Gospel—C.E. Lunden
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General Meetings, Toledo, November 1976. Gospel by Brother Lundeen.
Shall we sing together him #10, him #10?
There is a Savior on High in the Glory, a Savior who suffered on Calvary St.
A savior is willing to save. Now as ever, his arm is almighty.
His love great and free.
Second verse, that dear loving Savior who lives in the glory this world once rejected and nailed to the tree.
Are all the derision they circled around him? And all this he suffered from sinners like the those hours of darkness he suffered 4 sinners.
On Calvary's cross, all forsaken alone while making atonement and bearing the judgment are ended, and now he's on high on the throne #10.
So he turned to Genesis chapter one for a verse.
In the beginning of In the beginning, God created heaven and the earth, and the earth was without form and void and darkness.
Was upon the face of the deep.
And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light.
And there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good. And God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called night.
We have a verse that goes like this.
Who commanded the light?
To shine out of darkness, have shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge but the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
We're going to speak tonight a little bit about.
The light and the darkness.
And we'll use some scriptures that show night scene.
And the first one will be in the third chapter of John.
John's Gospel chapter 3.
There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jew.
The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou, artist teachers, come from God.
But no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto these.
Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom.
Of God.
Now a verse in Luke's Gospel chapter 5.
Verse 36.
Luke 5 and 36.
And he spake all through a parable unto them, No man put us at peace.
Of a new garment upon an old, If otherwise, then both the new maketh the rent, and the peace was taken out of the new agreeeth not with the old.
And no man put his new wine into old bottles. Help the new wine will burst the bottles and be filled, and the bottles shall bury. But new wine must be put into new bottles, and both are preserved. No man also having drunk old wine straightway.
Knew for, he said. The old is better.
Now a verse in First Peter.
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First Peter, the first chapter and verse 23.
Being born again.
Not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the Word of God.
With liver and abideth forever.
We have in these.
Passages.
What is connected with this night scene in?
John 3.
The reason for Nicodemus coming at night? We don't know.
We know he was a man who was in a certain position in Israel.
Where in it certainly would be a reproach for him to identify himself with Jesus.
But he came at night.
We don't know why.
It might have been because he had remembered that scripture that says both not thyself of tomorrow.
Thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. We don't know why he came.
But he.
And as far as we know, he came in darkness.
Although he was a ruler of the Jews, he came at night.
Because Jesus, a teacher now, this was of course acknowledging something.
That he was calm, a teacher from God.
But still he came in darkness.
Because, dear friend, you may know Jesus as a teacher.
You may know him as a Goodman.
But you're still in darkness.
You still don't have life.
And so when Nicodemus proposes this question to the Lord, the Lord doesn't answer his question according the way he thought.
But the Lord says to him.
Verily, verily, I sinned to thee, except a man be born again, He cannot see the Kingdom of God.
We learned that.
There are many.
Who take the position?
That if they know God in an altered way, everything will be all right.
There are thousands myriads of souls have been baptized, and they think everything is all right.
If you would ask him about Jesus, they would say he's a Goodman, He's a teacher, but they're still endorsing.
And they don't have eternal life.
Because there has to be a new birth.
There has to be a complete game.
In the passage in Luke we find that.
You can't take a piece of a new garment and put it on the old.
Because the rent will only be worth.
Just a picture of man's character before God and by adding a little bit of the Bible to it.
Will only make things worse.
You can't take an old bottle, which was of course the skin in those days.
And put new wine in it because the new wine would burst the bottle.
And the wine and bottle with both ferry.
He must be born again.
We read in Peter by.
How a man can be born again, and that's by the incorruptible word of God.
In other words, by faith simply believing God's word.
And he says in John, Verily, verily, I say to you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me half everlasting life.
But shall not come into judgment, but is fast from death unto life.
Now Jesus was a teacher.
But all, my friend, will let you know him as the Savior. It will do you no good.
You'll never spend your eternity where He is unless you know him. A savior.
In Christ, Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
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Senate But though we find in this first night scene a man who was in darkness and he meets Jesus and he's told he must be born again, that's the first lesson we have to learn, dear friend.
You must be born again.
And the way to be born again is through the incorruptible Word of God, believing it in simple faith.
You can't patch up the old character. You can't mingle the new joys with the old. Hey, you'll lose everything.
You must be born again. There's no other way.
Now you're trying with me to.
So, Luke's Gospel.
The 23rd chapter.
We'll start with the 23rd bird. And they were in stood with loud voices requiring that he might be crucified, And the voices of their men of the chief priests prevailed.
The pilot gave Stanton that it should be as they required, and he released unto them him, not for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired, but he delivered Jesus to their will.
And as they led him away, they laid hold upon 1 diamond of sirenians coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.
Verse 33. And when they were come to the place which is called Calvary, there they crucified him and the manufacturers, one on the right hand and the other on the left.
Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.
44th 1St and it was about the 6th hour.
And there was darkness over all the earth.
Until the 9th hour.
And the sun was darkened.
And the darkness.
He called night.
The darkness.
He called night over the night.
You'll recall when Moses led the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt that night.
That they were to remember that night.
They were not to forget that night.
Oh, what a night that was of the Passover.
That delivered the children of Israel.
And here we have a darkness, a night scene, my friend, because the darkness he called night.
Over the night for the Lord Jesus.
Those 3 hours of darkness.
That he went through so that you and I might have the forgiveness of sins.
It's true that it's by faith that we receive it.
But now we're reading about the basis upon which we might have that life and life move.
And here we have there was darkness over all the earth until the 9th hour.
You know the 60th chapter of Isaiah. We are told the darkness shall cover the earth.
Now I'm sure that that will be true in the coming day too, as we see it here, Fulfill the darkness covers the earth.
Yes.
Well, might the sun in darkness hide?
As we sing in that little hymn.
On such an occasion that the whole creation that my friend, what was being accomplished?
The Lord Jesus was bearing the sins of all those who will believe.
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He was passing through that night, that darkness, so that you might have eternal life.
And we see in the first few verses we read that on the part. On your part, it's a question of believing by faith.
But here we find that the Lord Jesus is the one who provided the way whereby you and I might have eternal life.
If we were to read on into the 19th of John, we would see that.
After he had died, a soldier pierced his side with a spear.
And forthwith there came blood and water.
And, my friend, without the shedding of blood, there's no remission of sins.
Nor remission of sins.
The shedding of blood.
And that precious blood.
Was shed through the two and I might have eternal life.
And, dear friends, God has commanded all men everywhere to repent.
And believe the gospel.
And he's appointed a day, and when he will judge this world in righteousness by that man.
That man, Christ Jesus, of whom we've just read on the cross of Calvary.
Are you given witness unto all men that he's raised him from the dead?
Turn this May to the 13th chapter of.
The 30th first reading of Judas.
He then having received the stop when immediately out.
And it was nice.
Good night.
We'll never know this night that Judas entered into.
We'll never know if we're believers, but all my friend, if you're unsaved tonight.
You will enter into the same night that Judas entered into.
You know that Judith, a few moments before was handed to stop.
By the Lord Jesus.
It was a token of friendship.
A token. A special token for a special guest.
And up to the very end, as Judas betrays.
His master.
Having followed him for 3 1/2 years.
And he heard.
Those wonderful words that escaped from his mess.
And yet, Judas.
Turns away.
After being offered that special privilege.
He turns away and he goes out and it was night.
Night, dear friend. Where are you going?
You go out. Are you going out into the night that you're going out to serve that?
Is the day coming when you're going to have to stand before this very person of whom we're reading?
The Lord Jesus.
Can you picture a man whose heart is so cold that he could walk for 3 1/2 years with Jesus?
And then on the night, that's that night.
He would go out after that supper.
That common supper they have with all the disciples who goes out, and it was nice.
Well, you say, that's awful.
Dear friends, you're unsaved tonight. Are you not placing yourself in the very same position as Judas?
Are you going to leave this room tonight and go out into the night because you are making your decision now?
You're deciding now?
Where you're going.
Because you have no promise of tomorrow. All you have is a promise.
Now behold, now is the accepted time.
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Now is the day of salvation.
We're going to do another scripture.
For Samuel.
28th chapter, First Samuel.
The fifth verse.
And when Saul saw the hosts of the Philistines, he was afraid.
And his heart greatly trembled. And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, or by Urim, nor by prophets.
Then set Saul unto his servant seeks me a woman that hath a familiar spirit. Then they go to her, inquire of her, and he's serving sudden them. Behold, there's a woman that has the familiar spirit at Endor.
It's all disguised himself and put on other raiment, and he went and two men with him and they came to the woman by night.
During this meeting to Isaiah, the 8th chapter.
Verse 19.
And one they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto Wizards that speaks, and that mutter.
You're not a people speak under their God.
For the living to the dead.
To the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this word.
It is because there is no light in them.
And they could pass through it hardly Instead, and hungry shall come to pass it. When they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God in the Supper.
And they shall look under the earth, and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of angry, and they shall be driven through darkness.
We find with Saul this was the end of a course.
Doll is a picture of one who has had every privilege that God should give a man in that day.
Doll with head and shoulders above all the rest.
He was the choice of the people.
When he started out.
As we know too that.
When Goliath came, he was dismayed.
All have no inward moral power to stand.
But David could meet Goliath.
Not all.
And yet Saul was head and shoulders above all, he was the People's Choice.
And is a picture of those today who have had the privileges.
Of Christianity.
Because he had possibly 4 generations that we know of.
A faith behind him?
And yet.
When he was tested, he couldn't stand.
He was tested in several ways. He couldn't stand. And now he comes to his last night. Oh, he had done many mighty deeds.
But now we find that because of disobedience to the word of God.
Rejecting the Lord, turning aside from that profession that he'd made.
He comes to the end of his course.
And he finds himself surrounded by the enemy at Gilboa. And what is he going to do?
Because to God, and God won't answer him.
We've gone too far.
He's gone too far.
Oh my friend, the scripture says, Behold, now is accepted time now is the day of salvation.
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Don't think just because your father and mother are saved that it will be all right with you.
You must have a personal acquaintance with the Lord Jesus and have to do about your sins.
For the word of God says, all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.
You will have to meet God and give an account to God.
In that base.
Here he is standing.
It's all.
A Mount Gilboa with his army and he doesn't know what to do.
Until the next picture we see him in the House of the.
Woman that has familiar spirit and he wants to inquire their what to do.
This is the end of the course.
Shall we apply it?
My dear friends are those today who have made Christian profession.
Who are now seeking this very day in which we live, and it's spreading. They're seeking familiar spirits, those who profess Christianity, they're turning to these things for life because they've rejected the Christ of God. It's the end of the court.
Over the night, this was the last night saw.
A man who had been anointed as the king of Israel. He spends his last night.
In the House of a witch. Think of it.
Had all the privileges that anyone in Israel could have desired.
Annoyed is a king, and this is the way he ends his course.
The last night. How are you going to end your course, dear friend?
Because the end of your course may come at any time.
You don't know how long you'll have in this world.
But you have the opportunity now.
Of receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, you must be born again.
The old garment and the old bottle will do. They have to be new?
And besides, there's no capacity in that old bottle for the new things.
You must be born again.
Well, we find then in Luke's gospel again another night sing.
In the 17th chapter.
I.
In the 34th verse.
I tell you in that night.
There shall be two men in one bed. The one shall be taken and the other shall be left.
Now, I'm sure that there are those who can expound this as to its correct placing in scripture prophecy, but we're not interested in that now.
We're interested in the meaning of this in the gospel for us tonight, because I'm sure that this will be true in the reverse as well.
That is, there's a time coming, dear friends.
Well, there will be two together.
And one will be taken home to glory and the other be left.
But there is a time too that this verse refers to.
But there will be two together, and 1:00 will be taken out for judgment, and the other on the left.
What does he say? I tell you, I tell you.
In that night there shall be two men in one bed. The one should be taken.
And the others shall be left.
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Dear friend, are you going to be taken among those who are caught away into the heavens when Christ comes? Are you going to be taken?
Or are you going to be left here for judgment?
So how solemn?
Autonomous is.
There's a young man in Los Angeles who's in the Navy. She's on a destroyer.
And he was in a in a harbor, and there was a sudden attack by the enemy.
And the Destroyer was all but blown to bit, and as he stood on the deck of the Destroyer.
He looked to see his partner.
His partner was cut off just like that, standing right beside him.
One taken and the other left.
I don't know whether his partner was saved or not.
But that's this death from the present life that, my friend, there's a day coming, but you're going to have to answer to God for all your sins.
And you'll have to give an account of all the deeds done in the body.
What would you do if you're taken tonight in that night? I tell you, in that night, whenever that night come, there shall be two men in one bed. The one should be taken and the other left.
So I ask you tonight, Are you ready to be taken? The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses from all sins. Neither is there any salvation, any other.
But there is no other name given unto heaven among men whereby we must.
Say.
Man mocked. You know the God's word.
And in the coming day when the gospel of the Kingdom goes out to Israel's neighbors.
There'll be a mocking Notice the 21St chapter of Isaiah.
November 11Th bird.
We believe that this this is the message that goes out from Judah to Esau.
His brother the burden of Duma.
He calls to me out of fear that beat him.
Watchmen, what of the night?
What men? What of the night?
The watchman says the morning cometh.
And also the night.
If you will inquire, inquire you return.
Tom.
So what? The one from the mocking the Watchmen.
Is marketing.
It's one of the sons of Jacob that's inviting his brother.
To have that blessing of the morning of the millennial day, but he's mocking.
And that country of Edom will be completely disinherited.
Because of their hatred for their brother Jacob.
Where we see them mocking the gospel of the.
This is solemn.
But the same principles going on now, man is mocking the gospel of the grace of God.
A gospel that invites you, dear friends, not to earthly Kingdom, but to be with Christ and glory where he is.
To be associated with Him, to have eternal life through the precious blood that he shed at Calvary's Cross.
And now a tournament made to.
If you please, to Genesis, the 19th chapter.
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We're well acquainted with the story of Lot.
In Sodom.
There was a time when there was a division between.
Abraham and Locke Abraham chose, God gave him rather the country.
Of Hebron, the top of the mountains as far as I could see, to the east and West and North and South.
But Lot was standing there, looking down on the plains blowing, and he fell. A fatal choice choice.
The next thing we see in the setting is Make setting up his hand and then building a house and then sitting in the gate of Sodom.
So we're told plainly the men of Sodom were wicked exceedingly, and sinners before God.
But we find in this chapter.
The last night.
Of Sodom.
And we're told in the 17th chapter, I believe it is of Luke.
That the judgment that came upon Sodom was from heaven.
It's a picture of the judgment that will fall upon Christendom. Those have had every privilege.
That God could ever give man in blessing and rejected it.
And so.
We read from the 12Th verse.
We find that there are two ages that come to Sodom.
At even. At even.
That's the first bird.
And now these men, or angels, they're called men here said unto Lot.
Hast thou hear any beside what a question.
And dear fathers and mothers and brothers and sisters here tonight.
Let this verse come home to your heart and mind.
Half thou here, any besides?
Why?
Son-in-law, son-in-law, and my sons, and my daughters, And whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place.
For we will destroy this place because the cry of them is waxed and great before the face of the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy us.
Hast thou hear any beside?
Oh dear one, do you have anyone here that's unsaved and are you concerned about it?
Does it bother you that there are those who are near and dear to you that are still unsaved?
You get on your face before God for them. Hast thou hear any besides?
All other words for the heart here.
For we will destroy this place.
Judgment is coming.
Here it was the last night of Sodom.
And it's a picture of the last night of Christendom.
When the Lord Jesus comes as a thief.
And judgment fall.
No judgment like this.
It will be out of heaven.
And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said up.
Get you out of this place so the Lord will destroy this city, but he seemed as one that mocked.
And to his sons in law.
It doesn't say they mocked him.
No, it says. He seemed as one that mocked.
Oh, what a word for each one of us here tonight.
We who are Christians.
When we give a testimony, do we seem as one that mocks because of the way we live?
The way we carry ourselves, fathers and mothers, do we seem as one that mocked to our children when we tell them about the things of the Lord?
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Because of our ways.
After all, when you sit in the gate of stardom, you can't tell anyone someone's going to burn it up.
They'll say you don't believe that you're sitting in the gate.
No power and testimony.
There's no power in testimony. There was if you and I live in the world.
Take our part in this poor world. There's no power and testimony for Christ.
To our loved ones. To our neighbors.
He seemed as one that marched on to his sons in law.
So what a solemn thing it is.
To bring up children to this end.
To die in Sodom.
Solemnism.
Just what's going to happen, friends?
Because of the Lord Jesus comes tonight, they'll all be left behind.
If they haven't received the Lord Jesus Christ as their own personal savior.
And when the morning rolls, then the angels hastened lost things. Arise, take thy wife and thy two daughters, which are here, lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. And while he lingered, the man laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful unto him, and they brought him forth.
And set him without the city.
Now he's outside of the city.
But you'll notice that expression while he lingered. While he lingered.
Oh, how many voices there are in this chapter for our hearts tonight while he lingers? What does it mean to linger in the sense that lot lingers?
Was his heart in the city?
Or was his heart up there?
What about Abraham?
Who dwelled in that pure atmosphere?
Hebron.
We were told it meant fellowship or communion.
So I bless them.
And yet Abraham had his concern as well.
Because Abraham was praying all night while this was going on.
As we read in the previous chapter.
He was in the presence of the Lord all night.
Because.
He knew what was going to happen.
Lot didn't know until the Angel sold him. Abraham knew already.
Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do?
You know, the one who's walking with God knows the mind of God.
Today we have the whole truth revealed to us.
Of what God is about to do.
Hello dear friend, you're invited tonight.
You have that invitation, come unto me, all you that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
There's no need of your dying in Sodom.
You'll notice that they brought him without the city.
It took one Angel to destroy thousands of Assyrians in one night.
But it seems like it took two angels to drag the lot and his family out of stock.
To think of it.
So firmly entrenched in this place, this wicked place.
Oh, what a voice this is 2 angels. While he lingered, they laid hold upon him.
The Lord being merciful unto him.
And they brought him forth and set him without the city. And dear friend, that's why the gospel is being preached.
Still today, because God is merciful, there's one thing that you need if you're unsaved your friend. Enough mercy.
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Mercy.
There's no use of talking about Jesus as a good teacher.
That won't do you any good as far as your soul is concerned.
You'll have to speak of them as your savior.
You'll have to trust in that work of Calvary that we read about.
When he died, when he said it's finished and when the soldiers fear, put the spear on his side.
And then that blessed savior rose and went on high. And he's coming back to judge, as we read in Acts 17.
Very same savior can be yours savior tonight or he'll be your judge tomorrow.
God being merciful unto him, And now notice the instructions.
And you stand to pass, when they had brought him forth abroad, that he should escape for thy life.
Look not behind me.
Neither say thou in all the flames.
Escape to the mountains, lest thou be consumed.
Now these are the three things that characterize Christendom today.
Unbelievable.
Escape for thy life. Look not behind thee either. Stay thou in all the plains.
Now lost wife violated all three.
But we noticed in the mean time.
That.
Lot tries to argue with the Lord about where he's to go through that Strange.
He wants to go to a little city door.
He was told.
To escape to the mountains.
I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil takes me and I die.
And the Lord even granted that to Lot.
And now it says.
The 23rd verse. The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered in the door. Then the Lord reigned upon stardom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven. And he overthrew those cities and all the plains and all the inhabitants of the city and that which grew up on the ground. But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
Lot's wife did not die in the judgment.
In the city.
He died in a singular judgment outside of the city.
He's characterized by disobedience and unbelief.
She stands as a monument of Saul.
To warn those who would afterwards live ungodly, Peter says.
It is epistle, a killer of Saul.
And now I'm closing. I want to turn to one more verse in Revelation.
I.
What a solemn judgment upon Sodom.
And Gomorrah.
We read in the Gospel of Luke that all was destroyed the.
Destroyed all. Everything was gone.
But now we have a lovely picture in Revelation 21.
It speaks of the city and reading at the end of the 21St verse.
Of Revelation 21 and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
And I saw no temple therein for the Lord God almighty in the Lamb, or the temple of it.
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And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it, for the glory of God did lighten it.
And the Lamb is the light thereof, and the nations of them which are saved.
Shall walk in the light of it.
And the kings of the earth to bring their glory and honor into it, really should be unto it. And the gates of it shall not be shutted all by day, for there shall be no night there.
We invite you dear friends tonight.
To that city where there is no light, no night.
In the book of Jude, those who have rejected an apostatize the truth of Christianity.
We're told very plainly in the book of Jews.
That for them has reserved the blackness of darkness forever.
And which will you choose tonight?
Because you're making your choice now.
You're either choosing that place where there's no night there, dear friends.
Or you're making your choice.
With their blackness and darkness forever.
Well, you'll have to give an account of every sin done in the body.
But for the believers, their sins and iniquities.
I remember no more.
Which is your choice tonight?
Which is your choice? And as you go out that door, dear one, which is your choice?
Will it be Jesus?
Are you going to take the course of Judas?
Are you going to take the course of Saul?
What is your choice tonight?
Shall we sing that little hymn #36?
I'll read the chorus. Why not tonight?
Why not? Tonight thou would be saved. Why not do not.