Arizona republican., 1903-12-14


i viii give you rest" What a thrilling
picture! The Son of God standing
with outstretched hands, streaming
with blood pleading with poor starving
| souls 20 come to him and live. In that
most beautiful parable of the lost
sheep. Christ's personal interest is
manifested even more strongly if pcs
| sible. He is represented as the tender
| shepherd going out On the mountain
side searching for the sheep that IS
J lost; and when he finds him, he does
not beat him, but puts him on his
shoulder and tenderly carries him back
! TO the fold. oh that every unsaVed
soul here tonight could understand
the attitude the Christ sustains to him!
| He knows you, Yes he loves you, and
is anxious to save you now. DO you
not hear the gentle knock at the door
of your heart?
If this is the attitude that Christ
sustains tc the sinner. why are all not
saved. 1t is because we reject him
We say, as Feliy did, go thy way for
this time and at a more convenient
time, / viii call for thee" No doubt
there are persons in this audience who
nave rejected Christ thousand times
In their lives. Do You not remember
times, when you We're but q child. that
he sought your hearts. Probably, il
was while the faithful Sunday school
teacher told you in mOnosyllables. the
simple story Of ms life ana death: or.
II may have been way back in the
east. while kneeliEg by the old arm
chair with mothers hand upon your
little head, that the Divine spirit came
TO your tender heart for the first time
/ Since then. day after day and year
after year you have been rejecting
your Lord. At different times, ne has
fingered at our chamber door entreat-
ing you to let him in: but you have
slammed the door in his face, and turn
ed the heavenly guest away. chat Is
The reason, and the only reason. thai
ycu are not saves
While Christ is Interested in our sal
vaticu. there are some things that we
must DO. He win not force himself
ugOn US, but on the other hand h must
De welcomed into our lives The text
says, III any man hears my voice, and
will open the door. l viii come into
him" You must open the door and
ask him in This phrase "open the
door" is very significant. 1t means an
interest on the part of the individual:
Yea, an intense anxiety to be saved:
and ii, also, implies possession. In
ether words. the Lord Will not come in
to the heart unless he can have fun
possession OF it, The heart is repre-
scented as a house i'm which the Lord
dwtlls. lie wiz not live I'm the same
house with the devil. Christ knocks
and comes i'm at the front door. and thu
devil must go out at the back. You
cannot have Christ and hold on to your
sins. 'and the one great reason why
people are not saved Is because they
are not willing to give up their sins.
DO not mean To give UP one, or Il part.
hut every sin. Sin is q, murderer. Tie
| hcrrid monster is robbing mothers Of
| their boys. fathers Of their daughters.
wives Of their husbands and God OF his
children. He Is depopulating heaven
and thT5nging helt Oh, young friend
give up your sins, and come to Christ
~ win come into you" That God and
Christ win come into the heart. and
VIII dwell in the life, is one OF. If not
the n-st comforting doctrine Of the
Bible.
Finally. 81 will sup with you, and
you' may sup with me-" means that
he will be our friend and life compan-
ion, sharing with rs our sorrows and
our joys. Also. We are permitted to
share with him heavenly joy No one
doubts that we partake. here, Of the
great joy Of the Christ life: and the
soul thrilling hope is that of entering
the UnboUnded and fathomless joy OF
the fuller life with our risen Lord: But
have we stopped to think of the priv
ilege Of bearing some small part Of the |
worlds great sorrow with him. Let the |
sentiment Of the immortal lines dwell !
in our memory:
Must Jesus bear the cross alone,
And all the world sc free?
M there is a cross for every one.
And there is a cross for me.