September 21, 2020
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Four boys in a house on fire; that's what happened to my friend's nephews. Thankfully, the Fire Department got the call early and they were there in minutes. It was clear there was no way they could go into that blaze to bring the boys out. But all four of them were huddled around a second floor window, which meant they could be saved. So, the firefighters quickly prepared to catch the boys. They yelled to them to jump into the waiting net below. The oldest boy jumped; he was safe. A second boy, then a third brother jumped to their rescue below. Their ten-year-old brother was the last one left at the upstairs window. He hesitated. Again and again the firefighters were begging him to jump. Every time, he refused..every time. Sadly, it cost him his life.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Most Tragic Choice."
That is a heartbreaking story. It's a tragedy when someone dies because there was no one there to rescue them. It's an even greater tragedy when someone dies because they refused the rescuer who could have saved them.
That's a tragedy that has been repeated countless times to people who Jesus came to rescue from an eternity without Him. People who had a chance (maybe many chances) to jump into the saving arms of Jesus, but they never did. Actually, God bringing us together today is another opportunity for you to choose life. When will it be too late to do that? Only God knows.
In some ways, the more religious you are, the more times you've heard about what Jesus did on the cross, the greater danger you're in. Because you may not even realize that you're in a burning house. Good people, religious people tend to live in the false security that they're okay because they know a lot about Jesus. They're trying to do things that Jesus likes. But that ignores what it is that keeps a person out of heaven - their sin - all the wrong things you've ever done in your life. They are, in God's courtroom, a capital crime, punishable by eternal death. No one with sin can possibly live in the presence of a sinless God, and sin must be paid for to be forgiven.
And that fire of God's judgment on our self-willed, self-run life burns closer and closer every day we live. But God loves us so much that He acted dramatically to save us from the very punishment we deserve. He sent His only Son to bear that punishment in our place. When Jesus was butchered and cut off from God on that awful cross, it was all the sins of my life He was paying for, and all of yours. Your only hope of rescue is to jump into the strong, waiting arms of Jesus and pinning all your hopes on Him. When have you done that? If you don't know you did, you probably didn't.
So God asks this sobering question in Hebrews 2:3, our word for today from the Word of God, "How shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?" That's how most people miss heaven. They don't out-and-out reject what Jesus did. They just ignore His rescue; either not caring or mistakenly thinking that they'll make it out somehow. They won't. Only Jesus can save you.
And He's calling to you today right now in your heart. He's saying, "When I went to that cross, I did all that for you to rescue you from your sin. While there's time, jump into my arms." He's never dropped anyone who's ever trusted Him. He's never lost anyone who trusted Him to save them. But you have to make your move; He made his on a cross.
I'm just grateful that a lot of people have found our website a place where they can make sure that they are in Jesus' arms and belong to Him. I'd love to help you do that. Just go to ANewStory.com today. I want you to know today that you are safe in a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Jesus, your Rescuer, He's waiting right now with open arms. He's not only your best hope. He's your only hope. Let Him save you while there's time.