Jesus and Mack Trucks
The Gospel accounts in the Bible, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are evidence about the person and ministry of Jesus Christ. They are historical record and they present theological truth. As John says in his Gospel, these things have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
As we investigate and consider the Gospel accounts, “This is what God says,” we need to respond with, “what then must we do.” In other words, if you believe the Gospels as being truth according to what God says and what God has done, then a response is needed.
The Apostle Paul responded to the Gospel accounts and wrote to Christians all over the world. When Paul wrote, he basically said to others, “what the Gospels say is true, what they say about Jesus is right and good. Jesus Christ is God in the flesh, Jesus Christ became the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Therefore…. this is what we must say, this is what we must do, this is how truth should impact our life.”
What then is my point? My point is about impact.
If there is one thing that is perfectly clear from reading and understanding the Bible, it is the Gospel impacts lives. Hearing and knowing about the person of Jesus Christ should have an impact upon our life. After the Gospel impacts our life, how we think, how we speak, and how we live will be different than before the Gospel impact. David Platt, in his book “Follow Me,” describes the impact of the Gospel like being hit by a Mack truck on the freeway. You don’t show up someplace an hour later, brushing yourself off, and say, “Sorry I am late; I was hit by a Mack truck on I91.” In other words, people who truly respond to the Gospel do so because their lives are impacted. The Gospel knocked them over. They are not the same person they used to be.
As we look around in our culture, we see a lot of people saying they believe the Gospel; they call themselves Christians. Yet, there is no difference in their lives. Their outlook on life is much the same as the people in the world that don’t believe the Gospel. The think, speak, and act the same as others who have not been hit by the Gospel Mack truck (subsequent posts describe more of how people ought to be different because of the Gospel).
What about you? Is your life different? Will people look at your life and know you have been hit by a Gospel truck? Is there evidence of a life impacted?
Ask people who know you well, “Can you see how the Gospel has made an impact in my life?”
PART TWO is here
