The following post is essentially a transcript of this sermon jam YouTube clip of Matt Chandler. I loved the content, loved the jam, and love sharing things that I love with you, so I hope you enjoy! Check it out:
http://youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mROvpR93QL0
The gospel is that there is this infinite, almighty, all-knowing, all-powerful creator God who created all things for His glory, and you and I have belittled that, belittled His name, belittled His glory.
Every one of us have at one time or another actually currently believe that our way is better than God’s. We fail to acknowledge giving glory for gifts He’s given us; we question His rule and authority while at the same time doing that with the brain He gave us and holds together, and the lungs and the air that He gave us to breathe with. This the great blasphemy of the universe.
So we’ve all belittled God, and God being just, right, and holy is not going to allow the belittlement of His name.
God, then, not being able to spare wrath, sends Christ in the flesh and crushes Him. And in so doing, pours out His wrath against the children of God, onto the Son, killing Him. Then God raises Him from the dead, and that same power that raised Christ from the dead is now at work in those who believe.
This is the gospel: that you and I have right standing before God–not by our standing, not by our works, not by whether or not we cuss or don’t cuss, drink or don’t drink, watch this, don’t watch this, do this, don’t do that–JUSTIFIED before God by the cross of Christ alone.
Your lust? You’re not going to be able to fix it.
Your bitterness? You’re not going to be able to fix it.
Your rage? Anger? Those deviances that have been following you around?
You don’t possess the power of life and death! You can’t resurrect anything!
Christ can. That’s the good news. So we don’t celebrate us; that’s why we continually celebrate Him! We boast in the cross and in the cross alone. The same power that is at work in raising Christ from the dead is at work in me, and at work in all who believe.
This is the gospel.
-Matt Chandler
