On a family vacation, we had some time to do some extra biking. There was a lake nearby. It was fun to go around the lake...well, sort of fun. See, there were these long, downhill stretches, "Oh man, just flying down that hill! It was fantastic! Then guess what came right after that. Yeah, the uphill climb, and that was grueling, sometimes painful. And guess which lasted longer...the downhill thrill or the pain of going uphill? I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Sin - The Thrill and the Bill." It was my son who reminded me as we collapsed at the top of a particularly grueling hill and we had just biked it. He said, "Dad, you know, this is a lot like sin." Okay. You know, he's right. He said, "We had a great time sailing down the hill, but the great feeling didn't last long. It felt like it took most of the afternoon to get up those hills." Well, King David is going to be called right now as a witness in the case of the Downhill Thrill and the Uphill Bill. Oh, he spent his adulterous night with Bathsheba, and it was probably pleasurable. The Bible talks about the pleasures of sin, except it tacks on three words. It says, "for a season." That's the downhill thrill. Then comes the uphill bill that you pay for that short-lived thrill. In our word for today from the Word of God in Psalm 51:3, David steps forth after that sin and he says, "I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me." Now, the pleasure wasn't always before him. But his sin, the guilt, the consequences, the shame, oh they never went away: memories, consequences, hurting relationships. You might say, "Was it worth it, David-that downhill thrill?" And he'd say, "No way. There's way too much pain for that short-lived pleasure. You pay a lot longer than you play." It could be right now that you're experiencing the downhill thrill of sin. Oh, it feels good; seems like nothing's wrong. Maybe it's a sexual sin, maybe it's a short-lived satisfaction of getting even with someone, or maybe you've got a good situation you've come through with a little dishonesty. Maybe you're violating God's boundaries with your body, or you're partying with some friends. Let me warn you, the uphill grind is coming. In fact the Bible guarantees that "whatever you sow, you will reap." And the harvest? Oh, that will last a whole lot longer than the sowing ever did. It's a law of the universe: if you sow to your evil nature, the Bible says, you will reap destruction. It is inevitable; it happens every time. Oh, you have a good feeling right now that sin gives, but maybe you don't have the consequences yet, and it's easy to just go with what you can see now. But the thrill is not worth the price tag. This moment won't last. The loss, oh it will last. The pain, the consequences? Just ask King David. They last a lifetime. There's some good news, though. Because for all of us who have violated God's laws, who've lived outside of His boundaries in one way or another, we have found there's a Savior who will forgive and erase every one of those from God's Book and begin to heal the hurt and the damage sin has done. Only Jesus can do that, because only He paid the price to do it. I mean a price of blood shed on a cross for all us sinners...for you, for me. Maybe today, knowing very well what dirty feels like inside, you could feel clean for the first time in your life. All the consequences, all the pain of our sin? It's just a reminder that there is an awful punishment for sin coming, and God doesn't want you to pay that price; His Son already did. Today, would you tell Him, "Jesus, I'm Yours. You're my rescuer!" I'd invite you to go to our website, because there's a lot more information about this there. It's ANewStory.com. You can take it from an old tired biker, that uphill grind will cancel any downhill thrill.