The Gospel: Day 17

Posted by Jess

“Jesus is the true and better Adam who passed the test in the garden and whose obedience is imputed to us.

Jesus is the true and better Abel who, though innocently slain, has blood now that cries out, not for our condemnation, but for acquittal.

Jesus is the true and better Abraham who answered the call of God to leave all the comfortable and familiar and go out into the void not knowing wither he went to create a new people of God.

Jesus is the true and better Isaac who was not just offered up by his father on the mount but was truly sacrificed for us. And when God said to Abraham, “Now I know you love me because you did not withhold your son, your only son whom you love from me,” now we can look at God taking his son up the mountain and sacrificing him and say, “Now we know that you love us because you did not withhold your son, your only son, whom you love from us.”

Jesus is the true and better Jacob who wrestled and took the blow of justice we deserved, so we, like Jacob, only receive the wounds of grace to wake us up and discipline us.

Jesus is the true and better Joseph who, at the right hand of the king, forgives those who betrayed and sold him and uses his new power to save them.

Jesus is the true and better Moses who stands in the gap between the people and the Lord and who mediates a new covenant.

Jesus is the true and better Rock of Moses who, struck with the rod of God’s justice, now gives us water in the desert.

Jesus is the true and better Job, the truly innocent sufferer, who then intercedes for and saves his stupid friends.

Jesus is the true and better David whose victory becomes his people’s victory, though they never lifted a stone to accomplish it themselves.

Jesus is the true and better Esther who didn’t just risk leaving an earthly palace but lost the ultimate and heavenly one, who didn’t just risk his life, but gave his life to save his people.

Jesus is the true and better Jonah who was cast out into the storm so that we could be brought in.

Jesus is the real Rock of Moses, the real Passover Lamb, innocent, perfect, helpless, slain so the angel of death will pass over us. He’s the true temple, the true prophet, the true priest, the true king, the true sacrifice, the true lamb, the true light, the true bread.” -Tim Keller

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree"— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭3:13-14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Until next time,

☮❤=)
Jess

The Gospel: Day 16

Posted by Jess

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭15:3-4‬ ‭ESV

Until next time,

☮❤=)
Jess

The Gospel: Day 15

Posted by Jess

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1:7-8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Until next time,

☮❤=)
Jess

The Gospel: Day 14

Posted by Jess

God. Our. Sins. Paying. Everyone. Life

The greatest story ever told, that’s hardly ever told

God. Yes. God

The maker and giver of life

And by life I mean any and all matter and substance

Seen and unseen

What can and can't be touched

Thoughts, image, emotions, love, atoms, and oceans, God

All of it his handy work

One of which is masterpiece

Made so uniquely that angels looked curiously

The one thing in creation that was made with his imagery
The concept so cold
It’s the reason I stay bold

How God breathed in the man and he became a living soul

Formed with the intent of being infinitely, intimately fond

Creator and creation held in eternal bond

And it was placed in perfect paradise til something went wrong

A species got deceived and started lusting for his job

An odd list of complaints, as if the system ain’t working

And used that same breath he graciously gave us to curse him

And that sin seed spread though our soul’s genome

And by nature of your nature, your species, you participated in the mutiny

Our. Yes. Our sins

Its nature inherited, blackened the human heart

It was over before it started

Deceived from day one and lead away by our own lusts

There’s not a religion in the world that doesn’t agree that something’s wrong with us

The question is what is it?

And how do we fix it?

Are we eternally separated from a God that may or not have existed?

But that’s another subject. Let’s keep grinding

Besides trying to prove God is like defending a lion homie
It don’t need your help, just unlock the cage

Let’s move on how our debt can be paid

Short and sweet

The problem is Sin

Yes. Sin

It’s a cancer. An asthma. Choking out our life force

Forcing separation from a perfect and holy God

And the only way to get back is to get back to perfection

But silly us, trying to pass the course of life without referring to a syllabus

This is us

Heap up your good deeds. Chant, pray, meditate

But all of that of course is spraying cologne on a corpse

Or you could choose to ignore it as if something don’t stink

It’s like stepping in dog poop and refusing to wipe your shoe

But all of that ends with how good is good enough?

Take your silly list of good deeds and line them up against perfection, good luck

That’s life past your pay grade

The cost of your soul you ain’t gotta big enough piggy bank

But you could give it a shot

But I suggest you throw away the list

Cause even your good acts are an extension of your selfishness

But here’s where it gets interesting

I hope you're closely listening

Please don’t get it twisted

It’s what makes our faith unique

Here’s what God says is Part A of the gospel

You can’t fix yourself, quit trying it’s impossible

Sin brings death

Give God his breath back, you owe him

Eternally separated and the only way to fix it is someone die in your place

And that someone gotta be perfect

Or the payment ain’t permanent

So if and when you find the perfect person

Get him or her to willingly trade their perfection for your sin and death in

Clearly since the only one that can meet God’s criteria is God

God sent himself as Jesus to pay the cost for us

His righteousness, His death, functions as Payment

Yes. Payment

Wrote a check with his life but at the resurrection we all cheered cause that means the check cleared

Pierced feet, pierced hands, bloodstained Son of Man

Fullness, forgiveness, free passage into the promise land

That same breath God breathed into us God gave up to redeem us

And anyone and everyone

And by Everyone, I mean Everyone

Who puts their faith and trust in Him and Him

alone can stand in full confidence of God’s forgiveness

And here’s what the promise is

That you are guaranteed full access to return to perfect unity

By simply believing in Christ and Christ alone

You are receiving Life

Yes. Life

This is the Gospel

God. Our. Sins. Paying. Everyone. Life

~Propaganda

“And he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭7:48‬ ‭ESV

Until next time,

☮❤=)

Jess

The Gospel: Day 13

Posted by Jess

God is perfect, and he created everything. Since God created everything, he is in charge (Genesis 1:1).

Humans are not perfect. We break God’s laws and do things that make God angry all the time. The Bible calls this sin, and we are all sinners (Romans 3:23).

When we sin and disobey God, we deserve to be punished. The Bible says that the punishment for disobeying God is death — separation from God forever in hell (Romans 6:23).

Because God loves us, he provided a way for us to be rescued from sin and punishment. He sent his son Jesus to Earth. Jesus is 100% human AND 100% God, so he is perfect. He lived a perfect life and never sinned. He kept all of God’s laws (John 3:16, Hebrews 4:15)

Since Jesus never sinned, he did not deserve to die, but he willingly chose to take our punishment and die in our place — as our substitute (John 3:16, Romans 5:8).

When Jesus died, he didn’t stay dead. God brought him back to life after 3 days, and he is still alive today! This shows us that God accepted Jesus perfect sacrifice for our sin (1 Peter 3:18).

In order to be rescued from sin and punishment, you need to ask God to forgive you for breaking his laws and sinning, believe that Jesus lived a perfect life, died, and came back to life after 3 days, and tell God that you want him to be in charge of your life (Romans 10:9).

-Centrikid Camps

“For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭1:19-22‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Until next time,

☮❤=)
Jess

The Gospel: Day 12

Posted by Jess

The Bible depicts human beings, all human beings everywhere, as in revolt against God, and therefore under his judgment. But although God stands over against us in judgment because of our sin, quite amazingly he stands over against us in love, because he is that kind of God—and the gospel is the good news of what God, in love, has done in Jesus Christ, especially in Jesus’s cross and resurrection, to deal with our sin and to reconcile us to himself.

Christ bore our sin on the cross. He bore the penalty, turned aside God’s judgment, God’s wrath, from us, and cancelled sin. The brokenness of our lives he restores; the shattered relationships he rebuilds in the context of the church; the new life that we human beings find in Christ is granted out of the sheer grace of God. It is received by faith as we repent of our sins and turn to Jesus. We confess him as Lord, and bow to him joyfully.

One day he will make all things new. The good news culminates in a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness, where neither sin nor any of its effects can survive, and where we enjoy the presence of God forever in the context of resurrection existence.

~ the gospel coalition 

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:4-5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Until next time,

☮❤=)
Jess

The Gospel: Day 11

Posted by Jess

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Righteous One, died for your sins. He was raised on the third day, triumphant over all his enemies. He reigns until he puts all of his enemies under his feet. Forgiveness of sins and a right standing with God come freely through him alone, by faith alone.

~John Piper 

“For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.”

‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5:9-10‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Until next time,

☮❤=)
Jess

The Gospel: Day 10

Posted by Jess

God came into history in Jesus Christ. He died in order to destroy the power of hell and death and Satan and sin, and he did it through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

~John Piper

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

‭‭John‬ ‭10:11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

https://www.bible.com/59/jhn.10.11.esv

Until next time,

☮❤=)
Jess

The Gospel: Day 9

Posted by Jess

“No matter what sin we’ve committed or commit, it’s been paid for.”

Matt

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭5:6-8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Until next time,

☮❤=)
Jess

The Gospel: Day 8

Posted by Jess

Each of us stands guilty before the Judge of all...we have been declared righteous on the basis of Christ’s premeditated and substitutionary sacrifice. Jesus Christ voluntarily and purposefully laid down his life so God could remain just while justifying the guilty— you and me. God has declared us righteous. All that remains is the issue of whether or not we will receive this pronouncement. 

~This Great Salvation (Pursuit of Godliness Series)

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭3:23-24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Until next time,

☮❤=)
Jess

The Gospel: Day 7

Posted by Jess

The God who created you accepts you. His Son voluntarily faced the unimaginable horror of the Cross, forsaken by God the Father and by man, in order to justify you. He was forsaken so we might be forgiven. He experienced separation so we might forever be secure in God’s love. He endured the wrath of God so that we would never have to. “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification” (Romans 4:25). You have been justified!

~This Great Salvation (Pursuit of Godliness Series)

“He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭4:25‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Until next time,

☮❤=)
Jess

The Gospel: Day 6

Posted by Jess

Man of sorrows Lamb of God

By His own betrayed

The sin of man and wrath of God

Has been on Jesus laid

Silent as He stood accused

Beaten mocked and scorned

Bowing to the Father's will

He took a crown of thorns

Oh that rugged cross

(My salvation

Where Your love poured out over me)

Now my soul cries out

Hallelujah

Praise and honor unto Thee

Sent of heaven God's own Son

To purchase and redeem

And reconcile the very ones

Who nailed Him to that tree

.

.

Now my debt is paid

It is paid in full

By the precious blood

That my Jesus spilled

Now the curse of sin

Has no hold on me

Whom the Son sets free

Oh is free indeed

.

.

See the stone is rolled away

Behold the empty tomb 

Hallelujah God be praised

He's risen from the grave

~Man of Sorrows by Hillsong lyrics

"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. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

‭‭John‬ ‭3:16-18‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Until next time,

☮❤=)
Jess

The Gospel: Day 5

Posted by Jess

My heart is glad and my soul rejoice
my flesh it dwells secure
because You put on flesh
lived a blameless life
my curse on the cross You bore
then You ripped the doors off the City of Death
and the chains fell to the floor
Now the serpent's crushed
It has been finished
and You reign forever more
~Psalm 16 Shane and Shane lyrics 


“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
Romans 8:1-4 ESV


Until next time,

☮❤=)
Jess

The Gospel: Day 4

Posted by Jess

Imagine you are standing in front of a judge and he has just given you the verdict, guilty. You are sentenced to the electric chair. You’re walking to the chair but someone stands up and says “I will take her place.” He goes, sits in the chair and is killed on your behalf. You tell the judge, no it should have been me, but the man already took your place, your case is acquitted. The judge tells you, “get out of here, your case is closed.”

-(Paraphrased) Bob

“When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, "It is finished," and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”

‭‭John‬ ‭19:30‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Until next time,

☮❤=)
Jess

The Gospel: Day 3

Posted by Jess

“What he’s saying is I’ll prepare a place for you by going to the cross tomorrow, and where I’m going you’re not going, nor do you really want to. I’m going to give my life sacrificially as a ransom for you and for my church. I’m going to allow your sin to become me, and the eyes of my Father will turn off of me for the first time in all eternity, so that I can make a way for you to come to God.”

-Pastor Bryon White

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5:17-21‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Until next time,

☮❤=)
Jess

The Gospel: Day 2

Posted by Jess

There is a king and it is found that someone has stolen some of his prized possessions. So they searched the kingdom and they found that the thief was his own mother. Now the price to pay for stealing is thirty lashes. So what does the king do? Does he sentence his mother? He is a just king. He does. He sentences his mother to thirty lashes. They tie her to the post, but as they ready the whip the king yells “STOP!” He comes down from his throne, takes off his robe and wraps his arms around his mother covering her back with his body. “Okay, continue,” the king says and he receives the thirty lashes for his mom. This is what Christ did for us. 

~ (paraphrased) Pastor Jim The Bridge Course 

"Surely he took up our pain
   and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
    stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed."

Isaiah 53:4-5

Until next time,

☮❤=)
Jess

The Gospel: Day 1

Posted by Jess

For the next thirty days I’m going to write the gospel in the different ways that I’ve heard it in hopes to grasp it better. This is the Gospel as I understand it:

Jesus lived the life I couldn’t live (in perfect righteousness before God), died the death I deserve to die (he paid the penalty owed for my sin against God), and he rose from the dead making me right with God (justified in his sight). 

“And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.” Colossians 2:13-14 ESV

Until next time,

☮❤=)
Jess

God is faithful

Posted by Jess

When I was sick I was obsessed with the question, "Am I trusting the Lord? Am I really believing?" I would work myself into boughs of anxiety and fear, wondering if I was trusting the Lord enough to be saved. But are we saved by the measure of our faith or are we saved because we have faith, even the size of a mustard seed? What does God say? God says that even when we are faithless He remains faithful. His word says it time and time again. God is faithful. So maybe it's not how much I am holding on, but how tight He is holding on to me.


Until next time,

☮❤=)
Jess

God will help

Posted by Jess

God encouraged me today. I was thinking about my life, we had just watched a video that asked what are you doing with your life? I don't want to waste my life, I thought, I want to do all that God has called me to do. This is a fear that I have often, that I'm not doing or going to be able to do what God wants me to do. The way I have been with anxiety and fear, it doesn't feel like I can do anything for God. Several months ago a preacher had a prophetic word for me that I would teach, but I've been having a hard time believing it. But today Moses came to mind (I think it was the Holy Spirit). Moses didn't think that he could do what God was calling him to do. And you know what God said?
"I will be with you." He also said he made our mouth, he made us. He is the Lord. He would help him.

Here is what happened:

10 Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”

11 The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord?12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”

How encouraging! God made our mouths, He made us, He is in control and He can and will help us to do all He has called us to do. And more than that, He is God, so He is more than capable to do it!


Until next time,

☮❤=)
Jess