Gospel—R. Reeves
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Like to read tonight. It's found in John's Gospel, chapter 16.
In John's Gospel, chapter 16.
And verse 8.
These are the words of the Lord.
Jesus Christ.
John's Gospel 16 verse 8 and when he is, I'll read verse 7.
Verse seven of John 16. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth, it is expedient for you that I go away.
For if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you.
But if I depart, I will send him unto you.
And when he has come, he will reprove the world of sin.
And of righteousness.
And of judgment.
Of sin because they believe not on me.
Of righteousness because I go to my father.
And you see me no more.
Of judgment.
Because the Prince of this world is judged.
It's a great comfort to my heart, dear friends tonight.
To know that.
I have helping me in this.
Gospel meeting.
The greatest missionary.
That there has ever been.
This missionary who is here to help me tonight.
Is a missionary who has visited every land.
In the world.
And this missionary who is here to help me tonight.
Speaks every language on earth.
This missionary is the Holy Spirit.
Who is present in this room?
And his mission?
Has been stated.
In these words that we have read together.
When he has come, he will reprove the world of sin.
And of righteousness.
And of judgment.
So tonight I would like to.
Speak on those three things.
Sin. Righteousness.
And judgment.
And it is the mission of the Holy Spirit.
To use the word of God on these three subjects.
Who convict?
Men and women, boys and girls.
Of their need of Christ.
Let's talk first about sin.
Please turn with me to Exodus chapter.
20.
What is sin?
We have no other source of information on this subject.
Except the Holy Word of God.
Because the Word of God will tell us what sin is.
And.
Let's take a little test tonight.
This test consists of 10 questions.
And let's each one of us ask ourselves these 10 questions.
As we read some verses in Exodus chapter 20.
Verse one says and God spake all these words saying.
I am the Lord thy God.
Which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the House of *******.
Thou shalt have no other gods.
Before me.
Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
The first question that.
We are asked.
Is have we ever had?
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Something in our lives.
That was more important.
To us than God.
Have I have you?
Ever had anything in our lives that is to us, more important?
Thank God.
It's quite a question, isn't it?
Verse four says, Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above.
For that is in earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth.
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them.
For I, the Lord thy God, am a jealous God.
Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, under the third and 4th generation of them that hate me.
And showing mercy unto thousands.
Of them that love me.
And keep my commandments.
This is the second question in our test.
Have we ever owed owed allegiance?
Have we ever bowed down?
Or served.
Anyone but God.
Have we chosen in any way at anytime?
To devote ourselves to the service.
Of anything that is visible.
And is not related.
To our maker.
Our God.
That's the second question.
Have we? Have I? Have you?
Let's go to the third question.
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
For the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
That's our third question. Have I ever used the name of God?
In a way that was irreverent.
Have I ever used the name of Jesus Christ, the Lord?
In a way that was not calling upon him for help.
For speaking well of His Majesty and his accomplishments.
Have I ever used the name of God in vain?
That's the third question.
That we are asking ourselves.
How are you doing on this test so far?
4th question is in verse 8. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.
The 4th question is this. You know there are seven days in a week.
And if you divide 7 into 100%.
You'll get a number, something like as I remember doing it.
Last night in my mind, while I was praying before the Lord, it seems like it's about 14.3%.
Here God asks for one 4.3% of our time.
And the 4th test is.
Have you? Have I?
Given God 14% or 14.3%.
Of our time.
Have you? Have I?
That's the question #4.
Verse 12 question #5.
Honor thy father and thy mother.
Have I ever thought or said?
Or acted in a way that dishonored my parents.
Have you?
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A pretty heavy question, isn't it?
That's a test.
Verse 13 is #6.
Thou shalt not kill.
Well.
Have I ever wished that somebody that I knew or heard about was dead?
Has my heart ever been so hard that?
It would think about someone who was perhaps even abusing others.
And I wish they were dead.
Have you ever had that spirit rise up in my heart?
And though I may not have actually killed someone.
Have I ever had such a thought?
That could lead to that.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
That's test #7.
You know, these are not easy questions.
I don't like these questions not to commit adultery.
We men, have we ever looked?
With lust upon someone that's not our wives.
Young girls, have you ever had any unclean thoughts about a certain young man that you?
Liked and admired.
Have you? Would you like to have all your thoughts printed?
Would you?
8th question number.
15.
Thou shalt not steal.
Oh, I don't like that one.
Did you ever take something that did not belong to you?
This hurts.
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
Did you ever say anything that was not true?
Did you ever tell a lie?
These questions don't. We wish we could get to another list somewhere. That wouldn't hurt quite as bad.
And I shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
You ever deliberately say something that was a just?
A downright lie?
The tense question.
Thou shall not covet thy neighbor's house.
I shall not cover thy neighbor's wife.
Nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his *** nor anything that is thy neighbor, not even his car.
Her dress.
These questions hurt.
Did you ever see somebody have something that you wanted?
Well, we've we've come to this test.
We've had 10 questions.
Is there anyone in this room that's passed the test?
You know, you're a nice looking group of people. You really are.
But now tell me, is there anyone in this room?
That would dare raise their hand and say, Mr. Reeves, you know I like that test.
Nothing touched my conscience at all, and it was easy for me to get through that test. I wasn't guilty of anything that you spoke of.
I dare say that nobody would dare raise their hand, and certainly the speaker.
In fact, we've had 10 questions on this test.
And frankly, I want to share with you my friends.
That my score is very, very low.
My score on this test is low.
And I'm ashamed. I wouldn't want to tell you how low it is.
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This list these 10 questions. This test is hard on me.
And my life, because I scored a very, very low score.
Would anyone?
Say to me.
Now that we have passed, that we have gone through this test, would anyone dare say?
I am not a Sinner.
Oh, I don't think anyone would dare say that.
We'd all have to confess that this test has exposed us.
This test has shown us what we are and the facts are stubborn things. The facts are these. We have sinned.
I have sinned.
And all of these things in some way or another, or at least most of them, I suppose we can say we failed here.
And I've missed it there.
In truth, I have sinned.
There's nothing like the Word of God to expose our sins.
And so my friend, I don't find this a chapter that really inspires me.
I don't find that a chapter that comforts me at all.
It only exposes me.
As a Sinner.
Does it expose you to?
Yes, we have sinned.
You know, it's a serious thing to be a Sinner.
We're told in the word of God that there will never enter into heaven one sin, not one.
And we have the record in the book of Genesis of the effects of justice, one sin.
When God made man, he put him in a wonderful garden and he said, now there's one thing I don't want you to do.
And that very thing man did.
And God had to.
Send him out of the Garden of Eden because he and his wife had done the very thing God told them not to do.
And beloved friends.
Just think of the effect of one sin.
Because of that one sin on the part of our great great.
Great great great grandfather and grandmother because of the effect of that sin.
We have the overcrowded jails.
We have the hospitals in every land. We have broken homes. We have hungry, disappointed hearts.
We have wars. We have bloodshed.
One sin brought all of this, and because of one sin.
That first man and his wife could not enter and enjoy the paradise of God.
That was just the effect of one sin. Now would you dare or would I dare take our test score?
Would you want to take your test score?
And present it to God and say.
I'm not as bad as Adam.
Well, it's true that Adam messed up. Can't deny that. But you see, I'm not quite as bad as he was. Would you dare present your test score to God and say something like that?
What will you and I have to honestly admit as we face the pages of this?
Word of God, we must honestly admit that we have sinned.
Against God.
And our dear friend sin is serious. Sin can ever enter the holy courts of God.
And we're all guilty before God.
And if there's someone in this room tonight that is feeling the pinch.
And you say to me or think as I speak, you say, you know, Mr. Reeves.
I don't think I ever saw it that clearly before.
I thought I was fairly decent person.
And now I wish I hadn't come to your meeting.
In fact, I wish I could escape.
I just don't feel comfortable anymore.
Because you have shown to me from the pages of God's Word that I have sinned.
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Let me remind you, dear friends, that.
If those are your thoughts.
And those are your feelings and convictions.
I want to tell you that you're feeling that way. Is the result.
Of this unseen missionary who has come to our meeting tonight for the very purpose of convicting you of your sin.
That's why he's here.
And if you feel as you have never felt before, that you have sinned against God.
It's not because I know it.
But it's because God knows it.
Well, now there was another subject we wanted to talk about, and that's righteousness.
Now will you please turn with me to Romans chapter 3?
Romans, chapter 3. Righteousness.
Do you know what righteousness is?
It's the quality of being right.
And we could say that righteousness is rightness.
Maybe someone is saying now in their hearts.
Don't talk about that.
Because you have just got through telling me of my wrongness.
And if you start telling me about rightness.
You better leave me out because I don't qualify.
Well, we are going to talk about rightness. That's what we came here for.
Romans chapter 3.
Where the subject is rightness.
Verse 10 of Romans 3.
As it is written, there is none righteous.
No, not one.
I've often been amazed at that verse and wondered why the Word of God puts it that way. There is none, right?
Why didn't why didn't they just put a period there and say that's it, there's none, right? We've already found that out in reading the 10 Commandments. There's none, right?
And you have admitted, I think, in your heart with me.
We are not right.
Why does it say there's none, right?
No, not one. It's like God is saying Somebody might read that wrongly and say.
There is none righteous except me.
And it's the Lord anticipating what we're thinking, he said. No, not.
1.
There is none that understandeth verse 11. There is none that seeketh after God.
Did you come to this meeting really looking for God?
Or did you come for some other purpose?
There is none that seeketh after God.
They're all gone out of the way. You know, this word, all that's that's a heavy word.
It's amazing how the Word of God uses words like that.
And he doesn't leave any exceptions. There is.
They're all going out of the way.
They together become unprofitable.
There is none that doeth good. Now here it is again.
No, not.
One so there.
That's it.
No, not one.
Oh, I thought the Bible was a nice book that said nice things in poems and sweet stories.
Why do people read things like this?
Well.
We're going to find out.
No, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre.
With their tongues they have used deceit.
Here we are again. We're reading Romans, but it's saying the same thing that we read about in Exodus.
You see, friends, this is the Bible. This is the Holy Word of God.
It has Old and New Testament, but it's just one book. It's God's book.
With their tongues they have used deceit. The poison of ASPs is under their lips.
Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.
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Their feet are swift to shed blood.
Destruction and misery are in their ways and the way of peace. Have they not known? There's No Fear of God before their eyes.
Now, is this talking about your neighbor?
Can you see any possibility? Will you allow me just one possibility?
That it could be speaking about you.
Now nobody's got to twist my arm and say, Mr. Reeves, he sure doesn't apply to you.
I have to say, would you like a full length?
Picture of Maine.
Here it is.
There's No Fear of God before their eyes.
You know when God takes pictures, he shows the whole works.
This is not very encouraging.
But I'd like to ask you to read on a few verses and we're going to find something that's.
Very, very interesting about rightness.
Righteousness.
Verse 19 says Now we know that what things so ever the law says, that's the 10 commandments. It says to them who are under the law.
That every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty.
Before God.
Well, I'll never forget that time I got caught for speeding on the way to work when I was a younger man and.
And I had to go and see the judge. I didn't like to do that. I.
I had to get the coffee cream that day and I was late for work and I was going too fast and and he wanted me to go meet the judge and so on.
And I went there and.
I didn't like the question the judge asked me.
He said guilty or not guilty?
I didn't like that question.
Because that put me in a corner.
I didn't have any escape, that's all, he said to me. Ronald Reeves. Guilty or not guilty?
I wanted to change the subject.
Guilty or not guilty? You know, I only had one thing I could say and say it honestly.
Guilty, your honor.
That every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God's friends.
We have to admit.
That this is where we are.
Guilty before God.
There is no other reply we can give.
The evidence is too strong. We don't even need a jury. We've got the eternal God that saw the whole thing guilty before God. Therefore, by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight. Well, that's logical because if the law just condemns me and tells me how bad I am, how can it make me good?
How can a list of questions that makes me feel bad because they're true. How can a list of questions make me feel good?
By the deeds of the law, through no flesh be justified, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Why we found out tonight that we're worse sinners than we thought we were.
Haven't we? Have you found that out?
Did you find out that you're pretty good after all you say? Oh, I'll take my I'll take my chances. I I'm better than most of them. And that may be true.
But have we not discovered already tonight that?
The law can't do anything for us, it only condemns us.
And makes us feel worse. But let's go to verse 21. But now.
The rightness of God.
Without the law.
Is manifested being witnessed by the law and the prophets.
Now we're going to get somewhere. God is going to tell us about a new kind of rightness.
That's not based upon the 10 commandments or his love.
You're going to tell us about a new kind of rightness. Oh, you say say on Brother Ron. Tell me more about it, because you see that other kind of rightness.
I can't measure up to that, but if you've got a new kind of rightness I won't hear about.
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Now the rightness, the righteousness of God without the law.
Is manifested.
Verse 22 Even the rightness of God.
Which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe. For there is no difference, for all have sinned.
And come short of the glory of God, Ah.
Hey, a little light starting to break.