These are notes on the sermon, Live By The Power Of The Gospel, preached by Pastor Joseph Prince on Sunday, August 18, 2024, at The Star Performing Arts Centre, Singapore. We hope these sermon notes will be an encouragement to you!
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In our world today, many are increasingly feeling lost. And we see them turning to fame and fortune, things that they think can give them the validation they desire. But what we really need to live a fulfilling and victorious life can only be found in the gospel. As such, it behooves us as believers to go to the Bible to read the gospel for ourselves, and understand how God loves and esteems us, what the Lord has done for us at the cross, and how we are to appropriate the blessings that are our inheritance as the children of God. The unshakable foundation of the gospel is what we should be basing our identities on instead!
So, we need to be reminded again and again what the essential doctrines of the gospel are and be established in these truths. And the Word of God must be an integral part of our daily lives. Just as how the children of Israel received manna from God daily (Exod. 16:13–16), we, too, need to receive a fresh word from God every day!
What then is the gospel?
We often hear people say the word “gospel,” but how many actually understand what it is really about? In Greek, the word gospel translates to “good news.” And what is this good news?
The gospel is about God’s gift of righteousness for us, which has been made available through the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ. And this gift of righteousness is not something that we can earn through our own works or merit (Rom. 11:6). It is a gift we receive purely by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8–9).
Now, the gospel is not just for the lost, it is also for us as believers. In fact, the gospel has answers for our entire lives, whether it is in the area of our health, marriages, parenting, or careers. In every aspect of our lives, the outcomes that we desire can come only from the gospel. Thus, it is important that we dive deep into the Word to fully understand the gospel and to lay hold of all that the finished work of our Lord Jesus has given us access to today!
Some might argue that the gospel is about repentance or that we need to preach more about character, especially with the rise of immorality in the world today. While the gospel does involve repentance and holy living is important, holiness and moral excellence are fruits of the Spirit. Just as a plant can only grow and bear fruit under the right environmental conditions, we can only bear spiritual fruits when we are planted in the soil of God’s grace and rooted in gospel truths—truths about our righteousness in Christ.
Even in the area of overcoming sin, only the gospel can bring about the true transformation that we desire to see. Sin is destructive, and at the cross, our Lord Jesus has already dealt with and defeated sin. And it is through reading the Bible to learn more about the gospel that we will come to understand the gospel is what gives us the power to reign over sin and destructive habits.
The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ is the greatest demonstration of God’s love for us. While we were still sinners, while we were still unlovable, God sent His beloved Son to die for us and pay the price for our sins (1 John 4:9–10) so that we can be reconciled with Him and enjoy a relationship with Him. Now, it was no easy thing for God to send His Son—the Bible tells us that the Father deeply loved His Son. Only when we know how much the Father loved His Son can we begin to understand the depth of God’s love for us.
Beloved, never doubt how much you mean to your heavenly Father, who loves you so dearly. If you ever need to be reminded, just turn to the Scriptures and see His heart for you . . . for in it you will find many beautiful reminders of His love for you!
For example, Psalm 147:3 (NKJV) tells us that He “heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” And in Matthew 6:26–30, our Lord Jesus tenderly reminds us of our heavenly Father’s care and provision for us. He tells us to look at the birds of the air and the lilies of the field—how they neither toil nor worry, yet our Father in heaven provides for them abundantly. If God so lovingly cares for the birds and adorns the lilies with beauty, how much more will He take care of us, His beloved children?
Your heavenly Father cares about every detail in your life. If you are down, He will be there to heal your heart. If you are facing a lack in your life, He will be there to provide for you. Let’s take a look at another example in the Bible:
Many of us can probably relate to the widow’s response; she was fearful, seeing the lack in front of her. Despite the little that she had, the widow still chose to take a step of faith and obeyed God’s instructions that had been confirmed by Elijah. Then, she experienced her miracle—there was more than enough food for her and her household for many days during a time of drought and famine.
Perhaps, like this widow, you have come to the bottom of your barrel. Beloved, fear not! Just as the widow experienced her breakthrough when she listened to and acted on God’s word, your answer is found in turning to God’s Word and putting your faith in the gospel. When we choose to trust the heart of our good and gracious Father and in the unshakable foundation of the gospel—that we have been made righteous by faith—we will begin to see His blessings flow in our lives!
From the widow’s story, we can also see how God helps us to understand what we read in His Word. In 1 Kings 17:9, we know that God had already spoken to the widow to provide for Elijah, but she was still fearful seeing the lack in her life. She needed assurance and confirmation from Elijah, who spoke as a vessel or oracle of God.
Today, we have the five-fold ministry that our heavenly Father established for our benefit. It consists of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers of the Word. The role of these ministers is not to direct us in what to do but rather to confirm the truths that our Father has already revealed to us.
As we study the Bible, teachers and pastors help to make God’s Word more easily understood and receivable! These ministers help to break Scripture down into bite-size portions, and unveil and expound on truths hidden in God’s Word, which is so pure and concentrated.
In Isaiah 55:10–11, God likens His Word to rain:
What a beautiful picture of how God’s Word comes down like rain to us, to bless, heal, and provide for us! Think about the volume of rain that comes down during each downpour. If the rain comes down all at once, imagine the force and weight that the earth would have to bear. In His mercy, our Father causes the rain to come down in droplets, gently watering and nourishing the grass that receives it. Today, we can experience God’s Word in the same way by drawing biblical insights from the God-appointed teachers and pastors in our lives. This could be through listening to sermons, or reading books, devotionals, or commentaries.
Some might argue that reading anything other than the Bible is unnecessary. Of course, we can study the Bible for ourselves, but God has ordained that we can also receive and understand the gospel through His appointed ministers. God can speak to us directly, but He will also use men who have personally experienced His grace in their lives to share the gospel. In Acts 10, an angel was sent to Cornelius, instructing Cornelius to invite the apostle Peter to his home to preach the gospel. From this, we can see that the preaching and spreading of the gospel is an honor that our Father has given specifically to man. Not even angels have this privilege!
Now that we know the importance of reading God’s Word and being established in the gospel, let’s look at two principles that can help us: rightly dividing the Word and seeing Jesus in the Word.
What does it mean to rightly divide the Word? It means understanding the differences between the old covenant of law and the new covenant of grace. How do we do that? By reading and studying all Scripture in the light of the cross—where the gospel begins.
Now, this does not mean the books in the Old Testament are irrelevant! In fact, many of the stories in the Old Testament are types and shadows of our Lord Jesus’ finished work on the cross. An example would be the story of Abraham sacrificing his son Isaac in Genesis 22.
Some preachers have inaccurately used this story to demonstrate the importance of giving up and laying down the things that we love on the altar before God. But what is this portion of Scripture really about?
In Genesis 22:2, God told Abraham, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” At this point in time, Abraham had two sons: Ishmael and Isaac. So when God said, “your only son,” He was referring to Isaac, the son begotten by faith, as a picture of His only begotten Son, Jesus.
Further on in that passage, we see that just before Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac, God stopped him and provided a ram as a sacrifice instead. Notice how the ram was caught in the thicket by its horns. If the ram had been caught in the thicket by its wool, it would have been lacerated, making it blemished and unsuitable to be used as a sacrifice. As this ram had horns, we know it was a mature animal. Since it was mature, it is unlikely that it would have plunged headlong into the thicket. Instead, it must have done so on purpose and wanted to be caught. This ram is a picture of our Lord Jesus who laid down His life for us voluntarily. And like the unblemished ram, our Lord was the perfect offering.
With these revelations, we can see that the story of Genesis 22 is not merely about Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac in obedience to God, but also about the gospel, and about our Father’s sacrifice of His own beloved Son! It is not about our sacrifices to God at all but about His provision and sacrifice for us.
This is a good example of how when we read the Word, we need to bring Christ out of every story and into every situation. And as we do this, we will begin to appropriate the truths of the gospel for ourselves. So, remember to spend some time in God’s Word today and to start beholding our Lord Jesus in the Scriptures!
We hope these sermon notes blessed you! If they did, we encourage you to get the sermon and allow the Lord to speak to you personally as you watch or listen to it.
© Copyright JosephPrince.com 2024
These sermon notes were taken by volunteers during the service. They are not a verbatim representation of the sermon.
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