The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-02-12
Behold | Stand at the Door
Sermon Preached by Rev Billy Sunday at City Auditorium
Night Of February IL

mummy TOR y.<oo years. they hadn't
lost their power OF productivenesa-
When they came In contact with their
and the rain. they terminated and
came forth.
These words ca<,e from the lirs Of
Jesus Christ two thousand years ago
and they have yet the power to make
thief steal no more, to make q
bfasphemer pray. to make a Nber-
tine pure, to make q curxing man into
a respectable citizen. TO make q man
who beats his wife and dAnns her
into n respectable man.
They have the power to do that yet
and they will never lose that power,
He said. behold. stand at tbs
door and knock" The Christian re-
ligton Is not a dogma. II 10 not q
doctrine. 1t isn't n creed, Oh. i, CEN
ters about personal Christ
can preach Buddhism without old
Buddha~ l can preach Confucianisn,
without old Confucius I can preach
Mohammedanism without old Mo-
manned. Never mind what old
Buddha might have been. There is
line Of teaching and IL you follow
that you are n Buddhist There Is =
line of teaching and IL you follow that
one, you are Confucianist. There Is
line of teaching and II you follow
that YOU are Mohammedan. But
you can't preach Christ without
Jeaks, Christ
Can't Prsach without Christ
can preach Buddhism without old
Buddha. j can preach Professionalism
without old Zoroastsr. j can preach
Mohammedanism without Moham-
med, but / can't preach Christianity
without Jesus Chrisf-no. sir! no,
ma am!
Without the life of Jesus Christ,
there Is no perfect teacher. With
out the death of Jesus Christ, there
is no atonenent for sin. And with
out the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
I have staked my salvation on a dea d
Jew sleeping in the tomb of Joseph
OF Arrnsthea. But in Jesus Christ,
have my way. my truth. my life made
clear.
Ee says. Behold. / stand at the
door and knock. and II you viii let
me come in. / will change the foun-
tains Of your life. Where 1t is bitter,
/ will make II sweet. Where 1t liz
dark. j will make II light And
| through you. / will reveal to the
world what REAL true religion is"
The service that God wanta, my
friends, Is service to humanity In the
| name Of Jesus Christ. That's wha,
God wants. Oh. but q fellow says
Il serve God What do you do? u
go to church." so does the devil and
he beats you there every day, too
] They never opened the door nor rang
the bell that the devil wasn't Johnny
on-the spot
You say. 81 pray" SO does every.
not prayed, you will pray. unless God
knocks you down so quick you
haven't time to draw your breath.
! When the Titanic went down there
was a raft scheduled to carry two
hundred people and Col. Darcy. whe
was on II said there were thirty some
odd on 1t. and the weight Of theil
bodies pressed them down into the
water up to their arms pits. There
the cold water. He said every mar
prayed. Some of them hadn't prayed
prayer since they knelt at theil
mothers knee. and the only prayer
they could remember was. Now
lay me down to sleep.
| The tncongruity Of praying ''Now
lay me down to sleep" while stand
Ing In Ice water up to your arms
They prayed. They praycdi
| Read your Bihle7 Yes, when 20,
are sick. A body will then. Suppos
ing q man works for farmer. Wher
| he ought to be out in the aold a
| work. he 10 seated at . table shovelint
grub down his esophogus.
The farmer says to him. When d.
You feel that you are goinx to 20 gu
to work.
He said. Don't I praise you,
+ wife's cooking? Don't eat n mucl
as any man you ever had on you
| farm? Don't l sleep In the bed pro
! yfdaaY nnftff ush
me for the meais7 What moro d,
you want7''
| The farmer said, II don't hire 20,
and agree to pay you so many dol
lars month and feed you thrc,
meals q day for you to enjoy your
self. i expect you to go out In HI
field to work and pay me back /,
other words. I want some return 70
what i arm doing for ou."
! Oh. you say, We understand tina
in these material Matters. Ans
don't you know that the church o
Jesus Christ has been hundred
mon sense lesson in religious things
They think they are serving God be
cause they take take two meals OF
Sunday and cold lunch on Thursda,
night In pray meeting
They got up on Sunday morning
when the bell happens to ring ans
you ask them to pray, they win com
back at you: Aren't you satisfied
Don't i go to church Sunday morn
ing? Don't put a little money In tn,
collection plate?''
Yes. but that's all under Heavel
a lot OF you do. That's The extern
of your religion. You don't go an,
further"
Then a lot OF people outside say
well, all / see in your religion 4
going to church and keeping out o
mischief"
! You have got big gang her
that don't even do that. Then TIN
man outside will say. IF you dom
get any more out OF it than that
don't want 1t. If what you have 60
Is religion. ! don't want It."
There you are breeding infidels.
They say OF King Creosus that h
had deaf and dumb son. One da.
an enemy slipped up behind tn
king. The boy. happening to sec tn
lenemy and seeing the imminence o
the danger, was 70 overpowtred tina
he broke every barrier and impedt
ment in his speech and cried on,
i Don't STAY the king."
Up in Vermont last summer.
Touring car ran into an engine
Around the curve came n fast trail
nd fy~t.