#6
Born to Live Forever
The Secret of Immortality

Now, Harry Orchard carried the name “Dynamite-killer” for a good reason. He had killed 21 men, 14 in one dynamite killing when he blew up a train loaded with miners just getting off the night shift.

He was a “hired gun” – a “hit man” – willing to kill anyone, any place, any time, for the right price. The newspaper in Boise, Idaho in the United States gave this description of Harry: “The face of the man suggests cruelty, cunning, and contempt for everything that appeals to the ordinary person. The eyes being of that shifting character that suggests an evil nature. He is the devil incarnate.”

He was hired by corrupt labor unions determined to kill anyone who blocked them from having their own way. The biggest “hit” was governor Frank Steunenberg, who had stood in their way when he was governor of the State of Idaho.

It happened one night in December. Harry Orchard was playing cards in the Saratoga Hotel when he saw his chance. Right there in the hotel lobby he spotted Governor Steunenberg, visiting with some friends, preparing to leave for home. Orchard hurried upstairs to his room, picked up the dynamite bomb, wrapped it in a newspaper, tucked it under his arm, and dashed out to his car.

At the Steunenberg home he quickly wired the bomb to the gate and sneaked away in the darkness. Moments later, as the Governor arrived home, there was a terrific explosion.

As Governor Steunenberg’s blood poured out on the snow, his wife and children – stunned – rushed out to find their husband and father dying. Minutes later the fatal surprise rocked Caldwell, Idaho: Frank Steunenberg, known to all and loved by most, had been assassinated!

When Harry Orchard was caught, he admitted his crime. He was tried, convicted and sentenced to die for his terrible deed.

Now the story turns to Mrs. Steunenberg – the woman whose husband had been so brutally killed. She had every reason to hate this man who had killed her husband – didn’t she? But she was a Christian. What should a Christian do to his or her enemies?

I’m sure it wasn’t easy for her. But instead of holding a grudge against Harry Orchard – instead of trying to get even in some way – do you know what Mrs. Steunenberg did? She sent him a message expressing forgiveness and with it a little book titled, Steps to Christ. The guard came down and told Harry, “Here’s a package from the wife of the man you murdered.” Frightened, thinking it might be a bomb to get revenge, he was so terrified he didn’t want to open it. When he finally did and saw the title, Steps to Christ, he threw it down with a curse. He hadn’t heard or used the name of Christ for years – except in swearing.

To make a long story short, the thought of Mrs. Steunenberg’s kindness and forgiveness was too much for even this hardened murderer.

Eventually, he picked up the book and began to read. It was a message of God’s love and forgiveness. His hardened heart was strangely warmed.

He began to read the Bible. As Harry Orchard read, he thought about the spirit of forgiveness that widow of the victim had shown. His heart was strangely softened.

Harry discovered in a book that he had ridiculed for years – the Bible – that there was good news. He found as he read the Bible that there was hope and forgiveness for him, and for every other sinner on earth! Romans 6:23 caught his attention:

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

He knew that he deserved death. Now he learned that God wanted to give him eternal life in spite of the sins that he had done.

Harry, on death row, made an amazing discovery: every person in the world is on death row! The Bible says,

<Romans 3:23>
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

<Romans 3:10-12>
“...There is none righteous, no, not one. There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God...There is none who does good, no, not one.”

If that sounds like bad news, it gets worse:

<Romans 6:23>
“For the wages of sin is death...”

Harry knew well enough why he had to die for his crime. Made perfect sense. But it was so frightening – to face eternity with this judgment of condemnation hanging over him because of his sins. It was enough to make a person despair!

And then he kept on reading the rest of the passage:

<Romans 6:23>
“...but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Could it be true? For me? The further he searched in the Bible, the better it got. A glimmer of hope began to break through.

<Ephesians 2:8, 9>
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

The bad news was turning into good news!

But, don’t think when a person begins to turn to Christ it gets easy! Harry Orchard was tortured with thoughts he’d gone too far.

“Surely, I’m beyond God’s forgiveness. There’s no hope for me. God couldn’t possibly forgive a murderer.” He was afraid. Fearing there was no hope for him. Almost ready to give up any thought of forgiveness.

Yet something kept him hanging on, reading about God’s great love for His wayward children. “Could it be true? Jesus took the penalty for my sin, too? And for everyone who ever lived or ever would live?”

Imagine what Harry thought when one day Mrs. Steunenberg herself visited him in prison. Personally. She told him, “Harry, I forgive you because I am a Christian. But I want to invite you to give your heart to Christ.” Incredible, forgiving love from a heart-broken widow to this cold-blooded murderer of a husband and father!

Harry Orchard came to the conclusion that all he could do was cast himself at the feet of Jesus and ask for mercy and forgiveness and eternal life. By faith he accepted Jesus as his Savior. Orchard’s conversion was so genuine and so deep...

He was baptized into Jesus Christ and joined Mrs. Steunenberg’s church family. And then, because he agreed to testify against those who had been his partners in crime, his sentence was changed from death to life in prison.

Fast forward fifty years. Until he died, he was a model prisoner. He became such a positive witness for his faith he led several prisoners to accept Jesus as their Savior, too. In fact, many a man waiting on death’s row refused the visit of a chaplain. But they’d ask for Harry Orchard to come pray for them. After more than fifty years in prison he said,

“Iron bars and prison walls have kept my body captive, but my soul has long been free!”

Quite a story! But you know what, ladies and gentlemen? There’s no doubt about it, we have all sinned. We’re all damaged goods!

“Hey,” someone says, “I’m pretty good. Compared to Orchard I hardly ever sin. I might make a few little mistakes, but no biggies.” But wait a minute – do the math. Say I’m pretty good: 10 sins a day. (No, just 5....)…three sinful acts each day, we are guilty of 1,095 sins each year.

If you multiply that by your age you will be shocked. 1000 x 70 = 70,000 sins! You’ve got a major sin problem! (Big as a New York City telephone directory.) We need help! Big time. When I first saw this, I was depressed. But then I learned how to have peace of mind. And you can have it, too. Four simple steps...

#1: God loves me. Wants to give me eternal life.

#2: I am sinful and the wages of sin is death.

Now, if a person has a deadly disease and never admits his problem or seeks medical help, he’ll die. And, that’s precisely the fate of the sinner who doesn’t recognize his spiritual condition and fails to seek help. Why? Because sin is more serious than most realize. So, I have to realize I have a problem. Like Harry Orchard. The Bible says:

<Isaiah 59:2>
“But your iniquities (sins) have separated you from your God.”

You see, God is life. And for me, to be separated from God is to die – eternally.

When Adam and Eve sinned, they separated themselves from God. They began to die. That’s what sin does. But not just Adam and Eve. We all are under the sentence of death. But God’s love doesn’t just tell me I’m going to die without giving me some hope! There’s “Good News.” Harry Orchard discovered #3:

#3:
<Romans 6:23>
“The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Salvation is a gift we don’t deserve. You can’t earn it, you can’t buy it.

Because you can’t put God under obligation to you – by your own good works. Now every religion outside of true Christianity teaches that you receive forgiveness and eternal life by doing good deeds.

In India, long-bearded men clad in scanty loincloths sit on beds of spikes, believing that by torturing their bodies they can earn God’s favor. People beat and bruise their bodies with whips and chains.

Some people walk bare-footed on white-hot coals, like the fire-walkers in Fiji, while others place skewers like bicycle spokes with sharp points in their skin – all seeking favor of their gods by unusual acts of physical abuse.

Buddhists believe they gain merit for a future life by building pagodas or feeding the holy men, and for Moslems, there’s no greater joy or better way of earning favor with God than a pilgrimage to Mecca or dying in defense of Islam.

But many Christians unwittingly do the same thing. They attend church, give offerings, follow the Golden Rule – thinking they earn favor with God and thus deserve eternal life. But, is that possible?

Can we through good works bribe God to grant forgiveness and eternal life? Do we earn salvation, or win it – as one does an Olympic Gold Medal? Is heaven a reward for being good? Or, self discipline. Listen to Ephesians 2:8-9:

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

It’s a gift! If I could earn salvation it would not be a gift.

Suppose your employer handed you an envelope and said he had a gift for you. If you discover your paycheck for the past two weeks inside, would that be a gift? NOT IF YOU HAD EARNED IT!

But now, why would the mighty God who rules the universe be concerned about people on a sin-sick planet out on the edge of space? Why didn’t He just abandon rebellious sinners and leave us to suffer the consequences of sin? The answer is found in three words:

<1 John 4:16>
“God is love.”

That means He will never give up on us. He will do whatever He can to save us.

In the country of Turkey, in 1993, a father took his son, Ahman, to school. Ahman’s father told him he would come back to help him safely home. He assured his son that he would always be there for him As he was on his way back to his house on the other side of town, there was a terrible earthquake. Ahman’s father’s heart was filled with fear as he rushed to where the school had stood only to find that it was totally demolished. He remembered about where Ahman’s classroom was and he ran to that spot. There was no sign of life, but driven by his love for his son he began to dig. Other parents were in the area crying out in shrieks of grief. They said, “No you must leave them alone, they’re all dead, they’re all dead!” But Ahman’s father said “Come and help me.” “I told my son Ahman that I would always be there for him.” And he dug and dug alone with his bare hands.

Hours passed and the fire department came. The school site was a very dangerous spot as gas mains were exploding nearby. They told Ahman’s father that he must leave. But he kept on digging. People passing by said that he was crazy. “You must stop this foolish digging.” He said,
“No, come and help me. I promised my son Ahman that I’d always be there for him. You must help me. Please help me!”

He continued to dig. His hands were bloodied, but still he dug. He dug a large cavity in the debris. Still more hours passed; 12 hours; 15 hours; then it was 24 hours. Policemen came. They were going to arrest him. But he said, “I must dig. My son Ahman is here. I told him I would always be here for him. Won’t you come help me dig?” And they told him, “Go ahead and dig, you crazy man.” Twenty eight hours, then thirty hours, and Ahman’s father continued to dig. At thirty two hours digging in a large hole, he pulled a stone aside and found a small cavity under it. He cried out, “Ahman, Ahman, Ahman,” and his heart skipped a beat as he heard a tiny voice, “Daddy, daddy!” Ahman and several of his little schoolmates had hunkered down in this little cavity and they were still alive.

Ahman threw his arms around his daddy’s neck and said, “Daddy, I knew you would come for me. I told my friends you’d always be there for me.”

Friends, our heavenly Father is always there for us and Jesus, his Son, came down to this damaged world on a rescue mission to hunt for us, “to seek and save that which was lost,” buried in sin. Tonight, He holds his bloodied hands out to you, He wants you to come to Him now, to make that special decision to accept Christ tonight, to allow Him to rescue you!

Never has God considered abandoning us! Never has He considered leaving us to perish and suffer the consequences of our rebellion. The Bible says,

<2 Peter 3:9>
“The Lord is...longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

Regardless of how good or bad you are, God loves you and wants to save you. He is not willing that you should perish.

<Romans 5:8>
“But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Now here’s a theological question for you. How can it be that God, who is sinned against can punish sin and yet forgive us, not counting our sins against us?

Admittedly, we have all sinned. We have all rebelled against God and broken His law.

Earthly governments cannot survive if they tolerate lawlessness. Violators must be punished. But violating God’s law is far more serious because sin separates us from God – the One who created us and the only One who can help and save us!

You see, there’s a problem here: even though God is a God of everlasting love, He is also a God of justice and law. He described Himself to Moses on Mt. Sinai:

<Exodus 34:6, 7>
“...the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished...”

So God has a dilemma. He is loving and merciful. But at the same time He’s also a God of perfect law and justice. “He will by no means clear the guilty,” the KJV says. Nobody gets off the hook. So here’s the $64,000 question: How can these two seeming opposites be reconciled? God loves us and wants to give everyone eternal life. But His justice and His law demand that He punish law-breakers. “The wages of sin is death.”

Is there no solution? No way out? Thank God, there is a way out! A loving God found a way to save us and still be just. He found a perfect substitute to die in our place, pay the penalty for our sins, then crediting His righteousness to us so that we could live. John, the beloved disciple explains it this way:

<John 3:16>
“God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Jesus came to our sewer cesspool world to live as a man, face the same problems and temptations that every human has faced. He proved by His perfect life of obedience that there is no excuse for sin. But then, as the one sinless representative of the human race, Christ voluntarily took upon Himself the guilt of every person who would ever live, and died on their behalf. Paid the penalty for our sin. Your sin. My sin. Paul wrote,

<Romans 5:19>
“For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.”

Jesus’ death wasn’t to appease an angry God, as Martin Luther, the father of the Protestant Reformation and the Lutheran Church first thought. By studying his Bible, Luther learned that Jesus willingly offered to die to save us from our sins. And God loved us so much He was willing to allow His only Son to be sacrificed in our place as a ransom. That’s how much salvation cost heaven! Jesus was the sacrificial Lamb of God!

Back in the Old Testament, when God was leading His people, Israel, out of Egypt, He gave them a dramatic kindergarten illustration of the plan of salvation. Sin means death. Fifteen centuries before Jesus came to die, God called man’s attention to faith in a future Calvary, where the true Lamb would be sacrificed for the sins of all mankind.

So, the sinner came, bringing a sacrificial animal, to participate in a dramatic and shocking dramatization of Calvary. He placed his hand on the head of the animal and confessed his sin. He then took a knife and killed it, symbolizing that his sins would one day cause the death of Jesus, who’d come to die as the sacrificial Lamb. It was a bloody ceremony. In vivid 3-D Technicolor burning into their minds “the wages of sin is very serious.”

After sacrificing that little lamb, the sinner would fall on his knees and say, “My God! What have I done? This is what my sins on Calvary’s cross will do to Jesus, the Lamb some day!”

Their sacrifices showed faith in the coming death of Jesus, the true Lamb of God who would die in our place as our substitute.

<John 1:29>
“Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”

How ironic that the very men Jesus came to save plotted to take His life! Jesus – totally innocent – was beaten, mocked, and then crucified – the cruelest form of execution ever devised, reserved for the worst of criminals. The One…

<1 Peter 2:22> (KJV)
“Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth”

…died on an instrument of torture!

Dying our death! Taking upon Himself my sins. So identifying with sinners He was crucified between two thieves! And as God placed upon Him the sins of the whole world, He cried out,

<Matthew 27:46>
“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

He felt the terrible knife sin brings – separation from God. Jesus couldn’t bear the agony of separation from the Father. It wasn’t the nails that killed Him. He died from our sins. A broken heart. The crowd shouted,

<Matthew 27:42>
“He saved others; Himself He cannot save...”

How true that was! He could not save Himself and still save others.

But God’s love couldn’t be satisfied until He restored mankind to God’s family. God loves us so much that He gave His own Son to die in our place, as our substitute.

By paying the price Himself, God can give us credit for what Christ did. He has our sins charged to Jesus’ account; make Him die to pay our debt. And then God turns around and credits us with the perfect life Jesus lived. Amazing grace, isn’t it? Paul, the apostle said:

<Ephesians 2:8>
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith...”

Now, how does this “faith” in Jesus work?”

That’s what the Philippian jailer wanted to know. What must I do? How do I get salvation?
Receiving salvation is really so simple, yet many make it difficult and complicated. Paul answered,

<Acts 16:31>
“...Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved...”

But listen! There are different kinds of belief. In the Bible, there are three different kinds of faith. You’ve got to have the right kind.

First, there is “intellectual” faith. Brain power. I.Q. But Agreeing in your mind that Christ lived on earth is not enough. I hold here a 10,000 Kwacha bill. Been used many times; it’s genuine. You have intellectual faith. (You believe in its existence. Its reality. Its worth.) Now it’s the same with Jesus. Most of the world intellectually believes in Jesus Christ. His existence. His reality – He was a historical Person. His worth: He did good things. They have “Intellectual Faith” in the historical fact Jesus lived and died.

But mentally saying in your brain, “Okay, Jesus lived on earth 2000 years ago,” is not enough. That’s not saving faith. Intellectual faith “believing in” this 10,000 Kwacha bill doesn’t make it yours. The Bible says,

<James 2:19>
“...the devils also believe, and tremble.”

But intellectual faith won’t save the devil, you see. It takes more than intellectual faith. (Belief in your mind.)

Second, there’s another kind of faith. TEMPORAL. You know what 10,000 Kwacha will buy. Temporal, physical, material, tangible “STUFF!” What it can accomplish. Many people know Jesus came; they know why He came; they believe He is the answer to the sin problem. Believe in what He accomplished. So they even go to church. Do good things. “Temporal STUFF!” But Temporal faith won’t save you either. (Temporal faith by itself is just plain legalism!) Being good won’t save you.

You see, there’s a 3rd kind of faith: ACCEPTING FAITH. Now this gets very personal. This is where I reach out, pick up this 10,000 Kwacha, trust it, and accept it for myself.

Now if I would say I’m going to give this 10,000 Kwacha to the first person...Would just reaching out my hand to offer it make it yours? No. What makes it yours? Who wants it? C’mon! First one who comes up and takes it, can have it! [GIVE IT AWAY]

Q: How many believe it was a good 10,000 Kwacha bill? (Intellectual)
Q: How many believed I’d give it away? (Temporal)
Q: How many know this 10,000 Kwacha is yours now? (Accepting)

There’s a different kind of “Accepting Faith” involved here. And it makes all the difference in the world! Have you personally reached out and accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior? Invited Him in to forgive your sins? Personally accepted His free gift of salvation so you know you have eternal life!

The Guinness Book of Records tells a most remarkable story of the right kind of faith and trust. The greatest 19th Century tightrope walker was Francis Gravelet – alias Charles Blandin (1824 - 1897) of France.

He was the first human being to cross Niagara Falls on a 3 inch rope, 1,100 feet long, 160 feet above the Falls, on June 30, 1859. He pushed a wheelbarrow across. Stopped and ate his lunch halfway. Amazing.

One day after Blandin had crossed the Falls, a young spectator shouted, “Mr. Blandin, why don’t you carry someone across on your back? You’ve sat on a stool out there in the middle of the Falls and eaten your lunch, why don’t you take someone piggyback across the Falls?

“Well,” replied Blandin, “do you really believe that I could do that, young man?”

“Yes, I’m sure you could,” was the answer.

“Well,” Blandin called back, “come on up and I’ll try it.”

The young man quickly disappeared in the crowd! His belief in Blandin was just talk!

One year later on June 30, 1860, Blandin returned to Niagara Falls and did carry his agent, Harry Colcord, piggyback across the Falls! What made the difference? Accepting faith. Why did Colcord do it? He not only had intellectual and temporal belief in Blandin, he trusted him with his whole life! That is real faith! Real belief! Real trust! Putting your full weight on some thing. Accepting.

[CHAIR ILLUST.: You put your whole weight on it!]

The Bible says,

<Proverbs 3:5-6>
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

The question tonight is, “Do you really trust Him?”

Are you willing to put your full weight on Him and let Him control your whole life? Saving faith means you take vows like a marriage and you say, “I do.”

You say, “Okay, Jesus! I personally trust you. I receive You. I accept You as the full and complete atonement for every sin I’ve ever personally committed. From now on it’s not what I can do that saves me, but what Christ did on Calvary. I can’t save myself. I put my whole weight on You! Trusting God completely. Take control of my life.”

But listen carefully! There’s one more step. Many people are happy to say they accept Christ as their Savior, but they don’t really want to accept Him as their Lord, too. There is a difference. Billy Graham says that means “He’s Boss!” He’s Number One. We give Him complete control of our lives, to change us. Willing to do whatever He asks in His Word. We completely trust Him by putting Him first in our life and plans.

Just like I gave away 10,000 Kwacha. Can that person pay me for it? No! If a friend gives you a birthday present, do you try to pay him for the gift? Of course not! (It would cease to be a gift!) You graciously accept it! Jesus offers you His free forgiveness and righteousness and eternal life and salvation as a free gift of love. Even if you wanted to, you could not pay for it. And then, to boot, He promises to fill your life with power to change you and give you victory over your sins and weaknesses. Can you beat that? Sound too good to be true? But it is true. It’s what salvation is all about. ACCEPTING FAITH. All you can do is reach out in faith and graciously accept His gift. Friend, it is as real as lifting your heart to heaven and praying this prayer right now:

“God, I recognize that I am a sinner and I need help. Intellectually I know that Jesus was a real person. Temporally I believe He died the death that I deserve. In my place. But now I choose to personally accept – to reach out and receive Jesus as my Savior and Lord. I am sorry for the sins I have done. Please forgive every sin I have ever committed. I’m inviting You right now to come into my heart and take complete control of my life. I invite You in, Jesus. Come into my heart and help me live for You. Thank You for giving me your gift of eternal life in exchange for my sins, in Jesus name, Amen.” When you pray that prayer sincerely in faith, at that moment God gives you the gift of eternal life.

<1 John 5:11-13>
“And this is the record that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son; He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe (put your whole weight on) on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that you have eternal life...”

What this means is if you have Jesus then you have eternal life. So tonight, wherever you’re listening, Jesus extends a personal invitation to everyone,

<John 3:16>
“...whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Wouldn’t you like to receive that free gift of eternal life which Jesus left heaven and died on a cross to give you? Would you like to ask Him into your life? The good news is you can! Right now!

Even if you feel you are a hopeless sinner! God can turn the most impossible situation into victory. Like the thief on the cross, no sin is too great. If you invite Him into your life right now, Jesus promises,

<Luke 23:43>
“...you will be with Me in Paradise.”

Jesus is here in this meeting at this very moment! Ready to take your sins in exchange for His gift of eternal life and salvation! All together, tonight I want to invite you to pray the sinner’s prayer that the dying thief discovered long ago; and that Harry Orchard discovered.

Review with me the Good News tonight:
1. Eternal Life is a free gift.
2. If I accept Jesus as my Savior and Lord by faith, repent and confess my sins, I have eternal life!

In Revelation 3:20, Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door of your heart and knock.” He is knocking…He is listening right now, and waiting. There’s an artist who painted a picture of Jesus standing at the heart’s door knocking. But if you’ll look closely you will see there’s no door handle. Because you see, Jesus is a gentleman. He never forces you to open your life to Him. The choice is up to you. We must open the door. Invite Him in. He promises He’ll gladly come in. Wash your heart clean, forgive your sins, give you power to help you live a new life.

Friend, just now, I invite you tonight to open that door. Ask Him to come in. When you do, you’re born again! Invite Jesus to come in. Say: “Jesus, come in!” I invite you to bow your head and pray just a few short sentences with me, inviting Jesus into your heart. Like wedding vows. I invite you to repeat our vows, while we pray the sinner’s prayer:

Lord Jesus, I recognize I’m a sinner and can’t save myself.
I don’t deserve eternal life. I need Your help.
So, I accept Jesus as my Savior and Lord.
Come into my heart right now
And wash away my sins.
Take complete control of my life.
Help me now as I walk the Christian way.
Thank You, in Jesus Name.”