"The Heart of the Christian Faith"
Sep. 1, 2018
For "everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved."
~ Romans 10:13 (ESV)
How many glorious blessings attach to this promise of pure grace! As the diamond sparkles whenever a shaft of light strikes its polished facets, so, view the Gospel of Jesus Christ from whatever angle you will, you behold unparalleled blessings. The very first word of our text reminds us of the universal sweep, the all-enfolding grasp, of the Savior's mercy. This "whosever shall call upon the Name of the Lord" knows no social distinctions, no racial barriers, no overprivileged or underprivileged. "There is no difference," the apostle exults, and beneath the cross we can find no different between the Gold Coast and the ghetto, sky terraces and janitors' basements. If you exclude one single, despised, depraved soul of humanity's two billions from the Savior's grace, you are too narrow for Christ's Gospel; for this "whosoever," repeated as it is throughout the New Testament, is the seal and assurance of God's universal love.
Listen to Jesus as He promises: "Whosoever, therefore, shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven." Listen to His Word as it embraces the ends of the earth and pledges: "Whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins." Turn to the last page of your Bible, and as the setting sun of Revelation tinges these words with roseate hope, read this promise to thirsty souls: "Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." You may be a great sinner, but the pardoning love of Christ is greater. You may be alarmed by the frequency with which evil triumphs in your life; but it cannot happen too frequently for the eternal mercies, renewed to us every morning. You may be imprisoned behind penitentiary walls; but you cannot sink too low for Him who on the cross dropped into the depths of abysmal God-forsakenness and who, as He paid the price of your pardon, "was despised and rejected of men."
Heavenly strength rests in the knowledge that our Savior sees all men with their heartaches and burdens in sympathetic survey. He who once lived among men knows the problems of the laboring man; He met them in Joseph's carpenter shop. He understands the perplexities of the mother, busy in the crowded workaday duties of washing and cooking and mending and cleaning; for that humble dwelling in Galilee anticipated the various needs of our households. He knows how it feels to be poor; for He had "not where to lay His head." He can take the viewpoint of the persecuted and oppressed; for did not blasphemous hands try to hurl jagged rocks at His defenseless body? He can sympathize with those who are lost in their loneliness; for in the hour of His greatest need His disciples deserted Him and fled. He can plumb the depths of your deepest sorrow; for, nailed to the cross, He suffered as no one else has ever suffered and died a death of agonies that no other can ever die.
THE PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we are not beyond the reach of Your love. No matter our blame, You are greater and have offered us grace unlimited in victory of Your Son. For this we praise You. Amen.
From "The Heart of the Christian Faith," a sermon excerpt from Walter A. Maier, the first Speaker of The Lutheran Hour.
Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
How many glorious blessings attach to this promise of pure grace!
No comments:
Post a Comment