In this sermon, the preacher tells a story about a man named Will who is in charge of a garden. One day, an evil stranger enters the garden and takes control. Will is initially flattered by the stranger's respect, but soon realizes the stranger's true intentions. The stranger represents sin and temptation, and Will is faced with the choice to continue following him or to turn to Jesus, who is portrayed as the Savior and friend. Ultimately, Will decides to open the gate and invite Jesus into his life, but encounters difficulty in doing so. The sermon emphasizes the importance of recognizing sin, repenting, and accepting Jesus as the true master of our lives.

Our story tonight is another parable story, an earthly story with a spiritual meaning, the King's Garden, a story that illustrates in a wonderful way God's way of salvation, how a person can be saved and then go on to grow in the grace and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus, the story of the King's Garden. Now this story begins, as all good stories ought to begin, with the well-known words, once upon a time. Once upon a time there lived a great king in a golden palace on the hills of eternity. And this great king in our story illustrates to us what God is. God is a great king above all gods. Make no mistake about it. God is great for many, many reasons. God is great in power. When God wished to bring this earth into existence, He did so by speaking. He spake, it was done. He commanded and it stood fast. God is great in power. He is almighty. He is omnipotent. He can do everything except deny himself and lie. Then God is great in holiness. God hates sin and must, because of His holy character, punish sin, either in the person of the sinner or the one who bears the sinner's sins and dies in the sinner's stead. And third, God is great in love. And God is just as great in His love as He is in His power and His holiness. So this great king in our story illustrates to us what God is. God is a great king above all gods. Now this great king planted a lovely garden. And in that garden he caused to grow those trees, the fruit of which brought glory to His name, and such flowers as brought pleasure to His heart. And around that garden he placed a high wall, so high that only he could look over that wall, into that garden and see the person who was living therein. Now this garden, in our parable, illustrates what your life and mine ought to be. God wants your life and mine to be His garden, in which such fruit as love, joy, peace, long-suffering, goodness, meekness, gentleness, faith and self-control shall grow. Such flowers as honesty and obedience and purity shall develop and thus bring pleasure to the heart of God. That high wall around the garden tells me this, that around your life and mine God has put a high wall so that no human being can look into your life. Even though your father and mother know you very well, they cannot look into your life. They don't know what you're thinking about. They don't know everything that you've done today. No indeed. But God knows every thought that has ever entered your mind, every word that has escaped your lips, every deed that was done when you thought no one was looking. Knowing that of God are all things. All things are open and naked to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. Separating you from every other boy and girl on earth is this great high wall. When God made you, He broke the mold. There'll never be another boy or girl just exactly like you. I've got a twin brother, and although we know each other very well, yet between my brother and myself there's that high wall. He's never looked into my life, I've never looked into his life. He's never seen through my eyes, or heard through my ears, or thought through my mind, or acted through my body. He thinks and sees and hears and acts for himself. So every individual is a personality distinct from every other person on the face of the earth. Only God Himself can look into your life and know exactly what has taken place. Now in this wall, this great king placed a gate. And this gate could only be opened with the consent of the one who lived in that garden. We shall see that person in a few moments. This gate was kept shut by means of three bolts. And before that gate should be opened, each of those bolts had to be drawn. I'll tell you the names of the bolts, and then maybe you can guess what that gate represents. The first bolt was called intellect. That's the ability God has given us, enabling us to obtain and retain and reproduce our knowledge. That's why we go to school and don't like it very much. But believe me, if you didn't go to school, you'd be a dumbbell all right. And so go to school and do your homework. And get A grades if you possibly can. Bring pleasure to the heart of your parents. Intellect. Don't despise intellect, but don't glorify it. The second bolt was called emotions or feelings. That's the way we react to what we know. We like a thing or we dislike a thing. That's part of our emotional getup. The emotions. The third bolt was called the will. That's the ability God has given us, enabling us to determine upon a course of action and carry out that determination by an act or a series of acts. Now then, your intellect plus your emotions plus your will equals your personality. So that gate represents your personality. And listen, the Lord Jesus will not come through that gate into the garden of your life unless you are willing to draw each of those bolts. The intellect and the emotions and the will. So God in his word appeals to your intellect. Come now and let us reason together, saith the Lord. He appeals to your emotions. Behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow. He appeals to your will. Any man will do his will. He shall know the doctrine whether I speak of myself. And so God's word appeals to your intellect. It stirs your emotions and the purpose of it is to cause your will to determine to receive Christ as your Savior. The Lord Jesus will not come through that gate unless you are willing. He stands on the outside and says, Behold I stand at the door of a knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come into him and suck with him and he with me. Now in this garden, this great king placed a beautiful little house. Isn't that a lovely house? Wouldn't you like to live in a nice little house like that? Well I'll tell you something, you're living in a much nicer house than that right now. Now this house had five doors. You only see one in the picture but it had five doors. I'll tell you the names of those doors and maybe you can guess what that house represents. The first door was called eye door. Second door was called ear door. Third door, smell door. Fourth door, taste door. And the last door, touch door. Oh I hear some bright boy or girl saying, I know what that house represents. It represents my body in which I live. Splendid. My that was great. Sure that's exactly what it is. That house represents your body. And through those five doors you receive impressions from the world around. You see, you hear, you smell, you taste, you touch. But remember this, you are not your body. Your body and you are two different things. One of these days you are going to leave your body. What do doctors say about a body when the person has left his body? They say that body is what? It's dead. What do they do with dead bodies? They bury them in the ground. I've been to hundreds of funerals in my time, girls and boys, but I've never been to the funeral of a person yet. We don't bury persons. We bury bodies, that's all. The great question that you must ask is over this. Where will I go when I leave the house which is called my body? Well it all depends on what you do with the Lord Jesus while you're living in that house. If while you're living in that house called your body, you trust the Lord Jesus as your Savior and you're saved by God's grace, then your spirit will go to be with Christ, which is very far better. But if while living in your body you never trust Christ as your Savior, you reject and despise or neglect the salvation which God has provided at such infinite cost, then your spirit will be lost to weavered wail and gnash your teeth for all eternity. So you see, it greatly depends on what you do while you're living in your body. Now the king furnished that cottage with everything necessary for the convenience and the comfort of the one who occupied that house. He paced a copy of his holy word, furnished it with all that which was calculated to make the person that lived in it very, very comfortable indeed. And here is that person. His name was Will. What's his name? Will. Will. Isn't he a fine looking boy? Clear eyes, an honest face? Yes. The king said, Will, I'm going to put you in that garden and you shall be the master of that garden. You shall live in that cottage. And Will, so long as you cultivate those trees, the fruit of which bring glory to my name, and you cultivate those flowers that bring pleasure to my heart, so long will you be the most fortunate boy in all the world. There now, Will, I place you in charge of this beautiful garden. And there is Will placed in the garden. I wonder who Will represents. Would you like to see Will tonight? I can tell you how you can see Will tonight. When you go home, the first thing you do, go to the bathroom, and right above the place where you wash your hands, you'll see a medicine cabinet with a door, and that door has a mirror in it. Right? All right, now take a good look into that mirror, and there you'll see Will looking at you. Oh, you say, Will represents me. That's right. Even though you're a girl, your name is going to be Will tonight. Hi there, Will. Yes. God has put you into the garden of your life. And listen, you are responsible what takes place in that garden. You are responsible, and God will hold you responsible. But the time is coming when we shall all give an account of the deeds done in the body. So you see, while it's a great privilege to live, it's also a great responsibility. And remember, only as we cultivate those trees and those flowers that bring glory and pleasure to the heart of God shall our lives be what God intends they shall be. Think of beauty and of joy forever. But said the King, I'm going back now to my golden palace on the hills of eternity. But between my golden palace and your cottage, I've constructed a telephone wire. And Will, I want you to keep in constant touch with me by the royal telephone. When you wake up in the morning, I want you to call me up and thank me for the good night's rest I've given to you. And then, when you sit down to breakfast, call me up again and thank me for the good food I've provided for you. And then at dinner, call me up again. At supper, call me up again. And before you put your head upon your pillow at night, go down on your knees and call me up once again and ask me to take care of you during the still watches of the night. I wonder what that telephone represents. What do you think? Why, prayer, of course. Say, did you call up the King this morning when you got out of bed? Or were you in such a breakneck hurry you never even trouble to go down on your knees and pray? Even though you're not saved, girls and boys, get down on your knees and pray. Acknowledge God. God is in heaven. God is good and God has been gracious to you. God has given this precious word, His beloved Son. I hope when you sit down to eat your meals, you bow your head and you give thanks for the food, for every good and perfect gift coming from above, from the Father of Lights, with whom there is no variableness, neither shadow cast by eternity. You know, some time ago, I went to visit a friend who has a lot of hogs on his farm. And when the hog-feeding time came, he gave his hog call. You know, pointy, pointy, pointy. And my, those pigs came running to the troughs, which were filled with lovely hogswill, the smell to high heaven. But you know this? I didn't see one of those hogs stop for a moment, cross its front legs and lift up its snout toward heaven, and thank God for the nice hogswill. Not one of them gave God a word of thanks. They just plunged right into it, and some of them actually got into the trough and lay down in it. There they were, making hogs of themselves. You know, some folks are just like that. I've watched them in restaurants. The food is brought to them, and they just dig right in. With just about as much confidence of God as that hog. Never even give God a word of thanks. Never even give God any acknowledgment at all that he is a supplier of all their food. Give us this day our daily bread. So girls and boys, remember that royal telephone. Now there is Will. He's in the garden. He's the master of that garden. The king has placed him there, and my Will just felt full of pep and animal spirits. He couldn't contain himself. He jumped up and down, and he clapped his hands, and as he jumped and clapped his hands, he shouted, It's mine! It's mine! It's mine! This lovely garden is all mine! I'm the master of the garden! Oh, no, you're not. Say, where did that voice come from? Oh, I must have imagined it, thought Will. And so he jumped and tapered around and clapped his hands and shouted, It's mine! It's mine! It's mine! This garden's all mine! I'm the master of the garden! Oh, no, you're not. And Will looked, and now he saw from whence that voice came. For there, standing outside the gate, was an evil-looking stranger with a scowl on his face and a sneer in his voice. He said to the stranger, You're garden nonsense. Master of the garden, pitiful. If you're the master of the garden, where are your servants? You can't be a master unless you have servants. I know that master of yours. I know that king. I know him better than you. He's a hard master. He reaps what he hasn't sown and picks up what he hasn't put down. He's nothing but a slave driver. He gets folks like you to believe that they are the masters of the garden in which he places them. And then, toward the end of their life, after they've worked their fingers to the bone for him, he comes and puts chains around their wrists and around their ankles and makes a great big whip and drives them, drives them to his service. Master of the garden. But, said the stranger, if you let me come in, Ah, what a difference that will make. You see, said he, I'm a gardener to trade. And in the sack that I've got with me, I've got some wonderful seeds. I've got some wonderful saplings. And if you let me come in, I'll be your servant. I'll do what you want me to do. You'll be the master because I'll be your servant. I'll call you sir. And oh, what a wonderful change we'll make in this garden. Why, you'll be able to do what you like and go where you like and say what you like. You'll be the master of your own fate and the captain of your own soul. You know, the moment I saw you, I said to myself, there's a boy that won't be content to be a slave any longer. You don't want to be a slave, do you, Will? No. Why, you're telling me the truth, inquired Will. Why, of course, said the man. Well, I think I'll go and read my Bible. No, you read your Bible. Only sissies read the Bible. You're not a sissy. You're a man. Look, you've got long trousers on. Well, I'll go and call up the king. Don't you call up the king. He'll only tell you some more lies. Come on now. Be a man. Don't be a mouse. Obey the nobler instincts of your red-blooded manhood, if any. Come on now. Get the old backboat to work. Open that first boat. And thus encouraged Will, rather hesitant at first, but gathering courage, walked up to the gate, took hold of that first boat called intellect, and he pulled that boat. Good, said the stranger. That's fine. My, what a boy you are. What a strong boy. I can see you're not content to be a slave any longer. Now try that second boat. And so Will took the boat called emotions. He pulled that boat. Splendid. Splendid. Now for that third boat, the last boat. So Will took that boat called the will. He pulled that boat called the will. And the gate flew open. And in came that evil stranger with a triumphant leer on his face. And as he shook Will by the hand, he laughed and said, Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. Now I'm your master. He was just going to say master, but he suddenly remembers, Now I'm your servant, sir. Now sir, will you please shut the gate, please, sir. Thank you, sir. Now sir, will you please put in the first boat. Thank you, sir. And every time the stranger said sir, it made Will feel very important. My, imagine. He's calling me sir. I really must be the master of the garden now. Now will you put in the second boat, please, sir. Thank you, sir. Now the third boat. Thank you, sir. Now then, said the evil stranger, what do you think I'd better do? Well, said Will, rather importantly, I think you'd better get busy in the garden with those saplings of yours and those seeds. Yes, sir. Thank you, sir. And washing his hands with invisible soap in equally imperceptible water, the evil stranger bowed to Will and made his way into the garden to do his dirty work. I wonder who that evil stranger is. Well, he represents two things. Sometimes he represents sin. Sometimes he represents Satan in this story. Just now, he represents sin. By the way, have you let sin come into the garden of your life? Don't you tell me you haven't. Because you have. The first lie you told, in came sin into the garden of your life. First time you disobeyed your father and your mother, and don't forget, that's a sin. Sin came into the garden of your life. First time you lost your temper and did those nasty things, in came sin into the garden of your life. First time you allowed that evil thought to dominate your mind, in came sin into your life. Yes. Every evil act, every sinful word and deed and attitude is a sin against God. And that's a tragedy with all of us. We've all opened that gate and allowed sin to come in to that beautiful garden that God intended for his own glory and for his own pleasure. Well, the evil stranger God was in. There he is. He uprooted all those lovely trees which the king had planted. In their place, he planted his horrid saplings. And the ground of this garden was so purple, scarcely had those saplings been planted before they began to grow right before one's very eyes. And in just a short time, branches came out from the trunk and fruit appeared upon those branches. There's that evil stranger doing his dirty work in that lovely garden. And remember this, if you're not saying that's what sin and Satan is doing in your life right now. Yes. Planting those horrid, horrid saplings and the fruit is going to yield a dreadful, dreadful harvest. Not only so, but he uprooted all those lovely flowers which the king had planted. In their place, he sowed his noxious weeds. And the aroma from those weeds had a strange effect upon Will. His mind became sort of woozy. He wasn't able to think straight. He wasn't able to reason properly. He got the idea that God was his enemy. That God didn't love him. That God didn't desire the best for him. There's that evil stranger sowing the seed. Sow a thought, reap a word. Sow a word, reap an act. Sow an act, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. Don't forget girls and boys, you're sowing in your boyhood and your girlhood seeds that you must reap in your manhood and your womanhood. Don't forget that. What was Will doing in the meanwhile? Calling up the king? No indeed. Though Will didn't know it. The moment that stranger came in, that phone service was discontinued. That telephone wire was broken. Communion between Will and the king was broken. Sin had come in. There is Will. What's he doing? Wasting his time. Reading soft books that'll bring no glory to God. Wasting his time and wasting his energies. Wasting his health and his strength. Just like that prodigal did, we heard about last night. There he is. Doesn't mean anything to him that he's opened the gate of his life and allowed God's enemy to come in. Doesn't mean a thing to him at all. Utterly careless and indifferent. I wonder if there are any girls or boys like that here tonight. You're sinners. You've sinned against God in thought and word and deed and it doesn't seem to affect you in the slightest degree. You can eat well and sleep well and play without one thought of God. Without one thought of your sins. Without one thought of death. Without one thought of what comes after death. Without one thought of eternity. Yes. There's Will. One day Will walked out from that cottage and there was a gardener waiting for him with a smile on his face. Good morning sir, said he as he bowed low before Will. I see you've come out to see your garden. Good. I've been very busy on your behalf. Look at these lovely fruit trees that I've planted. Look at that luscious fruit growing on the branches. My, said Will, it certainly looks nice. Would you like to have some of that fruit? Indeed I would, said Will. Then I'll go and get you some, said the stranger. And he hurried and brought forth a sample of the various fruit trees. And as he handed a piece of fruit to Will he said, take this. It's an abomination to the Lord but it's an ever present help in time of trouble. What kind of tree is it? Ah, said the stranger with a disarming smile. What's in a name? A rose by any other name smells just as sweet, just as a skunk by any other name smells just as bad. What's in a name? It was really the tree of lying. And Will took a bite out of that fruit of lying. Mmm, tasted good. Remember that time when you're told a lie and your father and your mother believe you and you get out of a spanking? Remember that? Maybe you thought you were smart. You weren't. You were just a little liar. That's all. Now try this. And he gave him another piece of fruit. It was from the tree of cheating. Instead of doing your own homework copy the homework of the boy or the girl next door to you and then take it to the school and represent it as your own work so that when the teacher says, Jim, is this your own work? Did you do this yourself? Without any help? Yes, ma'am. Jim, I wish I had more boys like you in my class. More honest and trustworthy and reliable and hard-working boys like you. Thank you, Jim. Thank you. I appreciate your cooperation. What'd you make you feel like? Kind of skunkish? Well, that's just what you are. So crooked you can hide behind a corkscrew. Then, the third tree was the tree of bad temper. When you can't get what you want fly into a rage and start hitting, kicking, biting, scratching or hair-pulling according to your sex and your desire. But, let me give you a word of warning. Make sure that the person that you kick or hit or bite or scratch or whose hair you pull is smaller than you. Otherwise, a tragedy might take place. Boy, that boy might hit you back harder than you hit him. That's unthinkable. So, always make sure that the person that you hit is smaller than you. Bad temper. Then, he gave in fruit from another tree. Impurity. And will ate of that fruit. And my, that fruit tasted good going down. But the next night, that night, as will tried to sleep, he couldn't. That fruit lay undigested upon his conscience. It began to speak for itself. And my, will was just gripped by dreadful cramps. His conscience kept accusing him, Will, you're a liar. You told a dirty lie. Oh, my. How bad will felt. Will, you're a cheat. You copied that homework. You told a lie in the bargain. You're just a cheat. A crook. That's all you are. Will, you're a coward. You hit that boy that was smaller than you. Will, you're impure. And oh, will thought he'd die that night. The pain was so great. He rolled from one side of his bed to the other. Cold beads of perspiration rolled into his brow. As he caught his sleep in vain because of the pain, he said, If I can only live till the morning light, I'll never tell another lie. I'll never cheat again. I'll never lose my temper again. I'll never disobey my father or mother again. I'll never be impure again. Oh, if I can only live till the morning light. Oh, oh, oh, oh. And about four o'clock in the morning, he fell into a pitful doze. He awakened at about ten, feeling like something the cat had dragged in and wouldn't even eat. And as he staggered out into the garden, the first thing he saw were those trees, the fruit of which had almost killed him the night before. What do you think he did? He took some more. What? Took some more of that fruit that had almost killed him? Why, sure. Isn't that what you've done? You remember that first lie? You said, oh, I'll never tell another lie. And you didn't either till the next time. I'll never cheat again. But you did. I'll never disobey you again, Daddy and Mommy. But you did. I'll never lose my temper again. But you did. I'll never take anything that doesn't belong to me again. But you did. I'll never be impure again. But you were. Yes. And the next night, he was sick again, but not quite so sick as the first night. He ate some more the next day. Why, it hardly affected him the third night. And at the end of a week, why, he never thought of the consequences of his sins. To see him sleeping in his bed, you'd have thought he was a little angel dropped down from heaven instead of which he had a heart that's as black as only sin can make it. Yes. Yes. But what Will didn't notice was this. As he ate that fruit, his face began to change. He lost that honest, pure, decent, upright look which the king had given him. And he got a kind of a hanged on, thirty, shifty look about him. Couldn't look him right between the eyes. Look at him. He didn't know he looked like that until one day when he was rummaging around in the old cottage, he saw something sticking out over one of the shelves. He stood on a chair and he picked it up. Why? It's a looking glass called the Word of God. My, said Will. Here's a looking glass. I haven't seen myself. I don't know how long. He took one look into the glass and he almost died of shock. No, that can't be me. It can't be me. No, no, no. I don't look like that. But down deep in his heart something said, Will, that's exactly what you look like. Look at your eyes shifting. Look at your hair all matted and filthy. Look at your clothes all ragged and torn and filthy. Look at your hands. To see him sleeping in his bed, you'd have thought he was a little angel dropped down from heaven instead of which he had a heart that's as black as only sin can make it. Yes. Yes. But what Will didn't notice was this. As he ate that fruit his face began to change. He lost that honest, pure, decent, upright look which the king had given him and he got a kind of a hanged on, filthy, shifty look about him. Couldn't look you right between the eyes. Look at him. He didn't know he looked like that until one day when he was rummaging around in the old cottage he saw something sticking out over one of the shelves. He stood on a chair and he picked it up. Why? It's a looking glass called the Word of God. My, said Will. Here's a looking glass. I haven't seen myself for I don't know how long. He took one look into the glass and he almost died of shock. No, that can't be me. It can't be me. No, no, no. I don't look like that. But down deep in his heart he said, Will, that's exactly what you look like. Look at your eyes shifting. Look at your hair all matted and filthy. Look at your clothes all ragged and torn and filthy. Look at your hands black, stained with sin. That's what that fruit has done, Will. Your face is like the gardener. My, when Will saw himself in that mirror he was shocked. You know, that's what the Bible is. The Bible is a mirror. If you want to know what God thinks of you read the third chapter of Romans if you're not saved. It'll tell you exactly what you are on the side of God. There is none righteous, no, not one. There is none that understandeth. There is none that doeth good. There is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way. They are together become unfathomable. There is none that doeth good, no, not so much as one. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. That's why the Bible is so unpopular in many quarters. All folks like to have it in their homes. Makes a handy base for a doily and a vase of flowers on top. Makes the house look sort of respectable but the Bible is sellable. It's message is never read or believed. My, when Will realized what that had done to him he was shocked above measure. Yes, there's the monster artist Sin is a monster artist. There is man as it came forth from the hands of God in the beginning. We are told God made man upright but man has sought out many inventions. But the monster artist sin with the pigment of malice and deceit and hate and shame and lust and pride and lies and hypocrisy and blasphemy and cruelty have debased the beautiful image that God has placed upon man into the likeness of the devil himself. That's what sin does girls and boys. It drags you down and robs you of your manhood and your decency and your character and your soul and will rob you of heaven too if you're dying your sins. Well, when Will realized what that truth had done for him he said, I know what I'll do. Down in the woodshed there's an axe called good resolutions. I'll take that axe. I'll chop down those trees. As he rushed into the woodshed he came out with that sharp axe called good resolves or good resolutions. And he laid about him with a will. Chop, chop, chop down with the first tree. Chop, chop, chop down with the second tree. Chop, chop, chop down with the third tree. And all the while he was chopping down those trees do you know what the gardener was doing? Leaning against the woodshed and laughing. Ha, ha, ha, ha. Why are you laughing I said Will. I'm laughing said the gardener because though you're cutting down the trees the roots are still in the soil. And look the trees you cut down a moment ago they're growing again. And as Will looked to his horror he saw that the trees which he had cut down had already grown to full height again. And the fruit was hanging from the branches. And worse still he still had an appetite for that fruit. And so Will realized how utterly impossible it was for him to clean up his own garden. I hope you discover that fact. All your good results to live a better life in the future won't atone for the sins of the past. It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. The Bible describes that man is without strength helpless and hopeless and deserving only of eternal judgment from the hands of a holy and a righteous God. No, you cannot by your good results and by your own willpower clean up your life. That's why Jesus said to one of the most religious and moral men of his day you must be born again. What you need is a new life. You need a Savior. You need someone who will give you power to live the kind of a life that you'll bring pleasure and honor and glory to the name of God and the Lord Jesus. And so Will realized how utterly helpless he was. And those trees grew back again. And worse still Will having that appetite ate of that fruit. Even though he knew it was dragging him down. Even though he knew that that stranger that came in to be his gardener was gradually gaining the mastery over him. And that he was no longer in control of his garden but sin had become his master. Yes. Know ye not to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey his bond slaves ye are whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness. One day while Will was in that garden wondering how it was all going to end he heard a knock. He didn't know where it came from. He listened and the knock came again. He looked and there he saw someone standing outside that gate. Oh what a lovely man. So noble. Eyes so loving and gracious and kind. He was a king. Will realized that because he wore a crown. Only instead of wearing a crown of gold he wore a crown of thorns. In one hand he held a lamp called the lamp of truth. But the other hand he knocked at the gate and as Will noticed he saw there was a scar in the palm of each of those hands. He saw there was a scar in each foot and as the Saviour knocked at that door he said in a voice like as the voice of many waters behold I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door I will commit to him and sup with him and he with me. And Will inquired who are you? And the Saviour answered I'm the only son of the great king who placed you in this garb. And Will the king knows all about you. He knows how you opened that gate and allowed sin and Satan to come in. He knows the ruin and the devastation that sin has wrought in your life. He knows all about it Will. But listen the king still loves you. What? The king still loves me in spite of all I've done? Yes in spite of all you've done Will. The king still loves you. And I'm the proof that the king loves you. The king loved you so much that he sent me from that beautiful golden palace on the hills of eternity to come into this world of sin and shame in order to make a way by which you could escape from the consequences of your sins. In wonderful love and marvelous grace I left the ivory palaces above. I came first of all to Bethlehem's manger. I lived a holy perfect life on earth. And then I went to the cross. I allowed wicked men to nail me there in order that on that cross the great king might take all your sins and put them on me. And Will I was willing to bear them. All your sins were laid upon me. I bore them on the tree. The God who knew them laid them on me. That you might who believing on me have the forgiveness of all your sins have a new power in your life. Will I loved you. I bore your sins. I died for you. I accomplished all the work needed for your salvation by the shedding of my most precious blood. I died and then rose again and in the power of an endless life I now stand at the gate of your life. Will won't you let me come in? If you do I'll forgive you all your sins. I'll give you eternal life and you'll never perish. I'll clothe you with the garments of salvation. I'll impart to you a power in the strength in which you can live a life to my glory. I'll turn this wilderness of weeds that sinners made your garden into a beautiful garden even the king's garden. I'll fill your heart with joy. Oh Will let me come in. I loved you. I gave myself for you. I want to be your savior and your lord and your friend. And you know Will felt his heart moving and before he knew before he really realized what he was doing he went to that gate and he tried to move that first boat called intellect but that boat had become rusty and as he tried to move it it made a rasping noise and that rasping noise aroused the attention of the garden and when he heard that rasping noise he knew what was happening and so he ran down to that gate and hiding behind Will for he dared not look into the face of the savior at whose hands he'd received his greatest defeat at the cross he whispered Will what are you going to do? I'm going to let the savior the lord Jesus the only son of the great king who loved me and bore my sins and died for me I will let him come in to be my savior and my lord and my friend he's promised to change this wilderness into the garden of the lord he's promised to clothe me with the garments of salvation and cleanse me from all the filth of my sins he's promised to put a new power within me don't you believe him? don't you believe him? whispered that gardener he only says that in order to more easily to gain access into your garden why the first thing you do when he comes in is to destroy these fruit trees you can't live without sin you can't live without the pleasure of the world you can't live without its shows and its dances and all the rest well your life will be miserable instead of being happy you'll be sad singing songs and praying all day long no joy whatever don't you let him come in don't you let him come in and underneath his robe he's got a pair of handcuffs and a pair of shackles he'll put them on your hands and feet and then he'll drive you to his service and you know what Will did Will listened to the voice of Satan and Will actually said to the Saviour No I won't let you come in and the Saviour looked at Will and to Will's astonishment he saw two tears running down the cheeks of the Saviour and he said to him Will thou hast destroyed thyself but in me is thy help and then the Saviour turned his back on Will and walked away and left Will in that garden with the devil for his company poor company oh when Will saw the Saviour turning his back and walking away his heart felt like lead he walked slowly back to the cottage just seemed to him as though the sun had gone behind clouds never to reappear oh thought Will what a dreadful thing I've done I've sinned away the only son of the great king the one who loved me enough to go to the cross take my place and bear the punishment due to me and die for me and rise again and I wouldn't have him I wouldn't have him I listened to the voice of that gardener whom I now realise is my enemy oh what shall I do what shall I do oh I wish I wish I let him come in I wish he'd come back again and knock at the door I'd let him come in next time but the days pass and the weeks pass and the months pass and the Saviour didn't come back does Will look happy no he's miserable that's what sin does makes you happy for a while and then by and by it makes you very very miserable God has linked sin and sorrow together and what God has joined together let no man put asunder he hasn't been reading his bible you see that spider's web there's Will utterly miserable his head buried in his hands oh he's thinking if only he would come back again I'd gladly gladly open the door and after many months Will listens but there's that knock there's that knock quicker than it makes you tell Will ran down to that gate Will ran down to the gate and there was the Saviour still as loving and gracious as ever the Saviour hadn't changed he's the same yesterday today and forever but all Will had changed for the worse in the interval the Saviour said Will as I live I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked Will I don't want you to die unsaved I don't want to have to cast you into hell oh Will I love you I gave myself for you why will you die let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto God and he will have mercy upon him and unto the Lord for he will abundantly pardon oh Will open the gate of your life let me come in to be your Saviour and your Lord yes said Will I'm going to let you come in and he went to that first bowl called intellect and as he tried to move it along came the God what are you going to do now I'm going to let the Saviour come in don't you let him come in if he comes in he'll throw me out good said Will I'm sorry I ever let you come in anyhow I'll be glad to see the last of you and so Will took that first bowl called intellect and said oh Lord Jesus I know I'm a poor lost and guilty sinner I know that if I die as I am I'll be lost forever and I deserve to go to hell but I do know that you love me and that on the cross you bore my sins and died for me and I know that if I trust you as my Saviour you will save me and he pulled that first bowl of intellect then he took hold of the bowl called emotions and said Lord Jesus I earnestly ardently desire to be saved that's the emotions and he pulled that bowl and then he took that third bowl called the Will and this is what he said Jesus I will trust thee trust thee with my soul guilty violent helpless thousands make me whole I trust you now as my Saviour and he pulled that third bowl and as he did so the gates were opened in came the Saviour and as the Saviour came in Will heard something go like this what was that there was a devil running away as hard as he could for the moment Christ comes in out goes Satan he breaks the power of cancel sin and sets the prisoner free there is that lamp of truth shining on Will never did Will realize as much as then how filthy and guilty and lost and wretched and ragged he was there he stood with a lamp of truth shining on him he said Lord Jesus look at me look at me I'm filthy I'm lost I'm guilty I deserve to go to hell but oh Lord Jesus I do believe you love me and you died for me and I've taken you as my Saviour there he stood his eyes cast down suddenly he heard the Saviour say Will look at me and Will looked up into the smiling face of the Saviour and the Saviour's hand was outstretched he said Will take my hand and Will took the Saviour's hand and you know what the Saviour said Will your sins are all forgiven oh my did that make Will feel good Will you are now saved Will you now have eternal life Will God's Holy Spirit now indwells you Will you now are the partaker of a divine nature Will you are now born again Will you are mine and mine forever my Will felt like jumping for joy would you like the Saviour to say that to you and if you want him to say that to you do what Will did take your place as a lost sinner open your heart and receive Christ by faith as your Saviour and the word of God will assure you as the Saviour assured Will that your sins are forgiven that you have eternal life that you're indwelt by the Holy Spirit that a new nature is yours that you are saved by God's grace for time and all eternity now said the Saviour let's have a look at that garden of yours I'm going to be your gardener as well as your Saviour but with this difference you are going to cooperate with me in this garden so that you shall grow in my grace and in the knowledge of myself and the Saviour took that lamp of truth and he walked toward that tree of lying oh that wretched tree and as the shades as the light of that lamp shone on that tree of lying what happened that tree just withered and died everywhere the Saviour took that lamp of truth light shone upon those trees they withered and as Will saw those trees withering he was glad he had a new mind he had the mind of Christ he was a new creation in Christ Jesus he was glad to see the power of sin broken in his life how then said Will Lord take my life let it be consecrated Lord to thee and the Saviour planted lovely trees that he brought with him and Will began to eat of the trees that the King had brought and as he did so his face began to change who do you think he began to look like he began to look like the Saviour people said my look at Will he's becoming more Christ like day by day yes he began to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus and every morning before he went to school he took a walk in that garden with the Saviour I walk in the garden alone while the dew is still on the roses and he walks with me and talks with me and tells me I am his own and the joy we share as we carry there no mortal has ever known and the Saviour said Will the only thing that can hurt you is sin the only thing that can grieve me is sin Will if you do sin don't hide it come and tell me about it confess it to me carry on from me with loathing and detestation and I'll restore unto you the joy of your salvation Will give me your constant love and your loyal devotion and your whole hearted service with my love constraining and you know what Will replied he said Lord Jesus take my life and let it be consecrated Lord to thee take my moments and my days and let them flow in ceaseless praise and he did from that time on Will went on for God every morning as he awakened first thing he did was to read a portion from the word of God that's how the Lord Jesus speaks to those who know him as their Saviour he speaks to them through the pages of Holy Scripture and after the Saviour had spoken to Will through the Bible what did Will do Will spoke back again to the Saviour yes there he is on his knees communing in prayer to his loving Saviour so he went on to middle age and old age one day he went to be with Christ which was very far better but his life was the King's garden oh to have one soul under heavenly cultivation no longer a wilderness but a garden of the Lord walled around by grace planted by instruction visited by love weeded by heavenly discipline and guarded by divine power one soul thus favoured is prepared to yield fruit to the glory of God but outside of the gate of your life if you're not saved stands that same Saviour saying as he did to Will behold I stand at the door and knock if any man hear my voice and open the door I will commit to him and supplicate and he with me what are you going to do with the Lord Jesus oh why not say from your heart just now my doubtings give awe just now rejecting no more just now Lord Jesus I so open the door of my heart and my life to thee and as a poor lost and guiltless sinner believing that you love me and you bore my sins and died for me on that cross I take you now as my own Saviour henceforth to own me as the Lord of my life and if you really do that suit the action to the word you'll discover that your life will become the King's garden may he grant it for his name's sake let us pray we commend ourselves now into thy hands for thy blessing we thank thee for this lovely story and we pray thy blessing on every unsaved person here tonight or may that person this very night come to that point in their life's history when they shall swing open wide the door of their heart to allow the Saviour to come in to be their Lord and their friend forever we ask it for Christ's sake Amen the lights on if you please thank you tomorrow night at half past seven the story of the Artist's Studio