The Point of Desperation — E.A. Johnston

Desperation Reveals That No Sinner Is Beyond Salvation

The evangelist, Mordecai Ham, told about the story of encountering a big sinner in one of his revival meetings. Listen to his words, friends. By Saturday night, I was preaching to a crowd that filled both the church and the churchyard.

During this meeting, they accused me of trying to mesmerize folk, only they couldn't say mesmerize, but pronounced it memorized. One evening, a young fellow pointed out his 72-year-old father to me and remarked that he was not saved.

Well, I went up to the old man and talked to him, but I finally closed my eyes and said, Lord, you sure wouldn't get anything in this old fellow. The devil already holds four aces over him, and he's a goner.

About the middle of my sermon that night, the old fellow was on the floor, and he started hammering the bench with his fist while he cried, Lord, ain't there no hope for me? Ain't there no hope for me?

At four o 'clock the next morning, so they told me, he was saved, and jumped up shouting glory to God for such hypnotism. Well, friends, the main point of that story that strikes me is the fact that no one is too bad to be saved, and no sinner is too big to be saved if they get to the point of desperation.

That old man fell under conviction. He fell to the floor. He pounded the bench with his fist, and he cried out to God in desperation, Lord, ain't there no hope for me? Ain't there no hope for me? Well, God hears that kind of prayer.

And if you're a believer who's lost the fire for Christ and the gospel, and you need a personal revival, which we all do, friends, believe me, then you must get serious enough with God to where you get to the point of desperation.

Brokenness and Desperation as the Beginning of Revival

I got to the point of desperation with God myself lately. God hears desperate prayer. God takes notice of brokenness. His word says so. For in Isaiah 57, 15, we read, Thus saith the High and Lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy, I dwell in the high and holy place with him also, that is, of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Brother Pastor, does your church need reviving? I am reminded of the elderly pastor who called me up one day to invite me to lunch. He just read my first book on revival, Realities of Revival, and he said he wanted to meet to talk about revival, and he would buy me lunch.

Well, it's hard to turn down a free meal. So I went and met him at a Chinese restaurant. He told me he'd been a pastor for 40 years, but he really was desperate to see revival come to his church. I looked him in the eye and said, If you really want to see revival visit your church, then you must repent, because revival starts with you.

Well, he grabbed a check and called for the waitress, and I thought I had offended him. And he probably was thinking, What does this young whippersnapper know? Well, we left, and I thought that'd be the last I'd hear from him.

But the next week he called again and asked to meet for lunch and if he could bring two pastor buddies with him, they'd like to talk about revival. Well, another free lunch. So when I got to the restaurant, these men asked me if I'd be willing to meet with them on a weekly basis to pray for revival to come.

Sure I would. Well, we set a place and time, and after a few weeks, word got out, and we had more than eight pastors there praying for revival. We'd sit in a circle on metal folding chairs and take turns going around the room praying.

And one day, why, I'll never forget it. The elderly pastor who first invited me to lunch, when it came his turn to pray, he shot up straight from his chair like a bolt of lightning had hit him, and he groaned, and he crumpled to a heap on the ground, and he was there on all fours in his suit, and he looked up to heaven, and he cried out with a loud voice as he pounded the carpet, Oh great God, forgive me for my filthy rotten sins.

I want revival to come to my church. Let it start with me. Well, that man was getting serious with God, and God was getting serious with him. Listen, friend, do you know if you get serious with God, He will get serious with you?

He knows you like a book, and He won't accept lip service from you. He won't accept hypocrisy. He won't accept broken promises and new resolutions. He wants to see from you real brokenness on your part, your point of desperation, your point of surrender, and that's the title of my message today, friends, the point of desperation.

Micah’s Promise of Mercy and Complete Forgiveness

Well, that's my little introduction. Now, let me get to my message here. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Micah. There's a lot of meat for us in the Minor Prophets. They're called Minor Prophets because of the shorter length of their books.

Personally, they stand shoulder to shoulder with Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. I spent a lot of time in the Minor Prophets because God called me to revival ministry. Well, we will begin in Micah chapter 7 and verses 18 through 19.

Here now is the word of God, and may the Spirit of the Lord attend the reading of His holy word. Who is God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage?

He retaineth not his anger forever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again. He will have compassion upon us. He will subdue our inequities, and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

Wow, that's powerful. What a tremendous passage declaring the attributes of God and how He deals with His servants. It's important for us, friends, to listen to the wisdom of the Puritan Bible commentator, Matthew Henry, on this passage.

Listen to what he has to say. He will subdue our iniquities when He takes away the guilt of sin, that it may not damn us. He will break the power of sin, that it may not have dominion over us. Cast all their sins into the sea.

As when He brought them out of Egypt, He subdued Pharaoh and the Egyptians, and cast them into the depth of the sea. Not near the shore side, where they may appear again next low water, but into the depth of the sea, never to rise again.

All their sins should be cast there without exception. For when God forgives sin, He forgives all. Well, I love those comments by Matthew Henry, friends. And they're so true. I love the idea that my filthy, wretched sins lie at the bottom of the sea, never to surface again.

The Sea Captain’s Failed Attempts to Hide His Sin

This idea of sins cast into the depth of the sea is seen in the following fantastic story, which I want to share with you now. Oh, this is a great story, friends, about a smuggling sea captain who got to the point of desperation with God, and it changed his life.

Are you at a point of desperation, friend? Are you ready for your life to be changed as well? Well, listen to this story, friend, and you'll be glad you did. Here now is the sea captain's story as he told it in his own words.

I was the captain of a smuggling boat. At dawn, we discovered a Coast Guard boat in the distance. The Coast Guard was still a long way off, and we soon saw her turning toward us. We couldn't possibly get away.

We all knew what would happen if we were caught. Not only would the boat and cargo be confiscated, but we'd all be sent to prison. There was dead silence while we stared at each other in dismay. But the Coast Guard was coming up fast behind us.

Suddenly, I thought of a way out. Hastily, we rigged a screen at the stern to hide our deck. Then I set the men in a line to hand up the cargo and pitch it overboard. We worked fast. Nothing was heard but the splash of the cargo dropping into the sea.

The hold was empty and fast. We'd soon be finished. I saw the ship's boy was exhausted, so I sent him to see if the Coast Guard was very far off. In a minute, he came rushing back, gasping, It won't sink!

Well, I ran to the stern of the ship. The sun was just rising behind us. And there, in that long line of light, were the packages of cargo bobbing up and down in our wake. The first package in the line had just reached the oncoming Coast Guard boat.

Helplessly, we stood and stared. The proof of our guilt was spread out for all to see. In our ears rang, It won't sink! In prison, from time to time, I would resolve to correct my ways. But resolving is one thing.

Doing is another. As soon as we were free, I went back to smuggling. Well, a few years later, I went out on a boat at night. It was New Year's Eve. And in spite of myself, I began to review my life. I saw myself as a child, saying my prayers.

I heard my mother tell me of one who came down from heaven to bring life to the world. The more I thought, the more horrified I was. God had created me, and I had lived and was still living, as though there was neither God nor eternity.

I got down on my knees and prayed that God would help me. I would be another man. I wouldn't touch a drop of liquor. I made many more resolutions about what I would do and what I wouldn't. And I began to feel very good about myself.

On further reflection, I saw that there were a lot more things I ought to clean up. I must throw overboard everything that didn't belong. My life was to be completely changed. My resolutions were getting more serious.

My heart grew lighter, and I was happy in the thought that I had become a new man. Having made this decision, it seemed as if everything was in perfect order. I was ready to go back to land, when suddenly the moon broke through the clouds and shone across the water to my boat.

The memory of that morning when, chased by the coast guard, I had cast the cargo into the sea, came over me with overwhelming power. I heard the cry, It won't sink! How blind I was! I had tried to lighten the ship by casting the cargo overboard, and there it was, all floating behind me like an accusing line, stretching up to the throne of God.

All that I had done, said or thought, was there before God, and it wouldn't sink. A fool that I was, I thought I could drown all my wickedness without a thought of the holiness of God. If I had been able, from that moment on, to do only what was good, it would not have changed the evil done in the past.

What good was it to be forming good resolutions for the future when the past couldn't be hidden? Tears filled my eyes. I was hopelessly lost. But then I remembered something. Hadn't I been told about Jesus, the Savior of sinners?

Hadn't He died on the cross for me? And if I turned to Him now, wouldn't His precious blood wash away my many sins? Oh, wasn't there grace and mercy even for me? All at once, everything was clear. Yes, the Lord Jesus had died for me.

Christ’s Blood and the Forgiveness of Sin

He had borne the punishment of all my sins. If I accepted that, they'd all be cast into the depths of the sea. God says there's sins and iniquities I will remember no more. I was filled with joy, entirely relieved of my burden.

I turned my boat toward shore, a new man. I'd gone out a lost sinner, but I was coming back redeemed by the Lord. Oh, friends, isn't that a wonderful story? I just love the fact that God gets us to a point of desperation and He hears our cry.

Did you hear that sea captain's desperate cry? He said, wasn't there grace and mercy even for me? Very similar to the old sinner in Mordecai Ham story where he pounded the bench with his fists and cried in desperation, Lord, ain't there no hope for me?

Ain't there no hope for me? That's what arrests the attention of God, not our mere lip service and promises in good resolutions that we're going to break anyhow, but brokenness before Him when we break, when our foolish pride breaks, when we get honest with God and see ourselves as He sees us and get to the place of desperation.

And it makes no difference how long we've been sinning and how big and evil our multiplied sins are. There is pardon with God for forgiveness of sin through Christ's blood. And God will take those sins and wrap a dead weight on them and cast them into the deepest part of the sea so they'll never rise again to accuse us.

The Invitation to Come to Jesus in Repentance and Faith

God forgets about them. Oh friend, if you've been away from God, it's time to turn to the stronghold of Jesus and cast yourself on Him. Come to Him. Lay your sin burden down at His nail-pierced feet.

Look at that bloodstained Savior for sin. Look at that man on the cross, friend, on Jesus as your Savior and Lord. What are you waiting for, mister? Don't wait until you're better. Young lady, don't wait another skinny minute.

Come to Jesus and believe on Him for forgiveness of sin. It's breaking my heart to talk to you, friends. I've got such a burden for your souls. Won't you come and own them as your Savior and Lord? Come to Jesus.

Bring to Him your heartache. Bring to Him your tears. Bring to Him your failures. Trust Him as your Lord. And God will take those sins and cast them into the deepest sea Amen.