Meet Mr. Nice guy. You think you’re nice? This guy is really nice. “Well I try to do what’s right”. He’s so nice that if good people get to heaven, he’ll be the first in line, “ah shucks”. So Mr. Nice guy have you kept the Ten Commandments? “Pretty much”. Do you mind if we take a look at them and maybe see how nice you really are? “Uh okay”. Great, here’s one; you shall not lie. Mr. Nice guy have you ever told a lie? “Well yeah, who hasn’t?” What do you call somebody who tells lies? “A liar”.
Alright how about another commandment, you shall not steal. Have you ever stolen anything even once? “Nope”, but you just told me you’re a liar, “well I I did steal some candy once when I was a kid” and what do you call someone who steals? “A thief”.
Alright let’s try another one, you shall not commit adultery, “oh that’s easy, I’d never cheat on my wife”, “Hi handsome” “Oh baby”, Jesus said if you even look at a woman with lust you’ve already committed adultery with her in your heart. “Oh ah right”.
One more, you shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, have you ever used God’s name to curse? “oh my G*d”. That mr. Nice guy is called blasphemy. God gave you life and breath and everything you have, and you’ve dragged his name through the dirt. So by your own admission you’re a liar, a thief, a blasphemer, and an adulterer at heart, and that’s just for the Ten Commandments. “Okay okay, so I’m not perfect”.
Well, actually it’s worse than that. Suppose we could put a chip in your brain that would record all your private thoughts for an entire week and then play those thoughts on a giant movie screen for all your friends and family to see, “that would be embarrassing!” Yeah I know, the Bible says God knows everything, even the secret thoughts of your heart. “Well compared to some people, I’m a saint”.
Yeah that’s true but the standard is God’s law, not other people, besides even if you sinned just five times a day, in one year that’s 1,825 sins and if you live to be 70 years old, you’ll have broken God’s law over 127,000 times. You’ll have to answer for every sin on Judgment Day.
When the Bible says each of us will give an account of himself to God, “but God will forgive me right”, Well let’s try that in court. “Hey look I know I keep breaking the law, but hey can’t ya, well, you know, just let it slide?” Only a corrupt judge would buy, that a good judge would say, “justice demands that you pay for your crimes”. God’s not a corrupt judge, He’s a holy, righteous judge. He hates sin.
Jesus warned that on Judgment Day everyone who had sinned against God would justly end up in a terrible place called hell and there will be no escape for all eternity. “ah, well then how can anybody get to heaven?” There’s only one way, God loved the world so much that He sent His Son Jesus to live a perfect life. He never sinned, not even once. Then Jesus offered to take the punishment for guilty sinners. He was whipped and beaten and nailed to a cross and died so that justice would be served and sinners could go free, then Jesus rose from the grave and defeated death.
You can’t earn eternal life, it’s God’s gift to everyone who will humble themselves and come to Jesus. He’ll forgive you, wash you clean, and give you a new heart with new desires. The Bible says if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation. So stop living for yourself turn from your sins and come to Jesus, then read your Bible and obey it. Find a good church to help you grow and then go out and tell other people the good news.
