Lord, save me

Matthew's Gospel chapter 14 please, Matthew chapter 14. Matthew chapter 14 and while I could read much to you from this chapter and it certainly would be most profitable, I just want to read the last of verse number 30 and I only want to read three words with you. Matthew chapter 14 and verse number 30, the last three words are, Lord save me, Lord save me.

Is it any wonder that the man that said these words is the man that gives us that beautiful text in Acts chapter 4 and verse number 12 where it says, neither is there salvation in any other for there's none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. Peter from his own personal experience understood very clearly that salvation was not just something that is optional in your life, not just something that would make you a better husband, though it will do that, not just something that would make you a better person to live with or to work with, though it may do that and it should do that. But as you've been clearly hearing already before I stood behind this lectern tonight, that if you're never to be saved you will never be in heaven.

So I want you to just think of these three words tonight, Lord save me. Now if I was to ask you without being any kind of a Bible student, you or I, if I was to ask you tonight what you felt was the most important of these three words what would you say? I'm serious. Lord save me.

What would be the most important single word there? Oh you'd say it'd have to be saved because I need to be saved. Well that is true you need to be saved but that's not it. You say well it would be me because salvation has to be a real personal thing.

That's true too. You know the key to the passage is Lord. Lord.

You see once a person has confessed that there's nothing else they need to do. You see that thief that was right beside the Lord Jesus about to go into eternity, Lord he says, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom and so on. Do you understand that he had to say absolutely nothing more once he said Lord.

I don't like to use the term but it was done deal. It was finished. Because Romans chapter 10 and verse number 9 says that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved.

I want you to just look at this scene here for a minute without any background of it. I just want you to think of three things. I want to discuss with you tonight the situation.

The situation. Because my friend tonight there are circumstances in your life that bring you to a particular situation. I not only want to think of the situation but I want to think of the sinner.

Just like you, a man that realized he needed to be saved. This is the man that will say depart from me O Lord for I am a sinful man. He does not say depart from me because you know I just haven't been what you think I should be and I just haven't quite measured up and I do sin.

All of those things may and may be true but he understood this. Just like a leper in the Old Testament. Until he was full of leprosy.

Until he realized the truth of the scripture that from the sole of the foot to the head there is no soundness in it but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores that have not been bound up with ointment and so on. That's the understanding friend. That's your condition.

That's your plight tonight. You see it is not a case that this man is really saying Lord help save me. You see there are people we talk to and they like help to be saved.

Sorry you got the wrong people. We cannot help save you. Nobody helps save you.

You need help that's true but when it comes to salvation that's what you need. It was a hundred years ago yesterday. 100 years ago yesterday.

Two Scottish men in Southampton England unknown to each other walked the same gangplank and boarded the big white star liner they called the Titanic. Two Scotsmen didn't even know each other. There were just numbers among 1,500 people.

The one man was a man by the name of John Harper. He was a preacher of the gospel. He had been invited to go to the Moody Memorial Church to preach.

Very prestigious invitation. Mr. Harper was a real faithful preacher of the gospel. He had lost his wife but he'd taken along his little six-year-old daughter Anna with him and his sister which would be an aunt to this girl boarded the ship.

Set out and ship was going along. He's looking forward making preparation undoubtedly to speak and preach the gospel in the Moody Memorial Church and preach to those thousands of people looking forward to it. That night there was a beautiful sunset.

Mr. Harper was known to have said quite a sunset but he said it'll be a lot better in the morning. What he did not realize and what 1,500 people did not realize beside the crew that for 1,500 of them were there would be no morning. There would be no morning but into the hours of that night 100 years ago tonight out here in the Atlantic that big vessel would slice along the side of an iceberg that refused to budge and would be the means of taking that vessel to the bottom of the Atlantic with its human cargo.

As that terrible carnage was taking place quick thinking Mr. Harper gathered his daughter and his sister together and he said listen now he said don't worry about me he says I want you to be safe. He says if anything happens he says I'll see you again. Something happened to you sir will I see you again? Something happened to you? There's people here in the meeting tonight if something happened to either of us tonight I know I'd see you again.

Isn't that a wonderful thing? Some of these young men that's in this platform here tonight, young sisters I'm looking at, older ones tonight, some I just so glad to come back and see you here. Something happened to me tonight. Something happened to me on the way home.

I would see you again. He said don't worry about me I will see you again. He put them into lifeboat number 11 and just in a matter of minutes what seemed like minutes suddenly people were in 28 degree weather weather water thrashing around.

Some that couldn't swim just just died. Some that couldn't take the temperature of the water died immediately. Mr. Harper was an experienced swimmer and you know what he did? He would actually he was hanging on to pieces of the ship really and he would make his way over to people he saying are you saved? Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ thou shalt be saved.

Those what he said believe in the Lord Jesus Christ thou shalt be saved. And that dark fateful night he came upon a piece of the ship and there was a young Scottish man. They come from the same country, his fellow countrymen.

Terrified. He said man are you saved? He said I'm not saved. I'm not saved.

You prepared to admit that to God tonight? Stop admitting it to us. I am not saved. He said man I tell you what I've been telling everybody.

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. That raging frigid waters of the Atlantic took Mr. Harper to his grave. A few years ago in the town of Hamilton, Ontario not far from Toronto, an aged man got up.

He said I want to tell you how I got saved. And people were listening they weren't really too interested because after all he's an old man and he's limping up there to the podium he's gonna tell us how he got saved. When he got saved he said I wasn't the old man that I am tonight.

He said I want to tell you where I got saved. He said I got saved out there in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. People started to listen.

He started to relate the story. He started to tell him exactly what had happened. He started to tell of that fatal night.

He said there was this man he says he obviously was a Scotchman he said I could tell. He said I don't know the man's name. He would find it out later on.

He says as I was clinging for my life frantically realizing there was likely two miles of ocean below me. I wasn't gonna make it. That man with the last of his life swam over to me and said believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.

He said at that moment I could do nothing else. I said I said I just trust him. I just trusted him.

He said you know I look forward to heaven just as we've been hearing. He says I want to see the Lord Jesus the one who died for me. He said and there's family I'd like to see but he said I want to see John Harper.

He said two men total strangers that boarded that ship that night but he said you know what Mr. Harper became to me that night? He became my Savior. Now my friend this scene here is a little like that. It's a dark scene.

It really involves two people. It involves this man a sinner and this man the Savior. Though I know the disciples were over there at another boat but so be it.

There could have been other people on the on the sea that night the Sea of Galilee. There could have been other people fishing. There could have been other people working with their livelihood.

Other people that maybe knew Peter and knew his family and maybe knew his wife and his mother-in-law and so on. Other people that knew that but at this moment understand this was an encounter of one-on-one. That's what the gospel is about friend.

It becomes a very lonely business. But I want to tell you as you've been clearly hearing tonight to die in your sins and go down to hell will be one lonely business. You want to believe it.

You want to believe it. The town where I live my sister-in-law nursed a man. Used to be a pastor in the local church.

Everybody thought I know he didn't preach the gospel. Didn't he make any profession of being saved. Used to mock it.

Meetings I used to have, they were just food. Some of his congregation got saved in gospel meetings. It was just a big joke with him.

Do you know that when that man was in the last moments of life they had to they had to literally shut down that end of the hospital. The screams coming from that man. The screams.

My sister-in-law was there. She would tell you. As that man was screaming could somebody help me.

Please bring me water. Could somebody help me. The rest of the patients in the Sussex Hospital couldn't bear it.

He died. He went out that night. Now here's a man that that for years had preached supposedly preached to people.

Pastored a church. When my sister-in-law was going through the medical records to sign off the fact that the man had died or whatever they have to do. She found something very interesting.

When it come down to the little section that said religion. You know what he wrote in there? Nothing. Nothing.

Oh excuse me. Thought you were the pastor of the United Church in Sussex. The biggest church in town.

My grandson sat in the building. He said to dad. He said dad we should come here.

This is a nice place. Biggest place in town. What's he say? Nothing.

Well my friend religion won't take you to heaven but Christ will. You need a Savior tonight. You see this this took place in a dark scene.

And as you heard us say so many times. And I know I speak to some tonight it's been a dark scene. But I want to tell you it becomes darker and darker and darker to the point where you realize I'm not gonna make it.

I'm not gonna make it. There are those that I'm not going to see on the moral. Well I want to tell you passing this man's experience was a Savior.

Fannie Crosby a number of years ago. Good number of years ago. Was asked to tour a jail.

She had been in the Chicago area attending Moody's meetings. And with Mr. Sank he was asked to tour a prison. And the prisoners heard who was coming.

And that they're religious people. And there was one prisoner particularly crying out. Don't pass me.

Don't pass me by. Please stop. Don't pass me by.

She didn't. She stopped and communicated. Had a little visit with a man that did not want to be passed by.

You know she couldn't get that out of her thinking. She went home and she penned those beautiful words. Pass me not oh gentle Savior.

Hear my humble cry while in others now are calling. Do not pass me by. I'm here to tell you friend there's a Savior that will do anything but pass you by.

Unfortunately what you're doing you're passing him by. You see the situation here. I want you to know the first thing about this man's situation.

It was real. It was real. I mean this was no play acting.

This is not a man that is discovered. I'm not the swimmer I thought I was. This man knew the sea like the back of his hand.

He likely knew other men that fished on that sea. And you know there may have been a time in his life when he would have been just a little hesitant to make a cry like this. A little embarrassing.

After all this is a cry of absolute dependence. This is a cry for mercy. This is a cry for help.

This is a man that's got past all of that. Like somebody was speaking with I a couple times this happened. Big men far bigger than I am.

As I have to think of put me down with one hand and bury me with the other. He sat there and they cried. I told him that this is the place to get the crying done.

Don't cry when it's too late. Don't cry on the other side of the pillar death. And they said I don't know what's happening.

I know what's happening. God's starting to bring them down. They didn't care.

They didn't care who saw them. They didn't care who heard them. There's only that one thing they wanted.

You know what they wanted? They wanted what this man wanted. What did he want? Would you have to go to Peter and say what would you like here? What is it you want? I mean it's so obvious. Lord save me.

Lord save me. I wonder if there's not one in this meeting tonight. And that wouldn't be the cry of your heart.

Lord save me. But you're a little too proud tonight. You're just like you see how can you speak so well about it? I was the same way.

The night before I got saved I did not want to know. I did not want 61st, over 61st cousins that I sat in a gospel meeting with across the front of the, had a memorial school in Sarnia. I did not want them to know that I was thinking about this.

But I wanted to be saved. But I want to tell you by time Monday night rolled around I didn't care who knew. Up in that bedroom well I thought sure just like you.

I you know push comes to shove I will figure this out. I will get this. But you know the harder I tried the darker it got.

Finally I came to that moment I said I can't get this. I'll never be saved. My situation was real.

So is yours tonight my friend. You're going to hell. Time you faced it.

Whatever it takes. Whatever it takes. No distance is too far to go.

No floor is too hard to put your knees on. That's a big test for you isn't it? Well I want to tell you hell will bend and break. The stubbornest knees you will bow.

The Bible says every knee should bow. Whatever God want me to do that night. Nobody had to tell me we were here.

Nobody said no. You know I think you should get out and ask God to save you. And do it on your knees.

Listen my friend. I laid on the side of that bed asking God to save me. I got down on my knees I asked God to save me.

I sat on the side of the bed crying asking God save me. How sweet those beautiful words. Luke 19 and 10.

For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. Mr. Beacon here at the meeting tonight was reminding them in stout one night. I'd forgotten about it but he reminded me of some vinyl banners we were getting made in Jackson, Michigan.

We were in meetings there. The man that was making the banners was professed to be a Christian and so he said of course I want that text up obviously. Luke 19 and 10.

For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. He says is there anything particular you'd like done with a banner? I said well what can you do with it? Well he says is there anything you'd like in a little different color? I said you know would you put the word son in gold? Yeah. He said you know that would be a good thing.

Put the sun in gold. Yeah. Yeah.

He said we could do that. I said but there's something else I'd like put in gold. He said what's that? I said lost.

Oh. He said what would you want that for? What would you want that for? Because I was once lost. I was once lost friend.

You've listened and are listening to two men that were no different than you. The situation was real but it was very revealing. Very revealing what a man wants in final moments of life.

Very revealing isn't it? I always ask some of you Apple fans. Don't ask me what kind of a phone's on my hip tonight. What Steve Jobs died of you would very quickly tell me that he died fighting pancreatic cancer.

Right? That's what he's fighting in this disease but that's not what he was fighting it was who he is fighting. You know Stephen Jobs? You know who he died fighting? A man by the name of Eric Schmidt. Eric Schmidt sat on Apple board for years.

Eric Schmidt was the technical brains behind Apple. Now Steve Jobs was the business brains behind it but the technical brains behind it was a man by the name of Eric Schmidt. A company by the name of Google hired him away and he introduced just a fast forward as to what's called the Android phone.

Mr. Jobs got a hold of that phone and he brought it into their lab and had his engineers go through that phone and they picked up something like a hundred and sixteen what they thought were infringed on patents in the design of the Android phone. And this lawsuit started to go. It enraged Steve Jobs so bad he couldn't sleep at night.

It literally tore him apart and finally Google came forward they said listen Mr. Jobs okay all right you think we've infringed? We don't think so. We'll settle. Five billion.

Hey that's not a bad settlement is it? No court cost. Five billion. We'll cut your check this afternoon.

You know what he said? You know what a dying man said? Forget your five billion. He says at Apple we've got 50 billion in the bank. In fact he said our line of credit is big enough to pay off the debt of Greece a hundred and seventy billion.

That's our line. That's what we can reach to. I've got 50 billion.

He said I will spend every dime of it fighting it till there's no Android phone. You imagine? That's how he died. With a limited and last breath that is how he died.

You may not die arguing over billions of dollars. The Android phone is still going still being used. They may, Apple may be with Google in courts.

I don't know. I don't really even care. Steve Jobs is gone.

What's it matter tonight? His sister Marie that called him and said Steve hang on I'm coming down. He says you're not gonna make it. I'm gonna be gone.

She did make it. You know what she said when she looked at her brother dying? Here's what she said. Now this is his sister.

She said my brother looked like a man going on a journey with a backpack. He didn't know where he was going. That's you tonight.

On a journey with a backpack of sins and you know where you're going. You're going to hell. You know the glorious message of the gospel is that you can be saved.

You can be saved. This man said Lord save me. The Lord doesn't say that.

Listen I don't think you're sincere enough about this. I don't think you know enough about no no no. Lord save me.

You know it must just delight his ears when he hears that Lord. Lord. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Harper was right. No man calls him Lord but by the Spirit. It's all in the name my friend.

That's why Peter says neither is there salvation in any other for there's none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must we must be saved. We flew over Grand Rapids Michigan on the way out here the other day I thought of it. It was in the Detroit Airport.

Detroit Metropolitan Airport in the McNamara concourse. Quite a gathering of people around and there was a young man there and he is very inquisitive. He said hey what's what's what's who's coming in? I said you stay back.

Stay back behind the tape. You'll find out who's coming in. They did.

It was too long and a plane landed and people started to get off and sure enough native Michigan former president Gerald Ford walked into the McNamara terminal and the young fellows leaning ahead. They said hey come back. President Ford and people were wishing him well and the young fella was pretty determined he's gonna get through to the present former president.

So he did. He just kind of kept there. He said Mr. President he said how's Mike? Ford looked around and he said who asked about Mike? And he said to the security.

Who? I did. So what do you know about Mike? So what school with him? He said I played football with him. He said okay well that's good.

No he said told where he was and now what what brought that whole entourage to a stop? What brought everything to a complete heel? One name. One name. One name.

There's one name tonight that's precious to heaven. You see your life is out of control. Your life is spiraling taking you my friend at breakneck speed to a place you don't want to go but to my dear girl but you're going there.

You are just one heartbeat from eternity and what stands between you and a hell tonight is the cry of one word. One name. Lord.

Thief didn't have to say anymore. That blind man that said Lord that I might receive my sight. Once he said Lord it's alright.

Rest could be looked after. How about you tonight? How much further do you have to go down? How much what else has to take place? I mean notice this man here. There's no going back to the boat.

See that's why you're not saved. You come and you hear the gospel you go back to the boat. What was the boat? That's what he's familiar with.

He lived on those things. He worked on those things. He likely knew more about boating and fishing than maybe the Lord Jesus did or the other disciples that were there.

There's no going back to the boat. Why did Nicodemus say now listen wait a minute now. I'm going back to the boat.

I'm going back to the Sanhedrin. I just don't like this being born again bit. No no there's no boat to go back to.

That's why he's born again that night. The thief that's literally dying on a cross. There's no going back with the boys.

There's no coffee with the boys tomorrow morning. He's done. He's finished.

He had played out all his options. What option do you have left tonight? There's some option you think you're exercising. See that rich young ruler? Oh sure.

He'll go running to the Lord Jesus. He'll look very sincere and very very honest and very opening. I mean it sure fooled the disciples.

It didn't fool the Lord. But he had his riches. He could go back to them.

So he'd go back to his riches. Not a blind man. He's got nothing to go back to.

Just his old rag. Just his old rag. And the Lord gave him sight.

The woman she was tired of that life. You tired of it yet? At that moment when he said well go call your husband she could say just a minute now you've overstepped the line. You've just run a little too close to this.

I'll go back to my old life. No she wasn't going back to the old life. You know what she wasn't doing? She was not leaving if she had been here tonight.

If the Savior was where I am tonight. And she was the only one in this auditorium. You know what she'd say? These lights aren't going out until I go with those doors saved.

But you've got other things you think you can go to. You're like the people in the Bible. So we'll hear the again in this matter.

They didn't. No this there was the situation. There was the sinner.

But the best thing there was the Savior. There's no worse without the Savior. There's nothing I could tell you apart from the Savior tonight.

What I can tell you though this Bible says. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. I wonder tonight if a cry that heaven has been waiting for all your life.

We'll hear tonight for the first time in absent honesty. Lord save me. You know the best news is? That's exactly what he'll do.

Shall we pray?