Gospel—Wally Dear
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Let's begin our.
Meeting tonight with number six.
Number six.
I noticed on the program indicating the meetings for today.
That this meeting was labeled not simply gospel meeting, but gospel of God's grace. That's beautiful. Yeah. We've been speaking about grace today. So I thought, let's sing a him that reminds us of the grace of God. Here it is number six. God in mercy sent his Son to a world by sin undone. Jesus Christ was crucified.
Twas for sinners. Jesus died all the glory of the grace.
Shining in the Savior's face, telling sinners from above, God is light and God is love. Could we stand and sing #6?
Nsnoise.
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We could turn to the back of our hymn sheets and sing another hymn. This is a children's hymn. But I believe we enjoy singing about the gypsy boy even as grown-ups, because you know, the gypsy boy, he was one who tasted of the grace of God. The gypsy boy, he hadn't heard about Jesus, but when he did.
He accepted him and we know the little gypsy boy was saved by the grace of God and that's the only way anyone gets saved is by the grace of God. You know what grace is. Grace is getting what we don't deserve.
It's been defined as unmerited favor.
And God has shown favor to the very worst.
And what has he done for the worst? He's given him the best.
You know the pasta pool.
He said this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.
He said he was the worst of sinners.
But you know what?
The apostle was saved by the grace of God and he could write to the Ephesians and he said, for by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It's the gift of God.
The apostle, he had a very deep sense of grace in his soul. And you know what? That made him feel like He was the worst Sinner.
And that God was the most wonderful God, the greatest of all.
Well, the gypsy boy hearing this song, he heard news of salvation.
And he listened.
And he accepted.
And we're gonna see the little gypsy boy in the glory, You know, I see there's a verse left off here.
The fourth verse, it goes something like this, smiling.
His side as his last side was spent.
And it goes on to speak of how he says Lord, I believe.
Tell it now to the rest.
He was smiling.
As he was ready to depart this world, he's gonna die. But he was smiling.
While he was dying.
Because he had a hope beyond this life.
Do you have a hope beyond this life?
Where are you going to spend eternity?
No, our brother Cam over here, he, uh, gave me a.
Story and I since got it on ACD but it tells about a man over in Australia.
And you know this man, he had a real heart.
For souls, he had a passion for the lost and he would come out as the people were passing down the street. He would confront them and put a question to them. You see if you were to die tonight.
Would you go to heaven or what? Where would you spend eternity? I forget the exact wording, but he just asked.
This one and that one and you just did this day after day, week after week. And you know many were saved through this man's efforts on George St.
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Well, if you were to die today, tonight, where would you spend eternity? Do you have the assurance of salvation?
It's so important. How is it that people can get so involved in anything and everything but that which is most important and that is their eternal destiny?
People that prepare for this life and take no thought for the next. You might say they're wise for a moment.
But they're foolish forever.
And it makes me shudder to think that there are 1,000,000 that are passing into a lost eternity because they've given no thought to their eternal welfare. I hope there's nobody like that in this hall here tonight.
Because you could be.
Here tonight and go on tomorrow.
No lease on life.
No one knows how long his or her time.
Will be. Are you prepared to meet God? This little gypsy boy? He was prepared. Well, we've had quite a little introduction to this song. Let's sing this song #44 about the gypsy boy #44 on the back of our hymn sheet.
Remain seated into the tent.
Nsnoise.
Nsnoise.
Well, the subject tonight is simple. 5 letter word.
GRACE, Grace.
That's wonderful.
To contemplate the grace of God throughout the Bible.
And today we found.
In the Old Testament, a shining example of the grace of God.
God showing favor.
To a Sinner woman.
A heathen woman.
Yes.
What was your name?
I hope everybody was listening in a meeting today.
Her name was.
Somebody tell me.
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There's my friend Isaac.
That's why we talked about Rahab.
Now there is a shining example of the grace of God. You know a woman named Rahab. I'm thinking of another woman That starts with the letter R.
Is it Ruth? Very good. And so we've just been enjoying.
So very much the story of Ruth the Moabitess comes into.
The land of Israel, God's land.
And there she is, and she's enjoying the fruit of that land.
And she asked the question, Why me, Lord? Why are you showing grace to a stranger like me? I don't deserve this.
Did you know that what God delights to do is to show favor to those who don't deserve anything?
He finds great satisfaction.
In showing grace.
To those that.
Deserve nothing but.
Death and judgment.
And grace, as we sometimes think it's the sweetest sound that ever reached our ears.
Grace, you know it has a ring to it. It's so beautiful.
God's riches.
That Christ's expense.
Now I was trying to think.
And you don't have to try very hard.
But in the New Testament, we also have stories that bring before us in a very wonderful way.
The grace of God.
And the story that came to mind with respect to saving grace is found in the book of Luke. So could we turn in our Bibles to the book of Luke?
Luke Chapter.
23.
You know, it's a wonderful thing to be able to open up our Bibles.
And to.
Know that God is the author of this book. I don't know of any other book in this whole wide world.
Where it suggested that God is the author of the book. I know there are those that write what supposedly is a revelation that they've received from God, but they don't say God is the author of the book. But we have in our hands.
A unique book. There's no other book like it.
And by the way, this is the best selling book in the world.
And the world has a lot of best sellers.
Some sell thousands of copies in a year, some sell millions, and I understand sometimes a best seller.
Is gonna result in sales of 10 million or more.
What about this book?
This book tops the list of best sellers. 150 million Bibles printed in the world in one year.
That's a big difference.
And I'm told that there's actually 4 billion, 5 billion print in the world in 2000 different languages.
Now, just because it tops the list of best sellers, it doesn't mean necessarily that it's the truth, although we know it is, but the fact that it is.
At the top of the list ought to make you interested in reading it.
Do you have an interest in the Holy Bible?
Given the fact that.
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It's the best seller.
I believe that.
Time is short.
The coming of the Lord.
It has drawn night.
And God's desire is to get his Word out to this world.
Because the door of mercy.
It's gonna be shut.
And we sometimes sing grace.
No more will say, yet there is room.
Tonight.
May be your last opportunity to be saved if you're not already saved.
You know, the Word of God speaks about judgment and it speaks about salvation.
Those that are judged are not saved. Those that are saved are not judged.
I ask you tonight, where do you stand?
I believe in this call tonight we've got two classes.
We're gonna read here in this account about two men, and they represent two classes in the world tonight.
Those that are saved and those that are lost, those that are believers and those that are unbelievers.
And it's very sobering to think.
That there are those.
That have heard the way of salvation comes the gospel meetings sat in Sunday schools.
Sat around your kitchen table, heard the word of God presented by your parents, but you've never yet.
Come to Jesus, you never have called upon Him. Put your faith in Him. Perhaps there's somebody like that here tonight. Well, our desire is that you might be saved by the grace of God.
While there is still time because time is short.
Eternity is long. Now this story that I like to read in Luke 23.
It.
Is a most.
Wonderful story of the grace of God.
And perhaps we could start reading from verse.
32.
Luke 2332 and there were also two other malefactors LED with him to be put to death.
And when they were come to the place which is called Calvary, there they crucified him and the malefactors, one on the right hand and the other on the left.
Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them.
For they know not what they do.
They parted his raiment and cast lots.
And the people stood beholding, and the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others, let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God.
And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, offering him vinegar, and saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself.
And the superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek and Latin and Hebrew this.
Is the king of the Jews.
Now here's the story that I'd like to focus on.
Verse 39 It says, One of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation, and we indigestion, for we receive the due reward of our deeds. But this man had done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, Remember Me when thou comest into thy Kingdom.
And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee today.
Shalt thou be with me in Paradise? And it was about the 6th hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the 9th hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. And when Jesus had cried, with a loud voice he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. And having said thus, he gave up the ghost.
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Now when the centurions saw what was done, he glorified God, saying certainly this was a righteous man.
I think it's important to focus.
On the fact that Jesus not only was born into this world.
That he lived in this world, but that he.
Died.
On the cross of Calvary.
If he had left this world.
Without dying.
He would have saved himself.
But you and I.
Wood, Parrish.
Himself.
He could not save how often we do sing that hymn. It's a beautiful hymn himself. He would not save love Stream too deeply float.
His desire was to show mercy and grace and provide.
The means whereby you and I, we go free of judgment. Now recall I said there is judgment.
But those that have accepted the Lord Jesus can say.
He was judged for me on that cross of Calvary. The Lord Jesus suffered for sins, the just, for the unjust to bring us to God. He bore the judgment.
And we also sing a hymn that goes like this. Death and judgment are behind us. Grace and glory are before all the billows rolled over Jesus. There they spent their utmost power.
But something happened while Jesus was hanging on that cross. You know, he was on the middle cross.
End on either side were these malefactors.
And we want to be careful to see in verse 32 There's a comma between the word either and the word malefactors. So important.
The jet comma be there because you know this world and particularly these religious leaders that took.
You might say.
The prominent part in putting Jesus to death.
They would make out that he was a malefactor. It was terrible what they were saying about Jesus. They were going so far as to say, you know this man, he's not of God. In fact, he cast out demons through the Prince of the demons whose fields above.
Well, how low can you get?
It was terrible to see.
How that these?
Priest, these elders, these scribes, these religious Jews.
To see the verbal abuse.
And now we have physical abuse.
Man's religion.
Does not.
Appreciate who Jesus is.
A man's religion is that which exalts the 1St man at the expense.
Of the 2nd man, the Lord from heaven.
So that's why we're not here tonight to preach.
Man's religion. We're here tonight to preach Christianity.
And Christianity makes everything of Christ.
And nothing of ourselves.
And I know.
In this room, there are many.
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Who just rejoice in the fact that Christ is everything.
They're willing to admit they're nothing.
And truly.
That's the path of happiness.
Is to exalt.
The name of the Lord Jesus.
God's own dear Son.
But here we find, rather than being exalted, even though he was the king of the Jews, they put their king to death.
And the desire is to make it appear like he's just another malefactor. He's a criminal like these two other.
But don't forget the commas there. The Lord Jesus was the Son of God.
He was holy, he was jest.
And if you read this chapter.
You find out that pilot over and over again.
He declared. I find no fault in this man.
Notice what he says in verse 22. He said unto them the third time.
Why, what evil has he done? I have found no cause of death in him. I will therefore chastise him and let him go. And they were instant, with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified.
Enmity in the heart of man coming out at the cross.
There's where we see it, what's in the heart of man.
And you know, at the heart of man's problem.
Is the heart of man, it tells us in Jeremiah. The heart of man is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, as we read as this account.
We realized the truth of Scripture.
Desperate wickedness.
And of course.
Pilot, who was supposed to stand for justice. He was the Roman governor.
What does it tell us?
Well in verse 24 it says Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required.
It was a pushover.
Money. Public opinion.
Turned his heart.
And the Lord Jesus.
Was sentenced to death. Pilot gave sentence that it should be as they required.
And so.
The blessed Lord is LED out.
To be crucified, and there were also two other malefactors LED with him to be put to death.
It tells us that these other malefactors, they were thieves.
Thieves.
And I think Mr. Darby has in his translation robbers.
Robbers. You know, a thief you might think of as being kind of sneaky.
A sneaky thief.
Trying to stay undercover and so on. But perhaps a robber. He's more bold, he's more aggressive. A robber.
Even set of points that perhaps committing murder.
These were bad men, these criminals.
You know, Barabbas tells us. He was a robber, and he committed murder, too.
Well, these two.
No doubt they deserved.
To be executed.
And so it tells us here.
In verse 33 when they were come to the place which is called Calvary, there they crucified him.
And the malefactors, one on the right hand and the other on the left.
There they are.
Nailed.
Through the hand.
And through the feet.
As far as I know, 3 nails.
You know the Lord Jesus said they pierced my hands and my feet.
That was a prophecy way back in the Old Testament. We have the fulfillment of it here.
It's wonderful to contemplate the prophecies.
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Of the Old Testament that find their fulfillment in the new, there's many prophecies.
And of course, this is a test to the fact that this book that we have in our hands.
There's a divine roster. God is the author. Because no man, I don't care who he is, would be able to make these prophecies and then make them all come to pass.
Only God could do that.
And so while we read the Bible, we come to realize this is a unique book. God is the author.
Use men to write it. 40 different men over a period about 1600 years.
Were used by God to write this book. They were holy men of God.
And they wrote as they were led by the Spirit of God.
But God is the author.
By the way.
There's no other book in the world.
That you or I will read where the author is always present.
But that's true of the Word of God.
And you know, God is present here tonight, the author of this book, he's right here tonight.
And his spirit is here.
And.
We must acknowledge.
That apart from?
The Spirit of God working in your soul and mind is not gonna be any fruit for God. Spirit of God.
It's wonderful to contemplate what God is doing.
Now when we come to the story about these two malefactors, we find that God.
Is doing a work.
For a malefactor, and he's doing the work in him.
And that's wonderful to see.
Before we read.
Or speak of the.
Malefactors.
Further, we want to read 34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.
What can we say?
The blessed Lord.
It's hanging on those nails.
On that cross.
Can't imagine the pain.
I've had a nail go into my hand.
Never went through my hand but how painful it is.
Even when a nail goes part way into your hand.
But those nails were pounded through his hands.
And through his feet.
And there is hanging.
He'd already been scourged, no doubt his back was bloody.
Criminals that were scourged, they sometimes succumb to the scourging.
There was no opportunity to crucify them because they died in discouraging it was so bad.
The Lord Jesus had been.
Ridiculed.
They spit into his face.
Think of it.
Spit.
I can't say if anybody spit in my face.
I recall in high school.
There used to be.
A uh.
Rather unhappy activity carried on by.
Put a little spit on your finger like that and then you could flick it.
And it could sail right across the room and end up on somebody. And they wonder, where did this come from?
Now I experienced that and when you have those landing on you, it's not a good feeling.
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I don't think one ever landed on my face.
But they spit into his blessed face, face of the Son of God.
You know earlier Lord Jesus had.
Been on the mount of Transfiguration and it speaks about how that is faced.
It is shone as the sun.
His face.
But you know that face.
It was marred more than any man.
They smote him in the face.
Tells us how they would.
Blindfolded in any.
Who's Smokey?
This was the abuse that the precious Savior was subjected to.
Discouraging.
The Scorning.
And then they took thorns.
And he made a crown of corns, and they placed it on his head, and they took a Reed that was in his hand.
Yeah, it was supposed to represent a scepter. It was just a read.
As far as the crown, it wasn't gold, it was thorns.
But they were making a mockery of the King of the Jews.
And they took that Reed and they smote him on the head.
And that would drive those thorns into his head.
His face was so marred, more than any man, his face spit running down, his face bruised perhaps beyond recognition. The thorns.
He's hanging on this cross.
We we can't imagine the pain.
The agony that he was in.
What comes out of his lips?
Is it cursing and swearing?
That's what would come out of the lips of the malefactors. But what about Jesus?
He was different.
Father.
Forgive them.
For they know not what they do.
It's so beautiful to contemplate the Lord Jesus.
Well, in verse 39 it says uh.
One of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
In another place it tells us that.
Both the malefactors, both these criminals, they railed on Jesus.
However, we find.
There is a change that comes over one of these malefactors.
And in verse 40.
The other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God?
Seeing thou art in the same condemnation.
Now, what made the difference here?
They were both.
Ridiculing the Lord.
Now one changes his tone.
And he's speaking to his partner in crime.
And he says, Don't you fear God?
Is it true that this malefactor?
Is fearing God? Yes, he is.
He heard something that day.
In his ear that changed his thinking. You know what he heard? I believe it. He heard Jesus say, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.
It made an impression on this man.
You know, back in the Psalms.
The question is asked.
If thou shouldst.
Lord, Mark, iniquity, oh Lord, who should stand?
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But that little 3 letter word.
Turn darkness to light.
There is forgiveness with thee, that thou mightest be feared.
And I believe that this malefactor, when he heard those words of forgiveness spoken.
Bye the Lord Jesus.
He come to realize that.
This man was Messiah. This man was the Son of God.
Did you know that faith comes by hearing?
It doesn't tell us that faith comes by seeing, but it comes by hearing.
And hearing by the word of God.
And so we see this.
Faith in this?
Repentant Thief.
Yes, it's very beautiful.
And he has a sense, no doubt.
Of the grace of God in his soul. And you know what grace does.
Grace makes us feel how bad.
We really are a true apprehension of grace, but it also gives us to see how lovely and how wonderful God is.
That's what Grace will do.
Grace.
It is a power.
That gives us to see what we are in ourselves, but also gives us to see what God is in himself. It's so important.
If we don't have apprehension of grace in our souls.
We are going to think more of ourselves than we should.
And we're not going to think as much of God as we should.
But where there is grace?
A sense of it in our souls. We realize we need the Savior because we are so bad. I believe that this comes out in this story because notice what the thief he says. We indeed, justly.
In other words, we're getting what we deserve.
He was honest with himself.
You don't hear these words from the other thief.
He probably thought maybe he shouldn't have been on that cross.
I remember being in a prison one time and I went through the prison, talked to different ones in the cells, and they didn't think they ought to be in that prison. They thought they didn't get fair treatment.
How many there are today?
That are of the same impression.
You know they don't think God is treating them fairly.
People want a fair deal.
Well, I'll tell you something.
People are going to get a fair deal.
And those that reject the Savior, they're gonna stand before the great White throne. We read about it in Revelation chapter 20. And they're gonna be judged and they're gonna get a fair deal.
The books are gonna be opened.
And they're gonna be judged out of these books.
According to their works, a record of every word, every action written down in this book.
They're gonna be judged.
Why another book is Open Book of Life?
Whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the Lake of Fire.
It's a fair deal. Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?
They had the opportunity to come to Christ. They had the opportunity to be saved. How about you here tonight? Where do you stand with the Lord? I can't look down into your heart. I don't know.
If you have a relationship.
I mean, I know many do through their testimony, their life, it shows that they do.
But I couldn't be sure about everybody.
We need to ask ourselves.
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Do we have peace with God? You know we're no better than these criminals that were hanging on the crosses.
You say, well I'm pretty decent person.
I don't think I'm all that bad.
Well, have you ever taken anything that didn't belong to you?
I'll be honest, you don't have to speak out loud, but thinking back in your life, anything at all, it's not a question of the value of the thing, but did you take anything at all?
Did you sneak a candy fire out-of-the-box on the shelf at the store?
Did you take a pencil or a pen that didn't belong to you?
You're steely. You're a thief.
You say, well, I don't think I'm that bad.
I mean.
What's a candy bar? What's a?
Pencil.
You know what? You need to look at things from God's viewpoint.
People talk about lies, talk about a white lie.
You know it's OK to lie as long as you can avoid some embarrassment. It's OK to lie. I tell you something, God's not concerned about colors.
A white lie is as bad as a black lie in the sight of God.
And it won't be tolerated in God's happy home in heaven. It would spoil the place.
You know, sometimes when you're in a store, maybe department store.
And somebody walks out the door.
And all of a sudden the buzzer goes off and everybody's looking toward the door, getting uncomfortable, feeling what happened. Well, maybe they forgot to take the security tag off a shirt or a pair of pants or some electronic device, something like that. It set off alarm.
Nobody feels comfortable until that alarm is shut down. Well, I thought of it this way. If God were to allow an individual into heaven through the gates of heaven with one sin, it would set off such an alarm that it would just spoil the environment of the place immediately. God will not tolerate sin in His holy presence.
Whether it be a white lie or black lie or whatever color or whatever you stole, it's stealing. And we could talk about other things too, you know, what about?
There's a commandment that says thou shalt not commit adultery.
But the Lord Jesus said.
That he that looks upon.
A woman.
And loss.
Has committed adultery.
In his heart.
So you say, well.
Well, that's pretty strong language. I don't know if I'm all that great after all.
Well, I tell you what, if you wanna get to heaven on your own terms, by your own good works, you gotta do it perfect. God is a perfectionist, you say? I don't like perfectionist. They're too critical. You bothered me. But God is a perfectionist.
And you know, God knows that you and I, we could never attain His standard of holiness through our own effort. We've all sinned and come short of the glory of God. That's why God in mercy sent His Son as we sang into Him to a world by sin and time.
God saw you and me in our dire straits.
And he sent his Son Christ. Jesus came in the world to save sinners. This man on the cross, he acknowledges he's a Sinner.
We receive the due reward of our deeds, but this man has done nothing amiss.
What a testimony.
Must have.
How would the Lord Jesus feel when everybody else seemed against him, to have this man on the cross next to Him? You know, all of his pain, agony, stress.
Giving testimony.
To who Jesus is.
No, that's what grace will do for a soul.
And he said unto Jesus, Lord, he acknowledged him as Lord, Remember Me when thou comest into thy Kingdom.
First he acknowledged him as Lord, and then he acknowledged him as.
00:55:03
King, He makes a bold request.
But.
The Lord Jesus appreciates bold request.
You know, without faith it's impossible to please God.
And I would think that this man making this request.
Brought joy to the heart of the Lord Jesus, if that could be so in the circumstances in which he found himself. Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise. What a beautiful response this man was, De.
Going to depart this life. His legs would be broken.
But that would be the servant to usher him into the very presence and companionship of the Lord Jesus. And you know this thief today he saved by the grace of God.
A thief saved, a Sinner saved, and I believe he's awaiting the rapture.
You got fired more than he asked for.
It's one thing to be remembered by somebody, but it's another thing to be able to spend time with them.
24/7 I could put it that way day in and day out.
And this thief?
As a result of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
He went to paradise to be with Jesus, and so will you if you put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of sinners. We know the Lord Jesus died.
After those hours of darkness we read the account here. And then a soldier with a spear pierced his side. Forth with came their out blood and water. Blood of Jesus Christ cleanse us from all sin. And then he was taken down. He was buried, but he rose again the third day.
And Jesus lives in the glory to date. He's coming again. But will you accept him? Come to Jesus for by grace? Are you saved through faith and not of yourselves? It's the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. Does anybody have any question about anything we said here tonight?
If so, please feel free to confront this. After this meeting, we'd like to talk with you. We don't wanna.
Leave any confusion in your mind as to the way of salvation. Brother prayed in the prayer meeting that the message would be simple.
That's God's way of salvation. It's simple.
Wasn't simple for Jesus it was difficult, but for you and for me it's faith, believing, receiving, taking, Jesus taking.
You too will have peace with God, your sins will be forgiven, you will enjoy a relationship with God as Father. And you're gonna be at the meeting in the air, which could be tonight, The rapture. It's gonna happen one of these days. And we hope we're gonna see you there, everyone in this hall.
At the meeting in the air.
It's gonna happen.
Let's pray.