May your soul be refreshed, your mind reassured and your heart consoled by the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Let’s begin with an important question:

Who is Jesus Christ?

On the night Jesus was born an Angel of God announced His arrival to the shepherds watching their flocks. The Angel said,

“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” Luke 2: 10-11

Jesus Christ is Our Saviour, the long awaited Messiah, the Lord – God made flesh.

Jesus “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death– even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2: 6-11

The Good News of Jesus Christ is rooted in the identity of Jesus. The very name Jesus means “God saves”. Christ means ‘anointed’ or ‘chosen’.

This is the Good News of Jesus Christ:

God saves His people through His Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ, the Holy One of God, the Deity incarnated for our salvation.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” John 3:18

Sin is so offensive to God that human redemption required a divine sacrifice. The Holy Blood of Jesus is the Holy Blood of God poured out as a divine sacrifice to reconcile souls to God.

Another Name for Jesus is ‘Divine Mercy’.

The Good News of Jesus Christ is that:

Divine Mercy paid the price of Divine Justice.

Sin caused God to close the gates of Paradise to souls. Divine Justice entailed a separation between God and Man. God in His perfection and holiness could not commune with the defiled, impure souls of man. To reconcile God and Man and to satisfy the divine justice of God Jesus became for all souls, Divine Mercy.

This is the Good News of Jesus Christ: Jesus, Divine Mercy, paid the price of Divine Justice, opening the gates of Paradise to all, making Eternal Life with God possible.

“For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.” Hebrew 10:10

Jesus does not just prepare a place for us in Paradise by atoning for our sins, He also prepares for us a new life on earth, a life that is purified and made holy by His Sacred Blood and by His Holy Spirit; For it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:16

The Good News of Jesus Christ is that Our Lord and Saviour Jesus wishes to live in holy communion with us today!

The Good News of Jesus Christ is not only about a promise of redemption and an eternal future in Heaven, it is about being ‘born again’ by being Baptized through the power of the Holy Spirit so that we can live in holy communion with God, becoming precious instruments of His Holy Will.

Remember Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Matthew 5:17

It is important to understand some history.

God established a Covenant with Moses where He gave the world His Commandments but Man did not keep God’s commandments faithfully, so God established a New Covenant through Jesus Christ.

At His Last Supper, Jesus speaks of this New Covenant in His Blood: “After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.” Luke 22:20

The New Covenant, signed in the Blood of Jesus, is an agreement to bring about a communion of holiness between God and His people. The Blood of Jesus does not just cleanse us from our sins, the Blood of Jesus enables us to fulfill the Law of God to love one another as He has loved us.

You may be wondering if that is so, then why is there so much sin in the world.

And the answer is God does not force His people to love, He gives us free will.

Whoever desires to please God will succeed through the infinite power of God’s love. Jesus gave His life and poured out His Holy Blood so that we could be His Body on earth, His disciples, spreading the Good News that Jesus can save all souls that will to come to Him for forgiveness.  Jesus wills to live in the hearts of His people, renewing the world, one soul-at-a-time.

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1: 7-9

Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” John 3:3

This is the Good News of Jesus Christ that God wills to save us through the atoning sacrifice of His only begotten Son and God wills to give us ‘new birth’, a ‘new life’ purified by the Blood of Jesus and sanctified by the Holy Spirit of God

“…God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” Romans 5:5

“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Mark 16:16

Let us confess our sins, Ask for Forgiveness, Be Baptized, Be saved and Be Born Again: This is the Good News of Jesus Christ!

“For this is what the high and exalted One says– he who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.” Isaiah 57:15

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

Our Holy Lord Jesus Christ is the High and Exalted One who wishes to forgive us and to live with us. What He asks is that we be humble acknowledging His greatness and our profound need for His forgiveness, assistance and love.  He asks that we be contrite (sorry for our sins) and when we are ready to be humble and contrite God wills to forgive us, purify us and bless us with His love and Holy Spirit.

We need to come to Jesus with humility and trust and sorrow for our sins and know that God will never reject a humble, contrite heart.

A life in holy communion with Our Saviour Jesus Christ changes our hearts and changes our lives.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

Let us consecrate ourselves to Jesus for that is what He desires.  Let us dedicate our lives to Him so we can fulfill the plans He has for us.

Jesus does not want a casual relationship with us. Jesus wants an intimate relationship that He describes in this way:

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

What I have discovered in my own life is that the key to fidelity to God is HOLY DESIRE.

When we truly desire to be ONE with JESUS above everything else, we are filled with the Holy Spirit and are BORN AGAIN. It is the Spirit of God that enables us to acknowledge our sins and want to turn away from them. Let us pray for the Holy Spirit to give us new life so that we can fulfill the plans God has for us.

I encourage you to join The Mercy Movement,  A Peaceful Revolution in the Name of Jesus Christ, that is uniting Christians in prayer and in remembrance of the Passion of Christ every day at the Time Jesus died for us 3pm. For more than a decade now I have been stopping daily to take a walk to Calvary to the place of Christ’s crucifixion and what I have discovered is that HOLY DESIRE IS BORN AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS OF JESUS.

It is impossible to remember the divine sacrifice of Jesus Christ without realizing that JESUS IS OUR SAVIOUR AND OUR LORD and is worthy of a life of total devotion!

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  Matthew 28: 19-20