Gospel—Gordon Sester
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Welcome to the Gospel Meeting.
I heard of him mentioned this afternoon in the address and I'd like to sing it. And that's Jesus loves me.
It's got a message of its own #40 on your hymn sheet.
Jesus loves me this.
Is.
So.
Tells me so.
Minecraft.
And he was still making me cry.
Wasteful.
It's it's safe from everyone.
You don't see just my skin.
Sing a song, please.
So Jesus loves me.
So when are we going to be?
Everywhere.
On this side in all my life.
You will watch me where I lie.
To you.
Bless me, you have to be something for me.
The Bible tells me so.
Jesus loves me, he will say, close beside me all the way.
If I trust each other, I die. He will hate me all night.
Yes, please. I want to see.
You so much.
You want me to see one particular tells me so.
Let's just close our eyes and ask for God's blessing, our God and our loving Father. We thank thee tonight that one more time we have the opportunity to sound forth the gospel the good news.
That meets us in our very need. We thank Thee, our God and Father without its sin, the Lord Jesus down to be a Savior. And so we'd ask tonight for clarity of thought that thy precious word might reap fruit for thine eternal glory. And so we look to Thee that our hearts might be soft to hear the Spirit of God working.
Whether it's St. or Sinner.
That we might be touched by the story of Thy love our God and Father. So we'd ask this with Thanksgiving and the Lord Jesus precious name. Amen.
I'd like to tell you a story about the second verse of this hymn. Many years ago I was a young boy and my parents visited an assembly.
I don't know if brother Al Coleman was here. He'd relate to this. It's in.
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Lady Smith on the Island of Vancouver and in this home were two brothers, Leafy and Iris Smith.
And they broke bread there. There was a little testimony there. And, you know, I didn't learn this till afterward, but when? When we were there, of course, I noticed there was an iron fence around their yard. And they had a testimony in that town in the gospel, especially with children.
But there was a family that visited there. Some may know this story. I won't say their name, but when that family left.
One of those brothers, said Danny.
Don't ever forget that the Lord Jesus went to the cross of Calvary, that the gate of heaven could be open. I don't know just what the words were, but that was the gist of it, that that gate. And I never forgot that. It says Jesus loves me, He who died heaven's gate to open wide. So this afternoon the gospel can go forth because the Lord Jesus.
Went to the cross of Calvary. That the gate of heaven is open. You know there's a clock on the wall.
And I remember my father saying, you know, the Lord God has his finger on that clock and he's holding back. One day he's going to come again and he's going to take his finger off that clock. But right now is a day of his grace. He's holding back, mercies going out. His grace is going forth someday he's coming. And you know, that's really the situation.
The Lord Jesus is coming again, and that's why it's so solemn to be under the sound of God's precious word, because everyone in this room has a never dying soul.
You know, I'd like to just talk a little about the first chapter of John's Gospel, if we could turn to that and read the first few verses.
We'll read the 1St.
We'll read down to verse 14. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him. Without him was not anything made that was made.
In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth in not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness to bear witness of the light, that all men through him might believe he was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light.
That was the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him to them gave he the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name, which were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh.
But ere the will of man but of God, and the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory.
With glory as the only begotten of the father. Full of grace and truth, you know, in the beginning, God, that's the first words in this precious book. Now I want to tell you, I look around the room. I don't know everyone personally, but you know, last. It's been a couple weeks ago, we met a girl, young woman, a mother.
She didn't grow up in this country. She grew up in China.
And we thought we'd give her a little calendar with John 316, but she didn't know what that was.
She had no idea.
I said, do you not have a Bible? No, she said. I've never had a Bible.
We had the wonderful privilege.
A week ago today.
To give that girl.
Bible.
Brother John Kaiser found a Bible with the New English or New Chinese and we were able to find that verse John 316 and underline it. And there's a lady who for the first time in her life had the word of God in her hands, was able to look at that verse and read it.
Is there anybody here who's never had a Bible in their hand?
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I don't think so. I don't know you all.
We have. I'm looking. I have confidence that I'm looking at the most privileged people on the face of this earth. Those that know the Lord Jesus is savior. We've had 2 1/2 days over this precious book. We've enjoyed hearing about the Lord Jesus.
Why do we have a Gospel meeting?
You know, I was thinking this afternoon. I don't have any idea.
How many gospel meanings I've been in? I don't know how many conferences I've attended, but I'll tell you one thing.
There were gospel meetings that I attended and I went home and I wasn't saved.
And that may be the case with someone here tonight.
I'm thankful. One thing I've really noticed, it's so encouraging at this conference is to see little families.
Children.
Whose parents have been on their knees for those little ones, those dear little children. You know, everyone that's born into this world.
It's sole.
Life has started. It's going to go on for all eternity.
And I see parents who pray for their children. They're interceding for them.
They want you to be saved.
But you know, there's a couple words, maybe a little bit old-fashioned in this world. I've heard it in this conference, though.
To know the Lord Jesus as your own personal savior.
Sometimes I talk to people and they don't know what that means. They have to have it explained that it has to be your very own. Like I just spoke to a man here in the hour or two ago and.
Oh, yes, he said. I know, John 316. I said, do you believe it? Yeah, I believe it. And I don't know him, but you know what we really desire. I said, you really need to know him as your own personal savior. You have to make it your very own. Now, I'd just like to go over a few things. You know, I'm coming down here. My wife and I, we never took so long to get to Aberdeen. We started Monday about lunchtime and we saw a lot of things.
And that were very nice. We saw some wonders of creation. We saw some painted hills.
And we saw dear brother Al Olson. That was encouraging.
We saw some. We stayed in a place called Fossil. We saw some fossils, little pictures of leaves imprinted. We saw a falls that most of you live in Idaho have seen down here near Twin Falls, Beautiful falls. We saw craters of the moon. You know, God is great.
He made everything.
But you know.
Think of a hymn that says. But the wonder of us all is that he sent the Lord Jesus down into this world to be a savior. God has revealed, fully revealed himself. I've thought about it, you know.
Who is he?
I heard it read this morning. He's the brightness of his eternal glory. I'm going to read that in Hebrews, so I don't miscoat it.
He's the full expression of God.
Hebrews chapter one we had that read in the morning meeting.
Who being the brightness of his glory, the express image of his person upholding all things by the word of his power.
Just think of this. And when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down.
A finished work. That's what we have to present to you.
So one thing we see here.
All things are made by him.
The Light shineth in the darkness, but the Darkness comprehendeth it not.
You know, you and I, if we were to turn over, we would see something about our own hearts. Our own dark hearts, naturally.
You know these hearts are deceitful.
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Let's turn to Jeremiah, 17. We'll read a little bit of that and then we're going to come back to that in a little bit. You know, there's something about trees there, and I'd like to read that before we close, but right now I'd like to read a little about the condition, the dark condition of our heart.
Jeremiah 17.
Verse 9.
Later, I hope we have time. We'll go back up to the fifth verse. But now let's read the ninth verse. The heart.
My heart, your heart, everyone. Naturally.
The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.
Who can know it? What's the answer to that?
I, the Lord, search for.
Oh yes. He searches the heart that might shines down into these dark hearts of ours. Now let's turn over to Acts Chapter 26. Let's see what that light can do.
Acts chapter 26 and verse 18.
You know, you and I need our eyes open.
And Acts 26 And verse 18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inherent things among them which are sanctified by faith that is in Me.
You know, the Apostle Paul was there recounting.
What happened to him on that Damascus Rd. God turned him from darkness to light. Is there someone here who's in their sins? Maybe a boy or girl? And you've never really owned the Lord Jesus as your personal savior, you know?
Our time is short. We're not here very long. In this scene, the Lord Jesus is the coming.
Eternity is so real.
There's a verse says as a tree fall, so shall it lie?
We heard about the parachute jumper. You take care of matters later.
You did?
There wasn't this afternoon. If you're die in your sins.
The Lord Jesus says, Whither I go, ye cannot come.
Eternal separation from God.
Lost eternity in hell.
I was.
Struck by the plainness, the message in the Sunday School.
Oh, the children were told faithfully.
You're bound for either heaven or hell.
You have a never dying soul.
But, you know, we learned a little bit.
This afternoon about one that loves us. He loves you.
He doesn't want you to go to a lost eternity.
Just want to read.
Just a hymn we sang this morning, but I just want to read one verse that struck me. It's 105 in the Little Flock. While we tell the wondrous story of the Savior's cross and shame. Sing the everlasting glory be to God and to the Lamb. Hallelujah.
Give you glory to his name.
You know.
We'll go on now in John's Gospel there a little bit. Some other thoughts.
And.
You know, I worked in a hospital. We'll go on later in that chapter, but there was a verse.
In Emanuel Hospital in Portland in 1962. Big gold letters across the lobby.
Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin, the world.
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Not there anymore.
But the verse is true.
Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
You know, back in Genesis 22.
Abraham told Isaac.
God will provide.
Himself a lamb.
Oh yes, dear ones, He has provided a Lamb, and I was thinking of the testimony.
I won't read it, but in John Five I noticed the testimony of John.
The Father, one of the things is the Lord Jesus told them search the scriptures.
Well, what scriptures did they have? They had the Old Testament.
Search the Scriptures. What do we find in the Old Testament?
Oh, I think.
Luke 24 And I've often thought, Wouldn't you have liked to been there?
He opened unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself, and he began at Moses.
Do we get the gospel there? Indeed we do.
I also heard that today.
I think it was this morning.
He heard their groanings and he came down to deliver.
You know, as I look around, there's groanings.
There is groanings in this.
But I wonder if somebody here tonight is groaning under the load of their sins and they know they've never bowed their knee to the Lord Jesus. And I want to stress how important it is. You know what tells us.
With the heart man believeth to righteousness. With the mouth confession is made unto salvation. And I want to tell you a story. I have a cousin of mine.
He was a bit older and I didn't know him very well. One thing I did know.
That he went to Sunday school.
He went to meeting like you.
When he was young, like you and I, he heard the gospel, but you know he grew up and there came a time he died.
And it was a life.
That you couldn't look at the life and know if there was life.
If he was alive to Christ. If he was saved.
And so different ones got on the phone. Have you ever heard?
His name is Alfred. Have you ever heard Alfred confess the Lord Jesus?
And one and another called Nobody. Nobody could ever remember that Alfred had ever confessed the Lord Jesus.
And I just say to you.
Is there somebody in this room?
That if I was to go to your funeral.
Would somebody be able to stay? I know that he's confessed the Lord Jesus as savior.
You know, I just encourage you, especially children, you know, What a delight.
For a child to come and tell their parents, you know I have just accepted the Lord Jesus as my Savior.
I know him as my savior. Oh, what a delight. You know we visit nursing homes a couple times a month.
And there was someone I hadn't met before.
And I asked the question I didn't have to prod very much.
To hear these this words, I know the Lord Jesus as my Saviour, and I said, and what are you looking for? She said. I'm looking for his coming.
What more do you want? Are you looking for his coming?
What a delight.
What a delight. Do you know him?
Have you told anyone?
When I think of other places in the Old Testament.
I wrote down a few. We won't turn to them.
Places that tell us of a coming, one of a coming savior. Deuteronomy and in Genesis 49 in Isaiah, chapter nine, well known.
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And Isaiah 32.
In Isaiah 53.
When that was read this morning.
You know, I thought about it.
How simple the word of God is that even the smallest child?
Can understand it. God in his wisdom has.
Used things to help us understand spiritual things.
All we like sheep have gone astray and I've often said to the children, nobody looks like a sheep. But you got the message, all we like sheep have gone astray.
We've turned everyone to his own way.
Is that true? Is there any parent in this room would like to stand up and say I never. I never had. I didn't have to teach. I had to. I had to teach my children to be naughty. No, you didn't have to teach them that.
They were born with a nature.
That wants to disobey. You had to teach them to obey.
But we say by nature and by practice.
For.
So very far from God.
And yet he sent.
His son. He's fully revealed his heart of love. He sent his son down into this world.
To go to the cross of Calvary, to suffer there the just one, for we the unjust.
Did he deserve it?
No.
It's going down.
To that second.
Statement. It's not quite the same though.
Verse 36.
And looking upon Jesus.
As he walked.
He said. Behold the Lamb of God.
That adds something as he walked, oh, as he walked through this scene, he revealed. You say you want to know who God is. He manifested God's heart in every step of his pathway through this scene.
And you know one thing I thought of.
He met individuals.
That's why we say he needs to be your own personal savior.
All through the Gospels he met individuals. He met a woman at the well.
Always think about that.
Just this.
He told me all things that ever I did. Is not this the Christ?
Would anybody in this room?
Like to have everything that ever you've done.
I wouldn't want to see my life displayed for you.
But only the Lord Jesus would attract 1.
And say he knows all about me.
And I'm attracted to him. He loves me.
He loves you, we learned this morning.
God knows everything.
Knows every detail.
He knows your thoughts.
He's everywhere.
Indeed he is.
But I'm thinking of how important it is.
Huh.
That you make it your very own.
You know.
As we visit the care centers.
I'm struck by a question that often is asked, and the answer in fact. I met a We met a lady.
On the way up here to Aberdeen.
And. I asked her.
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I forgot what it was, but we had a ticket for something we were doing and I asked her if she knew.
The ticket to heaven. And she said, yeah, that's you just do the best you can. I said, Oh no, no. But often we hear that and is that possible that even boys and girls and men and women and think, you know, as.
I feel pretty comfortable.
And I would say that I'm glad you do. I'm glad you feel comfortable here at the conference. I'm glad you feel comfortable in your local assembly and all your Christian friends.
But you know what? That's not the ticket to heaven.
It's a it's a responsibility. It's a privilege. But you gotta you have to make it your very, very own.
And you know what a savior he is? You know, he wants not only to save you and I. I want to tell you something, brother, Al Olson told me. Some of you know who he is, he said, Brother, don't just use the word saved.
Oh well, what's wrong with that? He says. No, use the word saved from the wrath to come.
What's important? There's judgment coming on this world.
And he's made a way of escape.
He made it so you can have life and light and a happy pathway. He wants you to be happy.
You know, we enjoyed singing the other night, didn't we?
Enjoyed that? That was nice. You have something to sing about.
And you know, we talk about the Lord's coming. It's wonderful.
Kind of interesting. It says the dead in Christ shall rise first, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up.
Together. That's interesting. I don't know for sure why it says the dead in Christ should rise first, but I have an idea.
Some have gone before.
What? You're going to rise first. I don't suppose time will make any difference, will it? There will be no measurable time, but we're going to be caught up together.
You know the Lord Jesus and what a portion we have.
And then?
You know it won't be very much longer. The Lord Jesus is going to come also.
He's going to come back to this world and he's going to take his rightful place and I'm going to be with him.
And I'm looking into the faces of those that are going to be associated with him when he comes back.
Is this just some fantasy I thought of? No, It's in the precious word of God.
God's going to bring them with him.
Is that real?
Or is it just something we've heard and?
I was just listening.
To someone.
And you know, they're with the Lord, they've been with the Lord a long time. But I heard them say we were listening to a meeting in the car.
I'm looking at the generation that's going to be here when the Lord Jesus comes.
And I believe that.
Oh yes, he is.
And we learned a little bit about it. Dark clouds are going on the scene. God is long-suffering, not when he willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Always long-suffering to us word.
You prayed for those.
Relatives, you prayed for those children? I heard a mother tell me, she said. I don't know if God's ever going to answer my prayer. I prayed for my son. All said. I said he answers prayer might not be in your lifetime.
Yes, God answers prayer and he wants to intercede. You know, I thought of something that Abraham interceded, judgment was coming on Sodom and Abraham interceded.
There's Many in this room are interceding for others. Someday the last intercession is going to go up, and we're going to hear the shout.
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When the last intercession goes up, the last soul and God's house is going to be filled.
If you hear the shout tonight and I fully anticipate it.
Will there be anybody left in their chair?
And if there is, you will be the very one.
That can tell those around that are lost. You can tell them what happened. That's a solemn thought. A very solemn thought. I remember going home from gospel meetings. I called it Blue Monday.
I heard the gospel.
When I went home, I knew I was lost.
Thank God, I bowed my knee. Well, you know.
Our time is going.
I want to turn over now to Jeremiah 17. I'm going to turn back there.
And got two thoughts in closing.
Jeremiah 17 I want to talk about trees. Some of you know we grow trees. And you know, I've enjoyed God in his precious word, has used things of nature to teach us spiritual things.
And I find three things connected. The first one has to do with Joseph.
And it says he's a fruitful bow, that hungover, the wall. And that's why you and I are here.
He was a fruitful bow. He's a type of the Lord Jesus, and you and I are brought in as Gentiles, and I believe that's a thought.
Let's turn to Jeremiah 7. Again. We have Psalms one, but here it's Jeremiah 17. I'd like to read those verses.
This is what he wants you to be.
He shall be.
Let's start with verse 5. Thus saith the Lord cursed be the man that trusteth in man.
And maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth.
From the Lord.
He shall be like a heath in the desert, shall not see you in good cometh, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness in a salt land, and not inhabit it.
But all this is the portion of every believer in the room, and if you're not saved, it can be your portion. Bless it is the man that trusteth in the Lord. Have you put your trust in him? He's a wonderful savior, and whose hope the Lord is.
He shall be as a tree.
Planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river shall not see when he cometh, but her leaf also shall be green, and shall not be careful in the year of drought neither shall cease from yielding fruit. You know, we've been in our little local assembly. We've been talking a little bit last couple weeks about fruit.
And.
You know the tree.
What does it mean?
It's planted by water.
Feed upon this precious book, the water.
You want to grow.
You know, sometimes I see trees. I saw some out there and craters of the moon. They didn't look very big, They didn't look very healthy.
They didn't grow much.
But.
You need you need water.
Spreads out her roots by the river.
You know, there's more of a tree under the ground than what's on top on the ones we grow. Many of them.
And there's more to your life and mind that we don't see.
As we look at one another.
The roots kind of roots you got.
What are you feeding on?
He read God's precious word feed upon it.
I don't want to be hard on you, brethren. Do you have a Bible reading with your family?
I'll tell you a funny story. I went to buy a.
Well, first of all, we wanted to sell a dining room table.
We were having an estate sale for one of our brethren and a man came and he to evaluate everything and he said you'll never sell that table.
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What? What? Why would you never sell the table all? He said. There's no market for tables anymore.
That's funny because people don't eat together.
That's funny. So I called a furniture company. I bought some furniture from. You know what they told me? We quit making tables. Kitchen tables.
There's no market for them anymore.
I'm not saying we all need kitchen tables, but what I'm saying is.
Do you sit down with your family? Do you read God's precious word?
Do you feed them on this book?
Are we too busy?
I do remember a time in our home when there were three different buses and three different schedules, and I understand that in the morning wasn't easy in the morning.
My wife and I, even the one or just the two of us at home, you know what we found out. If we don't read before we leave the table, we don't get the reading done.
Read God's precious word with your family.
Will there be drought come? Yes, there will.
Are there times hard times? Yes, there are.
There's groanings. We live in a groaning creation.
We feel it.
How are you going to survive?
You won't be careful.
You'll go through that time of drought because you've fed on that water. The roots have gone out.
And you won't cease from yielding fruit.
You know, it's something interesting in raising trees. I don't know if my boys, I think they'd back me up on this, but I noticed that.
And I don't fault you if you plant a tree, but I noticed people plant trees and they put guy wires on them.
Can't move. We don't do that.
We put a flexible stake on them. You know why? They've got to feel the wind and they develop roots, dear ones, in your life and mine, there's going to be trials.
And those are the times when the Lord Jesus will be the most precious to us.
There are times of learning.
In a school of God.
We let that tree feel and it develops roots. We want roots. We want to survive those troubles times. We want to go through them with the Lord. Well, I just. I won't take you. I know people are tired.
We're going home.
More than one sense, dear ones. We're going home.
We often bring that up in the nursing home home. You know, a lot of those people there, they'll never return to their natural home here and they like to hear about home, but there's a home.
God has prepared a home and he wants to have you there. We had it this afternoon. His desire is to have you with him where he is.
And he doesn't want to wait.
He wants your company now.
And then he wants to take you home.
Boy or girl, perhaps an adult here. I don't know your heart.
Maybe somebody here, you know, God knows your heart.
You know, kids have that term. Get real. Well, that's what God wants. He wants us to get real, be real, come into his presence. Let the light shine.
Let the Lord Jesus. He wants you to be. Not only does He want you to have your sins forgiven.
He wants you to be a happy Christian on your way home. Now we're just going to close our eyes. We're going to thank him, our God and our loving Father. We thank thee for the Lord Jesus. We thank thee that thou has provided A savior, that thou art a savior God.
We think of each one of us as we leave this conference.
That has been asked.
That we would go home another way. We'd go home with our hearts encouraged.
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As if the load is lifted.
And we're casting all our care upon thee.
And we thank thee, we can look to thee for those.
Who may not be in there have never taken the Lord Jesus as savior, and we're afraid to say that, but it may be true.
We know it was true of some of us. We pray that they might be saved, and they'd be saved tonight about their need of Thee, Lord Jesus. So we thank thee in thy precious and thy worthy name. Amen.