Gospel—T. Clement
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But begin the meeting this evening by all standing together and singing hymn #13 Man of sorrow. What a name for the Son of God who came ruined sinners to reclaim Hallelujah, what a savior #13.
In my heart.
Where it falls on a rainbow.
And now fell asleep.
We pray.
I'd like to turn again to Luke chapter 4.
When I came to Des Moines, I had a portion that I was interested in, in the gospel.
But sometimes it has happened. The Spirit of God can change your mind, and there's been two references already to Luke chapter 4.
And I'd like to turn back to that portion because it's a portion which the Lord Jesus.
Himself preached the gospel. He can't find a better gospel preacher anywhere on this earth than the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Our brother Ron mentioned something yesterday regarding Elijah and a widow. And our brother Dave last night mentioned some scriptures here in Luke chapter four. I would like to try and add a little bit to that and I trust it'll add something to your soul. So let's begin reading in Luke chapter 4 and verse 16 again.
And he, Jesus, came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up.
And as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up.
For to read, and there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah.
And we had opened the book. He found the place where it was written.
When he'd opened the book. I'd like to press that on all of us here tonight, especially you younger people. Have you ever opened the book?
The Lord Jesus, the one who wrote this book, he's the author of God's Word. He's the living Word of God. And yet that man, when he was here on earth, had the grace to condescend, take that book into his own hands and open it up. And I want to say to you tonight that you can't be saved without the Word of God. The gospel is very simple. You can sum it up with three facts. You're lost, God loves you, and Christ died for your sins.
You're lost, God loves you, and Christ died.
For your sins. Now, the way you learn that is not to take my word for it, but to open the book. How long has it been since you opened the book and read? You know, I didn't get saved. I didn't know a thing about the gospel. I didn't know what it even meant to be saved until I opened the book.
And if the Lord Jesus Christ himself can open the book, we ought to follow that example.
And he found the place.
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A brother brought before us this afternoon some comments about the place. I hope he doesn't mind if I maybe take that up for a few minutes. About the place. Here it is in Scripture. You want to find a place? How about the place? Here it is the place, the place where you can go to get all the wisdom and counsel of God.
The place where you can come to learn about eternal salvation. The one place you can learn about the counsels of God for this world.
The one place you can learn accurately the whole description of mankind, his depravity. The one place you can learn about the love of God for mankind. The only place you can learn about the future of this world and the future of mankind. This is the place and that place you've got in your hand. If you've got a Bible tonight, the Word of God is the place where you learn about God.
I'm so sorry I waited 20 some years before I ever bothered.
To open this book and find the secrets of God that are in it. And I would encourage anybody here tonight, maybe there's somebody here that doesn't have a Bible. Don't leave tonight without a Bible. You need that book. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. You cannot be saved tonight without faith in the Scriptures, without receiving the word of God. That's what's able to save your soul. Many, many people today are willing to come to a meeting like this or to a church and here's somebody speak.
But I want to tell you this, that the issue tonight is not between me and you, it's between you and Christ. You see, these are the words. This is the preaching of the Lord Jesus that we're reading about. And the gospel has to do with just you and with him. I know before I was saved, I used to look to a church. I used to look to a priest or a system to find comfort, to find some sort of consolation, but I never had peace. You've got to open this book and find the place where it was written.
And believe the word of God to the saving of your soul. You know many people today in the world.
Say they believe they believe I have a neighbor or a lady that rents.
On the other side of the house from me. And she says she's told me many times lately, Tom, I believe, I believe. But what does she believe? Many people believe in Jesus. You know, the Muslims believe in Jesus. The communists believe in Jesus.
But my friend, tonight the issue is this. Do you believe to this saving of your soul? I believed in Jesus.
For many, many years before I was saved. You know, he's a historical fact. There's not many history books I suppose you can take up and read and not read about Jesus Christ. But we're not talking about a religion regarding Jesus Christ. We're talking tonight about a relationship with the Lord Jesus. Well, I wanted to point this out. There's another place in the Gospel of Luke. Let's turn to it, Luke 23. We'll come back to chapter 4. But Speaking of the place.
These thoughts just came to mind this afternoon and this evening.
I want to point you to another place in Luke chapter 23.
And verse 32.
And there were also two other malefactors LED with him, that is the Lord Jesus to be put to death, and when they were come.
To the plate, which is called Calvary.
There, they crucified him. If you're going to be saved tonight, my friend, this is the place.
You need to come to the cross. The cross.
The cross of Christ. That's how I got saved when I looked up through the book of Romans.
That Christ died for my sins, that he was buried and the third day rose again from the scriptures, all according to the scriptures. I said I must believe that. And I remember the struggle that went on in my soul as I felt that that was just too cheap and that was too easy. But God's working, when God works, He humbles us, and there's nothing in man of himself that will receive this. It must be the work of God. It must be the work of God. So God humbled me to see that I must come to the place of the cross, the place of the skull, and believe that Christ died for my sins.
If you believe that, now, that's the way of salvation, the only way. There's no other way to be saved except through the blood of Christ. You know there must be a substitute for you. There must be somebody that stands between you and God. You can't stand for yourself. God requires blood to make an atonement for the soul. He's done that all throughout Scripture. You can go back into the book of Genesis and look at the first couple, Adam and Eve. And how did God clothe Adam and Eve after they had sinned?
It says with skin, so an animal had to be killed and blood had to be shed.
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To cover Adam and Eve, and that's no different for you today. If you'd like to have your sins covered, you need.
The blood of Christ, and only the blood of Christ. It will take away all your sins.
Well, in Luke chapter 4, when Jesus had opened the book, He found the place where it was written. If I could press on you people here tonight, just one thing, you must, you must open the Bible and read it for yourself. I know it's so tempting to come to these conferences because I did it after I was first saved and listened and get paid and take home lots of written ministry. But I tell you what has blessed my soul more than all of that put together.
Is when I open the book and read. Open the book and read. If you have questions tonight about your soul salvation, about the forgiveness that stands, I encourage you to open the book and find the place. There's many young people here tonight. Maybe you have some questions about what to do in your life, what kind of education they get. I say to you, open the book. The answers are in the book.
And some of you are interested, I no doubt, perhaps we all are, We're going to have a partner in life. Open the book and see what the instructions are in God's book about those things. Some of you are wondering what's this world coming to the chaos and the environment and the economies of this world. I say to you, open the book and find where it's written about these things. It's all there in the Bible. Jesus did it and I can do it. And you can do it without faith, remember, it's impossible.
To please God and faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
And what did the Lord Jesus preach? Luke chapter 4 and verse 18, he said.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor.
He has sent me to heal a broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captive.
And recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised or crushed.
To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. Is there someone here tonight that's poor?
I tell you, there's the unsearchable riches of Christ that are offered to you tonight through the God.
I've never been a wealthy man myself, but I've seen now that I have Christ that my inheritance is the whole world. The wealth of this whole world is going to be mine. The Bible says I'm an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ. But for the poor, you have the unsearchable riches of Christ offers just by receiving the gospel of Christ to heal the broken hearted. Many of us know about broken hearts. You know I've had my heart broken before.
Mainly in relationships with people. Maybe in your family, maybe with a boyfriend or a girlfriend, maybe somebody at school, Oregon, somebody at work. Many of you know what it's like to have your heart crushed. Maybe something's been said to you. I know when I was growing up, it's very easy for me to take the sticks and stones from my neighbor friends. But when somebody would say something to you, remember that. Remember that when your best friend in the neighborhood or maybe a brother or sister in the family said something to you.
And it so crushed you, you couldn't even speak.
All you could do is just breakdown and weep. That's a broken heart. Jesus knows all about broken heart. And maybe some of you have had broken relationships, many broken families in this world today. The Lord Jesus can heal that. There's one above all others that knows about broken hearts. That man hung on a cross 2000 years ago and he says reproach has broken my heart. That man had a broken heart like nobody else, and he can heal yours.
He looked out at that multitude hanging at Calvary's cross, and he looked for one person to have pity.
You look for one person that would have comfort or compassion. He could find none. None of his disciples, none of the women, none of the soldiers. There wasn't anybody in that whole scene at Golgotha.
It could identify with what the Lord Jesus was going through. Reproach broke his heart.
So he knows about healing, broken heart, and the priest's deliverance.
To the captive as captive to sin. If you're here tonight and you're still lost, you're a captive to sin, a slave to it. I remember the struggles before I was saved. You know, God, I'd like to be out of this mess. I wish I didn't love to sin so much.
What can I do to deliver myself? And one day is better than the next. You think you conquer, and then the next day you fall right back into it again. You're a captive who can set me free. The Bible says that the sun shall make you free. You shall be free indeed. And I got set free when I came to Christ, believed in him, and received him as my Lord and Savior. And the recovering of sight to the blind. So many people are blind today.
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Then, blinded by the God of this world, the wealth of this country has blinded your eyes and my eyes, until God opens them.
Are you blind to what's going on around you? So many people think the world is just going on, it's going to get better and better. They're blind.
Men love darkness, it seems, rather than light, because their deeds are evil. Do you like to have your eyes open?
To know what the real condition of the world is, the real condition of your own soul.
The real condition even of God's church on earth, You need Jesus.
You can anoint your eyes with ISAF, you can open your eyes that you can see and he'll show you from the word of God.
And to set at liberty them that are crushed. So many people have been crushed today under the circumstances of life, monetary, family circumstances. Think of all the things that there are in this world that have crushed people, that have crushed people. The enormous burdens that there are in this world today, all the personal troubles, family troubles, church troubles, and troubles in the environment, politics and economics. Think of them all the people are just under this horrible burden.
Who can deliver this man, This man, one man can do all this. So Lord Jesus, so you've got to have a relationship with him. Not just a religion about him, but a relationship with him.
And he said to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book and gave it again to the minister and sat down. And all the eyes, and the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And I would pray that tonight. I've prayed it already that if nothing else, tonight, those of you that are here, if there's one thing you could see, you'd be able to see Jesus.
We see Jesus.
We see Jesus. Have you seen Christ? I mean, I've never seen him with these eyes, but I have seen him by faith.
And I love that man, the Bible says, whom having not seen ye love. And if any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, it says in the scriptures, let him be a curse, The Lord is coming.
Do you have affection? We heard this afternoon about affection for Christ. Do you have a love for the Lord Jesus? If you don't, there's something missing.
There's something missing. Well, I trust your eyes will be fixed on that one tonight. You know, not on a podium or a preacher. There's fifty brothers in this room that could stand up and go through this portion too, and bring out these same things. And you might be able to line up all the 10 greatest preachers in Christianity Today, and they can stand up here and preach wonderful things, but you can't be saved by a preacher.
You only be saved by Jesus Christ. And how many today have got their eyes fixed on a minister instead of on Christ? That's very, very sad. Men comparing themselves with men are now wise. But when you compare yourself with the Lord Jesus, that's going to do one thing for you. It's going to humble you. It's going to humble you. Right through the dust. We'll look up and look at Christ. You'll see that he died for you. And I trust tonight that your eyes will be fastened on him. And in verse 21, he began to say unto them this day.
Is this scripture fulfilled?
In your ears, this day, this day, I believe this is the day of your salvation. It impressed me again last night when my brother Dave stood up and began the gospel. That him, I thought to myself, sitting in my seat here, you know this is the most important gospel meeting that has ever been preached.
This is the most important gospel meeting I've ever been to, because it may be the last.
A God in his mercy has waited one more day, and now we've started one more gospel meeting.
And I've told you the way of salvation already. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. This is the most important gospel meeting.
That has ever been preached to any of you people because it may be the last you'll ever hear.
So it's good to take heed. I believe the coming of the Lord is very, very near and one of these gospel mediums, perhaps this one.
Is going to be the last and if you're not saved you don't get another chance. Those that have heard the gospel of Christ will not have a chance to hear the gospel of the Kingdom.
And be brought into the Millennium. If you've heard this gospel and rejected it to be no mercy shown.
Beyond this, this is the day. This is the day of salvation.
Now is the acceptable time. Now is the day of your salvation. I remember the day that I got saved. And many people, as I see in the Bible, I'm sure Paul remembered the day that the Lord struck him down on the road of Damascus. And I'm sure the Philippian jailer remembered the day that he was saved. I remember the day that I was saved. And if you'd like to be happy, why don't you be saved tonight? Why don't you be saved now? Jesus says this right here. This day. Is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears?
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Will you receive it? Don't put it off. Man is not the boast of the Morrow. You don't know what a day is going to bring forth. If the Lord will, we shall live and do this or do that. If the Lord will, we shall live. I may not live till tomorrow, let alone do the activities that I purpose to do tomorrow. I may not even be alive tomorrow, and you might not be either.
So believe it. Now, don't put this off.
And verse 22, it says all bear him witness and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. Oh, I tell you, grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. If there was ever a man that walked on the face of this earth that could reach the heart, it was this man. If this man and I would beg of anybody here tonight that's not saved. You listen to the word of the Lord Jesus. The Spirit of God will do the rest not me, the Spirit of God. Oh, listen to the gracious words of the Lord Jesus. That's what he is. He's grace and he's truth.
And they said, is not this Joseph's son?
No, he's not.
Joseph's son.
I want to ask you what thinking of Christ?
Is he just Joseph's son? No, he wasn't Joseph's son, the Lord Jesus.
I was not born of Joseph. The Lord Jesus Christ was born of a virgin.
And the Holy Ghost, Joseph was not the father of the Lord Jesus, but the natural man. You know, he wants to look at what he can see on the outside.
And so he, the natural man here, they looked at Mary and Joseph and they saw that this child was being brought up. I believe that this time now Joseph is gone, he's dead, he's passed away. But they look back in, in time and they could see this man Joseph associated with this young child Jesus and Mary. And they assume that Joseph must be the father. No, no, Joseph was not the father of the Lord Jesus. God was Jesus Father, this man Jesus that we're talking about here.
Not Joseph's son is God's son. He's God's son. It's very important to get the right Christ.
You know, it's very subtle how the Christian world even at Christmas time will make much of this. They say things like the parents of the Lord Jesus or Joseph's son or Joseph was Jesus father. It's very subtle how that creeps in. But I believe the Lord Jesus is the Son of God, born of a virgin and born by the Spirit of God. What do you believe about Christ? What think ye of Christ? You know there's many Christ that are preaching the world today. Well, the Christ I see in the Bible.
Is the eternal Son of God and he came down to this world and became a man for 33 years and he was a perfect man apart from sin. There was no sin in the Lord Jesus. So he was perfectly God and he was the only perfect man apart from sin that ever walked or lived on this earth. This is the Christ that saves your soul if you believe in Him.
And he said unto them, You will surely say to me this proverb position, Heal thyself whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum.
You also in thy country. And he said, Verily I stand to you. No prophet is accepted.
In his own country. But I tell you the truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias.
Elijah, when the heaven was shut up, three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land.
But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Zaiden.
Under a woman that was a widow.
Brother Ron spoke to us about this yesterday. I want to ask you one question. Those of you that were here and heard this story about the widow, what was the one thing, What's the one thing that this woman did that spared her from death?
Well, one thing that poor widow woman do when Elijah came to her.
That saved her from certain death. Have you thought about it? One thing she did, she obeyed.
Obeyed. She believed the word that Elijah said unto her. She obeyed it.
And she was spared from death. Now that's the whole principle of the gospel. You must obey the gospel. And the obedience of the gospel is simply this, to believe it, to believe it. This is the work of God that she believed on him whom He has sent. You see, there's going to be judgment in the future for all those that obey, that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, that believe not God and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. You must obey the gospel.
Now, this is not law, this is not a formula. This is just a biblical fact. That woman, this widow, if she was going to be spared from death, must obey the prophet Elijah. Go get me a drink of water. The prophet just simply asked for a drink of water and she obeyed. I want to say tonight, all God's asking you to do is trust in His Son to obey whatever the Scripture is, that the Spirit may be pressing on your heart regarding your sins, regarding the salvation that's in Christ. I don't know how the Spirit of God works.
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In everybody's heart.
That if the spirit is pressing something on your soul tonight, I, I would exhort you to receive it and to obey it. And I can tell you the scripture that saved my soul that I had to obey. It's Romans 10/9. Romans 10/9. I remember the weeks of agonizing about my soul. You know, God, I want peace. What's all this stuff about a rapture? What's all this stuff about judgment? I'm not saved. People talking to me about being saved, talking to me about a rapture. And if I'm not saved, I don't go in the rapture. What's all this about? I'd like to know about it. I'd like to be at peace.
And so I began to read through the book of Romans, and I came to chapter 10.
And I struggle with a lot of things. There's so much I don't understand, but I came to that verse nine if.
Thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus. Now I understood that.
Finally, something in this biologist. I understand that I've got to say with my mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord.
I remember sitting there on the couch in the living room in that apartment, and I told God that he was Lord. I believe that the Bible says he's Lord. He's Lord of all.
And if thou shalt believe in thine heart, that God has raised him.
Raised him from the dead. Thou shalt be saved. And I said, Lord, I believe.
And that's when I got peace. See, I had to obey, and you've got to obey too. If you go out of this room without obeying the gospel, you go out of this room lost.
You continue just the way you were born.
Everyone in this room was born lost, and you weren't very old before you became guilty.
You become guilty when you know right from wrong and you do that which is wrong.
So you're lost and you're guilty. Oh, I had to obey. I thank God that I did, or I wouldn't be here tonight.
I don't know where I'd be tonight if the Lord had saved my soul that day, but you're responsible.
Your deadly responsible to receive these things as the word of God.
Not the word of man, it's not the word of man. The word of any preacher is going to save you, but the word of God. You must be like this widow.
You must obey the word of God as it has come to you. Now we have another person here. Verse 27. Many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elizabeth or Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed save Naman the Syrian.
Naman the Syrians. I'd like to turn back to that story now. In Second Kings. I want to read about this man Naman.
And maybe there will be something for your soul then. A lot for my soul. And the story of this dear man.
I'm going to see Naaman someday in heaven.
He's there now.
Someday I'm going to see him be wonderful to talk to this man Naman and the Lord Jesus used this story.
In preaching the gospel. And I'd like to use it tonight too, so to turn back the second Kings chapter 5.
2 Kings chapter 5 and we'll see what the Lord Jesus was bringing up in his ministry here about.
A leper named Naaman and we'll see if we can't get something out of this that might be a prophet.
To our souls, 2 Kings 5 and verse one.
Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honorable, because by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria. He was also a mighty man in valor, but he was a leper.
And the Syrians have gone out by companies and have brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little made.
And she waited on Naaman's wife, and she said unto her mistress.
Would God, my Lord, we're with a prophet that is in Samaria.
For he would recover him of his leprosy. And one went in and told his Lord, saying thus and thus said the maid.
It is of the land of Israel, and the king of Syria said, Go to go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel.
And he departed. He named and departed and took with him 10 talents of silver and 6000 pieces of gold.
And 10 changes of raiment. And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying now.
When this letter has come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent name and my servant to thee.
That thou mayest recover him of his leprosy. And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter.
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That he ran his clothes and said, Am I God to kill and to make a lie? That this man does sin unto me?
To recover a man of his leprosy. Wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh the quarrel against me.
Naman story naman. Go back to verse one now and make some comments about this man. He was a great man with his master. And I look out of this room and I know in this room there's a lot of great people in the world. I've talked with some of you. There's engineers here and there's PhDs here and there's people that are very skilled in computer work. There's lots of people that are excellent farmers. Maybe some of you are involved in other technologies I don't know anything about, but there's some great people here.
And you're very valuable to the world, like Naaman. But I want to tell you, if you're not saved, you're still just a leper. Now, leprosy in Scripture speaks about sin. And it doesn't matter how great of a person you might be in this world, like Naaman. Naman was a great man in the world, but he was a leper. He had an incurable disease.
It also says that he was an honorable man or gracious man. He knew how to get along with people and some of you folks here are very gifted at getting along with people.
But I want to tell you this. It doesn't save your soul. It has nothing to do with the salvation of your soul, the cleansing of your sin, the fact that you know how to get along with other Christians. Some of you young people are very good at school. There might be valedictorians here and salutorians, and I don't know what other kind of Torians there might be here, but you may be very able in school. That's good.
But you can be a straight A student in school, the top of your class, and you might still be a leper.
You might still be a leper.
You can be at the very top of your field. You can go all the way to Washington, DC and still be a leopard.
I remember the months that I worked in Washington, DC, got into some pretty big offices back there. Pretty impressive. You know, you put on your coat and your tie and you get your passes.
To the White House and the Office of Management and Budget and you go and oh, it's so impressive and I was still a leper.
A miserable, unhappy, unpeaceful leopard.
My skins weren't gone.
Got into the very highest places in this country and is still a leopard, just like Naaman. And for some of you kids out there, young people, you're looking to be great into this world, you better think about this man name. And he had it. He got as high as he could get in Syria. And he's also a gracious man. He knew how to get along with people.
And it says also that he was.
He had given deliverance.
Under Syria, for he was a mighty man in valor, a great warrior too. He knew how to fight.
Very gifted, able man, still a leper. I've got a friend, a very able and gifted man, a great warrior in the Air Force. And probably, I think the last time I was at this conference, I'd seen John, Colonel John Craig, just before I came to the conference. And he, he flies a very sophisticated jet. And now he's very high in the Air Force and he's a great man, just like Naman. And I thought about my friend John in connection with this chapter many, many times, but he still, he's still.
A leper. He's still a leper.
So beware of this people. It doesn't matter how great you may be in this world, if you're still dead in your sin, you're going to stand before another man that's far greater than anybody else. You're going to stand before the man Christ Jesus, and you're going to shrink with terror. Your mouth is going to be stopped as you see that holy man on that great white throne. And your mouth is stopped. And you stand there condemned in your sins, a leopard for eternity, a leper for eternity.
Don't do that.
The Syrians have gone out by companies in verse two, in a Broadway captive out of the land of Israel. A little made, and she waited on Naman's wife, and she said unto her mistress, Would God my Lord, were with the Prophet, that is, in Samaria, where he would recover him of his leprosy.
I'd like to make this comment especially to the younger people, to myself who I think I'm still a young people.
Don't give up your testimony for the Lord Jesus.
I know some of you are in school. I know when I was first aid I was so nervous about saying anything about Christ. But the Lord's helped me overcome that nervousness. And some of the young people, especially, I think of the younger sisters, it's a very fearful thing to speak up and speak for the Lord. You may be very discouraged by your circumstances. No doubt this little maid was enormously discouraged by her circumstances. She'd been taken captive out of her homeland. Perhaps her parents had been killed. Now she's all alone in the enemy's camp, all alone.
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Now what does she do?
Peaks up for God a number name in the Bible. You know, I suppose everybody in this room has heard about Naaman. This is a well known portion. There's nothing new that I'm bringing up in this part of the Bible. But what about the little girl? The little no name?
You know this whole story, this whole story about this great man Naaman and the greater prophet Elisha, all hinges on a no name. You can tend to be a no name and have God use you to turn great men and maybe even great women around. Think about the no names in the Bible. Or think about it. Almost all the great people you can read about in the Bible, their life, somewhere in their life you're going to find a little no name.
And the whole fulcrum of their life hinges and tilts on this unknown person.
His little mate Naaman's whole life was turned around because one little girl spoke up. Maybe there's some of you younger people at school and you've got a great professor, somebody that's really respected, and maybe some little comment that you might make in passing for the Lord Jesus or for the Bible, something for the word of God. That man's soul may turn, may hinge on what you say. Don't give up your testimony. Don't you don't want to be obnoxious. I know I was very offended by.
People that try to cram religion down my throat, even real Christians. I don't like that attitude myself. But here this little girl waited because she saw an opportunity. This man had a need, and she knew who could meet that need.
And we all know people that have a need, and we know who can meet that need. It's the Lord Jesus, the man of God.
Elisha here is a man of God. I believe he is a picture of the Lord Jesus. Don't be surprised if one little comment, one little track that you leave with a soul that's got some burden or some exercise may spread and God may multiply it. Look at all the people that heard this comment by the little maid. The mistress Naaman went clear up through the chain of command clear to the king of Syria. I wonder how many people may have been turned to God by the comment of this little no name girl. Think about it people.
The young people especially, you know, don't hide your light when you get an opportunity.
Speak up for Christ. Somebody's soul, eternal destiny is going to hinge on it. Somebody spoke up in my life. That's the only reason I can be here tonight. Verse five, the king of Syria said go to go and I will send a letter to the king of Israel. And he departed and took with him 10 talents of silver, 6000 pieces of gold and 10 changes of raiment.
Boy, what a load this man had trying to buy his salvation. Anybody here tonight trying to buy your way into the Kingdom of heaven, the Kingdom of God? Anybody here trying to buy your salvation? You can't be bought. They can't be bought. The Bible says without money and without price. The Bible says the gift of God is eternal life. You can't give God all the earth in exchange for the forgiveness of one of your sins.
No, the issue tonight in the gospel is God's trying to give to you. Will you receive it? Will you receive it? Don't dare try to give God anything. Naman had good intentions, I suppose, like we all did at one time, to try and bring something to God and to have God accept it. He had silver, gold and raiment. And I like to make this application in a room like this tonight. This is serious. Silver speaks of redemption. He had 10 talents of silver, perhaps hundreds of pounds of silver. Might have been 500 lbs of silver.
1000 lbs of silver perhaps, I don't know, tremendous load of silver. And it speaks about redemption in the Bible and this. I look out at this room and I see a lot of people in this room tonight that I know have got the knowledge of redemption. You can tell me how to be saved better than I can say it. You know all the doctrines of salvation, redemption. Naaman had all this silver and he's still a leper. I want to ask you tonight, you have all the knowledge of salvation and you don't know the Savior.
You got 10 talents of silver.
But you don't know the man of God. It could be, it could be how many people are in churches tonight.
Hearing this very same message, thousands, millions of people here and tonight, perhaps the way of salvation, but they don't know Christ. Are you just in the church and not in Christ? You got to be in Christ to be saved because the Scripture says if any man be in Christ, he's a new creature. Being in church don't make you a new creature. I was in church. I mean, I went to a lot of churches before I was saved and I wasn't in Christ.
00:40:06
I have a little knowledge but in a room like this I believe this is a fundamental Bible believing group as they say.
Many of you have got 10 talents of silver.
But I'm afraid that some of you may still be lepers.
And he also had that 6000 pieces of gold. Gold in the Bible speaks about the person.
The divinity, the glory of Christ. I mean, Jesus is solid gold.
And in a room like this, in the past meetings, the last two days, there's been a lot brought out about the person of the Lord Jesus.
Tremendous subject in itself, and I'm afraid that there may be some here tonight. Know a lot about the person of Christ who he is. All about His eternal sonship, the work of redemption, His perfect holiness as a man, where he is now in heaven and what he's going to do in the future at the rapture and at the reign of Christ, when he comes back to this earth. You may know all these things. You may have 6000 pieces of gold and still be a leper.
Still be.
It's one thing you know to know about Christ. It's another thing to know Christ. Oh, be sure. Be sure you know the Lord.
Knowledge can pop up. You know, I knew some things about the Bible before I knew Christ.
If I name it.
Add some silver, add some gold. But I was still a left naman. Had 10 changes of raiment.
Now Raymond in the Bible, I generally believe, means the outward appearance, the outward profession.
And boy, we're in a room full of people that are very good at putting on Christianity. Putting on Christianity.
You know the right language.
Oh, I can tell you exactly what you want to hear.
But you can tell me exactly what I want to hear you associate with just the right people.
Are you saying just the right things you have at home on your bookshelf? Just the right ministry?
You've got these ten changes, Arraignment just like naman, but naman still a leper. Still a leper.
You can have all the clothing of Christianity, all the outward appearance of Christianity, the humble car and the humble house and the humble speech, and still be a leper. Oh, be careful. You know, these are serious things in a room like that. I'm glad God allows the Scriptures to penetrate us and expose us a little bit.
And I trust that the people here tonight that you do have the knowledge of redemption and the person of Christ. And there is the outward profession of Christianity. Man does look on the outward appearance. But I want to be sure, I want to ask you this question. Do you know the Lord? Are you in Christ or just in a fellowship?
You know the Lord Jesus.
Well, he brought the letter and verse six to the king of Israel. Now when this letter has come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent name and my servant to thee.
That thou mayest recover him of his leprosy. And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter.
That he ran his clothes and said am I God to kill?
And to make a lie, that this man does send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy.
Wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me. I'd like to.
Suggests that the king of Israel might represent the law.
The law, the law of God, the 10 commandments, if you will. And I was one of those poor souls that was under the 10 commandments for many years. Well, what can that administration do? What are the 10 commandments in the Bible? The Bible tells me this, that the law is a taskmaster.
The administration of the law of God is a ministry of death.
It's a ministry of death, not of life. Well, this king was right. Am I God to kill and to make alive? No, he could kill.
He could kill. The king of Israel had the authority to take life and to kill, and that's what the law does. It did it to me. It's done it to many people. You put yourself under the law, you're going to kill yourself. Read Romans chapter 6 and Chapter 7 and see if it's not so. By the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in the sight of God. I do not frustrate the righteousness of God. If righteousness has come by the law, Christ is dead in vain.
If you can attain any favor with God through the law, the death of Christ, the cross of Christ with all vanity, but it's not so. The law can only kill, but it cannot make a lie. Did Naman come to the King of Israel to get killed? He came there to get healed. And that's what the gospel is tonight is to bring life. Jesus said I am come that you might have life and you might have it more abundantly, and he is eternal life. And this is eternal life, that they might know thee, the one true God, the only true God and Jesus Christ.
00:45:19
From now I sent Do you have life? Life eternal.
Oh, don't put yourself under law.
It'll kill you, but Jesus will give you life.
Verse 8 And it was so when Elijah, the man of God.
And heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes?
Let him now come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet.
In Israel, get those words in your soul if you're not saved.
Here's a word from the man of God, Elijah. I believe he represents the Lord Jesus.
Let him now come to me.
Would you come to the Lord now and be saved?
Come now to me. You see, it's a personal thing. It's not come to a conference, not come to a meeting, not come to your parents, not come to a preacher, not come to an elder. Jesus has come to me. All ye that labor and are heavy laden, I'll give you a rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn to me, for I'm meek and lowly, and you shall find rest unto your soul. But you must come. You know the Lord Jesus came once.
To this earth to die, God has raised him from the dead and put him in his right hand in heaven.
And now the invitation in the gospel is that we must come to him. How do I do that? Well, you don't come down and alter call.
You don't go to somebody else in this room, you don't go to me or anybody else in this room to get saved. You come to Christ and that's by faith. That's why the Word of God is so important for you to believe. If you don't receive the Scriptures, you cannot be saved. You cannot be saved. Come now, let him now come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel. So Naman came with his horses and with his chariot and stood at the door of the House of Elijah. I believe everybody in this room tonight.
Is standing at the door.
But Jesus says this, I am the door by me. If any man enter in, he shall be saved.
Remember the day I entered in and was saved? I don't believe it's important that you know the day I happen to know it, and I suppose some of you do. But the important thing is, have you entered into the door?
And Christ is that door.
Another interesting scripture, I believe it's in Mark. It says the whole city came together and they stood at the door.
And maybe there's a room full of people here tonight there to come right up to the door. But that's not good enough. You must enter in. And now is the door narrow is the way that leads to life. You've got to come one at a time. You can't take the hand of your mom or dad.
Your boyfriend or girlfriend or your aunt or your uncle or your grandpa and come in. You got to come by yourself.
Come in the door, and that door is the Lord Jesus. But here Naaman came, and Justice stood at the door, and Elisha sent a messenger unto him. And that's all we are, we're just messengers. And what do the messengers say? Go and wash in Jordan 7 times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. But Naaman was wroth and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, he will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and recover the leper.
Are not Habana and far, far rivers of Damascus better than all the waters of Israel?
May I not washing them and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.
Hey, God hates pride. Oh, but how God likes to get at that root. He got at it and me, and he's still getting at it.
Somebody read today from the book of Job. I abhor myself and repent and dust and ashes. Naman is not to that point yet. He that exalts himself shall be obeys, but he that humbles himself shall be exalted. Naman was asked to go and do something he never thought he'd have to do, go down into muddy Jordan and dip himself not once, but seven times. Now what's the secret of this man's deliverance, his salvation, his cleansing?
This man Naman has to do exactly what the widow did back in First Kings 17 that we already talked about. He has to do exactly the same thing the widow does or did. What is that? He must obey. He must obey the gospel. You know, they had two different messages brought to them. Naman was supposed to go down into the water. The widow was supposed to bring some water up.
00:50:04
And so God deals with everybody in this room a little differently. I mean, the way God worked in my life to save my soul is different from the way he worked in your life. But we've all got to obey.
We've all got to receive Christ, however it is that He works with you. I don't know.
But I know that he is. If you're here tonight, I believe God is speaking to you. And Jordan, lowest river on the face of the earth, as far as I know. I think there's one other place maybe on the planet that's lower. But anyway, Jordans, a place of loneliness, the muddy river that old.
***** spiritual, beautiful old hymn. Muddy Jordan. Muddy Jordan. I like that hymn. Wonderful old hand nobody likes to go over or go through. Muddy Jordan. Naman didn't like it.
You know, this speaks to me about repentance, and I think this is getting to the root of some of the failure.
And wishy washy nuts and Christianity Today, in all the plastic Christianity that we see today, the root goes back to this There's no repentance.
No repentance. Naaman's got to repent. He's got to humble himself.
And until you realize that yourself, people, until I've realized it.
I'm really not going to have anything to do with God. You know, I want to do it my way. I grew up with that.
I heard it when I was growing up. Anyway, I did it my way and I was walking through a cemetery the other day in Bozeman, Mt.
At a funeral and it's very depressing to go through a cemetery and I came to one tombstone.
Right at the end of a row and I was shocked to see this. Just the man's name.
Didn't live very long, but emblazoned in great big letters across that granite boulder and it was a big tombstone.
I did it my way. I wonder where he is now.
Where is that soul right now? I did it my way just like naman.
I want to get saved my way. God has one way.
And that's for you to repent and receive Christ.
The Bible is full of people that have repented and are in hell.
The Bible full of people that have repented and are in hell. Did you get that there was a man in the Old Testament, Balaam.
He showed a little repentance one time. He's in hell. There's a man in the New Testament.
Says he repented himself, went out and hanged himself. Who was that? He's in hell as Judas. There's another man that was exceeding sorry. It says that he cut off John the Baptist's head. Who's that and where is he now? He's in hell. You can be so sorry for what you've done in your life, what you've done against your reputation and your family, and you can still go to hell because repentance is not enough. If it's just towards yourself, you must have repentance toward God. Repentance toward God.
Against thee and thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight.
Without repentance there can be no salvation. Well, I'm glad though in verse 13 the servants came near.
That's something I could do, or the Spirit of God at least could do to you tonight. Come near and tell you this, my Father.
My son, my daughter, my friend, the prophet had bid thee do some great thing. Would you not have done it? I'd much rather than when you say it to be washed and be clean. Then he went down. Then he went down and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God. He obeyed and his flesh came again like under the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. I pray this there won't be one person go out of those doors tonight that's not been washed in the blood of Christ.
But you must have repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Well, I tell you a name. And had no regrets, did he? This great man had to come down and humble himself. But did he have any regrets that he obeyed the man of God? And you'll never have any regrets either, if you'll obey the gospel of Christ. And he returned in verse 15 to the man of God. He and all his company came and stood before him naman before he had come and been able to stand at the door.
We've been able to come and stand at the door and I suppose tonight you're all standing at the door of heaven.
You're not saved tonight. You're at the door of heaven. The only way to come in is through faith in Christ.
And the only way you'll ever be like Naman and stand before the man of God in peace, knowing that you're saved, you're cleansed.
You're a new creature in Christ, as if you obey and receive the Lord Jesus like Namah.
He came and he stood before Elisha, and I trust everybody here tonight. Someday we'll be able to stand in perfect assurance and peace, cleansed by the blood of Christ before the Lord Jesus, with all confidence, knowing that your sins are as far as the east is from the West. They've been removed from you. Oh, what peace, what joy that naman must have had. This was a happy day for Naaman, a happy day for Naaman. I hope it'd be a happy day.
00:55:14
For you.
Let's stand and sing #5.
Oh Happy Day that it's my choice on thee, my Savior and my God.
Well, may this glowing heart rejoice and tell its raptures all abroad #5.
My Savior and my heart.
Well, make it holy heart, freeze us and jealous.
Your heart will be a living.
Sends away.