The good news of the gospel is a bill we could not pay has been paid. Dr. Tony Evans laying out the problem of a human condition and the only genuine solution. That is the good news of God's divine provision. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. This is the alternative broadcast featuring the timeless biblical teachings from the archives of Dr. Tony Evans. A bill we could not pay has been paid. In today's classic message from Dr. Evans, he dives into the heart of the good news of the gospel, revealing in clear and practical ways just what that means for you and me and for those around us.
Let's join him as he lays it all out. The word gospel means good news, but it's only good news if you understand the bad news. The bad news is that the human race has a problem. Every person is a sinner before a holy God and unable to save themselves.
That's bad news. Romans chapter 3 verse 10 says, There is none righteous, not even one. Men are sinners, the Bible declares, and unable to save themselves.
They're unable to fix the problems. Secondly, the penalty. Every person is under the sentence of death and will be forever separated from God because of their sin. Look at Romans chapter 6 verse 23. For the wages of sin is death. He says sin has a pay scale and it's called death. Look at chapter 5 verse 12. Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, so death spread to all men because all sinned.
All men are sinners. Sin has a price. The price tag is death.
You're gonna die. Okay, that's the bad news. So let's get to the good news. The word gospel means good news. The good news involves the provision through the substitutionary sacrificial death of Christ. God has addressed the sin problem for us.
We can't address it ourselves because we can't get to perfection. Romans 5 8. But God demonstrated his own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. It's called substitutionary atonement, the substitutionary sacrifice. In the person of Jesus Christ, God provided a substitute. What God allows, he doesn't change his standards, but he will allow for substitutions. You know in a football game, they will substitute players. They'll bring a player into the spot where another player was.
If that player gets injured and that player goes to the sideline and a substitute comes in to take his place. On the cross, Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, was made an eternal provision for the sins of all men for all time. It was the provision of Calvary. On the cross, God's demand for the penalty for sin was addressed in the person of Jesus Christ. So then, as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there results justification of life to all men. For as through one man's disobedience, Adam, the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one, the many will be made righteous. Adam messed us up. Jesus died to fix us up.
And it's all tied to the one. The one who messed us up and passed down condemnation to the whole human race, and then the one who died on the cross as the substitute. That simply means Jesus Christ took my place. The judgment due me was taken by Jesus Christ. Sin created a bill we could not pay. God stepped in and picked up the tab for us on the cross, which was why on the cross Jesus said, it is finished, which means paid in full. The debt that I owe to God because of my sin, that bill was picked up by Jesus Christ. Why Jesus Christ?
Because the one who had to pay the tab couldn't have a tab of their own. You see, an imperfect man can't be my sacrifice. He messed up as I am. I need a perfect substitute. The problem is all have sin, so there is no perfect substitute. In fact, the only one who's perfect is God. So if I'm gonna get a savior, only God can be my savior.
But God can't die unless he becomes a man. A young lady one day was speeding through a small Georgia town, and she was traveling 70 miles in a 55 mile an hour speed zone. The police pulled her over many years ago, pulled her over, and wrote her a ticket for $100. She was out of state. She said, I don't have $100. She says, well, he says, follow me.
He took her to the courtroom. In the courtroom, the judge says, you were found guilty of going 70 miles an hour in a 55 mile speed zone. You have to pay $100. She says, but I can't. I'm guilty, but I can't pay it.
I don't have $100. So, well, you know, if you if you don't pay the ticket, we'll have to lock you up for the weekend. She says, I can't pay the ticket, but I don't want to go to jail.
Have mercy on me. He said, I can't change the law. The law says you got to pay $100, but you have to spend the weekend in jail. Those are the rules, and I can't change the rules. She said, isn't there something you can do? I can't pay it. I don't want to get locked up. Have mercy on me.
The judge looked down at her, pushed his chair back from the bench, zipped down his robe and took it off, went over to the side and picked up his jacket and put it on, walked down beside the girl, stood beside her and reached in his wallet, brought out a hundred dollar bill, put the hundred dollar bill on the bench, took off his jacket, went over, picked up his robe, zipped up his robe, went back behind the bench. Young lady, you've been found guilty of going on 70 miles an hour in a 55 mile an hour speed zone, and the law is the law. We can't change it. The law says you must pay a hundred dollars or spend the weekend in jail.
Ah, but I see. Somebody else has already paid the price. God saw us speeding down the highway of sin. He zipped down the independent use of his deity and put on the jacket of humanity. He came down on the cross and paid the price that you and I could not pay, but we don't want to get locked up forever. So he picked up the tab, rose from the dead, zipped up his glorified body, and ascended up to heaven. He picked up the tab for us.
The good news of the gospel is a bill we could not pay has been paid, and it has been paid by God himself in the person of Jesus Christ. Suppose you went home today and you found a letter that says you don't have any more house notes. The bill has already been paid.
See, that's what I'm talking about. That's good news. The bill has already been paid. Most people you know will believe that Jesus died on the cross.
What they don't understand is the full bill has already been paid. They know that Jesus, they know about Easter, but they don't understand that the bill that they owe God has already been paid. That is the good news of God's divine provision. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. So there's a problem with sinners we can't save ourselves.
There's a penalty, physical and eternal death. There is a provision. God in Christ has picked up the tab for us. God offers a free pardon and eternal life, instead of eternal death, eternal life to all who place faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ for their salvation. The good news gets gooder. The good news is that Christ has picked up the tab.
It gets even gooder because because he's picked up the tab, you can get eternal life for free. We'll hear more on the good news of the gospel in just a moment. First though, I want to let you know that Dr. Evans' presentation today is part of a powerful sermon collection called Having Faith During Fear. This series is packed with the encouragement you need to depend on God's provision and timing, giving you the ability to hold on even when you may feel like giving up.
The good news of the gospel is good news indeed, and we'd like you to receive the complete message Dr. Evans delivered today, along with the other valuable insights he presented in this series. You can get all six full-length messages on CD or digital download, along with a special bonus, Our Hope for the Hurting Leader Kit. In it, you'll discover practical spiritual insights for navigating life's trials, even during times of deep hurt. The kit includes the Hope for the Hurting book, study guide, printed content for six sessions, teaching videos, and more.
Whether you use it for a small group study or simply for your own personal growth, this is a valuable resource to help in times of hurt and pain. We'll send you this kit as well as all the audio messages in Tony's Having Faith During Fear sermon series, and thanks for your donation to the Alternative Broadcast Ministry. But this unique offer will only be available for a short time, so be sure to contact us right away at tonyevans.org to make your contribution and request. Or you can call 1-800-800-3222, where members of our resource team are ready anytime to help with your request. Again, that's tonyevans.org or 1-800-800-3222.
We'll return with more from Dr. Evans right after this. The threat of global catastrophe looms over us. Earthquakes, fires. It seems like the world is falling into turmoil. Are you ready to face Armageddon? Dr. Tony Evans' latest book, Thy Kingdom Come, emerges as a light amidst the sin-ridden depths of our world, guiding you through the murky waters of uncertainty. Within these insightful pages, wisdom intertwines with revelation. You'll dive deep into the mysteries of enigmatic prophecy, where solace awaits the weary soul. Dr. Tony Evans' unparalleled mastery in deciphering the complexities of Scripture will ensure clarity in the face of confusion and illuminate the path towards hope. Arm yourself against the impending storm, and let not the hour of reckoning catch you unaware. Be prepared for what's to come by picking up your copy of Thy Kingdom Come at tonyevans.org. It comes with a bonus sermon series, Staying Right with God. Do not be caught off guard. And now more on the good news of the gospel.
Here's Dr. Evans. Look at Romans 9, 10 rather, verse 9. "...that you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." Verse 11, "...whoever believes in him will not be disappointed.
A man is saved, born again, redeemed by placing faith alone in Christ alone for the forgiveness of their sins and for the gift of eternal life." Because it's all free now. This is all free. But here's where our greatest problem is. This is the big one. Most people will agree to their sinners. They'll be a little shaky on whether I can solve it myself, but they can get to that. They'll even accept the fact that, yes, there's a penalty as a heaven and a hell, okay? And most will say, okay, Jesus died for my sins. It's this fourth one that gets tricky.
And let me show you the trick word, alone. It's faith in Christ alone that saves. Not faith in Christ and baptism. Not faith in Christ and church membership. Not faith in Christ and living a good life. Not faith... No, no, no, no, no, no.
No, no, no. All those are things that come as a result of salvation. What saves you is faith alone in Christ alone. On the cross, you'll find this in 2nd Corinthians 5 21. On the cross, God credited the sin of the whole world on to Jesus Christ. Jesus didn't have any sin of his own. That qualified him to be the Savior.
He died on sin credit. I am on my way to heaven by credit. See, to get to heaven, you've got to be perfect, remember? The glory of God, God's standard. I have a problem.
You have a problem. I am not perfect unless you look at my credit, because in my account on credit is the righteousness of Christ that's been credited to my account, and that's perfect righteousness. So when I go to heaven, I will stand before God as though I have never sinned.
Even though I have, you have, we have more than our share. I will stand before him as though I've never sinned, because when he looks at my credit, it will reflect the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. And if I'm credited with perfect righteousness, I don't have to add to it.
It's already perfect. Believing in the Bible is not merely accepting information. It is entrusting yourself to the information that you say you accept.
To tell me you believe that people you're sitting in can hold you up is meaningless till you sit down. It is the sitting there, it is the act of faith that is faith, not merely the discussion about faith. You say, well, how do I know I've acted in faith?
Simple. You reject anything but Christ to save you. So you reject anything but Christ, so you no longer look at your achievements as salvific, as able to save you.
What God then does is a credit transfer. The reason he can do it, Romans 10 says, is because he's risen from the dead. You can't have a living faith in a dead Savior. The resurrection allows him to save you, because he's alive to do the saving. It is not trusting in myself anymore, but trusting in Christ alone.
Well, to put it in the one verse that says it all, John 3 16, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life. But you're not finished yet. You've got one more thing. There must be a transfer of trust. Would you like to trust the Lord Jesus Christ right now as your personal Savior? You call for a decision. If they agree with you after you go through these four points, you may get stuck on a point because they don't understand and all that, but once you once they agree with these four points, it's calling for a decision.
Would you right now like to trust Jesus Christ as Savior? You call for a decision. You may have to go with them to the car because you're in the workplace, or you may have to go to the bathroom, or you have to go to the, you know, just to not be distracted. But you call for a decision.
They have to make a personal decision, and you call for that decision in a nice, polite, but very clear way. And we've lifted their prayer. Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross from my sins and rising from the dead to save me. By transferring my total trust to you alone as my Savior, I now receive the forgiveness of my sins and the free gift of eternal life that you offer me.
Let me clear something up. The prayer does not save you. The prayer does not save you. The transfer of the trust saves you. The prayer is simply the way you're expressing the transfer of the trust. It's the—so if you say the prayer but don't transfer the trust, then you're not saved, even though you've mowed the right words. You must transfer the trust, but you can express that in a prayer, concretizes it, because you can say it and give a, you know, have something concrete that you're verbalizing to validate the transfer. Once the transfer is made, which oftentimes is before the person has ever prayed the prayer, because if they understood the first four points and they've agreed, often in their heart they've made the trust transfer, and the prayer is only a confirmation, or it may be done as they pray. But the key is, it's not the prayer, because you can get saved without even having the prayer if there's a transfer of the trust.
It is transferring the trust to Christ alone. This week—not next week, not the week after that, not next month—this week, you find somebody to share the good news with. They won't be hard to find.
You got them in your family, you got them on your job, you got them in your neighborhood, you got them at the gas station, you got them at the, you know, at the grocery store. It's not hard to find sinners who need salvation, and somebody found you. You have been given the word of reconciliation, and when Christ now sees that you are not ashamed to be associated with Him, you have greater access to Him, because now you're a benefit to Him, because you're telling the greatest message that has ever been told, and that is about the free gift of salvation. Dr. Tony Evans, wrapping up a message on the good news of the gospel, with a call for each of us to share that good news with others. Tony laid out some great principles and insights in today's lesson, but if you want a little more step-by-step direction on how to share with others and what to share with others, you can get that in a short video found at tonyevans.org. Just click the text link at the top of the home page that simply says Jesus. In addition to his How to Share the Gospel video, Tony has posted some other videos, helpful scriptures, tips, and print resources for both brand-new as well as long-time believers. Check it out at tonyevans.org slash Jesus, and then look for those opportunities to share the good news of Christ with those around you. And one quick reminder that today's complete message is available to you on CD or digital download as a part of the six lesson series we've been hearing from Dr. Evans called Having Faith During Fear. In addition to this powerful audio series, we're also sending our Hope for the Hurting leader kit along with our thanks to anyone who makes a donation to help us keep sharing the good news on this station and others like it. Contact us today at tonyevans.org to get the details and make the arrangements or call 1-800-800-3222 any time of the day or night and let one of our team members help you.
That's 1-800-800-3222. I'll tell you about what's coming up tomorrow right after this. Impactful, amazing, intense, thought-provoking. That's how just a few students describe their experience since enrolling in the Tony Evans Training Center. The best part is the Training Center is wherever you and your online connection are. Going beyond a Sunday sermon, these compelling Bible study courses take a much deeper look at Scripture, the Bible's writers, social issues of today, and so much more. Log on today to learn more at tonyevanstraining.org. tonyevanstraining.org. Explore the kingdom anytime, anywhere. Many people think worry is having doubts about the future, but Dr. Evans points out that for Christians, being worried is actually a bigger problem than whatever it is we're worried about. Be sure to join him tomorrow as he explains.
