Picking Up the Bible
Becoming a Christian is the most difficult thing to do, yet it is also the easiest, requiring only the willingness to give up one's will and trust in Christ.
D.L. Moody emphasizes the paradox of becoming a Christian, describing it as both the hardest and easiest thing a person can do. He illustrates this with a story about his nephew who initially refuses to pick up a Bible, reflecting how people often resist coming to Christ by saying they won't, can't, or don't want to. Moody asserts that the true challenge lies in surrendering one's will to God, and that accepting the gospel is a simple act of faith. He encourages listeners to trust in Jesus as their Savior, promising that He will embrace them with love and righteousness once they do. The message is a call to recognize the ease of faith when one decides to let go of their resistance.
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The hardest thing, I will admit, ever a man had to do is to become a Christian, and yet it is the easiest. This seems to many to be a paradox, but I will repeat it; it is the most difficult thing to become a Christian, and yet it is the easiest. I have a little nephew in Chicago. When he was three or four years of age, he threw that Bible on the floor. I think a good deal of that Bible, and I didn't like to see this. His mother said to him, "Go, pick up your uncle's Bible from the floor."
"I won't," he replied. "Go and pick that Bible up directly." "I won't." "What did you say?" asked his mother. She thought he didn't understand. But he understood well enough, and had made up his mind that he wouldn't. She told the boy she would have to punish him if he didn't, and then he said he couldn't, and by-and-by he said he didn't want to. And that is the way with the people coming to Christ. At first they say they won't, then they can't, and then they don't want to. The mother insisted upon the boy picking up the Bible, and he got down and put his arms around it and pretended he couldn't lift it.
He was a great, healthy boy, and he could have picked it up easily enough. I was very anxious to see the fight carried on, because she was a young mother, and if she didn't break that boy's will, he was going to break her heart by-and-by. So she told him again, if he didn't pick it up, she would punish him, and the child just picked it up. It was very easy to do it when he made up his mind. So it is perfectly easy for men to accept the gospel. The trouble is, they don't want to give up their will.
If you want to be saved, you must just accept that gospel; that Christ is your Savior; that He is your redeemer, and that He has rescued you from the curse of the law. Just say, "Lord Jesus Christ, I trust you from this hour to save me"; and the moment you take that stand, He will put His loving arms around you and wrap about you the robe of righteousness.
Sermon Outline
- The Difficulty of Becoming a Christian
- The Paradox of Becoming a Christian
- The Importance of Accepting the Gospel
- The Power of Trusting in Christ
- When you trust in Christ, He will save you
- He will put His loving arms around you and give you righteousness
Key Quotes
“The hardest thing, I will admit, ever a man had to do is to become a Christian, and yet it is the easiest.” — D.L. Moody
“Just say, 'Lord Jesus Christ, I trust you from this hour to save me'; and the moment you take that stand, He will put His loving arms around you and wrap about you the robe of righteousness.” — D.L. Moody
Application Points
- To be saved, you must give up your will and trust in Christ as your Savior and Redeemer.
- Accepting the gospel is the easiest thing to do, but it requires a willingness to trust in Christ.
- Trusting in Christ is the key to receiving salvation and righteousness.