The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-02-12

The snsrd chapter of Revelations,
the twentieth verse, Behold, I stand
at the door. and knock; II AIRY man
hear my voice. and open the door,
will come In "a him. and will sup with
him, and he with me-"
In other words. IL 10 mp 70 you,
Behold, / stand At the door and
knock" That In 4 part OF the mes-
sage of Jesus. through the Holy Spirit
ana the Apostle John TO the back
siidden church.
There are many who enjoyed the
exalted privileges that are not ours
They had seen Jesus face to face and
heard him speak and caught the influ-
ence which came from Assoctattng
with him
Tney had heard him speak the
words, and disease would flee away
and the storm would st!ll. He showed
his pow or over djscaxe. death and
devils. and notwithstanding all that,
they had drifted into a comatose state
q iiritualiy, which occasioned the neces-
si,y for the present book. Of which my
Text IL a part
Notwithstanding there are many
things that are dtscouraging today,
see many signs that are encouraging
splendid sigma The missionary zeal
which Is sweeping throughout the
length and breadth Of the land. The
minds and hearts liz men and women
In ntaiona wherever they have been
immune TO appeals are now open, and
with outstretched arms they are look
ing across the mountains and tho
seas for us 10 come with the glad It'd
iugs Of the message OF salvation
through Jesus Christ.
Churches are arising and member
ships are increasing. and the religious
wave that started At the close of the
seventeenth century under the
preaching OF Wesley and Whitfield has
fsos yet lost its force Yet there seems
to be something lacking.
We are increased In goodHssss, IN
culture and wealth. and we seem to
he despised and forsaken. And l be-
iieve that Jesus Christ stands Mt the
door OF the church life, and there In
40 music and there is no ritual.
There is no progress In maferia!
matters that has a feathers weight
with God. We admit philosophy and
God would not rebuke. We admit
ethics and God would not say nay.
We admit education. society and these
things which are a literal part of our
nature and which God does not deny
ua. He wants us to enjoy them To the
fullest. but we compel Jesus Christ to
stay without
| II you'd iet him come In. out would
60 suspicion. backbIting, wrath, NAL
ice. lies, viiiilcation. Islander and all
that turns night into a troubled in
sornnia and the day into n mirage.
Your hopes are assassinated and your
am billions for noble things are electro
cuted. and there you stand. my friends.
grinnine skeleton. bearing upon you
an epttaph OF what you might have
been II you had only yielded to God
or his Influence surrounding you to
help you do his will
those who are shutting Jesus Christ
out OF their lives. There he stands
pleading. There you are. a careless
inhabitant, bolttng the door OF your
min and refusing Jesus Christ permits
sion TO enter
Religion In the win.
Religion 10 In your viii, not In your
handkerchief. not In the iachryimal
glands. You have got to do some
nose and say: Come TO Jesus"
| Religion isn't In your handkerchief
religion Ia Ia your will. II your will
Ia not in conformity to the revealed
will OF God. you are not Religious
| don't give y picayune who you are
where you are. whether you are d
hobo counting the ties over a division
or q niuiti-m,iIionaire. hitting the
town with \ Limousine. III your will is
for the pit.
Religion comes from tho Latin
word. 'religio." chris;'s way Of get.
ting back TO God. A sinner forfeits
his standing with God. the same al
a traitor forfeits his standing with the
government. Therefore. God will
never kne Ell In mercy w:;h IL sinner
unless he comes in through faith In
Jesus Therefore, Christ is gettins
the sinners back to God
So. II he wants to get back to God
he has TO come through faith tn Christ
mot philanthropy. not culture, which
are In themselves all right. commend
able. but they will never bring YOU
back to God. Christ Ia the sinner.
only way Of returning 10 the Lord.
Some say 1t Ii hard to get acauains-
cd with God. Wrong! Wrong. It ii
the easiest thing In the world II
God has never come into your life
II IL because you don't want HIM &c
come into your life.
How am I to know IL God comes
into my iife7 I will answer your
question by asking you one. II yot
knew that God wanted to come int
your life. are you decent enough *
let him? II you. knew that God want
cd you 10 20 10 heaven, are you mar
enough and woman enough TO do II
II you knew that God wanted you Il
pray. are you iecenr enough to do 1t
II you knew that God wanted yor
10 get up and walk down that aisle
and acknowledge your faith in Jesus
Christ, have you the grit to do III
II you knew he did. would you do II
You answer that question and I viii
go on with the argument.
I That crying out OF mans nature
for something that he does not pos
sess. by all the sweet memories Of
your childhood. by all you have fell
and all you have seen and hoped for
that which brings you here nigh
after night is God saying. Behold
stand at the door and knock. let ia.
come in"
Now. when we speak Of Christ al
the way, the truth. and the light ant
life. we speak OF the personal Christ
the Messiah. the one who has power
on earth today to forgive sins.
Over In Egypt not long ago. the,
dug UP mummy and when they un
wrapped il they found by the hero
glyphics that 1t was buried 14ot
years ago. Around that mumn,
were some kernels OF wheat The,
took those kernels OF wheat and
fecundated by the rays OF the sun anf
1sn L. ~ Z.