The Good News

The word "gospel" is an old English word meaning "good news". The message Jesus preached was good news. The same message was preached by the apostles. That same good news is the only true message of the Christian Church.

Study 1. What is the Good News About?

See first what Jesus preached. Mark 1,14-15. Compare Matt 4,23 and Matt 9,35. Write down what the goods news was about in these verses.

Did the apostles preach it? Acts 28,23-31

Is the Church still to preach it? Matt 24,14

The good news is about the Kingdom of God.

What does the Kingdom of God mean?

"Kingdom" in the New Testament does not mean primarily a place or realm or country over which a King rules. Rather it means the power to rule, kingship, sovereignty, rule or government. Therefore the "Kingdom of God" means the "rule of God" or the "government of God".

Why does God want to bring his rule or government into our lives? Psalm 95,6; Psalm 100,3

Because he has the right to do so, as he made us.
Secondly, because we need his rule. See Isaiah 53,6
We have all "gone astray" and "turned to his own way".

Which attitudes in the heart of God and in man do the following verses suggest? Matt 23,37; Rom 10,21

This rebelliousness of man is one of the reasons why a most prominent fact about Jesus Christ in the New Testament is His Lordship.
See Acts 2,32-37; Rom 10,9-10; Col 2,6

NB. For every once the Bible speaks of Christ as Saviour, it refers 29 times as Lord.

Therefore coming into the Kingdom of God means coming under the rule or government of God, and this means submitting to the Lordship of Christ. This results in what, according to the Scriptures?

1. Psalm 91

Protection and Safety

2. Psalm 23

Guidance and Provision

3. Phil 2,9-11

Submission to His will

4. John 14,15+21

Obedience to His Word

5. John 8,32+36; Rom 8,1-2

Glorious freedom from bondage

Is He the Lord of your life? (See Luke 6,46)

What phrase is used in the following verses to describe peoples conversion? Acts 6,7; Rom 1,5; 15,18; 16,26

Paul did not speak of "decisions" or "professions of faith", but of becoming obedient to the faith. But the natural man will not submit to Christ's Lordship, and because of his rebellion and bondage, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God without a work of God in his life.