The Door of Mercy

A man who was troubled in his soul fell asleep one night; He dreamed that he was out in the wilderness in a terrible storm.  The lightning flamed around him and the voice of the thunder made the earth rock beneath him, and a tornado was chasing him.  He looked eagerly around for a shelter.

He ran to the first house before him, but he was denied admittance. He that dwelt there was named Justice and he said in angry tones, “Get out of here—I cannot shelter a criminal, a traitor to his God and Creator.  The wrath of God abides on you! Away with you!”

He rushed to the next house and it turned out to be the mansion of Truth. Truth came to the door with a calm but stern countenance and said, “You are full of falsehood and lies, you cannot sojourn here.  All liars shall have their part in the lake of fire.  Get out of here!”

He scurried to the home of Peace, which stood near, and hoped that there, perhaps, he might be housed from the storm.  But Peace heatedly said, “Go away! There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.  Your carnal mind is enmity with God.  Depart!”

He could not, then, tell what to do, for the storm waxed yet more furious, when lo, he saw a door over which was written, “Mercy.” “Yes!” he said, “this is the place for me, for I am guilty.” The door was opened and he was welcomed there.

Dear Friend, to this “Door of Mercy” you are invited today!  Come in and be at rest.  You, who cannot be harbored by justice, or peace, or truth, may come to Mercy and receive abundant Grace!  But you may ask, “Where is this Door of Mercy?”  Jesus said, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved.” (John 10:9) The lightning, thunder, and tornado in this story are the wrath of God seeking after a lost sinner.  Your sin against God deserves His wrath, but God became a man 2,000 years ago and suffered in your place.  Sinner, do you need forgiveness? Christ has worked it out!  Every sin that you have done shall be forgiven you for His name’s sake if you trust Jesus to do it.  Do you see your sins like a tornado pursuing you?  Your sins cost Jesus Christ His life.  What have you done with Jesus?

Here’s the Gospel Message:  God in Heaven looked down upon the sinful race of man; He beheld them lost and ruined.  Out of love to them He sent His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who was born of the virgin Mary, lived some 33 years a life of spotless, sinless innocence and perfect obedience to God.  Jesus Christ was God, and He was man.  God was manifest in the flesh to suffer in the place of sinners.  He went about doing good all the days of His life.  In due time, He was delivered up by the traitor Judas Iscariot.  Jesus was condemned as a criminal, scourged, mocked, and His head received a crown of thorns.  He did this for you.

The Lord Jehovah took all the sin of man, and deliberately laid it upon His dear Son.  His Son, willingly bearing that load of sin as the Substitute, went up to the Cross, and there He bore what was due for all that weight of sin, even the penalty of darkness, desertion, and death.  By bearing the chastisement, He put away sin.  He hung upon the Cross—His face was all stained with blood and bruises and with the spit of the rough soldiers.  God’s blood trickled down the Cross, the red drops of His blood poured from Immanuel’s veins for you

God Incarnate was crucified on a Cross for miserable sinners, and He bowed His head and gave up the ghost.  He was buried and after three days He rose again, and showed Himself to His disciples for 40 days.  When the 40 days were finished, He ascended up to Heaven in the sight of them all, where He now sits at the right hand of God, and shall also come again the second time to judge both the quick and the dead. "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”  (I Tim 1:15)

You desperately need to flee to Jesus Christ, go through the “Door of Mercy” now.  You don’t have to bring your good feelings, good intentions, or good works—just come and take freely what God has done for you through the finished work of His Precious Son. You don’t even need to bring repentance and faith in order to obtain God’s Grace—you are to come and accept repentance and faith as the gifts of God and the work of the Holy Spirit.  What broad gates of mercy these are! How wide is the entrance which Love has prepared for your soul!

You are not asked to help Christ, or to work for Christ in order to earn salvation, but just to come to Christ.  He will in no wise cast you out.  A simple reliance upon the Lord Jesus is the one essential for eternal life!  Christ died for the ungodly.  (Rom 5:6)  Are you ungodly?

“Take,” is a grand word to express the Gospel.  The world’s gospel is, “make.”  Man tries to make his own way of salvation by his own good works, earthly wisdom, and religious efforts, and as a result, he damns himself.  Man’s carnal mind thinks his own self-righteousness can please God’s holiness and satisfy the demands of God’s law.  This is the epitome of pride.  Don’t let your love of sin and your own self-confidence damn you.  Remember, Christ’s Gospel is, “T-A-K-E.”  Man’s gospel is make.  You only have to take salvation freely as a sinner.  The very best ‘you can do’ will land you in hell. You can do nothing ‘in yourself’ to appease God’s wrath.

The way of salvation is summed up in four letters, “Take.” Do you desire Christ? Take Him.  Do you need free pardon from sin? Take Him.  Do you need a new heart? Take Him.  Do you want peace of mind? Take Him.  Do you want Heaven hereafter when you die?  Take Him—that is ALL.  “Whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely.”  The way to be saved is to come to Christ!  Christ is a Person, a living Person, full of power to save! Only Jesus Christ’s righteousness can save a man, and only self-righteousness can damn a man.  Self-righteousness is the greatest enemy of the cross.  Repent ye and believe the gospel.  Your good works are tainted with sin and are no good. God’s mercy is only found at the bloody cross.

Oh, I am pleading with you—lay hold on Jesus Christ this very moment!  Jesus is the Rock of Refuge—fly to Him.  He is the “Door of Mercy” – Enter now.  Life is short—time is running out for you.  Poor Sinner, run for your life to God’s Dear Son!  Good people die in their sins and go to Hell!  But, guilty and filthy sinners, who humble themselves under the shelter of Jesus’ most precious blood, are safe and sound forever.  Flee from the wrath to come on sin.

Do you really want to get rid of your sins today?  The love of sin damns a man.  Sin is like cancer in your soul.  Do you feel sin working in you now?  Come right away and trust the Savior—and obtain full forgiveness through His free grace and pure mercy!  You that have cursed His name—you that have stolen from others—you that have told lies—you that are dirty from every crime, come and welcome to Jesus!  Come to Christ and live at once!

Don’t procrastinate; your heart will only grow harder day by day.  Sin is deceitful and it will damn your soul to hell.  Come to Christ – There is nothing to prepare or be done, there is nothing to be felt!  There is nothing to be brought.  No preparation is needed.  Come just as you are (a lost sinner) and trust Christ to save you and this day you shall be saved! God’s word promises you this.  Do you have a burden of sin on your back?  This is the only condition that a man needs for trusting in Christ to save him!  Christ’s mercy is to be had for nothing! Your bribe of good works or purchase is out of the question!  God’s mercy is free only to lost sinners.

Mercy’s door is set wide open for you today on purpose so that the vilest of the vile may come—and they are called to come first!  Not merely those guilty of open sin are invited, but those guilty of secret sin—sins of the heart, sins of the imagination, sins which stain the inmost soul, you are invited to be saved!  Just as you are, come on, why do you wait?  Don’t try to cleanse or mend yourself, but, now, “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.”

To believe is to trust—simply trust in Christ alone.  Come to Him who is a real Savior for real sinners.  Come and hang the whole weight of your soul upon Jesus. Don't try to swim across the river of death alone, trust in the King's Bridge, the Cross of Calvary.  Quit your struggling and rest in the Lord Jesus: He is the bleeding Substitute for guilty sinners.

 Reach out to the Lord Jesus Christ today and make spiritual contact with Him.  With your mind, heart, and thoughts come to Christ, and with faith, like a hand, touch Him spiritually, grasp Him by believing upon Him and receive life and Grace freely from Him alone. Free Pardon of your sin debt by any other means is impossible.  Everything else fails, only Jesus satisfies the heart of man. Only trust Him! Only trust Him and you are pardoned at once.  "God be merciful to me a sinner" should be your cry to God for forgiveness.  Seek Jesus Christ now by forsaking your own righteousness and placing simple, childlike faith in His Precious Blood.