Why Being A Good Person Is Not Enough

The “Why Jesus?” question sounds modern, but it’s as old as the ache underneath it: Why do I still feel empty when I’m doing everything I’m supposed to do? We start with the honest pushback people bring to church and faith, including the big one: “Why can’t I just be a good person?” Then we turn the lens on ourselves, because the longer we follow Jesus, the easier it is to forget who we were before grace and to judge people who are still in the middle of their mess.

We dig into the story our culture sells every day: fix yourself, optimize yourself, prove you’re enough. When it works, you get a quick hit of pride. When it fails, you get crushed by blame and shame. The message names what the world won’t name: sin. By walking through Genesis and Romans 3, we talk about why anxiety, arrogance, comparison, and that constant “not enough” feeling are not just bad habits, but signs of a deeper separation from God that we cannot repair with effort, rules, or religious performance.

Then Luke 15 flips the whole frame. The lost sheep doesn’t rescue itself. The lost coin doesn’t know it’s missing. The prodigal son comes home expecting to be rejected, but the father runs to restore him. That’s the heart of why Jesus matters: He comes for people who cannot save themselves, and Ephesians 2 anchors it as grace through faith, not works, so nobody can boast. If you’ve been burned out by self-improvement or skeptical of church, this is a clear, story-driven case for why Jesus is still relevant right now. Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review with the question you’re still wrestling with.

Transcript

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Quite perfectly into the series we're about to get into. I would love to say that I wrote that introduction perfectly, but I didn't. God just has a way of doing things. The question of why Jesus is probably the biggest question that I get. And I get it from a lot of people, but primarily people outside the church. The question of why Jesus? Why should I care? Why should I go to church? Why should I get plugged into religion? Why why Jesus? I mean, if he was real, he was 2,000 some years ago. What what relevance does he have to me? Why the Bible? Why the scriptures? Why why go to church? Why why Christians? Like, why can't I just be a good person? I'm a good person, right? Like, why can't, isn't that enough? And and the short answer to that question is

The Question Everyone Asks

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no. It's not. Right? And so before I get too much farther into this, as always, we're going to take a minute and pray. Kind of quiet your spirits, and then I'll pray. Thank you for everything that you do. God, as always, I pray that you're with us this morning. God, I know who you are. I pray that you protect the words that are coming out of my mouth. God, I pray that you protect the hearts that's out there. Help me to understand, help us to understand more of your word and your truth and who we are and what you've done for us, God. Be with me this morning. Protect the ears of those who listen to this message now and those who might listen to it later. That give them what they need from

Prayer And Setting The Tone

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this moment.

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We love you. We thank you. Your son's name we pray.

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Amen. You know, the challenge of a message like this is for those who have been in church for a long time, 30, 40, 50 years, you grew up in it. When someone asks you why Jesus, the the answer to be to you can be quite simple. Well, just because. And so the reason why it's challenging is some somewhere along the line, I think the longer we follow Christ, if we're not careful, we can actually forget why Jesus is important. I was thinking about this the other day, and not that I'm perfect at it, because I am far from that. But the longer that I follow Jesus, the less I remember who I was before I found him. And that's not a bad thing. I think that's intentional, right? As the Spirit works in me, the goal is not to be bound by my sinful past. That's not the point. It's not to be bound by the things I used to do.

Remembering Grace Before Judgment

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But if I'm not careful, when I meet someone who's new to the faith, I can quickly judge them based on how they're living now because I feel that I've reached a level of superiority over them. Because I remember when I did that. That's not me. You're right, it's not me. But they're still trying to figure it out. It's not my job to condemn them. It's my job to remember how much grace that God gave me when I was in the same place they are now. That's why Jesus matters, right? Because we can easily look at people who don't know God and say, how dare they? How can they live like that? And then we can be so far down the road that we see people, brothers and sisters in Christ, living in sin, and we're like, no, no, that's that's okay. They're fine. We don't have to hold them accountable. Why would we do that? Or we can look at the people who are broken and say, well, good luck. That's not my problem. God hasn't brought that person into my life so I could show them Jesus. God brought that person in my life to remind me of how good I am. That is not how this works. And I say that from someone who's had experience in this, that I often look at people who are lost. And if I'm not careful, in my immaturity, I could set myself above them. But the only difference between me and them is I was found. Jesus met me in the middle of my mess, the the 15-year-old little punk, who thought cussing while playing video games was good behavior. If I told you this story, I was in the basement of my mom's house one time and I was playing Madden, and I started to drop the F word, because you know that's what you do when you're a teenager, and from all the way upstairs on the second floor, my mom goes, Jason. And I was like, Well, I messed up. But but listen, that was that was before Jesus. I I was living like the world. I was I was doing the things, and and my behavior was so messed up. And then God found me in the middle of that mess. And God said, Now watch what I'm gonna do with your life. And so when we look at people who who don't know Jesus, we have to remember that it's a journey. So the question remains is why Jesus? Why does he matter so much? When we look at the world around us, the world has convinced us that somehow you and I can fix ourselves. Maybe the right diet is what you need. Maybe if you follow the the right influencer on social media, they'll they'll give you good advice. Maybe it's another scheme of money. This is how I'm gonna become rich. The world makes it all about you. What can you do to make, excuse me, what can you do to make yourself better? Work harder, work out more, eat right, save money, do this, do that. And if you do these things, here's a and this is my favorite, here's a seven-step plan that if you follow this, you're gonna have the same results as the person who on social media is being paid a bunch of money to tell you that it's gonna work out exactly

Self-Help Culture And The Never Enough

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how they did it. And then what you and I see is a world that is telling us you're enough, you can be enough, you can do it, just try harder. And the moment you fall on your face, the moment it collapses, the moment you don't lose the weight, the moment your relationships fall apart, the moment your identity shifts to something outside of what you're supposed to be, the world blames you. It's your fault this didn't work out. You messed this up. If only you had tried harder, if only you had worked harder, if only you, it's all about you. The world has convinced us that for some reason, somehow, you and I can rescue ourselves. What do they say? Pick yourself up by your bootstraps. You ever try to pick your own self up by a bootstrap? It's impossible physically. Just try harder. You're not doing it enough, you're you're not doing it right. And at the end of the day, and listen, maybe this isn't everybody, but I feel like it's a lot of people. At the end of the day, you've tried everything you did, you could, you did everything you were supposed to do, and you still feel like it's not enough. I am driven by that emotion more than I care to admit. Last night was fantastic. I left there thinking, man, I wish there would have been more people there. Every time I get done with a sermon, I feel good about it until I get home. And then I read it over again, and I'm like, well, that was junk. Every time I I go to the gym, every time I accomplish something in my life, my my wife will tell you this, it drives her nuts. And I appreciate that she puts up with it. Every time I accomplish one thing, it doesn't satisfy me. I have to do something else. I think that's the nature of who we are. Because what the world doesn't understand is there's something in us that's broken. There's something in us that that's not quite right. We the world can't put a name on it. They try. Fulfillment, peace, accomplishments, certifications, and when you don't when you don't feel right, you're anxious, you're depressed, you're lonely, you're unhappy. But the Bible, the Bible calls it sin. I've had this conversation several times in my life. But if you go all the way back to the beginning in Genesis, when Adam and Eve were in the garden, they had everything perfect. I I cannot even fathom perfection. They had everything they needed as they walked in the presence of God. But sin crept in. Satan showed up and and he lied to them, and and he started twisting the truth, and and and he convinced them that they really didn't have everything because they didn't have the mind of God, and if they really wanted it, why didn't God give that to them? And and so he he convinced Adam and Eve in the beginning to to be disobedient to God. That's when sin came into the picture. They should have been satisfied, but but the enemy came in and started

Genesis And How Sin Enters

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to manipulate them and lie to them and and try to convince them that what they had wasn't enough. They they wanted more. And so they disobeyed God, and he told them not to eat of a certain fruit, and and they did. And the consequence for that was their eyes were open. For the first time in their life, after eating of the fruit, Adam and Eve felt shame. It never existed before that. They walked around completely naked, unaware. They were free from all of those worries and concerns because all they knew is they were in the presence of God, and that was enough. And then the moment they disobeyed, the moment sin came into the picture, they felt shame. They were removed from the garden. Life became hard, childbirth became difficult, men would have to toil, and eventually it led to the murder of their son. All of this from a decision, all of this happened in a moment. The moment that sin entered into the picture, it corrupted everything. Sin is why we feel anxious and depressed and hungry. Sin is why we feel anger and self-righteousness and pride and arrogance. Sin is the reason why you and I die. Death was not part of the plan. It all got messed up. I can't even wrap my mind around waking up some morning, and I just had this conversation earlier. Imagine waking up and nothing hurts. There's no sadness, you're not tired, you're not worried about what happened yesterday, you're not anxious about the day ahead of you, you're you're not on social media scrolling through, comparing yourself. Just imagine waking up and being in a place of perfection, and sin ruined that for us. It corrupted everything. And this is this is what the world fails to name it. They want to try to make excuses, they want to try to justify it, but but the reality is the sin has caused everything to be broken. Romans 3, 1 through 24, Paul writes this. He says, What advantage then is there being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? He's talking to the church in Rome, which is a mix of Jews and Gentiles, and and they're they're kind of confused and stuck on tradition. He says, Much in every way. First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God. What if someone faithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God's faithfulness? Not at all. Let God be true and every human being a liar, as it is written, so that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge. But if our unrighteousness bring on God's righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? Certainly not. If that were so, how could God judge the world? Someone might argue, if my falsehood uh enhances God's truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned uh condemned as a sinner? Why not say,

Romans 3 And The Myth Of Good

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as some slanderously claim that we say, let us do evil, the good may result. The condemnation is just. And Paul is saying, Listen, some of you are out here sinning and you're living in evil ways, and you tell yourself that it's okay to live this way because God is glorified, and he says, No, that is not how this works. But then Paul goes to the root of the matter. He says, uh, starting in verse nine, What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all. For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. As it is written, There is no one righteous, not even one. There's no one who understands, there is no one who seeks God, all have turned away. They have together become worthless. There is no one who does good, not even one. Their throats, their throats are open graves, their tongues practice deceit, the poison of vipers is on their lips, their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness, their feet are swift to shed blood, ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know. There is no fear of God before their eyes. Paul says, There is no one who is good because of sin. All have fallen short, all have failed to live up to the standard that God has given them. He says this in Romans 3.23, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. He says, He says, No one is able to live up to the standard which God has set, because you and I have all failed. And he continues on in verse 19. He says, Now that we know whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced in the whole world, held accountable to God, therefore no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law, rather, through the law, become conscious of our sin. He says, The laws that you follow are there to help you realize what sin is. Following the rules doesn't save you from those things, it helps you realize what they are. Then he continues in verse 21. He says, But now apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the law and the prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There's no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. So Paul says, listen, none of you can claim to be good. That's one of the arguments. Well, what if I'm a good person? Paul says, you can't be. Yeah, but but but I help people. Cool. Well, at least I'm not like so-and-so down the street. Listen, by them, by their standards, you might be a good person, but but but the scriptures are clear that all have fallen short because of sin. You and I cannot be perfect, and I can prove this. Because at some point in your life, you lied, you cheated, you hurt someone, you backstabbed, you gossiped, you made fun of someone you weren't supposed to, you avoided helping someone you could have. That's the nature of you and I, as good as we are, we still fail. But the but the world tells me that if I can just make myself better, and if I can do more, and if I could just, if I work harder, and yet all these people who tell us this thing continue to fall one after the other. I think about this so much, especially from a pastor standpoint, how many churches have ministers who continue to fail again and again and again and again? Men of God who are seeking to be like him and yet they still falter, they lie, they embezzle, they cheat. Because at the very core of sin, sin has corrupted us so much that we cannot be good. And I realize that people don't understand that. And I promise I'm getting somewhere positive with this. Sin has tainted this, sin has broken this, sin is why we die, sin is why we have cancer, sin is why people lie, sin is why people steal. Sin has corrupted everything good that was created by God. Again, back to Adam and Eve, they walked around naked, feeling no shame. And then sin came in and it destroyed everything. Sin is the reason why you and I always feel like there's something more. It's the reason that that we're never. Ever satisfied with things of this earth. And so the question is, if I can't ever truly find satisfaction in my life, then why would I pick Jesus? Why would I go to church? Why would I give my life to some guy that died if he died 2,000 some years ago? Why why would I spend my time reading a book that's as ancient as my grandmother's T set? And I think that's a valid question. And scripture answers that one too. Luke chapter 15. There's three different parables that Jesus teaches. There's the parable of the lost sheep, starting in verse 1. It says, Now the tax collectors and the sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus, but the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, This man welcomes sinners and eats with them. And then Jesus told them this parable. And he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, Rejoice with me, I have found my lost sheep. I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. He continues, or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn't she light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully till she finds it?

Luke 15 And The Lost Ones

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And when she finds it, she calls her friends and her neighbors together and says, Rejoice with me, I have found my lost coin. In the same way I tell you, there's rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. Then he tells the the longer parable, the lost son. The son decides that he wants to inherit his dad's money, and so he takes his money and he runs off with wild living and spends it on women and a bunch of stuff that he shouldn't. And he finds himself a Jew standing on a pig farm feeding pigs. And he thinks to himself, if I just go home, my dad will make me a servant, and I can at least go back to having a place to stay. And the son picks himself up as best as he could, walks home, goes home, and his dad is waiting for him. And his dad runs to him, brings him back, and restores him to his rightful role as his heir, as his son, and throws a party for him. The two parables at the beginning represent people, the shepherd and the woman, who are finding things that don't even realize they're lost. I guarantee you as that sheep wandered away. He had no idea that he was missing from everybody else. That coin, wherever it was, had no idea that it was gone. But the the shepherd and the woman, they cared for these things so much, specifically the shepherd. The shepherd loved the sheep so much that he realized that the only way for that sheep to be found is if he went and he rescued it.

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Because it probably wasn't going to do it on its own. That's Jesus.

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We talked about this last week when Jesus came into the world born to Mary and Joseph. Jesus being born as a man is him stepping into the world to rescue those who are lost. The sheep, the only way the sheep could come home is if the shepherd went to it and found it. That's what Jesus did. He looked at sinful, broken humanity. He looked at the world and said, I have to go to them. Because the only way I'm going to get them back to me is if I go to them first. And so he stepped into this world as a baby, lived a life, and 33 years later sacrificed and died, beaten, abused, mocked

The Shepherd Who Comes For You

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to rescue people who didn't even know they were lost. Then you have the father. The father waiting for the son to come home. The father's disposition never changed. He always loved, he always cared, but but he watched the son walk away. To chase things that he thought would satisfy him. And every day he waited and he waited and he waited and he waited because he knew what the son didn't, that nothing was ever going to fulfill him the way being at home did. So the son comes back and the dad doesn't chastise him, he doesn't hate him, he doesn't criticize him. He says, My son has returned to me. He was dead, he's now alive, and let's throw a party. That's God. Jesus came to rescue us. God is waiting for us to come home. God doesn't force his love on people. He doesn't force us to be with him. That's a choice that you and I have to make. But even if we haven't decided to follow him, he has still made a way for our return to be possible. He gave of his life. He sacrificed his son. He took the penalty of sin. Jesus lived a perfect life. He did everything right. And he still paid the ultimate penalty of death so that you and I can come home.

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Because he came to rescue you.

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You might not get that yet. You might not comprehend that because you're still over here trying to figure it out on your own. You're still listening to the world that's trying to convince you that somehow you can fix yourself. And scripture teaches you can't. It's what makes us feel useless and like failures. And it's what makes us never, we're never satisfied. Paul says that you have sinned. You have all fallen short. And the world keeps telling us, you'll figure it out. And Jesus says, no, you won't. But I will. I have come. I lived the life you were supposed to. I died. I sacrificed. I gave up everything so that you could have what I have.

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So that you could come home to the Father. So that you don't die in your brokenness separated from me.

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Sin, the greatest tragedy of sin is it separates us from God. Sin and God cannot be in the same place. Can't happen. Light and darkness does not possess the same area. Sin not only corrupted us, but but it separated us from God. It kicked us out of the Garden of Eden. We went from walking with God to fearing Him. Sin has distorted our relationship with God. We don't see Him as a loving father. Some people see Him as this overwhelming, you know, abusive Father who's burdened us with morality and living the right way. And sin has convinced us that in the scheme of things, God is the bad guy. And Satan is just trying to give us what we want. But that's not how it works. Sin

Grace Not Works From Ephesians 2

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has separated us from God, and the only way that it could be dealt with was through a sacrifice. And so Jesus came and he rescued us, he saved us from ourselves so that when we decide to give our life to him, when we decide to give our life to God, when we decide to stop living on our own and trying to figure it out, when we come home, the father's waiting.

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Says, this is my son, this is my daughter who was dead, and now they're alive. So the question of why Jesus Jesus is the only one who rescued you when you didn't deserve it.

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He is the only one who paid the penalty so that you and I can go home and be in the presence of God to a place of perfection.

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I can only imagine what heaven's gonna be like.

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No more hunger, no more pain, no more struggles, no more joint pain. No more anger, no more anxiety, no more frustration. All those things that that sin has distorted will be made right. And and the only way to accomplish that is through the sacrifice of Jesus.

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Because he loved you and he loved me so much that he didn't want to be there without us.

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Paul says in Ephesians 2, 1 through 10, says, As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and your sins, in which you used to live, when you followed the ways of this world and the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following his desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. Paul says, All of you, including me, once lived for the world, chasing the things we thought were good. And then he says, But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions. It is by grace that you have been saved, and God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace that you have been saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast, for we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared and advanced for us to do.

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That's who Jesus is.

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That's why we do what we do. This block party is not just a chance for us to feed people and have a bounce house and music. And listen, those are all great things. But everything we do as a church, every conversation, every person God brings into our lives is an opportunity for you and I to tell them why Jesus.