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This text tells us that every true Christian should be able to give a testimony regarding his hope in Jesus Christ. “Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts” means reverence, honor, adore Christ in your heart. In other words, love Christ and pay respect to Him. “Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you.” The hope you have in Christ should be eagerly explained to those who ask you the reason you have it. Dr. W. A. Criswell said, concerning this verse, “The Christian ought to be ready always to give an answer to those [who ask him] the reason for his hope [in Christ]” (The Criswell Study Bible, note on I Peter 3:15). “And be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” Dr. Henry M. Morris said that our answer to unbelievers “is to be given not with boasting and pride, but with [gentleness and respect]…The Christian should not be ignorant in his answer, but neither should he be arrogant” (The Defender’s Study Bible, note on I Peter 3:15).

So, every Christian should be ready at all times to give an answer, a testimony of why he has hope in Christ, and he should give this answer with gentleness and respect - not arguing in an arrogant way to prove his points regarding salvation.

“Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear”
     (I Peter 3:15).

Every Christian should be ready to give a testimony of how he was saved and what he believes. He does this first with friendly pastors and deacons, who ask him why he believes in Christ and how he was converted. Later on, he must answer more hostile people who ask him why he became a Christian. But whatever situation he is in, he should be able to give a clear testimony of his conversion, why he became a Christian, why he believes in Christ.

This morning and tonight I am going to read the written testimonies of several college-age young people who have become Christians in the last few months. By giving these testimonies, they were doing exactly what the Apostle Peter told them to do.

Listen very carefully to several of these testimonies. I hope that you will learn a great deal by hearing them - and I hope you will have the same basic experience they had - and that you will be able to talk about it intelligently with anyone who asks you why you became a Christian. Learn all you can from their testimonies, then come to Christ and be saved, so you can give a similar testimony “to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you.”

Listen carefully to how these college-age young people got saved, and then apply what they said to yourself, and seek to have a similar experience with Christ.

Testimony 1

It was Sunday morning, March 20th, 2004. I did my usual routine of waking up, brushing my teeth, getting dressed, and praying a short prayer as I drove to church. Although I pretty much knew that the sermon’s topic would be about Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ,” little did I know that this sermon would open my eyes to Christ’s love for His enemies. The verse from John 3:16 had a whole new meaning to me and I could see the passion scenes replaying in my mind as the Roman soldiers nailed Jesus’ hands to the Cross.

As Dr. Hymers continued to preach on Christ’s love, it truly felt as if those nails were going through my heart as I pictured the nails going through His hands. Each strike of the hammer that I thought about in my mind, brought more conviction to me, but at the same time I had a deep sorrow for what Christ had to go through for me.

It was then time to be led to the inquiry room by Dr. Cagan and I felt myself in a state of guilt for the sins that I had committed. I clearly remembered the worst sin I had committed and it proved to me beyond a reasonable doubt that I was a dreadful sinner.

As Dr. Cagan and Dr. Hymers continued to counsel me, it seemed as if nothing they said to me got through, as I was crying my eyes out with sorrow for Jesus, fear, and guilt. There was a rush of thoughts and memories flying through my mind. I couldn’t stabilize my thoughts. However, I clearly remembered what a few people had said to me before. Mr. Matsusaka once told me that “everyone here is behind your conversion.” I also clearly remembered Dr. Cagan constantly telling me that “Jesus loves you, He is NOT angry with you.” I thought to myself that He ought to be angry. Dr. Waldrip told me that “there is no such thing as ‘coincidence,’ and that everything happens for a reason,” through the providence of God. I then thought back to how I ended up at the church. It was a clear sign of God’s profound grace and love. Dr. Hymers then told me that “all the fitness He requireth is to see your need of Him” (Joseph Hart’s hymn). I sure did see the need for Jesus at this time. I was also constantly thinking to myself that there is “no way out!” As I knelt down to pray, an even greater rush of thoughts flowed through my mind, which I now know to be the Devil himself trying to keep me from trusting Jesus. I then thought, “I will trust Jesus.” Somehow the confusing thoughts were suppressed and I leaped to Jesus. By simple faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His sin-abolishing Blood was I saved. Nothing seemed different in my eyes. I didn’t experience an emotion or feeling. What mattered is that miracle that happened up in Heaven, as Jesus drowns my sins in His precious Blood.

Many days have I constantly thought about Christ, from the moment I got up in the morning, to the time I prayed to God at night, before I went to bed. Now I examined myself to see a great love for my Saviour. But many times have I questioned my salvation since the day I trusted Jesus, knowing the truth that I was unworthy of His Blood. I knew I was not worthy of His love. There were times that I forgot to pray for my food and times when I sinned. While I was almost certain that I was still lost, Dr. Hymers told me “all fall short of the glory of God.” Nothing I can do or say can show my gratitude for the gift of eternal life.

There is no possible way to thank such a Hero as the Lord Jesus Christ, nor will anything I do even come close to paying Him back for what He did for me. Much like how little a cat can show its appreciation to the fireman that rescued it from a tree. But it was even more precious than that. Not only did Jesus wash my sins away, but He laid down His life to do so, and gave His life for sinners such as myself.

It is difficult to express my appreciation for what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for me in mere words, but I once read in the Bible, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). How can I repay such a precious sacrifice? As I continue to think more about Christ’s unfathomable love I am left with awe. Not only did my Lord lay down His life for me, but He laid it down for me when I was His enemy. He also cured the deadly sickness of my heart, and at the same time gave me eternal life! No man is worthy of such love, and all Jesus asked of me was to only trust Him. No amount of giving thanks, no amount of evangelism I do, no amount of money I can give will be anywhere close to repaying my debt to Jesus.

Testimony 2

I was converted on Wednesday morning, August 13, 2002. It was on a Monday night of August when I was hurrying to get home. I was heavily tired from work and burdened by sin. As I walked home I remembered saying to myself, “It’s been long enough. I can’t hold this burden any longer.” I was troubled heavily that Sunday night after hearing the sermons preached by Dr. Hymers. Much of the sermons preached that Sunday crossed my mind on Monday evening: “Thomas Delivered From His Unbelief,” and “The Death of Chick Hearn” (the long-time announcer for the Lakers basketball team). Also, other past sermons were on my mind.

When I was working that Monday night I remember that my employees at work asked me a set of questions about my condition on that day, but I gave no answer to anyone. I did only one time, when I was asked by my manager, “What is wrong with you today? You look troubled.” My answer to him was that I was fine, but I must add that my answer bothered me because it wasn’t true. I wasn’t thinking when I answered him. My answer was sharp to him, and it was a way for me to avoid any type of conversation. Even though, I think that I wouldn’t have been able to explain my condition because I was under a terrible turmoil, and the guilt of sin was much greater than all the distractions around me. Nothing could have made me laugh or pull me out of this trouble. It seemed to be out of my control. I must add that it was a miracle that I was able to work and walk home under this weight of sin. Also, I remember that there were many people at work that tried to pull me away from my thoughts. All that I wanted then was time to be alone.

As I walked home that night many parts of past sermons came to mind. For instance, the rich man in Hell “lift up his eyes, being in torments,” “Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth,” and “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God: Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” All of these came to mind as I walked home. Also, these verses of Scriptures came repeatedly to me with conviction. When I walked home that night I remember watching cars and people pass by. I saw in some people’s faces not a single worry, and in others I saw their faces full of frustrations. I started thinking about life and death and how fragile life is. I gave thought to the sermon preached on Sunday morning on the death of Chick Hearn, and I applied to myself some of the lessons that Dr. Hymers preached that morning about death. As I was giving that some thought, many fears raised up in me. I said to myself, “What if I die now?” “I can’t die right now, not in this state,” I said. Then, I kept looking at the face of each person that passed by, and it reminded me of when Dr. Hymers said in a sermon that he saw people walking like zombies without any concern for their own souls. All this came to life as I walked.

When I got home it was around 1:00 AM. I was tired, but I didn’t want to sleep. So I went straight to my desk to open the book, The Anxious Enquirer, by John Angell James, which was given to me in the inquiry room. First, I started reading the chapters one after the other. Then, I remember pulling out some of Dr. Hymers’ printed sermons and reading them. On one occasion, I got on my knees to pray to God to forgive me. For instance, I remember saying, “I’m a sinner, I’m a sinner, forgive me, Jesus.” I didn’t know who to pray to or how to pray. I just prayed, but nothing that I prayed gave me any comfort. I remember saying to myself, “I’m lost, I’m doomed.”

After all this I lay on my bed, and I remember Dr. Hymers saying in the end of one sermon, “Look to Jesus, look to Jesus. He loves you, and He wants to save you. He came to save sinners like you. He died on the Cross to pay the penalty for your sins. He is now in Heaven at the right hand of God. His Blood can wash your sins away if you come to Him.” Suddenly, I realized that I couldn’t save myself because I was a sinner. But I wasn’t saved yet. There was a continued struggle in my heart before Jesus saved me. I tried believing the doctrines I had been taught, but I couldn’t. That was my experience before I trusted in Jesus. I stopped trying to save myself, and I let Jesus do the saving. Yes, and He did. He saved me right then! I said afterward, “I trust Jesus, He saved me, I am saved, He died for me, my sins are forgiven.” All of these experiences came together at once. From one moment to the other Jesus did everything. He died on the Cross to pay the penalty for my sins. There was nothing left for me to do. In that moment it was hard for me to explain how this had happened. All that I knew was that Jesus saved me.

Testimony 3

I had rejected God and His Son’s sacrifice for too long. I started to feel awful and unclean. Every sermon that was preached kept passing through my soul. The problem I had was that I would waste time and fool around with my friends from school. I would go to the inquiry room with no effect from the sermon. More and more, I felt that the Holy Spirit was leaving me.

I started to pray for my soul and that God would show me my sins, because I knew that He was waiting to judge me. I began to fear God and I started to see the sins I was committing and the ones that I had already done. I was foolish enough to think that I would be saved little by little. The problem was that I wanted to continue to sin.

Every sermon that I heard began to sink into my heart. Then I finally realized that sin was not worth it. What would I gain if I were to continue the way I was? This might very well have been my last chance.

During the evangelistic meetings in January, I heard the leading men in the church pray for my conversion. Then I thought to myself, “What am I waiting for?” There is no bigger invitation than what Jesus did on the Cross. I left home with that thought in my mind.

Finally, on February 27, 2005, I was converted. On that night, during the preaching and the inquiry room, I remember thinking about my soul and my sins. I was convinced that I was a sinner and that my sin was awful before God. I also knew that if I were to die I would go directly to Hell. Then it hit me like a spear to my heart. I needed Jesus Christ and His Blood.

At this point His love toward me was real. I had heard it many times, but like a Pharisee I kept hardening my heart. That is when my heart was finally broken by the Word of God. I saw the sacrifice that Jesus had made for my sins and that the Blood He shed was to cleanse my sins. What more could I have asked for, if all that I needed was in Jesus Himself?

While I was being counseled, Dr. Cagan asked me if I would leave all my sins behind. I responded to his question with a “yes.” Dr. Cagan then asked me if I would believe in Jesus and His Blood, and I said “yes.” I knew that I was a sinner and I also knew that the only thing that could cure me from sin was the Blood of Jesus. The Blood alone was my medicine. My faith was the only way I could receive that medicine. Jesus had His arms wide open, ready to receive me. All I had to do was come.

Then I got on my knees and believed on Him. It was very simple what I did. I tossed all my sins away and came to Him. I threw myself on Him and laid completely flat upon His Blood. This was not a feeling that can be explained, but I was overwhelmed and thankful that God had spread His mercy upon me, and knowing that Jesus’ Blood had paid for my sins.

Now that I have believed on Jesus and have been washed in His Blood, I have great confidence when I walk down the streets. I know that if I die I would stand before God justified and clean. His Blood is now real to me. I thank God every day for the mercy He had upon my soul. I also thank Dr. Hymers who cared so much for my soul, and who put so much strength in preaching to me. I also thank Dr. Cagan for caring about me and being there when I needed him. I can now go and stand before God with the Blood of His Son as my passport into His city. Jesus has shared His love towards me by the sacrifice He made on the Cross, and I thank Him for doing so.

Testimony 4

The night prior to my conversion was when I was awakened to my sins and the state of my soul. In the inquiry room, I was told that it was not the amount of conviction that saves me, or any conviction at all, but that it was Jesus who saves a person and washes his sins away with His Blood. Although I didn’t know it, the Holy Spirit had already been convicting me.

Dr. Hymers told me the next evening that he would be preaching the sermon with me in mind. As I left that night, I suddenly came under very heavy conviction of my sins. The verse, “My sin is ever before me” (Psalm 51:3), was very much a reality to me then. All that was on my mind was how I had sinned against a holy and omniscient God. Not only was I a sinner, but I was sin,incapable of doing anything right in the sight of God. Everything I did was like filthy rags in His sight. I remembered all the times I would try to search for the right words in the inquiry room, only hoping to be “passed,” and told I was saved. I wouldn’t be worried about my sins recorded in God’s books in Heaven, but only wishing to be accepted into the church.

The amount of conviction I had over my sins was almost overwhelming. It was difficult to think of anything else except my sins recorded in the books in Heaven. I had mocked an almighty God. I had scorned a Saviour who condescended to the level of men. He suffered, bled and died for me on the Cross, but all I wished to do was to be “passed” and join the church.

The next evening, Dr. Hymers preached a sermon titled, “You Can Be Saved.” During the sermon, he said that there was no reason for me to remain lost. All one had to do to be rid of his sins was to come to Jesus. It took just one look to Him, and my sins would be erased from those books in Heaven. Though I had heard Dr. Hymers say this hundreds of times, I now heard it and actually listened to it.

My conviction was so great at this time that the only thing that I could think of was that I had to be saved from my sins. I resolved that I would not leave the church that night unless I was saved. In the inquiry room, Dr. Hymers told me to kneel down and come to Jesus and look to Him. At that moment, with tears coming down my face, I threw myself on Jesus. I believed on Jesus with simple blind faith and He saved me. In that moment I came to Him. I simply looked to Him and He saved me from my sins.

And He did just that. He saved me from my sins and everlasting punishment in Hell. My sins recorded in the books in Heaven were now washed clean by the precious Blood of Jesus Christ. The Blood which He shed at Calvary was now cleansing my sins in Heaven. I had been dead in trespasses and sins. Now I was given life anew in Jesus Christ, Jesus who had suffered, bled and died for me.

Now He is my Saviour and Lord who sits at the right hand of God the Father in Heaven. The price He paid for me on Calvary is one which I can never fully repay. All I can do is honor Him, serve Him, and glorify Him. It was through the mercy and grace of God that I was brought under conviction and drawn to Jesus Christ. Every day now I thank God for placing me in a church with such a godly pastor, parents, mentors and friends in which I can serve Christ. It is my hope that I and the other young people will be able to sustain the church and help to build it up. I am looking forward to that day when I shall see my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, face to face.

Testimony 5

The week before I was converted, Dr. Hymers preached a sermon that really bothered me. It was on my mind every day throughout the whole week. The text he preached on was the last part of Jonah 2:9, “Salvation is of the Lord.” In it, he made clear that the work of salvation is solely of God through Jesus, and man can do nothing to contribute to this miracle.

The reason this sermon bothered me was because I was trying to get saved by my own efforts. I had been counseled for several weeks, but I was not the least bit alarmed about my own sinful state. Nothing I did helped me in any way. All I was doing was adding sin to sin by rejecting Jesus and the Blood that He shed for me.

After I heard this sermon, though, the Holy Spirit began to convict me of my sins. I started to see and feel my depravity. I was a lost sinner, ignorant of God, and against His nature. I was on my way to Hell, deservingly so, and there was nothing I could do to prevent it. I was afraid God would strike me down at any moment. I would die, unprepared to face judgment. These truths haunted me every day.

I thought that a sinner like me did not deserve God and His grace. After rejecting His Son Jesus time after time, I was sure God would soon give up on me. So, when the next sermon was preached, I listened to it attentively. It was on a Saturday night and the last words of the sermon were “Look to Christ - not to Adam.” These words meant that salvation from sin lies in Jesus, not in man. Still, I did not trust Christ.

The following morning, though, my sin became unbearable. As a sermon on Judas was being preached, I felt my sin becoming heavier and heavier. Like Judas, I was looking within myself and not to Christ. That was when God showed me that I needed to look out of myself and into Christ for the salvation of my soul. I was desperate for Jesus to forgive my sins.

As I was going upstairs to be counseled after the sermon, I began to think about what Jesus had done for me. He was humiliated and spat upon. He was beaten and scourged. He bore all my sins on His body. He shed His Blood for a ruined sinner like me. He suffered the punishment for my sins. He died in my place. He rose physically from the dead to give me eternal life. He went through all of this because He loves me. I had not known His love for me until that moment. Never had I seen such love displayed.

That morning, by the grace of God, I came to know Jesus. God gave me faith to believe on Christ. He did all the work of my salvation. My depraved nature had kept me from trusting Jesus. It was God who drew me to His Son. He showed great mercy and had compassion on me; even though I did not deserve the least bit of it. God gave me the free gift of salvation through Jesus. The instant I came to Him I was washed in His precious and powerful Blood. My sins have been forgiven by Him. With His Blood He cleansed all of my sins in God’s books. I am now justified in the sight of the living God. The righteousness of Jesus has been imputed on me.

I can never repay what Jesus has done for me. I have escaped Hell and judgment. I am no longer a servant of sin, but rather Christ’s servant. I give all the praise and glory to Jesus.

Testimony 6

God’s sacrifice for sin is in His only begotten Son Jesus, whose Blood cleanseth our sins. These are truths that I have heard my whole life. As a child, I thought of God in a very unreal and shallow way. In regards to His Son Jesus, I felt the same way. I dismissed any serious thoughts on God or the gospel, by thinking such topics were beyond my intellectual reach. There were times when God spoke to me and moved within me to consider salvation. I had heartfelt pangs of nervous tension, brought on by the preaching of salvation through Christ. But there was no real connection with Jesus, no true conviction from an almighty God of my sins against Him. Any thought of sin had no real effect on my soul. My spirit was not troubled deeply.

A long pause in that state, and a false conversion, led me into a totally deadened condition. Jesus had not forgiven my sins, and no fulfillment, closure or acceptance with God was made. Then, after being confronted head on with the lostness of my soul, and for sinning against God without thought or care, God again by His mercy spoke to me once more. The still small voice of God, which I had heard as a youth, but dismissed with childish foolishness, was now understood. God made it clear to me that I had broken His law, and had been highly proud and presumptuous in not regarding Him. I could not avoid these truths, which were made known to me through sermons and counsel as well as reflections on past sermons and Bible readings. These all flooded my mind.

At camp last year, for several days leading to the end, I had a struggle with myself over submitting to God’s will for my salvation. I was moved to fear God and see the terribleness of my sins in His eyes. For the first time in my life I not only felt a real concern over my sin, but also knew within myself that I deserved any punishment God had for me. Being confronted with the severity of my case, I pleaded for His mercy. This only made things worse, because I knew that God had already given me far more mercy than I deserved. Worked up with fear of God, and knowing that I had committed many sins against Him, I tried to see Jesus. I knew that Jesus was the answer for sin and justification, but I got so caught up in my own gazing that I fooled myself into another false conversion. For a time after that, I was ecstatic. But it was only a short-lived excitement that soon faded away. There I was again, dead to God, dead to man, with no hope for tomorrow, no hope for eternity. A lost soul without forgiveness, I tried to obey God by doing those things that I knew pleased Him. But I was again confronted with the God-man Christ Jesus, whom I had not fully trusted. The fact that Jesus was real was apparent to me. I also fully accepted the fact that He willfully shed His Blood and experienced unspeakable pain to forgive my sins. But there was no connection with Him; I felt that my face was still hidden from Him.

On Sunday evening, July 17, Dr. Hymers spoke on “Martin Luther on Justification.” He was beginning to give special attention to the Blood of Christ during this time. The Blood was at the front of my mind. The part in Romans 3:25 where it says, “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood” really hit me. At that time, I wanted badly to have faith in Jesus and His Blood, but it seemed so far out of reach for a weak mortal dead man like me. I was humbled again, sick and sad that such a seemingly simple thing as being justified by God through faith in Jesus Christ was beyond me.

Dr. Hymers and Dr. Cagan then counseled me. I told them I was definitely not saved, and did not have faith in Jesus. I was told that I was being cowardly for being hindered by the matter of salvation, for comforting myself in self-pity, and not stepping up and making the responsible decision of finding forgiveness in Christ. Also, so many years of rejecting the Spirit of God and hearing sermons had made my mind far too deceptive and twisted to come to Jesus the “right” or acceptable way.

They told me to forget that and come to Jesus “any way at all.” I was left alone in the room. There was nothing at that point and time that mattered but Jesus. I knew Him to be the Blood atonement that God had set forth for mankind and for me. I knelt crying to Jesus to save me. I said to Jesus, “Save me, please save me, Jesus” several times. I did not premeditate what I said or thought as at other times. There was no other recourse at that time other than to plead to Jesus for salvation by His Blood.

I was completely given over to Jesus and the saving grace He offered me. There was no room for anything else but Jesus and faith in Him alone, no more of my doings, no more of what I did or tried to do. Only Jesus could set me straight with God. This amazes me. It truly blows me away, how Jesus is so attainable to those who really want to find Him. I thought I would only fail again when trying to come to Jesus. But when I didn’t depend on my own strengths or attributes, but instead wholeheartedly looked to Jesus and pleaded to Him for forgiveness, that was the true will of God.

That was my time to believe in Jesus. He had already finished the work, by shedding His Blood for my sin. I can only now say that all glory belongs to God for the amazing gift of salvation through His Son. I can now say with certainty that my sins are forgiven. My boldness is in Christ and His Blood, in what He did on the Cross for my sins and how through faith in Him I am made righteous in God’s eyes. Praise the Lord!

Testimony 7

I was converted on January 26, 2005. I came to Jesus and my sins were washed away by His Blood. My conversion was all of God’s grace. I simply came to Jesus through faith in His Blood. I remember the exact moment that I stopped trusting in myself and trusted in Christ.

Before I was converted, I would think that maybe if I came to church and tried to be a good person that I would be converted that way. I thought to myself that maybe if I came to church every Sunday, that this would make me a good person and God would convert me. I thought the more I did good works the closer I was to getting converted. Oh, how I was wrong. The more I trusted in doing good works the farther away I was from Christ.

I was still thinking like a Catholic. I went to a Catholic church when I was a little boy, and never really understood what the priest was saying. But they taught me to believe that doing human works and confessing my sins would get me to Heaven. My heart was so hardened that I could not get that idea out of my head for a very long time. When I would listen to the preaching of Dr. Hymers, my mind would fuzz out and I would think about something else. I did not take the gospel seriously when Dr. Hymers would preach on Jesus.

Finally, as the months went by, I began listening carefully to what was preached. After the preaching I would come to be counselled. I carefully listened to the advice of Dr. Hymers and Dr. Cagan about salvation. But I was still thinking like a Catholic. The counseling did not affect me because I wanted to do human works and get converted. I thought that I still needed to be saved by doing human works. I had false conversions one after another. I had thought many times that I needed to have a feeling in a conversion, that God would grant me a new heart and a new mind, and I would feel different. I was looking for this “feeling” instead of Jesus. Having false conversions was a horrible time for me. I did not want to accept myself as a wretched sinner and come to Jesus.

I tried every humanly possible idea to fix my own sins by myself, trying my best not to sin any more. I tried to clean up my act without the help of God. Oh, how I was wrong again. I was very selfish, too into myself to think of God. I tried to fix my own problems. That was my excuse for not coming to Jesus.

The Holy Spirit would awaken me into a conviction of sin. I felt bad about my sins, but it would only last temporarily. When I came to the inquiry room to be counselled after the sermon, I would try to think of something to say, by remembering what was preached before, and say some words, but they never had any meaning and it did not affect me personally. I did not want to reflect upon my own sins but upon someone else’s sins or someone else’s conversion. I looked at others, instead of looking at my own sins.

Then it was the month of January 2005 during the evangelistic meetings. Something was different this time. I began to pray every day and be alone by myself and think about my own sins. I noticed that the preaching of the gospel became crystal clear to me - that salvation is given freely by the Lord Jesus Christ. I understood that the Bible is true to its word. I believed everything that is written in the Bible, that Jesus came to die on the Cross to pay the penalty for all our sins, and that He rose the third day, flesh and bone, and is sitting now on the right hand of God.

I came to Christ as a wretched sinner with no hope in myself, but with hope in Jesus Christ. With God all things are possible. The most important thing to me was coming to Jesus and my sins being washed in His Blood. I trusted in His Blood. That moment I was converted.

(END OF SERMON)
You can read Dr. Hymers' sermons each week on the Internet
at www.realconversion.com. Click on "Sermon Manuscripts."

Solo Sung Before the Sermon by Mr. Benjamin Kincaid Griffith:
“Jesus is the Friend of Sinners” by John W. Peterson, 1971 (AM);
“Oh, How He Loves You and Me” by Kurt Kaiser, 1975 (PM).