We live in a bad-news world. Each morning, we wake up and see it in the headlines on our news apps. In the evening, we see bad news again on the local news. The daily reports are relentless and overwhelmingly negative; it feels like the ratio of bad news to good is 10 to 1.
Some people suggest the reason for this disparity is simply emphasis, but I think bad news has the upper hand. It always looms on life’s horizon. Every time something good happens, it’s followed by a “Yeah, that’s good, but . . .” That’s not pessimism. It’s the reality in a broken world.

As a result, we all need to hear more good news. And not just the temporary sort that makes us feel better for a fleeting moment. Whether believers or unbelievers, we all need a daily dose of good news that transcends all the bad and puts every bit of it in a hope-filled framework. We need a message that flips the script on our bad-news world.
That’s precisely what the gospel of Jesus Christ does. His message is so good that no bad news can bring it down. Here are five reasons to share his good news today.

Every person you see today has done something wrong. For some of them, their sin is so fresh in their minds that it feels like it’s following them around, haunting them. They’re consumed with remorse and can’t escape the memories. They have anxiety about what God is going to do to them for what they did.

People laden with guilt and shame need to know that Jesus forgives sinners. They need to know there’s more mercy in God for them than there is sin within them.

With the troubled conscience, share 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” That good news will be a mending influence for unsettled souls.

All the people you see today have been wronged at some point in their lives. They’ve been hurt, perhaps deeply hurt, by other people’s actions or words.

People who have been harmed need to know Jesus is going to judge everyone for every sin. No one will get away with anything. And since Jesus was totally innocent yet punished for all our sin, those who have been hurt by others’ sins can entrust those hurts to his perfect, just, and merciful judgment. When they do so, they can experience release from the desire for vengeance and relief from the pain of bitterness. They can even receive strength to forgive as they have been forgiven through Christ’s work on the cross.

With the hurting, explain Peter’s succinct statement in 1 Peter 2:24: “By his wounds you have been healed.” That good news will be a balm for the wounds in their spirits.

All the people you see today have felt wrong inside at one time or another. They’ve been dissatisfied with their own character or struggled to kick bad habits. Some have known the agonizing powerlessness of addiction. They’ve wanted to change something about themselves but have been unable to do so.

They need to know that Jesus has the power they need to become more like him. He gives believers the power to change through the Holy Spirit who dwells in them. We can speak these words from 2 Peter 1:3 to those who are struggling to change: “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.” That good news will motivate them to grow in Christian virtue.

Everyone you see today struggles with what’s wrong with the world. Some may be fighting illness or watching loved ones succumb to disease. They may be experiencing conflicts that don’t feel like they’ll ever be resolved. Their bodies may be breaking down in some way, or their souls may be in turmoil. Tragedy may have struck people they know, or they may have recently stood over the graves of loved ones.

They need to know that God has promised to undo all the effects of original sin and to lead his people into a new heavens and new earth. Tell them about Jesus’s words in John 16:33: “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” That good news will give them the strength they need to persevere through trials.

It’s not only every person you see today that needs to hear the gospel. The person you looked at in the mirror this morning needs it too. While it’s good to preach the gospel to yourself, Paul’s words in Philemon 6 indicate the best strategy for encouraging your own heart is partnering together in gospel ministry with others: “I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.”

When we work together to proclaim the good news to others, we’re richly reminded of all the good God has done, is doing, and will do for us in Jesus.

In this world, people face temptation and regret, pain and suffering, failure and disappointment, deterioration and death. The bad news is truly bad, but there’s a reason for encouragement in the face of it all.

His name is Jesus. He is the Lord. Jesus is putting the world right regarding sin. He’s the only One who saves sinners, and he does so by grace through faith. Jesus has overcome the world, and he’s leading his followers into a brand-new world. This message about Jesus is worth sharing every day.

Scott Lothery (MDiv, DMin, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is the senior pastor of Living Faith Christian Church in Farmingdale, New York. He and his wife, Cindy, have four children and one granddaughter. He’s the author of Always Good News: Why the Message of Jesus Is Good Every Day (Christian Focus, 2023).

In 2000, our son Matt was born with post axial hypoplasia in his left leg. This condition can have a variety of bone abnormalities. In his case, his left femur, tibia, and fibula were not the same length as those on his right and would likely never “catch up” during his growth to maturity. In addition, of the twenty-six bones that most people have in their left foot, Matt had just two. The doctor was unable to determine if those two were phalanges or metatarsals as there were no other bones whatsoever inside the flesh that bore a vague resemblance to a typical human foot.

The painful solution to this condition was amputation of that foot when he was just seven months old to create a heel pad on the distal end of his limb. That surgery allowed him to be fitted for a prosthetic left leg which could address both disabilities created by the condition. First, it provided a substitute foot so that he would be able to walk. Second, the knee down nature of the device created a way to artificially lengthen the left leg as he grew so that it could always be the same length as the right leg.

Now, as his parents, my wife and I have obviously done all we can to help Matt with his disability. That’s what you do when you face something wrong in life, particularly with those people you love most. You do your best to make it right. Further, we have celebrated the advancements of technology that have helped him. Isn’t it amazing that he was the first of our four children to walk? I’ll never forget when he stood up and ambled across our kitchen floor at just eleven months old. Such a precious memory.

Matt even played baseball in high school. I can still vividly envision the homerun he hit into the parking lot at Wheeling or the double off the wall with the bases loaded to beat an undefeated Buffalo Grove team. We rejoice in all that he has been able to do physically as well as in all that people have done to help him overcome the challenges presented by his body.

Yet, we also clearly understand what cannot be done for him. We cannot give him a new left leg and foot with all the bones and proper development. Oh, how we wish we could! We would give up our own bones in a heartbeat so that he could have them. But, alas, we can’t make the situation right in that way.

You see, none of the good that has been done removes the sense of loss we feel for him regarding what cannot be done. In other words, we have hopes for his earthly life that can and are being realized, and for that we are very grateful. But we have no hope for true physical wholeness for him on this planet. That isn’t available to him, or to anyone for that matter, in this life. It awaits in the next.

The world is not right and there are some things we can’t resolve: Hurricanes tear through the Gulf of Mexico and flood multiple states. We know they are coming. We prepare for them, but we can’t stop them. We create laws to stop racism and protest when it happens, but it still lingers in the hearts of people. We organize our house and care for our lawn, but the laundry piles up and drought and grubs turn the grass brown. We bombard cancer with chemotherapy and radiation, but it returns to grow until it overtakes life. We try to keep the winter salt off the car but rust invariably develops causing a breakdown.

Humanity continues to strive for utopia, but original sin makes it impossible to achieve. Just like no one can get eggs out of a cake that has been baked, no one can get the sin out of us and the world; no one, that is, except Jesus.

The good news about the Lord is that he has promised to return to Earth to right all that is wrong with this world. He is not just interested in justice and purity. He is determined to usher in glory. The Apostle John saw a vision of the Lord doing just that and recorded it in Revelation 21. About this promise, Jesus said, “Behold, I am making all things new. Write this down for these words are trustworthy and true” (Rev. 21:5).

Jesus is going to make everything new. Forty days after his resurrection, he ascended into Heaven. At an unknown time in the future, he will descend from Heaven in the same form and in the same way that he left. After he returns, he will continue his work of making everything new by giving Christians new bodies, patterned after his resurrection body.
Whereas our current bodies are flawed, weak, natural, sinful, and perishable, our new bodies will be like his—complete, invulnerable, spiritual, holy, and immortal. With the same power he used to raise himself from the dead, he will raise you, Christian. He’s not going to enter your grave and perform CPR to reanimate your old body. He’s going to transform your current one, whether it is alive or dead when he returns, into a glorified one.

Then, with the same power Jesus used to create the cosmos, he is going to create a new glorified world. Since the Scripture is silent on the scope of the change, we don’t know if he plans to resurrect the entire universe, just the Milky Way, or simply our solar system. It is difficult to have certainty on how pervasive sin is and how thoroughly it has corrupted what God has made.

What we do know is that the world that we currently experience will be transformed such that all the effects of original sin will be overcome. Jesus will eliminate the presence of sin, setting the creation itself free from its bondage to corruption. And the results will be astounding. Disease will end and everlasting health will begin. Disabilities will be made permanently whole. Discord will give way to constant harmony. Decay will reverse into perpetual growth. Tranquility will replace disorder and success will supplant disaster. Even death itself will die. Revelation 21:4 describes his return in this way: “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Rev. 21:4).

This is the gospel hope we have for our son Matt, ourselves, and everyone else: a New Heaven and a New Earth where righteousness dwells. Only Jesus, the Son of God, can create this eternal life. He is the only one who can save us from all that is currently wrong, the only Savior of sinners.

Adapted from Always Good News: Why the Message of Jesus is Good Every Day by Scott Lothery, ©2023. Used by permission of Christian Focus.
 

Scott Lothery (MDiv, DMin) has been a church planter, solo pastor of a small church, senior pastor of a medium sized church, executive pastor of a large church, and lead pastor of a multi–site mega church. In every ministry, he has emphasized the gospel of Jesus as the power of God that nourishes the Christian life.

I watched my daughter Alyssa jump out of a plane on her 18th birthday. Talk about an uncomfortable feeling for a dad! I remember thinking, “This is the same girl who took like two hours to jump into my arms from the side of a pool into the shallow end.”
Standing in that pool, I remember wanting to reach into my daughter’s heart and strengthen her faith in my ability to catch her and keep her safe. I wanted her to trust me and my words. I’m her daddy—of course I would catch her!
This experience at the edge of the pool stood in stark contrast to her launching out of the door of a plane on her 18th birthday. There she was with total faith in this random skydiver dude!

Lord, Strengthen Our Faith

You may feel like that little girl at the edge of the pool, spiritually speaking, with weak faith that needs to be coaxed and encouraged. Don’t we want to be the kind of people that trust God so much that we are willing, not just to jump into the shallow end of the pool, but to jump out of airplanes for God, metaphorically speaking?

No matter what your faith is like, I pray that through this article, God would reach into your heart and strengthen your faith today. First, I’ll give you a definition of faith. Second, I will make three observations about faith from Hebrews 11:1-6. Before you keep reading, ask the Lord to strengthen your faith today.

What Is Faith According to Hebrews 11:1?

The essence of Christian faith is reliance on the person, work, and promises of Jesus Christ. Reliance means to depend on or to count on him. Jesus is a living person with certain character qualities. He has also done things on our behalf. He is doing things right now. He has promised to do more. Faith is relying on him in all those regards.

I want you to see this definition of faith from the Bible. Hebrews 11:1 puts it this way:
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1 ESV)

Let’s look at each phrase of this verse so that you can see the connection between what the Bible says and my definition.

What Are the “Things Hoped For”?
That phrase “assurance of things hoped for” does not encourage wishful thinking in general, as though faith is an inner assurance that you are going to get whatever you hope for in life. No, that’s not Christian faith. Rather, “assurance of things hoped for” specifically refers to the Christian hope of the future, defined by the Bible.

Jesus said he’s coming back to resurrect his people and transform the world, to put everything right, to undo all the effects of original sin. This is what the phrase “things hoped for” means. It refers to the second coming of Jesus, and all that will come with it.
Christian faith, then, is believing that promise from Jesus—even more, relying on that promise. Christian faith involves making decisions in life and living here on Earth with Jesus’ promises in view because you are counting on them happening in the future. You are relying on them.

For example, most of us get paychecks. And we make decisions during the week or month because we are counting on that paycheck coming. If the paycheck doesn’t show up, we are in trouble because we are relying on it.

Likewise, if you have Christian faith, others should be able to look at your life and see your plans for the second coming, that you are relying on it. Why do you do A, B, and C? Well, it is because Christ is going to return. Why don’t you do X, Y, or Z? Because you are counting on the “things hoped for”—the resurrection.

“Conviction of Things Not Seen”

Similarly, that phrase “conviction of things not seen” is also a reference to God and what he has specifically done in Jesus, not just our general confidence in something we can’t see.
For example, Christ laying down his perfect life to pay the penalty for my sin is a “thing not seen.” I didn’t see that happen. You didn’t see that happen. It’s part of “things not seen” of Hebrews 11:1.

Even though we Christians didn’t see it, and don’t see it, we have conviction about it. Not only do I believe that Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross happened, but I am also relying on his work as the only way that I can be right with God. For Jesus provides the only way to deal with my personal sin. I am relying on Jesus for forgiveness and reconciliation with God. That’s Christian faith—it is our “conviction of things not seen.”

Likewise, another example of “things not seen,” is Jesus rising from the dead. I didn’t see that. He then ascended into heaven. I can’t see him now. But I have a conviction that it is true, based on God’s own Word (1 Corinthians 15:20; Mark 16:19).

Every time you or I pray, we are relying on him as the intercessor King who sits on the throne of the universe (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25-26). He’s our only chance to battle our indwelling sin. We cry out to him for power to obey and for mercy when we fail (Hebrews 4:16). We rely on Jesus.

Christian faith is the “assurance of things hoped for” and the “conviction of things not seen.” It means relying on the person, work, and promises of Jesus Christ. That’s my simple definition derived from Hebrews 11:1.

What We Learn About Faith From Hebrews 11:1-6

Now here are three observations that take us a bit deeper into thinking rightly about faith.

1. Faith Precedes Understanding
First you rely on Christ, then you understand. To be clear, I don’t mean that knowledge doesn’t occur before faith or reason doesn’t occur before faith. They do! Knowledge and reason inform faith.

But true understanding—the wisdom of God—that happens after faith, not before. Think of it in this way. First, knowledge and reason. Second, faith. Third, understanding.

Look at Hebrews 11:3:
By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. (Hebrews 11:3 ESV)

“By faith we understand.” As a result of relying on the person, work, and promises of Christ, we comprehend. By trusting in Jesus, we become wise.

Before I put my faith in Jesus Christ for the first time, I researched Christianity, particularly the resurrection. I analyzed all the data. I considered within my brain the various options that explained the empty tomb and I came to the rational conclusion that the best explanation for it, in fact, the best explanation for the world, was that the gospel is true. It was a scientific exercise for me. There was a lot of evidence. I examined it and I came to a verdict.

Hebrews 11:3 isn’t saying that we check our brains at the door in order to get into the kingdom of God, as though you have this sort of blind faith without reason in order to follow Christ. No. Rather, when you look at the evidence of what is seen, it points you to something you can’t see, and at that point you need faith.

So, knowledge and reason precede faith, but faith precedes understanding. That’s Hebrews 11:3. By faith, we understand.

Aurelius Augustine, 4th-century Bishop of the African city of Hippo put it simply, quote.
I believe in order to understand. (Augustine)

Listen, if you are trying to figure out your situation before you have faith, you have it backwards. If you are telling God, “Lord, I don’t get why you want me to do this. I don’t get how this is going to work. Tell me why. Teach me how. I need to understand it first. Then, I will trust you.” If that is your approach, you will never put your faith in Jesus regarding that situation.

Friend, trust in Christ. Rely on him. Take that step he wants you to take. Do it and you will be able to look at your life and gain understanding, understanding that will also help you in the future when faced with similar situations.

2. Faithfulness Is the Lifestyle that Pleases God

Being full of trust in Christ brings a smile to the Lord. Us relying on Jesus makes him happy
.
For by it the people of old received their commendation… And without faith it is impossible to please him. (Hebrews 11:2; Hebrews 11:6 ESV)

This idea of being approved by God is repeated often in Hebrews 11. The chapter ends by stating that all the people mentioned were commended by the Lord through their faith (Hebrews 11:39-40).

That’s Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, and Samuel. All of them pleased God. They were faithful.
Now, we often think of faithfulness as always doing what you said you would do or being totally committed to someone. That is partially true. But I want you to think of how faithfulness is presented in Hebrews 11.

Faithful means full of faith. Being faithful in relationship with God means regularly relying on the person, work, and promises of Jesus Christ. Faithfulness means relying on God for power to obey, relying on God when you need to be forgiven because you didn’t obey, and relying on God when you don’t understand and need help coping.

Faithfulness is a decision today to trust Jesus’ character, followed by another decision tomorrow to take him at his word, followed by another decision the next day to believe he will do what he said he would do. Christian faithfulness is a life of faith, relying on God (Galatians 2:20).

Being faithful does not mean being perfect or sinless. How do we know that? Well, the people in Hebrews 11 were clearly flawed, yet commended by God himself. They were sinners. Read their stories. Yet, they pleased the Lord. They failed, even repeatedly, but they were full of faith.

So, be careful that you don’t view faithfulness as an unrealistic standard of obedience and think you aren’t ever pleasing God because you are a sinner. The sinners of Hebrews 11 pleased God!

Think about the situation I described at the beginning of this article with my little girl at the edge of the pool. Do you know how happy it made me when my daughter trusted me and leaped into my arms into the water? Of course you do! I’m sure you have experienced the joy of someone totally trusting you.

God is a Father who has great joy when you, his little son or daughter, leap into his arms. He tells you to trust him. And whenever you do, he is pleased with you—that includes trusting him that after you just sinned, you can come to him for forgiveness and cleansing (1 John 1:9). When you believe that and do that, he is pleased with you.

3. Faith Involves Reward

Did you know there’s an incentive to relying on God? Counting on him results in personal benefit to you. Now, some Christians hesitate to believe that’s true, as though it somehow cheapens the relationship with God to seek him for reward. Shouldn’t we trust him irrespective of profit to us? Isn’t that the more noble way?

Well, let’s look to the Bible. It says that faith involves seeking God for reward.
For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:6 ESV)

We want to draw near to God. We want to get close to the Lord. To do that, Hebrews says we must believe he exists. Faith requires belief that God is real. But notice it also says we must believe that he rewards those who seek him. It’s a requirement of faith to believe that God rewards those who seek him.

So, here’s the implication of Hebrews 11:6. It pleases God when we draw near to him. But we won’t have faith to draw near to God if we don’t believe we will somehow benefit from seeking God. Wanting reward from God is inherently necessary to seeking him and pleasing him.

We do well to remember that the reward we get by drawing near to God in faith is not the reward we prescribe, but the one he determines, right? He determines the nature of the reward.

Still, thinking that we are getting rewarded in the way that he will determine is an essential part of faith. So, even though it is good to qualify reward in that way, don’t hesitate to believe that God rewards those who seek him! I must believe that seeking God provides reward according to Hebrews 11:6 for me to truly have faith.

One Way We Misunderstand Faith

I think we hesitate to believe this connection between faith and reward because Western civilization has been greatly influenced by the altruistic thinking of Immanuel Kant. You may not be aware of this, but the way many Christians think has been significantly impacted by Kant.

Here’s a quote that sums up his philosophy on this topic and has unfortunately undergirded Judeo-Christian culture for a couple centuries.

An action, to have moral worth, must be done from duty. (Immanuel Kant)

See what he said? My deeds, in order to be moral, in order to be righteous, in order to please God, must be done from obligation to God. Conversely, if I do something and I am not motivated by my responsibility to God or sense of duty to him, then it doesn’t have any value. According to Kant, if I have even the slightest bit of motivation that I am going to be rewarded by God, that is not pleasing to God. The Lord doesn’t like that. That’s Kant. This idea sounds spiritual and noble, but it is insidious. It breeds self-righteousness, not faith.
What the Bible Teaches About the Reward of Faith

The Bible teaches that seeking reward from God is an essential element of faith. This isn’t just taught in Hebrews 11. This is what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount. For example, on the topic of giving to the needy, Jesus said:

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:3-4 ESV)

Give to the needy in secret, Jesus says. Why? Because God will reward you. If you give to the needy in secret out of sheer duty, “I give to the needy because God told me to do it and I’m the kind of guy who obeys God,” that isn’t drawing near to God. It is drawing near to yourself. It is self-righteousness, not faith. Faith involves reward.

On the topic of praying, Jesus said:
But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:6 ESV)

Pray to your Father when you are alone, Jesus says. Why? God will reward you. If you do it because you fancy yourself to be the type of person that prays the way God tells you to pray, that’s pride, not faith. Faith involves reward.

On the topic of fasting, Jesus said:
But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:17-18 ESV)

These are Jesus’ words, friends. Jesus uses the incentive of reward to rely on him to give to the needy, pray, and fast. Faith involves reward. Reward from our Father who loves us motivates our obedience. That’s what the Bible teaches.

Let’s Start Relying on God
Faith is relying on the person, work, and promises of Jesus Christ. That’s a simple definition. And faith precedes understanding, pleases God, and involves reward.
You can’t have perfect faith. You can’t be fully dependent on God, but you can more frequently rely on the One who perfectly relied on God—Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.

What might God do through us if we more fully relied on his Son, Jesus? What would God do through you this week, if you jumped in the pool, or even out of that plane, spiritually speaking? Let’s take those plunges.

Let’s add our names to the list of sinners in Hebrews 11. Let’s rely on Christ, for whatever he is calling us to do today. Let’s draw near to him and please him by faith.

Scott Lothery has been a church planter, solo pastor of a small church, senior pastor of a medium sized church, executive pastor of a large church, and lead pastor of a multi–site mega church. In every ministry, he has emphasized the Gospel of Jesus as the power of God that nourishes the Christian life. Scott is the author of Always Good News: Why the Message of Jesus Is Good Every Day