Super Bowl Outreach 2012

The Wrath of God, Human Sin, and Accountability

Starting with verse 18, the wrath of God, who suppresses the truth of what may be known about God, is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world, God's invisible qualities and eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

So we're out here, we're asking this question. Do you consider yourself to be a good person? Yes. Yes. Have you ever told a lie? Yes. Yes. Well, why'd you guys hesitate on that? All right. We've told white lies.

Only white lies? How many lies have you told in your entire life? Don't lie to me. I don't know. All right, what do you call a person that tells lies? Sometimes smart or either dumb. You call him a liar?

Yeah, that's usually what she's going to call you when you lie, isn't it? She usually doesn't say you're sometimes smart and sometimes dumb, does she? Nah.

The Good News of Christ's Death for Sinners

I'm out here today, I'm not mad at you or anything like that, but I want to give you some good news. The good news is this, that while you and I were sinners, violated God's law, God demonstrated his love toward people like you and I, and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

See, we can't really appreciate the good news unless we understand the bad news. It's like if I came up to you and I said, hey, I want to give you this shot, you're like, dude, you're not going to stick a shot in my rear end.

But if I came to you and you were in a doctor's office and I was a physician and I brought in MRIs and I showed you that you had a mass growing inside of you and that you're going to be dead in six months, but if I gave you this shot, it's going to give you what you need in order to cure your disease.

Then you would understand why you need the shot. That's the way it is with the gospel. See, the Bible tells us that each one of us have sinned. We violated God's standards of perfection. Each one of us has sinned and fallen short of God's perfect standards.

And the problem is that everybody wants a good God, but they want a good God on their terms, not on God's terms. And God says this, God will not allow the unrighteous to enter the kingdom of heaven. That's what it says.

Judgment, the Cross, and the Call to Repent and Believe

So when people die and they stand before God on the day of judgment, what's going to happen is all of their sins are going to be weighed against them in God's courtroom of justice, as it were. And as a result of that, people will be held accountable for all the sins that they committed against God.

Chris, Jesus Christ left heaven. There was no sin. There was no sickness. There was no starvation. There was no suffering. All the angels singing his praises, and he left that place to come to earth for one purpose, to live a life as a perfect man and die in our place, to pay an eternal fine that you and I owe because we're both guilty.

You understand that? Yes, sir. And he did that so you can have everlasting life. But here's what we have to do. We have to stop trusting ourself as a good person, and we have to trust what he did on that cross 2 ,000 years ago as the only payment.

Do you understand that? Yes. Yes, I do. So what God says we have to do is we have to call out to him, ask for forgiveness for what we did wrong, stop trusting ourself, and trust in him. Do you understand that?

Yes, yes. And that's how we are converted, that we cry out for forgiveness and we trust in Christ. Does that make sense? Yes, it makes a whole lot of sense. Now, what do you think about what I'm sharing with you?

I think that you are a God-sent person to try to bring knowledge to the world, and please bring it to me. And then let me know that I do have a loving and forgiving God.

You do. And he proved it 2 ,000 years ago when he died on a cross for you and I. And so he offers you eternal life. Now, the two things you have to do is repent, that means to turn from trusting yourself, and then put faith in Christ and receive Jesus Christ by trusting what he did.

So it's to repent and believe, or repent and receive. Yes, sir. When do you think you should do that? As soon as possible, like now. Like now? Yeah. Is there anything that would stop you right now from crying out to God right now here on the streets and asking him for forgiveness?

Would you do that on camera? Yes, I would. Yeah, all right. We'll keep the camera on.

Prayer of Repentance and Thanksgiving

Let's pray. You pray and then I'll pray after you. Yes, sir. Oh, Heavenly Father, thank you for this blessed day that you've given me. Thank you, Lord, for bringing this gentleman to me. Thank you, Lord, for all that you have done for me.

And, Lord, I just want to repent for everything that I have done. But, Lord, just keep your watching hand and lovable hands on me and my family, Lord, that we may be better in your eye and in what you are willing for me to do for you.

And in your blessed name I say this, Lord. Amen.