Paid in Full

The title of the sermon preached today by Pastor R. Gray was "Paid in Full". What beautiful words to someone who has a huge debt and has no way of paying anything on it, whether partial or in full. Pastor Gray used the analogy of a man who owed a large sum of money to another man. The man to whom the money was owed threatened to kill the man if he did not get his money. A passerby over heard the threat and offered to pay the man the money that was owed to him. Can you imagine the feeling of relief the man that owed the money must have felt.

Picture this other scenario: Imagine yourself crossing the street on a green light - you know you have the right of way. Suddenly this vehicle came speeding and ran the red light. A gentleman standing on the curb saw your life was about to disappear right before his eyes. He was overwhelmed with love and sympathy that he ran across the street and threw you out of the way of the speeding vehicle, putting his life in danger. His love and kindness for you supercede his concern for his own life. He was thrown on the hood of the car. His battered body was further thrown to the ground and was dragged for many feet. Someone on a cell phone called for the peramedics. Within a few minutes they arrived. They rushed the gentleman to the hospital where he spent several months in a coma. Tell me, if the person that was about to get hit by the car was you, what would you have done when you got up from the ground? Would you have dusted yourself off and continued on your way without even looking back, as if nothing happened, or would you have gone over to the gentleman and held his hand while weeping? Would you have gone to visit him every day in the hospital, or would you have pretended it never happened? It took months before the gentleman came out of the coma and was ready to go home to his family. Would you have made that gentleman and his family your very best friends for the rest of your life, or would you prefer not to even hear his name mentioned. It turned out that the gentleman is from a very rich christian family. Perhaps you would have done anything to repay that gentleman for his kind deed, but he wanted nothing more than your friendship and to keep in touch with him and his family to study the word of God. Would you have found the time to do that, or would you have been too busy with other things in your life? - the life that he saved. Isn't that what Jesus did for us - gave his life to save us from sin. All he ask is for us to obey his commandments and to have a relationship with him by spending time to pray and study his word. After what he has done for us, shouldn't we choose him over the devil? What has the devil done for any of us that we would want to follow him.

Many, many years ago on this day, Saturday, (notice I didn't say date) Jesus rested in a tomb after his body succumbed to the abuse of Herod and his soldiers. They gave him vinegar when he was thirsty. They spat in his face, beat him, stuck him with their sword and mocked him. Yet he never got angry. He was very humble. Humility is often mistaken for stupidity. To think he did it all for us. Thank you Jesus!

Proverbs 11:2 (Whole Chapter) Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

Proverbs 22:4 (Whole Chapter) True humility and fear of the Lord lead to riches, honor, and long life.

Colossians 3:12 (Whole Chapter) Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tender hearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

Mark 6:29 (Whole Chapter) And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.

Here's a video on the crucifixion of Jesus:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpFhS0dAduc