Four things God wants us to know

The Christian message of Good News is a message about:

• God
• Sin
• Jesus Christ
• Repenting & believing

1. News about God...

• that He's our creator (Acts 17:24) - and so we owe our very existence to him
• that He's all-knowing; all-powerful
• and, of course, we find ourselves totally in his hands
• a gracious & loving being who will by no means leave the guilty unpunished (Exodus 34:6,7)
• having famously revealed His perfect standards for us in the 10 commandments (Exodus 20:1-17)

2. News about sin...

• that it's more than mere shortcomings as judged by our own, or society's, best standards
• and more than merely something we have a conscience about
• rather, true conviction of sin is an awareness:
• of our specific sins (Ps 51:1-4)
• of our inherent sinfulness (Ps 51:5,6)
• of our wrong relationship with God (Ps 51:7-10)
• in short, it is seeing ourselves as God sees us; totally corrupted; exposed to his wrath; and needing to be created anew

3. News about Jesus Christ...

• as one now living
• having once come from God into humanity to die for us
• his crucifixion actually being his work of salvation as predicted in the Bible
• that we are to 'believe in the Lord Jesus' (Acts 16:31 - to receive the blessings his death has secured)

4. News about repenting & believing...

• Repenting - more than regret about our past
• Believing - more than optimism for our future
• Repenting - a far-reaching change of heart & mind leading to a true disciple spirit (Luke 9:23)
• Believing - entrusting ourselves to, and resting fully on, the promises of God's grace (John 3:16)

Have you responded?

• By acknowledging:
• You have sinned (Rom 3:23)
• You can do nothing to make yourself acceptable to God (Eph 2:8,9)
• Jesus Christ, God's Son, did what you couldn't do - He paid the price of your forgiveness before a holy God by His death on the cross (1 Cor 15:3)
• Your readiness to repent & receive by faith Jesus Christ as your personal saviour (Acts 20:21)

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

(The Gospel by John 3:16 NIV)