The Gospel

1. God created us for his glory

This is the purpose of every human being on the planet. It’s the purpose of everyone who has ever lived and everyone who will live. God made this clear through the prophet Isaiah: “Everyone who is called by My name, and whom I have created for My glory, whom I have formed, even whom I have made.” (Isaiah 43:7). We’ve been created to glorify God. This means God ought to be our ultimate delight. He is to be enjoyed because He is the greatest treasure there is. Just consider Psalm 16:11. “In Your presence is fullness of joy, in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.” Joy to the fullest and pleasures forevermore. These can be found only in the presence of God. 

2. THERE IS A PROBLEM

But there is a problem. We don’t glorify God or enjoy Him as we ought. So consider: Since glorifying God is our ultimate purpose, how awful is it that we don’t do so? Isn’t it the height of rebellion to glorify and enjoy other things more than our Creator? Surely it’s the deepest pit of our downfall to not only fail to glorify God and enjoy Him as we ought, but to actively glorify and enjoy other things above Him. This is what we have all done. God says, “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jeremiah 2:13). We’ve run away from the Fountain of Living Waters to broken bowls that hold nothing.

Apart from Christ, we are broken people with hearts that don’t glorify God and find no enjoyment in Him. Instead of living to magnify the name of God, we live to magnify our own names. We declare the greatness of sin rather than the greatness of our Creator. We enjoy our rebellious ways rather than God and His perfect purposes. We love the darkness but hate the Light (John 3:19-21). 

So, there is a massive problem. We will all stand before a holy God. Our rebellion will be made known. Unless something changes, we will face the eternal condemnation and wrath because of our rebellion. 2 Thessalonians 1:9 says, “They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.” We ignore this at the eternal detriment of our souls.

3. THERE IS GOOD NEWS

But the Bible doesn’t stop there. Yes, there is a massive problem. But there is good news! 1 Peter 3:18 says, “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God…” The good news is that Jesus lived a perfect life that brought perfect glory to God. Jesus glorified and enjoyed the Father perfectly. And He did so on behalf of sinners. So when Jesus died on the cross, He offered His perfect life on behalf of sinners and took the punishment for rebellion upon Himself. He took credit for sin so that sinners can take credit for His perfection. And He did this so that we may have a relationship with a perfect and holy God. Not because we are perfect and holy, but because Jesus is. The good news is that through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, sinners can have a relationship with the living God.

4. REPENT AND BELIEVE

These wonderful Good News blessings belong to those who repent and believe. “Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19). In John 6:35, Jesus says to the crowds, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” Notice that coming to Jesus and believing in Jesus are connected. To believe in Jesus is to come to Him. And to come to Him is to believe. Repentance and faith is about turning from your sin and yourself and turning to Jesus as your only hope. It’s being hungry and thirsty, but feasting and drinking from the wells of Christ! It’s turning from our broken cisterns and turning to the Fountain of Living Waters. For those who trust in Jesus, the promise is clear: “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:40).

5. SAVED TO GLORIFY AND ENJOY GOD FOREVER

God’s word says that Jesus saves us "so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:7). That means God will show Christians His great and marvelous grace forever. Whereas we used to glorify ourselves and enjoy our sin, Christians have now been given new hearts to glorify and enjoy God. We will do this for eternity. And this is all in and through Jesus Christ. "If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead," these truths will be yours (Romans 10:9)!