Life Sucks

I should probably start by saying that this title is not meant to be a cry for help. It is meant to convey something that I have come to realize as being very true…sometimes life does suck.

I feel like I have continuously received bad news over the past number of months. Bad news about world events. Bad news about families being torn apart. Bad news about tragic accidents. Bad news about people living in pain, both physical and emotional. I continue to hear these stories and am broken at how awful things are in our world today.

I think part of the reason that I take these stories so hard is because so often I am unable to relate. My life and my circumstances have been pretty good. I haven’t come face to face with tragedy or experienced by world falling down around me. Because of this, I feel very hopeless when faced with the Life Sucks moments that I hear about.

As a Christian, am I allowed to even say those words: Life Sucks? All to often we think that we can or should only ever talk about and reflect on the good things in life.

“God is good, all the time.”

“God has protected me.”

“God has blessed me so much.”

These things are all true, but we need to remember that God also invites us to live in the midst of the crappy, brokenness of life as well. We are not to live defeated though, but as ones who have hope, because in Jesus, we can find hope in even the most dire of situations.

So in your Life Sucks moments, don’t ignore the feelings of pain that you may feel. It is okay to acknowledge that yes, sometimes life sucks. And yes, we need to process the pain that comes with these terrible moments. I think of Job who processed the pain of losing everything he owned as well as his family. I think of King David who time after time cried out to God in anguish and pain, saying, “God, life sucks.” These men were being real with God and real in their pain and struggles. They weren’t trying to hide things and sweep them under the rug.

Even in the middle of their Life Sucks moments though, these two men, acknowledged that God was walking through the pain with them.God hadn’t abandoned them or left them to fight their own battles. God was walking side by side with Job and David.

If you are someone who is faced with a Life Sucks moment, don’t run away from it. Feel free to express your feelings. Cry out to God from your deepest place of despair. Even Jesus himself cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). That seems like a very real expression of very raw emotion.

If you are someone who hasn’t necessarily faced a Life Sucks moment, I want to challenge to walk alongside those who are in the middle of them. Listen to their story, not to fix things, but to weep together. Meet a practical need that someone in pain may need to have met.

Christians are going to have moments where life is great and moments where life isn’t so great. Be the hands and feet of Jesus in each of those moments. Be real with who God has created you to be. Be real with the struggles and challenges you face. Be real with sharing the victory moments as you see Jesus breaking though into our broken world.

What do we do with Pokemon Go?

Two days ago Pokemon Go was released in Canada, but there is a chance that your teen was playing before it was even officially released here. Pokemon Go has become the biggest thing since sliced bread with millions of people jumping on board. This game is appealing to people of all demographics. People young and old, people who grew up with Pokemon and those who didn’t, nerds, jocks, musicians…the list goes on.

Essentially, the game forces people to go into the outside world to catch virtual Pokemon. Using mobile GPS, users can see Pokemon show up right on their screen, where they can fling a Pokeball at the Pokemon and capture it. Players can then go to gyms, which are public locations, often community centers, and can battle other users and their Pokemon. As they win battles, their Pokemon levels up, and they can work at claiming gyms as their own.

Sounds complicated? Maybe. I still don’t completely understand the premise. But teenagers do. How can we empower teenagers to follow Jesus as they go out into the world and play Pokemon Go?

Jesus tells a parable in Luke 14:16-24 telling what it would

¹⁶ Jesus replied with this story: “A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. ¹⁷ When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’ ¹⁸ But they all began making excuses. One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.’ ¹⁹ Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.’ ²⁰ Another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’

²¹ “The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was furious and said, ‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ ²² After the servant had done this, he reported, ‘There is still room for more.’ ²³ So his master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full. ²⁴ For none of those I first invited will get even the smallest taste of my banquet.’”

Making excuses is easy. It is so much easier to make an excuse when we don’t want to do something than to invest time and energy into doing it. At one point Jesus told his disciples to “go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. ²⁰ Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). In saying this, he wasn’t fooling around telling his disciples to live out their faith only if it was convenient. It was to be a regular part of their lives.

Jesus calls us to do the same thing, but all too often we make excuses like the wedding guests. But when the wedding guests refused to come, Jesus told that the master of ceremonies extended the wedding invitation to those on the periphery of society…those that get forgotten or missed or ignored. By our standards, this is craziness, but Jesus is teaching about the importance of radical love.

The Kingdom of God is like a party, just like this crazy wedding party. And there are going to be some people who are just too busy to attend. Isn’t that true in our world? Many people want to be a part of something bigger and greater…many long to be a part of the Kingdom of God and the hope that comes out of that…but when push comes to shove, excuses get made and the Kingdom of God gets pushed to the side.

Jesus told his disciples to go searching for people to tell about the Kingdom of God. The master of ceremonies told his servants to go out and search for people to bring to the wedding feast. God is calling you and I – youth, parents, grandparents, friends – to go searching for people to tell about the love of Jesus as he died on a cross as the payment for your sins and mine. Because of that, we are forgiven.

If your teen wants to go “catch em all” as they capture virtual Pokemon, empower them to do so. They will have an opportunity to interact with people on the periphery of society…people who may not get the light of day otherwise. Challenge your teens to use this tool as a tool to tell others about Jesus. Just like Paul who met people where they were at, in telling them about Jesus (Acts 17:16-33), so to can you empower your teens to meet their friends and classmates where they are at as they play Pokemon Go together.

Don’t forget to set guidelines for your teenager though as they play. Safety is key. Maybe this is even an opportunity that you can use to spend time with your teen and spend time with them on their own ground.

Discussion Questions

1. Who do you relate with most in the parable from Luke? The invited guests who were too busy to attend the party? The servants sent out to invite people? Or the broken and poor who are waiting for an invitation?
2. Jesus was called a “friend of sinners.” What does this mean? How can you be a friend of sinners without compromising your faith and morals?
3. Who is someone in your world that needs to be invited to the party? How can you show them the love of Jesus this week?
4. Are there any excuses that you have been making so you don’t need to be a “friend to sinners” or “invite someone to the party”?

Following a Call

Prior to Jesus’ infamous Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), we learn of some pretty key aspects of Jesus’ humanity and Jesus’ divinity.

In Matthew 4 Jesus experiences great temptation at the hands of the devil. Jesus is actually led into this temptation by the Holy Spirit. Why would the Spirit of God ever do something like this? There are 2 underlying connotations of the term “tempted” in verse 1:

• to test or to prove
• to solicit to evil

While the Holy Spirit aimed to prove Jesus worthiness in experiencing everything that lay ahead in his ministry, the devil’s aim was to do the opposite and lure Jesus away into sin and disobedience to God the Father’s will. It was only when Jesus took time out of his day to spend time with his Father (Matthew 4:2; Mark 1:35) that he was able to discern his Father’s will, and submitting to temptation was not a part of that will.

After the temptation, Jesus extends a call to 4 men: Peter, Andrew, James, and John, each of whom were fisherman. Jesus call was for them to leave behind their livelihoods and families and comforts in order to be a part of the Kingdom of God that was beginning to unfold. In calling, they followed immediately, trusting that Jesus was indeed the one true God.

And then the crowds began to follow Jesus too as he taught in the synagogues, announced the Good News about the Kingdom of God, and healed people. People came from far and wide to see Jesus. Many came only to experience physical healing. But I think there were some whose hearts were transformed as well as they heard the call to follow and then obeyed that call, becoming disciples of Christ themselves.

 

Discussion Questions

1. What does temptation look like in your life? Is it similar to the temptation that Jesus experienced?
2. How can you stand against temptation that you may face in life?
3. What does following Jesus look like? Would you be willing to give up everything to follow Jesus just as Peter, Andrew, James, and John did?
4. Is there something in your life that needs to change as you seek to follow Jesus?
5. What do you think was the motive that many people in crowd had when they approached Jesus?
6. Jesus taught, announced the Kingdom of God, and healed people. These are the same things which Christians have been called to live out throughout the Bible. Do you see yourself in this calling? What would it look like for you to teach, announce, and even heal in Jesus name?

 

Sermon on the Mount – Matthew 6

In Matthew 6, we see a number of common themes as Jesus spoke to the masses in his most common sermon. Each of these themes is relevant to each of us 2 ways:

1. In a personal way
2. In a communal way

We see throughout the Bible that there is a personal dynamic to our faith (Joshua 24:15; Joel 2:32; John 3:16) as well as a communal dynamics (Genesis 2:18; Acts 2:42-47; Hebrews 10:25).

In Matthew 6, Jesus teaches about acts of charity, prayer, fasting, money and possessions, and worry.

Each of these teachings speaks to a very real aspect of our faith. We are not meant to relegate our faith in Jesus to a theory, but we are meant to live it out boldly, and in looking to Jesus, we can see many ways that we can live out our faith, not just today, but for the rest of our lives.

Where one of Jesus’ teachings can strike a personal chord for one person, it can also strike a communal chord with another. This is where the reality of the Holy Spirit comes into the discussion as the Holy Spirit “will teach you everything and will remind you of everything [Jesus has] told you” (John 14:26).

Let’s each live out our faith boldly, not just theoretically, because Jesus calls us to true life in the spiritual reality of the world and not just the physical reality (Ephesians 6:10-12).

Discussion Questions

1. Is Jesus calling you to live out your faith in a very practical, hands-on way in regards to His teachings in Matthew 6 (acts of charity, prayer, fasting, money and possessions, and worry)?
2. What are you going to do about that? Do the implications of this last beyond today? This week?
3. Do you prefer the private, personal aspect of faith or the communal aspect of faith? Why?
4. Based on Matthew 6:22-23, what are you filling your body with? Is it good or bad? Does your faith grow as a result of this, or does it hinder your walk with Jesus?
5. What does it mean to worship God (Matthew 6:5-18)? How does this go hand in hand with the way Jesus calls us to live (Matthew 6:1-4, 19-21, 24)?

Isaiah 43 – What Are We Called to Do?

Last night we took a look as a group at Isaiah 43:14-28. Two common themes emerged as we shared together:

1. Worship is so very important. Serving others is great, but we must first be looking at our own lives. We must come to God in prayer and repentance daily, giving God the very best of what he has given to us because he hasn’t asked us for much…just that we follow him.
2. God is preparing a way in the wilderness. God is opening doors for the Good News of Jesus to be shared in the schools. God’s plans are greater than we can anticipate. And we aren’t supposed to sit back and wait for God’s plans to unfold. We have a responsibility to dream about what God might be doing and how we can be a part of that.

As we continue to seek God through this school year, let’s look forward with great anticipation to what God will do. And let’s dream big about where God will use us.

Questions

1. Do you come to God daily, giving him the very best? Or are you only coming to God halfheartedly, sitting on the fence (Revelation 3:14-21)? What needs to change in your life so that you can and would want to freely come to God every day?
2. What doors have you seen God open in your school/community where you can see a potential to see Jesus shared?
3. Are you ready to follow God in whatever he may call you to do?
4. If there were no bounds to what you could dream, what would you like to see God do in your school/community? Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. How can you be a part of making these dreams a reality? Remember that it isn’t about what we can do, but about what God has done. We still must be willing to step out in faith and take risks for Jesus.
5. I want to challenge you (if you weren’t able to last night) to write a letter to yourself with your God given dreams for this year. You can include goals for personal growth (ie. Read the Bible for 5 minutes every day). You can include school goals (ie. Tell 5 people about Jesus). You can include huge goals (ie. That everyone in __________ would come to know Jesus). Write whatever you feel God is calling you to live out this school year. When you are done, stick your letter in an envelope, seal it, stick your address on it, and give it to me (Brad), and I will mail them out to you at the end of the school year as we see how God has brought these dreams to reality.

More Than Learning About Jesus…Living with Jesus

I have a confession to make. I am guilty of theorizing what the Bible is all about. Theology is the study of God, and unfortunately, many people, myself included, are guilty of putting this study of God into theory and not practice. This summer, in reading Bob Goff’s Love Does, I was challenged by the fact that the most important thing when it comes to being a Christian, is not knowing about God, but actually knowing and experiencing and living with Him.

As we begin a new school year and a new year of youth together, our time spent in Bible studies will be spent answering the question, “What is God calling us to do tonight?” and then going and doing it. Sometimes (often) this will really stretch us out of our comfort zones. We are not just going to be content talking about God, but we are going to live out what we are learning, because that is what following Jesus is all about. We are called to follow Jesus which means doing what he does.

Sometimes this might mean that we stay at the church living out Jesus’ teachings. Other times, this might mean that we hop in vehicles and travel to Dauphin, Ste Rose, Ochre, etc. to do what Jesus is calling us to do. Maybe this will mean spending an evening in prayer. Maybe this will mean visiting people in a care home. Maybe this will mean stopping to hand out Bibles to people on the street. And maybe this description is starting to scare you. I am okay with that because I believe that our faith is meant to be alive and vibrant, not hidden in the recesses of our minds.

On Friday we will begin by studying Isaiah 43:14-28. Feel free to take a look at this ahead of time if you would like. Most importantly, come prepared to read and study, but most importantly, DO!

Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

Why do bad things happen to good people? Or maybe the better question is why does God allow bad things to happen to good people? If God is a God of power, then he could surely heal someone suffering with cancer, or bring peace to a broken family, or prevent “good people” from dying too early in a car accident. This is a troublesome dilemma because we see bad things all around us.

If we go first to the Bible (Luke 13:1-5; John 9:1-11; James 1:2-4; 2 Corinthians 7:5-9; 1 Peter 4:12-13; 1 Peter 1:6-7; Romans 5:3-5), we see that there are a couple common themes:

1. Bad things don’t just happen to good people, but they can happen to anyone.
2. Bad things are meant to lead us closer to Jesus, not further away.

If we look at the story of Job, we see that he was a righteous, God-fearing man who endured testing from Satan, which was allowed by God. This testing caused Job to lose his livestock, servants, children, and health. After this occurred, Job asked God “Why?” Job’s friends begin to attack him, saying “You must have done something to upset God!” Yet Job maintained his innocence.

One of Job’s friends, Elihu, reminds Job of God’s power, and then God takes over the conversation. God begins to ask Job many questions, such as: “Will the wild ox consent to being tamed?” and “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? What supports it’s foundation?” and “Do you know where light and dark comes from?” Job sheepishly responds “I don’t know” to all of these questions. Although you could claim that there are scientific answers to all of these questions, the intent of Job’s life story is to act as a reminder that humans know so very little, especially about how the earth functions.

So why do bad things happen to good people? So that people can respond. Job initially questioned God before he humbly submitted to the fact that his life was nothing unless he placed control in God’s hands. In Job 42:1-6, job acknowledges God’s power and admits his trust in God.

You and I will be faced with bad situations that we go through in life. We each have the opportunity to respond in one of two ways:

1. Complain and try to figure out why.
2. Try to find out how God can use you in the unfolding situation.

We will each experience bad things in life and that gives us an opportunity to respond in a way that is honoring to God as we have an opportunity to show others that even in the midst of pain and trials we have hope that Jesus is greater than anything else. Philip Yancey writes, “Rejoicing in suffering does not mean Christians should act happy about tragedy and pain when they feel like crying. Rather, the Bible aims the spotlight on the end result, the productive use God can make of suffering in our lives. To achieve that result…he first needs our commitment of trust” (Yancey, Where is God When It Hurts, 119).

Questions

1. Have you experienced something bad in your life? How did you respond?
2. How would you respond to God if you were asked questions like the ones that Job was asked (Job 38, 39, 41)?
3. If someone were to ask you, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” how would you respond?
4. What is a Bible verse that you could turn to for comfort if you were going through a tough situation?
5. If you were going through a “bad situation”, how would you respond? Would you ask God why the situation is happening or figure out how God can use you through that situation?
6. How can you be a source of comfort to a friend that is going through a tough situation?

Happily Ever After: The Ending of a Story

Every story needs an ending. And any story with a surprise ending, makes that story a little bit more intriguing. Most people experience surprise endings in their lives at some point in time. You plan everything the way you anticipate it to unfold, but in the end, something does not go the way you had planned.

God sent his son Jesus to live in the world. Jesus was sent to rescue Israel and set everything right. Many people believed that Jesus was going to be a great king who would rescue the Israelites from the oppression that they were facing at the hands of the Roman empire. When word started circulating that the Messiah had come to free them, the Israelites got very excited.

But there was a twist in the way everything was about to unfold. Instead of being placed on a throne as the Israelites expected, Jesus was placed on a cross. Instead of his followers living a life of luxury in the royal palace, Jesus’ disciples were on the run for their lives. Everyone, maybe even the disciples, figured that this was the end saying, “This wasn’t how any of this was supposed to play out. It wasn’t supposed to end like this!”

Then again, Jesus had given his disciples ample warning, telling them that he would die and rise again (Matt. 16:21; Mark 14:58; John 2:19). Jesus’ disciples, however, didn’t get the twist in the story that was unfolding. They, along with the crowds, had their ideas of what “Happily Ever After” would look like.

Just as Jesus experienced bad things, at least from a human perspective, so too will you experience bad things in your life. Things that you don’t anticipate or expect are going to happen. There will be twists in your story.

What happens after a twist in a story? There is a moment of silence as a person contemplates the question, “What just happened?” For example, “When the Roman officer who stood facing [Jesus] saw how he had die, he exclaimed, ‘This man truly was the Son of God!'” (Mark 15:39, NLT) This centurion paused in this moment of realization.

Had Jesus’ story ended with him dying, it would have been an okay story, but not a great one. Jesus becoming king in Jerusalem would have changed the story of Israel, but Jesus dying on the cross changed the story of the world. There was a twist in the story as Jesus didn’t stay dead. As the page is turned, Jesus rose from the dead after 3 days. He paid the ransom for sin and brought restoration to the Kingdom of God.

This same “Happily Ever After” is offered to you as well. There are parts of your story that you will never be able to explain on this side of heaven. There will be pain. There will be discouragement and disappointment. There will be twists. But you are free through Jesus. The key is to turn the page and live the story that God has placed on our hearts. And to then continue turning the page, moving forward daily, closer to Jesus.

Questions

1. How much have you “planned” your story? Have you left room for surprises? Or will a twist throw you over the top?
2. What characterizes the story that God has placed on your heart? (popularity, relationships, work, money, serving others, etc)
3. In what ways can you turn the page of your story and come to know Jesus a little bit more?

Living a Story Worth Telling – Character Development

This is third devotional in a series on the importance of stories. The past two times we have met we have looked 1) at the fact that we are living in a story, which is unavoidable, but we must make a conscious choice to make that story meaningful and 2) at the fact that the role you and I play is a small, but important part of a much bigger story. If you would like some more information regarding these first studies, let me know.

Today we are going to focus on the importance of a character in a story. A good character has a good back-story, they do something, and they often must deal with a conflict that must be overcome. Author and storyteller, Donald Miller says that two things transform an okay character into an amazing, epic character:

1. The character must want something that is difficult to obtain (Bilbo Baggins, Sherlock Holmes, Romeo and Juliet)
2. The character must be willing to risk their life for someone else (Aslan, Maximus, Bumblebee)

We are going to look at a story from Luke 15:11-32 which has 2 epic characters, displaying the above characteristics.

First, we see the father. He wanted his son back, but he couldn’t speed up the process at all. He was stuck waiting. He lost his relationship with his son as well as money, his reputation, and likely sleep. I imagine that this father, like so many parents would have given up his life for his son, whom he loved so much.

The second epic character we see is not a primary character in this story, but he is the storyteller, Jesus. Jesus is sharing this story (parable) with a group of tax collectors and notorious sinners as well as Pharisees and teachers of religious law. So what makes Jesus an epic character? He wanted the lost to be found. He wanted those who were far from God to come back home. He wanted to restore the Kingdom of God. He wanted these people who were surrounding him to let God rescue them. He wanted to fix the story that had been broken when Adam and Eve had eaten from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. This is what Jesus wanted.

He was also willing to give up his life. Within a few months of this story-telling session, Jesus willingly gave his life (John 10:18) when he died on the cross so that these very people who seemed to overtly reject God, could be saved through faith (John 3:16-17). Epic stories have epic characters and Jesus was the most epic character of all.

You too have the opportunity to live out the life of an epic character in God’s story. Remember that God is a great writer of stories and he doesn’t make mistakes, even if you don’t see yourself as a great character.

Questions:

1. Do you see yourself as an epic character in God’s story? Why or why not?
2. An epic character overcomes conflict and is willing to risk his life. Is there a conflict in your life that you have overcome or are needing to overcome? Would you be willing to risk your life for someone or something (Romans 5:6-11)?

Tough Questions – Is Jesus Really the Only Way to Heaven?

In starting a new Bible study series, it is important to note that we are going to tackle some tough questions. We are going to take a look at scripture first and foremost, as well as some historical narratives to shine some light on the subject at hand. We will be discovering together, and my hope is that each youth will have an inkling to dig a little bit deeper into who God is and the faith that comes through His Son.

As we dig into the question, “Is Jesus really the only way to heaven?” (John 14:6) we will specifically examine 4 important factors: salvation, sin, punishment from a human perspective, and punishment from Jesus’ perspective.

1) Salvation/Heaven

Salvation from a Christian perspective is deliverance from sin.  It is based on faith and belief in Christ only (John 3:16; Joel 2:32; Ephesians 2:8-9)

Salvation from other faith perspectives (Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism, Mormonism) is based largely upon works. A person must obey a set of rules and act in an honorably righteous way in order to get to heaven. And even then, the final decision is up to God, who may be having a bad day when that day of judgment arrives.  Salvation is based upon a person’s actions as well as God’s attitude that particular day. Faith in the God of the Bible categorizes works as being secondary to belief and offers a guarantee of salvation upon belief (John 3:16; Joel 2:32; Ephesians 2:8-9).

2) Sin

In order to determine if Jesus is the only way, we first need to step back and find out if sin is a big deal. Sadly, people have developed an attitude of nonchalance towards sin in recent years. It used to be that almost everyone held to a religious viewpoint including the fact that sin was a big deal. In the US, over the past 100 years, the number of people who subscribe to religious beliefs has decreased by some 25%. This phenomenon is worldwide. Nowadays it is very common for people to see themselves as not needing to be saved from sin because it is not a big deal.

3) Punishment from a Human Perspective

But if God created the world perfectly, including people, sin does become a big deal. If sin was not a big deal, it would not be included in the creation story (Genesis 3). The fact that sin appears so early in the Bible is evidence that sin is a big deal and it shows that we have disobeyed God directly.

Disobedience (sin) requires a punishment. The only suitable punishment to satisfy a holy God would be a sacrifice. We see in the Law of Moses (Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) that sin was dealt with by way of animal sacrifice. But these offerings would not hold up as they only mask the true nature of sin, much like Febreze masks odours and doesn’t eliminate them (see Hebrews 10:11).

If animal sacrifice won’t cover the penalty, then how about death? Exodus 21:17 tells us that “anyone who dishonors father or mother must be put to death” (NLT). Father can refer to God the father as well. So if we sin, we deserve punishment, and the only suitable punishment is death. Unless everyone is willing to die for their sin, a substitute is required.

4) Punishment from Jesus’ Perspective

Jesus is acknowledged in almost every religion, often as nothing more than a good person or historical figure. According to the Bible however, Jesus is the only one capable to paying the punishment for sin. He is the only one able to step into that void that sin leaves. This is because Jesus is God made flesh, sinless and blameless, one who willingly offered himself, and was chosen by God, among many other things (Isaiah 9:6-7; Revelation 5:1-14; Hebrews 2:14-18: Hebrews 1:3-4; Hebrews 10:12-18; Hebrews 4:14-16; Matthew 4:1-10; Hebrews 7:18-28; Acts 4:11-12; John 1:29-34; Matthew 1:18-25; Hebrews 9:14-15).

A punishment is required. The only feasible punishment is death. Good works, rules, or animal sacrifice will not cut it. Only Jesus, the only perfect, blameless, divine being made flesh, can satisfy the need for a punishment that needs to be filled.

But the choice to follow this Jesus remains up to you. In every other religion the weight of perfection is placed upon the individual, not upon the one who has already paid the penalty. I know that if I need to be perfect, I will fail every time. There is no logical way, other than through Jesus, that a person can enter through the gates of heaven because nobody is perfect.

Questions

1) Is sin something that you have brushed off in your life, treating it as not very important?

2) Is it easier to be perfect or to follow someone who is already perfect?

3) Do you know if you are going to heaven? How do you know?

4) How do you feel about the fact that Jesus died for you? (See Romans 5:6-11)