The Coast Guard Station located where the Quileute River empties into the Pacific Ocean is responsible for the safety of boaters in some of the most treacherous waters in the Pacific Northwest. On a certain winter night a husband and wife were sailing a 31-foot sailboat, named the Gale Runner, when they were caught in a violent storm. To escape the terrible pounding of the storm, they made for the harbor at La Push on the Washington Coast. Before they could manage to get to the shelter of the harbor, a strong gust of wind broke the mast of the sailboat, and then a huge wave crashed over the length of the boat, blowing out the hatches of the ship and filling the engine compartment with water. Life sputtered out of the engine and the boat was without power. Driven by the fierce winds, it would soon dash itself to pieces on the nearby rocks.
Four men from the Coast Guard Station set off within minutes of receiving the distress signal from the sailboat. They were equipped with a modern, 40-foot motorized lifeboat. This boat was designed for rough waters and would automatically right itself if flipped over by a wave.
No sooner did the boat cross the bar of the river and enter the sea before a powerful wave flipped it over. The boat righted itself and kept going in the direction of the Gale Runner. The second time it flipped over, the entire superstructure was wrenched off. In the grueling sea, the boat flipped over in the water a total of four times. All but one of the sailors was swept overboard to death in the effort. The fourth was so badly wounded that he had to be rescued himself.
The husband and wife were lifted off their boat by a helicopter crew just minutes before it was battered to pieces on the rocks. It was a daring rescue. In the attempt to rescue the boaters, three brave men made the ultimate sacrifice and gave their lives in the line of duty. These men did not hesitate to go out into the night and the dangerous sea, and helicopter pilots risked their lives in the rescue effort.
Do you know the One who made the ultimate sacrifice that your soul might be saved? He is the Lord Jesus Christ. He left the glories of heaven and came to this earth where sin has set everything in turmoil. At the age of thirty, He began His public ministry. He preached the gospel to the poor and did miracles of healing. After three and a half years of tireless service, He was taken by cruel hands and nailed to the cross, where His life was cruelly taken away from the earth.
Many men have been called on to make the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their country or fellow-man. The sacrifice made by the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross is far and away greater than any other.
God is the giver of all good, and when He gave His Son to die, He could give no greater gift to sinful humanity. “Jesus bruised and put to shame tells the glory of God’s name,” a songwriter wrote. When Christ died, He made a way that the infinite riches of His mercy might flow out to undeserving sinners. All who now realize their impoverished condition and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ receive the gift of eternal life. “Whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:1515That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:15)). Do you have the gift of eternal life? You may not have it through any merit of your own, for we are all undeserving sinners. “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” But God is pleased to give it to every person who recognizes his lost condition and need of the Savior. Unless you believe in the Lord Jesus, God’s wonderful gift of eternal life will never be yours.
Only because of His sacrifice on the cross will all those who believe on Him enter into the glorious rest of heaven. Heaven is a place where all is light, love, peace and joy. No sorrow or distress will ever cast a shadow over the hearts and minds of souls in heaven. The desire to sin will forever be done away. Never again will they know a sinful thought or an unholy wish. Will you be there? Die you must, for we are born with a necessity to die, but only those who believe in Christ and the work He did on the cross can look forward to heaven. Come to your senses, and believe in the Lord Jesus so that when this short life is over you might have a home in heaven.
There is no other way to escape the ultimate ruin of the “second death” but through Christ. The second death will occur when all the wicked dead from the beginning of history are raised from the grave and gathered together to stand before God as their judge (the “great white throne”). There they will be judged by their works and receive the just sentence for their deeds. “I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God...and the dead were judged [by]...their works.” Those who lived without the Lord Jesus and wanted nothing to do with His salvation will be cast into the “lake of fire.” There they will suffer for all eternity. The act of being judged and sentenced to the lake of fire is what Scripture terms the “second death.” Only the ultimate sacrifice of the Savior on the cross can save a soul from the “second death.” You who are alive without faith, look squarely into the future. You will at some time, if you continue in a state of unbelief, stand before God to be judged by your works. Are you ready for that horrible moment when you must face a holy God in judgment? Of course not! Fall on your knees before the Lord Jesus Christ and thank Him for making the ultimate sacrifice for you, and trust Him as your Savior. The only way to be saved is by faith in Christ.
Many men have given their lives and made the ultimate sacrifice. They deserve to be acknowledged and honored. But there is only one Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave His life for the world. He deserves the deepest praise from every heart. He alone is ultimately worthy. Will you give Him the honor due Him and trust Him for salvation?