Jesus preached the good news of peace (Ephesians 6:15) The penalty of being a fallen human being is to have a split personality. In fallen human nature the beast and the angel are strangely intermingled. Man’s trouble has always been that he is haunted both by sin and saintliness. Robert Burns said, regarding himself, “My life reminded me of a ruined Temple. What strength, what proportion in some parts! What unsightly gaps, what prostrate ruins in others.” The coming of Messiah Jesus brings forth the cure for that disintegrated personality and enables victory over the warring self through being conquered and completely consecrated by The Christ.
Jesus preached the good news of God’s promise (Ephesians 3:6). It is true that men have always tended to think of God as a God of threats rather than a God of promises. Look at the way some say the God of the Old Testament was mean – it demonstrates they still fail to understand who God is. If you have eyes to see and understand, the God of Father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob shows His mercy and loving-kindness even in the Torah. God’s grace (i.e. unmerited divine favor) is demonstrated in that portion of The Book, it is just much harder to see than it is in the latter portion which begins with the Gospel (Injil) accounts.
Jesus preached the good news of immortality (2nd Timothy 1:10). To the pagan and the Sadducees alike, life was the road to death; man was characteristically a dying man; but Jesus came with the good news that through Him we are on the way to life. Interestingly enough, the pagans that did believe in an afterlife had a rather dark view of what it amounts to. I have to admit that I am not too impressed with what the followers of Mohammad believe regarding the afterlife either. That is primarily because the god of the Koran doesn’t seem very trustworthy. But, of course, disbelievers in Messiah Jesus, as revealed in the Holy Bible, should have a dark view of what the afterlife will be like for them. The fact of the matter is that there was a time when you were not, but now there will never be a time will you will no longer be. Therefore, embrace, make friends with, the holy one of the God of Father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob because, if you do not, this earth is as close as you will ever get to Heaven.
Jesus preached the good news (Ephesians 1:13) of salvation. Salvation is not simply liberation from penalty and escape from the consequences of past sin; it is the power to live life victoriously and to conquer sin. That makes the message of Messiah good news indeed. It is a shame that most followers of Jesus do not live and walk in the full victory of life available to them.
Jesus preached the good news of Repentance. Unfortunately, repentance is not as easy as we tend to think. The Greek word metanoia literally means a change of mind. That is part of the reason a new follower of Isa has such a difficult time trying to walk in holiness of heart and life; he knows he is a new creature, but he still has the old habits and needs help. Of course, it does not help when the tradition of certain men gets in the way by suggesting that it cannot be done. As for traditions, the earliest hadiths are only the result of traditions, nothing more, and created by men over a hundred years after Muhammad.
For the follower of Jesus, the Messiah, the trial that may lay ahead is never as strong as the power behind. The children of the world (disbelievers in the holy one of God) have no such guarantee. He, Jesus, is “wadjih” (worthy of esteem in this world and the next), according to the Quran. The Quran also says Isa is kalimat Allah.
Pray to the God of Father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who sees, hears, and still speaks to us today and longs to demonstrate His great love.
–Pastor Ward Clinton
pastorwardclinton 