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Illustration: The Last Hero of the Titanic
The most famous ship of all time is quite possibly the
Titanic, the
supposedly "unsinkable" ship that was sunk during its maiden
voyage. There
have been many movies and books written about its fateful
journey and the
recovery of its wreckage. Few of these, if any will include
the story of
Scottish evangelist John Harper. Harper was a passenger on
the Titanic.
In 1912 Harper was traveling to take his new appointment as
Pastor of
Moody Church in Chicago. During that voyage, he had his 6
year old
daughter Nana and his niece, Jessie Leitch, on board with
him. His wife
had died a few years earlier and this would be a new start
for the man and
his dear daughter. In the darkness, the Titanic struck an
iceberg and
began to take in water within the bowels of the ship. Within
the darkness
and frantic scene, he put Nana into a lifeboat and then ran
throughout the
ship yelling "Women, children, and unsaved into the
lifeboats!" When the
ship finally went down he had already given his lifejacket
to another
passenger. Survivors report that to the very end Harper was
witnessing to
anyone who would listen.
One survivor recalls clinging to one of the ship's pieces
when Harper
floated near him. Harper cried, "Man, are you saved?" "No
I'm not" replied
the man. Harper pleaded with him, "Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ and
you shall be saved." The waves carried Harper away and
brought him back
moments later. Harper asked, "Are you saved now?". "No, I
cannot honestly
say that I am" said the man. Again Harper pleads with him,
"Believe in the
Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved". Shortly
afterward Harper
drowned in the cold dark waters. The man who survived was
one of only six
people rescued, but in a public meeting four years later,
recounting this
episode he said "There, alone in the night, and with two
miles of water
under me, I believed. I am John Harper's last convert."
Sermon Seed Thoughts: Being Consumed for the Gospel
2 Corinthians 12:15> And I will very gladly spend and be
spent for you;
though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.
I. Being Convinced - 1 Peter 3:15
II. Being Concerned - Jude 22, 23
III. Being Consumed - 2 Corinthians 12:15
Paul was willing to bare the expense of what it took to give
them the
gospel. We also need to be a "whatever it takes" witness.
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