Recently a friend shared with me that there are three types of things that tend to grab our attention: something of value, something unusual, and something threatening. No matter what we are thinking about, the moment we observe something especially valuable, unusual (like the upside-down words at the top of this page), or threatening, some of our attention will momentarily be diverted to that object or situation. Many advertisements make use of this tendency of ours. Probably the majority of advertisements try to grab your attention by showing you something that you will think is of good value. Other advertisements try to attract attention by portraying something unusual, and a few may even appeal to your attention by implying that something bad is going to happen if you don’t buy their product, take their medication, etc., etc. These are three of the things that grab our attention. But if you think about it, the gospel has components of all three. The hope of the gospel is priceless in value, God’s love for sinners is remarkably unusual, and the righteous wrath of God against sin and unrepentant sinners is threatening.

First, the hope of the gospel is priceless in value. Paul reminded the Ephesians about their condition before and without Christ: “…no hope and without God in the world” (Eph. 2:12). Life without the gospel is hopeless, but the hope of the gospel is invaluable. Jesus used a memorable analogy to teach about the value of the gospel when he said, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it” (Matt. 13:45–46). The gospel of the kingdom is pricelessly valuable—have you searched for it as for a hidden pearl of great price?

Second, God’s love for sinners is remarkably unusual. Paul put it this way: “…God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:7–8). His love for us in spite of our sin and rebellion is nothing short of incredible. Have you committed your life to him who loves you with this kind of love?

Third, the righteous wrath of God against unrepentant sinners is threatening. Speaking about those who willfully persist in their rebellion against the Lord, Paul said, “But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed” (Rom. 2:5). Those who refuse to give God the glory by yielding their lives to him will receive the consequences for their actions. God’s righteous judgement is not to be trifled with. Who can you tell this week about the righteous judgement of God, the jaw-dropping love of God, and the inestimable value of the gospel?