Really Good News: Recent Episodes
Matthew Brunner
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Here it is. Not that any of you asked for it or should be compelled to watch/listen, but here is the last message I had the privilege of preaching as a youth pastor. I could not have asked for a better night, a greater passage, or a more incredible group of students. It was such a fun and peaceful night. I am so thankful to God for the opportunity to share His gospel and way of life with these students.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gospelproject.substack.com
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gospelproject.substack.com
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gospelproject.substack.com
Joe Rogan says, “Difficult times create strong people.”
God was already saying that.
Difficult times, because you follow Jesus, will not only build your faith and make you stronger, but it will also prove it. How can you tell who the real followers of Jesus are? The ones who continue to follow Jesus even when it cost them. Jesus said if we want to follow Him, we must take up our cross, die to ourselves, and follow him. That means dying to your flesh, but it also means enduring persecution for following him. And our proven character is important because it will bring praise, glory, and honor to Jesus when he comes again.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gospelproject.substack.com
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gospelproject.substack.com
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gospelproject.substack.com
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gospelproject.substack.com
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gospelproject.substack.com
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gospelproject.substack.com
Living in the Kingdom of God is always a call to life in community with other believers.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gospelproject.substack.com
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gospelproject.substack.com
The Holy Spirit’s Job is to make Jesus famous. He does that by always pointing back to Jesus, transforming us to become more like Jesus, and empowering us to share the world-changing message of Jesus.
The Holy Spirit’s job is more than to give the gift of Speaking in tongues.
More than that, the Holy Spirit wants to transform you, make you look more like Jesus, and empower you to change the world by sharing Jesus.
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The good news is that Jesus perfectly filled the role that Humans were to fill in the first place (as king and high priest), and in doing so, he brought the Kingdom of God and Eternal life.
Every problem people face in history goes back to two fundamental problems.
Every problem we see: The problem of anxiety, the problem of depression, the problem that causes people to be selfish or evil, the problem that causes you to withdraw or isolate, the problem that causes someone to commit murder or self-harm and everything in between stems back to these problems:
1. The absence of God’s presence and
2. The absence of God’s abundant life.
If that's true, then the solution needs to be more than "God forgives you, go and be a good person, and you'll live an endless vacation when you die." The Gospel is more than forgiveness and free entrance into heaven.
If every problem in the world comes from the absence of God's Kingdom and God's abundant life, then the answer to life’s greatest needs is God’s Presence and God’s abundant life which produces in us a new way of life that desires those two things.
That’s what Jesus brought, and that’s why understanding the Gospel is so important.
God’s solution to humanity's problem was sending Jesus to live the perfect, sinless life, bringing the Kingdom of God and his way to abundant life.
But there is another problem: the world needs Jesus (The Kingdom and Abundant Life), but not everyone knows Jesus.
So what's God's solution there? Go and make disciples.
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The question Jesus asked peter is: Do you love me?
Love is the heart of the Gospel.
It was love that compelled the father to send is only son into the world.
It was love that gave Jesus the joy to endure the cross for us while we were sinners
This time, Jesus is asking for our love in return: Do you love me?
Will the love the God had when he sent Jesus and the love Jesus had when he died for us, will that love be returned back to God?
Will that love be returned to Jesus?
Finally the third time Jesus ask Peter, he gets but-hurt and says, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”
“feed my sheep” Jesus says.
This back and forth was more for Peter’s sake, than Jesus’
Like Peter said, Jesus knows everything.
He knew Peter’s heart.
He knew of his repentance.
One time was enough.
But I believe Jesus took his time and did it three times because Peter needed to hear himself say it three times.
It was for Peter’s sake.
Jesus offers us endless second chances.
His grace is unbelievable because it is limitless.
And it was that grace Peter needed to step into the mission Jesus had for him.
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Following Jesus is not about being a good person or a good Christian. It's not about obeying a list of “dos” and “don’t's.” It’s not about trying but about dying! It's not about trying hard, but it's about dying to your old self, saying no to your plan and will and desires and flesh, and living in the resurrection power of Jesus.
There are no shortcuts to living a truly meaningful, joyful, and purposeful life in the Kingdom of God besides dying to your old self.
How?
We die to old selves and live in the resurrection power of Jesus not by trying but by abiding. Abiding is a word Jesus used in John 15 for living in Him. It's about being with Jesus. Setting your mind on him.
Colossians 3:1-2 says, “So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”
We are becoming whatever we put in front of our eyes or in our ears. We are very formative people. If we spend all our time watching TV, looking at Instagram or Tik Tok, or hanging out with the wrong group of friends, that is who we are becoming. And if we are not being formed into the image of Jesus, then we are deforming from his image. It’s not about trying but about dying. It’s not about trying but about abiding.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gospelproject.substack.com
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gospelproject.substack.com
Mark 14:43-72
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Jesus’ obedience in the garden is an intentional first step to undo the curse of sin and death and bring eternal life to all who believe and submit to him. And as a result, all who are in Jesus (covered by his sacrifice, living in him instead of the world) get to live in the new Garden of Eden, which is now a city built by God.
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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gospelproject.substack.com
There are times when we can put away our phones and distractions and are not persisting in sin, and demons aren’t blocking God, and we still don’t feel God’s presence the way we used to.
You can be doing everything right, going to church, reading the Bible, spending daily time in prayer, all with the right motivations from the heart, earnestly seeking God and His will, and still not feel His presence in your life.
We feel like Psalms 42: “1 As a deer longs for flowing streams, so I long for you, God.”
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The story of King Jesus is more than just a Jewish messiah, a Jewish savior coming to save one nation from an evil empire. It is about Jesus finally and perfectly doing what no one in the history of history has ever been able to do.
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Ephesians 6:14-20 CSB
14 Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, 15 and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. 16 In every situation take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit—which is the word of God. 18 Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel. 20 For this I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I might be bold enough to speak about it as I should.
This is Jesus. Truth, righteousness, the good news of peace, faith, salvation, the word of God; this is Jesus. But these words should also characterize our lives by being transformed by the renewing of our minds. When we are renewed in our minds and saved, our lives should look different because Our identity is now formed with Jesus.
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Our strength comes from our proximity to the one who is strong. It is through our relationship with the resurrected and ascended Christ that we find empowerment.
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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gospelproject.substack.com
Ephesians 5:22-33 CSB
“22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord, 23 because the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of the body. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives are to submit to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word. 27 He did this to present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless. 28 In the same way, husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hates his own flesh but provides and cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, 30 since we are members of his body. 31 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. 32 This mystery is profound, but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 To sum up, each one of you is to love his wife as himself, and the wife is to respect her husband.”
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Ephesians 5:14-21
"Therefore it is said:Get up, sleeper, and rise up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. 15 Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise— 16 making the most of the time, because the days are evil. 17 So don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless living, but be filled by the Spirit: 19 speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music with your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of Christ."
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Before we give our lives to Jesus, we are dead in our sins. We do whatever our flesh wants and this leads to a life of momentary excitement but ultimately pain and death and confusion. Out of that life flows depression and loneliness and anxiety and isolation from the things in life that truly matter.
But God who is rich in mercy showed us his grace by giving us what none of us deserve and gave us eternal life when we turn to and follow Jesus. This is possible only because Jesus gave himself up for us. He was perfect and innocent, yet became sin for us so that we could be made new.
As a result, we are now a new creation We are adopted into the family of God. We can have peace with God. We are chosen in Him before the foundations of the world.
What does God expect from us now? (Glad you asked) He expects us to live worthy of our calling. Our new life should reflect just that, that we are new.
But How? Ephesians 4:20-24 CSB “But that is not how you came to know Christ, 21 assuming you heard about him and were taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to take off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires, 23 to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.”
We take off our old life, and we put on our new life, that one that is created in the image of God, the one that looks like Jesus.
Well, what does that look like? It looks like taking off lying, and putting on truth. It looks like taking off stealing and putting on a generous heart. It looks like taking off uncontrolled anger and putting on God’s response. It looks like taking off foul language and bad jokes and putting on encouraging words. It looks like Jesus.
That’s why Paul tells us to imitate God by walking in love. Love always looks out for the best interest of others.
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Think about your current situation in your life. Are you where you wanted to be spiritually? Are you as close to Jesus as you want to be? Are you experiencing true peace on a soul level? Are you spiritually content? Or are you always in a hurry? Does peace rule your life or does anxiety?Does joy rule your life or does depression or negative thoughts? Do you find yourself regularly denying yourself or falling for temptations? Do you find yourself doing God’s will every step of the way or going on your own path? Do you find yourself becoming more like Jesus or forming your own identity?
The results you see in your life should not be a surprise.
You are living the exact life that you are practicing for. What you do shapes who you are. Your way of life reveals your habits. Everything from the shows you watch, the music you listen to, conversations you have with your friends, everything is shaping and changing who you are. So if you take a look deep into your soul and find that it is not where you want it to be, don’t be surprised. You practiced for that. You made that happen.
But that does not have to be how it always will be. You can change You can be transformed. You can have joy instead of depression You can have peace instead of worry You can react in love instead of anger All of these things are possible
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Ephesians time and time again is trying to get us to wrap our minds around our identity. As Christian’s, Our identity is no longer wrapped up in what we do, what we have, or who we hang out with. Our identity is firmly secure in Christ, so we should go back to him to find out who we are and what we are created for. And because we have a new identity, Paul is telling us to separate ourselves from the lifestyle we used to have and instead put on our new indemnity created anew in the likeness of Jesus.
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Ephesians 4:7-16
'We must believe the truth and speak the truth in love, and allow others to speak the truth into us'
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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gospelproject.substack.com
Ephesians 4:1-6 CSB
1 Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope at your calling— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
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Paul wants us to know both the Power and the Love of God. In other words, Paul wants us to know that God is in complete control. He has all the power of the universe at his disposal. AND he loves us completely.
We can have peace and confidence in God that he has the ability to carry out his loving plan of redemption. That nothing can or will stop God from loving you. And he is in control, and he loves you.
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Ephesians 3:6-13
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Throughout the Bible, we see that the best thing imaginable (literally the definition of heaven) and the worst thing imaginable (literally the definition of hell) stem from the same thing. If you have it, that’s heaven If you don’t, that’s hell. Do you want to know what that is?
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"The most important thing for you to believe if you are going to live a full and meaningful life"
Ephesians 2:1-10 CSB
1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins 2 in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient. 3 We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, 5 made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! 6 He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— 9 not from works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.
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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gospelproject.substack.com
Check out the newsletter here: https://gospelproject.substack.com/p/hope-is-for-today
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To be in Christ is to believe in and trust in Jesus and his way of life over the way of the world.
Eph. 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace 8 that he richly poured out on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9 He made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he purposed in Christ 10 as a plan for the right time—to bring everything together in Christ, both things in heaven and things on earth in him.
Eph. 1:11 In him we have also received an inheritance, because we were predestined according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will, 12 so that we who had already put our hope in Christ might bring praise to his glory.
Eph. 1:13 In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. 14 The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.
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Eph. 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will:
To the faithful saints in Christ Jesus at Ephesus.
Eph. 1:2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Eph. 1:3 Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. 5 He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.
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