Go to Jesus at Once - Kevin Williams

Genesis 42:1

"When Jacob saw that
there was grain in Egypt,

Jacob said to his sons,

'Why do you look at one another?'

And he said, 'Indeed, I have heard

that there is grain in Egypt.

Go down to that place
and buy for us there,

that we may live and not die.' "

Let's pray.

Lord Jesus, we ask now,

that You would make Yourself
known through this Word.

That You would be lifted up and
draw all men unto Yourself.

In Jesus' name, amen.

Okay, at this point and time,

the whole world has been cast

into a severe famine.

Jacob and his sons,

who were still living in Canaan,

they are coming to
the point of starvation.

If things stay as they are,

if Jacob and his sons
stay where they are,

they will most certainly perish.

They will all die of hunger.

But then Jacob hears of a hope.

That there is an abundance of grain,

an abundance of corn
in the land of Egypt

that they have stored up in provision,

and they are willing
to sell to foreigners.

Of course the reason those
provisions are there in Egypt -

I trust most of you are
familiar with this account,

is because God had
sent forth Jacob's son,

and their brother, Joseph
into the land of Egypt

to store up all the provisions they need,

in order to survive this famine.

So that they may live and not die.

But Jacob and these brothers,

they don't know that at this point.

They don't know it's Joseph.

All Jacob knows is that
there is an abundance

of corn available in Egypt

that they are willing to sell,
and if they stay were they are

they will perish in the famine.

As far as Jacob is
concerned, Joseph is dead.

The last time he heard,

he was given a robe of
Joseph covered in blood

and thought he'd been torn up by animals.

But when Jacob thought he was dead,

God sent forth his son Joseph into Egypt

to make provision that he may live also.

Brethren, I want us to
consider this text now

as an allegory, as a picture,

of the gospel of salvation.

You see this famine here

really sums up the condition

of the lost world without Christ.

This famine really sums up

men's hearts without Christ.

And if that's you, if you
stay where you are,

if people stay where
they are without Christ

then they will perish,
not just in this life,

but you will perish eternally. Forever.

But God, has sent forth
His Son Jesus into the world

to make all the provision we need,

so that anyone can come to Him,

and may live and not die.

And so Jacob,

in our text,

he looks around at his sons here.

And he says, "Why do you continue

to look at one another?

Why are you just sitting
around doing nothing?"

He says to them.

That's not going to help you is it?

That's not going to help us,

just looking at one another,
sitting around doing nothing.

If we carry on doing nothing, Jacob says,

if we stay in the place where we are

then we are going to
perish from starvation.

But I have heard that there is grain.

There is an abundance of
grain in the land of Egypt,

and they are willing to
sell it even to foreigners."

"So go," he tells them,
"Go there, go at once!

And get some for us, that
we may live and not die."

So what about you?

Do you find yourself this morning

in the position that this
text paints? Any of you?

Are you unconverted?

Is your soul in a spiritual
famine without Christ?

And you know that if you
remain where you are,

if you remain in the
state that you are in,

then you are going to perish.

The first type of person here,

I want to address this
morning about this,

are those who are like this.

I am talking now about the person

who has not gone to Christ for salvation.

You are unconverted,
but you've sat around

doing nothing or very little about it.

Of course, like Joseph’s brothers here,

you may be very busy
with hobbies and works

and different things in general life.

I mean these brothers of Joseph here,

they may have had a lot of things
that they could get on with

and be very busy with in normal life.

But all those things would not help

their most urgent need

of attending to the food they
need to save their life.

And so to you who are unconverted,

To you are not only unconverted,

but doing nothing,
or very little about it.

Why stand around looking at one another?

If you remain where
you are without Christ,

then you going to perish.

But there is grain,
there is life in Egypt,

because God sent a greater than Joseph,

Jesus Christ His Son,

into this world, to live in place of
and to suffer and die for you

and to offer the free
gift of everlasting life

to anyone who will
come to Him for salvation.

You see God has sent Jesus
before you to make provision.

All that is needed,
that you may live and not die.

Jesus has provided all
this and it’s available to you,

so why stand around doing nothing?

There are some people who
know they need to be saved.

They know they’re not right with God.

But like Joseph’s brothers
here, Jacob’s sons,

they sit around doing nothing about it.

Like Joseph's sons, again,

they may be very
busy with normal life.

But as far as attending
to the most urgent need,

that they need to
be reconciled with God,

they just sit around
looking at one another

and don't do anything.

And yet, if that's you,

then just like these sons here,
if you stay where you are

you're going to perish.

Not just in this life, but for eternity.

Going to a place of outer darkness,

where there is weeping
and gnashing of teeth.

A place of everlasting torment,
where there is no respite

not even for a moment!

Forever.

Day or night, forever.

But then, there's another type of person,

and perhaps this describes some here.

This one also not right with God.

But whereas the first
person is more or less

otherwise getting on with their life,

not really doing anything about it,

this type of person is
deeply burdened about it.

They are in despair about their soul.

They fear the harvest has passed,

the summer has ended,
and they are not saved.

And so day after day,
even in this life now,

they are tormented in their soul

that they are not right with God.

They stand condemned before Him

awaiting the judgment seat.

But still these people,

like the sons of Joseph here,

are doing practically nothing

or are not doing the right thing about it.

They just sit around in their despair

looking at one another, doing nothing.

And yet if they remain where they are,

they will most certainly perish!

You know, it always amazes
me that some people

when you're telling them the gospel,

to believe on Christ for salvation,

you're giving them promises
of Scripture and reasons,

it always amazes me that some people

are like a factory of excuses

of why they cannot just
trust Christ and be saved.

It's as if they purposely try and find

and twist as many Scriptures as they can

to use against them and
torture themselves with.

It's as if they get some
kind of perverse joy

being imprisoned in what
John Bunyan called "Doubting Castle."

But let me ask this,
let me throw a question

for those types of people
if there are any here:

What are you hoping to gain by that?

That was Jacob's question here.

What do you hope to gain

by sitting around doing
nothing but despairing?

What are you hoping to gain by that?

But with some people though, like this,

it's almost as if they think
that by their despairing

that will earn them some merit.

They think it's a kind
of mark of holiness,

all their despairing, as if
it's a qualifier to salvation,

the more guilt-ridden and
miserable they can become.

But that's nothing more than
self-righteousness isn't it?

That's all it is. The person
who is trying to be

more guilt-ridden and miserable
in their attempt to become

more holy and gain salvation,

that's nothing more than a Pharisee

who would sit on the street corners

with people coming both ways,

to get the attention there.

Painting his face to
show all his suffering

and how miserable he supposedly was.

It's just self-righteousness.

You see, I mean when
those types of people

who are always wanting to find
verses that they can twist

and use against them,
and use as an excuse

as to why they cannot come to Christ.

And they are so against someone
giving them a simple explanation.

That's just disobedience

and self-righteousness.

But you tell those people,

perhaps some here have been told,

that there is enough grain in Egypt.

Go to Christ! God has sent
His Son into the world

to make all the provision you need

in order to be saved!

So go to Him at once!

You don't need to bring
anything with you.

But they say:

"But what if I've committed
the unpardonable sin?"

How many times have I heard that one?

Well, what if you haven't?

My Bible says the
words of Jesus Christ say:

"He who comes to Me
I will in no wise cast out."

That is, He does not turn away anyone

who truly comes to Him for salvation.

Notice, there's no exception
clause there as well.

He does not say:

"He who comes to Me I
will not cast out, except..."

You see it's not like when
you read a document,

you can receive this.

It's seems like you receive a document

saying you're entitled to something,

but when you read the small print,

there is an exception clause
in there that basically says

"except the people like you."

There's no exception clause with that
promise of coming to Christ!

He says: "If you will
come to Me to receive

this salvation that I have won for you,

if you will find your hope in Me,

then I will not turn you away. Never!"

Not now, not at the judgment.

"It's yours," He says! You can have it!

"I've done everything
needed for your salvation!"

"Come and get it," He says.

"I am the Living Bread which
came down from Heaven!

If anyone eats of this Bread,
he shall live forever!"

You see, Jesus, He does not say:

"He who comes to Me I will not cast out

except those who think
they have committed

the unpardonable sin." Does He?

So that rules that one out,
if you want to come to Him.

There's no exception clause!

But of course,

You know, with those people

who come to me and say:

"Well, what if I've committed
the unpardonable sin?"

I generally explain to
those types of people

that if you're burdened about it,

if you're burdened you think you
committed the unpardonable sin,

then that's proof you haven't.

Because those to whom
Jesus accused that of,

they were Pharisees.

And they were not burdened
about it, were they?

They were laughing and mocking
at the thought of the idea!

And so, if someone is
truly burdened about it,

then that's proof they've not.

But my point is, you give someone a
simple scriptural explanation like that,

to Mr. or Mrs. Despair,
but they won't accept it

because they are so determined
to hang on to their despair.

Does that paint anyone here?

So determined to hang
on to a place of despair.

Again, it's nothing more
than self-righteousness.

It spits on the cross,
counts it as nothing, saying:

"What Jesus did was
not enough to save me."

Let me ask those
people in their despairing.

What have you gained?

What have you gained
by your sitting around

doing nothing but despairing
and not trusting on Christ?

Just sitting around despairing,

does that get you any
closer to salvation in Christ?

You're most certainly
deceived if you think it does.

As Charles Spurgeon rightly said,

speaking of John Bunyan's
"Pilgrim's Progress":

"Giant Despair never help one person

back on the road to the Celestial City

and he never does."

If anyone has sat around despairing,

then you must come to your senses.

That has never done you
any good, nor will it ever.

And if you remain where
you are, you will perish.

Let me ask you this though.

How much corn, how
much grain do you think

these brothers got by their despairing?

All their despairing never got
them one grain of corn, did it?

And it won't do you any good either.

Jacob says to them here:

"Look guys, you've waited long enough!

I have heard there is grain in Egypt.

Go. Go get it!

If we remain where we are,
we're all going to perish."

And so to the despairer,

you've already waited long enough.

Why remain as you are?

If you remain where you are,
it's not going to help you.

There is corn in Egypt.

There is salvation in Christ,
so don't delay it any longer.

Go to Him! Go to Him now.

Let me say this here though,

I mean surely it's the case

if someone sees their need, they will go.

I mean, if someone knows

they are going to die from a famine,

and they know that there is abundant food

available somewhere to them,

then they're going to go, aren't they?

If someone knows themselves to be ill

with a terrible disease,

and that they're going to perish
if things stay as they are,

if they know that there's
a remedy somewhere,

they're going to go.

If someone is desperately thirsty even

to the point of if they
do not drink, they will die,

if someone offers them
a drink, they will drink.

You see, my point is the one

in self-righteous despair
is just playing games.

If they're really serious,
they will see their need

and can have it fulfilled.

So stop playing games!

Stop sitting around playing
games, if that's you!

There is life in the world,

because God has sent
Christ into the world!

So go to Him at once!

I remember - I'm quoting
Spurgeon a lot, but he's good -

but he once said, I'm
paraphrasing I should say,

but he once said:

if you're seeking salvation,
if you're wanting to be saved,

then don't try and gather
up all the Scriptures

that you think are against you.

That's not the way to do it.

As I said, it amazes me how people

claim they want to be saved

and they're constantly
twisting Scriptures

and gathering up ones to
try and use against them.

As if these are Scriptures of
why they can't be saved.

But that's not the way to go about it

Spurgeon said.

He said what you need to do

is you need to go and
look for the promises

that offer you salvation freely

and stand upon them.

Take them to the Lord.

If you're hungry,

you look for something
that can fill you, don't you?

If you're hungry, you don't go and look

for something that can poison you

or make you ill.

If you're hungry, you don't go

rooting through the kid's toys

to get one of those toy hamburgers

and find one of them, do you?

But that's what people are stupid
enough to do with salvation.

Instead of going to the promises

and the invitations of Christ to be saved,

they try and find verses
that are against them.

He who comes to God must first

believe that He is

and that He is a rewarder

of those who diligently seek Him.

There are some who spend all their time

insulting and slandering
the character of God,

as if He's not willing to save them.

As if He's a punisher of
those who seek Him.

But no, Jesus Christ, He
stretches out His arms

upon that cross and says

this is how willing I am to receive you

and save you if you'll come to Me.

So, find those promises in Scripture.

That you can come to Christ and be saved.

Notice, Jacob heard, it says there

that there was this grain;

that there was this hope in Egypt.

Faith comes by hearing and
hearing the Word of God

or the words of Christ.

The context there of the
Word of God is the gospel;

the gospel message.

So, what about these promises?

I just mentioned one didn't I?

Jesus says, "he who comes to Me,

I will in no wise cast out."

Anyone who truly wants salvation,

that is, He says come to Me.

You can come to Me and find it.

Find your all in all in Me.

Let me ask you this:

Do you believe God is all knowing?

Of course, He is.

Well, when Jesus made that
generous offer of salvation,

that of everyone who comes to Him

may receive eternal life,

and He will refuse none,

He knew exactly what state you would be in

when you heard this.

And so, knowing that you
were going to be here,

He didn't think: well, I better
put an exception clause in

in case they think this invitation

applies to them.

No, He made this generous offer.

That you can find salvation in Him

without exceptions.

But Mr. Despair says,

but I've tried and
tried to come to Christ,

and He didn't take me.

Well, firstly, no, you haven't.

Because Jesus says if
you really came to Him

and trusted in Him,

then He would not turn you away.

But, you see that person has been

part trusting in their despairing

and their miserableness,

as if it would part pay for their sins.

But secondly there,

there is no trying
to trust Christ, is there?

Because to come to Him is synonymous

with believing Him;

to trust Him is synonymous
with believing Him.

So, to say you've tried to believe Him -

that's the ultimate insult isn't it.

If someone says I'm trying to believe you,

but I just can't.

I'm really trying hard to believe you,

but I just can't.

Well, what they're doing there,

they're insulting you as a big liar.

I don't know what Jesus
has done to deserve that.

You see, if that's you, you need to repent

of all your trying and calling God a liar.

Why not give up all your trying

and just trust Christ at once?

Believe Him.

So, why not stop looking around

gazing, despairing, doing
nothing about this

and go to Christ.

Trust Him at once.

And since faith comes by hearing,

Jacob heard that there was
grain enough in Egypt.

What about this promise?

The blood of Jesus Christ
cleanses us from all sin.

The blood of Jesus Christ there meaning

His sufferings for us

as payment for our sin.

His sufferings are enough
to pay for all sin;

for any sin.

All types of sin.

All quantity of sin.

Whatever sin you have done in the past

is not too big that Christ's payment

on the cross won't pay for it.

You see, if you will just go to Him

and say, "Look, I am sorry."

"I did this and I am sorry."

"But I trust Your Son died for me

to pay for my sin

and so it's all been paid for."

But someone might say,

"But I feel helpless."

"I feel as if I'm without strength;

as if I can't do it."

"I'm too weak to come to Christ."

"I'm powerless."

What does Scripture say to that?

Scripture tells us that God is
ready to save such people.

That's the only type of people He saves.

Because while we were helpless

and without strength,

in due time, Christ died for us.

But someone else might say,

"but look, I try to live a godly life.

But if you knew me,

I'm just so ungodly."

Well, Scripture also says you are also

the very type of person
that Christ died to save.

In due time, He died for the ungodly.

My sin, oh the joy of
this glorious thought!

My sin, not in part -
not just part of my sin,

but the whole of it -

all of it was nailed to that cross.

So, I bear it no more.

But something else
worth noting in our text

is that Jacob sends his sons here

with money to buy this grain in Egypt.

But you can't buy this grain

of salvation in Christ with money.

No money can pay for it.

It's already been paid for in full

by Jesus Christ

by His life and death there

He declared those words on the cross:

Paid in full.

You see, if you want to receive it,

you must receive it for free.

Not try to part contribute.

Go to Him and buy wine and milk

without money, without price.

Once again, it amazes me

how many people try continually

to offer up some kind of payment

as a kind of penance,

whether it be being miserable

or being despaired,

or trying to make a deal with God.

If I live this godly from now on,

then perhaps I could be saved.

But the Bible does not say

that Christ died for those who can live

this much more godly from now on.

It says He died for the ungodly.

By trying to pay for this grain -

the salvation in Christ -

by trying to live a certain
amount of godliness

in order to merit salvation,

that will not help you get saved.

That will just help you perish.

Because your contribution

is what is damning you.

No, if you're going to go to Egypt

and purchase this grain;

if you're going to go to Christ

and purchase salvation in Him,

then you must leave
every other hope behind

and trust wholly in Him.

Don't partly hope in self.

But place your hope entirely in Jesus.

Go to Him as an ungodly sinner,

believing the promise that He died

for such people as you.

Because while we were sinners,

Christ died for us.

Another promise there.

So if Christ died for us
while we were sinners,

certainly don't try to go to Him

on any other grounds.

Think about this.

If you go to the hospital;

to the accident and emergency unit there,

and you meet those people -

the nurses first,

and they're assessing how quickly

you need to get to see the doctor,

or whether we can leave
you for a few hours.

They assess you, and they say,

on a scale of 1 to 10,

how much pain do you have?

You don't say "a 2" do you?

Because you're not going
to get seen till the next day.

But why do people do that with salvation?

They stupidly think

if I could just get myself better enough.

If I could just improve myself enough,

then I could be saved.

But Jesus said,

"I have not come to call the righteous."

So why go to Him trying to proclaim

your own righteousness?

Going to Jesus proclaiming
your own righteousness

is you basically saying,

"I am one of those whom
you have not come to call."

Why try to proclaim your own righteousness

and self-improvement,

or something in you before God,

when you're actually
proclaiming reasons to Him

not to save you?

He's not come to call the righteous,

He's come to call sinners to repentance.

So go to Him at once.

Go to Him as a sinner.

Go to Him as you are.

It's the only way.

But, supposing some of Jacob's sons here

on hearing all this,

supposing instead of them going to Egypt

to purchase some grain and live,

they instead went to
the magicians in Egypt

to get some enchantment,

so they could feel good.

They would have perished.

They may have felt good
while they're perishing,

but they would have all died

because they didn't get the food.

You know, something else that amazes me

is just how many people,

when they hear these promises of salvation

and this free offer of
everlasting life in Jesus -

that He's done everything they need,

so just hope in Him -

it amazes me how so many people,

instead of just fleeing to Christ

and putting their hope in Him,

they start trying to conjure up a feeling

that they can trust in instead.

So, they erect this idol of a feeling

right next to the cross

and bow down and worship this idol

of their feeling instead.

No, it's the sure Word of
Christ you must cling to.

Feelings come and go.

And then you have those who

rather than cling to Christ and be saved,

they're always trying to lean on a man,

whether it be a pastor or the Christians.

Supposing Reuben here,
one of the brothers,

supposing he looks around and he turns

to his brother Judah and said -

and he had a good idea about
how he was going to perish -

and he asked him for some grain

off his brother Judah.

And Judah said to him,

it's no use looking to me.

I haven't got one grain.

You need to go to Egypt to Joseph there.

There's no grain available from me.

But instead of then going to Joseph,

Reuben then, supposing
he just turns around

to his brother Gad.

And he starts pouring out
all the same woes again

to someone else,

making all the same excuses.

And then he does it to another brother

instead of going to Joseph in Egypt,

he just goes to one of his other brothers

who can't offer him any grain.

I often run into people like that

who are always trying to talk

and pour out their woes to someone else.

And just as they finish pouring out

all their woes and excuses

of why they cannot be saved to one person,

almost instantaneously, it seems,

they're going to another.

Each time they're being told,

look, I can't help you.

You need to go to Christ.

It's Him you need to trust in.

I can't feed you one grain of corn.

It's no use leaning on a man,

unless that man is the Man Christ Jesus.

A couple more things here.

Jacob sent his sons to
Egypt to purchase grain

because obviously he knew

they were willing to sell it.

Now when Christ gives salvation here,

it's free as I said.

We don't pay for it,

but He's willing to give it.

There are many preachers today -

or many Christians in sharing the gospel

with another that get so caught up

in a kind of hyper-Calvinism.

They spend a lot of time

trying to avoid saying things like,

"Christ died for you."

Or, that He personally
invites you to salvation.

Just in case the person
is not one of God's elect.

But listen, it is a genuine offer here

for all to come and be saved.

And all who do come to Christ

and Him alone for salvation

will be saved as soon as they do.

Even right now.

You see, the grain that these brothers

are going to purchase here

is for sale.

But the salvation Christ gives is free.

Because Christ has already
paid the total price.

As I said, you must come and buy this

without money, without price.

You see, because it's free;

because Christ has already paid for it,

then this means this salvation

is open to anyone.

You see, think about this.

If we had to contribute something,

then it would not be
open to all, would it?

If we have to contribute something,

then this salvation would only be open

to those who could make the contribution.

But because Christ has already contributed

everything necessary to save us,

that He's paid for all those sins,

even gives us His righteousness,

He puts that in our account

because we don't have
to contribute anything,

then it's open to all.

That means because you don't have to

contribute anything,

you can receive it just as you are.

Just as I am without one plea,

but that Thy blood was shed for me.

You have an invitation to believe here.

He says, "Come."

These brothers in our text,

they may have felt,

what if we're not welcome in Egypt?

But supposing they
got a personal invitation

through their door,

like they later did when
Joseph sent them back

with the silver cup.

That would have
increased their confidence.

Well, you see, you need not have any fear

of being refused, because you're given

a personal invitation
by the Lord Jesus Christ

to come to Him.

He invites you, "Come to Me,

all who are weary and heavy laden,

and I will give you rest."

He invites you to come take
the water of life freely.

It's yours freely for the taking He says.

And so, don't sit around doing nothing.

Don't sit around despairing.

Why wait where you are any longer?

Your waiting does not do you any good.

You must just go to Christ

as a guilty sinner.

Again, not trying to
have a certain amount

of brokenness to go with.

Not trying to excuse your sin,

but just confess it.

Go with all your sins.

As one old Puritan said,

you have nothing to contribute

towards your salvation,

except the sin that made it necessary.

So take your sin to Him
as your contribution.

Go to Him with your sin.

Go to Him in your sin,

believing His promise that Jesus died

for such a sinner as you and be saved.

Don't wait around.

It's not doing you any good.

Why put it off when you can go?

You can go to Christ

and have life from Him at once.

Don't sit around doing nothing.

Getting busy with other things,

which may be great and a lot of fun,

but make sure you attend to this one

and urgent need.

Let's pray.

Our Father, we thank You

for Your glorious gospel
of Your beloved Son -

the good news.

That You sent Your Son into the world

because You loved us.

That whoever believes;

whoever would rest their hope upon You -

just quit trying to part rest in self;

quit trying to excuse themselves,

but rest in You,

as a guilty sinner, but
one that You died for.

We thank You that all
those will not perish,

but will have everlasting life.

That You will pardon. You will forgive.

Pardon once and forever

the moment they turn to You and be saved.

We pray that by Your Spirit,

You would enable people to look unto You

and be saved through this Word now;

that they would quit their despairing;

realize it does not do them any good;

realize the urgency of their
need to come to You;

and that they can come to You

just as they are,

and trust in You,

and be able to realize those words:

no condemnation now I dread

because Christ has been
condemned in my place.

In Jesus' name, Amen.