This morning, Karen and I drove past a cross on which a statue of Jesus hangs. It will soon be Easter, when we will celebrate the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Praise God that the Lord Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God, is no longer on the cross. He is risen!
At one of the conferences of our mission years ago, Dr. John Moore shared some of the experiences through which the Lord led him. It was wonderful to hear him play an instrument and lead singing, including the well-known song that contains these lyrics:
“Days are filled with sorrow and care,
hearts are lonely and drear;
Burdens are lifted at Calvary,
Jesus is very near.
Cast your care on Jesus today,
leave your worry and fear;
Burdens are lifted at Calvary,
Jesus is very near.
Troubled soul, the Saviour can see,
every heartache and tear;
Burdens are lifted at Calvary,
You can hear more about the writing of this song, as well as see Dr. Moore singing, at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uybIZFRGW_U
In our office in Châteauguay, we have some copies of a tract entitled “Burdens are lifted at Calvary” in which Dr. Moore recounts an experience that he had when he was in Glasgow: “An ambulance arrived on the scene with siren screaming. Soon the crowd saw a young seaman being carried out on a stretcher and placed inside the ambulance. ‘What happened to Bill?’ they asked. ‘Oh, he fell down the hold of the ship, and has some broken bones.’”
The next day, Bill had his first visitor. He “looked up to see a tall young fellow about twenty-four years old standing by his bedside … Bill thanked him for coming to see him, and after some general conversation, John put his hand inside a bag he was carrying, and brought out a little colourful tract. It had a coloured print of a painting of ‘Pilgrim’ from the famous story ‘Pilgrim’s Progress,’ by John Bunyan, and was titled ‘The Falling of the Burden.’
‘Have you seen that picture before?’ asked John, as he held it before Bill. There was the scene of a man with a heavy burden on his back approaching a cross, and as he advanced towards the cross, the burden snapped from his back and was about to roll away.
‘No, it’s the first time I have ever seen that picture,’ replied Bill.”
After telling Bill the story of a man named Pilgrim who lived in the City of Destruction and carried a heavy burden on his back, John told how Pilgrim met a man called Mr. Evangelist who assured him that he knew where he could find the place of deliverance.
“Pilgrim followed the instructions of Mr. Evangelist, and eventually, after many an adventure, he came to the cross, and as he advanced towards it, the burden snapped from off his back and rolled down a steep hill into the gaping sepulchre below. Pilgrim gave three leaps for joy and shouted ‘He has given me rest by his sorrow and life by his death.’”
After telling Bill that John Bunyan was sharing his personal testimony in “Pilgrim’s Progress,” John Moore recounted: “I was fifteen years old when I had a similar experience. Some of my young friends had personally accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour, and were living transformed lives. I became quite concerned about my life, about my past, and about my eternal destiny. It was like a burden on my heart. Then, one night, lying in bed, while everyone else in my home was fast asleep, I was wide awake and found myself crying to God the first real prayer I ever prayed ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner, and save me for Jesus’ sake!’ And somehow I knew that my prayer was answered. I experienced such a sense of relief, and joy.”
Many people have been blessed by the songs and messages from God’s Word that Dr. Moore shared from that day forward. If you have never asked God’s forgiveness for your sins and trusted the Lord Jesus as your Saviour, you can do so today.
Scripture for the weekend: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” Romans 1:16 (NKJV)
By His grace,
Steve