Many of you boys and girls who go to school have played different kinds of ball games, and some of these games have boundary lines. Games like basketball and soccer have boundary lines, and if the ball goes “out of bounds,” there is a penalty—the other team gets to have the ball.
But there are other kinds of boundaries too, and they are serious. It may be a sign that says “OUT OF BOUNDS” in big, bold letters or it may say “NO TRESPASSING.” Both mean you should not go past that point. And if these signs are ignored, there are far more serious penalties to be paid.
Have you ever come to one of those signs? What did you do? Did you obey the warning? Or did it make you want to continue anyway so you could discover why the sign had been placed there?
If you disobeyed the sign, God calls it sin, and there is a penalty to be paid for sin. The Bible reminds us that “whatsoever a man [sows], that shall he also reap [receive]” (Galatians 6:77Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. (Galatians 6:7)). Disobeying one of these signs can have a very sad and serious penalty.
Mr. and Mrs. Blackburn were skiing on a mountainside in British Columbia, Canada, in an area that had been clearly marked, “Out of Bounds.” They took their chances and went anyway. When they tried to find their way back, they discovered they were lost in the cold with no food. They ate snow, which provided them with the needed water to stay alive.
The couple stamped the rescue letters SOS in the snow, hoping that a search plane would spot their signal and send help. Since they hadn’t reported to anybody where they were skiing, they weren’t reported as missing for nine days. Finally a rescue helicopter did see their SOS message in the snow and then spotted a man waving his arms frantically. When they landed to rescue the couple, they found it was too late for Mrs. Blackburn who had died several days earlier.
Mr. Blackburn spent several days in a hospital and then was able to return home. How sad that he went home to his family without their mother accompanying him. What an awful penalty the Blackburns paid for ignoring the “out of bounds” sign.
The Bible tells us that we are all sinners and are facing a penalty for our sins. Romans 3:22-2322Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:22‑23) says, “There is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 6:2323For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23) says, “The wages [penalty] of sin is death.” However, the last part of the verse offers wonderful news for you and me. It says, “But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
The Lord Jesus Christ died on Calvary’s cross, bearing the penalty for your sins IF you will believe that He died for them. He loves you so much that He is offering forgiveness to you if you will come to Him in prayer, admitting you are a sinner and accepting Him as your very own Saviour.
You don’t have to suffer the penalty for your sins if you will accept God’s wonderful gift of eternal life through the death of His Son Jesus. Why suffer the penalty of eternal death when God offers you forgiveness?
ML-02/27/2011