1126 - Preaching the Gospel is Preaching Jesus Christ#
1126 - Preaching the Gospel is Preaching Jesus Christ
(JP Text Group - Organized by Life Like an Eagle)
Let us share today's scripture: Romans 1:16-17,
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
At that time, many people felt that mentioning Jesus, including preaching the gospel, was a very shameful thing because Jesus was brutally killed and crucified. But Paul said, "I am not ashamed of the gospel," because this gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. No matter which country you are from today, you must believe that the gospel is the power of God, and then the righteousness of God will be revealed in this gospel.
‘This righteousness is from faith for faith.' I checked other versions, and it mentions that 'from faith for faith' means: starting with faith and ending with faith.
Accepting Jesus Christ starts with faith and ends with faith. Jesus Christ brought the gospel, and the content of the gospel is about Jesus and what Jesus did for us on the cross, which shows God's love and redemption for mankind. So, the scripture we just read, you can replace the gospel with 'Jesus', and it would also be good, saying, "I am not ashamed of Jesus, for Jesus is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek, and the righteousness of God is revealed in Jesus!" The righteous shall live by faith in Jesus.
When we preach the gospel, we are actually preaching Jesus Christ.
John 1:16-17,
For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Grace is not a doctrine, not a series of messages or a course; do not misunderstand it. Grace is the gift that God gives us. It is what we receive that we do not deserve, yet God freely gives it to us. God gave His Son Jesus as a gift to us, so that all who believe may receive salvation! We have all received from His fullness of grace, and He continually supplies us.
John 3:16-17 tells us:
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
The first point, the true gospel is Jesus Christ.
The gospel is the good news about Jesus Christ.
Mark 1:1 tells us: The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
The true gospel begins with Jesus Christ. Preaching the gospel apart from Christ becomes empty. The center of the gospel is Jesus; we only exalt Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!
In Galatians 1:6-7, Paul writes to the Galatian church,
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel. Not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.
Paul mentions "another gospel" twice here; if it is different from the gospel I told you, then that person should be accursed.
So in verse 10 he says: Am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Brothers, I want you to know that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ.
The gospel that Paul preached was not a gospel he invented; it was revealed by Jesus Christ. Today we also receive from Paul's letters, because in many of the messages Paul spoke of God's righteousness, he mentioned Jesus Christ, and the core of his sharing is Jesus Christ and His crucifixion, exalting not himself but the works of Jesus Christ.
But what problem arose in the Galatian church at that time? They had already accepted the gospel preached by Paul, but soon after, Judaizers came in and took away the true gospel that the Galatian church originally believed. They brought the Jewish law back into the Galatian church. The scripture says the law was added later; its original meaning is that the law sneaked in, which was not God's intention.
Some people say, "We are no longer under the law but under grace." Today many who preach the law also believe this statement that we are not under the law but under grace. When we ask them, "What does it mean to be not under the law but under grace?"
They say, "Not being under the law refers to the Old Testament rituals; we no longer need to offer various sacrifices like the Old Testament Israelites to atone for our sins. Today we rely on believing in Jesus Christ to be 'saved.' We are just not under that kind of law anymore; our salvation is based on faith in Jesus, but we must obey the law to be sanctified." This is what many people currently believe, that salvation is through faith in Jesus; sanctification must still rely on obeying the law. One must rely on the law to put to death the old self to achieve sanctification.
The truth is not like that; each of us is pursuing holiness, and we also hope for good behavioral changes. But the question is, how can our behavior change today? We hope to be filled with peace, joy, and health every day. The law makes one aware of sin; even if you confess your sins daily, you may not become holy; even if you confess daily, it does not guarantee peace, joy, or health. If you are constantly thinking about your own sins and asking God for forgiveness, how can there be peace and joy? Guilt and condemnation will not benefit our bodies at all! Thank the Lord!
Brothers and sisters, our words are very important; what you think in your heart and speak with your mouth will affect your body. The law is sufficient to make one aware of sin; Jesus did not come to condemn us, nor to point out how many sins we have committed. As we read earlier, Jesus said He did not come to condemn the world but to save the world through Him. He is the gospel itself.
Brothers and sisters, we must remember this phrase: He is the gospel itself. When we preach the gospel, we are preaching the good news of Jesus Christ. Preaching the gospel means preaching Jesus Christ. Our sermons should be the same; we should preach Jesus Christ and 'the redemptive work He accomplished for us.' The message that makes people aware of sin can indeed bring out part of God's glory; we are not saying it has no effect; it does have some effect.
2 Corinthians 3:9 says: For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory.
Even if someone preaches the law of Moses and the message of condemnation, there will still be miracles, and God's glory will still be manifested, but that glory is significantly less. We are ministers of the new covenant, ministers of righteousness, and the glory is greater.
2 Corinthians 3 tells us that if the ministry of condemnation has glory, then the ministry of righteousness has even more glory; this is the result of God's righteousness being revealed in the gospel. Today we believe not in our righteousness but in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. The ministry that exalts Jesus is called the ministry of righteousness, and the glory will increase.
Paul refers to the law as the ministry of condemnation in chapter three, and later mentions that this ministry of the law is also called the ministry of death. Today, many Christians in churches still get sick, but it is not necessarily a result of their sins. Sometimes it is due to wrong beliefs and acceptance of false teachings. The power of sin is the law.
The ministry of death is inscribed on stone; the law inscribed on stone is the Ten Commandments, which is referred to as the ministry of death here. The law brings death, but the Spirit brings life. Today, when we preach Jesus, we bring not death but the eternal life of Jesus Christ.
Under the law, the miracles performed by Moses that turned water into blood resulted in death; but after Jesus came, He performed miracles that turned water into wine, bringing joy to people. This is our Jesus; when we preach the gospel to others, we should bring them joy of life and hope of life; we should not bring them death; that is not the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit that gives life.
When you exalt Jesus Christ, the gospel produces great power. We see in the Bible those who were sick and lame coming to seek Jesus, and Jesus healed all of them. Today, what people need is the good news of Jesus Christ, not the condemning law. Thank the Lord! When a church continually preaches Jesus and the cross of Jesus, people will change as a result. As the Bible says, when Christ is lifted up, He will draw all people to Himself!
It is not by our eloquence that people are attracted to believe in Jesus Christ, nor is it by techniques; we just need to exalt Jesus Christ, and people will naturally be drawn to Him. When you exalt Jesus, the Holy Spirit begins to work, and the power of the gospel is revealed in God's righteousness. The great power of this gospel is to tell others that God's righteousness is willing to be given to all who believe through Jesus Christ.
Let us share the second point: When the grace and truth of Christ are preached, people begin to truly repent.
Today, many people say that if we only preach grace, people will indulge and deliberately sin. In fact, this is just a human assumption. When a person truly realizes the grace of the Lord Jesus, they begin to truly repent. Repentance means to change one's mind and renew one's thoughts.
Romans 6:14-16
For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?
When a person's heart is changed by God's love, their behavior will naturally change; this is very simple. What you think in your heart will manifest in your behavior. Therefore, Jesus fundamentally solved people's problems. When a person's heart is filled with love, how can they hate others? Thank the Lord, this is the great power God gives us; He places His power within us, enabling us to overcome all sin. This is God's righteousness in a person's heart.
Under the law, fifty days after the first Passover, the law was given, and three thousand died at the foot of the mountain, but their deaths did not serve as a true warning for the living—the living did not stop sinning; instead, they fell under the penalties of the law everywhere. From the Old Testament, we can see the history of the Israelites; we find that they were already battered under the law.
The law cannot sanctify a person; its role is to make one aware of sin, only showing people how much they fail and revealing their sins. Through the law, we see the failures of the Israelites. But God did not abandon them; He knew long ago that they could not become holy through the law, so He had already promised them to give them the gospel.
In the prophetic books of the Old Testament, God said He would give them a Messiah, that a virgin would conceive and bear a son, and they would call His name Immanuel, which means God is with you. Thank the Lord. This was good news for them because they could not keep all the laws by themselves and repeatedly failed. God's intention was that the future Messiah would become their righteousness; this is the gospel, and that gospel is Jesus Christ. Because Jesus Christ is the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament, Hallelujah!
What we need today is not the law of the Old Testament but the grace and truth of Jesus Christ. Fifty days after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, God did not give the law but the Holy Spirit. So when Peter preached the resurrected Jesus, three thousand repented and were saved; this is God's great power.
The Holy Spirit brings life to people, while the law brings death.
When Peter preached the dead and resurrected Christ, the people felt deeply convicted. Why? Because Peter pointed out what they had done, saying, "You killed Jesus, whom God gave you as the gospel, but you rejected Him." At that moment, they asked Peter, "What shall we do?" Peter did not say, like John the Baptist, "You brood of vipers, repent!" He did not say, "You must live out good behavior that corresponds to your repentant heart." No, Peter simply told them,
In Acts 2:38, Peter said: "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
This is the good news of Jesus Christ's death and resurrection. Both are preaching repentance; John the Baptist said, "You must live out good behavior that corresponds to your repentant heart." Peter said, "Repent." He did not ask them to align their behavior with their repentant heart but to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins, and they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Hallelujah! Because the Holy Spirit in a person's heart can only bring forth behaviors that align with their repentant heart; it is no longer based on your own behavior but on God's righteousness in your heart guiding you.
We all believe that after believing in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit will guide us from within; this is the repentance people need. The law brings death, while the Holy Spirit brings life. When your heart has Jesus, that person's heart will be renewed, and they will produce good behavior and do good deeds.
After Peter's sermon, those three thousand who received the gospel of Jesus Christ changed. Those three thousand changed; they became a huge church. The Bible tells us that they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayers.
Today, do we not hope that every church is like this? When you exalt Jesus Christ, your church will also undergo such great changes. Originally, some of those people may have persecuted Jesus, but they repented after hearing Peter because Peter preached grace and truth; he preached the dead and resurrected Jesus Christ. So those people began to adhere to the apostles' teachings. What were they doing in the temple? They were fellowshipping, which you can understand as sharing with one another; breaking bread is the communion; prayer is prayer!
Although among the three thousand, some may have previously persecuted Jesus, today it is different. When Peter told them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins, they did so, and the Holy Spirit entered their hearts, and these people changed!
At that time, the gospel spread rapidly; the gospel they preached was Jesus Christ and His crucifixion. They preached the grace and truth of Jesus Christ, not the message of condemnation, but the message of forgiveness. They told people what Jesus had done for them. Thank and praise the Lord!
So brothers and sisters, we must know that when we tell others that God has accepted you because Jesus on the cross has paid the price for your sins, you are forgiven, so do not be afraid to come before God. God is willing to accept you, for it is not based on your righteousness but on God's righteousness, and God wants to save all who believe in Him.
Today we know that when we come before God, we do so by faith; we believe in Jesus Christ, and this is precisely the gospel. This gospel is the power of God that can save all who believe in Jesus Christ. Amen! And the faith God gives us is precisely the testimony of our righteousness placed upon us. Therefore, today God's righteousness is upon you; the righteousness of Jesus Christ is upon you, and this righteousness can be revealed in the gospel.
You tell others that today the righteousness of God upon you is the work that Jesus Christ accomplished for you. If today he has sickness, you tell him to come before God; the righteousness of God is upon you, and He is willing to save you, help you, and heal you. We need to introduce Jesus to him. When a person feels lost, Jesus Christ is his direction! So when we preach the gospel in this way, the gospel is good news.
Many people do not preach good news; how can bringing condemnation to people be good news? In fact, everyone knows they have sinned; they just do not want to admit it. But today, when we preach Jesus, we want to tell them that your sins have been forgiven by God! Because Jesus on the cross has borne all your sins, Hallelujah! When the gospel is preached this way, people are willing to accept it; no one is willing to reject grace. Thank and praise the Lord!
Well, let us conclude with two stories to see how these two people changed.
First, let us look at the first person, a man under the law.
In Mark 10, it is recorded that a young rich man knelt before Jesus and said, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Brothers and sisters, this question is a terrible question because the answer has already been told in the Old Testament, and we know the answer today. No matter what you do, you cannot inherit eternal life. If you could inherit eternal life by doing something, Jesus would not have needed to come. If you really want to ask, "What good behavior must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus' answer is, "You must keep all the commandments."
This is also very consistent with the Bible because Deuteronomy in the Old Testament tells us that if you keep all the statutes and commandments given by God, you will be blessed, and indeed so. God will never lie; as long as you keep all of God's statutes and commandments, you can be blessed. The blessings recorded in the first 28 chapters of Deuteronomy can indeed come upon you, "Blessed shall you be when you go out and when you come in." The problem is that if a person violates even one of them, then all the disasters and curses recorded afterward may come upon you; this is the terrifying nature of the law.
Today, those who do not believe in Jesus are all under the law, so no matter who they are, regardless of their status or appearance, they do not dare to boast that they will never get sick, nor do they dare to boast about their lives! When the young rich man asked Jesus, he said, "You know the commandments!" In fact, Jesus only told him the last five commandments, which are about people's relationships: honoring parents, not committing adultery, not coveting, and so on. This young rich man proudly said, 'Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.'
Jesus did not directly criticize this young man; He knew everything about him! He did not accuse him or condemn him. Jesus clearly knew that he had not done many of them. But the gracious Jesus said to this young man, "You lack one thing." In fact, he definitely lacks more than one thing (he lacks too much!). People fall short in many ways before the law, but Jesus said, "You lack one thing: sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."
This is Jesus' method. Today, if we want to inherit eternal life, what a person needs to do is to follow Jesus. But what did this young rich man do? This rich man under the law was not willing to give even a penny in offering because a person under the law has no compassion or generosity, so he went away sorrowful!
A person under the law, no matter how much they have, is still unsatisfied! Even if they already have a lot, they may often feel sorrowful and lacking because the law shows us our inadequacies, lacking security and satisfaction. This rich man left, which is a pity.
People under the law always feel pressured to do things; if they cannot do them, they must do them. Sometimes they may think, "How nice it would be not to believe in this Lord!" Today, I find that after believing, there is even more to do. Today I have to go to church, I have to make offerings, and I have to serve. If I do not serve, I might face discipline. How tiring!
Brothers and sisters, such a life is not a blessing for him; instead, it becomes a bondage and burden. Jesus brings hope to people; Jesus always supplies people, shows mercy to people, and brings peace and joy to people. If you feel that you are getting more and more tired from believing, you may be under the law.
Matthew 11:28-30
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Jesus did not come to give us a heavier burden but to give us rest. So all who feel overwhelmed can seek Jesus. He can give you rest; His yoke is easy, and His burden is light. Believing in Jesus is an easy thing, and serving becomes increasingly joyful.
Now let us look at the second person, a man under grace.
Why do we say he is under grace? Because he encountered grace. He was also a rich man, the same kind of rich man, but his fate was different. This is in Luke 19, and this rich man is named Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus was a tax collector.
It is necessary to mention this person's background. At that time, the Israelites were under Roman rule, and to collect taxes, some people went to collect taxes from the Israelites on behalf of the Romans. Such people were despised by everyone; in short, they were looked down upon. And this Zacchaeus was a tax collector; you can imagine how bad it was; he was despised, and when he went out, others would point fingers at him.
He himself was not very standard in appearance, as he was quite short, so he always felt inferior to others. Because of his profession, he was looked down upon, and he had no good behavior; no one wanted to be friends with him. So he kept trying to satisfy himself with money, but he found that this could not satisfy him at all. No one respected him, let alone that he could keep all the laws; he simply could not do it.
He was not like the rich man we just talked about, who may have had good behavior. But this rich man had really bad behavior, so in the eyes of the law teachers, he was a sinner, and he himself admitted it.
In Luke 19:7, when Jesus went to Zacchaeus' house, the crowd saw it and grumbled, "He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner."
We believe that Zacchaeus was not hearing people gossip about him for the first time; he was used to it, but he really wanted to change. Thank the Lord! Jesus did not point out his sins; Jesus did not care that he was short; Jesus did not care about his job status. When he climbed up the sycamore tree to see what kind of person Jesus was, Jesus said, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today." Brothers and sisters, Jesus is such a loving Lord.
Are you willing to welcome Jesus into your home? No matter what your past behavior was; no matter what your past profession was; no matter what your current environment is like, are you willing to welcome this gracious Lord into your home?
Jesus today also tells you, "I must go to your house today." Are you willing to open your door and let Jesus in? If you are willing, first open your heart, and Jesus will enter your heart, and your life will be changed. Hallelujah! Your whole being will be renewed. Perhaps you have heard many condemning messages in the past, saying you are a sinner and that you have done many bad things. Jesus does not care about any of that because He is not asking you to repent and become good through your own righteousness. He wants to place His righteousness upon you; He gives you His life, and your life will change. When you have the life of Christ within you, it will produce good behavior!
So when Zacchaeus heard that Jesus was going to his house, he was very excited and wanted to bring Jesus into his home. But when the crowd saw it, they said, "Oh! Jesus has gone to stay with a sinner!" This proves that these self-righteous people were unwilling to enter Zacchaeus' house, let alone stay there. So when Zacchaeus saw how these people treated him, he did not care; he felt that as long as he had Jesus, that was enough. When he welcomed Jesus into his house, Zacchaeus stood before Jesus and said, "Lord, I will give half of my goods to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will restore it fourfold." This is the change that Jesus brought.
Did you notice that a person who valued money above all else, Zacchaeus, had his life changed the moment he welcomed Jesus into his home? This person had always thought that money was the most important thing in his life, but now he discovered that Jesus Christ, who is more important than money, was there. He said, "Lord, I will give half of my wealth to the poor." How did this person change? How did his behavior suddenly change?
Jesus did not say, "Zacchaeus, you must change; only when you have good behavior can I enter your house." No, when Jesus entered his house, He knew he had no good behavior, but so what? As long as a person is willing, no one's footsteps can stop Jesus from coming to your house. As long as you are willing to open the door, Jesus is willing to enter, and your life will be instantly renewed by Jesus. Hallelujah!
So this is Zacchaeus' change; he was under grace. I believe that today, as long as you are willing to preach Jesus in this way, and as long as he is willing to open his heart and welcome Jesus in, this person's life will be renewed by Jesus. The Holy Spirit will dwell in him, continually renewing his heart, and his behavior will naturally change.
So we believe that after Zacchaeus welcomed Jesus into his home, his behavior was no longer like before; he was different. Hallelujah! At least we must believe this; verse 9 says, "Today salvation has come to this house." Hallelujah! When Jesus entered Zacchaeus' house, Zacchaeus was changed, and Jesus brought salvation to Zacchaeus' home.
So today, brothers and sisters, those who have believed in Jesus, you carry the salvation of Jesus Christ. With your mouth, you should proclaim the good news that can turn people back to Jesus, so when you go to your friend's house, you will bring salvation to that person's home. Thank the Lord.
Jesus said, "For he too is a son of Abraham." Such a sinner, in the eyes of outsiders, how could he be worthy to be called a son of Abraham? But Jesus personally testified that he is also a son of Abraham. Thank the Lord! Today, our salvation is not based on our behavior; our justification is not based on our behavior. Because you believe in Jesus, and you are willing to receive Jesus into your heart, you are also a son of Abraham.
Jesus said, "The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." If you feel that you are that lost person, that your business is not going well, that there are many problems in your family, that your relationships are terrible, and that others dislike you, making you dislike yourself, what should you do? You need to welcome Jesus into your heart because this Lord does not condemn your sins. Although He knows your problems, He will not expose your scars; He wants to comfort you, bless you, and give you His righteousness. Hallelujah! Believe and you will receive!
So when you are willing to accept Jesus as your Savior, your whole being will change. You are no longer a sinner; you are now a child of God. Hallelujah! If you are willing to accept Jesus today, you will be like Zacchaeus; you are also a son of Abraham, and the blessings of Abraham will come upon you. In the past, you may have often failed, but now you will say in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ that everything has changed in Christ. Because your life is being renewed, every day the Holy Spirit is renewing you, guiding your life. When you accept Jesus, He will dwell in your heart and never leave; this is God's promise to us. Hallelujah! Thank and praise the Lord!
When you believe correctly, you will naturally produce correct behavior. When you believe correctly, your heart will change. When your heart correctly receives the gospel, your behavior will change. Thank and praise the Lord; the gospel we preach is preaching Jesus Christ and the salvation He accomplished for us.
We need to tell the world that today God no longer condemns you; God has declared you righteous. Jesus on the cross has died for you, so God no longer remembers your sins. Jesus Christ is your testimony of righteousness; Jesus Christ is your testimony of justice. Jesus Christ is your testimony of being blessed by God. Hallelujah. Jesus Christ is the condition for your healing today. Thank the Lord!
In the past, you might have said that you were not qualified to come before God to ask, but now it is different. You have accepted Jesus, so all your sins have been paid for, and today you can come boldly before the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. He is very willing to draw near to you; He is very willing to heal you; He is very willing to help you!
Jesus Christ is your life. What you need to do is to share this good news, this gospel, with more people. Let them rejoice with you! Let them be joyful with you! Hallelujah! So we preach grace, preaching the grace of Jesus Christ. What He brings us is grace; He Himself is grace. What comes from Him always brings hope, healing, and joyful expectations for life.
Anyone who is lost, anyone who is sad, everyone who sees Jesus, everyone who follows Jesus, their lives will change. Thank the Lord! As long as you sincerely wish to believe in Him, your life will also change. Thank and praise the Lord! Hallelujah! Open your heart and accept Jesus Christ as the Savior of your life! When you accept Him, your life will never be the same. Hallelujah!