Unley Christian Chapel - South Australia

David Morse, a missionary in India, had as one of his closest friends, an Indian pearl-diver named Rambhau. Over the years these men spent many hours together and had supported each other in numerous situations, Rambhau considered David his best friend, but as hard as David tried, he couldn't convince Rambhau of the validity of the Christian gospel. One evening, Rambhau urged David to go to his home with him, which David did. "In a week's time," Rambhau said, "I start working for my place in heaven; I am leaving for Delhi -- and I am going there on my knees." "You're crazy!" David said, "It's 1450 kilometres to Delhi, and the skin will break on your knees, and you will have blood poisoning or leprosy before you get to Bombay." "No, I must get to Delhi," stated Rambhau. "The immortals will reward me for it! The suffering will be sweet -- for it will purchase heaven for me!" "Rambhau, my friend -- you can't. How can I bear you to go through this ordeal -- when Jesus Christ has suffered and died to purchase heaven for you?" "You are my dearest friend on earth, Sahib Morse. Through all these years you have stood by me in sickness and in want -- sometimes you have been my only friend. But even you cannot turn me from my desire to purchase eternal bliss. I must go to Delhi!" Rambhau then walked into another room and came back with a small box in his hand. He then explained to David that in this box was a perfect pearl and one of the largest ever found off the coast of India. No culture pearl had ever glowed with such brilliant lustre. On the open market it would have been worth an enormous sum of money. Rambhau explained how he had a son, something he hadn't ever shared with David before. This son was known as one of the best pearl-divers on the Indian coast. He had a dream of finding the perfect pearl. He did and this pearl was it. Tragically, though, when he found it, he stayed under water too long and died a few days later. "My son gave his life for this pearl," Rambhau told David, "and because I don't know if I will ever return from Delhi I want to give you this precious pearl." "No," said David, "you can't do that. I will pay you ten thousand dollars for it." "Sahib! What do you mean?" "I will give you fifteen thousand dollars for it, or if it takes more, I will work for it." "Sahib, this pearl is beyond price. No man in all the world has money enough to pay what this pearl is worth to me. On the open market a million dollars could not buy it. I will not sell it to you. You may only have it as a gift." "No, Rambhau, I cannot accept that. As much as I want the pearl, I cannot accept it that way. Perhaps I am proud, but that is too easy. I must pay for it, or work for it." "You don't understand at all, Sahib. Don't you see? My only son gave his life to get this pearl, and I wouldn't sell it for any amount. It's worth is in the life-blood of my son. I cannot sell this -- but I can give it to you. Just accept it as a token of the love I bear you." "Rambhau," said David with a choked voice, "don't you see? My words are just what you have been saying to God all the time. "God is offering you heaven as a free gift. It is so great and so priceless that no man on earth could ever buy it. Millions of dollars are too little. No man could ever earn it. His life would be millions of years too short. No man is good enough to deserve it. It cost God the life-blood of his only Son to make the entrance for you into heaven. In a million years, in a hundred pilgrimages, you could not earn that entrance. All you can do is accept it as a token of God's love for you -- a sinner. "Rambhau, of course I will accept the pearl in deep humility, praying God I may be worthy of your love. And Rambhau, won't you accept God's great gift of heaven too, in deep humility, knowing it cost him the death of His Son to offer it to you?" Tears welled up in Rambhau's eyes as he said, "Sahib, I see it now. I have believed that Jesus was God's son and came to earth from heaven to die for my sins, but I just couldn't believe that this gift of heaven was free. Now I see. Some things are too priceless to be bought or earned. Sahib, I will accept God's gift of heaven and salvation."

In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)
He himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. (Acts 17:25)
God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. (1 Timothy 6:17)

God made man to be good, and allowed man all things except one --

        God made mankind upright. (Ecclesiastes 7:29)
      "Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there He put the man He had formed. And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground -- trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; ..." (Genesis 2:8-10)
        "The Lord God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will
surely die." (Genesis 2:16)
        Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, (2 Corinthians 11:3)
"When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and
also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her
husband, who was with her, and he ate it." (Genesis 3:6)

The disobedience of Adam and Eve resulted in all mankind made sinners --

"For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, ..." (Romans 5:19)
"There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ..."
(Romans 3:22,23)

We cannot hide our sins from God, and sin itself results in death --

"Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." (Hebrews 4:13)
"But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear." (Isaiah 59:2)
"For the wages of sin is death, ..." (Romans 6:23)
"... Sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death." (James 1:15)

God loves us, and provided for us a Saviour, to save us from sin and death --

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
"Our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own." (Titus 2:13,14)
"This is love; not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." (1 John 4:10)

Jesus Christ is Emmanuel, God with us, only He can save us --

"Christ... has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself." (Hebrews 9:26)
"... while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

In view of what Christ has done, we can respond this way --

"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord" (Acts 3:19)
"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31)
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8,9)

All scriptures are quoted from The Holy Bible, New International Version,
Anglicised Edition. Hodder & Stoughton © 1978 by New York International Bible.

This is the Gospel of truth, which God has given to all mankind, so that all of us
might be saved by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. If you would like to speak to or
consult someone or one of the elders, please contact us.