Over the past several weeks in our midweek services at church we’ve been wrestling with the gospel, the good news of Jesus. Our task has been to take what we know of this good news message and summarize it in about seven words. There’s nothing magical about seven words. There’s nothing all that special about this number necessarily. The number seven is a simple number that is small enough to remember and long enough to pack a meaning. So what are your seven words?

This week we looked at the reason for the seven words. Peter tells us in 1 Peter 3:15 –

Always be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks you for the reason for the hope that you have.

Could you do that? Can you give a reason for the hope you have? This isn’t telling someone the hope you have, it’s giving reason for it.

Ever wonder why Peter wrote that sentence? Ever been curious why Peter penned those words? I guess aside from the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, there might be an answer in his earlier walk as a disciple. At one point Jesus asked his disciples, Who do you say that I am?

That’s a powerful question that should have taken a little bit of thought! But not for Peter! The indication is that Peter was ready for that one. When asked he was ready You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Wow! That’s a pretty straightforward answer to be sure. He summed up who Jesus was in a pretty solid fashion. Perhaps this is why he was able to pen that statement in 1 Peter!

But he didn’t keep that attitude all of his life. As a matter of fact, just a little later in his life, he found himself in the courtyard of the High Priest as Jesus as on trial. Three different people asked him three different times if he knew Jesus. Each of those times Peter became more adamant that he did not know Jesus!

He went from one of the most concise and solid confessions of Jesus to out and out denial of even knowing him in just the blink of an eye! Perhaps this is what drove Peter to write those words. Perhaps this reality of not having his confession as part of his whole identity was teh reason he encourages us to always be prepared.

So what is your seven word confession of faith? A few guidelines:

  • Jesus is the actor not you.
  • Should be some bad news overcome by good news.
  • You have a need and Jesus fills it.

Take a minute and give it some thought. The seven word statement isn’t the point! I was told recently that this whole idea of the gospel in seven words is a little gimmicky, and if the point was the seven word statement that would be right. The point is about the formation of that statement. The goal is that through the wrestling a confession is born in you that becomes part of you. Then whether it’s 7 words, 70 words or 700 words – you’re ready and willing to share the Jesus that you know.