RESCUE
Romans 7:24 (NET) Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
I am unsure of where you might be as you read this, but regardless of your past or your current situation, no matter where you have been or where you might be traveling to, you need to be rescued.
Firefighters and associated personnel are unique in that they go about from day-to-day being prepared to rescue people around them. If people could rescue themselves they wouldn’t need emergency crews to assist them. Every person needs to be rescued at some point in their life. Are you humble enough to admit that?
Even if you believe you are “in control” or “on top of your game”, you will still have a day where you will meet the One True Creator God:
Hebrews 9:27 (NET) And just as people are appointed to die once, and then to face judgment,
When you die a physical death, there is an afterlife. You do not simply cease to exist. Will you die in this physical life and face God redeemed and reconciled to Him or will you die and face the judgement of God unprepared and unreconciled to Him?
There is only one means by which you can be saved, the Lord Jesus Christ:
John 14:6 (NET) Jesus replied, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel that I preached to you, that you received and on which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message I preached to you – unless you believed falsely. 3 For I passed on to you as of first importance what I also received – that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, 4 and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures,
One day, perhaps very soon, you will need to be rescued. Not just rescued from a little trouble, or from a very dangerous situation in which you fear death. You will need to be rescued by the Savior of mankind, who has made a way for you to be reconciled to God. Are you humble enough to admit that? If so, the love of God can be applied to your life immediately:
Romans 5:8 (NET) But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Colossians 2:14 (NET) He has destroyed what was against us, a certificate of indebtedness expressed in decrees opposed to us. He has taken it away by nailing it to the cross.
God doesn’t want to be cut off from you. Your works cannot save you. You must admit that you are insufficient to meet the standards of God. God demands righteousness – righteousness is perfection without error, something that is holy. All mankind must admit that they are not perfect in the eyes of God. Yet, despite your insufficiency, He made a way for us all – once sinners who are isolated from God. He provided the means by which you can be reconciled to Him:
Romans 3:23-24 (NET) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 24 But they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Romans 5:10-11 (NET) For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, since we have been reconciled, will we be saved by his life? 11 Not only this, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received this reconciliation.
There will come a time in which you will face death. That is something none of us can actually deny. Our physical death ends the timer of our life on earth. But, it also immediately begins eternity. You will not just simply cease to exist. You will face the One True Creator God. How will He judge you? Reconciled through Christ Jesus or alienated from Him? The issue is not how good you are on the earth, it is simply if you were humble enough to admit that you must rely wholly upon Jesus. Not to save your physical life or to do your will upon your command but to save you spiritually, for all eternity. God put forward grace through faith in this era we live within and all you must do is trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior to have confidence in your eternal salvation:
Romans 4:5 (NET) But to the one who does not work, but believes in the one who declares the ungodly righteous, his faith is credited as righteousness.
Ephesians 2:4-9 (NET) But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, 5 even though we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you are saved! – 6 and he raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 to demonstrate in the coming ages the surpassing wealth of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 it is not from works, so that no one can boast.
Friend… Jesus can and wants to rescue you from the fires and torment of eternity. In your last moments in this earth you do not need to be in terror of “What comes next?” or the sorrow of “I wish I had done more in this life.” No matter how you might be facing death in the end, you can KNOW that He will rescue you in eternity.
And, when you make the choice to serve Him in this life by humility and prayerful learning of His Word, you can grasp countless joys and assurances, every single day:
Philippians 4:6-9 (NET) Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things. 9 And what you learned and received and heard and saw in me, do these things. And the God of peace will be with you.
Will you be humble enough to admit that when you ignore these truths you are turning your back on the gift of the One True Creator God of the Bible? Will you face the reality of the situation, namely that there is an eternity, a God who is in charge, all powerful and all knowing? Will you choose to believe that you are not holy and blameless before the all powerful and all knowing God? Can you ask for His forgiveness and reconciliation through Jesus Christ alone?
Life is full of moments in which you have been given the opportunity to accept the gift of reconciliation through the life, death, resurrection, and continuing ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. Will you admit that and act with confidence as you face death – a confidence rooted in God’s Word and gift of grace? Or, will you choose to rage a frivolous, fruitless and hopeless war against God by ignoring Him, belittling Him, even refusing to admit that He is real?
Jesus saves, Jesus saves!