“For God did not appoint us to wrath,
but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that
whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him” (1
Thessalonians 5:9-10)
On October 22, 1882, Joseph Sieg was the driver and
passenger engineer of a railway train that was driving through Bergen,
Pennsylvania, in the USA, on its way to the city of Philadelphia. When the
furnace door was opened by the fireman as the train was speeding ahead, a
back-draught forced the flames out so that the cab of the locomotive caught fire
and the engineer and fireman were driven back over the tender and into a
passenger car, leaving the engine without control. (Information
from Rev. Aquilla
Webb).
They had been traveling at thirty miles per hour, the speed
of a galloping horse. The speed was now increasing and it seemed like there was no
way to stop the train. The flames rose higher and it looked like all the
passenger cars would soon be on fire. Joseph Sieg hesitated, but then he raced
into the flames, climbed back over the red-hot tender and reversed the engine.
When the train came to a stop he was found in the water tank, into which he had
dropped, with his clothes burned-off, his face disfigured, his hands terribly
burned, and his whole body was blistered. Four agonizing days later, he died.
Hundreds of people were passengers on that train. Internet
estimates
of how many lives were saved on that day range from 200 to 600
people. The one man, Joseph Sieg, hesitated, but then he made a choice and died so that many others
would live.
Your question might be – How does this apply to ME? It was
good for the people on that train, but what if trouble comes to ME? Will
somebody be there when I need them?
If we compare our lives to the act of traveling on a
railroad train, let’s pause for a moment and take a look at the end of the
road. And note there IS an end for us all. Where will you be at the end of your life?
Will you be preparing to live longer? Will you be making plans for what you will
do next week? What will things be like for you two hundred years from now? It’s
likely you will not be on the “train” of life at all. This “train” on which we
are all riding is on “fire.” It is headed for destruction and there is nothing
any of us can do that will put it out. However, there is a “Joseph Sieg” for
you and me. One Man has put out the "fire" and His name is Jesus Christ. He made a
choice and He died so that you and I can live - forever.
Dr. Kenneth S. Wuest (1893 – 1962) was a professor at the
Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, and he was one of the translators of the New
American Standard Bible. Dr. Wuest was a scholar with a deep understanding of
the language we call “New Testament Greek.” Much of the New Testament was
written in that language. In his book, “Golden
Nuggets from the Greek New Testament,” Wuest spoke about the “perfect tense,” referring to
that particular tense of Greek verbs which he called “very expressive.”
He said the perfect tense revealed “an action that took place in the past, which was COMPLETED in
past time and (was) FINISHED. For instance,” he
said, “the phrase: ‘I have closed the door’ speaks of a
past COMPLETED action… The implication is that, as a result, the door is still
closed” right now. Dr. Wuest related this to the cry of Jesus Christ on the
cross. Our Lord called out in the perfect tense as he was dying, ‘It is finished’ (John 19:30),
“referring to His work of saving us from sin through His precious blood.”
Jesus’ perfect death on our behalf saves us yesterday, today and forever.
We simply - believe.
After observing that the last words of Jesus were the “perfect tense” in the Greek, Dr. Wuest concluded
that Jesus’ statement, “It is finished,” actually
should read this way: “It was finished and as a
result it is forever done.” He continued: “the
priests in the tabernacle (of Israel) were “always
ministering (the) sacrifices. But our great High
Priest is seated. It is FINISHED.” Jesus SAVES those who simply
accept what He has done.
Nothing more is needed. Siddhartha Gautama, who
lived hundreds of years before Jesus and is called the “Enlightened One”
(the Buddha) by his followers, gave up a lot to live an essentially religious life. He said interesting
things, and he found a peace inside himself that is impressive. But how does it
help you and me? We can copy him, but if we find a similar peace, will it make us
right with God? 600 years after Jesus, the prophet
Mohammed lived, wrote, he fought wars, married, a religion was created in
his name, and it is reported that he rose into heaven. All of that is
interesting, but how does it save – you? Are you rescued from the sin of this
world by embracing the religion attributed to Mohammed? When the "fire"
on our “train” of life comes, will we be RESCUED by copying the words and actions of
men like Mohammed, the Buddha, and others who have given religious instruction
to the world?
The answer, when you think about it is – no! We are not
saved by our attempts at religion. The world is full of religions and religious
people, and don’t get me wrong - along with the bad, much GOOD has been done in
the name of religion. But are we changed INSIDE by keeping religious principles,
even though they are detailed and interesting? If you read the newspaper,
watch or listen to the news, and look inside yourself to determine who
you really are, you'll find a problem – something is WRONG and we DO need to
be changed inside. We need to be made new. Jesus compared a lot of religious
concepts and leaders to those “who make the outside of the cup and dish
clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness” (Luke
11:39). Religion by itself, which can be helpful, does not reach to our basic
NEED. We must be changed INSIDE, and THEN the “outside”
will begin to be made right because the Lord who is in those who
trust in Him – will make it so. He acted on our behalf and the work is
finished – forever.
The reason that all those passengers were saved on October
22, 1882, was because Joseph Sieg gave his life for them. He hesitated, but then
he ACTED and hundreds were saved as a result. Jesus hesitated also. He prayed, “Father, if it is Your will, remove this cup from Me;
nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42). When it was
certain
it was the Father’s will, He ACTED. There was no other way and He died for you
and me.
We are not made for “wrath, but
to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us.”
It is finished and we are saved - forever (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10).
Thank You, Lord, for giving Your life for me. I trust in
You and what You have done. Forgive my sins. Heal me and change me, on the
inside where it counts. I praise Your Holy Name and trust in You right now. In
Jesus Name. Amen.
