Topical Sermons / Speaker:Berry Kercheville
The Gospel We Didn’t Know But Always Desired
Introduction: In our last lesson we introduced the true meaning of the “gospel of Jesus Christ,” also called the “gospel of God” or the “gospel of the kingdom.” A few reminders are in order:
1 Corinthians 1:17, “For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom lest the cross of Christ be empties of its power.”
It is not difficult to see that preaching baptism is not preaching the gospel. Again, that is not to depreciate baptism, but it is to show that forgiveness of sins is not the primary emphasis of the gospel message.
The gospel has to do with a kingdom. It is the gospel of the kingdom that was preached by Jesus, that was foretold by the prophets and anticipated by the Israel nation. Acts 1:6, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” Acts 3:19-21, “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.” –– Restoration is another way of summarizing the gospel message.The Kingdom Is the Good NewsRemember, “kingdom” is used by the writers of the Gospels 105 times. Luke introduces Acts with Jesus teaching the apostles for 40 days about the kingdom. Luke ends his letter with Paul “proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ.” Lord and Christ are ways of proclaiming Jesus as the King of this Kingdom. Why a Kingdom? New Testament writers speak of an eternal kingdom: “For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:11). We can see just from these statements that though forgiveness is necessary to enter the kingdom, the Kingdom is the real goal; the Kingdom is the good news because of what is enjoyed in that Kingdom. Consider some implications of the kingdom:In Jesus’ parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price, the kingdom is the greatest treasure that any human can possess. It is so great that a rational person would be willing to sell everything in order to attain it. It’s value is beyond anything we can conceive of.The Kingdom is a community of people. It is a family reunion, a household, “an assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven” and are joined with “innumerable angels in festal gathering” (Hebrews 12:22-23).
(This fact has always caused me to be confused about Christians who meet as little was possible with other Christians and virtually live independent lives. How can that Christian find any joy or hope in seeing and living eternally with fellow disciples?)
The Kingdom is where Jesus “crowns us with glory and honor.” (More on this in another lesson)One of the major implications of the eternal kingdom is that God has now provided us the abundance of life that our inner soul has always desired. David describes is as the fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11). It is this last point that we will focus on in this lesson. Visualizing the Gospel of the KingdomThe “Gospel” is the integration of three biblical stories:In the Story of Creation we are presented with a glimpse of God’s purpose. We see God making a “material realm” in which humans become the pinnacle of his creation, image-bearers (Ikons) crowned with glory and honor, who multiply his image throughout the world and are given dominion over the world.Adam and Eve are pictured as priestly mediators in God’s Garden Temple. This is made more evident by later passages that indicate God’s purpose for us: Exodus 19:4-5; Isaiah 61:6; 1 Peter 2:5, 9. God not only dwells with man in his Garden, he also foreshadows the eventual relationship he will have as an eternal marriage. Cf. Hosea, Ephesians 5:22-34; the marriage of the Lamb, Revelation 21. It is important that we give careful attention to this Creation story since it prepares us for what God planned for us in his eternal kingdom. The Story of Israel foreshadows God’s restoration of the fall of man. Israel illustrates the failure of man to live up to God’s creative purpose, and the need for God to be a Redeemer, Rescuer, and Righteous King who lead them in attaining God’s purpose.The Story of Jesus brings the Creation Story and the Israel Story to God’s intended glory for himself, for his true Israel, and for a Kingdom filled with righteousness and joy.When we do not understand that the “Gospel” is an integration of the Story of Israel and the Story of Jesus, what do we often miss? We miss what is so obvious that we pass right over it. We are so focused on the plan of salvation and our forgiveness that we cannot see the obvious message of the glory to come. We are hard-pressed to find a passage about the Kingdom without a description of God’s desire to bring us joy, peace, and rest. Is this the way we grew up thinking of God? Or, was the emphasis on whether or not you would be able to escape God’s wrath? Evidence God’s IntentionsWhen Matthew introduced Jesus to us, the first seven chapters mirror Moses in his birth, escape from death, his deliverance of the people, his giving of the law, and the promise of living righteously in a kingdom of joy. The Sermon on the Mount begins with Jesus exclaiming “Blessed” eight times.In Matthew 11:2-6 when John asked if Jesus “is the one who is to one, or shall we look for another,” Jesus said, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.” The Kingdom is about the Lord healing that which has afflicted us. Revelation 22 tells us that the Tree of Life is for “the healing of the nations.” When Jesus described the Kingdom, he used parables of joy and abundance to picture the kingdom. Parable of the wedding feast (Mt. 22), Water to wine @ the Wedding of Cana (Jn. 2), Jesus refers to himself as the bridegroom and thus a time for eating and drinking (Mark 2). The Great Supper (Luke 14)Parable of the Talents: “Enter into the joy of your Lord.”Jesus’ warning to the Jews of what they will miss in Matt. 8:11-12, “I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Do you know that when God asks us to assemble together, to love one another fervently, and encourage one another daily, he has us foreshadowing our kingdom life and the joy we will share with one another in eternity. If that is not one of your top motivations for today and in eternity, you have misunderstood the meaning of being a Christian. Jesus repeatedly performed miracles of abundance: Feeding 5000 and 4000, turning water to wine (180 gallons).In Romans 8, Paul speaks of us being adopted into the family of God as sons and daughters and that the glory we will enjoy cannot be compared to our present suffering. Hebrews 2 also speaks of Jesus “bringing many sons to glory.” The Kingdom is where glory is given and enjoyed.There are even more prophetic pictures in the Old Testament. We have already seen the obvious pictures of Garden of Eden and the Promised Land flowing with milk and honey for Israel. Isaiah 25:6 “On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken. It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” Isaiah 55:12-13 “For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall make a name for the LORD, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.” Isaiah 61:1-3 “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD’S favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.” Psalm 27:4 “One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.” Psalms 43:4-5 “Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.” Psalm 45:15-17 “With joy and gladness they are led along as they enter the palace of the king. In place of your fathers shall be your sons; you will make them princes in all the earth. I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations; therefore nations will praise you forever and ever.” Psalm 84 Finally, when Peter preaches the first gospel message, he concludes with “…and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, for the promise is to you and your children and to all who are far off.” Later, Paul refers to this promise in Ephesians 1:13-14 and in Galatians 3. When John the Baptist burst on the scene, his first message was that the one who comes after me will “baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” This promise is a reference to God’s promises to Abraham of being in a great nation/kingdom, of having your name great, and of being given a “great land” where there is abundance and enemies cannot enter. This promise was considered even greater than forgiveness. Forgiveness was necessary, but the promise of the Kingdom superseded all else. Conclusion: What is God all about in his relationship with us? It is a King, a marriage, a family, and the greatest joy and pleasure beyond anything we can imagine.
Lesson: Are you serving him in a way that appreciates and desires him and his kingdom? Or, is this life with its trials an possessions swallowing up your time. Remember Jesus words to the Jews? “There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see…” There will be no pain like the pain of missing what God has planned. Don’t be lazy. Don’t let inconvenience keep you from all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. This is urgent! The time is short. The longer you delay, the less likely you will change.
The post The Gospel We Always Desired appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.
View all episodes
