They Refused To Be Rescued
by Steve Ormord | January 5, 2012
On August 30, 2005 Coast Guard Lieutenant Iain McConnell was ordered to fly his H46 helicopter to New Orleans and to keep that machine flying around the clock for what would turn out to be a heroic rescue effort. None of his crew were prepared for what they were about to see. They were ahead of every news crew in the nation. The entire city of New Orleans was under water. On their first three missions that day they saved 89 people, three dogs and two cats.
On the fourth mission, despite twelve different flights to New Orleans, he and his crew were able to save no one. None! They all refused to board the helicopter. Instead they told the Coast Guard to bring them food and water. Yet they were warned that this extremely dangerous. The waters were not going to go away soon. Sadly, many of those people perished because of their refusal to be rescued.
In the Gospel we come face to face with the Son of God and with the greatest rescue effort of all time. The Apostle Paul tells us in Galatians 1:3-5, “Grace and peace to you, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, to rescue us from the present evil age according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
Unfortunately, many, like those in New Orleans will perish because they either reject the gospel or turn to a different gospel which tells them they have what it takes to ride out the storm of sin and its devastation. Only Jesus, who gave Himself for us, can rescue us from this present evil age. That’s the real good news and that’s the real gospel.