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The Gospe l

“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.’”

--Mark 16:15

The Gospe l: An Important Message

Romans 1:16The Gospel

God’sPower

Seriousness of obeying the gospel

-2 Thessalonians

1:7-9

“Jesus will come “in flaming fire, 8 dealing out retribution

to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord

Jesus.”

A Serious Warning … To Christians

We must get this gospel right!

“But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed !”

-Galatians 1:8

GOSPEGOSPELL

How can I be certain?

Where would we start?

THETHE

Our OT “ Tutor”Old Testament

JUSTIFIED

BYFAITH

“Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.”

Why Did God Create Man?

God purposed for us to be in fellowship with Him

Our purpose is to seek the Lord and to know Him

Acts 17:24-28

"The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; 25 nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; 26 and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, 27 that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and exist”

that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us

GOD IS HOLY

This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him

there is no darkness at all.

1 John 1:5

For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; No evil dwells with You.

Psalms 5:4

“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;

Love and faithfulness go before You”

justice

Love

Psalm 89:14

God’s holiness is demonstrated in His justice and love toward His creation.

God’ s Demand

God instructed His people to be holy because He is holy

Leviticus 20:26

We must be holy to have a relationship with God

I s this possible?

“Thus you are to be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy.”

S P IR IT US P IR IT U A L A L

D E A T HD E A T H“And you were dead in your trespasses and sins” -Eph 2:1

“your iniquities have made a separation between you and

your God” -Isaiah 59:2

Sin causes man to be separated from God!

“the wages of sin is death” -Romans 6:23

God’ s Justice Demands a Price

A death must occur for sin to be removed

Hebrews 9:22

“without the shedding of blood there can be

no remission of sins.” no remiss ion of s ins no remiss ion of s ins

A Desperate Situation

We have broken the laws of the God of the universe, this has separated us from a Holy God, and the sentence of death hangs over our head by a just God! We cannot pay the price ourselves and still live!

We find ourselves in a very desperate situation:

God loves us and helps to pay the price for sin through His

But God… (Ephesians 2:4)

Grace and Mercy Grace

God gives us what we

don’t deserve

Mercy

God does not give us

what we truly

deserve

God’ s Grace and Mercy

God allows the price to be paid by an innocent representative

Animal sacrifices made atonement for

sinLeviticus 16:30Leviticus 17:11

“for it is on this day that atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you; you will be clean from all your sins before the LORD.”

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.”

What Made Sacrifice Work?

Just the act of sacrifice?

Was it good enough just to believe in animal sacrifice?

What made it effective?

Faith Must Respond

Hebrews 11:6 demonstrates faith

Belief and Action“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”

faith

believe seek Him

Old Testament Examples

By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice -Heb 11:4

By faith Noah… in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household

-Heb 11:7 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed

by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance

-Heb 11:8By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered

up Isaac -Heb 11:17

By faith offered

By faith

By faith

By faith

prepared

obeyed

offered

(v14) Can that type of faith savesave a man? (v17) Faith without action is deaddead

(v18) Faith is shown by actionaction(v20) Faith without action is “uselessuseless”

(v21-23) Abraham’s faith was perfectedperfected by belief working with his actions

(v24) Justified by action, notnot “faith alone”(v26) Faith without action is deaddead

(v19) Devils are believers!Devils are believers!

THERE ARE BELIEVERS IN HELL!THERE ARE BELIEVERS IN HELL!

Belie f alone? (James 2:14-26)

Animal Sacrifice in Leviticus 1In the Old Testament the sinner was active in the sacrifice of the

animalHe brought the animal to the

priestHe laid his hands on the head

of the animalHe killed the animal

The priest offered the animal as a burnt offering

Leviticus 1:1-9

The guilty paid the price or symbolically died with the sacrifice

INNOCENTINNOCENT GUILTYGUILTYSANCTIFIEDSANCTIFIED

JUSTIFICATIONJUSTIFICATION( )Penalty Removed

SANCTIFICATION( – )Sins Removed Made Holy

ANIMALANIMALSACRIFICESACRIFICE

RESULTS INRESULTS IN

RESULTS INRESULTS IN

RECONCILIATIONRECONCILIATION( Spiritual Relations hip with a

)Holy God Res tored

RESULTS INRESULTS IN

JUSTICEJUSTICE

MERCYMERCY

The OT “ Tutor” Gal 3:24

SINSINSACRIFICESACRIFICE

BLOOD BLOODATONEMENTATONEMENT

REPRESENTATIVEREPRESENTATIVEDEATHDEATH

HOLINESSHOLINESS

SANCTIFICATIONSANCTIFICATION GRACEGRACE

LOVELOVE

FAITHFAITH

that that takes awaytakes away the sin of the sin of

the world”the world”

““Behold theBehold the

LAMB OF GOD LAMB OF GOD

Christ’ s Blood in ProphecyIsaiah 53

30 AD

Jesus’ DeathFirst five

books of Bible

written

1400 BC 750 BC

Isaiah’s Prophecy

written

0 AD

Jesus’ Birth

Over 700 Over 700 years years before before Christ!Christ!

“Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried” (v4). “He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well -being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed” (v5). “The LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him” (v6). “He was cut off out of the land of the living (death) for the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due” (v8).

He is described as a lamb being led to slaughter (v7) He is an offering for sin (v10)“My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities” (v11).

!He died for you and me

“You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.” there is no sin

“knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”

Accounts of Jesus ’ DeathJesus suffered terrible injustice:• He was condemned to die as an

innocent man• He was scourged, then crucified

Matthew Mark Luke John

“Father, INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT.”

Luke 23:46

Jesus Defeated Sin & DeathHe defeated sin and

the death that it causes by the resurrection

Without the resurrection, Jesus’ death for our sins is meaningless (1 Cor. 15.13-22)

“if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.”

The guilty paid the price or symbolically died with the sacrifice

INNOCENTINNOCENT GUILTYGUILTYSANCTIFIEDSANCTIFIED

INNOCENTINNOCENT GUILTYGUILTYSANCTIFIEDSANCTIFIED

We must pay the price or symbolically die with our sacrifice

He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross so that we

might die to sin

“For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin”

crucified with Him

New Testament terminology identifying the point when one is forgiven:

…If we died with Him we shall also live with Him

2 Timothy 2:11

Now if we died with Christ we believe we will

also live with Him.

Romans 6:8

…for you died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Colossians 3:3

I have been crucified with Christ…

Galatians 2:20

, We mus t be united with the death of Chris t for “ without the shedding of blood

there is no forgiveness of sins.”

We have died with Chris t We have been united with Chris t in His death We have been cruc ified with Chris t We have died to s in

Our sins can not and will not be forgiven

:UNLESS

When does God say that I am:

Dead to sin?

Dying with Christ?

Freed from sin?

United with Christ in His death?Crucified with Christ?

We need God’s answer!He gives it in Romans 6

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” v1-2

““They died to sin.” …. They died to sin.” …. How?/When?How?/When?

ROMANS 6ROMANS 6

died to sin

“Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.” v3-4

Buried WITH Him into death

baptized into Christ Jesus

baptized into His death

baptized into Christ Jesus baptized into His death

buried with Him through baptism into death

“For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection”

united with Him

if

“knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin”

“for he who has died is freed from sin.”

crucified with Him

“Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (6:8-11)

died with Christ

dead to sin

Dead to sin

Dying with Christ

Freed from sin

United with Christ in His death

Crucified with Christ

Romans 6:2, 10-11

Romans 6:7

Romans 6:3-4

Romans 6:6

Romans 6:5

When does God say that I am:

When I am BAPTIZED!

Counting the Cost

God expects us to be obedient and make the appropriate

changes in our lives (Repentance)

Romans 6:1-2; 10-16

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?”

“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, 13 and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

United with Christ’s death…through faithRomans 6:17-18

United with Christ by FAITH

“But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.”

obedient from the heart

For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into

Christ have put on Christ.

--Galatians 3:26-27

buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of

God, who raised Him from the dead

--Colossians 2:12

through faith

through faith in the working of

For as many

God

A Gift from God!

Romans 6:22-23But now having been freed from sin (v7) and enslaved to God (v16), you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

sanctification

gift of God

Have you died with Christ?