Allan Christopherson teaches that salvation is a free gift from Jesus Christ, received not by feelings, works, or merit, but solely by faith in His finished work.
In this heartfelt evangelistic sermon, Allan Christopherson explores the biblical truths about salvation using four men who represent what we cannot do to save ourselves: feel, pay, see, or do. Drawing from Scripture passages including John 11 and Luke 7, 18, and 23, he emphasizes that salvation is a free gift received by faith alone in Jesus Christ. Christopherson tenderly calls listeners, especially young people, to trust in Jesus' finished work and receive the assurance of eternal life.
Full Transcript
Book of John please, chapter 11. Really glad to see so many that have stayed for the gospel meeting. For our visitors that are here for the very first time, we thank you very much for coming and this meeting is almost over.
I'm tired, you're tired and we're going to close ahead of time again tonight. So we're just thankful you're here and if there's any questions that anybody has afterwards, we'll see one of us and we'll be very happy to try and help. But we're going to just look at a few verses, if you can just bear with us now just for a few more minutes and we'll try and be of some help.
John chapter 11 reading in verse 41. Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid and Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, father I thank thee that thou hast heard me and I knew that thou hearest me always but because of the people which stand by I said that they may believe that thou hast sent me and when he had thus had spoken he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus come forth. We've already mentioned that.
I want to speak tonight about certain men and they felt nothing, they did nothing and they could pay nothing. So with that in mind, let's just, can I read just a couple more verses in Luke chapter 7. Let's back up to Luke chapter 7. Luke chapter 7 reading in verse 41. There was a certain creditor which had two debtors, the one owed 500 pence and the other 50 and when they had nothing to pay he frankly forgave them both.
Chapter 18 please, Luke chapter 18 reading at verse 35. And it came to pass that as he was come nigh unto Jericho a certain blind man sat by the wayside begging and hearing the multitude pass by he asked what it meant and they told him that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by and he cried saying Jesus thou son of David have mercy on me and they which went before rebuked him. Verse 40 and Jesus stood and commanded him to be brought unto him and when he come near and asked him what wilt thou that I shall do unto thee and he said Lord that I may receive my sight and notice this and Jesus said unto him receive thy sight thy faith by faith hath saved thee.
Chapter 23 chapter 23 verse 39 and one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him saying if thou be Christ save thyself and us but the other answering rebuked him saying does not thou fear God seeing thou art in the same condemnation and we indeed justly for we receive the due reward of our deeds but this man hath done nothing amiss and he said unto Jesus Lord remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. Chapter well that's the last one chapter we'll reverse verse 43 I meant to say and Jesus said unto him verily I say unto thee today shalt thou be with me in paradise. Now I would like to speak very tenderly tonight and very kindly to some of my young boys and girls that often come to conferences and perhaps there's a someone a young heart that says in their mind and in their soul I like I would like to be saved.
Maybe you've come to a conference and maybe your parents don't know anything about it but you have had you have had difficulties in sleeping lately and you have wondered am I going to be left when the Savior comes and gives the shout so in your own soul there is unrest and maybe the light goes on in the middle of the night and maybe you wonder about down the hallway where your parents are are they still there maybe you think tonight friend that you have lots of time and maybe there's a young girl in the meeting tonight and and you think I wonder if it's possible for me to get saved at the Blue River Conference. I think Richard Junkers uh that dates me I know but I think Richard Junker went to the lacrosse conference thinking as a lad that I wonder if it's possible for me to get saved at this conference and sure enough God reached him that conference but the key to it all was this that he went to that conference thinking I would like to be saved now if there is somebody like that then these simple verses will be a help because in our first reading we read of a man who felt nothing in our second reading we read of a man who could pay nothing in our third reading we read of a man who could see nothing and in our fourth reading we read of a man who could do nothing what does that leave us up to it leaves no alternative but then to listen to what the Savior says if I could feel do pay nothing then what have I got left then I'm nothing there's a man called Lazarus who was it mentioned that tonight there was a man called Lazarus he was dead how is him how how can he feel anything because boys and girls have said to me I keep waiting for a feeling if I could just feel saved and maybe they shrug their shoulders and do the heebie-jeebies and maybe they think well if I could just feel saved if something would tingle me and I would I would be able to tell than others that I'm saved if I could feel saved one day the Lord Jesus is standing beside a grave and he's standing by that standing with Martha and Mary and Lazarus and Lazarus is dead and he says now I'm going to shout Frank didn't tell you he was going to shout but I'm going to tell you I'm going to shout and he says Lazarus come forth did he feel anything and there he is he's standing up maybe he's five foot ten maybe a six foot four I don't know but there he stands he's alive he's alive on the authority of what he's alive on the authority of what Jesus said did he feel anything don't think so I don't think so there's a man in broadhead tonight who got saved one night because the preacher said Lazarus come forth and Lazarus who was dead as a stone came forth and he came forth on the power of the risen word of Christ now to my young audience tonight what are you going to feel you're waiting for a feeling but what's the feeling going to be like why don't you just throw the feelings out the window and feelings won't get you a single won't get you anywhere it has to be on his word our second reading has to do with a man who could pay nothing he was there was two debtors 50 and 500 50,000 and 500,000 well that's a pretty good size debt when they had nothing to pay he forgave when did he forgive when they said I have nothing to pay he forgave when they were bankrupt years ago I got a we got the phone bill one thousand one hundred dollars is our phone bill Gloria says who in the world have you been calling well I said I have no no connections because it was it was about eight hundred dollars to Yugoslavia it was two hundred dollars to a place called in Spain but you see this was before cell phones and somebody had gotten my account number I'm on the pay phone and somebody had copied it and stole my account and I get a phone bill for eleven hundred dollars I call the phone company I said sir there's something wrong here number one all those of state all those countries that this phone bill has been charged to I don't even know where those countries are located on the map or on the globe let alone having people there that I know well to make a long story short phone fraud and they took care of the account and paid it a week later I get a little letter in the mail the amount due zero point zero zero completely paid another paid the bill the two men in Luke chapter in Luke chapter seven they had nothing to pay they were bankrupt you can't buy salvation and you can't even give anything to merit salvation there's nothing you can do to give to pay when he had nothing to pay he frankly forgave them both when I got that phone when I got that second mailing uh in the mail uh zero point zero zero well I really didn't think I'd have to pay too much anyway because it's phone fraud but you should have felt the the relief that I had when the whole thing was wiped clean I had nothing to pay I'm in the muffler shop got out the pen pay the bill tap on the shoulder Grant Hagan just take give me that I'll I'll take care of it I said that's all right Grant I got there's money in the account give me the bill Grant takes his pen Denny is watching the whole scenario Denny gives the bill to me $49.95 you knew it was a couple years ago $49.95 I take out the pen Grant taps me on the shoulder Grant takes my pen he pulls his checkbook out of the pocket he writes $49.95 to Denny's he gives the ticket he gives the check to Denny Denny is looking at what's going on Denny stamps paid and Denny gives the ticket to Grant no Denny gives the ticket to me I fold it up and I put it in my pocket I shake hands with Grant I buy him a cup of coffee and I say thanks a lot appreciate it Grant glad you came who paid the bill another who got the copy who got the receipt I got the receipt you know the receipt I've got tonight I've got this lovely receipt right here how do I know how do I know because young man that's exactly what you want to know how do you know how do I know I only got B's and C's well maybe I maybe a B in high school looked pretty good B's and C's in school I wasn't no brain I can tell you that but how do I know tonight that my sins are forgiven and heaven is my home how do I know that because Grant I got the receipt and the receipt is he that believeth on the son hath everlasting life he that believeth not the son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth upon him so pay nothing I am glad salvation is free tonight friend the greatest thing and all if I wouldn't break my vocal cords I would shout it as loud as I could I would scream it the greatest thing in this wide wicked corrupt world is free I wonder if there's somebody down the right side of my aisle tonight that's interested in something that is free no gimmicks no fine print just one solid promise promise from who promise from the Christians oh that'd be that wouldn't be well that would be a good promise but it wouldn't be the greatest but friend how about a promise from God would that interest you if there was a promise from God that my sins were all forgiven and I had nothing to pay our third reading tonight was there's a man who could see nothing he actually could see nothing I've tried to visualize blind Bartimaeus absolutely blind he hadn't seen the evergreens he hasn't seen the bluebirds he hasn't seen any any earthly attraction blind as a bat blind see nothing did you have to tell him he was blind no but when he was brought to Jesus I like what the Lord did in in Luke chapter 18 I like the fact that when he was brought to Jesus the Lord Jesus stopped because of the crowd that was following him no the Lord Jesus stopped in his tracks because of one man because of one blind man one blind man had authority it seems like he had more of an interest than all the rest so one blind man stops the Messiah and as the Lord Jesus approached him oh that I might receive my sight I wonder if there's someone here tonight and you don't understand I was once there I spurned his grace I broke God's laws and yet he undertook my cause I was convinced that this world was going to satisfy the sports world in particular was everything there was nothing that could outdo that and I found out it was an empty bubble now I can say now none but Christ can satisfy another name for me when blind Bartimaeus could admit oh that I might receive my sight oh that I might receive my sight if our gospel be hid it is hid to them that are lost in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds oh satan the old cruel rascal he's going to someday be down in the place where we've been reminded of don't go with him and there the Lord Jesus says thy faith hath saved thee faith faith in what faith in his good living oh I don't think he had a good life the faith in his church membership well I don't know whether he went to church faith and what he could give we couldn't give anything faith and what faith and what he said faith and what the Lord Jesus said my faith has saved thee I don't know how many believers we have here tonight I'm not Augustus so I don't have a Walter Gustafson mine so I can't tell but there's one thing I know every single one that is saved here tonight they have been saved they have their sins forgiven they have a home in heaven as we've been reminded on the authority of what Jesus said now do we understand that friend on what Jesus said not what the church says and not what the pastor of the blue river assembly says and not what the Christians say that's what Jesus said and when Jesus said it is finished did he say it of course he said it who did he say it to he said it to a man who could do nothing a man who could do nothing he's nailed this malefactor has nails in his hands he is crying out with bitter pain he is being crucified he is about to have his legs broke to hasten the death he is about to go into the darkness of eternity and as those soldiers come up and break their legs the one malefactor says to the other malefactor we receive the due reward of our in other words I am getting we are getting he called both of them we are getting just exactly what we deserve but he says but this man he points to Christ but this man has done nothing a mess remember me Jesus remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom he was no dummy so he knew that the Lord had a kingdom coming remember me when you come into your kingdom and the Lord Jesus says today shalt thou be with me now I'm gonna ask all you brainy brainy four-point students how did he know that he was going to be with him how did he know that the Lord was going to take him that he would be with Christ how did he know that because you want to know something we're gonna have to find someone that knows on the authority of what he said he could only know it on what Jesus said he did nothing I remember the night I was saved I believe it was a 57 Chevy wasn't it Sam yeah I believe it was a 57 Chevy a four-door hardtop it would have made heads turn today all you boys with all your four by four rams at this this four-door hardtop was what it was something I got the the Bible on that big steering wheel and I'm looking at a verse the son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost well this big sinner found out something he found out that I was lost I found out I could not do anything I found out I couldn't pay anything I found out I couldn't feel anything for salvation and I found out I couldn't do anything for salvation I was lost and I'm looking at a little Bible verse and I don't think the words in it in this Bible verse are more I don't think there's a bigger word in it than five letters the son of man has come to seek and to save who the religious the good people no the son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost and right then and there in that 57 Chevy the sun was just going down in the west I love to tell it was about 20 minutes after eight o'clock I'm not condemning anybody if they can't figure out what time of the day but I just happen to remember it was about 20 minutes after eight on a July day when I was 18 years old now you still don't know how old I am when I was 18 years old I discovered he died for who me Roy Weber is preaching in Burwell there's four people in the meeting that night one of them was a elderly lady just who did Jesus die for anyway can you hear Roy say that just who did Jesus die for anyway and the lady sitting back there were Hansa sitting she put a raised up her hand and Roy saw her mouth the words for me she found out in that meeting he died just for me a friend I'm sorry but that's it we've got no more to tell you can't feel anything can't pay anything can't see anything and you can't do anything the Lord Jesus has done it all and if you want heaven as your as your home for eternity then you're just going to have to come his way because you're going to his heaven wouldn't it be wonderful tonight if someone on this side someone in the center or someone over here if someone would just simply admit I'm lost I can't find the way but Jesus is the Savior and he is a Savior for men and women and tonight I'm going to make him my Savior he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life may God help you to take it as a gift for his glory shall we pray
Sermon Outline
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I. The Man Who Felt Nothing
- Lazarus was dead and felt nothing but was raised by Jesus' word
- Salvation is not based on feelings or emotions
- Faith rests on Jesus' authoritative word, not sensations
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II. The Man Who Could Pay Nothing
- Two debtors forgiven despite having nothing to pay
- Salvation cannot be bought or earned by works
- God freely forgives those who come bankrupt before Him
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III. The Man Who Could See Nothing
- Blind Bartimaeus cried out in faith for mercy
- Jesus stopped for one man’s faith amid the crowd
- Faith in Jesus brings spiritual sight and salvation
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IV. The Man Who Could Do Nothing
- The repentant thief on the cross trusted Jesus for salvation
- Salvation is a gift given to those who acknowledge their helplessness
- Jesus promises paradise to those who believe in Him
Key Quotes
“If I could feel, do pay nothing, then what have I got left? Then I'm nothing.” — Allan Christopherson
“The greatest thing in this wide wicked corrupt world is free.” — Allan Christopherson
“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; he that believeth not the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth upon him.” — Allan Christopherson
Application Points
- Do not wait for feelings to confirm your salvation; trust Jesus' word alone.
- Recognize that you cannot earn or pay for salvation; it is a free gift from God.
- Come to Jesus in faith just as you are, acknowledging your need for His mercy.
