How would you describe the gospel in one word? This word might get the award for the word that most people know but few understand. Would you believe that a clear definition is right there in the Bible?

Transcript

DEFINING GOSPEL

Today, in our series Simple Theology, I’m gonna define “gospel.”

If a friend asked you, “I heard this word “gospel.” What does it mean?” how would you answer? You might say: “good news” or “Jesus died for your sins.” Or maybe you might not have any idea what to say. Today, I want to help you with an answer.

And I’m going to do that with one word. Okay, I lied. I’m gonna use five words. And these five words address these five issues.

1. The Problem

2. The Dilemma

3. God’s Solution

4. Our Response

5. The Result

Before I continue, I want to credit InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and the website HonorShame.com for these ideas. They both have excellent contextualized Biblical resources for honor-shame cultures like Hmong. It’s refreshing, especially if you’ve primarily heard the Bible through a white American lens.

Here’s the gospel in 5 words.

1. THE PROBLEM

The problem is UNFAITHFULNESS.

Our unfaithfulness has broken our relationship with God, and our disloyalty dishonors God. We rebel against our Creator. That’s what we talked about last week: sin as stubborn, prideful rebellion.

We seek glory apart from God. We seek glory through our family, our education, our money. And our repeated unfaithfulness dishonors God.

Listen to these three verses from Romans:

“Although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened… Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin… For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 1:21, 3:9, 3:23)

Even if you don’t believe in God, can you honestly say that you’ve lived up to your own standards? Probably not. We’ve all been unfaithful—whether to God or to ourselves.

The problem is unfaithfulness… for every one of us.

2. THE DILEMMA

The dilemma is SHAME.

Because of our unfaithfulness, three things happen:

1. We are shameful in God’s eyes.

2. We feel shame ourselves.

3. Our dishonor means separation and disunion from God.

We see these dynamics at play in the Creation story. After Adam and Eve were unfaithful to their Creator, they felt shame.

“Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves… and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” (Genesis 3:7-8)

The prophet Jeremiah lays it all out:

“Let us lie down in our shame, and let our disgrace cover us. We have sinned against the Lord our God, both we and our ancestors; from our youth till this day, we have not obeyed the Lord our God.” (Jerimiah 3:25)

Shame is universal. And it can be painful, even crippling. So, we do all kinds of things to cover up our shame.

You can live in denial.

Or blame others for your problems.

You can become a perfectionist.

You might bully, criticize, or demean others.

Or turn to drinking, smoking, or drugs.

But all of us must do something with our shame.

3. GOD’S SOLUTION

God’s solution is RESTORATION.

God loves you so much that He sent Jesus to restore you from brokenness. Jesus’ death honored God and bore your shame. His death reconciled your relationship with God.

Though Jesus lived a perfect life, he was mocked, rejected, and abandoned. He suffered an unjust and shameful death on the cross for you.

Isaiah 53:3-4 says, “3 He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces, he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. 4 Surely, he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.” (Isaiah 53:3-4)

Jesus rose from the dead, vindicated and honored by God. Only he can reconcile us to God.

Romans 4:25 tells us, “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life so we can be right with God.”

What do you do to make yourself right with God? Because this sounds like a pretty good way. So, how do you respond?

4. OUR RESPONSE

[16] Our response is LOYALTY.

You must honor Jesus with complete allegiance. You seek God’s face and his name. This means that you must turn away from seeking your own honor and trust God.

John 12:26 says, “26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.”

Romans 10-9,11 says, “9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved… 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”

How loyal are you to God? If you’re honest with yourself, you might admit that you’re more loyal to your family or to yourself than you are to God.

What happens when we respond to God with complete loyalty and trust?

5. THE RESULT

The result is HONOR.

God restores us to true honor and adopts us as His children. He turns us from outcasts into family, and he exalts us to eternal glory.

We leave our old life behind.

“Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the sorrows of your widowhood.” (Isaiah 54:4)

And we must allow God to be the source of honor.

“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12)

“God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:10)

We all long to be honored, and you must allow God to be the source of honor—not your family, not your reputation, not your accomplishments. God, and God alone, is the source of our honor and worth.

CLOSING: THE CHOICE

Friends, that is the whole gospel in 5 words: unfaithfulness, shame, restoration, loyalty, and honor.

Where are you along this path? You have a choice this morning (and every morning): Will you trust Jesus to bear your shame and receive his honor?

If you want God to remove your shame and give you honor, pray this prayer with me.

Heavenly Father, I need you. I confess that I have sought honor apart from you. As a result, I have dishonored you, and my heart is impure. I thank you that Jesus willingly entered into my shame, took it upon himself, and invited me to share in his honor. I believe in Jesus alone for honor and adoption into your family. I desire to follow you with my whole being. Make me the person you want me to be. Amen.

That is the good news of the gospel.