I write from a place which epitomizes fine cuisine and dining – CiCi’s Pizza. If you are not familiar with this restaurant, you should be! CiCi’s is an all-you-can-eat buffet which offers a smorgasbord of pizza, pasta, and salad. Usually every Thursday I eat here with our worship pastor, John McCaw. Today he had a busy day so I decided to take my laptop along for some company. John and I started coming here a couple months ago because of a precious gift given to us during Pastor Appreciation month – a CiCi’s community leader card. This card entitles the user to a free adult buffet and drink every visit. To me, that’s free money even though we feel like moochers when we walk to the front counter, show them our card, and begin our walk down the line…I feel kind of embarrassed that I am not paying. I’m not sure what it is that makes people feel ashamed to accept something which is free, but I do know there are not many free things in life. In fact, I’m not sure if anything is truly free because someone always pays the price. Even though the CiCi’s card did not cost me a thing, I get to enjoy the benefits because someone else paid the cost. On a much deeper scale, I want to tell you about the most important free thing which really was not free. It all started thousands of years ago when God decided to create human life from the dust of the ground. He placed man and woman in the Garden of Eden and told them they could eat of any tree in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God was upfront with Adam and Eve informing them that disobeying this commandment would result in death, physical and spiritual. Being overcome with the empty words of Satan, Eve decided God was withholding something from them so she ate the fruit and then gave to her husband and he ate also. The Apostle Paul later writes that “by one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12). In short, sin entered the human race through Adam and now all men are sinners resulting in death as the final payment for sin. No one avoids death because all have sinned (Romans 3:23). Here is where the free part comes in…two-thousand years ago God sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, into the world in order to pay the price for sin (John 3:16). When writing to the church at Corinth, Paul explained Jesus’ payment for sin like this: “He [God the Father] made Him [Jesus Christ] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus died in our place so that we could escape the punishment of sin and receive the righteousness of Christ in exchange. John wrote that “whosoever believeth in Him [Jesus] should not perish [die] but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Paul added “that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9). God gave Jesus as a gift to pay for the sin of all mankind and all those who believe in His death on the cross, burial, and resurrection will be granted eternal life. Salvation from the penalty of sin is free to those who will believe, but it cost Jesus His life.
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I write from a place which epitomizes fine cuisine and dining – CiCi’s Pizza. If you are not familiar with this restaurant, you should be! CiCi’s is an all-you-can-eat buffet which offers a smorgasbord of pizza, pasta, and salad. Usually every Thursday I eat here with our worship pastor, John McCaw. Today he had a busy day so I decided to take my laptop along for some company. John and I started coming here a couple months ago because of a precious gift given to us during Pastor Appreciation month – a CiCi’s community leader card. This card entitles the user to a free adult buffet and drink every visit. To me, that’s free money even though we feel like moochers when we walk to the front counter, show them our card, and begin our walk down the line…I feel kind of embarrassed that I am not paying. I’m not sure what it is that makes people feel ashamed to accept something which is free, but I do know there are not many free things in life. In fact, I’m not sure if anything is truly free because someone always pays the price. Even though the CiCi’s card did not cost me a thing, I get to enjoy the benefits because someone else paid the cost. On a much deeper scale, I want to tell you about the most important free thing which really was not free. It all started thousands of years ago when God decided to create human life from the dust of the ground. He placed man and woman in the Garden of Eden and told them they could eat of any tree in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God was upfront with Adam and Eve informing them that disobeying this commandment would result in death, physical and spiritual. Being overcome with the empty words of Satan, Eve decided God was withholding something from them so she ate the fruit and then gave to her husband and he ate also. The Apostle Paul later writes that “by one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12). In short, sin entered the human race through Adam and now all men are sinners resulting in death as the final payment for sin. No one avoids death because all have sinned (Romans 3:23). Here is where the free part comes in…two-thousand years ago God sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, into the world in order to pay the price for sin (John 3:16). When writing to the church at Corinth, Paul explained Jesus’ payment for sin like this: “He [God the Father] made Him [Jesus Christ] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus died in our place so that we could escape the punishment of sin and receive the righteousness of Christ in exchange. John wrote that “whosoever believeth in Him [Jesus] should not perish [die] but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Paul added “that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9). God gave Jesus as a gift to pay for the sin of all mankind and all those who believe in His death on the cross, burial, and resurrection will be granted eternal life. Salvation from the penalty of sin is free to those who will believe, but it cost Jesus His life.
I woke up at 2:30am last night and knew it was my turn to face this hideous monster. I made my way quickly down the stairs of our home and walked into the kitchen. Behind the cabinet doors above the stove was my only hope of defeating this monstrosity. As I pulled the door open, my trembling hands reached for…medicine. Since last Wednesday, a virus had been making it’s way through our family claiming victim after victim. First, my daughter awoke with those fateful words – “I think I’m going to puke!” A day later, our son woke up and said he was sick. We often refer to him as the “little boy who cries wolf” because he is known for saying he is sick when he really is not, so we went through a series of questions to try to catch him in a lie. After a careful cross examination by my wife, we decided that he really was sick. Ty was the second victim of this ugly monster. My wife was the next in this creature’s rampage and I was soon to follow. Today I had to take a sick day at work and I hate doing so because I’ve always had a tough time laying around doing nothing. My body ached all over and a sore throat gave way to coughing…I figured the people at work would not appreciate me endangering them, so in better judgment, I stayed home. While doing nothing, a verse in Mark 2:17 came to my mind where Jesus talks about sickness and doctors. “They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Jesus had often been criticized by so-called religious people because He frequently spent time with people who were sinners. Jesus sometimes kept company with those who didn’t have it all figured out and were looked upon as outcasts because of their lifestyle; however, Jesus knew they needed to have a relationship with God the Father through Him. Without personal contact, these sinners had no chance of changing. Jesus evidenced His unconditional love for them, but also was not scared to point out their sin. The religious leaders of the day hated that Jesus invested time in these sinful people, but Jesus responded to their arrogance by speaking the words we find written in Mark 2:17. Jesus did not come to provide life to those who thought they could attain salvation by their own good works (they that are whole have no need of the physician), but rather those who willingly admitted they were sick. A doctor cannot help anyone who will not first admit their sickness, just like Jesus cannot cure the disease of sin for those who do not think they are a sinner. Jesus goes on to say to the “religious crowd”: “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Those who willingly admit their sin and realize it offends a holy God (repentance) have taken the first step in getting well. The writer of Proverbs says “he that covereth his sin shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh shall have mercy.” The religious leaders of Jesus’ day could never be made right before God until they were ready to acknowledge their sin. Salvation from spiritual death (hell) does not come through simply believing in God, but rather those “who confess with thy [their] mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe that God hath raised Him from the dead shalt be saved.” (Romans 10:9) Are you sick today? I don’t mean physically sick, but spiritually sick. When you recognize you are a sinner, you are ready to be spiritually healed by the great Physician, Jesus Christ. “He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities…with his stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5) Jesus took the punishment for your sin (healed you) when he died on the cross, so you did not have to die and spend an eternity paying for your sin in hell. Will you come to the Physician to be healed?
There is No Such Thing as Free
I write from a place which epitomizes fine cuisine and dining – CiCi’s Pizza. If you are not familiar with this restaurant, you should be! CiCi’s is an all-you-can-eat buffet which offers a smorgasbord of pizza, pasta, and salad. Usually every Thursday I eat here with our worship pastor, John McCaw. Today he had a busy day so I decided to take my laptop along for some company. John and I started coming here a couple months ago because of a precious gift given to us during Pastor Appreciation month – a CiCi’s community leader card. This card entitles the user to a free adult buffet and drink every visit. To me, that’s free money even though we feel like moochers when we walk to the front counter, show them our card, and begin our walk down the line…I feel kind of embarrassed that I am not paying. I’m not sure what it is that makes people feel ashamed to accept something which is free, but I do know there are not many free things in life. In fact, I’m not sure if anything is truly free because someone always pays the price. Even though the CiCi’s card did not cost me a thing, I get to enjoy the benefits because someone else paid the cost. On a much deeper scale, I want to tell you about the most important free thing which really was not free. It all started thousands of years ago when God decided to create human life from the dust of the ground. He placed man and woman in the Garden of Eden and told them they could eat of any tree in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God was upfront with Adam and Eve informing them that disobeying this commandment would result in death, physical and spiritual. Being overcome with the empty words of Satan, Eve decided God was withholding something from them so she ate the fruit and then gave to her husband and he ate also. The Apostle Paul later writes that “by one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12). In short, sin entered the human race through Adam and now all men are sinners resulting in death as the final payment for sin. No one avoids death because all have sinned (Romans 3:23). Here is where the free part comes in…two-thousand years ago God sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, into the world in order to pay the price for sin (John 3:16). When writing to the church at Corinth, Paul explained Jesus’ payment for sin like this: “He [God the Father] made Him [Jesus Christ] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus died in our place so that we could escape the punishment of sin and receive the righteousness of Christ in exchange. John wrote that “whosoever believeth in Him [Jesus] should not perish [die] but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Paul added “that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9). God gave Jesus as a gift to pay for the sin of all mankind and all those who believe in His death on the cross, burial, and resurrection will be granted eternal life. Salvation from the penalty of sin is free to those who will believe, but it cost Jesus His life. Sick Day
I woke up at 2:30am last night and knew it was my turn to face this hideous monster. I made my way quickly down the stairs of our home and walked into the kitchen. Behind the cabinet doors above the stove was my only hope of defeating this monstrosity. As I pulled the door open, my trembling hands reached for…medicine. Since last Wednesday, a virus had been making it’s way through our family claiming victim after victim. First, my daughter awoke with those fateful words – “I think I’m going to puke!” A day later, our son woke up and said he was sick. We often refer to him as the “little boy who cries wolf” because he is known for saying he is sick when he really is not, so we went through a series of questions to try to catch him in a lie. After a careful cross examination by my wife, we decided that he really was sick. Ty was the second victim of this ugly monster. My wife was the next in this creature’s rampage and I was soon to follow. Today I had to take a sick day at work and I hate doing so because I’ve always had a tough time laying around doing nothing. My body ached all over and a sore throat gave way to coughing…I figured the people at work would not appreciate me endangering them, so in better judgment, I stayed home. While doing nothing, a verse in Mark 2:17 came to my mind where Jesus talks about sickness and doctors. “They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Jesus had often been criticized by so-called religious people because He frequently spent time with people who were sinners. Jesus sometimes kept company with those who didn’t have it all figured out and were looked upon as outcasts because of their lifestyle; however, Jesus knew they needed to have a relationship with God the Father through Him. Without personal contact, these sinners had no chance of changing. Jesus evidenced His unconditional love for them, but also was not scared to point out their sin. The religious leaders of the day hated that Jesus invested time in these sinful people, but Jesus responded to their arrogance by speaking the words we find written in Mark 2:17. Jesus did not come to provide life to those who thought they could attain salvation by their own good works (they that are whole have no need of the physician), but rather those who willingly admitted they were sick. A doctor cannot help anyone who will not first admit their sickness, just like Jesus cannot cure the disease of sin for those who do not think they are a sinner. Jesus goes on to say to the “religious crowd”: “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Those who willingly admit their sin and realize it offends a holy God (repentance) have taken the first step in getting well. The writer of Proverbs says “he that covereth his sin shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh shall have mercy.” The religious leaders of Jesus’ day could never be made right before God until they were ready to acknowledge their sin. Salvation from spiritual death (hell) does not come through simply believing in God, but rather those “who confess with thy [their] mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe that God hath raised Him from the dead shalt be saved.” (Romans 10:9) Are you sick today? I don’t mean physically sick, but spiritually sick. When you recognize you are a sinner, you are ready to be spiritually healed by the great Physician, Jesus Christ. “He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities…with his stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5) Jesus took the punishment for your sin (healed you) when he died on the cross, so you did not have to die and spend an eternity paying for your sin in hell. Will you come to the Physician to be healed?