Without Christ Part 2

by John Lowe
(Laurens SC, USA)

"I have Christ here," and she put her hand on the Bible, "and I have Christ here," and she put her hand on her heart, "and I have Christ there," as she raised her eyes towards heaven.
But if you don’t have Christ in the heart, you will not find Christ in the Bible, because only those who know Him and love him in their hearts will discover His sweetness, and His blessedness, and his excellence.
Don’t get the idea that a certain amount of Bible-reading, and a certain amount of praying, and regular attendance at church, and regular giving of your tithe will ensure your salvation.
Having Christ is the essential condition for entering heaven.
If you have him in your heart, you will see Jesus one day.
But, if you don’t have Christ, all the work you do for God will seem like slavery.
And WITHOUT CHRIST, my friends, there is the sad thought that before long you will depart this life.
I don’t like to talk about it, and you may not like to hear it, but I believe all of us may need to think about it.
Young people may live WITHOUT CHRIST, but if they choose to do so, they will miss the richest joys of life.
And middle-aged people, WITHOUT CHRIST, may live to a ripe old age, but without him, they will miss the great support Jesus gives to those with troubles.
WITHOUT CHRIST, an old man may sit in his rocking chair, content with what he has, but mark my word; he will lose the sweet comfort that Jesus gives.
But remember, all of us die sooner or later.
It doesn’t matter how strong you are; death is stronger, and he will pull you down if you are WITHOUT CHRIST.
So what will that person who is WITHOUT CHRIST do when his eyes begin to close for the last time?
What will he do when he passes into eternity to stand before the dreadful eyes of an angry God, WITHOUT CHRIST?
And when it’s time to face judgment and he must stand in the midst of a tremendous crowd of sinners, WITHOUT CHRIST?
I don’t believe anyone here is WITHOUT CHRIST, but if there is, I want you to think of dying, of being judged, of being condemned, WITHOUT CHRIST!
Christ can be had by asking.
Christ can be had by accepting Him.
Stretch out your hand and take him.
Trust him, and he will be yours forever, and you will be with Him for all of eternity.
The second thing I want to talk about is-
THE GREAT DELIVERANCE FROM THAT MISERY THAT GOD HAS PROVIDED THROUGH JESUS.
We are not WITHOUT CHRIST now, but let me ask you, where would you be now WITHOUT CHRIST?
Some of you would probably be sitting alone in your room.
You would have been with others, who are WITHOUT CHRIST.
You might even have been somewhere worse; you might have been with those who hate God; you might have been violating the ethics of morality as well as the laws of God by cursing, gossiping and being rude and mean because that’s what you were like, but now you are washed in the blood and set apart for the Lord.
Where would you be WITHOUT CHRIST?
You might have been in hell; you might have been shut out forever from God’s mercy; you might have been condemned to eternal banishment from the presence of God.
I read about an Indian who had a clear picture of where we would be WITHOUT CHRIST.
When he was asked what Christ had done for him, he picked up a worm, put it on the ground, and then he made a ring of straw and wood around it, which he set on fire.
As the wood began to glow the poor worm began to twist and wriggle in agony, at which point he stooped down, and gently picked it up, and said, "That is what Jesus did for me; I was surrounded by a ring of fire, without the power to help myself, but His pierced hand lifted me out of the flames."
Folks, just think about that, and if you’re like me, it will melt your heart.
Don’t you want to praise Him, since you are no longer WITHOUT CHRIST?
Now, think what his blood has done for you.
Just think about one thing, out of the thousand things He has done for you.
He has forgiven your many, many sins.
You were WITHOUT CHRIST, and your sins stood before you like a mountain.
But, a drop of Jesus’ blood fell upon it, and it all vanished in a moment.
A lifetime of sins were gone in an instant by the application of the precious blood!
Folks, I confess-“I am only a sinner, saved by grace.”
Now that you have Christ, think about the way in which he came to you, and allowed you to take Him for yourself.
Consider how long He stood in the cold, knocking at the door of your heart.
You didn’t want to have anything to do with Him; you despised him; you refused to accept him; you did, as you might say, spit in His face, and subjected Him to open shame in order to get rid of Him.
In spite of that, He wanted you.
Think about what might have happened, if he had simply left you alone and turned you over to your own sinful desires.
You could right now be dead in your sins and trespasses.
Instead of that, you have his blood applied to your heart, as a sign of your pardon.
You know very well what a difference that makes.
The blood of Jesus has sealed your acceptance by God, and therefore, you can rejoice in the ransom He has paid, and the forgiveness you have received with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
And I hope that you don’t forget the tremendous expense which it cost to purchase this priceless blessing.
Christ could not have been yours if He had stayed in heaven.
He had to come down to earth, and even then he couldn’t be fully yours until he bled and died.
Can you imagine the dreadful doorways that Jesus had to pass through before He could find His way to you?
He can easily find you now, but before he could come to you, he himself had to pass through the grave!
Think about that!
And why is it, that now that you are not WITHOUT CHRIST?
It can only be due to the grace and mercy of God.
I cannot understand the reason why I am saved, but the source of it must be God’s grace.
Think about what you have tonight, now that you have Jesus.
Don’t you have an income, even though it may be a small amount?
You may not have friends, and you may not have a comfortable room.
But, you do have your Savior; you have Christ, and what does that mean?
God’s word says, "He that spared not his own Son, but freely delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him, also, freely give us all things?"
The man who has Christ has got everything.
Jesus can be everything to you, and once you get him you are richer than you can imagine.
If you have Christ, you have God the Father for your protector and God the Spirit for your comforter.
You have all things working together for your good and you have angels for your servants both on earth and in heaven.
Our message to this lost world should be, “Come to Jesus, sinners can come; Saints can come; those who don’t belong to Him can come; those whose faith is like a grain of mustard seed can come; those who have no faith at all can come.
Come to Jesus now, who says, "Whosoever will let him come and take of the water of life freely."
Amen.