He is the radiance of the glory of God
and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
We want you to meet Jesus.
Some of you have been a part of a church for years. Others have been burned by previous churches and their leaders. Some of you have no connection with a church. No matter what your background, if you haven’t met Jesus, we want you to. We are ministering as a church in Cleburne because we love Jesus and we love Cleburne. The church (and the entire cosmos) is all about Jesus. Not who we are, what we have done, or what we need to do but who Jesus is and what he has done, is doing, and will do.
Jesus is the grace of God to sinners and sufferers.
The Person and Work of Jesus—his sinless life; his wrath-absorbing, grace-filled death on the cross; his powerful resurrection from the grave is the good news–the gospel. Through faith in Jesus people are justified before God and made a new creation to know and delight in Jesus. As people worship Jesus and make their life his mission they become more like him. One day Jesus will come back "and [his people] will be like him because [they] see him as he is”
The Gospel has been hijacked.
The gospel has largely been hijacked and redefined by American evangelicalism. What once was a beautiful term with a paradox of simplicity and depth, has, in many ways, now been rendered ineffective—robbed of its power to save and transform. The greatest enemy to the gospel in Cleburne is hollow religion and moralistic therapeutic deism that leaves people trying to be happy and earn a distant god’s favor through morality.
One pastor has wonderfully juxtaposed the very slight, yet profound differences between the two. The following is an adaptation.
Religion is about me. The gospel is about Jesus.
Religion says that the world is filled with good people and bad people. The gospel says that the world is filled with bad people who are either repentant or unrepentant.
The goal of religion is to get from God such things as health, wealth, insight, power, and control. The goal of the gospel is not the gifts God gives, but rather God as the gift–given to us by grace.
Religion is about what I have to do. The gospel is about what I get to do.
Religion sees hardship in life as God’s wrath. The gospel sees hardship in life as God’s grace that makes us dependent on Him.
Religion leads to an uncertainty about my standing before God because I never know if I have done enough to please God. The gospel leads to a certainty about my standing before God because of the work of Jesus on the cross.
Religion ends in either pride (because I think I am better than other people) or despair (because I continually fall short of God’s commands). The gospel ends in humble and confident joy because of the power of Jesus at work for me, in me, through me, and sometimes in spite of me.
We invite you to meet Jesus.
“The Gospel is very simply Jesus Christ. Who among us is tired of hearing of the Lord Jesus Christ? He is the Son of God, the Son of Man. Sent into this world to be born of a virgin that He might be sinless, that He might be born under the law, to keep the very law that you and I break day after day, after day. The perfect, sinless, Son of God has perfectly met all the requirements of God’s law, and is ready to give His righteousness to us that we would have a perfect standing before God. That He went to a cross; there He was lifted up to die. There upon that cross, the sins of everyone who would believe in Him were transferred to Him. And Him who knew no sin God made to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God. The great exchange of the cross—the worst about me laid upon Him, the best about Him now to be laid upon me as He shed His blood upon that cross.
He reconciled sinful man to holy God. There is no other way for us to have a relationship with an infinitely holy God except through the blood of the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. And it was by his sin-bearing, substitutionary, vicarious death upon that cross, it was as if He took sinful man in one hand, and holy God in the other hand and brought the two together through His death. By that death He satisfied the righteous anger of God and appeased His wrath towards all who would believe in Him.
There is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. It was through that death that He redeemed sinners out of the slave market of sin, and redeemed us out of the tyranny of Satan’s grip upon our lives. It was by that death that Jesus Christ has provided now salvation free for all who will call upon His name. He was taken down from that cross, He said, “It is finished.” Not I am finished—“It is finished.”
He had completed the mission of salvation that He had come into this world to accomplish. He was buried in the rich man’s tomb and on the third day the power that was inherent in Him—the Son of God—He raised Himself from the dead. He came walking out of that tomb a risen, living, victorious, Savior. He ascended back to heaven, He is now seated at the right hand of God the Father, and whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. He is mighty to save to the uttermost all who call upon Him.
To call upon the Lord Jesus Christ is to look away from yourself, to look away from religion, to look away from your church, to look away from your denomination, to look away from your baptism and your church membership, and all of your good works, and to look exclusively to the Lord Jesus Christ.
He says, “Him who comes unto me I will in no wise cast out.” He loves to save sinners. He is the friend of sinners. He came to seek and to save that which is lost. He came not for the righteous, He came for the unrighteous. He is a good physician. He came not for the well but for those who are sick.
Will you tell him this moment what a sinner you are, how sick you are by sin?—that you’re unable to save yourself. Would you call upon Him? Say, Lord Jesus save me! I am a wretched hell-bound sinner, but your grace is being offered to sinners like me. And if you will call upon His name this very moment I promise you by the authority of the word of God that He will save you—that He will save you today. He will wash your sins away. You will be clean and pure from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet.
He says, “Come, let us reason together. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow. Though they be red like crimson they shall be white as wool.” If you will call upon Him, He will give you His righteousness. It is a free gift. There is nothing you can do to earn it. There’s nothing that you can do to merit it. He will clothe you with the perfect garments of His righteousness. And as God looks upon you there will be a covering for your sin. He will see only the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ covering the entirety of who you are—your sin sick soul. You will find acceptance with God, and one day when you die He will take you into the very presence of the Father and present you faultless before the throne of God.” - Dr. Steve Lawson
Search God’s Word – John 3:15-18, Romans 3:23-26, 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, Ephesians 2:1-10, Romans 5:10-11, Acts 16:30-34, Titus 3:3-7, Romans 10:9-11,
If in reading this the Holy Spirit has moved on your heart in such a way that you understand the gospel and now believe in the Lord Jesus Christ or if you have any questions about this, please contact josh@lonewillow.org or casey@lonewillow.org.
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
— Matthew 11:28-30