Most people have never heard the gospel and if they have, they either don’t understand it or they don’t believe it. This word “gospel” literally means nearly-too-good-to-be-true news. The church has long thought that the pure, undiluted “good news” of the gospel was too good to be true, so most have added back some law to make it palatable to religion. Jesus said that the new wine (New Covenant) must be placed into new wineskins.
Luke 5:38-19 But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved.
39 And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is better.’ ”
The natural man likes his old ways. He likes his old wine — that is, his old religion. The important thing is to recognize that our Lord brought something new to mankind — the gospel of grace. He did not come into the world to do any patching of the old garment. He did not come to patch up the Law. He came to pay the penalty of sin by dying on the cross. But He did more than that. He arose from the dead and gave us His righteousness. He gives us the new wine of the gospel. The new wine of the gospel must be placed in the new wineskin of grace, not into the old one of law.
Romans 1:16-17 (NKJV)
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
Most of the church today is not preaching the same Gospel that Paul did. They are preaching a different gospel; one that Paul says is not the Gospel at all. The book of Romans was written to explain the Gospel so that anyone could understand it. Paul, made it so simple that you’d have to have someone help you to misunderstand it. And, unfortunately, we’ve had a lot of help and most of that from the church! The gospel is the grace of God, it is not dependent upon on what we do for Jesus, but on what He did for us. The gospel is the power of God, without the true Gospel, there is no power. The gospel is the power that transforms and saves men. Paul called the true gospel the message of the Grace of Christ.
Galatians 1:6-8 (NKJV)
6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,
7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
1. The Gospel is the power of God to salvation for Everyone who Believes
It is universal in scope, but it is limited to “every one that believes.” Most of the church doesn’t understand the gospel of Grace. How can I say that? The powerlessness of much of the church.
It’s the gospel that releases the power of God. If a person is powerless in any area of their life, it’s because somehow they have not fully understood the gospel. Understanding the grace of God will release the power of God into your life-power to be saved, power to be healed, power to be delivered, power to be prosperous, power to experience joy, peace and love.
Sin’s power is derived from the law:
1 Corinthians 15:56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.
Strength here is the Greek word “dynamos” which means power. Any area of our life where sin has power is an area where we are under law.
2. The Gospel is the revelation of the righteousness of God.
Romans 1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
Notice, the righteousness of God is revealed–not EARNED. It is the righteousness of God that is revealed and not the sinfulness of man. Righteousness is received, not achieved. It is a gift (Rom. 5:17), not a paycheck. There is nothing more important than for you to get the revelation of the righteousness of God by faith. There is blessing, power and peace that comes with the righteousness of God.
Righteousness is the main theme of scripture. If you’re not righteous, you’re unrighteous. There is no in- between, it’s like being pregnant, you either are or you’re not! You’re not a “little bit pregnant”, nor are you a little righteous. All of God’s promises and blessings are to and for the righteous. He has nothing to offer the unrighteous. Heaven is made for the righteous. Read how the bible speaks of the righteous:
The righteous are bold as a lion. (Proverbs 28:1)
The prayers of a righteous man avails much. (James 5:16)
The righteous run into the Lord as their Hightower and are saved. (Proverb 18:10)
The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, His ears open to their cry. (Psalm 34:15)
DAVID said: I have never seen the righteous forsaken or his seed begging bread. (Psalm 37:25)
Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. (Psalm 34:19)
He shall never permit the righteous to be moved. (Psalm 55:22)
A righteous man may fall seven times, but he rises back up. (Proverbs 24:16)
3. The gospel is a faith righteousness.
Notice it is from FAITH TO FAITH – not from law to law, not from good deed to good deed. You can’t work for it; you can’t add to it; you can’t improve upon it; you can’t buy it. You can do nothing but accept it by faith. It’s faith righteousness! You may say, “Well, I believe in Jesus, but I believe I also have to live holy to be accepted by God.” That’s saying Jesus’ payment for sin wasn’t enough—that you must add to what Jesus has done—and I believe that is the greatest sin of all! Jesus either paid for it all, or He paid for nothing at all! It’s not Jesus plus you; it’s Jesus or you! Jesus gets ALL the glory, because Jesus has done ALL the work!
It’s not you doing the best you can and then Jesus making up the difference with grace and mercy. If you try to mix the two, you have totally polluted what Jesus has done. It’s either faith righteousness or your righteousness, but not a combination of the two.
“And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith” (Phil. 3:9).
Most believers know they have been forgiven, few believe that they’ve been made righteous.
2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV)
21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Jesus was made sin with my very sin, that I could be made righteous with His very righteousness. Jesus had no sin of His own, just like I had no righteousness of my own. Jesus was made sin without sinning, that I could be made righteous without my works. Jesus had to be made sin or He could not or would not have died; it is sin that brings forth death. Sin killed Jesus; He died because of sin, not nails. The righteousness that you have been made righteous with is the very righteousness of Jesus Christ, a righteousness which has never even known sin! You do not have a second-rate righteousness.
It takes the revelation by the Holy Spirit to enable us to understand this. But once you do, it will radically transform the way you see God, the way you relate to God, and the way that you receive from God.
The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes!
It’s amazing! I’ve been in church almost all 30 years of my life and have NEVER heard the real gospel until I came to Gracepoint Church! Thank you Apostle Dell for boldly proclaiming the Truth to us week after week. It has truly changed my life! I went too many years living a defeated, powerless, life of condemnation and not knowing that God is a good Father and that I was already forgiven. I had the “hybrid gospel” ingrained in my mind and I never knew what freedom Christ really gave to us when we receive Him. And His amazing GRACE!! I never knew the true joy of salvation until the last six years! I’m so blessed to call Gracepoint my home!
Apostle Dell thank you for sharing such a powerful and revelatory Word. This can be printed out and preached, a very detailed message.