Gospel—E. Ensign
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Now, before this meeting began, there was a prayer meeting just across the hall, and I wonder if maybe some of the children might wonder what those men do over there in that room for 20 minutes before the meeting starts.
Well, I can tell you boys and girls and dear friends that there were about 4040 men in that room pouring out.
Their heart to the Lord.
For any in this room that still do not know the Lord Jesus as savior.
One brother prayed that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation.
And to those that believe that, all that's so true.
You know in the same place in the scriptures where we read that.
That tells us that the gospel is foolishness to those that perish. And you know, that's that's so true. I wonder if there is someone here in the room that perhaps you've heard the gospel many times and you haven't believed it yet. You know, it's possible for a child 10 years old, if they came to meet him with their mom and dad for all the years of their life and the years that they can remember, they may have heard the gospel hundreds of times.
And I wonder if there is any boys or girls here tonight that you may have heard the gospel many times.
And you still haven't believed.
I wonder if there's anyone here tonight that up to this time you have positively rejected the Lord Jesus Christ.
Well, that prayer in the other room was that your eyes might be opened and that you might be called from darkness into light to night.
Could we sing one of the children's hymns on the back just a little short 1 #42, a little child of seven or even 3 or 4 #42?
The 13th chapter of the Book of Angst, Acts 13.
Now, we're not going to read the whole chapter, but I'd like to read a few of the verses.
We're going to listen in.
On a gospel meeting that took place.
Almost 2000 years ago, Maybe 1900 years ago.
An interesting thing about this is, you know, it's the same.
Essentially the same gospel message that's going forth today.
This gospel meeting was held in a place called Antioch.
And if we'd run a look on our maps today.
For the place for the country where this gospel was held, we'd have to look over in Europe.
And we'd have to go to the Mediterranean Sea and we'd find the country. But today we call Turkey, and the city was right about in the middle of that country, and this gospel was preached in that in that place.
When Paul started preaching this day, he covered some of the history of the children of Israel first of all.
Told how they came out of Egypt. He told about the land that they came into. He told about.
The time of the judges and Samuel the Prophet, and then how God gave them kings.
And especially David. He gave them David the King. Now we're going to pick this up at.
Acts 13 and verse 23.
Of this man's seed. That is the seed of David. He's speaking now of one.
Who was descended in a natural way from King David. Of this man's seed hath God, according to his promise raised unto Israel, a savior, Jesus.
When John had first preached before his coming, the baptism of repentance.
To all the people of Israel. And as John fulfilled his course, he said, Who think ye that I am? I am not he. But behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose, Men And brethren, children of the stock of Abraham. And whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent.
For they that dwell at Jerusalem and their rulers because they knew him not.
Nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every Sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him, that is, in condemning Jesus. And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired, they Pilate that he should be slain.
That when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree.
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And laid him in a sepulchre. But God raised him from the dead. Then he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people.
And we declare unto you glad tidings, all that the promise which was made unto the fathers.
God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he has raised up Jesus.
As it is also written in the second Psalm, Thou art my son this day have I begotten thee.
And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption.
He said. On this wise I will give you the sure mercies of David.
Wherefore he saith also in another Psalm. Thou shalt not suffer thine holy one to see corruption.
For David after he had served his own generation by the will of God.
Fell on sleep, and was late in, and was laid unto his Father's, and saw corruption, for he whom God raised again saw no corruption.
He had known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, and by him all that believe are justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken in the prophets. Behold, he despisers, and wonder, and perish, for I work a work in your days.
A work which you shall no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.
Now that is, I don't know if that's word for word what Paul said or.
The essence of what? He said. But God has given it to us.
As part of his word and as an example of the New Testament preaching. And I want to kind of 0 in on verse 38 and 39.
He had known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins.
Now, we didn't read the verses following this Gospel address, but, you know, not everybody believed.
In fact, there were probably very few that believed. Sad to say, there were some that rejected. There were some that mocked. There was persecution broke out later on, but I'm thankful to say that there were some that believed.
And we pray that there will be some who will believe tonight.
Through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins. Does everyone here tonight know that your sins are forgiven? That you have the forgiveness of your sins in another place? Over in First John? Don't turn to it, but it's written.
I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake. So I might ask each one of the children here tonight, children, are your sins forgiven? Do you know that your sins are forgiven? Have you trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ?
I would like to speak about this man, this man tonight.
Turn with me if you will first of all to the 19th chapter of John John 19.
Now it mentioned in that gospel address of the Jesus stood before a man named Pilate, the Roman governor, and so we'll read in John's Gospel.
At the end of the 18th chapter.
Jesus is standing before Pilate. He has finished his.
Is a course through the world.
33 years the Lord Jesus walked this earth.
Three years in public ministry.
And the public ministry is marked by rejection, largely.
From his own people.
And now the time has come.
When all things are coming to a head and the Lord Jesus is about to.
Can I say fulfill the tremendous purpose of the ages that God had in mind for this poor world earlier in this gospel, John the Baptist saw the Lord Jesus and he said, behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world and the Lord Jesus is about ready to go to the cross. And we find out in God's word that when Jesus died on the cross in a way that we can't understand or even explain.
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The Lord Jesus bore our sins in his own body on the cross on the tree.
And so now the rulers of the Jews have taken the Lord Jesus to Pilate.
In John 18.
Verse 33 Then Pilate entered the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the king of the Jews?
Answered him saying.
Sayest thou this thing of thyself?
Or did others tell it thee of Maine? Pilate answered, Am IA Jew, thine own nation, and chief priests have delivered the unto me. What hast thou done?
Oh, you know, if the Lord Jesus would have answered the question, there were reasons why he he remained. He remained silent before his accusers. But all think of the wonderful things the Lord Jesus could have told that man of what he had done. We read about them, many of them in the Gospels. He healed the sick, made the blind to see, raised the dead back to life, healed the lepers. Indeed, what hast thou done?
Jesus answered, My Kingdom is not of this world. If my Kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight?
That I should not be delivered to the Jews, but now is my Kingdom not from hence.
Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king? Then Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I entered the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Everyone that is of the truth hears my voice. Pilate says unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find no fault.
I find in him no fault at all.
But you have a custom that I should release unto you one at the Passover. Will ye therefore that I release unto you the king of the Jews? Then cry they all again.
Saying not this man but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber. Now let's stop there for a moment. This is a terrible choice that was made this day. You know, the interesting thing is that the name Barabbas means son of the father, son of the father. And here the people this day chose a man who was a murderer and a robber instead of the true son of the father. And that terrible choice, the results of it, has hungover this world.
Ever since that particular time, not this man, but Barabbas Then Pilate therefore took Jesus and scourged him. What a terrible thing to do to a man that Pilate had just said I find in him.
No fault at all. And he scourges him. And you know, sometimes these words are passed over quickly.
But scourging was a terrible, a terrible punishment, a terrible torture to give a man, let alone the Son of God.
And the soldiers planted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head. And they put on him a purple robe, and said, Hail, king of the Jews, and they smote him with their hands. Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that you may know that I find no fault in him.
Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold, the man, Behold the man.
Dear friend, if I'm speaking to any tonight that you haven't yet trusted in the Lord Jesus.
Have you ever, have you ever seen or ever thought about the fact that here is God's Son, the one who loves you so much that He came down here to die and to give himself everything that He could give for you, as He suffered for you on the cross and suffered for your sins, and took the penalty that you deserved, and then shed His precious blood to cleanse, to wash your sins away?
Here he is undergoing such terrible, terrible treatment at the hands of these that he created. Have you ever seen Jesus?
Doing all this for you. Have you ever really thought about this?
And realize that here is your savior. Here is the one who died for you and went through such terrible suffering and punishment.
For you, Pilate says. Behold the man, Behold the man.
If we read down the story, there was another exchange between the pilot and the Jewish leaders. And finally pilot consents to the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus, a man that he said was innocent. I find no fault in him at all. In the Lord Jesus is nailed to the cross. Have you ever seen for yourself that the Lord Jesus did this for you? Those nails were driven through his hands and through his feet, and that crowd of thorns was put on his head.
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And he was spit on it and beaten over the head and scourged on the back. And all all that, all that took place that day. Have you ever seen that this is what the Lord Jesus did for you?
Later on in the.
19th chapter.
Verse 28 Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith I thirst.
Now here's a dying man crying out in thirst.
And what do they give him now? There was such a vessel full of vinegar, and they filled a sponge with vinegar and put it on hyssop and put it to his mouth.
There again, the last act, the last request, you might say.
Instead of giving him water, he's given vinegar. Terrible. A terrible thing to think that the Lord Jesus endured this for you and me.
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, it is finished. And dear friends, it's the same thing as if the Lord Jesus had said, paid in full, paid in full. He had completed all the work that was necessary, that God might be satisfied about the sin question. He bore my sins, and I see many of my brethren here. And your sins have been borne by the Lord Jesus there on the cross and dear one tonight, if you're not saved.
You can be in the same position by believing in the Lord Jesus, trusting in him that He suffered for you, He suffered in your place.
As your substitute.
It is finished, and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost, or he dismissed his spirit, bringing out clearly where the Lord Jesus said, I am the Good Shepherd, the Good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
The Jews, therefore, because it was the preparation that the body should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day.
For that Sabbath day was in high day besought Pilate, that their legs might be broken, that they might be taken away, then the soldiers, Then came the soldiers, and break the legs of the 1St and of the other, which was crucified with him.
But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was dead already, they break, not his legs.
But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water, And he that saw it bear record. And this is the record, And his record is true, And he knoweth that he saith true.
That you might believe.
And this is the blood we believe. We truly believe according to what God says in His word.
Redeemed by the precious Blood of Christ, the blood that washes our sins away.
Now turn with me to.
Luke 23.
In Luke 23.
We learned something else that took place while the Lord Jesus was on the cross.
There were two other men crucified with the Lord Jesus. These other men, they were, they're described as malefactors, robbers, I suppose, whatever they were.
Verse 39 Luke 23.
And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly.
For we receive the due reward of our deeds, but this man, this man, has done nothing amiss.
You know, when you think about all that took place on this day, this terrible dark day in the world's history.
Here a dying thief.
Acknowledge Jesus as Lord.
And in a sense, can we say, can we say he cleared the character of the Lord Jesus?
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This man has done nothing amiss. How wonderful to see that God had his witness. But everything was against the Lord Jesus, the Jewish leaders, the soldiers, the governor.
A man dying there on one of the crosses says this man has done nothing amiss.
Even Pilate's wife, you know, said, Have thou nothing to do with this, just man.
Now turn with me to Lamentations 3, just for a part of a verse.
Lamentations. That's right, after Jeremiah.
The first verse.
This is no doubt prophetic of.
Of the Lord Jesus I am the man. 31 Lamentations, I am the man.
That has seen affliction by the rod of thy wrath.
We didn't read it, but.
But while the Lord Jesus was on the cross and those second three hours, darkness came. A darkness that was a very that was a miraculous thing in itself, more than an eclipse. An eclipse couldn't make the total darkness like there was in a widespread, perhaps even over the whole, world.
That are those three hours the Lord Jesus.
Suffered under the hand of God for my sins and yours. And so here prophetically, he says, I am the man.
That has seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
Isaiah 53 We would read He was stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted to think that the Lord Jesus stood in the place that I deserved and stood in the place that you deserve so that we might go free.
Now turn it over to first Timothy, the second chapter.
One Timothy 2.
Now.
Many years. I don't know. I don't know exactly how many years after the Lord Jesus died on the cross and and rose again. We read about that in Acts 13, how the Lord Jesus rose from the dead.
Proof that our sins are gone.
Paul writes to Timothy.
One Timothy 2. The end of verse three, God our Savior.
Who will have all men to be saved and a common to the knowledge of the truth? For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all.
To be testified in due time. There are several things here I'd like to have you think about.
The first one is God. Our Savior will have all men or have all to be saved. Now that's God's will, dear friend. That's God's will for you. And you know the sad thing is.
That perhaps you've known people and I have two that have gone down to the grave unbelieving, not believing in the Lord Jesus. And to think that for a whole lifetime missing what God's will is for them, God's will for you, is that you would be saved. That you would trust in the Lord Jesus and be saved. And you know the fact is that that until until you come to that point in your life where you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and our saved.
While you're just, you're just missing the whole point that God has for your life.
And I hope there's no one here that will go on in this state, just missing everything that God has for you. God's will is that all would be saved, and not only that, but to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
Then verse five says there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
Who gave himself a ransom for all? The mediator is one who goes in between.
I think in the Old Testament there were like an umpire is used, but it's one who goes in between and speaking respectfully.
One who can put his hand on God, and one who can put his hand on you and me.
A mediator, one who goes between and that is what the Lord Jesus is. You know, the Lord Jesus is God himself. The scripture testifies to that time and time again that the Lord Jesus is God himself and he came down into this world as a man for those 30 some years so that we can have an idea of what God is like.
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So he's the mediator and then he gave himself a ransom. And I'm sure if I can but ask one of the children, you can tell me what a ransom is. A ransom, you know, is a tremendous, A tremendous payment. It might might be a payment of money or something else. But in this case, the payment was the very life of the Lord Jesus, his very life blood, so that we might be set free. You know, over in Galatians, it, it speaks about the Lord Jesus, how he, he gave himself for our sins.
That he might deliver us from this present evil world and deliver is a lot like we might use the word rescue.
We need rescuing. That's how serious this thing is and the Lord Jesus gave himself.
A ransom. A tremendous, tremendous payment. We can't even come close to estimating the tremendous payment that the Lord Jesus made.
So that you and I might go free, Who gave himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time?
The man Christ Jesus.
Now turn over to Isaiah 32.
Isaiah 32 and verse 2.
And a man shall be as a hiding place from the wind, and a covered from The Tempest.
As rivers of water and a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land a man.
This is none other than the one we've been speaking about. The man Christ Jesus. A man shall be a hiding place from the wind. I believe this speaks of the judgment, the judgment, time that's coming.
And you know, the only safe place is to be safe in Christ before that judgment comes on this world. And so here's a man. A man shall be a hiding place from the wind and a cover from The Tempest. Oh, are you safe?
Are you safe in Christ yet? Over in Psalm 32. Don't turn to it. But it says Thou art my hiding place. Oh, can each of us say that about the Lord Jesus? Thou art my hiding place. And you know, over in Revelation, again, don't turn to it. But it's in the 20th chapter and it speaks about the the terrible, great right thrown judgment that's coming sometime in the sometime in the future.
And it speaks there about how earth and heaven will flee away. The dead, small and great, stand before God.
And it speaks about there was number place for them. I believe words to that effect. I believe it's implied that there was no more hiding place.
At other places earlier in Revelation, when the terrible judgments begin to fall, men cry out for the rocks.
To fall on them because of the wrath of the Lamb, but now at the Great White Throne.
When time is coming to an end.
The dead, small and great. And if we trace it, who are those? It will be at the great white throne. The only ones that can be there are those are those who have died in unbelief. They've died rejecting Christ or rejecting whatever testimony God gave them.
And their only end is to hear the voice of the Son of God, saying, Depart from me.
I never knew you. No more hiding place. Now earth and heaven are gone, and there they see the face of the Lord Jesus.
The one who could have been their savior, but only to hear that the terrible consignment into the lake of fire. Dear friend, I hope there's no one that will put off this important matter.
Until it's too late.
Thou art my hiding place. Oh, be able to say that thou art my hiding place.
In Acts 17, don't turn to it again, but it speaks there, too, of judgment.
And how God has ordained that man, that man to be the executor of the of the judgment that speaks in Acts 17 and in verse 31. And there is that man, the Lord Jesus Christ, all that you would meet the Lord Jesus as your Savior so that you won't have to meet him as your judge.
Now let's turn over to Acts 412.
You know, in our reading meetings, for the one reading meeting we've had thus far, we were in the 14th chapter of John. We'll read a verse from there too.
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But we've been speaking about the man Christ Jesus. Be it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this man.
Is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, and by him all that believe are justified from all things from which you cannot be justified by the law of Moses, that is.
You can't get justified by keeping the law. And you remember what Mr. Reeves said last night, what Ron Reeves said that being justified is like there's no record at all of my sins or your sins. Remember the men that had the men that had committed the crime and they had paid their fine and paid whatever needed to be done, but the judge says you now have a criminal record.
But with you and me, if we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, he washes our sins away, ever justified. That is, there's no more, no more record.
Well in Acts 4 verse 12 That says neither is there salvation in any other.
For there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
You know that word must seems to be a.
I call it an imperative, that is, it's one of those things that you must be saved or you'll be lost. You must be saved, God says, or you'll be lost for all eternity. There's only one name, only one name in this whole wide world, and that's the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. The verse in John 14, verse six, is when Jesus spoke. He said, I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh to the Father but by me. And that's the that's the way to.
Happiness, blessing life, eternal sins washed away, Assurance of a home in heaven.
Is by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ.
None other name, dear friends. The only name is that wonderful name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
There is a track that we have that tells a story.
About a train that was making its way across Midwestern United States one winter a long time ago.
And there were a few passengers on the train. It was snowing out a Blizzard.
And there was one lady on board with a small child.
And she was concerned about when she was to get off the train. Well, there's another man on board, among others, who was a he was a traveling man. He knew the route well. He'd been on the train many times. And he told the lady. He said, well, I know, I know the route well. He says pretty soon we're going to come to a certain town. Then after we leave that town, your stop is next.
And so the train came to the first town and stopped, and some got off, some got on and the train started up again. And then the train stopped a few moments later and the man said this is your stop now. And so the lady got off the train into the cold, stormy night and started up. Had been going more than a few minutes again when the conductor came through the car calling out the name of the town.
That this woman wanted.
The gentleman who had given her the directions, he said. Hey, wait a minute, What's the matter? I thought that stopped back. There was the.
Was the staff And the conductor said, Oh no, we we had to make a quick stop for some kind of a problem on the tracks and this is this is the town. And the man told the conductor what had happened and when they went back to search for the lady why she had perished in the cold and in the snow, the the fact is that she had been misdirected. She had been misdirected. She had been listening to the wrong to the wrong voice, should have listened to the conductor, but she listened to the wrong voice.
There is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Through this man he has preached unto you the forgiveness of sins.
And by him all the believer are justified from all things I'd like to read a.
A verse.
We want a man is the cry of the world, a man who can put things right.
For everything is wrong and we're all astray. The outlook is dark as night men of dreamed of peace and a golden age to which they thought they were bound. But their hopes are blighted, disturbance is rife, and war not peace. They have found something is wrong, they freely admit, though they boasted things better have grown. But all is awry and out of control. In weakness they sigh and they moan.
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If only someone would stand in the breach and all their hard problems solved, they would give him support. His name should be great to obey him. They all would resolve.
Their efforts are fruitless. Their schemes all have failed to remove the cause of alarm.
The masses are lawless and violent spreads and there seems to be a gathering storm.
They're hastening to ruin. Destructions ahead. They're drifting and save them. Who can? If no one is found, then they are undone. They're helpless. They want a man.
Ah, world. You've discovered at last what you need, but where in distress will you turn? You truly stand in need of a man, though the reason you cannot discern go back in your history, 2000 years, when you made that awful choice and rejected the man who had come to save. With one unanimous voice, two men were presented to you that day, Barabbas and Jesus.
God's son shall it be Barabbas or Christ was asked. Then you chose the lawless 1A thief, and a murderer, at your request, was released to you that day, and the Holy One, the Christ of God to a cross, was led away.
You rejected the man who had come to bless, who dried the widow's tears.
Who healed the sick, the deaf, the blind and calm the sinner's fears?
Whose word the devil possessed, set free, and raised to life. The dead, the dumb, the sick, the palsied, all were healed, the hungry filled with bread, who came sins, captives to release.
From cursed earth to set free to fill the world with God's great good.
And reign eternally, but outcast and rejected. He, his brow with thorns adorned upon a cross, was crucified, hated, maligned, scorned, refused. On earth, in heaven He's crowned.
And soon will come again his enemies, his footstool make when he the he in power shall reign. He is the man, the coming man, to whom each knee shall bow, Earth's rightful king and sovereign Lord.
Those scarned and hated now.
Man of the world, would you be blessed that let Christ be your trust? You need him, He alone can save.
And bow to him. You must confess him, lest his anger burn escape his wrath. None can believe on him God's glorious Son, the Exalted Coming Man.
And so in the words that Paul and Silas gave to that Philippian jailer there in that dark prison, long ago, in response to the question serves, What must I do to be saved? And Paul and Silas replied, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ that thou shalt be saved.
Now, could we close our meeting by singing?
Hymn #10 Hymn #10. There is a savior on high in the glory.