Gospel—Kevin House
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Like to welcome everybody to the Gospel meeting this evening.
Often start with a hymn, and I'd like to do that this evening. One of my favorites #10 so let's sing it together. There is a Savior on high in the glory, A savior who suffered on Calvary's tree. A Savior is willing to save now as ever, His arm is almighty, His love great and free. Perhaps someone could help me by raising the tune.
1 stranger.
I'd like to actually turn back to where we were in the reading meetings together.
To read a little expression that I've enjoyed there.
Revelation chapter 2.
Verse 2.
Just the 1St 2 words.
Of that verse I know.
And then verse 9.
I know.
Verse 13.
I know.
Verse 19.
I know.
Chapter 3, verse one.
I know.
Verse eight of chapter 3.
I know.
In verse 15 I know.
These words could be said in very different ways.
I know.
Perhaps you've done something naughty?
And you have a guilty conscience.
And your parent confronts you.
And they say these words I know.
Perhaps we know there might be consequences.
And indeed, in Revelation we get.
That God is going to have to carry out judgment.
By his heart.
Doesn't desire.
To carry out judgment towards you.
He says I know.
He knows everything about us. Everything. He knows more about me than I know about myself.
And about you too.
And the amazing thing is, is that he loves me.
He knows everything.
But he still loves me.
And he loves you too. You know, in this Book of Revelation, there's tremendous judgments that are going to come upon this world, particularly upon those who had the opportunity, the knowledge of the Word of God, and who turned away from it.
That's everybody here.
And those little words to me are such a comfort I.
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He knows everything about me.
He knew every sin that I would commit before I committed it, and the Lord Jesus gave Himself on the cross for me so that I'm never going to have to come under His judgment. I'm not going to face that great tribulation, and there's a way of escape for you tonight so that you don't have to either.
There is no other name given under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved, except the Lord Jesus Christ.
You know, we've have opportunity here to be together.
To have a Bible conference the last few years.
We've been hindered in that.
And there's many ideas that people have had to try to save us from COVID. There's this, there's that. We'll try this. Maybe that will work. Maybe this will work.
But tonight we're presenting.
The way to be saved that is 100% successful. You know, there's different success rates that are given for different products, but tonight in the Gospel, there's 100% success in the work that the Lord Jesus did on the cross available for you.
That's amazing. There's not too many things that you can give them 100% guarantee on.
Usually it's pretty high.
On a product that somebody's trying to sell, but 100%.
You know, everyone of us, I think here has two needs.
Those knees are going to bow before the Lord Jesus Christ.
We have opportunity now to bow before the one who says, I know, I know thy works. He knows everything.
Or we can choose to say no.
And those knees will have to bow.
Later on before him.
You know we have that opportunity, he says. Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, I will give you rest.
You know, sometimes people think that if they become a Christian, they're not going to be able to have fun anymore.
How about rest for your soul?
How about a relationship with one who loves you so much, who gave himself?
Not too many people are willing to give their life for somebody else.
The Lord Jesus gave himself for you and for me.
What's the love that is available that we can know that we can be connected with?
You know, I'd like to turn to Luke chapter 10, where?
I've enjoyed listening to the thoughts of some others in a Bible study that goes on Lord's Day evenings.
On Zoom that I've benefited from.
Talking about this, I don't know if it was last week or the week before, but Luke chapter 10.
We get the story of the Good Samaritan. I'd like to just read it together here.
Luke chapter 10, verse 25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is written in the law? How readest thou any answering? Said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy strength, with all thy mind, and thy neighbor as thyself.
And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right this do, and thou shalt live.
But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbor?
And Jesus answering, said a certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him.
And passed by on the other side but a certain Samaritan as he journeyed.
Came where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion on him. And he went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the Morrow when he departed, he took out 2 Pence and gave them to the host, and said unto him.
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Take care of him whatsoever thou spendest more when I come again.
I will repay thee.
Which now of these three thinkest thou was neighbor unto him that fell among thieves?
And he said he that showed mercy on him.
And said Jesus unto him, Go and do thou likewise.
Just like to stop there.
You know each one of us.
In this story.
By nature are the man who was on the trip from Jerusalem to Jericho. You were on a journey through this life.
And this fellow had plans, what he thought he would accomplish in life. Perhaps you have plans in your life too, of what you think you'd like to do.
I don't know if he was going there to the city of palm trees to rest, to have a vacation, doesn't tell us.
But his purpose certainly was not to get robbed and beaten up and left half dead.
That much I'm sure of.
Nobody would pick that.
But it's really a picture of us in our sins. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. I think. Any of you kids know?
You don't have to be very old.
Before dad and mom say something like no and you disobey.
To disobey makes you a Sinner.
Before God.
And God is holy, he can't have sins with him.
And you and I know that if we have sinned, we feel guilty and we can't be happy with that or mom when we're feeling guilty.
It's an awful thing to feel guilty.
And this fellow here was in a bad spot.
He had no clothes.
That would be pretty difficult in and of itself.
But then he got beat up as well.
And left there on the side of the road.
In Ephesians it tells us we're dead and trespasses and sins. We need a Savior.
You know there's many.
In this world that seek to provide answers of how to get help.
And perhaps we see two here who passed by, who represent different things, and you can put in there whatever you'd like.
They came and they looked on this fellow and they passed by on the other side. There was nothing there to help him.
Whether it was the law, all it could do was to condemn him, the Levite. Perhaps he was curious and he passed by. He just left him there.
But this certain Samaritan, you know.
I enjoyed the thought here that.
This one comes and he is looking to inherit eternal life.
I think 1 brought out on the call that we inherit things based on who we are generally.
He was looking to try to do and inherit at the same time.
And the Lord Jesus uses the one that's going to help.
As a Samaritan, one who was outside of the blessing.
The promises to Israel.
And he accepts that low place.
He humbled himself to come into this world.
To show His love to you and me.
Incredibly.
And it says a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, he came where he was.
This is the care that the Lord Jesus has for me. He came here. He came to where I was, to my need, to your need.
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You know when he says those precious words, come unto me.
Come.
I don't know how bad off this fellow was.
Whether he could have resisted the help of the Good Samaritan, I don't know.
But for each one of us tonight.
If we are in our sins.
The Lord Jesus is as the Good Samaritan, reaching out to you.
To take you from being dead in trespasses and sins.
To have life to be his.
You have the opportunity to accept His mercy. I'm to pick you up.
You know he went to him.
He poured in the oil and the wine. He set him on his own beast. He brought him to the inn, enjoyed a picture of the assembly, and he took care of him, You know, speaking with a brother today and he was just sharing how in the assembly that he had been in that he was able to receive that care.
That's wonderful if in the assembly.
There can be that care.
To those that need that care.
We have that opportunity to have that love one for another. You know, it wasn't that this guy was walking perfectly.
He needed a lot of help.
And that Good Samaritan went to where he was.
And he brought him to the end.
To trust each one of us has that heart and care towards others.
We can be pretty comfortable with what we have.
With our routines, what we're used to.
Samaritan could have passed by on the other side too.
This is messy work.
Dealing with somebody who's all bloody is not enjoyable.
Having this fellow ride on his own beast.
Instead of him being able to.
But he cared.
And the care that the Lord Jesus has shown in coming to this world and dying on the cross.
In suffering so much.
You know, when he looked into that cup in the Garden of Gethsemane, he would say, Oh my father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.
Oh, my father.
The answer was no.
The answer was number, because if it was yes, there wouldn't be salvation that we could present tonight.
We all would have been on our way to hell righteously.
That's what we deserve.
But instead.
The Lord Jesus went to that cross and he paid the price.
So that we can be looked after.
There's much in this passage.
That we can learn in terms of shepherding care as well.
I'd like to look at another passage in Luke a little further on.
Another well known story, Luke 16.
Perhaps we could read it together and then.
To contrast a couple of men from the Old Testament with this story.
Luke 16 and verse 19 there was a certain rich man which was closed in purple.
And fine lemon, and fared sumptuously every day. And there was a certain bagger named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate full of source, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell.
From the rich man's table, moreover, the dogs came and licked his source, and it came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abrahams bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and see if Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip.
His finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame.
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But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receiveth thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things. But now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between US and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot.
Neither can they pass us that would come from thence. And he said, I pray thee therefore, Father, that thou would send him to my Father's house, for I have 5 brethren, that he may testify unto them, that they also.
Lest they also come into this place of torment.
Abraham said unto him, They have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham. But if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
And he said unto them, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded.
Though 1 rose from the dead.
Well, I think we all know this story.
Two men, one rich, 1 poor, one with faith, and one without.
You know, I don't know which one of these two each one of us are tonight.
But we're either like the rich man or we're like Lazarus.
And.
If the Lord Jesus doesn't return, all of us also are going to die.
Perhaps I'll just pause for a moment and tell a story of a young man that I witnessed.
Die.
He was 17 years old.
His parents had just bought a cottage near us.
He had friends.
And he had a good time with those friends on this particular day.
And me and my siblings got home from young peoples of course, trying to be on time for our 11:00 curfew.
Got in a minute or so before.
And we heard a crash.
A very loud crash.
And we?
Realized we should probably go figure out what it was and we went over to the meeting room.
And this young man had gone to the meeting room.
In his car.
And he had crashed into the meeting here.
There was dust and all billowing around.
And I went over to the car.
And his music was playing. The fan was still running.
The engine had died in the crash.
His Dairy Queen was on the floor.
And his head was slumped over.
He was 17 years old. I'm not sure who's 17 here tonight.
I quoted a couple gospel verses to that young man.
I don't know if he heard them or not.
Because he died.
He never responded.
He didn't plan on dying.
Most people don't.
I don't know if he had opportunity to hear the gospel or not.
But you do.
You and I do.
Went to the funeral of that young man and I don't know.
There was any indication that he had faith, he had plans.
He was planning to go to university. He was just about finished high school.
But he died.
I don't know.
Nice if he will be in heaven.
But if not, he's with this rich man in torment.
And so will you be if you turn away from the Lord's outstretched arms.
You know, sometimes we say that you're going to either go to heaven or hell.
Which is true.
But really, we're going to go to be with the Lord Jesus or we're going to be separated from him forever.
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Those are the only options.
As a result of what you have done with Jesus, who is called Christ.
You know, I've done this before, but perhaps it's helpful to get a visual.
This rich man in his torments.
He asked only for a little drop of water.
And see this little drop water.
You know, if I'm at work, I usually drink about a gallon of water.
And if all I had all day was this, I wouldn't really think it was that great.
But that's all he wanted.
Could I just have?
A drip of water only what?
Drip.
We don't think too much about a raindrop that falls on us, just one.
It was not available to this man in his torments.
It seems as if.
Those in torment could see over to the other side, to those in Abraham's busa.
They could see the blessing and I'd like to take up a story relative to two men.
One who?
Didn't get the blessing and one who did.
Each one of us is going to be one of those two.
We're either going to be in Abrahams bosom, as it were to be with the Lord Jesus in heaven, or we're going to be in torment.
And it has to do with.
Believing in him.
You know, somebody prayed tonight about.
How wonderful it is that the gospel message is so simple.
You know, we don't have to be incredibly intellectual to believe that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
To recognize that He died for me, that the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin. It's so simple and yet we have to believe it.
And when we do, it's so wonderful.
I think he wrote that verse in Colossians one and having made peace through the blood of his cross.
You know, do you enjoy that piece? I was just noticing here behind me, this book, the Eternal security of the believer. Do you enjoy the peace that has been made for you by the blood of his cross? And I remember as a little boy being in gospel meeting and wondering, did I really get saved? Or maybe I didn't. Maybe maybe I didn't do it quite right.
Maybe I better get saved again just in case.
So it asks the Lord to save me again.
How do we know that we're saved?
It's by believing what God has said. The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.
Is it how I feel about it? No.
It's believing what he has done.
God knows what he did. He knows what the Lord Jesus suffered for us. And so if you were like me as a little boy and had some doubts and weren't sure sometimes.
Go back to what God has said, quote the scriptures. That's where you have peace.
It's through the blood of his cross.
Maybe just before we leave this passage, just.
Mention the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The wonder that a man could be alive and that he could say I'm going to die and then I'm going to rise again in three days.
You know, most of us don't know the day we're going to die and.
Furthermore.
Certainly can't make the claim we're going to rise again after three days, but the Lord Jesus did. He said I will rise again and he did. And is everyone in the world believe now? Because like this rich fellow suggested, somebody came back from the dead. It would be nice.
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But it's not the case. We have to take God at His Word.
There's no number of signs that we could see that will give us the faith to believe. We have to believe what God has said.
So important.
And we all have that opportunity tonight to believe what God has said.
Let's look at an illustration back in Kings. Second Kings.
Look at the -1 first, and then we'll end on the +1.
Second Kings chapter 6.
The people of God had been unfaithful.
Seems to be the pattern we've talked about in these meetings.
But the Lord was going to show out his heart in grace to them again.
In reaching to them, just like he's reaching to us again tonight.
In Grace.
And so if we read in Two Kings 6, verse 24 came to pass after this, that Ben Haddad, king of Syria, gathered all his hosts and went up and besieged Samaria. And there was a great famine in Samaria. And behold, they besieged it until an ass's head was sold for four score 80 pieces of silver, and the 4th part of a cab of Doves dung for five pieces of silver.
And the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, and there cried a woman unto him, saying, Help my Lord, O King. And he said, If the Lord do not help thee, when shall I help thee?
The barn floor out of the winepress, the king said unto her, What aileth thee? She answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow. So we boiled my son and did eat him. And I said unto her, On the next day, give thy son that we may eat him, and she hath hit her son came to pass when the king heard the words of the woman that he rent his clothes.
And he passed by upon the wall, and the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth within upon his flesh.
Then he said, God, do so and more also to me, if the head of Elijah, the son of Shaphat, shall stand on him this day. But Elisha sat in his house, and the elder sat with him, and the king sent a man from before him. But ere the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, See ye how this son of a murderer has sent to take mine head away. Look, when the messenger cometh, shut the door and hold him fast at the door is not the sound of his master's feet behind him.
While he yet talked with them, behold, the messenger came down unto him, and he said, Behold, this evil is of the Lord.
What should I wait for the Lord any longer? Then Elisha said, Hear ye now the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord, Tomorrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel in the gate of Samaria.
And this is the one I wanted to focus in on here. Then a Lord on whose hand the king leaned answered, And the man of God and said, Behold, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said.
Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes.
But thou shalt not eat thereof.
We won't take time to read the story here. These four lepers go out and they recognize that the Lord allowed the Syrians to flee thinking that.
Other armies had come and there was all this food prosperity sitting right outside the gate for them to take, and they didn't know. And these four lepers, they realized it's a day of good tidings and we're holding our peace. And so they come and they share the message, and at first they don't believe it, but then they.
After searching it out, they recognize that it's true. The Syrians have fled.
Silver 17 And the king appointed the Lord on whose hand he leaned, to have the charge of the gate.
And the people throw it upon him in the gate, And he died, as the man of God had said, who spake, when the king came down to him. And it came to pass, as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, 2 measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel shall be tomorrow about this time in the gate of Samaria. And that Lord answered the man of God, and said, Now behold, if the Lord should make windows in heaven, might this thing be?
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And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof. And so it fell out unto him, For the people throwed upon him in the gate, and he died.
This is just such a solemn story to me.
This man.
Hears the word of God.
And he marks it.
He makes fun of the fact that God could carry out His word.
I don't know the response of your heart tonight to the gospel.
Do you believe it?
Or do you mock it?
You know this fellow.
He could have had the blessing that the others got. He could have.
It was available to him just like it was to everyone else.
But instead of getting the blessing, he got the judgment, the judgment of God for mocking.
Always offered to him.
I hope nobody here.
Is going to be like this man that's going to look over like that rich man to see all the others here that got the blessing of God, that believed and you will be in torment like this one who heard, who could have believed, but instead of getting the blessing, he's going to look at all the others from torment.
What a tragedy you'll remember tonight.
That you could have taken Jesus invitation to you to come unto me.
The only way you get to go to hell is by rejecting the Lord Jesus by walking past those outstretched arms.
Saying no.
No, I will not.
Accept your mercy.
That's how this guy was.
He did not get the blessing of God.
I think his believers sometimes.
We can have unbelief too.
And we can miss out on the blessing of God that He offers to us.
By not taking God at His word.
Let's not.
Be like this man.
The one I'd wanted to look at that did get the blessing is Elijah. Perhaps we know this story well too, but I'd like to read it back a few chapters in Second Kings.
2 Kings, Chapter 2.
Read a few verses here as well came to pass, when the Lord would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elijah from Gilgal. And Elijah said unto Elijah, Terry, here I pray thee, for the Lord hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel.
And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha.
And said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thee today?
And he said, yeah, I know it holds ye your peace.
And Elijah said unto him.
Elisha Terry here, I pray thee, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.
He said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho, and the sons of the prophets that were a Jericho came to Elijah and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head today? And he answered, Yeah, I know it. Hold ye your peace.
And Elijah said unto him, Terry, I pray thee here, for the Lord hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee.
And they too went on.
And 50 men of the sons of the prophets went and stood to view afar off, and they too stood by Jordan. And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters. And they were divided Heather and thither, so that they too went on on dry ground.
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It came to pass when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.
And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee, but if not, it shall not be so. And it came to pass, as they still went on and talked, that behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
And Elisha saw it.
And he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes and rent them in two pieces. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back and stood by the Bank of Jordan. And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smoked the waters, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah?
And when he also had spent in the waters, they parted, hit her, and thither and Elisha went over.
And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elijah, and they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.
Well, I just.
Enjoy the contrast here between Elijah and this one who he spoke to later on whose hand the king leaned. Elisha wanted the blessing.
You know Esau wanted the blessing, too.
But he wanted it his own way.
And Elisha wanted the blessing.
But he went about it God's way.
He was diligent. He wasn't gonna leave the prophet.
Elijah, the one that God had used to speak to Israel, and even though he's given the opportunity to.
He sticks with Elijah.
Through all these different places.
And he's given this opportunity to get the blessing of the Lord.
If he'll just keep his eye on Elijah.
Do you expect he was?
Focused on all the scenery around and counting how many animals he could see.
I don't think so.
He had a focus to get the blessing.
To get.
What God was going to give him?
He valued it.
He had left.
It would seem the inheritance of his family.
He had sacrificed those oxen.
To follow the man of God, to pour water on his hands.
He wanted the blessing. He had heard the call of God.
You know, in the gospel.
We talked about the call of God to come to repent.
To accept the Lord Jesus.
But that call is not just that fire escaped from hell. It's to know.
The Lord Jesus, the only true God.
To have eternal life, to walk with him through this world.
And Elisha didn't have near as much as we have.
He didn't have the whole revealed word of God.
That we have access to in English.
That many, if you read through the church history mentioned today, gave their lives because they valued it and they cared about the next generation. They didn't say, like Hezekiah, as long as there's peace and truth in my days, that's okay.
They cared about those that would come after.
And Elijah wanted the blessing of the people of God.
And he got it.
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Are you and I going to get that blessing?
Where are we going to miss it?
It's so easy.
To feed on this world.
It's not difficult, it's readily available.
We have that opportunity to choose instead.
To feed on Christ.
To take what he has available for us.
He doesn't force it.
It just says come.
Come to me.
I will give you rest.
That's what I'd like to share tonight.
Trust, each one of us will be with Lazarus around the Lord Jesus.
Be able to praise him, to exalt him.
It says in Corinthians, I have not seen nor ear heard, neither is entered into the heart of man. The things that God has prepared for those that love him. You know we have so much available to us.
And so much to lay hold of my faith.
Just trust that each one of you will.