Coming to the Rescue (July 2, 2006) Psalm 107:1-8
Coming to the Rescue
Psalm 107:1-8
You've been following the World Cup. I've been watching and following a Bavarian bear. Have you heard about this strange story? A bear sent from Italy who has made his way into southern Germany. His name is JJ1 or as the natives call him, “Bruno”.
The last time a bear has been seen in the wild in Germany, King Ludwig was ruling Bavaria from Neuschwanstein.
Bruno has been wandering in the woods, looking for a place of security. He doesn't know how to act, he's just out to survive. As a result, he has eaten to date: 25 sheep, 4 goats, rabbits, chickens, and at least one guinea pig. Last Friday, he raided a girl's rabbit hutch in Kochel am See, and ate her rabbit and guinea pig. He picked up the food and carried it to the police station where he sat down and had lunch. He was just doing what bears do.
There has been a search and rescue mission that has spanned the whole month. First, the Bavarian government didn't want him. "This is not an average bear. This bear must quickly be taken out of the wild. He's a potential risk to people living in the area," said Bavarian Prime Minister Edmund Stoiber on German television.
Then, local authorities declared him a "problem bear" and gave hunters permission to shoot and kill the unwelcome carnivore. One German hunter tried to shoot the bear, watching Bruno as he headed back into Austria. Of course, he didn't shoot the bear because he didn't have a licence.
But then animal rights experts screamed and so a special group of hunters from Finnland were hired to capture the bear humanely. They were equipped with specially-trained Finnish dogs who could sniff out the bear. The Finnish hunters were given a two-week contract to find and capture the bear.
Next, a bear handler offered to use one of his bear actresses (Nora) to lure Bruno. Yet, Bruno seems to be more interested in eating goats then chasing women bears.
Finally, an unidentified person shot Bruno this past Monday (26 June 2006). We thought that was the end. But since then, there have been people who have said that Mr. Schnapperauf – the Environmental Minister in Bavaria – should resign. There have been DNA tests on the dead bear. There is even talk of a lawsuit against the Bavarian government because it may have been against the Constitution of Germany to shoot a bear that wandered in the woods.
The saga continues...
However, God has a completely different way for dealing with wandering strangers who are looking for help.
Our God is a God of Rescue. God is totally unlike the people who did not try to rescue the bear. Now we could spend time discussing the rights of animals versus the danger of what that bear posed to society. But I want you to know that the reaction we have seen toward this bear shows us how society is toward people.
There are millions of people out there who want to be rescued. They will come to you and I and ask for help. We have to learn to be sensitive to that call. God wants to use us to rescue people who are wandering around without hope, just trying to survive.
The Bible shows us in these verses that at every difficult point in life, whether a person has wondered away, or is hungry or thirsty – this person can find rescue in God through His Son Jesus Christ.
God doesn't want His people to act like trigger-happy hunters who just want to shoot and kill wandering people. God doesn't want His people to speak out against wandering souls who need Him, criticizing these people for how different, wild, uncivilized and sinful they are.
God is good. God is merciful. God's mercy last forever, and it will never stop.
The rescue mission for a bear went completely wrong. The people did not know what to do. In the same way, many times we go about rescue missions completely in the wrong way. What should we do to ensure that God can use us to rescue those who need Him?
Our view of God must contain the mercy and goodness that He displays on us.
Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
(Psalms 107:1 NKJV)
Many times, we forget the mercy and goodness that God has displayed in our lives. I have to remember that God is merciful to me. I have to remind myself of the goodness that He displays in my life.
We must remember that we are sinners that have been rescued. Nothing more.
Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,
(Psalms 107:2 NKJV)
Sometimes in the life of a Christian, there comes a point when you begin to think that the world revolves around yourself. You begin to think that you can make things happen all by yourself. Nebuchadnezzar had this problem. So did David, as well as many other people in the Bible.
To remember that I am redeemed does not automatically give me a status that is higher than other people, especially sinners who do not know God. We are not the only God's priveleged children. There are other children out there who want to receive the same priveleges that you and I have received.
that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
(Ephesians 2:12-13 NKJV)
Our status as a Christian, was a rescue that was paid by someone. We didn't create our own rescue operation and escape. Jesus paid for our rescue operation. Jesus paid for our lives with His own. Before, we were strangers and foreigners. Now we are God's heavenly citizens.
This brings me to a mentality that you and I have to fight as Christians. There is thought that can come to the Christian of privileged status. I am the citizen and the unbeliever is the foreigner. That Bruno bear was an Italian bear, born of Slovenian parents, who wandered into a foreign land. While there were attempts to rescue, there was still a mentality that said – this bear is too wild and different. We can't integrate him. The same mentality runs through the minds of Christians. Maybe you have heard these statements:
That person doesn't belong here.
That person is just here to rip us off. S/he just wants our money.
That person does not fit what our church is about.
But all of these people, no matter what we may think about them, are in the same boat. They are without hope. They need Jesus. They need to be rescued. Saying to ourselves that they are not the right people for our church is the same as saying they deserve to go to hell. How loving is that?
Why am I saying this?
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He delivered them out of their distresses. And He led them forth by the right way,
That they might go to a city for a dwelling place.
(Psalms 107:6-7 NKJV)
We are called by God to be the guide to lead them to their place of safety.
God loves wanderers and strangers. He delivers people out of their distress. He loves to lead them the right way. He wants to place them in a city where they will be safe and at peace. God wants to do this for everyone. Guess who the guides are that will bring them in to the city? They are you and I. We are the citizens of the new city. God wants us to welcome them.
As Christians, we are called to help people who have acted like Bruno. There are all kinds of people who need Jesus, and we should do our best to rescue them. Bruno is out there searching for help:
He sits at a police station. He knows he's guilty of the law.
He gets hit by cars. He has been hurt by others.
He wanders around looking for food. He's hungry and thirsty.
As Christians, we are called to rescue people like they rescue bears and bring them to safety. Just as Bruno has been looking for help and trying his best to survive without the right guidance, there are millions of people in this who are just wandering around in life trying to make it. They are searching for help and for meaning. They are searching for a place and a person that can help them. We have the best solution for problems like this. We have a Savior that has come into the world to save people. But we have to go out there and bring this salvation to the people.
Just like Bruno, they are going to come close in contact. And they may seem scary at first. But when the message of Jesus Christ is shared in love, humans who are seeking help will take that message and it will heal their soul.
