The GospelSample

The Gospel: Jesus

God is amazing. He is the sum total of everything that we are and everything that we aren’t. Sin is destructive and nagging. The Gospel, thus far, makes us feel a little small. God is massive; sin is utterly terrible. It’s like getting kicked while you are down. However, that isn’t the end of the story. It’s amazing how one little three-letter word can change everything.

The plane crashed, but no one was hurt.
He is very sick, but it is easily treated.
Your child was in an accident, but he is just fine.

The word “but.” It’s amazing how the word “but” can change a sad storyline.

Ephesians 2:1-7
"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."

The storyline was glib…until Jesus entered the picture! God’s glorious answer to sin was Jesus. Jesus was the full payment for our sin.

While on a vacation around the age of 8, we spent the day at a water park – wave pools and water slides galore. While in a shallow pool, I started to splash some kids as we were playing together. A much older and protective brother saw me splashing his little brother. He came at me. He came at me hard. Splashing quickly escalated to my being forcefully and repeatedly dunked under the water. I was totally helpless to free myself. I remember being dunked and just able to fight to the surface in time to get another breath. In each breath, I caught a glimpse of my mother running at me. She was 50 feet away, then 40…30…20…10. I had never seen my mother move that swiftly. She made quick work of my attacker and with one arm, she tore him away from me, and with the other arm, she lifted me from the brink of death. (I might be a little dramatic!)

Jesus rescued me like that. I was helpless. He didn’t wave from the safety of the shore hoping that I could free myself and rejoin him. He didn’t whistle or throw me a lifeline. He ran to me. He met me in my most immediate point of need. He came into my mess to lift me up and set me free.

This is the Gospel: God, limitless in authority and power was determined to provide an adequate solution to the disastrous pain of sin. The separation that sin has caused between humanity and God needed resolve. Jesus came to be the perfect and full payment for sin. We can enter back into harmonious relationship with God through faith in Jesus and true repentance.

Prayer
I am so thankful for Jesus coming to my rescue. He stepped into my broken and helplessness and lifted me up. Jesus’ posturing toward us is always for us. Help me live in the reality and confidence of Jesus’ saving actions.