What then is the Gospel? Are they just the readings the priest does on Sunday? Or the 4 books of the Bible at the front of the New Testament/second half of the Bible?
‘Gospel’ is the English translation twice over of the Greek word euangelion, which means good message or good news and pertains to the good news that “Christ is coming, Christ has come, and Christ will come again.” Simply put, the Gospel is Jesus and his propitiary sacrifice – He is the reason we have breath, He is the reason we can love, He is the reason above every other reason for why we are here and for where He has placed us. He died in our place, because as sinful humans, inheriting the sin nature of Adam, we were under the condemnation of death, because the 'wages of sin is death.' God viewed us as spiritually dead, and unable to commune with Him. Not until repentance - a decision to choose Christ to be our Lord and Savior and turn away from the rejection of his sovereignty, so that the blood of Jesus' sacrifice for us restores us to a right standing with God. We have life because Jesus died instead of us and all of our sins we have ever committed and ever will commit can now be forgiven because of his death on the cross. That's why he cried out on the cross, because the sin burden of all mankind became charged against him, resulting in a separation from the Father who cannot look upon sin because He is so Holy. Thus, the Gospel message is at the heart of God’s purposes and relationship with his human creation.
That He would pierce eternity to be in communion with His people is not a simple matter. Many people enjoy the Gospel message sung to them in the beautiful work of Handel, yet I wonder how many find it a call from God?
We continue…
Isaiah 7:14 (prophecy) and Matthew 1:23 (fulfillment) “Behold a virgin will conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel, God with us.”
This is the greatest gift God has given us – Himself in Jesus and His Spirit. Do you know that when God calls you out from all of time to become one of His children, He regenerates you (i.e., you are born again – given a new spiritual life in Christ), and then – miracles of all miracles – He comes to live in us. Emmanuel – God with us. (Romans 8) His habitation creates a new life for us and in us, and enables us to live out lives that submit to His love. So, He came to live on earth, He came to live in Mary, and then He came to live in us. In the future, He will come again (but that’s another part of Messiah!!).
The air continues: Isaiah 40:9; 60:1 “O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up into the high mountain; O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength, lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold thy God! Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.”
Being a prophet in ancient times was not the easiest job. Being a prophet of God Jehovah whom He used to foretell and forth-tell His Word to people could be downright life-threatening. The good news that God’s prophet was tasked with carrying to the people could be received either way, yet the news was life-giving. So that everyone will hear, a prophet could go to a high elevation to make the pronouncement. The weightiness of this particular message would necessitate the prophet or heralder to get up into the high mountain – the news would be echoed off the mountain walls and carried for miles! God emboldened His messengers to speak His Words. He put the Words into their mouths. The good news to the remnant of Judah signaled restoration and reconciliation was near. The light of the world has come. (John 1:1-18)
Jesus, the Light, came into the world, bringing His healing to a hurting people. He spoke from a mountain glad tidings to people gathered there, and they saw their God walking among them in the flesh. The glory of the Lord, and His grace and high favor had risen up on them. Their faces were alit by the divine presence. Today, we are the heralders. We are tasked to bring glad tidings to a lost and hurting world. We are given the Words of God that will reconcile people to Him. Nothing man can create or make up can accomplish the power that the words of The Word can. We are a privileged people to receive them and share them. Only through the message of this gospel can the glory of the Lord be seen on His people. Anything less is a shallow light.
Beyond the remnant of Judah – to the Gentiles. That is us! This is indeed good news – God’s message of salvation and reconciliation would embrace those who were non-Jews and not proselytized. His promise to Abraham was that his seed or offspring would bless the world; Jesus fulfills that prophecy. God calls a people from beyond time that would include all tribes and peoples of the earth to become His in a new relationship. He has called us forth from darkness – from alienation from Him, from spiritual death, into the glorious light of Himself. (Ephesians 2:1-10) He has given us His Word – His message of Light, and true enlightenment to sustain us in that life in the Light. The ‘kings’ coming to the brightness of thy rising may refer to the so-called wise men who followed the light to where Jesus was born. How wise are we? Do we follow the light?
And, then, in a series of heralds, the birth of the Messiah is announced, and Handel is first inspired from Isaiah’s prophecy in chapter 9:6 to score “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
The virgin named Mary – a teenage girl betrothed to the man Joseph – carried Jesus within her. She was not a popular girl any longer. Her friends deserted her. Her father and mother were ashamed; the family name was dragged in the mud. In those times a young woman who was perceived to have had sexual relations outside of marriage could be stoned to death - both she and any child she was carrying. God's law concerning marriage and sexual purity were still in effect. Everyone shunned her; even her fiance could not believe that she would wrong him like that! He was cut to the heart for he loved her. Yet, Joseph - a man broken by what he thought was deceit, and particularly believed to be a crime, decided with much anguish and pain to settle the matter quietly and not bring her before a tribunal. His sacrifice was rewarded by God's message to him explaining what had befallen Mary and the miracle into which his own life would be enmeshed. As wondrous as this miracle was, it was clear that carrying Christ within one’s self does not always engender kind responses, not even from those closest to us. Yet, the joy that Mary would see, the faith that God had given her to continue this labor of love, helped her and eventually, her husband Joseph to press on.
Their faith - no doubt tested severely on the trek to Bethlehem - yielded the fruit that changed the world. A son – a progenitor, giver of life – was born. Not just a child, but one who is the Mighty God and Everlasting Father. A ruler whose power would supersede human government. His name – Jesus, which means God is salvation – forth-told what His purpose on earth would be.
We, too, who have accepted God’s invitation to let Him dwell in us, will at times face difficulties because of that relationship. Yet, think of the fruit we are yielding – we are God’s instruments to carry life to persons through this transforming Gospel message. His indwelling Spirit makes it possible for us to achieve what no program no matter how noble, and no self-help set of seven principles can achieve – He empowers us even in the most challenging of times, to bring Jesus to others. What He has done is truly Wonderful!
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