That was the message the angels delivered to the shepherds that night announcing the birth of Christ in the City of David, a.k.a. Bethlehem. (You might read my post from yesterday first if you missed it. I have some ‘bad news’ to deliver here today)
I was making the case in my post yesterday that it is hard to truly appreciate and grasp why news is ‘good news’ without first hearing and understanding the ‘bad news’.
But for all the possible words those angels could have delivered that night to the shepherds, they wanted them clearly to know...what they were proclaiming was ‘good news for ALL people”. (Luke 2:10)
Christ, the Savior of all the world, had been born.
Nine months previously, Joseph, Mary’s soon to be husband, had also been brought ‘into the loop’ being informed that Mary was with child and that God was in the middle of all this and that “His name would be called Jesus and that He would save His people from their sins.” (Matt. 1:21). We then read in the next verse that this was a fulfillment of prophesy and that this child, born of a virgin, would be ‘called ‘Immanuel’ which translated, means ‘God with Us’. (Isa. 7:14)
For those of you who like the ‘cliff notes’, let’s fast forward so we are all on the same page here. Jesus Christ was God who came in the flesh to save us from our sins. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God...and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1:1,14). (Not here to debate this, just sharing what the bible clearly states)
And this was to be good news for all of humanity...whether they believed it or not...whether they accepted it, or not...and whether they embraced it and let it change their lives, or not. This was the great gift from God...to ‘whosoever believeth’. (John 3:16)
It can be challenging at times, to try and wrap your head around the reasons why anyone...would reject or dismiss the gift that God gave the world. You have to think at times that they, for one reason or another, failed to truly understand what this ‘gift’ was all about and why it was given to us.
As stated, Jesus was born into this world...to ‘save His people from their sins’. (Matt. 1:21)
Some thirty years later, when His time had come to declare the gospel of God’s kingdom, He came declaring that the ‘Spirit of the Lord was upon Him and had anointed Him to preach the gospel to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty or freedom to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind and...to set at liberty those who were oppressed.” (Luke 4:18-19)
Let me remind you once again, the word ‘gospel’ literally means ‘good news’. What I am here to do today, is make the case as to why this is ‘good news’, and as I shared yesterday, context helps. Hearing the bad news first...makes us appreciate the good news even more.
In the early pages of both the gospel of Matthew and Luke, we are referred back to the writings of old, stating the condition of all of humanity at the time of Christ’s arrival.
“The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death, Light has dawned.” (Matt. 4:16)
“The Dayspring from on high has visited us; to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Luke 1:78-79). If you care to know how we ended up in that condition, you’ll find the answer in Ps. 107:10-11.
You and I ...were born into this world, that was enveloped and covered in spiritual darkness. This was not the world that God had originally designed and created. Sin...messed that all up for us. Sin...brought death to all mankind and separation from God who was and is the giver and author of life. Apart from Him, there is no true life. (Isa. 59:2; John 10:10; 5:40).
Prior to coming to Him, we were ‘dead in our sins and trespasses’. (Eph. 2:1-3). Sin had entered the world through Adam who was given a free choice to eat off the tree of life, but he chose the other tree that brought death...just like he had been warned would happen. (Gen. 2:17). Hence, death spread to all men throughout the whole world. (Rom. 5:12). This is the world you and I were born in to.
There was a curse upon this world. God’s wrath was on this world because of sin. We read in 1 John 5:19 that the whole world was under the influence or power of the ‘wicked one’. We are told that we were perishing and had been blinded from the ‘light of the gospel’ by the ‘god of this world’. (2 Cor. 4:3-4) We are, of course, talking about Satan- (Rev. 12:9)
And...a verse that seems to slip by us when we read through John 3, is the last verse in that chapter that informs us...”those who do not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides (remains) on him.” (36)
Have you ever given much consideration as to what the implications of that statement means? And while I’m on this, ...how do you effectively and tactfully inform someone...that ‘something’ is on them in which they seem oblivious to?
The ‘wrath of God abides, remains, clings to anyone who does not believe in the Son, Jesus Christ. I’m gonna tell you right now that simply saying some words with your lips declaring that you do ‘believe’ does not always make it so. We read later in Paul’s letter that ‘many profess to know Him, but by their actions they deny Him’. (Titus 1:16)
We were, in short, captives...enslaved to another master. Sin...was the chains that bound us. (Ps. 107: 10-11...again) And since all sinned (Rom.3:23), all were slaves to Satan, who deceives the whole world. (Rev. 12:9; 1 John 5:19)
Jesus, who came to ‘proclaim liberty to the captives’ and ‘set at liberty those who were oppressed’ (Luke 4:18) made this declaration in John 8:34-35 “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever but a son abides forever.”
He then also makes it known that we shall ‘know the truth and the truth shall set us free’. (32,36)
What do you think Jesus sets us free from? I mean, was Joseph not told that Jesus would ‘save His people from their sins’? (Matt. 1:21)
Saved from our sins? We shall ‘know the truth and be made free’?
As previously stated, the ‘god of this world’ attempts to ‘blind the minds of those who are perishing’ from seeing the ‘light of the gospel’. Which means, if we can learn anything from what the serpent did back in the garden with Eve...he took God’s word and twisted it, distorted it, then flat out contradicted it and presented ‘another gospel’ to her. “Hath God said? You will not surely die...you can eat off this tree, Eve, and be just fine.” (Gen. 3:1-6). Paul warned us that would and could happen to us today. (2 Cor. 11:2-4). Maybe that is why he warned us to ‘not be deceived by empty words’. (Eph. 5:5-6)
So as I have written here before, repeatedly, the majority of ‘professing believers’ today will tell you they ‘continue to sin’ given they ‘are sinners saved by grace’ (as opposed to ‘were’ sinners) and that they will ‘always continue to sin’ and conclude by giving thanks to God that while they are ‘not perfect, they are forgiven’. Most are convinced that they will never, in this life, be able to do what Jesus instructed others to do which was to ‘go ...and sin no more’. (John 5:14; 8:11)
I have a question for those who have bought in to that lie: If you are going to continue to always sin, what exactly did He set you free from...and how...did He save you from your sins? (Putting a bucket under a leak in your house...is not fixing the leak. Just saying)
What has changed if you are going to continue to ‘sin’, maybe not as much or as bad as you once did, but still continue to sin? If you do, are you not still a ‘slave to sin’ as Jesus said one would be? (John 8:34). Which would mean you are still a ‘captive’, are you not?
If you are going to continually sin, is it possible ...that you have not been truly ‘born again’ (John 3:3-5) since we are told that ‘whoever is born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God” (1 John 3:9)?
And if that question irritates or offends you...can I ask you ...why is that? Am I not just simply sharing truth from God’s word with you here?
The wages of sin is still...death. (Rom. 6:23). If...one has truly repented and turned from their sin, that would clearly mean...they don’t do that anymore. As I stated recently...forgiveness is a wonderful thing...but He came with more than just ‘forgiveness’. He came to ‘fix’ the problem and set you free from the power of sin so you could indeed be free and ‘sin no more’. This...is the good news that the angels came declaring as did Jesus.
Light...came into the world to bring truth and freedom. Yet, quoting the words of Jesus: “This is the verdict: light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. Everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, let his deeds should be exposed.” (John 3:19-20). Maybe that is why John wrote: “Light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it.” (1:5). He goes on...”He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But...as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God.” (11). And you know what? “Whoever is born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in Him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.” (1 John 3:9)
That’s good news. Very good news. Being set free has always...been good news.
The bad news still stands...’unless you repent, you will all likewise perish’. (Luke 13:1-5:Acts 3:19-23)
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