Good News

 Daniel 5-6; Psalms 130; Luke 3 

“John said to the crowds coming to be baptized by him…’Produce fruit in keeping with repentance…The man with two tunics should share with him who has none…Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely…He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire’…And with many other words John exhorted the people and preached the good news to them.”

Luke 3:7, 8, 11, 14, 16, 18

The good news of the Gospel is that repentance of sin and turning to Christ for forgiveness and mercy can set us free from self-centered, prideful, greedy, and critical lifestyles. We don’t receive the love and mercy of God on top of our selfish sinful ways, but rather, we humble ourselves and repent. This freedom to repent in practical ways is good news! To be filled with, or baptized by the Holy Spirit includes the Spirit’s fire of purging in our lives from all sin. The Holy Spirit hates sin. He will expose and convict us of words, thoughts, actions, and habits that grieve God. The good news is that we can then repent and receive forgiveness and freedom from the holds of the enemy in the authority of Christ and his blood. This is good news. This is the Gospel.

“Lord Jesus, cleanse, free, and deliver me from evil that I might live for you, for your glory.”