Gospel—G. Hayhoe
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General Meetings, Montreal, October 1974. Gospel by Gordon Hayhoe.
Could we open the meeting tonight by saying hymn #11, hymn #11?
With your anchor hauled in the storms of life, when the clouds unfold their wings of strife, when the strong tides lift and the cable strain, will your anchor drift or firm remain? We have an anchor that keeps the sole steadfast and sure, While the billows roll fasten to the rock which cannot move.
Grounded, firm, and deep in the Savior's love. Can we remain seated please, while we sing this hymn #11?
Well, your anchor.
Hold in my love life who I love.
Rain flowers, crying for everyone crying.
Here close praying whatever we are praying to God forever alcohol.
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M #7 God loved the world of sinners lost and ruined by the fall. Salvation fall at highest cost He offers free to all #7.
God loves the world.
Of sailors lost and lost.
From the power of them, grow faith in fries.
Of all squanders, Wanderers love La La, La La la.
What do I say you're from?
Calvary.
Hurry down.
Like to turn to 2nd Kings chapter 6?
Second Kings, chapter 6. I'd like to read this portion as something that applies to this present day. I believe it's a picture of the very day in which we live and then of the good news of plenty that God has provided through the gospel. Second Kings, chapter 6 and verse 25.
There was a great famine in Samaria, and behold, he besieged it until an ass's head was sold for four score pieces of silver.
And the 4th part of a cab of Doves dung for five pieces of silver. And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, and there cried a woman unto him, saying, Help my Lord, O king. And he said, If the Lord do not help thee, when shall I help thee? Out of the barn press floor, out of the wine press. And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him today.
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And he will. We will eat my son tomorrow. So we boiled my son and did eat him.
And I said unto her, On the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him.
And she hath hid her son. And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he ran his clothes, and he passed by upon the wall, and the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth within upon his flesh. Then he said, God, do so to, and more also to me, if the head of Elijah the son of sheep, I shall stand on him this day. But Alicia sat in his house, and the elder sat with him.
And the king sent a man from before him. But ere the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, See how this son of a murderer has sent to take away Minehead. Look, when the messenger cometh, shut the door, and hold him fast At the door is not the sound of his master's feet behind him? And while he yet spake with them, behold the messenger came down unto him.
And he said, Behold, this evil is of the Lord, why should I wait for the Lord any longer?
Then Elijah said, Hear ye the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord, Tomorrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shackle, and two measures of barley for a shackle in the gate of Samaria. Then a Lord, on whose hand the king leaned, answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.
And there were four leprous men at the entering end of the gate, and they said one to another.
Why sit we here until we die? If we say we will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore, come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians. If they save us alive, we shall live, and if they kill us, we shall but die. And they rose up in the twilight to go on to the camp of the Syrians. And when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man there.
For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of Chariots and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host. And they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to come upon us. Therefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents and their horses, and their ***** even the camp as it was, and fled for their life.
And when these lepers came to the uttermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried them silver and gold and raiment, and went and hid it, and came again, and entered into another tent, and carried fence also, and went and hit it. Then they said one to another, We do not Well, this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace. If we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us. Now therefore come, that we may go and tell the King's household.
So they came and called unto the Porter of the city, and they told them, saying, We came to the camp of the Syrians, and behold, there was no man there, neither voice of man, but horses tied, and ***** tied in the tents, as they were. And he called the porters, and they told it to the King's house within. And the king arose in the night, and said unto his servants, I will now show you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we be hungry.
They gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, When they come out of the city, we shall catch them alive and get into the city. And one of his servants answered and said, Let some take, I pray thee. 5 of the horses that remain which are left in the city, behold, they are as all a multitude of Israel that are left in it. Behold, I say, they are even as all the multitude of the Israelites that are consumed. And let us send and see.
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They took therefore 2 Charried horses, and the king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying, Go and see, and they went after them unto Jordan. Blow all the way was full of garments and vessels which the Syrians had castaway in their haste. And the messengers returned and told the king. And the people went out and spoiled the tents of the Syrians, saw a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shackle.
According to the word of the Lord. And the king appointed the Lord, on whose hand he leaned, to have charge of the gate. And the king trod upon him, and the people trod upon him in the gate. And he died, as the man of God had said, who spake, when the king came down to him. And it came to pass, as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, 2 measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel shall be tomorrow about this time.
In the gate of Samaria. And that Lord answered the man of God, and said.
Now behold, if the Lord shall make windows in heaven, might such a thing be?
And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof. And so it fell out unto him, For the people throwed upon him in the gate, and he died. And just one other passage, please, in Acts chapter 13.
Acts Chapter 13.
And verse 32.
And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again, as it is also written in the second Psalm, Thou art my Son this day have I begotten the 38th verse. Be it known unto you, therefore man and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins.
And by him all that believe are justified from all things from which he could not be justified by the law of Moses. Beware therefore, lest that come upon you which is spoken of in the prophets. Behold, she despisers, and wonder, and perish. For I work a work in your days, a work which she shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.
Well, dear friends, as I said, I'd like to look at this little portion that we have read here in Kings has a picture of just what is going on in the world today. We see that there was a great famine, that there was high prices, that there were terrible things happening. And we see how that God provided plenty for those who believed His Word. And isn't that just like the world I say today?
And God has given us this in his word is a little picture to us. Perhaps it will speak to some heart here tonight, because you'll notice carefully that the only person who didn't partake in the plenty that was provided was the man who didn't believe the good news. And those who don't believe the good news of Acts 16, the good news of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ, are going to face judgment instead of blessing.
And all I do trust that there will not be one in this room who will turn a deaf ear to God's wonderful entreaties of love. For you know God's soul loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. God loves this world, and He loves you. It has been said that whatever human heart craves.
Is satisfied affection.
And what's the matter with this world today is that they don't know love. They know a lot about lust, but they don't really know love. They don't know understanding because they don't know the source of it. And the source of it is the heart of God. Yes, I say to your friends, it's the heart of God.
God has revealed Himself to us in this precious book.
It says no man has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him. And so tonight isn't a wonderful privilege to be able to announce from God's Book and tell you what God is like. You say, well, I have my own ideas, but your friends, your ideas are not anything, nor are my ideas anything.
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You may say, well, you believe as you like. I'll believe as I like, but the fact is.
The Bible says my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so are my thoughts above your thoughts, and my ways above your ways. And so tonight, the message that I have to you isn't something that I have thought of. It's a message from God to your soul, a message of love and blessing about in this little passage, as I say, God aptly describes.
A condition of things in a country called Samaria. Now you know God had brought his people Israel into the land of Canaan, and he tells us it was a land flowing with milk and honey.
It was a land that was greatly blessed, that land of Israel, but they turned away from the Lord, and there was a part of the land called Samaria that had left the true knowledge of God and had departed from him, and God allowed a famine to come in that land.
And now you know there are other kinds of famine than just famine for bread and water. The Bible says the days will come when there shall be a famine, not for bread or for water, but for hearing of the words of the Lord.
And your friends were living in the time of famine today. Famine for the word of God. The printing press is turning out books on end. Every day something new is coming out. The schools can't keep up. The books that they're studying are already behind the present knowledge of science. Man can't keep up with all that he's discovering. And yet the cleverest man that ever lived.
I suppose he was one King Solomon and he said that which is crooked cannot be made straight and that which is wanting cannot be numbered. A great man named Einstein, I suppose the greatest scientist that ever lived. He made this comment. He said I don't know or he said like this, I, I know less than one 100th of 1% about anything.
Just think, well, if that's what Mr. Einstein thought, what a little bit you and I know. But dear friends, when we have God's Word, we know about God. And that's the most important thing. To know about all the laws of nature is not going to settle your eternal destiny, but to know about God, to know your responsibility to Him, to know that you can have a Savior in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Is the most wonderful knowledge that you can ever have upon the face of the earth.
Well, God allowed this famine to come, and so does the famine in Canada.
And it's not a famine for bread or for water, but there certainly is a famine of another kind, because people are trying drugs and they're trying all kinds of lustful things. People are, just as it were, letting loose to see if they can't find something in this world to satisfy an inner longing that as yet hasn't been satisfied. Doesn't that remind you of just the way this little incident begins here?
There was a famine in Samaria and an ass's head was sold for.
4/4 score. That's 80 pieces of silver. Can you imagine such a price for an ***** head? You talk about inflation, but this was inflation super, wasn't it? This was really the highest prices that you could ever think of.
80 pieces of silver for an ass's head. What little bit of food was there in that?
About The world is now suffering inflation and people are going and paying the prices. Sure, they're paying the prices.
But to what they does, what they get, satisfy. No, they buy more and more, and still, as it says, the heart the eye cannot be satisfied with seeing, nor the ear with hearing. And then the next thing was the 4th part of a cab of doves dumb for five pieces of silver. What? But, dear friends, it's the filth and folly of this world that people are paying for.
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The ***** head represents the folly of this world and the doves dumb represents the filth of this world and you pay high prices for the prices of magazines are going up and that's just what you get in it. All kinds of nonsense and all kinds of filth.
And it doesn't satisfy. The people were still paying these prices and they were still hungry. And dear friend, is there an inner longing in your soul that hasn't been satisfied? Friend, it's Christ that you need. It's Christ that you need, the little song says.
Now none but Christ can satisfy none other name for me. Now there's love and life and lasting joy. Lord Jesus found in thee. When we turn from this scene of inflation and now we turn to see something else.
The king passes by and justice. Think of the distress that this woman was in. You don't hardly like to repeat the story that's chronicled here, but some of the things you read in the daily newspaper are so shocking you hardly like to repeat them. But they're going on in the world today.
We're living in a, as someone said to me just the other day, you just hate to pick up the newspapers so full of violence and crime and everything else. Why isn't it just like what's described here? And the king didn't know what to do. And that's another thing that we see. A man who was in authority just felt helpless. He said, I can't help you. The Lord's the only one. And if he doesn't help you, I can't. That isn't that another thing that we see?
He was helpless to help or to do anything about this situation and the Bible tells us the Lord Jesus said men's hearts failing them for fear and looking after those things that are coming upon the earth. Yes, distress of nations with perplexity.
Wars and rumors of wars. All kinds of things happening everywhere.
And the king didn't know what to do. A woman cried. Help, my Lord, O King, he says. I can't help you. And isn't that the way things are? You go here and you go to that agent. They send you to somebody else. And as the world says, it's a merry go round. They just keep you going.
And there doesn't seem to be any answer to the problems. But there is an answer. But it's not in man's wisdom, and it's not in man's resources, dear friends, the answer is in Christ.
He is the answer to the souls need. He is the answer to your souls need. Are you trying to go on without Him? Yes. I say there's a famine in Samaria. That country that was, I'll call it a mixed up country because that's exactly what it was. They carried on a kind of a mixed worship. They worship titles and they worship the Lord. It was a mixed up country and this is a mixed up world and all kinds of strange things going on.
And then worst of all, as we read on in the story, who does the king blame? The king then says, well, I got to blame somebody. It's that prophet of the Lord Elisha. I'm going to take off his head. And that's another thing that you see happening today. They say Christianity hasn't helped things out. We've got to turn away now. We've got to make our own solutions to the problems.
We just need to get rid of the Bible. We need to get rid of these gospel preaching people. Why? They're just scaring people. They're just making them nervous. They're just doing this and that. And this is what the king said. He said the head of Elisha is not going to stay upon him this day. I'm going to get rid of him. What a picture of the world today. And here it says Elisha sat still in his house.
And perhaps you say, well, you Christians don't seem to be too disturbed about what's going on. Yes, we see what's going on, dear friends, but we're not totally surprised about it because God told us that these very things would happen. The Lord Jesus warned of these days. He told the Spirit definitely the character of these days. Paul warned of the last days when men would cast off restraint.
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And when they would be without natural affections, true speakers, unthankful, unholy and lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. Oh surely God foreknew all about these days. He's known. And so the Christian who reads this Bible is shocked by what goes on. But in another way, he's not surprised because God said it was going to happen. And what God says.
Always comes true.
It says heaven and earth shall pass away.
But the words of the Lord Jesus shall not pass away. His word is truth. Not one precept, not one jot or title will pass from the law till all is fulfilled. All, dear friends, God's Word is going to be fulfilled to the latter.
Not one thing is going to fail. You can laugh at it, you can close the Bible, you can put it on the shelf, you can get rid of it, but you'll never change its truth. It's the truth of God forever. Oh Lord, thy word is settled in heaven. And Saul, Elisha sat still in the house. And so the king has sent a messenger down because he was going to try and get rid of this prophet.
Says Alicia sat still and says hold the door, he's coming down. He said just hold the door.
And isn't it wonderful, dear friends, that God is holding the door of grace open in a day like this? Some of us who are Christians really wonder why God has waited so long over this world, with its increasing violence and wickedness and rebellion against God.
Yes, we sometimes wonder why did he hold the door? Why did he say I don't, don't let that man in the door? Why? Well, because there was still a message of blessing to those very people in Samaria. And dear friends, the reason God hasn't brought judgment on this world as yet is because he has a message of peace and pardon as I read to you those lovely words.
In the book of the Acts, we declare unto you glad tidings tonight amid all the sin and wickedness of this world. And I don't stand here to tell you that I'm better than other people. I'm just a Sinner saved by grace. I'm not here to make you think that I are. Some of these people here because we've been spending a few days over the Bible, profess to be better. We're all trophies of God's wonderful grace that saved us.
That's all we are, dear friends, but God held back the messenger here that was going to kill Elisha because there was still a message of a message of blessing to that poor family city.
And God has held the door of grace open. He hasn't allowed the door as yet to be shut. Although men would like to get rid of the Bible. Perhaps you've read the little tract that tells the title of it's called Tracks Everywhere. Tracks Everywhere. There were a group of young people and they were handing out tracks. And as they handed them out, everybody was getting attract. And so as one young person handed it to a certain man, he said.
All tracks everywhere. And all this young man said there are none in hell. There are none in hell. And dear friends, there won't be any tracks. There won't be any message of salvation and pardon in that awful place of eternal judgment. Oh, you say, I didn't know people believed in hell. Today, dear friends, God's word hasn't changed. And God says in his word, these shall go away into everlasting punishment.
But the righteous into life eternal. Jesus said, if ye die in your sins where I am, ye cannot come. He says that the one who believes not the wrath of God abideth on him.
Or someone said, oh, but if you're more like Christ, you'd talk about love and not about judgment. But did you ever realize, my friend?
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That the most solemn words about hell and about judgment were spoken by the Lord Jesus himself. Why? By the Lord Jesus himself? Because he knew how awful that place is. He knew how awful it is. And he died so that you wouldn't have to go there. He died so that you wouldn't have to be in that awful place, so that you might be in those courts of eternal glory.
And so here, while the door was being held so that this messenger couldn't, couldn't.
Come and take off the head of Elisha. It says this evil is from the Lord. Perhaps just a little word of exclamation about this. You know, God allows troubles to come into our lives to make us wake up. You know, it's just this way if we always had good health.
And we always had plenty of money and we always had the best of relations with friends and loved ones. We might just forget about God and think about having a good time and that only. But sometimes God stirs up the nest. Sometimes he sends an earthquake, like he did in Philippi to wake up. A sleeping jail keeper saw that he might be saved as God shaken up your home.
Have you had some troubles in your home? Have you had some troubles in your job and you say nothing secure today from the Lord allowed that. The Lord allowed that. He wanted you to realize that there isn't anything very secure. There isn't any real lasting satisfaction apart from Him. The pleasures of sin are only for a season. This evil is from the Lord. It doesn't mean that sin is from the Lord, but.
Troubles that come into our life spoken of in this verse as evil things. These troubles that come into our life, God allows them in order to wake us up. Like I sometimes told about a dear man that I went to see down in Kentucky, Jim McDaniel, he's with the Lord now, but when I went to see him, he was in a wheelchair with a broken back. And he said to me, God had to break my back.
To save my soul, God had to break my back to save my soul. And there.
How that young man sat in that wheelchair, he sat there for about 20 years.
Last, I didn't see him for a long time, but I saw pictures hanging on the wall where he had texts all around him. That man went from his wheelchair to heaven and he's glad that he broke his back. He told me himself he was. I was an ungodly man. I was cursing and swearing but that pray it came down on me and that tree broke his back.
And it was the means of his soul being saved. Friends, these troubles come into life. It's from the Lord. It's from the Lord. Why should you wait any longer? Why should you wait and resist the good news anymore? Why not close in with God's offers of mercy? And so isn't it lovely the way this 7th chapter begins? Then Elijah said, hear ye the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord, tomorrow about this time.
Shall a measure of fine flower be sold for a shackle and two measures of barley for a shekel in the gate of Samaria? What fine prices these were right from these sky high prices right down to the very bottom. Could there be such a miracle as this happen? Yes, a more wonderful miracle I have to proclaim to you as we sang in our opening hymn, Salvation full at highest cost.
He offers free to all, not a measure of the wheat for a shekel, a measure of fine flour for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel. No, friend, that's too high a price. God offers salvation free. Why? The price was paid by Jesus, the little song says. Jesus paid it all, all to him I all.
Sin had left a Crimson stain.
Washed me white as snow. Yes, there's plenty for you tonight.
And it will cost you nothing just to receive it. Well, there was a man standing there, the second verse says. Then a Lord on whose hand the king leaned, answered the man of God, and said, Behold, is the Lord would make windows in heaven. Might this thing be?
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Notice he didn't actually contradict it. He just said, might this thing be? In other words, he wasn't an out and out infidel. He wasn't an atheist, but he was what the world today calls an agnostic. An agnostic. There's lots of them today, many boys and girls and young people going to school. They say, I don't say the Bible's not true, but I just don't know.
I just don't know. Might this thing be? That's what the tempter said to Eve. Yeah, God said yes. He just wants to put a doubt in your mind. But what God wants you to have is faith in him. Can you believe God?
A young man said oh, but I just can't believe it. And the brother answering said.
You can't believe who? He says I just can't believe it. He says You can't believe who? Oh, he says, I see. I'm saying I can't believe God, your friend, you can't believe God. Who Can you believe if you can't believe God? If you can't believe God? Well, this did look like an impossibility Here They were selling an ass's head for 80 shekels of silver, and the prophet said.
Something better than an ***** head, a measure of fine flour for a shackle. And the NASA's head was 80 shackles. How could that be? And you say, I just can't believe it, brother, I just can't believe it that you can actually have your sins forgiven and a title to glory for nothing, nothing to do. Or you might say it's impossible, but the Bible tells you now that God has done it. As we read those lovely verses in the 13th chapter of Acts where Paul was preaching in the city of Antioch long ago, he said.
We declare unto you glad tidings, that God has fulfilled his promise. He's raised up Jesus. And then he said, Be it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins. All friends, you can have all your sins forgiven tonight, and God is perfectly righteous in doing it because He placed those sins.
Upon the head of his own spotless holy Son. The Bible says all we, like sheep, have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. Oh, what good news, what good news. Well, here we find this. This announcement was made by the prophet and.
This man on whom the king leaned said, Could this thing be?
Could it really be? Yes, said the Prophet. He said you'll see it.
But you won't partake of it all, friend. If you remain in an agnostic, you'll see it, but you won't share in it. There'll be no agnostics in Hell, the rich man. And Luke was not an agnostic, not when he got in Hell, no. He lifted up his eyes, and he knew what was on the other side of the great Gulf, but he couldn't crossover. And dear friend, you know nobody in hell is saying, might this thing be?
He said, you'll see it with your eyes, but you won't partake of it all. I hope there's no one here who goes on remaining in unbelief, remaining a rejector of the good news. Well, here to go on with our story. There were four leprous men there. And these four leprous men looked at one another and they said, well, what can we do? They knew their own condition. Just as there was a famine in Samaria, here were four sick people.
Outcast from society. Nobody wanted them. Perhaps that's the way you feel sometimes. Nobody cares about me. Nobody's interested in me. They said if we sit here, we'll die. We go into the city, we'll starve. Set the way life looks to you. See, I don't know what to do. Whichever way I turn, there's trouble.
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If I turn this way, there's trouble. If I turn that way, there's trouble. I don't know what. What can I do All to your friend? That's the way God brings you to the end of yourself. He brings you to the point where you realize there is nothing that you can do but that Christ did it all. Christ is not at all. And what did these four leprous men find out? Well, when they went to see where these Syrians who had come to surround their city were?
They found that the Lord had gone before the Lord had won a great victory for them. And it wasn't the people of Samaria, it wasn't the leprous men that won the victory. The Lord won the whole victory and all they did was to go and partake of a victory the Lord had won for them. And dear friend, is not just what God wants you to know. You say I'm at wits end corner, I just don't know what to do.
I'm glad you're at wits end, Corner. I'm glad you've come to the end of yourself. I'm glad that if there's some trouble come into your life that you say this evils from the Lord. Yes, he's allowed this trouble to come into my life. He's allowed it to come. Now why don't you turn and find out about the wonderful victory that he has won already for you tonight. I proclaim to you the victory of Calvary.
Jesus met the power of Satan. Jesus there suffered at the hand of God for sin, and Satan has been defeated. The question of sin has been settled. The Lord Jesus said it is finished. His precious blood has been shed. And the Bible says the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son cleanseth us from all sin. What a victory has been won. There's a risen Savior tonight.
And through his name, there's forgiveness of sins, there's justification.
So these men went, and they found about this victory that had all been won for them, and they went into one tent, and they went into another tent, and they found silver and gold and Raymond, yes, all for nothing.
And, you know, sometimes we speak of these symbols. Silver in the Bible is often used as a symbol of redemption.
Gold is often used as a symbol of divine righteousness, and Raymond brings before us the best love that God provides for the Sinner. Isn't it lovely, dear friends? Redemption through Christ, righteousness in Christ, the best robe of heaven in Christ. All these men could hardly believe it. It was actually true. The victory was won. The spoil was there.
And tonight many of us have found the silver and the gold and the ramen. We found that we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins. We have found that the Bible says that we have been made the righteousness of God in Christ.
We have heard the good news that he's clothed us with the best robe and fitted us for the Father's house, and we believed it. And so our hearts are satisfied tonight. And these men were satisfied. And who were they? Leprous man?
People that the others didn't care about. And I say again, perhaps you've had that feeling. Sometimes people don't care about me. People are not interested. There may be a boy or girl and you might say, well, other people seem to have friends, but people don't seem to be interested in me. My life seems so meaningless. I'm trying to find a meaning in life. Dear friend, there is a meaning in life. You can have Christ and heaven as your home.
Yes, there is a meaning.
When you know the Lord Jesus, when you believe the gospel, there is a meaning to life, because every person that begins life in this world begins at for eternity, to live forever somewhere, either in heaven with Jesus or in hell without him. So then they looked at each other and they said, this is a day of good tidings and we hold our peace.
And here I want to say to anyone that's saved here, does it? Can it be that you know the Lord is your Savior and you have partaken of the plenty that comes through salvation, but you've never told anybody. Your father doesn't know you're saved. Your mother doesn't know you're saved. She just loved to know it, but you never told her.
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Your friends don't know, you say. Well, do I have to talk about it?
These men said, well, this isn't right, This is for us, but it's also for others. There's more than we need here.
Are we going to be selfish and keep this all to ourselves, friend? Are you going to keep the good news to yourself? By God's grace, that's why I'm here tonight. I don't want to keep the good news to myself. It's too good to keep in. We declare unto you glad tidings. I'm not here to preach at you. I'm here to tell you good news. I'm here to tell you that God has provided plenty for you. Oh, you save it when I speak to people.
That they don't seem interested and they don't believe what I say.
That's exactly what these lepers found. That's exactly what they found. They said, well, we're going to go and we'll tell the King's household. He'll be the king will be so glad to hear this good news. Was he glad? Oh, he didn't like being wakened up in the middle of the night. Notice here.
It says here that it was in the twilight. Says in the fifth verse they rose up in the twilight to go into the camp.
And so it was dark now. And the ninth verse. Then they said one to another, we do not. Well, this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace. If we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us. Who you say, is the gospel that urgent? Yes, jail keeper got saved in the middle of the night. Pretty urgent, doesn't it? Jesus may come before tomorrow morning. Death may overtake you. Something unexpected may happen on the way home from this gospel meeting.
Are you going to wait till the morning light or you say I don't like to disturb people all? So they called the King's household and it's and they called the Porter, the city, and they told the good news. And so it says they went and told it inside and the king woke up. Ah, he said that's all a trick. That's all a trick. They're just trying to catch us. Did you ever hear anybody say that when you heard the gospel?
They talk about salvation, but you know, it's all a money making scheme. It's all.
It's all propaganda and this sort of thing. Did you ever hear anybody talk like that? That's just the way they talked here. The Bible lays human nature bare. It just shows what man is. But it wasn't. It was all true, dear friends. It was all true. And at last.
The King said. Well, we'll go and find out. We'll go and find out.
And dear friends, if you'll only come to Jesus, you will find out too. You will find out too. I remember reading about a a little story about a a businessman who came to the city of Chicago and he went into the shoeshine to get his shoes shined. And there was a boy there who shined his shoes, and as he was shining them, he was singing. I came to Jesus as I was weary and worn and sad.
I found in him a resting place and he has made me glad.
The businessman said, you seem to be happy this morning. He said, yes, I am. Haven't I reasoned to be happy? But the businessman wasn't very happy. He had plenty of this world's good, but there was a big famine in his soul. And after a while he again had occasion to come to Chicago. He went to the same shoeshine stand and he told the boy, he said, I came to Jesus and I found.
Yes, and you can find the same. What do these people do? They went out to see if it was true. Was it true? Yes, they went out. Oh, dear friend, I ask you, will you come? Oh, you said I don't believe it. I I don't believe in religion. It's just a lot of talk. But dear friend, I don't believe in just religion, but I believe in Christ. I believe in Christ. The world is full of religion. It was religious people that crucified Christ.
But we're not talking about religion, we're talking about a living Savior. We declare unto you glad tidings. God has raised up Jesus, and there's pardon through him. There's salvation through him. Well, they went out and it says here there's only five horses, we just take two. And perhaps you say, well, I still find a lot of unbelief in my heart.
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Why didn't they take the fire? Well, dear friends, I'll tell you. I came to Jesus with a lot of unbelief in my heart too.
I came to Him as I was. The little song says, Come as thou art in all thy sin, come with thy hardened heart, Come with thy cares, thy doubts, thy fears. All grace he will impart. There were five horses, but they just took two, but two was enough to prove that the story was true. And if you come to Jesus, even with unbelief in your heart.
You'll still find that he is a living, loving Savior. You'll still find that he'll meet you. And when these people took the two horses, they didn't take the five. I said just took the two. And they said, we'll go and see. Well, it was a lot better than they expected because notice what it says.
In the 15th verse. And they went after them unto Jordan, and all the way was full of garments and vessels which the Syrians had castaway in their haste. And the messengers returned and told the king, yes, they went out. They found it was all true.
The whole way was strewn with things for them. And dear friend, let me tell you, that's the way I found it. I went to find out and I've been traveling quite a few years since. But all the way I've been traveling, it's been strewn with good things. It's been strewn with good things. Yes, 10,000 thousand precious gifts. My daily thanks, employee. Nor is the least a cheerful heart.
To take those gifts with joy. Dear friends, he's an all the way home Savior. It was all the way to the Jordan, the Jordans, the river of death. All you say if I get saved, I don't think I can hold on. But dear friend, the whole pathway all through is just strewn with blessings.
Some of us that have come to this meeting, some have been saved perhaps a few months, some a few years. I know there are people here that have been saved fifty, 60-70 years and I know if they would stand up right now, they say yes. That's just what I found. The past been strewn with all kinds of blessings all the way. I wouldn't ever want to go on one day without the Lord Jesus. All dear friends, that's the kind of a Savior he is.
And so it tells us here. They went back then and they told the King's household, and the rest went out. And many of them shared in all this. But the prophet had said came true, a measure of wheat, a fine flower was sold for a shackle and two measures of barley. And many people got all kinds of things without paying anything. And you can get salvation and you don't have to pay anything.
Let me give you that lovely verse again that I read in Acts 13. Be it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren.
That through this man the Lord Jesus is preached unto you, the forgiveness of sin.
And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from the which she could not be justified by the law of Moses. You say, can I go out of this room knowing that I'm not only forgiven, but justified, placed before God in a life that has never sinned? That's what God does, dear friends. That's the way he saves. That's his wonderful salvation.
It's always better than you expected because it's from God. You try things of this world and sometimes they're not as good as you expected about when you come to the Lord Jesus. It's always better than you expected because what we have in him is so marvelous and it's all the way here and it's for all eternity above. Well, they came and told the King's household.
But you know, there's rather a sad note at the end of this. There was one man. There was one man that didn't seem to get any good from all this. He watched the people stream by, carrying all the things they'd picked up. He watched the people as they rejoiced in the plenty that God had provided, until the crowds became so great that they trot him down and he died.
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And he never shared in it. He never shared. And why? Because he didn't believe. Because he didn't believe a dear friend. Is that what you're going to say tonight?
You're either looking up into the face of God tonight and saying I believe that I'm a Sinner and that Jesus died for me, or you're looking up into the face of the God who loves you.
And saying I don't believe I won't have it, I'll go my own way.
I prefer paying 80 shekels of silver for an ***** head. I prefer paying five shekels for a a cab of doves down. I'd rather read the newspaper with all that's going on. I'd rather just go on with the world than have Christ all. Can it be? Is there somebody here like that? Well, that verse, the next verse in Acts 13 it says.
And beware lest that come upon you which is spoken of in the prophets, Behold you despisers, and wonder and perish. For I work a work in your days, a work which she shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you. And again I say to your friends at the close of this meeting, I'm only a man, I'm only a Sinner saved by grace. But I declare these tidings to you.
And as it says here, that there would be despisers.
Who would wonder and perish? Who wouldn't receive the good of all this salvation that God has provided? Who would never know the forgiveness of sins, would never know justification, Who would never have a home in heaven just like this man?
He wouldn't believe. Always say again, is there a boy or a girl who will not believe? You're closing your heart against Jesus. You've heard the message many times. Your parents brought you here to this Bible reading, Bible readings, and you are still going to go home the same way you came, a Christ rejecter. Or perhaps some friend asked you to come into the meeting tonight.
And you've come in and you've heard about the wonderful provision that God has made.
Or you're going to go out without Christ. Oh, it's so simple. Christ has done it all.
God has been glorified in the work of his Son, and God wants to bless you tonight. God loves you, my friend. Christ died for you and he's willing to save you, to pardon you and set you on the road to heaven tonight. Would you just bow your heart and bow your head in his presence and just say, Lord, I'm a Sinner. I'm just like one of those leprous men. I don't know what to do, but I turned the oh, if you do, my friend.
He'll save you and he'll save you now.
Shall we sing #10?
There is a Savior on high in the glory, the Savior who suffered on Calvary's tree. A Savior is willing to save now as ever. His arm is almighty, His love great and free. The first verse and the last verse only with the chorus of this hymn #10.
There is also Savior.
Is prayers.
I say savior. I love Willow light Joseph.
Almighty.
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Heaven.
Brave.