He was hired by corrupt labor leaders who were determined to kill anyone who blocked them from having their own way. The biggest "hit" was former governor Frank Stuenenberg, who had stood in their way when he was governor of the State of Idaho. Orchard, playing cards in the Saratoga Hotel one night in December, saw his chance as Steuenberg, visiting with some friends in the lobby, was preparing to leave for home.

     Orchard hurried upstairs to his room, picked up the dynamite bomb, wrapped it in a newspaper, tucked it under his arm, and dashed outdoors. At the Steunenberg home he wired the bomb to the gate and sneaked away in the gathering dark. Moments later there was a terrific explosion. Frank Stueneberg’s blood poured out on the snow as his wife and children, stunned, rushed out to find their husband and father dying.

     Minutes later the fatal surprise rocked Caldwell, Idaho: Frank Steunenberg, known to all and loved by most, was assassinated! Orchard was caught, admitted the crime, tried, convicted and sentenced to die for his heinous deed. Mrs. Steunenberg had every reason to hate this man that had destroyed her husband so cruelly.

     But she was a Christian. She sent him a message expressing forgiveness and with it a little book titled, "Steps to Christ." The guard told Harry, "Here is a package from the wife of the man you murdered." Frightened, thinking it might be a bomb to get revenge, he didn’t want to open it. When he finally did and saw the title, "Steps to Christ," he threw it down with a curse. He hadn’t heard or used that name except in swearing for years.

     But the thought of Mrs. Steunenberg’s forgiveness was at last too much for even this hardened murderer. He picked up the book and began to read. It was a message of God’s love and forgiveness. This hardened man’s heart was strangely warmed. Soon he began to read the Bible that a man had sent him. As Orchards read the Bible and thought about the spirit of forgiveness that the widow of the victim had shown, his heart was softened.

     Harry discovered in a book that he had ridiculed for years - the Bible — that there was good news. He found as he read the Bible that there was hope and forgiveness for him, and for every other sinner on earth! Romans 6: 23 caught his attention:

"...For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in
Christ Jesus the Lord."

     He knew that he deserved death, now he learned that God wanted to give him eternal life in spite of the sins that he had done. Harry, on death row, made an amazing discovery: every person in the world is on death row! The Bible says,

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23

"...There is none righteous, no, not one. There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. ...There is none who does good, no, not one."
Romans 3: 10-12

     That was bad news, but it gets worse:

"For the wages of sin is death." Romans 6: 23

     Harry knew well enough why he had to die for his crime. It made perfect sense, but it was so frightening to face eternity with this judgment of condemnation hanging over him because of his sins. It was enough to make a person despair! And then he read the rest of the passage:

"But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

     Could it be true? A glimmer of hope began to break through. The further he searched in the Bible the better it got:

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourself it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Ephesians 2: 8, 9

     The bad news was turning into good news! Don’t think that when a person begins to turn to Christ that it gets easy! Harry Orchard was tortured with the thought that he had gone too far to be forgiven. "Surely," he thought, "I am beyond God’s forgiveness." Fearing that there was no hope for him, he was almost ready to give up any thought of forgiveness. Yet something kept him hanging on, reading about God’s great love for His wayward children.

     What joy was his to learn that Jesus had taken the penalty for sin for him and for everyone who had ever lived or ever would live. Can you imagine what Harry thought when Mrs. Steunenburg herself visited him in the prison. She personally told him that she forgave him and asked him to give his heart to Christ. Incredible, forgiving love from a heart-broken family to a cold-blooded murderer of a husband and father!

     He came to the conclusion that all he could do was cast himself at the feet of Jesus and ask for forgiveness and eternal life. By faith he accepted Jesus as his Savior. Orchard’s conversion was genuine and deep. He was baptized into Jesus Christ and joined Mrs. Steunenberg’s church family. Because he turned State’s Witness his sentence was changed from death to life in prison.

     He became a positive witness for his faith leading several to accept Jesus as their Savior, too. Many a man waiting on death’s row refused the visit of a chaplain but asked for Harry Orchard to come pray for him. After more than fifty years in prison he said, "Iron bars and prison walls have kept my body captive, but my soul has long been free!"

     Dear Friends, we have all sinned. There is no doubt about it! Someone said, "If we commit just three sinful acts each day, we are guilty of 1,095 sins each year. If you multiply that by your age you will be quite shocked!" It is not a matter of how many times we’ve sinned, yet, it is important to recognize that we have a sin problem so we can seek help.

     If a person had a terminal illness and never recognized his problem or sought medical help he would die. And, that is the fate of the sinner who fails to recognize his spiritual condition and to seek help. Sin is more serious than most realize. The Bible says:

"Your iniquities (sins) have separated you from God." Isaiah 59: 2

     God is the source of all life, and when Adam and Eve sinned, they began to die. It was not just Adam and Eve. We all are under the sentence of death. But a God of love did not tell us the result of sin without giving us hope! Here’s the good news! Remember what Harry Orchard found?

"The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23

     Salvation is a gift we don’t deserve. You can’t earn it, you can’t buy it, you can’t put God under obligation to you by your own good works. Almost every religion outside of true Christianity teaches that man receives forgiveness and eternal life by doing good deeds.

     In India, long-bearded men clad in scanty loincloths sit on beds of spikes, believing that by torturing their bodies they can earn God’s favor. Flagellants beat and bruise their bodies with whips and chains. Some people walk bare-footed on white-hot coals, while others place skewers like bicycle spokes with sharp points in their skin — all seeking favor of their gods by unusual acts of physical abuse.

     Buddhists believe they gain merit for a future life by building pagodas or feeding the holy men, and for the Moslem, there is no greater joy or better way of earning favor with God than a pilgrimage to Mecca or dying in defense of Islam. Strange as it may seem, many Christians unwittingly do the same thing.

     They attend church, give offerings, and follow the Golden Rule, thinking they earn favor with God and thus deserve eternal life. But, is that possible? Can man, through some means of physical punishment, mental anguish or even deeds of kindness bribe God to grant forgiveness and eternal life? Do we earn salvation, or win it as one does an Olympic Gold Metal? The Bible says,

"For by grace (free, unmerited favor) are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." Ephesians 2: 8, 9

     We cannot save ourselves by our own works; we must depend on God’s grace, and His loving favor, which are freely given. If we could earn salvation it would not be a gift. Suppose your employer handed you an envelope and said he had a gift for you. If you discover your paycheck for the past two weeks inside, would that be a gift? NOT IF YOU HAD EARNED IT!

     But why would the mighty God who rules the universe be concerned about people on a planet out on the edge of space? Why didn’t he just abandon rebellious man and leave him to suffer the consequences of sin? The answer is found in the Bible:

"God is love." 1 John 4: 8

     God’s love for man, who is terminally ill with the disease of sin, can perhaps be best understood by a human illustration. A young couple excitedly brings their baby home from the hospital. Within a few days the infant begins to cry day and night with a severe case of colic. The parents follow the physician’s advice, but nothing seems to help. They walk the floor, they sing to her, and try all sorts of advice from friends, but nothing works. They are exhausted, but not once do they consider giving the child away or leaving her to suffer alone! WHY?

     They love that little helpless child all the more because of the pain and suffering she has to endure. That is what God is like. His children on Planet Earth have developed the colic of sin. The pain and suffering they endure because of it, only intensifies God’s love for them. Never has God considered abandoning us! Never has He considered leaving us to perish and suffer the consequences of our rebellion. The Bible says,

"The Lord is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." 2 Peter 3: 9

     Regardless of how good or bad you may be, God loves you and wants to save you. He is not willing that you should perish.

 "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

     How can it be that God, who is sinned against can punish sin and yet forgive us, not counting our sins against us? Admittedly, we have all sinned. We have all rebelled against God and broken His law. Earthly governments cannot long tolerate lawlessness and survive. Violators, when found guilty are punished. But violating God’s law is even more serious because sin separates us from God-the One who created us and the only one who can help and save us! Even though God is a God of everlasting love, He is also a God of justice. He described Himself to Moses:

"The Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished." Exodus 34: 6, 7

     So there is both love and mercy, and at the same time law and justice with God. How can these two seeming opposites be reconciled? Is there no solution? No way out? Thank God, there is a way out! A loving God found a way to save us and still be just. He found a perfect substitute to die in our place, paying the penalty for our sins so that we could live. John, the beloved disciple explains it this way:

"God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3: 16

     Jesus came to live on Earth as a man, facing the same problems and temptations that every human has faced. He proved by His perfect life of obedience that there is no excuse for sin. Then, as the one sinless representative of the human race, Christ voluntarily took upon Himself the guilt of every person who would ever live, and died on their behalf. Paul wrote,

"As by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." Romans 5: 19

     Jesus’ death was in no sense intended to appease an angry God, as Martin Luther first thought. Jesus offered to die to save us from our sins, and God loved us so much that He was willing to allow His only Son to be sacrificed in our place as a ransom. Jesus was the Lamb of God, the sacrificial Lamb!

     When God was leading His people, Israel, out of Egypt, He gave them a kindergarten illustration of the plan of salvation. Under the shadow of Mount Sinai, the people of God daily witnessed, through symbols and ceremonies, an enactment of God’s plan to redeem fallen man. The desert tabernacle, with services instituted by God, continually called man’s attention to a future Calvary, where the true Lamb would be sacrificed for the sins of all mankind, giving to all the hope and assurance of forgiveness and salvation.

     The sinner came, bringing a sacrificial animal. He placed his hand on the head of the animal and confessed his sin. He then took a knife and killed it, symbolizing that his sins caused the death of One who would one day come to earth, Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb. By this act God demonstrated that sin brings death, either to the sinner or to the innocent animal. Sin is very serious business! Gruesome? Yes.

     But the cross at Calvary that brought the promise of eternal life to the human heart was more gruesome still. God’s people in Old Testament times offered sacrifices to show their faith in the coming death of the Son of God, the One who would die in man’s place as his substitute. Jesus was the true sacrifice. As Jesus came to be baptized, John said,

"Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." John 1: 29

     How ironic that men He came to save plotted to take His life! Jesus was beaten, mocked, and sentenced to be crucified-the cruelest form of execution ever devised, reserved for the worst of criminals. And that rough-hewn cross should have held Barabbas, the hardened criminal; Barabbas, the lawbreaker: Barabbas, the sinner: Barabbas, deserving of the death penalty. Yet Jesus’ own people chose to let Barabbas go free and had Jesus crucified. As the Bible says, the One

"who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth" died on that cross!
1 Peter 2: 22

     In death He was identified with sinners. He was crucified between two thieves! And as God placed upon Him the sins of the whole world, He cried out,

"My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" Matthew 27: 46 LB

     He felt the terrible separation that sin brings. Jesus could not bear the agony of separation from the Father. It broke his heart. The crowd shouted,

"He saved others; himself he cannot save." Mark 15: 31

     And that was true, He could not save Himself and still save others; He was God, come to this earth taking the nature of man, paying the price for a lost race, a broken law, the wages of sin. Thus it was that God, with a love that could not be satisfied until man was restored to His family, gave His own Son to die in man’s place, as his substitute.

     Jesus was treated as we deserve that we might be treated as He deserves. He was condemned for our sins, and suffered our death, that we might have eternal life. In this way God could give us eternal life and still be just.  Not because of any good thing we have done, but because God can give us credit for what Christ did-for the perfect life he lived. Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, said,

"It is by grace you have been saved, through faith." Ephesians 2:8, NIV

     This faith is the very heart of salvation. One night when the Apostle Paul was placed in prison in Philippi, the jailer asked Paul what he must do to be saved. Paul answered,

"...Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." Acts 16: 31

     However, mental assent to the historical fact of Christ’s life and death is not saving faith. There is more to it than that. The Bible says that

"the devils also believe, and tremble." James 2: 19

     To believe in Jesus means more than acknowledging that He died 2000 years ago. In the Guiness Book Of Records, 1990 ed. Page, 186, you will find a most remarkable story of faith and trust.

"The greatest 19th Century tightrope walker was Francis Gravelet-alias Charles Blandin (1824 - 1897) of France. He was first to cross Niagara Falls on a 3 inch rope, 1,100 feet long, 160 feet above the Falls, on June 30, 1859." One day after Blandin had crossed the Falls, a young man in the crowd of spectators shouted, "Mr. Blandin, why don’t you carry someone across on your back? You’ve sat on a stool out there in the middle of the Falls and eaten your lunch, why don’t you take someone piggyback across the Falls? "Well," replied Blandin, "do you really believe that I could do that, young man?" "Yes, I’m sure you could do it," was the answer. "Well," Blandin called back, " come on up and I’ll try it." The young man quickly disappeared in the crowd!

     His belief in Blandin was just talk! One year later on June 30, 1860, it is reported that Blandin returned to Niagara Falls and carried his agent, Harry Colcord, piggyback across the Falls! What made the difference? Why did Colcord do it! He not only had belief in Blandin, he trusted him with his life! That is real faith! Real belief! Real trust! The Bible says,

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3: 5, 6

     Do you trust Him? Do you really trust Him? Are you willing to let Him control your life? Saving faith is trusting in the sacrifice of Christ as the full and complete atonement for every sin we have ever committed. It means believing that it is not what we can do that saves us, but what Christ did on Calvary. No human can ever boast that he saved himself.

     The glory is all God’s! It is grace on God’s part and faith on man’s part: trusting God completely— willingly letting Him control our lives. Many people are happy to accept Christ as their Savior but they don’t really accept Him as their Lord. There is a difference. As we accept Christ as our Lord, we give Him complete control of our lives. We are willing to do whatever He has asked us to do in God’s Holy Word. We put Him first in our life and plans. We don’t earn salvation by what we do; we show whether our faith is genuine.

     Receiving salvation is so simple, yet many make it seem so complex. Sometimes it is hard for us to accept something that doesn’t cost us something. If a friend of yours gave you a birthday present would you try to pay him for it? Of course not! You would graciously accept it! Jesus offers you His righteousness and salvation as a gift of love. Even if you wanted to, you could not pay for it. But you can reach out in faith and graciously accept it. It is as real as kneeling and praying this prayer:

"God, I recognize that I am a sinner and I need help. I know that Jesus died in my place - died the death that I deserve. I want to accept Jesus as my Savior and Lord. I am sorry for the sins I have done. Please forgive every sin I have ever committed and take complete control of my life. I want to have Jesus come into my heart and help me live for Him. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer, in Jesus name, Amen."

     When you pray in faith, at that moment God gives you the gift of eternal life.

"And this is the record that God hath given us eternal life. This life is in His Son; He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that you may know that you have eternal life." 1 John 5:11-13

     Eternal life is not something we possess within ourselves. Eternal life is in Jesus; if we have Jesus then we have eternal life. Jesus gives the invitation to everyone everywhere, so that

"whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but have everlasting life." John 3:16

     Perhaps you feel you are a hopeless sinner, but that is not true! God can turn the most impossible situation into victory. No life is too bad, no sin too great for Christ to forgive! On the cross Jesus hung between two sinners, both common criminals. At first they made fun of Jesus. But as the day wore on, one thief-whom tradition says had seen Jesus teaching and healing-now caught a glimpse of Jesus’ love. He could see Jesus’ hands and feet being nailed to the cross without a word of complaint. He heard Jesus’ halting prayer coming from lips of agony,

"...Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." Luke 23: 34

     A strange feeling sprang up in the thief’s heart. He had never seen such love. His companion jeered,

"If thou be Christ, save thyself and us." Luke 23: 39

     His own life flashed before him. He recognized his sinfulness, sensed his hopelessness, and rebuked the other thief for his mockery. Then he turned his eyes back to Jesus. Jesus did not look like one who could help him. Yet there was a majesty about Him, even in His agony. Truly, he reasoned, this must be the Lamb of God spoken of by the prophets. The repentant thief cried out from the depths of his soul,

"...Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom." Luke 23: 42 NKJV

     Instantly Jesus answered,

"You will be with me in paradise." Luke 23:43. NIV

     What a promise! Looking into the future when all  who love Him will be gathered into His kingdom, Jesus promised to remember the repentant thief who reached out in faith, and in reaching out, found salvation.

     LET’S BRIEFLY REVIEW THIS GOOD NEWS THAT THE DYING THIEF DISCOVERED LONG AGO AND THAT HARRY ORCHARD DISCOVERED IN MODERN TIMES:

Eternal Life is a free gift (Romans 6: 23: 5: 17, 18)
But the wages of sin is death (Romans 6: 23)
We can’t save ourselves (Jeremiah 13: 23; John 15: 5)
God loves us and doesn’t want anyone to die (2 Peter 3: 9)
Yet God can’t ignore sin or change His law (Exodus 34: 5 - 7)
God’s plan to save us was the gift of His Son (John 3: 16)

If we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord by faith, repent and confess our sins,
we can have eternal life! (1 John 1:9; 1 John 5: 13; Acts 16: 30, 31)

Jesus said: "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them Eternal life, and they shall never perish." John 10: 27, 28

     Today, Jesus longs to give you the same assurance. In the last book of the Bible, Jesus pictures Himself knocking at your heart’s door, waiting to be invited in. He is listening and waiting. Why not open your heart’s door today and invite Him to come in and be the Savior and Lord of your life?

     He is waiting!

     He’s listening!

     There is one thing Jesus cannot do, that is to force you to open your heart’s door to Him. He has given each of us the power of choice.  We must be the ones to open the door. Friend, won’t you open that door?

     Won’t you invite Jesus to come in right now?

     Don’t let a moment pass.

     Let Jesus come into your heart and wash it clean and give you help to live for Him.

     He’s waiting!