Romans 9:30–33Scripture
Amen. Everybody turn your Bibles to Romans 9 this morning. Let's see, here it is. Official: today is the last day of Romans chapter 9, and we have come to the conclusion of this, and then I really love this section, these last three verses which we're going to talk about today, verse 30 through 33, and also the first four verses of chapter 10. I like the whole Bible, but I really am excited about these two sections. So Romans 9, verse 30–33 is where we're going to be this morning. You know, that song, while you're looking it up, that song really punches the prosperity gospel in the face, doesn't it? Because in the midst of all of that trouble, all the problems, all the issues, he celebrates what Christ did on the cross, or at Calvary. We tend to only celebrate God when God gives us what we want, when we prosper in the way that we feel we should prosper, and we devalue the work done on the cross. Yet in the midst of his greatest pain and trouble, he celebrates the cross, because it is paramount to him.
It is more than anything that he could gather, acquire, or obtain here on earth. That's beautiful. That's somebody who gets it, that it is not a me-centric gospel, but it is a God-centered gospel. The reality is it is easy to get people to rally around a
Introduction
Cause. I find, though, in our world it is difficult to get people to rally around the cause of Christ, and the reason for that is causes that you get people to rally behind, they will fight for something because in the end they get the glory for what they've accomplished by fighting for the cause. But when you rally around Christ, you realize that you're the problem, you're not the solution, and the gospel says, hey, you're the problem that God had to fix, and that cause is not so fun, because at the end of the day we don't get to celebrate you, we get to celebrate God in spite of you, and that doesn't make people as excited. So we fight for causes that bring us glory, we don't fight, we don't long for or to celebrate the cause of Christ, and it's sad. I'm not saying all people, but I'm saying it's easier to rally people around the cause that isn't Christ, and especially if you make it and spin it in such a fashion that you think, and people think that are rallying, that this is really about Christ, because you can dress something up and make it look godly, but it's not godly, amen. It's really interesting how that works. So I think that kind of leads us into where we're going today. At the end of chapter 9 and the beginning of chapter 10, we begin to see elements of this where we are, and I think the writer is trying to point people to the gospel. Let's read it together, verse 33. He's speaking of Israel's unbelief, he's speaking of the desire that he has for the nation of Israel to turn their hearts, to turn to God, and he begins to share here how men are saved. It is an element of the gospel. These three verses are not the gospel, but there are elements of the gospel, or in other words, there are road signs pointing to the gospel. All right, so if you just quote these four verses, it's not the gospel. This is the gospel, it's extensive, all right, it's extensive. But let's just look here and see if we can learn what is the gospel and how does it point, and in what way does it point? Israel's unbelief. What shall we say then? That Gentiles who did
Point 1Righteousness is received, never pursued
Not pursue, now don't let that be lost on you, because acquisition does not come from pursuit, acquisition comes from God. Now, this is important today because the Gentiles, they did not pursue righteousness, yet they attained it. They weren't looking for it, yet they found it. They weren't striving to achieve, yet they received. This is beautiful. This is an element of the gospel. It is not us-centric. It is not you striving, it is not you deciding, it is not you choosing. As a matter of fact, they weren't even looking for it. How many of you have ever heard, some of you are in the dating scene right now, so you definitely hear this all the time, it's common, and you're looking for a man or you're looking for a woman or you're looking for someone to spend life with, time with, energy on, and how many of you have ever heard them say, "The moment you stop looking, that's when you'll find somebody"? How many of you ever heard that before, right? How many of you agree with that statement and you found that to be true? It is interesting, because that's what I thought of when I read this. I know it's a little silly, I know it's a little silly, but it is interesting because I found that to be true as well. It was at the moment that I decided, I'm done with women, I'm writing them off for the rest of my life, I have nothing to do with women. As a matter of fact, I just want to enjoy my life, and I found that women help me not do that so well, so I've just sworn off women forever, and I decided I'm done. I'm done with women. And I don't mind women, I just want to be friends with them, I don't want to be, you know, I just don't want to take this relationship to the next level. And it was then immediately that I ran into Brook, and I wasn't looking for her. As a matter of fact, I had sworn people of her position off, right, or her persuasion off, but it was her smile, it was her kindness, and as a matter of fact I wasn't looking for her, yet I found her. I feel like it's that way here, and Paul is saying it is not by effort that you obtain, but it is because God decides. So he is summarizing, honestly, in these four verses he's summarizing the whole chapter 9. But Israel, so then, and it says, what did they obtain? They obtained a righteousness that is by faith. Now we know, so don't go here and go, "Oh, they had faith, that's why they obtained it." Remember, faith is a gift, that no man can boast. It is a gift that comes from God. It is not something you muster up. It's a gift given when you're not pursuing. Do you see how much it takes it away from you? It's not us-centered.
Listen, ladies and gentlemen, and this is crazy in our culture, the gospel is not about you. The gospel is about God.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 7:58
The gospel has never been about you. It has always been about God. So let's look at a people who think the gospel is about them, and let's resonate with our Jewish brothers and sisters. It says, but that Israel who pursued the law that would lead to righteousness never succeeded in reaching that law. How many of you are like that? In all your effort, in all your striving, in all your trying, you find yourself always wanting, never achieving. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone. Notice here, the stone is not meant for something else. It was put there as a stumbling stone, that people would stumble over it. That'll mess you up right there, because how sadistic is God really? Like, he didn't say they stumbled over the really good stone that was put there to mark things that were good. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. In other words, the stone that was there for stumbling accomplished what God intended for it to accomplish. Now, we don't like to think in terms of God creating something to cause people to stumble, we don't like to think in terms of, but God is sovereign, and many of us would sit here and go, "Well, why would God do that? That seems mean, that seems unloving." Let me tell you.
You don't get to measure God based on your brokenness.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 9:54
His character is not under scrutiny of your sinfulness. Your character has no right to question his character. He is holy, you are not. You have no right to evaluate why he does what he does. The Bible says it and that's the way it is, and you are too broken to discern what is good and what is not good. As a matter of fact, the evidence of your life leads to the fact that you're incapable of knowing what's good and what's not good. Only God is good, so if he does it, guess what? It is good. "Well, I don't think it's good." You don't get a vote. This is not a democracy, this is a kingdom. And I know you live in a world where you think you get a vote. Your kids think they get a vote. See, you understand this when your kid says, "I don't like that," and you say, "You best do it or you're going to die," and there comes a point where your kids push back, think they know better, and you say, "Do you like your life? Then do what I tell you to do." But with you, those who have matured into adulthood, you still think you have a vote in the matter, and God says, "This is the way it is, and I didn't ask for your opinion." Anymore, there comes a point, we talked about the point you come to last week, and it's a point that you really just need to back down. And it says why? Because they did not pursue it by faith but as if it were based on works. They've stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written: Behold. Everybody say "behold." Behold. Now this right here, it's quoting Isaiah. I don't have this specific reference, I can give it to you later if you ask, but it's quoting Isaiah here, and for me there are many things in this one sentence that point to the true gospel. It's not the gospel, but there are markers and indicators and signs that point to the gospel. They are Christ-centered, they are God-centered statements. See if you can find them, and then we're going to point them out a little bit later. Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame. There are five things, exactly, actually, that point to the gospel. Five things that point to the gospel.
The point Paul is making is that our only hope is the gospel. It's not in our intellect. How many of you say praise God to that? It is not in our knowing him, but is in him knowing us. It is not in all of our doing and what we have done, but it is in his doing and what he has done. All of our doing leaves us wanting.
The gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Notice here, it's the power of God, it's not a power of man. Paul is answering the question, so what's wrong with Israel? Why are they missing it? What's wrong with Israel is the Israelites have pursued righteousness through the law, the Gentiles obtained righteousness they did not pursue through faith. They attained it through faith without pursuing. Honestly, what he's breaking down here is the difference between works and the gospel. Notice, I didn't say grace. It's the difference between works and the gospel. Why did I not say grace? Because people talk about grace but they don't know the gospel. The gospel is not you-centered. So since the preaching of the gospel saves us, it is important that we get the gospel right. It's very important, because there are people, not only under the sound of my voice but under the sound of the voice of pastors across the nation and across the world, who I believe, and honestly in some of our ignorance, and I'm not being derogatory here, there are just some things that we have got to learn, the gospel, we get that wrong a lot, and I believe there are many people who have believed not the true gospel. They believed a false gospel. So then this is more than just a secondary issue. This is the issue. You know the Scripture well, "If you just believe in Christ you will be saved." Well, the devil believes in Christ. Demons believe in Christ. And if you just believe you'll be saved, there is more to it than that. It is about believing the right thing, not simply believing a thing. Are you with me? So then it is paramount that we get this correct. And so why is this a problem? If you were to walk up to, there was a coffee spot right here and it's driving me crazy, but it looks like an ink blot, and every time I walk by it I'm going, what is it? And I think of something different. So anyway, what was I talking about?
Brook, what was I saying? Coffee? No, not coffee. What was I saying? Oh my goodness. Oh yes, the gospel needs to be right.
If we get the gospel wrong, if people are saved by the proclamation of the gospel, then they have to be saved by the proclamation of the right gospel. It's very important. It is paramount. So it is here that Paul lays out the distinction between the Jews and the Gentiles. Let me start by unpacking some terms. So here's what I was talking about: if you were to ask people at lunch today, "What is the gospel?" Oh, just the amount of answers you will get. So let me do this. Let me give you three things. I actually read an article of ten things by carson, and he talked about what the gospel was not. I want to pick out three of those. I want to talk about them today, because if we're going to get what the gospel is, let's start with what it's not, because there are some certain things, there are three specific things I want to pull out that if you were to have lunch with people today and ask them what the gospel is, they would say these things, and I believe it undermines the gospel, the true gospel, because we've got it
Point 2What the gospel is not
Wrong. We've got it wrong. We've missed it. So here's what they are, starting at number one, for those note takers out there, and I know I don't have it up there, but just listen and write them down and then you'll have them. What the gospel is not. Number one, the gospel is not just how you get saved. That's not the gospel. In other words, the gospel is not the plan of salvation.
That's not the gospel, yet many of you at lunch today, that would be your go-to answer. First, here's what D. A., I'm going to give you some other people who are smarter than me, right, so that you may value, I mean the Bible says it, but some of you don't value the Bible, so let's listen to some of what men say about the Bible. D. A. Carson: "For some Christians, the gospel is a narrow set of teachings about Jesus and his death and resurrection, which is rightly believed to tip people into the kingdom. After that, real discipleship and transformation happen, as if that first tipping matters not at all. Real discipleship and transformation begin after the tip, but none of that is intrinsically related to the gospel." In other words, the gospel gets you saved but you need to graduate to something greater after you get saved. I've had people ask me, are you going to preach a gospel message or will this be for believers when I travel and speak? I didn't know that they were different. I didn't know they were different. Tim Keller says it this way, who has passed, we tend to appreciate people when they're gone more than when they're here, he's like an artist, right, so we value people's artwork when they're gone more than when they're here, so maybe we'll value these words. Tim Keller says, "We need never get beyond the gospel in our Christian life." His proposal is we never get beyond the gospel. "The gospel isn't something you have when you're a baby Christian. The gospel is something you grow in all the days of your life.
We never get beyond the gospel in our Christian life to something more advanced. The gospel is not the first step in a stairway of truth. However, it is more like the hub in a wheel of truth." That's good stuff, man, that's tweetable. That's tweetable. The gospel is not, I love this, the gospel is not the ABCs, it's, Tim Keller says, the A through Z. Oh man, come on. Because when you have people talk about the gospel, they'll say, A, admit that you're a sinner; B, believe on Christ; and C, confess your sin. Admit that you need God, believe in God, and confess your sin, and that is all, that's the gospel. Wrong. That's just the A through the Z of the, I mean that's just the A, B, and C, when the gospel is A through Z. Are you with me today? We have so compartmentalized the gospel that we have failed to preach it in its entirety. It is not the minimum doctrinal requirement to enter the kingdom,
It is the way we make all progress in the kingdom. This is important. It is not merely a ticket to get on the train. It is the ticket to get on the train.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 21:41
It is the trip on the train. It's the destination on the train. It's the people you meet on the train. It's what you do on the train. It's what you do when you get off the train. It's what you did before you bought the ticket to get on the train. It is all of that.
You never move beyond the gospel. You never graduate beyond the gospel.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 22:11
And some of you think that the gospel is when you accept and believe, but the gospel began when you were a sinner, depraved, could not choose good on your own, and you were broken in sin and you were dying and you chose wrong, and you chose to eat apples and you chose to do the wrong thing, and you were hateful and you were spiteful and you were a liar and you were a cheat. That's the gospel. It's part of the gospel, even in your brokenness. It is the gospel that God labored with you, he endured vessels of brokenness. It is all the gospel. The gospel does not end at death, the gospel is for all eternity. The gospel was going on before you came here and were born at all. The gospel is when he fashioned you together in your mother's womb, and it was when he had a thought before you, before he ever fashioned you. That's all the gospel. Number two, the gospel is not just the two great commandments. Well, this one's triggering, so just brace yourself. Pull tighten up your suspenders so your pants don't fall down, this one's going to blow your cap off, because today in our culture we have summarized the gospel into a Scripture that all you need to do is love God and love your neighbor. But how many of you know that when we say the word love, that means a multitude of things to a multitude of people and is applied a multitude of different ways? And by the way, the gospel is not you striving, it is not you doing something. Oh, just hang on with me. This is one of the most popular statements in churches today, and I think we are calling people to be justified by the law by this statement, yet we call it the gospel: all you need to do is love God and love your neighbor. In other words, you're saying strive and pursue righteousness by doing the law. Just hang on with me. D. A. Carson says it this way: "Other voices identify the gospel with the first and second commandments, the commandments to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself. That is in the Bible. These commandments are so central that Jesus himself says all the prophets and the law hang on them,"
Yet that's what Carson says, this is not the gospel. Now, this blows some of our theological positions out of the water. Some of you are questioning whether you need to come back next week because this has so captured your heart that you've forsaken God and the gospel in the process of it, in the process of the capture. Love God and love people is not the gospel. That phrase is actually a summary of what the whole law. Now Paul is speaking explicitly here that Israel is trying to be justified and strive for righteousness according to fulfilling the law, yet we have turned something that is the law into what we need to do to live out the gospel. That phrase is the summary of the law. Listen to what Paul says about that in Romans 13:8–10. "Shawn, you're cheating, we're only in 9." I can do that. Romans 13:8–10 says: Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet, and any other commandment are summed up in this word: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Now, don't miss it here, because in 30 through 33 Paul is saying that they will never be saved, those who tried to be justified by fulfilling the law. So how do we reconcile these statements, these catch statements that go into the church, love God and love your neighbor? In other words, we're saying be like the Israelites and stumble over Christ, seek to be justified by the law. How do we get there? How do we do this?
Because it sounds good, but you're not justified by running to the law. Do a search sometime online today so you don't think I'm just making this stuff up. This is the mission statement for many churches on their website. Love God, love people, love the church. Southside Christian Church: love God, love people. It's on their first page. The Marrow Church: love God, love people, change the world. Work, be justified by the law. Englewood Church: love God, love people, serve the world. Believers Church: love God, love people, tell the world.
Doublegate Church: love God, love people, serve both. Victory Church: love God, love people, reach the world. The Rock: love God, love people, do something about it.
Eastside Church: love God, love people, build relationships. Work. Smithfield Church: love God, love people, make disciples. The Gathering Church: love God, love people, live life. Prairie City Church: love God, love people, love life. Destiny City Church: love God, love people, love life, love our city.
Courageous Church: love God, love people, prove it. North City Church: love God, love people, be changed. Keep the law and then you'll be changed. Experience Church, Saint Arbor: love God, love people, period. Not the dot, but the word "period," with a period after it. This is a catchphrase of our day that has infiltrated the church, and Paul, if he were to speak to our culture today, would be dumbfounded. Listen, this is not only an Israel problem, this is a modern-day church problem, and many churches, in the name of doing good, have stumbled over the gospel. It's shocking. It's a catchphrase used most often by those who tout from the rooftops that we need to not be legalistic and we should flee from all forms of it, yet they call them to legalism, everyone in their fellowship. So you may be saying to me, "Shawn, are you saying we should not love God and love people? Is that what you're saying?" No, that's not what I'm saying. This is what the gospel produces in a changed life, not what the gospel commands. You best get that straight, because if you get this wrong, then you will strive to be justified and made righteous by doing the law. You need to understand, when you're changed, your inclinations change. You go from hating your brother and sister to loving them. The gospel, God capturing your heart, so transforms you that you are made new. Your heart beats in rhythm with his. You love what he loves, you hate what he hates. Are you with me? He produces that in you. It is a fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, self-control. You need to understand it is a fruit. It is a byproduct of being made new, and what you produce has been changed because you have been changed. Yet we go, if you just do this better, if you just love God more, if you just love your neighbor more, you'll make it. Yet these people will stand before the Father on the day of judgment, they'll say, "I loved you, I loved my neighbor, I healed people, I spoke for you, I did many mighty things in your name,"
And he'll say, "That's not how you get in here," because you pursued righteousness by trying to obey the law, and that is not what saves. Now, once God captures your heart you produce these things in your life, but you do not get access into the kingdom of God by obeying the law.
It is what the gospel produces, not what the gospel commands.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 32:54
We love God and love others because of what Christ has done in us. It is the work of the gospel in our lives. It is not a substitute for the gospel. That is blasphemy on the highest order, and we have churches that make this their earmark statement of their organization. Because they're horrible people, we're all horrible people, and we all need a savior. Number three, the gospel is not the moral teachings of Jesus. Oh man, this is important. There are some today who treat the ethical teaching of Jesus in the gospels as the gospel, yet it is the ethical teachings of Jesus subtracted from the passion and resurrection narrative found in each gospel. If in fact the gospel is all the moral teachings of Jesus found in the gospels, then here is what is said: God in the Old Testament gave us the law, but that law wasn't righteous enough, clear enough, and effective enough, so Jesus came and gave us another law so that one could actually be kept. That's what we do. That's what we do. In other words, there are some who believe the problem isn't us, the problem was God when he gave the law. This type of belief looks more like Israel. Let me ask you a question: what yoke are you under? Matthew 11:28–30 says this: Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Doesn't say I'll give you work. Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 35:02
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find work. You'll find work that's easier than the work you're doing. No, didn't say that. And you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. How many of you think being a Christian's hard work? It could be because you have believed a false gospel. Are you with me today? So you have to determine, do you want to base your life with Christ on what you feel or on what he says? Because he says it's restful. It's not stressful. What are you yoked to? Are you yoked more to your experiences than his word? That should trouble everyone in here to some nature, to some degree. Do you trust more in what you've been through than in what God says in his word? What do you believe? What do you
Point 3The gospel is news, not a life lived
Believe? What the gospel is, and I want to use this, and we're going to go through this quick because I'm running out of time. I'm out of time? Is that a negative? Okay, it's positive, praise God, ten minutes, good. I'm doing good. Let's get the five things really quick, and I'm going to use this Scripture. These are not the gospel. This Scripture is not the gospel, I repeat, it is not the gospel. It is not the entirety of the gospel. It is a few letters in the alphabet of the gospel, but there are things in here that we can, you know how you do a math equation and you can test the math equation to see if the answer to the math equation that you got was right? These are testing things to see whether or not it's pointing us to the gospel or it's pointing us away from the gospel. We can determine that. I helped you with love God, love your neighbor, that this is the summary of the law, and if you seek to be justified by obeying the law you will not be justified. It is a way of, and how do we get there? Well, we notice that it was us-centered, not God-centered. So if we call people by preaching this thing that is us-centered, we are pointing people away from the gospel, not towards the gospel. So there are several God-centered statements said in this one verse, in verse 33, as it is written, and he quotes Isaiah, and he begins to speak to us and move us from an us-centered mentality to a God-centered mentality. There are indicating words in here that I'm going to break down for you. All right, Paul's not saying this is the gospel, but we see elements of gospel-centered statements, five of them to be exact. I'm going to read the Scripture and then we're going to pull them out, extrapolate them out for our benefit: As it is written, behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame. Number one, the gospel is news. Where do you see that in here, Shawn? Behold. Behold, I come with good tidings and great news. It is a proclamation of news, of good news. In other words, behold, I have some news, you're going to like it's good, it's good news. The word gospel here, actually the word gospel in the Bible is euangelion. It literally means good news. It's news, it's news. How many of you have ever heard the news without words? "In the beginning was the action. In the beginning was you living out the gospel. In the beginning was the..." Oh, you got to use those things when the gospel is presented. "Hmm, I'm going to let my feet do the talking." Okay, but you might want to say something too, because the way people are saved is by preaching the good news. "Well, but I've been living my life for Christ and I've been doing this and I live right before the Lord and they get to see my fruit, so I never have to tell anybody or use words, because my life is the living word." Wrong, because the gospel is not your life. The gospel is the word. This is important. I'm going to say something that's trigger-inducing, just try not to think of, write down all the things in here why I'm an idiot and why you disagree with me, just listen to me to the end.
You can't live out the gospel. You can't live the gospel. You have to use words to preach the gospel.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 40:59
Words are requisite. It's news. The gospel is news about what God has done in Jesus Christ. For me to think I can live out the gospel is to put myself in the place of Christ. Think about that for a second. For me to think I can live out the gospel is to put myself in the place of Christ. "You don't need to read the news about the gospel, just watch my life."
The gospel is not something we live. The gospel is news.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 41:49
It's news from, it's news about, it's news for, it's news through God. This is about God. This is not about you. The gospel, in other words, is God-centered news, not you-centered news. Number two, so we see behold, we see an element pointing towards God, towards
Point 4The gospel centers on God, Christ, and the cross
The news, towards the good news. Number two, the gospel is God-centered. So the gospel is news, and number two, the gospel is God-centered. Well, Shawn, where do you get that in that verse? Well, I'm glad you asked. Behold, I am. It's not talking about you. Moses is standing on the hill about to get a command to go down and speak to Pharaoh, to be the mouthpiece of God. Moses asked, who should I say sent me? And God said, I AM. This is about him. The gospel is about God. Notice, like many of us, we don't want to say much because we think we have a stuttering problem, "If they can watch my life they'll see Christ," but the minute I open my mouth, I don't trust God to help me say the right thing.
It's amazing that we doubt that God can help us give us the words, yet we think that he can cause us to live righteous lives in such a way that words are not required.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 43:26
Which is harder for God, to take that which is unrighteous and make it righteous, or to give an unrighteous man the words to say that people's lives might be changed? Which is harder?
Our silence is not okay, and you no longer get to play a copout card, and neither did Moses, for he had to go down and speak words. What were the words about? The great I AM. The gospel, in other words, is good news, and the gospel is God-centered. The core of the gospel is the news about what God has done. It is not the news about what you do. Mark 1:14 says this: Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee preaching about himself. Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God. Jesus is God, but he proclaims the gospel about God. The gospel is not man-centered. The gospel does not begin with "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life." That's not the gospel at all. That's heresy of the highest order. That's not where the gospel begins. The gospel is about him, not about you. The gospel is about creation, fall, redemption, and consummation. Man is the problem in the gospel. We say, "You're so awesome. God created you, he cannot, God cannot imagine life without you. God created you because he was bored and needed a companion." Where's that in the Bible? Where is that in the Bible? He was in perfect communion in the Godhead. He didn't need you at all. He didn't need you at all. "You're so awesome, God created you."
These are things I've heard when people go do evangelism. "He cannot imagine life without you. Do God a favor and come to him so he can have you in relationship with him." I've heard a bunch of crazier things, but that's up there.
The gospel is not about how much God needs you or wants you. The gospel is about how much you need God.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 46:39
Behold, I lay in zion. Number three, the gospel is Christ-centered. Where do you see that in this Scripture? We see that when he says a stone of stumbling. The stone of stumbling here, and I'm running out of time, the stone of stumbling is Christ. "Where do you get that from, Shawn, because I don't see that in here." Well, I'm glad you asked. Here's some scriptures, I don't have time to read them because I'm running out of time. Here's the scriptures: 1 Peter 2: 6–8, okay, Mark 12:10–11, Matthew 21:42, Luke 20:17, Acts 4:11. It is in each of these scriptures that we see Christ referred to as the stone of stumbling. We see that this is referring to Christ in all these places. We see the stumbling stone is in reference to Christ. In other words, number three is the gospel is Christ-centered, not you-centered. The gospel is the good news, the gospel is God-centered, and number three, the gospel is Christ-centered. In all of these places we see the stumbling stone in reference to Christ. Martin Luther says it this way: "The gospel is and should be nothing more than the story and discourse about Christ." Number four, I'm moving on, the gospel is cross-centered. Where do you get that, Shawn, in verse 33? Because he is a rock of offense. It is, well, but how is a rock of offense, how's that about the cross? Where do you get that from? How's the rock of offense about the cross? It doesn't say the cross. The gospel is, it's scandalous news to the jew and it is offensive to the Jew. It is a rock of offense. "Yeah, that's not the cross." Okay, I'm going to give you some Scripture, Acts 2:22–24, and I'm going to read this.
Acts 2:22–24: Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know, this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 1 Corinthians 1:22–24: for Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Oh man. 1 Corinthians 2:1–2: And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. Galatians 3:1: Oh foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed, hung on a cross and crucified. The gospel is cross-centered. How do you know when somebody is teaching a gospel that is not the gospel? Well, the gospel is the good news, the gospel is God-centered, not you centered, the gospel is Christ-centered, the gospel is cross-centered. We can present the gospel the wrong way. We can present the cross the wrong way. Some, here's the saying: "Look at the cross, look at what he did for you, now can't you live your life for him?" I heard that at The Passion of the Christ. When the movie was over, someone came up and stood up front and did an altar call and said, "Look at all that he suffered for you, the least you could do is believe in him." How do we just go from what he did to what we need to do?
I've heard people say, "That's how much he loved you." Actually, he hated you, and he was coming to kill you because of your sin. He didn't die for you because he loved you, he died for you because sin was so disgusting to him that he had to do something about it.
The cross is a reminder of just how holy God is, not how awesome you are.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 52:49
The cross is a reminder of your great unworthiness. The cross is a reminder of your sin that separated you from God.
Point 5The gospel is grace-centered, not control-centered
The cross is a reminder of just how much God is disgusted by you. The gospel's cross-centered, not you-centered. Number five and final point, the gospel is grace-centered. Where do we see that? Whoever believes. Whoever believes, not whoever does, not whoever works, but whoever believes. Romans 9:30: It is amazing that this part right here we turn to works. But let us not too quickly forget, because we're reading verse 33, let us not too quickly forget verse 30. What shall we say then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith. By faith. You're saying, "Well, so we just got to pursue him and we got to believe." That's not what it says in the verse. It says they didn't pursue him. If faith is a pursuit, then the first statement in verse 30 can't be true. Isn't it crazy how we turn it to what we do? It's crazy.
Isn't it crazy how much we undermine the gospel in the proclamation of the gospel?
Pastor Shawn Gray · 54:42
It's crazy.
We have control issues. We have control issues. Let me tell you what God does for people who have control issues: they go to hell. They go to hell. "Shawn, you're just trying to use a fear tactic." No, I'm trying to use a truth tactic.
People with control issues don't want to be yoked to God. They want the benefit of the harvest without the yoking.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 55:26
Because if I'm yoked to him, I can't control him. If I'm yoked to him, I can't control my life. You know how I know if somebody has turned their heart to Christ? They are so miserable with their life that they would rather be yoked to him than free to do what they please. And until you get to that place, until you're fed up with your life and fed up with what you do and fed up with what you do in your strength and fed up with making mistakes and fed up, and until you get a glimpse of who you truly are, you will never see the peace that could only be found in Christ. Some of you want to be so free, and it's an illusion, by the way. It's like the mirror house you go to, the house of mirrors, you actually think you're free but you're a slave to sin. Take some inventory of your life and all of your freedom and just see how free you really are. Some of you are in bondage to sin not because paul's concerned about the Israelites, he's concerned about the Jews. You know why? Because they're a lot like us in America. Oh, we're not the Jews. Oh, America is not Israel. Oh, we are not a chosen nation like that. But there are some attitudes and behaviors that will keep us out of the kingdom as much as the Jews will be kept out of the kingdom, and it's happening right inside of evangelical churches. Are you with me today? So I gave you some tools to know what the gospel is not and what the gospel is, so that when you hear someone proclaim the gospel, you know whether it's true or not.
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