Read Colossians iii. 11.
Christ is all in all to every one who has truly found Him. He is our Saviour, Redeemer, Deliverer, Shepherd, Teacher, and also sustains toward us many more offices, to which I desire to call your attention.
1. If we turn to Luke ii. 10, 11, we find Christ is there announced as our
SAVIOUR:
“Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” We learn to know Christ as our Saviour, to meet Him on Mount Calvary, to look on Him as the bleeding Lamb of God, before we know Him as our Redeemer, Deliverer, and Shepherd. Now, looking round upon this vast assembly, I, who do not know the hearts of the people, cannot know whether you can say that Christ is your Saviour. There are many, I trust, who can say this, and who rejoice in His salvation; while, without being uncharitable, I am afraid there are many who know nothing personally of Jesus as their Saviour.
He is offered to every one of you to-day as a Saviour; “God gave Him up freely for us all,” that we all through Him might be saved. If you are belonging to this world, I can prove that you have a Saviour. If you belonged to some other planet, such as the moon or any of the stars, then I could not say a Saviour was offered to you; for it is not revealed whether the people of these distant worlds, even if they are inhabited, require salvation or not. But this I know, that every man on this globe has a Saviour offered him.
SALVATION FREE TO ALL.
I have no sympathy with those men who try to limit God’s salvation to a certain few. I believe that Christ died for all who will come. I have received many letters finding fault with me, and saying I surely don’t believe the doctrine of election. I do believe in election; but I have no business to preach that doctrine to the world at large. The world has nothing to do with election; it has only to do with the invitation, “Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” That is the message for the sinner. I am sent to preach the gospel to all.
After you have received salvation, we can talk about election. It’s a doctrine for Christians, for the Church, not for the unconverted world. Our message is “good tidings, which shall be to all people; for unto you is born this day a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” All people, this Saviour is proffered to you. Accept Him, and God will accept you; reject Him, and God will reject you. Your eternal destiny depends on your refusal or otherwise to accept the proffered Saviour. The case is simply one of giving and taking. God gives; I receive. We must, then, first of all know Christ as our Saviour.
2. But He is still more: He is our