Many people hear the phrases “Run to Christ,” “Look to Christ,” “Come to Christ,” and they get worn out trying to run, look, and come. Instead they still find themselves lost and without rest. So what does it mean to “Run to Christ”? Tim goes to Romans 10 to give an answer.
Question: How Do I Run to Christ?
This comes from Patrick. He says, “I am lost. Four months ago I came across your website, and was convinced that the Bible is true. I’ve been reading the Bible ever since, and seem to be getting nowhere. My prayers in the beginning seemed to be genuine, but now I have been praying and asking Christ to save me, and it seems my heart is hardened now. To the point that my prayers are extremely weak. I try to be as honest as I can to Him, but I can’t seem to break through. It may be because I still run to sin. But I’m not sure, how to run to Christ. Please help.”
How to run to Christ? That’s his question. How do I run to Christ? Four months, he’s come to believe that he’s lost. By the way, just because you’ve come to believe that you are lost is no guarantee things will get better. A lot of people have come to realize that they’re lost and they don’t make it to Glory. But, he wants help.
Think in your own minds if somebody asked you that question: how do I run to Christ? How do I run to Christ? This is not an uncommon question. It seems like this is a common problem. You get people, they get to the place that they’re frustrated. They get to the place where they’ve tried to talk to as many people as they possibly can. They seem to be miserable. They seem to be searching for something. They’ll keep asking, they’ll keep asking. They’re looking for someone to tell them something new. Something that they haven’t heard already. How do I run to Christ? How do I run to Christ? You know, if you think about… Think about the invitations in Scripture. Is it even as though you get a lot of detail about how to run to Christ? Or does scripture just say: Run. Go. Come. Drink.
Listen to some of the invitations in Scripture. Matthew 11:28-very well know-but listen to Christ, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” That’s it. “Come to me,” that’s what Christ says. He doesn’t say how to come in the sense that: you go this way, and you go that way, and you go that way, and I’m over there. He tells us how to come as far as the state of our heart, right? He doesn’t tell us the direction for our feet.
Come. And if we think about it, where is He? He’s close to every one of us. Don’t we find a truth like that in the Bible? He’s near all of us. He’s here. There’s nowhere the sinner can go, where He’s not. If you make your bed in hell: He’s there. If you go in to the depths into the ocean: He’s there. You go up to the highest mountain peek: He’s there. Is the word “come” really a matter of movement? Is “come” a geographical thing? He’s over there, and I have to go from here to there. What does “come” mean now? What’s the sense? “Come unto me.” But He’s here already. So what does that mean? That’s not a matter of distance. It’s not a matter of physical travel. There was a day when He walked this earth. If was going to find Him, if I was going to where He was it might be like blind Bartimaeus, who had to track Him down and he had to yell. There was a place he was physically. But that isn’t the case anymore. “Come” doesn’t mean anything physical now. It has nothing to do with our posture. It doesn’t mean that you have to fall down into a praying position (not that there’s anything wrong with being in that position). There’s nothing about physical movement or travel in that word. What’s the idea now with “come”?
You come to somebody who’s present already. The idea is one of a heart matter. Listen to what He says, “Come to Me all who labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” How do you come? How do you come spiritually when it’s not a matter that pertains to the physical? It doesn’t pertain to my legs, and my feet, movement and travel. How do I spiritually go to Christ? Because, obviously that’s what this is all about. And we are talking about being saved; that’s what Patrick is asking about, right? He says, “I’m lost.” He came to recognize he was lost. And he came to recognize the Bible was true. But he knows he still lacks something. He’s saying, “I’m not sure how to run to Christ.” Well even that word ‘come’, or that word ‘run’. What do we think? Even the word ‘drink’. It’s all got physical imagery; but we know it’s all, spiritual.
Run to Christ Happens in the Spiritual Realm
So how do we come in a spiritual sense? I guarantee you our eternal welfare rests on this answer. How about this again? Isaiah 55:1, “Come, everyone who thirsts.” Did you notice, what Jesus is doing when He says in Matthew 11:28 “Come to Me”? He said this, “All who labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” You see He’s speaking to a certain type of people here. These are a people who are heavy laden. They have a burden. They labor. These are people that are weary. And He doesn’t say exactly what they’re weary with. But remember, He’s a savior. He saves from sin. People that are weary from sin. People that are weary from trying to save themselves. People that are weary from trying to clean up they’re own lives. People that are weary from trying to get to God by their own effort. People that have worked and worked. That’s what labor is connected with: work. People that are just wore out. He’s saying, “Come to Me, I’ll give you rest. The very thing you’re trying to work for, I’ve already accomplished.”
Then in Isaiah, “Come everyone who thirsts.” Notice the descriptive nature of these verses. He’s speaking to certain people in these verses. People that have certain heart issues. Again, we’re talking about spiritual realities, not physical ones. “Everyone who thirsts.” Not for water. “All who labor, and are heavy laden.” Not with physical work. “Come everyone who thirsts, come to the waters, and he who has no money.” He’s talking to the thirsty and the broke. “He who has no money, come, buy, and eat. Come! Buy wine and milk, without money and without price.”
How about this invitation out of John 6:37? “Whoever comes to Me, I will never cast out.” How about John 7:37? “On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.” Matthew 11:28 “Come.” Isaiah 55:1 “Come,” and again a second time, “Come.” John 6:37, “Whoever comes.” John 7:37 “Come.” Revelation 22:17, “The Spirit and the Bride,” here it’s not Christ saying it. Here it’s the Spirit and the church. They say, “Come! And let the one who hears say, come! Let the one who is thirsty, come! Let the one who desires, take the water of life without price.” These invitations sound similar, “without price!” You come with nothing to buy. He’s speaking to the broke. He’s speaking to the thirsty, repeatedly. Thirst is a desire. There’s a hunger for something, there’s a thirst for something, there’s a craving for something. Something’s going on inside the person. They need something; they’re looking for that rest. They’re looking for that which gets them away from the labor they’ve been involved with. There’s a thirst in the soul. They’re longing for something. There’s a burden that they’re trying to escape. They have nothing to pay with, but they know they need something. And here’s an invitation to come without price.
How about this? John 4:10. Jesus with the woman at the well: “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” Now here’s a new word for us. “Come” is not in this verse, but “ask”. How do you come? How do we come? We come in the heart, we come spiritually, and we ask. You come to the Lord by asking.
How about this? Isaiah 55:7, “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return to The Lord.” There the word is ‘return’. Sometimes we get ‘turn’ in Scripture. The idea of repentance, coming to The Lord. Giving up his wicked way, his unrighteous thoughts, and coming to The Lord. That He may have compassion on him, and to our God. You come to our God. Again, we’re not talking about any physical reality here. “For He will abundantly pardon.”
How about this? Isaiah 55:6, “Seek the Lord, while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near.” There’s a new word, two new words: ‘seek’ and ‘call’. We find ‘come’; we find ‘return’; we find ‘ask’; we find ‘seek’; we find ‘call’. How do you seek? Where are you looking? You seek The Lord by asking, by calling. “Seek The Lord while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near”.
Now think with me. You call. What do you ask? How do you call? How do you approach The Lord when you would be saved? This doesn’t require any kind of certain phrase that we have to use that it, and it alone, is going to be effectual with the Lord. As though, a certain sequence of words, or certain set of words is kind of like the magic, for approaching The Lord.
The Key on How to Run to Christ
I want you all to think about this, because this is key. You think of the sinner, and they’re running. “How do I run to Christ? How do I run to Christ?” Well, He’s near. You call upon the Lord, while He’s near. You call. He is near. That’s how. How do you get to Him? You make an appeal to Him. You cry out to Him. You call.
Now listen… In Romans 10, please turn there. I think this goes to the heart of why so many people, so many people, seem baffled by this. “What do you mean by run to Christ? What do I do?” You know what his problem is (on the surface level, at least as far as his own mind is concerned)? The cogs are turning in his mind. He says, “I’ve been reading the Bible I believe the Bible is true.” He said, “My prayers in the beginning seemed to be genuine.” You see what he’s doing? He’s reading Scripture, he’s believing Scripture, and he’s been praying. But, it hasn’t worked. So he’s saying, “What do I have to do, to run to Christ?” You see in his mind, you can see what’s happened. “I’ve gone to the word, and I’ve prayed; and nothing has happened.” What do you do when people come to you and say that? What do we know is absolutely true if people come to us and say that?
I know this is true: I know that God is no liar, and I know that He’s promised in His word to save sinners, who seek Him. I know He’s promised in Scripture to save sinners who ask Him. I know He’s promised in Scripture to save those who call upon Him. I know that He’s promised in Scripture, that if you’ll come to Him without price and drink, you will find eternal life. I know that from Scripture, and I know He’s not lying. And the truth is a lot of people in this room have found Him to be true to that word. We came to Him and He saved us. What we know is this: no matter what man says, let man be a liar, right? Whatever man may say. If they claim they’re doing what God says needs to be done, in order for a sinner to be saved: repent and believe; to come; to return; to ask; to seek; to call; that if the sinner does that and they’re not saved, we know God is true.
We know the problem is not in God, and you know we have to be careful. Because, I’ve had people on the other end of the phone just weeping, and weeping, and weeping. People in total frustration. You know, you can go through it with your children too. You can go through it with close family members. You can go through it with people that you dearly love, who are close to you. They tell you with tears streaming down their face, “I’m calling on the Lord and He won’t save me.” And you’ve got to watch your own heart in the matter Lest you start to find fault with God. But you be sure of this: God is not a liar.
I want you to think about this. Cause I think… no, I’m certain, this is at the heart of it. You might be able to say this in different ways. Somebody can approach this, undoubtedly from different directions. Other men, other women can probably say it differently. They can work off of different verses in trying to make this very same case. This isn’t the only way to say what I think that the heart of the problem is. This is one way of saying it. This is one way that I want you to see, what the problem is.
Notice, Romans 10:12, “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing His riches on all who call on Him.” There’s our word again. All who call. How in a spiritual sense do you go to Christ? You call. You pray. This guy that’s praying is on the right track. That’s how you communicate. Whether it’s verbal like you’re in the room with the person, and you can hear them speak. It’s audible to the eardrum. Or whether it’s a sigh, a groan that comes unspoken from the heart of man. If it’s the desire of a man expressed internally, or externally; that is a cry. That is a call. But watch. Just watch what happens here. Verse 13, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
You know, I have been thinking about this verse and I recognized… I recognize, that I think there’s something here that we often pass over. Everyone who call’s on the name of the Lord, will be saved. Did you know that promise is certain? Did you find any exceptions in there? This text is 100% true, every time. Every time. It’s a promise. You can bank your eternal soul on it. “Everyone who calls on the name of The Lord will be saved.”
Acts 2:21, “It shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Same truth in Acts 2:21 that you get in Romans 10:13. Everyone! Both of them dogmatically stated: EVERYONE who calls on the name of The Lord will be saved. There it is. That is how you run to Christ. Everyone! Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. If you want to know how to run to Christ, savingly. This is it. Everyone!
This is how to get to Him. This is how to savingly come to Christ. But I want you to know something here. I want you to notice something. The name of Jesus Christ. Now watch that. It shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. The name of the Lord. Isn’t that interesting? Why doesn’t it say, “Everyone who calls upon the Lord?” The NAME of the Lord. I know these two instances aren’t the only places you find this kind of thing in Scripture.
“And this is His commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as He has commanded us.” What is the significance of a name? Tell me about names? A name does what? What does a name do? It identifies somebody. *people answering* What’s that? Yes, it represents somebody. Your name represents you. What’s interesting is “the name”! The name represents who Christ is. When you think about the name of Christ… “Stop in the name of the law.” Have you ever heard that said? “I bring a message in the name of the king.” The name would represent who they are, everything about them, the authority that they have. The name. You call upon the name of Jesus Christ. I think that’s really important. Why? Because, think about His name. You come into the gospels- think with me here- you come into the gospels of the New Testament and here is the Savior. He’s incarnate. He’s come into the world. The Word is made flesh. He’s dwelling among us. And when a name is given to Him-right there at the beginning-Matthew hits us with two names! I mean immediately in Matthew chapter 1, He’s given two names. Do you remember what they are? Jesus and Immanuel. And both names are defined for us. Why? Because a name represents the person. Call His name Jesus, which means “Yahweh Saves”. Why? Because, He will save His people from their sins. His name shall be called Emmanuel, which means “God with us.” You see what a name encompasses? It encompasses the reality of that person. It is descriptive of that person.
If I call upon the name of the Lord Jesus, then I’m calling upon everything that He is. And you know what the problem is? Running to Jesus Christ is all about calling on the name of The Lord Jesus Christ; but people don’t call on Him for who He is. That’s the problem. Because, you think with me here. Think with me about His name. His name Jesus, let’s take that one first. You call upon the name of Jesus. Who are you calling upon? The One that Scripture says is going to save His people. You know what that tells me right off? He’s going to do it; you’re not going to do it. That just resonates right back to the truth, without price, right? You don’t bring anything. “I’m the Savior,” He says. I save My people from their sins. My people don’t save themselves from their sins. I save them from their sins. You remember what He said? He said, “Those that are healthy, don’t need a doctor.” In other words: I came into this world for those people that need a Jesus. Hear His name. Call His name Jesus, for He will save His people. People who call on the name of Jesus, they’re people who don’t have any money. They’re sick people. They’re people that need the doctor. They’re people that come empty. They’re people that come without price. They’re people who when they hear such an invitation-like we heard- “Come everyone who thirsts, come to the waters, and he who has no money.” The name Jesus is for people who have nothing to offer. It’s for people who are destitute and bankrupt. That’s what the name Jesus is for.
You Can Turn Running to Christ Into a Work
If you call upon the name of Jesus, you are being deceptive, if you really want to lend a hand in your salvation. You are not honestly calling upon the Jesus that is displayed in Matthew chapter one. The Christ, who in Matthew 1, says He will save His people from all their sin. You’re not calling upon that Christ. You’re not calling upon the name of The Lord, if your coming thinking YOU can offer anything. What do people think that they can offer? All manner of things. People always want to offer things to God. “I’m trying to repent.” What’s that? You’re trying to save yourself. People are always trying to construct faith. “I’m trying to believe, I’m trying to repent, I’m trying to do this, I’m trying to do that.” I hear that all the time. “I’m trying to…” Well, you’re not destitute. You’re not broke. You say, “I’m calling on the Lord.” You’re not calling on the Lord when you’re trying to offer something. You’re not!
The name of the Lord. Think about the name of the Lord. “I will save My people from all their sins”. That’s why they call him Jesus. You call his name Jesus, for He will save His people from all their sin. He’s gonna save them! You’re not honestly calling upon His name if you’re wanting to offer anything to it. If you got any goodness, if you’ve been trying to do anything. If you don’t come with your boasting lips shut, then you’re not calling on the name of the Lord. You see, to call upon the name of the Lord means to call upon that Savior. Who is. Who He is as described by His name. What His name is, everything that’s represented by His name. You listen to this as well, it’s not just that He will do the saving; He says this… the Angel said that He’s going to save His people from their sins.
Did you hear what Patrick said? He said he keeps running to his sin. Jesus is going to save His people from their sin. Have you read Romans 6:14, “sin shall have no dominion over you”? Have you ever read Ezekiel 36:25, He’s going to cleanse them from all their idols? Have you ever read Romans 6:17, “I thank God that you’ve become obedient from the heart”? Have you read that kind of salvation? Think, think, think. Scripture says, “if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” How about this? Titus 2:14, “Jesus Christ gave Himself for us, to redeem us from all lawlessness, and to purify for Himself a people.” To purify for Himself.
Here’s the thing, He says in one place, “unless you renounce all you have you can’t be My disciple.” Renouncing doesn’t mean that you end up floating in a vacuum with nothing but your soul. Renouncing doesn’t mean you don’t have a shirt to wear, or dress to wear. Renouncing means: I’m letting go of it all. Lord take it all away, take the sin away. Only give me what’s good for me. Only allow me to keep what You know I can handle. What will be good for me. What will help me in purity and righteousness, in uprightness and holiness; without which I know no man will see the Lord. You say that You’re going to purify a people, and sin is not going to have dominion over them, and You’re going to cleanse them from all their idols. They’re no longer going to be slaves to sin, and if the Son sets you free, you are free indeed.
Remember the covenant that He made? He says He’s going to put His law on our heart. We’re gonna keep it right? He’s going to cause us to walk in His statutes. When we come to Him, He’s Jesus. He’s called Jesus, because He’s going to save His people from their sins. He’s serious about it. You can’t come calling on the name of the Lord and not… Nobody is going to argue the fact that if you’re not sincere about being saved that you should wonder why you aren’t. Right? Is there anybody here, is there anybody anywhere that is going to think that if you ask insincerely, that Christ is going to save you if you really don’t want to be saved? Doing lip service to words like: “I call upon You,” or, “I call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved.” I mean, if you just do lip service: “Lord, save me. Lord, help me!” If that’s just lip service, you know if you’re not really sincere. He’s not going to save you.
You have to call upon the name of the Lord, and call upon Him by His name in sincerity. And what His “name” indicates to us is, He does all the saving. He doesn’t share any of the saving with you. If that’s the kind of savior you want-where you don’t want to lend a hand; where you’re not ready to boast in your own achievements in it; if you want the kind of salvation that’s ALL HIM and none of you; if you recognize that’s what you need; if you’re so labored and heavy laden because of all your efforts; and you see that it hasn’t taken you anywhere; in all your efforts to run to Christ, in all your efforts to construct some kind of faith, or some kind of repentance, and you’re just wore out by it, and you’re now to the place where you’re ready to call on the name of the One who promises to do all the saving! Then that’s sincerely calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
If you’re to the place where you want to be saved. You see Scripture again and again says, “If you will. Come.” If you want. If you desire. I mean that’s what the appeal is right? “If you’re thirsty…” That means desire. That means a will. If you’re longing to be saved from your sin… But don’t play games. His name is Jesus because He saves His people from their sin. If you come with even one idol that you don’t want to be saved from, you’re not being sincere and calling on the name of the Lord. Because, His name Jesus means He’s going to save you from all your sin. That’s what it means.
You call upon the name of the Lord, you will be saved. If you call upon Him for what His name is, you will be saved. If that’s what you want, but you better remember what kind of Savior you’re dealing with. You’re dealing with a Savior that does all the saving. You’re dealing with a Savior who’s intent to purify you, and to redeem you, and to cleanse you of every single idol, to break the grip of every single sin, and to wash it away, and to purify you, and to get all the stains out. To TOTALLY deliver you from everything. You’ve got to renounce, and forsake, and give everything to Him for Him to take away everything that’s vile, everything that’s ugly in your life. You’ve got to surrender it all. If you hold on to anything wicked, anything sinful, anything that you really don’t want to part with. You’re not calling sincerely upon the name of the Lord. Because that’s what His name means.
By the way, think about this: God with us. Immanuel. Again there’s another name. You call on the name of the Lord. You’re calling upon the name of the One who plans to be with you. The God of Scripture plans to be with you. Not just rescue from punishment. Not just rescue from sin. Not just rescue from hell. He’s saying I’ll be with you. That’s what Immanuel is all about. A name represents who we are. He’s saying I’m coming in. I’m going to walk with you. Not the god of your imagination. The God of the Scriptures. Is that what you really want?
I’ve heard one well-known preacher say, “You know if Jesus walked in here right now,” he thinks, “Jesus would make a lot people really uncomfortable.” Why? Because His demands. He expects that we are going to walk in His words. You’ll prove to be His disciple, if His word abides in you. Luke 6:46, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord; and not do the things I say?” Are you really ready for that God to be with you? That’s what He says. Immanuel. God with us. You think on it. Are you really calling upon the God of Scripture because you want Him to be with you? That’s who Christ is. He’s God. He’s God with us. But, you remember what His name means? Do you really want that God with you? Do you really want One of that holiness with you? Is that the kind of Savior you want? Are you hoping to get a free pass out of hell? But, the Christ of Scripture kind of concerns you. He’s too rigid. He’s too strict. He’s too steep. He wants too much. He demands too much. You better believe He demands a lot. He demands it all, right? He does all the saving! He does all of it. But, if you don’t want to be saved from all that’s wrong, and wicked, and evil in your life, then you’re not being sincere. If you don’t want the God of Scripture to be with you, and walk with you, to come in to you, and to purify you, the way He is pure. Then you’re not being honest. You’re not being honest with Scripture.
If you look and you see this ugly master of sin, this black stained, foul master of sin; and say, “I don’t want it anymore. I know I can’t break it. I need somebody who is going to totally save me, and I want to be saved from all of it. I want righteousness. Lord, come and save me. I’m not on any parleying terms, I’m not on bargaining terms. I’m not ready to do any negotiation.” You see, that’s according to His name. He presents Himself that way. And so often, sinners don’t hear it. They do not hear what is meant by His name. They don’t hear it. You call His name Jesus. He’s going to save His people from their sin! Is that really what you want? You’ve got to think on it. Is that really what you want? Because, if you do lip service, “Lord save me,” And all it is, is you start reading Scripture and you don’t like the sound of eternal punishment. You’re not being sincere. If you’re sincere, He’ll save you in a second. If you call upon Him for what His name is, if you call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, you will be saved. You will. If you call upon Him for what His name is, and for what is stands for, you’ll be saved. That’s how you run to Christ. You call upon Him for all that His name is. You’re not playing games.
Run to Christ, Don’t Try to Bargain With God
So many sinners want to bargain. They want to bargain. Why do you think it says, over, and over, and over, in Scripture, “Be not deceived, the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom”? Be not deceived! You don’t want to be hearers only, and not doers. Why? Again and again… Jesus, and Paul, and James, and John. Why do they hit us with this again and again? Because, people want to bargain with God. They want to hold something back. There’s that precious idol. And they hear that Jesus saves, and they like the thought of being saved from hell; but, He doesn’t say there that He’s going to save from hell. It say’s they called His name Jesus, because He’s going to save His people from their SIN. From their SIN!
Sin is the great enemy, not hell. Sin! That’s what you need to be saved from. If that’s what you want to be saved from, there is a Savior to save sinners from sin! He says: I came to seek and save the lost. Not the well. Not the righteous. He didn’t come to seek and save those who don’t need saving. He came to seek and save the lost. Those who want a savior. Those who recognize, “I need a savior”. Those who recognize they’re in the bondage of sin; and they can’t get out; they can’t break the chain, and they want to be saved from all of it. Not for some of it. They don’t want a bargain, and they don’t want to negotiate. They need a savior to save them from all of it. All of it! Anything impure, anything ugly, anything stained, anything black, any thing that’s foul, and filthy, and wretched in them. Anything that God is displeased with. They need a savior to come and save them from that. They want the Christ of Scripture to be with them. They want God with us. They want that. They want Him to come and be with them, to save them from all sin. They want Him to come. They want whatever keeps them from being able to draw near to God, being taken away.
God with us. Not somebody that wants an imitation. Everybody wants a savior. Everybody wants a savior that’s going to keep them out of hell, and let them keep their sin. Everybody wants that savior. So, guess what? The devil comes along, and guess what the message of all the false religion out there says? “We’ve got a way to get you in, and you can still keep your idols.” That’s why Scripture repeatedly has to say, “be not deceived”; because that is the great deception. You can call upon the Lord, and you can seek to run to the Lord, and you can do all your acrobatics, and you can try, and try. You can seek to come. And you can seek to seek. You can ask, and you can pray, and you can get in the Bible, and you can do all sorts of things. Typically these people call one person, and then they call another person; then they e-mail this person, and then they go to that person, and then another person. I’ve had people that have called me again, and again, and again. James has just been telling me that some guy has called 20 times. I’ve seen this again and again. I’ve had people call me, and I’ve asked them, and they’ve called other people. They have already talked to James 20 times. They’ve called Paul Washer, and they’ve done this and they’ve done that. They’ve called all over. And still, what are they doing? What are they looking for? I’ll tell you, They keep asking, and asking, and asking, and not getting saved. Why? They’re looking for some new thing. “Tell me some new thing.” What they really want is they want you to tell them, how they can escape hell, and still keep their sin, and suddenly have peace, and rest in their conscience, and in their soul. And it’s not coming. You can tell them the same thing that everybody else has. You’ve already told them 20 times, and James already told them 20 times, and everybody else has told them 20 times. But, what they don’t want is the Savior as He’s offered in Scripture. Because that Savior offered in Scripture promises that, “If you call upon the name of The Lord, you will be saved.” You will! If you want that Savior; who’s backed up by that name.
You think about what His name is. You think about what His name means. You think about what that name indicates. The kind of Savior that we have. You find right in Scripture- I dealt with it last Thursday, over at Our Lady of the Lake University. There’s this tax collector-think about it- he won’t even look up to heaven. The Pharisee, he’s reciting. You can hear it, the guy that calls me: “I’m trying to repent! I’m trying to believe!” Do you know how much that sounds like the Pharisee in Luke 18? “I fast twice in a week! I give tithe of all that I make!” That’s exactly what I mean. He doesn’t need a savior. He’s doing a good enough job, trying to save himself. Here’s this tax collector. He won’t even look up to heaven. He stands far off. Why? He knows he’s polluted. He knows, “I don’t have anything to offer. I need the kind of savior that I can come to as bankrupt. The gas gauge says empty. “I don’t have anything left. There’s not even fumes. I’m on empty. I need the kind of savior, to save me from all my sin. I don’t want to hold on to anything. It’s killing me. It’s a pollution to my soul. I know God hates that I’m filthy in His sight. I need to be made clean from all of it. I want God to be with me. And I know, I’ve sensed that in the depths of my soul, He’s far off. I’m not worthy to draw near to Him.” I tell you that man went home justified. That man successfully ran to Christ.
How about another one? Here’s a thief. He’s hanging on a cross. His hours are numbered. The minutes of his life are ticking away. He’s hanging there next to Christ on that cross and he recognizes, “My life, my life is just… ruins. I deserve what I’m getting, I deserve this. I’m a criminal. I’m not a good person, I’m a criminal. Lord remember me when you come into Your kingdom.” He said, “You’ll be with Me this day in paradise.” You see, he needed a savior. He needed a savior to save him from all his sins. He needed a savior to do the saving for him. He wanted the kind of savior that Christ was, and he wanted to be with Him, and Christ said, “You’re going to be. You’re going to be with me in paradise.” I’ll tell you this: Jesus Christ simply did not come to save some people. He came to save the kind of people that need a savior, like He is.
You know the DVD that we had made? There’s a clip about half way through that where Paul Washer is talking about the cross. I don’t remember what that clip was called, but it’s one of my favorites And as he’s wrapping up, he says, “One of you might be asking, ‘Can I be saved?’” And he says, ”I don’t know, that depends.” You know, the problem is being saved with nothing in your hand. Nothing in my hand I bring. Simply to the cross I cling. That is the simplest way to be saved. Yet, it is utterly impossible, if you’re determined to bring something in that hand.
Can I Run to Christ?
Can you be saved? Can I run to Christ? You can. He freely invites you to come. If you’ll take Him as the Savior that He is. To be saved the way He saves. It’s all together glorious if you don’t have anything to offer. But, men, in their pride, don’t want to be saved that way. Why? Few there be that find it. Because most men will not come destitute. Because that means to come humble and contrite. When a man comes-a woman comes-and they say: “I have nothing to offer,” that’s a low posture. You see, men are full of pride. Most men are going to miss heaven because they won’t stoop as far as it takes to stoop. and even that sounds like an effort. Most men won’t fall into a puddle of nothingness, into the arms of Christ. They want something to offer, they want to be able to provide part of it. They want to be able to take part and take place. But to just crumble at the feet of the cross, into nothingness that Christ might be all. That He might be the perfect Savior. That He might do all the saving. We come to Him with nothing in our hands. Needing Him. Needing Him! Christ is only going to save those that need Him. That’s what He says. “The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.” Those who are well have no need of a physician. He came to save those who need Him. This is the problem: there are those people who say, “I’m trying to run to Christ, but He won’t save me.” This is why. “I’m trying to come to Christ, but He won’t save me.” This is exactly the issue. It’s always the issue. They’re not calling upon the name of the Lord for all that it means. If you call upon the name of the Lord it means you call on the Lord, for what His name means. For all that His name is.
You look at the names of Christ, and you can see what sort of Savior He is. He’s not the kind to share the glory. He’s the Savior. That means your not, He is. He came to seek and save the lost. That means you’re lost. You’re lost. You don’t know how to get back. You’re wandering out there in the wilderness. You’re just lost. You’re just a lost; and roaming; and a destitute, wandering star out there in the darkness. You need help. You need total help. See, His cry rings out through the ages. And for those whose ear can hear, and say, “Ah. That is the kind of Savior I’ve been looking for.” Then He says, “Come, I offer you to drink without price.” And you can run right over and grab hold, spiritually. You just ask, “Lord help me.” And He’ll come in right away and help you. If He doesn’t, there’s only one explanation. The fault and failure is in you; and it’s because you’re really not coming to Him as He is. You’re not seeking Him as He is. You’re not calling upon His name as He is. You’re not running to Him, for who He is. You want a different kind of savior. You want a different kind of Christ. You can call the name verbally, of Jesus, or Christ. But if your desire is not for what that name means, you’re not being sincere. You’re looking for a different kind of savior, than what God sent into this world. God sent a Savior for the lost. For the burdened. For the heavy laden. For the sick. For those that don’t have price. For the destitute and the bankrupt. For those, like the tax collector, who all they can do is beat on they’re breast and say, “God be merciful to me, the sinner.” And that man went home justified. This is it. When you come across people, who seem frustrated, people who weep tears because they’re not being saved; you need to be real clear, about exactly the kind of savior that Christ is, and what His name means. What it is to call upon the Name of The LORD. Because, everyone who calls on the Name of the LORD will be saved! Amen.
