Most Epic Story Ever Told
Most Epic Story Ever Told
Every great love story has a rescue and a hero – have you heard the one that you are created to play a key role in?
Have a read to find out more on this Epic story!
Every great story has a rescue.
Think on some of the most famous stories that come to mind for all ages of readers and watchers of movies… Luke Skywalker rescues the princess and then frees the people of the universe; Jack rescues Rose in the Titanic; Neo is awakened from the death sleep and breaks the power of the Matrix and sets a captive world free; William Wallace rises up to rescue Scotland; Nemo’s father rescues little Nemo; and we see Aslan come to rescue Narnia. There are thousands more that probably come to mind for you – why does every great story have a rescue?
Because yours does.
Think back to Genesis 3 when Adam and Eve fell from grace, and yet we see that throughout the Old Testament that rescue is God’s plan. Through Noah, then Abraham, then the nation of Israel you see God looking for a people who will turn to Him and be his allies. We see in Exodus 15:3 the Israelites declare “The Lord is a warrior” but shortly after we see them complaining again. Rescuing the human heart is only something God can accomplish, as it is the hardest mission in the world.
There is a dilemma at play in our human hearts… we don’t know if we want to be rescued. We are so addicted and enamoured with our self-seeking behaviours, or our short term gratifying addictions along with a real ‘take it for granted’ kind of unbelief that we don’t even know how to cry out for help. And the enemy has no intentions on letting his captives go free, so he deceives us, seduces us, assaults us and seduces us to keep us in darkness.
See the challenge God faces is rescuing a people that have no idea how captive or how desperate they really are.
Yet, we see Jesus give up everything, leaves heaven setting aside His glory, clothing himself with humility and sneaks into the enemy camp under the cover of night whispering “I have come for you”. “We are born in love, by love and for love” as Gerald May has said.
John 15:9 says “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.”
Jesus, our rescuing King came to rescue you and me. It is truly the most beautiful of love stories. Jesus is looking for us to be His allies, his sons and daughters. He his not looking for religion. Not good church people. But friends of the deepest sort who sincerely ‘want to want to’ when we say Yes to following Jesus.
Jeremiah 24:7 says “I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.”
Have you also noticed that many of the heroes I mentioned in the stories at the beginning of today’s blog had to die to win the freedom of their beloved? William Wallace, Nero, Aslan… but we see the greatest sacrifice in Matthew 20:28 “The Son of Man… [came] to give his life as a ransom for many’
Remember the consequence in the garden of our disobedience was not just a physical death but a spiritual death – being separated from God and goodness, and beauty and intimacy and adventure with Him forever. The only way out for our situation was a ransom. Jesus willingly gave His life as a ransom to free us from the Evil One, to pay the price for our betrayal, and to prove for all time and beyond any shadow of a doubt that the heart of God is good. And that your heart matters to Him, more than words could ever explain.*
Colossians 1:13-14 “He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
In the Titanic we hear Rose say of Jack’s sacrifice, “He saved me in every way a person can be saved.”
What is God’s heart towards me you may be asking? Well the life, death and resurrection of Jesus answered this once and for all. God has come to save you in every way a person can be saved. This is God’s heart towards you. You have never been loved like this.
Remember God made you, He knows you, He loves you with an everlasting love.
We are all longing for a happily ever after, it’s written on the human heart.
We see the greatest hope of happily ever after in “Isaiah 65:17 “Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth”
We see this full-filled with Jesus ministry. He touched the blind and they could see, the beauty of the world was opened before them. When he touched the deaf, they were able to hear for the first time laughter and music and children’s voices. He touched the lame and the jumped to their feet and bgato dance. And He called the dead back to life and gave them to their families. *
Wherever humanity is broken, Jesus restored it.
God has been whispering this secret to us through creation itself, every year at springtime, ever since we left the garden. After months of winter, we all know the feeling of longing for the sunshine and warmth of summer and long days of adventure and gardens in bloom.*
Revelation 21:5 says “Behold , I make all things new“
We see after Jesus died on the cross, he was buried but He rose again after 3 days. He came back! He showed up again! He was restored to them!! What a stunning, unbelievable happiest ending you could imagine!
It is also ours.
The resurrection of Jesus shows us He paved the way as we read in Romans 8:29 in The Message it says
“God knew what He was doing the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love Him, along the same lines as the life of His Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity He restored.”
So, we too shall live and never die. Creation will be restored and we will be restored.
Imagine being reunited with the great and noble hearts and our loved ones in paradise, walking in the garden face to face with Daddy God and sitting to chat under beautiful trees with the heroes of our faith.
Who will be in heaven with us you may be thinking?
“Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’
“But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests…. For many are invited, but few are chosen.”
God gave us all a choice. He gave us free will. We are the ones who betrayed Him listening to the lies of the Evil One in the garden, and yet He made a way to return to right relationship with Him through Jesus.*
Deuteronomy 30:19 “I have set before you life and death… now choose life”
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life”
John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full”
Revelations 22:17 “Whoever is thirst, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life”
In all truth, the only way to know your role in the Story is to ask the author – we must turn to Jesus. We must ask His forgiveness and ask Him to tell us who we are and what He has created us to do.. We ask Him to remove the veil that covers our hearts as it says in 2 Corinthians 3:15-16. “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honour beside God’s throne in Heaven” Hebrews 12:2
The story God is telling – like every great story that echoes it – reminds us of 3 eternal truths that would be good keep in mind as we take the next step. First, things are not as they seem. Second, we are at war, a battle for the human heart. Third – you have a crucial role to play. This is our most desperate hour and YOU are needed.*
This is the Gospel – the good news of Jesus Christ. This is the story we are living in.
May you play your part well brothers and sisters.
Here are the lyrics of this song that is on my heart to share with you all…
Crying out from the pit of my despair
There You were in the shadows
Holding out Your hand, You met me there
Where would I be, Jesus?
Calling me out in the dead of night
Fighting my battles for me
You are my rescue story
Lifted me up from the ashes
Carried my soul from death to life
Bringing me from glory to glory
You are my rescue story
You were writing the pages
Before I had a name
Before I needed grace, oh
Singing songs of redemption
You never gave up on me
You never gave up on me
You are my testimony, oh, oh-oh
Be blessed brothers and sisters 😊
*excerpts taken from John Eldridge’s “Epic, the story God is telling”
By Candace Foy
(Wellbeing & Renewal Health Coach)
By Candace Foy
(Wellbeing & Renewal Health Coach)
