This is a Day of Good News!
By Pastor Norman S. Lao
Text: 2 Kings 7:3-9
Introduction
Background: There was a famine in Jerusalem because the Arameans (the enemy of Israel) attacked and surrounded the city. Outside the city were four men with leprosy. They were not permitted to enter the city because of their disease. One day, they discussed their situation among themselves. If they enter Jerusalem they will die because there was no food in there. If they go to the camp of the enemy, they may or may not die. Seeing that they have a better chance of surviving at the came of the enemy, they decided to go there.
As the four lepers walked toward the camp of the Arameans, God caused the Arameans to hear a great army advancing (moving) toward them. They became very afraid and they left their camp in a great hurry leaving their weapons, tents, food, treasures, and clothes. When the four lepers reached the camp they were surprised to see that it was empty. Then they saw all the food and all the treasures. Since they were hungry they started eating until they were full. Then they began to gather and hid treasures for themselves.
Suddenly, they stopped what they were doing and said to each other, “We’re not doing right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us. Let’s go at once and report this to the royal palace.“
Today is a day of Good News! Jesus is alive! Jesus has provided us a way back to the Father. Jesus paid for our sins. Jesus is preparing for us a place in heaven. Jesus will come again to bring us home. Jesus will establish his eternal kingdom here on earth. Sin will be no more. Suffering will be no more. Death will be no more. All of these you can have through Jesus Christ! This is Good News!
DO THIS: We must GO! The message of the Gospel is GO! Stand up and tell seven people “I will go.” Return to your seats. Don’t sit down yet. Turn to your chair, point a finger at it and tell it, “I will never be your slave! I will go and spread the Good News of Jesus!”
This is a day of Good News! We need to share this Good News to those who are not yet in Christ…
I. Because of the Blessings We have in
Christ
A. We have a Forgiven Past.
Sometimes the power of the past is so strong that it affects the present and destroys the future. My past has no hold on me because I am a new person in Christ!
1. All our sins have been forgiven and God will remember our sins no more. (Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 10:17).
Through the shedding of the Blood of Jesus Christ on the Cross our sins have been forgiven (Ephesians 2:13; Hebrews 9:14)
2. Everyone who is in Christ is given new life, the past is gone (2 Corinthians 5:17). The Old You is gone. You are a New Person in Christ now.
- You have a new Father (John 1:12)
- You have a new Family (Galatians 6:10) - the family of Christians.
- You have a new destiny - heaven.
- You have a new nature - a righteous nature (John 3:3).
- You have a new life - a life away from sin, a life of excellence.
B. We have a Blessed Present.
1. Blessing of Present Help
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)
2. Blessing of Present Prosperity
God promised to bless us.
3. Blessing of Present Relationships
1. We have the blessing of answered prayer.
Those who are in Christ have the assurance that God will listen to and answer their prayers.
Jesus told his disciples: “You may ask me for anything in my name and I will do it.” (John 14:14)
2. We have God’s material blessings. God provides us all our needs in the present.
“And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus….” (Philippians 4:19)
C. We have a Secure Future.
1. Christ is preparing a place for us in heaven (John 14:1-6). The Bible says we will have our own mansions in heaven!
2. Christ will come for us and we will be with Him forever (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). A day will come when Jesus will take us home to heaven.
Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ. (Romans 8)
II. Because of the Misery of those who are outside Christ
A. The burden of sin: guilt and condemnation.
Sinners are under the weight of their sins. The reason why most people are religious is because they feel the heaviness of their sins upon their consciences (minds). They do not know how to deal with their sins. The only way they know how is to be religious. But religion cannot take away sin. It cannot remove guilt. So, the person without Christ becomes more guilty as he becomes more religious.
B. They have no hope in the present or in the future.
People are into drugs and alcohol not because they want to do these things, but because they are losing hope. People who have hope will not do drugs or alcohol. A hopeless person is a miserable person. Hope is found only in Christ. And we have Christ. That’s why we need to share the Gospel of Christ with those who are perishing (lost).
C. They face only a prospect (expectation) of judgment and condemnation - nothing else.
Only Christ can save us from Judgment and Condemnation. People without Christ are certainly headed toward eternal condemnation.
Will you go out and give them hope through the Gospel?
III. Because of the Punishment that awaits us if we do not share the Good News.
We have the Good News. We have the answer to the world’s questions. We have the answer to the sin and guilt of the world. We have Jesus!
A. If we do not share the Gospel, people will be going to hell and we will be punished by our conscience (by feeling guilty).
If we say, I don’t care, I am going to heaven whether I share the Gospel or not, then we are not being Christian.
B. If we do not share the Gospel, we will be disobedient to God’s Word and God will stop blessing us (John 9:31 - God will bless those who obey His will.)
It is easier for me to give to the son of mine who is obedient.
C. The lost will condemn us for not sharing the Good News of Salvation with them. Many unbelievers are unbelievers because nobody shared the Gospel with them (Romans 10:9-17). If the world is not won to Christ, the church is partly to blame for it. Many Christians are lazy in sharing the Gospel. They talk about movies and shows on TV, but they do not talk about Jesus.
Conclusion
This is a day of Good News! We must share the Gospel with those who are lost! It is not right that we should keep the Good News to ourselves!
