Good News?   

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, Minister 

Church of Christ at Creekwood 
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama  36695

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