Gospel—Jim Hyland
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All the Savior at the door, he gently knocked as knocked before.
Has waited long, this waiting still you use no other friend says. Well admit him for the human rest. There it came so kind of death. No mortal Kong. The joy to tell the name is on the presence of God. Open the door. You'll enter The end.
Remember 20 arrived between.
Oh.
My God.
I'd like to turn tonight to the 34th Psalm.
Psalm 34.
I'm not only going to read this Psalm, but I'm going to read the title of.
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34.
Beginning with the title a Psalm of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech, If you notice your margin, Achish, Who drove him away, and he departed, I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord. The humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name. Together I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto him, and were lightened, and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried unto the Lord, cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The Angel of the Lord in campus round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.
O taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man that trusteth in him. Oh, fear the Lord ye his Saints, for there is no want to them that fear him. The law. The Young Lions do laugh and suffer hunger, but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. Come, ye children, hearken unto me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord. What man is he that desireth life and loveth many days?
That he may see good, Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil, and do good seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open under their cry. The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth and delivereth them out of all their troubles.
The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, and save us such as be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. He keepeth all his bones. Not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked, and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate. The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants, and none of them that trust in him.
Shall be desolate. Now just hold your finger here. We're going to come right back to this portion, but I want to read 2 New Testament portions as well.
The first one is in Hebrews chapter one.
Hebrews chapter one and verse one God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners spake in time passed under the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds, who being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person.
And upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high, and then in Revelation chapter One.
Revelation, Chapter One, and we'll begin with the third word of verse 5.
Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness and the first begotten of the dead and the Prince of the kings of the earth.
Unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Well, this 34th Psalm might seem like a strange portion to begin a gospel meeting with. But you know, as was said in these meetings already, no matter where we turn in the word of God, the subject is always Christ.
Because it's Christ that we have to present to the say as the Savior of sinners this evening.
It's Christ in Christ crucified. And as we read a Psalm like this, we see prophetically brought before us the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, I know that these psalms in their character are Jewish. I have no doubt that this song will have its real fulfillment.
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In a coming day when God's earthly people, the Jews, are no longer atheistic as they are today, but they come to sit down under the shadow of His wings, they recognize the Lord Jesus for who He really is, the Messiah. They realize that He's the one who died on Calvary cross, and He finally.
Peace for that nation and for this world, when the King of righteousness rises with healing in his wings, and the Prince of Peace rules in this world. And so no doubt this Psalm looks on to a future day. But I suggest that there's something very exercising for us to consider tonight in the presentation of the gospel of the grace of God. Because as I say, what God has for the soul tonight is Christ and Christ alone.
Maybe there is someone and you come into this gospel meeting for one reason or another, and you come in with an empty, aching heart. If you come in with an empty, aching heart tonight, oh, we have good news to tell you. We have to tell you of one who can fill and satisfy your heart right in the city of Pellet tonight, the state of Iowa, the country of the United States of America, and around this world, people are trying to satisfy their thirst and hunger by the things of this world.
They're trying to satisfy it by pleasure and amusement. They're trying to satisfy it by the vices of humanity.
But are they finding satisfaction? Oh, never will the human soul, the human heart, be satisfied apart from what God has to offer through the Lord Jesus Christ. I might just say this, that if you have come into this gospel meeting lost and in your sins tonight.
I want you to realize that you were the special focus and object of prayer just a few moments before this gospel meeting started. I don't know if you realize, but in another room of this building there were some who met to kneel before the throne of grace and to plead for your soul.
And perhaps if you had heard some of those prayers, it would touch your soul to realize that you are loved not just by a loving God, but by for individuals sitting in this room tonight. Individuals who have called a gospel meeting and who have poured out their soul before the Lord on behalf of your blessing. Because they don't want you to go to hell. They want you to turn from darkness to light.
I was reminded just before that prayer meeting of an individual at this these meetings last year, one year ago, who had a very unique opportunity.
A young man who attended these meetings a year ago and who went up to the room where we had prayer not only this evening but a year ago for the same purpose. He went up there to kind of escape the crowd and be alone for a little while and to rest, and he stretched out on one of the couches up there.
And this young man was rather shy and reticent, and pretty soon brothers began to congregate in that room for the prayer meeting for the gospel. And not knowing quite what to do, he remained.
And he heard not only brother after brother pray for the loss.
But he heard at least one brother pray for him by name. I am told that since then this young man has come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as his savior. What about you tonight? If you could have listened in to those prayers and heard brother after brother pour out their heart, would it make you realize that you're loved but all tonight you're loved, not just by somebody in this room.
But you are loved infinitely by a God who sent His Son to be the Savior of the world's. You are loved by the Lord Jesus Christ, who, when He was here, He saw a young man who came to him.
And it says, Jesus beholding him, loved him. Do you realize that the eye of the Lord Jesus looks down from heaven tonight and the Lord Jesus loves you? We often sing with the boys and girls that little song. Jesus loves me. This I know.
How simple are those words? And yet, this is the simplicity of the gospel tonight.
God loves you. The Lord Jesus loves you. He's proved his love in going to Calvary's cross so that many of us could stand up tonight and echo with the Apostle Paul, the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
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This Psalm. I read the title because the titles of these psalms are inspired. I've often said that I wish they were printed just a little bit bigger. In our Bibles, sometimes we Passover them because they're printed so small in our Bibles, but they are part of the inspired word of God. And every word of God is pure. And that's why at the beginning of a gospel meeting, we open the holy scriptures and we read them because if there's blessing tonight, you're born again, not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible.
By the word of God that liveth and abideth forever. And this Psalm is a Psalm of David. There are many psalms entitled The Psalm of David. You know, David is a very beautiful type and picture in the Old Testament of the Lord Jesus Christ.
If we were to back up to the book of Samuel, we would find there was an occasion.
When Jesse, David's father, sent him to his brethren, who were with their with the army of the Israelites fighting the Philistines, and there was a champion of the Philistines, a giant named Goliath, Most of us have heard that story from the very early days of our youth.
And we find that David, sent by his father, goes with provisions to his brethren, and when he comes to his brethren, they question even the motive of his heart for coming. Why camest thou down? Hit her, And the next thing we know, David, with just a 5 stones in his shepherd's bag and a sling, goes down into the valley to meet the enemy of God's people and in the power of God.
He overcomes the enemy. It's a picture of the Lord Jesus coming into this world scent of his father.
It's a picture of the Lord Jesus when it says the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. It's a picture of the Lord Jesus humbling himself and becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. It's a picture of the Lord Jesus overcoming the enemy at Calvary cross victorious over.
And raising from the dead and going back to heaven, seated at God's right hand.
But you know, that's not particularly what I had on my heart in reading the title of this Psalm.
But to notice that following the fact that it's a Psalm of David, we find that this Psalm was written under very difficult circumstances. A time when David and we won't back up to Samuel. But if we were to back up to the story, we would find that it was a time when David was afraid. It was a time when he faced a real difficult circumstance in his life. And you know, often God allows circumstances in our lives to bring us to the end of ourselves.
So that we realize that there's nothing we can do in ourselves to better our position before God. To realize that we do have eternity ahead and that this life, this world, is just a moment in comparison to eternity and what's ahead. And maybe there's someone here tonight and you're going through some real circumstance, some health issue, perhaps.
Some difficulty financially.
Something in the family circle. And you say, I just don't know where to turn. I've come to the end of myself, Oh, tonight, the good news is that there is the Lord Jesus Christ to turn to. You know, there are people out tonight and they don't know where to turn. And they're wrecking their lives, they're jumping off bridges. They're trying to commit suicide. They're turning to this and that. Why are they doing it? Because they don't. They're not turning to the right source.
They're not turning to the one and the only one who can bring blessing into their lives.
For eternity as well As for this life. And so this Psalm was written under very difficult circumstances. And we find here that this Psalm brings before us the Lord. And David says in this Psalm, oh, magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together. That's what we want to do tonight in the gospel. We're not going to tell you about reformation or sociology or turning over a new leaf or that kind of thing.
No, we want to exalt the person in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, because there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved, it was announced at his birth. Thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins.
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We have only one Savior to present tonight. There is a Savior on high in the glory, a Savior who suffered on Calvary Tree. A Savior is willing to save. Now as ever, His arm is almighty, His love great and free.
You know, I don't suppose there's a person in this room who doesn't want to get to heaven. Really. If we're really honest with ourselves, we all want to get to heaven in the end. And we all realize, if we're honest with ourselves, that there is something after this life, that it's not all over.
There's a story told, and I'll repeat it, story of some men who were fighting in the trenches in World War One. You know, I have had opportunity to visit some of the battlefields of Europe. I have stood at Flanders Fields I.
My wife and I recently stood at Vimy Ridge, and in our minds I tried to picture the awfulness of those battles that were fought there. In fact, just recently they spent several $1,000,000 revamping a monument at Demi Ridge to the Canadian soldiers who fought there so bravely, and so many thousands of lives were lost. But it turned.
The tide of war in Europe at that time, we were taken down into some of those trenches that have been preserved, and yet I'm sure we little realized the awful reality of what it must have been to be there in those trenches with mud up to their knees, under fire from the enemy. But the story is told of a line of soldiers who were under fire, and as you know, in World War One, it was basically man to man combat.
And one of those men was hit fell backwards into the trench.
And a couple of his buddies jumped down to see if they could help him.
They could see that he was wounded to the point that he wasn't going to make it and that his life was ebbing fast and all they could do was take a couple of empty sandbags and a jacket and try to make him a little more comfortable on the floor of that cold, damp trench until he took his last breath.
They did that and they went back to their post and pretty soon one of the men heard his friend weekly calling to him.
He jumped back down, put his ear close to his friend, and his friend was asking the question. Can you tell me the way to heaven? Interesting question, isn't it?
You know, back home in peacetime they would have been all brushed aside.
But in the face of eternity, this man was earnest. He wanted to know the way to heaven. Suppose someone came to you in their final moments of life and asked you that question. Could you answer it? What would you say?
This man looked at his dying friend and he said I don't know.
Not solemn, he said. I don't know, but I'll try to find out.
He went back to his post and he asked the man beside him, Can you tell me the way to heaven?
Man shook his head, and from there the question went down the line.
16 men.
Can you tell me the way to heaven?
Nobody knew.
You know, I dare say that all sixteen of those men came from a so-called Christian country.
And I suppose if they had been back home and someone had asked that and things were going well, they might have had some answer. But somehow the answers that they might have given in better circumstances didn't seem to bear any weight in the face of the reality of eternity.
The 17th man was asked the question, Can you tell me the way to heaven?
And with a glad smile, he reached into his pocket and he pulled out a New Testament, and he turned to that familiar verse, which I'm going to quote in a moment, And he folded his testament back, and he put his thumb on that verse.
And he told them to pass this testament back and to give their dying comrade this one verse.
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And it would tell him the way to heaven. And this is the verse that those men put their thumb on in the trenches of Europe, facing death.
From the barrel of the enemy's guns. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. And that testament was passed on back down the line.
And the first man jumped back down to his dying friend, and he could see that his life was going fast.
And he put his his lips to his ear, so he was sure his friend could hear. And he quoted him this verse. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
He read it again and again.
And as he read it several times, he could hear his dying friend.
Say on his lips whosoever, whosoever.
There was a long pause.
A smile broke over the dying man's left face, and one more time, in utter weakness he uttered those words, whosoever.
He took one final breath, and he went from the battlefield of Europe to the presence of the Lord Jesus, absent from the body and present with the Lord. Oh, tonight these things are real.
This is the way to heaven. It's the Lord Jesus Christ, the one that we were singing of, the one who could say himself, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. It's the one that we read of in Hebrews.
Son of God, God has spoken to us through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, the one who not only died on Calvary Cross, but the one who is risen. He's seated at the right hand of God, the majesty on high as we read together those glorious words.
We read in another place that God has seated him at his own right hand and given him a name which is above every name God raised him from the dead. We read two of the Lord Jesus. He could say concerning resurrection. He could say, I have power his life, I have power to take it again, to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. Oh how vital an element the resurrection is.
When we present the gospel, because if Christ be not raised, your faith is in vain, ye are still in your sins.
Oh, how glorious that we can present the Lord Jesus as the risen Son of God. Thus the resurrection was God's. Amen to the work of Calvary. The proof that God was satisfied with the work that was accomplished there on Calvary cross the tomb of Lord Jesus is empty tonight. He is not here. He is risen. Come see the place where the Lord lay. He died. He was buried.
And he rose again the 3rd day according to the scriptures.
I'm going to repeat a story that I know I have often told, but I'm going to repeat it because I think it illustrates the importance of the resurrection very much.
You know, some of us have had opportunity to travel to other corners of the world where something other than Christianity is the order of the day or the profession of the people.
And it is a very sad thing to see those who bow down to idols of wood and stone and other commodities. It is a very sad thing to hear people wail out their heart at the hour of prayer to some one who is in the tomb. Christianity is unique from, shall I say, all the other great religions of the world in that Christianity presents a living savior. All the other religions of the world have their tombs, they have their monuments.
We have a tomb too in Christianity, but it's an empty tomb and I remember reading of two missionaries who were working in one of the busy cities in India and one day they were on a crowded St. in that city and they were startled by a large procession coming down the road.
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And there seemed to be a lot of rejoicing and celebration as this possession moved along.
And they made inquiries as to what was taking place.
And the missionaries were told that supposedly.
A bone of Buddha had been found and that it was being carried in a.
Box along the street and there was great rejoicing amongst the followers and worshippers of Buddha that this bone had been found.
Well, the missionaries watched this for some time, and when they retired to their quarters and talked over the matter, they were struck.
By the as they said, the contrast between that and if supposedly a bone of the Lord Jesus were ever found. Because they concluded, if a bone of the Lord Jesus were ever was ever found, it would not cause great rejoicing amongst the Christians. It would cause great sorrow, because it would be the proof that the Lord Jesus had not risen from the dead. But the wonderful thing is a bone of the Lord Jesus will never be found in this world, because in resurrection the Lord Jesus said to his own handle me and see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bone.
As you see me have. And that's why the Lord Jesus remained on earth as long as He did after the resurrection, to give ample and complete testimony witnessed beyond the shadow of a doubt that he had indeed bodily risen from the dead.
So the Lord Jesus is risen from the dead, He seated as the Savior of sinners at God's right hand.
But you know, on the cross, not only did the Lord Jesus lay down his life.
But he shed His precious blood, and for a few moments I want to make much of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, and that is why I read the verse.
In the Book of Revelation, and I know there's just so many here who rejoice.
And join with the language of John in giving glory and praise as we think.
Of the one who loved us and shed his precious blood for us.
That blood of the Lord Jesus that was shed on Calvary's cross is that blood of which we read the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin. There is no other remedy for sin tonight but the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
That blood that still has cleansing power, that blood that flowed forth at Calvary's Cross. And so often we've gone in our mind's eye to that scene.
Where the Lord Jesus after those hours of darkness, he cried. With a loud voice he said It is finished. He cried again. Father into my hands. I commend my spirit. He bowed his head and he gave up the ghost.
And shortly thereafter a soldier with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came throughout blood and water. I love that word forthwith. I love when I read that verse just to stop but that word forthwith and meditate on it.
You know, if it's said that a soldier with a spear pierced his side and there came out blood and water, that would be enough. But it says forthwith to my own soul. It's just as if the Spirit of God would record that God was in a hurry to blast forthwith immediately Anon.
Came out blood and water, the crowning act of man's hatred against the Lord Jesus Christ.
Was the very opportunity that God used to show what his heart really was.
And forthwith came throughout blood and water. Doesn't that thrill your soul tonight?
Or does it?
Or does it? Do you squirm a little bit when we talk about the blood of Jesus?
You know, I as a young boy, I sat in gospel meetings and I watched the clock move ever so slowly.
But let me digress here for a moment to say something.
You know, we in that room where we had prayer this evening, there was a clock, a very nice looking grandfather clock.
But you know that clock is only right twice a day.
That clock is stopped.
And as I looked at that clock, I thought about eternity.
You know, eternity really is like a clock with no hands.
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Eternity is forever and ever and ever.
How can we even conceive of such a thing? We are so governed by clocks that work and we get upset if the clock stops or the clock is slow. We're so governed by time and locked into physical limitations in this life.
But what about a scene? What about a place where time never passes?
Where there is the blackness of darkness forever, where there's weeping and gnashing of teeth. Where there is eternal torment. Where there is the eternal memory.
Of opportunities to be saved.
A place where the worm dieth not in the fire is not quenched.
But all tonight the wonderful story is that through that precious blood of the Lord Jesus, there is forgiveness.
And it tells us here I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto him, and were lightened in their faces, Were not ashamed.
Have you sought the Lord? There's a verse that tells us, Seek ye the Lord. Well he may be found. Call ye upon him while he is near. Have you ever called upon the name of the Lord? Have you ever sought the Lord?
Or are you a Pretender tonight?
You know, sometimes I have had opportunity by the grace of God.
To look into the faces of an audience where I felt most were not the Lords, and perhaps most had never heard a clear gospel message. It is a tremendous challenge to the soul to present the gospel to an audience like that.
But I wonder if it isn't a greater challenge even to present the gospel to an audience like this tonight. An audience who's heard it so many times, boys and girls and young people who've heard it over and over and over again. And maybe some who are not so young, who heard it over and over again.
And yet have hardened their hearts. I'm thankful that the word of God is able in the power of the Spirit, and that it's like a rock that breaketh a hammer that break at the rock and twain, and then it's the sword of the Spirit. But what about you tonight? Are you a pretender?
I remember one time.
In Morvant, Trinidad, the gospel was presented when Lord's Day evening.
And after the gospel meeting, a 16 year old girl stood up. This 16 year old girl had been brought up in a Christian home. In fact, I was a guest in her parents home while I was staying in Trinidad that trip.
She had heard the gospel all her life.
The night before, if you had asked me if she was a Christian, if she was saved, I would have said there's every evidence of it.
When there was Bible readings in her parents home, she was always there with the word of God.
She was at all the meetings.
Outwardly, I would have said she was a Christian, a believer.
But she stood up that night to tell us that she had just got saved during that gospel meeting.
I'll never forget the hour that followed if ever I saw a floor wet with tears. It was that night we prayed and we sang and we wept for one hour as all those who were there rejoiced that another one had been brought to repentance.
But what about you tonight? Are you 16 years of age?
And you're not saved. Oh, if I were to shake your hand at the door and ask you if you were a Christian, you might quickly say yes and pass out into the night. But that won't do it. No God sees your heart tonight. Have you ever called upon the name of the Lord?
They looked unto him, and were lightened.
You know, if you are not a saved soul tonight, you are in darkness. Scripture tells us that you are in darkness. Oh, maybe not physical darkness, but moral and spiritual darkness. And you're on your way to a place of eternal darkness.
But tonight you can be turned from darkness to light. You can become a child of light tonight by simply receiving the Lord Jesus as your Savior. Blessed it is the man that trusted in him.
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There was a man in a jail in Philippi many years ago and he heard a simple gospel message.
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. You know what it says of that man? He believed in God.
With all his house.
Are you going to believe tonight? Are you going to trust, oh taste and see that the Lord is good? If you could just get one taste, one inkling of the love of of God, of the love of the Lord Jesus, of the things he has for your blessing and happiness, you'd want more.
When my girls were younger, we often had a problem at meal time.
The bowls and plates would be passed.
And sometimes the comment was made. Oh, yuck.
And they didn't want to try what was on those plates and in those bowls.
And I would say to my girls, if you would just try it, you'd like it if you could just get one taste of it. And sometimes I could convince them. Not always, but sometimes I could convince them to just take one little taste on the end of the fork. And you know what I would say? More often than not they were convinced that it was good and they would take more.
But are you going to turn away from the love of Christ tonight and not even taste and see? But the Lord is good?
Are you just going to turn away and say I don't want it?
God commendeth his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. God is recommending his love to us, and we turn away and we say no, I don't want it.
And yet we want to taste the things of this world. Is that what's keeping you from coming to Christ tonight?
Some years ago we were holding some gospel meetings in a little town called Widow Pitlock, Maine.
I think the name is bigger than the town. It's not a very big town right in the Northwoods of Maine.
And we were moving in, getting ready set up to have these gospel meetings and.
We had rented a Fish and Game club. It was a very rustic building right on the shores of a fast moving river.
And my wife and two daughters and I decided that we would stay in one corner of the building. We'd put up some tarps and partition it off, put our sleeping bags on the floor, and it would be our accommodation for the week. We held gospel meetings in that community.
We had a busy afternoon of getting set up and as twilight was falling over Widow Pitlock, we all sat down in a circle in the main part of the room just to chat and relax for a few moments.
And talk about things that we were exercised about in connection with the upcoming meetings that have been scheduled.
And as we were sitting there in the twilight, I looked over and up the chimney. On the inside of the building there was crawling a large mouse. A nice plump mouse.
Well, I decided that for the next week, I didn't want to share my accommodations with a mouse.
And so I went out to the kitchen of this building and I rooted around in a couple of drawers and I found a mouse trap.
And we had brought some provisions for the week and I opened the fridge and I found some cheese that we had brought.
And I always figured mice like cheese. And so I secured some cheese on this mouse trap and I set it near that chimney. Later on we all went off to bed. In the morning I went to check the trap and I found that the cheese was gone, but we had not caught the mouse. I was still. We were still sharing our accommodation with that mouse.
Was suggested to me by someone else that perhaps peanut butter would work.
And so the next night, I set the trap with peanut butter.
And sure enough, in the morning, that mouse was dead.
You know, I thought a lot about that the first night that mouse came back down, That chimney sniffed the air and sniffed that cheese, he thought, You know, these new tenants are pretty good. They're going to feed me.
And he was able somehow, to nibble that cheese and not get caught.
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Isn't that the way it is with sin? Now we try something, it's not so bad.
Sometimes young people try things and they don't get caught.
Not so bad. Felt good at the time.
Do you know the next night that mouse came down and I can only imagine. I'm only imagining what was in the mind of that mouse. Of course, for the sake of illustration, but I just picture that mouse coming down and sniffing the air. And not only do these two tenants feed me, they give me variety in my diet. Some peanut butter tonight. The cheese was good last night.
He went for that peanut butter.
Smack.
Got it.
The way of the transgressor is hard. Sin is costly. Sin has its consequences. Oh, there's pleasure in sin for a season, the Bible says. And there's a verse that says Rejoice so, young man, in thy youth, and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth.
Oh, you say? That sounds pretty good. The Bible tells me to have a good time while I'm young, but the verse doesn't stop there. But know thou that for all these things God will bring me into judgment.
I'm going to tell you another little story because I want to impress upon our souls the solemnity.
The reality?
Of refusing God's offer of salvation.
Of refusing the good things that God has for us through the Lord Jesus Christ.
This again happened in northern Maine, in another community.
One morning we were having breakfast, my wife and girls and I.
And we looked out the window.
And we saw a large white cat.
Coming across the lawn toward us.
We knew that cat. It belonged to the neighbors in the house next door.
But as that cat approached, we could see that in the jaws of that cat, it had its breakfast a chipmunk.
Now I probably would have let that cat have its breakfast.
But my wife is a little more tender hearted than I am, and she decided as the cat approached that she would try to save that chipmunk because it became evident that that chipmunk was still very much alive. And so as the cat approached the trailer that we were staying in, my wife went out, caught the cat by the scruff of the neck, and forced the cat to drop its prey.
Now, perhaps your vision in trying to envision what happened next.
I thought that the chipmunk would have scrambled for the nearest tree because there were a good many trees.
Right there.
You know what that chipmunk did? It went about 3 feet from that cat.
Turned on its haunches, and gave that cat 1 frightful scolding.
It wasn't very long until that chipmunk was back in the jaws of that cat.
My wife went out again.
And forced that cat to put down its prey.
And the chipmunks scrambled for the nearest tree. I couldn't believe it, but it did the same thing again. Three times my wife released that cat that chipmunk. 3 times that chipmunk.
Scolded that cat and three times the chipmunk ended up.
In the jaws of certain death, finally my wife went out.
Took that cat and brought it inside and gave it a saucer of milk.
The chipmunk hung around the door for a while looking for the cat, and when it realized the cat wasn't coming back, it finally made its way to the nearest tree and off through the woods. You shake your head in disbelief.
But you know, I thought about boys and girls and young people and men and women who have warning after warning after warning as to the consequences of sin and the consequences of following Satan.
And they play. They toy with danger to their eternal peril, to their eternal peril.
If you lift up your heist in a lost eternity, it will be with the realization that you have lost your soul forever.
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And that there is no hope.
How awful to be in a hopeless situation.
That is the awful consequence of gambling with eternity, of toying with your enemies, Satan. And Satan is not your friend. That cat was not a friend of the chipmunk, and Satan is not your friend. Tonight he wants to drag you down to a lost eternity. He's the Destroyer, and he's the father of lies. And he's whispering in your ear right now. Not tonight. Not tonight. Put it off.
There's something better, but O taste and see that the Lord is good.
Come, ye children, hearken unto me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord. I know I'm going to take this verse out of context, but again, I'm burdened as I look into the faces of children here tonight.
Children who've heard the Gospel over and over and over again.
Someone's praying for you tonight. Maybe someone on the seat beside you or down the road.
The Lord Jesus loves you tonight.
How often?
I have stood up and taken the funeral children and young people.
It's reality.
I remember being called to take the funeral of a young boy nine years of age.
And before I took that funeral, another young boy came to me, he said. Mr. Highland, I have something I want to tell you.
He said. I know that my friend who was killed is with the Lord Jesus.
Oh, I was all ears, I said. How do you know that he's with the Lord Jesus? Young boy looked up at me and he said, oh, Mr. Highland, he told me that he knew the Lord Jesus as his savior.
That was a comfort to me.
It was a tremendous comfort to his parents.
To know that this young boy was with the Lord Jesus Christ nine years of age.
What about you tonight?
If we were to announce tomorrow morning that you had died between this gospel meeting and Sunday school tomorrow morning.
Would we be able to say?
That you are with the Lord Jesus.
Have you ever told somebody, have you ever confessed with your mouth?
Have you ever told somebody that you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior, or if you were to pass into eternity tonight?
Everybody would have to speculate and say, oh, I hope he was saved. I hope she knew the Lord. But you know, they never told us. We never really knew for sure.
If you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior, tell somebody after the Gospel Meeting tonight.
It will not only be a joy to the person you tell, but it will be a joy to the heart of the Lord Jesus.
It will be a joy to the heart of God the Father to hear the name of his Son confessed once again. And you know what it'll do, too. It'll give you an extra assurance in your soul that you know the Lord Jesus is your savior, that your sins are washed in the blood of Christ, and that you're on your way to heaven.
The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants, and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. I can assure you tonight that if you receive the Lord Jesus as your Savior.
He will receive you. He has never turned anybody away who has come to him in sincerity, who's come to him in reality.
No. He'll redeem you tonight. By his precious blood, he'll save you. He'll wash your sins away.
We're going to conclude this Gospel meeting in a moment or two.
But maybe you haven't settled the issue yet.
Maybe you don't know the Lord Jesus as your savior. I am going to beg with you. I'm going to plead with you tonight not to get up off your chair.
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Till you receive the Lord Jesus as your savior, don't say I'll do it later on when I get to my room. Don't say I'll do it when I get home next week. No. Come now.
Oh come now to Jesus. That dear loving savior receive him this moment.
And peace shall be thine. There's an urgency concerning the gospel.
Don't put it off.
What is your life? It is even as a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. But more than that, the coming of the Lord draws nigh. The Lord Jesus is going to come, and it tells us that when that event takes place, there are going to be those afterwards who come and knock.
And they say, Lord, Lord, open unto us.
But he says from the other side of that closed door depart from me. I never knew you. It tells us in Luke's gospel, when once the master of the house hath risen up and shut to the door, then they knock, and they want entrance. The door will never be opened again. But there is a door open tonight.
The Lord Jesus is the door. I am the door. By me. If any man enter in, he shall be saved. I'll come to night, come to the Lord Jesus to night, receive the Lord Jesus as your savior is so simple. But won't you just come get one taste of his love and the blessings and the mercies that He has for you? Oh, you won't want to stay away. Some of us have been tasting of those things for many years, and when we taste of it, we want more.
And more and more I would like to conclude by seeing him #21.
Decide for Christ today and God's salvation. See yields soul and body, heart and will to him who died for the hymn #21. If someone will please start it.
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I just want to leave you with one verse before I pray. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come into him and Sup with him and he with me.