Yes! There is Good News! 11.12.21

As a slight refresher, let me mention that we have been talking about God’s statement through the prophet Isaiah, “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing. Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” (Isa. 43:18-19) And in our previous article we ended with the prophet Joel telling us that God would pour out His Spirit upon all people (Joel 2:28-29).

We also talked about Jesus equating the giving of the Holy Spirit with “rivers of living water”. And yes, this giving of the Holy Spirit is to be considered a ‘new thing’. But one thing that was never fully understood in ancient times, was that the Spirit of God was to be ‘poured out on all people’!! This is why when Jesus is found speaking with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:7-26, the disciples were surprised that He was speaking with her. The woman herself was surprised that Jesus was talking with her; she said “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman .... For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.”

This is also why in Acts 10 Peter had to be compelled by the Spirit to go with some men to the gentile centurion’s house to teach Cornelius and his family concerning the gospel. And when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon those who heard his message the Jews who accompanied Peter were astonished that these gentiles were included in God’s gift. (Acts 10:44-45)

Oh, my!! “And of His kingdom there shall be no end” (Luke 1:33). God had plans for His ever expanding kingdom when He gave the blessing to His servant Abraham “And in you all families of the earth shall be blessed”. According to Paul, Abraham understood this. Check this out in Paul’s letter to the Galatians, chapter 3:6-9.

“Consider Abraham, ‘he believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness’? Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘In you shall all the nations be blessed.’ So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.”

Abraham was but one man and yet we read this in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews verse 12, “Therefore from one man (Abraham) and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.

If you are looking for some good news, it does not get any better than this: to understand God’s love and mercy to every nation under heaven. God promised a ‘new thing’ and had it proclaimed throughout the Old Testament. We have seen it in Isaiah and in Joel; it is found in Jeremiah, Daniel, Zechariah, in Ezekiel and,
yes, even in the book of Genesis!God is our creator, sustainer, our provider; He has plans for all His children and like any good parent, He wants, even desires, for us to succeed.

What an awesome God we serve.