Gospel—Jim Hyland
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I'd like to begin the Gospel Meeting this afternoon with Hymn #8 on the gospel hymn sheet. Shall we gather at His coming When the dead in Christ arise? Shall we hear the Savior call us to His home Beyond the skies? Hymn #8 on the hymn sheet, if someone could please start it.
It is a lot of money.
No, no, no, no. I'm just blah blah, blah, blah blah.
1 980 I think I'm coming in Charlotte and all the things.
Uh, I don't know. Maybe It's about a lot of life I have. No.
Yeah, but I don't know where I want to get. Uh.
Right now it's just going to rain up and uh, what's up with me? Yeah, I'll get everything. Let's say everything's done and we just, uh, watch them not there and you can go forward. Uh.
Let's ask God's help and blessing our blessed God and Father how thankful we are for each one here this afternoon who thrills as we speak and sing of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. There are so many of us who lift up our hearts and our voices and say Even so come Lord Jesus. But now as we've come to the last of these meetings and we have the opportunity to present the gospel once again.
Our God, how solemn it is to consider that there may be those still here in this room.
Who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior? We pray that if there are such, that thou awaken them in the power of the Spirit from the pages of this blessed book this afternoon, that thy word might be as that hammer that breaks the rock and twain. So we ask for blessing. We pray that Christ might be presented in all His loveliness and beauty, that we might be solemnized with the brevity of life and the brevity of time, and two, that the hearts of thine own might be refreshed and encouraged.
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As we speak once more of the precious things of Christ together, so we ask thy help and blessing. We ask it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and for his glory. Amen.
Like to read 3 portions of the word of God to begin with one. We've had much before us but we're going to re read it in John chapter 14.
John chapter 14 and just 4 words about the middle of verse three. I will come again and then in the book of James.
James, Chapter 5.
James, Chapter 5. The last part of verse 8.
The coming of the Lord. I want to read one more portion in the book of Luke, Luke, chapter 13.
Luke chapter 13 and verse 24. Strive to enter in at the Strait gate. For many I say unto you, will seek to enter in and shall not be able. When once the master of the house hath risen up, and shut, has shut the to the door, and ye begin to stand without and to knock at the door, saying, Lord Lord, open unto us, and he shall answer and say unto you.
I know you not when she are. I believe these are very solemn statements to read, as we've had the subject before us this weekend of the Lord's coming. So many of us thrill as we speak of the Second Coming of Christ. We look forward to it, and I trust that those of us who know the Lord Jesus as our Savior at the end of these meetings have a fresh appreciation of the hope of the Lord's coming, and that it is a reality in our soul like perhaps never before.
That our souls are longing, thrilling for that moment when we're going to be with and like our precious savior.
And we have no doubt thrilled as we have read together and quoted this expression.
This promise by the Lord Jesus, I will come again.
But what we want to stress for a few moments at the end of these meetings is.
That the hope of the Lord's coming, while it's a wonderful hope for the believer.
It's going to mean different things for different people. Again, for those of us who know Christ, it's going to be snatched away to have changed bodies in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, to meet the Lord Jesus in the air and be ushered into the Father's house and to be ever with the Lord. But, you know, if the Lord Jesus were to come before this meeting is completed, I wonder if every seat in this room.
Would be empty. You know, we read how that when the Lord comes, he's going to give a shout. And you know when someone gives a shout, everybody within earshot hears that shout. But you know there's going to be a shout sounded throughout planet Earth that is only going to be heard by a certain few. It's going to be heard by those who have died in faith and they're going to come forth from the graves.
And it's also going to be heard by those who are alive on earth, who know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior.
But that shout is not going to be heard by those who have either neglected.
Or rejected God's offer of salvation through the Lord Jesus and the work of Calvary. And I think it's very solemn to consider that if you don't know the Lord Jesus this afternoon and the shout were to be given and it might be given before this meeting is concluded. But if you don't know Christ, then the shout comes, you will not hear that shout.
But you will see what happens. You will look around and you will see the seats in this room empty. Perhaps you will be the only one. Or perhaps you will look across the room and you will see someone else who wasn't ready for the coming of the Lord Jesus, who didn't thrill at this blessed promise. And let's make no mistake about it. The truth of the Lord's coming is a reality.
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We talk about it, we go over the fundamental doctrines concerning the Lord's coming.
But you know it's going to happen. One of these moments. It is a reality sometimes for myself, I have to say.
I'm so familiar with some of these things that I forget that these things are really realities. They're going to happen.
And they're going to happen very soon and what an impact it's going to have.
You know, we have the Lord's coming illustrated in the Old Testament. It's not a hope or a truth that they had before Christianity, but we have it illustrated in various ways, and we can go back and see it illustrated for our learning. And you know, there was a man in the Old Testament, a prophet by the name of Elijah, and Elijah was one who was raptured to heaven.
Without dying, he was taken away in a whirlwind in a chariot of fire.
A picture of what's going to happen when the Lord Jesus comes.
Because, as we said this afternoon, we shall not all sleep. We're not expecting death, we're expecting the Lord to come.
But to my own soul, what is so serious in connection with the rapture of Elijah?
Is who actually missed him when he was gone.
You know, it wasn't the general populace in Israel that missed Elijah when he was gone.
It was the sons of the prophets.
And I look around the room like this, and I see the sons and daughters of Christian parents, parents who are going to be gone when the Lord Jesus comes. And if you're left behind when the Lord Jesus comes, you're one of, so to speak, in the language of the Old Testament, one of the sons of the prophets. And the sons of the prophets questioned what had happened to Elijah. But not only will you question it, I believe you will know it.
But you know, there's something else even more serious than that. The word of God tells us that those who sat in gospel meetings like this, those who had parents and grandparents and other family members.
Who are going to go at the Rapture when you are left behind? Very quickly the enemy Satan is going to launch out with a lie called a strong delusion, and it's hard for me to take it in, but you're going to believe it.
And you're going to be convinced that something else took place other than the rapture. The Lord's coming. Isn't that solemn? You know the strong delusion isn't for the heathen. It's not for those who've never heard the gospel. It's for those that have heard it because they receive not the love of the truth that they all may be damned.
You know, hell is a reality too.
Hell is a reality.
The stories told some years ago of a man called a Stoker.
A Stoker was a man who is a man who tends fires. And this man was the Stoker at a glass factory where they had this huge furnace, and they had to keep this furnace heated so hot for the manufacturing of glass within the walls of that factory. And this man would come and he would stoke the fire. It was back in the days when they used wood and coal, and he would stoke the fire.
And he would keep it burning hot.
This man was a believer. He knew the Lord Jesus as his savior.
And one day as he stood before the open fire, stocking it with wood or coal or whatever he was using.
He said out loud to himself, not realizing that anyone else was around.
He uttered out loud. What must hell be like?
Because the scriptures describe it as the lake of fire, a place where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched, And this Stoker, overcome with the reality of a lost eternity, but saved himself, said aloud what must hell be like. What he didn't realize was that there was an infidel. An infidel is a person who doesn't believe the Bible or believe.
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What we were Speaking of this, this weekend?
This infidel was passing the glass factory, and just as he passed the open door of the room where the furnace was, he heard this man gazing into the seething flames, say, what must hell be like? You know the spirit of God brought to bear on that infidels conscience, that expression, that statement. And the story goes that that infidel returned sometime later to talk to that man.
And find out what he was really saying and that infidel.
Came to know the Lord Jesus as his savior. And so we find the Lord Jesus said to his disciples before he left them. I will come again. I know it's been 2000 years plus since the Lord Jesus gave that promise. Does that mean that that promise has failed? Not for one moment. All the promises of God in him are yay and in him Amen to the glory of God by us there is not failed one word of all his good promise wherewith he hath promised.
And so, again, for those of us who know Christ, we thrill to think of the fact that the Lord Jesus is coming at any moment.
And the book of James where we read tells us the coming of the Lord.
And with every tick of the clock it's getting nearer and nearer and nearer.
I remember three or four young men in curling Newfoundland quite a few years ago who came to some gospel tent meetings that were being held in that community. And I had watched these young men for some time over the course of the week of meetings or whatever it was, and I realized that these young men were not serious.
As to eternity or the message that was being presented night after night in the Gospel tent, in fact, I concluded that these young men had come just to disrupt where they could and to distract others from listening to the story of God's love and grace. And so one night after the Gospel meeting, they were standing outside the tent door and I went over to them and I said, young men.
I said, is it worth the risk? Is it worth the gamble to say that the Lord Jesus will not come today, tonight, and that you'll have another chance to get saved tomorrow? I said, is it really worth that risk? You know what they said to me? I tremble to tell you what they said to me. They said, we'll take that risk.
You know, man is a gambler at heart. Man likes to gamble, but oh, don't gamble with your soul tonight, because not only is eternity near, perhaps be cut through death, there's a step between me and death. He holds our breath, you know, Daniel said to the greatest king of his day, King Belshazzar, the God in whose hand by breath is and whose are all thy ways, Hast thou not glorified?
But not only that, but the coming of the Lord draws nigh.
There was a moment when Elijah was raptured out of this world. If we were to back up to the book of Genesis, we would find another man, Enoch. There was a moment came when Enoch went to heaven without dying.
And there is a moment coming, as sure as we are in this building tonight.
There is a moment coming when the Lord Jesus is going to give that shout.
And he's going to call the Christians home.
You know, we heard last night about preparation. You know God has made every preparation that is possible of the Lord Jesus. We read prophetically a body Hast thou prepared me and the Lord Jesus at the right moment, in the fullness of time? It says he came into this world born of a virgin, born of a woman.
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He came into this world as a man. He went to Calvary's cross. He laid down his life. He shed his precious blood. He rose bodily from the dead and bodily He returned to heaven, and He's there now as the savior of sinners.
We read a story in the Gospels about a man who prepared a marriage feast for his son.
And he said all things are ready. Come, he said. I have prepared my oxen and my fatlings, and he sent his messengers out into the highways and byways, eventually to compound to bid them to the marriage.
He sent his servant, singular, a picture of the Spirit of God to compel them to come in. You know I can't compel you tonight.
I'm like the servants I convinced you to come. The Spirit of God is the one.
That compels. And what that he would work tonight. If you don't know the Lord Jesus as your savior, but God has made preparation. Everything is prepared. The moment the Lord Jesus entered the Father's house as a man with the marks of atonement on his body, the house was prepared. It's been prepared since the Lord Jesus took his seat at the right hand of God. And the work of the Spirit of God has been going on for these years.
Bringing one and another in. Maybe not 3005 thousand in great multitudes like in the early days of Christianity, but one and another. And these meetings would be worth it this weekend if we knew that someone.
Came to know the Lord Jesus as their savior.
You know the gospel is free, but it's not cheap.
The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. And what makes a gift a gift is that it's free.
To the one who receives it.
But it's not free to the giver. The giver has to secure that gift in one way or another, and gifts are often secured at great expense and personal sacrifice. But God is offering a gift tonight, and He's offering it free. But I say it's not cheap. It costs God his Son. It costs the Lord Jesus his life. It cost him the shedding of his precious blood.
But have you made preparation as we heard last night?
The preparation is so simple, it is to simply come and receive the Lord Jesus as your savior.
You know, when we study ancient societies and civilizations, we find so often that there were many.
Who had a very misconstrued idea as to how to prepare for the next life.
And there were many, especially the kings and nobility of those societies.
Who went to great expense and even personal sacrifice, thinking that they were making preparation for, as they said, the afterlife.
I have on several occasions stood at the Great Pyramids and the Giza Desert outside of Cairo, Egypt. Pictures don't do them justice. If you've ever stood there, it's awesome. It takes your breath away. Just stand there and see those edifices. In fact, they are the only one of the original 7 Wonders of the World that are still standing intact.
But I have stood there and been solemnized in my own soul to realize that those 3 pyramids and many other like them in Egypt.
Were built by the kings and nobility of that country back in the days of the Pharaohs.
As preparation for the next life and there was not only.
Great expense and carefulness in building those pyramids as their burying places, but making sure that every provision was supplied in and around those pyramids for as they thought, the journey into the next life, the largest of the three pyramids.
Was engineered.
Under the direction of Pharaoh Khufu, who had a fairly short reign from 2589 to, I believe, 2566 BC. But he spent his whole life having his slaves and his servants erect that pyramid, and making sure that every provision was provided, even to having the vote that he traversed the Nile River on varied beside that pyramid.
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And if you were to go there today, which I have had opportunity to do, beside that pyramid, there is a pavilion built over that boat which what has been in recent years excavated and lifted above ground for those who are interested in history to come and to view. But oh, I think of it how misconstrued their thoughts of preparation for the next life were, what great expense they went to to prepare.
For what they felt would be ahead when they left this world. But oh, tonight it is so simple. We sometimes sing A little child of seven or even 3 or 4 May enter into heaven through Christ the open door.
I've told this before, but I remember A-25 year old girl. Maybe there's some five year old girls here the Southeast this afternoon, but I remember 25 year old girls who came to some gospel tent meetings that were being held in a place called Truro NS up in the Canadian Maritime.
One of those girls knew the Lord Jesus as her savior and she brought a little friend with her to the morning Bible hour. And I'll never forget those two five year old girls after the morning Bible hour.
Concerned that the one who wasn't saved would be saved before they left that gospel tent and the gospel story was presented to them again, so very, very simply.
Because it is simple. So simple it says a wayfaring man, though a fool may not err therein.
And as that message was presented so simply to them.
That little girl, I believe, came to know the Lord Jesus as her Savior. Her sins washed away in the blood of Christ.
Ready to go when the Lord Jesus comes, but what touched my heart and I will never forget.
It's those two girls walking hand in hand out of that gospel tent and the one who had brought her friend saying to her friend. Now you can say that Jesus died for you.
Is that complicated 25 year old girls who understood so very clearly that Jesus had died for them. And you can know the joy of that tonight too. It doesn't matter how young you are, It doesn't matter how old you are, how often I've heard stories, and you have two of those in the last moments of life who come to know the Lord Jesus.
As their savior.
So is a man in Nassau, Bahamas along with the Lord now?
But as an old man, he had hardened his heart against the gospel his whole life.
His sisters knew the Lord Jesus as their savior. They were gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
But Harkey Kelly was lying on his deathbed.
His sister Gladys was sitting by his bedside.
She didn't know if he was conscious or aware of what was going on, but she was determined to sit by his bedside, to be ready, if he so much as opened his eyes, to give one last appeal as far as his soul salvation. And she sat there hour after hour, day after day, Tirelessly, she kept her vigil on her brother's bedside.
And one day, as she sat there, he opened his eyes and he looked up.
And she leaned over him, and she said, Harkey, if ever you needed the Lord Jesus, you needed him now.
He looked up and he said, Lord Jesus, I believe he took one last breath.
And he was in eternity.
Absent from the body, and present with the Lord, I believe it with all my heart.
One simple act of faith, one look to the Lord Jesus Christ.
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And he was taken from his deathbed in Nassau, Bahamas, to the presence of the Lord Jesus. But don't assume that you're going to have an opportunity like that again. What if the Lord Jesus were to come, The coming of the Lord Draweth nigh? Or it's in our language, say it draws near. It's getting close.
And you say, what's the big deal?
If the Lord came, well, I know the story and surely God is merciful. The Lord Jesus is loving, surely He'd give me another opportunity.
We read here in Luke's Gospel something exceedingly solemn. In fact, I want to read it again because it's the word of God that God can use to burn into your soul this evening. Not just mine, not so much my explanation, but the word of God. And so I'm going to read what the Lord Jesus himself said here and what the story is going to be.
For you, if you do not know the Lord Jesus.
And the Lord Jesus comes.
One one verse 25 of Luke 13 one once.
The master of the house has risen up.
And has shut to the door, And ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us, and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you're not, whence you are.
Pretty serious, isn't it?
You know the door of mercy is open tonight. The door of salvation is wide open for everyone that comes. And the invitation is whosoever will may come. But there's a day coming when the Lord Jesus is going to rise up and he's going to shut that door and it will never be reopened again. You know, it's interesting if we were to go back to Genesis and read carefully the account of the ark.
It's very interesting to follow the different mentions of that door.
And the lack thereof. You know, when Noah went in at the invitation of God, God shut the door. God didn't trust Noah to shut the door. God shut the door against the judgment.
That was going to fall.
And you can trace ever so carefully and you never read of that door being opened again.
You say, how did they get out of the ark? They removed the covering and left the ark. You can search. You'll never read of that door being open again. Why? Because what the spirit of God is impressing upon our souls today is that when the Door of mercy is closed against the judgment that's going to fall on this world, it will never be reopened again. And I look into an audience like this and I think of something else that says about the flood.
When the door was finally closed after about 120 years or so of Noah preaching and giving testimony to the judgment that was coming by the building of the ark.
It says the flood came and noticed it and took them all away.
You know there must have been boys and girls and young people on the earth at the time. There were middle-aged people on the earth. There were older people. There was no discrimination. The flood came, took them all away.
Does that stir your soul? You who do not know the Lord Jesus as your savior, Are you ready for this momentous event that's going to take place when the master of the house rises up and shuts to the door? It's illustrated in another way in the parable of the 10 virgins, those who had who had oil in their laps. They went into the wet, the marriage, the wedding, and the door was shut.
There were others who came later.
You know, I've been at a couple of weddings in the last few weeks and there were people came late to both of those weddings and you know, they got in, they slipped into the back seat, but you know, there's a wedding coming when the door is shut.
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No late guests will be allowed in. Five of those ladies came late and they wanted in.
And the words came back from the other side of that closed door. Depart from me. I never knew you here, he says. I know you not whence you are. And in both the stories you notice it's Lord, Lord, you know, that's profession. Again, it's those who've heard the truth. It's those who've had opportunity who say, Lord, Lord, they maybe even act like Christians. Maybe they shake the preacher's hand at the door after the meeting and.
They nod and say, yes, I know the Lord, but it's all just words, it's all just profession. Those ladies that went to trim their laps, you know, when they let their lamps, it flickered up for a moment and then it says our lamps are going out because there was nothing inside. There was no reality, there was no oil. And there are many who make a profession who go along on occasions like this.
But if the Lord were to come, he knows your heart.
I don't know what's in your heart today. I can only see what's on the outside. I always enjoy the children's meeting Lord's Day Morning when I see the children line up on the front rows all dressed so nice. Sometimes the young boys have white shirts and ties. The young girls have nice dresses and a nice hat. I enjoy that. But you know, it's not what's on the outside that's important.
Or, most important, it's what's on the inside. Because God sees not as man sees. Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. And so I ask you again, Are you ready? The Lord Jesus has said he's coming. I know again, at the end of these meetings what a thrill we're gonna be, those of us who know Christ with and like him for all eternity.
And I just want to say this too, in conclusion to that which we've had before us in these meetings, you know, we spoke much of not only being with Christ, but like Christ. But let's keep before our souls this one precious truth that in that day, while heaven is going to be filled with those sons and daughters who are all just like Christ and God the Father is going to rejoice to have heaven filled with sons and daughters.
Who are all like his beloved Son, but remember the Lord Jesus in the midst.
Will remain the only Begotten of the Father for all eternity. He will remain distinct for all eternity. He will be our occupation for all eternity. Any glories that are reflected in our lives and in our person in that day are simply reflections of himself. It's all going to be of Christ, but all this as we end this gospel meaning to think of the One.
Who humbled himself, became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
The one who shed his blood, of which it says the blood of Jesus Christ his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
The one who rose from the dead, the one who is on high and the glory, is the Savior of sinners.
Oh, he wants you to be there in that day. He wants you to be ready. Be also ready. It says, Are you ready tonight? By the grace of God, I'm ready. I'm thankful that as a young boy there was a work in my soul. And I delight to stand before you today and say I know the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that my sins are gone, that I'm a child of God.
That I'm the Son of God, and I know without any shadow of a doubt that when the Lord Jesus comes, I am ready to go. He's not going to leave me behind. He's not going to leave me here on planet earth when the shout is given. I'm going to rise to meet the Lord Jesus in the air, and I'm going to be ever with the Lord, you know, sometimes at the conclusion of a meeting like this.
There may be those who wonder.
How can I really be saved? You say it's simple, but how is it really?
I'm going to pray in a moment and it's this simple. If you are not ready for the coming of the Lord Jesus, if you have never had your sins washed away in his blood, all you have to do is while I'm praying, talk to the Lord Jesus in your heart. You don't have to say anything out loud. He knows your thoughts are far off. He knows what you say. Even in your heart. All you have to do is talk to him.
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Confess that you are a Sinner. Receive his offer of salvation.
It's just like reaching out and taking a gift when someone offers it to you And what do you do? You say thank you. If you just in your heart say thank you, Lord Jesus, for dying for me. I believe you'll be saved. You'll be ready for that event of which we have gone over at some length this weekend. You will be ready. You will be more than ready. And you will not only be ready, you will be looking forward to that time when the Lord Jesus comes. Well, may everyone of us.
Leave these premises this evening, rejoicing in the truth of the Lord's coming.
May we be looking for it? I know there's some here. You've been saved for many years, more years than I've been alive, and you rejoice as you think of the coming of the Lord.
Maybe there's someone and you've just been saved a short time and you think wonderful we're gonna see the Lord another day perhaps before the sunsets this afternoon. And maybe there's someone here and you're gonna get saved right now and you're gonna be able to go out those doors rejoice thing and saying with the rest of us Lord Jesus, come let's pray our God and Father. We are so very thankful again.
For our precious Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, and that mighty work of Calvary.
That has was accomplished there to save us from our sins, to save us for from hell, but not only so.
But to save us for glory and to be with the Lord Jesus for all eternity. And now we thank thee for this happy weekend we've enjoyed together. We pray for blessing on Thy word, and now particularly on on we ask blessing on Thy word as it's gone out in the gospel these last couple of evenings. And to the boys and girls this morning our God we pray. It's how follow Thy word in the gospel with blessing, how solemn to think that there may be the sons of the prophets here who are not ready and will look around and see.
Their parents gone when the Lord Jesus comes. So we commit ourselves to thee for safety for those who are traveling.
For those of us who will be and blessing on the local brethren, thanks for their exercise and zeal, and having us together, we pray for much blessing and fruit as a result. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.