I THINK most of our readers know what the Ten Commandments are. Perhaps you could not repeat them all by heart, but at least you have heard the story of how God gave them to Moses on Mount Sinai.
One Sunday afternoon a Christian man stood up at the opening of the Sunday school, and laid four beautiful books in a row on the front table.
"I believe that most of the children in this Sunday school expect to reach heaven by keeping the law. Is that right?"
"Yes, sir."
"I have tried it myself, and I know that it is very hard work. It seems to me that any boy or girl who honestly keeps the law should have a prize down here on this earth, without waiting to reach heaven."
The children all looked greatly interested while he continued. "So I have brought four prizes, and any boy or girl, big or small, who can truly say that he or she has kept the Ten Commandments shall have one of these books. But first of all, I want you to tell me what the Ten Commandments are." Now they were in trouble. One boy started off with, "Thou shalt not boast." Between them all, they could only find about five instead of ten. At last, the gentleman himself had to help them out, and finally all Ten Commandments were repeated.
"Now," he said, "I wish to give out the prizes. First of all, let any one of the big boys who has kept those Ten Commandments perfectly, come forward." There was a long silence, as the boys looked rather guiltily at one another. Then a boy of about fourteen stood up.
"Have you always kept the Ten Commandments?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then the book is yours, come and get it."
Slowly the boy came forward, but he didn't look too sure of himself. There was a whispering and a murmuring all over the room, and one little boy was heard to say, "And he stole my Sunday school ticket last week."
There were still three more prizes on the table but nobody else would come forward to accept one. I am sure that the boy who did receive one, wasn't telling the truth.
At last the Christian man began to speak slowly and solemnly:
"Boys and girls, you can never, never get to heaven by keeping the law. You know that you are all sinners, and every one of you is guilty of breaking
God's holy law. If you cannot come forward and honestly claim one of these books, then most surely you cannot enter heaven. But the wonderful news of God's Word is this. God saw that we were all sinners, and He knew that we could never keep His holy law. And so He sent down here into this world, His own dear Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus took my guilty place and died for me on the cross of Calvary. He wants you, dear boys and girls, to know that He loves you and wishes to cleanse you from all your sins. Although you have all failed to keep the law, yet you may be cleansed from your guilt by accepting the Lord Jesus as your own Saviour."
Messages of the Love of God 6/22/1958