“IT’S WORSE THAN YOU THINK”
We are halfway through our North Star journey.
In Week 1, we discovered that the greatest invitation in all the world is to walk with Jesus. In Week 2, we learned that it has always been God’s plan to dwell with his people. Last week we look at three pitfalls that prevent us from following Jesus.
Unfortunately, as we begin Week 4, I must bring you bad news. In fact, it is the worst possible news.
Here it is: None is righteous, no, not one… no one seeks for God. (Romans 3:10-11 ESV)
Unfortunately, I must bring you bad news. In fact, it is the worst possible news.
The greatest invitation in the world is to seek God. But left to our own devices, we never will. Even if we did, we would not be worthy to find him. We aren’t good enough to be near a holy God. If we’re honest, we know this to be true.
This is the worst possible news. Today, we will discover that it’s worse than we think. But take heart. There is good news. The rest of the week will be full of hope.
But before we appreciate the light, we must understand the darkness.
THE WORST POSSIBLE NEWS
No one seeks God. Even if we did, we would not be good enough to reach him.
So what is the big deal? Why do we need God in our lives?
First, without Jesus, every person will die a hopeless death. This news is not cheerful. But that does not mean it’s wrong. It is wise to consider the truth even when it is painful.
No one seeks God. Even if we did, we would not be good enough to reach him.
Second, without Jesus, every person will live a meaningless life. There is a misconception that life without Jesus may lead to hell, but at least it will be fun. This may be true for a season (see Hebrews 11:25), but there is no ultimate satisfaction in life without God.
Without Jesus, there is no meaning in life and no hope in death. It’s worse than you think.
A HOPELESS DEATH
Our culture hates thinking about death. We use the phrase “I’m living my best life now” to demonstrate our pursuit of finding ultimate meaning and happiness in the here and now.
The problem is that no follower of Jesus is living their best life right now. We all live in expectation of the new heavens and new earth. Our great hope is that Jesus will one day make all things new (for more on this, see Week 2 – Day 4).
Our culture hates thinking about death.
By contrast, every non-Christian is living their best life right now. Life on earth, with all its pain, is as good as it gets. After death, everyone who does not know Jesus will end up in hell, separated from God’s presence and every good gift he has given the world.
Each person is going to one of those two places. The writer of Hebrews says it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment (Hebrews 9:27 ESV).
HAVE YOUR SINS BEEN PAID FOR?
Death is not the end of the story. Every person will stand before God and give an account of their life. The judgment will not separate good people from the bad. There are no good people. It will be based on whether our sins have been paid for.
Though we all deserve hell, God doesn’t want anyone to go there.
When we trust in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, he pays for our sins. We have access to God now and forever. If we don’t trust Jesus, we will pay for our sins forever in hell. This is what every person deserves. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23 ESV) The wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23 ESV)
Though we all deserve hell, God doesn’t want anyone to go there. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. (2 Peter 3:9 NLT).
God is a gentleman. He will not force himself on anyone. He gives us free will to receive or reject his goodness and grace. We can choose to pay for our sins (although I pray that you don’t).
A MEANINGLESS LIFE
It seems trite to discuss a meaningless life after understanding the reality of hell. But we must realize that life without God brings no true joy.
In Psalm 16, David writes that the sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply (Psalm 16:4 ESV). This is a universal law. Everything we treasure besides God will ultimately fade.
Like a too-small blanket on a too-cold night, part of us will always be left in the cold.
The prophet Isaiah gives us a striking picture of this reality. The bed you have made is too short to lie on. The blankets are too narrow to cover you. (Isaiah 28:20 NLT).
Sin may comfort us in some limited way. But we will never experience true satisfaction. Like a too-small blanket on a too-cold night, part of us will always be left in the cold.
THE GREATEST HEDONIST IN HISTORY
We see another picture of this in the book of Ecclesiastes, where King Solomon goes on a grand search for meaning. He pursues pleasure, sexual relationships, and accomplishment.
He goes hard! He parties more than anyone ever has and sleeps with more women than most people ever meet. His achievements draw worldwide praise.
The greatest partier, womanizer, and builder in human history accomplished everything and discovered it was pointless in the end.
At the end of these epic ventures, he comes to a realization: It was all so meaningless — like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere. (Ecclesiastes 2:11 NLT)
The greatest partier, womanizer, and builder in human history accomplished everything and discovered it was pointless in the end.
IS THERE HOPE?
Today has been full of bad news. Life without Jesus is meaningless and death without him is hopeless.
God is far more committed to us than we are to him.
But take heart. Our good news is so good precisely because the bad news is so bad. When we see how broken we are, we discover the beauty of God’s grace.
Over the next two weeks, we will discover that God is far more committed to us than we are to him. The ultimate power of following Jesus doesn’t come from us. God generously supplies the strength we need.
We’ve seen the bad news. Tomorrow, we’ll marvel at the goodness of God.
NEXT STEPS
1: Read Mark 6.
2: Spend 10 minutes in Solitude, reflecting on what you learned. Pray using the P-R-A-Y method.
3: Text one friend one thing that you learned.
Tomorrow: Week 4, Day 2 – “Use This Gospel”