Do You Know the Gospel?
The gospel is the good news that around 2,000 years ago, God, so filled with love, came down into this world filled with sin and trouble to rescue His people from the consequences of their own rebellion. In the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus, He paid the price for the sins of His people so that the way would be cleared for them to have life with God.
A person cannot appreciate this good news without first knowing the truth that every person has rebelled against the Creator God in many ways in his life, and has furthermore tried to live in denial about it. Since God created us, He has the right to tell us how to live, and He has told us how to live in His law. However, desiring to be our own God over our own lives, we have dismissed His law, even when our conscience reminded us of it. We have used His air, His food, His world and abused it. We have used the beautifully created mind and body He gave us to rebel against Him. For this we are justly under the threat of His punishment. And we all know it. You know it as you sit and read this, for you (as all people) feel guilty for things you have done against His law in your life.
If a person is awake to this reality by the Spirit, he will sorrow over his own rebellion against the One who gave him life. He will run to Jesus alone in his soul for payment for his sins and to renew fellowship with this God who is so loving as to come Himself into our world to save poor and needy sinners. The God who sent Jesus forgives our sins when by His grace we come to Him in faith. He gives us fellowship with Himself, as well as true hope for this life and the next.
If you do not have this hope, then come hear more in worship on Sunday, or contact our church for more help. If this is you, then we invite you to come and grow in that hope and in that fellowship with God with us. It is rich and life-giving. And the deeper one knows it, the more profound one's worship becomes, the more firm is one's foundation of comfort in life and death, and the more one's entire life is wrapped up in this God and His grace in Jesus Christ.
A person cannot appreciate this good news without first knowing the truth that every person has rebelled against the Creator God in many ways in his life, and has furthermore tried to live in denial about it. Since God created us, He has the right to tell us how to live, and He has told us how to live in His law. However, desiring to be our own God over our own lives, we have dismissed His law, even when our conscience reminded us of it. We have used His air, His food, His world and abused it. We have used the beautifully created mind and body He gave us to rebel against Him. For this we are justly under the threat of His punishment. And we all know it. You know it as you sit and read this, for you (as all people) feel guilty for things you have done against His law in your life.
If a person is awake to this reality by the Spirit, he will sorrow over his own rebellion against the One who gave him life. He will run to Jesus alone in his soul for payment for his sins and to renew fellowship with this God who is so loving as to come Himself into our world to save poor and needy sinners. The God who sent Jesus forgives our sins when by His grace we come to Him in faith. He gives us fellowship with Himself, as well as true hope for this life and the next.
If you do not have this hope, then come hear more in worship on Sunday, or contact our church for more help. If this is you, then we invite you to come and grow in that hope and in that fellowship with God with us. It is rich and life-giving. And the deeper one knows it, the more profound one's worship becomes, the more firm is one's foundation of comfort in life and death, and the more one's entire life is wrapped up in this God and His grace in Jesus Christ.
FIRST PROTESTANT REFORMED CHURCH
2800 MICHIGAN ST. NE GRAND RAPIDS MI 49506 Sunday Worship Services: 9:30 a.m. & 5:00 p.m. 616-942-0332 |