This Sunday, I gave a "beginning of the year" message. I make it a practice to make my first message of the year about the nature of the gospel. We asked people to respond via a communication card at the end of the service (something the church does not usually do). I was encouraged to see 10 people indicate first time commitments to Christ, 40 want to get more information about connecting through membership, and hundreds committing to grow deeper in 2009.

I promised the church I would post my notes here. So, they are below.

Knowing God

New Year, New Birth, New Life

I like to end the year with a message on spiritual reflection.

Now I want to look ahead, but from the starting point: the gospel. If we get everything else right as a church, but miss this, we miss it all.

I like to start the year talking about what the gospel actually is. This way, you don't start the year by trying to turn over a "new leaf," but instead our focus is on "new life."

It's like looking at these pieces of paper I have here. Men, these are instructions. I know, I saved one to show you. I never actually used one over Christmas. Kristen suggested it once, but I sent her to her room for insulting my manhood. But, the instructions take you through the design.

That is what we are going to do today--but with the gospel.

Green Bay Packers new coach Vince Lombardi started practice with the losing team and said, "Let's start at the beginning. This is a football. These are the yard markers. I'm the coach. You are the players."

Vandy stuck to the basics. Alabama, not so much. Of course, the Vols just stayed home.

So, we are going to look again at the basics. "This is the gospel."

And, one of the reasons we have to do that is because there are a lot of false instructions being followed out that.

As an outsider culturally, I have to adjust a bit to how nice and religious people are. My Yankee friends are just mean and pagan--let's me know who the lost and who the found are. Here it is expected to be "saved" and have some loose connection to a church. And, I think that ultimately may be more dangerous to your soul. Because you get inoculated.

I find that we have many good religious people here who do not know the gospel. So let's look at the instructions or understand that basics of the "football." "This is the gospel."

You have heard me use this definition before. Philip Nation and I used it in Compelled by Love. Actually, this whole message is the gospel presentation we wrote in the back of the book.

Here is our definition of the gospel:

The gospel is the good news that God, who is more holy than we can imagine, looked upon with compassion mankind that is more sinful than we would possibly admit, and then sent Jesus into history to establish his Kingdom and reconcile people and the world to himself. Jesus, whose love is more extravagant than we can measure, came to sacrificially die for us so that we might gain what the Bible defines as eternal life: to know the only true God and take hold of eternal life by the direction and abundant strength afforded to us by his Spirit.

You must start with a Right Understanding

All the verses I mention are books with numbers after them. They are taken from the Bible.

1. Of God and Creation

Genesis 1:1 (HCSB) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

It was good.

We all know this is not how it is supposed to be.

This Christmas and New Years vacation was taxing... for me it was relaxing. No traffic. No sick people around the office (my germ freak is coming out). Everybody nice to me.

At creation, everyone was happy, relaxed, and, well, naked (but that is another story).

Genesis 1:27 (HCSB) So God created man in His own image; He created him in the image of God; He created them male and female.

And you were created with a purpose.

"They are my people -- I created each of them to bring honor to me" (Isaiah 43:7, CEV).

Let's talk about what happens to creation.

How did we get from good to a mess?

2. Of the Fall

Romans 5:12 (HCSB) Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all men, because all sinned.

So, you say, Adam sinned. And that sin does impact you. But, it is also important to note that all sinned. That's you.

One of the key things to know about the gospel is to understand the Fall and how it impacts you. You have sinned.

Turn to the people on both sides and tell them they have sinned... and if you know them a well, tell them they have sinned a lot.

So, what happens because of that sin? Well, we spiritually die. The Bible says that the wages of sin is death.

And that death means we all die.

1 Corinthians 15:22 (HCSB) For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

So, we born with a sin nature and then we violate God's standard.

God can no longer just accept us as we are. This is one of the hardest things for people. Why can't God just wink and nod and it's over? Why can't he just look past all our sins? Well, because he is holy.

But that is why he sent Jesus. You have to be "in Christ" rather than "in Adam."

There are really two kinds of people in the world: those in Christ and those not.

So, how does Jesus come into the picture?

3. Jesus as Creator and Redeemer

We started with creation and have to understand that Jesus is the source of that creation. He is also praised as "The Lamb," or the sacrifice.

He is the creator of all creation and then the redeemer of that as a new creation.

Revelation 5:13 (HCSB) I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth, on the sea, and everything in them say: Blessing and honor and glory and dominion to the One seated on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!

A lamb is s symbol of sacrifice. Yet, he is also receiving praise.

Jesus is both creator of all things and redeemer of all things.

He created things good and he makes new creation good again.

So, how did Jesus do that? Why and how did this "lamb" die?

That leads to the next issue where we need a right understanding.

4. Of Jesus and His Death

John 3:16 (HCSB) "For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

One of the best known Bible verses right here.

God gave his son.

What happened...

Romans 4:25 (HCSB) He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

We trespassed against God's law.

So, he was raised for our "justification." An easy way to remember that is that it is "just as if I'd never sinned." In other words, his death and resurrection make it as though we are not guilty of our sin, but are instead forgiven.

And, he did this while we were still sinners...

Romans 5:8 (HCSB) But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us!

So, how does this relate to me?

Well, with this new information you can consider again your view of yourself. Because you need a right understanding of self.

5. Of Self

Romans 3:10-12 (HCSB) 10 as it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one; 11 there is no one who understands, there is no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away, together they have become useless; there is no one who does good, there is not even one.

We were trying to catch the mouse that bit off my finger. (I am man, the story has grown with the telling.) We instead caught a bird in our glue mouse trap. The bird needed me to set it free.

It could not do it on its down, it needed me to set it free. The more it struggled, the worse off it was.

The things the bird thought would help only made it worse. There was no way this bird was getting free without my help.

So we are like a bird stuck in a trap.

Most people overestimate their own goodness and underestimate God's holiness.

1 Peter 3:18 (HCSB) For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring you to God, after being put to death in the fleshly realm but made alive in the spiritual realm.

This is the key.

The death of Christ is always confusing to people.

It is a stumbling block. If you don't understand why Jesus came to die you can't understand the gospel.

The Gospel is Unlike Any Other

Ephesians 2:8-9 (HCSB) 8 For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift-- 9 not from works, so that no one can boast.

Not (as my friend Tim Keller says), "I obey, therefore I am accepted, but I am accepted therefore I obey."

How Do I Become a Christian?

Romans 3:22 (HCSB) --that is, God's righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ, to all who believe, since there is no distinction.

You believe.

Acts 26:20 (HCSB) Instead, I preached to those in Damascus first, and to those in Jerusalem and in all the region of Judea, and to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works worthy of repentance.

Repent and turn to God. There is not better way to begin 2009 than with repentance and turning. (Of course, there is not better way to begin tomorrow!)

Notice the order. This is the beginning of your journey and not the end. And, the gospel is not something you "get behind you" and the start "trying hard." No, that gospel is how you live... and that will be our theme the next several months.

When you live the gospel centered life

Romans 10:9 (HCSB) if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

You confess.

Be Sure to Count the Cost

This is not an easy believe, just fill out a card, and that's it.

You need to know Jesus and you need to know he wants all of you.

Luke 14:28 (HCSB) "For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn't first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?

But, you can't follow him without him.

God is more holy that you can imagine; you are more sinful than you will ever admit.

So, what should you do?

Isaiah 55:6-7 (HCSB) 6 Seek the Lord while He may be found; call to Him while He is near. 7 Let the wicked one abandon his way, and the sinful one his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, so He may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will freely forgive.

Some of you have been vaccinated by religion and can't get hold of a real relationship with Jesus. That is what I am calling you to in 2009.

How do You Respond?

• Confess (agree with God about your condition and His plan)


• Receive (ask Christ to enter and rule your life)


• Follow (commit to obey because you are accepted)

If you don't have a testimony, let's start one today.