The Provision, Proclamation, Privilege, and Purpose of the Good News

The good news is that salvation is by grace is grace unmerited favor the kind will see the loving kindness of God grants this as a gift.

The dishonor God or the latest effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

Sadly, that's the kind of news we hear every single day. Obviously we live in a culture that is in desperate need of some good news. Well the good news is there is good news and it's profoundly good news that revolves around Jesus Christ and what he has done for sinners today on grace to you. John MacArthur continues his look at the gospel what it is, what it's not how it can transform your life and how you can effectively communicated to others and now for the good news that's the title of John study. If you're able look with us at Romans chapter 1, and here's John with a lesson. Now these seven verses contain the seed of truth that blooms fully and the remaining 16 chapters we have noted for you that there are at least seven elements to this introduction seven features regarding the good news there is the preacher of the good news. The promise of the good news. The person of the good news. The provision of the good news. The proclamation of the good news the privileges of the good news and the purpose of the good news. Let me remind you briefly of the first three.

First of all, the preacher of the good news is introduced to us in verse one, Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ are called apostle, separated under the gospel of God, and there we have met the preacher of the good news and it points us to a very important reality and that is this that God has chosen human vessels to be the instruments of the transporting of the good news. Paul a man like us, a servant of Jesus Christ, called apostle, separated under the gospel of God, pointing to the fact that God has chosen to use human agency God has designed to use men and women to proclaim the good news. In fact, it tells us in first Corinthians that God has chosen by the foolishness of preaching to proclaim his message and even use weekend ignoble and foolish preachers to do so.

No one's faith stands in the wisdom of man, but it stands only in the power of God through the weakness of man, God's people are still the instruments Jesus commanded us to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature preacher, a human instrument. Secondly, we look at the promise of the good news. Verse two which he had promised before by his prophets in the holy Scriptures. The good news of the gospel had already been promised in the Old Testament. That's why in Matthew 517 Jesus said I didn't come to destroy the law but to fulfill it. I came to fill it up to bring it to fulfillment, to bring it to fruition, to bring it to wholeness to bring it to completeness.

New Testament is the word of God that completes the Old Testament that consummates the promise. So the good news is going to come through human preacher and the good news is going to be based upon the promises of God in the Old Testament.

And thirdly, we saw not only the preacher and the person rather the preacher and the promise but that preacher and the promise in the person what and to whom is the heart and object of the good news.

Verse three.

It concerns his son Jesus Christ our Lord was made of the seed of David according to the flesh and declared to be the son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead, the person of the good news is Christ.

That's the issue.

It is what you do with God son the Lord Jesus Christ that determines whether you inherit the riches of the father and there is in those two verses an absolutely wonderful presentation of Christ we see his humanness. In verse three he was made of the seed of David according to the flesh. It was a real human being, we see his deity in verse four he was declared to be the son of God with power through the spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead see his humanity receives deity. He had to be man to take man's place. He had to be God, to conquer sin and death and hell and Satan now only to notice one thing in verse four, just as we conclude our thoughts on the person. It says that this was accomplished.

That is his power and resurrection. According to the spirit of holiness. That is another way to say the Holy Spirit.

It was the Holy Spirit working in Christ through the agency of the spirit, Christ did what he did. He expressed his power and he was raised from the dead through the agency of the holy in this relationship is very important if you look back. For example, in Matthew chapter 3 for a moment, let me take you just on a very fast tour of how Jesus was related to the Holy Spirit in his incarnation. Holy Spirit is the third member of the Trinity.

As you know, and within the Trinity. They were equal, and yet when Jesus was incarnate, he submitted himself to the will of the father and the power of the spirit in a voluntary submission, we find that at his baptism in Matthew chapter 3 he was baptized in verse 16 he went up out of the water, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him and a voice from heaven saying this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.

Now the father was bestowing on Christ the spirit of Marcus. I believe that from this time on.

This was the initiation into his ministry. His ministry was controlled by the power of the Holy Spirit. Now follow a little further into Matthew chapter 12 in verse 31.

He said this to those who accused him of being of the devil. They accused him of being of Satan.

They accused him of being representative of Beelzebub, which was a pagan term for Satan and he said in verse 31 I was saying to you all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, shall not be forgiven men.

And whosoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, a word against the Son of Man, can be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, shall not be for given what was he saying you saying you might say something against my humanness that would be forgivable.

But when you blaspheme the spirit of God, who is doing the work through me. That is unforgivable.

But the point I want you to see is this that when they deny the works of Christ.

He says you're not blaspheming the Son of Man your blaspheming whom the Holy Spirit why because he had surrendered to the power of the Holy Spirit. And when they blasphemed his works. They were blaspheming the spirit because it was the spirit working through him. So you have just in this introduction, and that one little phrase not only an understanding of the humanity of Christ and the deity of Christ, but his relationship to the Holy Spirit.

One of the most marvelous of all theological categories listen to what it says in Luke 41 and Jesus being full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan after his baptism he went from that place full of the Holy Spirit in John 334 it says this for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him the father loves the son, and hath given all things into his hand. When God gave the son of the spirit gave him the Spirit without measure. Another words in absolute and utter fullness. Now this is a mystery.

People Jesus is God. He's one with the father and one with the spirit, the Trinity is one and yet distinctly three but in a marvel of the incarnation. There was some kind of separation, the son took on a voluntary submission did only the will of the father and only through the power of the spirit so that was the agency of the Holy Spirit that empowered him in his voluntary humiliation with the agency of the Holy Spirit that was doing the work through him, and that shows you that shows you the utter submissiveness of Christ and what it says in Philippians that he set aside these thing that he took on the form of a servant, and was found in fashion as a man, and humble himself. It really means that he did only what the father showed him to do, and only in the power of the spirit quite a submission for one who is fully God and has been and will be for all eternity.

And so it was the spirit who empowered him in his resurrection say wise and important. It is important because it indicates to us that the Trinity that God himself is involved in the living and the dying and the rising of Christ and the greatest affirmation that Jesus was we claim to be was that God himself raised him from the bit through the instrumentation of the Holy Spirit. So Christ is the God man, fully man and fully God and that is fully indicated and that God himself raised him from the dead through the agency of the Holy Spirit. That's good news became to identify with this became to be a man, as we are men to suffer. To understand the role of human life, but at the same time he was God and he overcame by the power of the spirit and rose from the dead. The marvel of his humanity and deity and that mysterious union we can never fully understand. We can never fully understand how he was related to the father and how he was related to the spirit because it is so mysterious, we can't really grasp it all. But that is precisely what the Bible teaches fully man and fully God.

So we meet the preacher, we see the promise and the person of the good news Jesus Christ God in human flesh doing the will of the father whose son he has become in the power of the spirit. Now let's come number for the provision of the good news.

The provision if you love the sun. What happens if you receive the good news. What happens to things first pop out of the treasure trove but God is provided.

Verse five says, by whom we have received grace and apostleship, you can stop there. What is it that the good news gives us what is it that the good news bestows upon us.

What is the treasure that we inherit when we love the sun first grace. Second, apostleship first watched this conversion second vocation first to be called second to be sent first let's look at grace we received grace what you mean, Paul. Well, there is the possibility that he could be meeting the grace of apostleship that's possible but I like to think he's saying something more distinct than that that the translation of the authorized is right that he is saying we received grace and apostleship. What is grace its unmerited favor unearned favor. The good news is that salvation is by grace.

Ephesians 289 says, for by grace are you saved through faith that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God not of works lest any man should. What bows were saved by grace.

The grace of God that bring us salvation hath appeared to all men is grace unmerited favor the kind of goodwill, the mercy the lovingkindness of God grants this as a gift and all we do is respond in believing the baby breeze because it is slapped and we enter into the kingdom of God and receive the gift of life from him because with divine sovereignty. He whacks us and we begin to breathe spiritually. If we are alive. It is because his breath has been breathed into us.

We are born from above.

There's no place for self congratulations.

There's no place for human achievement.

We are not saved by works in Romans three verse 24, it says we are justified freely by his grace. Verse 27 where is boasting, then it is excluded. By what law or works day, but by the law of faith. We believe in God's gracious in Romans chapter 5, you will develop that more. In verses 20 and 21 talks about where sin abounded, grace did much more about mercy without cause kindness without deserving so salvation did not come by confirmation salvation does not come by communion does not come by. Baptism does not come by church membership does not come by.

Church attendance does not come by trying to keep the 10 Commandments are trying to live the sermon on the Mount.

It does not come by giving to charity. It does not come by believing there is a God, or there is a Christ. It does not come by simply being moral and respectable. It does not come even by claiming to be a Christian it comes when we receive by faith the gift of great by the way, hell will be full of people I've just described who think they have salvation in the wrong thing so Paul says we received grace. That's the first provision of the gospel that you have to earn it, you couldn't.

If you want, it's impossible for by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified. Dr. Barnhouse had a good word he said this love that looks upward is worship love that looks outward is affection and love that stoops is grace in God is stooped to give us grace that we don't deserve it. The dying St. Payson said this grace is the only thing that can make us like God I might be dragged through heaven through earth and through hell and I would still be the same, sinful, polluted, rich, unless God himself should cleanse me by his grace were to see a lot more about grace on disk and leave it there but it is free is a gift. The first provision. Grace the second apostleship and I think Paul is expanding his thinking here he starts with himself, Paul. By the time he gets to verse five, he has the word we we received grace and I think he embraces the believing community.

We've received a certain kind of apostleship. I know he sees himself and that we and he sees the other apostles. There are those who work with him. It's also possible he senses the breadth of that term in its broadest possible context. We are called and saved to be sent to reach the world and for Paul is apostleship was that very unique apostleship a very unique, in fact, there was none like it. There was the 12 Judas fell out. Matthias was added that The 12 intact and later Paul appeared on the scene is born out of due season of an apostle is truly is any of the others who saw Christ personally after the resurrection, and yet there was a uniqueness about his apostleship, and I think he sensed that, but he also realized that all of us are encompassed in the concept of being sent to one's you know that Hebrews 31 calls the Lord Jesus and apostle, he was sent from the father. So, in its widest sense, I believe the term refers to any gospel messenger commentator William Hendrickson agrees with that, he says, anyone who is on a spiritual mission. Anyone who in that capacity represents the sender anyone who brings the message of salvation is in a sense, an apostle, but please don't be confused. We are not equal to the apostles of the New Testament.

They were unique for their own time, but you can find as you study. We've seen this in past lessons we will belabor the point that there were many who were sent once. For example, in Romans 16 seven says greet Andronicus and Junius severe heard of them knowing about.

I don't, but says you are of note among the apostles will come apostles were Andronicus and Junius will certainly not apostles with the A, not the official ones but they were dispatched. They were sent. Once on a mission of proclaiming the truth of Christ in his behalf. So I believe that this is what we are learning here that there is not only the grace of salvation, but the challenge of being sent by the way. In acts 1414 it calls Barnabas an apostle, he wasn't one of the 12, nor was he the equivalent of Paul and that sent and this goes on throughout the Scripture, you have the term apostle being broadened and broadened in many texts so that we can't confine it to just some limited specific individuals only justify giving illustration to help. I grew up with athletics as a background and I was on a lot of different teams and some coaches that I played for various sports word trying souls. Others were not so kind, winning was everything that I can remember several different teams that I was on in my life where a boy would come and he would try out for the team and he really wasn't very good. Didn't have a lot of ability, but maybe his father had died. Maybe he was a poor fellow, or maybe he was just kind of a sort of person to draw sympathy out of you and every once in a while a coach would just put them on the team. You know, just give them a uniform make him feel a part, but he never play never get in the game.

I thought about that in reference to this Lord is a work that way if you get on the team going to get in the game. It's gonna be grace and apostleship that is called us to. It is not just to be redeemed is to be redeemed and then sent he graciously puts us on the team and by the way, where all like that little kid who couldn't do anything any puts us on the team and then he loses us and what a tough bunch we are to work with the good news. Beloved is that he provides conversion and vocation. The high and holy privilege of serving Jesus Christ all my do you have any comprehension of what a high calling that is says in Ephesians 210 that we have been created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God is before ordained that we should walk in them. We have been created in Christ Jesus unto good works. That's the whole point Victor at the Olympic Games in ancient times was asked Spartan what will you gain by this victory replied I serve shall have the honor to fight on the front line for my King. That's it. Will call to serve with all of our limitations.

DL Moody given address one time in Chicago and it was typical Moody at the close of the address a highly educated man came to him and said Sir, excuse me, but to you made 11 mistakes in your grammar tonight.

Mr. Moody said I probably did you see my early education was very limited and faulty, but I am using all the grammar that I know for the cause of Christ.

You the right answer with bliss. What is the provision of the good news. It is grace to save apostleship to serve you.

Listening to John MacArthur as he explains the staggering benefits God provides for you in salvation. The title of John's current series here on grace to you and now for the good news along with teaching each day on radio. John is the pastor of Grace Community Church and the Chancellor of the Masters University and seminary.

John what we have heard today is really the essence of the gospel that sinners are saved by grace alone.

Such great news in such a glorious truth and yet it seems maybe a measure of the perversity of the human heart that so many people reject that and they insist on with a think they're trying to please God. The insist on doing it on their own terms. This is part of the reality of human fallenness that the dominant sin is pride. When you see lists of sin in the Old Testament pride to the top of the list of things God hates and pride shows up in self-righteousness and self-sufficiency and I can earn my way to God and I'm a good person and God would certainly accept me. It is that very pride that has to be crushed. It is that very pride that has to be completely shattered and broken in its place, humility, and that's what the Beatitudes are all about.

When Jesus said blessed are those who mourn and mourn over their own wretchedness. Blessed are the meek and humble, the broken Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. They know they don't have. It's that crushing bad news that the sinner needs to hear and then into that sinners heart needs to come. The good news that salvation is by grace alone. We have a book that we've been talking about the title of it is good news.

It's a wonderful little book about 150 pages hardback book. It covers the gospel what you need to know about the gospel so that you can believe the true gospel and be saved. And for those of you who are already Christians. This is a book that will help equip you to be more effective in communicating the gospel.

It is a book you could give to an unbeliever, or it is a book that you need to read and take the truths that are in it, and the strength in your own ability to explain the glorious gospel to those that you meet again. The book title. Good news and affordably priced available from Grace to you and friend. This book answers history's greatest question who is Jesus Christ. How you answer that question has eternal consequences to find out exactly who Jesus is and what he accomplished for sinners pickup John's book called good news the gospel of Jesus Christ. Contact us today. You can call us at 855 grace or you can place your order@ourwebsitejidety.org as John said this is an ideal book to give to someone you been witnessing to to get your copy of good news the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Call 855 grace or go to GT Y.org and when you visit GT Y.org sure to take advantage of the various opportunities to listen to John's verse by verse teaching you can download 3500 sermons free of charge in audio or transcript format.

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I'm Phil Johnson with a question for you.

What is the most important aspect of the gospel that you need to understand John answers that tomorrow with another 30 minutes of unleashing God's truth one verse at a time wasting