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Dr. Robert Sumner passed away in December 2016. The Biblical Evangelist newspaper is no longer being published and the ministry of Biblical Evangelism has ceased operation. The remaining inventory of his books and gospel tracts was transferred to The Baptist Tabernacle of Los Angeles and may be ordered here. God's Last Invitation GOD’S LAST INVITATION! By Evangelist Robert L. Sumner “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 the water of life freely.” – Revelation 22:17 The heart of God pleads with men, women and children to come to Him, to receive His free gift of everlasting life. From cover to cover in the Word of God He extends hundreds of invitations. No one goes to Hell by His desire or will; that happens only through the individual’s own refusal to accept the atonement His dear Son made at the cross of In the final five verses of the Bible we have God’s closing warning (Vss.18-19), His closing promise (Vs.20), His closing benediction (Vs.21), and, in our text, His closing invitation. He begs, “Come, come, come!” Some one has counted 642 cases of “come” in the 66 Books of the Bible. Actually, the word is found nearly 2,000 times in Scripture, but not all are invitations from God. Our text records the final time it is given, God’s last invitation for sinners to come and be saved. In short, this is His final, grand, climatic appeal to you for redemption. Please remember it is an invitation from the Creator of the Universe, the All Powerful God of the Ages. This is not an invitation from a neighbor, a relative, a friend, a politician, a preacher, or a businessman who offers to buy you lunch so he can make his pitch. This is God’s invitation. What if you arrived home from work tomorrow night and found a large, white, impressive looking square envelope in your mail, with a return address of the White House. Opening it, you discovered an invitation from President and Mrs. Bush – along with an impressive list of Senators, Congressmen, Governors, members of the President’s Cabinet, and other dignitaries who would be present – to attend an important official dinner. What would be your reaction? You would probably look at the envelope again to make sure the invitation was addressed to you, stunned that the President even knew you existed. Next, authenticity would be a concern. Was the invitation genuine, not somebody’s idea of a joke? If it met all the criteria, you would probably let nothing keep you from that dinner, even if you are a dyed-in-the-wool Democrat. What an honor, to be invited to dinner by and with the leader of the most powerful nation in the world. You won’t receive such an invitation, I am confident. Yet you do have something infinitely better, an invitation from the King of kings and Lord of lords to join Him, not just for dinner, but to live with Him in His House for all eternity. What an honor you have at your disposal! Yet His invitation is RSVP and there is a time limit on the offer. One day, if not accepted, it will be withdrawn forever. You see, just as our text is God’s last invitation in the Bible, so in your life there will be a last, final invitation. Perhaps this message will be the last one you ever receive. Think about it as we develop the message. Consider first, I. THE INVITATION: “COME!” Let me give you just a couple of thoughts about this invitation to come. A. It Is God’s Invitation! I am not the one inviting you to salvation. Some church is not inviting you. We would not have the right to issue this kind of an invitation. We cannot save you. No one can do that but God Himself. I read once of a little girl who said she was going to take her Bible to Heaven with her. She reasoned that if Jesus asked her what she was doing there, she would point to His own words in Matthew Such would not be necessary, of course. Our Lord knows what He has promised and no one will have to prove anything to Him. But since God offers this invitation, that is what makes it real! B. What the Invitation “Come” Implies If you received an invitation from a dear friend inviting you to his or her home for a social gathering, what would that imply? For one thing, it would mean you were wanted, that your presence would be greatly desired and appreciated. Too, it would mean that provision for your coming had been made by your friend. If anything is uncomfortable it is to be a guest when no provision for you had been made. The invitation would mean that everything was ready for your presence. Even more, the invitation from your friend would mean that he or she would be disappointed if you couldn’t or, even worse, refused to come. While all of this is true in an invitation from a friend, they are even more positive in God’s invitation. 1. You are wanted! God loves you and longs to make you His child, eventually taking you to Heaven forever. Listen to John 3:17, “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” Hear Him again in John God’s great heart is so big and so all-inclusive in desire that He wants to “save the world.” You, as a citizen of that world, are important to Him. He is interested in you! He wants to save you! One of my favorite verses in the Word of God on this subject is II Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” Notice, He doesn’t want “any” to perish; that means you! Note again, He wants “all” to come to repentance. Again, this means you! 2. Provision has been made for you! He would never invite you or anyone else to be His guest without planning and making provision. How did He provide? By sending His only begotten Son into this world to die for you, shedding His blood to make an atonement. Hebrews That shed blood in your behalf was poured out at What a salvation! The Lord Jesus Christ, through His death on the cross, opened wide a salvation sufficient for every man, woman, boy and girl in the world, from Adam in the beginning of time to the end of time. You are one of those billions for whom He made provision. Do you appreciate it? Are you grateful? I trust you are. 3. If you fail to respond it will mean great disappointment to God. Isn’t that an incredible thought? Yet it is true. Ah, but you say, “I am such a great sinner.” If that is the case, listen to what the Apostle Paul said in I Timothy 1:15, “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” He was the “chief” of sinners, yet Christ saved him! Are you worse than the chief? I think not. God’s feelings in the matter are expressed in Luke 19:10, when He saved wicked Zacchæus, the publican: “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” He came expressly to save the likes of you and the likes of me. He said again, “They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Mark If you go to Hell it will not be God’s fault, or God’s will. There will be no one to blame but yourself. First Timothy 2:3-6 expresses it, “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” How clear is the Scripture! God loves you. He wants you saved. He paid a ransom for you. His invitation at the end of the Bible is still, “Come!” Note next what you will receive if you come. II. THE OFFER: “THE WATER OF LIFE” This means a life that begins now and lasts for eternity! He put it this way to the woman at the well of Sychar: “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14). What does this mean? It means freedom! Jesus said in John 8:36, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” It means freedom from the bondage of sin. It means freedom from the penalty of death. It means freedom from the power of Satan. It means liberation from the chains of the world and the chains of worldly habits. The Apostle Paul, whom as we have seen was the chief of sinners, experienced this loosing, liberating power of God. He wrote in Romans 8:2, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” The Lord Jesus Christ will do the same for you, if you will allow Him. In God’s offer of the water of life He is signifying that all your needs – past, present and future – will be provided by Him. Philippians He is promising Justification. He is promising Sonship. He is promising Life. He is promising Pardon. He is promising Forgiveness. He is promising a Home in Heaven. As Paul told the believers at Colosse: “And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power” (Colossians He said much the same to the saints at In short, He is offering the water of life which contains all you need for time and eternity. Next, note, III. THE PARTY INVOLVED: “HIM THAT IS ATHIRST… WHOSOEVER WILL” Do you qualify? Are you thirsty for salvation? Are you a ‘whosoever’ that is willing to come to Him? This is the only condition for getting in on His offer. A. “Him That is Athirst This is for one who wants eternal life. This is for one who longs to be saved. This is for one who wishes to be freed from the condemnation of sin. This is for one yearning for loosing from the bondage of the law. This is for one desiring to escape the certain judgment of God’s wrath against sin. Do you qualify? I might add that such a condition implies an immediate response. If you really want it, you will not hesitate. R. A. Laidlaw tells of trying to win a young soldier to Christ who’s only response was, “I’ll think it over.” Laidlaw looked him in the eye and said, “Harry, let me illustrate your case. Suppose you are on a mission with your troop when you get severely wounded. One of the others stops and picks you up and starts carrying you to safety. While he makes it with you to shelter, he gets two bullets in the back. By tender care and adequate medication, both of you are restored from the land of the shadow to reasonable health. “After many weeks your doctor comes to your bedside and with him is a patient who walks with real difficulty. The medic says, ‘Harry, I want you to meet your benefactor, the man who saved your life at the risk of his own.’ “Would you fold your arms and look away with a remark such as, ‘I’m not sure I want to meet him today. I’ll think it over.’ You wouldn’t say that, would you? Surely you would rise up in bed to the best of your ability, grab your benefactor by the hand or perhaps throw your arms around him, hug him tightly, and profusely pour out your heart in gratitude to him for what he had done. Isn’t that true? “Today I have been trying to introduce you to the Lord of Glory, the Son of God who came from Heaven to die for your sins and provide an eternal salvation for you. He not only risked His life for you, He lovingly gave it. Are you going to turn your back on Him, shrug your shoulders and say, ‘I’ll think it over’?” Fortunately, the young military man had the sense to respond, “No, I won’t. I’ll receive Him today.” And the two knelt in prayer while the soldier made the great surrender. What about you? B. “Whosoever Will” The word “whosoever” is the most all-inclusive word in human language. It takes in everyone who has ever lived or who ever will live. In short, it means you! There is no restriction because of sin, a large amount or a small amount. There is no restriction because of nationality – “red or yellow, black or white, all are previous in His sight.” There is no restriction because of heredity. There is none regarding literacy or illiteracy; there is no IQ test for redemption. In fact, there is no restriction of any kind. Let me tell you about Jenny Lind. At the Max, a common gutter drunkard, got swept up with the crowd and found himself at the door of the opera house. He looked at the billing and was amazed to see the likeness and name of his childhood friend. The shock momentarily sobered him and he determined to try to get in. He managed to get in the middle of a group entering and was able to cross the threshold undetected by the ticket taker. He managed to find an obscure seat no one else wanted and when the program commenced he thrilled at the sounds filling the auditorium. After her first number he got so excited he started running to the front shouting, “Jenny, my little Jenny, I told you your voice would someday rule the world. Do you remember me?” Although the house immediately filled with shouts to throw him out and strong arms grabbed him, Jenny looked down to where he was and cried, “No. I know him. Let him stay.” W. B. Riley, in telling the story, said: “Max Bronzden turned and looked at her, ‘Forgive me,’ he cried, ‘but I was passing and heard your voice, and I stole my way in. It seemed like I had a right to listen for the sake of old times. Once the birds and I were your only auditors, and once I told you that you could be great, and you seemed glad then of my praise, though I was nothing but the barefoot boy, the blacksmith’s son.” Riley went on, explaining that Jenny called him her earliest and truest friend and telling the ushers to bring him to a front seat, adding, “Stand here, Max. I want my audience to know you. You created in my heart the ambition to be great. My stage was a lichen [i.e., moss] covered forest log and you showered me with wild flowers, which I prized more than I prize these jewels now, and your praises stirred in me the desire to do what these friends have heard me do tonight. Be worthy of the trust and confidence that I give you. I have struggled and conquered all difficulties. You can do the same. Be content no longer, Max, to be a vagabond, as you say you are. Be a man! Be worthy of my friendship!” With a voice low trembling with emotion, he answered, “I will, Jenny. With God’s help I will.” That was a promise he kept until the end of his life. Riley well concluded: “If the certification of a great and good woman could accomplish such a victorious inspiration, what is impossible to the man who is not only certified by the great of earth, but still better, by the King of Glory? If the great of earth can secure for you a passage for time, He, the King of kings and Lord of life, provides a certificate of imputed character which can secure you for eternity.” But there must be desire to make it happen. Our text says “whosoever will!” One time a When he came up and took the coin, saying, “Thank you, sir,” the missionary asked his name. “Cecil Smithers, sir.” But I didn’t say “Cecil Smithers could have the sixpence.” Somewhat frightened the lad responded, “But you did say ‘whosoever,’ and that means me.” He was right on target! There were 300 “whosoevers” present that day, but only one “whosoever will.” Notice finally about God’s last invitation, IV. THE CONDITION: “COME” Here is what some would call the “rub” to God’s great offer: there is a condition to it! However, the condition is so simple anyone can easily meet it. The only requirement is that it be accepted! One must merely ‘come’ to Christ. And lest someone not know what ‘come’ means, God uses many other words to describe it. To come means an act of faith; a trusting; a turning around that Scripture calls repentance; a confession of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior; a full surrender of the soul into the hands of Jesus Christ; depending on Him completely to keep His word. In short, ‘come’ simply means come! Do you remember when you learned to walk, or when you taught your children to walk? It is a common routine. The parents get on the floor, a few feet apart. One holds the child upright and the other one says, “Come to daddy, honey, come to daddy!” And the little one will take a couple of wobbling, staggering steps and then the father reaches out and grabs him before he falls. Then the other parent reaches out, begging, “Come on sweetheart, come on. Come to mama.” Then the child takes a few more wobbling, staggering, tottering steps with mama catching him before he falls. This is repeated until the child learns to walk on his own. (And then the fun begins!) You come to Christ the same way, in principle. You trust Him to hold you up, to keep you from falling. Your first steps may be very staggering, tottering, wobbling ones, but He reaches out to keep you from falling. Underneath are the everlasting arms. And it is good to remember here that this salvation is offered by God freely! You don’t pay anything for it; in fact, you cannot pay anything for it. As Augustus M. Toplady wrote so long ago in his great hymn, “Rock of Ages,” Could my tears forever flow, Could my zeal no languor know, These for sin could not atone – Thou must save, and Thou alone: In my hand no price I bring, Simply to Thy cross I cling. Conclusion If you would like a promise of God to “come” to Him on, let me give you the one on which I came to Him. It is John 1:12, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” If you will reach out in faith to Him, He will embrace you forever. If that is not clear, consider Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Just ask Him to save you. Years ago the name Sam Hadley was well known in Christian circles, but you probably never heard of him. He was the superintendent of the Bowery Mission in One summer day about mid-morning or later, a teenage boy showed up and asked Hadley if he had a needle and black thread. On inquiry, it seems he had torn his pants and needed to do a repair job. Hadley told him to go upstairs and his wife would do it for him. When he came back he was excited at what a great job she had done; he couldn’t even see where she had stitched it. Hadley looked him in the eye and said, “Son, why were you in jail?” “Who said I was in jail?” “The smell is on you. The jail smell.” It turned out that he had been sleeping on a bench in Central Park, a policeman had wakened him, asked him where he was from, if he had a The mission man chatted some more and found the boy hadn’t eaten since breakfast in jail the day before. He took him back to the mission kitchen and found some leftover beef stew and a box of crackers. He warmed it up and the boy wolfed down 3 bowls non-stop! When he was finished, Hadley talked friendly with him for a bit, then asked where his home was. He said, “ “Why don’t you go home?” “I can’t!” “Why can’t you?” He didn’t want to say, but finally he broke out between sobs. “My father runs a grocery store. I stole $10 out of the till and bet it on the ponies. I lost. I didn’t dare go home.” “Why not”? “My father will kill me.” “No he won’t.” “You don’t know my father.” “True, but I know fathers and he won’t kill you.” Hadley got his home address from him and went to the telegraph office, wiring the father a message, saying, “Your son is in my mission, hungry, sorry, heartsick, homesick. Will you let him come home?” He returned to the mission and went about his duties. He signed, ripped it open and read the message. It was from the boy’s father so he went to where the boy was seated and said, “Son, come with me.” He followed him to the office, lit the gas jet, handed the yellow paper to the boy, and said, “Read it.” It simply said, “Come home.” And it was signed, “Father.” That is the message I have for you today. It is from God. It is His invitation. Nearly 2,000 years ago God sent His only begotten Son to the cross of Sixty-five years ago, on I want you to join me there. Will you? Here is God’s last invitation in the Bible, one that I should warn may be the last one you will ever receive. Will you accept it? Decision for Christ Dr. Robert L. Sumner Dear Brother Sumner: I want to sign for God’s salvation. The Word of God says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans The best I know how, I turn from my sin and trust Him to save me. Send me a letter of counsel and help about living the Christian life. (Signed) ____________________ Address: ____________________ ___________________________ |
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