Good News
2 Corinthians 4:4
“In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”
Luke 4:18
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.”
Gospel; the word simply means “to announce good news.”
We hear all kinds of bad news today. As a matter of fact, it seems people are more attracted to bad news than they are good news.
But Jesus said the Spirit of the Lord was upon him to preach the gospel, or to proclaim good news.
That good news was to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim deliverance to the captives, the recovering of sight to the blind, and to set at liberty those who are bruised. That’s good news!
Now, you may have been hearing bad news on the television all week, or reading bad news in the paper every day, but I’m glad you’re here today because I’ve got some good news.
No, I didn’t save a bunch of money switching to Geico; I’ve even got better news that that.
The good news is that God loves you!
It doesn’t matter who you are. It doesn’t matter what you are.
God loves you!
1 John 4:9-10
9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Romans 5:8
But God commended his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Romans 8:39
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1John 4:9
In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
So the good news is; God loves you and me!
There is nothing you could ever do to forfeit God’s love toward you!
There is nothing you can to do make God love you more! There is nothing you can do to make God love you less! His love is Unconditional, Impartial, Everlasting, Infinite, Perfect!
When your friends no longer care for you, God love’s you!
When your husband or wife asks you for a divorce, God love’s you!
When you are the object of prejudice and hate, God love’s you!
When you are all alone, and when no one seems to care, God love’s you!
God’s love is not influenced by the color of our skin, or the degree of our education, or the status we hold in society.
Neither is he repelled by our vulgar and disgusting iniquities that we have done.
He loves us in spite of all the positives and negatives in our lives.
That’s good news!
I’ve got some more good news! Jesus paid for your sins on the cross of Calvary!
Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
You had no choice in the matter! You were born with the curse of sin upon you.
Because of sin you were doomed to spend eternity away from the fellowship of God. You were doomed to a place called hell, a place originally intended for the devil and his angels.
But because your forefathers chose to disobey God’s command the sentence of death was pronounced upon the entire human race.
Along with that came guilt and condemnation; there came an emptiness and void in the heart of soul of man.
Life had no meaning, life made no sense only to face darkness at the end.
There was no way we could help ourselves. Sin had contaminated our heart.
For years man has tried to find something that would take away that condemnation, the guilt, the void, the emptiness that dominated the soul.
We finally realized that it was our sins that brought condemnation, guilt and emptiness.
But there was nothing we could do to bring ourselves back into a relationship with God who is the source of happiness, liberty and fulfillment.
So God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
I’ve got good news this morning! Jesus paid for your sins!
He canceled your death penalty! He paid your ransom. He broke the shackles of sin. He redeemed you by His own blood. He took away the condemnation. He relieved you of your burden of sin.
Now you are free! Now you are redeemed! Now you are pardoned!
Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
I’ve got some more good news today!
God wants you to be blessed!
He wants you to live a victorious life!
Jer 17:7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.
Ps 128:4 Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the LORD.
Ps 84:5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them.
Eph 1:3 ¶ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Heb 6:14 Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.
So many people think it is godly to just get by on the most meager resources they can.
I am not a, quote (prosperity preacher) that preaches God wants you to be rich.
No where in the bible does it say that God wants you to be rich.
As a matter of fact Jesus warns us about the riches of this world.
But God wants to bless you!
And when we bless God, He will bless us.
When we honor God, He will honor us.
God wants to bless you in your finances but we must honor him with our giving.
God wants to bless your health but we must honor God by taking care of the body which is a temple of the Holy Spirit.
God wants to bless you by meeting all your needs according to His riches in glory, but we must seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
So the good news is, God wants to bless you!
I’ve got some more good news!
Jesus died but He rose again!
1Co 15:20 ¶ But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
Ro 14:9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
Some more good news!
First the bad news! You are going to die! The good news is this:
Joh 14:19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
I’ve got good news! Paul writes that to be absent from this body is to present with the Lord.
Some folks today believe that when you die it will be the end. No life after death. No hope!
But I’ve got good news! We’re going to live forever! There is life after death.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. I Cor 4: 16,17
I’ve got some more good news! Jesus is coming soon!
It’s just about over my friend! This ole world is groaning under the weight of sin’s curse.
Romans 8:22-23 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
Paul tells us what will happen!
1 Thess. 4:13-18
13 ¶ But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
Oh what good news!
Then, in closing, I’ve got good news about your future, if you a child of God.
You’re going to have a brand new home!
John 14: 1-4
1 ¶ Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
4 ¶ And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
Revelation 21: 2-5
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
Isn’t that good news?
