“I Have Good News For You”
Greetings in the name of our Triune God,
On a dark night on a road from Jackson to Vicksburg, MS, heavy rains washed a bridge away. When a truck driver saw the tail lights of the car ahead of him disappear, he knew something was wrong. Suddenly his own truck sailed silently through the black void where a bridge once stood, and he crashed into the river below. He made it out of the cab, swam to shore, and sat there in darkness. Car after car zoomed into the gap and crashed into the swirling water below. Sixteen people died that night. Each of them had faith in a bridge that was no longer there.
Spiritually, there are millions of people today who have faith in a bridge that isn’t there. So many people believe that by their good works, their character, their church membership, their morality, they will somehow cross the river of death to heaven. But the bridge is out! From Genesis to Revelation the message is the same. It is that God’s Son, Jesus, has come, and He is the sure and only Bridge to heaven.
The bottom line of Christianity is that Jesus Christ satisfies in life and in death! People cannot give the satisfaction that man desires. Human nature says that a lot of friends, a lot of companionship, a lot of fellowship satisfies. But every friend will let you down. Every fellowship finally breaks up. Then you are alone with your thoughts, your feelings, and your desires. The famous words of St. Augustine are still true today: “God, Thou hast made us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee.”
My friends, you have at least three needs. One, you need to know who you are! Two, you need to know that you are loved. Three, you need heaven. How do you meet these needs? You meet these needs by coming to church on a regular basis to hear God’s Word proclaimed through Word and Sacrament! You devote yourself to spending time in God’s Word through personal devotion and through group Bible study. You meet these needs by being active in other areas of the church as well such as missions, teaching Sunday school, and so forth.
It is my daily prayer, that each of the members of our congregation would continue to be strengthened in their Christian faith and that each member of our congregation would be in church each and every Sunday! If you allow yourself to let the desires of your flesh satisfy you, then you will always end up disappointed. But if you come and hear the Good News of Christ proclaimed and you continually fix your eyes upon the cross and upon Jesus, then you will always be satisfied, uplifted, and encouraged. Come and be a part of the many great things that are happening at St. Pauls.
In His Service,
Pastor Corey Brooks