Living Memorials — Don Courville

It passed when all the people had completely crossed over the Jordan that the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying, Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from every tribe, and command them, saying, Take for yourselves twelve stones from here, out of the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priest's feet stood firm.

You shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place where you lodged tonight. Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the children of Israel, one man for every tribe.

And Joshua said to them, Cross over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan. Each one of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, that this may be a sign among you, when your children ask in time to come, saying, What do these stones mean to you?

Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off, and these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.

And the children of Israel did so, just as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, as the Lord had commanded to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel.

And carried them over with them to the place where they lodged, and laid them down there. Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests who bore the ark of the covenant stood, and they are there to this day.

So the priest who bore the ark stood in the middle of the Jordan until everything was finished that the Lord had commanded Joshua to speak to the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua.

And the people hurried and crossed over. Then it came to pass, when all the people had completely crossed over, that the ark of the Lord and the priests crossed over in the presence of the people. And the men of Reuben, the men of Gad, and the half the tribe of Manasseh crossed over, armed before the children of Israel, as Moses had spoken to them.

About forty thousand, prepared for war, crossed over before the Lord for battle to the plains of Jericho. By the way, these men didn't have their families to lug them down. They left the families with the flocks behind on the other side, so they were able to fight freely.

And on that day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they feared him as they had feared Moses all the days of his life. Then the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying, Command the priest who bear the ark of the testimony to come up from the Jordan.

Joshua therefore commanded the priest, saying, Come up from the Jordan. And it came to pass, when the priest who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord had come up from the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priest's feet touched the dry land, that the waters of the Jordan returned to their place, and overflowed all its banks as before.

Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they came in Gilgal on the east border of Jericho. And those twelve stones which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal.

Then he spoke to the children of Israel, saying, When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What are these stones? Then you shall let your children know, saying, Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry land.

For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you, until you had crossed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up before us, until we had crossed over. That all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty that you may fear the Lord your God forever.

Let's pray. Father, we just ask you to open up your word to us now, that we would learn some things there that we maybe haven't seen before, in Jesus' name we pray, amen. I spent quite a bit of time studying on the root of the word memorial, the definition of it means to remember, it's just a reminder, to remember, memorial is there to remember.

I studied out a couple of different words on that through the whole Bible, really interesting. There's a lot of memorials in the Bible, especially the Old Testament, they had all kinds of things to remind them, the Passover feast, which we're fixing to celebrate next month at Easter time is actually the Passover, they had all these things.

I was thinking of one passage in Ecclesiastes, you remember the city that was surrounded by the enemy, Ecclesiastes 9 verse 13, Solomon said this wisdom I have seen under the sun and it seemed great to me, there was a little city with few men in it and a great king came against it, besieged it and built great snares around it, now there was found in it a poor wise man and he by his wisdom delivered this city, yet no one remembered that same poor man, no one remembered that same poor man.

You remember when Jesus was on the way to the cross and Mary came and anointed his feet with the ointment and everybody began to rebuke her and Jesus said let her alone, what she's done is going to stand as a memorial for all generations, that's in Matthew 26 verse 13, this is going to be a memorial and we haven't forgot it, memorials are important, we have memorials in our capital in Washington to remind us, we have statues of Lincoln and Washington and Jefferson and different ones to remind us of these men and what they stand for and what happened, so memorials are not bad, they're very good.

I think if there's one thing clear from God's word, it's this, in relation to this passage and what we're going to learn, it's this, that God doesn't want us to forget him. The stones were so they would not forget, they would not forget his power, they would not forget his plans, his purpose, that they would not forget his presence.

So when they were down the road, two, three, four hundred years later, five hundred, and they come walking by and the kid says, hey dad, what's that pile of stones? Well, his dad had told him what it meant and his dad had told him and his dad had told him and his dad had told him and he says, well here, I'll tell you, let's sit down.

This is a long story and he tells them about crossing the Red Sea and coming out of Egypt, going into the land, crossing the Jordan. Now there are some things here that I believe God can really teach us and he just wants us to remember, he wants us to remember some things and one of them I think that he wanted them to remember was his power, his power.

When they saw that stones, what's one of the things going to be? Well, God held back the waters, he saved us, out of the Red Sea, he parted the waters there and here, his power, he was powerful, he had the power to save us and I was thinking about the memorials, it had been a neat time this morning.

If we would have went through, had a baptism service, we got a couple that are waiting to be baptized, had a communion service, those two memorials are things that God gave the church to remember by. The memorial baptism, you know, have you been born twice?

You come up to somebody, have you been born twice, what? Are they watching, what's it mean, are they watching a baptism service, what's it mean? Well it means that we have sinned, Jesus came and died on the cross for our sin and so when we go into the water, it's a symbol of his death and his burial and his resurrection but also it's our death and that we are identified with him, we are identified with him, the old things have passed away, new things have come, we come up out of the water, a new life, it's a symbol.

To deliver us from sin's penalty, to deliver us from sin's power, Romans 6, 1 -4 is probably, this passage is a basic salvation passage, showing us the gospel, Romans 6, 1 -4 deals with the identification, Romans 6 really is not talking about water baptisms, it's talking about spiritual identity with Christ, Romans 6, 1 -4 and as we have our baptism to remind us, they had the stones to remind them, Romans 6, here's for us, what shall we say then, shall we continue in sin that grace may abound, certainly not, how shall we who died to sin live any longer in it, well when we have our baptism service it's to remind us of the spiritual truth of Romans 6, how we spiritually died and how, or were dead, but how we identify with Christ, buried with him, or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death, therefore we were buried with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also might walk with him in newness of life, for if we've been planned together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection, knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Christ, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we shall not serve sin any longer, even remember a few of those verses that we went over, Sonny, when we memorized that passage, you got yours down pat still, Neil, maybe we better have it removed of you, anyway, the key thought is identification, identification, you remember when Peter denied Christ, he said I won't deny you, he said yes you will Peter, I won't, you will, I won't, you will, when he denied him, actually what he did is, Jesus said you won't identify with me, he failed to identify with Jesus, now we can be baptized, have a water baptism, but that doesn't mean that we are going to identify with Christ, that comes when we come head to head with some situation that deals with self or sin, and we have to just die to self and let Jesus live through us, well Peter, he came to that head to head situation, and he denied Christ, he wouldn't deny himself, but we know later on that when he got the Holy Spirit at the day of Pentecost, then he was a new person, then he went out and preached, there were 3000 people saved, Peter was dead, now he had the power living in him, here is a principle, we are getting principles out of here, and that is this, I think God gives us the trials so he can give us memorials of victory, he gives us the trials, he lets us have them, we were talking about that in San Isco this morning, he lets us have these things, so hey, you remember that scar, you remember that situation, Vic and I was talking of a situation that we went through some years ago, a very, very bad situation, very hard, very hard, and that is a memorial in our mind of the power of Satan to get in and destroy, and to just do a terrible work, it's a memorial in our mind, we have memorials out in the fields that we look at, but we also got these things in our mind, God lets us go through these things, Sonny was sharing one three years ago when they came here, he's got one he'll never forget, when they came here and Kelly was sick, well that's a memorial, a lesson that God taught him, you remember Jacob wrestling with God, he pulled over the side of the road, he was going to spend the night, grabbed some stones for coal, and he wrestled with God, I was reading that in Genesis 32 this morning, it says that he went away from there with a limp, actually I think he must have been wrestling with Christ, and come the dawn, Christ said let me go, let me go, lights coming, and he said I won't let you go unless you bless me, and he blessed him, he changed his name at that time to Israel, but the scripture says that he touched the hollow of his hip, I don't know what happened to him anyway, he walked with a limp, that was a memorial, that was a memorial of his wrestling with God, so God was giving them these stones, he said I want you to take these stones, and you take twelve out, they put them on their shoulder, and you marched, and they marched a ways with them before they put them down, and you could tell who was carrying the stones, they had the deeper footprints in the sand, but Joshua, not only do I want those to take twelve and pile them up over there, but I want you to take twelve stones yourself, and take them and put them in the river, and put them there yourself, so Joshua took twelve stones.

You know what that tells us, there is a lesson of his power to save them from sins presence, because when he took the stones and put them in the river, Joshua was the type of Christ, and it was Christ that buried our sins in the river, and then it's coming over, they don't see them anymore, buried and gone.

When Christ deals with sin in our life, it happens, something happens, you remember when Christ met the leper, well when Christ met the leper, the leper walked away clean, remember the blind man, when the blind man met Jesus, he walked away with his eyesight clear, you remember the lame man that couldn't walk and he's crippled, when he met Jesus, he walked away straight, when Jesus actually works in our hearts, there's a change, the sin power in our life is to be done away with and buried, and so when the stones were put in the river, it meant that as Christ died on the cross, to deal with our sins, our sins are buried and the power of sin over us is broken, a lot of different lessons there, who put the stones in the river?

Joshua, who deals with sin? Jesus, and then we have to let the Holy Spirit work that out practically in our lives, we never will have the power in our self to break our self from sin, anymore before we were saved as we are after we are saved, Jesus still has to do it, and so Jesus was the one that was typified there as putting the stones in the river, why under the water?

Because they were buried, our sins are under the blood, there's a principle here, for me and for you, and that is I continually have to learn to accept his forgiveness, his forgiveness, being buried out of sight, you know as far as the east is from the west, so far as he removed our sins from us, I have to continually learn to accept his forgiveness and enjoy his presence, live in his power, because if I don't, I won't, I just, it will be too much struggle, learn to enjoy his forgiveness because we do sin, I hate to confess to you, but I'm going to sin, I'm going to sin, and I need to continually learn to accept his forgiveness and his grace, I sinned this week, as soon as I did it, I said, oh Lord, I sinned, and I sinned against you, and I did it willfully, I don't want to do it anymore, I don't want to do it anymore, but I dealt with it, I've learned that maturity is not so much as just being real super, but it's just being honest and open with God, fast, fast about your sin, don't drag it around.

2 Corinthians 13 .4, I shared this verse with you, to me it's been a tremendous verse, because it says, for though Christ was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by the power of God. I failed to live by the power of God, just for a moment, and I sinned, but if I'll keep living by his power, his strength, for we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you.

Tremendous verse. Well, there's something else, he wanted them to remember his power, but I think also the stones gave him another lesson, he wanted them to remember his purpose. Now, when the son comes along and says, dad, what in the world is that pile of stones for?

What's the purpose of that? What's the purpose? Verse 3, Joshua said, and command them, say, and take out for yourselves twelve stones from here, out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the priest's feet stood firm.

You shall carry them over with you and leave them in the lodging place where you lodge tonight. What's the purpose of that? Let me go through this with you. They picked up the stones. That speaks of life obtained.

Life was obtained through Christ, or from Christ. They picked up the stones and then they carried them out. And that symbolizes life proceeds out of Christ. Life came from Christ, life proceeds out of Christ, and then they laid them down.

That symbolizes life being complete in Christ. It comes from Christ, out of Christ, and it's complete in Christ. Out, it comes from, out, and in. All life comes from Christ, out of Christ. It originates from Him.

And so, that would be one lesson. Son, they picked those things up, they carried them out, and they laid them down. And it tells of Christ dying on the cross for our sins. He's the one that picked us up and is carrying us through, and He'll take us in.

He is life. We're complete. He will complete us. If you notice that there were several words in the scriptures that we read, one of them in verse 10 was finished. Everything was finished. This is a symbol of the finished work of Christ.

And there's another word in verse 11 of completely. All the people had completely crossed over the Jordan. Speaking of the completeness of Christ. Now, when we have the Lord's Supper, it says two things.

And it says it very clearly. When we take the Lord's Supper, it's a memorial of His cross, and it's a memorial of His coming. It's a memorial of the death of Christ and also of His coming. Because the scripture says, do this in remembrance of me.

And 2 Corinthians 11 26 says, for as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. Both there, death and coming. The cross and His coming. So it's to remind us.

It's a memorial. Think about some memorials. What was the wall in Washington, D .C.? The big black marble wall? What do they call that? What do they call the big black marble wall? Vietnam wall? Vietnam memorial wall?

They erected that thing. It's a big old long wall to remind America of what? Sacrifice. And not only sacrifice. To many of us, it reminds us of shame. That we fought a war that we didn't intend to fight.

That we didn't intend to win. And I remember, I don't know about you, but I went into the service in 1966. I went into the Air Force. And a lot of guys were getting killed when I went in. And I remember when we finished our, I went through petroleum engineering school.

And I remember when we finished, then we waited for our assignments. And we knew that our field was a very dangerous field. The different aspects of it. Some of us went into the rocket fuels area. Some others went into different areas.

There were several different areas of the field. But we knew that over there, it was all dangerous. Whatever you were in. Because if you had to take 5 ,000 gallons of fuel out there with your truck. Just one bullet.

They went for those because they made a nice big boom. It was a dangerous field. And I remember those of my buddies, they went that way. And I know two of us from my class went the other way. And I know a lot of them are dead that went to the east.

We went to the west. I went to Turkey and one other guy with us. And would you believe it? We hadn't been there but a month. And one of us was on top of a fuel truck that blew up. It wasn't me. But he was able to get off before it blew up.

He saw what was happening. He saw what was coming. But when that thing went up, I wasn't there but I went down and I saw what it looked like. You never just saw metal all twisted. The truck was all twisted.

Just a mess. I said, man. When I was in school, they taught us to be careful. They didn't have to say be careful to me anymore. I saw what static electricity could do. That wasn't a bullet. That was just static electricity.

What it could do. It was dangerous. But that was a memorial to us. The memorial in Washington, D .C. has the names on it of some people maybe that you knew to remind us. Jesus was washing the disciples' feet.

That was a memorial of what? Humility. What about when he came to the well and he led the woman to himself? That was a memorial of what? Let's be a soul winner. It's a memorial of soul winning. What about when he's in the garden praying?

It's a memorial of what? Prayer. I went through the scripture and I said, wow, Lord. You've left a lot of memorials for us. These things to remind us. Praying in the garden. The Passover lamb. We have that at Easter.

It reminds us of the blood of Jesus. I got another little principle out of this and that's this. God gives us memorials to remind us that he has a purpose for all things. You see, the stones said, Son, I've got a purpose.

I've got a purpose. These stones say that God is leading you according to his purpose. And the purpose, he said in verse 22, chapter 4 in 22, he said, what's the purpose of this? That then you shall let your children know Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry land.

God's purpose was to deliver you into the land of victory and he took you through on dry land. The dry land said God was powerful, that God was able to deliver. Then there was a third thing to remind them of his presence.

We went through the ark last week. Let me ask you a question. Where were you when God, where was God when God saved you? One of these deep theological questions. Where was God when you got saved? Well, that one's too tough.

Where is God right now? He's in my house. Okay. He was there when you got saved, right? We know he's everywhere. But he was there when you got saved. He's here with us now. And where has he been all in between?

Salvation and to this point, he's been with you. And that's what the stones are saying to remind them of his presence. Boy, son, listen. My great, great, great, great granddaddy passed down the story to us and he told us that God was with him.

It was symbolized by the ark. And he said, set up these stones to remember that. The stones reminded them that God was here. You know, we've got different memorials to remind us. We've got a new offering box.

Maybe we'll just have a formal dedication of that thing here one Sunday, maybe in April or something. But the offering box, what's that remind you of? Or the offering plate? Does it remind you of anything?

It does me. It reminds me I forgot my checkbook. You know? But to me it reminds me that I'm to be obedient to him in this area. He says I'm going to carry on my work through this area, but he says also that I'm going to test your faith in this area.

It's a real faith to give to God. It takes real faith. Obedience and faith and also love. These three areas. The offering box of the memorial of love. We don't expect the unsaved to come in here and want to empty their pockets into the box.

No. But we, because he gave to us, we want to give to him. That's another reminder. Now in closing up, let me say these things. Memorials are to remind us not to forget something. Now let me give you a little test.

We're doing real good on time here. We're almost done. What will you and I be remembered for next year, ten years from now when you're gone? Some people get their names put on churches. You can go into Rushfield and somebody wanted to make sure they wasn't forgotten.

You can see their name on a big old church. We won't name what it is, but they don't want to be forgot. What would you want to be remembered for? Let me give you a little test. I'm going to name some Bible people and you give me the first thing that comes in your mind.

Thomas. Doubt him. Andrew. Fisherman. What kind of brother did Jesus? Brought Peter to Jesus. We have one that was afraid and we have one that was a fisherman. I'm going to give you another one. Judas.

Traitor. You're getting what I wrote down. A traitor. Fickle. He's remembered as just a fickle disciple. John the Baptist. You have John the disciple. Let's pick John the Baptist. What are you? Baptism.

He was the Baptist. He was the baptizer. I think of him. There he is in the river, preaching, baptizing. He was a fiery prophet. But you remember him by his stand he took. You want a couple more? I'm going to give you two.

Give me the first one and then we'll get the second one. Mary and Martha. Mary was at his feet. Martha was busy. Mary was busy. Martha was a warrior. One was a warrior and one was a worshiper. Those are memorials.

We remember them. The scriptures are full of them. It's an interesting study. Now, let me close up with this. What's the greatest memorial? What's the greatest memorial that God has given? Christ. The Bible.

This is a memorial. Christ is a memorial. The cross. Jesus is a memorial. If you were God and you were looking down on this earth, what do you think he would think of as being the greatest memorial on this earth?

People believe in him. You guys are where I'm heading. It's not his tie. He's saying us. The greatest memorial is a living memorial. A living memorial. John 17 .3. Jesus said, I am a living memorial. I am a living memorial.

I in them. Why do you say that? I in them that the world may know that you have sent me. The greatest memorial in this world is a living memorial. Now, let me tell you why we, I believe, are the greatest memorial.

It's this. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 6 .19 that our body is what? Our body is the temple. Let's see. I got that marked here of the Holy Spirit. He says, do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit?

Now, to the Jew, the temple was the greatest memorial they had. I mean, they bragged on and what was it about the temple that was so great? Well, in that temple, they had a holy of holies and that holy of holies symbolized what?

The central dwelling place of God. Now, 1 Corinthians 6 .19 says, do you not know that your body is, now get this from the literal interpretation, that your body is the central dwelling place or sanctuary of God, the holy of holies.

Do you realize that your body is the holy of holies now? If you're saved, you have the Holy Spirit here. Boy, I didn't know I was going to come out with this stuff at the end. This is why I believe the greatest memorial on this earth is us.

It's a memorial of the power of the cross. When we walk out of here and God is living in us, Christ in you, the hope of glory, the glory of God is seen in a living memorial. This is why he says, do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost who is in you, whom you have from God and you are not your own, for you are bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

And he pulverized the other temple because it was nothing, that holy of holies in that other temple was nothing, he was gone. The veil of the temple was ripped. He came out and he came to live in our hearts.

Now, the greatest memorial in this world is not that temple, but it's born again people like us. And he says, listen, don't forget it. I'm going to set these stones up so that you won't forget it. Only, we don't have some stones set up on the outside of our river.

We have the Holy Spirit living within us. A powerful thing. A powerful thing. Well, if there's one thing clear from God's word, it's this, that he doesn't want us to forget him. And he doesn't want us to forget that he lives right here.

He lives right here. Precious, precious thing. What do you think God wanted us to learn from this lesson? Same thing he wanted Israel to learn. Just don't forget me. Don't forget me. Don't forget me. Let's pray.

I just confess, Lord, that when I get to thinking about myself and the way things are going, the way I don't think they should go, I'm forgetting you. I'm forgetting that you're sovereign. That you have the power to work.

That you have a purpose. And that your presence is there. Father, I guess if your Holy Spirit was to move among us this morning and to prick us in one area, it would be that we forget you. When we put something in our body that will harm it, we're forgetting that you live in that body.

When we take this body someplace or use our eyes to look at something or use our mouth to say something, our ears to listen to something, we're forgetting that what we listen to comes into this body and you're living here.

If we put something in our body, we eat something that's not good for us or whatever, you're living in this body. This is your Holy of Holies. You bought it with your own blood and it's not ours anymore.

And we just confess to you, Father, that many times we forget that. We treat it like it's our own. And the flesh wants to dictate to us what to do with your body. And actually we will take your property and mistreat it.

Is it no wonder that sometimes your power isn't able to be seen in our lives? Lord, we just pray that you would move among us as a body to convict us of areas that we know are wrong. And what's worse, Lord, is that we know many times what's wrong, but we're just not willing to deal with it, not willing to get together with some other brothers or sisters in Christ and say, listen, you pray with me.

I've got an area. I know it's wrong and I'm just not getting victory over it. Father, thank you for giving us your Word. Thank you for the stones. Thank you most of all, though, for what they mean. For Jesus, who lives in our hearts now.

Lord, as we go out, we confess we don't have the power, but you are our power. And we confess that we want to see people saved, but we can't save them. But we ask you to work in power as we walk out of here and go our different ways to reach out and save different ones.

Thank you in Jesus' name. Amen. Let's stand and be dismissed. I'm going to ask Terry, would you dismiss us this morning, please?

Millstone of religious stupidity? Then you forget it. He was not. He says, Lord, I'm not. No man taketh my life from me. I have power to lay it down. I have power to take it up. And I've received that commandment from my Father of the joy that was set before Him.

He came down and went to the cross for you and me. And He made an adequate provision for you, the sin of the world. He's satisfied. The cross is not an ambulance that was sent to a wreck. It's not first aid.

It's not a temporary arrangement. He's the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. And when you look into eternity, John says, I saw a Lamb that had been slain standing in the midst of the throne.

This morning we're told that He sat down at God's right hand. And you know why? For the same reason it says God rested on the seventh day when He created the heavens and the earth. He wasn't tired. He sat down because He'd finished the job.

And I'm sorry to have to report I don't seem to finish anything. I'll leave my desk covered with work to be done. But when He went back to heaven, He did everything that was necessary for your salvation.

Everything. Everything. And He sat down. God, this morning, is satisfied with what Jesus did for you. Are you satisfied? He shall see the travail of His soul. Be satisfied. Oh, the restlessness today.

How busy people are. Oh, my friend, the rest in Him. He paid a tremendous price for you. Oh, my friend, He paid an awful price for you. Will you forgive me if I close this morning on a personal note? I've had an experience this past week.

I must confess, I'd always looked forward to it. But it wasn't quite like I thought it would be. It was a thrill to me to walk down the aisle with my daughter. It was a thrill to give her in marriage to a fine young man.

But I wasn't anything. They came by the house Thursday morning. We had breakfast. And then they left. May I say this morning, my friend, I didn't know what a price a father paid was a broken heart. For her happiness.

For her joy. I walked into her room. Twenty years ago there was a pat on her little feet. She's gone. That night I took her dog and that dog's missing her just like I am. We took a walk. And when I was taking a walk, I was thinking of this message.

And I thought, that day He left heaven's glory. They must have been lonesome up there. God the Father must have been lonesome. God was giving His Son to the poor. And He gave His Son to die for the sins of the world.

And then He went to the cross. I think there was crepe hanging on the door of heaven that day. Oh, there's joy when one sinner comes to God. But there was sorrow in the heart of God. But He paid that price for you.

How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? Do you have the answer to that? Are you going to try to escape by neglecting that salvation? My friend, I do not know who the worst sinner in Los Angeles is.

But if you are here this morning rejecting God's salvation for you, you are the worst sinner. Sophisticated and cold generation, even those of us that come perfunctively even to the Lord's table, not realizing the tremendous price that He paid for our redemption.

Oh, God deliver us today from being unmoved. And if in our midst there are those either here or listening in, that have turned their backs on this wonderful Savior, oh God today may they embrace Him and may they be satisfied.