February 2, 2023
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When I fly into Washington D.C., I sort of flash back to an unforgettable scene. It's been quite a while, but I can't help but think of it as I see that same bridge. It actually happened way back in 1982 in January. It was when Air Florida's flight 90 took off in Washington. It raked the 14th Street Bridge; plunged into the freezing waters of the Potomac River. I can still remember that image of the tail section sticking up out of the river and six survivors clinging to that plane.
And there was that rescue helicopter circling overhead, lowering a lifeline to those survivors. And there was this one middle-aged man who was unidentified in the news reports. He kept pushing the lifeline away and passing it to the other five passengers. Now, five people had been rescued. When the chopper went back for that sixth man, he'd slipped beneath the water. The pilot said later, "I have never seen one man with that much commitment."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Two Words That Can Give You Heaven."
One man who gave up his life so others wouldn't have to die; does that sound familiar? Someone did that for you. Oh yeah, The Someone. Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Galatians 2:20. Here's what it says, "The life I live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God (tThat's Jesus), who loved me and gave himself for me."
There are two simple but life-saving facts there. Jesus loves you and He gave His life for you. You say, "How? Why?" Well, Romans 6:23 provides the context for that out of the Bible. It says, "The wages of sin is death. But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." See, there's a death penalty for this series of life-choices that we've made that God calls sin. You and I have both lived outside of God's boundaries. We've hijacked the life He was supposed to run, and honestly we've run it our way.
Somebody said recently, "Oh, I don't believe a loving God would punish sin." Well, look at the cross of Jesus. He was carrying your sin and mine. He was assuming all the guilt, all the punishment of my sin and yours, and we hear God's one and only Son crying, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" Because a holy God must turn His back on whomever is carrying my sin or yours. Jesus died so you don't have to carry that penalty any longer unless you reject Him and you reject His offer of eternal life.
The sacrifice of that man in the Potomac? That's a picture of Jesus giving up His life so you can live. But it's a very incomplete picture, because Jesus was taking eternal death; all our forever suffering, all our forever separation from God, all our hell.
And those two life-saving words I mentioned. There was a young man we talked to not long ago who was involved in a cult and came back to the church he had grown up in after becoming disillusioned. And he walked in and he said, "For the first time I saw that cross. I mean, I've seen the cross many times in my life, but I looked at Jesus dying on that cross and for the first time I said these words, ‘That was for me, wasn't it?'"
Those are the two life-saving words - for me. To walk up to the cross where Jesus was dying and say those two words as you look at Him, "For me, Jesus." That's exactly what it said in the Bible, "He loved me and gave himself for me." And so you say, "Jesus, I'm taking you for me." Have you ever told Him that? Why would you wait another day to get this settled? Drop your junk at the cross. Put all your faith in Him as your payment for your sin.
If you're ready to finally welcome Him into your life, the One who paid such a high price for you, He's offered His blood to forgive you and erase your sin from God's Book, well then tell Him you want to belong to Him. Let me invite you to join us at our website, because I think we could help you there get started with Jesus. Just go to ANewStory.com.
No one's ever loved you like Jesus. No one's ever given so much than God's one and only Son. There's no reason for you to die. Someone died for you so you don't have to. And his name is Jesus.