SALVATION OBTAINABLE.
The text that introduces my first thought you will
find in 1 Thess. 5:9. "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to
obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us."
Wonderful thought! You can be saved. Salvation is obtainable; it has been
brought within your easy reach. Let me cite to you some strong reasons I
have for saying so.
First, Peter tells us that God is not willing that any
should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Now sure,
this includes you. Here we have a golden thread which has been interwoven
throughout the entire fabric of Bible truth. Think of it! "Not
willing that any should perish." This means you; not willing
that you should perish. If this be true, then you can be saved.
Eternity-bound soul, take courage; you can be saved. Fellow-traveler to
the bar of eternal justice, you can be saved. It is Heaven's decree; it is
the will of God; it is guaranteed to you by the united testimony of his
unfailing Word. Oh, will you believe it! Let not the wickedness of your
past life, neither the unholiness of your present surroundings, nor yet
the dark shadow of the future cast you down. You can be saved; our text
declares it. There is hope for you.
Let me point you to still another reason why I believe
this. Listen while I read: "For the Son of man is come to seek and
save that which was lost." Now surely there is a chance for you; not
only a saving, but a seeking Savior has been provided. Think of it! From
the time you committed your first sin up until tonight, a Savior has been
seeking for you. This being true, then you are a sought-for sinner, for
whom all Heaven has been looking - a sinner who can be saved if you will
be. Up till tonight God has done all that he could do to get you out of
sin into his kingdom. He has employed every method; he has resorted to
every means possible; he has impressed you from every standpoint, and he
is calling still. Listen! "Behold I stand at the door and knock; if
any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him and will
sup with him, and he with me." Rev. 3:20.
SALVATION DESIRABLE.
We now come to the second thought in our lesson
tonight; that of salvation being desirable. You will all agree with me
that the Christian life is the best life. If there were no heaven to gain
and no hell to escape, the life of the saint is desirable above that of
the sinner. First, it is a life of satisfaction. The things of the world
do not satisfy, but salvation satisfies. Listen! "For the Lord
satisfieth the longing soul and filleth the hungry soul with
goodness." Outside of Christ your search for satisfaction is vain.
Only God can satisfy the cravings of your soul. If for no other reason
than this, then salvation is desirable. But, there are other reasons.
Salvation offers you a better way to die. I was thinking today of the
difference in the way some have died. Did you ever think of this? Do you
remember how Stephen died; how when surrounded by a blood-thirsty mob, he
saw heaven opened and Jesus sitting at the right hand of God? Paul was
"ready to be offered." His desire to depart and be with Christ
was about to be granted. Blessed way to die! He had fought a good fight.
He had kept the faith, he was assured of a crown of righteousness.
But, listen; on the other hand, we have before us the
miserable dying of Herod, being eaten of worms; Judas Iscariot hanged
himself that he might go to his own place. What a difference! And this
difference is all due to the fact that some were saved, while others were
not. Paul had found the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal
glory, and he was now about to share it forever with him. Stephen died as
he had lived - full of faith and of the Holy Ghost. Now, will you not
agree with me when I say that salvation is desirable, viewed from this
light?
But, again, salvation is desirable because it offers you a
better place at the final judgment, when the dead, small and great, shall
stand before God; when this world will be wrapped in one great winding
sheet of judgment fire; when flaming skies bespeak the coming of Christ in
all his glory; when the earth begins to totter and reel like a drunkard;
when sinners begin to cry for rocks and mountains to fall on them and hide
them from the face of Him who sitteth on the throne. O sinner friend, let
me appeal to you. Salvation offers you a better position at this time than
sin. If you are saved you will have a place at God's right hand. Your name
will be in his book; you will hear him say, "Come, ye blessed of my
Father," and it will mean you. If you neglect salvation while you
live, if you die in your sins, you will be on the left hand. You will wish
that you never had been born; you will sink into eternal night, lost to
hope, to heaven, and to God; lost, lost, lost, forever. Oh, fearful
thought! Oh, depths of woe eternal! Blackness of darkness impenetrable! O
my friends, salvation offers you something better at the judgment than
this.
But let us not stop here. Salvation is desirable because
of what it offers you beyond the judgment. Listen to the words of Jesus:
"I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for
you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am,
there ye may be also." This is heaven itself, and is offered to you
if you are saved. Thank God, you can be saved. Salvation is obtainable;
you can live right; you can die right; you can gain heaven and immortal
glory in the end.
SALVATION VALUABLE.
I come to my last thought - Salvation valuable.
Generally speaking, the value of a thing is rated by its cost. There are
some things that cost more than they are worth, and their value is not to
be rated by their cost, but it is not so with salvation. You may be a
beggar, a pauper; you may be shunned and despised on every hand, but thank
God, you can be saved; you can have in your actual possession the
priceless gift of God's salvation. You can posses the riches of his grace;
you may enjoy the riches of his glory; you may own the pearl of great
price. For though he were rich, yet he became poor, that we through his
poverty might be made rich. There are some very good valuable things in
this world - good homes, good farms, and good businesses, and all that;
but none of them are good enough to take along when we come to die. We
brought nothing into this world, and it is certain that we can carry
nothing out. Listen to this: "For godliness is profitable unto all
things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to
come."Hallelujah! Surely then you will agree with me that it is a
valuable thing to be saved. Yes, my friends, you can sing with the poet:
"I'm richer than any millionaire,
A thousand times and more;
A priceless treasure I have found;
An everlasting store."
And now, in conclusion, you can know that you are saved;
you can have a present knowledge of that fact; God will let you know it.
He that believeth hath the witness in him. 'His Spirit beareth witness
with our spirit that we are the children of God.' In this salvation is
valuable. You can have present knowledge of your acceptance with God. Yes,
beloved, you can know that you are his as well as you know that you live.
Now, will you be saved? It remains with you to say. God
wills it; do you? It is desirable; it offers you God's best in time and in
eternity. Its value can not be computed. Oh, will you have it? Will you
decide tonight? May God give you the courage is my prayer. Amen.