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THE GOOD NEWS OF THE GOSPEL

Romans 1:16
January 18, 2009

    The word “gospel” means good news.  But most of what we hear in churches is anything but good news.  Being told that we are terrible sinners is not good news.  Being told that there’s a wrathful God who hates sin is not good news.  Being told that we’re going to receive eternal damnation is not good news.

    So, what is this Good News that Jesus announced?

    The Good News of the Gospel is the amazing message that God loves us as His children.  John said, “We know how much God loves us . . . and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them” (I John 4:16, nlb).

    The Good News of the Gospel is the amazing message that we are extremely valuable.  Jesus said, “Not even a sparrow, worth only half a penny, can fall . . . without your Father knowing it.  So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows” (Matt. 10:31).

        The Good News of the Gospel is the amazing message that we have a special purpose.  Paul said, “Each man has his own gift from God . . .” (I Cor. 7:7).

    But, what real difference does such a message make in our lives?  Well, it makes a tremendous difference.  Paul said, “The gospel . . . is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes . . .” (Rom. 1:16a, niv).

    But, how does it do that?

    The Gospel has the power to save and effect conversion by activating the “thermostat principle.”  All of us are born “neutral” as to our status and roles.  We have no idea who we are.  Instead, we decide who we are by the way we are treated in our early years.  As we grow up, most of us receive a lot of criticism and punishment, often without explanations.  Because of this fault-finding by our parents, siblings, friends, teachers and preachers, we draw the logical conclusion that we must be bad.

    Then, unless we have a spiritual awakening, we live down to that poor self-image for the rest of our lives.  We don’t think we are worth much.  We think we deserve punishment.  This causes us to sabotage our success and allow abuse from others.

    However, if we hear and really believe the Good News that God loves us as His children, that we are valuable as individuals and that we have a special purpose in life, then that resets our self-image thermostat.  Jesus called it rebirth.  “Unless you are born again, you can never see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3);

    Remember, we live up or down to our self-image thermostat setting.  So, if we believe we are worthy, what we say and do will reflect that.
    The Scriptures emphasize this change.  Paul said, “You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God’s likeness—righteous, holy, and true” (Eph. 4:24);

    “You have . . . a brand-new nature that is continually being renewed as you learn more and more about Christ, who created this new nature within you” (Col. 3:9b-10, nlb).

    But how does this new setting affect our lives?  How is this new life different on a day to day basis?  What actual changes does Salvation make?

I.  First, If We Believe That God Loves Us As His Children, This Alters Our Attitude and Actions.

    If we have total acceptance and assurance of goodwill and rewards, then we won’t be covetous or greedy.  If all our needs are fulfilled, we will have peace and contentment.  Paul said, “I have learned how to get along happily whether I have much or little” (Phil. 4:11);

    If we have God’s love, we won’t crave material things.  The writer of Hebrews said, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’ ” (Heb. 13:5);

    If God loves us as His children, we can be sure of His forgiveness.  We won’t have to live with guilt.  Therefore, we won’t need pretense, denials, hypocrisy and self-righteousness.  Paul said, “God made you alive with Christ. He forgave all your sins” (see Col. 2:13).

    This enables us to be forgiving of others.  Paul said, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Eph.  4:32);

    If our sins are gone, there won’t be any dread of consequences and punishment.  Therefore, we won’t have to be defensive and judgmental.  We won’t have to point out the faults of others and try to prove that they are worse than we are.  Paul said, “God has not given us a spirit of fear . . . but of . . . love, and self-discipline” (II Tim. 1:7);

    John said, “Such love has no fear because perfect love expels all fear . . .” (I John 4:18, nlb);

    A noted playwright, Noel Coward, pulled a prank many years ago.  It is said that he sent an anonymous note to twenty of the most famous men in London.  The notes read:  “Everybody has found out what you’re doing.  If I were you I would get out of town.”

    It is reported that all twenty men were gone by the next day.

    What if you opened your mail and found such a note?  What would race through your mind?  Even though you’ve probably committed no crimes, you might feel guilty.

    Almost everyone feels inadequate.  Therefore almost everyone lives with covetousness, fear and guilt.  Salvation abolishes these negative things.

II.  Next, If We Believe That We Are Valuable, This Raises Our Self-esteem and Gives Us Self-respect.

    David said, “You made us only a little lower than God, and you crowned us with glory and honor.  You put us in charge of everything you made,
giving us authority over all things” (Psa. 8:5-6).

    If God honors us this way, then we don’t have to be ashamed.  If we believe we are valuable, we won’t feel jealous and envious.  We won’t have to compete for attention and approval.  Revenge and retaliation will no longer be necessary.

    Paul said, “Let us not . . . be jealous of one another” (Gal. 5:26, nlb);

    If we believe we are valuable, then we’ll realize that we are entitled to happiness.  We can enjoy life without feeling that somehow we have to pay for our pleasure with pain.  Therefore, we won’t feel cheated and miserable.  We won’t have to resent other people’s good fortune.  Jesus said, “I have told you this so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!” (John 15:11);

    Paul said, “ I pray that God . . . will keep you happy and full of peace as you believe in him . . .” (Rom. 15:13, nlb);

    John said, “We write this to you so that you can be full of joy with us” (I John 1:4, edb).      Years ago.  A child was throwing rocks in a South African village.  One fell at a stranger’s feet.  He picked it up and was about to discard it when his eye caught a flash of light.  It was a diamond.  The boy was playing with it like a common stone.  The peasant’s feet had walked on it.  A cart wheel had crushed it.  It was considered worthless until someone recognized its value.

    It’s the same with us.  Almost every one feels that they have very little value.  Therefore almost everyone lives with shame, jealousy and despair.  Salvation abolishes these negative things.

III.  Finally, If We Believe That We Have a Special Purpose, Then Our Lives Have Meaning.

    This encourages us to discover our abilities and develop our gifts.  Paul said, “God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well . . .” (Rom. 12:6);

    “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but it is the same Holy Spirit who is the source of them all” (I Cor. 12:4, nlb).

    If we believe that we have a special purpose, we will be motivated, resourceful and committed.  We’ll want to fulfill our destiny.  Paul said, “You should desire the most helpful gifts” (I Cor. 12:31, nlb);

    Then he added, “Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received” (I Tim.  4:14).

    If we believe that we have a special purpose, we’ll be energetic and productive.  We’ll use our time and talents wisely.  Peter said, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others . . .” (I Pet. 4:10);

    An old story about a very ordinary man in the Bible illustrates this point.  The Lord appeared to a man named Ananias in a vision and asked him to undertake what seemed to be a dangerous mission.  He was directed to go to a certain house, lay his hands on a man named Saul of Tarsus, and pray for him.

    Now this man, Saul, had been blinded while traveling to Damascus to persecute the Christians.  He planned to take them captive to Jerusalem for trial, torture and death.  Even so, Ananias obeyed the Lord.

    According to Christian legend, Ananias was a simple cobbler who had no idea what happened after that day, or how he had changed the course of human history by helping transform a murderer named, Saul, into the Apostle Paul.  As he lay on his deathbed, Ananias whispered, “I haven’t done much, Lord: Just cleaned a few shoes and fixed a few sandals.  But what more could you expect of a poor cobbler?

    The Lord spoke in Ananias’ heart, “Don’t worry, son, about how much you have accomplished.  You had a special purpose, and you responded when I needed you.  That is all that matters.”

    A writer said, “Salvation is not punching the right button to get into heaven.  Saying, ‘I believe,’ is not a magic password like ‘Open Sesame’ to unlock the Pearly Gates.”  Instead, Salvation is the realization of our unique relationship to God.  It is the realization of our worth and our possibilities.  It gives us the kind of life that can last forever.

    God offers forgiveness and acceptance to every soul.  But, not every soul accepts and benefits from it.

    This story would be unbelievable if it weren’t true.  A law firm in New York had been trying to locate a man for years to give him a twenty thousand dollar inheritance.  Finally, he was found sleeping under a bridge.  Upon hearing the news, he said, “Why did you wake me to tell me that?  I’d rather stay here in the weeds.  Us winos have no worries.”

    The fact that the derelict possessed an inheritance made absolutely no difference in his life.  So, for him, it was worthless.

    Likewise, for us, the wonderful gift of Salvation will be worthless unless we choose to accept it and let it change our lives.

    The good news of the Gospel is God’s message to you.  It tells you that your are loved, you are valuable and you have a special purpose in life.

    Will you respond?

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