Gospel—Jim Hyland
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I'd like to start The Gospel Meeting this evening with Hymn #19 on the Gospel Hymn sheet.
O Christ, in thee my soul hath found and found in thee alone the peace, the joy I sought so long, the bliss till now unknown. We're going to stand to sing this hymn #19 and if someone will please start it.
Let's ask God's help and blessing our blessed God and Father how thankful we are tonight for the Lord Jesus Christ, that wonderful, precious Savior of sinners. We thank Thee for that mighty work that He accomplished there on Calvary's cross, and we're thankful that as a result, the gospel is still going out around this planet. Tonight. We thank thee that Thou art still working by thy spirit, compelling sinners to come in.
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That thy house may be filled. We thank thee for that mighty work that Thou art doing in souls, and opening the eyes of the blind to see beauty in the Savior. And now, as this gospel meeting is upon us, our God and Father, we turn to Thee for blessing. We look to Thee for help and direction.
Guide and direct in every word that is said, Guide and direct in the Scriptures that are read and quoted, That thy living word might be as that hammer that breaketh the rock and twain, that thus the sword of the Spirit might have its desired effect tonight, and that thou would in part divine life to loss guilty souls. So we ask thy help and blessing we ask it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and for his glory. Amen.
By way of introduction to what is really on my heart tonight, I'd like to read what might seem like 2 very strange scriptures to read at the beginning of a gospel meeting. But I trust we'll get the connection and that the Spirit of God will work mightily tonight and use the word of God in power, because we're born again, not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible by the word of God that liveth and abideth forever.
Turn with me first of all to the book of Ezra in the Old Testament.
Ezra, Chapter 7.
Ezra, Chapter 7 and Justice The Last Clause of verse 12.
Perfect Peace and at such a time. And now I want to read a portion in Luke's Gospel chapter 2.
Luke's Gospel, chapter 2.
And verse 13.
And suddenly there was with the Angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, glory to God in the highest, in our and on earth, peace, goodwill toward men. I have it on my heart this evening, and seeking by the grace of God to present the gospel as simply and clearly as we can, to look at some scriptures that bring before us the subject of peace.
We find this little expression we read in the book of Ezra peace, and at such a time, and not just peace, but perfect peace. And tonight we're going to speak of how we can have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. But I want to point out first of all that there is a peace that will never be on planet Earth this side of the Lord's coming, a peace that we cannot expect to see while we are here in this world.
It's that peace, that outward peace, that men are working so hard to obtain. And having just come back from the Middle East two weeks ago today, I suppose I'm acutely aware of the fact that all the peace packs and summits and the talks and negotiations and the ink that dries on the lines of those those negotiate, those packs that are made, it means absolutely nothing. You know, God in his government has allowed there to be turmoil in this world.
And God said of the races in the Middle East, every man's sword would be against his brother. And here we are in the Western world, trying to negate the government of God before the time. Is it any wonder that men in high places are frustrated to tonight? They're trying to do something that only God will be able to do in a coming day through his son, the Lord Jesus? Because I'm here to tell you tonight that there will never be outward peace in this world.
Until the Prince of Peace comes back to reign and until the sun of righteousness rises with healing in his wings and all that men can do is not going to bring it about. In fact, Scripture teaches us and prepares us to show that the days just before the Lord Jesus comes to call his people to himself, to the Father's house, are days that are characterized by absolute turmoil and upheaval.
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I will overturn, overturn, overturn until he come. Who's right? It is. There's not going to be peace in this world, you say. Why did the Angel proclaim peace at the birth of the Lord Jesus? The reason the Angel proclaimed peace at the birth of the Lord Jesus was because here was the Prince of peace come in incarnation, born into this world, but as we go on in the history of the Lord Jesus here on earth.
It becomes abundantly clear to the prayerful reader of the Gospels that He was the rejected one. They didn't want Him. If they had only known in the day of their His visitation who it was that was amongst them all, there could have been peace for Israel and for this world.
The Lord Jesus would have set up his Kingdom at that time, but they rejected him. At the end they said we have no king but Caesar. Later on they sent a messenger after him. Really in the stoning of Steven, they sent a messenger after him saying, we will not have this man to reign over us, and so that which the Angel proclaimed there at the birth of the Lord Jesus to those few shepherds on the hillside of Judea.
That, if I can put it this way, is really on hold tonight. Oh yes, there is a wonderful time of peace coming for this world. But, you know, I was impressed to notice some statistics and I don't always put a lot of stock in in statistics, but there's this, an organization called the Society for International Law. They're based in London and they run from time to time statistics on various world events and so on.
And the history of that which has taken place in recent years.
Now again, I'm not going to say that these statistics are completely accurate, but these statistics published by the International Society of Law in London state, first of all, that in the last 4000 years there have only been 286 years of peace on planet Earth, Isn't a very big average, is it?
Also states that there have been during those the wars that have been fought on planet earth, some 3.64 billion people killed through wars here in this world.
In the last 300 years of history, almost 300 wars, 290 something like that. Wars fought here on planet Earth, in Europe, in Europe alone, in recorded history, 8% of the time there has been peace again. These are statistics, they're estimates.
In recent history, 8000 peace treaties made and broken. Doesn't sound like Planet Earth is on a course That's going to lead to better and better things, does it? But I'm thankful that we can turn from statistics like that. And I'm thankful we can turn from current events and we can turn to the word of God and we can find out how we can have tonight.
An inward peace.
If we had to end the meeting now with statistics like this and the realization that in this age there isn't going to be peace on the earth, and in fact things are going to get worse and worse, that would not be We would not be able to label this meeting as a gospel meeting because as we've often been reminded, the gospel is good news. And so we're going to turn now to some scriptures that bring before us.
That peace that we can have. We were singing about how many of us at one time we had no peace, we had no rest of soul. But many of us in this room thrill as we speak of the peace of God that passes all understanding, as we speak of the blood of Christ, as we speak of the results of the work of Calvary and the results of a work of grace in our souls. How we thrill.
But our burden tonight is for you. If you are still lost and in your sins, let's turn first of all to the Book of Job Job, Chapter 22.
Job, Chapter 22.
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And verse 21.
The point now thyself with him and be.
At peace. And then I want to read a verse in Romans chapter 5.
Romans chapter 5 and verse one. Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, Colossians chapter one.
Colossians, Chapter one and verse 20.
And having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself, by him I say, whether they be things in earth or things in heaven. And I want to read in one more place before we make some comments in the book of Hebrews, chapter 13.
Hebrews, chapter 13.
And verse 20.
Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do, is well working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ.
To whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. If we were to put these scriptures together, as we have tried to do tonight, and reading them in this order, I believe here we have the gospel message in a nutshell. Here we have brought before us that the way that you and I can have an inward piece of soul tonight. And we read first of all in the book of Job, a point Now thyself with him.
And be at peace. The world is trying to have peace by lining up with the United States and the allied forces and all that kind of thing. But it's not by lining up with men on earth that we're going to have peace. It's coming to know the Lord Jesus. It's being acquainted with the savior of sinners. It's being acquainted with the one who came into this world as a man in incarnation and went to Calvary's cross.
And there gave himself.
One week ago today, I had a very solemn responsibility.
The very solemn responsibility of standing before a crowd of some 350 people.
And taking the funeral of a young man who had been ushered into eternity without a moment's notice, It was a very solemn responsibility. And there were many present who otherwise I don't think would have ever come to what we would term as a gospel meeting. But, you know, in those kinds of situations, in the presence of death, and especially an untimely death, as we would say, naturally speaking, men seem to have their hearts softened for the moment.
Men and women and young people are willing to listen to the word of God, at least for the moment, and we sought by the grace of God to seize the opportunity.
But I want to tell you a little bit about that young man. It was a young man that I knew very, very well. His name was Mike. Mike, I have no doubt, is in the presence of the Lord Jesus this evening, absent from the body and present with the Lord.
You know, it's interesting how God works and gives comfort and all the little details of life in the end, as we look back, workout really as we were saying this afternoon in the Reading meeting, for a purpose, and not just a purpose, but a purpose of blessing and this young man's mother about a week before he was killed on his motorcycle.
Found a letter in the bottom of a drawer with some other old papers that had been sitting there for 16 years. A letter that Mike had written when he was 11 years of age. As was explained to me, they had just got a new computer and the boys in that family were fascinated with this computer and how you could change fonts and type and move things around and so on. It was quite a novelty.
Back then, things we take for granted and think little about today. And so the boys were trying out different fonts and writing different things. Mike was one who I don't suppose ever wrote much in his life. He was good at what he did and.
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But he was not an English major. He was not a student in that way. But he wrote a letter on the computer that day. That letter was run off, and the Lord had his eye on it and kept it in the bottom of that drawer in their dining room for all those years.
That many of you have seen that letter, but I'm going to take the liberty to read you that letter tonight.
It was read at his funeral by one of his peers and I believe it was made a very solemn impression.
On those that were there.
I thought of what it says about Abel in Hebrews Chapter 11, He being Dead Yet speaketh, and I'd like to hear you to listen. If you're not the Lords, I want you to listen tonight to the words of Michael Van Holstein as I read this solemn letter that he wrote as a boy of 11 years of age.
It's a letter addressed to humans.
Dear people.
Jesus, my Savior, came into this evil, wicked world and died on the cross for me.
You know, that gave us all great comfort to read this statement of this boy.
When Jesus washed my sins away, I was so very happy.
As you read this letter.
You should be thinking what's going on here.
I'm trying to tell you how to be saved.
Just right where you are. Say, Lord, I'm a Sinner, can you come into my sinful heart?
And wash away my sins.
The Lord doesn't care if you're young or old.
Or if there's something wrong with you, the Lord loves you.
If you don't. If you don't, you will have to go to the lake of fire.
Which is hell.
Here is a verse to remember. It's actually 2 verses. You'll recognize them.
For God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him.
Hell was meant for the devil, not for us.
This is the end of my letter. Goodbye.
And Michael, tonight is an eternity with the Savior that he came to know as a young boy.
Mike had no notice that at 26 years of age.
He was going to be ushered into eternity.
You have no lease on life tonight. It's serious. These issues tonight are extremely serious. They are matters of life and death. These are things that are not just important. These are things that are vital. Do you know the Lord Jesus? Do you have peace in your soul? A point Now Thyself with him, with the Lord Jesus Christ.
And be at peace.
I remember reading a little story one time.
About a farmer on the East Coast of the United States.
Who advertised for a farm hand to help him on his farm. He had had several farm hands and none of them had proof satisfactory and so there were a number of men that applied for this job.
And they were all interviewed.
And then there came a man who was probably a little past what we would call middle age. Not real young, not real old either.
And as he was being interviewed.
The farmer asked him what would you do in the event of a storm, because along the East Coast storms would often come up, sometimes very suddenly, sometimes very severely, and it was important to this farmer that his farm hands knew what to do in the event of an approaching storm.
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This man gave a very strange answer. He said. Oh, I can sleep while the wind blows.
Well, the farmer was a little puzzled by this answer, but after he had reviewed all the applicants, he decided that he would hire this man who had said I can sleep while the wind blows. The man proved very satisfactory.
But one night the farmer was awakened in his home by the rattling of the windows and the raging of the wind outside.
A storm had indeed blown up and blown up almost without warning. Alarmed, the farmer jumped out of bed, quickly got dressed and raced outside to help secure things, thinking that his farm hand would have already heard the storm approaching and be out there securing the barns and the sheds and the animals. To his dismay, he saw no one about he rushed to the quarters of the this hired man.
Into his room, and there he was, sound asleep on his cot. Oh, the farmer was beside himself now. He shook the man. He said. What are you doing? There's a storm raging outside and you're here, sound asleep.
The farm hands sleepily opened his eyes and said, I told you Sir, I can sleep while the wind blows, the farmer thought, I'm going to fire this man on the spot, but he was more concerned at that moment for his livestock and his crops and his buildings than he was for this man. And so, leaving the man to turn over asleep in his bed, he rushed outside.
And as he went from building to building, he found everything had been well secured. Tarps had been placed over the the bales of hay, the shutters had been bolted on the chicken coop, the barn doors were shut, and the cattle were inside. Nothing could have been done to make anything more secure than it already was.
And the farmer finally realized what the man had meant when he said I can sleep while the wind blows. How could he do such a thing? Because he was prepared for the storm. He had made preparation. And there is a storm of judgment coming on this world, and a storm like this world has never seen before.
And I know there are many of us in this room.
Who have peace in our souls. Even though we know there's a storm of judgment hanging over this world, how can it be? Because we have, by the grace of God, acquainted ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ. We know him as our Savior. We are secure from the judgment that is coming on this world.
Let me ask you a question tonight.
We read in Romans chapter five we read about peace with God. Do you have peace with God tonight?
I can't answer that question for you. Only you can answer that question in your own soul. I can look into your faces tonight.
Some of you look like you're paying attention.
Others look a little sleepy. Others are occupied with other activities. But I don't know what's going on in your soul. I don't know what's going on in your heart, but there's one who does. There's one who looks down into this room tonight, and unlike the speaker, he can see right into your heart. You can't hide one thing from God. Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord.
Looketh on the heart his eye light lids. Try the reins. You know, I often pondered that scripture and I've just thought of it in a simple way like this, you know, even if the Lord closed his eyes, he could still see into your heart. He sees everything. He knows everything. His eyelids. Try the children of of men you can't hide. We had in our reading He's the father of lights with whom there is no variableness nor shadow of turning.
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You ever hide in the shadows? You know we like to, when I was a boy, play hide and seek and we had some acreage and behind us was the old family farm. But you know when we specially like to play hide and seek in the evening, in the early evenings in the summer. Why? Because there were lots of shades and shadows and you could hide in the shadows of the trees. It wasn't dark, so it wasn't real scary yet for for children.
But there were those shadows and shades, and you could often hide in those shadows and shades and not be seen or not easily found. But you know you can't hide in the shadows tonight, because there is no variableness nor shadow of turning with God himself. He sees and he sees.
Very clearly.
Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Do you have peace with God tonight?
We read 2IN Colossians chapter one, because I want to bring in now, at this juncture in the gospel, the importance of the blood of Christ. And it tells us that the Lord Jesus has made peace through the blood of his cross. You know, sometimes I've heard the expression, have you made your peace with God? If I had eternity to do it, I could never make peace with God. Not for one moment could I make peace with God.
And those who are struggling to make peace with God have no peace.
Some of us have been to idolatrous countries, and it's a very, very solemn thing to see those who bow down to images. And it's interesting to realize that in idolatrous countries, they're trying all their life to make peace with their God or gods.
Do they ever have peace themselves? No, not for one moment. And to hear people wail out their hearts to those idols and images that cannot hear or speak or help them is a very, very heart rending thing. Because you realize.
That they never accomplish the purpose for which they start out. They spend their whole life trying to make peace with their God or gods. But I don't have to make peace with God, because the Lord Jesus has done that for me. And how has he done it? It's through the blood of his cross. Oh, this evening we want to point you to the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. We want to stress upon your soul the importance of the blood.
Of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because the gospel, very simply, is that Christ died, he was buried, and he rose again the 3rd day according to the Scriptures. And it's the cross of Christ that is vital tonight. If you come to the cross, see the Lord Jesus there, the one who died for sin. 01 Look at him will save your soul. One look of faith to him as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness.
Even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.
Have you looked to the cross? There is life in a look at the crucified one. There is life at this moment for thee and to look to the cross and to see the Lord Jesus who there died for sin, because the wages of sin is death.
But the Lord Jesus died on Calvary's cross. I rejoiced to be able to stand before you tonight and confess again. The Lord Jesus died for me. He's my precious savior. He bore my sins in his own body, on the tree that gives me utmost peace. No question in my soul, no doubt in my mind, as to where I'm going to spend eternity if I were to drop dead in front of you before this gospel meeting is over.
You can have every assurance that I'm with the Lord Jesus, that I'll be absent from the body and present with the Lord. I have no doubt in my mind as I confess to you again, the Lord Jesus Christ as my precious Savior. And I want to tell you that it thrills my soul to be able to speak of the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. If we were to read on in Romans, we would find that we're justified by His blood.
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It's the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ that brings me into a position before God where I am completely comfortable in his presence. It's true that it is through the blood of Jesus that we have forgiveness of sins. But you know, I'm far, far more than a forgiven Sinner Tonight. I'm justified. What does that mean? That's a big word. It's a word we don't use a lot in everyday language.
But it very simply means I'm brought into a position before God where I am seen in all the righteousness and perfection of Christ. I'm accepted in Him. I have been made the righteousness of God in Him. I've sometimes illustrated it this way. Suppose I break into your house tonight and I steal a good many things from your home, and I get a couple of miles down the road and the police pick me up.
And they bring me to the police station and they call you and they say we've caught your thief and he has the goods on him. And you come down to the police station and you see me sitting on the bench at the police station and you come over and you put your arm around me. And you say now, Jim, I know what you did was wrong, but I'm going to forgive you and I'm not going to press charges. I've got my goods back and I'm not going to press charges. And not only that, but come on over to my house on Friday night and let's have a meal together.
And let's just continue on like nothing's happened. Would I ever be really comfortable in your presence again? I'd be forgiven, but I'd always feel like a forgiven thief. And tonight I am a forgiven Sinner, thank God. But I'm far, far more than a forgiven Sinner. I have peace through the blood of his cross. I've been brought into a position where I can sit down in the presence of my Father, God, my Father in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And feel completely comfortable because it says by sins and iniquities I will remember no more. You know, I find that a tremendous statement. You know, only a divine person can choose not to remember. My grandmother had an expression I forgive and forget, but I always remember. And isn't that true? We forgive and forget, but we always remember.
And its human weakness to forget, you know, it never says God forgets. That's human weakness. You know the things I want to remember I forget. And the things I want to forget I remember. That's what you what we're like as humans. But I say a divine person can choose not to remember. And one of the things God chooses not to remember Are my sins when they're washed in the precious blood of Christ. Are your sins washed in the blood of Christ? As a child we sang over and over again. What can wash away my sins?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus. There is no substitute tonight for the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. He's made peace through the blood of his cross. But I also read in the book of Hebrews because I want to bring in another vital element of the gospel, and that is the resurrection, because in Hebrews we read of the Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep being brought back from the dead.
Because the resurrection, the and the ascension and glorification of Christ are gods. Amen to the work of Calvary. You know, I just say this to those who perhaps at times doubt their salvation got a lot of problems, but it's one thing by the grace of God I've never had to deal with. But I know sometimes there are those real believers who sometimes the enemy comes and he gets that fiery dart of in, and it's that dart of doubting.
Our salvation. If you ever doubt your salvation, having availed yourself of the finished work of Calvary, just look up and see where the Lord Jesus is Now You know, having availed myself of the finished work of Calvary, if God were to refuse me now, he'd have to refuse his own dear Son. And that is impossible, absolutely impossible. He would have to banish his Son from from his presence forever, and that cannot be in fact.
The Lord Jesus as my forerunner, is there in heaven, and God having accepted him as the forerunner, he will accept me when the right moment comes into his presence in the Father's house. That's the assurance that we have. That's what gives us peace tonight in knowing the Lord Jesus Christ. But you know how sad it is that there are those.
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Who struggle? Those who try to obtain peace with God. Those who, through one means or another try to become righteous before God. Do they ever really have peace? Not for one moment, I say again. It's only.
Through the Lord Jesus Christ.
There is a book called The Peace Child written by a missionary by the name of Don Richardson, and Don and his wife Carol were missionaries from 1962 to 1967 in what was then Dutch New Guinea, and they went as pioneer missionaries to take the Gospel to those who had never heard it before, those who lived in the darkness.
Of heathendom and all that that darkness entails. They struggled against many things. Culture, language and so many things.
And Dawn found it very hard to bring before them the story of God's Son, God sending his Son the Lord Jesus Christ.
Because treachery was their highest virtue, this tribe that they were seeking to reach.
In fact, when they heard the story of Judas, they all cheered. They touted him as a hero when they heard that he betrayed the Lord Jesus that was so ingrained in their culture.
Well, Dawn and his wife Carol, were there. Wars broke out between 3 feuding tribes in that area.
Dawn threatened to leave if they didn't make peace with these tribes. These natives were, as we would say, between a rock and a hard place because they appreciated carols, medical expertise, and they appreciated Dons, farming expertise and the implements, farm implements that he had brought to help them cultivate their land and grow better crops, and so on. Plus, to have foreigners in their presence gave them status.
Amongst the other tribes. And so they decided they got together and they decided that they would make peace. And Don tells the story himself how that a certain day, on a certain day, the two of the tribes that were fighting lined up, one on each side of a large clearing. And there were the warriors of the tribe that Don was seeking to reach. And on the other side were the warriors lined up with their chief as well.
Of those that they were feuding with.
The chief of the tribe that Dawn was seeking to reach and living amongst took his first born son, a young child in his arms.
Walked across the clearing, walked down the line of warriors, starting with the chief.
Each one touched the head of that young child.
And the chief handed his child to the chief of the other tribe.
Walked back to his own people. The other warriors with the chief and child disappeared into the jungle, not to be seen again.
When it was all over, Dawn questioned what this ceremony meant.
And they were. He was told that in giving his child the chief, in giving his child to the feuding.
Tribe to their enemies meant that they were making, coming, and making peace, and that as long as that child lived in that tribe, there could be no war between the two tribes.
And Don felt that he had finally found the key in explaining the gospel in God, giving his Son for his enemies. God commended his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died.
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For us, the Lord Jesus died for me. Not when I was His friend, when I was his enemy, when I was a Sinner. Through and through the Lord, God sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him. The Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Isn't that more than if it just said God sent Jesus? It's true God did send Jesus, but it was more than that.
Think of what must have gone through that chief's heart, and through the mother of that young child, as that young child was handed over to the enemy tribe, knowing that they would probably never see that child again. But think of God the Father sending his son into this world, knowing what would take place, knowing that not only would He be rejected by those he came to bless, but knowing.
That eventually he would be taken out and by wicked hands nailed to a cross, and that there he would die and shed his precious blood. But all again, how wonderful to be able to speak of the resurrection. And it is vital. It is an important element of the gospel, because it tells us, if Christ be not raised, your faith is in vain, and ye are still in your sins but again.
He was raised, he it says he was raised again for our justification. I'm going to repeat a little story that I know, I've told before, but I'm going to repeat it because I think it illustrates the importance of the resurrection so very well. I remember some years ago reading about a couple of missionaries who were working in one of the busy cities in India, and one day they were on a busy, busy St.
And they were startled by a large crowd coming down on the street with a process following a procession.
As it moved along.
And they watch this, and they saw some Buddhist priests carrying an ornate box with what was supposedly a bone of Buddha that had been found. And the followers of Buddha were rejoicing that this bone had been found. The missionaries watched this for a time, and then they retired to their quarters and talked over the matter, and they were struck with that.
And as they said, the contrast in Christianity, because they concluded that if a bone of the Lord Jesus were ever found, it would not cause great rejoicing amongst the Christians. It would cause great sorrow because it would be the proof that the Lord Jesus hadn't bodily risen from the dead. But a bone of the Lord Jesus will never be found in this world. When the Lord Jesus rose from the dead, he remained on earth.
Long enough to give full and ample testimony to his own that he had bodily risen from the dead, appearing even to about 500 brethren at one time. And there was an occasion when he said to his own Handle me, and see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bone, as you see me have, and I want to just say, in passing to all of us, we need to tenaciously hold on to the truth of the bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
The Lord Jesus did not simply rise in spirit, as some have tried to teach down through the ages. No, He bodily rose from the dead, and not only that, but a moment came when having given complete testimony as to his bodily resurrection.
He lifted up his hands, and he blessed his disciples, and his feet left the mount of Olives, and bodily as a man he returned to the Father's house. God not only raised him from the dead, but seated him at his own right hand as his Amen to the work of Calvary, the proof that God is forever and eternally satisfied with what was accomplished here in this world.
The God's glory and for the eternal salvation and blessing of mankind, the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. He died, He was buried. But the story doesn't end there. He was raised again the 3rd day according to the scriptures.
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What are your speculations for eternity? You know, a week ago when I stood up to take Mikes Funeral?
Told a little story, a little incident in the life of Michael Faraday. Michael Faraday reputed to be the father of modern electronics. He was lying on his deathbed and a friend came to his deathbed and said, Michael, what are your speculations for eternity?
Speculations, Michael said. I have no speculations for eternity. I'm resting on certainties.
Michael Faraday did indeed know the Lord Jesus Christ as his savior. He had no speculations for the future. He knew where he was going. And you can know tonight, as this gospel meeting is winding down, you can have the certainty tonight.
Of where you are going to be when you leave this world.
There's another important element of the gospel I want to mention, and that is the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Because not all of us, I don't believe all of us in this room are going to go through death.
You know, I'm expecting at any moment an event called the Second Coming of Christ, an event described to us in the Book of Thessalonians. It says there that the Lord himself is going to descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel and the trump of God and the dead in Christ are going to rise 1St, and we which are alive and remain are going to be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be.
With the Lord. And it tells us in the very book that we were taking up the afternoon, the book of James, that the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. I can't tell you when the Lord Jesus is coming. I do not know when the second coming of Christ is going to take place. But I know with certainty that just as we're sitting in these seats tonight, there is an event going to take place, and I suggest it sooner than perhaps we realize.
An event that is going to have an impact on this planet, like perhaps no other event that has ever taken place in the history of man. And that event is that the coming of the Lord. And when the Lord Jesus comes, as the the scriptures we've quoted have just described, those who have died in faith are going to be raised with glorified bodies. We who are alive, who know Christ as our Savior.
Are going to go through an instantaneous change and we're going to be caught away to meet the Lord in the air. But I want to impress upon our souls at the close of this gospel meeting that that event is going to mean different things for different people. For so many of us in this room, we rejoice as we speak and think of the second coming of Christ. We look up and we say as it were, Even so come Lord Jesus.
But that event is going to close what we often refer to as the day of grace when they, the Lord Jesus, comes for those who have had opportunity. For those who have sought in gospel meanings like this, it is going to mean that there is no further opportunity to be saved, no second chance, the Lord Jesus himself said.
When once the master of the house hath risen up and shut to the door, then they're going to come and they're going to knock. And they're going to be sincere. They're going to be in earnest. And they're going to say, Lord, Lord, open unto us. He's going to say depart from me. You know the message tonight is this simple. Come unto me. If you refuse that, you'll hear another message. Depart from me. It's either come unto me.
Or it will be depart from me? Is that hard to understand?
We have perhaps talked about some things tonight that sound hard and complicated. But is that hard to understand? The message tonight? Come unto me. The message in a future day if you reject Christ, is depart from me. The Lord told about 5 ladies who came and knocked on a door, the door of a wedding feast, and they wanted to come in, but it was too late. And again the message came from the other side of that closed door.
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That it was too late.
Do you come from a Christian home?
Have you heard gospel messages like this before? Perhaps most, if not all here are familiar with the story. It's nothing new that you've heard tonight.
But you know, I have been solemnized in reading of Elijah being caught away to heaven in a whirlwind, a chariot of fire. Little picture of what's going to take place when the Church of God, the believers are taken away from this earth.
You know who it was that missed Elijah, Not the general populace in Israel. It was the sons of the prophets.
Not solemn, and I sometimes look into the faces of an audience like this.
And I look into the faces of the sons and daughters, of Christian parents and grandparents, if we can put it this way for our purposes tonight, the sons of the prophets.
And if you refuse the gospel message? If you refuse to be saved tonight?
And the Lord Jesus comes.
You will know what happened, at least initially.
The sons of the prophets.
If the Lord Jesus comes before, I pray and say Amen.
You may look around and see you're the only person sitting in these seats. Will you know what has happened? I believe you will. I want to read one verse in closing to cap our remarks on this subject of peace. Isaiah, Chapter 26.
Really brings us back to what we began with.
Perfect peace. And at such a time we read in the book of Ezra. Now just notice an expression in the 26th of Isaiah.
Isaiah Chapter 26.
And verse 3.
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusted in thee. Do you have that perfect peace? Tonight? I ask you once again, you can have perfect peace. And at such a time, a time when the world is in absolute turmoil and winding down for the judgment of God, you can have perfect peace, and you can have what is referred to in the book of Timothy.
As a sound mind, He's not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. If you are resting, trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ in the finished work of Calvary, let's pray our God and Father how thankful we are for that perfect peace that thou has provided through the work of thy beloved Son. We're thankful for this opportunity to present the gospel message once again.
We pray that thou use thy living word in convicting power, that no one will go out of this room lost and in their sins, but each one might have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We ask it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and for his glory. Amen.