BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE! 6/1/14

ONCE IN a while you meet a preacher evangelist, who knows there is only black and white. Gray really doesn’t exist because God gave us a choice. You think you are in the middle, but there is only one choice to be made. Willie White was such an evangelist. He prepared a book of sermon outlines in the early 60's. I have a copy and I thoroughly enjoy how Willie thought! Willie called one of these outlines "A Question which God cannot answer!" Caught my eye, does it catch yours?

I BELIEVE that God can do whatever God wants to do! However, I also believe that God gave us choices because He understood choice! God makes choices all the time, even from the very beginning. Some believe that God makes it impossible for Himself to do some things. I am not disagreeing with Willie, but I look at this in a different way. "God, in His own will and knowledge, had already decided that Jesus would be handed over to you; and you killed Him, by letting sinful men nail Him to the cross!" Acts 2:3 God chose to make this decision before He created man! Our great God began with a plan!

"FOR YOU know what was paid to set you free from the worthless manner of life you received from your ancestors. It was not something that loses it value, such as silver or gold’ you were set free by the costly sacrifice of Christ, who was like a lamb without defect or spot." 1 Peter 1:18-19 God made the choice and it cost Him His Son so that we would have a chance to be saved! God’s plan came with a great price and Jesus paid it for us!

WILLIE tells a story that happened many years ago. Workmen were constructing a rocky parapet along one of the trails leading to the top of Niagara Falls. Proper safeguards had not been installed, and one of the tourists, leaning far out to gaze over the cliff, lost his balance and plunged into the raging pool at the base of one of the falls. The tourists watched with horror, as they saw their companion’s body buffeted to and fro. Then as they watched, he seized a jutting pinnacle of rock and held on for dear life. The watchers began to ask, "Can we save him? Can we get a board or a boat to him?" But a boat could never live in that raging sea. They realized that if they could save him it would have to be from above. They attempted to lower a rope, but it was tossed by the breeze, and the victim dared not loose his grip on the rock in an effort to seize the swaying rope.

THE WOULD BE rescuers cried, "If we ever save him, someone is going to have to go." So they hastily constructed a rude rope ladder; then turning to the crowd, asked; "Who will go?" It was a young sailor who stepped out of the crowd saying, "I will go." And here he came, hand over hand, down the rope ladder and reached out his hand to the one clinging for his life, to the rock. What do you suppose the one in that perilous situation did? Do you suppose he said; "Well, this is very nice of you, but I am still alive; I think I can hold on a few minutes longer!" You know he didn’t do that! He gladly seized the hand and permitted himself to be brought to safety. When they reached the land, the rescued one, threw his arms about his rescuer’s shoulders, crying; "Oh Thank God, you came to save me!"

THERE IS a more beautiful story than that: "There was a time that God looked down and saw man buffeted by a raging sea, trying to hold on alone. And God said; "Can I save Him? Not from below, if I ever save him, it must be done from above." So the ladder was constructed, and the Father turned to the hosts of heaven, saying; "Who will go!" It was the Son who stepped out and said, "I will go, Father!" And here He came into the darkness stretching out His arms to all the world saying; "Come unto me!" Some say God cannot save a man against His will, but I say God won’t save a man against his will. He chose to let us choose! Don’t neglect His invitation, answer the call!
By Jane Ann Crenshaw 5/30/14 (Ref 52 Sermon Outlines/W.White)