HE SACRIFICED HIS SON IN A BID TO SAVE HIS SON'S FRIEND

HE SACRIFICED HIS SON IN A BID TO SAVE HIS SON'S FRIEND

   After a few of the usual Sunday evening hymn, the church's pastor once again slowly stood up,  walked over to the pulpit and gave a brief introduction of his childhood friend. With that an elderly man stepped up to the pulpit to speak.
    He began,'' A father ,his son and a friend of his were sailing off the pacific coast ,when a fast - approaching storm blocked any attempt to go back to shore. The waves were so high that even though the father was an experienced sailor, he could not keep the boat uptight, and the three were swept into the ocean.
     The old man hesitated for a moment ,making eye contact with two teenagers who were ,for the first time since the service began, looking somewhat interested in the story.
   "Grabbing a rescue line," he continued , "the father had to make the most excruciating decision in his life .....to which boy he would throw to the end of the line. He only had seconds to make the decision. The father knew that his son was a strong Christian, and he also knew that his son's friend was not. The son's friend had been rebellious and had rejected the message of salvation.
   " The agony of this decision could not be matched by the torrent of waves .As he yelled out ,'I love you son!' he threw the line to his son's friend. By the time he pulled his son into the capsized boat, his son had disappeared beyond the raging swells into the black of the night .His body was never recovered."
      By this time the two teenagers were siting straighter in the pew, waiting for the next words to come out of the old man's mouth.
  "The father," he continued, "knew his son would step into eternity with Jesus, and he could not bear the thought of his son's friend stepping into an eternity without Jesus. Therefore, he sacrificed his son. How great is the  love of God  that he should do the same for us."
   With that , the old man turned and sat back in his chair as silence filled the room. Within minutes after the service ended, the two teenage boys were at the old man's side. "That is a nice story" they politely started "but we don't think it realistic for a man to give up his son for the son's friend to be a Christian" A big smile broadened the old man's face, looking up to the boys he said "It sure isn't realistic ,is it? But I am standing here to tell you that THAT particular story gives me a glimpse of what it must have been like for God to give up his Son for me. You see........ I was the son's friend"