A friend called me the other day and said, “I’ve got good news, and I’ve got bad news.” I said, “Give me the bad news first” and he did. After the bad news was out of the way all of my angst, and any fear that I might have had, was gone because I knew the good news was all that was left. Then he told me the good news, and it overshadowed the impact of the bad news. That’s just the way I like it. What about you? Maybe I unwittingly picked up this life philosophy from the Bible. After all, the Bible starts off with the bad news first.
THE BAD NEWS:
The bad news is that man sinned and got separated from God. The bad news is that the world plummeted into a state of disorder because of a curse. The bad news is that even though man tried to find his way back to God he continually fell short. Disease, despair and slavery are recorded on a regular basis as a result.
Yes, the Old Testament is like God telling us “The Bad News First”. He got it all out of the way up front. But then came “The Good News”. The news that you and I are the recipients of. The good news is the New Testament.
THE GOOD NEWS:
The good news is that God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. The good news is that all of our sins are washed away by confessing the Lordship of Jesus. The good news is that we are forgiven. The good news is that health can be restored through God’s gift of healing. The good news is that we can receive eternal and abundant life. The good news is that everything that’s been stolen and lost can be restored back to us.
All the bad news has been overshadowed by this good news! Don’t you like getting the good news last?!
Luke 8:1 (NIV)
After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the GOOD NEWS of the kingdom of God.
