Jesus said, "If you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." (Matthew 6:15)

He also said, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" (Matt. 7:21-23)

Also, "You have heard that it was said to the people of long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment....anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell." (Matt. 5:21-22)

God will not let sin go unpunished. We all deserve eternal punishment in hell because God hates all sin, and who on earth could ever be perfect?

What kind of good news is this?

I can't be forgiven if I hold a grudge?

Even doing miracles and being a prophet won't get me into heaven?

I'm in danger of the fire of hell because I got angry with my brother?

Fortunately, the answer is yes. Even better, this is only the beginning of the story.

There is only one human who has ever been perfect, and that is Jesus, God's one and only son, who died on the cross. In dying on the cross, he took on God's punishment for people's sins.

He took them all away.

Imagine being hopelessly in debt, then finding out that someone paid all your debt himself, and on top of that, is giving you a large inheritance out of his own riches!

The apostle Paul calls this "the gift of God". A gift is something given to us, not something we deserve, or something we can earn.

How do I know this is true?

The proof of Jesus' words was shown when God raised him back to life after he was crucified. He rose from the dead (Luke 24:6-7), just like he said he would (Matt. 20:18-19). After this, he went back into heaven, promising that he will come back one more time to take his people to be with him forever (John 14:2-3).

How can we ignore such a great salvation?

The Bible says that God, through Jesus, enables us to do what he has commanded us (Luke 1:74-75), and even now is calling people, including you, to accept his gift.

In response, we should do as God commands us in his Word, the Bible: repent (that is, turn away from our sins) and live a life of gratitude to him.

God is great, generous, and holy.
Find out who he is.
Live a life that shows what he has done for you.

God's gift to us is why we live, and why we, as a church, exist.

Come join us as we thank God for his gift!

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