Gospel—Bob Thonney
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Good evening.
I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.
It is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believe it, for therein is the righteousness of God manifested from faith to faith. As it is written, the just shall live by faith.
Let's sing #37 on our hymn sheets.
The gospel of thy grace, my stubborn heart has won. For God so loved the world He gave his only Son, That whosoever will be lay, shall everlasting life receive.
#37.
Let's turn to Romans chapter one.
And we'll read from verse one.
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ.
Called to be an apostle. Separated into the Gospel of God.
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Which he had promised before by his prophets in the Holy Scriptures.
Concerning his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh.
And declared to be the Son of God with power.
According to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.
By whom we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations. For his name, among whom ye are ye also the called of Jesus Christ.
The verse I quote at the beginning of the meeting, verse 16, the gospel is called the gospel of Christ that you notice perhaps in verse one.
It's called the Gospel of God.
It's the same gospel, but God is the author of the gospel. He is the one that was moved in compassion toward a world that was going astray, and he is the author of this message. But in verse three it says this message is concerning his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Wonderful.
Person that we have to talk about, who is he says he was made of the seed of David according to the flesh. In other words, he was a real living man in every sense of the word except one difference between US and him. He was born.
Holy every one of us are born sinners.
We've heard about that today, how we are born in sin. We have a nature that likes to sin. The Lord Jesus did not have a human father. He was born of a virgin. And when he was to be born, the Angel that brought the message to the Virgin Mary said that.
Holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
He was holy, intrinsically holy. In other words, His Holiness was something that was not able to be compromised in any way. And yet the marvel of it, he came into this world that was full of sin and disease and death and confusion.
And that's the world we live in tonight.
But he has also, it says in verse 4, declared to be the Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead. So he's in the flesh. He's the son of David. Yes, he is a very real man, but he is also the Son of God. And when we use that.
Turn the Son of God we're talking about.
His deity, his God in every sense of the word.
Wonderful as such as the Son of God, he never had a beginning. That's something that just blows my mind.
He always was, because he's the eternal God.
And yet he came into this world and that amazing fact to think that our God, the creator of the universe that we live in, has come into his own creation in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of David according to the flesh. He is the Son of God declared to be so with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection of the dead.
You know, when somebody dies, you might have tremendously good doctors, but what are they going to say when somebody dies? When they draw their last breath and the sensor of the heartbeat goes straight, What are they gonna say? The doctors? Those intelligent doctors?
Take them to the morgue. That's all the farther they can go.
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But we're talking about a person that knows how to resurrect from the dead wonderful persons at all. And in the Gospel record we have three persons that the Lord Jesus raised from the dead.
One was.
A young girl, about 12 years of old old and she had just died, and the Lord Jesus came.
And he went in to where she was and took her by the hand.
And raised her to the from the dead. Another one was a young man who had died and they were on the way out of the city going to the cemetery. There was a procession going with them.
And the Lord Jesus was arriving at that city. He was going into the city and there was a company with him too. One company was on the way to the cemetery. The other company was going the opposite direction. In which company are you tonight, my friend? Are you heading towards?
The cemetery Do you know when you will die?
I'd like to ask people, especially I travel a lot and when I get a taxi sometimes I say, you know this city pretty well, don't you? They said yes. I've worked here for quite a few years. Can you tell me the road to heaven? Because, you know, I'm not sure how long my life might last.
And they will give any number of replies.
But it is a wonderful privilege to tell them I know the road to heaven. We're not talking about a religion. We're not talking about a philosophy. We're talking about a person, a historical person who was born into this world, who lived, who died, and who rose again.
So there they were.
They met this procession going out of the city towards the cemetery, and the Lord Jesus stopped the funeral procession, and there they were, carrying on their shoulders that young man who had died. And he says, he comes up and says to the young man, Young man, I say unto thee.
Rise and he got up and started talking. I really wonder what he must have said.
I remember talking to a brother in another place and he said, I think he must have said, oh, thank you, Jesus, thank you so much. I don't know, that's speculation, but I'm sure he must have been grateful for the touch of this person. But there was another one that the Lord raised from the dead.
He was dead for four days.
I'm in this tomb.
And his sisters didn't want that tomb opened, for obvious reasons. And the Lord Jesus came to that place, and his sisters were crying, and Jesus wept. Why did he weep? He knew that he was going to raise him from the dead.
You know what It shows me that God is a God who understands your grief.
He feels that, and he saw the awful confusion.
That sin had brought into the human race, and he felt it deeply.
And he says.
Take off the stone from the from the tomb, and he says, Lazarus come forth and that dead man was all swathed with grey clothes, the way they used to bury him in those times. But the Son of God had spoken. And when the Son of God speaks the dead here and they obey.
And that man came out of his tomb, and the Lord said, loosen and let him go.
But you know there is one other that the Lord Jesus raised from the dead.
And I wanna talk to you about him. It was the very Son of God himself. He went to that cross because as we had in verse 16 and 17, God is declaring himself to be righteous. Yes, God is completely righteous.
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And if he's gonna save souls like you and me?
Somebody has to pay the price of our redemption. He can't just gloss over our sin.
Every single sin that you and I have committed must receive it's just penalty from the hand of God Himself. God is righteous and there are no exceptions. If there would be 1 little sin that God passed over, it would call in question His holy character. Absolutely impossible.
Every sin will receive, it's just punishment from the hand of God.
But for that reason, the Lord Jesus came into this world. He came.
To seek and to save the lost. And at the end of his 33 1/2 years, the Lord Jesus was taken by the religious rulers that day and taken to Pilate, the Roman governor, and condemned to the most awful death they could ask for, the death of crucifixion.
You study the history of Pennsylvania, the capital punishment.
In this world you will find that crucifixion is probably the most cruel death that there could be. The Lord Jesus, even though they could not pin any guilt on him, was condemned to the death of the cross. Pilot had him scourge, and I understand that Roman scourging is called the living.
Criminals often died under the scourging of the Romans. It was a whip that had sharp things in the points and ripped open his back. They crowned him with thorns. Those thorns were not just some little small things like on our rose bushes. They were.
Long thorns, and they placed that on his head and they took sticks and they whacked him across the head.
And they led him out of the city of Jerusalem. Outside that city, here comes three men that must die that day.
Two of them were malefactors, thieves that.
Human justice had decided, should not live any longer.
One other was the glorious Son of God.
The creator of the universe, He was included with the transgressors.
And they nailed him to that cross by his hands and his feet.
He was lifted up. It was approximately 9:00 in the morning when he was crucified, and he hung there from 9:00 till 12 noon. And they passed before him and mocked him and jeered him. They said, amongst other things, if he be the Son of God, let God deliver him now.
God didn't deliver him. Why not?
You know why? Because there is no other way for you and me to be saved except that that person die. And so he hung there on that cross and it came to 12 noon and something that never happens happened that day. It got dark.
And nobody could see what was taking place.
On that hill of Calvary, outside the city of Jerusalem, from 12 noon to three in the afternoon. It was then that God settled the question of our eternal redemption. If some if you were going to be forgiven your sins, somebody had to pay the price of redemption.
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And in those three hours?
God laid on him the iniquity of us all, and that storm of divine judgment broken all his fury on his head. For three hours the waves and billows of God's judgment rolled across him, and there was no complaint from that center cross where he was hung.
And then close to the hour.
The ninth hour, which was 3:00 in the afternoon. There's a cry from that center cross. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
God forsook his son. Why did he do that? Didn't he love his son? Yes, he loved him.
But he loved you, he loved me.
There is no other way God had to turn His face from His own beloved Son.
Lord Jesus, always in his life, His life was.
To do the will of God and to accomplish His world.
And at that moment, God for a second.
Oh, I don't know how to understand it. I just stand there and I have to say he paid the price in full. Shortly after he cried another cry. It is finished.
The price of redemption was paid in full by the blessed Son of God.
The Lord Jesus Christ and he bows his head and dies. Oh, what a story it is that we have to talk about.
Then the soldiers were told to make sure that those three that were crucified were dead and so they came with a spear and they came to 1 malefactor and broke his legs. They could no longer sustain themselves.
They would be hanging only on their arms because there is no support in their legs. And they died one and the other. And then the soldier came to Jesus and he saw that he was already dead, and he didn't break his legs, but the soldier took his spear and pierced his side.
And now flood blood and water without the shedding of blood is no remission. And so the price was paid in blood for my redemption, and God has been satisfied. Jesus was taken down from that cross and he was placed in a tomb. And the third day.
When they came.
The women that came to anoint his body, and when they got there, they found that the stone was already rolled away. You know what? The Angel that came down to roll the stone to one side did not come to roll the stone to one side so he could get out. No, he rolled the stone to one side to show that he was already gone.
He was already resurrected from the dead.
The Lord Jesus, because of who he was, raised himself from the dead. Yes, it was God the Father who raised him too. But he says in John's Gospel, I have power to lay down my life, I have power to take it again. And because of who he is as the Son of God, the Lord Jesus.
Took his life, He rose from the dead in his own power. Oh what a glorious person. The Lord Jesus is a living resurrected man. And we know the story in the in the Gospels and also in the book of the Acts 40 days he was here.
Showing himself to be alive to those of his disciples.
One time there were 500 together at one time and they saw him. No, it was not hallucinations. It's interesting to me to see that in human history. Even if you do not want to believe the testimony of the word of God in human history, the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is one of the best established facts of human.
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Three, So you must face the question. He rose from the dead. And if he rose from the dead, you know what that means? Every single person that has ever died on planet Earth is going to rise from the dead as well.
Oh, it's a wonderful story, but I want to get back to this question we have in verse 16 and 17.
Therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith. That is as it is written, the just shall live by faith.
God has shown Himself to be righteous. Today we heard a message about the law.
And the law was a way in which a person could perhaps be justified. But you know what? If you're going to take that ground before God, you cannot fail, not even once. It says in James, he that keeps the whole.
Law. And yet fans in one point he is guilty of all, in other words.
You have to be completely perfect. There's absolutely no other way it will be, and I'm pretty sure that there's no one in this room.
That will say that they're completely perfect.
Remember in Peru one time we were in a Bible meeting and a man came in, was evident he had been drinking.
And after the meeting was over, he says, Sir, I wanna be saved. And I said, well, that's good, you want to be saved.
You're a Sinner, aren't you? Oh no, I've never sinned, I said. You've never sinned, Sir.
He says, well, one time I beat my wife up, but I've never sinned. So people have their funny ideas about sin.
Scripture says it very clearly. There is no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. There is no way that you can stand before God on the basis of your own righteousness. Sorry, you've blown it. There's no way.
And so is there any other way we can be righteous with God? I wanna turn over to the third chapter to see.
What it says there? Because here we have the answer, the wonderful answer of the gospel.
Verse 19 And now we know that whatsoever things the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
Therefore, by the deeds of the lost, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight.
Is that clear enough? I think it is.
For by the law is the knowledge.
Of sin. But now notice this, The righteousness of God without the law is manifested.
Being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all, and upon all them that believe, For there is no difference, for all have sinned.
Comes short of the glory of God. This message of righteousness is to all, but only upon all them that believe. It's contingent on you accepting God's testimony, believing it. How is it verse 24?
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Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God, to declare, I say at this time, his righteousness, that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
Here we have in verse 24, it speaks about redemption and that's what we've spoken of in the Lord's death. He paid with His blood the price of our redemption, and redemption means to buy back for God. You know God made the whole creation in the beginning.
And he said it is on its course and everything went wrong.
Adam and Eve sinned, and all their descendants were plunged into sin.
It got so bad before the flood that God had to destroy this world with a flood, and then it began again afterwards and as we see today in the world.
There are wars and destruction and deceit and killing and hatefulness, unfaithfulness.
On every side it's awful what's happened, but the price has been paid. Redemption's price has been paid, and one of the results of redemption is that God can declare righteous the person that believes in Jesus.
Says in verse 25 whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood. That word propitiation is a word that we don't use a whole lot.
But it simply means that which vindicates God's holy character, so that when he comes forth to forgive and to justify the believer in Jesus, he is not compromised in his character. Sometimes. Give the illustration, supposing you were caught stealing.
And you were taken to court. And since I'm a friend, I go to court.
And I try to justify you before the judge. Am I righteous in justifying trying to justify you? You know that's not the case. It won't happen.
And what would happen if you would find a judge? I don't suppose there are, but supposing a judge?
That sits on his court and every criminal that's brought before him, whether it's murder, whether it's robbery, whatever it is, the judge says I'm going to forgive you.
Everyone. He forgives them. What would you say about that kind of a judge?
You'd say that guy doesn't make the last stick, he's a bad judge. Get him out of here. We need ones that will make the last tick, and that's the truth of the matter. But how then can God forgive and be righteous? How can he declare righteous a guilty Sinner and be righteous?
It's because of what Jesus did on that cross.
He paid the price of redemption. He has made propitiation. God's holy character is fully vindicated in the price that Jesus paid on that cross so that God is not compromised when He comes out to extend pardon to the guilty Sinner. Oh, what a wonderful message this is. And here in verse 25 and 26.
It's about.
The question of justification being justified here, it says in verse 25 whom God has set forth the Lord Jesus to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God. In other words, before Jesus came into this world, there was a lot of people that lived.
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Before that time, and they were sinners, and some of them had the forgiveness of their sins. How could God be righteous?
It was because of what Jesus was going to do on that cross. He paid the price of propitiation and redemption so that God has shown himself to be righteous because of what Jesus did on that Christ.
But now we come down to verse 26 and we're talking about now.
To declare, I say at this time, his righteousness that he might be just and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus. Oh, this is wonderful, wonderful news. God has been so fully vindicated in the work of the Lord Jesus that God can say to you if you simply believe the message of the gospel.
I declare you righteous.
According to God's own standard of righteousness. You know, sometimes it says, people say it's the righteousness of Christ, but it never really says that in Scripture. It's the righteousness of God.
That the believer in the Lord Jesus has when he believes the message of the gospel God is just and the justifier of him that believes in Jesus.
Wonderful message, I can say. Because of my faith in the Lord Jesus, I stand before God tonight on the grounds of what Jesus did for me on that cross. God Himself has declared me to be righteous according to His own standard of righteousness. That's what it means here in this verse 26.
Have you believed the message?
This is what it's saying.
He is just and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus wonderful, wonderful message of salvation that we have because of what the Lord Jesus did on that cross.
I'd like to go back now to the first chapter again and read some more in this chapter because it quite accurately describes the world that we live in.
Verse 18 says for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven. Verse 17 the righteousness of God is revealed, that is for faith. But there are people who refuse to believe the message of the gospel.
And we must be fair to you.
That if you are among that number, there is wrath as well. You know what wrath means. Wrath is not the same as anger. Anger is an emotion, but wrath includes retribution.
And there is retribution ahead for this world, for those who will not repent and believe the gospel. The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness. To me, that's most serious. Do they hold the truth?
Oh yes, they hold the truth, but they hold it in unrighteousness.
Be careful. Be careful if you're there.
That's not the way to hold the truth.
Verse 19 Because that which it may be known of God is manifest in them.
For God hath showed it unto them, for the invisible things of him from the creation of the world.
Are clearly seen being understood by the things which are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.
Miss Sullen does he without excuse.
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No human being on the play face of this planet will be able to excuse themselves in the Day of Judgment.
Because God has given testimony not only in His precious word, but according to this verse 20, those things that are made declare His eternal power, and God had so that they are without excuse. God has made this universe that we live in.
And its existence, its exactitude, is a testimony.
To his eternal power and Godhead.
It's got to be somebody tremendously powerful that put it all into existence, you know?
I love to study the universe.
Read books about it and it's fascinating to me to see the immensity of the universe. We are, of course, on planet Earth.
A little planet. Relatively speaking, it's a little one. 25,000 miles would get you completely around the planet.
But at 93,000,000 miles there is.
The Son who gives light and warmth to this planet. Thankfully, it is set at a distance just exactly right so that it's not too cold nor too hot, but it sustains life in this world. All these things are a testimony to God's eternal power and Godhead.
And of course you know that.
There are a number of other planets that are rotating around the sun, but the sun isn't the only.
Burning object in the solar in the Milky Way Galaxy. I understand some of the most recent books I've read. They say now it's about 200 billion other stars.
In this Milky Way Galaxy, tremendous, you realize that there's only about 7 billion people on this planet and this we're talking about 200 billion stars all rotating.
In clock like order.
Is it possible that it just happened? I have seen those who calculate.
Statistics and say that it is virtually impossible that it would have happened. By itself, it's not possible.
Somebody had their hands in it. Yes. It was the God that we're talking about. He is the one that made it. I just saw that. You get the picture a little bit more.
They say now that there are at least.
250 billion more galaxies in the universe that they know about. They're keeping on pushing the numbers up, but scientists or astronomers now say there are more stars in the universe than there are brains of sand on the beaches of the world.
Can you say that nobody made that?
Doesn't make sense. If I would say to you, look at this watch on my arm, you know how that came into existence. There was an explosion in the junkyard and this came out of it. You would say that guy's lost it and you'd be right.
No, it had to have a maker. Just this little watch and we're talking about the immense universe that we live in.
It gives testimony to his eternal power and Godhead that you know what? People don't want to accept that. Because if they accept that, they know they're going to have to be accountable to God and they escape that as much as they possibly can. And so they invent theories.
That they themselves really are.
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Are becoming fools, it says in verse 21. Because that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God. Neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. You know what impresses me?
A Truly.
Wise person admits how little they really know the people who profess to be wise. Scripture says here they become fools.
And change the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man and to birds and four footed beasts and creeping things. Do you know this? How?
This comes down, down, down man is it the head of his of the creation? And it goes from man to birds to four footed beasts and creeping things, worms and people turn to worship creatures more than the Creator. Notice that now verse 24 forward.
We have three times it says that God gave man up because of his.
Unwillingness to face the truth squarely. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves.
The first time God gives them up, it's his body.
Who changed the truth of God into a lie? Now it's not only holding the truth and unrighteousness, it's changing it into a lie and saying that these things are normal for the human race worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator who is blessed forever. Amen. But now again it says for this, 'cause God gave them up unto.
Vile affections.
Factions is a part of our soul. It's what we like, what we dislike. And you and I have a soul. We are a tripart being, body, soul and spirit. First God gave them up in their own bodies to dishonor themselves between themselves, and now he gives them up to vile affections for even their women to change the natural use.
Into that which is against nature.
Brother spoke about sexuality today. It's a very real thing in the human race, very beautiful thing when it's done according to God's design.
But when man changes the truth of God into a lie.
Why then God gives them up to vile affections? Verse 27 And likewise also the men leaving the natural use of the woman burned in their lust, one toward another men, with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet.
Thank. You can see very clearly what it's referring to, homosexuality. People think they're free to do what they want to do with their own body. Who are you to judge me? I say I'm no one to judge you, but there is somebody who's going to judge you if you engage in that kind of activity.
There was four cities.
On the plains of Jericho that God destroyed with fire and brimstone because of this sin of homosexuality. And they want to push the word of God to one side. They want to ignore it.
They ignore it. They're going to suffer the same things that Sodom and Gomorrah and admin and suffered in that day. I don't know if you realize what.
Brimstone is on the High Plains of Bolivia where we lived for some years. We didn't live in the High Plains, but we, uh, I often visited there. They are uh, veins of sulfur that are laying right on the surface of the ground and they can go in with a front end loader and load up.
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Trucks with this sulfur and when I've been up there they will have maybe a a little piece.
In the home and the sister in her kitchen, if she wants to get the fire going, throws a little piece of sulfur on there. It's extremely flammable. And they tell me that if when they go in with those front end loaders, they have to be very careful not to car cause sparks because it can start a fire and the whole thing will go molten.
So brimstone is molten sulfur. Can you imagine God reigned fire and brimstone and those?
Cities were completely destroyed. Yes, you can ignore God to a certain point, but the time is going to come when God is going to judge this world in righteousness. He is righteous. And if you refuse and you take your own way, to me it is incredible how people are going their own way, how this country is going downhill so.
As they are verse 28, and even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not convenient. Here is the spirit. The mind is connected with the spirit. It's the ability to reason, but reprobate means.
Void of judgment. A mind that's void of judgment. To me, it is incredible.
What's happening in our country?
The Internet the other day I was.
Yeah, watched a little clip of a Christian news agency that was out West and interviewing students at a university and the question that they put to them, what difference do you see between men and women? And so many of them said, really, I don't see any difference at all. It's all in your mind.
They've lost it.
Our mind void.
Of judgment, that's where we're going.
Oh, how solemn it is to ignore God being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whispers back fighters, haters of God. Why do they hate God? Because they know that if they accept the existence of God, then they're going to have to be accountable.
Despiteful, proud bolsters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents without understanding, covenant Breakers without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful, who, knowing the judgment of God that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
Not only do they do them, but some of them have pleasure watching others do them.
Is that possible that that's where our country is going? I see it very clearly and I plead with you, if you are engaged in any of those things that are listed here, to repent tonight. That's the secret. Repent means to change your thinking comes from that Latin word pent in Spanish. It's pinsar to think.
Change your thinking.
You know where sin leads you. It leads you to results that are never positive, always negative.
Repent, change your thinking. Don't go that direction.
And believe in God's salvation. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.
How awful it's going to be soon after the Lord comes to take his people out of this world. I just want to say this would be awful to think of the Lord coming right now and taking his people out. Would there be somebody left sitting here?
You know what, as I travel around and see different countries the way they are, I have to say that after the Rapture, this country is gonna be one of the most awful, awful places to have to exist.
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That there is I'd far rather I'm not planning to be around after the Rapture, but I'd far rather, if I had to, to be down in the jungles of South America where at least there's a banana tree.
And a river to fish out of. But here in the United States, think of the tremendously large cities. Think of the people that are well armed. You can just imagine the awful things that are going to take place in this country because people have not accepted the gospel. With all my heart, I plead with you.
To think seriously about your future.
And all those who are real believers here, join me in saying to you, repent of your sins, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.