Thursday, November 13, 2003
The day is about to end. I invite my wife to go for a romantic walk with me as we look toward the West at the beautiful colors of the - well, you'll probably say sunset, right? And so would I. But we would be scientifically incorrect. Since when does the sun set? The sun doesn't go anywhere; it's the earth that's moving! So, "Honey, let's go for a romantic walk and watch the beautiful ... earth set?" No, I don't think so! Well, actually, the American Scientific Association discovered in a survey that 21% of the Americans they asked thought the sun orbited around the earth, and 7% didn't know! That's almost one out of three Americans who's confused about what is revolving around what!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Death Orbit."
What's far more significant - and far more deadly - is God's survey about what orbit you and I are in. In the words of the Bible, we were "created by Him and for Him" (Colossians 1:16). Like the earth is created to revolve around the sun, so you and I are created to revolve our life around our Creator.
But here are the disturbing results of God's survey of the human race. It's in our word for today from the Word of God in Isaiah 53:6. "We all, like sheep, have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way." God says that 100% of us have left the orbit we were made for, and we've gone to an orbit called "My Way." Just in case some of us religious folks would like to think we're not included, God says in Romans 3 that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God ... there is no one righteous" - by God's standard, that is - "not even one."
It's like the earth leaving its orbit around the sun and saying, "I think I'll go off on this orbit of my own. I'm free now." Actually, no. The earth away from the sun will die. You or me away from God - we'll die. And that's why life just isn't working. That's why the loneliness, the emptiness, the confusion about living, the fear about dying. We are out of the orbit we were created for.
We are all in trouble with God. Big trouble. The Bible says in Isaiah 59:2, "Your iniquities" - or your sins - "have separated you from your God." Picture it - a huge wall between you and God. No wonder you're empty. The only One who can fill the hole in your heart is on the other side of the wall. No wonder you're lonely. The One whose love you were made for is on the other side of that wall. No wonder you're nervous about eternity. The God you'll meet the moment you die is on the other side of the wall.
And maybe you're tired of that wall between you and God. It can finally come down - before this day is over. You can't take it down. No religion can take it down. Only Jesus can do that. Why? Well, in that verse that says we've all turned away from God, He says, speaking of Jesus, "the Lord has laid on Him the wrong doing of us all." The same sins that keep you from God, Jesus had transferred to Him when He died on the cross for you. Yes, He loves you that much. He really doesn't want to lose you.
The wall between you and God comes down the moment you put your trust in Jesus to forgive you of a lifetime of sin. Don't let procrastination or religious pride cost you this relationship or cost you heaven.
If you want to begin your personal love relationship with Jesus, then I want to send you the booklet I wrote about it called "Yours For Life." Just let me know you want it. You've spent enough years away from the One who loves you the most in that lonely death orbit of running your own life. It's time to come home.