The subject this morning is entitled,
How Can I Come Unto God? How Can I Come Unto God? And I'm reading a passage of
Scripture from the 11th chapter of Hebrews, verse 6, in which
the Apostle Paul writes, Without faith it is impossible to please
God. For he that cometh to God must
believe that he is. and that God is the rewarder
of them that diligently seek him. How can I come unto God? And that's what Paul's talking
about here. He said, he that cometh to God, the sinners coming
to God. Now, how can I come to God? Well, my friend, if you ask this
question in the home or on the street or even in the church,
you'll get about a hundred different answers. How can a man come to
God? And you know the reason you'll
get a hundred different answers. It's because men do not agree
on who God is. Now some people see God as all
love and no wrath. And some people see God as all
wrath and no love. And some people see God as all
mercy and no righteousness. And there's some who see God
as all righteousness and no mercy. Some see God as the creator who
is involved and interested in the affairs of his creatures,
and some see God as an impersonal being who had nothing to do with
the creation of this world, that it simply evolved, and so he's
gone off somewhere waiting to see what man will do with the
world. So that's the reason you'll get
a hundred different answers. How can a man come to God? Ask
it anywhere, in the home, in the shop, on the streets, in
the churches. And you'll get many different
answers because men do not agree on who God is. And I'll tell
you something else. They do not agree on what sin
is. And that's the reason you'll
get many different answers. How can I come to God? Well,
men will give you many different answers because they do not agree
on what's wrong with us and why we need to come to God. Some
see sin as outward acts only. And some understand sin to be
inward evil only. Some see sin as confined only
to the acts of the flesh. And some people understand sin
to be an act of the spirit or a principle or a nature. Some
see man as naturally good. You hear them say, well, there's
a little good in everybody. And like the principal of the
school who had the sign over his desk, I've never met a bad
boy. There's no such thing as a bad
boy. So some people see man as naturally good and other people
see man as naturally depraved and evil. So you can't get the
same answer because men do not agree on what sin is and why
we need to come to God. And then you'll get a different
answer because men do not agree on what salvation is. What does
a man receive who comes to God? Some people regard salvation
as only a title deed to heaven. All they're interested in is
having a title deed to heaven. When I can read my title clear
to mansions in the sky. I'll bid farewell to every tear
and wipe my weeping eye." Others regard salvation as a reformation
of life. Others regard salvation as a
doctrinal position, a denominational position. Some regard salvation
as a new birth, a new life, a new creation in Christ Jesus. So you'll get many different
answers to this question, how can a man come to God? Because
men do not agree on what salvation is, and then they do not agree
on who does the saving. They certainly don't agree on
that. Some people believe it's salvations of the Lord. It's
salvations of the Lord in its planning, in its purpose, in
its execution, in its application, in its sustaining power, in its
ultimate perfection. Some people believe that God
has nothing to do with salvation. He's done all He can do, and
that's totally and entirely in the hands of the sinner. They
preach, sinner save thyself. So the question I'm dealing with
this morning is vital and important. But we get so many different
answers. How can I come to God? And the reason you get so many
answers is there's a way that seemeth right unto man. And it's like old Nagelmann when
he stood in front of the prophet of God's little house. And the
prophet sent his servant out to talk to Naaman. Here he stands
with his leprosy, dying, and the servant comes out and says,
My master says for you to go dip seven times in the River
Jordan and you'll be clean. And Naaman went into a rage. He went into a rage. And this
is what he replied, I thought... Now that's not the way that I
would believe that I can be healed. Here's what I thought, that your
master would come out here and strike his hand over the infected
spot and say some words, magic words before God and I'd be healed.
But dipping in this river, especially considering the fact that we
have two rivers at home that are a lot better than this one
down here, this is what I thought. And this is the problem when
we deal with this question, how can a man come to God? There's
some folks that are giving answers that they think are right. We
need to go to the Scripture. I'll tell you this. I do know
this. I know this for certain. I must one day come to God. Now,
that's for sure. I must one day come to God, either
now for mercy or in the future for judgment. But I'm going to
meet God. I'm going to come before God.
The Scripture says it's appointed unto men once to die, and after
that, the judgment. So we're going to come before
God, either for mercy or judgment. And the Scripture says we must
all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. And listen to
this Scripture in Hebrews. All things are naked and open
unto him with whom we have to do. It doesn't say with him whom
we ought to do business with or should do business with. It
says all things are naked and open unto him with whom we have
to do. So I've got to come before God,
either now or at the judgment, The scripture says in Philippians,
every knee is going to bow and every tongue is going to confess
in heaven, earth, and under the earth that Jesus Christ is Lord
to the glory of God the Father. And in describing death, Solomon
said that the body returns to the dust from which it came and
the soul to God who gave it. So I'm going to come before God. Now, there's no question about
that. I better find out the answer,
the scripture, Bible answer to this question, how can I come
before God for mercy? because I certainly don't want
to stand before him in the judgment and Hear him say bind him hand
and foot and cast him into outer darkness There shall be weeping
and gnashing of teeth my friends. I'm interested personally in
coming to God now and I'm interested in your coming to God for in
saving faith in godly sorrow over sin and true repentance
in receiving Christ. I'm interested in your coming
to know the living God. You know, David in Psalm 42 said,
As the deer panteth for the water brooks, so panteth my soul for
the true and living God. Oh, he went on and said, My soul
thirsteth for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear
before God? And our master said, this is
eternal life, that they might know thee, the only true God,
and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. I want to know God. I want
you to know God. It's not important for you to
become a denominational promoter. It's not important for you to
become a great theologian. It's not important for you to
know a great deal about prophecy and what's going to happen during
the millennium or during the tribulation. But it is important
for you to know Christ. My friend, you can perish knowing
all the answers to the prophecies, but you can't perish knowing
Christ. Oh, Paul said that I may know Him and the power of His
resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering. May I suggest
four things to you about this business of coming to God? How
shall I come before God? Now, let me deal with four things. May I offer four suggestions?
And you consider them, please. First of all, I must come to
God now. Behold, now is the accepted time. Today is the day of salvation. Boast not thyself of tomorrow,
for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. My friend, today
belongs to the wise. Tomorrow is a refuge for fools. You remember when Paul stood
before Felix? Felix was impressed by what Paul
preached, what Paul said, what he declared. And when he got
through listening to him, he said to him, he said, you go
your way for this time. When I have a more convenient
season, I'll send for you and we'll hear some more about this
matter. But he never sent for him. He never heard the gospel
again. I wonder if you're hearing the
gospel for the last time. I wonder if I'm preaching the
gospel. for the last time. I will someday preach it for
the last time, and you will someday hear it for the last time. There's
an old song we used to sing when I was a small boy in a Baptist
church in Alabama. Tomorrow's sun may never rise
to bless thy long-deluded sight. This is the time. Now is the
accepted time. Harden not your heart. Receive
Christ. When? Tonight. Now, I've given
some years to the study of the Scripture. Not boasting about
my knowledge of the scripture at all. A man thinks he knows
something, he knows nothing, as he ought to know it. But I've
never found in the Bible anywhere God commanding any man to do
anything tomorrow. I never have. It's always now. Now is the accepted time. Today
is the day of salvation. There's only one thing that I
find God commanding us to do about tomorrow, and that's not
to boast about it. and not to be anxiously concerned
about it. I do find that. In fact, our
Lord was very emphatic in calling a man a fool who insisted on
doing something tomorrow. There was a rich young man whose
fields yielded such a great harvest that he was lying on his bed
one night thinking about all that he had, all this world's
and how he'd prospered. And he was lying there thinking
not about his soul and his relationship with God and death and judgment
and eternity, but he was thinking about his corn and wheat and
oats and rye and all of these things that he had piled up yonder
in his barns. And he said, I know what I'm
going to do. Tomorrow, tomorrow, I'm going to tear down those
old barns and I'm going to build bigger barns in which to store
my grains. And God spoke to him and said,
Thou fool, thou fool, this night shall thy soul be required of
thee. And then who shall these things be that you've accumulated? A lot of folks have listened
to this telecast all over West Virginia and eastern Kentucky
and southern Ohio. And I've heard from them through
these past several years. And I've gotten acquainted with
some of them. Every once in a while, I'll get a letter from a widow
who will say, my husband passed away last month. He enjoyed your
program. He listened every Sunday. Or
I'll get a letter from a man who said that the Lord was pleased
to take my wife. She was a regular listener to
your program. He's going to take everybody one of these days.
And the time to come to God is now. Seek ye the Lord while he
may be found. Call upon him while he's near.
For he warned us in Proverbs 128, Then shall they call on
me, but I will not answer. Then they shall seek me, but
I shall not be found of them. There'll come a day when men
will cry. They'll cry for the rocks and mountains to fall on
them and hide them from the face of God who sitteth on the throne.
The time to call on God is now. Now is the accepted time. Today
is the day of salvation. Listen to David in Psalm 6. In
death, there's no remembrance of God. In the grave, no one
gives God thanks. Psalm 30, verse 9, shall the
dust praise God? If you're going to praise God,
you'll do it now, not in the grave. If you're going to seek
God, you'll do it now, not in the grave. If you're going to
thank God for His mercies, you'll do it consciously now through
Christ, not in the grave. So that's my first suggestion.
How shall I come to God? I come now. Now. If I have not
loved thee before, let me love thee now. My second suggestion
is this. I must come to God as I am. Charlotte
Elliot picked that up in her great old hymn, Just as I am,
without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me. And that
thou bidst me come to thee, O Lamb of God, I come. Just as I am,
and waiting not. to rid my soul of one dark blot,
to thee whose blood can cleanse each spot. O Lamb of God, I come,
just as I am, poor, wretched, blind, sight, riches, healing
of the mind, all these in thee I'll find. O Lamb of God, I come,
just like I am. I must come to God. Now listen
to me. I must come to God as a sinner because that's what
I am. That's what I am. That's what
you are. We must come to God not as righteous because we're
not righteous. We must not come to God as deserving
because we're not deserving. We're ill-deserving, undeserving,
hell-deserving. I must come to God as a sinner.
That's what I am. And all the boasting and bragging
and self-righteousness and pride is not going to change that fact.
I'm a sinner. If we say we have no sin, we
deceive ourselves. The truth's not in us. It makes
us greater sinners. If we say we have not sinned,
we make God a liar. All have sinned and come short
of the glory of God. None good, no, not one. Job said,
if I justify myself, my own mouth would condemn me. So I must come
to God. If I'm going to come to God,
I must come as a sinner because that's what I am, a sinner. And then I must come to God as
a sinner because Christ came into the world to save sinners. That's why he came. He said,
the Son of Man is come to seek and to save the lost. Paul wrote
in Romans 5, Christ died for the ungodly. And again, he said,
this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that
Christ Jesus is coming to the world for the purpose of saving
sinners of whom I am chief. That's why he came. I'm coming
to Christ as a sinner because that's what I am. And I'm coming
to Christ as a sinner because Christ came to save sinners.
I shall call his name Jesus for he shall save his people from
their sin. I'm coming to Christ as a sinner because he died for
sinners. I'm coming to Christ as a sinner because he said he
didn't come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. All
whom the Lord has ever saved or is saving now ever will save
are sinners. Those are the only people who
need salvation. He said the well don't need a doctor. It's those
that are sick. God doesn't demand that I produce
a righteousness. God commands me to receive one
that's already produced by the obedience of his dear son. God
Almighty doesn't command me to put away my sins. I can't put
them away. Repentance can't put them away.
Esau sought repentance with tears, but his sins were not put away.
Death will not put them away. Christ said, you'll die in your
sins and you can't come where I am. Only the blood of Jesus
Christ, God's Son, cleanses us from all sin. He tells me to
come to him for mercy, for grace, for help. Let not conscience
make you linger, nor a fitness fondly dream. All the fitness
that Christ requires is to feel your need of him. You note in
the scriptures every person who came to Christ and was received
and helped came with a need. Just start all the way through
his ministry and take the Canaanite woman, you take the woman with
the issue of blood, you take the publican with his guilt,
Zacchaeus with his evil, all of these, the thief in his inability,
dying moments, everybody who came to Him came with a need
and they went away full. So I come to God now and I come
to Him as a sinner because that's what I am and that's who He came
to save and those are the ones He invites to come to Him. Now
thirdly, I must come to God, now you stay with me here, this
is important. I must come to God realizing
that He is offended. God is an offended God. Now,
my friends, God is love, but God is holy. God is merciful. There's no question about that.
He's plenteous in mercy. He's rich in the mercy and mercy
unto all that call upon Him. He delights to show mercy, but
God is righteous. God is righteous. The Scriptures
declare that God is angry with the wicked every day. The Scripture
tells us that God will in no wise clear the guilty. The Scripture
plainly teaches that God will, must, shall punish sin. He always
has. Sin must be punished. The soul
that sinneth, it shall surely die. Your sins have separated
you and your God. God is an offended God. And when
a man is made to see the judgment of God against sin, the holiness
of God, the righteousness of God, the justice of God, he's
made to cry with Job, How can he be clean that's born of a
woman? Behold the moon, it shineth not. The stars are not pure in
God's sight. How can man who drinks iniquity
like water, that's abomination itself, how can he be clean,
justified before God? That's a good question. We come
before an offended God. We must not become so taken up
with the love of God that we forget the righteousness and
justice and holiness of God. Back in the Old Testament, those
people who stood before Mount Sinai when God gave the holy
law to Moses, they backed off. And they said, Moses, you speak
to God for us. Don't let God speak to us lest
we perish. That law didn't draw them to
the mountain. That law frightened them and drove them away from
the presence of God. They feared God. They knew they
were sinners and guilty, and they knew God was an offended
God, that His justice was offended, His righteousness was offended,
His holiness was offended, and somebody had to do something
about it. There had to be a mediator, there had to be a sacrifice,
there had to be an atonement. And all the way through Old Testament
scriptures, from the time that Abel offered that first blood
sacrifice, the scriptures are teaching this, without the shedding
of blood, There's no remission. There's no forgiveness for sin. There's no approach to God. God
will not speak to nor be spoken to by an ungodly, wretched, rebellious,
guilty sinner except through a mediator who has a suitable
and acceptable sacrifice in his hands. That's what Scripture
says, Hebrews 9, 22. Almost all things under the law
were purged by blood. Without the shedding of blood,
there's no forgiveness. There's no forgiveness. Call
it what you will. Call it the slaughterhouse religion, the
bloody religion, or anything you want to. But I'm telling
you this, the life of the flesh is in the blood. And God said,
I've given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for
your sin. And without the shedding of blood, there's no remission.
God is an offended God. This is what our Lord said to
his disciples when they gathered about him at the Lord's table
before he went to the cross. He took bread and he'd break
it. And he said, take eat, this is my body broken for you, in
your place, in your stead, for you. The perfect sinless body
of Christ was broken under the wrath of an offended God as our
sacrifice and substitute. And then he poured the wine and
blessed it and gave it to them and said, drink ye all of it.
This is my blood shed for the remission of your sins. It's
by his stripes that we're healed. So if I come to God, I come now. I come as a sinner, and I come
to an offended God who must deal with sin. He must deal with it
in me or in my substitute. I must come to God knowing that
He has and He must and He will punish sin. But thank God I can
come to Him in Christ who made a perfect atonement, who gives
to me a perfect righteousness. And that brings me to the fourth
point. How can a sinner come to God? as a sinner and Come to an offended
God but come in Christ through Christ because God was in Christ
Reconciling the world unto himself That's what Paul wrote in 2nd
Corinthians chapter 5 verse 19. God was in Christ God came down
here in the person of his son To honor his holy law. You see
God's law will be honored God's law will be honored. It's a holy
law. It will be kept. There's no man who shall enter
heaven without a perfect righteousness before the law. Well, you say,
we don't have that. We can't produce that. No man
can. With men, it's impossible. That's
right. But it's not impossible with God. All things are possible
with God. So Christ came down here. Jesus of Nazareth was a
man. He was God. And man, the God-man, and he
met the law. He was made like unto his brethren
in all things, and he was tempted as we are, yet without sin, without
corruption. He knew no sin. And as our representative,
he obeyed God's holy law. By one man's transgression, we
were made sinners. By one man's obedience, we were
made righteous. Why'd he go to the cross? He
went there to die unto the wrath and judgment of God for our guilt.
God must punish sin and that justice must be satisfied. The
judge can't sentence a man to serve time in prison and then
just say, let him go. The law's got to be honored.
Justice has got to be satisfied. Now, when he serves the time
and pays the debt and fulfills the sentence, you let him go
free because the law has no claim on him, no further claim. And
this is what Christ did for every believer. He honored the law. He satisfied justice. He served
the Senate. He died for our sins. Christ
died for our sins according to the Scripture. And by his stripes
we're healed. Christ honored the law and died
for our sins. In 1 John 5, 11, it says, this
is the record. God hath given to us salvation,
eternal life, and this life is in his Son. That's where it is. It's not in the law. It's not
in the church. It's not in the rituals. It's
not in the ceremonies. It's not in the hands of a priest
or a preacher or a missionary or an evangelist. It's not down
at the front of the church. It's not in a mourner's bench.
It's not in the baptismal pool. It's not in the sacraments or
communion or Lord's table or any other ordinance. It's not
in doing good. It's not in helping your neighbor.
Salvation's in Jesus Christ the Lord. It's the person and work
of Christ. He accomplished it on our behalf.
And we receive eternal life by believing on Him, by receiving
Him, by bowing to the royal claims of our Lord Jesus Christ. There's
none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must
be saved except Christ. So this life is in His Son, and
he that hath the Son of God hath life. And he that hath not the
Son of God, whatever else he has, whatever else he might go
through, if he has not the Son, he has not life. There's a fountain
filled with blood. drawn from Emmanuel's veins,
and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stands. The dying thief rejoiced to see
that fountain in his day. There may I, though vile as he,
wash all my sins away. Dear dying lamb, thy precious
blood shall never lose its power till all the ransomed Church
of God be saved to sin no more.