My mother passed away fifteen years ago on Christmas Eve. She was totally at peace and eager to see her Savior face-to-face.
Not so my father. He was terrified as death approached.
He had served as a prosecutor and trial judge for 30 years, declaring people guilty and imposing the just penalties of the law. But during the last hours of his life, when he was told that death was just minutes away, he was painfully aware of the guilt he carried for his many sins.
Although I had shared the gospel with him many times, he had yet to trust in Christ and therefore felt a profound fear of what would meet him when he left this world.
Little did he know that in the last hour of his life–literally, the last hour!–a promise made two thousand years ago would be fulfilled in his life:
“Glory to God on high and on earth peace, good will among men!”
For the rest of his story, and to see how God can use your efforts to reconcile broken human relationships to draw people to a saving faith in Christ, please watch the following 19-minute video of a message I gave in our church on Christmas Eve.
Then feel free to use this blog and this video to share the gospel and the message of Christmas with your friends, relatives and co-workers. (If a screen doesn’t appear, click this link.)
If you prefer, you can listen to an audio recording of this message.
Never underestimate how God can work through your relationships to display his glory and draw people into his kingdom, even minutes before they die.
“Glory to God on high and on earth peace, good will among men!”
~Ken Sande
Reflection Questions:
- How does the quality of our personal relationships impact our testimony about the reality of God and the power of the gospel? (see John 17:20-23; Acts 2:42-47; John 13:34-35)
- When non-Christians observe your relationships, what evidence are they seeing of God’s transforming work in your life? (see 2 Cor. 3:18; Gal. 5:22-23)
- What could you do differently in the days ahead that would display the glory of God’s saving and transforming power in your life?
Permission to distribute: Please feel free to download, print, or electronically share this message in its entirety for non-commercial purposes with as many people as you like.
© 2023 Ken Sande
