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Well, this whole story starts with God, the Bible is clear that there's only one true
God. And that one true God has made all things, He's made the mountains, the planets, the
stars, the oceans, everything. And part of the everything that God made is human beings,
and He made human beings to live for Him, to worship Him, to enjoy Him, to find satisfaction
in Him. The Bible is clear that we were created for God's glory, to show how amazing and how
beautiful and how awesome He is, and to project that to the world around us. But only a couple
chapters into the Bible, in the book of Genesis, in chapter three, you have mankind choosing
to disobey God, you know, the first human beings choosing to disobey God. And really,
what this is is just an act of treason against their Creator. They have chosen to say with
their actions, we know better than God, we're going our own way, we're going to decide how
to run things. And so from the first human beings, Adam and Eve, on down to yourself
and myself, we too are part of this rebellion. We have all sinned, we have all turned away
from God, disobeyed God, rejected God, and have chosen to go on our own path. And so
no one gets off clean in this, we all have dirty hands, and we have offended a good,
holy, separated from sin, God. And the Bible is clear that there is no one good. Jesus
Himself says that, no one is good but God alone. And I know for some of you guys you
may be thinking that you're not all that bad, that you're a pretty good person. Just think
if I'm playing skate with a five-year-old kid, I might appear pretty good, but next
to Paul Rodriguez and skate, he's going to shut me down, you know. And so maybe next
to someone who's not very good, I may look good, but next to someone who's really good,
I'm exposed for what I really am. And so you have to see that that's the case with you
and God, that next to Him and His perfection, you are not good. The Bible would even say
that your righteous deeds, or the best stuff you can produce are like filthy rags to God.
And so this creates a problem, because the Bible is also clear that God is just, that
if, if God is a good God, if He's just, if He does not let evil go, and you have done
evil and I have done evil, that means there must be a punishment dealt. I mean, think
of it in 2011, our day, that if, if a criminal commits *** and he's definitely guilty,
and a judge just lets him go, that's going to, people are going to flip. I mean, because
judges are called to do justice, they are called to do what's right, what's upright,
and what's good. And so, what's good for a judge to do to a guilty criminal is to sentence
him for his guilt. And so, God being a good judge and being perfect, must deal a punishment
for your sin and for my sin. So the Bible is also very clear that the wages of sin is
death, that the payment deserved for this rebellion against God is death. So now every
one of us will die. That's part of the curse and mankind turning against God, now since
we've turned away, the world that we live in with death, with brokenness, with pain,
with suffering, is now a result of that turning away from God. And not only physical death
is what's deserved to us, but the Bible is very clear, Jesus Himself says, I believe
eleven times in the Gospels that hell is also what's given, that hell is what's deserved
for turning away from God. And so for now, so now everyone who has rebelled against God,
separated from God, deserving death, and ultimately deserving hell, which is eternal torment or
eternal punishment, and is the due payment and punishment for turning away from your
Creator. And God is, and I know this is a very unpopular idea in our day, but God is
angry with the rebellion against Him, God is not pleased. All is not well between us
and God, there is actually a war between us and God, the Bible would call us enemies with
God. And so we find ourselves in a hole that we can not climb out of, we find ourselves
in a very, very scary place, and a very, very dangerous place. But the beauty of the good
news of the gospel, is that God has done something about this, that He hasn't just left mankind
to themselves, but He has done something about this. And that something that He's done is
sending His son, Jesus Christ, to this earth 2000 years ago. And Jesus walked the earth
that we walk, but He lived a perfect life, like we can't live. So He lived a perfect
life, but not a painless one by any means, it was a very painful life, but it was a perfect
one. He did not sin, He did not rebel against God, He perfectly obeyed God. And then at
the end of His life, which was part of the plan all along, He died on a cross, and then
three days later, Jesus Christ came back from the dead, and defeated death, He beat death.
And so, what this means now, for His death, and for His resurrection, is that every single
person in this world, who, the Bible says, repents, and, and believes - so, turns away
from their sin and trusts in Jesus Christ, will be forgiven by God, will be pardoned
by God. Because the Bible speaks about how Jesus died in the place of sinners, there's
many different places in the Bible where it speaks of Him being that substitute, of the
one being crushed for our iniquities and pierced for our transgressions, so Jesus went in that
place between God and man and said "I'll take the punishment, I'll be the one who will take
that blow, that wrath, that anger, that justice, so that all those who run to Me, all those
who trust in Me, will not be given what they deserve but instead they will be given grace,
they will be given God's free gift and His kindness of forgiveness and eternal life with
Him forever." So this story is about an amazing God, who in love sends His Son to die a death
He doesn't deserve, for people who deserve hell. But instead of getting the hell they
deserve, they can be with the God they don't deserve and enjoy Him forever upon trusting
in Jesus Christ. And so that's the invitation today, man, for you to put your trust in Jesus
Christ, to really bank on Him, really rely on Him, really believe in Him, and to give
your sin to Him and to turn away from it. And so this is what is put before you, and
every single person who trusts in Jesus Christ, when this short life is over, they will go
to be with Him forever, and enjoy Him forever, like they were created to do originally before
mankinds rebellion, but all those who do not trust in Jesus Christ will be separated from
God in eternal torment forever. And so it's a very weighty, it's a very weighty thing,
man, so please don't put it off, put your trust in Jesus Christ today. He's better than
all the world, I beg you to believe in Him, so, that's all I've got for now.