What is the Good News?

Introduction

How many of you have ever watched the movie Elf? My wife, Lindsey, grew up in a family with 2 other sisters and they would watch Elf every week of December leading up to Christmas and it’s kind of crazy to watch this movie with them because they know every single line. Whenever we first started dating our senior year of high school I came over for Christmas and I had no clue how many times they had seen this movie until it started. Do you have a movie like that where you’ve watched it so many times that you can basically quote every line in it? The more that you know something, whether it be a movie, show, book, or person, the more easy it is to lose the initial wonder that you had. You might know a lot of information, but you might not quite care as much about the things that you thought were really cool the first time.

This can be how things work for Christians as well when it comes to stories in the Bible like the birth of Jesus or the resurrection. We hear the story all the time that we can kind of take it for granted and lose the wonder behind the story itself! This can happen with the Gospel message too. In the Bible there are 4 books called the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and we see the word Gospel show up in other places as well… but what exactly is the Gospel?

Literally means good news

But before you get good news you have to deal with the bad news

What is the bad news of the Gospel?

You are a sinner who needs a Savior!

Romans 3:10 CSB

10 as it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one.

Romans 3:23 CSB

23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;

Sin is another word that we find in the Bible and lots of people talk about it in our world: What would you say that sin is?

Here’s a easy way to remember sin: Anything we think, say, do, or don’t do that displeases God - God defines what sin is, not us!

Jeremiah 17:9 CSB

9 The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable—who can understand it?

Only after you see the bad news of our sin and shortcoming can we see the good news

Ephesians 2:8–9 CSB

8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— 9 not from works, so that no one can boast.

The good news of the Gospel is that Jesus Christ alone saves us. It’s not because of our works or goodness or because we try really hard. It’s not because you go to church on Sunday or youth group on Wednesday or know what John 3:16 says. It’s not because you’re a nice person. It’s not because you’re really smart. We see in the Bible that we all need Jesus!

Main Idea that I want to share with you all this morning is this: The Gospel message is that Jesus saves repentant sinners - there is no one far gone for Jesus and there is no one too good that doesn’t need Jesus in the first place! We all need Jesus to save us from the penalty of our sins. There is no sin too great that Jesus can’t forgive us if we repent! There’s a song that some of you might know called His Mercy is More - look up the lyrics and that’s the Gospel in 4 words.

What are some of the really big sins that people would say are really bad?

Murder, sex, bullying, cheating

Whenever someone else sins really bad, we’re tempted to think that they can’t be forgiven because they did something really bad… what’s dangerous about doing this?

If we look inside our own hearts we start to realize that we’re not all that different. Maybe we haven’t done what someone else has done, but we have our own struggles. We want grace whenever we mess up - but we don’t always like giving other people grace whenever they mess up. We all have our own sins that we struggle with. Laziness, anger, legalism, unrighteous judgment, gossip, pride, selfishness - the list goes on! We need to remember what the Bible says about grace, forgiveness, and salvation.

Today, I want to read a story from God’s Word in Luke 15 called the Prodigal Son and then I hope that we can have some time afterward to digest what Jesus says and evaluate where we stand.

Luke 15:11–32 CSB

11 He also said, “A man had two sons. 12 The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate I have coming to me.’ So he distributed the assets to them. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered together all he had and traveled to a distant country, where he squandered his estate in foolish living. 14 After he had spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he had nothing. 15 Then he went to work for one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to eat his fill from the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one would give him anything. 17 When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food, and here I am dying of hunger! 18 I’ll get up, go to my father, and say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. 19 I’m no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired workers.” ’ 20 So he got up and went to his father. But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. 21 The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I’m no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 “But the father told his servants, ‘Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Then bring the fattened calf and slaughter it, and let’s celebrate with a feast, 24 because this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ So they began to celebrate. 25 “Now his older son was in the field; as he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he summoned one of the servants, questioning what these things meant. 27 ‘Your brother is here,’ he told him, ‘and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ 28 “Then he became angry and didn’t want to go in. So his father came out and pleaded with him. 29 But he replied to his father, ‘Look, I have been slaving many years for you, and I have never disobeyed your orders, yet you never gave me a goat so that I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your assets with prostitutes, you slaughtered the fattened calf for him.’ 31 “ ‘Son,’ he said to him, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ ”

How many of you have heard this story before? It’s one of the most wellknown parables or stories that Jesus ever told and it’s often called the Parable of the Lost Son as the younger son ran away from home and did some foolish things… but if you look at this story, really you see that there are 2 lost sons. You have the younger son who is lost and ran away but repented and came back home and you have the older son who followed all the rules and stayed at home, but he shows that he really is lost too because he doesn’t understand the father’s grace.

Rebellion to Repentance (11-19)

The younger son came to his father and asked for his inheritance. Does this sound kind of strange to you? Normally you wouldn’t do this until your parents are gone - to do it when they were alive is disrespectful and it’s basically like telling your parent that they are dead to you. This son wants what is coming to him so that he can run away and live the life that he wants to live. He thinks that money is his ticket to happiness. Literally in the Greek the Bible tells us that the father gives the son his assets but the word for assets is the word “Bios” - any idea what the word bios means? Think biology - the study of life. The Bible is telling us that the father gives the younger son his life. He is giving him his possessions, livestock, wealth, all the things that he had to live on - he gives them to his son.

Why do you think that so many people think that money or things will give them happiness?

Media says that it does

Human nature

Will earthly things provide us with eternal happiness that we long for?

The Bible says no and this is what experience says too!

Ecclesiastes 2:11 CSB

11 When I considered all that I had accomplished and what I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind. There was nothing to be gained under the sun.

Have you noticed this to be true in your life? The last time I had the opportunity to share with you all we talked about what the Bible teaches about our purpose in this life and the reason that we look around and see people angry, upset, anxious, and confused so often is because they don’t understand what the Bible teaches about their purpose… They’re just chasing the wind and not finding what they’re looking for.

Jesus shares this story to the religious leaders and the people who never came to church as well - the pharisees and the tax collectors. The pharisees would have been tempted to point their fingers and call out the tax collectors for being these younger brothers. The ones who want the nice, comfortable, rich life but they don’t worship God. The ones who want wealth and happiness but not the God who provides those things. This younger brother is this person. He leaves his family and goes to another land and wastes all his money and doesn’t find the happiness that he’s looking for. Maybe you feel like you’re this person, you haven’t had the best background and maybe you’ve made some mistakes in your life and you’re not currently living for God. If this is you, do what this son does. In Luke 15:17 the Bible tells us that the young son who was eating the same food that the pigs eat came to his senses. He realized that he had done something wrong and he decides to come home to his father. Before he comes home, though, he has to realize that what he has done was wrong.

Whenever you “come to your senses” and are convicted of your sin - what do we have to do?

We have to repent. This means to turn from your sin and ask God to forgive you. This is what the prodigal does. He comes home to his father.

Rejection to Reunion (20-24)

The younger brother ran away from home - what did the older brother do?

He stayed at home

In Jesus’ day, if a situation like this happened, it wasn’t the Father’s responsibility to go and look for the lost son… it was the older brother’s responsibility. The more that you look at this story, the more that you see that Jesus’ main point isn’t at the rebellious runaways but at the older brothers out there who follow all the rules and try to make themselves feel better than their other brother.

Whenever the younger son comes back home, what does the Father do?

He runs outside and greets him. He throws a party. He welcomes his son back home and he says that his son was once lost but is now found - he was dead and is now alive. What point do you think Jesus is making here?

The Gospel changes everything!

If you’re lost and you are tired of searching - then repent and come home and God will welcome you with His open arms! It doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve done - there is no one too bad who can’t be saved and there is no one too good who doesn’t need Jesus to save them. Jesus shares that there is joy whenever someone who was lost is found.

This story seems to be heading to a wonderful celebration here… but verses 25-32 put a little bit of a sour ending on this story and it’s purposeful on the part of Jesus.

Reunion to Rejection (25-32)

The older brother throws a fit that the father welcomes the younger son back home. The older son has done what he was supposed to do. He’s been hard at work for a long time, but now the father throws a feast for the younger brother. Why do you think the older brother had a problem with this?

The younger brother ran away while the older brother stayed close to the father and worked hard

He obeyed and the younger brother disobeyed

Where is the older brother during the feast, though?

He’s there but he wasn’t there. He never ran away but he was lost.

This is the point that Jesus is making and this is the point that we need to think about today. Some of you, just like the people in Jesus’ audience, have always grown up going to church and you try really hard to do the right thing. You might know all the right church answers and you might say all the right things, but maybe some of you are like the older brother and you haven’t really been saved. Knowledge is great - we should want to know more things, but knowledge doesn’t save.

In our world and with so many other systems it works like this: You do good works and then you are accepted. You can earn your own way. Is this how Christianity is?

No! Christianity shares that its flipped: You are accepted because of the work of Jesus - therefore you obey

Regardless of your past, understand that there is room for you. God has a plan and purpose for your life and part of that plan is sending His Son Jesus, as we celebrate during this time of the year (Christmas) to seek and save the lost. Today, if you haven’t come home to Jesus, that’s the most important thing that you can do and I’d love to talk with you about what that looks like. If you’ve already done that, make sure that you don’t fall into the trap of becoming an “older brother” and pointing the finger of judgment at other people and saying that they don’t deserve God’s forgiveness or a celebration because of their sin… Because if we’re being honest, none of us deserve that!

You all have the best news of all to share with this school - it’s the Gospel. The message that Jesus saves sinners and provides us with eternal purpose, joy, and hope. Think of 1 person that you can share this good news with today and be sure to point them to the father who welcomes those who repent with open arms.