Tag: Gospel

Defeating Materialism

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn PracticalLeave a comment


I want, I want, I want!! This is the mantra of our consumeristic society. We all want a shiny new car, celebrity status, designer clothes, and a brand new house. We disregard our families and sell our souls to attain these worldly possessions. But for what reason?  This life will end one day, and we will not be able to take these possessions with us.

If this is true, then how do we defeat the power of materialism?

Yesterday, I led a discussion over Luke 20:27-40, during which we talked about how to rid ourself of the power of materialism, while still having possessions.

Four ways were given, which I would like to share with you.

  1. View your material possessions as provisions God has given you, in order to complete your journey in this life.
  2. Find your significance in your relationship with Jesus, rather than in material possessions.
  3. Find your satisfaction in Jesus, rather than in your possessions.
  4. Be willing to give sacrificially because you don’t find your security in your wealth, but in Christ.

The trend in all four is to stay focused on God, not man. Find your significance, security, and satisfaction in Him alone. All your material possessions will disappoint you, but Christ will not.

Thoughts on the Bondage of Sin from the Aquarium

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals1 Comment

Recently, I went to the Fort Worth Zoo. While I was there, I visited the Great Barrier Reef exhibit, where I watched two small sharks swimming in a tank. Supposedly, these sharks are from the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. They were transplanted from their home to an aquarium in Fort Worth Zoo where they spend their days swimming around and around. They are unable to leave their small aquarium, making it almost like a jail cell to them. They are held in bondage, limited by the glass walls the zoo erected in order to showcase them to the public. Most likely, these sharks do not know that they are encapsulated in a watery prison in Forth Worth, which exists thousands of miles away from their true home in Australia

Much like these sharks, those who have not accepted Christ as their Savior are in bondage, but believe they are free. However, no man apart from God is truly free. Instead, they are mastered and enslaved by sin (Rom. 6:14-15). Only by the saving work of Jesus Christ are we made free (Rom. 6:18).

What are we made free from?

We are free from the mastery of Satan and sin over our lives (1 John 5:19; Rom. 6:18). When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, the bondage of sin is broken (Rom. 6:7). We are no longer mastered by sin (Rom. 6:14). Instead, we are free to make our own choices, choices that we could not make apart from Christ’s redeeming work in our heart, leaving us free to work for God’s glory and not our own glory.

Implications

If we do not profess Christ as our Savior, then we are in bondage. We may believe ourselves to be free, but we are not. We are actually driven and forced by an unredeemed heart. This means everything we do is tainted by sin.

It is a popular thing right now to send relief efforts to those in need, which is a good and needed charity, but is done for the wrong reason. Meaning we help the tsunami victims in Japan because we ultimately want to promote ourselves.

Another popular bandwagon that people jump on is social justice. Fighting for equality is an important task. However, without a redeemed heart, true equality will never be realized. In actuality, those working for equality will never see those they helped gain freedom as equals. Instead, they will continue to oppress the oppressed in order to glorify themselves.

Why?

Because the natural inclination of the human heart is to promote ourselves. And we cannot change that apart from the saving work of the Gospel. Only in the Gospel are we set free from the bondage of a sinful heart.

So then, only those who are truly redeemed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ are able to work and realize true equality without oppressing the people they helped because they are not seeking to glorify themselves; rather, they are working to glorify God.

Conclusion

As you can see, those who do not have a redeemed heart remain in bondage to sin and are not free, even though they believe themselves to be. Instead of freedom, they are enslaved by the Devil.

Response

There is hope. True freedom comes through faith in Jesus Christ. Look to Him as your Savior, trust that He is the only one who can set you free from the grasp of Satan, and you will be free indeed.

What is the Gospel? Rethinking its Content

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Evangelism, Practical, What is the Gospel?1 Comment

In the first installment of this series entitled, What is the Gospel?, I introduced the series and gave readers a brief sketch of where we are headed. In this second installment, I turn our focus to the content of the Gospel message.

If you ask most Christians today what the content of the Gospel is, you will most likely hear John 3:16 quoted. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” After which you may hear an explanation that goes like this: God sent His Son to die on a cross for our sins, in order that we might have eternal life. Our job is to believe that Christ is our Savior and we will be saved. While this is correct, I will argue that John 3:16 is only part of the Gospel.

Now don’t get me wrong, I believe John 3:16 is a crucial part of the Gospel message, but I don’t believe John 3:16 represents the entire message.  Rather, it is the climax of God’s redemptive plan. In order to understand the full content of the Gospel we have to zoom out, way out, and look at the whole counsel of God’s Word because the Gospel traverses from Genesis to Revelation.

Tracing the Gospel from Genesis to Revelation

The Proto-Evangelion

Starting with Genesis 3:15, we are introduced to the proto-evangelion, or first gospel. After Adam and Eve attempted to subject God to their rule in the garden by disobeying God’s commandment to not eat from the tree of good and evil, ultimately showing that they rejected God’s rule and understanding of what is best for them, God provides hope for a restored relationship through the promised defeat of Satan. We read, “He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.” Here hope exists in the midst of punishment and despair. God has promised to defeat Satan one day through one man’s actions, which restores God’s relationship with both man and creation. As Scripture unfolds, we learn more about God’s plan of redemption.

Abraham through David

Through His covenant with Abraham, the nation of Israel is born and a people are set aside as God’s chosen people (Gen. 12). Through these chosen people, a line is preserved from which Jesus is born (Matt. 1). Along the way, God honors His covenant with Abraham, renewing it with Isaac (Gen. 26) and Jacob (Gen. 28). He also provides the Mosaic Covenant (Ex. 20), in order to inform His people of the way they should live and as a means of removing their sin. He later makes a covenant with David (2 Sam. 7). The Davidic covenant brings promises of an unending royal lineage to rule on the throne of the kingdom. After which, many leaders and kings arose throughout redemptive history, but none were God’s chosen Son who would redeem His people.

The temple sacrifices of goats and bulls were not able to change the hearts of the people either. They were temporary measures by which God’s wrath was appeased. They allowed a Holy God to live amongst an unholy people, but they could not satisfy the wrath of God eternally (Heb. 8-10 see especially 10:1-18).

A New Covenant is Promised

God also knew that His people could not keep His commandments because their heart had not been changed. However, in Jeremiah 31, a New Covenant is promised. One that would put the law of God in the hearts of the people, giving them a new heart, allowing them to enter into a right relationship with God.

Jesus’ Birth to His Return

In God’s perfect timing, Jesus was born to Mary, a virgin. He lived a perfect life, and willingly subjected Himself to a painful death on the cross, in order to pay for our sins. What the sacrifices and Law of the Old Testament could not accomplish, Jesus did, in His death on the cross and resurrection from the dead (Isa. 53; Gal. 3:16-29; Heb. 10). By humbling ourselves and believing that Jesus is our Savior, we are saved from eternal punishment, just as John 3:16 tells us, but much more happens at that time. Our relationship with God is restored (Heb 10:22). And ultimately, at the return of Jesus Christ, all creation will be restored (Is 65; Daniel 9; Rev 21-22). The world will be recreated, and not only will man’s relationship with God be perfect, but God’s relationship with creation will be redeemed and made right (Isa. 65). Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection from the dead accomplishes much more than giving us eternal life; it redeems all creation, so that man and creation are able to accomplish their God-given purpose, which is to glorify God (Ps. 86:9; Isa. 60:21; Rom. 11:36; 1 Cor. 6:20; 10:31; Rev. 4:11).

Summary

In summary, the content of the Gospel includes everything from Genesis to Revelation. It is a story that tells of God’s plan to redeem fallen man and creation. It began in Genesis 3:15, climaxes in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and will serve to restore all creation when Christ returns. As one can see, the Gospel includes John 3:16, but it also includes much more.

Resources

In order to help you continue to think through the breadth of the Gospel message, I have attached an article by D.A. Carson on the Gospel.

The Biblical Gospel – D.A. Carson

Looking Forward

In my next post, I will consider The Functional Centrality of the Gospel.

What is the Gospel? An Introduction

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Evangelism, Practical, What is the Gospel?2 Comments

The Gospel, or the good news of Jesus Christ, is a life changing message we must seek to understand because it is mankind’s only hope in this life and the next. Without the Gospel, mankind would be damned to eternal punishment, having no hope for salvation. And without the Gospel, mankind could not fulfill their purpose, namely, to exalt and glorify God.

It is only through the death of Jesus Christ that sinful men have access to God. Jesus’ blood redeems mankind, making them holy and repairing their relationship with God. No amount of work or religious activity can restore man’s relationship with God. It is only through the saving power of the Gospel.

Since the Gospel is the only means for salvation and a restored relationship with God, it is important that we understand the content of this message and how we might obtain Jesus Christ’s salvation.

In the series that follows, I will discuss the Content of the Gospel, the Functional Centrality of the Gospel, and how the Gospel provides us with a right relationship with God.

photo © Daniel Steger for openphoto.net CC:Attribution-ShareAlike