Gospel—Josh Costron
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Well, on the heels of our brother Bobby comments that the time is short and given this is an abbreviated meeting, I trust that what is before me tonight in terms in terms of the scriptures that I would like to read shortly that they are appropriate and timely.
For the first.
Scripture I'd like to read.
It would be an Ecclesiastes chapter 3.
Ecclesiastes, chapter 3.
And it says this to everything. There is a season.
And a time to every purpose under the heaven.
A time to be born.
And a time to die.
Turn over to 1St Corinthians Chapter 7.
Verse 29. First Corinthians Chapter 7.
Verse 29.
But this I say, brethren, the time is short.
The time is short.
Over to Psalm 89.
Psalm 89. This verse was read at the beginning of our conference.
Verse 47.
Remember how short my time is?
Over to 2nd Corinthians chapter.
7.
Or chapter 6 rather.
2nd Corinthians chapter 6 and verse 2.
For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted.
And in the in the day of salvation have I suckered thee?
Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation and one final verse.
In Hosea chapter 10.
Hosea chapter 10 and middle of verse 12.
For it is time to seek the Lord.
It is time.
To seek the Lord.
You know, I suppose over the last two years.
I think it would be fair to say that we have taken many things for granted.
But I suppose that there is something that.
Amongst all of the things that we may have taken for granted, there probably is one thing that we take for granted more than anything.
And don't give it a second thought often. And that is our time.
You know, it's interesting for the believer that we're exhorted to redeem the time.
We need to buy it back, set it free for the purpose and use of God in our life and for the blessing of others as believers.
Brother Bob was exhorting us to that extent.
But you know, for the Sinner, I would say it's, it's even more important in a sense because it is in the framework of time whereby you and I make the decision for our eternal destiny.
And you know, we often lament about the fact that the time is just so short. Where did the time go?
I wish there was just more hours in the day. And on and on he goes.
00:05:04
And we realize that our time is like a vapor.
You know, in James we read about our life being just that. What is your life? It is even as a vapor that appeareth for what? A little time?
And then vanishes away.
We read it. We read in Job Chapter 7 today.
And the first verse in that chapter says this. Is there not an appointed time for man upon the earth?
And yet we wasted.
And pleasure and sin.
And all of that.
And how many people have entered into a lost eternity?
Because they wasted their time.
Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. And so God agrees with that assessment that we have all made that our time is short. In fact, in Job Chapter 7, it speaks about our life being like the wind.
It's here today, it's gone tomorrow in a moment.
It's just a vapor. It's gone.
We are not given any promise that we will see.
Tomorrow.
And so today, dear friend, if you're in this room.
We are calling out to you.
And presenting to you God's message of salvation, the good news.
That in time, you can be in time tonight and accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your own personal Savior and Lord.
It's time to seek the Lord.
You know the nice part, the wonderful part about the gospel is that if you are seeking the Lord, you'll find Him.
The Bible says, Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way in the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, for he will have mercy upon him.
And to our God.
For he will abundantly pardon.
God is waiting to pardon you tonight of all your sin. Set you free from yourself.
To give you life, eternal life, the gift of God, which is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
This morning we had opportunity to look back to the cross and there we saw the King of Glory hanging.
As a sacrifice for sin.
And there are those three hours of darkness.
God poured out His righteous wrath, unmitigated upon His only begotten Son.
So that tonight we might have an offer of salvation to you. God's good news that there is opportunity for you to be saved and on your way to heaven.
You know there's a most disturbing passage. I read it the other day in Amos chapter 8.
It said that Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor of a thirst for water, but of hearing the word of the Lord. And they shall wander from sea to sea, from the north, even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord.
Shall not find.
What happened?
They ran out of time.
There's coming a day upon this world when untold agony.
And suffering and tribulation is going to fall.
When the church will be called home and after that, God's judgment will rain down on this world.
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And it was mentioned the other night in the gospel that if you could just imagine for a moment.
Just in the moment, in a twinkling of an eye.
The church will be called home.
And there you sit.
Time has come to an end for you.
To be saved.
God's message of salvation is not guaranteed to be offered to you tomorrow if you find yourself here one last time.
To hear the message of God's grace and love to you.
God is offering you one more opportunity to be saved.
You know, in first John, it says this the time it is the last time. In fact, if you look at a more critical translation, it says this, it is the last hour.
Friends.
We are on the threshold of seeing the Lord Jesus Christ face to face.
And that is such a bright prospect in hope for all those here today who know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
That is what we all look forward to and hope.
That we will see the Lord Jesus tonight as he gives that shout to call us away.
But for you, you're here in your sins, young child. Maybe an older one.
That is when the door will be forever shut.
And the master of the house will rise up and shut to the door, and he will say, Depart from me, for I will never knew you. You might come to the door and say, Well, just let me in.
And you'll say no.
It's too late.
Tonight.
There's hope.
There's life offered to you in the Gospel. The Lord Jesus Christ died for sinners. God's own well beloved Son, the eternal Son of God, the one who upholds all things by the word of his power, the one in whom all things subsist, were held together. It is that same one, that same person who came into this world.
Who lay down his life?
At the cross.
Who was raised from the dead the third day? Who shed his precious blood that washes away all our sin?
And it is Him that offers you free salvation tonight.
That if you just accept him in your seat, for he knows your heart and he knows your thoughts.
If you just bow before Him in your heart and mind right where you are, tell him, Lord Jesus, I want to be saved. I'm a Sinner and you are a Sinner. You are lost, you are guilty, but God loves you anyway.
And it was demonstrated at the cross 2000 years ago, and this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
Through Him there is none other name under heaven given amongst men, whereby we must be saved.
It is all, excuse me, it is only through him and him alone.
That we have access to heaven, to God, and it is only in the person of Christ that we come to know who God really is.
I'm going to close now.
But I'm reminded of what that hymn writer said. The gospel hymn that we sing often Be in time, be in time, while the voice of Jesus calls you be in time. If in sin you longer wait, you may find open gate.
And your cry be just too late.
Be in time.