This is the sermon which I preached at the Saturday night youth program on October 24:

Christianity can easily be mistaken as the remedy only for people with problems. We hear of a God who is full of compassion and mercy, and so it seems fair to point Him in the direction of the hurting and suffering, who we feel need Jesus the most. Perhaps we have a few difficulties, but those seem so small compared to our friend whose father is dying, and whose business is plummeting. Should we bother Jesus by asking for His love, while there are other people suffering so much, who could benefit from His time and love invested in them?

How about the people who seem to not have any problems? There are some people who glide through life very easily, without Jesus. They are successful and even in hard times; they persevere with a good attitude. Many people are able to quit smoking, drinking and other addictions just fine without the help of Jesus.

But even these seemingly lucky people, the suffering people and ourselves are all wracked with a problem. We all have the problem that we cannot get into Heaven. Even the successful person cannot get into Heaven on his own.

Psalm 14:1-3 describes how God concludes that there is no one who does good and no one who seeks after Him. Let’s think about someone we know who is always doing kind things for people. Maybe it’s a teacher or a friend from school. God looks at even that person and says that what they do is not good. God does not say this because He is mean, but because He sees the sinful heart of that person. We see someone’s actions and claim them as good, but when God looks for good, He looks into our hearts. Our outward actions cannot change our inward state. We have a sinful heart, which will always rule over any good deed we do.

We are all faced with a serious problem that goes deeper than the outward trials of everyday life, and lies within our hearts. We all have a sin problem. When the first man, Adam chose to sin, we inherited a sinful heart which pours out all the filthiness so opposed by God. Did anyone need to teach us how to lie or cheat? No, those things are very natural to us. We sin because we are sinners. Our heart delights in everything that God detests. This sin problem keeps us away from God and out of Heaven. Is this problem not more serious than that of not having enough to wear and to eat?

Our sin problem is so serious because it not only affects this life, but eternity. But how can we solve this problem? If God cannot commune with a sinful heart, then we need a new heart that is clean of sin. We need a new heart that is pure and that delights in God and holiness. Are we able to fetch a new heart for ourselves? Doesn’t it only make sense that the One who created us is the only One who can create a new heart inside of His creation?

God in His love and mercy has solved our sin problem. Being a father who is just and righteous, He required that sin be punished. God is not so careless and unloving that He would allow His children to do whatever they please void of any consequences. God sent His son Jesus to earth, and Jesus lived a life that was perfect and completely sinless. He was the perfect sacrifice. The eternal consequence for sin was thrust upon Jesus as He hung on the cross, receiving punishment and the wrath of God for our sins.

Jesus is available to come and dwell in our hearts. It is only the work of Holy Spirit that can show us the evilness of our sins. It is only the love of Holy Spirit that can move our hearts to lament over that sin and to desire to change; and this is repentance. And no sooner than we when repent, does God reveal to us that His love is able to change us.

When we agree that Jesus is our savior and that He paid the punishment for our sins, He Himself comes to live inside of us. Our sinful heart is no longer a problem for Jesus, who gives us a completely clean heart that is new and full of Him. Our heart is no longer run by sin, but is cared for and governed by Holy Spirit, who is the very spirit of our holy God. When we once had a sinful heart we were plagued by our sin problem, and it was very easy and simple to sin. When Holy Spirit invades our being, we are given a new nature and it becomes difficult to sin.

If we disagree about the free gift of salvation that God has given us, we are actually insisting that we take the punishment ourselves, and so we destine ourselves to Hell. We continue to live with our sin problem that keeps us away from God and out of Heaven, even though God has provided the solution.

And so the choice is ours today. We know now that everyone needs Jesus because everyone has sin problem. Will we continue to live with this problem, or will we take the solution that God has provided?
 


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