Let's start with a question. Have you ever been in a conversation that got really intense really fast?

We all know what it’s like for a conversation to go from light and chill to super intense quickly. We bring it up because we always feel that way around this time of year. And then you come to church to hear something like this…
— “But he (Jesus) was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed” (Isaiah 53:5 NLT).

It’s intense, right? Then somebody stands up in front and says, “That’s what Easter is all about.”

Why did it happen? And, how did we get here?

As a young adult, it’s important for you to think for yourself about who Jesus really is—not just what your grandma, youth pastor, or that random YouTuber said about Him. Which brings us here, to the scene MOST people associate with Jesus.

Even if they don’t know anything else, they usually know about the cross, but that still doesn’t answer the question: Why did Jesus die? For some of us who grew up in church, we’ve heard the answer, “He died because of our sin.”

Sin is basically the things we do, say, or think that we know are wrong. Here’s the deal: sin is a big deal because it always destroys something. Sin always takes something away from someone and creates distance.

Most of the time, sin hurts us or hurts someone else. Sin costs everybody. It hurts friendships, dreams, relationships, your self-worth, your health, and any of the other things you value most. Sin can damage our relationship with others, so it makes sense that sin can hurt our relationship with God.

Whether it’s something recent or something that happened a long time ago, we tend to let our past hold us back from the relationship that God wants with us.

What happens when we come face to face with how bad we’ve messed up? What about when we realize how much hurt we have caused others or ourselves? What about when our past makes us think we are too far gone with God? What then?