One day A. J. Gordon met an old man singing. "Friend," said Dr. Gordon, "why should an old man
be so cheerful?" "Not all are." "Well, then, why are you?" "Because I belong to the
Lord." "And are none others happy at your time of life?" "No, not one, my friendly questioner,"
said he, and his form straightened. "Listen to the truth from one who knows, and no man of threescore and
ten shall be found to deny it: The devil has no happy old men!"
William Moses Tidwell, "Pointed Illustrations."
Salvation
If I Should Die Tonight
It is related that a young man and his wife were attending a revival meeting. The Spirit was striving, but they
were inclined to reject Him. As they were leaving the church the minister asked them to take a piece of paper just
before they retired that night and write these words on it and pin it on the headboard of the bed, "If I should
die tonight, my soul would spend eternity in hell." They agreed to do it. As they were in the act of retiring,
the young wife brought the pencil and paper and gave them to her husband. He began to write, but wrote only two
words, "If I." Then his hand became unsteady, and he said, "Wife, I can't write it. I can't go to
sleep with an inscription like that on our bed. Wife, get the Bible, and let's see if we can find some help."
This she did, and they opened the Bible in the chair, one kneeling on one side and one on the other.
They read and searched and found scriptures that condemned them, and then promises of salvation to all who would
repent and believe.
After long searching and praying, they trusted Christ and were gloriously saved. But why? It was because we must
meet God personally.
Salvation is a personal matter. "If I." Not the other person, but myself.
Salvation
New Birth
Possibilities
Longfellow could take a worthless sheet of paper, write a poem on it, and make it worth $6,000 -- that is genius.
Rockefeller could sign his name to a piece of paper and make it worth millions -- that is capital.
Uncle Sam can take gold, stamp an eagle on it, and make it worth $20 -- that is money.
A mechanic can take material worth $5.00 and make an article worth $50.00 -- that is skill.
An artist can take a fifty-cent piece of canvas, paint a picture on it, and make it worth $1,000 -- that is
art.
God can take a worthless, sinful life, wash it in the blood of Christ, put His Spirit in it, and make it a blessing
to humanity -- that is salvation. -- Copied.
William Moses Tidwell, "Pointed Illustrations."
Salvation
The Disused Harp
A disused harp had long lain in a front room of an old house in Kentucky. No one in the family could play it;
but since it was a family relic, care was bestowed upon it. Sometimes, indeed, it had been in the way, and there
had been talk of throwing it out on the dust heap. But still it remained in its place, no one liking to do the
deed of destruction.
A weary man on his journey stopped at the house and was granted hospitality for the night. Supper was over,
and he found his way with others into the front room. There he noticed the old instrument and, taking it up, looked
carefully upon it. At once he became deeply interested and began with masterly skill to tune its strings. Then
most lovingly he swept his hands across them and produced the loveliest music! All who heard were entranced with
the sweet sounds, and for a long time he kept them silent and absorbed with the rapturous strains. When at last
he ceased, and all were expectant that he would say something about it, he remarked, "This was my grandfather's
harp. His mark is inside. He gave it to me as a boy and taught me to play it. My grandfather played for the king
in the old country. During the great Civil War the enemy raided our home, and our harp was never seen again."
That instrument, made for a musician, had been silent for years. At last it was found by its owner and used
with great effect. You were made for God's glory. You were designed that upon you there might be played the music
of the praise of God. Is this music being played in your life, or are you silent? Oh! put yourself into His hands.
William Moses Tidwell, "Pointed Illustrations."
Salvation
Getting on Too Fast
A pious old slave had a wicked master. This master had much confidence, however, in the slave's piety. Sometimes
the master would be serious and thoughtful about religion. One day he came to the old slave with the New Testament
in his hand and asked if he would explain a passage for him. The slave was willing to try and asked what it was.
"It is here in the Romans," said the master. "Have you done all that it tells you to do in Matthew,
Mark, and John?" inquired the slave, seriously fixing his eye upon his master's. "No, I haven't,"
he said.
"Then you're getting along too fast, too fast, master. Go back to the beginning of the Book; do all it tells
you till you get to Romans, and you will understand it easy enough then, for the Book says, 'If any man will do
his will, he shall know of the doctrine.'"
Salvation
Examples of Salvation
When native converts of the island of Madagascar used to present themselves for baptism, it was often asked
of them, "What first led you to think of becoming Christians? Was it a particular sermon or address or the
reading of God's Word?" The answer usually was that the changed conduct of others who had become Christians
was what first arrested their attention. "I knew this man to be a thief; that one was a drunkard; another
was very cruel and unkind to his family. Now they are all changed. The thief is an honest man; the drunkard is
sober and respectable; and the other is gentle and kind in his home. There must be something in a religion that
can work such changes."
Salvation
Too Wide
In the mountains of the West, it is related, there is a place called "The Death Leap." It is far up in
the mountains where two rocks protrude. The distance between them is about thirty feet. The deer had
been chased by the hounds and came to this "death leap." There was no way around. It is said the deer
came to this fearful pass and stopped and listened to the oncoming dogs. Then it backed up some distance and came
bounding for the leap. But, as it came near and saw the yawning precipice, its courage failed. Again it listened
to the oncoming hounds, which were much nearer. It was cross or die. The second time it backed up even farther
than before, and with a mighty bound it sought to reach the other side; but the distance was too great. The deer
fell and was crushed on the rocks more than two hundred feet below.
We may love the world and reject Christ. But one day, when the end comes and we look across the mighty, yawning
chasm, we will need Christ. He said, "I am the way." He is the Way across. We will need Him and want
Him then.
- William Moses Tidwell, "Pointed Illustrations."
Salvation
Calvary
Trampling on Christ
There was a man who had a prodigal boy who had sent his mother down to the grave with a broken heart. One evening
the boy started out as usual to spend the night in drinking and gambling. As he was leaving, his old father said,
"My son, I want to ask a favor of you tonight. You have not spent an evening with me since your mother died,
and now I want you to spend this night at home. I have been very lonely since your mother died. Now, won't you
gratify your old father by staying home with me?" "No," said the young man; "it is lonely here,
and there is nothing to interest me, and I am going out." The old man prayed and wept, and at last he said,
"My boy, you are just killing me as you have killed your mother. These hairs are growing whiter, and you are
sending me, too, to the grave." Still the boy
would not stay, and the old man said, "If you are determined to go to ruin, you must go over this old body
tonight. I cannot resist you; you are stronger than I. But if you go out, you must go over this body." He
laid himself down before the door, and that son walked over the form of his father, trampled the love of his father
underfoot, and went out.
That is the way with sinners. You have to trample the blood of God's Son under your feet if you go down to death,
to make light of the blood of the Innocent, to make light of the wonderful love of
God. - Moody.
- William Moses Tidwell, "Pointed Illustrations."
Salvation
Aim Day Co
The first missionary to the Kiowa Indians was a woman named Miss Reside. After living with the Indians long enough
for them to know what it meant to be a Christian, they began calling her "Aim Day Co."
Explaining the significance of this name, Chief Bigtree said, "When we Kiowas see anyone on the wrong trail,
we call out, 'Aim day co,' which means 'Turn this way.' Our sister came to us from a far land and found us on the
wrong path and in great danger. She stood and called to us and said, 'Turn this way,' and then she showed us the
Jesus road. God bless Miss Aim Day Co."
Salvation
Almost--Became A Tragic Word
"Almost" can be a disappointing word. For the parents of 10 year- old Peter Gosselin, "almost"
became a tragic word during a 1979 New England blizzard. Peter, a fourth-grader, loved to play in the snow.
When the blizzard struck he was delighted with the prospect of no school and mountains of white stuff. The last
time he was seen, Peter was playing atop a snow bank on a nearby street corner. On his way home, Peter almost made
it through the eight-foot snow drift in his front yard--but his small, frozen body was found just five feet from
his front door.
As sad as it is to almost make it home, there's something even more tragic: to almost be saved.
-Today In the Word
Salvation
God Often Values What Men Deem To Be Worthless
God places value on a life that we might consider worthless. He looks beyond the wreckage produced by sin and sees
in even the most hopeless derelict a person of great potential usefulness.
Years ago a drunken man in Chicago headed toward Lake Michigan to drown himself. As he stumbled along in front
of the Pacific Garden Mission, someone helped him through the open door. The man collapsed in front of the preacher
and fell asleep. The superintendent of the mission cared for him, gave him a bed, and the next day explained the
gospel to him. That day Harry Monroe was transformed by the grace of God. Later he was to preach the gospel from
that same platform where once he had slept in a drunken stupor. Mr. Monroe eventually became superintendent of
the mission, and when he died it took all day for people to pay their respects. A newspaper editorial described
him as one of Chicago's most useful men. What made the difference? The world would not have missed the penniless
derelict if he had jumped into the lake, but God saw great value in him!
Do you feel worthless because of your sin? God sees what you can become in Christ. He can give you a clean start.
He'll forgive your sins and fill your life with meaning and purpose. What He did for Harry Monroe He can do for
you!
-Daily Bread
Salvation
He Received The City Directory
In preparation for a meeting in a large city, famed evangelist Billy Sunday wrote a letter to the mayor in which
he asked for the name of individuals he knew who had a spiritual problem and needed help and prayer. How surprised
the evangelist was when he received from the mayor a city directory.
Salvation
Is My Name Written There?
As we returned from Vacation Bible School one summer day, my young daughter Melissa asked if we could stop at the
library. When I asked her why, she explained, "This morning my teacher told me that the only way we get to
heaven is if our name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. I just want to make sure that my name is in there!"
-Nora Newport
Salvation
Salvation Hindered And Thwarted
At Turnbridge, England there is a monument erected to the memory of a group of gypsies. Gipsy Smith, the noted
evangelist, tells us the meaning of that monument: thirty gypsies workers in the fields of hops were driving rapidly
and carelessly, singing and laughing across a bridge over the Medway, when the wagon crashed into the railing and
wagon horses and gypsies were thrown into the river.
One young gypsy seized a horse drifting downstream, and mounting him watched earnestly and anxiously for his mother.
At length he saw her and laid hold upon her; but she struggled in such a way that he was not able to save her.
When the gypsies were being buried in the churchyard, the boy who had tried in vain to save his mother knelt down
in the trench containing the coffins of those who had perished and cried out: "Mother! Mother! I tried to
save you; I did all a man could do but, you would not let me!"
So Jesus said on one occasion: "Ye will not come to me that ye might have life." (John 5:4) Christ himself
cannot save us unless we are willing to be saved.
When Julius Caesar, after the Battle of Pharsalus, landed in Africa whither the defeated Pompey had fled before
him, the head of Pompey was flung at his feet. Looking at that gruesome trophy, Caesar exclaimed: "Alas, he
would have it so!"
That, in effect, is what Jesus said when at the end of his great lament over Jerusalem he cried out: "And
ye would not!" (Matt 23:37)
-McCartney
Salvation
Webster's Greatest Thought
At one time, Daniel Webster was considered the greatest of all living Americans. He was outstanding as a statesman,
lawyer, orator, and leader of men. Twenty-five national leaders attended a select banquet in his honor. One man
at the banquet asked Mr. Webster, "Sir, what is the greatest thought that ever entered your mind?" Without
hesitation, Webster replied, "The greatest thought that ever entered my mind was the thought of my responsibility
to God." As he spoke, he wept, excused himself from the banquet, and went outside to get control of his emotions.
When he returned he talked for thirty minutes about man's responsibility to God.
-Carl G. Johnson
Salvation
Conditions Of
Acknowledgement Of Personal Need
Rev. George F. Pentecost tells of a timid little girl who wanted to be prayed for at a religious meeting in the
south of London. She wanted to come to Jesus, and said to the Christian man who was conducting the meetings: "Will
you pray for me in the meeting please?
But do not mention my name." In the meeting which followed, when every head was bowed and there was perfect
silence, the gentleman prayed for the little girl, and he said: "O Lord, there is a little girl who does not
want her name known, but Thou dost know her; save her precious soul." There was stillness for a moment, and
then way back in that congregation a little girl arose, and a pleading little voice said: "Please, it's me
Jesus, it's me." She did not want to have a doubt. The more she had thought about it, the hungrier her heart
was for forgiveness. She wanted to be saved, and she was not ashamed to say: "Jesus, it's me."
-H. F. Sayles
Salvation
Conditions Of
Cash The Check
A beggar stopped a lawyer on the street in a large southern city and asked him for a quarter. Taking a long, hard
look into the man's unshaven face, the attorney asked, "Don't I know you from somewhere?" "You should,"
came the reply. "I'm your former classmate. Remember, second floor, old Main Hall?" "Why Sam, of
course I know you!" Without further question the lawyer wrote a check for $100. "Here, take this and
get a new start. I don't care what's happened in the past, it's the future that counts." And with that he
hurried on.
Tears welled up in the man's eyes as he walked to a bank nearby.
Stopping at the door, he saw through the glass well-dressed tellers and the spotlessly clean interior. Then he
looked at his filthy rags.
"They won't take this from me. They'll swear that I forged it," he muttered as he turned away.
The next day the two men met again. "Why Sam, what did you do with my check? Gamble it away? Drink it up?"
"No," said the beggar as he pulled it out of his dirty shirt pocket and told why he hadn't cashed it.
"Listen, friend," said the lawyer. "What makes that check good is not your clothes or appearance,
but my signature. Go on, cash it!"
The Bible says, "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." That promise is a "negotiable
note" of infinite value. And as sinners, all we need to do is "exchange" it by faith for eternal
life. Don't let the "tattered clothes" of your past keep you from cashing God's "check" of
salvation.
Salvation
Conditions Of
Charles Wesley's Peace Offering
Although Charles Wesley had been engaged in preaching the gospel with much diligence and earnestness, he did not
know what it was to enjoy peace with God until he was in his thirtieth year. Being laid low by an alarming illness,
and seeming as is he were going to die, a young Moravian named Peter Bohler, who was undergoing a course of preparation
by him to go out as a missionary, asked him, "Do you hope to be saved?"
Charles answered, "Yes". "For what reason do you hope it?" "Because I have used my best
endeavors to serve God." The Moravian shook his head and said no more. That sad, silent, significant shake
of the head shattered all of Charles Wesley's false foundation of salvation by endeavors. He was afterwards taught
by Peter Bohler the way of the Lord more perfectly, and brought to see that by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ men
are justified. Then, in his sickroom, he was able to write, for the first time in his life, "I now find myself
at peace with God." It was on this occasion that he composed that beautiful hymn, "O for a thousand tongues
to sing my great Redeemer's praise."
-W W Landrum
Salvation
Conditions Of
Jesus, Take Me As I Am!
A friend of mine up in Scotland told me of a Scotch lassie who came to the inquiry room, and the minister talked
with her, and he said: "Young woman, you go home and read the 53rd chapter of Isaiah." And the Scotch
girl threw up her hands and said: "I cannot read! I cannot pray!
Jesus, take me as I am!" She got it.
- Moody
Salvation
Conditions Of
Recognition Of Lostness--Necessary To Be Saved
The following is taken from a message by Rev. Albert P. Graves which was delivered in Rock Island, Ill, Sunday
Evening, Feb 25, 1877 The text was from 2 Kings 4:26--"Run now I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her,
Is it well with thee? Is it well with thy husband?
Is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well."
What could you say if that question was put to you, dear father, to whom God has given a wife and children, and
you never prayed with them yet, and never asked a blessing at your table? What if God should send a cohort of angels
down from the capital of the universe tonight to press the question to your heart, "Is it well with you?"
Would you say, "I am a moralist," or "I am a Universalist," or something of that kind?"
Would you try to palm off the idea, that because it is some way, as you hope, well with you, that you are not going
to be judged? I want every person in this room, as far as the human mind, aided by Divine truth, can do it, to
settle this question tonight, right before your God, "Is it well with you?" What say you, my dear friend,
in the light of eternity?" If you should be called to go into eternity before twelve o'clock tonight, is it
well with you?
I propose, dear friends, to consider the divine welfare for a little while. Let me take a few minutes to consider
the process of the divine welfare. I shall show this in two ways. First, I will give you an incident, and then
a passage of Scripture.
It is said that Whitefield at one time dined with Lady Huntington: an unconverted brother of his was present. During
the dinner hour, Mr.
Whitefield and Lady Huntington had a religious conversation. Such was the nature of it that this brother's attention
was arrested, and he was so deeply impressed that all at once he dropped his knife and fork, and threw up his hands
and cried, "I am lost! I am lost! I am lost!" "Thank God!" said Lady Huntington. "Why?
Why do you exult over my lost condition?" "O, I can not help it," she says; "I am so glad you
are lost--so glad!" "But why, why, do have such ecstasies over my lost condition?" "Simply
because Jesus Christ came into the world to seek and save that which was lost. Now, sir, if you have found out
that you are lost, there is some hope of your being saved."
I want to give that to every person in this room tonight. There is no hope of being saved until one owns himself
to be a lost sinner.
God has never sent His Son into the world to save the righteous.
Jesus says Himself that He "came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance." Some of you self-righteous
men here in Rock Island, I don't know whether the angels in glory could live with you if you could get into heaven
under your self-righteousness.
- Albert P Graves
Salvation
Conditions Of
Terms Of Admission
"I really can't see why I need to be baptized," said a young man who had been for a long time hesitating
over the question of confessing Christ. "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved," quoted the
preacher. "Yes, I know," returned the objector triumphantly, "but it doesn't say you can't be saved
without it." "I think you said you were not going to the symphony concert tonight," said the preacher,
irrelevantly picking up a handbill that lay on the table. "May I ask why you are not going? You are certainly
fond of music." "I can't afford to go," returned the young man, wonderingly.
"The admission is two dollars." "Oh yes, I know it says 'Admission two dollars' on the bills, "but
I notice one thing, it doesn't say you can't get in without the two dollars," was the significant reply.
- Mattie M. Boteler
All of the requirements which God's Word sets forth for salvation must be met in order to be saved, not just the
requirements of faith and baptism. Therefore, when repentance is also set forth as a condition of salvation, you
can't get into heaven without it.
-Duane V. Maxey
Salvation
Divine Pardon
Past Forgotten
A preacher on an evangelistic tour was invited to spend the night with some members of a local congregation. The
family consisted of a father, a mother, and a 12-year-old boy. As they all sat around the fire, the father began
to tell of the circumstances surrounding the adoption of their only son, a youngster they had aided a few years
before. "The child was just a poor orphan when we first saw him," said the man. "He was in rags
and very dirty, but his shoes were the worst of all. The upper parts were in tatters, and the soles had huge holes
in them. We immediately gave him new clothes, but decided to keep those battered shoes as a reminder of how bad
off he really had been. I put them in a closet nearby; and whenever our son complains or becomes unruly, I merely
take them out to help him remember how much we've done for him." The preacher noticed that the lad looked
hurt and ashamed and, in fact, a bit unwanted. Careful to avoid offending his host, and realizing he perhaps had
a good motive in trying to make the youngster appreciate his blessings, the evangelist said nothing. Yet he recognized
that always bringing up the grim past was disheartening to the boy. He thought to himself, what a blessing it is
that God has cast our sins into the sea of everlasting forgetfulness.
Salvation
Forgiveness Of Sin
Sacred Stream
Dr. Jacob Chamberlain, an early missionary to India, recalls that while preaching to a group who had come to bathe
in the "sacred stream" of the Ganges, a man joined them who had crawled many agonizing miles on his knees
and elbows to reach that spot. The poor exhausted soul made his prayer to Gunga, and then slipped into the water
but emerged with the same conviction of sin as before. The fear of death still tugged at his heart. Then he heard
Chamberlain tell the wonderful story of grace and how Christ died on the cross to rescue needy sinners. With new
hope the man staggered to his feet, clasped his hands together, and cried, "Oh, that's what I need! Forgiveness
and peace!" The missionary soon led him to Jesus.
Salvation
Free
Forgiveness Not For Sale
One day, a poor girl ventured into the garden of the Queen's palace at Balmoral and approached the gardener, telling
him that her mother was lying very ill and that she longed for a flower such as she had seen in the Queen's gardens.
It was winter time, and the flowers were rare at that season. The child had saved a few pennies and wished to buy
a rose for her sick mother. The gardener had no authority to give away the Queen's flowers, and he said, when she
offered to pay: "The Queen has no flowers for sale."
The gardener would have sent the poor child away, but it chanced that the Queen herself was in the greenhouse and,
unobserved either by the gardener or his little customer, had overheard the conversation. As the child was turning
away sorrowful and disappointed, the Queen stepped from behind her flowery screen and addressed the child, saying:
"The gardener was quite right, my child, he has no authority to give you the flowers you want nor does the
Queen cultivate flowers for sale; but the Queen has flowers to give away." Then, suiting the action to the
word, she lifted from the basket into which she had been snipping the flowers, a handful of rare roses and gave
them to the child saying: "Take these to your mother with My love, and tell her that the Queen sent them.
I am the Queen."
So, let me say to you that God has no forgiveness for sale. You cannot buy it with your poor pence of tears, prayers,
or repentance.
But, God has forgiveness to give, and you may take it by faith, but not barter for it with anything you can do.
-H. F. Sayles
Salvation
Free
The Provisions Were Not For Sale
During the Spanish-American War, Clara Barton was overseeing the work of the Red Cross in Cuba. One day Colonel
Theodore Roosevelt came to her, wanting to buy food for his sick and wounded Rough Riders. But she refused to sell
him any.
Roosevelt was perplexed. His men needed the help and he was prepared to pay out of his own funds. When he asked
someone why he could not buy the supplies, he was told, "Colonel, just ask for it!" A smile broke over
Roosevelt's face. Now he understood -- the provisions were not for sale. All he had to do was simply ask and they
would be given freely.
That's how a sinner receives eternal life. Salvation is a gift.
If it could be bought at an auction, millionaires would compete for the purchase and most people would be excluded.
But God's forgiveness is free for the asking. Nothing we can do will ever earn it.
Salvation
Only Through Christ
A Mother's Faithful Witness
A boy had been disobedient to his parents from his childhood. When he became a young man, he left home, scoffing
at his godly mother who faithfully prayed that he would turn to Christ. He went off to sea without even saying
good-bye to her. On his first voyage the ship encountered a wild storm. As he stood on deck, he cursed God. At
that moment the ship lurched and he was thrown overboard. Quickly a lifeboat was lowered, and it reached him just
as he was disappearing beneath the surface. The crewmen rescued him and returned him to the vessel. Everyone thought
he was dead, but the ship's doctor kept on trying to revive him. Finally he opened his eyes, and his first words
were, "Jesus has saved my soul!" After he was completely recovered, he told how in that horrible "leap"
to the sea his sins had crowded about him, dragging him down. But in that awful moment he remembered a text his
mother had taught him years before: "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief" (1 Tim. 1:15). He said, "As I was sinking,
I cast myself into the outstretched arms of the Savior."
Salvation
Only Through Christ
Bound By His Own Chain
It is told of a famous smith of medieval times that, having been taken prisoner and immured in a dungeon, he began
to examine the chain that bound him with a view to discover some flaw that might make it easier to be broken. His
hope was vain, for he found, from marks upon it, that it was of his own workmanship, and it had been his boast
that none could break a chain that he had forged.
Thus with the sinner; his own hands have forged the chain that binds him; a chain which no human hand can break.
- The Sunday School Chronicle
Salvation
Only Through Christ
His Newfound Friend
A minister visited a nobleman in a Russian prison. He read a passage of Scripture and prayed, but his words met
with solemn contempt. Before leaving, the pastor gave the man a Bible and urged him to read it. No sooner had the
minister left than the angry prisoner kicked the Book into the corner. He thought, the Word of God, indeed! Why
is this God not meting out justice to the tyrants who are abusing me? As the days passed, a terrible loneliness
nearly drove him out of his mind. Snatching the Bible from off the floor, he opened it. His first glance fell on
these words from Psalm 50:15, "And call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee." He was surprised
and touched by such a pointed invitation, yet pride prompted him to shut the Bible and drop it. The next day desperation
compelled him to seek the only companion of his solitude. This time he began to study its pages. Seeing himself
as a sinner, he opened his heart to Christ. His waking hours which were formerly spent wallowing in self- pity
and bitterness now were being given to his newfound Friend. The shadows of death and injustice gave way to new
light from another world.
Salvation
Only Through Christ
I've Been Saved
The story is told of a young dockworker who heard a minister named Henderson deliver a sermon based on Romans 5:1.
Although impressed with the truth that one can have peace with God only through the merits of the Lord Jesus, he
did not trust Him as his personal Savior.
The next day that man joined the crew and sailed on the steamship London. A short time later it met with disaster
on the high seas.
Several months passed, and a sailor came to the clergyman and inquired, "Are you Pastor Henderson?" "Yes,
I am," he replied. "I've come to tell you that I talked and prayed with a young man on board the London
who had heard you preach on Romans 5:1. He was concerned about his soul but didn't quite understand the plan of
salvation. I finished what you began and led him to the Savior. Only a few minutes later we were shipwrecked, and
he and I were told to launch one of the lifeboats. While doing so, he said to me, 'Mate, if you get to shore, be
sure and tell Pastor Henderson that I've been saved.' Somehow he failed to get into the lifeboat in time, and we
had to row away immediately to keep from being capsized by the suction of the sinking ship. The last I saw of him,
he was up in the rigging of the doomed vessel, waving his hat and shouting to me above the noise of the waters,
'Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ!'"
Salvation
Only Through Christ
No Other Name
A blind man once stood on a corner at a busy intersection reading aloud Acts 4 from a portion of a Braille Bible.
A gentleman on his way home stopped at the edge of the crowd that had gathered to listen.
At that very moment, the sightless man lost his place. While trying to find it, he kept repeating the last three
words he had just read: "No other name... No other name... No other name..." Many smiled, but the inquisitive
bystander went away impressed. He had been searching for inner peace and therefore was ready to be influenced by
a few words spoken "in season." He had heard the verse before, but that one phrase haunted him. Before
morning he surrendered to the Holy Spirit's wooing and accepted the Savior. "I see it all now," he cried.
"I've been trying to be saved by my own works and prayers. But Jesus alone can help me. He is my mediator.
There is no other name whereby I must be saved." Thus a blind man's witness, given in a stumbling manner,
was used to lead a seeking soul to Christ.
Salvation
Only Through Christ
Saved Twice
A wealthy English family once invited friends to spend some time at their beautiful estate. The happy gathering
was almost plunged into a terrible tragedy on the first day. When the children went swimming, one of them got into
deep water and was drowning. Fortunately, the gardener heard the others screaming and plunged into the pool to
rescue the helpless victim. That youngster was Winston Churchill.
His parents, deeply grateful to the gardener, asked what they could do to reward him. He hesitated, then said,
"I wish my son could go to college someday and become a doctor." "We'll pay his way," replied
Churchill's parents.
Years later when Sir Winston was prime minister of England, he was stricken with pneumonia. Greatly concerned,
the king summoned the best physician who could be found to the bedside of the ailing leader.
That doctor was Sir Alexander Fleming, the developer of penicillin.
He was also the son of that gardener who had saved Winston from drowning as a boy! Later Churchill said, "Rarely,
has one man owed his life twice to the same person."
Salvation
Only Through Christ
Tried To Save Himself
On a wintry Sunday, March 6, 1881, a barque was wrecked off the north coast of Scotland. Fishermen on shore made
several vain attempts to get a line on board by means of the rockets, but the wind was too strong. They succeeded
at last, however, by using an empty barrel, There were eleven men on board, but only four or five were able to
do anything, the remainder being helpless from the cold. As soon as the apparatus was in working order for the
traveling cage, which was to be drawn along the rope, one young sailor was put into it, and a few minutes found
him on shore in the hands of kind friends.
This first man was scarcely saved when, through the tide and the wind, the ship was swung round among the rocks,
and the traveling apparatus becoming entangled across her bow, was rendered unmanageable. Then we saw, through
the drifting snow, a man descend from the vessel and try to save himself by coming along the rope hand over hand,
but, alas, such an attempt was evidently useless. The waves were beating over him like falling houses, and the
poor fellow had gone but a little distance from the ship when the heavy seas swept over him, and in a few seconds
he dropped into the surging waves. A few moments after this, the bow of the ship lifted again over the rocks, and
soon the apparatus was disentangled and again workable, and all of the others were safely brought to shore.
We asked the captain about the lost man. He said, "We tried to persuade him not to attempt such a useless
task, as it would be impossible for him to reach the shore in that way, but he would not listen to us. A fine fellow,
he was," added the captain, "the best man in the crew, but he was lost because he tried to save himself
in his own way."
Yes, all the rest were saved, but by other hands than their own.
Human powers are wholly inadequate for human needs. To rely upon them, is to invite and insure spiritual disaster.
But divine resources are amply sufficient, and these divine resources--the power of the indwelling Christ--are
ours for the taking.
-J. H. Tremont
Salvation
Possible For All Men
That Means Me!
"Whosoever will." That reminds me of a penitent in Georgia who came to the altar during a revival service.
The preacher went to him and said, trying to encourage him, "Won't you take Jesus Christ as your Savior?"
The young man said: "I am not one of the elect. I am one of the reprobates. I feel it all over." I don't
suppose a poor soul ever tried to seek God, that the devil didn't slip up and say: "You are one of the reprobates.
God didn't die to save you."
The preacher said to him, "Well, my brother, listen to me a minute. If you could see your name, James B. Green,
written on the Lamb's Book of Life, would you believe that Christ died for you and that you were one of the elect?"
The poor fellow thought a moment and then said: "No, sir: There are so many more people of that name."
"If you could see your name, James B. Green, Sereven County, Georgia, would you believe it then?" "No,
there might have been other men of that name before I was born." "Well, if you could see it, James B.
Green, Sereven County, Georgia, the year 1867, would you then believe it meant you?" "No, there may have
been someone else at this time by that name." "Then," said the preacher, "if you could see
it, James B.
Green, Sereven County, Georgia, the Nineteenth district and the year 1867, would you be believe it was you?"
The young man said: "I could not know definitely."
"Now," said the preacher, "God Almighty saw all that trouble, and He just put it into these two
words and said, "whosoever will," and the poor fellow jumped up and said: "Thank God, I know that
means me!"
-Sam Jones
Salvation
Sought
Salvation At Hand
A night of terror and danger because of their ignorance was spent by the crew of a vessel off the coast of New
Jersey in the winter of 1888. Just before dark a bark was discovered drifting helplessly, and soon struck her bow
so that she was made fast on a bar, and in momentary danger of going down. A line was shot over the rigging of
the wreck by the life-saving crew, but the sailors did not understand that it was a line so connecting them with
the shore that they might seize it and escape. All signs failed to make them understand this. So all night the
bark lay with the big waves breaking over it, while the crew, drenched and shivering, shouted for help. In the
morning they discovered how unnecessarily they had suffered, and how all night the line lay right in their reach
by which they might have been saved.
-A. J. Gordon
Salvation
Sought
The Little Things
A group of men were carrying on a friendly conversation. One of them remarked that he had learned to be especially
careful about small things. "Would you believe," he said, "that a little thing like a pair of socks
changed the entire course of my life?" "I can hardly believe that," replied another man. "Well,
it's true! Once I planned to take a trip with some of my friends on a canal boat, but two days before we intended
to leave, I injured my foot while chopping wood.
It was only a small cut, but the blue dye in the homemade socks I wore poisoned the wound, and I was compelled
to stay at home. While my friends were on their journey, a powerful preacher came to our town to hold revival meetings.
Since I didn't have anything else to do, I decided to attend. The message touched me deeply, and as a result, I
surrendered my heart to the Lord. Afterward I saw that I needed to change my life in many ways. New desires and
purposes took hold of me. I determined also to seek an education, for I trusted that this would enable me to live
more usefully for my Lord." The man who made these comments was none other than the former President of the
United States -- James A. Garfield!
Don't treat lightly the "little things" in life. They often gravitate to great and important consequences.
Salvation
The Gift Of God
Free, But Purchased At Great Cost
After hearing the gospel explained, people often say, "you mean there's nothing I can do to deserve it? That's
too easy." It seems natural for people to object to the idea that God's unmerited favor can be given so freely
to unworthy sinners. Many find it difficult to trust a God who offers salvation as a free gift.
Bible teacher G. Campbell Morgan told of a coal miner who came to him and said, "I would give anything to
believe that God would forgive my sins, but I cannot believe that He will forgive them if I just ask Him. It is
too cheap." Morgan said, "My dear friend, have you been working today?" "Yes, I was down in
the mine." "How did you get out of the pit? Did you pay?" "Of course not. I just got into the
cage and was pulled to the top." "Were you not afraid to entrust yourself to that cage? Was it not too
cheap?" Morgan asked. "Oh no," said the miner, "it was cheap for me, but it cost the company
a lot of money to sink the shaft." Suddenly the truth struck him. What had not cost him anything -- salvation
-- had not come cheap to God. This miner had never thought of the great price God paid to send His Son so He could
rescue fallen humanity. Now he realized that all anyone had to do was to "get into the cage" by faith.
Salvation
The Gift of God
God Saved His Best For Last
In the late 1400s the great Italian artist and sculptor Michelangelo began his career. He finished the sculpture
"Madonna of the Stairs" and followed it with other classics such as "The Crucifixion," "David,"
"Madonna and Child," "Moses," and "Christ Bearing the Cross." However, it wasn't
until late in his life that Michelangelo completed what many believe to be his greatest masterpiece. He was almost
90 years old when he finished painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican in Rome. Painting from
a scaffold far above the floor, this elderly genius painted "The Last Judgment," "The Conversion
of Paul," "The Crucifixion of Peter," and "The Creation." It was Michelangelo's last work,
and arguably his greatest.
In one sense, God also saved His best for last. He thundered His Law to Moses, but it wasn't His last word. He
spoke mightily through the prophets, but His greatest revelation was still ahead: Jesus!
Salvation
The Gift Of God
Tetelestai
Greek word Tetelestai, which in our version of the Scripture is translated, "It is finished." Archaeologists
have repeatedly found its Latin equivalent, consummatum est, scrawled across tax receipts used in those days, indicating
it also meant "paid," A renowned Presbyterian professor has conjectured that many standing near the cross
probably interpreted the Savior's words as having that connotation. With sin's account settled, our debt of guilt
was indeed wiped out!
Salvation
The Gift Of God
The Long Walk
A woman missionary in the South Pacific Islands was explaining to a group of children the custom and significance
of giving gifts at Christmas. "Giving gifts," she said, "expresses love and reminds us of the perfect
gift of love we received from God: Jesus." Later that week, a young native boy came to the missionary's side
and said, "I love you and want you to have this." He pulled from a straw basket the most beautiful shell
the missionary had ever seen. As she admired its beauty, she recognized it as a special shell only found on the
far side of the island, a half day's walk from the village. When confronted by this, the boy smiled and said, "Long
walk part of gift!"
God "walked" 2000 years with his people before sending the gift of Jesus. And he has walked 2000 more
years expressing the significance of Him!