“I Did It My Way!”*
Vineyard Church of the Peninsula
September 27, 2020
“I did it My way!” *
The Gospel is good news. The Church is the group of ‘called out ones’, charged with gossiping that good news. Therefore, the church should be welcomed universally because of the story she is telling and because we all like getting good news. But no, there is much to the glad message which lands as a sour note in the ears of an instant-gratification, ‘me first’, pleasure-obsessed culture; words like, self-denial, submission, suffering, sacrifice, to cite a few. For some, even some in the church, these seem like undesirable elements to stir into a happily-ever-after love story so there is an attempt to massage the Bible’s version of good news into a more palatable, less confrontational, less personally imposing, form. So, is Biblical Good News still good news in a technologically advanced, highly sophisticated, 21st Century, western world, or not? Should we, today, like the shepherds on the night Jesus was born, be ecstatic, praising God and rejoicing with exceeding great joy at this news?
1. Matthew 3:13-17 (John 1:29-34) Through submission, ____________________
2. John 19:19-22 Through betrayal, _________________________
3. Hebrews 12:1-3 Through death, _________________________
*FYI: God said it first.