Sermon Notes:

We must return to a God centered gospel

Genesis begins with God and Revelation ends with God

Throughout Scripture God is seen as saving for his “namesake”

Psa 106:8 NIV - 8 Yet he saved them for his name's sake, to make his mighty power known.

From OT to NT we find that salvation is the story of God’s Power, God’s Grace, God’s plan, God’s Kingdom, God’s Son, God’s people, God’s holiness, God’s Greatness, God’s glory!

It is only recently in Western culture that much of the church’s theology has shifted its emphasis in regards to the gospel to make it primarily about man.

More specifically our individualistic, self-infatuated, me-motivated culture has permeated our thoughts about the gospel.

Instead of being in awe of the holiness of God - we are in awe of hipster pastors

Instead of seeking the glory of God - We’re more interested in the glamor of ministry

Instead of the preaching the cross of Christ - we’ve settled for the couch of convenience

Instead of trusting in the almighty power of God - we are told to believe in ourselves to find a power from within.

A.W. Tozer tells us: “The low view of God entertained almost universally among Christians is the cause of a hundred lesser evils everywhere among us. A whole new philosophy of the Christian life has resulted from this one basic error in our religious thinking.”

Later speaking of the vital importance of understanding the burden of our sin he says: “But unless the weight of the burden is felt the gospel can mean nothing to the man; and until he sees a vision of God high and lifted up, there will be no woe and no burden. Low views of God destroy the gospel for all who hold them.”

Before we can even think of communicating a gospel that is about our God, for our God, and in praise of our God. We must become fully God focused ourselves and give up the pop-culture’s Christianity.

John Piper explains it this way:

“Preachers can say dozens of true and wonderful things about the gospel and not lead people to where the gospel is leading. People can hear the gospel preached, or read it in their Bibles, and not see the final aim of the gospel that makes the good news good. What makes all the events of Good Friday and Easter and all the promises they secure, good news is that they lead us to God. “Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God” (1 Pet. 3:18). And when we get there, it is God himself who will satisfy our souls forever. Everything else in the gospel is meant to display God’s glory and remove every obstacle in him (such as his wrath) and in us (such as our rebellion) so that we can enjoy him forever. God is the gospel.”

If we are going to effectively bring the truth of the Gospel to our world we must return to a Gospel that is primarily about God and that leads others to God. with significant ramifications for man.

We must recognize the idols around us (Acts 17:16-17)

If the gospel is primarily about God and secondarily about man. Then the greatest barriers to the gospel are not:

Getting someone to come to church

Trying to make the gospel look exciting enough

Or even trying to meet felt needs.

The greatest barrier to the gospel is all which goes against God.

A false idea of who God is

A misdirection of worship

In other words, if the gospel is God’s gospel that which replaces God in man...