WELS Christ’s Love, Our Calling. Hymn of the Week Salvation unto us has come By God’s free grace and favour. Good works cannot avert our doom; They help and save us never. Faith looks to Jesus Christ alone, Who did for all the world atone; He is the one Redeemer. (Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal – Hymn 390, verses 1, 3, 5) Salvation unto Us Has Come In the middle of terrible storm, a local pastor saw an opportunity and leaped at the chance to help people with a desperate need. Quickly he made a sign that read: “Beware! The End is near!” He chose his location carefully, standing at a bend in the road alongside the highway. As the first car approached he frantically waved his sign, praying that the driver would see the sign through the driving wind and pelting rain. A passenger in the car noticed him and his sign. Sadly, instead of heeding the warning, the passenger yelled out the window, “Go do something useful, you religious freak!” Moments later there was the screeching of tires and then a tremendous crash. The pastor looked down at his sign and thought to himself, “Maybe I should change the sign to ‘Beware! Bridge Out!’” Though intended to be humorous, that story illustrates the intentional self-delusion with which many people go through life. Warning signs abound naturally, scripturally, and personally. And yet the warnings are ignored by those who think that they know better: “I’m a good person; I’ll be fine.” “I’m going to try harder next time.” “At least I’m better than that guy!” The Bible says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (Proverbs 16:25). It is a false, misleading dream That God his law has given That sinners can themselves redeem And by their works gain heaven. The law is but a mirror bright To bring the inbred sin to light That lurks within our nature. Even we who have received the true message of salvation, who by grace have heeded the warning sign, sometimes hit the gas towards doom and death when we congratulate ourselves on having been better this week than last week. Dear Christian, we must recognize that anything short of perfection cannot avert the eternal disaster that awaits us. We have sinned… …but Jesus is perfect. And now he “…speaks to the Father in our defence—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1,2). Because of Jesus, there is no doom, no death around the bend for us who trust in him. Because of Jesus there is a bridge from depravity to eternity; we are at one with our heavenly Father. Prayer: Since Christ has full atonement made And brought to us salvation, Each Christian therefore may be glad And build on this foundation. Your grace alone, dear Lord, I plead; Your death is now my life indeed, For you have paid my ransom.
Posted on: Thu, 16 Oct 2014 11:45:06 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015