Bible Basics

The Gospel – “good news”

The gospel is the announcement of the fulfillment of ancient promises of God.

While a prophecy is God informing of what He is going to do, either for prosperity or for destruction, promises are always blessings.

The good news is explained in the ancient texts we call the Old Testament. By that title, Christians are doubling down on the announcement of the fulfillment of God’s promise, which was communicated throughout the entire book, but the book Isaiah spells it out with great depth. The book of Isaiah discusses his present tense, the near future for the Hebrew people, and the distant future for the nations (second covenant) and the end of “world.” And his book is where the phrase “good news” comes from. Many other details of the promise are found in the writings of other prophets and from the mouths of the kings of Israel.

But, the simple version, without going into many details, is this: a son would be born, and through him, God would end the first covenant and establish a second convent, forever.

It would be established by the success of this son in faithfully receiving the punishment of God, so that God’s wrath would be satisfied, forever.

The “good news” is the second covenant.

The first covenant was an agreement between God and Man, through Abraham, but each son of Abraham was meant to continue in the stipulations of the covenant. Its essence was this: have no other gods before God Almighty.

Things didn’t go well. But watching what happens to the nation belonging to God Almighty is a searching for the nature of God, which we can expect Him to treat us with, as well. So, don’t rejoice when they get punished or abandoned, even when they deserved what God delivered. And if you search for the goodness of God by seeking to discover the sins of His nation, I’m going to tell you, the list makes me cringe and agree with God that those behaviors need to become a distant and forgotten practice left behind in the dust of humanities past.

So, what does God do?

He emphasized something: “You did not choose me, I chose you.”

Tremble or rejoice, God still loves Abraham: he disciplines to make them face consequences of what reality is without Him so that they will remember that the God they turned away from is worthy, real, and loves them.

Even under the old covenant his promises were good: turn away and you’ll be punished up to four generations but return and your blessings will last for a thousand generations. There is always hope in returning to God.

So, what is the second covenant?

It’s totally different from the first. And we learn about it in the book of Isaiah. This covenant is established with the Son who receives the punishment for transgressions. And the blessings of God through this covenant are next level.

It’s not a list of “If you… then I will…”

That’s the structure of the old testament.

The new is “He will… then they will become”

BAM!

Let it settle into your bones because it’s the food of life. “He will… then they will become” means it’s all fulfilled by Him. The stipulations required for “them” to receive blessings are on Him. He will do. Then we will receive.

So, now God Almighty had a conversation with the lamb, the son of God sent as Savior of the world, and he asked him if he accomplished every little, this and that, and Jesus of Nazareth said, yes to all of it, and the record was pure and true, and God Almighty said to the lamb, “I am proud of you. You now have totally authority in heaven, earth, and hell. What can else can I do for you?”

The lamb answered, “I want my friends to be where I am.”

DONE!

He did… then we become… worthy children of God entering the land of God, going to heaven because he earned it all and his big request was friends. All his friends get to go to his land, forever. And there’s more. We get so much! Naming a few things, found in the book of Isaiah: everlasting peace, His Spirit poured into us, His word written on our hearts. But returning to my thought train…

So judgment day sounds like, “Jesus, do you like this one?”

All authority is his hands. The Father has put off all judgment and given it to the Son, because the Father set down all his wrath and refuses to be angry any more so that ANYONE Jesus announces is his friend gets covered by his sacrifice and he says, “I was crucified for this one, too.”

Some people might worry that they’ll only have Jesus as their friend in heaven if they agree to go with him. So what!? He’s literally the most important person in all reality and in all realms. Also, he’s the kind of friend you’ve always wanted. He’s the guy. He’s the idea of great and wonderful and fulfilling friendship. He’s the idea. He’s why our imaginations can hope for more. If there wasn’t more, in this reality, our hearts could never fathom the idea. He’s the reason for longing for intimacy and trust and a place to land, a person who is home where all our troubles fade away and they love us so much that we cause joy just for existing, safe beyond safe, forgetting the woes of life or the comments of our enemies, where assurance of lasting love is proven and trusted, and you’ll never, ever, ever lose that person. He’s that person. He’s that wonderful friend. He’s also king and the greatest.  

And he thinks he’s pretty great and totally worthy of your friendship, but his hope for you doesn’t stop with being friends with him because he loves the way he lives as one-with-Almighty-God. He thinks that’s the greatest form of living, either in heaven or on earth. So, Jesus prayed.

And so, as it was promised that the Spirit of God would be poured out on all man, the very Spirit of Truth, we get oneness with the Almighty. Then the idea of being an orphan adopted by God transforms in our hearts into becoming the Child of God, always loved.

How do we know we were always loved by Almighty God?

Jesus didn’t want us to worry, so he explained that anyone who comes to him was first given to him by the Father, so that anyone who comes to him was already the Father’s, and if you were already the Father’s then you were made by the Father, with loving tenderness and consideration, fashioned by his hand with love and thoughtfulness and joy, being wanted while he formed you. Then because no one is righteous and sadly we turn away from God Almighty, but then we don’t like life that way and so we want to go with God because we want to be loved, and taken care of, and liked. And we remember Him, even if it’s a faint memory so that testimonies get us the rest of the way toward hoping in his reputation as an established testimony of his nature as endless springs of mercy, everlasting grace, abounding in love, we return to God by going to the person of our salvation. And we ask if he would save us. And Jesus testified about himself, promising that ANYONE who comes to him and asks to be saved he will in “no wise cast away.” EVERYONE who asks him to save them gets saved.

So how does someone ask Jesus to save them?

Jesus told us that the best form of prayer in God’s eyes was the prayers spoken behind the closed door of your bedroom. Talk there, where you have time, where you feel safe, where his Spirit can enter your space and make you to rest for hours, so that healing in your heart can be rooted in him. He moves, then we rejoice. He does things, then we receive.

I want to encourage you, you’re as prepared as Jesus planned when he brings to the judgment table of the Almighty having not done any homework, having not studied for the test. Anyone know the feeling I mean? Ever had a dream after graduating from a really different school or class that, actually, there was more and you missed the class, you didn’t finish, you actually have more. Those dreams are terrifying. But expect that when you sit down with the Father in quiet and privacy that you’ll feel that feeling of having missed the information to study and now it’s test day and you haven’t studied. Let me warn you: don’t leave the room in search of study material. You’ll just study for the wrong test. Stay seated with him in the secret of your heart and be spoken to. You’re not the one who has to take the test: only Jesus. You need a savior.

You need to not take the test. Don’t ask for study material. Look at the life of Jesus. Do you want to live that life? No! No you don’t! Are you strong enough to try? No! No, you’re not! Let your pride shut up a moment! And let God speak to you. Answer every question as honestly as possible, especially when you think you’re going to look bad. His love is made perfect in your weakness. He will make something glorious for Jesus out of your weakness. Just speak honestly. And when he says, “What can I do for you.” Ask for forgiveness, but also ask for everything you think you lack and everything you want. List it all. Then listen. He’s going to give you a command and it’s going to reveal the deepest desires of your heart so that chills tickle your body at the awesome love he has for you, personally. And you might even think, “I never would have thought to ask for that. I had buried that desire a decade ago. I fact, I didn’t think of it because I thought it was dead and gone. I haven’t thought of that desire. How do you love me?” Now, you’ve begun. Now, you’re in a relationship with God Almighty who is joyful to call himself your Father and repeats his testimony about himself, “I am good. I’m so able. I’m carrying you.”

The Gospel:

• leads you to the table to receive every good thing from God Almighty who made you.
• leads you to a relationship with God.
• It’s the most important thing there is.

People often end a sermon like this with a prayer for sinners to speak. I don’t think you need to be taught how to pray. But if you need inspiration, I say look at the least of the prayers ever recorded, which was spoken to Jesus by the thief on the cross, “Remember me when you enter your kingdom.”

I could cry.

His prayer was answered immediately, so will yours be; peace proceeds his glory so that you won’t faint or run away. Let his peace fill you.

Peace is the beginning of heaven on earth. And it is the least gift he can give. Keep letting him talk to you; keep eating his peace by dwelling with him; keep seeking him by reading his word; and let him be your only guide in life and he will bring your life into health and your joy will overflow with the prosperity that comes.

Here’s the bad news:

He’s going to refine you in the furnace. (Note for the literal mind: not with the kind of fire that burns skin)

He’s going to prune you, so that you bear more fruit.

But let me encourage you:

He is your strength through it all.

And you will like being strong, when sanctification is done.

Trust Him