DELIVERANCE HE AFFORDS TO ALL . PART 6

Humanity is in dire need of deliverance, because it cannot deliver itself, nor does it have the strength to do so. God looked at humanity in the time of Noah. He compared Noah's character to the decadence of the people. "Man's wickedness on the earth had become great, and every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time." (Genesis 5:5) God was sorry in His heart that He had created humanity ".and His heart was filled with pain." He said "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth - men and animals - and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air - for I am grieved that I have made them." (Genesis 6:7)

He however saved Noah who had found favour in His eyes. "Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God." (Genesis 6:9) He and his family and the wives of his three sons were the only ones to survive the flood. God delivered only those eight people out of a multitude of people. Would I/you have been counted amongst the eight who were delivered? All perished in the deluge because of their stubbornness, immorality and sin. Only the family of a righteous man was delivered by God's mighty hand.

From Genesis to Revelation the Bible recounts the deliverance of humanity from the Garden of Eden to the cross of Calvary. It is a perpetual process for which God has mobilised all the hosts of heaven for victory over evil. Deliverance is available to all but not to the wicked except they are ready to repent of their sins, make a u-turn and walk the path of righteousness in keeping with God's precepts. All who seek God will find Him; all who sincerely call upon His name will He rescue in times of danger. No harm will ever come to those who are obedient to His word.

The apostle Paul was shipwrecked on the island of Malta as he was being led to Rome to face trial for treason. It was a cold day and the inhabitants were gathering wood to feed the fire to keep themselves warm. Paul joined them in the exercise. However a viper emerged from the sticks that he had gathered and wrapped itself round his hand. The natives saw the snake hanging on Paul's hand and concluded: "This man must be a murderer, but fate will not let him live, even though he escaped from the sea." (Acts 28:4) All Paul did was to shake the snake off his hand and it fell into the fire and was consumed by it. All those who witnessed the scene were expecting he would 'swell up or suddenly fall down dead.' They waited for a long time and it did not happen, then they changed their minds to say Paul was a god.

Deliverance came to Paul because he was a man of God and the Lord was with him.

When King Ahab sought to kill the prophet Elijah, after the latter had declared drought for three years on the land, God intervened to deliver him. He asked him to go into hiding. "You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there." (1 Kings 17:4) There he stayed until it was safe for him to relocate after the brook dried up. For a long period, "The ravines brought him bread and meat in the morning and evening and he drank from the brook." (1 Kings 17:6)

Nothing is impossible with God if we are in right standing with Him. He will come to our rescue. His guardian angels will be on the stand-by day and night to ensure our safety and our well-being.

Deliverance God will make available to every one who puts his or her trust in Him. "In the world you shall have tribulations," said our Lord Jesus, "but take courage because I have conquered the world.

The story is told of a man who fell into a well and all who passed had some unkind word to say to him - none raised a hand to help. "Sorry that you've got yourself into this mess!" "I never knew you had suicidal tendencies." "What ever happened, you had too much to drink again?" "You ought to be more careful next time and watch your steps," another said. "I'll go and call the fire service probably they could help to get you out here." And so it went on all day, until Jesus passed by. He saw the man's predicament, his misery and near-fatal accident. He girded his robes and found his way into the well to save the man, and He did.

He did not preach a sermon to him nor did He not want to find out how he got there in the first instance. He did not find any fault in him nor did he probe into his private life. All the man needed at that point in time was help and someone to save his life. To do this, our Lord Jesus had to risk His life. That is the story of Christianity in a nutshell. Our Lord Jesus did not think it unnecessary to humble Himself to save just one man - that he may live.

Our adamic nature will not and cannot save us. Adam was not a perfect man. He sinned, and having fallen short of God's glory, he died of the consequences. God had to send a second Adam, the one from above, the perfect man, Jesus to save us from death sin. He had to do so at a price - one of risking his life that we may live. His mission on earth was to save. "For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive." (1st Corinthians 15:21-22) Make salvation through Christ a commodity you can afford, for He grants it to all. Yes, even you.