People differ on whether they prefer to hear bad news or good news first. When Jonathan Edwards preached that memorable sermon back in 1741, entitled “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” he gave the people some very bad news. He described hell as the place where sinners will wear out millions and millions of ages wrestling with God’s merciless vengeance. He said, “And when you have done so, when so many ages have actually been spent by you in this manner, you will know that all of that is but a point in time—a dot—to what remains. Your punishment will indeed be infinite.” Who in his right mind wants to ponder that kind of bad news? The good news of course, is that no one has to anticipate that kind of future. John 3:16–17 tells us that God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent His Son into the world not to judge, but to save the world through him. John then writes, “Anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment.” So there is bad news and good news. The good news today is that many have already accepted Jesus as their Savior and Lord. The other good news is that while time is quickly passing, there is still time for those who, until today, have ignored God’s invitation.
Dr. Melvin E. Banks, Sr. is the founder and chairman of UMI (Urban Ministries, Inc.). Under his direction, UMI has grown to be a leading publisher of Christian education resources for churches in the African American community. Read More
