Pastor Peter’s “Letter to My Grown Children: Good News!”

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An open letter to my grown children
Hi guys,
Last Sunday, I spoke about something close to my heart. My guess is that you are not really listening to my sermons. I hope you are reading this though. I know it’s an uneven playing field. Kids will find it hard to forgive their parents for not reading a letter they took hours to write, but cannot imagine they need to read their parents’ letter to them. Krystal, thanks for letting me know you’re reading my letters. That is a great encouragement to me. Today, I will pick up a point I spoke about on Sunday in the hope that this redundancy will somehow increase the chance of you getting the message.
When we talk about the “Gospel,” some long time Christian begins to yawn. “I’ve heard that before. It’s a repetition of old stuff.” And I don’t blame them for thinking that way. I did too! After all, my place in heaven is secured, there is no more need to talk about the Gospel.
I prefer the parsed version “Good News” rather than “Gospel” because meaning is lost in the symbolic word “Gospel.” First, we’ll talk about the “News” aspect of Good News.
War is Over!
On 15 August 1945 Emperor Hirohito of Japan broadcast Japan’s surrender to the Allies. About one month later (12 September) the Instrument of Surrender was signed in Singapore’s City Hall for the surrender of Southeast Asia, and the Japanese troops were demobilized or taken prisoners. I want to take you back to that time between Emperor Hirohito’s announcement and the formal surrender in Singapore.
Can you imagine the jubilation in Singapore when the people heard the surrender of Emperor Hirohito? That was NEWS. GOOD NEWS! People in Singapore may or may not run out into the streets to celebrate because the Japanese soldier could still shoot them. And General Itagaki could still order his 70,000 soldiers to fight on. But there is no mistake, the emperor’s surrender marked the end of the Japanese occupation of Singapore – almost.
That NEWS demanded a response from everyone. Most people in Asia were ecstatic. The Japanese informants or collaborators were fearful. Many Japanese soldiers were incredulous.
15 August was not the announcement by an academic about why he thinks Japan will lose the war. It was news that Japan had surrendered. It was not private good news that a person found an abandoned fortune. It was news that demanded a response. It was news that would change who was in power, it would change society in ways not yet understood, but it was unmistakable good news.
The Good News of Jesus Christ is news that demands a response in our life. The NEWS is this. God’s Savior of the world has come. He did not overthrow the Romans as we thought he would. He overthrew the ultimate enemy of all humanity and all creation – death. He defeated death by rising from the dead. After 40 days, he ascended into heaven. He shall return to create a new heaven and a new earth. Get ready for his return.
The “Good” part of Good News is this: Regardless of where you stood in relation to God, he invites you into his Kingdom. So, come now, repent of your rebellion against God. You will be forgiven. Come quickly before Jesus returns to judge those who rebel against God.
The partial message
The Gospel is often presented partially as “Jesus died for your sins. If you accept him, you will go to heaven when you die.” This is not really Good News. It is more like an option to take up eternal life insurance. When the GOOD NEWS of Jesus is received in this way, there is no need to respond to it other than mutter our one time “sinner’s prayer.” The Good News is not about whether we “accept” Jesus. The Good News is objective declaration regardless of whether we appropriate it for ourselves.
When Emperor Hirohito surrendered, some Japanese soldiers occupying the Philippines refused to accept the news that Japan lost. They went into the jungle to hide out until Japan becomes victorious. Decades later, they were discovered. Their refusal to accept does not change the good news of Japan’s surrender. They still had to accept the news eventually.
The real message
On Resurrection Sunday, Jesus defeated death. He has brought in the everlasting Kingdom of God. All who belong to Jesus belong to God’s Kingdom. All who do not belong to Jesus belong to the Kingdom of Satan. We are asked to choose: “Do you want to belong to the Kingdom of the evil defeated foe, the Kingdom of Satan? Do you want to belong to the Kingdom of the Victorious Creator, Jesus? Do you want to belong to the Kingdom of death or the Kingdom of Life? Do you want to belong to the Kingdom of sin or the Kingdom of holiness?” The Good News is the news of the victory of Jesus and the offer to become a child of the victorious God. We must not exchange this powerful message for the lame message: “accept Jesus and go the heaven.”
When the Good News of Jesus Christ has been reduced to “going to heaven when we die,” we can ignore it till just before we die. And we can enjoy all this world has to offer while we are here. So we get the best of both worlds! (OK, folks are not so blatant, but that is what Christians have figured out they could do based on the partial Good News.)
Let’s go back to that time between the Japanese surrender on 15 Aug, and the execution of the Instrument of Surrender on 12 Sep. You will find Japanese soldiers still crawling all over Singapore. They ruled Singapore until the actual hand over.
The Good News is that Jesus has come as the Messiah (the Christ) to bring in the Kingdom of God. Upon his resurrection, he declared, “All authority is given to me, in heaven and on earth.” (Matthew 28:18). He has gone to the Father and will return to claim this world and to create a “New Heaven and New Earth.” The devil and his minions are like the defeated Japanese soldiers waiting for their final destruction. While they wait, they continue in their evil. They want us to forget they are a defeated foe. They want us to be complacent and push the return of Jesus out of our mind and actions. They want us to think what we do here does not matter because it’s all going up in smoke.
If we buy into the last lie, our faith becomes other-worldly. We will say, “Let me live my life any way I like while I walk this earth. As long as I have my ticket to heaven, I’m fine.”
Conversely, if we are aware of Satan’s defeat, and his impending judgment, we will live not in timidity, but in boldness. We know the day of demobilization of Satan and his army draws near. And in our life, we know the wicked will be held accountable for every wrong they do. We will start building for the time when their presence will be removed. We will demand justice, and dignity.
The Word of God tells us that the Kingdom work we do here will be recognized and rewarded. I cannot tell your how my paltry talents and limited success in ministry will be accounted. But Jesus tells me whether I multiply five bags of gold into another five, or two bags to gain two more, he will have the same commendation for me. “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:21,23).
If we live our lives between two victories: the resurrection and the return of Christ, we will live differently. We will live purposeful lives because we will “Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). We will live in courage and not in fear. We will pursue the righteousness of Jesus because we have an accountability. We will be positive about what we do knowing there is a reward for faithfulness even when our performance may not be stellar.
Guys, I want you to live well. To live in God’s abundance. To live in God’s Kingdom with awareness of your status as heir to that Kingdom. You will be happier, stronger, freer, than you imagine possible.
With all my love,
papa