Obeying the Gospel

Gary Henry

5.0 (7)
CHRISTIANITY
UPDATED DAILY

Why become a Christian? And what is actually required when you do? Gary Henry tackles these questions in Obeying the Gospel. Designed for both the skeptic and the saint, these three-minute, daily episodes explore the initial basics of salvation and the lifelong dedication required to keep our promise to God. Discover why the commitment is worth the cost.

18H AGO

Why We Study the Scriptures (March 3)

WHY WE STUDY THE SCRIPTURES (MARCH 3) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/why-we-study-scriptures-march-3/ ". . . from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 3:15). THERE ARE MANY REASONS WHY WE MIGHT STUDY THE SCRIPTURES, BUT FOR TODAY’S MEDITATION LET’S THINK ABOUT ONE PARTICULAR REASON. The Scriptures are able, Paul says, to make us “wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” Whether we ourselves study them or someone else teaches us (as was the case when Timothy’s mother and grandmother taught him the Scriptures in his childhood), it is through the Scriptures that the knowledge necessary for us to be saved is mediated to us. We don’t rely on the subjective feeling that God may be speaking to us in our hearts, nor do we depend on the mystical transmission of esoteric knowledge. It is by the simple process of reading, understanding, and obeying the Scriptures that we learn what God wants us to know. Notice especially that Paul says it is “through faith in Christ Jesus” that we can be saved and that the Scriptures are our means of coming to know about Him. If Jesus is who He claimed to be, the One who can save us from our sins, it is critically important that we know what He taught and what we must do to receive His salvation. He was, after all, a historical figure, and historical figures must be learned about through the documents that contain information about them. Rather than debating feelings, opinions, and prejudices, we would do well to immerse ourselves in the actual documents — and on that basis make our decision about Jesus. The Bereans in Acts 17 had the right idea. They listened eagerly as Paul argued that Jesus was the Messiah, but as they listened they were “examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11). The Scriptures were their final arbiter. But here is the point I hope you’ll get: it is not only at the beginning but also throughout our lives as Christians that we must study the Scriptures. We will never, in this life, outgrow our need to be more and more “wise for salvation.” So we keep studying. The treasure house of wisdom in the Scriptures is inexhaustible. When it comes to salvation, our need is great — and the resources are rich. "Nobody ever outgrows Scripture; the book widens and deepens with our years" (Charles Haddon Spurgeon). Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com For more information, visit http://AreYouaChristian.com

3 min
1D AGO

Zacchaeus: A Lost Soul Needing to Be Saved (March 2)

ZACCHAEUS: A LOST SOUL NEEDING TO BE SAVED (MARCH 2) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/zacchaeus-lost-soul-needing-saved-march-2/ "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost" (Luke 19:10). IN THE GOSPEL WE ARE CONFRONTED WITH THE FACT THAT GOD ENTERED THIS WORLD AND TOOK UPON HIMSELF HUMAN FORM IN THE PERSON OF JESUS OF NAZARETH. As the apostle John put it, “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 1:14). In accounts like the one in Luke 19:1-10, we have a chance to learn something about why this happened. As Jesus was passing through Jericho, He entered the home of a certain man named Zacchaeus, who was “a chief tax collector and was rich” (v.1). Zacchaeus had shown extraordinary interest in Jesus, and he proved himself sincere in his desire to repent of the sins he had committed, especially as a tax collector. And Jesus pronounced a blessing upon him: “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham” (v.9). As He often was, Jesus was criticized for entering the home of such a person as Zacchaeus. But Jesus was looking for people like Zacchaeus. “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (v.10). The thing that distinguished Zacchaeus from so many others who crowded around Jesus was not that he was lost, for every person Jesus ever met fell into that category. The quality that made Zacchaeus special was his recognition that he was lost. He knew he needed what Jesus came to offer: the forgiveness of sins. The miracle of the Incarnation was necessary if any of us were to be forgiven. To die for us and atone for our sins, God had to take upon Himself the form of a human being who could be killed. And those who would receive the benefit of that sacrifice would be people just like Zacchaeus, those willing to humble themselves in true penitence and seek the grace of a forgiving Father. Just as Jesus was misunderstood in His day, He is often misunderstood today. He is usually looked upon as a teacher of ethics, a social worker, or a psychologist. But Jesus came to be none of these things. He came to be our Savior. To be like Zacchaeus, we need to dispense with our preconceived notions and personal preferences — and let Christ save us in the way He came to save us. "The more you know about Christ, the less you will be satisfied with superficial views of him" (Charles Haddon Spurgeon). Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com For more information, visit http://AreYouaChristian.com

3 min
2D AGO

The Gospel of God's Kingdom (March 1)

THE GOSPEL OF GOD’S KINGDOM (MARCH 1) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/gospel-gods-kingdom-march-1/ "Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel'" (Mark 1:14,15). THE GREEK WORD TRANSLATED “GOSPEL” IN OUR ENGLISH BIBLES WAS FAMILIAR IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE. It meant the joyful proclamation of some great event, often one having to do with Caesar, the Emperor. But in the New Testament, it refers to the greatest of all proclamations: not one concerning Caesar, but glad tidings pertaining to God Himself, the very King of the universe — God is establishing the kingdom predicted by the prophets, and He is offering the forgiveness of sins to everyone who will submit to His Son, Jesus Christ. THE TIME IS FULFILLED. In Isaiah 9:6,7, Daniel 2:44, and many other places, the Hebrew prophets had foretold the coming of a kingdom ruled over by God, something unique in the entire history of the world since Adam and Eve sinned and were exiled from Eden. In his account, Mark tells us that the coming of this kingdom is what Jesus preached. The time foretold by the prophets had arrived. THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND. What was about to happen, according to Jesus, was that God was going to establish His kingdom. A “kingdom,” of course, is a realm where someone rules or exercises authority. But the kingdom Jesus spoke of would be nothing like any of the kingdoms of men. It would be nothing less than God’s kingdom. Its citizens would live under His rule, reverently and lovingly acknowledging His right to be their Lord. REPENT AND BELIEVE IN THE GOSPEL. The news of the coming kingdom required a response. Even as it approached, before its actual establishment in Acts 2, the proper response was to “repent and believe in the gospel.” If the problem was that God’s rule over His world had been rejected, admission to the new kingdom would require that people cease their rebellion and come back to the King, believing the truth of everything the King said about (1) Himself, (2) the problem of sin, and (3) the salvation He was providing. So if the gospel says the true King has returned, the question we must ask is: will we join His cause or continue to support the rebellion? "Enemy-occupied territory — that is what this world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us all to take part in a great campaign of sabotage" (C. S. Lewis). Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com For more information, visit http://AreYouaChristian.com

3 min
3D AGO

This Jesus Is the Christ (February 29)

THIS JESUS IS THE CHRIST (FEBRUARY 29) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/this-jesus-is-christ-february-29/ "Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, 'This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ'" (Acts 17:1-3). TO A JEWISH AUDIENCE, THE CENTRAL CLAIM OF THE GOSPEL WAS THAT JESUS WAS THE MESSIAH PROMISED IN THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES. Jewish hearers already accepted God and the writings of the prophets as the word of God. But whether Jesus was the Messiah promised by the prophets was another matter. Jesus put it simply: “You believe in God; believe also in me” (John 14:1 NET). We should note that with a Gentile audience, the argument had to start further back. They had to be persuaded that the God presented in the Hebrew Scriptures was the true God. It is interesting, however, that in both cases the apostles’ argument rested on the resurrection. If their testimony to Jesus’ resurrection was true, then Jesus was both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:32-36). To the Jews, this meant that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God. And to the Gentiles it meant there was a God for Jesus to be the Son of. But let’s go back to our text in Acts 17:1-3 and Paul’s presentation of the gospel in the Jewish synagogue at Thessalonica. To convince them that Jesus was the Christ, he “reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead.” Even to those who took the prophets seriously, it needed to be shown that the death and resurrection of the Messiah were predicted by the prophets (Psalms 16,22,110; Isaiah 53; etc.) and that Jesus had fulfilled not just some of these messianic prophecies but all of them. Personally, I would love to have been there to see the excitement of those who were persuaded by Paul’s exposition of the Scriptures. To have known these prophecies all one’s life and then be able to exclaim, “Yes, this Jesus is, in fact, the Christ we’ve been looking for” — their jubilation must have been like fireworks! "According to those predictions [in the Hebrew Scriptures], the Messiah was appointed to suffer and then rise again from the dead. Both these experiences had been fulfilled in Jesus, and in nobody else; therefore, said Paul, this Jesus of whom I tell you is the promised Messiah" (F. F. Bruce). Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com For more information, visit http://AreYouaChristian.com

3 min
3D AGO

The Resurrection of the Messiah (February 28)

THE RESURRECTION OF THE MESSIAH (FEBRUARY 28) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/resurrection-messiah-february-28/ "For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption" (Psalm 16:10). SPEAKING IN THE SYNAGOGUE IN PISIDIAN ANTIOCH, PAUL ALLUDED TO THREE OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECIES THAT POINTED TO THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST. To his fellow Jews, he said, “We bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’ And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’ Therefore he says also in another psalm, ‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption’” (Acts 13:32-35). The first of Paul’s Old Testament references is Psalm 2:7, the second is Isaiah 55:3, and the third is Psalm 16:10. In Psalm 16:10, David had portrayed the Messiah as saying to Yahweh, “Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.” In context, the one speaking is talking about resurrection rather than a mere preservation from death — and that is exactly how Peter understood Psalm 16:10 in his sermon on Pentecost (Acts 2:25-31). The One whom David foresaw in Psalm 16:10 is the only person in the world who, having been killed, did not “see corruption.” His resurrection proved Him to be the Son of God (Romans 1:2-4). It proved everything about the gospel to be true — and therein lies our hope. Had Jesus been no more than what David was (a great ruler over the kingdom of Israel, a prophet, and a man after God’s own heart), He would have died, as David did, and His body would have decayed, as David’s did. But he was not David, and He did not remain dead. He rose from the grave, just as David knew the Messiah would. He now reigns at the right hand of God (Psalm 110:1) where He makes intercession for His faithful people (Romans 8:34). What this means is that our hope of salvation is no idle dream. "The king described in Psalm 16:10 . . . [is] one who is laid in the grave and does not experience decay. The description of this ideal king leads us to the same conclusion the apostle Peter came to in his first post-Pentecost sermon to the people of Israel: David cannot be speaking about himself!" (Seth D. Postell). Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com For more information, visit http://AreYouaChristian.com

3 min
4D AGO

Perfection, Corruption, Restoration (February 27)

PERFECTION, CORRUPTION, RESTORATION (FEBRUARY 27) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/perfection-corruption-restoration-february-27/ "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God" (Romans 8:18,19). IF THE GOSPEL IS THE “GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD,” IT’S IMPORTANT TO SEE THAT THE STORY HAS A PLOT OR STORY LINE. In essence, the gospel is about something being repaired that had been ruined. What makes it the greatest of all stories is that God is the Repairer, and we, His creatures, are those being repaired. PERFECTION. When He had finished creating the world, God “saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). It was a perfect creation, and human beings were the pinnacle of its perfection. They were personal beings, made in God’s image and blessed with abilities far beyond any other creatures in this world (Genesis 1:26,27). We can only imagine the joy of Adam and Eve’s perfection — unspoiled by any disobedience, rebellion, alienation, or estrangement. With everything perfectly connected, Creator and creation were a symphony of goodness. CORRUPTION. Tragically, the creation was broken when Adam and Eve yielded to the tempter (Genesis 3:1-24). Disregarding the will of God, their Creator, they went against what they knew He had commanded them — and when they did, they discovered the horrors of “death” and separation from God. What had been beautiful was now ugly. What had been joyful was now dreadful. What had been perfect was now corrupt. And like Paul many centuries later, Adam might have cried out, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24). RESTORATION. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the story of God continuing to write the story of the human race. Although He might have let justice run its course, God was not willing to leave us in our hopeless condition. If we had ruined the perfection He had created us to enjoy, He would allow us to come back to Him — even if it meant taking upon Himself the punishment for our sin. For those willing to accept this restoration, the “glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18) is a hope beyond all hopes. For those reconciled to God in Jesus Christ, the best is yet to come. Jesus is risen! he shall the world restore!Awake, ye dead! dull sinners, sleep no more!(John Wesley) Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com For more information, visit http://AreYouaChristian.com

3 min
5D AGO

Alive Together with Christ (February 26)

ALIVE TOGETHER WITH CHRIST (FEBRUARY 26) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/alive-together-with-christ-february-26/ "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved — and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:4-6). WE ALL KNOW ABOUT THE PHYSICAL ASPECT OF LIFE AND DEATH, BUT SPIRITUAL LIFE AND DEATH ARE NO LESS REAL. In today’s text, for example, Paul speaks of Christians as being “alive together with Christ.” What does this expression mean? If we’ve obeyed the gospel, we are not any more alive physically than we were before, but we certainly possess a spiritual life we didn’t used to have. When we were “dead in our trespasses,” we were baptized for the remission of our sins and God “raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” In another passage, Paul wrote to the church in Colossae that “having been buried with him in baptism . . . you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead” (Colossians 2:12). It needs to be emphasized that the word “dead” is the right word to describe our condition as people who have disobeyed what we knew to be the will of our Creator. The “wages of sin is death,” as Paul described it in Romans 6:23. As long as our sins stand between us and God, we are alienated from Him in the very worst way, and “dead” is exactly what we are. If there is another word that comes close, it is the word “lost” (Luke 19:10). But the life that is possible in Christ has two dimensions: one we can enjoy right now (the lesser) and another that is waiting for us in eternity (the greater). Writing to his fellow Christians, Peter said God “has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3-5). So before our opportunity runs out, may we obey the commands of the gospel and be brought back to life spiritually — so that when Christ returns we’ll be resurrected to live with Him eternally. "The same power that brought Christ back from the dead is operative within those who are Christ’s. The Resurrection is an ongoing thing" (Leon Morris). Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com For more information, visit http://AreYouaChristian.com

3 min
6D AGO

Adam's Helpless Race (February 25)

ADAM’S HELPLESS RACE (FEBRUARY 25) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/adams-helpless-race-february-25/ "For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly" (Romans 5:6 NASB). TO SAY THE VERY LEAST, WE DID NOT DESERVE WHAT CHRIST DID FOR US WHEN HE DIED FOR OUR SINS. But not only were we undeserving; we were helpless. His death provided a salvation we could never have achieved by any ability that we possessed. We were, as the Amplified Bible renders it, “powerless to help ourselves.” Unfortunately, there is a concept in many people’s minds that I call the “balance-sheet plan of salvation.” According to this view, we will be saved if our good deeds outnumber our bad ones. We may acknowledge that we used to be sinful people, but we believe that (if we have enough time left) we may be able to do enough good deeds that we’ll end up with a positive credit balance. But here is the problem: if we had only ever committed just one sin, a lifetime of perfection after that would not be enough to atone for that one sin. The “wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Sin — any sin — separates us from God (Genesis 2:16,17), and no amount of goodness after that can bridge the gap our sin has put between us and God. Sin is not a problem we can work our own way out of. We are all, of course, guilty of a good many more sins than one. We have repeatedly chosen our own will over God’s, and “ungodly” is what we are. We are not good people who just need a little polishing up; we are proud, self-willed people who have alienated ourselves from God. And when we put ourselves in that predicament, what we needed was not merely a better moral example; we needed a sinless Savior who would die on our behalf. The good news is that Jesus Christ is that Savior. He rescued us when there was no other way we could have escaped being banished from God. Lying in the dust, dead in our sins, we were lifted up to life — vibrant, glorious life — by the One who loved us even when we were lost. And Peter was not exaggerating when he said, “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). He left his Father’s throne above,So free, so infinite his grace!Emptied himself of all but love,And bled for Adam’s helpless race.(Charles Wesley) Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com For more information, visit http://AreYouaChristian.com

3 min

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Why become a Christian? And what is actually required when you do? Gary Henry tackles these questions in Obeying the Gospel. Designed for both the skeptic and the saint, these three-minute, daily episodes explore the initial basics of salvation and the lifelong dedication required to keep our promise to God. Discover why the commitment is worth the cost.

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Gary Henry
Years Active

2020 - 2026
Episodes

31
Rating

Clean
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© Copyright 2021 Gary Henry & WordPoints
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Obeying the Gospel