Gospel—B. Imbeau
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Open our meeting this evening singing #14 Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? We can just sing the first verse in the last verse and can someone start that place?
So I didn't call. I'm going to take another 1.
And her father?
We just do ask the.
Turn with me, please, to passage in the book of Mark Mark, Chapter 11.
Verse one, Mark 11 Verse one. And when they came now to Jerusalem, unto Bethpage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples. That's Jesus sent forth two of his disciples.
And Seth unto them, go your way into the village over against you, and as soon as you be entered into it, you shall find a cold tide.
We're on Neverman sat loose him and bring him. If Amen, say unto you, Why do you this? Say ye that the Lord hath need of him, and straightway he will send him. Hit her, and they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door.
Without in a place.
Where two ways met.
Now there's often an exercise in the gospel towards.
Some of you that are younger.
And here's a colt that's tied and tied right near a door, and it's a place where two ways met.
And you know, tonight, you, whoever you are, older or younger, you stand in a place where two ways meet.
And perhaps you're at a door. Perhaps you're at a place where you're making decisions on your own.
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You're getting a little older now, you're five years old and you know there's things that you have to decide for yourself.
Perhaps you're 12 years old and you certainly need to make decisions more for yourself. Perhaps you're 18 years old and you stand at the door of your house and you're ready to leave and you surely need to make decisions for yourself. There's at that point so often not always, someone to back you up.
I'd like to talk a little bit about these ways.
The place where two ways meet.
Let's turn with me, please, to almost the last book of the Bible, the book of Jude.
Jude verse 11.
Woe unto them.
For they have gone.
In the Way of Cain.
And the reverse that I'm sure we've all memorized in Sunday school.
John chapter 14 verse six it says this.
Jesus saith unto him.
I am the way.
Jesus saith unto him.
I am the way.
Choices, choices, choices.
You're hit up with choices all the time.
And there's some choices that are bigger than others, and some that are smaller than others.
But you know, this is one of the biggest choices you can make.
Do you see Jesus Christ?
As the way. Oh, there's other ways. There's a way of king.
But what's wrong with the way of the Lord Jesus? What's wrong with the way of Christ?
Let's turn back to Genesis and read a bit about Cain.
Genesis chapter 4.
And verse 3.
And in process of time it came to pass that King brought the fruit of the ground, and offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel, and to his offering, but unto Cain, and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wrong. And his countenance fell. And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth, and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not well, sin or sin offering life at the door?
And unto thee shall be his desire. Thou shalt rule over him. And Cain talked with Abel his brother, And it came to pass, when they were in the field, that king rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not.
Am I my brother's keeper? And he said, What hast thou down in the voice of thy brother's blood? Crieth unto me from the ground?
Cain brought a sacrifice to God.
It was fruits and vegetables. He was a farmer and he was probably a very good one.
And he probably brought forth a lot of very nice things.
I doubt if any of us would have thought found any fault with what Cain had done and what he had brought in terms of the quality.
Abel.
Brought something that to be properly offered to God.
It had to. There had to be blood shed.
The little lamb had to die.
And when he died, it had to bleed.
Cain's sacrifice was without blood.
Sometimes call it a sinless sacrifice.
Jesus said unto them, I am the way.
And I consider that woe unto them, for they have gone in the way.
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Of King.
Is blood or no blood?
Or is it?
Was Cain's way without blood?
King's way was bloody.
He rose up in the field and he slew his brother.
And so tonight as you stand in a way where a place where two ways meet.
It's blood or it's blood.
It's the blood of Christ.
Or it's going to be the blood of violence.
And there are no exceptions.
One way or the other.
You know we're going to get back to it, but.
God talked to Cain.
And you know, God is talking to you tonight. No matter what your attitude, whatever your spirit, whatever your point of view, God is talking to you tonight. And you know, he told king something. He said, Cain, there's a sin offering that lies at the door.
Turn with me please to Exodus chapter.
13.
Very next book, Exodus chapter 13.
And verse 12.
That thou shalt set apart unto the Lord all that openeth the matrix.
And every first thing that cometh of a beast which thou hast, the male shall be the Lords.
In verse 13, in every first sling of an *** thou shalt redeem with a lamb, and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break his neck, and all the first born of man among thy children shalt thou redeem.
You know, in Cain's case, you could say, oh, the blood was out there somewhere.
You know, it was able. I, I wouldn't be involved in anything like that. I wouldn't be the perpetrator or the victim.
But you know, the Bible tells us that man is born as a wild ***** cult.
And that's what we read about in Mark.
There is a full of an *** that was tied by a door, A place where two ways meet.
And our little donkey here and acts in Exodus chapter 13.
Just imagine this if you can.
This little unborn.
Is being pushed through the door of birth into this world.
And out it comes.
And suddenly if it's a first born little donkey.
There's a choice.
How these choices There is a choice.
A choice has to be made for that little one, but put yourself in that position.
And you know what? Both of the choices involve blood.
Choice #1.
The owners can seek to save that little donkey, and they can give the blood of a lamb.
A sacrifice in exchange for that donkey.
And if they don't do that?
Than the donkey's blood is shed in death.
There is a way where two ways meet.
And it's going to be blood.
Or it's going to be blood.
Do you want it to be yours?
Or do you want it to be a sacrifice in your place?
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God challenges us through much of Scripture.
Moses said. I've set before you life and death.
Choose Life.
Choose Life.
Can light come through the shedding of blood? Yes. If it's the blood of the Lord Jesus, absolutely. He came to give life.
His blood can cover you and give you eternal salvation and redemption.
Joshua.
Says.
Choose you this day.
Who you will serve.
Choose you this day.
Choices, choices.
Elijah.
Says.
I'm going to quote this. Quite right, perhaps. Why halt she between two opinions?
Why halt you between two opinions?
If the Lord is God, honor him.
If there's some other God hanging out there, honor him. But why do you halt? Between two opinions, you must make a choice.
It's pressed on you. You're obliged.
And there are no exceptions.
There are no exceptions.
Let's turn to the book of Matthew.
Matthew, Chapter 23.
And verse 34.
Wherefore, behold, I send in you prophets, and wise men, and scribes, and some of them you shall kill.
And crucify.
And some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city, that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth from the blood of righteous Abel.
You like this way of king?
From the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachius, whom you slew between the temple and the altar, verily I send to you all these things shall come upon this generation.
All these things shall come upon this generation.
How long do you halt between two opinions?
There's blood been shed out there.
And you're either in favor of it.
Or you're not.
All the way from Abel.
Is our heart really much different than Canes? Wasn't mentioned this afternoon that.
Even the whole concept of a lie in our hearts that the end point of it is murder.
I found that kind of shocking.
I hope you did too.
But but there is a course.
And it'll run this course.
And the way of Cain will end in blood.
And so all the way from the beginning, the blood of righteous Abel.
All the way down to the present time, it was all going to fall on this generation, and certainly it includes the generation that the Lord was talking to at that moment and includes our generation here in 2005.
Let's turn over just a few pages.
To Matthew chapter.
16.
Excuse me, Matthew chapter 27, verse 16.
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Matthew 27.
And verse 16.
And they had been a notable prisoner called.
Barabbas.
In the book of Mark we have recorded.
That.
15 verse seven for those that are interested, but you don't need to turn. And there was one name Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection.
With him who had committed murder in the insurrection.
And so we also have in the book of John that he was a robber.
He was a notable prisoner, well known, and you know what?
People liked him.
The people liked him.
He was a robber.
He was a murderer, but in the eyes of the people, he had one redeeming feature.
He rose his first in rebellion against the Roman government.
Insurrection.
Maybe you wouldn't think that's so great, but.
They thought that was pretty cool stuff.
They're willing to overlook some of the other things.
What's God willing to overlook?
And really, truly, what are you willing to overlook?
Well, we rationalize all kinds of things.
And we start real, real young, don't we?
I didn't do that.
My sister did it.
Well, he deserved it.
We start real, real young and we don't change.
In Matthew 27, let's keep reading from verse 16. And they had been a notable prisoner called Barabbas. Therefore, when they were gathered together, Pilate said in them, Whom will ye that I release unto you, Brabus, or Jesus, which is called Christ?
A choice, Another choice.
For he knew that for envy they delivered him when he sat down on the judgment seat, his wife ascending to him, saying, How thou nothing to do with that just man. For I have suffered many things to stay in a dream because of him. But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas and destroy Jesus.
The governor answered and said to them, Whither of the twain which of the two will ye that I release unto you? They said Barabbas.
Pilate said unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus, which is called Christ?
They all say to him, let him be crucified.
And the governor said, why, what evil has he done? But they cried out the more, saying, let him be crucified. When Pilate saw that he could prevail, nothing but that rather a tumult was made. He took water, washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I'm innocent.
Of the blood of this just person, see to it then answered all the people and said His blood be on us.
And on our children, and with it all the blood from righteous Abel, right on down through history.
The way of Cain.
A choice.
What is it going to be?
Someone who healed the sick.
Brought people back from the dead.
People who fed, person who fed.
The people.
Multitude.
The person who spoke of them, to them, of the Father.
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The person who was going to usher in a Kingdom.
Of righteousness and of peace.
Take your choice.
Him or the bloody man?
Give us Barabbas. What are you going to do with Jesus? Crucify him. Blood, blood, blood.
What a world we've generated for ourselves. You know, you take the sinless sacrifice of Cain and it'll generate the world of Barabbas.
And Barabbas has been set loose in this world, as we well know.
We think there's a war going on.
It's one of about 30 that are happening in this world right now.
And if you extend your definition of war just a little bit, actually not too far.
And depending on whether you talk to the CIA or to the State Department, there is a minimum of 60 wars going on right now.
This is Barabbas world.
It's Barabbas's world.
You can look at the newspaper, you can see the violence, the bloodshed.
Sometimes it comes awful close, doesn't it?
I've walked up the street called Alvarado Blvd. and watched my step.
So I didn't step in the pools of coagulating blood.
I followed a trail of blood from an apartment door out to the street.
I viewed blood soaked jeans.
The occupant of those genes survived.
I've attended a gang funeral.
The name of the gang the Bloods.
Or you say that's inner city stuff.
And it was.
Someone was murdered.
In our neighbor's driveway.
Well, I don't live there. I live in a place where I have a real nice high school.
It's called Columbine.
Well, I live in a very homogeneous type society where we all kind of get along. It's on an Indian Reservation up in.
Minnesota was it?
Tremendous violence of that school just in the past three months or so.
No, I'm immune from that. That's not in my experience.
But you know, if you're not under the shed blood, under, if you're not redeemed by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and under the shelter of his shed blood.
You're in a world of violence and blood.
You're a woman here in this audience.
A minimum, and I think the statistics are greater than 40%. It's a minimum of 40% of women that come to a violent end. They die in their own house.
At the hands of somebody that they know.
Minimum of 40%.
What will you do then with Jesus?
Let's turn to Romans chapter 3.
Romans chapter 3 and verse 10.
As is written, there is none righteous.
No, not one.
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There is none that understand that there is none that seeketh after God.
They are all gone out of the way they are. They are all gone out of the way they are, and together become unprofitable. There's none that do it good. No, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre. With their tongues they have used deceit. The poise of ASPs is under their lips, whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood.
Destruction and misery are in their ways and the way of peace.
They have not known.
There's No Fear of God.
Before their eyes.
That's a world without Christ.
That's the world that said away with him, crucify him. We will not have this man to rule over us.
His blood be on us and our children.
And this is the result.
Let's take another little contrast.
John, Chapter 14.
John chapter 14 and verse 27.
Peace.
I leave with you.
My peace.
I give unto you.
Not as the world giveth.
Not, as the world giveth, give I unto you.
Let not your heart be troubled.
Neither. Let it be afraid.
Is there really a choice?
Come now.
Is there really a choice?
Do you want the peace with God?
You want the peace of God?
Or do you want the violence of Cain's way and Barabbas world?
The Lord Jesus Christ.
He says, Come unto me.
All of you that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.
Turn back just a couple chapters to John chapter 10. It's mostly just a phrase I'm looking for here.
And it's John 10 and verse 7.
Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily.
Say unto you.
I am the door.
Of the sheep.
All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers.
But the sheep did not hear them.
I am the door.
By me, if any man enter in, he shall be saved.
And shall go in and out and find.
The thief cometh not, but for to steal and to.
Kill and to destroy.
I am come that they might have life.
And that they might have it more abundantly.
I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd giveth his life.
For the sheep.
And so again we encounter.
A door.
Are you near that door like that little donkey in the Gospel of Mark?
Tide there at a place where two ways meet.
What about this one? Who's the door?
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Turn with me to Chapter 19.
In verse 28.
After this.
Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. Savi thirst.
Now there is a set of vessel full of vinegar, and they filled the sponge with vinegar, and put upon hyssop and put it to his mouth.
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar.
He said it is finished.
And he bowed his head.
And gave up the ghost.
The Jews, therefore, because it was the preparation of the body, should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day, for that Sabbath day was in high day. They besought pilot that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
Then came the soldiers and break the legs of the 1St and of the other, which was crucified with him.
And when they came to Jesus and saw that he was dead already, they break not his legs, but one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came their route.
Blood.
And water.
This.
We must all take count.
The one who called himself the door is the very one who back in the book of Genesis was the was the sin offering that lay right there at the door.
He's both the door and he's the offering.
And he is the one who shed blood.
His own.
Voluntarily.
He was sent of God.
As the Lamb of God.
Into this world.
And this was his purpose.
It was to give his blood.
It was to give his blood to protect you.
And to give you life.
He's the one who laid down his life for the sheep.
What is your choice?
Is it going to be blood?
Or is it going to be blood?
It's going to be the blood that was shed here by the Lord Jesus Christ that was given in love towards you.
Or it's going to be the blood of violence.
Warfare. Human sacrifice. Don't think these things are very far from us. They're not.
It's going to be one or the other.
What is your choice?
Lord, Jesus offers to you love.
And light.
And life.
And if you refuse that?
Then you have darkness.
Forever.
And you have eternal death.
And you'll have a place where they'll never ever be any thought or feeling of love.
What is your choice?
What think ye of Christ?
Is he the way?
But thinking of Christ?
Can he bring you peace?
What think he of Christ? Is he the door?
What think he of Christ? Has he given his blood for you?
To wash away your sins forever.
Singing him in closing.
#21.
Someone start that please.