Hiding in Terror
Here I was again, cold, alone, and in the dark; trying to get away from the sound by plugging my ears from the banging of metal hitting human flesh. Even though I could not see anything from where I sat huddled underneath the kitchen table, I tightly closed my eyes with the echo of every pounding blow.
“Why would they be doing this?” I thought.
“Why would these people be so evil as to do something so terrible and gruesome to an innocent man? Oh please stop, please stop!”
In utter desperation to run far away from this terror I scurried out from underneath the dining table. But before I could leave the room something made me pause in my little tracks. Maybe it was simply my five-year-old curiosity that made me look, but quite possibly it was something more significant, for there He was nailed to a cross made out of old, splintered wood. He had been whipped, torn, beaten and even spit at!
I saw that He was wearing a crown, but even the crown was made out of thorns that had pierced His forehead and now blood freely ran down His face. As my eyes welled up with tears and stark fear, I hopped into the comfort of my mother’s lap. And, this time I did not once again jump under the table, but instead fixed my young eyes on the whole scene that was being depicted for us on our little television set.
In the Midst of Despair
As I continued to watch with a sense of despair, I could not help but ask my mother why they were doing something so awful. She explained to me that Jesus went through all this torture, shame, and ultimately death to save me and rest of the world from sin. As young as I was, I still knew I had done many bad things, in fact the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I “probably” sinned everyday.
The Bible says in Romans 3:23 that “we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” And in Isaiah 53:6 it says, “all of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us turned to his own way.” In hearing this verse, it is clear we simply cannot measure up to God’s holiness, or in other words, perfect-ness. We all miss the mark. So I knew that I was a sinner but what was I supposed to do? If I tried to be really good, and not sin very much would that let me into Heaven?
As the movie on the crucifixion of Jesus came to a close, a man began to explain from the Bible that no matter if we have sinned just a couple of times, or if we did many evil and wicked things; we were all sinners in God’s eyes. In Romans 6:23a it says, “For the wages of sin is death…” So according to God’s Word the only thing you and I deserve is death… we’ve been separated from God by our sin – our rebellion in unbelief. Life beyond this life is doomed for a destiny of eternal, horrible separateness from God and His love. Hell.
Words of Safety, Words of Hope
But, then when all hope seemed lost for this little brown eyed five-year-old, I heard the words of grace and hope:
“But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom 5:8)
I found that salvation from the wrath and tears of hell is not obtained by doing good works, religious deeds, or any other thing except simply trusting in Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. The Bible says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Eph 2:8-9)
Salvation is a completely free gift directly from the hand of God.
But the good news does not end at the point of Christ’s death on the cross of Calvary. For Christ rose again after three days of being in the grave and now sits at the right hand of God (Eph 1:20).
That day in early April I found peace, power, and eternal life through trusting in Jesus Christ. He came into my life and has made me a brand new person who is no longer under the power of sin, but now empowered through the grace of God. And even more than being freed from the impending judgment of hell, Jesus the Rescuer brought me into a real, always-and-forever relationship with God the Father. I heard a pastor once say, “the great end of the Gospel is that we get God…” And it’s true. We are now His children and He is our Father. Forever.
The apostle Peter wrote, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God…” (1 Peter 3:18a)
Hope for You
If you have not already trusted in Christ as your personal Savior, you can do so right now! For it says in God’s Word, “that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:15-16)
Jesus Christ is the perfect and holy Son of God, and He alone could and has paid the penalty for your sin and for mine. Do you see the reality of your sin? Do you realize your need for God’s rescue plan: Jesus Christ? All you must do is believe in Christ as your personal Savior and you will receive the free gift of eternal life, and be forever free from the penalty of sin! You and I can know for certain that this is true because it is exactly what the Word of God teaches. In John 5:24, Christ reassures us by saying, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does come to judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” Will you now believe?
If you have now made a decision to trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation, would you like to simply tell Him so? Here is a prayer suggestion:
“Dear God, I have seen in Your Word that I am a sinner who is completely unable to measure up to Your holiness. I have also read that unless I am made perfect in Your sight I will not be allowed to live in Your perfect, holy Heaven with You. So, I have decided this day to trust in Jesus Christ as my personal Savior from the wrath and eternal sadness of hell. Thank you Jesus for dying for my sins and rising from the dead, so that I can spend eternity with you. I thank you, Jesus, for saving me, and I now welcome you as Lord of my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
If you just took the life-changing step to receive Jesus Christ as your Savior, I’d love to hear about!
In God’s Vineyard,
Michael
