder that the penalty for one person’s sins could be paid by the death of another
o Jesus knew from the beginning that His mission was to die for the sins of His people (Matt. 1:21, Lk. 9:51); He understood the significance and purpose of His death (Mk. 10:45, Matt. 26:27-28, Jn. 10:15, 18)
o The disciples and early Christians also came to understand what Jesus had accomplished on the cross (Gal. 3:13-14, 2 Cor. 5:21, 1 Pet. 2:24, 3:18)
o God, who is holy and righteous, saw our sins on His Son and poured out His wrath against sin on Him (Matt. 27:46)
o Jesus took the sin and punishment we deserved. His punishment, pain, and death bring us peace, healing, joy, and life (Isa. 53:4-5)
He has risen
o All this is good news because Jesus is no longer dead—He rose again! (Lk. 24:5-6)
o If Christ had remained dead, His death would have meant nothing more than yours or mine. When Jesus rose again, everything He claimed was fully and unquestionably proven true.
o He is now interceding for His people as we wait for His return (Rom. 8:33-34)
c. 4—Jesus Christ the Savior
A word of hope
o Thank God the bad news of human sin and God’s judgment is not the end of the story!
o You are a sinner destined to be condemned, BUT God has acted to save sinners like you!
o Even in the garden of Eden, God gave a word of hope—good news in the midst of their despair (Gen. 3:15)
o The rest of the Bible tells how this tiny seed of good news grew. The Bible is the story of God’s solution to sin—how He made things right, is making things right, and will one day make things right finally and forever.
Fully God, fully man
o The gospel writers begin their accounts of Jesus’ life by showing that He was no ordinary man (Mk. 1:1, Lk. 1:34-35, Jn. 1:1, 14)
o The Bible tells us that Jesus is both completely human and completely God
- If Jesus were just another man, He would be unable to save us (one dead man trying to give life to another)
- If Jesus were not fully human, He could not rightly represent us before the Father (Heb. 4:15)
The Messiah’s good news
o When Jesus began His ministry, He proclaimed a great message: “The time has come! The kingdom of God is here. Repent and believe the good news!” What was so great about this message?
- For centuries, God had foretold through the law and prophets of a time when He would put an end to the world’s evil and rescue His people from their sin
- God had promised that He would establish His kingdom through a Messiah-King (2 Sam. 7:11, Isa. 9:6-7)
- The gospel writers insisted that this King is Jesus (Lk. 1:32-33)
o However, Jesus’ kingdom was not what the Jews expected or wanted
- Jesus was not looking for an earthly kingdom (Jn. 18:36)
- Jesus came not only to inaugurate God’s kingdom but also to bring sinners into it by dying in their place for their sin, taking their punishment and securing forgiveness, and making them righteous in God’s sight
A suffering King
o John 1:29—what does it mean?
- Refers to the Jewish Passover. God’s judgment was coming on the Egyptians and on the Israelites too, unless they followed God’s instructions. When God saw the lamb’s blood on the doorposts, He would “pass over” and spare the firstborn.
- The Passover became a reminder that the penalty for one person’s sins could be paid by the death of another
o Jesus knew from the beginning that His mission was to die for the sins of His people (Matt. 1:21, Lk. 9:51); He understood the significance and purpose of His death (Mk. 10:45, Matt. 26:27-28, Jn. 10:15, 18)
o The disciples and early Christians also came to understand what Jesus had accomplished on the cross (Gal. 3:13-14, 2 Cor. 5:21, 1 Pet. 2:24, 3:18)
o God, who is holy and righteous, saw our sins on His Son and poured out His wrath against sin on Him (Matt. 27:46)
o Jesus took the sin and punishment we deserved. His punishment, pain, and death bring us peace, healing, joy, and life (Isa. 53:4-5)
He has risen
o All this is good news because Jesus is no longer dead—He rose again! (Lk. 24:5-6)
o If Christ had remained dead, His death would have meant nothing more than yours or mine. When Jesus rose again, everything He claimed was fully and unquestionably proven true.
o He is now interceding for His people as we wait for His return (Rom. 8:33-34)