Romans 5:6-11 doesn't start well. It calls us powerless, ungodly, sinners, enemies of God. We're spiritually bankrupt, down and out for the count. No amount of effort, morality, or religion can fix this problem.

But here's the beauty: we're more sinful and flawed than we dare believe, yet more loved and accepted in Jesus than we dare hope for.

Jesus doesn't die for His friends, He dies for His enemies. At just the right time, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. This wasn't God reacting. From day one, God planned to send His Son to die on the cross to take our sin so we'd be forgiven and made right.

Jai shows how everything in the Old Testament pointed to this moment, with hundreds of prophecies fulfilled. Jesus steps in as our substitute, absorbing the punishment we deserve. Our holy, just God can't shrug at sin. Justice demands payment. Sin creates a debt we can never pay. There's always a cost. Jesus took it on Himself.

The essence of sin is substituting ourselves for God. The essence of salvation is God substituting Himself for us. At the cross, justice and love meet in perfect harmony.

We've been justified by His blood, saved from God's wrath, reconciled. We're no longer enemies,we're children of the King. What do we do? Repent and believe. Receive what's been done for us.

Jai opens with a youth group game: 50 teenagers yelling instructions at five blindfolded kids trying to navigate an obstacle course. No one completed it. The chaos perfectly illustrates Genesis 3.

Before eating the fruit, Adam and Eve lived in the light, they could see life clearly. When they ate, they went from seeing clearly to stumbling in darkness.

The black bead represents rebellion against God, the Bible calls it sin. Genesis 3 doesn't start with violence or murder. It starts with doubt: "Did God really say?" This is how sin creeps in, with suspicion and questioning. The serpent reframes God's freedom as restriction.

Why didn't God want them to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil? Here's what we miss: it's not just about knowing right from wrong, it's about deciding what's right and wrong. Adam and Eve wanted to be rule makers, not rule followers. That's the heart of sin: declaring we want to make the rules for our lives instead of trusting God.

Three perfect relationships were shattered in one bite: with each other (they covered themselves in shame), with God (they hid instead of running to Him), and with creation (work became painful).

This isn't just Adam and Eve's story, it's ours. We're all rule makers. Using John Chapman's illustration about two soldiers: one with a single-shot rifle, one with a semi-automatic, Jai explains it's not about how many sins we commit. When captured, the enemy doesn't care who shot more bullets. We're all enemies to God.

But God doesn't leave us in darkness, he gives us hope. Genesis 3:15 promises a serpent crusher: King Jesus. Right at the beginning, hope is on the horizon. Jesus came as the light of the world.

If you're a Christian, take sin seriously and run to Jesus. If you haven't trusted Jesus yet, don't wait. Don't leave in darkness tonight.

"Welcome to 1994. Scripture, Kirrawee High School. I know none of us want to be here..."

Stu Crawshaw starts this message by recreating his 90s Scripture classes where he used Jesus Beads and a skateboard with coloured tape to share the gospel. The white bead represents that God made us to be His friends: to walk in the light of His ways. But what does that actually mean?

Stu unpacks three truths about humanity from Genesis 2. First, we were created by God in His image, intentionally formed from dirt yet dignified by God's breath. We're designed to know God personally, reflect His moral character, and represent His rule on earth as vicegerents.

Second, we were created for relationship. God declared "it's not good for the man to be alone." We're made in the image of a God who exists in relationship: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So God created Eve from Adam's rib. Adam's response is beautiful: "Bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh." Human flourishing is designed for community, not autonomy.

Third, we were created as moral and accountable creatures. God gave Adam and Eve freedom to eat from any tree except one. Why put the tree there? Because true relationship is gifted, not demanded. Their freedom was real but bounded, joyful obedience under God's life-giving authority.

Stu shares a story about getting kicked out of McDonald's for eating a KFC burger. The point? You can't eat KFC in Maccas, and you can't be truly human unless you obey God's commands. The same choice is before us: life or death, blessings or cursings. True humanity isn't found in self-rule but in joyful obedience to Jesus, where God's authority is life-giving rather than restrictive.