What's So Good about the Gospel?

What’s So Good about the Gospel?

Imagine you step onto an elevator in a high rise building and push the button to travel to the 100^th floor. Another person steps onto the elevator with you. About the time you reach the 32^nd floor, you are jarred by the shaking of the elevator and you stop moving. You call security and they inform you there has been a mechanical problem, the elevator has malfunctioned, and it will be several hours before you and the person next to you will be rescued from this unfortunate event.

Obviously, you and your elevator riding companion are going to have a lot of time to talk. You take a seat on the floor of the elevator and begin to chat about your situation. Once that runs dry, you begin probing one another and become more acquainted. You find out that the man that is riding with you is named Larry, has 2 children, both boys, and has been married for 11 years. Before long, being the good evangelical Christian that you are, you reveal to Larry that you are a follower of Christ. Larry says that he isn’t a Christian, but he wants to know what you believe, and so you say, “well, Larry, since we don’t seem to be going anywhere, if it’s okay, I would like to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with you.

So you begin…

• You start in the most logical place, the beginning of time and you tell Larry about how sin entered the world through Adam and Eve. You explain that we are all sinners and apart from Jesus Christ we are lost. Then you mention that Jesus Christ, the Son of God came, born of a virgin and began to preach the Gospel. You tell him that Jesus died on the cross in our place for all the sins of all the people in the entire world who have ever lived or ever will live.

• Then you tell him that Jesus Christ did not stay dead, but He rose from the grave on the 3^rd day after the crucifixion. He ascended to heaven at the right hand of God the Father and He will return again one day and usher in a boundless, joyous, peaceful eternity.

• “In the meantime,” you tell Larry, “it is the job of the Christians to spread the Gospel of Christ to the world and tell them the Gospel truth that there is hope in no other person other than Jesus Christ.”

• You keep talking and mentioning the Gospel, the Gospel, the Gospel.

Finally, Larry interrupts and hits you with a straightforward and blunt question.

• “Just what is so good about the Gospel?” You never saw this question coming and for a moment it takes you off guard. You have heard the message of the Gospel of Christ all of your life, and now, in a single moment, you can’t think of exactly what to tell this man about what is SO GOOD about the Gospel.

And if that wasn’t enough, Larry continues to shoot questions at you.

Larry says:

If the Gospel is so good, then why doesn’t everyone want to be a Christian?

What does following Christ mean for me in the here and now?

Does the Gospel provide any hope for the future?

What problems in our society does the Gospel solve for us today?

Tell me, what is so good about the Gospel?

• You see, Larry has a mighty fine point. If we are to share the Gospel of Christ with all the people of the world, then we best be ready to share with them the GOOD of the Gospel.

So where do we begin? First of all, let’s discover what the word Gospel actually means.

• In the Bible, the noun and verb form for the “Gospel” occurs 131 times. In the King James Version of the Bible, you will find the English term “Gospel” used 101 times, all in the New Testament.

• As most of us know, the word Gospel literally means, “good news” or “proclaiming the good news.” So our friend Larry’s question could also be asked, “what is so good about the Good News.”

• Of course, the Gospel also refers to the first 4 books of the New Testament, which is exactly the place where I would like to start from today. Let's take a look at the opening lines of each Gospel.
  

Matthew

¹ The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Matt 1:1 (KJV)

Mark

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;

Mark 1:1 (KJV)

Luke

Many have undertaken to compile a narrative about the events that have been fulfilled among us, ² just as the original eyewitnesses and servants of the word handed them down to us. ³ It also seemed good to me, since I have carefully investigated everything from the very first, to write to you in orderly sequence, most honorable Theophilus, ⁴ so that you may know the certainty of the things about which you have been instructed.

Luke 1:1-4 (HCSB)

John

In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God.

² He was with God in the beginning.

³ All things were created through Him,

and apart from Him not one thing was created

that has been created.

⁴ Life was in Him,

and that life was the light of men.

John 1:1-4 (HCSB)

The Holy Spirit used each Gospel writer to paint a wonderful picture of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew begins his Good News by showing that Jesus was the Messiah of the Jewish nation and how His coming had been ordained before the foundation of the world. Being a Jew, is shows how Jesus fulfilled many of the prophecies of the Old Testament. Throughout Matthew’s Gospel you will see this recurring theme.

Mark jumps write into the action and begins the Gospel of Jesus Christ and doesn’t look back. Mark uses the word “immediately” many times throughout his Gospel. He presents Jesus as the Son of Man, a human figure who relates to use in our sufferings and pains.

Luke, much like myself, can’t say “hello” in 100 words or less. He has a longer introduction, writing as an historian, and Luke writes to present the historical CERTAINTY of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Most Bible scholars believe that Luke interviewed many people in the writing of his Gospel, including, Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ.

John paints in broad strokes the marvelous deity of our Lord showing that Jesus Christ is fully God, Christ has eternally existed, and the Good News of the Gospel is that God has come to earth to save the people from their sins and “lostness”.

So here we have the beginnings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. These short biographies of the life and ministry of Christ provide for us the picture of why the Gospel is good and going a little farther throughout the entire New Testament, I am completely convinced that all of the most challenging questions, deepest longings, and turbulent problems can be answered through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Let’s look at some of the most common issues and answer some of the common questions that so often plague the world.

What does the Gospel through the Person of Jesus Christ answer that no one or nothing else can?

How does the Gospel of Christ help us with the problems in today’s world and the problems that have plagued us for centuries?

What hope does the Gospel of Christ give us in our lives today?

And is there any hope the Gospel of Christ gives us for the future?

1. The Gospel Does Away with Racism and Superiority
1. Christianity is often dogged and ridiculed for being exclusive. How many of you have been told or heard that phrase, “that is true for you but not for me.”?
2. But what is truth? Truth is that which best conforms to reality and Jesus Christ says that He is the very embodiment of truth.
3. Through Jesus Christ and His atoning death on the Cross, there is only ONE way to eternal salvation.

i. Have you ever really thought of this? God, made the way to salvation equal and the same for everyone. Whether we are rich aristocrats in a marvelous palace, a normal middle class citizen, or a person who is homeless, we all have redemption in one way, through the Cross of Jesus Christ.

ii. Listen to what Paul says in Corinthians regarding our ONENESS in Christ:

1. “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. For the body [the Church of Christ] is not one member, but many.” (1 Corinthians 12:13-14)

2. So, you see, the Gospel does away with the superiority complex that many individuals have. We are ONE in Christ.

iii. The Gospel of Christ also provided the answer to the age old and horrendous problem of racism.

1. If everyone followed Christ and committed their lives to Him, there would never be another event of segregation, never another event of racial superiority, never another Civil Rights movement, because the Gospel of Christ shows that we are all from one person.

2. “And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation.” (Acts 17:26)

3. We all come from Adam. Regardless of our race or ethnicity, we have all descended from Adam. Good science clearly shows that the different skin colors and facial features are merely climatic and genetic. The Gospel answers the problem of racism.

iv. By the way, in case you have ever sympathized with evolution and tried to reconcile evolutionary teachings with the Bible, it simply does not work.

v. Evolutionary teaching has been one of the primary motivators for racism throughout recent history. Why? Because some people believe that other races evolved at different times and are not as good as some races.

1. But the Word of God teachings that this simply is not so. We are one group of people who find redemption and salvation in one way--through Jesus Christ, the Lord.

2. The Gospel Brings Peace
1. The desire for peace or world peace is a deeply rooted desire within many nations of the world.
2. A quick “Google” search on the Internet for peace yielded 585 million websites on the subject.
3. In fact, mentioning world peace has become so common place that it has become somewhat of a cliché. Remember how much Miss America or Miss Universe pageants have been mocked and made fun of when the contestants are asked what they desire most? The answer usually is “world peace.”

i. Listen to what the World Peace Prayer Society has to say about reaching world peace:

1. "The World Peace Prayer Society is dedicated to inspiring people to embrace compassion, to respect life and to live in harmony with one another. Peace on earth can only become a reality when all people rise above national boundaries, politics, religion and ideologies. We need to celebrate our cultural diversities rather than using them as a reason for conflict.”

a. Later, the writer encourages us to pray for the universal peace and happiness of all people.

4. I just have one question, if we are to rise above our religious convictions and become merely a humanist or secular society, then to whom are we praying!
5. World Peace is a noble pursuit, one which I am fully in favor of, but I can offer you one guarantee, outside of the entire world seeking after Jesus Christ, there will never be peace through human efforts.
   
6. But the best news is this: Christ not only offers a world of peace without hatred, turmoil, and war, but He offers an inward peace that no political policy could ever offer.

i. “But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah. For He is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. (Ephesians 2:13-14)

7. Notice again, how Christ provides the only true hope of peace. When we trust Christ as our Lord and Savior, we don’t receive a membership card to some worldly institution, we become brothers and sisters united Christ under the umbrella of love from our Heavenly Father.

i. Which leads us to the 3^rd point…

3. The Gospel Brings Fellowship
1. Has anyone ever used the online matchmaking? What these things are suppose to do is match you up with a person whom they think would be great for you to date.
2. On one occasion (before I met my wife, I should add) I used one of the more popular online matchmaking services to see if I could find someone who was compatible with me.

i. Now you can choose whether you want to be matched with somebody in your own state (Tennessee for me of course), your region, or the entire United States.

1. I chose the entire United States. I wanted my options to be open.

ii. For 45 minutes, I filled out this laborious survey that asked me questions that ranged from my sleeping habits, my favorite food, my attitudes, my political views; everything you could possibly imagine, this crazy thing asked For 45 minutes I gave my life story to this thing. Then, the moment of truth came… I hit the button and waited to see how many people I was matched up with. Finally, my results came and do you know what it said.

1. Out of 143 million women in this country, not a one of them was compatible with me. Not a one!

3. Of course, I am sure I am not the only one who has ever went looking for friends, we all have a desire to be loved and to love. We enjoy being together, we enjoy socializing with one another, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ unites us in ways nothing or no one else can.

i. Through Jesus Christ, we experience a true and sweet fellowship and love for one another.

ii. “But if we walk in the light [of Christ Jesus] as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7)

iii. If you have been saved and have trusted Christ then you take part in this fellowship. We have fellowship with one another because we walk in the pure light of our Lord Jesus Christ and we are His redeemed children.

4. But this fellowship goes beyond the walls of the Church, it is also our greatest way to reach the lost.

i. This fellowship is unique among Christians and it is a marvelous evangelism tool… In John 13:35, Jesus has given the disciples a new commandment and then says, “By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” Notice: ALL people.

1. We are known as Disciples of Jesus Christ not by the church we attend (as important as that is), not by where we went to school, what jobs we have, our personalities, our arm bands, or the magnetic fish on our cars, we are known as Christ’s disciples by how we have love for one another.

ii. The question of course arises: How do we love one another? We love God first and foremost!

²⁸One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" ²⁹"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.^e]">[e] ³⁰Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'^f]">[f] ³¹The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'^g]">[g]There is no commandment greater than these." Mark 12: 28-31.

2. When we love God with all that we are FIRST, then we will love all other people best and be in that marvelous fellowship as brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ the Lord.

4. The Gospel Brings Joy and Wonder
1. How many of you have ever taken the time to sit back and watch little children as they play?

ii. G.K. Chesterton said “Part of God’s infinity is manifested in a child’s propensity to exult in the monotonous.”

1. That’s a mouth full but it is true! What does a little child say when he is thrown into the air. “Do it again! Do it again!”

iii. Well known Christian Apologist, Ravi Zacharias expands on this concept (please see www.rzim.org for more) As children we are amused with little things. It doesn’t take much to captivate us.

1. But the older we become, the more difficult it becomes to fill our deepest longings. We try everything we know of: material possessions, vacations, money, relationships, self-help books, groups, activities, exercise, food!

a. You see, meaninglessness in life does not come by being weary of pain, it comes by being weary of pleasure.

2. And outside of Christ there is no hope to fulfill the longings of our hearts.

a. The older we become, the more it takes to fill our hearts with wonder and only GOD is big enough to fill it.

3. “For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:17)

4. Joy and wonder ultimately comes when we give ourselves completely and fully to worshiping and serving the very imparter and creator of joy and wonder: Jesus Christ.

a. And joy and wonder are fused together with purpose in our life which leads us to…

5. The Gospel Brings Purpose to our Life in the “Here and Now”
1. Pretend for a moment that a young child in elementary school feels that her life is meaningless and she has no purpose. She feels she is not as intelligent as other children in her class and she will never be successful. She is not as physical active and she feels she just doesn’t have the talent of other students.

i. How might someone who didn’t believe in God answer her? It could go something like this:

1. “Shape up young lady! Life is tough. Life is all about survival of the fittest and your not fit, so you probably won’t survive. You are not as strong as your classmates and you are not as smart. Evolution has been bad for you. Your right, you don’t have a purpose in life because there is NO such thing as purpose. We are just the random collection of some cells that have evolved over billions of years from some ancient ooze. You will wonder around all of your life without any value, purpose, or hope for tomorrow. When you die, there is no hell to fear, there is no Heaven to gain. You will be buried in a grave somewhere and the worms will devour your body. So cheer up, it’s only downhill from this point forward.

ii. Now, this is how those who are in Christ could answer this young girl’s dilemma.

1. Everything will be okay young lady. Life can be hard, but we do not have to face it alone. You have been created for a purpose and you are unique and special. You have talents and abilities that no one else has. You have value and meaning in your life because you are created in the image of God, He knit you together in your mother’s womb and He has known you and loved you before you were ever born. In fact, little girl, the same God who created all the stars you see on a clear night and put the world into motion died on the Cross for you and me that we might have eternal life. What’s that? Is He still dead? Oh, no! He is risen and He lives for ever more. He stands ready to save you and even the hairs of your head are numbered. His Name is Jesus Christ and through Him and Him alone we have meaning, value, and purpose in life.

3. “I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to Me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in Me will ever be thirsty again.” (John 6:35)

6. The Gospel Brings Hope for the Future
1. Solomon said in Ecclesiastes (3:11) that God has put “eternity in our hearts.” We have a longing for a land beyond our own. And through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we have that hope.

i. All of the other truths that we have in the Christian faith is marvelous, but without the resurrection of Jesus, it would all be worthless.

1. Paul wrote, “If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.

a. But Paul doesn’t waste anytime, the very next verse he says but Christ has been raised from the dead!

I close with this. Consider Noah. He was building an ark, a gigantic boat miles from water. It had never rained upon the earth. Over the years, Noah’s project grew to a size larger than a football field. Can you imagine some of the questions he had thrown at him by cynical onlookers? The ark undoubtedly looked very out of place.

In this world, our faith in Christ will also seem out of place. We look for the Second Coming of our Lord and it is our commanded duty to reach the lost. Listen to what Betsy Childs says regarding Noah:

“At times, in the presence of those who are not Christians, my faith feels as glaringly obvious and out of place as a gigantic boat on my lawn. I find myself trying to downplay it or make it seem more normal, as if it is just a part of my lifestyle, not something I've ordered my entire existence around. In the eyes of the world, living a life that is radically countercultural (one in which we lay up treasure in heaven and seek the joy set before us rather than contentment on this earth) is as difficult to understand as building an ark miles away from water.

If we don't want our faith to become big and noticeable, we can stop feeding it. We can give it some attention on the weekend, but make sure that it's not enough that people might start to notice and ask questions. We can wear our faith like an unfashionable accessory, hoping that it will blend in and not attract attention.

Some Christians feel the need to broadcast to their neighbors and coworkers how different they are from the rest of the world. They loudly call attention to their lifestyle and worldview, boasting of their own righteous choices. In Noah's case, he didn't need to do this. The ark spoke for itself. His obedience to God proclaimed his faith louder than his words could have. And the same can be true of us. If we live our lives around the knowledge that we are aliens and strangers on this earth, our lives will look different. People will notice. When they do, it is our challenge not to explain away the ark, but instead to invite them to take shelter inside.”

The writer of Hebrews, with Noah, in mind wrote these marvelous words from Scripture:

1. ¹³ These all died in faith without having received the promises, but they saw them from a distance, greeted them, and confessed that they were foreigners and temporary residents on the earth. ¹⁴ Now those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. ¹⁵ If they had been remembering that land they came from, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶ But they now aspire to a better land—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. Heb 11:13-16 (HCSB)

What is it that makes the Good News so good? God became man, died for you and me, rose from the dead, and now stands ready to save us all.

This same Jesus who walked the dusty Palestinian roads some 2,000 years ago is the all sufficient Savior who calls you to come to Him. Our hope is not only in this life, but we have the complete script. Death is not the closing chapter of our lives, there is hope beyond the grave, because Christ has conquered death for you and for me.

Introduction

Introduction

The world of "blogging."

One would think that with the advent of these technologies, I would have taken the opportunity to create my own blog many moons ago. Alas, I am a little late jumping on the proverbial bandwagon of blogging.

I can thank my good friend, Scott, for introducing me to the potential effectiveness of blogs. In fact, I highly recommend you check his insights out, as I am certain you will find his thoughts and commentary appropriate for our times.

Check him out at: scottsworldtoday.blogspot.com


As with any type of narrative commentary, it certainly provides the reader some additional insight by introducing some information about the author.

Clearly, I have to be careful in doing this, so as to not lose formality or credibility, but I would like to share a little bit of who I am, which, thankfully, is not the most important thing you will have the opportunity to read.

My name is Christopher, most people call me Chris. I am relatively young, 25 years of age, and I am married to a marvelous and wonderful woman who provides an immeasurable amount of joy that is intricately woven into my life.

I am a middle school teacher (6th-8th) and my wife teaches first grade. Although this is my "full-time" occupation, I am tremendously blessed to serve as part-time youth pastor at First Baptist Church Lake City. Our love runs deep for these young people.

The combination of these two jobs has given us both a highly unique perspective on our world. A perspective that, at the risk of sounding conceded, helps us to effectively minister to and address the needs of our world in a variety of ways.


Purpose of this Blog: Veritas de Christos

"Veritas" is Latin for "truth," while "de" is a commonly used foreign term for "of," and, naturally, "Christos," is Greek for "Christ," meaning, "the anointed one."

Place them all together, and you have the English equivalent of "Christ's Truth" or "Truth of Christ" as I would personally like to have it labeled.

We live in a world that often draws lines of contention over political issues. Understandably, these beliefs and opinions run deep, and I will not shy away from offering my personal commentary from time to time on these issues.

However, amidst the smashing sounds and trumpeters of various political parties and "movements," the still small voice that has molded history with great care still breaks through to reverberate in a downcast world if we would only take the time to listen.

Jesus Christ made a very reasonable statement to one of His Disciples. Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

To propositional position yourself as "truth incarnate" is a very powerful statement that, though easy to miss with a cursory reading, completely frames not only your life and mine, but all of history in one solitary word: truth.

Pilate, who is infamously known as being the Roman who had Jesus crucified (though this, from a theological standpoint, isn't accurate, you and I helped out just as much as Pilate) is also remembered for asking Jesus a question.

"What is truth?"

Sadly, Pilate did not wait around for the answer, but instead stormed away, despite looking at truth incarnate pupil to pupil.

This seems to be the predicament we are in today. It is not that there is a lack of truth, but merely the suppression of it.

What are we to do about this? Can we do anything about this?

How does the Truth of Christ shine into the hearts of the weary and enlighten those who believe they are already enlightened?

Where does Jesus stay and live in this day and age?

He answered the same question over 2,000 years ago in the first chapter of John's Gospel when He was posed that question:

"Come and you will see."

Let's discover "Veritas" together. God bless and stay tuned.