Old ships wear out and new ones have to be built to take their place, and so here we have a picture of the beautiful new “Empress of Scotland.” It is surely a fine ship.
But we wish to tell you today about an old ship which had been condemned and was soon to be destroyed. It was not seaworthy, and since there was nothing good left on it, it was of no use to anyone. Before it was destroyed, however, a dear Christian man was asked to hold a gospel meeting on its deck. A gangway was fixed up and quite a number came together.
As he stood on the deck of the old condemned ship it reminded him of our condition as sinners in God’s sight. We are utterly ruined by Adam’s fall in the garden of Eden, and now, since the Lord Jesus has been rejected and crucified, the world is condemned. It would be useless to patch up or paint up the old ship—it was only fit for destruction. And so the sinner must own that he is ruined and only fit for judgment. If you are still in your sins, dear reader, it is no use trying to improve or “clean up,” for God’s Word says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” Jeremiah 17:99The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9). Just as a new ship was needed to replace this old one, so when a sinner owns his lost and helpless condition and receives the Lord Jesus as his Saviour, he becomes a new creature in Christ Jesus.
Can you imagine yourself sitting on the deck of that old ship which was soon to be destroyed and hearing the Glad Tidings? Think of yourself as being just like that old ship, and consider what God offers to you—salvation, pardon, a new life, and a home above. “If any man be in Christ he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:1717Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17). If you reject Christ or try to “patch up” your life to make it acceptable to God, you will go down, down, down, even with all your patching up, to a lost eternity.
Why not give up all your own efforts and come to the Lord Jesus today. He is just the Saviour you need. Do not spurn His offer of grace any longer —this may be your last opportunity.
ML 08/30/1953