Gospel—Ted Sester
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Welcome to the Gospel meeting. Let's start by three number 10 #10.
Actually #19 you are reading the wrong number here. Number 19 says, O Christ and me, my soul abound, and found in me alone the peace, the joy I thought so long, the bliss till now unknown.
#19.
056.
100.
Dollars.
I sighed. Forest and I've been up.
I earned more of them lying.
No grace falls by.
Your dream.
I love, we love, we love doing.
All that life and life, the joy.
Lord Jesus.
Found in thee.
Let's see #20 also behold the Savior out the door. He gently knocks his knock before has waited long, is waiting still you use no other friend. So I'll if you've heard the gospel before in this room and you're still unsaved, I want you to think about these words that we're going to sing. He gently knocks has knocked before behold.
00:05:17
The Savior.
Of the Lord.
When at his door.
Behind your spam.
Handsome with you.
And you?
Nor entertain.
Some kind of God?
No more don't.
Let's ask the Lord for help tonight. Our God and Father, we just give thanks for another opportunity to sound forth the gospel. We just thank Thee that there is good news in this world tonight. We know there's sadness and sin and sorrow on every corner, but we think Thee that there is still.
Good news that they can be told. Tonight we thank thee, that the Lord Jesus.
Was sent in this world to die for sinners and we pray that we'd be able to proclaim his name to sinners tonight. We pray that there would be a Sinner in his room that would accept the Lord Jesus as their Savior and walk out of this room as St. A called one chosen from God. We just give thanks for this in Jesus name, Amen.
00:10:09
I'd like to look at these hymns before we start tonight. It's my privilege to be able to give forth the gospel here.
It's a privilege to give forth the gospel. The gospel in some places cannot be told out in a public room like this.
I want you to look at some of these verses and him #19 and 20 if you ever asked to give the gospel, all you have to do is look at some of these hymns and you can give the gospel out of some of these hymns. It doesn't take a lot of skill to give the gospel, but we have to stick with the Word of God. The Word of God is quick, it's alive, it's powerful, and it's as sharp as A2 edged sword. Tonight I want to look at some of these what these some of these hymn writers.
And these two songs they had to say.
O Christ and thee my soul hath found.
Found in thee alone the peace, the joy I sought so long tonight. Do you have that joy?
Do you have that joy? If you don't have that joy, then we need to listen tonight. And the refrains has none. But Christ can satisfy. And there are some bullet points when you sing a song. I guess there's one thing you will get if we're still left here. The Lord is coming soon and we expect Him to come momentarily. But you will find that only Christ can satisfy. In verse two. I sighed. For rest and happiness. I yearn for them, not thee.
But while I passed my Savior by, his love laid hold on me. Tonight the Savior is passing by.
His love wants to take hold on you tonight. Are you gonna let Him take hold on you? He will not force his way on you, but He wants to take and let love lay hold on me. Verse three. I tried the broken cisterns, Lord, but all the waters failed. You know, there's a lot of joy that this world has to offer. And at the end of them it says the pleasures of sin for a season at the end of them are pain and sorrow and emptiness.
And verse four, the pleasure's lost.
I sadly mourn, but never wept for thee, till grace the sightless eyes received thy loveliness to see. You know the Lord Jesus is very lovely to many of us in this room. Tonight He's beautiful. But tonight, if you don't know the Lord Jesus Christ, he is not someone. He's someone you despise. He's someone you've rejected. You've turned him away, but tonight he would like to become lovely to you.
Then in verse, chapter, song #20 that we sing.
The last one, behold the Savior at the door, you know?
It so reminds me of as I look at this crowd, I don't know a lot of people in this room, but I can't see anybody that hasn't heard the gospel before. I can't imagine that there's someone in here that hasn't heard the gospel if there is.
You're gonna hear the gospel tonight.
The Word of God preached, but are you ignoring that knock at the door? You know the Spirit of God is working in this room. The Spirit of God uses the Word of God and He will take you in your sins and make you feel the burden and the weight of your sin. You know there was many brothers in the back room in the praying for your souls if you are in your sin, they're praying that there would be someone saved in this room tonight.
It was incredible to hear the hearts of men praying and women praying. I'm sure in this room for people that they know are not saved, you know, I was saved in a gospel meeting.
In a crowd this size, it would be incredible to me if there's someone, if everyone is saved and there's someone that hasn't.
Accepted the Lord Jesus you know that doesn't happen to you automatically. You have to ask the Lord Jesus to become your savior. He knocks on your door, but he doesn't break down your door and you know I want to skip to verse four of our song admit him ere the human breast.
I'm sorry verse three admit him heir is anger burn lest he depart and ne'er return.
You know it says God speaketh once ye twice, yet man perceiveth him not. It's a scary thing. It's the Spirit of God stops knocking on your door. You won't be able to get saved if you say no to the Lord Jesus Christ. There is a day where that will be the last no and you'll never be able to get saved. He will not force his way upon you. So he's knocking there at your heart's door.
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You know the Lord Jesus.
Was sent.
Into this world to be a savior. You know, why did he need to be sent into this world to be a savior? What did we need to be saved from? We need to be saved from our sins. You know, there's a verse in Romans 6 and 23 it says for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Just yesterday I heard that verse in Spanish.
There's a lot of men, sinners.
The wages of sin is death. You know today's payday for a lot of people.
Payday people think about going to work for money and checks are sent, cash is paid.
Did you ever go to work?
And live and get death before the end of it.
That is what we get for our sins is death. The wages of sin is death. But the rest of that verse says, but the gift of God is eternal life. And I want to look at that. There's a verse in Deuteronomy chapter 30. It's a very well known verse.
It talks about a choice that we all have to make. In Deuteronomy 30 and verse 19, it says I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore choose life that both thou and thy seed may live. You have to choose life. He's not going to force it on you.
He's not going to force it on you. God is love, God is light and God is love.
He is a God of love. He loves you so much that he sent the Lord Jesus down this world. It says for God so loved the world that he gave God is a giving God. You know, men and women do not think that God is a good God. They don't think he's a giving God. They look at him and most of the world as someone who is ready to get them in trouble.
And as a hostile, angry, gone, that is not the God of the Bible. The God of the Bible is love.
But yet God is light, also light. He cannot have sin in His presence. He is holy. He cannot have sin in His presence. And He is righteous and righteous. He cannot overlook your sins. He would not be righteous to overlook your sin. He cannot do that because of His nature. And so every man and every woman, every child.
In this world has to choose where they want life or death. If you don't make any decision tonight.
You are a chosen death because it says you're condemned already because you believe not on the name.
The Lord Jesus, I'm misquoting that verse a little. You are condemned already. You don't have to do anything right now in the room to be condemned. If you're in the sound of my voice, the Scripture says that you're condemned. If you haven't accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, you're condemned. You say, well, I just, I want to make my I, I don't want ready to make a decision.
You know, it's very important that you do make a decision and you take it very seriously.
A man told me about two weeks ago is some of the saddest words I've ever heard out of a man's mouth. He's about 60 some years old. His name is Jim. And Jim told me I'm just about ready to be saved, but I can't do it because you got to go all out. You can't just get halfway saved.
Jim loves his sins.
Do you like your sins so much that you won't?
Accept the Lord Jesus.
Are you having fun with your sins or have you ever even thought that you're not saved? Maybe tonight you're a young child and you haven't even thought that you're not saved. You know, if you have never asked the Lord Jesus into your heart to be your Savior, you are not saved. Just because I was born into a Christian home, it doesn't make me saved. Just because I walk into a garage, it doesn't make me a car.
You have to ask the Lord Jesus to become your savior because he is a savior, but he doesn't want to.
Push it on you. That's not how it works. The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin.
00:20:07
You know, on the cross.
A work was done there.
That no human being could ever do, because it says the wages of sin is death. We are all doomed to die. But there was one, the Lord Jesus who came in this world, who was not.
As we had this morning, he was not going to die because of something he did. He gave his life a ransom of for all the ransom has been paid. He wants to hand you a pardon. Will you take that pardon?
Will you take it? He wants to reach it out to you, and all you have to do is say yes. Lord Jesus, I want you to be my Savior.
I'm gonna look back into numbers.
Numbers 21.
This evening, the purpose of this gospel is to lift up the Lord Jesus Christ to the center.
In Numbers 21 There was a group of people and they were dying and they were getting bitten. And it says Numbers 21. We're just going to read a little bit in verse seven, starting at verse seven. And Numbers 21. Therefore the people came to Moses and said, we have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against thee. Pray unto the Lord that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed.
For the people tonight, have you accepted your position before God? It says for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, everyone has fallen short. There's a standard and you're short. You know, a simple illustration at the beach, there's a place where you can play bumper cars for kids and there's a line right there. And uh, this guy's worked there for years. I think he's been there for like 30 years.
I mean, I remember him there when?
You know, before I was married and he was there and he won't let you in unless you're this fall. I don't know how tall it is exactly, but I want to say about four feet tall. And if you're not that tall and I still remember kids, you know, they couldn't wait till they could be that tall and then they can go by themselves. You know, there's a standard that probably has an insurance company that says you have to be 4 feet tall to ride your own little car. And, you know, kids have fun doing that. But there's a standard and, you know, if you're not that tall, you can't go.
And you know, heaven has a higher standard than that.
It's a different standard. They can't have one sin in heaven. You can't take your sins with you to heaven. You can't take one sin into heaven.
And the soul that sinneth it shall die. You've got a problem tonight if you.
Don't have your sins washed away and the blood of the Lord Jesus. You have a problem tonight.
And you can't solve your problem. You have to have another that's greater than you. And the Lord Jesus tonight wants to be your Savior. He's a Savior of sinners. But will you take your place as a Sinner? And you'll accept his offer of salvation to you? So in verse seven, we see that they had a problem, OK, but they said we've sinned. That's the first step. Admit you're a Sinner.
And the gospel, it's very simple.
Admit you're a Sinner, a believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and confess them with your mouth. It's very, very simple to be saved. They said they had a problem. And verse 8 The Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole, and it shall come to pass that everyone that is bitten when he looked looketh upon it shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, And it came to pass that if a serpent had bitten any man when he beheld the serpent of breath.
Lived, you know, there's a simple story, you know, and it reminds me of like a flagpole. And there's this serpent of brass and that serpent of brass on top of that. All you had to do is look. There's a gospel song we sing. It says look and live tonight. All you have to do is look. And this right here, it says they had to look when he looketh upon it.
Shall live.
You know, tonight that's all you have to do is you have to look at the cross and you have to say I will accept you, Lord Jesus, as my Savior.
You have to be sorry for your sins, repent from your sins, be sorry for your sins, and accept Him as your Savior. He is a willing Savior. He's willing to forgive you your sins. He paid the price for your sins on the cross. That story is a little picture in the Old Testament of the story we have in John chapter 3 in John chapter 3.
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Is a well known verse.
316 But there's a store, There's a verse right before that, and it says in John chapter 3 and verse 14, it's referring to the story we just read. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, Even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. He does not want you to perish tonight.
The Lord Jesus does not want you to perish.
A man once said, perish, put eternally ruin into a sinner's hell. He does not want you to die without Christ. That's what to perish is to die in your sins without Christ.
So what did you, what did he have to do? That man or that woman or that young child, All he had to do is look and live, and tonight there's no difference. It says that whosoever believeth in him, that's the Lord Jesus Christ should not perish. You won't die but have eternal life. You won't die in your sins. You'll have an eternal life. You'll have everlasting life.
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.
You know, sometimes that verse is read so many times that we don't understand. We don't slow down enough to think about the weight of that verse God so loved.
God so loved.
God sent his Son, eternal Son, always his Son, always doing His will perfect. Send him into this world to become the Son of man. He became the Son of man.
He was not a man before.
And he's still a man tonight. And if you're in your sins, you will see that man. But he won't be your savior. He'll be your judge tonight.
He can be your savior.
And that man.
Lived 33 years and he was born to die, because a perfect man was the only one that could die and be that sacrifice. You could not pay for your sins. I could not pay for my sins. But there was only one that could be that perfect sacrifice that could pay for all those sins of the past and all those that are going to come from that cross to now.
And he is blood alone.
Can wash your sins away. There's nothing more that you can do. There's only one perfect man, the Lord Jesus.
And he's God's son.
God in the flesh, it says. No man has seen God at any time.
You know, you have conversations with people and they get all mixed up and they say, well, I'm going to tell God this or tell God that.
I believe in John four it says God is a spirit and those that worship him must worship him in spirit and truth.
And then Philip when he asked the Lord Jesus, show us the Father with the Lord Jesus, say he that has seen me hath seen the Father. It's expressed image of his person is what it says in Hebrews. The Lord Jesus is the God manifest in the flesh. There is nothing other. If you reject the Lord Jesus, there is no other savior for you, nothing.
Verse 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.
He that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Tonight.
God wasn't sent into the world to condemn the world. That's what it says in verse 17. He did not come to this world to condemn the world.
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God must punish sin. We're gonna look at a verse in Peter first. Peter.
Peters right after.
James and then Peter. OK.
Says in first Peter chapter one.
Verse 18.
Chapter one and verse 18. For as much as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold from your vain conversations received by tradition from your Father, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot, who verily, was for ordained before the foundation of the world, that was manifest in these last times for you.
The Lord Jesus, it was predetermined that He was going to come. This was not a surprise. God was not surprised that you would be here tonight in your sins if you're not saved. He knew man would need a Savior.
And so he sent the Lord Jesus, and in that divine plan the Lord Jesus came to this world.
And then I wanna read another.
Verse, since we're in that chapter, the end of verse.
Last verse verse 25.
But the word of the Lord endureth forever, and this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
You know, if there's a story that I tell or say something wrong, that is not gonna make a difference tonight. It's the word of God. Everything that we have tonight, there's nothing new that we have. There's no new stories, nothing to tickle your ears. It's the word of God which abideth forever. This is the word which you'll be judged at if you refuse the Lord Jesus Christ.
He will use his word to judge you.
And he will be. And he will have to put you to hell, into hell. Why does he have to put you in hell if you refuse to accept? Because he is holy and he must judge sin.
Who took the judgment from me and everyone else in this room accepted the Lord Jesus.
God punished Jesus for my sins, and we sing a song as a stroke upon stroke as God's wrath awoke.
Fell upon thee for me. The Lord Jesus took the punishment of my sins, it says He.
Bore in his own body on the tree.
He took my sins in his own body on the tree, and he made them.
His very own.
I believe we have that in the.
2nd Corinthians 521.
2nd Corinthians 5 and verse 21. Don't want to misquote that, for he hath made him. God hath made Jesus to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Think of it, God making the Lord Jesus sin so I could be free.
He took the punishment, so I will never have to take the punishment. Who do you have to pay your bills?
You know tonight.
The gospel is sent for us in many ways, a lot of one on ones and one thing that people say.
And unfortunately I heard this by a man that.
Says he saved. He said the Old Testament is just a bunch of fables.
And he told that to another man in my office, and the other man was very bothered by it.
This is the word of God.
This is the authority. The Old Testament is not fables, and I want to read a verse in Peter a little farther.
And it says in second Peter chapter one and verse 16.
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You know, I've heard people say, well, that's your opinion, Ted, on how to get saved.
That is a way to get saved, the Bible says.
Neither is there salvation in any other.
But there's none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. There's no other way. But if you don't believe the Bible, you can't get to heaven, because the Bible is the word of God.
And it says without faith, it's impossible to please God. It's impossible. But you know, tonight the Lord Jesus wants to give you the faith because even that's a gift of God. He wants to give that to you in Ephesians.
We'll read that in a minute, but in verse 16, second Peter one and 16, it says we have not followed cunningly devised fables when we made known unto you the power and coming of the Lord Jesus, but were eyewitnesses of His Majesty. This is Peter writing this.
For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven, we heard when we were with Him in that holy mount.
That is what God thinks of His Son. This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.
You know, we're gonna look at that story at the cross.
Well, we're going back that direction. Let's look at Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 8. Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 8. For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It's the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. You know, the difference in this room is not that some people have more faith than other people. That's not it.
Are you willing to accept the gift of faith?
That's what it says right here for my grace. Are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves? It's the gift of God. He wants to give you the faith to believe there's nothing you need to come in this room with to get saved other than your sins.
You don't need to bring anything to the Lord Jesus. You know Jim, the guy that I was telling you, he thinks he's got to clean his life up a little bit.
You don't have to clean anything up. Just come right as you are. Just bring your sins. Bring your sins because we have a Savior who can wash away your sin. That's what we have. We have a Savior tonight. Do you like your sins?
Luke, chapter 22.
Luke, chapter 22.
And I just wanna read a few verses.
So you get the picture of the agony that the Lord Jesus had.
That night as he contemplated dying on that cross.
And verse Luke 22 and verse.
42.
Saying, Father, if thou wilt be we, be willing, If thou be willing, remove this cup for me. Nevertheless not my will but thine be done. And there appeared an Angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him, and being in agony, he prayed more earnestly. Has sweat was, as it were, great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
Is this a savior that you want to reject tonight? Do you want to reject my Savior, My Savior who was contemplating?
Go into that cross of Calvary and you reject him. You say no, I won't have the Savior tonight. I like living in my sins. I'm going to do this all on my own. Is that what you're going to say tonight? I'm going to do it my way. I'm going to do it my way. I hope that's not what you say.
Then we turn to Chapter 23.
And in chapter 23.
I want to bring special attention to verse 3333. Verse 33. We'll start at 32. Pardon me, it says in. There were also two other malefactors LED with him to be put to death.
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You know, there was 3 crosses on Mount Calvary and I wanna talk a little bit about those 3 crosses. My savior was on that middle cross.
And there was a thief on one side and there was a thief on the other side. And you know, we're all thieves because we've all stolen from God. We've taken glory from God that was due him.
Let's read verse.
33 And when they were come to the place which is called Calvary, there they crucified him with the Lord Jesus and the Malefactor, one on the right hand and the other on the left. Then said, Jesus, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment and cast lots. And the people stood beholding, And the Ruler also with him derided him, saying, He saved others, let him save himself, if he be Christ the chosen of God.
And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him and offering him vinegar, and saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself.
Verse 39 And one of the malefactors or thieves which were hanged railed on him.
Saying, if thou be Christ, save thyself and us. That's the one thief on the one side, and here's the what the other thief said on the other side. But the other answer in rebuked him, saying, Dost thou fear God? See thou art in the same condemnation.
That's my question tonight to you, dost thou not? Dost thou dost not thou fear God? See now we're in the same condemnation. Do you fear God tonight? Do you believe the word of God? Do you believe that the word of God says that if you are in your sins you are on a going on a Rd.
Called hell. You are not going to go to heaven. You will have nothing to say.
Not like what men say and they say I'm going to tell God this. I'm sure that God's fair and he's going to see something and if God is love, then he will overlook this. But God is light and he's holy and he can't.
But the other answer and rebuked him, saying, Dost thou fear God? Verse 41 And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deed. But this man has done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, Remember Me when thou comest into thy Kingdom. And Jesus says him, verily I say unto thee today.
Shalt thou be with me in paradise?
There was one man that day that brought joy to the Savior.
One man that brought joy to the Savior on that cross. Can you imagine being a bystander hearing those words today?
Wilt thou be with me in paradise?
You know tonight if you accept the Lord Jesus Christ, it says there will be joy in the presence of the angels of God over one Sinner that repenteth.
You know what a man tell me about 2 1/2 months ago?
This man belongs to a religion that says you have to be baptized to get to heaven.
He talked to me for an hour and a half. I said, I want to know what your church teaches, how to be saved. You know, it doesn't matter what any church teaches, what the word of God teaches. But I asked him because I wanted to hear what he was going to say. He said you have to be saved to be baptized. I said there's a verse in the Bible that talks about a thief on the cross and it says.
In Jesus words today will thou be with me in paradise?
I said I don't read about that man getting baptized. He stopped. He said I think he would have to be proxy baptized later to get there.
You know there isn't a child in the room that doesn't know that. That sounds very foolish. When the Lord Jesus says today, wilt thou be with me in paradise? That's what he means. It is simple to be saved.
It is hard to get to hell. You have to walk by the cross. The cross blocks the road to hell. You have to say no to the Lord Jesus Christ. He has.
Made so many ways.
Using different people to give the gospel to you.
I would be very shocked if there's someone in this room who has not heard the gospel multiple times. I am shocked that when I meet someone who I think possibly had never heard the gospel in this country and there are some, I asked them about their mother or their grandmother and they have been had the gospel.
00:45:16
It is hard to get to hell. You have to say no to the Lord Jesus Christ and you have to want to like your sins. Do you like your sins tonight? You know, it's our, it's our prayer that you would surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ. I want to read one last verse. Our time is coming to a close. The last verse.
Romans 10 and verse 9.
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth.
The Lord Jesus and shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from a dead. Thou shalt be saved tonight. You could have walked in these doors a Sinner, and you can walk out saved, knowing that your sins are washed away, knowing that you're on your way to heaven, No Fear of death, all gone. Let's ask the Lord Jesus for.
Help for any of ones in this room that are still deciding.
Our Father, we just thank thee for thy word. We just pray that there's anyone in this crowd right now. And the sound of my voice and.
They're lingering.
And they're undecided, Lord, we know if they're undecided, they're on the way to lost eternity. Hell. We just pray that Satan, uh, the God of this world who had blinded their minds that they would not believe the truth that.
The light of the glorious Gospel.
Would sink into their hearts.
And they would become saved tonight. We just pray tonight that there would be a soberness that if there's anyone that is here undecided that they would, uh, be able to turn to their neighbor that's, uh, sitting next to them and ask them for help. We just pray that, uh, we would understand the severity of this. We pray that we would give the gospel to our neighbors, to our coworkers.
To ones that we go to school with.
We just know that time is short. We thank Thee that the day of grace is still open. We know that it says, behold, now is the accepted time, and behold, now is the day of salvation. Many of us look forward to thy coming, Lord Jesus.
But we think of what a scary thing that will be for any ones that are left behind in their sins. We just ask for help. We just know that Thy word will not fall to the ground and die, but it will, It will, uh, prosper, uh, without us, uh, wanted to do Lord. We just think that it's Thy word and not ours in Jesus name, Amen.