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Good News Bad News of the Gospel

January 27, 2021 Pastor Mark

May I ask you a question?

Has anyone ever taken a Bible and shown you how you can know for sure that you’re going to heaven?

Bad news statement #1: We are all sinners

Verse: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23

Illustration: “Sinned” means we have missed the mark. When we lie, lust, or gossip, we have missed the standard God has set.

Suppose we both threw a rock at a target 5 miles away. You might throw it further than me, but both of us would miss. It is the same with our relationship to God. While you may do more “good works” than me, we will both still miss the target of perfection. We are guilty of sin.

Bad news statement #2: The penalty for sin is death

Verse: “For the wages of sin is death.” Romans 6:23

Illustration: A wage is something that we earn in return for our deeds.

Suppose I agreed to pay you $50 for some work you did for me. That $50 is a wage – it’s what you earned.

The Bible tells us that the wage we have earned for our sins is death. Not just physical death – spiritual death, which is separation from God.

Since we are unable to come to God because of our sins, the Bible says that God came to us. This is the good news! It also has two statements, two verses, and two illustrations.

Good news statement #1: Christ died for you

Verse: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

Illustration: The Bible says that the Son of God, Jesus Christ, took the punishment for our sin and died in our place.

Suppose you are in the hospital and dying of lung cancer. Suddenly, the doctor comes in tells you someone is willing to have their perfectly healthy lungs exchanged for yours, removing all cancer cells. What would happen? They would die and you would live. They would die in your place. That’s what Jesus has done for us.

Good news statement #2: You can be saved through faith in Christ.

Verse: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and and not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

Illustration: Faith means trust. We must trust in Christ alone for salvation.

Just as you would trust a chair to hold you up while providing no effort of your own, so you must trust Christ alone to get to heaven through no effort of your own. Any good thing you might do cannot get you to heaven. It is through Christ alone.