A convict had escaped from the penitentiary, and no trace of him could be found. At the same time Dr. Oliver, a well-known preacher, was conducting a mission in the neighborhood of that prison. Night after night he pleaded with men and women to come to Christ, and for several nights he noticed a man who invariably sat near the back of the hall. There was an intense light in his eyes, speaking of earnest interest, and the drawn, haggard expression on his face told of his agony of soul.
At last one night Dr. Oliver felt that he must speak to the man. He left the platform and, going straight to the man, said, “Why on earth don’t you surrender to Christ?”
The words just seemed to burst from the man. He said, “I have been in hell the last four days! I would have escaped from here, but I just couldn’t. You could say I’m under ‘spiritual arrest!’ I guess you know who I am: I am the man they are hunting for. If I surrender to Christ it means the penitentiary again for me.” He shuddered as he spoke.
Dr. Oliver said to him: “The question for you to settle tonight is God’s penitentiary, not man’s. It is impossible for you to escape the private detective of God Almighty—the Holy Spirit.”
The man fell on his knees sobbing. The flood tide of God’s love in Christ crashed through the bitterness of his sin-scarred heart and he surrendered to the Saviour.
Of his own accord he went back to the penitentiary and told the warden of his conversion to Christ. The warden, looking him in the face said, “Man, I know you, and nothing but God Almighty could have made you come back here.”
Once again the gates of the prison closed on him and he finished his sentence, leaving a clean record from the time of his return. Released, he became a strong witness to the saving power of Christ.
Have you ever realized that you are under arrest? More than that, you are already condemned and sentenced. By whom? By Almighty God! He that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. ( John 3:1818He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:18).)
The sentence has not yet been carried into effect, but the time is soon coming when, if you still go on in sin, the righteous God of heaven will judge you.
Friend, One has already been brought to the bar of God’s judgment on account of your sins and mine. Jesus Christ, God’s beloved Son, has paid the debt in full. For all who own their sin and guilt, a pardon is proclaimed by the God against whom we have sinned.
Why not take advantage of this wonderful offer? You must meet God in grace or in judgment. The choice is YOURS. Come in all your need today.