How Good is Your News?

How Good Is Your News?

Sometimes it's hard to reflect on the week you've had. Perhaps you've had better weeks, perhaps worse. As you think back, are there regrets? Anything you wish hadn't happened? Have you let someone down, or even yourself? When you consider your life, what score out of ten would you give yourself?

I know what score God gives me: He rates me ten out of ten. This isn't arrogance; it's what He conveys, for instance, in Paul's letter to the Romans.

Throughout history, this letter has had a massive impact on significant lives.

Imagine going back to the summer of 386 AD in North Africa. A man in his early thirties, brokenhearted and recognizing the brokenness of his life, wept.He then heard a voice, like a child's, saying, "Take and read, take and read". Taking this as a divine instruction to read the Bible, he picked it up and read from Paul's letter to the Romans. Instantly, he said,"as instantly at the end of the sentence a clear light flooded my heart and all the darkness of doubt vanished away". This was Augustine, one of the greatest Christian thinkers and leaders in church history. His life had been wayward, but reading a section of Romans brought profound transformation.

Fast forward to August 1513. A German lawyer and theologian experienced a similar spiritual crisis, though his life had been notably upright. Despite engaging with everything the church offered, he desperately sought peace withGod. As a lecturer at the University of Wittenberg, he pondered deeply onRomans 1:17, the line that says, "the righteous shall live by faith".He wrestled with how a righteous God could accept him. After weeks and months of reflection, he said, "I felt myself to have been reborn". This verse became to him "the gate of heaven". His name was Martin Luther, the forerunner of the Reformation.

Come forward again to the evening of May 24th, 1738. A young man reluctantly attended a meeting in London. There, someone read from the preface to Martin Luther's commentary on Romans, describing the change God works in the heart through faith in Christ. This young man said, "I felt my heart strangely warmed". He felt he did trust in Christ and gained an assurance that Christ had taken away his sins, "even mine". This was JohnWesley.

Augustine, Martin Luther, John Wesley – three profoundly significant people, magnificently influenced by Paul's letter to the Romans. This letter, even in small doses, can have a massive impact. What happened to them might happen to you.

Looking at Romans chapter 1, verse 1 says, "Paul, a servant ofChrist Jesus, called to be a an apostle and set apart for the gospel ofGod". Paul was set apart for the gospel of God.

You may have heard the word "gospel" before and know it means"good news". But it means much more than just good news; it means momentous news. Like remembering where you were when you heard about theBerlin Wall coming down. The gospel is like a pronouncement from the great king, the big news to hit the planet.

This gospel was Paul's big passion. He says he was "set apart for the gospel of God" (v. 1). He felt obligated to preach the gospel to everyone – to Greeks and non-Greeks, wise and foolish, Jews and Gentiles. He was eager to preach it (v. 15). And in verse 16, he declares he is not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. He is not ashamed because it is the power ofGod.

Think about modern cricket bats; they say batsmen have a bigger advantage now because the bats are heavier. I remember Clive Lloyd from the 1970s and80s, who used a three-pound bat – huge for its time. When he lent it to IanChappell, Chappell found it so heavy that a defensive block sent the ball to the boundary.

Without being irreverent, God's bat is the gospel. It is awesomely powerful; it's the instrument by which He changes things and changes the world.It doesn't move cricket balls; it moves people, it changes lives.

What's the biggest miracle you've ever seen? I recall when my daughter, in Year 7, was limping due to knee pain. Drawing on my former life as a physiotherapist, I suggested a simple stretch. After doing it, she walked normally and exclaimed, "How did you do that? That's a miracle!". She even jokingly called me Jesus.

But the biggest miracle is a changed life. It's like the person at aSalvation Army meeting saying, "Some people don't believe Jesus turned water into wine, but I do, because He changed my beer money into food and my lotto money into furniture". The gospel is powerful; it changes lives.

Notice in Romans 1:1 that it's God's gospel. He thought it up. You don't need to convince Him to get on board; He's already on board. Sometimes, when people pray, it sounds like we need to get God interested, like waking Him up. But He's never fallen asleep; He's always on the move, always taking the initiative. That's what He does with the gospel; He's always involved.

Consider a story about a traditional church in a multicultural area of Sydney. The rector felt they needed to reach out. They tried hard, hired an assistant minister with an Arabic surname, and talked about it constantly, but struggled to connect. Then, both the rector and curate went on holidays for two weeks. When they returned, suddenly many people from the multicultural community had joined the church. It's a mistake to think God isn't interested; it's His gospel.

Furthermore, notice that God promised this gospel beforehand through His prophets in the holy scriptures. It wasn't a spur-of-the-moment idea; He planned it long ago.

What else do we see about the gospel? Verse 3 says it's about His Son.The gospel is all about Jesus. It's not primarily about living a good life or being kind (though these may result from it). It's not primarily about me or you. It's about Jesus, and that is very good news because it takes the focus off ourselves. It's a relief not to be at the center of expectations or the pressure to be the "best version of yourself," which can be exhausting. When you don't measure up, you think, "What's wrong with me?" because people say you can be the best. But it's not about us.God is deeply interested in you, but the gospel itself is not about you, and that's good news.

The gospel is about the person of Jesus. He was a first-centuryPalestinian Jew, a descendant of David. The Jesus described in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – that's the subject. Jesus of Nazareth, a first-century carpenter. This means the gospel is about a real person with historical content that's been recorded. It's not just a set of vague ideas, philosophies, or ways to improve yourself. While people genuinely struggle to find meaning and narratives for life, this gospel offers something concrete: a person who lived. You can read and hear about what He said and did. This historical content is very good news.

Not only was He a man, but He was declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead. Jesus Christ our Lord. Because He rose from the dead, death is not the end. The person Jesus is truly alive right now. You can speak to Him. The sufferings and pains of this world don't have the final say because, through His resurrection, they have been redeemed and transformed. That is very good news.

Finally, look at verse 17: "For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last". This is the core mini-conclusion. The gospel is about being right with God.Imagine being right with the holy and pure God of all, not based on your actions, but by faith in what Jesus has done. That's the righteousness spoken of here – not by what I have done, but faith in what Jesus has done.

We live in a world of numbers and standards: 10,000 steps a day, eight hours of sleep, two serves of veggies. But who sets these numbers? The problem with such numbers is you never feel like you're doing enough; you never seem to measure up. How could you possibly measure up to God's standard?

The gospel says that Jesus has done it for you. To access this, according to Romans 1:17, it's by faith. It's simply by trusting Him, by saying, "Well, You've said it, and that is good enough for me".

Remember how I said God rates me ten out of ten? It's true. Even when my performance is bad, when it's up and down, God is always perfectly satisfied with my substitute, Jesus. However bad a day I've had, I am in a perfect relationship with God, as perfect as on my best day. My ups and downs don't matter to God because God always sees me as He sees His Son: perfect. Centuries from now in heaven, having not sinned for ages, He will not love meany more than He does right now. The letter to the Romans explains why.

This is very good news. It's good news for everyone, regardless of their situation, wealth, political views, profession, or background. It was good news in the first century, and it's good news in the 21st century.

How good is your news? It's very good.

This momentous news, the news of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ –the man, the human, but also the one declared with power by His resurrection –brings a righteousness that can be a source of great joy and liberation.

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