Latest / Disciple Radio / Moody Presents - 2026-10-17 Are You Living Gospel? Part 1
Transcript
- 0:01S1: Are you just living or are you gospel living? Doctor
- 0:05S1: Rick Nelson wants to know.
- 0:07S2: Our doing is rooted in what's already been done. We
- 0:12S2: cannot add to our righteousness. All of our doing does
- 0:16S2: not make us more righteous. We have already been declared
- 0:21S2: righteous as believers.
- 0:25S1: Hi, I'm John Gager, and you know, since the very beginning,
- 0:28S1: back in 1926, Moody Radio has been about sharing the
- 0:32S1: gospel as it is today. And I think you'll be encouraged.
- 0:36S1: I want you to pause with me and listen to
- 0:38S1: this interview segment from a recording back in 1976 with
- 0:42S1: Moody Radio's very first director, Wendell P Loveless.
- 0:46S3: The thing that is uppermost in my thinking in connection
- 0:50S3: with the radio work is the power of the Word
- 0:53S3: of God. And isn't it interesting that in these days,
- 0:58S3: after there have been so many demonstrations in the Billy
- 1:01S3: Graham meetings and the Bible teaching conferences and everything. Isn't
- 1:06S3: it strange that there is now still a trend toward
- 1:11S3: neglect of the. Of the Word of God in some areas?
- 1:16S3: But to me that that is the outstanding thing, the
- 1:21S3: power of the Word of God, the Holy Spirit taking
- 1:24S3: the Word of God, which is verbally inspired. It is
- 1:29S3: absolutely accurate in the original manuscripts. Absolutely without error. And
- 1:38S3: I've seen it demonstrated over and over again in the radio.
- 1:43S3: And another thing, as far as I'm personally concerned, trust
- 1:47S3: in the Lord with all your heart and lean not
- 1:50S3: unto your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him,
- 1:55S3: and he shall direct thy paths. I look back 50
- 1:59S3: years ago when I tried to get out of the
- 2:01S3: radio and the Lord through dear people who were interested
- 2:05S3: kept after me, and it proves to me that if
- 2:10S3: the Lord has a job for you to do, and
- 2:12S3: he really wants you to do it, he'll get you there.
- 2:15S1: And right there. I'm sure you picked up the gospel
- 2:18S1: heartbeat of Moody Radio. That goes back to our earliest
- 2:21S1: days a century ago. But what about our day? One
- 2:25S1: of the coolest things about Moody Bible Institute is that
- 2:28S1: our students come from all over the world. A soft
- 2:31S1: and Nazari comes from Brazil. It's a pleasure to have
- 2:33S1: you on Moody Presents.
- 2:35S4: Yes. Thank you. I'm happy to be here.
- 2:37S1: You have a passion for storytelling. And what does that
- 2:39S1: look like as you're a student at Moody?
- 2:41S4: So I love to tell stories, just like how Jesus
- 2:44S4: gave his parables to everyone. And I want to tell
- 2:47S4: the God's story to among Gen Z, among people from
- 2:50S4: all nations, tribes and tongue and to adults as well.
- 2:53S4: So give a good content, media content.
- 2:55S1: And how was your training at Moody equipping you to
- 2:58S1: do that?
- 2:59S4: Oh, it's been amazing. I have. I'm the leader of
- 3:02S4: a video team project here, and we just released our
- 3:04S4: first premiere of our movie, and it's been overwhelmingly positive.
- 3:09S4: Partnering up with the music department, the video team, and
- 3:12S4: multiple other projects. So yes, I have been enjoying and
- 3:16S4: being really equipped for it.
- 3:17S1: So what's the most amazing thing that God has done
- 3:20S1: in bringing you to Moody?
- 3:22S4: Equipping me with professors here? The professors here have been
- 3:25S4: so intentional, like coming out of their wages to disciple
- 3:28S4: me and mentor me. And I have absolutely loved that
- 3:33S4: process where they're so intentional and helping day to day process.
- 3:37S4: And I've just been amazed at how God has been
- 3:40S4: using that to grow me and shape me.
- 3:42S1: Well, it's got to be a challenge coming from overseas
- 3:45S1: to study here in Chicago. What is the most powerful
- 3:47S1: lesson you think that God has taught you since you've
- 3:50S1: arrived at? Moody?
- 3:51S4: Probably has to be how the body of Christ is
- 3:55S4: important for us. Um, whether we should not take it
- 3:59S4: for granted. but all of its gifts and talents should
- 4:03S4: be invested in all of our gifts and talents. Glorify
- 4:06S4: God in that, and we should never isolate ourselves from
- 4:09S4: the body of Christ.
- 4:10S1: Speak to people who are listening right now and have
- 4:12S1: given money to help make your education possible.
- 4:16S4: I am so grateful for that because if it wasn't
- 4:18S4: for that, I'm a son of a missionary. Kids and
- 4:21S4: being from Portugal, India and Brazil, I wouldn't have been
- 4:24S4: able to be here because my parents are tentmakers so
- 4:27S4: I wouldn't physically be able to be here at all.
- 4:30S4: God has used that for great extent.
- 4:33S1: Conversation with Asaph de Nazar here on Moody Presents. Thanks
- 4:36S1: for your testimony.
- 4:38S4: Thank you.
- 4:38S1: Well, as we welcome Doctor Rick Nelson, the new president
- 4:41S1: of the Moody Bible Institute. The mission stays the same
- 4:45S1: here at Moody to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ
- 4:48S1: and equip people to be biblically grounded, practically trained, and
- 4:52S1: to engage the world through gospel centered living. Doctor Nelson
- 4:57S1: points out that gospel giving is an outpouring of gospel living.
- 5:01S1: So the question we're asking today is, how are you
- 5:04S1: doing with gospel living? Truth is, some of us are
- 5:07S1: just living a list of do's and don'ts. Maybe you're
- 5:11S1: living in fear of the world or putting too much
- 5:13S1: hope in politics. Maybe you're just living to exist. Living
- 5:18S1: for self. But I promise you'll find joy and hope today.
- 5:22S1: In right doing, right living. Doctor Nelson calls it gospel living. Hey,
- 5:27S1: by the way, if you missed last week's Getting to
- 5:29S1: Know You conversation with Doctor Nelson, check out last week's
- 5:33S1: program at Moody presents.org. You'll find out all kinds of
- 5:37S1: good stuff about Doctor Nelson. But right now, let's get
- 5:40S1: started and enjoy his teaching on Moody Presents. Doctor Rick Nelson.
- 5:44S2: One of the most grateful privileges for me is opening
- 5:47S2: God's Word, so we will do that this morning. If
- 5:50S2: you would turn in your Bibles to Romans chapter 12,
- 5:53S2: Romans chapter 12, verses one and two. This is a
- 5:57S2: familiar text to all of us. Romans chapter 12, verses
- 6:01S2: one and two. If you would stand this morning in
- 6:03S2: honor of the reading of God's Word. I will read
- 6:06S2: from Romans chapter 12, verses one and two. I appeal
- 6:11S2: to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to
- 6:16S2: present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable
- 6:21S2: to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be
- 6:26S2: conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal
- 6:30S2: of your mind, that by testing you may discern what
- 6:34S2: is the will of God, what is good and acceptable
- 6:38S2: and perfect. Father, I pray this morning that you would
- 6:41S2: open our eyes to see and our ears to hear
- 6:45S2: the truths from your Word. Speak to us Lord. We
- 6:51S2: love you and we thank you. We thank you that
- 6:52S2: you will hold us fast. In Jesus name. Amen. You
- 6:57S2: may be seated. If you're familiar with the book of
- 7:01S2: Romans or this text, you know that Romans chapter 12
- 7:04S2: is a pivot point in Romans. Everything up to this point,
- 7:10S2: Paul has been providing a doctrinal treatise of theological truths.
- 7:16S2: And at the beginning of this text this morning, we
- 7:19S2: see that he sets a new trajectory. He calls us
- 7:23S2: to gospel living. In Romans chapter one through 11, Paul
- 7:29S2: provides the doctrinal truths that set up our gospel living.
- 7:36S2: And then at the end of chapter 11, he has
- 7:39S2: this wonderful doxology in verse 36, right before what I
- 7:42S2: just read that says, for from him and through him
- 7:46S2: and to him are all things. To him be the
- 7:49S2: glory for ever and ever. The intention of this message
- 7:55S2: this morning is a call for us to live out
- 7:59S2: the gospel. a gospel living that is rooted in and
- 8:03S2: flows out of the gospel truths that we are justified,
- 8:08S2: that we have been declared righteous by faith alone because
- 8:12S2: of the work that Christ has already accomplished. Paul begins
- 8:17S2: this text this morning that we just looked at. He
- 8:20S2: says these words, I appeal to you, therefore. John Piper says,
- 8:26S2: the most important word in this verse is therefore. Why
- 8:31S2: is that? It shows us that something has come before.
- 8:37S2: Paul doesn't begin Romans with chapter 12. He's already provided
- 8:41S2: us 11 chapters leading up to this point. Romans chapter
- 8:46S2: one begins with God's wrath that we are condemned, that
- 8:51S2: we are sinners in need of a Savior, that there
- 8:55S2: is no one who is righteous, no, not one. But
- 8:58S2: as we move through Romans, God shows his love for
- 9:02S2: us that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
- 9:07S2: If we confess with our mouth that Jesus Christ is
- 9:10S2: Lord and believe in our heart that God raised him
- 9:13S2: from the dead, we are saved by faith alone. We
- 9:17S2: are justified. We are declared righteous. We are reconciled to God.
- 9:24S2: Paul says, for from him and through him, and to
- 9:26S2: him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.
- 9:33S2: If you're a student of grammar, you know that chapters
- 9:35S2: one through 12 is the indicative. It's what God has
- 9:39S2: already done. Then Paul begins in chapter 12 and 12
- 9:45S2: through 16 is the imperative. What we are to do,
- 9:50S2: how we live out our faith. This is really important
- 9:54S2: this morning for us to grasp. Our doing is rooted
- 9:59S2: in what's already been done. We cannot add to our righteousness.
- 10:04S2: All of our doing does not make us more righteous.
- 10:08S2: We have already been declared righteous as believers. Otherwise, it's
- 10:15S2: our tendency to lead toward legalism. A list of to
- 10:18S2: do's and a list of to don'ts. That is not
- 10:21S2: the purpose of this message this morning. Paul says, and
- 10:25S2: look at your text this morning. I appeal to you therefore, brothers.
- 10:30S2: Paul is writing to the brothers in Rome. But this
- 10:32S2: is for all believers. This application, this text, this passage,
- 10:37S2: this book is for all believers. I appeal to you therefore, brethren,
- 10:42S2: by the mercies of God. By the mercies of God.
- 10:46S2: I love that phrase, by the mercies of God. By
- 10:49S2: the mercies of God. Both points back to chapters one
- 10:53S2: through 11. All that he has already done. But it
- 10:55S2: also points forward into the text. By the mercies of God.
- 11:00S2: For there are new mercies every morning. So that he says,
- 11:06S2: we may present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy
- 11:10S2: and acceptable to God, which is our spiritual worship. Spiritual worship.
- 11:17S2: What is spiritual worship? What is a living sacrifice? That
- 11:21S2: language we're familiar with from the sacrificial system. What is
- 11:24S2: a living sacrifice? Paul is saying we are to give ourselves.
- 11:28S2: He is not saying that we sacrifice our lives physically.
- 11:31S2: He is saying that we give of ourselves, which is
- 11:36S2: our spiritual worship. Worship is almost always in Scripture, the
- 11:44S2: word proskuneo, which means to bow down. We see this
- 11:48S2: out throughout Scripture, in the New Testament. In the Old Testament,
- 11:50S2: the same word is Chaka. It means to worship by
- 11:54S2: falling down, to fall prostrate before someone, to fall prostrate
- 11:59S2: before the Lord. That's not the word here, though. The
- 12:02S2: word here is the Greek word latria, which means your
- 12:06S2: reasonable service of worship. It's different than the worship of
- 12:11S2: bowing down or give obedience or or worshiping to fall
- 12:15S2: down and to worship. In revelation, the elders fell down
- 12:20S2: and worshiped. That's proskuneo. This word is different. This word
- 12:26S2: that Paul uses. Latria means our reasonable service of worship.
- 12:31S2: It's our doing. It's how we glorify God by giving
- 12:34S2: of ourselves as a living sacrifice. So our doing, which
- 12:41S2: is rooted in what's already been done, glorifies God. When
- 12:44S2: we worship through our service, that is our spiritual service
- 12:50S2: of worship by the mercies of God. What's already been done.
- 12:54S2: He gives us new mercy so that we can live
- 12:57S2: out as living sacrifices of giving of ourselves, holy and
- 13:03S2: acceptable to God, which is our spiritual service of worship.
- 13:08S2: So how do we do this? Look at verse two.
- 13:12S2: He says, do not be conformed to this world, but
- 13:14S2: be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by
- 13:19S2: testing you may discern what is the will of God,
- 13:22S2: what is good and acceptable and perfect. That word transformed
- 13:28S2: the Greek word metamorphose. They metamorphose. They. What word do
- 13:32S2: we get? Metamorphosis. We are to be transformed. How are
- 13:37S2: we transformed? He says that we're transformed by the renewal
- 13:42S2: of our mind. Paul is not only referring to just
- 13:45S2: to the intellect here, but he's talking about our thinking
- 13:48S2: and our feeling. All that we are has to be
- 13:51S2: renewed so that we can be transformed. Metamorphose. They. Right.
- 13:58S2: Knowing The renewal of our mind, our thinking and our
- 14:02S2: feeling leads to right being who we are in Christ.
- 14:07S2: That's how we are transformed. Which leads to right doing.
- 14:14S1: Imagine going to Israel not just once or twice, or
- 14:18S1: even ten times, but more than a hundred times. Think
- 14:21S1: of the stories you'd rack up, the experiences you would
- 14:24S1: have leading more than a hundred tours to Israel. Well,
- 14:27S1: Doctor Charlie Dyer has done just that. And he's put
- 14:30S1: together an intriguing resource called Experiencing the Land of the book. Now,
- 14:35S1: if you're expecting a highly technical, over your head dry
- 14:39S1: and dusty kind of book, this is not for you.
- 14:41S1: On the other hand, if you like stories, funny stories,
- 14:45S1: touching stories, the kind that will make you say, ah,
- 14:49S1: now I get what the Bible is teaching there, then
- 14:52S1: this book is definitely for you. You know, it features
- 14:55S1: nearly 250 color photos and maps that will help you
- 14:59S1: finally make sense of the places and people in Scripture.
- 15:03S1: Experiencing the land of the book at times is quite funny,
- 15:06S1: and you'll love the way you learn without feeling like
- 15:09S1: you're sitting in school in a hard chair. We'll send
- 15:12S1: you a copy of Experiencing the Land of the book
- 15:15S1: for your gift of any amount in support of Moody Presents.
- 15:18S1: Now you can give online easily at our website, Moody presents.org.
- 15:23S1: That's Moody presents.org. Or you can phone in that gift
- 15:27S1: to (800) 400-7022 (800) 400-7022. One more time. 800 400. Now, you
- 15:38S1: say the last part. Here on Moody Presents, we often
- 15:41S1: talk about our advance team members. Doctor Rick Nelson, president
- 15:45S1: of the Moody Bible Institute, steps into the studio. What
- 15:48S1: is this advance team and why is it such a
- 15:50S1: big deal?
- 15:51S2: Well, John, first of all, I just want to thank
- 15:52S2: those listeners who are already part of this advance team.
- 15:55S2: I think it's such an incredible part of this work
- 15:57S2: and this ministry to know that we have others who
- 15:59S2: are out there partnering with us, praying with us, giving
- 16:03S2: stewarding the resources that God has given them to help
- 16:05S2: impact the world for Jesus Christ. So I think, John,
- 16:08S2: one of the important things is we recognize the need
- 16:11S2: for resources to continue this work in ministry. If there
- 16:14S2: are listeners right now who are who are tracking with
- 16:16S2: us and want to participate in this work, we encourage
- 16:19S2: them to give a monthly gift that would make an
- 16:21S2: impact to be able to continue this work in ministry.
- 16:24S2: If they give a gift of $30 or more, there's
- 16:26S2: many resources and and special things that can come alongside
- 16:29S2: to encourage them. Maybe you can share some of that.
- 16:31S1: Yeah, you get a 50% discount off the entire line
- 16:34S1: of moody publishers products as often as you like, as
- 16:37S1: long as you like, as you're an advanced team member. Also,
- 16:39S1: we'll send you our resources every other month automatically. All
- 16:43S1: this and more as you become an advanced team member
- 16:45S1: at $30 a month or more. Details at Moody Presents
- 16:49S1: dot Moody presents dot ORG.
- 16:53S2: So, John, I just want to thank you and encourage
- 16:55S2: our listeners today to follow up with what they've heard
- 16:58S2: and ultimately to join us in this work and potentially
- 17:01S2: become an advanced team member. We'd love to have you
- 17:03S2: part of us. Please pray for us. Please give. Please
- 17:06S2: help us to continue this work. What God has set
- 17:08S2: before us for his glory and our joy.
- 17:11S1: Always great to connect with Doctor Melson. All right, now
- 17:14S1: let's get back to our teaching time here on Moody Presents.
- 17:21S2: Our doing is rooted in what's already been done. This
- 17:27S2: is important for us to understand. When I was in
- 17:30S2: seminary about 25 years ago, each spring, a preaching student
- 17:34S2: would receive an award, and that award would give him
- 17:37S2: the privilege of speaking in chapel and the spring that
- 17:40S2: I graduated before I graduated, Richard Gaines, one of my
- 17:44S2: fellow co-workers in admissions and a friend, preached a sermon.
- 17:49S2: He received the Clyde Francisco Preaching Award, and he preached
- 17:53S2: a sermon called Do Theology, Do Theology. I don't actually
- 17:59S2: remember the text from that morning. I don't remember all
- 18:01S2: of his points, but I've never forgotten that title. Do theology.
- 18:06S2: Theology isn't just something to be learned and placed on
- 18:09S2: a shelf. It's to be lived out. To do theology.
- 18:15S2: That is our call this morning. So what is theology?
- 18:22S2: A strong, defined theology as the science of God and
- 18:25S2: the relations between God and the universe. Charles Hodge wrote
- 18:31S2: that theology is the science of the facts of the
- 18:34S2: divine revelation, so far as they are concerned with the
- 18:39S2: nature of God and the relation to him as his creatures,
- 18:45S2: as sinners, as the subjects of redemption. That is theology.
- 18:51S2: It's the study of God and everything else in relation
- 18:55S2: to God. Romans 12 sets us on a trajectory, a
- 19:00S2: trajectory of gospel driven living. It points us to key relationships.
- 19:07S2: As a believer, our relation to God. If you look
- 19:11S2: further down in the text, our relation to other believers,
- 19:14S2: we are one in the body of Christ. Verse five,
- 19:17S2: and the command to love one another with brotherly affection.
- 19:20S2: Verse ten. And our relationship to the outside world, even
- 19:25S2: including our enemies. Verse 14. Bless those who persecute you.
- 19:31S2: Bless and do not curse them. As I was thinking
- 19:35S2: about these three relationships, John 15 came to my mind.
- 19:40S2: John 15 is a wonderful text. In fact, if you
- 19:42S2: would turn there this morning to John 15, in thinking
- 19:46S2: about how we live out these relationships, how we live
- 19:50S2: out gospel living, John 15 is Jesus teaching his disciples.
- 19:59S2: Now this is a a wonderful text placed in a
- 20:05S2: particular evening. That particular evening. Was a Passover meal evening,
- 20:15S2: the Last Supper evening. If you remember, just a few
- 20:19S2: chapters before the disciples gathered together in the upper room,
- 20:24S2: and while they were in the upper room, Jesus washed
- 20:27S2: their feet. John chapter 13. And then he said that
- 20:32S2: I will be leaving you and provides comfort to the disciples.
- 20:37S2: He institutes the Lord's Supper this evening and then it
- 20:42S2: says that they got up, and from there they either
- 20:46S2: walked to the Garden of Gethsemane or together they lingered.
- 20:52S2: And Jesus taught these words. Now, John is an interesting
- 20:57S2: book in that the first ten chapters of the book
- 21:02S2: of John. Ten chapters are three years of Jesus life,
- 21:08S2: three years of Jesus public ministry. Then in chapter 11,
- 21:13S2: Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. Lazarus has died. He
- 21:17S2: has been placed in the tomb. Jesus raised Lazarus from
- 21:20S2: the dead. Then in chapter 12 is the triumphal entry.
- 21:26S2: The next half of the book is one week in
- 21:29S2: the life of Jesus. In fact, six chapters are one night.
- 21:35S2: And here we are in the middle of that passage.
- 21:39S2: John chapter 15. This is our priority. This is the
- 21:44S2: priority of every believer that we abide in Christ. This
- 21:51S2: first relationship, our relationship to God through Christ, is priority one.
- 21:56S2: There is no other, more important relationship that we have
- 21:59S2: as believers. Priority one our relationship to God. Our relationship
- 22:05S2: to God that is characterized by worship and devotion and
- 22:10S2: obedience to Christ.
- 22:14S5: I pray, O God my father, where is the shadow
- 22:23S5: of turning with me the changes not thy compassions they
- 22:33S5: fill up as the bass player now for ever with me.
- 22:43S5: Great is thy faithfulness. Great is thy faithfulness, O my Lord.
- 22:54S5: In your mercy I sing, God I am. I am
- 23:04S5: drawn by him. Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.
- 23:25S5: Fall and winter and spring time are some good. And
- 23:36S5: stars in their courses of oral. Steroids with your name
- 23:49S5: in it all within thy praise came on this world.
- 23:59S5: see and. Praise thy faithfulness. Great is thy faithfulness. Lord,
- 24:14S5: is thy glory. You see, I see all thy. Light
- 24:27S5: and have grown by it. Great is thy faithfulness. Lord unto. Me.
- 24:49S1: Music here from Founder's Week. That's Moody's long running Bible conference.
- 24:54S1: It's coming October 20th 1 to 23 and speakers this
- 24:58S1: year include Tony Evans, Joe Stowell, Priscilla Shire and many more.
- 25:02S1: And yes, we'll enjoy some terrific worship music together. Visit
- 25:06S1: founders.org to learn how to watch, listen or attend in person.
- 25:12S1: Founders week begins next Wednesday night. Again, visit founders.org. Hey,
- 25:18S1: let me encourage you again to become part of our
- 25:21S1: advance team. It's an opportunity to help this ministry while
- 25:24S1: enjoying some great resources that will deliver automatically right to
- 25:28S1: your door. Find out more at Moody presents.org, or give
- 25:33S1: us a call at (800) 400-7022. Next time, we'll probe deeper
- 25:39S1: into the question are you living gospel? Until then, I'm
- 25:44S1: John Gager on behalf of our teacher, Doctor Rick Nelson,
- 25:47S1: saying thanks for listening to Moody Presents a production of
- 25:50S1: Moody Radio, a ministry of the Moody Bible Institute.