Jack Jurgens's Ministry Library

Gospel tent meeting with Peter Ramsay and Kory Crawford.

[0:00] I think we’ve basically said it most nights, but this is not a church membership drive, and it isn’t a fundraising effort.
There’s a lot more at stake than religion and a lot more at stake than church or money.
Sometimes we get into our message and we elevate our voice.
We don’t have a PA system, a voice projection service here.
So if you find us at times a little loud, just remember that we’re not shouting at you.

[0:32] We are shouting for you. And we’re trying to make sure our voice is projected so all can turn to the back seat.
But really what our agenda is, quite straightforward, the burning desire of our heart over these two weeks. The burden of our soul is for you to know Christ personally as your Savior. You may never associate with this group of believers that are hosting or sponsoring these services.
Our chief concern is that you would have your sins forgiven, be a possessor of eternal life, and know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and experience the joy.
Like we speak about it as being sure of heaven. Well, for some of you, you might think heaven is a long ways off.
I have greater things to worry about just now.
But you know, it’s not just about heaven. It’s about enjoying life with Christ in 2023.

[1:38] And there are some Christians here this evening, If you were to ask them afterwards over the refreshment, so what is this life with Christ like?
Like tell me, how is it different than religion?
I’m sure they would be happy to tell you there’s quite a distinct difference.
I would like to, before I read, just here’s a thought on my mind is, you’ve heard the term born again, born again?
Yeah, like a lot, most people have heard that word. I want you to ask yourself before we read from the word of God, have I been born again.

[2:13] I can tell you, yes, I have been born again. But I want you to answer that question in your own mind, whether this stays on or not.
Don’t be upset if it blows off onto the floor. My tape is getting weak here.
But you know, Christians that I’ve met across the continent have a precious, precise, personal season in their life, when they were born again.
Again. Born again. And the new birth, this born again, does not happen during a baptism, whether as an infant or as an adult. You don’t get the new birth at baptism. Baptism has nothing to do with the new birth. Even though the term was used by the Lord Jesus, it’s often misused and abused in 2023.
Sometimes we hear the term born-again Christians in the news.
You know, God doesn’t have a bunch of different sets of Christians.
Those who are nominal Christians, bunch of different sets of Christians.
Those who are nominal Christians.

[3:35] We’re not talking about conservative or Democrat or Republican.
We’re not talking about the kind of people who carry placards and protest.
We’re not talking about people who carry big Jesus signs in one hand and smash windows with their fist in another hand.
We’re not talking about that.
They do a tremendous disservice, a tremendous disservice to the gospel, and to the promotion of Jesus Christ.
People who claim to be Christians or born again Christians and carry Jesus signs and lawlessness on the other hand.
So we’re not talking about that. That’s making a mockery out of Christianity.
We are talking about what the Lord Jesus meant when he used the term born again.
So we’re gonna read in the gospel of John, John chapter three, John chapter three.
We’re going, last night we talked about a wealthy man whose tranquility was disrupted.
He had all kinds of money, and all of a sudden he realized, but I have all this, but I don’t have eternal life.
Tonight we’re gonna read about a religious man whose tranquility was disrupted. He was shook up.
One night, he couldn’t sleep.

[5:02] Verse 1, and I’m going to read from the New King James, because we’re going to read 15 verses.
It’s quite a bit to read. We don’t normally read that many verses. Verse 1, there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God. No one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him.’ Jesus answered and said to him, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’, Nicodemus, this very religious man, said to him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb and be born?

[5:56] Jesus answered, most assuredly or truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, you must be born again. Not, you should be born again, you must be born again. This is an imperative with, Jesus. If you’re ever going to be right with God, if you’re ever going to be in the kingdom of God, if you’re ever going to be in heaven, Jesus said you must be born again. The wind bloweth where it wisheth, and you hear the sound of it but cannot tell where it comes from, where it goes.
So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus answered and said to Him, How can these things be?
Jesus answered and said to him, Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?
Most assuredly I say to you, We speak what we know, and testify what we have seen, and you do not receive our witness.
If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

[7:20] No one has ascended to heaven, but he who came down from heaven, that is, a son of man so he’s referring to himself.

[7:31] As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so now he’s telling old Nicodemus, this is how you’re born again.
As Moses, and he’s talking back in the earlier part of the Bible, a story that old Nicodemus would be very familiar with, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must a son of man, or even so must Messiah be lifted up that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
So this man in Nicodemus, very religious, very careful about many things.
The food he ate, the clothes that he wore, the scriptures that he memorized.
They were having supper with someone tonight and they were going to try to memorize, I think he said the whole New Testament.
I don’t know how far he got with that. And then he started trying to memorize Proverbs.
But this man knew many scriptures. He was conscientious.
Even if he was giving one teaspoon of spice, he would measure out one tenth of the spice in the teaspoon and say, that is for God.

[8:46] Just spice, spices. He lived a very particular life, religious life. He was an influential member of the ruling religious class and the Jewish people in Jerusalem, the Sanhedrin, the council. They say in history that he was the third richest man.

[9:12] In Jerusalem, one of the three. And so really, Nicodemus was really the best, that education, money, and religion could produce.
If anyone had everything going for him, it was Nicodemus. I don’t know whether anyone would dare say tonight that they live up to Nicodemus’s standard of living.

[9:47] But behind his robes, his religion, and his reputation, he had a certain unease, unrest, an uncertainty. He had believed this way for all his life, and now he’s got gray hair, white hair, and he’s an old man, and all of a sudden the very foundation of his life is shaking.
Everything he believed is up in the air.
Could I be sincere, but sincerely wrong? He had a lot of questions swirling around in his head.
I don’t know whether you have any questions tonight, but here’s what was going on in Nicodemus’ day.
If you read your Bible there in the New Testament, there was a prophet called John the Baptist, And he seemed to show up really out of nowhere.
And thousands were flocking to hear John the Baptist and he would say, repent, repent.

[10:50] And hundreds, thousands were gathering on the banks of the Jordan River and elsewhere to hear this prophet John the Baptist speak.
And all Nicodemus, he would think, what in the world is going on here?
He didn’t go to rabbinical school, he didn’t graduate from some theological seminary, and what is the power that he has that he can draw these thousands of people?
He’s not dressed in our religious robes.
One day on the banks of the Jordan River, John Baptist said, Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world.
Wow! He was pointing to the Lord Jesus himself, another man in his early 30s.

[11:43] You see Nicodemus thinking, is there anybody thinking tonight? Do I really have the right thing, going a long life. This, you’re starting to wonder. Sometimes it’s an accident. Sometimes it’s a lump in the neck. It could be a pain in the heart that turns people’s worlds upside down.
Down. And all of a sudden they start to think, do I have the right thing? Am I depending? Is my foundation a solid one? And so here’s Nicodemus thinking, oh, and then he listens to young Jesus, preach, 30 years old, and Nicodemus’ complacency and tranquility is disrupted. He said, this man, and he’s, I don’t know him either.
Where did he come from?
He didn’t go to rabbinical school either.
And yet every day he’s doing signs and miracles. I can’t ignore them.
If they were just idle words, empty words, that’s one thing.
But when he has the power to give sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf, how could I ignore what he has to say?

[13:04] He’s listening day after day, but the amazing wonders that Jesus has performed, I can’t dismiss this.
He’s doing powerful things. He must be, he must be, he must be a teacher from God.
Oh, the old man is starting to think, I need to find out about this.
Everyone is going after him. I would like to know more about him.
What’s your attitude this evening?
Would you like to know more about the Lord Jesus?

[13:39] Jesus said, you have to be born again. Are you interested in knowing what Jesus meant by the word, the term born again?
Verse two says, this man came to Jesus by night.
Rabbi, we know you’re a teacher come from God. No one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.
So Nicodemus became a seeker, a teacher, but now a seeker.
When he comes to Jesus, you say, well, why did he come to Jesus at nighttime?
Was he sort of embarrassed that anybody would see him coming at nighttime?
Was it fear of friends? I’m not so sure that it was any of that.
I think that maybe Nicodemus looked in the mirror and said, look, I’ve got wrinkles on my forehead, I’ve got white hair, I’m not getting any younger.
And if this man is, what he is saying is true, then I need to find out.
I don’t know when I will be stepping over the precipice from time into eternity.
I can’t wait until tomorrow morning.
The awfully nice of somebody was here tonight and saying, who says, I would like to have this settled tonight.
If I don’t have the right thing.

[15:02] It’s life is too precarious to live another 24 hours with the wrong thing.
And I think that’s where Nicodemus is at, getting older, I have to find out whose belief system is right.
I can’t dismiss this young man. I’m not right.
If I’m not right, then I have to get it settled immediately.
He comes to Jesus by night. Thank God he came to Jesus. She went to the right source.
Born? Again?

[15:37] Have you been born again?
Have you been born again? You think you’re on the way to heaven? Can you accept Jesus’ word?
You must be born again. If ever there was someone okay for the kingdom of God, Nicodemus probably said, it is me. I’ve always considered myself like a shoe-in for heaven.
I was sure if anybody was going to heaven, it was me. My respectable life, my religion, in my sincerity, but religion was a trap back then.

[16:13] And religion is a trap in 2023. And the Lord Jesus exposed that trap.
What’s Satan’s most dangerous and most successful trap? Let me ask you that question.
Think of all the different things, a trap, Satan’s most dangerous and most successful trap.
Well, we can talk about it afterwards, but it’s not drugs, it’s not immorality, it’s, not crime, it’s not pleasure.
I would think his most successful trap is religion.
Religion. Good works help. Good works help a little bit. Sincerity counts.
Good intentions are pleasing to God, and nothing could be further from the truth.
Good works do not help you find favor with God. Sincerity does not help someone find favor with God.
Good intentions don’t bring someone to God. Religion doesn’t bring anyone to God, it is a trap.
John 14, verse six, Jesus said, “‘I am the way, the truth, the life.
“‘No one comes to the Father but by me.'” Verse four, here’s the truth revealed.
How can a person be born when he’s old? Can he go back inside his mother and be born again?

[17:39] Nicodemus isn’t arguing, why do I have to be born again? It’s sort of a sincere question. How? How?
I’m not born again, I would love to, I’m not arguing with you, Jesus.
I would like to know how I can be born again.
You can almost see the wheels spinning in his mind and hear the shock in his voice.
Late stage in his life.
You might say, well, it’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks.
I think I’ll just coast here.
Yes.
No! Nicodemus said, how? If you have to be born again, then how can this happen?
I don’t want to just smooth it over.

[18:23] It’s hard to look at all of you fine people here tonight and tell you that you must be born again.
You don’t have to be a member. The Christians that sponsor this are Midland Park Gospel Hall, but you don’t have to be a member of the Midland Park Gospel Hall. There’s people in the world who are born again who have never heard tell of a gospel hall, but you must be born again.
You must be born again, and that’s what Jesus is talking about here. And so Jesus answers this question. He talks about being born of the Spirit. This is not something that you do for yourself.
This is a Spirit of God. We read those verses. It’s born from above. It’s a Spirit of God working, in you and bringing you new life. A physical birth, Nicodemus, brought you into this world, But it’s a spiritual birth, Nicodemus, that will bring you into the kingdom of God, into the family of God. Verse 6 says, flesh is just that, flesh, it can’t evolve into something higher. Fleshly life can never generate spiritual life. Wrong from our first birth. That’s what, really what Jesus is teaching here. Our first birth equipped us to live on planet Earth.
But Jesus is saying the new birth.
Do you expect to be with God after you die?

[19:49] The Bible says there are only two destinations after death. It’s heaven with God, with Christ, or it’s hell, it’s eternal punishment and suffering.
But don’t blame God for a place called hell and people going there.
The whole message of the gospel, that was prepared for the devil and his angels.
The whole message of the gospel says, look, I don’t want, God doesn’t want anyone to go to that place of suffering.
I’ve made provision in the cross.
That’s why I said to Jesus, no one has to go there. If they go there, it will be their own personal choice not to accept Christ, not to be in heaven.
So verse seven says, marvel not that I say to you, You must be born again.
And verse eight says, you may not understand the wind, how it blows, where it comes from, but you recognize the force.
And maybe God, you’re recognizing that God is working in your life.
You’re not here by coincidence.
Oh, you see, not really by coincidence, but I just, I’m honoring a commitment to come because of a friend or whatever.
Well, we’re glad you’re a person of your worth.
You kept your word, you’re here. Thank God for that.

[21:05] But behind the scenes, did you ever think that God is at work, the reason you have a friend, the reason you have someone in your life who invited you here? God is reaching into your life.
He wants to bring you to himself. God is at work. And that’s what verse eight’s talking about, the spirit of God. You don’t know where it’s how it’s blowing and all the logistics, but you recognize there’s something going on inside. You recognize its force.
Verse nine, how can these things be?
He’s not belligerent, he’s just bewildered. Comes down to faith.
And that’s where the Lord Jesus takes Nicodemus and Jesus so tenderly tells him a story that he would have known so well, a story back from the days of Moses.
We’re not gonna get into the details of that story.
Numbers chapter 21.
But there was a bunch of people and they were bitten by poisonous snakes.
And they were wanting to know how they could be cured.
And so Moses made a brass, made a pole and put a snake of brass on the pole.
And God said, whoever looks to that brass snake on the pole.

[22:24] Will be healed. And so Jesus said, you’re wondering how this will happen, Nicodemus, how you can be born again?
He said, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. Jesus was gonna be lifted up on a cross that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
The moment a sinner looks away from themselves and looks to Christ the Savior, That’s the moment they are born again, born into God’s family.
Life is in a look at the crucified one, the Lord Jesus Christ.
You can’t just see old Nicodemus, he’s listening intently to the answer about how he can be born again.
And the Bible doesn’t tell us all the rest of the story that particular night, but we know from the Bible, that when Jesus was crucified, Nicodemus was among those who came and took his body down from the cross, willing to be identified with Jesus.
He showed his love, his affection, the fact that he embraced Jesus.
He was there at the cross and took the corpse out of the cross and helped to bury Jesus.
Thank God Jesus was raised from the dead the third day in the resurrection.
But Nicodemus had the shock of his life.

[23:54] It must have been a rude awakening to find out all these years of believing this.
And this young man in his 30s tells me, except I am born again, I cannot be in the kingdom of God.

[24:13] Wouldn’t even see the kingdom of God. Friend, we just echo the words of Jesus tonight.
Except you are born again, You’ll never be in the kingdom. I was just thinking tonight, and often when I hear that, those verses of being born again, the purpose of the gospel message, as we are sometimes guilty of thinking what we need in life is to better our life, to better our situation, better our circumstances, but the.

[24:52] Message as we’ve been hearing of is not that you need a better life, but that you need a new life. That God wants to give life to that which is dead. And that’s what salvation is, being born again. The Bible says, passing from death unto life.
From darkness to light. And so, I love those verses that we’ve already been considering tonight. And we’re going to consider a few more verses in the book of Acts in chapter 13, this evening. Acts chapter 13. And you might have been here a have been here a few nights, and if not, we welcome you if this is your first night.
But what we’ve been looking at in this book of Acts is the different sermons, the different messages that were preached by some of the first preachers.
And you may say up to this point, we’ve heard from the simple men, just like you’ve heard this whole series.
I think Peter is offended when I can group in with me, and you’ve heard from the simple men.
You’re looking for maybe a little higher level of education.
And the preachers that we have heard from, Peter and Philip, they were simple men.
A man who was just a fisherman, Peter. No real acclaim, no real accolades in this world.
And tonight we’re gonna read the gospel preached by a man who was on a different level, according to this world’s measurements.
Him, he himself could say, if anyone, the apostle Paul, if anyone could boast of things accomplished in the flesh, Who more than I?

[26:17] Who more than I circumcised the eighth day, the exact day you’re supposed to, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, where the very first king of Israel came from, King Saul, of that tribe, an important tribe. And he would say, Hebrew of the Hebrews.
Sometimes when you go in the grocery store and maybe you look at the lettuce in the bag, you always look at the back. Why? Because there’s always something in the back.
And whenever you find it, you found the best of all the… Well, he was the Hebrew of all all the Hebrews, he was the best there was.
The best that could be offered in a religious and a spiritual sense.
So tonight, if maybe you’ve been a little disappointed up until this point, you’re gonna hear the gospel preached, from a very religious man.
And he could say himself, this preacher, this religious man, all those things, all that religion, I counted all but nothing.

[27:13] For the excellency of the knowledge of knowing Jesus Christ, my Lord.
There’s nothing greater that could be had in this life, no greater accolade, no greater religious accomplishment, religious diploma.
It’s all counts for nothing. The greatest thing Paul himself would say, the excellency of knowing Jesus Christ.
And so we’re gonna read what he has to say this evening, the Apostle Paul.
In Acts chapter 13 and verse number 14, and we won’t read all the verses, we’ll just skip through a few, but it says Acts 13 and 14, And when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down.
“‘And after the reading of the law and the prophets, “‘the rulers of the synagogue sent to them, saying, “‘Men and brethren, if you have any word of exhortation “‘for the people, say on.’.

[28:05] “‘Then Paul stood up and motioning with his hand said, “‘Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen.’, It begins to recount the history of the people of Israel, and we won’t go through it all.
We’ll go down to verse number 21, and he says, Afterwards they asked for a king.
So God gave them Saul, the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.
And when he had removed him, he raised up for them David as king, to whom he gave testimony and said, I have found David the son of Jesse a man after my own heart who will who will do all my will, from this man’s seed according to the promise God raised up for Israel a Savior Jesus, after John first preached before us coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel and he recounts the story of the Lord Jesus and he speaks of them crucifying him in verse 30 says this but God raised him from the dead.
He was seen for many days by those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are witnesses to the people.

[29:16] Verse 36, For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption. But he whom God raised up saw no corruption.
Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this man, Jesus Christ, is preached to you the forgiveness of sins. And by him everyone who believes is justified from all things which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. A religious man in his past preaching to a very religious people in the small Roman colony there in Antioch. They had many temples there. The greatest temple it is said in that area. A temple made out to the Emperor. So much religion, much politics in this area and a very well respected religious man of his past came and he preach to them this message. And I hate to disappoint you tonight. If you were hoping the religious man, the intellectual man had a different message than the poor fishermen. But his.

[30:25] Message is exactly the same. It’s not through religion. It’s not through works. It’s not through a system. It’s not through certain steps, he would say this, be it known to you that through this man, Jesus Christ, is found the forgiveness of sins. Sounds very similar to the other gospel message we have heard and we have seen preached in the book of Acts. Why? Because the gospel message doesn’t change. Doesn’t matter who’s preaching it, doesn’t matter who’s listening to it, the message is that through this man, Jesus Christ, is preached unto you the forgiveness of sin.

[31:06] That little expression throughout Scripture, when Abraham’s servant would come and find Rebekah searching for a husband for Isaac, a well-known story in the Old Testament, and the question was asked to Rebekah, will you go with this man?
And she didn’t know much about him. She didn’t really know anything of where he was taking her.
But she decided in purpose in her heart, I will follow this man.
And friend tonight in the very same sense this evening, we present to you Jesus Christ.
And the question is this, will you go?
Will you believe? Will you follow this man?
Our hope, our desire, it’s God’s desire that you would. That you would respond in obedience the same way a woman did many thousands of years ago.

[31:56] Job, the testimony of that man, maybe the first, the oldest book in the Bible, the book of Job, and it speaks of his abundance of his sheep, of his camels, of his 500 yoke of oxen, 500 donkeys, a very great household, and it says this, so that this man, Job, was the greatest of all the men of these.
This man, Job, in that whole region, This man was the greatest.
And friend, we could talk about every single man that has ever come and lived in this world.
From Genesis chapter one until the very last person is born into this earth.
And there is no greater one we could ever speak of.
That this man, Jesus Christ, he’s the greatest. He’s the only savior.
The same yesterday, today, and forever. And Paul in his heart and in his mind maybe thinking back to different things he had heard about this man, Jesus.

[32:57] Paul, a man who persecuted the followers of Jesus before he himself was born again.
And all the different expressions, all the different proclamations that were spoke of Jesus that some people came to hear his teaching and they would say, never a man spoke like this man.
He’s unique.
There’s something special about him. We’ve never heard words like this before.
Like the words that come from this man, the well-known gospel verse that this man receives sinners, and he eats with them, he invites sinners to himself.
A man who hung on the cross beside the Lord Jesus Christ, a guilty criminal, he understood one thing.
He said, we’re receiving exactly what we deserve.
The penalty, the price that we are paying right now, the pain we are enduring, it’s because we deserve it.
But he’d say, this man, Jesus Christ, this man, He’s done nothing wrong.
He saw the Lord Jesus Christ in his most vulnerable and in the hardest moments of his existence on this earth.
And he would still conclude this, this man has done nothing wrong.
He’s innocent.

[34:04] What would you do tonight with this man? Would you come to him?
Would you trust in him?
Because for so many years, there were sacrifices that were made.
There was many priests that have come and passed, And maybe you could think of different priests or pastors that you have admired, and what’s the same thing about them?
Someone always came after them to fulfill the duty.
The work was never done.
And the book of Hebrews, it’s Jesus Christ. Do you know him tonight?
But do you know of him? Do you know about him? We’ve all heard the name of Jesus, but do you know him in a very personal way?
You know, I could tell you about my wife And some of you might know her a little bit, know her by name or know to see a picture of her.

[34:52] But none of you would know her like I do. Why? Because of a very personal relationship.
And in that very same sense, you can know much about Jesus Christ.
But do you know him in a very personal sense as your own savior?
Have you been born again? Have you put aside all the things, all the formality and the petty things of this life that bring no peace?

[35:17] And have you found the Lord Jesus Christ? because in this little sermon that Paul preached that day.

[35:24] We find three very simple things that he seemed himself appreciate about this man, Jesus Christ.
The first one we read of in verses 22 and 23, when he would speak of the promise that was made, that God would promise David that from this man’s seed, according to the promise, God would raise up for himself a savior.
What’s the greatest promise that’s ever been made to you?
Now usually the promises we remember are the ones that are broken.
I found an article recently that spoke of the last 10 presidents of the United States and the promises they broke.
No surprise there probably for most.

[36:03] And it went through the list of the last 10 and they would go into detail about each one and the only one that really let off the hook was Gerald Ford because he said, well he was never elected anyway so he didn’t have to make any promises.
But he still didn’t keep his word of things he said once he was the president.
And the one that jumped out at me was back in 1988, George H.W. Bush, who famously in his own words would say this, read my lips, no new taxes.
And within the span of a very short amount of months after he was elected, all the taxes of many people were raised.
Read my lips, a broken promise.
And maybe tonight you are disenfranchised with the idea of receiving a promise and holding to it because maybe the promises that have been made to you and they’ve been broken and they have hurt.

[36:56] Promises made by a spouse, till death do us part, and a broken promise.
Promises made by parents to children.
And you feel it tonight, you say, what promise could I ever hold on to?
An employer who promised you years of good employment, a retirement, a pension, cut short, why?
Because the promises made in this earth by men.

[37:21] You can’t hold to them. You’d like to. you. Well, there’s always something behind. There’s always a doubt that might arise from that. And tonight, we’ve heard of a promise that does not come from someone on this earth.
It comes from the God of heaven. And you could go home tonight with this promise that was made. The promise that was made when the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world. You shall call his name Jesus. He shall be great. He shall be called the Son of, the Highest. And the Lord God will give unto him the throne of and he shall reign, and of his kingdom there shall be no end.”, And what a promise made to David.
And many years after David died, that promise was fulfilled, that root came out of that branch, the branch came forth, or the root of Jesse, and the Lord Jesus Christ came into this world, and he fulfilled the promise.
Friend, tonight I can make you whatever promise you would desire tonight, and you can never hold to it with a certainty tonight, I wouldn’t blame you.
Many broken promises in this earth, but the God of heaven makes a promise tonight.
He says this, whoever believes in my son has everlasting life.
That’s the promise of God tonight to each one. Religion makes promises.

[38:46] Works make promises. Other people make promises. God himself makes a promise tonight.
And he says this and Paul would later declare that forgiveness of sins is found in Jesus Christ.
It’s a promise from God tonight. It’s a promise from the throne of heaven. And Paul continued preaching not just about the promise that was made through Jesus Christ, but he spoke of his perfect life. We didn’t read all the verses, but he said, he said they found no cause for death in him. They asked Pilate that he should be put to death, and it says they fulfilled all that was written about him, concerning, him. And you could think tonight of all the promises that Jesus Christ fulfilled in his perfect life in this in this earth all the promises he fulfilled at the cross that he would be numbered with the transgressors 700 years before Jesus ever came into this world he would be numbered with the transgressors and that.

[39:47] Day at Calvary when the people would walk by they would count the thieves one and two and they’re right in the middle the one who was numbered with the transgressors the Lord Jesus Christ the psalmist would write that they would they would part my garments and they would cast lots, they would gamble for them.
And that day at the cross as they took the robes off the Lord Jesus Christ and he hung there. It says they would cast lots, they would gamble for his clothing.

[40:17] The psalmist also would speak of the one who would suffer and it says not one of his bones would be broken and as it would come and break the legs of those other two men on the cross that day.

[40:29] They did not break the legs lord jesus christ why because he was fulfilling that prophecy he was fulfilling that promise that was made in scripture the book of zacharias speaks of they will look upon him whom they have pierced.” And even the religious there that day, no doubt, they probably were not thinking of that scripture as they pierced his hands and his feet. As a soldier thrust a spear into his side and out came blood and water. And Paul’s focus is this, and he makes sure to cover all three of these events that Jesus Christ died. And he says he was buried, he was put in a the tomb, where it says, God hath raised him up.
What a tremendous truth tonight, friend. Throughout this book of Acts, they never left that part out, that yes, Jesus died.
And he died for our sins. He died for your sins.
But it wasn’t left there in the tomb. God hath raised him up on high.
What a tremendous truth tonight.
And Paul ends his sermon with this great verse, this great truth that we have read, that let it be known to you, brethren, that through this religion, no.

[41:49] That through this baptism that we preach no it doesn’t say that friend tonight i would like you just in the quietness of your own heart tonight in the seat which you are sitting just let these words resonate in your heart that through this man jesus christ through this man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins if you ever want to have your sins forgiven if you want to be forgiven this evening. You can be. Why? Because it’s found in this man, Jesus Christ.
And all the trying, he would conclude with this. He would say, all the trying, everyone who believes is justified from most things. No. He who believes is justified from all the sins in your past. But what about tomorrow? It doesn’t say that. He who believes in him is justified from all things, friend, all things.
Every single sin you’ve ever committed, every impure thought, every sin that you thought that no one else in this world knew about, every single one of them that God knows about, says he who believes in him is justified from all things.
Why? Because every single one of your sins was placed on the Lord Jesus Christ at the cross.

[43:11] And he says this, he would say, from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.
In other words, from all the things from which you could not be justified by religion, forgiveness of those things is found in this man, Jesus Christ.
Friend, if you’re trusting in religion tonight, if you are trusting in some ceremony, if you are trusting in yourself in good works.

[43:41] It says so clearly right here. You cannot be justified before God by those things.
Justified simply means this, to be declared right.
To be declared accepted before God.
There’s only one way according to the word of God, that you can be justified tonight.
That you can be born again, have new life, be set from, to be changed from a course that’s leading you down to a lost eternity in hell and be on a course that’s set for heaven.
Only one way, one way.
Therefore, let it be known to you, brother, that through this man is preached to you, even to you tonight, the forgiveness of sins.
Our hope is that you would trust in Him, believe in Him, and you could go home knowing there’s a promise from God, from God, justified from all things.

Filed under: Gospel Series, crawford-kory, ramsay-peter