Category Archives: Good News

The REST of the Story

Posted by Dan C. on

“– in a minute, you’re going to hear the rest of the story.” – Paul Harvey

Paul Harvey was an American radio broadcaster from 1951 – 2008. Beginning in 1951, he broadcast News and Comment for ABC Radio News. In 1976 his famous The Rest of the Story program premiered, in which he provided backstories behind famous people and events.  The program was broadcast for 33 years, until his death in 2009. The programs would conclude with another famous quote:

“And now you know — the REST of the story.”

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The month of December marks, for many, the end of their favorite time of the year – the period between Thanksgiving and New Years Day. There are Christmas lights everywhere, Christmas music all the time on radio and stations and Christmas movies on every channel. People flock to stores and shopping malls to find gifts for friends and loved ones. And of course, there is all of the wonderful family time!

Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, which honors the incarnation of the Son of God. Setting aside any discussions/arguments about Jesus’ actual date of birth, as well as all the other ways we engage in debating the virtues of celebrating Christmas as a special day, let us honor the birth of our Savior and Messiah!

LET US REJOICE WITH THE PROPHET!

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.” Isaiah 9:6-7

LET US MARVEL WITH THE SHEPHERDS!

“And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”” Luke 2:8-14

LET US BOW DOWN IN HUMILITY WITH JOSEPH!

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). – Matthew 1:18-23

It’s in the words of the angel of the Lord that we find the central purpose for which Jesus came to earth.

“She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”- Mattthew 1:21

While we would all agree that Jesus was the greatest gift given to men in the history of the universe, let us remember and reflect upon

the fact that it’s Christ’s death for OUR sin that made it the greatest gift ever given to us by an all-loving God. As the Apostle John so simply and eloquently tells us:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

Should we not daily carry in our hearts the sentiment of the Apostle Paul, as he counseled a young preacher?

“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.”  – 1 Timothy 1:15

While we celebrate Christ’s birth, let us remember that His incarnation was but the beginning of a journey – a journey that lead to the Cross at Calvary where Jesus paid the price for OUR sin, and that by God’s design. Listen to the Apostle Peter preaching in Jerusalem at Pentecost:

“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know—this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.” – Acts 2:22-23

But there’s MORE! The journey didn’t end at Calvary!

The singular event, without which our faith in the Christ Child would be in vain, was yet to come! Peter continued:

“God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.”  – Acts 2:24

Let us envision, with the Apostle John, that great scene in heaven:

“Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” – Revelation 5:1-9

Enjoy this wonderful Season with friends, family, schoolmates, co-workers, and maybe even the strangers you meet standing in line at your local pharmacy, or waiting for the downtown bus, or your flight home for the holidays

Above all, Dear friends, as we celebrate the birth of the baby Jesus this year, let us also hold close to our hearts His journey to the Cross and beyond, and while doing so, let us pray for and look for opportunities to share, with great love and compassion, the REST of the story!

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The Good News About God’s Wrath

Posted by Dan C. on

by Cameron Buettel, Friday, September 18, 2020

Ray Comfort once told me that sinners seek after God in the same way a thief seeks after a policeman. That’s a colorful way of describing the fallen human condition, but it’s also biblically accurate. The apostle Paul put it succinctly: “There is none who seeks for God” (Romans 3:11). John MacArthur expands on this biblical truth in his Romans commentary:    

Men are not naturally inclined to seek God. That truth was proved conclusively in the earthly ministry of Christ. Even when face-to-face with God incarnate, the Light of the world, “men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed” (John 3:19–20). As David had proclaimed hundreds of years earlier, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; there is no one who does good” (Psalm 14:1). Sinful men oppose the idea of a holy God because they innately realize that such a God would hold them accountable for the sins they love and do not want to relinquish.

Every person, no matter how isolated from God’s written Word or the clear proclamation of His gospel, has enough divine truth evident both within and around him (Romans 1:19–20) to enable him to know and be reconciled to God if his desire is genuine. It is because men refuse to respond to that evidence that they are under God’s wrath and condemnation. “This is the judgment,” Jesus said, “that . . . men loved the darkness rather than the Light” (John 3:19). Thus “God is angry with the wicked every day” (Psalm 7:11, KJV). [1]

Due to our dire sinful predicament, we actually need God to seek us—and He begins that work by alerting us to impending danger. We should heed the words of John the Baptist, who warned his hearers to “flee from the wrath to come” (Luke 3:7). God’s wrath is integral in awakening us to our greatest problem—but it also points us to God’s solution to that problem.

Satisfying God’s Wrath

Paul’s great gospel discourse begins with the revelation of God’s wrath in Romans 1:18. And it climaxes two chapters later with the propitiation of God’s wrath.

But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:21–26, emphasis added)

For the sake of our current theme, I want to zero in on three crucial theological points from this passage concerning God’s wrath. First, that we are all guilty “for all have sinned” (Romans 3:23), and therefore deserve God’s wrath. Second, we can be “justified”—gain a righteous legal standing before God and no longer be under His wrath—by grace through Christ’s redemptive work (Romans 3:24). And third, God can justify sinners (without compromising His justice) because Christ has now satisfied God’s wrath—being “displayed publically as a propitiation”—as a substitute for His people. As John MacArthur explains, reconciliation between God and man hinges on Christ propitiating—or satisfying—God’s righteous wrath against sinners:

Romans 3:25, 1 John 4:10 and 1 John 2:2 all say that Christ made propitiation for our sins, meaning that His sacrifice on the cross satisfied God. The offering of Christ was sufficient to placate God’s wrath against sin and fulfill all the holy demands of His perfect justice. God could not be satisfied with us until His own Son’s sacrifice fully paid the price of our sin. He could not take us into His family until His bought our forgiveness.

How do we know God was satisfied? Because He raised Christ from the dead, took Him into glory, and seated Him at His own right hand (Hebrews 1:3).

When we talk about being saved, when we talk about being delivered, it’s important to know what we are being saved from. We are delivered from our own sin, of course. We are saved from an eternity in hell. But those things are possible only because God Himself safeguards us from His judgment, through the sacrifice of His only begotten Son. [2]

Ultimately, God saves sinners from Himself—from the judgment that His justice demands. That’s why the gospel of Christ is robbed of its true meaning without the essential component of God’s wrath. It affirms God’s justice. It necessitates a Savior. And it explains the cross. We provoked God’s wrath by our sin, and Christ satisfied it by His substitutionary atonement. That’s what makes the good news actually good news.

When preachers ignore—or even deny—the doctrine of God’s wrath, the repercussions are devastating. Their god becomes a vain idol who is indifferent to evil. The perpetrators become the victims. Their savior doesn’t really save us from anything. And their cross becomes a tragic death—not a triumphant victory.

We cannot afford to live in ignorance of this glorious doctrine. It must be affirmed. It must be proclaimed. And it must be embraced as the truth that necessitated our glorious Savior. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him” (Romans 5:8–9).

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[1] John MacArthur, The Gospel According to Paul (Nashville, TN: Nelson Books 2017) 162

[2] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary : Romans 1-8 (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 1991), 67-68

The Divine Mission of the Christ Child

Posted by Dan C. on

Well here we are, once again in the middle of the Christmas season. It seems appropriate to provide a reminder of Jesus’ Divine calling and mission. Amidst all the hustle and bustle, we tend to think of all sorts of things and neglect the fact that God sent His Son to us for a very specific reason that was revealed to Joseph:

“And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” – Matthew 1:19-20

John Gill expressed it well:

He shall save – This expresses the same as the name, and on this account the name was given to him. He saves people by dying to redeem them; by giving the Holy Spirit to renew them (John 16:7-8); by His power in enabling them to overcome their spiritual enemies, in defending them from danger, in guiding them in the path of duty, in sustaining them in trials and in death; and He will raise them up at the last day, and exalt them to a world of purity and love.

His people – Those whom the Father has given to him. The Jews were called the people of God because he had chosen them to himself, and regarded them as His special and beloved people, separate from all the nations of the earth. Christians are called the people of Christ because it was the purpose of the Father to give them to him (Isaiah53:11; John 6:37); and because in due time he came to redeem them to himself (Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 1:2).

From their sins – This was the great business of Jesus in coming and dying. It was not to save people in their sins, but from their sins. Sinners could not be happy in heaven. It would be a place of wretchedness to the guilty. The design of Jesus was, therefore, to save them from sin.

Have you ever noticed how we tend to separate Christmas and Easter, the two greatest events on the Christian calendar? One is about the birth of our Savior and the other about his death and resurrection.

Somehow I suspect that in the mind of God such a separation has never existed. God knew the end from the beginning and everything in between.

Am I suggesting that we, as Christians, should dwell on Christ’s death when we celebrate his birth? Not at all. What I am saying is that in the midst of all the gift giving, tree decorating, carol singing and family gatherings we never forget the divine mission of the Christ child. For it is the remembering of that that mission – the Father giving the Son to save us from our sins – that the Christmas spirit reaches its fullest and deepest meaning in the human heart.

May God bless you this Christmas and throughout the coming year!

Six Characteristics of the Wrath of God in One Verse

Posted by Dan C. on

If you’re the sort of person that doesn’t care much for the subject of the wrath of God, this post is for you. If you are a professing Christian who accepted Jesus as savior but did so not based on facing the issue of human sin head on, but based on something else, such as your ‘best life now’, this post is also for you!

Six Characteristics of the Wrath of God in One Verse

The verse:

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.” Rom 1:18b

The six characteristics of God’s wrath found in the verse:

1. Quality. It is the wrath of God, and therefore a perfect wrath. If it was not perfect then God would not be perfect and he would not be God

2. Time. The wrath of God is revealed. Not ‘was’ revealed, not ‘will be’ revealed, but IS revealed. That means yesterday, today, tomorrow and always.

3. Source. The wrath of God is revealed from heaven. We are talking about a divine and all powerful wrath, that in no way can be compared with mere human anger.

4. Nature. “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.” This a divine, perfect and holy wrath against the sin of men. That’s us.

5. Extent. The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against ALL ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. This a divine, perfect and holy wrath against the sin of men. Not just the ‘big’ sins, or certain types of sin, but against ALL of OUR sin.

6. Cause. “The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. What truth? The Gospel truth that Paul was not ashamed of and is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes, who are the just who live by faith (vv. 16 and 17).

Have you believed the gospel? My friend, if you haven’t, you are living under the holy wrath of a holy God, and condemned where you stand. (John 3:18, John 3:36).

If you have not believed in Christ for the forgiveness of your sin, there is GOOD NEWS! As Jesus said. . .

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16

Believe in the One upon whom God poured the holy, just, and perfect wrath that we all deserve!

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HT: John MacArthur, j