In Romans chapter 1, to this point Paul has built on one underlying theme — the Gospel is the Cross. The Gospel is God's communication of the message of the Cross to us. (Romans 1:2-4.)
Romans 1:16: 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.
The Cross — The Gospel — Is Power for Salvation
-The power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.
-The = Nothing else can save us.
-How powerful is the Cross?
-Powerful enough to save everyone who believes
Romans 10:9-10: If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
-Powerful enough to shatter the old covenant of atonement for sins, one at a time, through the sacrifice of animals (Mosaic laws, Pentateuch)
-Powerful enough to release the Holy Spirit into the hearts and souls of all people who believe, rather than confined to within the temple and in the Old Testament prophets
Matthew 27:50-51: And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He gave up His spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.
The Cross of Christ is the Power that enables us to be saved. But the Cross is not limited to this — it is also our invitation to salvation.
John 3:16: For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
The Cross — The Gospel — Is God's Invitation to Salvation
-Whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
-Implied: believing, you will not perish
not believing, you will perish
-There is no alternative here. There are no alternatives to this anywhere in God's Word.
-Paul makes this clear by quoting God's direct words in Psalms and Ecclesiastes!
Romans 3:10-12: As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.
Romans 3:21-24: But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known [The Cross], to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus [The Cross].
-There is no alternative here. There is no other gospel. All we have is the Word of God, the Bible.
-Additions, deletions, or modifications to the Word are not the Word. The Book of Mormon is not the Word. The Pearl of Great Price is not the Word. The Quran is not the Word. (You get the picture.)
Why is this important? Because an invitation must be clear. In order for an invitation to be effective, it must clearly specify the reasons for which it is worthwhile to heed. Think about it — if you received an invitation to a party for a non-specified person, in a non-specified city in the state of Delaware, on a non-specified date sometime between February 15th and March 30th, you would immediately throw away the invitation and probably be annoyed that your time was wasted over something so frivolous.
God made the invitation for and reception of salvation simple for us. Why? Because it cost Him so much.
Oswald Chambers, in "My Utmost for His Highest," writes: Salvation is easy for us, because it cost God so much. But the exhibiting of salvation in my life is difficult. God saves a person, fills him with the Holy Spirit, and then says, in effect, "Now you work it out in your life, and be faithful to Me, even though the nature of everything around you is to cause you to be unfaithful." ... We are not made for the bright-shining moments of life, but we have to walk in the light of them in our everyday ways. ... For 33 years Jesus laid down His life to do the will of His father.
1 John 3:16: This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
The Cross — The Gospel — Is God's Demonstration of His Instructions to Serve Others
-Jesus laid down His life — not just through dying on the Cross for us, but also by coming to earth and living among us as a man — to demonstrate life to us, and live how we are meant to live it.
-In Genesis, God tells us that we are made in His image, in His likeness — we are designed to be like Him.
-But laying down our lives — choosing to do what is best for others, rather than ourselves — is difficult. To say the least.
-We need His demonstration, His example, of true life. Without Jesus, what reason is there to serve others?
-Only if there's "something in it for us."
-With Jesus, the reason is clear: He laid down His life for us. We ought to lay down our lives for others.
How do we "do" 1 John 3:16? How do we lay down our lives?
Do 1 John 3:17: If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?
-Look for "brothers in need" — don't just wait for them to come to you. God is not saying here to put yourself in danger by walking your family through the streets of North Philly at 2:00am, handing out jackets to homeless drug addicts in dark alleys. There are a multitude of shelters, soup kitchens, and places of refuge, all over the place around here, where you can safely offer your time, money, and blessings to people in need. The Sunday Breakfast Mission can use your help tonight — we send a group the 1st Sunday of each month — or anytime!
Do 1 Corinthians 9:19-23: Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I become like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I become like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
-Understand where people are coming from. Put yourself in their shoes.
-Be interested in what they are interested in.
-Be a friend. To everyone. Even to people who aren't friendly.
Do 1 John 3:18: Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
-Being nice is not enough.
-We are called to love actively.
