In the Beginning God …

Gospel—Richard Mackewich
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Let's start tonight by singing #25.
25.
Life at best is very brief, like the falling of a leaf, like the mining of a sheaf being time.
First time I was in Montreal, I was about 1718 years old. I'm 73. Time is certainly struck by. Time is gliding swiftly by.
Fleeting days are telling fast that the dye will soon be cast. The fatal line be past, be in time. We're just going to sing the second verse of 25.
There is flowers.
Baby.
And you're crying just through my head and cry.
Brother has a announcement that makes just before the meeting. He turns it on in here and you can hear it out in the hallway.
Be in time inviting you to come into the meeting. The Spirit of God has brought you here tonight. You may think you came on your own.
But God, in his infinite grace and mercy, loves you. He wants you to hear. But there's an enemy out there who doesn't want you to hear. So we're going to pray and ask the Lord to send, as it were.
Bunch of guardian angels so that the board can go forth and the devil will be hindered from his attacks on you because he doesn't really care about you that God does. Let's pray.
There are a number of gospel verses on this invitation. I wonder if anybody in this room ever read it? Does anybody in this room ever read this?
I read it.
That this is a faithful saying. And that's what we want to hear tonight, don't we? You're sitting in that chair. You want to hear a faithful message, something that's true, something that you can grasp, something you can lay hold on.
Lord dwelling, we're going to look at one letter word, 2 letter word, 3 letter word, four letter words, and five letter words. The gospel is simple, it's not complicated, but these 5 words all have to do with the Lord Jesus. The first one we're going to turn to after we turn to the Luke 16.
Verse 15.
Is a three letter word. How many in this room you kids, can you count to 3?
123.
Or it's Uno, dos tres, but I don't know French. So whatever it is in French, but we're going to look at a three letter word that is one of the most important, most powerful words.
In any language in the world, but first of all in Luke 16 and verse 15.
Ye are they which justify yourselves before men, but God knoweth your heart. And that's where we need to start tonight. God knows your heart.
Another verse in scripture says God tries the heart and then he says the secrets of the heart are going to be revealed. But what a marvelous thing to know that God knows your heart.
It's been often said you can fool me, you can fool your grandma and grandpa, but you can't fool God.
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Let me throw this question out. Who thinks they know what the first word 3 letter word that I'm going to mention tonight is?
Anybody think they know?
That's a good, good one, but no found in the book of Genesis.
Chapter One.
Genesis 1 and verse one. Here's our first three letter word in the beginning.
God.
The most powerful, awesome word.
And human language God.
And the interesting thing is that every person in this world has a God of some sort.
A God of some sort.
There is one God, one mediator between God and men.
The man.
Christ Jesus.
In the beginning, God.
Turn to Revelation 21, Revelation 21, verse 4.
And God.
Shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
Think of it my friend. This book starts with God and it ends with God. And in the middle of this entire book.
There's tears, heartache, sorrow, misery. Yes, there's blessing, but it's a history of man and a history of broken hearts, broken dreams. So from Jonah says we start with God in Revelation, we end up with God, God.
Turn back to Luke 16.
Sometimes they get a little complicated and they try to fit too many things in, but that's what we're going to try to do tonight.
Luke 16 well known story verse 19 starting with.
Certain rich man clothing purple and so forth.
But he died verse 23 then in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments that Abraham afar off, Lazarus in his bosom, and he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me.
Send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his tongue in water. Cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this lame.
Revelation 21 again says.
God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. There should be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall they be any more pain.
This man finds himself.
In the.
Hell, there's no one there, my friend.
To wipe his tears away.
There's no Tylenol there, there's no Vicodin, no Oxycontin, there's nothing to relieve his pain. But in the coming day, God is going to remove all these things. And yet this poor man, that in hell, all these years since the Lord Jesus was on earth and in pain, been in terrible pain and anguish, Jesus said there's weeping.
Wailing. Gnashing of teeth.
We're in a hotel down the street and next to our room there was a baby. Apparently for about two hours that's all she did was wail. And it's interesting how it just goes right through the wall and.
Do yourself but.
But think of this poor man in eternity, and others have gone into eternity. There's nobody that's going to wipe their tears away.
And if you find yourself there, you too will not find anybody to comfort you, to help you, to ease the pain. Take it away. Constant, eternal suffering. Anguish.
First three letter word is God.
What's the 1St letter word? Who can tell me that might be first letter in the English alphabet? Anybody know what that is? A long long time ago there was a big giant and he defied the armies of Israel and said give me a man.
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Years down the road, there's a blind man, John Nine, and his eyes are open.
How does your eyes get open? A man. A man named Jesus.
Amen. Wow, isn't that fantastic? God answered that prayer, David.
Slew the giant and now God has come down. Open this man's eyes. And tonight, if you're still spiritually blind, we pray earnestly. We pray that your eyes will be open.
He didn't understand much of anything. All he could say is all I know is that once I was blind.
Now I see.
Woman at the Well John 4 Come see a man.
Oh, tonight my friend, they want to present to you the man.
The man who loves you. The man who came to die.
Bore your sins in his own body on the tree, if you accept it. It's been said there's two aspects for appreciation and substitution. And he died for the sins of all world. That's true. He did the old, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
You have to believe it for yourself. You believe that Jesus died. That's an important thing we'll see later.
We might even quote it.
Paul says to the Romans, if you believe that Jesus died and rose again.
For what?
Justification. Oh, fantastic.
Give me a man, a man named Jesus.
How about a two letter word starts with an N and it?
Think of the two letter words starts with an N as an O somewhere in there.
No.
It was brought out in the meetings.
Is there no man that condemns you, lady?
She says no, man, Lord Jesus didn't come down here, my friends, to condemn you to hell.
That's where you're going, anyhow.
Wrath of God abides over your head because you refuse the love of the truth that you might be saved. But the Lord Jesus came down here to save you, to deliver you from that wrath.
Later on we read we've been delivered from the wrath to come.
So we have our one letter word, we have a 2 letter word, a three letter word. What was their four letter word again?
Love Marvelous word.
LOVE.
He is indeed God's love man.
And yet the Ethiopian eunuch, he's reading the Bible, the Old Testament, and he doesn't get a thing out of it. Do you read the Bible and don't get anything out of it? Well, you need to go to the source. The Spirit of God will open it up to you.
And so, Phillips says, understand what you read. How can I accept some man?
See, all these lighter words have to do with man. Amen. The man, some man.
Yes, we can point you to some man, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Are you looking for him?
Year they which justify yourselves before men. We like to justify ourselves. We like to justify ourselves even as we're Christians.
Wasn't my fault, wasn't my idea.
God knows your heart this evening. I can't look into your heart.
All I can do is simply try to present a gift. God's gift. Does anybody here 10 years old?
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Anybody here 10?
Nobody here 10.
I'll have a gift for you if you are, but if you're not ten, I guess I get to keep it.
Huh.
Well, that's good, because that's how you get saved. You become as a little child. You become as a little child. Yeah. And if if nobody wants to come up and get the gift, I'll give it to you as a 10 year old. How's that?
Third word.
The.
THE was read this morning. Brother quoted it.
Behold the man.
The Lord Jesus came.
You ever stopped to realize it was also mentioned too my brother?
When he was taken at night, brought into the Sanhedrin mock trial after it was all over, who remembers the very first thing they did to the Lord Jesus?
Thank you, but it was quoted in Hebrews. One who will be in the brightness of glory. The brightness of glory express image of God's person upholding all things by the word of his power.
And he spit in his face.
That was the first thing they did. They spit in the space.
Either if I spit in your face, you wouldn't like me very well, would you?
But this is what we did. This is our heart. We spit in the very image of God. God manifest in flesh. And that was the first thing they do. They sent him, the Herod. Herod mocks them. Aaron sends them to Pilate.
Pilot soldiers put a crown of thorns on his head, and what's the next thing they did?
Spit in his face.
Tonight, as there were. My friend, are you spitting in the face of Jesus?
The very one who stands with arms outstretched and you spit in his face.
He loves you.
He died to redeem you. Sing then enrichments sometimes. He loves you, He wants you. He died to redeem you. Only believe his word. There's nothing to do, nothing to buy. He left his mansion, his glory on high, and now he's willing.
Waiting to save you.
Are you saved tonight?
No man. Amen, the man.
The next one is AT word to a four letter word this man.
They sent the soldiers to the Lord Jesus. They come back. Why didn't you bring them back?
He said no mess make like this man. Isn't that marvelous. No man spake like this man.
These are 1234 letter words that man.
Has attacked the person of Christ.
But you know God and his great love.
He says.
Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through listen that listen, man thief on the cross, said, This man has done nothing amiss. Through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, and you can have your sins forgiven tonight.
Only believe, only believe He is willing. He is able come to Jesus.
Come to Jesus now. God hath appointed a day in which he is going to judge this world by that man.
That man.
One God and one mediator between God and men. The man, the very one that Pilate said Behold the man. God is going to use that man as the only mediator between you and God.
Marvelous grace of God.
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I don't have a watch, so let me tell me what time it is. I don't want to.
Time is gliding swiftly by death and judgment both draw an eye.
Next few minutes I would like to look at a couple of miracles that took place during the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.
Sometimes you hear brothers speak about the last 7 words of the Lord on the cross.
We're going to look at some of the miracles that took place while he was on the cross.
And I hope I can break it down to a level where you kind of understand it.
Matthew.
27.
Matthew 27.
Verse 45.
Now from the 6th hour there was darkness over all the land until the 9th hour.
That's the first one.
Why is this significant?
I don't say this in any irreverent, reverent way. God didn't need three hours of darkness to do what he had to do. But he used these three hours of darkness to try to open up the eyes of his people there at Calvary.
Here they were so occupied with the Passover.
And they wanted to get him down off the cross before the Passover. They were so occupied with it. And yet for three hours there was darkness, Luke says. Over the whole earth.
What is God trying to tell them?
Says my people go back, go back to the 10th of Exodus.
In the 9th plague, what is the 9th plague? There was darkness for three days.
The land of Egypt and it was darkness that could be felt.
Wow. He's trying to awaken him to the realization that this is the Passover. This is the Behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
This is the Passover that's been promised.
They didn't get it.
Maybe there's somebody in this room tonight here. Still doesn't get it. Heard the gospel message many times.
Heard it many times.
Three hours versus 3 days compressed into three hours. Horrendous judgment of God.
What was the 10th plague?
Death of the first born.
And after three hours of darkness, Jesus Christ with a loud voice.
He dies.
The death of the first born right in their very presence, the Passover Lamb. God will provide Himself a lamb near the death of the first born.
Verse 50.
Jesus when he had cried again with a loud voice.
Yielded up the ghost in verse 51.
The old the veil of the temple was rent and twain from the top to the bottom.
It's the second miracle that took place.
The veil of the temple was rent and twain. This is a feeble little picture of it. Got this from Missus Blair. She was so kind to let me ruin it. But think of this as this mighty, fantastic, beautiful.
Kirkin separating the Holy Place and the Most Holy, the Ark of the Covenant hiding behind it, and these priests who perhaps were there inside doing whatever they were doing, and then they hear the sound.
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Ripped from the top to the bottom.
What is God telling them? The way into God's presence has been opened.
It is the Day of Atonement for them. It was the Yan Kapur that was not only the Passover, it was not only the death of the first born, the first fruits, but it was redemption. It was bringing into this relationship that you can come into His presence.
And that's why it says, Come, come, ye sinners, poor and needy, come unto me, all ye that labor. Why? Because the veil has been rent, we find in Hebrews. It was his flash, His body was given in depth. So the Passover.
Atonement has been made, eternal redemption for you, for me. There's nothing for you to do. There's nothing for you to buy.
Oh, come to Jesus.
He will save you. What a marvelous thing. God is speaking to His people, and God speaks to you and I tonight.
For God's soul of the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
That there's teen in John's epistle, he says.
The Father.
Sent the son.
The savior of the world.
John's Gospel says God gave his son.
God gave his Son. There's an obedient servant. He came. He was doing the will of God.
But God gave him as a gift to you.
Gift to you. He came to die. How many in this room want to die?
Nobody.
One of the things I used to do when I was working, we did a lot of research for the government and other agencies and one of them was a lung health study.
And trying to get people to stop smoking cigarettes. And they had an interview with the doctor, one of the things the doctor had to tell them.
Very sternly, very solemnly, simply this If you continue to smoke, you will die.
And that was a choice. We heard about choices today. Decide for Christ tonight. You have a choice. Are you going to receive God's gift? Are you going to accept it?
Sometimes if you tell your neighbor, don't stop smoking or something, they just laugh. When a doctor tells you something like that, it carries a little bit more weight, doesn't it? But how about God? God rich in mercy for his great love, wherewith he loved us.
Sent his Son to die on Calvary's cross. The veil of the temple was rent and twain from the top to the bottom. You and I now have access to come into the very presence of God.
Lost sinners, we don't literally come into his presence because we have to come through Jesus.
We have to come through him. Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life, but the access, the way open is there. And if you put your faith and trust in the Lord Jesus, you come right into the very presence of God. And not only that, you find as you grow, you're you're in the family of God.
You know if you die in your sins, you're going to be like that poor rich man. Nobody there going to draw your tears. Nobody there is going to comfort you, ease your pain.
Anybody in this room know what real pain is?
I had both knee replacements done at the same time and they had me on Oxycontin. They had me on some kind of drip now, just pushing that button, I felt so good. It took away all the pain.
When they got me out of bed.
Let's talk about pain coming back.
Think of the pain for you. The Lord Jesus went for you. He had known unto you. This night this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins.
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Jesus in the eighth of John was telling.
People simply this.
If you die in your sins.
Where I am.
You cannot come.
You want to go to heaven?
If you die in your sins.
It's not going to happen. You need to put your faith and trust in a risen, glorified man in the glory, A man who has nail prints in his hands to show how much he loves you, how much he cares for you.
How many gospel messages have you heard over your lifetime?
His life at best is very brief. Time is gliding swiftly by death and judgment both draw nigh. To the arms of Jesus fly the end time. So from the beginning of this book we have God. At the end of the book we have God. That all through the book we have God trying to win the people's heart. God commendeth his love toward us while we were yet sinners.
Christ died for us. Marvelous grace of God when we are enemies.
Touching to me and doesn't say Christ died for me when I was his enemy.
Says God gave his Son.
Gave his son.
Would you give your son for your neighbor?
God gave his Son for you, for me.
The darkness that is creeping in this world.
Go back to Genesis chapter one that says the Earth.
Covered with darkness.
What did God say?
Let there be light LIGHT. That's my 5 letter word light.
Lest the light of the glorious gospel which shines in the face of Jesus Christ shines.
What a marvelous thing God is. Now burst open the doors and he wants you to come home.
To accept Christ as your Savior. As I said, I had a gift for somebody who's 10 years old. Let's cut it down to nine years old. Anybody here nine years old? I only have one, so hopefully I don't get in a bind. God has only one gift, the Son. Are you 9 years old? Would you like a free gift?
What do you have to do to get a free gift?
You get a free gift by standing there.
You get a free gift because you believe that I'll give it to you.
Haven't even told you what it is yet.
But you come by faith, simply believing that I have a gift for you. How old are you? 9 What's your name? Oh, Levi. Privilege. Oh, God. This guy works in the Tabernacle. He's a Levi.
Let's see, I put it in one of my pockets here.
Don't trip over your shoelaces. There you go.
You're welcome. Thank you for accepting the gift. Thank you for saying thank you.
He believed that I had a free gift.
And yet he hesitated.
Takes a lot of courage to come up publicly as it were, and confess. Christ. Take a stand. Thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus. Believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead. Thou shalt be saved.
Gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ their Lord.
Anybody here? You kids, You collect pictures of dead presidents?
Used to be a Bible work in Bermuda. And I asked the kids one time, anybody here want any pictures of dead presidents? And everybody shook their head no, no, no, no. So I took out a picture of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson. Yeah, Yeah.
Everybody wanted a picture of a dead prison.
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Well, this young man didn't know it was a dead president, and he didn't know what it is, but he did.
He is a gift.
And it's his to do whatever he wants. But that's not God's way. God doesn't just give you gift of eternal life so you can do whatever you want to do.
God gives you eternal life so you can live to please him. This is life eternal, that they may know thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ when he said do you have life eternal?
Terrific message. The gospel, the grace of God, the ages that come is going to show those who put their faith and trust in Him the exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness toward me, toward you.
Ever stop and think about the kindness of the love of God?
Tell me what it's on 9.
You know, there are many people in this world who are hurting.
Children who are hurting. Children who don't even know who their fathers are. Children who are raised by their grandparents.
Thank God they're being raised.
What God wants you and I to go on together as brethren has been mentioned to take an interest in one another, and I really appreciate the message of friendship.
I didn't have any friends growing up when I was young.
I was an outsider looking in.
And yet God, in His marvelous grace, has provided a beautiful life.
And yet we tend to see people, young people, sitting here. Some of you may be indeed hurting, some of you may be crying. I'm here, I'm here, Somebody take an interest in me. There's a friend that sticketh closer to the brother. The world says, as you can count the real true friends you have in one hand.
Think of it on your one hand, you can count really how many true friends you really have.
Rent You come to these conferences and you see all these brethren were friends. What a marvelous thing. Oh, but be careful. Be careful.
The Lord Jesus there in the garden. Judas came with the band. What did the Lord Jesus say to Judas?
Friend or for?
Oh, don't just be a friend in Word. Be a part know of the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. He's died for you. He's done everything possibly for you.
Do you know Him as your savior tonight?
What must I do to be saved? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? The other man asked the Lord one time. What? What? What good things should I do?
And the larks that this is the work of God, that you believe on him.
Of his son.
I found it very difficult taking the meeting tonight.
Because the solemnity of it.
The last gospel that ever go forth.
The last gospel meaning that will ever go forth in this room.
Must the Lord overrules?
And you're sitting under the sound of the last gospel meaning.
First Gospel meaning, Apostle Peter preached.
This might be the very last time you ever hear the good news.
Jesus is coming. Those are the other two things I was going to look at tonight, but I don't have time. The Lord Jesus shall descend from heaven with a shout voice of the Archangel, the trump of God. The dead in Christ shall rise 1St and so you have on this side. The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels taking vengeance of them, the noon at God.
And I've been at the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. So you have a choice tonight, my friend. You want to be on this side. The Lord Jesus comes and takes his people home, or you want to be on this side. And the Lord comes in judgment. And it's a very solemn judgment because the 19th of Revelation, it says he treadeth out the winepressness of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God.
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And there's no need for you to be under that wrath.
He bore it on the cross for you.
He suffered there on Calvary's cross that you might have life, you might have it abundantly. And if you find yourself like this poor rich man, and yes, that's what oxymorons, poor rich man in hell, it's your choice.
You refuse the love of the truth that you might be saved.
Well, I guess I should give one more gift, just to be fair. Is there anybody here one year old?
A babe in Christ. Wow, what a what a thrill that would be. There's someone tonight.
Would step by faith but Lord Jesus, I'm a Sinner. I believe you died in the cross and it's important because in first Thessalonians 4 it says.
If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, God is going to bring them with him.
Are are you saved tonight, my friend? Are you saved? You've heard the term many times, but do you know Jesus as Savior? Do you know Him as your Lord?
Come to Jesus gently calling. One of my favorite songs is not in our little hymn book, but it's simply, softly and tenderly Jesus is calling.
Calling for you.
Pardon me tenderly, patiently. Jesus is waiting.
Oh Sinner, come home.
So with a heavy heart knowing that this is the last gospel meaning ever to be preached in this building unless the Lord tarries.
Montreal has a special place in my heart. I met my wife here. 196075 make sure I get the year right. 1975 was a Montreal conference.
Ask her to sit with me at the gospel meeting. Back then, you wait until the hymn thing that I didn't want to wait that long. I thought, well, let's, let's, let's get on with it. Eric Pilkington took the gospel message. What a thrill to realize.
Over the years God blesses his people and God is going to bless and open doors for you brethren to have another Ave. for the gospel to go forth. Thy people fed and encouraged. But tonight if there's somebody in this room tonight, still lost, still lonely, still without a friend.
Brother pointed out there's a friend.
Closer than a brother, Let's sing a little song for the children.
#43.
So I'll don't have anybody here one year old. So after we sing, I'll see if there's anybody here 2 years old #43.
One door in all.
Great side you, why don't you hungry up and get inside?
That's a marvelous question. We're going to sing 1 little one more hymn. We're going to try it and not say it's going to work #20 #32.
Anybody here two years old?
You're two years old.
Would you like a gift?
Come on up #32 what we're going to do, this side of the room is going to ask the question. This side of the room is going to give the answer as we sing it. So this side of the room will sing the question. This side of the room will sing the answer.
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You just get a George Washington because you're only two.
There you go. Careful going down.
But again, she wanted it. She had to come up for it. A free gift. Let's give it a try. OK? This side's asked the question as we sing it. This side sings the answer. OK, this side what?
Dreams of subtle and cut 1 squad bring hands.
Everybody on the court.
Makes me like a snow. No mother outside, no nothing like the water chilling.
Let's pray it.