The Gospel’s Greatest Blessing
Joy in God through Reconciliation!
Many people accept the gospel because of what they hope to gain from it. And what they hope for includes eternal life, a better life, hope, help, happiness, forgiveness, restoration, self-respect, and a sense of purpose or meaning in life. While all these things are true benefits that come with the gospel, they are not its primary blessing. There is something so astonishingly beautiful and breathtaking that almost everyone misses it – the greatest reward we receive from the Gospel is God Himself!
What do you think of a statement like this one?
“The chief end of justification is the immense, glorious benefits to those to whom it is given (Eph 1:3 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places”). Forgiveness of sins. Imputed righteousness. Escape from hell and assured entrance into heaven. Freedom from disease. Liberation from bondage. Eternal life. Justice. Mercy. The joy of a pain-free world to come. These blessings and more become chief, compelling reasons for repenting from our sins and turning to Jesus to receive these benefits from God.”
When we’re asked this question in a setting like ours this morning, we instinctively sense that there’s something off about the statement we just read together. Let me give you a revised version of this statement written by Pastor-Theologian John Piper in his small work, God is the Gospel.
“Justification is not an end in itself. Neither is the forgiveness of sins or the imputation of righteousness. Neither is escape from hell or entrance into heaven or freedom from disease or liberation from bondage or eternal life or justice or mercy or the beauties of a pain-free world (life). None of these facets of the gospel-diamond is the chief good or highest goal of the gospel. Only one thing is: seeing and savoring God himself, being changed into the image of his Son so that more and more we delight in and display God’s infinite beauty and worth.” (John Piper)
So here is the question – if the only benefit and blessing of eternal life were a deep, personal friendship with God, would you be willing to pay the price in this life to become the kind of Christian that Paul and the New Testament writers encourage us to be as followers of Christ? How do we become people whose chief treasure and pleasure on earth is God? Paul’s answer is our text this morning – “More than that, we also rejoice (exult) in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation!”
We must do more than read this text properly or affirm its truth accurately. We must experience its reality deeply and personally so that delight in God becomes the unshakeable, uninterrupted default emotion of our lives.
And this will require the answers to four questions from this text.
I. What does it mean to __________ in God?
More than that, we also rejoice in God
- The encounter Jesus had with a rich young ruler (possibly Paul) serves as a powerful example of what this looks like. This encounter is recorded in all three of the Synoptic Gospels (Matt. 19:16-22; Mark 10:17-22; Luke 18:18-23). When this young religious leader met Jesus, he faced a choice: give up all he valued on earth to follow Jesus or keep his earthly treasures without Him.
- And that is true for many of us this morning. Rejoicing in God is not merely saying the right things about him. It is not primarily expressed in thanksgiving for the good gifts we have received from Him. The rich young ruler was obviously thankful for the good gifts he had received from God in the covenant of Abraham signified by his circumcision and in the Torah of Moses which he had been scrupulously obeying from his youth on. He was thankful and obedient. But he rejoiced in something more than God – his possessions and the comfort and honor they afforded.
- When you open up the gift of the gospel and find God, you have hit the jackpot of all gifts – there isn’t a better gift God could have given you! When you get God, you get it all! And you get the source of true joy and lasting treasure!
II. How does this __________ come through __________?
More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
- What did God the Son do to bring us to the point where we received the greatest gift the gospel can give us – a deep, personal, unbreakable relationship with God Himself? How did we go from being His enemies under His divine wrath (Rom 5:6-10) to enjoying Him forever? Paul’s answer is that Jesus did something so powerful that it repaired the breach and reconciled us to God!
- When Jesus died, several amazing realities came into effect for us in different areas where we were in great trouble. Three passages in Romans help us clearly understand five of those realities.z
Romans 3:21–26 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Romans 5:10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life.
Romans 8:14-17 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
- In the Law Court of God’s righteous justice: we were __________ and declared righteous.
- In the Market Place of sin: we were __________ and liberated from the dominion and power of sin that enslaved us.
- In the Temple of God’s Holy Presence: God acted through Christ to __________ and remove His righteous wrath against us.
- In the Kingdom of God: we were __________ to the King by the atoning death of His Son.
- In the Family and Household of God: we were __________ and given full standing, rights, and privileges as co-heirs with His Son who is bringing many “sons” to glory.
Which brings us to the third question we need to answer from this text:
III. How is joy in God __________, __________, __________, and __________ in our hearts? . . . through whom we have now received reconciliation
- The Holy Spirit __________ this jubilant joy in God as a ministry of His indwelling presence. (Romans 5:5; 8:14-17)
Romans 5:5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Romans 8:16-17 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. - The Holy Spirit __________ this joy in us by illuminating our understanding of God’s Word. (Ephesians 1:16-23)
Ephesians 1:16–23 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. - The Holy Spirit __________ this joy by strengthening us with His Strength to know and obey God’s will so that we will be filled with what fills God. (Ephesians 3:14-19)
Ephesians 3:14–19 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. - The Holy Spirit __________ this joy in us experientially by directing our hearts into God’s immense love for us. (2 Thess 3:5)
2 Thess 3:5 May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.
IV. What are the __________ of this joy for daily living? (Rom 8:31-37)
- God is ______ us; therefore, no one can come against us! (8:31-32)
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
- Christ is __________ for us; therefore, no charge or accusation against us will stand in God’s sight! (8:33-34)
Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.
- God is __________ for us; therefore, no one will defeat us and nothing can destroy us! (8:35-37)
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
- God is __________ us; therefore, no power exists that can separate us from His love for us or diminish His delight in us! (3:38-39)
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Nor is this something new that Paul talks about for the first time! Hundreds of years earlier, a humble prophet named Zephaniah said this to God’s people who were discouraged and disheartened by the difficulties of life, the damage done by their own sin, and their diminished standing even after repenting: The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. (Zephaniah 3:17)
Conclusion: How should we respond to this text?
- We should glory and exult in God’s love for us by reminding ourselves of it daily in the beauty of the Gospel! (Rom 5:8)
. . . but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
- We should glorify the God who loves us by enjoying Him now and forever! (Psalm 37:4; Phil 4:4)
Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.
- We should keep ourselves in this amazing love! (Jude 1:21; 1 John 5:21; Ephesians 6:24)
Jude 1:21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.
1 John 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
Ephesians 6:24 Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.
Here is Paul’s own testimony of the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus!
Philippians 3:8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
Do you feel this way about Christ – or are you living for and enamored by the things Paul discarded in the rubbish pile?