Gospel—P. Glading
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General Meetings, Des Moines, June 1963.
Gospel by PR gladding.
I would like to read tonight.
Through scriptures.
Of the sayings of the Lord Jesus Christ, which he offered on the cross of Calvary.
First of all, may we turn to Luke 23.
Luke 23.
Some of these sayings are exceedingly precious.
Others are exceedingly solemn.
Luke 23 and we might read from verse 32.
And before we read the verse, may I just give a note of warning about this precious verse?
Sometimes it is it is read in this way.
And there were also two other malefactors.
Or how sad this is to read the verse in this way you notice it says here and there were also two other and a comma.
The Spirit of God is ever seeking to God and preserve the deity of Christ. And so if we read it this way, beloved friends, there were two other malefactors. It would suggest or imply that the Lord Jesus Christ was a malefactor too. How solemn it makes it, doesn't it?
So let us notices comma and observe it.
And there were also two others.
Malibacters LED with him to be put to death.
And when they were come to the place which is called Calvary.
There they crucified him.
And the malefactors, one on the right hand and the other on the left.
Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them.
For they know not what they do.
I believe this would be perhaps the first saying the Lord uttered on the cross of Calvary.
Almost immediately after, he was nailed to that tree.
We hear him offer these precious words.
Father, forgive them. They know not what they do.
But when we go a little before this scene, what do we see?
Before we do this, Blessed One, the Lord Jesus Christ, hanging on the cross of Calvary, let us trace, just for a moment, something of His pathway which led to the cross.
We know this Blessed One came down.
He the Son of God became the Son of Man, and in grace.
That you and I, as sons of men, might become the sons of God.
And we praise this blessed One walking through this scene, this very scene in which you and I live through this very world.
He came here in perfect obedience to the will of his Father.
He came to obey whatever the cost. You remember that when Satan tested that Blessed one in the wilderness, he said. Command these stones be made bread.
Did not come to command at all. He came to obey.
And we find then that Blessed One came down here.
According to the will of his father, and in perfect subjection to the Father's will.
He came down and went to that cross of Calvary, but before he went there we read that he went about doing good.
He came to bring peace and joy to the hearts of men.
And how did man treat him?
Ah, they said. Away with him. Crucify him. We will not have this man to reign over us.
Or how the human heart is revealed, beloved friends.
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Almost as soon as this Blessed One arrived, we find the wicked hatred and enmity of man's heart.
Manifested against the person of Christ.
And you remember what Pilate said? He says. What shall I do then with Jesus?
All friends, we might apply that question to our own hearts tonight.
What shall I do then with Jesus?
Dear friends, what have you done with Jesus?
Have you received Jesus in your heart by faith?
As your Lord and Savior, if you haven't, my dear friend, you have shut the door against him.
You have either received him by faith as your Lord and Savior, or you have said no to him. You have shut the hearts door against him.
An old friend. What a solemn thing to you.
To shut the heart store against Christ.
The only precious savior of sinners, the one who came down here to seek and to say the last. And so we see the wicked enmity and hatred of man's wretched heart against the person of Christ the very moment He arrived in the scene. And we, as we trace His pathway through the scene, we find that the hatred and enmity of man's heart was growing greater and greater all the time.
Against the one who came to bring blessing to poor perishing man.
All friends, as we think of the wondrous grace and patience of the Lord Jesus Christ.
When we realized still that he is 1 object, first of all was to glorify his Father. And I believe the death of Christ was first of all for the glory of God, yes, for the glory of God.
But he also came down here to see and to save the lost. Who the lost? You and I, by nature friends, we will lost helpless.
On the road to hell and could not help ourselves. And so that blessed one in love to this world, in love to you and me.
And in obedience to the will of his father came down into this very scene that you and I, as poor, lost, guilty sinners, might be saved. That's the desire of his heart for you, dear friend, that you might be saved. And I tell you tonight that if you're not saved, you should be.
And if you have no interest in the salvation which God offers you.
We were reminded this afternoon of that solemn verse in the eighth of John.
If you believe not that I am, ye shall die in your sins. Oh, how solemn that statement is, the Lord says, if ye believe not that I am.
Ye shall die in your sins. Yes, you will. And what a solemn thing to you, my friend, if you die in your sins, you could die in your sins tonight, you know. Oh, yes. Oh, you say, But I have a long life before me.
The devil has told you that the word of God hasn't. The Lord hasn't told you that? No, the devil would like you to believe that you have a long life before you, and so there's no need to be in a hurry about this matter of becoming religious, as so many people call it.
But you know, dear friends, it's not religion. We need it all. We need a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God.
Yes, we need a savior. I believe I've called this little story before, but I repeat it. You'll bear with me. I met a dear colored woman on the street in Port of Spain, Trinidad, and offer to a track. Dear soul. I can see her face now. And she said, what is this? I said just the gospel tract telling you of one who loves you. She said, thank you. I'd like to tell you something now.
And she said, 25 years ago I had religion, but today she says I have Christ. Today I have Christ. Dear friends, could you say that with truth tonight? It isn't religion, you know, that will save you. You might be religious for 1000 years and still go to hell. It is not religion we need. It's Christ, the Savior of sinners. And he's the only one available tonight.
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To save you from your sins. And many of us here can rejoice in the glorious truth that he has saved us from our sins.
That we have the gift of eternal life and know it, and we're on our way home to glory. Oh, how precious to realize this. It's worth the world, my friend, to have that assurance in the heart that one is saved from their sins eternally and on the way home to meet the one who died for us on the cross. And so we find this blessed one as you walk through this scene.
He meant nothing but enmity and hatred, and yet he didn't turn back. He didn't say, Well, if that's all they think of me, I'm going back to glory.
Now we read in the 9th of Luke when the time had come for him to be received up.
What happened? Did he go back alone?
No, thank God he didn't. He set his face to go to Jerusalem. What was he going to Jerusalem for? He was going there to suffer for my sins and yours, on the cross of Calvary and Blessed One. Death had no claim upon him.
He could have gone back on that occasion, right back to the Father in the glory. But he turned his back, so to speak, upon that blessed prospect, and set his face to go to Jerusalem. All friends, he went there to suffer for your sins and mine, that you and I might be saved. And that's his desire for us tonight, everyone in this hall, that you might be saved, and saved now, and saved for all eternity.
Well, here we find then finally this Blessed One is taken by wicked hands and nailed to that accursed tree.
What is the reaction?
To this awful treatment they meted out to him.
Why? He said. Father, forgive them. They know not what they do.
Oh, how gracious God is to have mercy upon the ignorant.
I believe God considers that those who do not regret receive Christ. It's done in ignorance. They do not know what they do. If they did, they wouldn't reject him. If you only knew something of his wonderful heart of love, you would never reject him. You would receive him right now, this very moment. And so this blessed one, the Lord Jesus Christ. And as I was reading these verses.
This struck my attention very forcibly in the 33rd verse.
And when they would come to the place which is called Calvary, there they crucified the two thieves. No, they crucified him.
All their hearts were set on getting rid of Christ, and so they crucified him first. How solemn. Oh had revealed the wickedness and corruption of the human heart against this blessed precious Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
They crucified him.
And the malefactors one on the right hand and the other on the left then.
Then this blessed one opened his mouth.
In a loving prayer to his Father and he said, Father, forgive them. He was the only one you know who never needed to pray. Father, forgive me.
No, he never needed to pray that prayer.
He prayed, Father, who give them, Can you imagine the wonderful love of his heart, even when they nailed him to that cross?
He could say, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.
He did not pray to be relieved of the terrible agony through which he was passing at that time.
No, he prayed for his very murderers.
Does that not reveal his wonderful, precious heart of love to this world, to hit those who rejected him and nailed him to that cross?
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Father, forgive them all. What precious words, and I believe these words would tell us and remind us friends why he went to the Cross of Calvary. It was that sinners might be forgiven.
Yes, the sinners might be forgiven. And remember dear Sinner friend, the blessed Lord Jesus here was really calling down judgment upon himself when he spotted these words. Yes, when he said Father forgive them for they know not what they do. He was actually calling down judgment upon himself.
Because it was only as he, as he bore the judgment due to our sins and guilt, that the Sinner could ever be forgiven.
And so this makes it very solemn indeed, The thing that he was actually saying, Father, I'll take the punishment, Forgive these, Oh, forgive these, I'll take the punishment due to them. And so, friends, I say again, he was actually calling down judgment upon himself because it was only as he endured the judgment of a holy God against our sin and sins.
That we sinners could ever be forgiven. And so here he desired the pardon, the forgiveness of sinners. Oh, how wondrous, how precious. If you and I and these people who nailed him to that cross had their desserts, it would be an eternity in hell, friend.
But perhaps the devil has whispered in your ear there's no hell. No hell.
Friends, God says there is a hell, and I believe it with all my heart, and I believe till that hell will last just as long as heaven we are singing in that beautiful hymn, God is light and God is love. The latter part the devil is using today to deceive Saul.
He is telling them all, suggesting to them if God is a God of love.
He'll never consign his creatures to hell. That's contrary to his benevolent nature. He'll never do that.
But we do not find that Satan is telling sin as God is light, so beware or no, He uses those precious words to deceive souls, and many are being deceived by them too. Many believe today that because God is a God of love, he'll never then consign his creatures to hell.
Well, God is too holy to let sin into heaven, so what's going to happen to the Sinner who dies in his sins? The plain teaching of Scripture is he shall perish.
What does it mean to perish? To be annihilated? No friends, no. 1000 times, No. There's no such thing as annihilation. It says the wrath of God abideth upon him. How can the wrath of God abide upon a person who has been annihilated? It's alive, the devil, and do not believe it.
God is light and God is love, but we have to keep them in their respective places. God is a holy God.
And I say again, he'll never let one sin into heaven.
We were reading last night in the home where the Lord says that ye may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sin. Yes, the Lord has power on earth to forgive sin. There'll be no forgiveness of sins in heaven. There'll be no sin there. And friends, there'll be no forgiveness of sins in hell. No, they will not. And so we read the Lord hath power on earth to forgive sins.
And he has the power to forgive your sins tonight, and he wants to do that. Do you want to have your sins forgiven?
Washed away in the precious blood of Christ. Now is the opportunity. Friends, you'll never, never have a more favorable opportunity than tonight of accepting Christ as your savior. Never. Oh do not let this opportunity slip. If so, you do so at your eternal peril, because time is short and delay is dangerous.
Well, we find here then this blessed one crying to his father. Father, forgive them. You remember what Peter says? It's recorded, I think in the second of the Acts, or the third chapter rather.
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Later on Peter addresses the leaders of the nation of Israel, and he says verse 14, the third of Acts. But she denied the Holy One and the just and desired a murder to be granted unto you.
And kill the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead. This was man's side of a cross.
And verse 17. And now, brethren, I want that through ignorance she did it. Here we find in our chapter the Blessed Lord is praying for the ignorant. He says, Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.
All what words of wondrous love and grace? Dear friends, could you imagine anything sweeter than this? Anything more precious?
Falling from the lips of the blessed Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Father, forgive them.
Does that manifest any bitterness or enmity in his heart against the sons of men? Indeed not.
It manifests this perfect love and grace.
And so here in this chapter.
Father who give them.
There is another very, very solemn cry that we look at, but it's not found in Luke.
That's the awful solemn cry of forsaking.
But why do we not find it in Luke's Gospel? We find it in Matthew.
I believe it is perhaps for this reason.
I'm open for correction.
That Luke presents the Lord Jesus Christ as the perfect man, the Son of Man.
Kind of sorrow, the cry of forsaking is left out, and he speaks of him as the one whoever enjoyed fullest fellowship with his father. And so in Luke's gospel, it's Father.
In the Gospel of Matthew, it's my God, my God, how solemn.
And so in this chapter on this book we find that the cry of forsaken is left out entirely. But may we read it now in the 27th of Matthew?
What?
Verse 44.
We'll go back to the.
Case of the thieves. In a moment, the thieves also.
Which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.
Now from the 6th hour there was darkness over all the land unto the 9th hour.
And about the 9th hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, Larsabax, and I, that is to say, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
I do not recall any other occasion where the Lord.
Raise this question. Why? Why he was the ever subject 1 The obedient one. But here he says, Why, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Put a solemn cry. This is friend Nick came from the very depths of his soul during those three hours of darkness when he was hanging upon that accursed tree.
There was darkness over all the land from the 6th hour to the 9th hour.
We read of Peter being a witness of the sufferings of Christ.
And Peter did witness something of the sufferings of Christ here on earth.
But friends, he did not witness the suffering of death we get in the second of Hebrews. Peter did not witness that the suffering of death. It was during these three hours of darkness when God, a holy God, was dealing with his beloved Son as to the question of sin and our sins. And God, being too holy to look upon sin, had to hide his face from his beloved Son.
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And this Blessed 1 cried out. My God, my God, why?
Why hast thou forsaken me? Why was it friends?
Well, I believe this tells us what it cost the Lord Jesus Christ to go to the cross.
That other cry, the first one, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do, tells us why he went to Calvary. It was as soon as might be forgiven.
Yes, even those who nailed him to the cross that they might be forgiven hear this awful solemn cry, which came from a very depth of his soul.
During those hours of darkness and agony.
Tells us what it cost him to go there.
Yes friend, it does. Although we can never measure the cost, we can never estimate the cost of the Lord Jesus to go to the cross and to be made sin for us. We cannot imagine what it cost God the Father to send him down into the scene and then for God the Holy God to forsake him. That Blessed One was abandoned there on the cross of Calvary because of your sins and minds.
God made him Jesus to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. And so this is a solemn crying deed, and it should touch our hearts afresh. The night, beloved friends, to think that the Lord Jesus the obedient, 1 The sinless, 1, the spotless Lamb of God was made sin for us. And then?
God poured all that awful judgment. The righteous indignation of a holy God was poured upon his blessed, devoted head as he hung upon the cross of Calvary. And friends endured that for you.
For me, and it bears my heart tonight to think of it, that the eternal Son of God should have to go there to stop of my sin. That I might be saved from them. That I might be with him for all eternity in the glory, that I might not be damned forever in hell, but that I might be saved and brought into an A new position altogether. If any man be in Christ, he's a new creature. He Apostle didn't say if any man.
Be saved. He's a new creature.
True that he goes. Beyond that, he says if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. Or how precious it is to have these precious truths and to appropriate them and to enjoy them.
So here we get a very solemn scene indeed. The Lord Jesus hanging from the cross, the first one they crucified in the hatred toward him. Yes, He hangs there with his arms outstretched in blessing and love, and we find God pouring that judgment upon him. And friends, I say again, it was for your sake and mine that he endured all this. It was for your sakes. And he uttered this cry. Why?
And therefore Satan. Me. Ah, he was sinless, spotless. And yet he was the willing victim, Yes. And so we hear him crying out.
Why hast thou forsaken me? And I repeat, this tells us what it cost him to go to the cross. Now may we turn back for a few moments, the 23rd of Luke, in connection with the thieves.
Thank you.
You remember reading just now in Matthew's Gospel. The thieves also cast the same in his teeth.
We read from verse 39 of the 23rd of Luke and one of the malefactors which were hangrailed on him.
Saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God?
Seeing thou art in the same condemnation, and we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds. But this man, this man, hath done nothing amiss. A little while ago these two themes were reviling the Blessed Lord. What was his response to all their reviling?
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Silent, absolute silence. He didn't answer them, He did not rebuke them. But the very moment this poor thief said, Lord, Remember Me, there is an immediate answer. Oh, how wonderful and precious. Yes, they both reviled his blessed One, and he was silent the very moment one expressed his need of him. He turned to him in love and blessing, and met him in all his need and ruined.
And this, dear friends, is one of the greatest tributes to the spotless character of Christ, the words of this repentant manufacture. He says this man has done nothing amiss. He realized that this man was different to all the others, different to himself, different to his wicked companion. And he says, this man has done nothing amiss.
Lord, Remember Me when thou cometh into thy Kingdom.
If this poor thief had only known it, he was postponing his blessing for centuries. The Lord hasn't come into his Kingdom yet.
But what was the Lord's answer to him? Yes, I remember. You and I set up my Kingdom. No, no, the Lord's answer was far better and far greater than his request, he says.
Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.
Humanly speaking, there is nothing to be token, kingship or royalty in the one who is hanging upon that cross.
Thorn crown his blessed hands and feet nailed to the cross. Yet the dying thief could see in the distance the setting up of that Kingdom, and this blessed one would reign. He would be the the ray, the ruler here, and he would reign over this earth.
The thief, I believe, could see a head, no doubt thought by the Spirit of God to see the in the distance. This blessed one is going to set up his Kingdom. And he said, Lord, Remember Me when thou comest into thy Kingdom.
But the Lord promised him three wonderful blessings, all far greater than his request.
First of all, the Lord says no, not in the future, not centuries ahead, centuries hence. But He says today, today I'm going to bless you.
Today, all how precious. And your friends, the Lord wants to bless you. Today too, the very moment you trust, put your trust in Him.
And receive Him as your savior. You have forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life.
And you have the assurance, too, that you will never perish. How precious, How wonderful. Never perish. Never. How can you?
It's impossible. And so we find then, the Lord also said.
Not centuries hence, but today. Not a place in the Kingdom, but a place in paradise.
Something, I believe much more precious and wonderful.
Much more joyous, too. To be in paradise, yes, but with whom? He says. With me. With me.
Surely that's the greatest blessing that you and I could ever have to be with him, to be with Christ.
Indeed it is. And so the Lord gave him three wonderful answers, three wonderful promises. He says. No, not when I set up my Kingdom today, today.
Not centuries hence, but today you can have the blessing and you'll be with me today. Or how wonderful and precious.
And you know, this dear man's salvation proves a good many things too. Indeed it does. First of all, it proves that man is not saved by works.
And that's a very important thing to get hold of friends. There are many people that they consider that you can be saved by works. I remember going on board of Warship in Salon Harbour Give out track and I went to the Chapman and asked permission. He said let me look at your tracks first. So I had them through the tracks. He turned them over and read them. Well, a few words. He said no thank you.
He said you people preach salvation by faith. He said, Haven't you read what James says? I said yes Sir, I have. And I robot, Paul said too, see, What do you mean? I said, well, James is Speaking of works as the evidence of faith before men. Paul is Speaking of faith before God, and that comes first.
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He was putting in the cop before the horse. He said we believe in salvation by works. I said yes, my dear Sir, but James is Speaking of the evidence. The works would be the evidence, the outward evidence of the inward faith. But there must be faith first in the person of crisis, and I don't wish you to give them out. Goodbye.
Well, there are many like the chaplain you know around us today. They consider that by their own works, they'll get to heaven.
What about the work of Christ? They're setting that aside entirely. They're ignoring the perfect work of Christ by suggesting that they can get to heaven by their own works. But they never will. They never will. And I'm afraid the chaplain never will either, if that's his belief.
And so here, then, we find that this dear man's salvation proved a good many things. And that's the first one.
Not find works. Why? His hands and feet were nailed to the cross. What could he do? Where could he go? He could do nothing. He couldn't go anywhere. So then he couldn't get salvation by works. And he certainly did not get salvation by being baptized. He was never baptized. And it's not water that washes away the guilt of sin. It's the precious blood of Christ. The precious blood of Christ washes the guilt of sin away.
And the sin of sins not water, and he was never baptized.
Some people think you know if you're baptized where you're saved, it's another life. Satan. No such thing.
There must be personal faith in the person of Christ and he shed blood before the cynic and ever expect salvation and forgiveness of sin. And another thing he was not a churchgoer, was he? Do we read at this Ford thief who was saved at the 11Th hour, went to church? No, he didn't. Was he on the church roll? No, he wasn't.
Did he give money for the cause? No, he didn't. All these things were beyond that poor, dying rich. Beyond him He could do nothing. But there were two members of his body which still could operate, and he used them both. And he was saved. That was his heart and his tongue. He confessed Jesus's law, and he believed in the resurrection of Christ, too. I'm sure he did, because he says when they'll come us into Thy Kingdom.
The Lord was then going to die on the cross, and I feel sure the thief realized that he was.
Going to rise again.
And so we find then that he said to this dear man.
Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.
Or how precious this must have been to this poor dying thief. And how precious these words must have been the words of a thief to the Lord Jesus directed to him. I say again, the greatest tribute to the spotless character of Christ was found in the words of this repentant manufacturer, this man.
Hath done nothing amiss. Was that true? Indeed it was.
This poor man had done lots of things amiss and that's why he was there on the cross of Calvary. He was deemed unfit to live on earth with the Blessed Lord by his grace made him fit for heaven. Yes, he made him fit for heaven. We read in the 116th Psalm the earth having given to the children of men. Yes, and man has lost the right to live on earth because of sin. And so he dies.
Man dies. We all know that to his last is right to live on earth because of sin. But the Lord Jesus Christ, by His grace and love is made it possible. He's provided means whereby a man who is unfit to live on earth is fit to live in heaven through his work at Calvary, through simple faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. How wonderful. But let us not forget, as we remind today.
Something that the Lord commands, You know the Lord Commander, and it's now.
All men everywhere to repent. This is something God commands. My dear friend, You dear Sinner friend, this is something God is commanding from you tonight.
God now commanded all men everywhere to repent. Why? Because He have appointed the day in which He will judge this world in righteousness by that man whom he have ordained.
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Whereof you have given assurance unto all men in that he has raised him from the dead.
Here's the very fact that God has raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the glory as a proof that he's going to judge this world in righteousness. And that's the proof that God has given to man today. Do you believe it? I do with all my heart. But remember, friend, just in a friend.
God now commandeth you all men everywhere, to repent now.
And if you disregard God's command, I say you do it at your eternal peril. Yes, if you disregard that royal command.
God commanded.
All men everywhere to repent.
Because here the point of the day. Yes, God have appointed the day friend when this world is going to be judged.
And he's appointed the Son of Man to be the judge too. And he's given the Son of Man the authority to execute the judgment also.
But all I love to think of the verse in between those two John 5/22, the Father judges no man. I've repeated it many times, and I will again, because it's exceedingly precious to my own soul.
The Father judges no man, but have committed all judgment to the Son and the 27 first, and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of Man.
But in the center of those two verses, we get this precious statement.
From the lift of the one who's appointed to be the judge, he says, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but is passed from death unto life. What precious words from the lips of the man who's to be the judge, He turns to the thinner, and all the love and grace of his heart.
And he says, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I believe we get that double oath of affirmation 25 times in John's Gospel.
Barely, barely, I say unto you, The Lord wants to impress upon your heart that he's addressing you, dear Sinner, and that he desires your eternal blessing. And so he says, verily, verily, I stand to you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me.
Hath everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment.
Bodies passed from death unto life.
Yes, and a friend. What do you think of Christ tonight?
Pilot says. What shall I do with Jesus?
I say again, challenge your own heart, your Sinner friend. Ask yourself this question in the presence of God, who knows your heart. What shall I do with Jesus? You'll have to do something with him. You're going to receive him tonight, or you're going to reject him. You're going out of the door and you'll sin, or you're going out as one in Christ Jesus having received him as your Savior. Which is it?
And you know, friend, your attitude toward the person of Christ is the measure of your guilt before a holy God. Yes, it is.
Your attitude to the person of Christ, I repeat, is the measure of your guilt before God. What? Think he of Christ. Have you received him, Dear friends, when are you going to do so? You're going to put the matter off until it's too late and perish in your sins, Satan would say to you, dear young people. Then I'd put it off. Put it off tomorrow will do.
Do not believe him. He's a liar. He desires your eternal destruction, but the Blessed Lord loves you with an eternal love. He's been to the cross of Calvary to die for your sins.
He pleads with you to accept him as your Savior tonight and go on your way, rejoicing in the knowledge of sin, forgiven and peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ.
And so we find this poor thief saved at the 11Th hour. All friends do not put it off until the 11Th hour.
As this about it, you do not know when the 11Th hour will arrive either. This may be the 11Th hour with you friend.
And so this may be the very last opportunity, our brother remarked. This may be the last Gospel meeting.
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Will ever be sounded forth on this earth before the Lord comes to take His people home to glory?
This makes the occasion solemn, very solemn and important. And I do feel my responsibility, friends, the night before God and before you. To put before you simply and earnestly, you're in need of a Savior.
Before you the wondrous love and grace of God through the person of Christ has manifested at Calvary on your behalf. Now the time is going when we just look at another cry, oh Lord, at it, here.
Verse 46 to the 23rd of Luke and when Jesus had cried with a loud voice.
He said, father again.
Evan fullest communion and fellowship with his father father, he says.
Into my hands I commend my spirit. Having said thus, he died. No, it doesn't say that he gave up the ghost. We know he did die, but it doesn't say that here he gave up the ghost or dismissed his spirit.
That the verse has come to me in Romans in connection with this, I think it is, anyway.
In Romans.
Romans 14 verse 9.
For to this end Christ both died and rose and revived.
That he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
We find here the Blessed Lord had the power to dismiss his spirit. Man's side of the cross was by wicked hands. He have taken and crucified and slain. But here we find this blessed one had the power to lay down His life, the sacrifice for sin. He could say Therefore does my Father love me because I lay down my life? Yes. He had the power to lay it down. He had the power to take it again.
And he could say no man taketh it from me.
Man's portion was to nail him to that crop and all the wicked hatred.
And energy of his heart against Christ. But we find he says with a loud voice. He said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. And having said that, he gave up the ghost. How precious, how wonderful.
Here we find, I believe this tells us that the work he came to do was now completed.
Father, into thy hand I commend my spirit and how precious the fellow believer that you and I can say we can call God our Father too.
And he could say, enter thy hand. I command my spirit, and how fresh is to know that you and I, as believers on the Lord Jesus Christ, are in the Father's hand too. We can address him as Father through the work of Christ, through his death and his resurrection, his ascension to glory. And we tour in his hand, are we not? John 1028 and 29.
Yes, the Lord could say, I give unto them eternal life his sheep, mind you, only his sheep.
I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand, my Father, which gave them me as greater than all. And no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. How precious. And so the Lord at the end of the pathway here the work was now completed. He is ready to go back to the Father. And I say again, through sovereign grace, you and I as believers can address God as our Father tonight.
And we know, too, that we are in the Father's hands and no one will ever pluck us out.
All friends, what eternal security, what a rich blessing we have.
Through what Christ has accomplished on the crowd, and I ask your friend, I challenge you tonight. Have you received this blessed man into your heart as your savior? Are you going out of that door tonight in your sins with a wrath of God abiding upon you, hovering over you, so to speak, a ready, ready to burst upon your head? Yes. How solemn to think and to realize from Scripture that you, dear Sinner friends.
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Younger, old, ritual, poor, whoever you may be.
As a believer, you are condemned already. Solemn, isn't it? Condemned already? Have you been into a cell and looked at a condemned prisoner? I have, and perhaps you have. Does he look happy? Indeed not, poor fellow. And you just send a friend. That's your position. Condemned already if you do not believe on the name of the Son of God, and you're just waiting for the execution of God's judgment upon you.
And it may fall sooner than you realize. Old friends, flee from a coming judgment. Receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior, it tells us in the first chapter of John. For as many as received him, not as many as who had learned verses about him, who had learned nice things about him, Know those who have received him, received him. Have you received him, friend, tonight, dear young people.
Do not shelter under your parents faith. It's a personal matter between your soul and God. Eternal life depends on your attitude to Christ. Will you have him tonight? Are you going out to reject her Christ? Are you going to receive him as your Lord and Savior right now? This moment, this is the only safe moment for you. Just send a friend. It's NOW. Now and God uses that word constantly.
To bring before you the importance, yes, the solemn importance, of having to do with Christ now, before it's forever too late. And so we find this blessed one to say, Father, forgive them. This tells us why he went to Calvary, that sinners might be forgiven and pardoned. And apart from that blessed one, bearing the judgment due to our sins and guilt, we never would have been pardoned. And then we find him crying out. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
This tells us what it cost him to go there. And this crying here, Father, into my hand. I commend my spirit tells it without a doubt that the work he came to do was now accomplished. He was ready to go back to the Father. Are you ready to meet this blessed one? He may come tonight. Are you ready? It isn't a case of are you getting ready? Are you ready to meet him? If not, friends, you're lost. You're on the road to hell.
All come out of an awful position tonight and face eternal facts, receive the Lord Jesus Christ as a Savior, and be eternally saved before it's forever too late.
May we just sing a short hymn #1?
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God and Father, who asked you to bless Thy own precious word tonight we ask it for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ and for the salvation of sinners in His precious and worthy name. Amen.