Date: July 11, 2021
School of Evangelism/Theme: “The Gospel of Jesus Christ is A Family Affair.”
In Lesson 3, we are exploring two deep and profound truths about the gospel of Jesus Christ that are rarely preached in the body of Christ. It is imperative that these truths are shared, not just in Christian circles, but with every person and family throughout the world.
In our last session, we discussed the first truth that must be preached as a part of the gospel of Jesus Christ to people around the world. That is:
“Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose again from the
dead, so that every person (family) might be made rich.
I am talking wealth, money, and substance rich!
Does this offend you?
This truth should not offend anyone who believes in God and Jesus Christ. Please examine Romans 8:32. God freely offered up His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to save mankind and the world, why would God have a problem with freely giving us wealth, money, and possessions? Tell me, are riches of greater value than Jesus Christ? Of course not. Therefore, God with Jesus Christ liberally has made wealth, money, and possessions available for His children.
Unfortunately, most churches have failed to preach this deeper truth to their congregations, as well as make this good news a part of their evangelistic efforts to win the lost to Christ. Rightly, we were taught by church leadership that in receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, we are now free from sin and have the gift of eternal life. However, we were not told that through Jesus Christ, we were all made rich, as the Word of God has declared. (Rom. 10:8-13). Everyone, who from an earnest heart, calls on the name of Jesus Christ to save them, is made rich by God in that same moment.
I dare you to say every day—“I thank God that Jesus Christ has made me very rich.” Then go forward and put in an honest day of labor with your hands. Your hands have been anointed by God to get wealth. (Ps. 90:17, Is. 3:10, Deut. 8:18, 28:12) I’m telling you, promotions and business opportunities will come your way; and wealth and riches will find their way into your house because the blessing of Abraham is on your life. (Ps. 112:1-3 & Gal. 3:13-14)
However, always remember that God gives us all things richly for the purpose of establishing His covenant in the earth. God wants us to enjoy the riches, be ready to liberally give our tithes and offerings to the church, and to bless individuals and families in need. (I Tim. 6:17-19) Honor God with your wealth, and watch how money and good things will chase after you! (Prov. 3:9-10)
Now, let’s move on to the second truth about the gospel of Jesus Christ that is rarely taught in Christian circles.
“Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose on the third day
so that every person (family) might be made equal with
God through Jesus Christ.” Does this offend you?
In order for you to wholeheartedly accept and embrace this truth, you have to “Understand Where You Stand With God.” Christians need a much greater understanding about where they stand with God. Proverbs 4:7, says Wisdom is the principle thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all your getting get understanding.
For nearly six years now, without ceasing, when I begin my preaching I recite Romans 1:16-17.
(16) For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is
the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth:
to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (17) For therein is the
righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is
written, The just shall live by faith.
I want to draw your attention to verse 17. Notice that the writer, the Apostle Paul, says that the gospel of Jesus Christ reveals, “the righteousness of God from faith to faith.” Most Christians read or hear this verse and never stop to think about what the verse is saying to them.
Paul is explaining that through the finished works of Jesus Christ on the cross, God has extended His Righteousness to all people on the earth. When a person hears and believes the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ—about the life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ—they receive God’s Righteousness.
Consider these scriptures:
Romans 5:19 “For as by one man’s disobedience many
were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many
be made righteous.”
II Corinthians 5:21 “For he hath made him to be sin for us
who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness
of God in him.
Again, from these scriptures, we are to understand that God has made the free gift of righteousness available to all people. No man can earn God’s righteousness with good works, which is called self-righteousness. (Is. 64:6) Self-works are nothing more than filthy rags. Many of the world’s religions falsely teach their followers that through good works they can earn a place in heaven—not so! The only way to God is through Jesus Christ. (John 14:6) When a person hears and believes on the name of Jesus Christ, God makes the person righteous.
God has made every born-again Christian perfectly righteous for all eternity, and nothing can change that! No sin, slip up, mess up, or cover up can disqualify us from the free gift of righteousness. There is nothing you can do to make yourself anymore righteous, and there is nothing you can do to make yourself any less righteous! Our ongoing state of righteousness before God is never based on our performance. It is always based on God’s perfect righteousness which we received through Jesus Christ finished works on the cross.
Now let’s take a deeper dive into what is meant by “God’s Righteousness.” The common definition of “Righteousness” used in Christian circles is having right-standing with God. Well, we must get an understanding of exactly where we stand with God.
After the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Jesus was taken up into the heavens and seated at the right hand of God the Father. (Mark 16:19) As Jesus Christ was taken up into heaven, God working through Jesus quickened and raised our spirits up together and made us all sit together in Jesus Christ. (Eph. 2:1-6 & Col. 3:1-3) Thus, our standing with God is we are all seated together in Christ, at the right hand of God the Father, and God through Jesus Christ has made us “Righteous.”
To be declared righteous means that God has called and made us all “Upright” or “On Par” with Himself—correct, just, noble, pure, honorable, or good! Again, this is only because of God’s great grace and mercy that we have been made righteous. Let me use the following scriptures to help open your understanding of the righteousness of God:
*Be ye holy for I am holy. (I Pet. 1:15-16)
*God has blessed you with all spiritual blessings. (Eph. 1:3)
*God has given you all things that pertain unto life and godliness. (II Pet.1:3-4 & John 16:15)
*Love one another as I have loved you. (John 13:34)
*Christ in you the hope of glory. (Col. 1:25-28)
*Through Jesus Christ all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in you. (Col. 2:9-10)
Are you starting to understand what it means to be made the righteousness of God?These scriptures bear witness that through Jesus Christ, God has given you equality with Himself. All that God has, He has also given it to you. Therefore, God has made you Equal with Himself!
The majority of the body of Christ does not consider itself “One” and “Equal with God.” In many Christian circles, such preaching and doctrine would be called, “heresy.” Many churches teach that God is only external to us, and they seek to worship God as if He is only seated on His throne in heaven. There is no way this could be true because Jesus promised that He would be with us always, even to the end of the world. (Matt. 28:20) Also, Scripture plainly tells us that when we confess Jesus Christ as the Son of God, God dwells in us, and we in Him. (I John 4:15)
Moreover, Jesus Christ prayed to God the Father that we all would be “One” in Him. (John 17:20-26) The word “One” means only one thing—ONE—A SINGLE UNIT! This is why the Apostle Paul admonished the body of Christ to put on the same mind-set that Jesus Christ had when He ministered in the earth—to think of ourselves as being equal with God. (Phil. 2:5-8)
It is not possible to serve God without first understanding that God has made you equal with Himself. God wants you to do things the right way, which is His way and not your own. No person can call themselves obedient to God unless they understand they are equal with God. Jesus said apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5 & I Cor. 3:9)
The gospel of Jesus Christ is calling all people into equality with God, because God has extended His Righteousness to every person who would believe on Jesus Christ. Satan hates God and mankind because we have been made righteous by God. He does everything he can to try to stop Christians from knowing exactly where they stand with God in righteousness—having equality with God.
In the before times, Satan, wanted to ascend into heaven and be as the most High God, and he plotted to overthrow and dethrone God. But you see, no person or being can make themselves as God, only God can make you as Himself! To exalt yourself as God will only result in self- destruction. (Is. 14:12-15) In our case though, God has given us equality with Himself, so we can have right fellowship with Him and have the capacity and ability to do the works of God. (John 4:24 & John 14:12)
By God’s great grace and mercy, God wants His people to know they have been made righteous through Jesus Christ. Shout, “God has made me equal with Himself!” This is a truth we are to share with the world, to come and receive the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ. This is good news, great news, almost too good to be true news—but it’s the truth!
Lastly, from Romans 1:16-17, Paul declared that the gospel of Jesus Christ reveals the “Righteousness of God from faith to faith.” This is meant in two ways. First, from person to person. Everyone who hears and believes the gospel receives God’s Righteousness from one person to the next.
Secondly, from a personal standpoint when Christians are faced with trouble, knowing where we stand with God enables us to triumph over every tribulation the devil throws our away. We know and are assured that we have equality with God, therefore, we are able to stand against the devil and defeat him with the Word of God. (James 4:6-7) The devil is no match for the Christian who knows God has made them equal with Himself. The devil cannot touch him! (I John 5:18)
In closing, the body of Christ must include in its evangelistic efforts this amazing news, that through Jesus Christ, God has made us equal with Himself. An example of how to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost with the message on our equality with God is as follows.
Sample #4: Presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ Focusing on Equality with God!
Good day kind Sir/Madam, my name is Darryl Joyce, and I am a Christian who serves at the pleasure of the Lord Jesus Christ, The Anointed One and His Anointing.
May I have a moment of your time to talk to you about Jesus Christ? May I ask whether Jesus Christ is Savior and Lord of your life? (If the reply is no.)
My friend, I have amazing news for you today! Jesus Christ, the Son of God, bore the sins of the world in His own body on the cross, and rose from the dead on the third day. In so doing, God has reconciled the world to Himself, and by His great eternal grace and mercy made every person Righteous in His sight. Wow, this is simply awesome!
To be made the Righteousness of God means that you have right-standing with God through Jesus Christ. God only sees you as having never sinned before, as being on par and equal with Himself—in God’s eyes through Jesus Christ you have been made upright, correct, noble, pure, and honest.
My dear friend, the only way to receive this free gift of righteousness is by believing on the name of Jesus Christ and receiving Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Jesus Christ is the only way to God for He is the way, truth and the life and no man can come to God and receive His Righteousness, but by Him. God so desires to share with you all that He is and has—His love, joy, peace, power, prosperity, godliness is all yours through Jesus Christ.
My friend, we were all born into sin and shaped in iniquity from our mother’s womb, because the first man Adam sinned against God in the Garden of Eden. Adam’s sin separated the world and entire human race from God, and brought death, hell, and destruction on every person born into the world.
There are no amount of good deeds we can do in life to earn God’s favor and the reward of heaven. However, our belief in Jesus Christ and what He alone accomplished on the cross for all mankind, is the only way for us to be reconciled to God and have fellowship with Him.
If you refuse or neglect to receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, you will die in your sins and go to hell for all eternity. God does not want you, your family, or anyone else to perish, but that all persons would come and repent of their sins and receive Jesus as their Savior and Lord and receive His Righteousness.
We do not know when it will be our last day on earth, nor do we know the day when Jesus Christ will come for His Church—so it’s vitally important that we make a decision now on where we will spend eternity.
5. Invitation to Christ:
Would you like to receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, and receive eternal life and the Righteousness of God? Do you want to have equality with God in which you will be empowered by Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost to live a godly life that is free from the bondage of sin?
If the answer is yes, repeat this prayer out-loud from your heart after me, believing on the name of Jesus Christ.
“Lord Jesus, I am a sinner. I am sorry for my sins and the life I have lived in this ungodly world. I ask you now to forgive me of all of my sins. I invite you to come and live in my heart. I believe you shed your blood on your cross at Calvary, died, and arose again for me. I confess you as my Savior and Lord. Fill me with the precious gift of the Holy Ghost. I surrender my life in service to you forever.”
Next, I have the convert say, “Thank you Lord that I am now a son of God, and heir of God and joint heir with Jesus Christ. I am the Righteousness of God in Jesus Christ. God has made me equal with Himself so that I may worship and serve Him forever. I will go now and share the good news with my family, friends, and anyone else who will listen to me. Amen.
Last, I always invite the new convert and their family to attend our next church service to learn more about the teachings of Jesus Christ, and to help them grow-up in the Word of God to become true and mature disciples of Christ.