Who We Are: #1 - Gospel

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Almighty God, [00:00:03] Speaker B: you welcome you. [00:00:06] Speaker C: Hey there. If you're new to Restored Church, we want to welcome you and thank you for tuning in. You're listening to a portion of our Sunday worship gathering. We believe the church is not an event, but a family you belong to, so we would love the opportunity to connect with you. If you want to learn more about our church or if we can help you in any way, please Visit our website, www.restoredtemecula.church and click on Contact. With all that said, we, we hope you enjoy the message. [00:00:34] Speaker B: All right, well, if you're a guest with us this morning, I want to welcome you. [00:00:39] Speaker A: My name is Tom. I have the privilege of serving the [00:00:42] Speaker B: church as the lead pastor. I'm just so glad you're here. [00:00:43] Speaker A: If you're newer with us, our prayer [00:00:46] Speaker B: for you, for those of you that [00:00:47] Speaker A: maybe this is your first, your second or third time, you're kind of checking [00:00:50] Speaker B: things out, our prayer for you is that you would encounter God among us, that his grace and his power and his mercy and his love would, like, would really genuinely strengthen you this morning. It would refresh you this morning and the chance that there's anybody in the room you're not yet in Christ. [00:01:07] Speaker A: Like. [00:01:08] Speaker B: My prayer is that you would see [00:01:09] Speaker A: Jesus for who he truly is this [00:01:11] Speaker B: morning, that there's nobody like him, that he knows everything about you, that he loves you powerfully, dearly, purposefully, and that really like, that you'd see him for who he truly is. You'd have an encounter with him this morning. You place your trust in him and it would change the trajectory of your [00:01:28] Speaker A: whole life, your eternity, your now would be forever changed because of a very real personal encounter with Jesus. One of the things that I talk about often is there's a difference between being in church and being in Christ. Those are two very different things. [00:01:43] Speaker B: And my hope is that every single one of us in this room would [00:01:47] Speaker A: experience every spiritual blessing of being in Christ, enjoying him, obeying him, operating like him. [00:01:55] Speaker B: Now, this morning, kind of a special morning for us. We're kicking off a new series. If you've been journeying with us, we've been going through Matthew off and on for many years, and we've kind of like gone through a huge chunk of Matthew. And then God would kind of like go, hey, I want you to focus [00:02:08] Speaker A: on this for a little while. [00:02:09] Speaker B: Then we'd get back into Matthew and God would be like, hey, I want you to focus on this for a season. We're in one of those kind of moments right now where God's like, very clearly. I felt like the Lord was like, press pause on Matthew. [00:02:19] Speaker A: I want you to do something else right now. [00:02:21] Speaker B: And so we're starting a new series this morning called who We Are. And the heartbeat behind this series is [00:02:26] Speaker A: like, what makes restored Church Temecula? [00:02:30] Speaker B: Restored Temecula. What makes us us? What makes this church this church? Like, what are the distinct things that shape this community of believers, this local expression of the body of Christ? Because, I mean, listen, there are, praise [00:02:49] Speaker A: God, there are many wonderful gospel preaching churches on the earth. But what makes this church unique, what [00:02:57] Speaker B: makes this church distinct? And so what we're doing is we're going to be spending some time going through our core values as a church. [00:03:03] Speaker A: We have six of them, okay? [00:03:05] Speaker B: And hear me, those six core values, they drive everything that we do. So everything that happens in the life [00:03:13] Speaker A: of this church, kind of corporately, it [00:03:15] Speaker B: happens because it's in some way shape or form, reinforcing or strengthening or even sometimes when we're getting going, establishing or one of or if not more of [00:03:25] Speaker A: our six core values. Okay? [00:03:27] Speaker B: So in other words, the things that [00:03:28] Speaker A: matter the most to our church. You with me? Three of us. Cool. [00:03:35] Speaker B: So listen, every single person, every single one of you sitting in a chair right now, every single one standing in the back, like, you all, we all, we have things that we value in life. Every person has values. Every organization has values. And here's the thing about values. [00:03:51] Speaker A: We. [00:03:51] Speaker B: What we value informs what we do. Every single time. It's like, without fail, what we value informs what we do. Any Costco fans in the room? You like Costco, dude? What is it about us suburban people? [00:04:04] Speaker A: We love Costco. [00:04:06] Speaker B: I mean, I liked Costco when I was living in the city, but now I'm here, I'm like, I look forward [00:04:11] Speaker A: to going to Costco. [00:04:13] Speaker B: Maybe I'm just domesticated. Maybe I'm middle aged, whatever, but. And that place has like a. It has a power. There's a supernatural power happening in Costco to vacuum money out of your wallet. Like, but Costco's a really unique place. Have you ever tried to return something at Costco? [00:04:32] Speaker A: I have seen people return the wildest things at Costco. [00:04:39] Speaker B: I saw a grown man. I mean, this is you. [00:04:41] Speaker A: No shade, okay? [00:04:44] Speaker B: But I saw a grown man in there with a mattress that had clearly. A large king mattress had clearly been [00:04:51] Speaker A: slept on for multiple years. [00:04:53] Speaker B: There's stains, there's sweat, there's all kinds of stuff. Like, and I remember, I'm just thinking, like, no, is he gonna do It. Is he really gonna try to return this? The guy's like, yeah. And they took it. They received it back. I've seen people return, like, food that was, like, half eaten and gone. They'd already eaten half of it, and [00:05:10] Speaker A: they took it, they returned it. [00:05:12] Speaker B: I've seen people return broken TVs. Like, a TV like this, full on cracks in it. Like, maybe some kid threw the video game controller out or something, and they took it back. [00:05:21] Speaker A: Why does Costco do that? [00:05:26] Speaker B: So you'll come back. [00:05:26] Speaker A: Yep. Loyalty. Okay. [00:05:29] Speaker B: Trust. [00:05:30] Speaker A: Yeah. Can we agree on this? [00:05:32] Speaker B: They do that because they really value customer service. So they're willing to be like, okay, customer, yeah, we want to keep you as a customer. We value customer service. We'll take anything. My point with this is this what we value informs what we do, what Costco values. Customer service informs how they operate. It informs what they do. [00:05:52] Speaker A: The same is true for people. [00:05:54] Speaker B: The same is true for you. The same is true for me. The same is true for churches. Can we just take a moment? I want you to consider the family [00:06:02] Speaker A: that you grew up in, [00:06:05] Speaker C: all of [00:06:05] Speaker B: its intricacies, all of the things your [00:06:07] Speaker A: family, your household had values. [00:06:12] Speaker B: Think about, what did your family, your family of origin, what did it value? Now, maybe you didn't, like, explicitly go over it around the dinner table like, here's our family values. Maybe you did, maybe you didn't have it, like, posted on the fridge. [00:06:24] Speaker A: Here's what the logue family value. But regardless, your family of origin, you had values. [00:06:32] Speaker B: Every single family has values. And you can tell what a family [00:06:35] Speaker A: actually values by observing how they operate. [00:06:40] Speaker B: There's a difference between values on paper [00:06:42] Speaker A: and values in practice. [00:06:45] Speaker B: When I'm talking about values, I'm talking about the things that we actually place the most value on. And you can tell the things that an organization, a family, a person, whatever, a church, what they actually value by the things that they do. What we value in form is what we do. [00:06:59] Speaker A: So maybe you grew up in a [00:07:00] Speaker B: family that valued, like, excellence in performance, Right? So when it comes to school, excellence [00:07:08] Speaker A: in performance, which is actually not a bad thing. This is not bad at all. [00:07:11] Speaker B: But, like, you can value excellence in performance at school or at work or athletics, Right? Growing up, I had a couple teammates, and they definitely. They grew up in households where, like, that was a family value for them. [00:07:25] Speaker A: Right? [00:07:25] Speaker B: It's that family that strives to be [00:07:27] Speaker A: the best at all costs. [00:07:31] Speaker B: That can be a healthy thing. [00:07:32] Speaker A: That can also be an unhealthy thing, [00:07:34] Speaker B: because there can tend to be, at [00:07:36] Speaker A: times A certain stress, a certain pressure to live up to a certain standard. [00:07:43] Speaker B: I remember I had a teammate in [00:07:44] Speaker A: high school, and this happened on multiple occasions. He's on my basketball team. And he. He would literally be afraid to go home after a bad game. Cause he didn't want to encounter dad. [00:07:58] Speaker B: Because the family value was excellence in [00:08:01] Speaker A: performance at all costs. You with me? [00:08:04] Speaker B: What we value, informs what we do. Maybe for you, it wasn't excellent performance. Maybe it was your family valued quality time. That's a fun one. That's a good one. I remember when I was growing up, this happened to me several times. [00:08:20] Speaker A: I remember especially in elementary school, I'd [00:08:23] Speaker B: be in school and my teacher would say, hey, Tom, your dad's in the office. [00:08:28] Speaker A: Go to the office. And I'd okay. And I'd go to the office and be like, what's going on? You know? And he's like, come with me. And he'd walk to the car, and when he'd get in the car, he goes, son, today's a lucky day. [00:08:40] Speaker B: And when he said that, I instantly knew what he meant. I knew that we were gonna go to El Conejo, which was a Mexican restaurant in Tustin. [00:08:46] Speaker C: We. [00:08:46] Speaker B: We'd go. [00:08:47] Speaker A: Yep. [00:08:47] Speaker B: We'd go to El Coneo. I'd get myself a quesadilla. And then he would take me to this place. [00:08:52] Speaker A: This, like, for a, you know, first, [00:08:54] Speaker B: second, third grade boy, like heaven on earth. It was a now extinct toy store called Toy City. [00:09:01] Speaker A: Okay. You know Toy City. [00:09:02] Speaker C: Yes. [00:09:02] Speaker B: Okay, so Toy City was like pre Toys R Us. Yes. And like, he would go. He'd go, hey, we'd walk the aisles [00:09:09] Speaker A: and he'd go, you can pick a toy on that aisle. And I just go up and down and go, I can only pick one. [00:09:14] Speaker B: Like, you know, he's a young boy, and he'd buy me that toy and we'd spend the day together. It was a lucky day. It was like it was me and dad just connecting. Maybe you were in a family that really valued quality time. What we value informs what we do. [00:09:30] Speaker A: Families value all sorts of things. What was it like for you? Maybe it wasn't, you know, maybe it wasn't excellence in performance or even quality time. [00:09:41] Speaker B: Maybe it was just being socially impressive. [00:09:44] Speaker A: Maybe it was your family just really valued privacy. Maybe your family valued something else entirely. I don't know. [00:09:50] Speaker B: But every person has things they value. [00:09:52] Speaker A: Every family, every organization, and every church. And the big idea that I want you to see is what we value. Listen, informs who we are and what we do in every environment of life [00:10:05] Speaker B: in the church is no different. [00:10:07] Speaker A: Okay, the purpose of this series that we're kicking off this Sunday is to [00:10:11] Speaker B: bring increased clarity to who we are. [00:10:15] Speaker A: Right. And what we value as restored church. Alright, now I said we're going through [00:10:21] Speaker B: our six core values, these values. The cool thing tier two is you're [00:10:25] Speaker A: not going through this alone. [00:10:26] Speaker B: These six values, they're the same for each of the churches in our family of churches. If you're new with us, we're not like this siloed community. We belong to a family of churches all across Southern California. [00:10:36] Speaker A: There's churches in Africa, there's churches in Colorado. God willing, I'm gonna be up in West Valley in the West Valley of LA right after this. [00:10:45] Speaker B: If you see me leave, it's not [00:10:45] Speaker A: cause I don't want to be with you. [00:10:46] Speaker B: I have to literally, me and Mark [00:10:47] Speaker A: have to go up there to go. [00:10:48] Speaker B: They're getting started, they're getting launched. [00:10:50] Speaker A: So I'm gonna go preach this evening at their gathering. Mark's gonna lead worship. [00:10:53] Speaker B: But this isn't like a siloed thing. All the churches in our family of churches, we share these same values. [00:11:01] Speaker A: And our goal is to be united and strong and potent for the kingdom of God. [00:11:05] Speaker B: Really quickly, before I jump in, I [00:11:07] Speaker A: want to say this. Imagine the ripple effects of sort of any environment, whether it's a family organization or a church, where there are competing values. It can get real messy real fast. Right? [00:11:23] Speaker B: I would argue some, if not, I [00:11:25] Speaker A: would say not all, quite a bit of the drama that you see in local churches is a result of competing values. [00:11:31] Speaker B: And so the goal with this is for us to be united and potent [00:11:35] Speaker A: for the kingdom of God around what we value. Okay, quick warning for you and I'll break this down as this series goes through. But each one of our core values is in conflict with the typical Temecula suburban lifestyle. Okay? And I need you to know something. I'm just being candid with you, okay? [00:11:58] Speaker B: This is a personal conviction. I believe it's driven by the spirit [00:12:00] Speaker A: of God and I believe it's driven by the word of God. Okay? And my conviction is this. [00:12:04] Speaker B: I do not believe that God calls [00:12:06] Speaker A: anyone to live a typical life. [00:12:08] Speaker B: Like, I do not believe that God calls anybody to just kind of like go with the flow and do what everybody else does. And we all live in different cultures, right? Like, or we all live in the same culture. But people on the planet, Christians on the planet, they live in different cultures. There's a culture here and there's a current of that culture that if you [00:12:24] Speaker A: don't, if you just float, it will take you somewhere. [00:12:28] Speaker B: I do not believe that any one of us is called to live the typical Temecula suburban lifestyle, okay? I believe God's called each one of us to live a life of faith, [00:12:36] Speaker A: which is trusting God. [00:12:38] Speaker B: So I believe God's called each one [00:12:39] Speaker A: of us to live a life of [00:12:40] Speaker B: faith, of freedom, and of adventure in [00:12:42] Speaker A: the kingdom of God. And so my prayer for this church and for our church is that we [00:12:48] Speaker B: would become more united in what we [00:12:49] Speaker A: value and why we value it. [00:12:53] Speaker B: Not just like that. You'd have information, but you'd know why, and it would drive what we do [00:12:56] Speaker A: and how we operate. [00:12:57] Speaker B: My prayer is that all of us, that our faith in God would grow, our freedom in Christ would increase, and the adventure of following Jesus maybe, just [00:13:05] Speaker A: maybe, might captivate us in a fresh, new way. That's the heartbeat. Okay, go ahead and grab your Bible. 1 Corinthians, chapter 15. That's going to be our primary text this morning. 1 Corinthians, chapter 15. [00:13:19] Speaker B: At the very beginning of the chapter this morning, we're gonna cover our first [00:13:26] Speaker A: core value, and it is the most important core value. The Gospel of Jesus. Okay? The Gospel of Jesus. [00:13:33] Speaker B: If our six core values were like a solar system, the gospel would be the sun, okay? It would be the value that all the other values orbit around, right? The gospel at the center. Now, some of you are like, oh, [00:13:47] Speaker A: man, I wish I would have skipped this Sunday. [00:13:49] Speaker B: I'm already familiar with the gospel. I've heard about this a hundred times. Like, all they do is talk about the gospel. [00:13:55] Speaker A: Yes, and amen. Okay? [00:13:57] Speaker B: Now listen, there is a reason for that. Because the Christian, the follower of Jesus, a person with God's spirit in them, we never, ever move on from the gospel. We never move on from it. We go deeper into it throughout our lifetime, deeper into it throughout our discipleship to Jesus. [00:14:13] Speaker A: Okay? [00:14:15] Speaker B: To move on from the gospel would [00:14:16] Speaker A: be to move on from Jesus. And so we don't ever want to do that. Okay? [00:14:21] Speaker B: First Corinthians, chapter 15, starting in verse one. [00:14:24] Speaker A: I'm going to pray for us before we read it. I'm going to invite you to join me in prayer. I want God's spirit to teach us and help us this morning. Okay? Let's go to him. Heavenly Father, we love you and we thank you for this morning. We thank you for the opportunity to be together in your presence. We thank you for the ways that you have been pursuing each one of us. Our entire lives. And thank you for the invitation of the Gospel. I pray and ask Holy Spirit that you would help me to serve you faithfully and to bless and honor and serve these incredible people that belong to you. I know they desire to love you and to enjoy you and obey you and operate like you, Jesus, and so together. Would you help us to do that, Holy Spirit? Would you teach us? Would you help us to open our hearts to the reality of who you are and what you've done and what that means for us? Have your way among us. We pray, and all God's people said together. Amen. Okay, First Corinthians 15, starting in verse one. This is the Apostle Paul writing to Christians in the city of Corinth. He says, now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel. Everybody say gospel. Gospel is what we're talking about. The gospel I preached to you, which you received, on which you have taken [00:15:54] Speaker B: your stand, and by which you are [00:15:56] Speaker A: being saved, if you hold to the message I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. Verse 3. [00:16:03] Speaker B: For I passed on to you as [00:16:05] Speaker A: most important, what I also received. [00:16:08] Speaker B: That Christ died for our sins according [00:16:10] Speaker A: to the Scriptures, that he was buried, [00:16:13] Speaker B: that he was raised on the third [00:16:14] Speaker A: day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, that's the apostle Peter. Then to the 12, that's the original 12 disciples. Verse 6. [00:16:23] Speaker B: Then he appeared to over 500 brothers [00:16:25] Speaker A: and sisters at one time. Most of them are still alive, but some have fallen asleep. Okay, so he's basically like, Hey, 500 [00:16:33] Speaker B: people, Jesus showed up. The resurrected Jesus showed up to 500 people. Most of them are still alive. [00:16:36] Speaker A: You can go talk to them about it if you want. Let's keep reading. Verse 7. [00:16:41] Speaker B: Then he appeared to James. [00:16:43] Speaker A: Then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one born [00:16:46] Speaker B: at the wrong time, he also appeared to me. [00:16:50] Speaker A: Look at what Paul says. For I am the least of the apostles, not worthy to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God, I am what I am. And his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them. Yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me, whether then [00:17:14] Speaker B: it is I or they. [00:17:15] Speaker A: So we proclaim and so you have believed. Alright, I want to just kind of talk about two things. I want to talk about what the Gospel is, and I want to talk about what the Gospel means for us. Okay, let's talk about what the Gospel is. [00:17:29] Speaker B: Many of you in the room will [00:17:30] Speaker A: Notice what does the word gospel mean? [00:17:33] Speaker B: Good news? Yes, it means joyful, good news. [00:17:37] Speaker A: Okay? [00:17:38] Speaker B: In the original, that's what the word means, joyful, good news. So if you're a note taker, this is my first point. [00:17:43] Speaker A: It's a big one. [00:17:44] Speaker B: The gospel is joyful, good news. [00:17:46] Speaker A: Okay? [00:17:46] Speaker B: The gospel is joyful, good news. I want you to think of like a news reporter, you know, like a lady out there who's reporting, like on site. She's got the microphone, there's a dude with the camera. She's. What she doing in that moment? I'm not talking about, like modern news where it just kind of was like bought and paid for. And it's totally. [00:18:04] Speaker A: I'm not talking about that. [00:18:05] Speaker B: I'm talking about, like an actual news report, okay? Not talking heads behind the desk. A person with a microphone going, this is what's happening. I'm reporting the news right now. [00:18:13] Speaker A: This is. [00:18:13] Speaker B: This is going on. [00:18:14] Speaker A: Think of that. [00:18:15] Speaker B: It's a news report. [00:18:17] Speaker A: You with me? That's what the gospel is. [00:18:18] Speaker B: It's a news report. In verse 3, the apostle Paul, he tells us exactly what the joyful good news report is. [00:18:25] Speaker A: Look at it. [00:18:26] Speaker B: Verse 3. [00:18:27] Speaker A: For I passed on to you as most important, what I also received. Okay? [00:18:32] Speaker B: So report came to him, news was reported to him, and then he passed on that same news report. [00:18:36] Speaker A: What is it? [00:18:37] Speaker B: That Christ died for our sins according [00:18:38] Speaker A: to the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, that's Peter, and then to 12. [00:18:48] Speaker B: So we gotta be clear, what is the report here? The report here is that Jesus died for our sins. That means he received a penalty that the sinner deserves in their place. Okay, so he died for the sins, the sinner gets set free. They're forgiven, they're pardoned. Right? And it says that he was buried. So him absorbing the sin of all mankind on the cross, he dies a brutal death. He's buried in a tomb. [00:19:17] Speaker A: What does that mean? He was really dead. [00:19:19] Speaker B: It's not metaphorical, it's real. Okay, and it says that he then rose from the grave. Anybody in the room ever met somebody [00:19:28] Speaker A: that has risen from dead? Like risen from the grave? No. No. Yeah, me neither. Okay, well, other than Jesus, but you know what I'm talking about. You know what I'm saying. [00:19:34] Speaker B: So the report is he's buried, he rose from the grave, and then he spent time with people afterwards. Again, not a concept, not an idea, like an actual reality. [00:19:44] Speaker A: Okay, here's the Million dollar question. [00:19:47] Speaker B: The million dollar question is, why is [00:19:50] Speaker A: that joyful good news? [00:19:55] Speaker B: Like, what does that news practically mean for your life? [00:20:01] Speaker A: That's what I want to talk about. Okay, the first thing, if you're a note taker, is this. The gospel means God loves me. [00:20:10] Speaker B: The gospel means God [00:20:13] Speaker A: loves me. Gospel means God loves you. You've heard that before, right? Whether it's on a bumper sticker or somebody's told you or on your social media feed. [00:20:31] Speaker B: But like, you've heard that phrase before, right? But here's the deal. To understand why the gospel is joyful good news, you really gotta have an accurate understanding of each of those three words. The first word, God. The second word, loves. [00:20:47] Speaker A: And the third word, you or me. So I'm gonna try to simplify this [00:20:51] Speaker B: really, really quickly and break it down. [00:20:52] Speaker A: Let's talk about God. Okay? [00:20:55] Speaker B: When you think about God, what comes to your mind? [00:20:59] Speaker A: Aw. Tozer's famous quote, right? [00:21:02] Speaker B: What comes into our minds when we [00:21:04] Speaker A: think about God is the most important thing about us. Tozer says. [00:21:07] Speaker B: That's a bold statement. [00:21:09] Speaker A: Huh? [00:21:11] Speaker B: I would not have guessed that. The most important thing about me is [00:21:14] Speaker A: what comes to my mind when I think about God. [00:21:15] Speaker B: But that's what Tozer says. And I think he's right. [00:21:19] Speaker A: I think he's right. [00:21:21] Speaker B: What do you think about God when he comes into your mind? [00:21:23] Speaker A: What do you think about Him? [00:21:25] Speaker B: Now, the Bible describes God in a plethora of ways. I don't have time to go through all of them, but I want to touch on some. You've already sung about some of them this morning. You read the Old Testament, you read the New Testament all over the place. It describes God as holy. [00:21:40] Speaker A: Holy. [00:21:42] Speaker B: The angels in heaven haven't stopped singing [00:21:44] Speaker A: holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty for all of eternity. [00:21:48] Speaker B: It's this concept that God is. He's set apart. Cause so think about this. He's set apart. He's in a league of his own. There's nobody like him. [00:21:56] Speaker A: Okay? [00:21:57] Speaker B: In Genesis chapter one, it talks about how God is the creator and the source, like he's the origin, right? In Psalm 18, it says that God is perfect. Can you consider something for just a second, like, do you know anything in life that's perfect? Flawless? [00:22:15] Speaker A: The Bible says God is flawless. He's perfect. [00:22:17] Speaker B: Psalm 145 says that he's righteous in [00:22:20] Speaker A: all of his ways. [00:22:22] Speaker B: That means he makes the right choice and he behaves in the right way all the time. Like exclusively Deuteronomy chapter 10 says that he's the King of kings. So all the kings on the earth. Think of any authority on the earth right now. [00:22:37] Speaker A: God is a supreme, higher authority than them. [00:22:39] Speaker B: He's the king of kings, the Lord of lords. [00:22:40] Speaker A: Deuteronomy says there's no higher authority. He is the highest authority. [00:22:43] Speaker B: Isaiah, chapter 40, verse 28 says this. [00:22:47] Speaker A: Do you not know? Have you not heard? [00:22:51] Speaker B: The Lord is the everlasting God. You know what that means? That means he doesn't have a beginning, he doesn't have an end. He's everlasting. It says that he's the creator of the whole earth. He never becomes faint or weary. [00:23:09] Speaker A: There's no limit to his understanding. [00:23:12] Speaker B: So this unbelievably holy, creative supreme authority, righteous, everlasting, doesn't go Frank, doesn't go weary. No limits. Brilliant. [00:23:23] Speaker A: This, that God. [00:23:26] Speaker B: The New Testament tells us that that God, that same God, put on flesh [00:23:30] Speaker A: in the person of Jesus. He literally became a man. He took on human limitations. [00:23:39] Speaker B: Colossians, chapter 1, verse 15. [00:23:40] Speaker A: Just to give you some Bible, he's [00:23:41] Speaker B: the image they're talking about Jesus. He's the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. It literally, what he's talking about is he's the perfect representation of God. So for us humans, we're like that God is out, he's holy. I kind of can experience him in some ways, but I can't really wrap my brain around it. [00:24:02] Speaker A: But that God putting on flesh and now human beings can go, oh, that [00:24:06] Speaker B: makes a little more sense. I can kind of start to wrap my brain around that a little bit more. He's the image of the invisible God. A few verses later, in Colossians 1, verse 19 says, For God was pleased [00:24:16] Speaker A: to have all his fullness dwell in him. [00:24:20] Speaker B: The man who is God. The fullness of God. [00:24:24] Speaker A: There's no lacking there that that man, Jesus is divine. [00:24:29] Speaker B: Okay, so what I want you to see is the Bible has so many answers for us to the question of who is God and what is he like. So when we talk about the Gospel, means God loves me. Like, we have to understand who God is. He's this holy creator, perfect, righteous, highest authority, everlasting, all that stuff. That's the God we're talking about, that God. [00:24:53] Speaker A: God loves you. Let's skip the loves for just a second. We'll come back to it. And let's go to the me to the you part of this. Now, for starters, you and I, we're created beings. Genesis 1:27, you've heard this a million times. [00:25:14] Speaker B: So God created man in his own image. [00:25:16] Speaker A: He created him in the image of God. [00:25:18] Speaker B: He created them male and female. [00:25:21] Speaker A: And it's not just there. Like, I didn't give you this verse, but Psalm 139, one of my favorite [00:25:27] Speaker B: passages in all of Scripture. Psalm 139, says that God knits people [00:25:31] Speaker A: together in their mother's womb. There are people who will tell you and say things like, you know, an embryo or a fetus is just a clump of cells. I mean, according to the Bible. The Bible says that he or she is actually a piece of artwork created by God himself. Can we just camp out here for just one second? Can you just humor me? [00:26:08] Speaker B: Can you take a moment and just [00:26:10] Speaker A: consider the fact that. That God that I'm talking about, that some of you are like, okay, cool, whatever. [00:26:14] Speaker B: But, like, that supreme being [00:26:20] Speaker A: created you. Like that you really. That you really are like a piece of artwork in the hands of the greatest artist who's ever lived. [00:26:35] Speaker B: Like, listen to me. [00:26:36] Speaker A: Like, all of your attributes, [00:26:41] Speaker B: all of [00:26:41] Speaker A: the things that make you. You like, all of your talents, all of your. Even all your quirks, you know, the sound of your laugh, your personality, the [00:26:56] Speaker B: things that you feel passionate about, and [00:26:58] Speaker A: you feel driven towards your body. Like you as a person, not just the people sitting around you. Like, can you just consider for just a second that the maker of heaven and Earth really is an artist? And if you don't believe me, just look at the stars at night. Go look at the Grand Canyon. Take your family to Yosemite Valley. He's an artist, and he makes beautiful things. And according to the Bible, the pinnacle of his artistry is you and the people sitting around you. We were created to be in, like, a beautiful, loving relationship with our Maker, with our Creator. But something has gone terribly wrong in our relationship with God, hasn't it? It's the S word. It's three letters, though. Sin. That's what happens when you go off of your notes. Listen, sin really does. It impacts our relationship with God. [00:28:07] Speaker B: It impacts the relationship with God that he made us to have with him. It impacts the relationship that God made us to have with other people. It impacts it all. [00:28:14] Speaker A: Okay? Something has gone terribly wrong. [00:28:16] Speaker B: It's our relationship. It's sin. It's the idea of choosing my way over God's way. My way instead of my Maker's way. And we're all guilty of sinning against him. [00:28:26] Speaker A: We're all guilty of sinning against one [00:28:27] Speaker B: another and people that he loves. And yet, despite all of that, maybe [00:28:34] Speaker A: I'll just read it to you. Can you guys pull up Romans 5, verse 8? One of my favorite verses in all of scripture. It says, but God we're talking about that God proves. [00:28:47] Speaker B: Do you know what the word proves means? It means to demonstrate. Again, not a concept, a proven demonstration that God proves he demonstrates his own love for us, to not hate, not even wrath. Like he demonstrates his own love for us. And that while we were still sinners, [00:29:03] Speaker A: Christ died for us. I want you to hear me the [00:29:06] Speaker B: gospel, this news report of what God has done through Jesus. It means some things. It means that. That God loves me. That God loves you. The Holy One loves the sinner. The good one loves the wicked one. And how do we know? We know because of Jesus. We know because of Jesus Christ. His life, his death, his resurrection. The gospel, it's the news that God became a man to live the life in your place that you, the sinner, never could. Not only that, but he died the death that you, the sinner, deserves in your place. In my place. [00:29:39] Speaker A: So hear me. [00:29:40] Speaker B: If that news is true, which I'm [00:29:43] Speaker A: betting my life that it is, if [00:29:45] Speaker B: that news about Jesus is true, it means God loves you. It means God loves me right where you're at, okay? Now listen, the implications of that. [00:29:56] Speaker A: I need you to hear me this. [00:29:57] Speaker B: The implications of that are endless. Like, you'll be unpacking the implications of this news report about Jesus and what that means for you and your life and for the people around you for the rest of your life. And you'll be barely scratching the surface, okay? In other words, what the joyful good news practically means for your life, you'll be unpacking forever. Okay? So what I wanna do with the [00:30:19] Speaker A: rest of my time is this. I wanna talk about what the gospel means for your life. [00:30:24] Speaker B: What this news report, if it's true, what it actually practically means for your life. [00:30:29] Speaker A: Okay? [00:30:29] Speaker B: So if Christianity is the result of a gospel message, that means it's different than religion. It's different than religion. [00:30:37] Speaker A: That's my second point or my third point. [00:30:38] Speaker B: Christianity is different than religion. [00:30:41] Speaker A: Some of you are like, yeah, I know, it's a relationship, yes. But there's more to it than that. [00:30:46] Speaker B: Christianity is different than religion. [00:30:51] Speaker A: What religion does is religion essentially teaches what to do or not do to achieve salvation. [00:31:01] Speaker B: And salvation is kind of defined differently in different religions. [00:31:06] Speaker A: The Muslims, they have the five pillars of Islam. [00:31:09] Speaker B: Buddhists, they have the Eightfold path to [00:31:11] Speaker A: enlightenment, so on and so forth. But Christianity, hear me, is utterly different. It couldn't be more different. [00:31:21] Speaker B: Christianity is not Rules about what to do. It's news about what God has done. [00:31:26] Speaker A: I'm gonna say that again. [00:31:27] Speaker B: Some of you have heard this a hundred times. [00:31:28] Speaker A: Some of you, this is the first time you've heard it. [00:31:30] Speaker B: Christianity is not rules about what to do and not do. It's news about what's already been done. [00:31:36] Speaker A: Cause it's a news report, right? [00:31:38] Speaker B: The gospel is a news report. [00:31:41] Speaker A: I love the way Greg Owen says it. Greg Owen says this quote, the world has many religions. It has but one gospel. I was on YouTube and I saw a video of a woman, like a prominent. She was a very prominent worship leader in the church. [00:32:08] Speaker B: Super gifted. [00:32:09] Speaker A: Her voice, her talent, off the charts. [00:32:12] Speaker B: And in the video, she was describing [00:32:14] Speaker A: what her relationship with God is like. [00:32:17] Speaker B: So she's just talking, she's like. She's describing how she had this relationship with God. And in her words, she said, she's like, I had this, like, transactional relationship with God. And she talked about how she would do all these things and not do these other things. Some of the things that she did, [00:32:34] Speaker A: she didn't wanna do, and some of [00:32:36] Speaker B: the things that she didn't do, she wanted to do. [00:32:38] Speaker A: You guys know what I'm talking about. [00:32:39] Speaker B: So she described kinda like that lifestyle of like, I did all these things, I didn't do all these other things. Cause there was these things, in her words, there was these things that she wanted God to do for her, these things that she wanted God to provide for her, these blessings that could come from God that she wanted to experience and to receive. And she says that despite her best efforts, she goes, despite all the good things I did and all the bad things I didn't do, she goes, despite all of that, ultimately those things that [00:33:11] Speaker A: I wanted, they never came. [00:33:15] Speaker B: And so the whole video is her [00:33:16] Speaker A: describing how she walked away. She walked away from the church, she walked away from Jesus. And I, gosh, I was watching that video, I'm just like, oh, my heart. I was like, that's so sad. Like, it's genuinely sad. [00:33:34] Speaker B: Not like, pity her. [00:33:35] Speaker A: She doesn't get it. I mean, like, genuinely sad. Because you have this highly influential and gifted woman in the church, and yet she's approaching Christianity like it's a religion. Like, she like, what made me so [00:33:53] Speaker B: sad as I'm like, she didn't understand the most basic and fundamental aspect of Christianity, that Christianity is the result of a gospel. It's the result of news. It's not directions on what to do or what not to do to earn things from God. It's news about what God has already done through Jesus. She had a fundamental misunderstanding of Christianity. The thing that she gave up on, she never actually attempted. [00:34:19] Speaker A: She had a total misunderstanding of what Christianity is. [00:34:22] Speaker B: It's not a religion. [00:34:23] Speaker A: It's different than that. [00:34:24] Speaker B: It's not rules and regulations on what to do and what not to do. It's news about what has already been done. And I have to ask you this morning, it's easy for us to slip in that same kind of thing. Maybe you've been following Jesus for a long time, but. Or maybe you're not at all. But either way, like, the question I have for you is, do you treat [00:34:39] Speaker A: Christianity like a religion? Maybe you're like, I don't know. Here's one way you can find out. And this is just for the Christians in the room. You don't have to answer this out loud. This is a heart thing. Like, why do you follow Jesus? Like, why do you obey his ways? Hear me. If the answer to that is to get things from him, blessings, acceptance, eternal life, even. Hear me. Is that the reason? Or is it because he loves you and he gave Himself for you? Two very different approaches. Tim Keller says, religion says, I obey, therefore I'm accepted. The Gospel says, I'm accepted, therefore I obey. Do you see the difference there? Religion says, the reason I obey is so that God will accept me. I will be acceptable. I will be approved of. I will get the blessing, I will get salvation. I will get eternity. That's religion. The gospel says, no, no, no. [00:36:01] Speaker B: I'm living this way out of already [00:36:03] Speaker A: being accepted by God in Christ. So hear me. Are you trying to earn God's acceptance? Are you trying to earn his blessing? Are you trying to earn his approval? [00:36:15] Speaker B: If so, in any way, listen, you [00:36:17] Speaker A: need to know this. That's religion. That's literally what it is. And the world has many religions. It has but one gospel. Okay? [00:36:27] Speaker B: So if the news report about Jesus is true. If the news report about Jesus is [00:36:33] Speaker A: true, there's something else you need to know, and it's a big one. This is your next point. [00:36:36] Speaker B: If the news report about Jesus is [00:36:38] Speaker A: true, Christians are justified. That's a big word. There's a whole doctrine in the church around this idea of justification. [00:36:47] Speaker B: If the news report about Jesus is [00:36:48] Speaker A: true, Christians are justified. [00:36:49] Speaker B: Friends, this reality, this truth, utterly changed my life, like, completely. Okay, so you have the blood of Jesus for our sins, right? He died for us on the cross. So you have this, his blood, atoning for our sins, paying the debt of our sins, right? We have forgiveness because of the blood of Jesus. [00:37:06] Speaker A: Right. [00:37:06] Speaker B: That's his death. Important. But there's also. The gospel also talks about something else. [00:37:12] Speaker A: The gospel talks about his life, his [00:37:16] Speaker B: perfect life in our place. That those who trust in the good news of what God has done. [00:37:22] Speaker A: The news report, this is what happened, [00:37:23] Speaker B: that he lived a perfect life. He wants to credit that to you. That if you trust in that, his perfect record, you get credited. That like, do you realize what this means? [00:37:35] Speaker A: I want to try to play you a short video to help make sense of this, because the implications are staggering. Can you guys play that for me? Try not to laugh. This slow mo really gets me. Can you see the score? Just one more. It. All right, you guys can kill it. I'm actually impressed that you didn't laugh. You laughed a little bit. I thought. [00:39:20] Speaker B: I thought you might laugh, but I [00:39:21] Speaker A: could feel that you'd feel it in the air. Was like, oh, I'm not gonna laugh. [00:39:26] Speaker B: If you know anything about Olympic diving, [00:39:28] Speaker A: you know that, like, the splash is supposed to be as small as possible, right? [00:39:33] Speaker B: And if I understand it correctly, you're, [00:39:34] Speaker A: like, supposed to enter into the water like a pencil, you know, like, with your hands. And none of that happened. I don't know if you could see it. [00:39:47] Speaker B: Did you see the score for all [00:39:49] Speaker A: three of those dives? [00:39:51] Speaker B: It wasn't like two out of 10. All of them got zeros out of 10. And I saw those videos a long [00:40:02] Speaker A: time ago, and I felt like the Lord spoke to me in the most [00:40:08] Speaker B: loving, fatherly, sobering way. [00:40:10] Speaker A: I feel like he's like, that's your life, man. You laugh at that. That's funny. [00:40:17] Speaker B: You laugh at me. [00:40:17] Speaker A: That's fine. [00:40:19] Speaker B: But seriously, like, if my life was Olympic diving, it would be a series of, like, big splashes and belly flops. [00:40:29] Speaker A: And my scores would be terrible. [00:40:36] Speaker B: And not just the observable ones. We could all see that. But the Bible talks about how God searches a man's heart. Other people can judge you based on [00:40:46] Speaker A: what your dive looks like, right? [00:40:48] Speaker B: What they can observe. Yeah, God definitely is assessing you based on your behaviors, but he cares way more about why you're doing what you're [00:40:56] Speaker A: doing than even what you're doing. He cares about the heart, the condition of the heart. [00:41:02] Speaker B: And so when I say my life, if it was Olympic diving, as a series of big splashes and belly flops, [00:41:07] Speaker A: it's because at a heart level, I've been selfish, I've been sinful. I've judged people unfairly. [00:41:19] Speaker B: Like, I've done all sorts of messy, [00:41:20] Speaker A: ungodly things in my life. And I know you have, too. My scores would be very similar. [00:41:28] Speaker B: Friends, do you realize what it means [00:41:30] Speaker A: that Christians are justified? [00:41:33] Speaker B: Like, hear me, it means that the [00:41:37] Speaker A: Christian scorecard is a 10 out of 10. [00:41:43] Speaker B: The reality, the gospel says that the Christian is justified. That means my scorecard is a 10 out of 10. Hear me. Not because I'm good at diving, but [00:41:53] Speaker A: because the perfect one dove in my place. I'm judged by his score, not mine. [00:42:04] Speaker B: If you're a Christian, you're judged by Jesus score, not by your own God. [00:42:08] Speaker A: Can I just ask you this morning, by your estimation, what's your scorecard look like? [00:42:17] Speaker B: Maybe your scorecard looks like maybe to figure out what your scorecard actually looks like, you're looking over at the other [00:42:23] Speaker A: person who just dove before you. You're like, well, my splash was smaller than their splash. So what's your scorecard look like? Some of you, it doesn't look good, huh? Even this morning, some of the things that happened, some of the things that [00:42:42] Speaker B: were said, not your proudest moment, what [00:42:45] Speaker A: does your scorecard look like? [00:42:47] Speaker B: Maybe there's pride, maybe there's selfishness, maybe there's greed, Maybe there's lust, Maybe there's envy. And maybe the most, like, appalling thing [00:42:56] Speaker A: is when we as people have the audacity to say, well, my belly flop's not as bad as their belly flop. [00:43:02] Speaker B: My 0 out of 10 is not [00:43:03] Speaker A: as bad as their 0 out of 10. But Christian guys, you talk to people outside of the church, and one of the overwhelming reputations for the Christian is what? Hypocritical and judgmental. My 0 out of 10 is better than their 0 out of 10 friends? Being in Christ is different than being in church. [00:43:29] Speaker B: Being in Christ means you as a person are justified. This is wild. This will transform your life. It means that Jesus in everywhere, in every area of your life, he dove in your place. That means you get his score because he got yours. Theologians call this the great exchange. It's grace. It's the greatest thing that's ever happened in the history of the world. And listen, if you actually, if you not just acknowledge that it's true, but if you. If you take it into the deepest core of who you are as a person, you need to hear me say this. It will utterly transform your life. [00:44:02] Speaker A: Okay? [00:44:05] Speaker B: Have you received that great exchange? Like, have you exchanged your scorecard for Jesus scorecard? [00:44:11] Speaker A: Or are you living based on your own merit? [00:44:17] Speaker B: Are you living like you're earning your scorecard and you Feel good about it. Cause you can compare it with other people. But Sally, that's not what we're judged on. [00:44:28] Speaker A: The standard is the perfection of Jesus. [00:44:33] Speaker B: And this idea of like being justified, of like having Jesus scorecard, of like, I rely on his score, I don't rely on mine. That's not a one time deal. That's not like, hey, I was in second grade and I raised my hand and I committed my life to Jesus and I received his scorecard and he took mine. It's like every day of your life. It's like every day I'm a. I genuinely, there's things in my heart I don't want in there. There's ungodliness in all of us that God in his kindness and his grace is like, is refining. That means he's burning the impurities out. And he does it through news of what's already been done. Not you and I trying harder, not you going, hey, I belly flopped. I'm do harder. I'm actually going to present. I'm going to, I'm gonna reveal to the world that I'm like approvable, I'm acceptable and I'm righteous, I'm okay. I'm not as bad as them, so therefore I'm okay. No, no, no, no. The Father, he loves you enough to tell you the truth about you, and he loves you enough to do something about it. [00:45:34] Speaker A: That's the good news of the gospel. [00:45:36] Speaker B: It's what he's done and what it can mean for your life. [00:45:39] Speaker A: It's not a one time thing. [00:45:40] Speaker B: It's every day of your life. Because hear me, it is so easy. [00:45:44] Speaker A: Listen. [00:45:45] Speaker B: Even for the most seasoned believer, the most holy person in the room, it is still so easy for us to [00:45:53] Speaker A: drift back into religion. [00:45:56] Speaker B: It's like our default state. Because religion makes you feel kind of good about yourself. I did a good. Yeah, I kind of earned this. Versus there's no way I can be pardoned. There's no way I can experience salvation apart from the intervening grace of God in my life. It requires a lot of humility to [00:46:14] Speaker A: go, I'm a zero out of 10. But goodness, it's freedom. It's freedom. Christianity says those who trust in the gospel are justified. I'm way behind on time. I'm gonna move faster. I'm gonna go to my next point. [00:46:32] Speaker B: If the news report about Jesus is [00:46:34] Speaker A: true, Christians are justified, right? [00:46:36] Speaker B: That means they're free. [00:46:37] Speaker A: That's my next point. [00:46:38] Speaker B: It means they're free. If the news report about Jesus is [00:46:41] Speaker A: true, it means that those who believe it are totally free. Okay, what do I mean by that? [00:46:46] Speaker B: Those divers in the clip, did you [00:46:49] Speaker A: see they had the audacity to smile afterwards? [00:46:53] Speaker B: Did you see them giving each other high fives? Okay, I can't speak for you. I grew up playing sports. If I blew it, it wasn't like a high five. It was like, hang my head, I suck at life. I can't wait for my next opportunity to reveal to everyone that I'm actually not as bad as you think I am. [00:47:13] Speaker A: Mask. [00:47:16] Speaker B: They're smiling. They're high fiving each other. They have no shame. [00:47:19] Speaker A: They're free. Listen to me, Christians. [00:47:23] Speaker B: You're justified. That means they're free. They're free to be totally honest. Totally honest about their faults, totally honest about their sins, totally honest about their mistakes, totally honest about. Get this, get this. Even their insecurities. [00:47:35] Speaker A: Okay? [00:47:35] Speaker B: Totally honest. Because listen, if your trust is in the gospel of Jesus, those belly flops don't define you anymore. They don't show up on the scorecard. What shows up on the scorecard? The perfection of Jesus. So now I'm no longer defined by my belly flops. I'm defined by what Jesus has done in my place. There's a freedom there. I can walk in the light. It means I'm free to be exposed without condemnation. You can judge me, but it bounces off of me because that doesn't define me anymore. Okay? It means you're free to walk in the light without condemnation. Get this. It means you're free to try new things even if the outcome is less than ideal. You can get up on that diving platform and you could try spins and flips and twirls that you've never done before. Because what's at stake. Is your score at stake? I need you to talk to me. Is your score at stake? No, it's not. Because your score is what, out of 10? [00:48:26] Speaker A: Why? [00:48:28] Speaker B: Because Jesus dove in your place, right? That's the lifestyle of a Christian who trusts in the gospel. You are free to try new things. You're free from the fear of failure. Because guess what? Jesus, he determines your scorecard. Your scorecard already says 10 out of 10, even if you're a mess. I know it sounds like. Whoa, that sounds kind of scandalous, Tom. Like we have a responsibility to obey God. Yeah, you do. But not to earn your salvation. You live that way. I obey because he loves me. I obey out of the place of already being acceptance. I'm not obeying to get him to love me. [00:49:04] Speaker A: You with me Listen, I was praying this morning, and I felt this in my core. [00:49:10] Speaker B: Like some of you, you're not free. [00:49:14] Speaker A: You're not free right now. You're living in fear. [00:49:19] Speaker B: You're living in fear of what other people think. Listen to me. It's controlling the decisions you make. [00:49:25] Speaker A: Small decisions and big decisions. You're living in fear what people will think. Well, am I gonna fail? What if I blow it? What if I belly flop? What if the thing that I know [00:49:34] Speaker B: is in me that is kind of unlovely? What if that gets exposed and then other people see it and then they don't have grace for me and they don't have. And then they shame me and then I lose their acceptance. [00:49:42] Speaker A: And like [00:49:45] Speaker B: some of you, you're missing out on God's plans and purposes for your life. And the reason is because you don't believe that you're justified in Christ. And if you're not justified in Christ, [00:49:56] Speaker A: that means you gotta justify yourself. Others of you, you're not free and you're exhausted. The amount of people that I've talked to over this last summer, like, it's a lot. And one of the themes that I keep hearing. [00:50:16] Speaker B: And it's not just people in our church. I mean, it's people in other churches. [00:50:19] Speaker A: It's people that I love outside of our community. I'm not throwing shade. It's been me this summer. But we're not free and we're exhausted. Why? Relying on our own scorecard. There's something like when you know deep [00:50:43] Speaker B: down your scores aren't what they ought [00:50:45] Speaker A: to be, like, they're rough. You know, you can hide it from some. You can't hide it from yourself. Certainly we can't hide it from God. Those of you, the cancer of pride is spreading inside of you. That whole comparing your belly flop with your neighbor's belly flop. My 0 out of 10 is not as bad as their 0 out of 10. You know what that's called? We just talked about it. It's called religion. Religion is a cancer that kills the soul. Religion is relying on your own scorecard. Christianity is relying on Jesus scorecard. They're two totally different things. I battled that this summer. It's been a difficult, exhausting summer for me. And one of the reasons it's been so difficult and one of the reasons it's been so exhausting for me to be candid, is because there's been moments when I forgot the gospel. But if you're anything like me, I have spectacular news for you. The gospel says that you are justified in Christ. Like fully, completely justified in Christ. Okay? Now, I want you to think about the implications of that one. Totally levels the playing field, right? Totally levels the playing field. [00:52:05] Speaker B: That means nobody in this room is better or worse than anybody else. [00:52:09] Speaker A: Like, we're all desperately in need of saving. If we truly value the gospel, that means there's absolutely no room for pride in our community. We're all equally in need of saving every single day. I want you to see that this news about Jesus, if it's true, it affects the way we even relate to each other. We're gonna talk more about that next week. I'm gonna move quick. I'm almost done. [00:52:34] Speaker B: The gospel also means Christians don't primarily share advice. [00:52:37] Speaker A: We share news. Okay? [00:52:41] Speaker B: So when a Christian, when we relate to other Christians, or when we relate to not yet Christians, the primary and most important thing we can offer is news about what's already been done through Jesus. [00:52:51] Speaker A: Okay? Why? [00:52:52] Speaker B: Because it can enlighten people to the [00:52:54] Speaker A: reality that God offers them justification and freedom. That's what salvation is. [00:52:58] Speaker B: It's freedom from living that way. It's freedom from the bondage of living that way. [00:53:02] Speaker A: Okay? [00:53:03] Speaker B: Salvation is not just for after you die, Right? Salvation's for here and now as well. [00:53:11] Speaker A: I told you. Christians, we tend to forget the gospel. Paul Tripp says we all suffer from gospel amnesia. Or we acknowledge we know it's there, [00:53:20] Speaker B: but we stop connecting it to our life. Like, what are the implications for our life? [00:53:31] Speaker A: Christians don't primarily share advice. We share news. Now, don't get me wrong, there's a place for advice, okay? There's a place for advice amongst Christians. It's called second place. Second place, okay? Advice on how to dive better. It won't lead to people's freedom. It won't. [00:53:53] Speaker B: The good news about the perfect diver [00:53:55] Speaker A: in their place will. [00:53:57] Speaker B: So next time you want to minister to someone or bless them or care for them or shepherd their heart or [00:54:03] Speaker A: encourage them, give them the gospel way before you give them advice. Because there's power in the gospel. Okay? All right. I want you to look back at verse nine. There's a couple things here I need to get through before I get off this platform. Paul writes, he says, for I am the least of the apostles not worthy to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God. If you know Paul's story, you know it's gnarly. Arguably the most. [00:54:32] Speaker B: He's probably made more other than Jesus in the New Testament. He has made more of an impact on the world for the Gospel, arguably, than anybody else. He's an instrument in the hands of God. [00:54:43] Speaker A: Powerful guy. [00:54:44] Speaker B: His story is, long story short, he used to persecute Christians just because they were Christians. He would organize the murder of followers of Jesus. [00:54:52] Speaker A: Okay. [00:54:52] Speaker B: And then he had an encounter with Jesus that utterly transformed his life. He had an encounter with the gospel that made him a new man. [00:54:59] Speaker A: Okay, what's my point in that? It's this. The gospel is for anyone and everyone. Okay? [00:55:05] Speaker B: You at your worst. It's for you. It's really, really good news for you, to get you out of the pit of that lifestyle. The person that makes you the most frustrated in the world, the person maybe that's hurt you the most in the world, friend, betrayal, whatever, all of that, your spouse, when you're fighting, whatever it is, the gospel is for anyone and everyone. It's equally for you in your worst moment and for the person that drives you crazy, the gospel is the good news. It has power to change people. It's for everyone and anyone. [00:55:38] Speaker A: You ever heard. I want to talk about this. You ever heard the phrase knowledge is power? Yeah. [00:55:45] Speaker B: And what's it getting at? It's getting that when you have an understanding of something, it empowers you to do something else. [00:55:51] Speaker A: It empowers you to do something with it. Right. I need you to understand something. This news report, it's like a superpower in your life. Like, and I'm not exaggerating, it's a [00:56:08] Speaker B: superpower in your life. Can I just give you a handful [00:56:12] Speaker A: of examples to try to apply it to your life and just some practical things really quickly. Youth, can I talk to you guys for just a second? Let's just apply it there. Let's start there. Youth in the room. [00:56:21] Speaker B: You're in a season where it can become both wonderful and beautiful and life giving and scary and challenging to navigate [00:56:31] Speaker A: relationships, to navigate friendships. I remember when I was a teenager, [00:56:36] Speaker B: it was tricky, it was hard. It's like, okay, like, I wanna get along with people. I wanna have close relationships, I wanna have friends. Navigating friendships and relationships is tough. Here's what I've seen. Young people, youth, navigating relationships and friendships without the gospel. This is how it goes. I see it, I saw it in my own life and I see it happen in the lives of people all the time. A person's sense of worth comes from [00:56:55] Speaker A: what others think about them. [00:56:57] Speaker B: You literally, as a young person, like, [00:56:59] Speaker A: what do they think about me? [00:57:00] Speaker B: Your sense of worth, it comes from what others think about you. Do they accept me? Do they like me. [00:57:08] Speaker A: And what I've seen happen over and [00:57:09] Speaker B: over again is because that's like, the worldview is. It's like, you do whatever you gotta [00:57:14] Speaker A: do to fit in. [00:57:15] Speaker B: You do whatever it takes to fit in. Whether it be the clothes that you choose to wear, whether it be, I don't know, the language that you use, whether it be how you treat other people. And what tends to happen is, young people, they'll just go with the flow. They'll just go with the flow, even if that flow is ungodly and harmful. Because you're like, I don't want to. I want these people to accept me. [00:57:36] Speaker A: I want to be. I want to belong. [00:57:41] Speaker B: And another thing that I saw in my own life is like a young person, as you're navigating relationships, you're like, I'm constantly trying to measure myself against other people. Like, without the gospel, it's like, I have to look at other people as the measuring stick. Who's more popular, who's better looking, who's more athletic, who's funnier, who gets more attention, right? And that tends to be the way that young people, if without the gospel, you're kind of stuck in that. Of like you're measuring yourself against other people, you're trying to get approval, You. You wanna fit in all these types of things. Now, young people, please hear me. I know it's getting late and it's getting hot, but I need you to [00:58:15] Speaker A: listen to me, okay? With the gospel, it's your superpower. [00:58:18] Speaker B: I'm telling you, the gospel is your superpower. [00:58:20] Speaker A: You don't have to strive to be accepted. [00:58:22] Speaker B: Like, you don't have to work overtime to get other kids to like you. You don't have to strive to be accepted. Cause you're already fully accepted by God. Can I use some Gen Z language to break that down? Translate it for you for just a second? [00:58:33] Speaker A: Okay. [00:58:34] Speaker B: Jesus, the goaded one, already fully loves and accepts you. Does that. Do you guys get it? Am I coming across? Listen to me, it sounds silly. It's not just a concept. [00:58:46] Speaker A: It's news. [00:58:49] Speaker B: If the news is true, you are fully approved of and accepted by the goaded one by the most VIP person ever. Do you realize what that does for you? It frees you guys. Young people, with the gospel, you have freedom. You don't have to make compromises to enjoy friendships. When you experience being left out, you won't question your worth because your worth isn't determined by other people. You can celebrate the awesome things about your friends instead of comparing yourself and feeling insecure. You can be the kind of kids who actually are kind to the outcasts among you. And you don't feel like you have to like. Well, they make fun of them and they gossip about them. So I'm gonna do the same thing. [00:59:24] Speaker A: Cause I want them to like me. [00:59:26] Speaker B: You can stand up for what's right. All because your value, your worth and your acceptance. Listen to me. Is complete and eternally secure in Jesus. I guarantee you this room is filled with adults who, if they knew that when they were teenagers, the freedom that we all would have lived with. [00:59:42] Speaker A: Huh? [00:59:44] Speaker B: So, parents, can I appeal to you? Your child does not need advice about how to navigate relationships. [00:59:50] Speaker A: Your child needs the gospel of Jesus. [00:59:52] Speaker B: Because the gospel is actually a superpower to free them from the bondage of the culture that they're immersed in. It's a counterculture. It's a kingdom culture. And it will produce a joy and a confidence and it will conquer any insecurity they face. [01:00:09] Speaker A: Advice versus news. Advice doesn't have the power that the news has. You with me. [01:00:18] Speaker B: Can I give you just a couple more? I know I'm going over, but it's important. Adults with your job. [01:00:23] Speaker A: I want you to see this. [01:00:23] Speaker B: The gospel's a supernatural power to live free. Adults with your job. People without the gospel. As you approach your job and your career, a person's self worth rises and falls based on the opinion of your boss, right? [01:00:36] Speaker A: And what do you do? [01:00:37] Speaker B: You do whatever it takes to prove your worth, right? You're willing to burn yourself out. You're willing to eliminate personal boundaries. Your kids want to play with you, [01:00:47] Speaker A: and you're like, nah, I'm just as guilty. [01:00:50] Speaker B: Right? No personal boundaries. How about this one? Ethical compromises. Hey, we just need you to fudge [01:00:55] Speaker A: the numbers on this. [01:00:55] Speaker B: We just need to kind of like, kind of lie about the sales numbers or whatever. Without the gospel, driven by anxiety because you just constant need to perform. Without the gospel and with your career and your job criticism, it feels like a personal attack. Success. How about this one? Success in your job. [01:01:14] Speaker A: It makes you start to subtly feel superior to other people that you work with. That's without the gospel. [01:01:21] Speaker B: With the gospel. [01:01:22] Speaker A: Check this out. [01:01:23] Speaker B: You work hard. Listen from a place of significance, not for significance. [01:01:31] Speaker A: Why? [01:01:32] Speaker B: Because your ultimate evaluation's already been given in Christ. Your scorecard already says what? [01:01:38] Speaker A: 10 out of 10? Do you see how freeing that is? [01:01:42] Speaker B: Do you see the power that you could operate with and live with? I gotta give you more. The implications for marriage and family. I don't have time, the implications with money. Like, guys, all of your life. I'm telling you, trusting the news report of the gospel, it is a superpower [01:02:04] Speaker A: to you that empowers you to live free. All right, I'm gonna call the band up. I'll close. Told you I was gonna go along. I appreciate you guys bearing with me, and I want to end. I want to tell you a quick story. This is real. A few years ago, Ebony and I, we met a church planter down in San Diego. And coincidentally, actually, his church plant, they [01:02:50] Speaker B: started in the same exact elementary school [01:02:52] Speaker A: that we started the very first restored church in. We lived a block away. Adams elementary School, right off Adams Avenue. Charlene was there. Herrick was there. Mark was there, or kind of. He came a little bit later. [01:03:07] Speaker B: Chad and Melissa were there. There were some people in the room that were there. And we met at this place, Adams Elementary School. Me and Ebony, we meet this church planter, he's planting, and they're using. They're in that same school. It was like, oh, what are the chances? That's so cool. We started a conversation. Wonderful guy. Him and his wife are planting this church. And I connected with him a few [01:03:27] Speaker A: more times in the past couple years. Past few years, just at different pastor [01:03:32] Speaker B: gatherings and different things. Sweet guy, good heart, gifted dude. [01:03:41] Speaker A: And a few weeks ago, we got word that while they were on vacation, he's got three kids, him and his wife and his eldest daughter got, like, a really, really bad car accident. [01:04:05] Speaker B: The daughter who was in the car, [01:04:06] Speaker A: she had just gotten married. I think it was a month earlier, two months, she passed away on site. His wife and him, he was in really serious condition. His wife was, like, hanging, like, barely hanging on. They airlifted them, the whole thing. His body's in bad shape. [01:04:32] Speaker B: He's gonna make it. [01:04:33] Speaker A: Praise God. Tons of churches that I'm in relationship with, they've been praying for his wife to get out of the ICU and different things. And then this week, we got word that she passed away. You can imagine the thoughts that go around the mind of a pastor when that something like that happens to a comrade. And, you know, sometimes you can think like, the Lord, he was, like, sacrificially serving you. Like, his family leveraged everything they had to, like, see the kingdom advance. And planting church. Planting church is the hardest thing, guys, but it's so worth it. And I remember just, like, thinking, like, the road ahead for him. Like, how do you endure that? How do you get through something like that? I mean, unimaginable Pain, Loss and suffering. And it got me thinking about, like, how he's going to relate to people and what they're going to say to him. And you know what? I thought I was like, part of me felt kind of protected, of like, can you imagine someone coming up and giving him advice? Hey, dude, here's what needs to happen as you're. As you're physically recovering and, you know, [01:06:17] Speaker B: as you've lost two of the closest people you'll ever have in your life, like, tragically, you didn't see it coming. Like, advice to religion. [01:06:24] Speaker A: Give me a break. That's not gonna work. [01:06:30] Speaker B: Like a false optimism. Like, hey, dude, you know what? God works all things for good. [01:06:37] Speaker A: I'm sorry. [01:06:38] Speaker B: I believe that to be true, but that's not what the dude needs. He doesn't need advice. He doesn't need religion. [01:06:47] Speaker A: Those don't offer him anything. [01:06:50] Speaker B: I think all of us would agree. Can you imagine anything worse? [01:06:54] Speaker A: I don't know if I can. Advice in religion and false optimism, they don't offer anything. But I'll tell you what, the gospel does offer something. The Gospel of Jesus offers him. And it's not optimism. [01:07:06] Speaker B: It's not, things are going to get better. They're probably not going to get better. [01:07:10] Speaker A: Just to be candid, the rest of his life is going to be really, really hard because you don't ever get over something like that. But I have to tell you, the gospel does have something to say. There was another man who lost everything. [01:07:32] Speaker B: Tragically, he lost everything. [01:07:35] Speaker A: There was another man who died. Yet he was raised to life. And those who belong to him, they will be raised just like he was to eternal life, guys. That eternal life, where loss and death and pain and suffering and tears, they're no more. Why do I tell you that story? [01:08:02] Speaker B: Because life is hard. [01:08:05] Speaker A: And I'm here to tell you right now, people don't need advice or religion or false optimism. People need the Gospel of Jesus only. The Gospel of Jesus is the power for someone's freedom from all of the brokenness that is in this planet. It is the supreme. The supreme value of this church. And I'm here to tell you, if we ever move on from it, we're in trouble. [01:08:31] Speaker B: We cannot. [01:08:32] Speaker A: We cannot move on from it. [01:08:33] Speaker B: This cannot become an advice church. It cannot become a religious church, your gospel community. It cannot become an advice community. It can't. It lose all of its power. It can't be an advice community. It can't be a religious community. Listen to me. It can't even just be. It Ought not just be community. [01:08:54] Speaker A: Because only the gospel of Jesus has the power to free a human being. And so I need you to see what we value. It determines what we do. The gospel of Jesus is our supreme value. Stand with me if you're able to. Listen. [01:09:19] Speaker B: Maybe you're here. If you're like, here, you're like, I don't really feel free. [01:09:22] Speaker A: I have to pee. [01:09:24] Speaker B: Maybe you're like, I've been holding it for a long time, Tom. Like, please wrap it up. [01:09:28] Speaker A: Use the restroom. But listen to me. [01:09:30] Speaker B: If you're here and you do not feel free, maybe you feel stuck. Maybe it's pride that's keeping you stuck. That means, like, I'm living life my way. Maybe it's, you are stuck in relationship. You're trying to earn things, and you're leaning on your own resume. You're leaning on your own performance. Maybe you're here and you're controlled by what other people think. That's a form of bondage. You're not free if you're controlled by what other people think. Doesn't mean that people's opinions aren't valuable. [01:09:52] Speaker A: They certainly are. [01:09:54] Speaker B: But if you're here and you're like, I don't feel free. [01:09:57] Speaker A: I'm here to tell you you can be. The gospel can free you if you [01:10:01] Speaker B: will yield to the good news. If you're hearing, like, the gospel, it's actually. If you're honest, you're like, the gospel is actually not in my kind of [01:10:08] Speaker A: top list of priorities. [01:10:10] Speaker B: On paper it is, but in practice it's not. [01:10:12] Speaker A: I'm here to tell you it can be. [01:10:14] Speaker B: It can be. [01:10:15] Speaker A: Because I'm here to tell you, if [01:10:18] Speaker B: the gospel actually becomes something you supremely value, the result of that will be [01:10:23] Speaker A: your freedom and your flourishing. 100 times out of 100, okay, maybe [01:10:26] Speaker B: you're here and you're like, I do want the gospel, but I'm not sure [01:10:29] Speaker A: really how to apply it. [01:10:31] Speaker B: Like, we went through some of the stuff with the youth and some of the stuff with your job, and you're thinking, okay, well, what is that news? How does it impact me in my marriage? How does that impact me and my parents? You're like, that sounds awesome. I want that, but I'm not really sure how that works out. [01:10:43] Speaker A: We would love to help you with that. That's why our church exists. [01:10:49] Speaker B: That's why gospel communities exist. That's why they're not like affinity communities where we all like to do the same things. They're gospel communities where we're all growing and how do we apply this good news and trust in it and believe it and experience the freedom of it in every area of our life? [01:11:04] Speaker A: We would love to help you with that. [01:11:06] Speaker B: And at the chance there's anybody here [01:11:08] Speaker A: and you actually haven't received the gospel, like you haven't embraced it, you haven't [01:11:14] Speaker B: experienced that freedom, I'm talking about of Jesus setting you free to live life [01:11:18] Speaker A: differently you can today. If that's you, I want to pray for you before you leave. Let me pray for us quickly and then we'll do one song and then we'll wait to have the prayer team come up. Yeah, let me pray for us. Holy Spirit, I just confess right now my insecurity. I confess my insecurity to you, Father. I wish we had more time, But I know that you can do things in a moment, that anything is possible for you. And so I will let my words be extremely few. And my prayer is simply this. Holy Spirit, enlighten every single one of us, our hearts and our minds, to the truth of the gospel and what it means for our lives. I pray and ask that you would give each of us, you would increase our faith, our trust in you, and it would set us free. I love you, Jesus. I'm so thankful for you. Change us. Change me. In your holy and beautiful name. Amen. If you're on the prayer team, would you make your way to the front? We are short on time this morning. If you need prayer for any reason, they'd love to pray for you. We are going to respond with some praise and then we'll close the gathering. But I don't want you to miss the opportunity of, at the very least, inviting God to teach you in deeper ways through experience about what the good news of Jesus can mean for you in every single area of your life. I love you guys very much. Enjoy him.