It is wonderful and nothing can compare.
Think about it - the blood of Jesus Christ has bought us to this position - his pain, his suffering, his torment, all those things that he went through.
Being nailed to the cross, being whipped, being mocked and spat on and laughed at.
He went through all that so we could enjoy this privileged position.
It's just mind boggling.
It's beyond comprehension.
I hope tonight we get a little bit of a taste of just what we have been able to access.
When you think about it, we came out of the world.
It doesn't matter what we were like in the world - we were sinners.
It says our righteousness was as filthy rags.
We could have been involved in any sort of lifestyle whatsoever and the Lord came and he changed that.
He's no respecter of persons.
He's forgiven our sins.
He's given us the opportunity to start afresh.
The scriptures call it being born again - being born from above.
Sometimes it's hard to appreciate that.
I remember door knocking years ago with this lady.
A little lady opened the door and we told her how she could have a fresh start - how she could be born again.
She started howling.
She bawled her eyes out.
Her life had been so terrible.
She had done terrible things obviously and it was such a wonderful thing to know that you can have a fresh start.
That Jesus Christ will forgive you.
You think about it - sometimes we feel ashamed and sometimes we might do something - but if your best friend can forgive you, or if you can forgive someone else, how much more can God? How much more can Jesus Christ who is much better than us.
This forgiveness, his blood bought it.
We have a new life, an abundant life.
We're new creatures in Christ.
We see things differently than we did in the past.
We've got a glimpse and a taste of the heavenly things to come.
He's taken us out and he's forgiven our sins.
He's given us an abundant life now, the promise of eternal life.