The Gospel:
I am going to introduce you to the Gospel right now. You are a rebel. Whether you want to acknowledge it or not, I tell you straight up. You are a rebel against the living God. This is your natural disposition. Why? Because you were born in sin.
We are in a prison cell. And it takes the awaking and grace of God. Called the Provencal grace of God, to awaken us to the fact that we are lost and can’t get out. We are headed towards destruction, fast. The enemy, because of our rebellion against God, has legal rights to harm and harass our lives. There you are in your prison cell, “Help, I need out!” You can’t get out. Those prison bars are impenetrable, there is no way out, and you cannot escape! You’re doomed. Because when the enemy comes in in the very end, he is going to finish you off! Because he has legal right to do it and he is going to relish every minute of it. Just then, in strolls your intercessor. Your mighty man. And He stands between you and that accuser and He takes the death hit. He takes the blow that was intended for you. He takes the hit that was justly and rightfully yours. That is an extraordinary reality! That He was turned to pulp. That he actually died. GOD DIED!
For you. Over your prison cell it has always said ‘condemned’, ‘separated eternally from God’, ‘Guilty’! And then suddenly it switches. When you realize what Jesus Christ has done, the sign reads ‘Justified’, ‘Forgiven’, ‘Redeemed’.
Here’s the problem: Most of us have stopped with the good news right there. The blood of Jesus Christ has been shed. He was killed. And I want you to know that is unbelievable news. But we are still in a prison cell. And so we are praising God from with in a prison cell. Going “Thank you for forgiving me. Thank you for changing the sign on the outside of my prison cell”. And God’s word says, “Could you check the door to the prison cell? Cause my blood was shed for more than just forgiveness.” Forgiveness was the avenue through which He could make the escape for us. He isn’t just interested in the consequences, or the penalty of sin. He has also dealt with the problem of sin. “Test the door. IT’S UNLOCKED! The door to the prison cell is unlocked! WALK OUT! Smell the open air of freedom and liberty in the life of Jesus Christ. When you get outside of the prison cell, there is like this chariot waiting for you. Emissaries from the King and they say, “The King beckons you to His presence.” Do you know how bizarre this is when you realize you were a rebel? That you are undeserving completely. The living God has given up His life for you. And now He has set you free. And now the very King is beckoning you into His presence. It’s kind of like, ‘are you sure you have the right guy? I’m a rebel. I stood against my God. I spat in His face. How could He want me?’
“The King beckons you.” So you get into the chariot, and as you’re pulling into the Kingdom you’re looking around wondering where they may drop you off. You’re looking for the ‘poor’ district. You look and say, “Where are you taking me?”
“Into the very near presence of the King. He wants you to live right where He lives.” Not just the penalty, not just the problem, but an invitation into His very near presence. But as you’re coming in the Emissaries say, “He wants to adopt you as His child.”
“Me? As His child?” We are brought in and invited near to share His heart. You come into his presence totally broke over the reality of what He’s done for you. “I don’t deserve this. Why have you done this for me?”
“I Love you. I have a commission for you.”
“For me? You want to have me work for you?”
“I want you to work for me. I want you to represent me.”
“Absolutely! Anything I can do for you, just tell me.”
“I need you to go back to that prison cell that I took you out of. Cause there are a whole bunch more that need to know about me and my love and my truth. Will you go for me?”
“In a heartbeat! I would gladly serve you. Anyway you want, anyway you ask.”
“I need to forewarn you. I’m going to send you out. You will be as a sheep among wolves. They’ll kill you. They’ll destroy you. They’ll hate you. They’ll persecute you. They will do whatever they can to harm you.”
“I’m in. I’ll do it God. I don’t care. You shed your blood for me, I’d gladly shed my blood for you. Take my body, take my blood. Spend it anyway you want! I belong to you and in covenant, take me Lord Jesus, and send me! The commission, not just the penalty, the just the problem, not just the invitation into His very near presence, not just the adoption as a son or daughter of the King of Kings, but we are commissioned to represent Him! And I want you to realize that is a privilege beyond all other privileges to bear the very name, the very image, the very reputation of GOD ALMIGHTY.
And He says, “I ask you to go. Go and make disciples of all men. Go, and be unashamed of my Gospel and preach it. GO! Rescue the lost in the power of my name. For was not the lamb that was slain worthy to receive the reward of His suffering!”
“I’ll go.” And as you’re beginning to head out with His blessing, He says.
“Halt. Wait. There’s one more thing.” Not just the penalty, not just the problem, not just the invitation to His very near presence, not just the adoption as a son or daughter of the King, and not just the commission. This is the capstone. The crowning jewel. If you think that is all good, you can wrap that up into one ball and still fall short of the final one. Because this final one is so condescending on the part of our King, it is so bewildering, so extraordinary, so amazing. And this is the truth that turns the world upside down. “Before you go. What I’m sending you out to do is impossible.”
“I know.”
“And if you do it in your own strength, you’ll fail.”
“I don’t care. I’m willing to do whatever you ask of me. And if you want me to just go in there and die, I will.”
“I’m sending you out to be a victor. My children will not lose! Would you give me your body? And I will come in and make it my home. And I will take those hands of yours and make them my hands. I will take those feet of yours and make them my feet. I will take that mouth of yours and it will speak my words. I will take those eyes of yours and make them now see what I need you to be seeing in this world. And I will take your heart of stone and make it a heart of flesh so it will beat with my burdens and you will care for the very things I care about. And your prayers will become my prayers and your life and your behavior and every minute of every day will be the very behavior of God! Will you allow me to overtake your life? Cause then we go into this world as little lambs with faces of lions. Because the living God Almighty, the consuming almighty souvenir God dwells within His children and we stand in the wolf packs that surrounds us. We stand in the authority of the name of Jesus! And we will not back down! Because we do not head off to war to lose, but to win. Our God mocks all the powers of earth and Hell through fluffily little lambs. Because His lambs beat the wolf pack. That’s the Gospel!! The Gospel trounces on all the powers of earth and Hell and demonstrates to the universe the manifold wisdom of God. That He is in control. And even though we look weak. And even though we ARE physically and naturally weak, greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. THAT IS GOOD NEWS!!! We need to rise up, proclaim the Gospel and say, “I’m unashamed of it! Dear Lord Jesus, take what is rightfully yours. Don’t just send us; send us with yourself firmly planted within our souls. We cannot do your work. We cannot bring you glory. Even though we are willing to do it without you. Please, if you want to come with us, why would we ever try, on our own?
“You don’t have to go on your own. You don’t have to pull off the impossible on your own. You don’t have to fail any longer. Your God is ready to do it within you and through you. You can’t do it. You can’t muster up the discipline, you can’t muster up the intellect, you can’t muster up the strength, you can’t muster up the perseverance and the fortitude.” He can. “You can’t love the lost, you can’t love those that spit upon your face.” He can. Don’t pray that God would teach you to love like He loves, pray that He would fill you with Himself and He would love in it through you. Don’t pray that He would teach you to have joy, pray that the living God full of joy would enter into you. Don’t pray that He would teach you how to be peaceful, ask for the God of peace, the Prince of Peace to fill you. Because if you try and imitate in your own strength, you will be a miserable replica. But if you allow the impartation of Jesus Christ to overtake you, suddenly it all works. Because it’s Him imitating Himself. And He is very good, at being GOD!
