15 Words of Hope by John MacArthur
The verse that we're going to look at is 2 Corinthians 5:21, 2 Corinthians 5:21. It says this, "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
The Bible makes it clear, first of all, that all people are sinners by nature and by action. In fact, all people are sinners from birth. And thus all people are born alienated from God who is holy, cannot look upon sin, cannot fellowship with sinners. That alienation because of sin prevents us from knowing God. He is too perfectly holy to have anything to do with sinners, except to reject them.
Now the result of that rejection, the result of that alienation in time is Godlessness. The result of it in eternity is hell. So this alienation in to which every human being is born is indeed a serious issue. It means that everybody lives their life without God and if they die in that condition, will spend their eternity without God in torment.
Now that kind of reality proves that the most deadly virus in the world is not the HIV virus, it is the SIN virus. Like the HIV virus, it kills everyone it infects, only unlike the HIV virus it infects everyone. It kills not just in time but in eternity, it kills not just physically but spiritually. There is no cure for the HIV virus, but thankfully there is a cure for the SIN virus. In fact, God has made it possible for sinners to be cured so thoroughly and completely that they can be reconciled to God and have eternal fellowship in His presence.
And that is the good news, that is what Christianity preaches, that's the gospel. There is a cure for the SIN virus so that the hostility between people and God can end now and forever and sinners can be reconciled to holy God. In fact, if you look back at verses 18,19 and 20 you see several times the word "reconciled" in one form or another. Verse 18 says, "God who reconciled us to Himself." Verse 19, "That God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself." And at the end of verse 20 we call on sinners to be reconciled to God.
This is the good news, friends. This is the great news that you don't have to live godlessly in time and you don't have to live godlessly in eternity. You don't need to suffer through this life without God and to suffer eternal torment without God in the life to come. Reconciliation is possible.
But that brings up the question...How?
Listen: http://www.gty.org/resources/sermons/47-39/15-words-of-hope