In Trouble?
If you are driving down a steep, curvy mountain road and your brakes all of a sudden give out, you are in trouble.
If you learn that a huge tsunami is headed for the small island that you are on, you are in trouble.
If you are on a hike all alone and you meet a hungry lion, you are in trouble.
We recognize quite easily when we are in trouble in this physical world and need a rescue – we don’t recognize it as easily in the spiritual realm. But God cares for us and has told us in the Bible about our spiritual situation, and He is quite upfront with us in saying that, left to ourselves, we are in trouble.
Warning Signs
That trouble began when our first parents, Adam and Eve, questioned God’s goodness and decided to look to themselves rather than Him. God had warned them that if they dishonored Him as God they would be in trouble, but they did so anyway. The result was death – spiritual separation from God whose essence is life. Ever since that disobedient act, God has left “signposts” in our physical world: the suffering, sickness, pain, calamities, and death that we see and experience. Those “signposts” are here to wake us up to reality, to help us all recognize that apart from God we are indeed in trouble – serious spiritual trouble.
Trouble Indeed!
Our spiritual bankruptcy especially shows up in that our hearts are so self-focused that we think it’s not a big deal if we’re unconcerned about God and alienated from Him. Like Adam and Eve, we tell ourselves that we will be just fine on our own, without God’s “interference” in our lives. Yet, God’s Word says that without Him, we have no hope – “zero” – meaning our troubles will only get worse.
Our Rescue
But, here’s the amazing thing: God knows all about our self-focused, spiritual bankruptcy and He still loves us. And He has already provided our rescue. This is what the Bible means by salvation – God saving us when we could not save ourselves. God loves humanity. Even on the heels of Adam and Eve’s disobedience, God promised a Savior who would rescue mankind. His plan of salvation for you and me and all people is found in the person of Jesus Christ. He is God’s Son who came from heaven to earth to live a completely obedient life and give up that perfect life as redemption of Adam and Eve’s disobedience. He has redeemed you, and He is your salvation.
The Power of Our Rescuer
The fact that Jesus was redeeming or rescuing mankind and ushering in a new creation for people to live in was evidenced by all the miracles He performed when He walked this earth. He demonstrated control over nature and healed every diseased person brought to Him. He even showed His power over death by raising people from the dead and then by rising from the dead Himself. Only Jesus could bring about mankind’s salvation, and He has!
The Bible says, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
“The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
When Jesus gave up His life for you, me, and all people, He cried out, “It is finished.” Our death sentence had been paid.
“In Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting people’s sins against them” (2 Corinthians 5: 19).
The Power of God’s Promise
Without Jesus Christ, we are all in trouble – eternal trouble. But the good news of what Jesus has done for us is a power beyond anything in this world. “It is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). It assures us that God loves us and has saved us. For all who believe in Jesus, even death becomes just a doorway into the fullness of His new creation. Even now this good news is creating or affirming faith in your heart unless you reject it. The Bible asks this rhetorical question, “How shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation?” (Hebrews 2:3). The obvious answer is we don’t escape; we only remain in big trouble.
Staying Out of Trouble
There are many voices in our world that would encourage each of us to ignore God’s salvation. That’s why it is so important to connect to a church that stresses that the Lord Jesus Christ has completed our salvation, that He is the One who brings us peace with God and joy that can never be taken away. He is the One who helps us even through the troubles of this life because He has conquered them all and has a trouble-free eternity prepared for us.
If you are in the Montrose, Colorado area we warmly invite you to connect with us or plan a visit to Christ Lutheran Church. We emphasize Jesus’ completed salvation for each of us every time we gather.
O Lord, I trust in Your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in Your salvation. Psalm 13:5
