Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1922-03-10
breaches ON THE "pOOREsr
PERSON IN PETERSBURG

petersburg, Va, March 5.-"The
POOREST Person II n"tersburg" was
the subject &c DR.. w. blarshall Crair,s
sermon last night Mt the First Ban
list Church, when lie preached to y
packed church.
lie took his text from LUX. xn.
2O-21, "But God said unto him. mo +,
fool, this night thy soul shall be re-
CURED of thee: then whose ,on,l
things be which thou hast provided !:
SO is he that laycth treasure for
himself and is not rich toward God .
THE text really makes ME shuu-
: der" said Mr.. Craig in beginning his
sermon. "What is sadder than the
sight of man living in the thought
of his own selfsufliciency and not
thought of God. When he is con-
sidering everything else except the
condition of the soul.
"Thc soul, which is divine in its
origin, great in its powers and in
estimable in its value. When the soul
is gone, all is gone. When COD re
iuiies that He requires all.
The man referred to in the text
takes sweeping look at his goods
and smiles t the thought of his
| abundant wealth. He even pians
what he is going to do in the Y rs
to come. He has much goods laidup,
SO he will eat, drink and be merry.
But suddenly God speaks and his
plans are shattered. God often speaks
to us in order to Illustrate our plans.
a few minutes ago this man was
rich as the world counts riches, but
now | see him poverty stricken.
"ln these times Of depression per
haps many have said, The subject
applies to me- The mind is on the
dollar mark. If man has no panit
account he may be thought of as be-
ing poor; the man who has no ~. ,
or clothes or home may be recog !!
nized as one OF limited means, but
such person is not necessarily tho
poorest person in town. A man MAY
have abundant riches, home of fin
cry and business which is growing
larger with each passing day, but
with all that he may be moor.
"The poorest person is the one wn ,
has not made the proper provision
for his soul. The one who has lett
God and Christ out of his plans.
That man who has not. surrendered
to Jesus. The soul that has acknowl-
edged Christ as his Savior is rich
because of what he has inherited.
The father owns all. The cattle on a
thousand hills, the earth and the
fnllness thereof, the world and they
that dwell therein. Such riches as
we inherit by becoming q follower
of the Master are riches that can
not be swept away with the rising
tides or the boisterous winds. 1t Is
surprisingly strange, all but mex.
.plainable, that so often we urge peo-
Pie to accept these riches of grace,
but they constantly fight the impulse
to do the right thing, and seem to
prefer remaining poor. The riches of
heaven may be obtained by surren-
der OF self. by trusting. by repent
ing, by being willing to be led of the
Spirit.
mo matter how poor or rich from
the worlds viewpoint, God always
hears the earnest cry of the sinner.
A life saver nj Newport, R. 1. was
asked how he could tell when one
was in need Of help when there were
so many thousands bathing. He re.
piled: No matter how great the
noise or confusion, can always dis.
tinguish the cry of one in distress.
It is different from any other cry
The Master is ever able to distin
guish the cry of one calling for help
or the one who is agonizing under
the load of sin. The cry of the sin
ner is different from any other cry. j
at sometimes takes the poverty
of Garth to make US appreciate tho
durability and the joy found in tn.
riches of heaven. The gospel rightly
accepted makes us all unspcakably
wealthy. This story of Jesus who
died upon Calvary's Cross is the story
the world needs.p