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| Rev. Brian Wilkie |
By Rev.
Brian Wilkie
Pastor of St. Andrew's Christian Community
Rockland, Ontario
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PODCAST LINK to CFRA
broadcast - Sunday, May 18th, 2014:
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Broadcast Notes:
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‘The Simple Gospel’
Welcome to
Good News In the Morning a program of words and music bringing a Christian
message of hope and encouragement to those who are looking for intelligent
meaningful and spirited approach to faith and to life.
For the month
of May these programs are brought to you by GOOD NEWS CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES, and
the generous support of WILLS TRANSFER, LIMITED, 3100 Swansea Drive, Ottawa. I'm
your host today, Brian Wilkie of St. Andrew's Christian Church in Rockland. I also
want to thank you, our listeners. We are so grateful for your encouragement and
support. Please remember that you can always visit our website for materials to
encourage and support you in your Christian walk.
If you miss an
episode of the show you can go to our website and download the podcast or the
MP3 of our broadcast.
The Scripture
today is a very familiar one, I hope. It's a Scripture from the Gospel of John
and we begin reading at verse 13 of the third chapter.
“No one has ever
gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven, the Son of Man. Just as
Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the
world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not
perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send his Son into the world
to condemn the world but to save the world through him.”
This is the
Word of God, and it's really the gospel in just a few sentences. Today as we
take a look into the word of God we are actually just going to look at the
simplicity and fullness of the gospel as it is expressed in John chapter 3.
We’ll do that
in a few moments but for now I'd like to have you listen with me to a song by
Jackie Velazquez. It's based on the Scripture that we just heard, ‘God so Loved
the World.’
Have you ever
been asked to express the gospel in one sentence? It can be a difficult thing
to do. The Lord himself has given us the Bible with 66 books it, with tens of
thousands of words to express the fullness of his plan of salvation and the way
that we can come to know him through Jesus Christ. The gospel is not always
entirely simple because it has to do with every part of our life, everything
that we do, every relationship that we are in. God gives us insight and
guidelines and direction in all those parts of life through the word of
Scripture but when you have to share the gospel with someone or when you're
trying to get to the core things yourself,
is there one sentence the can express everything that you that you need
to say in that moment? Obviously John 3:16 has been that sentence for many
people. It's the word of God and it contains so much of the gospel in it that
can be readily unpacked and explained so that the sentence doesn't need to
stand on its own but contains pointers to different parts of God's purpose and
plan for us.
In the last
week before this broadcast I was spending some time at a Pastors’ Conference in
Toronto and it was a little bit unusual for me. Most of the pastors’
conferences that I've been to have been very practical, or at least that's what
they seem to consider themselves. They want to tell you how to grow your church,
how to solve particular problems in your congregation, how do how to encourage
yourself, or get involved in encouraging with supportive relationships, how to
take care of purity in your life, (which is important practical aspect of being
a pastor and being a Christian), but sometimes they seem to be so interested in
the current problems we’re facing that there can be a neglect of the message of
the gospel itself. For myself I found it very refreshing at the conference I
was just at, that it wasn't all about how to grow your church, how to build
your congregation, it was about ‘who is Jesus?’ and ‘what is the gospel?’ The
question, over and over again, was about what's the proper biblical
understanding of who Jesus is, and how do we connect anew and afresh with the
good news that is the reason for all that we do? There weren’t messages about
church growth but there were messages about sharing the good news with others. One
of the questions we were faced with was, “How would you express the gospel in
one sentence?”
Have you got
an answer for that question? If you were perhaps trying to answer someone who asked
you, “yes, I’ve heard John 3:16, but how would you put it?” I think just about
any attempt to express the gospel in as short a form as possible is always going
to end up being a paraphrase of John 3:16 because that is the root of the
gospel. Here is the message that that God has given us.
Now and I was
faced with that question in discussion during the conference I pulled out a
phrase or sentence that I've used in the past and thought about it a bit more. I
put it this way: if I would express to you our listeners the gospel in my own
words, in one sentence, it would be this, “That God so much desires to spend
eternity with you that he sent his only Son, Jesus, to invite you, to prepare
the way for you, and to fit you for his kingdom.”
God wants to
spend eternity with us.
God so loves
the world that he wants to spend all eternity with you and me. There are other
people expressing the gospel in single sentences, and each sentence brings some
aspects of the gospel or highlights some aspects of the gospel.
What you find
most astonishing about the gospel?
·
That that God was willing to lay down his life for
you? or perhaps
·
That God could be present, entirely, fully God, in
his Son? That Jesus Christ is God and that God became flesh and dwelt among us?
or is it
·
that it's so easy to receive the gospel? That it
says that if you receive Jesus Christ, he gives you the right to become
children of God. Is that what astonishes you? That it's by grace operating
through faith? That it's a gift of God, not something you obtained by works?
·
or are you filled with wonder just at the idea of
eternal life, eternal joy, a world that is made perfect and a world that is
worth spending eternity in?
What are the
things about the gospel that absolutely astonish you, and what would you
express to your friends and neighbors? What would you tell another Christian? What
would you tell an unbeliever if you want to express what is closest to your
heart in the gospel of Jesus Christ?
Knowing the
gospel gives us other things to share as well. It gives us the testimony of how
God has encouraged us in our life. What would you say to somebody, in one
sentence, about the role God has played in your life and the way that faith has
changed your life? Is it a particular struggle which you have had support,
encouragement and victory over as you walked with God? Is it the sustaining
power, even as you go through difficulties? Now some people have miraculous
stories of healing and deliverance. Some people can talk about being at the
bottom of the barrel and being picked up by God. What's your testimony about
the gospel?
The work, no,
the joy of sharing the gospel comes in these two forms: in the objective the
facts – here is what God has done, he sent his Son into the world – and in the
subjective – here is the difference that this gospel has made my life. I think each of these are part of sharing the
gospel. We can't have one without the other. Some people will hear an
explanation of the facts of history which is so important to ground our faith
in reality rather than just imagination, yet they might ask us the question, “What
difference has it made? What change is apparent because of this gospel you’ve
told me?” and another person might hear us share a testimony of an experience
we've had or feeling we felt, an orientation of our heart or of our mind. They
might say, “Yes, but how can I know it's true? You've experienced this and I
can't question your feelings, but I can question whether this is something that
anyone can have or believe. I want to know whether this is for me, or just for
people like you.”
The subjective,
the personal experience, needs to be supported by the facts and testimony of
Scripture. The testimony and facts of Scripture often need to be supported by
your own testimony, your own witness to the difference this has made in your
life.
It's so
important that we be able to express the gospel not only for our own
encouragement, but for the sake of those who really do need the love of God in
their lives.
This next song
that we are going to listen to is from a celebration of hymns is the hymn “New
every morning is love” and this marries the subjective and the objective: it is
the word of Scripture speaking about how God's mercies are new every morning,
and it's also the experience of so many believers. Let's listen to this hymn
together.
I was speaking
earlier this morning about the two questions that we were looking at in the in
the gospel in the conference I attended: ‘What is the gospel?’ and ‘Who is
Jesus?’ These two things go hand in hand together, don't they? The gospel is
Jesus Christ! The good news is that God has sent Jesus Christ! As we look at
the Scripture from John 3:16. In that familiar phrase, “God so loved the world
that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him should not
perish but have everlasting life.” we see that it speaks about who Jesus is,
and how he comes to bring good news to us.
I love that it
begins with a declaration that God so loved the world. In Scripture we have the
phrase ‘the world’ used in two different ways. Sometimes ‘the world’ refers to
the world as it is today with powers opposed to God, working in rebellion
against him; with disease and sickness rampant; with people lonely and isolated,
hurt and hurting: The world of human desires and appetites being pursued
without any restraint, without any consideration for their neighbor, or for the
will of God. That’s a world that we’re told to avoid; a world that are told to not
participate in. We are not to fill our worldly desires.
But then
throughout Scripture is also ‘the world’ as the creation of God. Everything
that was made was made beautifully and wonderfully by God. Each person, even in
this fallen world, is loved by God, even as the circumstances of their
conception or birth may actually come in horrible situations. They may be born
into difficult circumstances. They may in fact be born with congenital problems
and difficulties that don't reflect the goodness that God originally intended
for them. But God loves his world. God loves each person in it. He loves his
creation, even the inanimate objects the stars spread across the skies. The
word of Scripture, in Jesus own words, declare that God sees the sparrow when
it falls. He loves his world. He loves you and me. When Jesus says that God so
loved the world that he sent his only son that whosoever believes in him should
not perish but have of everlasting life, ‘the world’ in particular means you
and me; means humanity. God so loved us
that he sent his son so that we might believe in him.
It also
suggests in this little phrase, ‘God so loved the world that he sent his Son,’ that
our salvation, our transformation into the image of Jesus Christ, is something
that has benefits beyond humanity: that our salvation benefits the whole earth.
God so loved his creation that he came
and saved fallen humanity through Jesus Christ.
God so loved
the world that he gave his one and only
son. The gospel of John here declares that Jesus is unique. He's not just a
prophet, is not just a godly man, or a seer. he's not like anybody else who's
ever lived on this planet. He is God's only begotten son. He is the unique gift
of God to us. He is, in fact, as we find another declarations within John's
Gospel and throughout the Scriptures, he is, in fact, a person of the Trinity. He
is divine. He is fully God, even as he is fully human. God sent someone
irreplaceable and precious to us and he gave him to us.
The Scripture
just before verse 15 says that the Son of Man must be lifted up so that whoever
believes in him may have eternal life, and the Scriptures speak of how God
gave his Son: he gave his Son for us as the atoning sacrifice. God, in the
flesh, was willing to die in order that we might live. God so loved the world
that he gave Jesus his son to us.
Then it speaks
about how we may receive this gift. It doesn't say that if you're good enough
you can receive this gift; you can earn this gift somehow. You can't earn gifts!
You can only earn wages, as Paul says at another part of Scripture. Instead God
gave his Son so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have
everlasting life.
The way to
gain salvation is to put your trust in Jesus Christ. The word believe here
means to believe, to trust, to receive, to welcome. The one who looks to Jesus
as Lord and Savior is the one who receives this new life. God so much wants to
spend eternity with us that he sent Jesus his son to invite us into that
eternity. He also sent his Son to give us a way to receive that invitation. He
sent his Son to open a way, that his death on the cross, the giving of the Son
would enable us to have eternal life. We believe in him and based on his
goodness, based on God's willingness to save, we find ourselves forgiven and
free, recipients of new life.
The gospel
includes this phrase that whoever believes in him will not perish. Death is
something that doesn't need to be debated. When talking about the Christian
message everyone recognizes that death is a reality that human beings face. Scientists
even speculate about how the universe itself may die, given enough time. Whether
will collapse into a black hole or extend forever cooling-off until there is no
life and no energy left to be expressed through starlight, and radiation and
the warmth of planets and the growth of life. Everything will die apart from
God's work.
Humans are
particularly good at pretending that everything's okay; at acting as though
death doesn't really mean anything. But when we take some time to reflect
soberly, we see that to ‘perish’ is our natural destination.
Without some
change, without salvation, all human beings will perish. So the Good News does
remind us of something we try to forget, but it simply reminds us in order to
tell us that there is an alternative; that those who received Jesus who are
willing to be transformed and fit for heaven by the power of God in Jesus
Christ, these people need not perish they can have eternal life.
Elsewhere Paul
says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. He declares
that everyone need salvation. Then he says that those who receive Jesus Christ
are able to be fitted for heaven, are able to receive eternal life as a
gracious gift from God.
You may be
hearing this message for the first time. There is always a chance of someone
tunes in and hasn't been listening before and hasn't heard the gospel
spelled-out through the words of John 3:16. You yourself may be wondering if
you can receive Jesus Christ. And you can! It's as simple as acknowledging your
sin, acknowledging your need for a Savior and recognizing that Jesus Christ is
the one sent for your salvation. To accept him as Lord means to seek to follow
him, and as you as you ask him to be your Lord and Savior, you are asking him
to begin the transformation of your life. I hope that you take the opportunity
to do that today.
Let's take a
moment now to pray:
Almighty God, I
want to thank you that we do have the opportunity to receive eternal life
through your son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Lord, may you
forgive us our sins and transform us, in every respect, so that we can be
filled with the love that has saved us and live out obedience to your word, and
the fullness of your grace.
Almighty God, for
those who are receiving you, at any time, we pray that your Holy Spirit will just
continue to fill them with love and joy and peace, as they come to know you and
your Word.
And for us who
have received you before, may you freshen in us, our love for you, so that we
might share the good news; we might tell others about the facts of your
salvation and the difference that it’s made in our lives.
We ask all this
in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Almighty God I
want to thank you that we do have the opportunity to receive eternal life
through your son Jesus Christ our Lord. Lord may you forgive us our sins and
transform us in every respect, so that we can be filled with the love that has
saved us and live out obedience to your word and the fullness of your grace.
Almighty God
for those who are receiving you at any time we pray that your Holy Spirit will
just continue to fill them with love and joy and peace as they come to know you
and your word.
And for us who
have received you before, may you freshen in us our love for you so that we
might share the good news; we might tell others about the facts of your
salvation and the difference that it's made in our lives. We ask all this in
Jesus’ name, Amen
Once again I
want to thank you, our listeners, for your encouragement and support. We do
thank you because you keep us on the air week by week. We want to encourage you
to support our ministry financially if you can. Did you know the Good News Ministries
has only one major cost? The four hosts, Brent Russett, George Sinclair, Juliet
Schimpf and myself, are volunteers, and so are the people manage our website
organize our events and operate our board. Your gift can help us continue to
meet that one vital expense, the cost of broadcasting, which enables us to
reach you and over 7000 listeners in the Ottawa River Valley. I know I've
already said it, but I want to say once again: we want to express our gratitude
to Wills Transfer Limited at 3100 Swansea Drive in Ottawa, for their generous
support that is covering the cost of our broadcast this month.
As for you be
sure to worship in a church where the gospel is soundly proclaimed and lived
out with compassion integrity and resolve. And now to conclude our program I
would like to have you listen to a song the song is called “And This is Love,”
sung by the group Glad from their album The A Cappella Project.
I do pray the
Lord will hold your heart and you would know Jesus personally and profoundly. May
the Holy Spirit reside deep within your heart. may the heavenly Father surround
you with his constant and abiding and accompanying love.
Good News In
The Morning is produced in the Studios of News Talk Radio 580 CFRA.
- Rev. Brian Wilkie
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To listen to the above
broadcast, click on the following link:
