What is the Gospel?
Have you ever wondered why you are here? What is your identity? What is your purpose for existing? Some people believe that they are just the result of random chance. They are just an accident of cosmic fate. So what are you? Are you here for a purpose or are you here on accident?
I have good news for you. You have a purpose and an identity because you are not an accident. You were created. You were fearfully and wonderfully made. God in His word to us, the Bible says this, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” 1 God created you. He knows you. As God’s creation we were designed for a purpose, “bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” 2 God made you, God created you for His glory. That is our purpose.
To bring God glory is why we were created but we have failed. We have missed the mark. The Bible calls this missing the mark sin, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”3 Each of us has failed to bring God glory. We have missed the mark. Perhaps you feel the great weight of this. Maybe there are things you have done that you feel the shame of. Or perhaps your bear a great guilt for an action you have taken. How could you ever have a relationship with God? Your shame, your sin, your missing the mark separates you from God.
God who knew you before you were born completely understands that you cannot approach Him on your own because of your sin, your shame, and your guilt. Therefore He, God made a way for you to approach Him. The Bible says it like this: “For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”4 What that means is that God sent His son Jesus. Jesus who is God. He took on flesh and dwelt among us. He lived a life of perfect obedience to the Father. Jesus lived the life that we could not live. Jesus lived a life of goodness, holiness, and righteousness. Jesus never missed the mark. Jesus never sinned. Jesus was never ashamed or guilty. But Jesus willingly bore our sin, our guilt, and our shame upon the cross, “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 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.”5
Jesus Christ through his death on the cross paid the full price of our sin, shame and guilt. So there is before us a choice. Will we believe that we are a creation of God. Will we believe that we are guilty, vile and sinful. Will we believe that Jesus lived a life of sinless perfection and willingly sacrificed his life for you on the cross. Will you believe that on the third day Jesus rose from the grave victorious over sin and death?
The Bible puts it this way, “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame.….For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 6
If the Holy Spirit is moving in your life and calling you to confess your sins then call out to Jesus. Jesus says of Himself, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”7 Will you today lay aside your selfish pride and give your life completely to Christ?
Pastor John Thompson Choestoe Baptist Church
Conference Schedule:
Fri:
6:30 Drop off @ FBC Sanctuary
7-8:45 Worship + Speaker
8:45 Leave FBC Head to HOP
9:00 Settle into Cabins
9:30 Small Group Session One
10:15 Free Time in FLC
11:00 Lights Out No
Sat:
7:30 Wake up
8:00 Breakfast at HOP – French Toast Sticks – Eggs – Bacon – A Fruit of sorts
9:00-10:00 Worship + Speaker
10:00-11:00 Small Group Session Two
12:00-1:00 Lunch at HOP – Fried Chicken sandwiches – Mac and Cheese – Pickles – Brownie
1:00-3:00 Rec
3:00-4:00 Pack Up and Free Time
4:00-5:00 Small Group Session Three
5:00 Head to FBC
5:30 Dinner – Pizza – Vegetables – Bottled Water
6:15-8:00 FINAL WORSHIP + Speaker
8:00 dismissal and parent pickup
Check out from FB Sanctuary