Monday, September 5, 2005
There were many dramatic images from the military action known as Operation Iraqi Freedom - but few more dramatic than the middle-of-the-night rescue of prisoner of war Jessica Lynch. As Coalition forces advanced quickly from the Kuwaiti border to the capital of Baghdad, Pfc. Lynch's unit of Army maintenance troops made a wrong turn and ended up in the middle of an enemy ambush. No one knew Jessie Lynch's fate - she was listed as missing in action. But acting on the tip of Iraqi sympathizers, a Special Operations Force fought their way into the hospital where she was imprisoned, found her, and quickly carried her to a waiting helicopter. And then, they had to fight their way out, too. But Private Lynch was safe - saved by rescuers who risked it all to bring her out.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Daring Rescue."
I'll never begin to know what it must have been like to be a prisoner of Saddam Hussein's brutal regime. But I do know a little bit about how it feels to be rescued from a situation that otherwise would have been fatal - rescued by someone who risked it all; actually who gave it all, to bring me out. It's a life-saving experience shared by many others - a rescue that can happen to you.
This rescue was planned in heaven and executed by no one less than the Son of God, Jesus Christ. It's described by God Himself in Colossians 1:13-14, our word for today from the Word of God. It says of God that "He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."
We don't realize it, but we are in as deadly a situation as that rescued P.O.W. was in - actually, more deadly, because without a rescue we will be imprisoned forever in an awful place the Bible calls hell. That's where the death penalty is carried out for a human being who has run their own life instead of letting their Creator run it. Which, according to the Bible, describes all of us, no matter how religious we might be, no matter what religion we're from. We're sinners, unable to get ourselves out of our own dark side, unable to get ourselves out of the penalty for our sin. We are trapped in what the Bible calls "the dominion of darkness."
But Jesus came, fighting his way to rescue us. Dying on a cross to pay the penalty we deserve, so we could have "the forgiveness of sins" instead of the punishment for our sins. No religion can get you out - only a rescue can. And only Jesus did what had to be done to rescue you. This very day - maybe through these very words - He is breaking into your life, offering to be your personal Rescuer from your personal sin. If you'll grab His hand and say, "Jesus, You are my only hope. Beginning right here, beginning right now, I am Yours." If you want to know that you've been rescued, if you want to know you belong to this Rescuer who loves you more than anyone ever could, let this be your day of giving yourself to Him. And I'd like to send you the booklet that I wrote about this life-saving relationship with Jesus. It's called Yours For Life. Just let me know that you want it.
Jesus paid the ultimate price; made the ultimate sacrifice to bring you out. The strong hand of your Rescuer is reaching for you. Please - grab Him now.