I want you to open your Bibles
this morning to the book of Isaiah. I'm going to be reading a verse
of scripture from the first chapter of Isaiah, verse 18. Now, I call
this message, A Call to the Unconverted. I want you to listen very carefully.
I'm going to be just as plain as I possibly can be in this
message today and speaking on A Call to the Unconverted. Now, the Lord speaks in Isaiah
118, and he says, Come now and let us reason together. Come
now and let us reason together, saith the Lord. Though your sins
be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they
be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Now, I realize there
are people listening to this program who know living God,
and who know the Lord Jesus Christ, whom the Father sent. Our Master
said, this is eternal life, that they might know Thee, the only
true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent. And I'm sure
that the people listening to this broadcast today who can
say with David, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Or who can say with Job, I know
that my Redeemer lives. Or who can say with the Apostle
Paul, I'm not ashamed. I know whom I have believed. I am persuaded he's able to keep
that which I've committed to him against that day. So I'm
certain many of you out there listening to the program, you
can say very strongly and very sincerely, I know the Savior. I know the Lord. But I'm sure
there are people listening to this broadcast today who do know
the living Lord. who do know the Lord Jesus Christ,
but you're plagued with doubts and fears. You're just not certain
of your interest in Christ Jesus. Well, you're not alone. Some
of the great preachers and great believers of past days were also
plagued with these doubts and fears. In fact, the man who wrote
the song Amazing Grace, John Newton, also wrote this hymn,
"'Tis a Point I Long to Know," and often It gives me anxious
thought. Do I love the Lord or no? Am
I His or am I not? Newton had a lot to say about
this. And even the great John Owen had a lot to say about doubts
and fears in his own experience. So I believe there are people
listening to the telecast today who do know Christ, who believe
on Christ, who do love the Word of God. who do have some assurance
of salvation, but you're also plagued with fears and doubts.
Do I have a saving interest in Christ? And then I'm certain
there are people listening to this program today who think
that they know Christ, who have made a religious profession,
who have joined the church and been baptized like Simon Magus,
like Alexander, like Demas, like a lot of these people, even Judas.
They have a profession of religion, they have a profession of faith,
but like the Pharisees of old, in reality, they have no saving
interest in Christ. In reality, they have no true
peace and joy in heart. They say they know Christ, but
they really don't know him. They have a profession of religion,
but not a saving interest in our Master. I want to speak to
you. And then there are people listening
to this broadcast who do not know the Lord, and they know
they do not know the Lord. They do not know Christ, and
they know that they're strangers to His grace. But perhaps you
have an interest. Perhaps you're open to the Word
of God. Perhaps you're open to the preaching
of the Gospel. Well, I believe I have something
to say to you. I have a great desire in my heart today to be
a blessing to all of you, even those who know Christ. Even those
who can say, the Lord is my shepherd, I'm redeemed. Well, you listen
to this message. You listen carefully to it. And you who know Christ
and you're plagued with doubts and fears, you listen to the
message. And you who have a profession of religion but no peace, who
have a profession of religion but no rest, who have no saving
interest in Christ, you listen. And then you who have no knowledge
of Christ, and you know you have no knowledge of Christ, but you
do have some interest in the preaching of the gospel, Would
you listen to this message? A special call to the unconverted. A special call to the unconverted. Now here's something that we
must establish first of all. And the reason I say we must
establish it is simply because it's not being preached today.
Most people today are preaching a helpless God. A God who wants
to do something and just can't get the job done. A God who's
sitting up there in heaven far off from his creation and really
not involved at all in what's going on down here on the earth.
And who must have something done for him in order that he might
do something for us. I want to establish four things,
first of all. Now this must be established.
It needs to be stated loud and clear. And that is, what is God's
grand design in the redemption of a sinner? Now that's the purpose
that must first be served. It's not us that must first be
served. It's not you that first must
be served, nor me. It's God's glory that first must
be served. We've got to give an eye and
an ear and an interest to the glory of God because there's
something God's going to do. This is God's universe, not yours
and mine. This is God's world. This is
God's redemptive plan. This is God's salvation. And
it really doesn't matter a great deal what happens to you or me.
God's going to be glorified. That's what I'm saying. I know
all of us live in a little selfish circle. What's going to happen
to me? What's in it for me? You know, where am I going to
heaven or to hell? Well, whether you go to heaven or hell, either
one's not going to change God. He's still going to be God. He
was God before you came on the scene. He'll be God when you
leave the scene. And we don't add anything to Him or take anything
from Him if He's God. You see what I'm saying? He's
independent of the creature. In Him, we live and move and
have our being. He doesn't live and move and
have His being in us. So these things must, must, must
be established. First of all, in Isaiah chapter
45, God says this, the Lord God says in verse 23, I have sworn
by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness
and shall not return. I'm going to do four things.
Now if you're interested in this thing at all, You get your Bible
and look up Isaiah 45, 23, and let me show you something here.
He says here, I have sworn by myself, I can swear by no greater. The word has gone out of my mouth
in righteousness and truth, and it's not going to return till
it accomplishes that where unto I sent it. Now, what are these
four things? Now you listen. This is God's
grand design in redemption, and I've got to find my part in this.
I've got to find my interest in this. I've got to find out
if I fit in this. Now, this is what God says. First
of all, he says, I have sworn by myself that unto me every
knee shall bow and every tongue shall swear unto me. Now, that's
repeated in the New Testament. In Philippians 2, verse 8 through
11, talked about Christ humbling himself and becoming obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross. God hath highly exalted
him, and given him a name which is above every name, that at
the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall
confess, in heaven, earth, and under the earth, that he is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father." And that's what I'm saying. That's
God's first and foremost design in redemption. He said, I've
sworn it, I've declared it, it will not return to me, I've sworn
by myself that every knee is going to bow. God has sworn from
all eternity that Jesus Christ must reign as King of Kings and
Lord of Lords with sovereign eternal dominion over all creatures,
over all creation, and over all things. He died that he might
be Lord of the dead and the living. So really, the question is not,
will you bow to Christ? The question is, When will you
bow to Christ? Will you bow now in the day of
grace, or will you bow in judgment? But he says, I've sworn by myself,
and I will not take it back, that every knee in heaven, earth,
and hell is going to bow to the Lord Jesus Christ, that in all
things He might have the preeminence. Now, you settle that fact first
of all. Now, that's true. And secondly, in verse 24 of
Isaiah 45, he said, men shall say, Men shall say, only in the
Lord have I righteousness and strength. In other words, the
Lord God says this, I've sworn this, I'll not take it back,
that all spiritual blessings are in Jesus Christ. Not in the
law do I have righteousness, not in myself do I have righteousness,
not in my deeds or works do I have righteousness, only in the Lord
do I have righteousness. That's what men are going to
say, only in the Lord am I accepted. Now, my friends, I don't apologize
for being quite radical here. I don't apologize for being quite
narrow and uncompromising in this regard. Apostle Paul was.
He said, if any man preach any other gospel, then that gospel
which I preach, let him be accursed. And they kept saying, other foundations
can no man lay than that which is laid, Christ Jesus. There's
none other name unto heaven given among men whereby we must be
saved. Our master said, I'm the way, the truth, and the life.
No man cometh to the Father but by me. There's one God and one
mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. Of God
are you in Christ Jesus, who has made unto us wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification, and redemption. So God said, I've sworn it. I've
declared it. It's gone out of my mouth in
righteousness, and it won't return. That only in the Lord have I
righteousness and holiness and strength and beauty. That's just
it. That's where it's found. All
right, thirdly, look at verse 24 again. And he says this, I've
sworn this, even to him, that is to Christ, shall all men come. And all who have been incensed
against him, that is all his enemies, they'll come to him
in shame. They shall be ashamed. Now you
can interpret that two ways. First of all, believers come
to Christ ashamed. Oh yes, we come in grace, but
we come confessing our sins. We come in grace, but we come
grieving over our iniquities. We come like the publican, crying,
Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner. And we were his enemies. God
commended his love for us in that while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us. We were reconciled to God when
we were yet enemies. So we're going to come to him,
we who were once his enemies, now his friends, but we come
to him ashamed that we've ever been his enemy. But then again,
in judgment, all the rest. will come before Him ashamed.
And they're going to cry for the rocks and mountains to fall
on them and hide them from the face of Him that sits upon the
throne. Here's what we're saying. All
things are naked and open unto Him with whom we have to do. Men have to do. You say, I'll
just wash my hands of Jesus Christ. I'll be like Pilate of old. I'll
just wash my hands. Not of Christ you won't. All
men have to do with him, either in grace or judgment. But he
said, all his enemies shall come before him. Unto him shall all
men come, and they shall be ashamed. And then the fourth statement,
what God has sworn to do. He said, in the Lord, verse 25,
in the Lord, all Israel, all Israel shall be justified and
shall glory. You say, is that the Jewish race? No, sir. That's spiritual Israel.
Paul deals with this in Romans 9. He said they're not all Israel
who are of Israel. They're not all Israel because
of Abraham's seed. In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
You see, there's spiritual Israel and spiritual Israel and Mount
Zion is every believer of every generation, of every age, of
every day, who ever came to the knowledge of God through Jesus
Christ. And so all Israel shall be saved. All Israel. That's all the sheep
of God. That's all the elect of God,
for whom he foreknew, he predestinated to be conformed to the image
of his Son, and whom he predestinated he called, and whom he called
he justified, and whom he justified he glorified. Our Lord Jesus
said, All that my Father giveth me will come to me, and him that
cometh to me I'll in no wise cast out. I came down from heaven,
not to do my will, but the will of him that sent me. And this
is my Father's will, that of all which he hath given me I'll
lose nothing. I'll lose nothing, not a hook
nor a hair. That's what Moses said to Pharaoh. Not a hook shall
be left behind. Of all that the Father has given
me, I'll lose nothing, but raise it up at the last day. So do
what you will, and say what you will, and believe what you will. But God said, I've sworn by myself,
and the word's gone out of my mouth in righteousness, that
unto me every knee will bow, every knee will bow, and every
tongue shall confess. And only in Christ shall we find
righteousness and acceptance, and all men shall one day come
before Christ. They're going to kiss the Son.
They're going to bow to the Son. They're going to do business
with the Son, in grace or in judgment. And all Israel shall
be saved. Oh, you say, I'd like to have
a part in that. All right, will you listen? Here in Isaiah 118,
there's a gracious, merciful call extended to all who will
hear. I read it to you a moment ago.
Come now, saith the Lord, and let us reason together. Though
your sins be as scarlet, I'll make them as white as snow. And
though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Now here's
four questions. Who is called? Who is he calling? And secondly, who is calling? Who's doing the calling? And
then thirdly, what are we called unto? And then fourthly, when
are we called? All right, let's look at that.
Let's break it down in those four parts. Now, here's the first
question. Who is he calling? Well, it says here, right here,
who he's calling. It says, come now and let us
reason together, saith the Lord, though your sins be as scarlet,
though your sins be red like crimson. I don't mean to constantly
harp on the sinfulness of human nature, but my friend, it's the
most certain and the most true statement that I can make. that
men and women will not seek mercy. They will not seek mercy and
grace until they're thoroughly and completely convinced of their
need of mercy and their need of grace. A man will never sue
for mercy unless he's a sinner. Now, the well do not need a physician. That's what Christ said when
the Pharisees saw him go down and eat with publicans and sinners,
and they questioned his disciples. They said, why does your master
eat with publicans and sinners? And this is what our Lord replied
to them, because the well don't need a doctor. You don't see
well people going to a doctor, and you don't see righteous people
seeking a Savior. You don't see well people going
to a doctor. It's not the well that need healing,
it's the sick. And Christ said, I came not to
call the righteous, the good, the moral, I came to call sinners
to repentance. Now my friends, the Lord God
revealed His glory to Moses, and He declared this. Moses says,
show me your glory. And God said, here's my glory.
I will be merciful. I will be merciful to whom I
will be merciful. I will be gracious to whom I
will be gracious. Here's the name of the Lord.
He said in Exodus 34, I declare unto you the name of the Lord.
I keep mercy for thousands. I forgive sin and iniquity. That's his mercy. That's his
glory. It's his mercy. It's his mercy. That's the very
program and purpose and plan of God's to show mercy. And not
only that, but the Lord Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
Paul, describing the coming of our Lord into the world, he said
he came to save sinners, of whom I'm the chief. When the angel
told Joseph that Mary would bear the Messiah, the Son of God,
he said, thou shall call his name Jesus, Savior, for he shall
save his people from their sins. That's why he came into the world.
And then the Holy Spirit is sent into the world to do what? To
convict men of sin, of righteousness and judgment, and to reveal Christ
to the sinner's heart. And God has commissioned his
servants to go into the highways and the hedges and call the halt
and the blind and the lame and those kind of folks to come for
the table is spread. My friends, you go back to chapter
1 of Isaiah and you'll find in the first 15 or 16 verses a description
of those whom the Lord called. He says in verse 2, he said,
they're rebels. He called on heaven and earth
to witness his complaint. He said, I've brought up children
and they've rebelled against me and they're ungrateful. He
said, the ox knows his owner and the ash knows his master's
crib, but my people don't even consider. They're not only rebels
and ungrateful, but he said in verse 4, they're laden with iniquity. He says, they're totally depraved
from the sole of their feet to the top of their heads. There's
no soundness in them. Nothing but wounds and bruises
and putrefying souls. But not only that, he said they're
religious. They're rebels, ungrateful, loaded with sin, depraved totally,
their whole head is sick, their whole heart is faint, but they're
awful religious. They offer prayers, and they
go through the ceremony, and they do all these things. They
won't eat meat on Friday, but they'll steal it on Saturday.
My friends, listen to me. God calls the guilty to grace. God calls the miserable to mercy.
And that's the very first thing that we must learn. If a man
comes to Christ, he'll come to Christ because he needs him. He has nothing to bring and nothing
to give. In my hands, no price I bring,
simply the cross of Christ I claim. Come, he said, come now, saith
the Lord. Let's reason together, though
your sins be a scarlet. And I'm talking about any sinner.
You say, I've gone too far. No man's gone too far. You say,
I've sinned too much. No man's sinned too much. And
my soul's too black. No soul's too black. Our Lord
gets great glory from saving great sinners. And let me tell
you this. Your sins will never keep you from Christ. Your righteousness
will. Your goodness will. So just fall
on your face before the Lord and sue for mercy because He
calls sinners. All right? Who calls? Who's this
doing the calling? Come now. Let us reason together.
Saith the Lord. Saith the Lord. It's not the
voice of a man who invites you. Not the voice of a church, a
denomination, it's the Lord. He said in verse 2, the Lord
had spoken. In verse 4, the Holy One of Israel
has spoken. In verse 9, the Lord of hosts
has spoken. In verse 18, come now, saith
the Lord. Oh, I tell you what a gracious,
merciful call from the Lord of hosts who made heaven and earth,
from the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from the God
of heaven who delights to show mercy. He calls us to accomplish. To a conference. Well, what's
a conference about? Sin. Sin. It's not to determine if
we have sin, but to determine what we're going to do about
it. Are you going to keep on bearing them until you meet God
in the judgment? Or are you going to turn them over to Him? They've
got to be paid for, either by us or by Christ. He's the friend
of sinners. Our Lord delights to show mercy.
He went down into Samaria and saved a fallen woman. He went
down into Jericho and saved old Zacchaeus. He went down into
the land of the Gadarenes and brought out a demoniac. He went
to the cross and saved the thief. And the scripture says He's able
to save to the uttermost them that come to God by Him. He's
able to keep us from falling. He's able to present us faultless
before His throne with exceeding joy. And He's able one day to
raise our vile bodies and make them like His own glorious body.
Who's calling? The only one who can do you any
good. the only one who can do me any good, the source of mercy,
the fountain of mercy, the king of glory, the only sufficient
savior, the one who came to the earth to save and went to the
cross to save and ascended to the right hand of the father
where he intercedes for sinners. If you're a sinner, you've got
no reason not to come to Christ because he invites you. All right. To what are we called? He says,
come now and let us reason together, saith the Lord. Though your sins
be a scarlet, You listen to this, I'll make them as white as snow,
as white as the snow. Though they be like red like
crimson, that's double dyed, that's dyed so deeply that it'll
never come out. Well, there's one thing that'll
take out the stain of sin, and that's the blood of Christ. He
said, though your sins be as scarlet, I'll make them as white
as the snow. Though they be red like crimson,
they'll be like wool. One old writer says, my sinner
friend, let not conscience make you linger, nor of fitness fondly
dream. All the fitness he requireth
is the failure need of him. In Hebrews 10, it says, this
man, Jesus Christ, by one offering hath perfected, perfected, think
of that word, perfected forever, two words there, maybe three
words, this man, by one offering the offering of His body on the
tree, the shedding of His blood, hath perfected. He hath cleansed
so thoroughly that even God can't see our sins. He hath cleansed
so thoroughly that even God can find no fault with us. He hath
perfected forever, forever, not for six months, not as long as
I can hold out, not as long as I remain faithful. He is faithful. I'm not, but He is. And He hath
perfected forever them that are sanctified. And God says their
sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Therefore, having a
great high priest over the house of God, let us come boldly. We have a perfect sacrifice and
a perfect redeemer and a perfect mediator. And though we and ourselves
are most imperfect in him, there is no sin. In Christ, we're totally
justified. In Christ, we're accepted and
have a perfect standing. In Christ, we have an inheritance.
And let me tell you this. And I warn you, you try to add
anything to the blood of Christ, to the work of Christ, to the
sufficient sacrifice of Christ, and you'll incur the wrath of
God like you can't believe. Our God is a jealous God, and
that jealousy extends most of all to the way we approach Him.
I am the way, the truth, and the life, Christ said, no man
cometh to the Father but by me. And my friend, I say that as
emphatically and clearly as I can. Come sinner, come and welcome.
But don't you bring anything. Come sinner, come naked, come
empty, come fallen, come broken, just as you are, but don't you
bring anything. Without one plea, but that his
blood was shed for you. Just as I am, and waiting not
to rid my soul of one dark blood, but the hymn whose blood can
cleanse each spot. Just as I am poor, wretched,
blind, sight, riches, healing of the mind. All I need in Christ
to find. That's it. That's the gospel.
It's free gift. You don't pay for a gift, even
a penny, even a token. It's a free gift. And it's purchased
by Christ, and it's given by Christ, and it's all in Christ.
Now, when are we to come? When? Well, Felix said, or was
it one of those fellas, Festus or Felix, he said to Paul, well,
you go your way. I've heard you. I've heard you. When I have a more convenient
season, we'll get together and talk this thing over. Two years
passed. and he hadn't called, and 2,000
years have passed, and he still hadn't called. The Scripture
says here when we're to come. Come now. That word's not in
there to fill in space. Come now. Now is accepted time. Today is the day of salvation.
I'm not pressuring anybody. Time's pressuring you. I'm not
pressuring you. Time's pressuring you. Time is
so precious to you, it's almost gone, especially for some of
you out there. And God says, come now. Right
now, today's the day of salvation. Come now, saith the Lord, let
us reason together. Though your sins be as scarlet,
I'll make them as white as snow. God doesn't command you to do
anything tomorrow. Almighty God doesn't have to
tell people to do anything tomorrow. He tells them to do it right
now, while they have the time, while they have the faculties,
while they have the understanding, while they have the knowledge,
while they have the ability. And He said this, if you be willing,
you'll eat the good of the land, Thy people shall be willing in
the day of his power, but, verse 20, if you refuse and rebel,
you'll be devoured with a sword. Is that clear cut? I've sworn,
he said, every knee will bow. I've sworn only in Christ shall
men have righteousness. I've sworn everybody's going
to do business with my son. I've sworn I'm going to save
all Israel. Now, if you be willing, you'll eat the good of the land
with them. If you rebel, you'll be cut off with a sword.