ON leaving my business for the night, a few days ago, I said to my fellow-assistant, “L—, If Mrs. S— should come in tomorrow morning, and I am not here, you will find her parcel in the locker.” L—looked at me in surprise. I answered his look by saying, “I do not anticipate absence on account of illness, although, of course, we do not know what may occur; but you know, L—, I am not sure of a minute, as I expect the Lord Jesus, and if He come to night I shall not be here in the morning, so you will know where to look for the parcel.”
L—looked rather uncomfortable, but answered, “Well, perhaps I shall not be here; if He does come I may go as well as you. Do you think I shall?” I replied, “I cannot answer for you; you know for yourself.” He replied, “Oh, I am not so very bad!” I said, “There is no hope in that, L—. Christ wants the very bad ones. He came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Reader, do you know that Christ is coming? Are you ready? His promise remains good today, “Surely I come quickly.” Perhaps you say, “I have heard this so many times, and He has not come yet.” If you are still unsaved you may well thank God that He has not come. But the midnight is passed, the cry has gone forth, “Behold, the Bridegroom cometh,” and we stand now on the very tiptoe of expectation waiting to hear the voice of the Lord Himself. He is indeed coming. Oh, I would press this fact on your soul! Perhaps, with the latter-day scoffers that the apostle Peter tells us about, you may be saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.” (2 Peter 3:44And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. (2 Peter 3:4)). But will your unbelief alter the fact that the Lord is really coming? Nay, it only proves the word of God. We know not how soon He may come, perhaps before you have finished reading this. There is no time to lose, “for the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air.” (1 Thess. 4:16, 1716For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:16‑17)). These are the words of our God, and heaven and earth shall pass away, but His words shall not pass away. If you do not belong to Christ you will assuredly be left behind at His coming—the door of heaven closed and you outside.
Your being “not so very bad” will not do for God. Sin is sin, whether it be a million sins or one. You cannot say you have no sin. Better far to confess to God that you are a helpless sinner, for then He can and will justify you on the ground of righteousness. Christ died for sinners, having taken their place, under the judgment of God, on the cross. He came “not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” He is still calling you, “not willing that any should perish.” Do not resist His loving call. Come just as you are. Come now. There is nothing for you to do, for Christ has done it all.
“Ere night that door may close and seal thy doom,
Then the last, low, long cry—No room! No room.”
“Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” Therefore come now.
R. M.