The Greatness of ChristSample

The Greatest Rescue Ever

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.

Hardly anything in life is as exciting and thrilling for the soul as a dramatic rescue. Think of a child who has been kidnapped, a couple who is lost in the mountains, a crew lost at sea, a man taken hostage by a guerilla army, or POWs in a World War II concentration camp. The rescue is thrilling beyond words.

But of all rescues, there is no rescue quite like this one. God rescued us from the kingdom of darkness, from an eternity away from Him, and brought us into the kingdom of His Son, the kingdom of light and love.

The Bible tells us that all people were in the domain of darkness. We were spiritually dead, slaves to sin, blinded by Satan, rebels against God, immersed in a prison of self-centeredness, headed for a Christ-less eternity, and we could do nothing about it. We were helpless and hopeless, locked in the kingdom of darkness.

But then, in the most beautiful of rescues, Christ intervenes decisively and rescues us out of death and darkness. He transfers us to a place of life and light, a land of love and grace, a haven of peace, rest, and every good thing. It is the rescue of all rescues.

Mother Teresa’s incredible ministry of love and compassion was located in a temple of a Hindu goddess in Calcutta. This goddess, Kali, was the goddess of vengeance and destruction, and she was depicted with an evil, horrible face. David Bryant tells the story of visiting that temple and being surrounded by dirt, blood, and noise. People were slitting the throats of animals to sacrifice and throwing coins at the image of Kali. It was a place filled with gloom and darkness. But then he walked around the corner into a wing of the temple that Mother Teresa had rented. When you entered that space, everything was spotless, clean, white, and peaceful. There was a bright atmosphere of love, tenderness, and joy as the nuns cared for the poor and the dying. The difference between the two places could hardly have been more dramatic. It was a picture of what God did for you when He rescued you from the kingdom of eternal darkness and transferred you to the kingdom of His own much-loved Son.