Gospel—Jim Hyland
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Though vile they need not fear with joy they now may hear yet there is room hymn #15 if someone will please start it.
Let's ask God's help and blessing our blessed God and Father how thankful we are tonight for that glorious gospel, that gospel message that's still being beamed around planet Earth. We thank the most of all for the one who has made it all possible.
My beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And now we thank thee for this happy weekend we've enjoyed together.
And many believers here and the fellowship we've had with those of like precious faith. But our hearts are stirred and solemnized as we come to this last meeting scheduled as a gospel meeting, to realize that there may be someone here in this building who still lost and in their sins. Perhaps someone sitting in these seats who's heard the gospel message so many, many times our God, we pray that tonight as we have Thy Word before us.
That in all its living power, it might be as that hammer that breaks the rock and twain.
We know that it is the sword of the Spirit, and so we pray about blessed Thy Word, use it in power and blessing to any who are lost here under the sound of our voice. And we pray too, that the hearts of thine own might be refreshed and encouraged. As we hear once again the sweet story of Thy love and grace, So we ask Thy help. We ask for blessing. We ask it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and for His glory.
Amen. I'd like to begin by connecting a number of.
Scriptures, particularly in the book of Romans. But before we do that, I'd like to read a little expression in the 20th chapter.
Of the book of Acts.
Acts, Chapter 20.
And I want to read just the last 7 words of verse 24.
The Gospel of the grace of God.
Now we're going to go to Romans chapter one.
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Romans chapter one and verse one.
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated under the gospel of God, and then notice verse 9. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my Spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers. Verse 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.
For it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth to the Jew 1St, and also to the Greek. If you notice on your schedule, and as was announced earlier today, this meeting is a gospel meeting, And the word gospel, as has often been pointed out, denotes good news. Perhaps it could be translated, glad tidings, good news, any number of ways.
And it is a marvelous thing that in the world in which we Live Today, there's still good news. If we were to scan the headlines of any daily paper this weekend, we would find that there's very little good news in this world. In fact, people will line up to buy bad news. They'll buy newspapers, they'll sit down and they'll listen to that which denotes disaster, corruption.
All kinds of things that are happening. And sometimes I watch people in public places who are listening to newscasts or reading a newspaper and watch the fear on their faces, watch them turn away and shake their heads. I've even had one turn to me in those places and say, where is it going to end? What's happening to this world? There's not much good news in this world, but thank God tonight there is a message of good news that is being beamed around planet Earth.
Today, the good news that Christ Jesus came into the world.
To save centers.
I'm reminded of a story in connection with the word gospel, something from history. If we were to go back in time to the days when Greece was not the United country it is today, but a series of walled cities that dotted the landscape over in that part of the world, we would read that there were often warring factions between those cities.
And sometimes those battles were held out on the plains, a great way off from those different cities. And history tells us that they would have on the walls of those cities Watchmen and those Watchmen were looking to the horizon, looking off in the direction of those battles. And they were looking for a runner. They were looking for a messenger, because when it was determined how the battle was going to go.
There would be a runner sent to the city, and that runner would be running towards the city, and as he appeared on the horizon he was often shouting and those in on the wall would listen for the message because the message denoted whether the city had fallen into the hands of the enemy or whether there was a victory for that city. And oh how the messenger would hasten towards the city.
And those on the wall would listen, and they would rejoice when they would hear the word gospel.
Gospel, Gospel. And yet you know how sad it is today that when the Gospels presented, people don't have time. How often a gospel tract, a wallet calendar, is handed out and people set it aside. They throw it in the nearest ditch. They don't have time to come to gospel Gospel meeting. They've closed the pages of God's word, don't want the light of the glorious gospel.
Because, you know, there is a side of the gospel that is very, very.
Solemn and serious because while the gospel is good news.
Yet the Gospel has a warning side to it. Because I suppose.
That everyone who comes to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior first of all has to come to the realization that they have a need. When the Lord Jesus was here, he spoke words of peace and joy and forgiveness. But those that came to hear the Lord Jesus that came genuinely to hear the message and those that went away with a blessing.
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Were those who realized they had a need, then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners?
For to hear him they realize that they were sinners, and they realized that this man, the man Christ Jesus.
Had a remedy, had a cure, had good news for them, and we want to impress upon our souls tonight if there's someone here.
Under the sound of my voice that doesn't realize that they are a Sinner. Doesn't think they're as bad as all that. All tonight we want to impress upon your soul that you are not just a Sinner, but you are a helpless Sinner. There is nothing you can do to get rid of one sin. We would be less than faithful tonight if we didn't press this on your soul and also press upon your soul the fact.
That the soul that sinneth it shall die, and if ye die in your sins, the Lord Jesus said where I am.
You cannot come. I remember some years ago when I was growing up, my father.
Had to go into the hospital for some serious surgery and.
In those days, surgeries were a little more involved and serious than they are today.
But he was in the hospital for some time in the Montreal General.
And the hospital chaplain was making his rounds on that ward.
And as he went from room to room, he came into my father's room and he chatted for a while, just chit chat, the weather and so on. And as he was about to to leave, my father said, aren't you going to read something from the Bible?
Welcome to find out. This hospital chaplain didn't even have a Bible with him, and so my father wasn't going to let him off the hook that easy. And so he said, if you just open that drawer there, there's I've got my Bible right there.
Well, the hospital chaplain, he pulled out the Bible and he kind of fumble with it and.
Those who knew my dad knew that sometimes he could be just a little bit ornery. And he said to the hospital chaplain, Now there's some nice verses in the book of Joshua, perhaps to be good to read. Well, the hospital chaplain fumble and he had a little trouble finding the book of Joshua. I think he finally found it. Or perhaps my father helped him and he read a few verses that my father indicated and he was about to leave again. And my father said, aren't you going to pray before you leave?
Well, he was very uncomfortable. He squirmed, but he stumbled through some little prayer.
You know the rest of the days my father was in the hospital. My father said when he went got the hospital chaplain came on the ward, he quickly walked by.
My father's room and didn't come in again. Isn't that sad? Isn't that solemn? A man visiting the sick and the dying and he had nothing to offer them to just talk about the weather or some current events, or to say, I hope you're feeling better today. Here was a man in a position where he was supposed to if he had been faithful to his calling. And I don't even know if this man was a believer. It's not for me to judge, but he certainly had no good news.
No comfort for the sick and dying in the Montreal General at that time, but thank God tonight we are not Speaking of theology, philosophy, not even theology. We are not Speaking of Reformation. We are not Speaking of turning over a new leaf. No, what we have tonight to present is Christ. Christ is the Savior of sinners, and these things are a reality. And these things are serious because they have eternal consequences.
A few days ago I was in Guyana, South America and there's a large Pepsi plant bottling plant in Guyana.
And on the side of that building there are great big advertisement is live. For now I realize that's simply an advertisement for Pepsi and but I thought, isn't that the spirit of the age Live For now, Air Canada Air frequent flyer program is called Aeroplan and when you go on their website their slogan is Live for the Moment.
No thought of tomorrow. No thought of eternity. No thought of what's down the road and the consequences of our actions or lack of them today.
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But all Scripture brings us into the very presence of God with the gospel.
And as we read here in Acts chapter 20, it is the gospel.
Of the grace of God, I can't stand here tonight and tell you that you deserve to be saved.
You know, when I go back in my life to a young boy, when by the grace of God, I came to know the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior.
I can't tell you I deserved it either. Know what I deserved was to go to hell.
But the grace of God has provided A savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The grace of God has provided a message for you tonight.
You realize that it is the mercy and grace of God that has brought you to these seats tonight. If you don't know Christ as your Savior, it's not because you deserve it. But grace, as is often said, is the undeserved favor and kindness of God. And by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. And Saul of Tarsus who?
Referred to himself later as the chief of sinners, as the apostle Paul could say.
The grace of God was exceeding abundant toward me through faith and love, which is in Christ Jesus.
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom?
I am chief.
It is, I say, only the grace of God.
But it is the gospel of the grace of God, and as this subject is introduced in the book of Romans, it's the gospel of God. Why is it introduced at the beginning of Romans as the Gospel of God?
Because God is its source. This was in the heart of God from a past eternity.
You know, the gospel wasn't just Plan B, so to speak. It wasn't just something God came up with because man sinned.
No, this was in the heart of God from a past eternity, and as soon as Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden.
God immediately announced the news that the woman's seed would bruise the head of the serpent. God could clothe Adam and Eve with coats of skin because he was looking forward to the time when his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, would come into this world.
Go to Calvary's cross. There lay down his life and shed his precious blood.
Yes, shed His Precious Blood, of which we read The Blood of Jesus Christ.
His son cleanses us from all sin.
Again, a few days ago.
I was with two other brothers in Christ in Guyana, South America.
And it's hard to believe, but we usually think of Hinduism, often India and.
Other parts of the world, but Hinduism is very prevalent in Guyana.
In fact, it seems like on every corner there's a Hindu temple. People have little shrines with idols in front of their homes.
And some very large images that people sacrificed to bring food to and bow down and worship and pray to idolatry on every hand. And we say in this country, how foolish.
They're things that they have made with their own hands, but aren't there many things in this country that we've made with our own hands and we're looking to them for deliverance?
We perhaps wouldn't fall down to idols like the heathen do.
But there are many things that I believe we worship, many things that keep.
Souls from coming to the Lord Jesus.
Perhaps one of those things is amusement. You know, I don't suppose there's ever been a day when amusement.
Is as prevalent as the day in which we live. It's interesting that the word muse is the Latin word that means to think.
And in Latin, when you put an A in front of a word, it gives it the negative, It gives it the opposite meaning.
The word amuse means not to think.
You know, we see in the Caribbean those big Carnival ships pull in and other cruise ships, but those big Carnival ships.
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You know they're sin cities. What goes on on those ships, I am told.
Is absolutely against the laws of God.
Think of the name carnival. Where does that word come from? What is the root of Carnival carnal?
And people take those cruises. And don't get me wrong, I'm not here to condemn taking a cruise. That's not what I'm saying. But people take those cruises to lose themselves, to surround themselves by all kinds of entertainment and amusement for a few days. So they can forget about business, they can forget about life, they can forget about their circumstances and immerse themselves in that kind of thing.
But all tonight, as we come into the presence of God, as we take up the gospel of God and realize that he's the source.
How important it is to get serious tonight.
You know, people like to laugh, and I like to laugh too. I like fun. I like a good time. But there are times when we need to get serious because God, the source of all blessings, is serious about your soul tonight.
Because to pass out of this world into a lost eternity without Christ is final.
It's final and eternal. It's not just for a few years or a few decades or a few millennials.
No, it's final.
And God in presenting the gospel to us.
Give very serious warnings.
I am reminded of a story that took place off the coast of Barbados back in the days of sailing vessels. There was a sailing ship, as the story goes, called the Hyacinth.
There was a captain. I think his name was Captain Audrey.
And one night, one evening, as the sun was setting, he was up on the deck just enjoying the beautiful sunset and the calmness of the sea off the coast of Barbados. In fact, he commented to some of his crew that were passing by that he had rarely seen such beautiful weather in that part of the world.
After enjoying the sunset and the scenery for a while, the ocean view, he went down to his cabin and.
He stretched out on a couch in his cabin to relax for a while, and as he was doing that.
He looked up at the barometer on the cabin wall and he kind of blinked and he kind of rubbed his eyes because he saw the mercury on that barometer was falling. And he thought that that can't be. But you know, he he watched it and sure enough it was falling and at a fairly rapid rate. And so he decided that he better heed the warning of the barometer. And so he went up on deck and he called his crew together and he told them what was taken, what he had seen in his cabin.
And the crew shook their heads. They said, Oh, Captain, it can't be. Look, we haven't experienced such a beautiful evening at sea like this for a long, long time. The captain gave his orders. He said no matter what the weather looks like, no matter how beautiful things may seem at the moment, the barometer is falling and we need to secure this ship for the worst. He ordered that the deck be cleared, let the sales be secure, and everything was made ready.
He went back down to his cabin. Sure enough, the mercury was still falling.
But it wasn't long.
Till the captain and the crew realized.
That there was indeed bad weather. They say that the sea, the wind was so high that the sea couldn't rise in waves. It just became a plane of foam, raging foam. In the wake of the wind, the ship was driven at an alarming rate.
But by the mercy of God, the ship was saved and all on board survived that storm because because the captain took the warning seriously from that barometer. You know, this Bible, this book we hold in our hand, is God's barometer. It tells us that judgment is coming on this world, but wonderful story. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.
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That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have.
Everlasting life. And we read further in the book of Romans that the gospel.
It's it's the source is God. It's the gospel of God. But in the ninth verse of Romans one, we read that it's the gospel of His Son.
If we were to go back to Mark's Gospel, we would find Mark begins by Speaking of the gospel of Jesus Christ. God is its source, but the Lord Jesus is the one who came, so that it's possible Christ is its object, the Son of God, the one who came in sacrifice and gave himself at Calvary's cross. Again, it's a person we have to present to you tonight.
Not just some theology, not just some certain principles from Scripture.
No, it's a person. It's a person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I want to stress for a moment, in connection with the person of Christ a number of facts that are essential when we present the gospel of the grace of God. One is first of all, as Paul said, the gospel is that Christ died. Very important, vital because the wages of sin is death.
When Adam and Eve ate, the forbidden fruit and those coats of skin were provided.
Those coats of skin provided necessitated the death and the shedding of blood of an innocent victim or victims. A few pages further on in God's Word we read of Cain and Abel, and they both brought a sacrifice to God. But Abel brought a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, because Abel understood from what had taken place from his with his parents.
No doubt the story handed down he realized by faith.
That there must be the death of an innocent victim if he was going to be accepted before God. And we go through the Old Testament, and we see those sacrifices the the lamb provided in the place of Isaac.
We find the Passover lamb because when the children of Israel were going to be delivered from Egypt, it had to be in a way that made them realize their guilt and God's provision for them. And the Passover lamb had to be slain later on. There were a number of sacrifices and offerings given in the book of Leviticus, and those offerings and sacrifices to the heart of God spoke of his beloved Son, the Lord Jesus.
That time when his son would go to the altar and be offered up as a sweet smelling savour to God.
Yes, the Lord Jesus died, He was buried, but all he rose again the 3rd day according to the scriptures.
You know, Christianity presents a living savior. Christianity presents a living person.
Unlike the other so-called great religions of the world.
There are many tombs that are boasted of by many of the religions of this world.
But those tombs have the bodies of those that were laid in them.
Still there. You know, in Christianity we have a tomb as well, But over that tomb are written these words. He is not here. He is risen. Come see the place where the Lord lay. And it is important that we get a hold of this in our souls, because if Christ be not raised, your faith is in vain and ye are still in your sins. But thank God we read in First Corinthians 15, He was raised again for our justification.
The Lord Jesus, when he came forth from the tomb, he remained on earth long enough to give testimony to his own that he had bodily risen from the dead. He appeared even to about 500 brethren at one time. He said on one occasion to his disciples. Handle me, and see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bone, as ye see me have. But not only did the Lord Jesus rise from the dead.
But a moment came when his disciples having been let out on the Mount of Olives.
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They saw him raise up off this earth and he went back to heaven as an ascended savior.
And he tonight, he's a savior on high in the glory. He's a savior that seated there by God's command.
Because the resurrection, the ascension, and the glorification of Christ.
Our gods. Amen to the work of Calvary. They are gods. They are the proof that God is satisfied.
With his son, the work that he accomplished here in this world.
And there the Lord Jesus is as the savior of sinners. I love that old hymn.
So often we sing it. When I was growing up, there was a brother who preached the gospel so faithfully, and he gave it out time and time again.
There is a savior on high in the glory, a Savior who suffered on Calvary's tree.
A savior as willing to save. Now as ever, his arm is almighty.
His love great and free, and there's an invitation goes with that. Oh, come now to Jesus.
That dear loving Savior, receive him this moment and peace shall be thine. What a wonderful thing it is to be to be able to present a living Savior. Not someone who's in the tomb, not those idols that some of us have seen in other countries that can neither speak nor hear or help.
Tell another little story.
Story that happened some years ago over on one of the islands belonging to the country of Malaysia.
And the story goes that there was a governor on that island.
And he and his wife were like the rest of the natives. They were worshippers of dumb idols. And one day this governor was sitting on his the floor of his home, repairing and polishing some of these idols that they worshipped and prayed to for help. And all of a sudden he startled his wife by standing up, and he gathered up the idols that were on the floor in front of him.
They took them out to the backyard and then he came back in and he started to take other idols off the shelves and from corners of the rooms. And his wife said, what are you doing, you know, he said for some time, I really haven't believed in these idols because here I have to repair my gods, the gods I look to for help and deliverance and I'm greater than they are. What good are they?
Well, his wife, she took a deep breath and she said, you know, I felt the same, but I didn't want to say anything. I was afraid to say anything and I, but I I felt the same for some time as well. They took those idols out in the backyard and they burnt them.
They didn't know what to believe. They'd never heard of the true God. They'd never heard of the Lord Jesus.
There's never been a Bible on that island before.
But you know, God honored their faith and their act.
In burning those idols. And it wasn't long until a Christian missionary came to that island and he had some Bibles.
And he left the Bible with the governor and his wife in their own language.
And every afternoon they would sit on their veranda and they would read the Bible. Now bear in mind they had never seen a Bible before, knew nothing of its contents. They had no one there to explain it to them. But they began to read, and they read of how God created the world, and how he placed Adam and Eve in that beautiful garden, and how he gave them a command not to eat.
Of the tree.
They read of how Adam and Eve disobeyed God, how sin came into the world.
They read the Old Testament stories. There was much of it that they didn't understand, but they read on day after day after day. They finally came to the New Testament. They read of God sending his Son into this world. They read of the life of the Lord Jesus. They read about his work on Calvary's cross. They read about the blood that was shed.
They came to the end of the book. They read about the judgments that were coming on this world.
Again, much of it they didn't understand. But by the time they had finished reading this book, they had come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. They began to share.
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Their new found faith and joy in Christ with others. Others came to their home and the word of God was read.
And a couple of years later, some other missionaries came to that island.
And they were surprised, very surprised, to find a large group of believers meeting together for various meetings with quite an understanding of the truth of God. Because as it tells us in the book of Peter, it's the word of God by which the gospel is preached unto you. And it's a living book. It's living and powerful, and it endures forever.
And that's why when we present the gospel, whether it's in a setting like this.
Or in a one-on-one setting we always need to bring before souls the word of God.
Because that's where the power is in the gospel, the gospel.
Concerning his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and as Paul said in this chapter, as we read later on in the 16th verse, it's the power of God under salvation.
You know when you go to other corners of the world and there are some very, still some very dark corners of this world?
Where heathendom is practiced and other religions.
And yet to see the light of the glorious gospel penetrate those dark corners of the world and penetrate dark hearts.
It's a marvelous thing. And all tonight our prayer is that as we have quoted and spoken.
In a very feeble way of the gospel of the grace of God.
The gospel of God. The gospel concerning His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Our prayer is the prayer of so many in this room is that the word of God would be applied in the power of the Spirit.
To the heart and the conscience of anyone here who does not know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, you know the work is the Lord's, the work is God's. But you know the wonderful thing is he delights to work in souls.
It's God's will that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. And if you go out of this gospel meeting in a few minutes.
And you are not saved. You are still lost and on your way to hell. Your sins have never been washed in the precious blood of Christ.
I wanna tell you it won't be God's fault.
It won't be God's fault, because as feebly as we have sought to preach the message tonight.
Yet we are thankful that it is Your blessing depends on the Living Word and all its power and reality.
And we know without a shadow of a doubt that God is desiring your blessing tonight.
If we were to go over to the book of Ephesians, we would find the Gospel referred to in another way.
There it is referred to as the gospel of our salvation.
I hope that everyone as we rise off these seats in a few moments.
I hope that everyone can quote that expression.
In reality.
As to a personal claim.
I'm thankful that I can quote that expression. It's quoted in Scripture. It's written in Scripture as the gospel of our salvation. But I thank God. But by His grace I can stand here and say.
It's the gospel of my salvation.
There was a work of God in my soul as a young boy.
And it is indeed the gospel of my salvation. I thrill to be able to tell you that I know the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior.
Like the blind man in John, there were many things he didn't know. They came and they questioned him about this and that and the other thing and finally said.
I can't answer your questions but one thing I know I was blind but now I see a lot of things I don't know too. But one thing I know.
I was lost. I'm found. The Lord Jesus found me. He saved my soul. He washed my sins away.
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And you know, it is very serious as this gospel meeting winds down.
To realize that while this is the last gospel meeting.
Of this series of meetings this weekend in this school in Allendale, IL.
Yet it may also be the last Gospel meeting that has ever preached in this area or planet Earth.
You say, Jim, What do you mean?
That the Lord Jesus is coming at any moment. It tells us in Scripture the coming of the Lord draws nigh. And so there are two things to consider. First of all, we don't know how long we have to live, and secondly, the Lord Jesus is coming at any moment.
On the 3rd of February.
I had the responsibility of taking the funeral.
Of a very good friend of mine, and a brother in Christ.
Few days earlier I had got a call from his son.
But that morning he had woke wo he woke up, felt great, said to his wife. I think I'll go to work and do a little workout before the day begins. And at their shopping office they have a little workout room, a little mini gym, and often the guys would work out in the morning.
When it's first employee arrived after he was there, he found him on the gym floor.
A few days later, on the 14th of February took the funeral.
Of a brother in Christ who was in his early 90s.
We had expected him for some time to leave this world if the Lord didn't come through the article of death. He was not only elderly, but he had not been well for some time.
I have had the solemn responsibility and the privilege of taking the funerals.
Of young children, of teenagers, of individuals in their 20s and 30s.
We have no lease on life if we were to go down to Buchanan Cemetery or any other graveyard in this area.
We would and compare the dates on the tombstones. We would find that people of all ages leave this world and sometimes without any warning.
Saw bumper sticker one time when we were driving our car. It said those who wait until the 11Th hour to be saved usually die at 10:30. But all I say again, the Lord Jesus is coming and I don't know exactly when he's coming. But one thing I can tell you for sure tonight we are closer to the Lord's coming than we have ever been before. And when the Lord Jesus comes, the gospel of the grace of God.
Will no longer go out. And those who have heard it and had opportunity to receive the gospel of the grace of God, we'll be left behind for the judgment of God and in the final analysis will be taken after standing at the Great White Throne judgment. They will be taken and cast into the lake of fire. It's serious. It's real. But oh again, I want to end with stressing.
That the message tonight is a message of grace. It's a message of love. I'm going to pray now.
And I know sometimes at the end of a gospel meeting, perhaps it is going through the minds of some well.
Is it really that simple? How can I really be saved?
If you're serious tonight, if you realize that you are truly a Sinner before God, and you're serious tonight about getting saved.
As we pray, you can bow your head and you can talk to God. You can talk to the Lord Jesus. Right in your heart. He hears what you say whether you utter one word aloud.
And you can tell him that you are a Sinner but that you want to receive.
The gift of God, which is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. And it tells us that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
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It is as simple as that, and I plead with you, I beg you not to leave this room.
Lost and on the way to hell. When you can leave this room saved and on your way to God's happy home called the Father's house Heaven, Let's pray our God and Father. We do thank thee tonight for that glorious gospel message. We pray that it might penetrate dark hearts tonight here in this room and wherever it's being beamed around this world.
We thank thee for the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank thee for that precious blood.
That washes cleans from every stain of sin. We pray that it might be have its effect here tonight we commit ourselves to the.
In thy name, Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.