"DIFFICULTLY SAVED"
“DIFFICULTLY SAVED”
1 Peter 4: 17, 18; Genesis 19: 12 - 26
You will have observed from 1 Peter 4: 18 that there are persons who are difficult to save. It may be that there are those here tonight who are in the mind of God for salvation, but they are difficult. Indeed, it may fairly be said that every one of us who may be classified amongst the saved have proved difficult; even the great saint and servant Paul, whom God used perhaps more than any, was a difficult case. But nevertheless among the saved God is greater than the difficulty.
Then it may be there are here those who are impossible. That is a terrible thought, but a scriptural one, as I shall show, such persons as Lot’s sons-in-law for example — impossible to save. Some of you may assume that this is calling in question the power of God, but there are things that God cannot do, not because He is not omnipotent but because of what He is morally. He cannot lie, nor can He on the same principle save the devil and his angels. So it is a solemn consideration that there may be those here tonight who are impossible. I say it may be, though I hope not, but the Scriptures furnish us with many examples of ‘impossibles’. Luke particularly in his wonderful evangelical book gives us many pairs of persons, one of whom was saved and the other lost. Two women grinding at the mill, he says, “one taken and the other left”, the one taken for judgment. Simon the Pharisee and the woman that was a sinner in the city, the one proving himself impossible, retaining his self-righteous attitude, and the other receiving from the lips of Jesus the precious words, “Thy faith has saved thee”, Luke 7:60. There is no salvation without faith, and Simon did not have any, but the [p. 313] woman did. Again we find the prodigal and his brother, the one saved and the other lost, the latter because of his will saying, ‘I will not go in’. It is will that shuts us out from the divine blessing, from salvation and all the other blessings that the gospel proposes. It is will that fills, as I may say, the lake of judgment, the lake of fire, persons who say, ‘I will not go in’. It was not that the prodigal’s brother denied God, or became an agnostic or infidel, as we say — no, it was because he would not go in. The door was open and he would not go in. His will prevented his salvation, made him an ‘impossible’, as I said. Then again we have two men going up into the temple to pray, both ostensibly religious, the one confessed himself a poor guilty sinner and went down to his house justified, the Lord says. The other prayed thus to himself, “God, I thank thee that I am not as other men”; he spoke of his own righteousness and shut himself out from the mercy of God, for the mercy of God is powerless aside from submission in man and woman and child. Repentance is an absolute necessity to salvation; aside from it, it is morally impossible to be saved. Repent is the word, and believe the gospel. That is the first word Jesus says according to Mark in his preaching, and it is worthy of note. He says, “The time is fulfilled ... repent and believe in the glad tidings”, Mark 1: 15. There is another pair in Luke’s gospel, well known, the one called the rich man, and the other Lazarus the poor man. There is nothing attributed to the rich man in the way of open blasphemy or the like, or great sins. He fared sumptuously every day, and cared nothing for the sufferings of Lazarus. He was lost and Lazarus was saved. These are all impossible of salvation because of what is stated of them, and it is for my hearers to decide whether I am appealing to the class of the lost, of the impossibles, or to those who, as I have said, are difficult but [p. 314] ultimately saved. It is to those I would speak, and I am speaking from the epistle of Peter, an epistle which treats of the government of God, the universal but unfailing government of God; so true is it that it does not shrink from starting to judge at God’s house. Not that God does not feel, beloved friends, that His house should become the beginning of His judgment — He does. We sometimes deny in our minds the right to God to have feelings of sorrow, or regret. How He must have felt coming into that garden that He had planted, in the cool of the day, with a view to speaking with His creatures, Adam and Eve, only to find they had hidden. Did not that, speaking reverently, cause a pang in the heart of God? It did. God feels things. Later as sin spread abroad and all flesh corrupted its way on the earth, it is said it grieved, it repented God that He had made man. We are to understand that. It is quite compatible for God to have feelings. He feels sorrow, blots on His holy name. There is no one here whose history has been a disgrace, a discredit, that has not caused God sorrow — no one — the history of everyone is before Him. And so we are told that it repented Him that He had made man, and “grieved him at his heart”, at His heart, showing how feeling God is and how like ourselves in that sense, making all due allowance for the difference between the holy omnipotent Creator and poor weak sinful creatures. He has a heart, He has feelings, and so it repented Him and grieved Him at His heart that man had become such a terrible blot on His name — on the beneficent name of Him, the Creator.
Hence He was obliged to justify Himself and wipe the race out with a flood, saving Noah, one of eight, with his house in the ark. And so how it must pain God to have to say through His apostle Peter that the time had come when judgment should begin at His house. The time had come, even in apostolic [p. 315] times, when things had become so bad in the christian profession that God had to begin there, and not only in the mere profession as we see it, but actual christians, for Peter says, alluding to the house, “if it first begin at us” referring to christians — a solemn thing for every one here, christians or others; for it may be that some of us although christians may be judged with the world. Is not that a solemn consideration? World borderers, persons who deny the satisfying character of the gospel, of what God proposes in the gospel. He proposes satisfaction for us. Some of us deny that and turn aside, like the prodigal to the world, and our danger is of being judged with it — a terrible thought!
Now that was what was in view in Lot’s case, and that is why I have read about him, for our position is that we are in danger of being judged with the world, as difficult to save. The setting of Genesis 19 is a great intercessory system. The divine economy stands in all its glory and blessedness and power inclusive of intercession, so it is said of Jesus that He ever lives to make intercession for us, and moreover that He saves to the uttermost, that is, He is a Saviour to us from the time we believe until our exit from the world, not only our death and burial, but our resurrection and ascension into heaven. All this is part of the great salvation that He has acquired for us. So that He is able to save to the uttermost those that come unto God by Him, and that is going on every moment of this wonderful period, day and night, week in and week out, year in and year out, in all these centuries, this wonderful work of Jesus, this wonderful salvation that He has achieved for us, as being wrought out. “He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him”, and as I said, this involves intercession (Hebrews 7:25). And I would appeal to christian worldlings here, our young people brought up in christian families who [p. 316] have not confessed Jesus; I would appeal to you as to the wonderful service that Jesus is rendering, as I said, constantly for you as belonging to the household of faith. For as born into christian households you have come into the household of faith and you are within the scope of the intercession of Christ. And so we find that Abraham, Lot’s uncle or brother, indeed he is called his own brother, is seen, prior to the chapter from which I have read, interceding. Prayer went up tonight from nearly every household, I suppose, represented in this audience. Prayer went up to God in the households, a great service. This meeting has been flanked by such a service and at this moment we are reaping the gain of such service.
All these prayers have been made efficacious by our great Intercessor on high — our great High Priest.
These prayers have included the households, that is the children, they have included the persons invited to this meeting, so that I may say everyone here has been the subject of intercession this very day, early in the last week, too. That is the position, beloved friends, particularly in this epistle of Peter corresponding with the chapters in Genesis.
Peter, in treating of the government of God, introduces this great thought that God raised Christ up from the dead and gave Him glory that our faith and hope might be in God (1 Peter 1: 21), meaning that Christ came into Manhood and took His place on our side as the Son of man, and that He as Man gave Himself a ransom for all, the Mediator between God and men. As Man He represents us, not only christians, but the whole race of mankind; it is a wonderful thought, that being a Man He is Head of every man in the world, and on high He is doing His utmost for every man. The effectuation of the gospel, and its promulgation all these centuries is the proof of it. He gave Himself on our behalf and God shows us that He has accepted Him by raising Him [p. 317] from the dead and not only that but by giving Him glory, so that our faith and hope should be in God. If God has raised our Representative from the dead and exalted Him to His right hand then it holds good for every man, woman and child in the world. That is the position. It is a wonderful time, and this intercession that has gone on all this day, embracing every one in this room, is a wonderful fact for every one here. Some of you, as I have said, who are unsaved have been invited to this meeting, others form a part of christian households, but you are all included in this wonderful service of intercession. Is it not touching to you that your name has been mentioned before the throne of grace, of far greater importance than if it had been mentioned before the king of England, this very day, and heaven has listened to all these prayers made efficacious through the great High Priest at the golden altar before God, prayers that you should not be difficult to save, that you should be — saved now? Do not make it difficult for God, and for Christ, and for the Spirit, and for the saints, do not make it difficult. You yourself will be the greatest gainer in committing yourself humbly as the Lord enjoins, “Repent and believe in the glad tidings”.
So, as I said, you have the thought of intercession in Luke in these signs. He parabolises in the signs that a man had a fig tree, and it had borne no fruit. The owner of it says he came for the last three years and got nothing, no hope in it at all. ‘Well’, the vine dresser says, ‘leave it another year’. That is Jesus. God has been coming to you, to your father’s house year after year, but He has got no fruit at all, no response at all. The readings in the morning are too long for you, you would rather not be there; the meetings you abhor, if you have to go to them; it is because someone has a little authority over you. What does God think of that? It stings Him, grieves [p. 318] Him every day that there is no fruit at all. Some day He will say, That will be the end of it for you. It may be you will be knocked down by a car or drowned, or take a sudden malady, and die of it — that is the end of it for you — a terrible thing, but happening every day, for God is God and He has to say amongst the human races everywhere. He does as He pleases, we are told, and these things are happening constantly here, but in patience the Lord says, ‘Leave it another year’ — that is Jesus. He is representative of us up there. He Himself says of little children, “Their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven”. That is the idea. He represents them up there, so He does men as such. He says, ‘Leave it another year’.
Well now, Abraham comes in before this passage I read. The two angels go on their way to Sodom to destroy it. Abraham stands yet before Jehovah and he says, ‘Oh, Jehovah, are You going to destroy the just with the wicked? That is not like You’. How beautiful that is! Abraham represents Christ in His intercessory office, only that He knows perfectly and intercedes perfectly to God, but Abraham represents the thought and he says to Jehovah, ‘You know You are the Judge of all the earth, and the Judge of all the earth must do right’. What a beautiful word! I am sure it was beautiful in the ears of Jehovah that there was one man upon earth who understood Him, who knew He was righteous, and that He would do the right thing, that He would not destroy the righteous with the wicked. Now that is exactly what is being said today. There are those of you here who for years have been difficult. There has been no way of getting at you; either you are dumb, or neglectful, or stubborn, or openly hostile, and yet we know there is something there. We have had evidence earlier that there is something, that God has been working with you, as indeed Jesus said to Saul, “It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks”, Acts 26:14. Why was it? Why did He say that? Because God in His gracious government had brought Stephen before his notice. Think of what a testimony Stephen was to that young man! He kneeled down as the stones were being pelted at him in vicious wickedness, and prayed for his persecutors. Saul was there, and held the clothes of those who stoned Stephen. What a testimony was rendered to him, but he kicked. You see he went on in his selfwill, and that is what you are doing — some of you here — not perhaps as he did, not with such violence against the people of God, but nevertheless your will is in it. Like that young man that the Lord speaks of in the gospels. His father says to two of his children, ‘Go into the vineyard and work today’. One says, ‘I will go’, and one says, ‘I will not go’.
The latter has a will but he changed his mind. That is what God wants you to do, change your mind now. You have been long enough saying ‘I will not go’. This young man said, ‘I will not go’, but then he went, he changed his mind, he repented himself. The other said, ‘I go’, but he did not go; that is, he is deceitful, he is making pretence and not doing it. He is deceitful and terrible judgment will overthrow him. How often we have heard of young people, confessedly acknowledging Christ and the fellowship, and presently some terrible thing happens which discloses they have never in heart yielded to Christ. They are deceitful. The heart is deceitful above all things, and in no way more deceitful than in one who professes to be godly but is otherwise. In no way is the deceitfulness of the heart so patent.
Well now, as I said, Abraham interceded for Sodom. He interceded for the righteous, and put it to Jehovah in that way, but in truth he was interceding for Sodom. I have no doubt that the prolongation of this wonderful period when the world is in reconciliation [p. 320] is the outcome of the representation of Christ. He is on man’s side. Abraham is heir of the world and hence was sympathetic towards it as every true son of Abraham is today. We do not want judgment to fall on it; we know it will, and that it will be righteous when it happens, but we would think of those in it, think of salvation. We pray for all kings and rulers, we are sons of Abraham; believers are all sons of Abraham. So he put it to Jehovah, ‘Suppose there are fifty righteous in that city, will You destroy it?’ He sought to save the city. God says, ‘I will spare it for fifty righteous’. It is wonderful how God is ready to be kind to the world, to be patient with it, and the men in it. This gospel meeting tonight is the most potent evidence you can have of this wonderful patience of God waiting on men, women and children. Can you resist it? Dear friends here at this time, the patience of God is waiting on you, and yet the world was never worse than it is at the present moment in all its history, for the world city today “is called spiritually Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified”, Revelation 11:8. That could not be said of Sodom at that time, and yet it was destroyed. God is prolonging the day of grace, not willing that any should perish, as Peter himself says in his epistles, that the longsuffering of God is salvation; but I am speaking of this intercessory service on the part of Christ, illustrated in Abraham, and how God is acceding to it and has granted you this meeting so that you should no longer be among the unsaved or be among those who shall perish with the world, who shall be judged with the world. ‘Come out of it’ — this is the voice. And so the two angels go to Sodom. God was ready to suspend the judgment if there were ten righteous in the city. Such was His patience. He knew well enough what the city was, as He knows what this city is, and every other city on earth. He [p. 321] knows well what seething wickedness goes on day and night in these cities, and He knew well what was going on in Sodom, and it only awaited the service of His angels to bring out what was there. Perhaps Sodom never behaved itself worse than when these two angels visited Lot in Sodom — I do not go into details — I do not believe Sodom ever behaved itself worse, and why? Because God had visited the city.
Think of it! God has visited this world in Christ. The world was never worse than during that visitation; the world was at its worst in that sense when it put Jesus on that cross. It is not a whit changed. Abraham is interceding for the city, but God knew what was there at bottom, so that when His angels visited the place they turned out from the youngest to the oldest in the most vicious attack on those men. Why should it be so? Because it was God, because man essentially hates God, as the Lord Jesus says, “They have both seen and hated both me and my Father”, John 15: 24. That was what Sodom disclosed and yet God did not destroy it immediately. The angels put out their hand and drew Lot into the house, and they smote the men with blindness, not to destroy them yet but just to save Lot. What a comfort to us who are seeking to serve Christ in our little way! How God prevents men from doing their worst! If they could do their worst we should not be here tonight. Not that I am here to accuse the men of this city, I am speaking of men generally, what they are naturally, what I am naturally. Naturally I hate God as He draws near to me; unless He work in my heart I shall hate Him, as the Lord says, “They have both seen and hated both me and my Father”, John 15: 24. How solemn that is, and yet God is making every possible overture to save you; but Sodom disclosed itself as utterly reprobate — God’s servants are viciously attacked by everyone in Sodom, from the youngest to the oldest. Let no one [p. 322] be deceived about the world. Abraham was praying for that city, that God would spare it, and yet there it is as if God would demonstrate to Abraham the wickedness of the world at heart. He would say, ‘There are my messengers and the whole city turns out against them in the most vicious fashion, there is nothing to be done’; it is the foreshadowing of Christ coming here and the world putting Him on a gibbet.
The Lord has to say, “Now is the judgment of this world”, John 12: 31. And yet, wonderful to say, God in His wonderful patience is just holding on, offering salvation to everybody. If not, this meeting would not take place at all. His longsuffering is salvation, but then it is salvation not for the world as a system, but for the persons in it. The world as a system is doomed, let us not stay in it. The cry here tonight in the world, God’s voice to you is, ‘Come out’, and so the angels, as Sodom exposed itself in such wickedness, such abandon, say, ‘Have you anybody here besides yourself? We are here to save you, your sons, your daughters, your wife’.
You see that is the position tonight. God is here to save individuals, to save the children of christians, to save brothers, sisters of christians, to save anybody here tonight. That is what the angels are saying.
But as I said before, what comes to light is, it was exceedingly difficult to get them out; and what may come to light in this meeting is that there are those here who are difficult to save. So Lot goes to his sons-in-law, and says to them, ‘This city is going to be destroyed’, but they laugh at him. What are they?
Are they difficult to save? They are impossible to save. God forbid anyone here should be impossible to save. It is an action of your will. Then there are the two daughters, did they want to leave Sodom?
There is not much evidence of it, but anyway the angels took hold of Lot, his wife, and his two daughters,
[p. 323] and as it were forced them out. That is what we would like to do for you tonight, to take you like them and draw you out. God says, as it were, ‘You are amongst those who are to be saved, and you must be saved’. The angels say, ‘We cannot do anything until you come out of here’. So God is speaking to some here tonight. Do not stay in the world and be judged with it. God abhors to think that any of you should be judged with the world. He is here tonight stretching out His hand to urge you to come out of it. Jesus has made atonement for you. He has satisfied God through His death. He has entered into judgment that you should not only enter into it, but He says, “He that hears my word, and believes him that has sent me ... does not come into judgment, but is passed out of death into life”, John 5: 24.
That is the word for you. You are in the thought of God for blessing. You have been prayed for and this meeting is for you. The angels say, ‘Come out’ — they take them by the hand. How we would love to do it, dear young people, to take you by the hand and drag you out of the world. It is a terrible place — it is doomed — and God is urging you to leave it through faith in Christ Jesus, to obtain salvation in Christ Jesus. Well, the four of them came out at the urgent appeal and with the help of the angels, and then we are told that Lot’s wife looked back from behind her husband. How difficult she was to save Can anyone say she was saved? She was not saved. She became a pillar of salt. A terrible thought — a monument reared up in those early days for every deceitful wife from that day to this. She looked back from behind her husband; she pretended to be going along with him, but she was not. The test brought out she was not; she failed, she pretended to be with him but she was not. She was deceitful, she looked back as if her heart were in Sodom, and God smote her, and she became a pillar of salt. Is the [p. 324] warning not applicable? The Lord Jesus looked back in His addresses here among men, and He used the illustration of the wife of Lot as a warning. He says, “Remember Lot’s wife”. What a word! If there is a deceitful one here, pretending to be with her husband or a husband with his wife, or a boy or girl merely pretending by appearance, God hates that pretence, take care that you be not smitten.
The word now is ‘Come out of the world’. It is a remarkable fact that in the records of the New Testament there is nothing said about the salvation of the daughters of Lot, they are not, so far as I know, ever reported of as having been saved. Lot alone is. I only mention that, not to discourage any young people but to encourage you to be sincere in leaving the world, or the public mass. Baptism means you have left it by profession, but the heart is to come into this, and so “with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation”, Romans 10: 10.
I could say more but the time is gone. I would urge this thought that we may not be too difficult to save — impossible on the one hand, or difficult — for Christ’s sake.