Too Bad to Be Saved

I believe, friends, that our bias and prejudice keeps us from witnessing to some folks because we think they're just too big of a sinner. We think they're too far gone to be saved. But no one's too big of a sinner to be saved.

No one's too bad to be saved, friend. And I want to use a story to illustrate this point. When I was writing the biography of Rolf Barnard, the great evangelist, I came across this sermon extract of his, which I want to share with you at this time.

This is Rolf Barnard talking about a meeting he had up in Canada. Listen to his words. I'll never forget a poor fallen woman in Canada.

I was up there preaching in a church where no one had been converted in nine years. They were mighty orthodox, mighty separated, and mighty dead. I said to them, you ought to get acquainted with folks.

And they took me seriously. So we went out ringing doorbells up there and inviting people to come hear me preach. It was 20 below zero, and I was going around with a deacon from house to house.

And we came to a wicked fence and a wicked gate. I unlatched the gate and going up to the house and started to go in. And the deacon said, Brother Barnard, don't go in there.

I said, why not? The deacon said, oh, I couldn't tell you, but please don't go in there. I said, I'm going. He said, it will ruin the meeting.

I said, why? He said, well, preacher, that is the most notorious woman in this section of Canada. Oh, if you went in there, it would be terrible. I said, I'm going.

And I went and I knocked on the door. And a nice looking woman, not yet betrayed by her sinful life, came to the door and said, hello, big boy. I said, howdy.

I'm a preacher, and I'm holding meetings down here at the church. I've come to invite you to come and hear me preach tonight. She began to laugh and said, and I said, it's no joke.

She said, are you really a preacher? I said, yes. She said, I believe you are. I said, yes, I'm from the South and I'm preaching here.

Oh, she said, I heard about that fellow from the South and you're him. Oh, yes. She said, do you know who I am? And I said, yes.

I've been told that you're the most notorious woman in this section of Canada. She said, I guess that's right. Do you mean you want me to come up to that church building tonight? Yes, I want you to come because I want to preach to you.

She said, why if I come up there, it would shock them to death. Well, they need a good shock. And I want you to promise me that you will come.

And I double dog dare you to come. Promise me you will. And bless God, she did.

I've never seen the Holy Spirit challenged when he didn't work. I preached that night and before we could get started singing, here she came, just running down to the front and fell down there and sobbed and sobbed and sobbed. And after a while, she stood up and tears were running down her cheeks.

The glory of God was on her countenance and she witnessed a mighty good confession. The congregation was a singing people, so they began to quietly sing. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost, but now I'm found. I was blind, but now I see. They had an 80-year-old woman there and she was the mother of Israel of all that section.

A fine woman. I wondered what that nice gang of church members were going to do. There was that ex-prostitute standing there, claiming the grace of God had done its work of Christ in her life.

Tears streaming down her cheeks and she just stood there while they were singing. Nobody moved. I looked back and saw that mother of Israel pull up her glasses and wipe her eyes.

Then pretty soon she took her glasses off and took her handkerchief and wiped her eyes real good. Pretty soon here she came down to the front, put her arms around that ex-magdalena, kissed her on both cheeks and, loudly enough so that the congregation could hear her, said, Welcome, sister. Welcome, sister.

And praise God. At the foot of the cross, objects of the mercy of God. The best and the worst woman in town in the same crowd.

The difference. The mercy of God. Which, because his blessed son hung on a cross, he's able and willing to show mercy, God's sovereign mercy, to the worst sinner that ever stayed out of hell a little while.

And when that woman did that, the people's hearts were broken and sinners all over the congregation began to cry out. And once again, we saw the glory and the wonder of that simple scripture. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Well, friends, Ralph Barnard was willing to go after lost sinners and bring them in. Are we willing to go after the lost and perishing, no matter how rough they look, no matter how poor they look, no matter how hardened in sin they look, and tell them about the one who came down here so we can go up there. Listen, friends, no one is too bad to be saved.

Let us pray.