• Hi would you like to give the 'Good Person Test a go to find out if you're a good person?

• Would you consider any of these people in the picture above to be a good person? 

• Would you consider yourself to be a good person?

• How do we decide what’s good? Let’s compare ourselves with a standard that doesn’t change. Have you heard of the 10 Commandments in the Bible?

• Would you like to give the Good Person Test a go yourself? It’s based on the 10 Commandments.

• This picture represents the 9th commandment, what do you see here?

• Can you see the word? (slowly turn the picture sideways. it says liar).

• The 9th commandment says ‘do not lie’.

• In your whole life have you ever told a lie, big or small? (Yes, we all have, me too!)

• What do we call someone who tells lies? (a liar)

• So what does that make you if you have ever told a lie? (a liar)

• This picture represents the 6th commandment, what do you see here? (road rage, anger)

• The 6th commandment says 'do not murder'. Have you ever murdered anyone? 

• Jesus took the 6th commandment even further and said if you’ve ever hated someone in your heart, you’ve committed murder in your heart.  Have you ever done that?

• What do we call someone who hates or wants to kill someone? (a murderer at heart)

• This picture represents the 8th commandment, what do you see here?

• The 8th commandment says ‘do not steal’.

• In your whole life have you ever taken anything that doesn’t belong to you, big or small irrespective of it’s value? (Yes, we all have, me too!)

• What do we call someone who tells steals? (a thief)

• So what does that make you if you have ever stolen anything? (a thief)

• This picture represents the 7th commandment, what do you see here? 

• These two people are married - but not to each other! What do you call that? (adultery).  What do we call someone who tells does that? (an adulterer)

• The 7th commandment says ’don’t commit adultery’.

• Jesus took the 7th commandment even further and said if you even look lustfully at someone other than your spouse, you’ve committed adultery in your heart. Have you ever done that? If we're honest - we all have to say yes.

• so now, we can see that according to God’s 10 commandments you’re a liar, a thief, a murderer and an adulterer!

• If God judges you by the standard of the Ten Commandments will you be INNOCENT or GUILTY?

• Do you think God would be able to let you into HEAVEN or have to send you to HELL?

When we are really honest with ourselves before God, we know that we have all sinned.  We have all lied, stolen, lusted, been angry.  We have all broken God's commandments, lived for ourselves and sinned against God.  None of us is a good person.  

Why does our sin separate us from God?  Our sin separates us from God because he is perfectly holy and good and we are not.  

Why can't I just do some good things and be let into Heaven?

God, as well as being loving and kind, is a just God and He must punish sin.  If someone were to commit a terrible crime against a person you loved, you would need to see justice done.  If the person who commited the crime was arrested, taken to court and the judge decided to let them go without consequence because he wanted to be kind and nice, you would be outraged - justice would not have been done.  In the same way, if the criminal tried to do some good deeds to make ammends  - like donating to charity, helping an old lady across the road and washing the judge's car - the judge can't leave the crime unpunished.  Justice must be carried out and no good deed can make up for the crime committed.  So it is with God.  All the wrong that we have done in our lives has a consequence - God says the wages of our sin is death - eternal punishment and separation from God.  

Why such a severe punishment? Our sins have first and formost been against God.  He has told us to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength; and love your neighbour as yourself.  We have not done that.  Our breaking God's commandments harmed other people, but ultimately we were shaking our fist at God and saying "No!!" to Him.  This is a severe sin, and comes with a severe punishment.

Because of God's great love for us  He made a way to rescue us.

Jesus, the Son of God, came from heaven, lived a perfect life, and died on the cross in our place—this is what we remember at Easter.  He took the consequences of our sin, facing God’s justice and the punishment we deserve, even experiencing separation from God so we wouldn’t have to.

He did this out of love.  The Bible says, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:10).

Through Jesus, forgiveness and a restored relationship with God are offered to everyone. But we must accept it. It’s not enough to just know about it—we need to believe in Jesus and trust in what He has done for us. The Bible says 'if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.’ Romans 10:9.  

So now you understand your true situation - which side are you on?

You are faced with two options.  Separation forever from God and eternal punishment in Hell; or being reconcilled to God by acknowledging your sin against Him, believing that Jesus died in your place taking the punishment that was rightly yours, asking God's forgiveness, and receiving His free gift of eternal life.

Would you like to receive God's forgiveness and be reconciled to Him?

You can pray a prayer like this:

Dear God,

I know now that I have sinned against you, and I'm sorry.  Please forgive me.  I believe your Son Jesus died for my sins and You raised Him from the dead. I want to follow and obey You all of my life. I want Jesus to become the Lord of my life.  Thank You for loving me and making me Your child.

In Jesus' name

Amen