“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash” (Matthew 7:24-27).

When the New Testament world referred to normal Christians, they were viewed as radical Christians. Normal Christians were viewed as radical Christians because they lived a life that was so different than the lives around them. The hopes and dreams of normal Christians were so unlike the hopes and dreams of everyone around them. So, in time, normal and radical became synonyms in the New Testament world.

You see, there is no such thing as a follower of Jesus Christ who doesn’t follow Jesus Christ.

“Follower of Jesus” is not a title but a description. Christians were called followers of Jesus because that’s what they did. What Jesus said, the disciples did. Fully submitting to Jesus and his teaching was not viewed as radical but as normal.

The problem is that modern day Christians have made radical and normal antonyms.

But when it comes down to it, there is no such thing as a follower of Jesus Christ who doesn’t follow Jesus Christ.

Remember, a follower of Jesus is not a title – Christian is not a title. A follower of Jesus is a description of how Jesus followers live.

Got it?

“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).

Why is this so? Why are those who believe in the Lord Jesus saved?

R. C. Sproul says, “The cross is meaningless without the incarnation and incomplete without the resurrection.” He is absolutely correct.

First, Sproul says, “The cross is meaningless without the incarnation.”

• Incarnation literally means in the flesh. At the root of this word is carnal, meaning flesh. In the flesh.
• Incarnation refers to God taking on human flesh and human form in the person of Jesus Christ.
• God became fully man in Jesus of Nazareth. When God appeared in human form in the manger in Bethlehem, he was fully man.

Incarnation of Christ means Jesus is fully God and fully human. Jesus needs to be both to be our Savior and Lord.

Jesus died on the cross on our behalf. The reason why he was able to do that was that Jesus was able to live the life we were not able. Jesus lived a perfect human life, a life without sin. Had Jesus sinned, when he died on the cross he would have died for his own sins. But because he lived a sinless life, a sinless person stood in our place to pay the debt of sin for our behalf.

Secondly, Sproul says, “The cross is incomplete without the resurrection.”

There was nothing unique about the death of Jesus on the cross. The Romans crucified over thirty thousand people. What makes the crucifixion of Jesus is that the second person of the Trinity died on that cross. It wasn’t just a human being that died on the cross. The Son of God died on the cross. And by dying on the cross as the Son of God, he took the place for all who believe in him and accept the gift of eternal life. Nothing unique about a man dying on the cross. But the death of the Son of God on the cross? That changes eternity!

How does Jesus’ death change eternity? Because of the empty tomb. Because the empty tomb proves that Jesus was not only fully human, but that he is also fully God. The resurrection completes the mission of Jesus to save sinners.

Jesus died for sinners by paying the debt sin. And by rising from the dead, we share in Christ’s glory and resurrection.

Jesus is who he said he was: the Son of the Living God.

This is the reason why those who believe in the Lord Jesus are saved.

“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32).

God’s love is amazing! “God demonstrates his love for us in this: that while we were sinners Christ died for us!” (Romans 5:8). God doesn’t wait until we have our stuff together. God doesn’t wait for us to live right. God loves us in our mess, in our sin, in our junk. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us to demonstrate how much he loves us. God’s love is amazing!

God’s love is not only amazing, it is even more amazing-er! Not only does God love sinners, he loves repeat sinners. It’s not like we stop sinning the moment we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. We keep sinning. Often the same sin over and over and over and over and over and over and over…you get the point.

We keep sinning! And yet, God still loves us. He doesn’t stand with his arms crossed with a frown looking at struggling sinners. In fact, God is so proud that we are struggling with sin instead of accepting sin. He’s our biggest cheerleader in our struggle to battle sin! God’s love is so amazing-er!

But, wait. There’s more. Not only is God’s love amazing-er, God’s love is the absolute amazing-est. You see, the most startling thing about God’s love is that God loves us at the cost of his very self. To prove God’s love for us, he sacrificed the second person of the Trinity so that we might share in his resurrection glory.

God does not need us. It’s just that God’s absolutely crazy about us. God could not imagine spending an eternity without us in it. So God made a way for us to be with him in eternity. The cost for making a way was his very own self: the second person of the Trinity.

Wow!!! God’s love is the absolute AMAZING-EST!!!

That, my friends, is the gospel. That is good news. That is GREAT NEWS!!!