“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. Isaiah 1:18

First the bad news, Be ready to experience the non-abashed gall of  sin. It is relentlessly against you. If you are not taking care of it sin will take care of you. It does not negotiate to give you a better outcome. Just sitting on the side lines watching sin play out is as destructive as actively engaging in it. That's like voting it into office to lead your life into the grave. Sin will rebel against your apathy and devour you and those around you. Sin is crouching at your door waiting to seize you. Just a little bit of it corrupts all, and is deadly at every dose. The wages of sin is death. Left unchecked sins mini spy guns turn into big arsenals with nuclear type destruction. It won't think twice about lying to you, telling you what you want to hear, so it can get you into the best position to kill you. The sin in each of us is cowardly. It only tells you and others half the truth so you don't hear the whole truth which has the power to save you. Sin is scared of light so it lies with smilin pride. It will gladly blow its smoke in your face and say its good for you. After deceiving you, sin legalizes itself and shouts in a suit, "One nation under Me with bondage and lawlessness for all!" It hides its true identity and true intentions and prances around like a Joker boasting, "You ain't seen nothin yet. I'll take you when you're at your lowest and kick you in the face when it will hurt you the most and when you're at your best I won't relent. I'm gonna take advantage of every inch of space you give me. Give me a millimeter and I will own you!" Sin is exceedingly wicked! It wants to redefine itself so it is unknowable, unrecognizable. Think of the endless examples of sin in you and around you that has been entertained at times and even left alone because it does not bother you. It robs and steals your joy and peace and desensitizes your conscience to the point where you don't know right from wrong or worse don't care. Sin molests and rapes everything and everyone innocent: Exhibit abortion,  lawlessness, euthenasia, nations without borders, porn, shelves of alcohol in your face, teachers having sex with students, food fights when kids are starving, wasteful spending when countless are in desperate need. Sin doesn't care about anyone. It laughs at and applauds "adults" who justify their  "adults only" behavior, activities, and decisions. Sin has no interest in helping others. It denies. Sin is suicidal at its best. It murders and hates inside and out, lusts and commits adultery inside and out, curses all things good and itself, it mocks, rebels, gossips, wastes, never gives thanks, never acknowledges God, curses God, and blasphemes God to his face. It is not ashamed. Sin stinks. It's best work is like filthy rags of menstruation (yes that's the true context of Isaiah 64:6), and Sin boasts in that garb. It thinks its the best thing around. It accuses and always blames. It enjoys atrocities but denies its involvement in those atrocities. Sin calls evil "good", and good "evil". It is sympathetic to terrorizing the world. It acquits the guilty. Sin doesn't like to talk about itself cause it hates the light.  Sin makes people squirm in their chairs when the light shines on it.................it causes love to grow cold.

Now this will be hard to swallow so brace yourself. YOU have a sinful nature just as I have a sinful nature. We all have a sinful nature. Sin means TO REBEL, TO OFFEND, TO TRANSGRESS, TO FALL, TO MISS THE MARK, TO OPPOSE OR OBSTRUCT, TO CAUSE TO STUMBLE, TO COMMIT A CRIME, WICKEDNESS, INIQUITOUS, UNHOLY.  The question is who are we offending and sinning against? The bible says we sin against God himself and his ways . King David stated it correctly: "Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just." Psalm 51:4.  If that offends you that's OK cause that's what sin does when it is called out. "Better are the wounds of a friend then the kisses of an enemy." Proverbs 27:6. You need someone who cares to tell you the tough stuff because your sin wants to run and hide and deny and blame and try to justify itself and we ought to be sick of sin both in us and in others cause it says, "I'm not that bad. There's much worse things." But it truly is bad at the very first drop. It's wretched and we are wretched. With the Apostle Paul we should confess that we are also the worst of sinners in 1 Timothy 1:15-16. The Word of God which sin despises by the way, is clear about our sinful condition: "All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” Romans 3:12. We all are corrupt: "Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one." Psalm 53:3. "Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—" Romans 5:12

Sin is real. It deserves to go to hell and die. Every first and last peice of it, every teeny tiny drop of it must be sent there because JUSTICE is also real. The bible greatly encourages us to deal with our sinfulness because  nothing sinful can enter God's kingdom: "And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell." Mark 9:45. "And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell." Mark 9:47. "And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell."Matthew 5:30. "Drought and heat snatch away the snow waters; so does Sheol those who have sinned." Job 24:19 There are so many other clear truths about sin and the point is that we must be saved from our sins otherwise we will go to hell forever. As the above verses reveal, it is better to severly deal with sin on this side of eternity because there is no chance of dealing with it if we die without being cleansed from out sin nature. Thank God he has provided a way to be set free from sins death grip on us!

Now here's the good news! The BEST NEWS eternity past present and future will ever know! The Bible says to expose the evils deeds of darkness and to shine the light on the sin (REBELLION, OFFENSIVE WAYS, TRANSGRESSIONS...) inside of us. "Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them." Ephesians 5:11. It also says to confess our sin to one another and pray for one another so that we can be healed. "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." James 5:16. It also commands that we renounce our personal sin and confess them to Jesus Christ because he ALONE can forgive our sin and wants to. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9. We need Jesus Christ because we need to be saved from sin and death and hell. No one can forgive sins but Jesus Christ. HE CAN because He drank the bitter cup of sin and wrath that His Father had reserved for you. Jesus wanted to take that awful righteous and justifiable punishment away from you. Everything in the firstparagraph is bitter, shameful, wicked, gross. Now put all your sins and mine collectively in a cup and imagine Jesus drinking it. Imagine our gross, shameful sins wrapped in pride and arrogance being poured all over Jesus the innocent Lamb of God. Imagine Jesus becoming all this gross sin for you willingly. Now realize He is your sin. All you can do is humble yourself and receive his kindness for you. His mercy for you. It's not a fairy tale, and this fact is the real reason why Jesus was crucified and beaten to the point where you couldn't recognize him. The fact is HE LOVES YOU. His Father hates sin and his anger and wrath toward it must be unleashed on it to satisfy Justice. So Jesus obeyed his Father and lovingly became your SINFUL NATURE so he could take the full weight of JUSTICE upon himself and die for you. "For our sake Father God made his Son Jesus to be sin even though he who knew no sin, so that in Jesus we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthains 5:21 Now God's Justice won't rightfully send you to hell forever if you respond to the invitation to believe in Jesus as your Savior from sin. Jesus did all the work that could ever be done to save you from your sins. It's the truth and if you sit there denying this rich act of mercy that Jesus did for you and wallow smug and indifferent to this only cure for your sin nature your wage is naturally death. The sad thing is that if you do go to hell you will have had to step over Jesus' body to get there. God hates your sin, he hates demons and Satan yet he loves you,  and He wants you to be saved from the bondage that sin has you in. " For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ." Romans 6:23. The bible says that "if you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord you shall be saved." Romans 10:9. It also says that "God so loved this world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16. It also states that "there is therefore NOW no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. And because through

Christ Jesus the law of the spirit of life sets us free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:1-2 What is even better news is that Jesus rose from the grave after dieing and going to hell for you. He went to hell to get the keys of Hades. Jesus proclaims , "I am the Living One, I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and hades." Revelation 1:18. Now if you believe in Jesus your sins won't only be forgiven but you will also be made white as snow and will be risen from the grave and spend eternity with God in his paradise forever. "“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool." Isaiah 1:18

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is truly good news.

Will you put your trust in Jesus today to cleanse you of your sins and give you new life?

Jesus is coming back soon.