Those Two Life-Saving Words

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

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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 happened in January of 1982. It was when Air Florida's flight 90 took off in Washington bound for Tampa and Fort Lauderdale. It raked the 14th Street Bridge; plunged into the freezing waters of the Potomac River. I still can recall the image of the tail section sticking up out of the river with six survivors clinging to that plane.

And there was that rescue helicopter circling overhead and 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 had 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 "Those Two Life-Saving Words."

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. It says this, "The life I live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

There are two very 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." 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 broken His laws. We've hijacked the life that 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. Look what happened. He was assuming all the guilt, 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 whom ever is carrying my sin or yours. Jesus died so you don't have to carry that penalty any longer unless you reject Him and His offer of eternal life.

The sacrifice of that man in the Potomac is 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 said, "For the first time I saw that cross. Oh, I've seen the cross many times in my life, but I looked at Jesus dying on the cross and for the first time I said these words, 'For me. 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, "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? Do it today. Why would you wait another day to get this settled? "I'm dropping my junk at this cross, Lord. I'm putting all my faith in You and in Your payment for my sin."

If you're ready to finally welcome into your life this One who paid such a high price for you, His life, His blood to forgive you and erase your sin from God's Book, well then tell Him you want to belong to Him. Listen, let me invite you to join me at our website. I'd love to help you get started with Jesus. Just go to ANewStory.com.

No one has ever loved you like Jesus. No one has ever given so much or paid so much for you than God's one and only Son. There's no reason for you to die. Someone died so you don't have to – Jesus.