They would often gather round to hear him to tell the thrilling story of his time in the war. He had been a US Navy Pilot during World War 1. He told of fights with German planes. He recounted exciting tales of dueling the famous Red Baron over the sea, being hit, and having to ditch in the water. He had a great story.

He was a hero to everyone who knew him. He had received a silver medal commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the war. He led parades and gave speeches. He had such a great story to tell.

Let me ask you a question: what is the most important thing about any story?

He was one of the greatest wartime pilots. He had shot down 13 German planes on the Western Front. He had a great story .

But even heroes die. And in March 1995, he died. Another war hero, William Rich, a World War 2 pilot, read about his death in the newspaper and went to the funeral. He was surprised that there were no government representatives, no military big wigs there to honor this hero. He asked the family if they would donate his things to the military museum. The family was glad to be able to get honor for their loved one and gave him everything.

Let me stop again and ask you another question, When you think about the story of the gospel, the Lord Jesus giving Himself to the cross with all its suffering, what makes it so important?

That's when problems began. As Rich began organizing everything, he realized that something was wrong. As he went through everything, he came to a shocking conclusion: the story wasn't true. The "hero" had only been a seaman and not a pilot. The medals he showed everyone were bought and were from World War 2. He never was a pilot and never shot down any enemy planes.

It was a great story, but it wasn't true. It was all made up to make a man look important.

What makes a story important is whether it is true or not. What makes the story of the Cross so important is that it is true. It was not something that the Lord Jesus said He would do and then failed to do. He went to the Cross. He died and suffered for sins not His own. The story of the cross is true. Will you believe it?

"He that believeth not God hath made Him a liar: because he believeth not the record (story) that God gave of His Son." 1 John 5:10.

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