WEBVTT 00:00:00.650 --> 00:00:02.410 Well, how many of you believe that we need some 00:00:02.410 --> 00:00:08.650 good news in our bad news world? Yeah? There's 00:00:08.650 --> 00:00:10.949 a lot of bad news. And what if that good news 00:00:10.949 --> 00:00:13.349 that we're in need of was more than just like 00:00:13.349 --> 00:00:17.510 a feeling, like a fleeting pick -me -up kind 00:00:17.510 --> 00:00:19.710 of feeling that we might get from an interest 00:00:19.710 --> 00:00:22.870 piece in a magazine? What if that good news could 00:00:22.870 --> 00:00:26.230 be good news that isn't just out there, but is 00:00:26.230 --> 00:00:30.149 good news that is in here? working itself out 00:00:30.149 --> 00:00:35.189 there through us. The gospel actually means good 00:00:35.189 --> 00:00:37.090 news. That's what the word means. So when you 00:00:37.090 --> 00:00:39.329 hear someone say gospel, gospel, they're saying 00:00:39.329 --> 00:00:44.149 good news, the good news of Jesus Christ. Nate, 00:00:44.350 --> 00:00:45.509 can we go ahead and get the mic down a little 00:00:45.509 --> 00:00:48.689 bit? I can feel it in the room. If I can feel 00:00:48.689 --> 00:00:52.590 it, you can hear it. Considerably, thank you. 00:00:54.530 --> 00:00:57.969 I was feeling myself. I was bouncing off the 00:00:57.969 --> 00:01:01.969 walls. The gospel means good news. And at Village, 00:01:02.109 --> 00:01:04.890 we're all about receiving that good news, the 00:01:04.890 --> 00:01:07.129 good news of Jesus Christ, and letting that good 00:01:07.129 --> 00:01:10.609 news change who we are, heart, soul, mind, and 00:01:10.609 --> 00:01:13.549 body. And we call that here at Village, we call 00:01:13.549 --> 00:01:16.400 that bringing the gospel to life. Bringing the 00:01:16.400 --> 00:01:19.379 gospel to life is allowing that gospel in. And 00:01:19.379 --> 00:01:21.260 we're going to do a little bit of discovery in 00:01:21.260 --> 00:01:23.040 regard to that gospel this morning as we look 00:01:23.040 --> 00:01:29.099 at Romans chapter 5, verses 6 through 11. For 00:01:29.099 --> 00:01:31.180 while we were still helpless at the right time, 00:01:31.299 --> 00:01:35.439 Christ died for the ungodly. For rarely will 00:01:35.439 --> 00:01:38.760 someone die for a just person, though for a good 00:01:38.760 --> 00:01:41.120 person perhaps someone might even dare to die. 00:01:41.959 --> 00:01:45.019 But God proves his own love for us in that while 00:01:45.019 --> 00:01:49.420 we were still sinners, Christ died for us. How 00:01:49.420 --> 00:01:51.480 much more then, since we have now been justified 00:01:51.480 --> 00:01:55.280 by his blood, will we be saved through him from 00:01:55.280 --> 00:01:58.859 wrath? For if while we were enemies, we were 00:01:58.859 --> 00:02:01.219 reconciled to God through the death of his son, 00:02:01.420 --> 00:02:04.260 then how much more, having been reconciled, will 00:02:04.260 --> 00:02:08.080 we be saved by his life? And not only that, but 00:02:08.080 --> 00:02:10.580 we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 00:02:10.740 --> 00:02:13.699 through whom, we have now received this reconciliation. 00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:20.360 This is God's word. Have you ever needed something 00:02:20.360 --> 00:02:23.159 or someone to show up at just the right time? 00:02:24.740 --> 00:02:26.620 Maybe your car broke down on the side of the 00:02:26.620 --> 00:02:30.139 road in the middle of nowhere. No cell service. 00:02:30.780 --> 00:02:33.520 And you start praying, someone will come by. 00:02:34.159 --> 00:02:36.120 Someone will stop. I mean, it's like the only 00:02:36.120 --> 00:02:39.639 time in the world when you're hoping a CHP notices 00:02:39.639 --> 00:02:43.500 you, right? Like every other time, it's a vague 00:02:43.500 --> 00:02:46.699 duck cover, right? But now it's like, hey, I'm 00:02:46.699 --> 00:02:49.099 right here, help. And of course, are they there? 00:02:49.580 --> 00:02:54.340 Sometimes. Or maybe money was tight and a bill 00:02:54.340 --> 00:02:57.780 needed to get paid. And you were down to the 00:02:57.780 --> 00:03:01.479 wire and money came in at just the right time. 00:03:03.759 --> 00:03:07.069 We moved to our house. a couple years ago, and 00:03:07.069 --> 00:03:08.569 in our first year, I've told this story before, 00:03:08.689 --> 00:03:11.469 but in our first year, we were noobs, newbies 00:03:11.469 --> 00:03:13.889 up in the mountains, and we didn't know the lay 00:03:13.889 --> 00:03:16.110 of the land, and so we didn't have four -wheel 00:03:16.110 --> 00:03:18.650 drive, we didn't have a whole house generator, 00:03:19.009 --> 00:03:22.030 we didn't have any provisions whatsoever made, 00:03:22.169 --> 00:03:24.330 and it just so happened that during that first 00:03:24.330 --> 00:03:26.449 year, we also had what was called Snowmageddon, 00:03:26.550 --> 00:03:30.110 one of the largest snowstorms in the mountains. 00:03:31.519 --> 00:03:33.819 It dumped snow, and it just so happened that 00:03:33.819 --> 00:03:36.000 when it started dumping snow, my mother -in -law 00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:39.419 was also with us up at the house visiting, and 00:03:39.419 --> 00:03:41.860 the snow dumped, and we couldn't get out. Power 00:03:41.860 --> 00:03:44.000 went out. We couldn't get out of the house. We 00:03:44.000 --> 00:03:47.819 were socked in, feet of snow, no way to get out 00:03:47.819 --> 00:03:51.099 of the place. We couldn't get to the things that 00:03:51.099 --> 00:03:53.139 we needed, so Joe needed to get home. My mother 00:03:53.139 --> 00:03:54.800 -in -law needed to get home. We needed to fill 00:03:54.800 --> 00:03:57.300 medication. We needed to get groceries. We couldn't 00:03:57.300 --> 00:03:59.919 do any of it because we were trapped in the dark. 00:04:00.490 --> 00:04:03.750 at home. My wife went on one of the Facebook 00:04:03.750 --> 00:04:06.370 groups and just kind of put out a word for like, 00:04:06.490 --> 00:04:09.750 help, we're trapped down this private road and 00:04:09.750 --> 00:04:12.270 we can't get out and we don't have four wheel 00:04:12.270 --> 00:04:15.469 drive. And unless someone clears the road, which, 00:04:15.469 --> 00:04:16.970 you know, it's private road. So, you know, the 00:04:16.970 --> 00:04:19.209 county's not going to do it unless someone, the 00:04:19.209 --> 00:04:20.670 goodness of their heart clears this road, we're 00:04:20.670 --> 00:04:24.089 stuck. And I remember kind of, it was a fleeting 00:04:24.089 --> 00:04:26.050 request. We weren't sure if it would be answered, 00:04:26.129 --> 00:04:28.050 but I remember it was the evening one night. 00:04:28.839 --> 00:04:32.060 And we were sitting, it was a Wednesday, the 00:04:32.060 --> 00:04:34.680 infamous Wednesday, when we were sitting in the 00:04:34.680 --> 00:04:37.519 living room and we start to hear a rumble outside. 00:04:37.680 --> 00:04:39.959 When it snows and there's no power, it's really 00:04:39.959 --> 00:04:43.300 quiet. I mean, it's eerie quiet. So we could 00:04:43.300 --> 00:04:45.459 hear it from a while, well, ways away, but we 00:04:45.459 --> 00:04:47.699 started to hear a rumble. The ground was moving 00:04:47.699 --> 00:04:50.300 and then a big bar of, you know, a light bar 00:04:50.300 --> 00:04:52.620 on top of this thing started shining and the 00:04:52.620 --> 00:04:54.339 whole area around our house was illuminated. 00:04:54.399 --> 00:04:56.600 We're thinking like, angel has come to save us, 00:04:56.639 --> 00:04:59.100 right? Or Jesus is back or something, right? 00:05:01.459 --> 00:05:04.120 But I mean, second to that, this was the best 00:05:04.120 --> 00:05:06.379 thing. It happened to be a guy who saw the post, 00:05:06.519 --> 00:05:09.279 got in his skid steer and came down and cleared 00:05:09.279 --> 00:05:12.470 a path all the way to our driveway. Now, praise 00:05:12.470 --> 00:05:14.670 God for him. Unfortunately, there were two houses 00:05:14.670 --> 00:05:16.709 down the road from us, and he just created a 00:05:16.709 --> 00:05:19.290 big hill in the middle of the road. So even their 00:05:19.290 --> 00:05:21.689 four -wheel drive was now ineffective, but we 00:05:21.689 --> 00:05:23.750 could get out of there clear. It was awesome. 00:05:24.589 --> 00:05:29.029 Free and clear. Just in the nick of time, we 00:05:29.029 --> 00:05:30.889 needed to get some things and get on our way. 00:05:31.589 --> 00:05:34.610 It just so happened also in that storm, we were 00:05:34.610 --> 00:05:36.649 down on supplies, and one of our neighbors, whose 00:05:36.649 --> 00:05:39.879 husband worked in Folsom, picked up a target 00:05:39.879 --> 00:05:41.759 order for us, brought it home to their house, 00:05:41.819 --> 00:05:43.980 which was a little ways away, and her and the 00:05:43.980 --> 00:05:47.139 kids loaded it on a sled and made their way all 00:05:47.139 --> 00:05:49.459 the way to our house to deliver Target to us, 00:05:49.600 --> 00:05:54.180 just in the nick of time. Well, Romans chapter 00:05:54.180 --> 00:05:57.139 5, verse 6 says that while we were still helpless, 00:05:57.259 --> 00:06:02.680 at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. 00:06:04.000 --> 00:06:06.639 Well, what does that mean? Well, here's one truth. 00:06:07.230 --> 00:06:11.509 You can't save yourself. You can't save yourself. 00:06:12.649 --> 00:06:17.009 You oftentimes think you can. You oftentimes 00:06:17.009 --> 00:06:20.509 act as if you can, but you can't. You can't save 00:06:20.509 --> 00:06:24.449 yourself. You can do a whole lot of good. You 00:06:24.449 --> 00:06:27.110 can do a whole lot of harm in this world, but 00:06:27.110 --> 00:06:30.269 you are powerless to change what is in here. 00:06:32.370 --> 00:06:36.579 Earlier, Last week, we had a men's event, and 00:06:36.579 --> 00:06:39.660 we talked about act like men. We read an article 00:06:39.660 --> 00:06:41.779 and had a little discussion about act like men. 00:06:42.220 --> 00:06:44.279 And one of the gentlemen who wasn't actually 00:06:44.279 --> 00:06:47.720 at that time, later in the week, sent me a video 00:06:47.720 --> 00:06:50.259 just randomly. I actually didn't have his number 00:06:50.259 --> 00:06:52.079 saved in my phone, so I'm like, some weirdo just 00:06:52.079 --> 00:06:54.279 sent me a video here. I don't know if I should 00:06:54.279 --> 00:06:59.480 click on it, but it was Brad. Who is a weirdo, 00:06:59.480 --> 00:07:02.149 but just a different kind of weirdo. He sends 00:07:02.149 --> 00:07:05.370 me this video, and I get the courage up to click 00:07:05.370 --> 00:07:07.449 it, and I'm like, I can lose my phone if it's 00:07:07.449 --> 00:07:09.810 a hacker or something, who cares. And I watch 00:07:09.810 --> 00:07:11.970 it, and I just start cracking up. Because maybe, 00:07:12.089 --> 00:07:14.149 this is to the men in the audience, maybe some 00:07:14.149 --> 00:07:17.750 of you men have felt this way, or maybe if you 00:07:17.750 --> 00:07:21.790 haven't expressed it like this guy, you have, 00:07:21.970 --> 00:07:23.949 at least it's been the inner dialogue, it's been 00:07:23.949 --> 00:07:26.069 the whisper inside of your heart. Go ahead and 00:07:26.069 --> 00:07:28.800 play that video really quick. I'm feeling the 00:07:28.800 --> 00:07:31.079 effects of masculinity right now. I feel the 00:07:31.079 --> 00:07:34.279 testosterone. I want to go to war! I want a lightsaber! 00:07:35.160 --> 00:07:40.959 I'm a man! War! Get this seatbelt off of me! 00:07:46.899 --> 00:07:49.160 I love the lightsaber part. I mean, everything 00:07:49.160 --> 00:07:50.939 else was good, but then he was like, give me 00:07:50.939 --> 00:07:59.920 a lightsaber! we've felt that way. For us men, 00:08:00.120 --> 00:08:03.040 it's like, it's time to rise, kill, and eat. 00:08:03.699 --> 00:08:07.060 Or, point me to the dragon. I want to slay a 00:08:07.060 --> 00:08:11.639 dragon today. Or, give me a lightsaber now. I 00:08:11.639 --> 00:08:16.420 want to act the man. There's been a few times 00:08:16.420 --> 00:08:19.300 where I have gone, we're at home on a day off, 00:08:19.459 --> 00:08:21.879 just kind of meandering about, and then I'll 00:08:21.879 --> 00:08:24.720 just get that feeling, that internal like, urgh! 00:08:25.199 --> 00:08:27.079 Give me a lightsaber feeling, right? We'll call 00:08:27.079 --> 00:08:30.100 it that. And I'll disappear to the back and I'll 00:08:30.100 --> 00:08:32.559 get my work boots on and I'll get my work pants 00:08:32.559 --> 00:08:35.440 on and my shirt. And my wife will be out, you 00:08:35.440 --> 00:08:37.379 know, working away on her computer or something. 00:08:37.899 --> 00:08:39.840 And I'll walk out into the living room and I'll 00:08:39.840 --> 00:08:41.779 just kind of go to the window and look out the 00:08:41.779 --> 00:08:47.360 window. And she'll be like, what are you doing? 00:08:49.139 --> 00:08:54.429 And I'll be like. I think I'm going to go weed 00:08:54.429 --> 00:08:56.269 eat or something. I'm going to eat some weeds. 00:08:58.590 --> 00:09:00.190 Some of you guys are like, yeah, you probably 00:09:00.190 --> 00:09:07.529 should eat some weeds. You'd be healthier. No, 00:09:07.529 --> 00:09:09.309 but we have that feeling sometimes. We're like, 00:09:09.370 --> 00:09:11.190 hey, I want to go and I want to conquer and I 00:09:11.190 --> 00:09:14.250 want to triumph and I want to rule. But man, 00:09:14.490 --> 00:09:17.490 I'll talk to you right now. There's something 00:09:17.490 --> 00:09:21.009 else you probably come to realize. That dragon 00:09:21.009 --> 00:09:25.509 that is within you. is almost impossible to reach 00:09:25.509 --> 00:09:31.159 and even more impossible to kill. All that energy, 00:09:31.240 --> 00:09:34.700 all that drive, some use it to build a road or 00:09:34.700 --> 00:09:38.919 to build a house or to dig a well or to extract 00:09:38.919 --> 00:09:41.399 some mineral from the ground. I'm talking about 00:09:41.399 --> 00:09:43.639 jobs that are predominantly men right now, right? 00:09:43.740 --> 00:09:46.779 There's 90 % men who do those jobs. And this 00:09:46.779 --> 00:09:48.940 is good for society and it's good for improving 00:09:48.940 --> 00:09:52.139 the lives of millions of people. But all that 00:09:52.139 --> 00:09:54.480 energy and all that drive is useless when it 00:09:54.480 --> 00:09:56.899 comes to dealing with the darkness and evil and 00:09:56.899 --> 00:10:02.139 sin within you. It's something like this. I can 00:10:02.139 --> 00:10:05.000 build a bridge with all the strength that I have 00:10:05.000 --> 00:10:07.980 and the brains that I have, but I can't seem 00:10:07.980 --> 00:10:12.320 to hold my tongue with my wife. And our marriage 00:10:12.320 --> 00:10:17.720 is on the rocks because of it. Or I can construct 00:10:17.720 --> 00:10:21.059 elaborate digital systems and troubleshoot and 00:10:21.059 --> 00:10:24.519 overcome hundreds of bugs and errors, but I can't 00:10:24.519 --> 00:10:32.769 seem to debug my addiction to pornography. Maybe 00:10:32.769 --> 00:10:37.070 guys, maybe girls here. I watch hundreds of hours 00:10:37.070 --> 00:10:41.509 of YouTube and Netflix. And I can tell you everything 00:10:41.509 --> 00:10:43.750 you want to know about the lives of some travel 00:10:43.750 --> 00:10:48.450 vlogger. Or how to convert a van to a sleeper. 00:10:50.129 --> 00:10:53.549 Or how to can food at home. Or how to homestead. 00:10:53.549 --> 00:10:57.830 Or how to raise farm fresh anything. But I'm 00:10:57.830 --> 00:11:02.830 still empty inside. I can't. none of that information 00:11:02.830 --> 00:11:05.889 reaches to the deepest and changes who I am. 00:11:07.850 --> 00:11:10.669 Because Paul says in regard to this, we're hopeless, 00:11:11.169 --> 00:11:19.850 helpless, weak, spiritually drowning. That we 00:11:19.850 --> 00:11:25.190 are slaves to sin. We are ungodly is the term 00:11:25.190 --> 00:11:29.899 he uses. As one man once said, the human race 00:11:29.899 --> 00:11:33.000 has improved everything except the human race. 00:11:37.860 --> 00:11:41.919 But the hungry need food. The sick need a doctor. 00:11:42.779 --> 00:11:49.799 And the spiritually helpless need a savior. And 00:11:49.799 --> 00:11:51.220 all that, that's kind of the bad news. That's 00:11:51.220 --> 00:11:53.980 the reality. That's the default state of humanity. 00:11:54.159 --> 00:12:00.049 We are all in a bad way. But let me tell you 00:12:00.049 --> 00:12:02.710 some good news this morning. Let me tell you 00:12:02.710 --> 00:12:08.269 some gospel. Christ died for the ungodly. Christ 00:12:08.269 --> 00:12:13.049 died for the ungodly. Like, who would you die 00:12:13.049 --> 00:12:15.970 for? And I'm not talking about like being caught 00:12:15.970 --> 00:12:18.309 up in the moment, right? Adrenaline is pumping 00:12:18.309 --> 00:12:20.690 and you jump in front of a bullet. You take one 00:12:20.690 --> 00:12:23.509 for the team, right? Not that kind of dying. 00:12:24.139 --> 00:12:26.240 I think there's probably a few guys in here who 00:12:26.240 --> 00:12:29.320 would run to the fight, not away, and jump in 00:12:29.320 --> 00:12:31.159 front before they had a chance to think about 00:12:31.159 --> 00:12:34.039 it and probably put on selective hearing as their 00:12:34.039 --> 00:12:36.860 wife is screaming at them to run the other way, 00:12:36.960 --> 00:12:40.940 right? But I'm not talking about that adrenaline 00:12:40.940 --> 00:12:44.340 caught up moment, jump in front of a bullet kind 00:12:44.340 --> 00:12:47.940 of situation. I'm talking about the sober minded 00:12:47.940 --> 00:12:52.220 after much consideration. volunteering your life 00:12:52.220 --> 00:12:56.659 to take the place of another person. Who would 00:12:56.659 --> 00:13:00.759 you die for? Because I'm pretty sure that would 00:13:00.759 --> 00:13:06.200 reduce the candidates. Christ died for the ungodly 00:13:06.200 --> 00:13:09.960 is such a wild and wonderful claim that Paul 00:13:09.960 --> 00:13:12.799 is even like, let me tell you how crazy this 00:13:12.799 --> 00:13:16.600 is. Rarely will someone die for a just person. 00:13:17.179 --> 00:13:19.240 Though for a good person, perhaps someone might 00:13:19.240 --> 00:13:21.879 even dare to die. But God proves his own love 00:13:21.879 --> 00:13:26.139 for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ 00:13:26.139 --> 00:13:31.779 died for us. Christ died for us while we were 00:13:31.779 --> 00:13:37.759 still sinners. Not, hey, clean yourself up and 00:13:37.759 --> 00:13:40.639 make yourself new and then I'll receive you. 00:13:41.750 --> 00:13:45.110 Not, hey, who's the best candidates, the primo 00:13:45.110 --> 00:13:48.049 specimen of all the people that I could die for, 00:13:48.190 --> 00:13:51.950 and I'm only going to die for you. While we were 00:13:51.950 --> 00:13:57.269 still sinners, while we were still ungodly, Christ 00:13:57.269 --> 00:14:00.210 died for us. This is wonderful news. This is 00:14:00.210 --> 00:14:05.509 extraordinary news. Sure, maybe someone would 00:14:05.509 --> 00:14:11.080 die for a good person, but a bad person? An ungodly 00:14:11.080 --> 00:14:18.419 person? A sinner? That's craziness. And just 00:14:18.419 --> 00:14:22.019 so we're clear, because culture has shifted a 00:14:22.019 --> 00:14:24.820 little bit and it's not always clear that we 00:14:24.820 --> 00:14:26.639 all understand the terms that we use in church 00:14:26.639 --> 00:14:29.279 a lot. And the last thing I want is you to be 00:14:29.279 --> 00:14:30.960 kind of like behind the curve not understanding 00:14:30.960 --> 00:14:32.620 what we're talking about. So let's talk just 00:14:32.620 --> 00:14:37.620 for a moment about sin. What is sin? Well, sin... 00:14:37.980 --> 00:14:40.539 comes from an old archery term, which means to 00:14:40.539 --> 00:14:43.419 miss the mark. And you can imagine the mark being 00:14:43.419 --> 00:14:46.700 the bullseye. And so sin would be missing the 00:14:46.700 --> 00:14:49.080 mark, missing the bullseye. Well, what's the 00:14:49.080 --> 00:14:54.200 bullseye? Well, the bullseye is God's holy character. 00:14:55.500 --> 00:14:59.919 The bullseye is who God is. The bullseye is God's 00:14:59.919 --> 00:15:02.759 revealed moral law. You might think the Ten Commandments. 00:15:03.440 --> 00:15:05.340 And the commandment to love God with all your 00:15:05.340 --> 00:15:07.320 heart, soul, mind, and strength. And to love 00:15:07.320 --> 00:15:10.220 your neighbor as yourself. As God's creation 00:15:10.220 --> 00:15:13.399 who are made in his image, we are made to display 00:15:13.399 --> 00:15:16.419 the beauty of his worth. That's the bullseye. 00:15:18.960 --> 00:15:22.100 The bullseye is every thought, motive, word, 00:15:22.279 --> 00:15:25.120 and deed perfectly aligned with God's nature, 00:15:25.220 --> 00:15:29.100 his commands, and purposes. And boy, do we miss 00:15:29.100 --> 00:15:35.710 the bullseye. And you might go, that's a really 00:15:35.710 --> 00:15:37.850 all -encompassing definition there. Like, I think 00:15:37.850 --> 00:15:40.250 you just included everyone in the room. Bingo! 00:15:42.429 --> 00:15:47.889 Come get your prize. That's it. The Bible says, 00:15:48.049 --> 00:15:52.389 all have sinned, all have missed the bullseye, 00:15:52.429 --> 00:15:58.649 and fallen short of the glory of God. All have 00:15:58.649 --> 00:16:02.269 sinned and fallen short. all have sinned, all 00:16:02.269 --> 00:16:05.690 have sinned, all have fallen short of every thought, 00:16:05.690 --> 00:16:07.570 motive, word, and deed perfectly aligned with 00:16:07.570 --> 00:16:10.570 God's nature, his commands and purposes. All 00:16:10.570 --> 00:16:15.809 of us have. You're not in a room of quote -unquote 00:16:15.809 --> 00:16:19.669 perfect saints. You are in a room with sinners. 00:16:20.049 --> 00:16:27.529 Amen? Missed the mark. But why is missing the 00:16:27.529 --> 00:16:31.570 mark so bad? Why is falling short so bad? Well, 00:16:31.629 --> 00:16:36.269 it goes back to who God is. God cannot be both 00:16:36.269 --> 00:16:41.950 just and then shrug his shoulders at evil. You 00:16:41.950 --> 00:16:44.470 can't have a just God who then looks at evil 00:16:44.470 --> 00:16:48.250 and goes, eh, I'll let it pass. He either is 00:16:48.250 --> 00:16:51.850 just or not. And because he is good and because 00:16:51.850 --> 00:16:56.809 he is just, he must judge all that abuses, corrupts, 00:16:56.809 --> 00:17:02.379 or destroys his good creation. He must. Imagine, 00:17:02.419 --> 00:17:08.319 as horrible as this is, imagine something terrible 00:17:08.319 --> 00:17:14.299 is done to your child. Kidnapped, abused, murdered. 00:17:16.440 --> 00:17:18.980 And the one who does this appears before a judge 00:17:18.980 --> 00:17:24.019 and says that he was just having a bad day. How 00:17:24.019 --> 00:17:25.779 many of you guys have ever used that as an excuse 00:17:25.779 --> 00:17:29.440 for your sin? Anyone ever said I was just having 00:17:29.440 --> 00:17:34.420 a bad day? Yeah. There are two righteous people 00:17:34.420 --> 00:17:38.119 in this room. And everyone else just proved yourself 00:17:38.119 --> 00:17:43.079 a sinner. No, we've talked about this before 00:17:43.079 --> 00:17:47.220 here at Village. We all have sinned. But we also 00:17:47.220 --> 00:17:49.480 continue to sin when we call our sins pet names. 00:17:49.779 --> 00:17:52.759 Like, oh, my mouth got a little out of hand. 00:17:53.339 --> 00:17:55.900 Probably shouldn't have said that. Whoopsie. 00:17:57.640 --> 00:18:02.900 But did you hear? No. Right? I don't know if 00:18:02.900 --> 00:18:05.140 I should share this, but if I share it as a prayer 00:18:05.140 --> 00:18:19.460 request, sanctified. Imagine that that one who 00:18:19.460 --> 00:18:21.299 had done all those things to your child appears 00:18:21.299 --> 00:18:25.480 before the judge, says, bad day. And the judge 00:18:25.480 --> 00:18:28.500 looks and shrugs and goes, We all have them. 00:18:29.400 --> 00:18:38.099 It happens. Get on out there. Do better. I'm 00:18:38.099 --> 00:18:41.339 pretty sure there'd be a riot. We'd be pulling 00:18:41.339 --> 00:18:44.759 that guy off the bench. His job would be done. 00:18:45.380 --> 00:18:50.259 We want justice. We want justice. Something wrong 00:18:50.259 --> 00:18:54.099 was done. We understand the concept, and as bad 00:18:54.099 --> 00:18:57.599 as that scenario is in our own heart and mind, 00:18:57.700 --> 00:19:01.640 the gravity and weight of God's holiness, who 00:19:01.640 --> 00:19:05.460 he is, is infinitely greater than even our love 00:19:05.460 --> 00:19:10.900 for our child. Which means to sin against God 00:19:10.900 --> 00:19:14.319 is a greater offense than even the worst offense 00:19:14.319 --> 00:19:16.900 we could imagine a human committing against another 00:19:16.900 --> 00:19:23.400 human. Which is also sinning against God. You 00:19:23.400 --> 00:19:27.140 can't escape it. To sin against God and his infinite 00:19:27.140 --> 00:19:34.140 holiness. If God is just, requires justice. We 00:19:34.140 --> 00:19:38.099 want the judge to judge. We want the good judge 00:19:38.099 --> 00:19:40.900 to judge rightly. And if we have sinned against 00:19:40.900 --> 00:19:43.279 the good judge, who is perfect in his holiness, 00:19:43.680 --> 00:19:47.259 he is not good or just if he does not judge us. 00:19:48.839 --> 00:19:53.220 And so we fall under his judgment. Our sin causes 00:19:53.220 --> 00:19:56.099 us to fall under his judgment. But sin is so 00:19:56.099 --> 00:19:58.599 much more than that. It's a betrayal of covenantal 00:19:58.599 --> 00:20:01.019 love that we're made to commune with God. This 00:20:01.019 --> 00:20:05.440 is who we are. It's in our blueprint. But sin 00:20:05.440 --> 00:20:11.380 says, I prefer anything but you, God. And God 00:20:11.380 --> 00:20:13.559 allows us to reject him. But our rejection comes 00:20:13.559 --> 00:20:16.769 with consequences. In the same way that any relationship 00:20:16.769 --> 00:20:18.829 you had, if you were rejected, would come with 00:20:18.829 --> 00:20:21.769 consequences. It's usually something like estrangement. 00:20:22.750 --> 00:20:25.710 We're estranged from God from the only fountain 00:20:25.710 --> 00:20:28.930 of life and joy because we have chosen our sin 00:20:28.930 --> 00:20:38.069 and said it's better than you. But what's the 00:20:38.069 --> 00:20:42.109 good news? Well, human sin must be answered by 00:20:42.109 --> 00:20:47.460 a true human. We can't punish someone who cannot 00:20:47.460 --> 00:20:53.160 represent humanity. And yet, the debt against 00:20:53.160 --> 00:20:56.319 humanity is infinite because it's against an 00:20:56.319 --> 00:20:58.839 infinite God. And because the sin is against 00:20:58.839 --> 00:21:01.460 the infinite God, only God could ever pay an 00:21:01.460 --> 00:21:04.839 infinite debt, right? So a human must pay the 00:21:04.839 --> 00:21:08.579 debt, but they cannot because, I mean, you can 00:21:08.579 --> 00:21:14.559 only pay for your sins. You can only... Be judged 00:21:14.559 --> 00:21:18.960 and die for your sins. You can't be judged and 00:21:18.960 --> 00:21:23.099 die for all the sins of everyone else. A human 00:21:23.099 --> 00:21:28.839 must pay the cost, but cannot, because the debt 00:21:28.839 --> 00:21:31.940 is infinite and only God can do that. And that 00:21:31.940 --> 00:21:34.559 leads us to the cross, which we commemorated 00:21:34.559 --> 00:21:39.400 on Good Friday. The cross shows us just how costly 00:21:39.400 --> 00:21:43.230 sin is. that the Son of God must die to deal 00:21:43.230 --> 00:21:46.569 with it. It is a debt that is beyond any mere 00:21:46.569 --> 00:21:50.190 human's ability to pay. Only a God -man, Jesus, 00:21:50.450 --> 00:21:53.890 could represent humanity and at the same time 00:21:53.890 --> 00:21:57.369 pay that infinite debt. And you might be thinking, 00:21:57.390 --> 00:21:59.450 oh, well, you just said I could pay my own debt. 00:22:00.049 --> 00:22:04.549 No, you can be judged for your own debt, but 00:22:04.549 --> 00:22:08.630 the wages of sin, what you get paid for your 00:22:08.630 --> 00:22:14.109 sin, Is death. And so if you would choose to 00:22:14.109 --> 00:22:16.849 be judged for your own sin. Then what you must 00:22:16.849 --> 00:22:23.569 pay. Is death. And so the son of God must die 00:22:23.569 --> 00:22:25.809 to pay for it. Because he is both God and man. 00:22:25.930 --> 00:22:29.269 And as both God and man. He can represent humanity 00:22:29.269 --> 00:22:31.730 perfectly. And at the same time pay the infinite 00:22:31.730 --> 00:22:35.730 debt. And here's the great news. He did just 00:22:35.730 --> 00:22:40.319 that. He did just that. Yeah, clap over that. 00:22:40.460 --> 00:22:45.359 He did just that. God proves his own love for 00:22:45.359 --> 00:22:47.900 this. He died for us while we were still enemies 00:22:47.900 --> 00:22:52.000 of God, still in sin. God was not content to 00:22:52.000 --> 00:22:55.140 lose his good creation to sin, so he mounted 00:22:55.140 --> 00:22:59.640 this cosmic rescue mission. God's love for humanity 00:22:59.640 --> 00:23:03.460 moved him to act, not with some mere distant 00:23:03.460 --> 00:23:07.940 decree, but with himself taking on. the flesh 00:23:07.940 --> 00:23:10.839 of humanity, stepping down from his exalted place 00:23:10.839 --> 00:23:14.319 in heaven and coming to our place and willingly 00:23:14.319 --> 00:23:17.619 giving himself for you and me because of his 00:23:17.619 --> 00:23:24.099 own love for us. This is a gift. How precious 00:23:24.099 --> 00:23:27.880 in God's sight are we that he would secure salvation 00:23:27.880 --> 00:23:34.059 for us from sin at an infinite cost. This is 00:23:34.059 --> 00:23:37.220 the glory of man. The glory of man is not in 00:23:37.220 --> 00:23:40.460 the highest building we have built or the most 00:23:40.460 --> 00:23:42.920 amazing infrastructure that we have come up with 00:23:42.920 --> 00:23:46.180 or constructed or in the beauty of some art piece. 00:23:46.240 --> 00:23:54.480 The glory of man is that God would so love us. 00:23:56.839 --> 00:23:59.740 That he would elevate sinful humanity and all 00:23:59.740 --> 00:24:02.799 the cosmos to a place of honor and give himself 00:24:02.799 --> 00:24:06.200 from love for them, for their sake. That he might 00:24:06.200 --> 00:24:09.380 purchase back what was lost. That he might redeem 00:24:09.380 --> 00:24:13.299 and save a lost humanity. That's the glory of 00:24:13.299 --> 00:24:19.240 man. What God has done for us. Not our human 00:24:19.240 --> 00:24:22.859 accomplishments. How great is the love of God? 00:24:24.609 --> 00:24:26.970 How great is the love of the Father that he would 00:24:26.970 --> 00:24:33.890 call us sons and daughters. See, a judge, even 00:24:33.890 --> 00:24:37.369 a just judge, can pronounce a sentence on an 00:24:37.369 --> 00:24:41.109 evildoer. And he might even, if you stood before 00:24:41.109 --> 00:24:46.809 a just judge, he might say to you, hey, guilty 00:24:46.809 --> 00:24:49.730 or acquitted, right? But you know what that judge 00:24:49.730 --> 00:24:51.269 is not doing? He's not going home and having 00:24:51.269 --> 00:24:54.250 dinner with you. And he sure as heck ain't welcome 00:24:54.250 --> 00:24:57.630 you into his family. He's going to make his judgment 00:24:57.630 --> 00:25:00.609 and move on. But we have a judge who is just. 00:25:01.849 --> 00:25:04.589 And instead of saying arbitrarily, hey, I acquit 00:25:04.589 --> 00:25:07.049 you even though you did it. He says, I'll take 00:25:07.049 --> 00:25:09.670 the penalty and punishment. And then I want you 00:25:09.670 --> 00:25:13.130 to join my family. I want to welcome you into 00:25:13.130 --> 00:25:16.549 my family. I want to welcome you into my kingdom. 00:25:16.650 --> 00:25:21.740 I want you to be co -heirs with Christ. I want 00:25:21.740 --> 00:25:24.839 you to receive the life of God so that you can 00:25:24.839 --> 00:25:26.680 walk in that life. I want you to receive all 00:25:26.680 --> 00:25:29.299 the benefits and privileges of being a child 00:25:29.299 --> 00:25:33.339 of God. I want that for you. I'll take your place. 00:25:33.400 --> 00:25:40.920 I'll pay your debt. But we can't just leave it 00:25:40.920 --> 00:25:45.960 at his death because it gets better. All of that 00:25:45.960 --> 00:25:49.910 is good and true. But if that were it, it would 00:25:49.910 --> 00:25:52.829 leave us with nothing more than sentimentality, 00:25:52.910 --> 00:26:00.170 right? A story where the hero dies for his people 00:26:00.170 --> 00:26:03.809 is moving, but it's kind of powerless to do anything. 00:26:04.769 --> 00:26:09.630 Makes a great story. A noble martyr we can admire. 00:26:11.230 --> 00:26:14.950 But where is the divine receipt that proves that 00:26:14.950 --> 00:26:21.210 our debt is actually paid? A symbol of sacrificial 00:26:21.210 --> 00:26:23.950 love is beautiful, but the grave keeps winning 00:26:23.950 --> 00:26:27.450 if the one who made the sacrifice is still in 00:26:27.450 --> 00:26:31.630 the grave. The grave is not yet defeated. And 00:26:31.630 --> 00:26:33.769 Eden's curse and corruption and all of creation 00:26:33.769 --> 00:26:38.990 isn't being remade if Jesus is still in the ground. 00:26:39.650 --> 00:26:42.230 Jesus' death for our sins, it would be inspiring. 00:26:42.430 --> 00:26:46.009 It inspires us to try harder to be like him. 00:26:48.400 --> 00:26:54.220 But again, we'd be powerless to do it. However, 00:26:54.500 --> 00:27:00.039 if Jesus were raised from the dead, if he were 00:27:00.039 --> 00:27:03.579 a resurrected king, well, that changes everything. 00:27:05.559 --> 00:27:09.380 It vindicates the cross. It provides a receipt 00:27:09.380 --> 00:27:12.099 of services provided. It's a resounding amen 00:27:12.099 --> 00:27:15.019 that God accepted his sacrifice for our sins. 00:27:17.480 --> 00:27:19.839 It proves that death will not have the final 00:27:19.839 --> 00:27:24.339 say, but that death, even death, can be overcome. 00:27:26.380 --> 00:27:29.440 It launches the reality of a new creation coming, 00:27:29.539 --> 00:27:32.259 that God would take an old, sin -scarred world 00:27:32.259 --> 00:27:35.460 and make it new again, like new growth from the 00:27:35.460 --> 00:27:39.319 ground after a spring rain. It means that in 00:27:39.319 --> 00:27:42.299 Christ, the power of his resurrection is also 00:27:42.299 --> 00:27:45.799 working in us who are in Christ. And that that 00:27:45.799 --> 00:27:48.880 power is effective at raising us up from our 00:27:48.880 --> 00:27:52.700 death, raising us up from our powerless state, 00:27:52.819 --> 00:27:57.680 not to try harder, but as Jesus says, because 00:27:57.680 --> 00:28:04.779 I live, you too will live. Because I live, you 00:28:04.779 --> 00:28:09.519 too will live. And that's the profound truth 00:28:09.519 --> 00:28:11.839 behind what we started our service with, which 00:28:11.839 --> 00:28:16.640 is he is risen. Jesus is risen so nothing is 00:28:16.640 --> 00:28:21.099 impossible. Jesus is risen so our sin debt is 00:28:21.099 --> 00:28:26.140 paid. Jesus is risen so death is defeated. You 00:28:26.140 --> 00:28:28.539 know, I love that scripture in the Bible where 00:28:28.539 --> 00:28:31.180 that taunt is, right, to death. Oh, death, where 00:28:31.180 --> 00:28:35.380 is your sting? Oh, death, where is your sting? 00:28:35.400 --> 00:28:40.880 Well, Christ has defeated you once for all. Jesus 00:28:40.880 --> 00:28:43.740 is risen, so he is the first fruits of the new 00:28:43.740 --> 00:28:48.579 creation. Jesus is risen, and he is our resurrection 00:28:48.579 --> 00:28:56.319 in life. I believe that at just the right time, 00:28:56.440 --> 00:29:01.960 you walked into these doors. And I believe at 00:29:01.960 --> 00:29:05.319 just the right time, you heard the message of 00:29:05.319 --> 00:29:11.480 the gospel of Jesus Christ. God's love is fierce 00:29:11.480 --> 00:29:22.220 and resolute. He wants you. He wants you. He 00:29:22.220 --> 00:29:28.000 wants to save you from your sin. He wants to 00:29:28.000 --> 00:29:31.920 empower you to live the life you were made to 00:29:31.920 --> 00:29:39.039 live. He wants to give you new life. He wants... 00:29:39.599 --> 00:29:45.579 you to live a godly life. And if you know that 00:29:45.579 --> 00:29:49.019 you needed rescuing, if you know that you're 00:29:49.019 --> 00:29:52.059 here today and you need rescuing, God's love 00:29:52.059 --> 00:29:57.039 is reaching out to you today. Are you done with 00:29:57.039 --> 00:30:01.099 life as you have been living it? Are you ready 00:30:01.099 --> 00:30:04.299 to jump into the new life that is in Christ Jesus? 00:30:06.160 --> 00:30:08.640 And I want to remind you, to refuse this gift 00:30:08.640 --> 00:30:11.299 leaves you to bear the full weight of your sin 00:30:11.299 --> 00:30:17.160 yourself. And I know, as for me, that I have 00:30:17.160 --> 00:30:19.980 put my hope and faith and trust in Jesus Christ, 00:30:20.160 --> 00:30:22.579 and I know with confidence that I will stand 00:30:22.579 --> 00:30:29.380 before the throne, and when God says, why? Why 00:30:29.380 --> 00:30:34.619 should I welcome you into the kingdom of God? 00:30:36.720 --> 00:30:43.200 I say, in and of myself, you shouldn't. But for 00:30:43.200 --> 00:30:55.559 Christ. Christ covered my dad. I would hate to 00:30:55.559 --> 00:30:59.700 have anyone in this room arrive on that day and 00:30:59.700 --> 00:31:05.609 have to say, I'm going to cover my own. Because 00:31:05.609 --> 00:31:09.390 the weight of the infinite offense against God 00:31:09.390 --> 00:31:18.230 means an eternity of payment away from the presence 00:31:18.230 --> 00:31:23.089 of God. To refuse this gift leaves you to bear 00:31:23.089 --> 00:31:26.869 the full weight of your sins yourself. But that 00:31:26.869 --> 00:31:30.589 weight can be removed once for all if you would 00:31:30.589 --> 00:31:33.529 but surrender to Jesus this morning. Will you 00:31:33.529 --> 00:31:39.000 join me in praying? How great your love is, Lord, 00:31:39.079 --> 00:31:42.779 that Jesus is risen and therefore we are redeemed. 00:31:42.819 --> 00:31:46.960 Jesus is risen and nothing is impossible. Death 00:31:46.960 --> 00:31:52.339 defeated, sin debt paid, new creation come, resurrection 00:31:52.339 --> 00:31:54.900 and life. Thank you, Jesus.