The impossibility of making it on our own.

Swimming across the ocean. This illustrates the great separation between God and man ... a chasm too great to cross by man. Imagine the separation between God and man is the distance across the Atlantic Ocean from Boston to England. You and I have a personally unsolvable problem if we must swim that distance to reach God. You may swim two times or ten times farther than I do ... but we both fall very short. We will both drown if someone doesn't rescue us. We don't need swimming lessons ... we need to be saved.

Jumping to the next skyscraper. This is a variation on the previous illustration. We have a significant problem if reaching God requires jumping from the roof of one 50-story building to the roof of another one across the street. You may leap three times farther than I do ... but that will be of little value as we accelerate toward the sidewalk below. We don't need long jump lessons from an Olympic coach ... we need a bridge. Jesus is the bridge to God.

Love motivated substitution. 

A firing squad. Picture yourself condemned to death by firing squad. At the execution wall, you face six guards with rifles. The captain of the guard begins with, ready ... Aim. But he stops when a man cries out from the crowd, Wait ... Wait! The innocent man volunteers to take your place. You are released as he walks to the wall. And as you pass through the courtyard gate into freedom you hear, Ready ... Aim ... Fire! With one last glimpse back you see him in a pool of blood at the base of the wall. He died in your place ... died to give freedom to you.

Saved from drowning. This is a variation of the previous illustration. Imagine that you tried to swim across a wide lake. Halfway across, your legs begin to cramp. You are weak and exhausted. With what could be your last breaths, you call to a man in a small passing boat. He circles around to save you. He jumps into the water to help you into the safety of the boat. However, in doing that he slips below the water and drowns. He gave his life to save you.

Donating a kidney. This is a variation of the previous two illustrations. Imagine that you are terminally ill because both of your kidneys have failed. Without a compatible transplant, you will die in just a few hours. Your best friend offers to donate a kidney to you. There is organ compatibility. Immediately you are in surgery to receive your friend's life-giving gift. After the surgery, you are anxious to thank your friend. But you find out that your friend only had one kidney ... he voluntarily gave his life for you. He gave life to you through his death.

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