Back in April of 2019, I had the opportunity to hear a sermon from a dynamic preacher by the name of Doug Dameron. He made a statement that has since been branded on my heart forever. He said, “Salvation is a limited time offer.” The context of the quote was the pagan city of Nineveh was told that they had 40 days to repent of their wicked ways, or God would destroy the city (Jonah 3:4). It was at this point that Dameron made the observation that this was a limited time offer. They had 40 days. He then stated this:
“Salvation is still a limited time offer today. None of us are promised tomorrow. We don’t know when our last breath will
be. We don’t know when our last
heartbeat will be…The rapture might happen this week. We don’t know when our last day is. The opportunity could pass. It’s a limited time offer…I want to encourage
you: if you are here today and you’ve never said “yes” to Jesus as your Lord
and Savior. You’ve never given your life
to God through faith in Jesus; it’s a limited time offer. Take God up on the offer today. Today is the day of salvation.”
As I was putting this blog together, I was saddened to
hear the news of the passing of two stars.
The first was Sean Connery, the first on-screen James Bond. Like so many, I enjoyed his performance as
the world’s most famous spy. And of course,
he had various other roles too. The
second was game show icon Alex Trebek. I’ve
spent time watching him, not only as host of “Jeopardy” but lesser known entertaining games, like “Classic Concentration”. He will be missed.
The sad reality is no one will live forever. Incidentally, the topic of loss is a personal
one for me. My dad – a healthy, vibrant
man – suddenly passed away at the young age of 60. I know firsthand the heart-wrenching pain of
losing someone you love to death. I also
know that every day is a gift to be treasured.
Psalm 3:5 says, “I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained
me.”
Back to Jonah and Nineveh for a second: Jonah was
initially disobedient to God’s call to preach to a city that was guilty of
abominable, egregious sins. But he
finally did. The Bible says that the
citizens of Nineveh – from the king to the common man – believed God, and
repented of their evil ways. The Lord
saw this, and He refrained from the destruction of the city (Jonah 3:10). Interestingly, in the next chapter, Jonah
reveals that he wanted judgment for the Ninevites. In anger, he says the Lord is “a gracious and
merciful God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness” (4:2). Yes, He is.
And apparently Jonah needed to be reminded that if it hadn’t been for
God’s grace, that’s where he might be.
In conclusion, I’ve been thinking about the 2012 film “The Dark Knight Rises” lately. For one reason, the main villain, Bane, wore
a mask; it muffled his voice making him difficult to understand at times (does
that sound familiar with our plight in 2020 with covid?). But secondly, I was thinking of Selina Kyle’s
quest in the flick. She is in search of
a program called “the clean slate” which erases her misdeeds from databases,
and allows her the chance to start over.
At one point, after working with some shady people to get what she wants,
she is betrayed by them; they tell her that there is no clean slate at all.
I wonder if you can relate to Selina. You’ve made mistakes. And you’ve searched for the chance at
redemption, but your quest has repeatedly come up empty. You were told there is no chance to get
forgiveness – a clean slate. You’ve
subsequently found yourself drowning in a sea of despair. But Selina
was lied to in that scene in the movie.
Batman/Bruce Wayne had the clean slate all along. In an intriguing act of unmerited favor, he
gives it to her. By the film’s end, we
see that she had used the clean slate program.
Her sins were gone. But, out of
love and devotion to Bruce, she chose to remain with him. The truth is, no matter what you have done, God
has the same offer of a clean slate for you.
Kevin
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