What Is The Gospel?

What Is The Gospel?

Acts 10:34-48

Context/Story

Peter has this dream…

• A great sheet coming down (the original pigs in a blanket is how i remember this story)
• I have never, and I will never eat those things. 
  • This is significant because for 1400 years God had told them not to.
  • For a southern Baptist pastor.
• What was hidden in the old testament – Rahab, Nineveh, Through the promise to Abraham (Through you all the nations of the world will be blessed)  
  • Is now revealed to Peter – God is the God of everyone.
• Cornelius’ men show up “why are you here?  IDK why are we here?” goes with them, repeats the conversation when he gets to Cornelius’ house. 
  • FINALLY HE SHARES THE GOSPEL

The Gospel Is About Jesus

• All of these verses focus upon Jesus Christ, He is the centerpiece of the gospel.  The Gospel is not so much about a plan, as it is a person. Jesus Christ.  He is the sum and substance of the gospel, the alpha and omega of the gospel.  It is impossible to discuss the plan of salvation without detailing the Man of Salvation.  The son of God. Jesus Christ.   Jesus Christ is the gospel.  The Gospel is not a Cause to champion, nor a code to keep, nor a church to join, it is a Christ to receive and to follow.  
  • Religion is man attempting to reach up to God through his own efforts and own good works.  Which is impossible to accomplish.  The gospel is God reaching down to Man in the person of Jesus Christ.

• • Vs 35 – Those who are acceptable to God are those who

• Fear the Lord (Inward)

• • • According to vs 43 – Believes in the Lord Jesus Christ.  It is always a mark of true saving faith that there is an inward reverence of God.  This is the root of salvation
  • Does what is right (Outward)
    • The fruit of salvation, the evidence of salvation.  This is why James tells us that Faith without works is a dead faith.  It is not genuine.  
• Vs 36 – Peace assumes that there was once war.  We once were enemies of God.  His full wrath was looming over us (a 100 foot tall tidal wave coming for us)
  • Hebrews 10:31 – It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.  
    • Why does God have any right to judge us?  
      • VS 36 quickly answers this… “Because he is LORD OF ALL”
    • But Jesus on the cross, split the ground before us and swallowed up the full measure of God’s wrath.
• vs 37-38 – Jesus is baptized why does Peter mention this? 
  • We get baptized to symbolize the washing away of our sins. Jesus had no sins to wash away.  But it was as if, from the beginning of his ministry, that he would begin to stand in our place, and identify with us… those whom he came to save.
    • 2nd Corinthians 5:21 – For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
• Apply
  • As you and I share our faith, we are to share Christ.  There is not a more positive message on earth than the gospel of Jesus Christ.  
  • Too often, we teach and share a transactional gospel that does not require obedience to Jesus and a life of being formed into His image.
    • Without a relationship with Jesus, there is no salvation there is no Gospel.
      • This is why Jesus said in Matthew 7:21-23 – “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
        • You have to know Jesus. Jesus is the gospel

The Gospel is for All

• • Vs 36 – Jesus is lord of All
  • Vs 38 – Jesus healed all who were oppressed
  • Vs 43 – To Him all the prophets bear witness that ALL who believe in Him receives forgiveness of sins through his name
  • Vs 44 – While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on ALL who heard the word.

• The danger Peter fell into, was thinking that God couldn’t or wouldn’t move in the lives of those who were not like him.  That God wanted to work in the lives of his people, while he turned a blind eye to all those who did not fit into his narrow category.  

• But Jesus did Good works, Healings, and casting out demons: to Jews, and Samaritans, and Roman soldiers.  Men, and women, slaves and free.  God shows no partiality. 

• • • God does not favor anyone because of his station in life, or because of his nationality, or because of His possessions, no matter what one’s age is or race or gender or social strata.  God is not a respecter of persons, God does not show partiality.  
• Prove
  • Psalm 22:27-28 – All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord,  and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. 28 For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations.
• Apply
  • What gets in the way of this gospel?  
    • Pride (perceived superiority)
      • Racism – Babel – Pride brought them to the place where they thought they could be like God.
        • God confounded the languages of the earth, dividing mankind.  
      • Gender, Age, Class, politics, Beauty, Intelligence, Wealth, Big City vs Small City
    • We are always coming up with something that makes us feel more significant than those on the outside.  

Preach to the People

• Vs 42 And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. 43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
  • What a commanding Christ He is!  
  • We have been commanded to proclaim with a loud voice, and a sense of urgency.
• Celebration NEEDS to be about 3 things. 
  • We need to Reach the Lost
    • Demographics
      • There are 29,000 People within 5 miles of this building
    • This is the mission of the gospel. If we are serious about Christ, we will begin to see our backyard as a mission field.
      • There are roughly 50 churches in Montrose. Most of them are smaller than 50 people. We have maybe a dozen over 100 people. 
      • Fewer than a third of Montrose is in church on any given Sunday, and if we were to fill every seat in every church in town, we would not have room for more than 15 thousand people.
    • The harvest is massive in our own backyard!  But the laborers are so few. 
  • We need to Equip the Saints
    • This task is bigger than me.  It is too big to “leave to the professionals”  
      • A Pastor’s job is to equip the saints for the work! But so few pastors are actually equipping anyone!
        • According to a recent comprehensive national study on disciple making in churches.  Only 5% of churches are actively making disciples.  Raising up people from within to accomplish the mission. 
          • The other 95% are drawing their resources (Pastors, Missionaries, Church Planters) from that 5%.  
    • Here at Celebration, we want to raise you up to the highest level of God’s call on your life.  
      • Sunday school teacher, hospitality team worker, Chaplain, Pastor, Missionary, 
        • God has a task for every single one of us.  That is why we are still here on this earth!  Whatever that might be, we want to help you get there.
      • We have a roadmap to disciple you.  It starts by joining our celebration groups, and continues through with Discipleship 1, Discipleship 2, and Discipleship 3 classes. 
        • D1 – Taken hundreds of people through our D1 -foundations of the faith class.  Everyone should take it!
        • D2 – 3 new D2 classes running over the summer (James, Womens Ministry, Parenting) AND (ongoing 2nd Corinthians, Revelation)
  • Sending the Called
    • Let me give you some statistical realities that we face today.
      • Every year 3700 Churches close
      • Every year 4000 Churches are planted (but only about ⅔ of them survive)
        • That means that 2600 churches are successfully planted each year.
      • By 2050, 25 million fewer people will be in church each week.
    • We need to plant churches
      • 60–80% of new members at an average new church come from people who aren’t attending any worshiping body. In contrast, churches that are 10–15 years old gain 80–90% of new members from other congregations. This means that a new congregation brings six to eight times more new people into the church than an older congregation of the same size.
• A new Building
  • Reaching the Lost
    • We have repeatedly hit a ceiling here at celebration.  We get to a certain threshold (about 450 in service) and then we drop back down.  We are adding to the sanctuary, parking spaces, adding toilets, Expanding Celebration Kids.  But all of this is a band aid.  We can only fit so many people in 14k square feet. 
  • Equipping the Saints
    • Our building is being used, almost every night to make disciples.  But we just don’t have the space to expand our discipleship any further.
      • Every room is full.  Many of our Discipleship classes are standing room only.  If we want to faithfully make disciples. We need more space. 
  • Sending the Called
    • This last Sunday we had people from Celebration Church helping in 7 different churches, 4 of which we were preaching.  We currently have multiple churches who are coming to us to find their next pastor.  If we are serious about church planting, we need to be able to expand our pastoral institute.  We would like to see multiple tracks, for worship leaders, missionaries, and women’s ministry, But once again, we need the space.  
      • I personally believe that a new building is not something we can do.  It is something we have to do.
• Giving
  • What is a tithe? (Proportional giving 10%)
    • Matthew 23:23 – Jesus says you should give a 10th. without neglecting love, justice, and mercy.
  • What is an offering? (above and beyond)
    • The Book of Acts shows us that financial contributions should go firstly to the local church, and I truly believe that there is no better place to give your offerings to than Celebration Church.  
      • The things that God is doing through this church are absolutely incredible.  From Pastoral training, to counseling conferences, to evangelism seminars, People are getting saved, people are getting baptized.  God is moving! (And I am just talking about what has happened in the last month)
  • Online Giving 
    • turns your heart intentions into consistent actions.  
    • Sign up for online Giving (on our website or through the app!)
      • You can do this in our lobby, we have people to help you set this up.
      • “if you don’t, you don’t love Jesus and I am not sure you are going to heaven”

The Holy Spirit Fell (Conclusion)

• Take a look at the order of events… 1. God pricked the heart of Cornelius.  2. God sent Peter to share the gospel. 3.  The gospel was preached.  4 The Holy Spirit came upon the gentiles.  This is the great commission being played out.   We see the gospel finally arrive for the gentiles.  
  • The nations are (FOR THE FIRST TIME) now being indwelled by God himself.  Even the Gentiles are reconciled to God.
    • What happened at the tower of babel, is overcome by the gospel of Jesus Christ.    Jesus brought peace to His enemies.  He overruled their nationality, and gave them a new kingdom, with a new king.  Our mission is to do the same here today.  If you don’t know Jesus, Today is the day.  Come To Jesus, bring your burdens, and your pain, bring you sins, and shame.  He will give you peace.