What is the G.O.S.P.E.L? by Propaganda

I came across this video that really spoke to my heart. Its about “the greatest story ever told that’s hardly ever told.” This rapper named Propaganda apart of Dare2Share ministries gives a  deep analysis of the Gospel. I hope you enjoy reading his lyrics and his full story of life crushed into 4 minutes.

It’s the full story of life crushed into 4 minutes. The entirety of humanity in the palm of your hand crushed into one sentence. Listen its intense right. God. Our. Sins. Paying. Everyone. Life. The greatest story ever told that’s hardly ever told. God. Yes. God. The maker and giver of life. And by life I mean any and all manner and substance. Seen and unseen. What can and can be touched. Thoughts, image, emotions, love, atoms and oceans. God.  All of it his handy work. One of which is masterpiece. Made so uniquely that angels looked curiously. The one thing in creation that was made with his imagery. The concept so cold. It’s the reason I stay bold, how God breathed in the man  and he became a living soul.  Formed with the intent of being infinitely intimately fond. Creator and creation held in eternal bold. And it was placed in perfect paradise til something went wrong.  A species got deceived and started lusting for his job. An odd list of complaints as if the system ain’t working and used that same breath he graciously gave us to curse him. And that sin seed spread though our soul’s genome. And by nature of your nature, your species, you participated in the mutiny. Our. Yes. Our sins. Its nature inherited, lack in the human heart, it was over before it started. Deceived from day one and lead away by our own lusts. There’s not a religion in the word that doesn’t agree that something’s wrong with us. The question is what is it? And how do we fix it? Are we eternally  separated from a God that may or not have existed? But that’s another subject. Let’s keep grinding. Besides trying to prove God is like defending a lion homie, it don’t need your help, just unlock the cage. Let’s move on how our debt can be paid.  Short and sweet. The problem is Sin. Yes. Sin. It’s a cancer. An asthma. Choking out our life force. Forcing separation from a perfect and holy God and the only way to get back is to get back to perfection but silly us, trying to pass the course of life without referring to a syllabus. This is us. Heap up your good deeds. Chant, pray, meditate but all of that of course is spreading colon on a corpse.  Or you could choose to ignore it as if something don’t stink.  It’s like stepping it dog poop and refusing to wipe your shoe and all of that ends with how good is good enough. Take your silly list of good deeds and line them up against perfection, good luck. That’s life past your pay grade. The cost of your soul you ain’t gotta big enough piggy bank. But you can give it a shot. But I suggest you throw away the list cause even your good acts are an extension of your selfishness. But here’s where it gets interesting. I hope your closely listening. Please don’t get it twisted. It’s what makes our faith unique. Here’s what God says is Part A of the gospel. You can’t fix yourself. Quit trying it’s impossible.  Sin brings death. Give God his breath back. You owe him. Eternally separated and the only way to fix it is someone die in your place and that someone gotta be perfect. Or the payment ain’t permanent. So if and when you find the perfect person, get him or her to willing trade their perfection for your sin and death in. Clearly since the only one that can meet God’s criteria is God. God sent himself as Jesus to pay the cost for us. His righteousness, his death, functions as payment. Yes. Payment. Wrote a check with his life but at the resurrection we all cheered cause that means the check cleared. Pierced feet, pierced hands, blood stained son of man. Fullness forgiveness free passage into the promise land, that same breath God breathed into us God gave it up to redeem us. And anyone and everyone. And by everyone I mean everyone who puts their faith in trust in him and him alone can stand in full confidence of God’s forgiveness. And here’s what the promise is, that you are guaranteed full access to return the perfect unity. By simply believing in Christ in Christ alone. You are receiving life. Yes. Life. This is the Gospel. God. Our. Sins. Paying. Everyone. Life.

What is Pride?

Mark Driscoll, in a recent message in his Luke series, put together a test to how much pride is relevant in our lives.
Last week in Fight we started our series Pride: Man's Greatest Enemy. We had each one of the guys take the test to see if they are proud.
Take the test to see how you score.

Pride Test (Mark Driscoll)

1.       Do you long for a lot of attention?

2.       Do you become jealous or critical of people who succeed?

3.       Do you always have to win?

4.       Do you have a pattern of lying?

5.       Do you have a hard time acknowledging you were wrong?

6.       Do you have a lot of conflicts with other people?

7.       Do you cut in line in the store, freeway, etc…

8.       Do you get upset when people do not honor your achievements?

9.       Do you tend more toward an attitude of entitlement or thankfulness?

10.    Do you honestly feel you are basically a good person and superior to others?

If you scored 1-10 then you are proud.

If you scored 0 then you are very proud.

Pride is very relevant in our everyday lives. The hard part is trying to identify where pride is most relevant and how we can defeat it.
During the next couple months we are going to be digging deeper into the question of What is Pride?

by this we know love

there was a time when signs saying john 3:16 were all over the place, well especially sporting events....

 <------here university of florida quarterback is displaying it on his eye black.

it is one of the most famous verses speaking about how God sent his one and only son to save the world.

but what most people don't know the verse which is very similar and instead in one of johns letters,
1 John 3:16 "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." (NIV)

he laid his life for us. he took the punishment for our sin. he stood in our place.
one of my favorite songs is by this we know love by judah groveman and at Next 2009 he introduced us to this song.

the chorus goes like this:
by this we know love that He laid down His life
God’s very own Son, came from Heaven to die
suspended He hung, as He shed His own blood
what grace in His pardon, by this We know love

what a beautiful picture of his love for us. when was the last time you took one day and thought about the love of God and how it changed your life....if you haven't then you should make today that day....

marvelous

marvelous. what a cool word. 
- causing great wonder; extraordinary
- extremely good or pleasing; splendid.


declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the people. -psalm 96:3


oh sing to the LORD a new song,for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. - psalm 98:1


being able to stand back and watch God work in a marvelous way. but what works does he do that aren't marvelous?


when was the last time you took time to marvel at what he has done? what would you consider extraordinary, extremely good or pleasing, or splendid? 

take some time. sit back. enjoy God's marvelous gifts.

 

taking for granted

even when we see the glory of Christ's work in our lives and the immeasurable blessings he has given us we don't truly appreciate them.......

mercies anew -Lamentations 3:22-23

"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, 

       for his compassions never fail.

 They are new every morning;
       great is your faithfulness." - NIV

"The LORD'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,

         For His compassions never fail. 
  They are new every morning;
         Great is Your faithfulness." - NASB

"God's loyal love couldn't have run out,
   his merciful love couldn't have dried up.
They're created new every morning.
   How great your faithfulness!
I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over).
   He's all I've got left." - The Message

"The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
      His mercies never cease.
 Great is his faithfulness;
      his mercies begin afresh each morning." - NLT

"It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 

They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." - KJV

"The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;

   his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
   great is your faithfulness." - ESV

no matter what translation you read it in. it all says the same thing. every morning God's mercies are anew. great is your faithfulness oh Lord. his compassions never fail. follow God and stick with him cause he's the only thing that matters.

Mark 15:29-32

•  ²⁹And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, "Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, ³⁰save yourself, and come down from the cross!" ³¹So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, "He saved others; he cannot save himself. ³²Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe." Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.

Why did Christ not come off of the Cross and show his power to those who mocked him that he could save himself?

The reason why Christ could not save himself is because he knew his higher calling. It goes back to Mark 14 where Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane (v32-42), where he goes and prays to the Father. In verse 36 he prays, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." Jesus knew God's plan for him. He knew he was going to die. In the Garden he told the Father that though he did not want to be separated but if it was His Will then that is what he must do.  So when the people walking past Him and mocked him and told him to save himself, he knew that was not possible. D.A. Carson writes about this in his book, Scandalous: The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus.

        The deeper irony is that, in a way they did not understand, they were speaking the truth. If he had saved himself, he could not have saved others; the only way he could save others was precisely by not saving himself. In the irony behind the irony that the mockers intended, they spoke the truth they themselves did not see. The man who can’t save himself—saves others. One of the reasons they were so blind is that they thought in terms of merely physical restraints. When they said “he can’t save himself,” they meant that the nails held him there, the soldiers prevented any possibility of rescue, his powerlessness and weakness guaranteed his death. For them, the words “he can’t save himself” expressed a physical impossibility. But those who know who Jesus is are fully aware that nails and soldiers cannot stand in the way of Emmanuel. The truth of the matter is that Jesus could not save himself, not because of any physical constraint, but because of a moral imperative. He came to do his Father’s will, and he would not be deflected from it. The One who cries in anguish in the garden of Gethsemane, “Not my will, but yours be done,” is under such a divine moral imperative from his heavenly Father that disobedience is finally unthinkable. It was not nails that held Jesus to that wretched cross; it was his unqualified resolution, out of love for his Father, to do his Father’s will—and, within that framework, it was his love for sinners like me. He really could not save himself.

Isn't that mind blowing?

Christ knew ahead of time what was going to happen. And unless the work of God was in his life he probably would of taken the people up on their offer by showing his awesome power. If it was me hanging on that cross and I had the power to get off of it, I don't think I would hesitate. My pride at times can be so puffed up that I have to impress others. I think that is all human tenancy to not have our pride hurt in times of accusation. But that work of the Father in Christ's life shows through in Philippians 2 of how we are to emulate Him by applying his example to our lives.

        "³Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. ⁴Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. ⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."

These verses take what Christ was doing on the Cross and Paul is effectively transferring them into a way we can apply Christ's example to our lives. Though it looks different because Christ is dying and we don't get that opportunity like he did. The heart issues can still be present. Christ did not think for himself when he was on that Cross. He had the power to physically come down. But he did not have the power to disobey his Father's will. His relationship with the Father was that strong that he could not bare the pain of any kind of separation with Him.

Why don't we feel that way?
I have been meditating on this passage to see how I can live more like Christ did. That my relationship with the Father can be so strong that disobeying Him is something I don't think twice about. Christ gave us an example to follow so why not do follow? I know this is my prayer and my desire to fulfill. To live like Christ. And follow my Father. And not think twice about disobeying Him.