Gospel—Jim Hyland
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With me, please. First of all, to Matthew's Gospel, chapter 121.
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus.
For he shall save his people from their sins. And then I want to read a verse in Romans chapter 10.
In verse 13.
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Well, a little later on in this meeting, Lord willing, we're going to speak about the blessed privilege of being gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
But I began with these verses that bring before us that blessed name, that name to which which to many of us at one time was just another name, that name that is despised still in this world. You know the name of Jesus is still the song of the drunkard. It's still on the lips of the cursor tonight. And just go out on the streets of any town or city in North America and listen, I don't suggest you do it, but if we were to do it.
What would we hear? Oh, we would hear that blessed name taken in vain on every hand.
And I know you young people. As you go to school or you go to work or wherever you operate from day-to-day, you often hear that blessed name on the lips of the cursor. There's no love for the blessed name of Jesus in this world. It's still a despised name. But oh, think of this glorious verse that we began with the proclamation that the that the virgin would bring forth the sun and call his name Jesus, and that name which was to us just another name at one time.
To many, most I trust all in this room has become the most real and precious name that we have ever known and will know the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. There's that old gospel hymn we sometimes sing. Sweetest name on Sarah Song. Sweetest Carol ever sung. Sweetest name on mortal tongue. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Do you love the name of Jesus Tonight when we read.
These precious verses that bring before us the name of Jesus, Does it thrill your soul? Does it touch your heart? Does it tug at your heartstrings tonight? Or do you try not to listen and think about what's going to take place later? And there's only 45 minutes or so of meeting left, and you're kind of squirming in your seat and hoping that.
The meeting won't last too long and you'll be able to go out and have other thoughts before you.
Or is the name of Jesus precious to you tonight? You know, it tells us in Peter unto you therefore which believe he is precious. That's a little test, you know.
Are you real tonight? Do you know the Lord Jesus as your savior? If you do, then He is, at least in some measure, precious to you.
But if you search your heart and you find that that name and that person is not precious to you tonight, then I question whether you really know this one as your savior. Remember talking to a young man one time some years ago, and he had professed to be saved for three or four years, and I watched his life.
You know, I rarely ask someone if they're saved. I watch their life.
And I watched this young man's life for some years and there didn't seem to be any evidence.
That there was any love in his heart for the Lord Jesus or any desire to follow that blessed one, I can't judge. It's true the Lord knoweth them that are His. But I did say to him one time when I had occasion to speak to him alone, I said, George, if there is no desire in your heart to live to please the Lord Jesus in some measure, then I really question whether you were ever saved or not.
Examine your heart tonight. I challenge you. Is the name of Jesus precious to you?
Is there some desire in your heart to live for that Blessed One?
Remember, another man came to some gospel meetings one time that we were holding in Truro, NS.
And after the Gospel meeting one night, he stayed behind to have a chat with some and he said these words.
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I tremble to tell you what he said.
But he said, let's talk religion and leave Jesus out of it. That is exactly what that man said. He had a Bible under his arm. He had just sat for an hour and listened to the gospel presented to him faithfully by the brother who had had the privilege and opportunity of holding forth the word of God that night.
And he wanted to talk religion, but he evidently had no love.
For the Lord Jesus Christ, the name of Jesus meant nothing to him.
But all think of this one come into this world born in Bethlehem's Manger.
Growing up in Nazareth.
Beginning his public ministry. Going up and down the dusty streets of Palestine, dispensing blessing on every hand.
And at the end of it all they cried away with Him, crucify him, and they took him outside the walls of Jerusalem.
And had him nailed to a Roman cross.
And they are in those hours of darkness He bore the judgment of God against sin.
And I can say with all confidence and on the authority of the word of God, that he bore my sins in his own body on the tree.
There that precious blood flowed forth. The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin, in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sin redeemed not with corruptible things as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ.
Does that touch something in your heart? Does the blood of Christ mean something to you tonight?
He was taken down from that cross, it says he was buried, and he rose again the third day.
He remained on earth long enough to give testimony as to His bodily resurrection. He could say to His own handle me and see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bone as you see me have. And then He ascended back to the glory, and I love that gospel hymn we so often sing. There is a Savior on high in the glory, a Savior who suffered on Calvary's tree. A Savior is willing to save now as ever.
His arm is almighty, His love, great and free, all come now to Jesus.
That dear loving Savior, receive him this moment, and peace shall be thine.
How many times have you heard the gospel?
How many times have you heard the name of Jesus on an occasion like this?
Countless times, most of us in this room, most of us have heard the name of Jesus.
From our parents and from gospel meetings and going to meetings.
From the various earlier from the earliest recollections.
I don't remember the first time I heard about Jesus.
I had the privilege of a Christian home and the privilege of being brought up.
Coming to the meetings from the time I was a young child, how many times have you heard about Jesus?
A young person was asked when is the best time to get saved. You know, most people, when they're asked that question, they usually give the answer now. And that's a good answer. But that's not what this young person said. This young person said the best time to be saved is the first time you hear about Jesus.
How many times have you heard the name of Jesus? Are you saved? Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
You realize that that verse is three times in the word of God.
You have it in Joel, two in the Old Testament and then we find in Acts chapter 2. When Peter preached on the day of Pentecost, he used that verse in preaching to the Jews that were assembled to hear him on that occasion. And then we have it again in Romans where we read.
Must be a very, very important statement for God to record it three times in His word.
God speaks once, yet twice, yet man perceiveth it not. But here we have this statement three times. So there be no doubt in our minds that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. You know the gospel is not complicated, is it? It's not something hard. It's not making some pilgrimage to a far off place. It's not abusing our body by penance.
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It's it's it's simple. The gospel is easy.
And yet it seems so difficult for souls to receive.
There was a man in a jail in Philippi we often hear so much about.
And he was in earnest. Would that souls were earnest tonight when the gospel goes forth. But he was in earnest. And he said, What must I do to be saved? Did he receive a very long sermon? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.
5 summers ago I was rather shocked.
We had some children's and gospel meetings in a village in upstate New York, a town in upstate New York.
First time we'd ever gone to that community to have gospel meetings.
And bear in mind this is not the heart of heathendom, but this is upstate New York in the United States of America.
We were able to secure a room in that town and we were able to have a week of gospel meetings.
And I suppose there were about 75 children or so who attended each morning. Some of them came back in the evening as well for the Gospel meeting. And of those 75 children that were registered by the end of the week.
I would say that no more than ten of those children, if that.
Had ever heard the name of Jesus?
Other than in swearing.
They had never heard of John 316. Have you ever heard that verse before?
You've probably memorized it when you were very young. These boys and girls had no idea what John 316 meant.
They had never sung. Jesus loves me.
Imagine having to teach children in the United States of America, so-called Christian land.
To sing Jesus Loves Me for the first time.
We always encourage the boys and girls to bring a Bible with them each day, and sometimes we were pretty lenient about what we allowed as a Bible and then during the course of the week made sure that a good King James translation of the Bible or New Testament went into their home. But we would give them an extra point each day that they could use for a prize at the end of the week if they would bring a Bible.
The second day, most of those children came back and said we couldn't find the Bible in our home.
This is not the heart of Africa. This is not India.
This is new. This is New York State. Never heard of the name of Jesus? Do you young people realize what a privilege you have?
Of growing up in a Christian home and hearing the gospel from the very early days of your youth.
Oh, I just want to encourage your heart to learn to value that. And if you're not saved.
Oh, I beseech you tonight to come to know the Lord Jesus as your savior.
Call on the name of the Lord. Whosoever shall call upon the Lord might be saved.
Is that what the word of God says? No. Three times in Scripture, Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall.
That's definite, isn't it? Shall be saved.
What about that Philippian jailer who heard that short gospel sermon from Paul and Silas? He believed in God rejoicing with all his house.
Perhaps that was the first time he'd heard the gospel. He received it.
This is not the first time you've heard the gospel, but I plead with you to receive it.
I'm going to tell one more short story and then I'm going to move on. Doctor Woolston who whose Bible commentaries are still appreciated.
He was an evangelist in England many, many years ago and he was visiting in Sheffield, England and holding some evangelical meetings in that community.
And as you know, Sheffield has been noted for its mining a fine and manufacturing of fine steel.
And the first night Doctor Woolston was staying in Sheffield.
As he prepared to retire for the night, he said to his host, he said, How do you sleep with those hammers pounding in the distance all night long? Because the equipment of the the steel mine operation there operated 24 hours a day, a continual pounding of equipment. You know what his host said? He said. You stay here long enough, you'll get used to it.
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Maybe there's a young person here and you've got used to the pounding of the gospel.
We sometimes refer to it as gospel hardened. Are you gospel hardened tonight? I'm thankful that God's Word is like a hammer that breaketh the rock in twain. Would that if your gospel hardened tonight that the word of God would have that effect on your soul this evening?
But because there was a sequel to that story.
One night the equipment failed and the whole town woke up.
Isn't that solemn? You know there's a day coming when the pounding of the gospel is going to quit.
The believers are going to be called away to be with the Lord Jesus Christ in heaven, and the gospel of God's grace will no longer continue to go forth to the lost, and you will no longer sit in meetings like this and hear from God's word. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
And then you will wake up to the awful reality that you have been left behind for the judgment of God. You know, when Elijah was caught away to heaven in a whirlwind and in a chariot of fire, who was it that missed him? Wasn't really the general populace in Israel, it was the sons of the prophets.
And when the Lord comes, I sometimes think, Who is going to miss the believer?
It's the sons and daughters.
Of Christian parents and grandparents.
Sitting in a meeting like this and all of a sudden every chair is empty but your own.
And you will wake up to the awful reality that it is too late.
Oh, come to the Lord Jesus. Call upon the name of the Lord. Don't. I'm not going to tell you to wait till the end of the meeting. You might not have that long. I'm telling you now, right this moment to come.
And receive the Lord Jesus as your savior.
I'm going to do something a little unusual before I pass on.
I'm going to stop and I'm going to pray again.
Before we continue on and finish this set of charts, because I feel burdened that perhaps there is someone here who is not saved.
And if you are not saved.
Oh dear young person, I plead with you that while I am praying, you would quietly in your heart speak to the Lord Jesus.
His ear is bending low from heaven tonight to hear you quietly in your heart. You don't have to say one word aloud, but quietly in your heart call upon the name of the Lord and be saved. Let's pray.