Good News?

Friday, September 8, 2023

And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent?  That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”  But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, “Lord, who has believed our message?”  So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.  But I ask, have the people of Israel actually heard the message?  Yes, they have:  “The message has gone throughout the earth, and the words to all the world.”  But I ask, did the people of Israel really understand?  Yes, they did, for even in the time of Moses, God said, “I will rouse your jealousy through people who are not even a nation.           I will provoke your anger through the foolish Gentiles.”  And later Isaiah spoke boldly for God, saying, “I was found by people who were not looking for me.       I showed myself to those who were not asking for me.”  But regarding Israel, God said, “All day long I opened my arms to them, but they were disobedient and rebellious.”  Romans 10:15-21

At times obeying God’s commandments and calling can bring puzzling results, especially if you’re talking about preaching.  A wise philosopher named Forrest Gump said his momma told him life was like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.  It’s like that with some sermons.  One time I prayed over, and prepared diligently, a sermon that I thought would be a turning point for the congregation I was serving.  I imagined Billy Graham hearing it and stealing it for his next crusade.  I was wrong…it only made several members of my congregation angry…the rest probably never thought more about it than the fried chicken dinner they had after worship was over.  Fast-forward to another congregation, there was that Sunday evening service where I preached a sermon I hadn’t prepared well.  It was all over the place, from Genesis to Revelation, prophets, Moses, apostles, and even a digression into the Song of Solomon; when the invitation was given, the altar was full of weeping Christians.  So, who knew?

In today’s Scripture Apostle Paul makes the point that God had given Israel such Good News about God’s love and promised salvation, and given them the job of spreading that Good News to the world – including the nations of Gentiles – but Israel just dropped the ball.  Not the reaction you’d expect from people rescued from being slaves in Egypt, protected by a God who would let them escape Pharaoh’s army by walking on dry land through the Red Sea, fed by manna, wearing clothes that didn’t wear-out for forty years, and supernaturally blessed to possess the Promised Land.  If that isn’t strange enough, how about the best response to the Good News of God’s love coming from the “lost heathens”…the Gentile nations!  In the end, Forrest Gump’s momma was right…you never know.

For You Today 

The Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not tame news.  That’s because our God is no tamed pet; He is the LORD, creator of all we can see and know, and much more.  God’s plans are not predictable, but they are certain.  Our “job” as those who follow Him is to proclaim that Good News, and leave the results to God’s keeping.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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Title Images:  Pixabay.com   Images without citation are in public domain. Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©