{"id":302187,"date":"2010-12-31T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2010-12-31T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/three-gospel-resolutions-part-2\/"},"modified":"2010-12-31T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2010-12-31T17:00:00","slug":"three-gospel-resolutions-part-2","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/three-gospel-resolutions-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Three Gospel Resolutions, Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Get your new year started with right thinking about the Gospel and about Scripture&#8211;the second and third of Bob Lepine\u2019s Gospel Resolutions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":294104,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"https:\/\/web.familylifetoday.com\/fl2010-12-31.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:","filesize":"26.16M","filesize_raw":"27427072","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2906,2822],"tags":[4929,4722,4159],"podcast_series":[7779],"cwp_profile":[3142],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-302187","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-becoming-a-christian","category-growing-in-your-faith","tag-christian-life","tag-christianity","tag-gospel","podcast_series-three-gospel-resolutions","cwp_profile-bob-lepine","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg?w=508","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/302187\/three-gospel-resolutions-part-2","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/302187\/three-gospel-resolutions-part-2","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"57UfLYJtJ4\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/three-gospel-resolutions-part-2\/\">Three Gospel Resolutions, Part 2<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/three-gospel-resolutions-part-2\/embed\/#?secret=57UfLYJtJ4\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;Three Gospel Resolutions, Part 2&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"57UfLYJtJ4\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg",508,508,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Get your new year started with right thinking about the Gospel and about Scripture--the second and third of Bob Lepine\u2019s Gospel Resolutions.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2010-12-31.pdf","transcript_content":"<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 As you think about making resolutions for the New Year, do you ever think about the gospel?\u00a0 Is there any relationship between the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus and the resolutions you make for the year ahead?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThis is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> for Friday, December 31<sup>st<\/sup>.\u00a0 Our host is the President of FamilyLife, Dennis Rainey, and I\u2019m Bob Lepine.\u00a0 We\u2019ll talk about the connection between the gospel and your New Year\u2019s resolutions on today\u2019s program.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>.\u00a0 Thanks for joining us on the Friday edition.\u00a0 I\u2019m just sitting here trying to figure out whether this is the end of a decade or the first year of the new decade that is just ending, but I guess it doesn\u2019t really matter for what we\u2019re going to talk about today.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t.\u00a0 It\u2019s about to be January 1, 2011 and \u2013\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 We know that much.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 We do, and you\u2019re going to hear the conclusion to a great message that Bob Lepine gave a little less than a year ago back in early January of 2010 about some resolutions \u2013 a different approach to resolutions.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut before we do that, we just want to step in and remind you that this is the last day, and these are the last hours that we have to take full advantage of more than $3 million that\u2019s been set aside to be a matching gift to match dollar for dollar every dollar you give as a listening audience.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yes, the matching gift fund that actually began with a little more than $2 million back at the beginning of December grew during the month.\u00a0 We had some additional families come along and add additional funds to that matching gift amount, so here we are on the last day of the year and we\u2019re still a ways away from the now more than $3 million total.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 We knew it was going to stretch us, Bob.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 We knew it was, and we\u2019re just asking folks, if you\u2019ve made a year-end donation and you can make another one, that would be great.\u00a0 If you haven\u2019t made one and you can make one, that would be wonderful.\u00a0 If you just can\u2019t do anything to help us out, pray for us.\u00a0 We\u2019d love to be able to take full advantage of the matching gift.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHonestly, in past years we\u2019ve seen a lot of donations made on the last day of the year, people either calling 1-800-FLTODAY or going online at FamilyLifeToday.com.\u00a0 In the last hours of the year we\u2019ve had a lot of phone calls or a lot of online giving that\u2019s helped push us forward, so we\u2019re hoping that will happen today.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 We are.\u00a0 We knew that it was going to stretch our faith, because we\u2019ve really never seen this amount of money put up as a matching challenge in the past, but we also knew that it was going to stretch you as a listener to really prayerfully think about what your part in helping keep <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> on this station.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou need to know in the past couple of years we\u2019ve had to cancel some stations because listeners have not stepped up to be able to give sufficient funds to keep us on a station.\u00a0 So, I\u2019d just come to you right now and would ask you, \u201cWould you give as generously as you can to help us take full advantage of more than $3 million in matching funds?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 And again you can do that by calling 1-800-FLTODAY, and we\u2019ve got folks taking calls all day long, or go online at FamilyLifeToday.com.\u00a0 Of course the website is up all day as well.\u00a0 By the way, you can check on the web next week.\u00a0 By the end of next week we should have a total, should be able to update folks on how we did in being able to take advantage of these matching gift funds.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo pray for us.\u00a0 If you\u2019re able to give, please make a donation.\u00a0 And let me say thanks in advance for whatever you\u2019re able to do.\u00a0 We appreciate your support, and we\u2019re glad to have you listening to <em>FamilyLife Today.<\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 And there\u2019s no better topic here on the last day of the year to really help you turn the calendar toward a new year, than talking about resolutions.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yeah, but talking about them a little differently than \u2013 because I\u2019ve made those kind of \u201cI\u2019m going to lose weight, I\u2019m going to quit doing this, I\u2019m going to start doing that\u201d stuff, and it\u2019s not worked out well for me.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 And that\u2019s really where this message came from \u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 That\u2019s right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 That you gave, right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Put together some resolutions I knew I could keep, and I shared this message back in early January a year ago with the other couples who speak at our FamilyLife Weekend to Remember\u00ae Marriage Getaways.\u00a0 I talked about gospel resolutions.\u00a0 I talked about every day submitting yourself again to the lordship of Christ, and then, as we\u2019ll hear at the beginning of today\u2019s program, a second resolution that is, every day repenting.\u00a0 Again, coming back around and turning away from sin.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 You don\u2019t have to give the message now, Bob.\u00a0 You\u2019re about to give it.\u00a0 Let\u2019s listen to our co-host of <em>FamilyLife Today,<\/em> Bob Lepine.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 I want to make sure you understand the difference between confession and repentance.\u00a0 Both are called for in Scripture, aren\u2019t they?\u00a0 We\u2019re called to confess and we\u2019re called to repent.\u00a0 Confession is this:\u00a0 It is agreeing with God that what he says is true is true.\u00a0 That\u2019s why when we talk about confessions of faith, the Westminster Confession of Faith, what you\u2019re confessing is you\u2019re saying, \u201cGod, I agree that what you said is true is true.\u201d\u00a0 That\u2019s a confession of faith.\u00a0 The Apostles\u2019 Creed is a confession of faith.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhen we confess our sins, what we\u2019re doing is we\u2019re agreeing with God that what he has said about our sin is true.\u00a0 We\u2019re agreeing that it\u2019s a transgression, that it\u2019s an offense against him.\u00a0 When David confesses his sin in Psalm 51, \u201cLord, against you and you only have I sinned,\u201d it is an acknowledgement that our behavior is sinful and that we\u2019ve sinned against him.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI was in an Anglican church for the first time, and you know, there\u2019s this prayer of confession that struck me, that it was different than my own confession of sin.\u00a0 Here\u2019s what it said:\u00a0 It said, \u201cMost merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word and deed, by what we have done and what we have left undone.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI\u2019d just stop you right there.\u00a0 When I confess, I typically stop and think, \u201cWhat bad things did I do?\u201d\u00a0 That\u2019s about as deep as I go.\u00a0 This confession is, \u201cWhat bad things did I do, what bad things did I think, what bad things did I say, and what didn\u2019t I do that I should have done that was also a transgression?\u201d\u00a0 It takes me a little deeper into the issue of confession than I normally go.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt says, \u201cWe\u2019ve not loved you with our whole heart.\u00a0 We\u2019ve not loved our neighbors as ourselves.\u201d\u00a0 I read that and I go, \u201cWell, who does that, right?\u00a0 I mean, nobody . . .\u201d But that\u2019s what God has called us to, that\u2019s what he\u2019s created us for.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u201cWe\u2019re truly sorry.\u00a0 We humbly repent.\u00a0 For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us that we might delight in your will and walk in your ways to the glory of your name. Amen.\u201d\u00a0 That\u2019s a better confession than the one I normally make.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut there\u2019s a difference between confessing and repenting.\u00a0 The illustration I use when I\u2019m describing this to my kids, I say, \u201cLet\u2019s say Mom and I were going to get in the car and go to the grocery store, and halfway to the grocery store I said to Mom, \u2018I\u2019ve decided that we\u2019re not going to go to the grocery store anymore,\u2019 and she says, \u2018Oh, okay,\u2019 but I keep driving toward the grocery store.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIn fact, I pull into the parking lot at the grocery store, and she says, \u2018Didn\u2019t you say we\u2019re not going to the grocery store?\u2019\u00a0 I say, \u2018Yeah, that\u2019s what I said.\u2019\u00a0 \u2018But we\u2019re here.\u2019\u00a0 See I can confess all I want that we\u2019re not going to the grocery store, but repenting means turning the car around and going a different direction.\u00a0 It means a change in behavior that is consistent with what you\u2019re saying.\u201c\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt\u2019s one thing to confess; it\u2019s another thing to turn the car around and head in a different\u00a0 direction.\u00a0 So what we have to do every day as one of our gospel resolutions, one of our new life resolutions, is to look carefully at our lives where it\u2019s out of calibration, and then not just say, \u201cWell, I\u2019m going to try to do better,\u201d but to take steps in the right direction, to turn.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThis second resolution commits to turning away from these forces that will daily buffet you.\u00a0 Every day there are three forces that are trying to persuade you not to repent.\u00a0 The first is the culture we live in.\u00a0 The culture we live in is not pointing you in a God ward direction.\u00a0 The second force is the enemy of your soul who wants to derail you spiritually.\u00a0 And the third force is your own craving of your own flesh.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt\u2019s simple:\u00a0 the world, the flesh and the devil are trying to push you away from the purposes of God for your life.\u00a0 Repenting means every day you say, \u201cI\u2019m not listening to the culture, I\u2019m not listening to the enemy, and I\u2019m not listening to my own flesh.\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019m dead to those things.\u00a0 I\u2019m listening to the voice of God, I\u2019m turning from sin, and I\u2019m turning to Christ as Lord.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhich brings us to the third resolution.\u00a0 The third resolution is to re-believe the gospel every day.\u00a0 To re-believe the gospel every day.\u00a0 The gospel is not just a propositional set of facts and truth.\u00a0 The gospel according to the Word of God is the power of God.\u00a0 You get that?\u00a0 What happened at the cross is the power of God for salvation.\u00a0 Now salvation is not just your justification, being made right before God.\u00a0 It is your sanctification and your glorification.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe power of God to save you, to sanctify you and to glorify you is the gospel, according to the Scriptures.\u00a0 A life that is focused on Jesus and the gospel as the main thing is a life that will grow in godliness.\u00a0 Listen to what Paul tells Titus in chapter two:\u00a0 \u201cThe grace of God has appeared.\u201d\u00a0 Now let me ask you, where did the grace of God appear?\u00a0 At the cross.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u201cThe grace of God has appeared at the cross bringing salvation for all <em>ethnos,<\/em> for all people of all nations, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.\u00a0 Waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI\u2019m going to challenge you:\u00a0 That\u2019s Titus 2:11-15.\u00a0 Read that slowly sometime today and just meditate on the power of the grace of God to be transformational in a person\u2019s life.\u00a0 Meditating on God\u2019s love and grace demonstrated at the cross motivates us to be zealous for good works. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIf you join me in this resolution to believe the gospel, to re-believe it every day, here\u2019s what you\u2019re resolving to do.\u00a0 The first thing you\u2019re resolving to do is to believe again what seems almost unbelievable:\u00a0 that Jesus came back from the dead. Now we\u2019ve said that for years and years, but here\u2019s what I\u2019m suggesting.\u00a0 In real time and real space a real person, a real man, came back from death by his own power, and demonstrated in that act that he was God come to earth.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow that declaration of what we believe, according to the Bible, that is \u201cfoolishness to the Gentiles,\u201d and the Gentiles are happy to demonstrate for us how foolish they think it is for us to believe it.\u00a0 It is foolishness for them, and it is a stumbling block for the Jews, but for those who believe, it is the power of God.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThis one action separates Christianity from every other world religion.\u00a0 In fact, you understand that every other world religion is a religion of self-improvement and self-determination.\u00a0 Do these things; on your own you will pacify the wrath of God.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tChristianity says, \u201cYou can\u2019t do that.\u00a0 It\u2019s been done for you and it\u2019s demonstrated through the power of the cross.\u201d\u00a0 The resurrection of the Christ is the heart of the gospel, and it seems basic to us to say that we want to re-believe that it\u2019s true that Jesus rose from the dead.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut you understand that there are major <em>New York Times<\/em> bestsellers that are suggesting otherwise.\u00a0 Here\u2019s what Richard Dawkins says about the cross:\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u201cPresumably what happened to Jesus was what happens to all of us when we die.\u00a0 We decompose.\u00a0 Accounts of Jesus\u2019 resurrection and ascension are about as well-documented as <em>Jack in the Beanstalk<\/em>.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThat\u2019s what Richard Dawkins believes about the resurrection, okay?\u00a0 But it\u2019s not just Richard Dawkins.\u00a0 We could travel around St. Pete and into Tampa this morning and go to churches where the pastor doesn\u2019t believe in the resurrection.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe idea that Jesus came back from the dead has been spiritualized in a lot of churches and a lot of pastor\u2019s minds to: \u201cThe resurrection is really that the spirit of Jesus lives with us all today and his resurrection is alive in you whenever you act like Jesus.\u201d\u00a0 We may believe that, but we believe more than that.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe believe that a man died and by his own power emptied the tomb.\u00a0 That\u2019s the gospel.\u00a0 So believing the gospel begins with re-believing that Jesus actually rose from the dead and he\u2019s alive again today.\u00a0 But if you believe that, you need to reconsider.\u00a0 There were cosmic consequences to that action.\u00a0 This is what you\u2019re re-believing every day:\u00a0 you are believing that on the cross amends for your rebellion, past, present, and future have been made.\u00a0 You are believing every day that all is forgiven.\u00a0 That is atonement.\u00a0 That\u2019s what you\u2019re believing.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow let me ask you:\u00a0 when Satan tempts you to despair and tells you of the guilt within, what do you do with that?\u00a0 Do you believe the gospel, that all is forgiven, or do you sink under the weight of that condemnation, that accusing voice?\u00a0 Re-believing the gospel every day is saying, \u201cI\u2019m forgiven.\u201d\u00a0 That does not lead me to license; that leads me to praise and obedience.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tTo believe the gospel every day means that you believe that on the cross the power of sin and the power of Satan over your life has been defeated.\u00a0 You are no longer a slave to sin.\u00a0 You are now free to be who you were created to be.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd believing the gospel every day means that you believe that because of the cross you have a hope, a hope and a future.\u00a0 This life is not all there is.\u00a0 Rick Warren says, \u201cThis is dress rehearsal for the main performance.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo let me just recap.\u00a0 When you believe the gospel every day, you are believing God is not angry with you anymore.\u00a0 All is forgiven, you don\u2019t owe him anything for your sin debt, you are his friend, his child, you are an heir of his blessing, you are free from the power of sin, and you have hope beyond the grave.\u00a0 If that doesn\u2019t change your life, making a resolution to live a better life tomorrow isn\u2019t going to do it.\u00a0 Why is all of this true?\u00a0 It\u2019s all true because of what was accomplished at the cross.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tFinally, when you keep your resolution to believe the gospel every day, you\u2019ll be reconsidering what 2 Peter 1 calls \u201cthe precious and very great promises that are ours in Christ.\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s not just that Jesus died, and it\u2019s not just that there were cosmic consequences, but there is blessing in our lives that comes from the cross.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo \u201cThere is no condemnation now for those who are in Christ Jesus.\u201d\u00a0 Romans 8:1 He has promised that he will never leave you or forsake you.\u00a0 You are accepted in the beloved.\u00a0 I love that phrase.\u00a0 Ephesians 1:6\u00a0 You are accepted in the beloved.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou are complete in him, thanks to the cross.\u00a0 You have been transferred from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of his beloved Son.\u00a0 God is for you because of the work of Christ on the cross.\u00a0 He cares for you.\u00a0 He is working all things for your good, and nothing can separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHow does meditating on the cross of Christ every day and the resurrection help to defeat sin in our lives?\u00a0 Why is it a more effective plan than some self-help, self-determination plan?\u00a0 It\u2019s because of the power of the gospel, the resurrection power.\u00a0 It realigns your lives.\u00a0 You can make a list of New Year\u2019s Resolutions for moral improvement, but the most important resolution you can make is a resolution to every day reaffirm the lordship of Christ, every day repent, and every day re-believe the gospel.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThere\u2019s an illustration I\u2019ll close with here that actually Keith Johnson, who is on staff with Campus Crusade, shared.\u00a0 I thought this was very helpful.\u00a0 He said, \u201cImagine you live in a large house in which there are two groups of people.\u00a0 There are those who are deaf and those who are hearing, and they all live together.\u201d He says, \u201cIn one of the rooms you see a guy sitting in a chair listening to music on his iPod.\u00a0 He\u2019s one of the hearing people.\u00a0 Rhythmically, he\u2019s tapping his foot, he\u2019s drumming his thighs, he\u2019s jutting his chin out as he listens.\u00a0 It\u2019s obvious that he\u2019s enjoying himself, having a good time.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOne of the deaf people walks into the room, sees the guy listening to the music, impersonating Mick Jagger and he thinks, \u2018That looks like fun.\u00a0 Looks like he\u2019s having a good time.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to sit down and try and do that.\u2019\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo he sits right next to him, looks at what he\u2019s doing, and he starts doing the same thing, just following along.\u00a0 But he\u2019s not hearing any music.\u00a0 He\u2019s just kind of trying to imitate what he sees, and with a little practice he begins to catch on.\u00a0 By watching and trying he begins to mirror this guy\u2019s activity pretty closely.\u00a0 But over time, he may get better at doing this, but he pretty quickly realizes this is not as fun as it looked.\u00a0 This is just work.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAfter a while,\u201d Keith says, \u201ca third person enters the room and he watches the scene.\u00a0 What does he see?\u00a0 He sees apparently the same thing happening in both people.\u00a0 But there\u2019s a difference, right?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe first guy hears the music and his actions are a natural response to the music\u2019s rhythm and melody.\u00a0 The second guy is just imitating the outward actions.\u00a0 He\u2019s not listening to anything.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHe says, \u201cThere\u2019s an important spiritual parallel.\u201d\u00a0 You see it don\u2019t you?\u00a0 The question is not, \u201cAre we doing all the imitating stuff we\u2019re supposed to be doing?\u201d\u00a0 The question is, \u201cAre you listening to the music?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAre you listening to the music and if you do, if you every day reaffirm the lordship of Christ, repent of your sin and re-believe the gospel, your chin will start to jut out, you\u2019ll start tapping, because that\u2019s the music that changes your life.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBecause the sinless Savior died, \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tMy sinful soul is counted free, \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tFor God the just is satisfied, \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tTo look on him who pardoned me.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 You know, we\u2019ve been listening to a message given by Bob Lepine a little less than a year ago to those who speak at our Weekend to Remember\u00ae marriage getaways.\u00a0 Bob, you did a great job of challenging us to really think about the essence of what Christ came to do.\u00a0 He came to not only seek and to save the lost but to be our master every day and then keep calling us back to repent and turning away from sin, because it does get us from time to time.\u00a0 That\u2019s really the challenge for any person who is moving into this New Year.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 I think this idea that was new to me when somebody first shared it with me, but this idea of re-believing the gospel \u2013 you know, we think of the gospel as something you say, \u201cWell, I believe that.\u201d\u00a0 But to re-believe it every day is to live it out, it\u2019s to say, \u201cOkay, I know I messed up.\u00a0 But I\u2019m going to re-believe that I\u2019m forgiven. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI know that I\u2019ve got patterns, but I\u2019m going to re-believe that God is transforming me, that he who began a good work will be faithful to complete it.\u00a0 So it\u2019s really grabbing on to the truth of Scripture again every day, and then living as if it\u2019s true, and that changes everything.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 It really does.\u00a0 In fact I\u2019ll share something my pastor said earlier in the month of December.\u00a0 He said, \u201cOur lives are to echo the gospel.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 They are to echo the gospel.\u00a0 If you want to know how you can apply what Bob just shared, then what I\u2019d encourage you to do is make a list of three to five, maybe, maybe even ten people that you would like to share Christ with in the coming year, because one of the ways I think we can express our re-belief in the gospel is by sharing it with other people\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 --and reaching out to them and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, of what he\u2019s done for you and what he offers to your friend or to your family member.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yes.\u00a0 And I would encourage a listener:\u00a0 If you\u2019ve not read C.J. Mahaney\u2019s little book, <em>The Cross Centered Life<\/em>, I think it will help you understand the gospel, maybe in a fresh new way, because I think there are a lot of folks today who think that the gospel is simply an evangelistic message.\u00a0 We need to understand that it\u2019s more than that and it has a lot to say to our lives every day.\u00a0 C.J.\u2019s book, <em>The Cross Centered Life<\/em> is the book that I\u2019d recommend.\u00a0 You make a new year\u2019s resolution to read that, and you can order it from us if you\u2019d like.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOur website is FamilyLifeToday.com, and the book is available online.\u00a0 You can also call us toll-free at 1-800-FLTODAY to request a copy of the book.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd then, please don\u2019t forget that today\u2019s the last day that you can make a year-end donation to help support <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>, and to help us take full advantage of the now more than $3 million matching gift fund that has been set aside for us.\u00a0 We still have a ways to go today, and we\u2019re hoping to hear from a lot of our listeners here in the final hours of 2010.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo if God has used <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> in your life this year, can we ask you to go online atFamilyLifeToday.com and make a year-end donation, or call 1-800-FLTODAY and make a donation over the phone.\u00a0 We do appreciate your financial support.\u00a0 You can check back with us next week and we\u2019ll update you on how we did toward taking advantage of this matching gift opportunity.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe hope you have a great new year.\u00a0 Hope you and your family are able to spend time together this weekend and to worship together this weekend.\u00a0 We want to invite you to be with us on Monday.\u00a0 Shaunti Feldhahn is going to be here.\u00a0 We\u2019re going to talk about an exciting new project that we\u2019ve been working on together with Shaunti that\u2019s designed for women, women\u2019s groups.\u00a0 It\u2019s a video series that we\u2019ll tell you all about on Monday.\u00a0 Hope you can tune in for that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, and our entire broadcast production team.\u00a0 On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I'm Bob Lepine.\u00a0 We will see you back on Monday for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHelp for today.\u00a0 Hope for tomorrow.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you've benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t2010 Copyright \u00a9 FamilyLife. All rights reserved.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>www.FamilyLife.com<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>","theme_header_position":"","post_header_is_sticky":"","is_header_overlay":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/302187","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/podcast"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=302187"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=302187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=302187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=302187"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_series?post=302187"},{"taxonomy":"cwp_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cwp_profile?post=302187"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=302187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}