When God reaches out to us

All the soldiers and the high priests could not keep the body of Christ in the tomb. Death himself could not hold Christ in his bonds. When the life-pangs first began to move in Jesus, he could no longer be holden of death. Then was death swallowed up in victory. The Father brought forth his begotten Son, and said, “Let all the angels of God worship him.” He was the first begotten from the dead. Irresistible is the power put forth, too, in the Christian. No sin, no corruption, no temptation, no devils in hell, nor sinners upon earth can ever stay the hand of God’s grace when it intends to convert a man. If God says, “Thou shalt,” man shall not say, “I will not,” or, if he do, as the trees of the wood before the hurricane are torn up by the roots, so shall the human will give place to the irresistible power of grace.

From a sermon entitled "The Mighty Power Which Creates and Sustains Faith," delivered October 11, 1863.  Flickr photo by Calum Davidson; some rights reserved.