‘LOOK UNTO ME AND BE SAVED’

HOW SPURGEON

FOUND CHRIST

“Look unto Me”

Charles Haddon Spurgeon was born in 1836 in the town of Kelvedon, England, and died in 1892.  He became a famous preacher in London and other places, and his sermons and books are still widely read in many countries.

At the age of fifteen, he was wonderfully saved by the Lord.  He had been brought up in a Christian home, and had often heard the teaching of the Bible, but he did not know the Lord and was not saved.  He became very distressed about his spiritual state, and began to pray to God.  He read the Bible but everything he read seemed to trouble him more.

Spurgeon continues his own story of how he found the Lord:

“I attended all the places of worship in the town where I lived, but I did not ever hear the gospel fully preached.  However, I do not blame these preachers.  One man preached on the Sovereignty of God; I heard him with pleasure, but what was that great truth to a poor sinner who wished to know what he must do to be saved?  There was another good man who always preached about the law of God; but this was like plowing up the ground that needed to he sown.  Another was a very practical preacher, but he was very much like a commanding officer teaching the maneuvers of war to men who have no feet.  All his teachings were lost on me.  I knew that the Bible says, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16,31), but I did not know what it was to believe on Christ. These men did not tell me how I could get my sins forgiven and find peace with God.

I sometimes think I might have remained in darkness and despair, had it not been for the goodness of God in sending a snow-storm one Sunday morning while I was going to church.  When I could go no further, I turned down a side street, and came to a little chapel.  In that chapel there may have been about twelve or fifteen people.  The minister did not come that morning.  I suppose he was snowed in.  At last a poor man, a shoemaker, a tailor or some other trade, went up to the pulpit to preach.

He was obliged to keep to his text, for the simple reason that he had nothing else to say.  The text was, “Look unto Me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is none else.” Isaiah 45:22.  He did not even pronounce the words properly, but that did not matter.

I thought there was a ray of hope for me in that text.  The preacher began in this way: “My dear friends, this is a very simple text indeed.  It says, "look."  Now, to look does not take a great deal of effort.  It isn’t lifting your foot or even your finger.  It is just “look”.  A man does not need to go to College to learn to look.  The biggest fool can look.  He does not need to be a wealthy man to look.  Anyone can look.  A child can look.  This is what the text says, "Look unto Me.”  “Now,” he said, “many of you are looking to yourselves.  There is no use looking there. You will never find salvation and comfort in yourself.  Others look to their church or to the sacraments, but the Lord Jesus Christ says, "Look unto Me."  The preacher then sought to explain how we are to look to Christ, he said:  “Look unto Me; I once sweat great drops of blood.  Look unto Me; I once died upon a cross. Look unto Me; I was dead and buried.  Look unto Me; I rose again from the dead.  Look unto Me: I have ascended into heaven, and am sitting at God the Father’s right hand. O, poor sinner, look unto Me!  Look unto Me.”

When he had spoken for about ten minutes, he looked at me, and with so few people present, he knew that I was a stranger.  He then said, "Young man, you look very miserable.”  “Well, I did feel miserable, but I was not used to having remarks made about my personal appearance from the pulpit.  However a good impression was made upon me.  He continued, “And you always will be miserable – miserable in life and miserable in death, if you do not obey this text of Scripture.  But if you obey now, this moment you will be saved.”  Then he shouted, “Young man, look to Jesus Christ and live.”  At once I saw the way of salvation, and I did look in faith to Jesus Christ and was saved.

There and then my gloom was gone, and the darkness rolled away, and at that moment I saw the light of the gospel of Christ.  I knew that all my sins were forgiven.  Oh, that someone had told me that before, to simply trust in Christ and you shall be saved.”

“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” 1 Timothy 1:15.  “What must I do to be saved?”

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” Acts 16:30-31.

 (Updated)

Compiled by,

Rev R. Cameron-Smith.