The law of Moses that has been brought into the Church is filled with you gotta try harder, gotta do better, gotta perform. But this message, the true Gospel, is the announcement of a righteousness, not based on performance. It comes only from God as a GIFT.
You see, God in Christ took my place. God in Christ set me free. He won the victory and gave it to me. I had nothing to do with it then, what makes me think I can do anything to earn it now. It was finished before the foundation of the world. All I can do is receive. It’s not performance oriented gospel. It’s God’s gift of righteousness.
Churches today keep people in bondage by improperly preaching works and performance and sin. They put you in bondage with statements like “you need to get better and clean yourself up”. Here’s the problem with that. You are already totally accepted by God. Not because of what you do, but because of what He did for you. There's no way you can be rejected by God, because you're already accepted.
This is what Paul was saying when he said “I fully preached”. I’ve told it often and everywhere and with all that’s in me. It’s Good News. Now lets see how Paul did that.
Rom 15:18. “For I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed,”
What Christ has accomplished through me. This is the BEING of his ministry. What he did is in Vs 19 in Jerusalem, round about, Illyricum, that’s the DOING of his ministry. So what’s the BEING behind the DOING? Paul says it’s what Christ has accomplished through him. He’s speaking of the now Christ. Not the Jesus of Nazareth, or the Christ of the Cross, or tomb or the resurrection. It is the right now Jesus. The exalted Christ, who is given the name Lord Jesus Christ. The present time Christ.
You understand, He’s not the subject of our preaching. He’s the Christ we interact with and preach. So, Paul was saying I’m not preaching about Jesus…I’m preaching Jesus. I’m not bragging about what I did, but I’m telling you what Christ has accomplished through me. Paul saw the now exalted Christ actively working through Him. Think about it. That’s what we need in preaching today. Christ working through them. Not go out and do a work for God. Burn out for Jesus, because you’ll work hard at the first and guaranteed you’ll accomplish the second.
No, that’s not what it says. It says God will do a work through us. There’s a big difference between us doing a work for God and God doing a work through us. It is not just semantics.
Look at Matt 16:18. For all of you that are determined to “do a work for God”, “To live for Jesus”, “To build His church”. Look what it says. Jesus said “I will build my church”. So, if you’re trying to do all the other things…..STOP! Quit wasting your time. He will do it and is doing it.
As soon as you get hold of this message that He’s doing it and He’s done it, and He’s going to keep doing it, the rebuke you will receive from Jesus will be wrapped in a message of truth, hope and freedom. It will bring with it a renewed vigor to follow Him, Trust Him, and Abide in Him. To be victorious by what He has already done and what he will continue to do through you, you must rest in the finished work of Jesus. Rest is not a word of inactivity, rather it’s activity as directed by the Holy Spirit and not of yourself.
What Paul is saying in Romans 15 is linked directly in principle to what Jesus says in Matt 16:18 when He begins to speak of the church. Jesus will build His church, but it will be through us. What Christ has done through me….HE DOES IT!!!
Look at Acts 1:1. Luke wrote this book. In Vs 1, Luke says “in my former writing” (the book of Luke), I wrote to you about all that Jesus BEGAN to do and TEACH. Did you see that? "BEGAN to do and TEACH". That means it's not completed. Insinuating that now we will learn about all that Jesus continues to do in His exalted self through the apostles and us. It’s not us doing a work for God, it’s Him continuing the work He began. He’s doing it through His corporate body.
Rom 10:14. It doesn’t say about whom, it says whom. So, through the lips of the preacher, the words that are spoken are heard by the listener. What they hear are the Words of the Lord Jesus, not my words and not your words. When that happens, they then can believe. Gospel preaching must be a confrontation with Jesus Himself. So, quit preaching about Jesus…and preach Jesus.
Paul goes on in this verse, “and shall they hear…Hear what? – Hear Jesus “without a preacher”. You see, Jesus will not speak on earth, apart from a preacher. He has chosen to limit Himself in us, but it is Jesus who is speaking. When I say preacher, I mean anyone who will proclaim this great gospel of Grace, which is Jesus. Preach Jesus.
Ephesians 2:11-17. Verse 17 says He preached peace to you. Well, Jesus didn’t actually preach….OR DID HE??? Yes He did through the apostles and through us.
Ephesians 4:20-21. It says you Heard Him and have been Taught by Him. The words of Jesus are in our mouth, because Jesus is in us working through us, speaking out of us. He’s doing it. We can’t.
So, when we speak, we speak not about the Christ who died and rose again, but we speak the Christ, who died and rose again. It’s the difference between preaching about Jesus and preaching Jesus.
Acts 9:20. “And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God”.
1 Corinthians 15:12 Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
Philippians 1:18 What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.
Acts 5:40-42.
40 And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
41 And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.
42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.
You see, this Gospel, preaching Jesus, PERFORMS IN YOU AS YOU SPEAK. Philippians 2:13 shows us who works. It is God which worketh. WHERE?…IN YOU. He will accomplish it – Philippians 1:6. He started it and He’ll finish it.
Understand, in all Christ does, I am totally present as He does it. So, therefore, He is totally present to work in and through me. He’s doing it by me. That’s the Gospel…That’s what God is like.
All the parables, all the miracles, were not told or done to prove that Jesus was the Son of God. It was to show what God is like. In all of What God is, He chose to limit Himself to us. He uses our eyes, mouths, and movements to continue to reach the world with His Gospel.
It is futile to try and go about DOING the ministry. Enter into that sacred rest that has been given you and simply start BEING the ministry.
Remember, it’s Colossians 1:27. “Christ in you, the hope of glory”. When people see the Jesus in you as you rest in His finished work, it will bring hope into their lives. They’ll ask you “how do you do that”. The answer is simple. I’m just being all that He says that I am by letting Him be all that He says He is in me. Grace and Peace.
Comments