Gospel—John Kaiser
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Good evening.
I don't suppose there's anybody here tonight?
That really comprehends.
How significant this occasion is?
I know I don't.
There is one person present tonight who does.
That seems to contradict my previous statement, but that's because I was looking at the group here. God.
Knows the significance of this meeting.
And we have about, according to what I've been told, 45 minutes.
To talk about eternity.
45 minutes.
To deal with forever.
And you know, I look over this crowd and I really can't see you very well. I don't have good eyesight. I see some of the front rows that I can recognize, but beyond the first few rows, I can't hardly recognize a face. But God looks into your heart.
He knows what you're thinking tonight. He knows why you're here.
Tonight I want to start off with what I believe is the most well known, the most popular gospel song in the world.
I don't suppose too many people have thought of it that way. Turn to number 40 on your hymn sheet. If you don't have a hymn sheet, you probably don't need it because this is very well known. I want to sing just the 1St 2 verses.
Of #40.
Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so little ones to him belong. They are weak, but he is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so.
Jesus loves me, He who died heaven's gate to open wide. He will wash away my sin.
Let a little child come in, yes?
Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me.
The Bible tells me so.
Let's pray.
God our Father.
We who are thine.
Recognize.
Even if we don't comprehend it, the responsibility of each soul here tonight to thee.
And you know the need of each soul.
And we pray that by your spirit.
With your word you will address.
The need of each soul. Tonight we ask in Jesus name, Amen.
Why did I stop on the second verse of this hymn?
Jesus loves me, he who died Heavens gate to open wide.
You know, I believe that the common perception of God, if you look at the religions in the world and you ask the religious man on the street.
He's uncomfortable talking about God. He'll talk about his religion, but he's not comfortable talking about God.
Because he doesn't, the average person does not feel welcome.
To God.
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But this is the truth of the Word of God.
Jesus loves me, he who died. Heaven's gate to open wide. Why would God open the gate of heaven wide?
It's because he loves you here tonight. Heaven's gate is open wide. It isn't like God cracks the door and says, well, if you're good you can come in. No, it's not. That's not it. God doesn't do that. He opens the gate wide and offers free admittance.
Now some of you may have seen this little sign I have here and I apologize.
That my visual aids are not designed for a crowd this large. I've done the best I can.
But I'm sure some looked at this little sign here that says Divine Entertainment.
And thought, what on earth?
Entertainment is a popular subject. People are are.
Continually pursuing entertainment.
They want entertainment, Children want entertainment, and we understand that. But this in this society, adults want entertainment. Everybody wants entertainment.
And of course, when people think of entertainment these days, they think of amusement.
But I want you to understand the original meaning of entertainment was.
Hospitality.
Hospitality, the word entertainment, means to contain between walls.
It comes to the French word entre between.
Attainment to hold between and It has to do with hospitality.
I want you to know that there's nobody.
More interested in your entertainment than God is?
God has opened the gates of heaven wide because He wants you to enjoy.
His hospitality.
You say well.
How entertaining is heaven? Wait till you get there. I can't tell you. We have, we have pictures in the scriptures. We have the story of the prodigal son who came to his father, and it says they began to be buried, and it says, never says that they stopped being merry. God has more ideas for your happiness than you ever thought of.
You know when you think of divine entertainment.
Of course we think of heaven.
But you know God wants to entertain you now. He wants you to enjoy heaven right now.
And when we think of heaven, we think of happiness, and God wants people to be happy.
On his terms.
God designed us to desire happiness because He wants to give it.
But God has terms.
Heaven has two, shall I say 2 facets.
Happiness, yes. And holiness.
Now, my friend, holiness means you're fit for heaven. You know, a lot of people talk about going to heaven and they don't realize they're not fit to be there.
We want to talk about tonight is what God has done to make you fit to be happy.
In heaven.
Both holy and happy. Now the word holy, we think of the word holy. You may have a Bible in your seat there and it says Holy Bible. That means it's a special book. It's fit for God. That's basically what that word means. The word holy means. It also means, of course, without sin, it's perfect.
It's the Holy Bible. It's the perfect book from the word of God, from God himself. It's the word of God.
And there's a scripture that says we're not going to turn to it, Holiness.
Becometh line house, O Lord, forever, I want to tell you, my friend.
Unless you're holy, you will never be in heaven.
You're shut out, but that's not what God wants. God wants you there, and God has done a wonderful thing so that you could come there. You know, there's a verse that we often quote, and many here are familiar with it. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish.
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But have everlasting life.
I'd like to turn to.
We just quoted John 36. I'd like to turn to for a moment to Ephesians 318, and these are all introductory remarks. Turn to Ephesians 318, please, and we'll see something there.
Ephesians chapter 3.
Verse 18 says, we'll start here in verse 17, that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that you being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with All Saints. Wouldn't you like to enjoy what All Saints enjoy?
May be able to comprehend with All Saints what is the breath and length and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ.
Which passes knowledge, The love of Christ, the love of God. They've all they're the same, the Father and the Son.
In concert together.
Want to want you to enjoy?
What is the eternal?
And I thought I had something here. I don't see it.
Want you to enjoy?
Love God's love. The Bible tells us God is love. The Bible tells us also that God is light.
God wants you to enjoy both, and so it says in this verse. Ephesians 3 verse 18 May be able to comprehend with All Saints what is the breadth.
Breath. We had that word so God so loved the world. There's the breath.
Length God so loved.
The world that he gave, God went to such lengths. He gave his.
Son.
Depth that whosoever God can take the worst.
And make it the best.
That whosoever.
Believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. That's the height.
You know the Lord Jesus, when he was here on earth, he said this is everlasting life or this is eternal life, to know thee, to know you the only true God and Jesus Christ.
Whom God has sent, you know.
There's old, old.
Puritan writer wrote We knock at the gate of heaven.
On the heart of God opens.
God welcomes.
You tonight, but he does not welcome your sin. Now the question is how does he do it?
Turn to the Gospel of Luke chapter 23 please.
Luke chapter 23. A few of you have seen this illustration before. It's I don't apologize. It's my favorite. I've been using it for 50 years. Luke chapter 23.
And we're going to talk. We're going to jump right into the middle of the story of the crucifixion.
That's when they took the Lord Jesus out and hung him on a cross. Luke chapter 53.
And it says here verse 33 And when they were come to the place which is called Calvary, there they crucified him. Now the word crucify is connected with the word cross. That means they nailed him to a cross, they crucified him.
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And.
The malefactors, Now the malefactors were introduced a little bit earlier that these were two criminals that were let out to be crucified with the Lord Jesus. And so it says here, they crucified him and the malefactors, one on the right hand and the other on the left. So that means that Jesus was in the middle. And so we have 3 crosses here.
Representing the Lord Jesus and those two criminals.
And you know if you had passed by.
Calvary that day and looked up the hill, you would have seen three men on three crosses and you probably would not have noticed much difference between them except that the man in the middle, if you could look closely, you would see that he had been really badly beaten and that was the Lord Jesus. But otherwise you might have thought, well, there's three criminals being crucified today.
You know, the Bible tells us man looks on the outward appearance.
God looks on the heart. Think about that as you sit in your seat tonight.
You feel you may think you look pretty respectable, you may have even been told that you look nice today. But how about your heart? God looks on the heart. Man looks on the hour to appearance. God looks on the heart. And so when man looked at Calvary they he saw three.
Three what looked like ordinary men hanging on crosses.
Tonight we're here to discover what God saw and what God did. Now the Bible tells us there is no difference. For all have sinned and all have come short of the glory of God. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. That's a that's a sweeping statement about all humanity, but it did not include the Lord Jesus Christ.
He was the demonstration of the glory of God.
He did not come short of the glory of God. We're talking about mankind. The Bible says all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And so when when God looked down on Calvary, he saw something very different.
He saw two wicked men, two criminals, 2 malefactors. The word malefactor means Mal, means bad factor means do a bad, too bad, doers.
And Jesus, the perfect Son of God, for those of you who can't see this very well, this white cross.
Is outlined in blue. Because Jesus was perfect, because he was God the Son, He could not sin. The Bible tells us he could not sin, and he never did.
Well, why was he there? Because God so loved the world that he didn't just give a babe in a Manger.
He gave his son on the cross.
He gave him to the greatest extent he could give him. He sent him to die.
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Here it was between 2 sinners.
God saw his perfect Son there, and he did rescue him.
Let's read the story.
We'll start verse 33 again. And when they were come to the place which is called Calvary, there they crucified him and the malefactors, one on the right hand and the other on the left. Then said Jesus, father forgive them, for they know not what they do, and they pardon his raiment and cast lots.
People were indifferent, but Jesus was not. The people were dividing his clothes. They said they parted his ring. As the Bible tells us elsewhere. They gambled for Jesus clothing and while they were gambling for Jesus clothing.
And he was hanging on the cross, he said. Father forgive them, for they do not know what they do.
And that is a very rich statement.
You and I often think we know what we're doing, and so often we do things and discover later that we really blew it.
And we didn't know it. We when we go into things quite innocently and ignorantly, and we often hurt those we mean to help, we often do damage where we meant to help.
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And of course, there's plenty of other times we say, oh, it's just a little sin or a little white lie, or this doesn't matter. I want to tell you everything matters. Everything matters to God. God who made the universe and monitors every subatomic particle in it and monitors your heart tonight. To him, everything matters. Everything. He's interested in everything.
God is not an indifferent spectator. God is not only watching, he's working. And while these men were gambling for Jesus clothes, Jesus said Father forgive them for they don't know what they're doing. It's true statement. They didn't know what they were doing.
They are as clueless as we often are.
But God knew what he was doing.
God had planned for Jesus to be there. God had planned for Jesus to ask.
For those people's forgiveness. By the way, when people do things wrong to you and they treat you badly, do you pray for their forgiveness?
If you don't.
Why not?
Jesus did.
Jesus prayed for those that had scourged Him, had whipped Him, had mocked Him, had abused Him, had crucified Him.
Because.
He wanted them to be forgiven, and God wants you to be forgiven tonight. Isn't that amazing? God who knows all you've ever done? You can only suspect some of the things you've done. God knows all about him and He still wants to forgive you.
So.
Let's read the story here.
Verse 34 to pick up the story again then said Jesus father forgive them for they do not know what they do, and they parted his raiment and cast lots, and the people should be holding and the rulers also with them derided him saying he saved others, let him save himself if he be Christ the chosen of God.
Not too many of us, I think.
I hope not, would mock somebody is dying.
But these people hated Jesus.
The people who crucified him hated him.
Jesus prayed for those that hated him.
They deliberately crucified him. They mocked him when he was dying.
They said if you're the Christ, the chosen of God.
And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar, saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself. And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek and Latin and Hebrew. This is the king of the Jews. There was a sign which I don't have here was placed over the head of the Lord Jesus.
Again, mockery. This is the king of the Jews. The Jews didn't like that sign that was pilots touch. This is the king of the Jews and it was true statement.
It was a true statement. Jesus, being there crucified, was the rightful king of the Jews.
And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him. Now that word railing is not common these days, but it means to speak abuse, I believe very abusively.
To issue cat calls, to speak loud, maybe use vulgar language, railing is to speak very abusively and here one of the malefactors will say maybe this one here.
Which were hanged railed on Jesus saying, if thou be the Christ, save thyself and us. And the other answering rebuked him, saying.
Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?
Now these men had been on the cross for some time, and this man was actually. The Bible tells us that originally both of the thieves that were crucified with the Lord Jesus mocked him. But apparently one began to think.
He maybe he heard Jesus say, Father forgive them.
That was not common language. Here was a man who was being crucified, looking up and addressing God as Father.
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Can you call God your Father tonight?
He wants that too.
And so the other thief rebuked.
The railing thief and said, do you not fear God seeing you are in the same condemnation?
Don't you fear God. We're all condemned to die. It's time to think seriously. And my friend, tonight every one of us is under the sentence of death. The Bible tells us it is appointed unto man once to die, and after this the judgment.
Now that verse is found in Hebrews Chapter 9 verse 27, I believe. And this thief had never heard that verse, but he knew the truth of it. He knew that after death.
He was going to meet God.
And my friend, you are going to meet God.
I can tell you something about your life. I can tell you something about your future. You are going to meet God. God guarantees it.
My question is, Are you ready and are you getting ready? Are you doing anything to be ready?
This man began to think seriously. He said, Do you not fear God, seeing you're in the same condemnation and we unjustly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds. What does that mean?
He knew these men were had been condemned by the Roman authorities for.
Stealing. They were thieves, and the law had said that they should die, and so they were dying. They deserved, according to the law, they deserved to die. The Bible says the wages of sin is death.
The wages of sin is death.
We all deserve to die, you say. I don't think that I don't believe that. Then take your God said it. It's in God's word. Romans chapter 6 verse 23. We could look it up where our time is too short.
Romans chapter 6 verse 23 says the wages of sin is death.
Have you ever sinned? And God says.
Proper payment for that sin is death.
But.
He did say who had to make the payment.
Jesus came into the world to make the payment.
We're going to find out more about that.
The wages of sin is death, but the rest of the verse says but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Now wouldn't you like eternal life as a gift?
Just think about what a great gift that is and God.
Offers it to every person here tonight. Eternal.
Life, not eternal physical life. Who wants to live on in these bodies for eternity the way they are? No God offers eternal life.
With himself. Remember I quoted a verse earlier. This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. This is the life of heaven.
Eternal life.
It's a gift, and this man didn't know about it, but he did know about the wages of sin.
He knew that was death.
He says, Does not thou fear God? Sing thou are in the same condemnation, and we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds.
But this man hath done nothing amiss.
You know if you spend time considering the Lord Jesus, your knowledge of Him will grow. God will see to it.
It says, And thy light shall we see light? And so it says here.
He says this man has done nothing amiss. And he said to Jesus, Lord, Remember Me when thou comest into thy Kingdom. He addressed the Lord Jesus. He spoke to the Lord Jesus respectfully, very respectfully. He said, Lord, Remember Me.
When you come into your Kingdom, he didn't say if he'd come to the conclusion that the person on the center cross was indeed the Messiah, was indeed the king of the Jews, the rightful king of the Jews, and they believed that if Jesus was the rightful king of the Jews.
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And God would see to it that he got his rights and he would be king of the Jews. He would have his Kingdom. And he didn't understand. And my friend, it's not a matter of understanding that you say I don't understand the Bible, I don't understand the gospel. It's not a matter of understanding. It's a matter of submission and trust. Submission to and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.
This man turned to Jesus and he said, Lord, Remember Me?
When you come into your Kingdom, he just acknowledged who Jesus was and said, Lord, Remember Me? He didn't ask for anything more than that. He knew what he deserved.
But you know, when you come to God, you always get more than you ask for. Always.
Because God is a generous giver, it says. God plentifully rewardeth the proud doer, and he plentifully rewards everybody.
God is a great rewarder, the Bible says. He that comes to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder.
Of them that believe in him.
He's a rewarder of them to come to him. You know God is responsive tonight.
He's listening to what you might be saying in your heart. In your heart. You can address him tonight. You can speak to God tonight right where you're sitting and say God, I believe this. I believe that Jesus is the Christ. He's the Messiah.
This man, he hadn't even got that far yet, but he did speak to Jesus and he said, Lord, Remember Me and what Jesus said to him.
Verily I say unto thee, today thou shalt be with me in paradise. That's another word for heaven, Paradise. Jesus said today you'll be with me in paradise. This man woke up that morning, probably if he slept that the night before, he maybe he knew he was going to be hanged that day and didn't sleep the night before. But maybe he did sleep. And I can imagine a Roman guard coming in and kicking him and saying get up.
Time to go hang.
Isn't that a nice way to start the day?
It's a way, a sad way to wake up, but this man.
He started the day in a Roman jail and ended it in heaven.
That's a great way to end the day.
Lord, Remember Me when thou comest in thy Kingdom. And Jesus said to him, Verily I say unto thee today.
Thou shalt be with me in paradise now. Jesus wasn't going to send him there alone.
Jesus said today you'll be with me in paradise. Now let me ask you, my friend, does the prospect of being with Jesus appeal to you at all?
Because many people say I'd like to go to heaven and they don't want the company of Jesus.
Think about that.
Do you suppose God wants anybody in heaven that doesn't want Jesus?
But this man had expressed his appreciation of the Lord Jesus, and Jesus said, today you'll be with me.
In paradise.
And it was about verse 44 and it was about the 6th hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the 9th hour. Now the Bible doesn't tell us in the Gospels what happened during those three hours of darkness, but we find out elsewhere in the Bible.
What happened? Let's turn to 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians. I'm sorry, Second Corinthians.
2 Corinthians.
Well, as a matter of fact.
You know I've got 2 verses I want to talk about and I can stick them up here right now.
2nd Corinthians, chapter 5, verse 21.
2nd Corinthians chapter 5, verse 21. We'll start with verse 20. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us, we pray you. And Christ said, be reconciled to God, for he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
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He made him to be sin for us.
How did that happen? Turn to First Peter, chapter 2.
And verse.
21.
We'll start with verse yeah, verse 21 for even hereunto recalled, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow his steps. Who did no sin, neither was a guile found in his mouth, who when he was reviled, when he was railed against.
Reviled not against, when he suffered, He threatened not, but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously, who his own self bore our sins in his own body on the tree. Now maybe you've heard these words before, but they don't sink in. I want to show you what God did behind the scenes in those three hours of darkness. These verses tell us what God did.
But I have found it very effective to show you, to show people.
What God did?
Remember, this man here had confessed faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and during those three hours of darkness.
God took his sins.
And laid them on Jesus.
And Jesus was punished for that thief's sins. And Jesus was punished for my sins because I trust in Christ.
Now let me ask you a question. Do you have the benefit of Jesus dying on the cross?
Did he die for your sins?
And the Bible tells us there were three hours of darkness, and then the darkness was lifted. Why?
Because at the end of that time, Jesus cried. It is finished.
That's not in this gospel either. Turn back to Luke 23 again, please.
Route 23.
Verse 44 now is about the 6th hour. There was darkness over all the earth until the 9th hour, and the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. And when Jesus had cried, with a loud voice he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. And having said this, he gave up the ghost. The three hours of darkness were ended. The work that Jesus came to accomplish was done.
And now God something God saw something else.
On Calvary, he saw two.
Clean men on that hill.
The Lord Jesus Christ.
Clean, holy, fit for heaven, because he was the Son of God and this thief.
With the cross outlined in red.
Fit for the presence of God because the Bible tells us the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son cleanses us from all sin. You know, there's so much more I could tell you. Our time is running out. But I want to ask you a question. We didn't cover all the details of the crucifixion.
But these are details that the world commonly doesn't know about. Let me ask you a question. Which of these two was more fit?
To enter heaven.
The Lord Jesus Christ.
Or that thief who was cleansed by his blood. The answer is.
Jesus work was as perfect as his person and that man was just as welcome in paradise.
As Jesus.
Just as fit for the presence of God.
Now, may I ask you tonight, my friend?
Are you fit for the presence of God? Are you cleansed by the blood of Christ? This is why Jesus came.
This is why he died.
People make a great deal of the sufferings that Jesus suffered before the cross. There's been movies made about it and they picture that and it's terrible, but they can't picture this. They don't know about this.
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But now you do. What are you going to do about it? Well, you know all the Bible tells us, and we don't have time to read about it. All three men were taken down from the cross that day.
And I'm sure the crosses themselves I'm sure were taken down.
Because they would probably be used again.
But I have up here 2 tombstones.
I don't have a third tombstone for Jesus because he's not here. The Bible tells us that Christ died for our sins. He was buried and he rose again the third day. According to the Scriptures, Jesus tonight is alive, and he's willing to do for you what he did for that thief to make you fit to be with him in paradise.
Well, that thief, now, he, I doubt that he ever had a tombstone, but he had a future. Everybody has a future.
And we know where he is tonight.
Thief is with the Lord Jesus.
And we assume that the other thief is not.
Remember the Bible says after death, the judgment, the wages of sin is death. Everyone of us has a future tonight. And my question for you is.
Where are you going to spend eternity?
The thief on this side here.
Was privileged. He recognized it. He was privileged to die with Jesus.
And tonight, he's honored to live with Jesus. And that's true for everyone here tonight.
The apostle Paul said, I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live. Not I, but Christ liveth in me in the life which I now live in the flesh. I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. That thief was privileged to die.
With Jesus. Do you identify with Jesus dying? Are you willing to recognize him dying for you?
Do you identify with his death? Then your privilege. If you're privileged to die with Jesus, you're honored.
To live. Excuse me, You're honored to die with Jesus. You're privileged to live with him.
Now God wants us to enjoy eternal life, the life of heaven. Right now it belongs to those that believe. Remember that verse. For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever belief in Him should have.
Everlasting life.
Now he that hath the Son hath life. The Bible tells us, The Lord Jesus said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me.
Shall not come into judgment, but is past from death to life.
Do you enjoy that life with the Lord Jesus tonight, or do you identify with a thief?
Who rejected Jesus?
And is rejected forever.
Remember I said that the heart of God is open? We sang. The gates of heaven are open wide. Let's close with just the middle verse of number.
3.
#2 I'm sorry #2 on the hem sheet.
Come, the Father's house stands open with its love and light and song.
And returning to that father.
All to you may now be long from sin's distant land of famine.
Toiling.
The midday sun.
To a father's House of plenty and the.
Father's welcome. Come. I'm going to read the third verse. Listen carefully. Come.
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For night is gathering quickly, Or the world's fast, fleeting day. If you linger in the darkness, you will surely miss your way. And still waiting, sadly waiting till the day its course is run. With his patience unabating, Jesus lingers. He waits for you.
Come.
Let's pray.
Father, we thank you for those that during this meeting have been praying.
That thy word would Pierce heart and conscience.
We thank you for this beautiful story.
This wonderful love, this matchless grace, this great salvation.
And we pray for any soul here who is so blind and so hard.
And so deaf.
And so confused as to refuse it.
Our Father, we ask God mercy for that soul, if there's any soul here tonight that is hesitating.
To decide for Christ tonight.
We pray that soul may have no rest.
Until he or she says yes to Jesus.
We thank you for this time together. Ask your blessing in Jesus name, Amen.