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REVIEW 9 weeks in 90 seconds A new identity: Ambassadors for Christ (all Christians) Because God is sovereign & we’re responsible: Talk with God about our friends before talking with friends about God 7 Principles of Evangelism / “Listening to Hear” / hospitality 5 Thresholds of Faith: Trust, Curiosity, Open to Change, Seeking, Entering Kingdom There’s 1 gospel, but many ways to explain it. An “Irreducibly Simple” Gospel could be described as…

Bad News Good News Invitation The Bad News is the story of how God’s children were seduced (by the evil one) The Good News (Gospel) is the story of the infinite degree to which God went to rescue his children The Invitation is the offer extended by God to those he is calling into his family (through his ambassadors)

GOSPEL BOOT CAMP BAD NEWS Summary All have sin (heredity) and have sinned (choice), and thus have a SIN problem Because God is Righteous and Just, we also have a DEATH problem (Spiritual, Physical and Eternal) Thus our greatest enemies are SIN and DEATH. Despite what our pride tells us, our good WORKS don’t work Apart from this understanding of the Bad News, the Good News will have little value or be misunderstood

GOSPEL BOOT CAMP THE GOOD NEWS What is it? First of all good “news,” not good “advice” The story of something that already happened, not what still needs to happen “The story of the infinite degree to which God went to rescue his children” What did he do? How? Why?

GOSPEL BOOT CAMP GOD A Righteous and Just being, but also Loving and Merciful How do those attributes play out? Genesis 3 – sin deserved immediate death (physical) Others were struck down immediately for their sin (King Jeroboam, Ananias & Sapphira), why not A & E? Did they deserve to die that day? Yes (Genesis 2:17) So they didn’t get what they deserved = Mercy So how does that fit with God being Just?

GOSPEL BOOT CAMP GOD Genesis 3:21 “The LORD made garments of skin for Adam & his wife and clothed them” Something else died in their place, covering their guilt, and the skins of that substitute covered their shame A precedent was set – God showed his Love by providing a substitute to pay for his people’s sin Later canonized in Levitical law on Mt. Sinai (sacrifices) But not a complete solution, “because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” Heb. 10:4

GOSPEL BOOT CAMP GOD A worthy substitute (sacrifice) would have to be: A man, because sin came into this world through a man (1 Corinthians 15:21-22) Perfectly sin free, so not bearing own sin’s punishment But no one on earth could fit these requirements When God saw his children trapped in the grip of sin and death, he reached out and did something heroic, so they could receive Mercy. And it demonstrated…

GOSPEL BOOT CAMP GOD The Love of God: Because he loved us, God provided just that kind of sacrifice (A sinless man) as a substitute God the Father sent God the Son to be that substitute “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13)

GOSPEL BOOT CAMP CHRIST Who he is: Answers from other religions… Judaism – Failed messiah. Died? Yes. Resurrected? No. Islam – A prophet. Died? No. Ascended? Yes. Hindu – One of many gods to worship Buddhism – An enlightened man showing the way to it Answer from most people today… Good teacher or prophet … but not God Common theme: Helps us become own savior

GOSPEL BOOT CAMP CHRIST Who he is: Who Old Testament Scripture told us would come: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 He’d be human: “a child is born” He’d be divine: “Mighty God”

GOSPEL BOOT CAMP CHRIST Who he is: How New Testament Scriptures describe him: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God … And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1,14 “…our God and savior Jesus Christ…” 2 Peter 1:1 He is the divine God-Man: “God the Son”

GOSPEL BOOT CAMP CHRIST Where he came from: Born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14) Conceived of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18-22) Therefore not a man who descended from Adam (who we inherit sin nature from), so not a sinner by nature Nor did Jesus ever sin himself (John 8:29) A “second Adam” who would succeed where Adam failed (Romans 5:18-19)

GOSPEL BOOT CAMP CROSS Substitution (the way God displayed Love and Mercy without compromising righteousness and justice) Sacrificial system (Mt. Sinai) revealed 2 concepts: The animal died so that the person did not have to die Animal blood was temporary atonement. The perfect solution was yet to be revealed. To satisfy God’s justice, while also rescuing us from his justice. A good system, but imperfect. The cross in 4 Words: Perfect, Put, Punished, Risen

GOSPEL BOOT CAMP CROSS Perfect: Jesus was the perfect sacrifice because fully human yet unblemished (free of sin) because also fully God God’s “cup of wrath” The concept: “…you who have drank from the hand of the LORD the cup of his wrath…” Isaiah 51:17 The decision: “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." Luke 22:42 The result: “…saved from the wrath of God” Romans 5:8-9

GOSPEL BOOT CAMP CROSS Put & Punished: God the Father Put our sins on Jesus and Punished him in our place (Matthew 27:46 “My God…”) Risen: Jesus’ release from death shows the penalty has been fully paid (sentence carried out) Proves Jesus conquered SIN & DEATH “God raised him from the dead … because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him” Acts 2:24 Result: JUSTIFICATION – a right standing before a just God. Being declared “not guilty.” Being told, “You may go.”

GOSPEL BOOT CAMP CROSS The Great Exchange: After living the life we should have but couldn’t (without SIN), CHRIST died the DEATH our sins deserved on the CROSS, then was Raised from the dead to prove what he’d accomplished. “…so that we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthian 5:21 Result: RIGHTEOUSNESS – a right standing before a righteous God, because we now have Jesus’ resume. Not just “You may go” (without punishment), but “You may come” with confidence and assurance of grace

GOSPEL BOOT CAMP CROSS This theology of the cross: Substitutionary Atonement 1 Peter 2:24 “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ suffered once for sin, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the spirit…” 1 John 4:10 “In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” John 1:29 “Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”