Darrell Sheridan

 

A servant of our Lord Jesus Christ.  A resident in the valley of the shadow of death, but a sinner saved by the matchless grace of Christ:  To you, whom God has chosen to hear this testimony of His endless love and His all sufficient grace which is offered freely to whosoever comes to God through His Son Jesus.

 

I am an inmate on Arkansas Death Row.  This places me among the ranks of those considered by society to be beyond rehabilitation, and looked upon by the public as an outcast.  But praise God, for He does not use society’s standards when considering His children.  His divine standards are established on the basis of His righteousness, true righteousness, which is imparted to us by grace through faith in Jesus.

 

Because of God’s grace, I can write this to you.  Because of God’s love toward me and toward you, I want to write this to you.  This love is absolutely unconditional.  God loved us even when we did not love Him.  I know He loves me, and if He loves one of society’s worst, than you can be sure of His love for you.

 

The world may ask, “How can we know God loves us?”  This question is asked today, yet the answer was given centuries ago.  “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  John 3:16.  This is the answer to the world’s question.  God loved each person in the world so much that He gave up His only Son.  Shortly after this answer was given, this only Son of God proved its veracity by stretching out loving arms and dying on a cross.  The arms of Jesus were spread as if to say, “I do this for you, because I love you this much.”

 

Jesus died in order to meet the divine requirement of righteousness for sins that are committed by those of us who end up on Death Row.  He paid the price for me.  This price came at the cost of Christ’s precious life, His precious blood.  If that price is sufficient to cover my terrible sins, and it is, then it is also quite sufficient to cover the sin of anyone in the world.  That’s anyone, everyone, that’s whosoever.

 

By His death, Jesus paid the penalty for our sin, but He did much more than that.  Upon our receiving Him into our life, He changes our life.  He grants us His own righteousness, the standard by which God judges all creation.  Covered by the blood of Jesus, we are endowed with the righteousness that God then sees within us, so that no matter what we might have been before, no matter how vile a sinner, God sees us only as His righteous children.  We are saved from the impending and inevitable punishment for our sin.

 

Being saved from that punishment, as I have been, by accepting Jesus through faith, is what fills my heart with peace.  This is my life now.  This is the life that God wants to give everyone.  We are told in the scriptures, at Isaiah 26:3, that God will hold us in a place of peace if we keep our minds and hearts fixed on Him.  “Thou wilt keep Him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee; because He trusteth in thee.”  Most of us have known times of peace, yet here is promised “perfect peace.”  In totally trusting Jesus and making Him the absolute Lord of our life, He keeps us in perfect peace.

 

 

 

 

 

My life was once a complete turmoil, a chaos which was consummated in my becoming, finally, a Death Row inmate.  But Jesus shed his precious blood for my sin.  Every last drop of His blood was given to cover every last sin which ever had been or ever would be committed.  This covered even my sin, and can cover yours.  This is a full, unconditional pardon offered through God’s unconditional love.  We have only to come to God, our Father, through Jesus, His Son, to receive this pardon, this peace, this new life.

 

God is able and willing to grant this pardon to anyone who asks Him for it, just as He has granted it to me, Darrell W. Sheridan, SK-916, Death Row.  If God, in His grace would forgive me and love me unconditionally, won’t He do the same for you?  Hebrews 7:25 tell us “He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Jesus.” 

Romans 10:13 says, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”  Here, in these two verses, we have assurance of God’s ability and His willingness to grant this new life of peace to everyone who asks for it and receives it through Jesus Christ, His Son.

 

The Lord, being able to save even to the uttermost, has filled me with perfect peace and given new purpose to my life.  I am currently involved in a Bible Study group here on the Row.  We pray daily together, for the concerns and on behalf of people all around us.  I write letters to many people, proclaiming Christ’s love and God’s wonderful grace.  I have even seen people saved through the testimony of my letters.  You aren’t told this to provide an opportunity for me to boast.  Instead this is told to you so that you might understand what the Lord is now doing with my life.  You would not have liked the person I was before allowing Christ to be Lord in my life.  But now, if you could see me, you would see a different person who joyfully strives to walk with Jesus in a life of true, complete peace.

 

I know God loves me, and I know He loves all of you, too.  If God, in His pure, complete love, can provide the perfect peace with which He has filled my life, there can be no doubt of His ability to do the same for you.  I urge any of you who has a need for peace in your life to come to Christ.  Pardon in full, life everlasting, peace that passes all understanding, joy unspeakable are all free gifts which Jesus waits to give you.  The price for these gifts has been paid.  The work has been done on the cross, leaving nothing for you to do except receive, by faith, what God wants you to have.  He wants you to have this gift for one simple reason, because He loves you.  He provided the means by which to obtain this gift because He loves you.  He calls you to accept this gift because He loves you.  Jesus said, Behold, I stand at the door, and knock, because He loves you.

 

Won’t you open the door of your heart and let Him in?  Let Him prove His love for you.  It’s all He wants for you.  Amen.

 

In Jesus Name,

 

Darrell Sheridan

 

 

As Darrell’s testimony mentions, he was an inmate on death row when this was written.  By the grace of God, Darrell is no longer on death row but is serving a life sentence.  His address is Darrell Sheridan, #114336, P.O. Box 240, Tucker, AR 72168.