Sunday Night Meditations 10 Message and Song - 1950's — Welcome Detweiler

Greetings, radio friends. We counted a happy privilege to bring the claims of Christ to your attention. Those who have been saved by His matchless grace desire to share these wonderful blessings with others.

Our blessed Savior has commissioned us to proclaim the good news of His salvation to all the world. As you listen to this gospel program, I trust that the messages in song and from God's precious word will be a blessing to you.

This is Welcome Detweiler speaking and asking you to listen prayerfully. The theme of this program is entitled, Today or Tomorrow. The theme is taken from Matthew 24, verse 42, which reads,. Watch therefore, for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

The Hope of Christ’s Coming

The dark stream of evil is flowing apace, And man is still walking a stranger to grace, While daring rebellion is on the increase, Which mar not my joy, which disturb not my peace. For my heart is engaged with its own happy song.

The Lord who has loved me will come before long. It may be tomorrow, or even tonight, That I shall behold Him in unclouded light. The house and the land and the wealth in the chest Bring plenty of trouble, but never bring rest.

The Lord is my portion, And when I have grief, His rich consolation Gives instant relief. I list not to doubt That my reason may bring, I trust, to His mercy and cheerfully sing. It may be tomorrow, or even today, That Christ will descend to call us away.

I know not the way He will bring it about, But I know that He will come where the archangels shout. I know not the hour, whether morning or night, But I am waiting with patience, with untold delight. Though thickly around me sad errors may roll,.

This one blessed hope is the stay of my soul. It may be tomorrow, or even today, That I shall be called to His presence away. The world in its wisdom may scorn and deny The worth of the one upon whom I rely, But from Him all blessing and holiness flow, And in Him I have the most blessed repose.

The night closes in, and the morn reappears, And thus it has been for a number of years. But still on the hilltops of hope I would stay and eagerly look for the breaking of day. Tomorrow may come with its sorrow and joys, And the evil which often my pleasure alloys, And still find the world with its poor little aim,.

And the scoffer in nature and practice the same,. May it never find me looking earthward for bliss. My hope is above, my rejoicing is this,. It may be tomorrow, or even this eve, That I for my place in the glory shall leave.

Tomorrow may come with its sickness and death, And I may be called to relinquish my breath,. But that makes me happy because I am sure My soul with the Lord will be sweetly secure. But faith takes the word as its own proper range, And looks not for death, but for that wonderful change, From weakness and sickness to vigor and might, From evil and darkness to beauty and light.

Adorable Saviour, by faith I decry The long-looked-for day of redemption draws nigh, When the shame and contempt and the grief shall give place To the holy rejoicing, the triumphs of grace, Till we from the terrible desert are caught.

My heart would rejoice in this comforting thought,. It may be tomorrow, or even today, The fullness of glory will burst on my sight. It has become in general a world of listeners. The introduction of the telephone into our business and family lives was a great avenue for linking people together.

Listening to the Words of Christ

But since the of radio as a means of amusement, education, and interest, the number of listeners has increased by millions, and so many are obviously very enthusiastic about their favorite programs. They are good listeners.

When we consider the different avenues of interest, there is not one part of our normal lives upon which we may not hear someone talking with the great hope that we shall be attentive and appreciative.

Then, if we reflect that the speakers are just mortal men and women, it is amazing that so much confidence is placed in what they say. In the realm of eternal truth, the words of the Lord Jesus Christ are of permanent value, everlasting value.

It is all the more remarkable that so few are willing to listen to what He has said and has still to say. To a world of people that are in sin, He desires to speak and to bless. Christ's words are full of seriousness, truth, and peace.

Should we not become earnest listeners to His words? All His utterances are pure, whereas the words of men are very often impure and frequently disgustingly so. The entrance of His words bring light to the mind, soul, and spirit.

The words of mere men are not really worth the great attention given to them, and by their changeableness from day to day, they lose their value altogether. But the words of God, as recorded in the Bible, and the voice of God speaking to the conscience, bring everlasting forgiveness, life, and peace to all who hear and believe them.

In Jerusalem, Jesus said something very important on this great subject of listening. It was this, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life.

To listen to the voice of Jesus is of the highest importance and urgency. By believing His way of salvation, exercising faith in His atoning death on the cross of Calvary, you can enjoy the possession of a present and eternal salvation.

A Student’s Search for Meaning

We praise thee again for the wonderful Savior thou hast provided for us. We praise thee for all who have trusted Him, and we pray for those who have never trusted Him. May they do that as they listen to thy precious word we ask in Jesus name.

And the reply was, I'm not feeling too well. I've been thinking a bit and wondering whether life is worthwhile. But you are so young, said the preacher, and you haven't really seen life. The young student dropped his head and said, but life is boring already, and it doesn't seem worth living.

I want something to live for, but I just can't put my finger on it. With this confession, the preacher suggested he never would be satisfied until he had some assurance regarding where he would spend eternity.

Perhaps that's it, replied the student. So tell me how I can know that all will be well when I leave this scene. From that point, the preacher began to unfold to him the simple plan of salvation as we have it in the Bible, how Christ died for our sins and offers salvation by grace to all who desire to be saved.

The Longing for Reality and Truth

Deep in the heart of every soul is that unquenchable thirst for reality and truth. The longing for an abundant life in the present is overshadowed by yearning for a new life hereafter. The desire constantly drives every soul to seek a solution.

Some try to pacify this quest for peace of heart and mind through wealth, maybe popularity, or religious rituals, or time-killing pastimes. The one who tries to suppress this heart-longing by substitutes will always become despondent and discouraged.

Sin and the Need to Face the Facts

One of the reasons for feeling that life is not worthwhile is because the individual refuses to face the true facts. God says that the source of the trouble is that man is a sinner by nature and by practice.

By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. That's Romans 5 and 12. You can be lost on an automobile trip for a long time before you're aware of it, and just so you can be lost spiritually for a long time and not know it.

Someone must call your attention to the fact that you are lost, and that's the reason why life seems so empty. The sad part about it is that when I try to help a lost soul, very often he resents the facts and tries to evade the truth.

In such cases, the person evidences that he is content to be miserable, and so he misses the whole purpose in living. The person who is not afraid of facts will acknowledge his need and listen carefully to God's remedy.

Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Finished Work

God says that because you are a sinner, you deserve to be punished for your sins. God cannot overlook sin. His holiness cannot permit sin to continue unpunished, but God in mercy found a way whereby he could pardon the sinner, because his son Jesus Christ volunteered to take the sinner's place when he died on Calvary's rugged cross.

Christ so loved us that he took the punishment that we deserved, and God offers forgiveness on no other ground than through the death of our substitute. By accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, resting completely on his finished work, I can have the assurance of peace with God, and life becomes new and beautiful.

Salvation and the Joy of New Life

The heart is light and gay when it is free from physical and mental worries. Imagine the joy of the person who knows that his sins, which have been many, are forgiven and will never be brought up again.

Everything is different when a person is saved. A new life, new desires, new attitudes, and joy beyond description. When one knows that heaven will be his eternal home, he can say, life has become beautiful.

I know of no other way in which you can ever find a true and lasting joy in living. If, like the young student you have found, that life is already boring and empty, it's high time that you should be ready to accept the fullness of life, the joy of living that God offers to those who are honest enough to confess their need.

If I wasn't saved, if I didn't know Christ as my Savior, I know that I would have to admit that life is hardly worthwhile. How can life be beautiful? It can't until you are saved and know that you are heaven-bound.

You may try every other means, but you will never find peace of mind and the joy of living until you come to Christ for salvation. What I am saying is more than mere theology. This is a tried and proved fact.

Hundreds of men and women in the whole world can witness to this truth, for in days past they were looking for something to make life worthwhile. They found even more than they expected to find when they trusted Christ and were born again.

Life has become beautiful and worthwhile. It seems like poor reasoning when I meet some who freely acknowledge that life to them is an empty grind, but they seem to have no interest in changing the situation.

Evidently there are some people who love misery enough to continue on, rejecting all the help that Christ offers. There's an old saying that opportunity knocks once, but Christ has no doubt knocked at the door of your heart before.

Christ’s Invitation to the Listener

If he wasn't so plenteous in mercy, he might only knock once. Behold the stranger at the door. He gently knocks, has knocked before, has waited long, is waiting still. You used no other friend so ill.

O lovely attitude, he stands with open heart and outstretched hand. O matchless kindness, and he shows his matchless kindness to his foes. Admit him ere his anger burn, lest he depart and ne 'er return.

Admit him o 'er the hours of hand when at his door denied you stand. Life can be beautiful, but only for those who are saved and on the way to heaven. I ask you, my listener, will you trust the Lord Jesus Christ this very hour and find the fullness of life by knowing that you're on the way to heaven?

Jesus is all fearful, no hope with him. Jesus is all. He calls to the weary, to his pleading, and come while you may. Jesus can take every burden away. Yes, Jesus is all. Now we want to thank you for listening to our gospel program.

We trust you have enjoyed the messages in song and the message from God's precious word, and we trust that you'll become a regular listener to this gospel program. And now, your closing message in song.