Our Mission and Values
Sunday, January 1, 2023

Romans 1:16, 1 Corinthians 15:3
Introduction

The Gospel has power to save and power to live for God

I. The Bad News
There are two key elements to the dilemma we all face: our sinfulness and God’s
holiness.
Man’s Sinfulness
What is sin?
“Sin is any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude, or nature.” Grudem
“A sin consists in doing, saying, thinking, or imagining anything that is not in perfect
conformity with the mind and law of God.” J.C. Ryle
God’s Holiness and Wrath
The Bible portrays God as holy. This idea has two main components:
God is transcendent: He is infinitely higher than man—separate, different—He is wholly
other than us.
God is morally perfect and infinitely pure—untainted by evil desire, motive, thought,
word, or deed.
In light of God’s holiness, sin has grave and inevitable consequences:
A broken relationship with God
Enslavement to sin and Satan
Consequences in life
Eternal punishment
Good News: The Gospel
How can we be saved from our sins and the righteous wrath of God? The answer is the
gospel: the “good news” of God’s saving work on our behalf through the person and
work of Jesus Christ.
“The gospel is not only the most important message in all of history; it is the only
essential message in all of history” Jerry Bridges
The motive for the gospel: God’s love and mercy
But the Bible teaches that, not only is God holy, He is also loving—love is essential to
His very nature.

1 John 4:7-8: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever
loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know
God, because God is love.”
The nature of the gospel: Grace
Grace refers to “God’s free and unmerited favor.” It is God freely bestowing His
goodness to people who deserve only punishment.
Because we are saved “by grace” alone, we can never earn our salvation or contribute
anything to it. For all eternity, God alone will receive the glory and credit for graciously
giving to us what we could never merit on our own.
Ephesians 2:8-9 - “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this not
from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast.”
The substance of the gospel: the person and work of Jesus Christ
As stated earlier, the gospel is the “good news” of God’s saving work on our behalf
through the person and work of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the gospel; it is His holy
history, the news of who He is and what He has done for us. The gospel includes
Jesus’ birth, life, death, resurrection, ascension, and coming return.
A) Unbeliever
This message is what is to be shared and preached to every person. It is what
transforms individuals and brings them from darkness to light.
B) Believer
The message of the gospel is what empowers us by the Holy Spirit to live lives of
holiness and crucify ourselves to become more like Jesus.
 “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.
And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me
and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
II. Conclusion
“The gospel is not only the most important message in all of history; it is the only
essential message in all of history. Yet we allow thousands of professing Christians to
live their entire lives without clearly understanding it and experiencing the joy of living by
it.” Jerry Bridges