GOSPEL IDENTITY & GOSPEL APPLICATION: OUR IDENTITY …

1 Ministry Leadership DEVELOPMENT 5 GOSPEL IDENTITY & GOSPEL APPLICATION: OUR IDENTITY IN CHRISTWhat is the GOSPEL ? 1. At the heart of Christianity is the message of the GOSPEL . The GOSPEL is the power of God for salvation in its fullest sense. I am not ashamed of the GOSPEL , because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the GOSPEL a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith (Romans 1:16-17). 2. The GOSPEL is central to everything. It is not just about our initial salvation. It is the essence of the Christian faith. The GOSPEL impacts the whole of our lives. It is the power that changes us and molds us more and more into the image of Jesus christ . 3. The GOSPEL is not about something we do but about what has been done for us.

2 A. The GOSPEL is good news announcing that we have been rescued or saved. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:13-14). b. We are rescued from the coming wrath at the end of history (I Thessalonians 1:10). c. The root problem is that we are alienated from God because of sin. d. We need to be reconciled to God. All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through christ , and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in christ , not counting men s sins against them (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). e. The only way that we can be reconciled to God is through His Son Jesus christ . 4. The GOSPEL of sheer grace when offered to hopeless sinners will humble and comfort all at once. It brings us inexpressible joy and also a deep sense of brokenness over our sins, regrets, and 1 6 Ministry Leadership DEVELOPMENT 5.

3 The GOSPEL changes our attitude toward the circumstances we face. We are enabled to see things from God s perspective. We are then able to apply the GOSPEL to the circumstances we are facing. 6. The GOSPEL also changes the affections of our hearts. We begin to love Jesus more and more as the GOSPEL works itself out in our lives. We love Him more than we love our own selves. 7. The power of the GOSPEL penetrates our hearts, bringing us to deep gratitude for the love and grace of God, and it even reveals our inward motives, our desires, and the idols of our hearts, which leads us to brokenness and humility. 8. Four basic biblical truths will help us begin to work out a true sense of GOSPEL IDENTITY in our : We are unconditionally loved and accepted by God solely on the basis of Jesus work on our , since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus christ , through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we stand.

4 And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God (Romans 5:1-2).SECURITY AND HOPE 1. This is the biblical doctrine of justification. Justification is an act of God s free grace unto sinners, in which he pardons all their sin, accepts and accounts their persons righteous in his sight; not for anything wrought in them, or done by them, but only for the perfect obedience and full satisfaction of christ , by God imputed to them and received by faith alone. (Westminster Larger Catechism #70) 2. There are two aspects of justification: our sins are fully forgiven, and we are made perfect in the eyes of God because Jesus perfection is freely given to us. 3. We are accepted as righteous in the sight of God through the righteousness of christ accounted to us. This grace in which we stand (Romans 5:2). 4. Justification is the perfect righteousness of christ reckoned to us, covering the remaining imperfections in our lives like a robe of stainless holiness.

5 (Richard Lovelace, Dynamics of Spiritual Life) 5. By virtue of our justification, we have a new IDENTITY in christ . We are complete in christ and lack nothing. Because of this new IDENTITY , we can find true satisfaction and fulfillment through our relationship with christ . For in christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in christ you have been brought to fullness (Colossians 2:9-10). Ministry Leadership DEVELOPMENT 7 6. The problem is that many people have never come to realize this, or if we have, we often forget this truth. Therefore, we try to find satisfaction and fulfillment in other ways. None of them will ever give us these things. 7. We all struggle with basic insecurities. We deeply want to be loved and accepted. We want to be safe and noticed. 8. Because we lack these things, we live in fear, which can paralyze our lives and rob us of the peace and joy God wants us to experience.

6 9. We must learn to start each day by reminding ourselves that we are accepted by God, claiming the righteousness of christ as the only ground for acceptance. We must acknowledge that we are complete in christ and lack : We are set free from our bondage of sin and have the ability to die to sin and to live for christ each day and moment of our we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin (Romans 6:6).FREEDOM AND MOTIVATION 1. This is the biblical doctrine of sanctification. Sanctification is a work of God s grace, whereby they, whom God has, before the foundation of the world, chosen to be holy, are, in time through the powerful operation of his Spirit, applying the death and resurrection of christ unto them, renewed in their whole man after the image of God; having the seeds of repentance unto life, and all other saving graces, put into their hearts, and those graces so stirred up, increased and strengthened, as that they more and more die unto sin, and rise into newness of life.

7 (Westminster Larger Catechism #75) 2. Sanctification, unlike justification which is a one time act, is an ongoing process. 3. We are a work in progress! God is not finished with us yet! Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6). 4. Much of our growth in grace is effected by events and conditions that God brings into our lives to perfect His work in us. 5. Even the spiritual battles we face are tools that God uses to shape us and mold us to be more like christ . 6. The spiritual battles we face, along with the trials and difficulties we experience, should not throw us; they should encourage us that God is at work in us! 8 Ministry Leadership DEVELOPMENT 7. Through the sanctification process, we learn how to work out the implications of the GOSPEL to the whole of our lives. This is what Paul meant when he wrote, Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose (Philippians 2:12-13).

8 A. Paul clearly is speaking about our sanctification in this verse. He is saying that we have a responsibility to work out our salvation as we learn more and more how to apply the GOSPEL to every situation we face. b. While we have a responsibility in working out our sanctification, we also must be aware of the fact that it is God who is at work in us. c. Sanctification is intricately connected to the work of the Holy Spirit who dwells within : We are not alone when we are in christ because we have His Holy Spirit living in you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? (1 Corinthians 6:19).COMFORT AND STRENGTH 1. Christians often forget or don t realize that they have the Spirit of God living in them to give them supernatural power to work out their salvation (the implications of the GOSPEL ) and to engage in the spiritual battles they face.

9 2. The Holy Spirit is the primary agent who applies the redemptive work Jesus christ accomplished on our behalf. 3. The inward work of the Holy Spirit is vital in our justification, sanctification and adoption. 4. Therefore we have to get to know the Holy Spirit personally. 5. The typical relationship between believers and the Holy Spirit in today s church is too often like that between a husband and wife in a bad marriage. They live under the same roof, but he fails to communicate with her, recognize her presence, and celebrate their relationship with her. (Richard Lovelace, Dynamics of Spiritual Life) 6. What can we do to reverse this situation? a. Make a deliberate effort at the outset of every day to recognize the Person of the Holy Spirit and to open our minds and share our thoughts and plans with Him. b. Continue to walk throughout the day in a relationship of communication and communion with the Spirit as we read and meditate upon God s Word.

10 Ministry Leadership DEVELOPMENT 9 c. Acknowledge Him as the illuminator of truth and of the glory of christ . d. Look to Him as teacher, guide, sanctifier, giver of assurance concerning our sonship and standing before God, helper in prayer, and as the one who directs and empowers our witness. 7. When we practice the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives over a period of time, our experience with the Spirit becomes less subjective and more clearly identifiable. 8. We are not alone as we live out our faith. God is in us!4: We have the upper hand in spiritual conflict. We have the power of christ living in you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with christ . He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; He took it away, nailing it to the cross.