What is the Gospel? || Victory Church [Good News #1]

Come on. God's timing is great. I love that we're starting this today. Hey, here's the deal. We all know this. It doesn't feel like you have to go searching for very long in today's world to find some bad news, right? Like, man, government food assistance starting to dry up. The government's going crazy, and you're like, which one? Yeah, all of them. And inflation and tariffs. Anybody try to buy groceries lately? Anybody try to buy a house lately? May God have mercy on your soul. Layoffs left and right. War in Ukraine. Mess in the Middle East. Christians being martyred in Nigeria. Genocide in Sudan this week. And that's just the stuff out there. I mean, there's hurricanes swirling in the ocean. Then you got them kids. And that is why we just spent 12 weeks in a family series. And praise God for the 16 couples who got married last weekend. That was awesome. Thank you. But there's a lot. I mean, physical health issues, mental health issues.

It can be exhausting when we think about all the things that are swirling. But here's the deal for today, okay? I'm not going to add to your bad news today. In fact, I'm gonna tell you good news. I'm a bearer of good news this morning. I'm gonna tell you the best news ever. And here's the truth about this news is, in reality, this news may not immediately change your circumstances. But here's my problem. This news will change you in your circumstances. And I believe this. I have a core belief that church should be the place where we get an infusion of hope and faith and love and joy back into our veins. Because in just a second, we're gonna be shot out of a cannon back out here into this world full of bad news. And what are we gonna do? We're gonna go into the world full of bad news to carry the good news. We are carriers of good news. So here's the question. What is good news? Well, in the New Testament, the language is Greek. And so good news comes in this word right here, euangelion, euangelion. So eu means something good, eu. So it means something good.

And angelion means message. And so when you put eu and angelion together, euangelion means a good message or good news. Euangelion means good news. So this isn't even an explicitly spiritual sort of word on the surface. What was happening even at the time here is that a herald after a great military victory, he would run back into town and he would yell out, euangelion, euangelion. And what he was saying is, guys, good news, we won. The enemy's defeated, it's safe now, the war is over. Good news, good news, euangelion, euangelion. And in English, we translate the word euangelion as gospel, gospel. So maybe you're newer to this thing. If you have ever wondered, what does the gospel mean? The gospel literally means good news, gospel. What is the gospel of Jesus Christ? It's the good news of Jesus Christ. So here's a reality though, okay? So today, if I was to ask everybody here, everybody online, like, can you describe the gospel to me? I'm pretty sure 99.9% of us would quote some form of John 3.16. So what is John 3.16? See it in the end zone of football games. For God so loved the world that whoever, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him will never perish,

but actually have eternal life, okay? So can we celebrate that? May that never go old on the family of God. And here's what we would say. We would say some form of the gospel is that Jesus Christ died to forgive our sins. Okay, that is good news. That's fantastic news. Please do not misunderstand me. That's awesome news. But what if I told you this? What if I told you, what if I did a little Jesus juke on you today? What if I told you that John 3.16 is not the whole gospel? Okay, it's part of the gospel. Don't burn me at the stake. Some of y'all already lighting your matches, okay? It's part of the gospel, but it's not the whole gospel. Now, here's why this is a problem. Now, I'm gonna give you four reasons. There's a problem for the people of God today when we believe that the whole gospel is only, and I say only, that Jesus died for our sins. Here's the first reality, is that it starts in the wrong place, okay? So we'll often start, you ever started a conversation with somebody and were like, hey, Jesus died for your sins? And they're like, well, that escalated quickly, right? Because we start at the wrong place.

You ever like walked into the middle of a movie, made it like 45 minutes in, and you're like, who's that guy? Why is he here? Why are they doing that? That's what we just did to that person. Because they're like, who's Jesus? Why did he come? Why are you calling me a sinner? Like, what is your problem? You know what I'm saying? We put them on their heels. Because a gospel that starts in the wrong place is. confusing to people. All right, here's the second problem. It doesn't require anything of us. If Jesus only died to forgive our sins, it doesn't require anything of us. If Jesus only died to forgive us, then listen, we're good now. You ever met somebody who's like, no, no, no, I already prayed the prayer, I'm good now. That's because they believed an incomplete gospel. So what happens is I accept the gospel, I accept the fact that Jesus died for my sins and just kind of move on with my life. And that's why we got a lot of Christians who are all kind of jacked up, walking around saying, yeah, I believe the gospel, but they only believe part of the gospel.

Here's the third thing that's a problem with only believing that Jesus died for our sins. It doesn't touch the world. Come on, if the gospel is only forgiveness, then this is when we'll say things like this. Every preacher has heard this phrase shouted by somebody who doesn't like that they're talking about something. They'll say, just preach the gospel. And what they think they mean is just talk about the cross, what they're really saying is, I don't like the fact that you talked about my idol. Okay, because here's the deal, a gospel that's just about forgiveness, it doesn't change abortion, it doesn't change sex trafficking, it doesn't address injustice, it doesn't help in poverty, it doesn't address racial issues, it doesn't change your family. No, you're just forgiven and you just keep moving, but it doesn't change the world around you. And this is the me and Jesus gospel, this incomplete was just me and Jesus. Instead of understanding that Jesus is in me to change the world. Okay, and really at the end of the day, here's the fourth problem, it's just too small. And here's where we have to know guys,

forgiveness is part of the gospel, but it's not the whole gospel. We need to be reminded, listen, Jesus is more than a golden parachute. The gospel is more than a fire insurance, get out of jail free card. This is more than just trying to save me one day when I'm way out there when I die. And that's what we'll think if the gospel is only about forgiveness. So here's what I'm trying to say, when you put all these things together, most Christians have a small gospel. And the problem is this, a small gospel leads to small people. A small gospel leads to small faith, a small gospel leads to small lives. And so here's the deal, I wanna give us the real gospel. Can I give you the real gospel? Here it is, this is good news, this is good news. I'm gonna give you the heart of the gospel in the Bible and newsflash, this may shock you, it's not in the New Testament. Do you know that the gospel starts in the Old Testament? Okay, I know, all right, here it is, Isaiah 52. Here's the heart of the gospel. How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, your God reigns.

So if the gospel is good news, here's the question, what is the good news? We see it right there in Isaiah 52, here's the good news, is that our God reigns. If you boil the gospel down to three words, here they are, our God reigns. Listen, guys, yes, that's why John 3, 16 is part of the gospel, but it's not the whole gospel because we even back out, we zoom out and we embrace this reality that our God reigns and it's echoed thousands of times all throughout the scripture. You know the first time that we actually hear the gospel? You know the first time? The first word of the Bible, Genesis 1, 1, here it is. In the beginning, God. And I know everybody's like, in the beginning, God created the heaven. No, no, no, no, no, stop. First four words, in the beginning, God. What is that telling us? In the beginning, God is ruling and reigning. Well, what was before the beginning? God. What was at the beginning? God. What was before the beginning of the beginning? God. God is ruling and reigning. God is reigning over space and time and matter.

Why is that good news? Because it means that you're not a mistake. It means you're not an oops, baby. It means that we are not the result of billions of years of amino acids exploding out of something the size of a pinhead. And then the amino acids get gills and start swimming around in this mysterious water that came from somewhere. And all of a sudden, they grow feet and they come out, turn into a dog, which starts eating bananas, and swing and turns into a monkey, which makes a car and turns into you until you can drive it. Just play that out. Because here's what we believe. Every creation has a creator. You don't sit down and eat a meal and we're like, wow, this just blew up from nowhere. Big bang, here's a steak. No, every creation has a creator. The good news is our God reigns over the cosmos. He said, let there be light over all creation. And what else does God reign over? Psalm 47, 8. God reigns over the nations. God is seated on his holy throne. So God doesn't just reign over creation like this distant granddad. No, he's actually intimately involved in the nations.

God reigns over every president, over every king. Come on. And here's the question. How long will God reign for? Psalm 146. The Lord reigns forever. You're God O Zion for all generations. God reigns. God reigns over the creation. God reigns over the nations. And how long does he reign? Our God reigns. And then we flip over to the New Testament, Mark 115. And Jesus comes on the scene and he says, the time has come. The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news. King James Version says, repent and believe the gospel. Repent and believe Evangelion. Repent and believe the good news. So here's the question. What is the good news that Jesus is talking about? The good news is Jesus is the king. Jesus has brought the kingdom, the gospel. When we zoom in there in the New Testament, the gospel is that Jesus of Nazareth is the God who reigns. The good news is the God of Genesis 1 has placed flesh on himself and moved into the neighborhood and walked on the dusty streets that he created with the power of his work. The God who reigns has actually come and dwelled among us. And every time you see Jesus doing what Jesus does, he's exercising the kingdom. It's all good news.

Whenever you see Jesus healing, he's showing God reigns over sickness and disease. Whenever you see Jesus casting out a demon, you're seeing that God reigns over demons. Come on, somebody. That's good news. Whenever you see Jesus calm a storm, he's showing that God reigns over creation still. Whenever you see a dead person come back to life, Jesus reigns over the human condition. Whenever you see a sinner repent, you see that God reigns over the human heart. Whenever you see Jesus go to the cross, you see that God reigns over sin. Whenever you see Jesus rise again on the third day, what we're seeing is God reigns over death, hell, and the grave. God reigns. God reigns. God reigns. God reigns. And then you go to the very end and you see the joy at the end. Revelation 19. Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder. It's the multitude of saints. And what are they shouting? Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory. From Genesis to Revelation, our God reigns. Our God reigns over the universe. Our God reigns over the cosmos. Our God reigns over the nations of the earth. Our God reigns over every king, over every president, over every dictator, over every governmental system. They will rise and they will fall.

But God remains still. God reigns over the air we breathe, over the food we eat, over the economy that we live in. He reigns over the air that we breathe. Come on. He reigns over every devil. He reigns over Satan himself. He reigns over the angelic armies. He reigns over time past, present, and future. He reigns over life. He reigns over death. He reigns over heaven. He reigns over hell. Our God reigns. Sovereign, supreme, God reigns. I love this quote by Abraham Kuyper. He said, there is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ who is sovereign over all does not cry, mine, mine. That is not a theology. That's a takeover. That is somebody who's laying claim to what is rightfully his. And what we're saying today is sin does not reign, shame does not reign, addiction does not reign, death itself does not reign. Jesus reigns. Jesus reigns. The gospel begins in Genesis. It finds an exclamation point in Jesus, and it stretches forward to the redemption and the restoration of all things in Revelation. From Genesis to Revelation, from A to Z, from beginning to end, from Alpha to Omega, our God reigns.

Our God reigns. But here's the truth. Let's just talk about it. We're in church. We've got to be honest. Some of us, a handful of us, just heard all that, and you still don't care. You're like, well, Pastor, I'd like to talk to you about that in the lobby after service. I got some questions about that. I'm an atheist. Okay, here's good news for you atheists. You may not believe in God. He has no problem believing in you. You know what I'm saying? It's not like I've erased him because I say he doesn't exist. God's like, if someone is like, why do the nations rage? God's like, pfft. If I remove my breath from you, you vanish. You know what I'm saying? Like, our disbelief in God, it doesn't hurt God, besides hurt is hard, okay? Here's the deal. The good news isn't going to be good news to you if you don't know why it's good news. Your lack of belief in the good news doesn't make it not good news. It's just not good news to you. You're the one who's missing out on this, okay? And if you don't know why the good news is good news to you, it'll never be good news, okay? Because, I'm gonna break a promise.

I told you a second ago, I wasn't gonna tell you any bad news. There is some bad news. And the bad news is actually what makes the good news make sense. The bad news is we have all rebelled against that God. The God who is sovereign, the God who is supreme. We've all rebelled, we've all turned our back. We're like, well, I didn't know Jesus. No, no, no. You knew the good that you ought to do, and you didn't do it. Oh, I didn't know the Bible. Yeah, but you had your own form of righteousness, and you broke that too. You looked up in the sky, and you saw the sun. You knew there was something there, but you turned your back, and you went your own way anyway. We've all sinned, we've all rebelled, we've all turned our back on the living God. Here's the bad news. He's not just like a regional neighborhood God. Come on, in the Old Testament, you'll find these Baals. They call them the Baals, B-A-A-L-S. That means husband. It was just these neighborhood gods. No, this isn't a neighborhood God. No, this is the God who said, let there be light, and you spit in his face, and I did too. And here's what Romans 3 says.

As it is written, there is no one righteous, not even one. There's no one who understands. There's no one who seeks God. All have turned away. They've together become worthless. There is no one who does good, not even one. No exception. You're like, well, I'm the one. No, you're not. We've all messed it up. And here's the truth, guys. The good news won't hit your head till the bad news hits your heart, that we have all sinned. And we all fall short of the glory of God. So do me a favor, look at your neighbor. Say, I know I look holy. But I've sinned too. Okay, look at your other neighbor, and say, I know what you did. I know what you did. Yeah, you real bad. You real bad. That's why you didn't look at them first. You're like, oh, you know. Okay. All right, the bad news is we've sinned. The good news is we've all sinned. Okay, here's the really bad news, Romans 6, 23. For the wages of sin is death.

Now, here's one of our problems. Our human problem is this, is we have this thing like we want what's due us, right? Like, this isn't fair, God, that I'm a good person. And what we're really saying is, God, give me my paycheck. Here's the bad news. When you ask for your paycheck, it's written to death, forever, with a four, forever, forever. All right, and we deserve it. We can't fight about it. None of us, it's always astounding to me when people who hate God in this life are all of a sudden offended that they won't go to heaven. You hate him today. Why do you think you'd like him tomorrow? See, this is the paycheck that we're due because we've all spit in God's face. We've all rebelled. We've all turned our back on God. And the payment of that is just making it permanent, forever, with his presence removed, which turns into weeping and gnashing of teeth. It's not that light can't be in the presence of darkness. No, that's fine. The problem is if light's in the presence of darkness, it burns up the darkness. When the real truth is, darkness can't be in the presence of light. And we, every single one of us, in our sin rebellion, we are doomed to death forever.

But I want you to notice that comma. It's not a period. For the wages of sin is death. I've told y'all this before. I love big butts in the Bible. But, I think this is the biggest butt in the Bible, right here. For the wages of sin is death. Come on, look how big that butt is. Everybody say it together. But, but, the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord. But, this is what we were doomed. But, I want you to notice, it's not a paycheck. It's a gift. We should take the whole paycheck. God, I don't want you to give me what I deserve. Oh, please don't give me what I deserve. Give me what Jesus deserves. Because the gift is what Jesus deserves. The paycheck, the wages, is what we deserve. And here's my encouragement to you guys. Don't ever place a period where God places a comma. Too many of us have camped out in condemnation and we've neglected, but, but, the gift of God. Come on, the gift of God. We know what we deserve. and God could have left us right there, but the gift of God. Here's what this means.

Jesus has conquered mine and your sin, death, hell, and the grave through his crucifixion and through his resurrection. So now, good news, eu angelion. I'm the herald running into the church this morning. Eu angelion, eu angelion. Good news, guys. We've won. It's safe now. The enemy's been defeated. The war is over. Jesus has won. And he's given as a gift to us his victory. And when we bow our knee to Jesus Christ, the God who reigns, he gives us a gift. We saw it right there, Romans 6, 23, eternal life. Eternal life. And the great thing is, guys, today this room is full of a lot of people, not 100%, but a lot of people who have already embraced that truth. You've moved on past the comma and you've received the gift of God by receiving the gospel. And in just a few minutes, even better, we're gonna fill those baptism tanks outside with people celebrating the transformative work of the gospel in their lives. But in preparation for that moment, I wanna share with you real briefly,

I'm gonna say it like this. Three giant blessings that God gives us when we embrace the gospel. Everything we just talked about, when we embrace that into our lives. Here's the first thing. When we embrace the gospel, we receive a new beginning. Everybody say new beginning. New beginning. All right, how many of y'all could use a do-over? All right, okay, I'm in the right place. Okay, thank you. About seven of y'all are lying and you'll get a new beginning in a second. Come on, like we have made, you ever made so many mistakes or burned the bridge or hurt other people and hurt yourself? You ever have that thought of like, my life is over? You ever been there before? My life is over. Well, I got good news today. Here's the good news. In Jesus, your old life is over. Like no, like real, like it's over. It's dead and gone. Like it's over, it's gone. Second Corinthians 517, one of my favorite verses. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come.

The old has gone, the new is here. The old has gone, the new is here. A new beginning has come. But one of probably my top three discouragements, I've been doing this long enough now, is when I see Christians who have received the gospel, who are blood bought, who are blood washed by the blood of Christ. In God's eyes, they're as white as snow. They're pure because of what God has done. I mean, God's changed their life, yet they're still sitting in shame because of what they did in their past or the devil's in their ear or their history. They're in their own ear. They're giving a voice to lies and allowing those lies to condemn them about who they used to be. Here's the reality, guys. Some of the things the devil tells you is true. I don't know if you knew that. He's saying, hey, you've done this. And some of us just need to be like, yep, what else you got? Actually, I've done worse than that. Okay, mention that. Yeah, yeah, okay, good news. But the wages of sin, come on. But the wages of sin is that, but the gift of God is eternal life.

And then through Christ, he gave me a new beginning. What do you got on me, devil? You're already defeated. What are you talking about? Your clock is ticking, dude. So yeah, you're telling me about the old me that's buried with Christ, crucified at the cross, and now I've been resurrected to live a new life. And the old is gone, and now the new has come, and you are not who you used to be. Titus 3, once we too were foolish, and anybody ever been foolish and disobedient? Okay, all right, good. We were misled, because the devil's a liar, and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of envy and evil, and we hated each other, but, but, when God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. And what did he do? He washed away our sins. Why do we get in that baptism tank? Because it's an external picture of an inward reality that he has washed away our sins, and he's given us a new life. I have been buried with Christ. The old me has been buried dead, gone, washed away, and now I'm resurrected back out to get a new life through the Holy Spirit.

He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Christ Jesus, our Savior, and because of his grace, he made us right in his sight, and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life. Guys, good news. If you put your faith in Jesus, the old you is dead. It's dead. And I know this may be hard for some of us to believe, especially based on our past, what you've done, okay? But Jesus did not forgive 10% of your sins. He didn't forgive 50% of your sins. He didn't forgive all. the sins before you confess Christ and receive the gospel, and now after that point, you have to work and earn it. He doesn't just forgive all the sins except for that one that you can't forgive yourself for. No, 100%. I love the verse that says, when our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts. The blood of Christ, some of you are like, but what I did was so big. I promise you that what Jesus did was bigger. And we live in a world where the world and ourselves define us by what we did. God defines us by what Jesus did. And Jesus says, it is finished. It is done. So here's my promise. When you receive the gospel, God does not look at you disappointed, shameful.

He actually looks at you like he's looking at Jesus. You are clean and holy and chosen and perfect and justified and sanctified. One day you'll be glorified, come on. And just like Jesus on that third day got out of the tomb, come on, you now have an opportunity to get out of your tomb and leave the old life behind and embrace this new life to have a new beginning. Come on, somebody just needs to say, I'm new. Come on, say it louder. I'm new. Come on, are you really new? Come on, say it like the interstate can hear us. I'm new. Come on. We say this sometimes. Jesus did not come to make bad people good. He came to make dead people alive. You were dead, but now you're alive in Christ. You didn't get a makeover. You didn't get a spiritual mani-pedi. God didn't just like touch up the chip parts of your life, but the real you's right there. No, no, no, no. Dead and gone. Resurrected in a new life. The old you is dead because that's what happened when we came to the gospel. Your old life was pinned to the cross in Christ and left there.

And now you've been resurrected to have a new beginning. Somebody say new beginning. So what happens when we receive the gospel? First thing is we get a new beginning. Here's the second thing. We receive a new nature. All right, one of the greatest promises, I love this, in the entire Bible, it's in the Old Testament here, but it was fulfilled in Jesus. Ezekiel 36, verse 26. God says, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. And I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. Most of us stop at that period, but here's the really good news. And I will put my spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. What he's saying is I'm gonna take out this heart of stone, replace it with a heart of flesh, but that's not it. I'm then going to put my spirit on the inside of you to change who you are, to move you to now begin following my way of life. And what God is promising right here in the Old Testament, he's saying that the day is coming when we will not just reluctantly obey God. The day is coming when we'll actually want to obey God. And the good news is that day has come.

And when we put our faith in Jesus, when we receive the gospel of our God who reigns, he removes this callous, like just heart that nothing can get through. He removes it and replaces it with a heart that feels, a heart that will trust, a heart that will believe, a heart that will love and receive love. And not only that, then the spirit of God, the same spirit that hovered on the waters at creation comes and sets up shop on the inside of us. You don't have to go to church to meet with God because now God lives in you. You are the temple of the Holy Spirit. And he's not just latently living there. Now he's actually moving on you and empowering you over sin to obey God. And so I don't know about you guys. Do y'all remember what it was like when your heart was stone? Do y'all remember that? Do y'all remember when somebody used to tell you about Jesus and you were like, nope, nope. I still remember this, but my mom still tells the story that many of y'all know my dad, like he was a Presbyterian pastor, loved my dad. Grew up in an awesome home. But I have an older brother, older sister. And one day my mom was like, I'm gonna make sure my kids love Jesus and receive the gospel.

And so I talked to my older sister. Do you believe it? She's like, yes. And talked to my older brother. Do you believe it? Yes. Johnson, do you believe it? No. And I remember thinking like, I'm not gonna tell you what you wanna hear. I don't believe this. It doesn't make any sense to me. Why? Because my heart was hard. I'm just a little kid, but I'm not gonna fake it. And then on a youth advance, this is why I believe so much in student ministry. On a summer youth trip, this guy got up on a platform, started explaining creation and the God of the universe and put on flesh, dwelt among us, went to the cross, forgive our sins, rose again on the third day. And I'm telling you, I'm telling you, I'm telling you. In that moment, it was like God reached into my chest. and pulled out this heart of stone and replaced it with a heart of flesh. And he said, if you believe that and receive that today, just raise your hand. And I was like, boom, immediately.

And I still remember, I was like looking around like, won't you guys have your hands raised? Y'all were idiots too, like was it? And what I didn't understand is like, God had just done a sovereign supernatural work inside my heart. He had actually removed a heart of stone, replaced it with a heart of flesh and given me the grace to believe. And my life has never been the same ever again. And here's what I'm saying. When we put our faith in Christ, we, yes, we are born again forever, but then the Holy Spirit moves inside of our life today to change our nature today. And when you receive the gospel, your desires begin changing. Okay, we start loving what God loves and we start hating what God hates. I'm not saying that you will never sin again. Don't believe that lie because you're not in heaven yet. Okay, but what we're saying is we don't belong to sin any longer. We belong to Jesus. We have a new master. We don't belong to the old master. Now we belong to Jesus. And what I'm saying is the gospel doesn't just clean you, the gospel changes you. Gospel changes you.

I've heard it said like this before, that the direction of my heart used to be inclined to evil. And whenever I would wanna do good, I'm like, I'm gonna try and do good. Nope, can't, it's bad, bad, evil, wicked, like just lust and pride and greed and all. I wanna do good. No, no, can't do it. But when I embraced the gospel, God reached into my heart and changed the trajectory of my heart. And now, listen, I'm like, oh, I wanna sin. I wanna sin. No, can't do it. Oh, I wanna do bad. I wanna die. I can't live in that place. That's not who I am anymore. And listen, here's what it's like. Oh God, I wanna be greedy. I wanna, fine, fine. I'll be generous. Oh God, I wanna lust. I wanna lust. Fine, fine. I know I can't live in that place. God, I come back to you once again. God, I wanna be angry. What they did was so bad. Fine, 70 times seven, I'll forgive.

And just snap. What's the snapback of your heart? It used to be before Christ that you would try and do good, but the snapback was just towards wickedness and iniquity. But now, because you have a new nature, the snapback is towards righteousness because you're a new person. You have a new nature. God has changed who you are from the inside out. You have a new operating system. And now I wanna be holy because I've been made new with a new nature. So what happens when we receive the gospel? First off, we get a new beginning. Second off, we get a new nature. Lastly, we enter a new family. We get a new family. And I know we just came out of a long family series, but some of us still fall into this trap and we're like, we're the only ones. I'm the one who messed up and I have a bad family. If you need to know you're not the only one, read the Bible for five minutes. Okay, because family has been broken since Genesis 3, a third chapter of the Bible. And sin comes and the first thing Adam does is he blames Eve. You know what I'm saying? If you wanna know where the family really gets broken, go one more chapter.

Because the firstborn kills the secondborn. And you're like, wow, that was fast. Like, wow, like four chapters in, we got people killing each other. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. The family's so broken that one of the greatest things Jesus did for us was to bring us into his family. And it's here in John 1, 12. John 1, 12. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. That when you believe and you receive the gospel, you didn't just get a clean record, you got a new last name. Because you've been born again. Just think about birth, like you've been born into a new family, okay? Like your family may be great or your family may be jacked up. And so this is really good news for you today. And if your family's jacked up, you need to hear this, you are born again into a new family, into the family of God, where now God is your father and the church is your family. So if you're here in the room, why don't you look around the room, okay?

All right, if you're online, just scroll through all the little faces of the people, okay? Okay, here's what I love is, okay, you're not alone, guys. And especially, here's what I, one of my favorite parts about this family. Okay, look around the room, okay? You got a Jamaican mama here. And you got a Chinese dad. Come on, you got a sister from College Park. Come on. You got a brother from Roswell. You got a niece from Ghana. Come on, you got a nephew from Australia. And we're all together in the family of God, okay? That's what we do. We're all here together. That's what the family, this is what salvation, this is what the gospel brings, guys. You are called to belong. You're not called to be alone. You're not called to be standing on the outside looking in. And here's a problem, here's a problem, and especially in today's church culture, and it gets amplified the bigger of the church, is a lot of us would say like, oh, I go to Victory, right? But then you don't know anybody here. And then you kind of silently complain about it, and then you blame megachurch, like, oh, church is too big. Okay, all right, let me just look at your,

can I put a GPS on you on Sunday mornings? And then I'd see you show up 12 minutes late. And then you leave during the closing prayer. I don't know why I can't meet people in this church. I do, like, I do. You like run in and you run out, you know what I'm saying? And then you blame other people. What I'm saying is it's time to stop hiding. Families don't hide from each other. Okay, you're called to belong in this place. And some of us have been dating, I'll just say, some of us have been dating Victory for way too long. Okay, so I'm the biggest believer, Psalm says that you need to be planted in the house of the Lord. And so whatever your home church is, okay, if it's not Victory, be a part of that church. Join that church. Whatever your home church, listen, don't be in that tribe of people today who are Victory in the morning, and then for 11 o'clock service, you're gonna go to another church, and one o'clock, you're gonna go to another church, and then you're gonna listen to 12 podcasts this week, and you're like, feed me, feed me, feed me, blah, blah, blah, feed me, right? And you're like, no, I don't know, church is hypocrites, because I don't know anybody. You're a part of 17 churches.

Okay, get in one family and go all in, go all in. And this is the grace of God, what he's provided for every single one of us. So what I'm saying is, go through Discover Victory, here at Victory, that's the way you formally become a member of the church. If you've already done that, join a small group, join a small, now, I know some of you are like, well, I tried one, and it was weird. I know, I know, because we got some weird people, bro. I'm just saying, so try again, try again. I promise you, there's some that aren't weird, I promise you. Now, if you go to like three, and they're all weird, come to us, all right? And we'll help you take that, we'll find, like, no, go to that one, right, that one's, okay. Not talking about you small group leaders, I'm talking about the other one, you know, I'm like, okay. Because the gospel does three things, three big things. It gives us a new beginning, new nature, new family. And somebody here right now said, I already know all that. Okay, here's the final question then. Are you living it? Are you living it? Or are you just believing it? Because there's the difference in believing it and actually living it. And the question is this, is the question is this.

Has the good news actually become good news to you? Has the euangelion become euangelion to you? Has the gospel become gospel to you? In other words, let's just walk it through. Are you still hanging your head in shame because of your past? Because you haven't fully embraced the new beginning in the gospel? Are you still giving in to sin over and over and over again in lust and pride and greed, whatever it is, because you haven't fully embraced the new nature that comes through the gospel? Are you still living in isolation and offense because you haven't fully embraced the power of the gospel to give you a new family? And again, there's a difference in being a hearer of the word and a doer of the word. So here's the challenge. If you have embraced the good news, it's time to embrace your new beginning and trust that you are who God says that you are, that your past is gone, dead and gone, and that you now have a new beginning. You're a new creation in Christ Jesus. If you've embraced the good news, it's time to embrace your new nature and now allow the Holy Spirit to call the shots because the gospel is not just about forgiveness and just saying I'm gonna keep doing the same sins over and over, but now actually,

maybe I just get forgiven for them. No, no, no, the gospel is actually that the Holy Spirit has come inside your life to empower you over that old way of living because now you have a new nature. You didn't used to be able to say no to that sin. Now you can. Are you holy in your sex life? Are you holy in your bank account? Are you holy in your time? That's what I'm saying. That's what it looks like to embrace the gospel. And if you've embraced the good news, and now it's time to embrace the new family. Some of us need to take the step today, start taking steps to get in and start victory, join a small group. Some of you are already doing that stuff. Here's what I'm saying. There's a lot of people who aren't. And I walk into that cafe sometimes and everybody's huddled up. Pull up an empty chair, man. Invite somebody to the table. Invite somebody to go out to eat after today. Like this thing's not just about us. The gospel is never just about you. It's very personal, but it's also community. And so like can we invite other people into the family if you're already part of this family?

And so in just a second, we're gonna have two great ways to do that. Okay, we're gonna be able to help some of the family, prayerfully, who may need some help with groceries this next week. We're gonna be able to do that, okay? And the second thing is this. We're gonna rally around that baptism tank outside as some of our family. is buried with Christ, the old washed away, and then they rise again to live a new life. Okay, and this is one of the beautiful things, being a part of a big family, we're all gonna go out there, and we're gonna celebrate them like it was us getting baptized. Like you would want somebody to clap and cheer for you, because here's the truth, some people are here by themselves, and so they need you to be their family out there, and to celebrate them when they go down with the old and come back up with the new. Because when we receive the gospel, then our God reigns. That's not just figurative, that is literal. We're saying, God, I'm bowing my heart, I'm receiving the fact that you just don't reign over creation, you reign over the nations, you reign over the human heart, and you're reigning all the way from A to Z, including my life, past, present, and future.

I bow my knee to that, I receive the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Many of us have done that, here's the truth though, some of us haven't, and I wanna give you an opportunity to receive the gospel before you. So let's bow our heads, let's pray. God, I thank you for the good news. God, that whole idea that the wages of sin is death, you could have put a period right there and abandoned us. You didn't have to do any of this, but because you are love, you pursued your creation. And thank you, God, that you did so love the world that you gave us your only son. And God, whoever believes in him will never perish, but actually have eternal life. God, I thank you that there's many of us who have already bowed our knee to that reality, confessed Christ King, embraced the God of creation, and the good news that you reign over past, present, and future. But some of us haven't, and God, today's the day, and here's what I know, bigger than what my words could ever do, God has already begun doing something supernatural in our midst, and here's what supernatural hand of God looks like right now. He's already taken out your heart of stone over the last few minutes, and he's replaced it with a heart

that can feel and a heart that believes. Maybe you've never even felt this before. That's the hand of God on your life. And so if today you need to receive the good news and say, Jesus is King, and I bow my knee to the God of creation, he has the final call over my life, I wanna pray with you, but I'd love to know who I'm praying with. Can you raise your hand? And today you're saying yes to the gospel. Oh, I love it, yes. It's a lot of us. So good, I'm so proud of you guys, thank you. Praise God. You can put your hands down. We're gonna pray together, and family around you is gonna pray. Let's pray like this, say Jesus. I confess, I have sinned, and I need a Savior. You are that Savior who gives me a new beginning. And I confess that. You are my Savior, you are my Lord, you are my King. You have the final say-so over my life. So I repent and turn from my sin and my old ways, and I step into faith in Jesus Christ, Son of God, who died on the cross, rose again on the third day. That's good news to my soul. And right now, I say, I will live for God

the rest of my life. Holy Spirit, come into my heart. Give me a new nature to obey God. Give me a new beginning by the blood of Jesus. And I embrace my new family, that you are my Father. Forevermore, I am forgiven, I am free, I am new, all because of Jesus. Amen, amen. Come on, can we celebrate that? Yes, I love it, I love it. Hey, we're gonna give everybody a next step here. It's gonna be beautiful chaos. I'm gonna ask everybody to just chill in your seat just for a second. We're about to overwhelm that baptism tank outside, okay? And so here's the deal. I'm gonna give three different dismissals here, okay? First group is this. If you pre-registered for baptism, water baptism, and you've already checked in, you've already changed, I'm gonna ask you to stand up from your seat and go out that door right there in the back. Okay, beautiful. Yes, come on. It's so beautiful. Right back here. I love it. All right, there's a second group in here right now, okay? They're gonna be the first ones to the tank because they've already changed, everything like that.

Okay, there's another group in here that you did register, but you haven't changed yet, so you need an extra minute or two. So in just a second, I'm gonna dismiss you, but I'm gonna dismiss another group with you. You know what I'm about to say. There's some people today, you just came minding your own business. With no plans, no expectations. You're like, it's 53 degrees outside. Well, that water's very warm actually, and that tent is hot. And so I'm saying, today's your day to get baptized. To go down with the old, come back up with the new. If you've confessed Christ, received the gospel, born again, and haven't been water baptized, today is your day. We have shorts, we have shirts, we have the shower cap for you ladies, you know what I'm saying? No excuses. All right, so if you preregistered and just need to get changed, or today you're saying, I'm tired of putting it off, I'm tired of making excuses, today's the day I'm going all in with Jesus. Let's stand up to our feet and let's go out that same door back over there. Come on. Come on.

Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. Yes. All right, so they're gonna be in the water in probably about three minutes, okay? So we've got a minute here. All right, so in just a second, I'm gonna pray and dismiss, but I wanna give a few more directions, okay? So if you are in a group who needs some help with groceries and you're a member of Victory, when I say amen in just a second, I'm gonna point you out these side doors to walk over and go down this way, but remember, get your kids if you got kids, or else we'll put them to work, you know what I'm saying? So get your kids. And again, there's no expiration on the time today. We're gonna be here for a long time today, okay? So just do what you need to do and then make your way back over here. Also, some of you just came to faith in Jesus. We're gonna have some prayer leaders down front. In fact, if you're a prayer leader, why don't you go ahead and make your way down. I want you to tell somebody

and talk to somebody before you leave today, okay? That being said, let's pray. Father, once again, we thank you for the good news. We thank you for those who have embraced it, people who got born again today, that the tomb death was robbed and heaven was populated today because the gospel is still good news. Thank you, Father, for the people we're about to celebrate in the work of God inside their lives out there at the water baptism tank. God, and I just pray over every single one of us. God, now we have received the good news and we're about to go out into a world that needs good news. So may we be heralds of Evangelion, that there is a victor and his name is Jesus, that the God of all creation has won and he's extended that victory to us. May we be carriers of the good news until we meet again. All for the glory of Jesus. And everybody said, amen, amen. God bless you guys. Go with the Lord. Thanks for being a part of Victory Church on the Pando app. We hope this content was a blessing to you, but we want you to know that you're not done yet because we want to hear from you. So send us a letter and tell us things like what God is doing in your life,

how we can pray for you, or even content that you would like to see us create in the future. We just want you to know that we see you, you're important to us, and we'd love to continue to create some things in the future that will bless you. So send us a letter and we hope to hear from you soon.