The Gospel

You.

Yes. You.

You are loved.

You are loved in a way that the story books can only ever wish to write about. 

You are loved in such a way that can never be mimicked, illustrated or fully comprehended.

You are loved by someone you have spent your life hating. Perhaps even without realising it.

"How?" You ask?

Before you get to the 'how', you need to contemplate the 'why'.

The Bible says that you were created by God. Fearfully and wonderfully made in His image and likeness. You were made for a purpose. To have a relationship with Him and to glorify Him in your life.

The problem is sin. Your sin. Your transgressions and wrongdoings.

"What is sin?" You may ask. "And why does it matter?"

Sin is disobeying God's laws and commandments. The lying. The stealing. The fornicating. The blaspheming. The pride. Sin has not only broken your soul without you realising it, but it has totally ruined your relationship with God.

And why does it matter? It matters because how are you supposed to have a relationship with a just and holy and perfect God when you are riddled in the dirt and blackness and marks of your sin and depravity? God in His justice cannot have you in His presence. And as much as God loves mankind, He cannot deny Himself. 

The punishment for sin is death. Your punishment is death. Hell. A lake of fire for eternity. And if for one moment you think that you are undeserving of that punishment, you need to stop for a moment and take yourself out of your subjectivity. Your pride. Your self righteousness. 

God's holiness and righteousness far transcends our sense of morality, which is based on our own life experiences; our cultures; our own perceptions and world views.

God tells you that He is not interested in what you perceive truth is. He wants you to understand that HE IS TRUTH.

The truth of His love is this.

That even though you are lost. Sinful. Broken. Even though you are worthy of the judgment which God has set forth for all those who fall short of His glory.

The Bible tells us this:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

God loves you. Irrespective of what your sin is. Why you sinned. How you sinned. When you sinned. God came in the likeness of man; in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. He fulfilled and kept God's holy laws and commandments. He took your sin. Your shame. Your blame. He took the judgment of all that was against you, and He took it out of the way, nailing it the cross.

The judgment which was rightfully yours was placed upon the Lord Jesus. That in this free gift of grace. In this showing of compassion. In this timeless act of mercy...

You.

Yes. You. 

You could be free.

Free from the condemnation you walk daily in. Free from the lies and deceit that you have been taught and convince yourself about. Free from sin.

Christ died for you so that you could live.

Earlier I mentioned that God cannot deny Himself. Through the Lord Jesus taking on the judgment for you, you therefore do not have to be judged.

This gift of grace is unconditional. It is free. It is for you.

But you have to do something.

You have to repent. You have to turn away from your pride; your way of life; your sin. You have to get on your knees and ask God for forgiveness. You have to put your trust and faith in the Lord Jesus and the finished work of Calvary. That the Holy Spirit will seal you in the fullness of God's promises for eternity. That God would be one with you and your relationship with Him bridged by the cross (this is what it means to be born again).

And let me tell you something. The glory of God does not end at Calvary. The Lord Jesus rose again; defeating death and sin, and now sits at the right hand of the Father.

And now He calls you.

He says come as you are. He tells you to let go of your fears; your burdens; your worldly lusts; your sin. And He says "Trust in me."

The Bible says that you must be born again to inherit the kingdom of heaven. You cannot be saved by your works. Only through the Lord Jesus can a man be saved. Only be His grace.

The Bible says that the Lord God promises to never leave you. He protects and cares for those who are His. He does not promise riches or fame in this earth; He does not promise great health and prosperity in our lives. 

But he does promise us the blessed assurance that one day our faith will become sight. He promises us that our treasure is in heaven. He promises us that if we believe in Him, He will be our strength; our courage; our fortress; our victory; our hope.

Don't wait for tomorrow. For tomorrow may not come. Don't wait till you've lost everything before you realise what you could have gained in Christ. And what profit is it for a man to gain the whole world and yet lose his soul.

Don't you understand?

You are loved by someone you have spent your life hating. 

You are loved in a way that the story books can only ever wish to write about. 

You are loved in such a way that can never be mimicked, illustrated or fully comprehended.

You are loved.

Yes. You.

You.