Good News

1 Corinthians 15:1–4 NLT

1 Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. 2 It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place. 3 I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. 4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.

I want to talk to you about good news. And not just any kind of good news, but specifically the good news of God’s kingdom.

Let’s be honest, in the face of the world we are living in full of economic uncertainty, a war in Ukraine, a recent pandemic, and all kids of other challenges. We need good news. Not fake news. Not bad news. We need good news.

But to appreciate good news, we have to acknowledge the bad.

Evil is real. The promise of sin disappoints and offers only a momentary escape and passing pleasure (cf. Hebrews 11:25). We grow up with fairy tales and perfect endings only to find that the real world doesn’t always come with happy endings.

The problem of evil starts with sin. The bible defines sin in a number of ways:

Lawlessness (1 John 3:4) - it is the breaking of God’s law

A trespass (cf. Ephesians 2:1) - it is crossing a line

A missing the mark (hamartia in the Greek) - not living up to the standard

Disordered desire (cf. James 1:15) - a longing for something forbidden or not permitted

Iniquity (cf. Hosea 13:12) - a twisting or corruption or guilt caused by sin

Personally, or individually, sin leads to feelings of guilt and shame and ultimately brings about death and separation (Romans 6:20-23, Isaiah 59:2).

Which is why God sent Jesus with a message of good news. And when we receive the good news He sends we can actually close the gap of relational separation due to sin and ignorance (cf. Acts 17:30).

Not only that, because of God’s good news we can break free from the cycle of sin, shame and religious works.

We Need Good News

In every small and large way darkness, sin, and death pervade the world. Death entered the world through sin (Romans 5:12). Sin came through disobedience (Romans 5:19). Sickness and disease are consequences of that sin and the working of the devil (cf. Acts 10:38).

To make matters worse, sin appeals to our fallen nature (Romans 8:5-8). And though we try to resist it we feel the weakness of human flesh against it (Romans 6:19, Romans 8:3). So we often try to escape or numb ourselves from it (Proverbs 31:6-7).

We try to ease our conscious through trying to atone for ourselves by good works.

None of it actually helps.

Despite these things, God brings us a message of good news. And if you will receive that message you can enter into God’s kingdom.

Responding to God’s Good News

In ancient times, kings would make a proclamation called a euangelion. This word means good news. The kings would declare the good news of a victory over their enemies, for example. In Jesus time this word was used in relation to the Roman Imperial religion where Caesar was considered a god and the declaration of his will was pronounced as good tidings.

Jesus used this word in connection with the message of the coming kingdom of God.

In our opening text, Paul uses this word to explain what the Scriptures spoke concerning the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

This good news has the potential and power to literally change our lives.

Recognize Why The Gospel Is Good News

Romans 6:23 NKJV

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

It is sometimes easy to forget that the message of Jesus is good news.

The good news is good news because it brings us hope beyond all of the darkness we see. It offers an answer to how the world got into this mess and a solution to get us out of it.

It is the answer to the source of what is wrong in this world and if we do not understand how bad sin really is and how desperate the situation is then we will not be in position to receive.

Illustration: Ten Commandments…law leads to grace (Galatians 3:24).

Without understanding how bad things really are, we can not appreciate the good news of God.

Remember Who the Good News Is for, and Who It Isn’t

Good news is for those who need to hear it.

Romans 3:21–26 NLT

21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. 22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. 23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.

We’ve all fallen short. We’ve all come under the curse of sin.

If you recognize that. If you feel the effects of that. Then the good news is for you.

If you have trusted Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, this message of good news is for you.

Good news is for those who need it and for those who received it.

The good news of the gospel is only not good to those who reject it.

John 3:16–19 NKJV

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

Illustration: Trust gap (trusting and then having trust betrayed) makes us cynical of good news.

The message of the gospel might be too good to be true, but it is for everyone who will accept it.

Receive the Good News

Romans 10:9–13 NKJV

9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

The message of the gospel is simple and written throughout the Scriptures for us.

God created mankind. Mankind sinned by choosing something other than God’s will. This sin resulted in separation from God and disunity between humanity. It resulted in hatred and murders and immorality and death. God still loved humanity so He determined to redeem and restore and repair our relationship with Him before the fall.

So He sent His Son to pay the price for our redemption. Jesus did everything that the Scriptures promised the Messiah would do.

The key to receiving the message is trusting the one who sent it. God demonstrated His willingness to save in sending His Son to take our place (Romans 5:8). God is not a liar.

Illustration: Nataliya Dmytruk - former sign language interpreter on the Ukrainian state-run channel news broadcasts. In 2004, she became famous because she refused to translate the official script during a live broadcast. She told the people who actually was elected president. And signed to everyone not to trust the central election committee because it was all lies. This led to the Orange Revolution and change in the government.

The message is only as good as the one who sent it. God has proven His trustworthiness by keeping His word throughout generations.

Receive the good news.

Relay the Good News

Mark 13:10 NKJV

And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.

Finally, we need to relay the good news. It is meant to be shared so that others can receive and experience it for themselves.

Illustration: Sharing the gospel. Before. Salvation. After. Invitation.

What is your salvation story? Even if you do not have one, yours can begin today.

Conclusion

The world needs good news. Maybe you needed good news today.

Thankfully, God did not come with wrath or judgment to compound the weight of sin and evil. He came with a message of good news.

And today He wants you to remember the good plans He has for you (cf. Jeremiah 29:11). He wants you to receive the good news for yourself.

And if you have received the good news of the gospel, then relay it to others. Share your salvation story.

Pray. Altar call.