It Could Not Be Wider, Simpler, Mightier, Diviner or Truer — Ian Paisley

You will find authorized versions of the Holy Scriptures in front of you in the pew. Lift out your Bible and turn with me to the tenth chapter of Paul's epistle to the Romans. Romans chapter ten. And I am reading from verse eight of this tenth chapter.

Verse eight, Romans chapter ten. But watch, saith it, the word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart. That is the word of faith which we preach. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, whosoever believeth in him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? Or how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? Or how shall they hear without a preacher?

And how shall they preach except they be sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring great tidings of good things. But they have not all obeyed the gospel, for Isaiah saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?

So then, they have come out by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. But I say, have they not heard? Yea, verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world. But I say, did not Israel know?

First Moses said, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you. But Isaiah said, but Isaiah is very bold, and said, I was found of them that sought me not.

I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me. But to Israel he said, all day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and game-saying people. And in our reading at verse 21, and God shall stamp his divine approval upon each word of the scriptures we have read for his great name's sake.

I take the promised Holy Ghost, the blessed power of Pentecost, to fill me to the uttermost. I take, thank God, he undertakes for me, the people of God said, amen, amen. I want to speak very simply this evening on the simplicity of the gospel of Christ.

It could not be wider, it could not be simpler, it could not be mightier, it could not be divider, and it certainly could not be truer. For whosoever, Romans 10 verse 13, shall call on the name of the Lord, shall be.

There was a wise old preacher, he was instructing young preachers and helping to train them for the ministry of the gospel. And he said to them, you should never take for granted the amount of knowledge your hearers have about the truth and the facts of the gospel.

He said, to suppose they have too little knowledge, and so explain clearly the simple truth of the gospel, rather than to expect them to know more than they do. And as a result, you do not inform them of that they do not know.

There are many people today, and they preach a gospel that is not plain, it is not simple, it is not easily to be understood, and as a result, their hearers do not hear effectively and effectually, and go away without the real truth of the simplicity of the gospel of Christ.

The gospel of Christ could not be made any simpler than it is made in the Bible. It could not be made any wider in its invitation as it is in the Bible. It could not be made any mightier than the power that is in its simple truth.

It could not be made any diviner, for it is the handiwork of deity itself. And it certainly could not be made any truer, because it sets forth the one who is the way, the truth, and the life. This text of mine, unplanned, and yet it is sublime.

For whosoever shouts on the name of the Lord shall be saved. There might be one fear within your heart that you do not know, and are not sure. Some men blame the condition of their souls on Adam. They need to know that no man is damned for Adam's sin alone.

We all have enough sins of our own without blaming Adam. What is more, if we had been in Adam's place, we would have responded just as he did to the bewitchery of Eve and the devil. What is more, a child before it comes to the years of accountability, when it closes its eyes on earth in death, opens them in heaven, saved by the sovereign grace of God and the atonement of Jesus Christ their Savior.

Forbid them not, the Lord Jesus Christ said, for of such is the kingdom of God. Each person in this house tonight has broken God's law and sinned against God's sins. Our sins deserve eternal death. We are in need of divine mercy.

Each one in this house must be saved if we would dwell with God in heaven forevermore. Two things are necessary, sinner friend, for you to clearly understand. First of all, you need to escape from the punishment of the sins you have already committed.

And you must be delivered from the habitual practice of sin, so that your living will be different from what it has been. The grace of God finds a man, it forgives the man. It then gives the man a new birth, a new heaven, a new end.

So that man, forgiven, begins to live above the world and sin, with a heart made pure and a garment white, and Christ enthroned within. Many years ago, when this church was being built, we had a gospel meeting in the unfinished church.

There was no floors in the building, there was no pews in the building, everybody had to stand. The Saturday before that service, there was a man who flew in from Scotland to attend a football match. He had heard my name, and he met somebody at the match who said, you know Paisley is having a meeting in his unfinished church, would you like to go?

He said, of course, I would like to go. And he came, and he got gloriously seen. Just a few days ago, I was talking to a preacher from Scotland. And he said to me, Ian, is it true that you had a meeting in your unfinished church?

I said, yes. And what is more, a Scotchman got converted. He says, I know him well. He told me the story. That's many, many, many years ago. But that man was saved, not through me, or anything I did in this sermon, but he was saved by the mighty word of God that liveth and abideth forever.

God's salvation is for eternity. In the simplest language I can use from this pulpit, I want to tell you that a hell deserving sinner can be saved. And he can become a faithful son of the living God. God's salvation is made as clear as the midday sun in the scriptures of truth.

But immediately, the devil whispers in the ear of the lost, this salvation may be true, but it is not for you. Let me tell you, the text of God's salvation's gift is whiter than the devil wants you to believe.

It is for you. You can be saved this night in this house by the power of the gospel. Look at the text, and you will notice it echoes the widest possible invitation. Whosoever. I must press upon you, your imperative Jewish sinner, to believe that salvation is for the whosoever.

You may be a man like me of eighty years of age, or you might be younger than the smallest child in this house. You may be old or young, but for us all the sands of time are speeding to finality through a life's timer.

Young man and young woman, just entering your best times, rich, educated, or illiterate, it matters not. I preach to you this widest possible invitation. Whosoever. It shuts out nobody. Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

No one is excluded. No one is shut out. You alone can shut yourself out. You alone can lock yourself out. You alone can exclude. Sinner friend, stop erecting barriers against the salvation of your own soul.

Don't let the devil rob you of God's full and free salvation. Before you is the straight gate. Before you is the narrow path. Salvation is without money and without price. Come tonight and welcome to Jesus Christ, the lover of your soul.

Amazing words of grace are in the gospel found. Suited in every sinner's case who knows the gospel sound. Whosoever wills, O gracious word, shall of this stream partake. Come, thirsty souls, and bless the Lord and drink for Jesus' sake.

To sinners poor like you and me, he saith, he freely gives. Come, thirsty souls, and prove it true. Forever live. Yes, this invitation is the widest possible invitation. It's for you. It's for me. It's for everyone else.

But secondly, notice that this text emphasizes the simplest possible obligation. What must I do? You have to call. The word there in the Greek text is a child's call. You have to cry like a child for salvation.

The tiniest child can cry. You don't need to teach a child how to cry. We had twin boys, as you know. And at 2 o 'clock every morning they awoke and they cried the heavens down for their bottle. And my wife would stick her elbow in my chest and say, Get up, Father, and do your job.

And I would rise up and I had a little gadget I got from a friend of mine. And I had two bottles of milk and I put them onto that gadget and pressed the button. And in a few minutes they were ready. And then I took one bottle and put it into one young boy's mouth and a bottle into the other.

And then there was peace. You never need it to teach them to cry. A child can cry. There's one thing, sinner, you can do tonight. And you don't need the 11 plus or a degree to do it. You can cry. Sinner, cry to God tonight.

Say, God save me, I perish. Christ has accomplished a full salvation. Salvation is complete. It is yours for the asking. Remember, all you need to know if you're going to get to heaven is two things. The plague of your own sin and the power of the blessed Savior.

Do you know the plague of your heart? Of course you do. Do you know the darkness of your sins? Of course you do. Well, come and meet Jesus. Jesus is the great Savior of sinners. And He wants to save you this night by His grace.

There are two prayers you need to pray. Lord, show me my sinful self. Show me the rottenness of my heart. Show me my polluted being. Show me my guilt. Show me the everlasting hell I deserve. God will show you your sinful self if you are honest with Him this night.

And the second prayer is Lord, show me thy self. Show me thy wound. Show me thy blood. Show me thy sacrifice. Show me thy suffering. Remember, sinner, there is full welcome for you at the cross of Christ.

Near the cross, a trembling soul, love and mercy found me. There the bright and morning star shed its beams around me. In the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever, till my ransomed soul shall find rest beyond.

Thirdly, my text enunciates the mightiest possible confirmation and seals it with the name. Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be seen. This truth is not confirmed by any human name, but it is confirmed by the name of the Lord God Himself.

This promise is totally outside the circle of the human. It is entirely within the circumference of the divine. It is sealed on the sealing of God. Its foundation is the foundation of God. Its truth is the truth of God.

Its dependability is the immutability of God. Its eternity is the eternity of God. It is grounded on the name of the Most High. Its endurability is the eternal God. Its reliability is the God who is without the shadow of turning.

As long as God lives, this promise shall endure. Like God's, its authority is good for yesterday. Its authority is good for today. And its authority, hallelujah, is good forever. This is the word of Greece.

Greece without subtraction. Greece without addition. Greece alone. Deceived by the father of lies. Blind guides cry, Lo here, lo there. By these, our Redeemer us proves and warns us of such to beware.

Pure comfort to mourners they give who set us to labor and vain and strive with a do this and live to drive us to Egypt again. But what says our Savior divine? For his blessed word we would keep. This flock has my father made mine.

I lay down my life for the sheep. It is life everlasting I give. My blood was the price that it cost. Not one that on me shall believe shall ever be finally lost. That is the gospel that I preach unto you tonight.

Sealed with the mighty name of the Lord. But notice fourthly, this text of mine, it entails, or the divinest possible affirmation, the name of the Lord. The truth is sealed with the seal of the Lord's name.

Man is a failure. He is stained with his own sins. He cannot be relied on. Left in weakness, he will die and be damned. He is a blot on God's creation. He is a snare to his fellow men. He is a broken reed.

And any who puts his trust for eternity in man is worse than a fool. Cursed is he, says the holy book, that trusteth in man. Anything man builds is on sinking sand. His word is unreliable. His buildings decay and quickly pass away.

He is a thing of the moment of time, and then he is swallowed up in the great eternity of God. He is a beaver which quickly disappears. He is a cloud appearing only for a short time and then vanishing away.

To stake your eternity on fleal man is to sow the harvest of your own eternal undoing. Remember the moon and stars shall lose their light. The sun shall sink in endless night. Both heaven and earth shall pass away.

The works of nature all decay. But they that in the Lord confide and shelter in His wounded side shall see the danger overpass, shall stand every storm and live at last. What Christ has said must be fulfilled.

On this firm rock of believers' build His word shall stand, His truth revealed, and not one jot or tittle feel. His word is this. Poor sinners here, believe on me and banish fear. Cease from our own works, bad or good, and wash your garments in my blood.

Finally and fifthly, my text enumerates the truest possible declaration. Shall be seen. Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be seen. This is a short declaration. This is not a long thesis on the most important subject man could ever concern himself with, the salvation of his own eternal soul.

It is just twelve letters. It is the eternal truth of the everlasting God. Nothing can be taken from it. Nothing can be taken away from it. It stands unshaken in the change of life and in the storms of time.

The billows of the centuries have had no effect upon it. It is a short statement. Thank God it is a strong statement. It cannot be moved. It is the same today. It was the same yesterday. It was the same in the days of Noah and of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

And it is the same right now. It is the muscle of God's omnipotence and the strength of His almightiness. It is strong. And thank God it is sure. God's Word is forever sure. Eternal is His name as long as life and speech endure.

His tongue this truth proclaims. Can you find one witness, one credible witness, who can disprove the Word of God? The answer is no. This is the sure Word of God. It tests every weak man and it overthrows the lies of hell.

Upon this Word you can lay your head as a child lays its tiny head on a mother's breast. This Word stands eternally sure. Yes, it is short. It is strong. It is sure. Praise God, it is safe. This is the only safe way.

All other ways are no ways at all but lead to disaster and ruin. This is the way, sinner. Walk ye in it. This is the best way. This is the right way. This is the only way. Jesus says, I am the way. The truth and the life no man cometh unto the Father but by me.

To miss this way, your own immortal soul, do not do it. I am, saith Christ, the way. Now if we credit Him, all other paths must lead astray. How far shall e 'er they see? There is only one way and that one way is Christ.

Receive Him this night. Go home rejoicing for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be seen. Let's bow our heads in prayer. Father in heaven, we thank Thee for Thy holy Word and its simplicity and truth.

Hide it in our hearts that we may not sin against Thee. And these men and these women in this meeting tonight who have never called on the name of the Lord, may they call on the name of the Lord tonight and be gloriously and wonderfully saved.

Hear this, our prayer, for Jesus' sake. And everybody say, Amen.