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COME TO THE SAVIORLesson #55
Revelation 22:17
There is a vast difference between being religious and knowing the living God as he is revealed in his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We must never presume that people are saved, born again, and truly know the Lord Jesus Christ simply because they attend church, participate in Bible studies, or even engage in a personal study of Holy Scripture. With that fact in mind, I want to persuade any reading these lines who have not yet come to Christ in faith to do so. I know of no better way to do so than to instruct you in the great and glorious truths of the gospel. As you read these lines, pray that God the Holy Spirit will grant you life and faith in Christ. It is he who through the revelation of the gospel bids us come to the Savior. Yet, the most aged, well-taught, and deeply experienced of God’s saints will find the contents of this study comforting, edifying, and delightful as they are applied to his heart by the Holy Spirit.
First, realize this: God has planned, purposed, and predestinated the salvation of a great multitude of sinners. He will save some. That is certain (Rom. 8:29-30). He saves them by grace alone, without condition or qualification. If God has purposed to save some, perhaps I am one, perhaps you are one. It may be that he has kept you alive these many years so that he may be gracious to you at this moment.
Second, the Lord Jesus Christ has fully met and satisfied every requirement of God for the salvation of his elect. There is nothing for us to do. Jesus Christ has done it all. All who are saved are saved upon the basis of and by the merits of Christ’s obedience to God as the sinner’s Substitute (Rom. 5:19). He has finished the work of righteousness (John 17:4). He has finished the work of redemption (John 19:30). That is to say, he has both obeyed and satisfied all the demands of God’s holy law as the Surety and Representative of God’s elect.
Third, God the Holy Spirit will effectually regenerate and call every chosen, redeemed sinner to life and faith in Christ (Psa. 65:4; John 6:63). Christ will save his sheep. Not one of God’s elect will perish. The Son of God shall see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied. Christ’s blood was not shed in vain. God’s purpose will not be overturned. The grace of God cannot be frustrated.
Fourth, every sinner who comes to Christ in faith is saved. "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life" (John 3:36). Faith in Christ is the evidence of eternal election, effectual redemption, and saving grace (Heb. 11:1). If you trust Christ, you have life. It really is as simple as that. :Your faith is the fruit and result of God’s predestination, Christ’s redemption, and the Spirit’s call.
Fifth, every sinner who hears (or reads) the gospel is called, invited, and urged to come to Christ and live (Rev. 22:17). You are invited, you are called, you are urged to come to Christ. The blessings held forth to you in the Word of life are rich beyond expression. The invitations given to you in the gospel are as free as sunshine. Throughout the Scriptures every encouragement is given to sinners to "lay hold upon the hope that is set before you" in the gospel. Everything in the Book of God is designed of God to encourage sinners to come to Christ and live. There is not a word in the Bible to discourage any sinner from trusting Christ. And here, at the close of the Inspired Volume, invitations are heaped upon invitations from every quarter, urging you to enter the door of mercy before it is closed. "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely."
If you come to the Lord Jesus Christ by faith you shall have eternal life. If you come to Christ, you have already passed from death unto life, and shall never, under any circumstances, come into condemnation (John 5:24). We do not believe on Christ to get born again. We believe on Christ because we have been born again. Faith is not our contribution to the work of grace. Our faith is the fruit of grace already bestowed (Gal. 5:22; Eph. 2:8; Phil. 1:29; Col. 2:12).
Here is a gospel invitation. "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely." I know that sinners are commanded to trust Christ. And I know that it is the responsibility of every sinner to do so. Yet, the Lord Jesus, by his Spirit, in the gospel, also gently woos and invites needy sinners to come to him, and tenderly urges them to do so (Matt. 11:28-30; 23:37). The spirit of this passage is not so much that of an authoritative command as it is that of a tender, loving, urgent invitation. It is an invitation from three sources. (1.) The Spirit says, "Come." It is the office work of God the Holy Spirit to reveal Christ to men and effectually bring sinners to him in repentance and faith, causing them to look to him and be saved (Zech. 12:10; John 16:7-13). Whenever the Word comes in power, it comes in the power, not of men, but of the Holy Spirit, who alone can conquer the hearts of men and bring them effectually to Christ (I Thess. 1:4-5). Only God the Holy Spirit can give life to the dead, faith to the faithless, and grace to the graceless. The success of the gospel is not determined by the ability and ingenuity of preachers, but by the power of God the Holy Spirit. By the ministry of his servants preaching the gospel of Christ the Holy Spirit pleads with and beseeches sinners to come to Christ (II Cor. 5:18-21). By the voices of men the Spirit of God urges sinners to come to Christ. Yet, sincere as these gospel invitations are, they will be unheeded by you unless the Spirit of God graciously arrests you, compels you, and forces you to come. It takes more than an invitation to get sinners to trust Christ. It takes a mighty operation of grace (Col. 2:12). Man has neither the ability nor the will to come to Christ (John 6:44; 5:40). Only God the Holy Spirit can make you willing and give you the ability to come to Christ (Psa. 110:3). (2.) The bride says, "Come." The bride is the church, the Lamb’s wife. Because she has experienced the blessedness of salvation, she is anxious for all around her to know its delight. Those who have experienced grace are anxious to see others experience grace. In the Song of Solomon, the church cried, "Draw me, and we will run after thee" (1:4), as if to say, "Draw me and I will not be content to come alone. I will do everything in my power to bring others with me." This is the work of the church in every age. She is the pillar and ground of the truth. She supports the truth, proclaims the truth, publishes the truth, and seeks to bring men and women into the knowledge of the truth. The church of God unites with the Spirit of God, and says, "Come." "Come to the Savior. See what a wonderful Savior he is. See in us what Christ can do for you. You are far off; but Christ can bring you nigh. You are strangers, foreigners, and aliens from the commonwealth of Israel; but Christ can make you heirs of God. You are dead; but Christ can give you life. You are lost; but Christ can save you. You are sinful; but Christ can made you holy." "Come, and see!" (3.) "And let him that heareth say, Come." All who have heard and believe the gospel are to be actively engaged in the furtherance of the gospel. Let us use every means at our disposal and every opportunity given to induce sinners to come to Christ. Each one is to be a preacher in his own circle (John 1:35-49).
This gracious invitation is both free and universal. It is an unconditional offer of grace to all who will but come to Christ. All who are thirsty are welcome to come. The invitation is to you, "And let him that is athirst come." Every mourning, broken, heavy hearted sinner in the universe is bidden to come. Perhaps you think, "I am not thirsty enough. I would come, but I do not really pant and thirst for Christ as I should, as the hart panteth after the waterbrooks. If I had greater thirst, then I could come to Christ." If that is the case, answer this question: Are you willing to come to Christ? If you are willing to come, you are welcome to come. The invitation reads, "And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." Are you inclined to come to Christ? Do you desire to come to Christ? Will you come to Christ? If you will come, you can come and may come. That is the rub - Will you come to Christ. Will you be saved by grace alone? Will you be saved by the righteousness of another? Will you be saved by the blood of Jesus? If you are willing to come, the invitation is free and unconditional. "Let him take," by personal faith, "the water of life," Christ Jesus, "Freely," without cost, condition, or cause.
This invitation is easily obeyed. This is what must be done: "Come." This coming is not a physical act involving the body. It is a spiritual act of the heart and mind. Right where you sit, without moving a muscle, come to Jesus Christ now. To come to Christ is to trust him. Come like the leper - in submission (Matt. 8:1). Come like the woman with an issue of blood - in desperation (Matt. 9:20-21). Come like Bartemaeus - in earnest (Mark 10:46-52). Come like the Gadarene - naked and vile (Mark 5:1-15). Come like the publican - a sinner needing mercy (Luke 18:13). Come like the thief - to be remembered (Luke 23:42). Come like the adulterous woman - with all your accusers (John 8:1-12). But come to the Savior!
Obedience to this gospel invitation is richly rewarded. If you do come to Christ, you shall be saved. Come to Christ anyway you can, anyway you will, believing on him, trusting him alone to save you. He promises, "Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37). Come to Christ in faith and eternal life is yours. The blessings of grace in Christ are called the "Water of Life." The source from which this water of life flows is the Lord Jesus Christ himself (Rev. 22:1). As the waters gushed out of the smitten Rock in the wilderness to supply life to Israel, so our Lord Jesus Christ, smitten by the rod of God’s law and justice, pours out the waters of salvation upon perishing sinners (I Cor. 10:4). Christ is the Fountain of Living Waters, who gives life and grace to thirsty sinners (Rev. 21:6; John 4:10-14; 7:37-38). Pardon (Zech. 13:1; Isa. 1:18; I John 1:7), holiness (Ezek. 36:25-27), and everlasting life are found in this Fountain of Living Waters (Psa. 36:8-9). The Lord Jesus Christ, is a fountain opened to sinners. He is not a sealed fountain, but an opened Fountain. He is not a secret fountain, hidden in the mists of religious confusion, but an opened Fountain. This fountain was opened in the covenant, opened at the cross, and is opened by the faithful exposition of the gospel. None who drink of this Fountain shall be disappointed (John 7:37-39; 4:14). May God give you grace to come to the Fountain and drink. "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely."