The Gospel is Good News

Luke 2:8-10 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

The angel told the shepherds that he had come to bring them "Good Tidings". In the original language the angel was saying: "I have come to preach the Gospel". The word gospel literally means "Good news". And that is a fact that I certainly believe many people do not understand.

Yet no better news ever came out of heaven than the gospel. No better news ever fell upon the ears of the sons of Adam than the gospel. When the angels came down to proclaim the tidings, what did they say to those shepherds? Did he say: "Behold, I bring you sad tidings"? No! Or "Behold, I bring you bad news"? No!

He said: "Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy"

Now Satan wouldn't have a person to believe that the gospel is good news, he goes about trying to make men believe it is bad news. He tells them: "Don't believe the gospel, for if you do it will make you miserable". He does this because he knows the moment a man believes that the gospel is indeed good news he will receive it, and those who receive it will be freed from his clutches.

For example: If I stretch out my closed hand to you and say, "I have something for you". Would you reach and get if you thought I had a spider in it? Probably not. But if I reach out my hand and say, "I have something for you" and you thought it was one hundred dollars you would take it, wouldn't you? And this is how Satan works on men, he wants them to think that the Gospel is bad news, rather than good news because he doesn't want you to stretch out your hand take it.. Now here is a fact: All those who do not think the Gospel is good news is under the power of the devil.

PREACHERS

The word "Preach" and "Preacher" are closely related to the word Gospel. Do you know what is one meaning of the word "preacher"? A preacher is one who proclaims Good News!

Now to be an effective preacher, one must believe that the Gospel he is preaching is good news. And I most certainly believe that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the very best news that I ever heard. It has done many wonderful things in my life and I want to share with you just some of them.

THE GOSPEL HEALS YOUR SOUL

Isaiah 1:5-6 ... the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.

Now imagine that you are stricken with an uncommon illness like this one. The doctor pronounces that you have contracted a rare disease that has always proven fatal. You have only a short time to live and your health is quickly failing. With this you are shocked and fearful, but then he smiles and holds up a bottle of medicine and says:"Good news! We have found the cure for your disease, you must only take this medicine and you shall live!"

Now imagine how good those words would sound to your ears! No doubt you would say, "PRAISE THE LORD!" and not hesitate to swallow down the cure.

Yet I have better news than that! I have found the cure for the worse sickness on earth. I know the cure for sin-sickness! You see sin is a terrible disease, it is the worse sickness in the world and it has always proven fatal. And worse of all it not only destroys the body, but it also destroys the soul.

The good news is we serve a God who heals the soul. The Bible says:

"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases" – Psalms 103:2-3

And the cure he supplies for us is the BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST HIS SON. By the blood of Christ our souls can be healed! My friends that is GOOD NEWS.

THE GOSPEL OFFERS LIFE.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Not only does the Gospel offer a cure for our souls disease, but it offers much more. I remember when I was a child, I would imagine if I had three wishes what would they be? And I remember the first one would be that I might live forever, and I am guessing it was the same way for you.

Because it is life men want and it is life men value most. Let a man worth a million dollars be on his death bed, and let him think that he could extend his life for a year by giving his million dollars away, he would give it up in an instant!

But the gospel is not an one year gift! The Bible says: "The gift of God is eternal life." Here is the means by which your wish of eternal life may come true, believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ and though shalt live!

Isn't amazing that Preachers must stand and plead, and pray and beg their fellow men to take this precious gift of God?

THE GOSPEL OFFERS FREEDOM

John 8:34-36 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

I read an article about a Church service which took place in the 1800's, right after the Civil War was ended. It took place in the South at a black church. And the Minister was preaching about FREEDOM from slavery.

He said, "Mothers! rejoice to-day; you are forever free! That little child has been torn from your embrace, and sold off to some distant state for the last time. Your hearts are never to be broken again in that way; you are free." The women clapped their hands and shouted at the top of their voices, "Glory, glory to God!" It was good news to them, and they believed it. It filled them full of joy.

Then he turned to the young men, and said, "Young men! rejoice today; you have heard the crack of the slave- driver's whip for the last time; your children shall be free; young men, rejoice today, you are forever free!" And they clapped their hands, and shouted, "Glory to God!" They believed the good tidings.

"Young maidens!" he said, "rejoice today. You have been put on the auction block and sold for the last time; you are free - forever free!" They believed it, and lifting up their voices, shouted, "Glory be to God!"

My friends, I bring you better tidings than that. No colored man or woman ever had such a mean, wicked, cruel master as those that are serving Satan. My friends Satan is a hard taskmaster!

But I have Good News! Christ has died to set you free! If you are a slave to alcohol, Christ can deliver you from it. If you are a slave to drugs, Christ can cause you to throw your pill bottle out of the window. The Lord has promised that sin shall have no more dominion over those who trust in him!

And freedom is Good News!

THE GOSPEL OFFERS US PARDON

Acts 13:38 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:

Oh the Blessed Pardon, how wonderful is it!

And what does a Pardon do? First it releases you from the punishment. You can leave the prison and go free. You do not have to sit in the electric chair.

Not only that but it wipes that crime from your record. You can never be charged with that crime again, the Government will never bring it back up to you.

Now I imagine that if you took any prisoner on death row a pardon from the Governor that he would receive it gladly and jump up and down with joy.

But today I am offering something much better than a pardon from the State. I am offering a pardon from the Throne of GOD. Today God is offering pardon to all who will trust in his Son.

Instead of escaping the electric Chair you shall escape the Lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is a much greater punishment.

Instead of being freed from the state prison, you shall be freed from your spiritual prison of sin, fear, guilt and shame.

And instead of having your one crime blotted out by the State, you shall have all of your sinful past history blotted out. You shall stand before God as if you have never sinned. God shall take your sin and cast them behind his back, he shall remove them as far as the east is from the west! My friends a pardon from God is GOOD NEWS to you.

THE GOSPEL OFFERS US RECONCILIATION

2nd Corinthians 5:20-21 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

By sin we are separated from GOD, to the poor rebellious, stiff-necked, hard hearted sinner, the gospel brings a message of atonement. That is you may have peace with God.

Here is a little story of reconciliation which I was told lately; perhaps it may help you a little:

There was a man who had just one son; and only sons are often petted, spoiled and ruined. This boy became very rebellious, and he and his father very often had trouble. One day they had an argument and the father was very angry and he told the boy to leave and to never come back. The boy agreed and said, he'd not come back unless the father asked him.

Well the boy left, and this grieved the mother greatly. The father may had given up on the lad, but the mother couldn't. She would write the boy and plead with him to come home, but he said "I will never go home till father asks me." Then she pled with the father, but the father said, "No, I will never ask him."

At last the mother came down to her sickbed, broken-hearted, and when she was given up by the physicians to die, the husband, anxious to gratify her last wish, wanted to know if there was something he could do for her. The mother gave him a look; he well knew what it meant. Then she said, "Yes, there is one thing you can do. You can send for my boy. That is the only wish on earth you can gratify."

"Well," said the father, "I will send word to him that you want to see him." "No," she said, "you know he will not come for me. If I'm going to see him you must send for him."

At last the father went to his office and wrote a letter in his own name, asking the boy to come home. As soon as he got the invitation from his father he started off to see his dying mother. When he opened the door to go in, he found his mother dying, and his father by the bedside. The father heard the door open, and saw the boy, but instead of going to meet him he went to the other side of the bed and refused to speak to him.

His mother seized his hand and she kissed him, and then said, "Now, my son, just speak to your father. You speak first, and it will all be over." But the boy said, "No, mother, I will not speak to him until he speaks to me."

She took her husband's hand in one hand and the boy's in the other, and spent her dying moments in trying to bring about a reconciliation. Then just as she was expiring - she could not speak - so she put the hand of the wayward boy into the hand of the father, and passed away! The boy looked at the mother, and the father at the wife, and at last the father's heart broke, and he opened his arms, and took that boy to his bosom, and by that body they were reconciled.

Sinner, that is only a faint type, a poor illustration, because God the Father longs to be with you. I bring you tonight to the dead body of Christ. I ask you to look at the wounds in his hands and feet, and the wound in his side. And I ask you, Will you not be reconciled? When he left heaven, he went down into the manger that he might get hold of the vilest sinner, and put the hand of the prodigal into that of the Father, and he died that you and I might be reconciled. If you take my advice you will not sleep tonight until you are reconciled. "Be ye reconciled." Oh, this gospel of reconciliation! My friends, is it not a glad gospel?