Gospel—Michel Payette
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I'm meeting this evening by singing together the first hymn on our hymn sheets #1 Almost persuaded now to believe, almost persuaded Christ to receive. Seems now some soul to say, Go, spirit, go thy way, some more convenient day on thee. I'll call number one.
Nsnoise.
In the first second stanza, that hymn, it says almost persuaded. Come, come today. It seems like the, uh, the name of the person is almost persuaded is her first name is almost the second name is persuaded. And I wonder if there's anybody here tonight who's almost persuaded. It's a very serious thing to be almost persuaded. You better to be persuaded. We read in the word of God. I want to tell you about a man I know is going to be in heaven. Terrible character.
You did some pretty wicked things.
Luke chapter 23. I'm sure you've heard about him before. Most likely 23rd chapter of Luke.
Verse 39 Luke chapter 23 verse 39 and one of the malefactors that's one who did evil 2 words malefactor did evil doer of evil which were hanged railed on him saying.
If thou be Christ, save thyself.
No, you read in the other gospel, you will find that it was not just one who was waiting on him, but both of them were at one time. But here in Luke's gospel, it's a bit later on and one man has had a change of heart. Something has happened in this man's heart.
And he answers differently. Verse 40. But the other answering rebuked him saying.
Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds. But this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, Remember Me when thou comest unto thy Kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee today that I'll be with me in paradise.
Well, here's a man. It's not detailed to us what this man did.
But he was brought to court to justice in Atlanta. He was found guilty of certain things and the penalty for this man was death.
He was a manufacturer guilty in that Society of death and that very day.
He entered into heaven.
And we've read, I'm sure many of us, and heard of testimonies of many people.
We were in jail.
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For the crimes they committed and in those days, they trusted the Lord Jesus and they're gonna be in heaven.
I don't suspect there are any malefactors in our midst this evening. Perhaps there are, while I would describe to you, to be honest, citizens generally and that that we're not in any fear of police barging in here and arresting someone momentarily.
But I have doubts.
About seeing everyone of us in heaven.
Yes, ma'am.
When I see him in heaven.
If I would ask him, what are you doing here?
This is, I have no business here, but this man called Jesus, he saved me at the last hour just before I entered into eternity. I called upon him. I said, Lord, I didn't know what to ask. I didn't ask forgive me my sins. I didn't know what to say. I just had on my heart to turn to him and call him Lord. And I asked him what I thought I could ask him. Remember Me when thou comest in thy Kingdom. That's all I could think about and here I am in heaven.
A guilty man, deserving not only the punishment from the justice of men.
But I stood before God with my sins. Those things I committed. I was on my way to everlasting.
Damnation and fire and weeping and waiting and gnashing of teeth. Here am I in heaven.
I'm gonna be in heaven.
I don't have to tell you those things that I've done.
But this man's savior, who took this male factor to heaven, is my savior. When he died on the cross, He died for me.
You know, this man didn't know very much.
And he went to heaven.
You know, we sit together somewhere with us here today for the meeting.
There's many things that we know about God, about the Lord Jesus, about the Scriptures. You know, boys and girls, older ones too. There are many things we can know about God, about the Lord Jesus, about the Scriptures. And if we die, we might still not go to heaven.
When I was 27 years old, I knew Jesus was the Son of God. I knew he died on the cross and rose again the third day.
I knew all these things.
You could have told me who made the world, God made the world.
And I died, and I died then. I would have gone into everlasting punishment because I knew about the Lord Jesus, but I didn't know Him as my personal Savior.
And tonight my friend, I know many of you, I've heard many times the gospel and I ask you tonight, do you know him as your personal Savior? Have you received him as your very own personal Savior? If he walks up to you tonight and showed you his nail pierced hand and he asked you, who is this for?
What would you say? Would you say that was to save sinners? Good answer.
But not good enough.
Because I know many here, if I walked up, if you walked up to them with their nail for your tent and ask them what was this for, they would say that was for me.
That was for me. It has to become personal. We have in the word of God this man here a perfect example of the grace of God. He's undeserving, was never baptized, never went to church or Sunday school, didn't know. Probably 1 scripture verse by heart.
Went straight to heaven.
It's good to go to Sunday school to learn Bible verses, to go to meeting, to pray, to read your Bible. These are good things. But none of these things can save your soul. The only person and thing that can save your soul is the Lord Jesus by his sacrifice on the cross. And you have to believe on that personally, not in your head, but in your heart. And if you believe in your heart, that's gonna happen. There's gonna something happen in your heart. You're gonna love the Lord Jesus back.
But you know.
We have in the scriptures some some questions that I'd like to look at.
And one is in the first kings.
Well, let's go to Luke chapter nine first of all, because we get some thoughts there in Luke Chapter 9.
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Verse 52, Luke Chapter 9, verse 52 and sent messengers. This is the Lord sent messengers before his face, and they went and entered into a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him, and they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.
And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou we command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, even as Elias did? And he turned and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit year of for the Son of Man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them.
Well, I just like to draw your attention to part of verse 53.
Where it says there and they did not receive him.
Because.
You know there are millions of men, women and children who have not received the Lord Jesus as their Savior because.
They never heard about him.
They never heard the wonderful message of God's love and forgiveness through faith in the Lord Jesus. Millions have never heard.
Have you heard before?
Perhaps you've never heard before.
We'll give you that. This might be the first time you hear it. I hope I do a good job at presenting it.
But I know many of you have heard it many times.
And you answer in your heart.
They did not receive him.
Because.
They did not receive him here because there were some mountains and there was irritation between Samaritans and the Jews and he was going to Jerusalem and that upset them. They didn't want to have anything to do with him.
What is it with you?
You did not receive him because.
You know we find in scripture Peter.
A zealous man, energetical, energetic. And he took out the sword there, and he cut the ear off of Malchus.
Maybe you have not received him because somebody cut your ear off.
You know what the Lord did.
He took that man's ear and he healed it.
God does that, you know.
He heals our earring. Our hearing. Pardon me? Those HS are heard by the Frenchman. He heals our hearing so we can hear. Tonight, you hear my voice. I'm not gonna ask you to raise your hand, but I know you hear my voice.
Are you hearing the words we're saying? Are we reading?
Is this thing in your mind or are they going to go down in your heart? You know, these men here, they were upset because they didn't receive the Lord Jesus and sometimes.
As Christians too, we get upset and sometimes we preach fire and brimstone and, and, and it is in the Scriptures. You know, there is a everlasting judgment and, and fire and weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. And that's a warning. But it's not the message of the gospel. The message of the gospel is a message of love.
God wants you to be saved, and He wants you so much to be saved that when his Son was before him on the cross.
He forsook him in your state in my stead, instead of that man who was a manufacturer, so they could all be in heaven, so you and I could be in heaven. Are you gonna be in heaven? God wants you in heaven forever.
But he asks you.
To receive His Son as your personal savior, He asks you to trust him alone, to call upon Him. That's not very hard. This man, he just said that Lord, Remember Me. It's on his way to heaven.
Would you do that tonight?
Or do you have it because like in this version you have not received them yet because.
They did not receive him because.
They're upset at the differences there, you know, but sometimes.
We could reason in our hearts and perhaps there are things going on in our lives.
That we know are not pleasing to the Lord. We read that this afternoon in First Corinthians chapter 10. Those that were privileged to be part of God's people.
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And if you've been brought up in the Christian family, you've been going to the meetings, you're part of the privileged people. Yet what do we find in that privileged people? All sorts of things they shouldn't have been going on with Fornication, idolatry, murmuring.
Is there a because in your life that's there, if you can't get rid of that, you're ashamed of that others don't know about? The Lord knows about that. He knew about this man, all the wicked things that he did, and he called up on him and the Lord said, well, not you, because you're too bad.
This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise.
How could the landlord take such a man in heaven? Because the Lord himself was going to pay for him, to have him as a trophy of his loving grace in heaven.
No matter what you're because it is tonight, but the obstacle is before you tonight. The Lord Jesus will take care of that for you because just come to Him. You just come to Him the way you are.
He'll receive you, him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out.
The enemy of our soul says that don't go. You're going to have to give up tips, have to give up that all sorts of reasoning. You know, there's nothing you cannot give up with the strength of the Lord and most things you can't give up without this strength. But the Lord is going to help you. He's going to restore you. He's going to bless you. He's going to make you not only a new creature inside, make you a new creature outside. They're trying to earn salvation by being good. You'll never get there. So tonight I asked you, my friend, why have you not received him?
Answer this because.
Which because is it with you?
And bring it to the Lord, Don't put it off any longer. Well, these disciples said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?
And the Lord rebuked them, and he said, you don't know what kind of spirit you have.
You know when you're reading the story of of Elias or Elijah, the Old Testament First Kings chapter 19.
First Kings, chapter 19.
Elijah, a mighty prophet of God. He'd just done a wonderful work for the Lord and, uh.
The Lord answered his prayer, and the fire came down from heaven and consumed the offering that he had prepared.
And you know.
You've got to use it. God uses a man in any way.
Give me a snare for that man.
There was something in Elijah's discourse that kind of betrayed that he had thoughts about himself. And he's I alone. And the Lord says, well, I have 7000 men that haven't bowed to deed before Baal.
He wasn't alone. He thought he was alone.
And you know when the Lord asks him in the.
First Kings 19 And he came, hit her unto a cave, and lodged there. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him. And he said unto him, What doest thou hear?
Elijah And he goes on, and he tells the Lord about all the situation there. And they wanted to kill him and he was alone and and so on. And then there was an earthquake, there was a fire.
And it was a mighty wind.
Manifestations of the power of God.
A mighty wind could blow everything over to render oxen too mighty. Some mighty wind, an earthquake.
What was it, 7.28 point six? I don't know. I know he can. No one can shake the earth, can shake the whole earth.
And fire.
But the Lord wasn't in the earthquake, wasn't in the wind, wasn't in the fire.
And after this it tells us.
After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire and after the fire.
A still small voice.
It was so when Elijah heard it that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entering in of The Cave.
And behold, there came a voice unto him, and said.
What doest thou hear?
Elijah.
Same question twice.
The word of the Lord comes to him with Dost thou hear Elijah?
And then the voice of the Lord comes to him.
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My dude's still here, Elijah.
Year ones tonight.
The word of God that we have in our hands.
Bears witness. Everyone of the gospel speaks of the Lord Jesus.
Being crucified.
Dying and writing again.
The good news in this book?
Is about one person from cover to cover, spelled out for us in the gospel. It's about the love of God to his creatures through the Lord Jesus.
And you can read about it.
And maybe boys and girls. Many verses you can read about.
But I've enjoyed this little portion here in connection with Elijah, that it was a still small voice on the second occasion. Not the word of the Lord, but the voice of the Lord.
What are you doing here? I don't think he asked him like that.
I think of the Lord calling out for Adam in the garden. You heard the voice of the Lord calling. What was the voice of the Lord like, Adam or Adam? Adam.
And I believe when the Lord asked Elijah here.
I think it was a sweet, small voice. What do we still hear, Elijah?
Didn't do anything for Elijah.
First question he answered, justifying himself, condemning others. When Lord asked him again, he did the same.
And the Lord says what? You're going to go and you're going to anoint a king over Syria, a king over Israel, and you're going to anoint Elisha is a prophet in your stead?
And he lost his job, you might say.
I think what the Lord was looking for, for Elijah to say that.
I shouldn't really be here. You, you, you didn't send me here, which the Lord hadn't done.
He'd gone on missions where the Lord sent him, but the Lord never sent him to go there. He went back there because he was afraid.
Well, you would know that.
Tonight, dear ones, I could be here till midnight reading you verses from this book, most of which perhaps you've heard already.
But I have on my heart a still small voice.
From the Lord Jesus, just for you. And I'm not going to walk over to you and tell it to you because that would make you really feel bad. And I don't really know who you are. The Lord knows who you are.
I'd like to walk up to you and have you here. What's on my heart from the Lord Jesus, I have you here.
I love you.
I love you. There it is in my hands.
My feet and my side, because I love you.
You should be in heaven with me forever.
Are you gonna be in heaven with him forever?
Boys and girls, older ones, young people.
Older ones too. Are you gonna be with him in heaven forever?
If you are, that's because He loves you and He loves you so much to die on the cross, and He pleaded with you in your life, perhaps many times, perhaps tonight on other occasions. If he leaves us here. Don't count on it though.
And he's asked you to trust him, to put your confidence in him.
Have you received them already?
Praise the Lord.
And if you haven't received them already, what does he have to do more?
What does the Lord have to do to win your heart over?
What is your Because tonight, if you have not received him, you have not received him because.
I can't think of it because.
That can be justifiable before God.
You know the Lord asked him twice, one with His word, one with his voice. What are you doing here?
I ask you tonight, dear one, what are you doing here?
I can tell you one thing.
What you're doing here tonight is making yourself responsible.
And perhaps you were responsible when you came in.
Well, you're making yourself more responsible every time that the Lord allows you to hear is invitation of love, is offer of forgiveness, it makes you more responsible.
And this is not going to happen. But let me mind something to you, somebody standing before the Great White Throne.
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For the coming day. And that one sitting on that great white throne is the Lord Jesus Christ himself.
That one who has holes in his hands and his feet and his side.
What if he asked you? What are you doing here?
What are you doing here? I died for you. I was ready to forgive you. I had you hear it over and over and over.
Every mouth is stopped. Nobody speaks there. The books are open and there's judgment that fire is going to happen. There's a lake of fire. It's in the scriptures.
And God would not have you go there, or I or anyone else prepared for the devil and his angels.
God has redemption for all of his creatures. He has redemption for you.
To the offering of his son.
Well, you know.
Elijah a little bit later on.
In the second Kings.
Chapter One.
The Lord had told Elijah to anoint a king over Syria, a king over Israel, and a prophet in his stead.
He never did the 1St 2:00.
Elijah is going to do that. He goes and he anoints somebody to replace him.
And then in First Kings Chapter One, the captain and his fifty come to him.
And it says that he tells him to come down to the king verse.
Verse nine. And the king said unto him, That was King Isaiah. And the king sent unto him a captain of 50 with his fifty, And he went up to him, and behold, he sat on the top of an hill, and he spake unto him, No man of God, the king had said, Come down.
And Elijah answered and said to the captain, at 50, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven.
And consumed the in my 50. And I came down fire from heaven, and consumed him in his fifty. And again also he sent unto him another captain of 50 with his fifty. And he answered, and said unto him, Moment of God. Thus had the king said, Come down quickly. And Elijah answered and said unto him, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee, and thy 50 And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him in his fifty. And he sent again a captain of the 3rd 50 and his fifty, and the third captain of 50 went up.
And came.
He fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him, O man of God.
I prayed that my life and the life of these 50 thy servants be precious.
In nice sight, you know, there came fire down from heaven, and birth up to two captains of the former 50s and their 50s. Therefore let my life now be precious in thy sight. And the Angel of the Lord said unto Elijah, Go down with him, you're not afraid of him. And he arose and went down with him unto the king. You know there are many applications and perhaps other instructions and that we've enjoyed in connection with this. But you know, I thought of myself being Elijah and being upset, not losing my job.
And the Lord tells me to do three things. I do the third one, I'm replacing the third one. And here's they're coming me as a man of God. And I'm upset in my spirit. And I say, if I be a man of God at the park, come down from heaven and destroy you. And sure enough, twice.
How unlike the character of the Lord Jesus and the Lord Jesus took told his disciples you don't know what kind of spirit is about you. They wanted to imitate the power of Elijah and destroying.
The Lord Jesus not come to destroy God doesn't want to destroy human beings.
God wants to save.
It doesn't say here. And the Lord said call down fire from heaven. No, this was, I believe, his own initiative.
And this captain and his fifty, the third one, he had to plead with that man of God.
That he wouldn't be consumed in his 50s. He had to plead for his own life and the life of his men.
Tonight, my friend, you don't have to plead with the Lord to get saved.
He's the one pleading with you to save you. You don't have to insist with the Lord for him to save your soul. He's the one insisting and bringing to you again and again and again.
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Why is he doing that? Because he cares for you. Because he died for you.
And because he knows, because he tasted that for every man, because he went through the judgment that you and I deserve, and he knows what you're going to be going through.
If you postpone if you do not receive because.
Because.
Well, a little bit later on in his book of judges.
Sorry, King. Second Kings.
Second Kings chapter 2.
We find Elijah go up to heaven in a chariot of fire. He was taken up to heaven. This man Elijah, a man of like passions as us.
And I'm sure he was going to answer before the Lord. Perhaps those things that were in accordance with the mind of God, he was taken up with fire into heaven.
It wasn't set down into the fire. He was taken up into heaven with fire. You know, it speaks to us in the First Corinthians chapter 3 that at the judgment before the Lord, the fire is going to be trying our lives, not trying us. Because the fire that would have tried us, the Lord Jesus went through that on the cross.
But you're going to try our lives.
So there were people there in the time of Elijah, when he had Elijah with him, which are called verse 5, Second Kings chapter 5. And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elijah and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head today? And he answered, yeah, I know.
I know it holds your peace. That means be quiet.
And Elijah said at the interior, I pray thee here, for the Lord had sent me to a Jordan. He said, As the Lord liveth, and as I saw liveth, I will not leave thee. And they went to and on, and 50 men of the sons of the prophets went and stood to view afar off, and they stood by Jordan.
These men here mention they mention a bit also in Bethel verse three the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel.
So at Bethel they were the sons of the prophets, and Jericho they were the sons of the prophets.
There weren't the prophets, there were the sons of the prophets. You know, I know many in this room here.
They belong to the Lord Jesus.
But they have sons and daughters.
Them and their wives. They have sons and daughters. And there are some. Some are believers themselves. I know many of you have accepted the Lord Jesus as your Savior.
Well, here the sons of the Prophet were in association with the prophets.
And they knew things.
And Elijah tells them be quiet.
They could talk about things. Don't you know that your master's gonna be taking up from you over your head today? They knew things. And when finally it happens, if you read on, you'll find that they ask Elijah to go around and, and perhaps the Lord threw him over a mountain somewhere in the valley somewhere, and they're gonna go and look for him.
You know, they're believers who profess to know the Lord, who never accepted him in their hearts.
When the Lord Jesus takes the other believers away.
They're gonna wonder where they went.
And they're probably gonna believe the lie of the devil about that.
And they're gonna believe Allah and God is going to allow them to have.
Evidence of power from the wicked one. Because they did not receive the love of the truth to be saved. Not they did not receive the truth. They did not receive the love of the truth to be saved. Because the message of the gospel is a message of love. It's a message of love from the heart of God. We quote that verse so often. God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son.
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Well, you know this man, Elijah.
He was taken off of this earth.
He was taken off and he went to heaven.
He was a real believer, He had faults, he had failures, and so do every one of us and our fathers have faults and failures. And if you say well, these things here that gather in Pella or Montreal or whatever, they did this and they did that often. This is the excuse that we have. This is one of the because, because, because that we see all the failure around and we are not conscious of our own peril before the Lord. Well, I trust the Lord tonight would call us as He does in Matthew Chapter 11.
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We'll just read that Matthew Chapter 11.
Verse 28.
Come unto me.
A personal invitation.
To him.
You know, talking to a brother before the meeting and we mentioned this this afternoon, somebody mentioned about the Lord's Table, 1St Corinthians 10 and subject comes up among us quite often, 1St Corinthians 10 but you know.
The gospel is so beautiful and so simple.
Come unto me.
You come to the Lord Jesus just the way you are, receive Him as your Savior. You receive the forgiveness of sins. He makes you fit for heaven by his sacrifice on the cross. And then he tells you in the Scriptures, He tells me.
Remember Me, Remember Me. Tomorrow morning will be gathered here and we have on the table emblems, a loaf and a cup of wine.
A loaf that speaks of his body and cups of wine that speaks of his blood.
Separated in death, a remembrance for those for whom he died. It's so simple. This malefactor went to heaven. Never, never was baptized, never had the privilege of remembering the Lord. But you and I were here. We can read the Scriptures. We can hear his voice calling us to himself. Come unto me if you come to him tonight.
Believing Him as you're taking Him as your own personal savior in your heart, you're gonna be on your way to heaven.
Absolutely sure, forever. Nothing is ever going to change that. By one sacrifice he had perfected forever, by one offering he has perfected forever them that are sanctified, sanctified by the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all. Wonderful Savior, wonderful salvation belongs to us when we trust him. That's all that God requires of you and me to trust him. Well, it says here come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you.
Rest.
If you have any because in your life tonight. If you're hearing my voice tonight.
And you're not at peace with God.
You won't be resting. Your soul is not resting. You're wrestling, but not resting. The Lord wants you to come to Him tonight and find rest for your soul. Those things in your life perhaps that you're going on with, He knows about.
And it'll clean you from these things, deliver you from their power, by His power.
Let's go to Luke chapter.
13.
13th chapter of Luke.
Verse 25. Luke 13 and 25.
When once the master of the house is risen up and had shut the door, and you begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord.
Open unto us, and he shall answer and send to you, I know you not Whence ye are. Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you're not. Once ye are, depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you shall see Abraham and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, and the Kingdom of God.
And you yourselves thrust out, and they shall come from the east and from the West.
And from the north and from the South, and shall sit down in the Kingdom of God.
And behold, there are last, which shall be first, and there are first.
Which shall be last?
So the Jews that were living at the time that the Lord Jesus was here in Palestine.
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They were very privileged.
Very privileged. The Lord was walking in their midst and He was performing miracles and doing wonderful things.
And addressing them in this course is.
But it says here that some of them would be outside and that he didn't know them and they were going to say, well, did you not teach in our streets? We at, we ate, we sat in ate and, and with you, you were there real close.
But they had not received him.
I think of many, you know, in Western lands.
Who have received Christian education and know about the Lord.
And even more specifically, those of us who've been exposed to the Scriptures and many truths from the Word of God.
None of this pleading has access to the Lord.
You mean in Matthew Chapter 7? Did we? Have we not prophesied in thy name? Have we not cast out demons in thy name?
They've done many wonders in his name and God honored the name that they used.
But you see, they're pleading with the Lord is about what they've done for him.
And the gospel is about what he's done for us.
And more specifically, what he's done for you personally.
It cannot be collected. There's gotta be individual is your name tonight.
Almost persuaded.
Why don't you change your first name?
How about change your almost really? How about being called really persuaded?
Well, tonight you can be really persuaded, you say. I confess with my mouth the Lord Jesus as my Savior, and I believe in my heart that God raised him from the dead.
Remember dear, Mr. Barry once told me about a young man after a gospel meeting where he preached on that part of Romans chapter 10 and verse nine. If thou wilt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thine heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
And this young man came to see him after the Gospel meeting and he said, you mean to say that if I confess with my mouth the Lord Jesus, and I believe in my heart that God raised him from the dead, I'm going to be saved? Brother Barry said yes.
And did you really want you mean that if I confess with my mouth the Lord Jesus, and I believe in my heart that God raised, I'm gonna be saved? Yes, that's too easy.
Well, Mr. Berry said.
There was a silence, and after a while, that's not that easy.
It's not that easy.
I'm gonna do it for you, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, He's my savior. He's the Lord of Lord, the King of kings. He died for me on the cross. And I believe with all my heart that God raised him through the dead because this book, the Holy Bible, bears witness to it. That's not hard when you believe in your heart. And tonight, if you believe in your heart, you can confess with your mouth what you know about him. Well, here, let's go to Matthew, chapter 22.
It's the invitation, you know that part.
Well, let's read that Matthew chapter 22.
Verse one. And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, The Kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king.
Which made a marriage for his son, and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding, and they would not come again. He sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen, my fat things are killed, and all things are ready come.
Unto the marriage, but they made light of it, and when they went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise, and the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. When the king heard thereof, he was wrought, and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their cities. This is what happened to Jews. And they then said He to his servants, The wedding is ready. But they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found.
Both bad and good. And the wedding was furnished with guests. When the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment. And he said unto him, Friend, how comest thou in hit hit her not having a wedding garment.
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And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, bind him hand and foot, and take him away.
And cast him in outer darkness. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen.
You have to forgive me for.
Perhaps interpreting this portion differently than many, but I believe what the Lord is telling us here.
But his house is going to be full.
And his house is going to be full because he called him in, no matter who they were, bad or good, and they all had a wedding garment which he supplied.
And there was one man. He was there. He didn't have a wedding garment. And I believe in the parable that's presented to us there have us realized.
We need to be fit for the presence of the King of the Lord.
Of God himself.
What garment can you and I wear to be fit for the presence of God Himself? With a garment of God's righteousness which He puts on you and me when we believe on the Lord Jesus.
And if I could put these words here, when the king saw him, he said to him, What are you doing here?
He had no business being there without that garment. You cannot buy that garment. Nobody can lend you His garment, but God will supply to you that garment of His own righteousness, which He paid for by the sacrifice of His Son on the cross. It's something that God provides to every believer. He has made us fit for His own presence by the work of His Son on the cross if there was anything missing.
Jesus would have done more if it was required on the ground. He did it all. God is satisfied. Heaven is going to be filled. Bad or good does not matter. They have to be at the benefit of the work of the Lord Jesus and those that respond to God's invitation, they're going to be there. Heaven is going to be full of criminals, of drug addicts, all sorts of people saved by God's grace. And if they give God kind and if they're not taken to heaven right away.
God will transform their lives and show his power and their lives, but they're not going to be in heaven because God transformed their lives. They're going to be in heaven because one pay for their sins by his sacrifice on the cross. Oh, May God keep us dear ones from every thinking that we have part in that salvation. The only part we have in that salvation is the sins that we've committed that required of God that he gave his only begotten Son and punished Him in our said one who had no sin.
Who could not sin? There was number sin in him, so he could save sinners.
And make you and I and that malefactor on the cross, and millions more which cannot be numbered, fit for heaven.
You know the reading Revelation Chapter 7.
There's a great company that come from the Great Tribulation. Last seven years, 3 1/2 years for the great great tribulation. You might say, why doesn't God just terminate it like she's like this and turn it over to the Lord? Just shake the earth and establish the Kingdom of the Lord. Well, I believe in my heart that during the great Tribulation, God is going to save.
1,000,000 cannot be numbered. He's going to work in the hearts of men and save them through the blood of the Lord Jesus. I throw thee to God's grace and forgiveness and patience.
If you read Revelation 7A, great company which cannot be numbered, you're not going to be part of that company.
There are many, many Saints in the Old Testament that God had patience with. I want the Lord Jesus came their sins one were on his account and he paid for them by his sacrifice on the cross. And you're not gonna be you're not gonna be part of them either.
There's a company now.
In the time of God's grace, where He calls us by His Spirit, He puts in our hands His Word, and He has as us here plainly, clearly about His Son and His love and simplicity, one name given among men under heaven, by which we must be saved.
The name of Jesus.
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It's the work that's been done. It's the work that's probably announced every week from where you go at gospel meetings. It's the work that you've heard about before, and I trust in simplicity you've heard about it tonight.
What's it gonna be with you?
You're being made responsible tonight.
They did not receive him because.
Would you receive them tonight?
Would you allow him to have you here? His still small voice to your heart tonight? Say these nail prints in my hands, it's for you.
When I groaned upon the tree was for you.
I was forsaken.
For you, I died so I could save you. I shed my precious blood so I could cleanse you.
Will you have me tonight? Would you have him? He's worthy. Put everything else aside. Every objection, every time you've heard something that's cut your ear off or disappointed you and those around you and the believers and the preachers, doesn't matter.
Won't you just come to Him tonight? Respond to Him? You don't have to tell me or anybody else. Don't tell Him in your heart tonight as we bow our heads in prayer.
Why don't you just tell them, Lord Jesus?
I receive you.
I've been bad. I deserve punishment. I believe you receive my punishment because you love me. I want you as my Savior and in time, give me the energy, the power, the courage to confess you as my Savior with my mouth and help me to change my life. Deliver me. Perhaps of those things that are there, that would be the obstacle. That's been the obstacle for me. Well, before we pray, let's see #2 on our hymn sheet.
Nsnoise.
Nsnoise.
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Yeah, so he had the opportunity to have a change of heart.
That's what repentance is about, you know, a change of heart. And tonight if you hear His voice calling you, come unto me, we'll have a change of heart. Open your heart to Him tonight and receive Him as your Savior. Come, all things are ready.
Pitch bar heads.