Ron Hutchcraft Ministries - Escaping the Flood, Or Not - #6435

Friday, September 9, 2011

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I think I still remember one line of poetry from high school, "Water, water everywhere." Yeah, well, for lots of folks this past spring, that wasn't poetry. It was their town, their neighborhood, their house. The rivers overflowed and they backed up into every creek and stream they were connected to. It was a mess.

When my wife hears the word "flood," she actually feels something inside. Because the defining event for the town she grew up in was the flood that turned a quiet creek into a raging torrent—actually a deadly torrent. Those who lived it, like she did, will never forget it.

The saddest part of the story is the people who died, because well, they didn't have to. As those flash floods cascaded down from the mountains toward their town, rescuers came by a house in a boat to warn the people there and to take them to safety. But they chose to ignore the warning. They just said, "Aw, we've been OK here for years. We're not leaving now." Their bodies were found days later, and miles away.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Escaping the Flood, Or Not."

You know, God grieves over people like that. Actually, I do, too. People who've been warned that there's danger, even death coming. People who have a rescuer at their door and who think they can make it on their own. And they die, when they could have lived...forever.

Our word today from the Word of God is in Deuteronomy 30:19 . God pleads with us, "I have set before you life and death...choose life." Now, that "life" is a person—His Son. Here's the Bible again, "God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son" (1 John 5:11 ). The judgment of God for us hijacking our life from Him is racing our way. The Bible says, "God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing" (Ecclesiastes 12:14 ). But there's a rescuer at the door. It's Jesus.

He says, "I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in" (Revelation 3:20 ). He can take us to safety because He did all the dying for all of our sinning when He hung on that cross.

Now, maybe you have never realized that what Jesus did was for you. Maybe you've never made your way in your heart to that cross and said those two eternity-changing words, "For me. Lord Jesus, what you're doing there was for me." Maybe you've been around this a lot and you've heard His knocking more times than you can count. You've just never opened the door. You've continued to put it off.

See, either way, whether you've never known this before or you've heard it all your life, it's important. It's eternally important that you answer the door and let Jesus save you. The Bible cries out, "Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart" (Hebrews 4:7 ).

It could be that there's a tug in your heart today. You are hearing the voice of Jesus. You are hearing the knock of the Rescuer at your door saying, "Judgment is coming. The flood is coming, but you don't have to be taken by it. I took your punishment for you." He took all the flood of all of God's judgment on Himself at the cross. And I'd say to you as you hear this that the more times you have heard His voice and done nothing, the harder your heart becomes. And that is the edge of an abyss that no one should risk.

If you're hearing His voice today, listen to what God said. Obey His command, "Do not harden your heart." Open your heart to hear Jesus today, to the Savior who died for you. What a tragedy if you'd go on and pay for all eternity for what He already paid for on the cross.

Right now you say to Him, "Jesus, I'm Yours." I want to encourage you to go to our website. I've done all I can there to explain in non-religious words, with God's Word out of the Bible, how you can begin your relationship with Jesus and know you have. Just go to YoursForLife.net.

If you've never gotten into the boat with Jesus, God's Rescuer, I beg you to do that today. The flood is coming, and you won't make it without Him.