On the cross, Jesus paid the penalty for our sins. He dealt with sin, once and forever. It is finished. The empty tomb on Sunday morning serves as proof that the Father accepted the Son’s sacrifice on our behalf. The good news of the gospel is true because Jesus is alive, and all who know Him will one day experience resurrection for themselves.

Jesus returned to the Father but sent the Holy Spirit to fill his followers with his presence and power. From Jerusalem, God’s story—the gospel—spread throughout Judea, and then to Samaria, through the Roman Empire, and eventually the whole world.

This is where we find ourselves in God’s story. We belong to this age—to the era of the church, which is made up of disciples who have been charged by Jesus to make more disciples, sharing the good news of salvation with every person who has yet to hear. God’s kingdom came to earth with his Son, but it is not yet here in its fullness. As citizens of his kingdom, we have opportunities to facilitate its coming as God’s Spirit works through us to bless our world. This is the difference the gospel makes in our lives today.

The Bible does not leave God’s story open-ended. The book of Revelation gives us a sneak peek at Jesus’s return. Until the end, Satan will continue to deceive as many people as he can, and God will continue to invite into his kingdom everyone who has ears to hear and eyes to see. Jesus has always been and will continue to be our ark of safety. And an ark will be needed, for judgment is coming, just as it did in Noah’s day. When Jesus returns, he will come as conquering King. Satan and his legions will be thrown into the lake of fire, along with all those who have rejected Jesus as Lord. The kingdom of darkness will be laid waste. Sin will be no more. Everything broken will be made new. Everything that has gone wrong will be undone. Heaven and earth will be joined together as New Jerusalem comes down to meet a renewed earth. And God will dwell with his people forever in a glorious adventure that no one has yet seen.

This is the story of God.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

John Greco is a writer living just outside of Nashville, Tennessee. He is married to Laurin. She’s his favorite. They have two boys, Jonah and Jude. He’s partial to them as well. A graduate of Gordon College and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, John has served in a variety of local church positions, and he’s been a staff writer for In Touch Ministries, Crown Financial Ministries, and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. He is the author of Gospel Here and Now: Your Life in the Story of God (Discovery House, 2018), Manger King: Meditations on Christmas and the Gospel of Hope (Discovery House, 2015), and Broken Vows: Divorce and the Goodness of God (Cruciform Press, 2013). You can follow John on Twitter @grex77 or you can find him at JohnGrecoWrites.com.