Suppose I approached you with the follow statement: “I’ve got GOOD news for you!
I have purchased the cure for the S.A.H. disease and I want you to accept it as
a gift from me. It cost me all that I had to get it, but I want YOU to have it
so you can be cured from this terrible disease.”
Your response would be something like this: “Huh? What disease did you say? I
don’t have that disease! You spent everything that you own to buy this for ME?
Have you lost your mind?!?”
But suppose that I had approached you a little differently: “I am SORRY to have
to bring you this news, but you have the S.A.H. disease! Here is a list of the
identifying symptoms, and as you can clearly see, your condition matches every
one of them. This disease is 100% fatal! But, I am delighted to tell you that
because of my great love for you, I have sold everything that I own to purchase
this medicine for you. It is the ONLY cure for the S.A.H. disease. I want you to
accept this from me as a gift.”
NOW... how would you respond? Looking at the list of identifying symptoms of the
disease, you find that indeed you have EVERY ONE of them! You realize and accept
the fact that you have the fatal disease. Doesn’t the news of an available cure
sound especially GOOD? Don’t you appreciate the GREAT price that was paid so
that the cure might be made available to YOU? Will you not now deeply appreciate
the love that prompted the giving of such a wonderful gift?
What was the difference in these two scenarios? Until you realized that you had
the disease, the cure did not mean much to you. In fact, the news of its
availability at such a great price sounded FOOLISH to you until you recognized
that you URGENTLY needed it.
I’ve got some MORE news for you: You, I, and ALL humanity HAVE the S.A.H.
disease. “S.A.H.” stands for Sins-Against-Heaven! It is the common lot of all:
"For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). The
"Great Physician" has discussed man’s condition at length in His journal: The
Bible If you and I will take the time to READ and STUDY it, we will clearly see
that WE have the disease. No, it’s NOT a disease that we have"inherited" - it’s
a disease that we have "contracted" due to wrong choices that we have made. It
is ALSO a disease that is ETERNALLY fatal: "For the wages of sin is death”
(Romans 6:23).
But, I’ve ALSO got some GOOD news for you! There IS a cure and it is available
to ALL. It cost Someone His life in order to obtain the cure, but He gave His
life for you and me because He loves us. The cure for the S.A.H. disease is
found in the -BLOOD- that He carried in a human body and shed in His death.
JESUS is His name! The Son of God died on a cross, taking upon Himself the
penalty for our sins, that we may be healed. The cure is available to THOSE who
will: place their faith in Him (Hebrews 11:6), repent of sin (2 Corinthians
7:9-10), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), be baptized for the
forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38), and CONTINUE to live under the DIRECTION and
CARE of the "Great Physician". By so doing, we will be CONTINUALLY cleansed of
this horrible malady of sin (1 John 1:7).
But until a person understands and accepts the REALITY that he/she is terminally
ill - the cure is of NO value! The Gospel (literally, good news) of Jesus Christ
IS good news to THOSE who recognize their sinful condition AND who gratefully
accept the cure provided by God through Jesus on HIS terms....
Is the Gospel GOOD news to YOU?
God bless you!
David A. Sargent creekwood@comcast.net
http://www.creekwoodcc.org/LivingWaterArchive.htm
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