Daily Bread_January 12, 2015

Title: What is the Good News?

Text:

Acts 26:17-18 (ESV)
¹⁷ delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you ¹⁸ to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'

Romans 1:1 (ESV)
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,

Romans 1:15-17 (ESV)
¹⁵ So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. ¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ¹⁷ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."

Observation:

I read the first passage in a devotional on Saturday, and heard a sermon on the second passage Sunday morning. I had made a note to follow-up on the first passage, and Sunday's sermon was all I needed to get started, which I did Sunday afternoon. Here is a portion of what I found.

Paul was set apart to preach the gospel of God. What is the gospel?

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (ESV)
³ For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁴ that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,

The gospel of God is Jesus.

John 3:16 (ESV)
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

The gospel is a gift of God, and it has to be received.

John 1:12 (ESV)
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

This is what happens to those who receive the gospel of God.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

How do you receive the gospel?

Hebrews 11:6 (ESV)
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Romans 10:9 (ESV)
because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 10:13 (ESV)
For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

Prayer:

Father God, my dear Father, I am so grateful for the gospel of God; for Jesus who became sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

O Father, I pray that no one who hears this goodnews will refuse the gift of God; the righteousness of God in the person of Jesus the Messiah. I thank You Lord for doing for me what I could not do for myself. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

"There's room at the cross for you,

There's room at the cross for you,

Though millions have come, There's still room for one

Yes, there's room at the cross for you."  - Ira Stanphill

--

Matthew 4:4 (HCSB)
⁴ But He answered, "It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."

Psalm 2:8 (HCSB)
⁸ Ask of Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance and the ends of the earth Your possession.

My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/