THE GOOD NEWS COMES CLOSER

Isaiah 43:16-23; Psalm 126:1-6; John 12:1-8

Introduction

A nation is a large body of people united by common descent, history, culture, or language, inhabiting a particular territory. Nations are mostly distinguished by their system of governance - democracy, dictatorship, monarchy, and so on. So in the context of building a new nation in Christ, we are looking at a body of people united with Christian culture in Christ. 

Ghana has a majority of more than 71% of the entire population professing to be Christians. This makes Christian culture, history, language, and so on the dominant one. God is saying to us today that He is building a new nation in Christ for us.

In Isaiah 43:18 God admonished the nation Israel to put the past behind them. Last week in our discussion of "Independence without Christ is slavery", God made us understand that He has rolled away every reproach of the Egyptians from Israel. If God has done this for them, then the people are now being admonished to put the past behind them as God is "about to do something new" for them. God gives the assurance that the new thing is perceivable and it is here with us (Isa. 43:19). 

The New Nation in Christ

From the separation of Israel into North (Samaria) and South (Jerusalem), the people began to see themselves as divided people. This system continued to the time of Jesus. There was a clear distinction between Jews and Samarians (John 4:9).

The writer of the Gospel of John tells us that by the coming of Christ, God started to develop a completely new heritage. “…to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become the children of God” (John 1:12). But this time, they are, “…children born not of natural descent… nor of human decision…but born of God”,(John 1:13). This indicates that Christ's coming is to raise a new family of God's Kingdom. Are you in Christ's family?

The Psalmist indicates that "Unless the LORD builds a house, its builders labor over it in vain; unless the LORD watches over a city, the watchman stays alert in vain. (Psalms 127:1 HCSB)

Paul puts it, "There is no Jew and Greek...for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:28) For, to both the Jew and the Greek, the new nation in Christ manifests Christ as, “the power of God, and the wisdom of God”, (1Cor. 1:24). So God, through Christ Jesus, is creating a new nation for Himself. Paul says, “Everything is from God…" reconciling us to Himself. (2Cor. 5:18). Oneness in Christ is in this new nation in Christ.

God wants the Christian to continue the registration of people into this new nation He is building in Christ (2Cor. 5:19-20). We have a task to populate the citizens of this nation.

The people in the new nation in Christ make great sacrifices. Sacrifices in prayer, resources, energy, passion, and so on to build it up. The Psalmist puts it, "Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy." Psalms 126:5 (HCSB) Out of this that all our past becomes onto us like a dream.

Jesus demonstrated that God receives ALL to this nation. He cares about our sacrifices. He rebuked Judas by saying, “Leave her alone..." (John 12:7 HCSB) when the woman was making a great sacrifice to build this new nation.

Where are the Christian sacrifices today? We listen to people outside and inside of the church who discourages us in our sacrifices. Where are your sacrifices to God to merit His forgiveness and restoration?

Shalom aleichem...