Gospel—Jim Hyland
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334.
Hip hips.
Don't bring us Christian Christmas.
All the day around ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah.
So I can't get anything for another day for us and sorrow.
Oh.
My heart.
Let's pray our blessed God and Father how thankful we are for that which we've enjoyed in these readings together. We thank Thee for that joy that we have in that blessed One. We thank Thee for that hope before us. But now we're solemnized, as a few moments have been set aside at the end of these meetings for another gospel were solemnized. To think that there may be those in this room who've never tasted of Thy love do not know that joy in their souls, and do not have that wonderful hope before them.
And so we pray that as thy word is opened once again that the gospel might be preached simply and clearly in the power of the Spirit. We pray if there's anybody here who's lost and in their sins, that before they leave their seat they might know with assurance that they are saved. So we ask thy help and blessing. We ask it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and for his glory. Amen. I'd like to read a verse that was read to us at least twice this morning.
During the remembrance meeting. It's in John's Gospel Chapter 3.
John's Gospel chapter 3 and verse 16.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. I'm going to read it again, because it's the living word of God.
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For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. I suppose this is a gospel verse that has often been read at the beginning of a meeting like this. You couldn't prove it by me, but my father sometimes kept copious notes on certain things, and he was very interested in statistics. And near the end of his life he told me.
That he had kept notes as to gospel meetings, that he had sat in during his life, a certain period of his life, and kept notes as to the verse that was read or quoted at the beginning.
Of gospel meetings and he told me from his statistics.
That this verse was the verse that was most quoted or read at the beginning of a gospel meeting, and I suppose that only eternity will reveal the fruit that there's been from the reading and quoting of this gospel verse. God so loved the world. Isn't it wonderful that we can at the end of these meetings once again proclaim, as has often been proclaimed, for God so loved the world?
You know, it doesn't just say God loved the world. If it said God loved the world, we'd rejoice. And we would, with the joy of God in our souls, present that love to the world, to lost souls. But no, there's some other little words that seem so insignificant at 1St and yet I believe are so very precious. This verse begins with the word for because the word for gives thrust to what follows, it draws our attention to it.
For God.
Not just love the world, but so loved the world. Doesn't that give intensity to it?
Oh, I wish this afternoon we could tell you how much God loves you. But you know the love of God. It passes knowledge, it passes telling. But I know the desire of just so many in this room today is that you would get one little taste of the love of God. Oh taste and see that the Lord is good. Because if you could just get one little inkling 1 little taste of the love of God, I dare say you would want more and more and more.
My girls are older now, but when my girls were younger, we often had a problem at the dinner table, especially if there was some dish presented by my wife that we hadn't had before, or maybe something that was green and leafy. And sometimes when that dish was passed, the initial reaction was, oh yuck. Or I don't like that. And I would often say to my girls, but how do you know you don't like it? You haven't even tried it.
We passed something by without even trying it, sometimes assuming that it we aren't going to like it. But oh, today God is commending or recommending His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. And so just like that dishes it was passed, we would recommend it. We would commend it to the girls, and sometimes with some persuasion, we could convince them to try it.
And I would say when we were able to do that, that more often than not they would take some more and they learn to like it and enjoy it. But God so loved the world, all the sources. God himself and nothing else is going to satisfy your soul today.
Edgerton Young was a missionary to the Nelson River District of British Columbia years and years ago, and he took the gospel message.
The love of God and the glad tidings to the native Indians who had never heard it before.
And when he got there, there was some skepticism amongst the natives.
As to this man who had come with a different message, they were used to the religion of the Great Spirit and the beat of the TomTom drum and all that went with their dark Pagan religion.
But a certain date was set for Egerton Young to present his message to those who would be gathered there, and as he describes it himself in his own journal, there was a large company assembled to hear what he had to say, And there were several of the chiefs and leaders of the Indians in that area assembled there with great pomp.
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And Egerton Young stood up, and he read this verse.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
And as he told in his own words for four hours he spoke from this precious verse. And he told those natives of the love of God, the love of the Creator, in sending his Son, the Lord Jesus into this world, to go to Calvary's cross there, to give his life there to shed His precious blood. He told of the resurrection from the dead and when he was done.
He wondered how his message would be received.
And as he stepped aside and sat down with a great deal of ceremony, one of those chiefs who seemed to be the principal chief amongst them, he slowly rose and faced.
The others.
And he said, for some time I haven't believed in the Great Spirit. I haven't put any stock in the beat of the TomTom drum and the rituals that go with it. I've had an empty aching in my heart for a long, long time.
But he said. Mr. Young, you have brought us a message today that has filled my heart and given me peace.
Stay as long as you want and tell us more. And they say there was a great.
Wave of blessing through those natives, many came to know the love of God.
Many came to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their savior.
God so loved the world. How do you believe that? Have you tasted of that love? Because you know the solemn side of it is you are responsible to God.
There was a man named King Belshazzar in the Old Testament, and Daniel stood before that king, and he rebuked him with these words.
The God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways.
Hast thou not glorified? It tells us in the book of the Acts He giveth to all life and breath and all things. It tells us in another portion, that he's the preserver of all men. God holds your breath. He gave you the very strength and health to be here this weekend and this afternoon. You are responsible to him.
But are you going your own way? Are you rejecting his offer of mercy? Are you rejecting his beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ? Are you going to go out of this room once again? And I'm going to say it in very plain language, in rebellion against God.
That's what it is. If you go out of this room this afternoon rejecting God's beloved Son and refusing to recognize your responsibility to God, you are acting in rebellion. Rebellion that will have eternal consequences and wind you in the lake of fire in the end. You know the age is characterized by rebellion, isn't it? I was driven purposely.
Buy a place an establishment in Regina, SK the last time I was there, because the person who drove me by that establishment wanted me to see what that establishment was called.
It was a body and tattooing parlor, and over the door was a large sign that said House of custom rebellion. Isn't that solemn, a House of custom rebellion. But you know, that sums up the age in which we live. That sums up the heart of man. And that sums up your heart and response if you go out of this room unsaved and lost in your sins.
When this meeting concludes, but all the wonderful messages that God so loved the world.
That he gave, you know, that's the heart of God. God is a giving God. You know, Satan is not your friend today. Satan wants you simply for what he can get out of you. You know Pharaoh, who is a very graphic picture of Satan in the Old Testament. He only wanted the children of Israel for what he could get out of them. As long as he could use them as slaves, as long as they could make his brick and build his cities. He wanted them for what he could get out of them.
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But there is one today who wants you for what he can give you. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.
But oh, he's giving on the basis of that gift, the gift of God, which is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Because every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of Light, with whom there is no variableness nor shadow of turning. Have you received God's wonderful gift? But oh, I say, it's all based on that unspeakable gift. Have you responded like the Apostle Paul?
In Second Corinthians, thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. Have you ever thanked God for giving his Son the Lord Jesus Christ? Because of all the gifts that God has given, the best and most unspeakable gift is the gift of his beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. I say, Have you thanked God for that wonderful gift? God so loved the world that he gave.
And what did he give his only begotten son? I don't have any sons, but I do have two daughters.
And I don't think I would have ever given them in the way that God gave his beloved Son. Because it was more than just God sending Jesus. It was more than just God giving Jesus to die on the cross. No, first John chapter 4 tells us the Father sent the Son. Isn't that more? Isn't that deeper when we consider the relationship and not only the relationship of the Father and the Son?
But to consider that here was one of whom it could be said, I was daily his delight.
A son that never, from a past eternity, grieved his father.
Any of us who have children can't honestly say that our children have never grieved us. It's not that we love them any less, but there are days when they grieve us. But here was a son who never grieved his father.
Never did one thing to displease his father and then when he came in incarnation.
He could say I came down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me.
Oh, this is the one that God sent. And when God sent him, God knew.
What it would cost God knew the end of the story. I've often said with both Israel and Jesse, when they sent Joseph and David their sons that they loved very much. When they sent them to see how things were going with their brethren, Joseph's brethren feeding the sheep, David's brethren fighting a battle with the Philistines, neither Israel or Jesse knew what was going to transpire.
On those occasions, if Israel had known the treatment that his other sons were going to give.
Uh, Joseph. The son that he loved and had marked with favor, with a coat of many colors, and known that he wouldn't see his son for many years and assume him dead. Would he have sent him on that occasion? I doubt it very much if Jesse had known that David was going to be misunderstood by his brethren for coming down and then go and fight the champion of the Philistines with just a sling and a few stones in his bag.
And then have to flee for his life from King Saul for many years. Would he have sent him on that occasion?
I dare say he would have kept him home feeding those few sheep in the wilderness.
Israel didn't know, Jesse didn't know. But God the Father knew exactly.
What would happen? I've often wondered, too, if Joseph had known what was going to happen, Would he have been so willing to go? If David had known that his brethren would charge him with naughtiness in his heart? Would he have been so willing to go on that occasion? Perhaps not. But the Lord Jesus knew, the eternal Son knew what was going. It was going to cost to say, here am I send me. He knew what it was going to cost.
To accomplish the will of God the Father. But he came, and so God so loved the world that he gave.
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His only begotten son, That whosoever, That's a big word with a simple meaning. Because as often been said, whosoever means you and me and everyone else. There's no exclusions when it comes to the gospel. There's no exclusions when it comes to the love of God and the love of the Lord Jesus. You're not excluded. You ever been excluded from something. You ever feel real bad because you weren't let in on some secret?
You weren't part of some excursion. You weren't part of the group. You just felt awful. Maybe there's somebody and you're gonna go home from this conference and say, you know, I just didn't fit in like I wish I did. And my peers kind of left me out and I just didn't feel, like, accepted. But, oh, there's one who wants to accept you on the basis of what his son accomplished at Calvary's Cross. He wants to wash your sins away and make you accepted. He wants you to have peace with himself through the blood.
Of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, because it is the blood of Jesus. The blood of Jesus Christ his Son, cleanseth us from all sin. And there are so many of us here that rejoice, because we can say in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins. And so whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved nobody left out.
No exclusions. And so that whosoever believeth is that difficult. There was a man in Acts 16. We referred to him often as the Philippian jailer, and he was in earnest. He realized that he was a Sinner. He realized that he had a need. He realized that he needed to be saved. Would the souls today would realize that they have a need and they need to be saved. And he came in, and he asked 2 servants of the Lord.
What must I do to be saved? And the immediate response was believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved because its repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Have you believed the message? Have you believed on the Lord Jesus Christ? And so whosoever believeth in him, you see it's a person.
We're not teaching preaching reformation. We're not telling you to turn over a new leaf. You can't. The leaf is dead. We're dead in trespasses and sins. You don't need to turn over a dead old leaf. No, you need a new life. You need to come to the Lord Jesus. You need to be saved. And so.
Believeth in him, should not perish, you know. Again, there's a very solemn side to all this.
There is a Savior today. There is a way of salvation, but for those who reject God's way of salvation.
There's a consequence and it is a serious consequence. It is a dire consequence. It is an irreversible consequence.
Perish. You know what Webster's dictionary says? The word perish means to die spiritually. You know what scripture calls it? The second death. It's eternal separation from God in the lake of fire.
The story is told of one of the marshals in Napoleon's army.
Who had been mortally wounded and taken to his tent, and he realized he was dying.
And you know, he had been very brave in the face of the enemy.
But in the face of the King of Terrors, he was absolutely afraid.
He was terrified of death, and so he called for Napoleon to come.
Thinking that there was something Napoleon could do to help him in his situation.
And Napoleon was summoned, summoned to his tent. And Napoleon came, and there he looked into the face of one of his marshals. And it was one of his favorite marshals, too, a man who had served him well. And this Marshall was lying there in agony, not just from his wound, but in agony of soul and spirit. And he said, Napoleon, Napoleon, save me.
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Save me.
And Napoleon, that conqueror of the world, that one who again could face, and the enemy with a bravery perhaps second to none. All he could do was look with pity.
On the rethink form of his Marshall as he passed from this life into eternity, there was nothing Napoleon could do to save this man in his dying moments.
And he went out into eternity.
Oh, it's solemn. It's serious. To perish is a very real and a very final thing.
But God doesn't want you to perish. Should not perish.
Should not perish. He does not want you to perish in your sins, and that's why I believe he has allowed you to come to the end of these meetings and to hear one more time a verse read and quoted from his living word.
Because, you know, as we end this meeting, it's not our ability to present the word that brings about fruit and blessing, but it is the living word in all its power.
Should not perish but have.
Everlasting life. Again, the gift of God is eternal life.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, I'm going to tell one more little incident in closing in connection with God using this verse in blessing to a soul. I have had over the years on a number of occasions to visit a number of the famous battlefields of Europe and you know it is soul stirring to stand at Passchendaele, to stand at the men in gate.
Just to stand at various places in Europe where battles were fought and to in your mind's eye, envision something of what the scene must have been like in those days.
That I am reminded of a battle. I believe it was during the First World War, when it was man to man combat in the trenches.
And there was a man in his line in the trench, and they were facing the enemy, and he was hit.
And he dropped back into the onto the floor of the trench.
And his comrade beside him, realizing what had happened, jumped down beside him, and very quickly realized that he was mortally wounded and that his life was ebbing fast. And so he took his jacket and put it under his comrade's head to try to make him a little more comfortable in what he knew were his dying moments. And as he was doing this, his friend opened his eyes, and he looked into his face and he said, can you tell me the way to heaven?
His friend looked at him and shook his head and said no, I can't.
You know, I suppose if it had been peacetime and they'd been back in their home, perhaps his friend would have had all kinds of speculations. But those things just seemed to pale in the face of death and gunfire overhead. Can you tell me the way to heaven? He said no, but I'll try to find out. And so he went back to his post and he said to his comrade beside him, Can you tell me the way to heaven? His friend shook his head, but he turned to the next one and he said, Can you tell me the way to heaven?
And from that point on, the question went down 15 men. Can you imagine?
15 men facing the barrels of the enemy's guns, and they didn't know the way to heaven.
Finally it came to the 16th man and the question was asked, Can you tell me the way to heaven?
And the man reached into his pocket and he pulled out a New Testament and he opened it to this precious verse that we have been considering.
And he put his finger on it, and he showed his comrade, and he put his finger on it. And they passed that New Testament down that line of men with their finger on John 316.
And finally it came back to the first man. And with his finger on this verse he jumped down beside his friend. And he wasn't even sure that his friend could hear him. His life was going very fast. But he bent over his friend, and he read these life giving words, and he read them again, and he read them again, and he read them again. And the man finally opened his eyes and he drank in those words.
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He received them, he said to his friend. Thank you, I believe. And he went from the trench of a battlefield in Europe to be absent from the body and present with the Lord. I'm going to see that man another day and oh, what value he's going to place on that verse for all eternity. I'll quote it one more time before I pray. Oh, I plead with you to drink in it's life giving words, receive its message, and you can go out of this room.
Knowing that you are saved and on your way to heaven, and if the Lord Jesus were to come in the next few moments, or you were to leave this life and death, you would go to be with him for all eternity. For God so love the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Our God and Father, how thankful we are for this precious message. We pray that by thy Spirit thou take it and apply it to the heart and conscious conscience of anyone here.
Who is still lost and in their sins, and our God for those of us who have known thee for many years.
Known Christ as our Savior. May these words thrill our souls once again as we leave this place. So we ask Thy blessing. We ask it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and for His glory. Amen.