Liberating Power of Gospel — E.A. Johnston

Father in heaven, I know what a difference you can make in a person's life. I know the difference you've made in my own life, Lord God. I pray right now that in the name of your dear son Jesus, that this message will be used of you to bring someone here to know the liberating power of the gospel and to know your son Jesus Christ.

I need you today. I'm bankrupt without you, Lord. I need the enabling power of that spirit. Give me a touch of heaven today, I pray. Come move in hearts today, Lord, and let these dear people see a bloodstained Christ who has power to save.

Let them know your resurrection power in the liberating gospel of Christ, that Jesus can give eternal life, that Jesus can set the captives free. Come and touch hearts today, Lord, I pray. Come touch them with a blessing.

I pray these things in the strong name of Jesus. Amen. Well, I believe, friends, the gospel can set you free. I believe there is liberating power in the gospel. The good news of the gospel is the greatness of its power, and it's about a great savior from sin.

The Gospel’s Power to Save

In Ephesians, we get a sense of this liberating power over sin where we read, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us, Lord, who believe according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.

And does not the Apostle Paul over in Romans speak of the power of the gospel as well in the salvation of man when he states, 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.

The Resurrection Makes Christianity Unique

The teachings of Jesus as seen in the gospels are different from the teachings of other wise men. Buddha was a wise man, he lived, he taught, he died, and he was buried. Confucius was a wise man, he lived, he taught, he died, and he was buried.

Muhammad was a wise man, he lived, he taught, he died, and he was buried. Jesus was a wise man. He lived, he taught, he died, and he was buried. The comparison stopped there. Because he rose again, Christianity was never built on a coffin lid.

Jesus was not a mere man, but he was the Son of God. He was the only begotten Son of God who died on a cross for the sins of man. He was crucified at Calvary, and he was buried in another man's tomb. And after three days, his body was not a decomposing corpse as other men, but on the third day, the resurrection, supernatural power of God, made Christ rise from the dead.

He then appeared unto many of his disciples, and he ascended back into heaven, where he now sits on a throne at the right hand of God. He is a risen Christ, and the only one who will believe such a thing as that is either a madman or a truly born-again Christian.

Christianity differs from other world religions in that we don't follow the teachings of a prophet who lived and died, but we follow a risen Savior who lives and reigns, and who is the Son of God. And on top of all that, as believers, he lives in us, in the life of God, in the soul of man.

It is a supernatural occurrence that only God can work. A Christian is an individual who has the Spirit of God living inside of them. And to believe that, you have to either be insane or a born-again believer.

You want to try and denigrate Christianity by making a decision that man makes, like he would choose to become a Hindu or choose to become a Buddhist? No, sir. A Christian is a supernatural work of God, born of God, by the regenerating work of the Spirit of God.

But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name, which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, not of the will of man, but of God.

The New Birth and the Church’s Lost Power

The main reason our brand of Christianity today is not much different from other religions is because many in our churches today were never really changed. They made a decision by the will of man to become a Christian, along the same lines you'd choose to become a Buddhist.

But when one reads the book of Acts and observes there that the early church turned the world upside down, and we compare that to our brand of Christianity today, we got to ask ourselves, why do we lack power?

If we were truly filled with Christ's Spirit and had faith, we could pull down strongholds of opposition and move mountains of resistance and drive the devil crazy by shaking the very gates of hell. If you think God has gone out of the miracle working business, friend, then you are just plumb out of your mind.

I was taking my oral exam for my Ph .D. and two professors who were interviewing me were questioning me, and I said to one of them, when I read the book of Acts, I see the power of God in the gospel as the early Christians turned their world upside down.

But when I look at our powerless brand of Christianity today, there's little similarity. When my theology professor got so mad at me, he said in a condescending tone, that was for that day, not our day.

And I wanted to jump out of my chair and holler, why not? Why don't we have that power? Don't we serve the same God? But I wanted to graduate, so I kept my mouth shut. But it's true, friends. We limit ourselves by our unbelief.

The underground church in China has supernatural power. The Christians in persecuted countries like Iraq and Iran have supernatural power. The Christians in northern Nigeria who are getting butchered have supernatural power.

Why is the western church so powerless today that it's even a laughing stock today? Why aren't our young people going to church in droves rather than going to hell in droves? It's because we lack power from on high.

We lack authority. But it doesn't have to be that way. A believer has the power from above to live in a fallen world and be used of God in remarkable ways. I like what Vance Havner said. He said, if we serve such a dynamite God, why are so many of us living firecracker lives?

Well, we don't have to. We don't have to live a firecracker life because we can access that power through the liberating gospel of Christ Jesus. You must be born again, friend. And that's my subject today.

Peter’s Pentecost Boldness

We've seen the book of Acts, the liberating power of the gospel of Christ. As the apostle Peter addresses his audience in his first public sermon, my first public sermon was given in a federal prison.

And I was so scared to death that the prisoners were going to jump me during my sermon. I was nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. But Peter here had boldness. He was once afraid of a maid, but now he's not afraid of anybody.

He's seen the resurrected Christ. He has power. And in Peter's first public address, he fears no man. And he preaches with a holy boldness as he informs them about the power of God and raising up the son of God.

Listen to his words. And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Let me pause here to say, friend, that includes you as well. That includes the biggest sinner in this town tonight.

The liberating gospel of Christ is available to you right now. Right now. Listen to Peter as he continues. Ye men of Israel, hear these words of Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as you yourselves also know him being delivered by the determinant counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken him by wicked hands, have crucified and slain whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should be holding of it.

Well, that's an amazing thing, friend, for Almighty God to raise up his son from death to life. He is a living Savior. He is a risen Lord. The God I serve is not dead in a prophet's tomb. He's not dead in just the written precepts of man.

Oh no, my Savior is alive. My Savior is a risen Christ. Notice, after Peter preached Christ and him crucified, the Holy Spirit did a number on those Jews who had a part in slaying the son of God. He brought conviction and that conviction fell on them like the lightning bolts out of heaven.

Repentance, Forgiveness, and Eternal Life

Look how they responded, friends. Now, when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Well, isn't that wonderful, friend, that Jesus can forgive your sins, no matter how big they are, no matter how many they are. Jesus can wash your sins away in his blood. You don't have to worry one skinny minute of ever ending up in a devil's hell, because when you believe on this blessed Savior, he washes your sins away.

Gone is the penalty of sin. Gone is the power of sin, the liberating gospel of Christ, and it's good news, it's good news to every man, woman, boy, and girl, that Jesus can take your sins away. He can set you free.

He can give you eternal life, where you will live forever and ever in God's glorious presence, in a glorious heaven, in the presence of God and angels. Some of you have loved ones there waiting for you.

You don't have to risk never seeing them again, friend, because we serve a mighty God, who gave his only begotten Son to down a cross for sinful man, yet to take upon him our sins and its penalty, so we would have life, eternal life.

Oh, what a Savior! What a Savior is Jesus, the only remedy and refuge for sin. What a wonderful gospel that can save you from your sins. It has power, liberating power. Don't you want this power, friend?

Don't you want your sins forgiven? Don't you want to know this blessed Savior, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, did a number on those Jews and they cried out, what must we do to be saved? And if you get saved, friend, the Holy Spirit will do a number on you as well, in conviction of sin, and show you the glorious truth of the gospel of the Son of God, who suffered and died on a cross at Calvary, who was buried, who rose again, who now sits at the right hand of the Father, and who earned that right by way of a bloody cross.

The Cross and the Call to Surrender

Oh, look at that bloodstained Savior from sin, friend. Look at Him there, hanging there with His arms outstretched, beckoning you to come to Him and believe on Him. Why won't you come? Why do you delay?

What's your excuse to spurn the love of this Savior? We love Him because He first loved us. I love my Jesus because He loved me and gave Himself for me. The message of the liberating gospel of Christ is power unto salvation to everyone who believes in the liberating power of Christ in the gospel, friend, can set you free, free from sin's penalty, free from sin's power.

It can give you life eternal. Oh, friend, don't you want to know this? Blessed Jesus, put your trust in this. Blessed Jesus, He can change your life. When He was here in His earthly ministry, He healed the sick and gave sight to the blind.

And as He passed from town to village, all who encountered Him experienced change. He can bring change to your life, friend. He can set you free. He has power to save and power to deliver, power to transform.

Peter’s Healing and the Power of Christ’s Name

Listen to the apostle Peter once more here in the book of Acts. And the reason I keep bringing up Peter is that I can relate to him more than the other disciples. Peter was an impulsive man, always putting his foot in his mouth and stepping on a cow patty.

He was a big loving guy who wore his emotions on his sleeve and he was always doing and saying the wrong thing just like me. Then one day he met Jesus and Jesus changed his life. Here before magistrates and his enemies, Peter has no more fear of men because Peter has already died.

He's died in Christ. That's right, friend. And he no longer fears death. And when a man doesn't fear death, he's dangerous to Satan. Listen to his bold preaching here in Acts chapter four. Let me set the scene before you, friend.

Peter and John are brought before the Jewish leaders because Peter and John had gone up to the temple one day and they came across a lame beggar who asked them for some money. But Peter told the man, silver and gold have I none, but such as I have, give I thee in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.

And that's what he told them. And that's what the man did. He stood right up and started walking around to the shock and awe of everyone there because Peter knew the liberating power of Christ. Jesus had showed it to him.

Jesus had demonstrated it to him. Peter had even walked on water just like Christ before it took his eyes off him and sank down in that water. But Jesus showed him that he was the son of God. He knew he could work miracles.

He knew Jesus could keep on doing it. And he was so convinced of it, he told that lame man to rise up and walk and Jesus healed him. All things are possible to him who believes because with God all things are possible.

Do you believe that, friend? Do you believe in a miracle working God? I do. He hasn't gone out of the miracle working business. If he saves you, friend, it's going to be a miracle because Christ still has a resurrection power.

So he tells the crippled beggar to stand up and sure enough the man's legs are straightened out. They're healed. And this causes a riot outside the temple because everybody who saw him was jumping up and down, praising God and going to shouting.

And you know when God does a thing for you, you can't help going to shouting either. We need more shouting in our churches today because we need the presence of God in our churches today. We need lives transformed today in the power of God and means today.

If that happens, you'll go to shouting too, friend, just like I'm shouting now because nobody can shut you up when you know the liberating power of Christ Jesus. And that's what was going on here when this crowd was running up to Peter and John in wonder and amazement.

Bold Witness Before Religious Authorities

So this enrages the Jewish leaders and they have John and Peter arrested and they're put in jail. And in the morning they're hauled out before these Jewish leaders like Ananias the high priest and Cephas and they ask John and Peter, by what power, by what name have you done this?

You know, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that some of these religious leaders were Baptist preachers because some Baptist preachers get riled up if God begins to move and they don't understand it. And so here are these religious men interrogating two of Jesus' best disciples and pointing fingers at them saying, how dare you work the work of God here?

We thought we put this Jesus to death. We're going to have none of this work and miracles here. Then Peter filled with the Holy Ghost said unto them, you rulers of the people and elders of Israel, if we this day be examined of the good deed done to the important man, by what means he is made whole, be it known unto you all, it's all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him, doth this man stand here before you whole.

This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name unto heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Oh friend, there's power in the gospel. There's liberating power in the gospel of Christ Jesus. I know I am a sinner and I need a substitute for sin in the person of Jesus Christ, and so do you friend, so do you.

Oh friend, the cross is the place where wicked men sought to get rid of him, but by his death it becomes the place where his saving power flows out to all who come in repentance, confessing they are sinners and own him as Savior and Lord.

It was my sins that nailed him to that tree, but it was his love for me that kept him on that cross so he could die for me. Dear friend, won't you come to this blessed Savior now? Won't you come? Surrender your all to God right now friend, if the Spirit has been doing a number on you.

Freedom Through the Blood of the Lamb

Oh, don't delay friend, don't you delay coming to this Jesus. You come to this bloodstained Jesus now. There's power in his blood. There is power, power, wonder-working power in the blood of the Lamb.

There is power, power, wonder-working power in the precious blood of the Lamb. Would you be free from the burden of sin? There's power in the blood, power in the blood. Would you or evil victory to win?

There's wonderful power in the blood. There is power, power, wonder-working power in the blood of the Lamb. There is power, power, wonder-working power in the precious blood of the Lamb.