THE GREATEST GOOD NEWS OF ALL TIME!

MORE THAN ESCAPING PUNISHMENT

So what is the Gospel? What is this good news the Bible speaks about?

Common answers are going to be:“It is about not going to hell.” “It is about going to heaven.” “It is about living with the Lord forever.”

Others may take it a little further and say, “It is about the streets of gold.” “It is about receiving crowns.” “It is about enjoying eternity in heaven.”

Then there are those who emphasize the earthly benefits of following Christ. They will tell you that Jesus will solve your problems, protect you from danger, bless your life, give you peace, perform miracles, and surround you with testimonies.

Now, while all of these things are true in their proper place, none of them is the heart of the Gospel. When I search the Scriptures, I realize that these explanations never fully expose what God Himself calls the good news.

There had to be something deeper. There had to be something that thrilled the heart of the Father. Something so glorious that heaven could not keep silent about it. Something that would make my heart burn with excitement. Something worth giving up everything for.

Surely, the Gospel cannot merely be about escaping hell. Hell is not good news. At best, the warning of hell prepares us to appreciate the good news.

Hell may be an appropriate place to begin with very little children; a child may hear about hell and say, “I don’t want to go there,” and that is understandable. He would soon mature to understand it is more than escaping Hell.

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But sisters, if, after many years of walking with Christ, our greatest motivation for following Him is still the fear of hell, then we have not yet matured. We are still spiritual infants. We are still wearing spiritual diapers.

Fear may awaken a sinner, but it cannot mature a son, dear sisters. 

God desires something much deeper than a relationship sustained by fear. The Gospel is far more glorious than simply escaping punishment. The Father is inviting us into something infinitely greater.

That is the good news we are about to discover.

THE REVELATION OF SONSHIP

What is the Gospel?

Go to the Scriptures, sis. Do not ask theology. Do not ask social media. Do not ask popular Christianity. Ask the Word of God. The Bible says:

“But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God…” — John 1:12

Notice that carefully.

The Gospel is not merely that your sins are forgiven. The Gospel is that you have been given the right, the privilege, and the power to become a son of God.

Then John writes again:

“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God…” – 1 John 3:1

Listen to those words. “Behold!” John is almost unable to contain himself. He is astonished; he is overwhelmed. He is saying, “Look at this! Can you believe this?” That sounds like good news!

What manner of love is this? That the God of heaven and earth, the Creator of the universe, the One who dwells in unapproachable light, the One with whom there is “no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17), would look upon fallen men and women and say, “I want you in My family.”

The Bible goes even further:

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” – Romans 8:14

And again:

“…ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” – Romans 8:15

Paul says the same thing in Galatians:

“To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” — Galatians 4:5

Can you see it, sisters?

The Gospel is about sonship.

This is the good news!!!!

The greatest news ever announced is not merely that sinners can escape hell; the greatest news is that sinners can become sons.

That the God of all the earth, the God who owns everything, the God who needs nothing, has chosen to adopt us into His own family.

He has not merely forgiven us, He has brought us home. He has not merely cancelled our debt, He has given us His Name. He has not merely rescued us from judgment, He has made us His children.

That is the Gospel. That is the good news.

THE LAW OF THE SEED

You see, God is rich in mercy. He owns everything, He created everything, and everything exists by Him, through Him, and for Him. There is nothing that God needs from His creation. Yet, if I may put it this way, there is one thing the Father has always desired:

Sons.

That has been His purpose from the very beginning.

This is why He sent His only begotten Son. Many people think Jesus came merely to die for our sins. Yes, He did. But why did He die? The answer is found in the law of the Seed:

“Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” – John 12:24

Jesus was the Father’s only begotten Son. But the Father never intended Him to remain the only One. The only begotten Son became the Seed. The Father sowed His beloved Son into the earth. The Seed fell into the ground. The Seed died. The Seed rose again. And the harvest began.

After His resurrection, Jesus ascended to the Father and sat down at His right hand, exactly as the Scriptures declared:

“Sit thou at My right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.” – Psalm 110:1

Then the Father fulfilled the next verse:

“The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.”  Psalm 110:2

The Rod of ty strength, the Holy Spirit was poured out from heaven to begin the next phase of the Father’s plan.

Christ had been planted; now Christ would be reproduced!

The Holy Spirit came, not merely to make people religious, but to reproduce the life of the Son in human beings.

His ministry is to form Christ within us: to raise sons, to mature sons, and to reveal sons.

“Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it…” – Genesis 1:28

Notice the order: Be fruitful. Multiply. Fill the earth.

God’s intention was never merely to populate the earth with human beings. His intention was to fill the earth with people who reflected His image and His likeness. Adam was to live continually from the Tree of Life. The life of God was to govern him. As he walked with God and lived by God’s life, he and his wife would fill the earth with generations that reflected the character, government, and glory of God. The whole earth was to become a testimony of God’s likeness.

But something tragic happened. Adam chose another tree. He embraced another life. And everything changed.

After the Fall, Scripture says:

“And Adam… begat a son in his own likeness, after his image.” – Genesis 5:3

Did you notice the difference? Genesis 1 speaks about God’s image. Genesis 5 speaks about Adam’s image. The image had changed. Instead of reproducing lives governed by God, Adam now reproduced children who inherited his fallen nature. The corruption spread from generation to generation; the whole earth became filled with violence and wickedness.

Yet the Father’s purpose never changed. Throughout the Old Testament, God patiently unfolded His plan. Through Abraham, through Isaac, through Jacob, through Moses, through David, and through the prophets, He was preparing for another Adam to invade earth and fix things.

Then, at the fullness of time, Jesus came. Although He was fully God, He willingly emptied Himself and took upon Himself the form of a servant (Philippians 2:6-8).

It is just like a billionaire who willingly leaves his palace to live among the poorest villagers. Not because he has ceased to be wealthy, but because he has chosen to identify completely with them in order to rescue them. He lays aside the comforts of his estate. He lives under their conditions. He experiences their hardships. Not because he must, but because love brought him there.

That is only a faint picture of what Christ did.

The eternal Word entered our world. He lived the life Adam should have lived. He obeyed where Adam failed. He loved where Adam rebelled. He depended upon the Father where Adam chose independence. For the first time since Eden, there stood upon the earth a perfect Man in whom the image of God was fully seen.

Then that perfect Life was planted into the ground. The incorruptible Seed died. It rose again. Now, that same Seed is planted into everyone who believes.

But remember what we have already learned: A seed planted is not enough. It must grow. It must be nurtured. It must mature. This is why the Holy Spirit has come. His great ministry is to form Christ within us (Galatians 4:19).

Why? Because God’s eternal purpose has never changed. He is still filling the earth with the image of His Son:

“For whom He did foreknow… He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son.” – Romans 8:29

As more sons are raised, the Kingdom of God advances. As more sons are formed, the dominion of Christ spreads. As more sons manifest the life of Jesus, the kingdoms of this world are increasingly brought under His government.

This is the Gospel.

The Father is still looking for sons, and the Holy Spirit is still working tirelessly until Christ is reproduced in every willing heart.

FROM ONLY BEGOTTEN TO FIRSTBORN

Let me ask you a question: How many sons does God have?

If I had asked many Christians this question, I am sure the answer would have been, “Only one, Jesus.” That is because we often stop reading our Bibles at John 3:16:

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son…” – John 3:16

And we stop there.

But why did the Father give His only begotten Son? Did He give His only Son simply to keep Him as His only Son forever? No! He gave His only begotten Son so that He would no longer remain the only begotten. He sowed the only begotten as a Seed to reap many sons.

That is why the New Testament begins to change the language. Jesus is no longer called merely the only begotten Son. He is called:

“…the firstborn among many brethren.” – Romans 8:29

Do you see the progression? Only begotten… became… Firstborn. A firstborn only exists because more children are coming behind him. The Father’s family was about to increase!!!

Hebrews says something even more astonishing:

“For both He that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren.” — Hebrews 2:11

Think about that, sisteeerssss!

Jesus Christ is not ashamed to call us His brothers and sisters. What manner of love is this! The Son of God willingly laid down His life so that He could have brothers. He delights to share His Father with us. He delights to share His inheritance with us. He delights to bring us into His own family. I honestly do not know of any love deeper than this.

This is why we should never demean ourselves. Sometimes people become so fascinated with titles. Everyone wants to be called Apostle, Prophet, Doctor, or Bishop. Yet one of the greatest titles in all of Scripture is often overlooked: Brother. Sister. Not merely because we belong to the same church, but because we belong to the same Family. We are brothers and sisters of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. What greater honour could there possibly be?

This is the Gospel: The only begotten Son became the Firstborn so that you and I might become sons of the same Father and members of the same glorious family. Halleluyah!

THE WAY OF INTIMACY

The beauty of this Gospel becomes even clearer when we look at the way Jesus related to His disciples. At the beginning, they were servants. Then, as they grew in intimacy with Him, Jesus said:

“Henceforth I call you not servants… but I have called you friends.” – John 15:15

Do you see the progression? From servants… to friends. But the story did not end there. After Jesus had finished His work, after He had died, risen again, and conquered death, something extraordinary happened. For the very first time, Jesus gave His disciples a new name. He said to Mary Magdalene:

“Go to My brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto My Father, and your Father; and to My God, and your God.” – John 20:17

Did you notice that? Before the Cross, He called them servants. Then He called them friends. But after the resurrection, He called them brothers!!!

Something had changed. The Cross had opened the Father’s family. Jesus was introducing them into an entirely new relationship. No longer merely “My God,” but now “My God and your God.” No longer merely “My Father,” but now “My Father and your Father.”

This was something the saints of the Old Testament never experienced in its fullness. Abraham knew God as his Friend. Moses knew God as his Lord. David knew God as his Shepherd and King. Israel knew Him as Jehovah. But through the finished work of Christ, we have received something even greater: we have received the right to call Him, “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6).

This is the Gospel!

God is looking for sons. Jesus is our Elder Brother. The Father sowed His only begotten Son as a Seed so that He might bring many sons to glory (Hebrews 2:10).

The Father did not spare His own Son because His heart was set on a family.

What incredible love! The only begotten Son was given so that you and I might become sons of the same Father and brothers of the Lord Jesus Christ forever.

HIS INHERITANCE IN THE SAINTS

My sisters, there is one more truth that I pray the Holy Spirit will reveal to you. Many of us spend our lives saying, “How blessed I am to have God.” And that is absolutely true. But have you ever stopped to consider the other side?

God delights to have you!

Not because He was incomplete without you, and not because He lacked anything. He is God, all by Himself. Yet, in His eternal love and purpose, He chose to have a family. The Father did not spare His own Son because His heart was set on having many sons. What incredible love!

The Scriptures even go so far as to say that we are His inheritance. Paul prayed that we might know:

“…what is the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.” – Ephesians 1:18

Let me show you that in the Living Bible:

I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can see something of the future he has called you to share. I want you to realize that God has been made rich because we who are Christ’s have been given to him! 

Think about that, sis.

We are not only people who receive an inheritance from God; we are also His inheritance. The Lord calls His people His portion, His peculiar treasure, and His jewels:

“For the LORD’S portion is His people.” – Deuteronomy 32:9

“They shall be Mine… in that day when I make up My jewels.” – Malachi 3:17

The Father looks upon His redeemed children with delight. The Bible says:

“He will rejoice over thee with joy… He will joy over thee with singing.” — Zephaniah 3:17

Can you imagine that? The God of heaven rejoices over His sons. He delights in seeing Christ formed in us. He delights in watching His family grow.

My sisters, this changes everything. We are not trying to persuade an unwilling God to accept us. In Christ, the Father has already opened His heart to us. He is not reluctant. He is not indifferent. He is a Father who delights in His children and longs to see His Son fully formed in them.

What greater good news could there be?

MULTIPLICATION AND MATURITY

Now, this is what the Seed is all about. The Father never plants a seed with the intention that it should die without producing fruit. Every seed is planted for multiplication. Every seed is planted for continuity. Every seed is planted to reproduce after its own kind.

We live in a generation where many people no longer want children. Their parents gave birth to them, yet they have no desire for the family line to continue through them. But that is not God’s pattern. God has always been interested in multiplication. He told Adam and Eve:

“Be fruitful, and multiply…” – Genesis 1:28

He brought husbands and wives together because “He seeks godly offspring “. God is always thinking in terms of sons.

Now think about this. The Seed of Christ has been planted in you. Should it end with you?

Never. The Seed must not perish in you. If Christ is planted in you, but never reproduced through you, something has gone terribly wrong. It is as though the family line stopped with you. It is as though the Father’s purpose was interrupted in your generation. This is why Jesus said:

“Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel…” – Matthew 5:15

Why was the lamp lit? To give light. Why was the Seed planted? To bear fruit.

The Lord did not place Christ within you simply so that you would one day arrive in heaven. He planted His Son within you so that His Son would be reproduced through you.

Notice that I did not say reproduced by you; I said reproduced through you. There is a difference.

You cannot manufacture Christ. You simply allow Him to be formed in you. As Christ is formed in you, He naturally shines. He naturally bears fruit. He naturally draws men to Himself.

This is why the whole creation is groaning.

WHY THE WHOLE CREATION IS GROANING

Have you ever wondered why the whole creation is groaning? The Bible says:

“For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.” – Romans 8:19

Creation is not waiting for more church members. It is not waiting for more converts. It is not even waiting for more babies in Christ. It is waiting for sons! Mature sons.

Why? Because ever since Adam fell, sin has been reproducing itself. One sinner produced another; darkness produced more darkness; death produced more death. Generation after generation, Adam reproduced children after his own likeness (Genesis 5:3). The earth became filled with violence. Corruption multiplied. The kingdom of darkness kept advancing.

But God had another Seed. The Father planted His only begotten Son into the earth. The Seed died. The Seed rose again. Now that same Seed is being planted into human hearts.

Why? So that Christ might be reproduced. So that sons might be raised. So that life might begin to multiply where death has multiplied.

The answer to the spread of sin is not merely more preaching; it is more sons. The answer to darkness is not louder noise; it is more light. The answer to corruption is not better arguments; it is more mature sons in whom Christ has been formed.

This is why the Scripture says:

“Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” – Romans 5:20

Grace is not merely God’s forgiveness. Grace is God’s life pushing back the reign of sin. Where darkness spreads… God raises sons. Where death increases… God multiplies life. Where Satan builds his kingdom… the Father raises another son.

This is why the earth is groaning. The earth has suffered long enough under immature men. It is waiting for mature sons who carry the life of Christ.

If a farmer plants seed but never receives a harvest, famine follows. The seed was never planted merely to remain beneath the soil; it was planted to produce a harvest. So it is with Christ. The Seed has already been planted in us. But the Father is not satisfied merely because the Seed exists. He is looking for the harvest. He is looking for mature sons. Sons who will reproduce Christ in others, sons who will push back the tide of darkness, and sons through whom the Kingdom of God advances from generation to generation.

Sadly, many have been born into the Kingdom, but they have never grown into sons. They remain spiritual infants. They are malnourished because they are not feeding on Christ. They are weak because they are not carrying their cross. They are still overcome by the flesh. They are still oppressed by the enemy. This is not the Father’s will. The Father is looking for mature sons who can reveal His Son to the world.

Look at the pattern of Scripture. Christ formed Himself in the apostles. The apostles gave themselves until Christ was formed in others. Those believers, in turn, reproduced Christ in still others. This is discipleship.

This is the Gospel! Not just making converts, not just filling churches, but reproducing Christ from life to life, from generation to generation.

This is why you must allow the Seed to die. Carry your cross. Die to yourself. Let Christ increase while you decrease. As that happens, sons will be raised. Disciples will be made. The family of God will continue to grow.

This is the good news. We have become sons of God. We have a Father in heaven. And through the life of Christ within us, the Father continues to raise many more sons for His glory.

My sisters, let me leave you with one final question: Are you becoming a son?

Not merely, “Are you born again?” but, are you becoming a son? When are you going to start the journey into growing into the full stature of Christ? When are you going to allow the Seed within you to mature?

Heaven rejoices when sons are born. Heaven rejoices when Christ is formed in another life. Heaven rejoices when someone finally says, “Lord, from today, I will carry my cross. I want to become like Jesus.”

When Jesus said,

“Let your light so shine before men…” – Matthew 5:16

He was not merely telling us to become morally good people. Many unbelievers are honest; many unbelievers are generous; many unbelievers refuse to cheat. That is not what makes the light of Christ unique.

The light shines when the life of Christ is expressed through an ordinary human being.

The Bible says:

“We have this treasure in earthen vessels…” – 2 Corinthians 4:7

Notice the picture. The treasure is glorious, but the vessel is ordinary, it is made of earth. An earthen vessel hides the treasure; it is not transparent. So what does God do? He begins to break the vessel. This is why He allows dealings. This is why He allows pressure. This is why He allows opportunities to die to self.

Paul understood this:

“We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed… Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.”  2 Corinthians 4:8-9

Why? Because every pressure creates another opportunity for Christ to come forth.

Suppose someone insults you. Everything within your natural man wants to insult back. Then the Holy Spirit quietly says, “No.” You choose to obey Him. At that very moment… the vessel cracks. The treasure shines.

Suppose you speak harshly to your husband. The Holy Spirit convicts you, saying, “Go back and apologise.” Everything in your flesh resists. Your pride fights; your ego argues. But you humble yourself and apologise with sincerity. Something supernatural has just happened. The light has shone. Your husband has not merely seen a polite woman; he has seen Christ.

This is how sons are made. Every act of obedience is another crack in the earthen vessel. Every surrender allows more of Christ to be seen.

The life of Jesus begins to replace your own, and people who knew you before begin to wonder, “What has happened to her?” This is surely amazing! That is them seeing your good works and glorifying your Father in Heaven.

They are no longer meeting your old personality; they are meeting Another. Death is taking place, and life is coming forth.

THE BEAUTY OF BROKENNESS

Let me close with a story that has stayed with me for a while now.

Brother Zac Poonen once shared that he was travelling internationally. He had something in his luggage that was not permitted into the country except by an extra tax or something. Like many people would be tempted to do, he thought of moving it into another bag so that it might pass unnoticed. But the Lord spoke to him: “No. Put it in your main bag. If you have to pay extra charges because of it, pay them.”

Then he said the Lord told him: “I do not lack money. I lack sons.”

What a statement! God is not looking for clever people. He is not looking for people who know how to blend in with the crowd. He is looking for sons. Sons who will obey Him when obedience is costly, sons who would rather lose money than grieve their Father, and sons who would rather stand alone than join the multitude in doing evil.

Sisters, the same question comes to us today: Are we truly living for the Lord?

This is why the Gospel is about sonship. The greatest weakness in Christianity today is not a lack of churches. It is not a lack of conferences. It is not a lack of preaching. It is a lack of sons.

Many of us have simply added Jesus to our lives. He has become an accessory, like icing on a cake, or like a cherry placed neatly on top. But that is not the Gospel!!!!

Jesus did not come to improve your old life; He came to end it!

He calls us to lay down our lives, to carry our cross, and to allow the Seed within us to die so that His life may be fully revealed.

Think about the woman with the alabaster box. As long as the box remained intact, the fragrance remained trapped inside. Only when it was broken did the perfume fill the entire house (Mark 14:3).

Think about the five loaves and two fish. As long as they remained whole, they could feed only one little boy. But once they were broken in the hands of Jesus, they multiplied and satisfied thousands (Matthew 14:19–20).

So it is with us. The life of Christ within us is waiting to be revealed. But it is revealed only through brokenness, only through the Cross, and only through dying to self.

This is the Gospel. This is the good news.

The Father planted His Son in us so that, through our brokenness, His Son might be revealed to the world.

My sisters, let us become true sons. Let us make our Father rich. May Christ be formed in us. May His life shine through us. And may many more sons be brought into the Father’s family because we chose to die in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

SO, THIS IS THE GOSPEL!

My sisters, can you now see what the Gospel really is? Is this not truly good news?

Think about it. Many of us spend our lives looking for acceptance, looking for identity, looking for significance, looking for someone who will love us, and looking for someone who will choose us. Yet the Gospel tells us something far greater: The Father Himself wants you.

More than you are trying to find Him, He has been seeking you.

More than you desire to belong to Him, He desires you to belong to His family.

More than you are trying to become His child, He has already made every provision to make you His son. Is that not the greatest news you have ever heard?

 

The God who created heaven and earth, the God before whom angels cover their faces, the God whose throne is surrounded by glory, looks down upon you, calls you by name, and says, “My son.”

My sisters, do you know what that means? No wonder we must constantly pray for revelation. This truth cannot merely remain in our heads; the Holy Spirit must open our eyes to see it. Because when the storms of life come, when trials arise, and when the enemy whispers lies… if this truth has not become revelation, we will easily forget whose we are. But when the Spirit opens your eyes, everything changes.

Imagine a child born into the family of the most powerful ruler on earth. Everyone calls that child fortunate. Everyone knows that child carries authority, honour, inheritance, and the full backing of the father. Yet many of us do not realize what it means to be called the son of God.

You are not merely a believer. You are not merely a church member. You are a son.

Wherever the Father would have gone, He now sends you. You represent Him. You carry His Name. You carry His authority. You carry His resources. You carry His government. Because you are there, your Father is there. The honour that belongs to your Father now rests upon you as His representative.

Shouldn’t that change the way you live? Shouldn’t that change the way you speak? Shouldn’t that change the way you pray? Shouldn’t that change the way you face opposition?

You have a Father. A Father to whom you report. A Father who defends you. A Father who supplies everything you need to fulfil every assignment He has given you.

Is this not the greatest news ever proclaimed? No wonder the apostles counted everything else as loss. No wonder Paul said:

“Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss… that I may win Christ.” – Philippians 3:8

No wonder Peter left his nets. No wonder Matthew left the tax office. No wonder they rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer for His Name. They had found the treasure. They had found their Father.

What manner of love is this! That He would take people like us, wash us, adopt us, fill us with His own Spirit, and place within us a continual cry:

“Abba, Father.” – Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6

This is the Gospel. This is the good news.

My sisters, may God deliver us from a Christianity of mere religion and head knowledge. May He bring us into living experience. May He open our eyes to behold the riches of our sonship. May He reveal the Father to us until we can truly say, not merely with our lips but with our lives, “Abba, Father.”

And having found our Father, may we spend the rest of our lives becoming true sons and bringing many more sons into His glorious family in Jesus’ Name. Amen.