Good News - You Just Need Faith

March 17, 2024

What is this?

It’s a section of this Substack that reflects the content of a weekly small group Bible study that I lead. A longer description can be found on the About page.

Small Group Setting

In small group we begin with taking time to arrive and connect, open in prayer, and then review a portion the sermon from the previous Sunday. There isn’t time to go through everything, but we go where we are drawn.

The sermon is outlined in some detail below, but there is considerably more to each of these, and I recommend viewing it if you have the time and interest. They run about 30-35 minutes. Take a few notes. Pause the video as needed, or speed it up. Comment below.

Toward the end, we look at the “fill-in” sermon points, published with blanks in the bulletin but presented in full within the sermon. We also glance at the questions for reflection (from the bulletin) if there is time, and close with extended prayer.

Sermon Video

Optional but recommended.

Sermon Outline

1. Scripture Reading, Luke 23:32-43¹

2. Peter Pan analogy

   1. Response of children to stranger flying in through window (no!)

   2. How do we get to Neverland? Can’t fly. Just think happy thoughts.

   3. Not enough. One more thing, a little bit of dust. (Something was left out)

3. Christians often say “need to have faith in Jesus”.

   1. But then start adding things to the message.

4. What is the simple gospel all about?

   1. The bad news is Christians have complicated the gospel message for 2000 years

   2. Asking congregation, “What does it mean to be a Christian?”, or “Why are you a Christian?”

   3. Common answer, “Believing in Jesus”

   4. Digging deeper, or asking people less familiar with church brings different answers…

      1. Because I pray

      2. Because I read the Bible

      3. Because I go to a Christian church

      4. Because my parents were Christian

      5. Because I live in America

      6. Because I vote the right way

   5. Some are part of the Christian life; some are disconnected things that we’ve tried to connect to what it means to be a follower of Christ. We’ve made it complicated. We see struggle, doubt, arguing between Christians.

   6. Example of online “Christian influencers”. Finger pointing, accusations.

   7. We want to get back to what the Good News is all about

   8. What is the Good News? It is “Jesus loves you”. Or “The God of the universe loves you enough, loves you so deeply that he would send his son who offered himself as a sacrifice for us to be a savior of the world so that if we put our trust in him we will not perish for eternity, but instead we will have eternal life.

   9. That’s the Good News, what Easter is all about, the hope of the Resurrection, of what Jesus did and what we get to experience in the future. And yet we can take that good news and we can say if it’s so simple to say “Jesus loves you” and get down to the basics of the faith then why does it feel so complicated?

   10. Because we’ve made it complicated. Return to that simple gospel.

5. Two goals

   1. Goal of series is to receive and experience that Good News, putting some of the guilt and the shame aside.

   2. Get to the point where the gospel is simple in its most basic form. Something I can invite other to, share with others. So that as Easter approaches and new people visit, we as followers of Christ would be more willing and able to share and tell people that Jesus loves them.

   3. Receiving and giving.

6. Criminal on the Cross

   1. Why the thief on the Cross is so important. Luke 23:32-33²

      1. Luke paints a picture of what is happening at the cross, the crucifixion of Jesus found in all four Gospels, ultimate example of the love of Christ. “That God so loved the world that he gave his only son.

      2. And what did his son have to do? Go to the cross to pour his blood out to pay the price for our sins.

      3. Philippians 2:7-8³

         1. Terrible way to die. Maximum suffering. His death for our life. Received the full wrath of the Father, so that we don’t have to — we can receive the blessing of God instead.

      4. Returning to Luke 23, two criminals. Who are they and why are they here? Not much information. Luke has the most. Major crimes, just punishment. Violent crimes implied. Jesus in the middle, “standing in the gap”, offering himself for all who have sinned, if they would repent (turn from sin) and receive him, they will not experience the wrath of God, but instead can enter into life.

      5. Refocusing on Christ in Luke 23:34⁴, unjustly dying, cries out “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing”. While being crucified and mocked. Offering forgiveness to those that didn’t deserve it.

      6. Luke 23:35⁵ Mocking, sneering. One of the criminals mocked him as well. Jesus used his final moments and every breath he had to demonstrate love.

      7. “How do you feel about these verses” is the wrong question to ask. First question we should ask is “what was the author trying to say?” Not what we want them to be saying, but what were they trying to say.

      8. Result of Bible study, clarifying what it means to say. “Uncomfortable, and not easy, but I’m going to trust God.” These people were coming at the text the wrong way. Couldn’t understand that Jesus would die for them.

      9. One person in the scriptures that gets it right. One person that acknowledges who Jesus really is, the other criminal. Luke 23:40 ⁶ Has the confidence of knowing he is going to eternity to be with the Father.

7. How can this happen? Romans 10:9⁷ This is what the criminal did. It was not the end. “You will be saved.” Saved through faith alone, in Christ alone. It is his work that matters.

   1. But we want to add things.

   2. What did the criminal not have? (But they are not the salvation issue.)

      • A perfect past.

      • Great theology.

      • Church deeds. (i.e. baptism, communion, church attendance, etc.)

   3. He seemed to know some things about Jesus. What about the follow-up — did he do good things afterward? No. Nothing.

   4. What did the criminal have?

      • Faith in Jesus.

   5. The good news is that all I need is faith in Jesus! “Saved by faith alone, but not a faith that is alone.”

   6. Should pursue a deeper knowledge of God, get to know God as best we can, study theology, … Titus 3:4-8⁸

   7. Not saved so that we can live the life we lived before. Saved to do good deeds.

   8. Don’t continue as a slave to sin. Pursue Jesus, knowledge of Jesus. God has given us the freedom to do that.

   9. Couldn’t do these things before. We have the privilege of walking side by side with God, in mission to this world, proclaiming the Good News. Don’t stop at salvation.

   10. Returning to Peter Pan. Were given the ability to fly, invited on incredible journey to Neverland. What if they didn’t use the gift?

   11. Be kingdom builders, inviting people. Preach the simple gospel, invite.

   12. Will experience some rejection. Maybe they will be like the criminal on the cross. All we can do is live faithfully.

8. Go and live the life that God called us to live, and be the people God has called us to be.

Sermon Points

What did the criminal not have?

●A perfect  past.

●Great theology.

●Church deeds.

What did the criminal have?

● Faith in Jesus!

Questions for Reflection

1.What does faith in Jesus look like?

2.Do you believe that it is good news that all we need for salvation is faith in Jesus? Why or why not? 

3.How are you living in response to what Jesus has done for you?

1. Luke 23:32-43 - 32 Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed.
33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left.
34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”
36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar
37 and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”
38 There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the jews.
39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence?
41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

2. Luke 23:32-33 - 32 Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed.
33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left.

3. Philippians 2:7-8 - 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death even death on a cross!

4. Luke 23:34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

5. Luke 23:35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”
36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar
37 and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”
38 There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the jews.
39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

6. Luke 23:40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence?
41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

7. Romans 10:9 - 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

8. Titus 3:4-8 - 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared,
5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,
6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior,
7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
8 This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.