I have always been intrigued and challenged by
the life of D.
L.
Moody.
He was a man whom God used in
remarkable ways in the salvation of souls.
I spent many a profitable day at Moody's
grave in Northfield, Massachusetts.
One day in particular stands out in my
memory.
I spent the afternoon sitting on the porch
of the home he was born in, while
I reflected on his greatly useful life.
Moody once heard a minister remark to him,
"'The world has yet to see what God
can do with the man wholly sold out
to Him.'" Moody walked away, muttering, under his
breath, "'By God's grace, I will be that
man.'" Moody went out and did more for
God than all of us put together, but
there is a story he told about the
biggest mistake of his life, and I want
to relate that story to us this evening,
friends, before we go to our time of
prayer.
D.
L.
Moody was preaching one evening in 1871, and
it was that very night that the terrible
conflagration of the Chicago Fire broke out.
Listen to his moving testimony.
"'Oh, what a mistake!
I have never dared to give an audience
a week to think about their salvation since.
If they were lost, they might rise up
at the judgment against me.
I remember Mr. Sankey singing, and how his
voice rang when he came to that pleading
verse, "'Today the Savior calls, for refuge fly.
The storm of justice falls, and death is
nigh.
I have hard work to keep back the
tears today.
Twenty-two years have passed away, and I
have not seen that congregation since, and I
will never meet these people again until I
meet them in another world.
I have asked God many times to forgive
me for telling people that night to take
a week to think it over, and if
he spares my life, I will never do
it again.
One lesson I learned that night, which I've
never forgotten, and that is when I preach,
I press Christ upon the people then and
there—' Well, I will stop there, France, with
Moody's emotion-filled words.
I wish I could go back and witness
to all the people I failed to witness
to while they were still in this world—one
man in particular.
He was a construction worker on my house,
and he'd always get there before the other
men, and I'd greet him while we waited
for the others.
I failed miserably to witness to this man.
Three weeks later I was reading the newspaper,
going through the obituaries, and his face stood
out and haunted me above his death notice.
He was a young man in his thirties,
and I believe God had that man show
up early each day so I could witness
to him, but I dropped the ball.
He slipped suddenly into eternity without a gospel
witness from me, and his face haunts me
still, and I'll see him at the judgment.
I submit to you, France, for Moody's mistake
is our mistake too.
We should press Christ upon the people then
and there whom God puts in our paths
each day.
Life is shorter than we realize.
Let us not be guilty of Moody's mistake.
People need to hear about Jesus, the one
who came down here, so we can go
up there.
Let us pray.