Gospel—James Ferguson
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We'll start off tonight by singing a hymn from your hymn sheet #17.
Let's sing #17.
Have you any room for me?
All right, let's look to the Lord.
OK, I want to start off with a scripture tonight in Romans chapter 15.
The message that I hope to tell forth this evening is of utmost importance.
Very serious topic. And so I hope that everyone will listen very carefully to what is said because each one of us are going to be responsible for what we've heard tonight, responsible to God. And like I said, this is a serious matter that we're Speaking of tonight. So I hope that you'll listen carefully.
Romans 15, verse 4.
For whatsoever things were were written aforetime were written for our learning.
That we, through patients and comfort of the scriptures, might have hope.
And so the message that we have tonight is a message of hope.
And you might have guessed it from this verse that I turn to, but I'm going to go back to the Old Testament, look at a number of scriptures and look at 1 Character in particular who isn't necessarily a character. While it is not, I should say, a character who would fill us with hope. But when we look at this man's life, we can apply the lessons to ourselves. That's what this verse says that we should do.
That the things were written that were written for our learning. We can apply the lessons to ourselves. We can make.
Right decision about the Lord Jesus Christ and because of that we can have hope in our hearts.
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Knowing what will shortly come to pass, so I want to look at a King of Judah. He was the Last King of Judah before.
Judah was captured by the Babylonians and.
He was the Last King, and his name starts with the last letter of the alphabet. AZ sounds like Hezekiah, which I'm sure many of us know. But the king who I want to talk about, his name was Zedekiah and maybe to some of the younger ones. You might not be real familiar with King Zedekiah, but we're going to talk about him, see what sort of choices he made and.
We'll present the Gospel message tonight, So second Kings 24.
So where we'll start off? Second Kings 24 and.
Verse 17.
It says. And the king of Babylon made Matania his father's brother king, and instead and changed his name to Zedekiah. Zedekiah was 20 and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned 11 years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Ham, Utah, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libna. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.
According to all that Jehoiakim had done. Let's pause there for a minute. So we're reading about this king.
Zedekiah, I want to look at his family situation for a moment.
And I could be wrong on this, but I was reading in some other verses here in Kings and there was a king, his name was Josiah. Very good king followed the Lord, did that which was right.
And after Josiah, he had a son. His name was Jehovah has.
He reigned, it says in the previous chapter, just three months in Jerusalem.
And then he was replaced by his brother Jehoiakim. I should mention Jehovah has was not a good king at all. A wonderful father. Like many of us sitting here in this room, we have a father who loves the Lord and wants to bring us up for him. But Jehovah has didn't seem to have any want to have anything to do with that.
So his brother replaced him on the throne, Jehoiakim.
Also Josiah's son Jehoiakim was number better than Jehovah has did evil he reigned for.
I think it was about 11 years. I see. And then his son was.
Jehoiachin not a good king either, and Jehoiachin lasted only.
Three months, I believe. And then and then we pick up the story where we started off in verse 17 and we see that.
Zedekiah is.
Jehoiachins uncle, or you could say Jehoiah Kim's brother. So Jehovah has Jehoiah Kim, Zedekiah I believe are all brothers. They're all sons of Josiah, a good king who did that which was right. But none of these three brothers did right in the sight of the Lord. Instead it says about each of them that they did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.
And I believe that each of our lives can be summed up in such a simple way as well. Either we do that which is right in the sight of the Lord or.
It would be a sad thing if it were said about us that we did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord and.
Of course it has to do with our works, but I think when I'm standing here this evening, it has mostly to do with what we would do with the Lord Jesus Christ, God's Son, the one that he sent down here to save us from our sins.
If we would accept God's offer of salvation that he freely offers to each one of us here tonight, even if we do a lot of things that aren't quite right, I think it would be said that we did that which was right and that we obeyed the word of the Lord and believed in his Son. But if we choose to neglect the offer that he has for.
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Us this evening.
Of believing in his Son, the Lord Jesus.
I think it would. God would have to say we did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, even if we did all sorts of other good works and good things. There are many people who do all kinds of wonderful things, but they don't have faith.
And you know what God says about that?
I won't flip to it, but Isaiah 64 verse 6.
God says all your righteousnesses are as filthy rags, so no matter what we try to do to please God, we know that from His word. He says without faith it is impossible to please God and so that's why He sent his Son the Lord Jesus Christ to die for our sins and if we would believe in Him.
If we have faith in the Lord Jesus.
We can be saved from our sins another verse if we're trying to please God and get to heaven by works.
Would be found in the book of Titus. I believe it would be chapter 3. It says not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy. He has saved us and it's it's just the mercy of God.
That he would see us in our condition as sinners.
Before God, and that he would.
Make a remedy, the Lord Jesus Christ, and send him.
Into this world today at Calvary's cross for us.
Verse twenty of Second Kings 24 for through the anger of the Lord.
It came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
Chapter 25. And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the 10th month, in the 10th day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came he and all his hosts against Jerusalem.
And they pitched against it and they built forts against it roundabout, and the city was besieged. And onto the 11Th year of King Zedekiah.
And on the 9th day of the fourth month the famine prevailed in the city, and there was number bread for the people of the land, and the city was broken up.
And all the men of war fled by night, by the way of the gate between two walls, which is by the King's garden.
Now the Caldes were against the city roundabout, and the king went the way toward the plain.
It's going to stop there for now.
I want to mention too that.
Zedekiah was 21 years old when he began to reign. We had read that earlier. Maybe there's somebody here who's 21 years old.
I remember being 21, it's a tough age to be. You have a lot of decisions to make at that age.
Maybe what you're going to do for a job who you would hope to spend the rest of your life with.
Where you're going to live, many big decisions at the age of 21. So important to be reading the word of God, to have faith in him to help you in these decisions. So it could be said of us that we did that which was right in the sight of the Lord.
And not that which was evil. We see that Zedekiah reigned for 11 years.
So he would have stopped raining when he was 32 years old.
A little bit younger than I am now and he had a lot of responsibility.
In those eleven years, being the king of Judah.
But he would have had a similar responsibility in his own soul between him and God that you and I have tonight. And we see that he didn't make.
A wise decision.
And I hope that that's not said about you.
I want to look at a parallel portion in Second Chronicles 36.
Versus.
11 to 16.
Zedekiah was one and 20 years old when he began to reign and reigned 11 years in Jerusalem.
And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord is God and humbled, not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking.
From the mouth of the Lord. And he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God.
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But he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart from turning onto the Lord God of Israel. Moreover, all the chief of the priests and the people transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen, and polluted the House of the Lord, which he had hallowed in Jerusalem.
And the Lord God of their fathers, sent to them by his messengers, rising up be times and sending, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy.
So what can we learn from this portion?
Zedekiah would not humble himself before Jeremiah. What words did Jeremiah speak to Zedekiah?
Says that they were words from the mouth of the Lord. Tonight we all in this room have our Bibles open and these are words from the mouth of the Lord.
Their words that God has written down that we would do well to read it.
And to not only read it and hear it like you are tonight, but to obey it. And God has clearly said in His word that we are born in sin and shaping and iniquity all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and that our sins have separated us from our God. And there is no way for us to come into the presence of God in our sins.
And so that's why.
He sent his son, his one and only son.
The Lord Jesus Christ, God himself down into this world.
But Zedekiah also says of him, that he stiffened his neck, and he hardened his heart to turn unto the Lord God of Israel.
Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ or do you have a stiff neck?
That means that you won't turn your head to look another way, you're just going to continue on in your own way.
Because you think it's best? Do you have a hard heart? All these words that are spoken tonight.
Do you feel like they don't apply to you? Do you feel like you're different than Zedekiah?
Or do you feel like God doesn't see you?
Remember that it says Zedekiah did evil in the sight of the Lord.
God sees you where you are right now.
Not only does he see you on the outside, but we know in the book of Samuel.
It says that God sees not as man seeth, for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.
God sees where your heart is at tonight.
He offers you salvation and He would love for you to accept it.
We see that God sent many messengers and prophets.
Because he had compassion on his people.
And he has compassion on you tonight. He loves you.
But what did they do with God's messengers? Verse 16? They mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, misused his prophets, and it says that the wrath of the Lord arose till there was no remedy. And we know that they got taken into captivity in Babylon.
Because of their wickedness, but thank the Lord.
He has sent a remedy in his Son Jesus, that one who was crucified at Calvary's cross and shed his precious blood.
Let's go back to 2nd Kings 25 and I want to read a few more verses. I want to read what happens to Zedekiah.
Because it doesn't end well for him.
So Zedekiah is running from the Chaldeans from King Nebuchadnezzar.
It says that he.
Fled by night by the way of the gate. He probably thought if he was able to escape by night, he'd be able to run and nobody would see him, and he might be able to escape.
What is Hebrews 2 Say to us?
How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? There is no escape, is there?
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And Zedekiah did not escape this judgment that was looming on him.
Second Kings 25, verse 6.
Sorry, verse five and the army of the Khaldi's pursued after the king.
And overtook them in the plains of Jericho, and all his army were scattered from him. So they took the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon, to Ribla. And they gave judgment upon him. And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon. What a sad state.
For the King of Judah to be in.
He didn't. It didn't have to end this way.
But what did they do? They slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes.
What a sad thing.
Does anyone remember how old Zedekiah?
Was when this happened he was 21 years old when he began to reign. He reigned for 11 years would make him 32 years old. Do you think those sons were very old?
I'm maybe a year older than Zedekiah was and my oldest daughter is 8 years old.
Not very old. I wouldn't imagine these sons would be much older than my kids. They were killed before. Zedekiah's very eyes might have been the last thing he saw before they took his eyes out.
How well do you think Zedekiah could see once he had no eyes?
Not very well, could he?
You know what?
Those sons that were killed.
They remind me of another son who was killed. God the Father, the Father sent the Son.
To be the savior of the world and the Lord Jesus was killed.
Not because of anything that he had done, not because of anything his father had done. He was killed because of what I have done, because of what you have done. He was bruised for our transgressions, wounded for our iniquities, and he willingly was crucified at Calvary's cross.
To pay our penalty of sins, if you would accept him.
Well, Zedekiah wouldn't be able to see very well with his eyes taken out, and that was the judgment that the king of Nebuchadnezzar had pronounced on him.
And there's judgment pronounced for you if you do not accept the Lord Jesus.
Heaven is real and it's a place, and we can read about it in God's Word, and hell is for real.
And it's a place. And in the book of Jude, it's described as the blackness.
Of darkness forever.
So.
A solemn thing, but if somebody in this room would end up in that place.
I think they'd see about as much as Zedekiah could see without his eyes.
And I think that their thoughts would be similar to the awful thoughts that Zenaki would have had having just seen his.
Sons killed before his very eyes, before they were taken out. Solemn, solemn portion.
Well, let's flip over here to the Book of Jeremiah.
Chapter 21.
Verses 8:00 and 9:00.
And so God had said that he had sent messengers often to the people, and he sent special messengers to Zedekiah.
Pleading with him to obey the word of the Lord. And one of these messengers was the lamenting prophet Jeremiah.
And in Jeremiah 21, eight and 9:00.
Thus saith the Lord.
I'm starting halfway through the verse. Behold, I set before you the way of life.
And the way of death, He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence. But he that goeth out and falleth to the Chaldeans that besieged you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey.
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So all Zedekiah had to do.
Was to.
Turn himself in to the Chaldeans and I think.
Would have been a different story for him, but he wanted he tried to run instead.
And he was judged. The Lord says that He set before him the way of life and the way of death. And tonight there is a decision for you. You can choose eternal life, which God has abundantly provided for you, or you can choose the way of death. Let's go over to John 336.
It very clearly gives us.
The two choices that we have.
John, chapter 3, verse 36.
Says he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him life or death.
Believe on the Son everlasting life. Believe not the Son.
The wrath of God.
Romans 623.
I'm sure most here could quote this first by memory. That's a wonderful thing.
But we need to make sure that not only can we recite this verse, but that we understand what it means. It says for the wages of sin is death.
Because we are sinners, we deserve death, separation, eternal separation from God and from the Lord Jesus who loves you.
But the gift of God is eternal life.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Is there anything that we have to do to receive that gift?
Note we just accept it, just like when somebody gives us a gift.
You might try to give somebody some money if they give you a gift, and if it's a true gift, they'll say no, no, it's a gift.
That's what God says to us. You know what? The work's been done. The Lord Jesus paid the price.
At Calvary's cross and all we have to do is thank him and accept him.
Let's go back to Jeremiah for a moment.
Jeremiah 37.
Versus one to five. And King Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned instead of Kanaya the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, made king in the land of Judah. But neither he nor servants, nor the people of the land did hearken onto the words of the Lord, which he spake by the prophet Jeremiah.
And it says that Zedekiah sent a couple of people to Jeremiah saying pray now.
Unto the Lord our God for us.
Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people, for they had not put him into prison. So Zedekiah, he realizes that Jeremiah.
Is a messenger sent from God and he comes to him and says, would you please pray for us? We're in a bad situation here. How often do people, when they get into a bind, come to those of us who are saved and say please?
Pray for me. And it's a wonderful thing to be able to intercede on behalf of somebody else to pray for them.
But how much better if they would realize?
The power of God, who he is, that he can forgive their sins and that they can come to Him in prayer themselves.
Jeremiah 38.
Verse 20.
This is a final pleading from Jeremiah to King Zedekiah.
To just obey, To humble himself.
But Jeremiah said, they shall not deliver thee. Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the Lord, which I speak unto thee. So it shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live.
I plead with you tonight the same words obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the Lord, which I speak unto thee.
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It shall be well with thee. Thy soul shall live if you believe in the Lord Jesus on the.
Authority of the Word of God.
We have hope.
Before us, peace in our hearts, knowing that whenever we leave this world.
We go straight to heaven to be with the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.
Let's go to Jeremiah 28 for one moment.
There was a prophet in those times, a false prophet. His name was Hananiah, and we know that.
The Jews.
Were in Babylonian captivity for 70 years, but Hananiah thought he would give everybody some encouragement and preach that they'd only be there for two years and then they'd be set free. He was a false prophet. It was not of the Lord.
And so in Jeremiah 28, verse 15 then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet here Now Hananiah the Lord hath not sent thee, but thou maketh this people to trust in a lie. Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth. This year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the Lord. So Hannah and I of the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.
This was judgment on the false prophet Hananiah.
And for our lives nowadays?
Want to just say that there are many false prophets.
Who are preaching all sorts of things.
Maybe not necessarily from the Lord, but they just seek to distract people from the truth and from the serious decision that's before them.
And they say things like if we go over to Jeremiah chapter 8 for one moment.
In verse 11.
I think we probably hear this all the time.
Peace. Peace when there is no peace.
And another common phrase that we might hear out there is everything's going to be OK.
But you know what? Without the Lord Jesus, everything is not going to be OK.
Everything's going to be terrible.
And it's important for us to realize.
That all these bombardments that we get from the world that are contrary to the word of God, they're lies.
And the Lord will judge them in due time, but we need to make sure that we listen and that we obey the word of the Lord.
Hebrews chapter one.
First one, just thinking of Jeremiah.
How he was a prophet sent from the Lord, How he preached.
Constantly to King Zedekiah and the rest of Judah to repent.
To surrender. They would not hear him. But this is a day in which we live now.
Hebrews one verse, one God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners spake in time passed on to the fathers by the prophets.
Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds. In Genesis one verse one, in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. We know that it was God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
There working together.
So it says that the Sun is the heir of all things.
We know that verse air heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ, those of us who believe.
Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person.
And upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high. This is the Lord Jesus.
He's.
God Incarnate. He's the brightness of God's glory. He veiled that glory when he came down from heaven to walk this earth, but he was still God, and he was the express image of his person. So he was God himself. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
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Says here that He upholds all things by the word of His power as well. We know that He spoke creation into being, and we know that through His word.
The universe continues on. Our planet continues to orbit around the sun.
Rain falls on the earth for plants to grow.
We trust that we can take our next breath because of God's goodness. The Lord Jesus is doing all this, this very moment, by the word of His power.
Not only that, but it's a work that he's done in the past when he had by himself purged our sins.
Now he is seated at God's right hand, because the work.
Is done so he can take a seat.
Knowing that it's accomplished, knowing that the God is completely satisfied with what's been done at Calvary's cross.
It's so important though that we don't put off this decision. I want to just share a little story and.
We were taking somebody to the train station recently and the train was going to leave at 5:50.
So.
We were sitting down to eat supper and they were gathering up their belongings and they just didn't seem to be in a big hurry to get in the vehicle and head for the train and there was some dawdling and.
Some other procrastination and maybe a phone call or two made anyways.
So finally headed out the door, jumped in the vehicle, headed to the train station and all of the cars are pulling out of the train station parking lot. And in a small town, there's only one reason why all the cars are leaving and that's because the train has left.
And so the train was missed and so it wasn't a big deal because.
They were driven to their destination and it was a minor inconvenience.
But the reason I tell this story is that maybe you're thinking well.
I hear what's been said tonight, but I'm just not really ready to give up anything at the moment. I kind of enjoy my lifestyle that I'm living, and maybe when I'm a little bit older I'll reconsider, think more about it. Well, you know what? By that time, it might be too late. The train might have left, and it's not just a minor inconvenience where you can get another ride to heaven. If the train leaves, it means that either.
You've passed away, and even if you're young, that can still happen tonight.
Or more likely, I would say the Lord Jesus has come maybe this very day. He says that he is coming quickly, coming back very soon to take all those who believe in him up to heaven to be with him. And if we're not ready when he comes, we missed the train.
It's a solemn, solemn thing to think about, because not only do we miss the ride to heaven, but.
We end up in the other place.
The blackness of darkness forever hell. A place that Matthew 25 says was prepared for the devil and his angels. Not a place that's meant for you, but a place that you will go to if you reject God's offer of salvation. Well, our time is almost up.
I want to recap just in three verses. Try to make it simple.
Sometimes.
We use steps 1-2 and three, but I want to just change 1-2 and three to the letters AB and C.
OK, and maybe you'll remember this.
So step A A is for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. You need to realize that.
Step B. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin. Remember, all have sinned, and the blood cleanses us from all thin, every single one, every single one of our sins washed away in the blood of Jesus.
And step C, what's left for us to do? We could say, I think it's a verse on the wall here in French, but step C in English says, come on to me. I'll ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. And so all that's left for us to do in step C is to realize that the blood of Jesus Christ washes away our sins.
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Accept them for ourselves. Ask Him for forgiveness.
We're now a safe soul.
Peace in our hearts join our lives and we've listened and obeyed.
The word of the Lord, unlike poor, poor kings. Zedekiah.
Let's pray.