THE GOOD NEWS
In The Beginning
With love and purpose, God created all of life and everything that has ever existed. He formed people with special care in His image, to be fully satisfied in relationship with Him. God’s designed order for us is to joyfully trust Him for all that we need and for us to have dominion over creation, free from pain and suffering forever.
The Rebellion
Soon after creation, the first people Adam and Eve no longer trusted that God would take care of them. In their unbelief they chose to rebel against the goodness of God. This rebellion is called sin and it infected all creation causing pain, death, and separation from God. Even though mankind had turned against God, in His great love for us, God promised to one day rescue and redeem us from our corrupted condition.
Failed Work
Throughout ancient history, we see that sin had saturated all of mankind. Every person is now fallen, born corrupted unable to be good or obey the commands of God. Even though man has repeatedly tried to earn his way back into relationship with God, we have failed every time. Even in our failures, God’s steadfast love did not abandon His image bearers. Through a sacrificial system, God continued to provide mercy, allowing the wrath of God to temporarily pass over His people while they waited for Him to rescue them.
The Good News
In the fullness of time, God accomplished His promise to rescue us from the power of sin. God the Father sent His only son Jesus, who was born without sin, through a virgin birth, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus being fully God and fully man held both natures at the same time being the perfect sacrifice, that eternally satisfies Gods wrath. Jesus, being tempted in every way, willingly died on a cross for our sins, was buried for 3 days, and rose from the dead defeating sin and the grave. Anyone who confesses with His mouth that Jesus is Lord and believes in his heart that God raised him from the dead, he will be saved. After Jesus was resurrected, He ascended to heaven, where He is interceding to the Father and preparing a place for us.
The Church
During Jesus’ earthly ministry, He called His first disciples to build His Church. The Church consists of all Christians who have put their faith in Jesus and is the means by which every nation is to hear the Good News. The Church is the Body of Christ that is to reflect the love and image of God, and is also His Bride that He laid down His life to save. When every nation has heard the Good News of Jesus, He will come back to earth making all things new.
The Kingdom
Right now, Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father in Heaven, where He is ruling and preparing a New Kingdom for His Church. Even though people still suffer and experience the loss of death, Christians have full assurance and hope in the future because of the finished work of Jesus. The ultimate sting of death has been destroyed and is now the doorway into the immediate presence of Christ. Jesus promised that He would return establishing His new Kingdom with us forever. In this New Kingdom, there will be no sin, corruption, suffering, tears or death. Our dead bodies will be resurrected, made new, and Glorified, where we will be in the presence of God perfectly satisfied for all of eternity.
If you want to experience this gracious life that God is offering through Jesus,
then you can confess and submit to Him in prayer right now where you are:
“God, I admit that I have failed you, by turning away from you and choosing my own desires. I confess that Jesus is Lord and I believe in my heart that you raised Him from the dead. I submit my life to you now, so that I can serve your kingdom and live the fulfilled life you have for me. Thank you, God. Amen”
