GOSPEL COMMUNITY: HOW?

a man amen What we have been talking about gospel community over the last 3 weeks really wanting to be fluent in the gospel. Not just as individuals. But as a part of a spiritual family. but if we want to become the type of people that God has called us to become the type of people that Jesus is death burial and Resurrection allows us to become it's not going to happen in isolation or Independence. It's going to happen in community and interdependence. The gospel is something that we are called to grow into so we've been thinking about this together over the last 2 weeks 2 weeks ago we talked about why why do we need gospel community in the simple answer is because we need help. We need help. We can't be who God made us to be we can't do what he calls us to do by ourselves. We cannot do it. We need help. We are by definition blind to our blind spots. It's not just that you won't see things in your life. It's that you can't see things in your life without someone else in the family helping you to see them. We need to be in intentional. Transparent vulnerable relationship gospel community so that we can be the people that we want to be that God wants us to be so we can do the things that God is inviting us into we do it because we need help and that help is not found in a program. It's not felt found in an event that help is not simply information or doctrine that helped is the gospel. We looked at Romans chapter 1 16 to 17. I am not ashamed of the Gospel.

Not ashamed of the Gospel that that's so much more than just like emotional embarrassment. The Apostle Paul saying so much more about the gospel said the gospel is everything to me. I don't start with the gospel and then move on to something else. The gospel is everything the gospel is on why I'm not ashamed the gospel because it is the power of God. The gospel is the the vehicle that God has chosen to bring his power and his might and His glory to Bear upon his people and upon his creation. Turn up. The power of God's is directed and channeled through the gospel to bring Salvation.

This is not just get out of hell and go to heaven. This is replacing despair with hope this is this is giving purpose to those who have no purpose. This is transferring people from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of the beloved Son. The gospel is God's power to heal and rescue and reconcile and redeem are all of our life. Call the violets. Of course. It has implications after our death. Paul says I'm not ashamed I'm not going to back away from I'm not going to back off I'm sticking with what I started with. I'm I'm all in with the gospel because that is what God has chosen to use as his power to bring Salvation. for everyone who believes first for the Jew and also for the Greek the beauty of the Gospel. It's not limited by geography. It's not limited by ethnicity. It's not achieved by performance is not regulated by for Behavior. The gospel is the power of God for all who will believe all who will claim allegiance to Jesus all who will trust and hope in him the gospel brings salvation.

The Avenue my best over the last several weeks to help all of us understand that the gospel is not just something for people that don't believe I need the gospel every single day. I woke up this morning and I started preaching the gospel to myself.

We need the gospel because God's not done with us yet. And that good news. Good news that some of you

you met me and my good news. I got that done with us yet, but there's growth that there's more freedom that there's more like there's more joy, there's more. Hope there's more Jesus to discover. We need the gospel every single day. Cuz God is not done with us yet and The Best Is Yet To Come Oh How I Love Love Love The Gospel the last week we talked about. What is it that we try to do in gospel community and and as simple as it sounds as we try to live in and live out the gospel. We talked about how in the gospel were given a new identity. In the gospel, we're giving a new community. In the gospel were given new humility in the gospel were given a New Journey a new purpose when we come together in gospel Community. We need to be focused on what does the gospel say to us? What is the gospel doing to us? What does the gospel want to do through us? I want to grow in our understanding of who we are because of what the gospel has done to us. Do we find our identity? In our geography or ethnicity in our economics in our performance in our Behavior, or do we find our identity in Christ who died and rose again for us? Define community in the people of God real Community we know and are we known do we love and are we love? This this is what gospel Community is designed to do. It's not simply an event.

Far too often what what we do in churches in terms of small groups or Community groups or or whatever. They're really just another event like Sunday morning. It's not that they're bad.

The gospel Community is not an event. It's a lifestyle. It's a way of being if you want to grow in the gospel. You're going to have to open up your life to other people and they're going to have to open up their life. You're going to have to spend time together quality and quantity. You going to have to engage you're going to have to let other people call you out and you're going to have to call them out. You can have to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who Rejoice going to have to speak the truth in love. You have to bear one another's burdens that doesn't happen in an event.

Never become fluent in a gospel. If you just show up on Sundays for an hour and a half. You'll never become fluent in the gospel. If you just show up on Sundays and go to a small group once a week. That's just that I'm not saying those are bad things. I have preached to somebody. So for the sake of my wife, you should keep coming on Sunday unless I just going to have to preach to her all the time like but events are not bad. What events are also not gospel Community? They're part of it. But but real gospel Community only happens in the context of sharing life together. Knowing each other seeing each other as Danny says in the normal traffic patterns of life. You can put on a good show at an event. We got to see each other not just that our best but our worst week. We need others to see us not just that our best. But at our worst that's the context of change. It's where the gospel begins to bring freedom and growth and life. When we share life with one another I want to talk a little bit about how that works again this morning.

How does gospel Community work? All I can do is give you a 30000 foot picture this morning. We could spend a long time talking about this but

As we think about how gospel Community worksite I want to start. With the highest hypothetical situation. I want to I want you to imagine. That you're a part of a gospel Community. I want you to imagine that you're a part of a small group of your regularly gathering with some other people who are followers of Jesus and maybe you're sharing meals. Maybe you doing Bible study. Maybe you're doing all all sorts of other stuff that I want you to imagine that you've come to one of these meetings and somebody comes in and you can tell by their body language. They're not doing all right. That they're not doing okay. They're upset their frustrate. You can see some anger. You can see some frustration. Just see it until you're sitting down and and maybe you're sharing a meal or maybe you're just sitting around talking and then all sudden this person just explodes.

I know none of you have ever felt that way right looks like your boss is here this morning. My boss is such a jerk. I told her appreciate like a pass over again. I just so angry my liar just so

is there a medical question for you? What do you say to that person? How do you respond? So that reality that Outburst of reality. Why you just chew on that as we start walking through a Texas where we're going to continue enrollments jumping back in and verse 18.

One of the most profound and just power pack text of scripture. This beginning to Romans says this is for the wrath of God. Is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who buy their unrighteousness suppress the truth.

For what can be known about God is plain to them because God has shown it to them. Where is invisible attributes namely his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made so they are without. Excuse never Paul Starbucks, and I'm not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of Salvation. I was going to unpack and explain why we why we really need the power of the gospel. And the reason that he begins to develop and unpacked is that week? We need the power of the gospel because there is a truth about God that is as clear as day that you cannot stand before the Grand Canyon. You cannot stand at the foot of a giant Redwood. You cannot stand Crater Lake or or or Mount Everest or something and you can't look through a telescope and see the size and scope of the universe and not have the sense the creation cries out. There's a creator. The glory and the majesty and the power of God are evidence that there.

But we choose. We choose not to acknowledge that true.

Church, we choosing not talking about them out there. Listen to what? He says he sets up there without excuse for although they knew God they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking and their foolish hearts. weird Arkin claiming to be wise they became fools and exchange the glory of the immortal God or images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. We exchanged the glory of the creator for the created. This is the problem that the gospel is sent to address. all of our lives We've moved from the truth of who God is and try to establish truth in our own contact. We look at the mountain. We don't worship the one who made the mountain worship the mountain. We exchanged the glory of the creator for the glory of the creation. And what happens? Is it that changes and shapes us? You see what the text says when we begin to worship. Anything other than God? And listen worship worship is not singing worship is not ritual worship. Is anything you build your life on? That's a worship as we worship what we build our life on some of you are building your life on your career your location. When you worship your job when you're a workaholic when you find your identity in your ability to perform at work, when you find your value your purpose your meaning and how much you can accomplish our crew how much money you can make how many possessions you have. You are building your life upon that you worship that.

That's the way we can find out. What we worship is just asked a simple question. What can make my life better or worse?

It's your job to make your life better or worse. You're worshiping that job. It maybe it's at location for you. Maybe it's pleasure. Maybe it's sexuality. Maybe it's entertainment. Maybe it's alcohol. There are so many things that we devote our life to.

But at the end of the day we worship we got to worship problem. We've got a worship problem. And the gospel is the power of God to save us from ourselves.

Change our worship problem when you exchange the glory of the immortal God for these images. You don't play me who I've become fools. it affects us we become dark and we become her he goes on there for

therefore

God smote them. therefore

therefore God gave them up. Be careful. What you ask for? Therefore God gave them up in the last of their hearts to impurity to the dishonoring of their bodies among. themselves

God won't Force worship. It's his kindness that leads us to repentance. I won't force it if you want to build your life on something other than God there is a point that he will turn you over to it and when you get turned over to it. It will destroy you because the wages of sin is always that.

So much more than just physical. LOL that's included. There's emotional that there's relational that there's the death of Joy the death of Hope the wages of sin is always death.

Is a different God gave them up in their last for their hearts and Purity to dishonor their bodies among themselves because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worship and serve the creature rather than the Creator who is blessed forever. Amen.

For this reason God gave them up to diss honorable Passions. The all sinful behavior is the fruit of wrong worship. Misplaced misdirected worship will always result in sinful Behavior.

growing in Grace growing in the gospel far to off and we think sanctification the process of being made holy the process of becoming who God wants us to be we think it's about Behavior fur, but it's not it's about belief. Because Behavior flows from Belize what you worship what you devote your life to will manifest in your life. It will bear fruit if you worship your job if you worship sexuality if you worship America, if you worship anything other than got it will their fruit.

Sanctification growing his grace is not learning to be good little Christians who do good things. That's the fruit. They come gospel community. Helps us to move from unbelief to believe in all areas of our life. That's what gospel Community does gospel Community helps us to see Jesus. Your ways are we haven't seen him. To see that he is more and better than anything else. We might believe in it helps us to believe in him in every area of our life. That's the process of getting sanctification the gospel Community exposes our false worship and redirects us to worship Jesus.

That's what gospel community hospital. However, you do it. However, it's structured. However, it spread doesn't matter how you mean when you mean where you mean, there's no structures given in the New Testament about how we are supposed to get together that's opened. Its Organics if it fluctuates an adjustment add apps to different cultural realities. But when it happens this has to happen. When you are involved in gospel Community, it will expose you. I'm sure you expose others. Skip to the ways that we have exchanged the glory of the creator for the created. Expose the areas of unbelief in our life and call us to believe in the gospel.

Gospel Community exposes are false worship and Reader X us to worship Jesus. So go back to my hypothetical situation. You're in your group. Somebody's had a bad day. They crap. I'm so angry.

How often have we been in a situation like that? What do we do? How do we respond? I think far too often we go. Yeah, my boss is a jerk to

cuz we're fundamentally narcissist in our culture. So we have to make somebody else's pain about us, right. Nobody gets helped. Maybe we don't do it. Maybe we're not that narcissistic. So maybe go. Yeah, your boss is a jerk and he doesn't appreciate you. You should you should just stand up for yourself. You should tell him off. You should look for another job you should

We try to empathize with them. Oh, yeah, you're totally right you totally right? But what are we really doing? When we do that? We're actually empathizing. with their idolatry With their exchange of the creator for the creative. Let me explain that. Because what happens if somebody walks into your group or into your life and says Matt, my boss is such a jerk. What are they telling you in that? They're telling you? They're not telling you that their boss is a jerk. They're telling you that they find their identity and meaning and value and purpose and joy in how their boss treats them.

You see that with me this morning. What if your boss has the ability to make your life joyous or make your life completely miserable you're giving your boss way too much energy and power and Glory. He's the thing that you are functionally worshipping. When somebody comes in with my boss is like a jerk we go Yeah Yeah Yeahs - 200. Yeah. He is a jerk you need. All we're doing is affirming them in their sinfulness.

and in their false worship

Let's Romans 1.

We exchanged the glory of the creator for the created. Now I'm finding my meaning my purpose my identity my value in this person.

We're already and idolatry. I mean the word of God says this it says know this my beloved Brothers let every person be quick to hear slow to speak slow to anger for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

When we fan the flame of man's anger. We're not bringing about the righteousness of God. We're stoking the fire of sin. Read so rather James says therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness. And receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your soul.

Gospel Community. Somebody comes in such a jerk.

Does your boss really give you value? Do you know? Your sister your brother. That Jesus is your boss. That you can work for Jesus instead of your boss. That you can live as an alien and Stranger in a world that is broken by sin as an agent and vessel of Grey. Play The Gospel calls us out of our sin and our false worship into real worship of Jesus. What was Pele I said this morning? He accepted Christ the circumstances of his life didn't change. Is Mama still got his dad was still dead you would still homeless you still trying to provide but God changed everything on the inside now, he's serving God and then God begins to change the circumstances. This is the way we were we went to call each other from unbelief to believe. We're calling each other from worshipping things that can never give us what they promised to the only one in. The only thing that can never fail.

However, we do gospel Community. We have to call each other to actually believe the gospel.

Maybe you spend your life in that job unappreciated passed over. You know, what you've got a father that loves you who's guaranteed you an inheritance and I haven't they can never be stolen will never spoil will never fade. No one can ever take it away from you. Your boss doesn't see the beauty and potential in you. Jesus loves you so much. He came and died for you. What do you need his affirmation when the god of the universe has affirmed you in ways you never deserve but you see how adorable calls us out of alt Worship in the real Russia. Start swapping I pray for you, brother. Which is basically just saying I'll think about praying for you.

Right now and then I'll forget about it. We got to call each other. The reality that Jesus is better.

Jesus is always better is the better boss. He's a better friend. Better spouse is better fathers better. Child better. Neighbor. Jesus is better. It's better to have Jesus than anything at all. Jesus is a better everything only he can make your life better or worse. So the gospel calls us to know what the circumstances are. Only. Jesus can make your life better or worse. What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but forfeits is so you don't have Jesus and you have everything you've really got nothing. But if you got Jesus and you've got nothing you really have everything.

The gospel calls us to believe that that's not easy. Is that easy? It's not something that we can do by herself. That's why we need gospel Community is why we need each other to call each other to Faith. Don't starve your boss, sir. Jesus don't save your marriage cert Jesus. Don't turn your sexuality serve Jesus. He's always going to be better.

That's what gospel Community calls us there.

Let me give you 4 questions from comes from Jeff vanderstelt in his book gospel fluency. I think these are for excellent questions. we can ask ourselves individually that's kind of that fruit to root process that I walked you through a couple months ago but in community

1 how does the gospel bring good news to the situation? But that's the first question. We should ask about everything. Somebody comes in I lost my job. So he comes in I didn't get the promotion. Somebody comes in. My kid just got arrested. Somebody comes in. How does the gospel bring good news? That's what gospel means good news. How does the gospel bring good news to this situation? That's where we have to start. How does the gospel bring good news to the situation? What about the gospel? Do we need to hear right now?

One house gospel bring good news the situation to what do we need the gospel? What what about the gospel? Do we need to hear right now?

How do we begin to speak life and Hope and Faith to each other? I remember remember you're not defined by your failure. Remember Jesus died for you. Remember? It's not about your performance. It's by Grace. We are saved through faith this so that no man May boast. Remember when everybody else abandons you Jesus will never leave or forsake you. What about the gospel? Do we need to fear in this particular situation? I think we have to learn to default for the gospel. Our default right now is like good advice. Moral Behavior. I'll pray for you or whatever. Our default needs to be the gospel. What people need is Jesus?

We point each other to Jesus third. What about the gospel? Have we forgotten or failed to believe? So In This Moment In this experience, what is it that I'm falsely worshiping what is it that my brother or sister is falsely worshiping what are they believing more The Jesus we got to get to the roof by Chu often we deal with the behavior. We don't change we don't deal with the root. What is it that we're not bleeding? What is it that were falsely worshiping? What are heart?

Which leads us to the first question? How is Jesus better? Then what we have or what we think we want. How does how does the gospel speak to the what whatever gospel Community looks like? That's the process that we need to be involved in with each other's life. We take the reality of Our Lives the reality that none of us are perfect. The reality that God's not done with any other that we all need to and get to grow in Grace. That's the Assumption you walked into gospel compute Community. You are a sinner saved by grace who needs the power of the Gospel to keep setting you free. And needs others to help you in that. And when that happens, we have to keep the gospel Central.

So we speak the truth of the Gospel. We speak the truth of Jesus to the direct realities and circumstances of our lives and we remind and encourage and strengthen each other that Jesus is always better. He is the only one that can make our life better or worse. You have everything without Jesus. You have nothing you have nothing but you have Jesus you have everything gospel Community Reader X the worship of our heart. From building our lives on things that can never get us where we need to go. The building our lives upon the solid rock of Jesus Christ, and we'd get to church. Do that together not good news. MN