Where To Find The Power Of God

LaRue Baptist Church, OH

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The Old Testament scripture is found today in Isaiah chapter 51 verses 4 through 11.

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Give attention to me my people and give ear to me my nation for a law will go out from me and I will set my justice for a light to the peoples my righteousness draws near my salvation has gone out and my arms will judge the peoples the coastlands hope for me and for my arm they wait lift up your eyes to the heavens and look at the earth beneath for the heavens vanish like smoke the earth will wear out like a garment and they who dwell in it will die in in like manner but my salvation will be forever and my righteousness will never be dismayed listen to me you who know righteousness the people in whose heart is my law fear not the reproach of man nor be dismayed at their revilings for the moth will eat them up like a garment and the worm will eat them like wool and but my righteousness will be forever and my salvation to all generations awake awake put on strength

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Oh arm of the Lord awake as in days of old the generations of long ago was it not you who cut

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Rahab and pieces who pierced the dragon was it not you who dried up the sea the waters of the great deep who made the depth of the sea away for the redeemed to pass over and the ransomed of the

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Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing everlasting joy shall be upon their heads they shall obtain gladness and joy and sorrow and sighing shall flee away the

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New Testament reading today comes from the second chapter of 1st

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Corinthians I'll be reading starting in verse 1 and I when

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I came to you brothers did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom for I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified and I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling and my speech and my message were not implausible words of wisdom but in demonstration of the spirit and power that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God please be seated

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I think it is for good reason that the book of Colossians tells us to teach one another admonish one another with singing it's good to sing together these great truths of Scripture a word here we should be in Hebrews but we're in Romans the reason for that is is

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I don't think I had adequate time this week to reflect on the text for this week enough to do justice to the text and to truly teach what

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I should and I'm sorry about that I pray that God will continue to let me go through Hebrews without those interruptions and I've committed to not just throwing sermons together so we're going to take a detour today

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Lord willing we'll be back in Hebrews chapter 3 which is a break in the argument he starts a new argument in Hebrews chapter 3 in terms of our steadfastness to the faith and so if you want to prepare for next week just read chapter 3 and half the chapter 4 read it several times we want to look today at Romans chapter 1 verses 16 and 17 a good reminder

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I think to us of the gospel you follow as I read the first 17 verses of Romans Paul a prisoner of Christ Jesus called to be an apostle set apart for the gospel of God which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the

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Holy Scriptures concerning his son who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the

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Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead

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Jesus Christ our Lord through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ to all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints grace to you and peace from God our

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Father and the Lord Jesus Christ first I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you because your faith is proclaimed in all the world for God is my witness whom

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I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his son that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers asking that somehow by God's will

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I may now at least succeed at last succeed in coming to you for I long to see you that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you that is that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith both yours and mine

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I want you to know brothers that I have often intended to come to you but thus far have been prevented in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the

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Gentiles I am under obligation both to Greeks and the barbarians both to the wise and to the foolish so I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome for I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes to the

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Jew first and also to the Greek for in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith as it is written the righteous shall live by faith let's pray father would you empower the preaching of your word today would you empower the reception of that word today we may be encouraged by the gospel we pray that you would help us we need your spirit to teach us not only the text of scripture but to open up areas of our life that we need to examine we thank you for the living spirit of God who does your work in us we pray for that help now in Jesus name when

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I was a boy and you know there's a lot of these boys magazines and stuff and they'd have ads in them and I remember one magazine

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I can't remember which one had an ad in the back about this bodybuilding thing that would give you big biceps and expand your chest and give you great shoulders and I thought that's for me and so I got all the money

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I could for my paper route and got it all together and I sent off for this thing and I got it in the mail and excitedly

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I opened the box and it was just this handles with some of these weekly kind of elastic strips between them was

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I disappointed absolutely it was obvious that thing wasn't gonna do anything would

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I recommend this to my friends absolutely not because I was not confident that this silly contraption was gonna do anything for me or for my friends well you know there are many today who are the same attitude towards the gospel they're not sure it can accomplish anything they do not have confidence in it at all in fact they have confidence in other things to accomplish great things now that certainly is not the case with the

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Apostle Paul in these opening verses of the book of Romans he is not ashamed of the gospel that is he has every confidence in its power and its ability let's look at these verses that we're going to look at today verse 16 for I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes to the

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Jew first and also to the Greek for in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith as it is written the righteous shall live by faith what is your attitude towards the gospel of Jesus how do you think of it now this book is a missionary letter when you read through the whole book particularly when you get near the end you find out that the

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Apostle Paul was writing this letter to the Romans it's a missionary letter asking for support when

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I go down to the to the mailbox the church mailbox here and I oftentimes bring back letters or I get emails for missionaries who are looking for support and they're saying we're going to Papua New Guinea we know your church is part of fire and so we're asking for support to go to Papua New Guinea well actually that's what this is it's

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Paul saying to the Romans I want to go west I want to go to Spain and I need some help so would you help me would you support me in my missionary endeavor now you know if I got a missionary letter that big

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I don't think I would read through the whole thing but but what he does here it's fascinating is he tells them what the what did it what the message he has in this letter asking for support he says here's what

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I'm asking you to support this message and in this book is this marvelous exposition of the gospel in all of its different aspects that is how it affects everything how it affects our standing with God with one another how it affects our our holiness how it affects our relationship to the government all of these things are part of what the gospel is about and so the theme is the gospel of God and his son the

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Lord Jesus Christ and then the compass of these two verses he speaks of salvation belief or faith the relationship between Jews and Gentiles all of them treated by the gospel but as he introduces his theme you have to ask yourself the question what is your attitude towards the gospel of Jesus Christ well first of all basically he's saying you should have confidence in the gospel what is the gospel what is the gospel well we just read a basic summary of it verse one it's the good news that comes from God verse two it fulfills the promise of God found in the

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Old Testament it's nothing new it's it's always been anticipated now it's here the center of that gospel is a revelation of God's Son Jesus Christ who is both

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Messiah descended from David and the powerful Son of God who like his father is

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Lord declared by his resurrection through the power of the spirit this gospel changes people from all kinds of backgrounds and cultures as they believe it producing obedience to all that God commands verse 5 that it brings about the obedience of faith where he says the obedience that is the obedience response of faith which then produces obedience to all that God commands it produces people according to verses 6 and 7 that are set apart for and belong to Jesus Christ and it is this gospel that finds expression and explanation in the next 15 chapters of that gospel he says you need not be ashamed verse 16 for I am not ashamed of the gospel now he's already expressed eagerness to preach the gospel in Rome and he confidently assumes that he's going to have a harvest from it if you look up at verse 15 he says so I'm eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome why verse 13 he he indicated that earlier

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I want you to know brothers that I have often intended to come to you but thus far have been prevented and have been prevented in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the

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Gentiles fascinating about that he believes the gospel is powerful enough to bring about a harvest not only among unbelievers but among believers as well the gospel says things to us as well not just to unbelievers but to us now note carefully what he says here and I want you to pay careful attention here he is not saying

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I am not ashamed to share the gospel as if he was addressing that common fear that we all have of sharing the gospel that's not what he's saying here he's not saying

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I'm ashamed so I don't share the gospel or I don't want you to be ashamed of sharing the gospel that isn't the point that's not the point at all he asserts that the gospel itself does not provide grounds for shame he asserts that when he proclaims the gospel there's no power that's superior to it it that keeps it from accomplishing its ends it does not fail he proclaims it and people are changed radically people are changed radically the sinfulness of heart and life the pressure of family and culture the sophisticated wisdom of the world all prove powerless when the gospel operates and produces the life -changing force that it has in other words he does not walk away shame -faced because the gospel fails to accomplish what

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God has sent it out to accomplish in other words what he's saying here is the gospel is not like that that great machine that great bodybuilder that I got it does it is powerful it accomplishes it accomplishes what

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God sets it out to do sets it to do in other words he's not saying here don't be ashamed of sharing the gospel he's saying the gospel is so powerful you don't have to be ashamed of it it'll accomplish what

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God intends it to accomplish now you may be tempted to shame with regard to the gospel you have a friend whose marriage is falling apart and he and his wife live selfish self -centered lives and they've even seen the professional at Marion Area Counseling Center and they're moving quickly to divorce oh sure you can share the gospel with him but what's that gonna do your co -workers mired in the tangly tenacious web of pornography and cannot get free oh sure you can share the gospel this is really serious stuff you have a teacher who's brilliant but he needs to know the

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Lord of glory in a saving way oh yeah I suppose you could share the gospel with them but he's really smart what could you possibly say that would convince him you have a brother in Christ who struggles with anxiety in his relationship with his wife is cold and lacks love and concern and he's confided that in you the gospel what's that what good is that gonna do only listen to what

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Paul says in Colossians 128 him we proclaim Christ we proclaim counseling everyone in teaching everyone with all wisdom that we may present everyone mature in Christ even when we counsel one another we are proclaiming

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Christ so as you call on other believers to rest in his forgiveness believe his promises obey his commands fix their hopes on you you see that's the kind of shame he's talking about we don't believe the gospel can do anything so be ashamed of the gospel it can accomplish great things the cut this kind of shame is much more common than the plain fear of sharing the gospel most of us would say we're afraid to share the gospel most of us would admit to that but how many more of us entertain the notion that the gospel really can't accomplish that much that's what's being ashamed of the gospel several several years ago

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Jim Dobson I don't know if anybody you remember Jim Dobson he was the darling of the evangelical world but he interviewed

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Bundy I can't remember the guy's first name he was a serial killer an unbelievable serial killer right and towards near the end of Bundy's life he was in prison for life he came to know

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Christ and there were lots of people and and Dobson interviewed him and lots of people said oh yeah right sure he just playing you oh really the gospel can't even change someone like that recently in fact it just came to my mind

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I was speaking here how many of you remember son of Sam's if you're if you're under 60 years old you might not remember son of Sam he was this guy

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Berkowitz was his name who was walking around New York City and this is when these kind of things were really unusual he was walking around city shooting couples who would be in the park or in their car or something he would just shoot these people and I mean the nation was in an uproar

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New York City was about locked down not for a disease but because this guy was on the loose and people were terrified the whole

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New York City was just unbelievable you wouldn't believe what it was like then and they found him they arrested him he was convicted he's serving a life sentence in prison

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I read an interview with him was a world magazine world magazine and the guy's been changed in fact he says

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I don't expect to get out out you know I'll take whatever God gives me but the

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Lord Jesus is my Lord and there are people who say yeah right can the gospel change someone like that you see that's the shame he's talking about the idea that we don't believe the gospel can do what it says just like that bodybuilding thing

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I don't believe it's not going to accomplish anything that's the shame he's talking about so in other words he's saying have confidence in the gospel don't misplace your confidence you do not save people through your eloquence you do not save people through your cleverness or your intelligence or your ability to learn opposing views or your debating skills you don't win anybody by that the gospel doesn't need that the gospel can say without your help even if you have trouble listen even if you have trouble sharing the gospel verbally we all struggle with that even if you have trouble sharing the gospel verbally you can still hand someone a track you can still say something like hey

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I'll tell you what read the Gospel of John when you go to the Bible you see it's divided in two parts

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Old Testament New Testament Matthew Mark Luke John it's the fourth book in the second half read that you can at least do that much you can do that many people have been saved by reading the gospel right give him a track give him a tell him to read the gospel tell him how talk about it with you next week after you're done reading it you could do something the gospel has the power to change people but why why should you have such confidence you can have confidence in the gospel because it is it is the power of God for salvation it is the power of God for salvation how do you think of the gospel is it just one more idea in the competitor and one more competitor in the marketplace of ideas do we merely talk about it in church because we're a gospel preaching church do we proclaim and share the gospel hoping that we may convince someone others of its truth listen

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God says the gospel is in fact the power of God for salvation it itself is the power of God for salvation you know when our kids were in 7th and 8th grade we used up when we homeschooled for a couple years we use the history textbook by joy hackum called the history of us

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US Capitol history of us it was history of United States by the way great great set of books but anyway the first chapter is called history why and she says this when we read about the mistakes people made in the past we can try not to make them ourselves nations and people who don't study history sometimes repeat mistakes okay it's good another place she says learning about our country's history will make you understand what it means to be an

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American now is the author stating there that if you read these books you will understand and you won't make any more mistakes is that what she said no she hopes that happens she hopes that her writings will help you not make mistakes

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I mean if it was otherwise if we could only get these books into people's hands then everybody would understand what it means to be an

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American and our problems would be solved right but that's not that book doesn't have that power just reading the history isn't going to accomplish that purpose she hopes that happens but there's no guarantees but that's not the case with the gospel that's not the case with the gospel it doesn't merely tell the story of Jesus hoping for repentance and faith what it does it tells the story of Jesus and produces repentance and faith it actually produces it the gospel the gospel is powerful one one biblical scholar that was real popular when

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I was in seminary was a Lutheran scholar by the name of Lenski he's from the 19th century he said this every gospel imperative is full of the divine power of grace to affect what it demands it calls you to faith and it produces that faith it is the power of God it is the power of God you know when

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I get up here to preach I'll be honest with you I mean I work hard I try to put it in a way that you understand

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I try to put it in an organized way so you can follow it but I am under no illusions

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I'm under no illusions it's the Word of God that it's the gospel that produces change in you not me

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I'm not that good I'm not that eloquent I you know it's the gospel that does it not me not me and so when

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I get up here I always have confidence before I get up here I pray up a storm

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I'm on the front pew and I'm praying my heart out and the last song is I'm saying God I can't do this only you can accomplish what you want to accomplish

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I know even as I'm talking now only the gospel can do what God says it can do

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I'm I'm just you know I'm just a waterboy

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I'm just carrying it to you okay it is the gospel itself that has that power it's a living dynamic message always remember what

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Spurgeon said the gospel is like a lion all you have to do is unleash it all you have to do is let it out of its cage that's it it is the power for salvation it saves you from the penalty of your sin it pronounces

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God's verdict of acquittal it transforms you into obedient children of the king now he says the gospel is

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God's power for salvation of everyone who believes that is to say the gospel doesn't work on everyone okay if that were the case we could all just go out here today and just read it read the book of Romans everywhere we went and people would everybody would just fall into place right but it's the power of God for salvation to those who believe it produces that belief but that belief is necessary this salvation has no reality apart from faith wherever there is faith there

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God's omnipotence becomes operative it operates in all who believe but please notice that it operates in everyone who believes that is to say it isn't dependent on your level of education to believe it's not dependent on the recipients it's not risk it's not dependent on that person's education it's not dependent on on his race it's not dependent on anything like that it's not dependent on everyone who believes no matter where they are in the societal structure it is the power of salvation you believe in that power reaches to you wherever and whomever you are it saves you and it changes you no matter what you are no matter where you've been no matter what you've done notice it reaches

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Jew and Gentile it has primary relevance to the Jews he says why because the foundation for the full revelation of the gospel was laid in Israel God chose the

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Jews from the very beginning to be the recipient of his word he could have chosen anybody could have chosen any nation in the world to do that but instead he chose one man

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Abraham why only God knows chose him to be the progenitor of this nation through whom he would give his word in chapter 2 of this book the

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Apostle Paul says is there an advantage to being a Jew yeah he says you had all the oracles of God you had the temple you had all of these things you had the revelation of the one true

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God given to you and that's the foundation for this gospel message going out to everyone you know it runs contrary to the typical

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Jewish view today that the gospel is for the goyim that's us by the way who aren't Jews the goyim the

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Gentiles the dogs it's a it's a Gentile religion when in fact it is not it is not but having said that God always intended the gospel message to go out to all nations

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Israel was the conduit that the message came through but it was supposed to go to all the nations it all that was

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God's tension all the time starts with Israel starts with the Jews to the

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Jew first and then to the rest of the world turn over to Isaiah 42 Isaiah 42 look at these first few verses of Isaiah 42 behold my servant whom

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I uphold my chosen in whom my soul delights I have put my spirit upon him he will bring forth justice to the nations he will not cry aloud or lift up his voice or make it heard in the streets a bruised reed he will not break and a faintly burning wick he will not quench he will faithfully bring forth justice he will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth and the coastlands wait for his law you see what he's saying there

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God always intended for the gospel for his servant to be proclaimed among the nations even though it goes to the

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Jew first it always was intended to go to the nations to operate powerfully in all the nations so how do you see the gospel do you believe that it is the power of God for salvation or not in one book the gospel primer the author says you can look for God's power in all kinds of places you know but if you really want to see

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God's power it's in the gospel it's in the gospel you want to see

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God do something powerful watch what he does with the gospel dear people

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I you've seen it I've seen it I've seen people and I'm looking at some of you right now

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I've I know people that have lived godless lives and they heard the gospel and they changed radically

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I've heard people say to me you know this book I couldn't care less for it

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I just what it just puzzling boring but now

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I can't get enough of it how do you account for that it's the power of the gospel it's the power of the gospel that changes people here's the last point he makes first he says have confidence because the gospel is powerful you have confidence because powerful for self build from faith for faith that is written a note the connection here how is it that the gospel is the power of God because in that gospel a righteousness of God is revealed that's where the power comes now don't misunderstand revealed here he's not saying that the gospel makes

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God's attribute of righteous clear for everyone to see that isn't exactly what he's saying right just to suppress the truth now you're in righteousness suppress the truth now you know when he when you see that in verse 18 you know the wrath of God is finding expression and then he goes on to talk about what the wrath of God looks like here's what it looks like here's what the wrath of God looks like he gives them over to whatever they want that's the anger of God being expressed you want to go that way fine

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I'm gonna let you go that's his wrath but he's saying in verse 18 the wrath of God is revealed from heaven it isn't that people say oh

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God's angry it's they actually see that anger happening suppose someone asked you about your neighbor and you responded well he's a man of integrity what do you mean by that what you mean is that you know he's a man of integrity because he pays his bills on time because he accidentally dented your car and you didn't know who did it he came over and told you he was the guy who did it right he never gossips about his neighbors you say he's a man of integrity why because you've seen it displayed it actually does something right so the gospel is powerful because in the gospel the righteousness of God is actively and dynamically brought to bear upon sinful human beings now this is an

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Old Testament theme let's look at it real quickly we saw it well let's look at Psalm 35 first Psalm 35 we're gonna look at a couple

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Psalms here so you can see how the righteousness of God is not just an attribute of him but it actually finds expression

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Psalm 35 27 and 28 let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore great is the

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Lord who delights in the welfare of his servant then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all the day long the vindication that God brings the well -being he accomplishes

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God or David calls that God's righteousness he's vindicated me he's done something right his righteousness is showed because he showed

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I he vindicated me Psalm 71 this was in our this is our call to worship this morning

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Psalm 71 verses 15 through 17 my mouth will tell of your righteous acts of your deeds of salvation all the day for their number is past my knowledge with the mighty deeds of the

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Lord of the Lord God I will come I will remind them of your righteousness yours alone

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Oh God for my youth you have taught me and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds notice that righteousness here is parallel with his deeds the psalmist equates righteousness with salvation here the rescue from his enemies that it's

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God's mighty acts and he calls that his righteousness okay

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Isaiah 51 you heard that earlier in the Old Testament reading

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Isaiah 51 verse 4 give attention to me my people and give ear to me my nation for a law will go out for me and I will set my justice for a light to the people's my righteousness draws near my salvation has gone out you see the parallel there righteousness and salvation and my arms will judge the people's the coastlands hope for me and for my arm they will wait equating his power now with his righteousness lift up your eyes to the heavens and look at the earth beneath for the heavens vanish like smoke the earth will wear out like a garment they who dwell in it will die in like manner but my salvation will be forever and my righteousness will never be dismayed again there's the parallel righteousness and salvation listen to me you who know righteousness the people in whose heart is my law fear not the reproach of them nor be dismayed at their revilings for the moth will eat them up like a garment and the worm will eat them up like wool but my righteousness will be forever and my salvation to all generations

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God's righteousness is not merely an attribute of God it is an activity of God it is the way he acts and just as the

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Old Testament reels God's mighty acts of rescuing his people so the gospel reveals that is the gospel brings into operation the mighty power of God to bring people into a right relationship with him the gospel brings that righteousness into operation where God's righteousness is actually acting now all through the gospel all through the gospel is powerful that way but again no it operates through faith it's revealed from faith for faith as is written the righteous shall live by faith here he quotes

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Habakkuk chapter 2 verse 4 he's saying this is the way God's always operated it is faith and nothing but faith there's no earning it you can't you can't persuade

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God God's righteousness to act on your behalf you can't bribe him you can't earn it you can't go through some kind of ritual it is by faith that's it just trust just trust that power comes to those who trust

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God to work you can be confident in that message because that's the way God's always worked it's always worked that way faith is the quality of absolute reliance on God without looking anywhere else reliance completely on God the power of God is at work the righteousness of God comes into play where the gospel goes so what do you think of the gospel now

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I would hope that and again pray this all the time not just for you but for me when you hear a sermon when you hear

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God's Word what difference is it gonna make what difference is gonna make here's my hope for you this week as God gives you opportunity you share the gospel verbally you share it with written word you do something because you believe that the gospel can change it is the power of God we're living in a culture right now that believes the answer is found in out there alright it's that group that's oppressing us get rid of that group and everything will be fine it's this psychological disorder that's causing that medicated and everything will be fine right it's ignorance out there that's causing all these problems get everybody an education and everything will be fine and guess what all's for doing is finding scapegoats there's only one power that can change people's hearts and it is the power of God and how is it unleashed in people it is unleashed by the gospel it is the gospel that is the power of God it is the gospel that can turn everything upside down well turn it the way it ought to be because it is the power of God I'm not ashamed of the gospel because it's powerful how's it gonna find expression in your life this week father thank you for your word would you help us now to really think this through help us