Gospel—R. Thonney
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Begin our meeting tonight with #11 on the hymn sheet.
Will your anchor hold in the storms of life?
When the clouds unfold their wings of strife, when the strong tides lift and the cables strain, will your anchor drift or firm remain? We have an anchor that keeps the soul steadfast and sure, while the billows roll fastened to the rock which cannot move.
Grounded, firm, and deep in the Savior's love #11.
Will your anchor hold in the storms of life? When the clouds unfold, their wings of strike, When the heart died slip and the cable string?
Will your anchor drift or Freeman?
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Shall we pray?
Let's sing #23 as well on our hymn sheets.
Behold, behold the Lamb of God on the cross.
For us, he shed his precious blood on the cross.
Oh, here the overwhelming cry. Eli Lamas abacked, and I draw near and see the Savior die on the cross.
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Romans, chapter 14.
For two verses to begin our meeting tonight.
Romans chapter 14 and verse 11.
For it is written as I live, saith the Lord.
Every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
So then everyone of us shall give account of himself to God.
Hebrews, chapter 4.
And verse 12.
For the Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword.
Piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature.
That is not manifest in His sight.
But all things are naked and opened.
Unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
Chapter 9.
Hebrews, Chapter 9.
Verse 26.
The middle of verse 26.
Now.
Once in the end of the world.
Hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself? And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment, so Christ was once.
Offered to bear the sins of many, and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time, without sin unto salvation.
Went to focus in particular on verse 27.
Of this last portion we've read tonight, let me read it once again.
As it is appointed unto men.
Once to die, but after this the judgment.
Extremely important tonight as we begin this gospel meeting for each one that is present to realize that you have to do with God.
We live in a day where especially in this country that we live in.
It's a society that is man centered.
Humanism reigns in the schools, in people's way of thinking. You can talk about God, but God really doesn't figure practically in the minds of many people.
People think even are beginning to say.
That they are God.
And so, in conformity to that philosophy, they begin to think that they can set up the terms of judgment.
We want to settle it very clear at the beginning of this gospel meeting.
That you are not free to set up the terms of judgment.
God is the one that has set up those terms, whether you like it or not. Whether you believe it or not makes no difference. The terms have been set up, God has set forth.
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His standard in the Word of God, and again I say.
You may not like it, you may try to ignore it, but the terms are already set and you cannot escape it. Extremely important that you realize that. It is interesting to me, going back and forth between South America and North America a number of times a year, to see that people in those countries to the South where secular humanism hasn't infected the thinking of the people like it has in the United States.
In Canada.
But they still have a fear of the God in heaven. People in this country are losing that fear greatly.
And I even fear for those that professedly.
Are amongst our number.
Some who perhaps even take a place of leadership.
Because there was one of the 12 apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Who was a traitor not only outwardly, but in his heart.
He was not right with God and as far as and we know from Scripture.
That he is now in hell.
Oh, how solemn it is to do with God. You may think that you set up the terms, but I say again.
My friend God is the one that sets up the turns of judgment, and I really, truly believe that people begin to think that way because.
Of the concept they have of God, we have had quite a bit spoken of today.
Of who our God is, especially in the matter of creation. The greatness of our God. How he's been revealed in the creation he has made.
Tremendous to think about it. I read a book not long ago that says that scientists now calculate upon. I don't know how they calculate, but they calculate that there is 100 billion trillion stars in the universe.
Tremendous.
The God we're talking about, friend, is the God that made the mall.
And the God that sustains him on all in the course at the area and at the present moment.
And he is the God in whose hand is the breath that you are breathing right now.
And if you would get a glimpse of him, you would not argue about God and about His righteousness.
It's because you think that God is some puny little.
Identity that you have established in your own mind. How solemn to think that it'll be far different when you come face to face with the God of the universe, with the God of the Bible. You have no liberty. People play around with justice in this world. People establish their own justice.
Living in Bolivia was interesting because it was very evident after living there for a while when an authority in the government often would tell you, no, he really wasn't saying no. He was saying, put something underneath the table and it'll be possible. And so people get the idea that when we get to the final judgment day that there will be a way to wiggle around it.
And I'll be all right, no problem.
They're going to get an awful surprise in that day. You cannot wiggle around. God, no way.
It's in Colombia not long ago and as probably you're acquainted with, Columbia has a bad drug problem.
Many parts of the country are completely under the control.
Of the guerrilla terrorists that are financed by the drug cartel.
I was told.
That there was a course of judgment against one of the.
Big shots.
That had been captured and he was about to be sentenced.
And before the sentencing took place.
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This judge received a visit.
And laid out and was told that he had two options.
Said If you condemn this man.
We will kill you and your family. Don't think you can hide from us. We'll look for you and find you anywhere you may go in this world. That's one option. The other option is.
If you.
Don't condemn this man.
$500,000 in silver or lead.
We'll bring it to your house.
You choose.
So man dictates his own judgment in the course of human government, and he thinks he can swing things as he would like. He may do it down here, but there is a day coming when he will not be able to do it. There is a standard of righteousness that God has established that you must recognize. You can't get around it.
There is no playing with God's standard.
Dear young people.
Dear older ones too, do you think you can fudge a little bit?
I feel convicted that there are those in this room passing as Christians.
That are not right with God.
And I don't know who you are, but you know who you are, and before the eye of God.
All things are naked and opened and you cannot, you will not escape.
It is appointed unto man once to die.
And after this, the judgment at another opportunity in Colombia while I was there was an interesting.
A school teacher who's an owner of a school private school invited us. She's read the scriptures herself and was.
Wonderfully converted to the Lord by reading the scriptures.
She invited us to her school to give the gospel to some of the teachers and amongst others that were there, one of her friends who was a woman lawyer was present.
And the end of the presentation of the Gospel.
They asked if they could ask some questions. It was just an informal time, so there was liberty for questions.
And the question came up.
That she actually believed in reincarnation, and there are a lot of people that do today.
And so after the question was asked, one of the native brothers there opened the scriptures and read verse 27.
As it is appointed unto men once to die.
But after this the judgment.
And he said this is the verse that shows that reincarnation is not a possibility.
Sure, you're acquainted with what reincarnation is that if you live well, you progress into another life after death, and you die in that life. And if you live well in that life, you progress further. If you don't live well in this life, you have another chance in the next life.
That is directly contradicted by the verse that we have read. It is appointed unto man once to die. Man dies once.
And after this the judgment.
Oh, friend.
You have to do with God.
I often fear that we sit down in meetings like we're sitting in right now and we look around and we see all the nice brothers around and sisters.
And we act pretty nice around them.
We fear them that we haven't learned to fear God yet.
In our lives when there are no brothers, Oregon sisters OR moms or dads looking.
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Are a little bit different.
Don't you know who God is? Haven't you realized yet that before our God all things are naked and opened, and that it's all being recorded in that book for that future day of judgment?
Oh, it's a solemn thing to have to do with God.
You know, there were people in the Bible and I'd like to speak briefly about him. Job was one who felt that God had treated him wrong. God has taken away my judgment. He complained. And Job was a good living man.
Even the Lord said there's no man like him perfect and upright in his generation.
And yet Job got to the point when God allowed trial to come into his life where he said.
God's taking away my judgment. God hasn't treated me fair.
But God didn't answer Job's questions.
And he doesn't have to answer your questions. He doesn't have to bow down to the conditions you lay out, because God is God.
And God came to Job and talked to him, and he merely talked to him about matters of creation. Where were you, Job, when I created this and this, and the different animals and the wind and the frost and the snow and the rain? Where were you, Joe?
He doesn't take up Job on the way that Job wanted to come to him. No, friend, you don't lay down terms with God. God lays down the terms.
And after.
Joel got through with that conversation. I'd like to read what he says.
In job, let's go to it and.
Towards the end of the book of Job.
Job Chapter 40.
Verse One. Moreover, the Lord answered Job, and said, Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him?
He that reproveth God, let him answer it.
Then Job answered the Lord, and said, Behold, I am vile, what shall I answer thee?
I will lay that mine hand upon my mouth once have I spoken, but I will not answer you twice, but I will proceed no further. Jobs making progress here. He's learning to shut his mouth when it comes to God. God knows better than you. God is greater than you and his wisdom in his power, in his love don't attribute.
Unrighteousness to God. If you do, you are not. You don't know God yet.
Then over the 42nd chapter.
Verse One. Then Job answered the Lord, and said, I know that thou canst do everything, and that no thought can be withholding from thee. Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? Therefore have I uttered that I understood not things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. Here I beseech thee, and I will speak. I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine I see at thee. Wherefore?
I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes. Is there somebody here that has a hard thought about God? God hasn't treated me right. I hear that so often in today's world. Even Christians voice such words. I'm astounded at the audacity that they have to question God.
I really believe that sometimes Christians don't have an idea.
Of who God is.
Job said I heard of you by the hearing of the year, but now mine seethe. I repent, I abhor myself. Repent in dust and ashes.
That was the beginning of blessing for Joe. Have you gotten that far, friend? I fear that there's people sitting here that haven't gotten that far to realize that when you come to God.
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That's the only attitude that's right.
Repentance on the part, on your part as to his dealings with you, if he is allowed, trial, if he is allowed, accidents, if he is allowed some problem in your life. God is right in what he's done in your life.
And if you have hard thoughts about him, I'd say to you tonight, repent.
Repent, change your thoughts about God. God is not a hard master.
God loves you and he may crush only to bring greater blessing. There was another person in the Old Testament who met with God in the book of Isaiah chapter.
Six, we have the story of it. It was the prophet Isaiah.
One day he saw the Lord.
Let's read a few verses. Isaiah chapter 6. In the year that King Uzil, I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims. Each one had six wings. With twain he covered his face, with twain he covered his feet, and with twain heated die. He did fly.
And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory. And the pulse of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said, I, woe is me, because I am undone.
Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. For mine eyes have seen the king, the Lord of hosts. Here's another man, and I'm sure being a prophet in Israel, Isaiah was a man that lived probably a fairly honest life. And yet here one day he sees.
The Lord Jehovah of hosts.
And there, in the presence of the Lord, high and lifted up, are these angelic beans, seraphims that have 6 wings. Why six? They need the six of them. Only two were used to fly.
Two were used to cover his face.
All the care of what they looked at in the presence of God.
My friend, do you be? Are you careful with what you look at? Did you go back to the motel tonight?
There's an apparatus in the room. Are you careful what you look at in that room?
Are you careful? Do you realize that the eye of God is on you? Those sinless creatures, those seraphims, covered their face with two of their wings. Two of their wings, they covered their feet.
How do you walk, my friend? Are you careful how you walk, or do you go places that you realize that God isn't pleased about it?
These seraphims, these sinless creatures covered their feet with two of their wings, and they cried. 1 to the other holy, holy, holy Lord, God of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory. We don't have much concept today of the holiness of God. This is the God, my friend, that you have to do with.
That I have to do with no escaping. No way are you going to get out of it. It is appointed under man once to die, but after this the judgment.
My friend has taken quite a bit of time to establish the fact that you.
Have to do with God on God's terms. I think it's extremely important.
In the day and age that we live in, because of the philosophies that are circulating in schools and have even infected the thinking of Christians to establish the fact that there's one who lays down the terms, I cannot.
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A stocking visited in one of my recent visits down to Florida with a lady who lived for many years in Bolivia. She's an American. She's the daughter of a brother who used to be in fellowship. He's with the Lord now.
She lived for many years in Bolivia. Now she's back in the United States for a couple of years. She wants to earn a little money and go back to Bolivia again.
And she's living with a man that she found down in Florida.
And I went the last time with the Bible, hoping to be able to leave it there. And I said here, I brought your Bible, she says. I'm not interested really in reading the Bible. I've read it once. That's enough. I know what it says.
One of her son in laws accepted the Bible.
That was happened to be present, but I wrote to her afterwards because she thinks she knows Jesus. I wrote to her afterwards and said it is evident to me that you don't know the Jesus that I know, not the Jesus of the Bible.
She wrote back recently.
The letter and said I know you would like to convert me to your way of thinking, but I'm happy the way I am.
And I, I want to communicate with her again. I want to tell her that I'm very thankful that she is not enchanted with my way of thinking, that my way of thinking is not the standard. It's not a matter of what you think. It's not a matter of what I think. It's a matter of what God declares in his word. That's the standard. And if you don't get that straight, nothing is going to be straight. Absolutely nothing.
God lays down the terms, friend. Now I want to tell you about God's remedy.
Because God is love, but if you don't have it straight in your soul that God is the one that's going to lay down the terms in your relationship with God, you're not going to get anything straight here tonight. And that's why I've taken the time to deal with that matter. But think of it, we've heard about it today.
That that very God who created this mighty universe.
Men can throw out.
Capsules into space that are already nerfed with the Hubble telescope and lookout into the universe and it only makes them realize how insignificant they are in the vast, vast universe.
But the one who is greater than the whole universe is the one that came into the realm of time. The Father sent the Son to be the savior of the world, and to me, it's one of the most.
Tremendous marvels to think that God became a man with a purpose of seeking out this poor rebellious worm to save him and to bring him into his glory. Oh, my friend, Jesus came into this world, was born in Bethlehem. When he was born, there were a lot of religious people around.
The Jews had the Old Testament Scriptures in their hand.
They knew the prophecies about the coming of their Messiah.
Christ, they knew where He was to be born. They knew approximately the time frame He was to come.
And yet, when he was born, absolutely no one.
Was aware of the fact that the creator had entered the realms of time. Think of it. Think of it.
Completely asleep.
Some wise men from the East came in the space of something less than two years and asked in Jerusalem, where is he that is born king of the Jews? We've seen his star in the East. We've come to worship him. They all wake up for a moment what's happened, totally unaware that the God of the universe was present in the land of Israel.
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And they get out their Bibles and they start searching. Is it possible to have their Bible in your hand, to know it too, to be able to give the answers and yet be totally unaware of the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ? I really believe it's happening right here in Des Moines tonight.
Asleep as to the glory of the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ with us here tonight.
And so.
When he was born.
Where did he have to be born?
In a stable where the animals are.
There was number room for him in the inn.
People measure.
People by the room that they get in the hotel president of the United States come to Des Moines. I'm sure they would look at one of the best places possible to give him in one of the best hotels in the city.
The God of the universe enters this world, absolutely unaware what's happening. They relegate him to the stable. There he had to be born.
Where the animals were, the angels come. The first time they had ever seen a creator God manifest in the flesh, there he was laying in a Manger.
The Angel must have wondered what happened to these people.
Don't they realize that God has come into this world?
And they go out looking. They find a few poor shepherds out there in the field. They appear to them to give them the good news.
Oh how blind people are. Oh how blind man is. Naturally, you can have the Bible in your hand and be totally unaware of the presence of the Lord Jesus.
So the God of this universe entered the streams of time.
And I love to think of him as he grew up. He lived approximately 33 1/2 years in this world.
And the majority of those years were spent in the Carpenter shop. What a Carpenter shop? The God of the universe and the Carpenter shop, They didn't realize who he was. They said, is not this the Carpenter?
Even his disciples, when he began his public ministry, didn't seem to realize who he was.
Yes, they believed, yes, they followed him. But one day on the ship.
He's asleep in the back of the ship and the wind is come up and the waves are filling the boat and they get scared.
Can the boat sink with the creator on board?
Absolutely impossible, but they get scared.
They wake them up, they say we perish. They knew where to go anyhow. Thank God for that.
He stands up.
He says to the wind and the waves, peace be still an immediate calm. And they wondered what kind of man is this? Even his disciples didn't really understand who he was. Do you and I understand who this person is? Oh, the marble of it that our God walked through the weary pathways of life. He knew what it was to be hungry.
He knew what it was to be weary. He knew what it was to be thirsty. He knew because he passed through those parts, those areas of life just where you and I are passing through.
But I want to talk in particular of what took place at the end of his life. You know the story, but I want to go over it again. To me, it's the most wonderful story that's ever been told.
The religious leaders.
Led on by the power of Satan, take him and deliver him to Pilot the governor. And Pilot, pronouncing again and again that he's innocent, finally condemns him to the most horrible death that was possible to be put to death by the death of crucifixion.
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There, that city of Jerusalem, they take the blessed Son of God, they tie him to a post I suppose, and they scourge him. I've read in history books about the Roman scourge and it's called a living death.
Had little points of metal or bone, sharp bones in the points of the whip, and every time it passed across his back cut a furrow on his back. The prophet says they plowed upon my back, they made long their furrows. And if according to this history book I read that the victim had any tendency to.
Go unconsciously throw a bucket of water on him to wake him up again. They would be careful not to give him too much.
So that he would die, but just enough to torture him the most possible. After that he was delivered to the soldiers, and the soldiers took him and mocked him. Says they used this their fists in his face. Soldiers don't hit light.
They hit hard. In Bolivia, in the army, when soldiers are being trained, there is one discipline that they call the black alley. And the soldiers have to run down through a line of two, two lines of soldiers on either side. This one that's being punished. And all those soldiers have to hit that soldier that's running down as hard as they can. And if they hit them too light, the Sergeant comes up.
And gives them a punch that knocks them to the ground. Soldiers don't hit light. And think of it. They pounded their face. The Son of God, they took a crown of thorns. They put it on his head. In Bolivia, where we've lived, they have thorns, I suppose somewhat like the thorns they must have used to crown the Lord Jesus with. One time I took a branch of those thorns and tried to make it a crown. It was a hard job.
Without getting stuck a lot yourself. But no insult was too great for the Son of God. Think of it, the enmity in our heart naturally against God, against his Christ. They laid that on his head, and they took sticks, and they pounded that thorn, that crown of thorns into his head.
And they take him outside of Jerusalem. Can you see him in your mind's eye, leading him out of that guilty city?
To a place outside on a hill called Golgotha.
There they laid him on the cross and took nails and nailed his hands and his feet to that cross and lifted him up there to die. That's the way man is treating his Creator.
God has not forgotten what they did to Jesus.
And God still has a controversy with this world that's going to be settled. And we believe that the time is near when that controversy is going to be settled.
There Jesus hung. Can you imagine the excruciating physical agony of hanging for hour after hour on nails, through your hands, through your feet?
Awful agony physically, but I want to go further. At 12 noon, the scripture tells us.
That there was darkness for three hours.
And the human eye was not allowed to see what took place.
But we're not for the prophets, the Old Testament. Perhaps we wouldn't understand what took place there.
But Isaiah puts it so clearly. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed during those awful hours of darkness.
God took my sins, those filthy acts of rebellion.
God, that I have committed and laid them on the head.
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Of His spotless, sinless, holy Son, the Lord Jesus.
And then God, so that he would not have to banish me to a lost eternity in hell forever, took up the rod of his judgment and punished Jesus. Jesus bore the punishment in full. The end of those three hours of darkness, there was a cry.
My God, my God, why thou forsaken me, the only man that always did the will of God.
Does the will of God in the face of the wrath of God, and is forsaken of God.
Oh, what a story. That's how much your God loves you, friend. That's how much he wants to save you. That's how much he wants to block your road to eternal punishment. He loves you too much. Stop.
Repent tonight. Come back to your Maker. Come back to the One who died on that cross.
He's waiting for you.
At the end of those awful hours of darkness.
The Lord Jesus said it is finished.
The awful judgment that was against me as a lost, condemned Sinner was gone. Gone forever.
As we read in Hebrews.
Chapter 9. Verse 20.
Eight So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many. It doesn't say the sins of all, because if you refuse to accept the salvation that God is offering to you tonight, you will bear your own sins and a lost eternity forever.
You cannot escape the judgment of God, God's righteousness.
Must be satisfied in connection with those sins that you have committed. No way to escape it.
Either Jesus bore them for you on that cross, or you will bear them in the lake of fire forever and ever.
The decision is yours, friend, and it depends on your attitude toward the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. We plead with you with all your hearts tonight.
That if you haven't truly gotten the matter settled, that you'd do it tonight. Be sure about it, friends. The Word of God is clear.
As our brother mentioned today, sometimes people are not sure because they're looking inside themselves.
Now, I don't want to point you inside yourself tonight.
Only that you know that you are a lost, guilty Sinner. That's all. But I want to point you to the one who died on the cross of Calvary, who paid the price in full for a complete, eternal redemption.
The work is done. Jesus died.
He shed his precious blood. The soldier came up that hill of Golgotha and plunge the spear into his side, and out came blood and water. The blood of Jesus Christ. God's Son cleanses us from all sin. Oh my friend, tremendous to realize that now.
Even though I have been such a guilty Sinner, I can stand in the very presence of God, completely forgiven and even more justified in liberty. I can enter right into His presence. That's the salvation that God is offering to you tonight. Oh, my friend, won't you have the Lord Jesus? How can you say no to such a tremendous Savior?
To a God that loves you so much that He came personally into His own creation to rescue you, to seek and to save you, to die on the cross so that there would be a way for you to go right back into His presence. If you refuse such a tremendous salvation, I say, my friend, God is right in putting you into the lake of fire forever.
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Don't let that be your end, friend. Judgment is coming. We're getting very close to the day when God is going to judge in righteousness this world by that man whom He has ordained. The same one that died on that cross is the one that will sit on the throne of judgment in a future day.
To judge those who have not obeyed the gospel of God.
Is that going to include you? I pray God that that will not be the case.
With all our hearts, I speak not only for myself, but for many who are sitting here. I plead with anybody who is still without Christ in this room. Don't leave the room until you have settled the matter. I'll stay up here in the front of this room for a while after the meeting. If anyone has questions or doubts, please let's get it settled out straight. While you're here, don't let any more time go on.
Now is the accepted time. Now is the day of salvation. Let's just pray.
Grace.