Gospel—Jim Hyland
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Let's begin the Gospel Meeting this evening with Hymn #21 on the Gospel Hymn sheet.
Decide for Christ today and God's salvation. See yields, soul and body, heart and will to him who died for thee. Let's stand up to sing this hymn #21 and if someone will please start it.
Again.
I'm gone.
Nsnoise There is a temporary.
Nsnoise.
Right. It's a lot of power. I'm doing good.
Like to begin this evening by reading 2 verses of scripture, one in the Old Testament and one in the New Testament. The first one is in the book of Jonah.
Jonah chapter 2.
Jonah chapter 2 and just the last five words.
A verse 9.
Salvation is of the Lord and then a verse in Romans Romans chapter one.
Romans chapter one and verse 16.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation.
To everyone that believeth to the Jew 1St, and also to the Greek.
I have it on my heart this evening to turn to some scriptures in seeking to present the Gospel as clearly and simply as we can.
Some scriptures that have in it in them the word salvation.
Salvation is a wonderful word, and when we speak of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, we're Speaking of the salvation that God is offering to sinners tonight through that one who came.
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Into this world and went to Calvary's cross, and there died and shed his precious blood.
But you know, there seems pressed on my soul at the beginning of this meeting, an urgency.
The hymn that we sang decide for Christ today or we could, for our purposes say decide for Christ tonight.
That hymn is usually a hymn that I give out at the end of a gospel meeting.
In fact, I've given it out many, many times at the end of Gospel Meetings.
But I don't remember ever giving it out at the beginning of a gospel like we just have have done. But I felt pressed in my soul tonight as I walked up to this platform to press upon us at the beginning of the meeting. The urgency.
Of the gospel message. Because I'm not going to promise you that as the clock ticks slowly by that we're going to make it to 8:00 and conclude this meeting. This meeting is scheduled from 8:00, from 7:00 to 8:00. But I'm not going to guarantee to you that this meeting is going to end at 8:00. It may end long before 8:00. It may end with the coming of the Lord Jesus.
An event that we expect at any moment. And the book of James tells us that the coming of the Lord draws nigh.
It's getting near and one thing is for sure, though I cannot tell you exactly the moment when it's going to take place.
One thing is certain, We have never been closer to the Lord's coming than we are.
Right now at the beginning of this gospel meeting. And I want to plead with you tonight, if you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior, if you are not in the possession and good of the salvation that we're going to speak of, if the Lord does not come, oh, I want to urge you tonight to reach out by faith and grasp that salvation. Tonight it's being offered to you. And here we find in the book of Jonah where we began.
Salvation.
Is of the Lord.
That's really the message I have on my heart tonight. Salvation is of the Lord, you know, if we were to read the book of Jonah, and I suppose most if not all here have had the book of Jonah, the story of Jonah read and recited to you from the very early days of your youth. And it's a very interesting and remarkable story. But we find that Jonah was in a desperate situation.
He had tried to run away from the Lord. And maybe there's someone here tonight. And you've tried to run away from God. You've tried to run away from the Lord. But you know, here you are tonight. I think that's marvelous. It's fantastic to think that you're here in this room tonight. Maybe you have been running, but God has made sure that you have come into this room tonight to have one more opportunity, one more invitation, one more chance to be saved.
Jonah tried to run away. It says he fled from the presence of the Lord.
But you know, he got into a desperate situation and eventually he was taken by Mariners in a ship where he had been asleep. And he was not only woken up by those Mariners, but he was eventually tossed into the raging sea, and he went down, down, down under the waters of that raging sea.
But God had his eye on him, and God had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah.
And that fish swallowed Jonah, and there Jonah was in the belly of that fish.
It tells us in the New Testament, as Jonah was in the fish's belly 3 days.
And three nights. A long time, wasn't it? He was in a desperate situation. He couldn't save himself.
And he never got deliverance from this situation until he realized that salvation was of the Lord.
And if you're hearing your sins tonight, I want to impress upon you.
That salvation is of the Lord, and you will never get deliverance from your sins.
Until you realize that it is a person that can save you.
It's Christ and Christ crucified. That's why when we present the gospel, we present a person.
We don't present reform. We don't present some creed or theology.
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We don't present some system or steps of salvation.
We present Christ the Lord Jesus, Paul said. He presented to the Corinthians, Christ and Christ crucified.
Because salvation is of the Lord.
The story is told, and it is documented in historical books of a Marshall in the army of Napoleon the great conqueror. And this Marshall looked up to his leader, his general Napoleon to a point that he almost worshipped Napoleon.
But one day, that Marshall was wounded on the battlefield.
And that wound was of such a nature that this Marshall, being brought to his tent and laid on his cot, realized that his life was ebbing away.
And so he called for Napoleon to come because he thought that Napoleon.
Could save him from physical death.
Most of us, I suppose, shake our heads at a thought like that. But that's what this Marshall thought. He thought Napoleon was next to God, and because this man had conquered most of the known world at that time, he could even save a wounded soldier.
But Napoleon came, and he stood at that tent door.
And all Napoleon could do was shake his head. He could do many great things.
He conquered many lands. He had accomplished great feats, but he could not save a dying Marshall.
Who was reaching the brink of eternity? And they say that the sight was awful. The leader looking at his Marshall with a helpless look on his face, and the Marshall crying out with his last breath. Napoleon, save me, Napoleon, save me.
And into eternity.
Salvation is of the Lord. There is only one tonight who can save you. But not only can He save you, He desires to save you.
You know, there are many great people in the world today, people with a lot of power.
People with a lot of technology, people with a lot of knowledge. But you know those people, though they might be able to help you or me in a situation, they may not have the desire to do so. But not only is the Lord Jesus able to save tonight, but the Lord Jesus is willing to save. He desires to save. He wants to save you tonight. Such is his heart of love.
I am not ashamed of the gospel of God of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation.
You know what? There's no hesitation on my part to stand here tonight and to present to you the glorious gospel of God, the gospel of Christ, to present to you the the power of God in connection with eternal salvation.
You know, sometimes as believers, we might be a little hesitant in certain situations.
And I have to confess before you, I'm not a personal worker.
I'm thankful for those who have the spiritual courage and fortitude.
To give out gospel tracts and to speak to people personally about the Lord Jesus. But all those of us who know Christ, we ought not to be ashamed of this glorious gospel. We ought to buy up every opportunity to present Christ. And tonight there is no hesitation on our part to announce the Gospel Meeting for this room. There's no hesitation on our part to stand here and turn from one scripture to another.
And to quote other scriptures, and to seek in some measure at least, to preach the glorious gospel.
Of salvation.
Because, you know, there are so many in this world who are going on to a lost eternity, and maybe there's someone here in this room tonight and you're going on to a lost eternity.
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The story is told many years ago, back in the horse and buggy days of a man who came in from the countryside from his farm to do a little business in town, and he came in with his team of horses and his wagon.
And he left the team of horses on the street while he went in to the general store in that small community.
And while he was in the store buying some goods, something spooked the horses.
Something scared that team of horses and that team of horses reared up and they took off like a shot and they started tearing down that road and they turned a corner and started off across a nearby field.
And that man, realizing what had happened, he tore out of that store. And in earnest, he started after that team of horses and that wagon that was being jostled behind that running scared team.
And he took off across that field and he tried to cut those horses off and with great effort he finally caught up to the team. He grabbed the bridle of that team and he tried to stop them. But they were good, strong horses and they kept on running.
The farmer wouldn't give up. He held on. He was dragged across.
A stream down a Rd.
His body began to get battered as he was bounced around, but he was determined to stop that team.
And finally, that team of horses out of sheer exhaustion.
Came to a standstill.
A crowd gathered immediately around this man and he was so battered and bleeding.
That he and the crowd realized that he probably was going to die.
And someone bent over him in his dying moments and they said Sir.
Why did you do it? Why didn't you just let them go?
And he looked up, and with almost his final breaths.
He said Look in the wagon.
He passed into eternity.
And they did indeed look in the wagon. And under the hay of that wagon they found that young man's young son.
Safe.
But rather frightened.
Why was he in earnest to stop that team of horses? Why did he not want that wagon to tip over? Because his young son, whom he loved, was in that wagon and he didn't want that young son to die.
That young Son who was so helpless to save himself. And why are we in earnest tonight to present the Lord Jesus as the Savior of sinners?
And why are missionaries going out around the world tonight and risking and even laying down their lives to propagate the gospel? Because there's a world that's dying. There are souls tonight rushing on to eternity over the precipice to hell.
To damnation, to eternal judgment, to a hopeless condition.
And we are in earnest. A young lady came into a gospel meeting something like this one time.
And at the door, she was asked by someone who had invited her what she thought of the message.
She said. Well, one thing I'll say, the preacher was passionate about what he spoke of.
And we are passionate tonight. We believe it's true. Two young people were talking at the back of a room like this just before a gospel meeting and they were overheard to say.
Well, it's just another gospel meeting. It'll probably be over in an hour or so.
It probably will be over in just an hour or so. But no, gospel meeting is just another Gospel meeting.
Every gospel meeting is an opportunity to present Christ in all his loveliness.
To present the work of Calvary, To present the heart of God, who so loved the world.
That he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish.
But have everlasting life. And remember this, there is no salvation apart from the Lord Jesus. There is none other name given among men whereby.
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We must we must be saved. Are you saved tonight? Are you the recipient of God's salvation? Again, It thrills my soul to stand here and tell you that I am not ashamed of this gospel because the Lord Jesus is my precious, precious Savior.
He saved my soul.
Almost 50 years ago, and I rejoiced to tell the story over and over and over again.
But what about you tonight? Is it a thrill to your soul when we speak of God's salvation?
Or do you squirm a little bit and you look around and you watch the clock, which seems to go ever so slow?
And you're looking forward to this meeting being over and you go on your way. Oh, if you're squirming in your seat tonight, I beg you before God, I beg you tonight not to put off your soul's salvation.
Let's go on to another verse now in the book of Titus.
Titus, Chapter 2.
Titus chapter 2 and verse 11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation.
Hath appeared to all men.
Maybe there's someone here tonight and you say, well, I don't deserve it. You know, a man named the Apostle Paul said that when he was Saul of Tarsus, he was the chief of sinners. In other words, he said I was the worst Sinner that ever lived. And if the worst Sinner that ever lived is in heaven tonight, and he is, and I know it on the authority of God's word, then there's no excuse for you because it's all on the grounds of grace.
It's nothing that you can earn or attain to tonight. We don't earn salvation. We don't work for salvation. Not of my works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us.
Because all our righteousnesses are ours. Filthy rags. What does that verse mean, you know?
I started meetings like this as a child and I heard gospel preachers quote that verse all our righteousnesses.
Are as filthy rags. What it simply means is the very best things we can do are to God a pile of filthy rags. You know tomorrow is Sunday.
And I suggest that there are going to be a lot of people right in the city of Saint Louis who get up tomorrow, and by the end of the day they've offered God a pile of filthy rags.
They may go to a place of worship. They may sing some hymns.
They may say or recite some prayers, they may do some good deeds, they may give something in an offering plate, they may perform some charitable function, and I'm not saying that those things are wrong in themselves.
But if they have done it.
As men and women who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior.
At the end of the day, they have simply offered to God a pile of filthy rags.
And that is an insult to God. What would you think of someone who came in on your birthday?
And gave you a present, a gift so nicely wrapped, maybe with a ribbon and bow and a nice card on it, and you opened it up and in that box was a pile of filthy rags. You'd be pretty insulted, wouldn't you? You'd say that person really doesn't care about me. That person's not my friend. That person doesn't really love me. And yet people will offer filthy rags to God and to the Lord Jesus.
By grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves.
It is the gift of God again, the apostle Paul said after he got saved by the grace of God. I am what I am. And you know, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
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The grace of God that bringeth salvation there is our word salvation.
You need to be saved by grace. It's the grace of God that has brought salvation.
And it has appeared to all men I love that the Gospel tonight is not for some select group of people.
It's not for a certain race of people, it's not for a certain social class of people.
It's for all, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
But the gospel is for all tonight whosoever believeth.
Whosoever will may come.
You know what? Whosoever means, it very simply means this. You and me and everybody else, none excluded. The gospel is all inclusive tonight. It's for you.
Yes, it is.
Sometimes at the end of a gospel meeting, people say, well, that's the right kind of message for somebody else, but that's not the right kind of message for me. That stuff's not for me, but it is for you tonight. And God has allowed you to hear the glorious gospel.
I saw a statistic just last night. It was brought to my attention and I looked it up. A statistic that.
I wrote it down.
This statistic States and I I I don't always put a lot of stock in statistics, but even if this statistic is somewhat accurate, it's astounding. The statistics state that 33% of language groups in this world still do not have the word of God or any part of it in their own language, nor is there a translation plan.
To translate into that language or dialect.
That constitutes 2252 languages.
Or thir 3000 or 353 million people on this planet Earth.
Not solemn to think about. And yet tonight here we are with the word of God in our hands. Here we are speaking from the Word of God in our own language.
And what are you doing with it? You know, there are people in this world that would give anything.
To have the word of God or some part of it in their own language.
And I have seen people weep.
Yes, I have. I've seen people weep when a Bible in their own language was placed in their hand. Or a New Testament.
I've seen people hug it to their chest. They were so glad to get a Bible.
And yet we have Bibles here, stocks of them in this land, And yet people are turning away and refusing to read or to listen to the word of God.
I suppose one reason is we don't want to be different, do we?
Perhaps it's hard to believe, but I was a young person one time and I sat in meetings like this and I wanted to fit in with the crowd.
I wanted to fit in with the crowd. I wanted to be cool. Or, as we said in our day, groovy.
Yeah, I didn't want to be different. I didn't want to step out of the crowd. I wanted to be accepted. You know, it's not wrong to desire to be accepted, but whose acceptance do you really want tonight? Do you want God's acceptance? Do you want the Lord Jesus acceptance, or do you want to go along with the crowd?
If you were to Google the name Richard Armstrong, you would find that he's a very well known biochemist.
And he's written a book that's quite well known in those circles.
But he tells the story of an associate, a biologist.
Who came into the lab one day with some processional caterpillars?
Caterpillars that follow one another.
And he took a clay pot with a plant in that pot.
And he put took those processional caterpillars and he took them and placed them around the rim of that clay pot, head to tail, head to tail, right around the rim of that pot.
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And Richard Armstrong watched as those caterpillars began their procession.
Around and around and around. Not going anywhere but following one another.
Around and around and around. Is that what you're doing tonight? Not going anywhere really, but following the crowd.
But you know those caterpillars, they went around and around for several days.
There was food in the middle of that pot.
And they walked around and around, following one another. Not one of them broke away from the ring, and eventually they all died. They all perished from exhaustion and hunger.
Not interesting to think about. We shake our heads at that. We say foolish caterpillars to follow one another till they were dead.
But what about intelligent God, conscious men and women and young people?
What are you doing tonight with God's salvation? Are you just going to follow the crowd?
Are you going to come and receive the Lord Jesus as your savior?
In that regard, let's go on to the book of Hebrews.
Hebrews Chapter 2.
Hebrews Chapter 2.
And verse one, therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard.
Lest at any time we should let them slip, for if the words spoken by angels was steadfast.
And every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward. How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation, which at first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him? And I want to read a verse further on in the book of Hebrews in the 10th chapter.
Chapter 10 and verse 29.
Of how much sore punishment suppose ye shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing.
And hath done despite unto the spirit of grace.
How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? It's a question that God raises. You know, often in the Bible God raises questions because questions make it personal. We perhaps in the last half hour, said many things, and perhaps you feel, well, that doesn't quite apply to me. Or you can shrug it off in one way or another.
But here's a question from God's Word, a question to you tonight.
How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? Notice it doesn't say.
How shall we escape if we reject so great salvation?
To reject God's salvation is very, very serious. I hope there's no one here who is an out and out rejector.
But to neglect this, perhaps just or is just as serious and perhaps even more dangerous, because the great lie of the enemy tonight, I believe, as he whispers in your ear, is put it off.
We can all think that, can't we? To things we neglected to do, things that we really intended to take up and to accomplish. But we put it off for one reason or another. As we say, we shoved it to the back burner, and we can all think of times when we regret it, neglecting or putting off something in this life.
But to neglect salvation and to pass out of this world into a lost eternity.
Is eternal loss. There's no recovery. I have often neglected to do many things. In fact, when I was a boy, one of the things I neglected many, many times was to do my homework.
You know, I usually had to stay in at recess or noon hour and get it done. Or there was a note sent home to my parents that the next night I better be kept in from playing baseball with my friends so that I get that homework caught up. It got done eventually, but all I say, there's no recovery to those who neglect so great salvation.
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Stories told of a man who was walking the streets of Johannesburg, South Africa, one time.
And as he was walking the street, he noticed in the ditch a piece of paper with the words on it.
$5000 reward for the answer to this question.
The paper was folded and he couldn't see the question and you can imagine that his curiosity was sparked.
To see what the question was, and perhaps to collect a reward of $5000.
What's that paper really was with the gospel leaflet? And when he bent down and picked up that paper and unfolded it?
This is what it said $5000 reward. To the answer to the question How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? Needless to say, that reward has never been collected.
Some of you here tonight have Christian parents, Parents who have brought the gospel before you, from before you, the time you can remember.
Parents who have brought you to a meeting like this and parents who at this very point may be praying.
The the Lord will work in your soul and bring you to a knowledge of salvation.
But you know, there was a young girl, true story, young girl, and she was brought up in a Christian home.
And as she approached her teenage years, she got very, very sick as she said of hearing that she needed to be saved.
And one day she just blew up at her mother, she said. I don't want to hear that stuff anymore.
Don't tell me about the Lord Jesus. I've had enough.
The mother was desperate and after praying about it, she spoke to a Christian friend.
And this Christian friend agreed to see her daughter. This Christian friend had had some rapport with her daughter and.
Felt that perhaps she could bring Christ before her.
And so the Christian friend arranged to meet privately with this young girl.
And as they sat down together, she could This friend could see this girl stiffen. Now I'm going to get a lecture. Now all this stuff is going to be brought before me again, and I don't want to hear it.
But the Christian friend tried a little different approach.
She said to this girl, You're sick of hearing all this stuff about being saved, aren't you?
Girl said. Yeah, I sure am. Mom and Dad, they've just tried to ram this down me for all the days I can remember and I'm just sick of it.
The Christian friend said. Well, I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll go back and I'll talk to your parents, and I'll try to convince them not to talk to you about the need of salvation for a year.
Girl relaxed. She thought. This isn't so bad after all.
But then she thought about it for a moment.
She said a year might be too long.
Something might happen within a year, and a year might be too long.
Christian Friend said. OK, we'll make a deal. We'll cut it in half.
I'll ask your parents to stop talking about Christ and salvation for six months.
Didn't sound too bad until she really thought about it.
Six months seemed like a long time. Anything could happen in six months.
The friend said. How about three months?
Yeah, that was good, she said. You know, I I think that'll work you, you go back and talk to mom and dad and.
Ask them just not to mention things for three months.
She got up out of her seat to leave and.
She got to the door and the spirit of God was really working with her and she turned and said, how about we get down and pray right now?
She realized the seriousness of neglecting or putting off.
So great salvation, and she and the friend kneeled there.
In that room, and that young girl came to know the Lord Jesus Christ.
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As her savior, oh, don't put it off. Don't get up out of these seats tonight. Don't wait another moment until you're saved. Because if you neglect so great salvation, you're gonna pass and you leave this world of the Lord Jesus comes, you're gonna pass out of this world into a lost eternity. And we read in the 10th chapter of those who trample under foot the blood of Christ.
And I want to stress for a few moments the importance of the blood of Christ, because there is no other remedy.
For sin tonight. If you trample under foot God's salvation in the blood of Christ, there's nothing left for you. God has no other way of salvation tonight.
You say I'm not going to trample under foot the blood of Christ. I wouldn't trample under foot the person of Christ.
But if you go out of this room tonight, neglecting God's salvation.
In effect, that's what you're doing. You're saying it's not good enough for me. I don't want it.
And it's an insult to God, who has provided a great salvation through that precious blood.
You say I want to do my own thing. I want to live for myself for a while.
You know, there was a young man right here in the United States.
And he sat in gospel meetings like that, like this. And that's exactly what he thought. I want to do my own thing. And he went out and he did his own thing, and he lived to excess.
And it's caused such great sorrow to his Christian mother.
That it broke her heart to such an extent that she went to an early grave.
And his father was broken hearted, not only because of his son's waywardness, but at the loss of his wife.
And this seemed to have very, very little effect on the sun. He continued his wayward ways.
And one night, as he was preparing to go out for a night of revelry.
A night on the town, his father pleaded with them and he said, son, your mother's dead. I'm all alone here. Can't you spend an evening with me? Oh, my son said I don't have time. I want to go out and live. I want to have my I have my friends waiting for me. Father pleaded with him, but to no avail.
Finally, his father said. Son, I can't stop you. You're stronger than I. I cannot physically stop you.
But he said if you go out tonight, you're going to have to trample over your father who loves you.
And that father.
I can hardly envision it, but that father he lay down.
At the threshold of the door of that home.
And that hard hearted son.
Stepped over his father and went out for another night.
Of partying on the town.
He trampled over his father and the love and pleading of that father.
Are you going to go out the door of this room tonight, trampling on the blood of Christ?
Rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ and that blood that is so precious to the heart of God tonight.
God says of those who have availed themselves of that blood that were redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, you know that's God's estimation. That's God's value of the blood that was shed at Calvary's cross, because it is the blood of Jesus Christ his Son that cleanses our cleans from all sin.
Martin Luther told of a dream he had one time.
Where the devil came to him in that dream, and that devil had a scroll in his hand.
And the devil, with a great flourish, opened that scroll in front of Martin Luther.
And on that scroll were the many of the sins that Martin Luther had committed.
And Martin Luther scanned that scroll and he said to the devil in his dream. Is that it? Is that all? Oh, no. The devil said, there's more. And the devil brought another scroll, and he opened it. And there was another long, long list of sins that Martin Luther had committed. And Martin Luther couldn't deny it. He said. Is that all? No, he said, There's another scroll. And a third scroll was brought out, and it was opened up in the presence of Martin Luther.
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And Martin Luther read that scroll, and then in triumph he cried right across it all. The blood of Jesus Christ his Son, cleanseth us from all sin.
I'm thankful that my sins are gone. They're blotted out like a thick cloud as far as the East is from the West, so far as he removed our transgressions from us. Thy sins and iniquities, I will remember no more. We have forgiveness through His blood.
The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Is that blood real and precious to your soul tonight? Have you had that cleansing?
Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power? Are you washed in the blood of the lamb?
What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Precious Precious Blood of Jesus Shed on Calvary.
Shed for rebels, shed for sinners, and, yes, thank God, shed for me. If we were to give that hymn out tonight, at this juncture in the meeting, would you be able to join heartily in the singing of that hymn?
All the blood of Jesus is available for you tonight, and there's a day coming.
When I am going to join a crowd, a vast throng in heaven, and I'm going to lift up my voice and sing of the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ for all eternity. But if you trample on the blood of Christ, if you reject God's great salvation.
You are going to end up in a lost eternity, and while many of us are singing the song of the Redeemed in the Father's house, you will be weeping and gnashing your teeth in the lake of fire.
That was prepared originally for the devil and his angels.
It's real. It's serious tonight. It's urgent tonight.
Don't neglect.
So great salvation.
You know, when you leave this world, there's no negotiations.
A businessman said to a friend of mine one time when this friend brought before him the need of salvation. He said. When I get to heaven, I'll negotiate myself in.
You might have to negotiate in the business world to survive today.
And they give courses. They say in the business world, you get don't get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate. But that's not true in connection with your soul.
You'll not negotiate your way in at the Gate of Heaven.
If you leave this world in your sins.
You will eventually stand before the Lord Jesus and your mouth will be stopped.
Yes, it will. It will be stopped. You will have nothing to say in the courtroom of God in that day.
People negotiating courtrooms today, they make bargains, they negotiate in the judges chambers and then they come out and there's plea bargains and they plead guilty or not guilty and this and that and the other thing. And if they can get a good lawyer and they're a fast talker, they can often get off or get the sentence reduced. But not so in that day when you stand before the great white throne. Like to read couple of verses in the book of Romans again.
This time in the 10th chapter.
Romans, chapter 10.
And verse nine, That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus.
And shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead. Thou shalt be saved.
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. You know we often quote these verses in the gospel. Often we quote the 10th verse, and we stop there. But I believe the two verses go very well and very necessarily together. And you'll notice that the order is reversed in the in the 11Th ver, in the 10th verse. In the ninth verse, we find it speaks of confessing with the mouth first.
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And then it speaks of the heart believing in the heart. I suggest that the confessing in this verse.
Is to confess to God or to the Lord Jesus. You know the thief on the cross did that, didn't he?
He turned to the Lord Jesus in his dying hour and he confessed. He called Jesus Lord.
He said, Lord, Remember Me when thou comest into thy Kingdom.
Have you ever turned to Jesus in that way? Have you ever confessed Jesus as Lord?
Have you ever then believed in your heart? The two things go hand in hand here, confessing him as Lord, and believing in the heart. But then you notice in the next verse the order is reversed. Here it there it says, For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation, if you have believed in your heart.
If there has been a real work of grace in your soul, I want to encourage you to confess to someone that you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. The confession here is to someone else. Turn to someone. After this meeting, go to someone. I remember preaching the gospel in a setting very similar to this, and a young boy coming up afterwards and saying, Mr. Highland, I want to tell you that I know the Lord Jesus as my Savior.
You know when you do that, it's a real confirmation in your soul. It will give you a real piece of soul that you are truly saved. Yes, it is believing in your heart. Yes, it is confessing Jesus as Lord to Him first. But there's a confirmation in your soul by confessing it to others. And there is a thrill to the one to whom you confess. You think I wasn't thrilled that night when that boy, young boy came up to me and confessed.
That he knew the Lord Jesus as the savior? Of course I was. You think mom or Dad wouldn't thrill if you turned them to them tonight? And you said, you know I know the Lord as your as my savior. Maybe you've been saved for quite a while. Have you ever told mom or dad? Have you ever told a friend? Have you ever told someone else?
I remember getting up to preach the gospel.
Just after I had heard the news of a young boy.
Through a tragic accident being ushered into eternity.
And I mentioned this incident in the Gospel Meeting. And after the gospel was over, another young boy.
The age of this boy that had been killed came up to me.
And he said, Mr. Highland, I know where that boy is tonight.
I said, How do you know?
He said. Because the last time we were together.
He told me that he knew the Lord Jesus Christ as his savior.
You know, when I stood up a few days later to take that young boy's funeral, it gave me great confidence because that boy had confessed the Lord Jesus as his savior and young boy, young girl, if you went out tonight and were killed, or something tragic happened and you were ushered into eternity tonight.
Could your parents and friends and those who know you stand around and say, we know where that person is, They're with the Lord. They confess the Lord Jesus as their savior. Or would we have to say, well, I hope so. You know, they were brought up in a Christian home and they always were respectful when the Bible was read at the table. And they never opposed coming to the gospel meetings. I hope they're saved. Oh, I tell you, you want those you leave behind to have an assurance of your salvation.
Confessed him tonight. I'd like to, in closing, turn to one more scripture.
It's in Second Timothy chapter 3.
Second Timothy, chapter 3 and verse 15.
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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.
Perhaps there's someone here tonight and you haven't heard the Holy Scriptures or the Word of God, the Bible.
From the early days of your childhood, but many of us have.
And it's the Holy Scriptures that are able to make us wise unto salvation, In other words, for our purposes, at the end of this gospel meeting tonight, it's the Bible that shows us the way of salvation, and it shows us very clearly. Maybe you feel the gospel hasn't been made clear tonight.
If you feel that way, oh go to the word of God, read John's Gospel, read the New Testament. It's the Holy Scriptures that wake us, wise unto salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus.
You know, the preacher last night was telling us that he got in trouble because he had a GPS.
And it didn't quite give the right directions.
I get in trouble because I don't have AGPS and my wife and others who know me best will tell you.
I can get lost very easily. My wife professes that she can spin me in my backyard and I'm turned around and she's not far off.
But you know what? I hold AGPS in my hand tonight. I speak reverently. That'll never guide you. Wrong. This book shows us the way to heaven. It tells us, without a doubt, very clearly, how we can be saved, how we can get there. And it will never guide you. Wrong. It leads to God's happy home, the Father's house to be with the Lord Jesus Christ.
It shows, I say, very clearly.
God's way of salvation. But all the great question at the end of this meeting is.
Have you followed the directions of this blessed book? Are you saved? Do you know that wonderful salvation I want to close tonight by singing one verse of hymn #36 on the gospel hymn sheet? Oh, do not let the word depart and close thine eye against the light.
Poor Sinner, harden not thine heart thou wouldst be saved.
Why not tonight? Just verse one in the chorus of hymn #36 if someone will please start it.