Today is the 23rd anniversary of the event we know as 9/11, September 11, 2001, a day and date that has been stamped on the national consciousness of our nation. The cry of America is, “We will never forget!”
We will never forget the pictures of those two planes flying into the Twin Towers.
We will never forget the pictures of the first responders arriving at the scene to help the victims (Those pictures are particularly close to my heart; I spent nearly a decade serving on the Hollywood Fire Rescue Department).
We will never forget the sight of the two towers dropping off the landscape of lower Manhattan as they collapsed to the ground, taking with them nearly 3,000 victims.
We will never forget how a nation came together to both mourn and mount up against sin and evil in this world.
To be sure, 9/11 is to be remembered for many reasons. One reason is to remind all of us of the brevity of life. And that reminder comes to us each and every day as we read about and personally experience this truth in our own lives. Nobody knows when their life will come to an end or how it will happen. Since the fall in the Garden of Eden, death has been the debt all men have paid. When it comes suddenly and unexpectedly, it can rock us to our core. The events of 9/11 did that to us, and they lit a fire of faith deep within that would not go out. We realized that God has saved us to serve Him and to surrender our lives completely to His control. We began to understand, not only the importance of the good news of the Gospel, but the urgency with which are called to share it today, because we may not have the opportunity to do it tomorrow.
On October 8, 1871, while preaching at Farwell Hall, the great evangelist D. L. Moody asked his congregation to evaluate and think about their relationship to Jesus and return to church next week to make their decisions for Him. That crowd never reassembled. While they were singing the closing hymn, the rising din of fire trucks and church bells scattered them forever; Chicago was on fire! The Y.M.C.A. building, church, and parsonage were all lost in the next 24 hours, as well as the lives of some 300 residents of the city. When thinking back on that fateful evening, Moody said, “Giving my congregation a week to think over in their minds their decision for Jesus is my greatest regret in life. Never again would I give my listeners time to go home and think about their response to the gospel.” And he never did.
May we never forget the lessons taught us by D. L. Moody and the terrible events of 9/11. May we be passionate about sharing the truth of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. May we never forget what He has done for us, and may we be bold to proclaim the truth of His free gift of eternal life.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT…AMEN!
Grace for the Race 