Gospel—J. Hyland
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Apple meeting this evening with hymn #9 on the gospel hymn sheet. Come every soul by sin oppressed. There's mercy with the Lord, and He will surely give you rest by trusting in His word only trust him Only trust him. Only trust him now.
He will save you. He will save you. He will save you. Now I'm going to suggest we stand up to sing this Hymn Hymn #9 and if someone will please start it.
Again.
For.
Let's ask.
Without apology, at the beginning of this Gospel meeting, I'd like to read several portions of the Living Word of God. The first one is in John's Gospel, Chapter One.
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We may not even talk about all of these Scriptures. We may not even talk about them in the order in which we read them. But I want to encourage you, as we turn through the pages of God's Word for a few moments, to open your ears to listen to God's precious Word, because faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. John's Gospel chapter one and verse one in the beginning was the Word.
And the Word was with God.
And the Word was God, verse 14. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. And then I want to read a portion in Revelation chapter 19.
Revelation Chapter 19 and verse 11.
And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a White Horse. And he that sat upon him was called faithful and true, and in righteousness he doth judge, and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns. And he had a name written that no man knew but he himself.
And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood, and his name is called The Word of God, Second Timothy, Chapter 3.
Second Timothy Chapter 3.
And verse 15.
And that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation.
Through faith, which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. First Peter, chapter One.
First Peter chapter one and verse 23.
Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass, The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away. But the word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the word by which the gospel.
Is preached unto you Hebrews chapter 4.
Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 12 for the word of God is quick.
And powerful and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight, but all things are naked and open under the eyes of him with whom we have to do. And then a verse I quoted already Romans chapter 10.
Romans, chapter 10.
And I'm going to read verse 16 and 17. But they have not all obeyed the gospel, for Isaiah says Lord who hath believed our report. So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Just two more portions, Luke chapter 8.
Luke Chapter 8.
And verse 21 And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it one more portion in John chapter 12.
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John, chapter 12 and verse 47. And if any man hear my words and believe not, I judge him not, for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my words hath one that judgeth him the word that I have spoken the same shall judge him in the last day. Well, these might seem like strange verses.
To connect at the beginning of a gospel meeting this evening. But I have it on my heart in seeking by the grace of God to present the gospel as simply and clearly as we can to speak a little bit concerning the word of God. We're going to speak concerning the living word and the written word, because I believe that there are two great attacks of the enemy. 2 Great attacks from the very beginning.
One is on the spoken or for our purposes tonight, the written word of God, and the other is concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, the living word. I say that because the first recorded words of Satan in the Old Testament are hast God said immediately, trying to raise a doubt in the mind of Eve as to whether God had really said that. And isn't that what the enemy seeks to do?
Has God really said that? Or is this really the word of God that we hold in our hands this evening?
Sometimes at the end of a gospel meeting, people might say, well, I find it hard to believe that perhaps they would be more honest if they said I find it hard to believe God. Because as we read and quote the word of God this evening, we want to establish the fact that despite whatever else may be said as to comments and as to pleadings from the preacher's heart tonight, apart from all that we have the Word of God before us, and it is the Word of God in truth.
It's interesting too.
That the first recorded words of Satan in the New Testament are, If thou be the Son of God in the Old Testament, he raised a doubt as to what God had said. The spoken word of God hath God said. And when the living word came forth in the fullness of time, he immediately raised a question, tried to raise the doubt as to whether the Lord Jesus was really who he said he was.
And so tonight we want to establish beyond the shadow of a doubt, the veracity of these two things, the written word of God and the living word of God. And I began by reading these two portions from John's ministry, one from John's Gospel, 1 from Revelation.
Concerning the living word, you know this expression, this title, this name is unique to John's ministry. Nowhere else in the Bible do you find the Lord Jesus referred to in this way. And we find it in John's Gospel at the book where the Lord Jesus comes forth as the Son of God in lowliness and grace, and we find it again in Revelation.
Where that same man, the Lord Jesus Christ, comes forth not in lowliness and grace, but he comes forth in power and glory and judgment and righteousness. I think it's very significant that John brings before us the name of the Lord Jesus as the word of God.
In these two particular contexts, and I think it's very solemn for us to consider tonight, it might be just helpful to say that in connection with what we have in John, one where the Word is made flesh and dwelt among us the eternal Word of God, a beginning that had no beginning, so to speak, and we want to establish that He is. He was.
The eternal Son of God.
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With the Father from a past eternity, he didn't just become the Son when he came into this world. He was the Son when the world's, the foundation of the world was laid, when the planets were placed in their orbit.
When everything was established by the Word of God, He was there as one brought up by Him. He was daily His delight from a past eternity. But why is He brought before us as the Word? You know, words give expression, don't they?
And in John's Gospel we have the Lord Jesus as the express image of his person. Have I been so long time with you? And hast thou not known me? He that hath seen me, hath seen the Father.
But I want to say this in connection with the Gospels. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, you know, as you read through the four gospels, or sometimes we refer to them as the four evangelists, you find the Lord Jesus in his person and work presented in four different ways.
We know that in Matthew he's presented as the King, the Messiah, and Matthew is the most Jewish in its character. Of the four Gospels, it's the gospel with the most Old Testament quotes, and there are things that are unique to Matthew.
Like the coming of the wise men to worship him.
Mark brings before us the Lord Jesus as the servant, the perfect servant. I suppose Mark's Gospel can be summed up in those words that tell us the Son of Man came not to minister, sorry to be ministered to, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many. And he marks gospel. You don't have his birth, you don't have his genealogy. It begins immediately with his service, and it just takes us from one busy service and activity to the other.
And mark uses words like immediately in a non and forthwith and straightway.
Luke, of course, brings before us the Lord Jesus as the perfect dependent man.
And John brings before us the Son of God. John gets to the very heart of the matter.
Brings before us the eternity of his person. And when we talk about something that's eternal, it's not just something that has no ending that's true. That's the difference, you know, between everlasting and eternal. Everlasting.
Has no ending, but something that is eternal has no beginning. And I would suggest for our poor puny minds tonight, it is probably harder to consider or fathom something that has no beginning than something that has no ending.
But the eternal word was here giving expression to God the Father. All think of it tonight.
Show us the Father, and it sufficeeth us. No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. And as you trace through this gospel, and you see John writing and so precious.
As he brings before us the person and work of Christ.
Can we doubt?
As it says here, full of grace and truth.
But I think it's very, very solemn.
To turn from what we have in John's Gospel chapter one.
And to turn over to the end of God's Word and find the Lord Jesus brought before us again as the Word of God.
But not coming forth in lowliness and grace. When he came the first time, it says he didn't come to condemn the world, but to save the world, that the world through him might be saved. He didn't come to judge, He came to save. But there is a day coming when the heavens are going to open up and they're going to reveal that blessed one coming forth.
Not crowned with a crown of thorns.
Not hanging on a cross of shame the way he was the first time, you know the last glimpse, this world God of the Lord Jesus was awarded with a crown of thorns on Calvary.
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The next glimpse this world gets of God's beloved son. He's coming forth crowned with many crowns, and he's coming forth who's right? It is. And he's coming forth in judgment. And it is so very solemn because tonight.
You are being offered salvation the very.
That you're in this room tonight and the very fact that we have the word of God open before us and a Gospel meeting has been announced.
Is a proof of the love and long-suffering in the heart of God.
But there is a day coming.
If you do not receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.
When he will be presented to you again as the Word, the Word of God.
And there will be no fleeing from his face in that day. Every eye is going to see him.
And it tells us, too, that every knee is going to bow and every tongue confess.
That Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
It's scary. It's solemn to think that there might be someone in this room.
Who perhaps has even sat in this room year after year after year at a conference like this and gospel meetings such as this?
And instead of seeing Christ as your savior, you're going to see him as your judge. You know, there's a lot of people today are gearing up.
To in a month or so, celebrate the birth of their judge.
Not solemn to consider, they're going to celebrate the birth of their judge.
These things are real. These things are serious.
And that's why we always, when we present the gospel, encourage souls to listen and to listen to the word of God. And This is why we have gone on and read verse after verse concerning God's precious word.
Because, you know, I am very thankful tonight that we don't have to guess about eternity.
Michael Faraday, the great scientist, was lying on his deathbed.
And someone came to his deathbed, a friend to comfort him.
And they said, Michael, what are your speculations about eternity?
He said. Speculations, I rest uncertainties.
And we're not here to speculate tonight about eternity. No, God has very, very carefully in His word.
Told us what lies beyond.
Death and eternity are not a leap in the dark.
And so we find the Apostle Paul writes to Timothy, and he reminds him that from a child he has known the Holy Scriptures that are able to make him wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
Now I realize that tonight there may be those here who did not know the Holy Scriptures.
In their childhood, perhaps you were not brought up in a Christian home.
Perhaps you did not go to Sunday School or any place where the word of God was open and read.
And we're thankful you're here tonight. And I know there are those here who are saved and on their way to heaven, who heard the word of God and the gospel preached later on in their life.
You know, sometimes I have the privilege and opportunity.
Of addressing large crowds where I feel that most in the audience have never heard a clear gospel. Perhaps I've never heard the name of Jesus Christ other than on the lips of the cursor and the Song of the Drunkard. And it's solemn. It's a challenge to seek by the grace of God from the pages of this book, to present clearly and simply the gospel.
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But I wonder tonight.
If it isn't even more of a challenge.
To look into the faces of those who have heard the word of God.
From like Timothy, from the very early days of their childhood.
I don't remember the first time I heard the word of God.
It was read in our home on a daily basis.
From the very beginning.
I came to gospel meetings like this.
I had faithful Sunday school teachers.
But you know, I am afraid.
That often those who hear the word of God many times become either hardened or indifferent to it.
Have you heard the word of God before?
You probably have, and tonight you've heard it read and you're hearing it quoted.
Has your heart become hardened to that which you have heard so often?
You know, there are so many in this room tonight who thrill every time we read or hear quoted the precious word of God. I'm going to tell you a little experience about 3 weeks ago.
I had the opportunity and the privilege.
Of traveling with another brother.
To the island and country of Grenada.
It's an experience I won't forget for a long, long time.
This brother and myself have been to Grenada together on a number of occasions previous.
But we went to Grenada.
With the exercise and thought of taking Bibles.
Into that country.
Particularly for believers.
Who did not have a Bible?
You say, well, that's strange. They had Bibles, and we have taken Bibles into that country a number of times and we have sold literally hundreds, perhaps even thousands of Bibles in Grenada over the years. But we weren't there to sell Bibles this time because, as you remember.
Back in September, Hurricane Ivan went across that island.
And by the time the eye of the storm hit Grenada, it was a #5 hurricane, which is the top of the scale.
And when it went across Grenada, it didn't just smash a few windows and take a few roofs off.
I couldn't believe it. It flattened that island.
Pictures.
Articles and commentary don't tell the story.
Don't tell the story of the human misery and the aftermath of a disaster like that.
Where souls are struggling every hour just to get a few crusts of bread.
And I'm not trying to be dramatic.
And I won't go into a lot of details.
But souls struggling to keep body and soul together every day.
We lined up for a meal this evening.
And we had every expectation that when we went through the dinner line, there would be ample plenty of food and leftover. No one needed to go away hungry, but we saw people lined up for four hours.
To try to get a handful of vegetables.
And most of them went away.
Without what they came for, money isn't the answer. There's nothing to buy.
But why am I bringing this up?
Because as I say, our exercise was to take Bibles into that country and initially we were able to take with us 700 lbs of Bibles.
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And we were taken from place to place to meet believers, some of whom we have got to know and love over the years, others we had never met before.
And we were taken from place to place, and it was our joy.
To place the Bible in the hands of these believers and tell them that there was absolutely no cost involved to them.
I'll just tell you one story. There were many.
Dear Christian Man.
Told us that before Hurricane Ivan hit, he had three Bibles in his home. I'm going to give a little parenthesis here for the boys and girls. I'm going to challenge you that when you go back to your home.
Go through your house and count how many Bibles you have in your home. I think most of us will be very surprised with how many Bibles there are in our home.
But I thought of the verse. The word of the Lord was precious in those days. You know we have Bibles in abundance on every hand.
But what makes something precious is its rarity, or its scarcity. And in Samuel's day, there was no open vision. The Lord hadn't spoken for some time openly, and the word of the Lord was precious because it was scarce.
The word of the Lord is scarce in Grenada, but this brother told us he had three Bibles in his home.
It's home completely blew away.
Absolutely gone.
Roof.
Contents, walls, everything.
Through the storm, he was able to hold on to one of those Bibles.
It almost broke my heart. I don't know what I would have grabbed first if my home was blowing away and the rain was coming down in Torrance. I don't know. I've never been given a test like that. I don't know what I would grab first.
But this man grabbed a copy of the word of God.
However, you have to understand that in a hurricane.
Not only do you have winds, and these winds were up to 200 miles an hour.
But not only do you have that, but you have torrential rain. I've been in a hurricane myself. You can't believe that that much water can fall from the sky continually for hours and hours and hours.
But he was able to salvage this Bible, albeit it was soaking wet.
And so he spent days.
Putting this Bible out in the sun when the sun came out and the human misery is only accentuated by the fact it's still rainy season down there. But as soon as the sun would come out for an hour or two, he would take the Bible out in the sun. And as he explained to us page by page, he carefully dried out his Bible, Couldn't go to the store and get another one, couldn't go back to BTP and replace it.
He spent days and days drawing this Bible out.
After he felt it was dry enough.
To carry with them.
They took it to meeting.
On a particular Lord's Day morning.
And between the meetings, he set it on the bench where he was sitting.
And he turned around to talk to someone. And when he turned back.
The Bible was gone.
Now, I don't propagate stealing anything. Let him that stole steal no more. But I suppose if you're going to take anything, a Bible is a good thing to take.
He told us that story with tears in his eyes.
Didn't have a Bible to read.
Imagine wanting to read the word of God and you don't have a Bible.
And you can imagine his joy.
As I opened my bag.
And I know it was only by the grace of God, but as I opened my bag was able to hand that man a brand new copy of the Word of God.
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And tell him that there was number charge and we were only too happy for him to have it.
We couldn't have handed him anything more precious.
He hugged it to his breast. He thanked us again and again and again. I'm not trying to be dramatic tonight, but it just has impressed on my soul. Do we really value the word of God? We have had the privilege today of sitting this afternoon with Bibles in our hands.
And by the Spirit of God, having its pages ministered and made good to our souls.
Have we valued that? I'm talking to those of us who know Christ as our Savior.
Just remember when you pick up your Bible off the chair after meeting and take it to your room, there's a lot of believers in this world would give anything to be able to pick up the word of God and read it.
And for those here tonight who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior.
Oh, if we could only impress upon you the fact that these are the Holy Scriptures.
Given by inspiration of God, so that we would know beyond the shadow of a doubt.
The story of salvation.
That the Lord Jesus came into the world to save sinners. The story of the Lord Jesus going to Calvary's cross.
And there not only suffering, everything that man could heap upon him in his hatred.
But there, in those hours of darkness to bear in his own body my sins there on the tree.
There, at the end of it to cry, it is finished.
To bow his blessed head and give up the ghost.
To lay down his life so that we could echo with the sun, with the Apostle Paul, the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
And we have read no doubt the account in John's Gospel.
Of that soldier coming.
And with a spear piercing his side, and forthwith came throughout blood and water.
And we have heard and read, no doubt many times from God's Word the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin, in whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins. We've read that He has made peace through the blood of His cross. And we have read from the pages of this word further, no doubt on many occasions the fact that He died.
He was buried and he rose again the 3rd day according to the scriptures.
We know from the pages of this blessed book that the Lord Jesus is in heaven tonight.
That there came a point after he had remained on earth long enough to give ample testimony to his own.
As to his bodily resurrection, there came a moment when, in the presence of His disciples, His feet left the Mount of Olives.
And he ascended, and the cloud received him out of their sight. And we know from further scriptures that he is now seated at the right hand of God.
And there he is as the savior of sinners tonight.
You see, it's the Holy Scriptures.
That have shown us the way of salvation, that have made us wise unto salvation. How else would we know God's plan of salvation tonight, apart from God's written word? I'm going to tell those stories that perhaps I've told before, but I'll repeat it.
Story about.
A governor and his wife.
A governor.
Of one of the islands over in the Pacific Rim, one of the islands.
Which is part of the country of Malaysia.
And on this Malay island, they had never seen a Bible.
They had never heard of God's beloved Son, the eternal word.
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They worshiped idols that they had made with their own hands.
And one day this governor was sitting cross legged on the floor of his home and his wife was nearby.
And he was busy repairing some of these idols, perhaps polishing them, repairing a finger that had broken, or whatever it might be. And these idols, as the story goes, were made of wood.
Now we see very clearly the folly of worshipping idols of wood, But this is what they did this they had known nothing else.
All of a sudden, in the piece of that afternoon, the governor jumped to his feet.
And he began picking up these idols that he had been repairing, and his wife was startled. He went through the house, and he began to pick up other of the idols that were around in various rooms.
And he gathered them together, and he took them out into the courtyard.
And he put them in a pile, and he burnt everyone of them.
His wife was startled. She was scared. She had a mixture of emotions going through her soul.
Said to his wife, he said, I don't believe in these idols anymore, he said. How can these idols that I have to repair help me?
Hesitatingly, she said. Well, you know, she said.
I've wondered the same thing for some time, but was afraid to voice what I felt.
They didn't know what they believed, really. Again, they had never seen or heard of a Bible.
But you know, God honors faith, and it wasn't long until a man came through that area and he was selling books.
And among other things, he was selling Bibles. They call that a Cole Porter.
It's a word for your vocabulary. Cole Porter is someone who travels from place to place and sells Bibles.
But this man sold them a Bible. Because as this governor viewed this man, the the books that this man had, somehow he was drawn to the word of God. And though he didn't know what it was, he felt that there was something here that they were looking for. Of course we know it was the Spirit of God working.
Every afternoon.
In the cool of the day, in the late afternoon, he and his wife would sit on their veranda and read the word of God. They began. At the beginning, they began. In Genesis, they read of the creation.
They read of The Fall of Man.
They read the Old Testament stories about Abraham.
About Isaac, Jacob, Joseph they read on about the children of Israel in Egypt.
And how they were redeemed by the blood of the Passover lamb. And on and on they read, And no doubt much of what they read was a puzzlement to them.
But they kept reading. Finally, they came to the New Testament, and they began reading the four gospels.
And they read about God sending his Son the Lord Jesus, and they read about this man that came from heaven.
And dispensed blessing on every hand, and eventually was taken to and nailed to a cross.
Where he gave his life.
They read about his resurrection on They read through the Epistles again, Much of it.
Was a mystery to them.
They finally came to the Book of Revelation and they read.
Of the judgments that are pending concerning this world.
But my point is by the time they had read through the word of God.
They had in their souls, not only plainly put before them, the way of salvation.
But they had come to know the Lord Jesus as their savior, and their souls had the assurance.
That their sins were forgiven and they were on their way to heaven. Saved from hell and saved for heaven, you say? How could it be? They had no one to explain. They had no preacher. They had no expounder.
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All they had the living word of God, and they had the Spirit to make it good to them.
And so it's the Word of God that makes us wise unto salvation. But the verse doesn't stop there through faith, which is in Christ Jesus.
I suppose if I were to take the time to go up and down these rows tonight and speak with even the youngest children.
We would find that perhaps everyone in this room could give me some idea as to how to get to heaven.
Quote Some verse they learned in Sunday school. Give me some principles, some outlay of the gospel.
But that in itself is not enough. There are many people who have been made wise unto salvation, but they've never put their faith and their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.
You know, just talking to a brother the other day and we were solemnized to realize from the Book of Thessalonians.
That young people who sit in gospel meetings like this.
Brought up in Christian homes and who reject the Lord Jesus Christ.
Will be some of the very ones.
Who, after the Lord comes, will be sent such a strong delusion that they'll believe the lie of Satan.
You say no, I would never do that.
If you're left behind when the Lord Jesus comes, wouldn't be any use of presenting the gospel to you?
Because there would be no repentance, the opportunity for repentance would be over, and you would believe whatever lie is propagated in that day, that you might be blinded and damned forever. Oh, what a solemn thing, to enter into a lost eternity having known the way of salvation. But Timothy knew more than the way of salvation. He had put his faith in the Lord Jesus.
But you know, the word of God does more than just show us the way of salvation. We read in Hebrews that this book is living and powerful. Do you realize that the word of God, the book you hold in your hand this evening, is the only book in this world that's living? It's a living book.
You know, that's why you'll never get to the bottom of it.
That's why you will never exhaust this book. How can you get to the bottom of a book that's living?
Every other volume written by man, as deep and profound as it may be, you will eventually, after much study.
And as Ecclesiastes says, weariness of the flesh. You will be able to get to the bottom of it and say we've got everything we can out of this volume.
But you know, for those of us who know the Lord Jesus is our Savior, we're going to have a fresh enjoyment of the precious Word of God for all eternity. Oh, it's true. We'll no longer know in part and prophecy in part, but we will have. Because it's a living book presenting the living Word, we will have a fresh enjoyment of it for all eternity. You ever weary of the Word of God, you won't weary of the word of God in glory. It's going to be our joy and delight.
For all eternity. But what I want to point out is what we read in First Peter where it says we're born again.
Not a corruptible seed, but incorruptible by the Word of God.
That liveth and abideth forever. That's why I read that verse in Romans that tells us faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Because every person here tonight who knows the Lord Jesus as their savior. It is the result of having read or heard in some way the word of God and the Spirit of God taking the living word and applying it.
To impart divine life to us.
Have your ears tonight been open to the precious word of God?
It's living. You know men have tried to eradicate this book from the Earth. You know they'll never do it. And you know why?
Because as it tells us in the verse we read, it's established in heaven.
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Forever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven. They can burn it by the thousands, but the originals in heaven, they'll never get rid of it.
Voltaire, who died, I believe, in 1778. He made a prediction before his death that within 100 years of his death, the Bible would be gone from the face of the earth and Christianity.
Would just be part of the pages of history. But you know, God had other plans.
Because.
Within 50 years of his death.
His home.
Became the first headquarters of the Geneva Bible Society.
Not only that.
But Voltaire's press printing press that had been used to churn out propaganda against the Word of God was used to churn out the pages of God's word. But I want to just add a little solemn addendum to what I've just said.
Because the nurse who attended.
The deathbed of Voltaire.
Said that not for all the gold in Europe which he ever attend the deathbed of another infidel.
They tell U.S. history tells us, that his deathbed scene was terrible beyond description as he faced eternity, and as he realized in his soul that there was something beyond and yet it was too late as it were.
He went into eternity cursing. He went into eternity in an agony of soul and mind that that nurse said she would not, for all the gold in Europe, ever want to witness again.
I haven't witnessed anything quite like that, but I do remember a man in the town of Smiths Falls where I live.
Who came to the end of his life, and he was a man who was well thought of Indiana, the town of Smiths Falls for many years.
And when he came to the end of his life.
I happened to be in that hospital on that same floor, standing by the deathbed of a dear old Saint of God who had gently taken her last breath and with a smile on her face, passed into the presence of the Lord Jesus.
And as I stood there, the whales and the cries that filled that hospital hall from the room of that man I have just spoken of.
We're awful to hear. He came to the end too, but he came to the end without Christ.
And he went into eternity wailing and crying out in an agony.
But we've come to the end of this gospel meeting.
And what about you? Tonight we have spoken at great length of the word of God, the living Word, the written word, the spoken word.
And the Lord Jesus said in the verse that we read in Luke.
That those who are brought into relationship with himself are those that hear the word.
And do it.
You've heard the word tonight. You've heard the word you cannot go out.
And say you haven't heard and you cannot stand before God in a coming day and say you never heard.
But are you going to do it? You're going to obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
That's what brings us into relationship with the Lord Jesus.
It's to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. You know the day of grace is so fast growing to a close. The Lord Jesus is coming at any moment.
You don't know when you're going to pass into eternity.
And the Lord Jesus said in John 12.
That those who heard the word and rejected it, that that same word.
Would judge them in the last day.
I'm going to quote a well known gospel verse.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
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Have you heard that verse before? You probably have, and if you haven't, you've heard it now.
But will it not be a solemn thing in a coming day when you lift up your eyes in hell and remember that verse?
But remembering that verse at that time, it will no longer be offered to you as to a point of refuge or salvation, but that verse that has been used mightily by the Spirit of God in the preaching of the gospel for centuries, that very verse will rise up in judgment and condemn you, because you will realize.
That in hearing that verse and its offer of salvation, you refused it. And that a righteous holy God had no choice, no choice but to send you to a lost eternity. I'm just going to read in closing one verse of a well known hymn. Just listen to it.
Oh, do not let the word depart.
And close thine eyes against the light.
Poor Sinner, Harden not thine heart thou wouldst be saved. Why not Tonight let's pray our.