God's Word, God's Help Revisited

God's Word, God's Help Revisited 

by David Brenneman 

God sent help, did you get it?

I heard a very good story this morning on the radio on my way to work.  It was of a Christian artist who had a friend who, shall we say, made some questionable choices in life. This friend saw him reading his Bible and wanted to know just why he was doing it, what was so interesting about it?  So he begins to tell a story from his childhood of a woman.

This woman was in a storm, rain was coming down hard. She hasn't left yet.  A truck sees her and stops to ask if she needs help getting out, the water was rising. She said no, God's going to save her.

The water is rising and she's not left yet, enough so that a boat sees her and stops to see if she would like a lift.  She said no, God was going to save her.

The water was getting way too high and she sees a helicopter and it stopped to help her. She said no, God was going to save her.

The water became too much and she drowned. 

Facing God she asks Him why didn't He do something! 

Why didn't He save her!

He said "I sent you a truck, a boat and a helicopter, what more did you need?"

This man's friend eventually ended up in jail. With not much to do, he remembered that story. So he found a Bible and began reading it.

A very large black man saw what he was reading and smacked the Bible out of his hands. Asked him why? What was so interesting in it?  He remembered his friend's story and began telling this man about the woman in the storm...

There's another good story that I used in a sermon many years ago. (Yes I preached up in Elyria a couple times).

There was a man who's boat was caught up in a storm. The boat was battered and was taking on water. He decides to jump ship and swim to the little island nearby that he had seen.

He gets to it and makes a small shelter and eventually the storm left. He was getting hungry and he couldn't find anything to eat on the small island. 

He decided to do something he hadn't done much of before, and that was to pray to God for help.

The next day a barrel can be seen floating on the water and he goes out and brings it into shore.

The end that he can see facing him says "Open other end".

He figures one end is as good as the other and breaks through only to find manure.  Ripe stuff. He gets mad and shakes his fist at God. "Is this some sort of joke!?!"  He gets mad and goes to the other side of the island.

He doesn't go back to the barrel and eventually does die from starvation.

A month later, a ship stops by the island.  It had seen the barrel on the shore and decided to check to see if anyone needed rescuing. They had found the man.  It was too late for him.  The Captain found the bottom of the barrel and the words "Open other end".  He turns the barrel over and opens it.

Inside he finds a letter.

"Dear Son.

Within this barrel you will find seeds, and tools to plant to make food until the ship I am sending arrives to rescue you.

These are very good special seeds and I provided really rich soil to plant them in.  Don't worry, I will make them grow so that you will have enough.

Love, God."

Many times we don't see what God has put right in front of us.

Salvation in Christ is not complicated.

God is not complicated. Really. Look at what Jesus said about it. You must come as a child. A child.

Adults cry out for complicated answers to simple questions.

A child accepts and believes. 

Has God been sending you help but you aren't seeing it?

Has God shown you all about Himself and you're just not accepting it as real?  

Nothing in this life that we have or ever will do will EVER surprise God.  So don't think you are so dirty that He would never accept you.  On the Cross ALL the dirtiest deeds of mankind were HEAPED upon Him. 

Remember Jesus was a fisherman before a fisher of men.

But the rules are the same, we catch em and He cleans em.

Jesus is the only way, the only truth and the only life.

Nobody gets to the Father but through Him.

Nobody will ever see Heaven except through Him.

Don't ignore the signs that are right in front of you.

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The above section was a post from many years ago.  The truths apply to today's world more than ever. 

We live in a world of entitlement.  People being told they deserve this or that.  That their inherent goodness is why they deserve this or that from others as well as from God.

What did Jesus say? There is no one good, no not one. 

There's many going into so many churches who will remain behind at the Rapture of the Church.  Probably on the order of millions of people.  People who were only there to get from God, not there to serve our risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  These, in this moment will maybe only then, realize the error of their ways.   Only then see that they never knew Jesus. 

We are to examine ourselves to be sure of our salvation.  Are we loving the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and spirit?  Are we loving our neighbors as ourselves?

Do we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness?

Are we setting our minds on the things that are above and not on the things that are of this world?

Are we at all longing for the shout from Heaven calling us out from this sin cursed world?

Jesus is returning as promised. 

Jesus provides a way for everyone to come to Christ for salvation if they but acknowledge Him. 

Jesus is waiting by the doors of many hearts the world over. 

Don't look at others for your reason to get into Heaven.  Only Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life.  No one comes to the Father but through Him.  Not some earthly priest.  Not your parents or grandparents.  Not your best friend. 

You must choose, you must decide.

Alistair Begg essentially said once in a sermon that to answer with anything other than because of Christ as to why you should be allowed into Heaven will condemn a person to Hell.  

The thief on the cross did nothing but believe in Jesus as the Christ,  the Savior of the world, and that was enough to be with Jesus forever.  He was the first Christian. 

You cannot ever do enough good to erase the judgment against you that's already there.  Everyone who breathes apart from receiving the free gift of salvation in Christ Jesus alone is a walking dead person.  Dead while they live.  The sentence is merely waiting to be carried out at their moment of leaving this world. 

You can't live a life, apart from the one you get from asking for the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ and receiving it, that will ever be accepted by God.  

The return of Jesus Christ is one day closer.  The things happening in the world are centered around Israel once more.  There's nothing left prophetically that needs to happen before Jesus shouts from Heaven for all His sheep to come home. 

Jesus said His sheep hear His voice.  If you do not, now is the time to find out why.  Not after He comes back.  There is yet coming a series of judgments that will make all the wars ever fought to look like minor school yard brawls.  Billions of people will die in a single day. 

Be sure of your salvation. 

"These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life." 1 John 5:13.

All New American Standard Bible Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. A corporation not for profit.