“… I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you HOLD FAST that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.” (1 Corin. 15:1-2) What does the word “gospel” mean BENITA…? It means “good news.” It’s the good news that God SO LOVED US that HE GAVE HIS SON Jesus to die for our sins that we might believe on Him and receive forgiveness and eternal life. So it is the STARTING POINT of our new life in Christ. Yet, the gospel isn’t merely the starting point of our faith; the gospel is the DAILY SUSTENANCE OF OUR FAITH. As Christians, we need to remind ourselves of it EVERY DAY!
“Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to CONTEND EARNESTLY FOR THE FAITH which was once for all delivered to the saints.” (Jude 1:3) “This, then, is the gospel with which we need to become THOROUGHLY FAMILIAR and that we need to preach to ourselves EVERY DAY. Jesus, by His death and shed blood, completely satisfied the justice of God and the claims of His broken law. By His perfect obedience, He positively fulfilled the requirements of the law. Thus in both its precepts and penalty, the law of God in its most exacting requirements was fulfilled by Jesus. And He did this IN OUR PLACE as our representative and our substitute. To preach the gospel to ourselves, then, means that we continually face up to our own sinfulness and then FLEE TO JESUS through faith in His shed blood and righteous life. It means that we appropriate, again by faith, the fact that Jesus FULLY SATISFIED the righteousness of God, that He is our propitiation, and that God’s holy wrath is no longer DIRECTED TOWARD US.” “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things WHICH ARE ABOVE, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind ON THINGS ABOVE, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is HIDDEN WITH CHRIST IN GOD. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also WILL APPEAR WITH HIM IN GLORY.” (Col. 3:1-4)
Your Personal Pastor -Bill Stockham