Gospel—Don Mackewich
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We'd like to say good evening and welcome everyone to the Gospel meeting.
Thank you very, very much for coming out. We hope that you have enjoyed the delicious, umm, dinner tonight.
It was so good, wasn't it? Nice Turkey dinner, dessert, something to drink, gives us something to enjoy. And now we are excited. Tonight we have a special message for every single person in this room. So whether you've been with us the entire day, whether you're joining us tonight, or whether you're listening to this recording from here in St. Thomas, ON, we say welcome.
We're glad to have you here.
And we hope that tonight this will be a life changing evening for you. We have the song sheets here. I'd like to ask that you turn it to the Backpage. We're going to begin with a song that just thrills my soul and I believe many in this room number 40.
The song that reminds us that Jesus loves me. This I know for the Bible tells me so little ones to him belong. They are weak but our Savior is strong #40 We want everyone to sing please.
Jesus loves me as I know.
Or in the Lord tells me.
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Yeah.
If I lost me.
Crying here all the way in my front end. Should I die, he will Take Me Home on my Yeah I've been done while singing.
00:05:08
Before we pray, I'd like to sing one more song.
That's number nine.
I'd like to sing the first verse and the third verse.
Verse one says, come every soul by sin oppressed, there's mercy with the Lord, and He will surely give you rest by trusting in His Word. We're going to sing #9 the first verse and the third verse. We could have everybody stand for this if you're able.
Come every soul.
Grandparent was noisy and everything. That's why I'm taking care of this murder.
Oh my God.
Yeah, umm.
What's happening in the evening?
We're going to go over again. We're just ha ha, ha, ha ha.
You could please close your eyes and bow your heads, will pray and ask the Lord Jesus for His help.
Our blessed God and Father, we just thank you for the privilege of being able to share such exciting, such wonderful news, the gospel message. We just pray that we would have listening ears and open hearts. And we pray tonight that the entrance of Thy word would give light and that precious souls would be saved. That's a night would be a life changing evening for our friends here tonight. We ask this and Thy worthy and precious name.
Amen.
For those who joined us since we started singing again, a big welcome to everyone here. It's good to be here in St. Thomas ON Friends. We are thrilled to be able to open up the scriptures this evening. And when I say scriptures, I'm referring to the Holy Bible.
Because there is a message in here for each one in this room. It's a message that tonight, if you repent and put your faith and trust in Jesus, it will change your life for the better. So we are excited to be able to share it with you.
Perhaps you've heard some of this from your parents as you've been growing up. Perhaps you've had a Sunday school teacher who has faithfully told you about Jesus.
Maybe there's somebody on your block, a neighbor who has been speaking to you. Maybe this is gonna sound familiar to what somebody at work has been trying to tell you.
It's wonderful, we're excited, and we're thankful that we can share it with you. If you do have a Bible, would like to encourage you to open it and follow along. If you don't, you can just give me your best listening ears, OK, Paying close attention. And I'm gonna ask that we open up to begin with with a verse in John chapter 17.
We want to establish at the very beginning, we want to make this so clear that nobody can leave this room.
Unsure, wondering that tonight what we talk about, It's not opinions, it's not ideas. It's not something that I cooked up this afternoon for you. What we're gonna be sharing with you this wonderful news.
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Comes from this book, and this book, the Holy Bible is God's word.
And I'd like to turn to verse 17 of chapter 17.
John chapter 17 verse 17, it says sanctify them through thy truth.
Thy word is truth. So as we share this wonderful news with you tonight, it's not something that we're just making up. It's not something that we're trying to brainwash anyone in this room. We are thrilled to be able to share with you truth, God's word, This is God's word.
I'm a school teacher, and at school we sometimes like to share good quotes with our students, quotes from famous men and women who have lived or who are still living. Maybe something incredible from Martin Luther King Junior, maybe something from John C Maxwell. And those men have made important contributions to our country, to the United States and others, say Sojourner Truth and other women who have made important contributions. But they are men.
In women like you and I. But when we quote tonight, we are quoting from God's Word. We are quoting truth. So I want you to listen very carefully.
Tonight you can have peace with God. Tonight you can have your sins forgiven. Tonight you can know with assurance.
That you don't have to go to hell.
Tonight that void that you have in your heart can be filled and satisfied, and it is only through one person, the Lord Jesus Christ. So as we have this gospel message, we're going to be referring verses in the Bible. I want you to follow them. I want you to listen carefully. It's exciting because the Scriptures say the entrance of Thy word.
Give us light. The scriptures are going to give us light.
And they're going to help us see wonderful things. Jeremiah could say. Thy words were found. And I did eat them, and they were the joy and the rejoicing of my heart.
The psalmist could say, I rejoiced at thy word as one that hath found great spoil. The two on the way to Emmaus could say, as the Lord Jesus was speaking to him, did not our hearts burn within us? Well, he opened to us the Scriptures. And then one more verse that could say in Psalm 100 and 19105, Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
So as we get started, I want to just clarify something real quick. This message tonight, listen carefully. This message tonight is not try harder, become a better person. From this point forward, we're gonna improve ourselves. It's not the message you need. What we need is a message that will change our lives. And that's the message we have. And that's the message we are excited to share with you. And we're just so glad that you're here.
This message has changed my life. I was on my way to hell.
I was on my way to hell, I was a Sinner and I deserved to go there.
But the message that I share with you tonight, the person who is now my savior, can be your savior too. It's wonderful, isn't it? I'd like to begin with a verse in Romans chapter 3.
Romans chapter 3 and verse 23.
Romans chapter 3 and verse 23 says that all have sinned.
And come short of the glory of God.
So wait a minute. I came here and you're gonna start off by telling me that.
All have been.
I have to say that because it's true. If you want to have your sins forgiven tonight, we have to begin with the realization that when God looks at us, He sees us as we are, not as we think we are, not as we think we are. He sees us as we are. Like I said, this message applied to me years ago and I accepted Jesus as my Savior.
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And it says very clearly you can put your finger on it as they read it again. Aw have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Now as a school teacher, I probably have had over 1000 students come through my classrooms over the years. I have had some tremendously talented students, students who will go on to accomplish great things. And I have ones who have been what we would call middle of the road. And I have had ones who unless things change, do not have a bright future. But I have never.
Had a perfect student.
I have never met a perfect person because they don't exist. The Bible says that we all have sins. I work with some phenomenal teachers who passionately spend long hours trying to help students grow. But not one of my colleagues, not one of the people I've ever worked with in the business world, has been perfect in the eyes of God. We all have sinned, and we all.
Come short. God's standards are not mediocre. God's standards are not average or low. God's standards are high.
Perfection. No sin, none, nada, Zilch 0.
That includes all of us, doesn't it?
And because of our sins.
We all deserve what is coming if we die in our sins.
Jesus said.
Not somebody just thinking up an idea, not some philosophy, but Jesus said if you die in your sins.
Where I am, you cannot come.
The situation is actually looking kind of bleak right now, isn't it? It's not looking good, and it's not good. We need someone to come and deliver us from the wrath to come. We need someone to set us free. We need someone to die for us. We need someone who can forgive us of our sins. We need someone who can save us from going to hell. We need someone who can fill that void.
That's in the heart.
And it can't be us because we've already established. God has told us that we've all.
Come short. We're not perfect. We don't have what it takes.
We all have come short, but here is the good news.
Let's turn to it. Turn to the verse with me, please, in.
For Timothy, chapter 2.
First Timothy chapter 2 and verse five. Guys, thank you for listening. Thank you for following along in your Bibles. Thank you for oh, this is so good.
We've established the fact that we all have sinned. We've established the fact that we can't get to heaven on our own.
We've established the fact that we can't get rid of our sins on our own. We can't keep ourselves out of hell on our own. We can't fill that void on our own. But here it is in First Timothy chapter 2 and verse five, there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time.
Just quietly raise your hand if you've ever heard a story of the Lord Jesus dying on the cross.
Go ahead and put your hands down. It's a true story. So what happened years ago, over 2000 years ago?
The Lord Jesus was born as a little baby in this world.
Born in a city called Bethlehem.
He grew up. He always did what his parents asked him to do. In fact, he couldn't even sin.
And then when he was 33 years old.
The Lord Jesus was taken.
Along with two others who were guilty, who had sinned.
And who deserve to die? But the Lord Jesus was put in with that group of three men, and they were taken. And there was 3 crosses. And these three men, the Lord Jesus in the mid the middle, one on the right hand and one on the left, they were taken and nailed.
00:20:20
To a cross.
In the Lord Jesus, the one in the middle, he hadn't done anything wrong.
He hadn't sinned, but why was he there? He was dying as a substitute for you and I, if we would repent and put our faith and trust in him. So a substitute is as a school teacher, if I'm not there, they find someone to cover my class. That's the substitute. Someone is filling in for me. OK, so substitute. So there we needed a substitute, and we needed one who was perfect. Perfect.
And the only one who is ever perfect was the Lord Jesus, so there on the cross.
For three hours.
He suffered.
Physical attacks from then in the last three hours, God punished him for the sins of anyone who would repent and put their faith and trust in him. Jesus took the punishment that you and that I deserve. It's wonderful, isn't it?
And what happened next?
Is that the end of the story?
It's not the end of the story. It reminds me of a story I read in Springs in the valley of a little boy who was looking at a picture in a store window of the Lord Jesus on the cross in A businessman came next to him and the boy was looking at this picture and he told the man that man on the cross is Jesus.
Those are Roman soldiers.
And they killed them.
The man said where did you learn that?
He said. I learned that in Sunday school.
Well, the man started to walk and leave away. I'm sorry. The man started to leave and walk away.
In just a few seconds later, the little boy came up to him and he said I forgot to tell you something. He rose again.
This evening, the one who died on the cross where you and I, the one who took the punishment that we deserved, is alive.
And in the glory.
Victorious. He was the victim on the cross, but he's the victor now. He has conquered death, and we can share the good news with you.
Who would do such a thing? I'm reminded of another story. Our time is just about up. I believe it happened during World War 2. Some of you have heard this story.
A Japanese soldier there at the camp.
Was in charge of making sure that all the equipment was accounted for.
And a shovel was missing.
And the Japanese soldier gathered together the Ally or the Allies? Allies, the men and in broken English demanded.
That whoever was responsible for that missing shovel would come forth.
And be killed.
And he pointed the rifle at the men, demanding that someone take ownership, take responsibility for that missing shovel.
Finally.
A man stepped forward and said I did it.
He was quickly and severely beaten.
And died shortly thereafter.
Not long after, it was realized that all the shovels were in fact there. None of them were missing.
But this man had stepped forward and taken the punishment so that his fellow soldiers could live. Who would do such a thing? Who would give their life?
For someone else.
That's like what Jesus did for you and me. He gave his life so that you and I could have our sins forgiven, so that you and I wouldn't have to go to hell, so you and I could have that void that we have filled.
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And satisfied.
I want you just to take your bibles and close them.
I can't just let you leave hearing this gospel message.
What I need to do now is I need to ask you to make a decision for Jesus.
OK.
You don't have to come up here with me right where you're said I want you just to.
Answer these questions in your mind.
Do you believe what the Bible says? It is true that you have sins.
And do you believe?
That because of those sins.
You will be punished someday.
Do you believe the message tonight that Christ Jesus?
Do you believe the message tonight that Christ Jesus came into the world?
Do you believe that Jesus wants to save you?
He believes that he wants to save you now.
Will you let him save you now before we sing a song in closing, I just want you to close your eyes with me.
We're not going to be looking at you, watching you.
But you know who you are.
You know how you stand or how you sit with God, and they're gonna give you about 30 seconds. If you've never accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, tonight you put it just in your own words.
You can tell him that you acknowledge that you are a Sinner.
That you believe that He died for you, you repented your sins and put your faith and trust in Him.
And you'll accept this free gift of salvation. We'll give you 30 seconds starting now.
As we get ready to sing our last song, if there's anything tonight that was unclear, if you have any further questions.
You'd like to talk with myself? I'd be happy to talk with you. You'd like to talk with the person next to you? You need someone to pray with you about something. We're here for you. We love you. We care about you.
But most importantly, Jesus does, and Jesus wants to be your Savior.
On our song sheet here, we're going to sing #12.
Just as I am.
With.
My God, I was there. I am full of everything. I am alive. I.
Because I'm still here in the hell.
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Remember after we pray if you have any questions, anything wasn't clear you feel.
That your chest beating knowing that you're not right with God.
Just let us know. Let myself know. My name is Donnie. Doesn't matter. But you can let me know that someone else here know. If you need prayer for something or someone, you just need a hug, just need someone to listen to you. We're here for you. Let's pray.
Our blessed God and Father, we just pray tonight that there be ones in this room who will be able to experience the joy of having their sins forgiven by repenting and putting their faith and trust in Thee. We ask this in the worthy and precious name, Amen.