The Fullness of the Blessings of the Gospel

I want to encourage you to be still and know that He is God.  When we receive the Gospel, we receive a life changing power within us.  That power begins to change us from the inside out.  We sing songs of praise, and we sing of the blessings God gives us.  Please know when we leave this place God allows us to live in the fullness of His blessings.  We don’t need to leave the blessings here.  We live in those blessings out there!

But out there, we get so caught up in the things of this world, politics, inflation, high prices, wars, civil unrest, LGBTQ++ issues in schools and at work, unrest with neighbors, friends, family the list goes on and on with all the things that distract us from the blessings of Christ.

The Gospel is God’s agent, it is His power.  Romans 1:16, “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.”   The Gospel is that which contains the purpose for your life.  It is filled with His blessing.  Just like Jesus came full of grace and truth, the Gospel comes with that, and it comes with the abundant grace of God.  In the Gospel we have everything we need.

In John 10:10 Jesus says, “I have come that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”  My encouragement for us today is to focus on all we have in the Gospel. Let’s live in His abundance!  Let’s live in the blessings He freely and generously gives us!

Now the blessings I am talking about here come from the inside out.  These blessings come from believing and trusting in Jesus. 

When you do, you can know you’re a child of God, bought with a price, living in His grace and mercy.  The blessings I want to focus our attention on are found IN HIM, in a personal relationship with Jesus.  These blessings are not found anywhere else.  But the good news here is if you have that personal relationship with Jesus, you have all these blessings already.  You can walk in them with confidence because of what Jesus has already done!  Trust Him!

So let me ask a few questions to help you clarify your true understanding of what you have inside you (IF you know Jesus to be the payment for your sin) or what you CAN have today if you decide to trust Jesus as your payment today.

How do you see yourself?  Prov 23:7, “As a man thinks in his heart so is he.”  Do you see yourself as a person who has it all together?  Someone who has no need of God because you can handle anything life throws at you. 

Do you see yourself as a person who is so dirty and worthless that not even God can save you out of the pit, you’re in?

Both views are dead wrong!

God loves you as you are

Rom 8:38, 39: 1 Jn 4:9; 2 Thes 3:5.  Jesus is your sacrifice your complete payment

How do you evaluate your circumstances?  Are your circumstances all bigger than you?  Do you feel like there’s no way out?  Does it feel like the circumstances are bigger than God?

If we have those attitudes, we will not see the blessings that are staring us in the face because the blessing begins on the inside.  The blessing is released from the inside.  We get distracted and our faith waivers.  The fulness of the blessing of the Gospel starts and ends with faith.

Jerry has been using the example of a farmer in his sermon series.  Here is the seed of the Gospel being planted and it is planted only by faith.

The Gospel is a seed within us.

(To be incorruptible means not subject to death or decay it is eternal.)

The fullness in the Gospel of God carries all the life of God; it carries all the blessings of God; it carries all the promises of God.  Everything God wants for you came in a seed.  That seed is wanting to be released, but if we don’t live from that, if we don’t live from our spiritually renewed nature, if we live from our emotions and allow our own selfishness to rule, then we will miss out on the fullness of the blessings of the Gospel of God.  We miss out because we stop walking in faith and start looking at all the things around us for answers.

What I am encouraging you to do today is to allow this revelation, that we live in the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel, to take over in your heart.  I want to encourage you to truly realize the goodness of God and the fulness of His blessing. Realize your true new nature in Christ.  When you do, you will begin to think differently, you will speak differently, and you will act differently.  The blessing that is within you will come out in how you live your life.

So, what is the Gospel?  Michael Rydelnik, the Professor of Jewish Studies at Moody, defines the Gospel in 25 words.  He says,

“The wrong things we do separate us from God. Messiah Jesus died, taking our punishment, and rose again proving He is God.  Trust in Him.”

It is the good news of God’s love for you. Rom 8:38, 39; 1 Jn 4:9; 2 Thes 3:5

It is the good news of Christ’s redeeming sacrifice for you. Mk 10:45; Heb 10:12

It is the good news of the promise of the Spirit.  You have the very Spirit of God living inside you!  That Spirit is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead.  Rom 5:5; 8:9; 8:11; 2 Tim 1:14; 1 Cor 6:19;

It is the good news that you are reconciled to God. 2 Cor 5:18-20; Col 1:20, 22; Rom 5:10, 11

It is the good news that you are seated with God in heavenly places.  You sit with Christ because Jesus took our place on the cross, thus we are in Him.  Eph 2:6; Rev 20:4

It is the good news of an abundant life full of strength, not your strength but His strength in you. Eph 1:19, 3:16, 6:10; Col 1:11

It is the good news of the Gospel of peace.  You can be involved in all kinds of turmoil around you but walk in the peace that passes understanding. Prov 3:5, 6; Mark 9:50; Rom 12:18; 2 Cor 13:11; 1 Thes 5:13

It is the Gospel of joy – the joy of the Lord is your strength.  Walking in joy is where blessings begin. Ex 15:2; Psalm 21:1, 118:14,

It is the Gospel of walking in faith. Seeing the unseen and knowing that God is good enough to supply what you need.  Heb 11:1

It is the Gospel of righteousness.  There is nothing more powerful than understanding your right standing with God.  Understand you are made righteous!  You don’t have to feel guilty; you don’t have to walk in condemnation, you don’t need to feel unworthy.  Jesus has made you free from guilt, free from condemnation.  You are worthy when you are in Him.  That is the Gospel!   Rom 5:19; Gal 3:11

God wants you to realize these things are all part of the Gospel.  Understand these things deep within your spirit, not just intellectually.  Allow the blessings of the fullness of the Gospel into your life and let it change you from the inside out.

It is a Gospel of vision, a Gospel of purpose, a Gospel of freedom from fear.  No one needs to be living in fear.  No one needs to worry.  They are contrary to faith and anti-Gospel.  Living in the fullness of the Gospel gives no place to worry, fear, anxiety, depression or oh my what am I going to do?

You don’t need to live in a fallen state!

You have the ability in Christ to live in peace, live in the joy of the Lord.  You have the fullness of the Gospel within you and that Gospel will impact your circumstances.  It may not change what goes on in Washington, but it will change you personally.  It will change what goes on in your house, within your sphere of influence.  If you walk around with this blessing on the inside, it can’t help touching the circumstances and the people around you. 

Let’s look at what David said in

Psalm 103:2, “Bless the Lord oh my soul and forget not all His benefits.”

 It does not say benefit.  It says all His benefits.  It is plural.  It looks like there are more than two.  David doesn’t say both His benefits, he says all His benefits.   It goes on to talk about forgiveness of sin and healing.  David is looking ahead to what we are experiencing. 

Let’s look at what Paul had to say in

Ephesians 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” Later in the chapter he says we are accepted in Christ.  The Gospel has blessed us with everything.  You get to experience all this the through the grace of God…

Here is a great definition of grace –

Definition of Grace: God’s abundant provision for every need you have, spirit, soul, and body.  

There is nothing lacking.  Nothing was left off of the cross.  Everything that Adam’s sin unleashed, has been restored and then some through the blessing of the Gospel.

So, Paul says we have been blessed with every blessing in heavenly places.  By faith you receive the blessings of God.  They are where moth and rust cannot corrupt.  Those blessings are yours now.

What does Peter say?  Look at

 1 Peter 3:9, “Knowing that you were called to this that you may inherit a blessing.” 

If you were to find out that a rich Uncle, who had you in his will you would be excited about that.  You would be anticipating that inheritance.  You have something far greater than a rich Uncle!  You have an inheritance, a blessing, Peter says.

Do you need peace?  Does anyone have circumstances that are complicated?  Do you want peace that passes understanding?  Do you want joy unspeakable, full of glory?  Do you want the wisdom of God and to know what to do? 

All of that is your inheritance!  That is the blessing of the Gospel that came to you in seed form and is basically waiting on you to accept that fact and to walk by faith in the fullness of the Gospel.  This will change your life and the lives of those around you.  This is powerful!  It begins when we choose to believe it.  When you choose to believe that God is for you and not against you.  Believe that He will bless you and He will multiply you.  Believe God is giving to you pressed down and running over.

Yes, Lord I believe that.  This faith changes the way you think!  When you trust in Jesus it will change the way you speak.  Choose to believe God’s Word at face value. 

The Gospel is about a transformed life.  You became a new creation through the incorruptible seed of the Gospel.  You became something that never existed before.  You were spiritually separated from God, and you have been plugged back into God.  You are one spirit with Him.  You have a new life, a new creation life.

The Gospel is about being free from guilt and condemnation.

Please realize you do not need to live under a cloud of guilt!  You have been released.  You are free.  You have victory.  Let go of feeling unworthy.  That is not living in the blessing of the Gospel.  Jesus died on the cross to set you free from guilt and condemnation. “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…”  Live in the joy of the Lord and in the presence of God in your life.

The Gospel is about loving as we have been loved.

The Gospel is about abounding in grace for every good work.

There are situations around you that God has placed you in and given you the grace to bring healing, to bring solutions, to bring wisdom, to bring help in time of need for the people around you, depending on what the circumstances may be, there is grace for that.  Please realize God has placed you there and given you the grace needed for such a time as this.  Be bold and get involved.  Allow the blessing of the fullness of the Gospel to flow through you!  You have the gifts that others desperately need.  You are the only answer, in some cases, to people’s trauma or need.  That is the power of the fullness of the blessing of the Gospel in you.  Realize that power, agree with it, allow God to bless others through you and your giftedness.  Let the blessing out.

The Gospel is about joy and peace.

Others will notice when you are walking in the fullness of the blessing of the Gospel because they can see you responding to situations with grace and peace and having joy from within that is not touched by the circumstances around you.  That doesn’t mean you are always laughing but you are not overwhelmed by negative things around you.  You have the joy of the Lord and can minister from His strength in you.

Are you beginning to realize the power of this Gospel? Romans says it is the power of God.

The Gospel is about ceasing from your own works to earn salvation.

You can just give up trying to earn right standing with God.  You cannot do anything to make God love you more and you cannot do anything that will cause God to love you less.  That was all dealt with on the cross.  You cannot earn anything from God.  You can do something.  You can believe and receive what He has already done and what He has already given.

2 Corinthians 1:20 says, “For all the promises of God are in Him, yes and amen to the glory of God through us.” 

All the promises of God reveal God’s heart for His people.  All the promises in Him are yes and amen to the glory of God through us.  Through us!  Believe God is that good and He wants to bless your life.  You get to bless others!  God’s grace and His blessings are yes.  We cannot keep this good news to ourselves!  We get to tell His story!

If your life needs a major overhaul God is the one who wants to do it!   God is the one who has grace for it to happen.  God is the one who gave all these promises to begin with so we would have a place to go and a resource, so say, “Father, show me… “   Where will you find the promise?  Not on TV.  Only in the Word of God.  That is where you will find your inheritance.

If I told you I hid a pot of gold in your back yard, would you invest in a shovel?  Would you invest some time digging around to find it?  You have a treasure in the Word of God.  He tells us about all the promises.  That is your inheritance that is the blessing of the fullness of the Gospel that is available to you.  How much is it worth to you?  Go after it!

Eph 3:20, “To Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us.” 

There it is again – in us.  God wants to do exceedingly abundantly more than you can ask or think.

So, the blessing of the Gospel is even bigger than we can comprehend, more than we can understand with our finite minds.  But it is according to the power that works in us, so what is the power that works in you and me?  Well in the scope of all the things we could talk about, it is, first of all, you agree that God wants you to have these blessings.  God is good and He wants to bless His children!

But you say, I have too many things that have gone wrong in my life, too many hardships.  It is hard for me to believe God has given me all these blessings, I can accept some of them but in my experience God does not or has not supplied.

Here is what I want to encourage you to do.  Stop judging the Gospel through the lens of your experience.  Look at and judge your experience through the lens of the Gospel. Stop allowing the experience to be your god.  If you or someone you know is saying that didn’t work for me or that didn’t work for Aunt Mable and that IF it didn’t work for this person, nothing works.  Well, if that’s the case then God’s a liar and we may as well pack up and go home. 

But God is not a liar!!  His Word is true.  I encourage you to look at your experience through the lens of the blessings of the Gospel, knowing the Word of God is true.  I encourage you to stop exalting your experience above what the Word says.  Look at your experience through the magnifying glass of the Word.

Romans 8:32, “He who did not spare is own Son, but delivered Him up for us all how shall He not with him also freely give us all things.” 

All things.  If God gave you Jesus, why in the world would He withhold anything else?  Why would He withhold any of His blessings?  His victory?  He has given you His name, His blood, His Spirit.  He has given you His covenant, He has given you His promises, His armor, His authority.  He has given you the sword of the Word, the keys of the Kingdom.  He has given us the fullness of the blessing of the Gospel.  When we accept Jesus as Savior and when we are born again, we get the whole package!  Just think about that… If God gives us Jesus, why in the world would He withhold anything else?

The reality is God is not withholding anything.  What’s happening is we are choosing to be fearful.  Choosing to worry, choosing to doubt, choosing to feed our flesh with garbage.  Choosing to do all those things means you are not choosing God and it is for that reason the blessings are being withheld.  

Blessings come through faith and trust that Jesus is Who He says He is and will do what He says He will do.  This is faith in the Gospel.   I encourage you to get back to believing that you are the righteousness of Christ.  He will reward you as you diligently seek Him.

James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift comes from above and comes down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” 

What that means is God does not change.  God is not fickle.  He doesn’t make up one set of rules for some and another set for someone else.  There is no shadow of turning – there is no variation in God.  Every good gift, every perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation. 

God is good.  Taste and see that the Lord is good.  All this power, all this blessing of the Gospel comes from the inside.  Please understand that God is good, God is for you, God’s mercies are new every morning.  God has given you His promises, His name, His Spirit, His covenant His Word and on and on.  God has given all of this because He wants you to be blessed.  He delights in your blessing.  As a parent and a grandparent I delight in seeing my children and grandchildren blessed.  I don’t want to see them suffering. God is a much better parent than I am!  He wants to see me blessed.  He wants to see you blessed. 

All this begins with our heart becoming convinced.  First thing you must be convinced in is that Jesus is the Son of God and that His death was for you personally, His resurrection is your resurrection and His life is your life.  Choose to believe that from your heart. Confess it with your mouth – Jesus is Lord.

Choose to believe His joy is your strength

Choose to believe you am accepted in Christ

Choose to believe all things are possible because you believe

Choose to believe you hear His voice

Choose to believe that His favor surrounds you as a shield (Psalm 5:12)

Choose to believe you are blessed in your going out and in your coming in

Choose to believe God – without faith it is impossible to please God

Choose to believe you live with Him in heavenly places

One more passage 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12, “Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness. And the work of faith with power that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you and you in Him according to the grace of our God and our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Please hear me in what I say next.  Are you listening?  The world is trying to tell you that you are good in yourself.  That is not what I am saying!  We are fallen creatures, no one is righteous because of the good things they do.  What I am saying is we live in His goodness.  There is no one good but God.  When we trust that Jesus paid the price for sin, we receive His goodness and righteousness in us.

When you accepted Jesus as Savior, you may have not realized everything that took place. As a boy I certainly didn’t.   Now you know. Now you know what has been deposited in you.  This is exciting!

We get to live in all the fullness of the Gospel!

We get to be a blessing in this world.  Go live in fullness!  Proclaim it freely to those around you.  The world is in desperate need of the message of the fullness of the Gospel! 

If you have never publicly proclaimed your faith is Jesus, today is the day.  Come receive the blessings of the fullness of the Gospel for yourself!

Receive the blessings of the fullness of the Gospel today.  Remember The wrong things we do separate us from God. Messiah Jesus died, taking our punishment, and rose again proving He is God.  Trust in Him.”

You can watch this message by clicking HERE.