Gospel—W. Smith
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
And the gospel is that which speaks of the salvation of God, the salvation which he extends to whosoever will.
And what a wonderful word that is whosoever.
There's none left out.
All may come.
All who feel their need of a Savior may come to the Lord Jesus Christ in mind and find that salvation which he alone can give.
So tonight I'd like to speak on the subject.
Of salvation.
It's a grand subject. It's a broad subject.
And it's one which is dear to the heart of God and is dear to the hearts of those that love God.
And how blessed it is and how happy it makes the soul when we hear of those who put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Just recently, some of us have been up in the Maritime provinces.
And we have had word there of some amongst the children who have owned the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior.
And oh, how it makes the heart rejoice.
When we hear of those who come by faith putting their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.
And this one's desire tonight, and I know the desire of many others. And there's been prayer that has gone up this evening on behalf of the gospel to go forth in this room tonight, that it may be blessed to any who were yet unsaved.
But it turned with me first to the second chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews.
Hebrews 2.
Verse one.
Therefore, we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, and less at any time we should let them slip.
For one of the words spoken by angels were steadfast.
And every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward. How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation, which is the first, began to be spoken by the Lord?
And was confirmed unto us by them that heard him.
There's a solemn word we have here.
Speaking to those who knew who had heard the word of God.
And I dare say there are very few in this room tonight who have not heard the word of God on numerous occasions.
And I dare say that there are many of the children as well as the older ones who can repeat verse after verse Speaking of salvation.
I saw the writer of this epistle.
Says we, Therefore, we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard.
I wonder how much the things which we have heard the verses that have been repeated in the Sunday school, the verses that have been learned at home.
I wonder how much they have entered into the heart.
How much?
Has that word meant to you or to me?
Have we heeded it?
Have we entered into the reality that the words we repeat?
Are the word of God.
They were just given to us by inspiration.
There with God by his holy prophets and others has given to us.
Oh, may we not let them depart out of our hearts.
00:05:05
There's a danger.
In not giving heed to the things which we have heard.
There is a danger of slipping away.
Yes, there is such a thing, you know as hearing the gospel of the grace of God time after time so that it becomes an old story. We hear it and we don't pay any attention to it.
Ought A solemn thing, and we have the warning here in connection with it.
Yeah, we ought to give them more earnest heed to the things which we have heard and.
Lasted anytime we should slip away now that the Word will slip away because the word of God is faithful.
But as a danger of letting ourselves slip away.
Of not hating the word anymore.
The story has been repeated so many times.
Of the town.
Where there was a great forage.
And the hammers, those steam hammers, were going day and night, forging out the steel.
And the people of the town had got to the point where it didn't bother them anymore when they heard them at night.
It doesn't hinder them from sleeping. They slept right on through it.
There was a man, a traveling man, who went through that town.
And the first night there when he heard those hammers.
He couldn't sleep. The noise was too great.
And he asked in the next morning, How is it you can sleep through all that noise? All they say. We don't pay any attention to it anymore.
For one night, this man slept soundly all night long. He had a wonderful sleep.
And the next morning he woke and he said to those around him, oh, I had such a good sleep last night. They said we couldn't sleep.
That night the power had gone down. There was number power to operate those hammers.
And here was a man who had been disturbed by the noise. Oh, he slept, but the others who had become hardened to it when there was no more sound.
Oh, they couldn't sleep.
You know the day is coming when the gospel will no longer be preached.
When it would no longer be announced, and those who tonight may be able to sit under the sand of the gospel and not have it affect their conscience.
When the gospel is no longer preached, there is going to be a great awakening and people are going to knock as a Lord, Lord open to us.
Oh, in that day, the answer is going to be I never knew you.
It will be a solemn time, therefore we ought to give them more earnest heed.
To the things which we have heard lasted anytime, we should slip away.
In the second verse it speaks of the giving of the law.
When the Law was given to Moses at Mount Sinai.
The law was given through the disposition of angels.
Tandem Mountain was on fire.
Covered with thick darkness.
So that Moses himself who could speak face to face with God.
We say I exceedingly fear and quake.
That was the Word given by God in that day.
Presenting his Holy law to his people, Israel.
And those who disobeyed that law.
They were visited by the judgment of God.
Yes, the judgment of God was a penalty for disobedience to the law.
But tonight.
00:10:00
We announced not the law of God, but we announced the salvation.
God, come out now in grace to you and me.
God is not now demanding obedience.
No, he's presenting A savior to sinners and is presenting A savior to you this night.
He asked. A Savior who came down here into this world.
Bringing grace and truth.
We find in John's Gospel that the law was given by Moses.
But grace and truth.
Came by Jesus Christ.
Oh, what a difference.
Yes, there's grace manifested from God himself. Grace to meet the Sinner in his need and the truth.
To reveal to man what a Sinner is and to reveal to what a God of love we have to deal with.
Oh, think of it. God come out revealing himself as a God of love. His very nature is love. He reveals himself in that character through his own beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Yes, it was through Him, our Lord Jesus Christ, who came down here into this world in order to bring to you and me the story of a God of love.
How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?
Oh God is pleased to present the salvation as if great salvation.
The law.
Announced God and his character as holy.
But all the salvation which was announced by our Lord Jesus Christ.
There's a great salvation.
Yes, it brings to us God is a God of love, and it came down here into this world proclaimed by none other than the blessed Son of God.
We read of him in the first chapter. He speaks there of his glory.
The one who was the very expression of the being of God.
Think of it the very expression of the being of God and the outstanding of his glory.
That is the one you came down here into this world.
Veiling his glory as a humble man, he came down here in order to present to sinners such as you and I.
The salvation from the hand of God.
Oh, no wonder that God calls it a great salvation.
It began to be spoken first.
By our Lord Jesus Christ, Have you considered that?
That the gospel was announced first by our Lord Jesus Christ.
Oh, it couldn't have been revealed before he came, no.
Is a law.
Which was given by God only condemned men. It pronounced upon man the sentence of death.
But the gospel which came by Jesus Christ?
Brings everlasting life. Oh, what a difference.
It was first, first began to be spoken by the Lord.
Oh, think of it. The Lord of Glory come down here into this world. They despised man. A hated man.
And yet who showed nothing but grace and love to those who came to him?
And it came not to call the righteous. He came to call sinners to repentance. He came to seek and to save that which was lost.
00:15:01
Yes, it's a great salvation.
And it was confirmed to us.
By those that heard our Lord Jesus Christ speak the words of salvation.
You and I.
Have, in the precious word of God, a heritage.
Of value which cannot be measured.
God has revealed Himself in his precious word.
And all how we need to lay hold of it. He's presented His word to us for our acceptance. And in the Word is proclaimed this great salvation which God offers. Is there one here tonight who doesn't know what it is to have that salvation, that great salvation, and it's gone. Who gives it that character because it came.
Through his own beloved sorrow.
Now shall we turn to Jude?
Verse 3.
Beloved.
When I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was need performing to write unto you and exhort you, that you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the Saints.
It had been the mind of Jude.
Starting to pen this epistle?
To speak of that same salvation of which we've been reading in Hebrews 2.
But we find here that he gives it a different character.
He speaks of it as a common salvation.
Now perhaps we can explain the word common here.
It certainly doesn't mean anything ordinary.
Anything to be despised.
No.
But what it brings before us is the fact that the salvation of which God has to offer.
Is 1, which meets the need of all alike.
There are no preferences with gum. There is no special salvation.
For certain privileged ones.
No, all must come to God on the same ground.
There is only one way that you and I can come to God to receive this salvation.
And it must be on the ground.
That you and I are sinners.
Were sinners.
The word of God tells us that all have sinned.
And come short of the glory of God.
That's a positive statement.
And it admits of no other interpretation but that you and I.
Are sinners in the sight of God and as sinners?
All our dessert is judgment on account of our sins, because the same epistle that tells us that all have sinned tells us that the wages of sin is death.
Yes, it's a solemn thing. The wages of sin is death.
Now the world will tell us there's nothing, sure, except death and taxes.
It's an admission on the part of man that he is a Sinner.
Because it was on account of sin that death came into the world.
And because man is a Sinner.
Gom sent his only begotten son into the world.
00:20:00
Yes, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
How precious it is that he came to receive sinners.
Do you own the juror center?
Have you seen yourself in the light of the word of God as a Sinner?
Have you found yourself as one deserving nothing but judgment at the hand of God on account of sin?
Whether you admit it or not is true.
It's true.
But God has prepared a salvation.
It's a common salvation.
That all may come to God, all that one ground on that same ground.
Coming to God and receiving from his hand salvation.
Through the cleansing power.
Of the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
What a wonderful theme that is.
To know that the blood.
Of Jesus Christ, God's Son cleanses from all sin.
It is true, and the statement is just as clear and emphatic as a statement that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses from all sin.
Do you know what it is to have your sins cleansed?
Through the blood of Jesus.
Have you come to him and found him the One?
Who will save? Have you come on that ground as a needy Sinner?
And desiring to have your sins washed away in his own precious blood and.
The Lord Jesus Christ is willing tonight to have you come to him.
Yes, it's a desire of his heart to have you as one of his own, cleansed in his own priceless blood, though it's a common salvation.
There are none who can claim anything different than that. Oh, there are many.
Who would seek to come on their own terms, on their own ground? How many will say, well, I'm not as bad as the other person.
Perhaps God has some other way for me.
Oh, there's no other way, no, none other name under heaven given amongst men, whereby we must be saved, It must be through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
What does that name mean to you?
Is that name dear deal?
When you hear the name of the Lord Jesus spoken.
Does it produce a response in your heart?
Do you find that name stirring the faction in your heart?
Oh, those that know him as savior. How precious it is to hear that name mentioned.
Mentioned with honor to him.
All we hear the world speak that name in blasphemy.
And that, too, effects the heart of those that love the Lord Jesus Christ.
God brings sorrow to the heart to think of him being spoken of in such a way.
But always the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that avails in the presence of God is that name.
Which God honors and those that come to him, those that come to the Lord Jesus Christ in faith.
God gives them that salvation.
And everyone here in this room who knows the Lord Jesus Christ his Savior, has come in that same way on the ground of being a Sinner.
00:25:04
And needing salvation and finding that the Lord Jesus.
Is the one who alone is able to meet the need.
Has your need been met tonight?
Do you know him as your savior? If when you came in this room, you didn't know I'm a savior, all made by the grace of God. May you not go out of this room without knowing that he is your own precious savior.
Now as we'll return to two Corinthians.
Chapter 6.
Verse 2.
For yourself.
I have heard the in a time accepted and in the day of salvation have I suckered thee.
Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation.
Here the writer tells us that the salvation of which we speak is a present salvation.
You can know tonight.
That you are saved.
You can know on the authority of the word of God.
That tonight you may have the Lord Jesus Christ.
As your savior.
We can't promise.
That tomorrow.
You can have salvation. We can't promise that at all.
The story is told.
Mr. Moody, who many years ago was preaching the gospel in the city of Chicago.
Any priest, The powerful gospel.
He presented the gospel faithfully to his audience.
And at the end of the.
Of the meeting.
He said to them. Now I want you to go home and think it over and come back again next week.
And will present the gospel again.
As the story goes, he had hardly gotten through speaking, but there was a sound of the fire engines going down the street.
The Great Chicago Fire had broken out.
And that company never convened again. Many in that company lost their lives in that fire.
I believe it was two years ago in this very hall.
That as the gospel was being preached one night.
But down here, the railroad crossing.
A car crossing the tracks.
Was met by a train as it went by.
And there were hours getting that car out from underneath the locomotive.
A man's life was snuffed out.
My dear friend and you young people, you have been raised in Christian homes.
Do you know?
That you will be able to come back here again tomorrow night and hear the gospel preached again.
Paul Solemn.
You may never hear the gospel preached again. This may be your last opportunity for hearing of the Lord Jesus Christ as a Savior.
And you know, it may be that yet tonight to the Lord Jesus will come.
Take his own, his redeemed ones out of this world to be with himself.
And then the door of mercy will be forever shut.
There will be no more gospel preached.
00:30:04
You do not know, my friend, but what? This may be your last opportunity to take the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. What are you going to do about it?
Now is the accepted time. Now is the day of salvation.
Oh, this is a time.
Are you going to neglect it?
Are you going to put it off?
Oh, how many have put off?
Their sole salvation?
How many have put it off?
Until it was too late.
Yes, the solemn word. Too late.
There was a minor.
Who had been sitting under the sound of the gospel?
He heard the word of God.
He listened to it. He was convicted.
As to the question of his sins before a holy God.
And he was pressed by those around him to take the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior.
In that night he did take the Lord Jesus as Savior. Yes, he came to the Lord Jesus and found him as good as his word. He found him one who could save.
The next day he went down into the mine.
It went down to work as usual.
And down there in the mine, there was an accident.
And this man was trapped under many tons of coal.
They tried to get him out.
But he was crushed and they saw that he was dying.
But he was trying to say something.
And they got down to listen to what he had to say.
And his words were this.
Thank God it was settled last night.
Tomorrow, if you're left here till tomorrow.
Will you be able to say thank God it was settled last night?
Will you come tonight?
To the Lord Jesus Christ.
To find him, the one who offers a present salvation.
Ah, you can't wait until tomorrow, no.
How many have waited and waited and waited?
Only.
To find that it was too late.
God speaks once, yeah, twice. But man perceives it not.
There comes a time when God no longer speaks.
There comes a time.
When God ceases to deal with the soul, the soul that is put off.
Just too long and he finds it too late.
Oh, may you not wait until it's too late?
Oh, what solemn words have been spoken?
Too late. Too late.
May you come tonight?
And know that the salvation that God has to give is the salvation which it gives tonight.
Now shall we turn to Hebrews 5?
Verse 7.
And this is Speaking of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications, with strong crying and tears unto him, that was able to save him from death, and was hurt in that he feared though he were a son, yet learned the obedience by the things which he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation, and to all them that obey him.
00:35:04
It's the words in particular eternal salvation that one has before him.
But we read the seventh verse.
In order to bring out what it was that our Lord Jesus Christ went through, in order that you may hear the offer of salvation tonight.
The Lord Jesus Christ.
The eternal Son of God.
Came down here into this world, He took upon him.
A flash reform?
Yes, he came down into this world in Flash.
And he went through this world.
And on to the cross.
Oh, what a time it was.
When the Lord Jesus Christ.
Not only contemplated but went through.
The Cross, The sufferings of the cross.
In the days of His flesh.
He offered up prayers and supplications with strong crime to God.
Have you read?
What he went through in the Garden of Gethsemane.
As he contemplated what it would mean to go to the cross.
To bear the sins of those who put their trust in him.
Have you thought of it when he cried to his father?
Oh my father, it would be possible let this cup pass from me.
Why were those words spoken by him there?
What is because he felt that what would mean to him to be the sin bearer? There was no sin in him.
He had never committed a single sin in all his life.
For when he would go to the cross.
There he would bear the sins of many.
Yes, he would.
And in bearing those sins, he would bear the judgment from the hand of a holy God on account of those.
Think of it. Think of what it meant to him, He who was holy, he who abhorred sin.
To be made sin for you, for me.
Think of the love of his heart, but think of what it meant to him as that one.
To be.
There and weighing perfectly as none other, but he could wave what it would cost him.
And then to go on to the cross.
And there bear the hand of a holy God, that judgment which would have taken you and me down into a lost eternity.
Into the lake of fire.
Oh, he bore that judgment.
That judgment against sin was poured out upon him.
And because sin was laid upon him there, a holy God must forsake that blessed one.
And there he would cry out, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Oh, he knew the answer. Yes, he knew the answer. It is because he was there, the sin bearer.
And the streams of the speaker were laid upon him at that time.
How about your sins?
Where your sins laid upon him.
When he hung up on the cross.
Did he bear that judgment for you in those three hours of darkness?
What does it mean to you that the Lord Jesus Christ went to Calvary's cross?
Oh, they what it meant to him.
Offered up prayers and supplication with strong crying and tears.
00:40:05
That's what it meant to him, yes.
And if we were to turn to the Gospels, we'd find there that in contemplating what it would cost him.
He sweat as the word grade drops of blood.
Oh yes, that's what it meant to him.
But oh, if that was the contemplation of it, what about it when he actually went through?
The judgment of God against sin upon the cross.
Was God able to save him from it?
Oh, you know, he could have gone back to glory without dying. He could have gone back without bearing your sins and minds. But all he had. We would not be here tonight Speaking of salvation or the gospel. There would have been no salvation.
The Lord Jesus Christ must go to the cross. He must suffer at the hand of God for sin, if you and I.
Are to be saved.
Yes, it must be that way. There's none other way. There's no other way that you and I could be saved except that the Lord Jesus Christ were to go to the cross.
Being made perfect.
He became the author of eternal salvation.
Unto all them that obey him.
The salvation which we had to speak up tonight is not only a great salvation is not only a common salvation, not only a present salvation, but as an eternal salvation, oh precious, it's an eternal salvation. And the soul that comes to the Lord Jesus Christ in faith will find that he is the one who gives that salvation.
And he saves eternally.
Oh, it's a fact that he saved eternally.
All when we come to him, he holds us in his hand, and you'll never let us go.
Are precious.
And our wonderful ideals to be able to say that the salvation which I have is 1 which I will have throughout all eternity. I can have it now.
Yes, I have it now, and I'm going to have it throughout all eternity.
Can you say that?
You know, the Lord Jesus is coming to take his own out of this world, and he's going to have them with himself to enjoy to the full that salvation which he gives us. And we're going to enjoy it for eternity. There's going to be that going on and on and on.
In the presence of him who went to the cross.
It will be to go on forever singing the praise of him who died at Calvary, the one who even in the glory has all the marks.
Of the suffering that he went through at Calvary.
We're going to see those marks.
We're going to see the man that died for us.
Yes, we are.
Oh, what joy it gives to the heart of the soul that has salvation to think I'm going to see him.
The Lambs had been slain is to see him and to sing praise to him. And he praised will go on and on. Or do you have it? Will you have it? Will you have it tonight all? May you not go out of this room tonight without knowing what it is to have the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior and to have this salvation.
Which we speak up tonight.
So we sing #37.