Jack Jurgens's Ministry Library

Gospel tent meeting with Peter Ramsay and Kory Crawford.

Peter

[0:00] Now we’re going to read in the Gospel of Matthew, Matthew chapter 27.
And while you’re looking up Matthew 27, I need to tell you what these gospel services are all about.
If I can get this little contraption hung up here.
This is what this meeting is about. We’re telling men and women, telling you folks, about Christ who died on the cross for our sins.

[0:29] I don’t know whether this is Corey and Peter over here, but we’ve been trying to communicate Christ to people.
And our desire and the desire of Christians is that you won’t be like the mob on the other side of the cross who rejected Jesus Christ.
That even tonight, you will be on the right side of the cross.
You will join the ranks of those who love the Lord Jesus Christ, not those who continue to despise him.
And so the great question for you tonight isn’t whether you will join.
See, these services are put on by the Midland Park Gospel Hall.
We haven’t asked you one night if you will join the Gospel Hall. What will you do?
What shall I do with the Gospel Hall?
It’s not about that.
And it’s not, what do I do with religion? The question tonight for you is, what shall I do with

[1:35] Jesus. That is the most consequential, the most important question you will ever be faced with in life. And our prayer is, as this little service continues, you will make the right choice. People make choices in meetings like this. I remember I was much younger. It was a Friday night. We were closing the gospel effort, just like we’re closing tonight. Della had been coming to those gospel services, gospel, but Della was younger than I was at that time, and it was last night.

[2:14] And Della still wasn’t a Christian. She still had never received Christ as their Savior, even though she came out. And I was really bothered about Della, wondering why. And so what was most uncharacteristic of me around suppertime, I had a tremendous burden on my heart for Della. It may be the last time I will ever see Della. I’m leaving this town, and I don’t know what will happen to me. I don’t know what will happen to Della. And, I skipped my supper and I knocked on Della’s door at suppertime. She answered and I said, Della, her boyfriend was there. I said, I’m not here for supper. I just have come because You’re on my heart. I’m heading home

[3:05] tonight after this gospel service, and I would love to know that I will meet you in heaven.
And I tried as best I could to explain what Jesus did on the cross.
I even got on her carpet on my knees and I tried to graphically portray it with books.
This is God. This is you, Della.
And then I put a big thing in between. I said, that’s our sins.
The barrier. And I said, you can’t come to God.
And then I brought another object in and I put the big thing in the middle on top of that object.
And I said, this was what happened at the cross. The barrier, the burden of our sin was placed on Jesus.
Jesus suffered for our sins and He removed the barrier between the sinner and God.
And now the question is, What will you do with Jesus? Will you come?
He’s dealt with the problem of sin. He’s opened up the way.
Della, will you come? Her boyfriend sat on the sofa and said, Della, I think what Peter is saying is that we need to be ready. We never know when our last day will be on earth.
Della didn’t come that night.
I made it back to Prince Edward Island that night, early morning, Saturday.
And then Saturday morning, I got a call that Della died.

[4:34] She was found in bed that night. The next morning, she had died.
Through the night, Friday night, made quite an impression on my young mind that I was.

[4:42] Speaking to someone who had a privilege and an opportunity to hear about Jesus.
Now, no, Della never thought, nor did her boyfriend, nor did I, think that on Saturday morning someone would be leaving a message in our answering machine saying, Della died in her sleep. If you died in your sleep tonight, where would you go?
Do you know what it depends on? Not whether you’re baptized, not what church, you go to, not even your lifestyle. Where you will be five minutes after you die depends on what you do with Jesus, plus nothing else. We’re going to read, about a man who asked a question. Matthew chapter 27 verse 15.
See, some people only read these verses at Easter time, we’re going to read them tonight, and it’s a longer story, it’s just leading up to the crucifixion of Christ.
Now at that feast, verse 15, Matthew 27, the governor was wont to release onto the people a prisoner whom they would.
They had then a notable or a notorious, a very bad prisoner called Barabbas.
Therefore, when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Pilate was the governor, whom will you that I release unto you, Barabbas or Jesus?

[6:07] Which is called Christ. They had a choice to make. Who should be released at this special feast?
Barabbas? I think some will probably shudder and think, oh, Barabbas, a notorious criminal.
Or Jesus? I think Pilate thought it’s gonna be an obvious answer.
No one would ever want Barabbas back out in the streets again.
Verse 18, where he knew that for envy they had delivered him, when he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife, Pilate’s wife, the governor’s wife, said unto him, saying, have thou nothing to do with that just man or that good man or that righteous man?
Don’t have any part to play in condemning him to death.
Have nothing to do with that just man.
I’ve had suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.
I don’t know what kind of dreams my wife had, but she was obviously afraid.
And she told her husband, this is a just man, this is a good man.
You be careful what you do with Jesus, because I had a scary dream last night.
But the chief priest and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask, Barabbas, and destroy Jesus.
The governor, Pilate, answered and said unto them, whether the twain, which of the two, will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas.

[7:32] Pilate saith unto them, you look at verse 22. Pilate said unto them, are you looking at verse 22?
What shall I do then with Jesus?
He knew it was a personal decision he had to make. Paul was in his court, he had to make the next move. What shall I do? What are we all going to do now about Jesus? No, it’s very personal. And tonight you need to know it’s very personal with you. The person next door to you, sitting beside you may choose to reject Jesus, but that’s not, the question, what shall I do with Jesus?
Say unto him, let him be crucified. And the governor said, why, what evil has he done?
They cried out the moor saying, let him be crucified. You can almost hear the chant of the mob.
Crucify him, crucify him.
When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing but that rather just a riot was going to break out or a tumult was made, he took water, basin of water, And he started going like this in front of the people.
Poor Pilate, he was washing his hands.

[8:48] He took water and he washed his hands before the multitude saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person.

[8:55] I don’t want to have his blood on my hands. Then answered all the people and said, his blood be on us and on our children.
Then released he Barabbas unto them. And when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall and gathered onto him a whole band of soldiers, and they stripped him, Jesus.

[9:18] And put on him a scarlet robe.
And when they had whited a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head and a reed in his right hand.
Kings hold beautiful scepters, but they gave him a flimsy reed and they bowed the knee before him and mocked him, saying, Hail King of the Jews.
And they spit upon him and took the reed, and then smote him on the head.
You would think a lightning bolt would have come from heaven. God gave his son. God so loved the world that he gave his son. And think of the treatment that he was receiving, spit on his face, pounding his head with a reed. And they smote him on the head. And after that, they had mocked him. They took the, robe off from him and put his own raiment on him and led him away to crucify him. I’m going to stop, the story there. What shall I do with Jesus? That question is very relevant.

[10:27] Pilate had to make a choice. You have to make a choice. That question, what shall I do with Jesus?
It is the most biblical of all questions because the central theme of the Bible is the unfolding of God’s Son. That’s what the Bible is about. The story of the Bible is God’s love and God’s Son.
People talk about the meta or meta-narrative of a book or the big story, and people might, read the Bible and say it’s just a hodgepodge, a collection of disconnected, disjointed stories.
There are people in this tent tonight, and they have been reading their Bible for decades.

[11:11] Ask them if there’s a common theme throughout the beautiful Bible.
You know the theme of the Bible is?
It’s a presentation of God’s beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
You read and re-read the entire Bible, there’s one overarching theme that clearly emerges.
It is love of God.
God isn’t some mean, cruel, despot, ruling in the skies, black hat, sword drawn, waiting to strike out at people, arbitrarily, indiscriminately.
That’s not the God of the Bible. The overarching theme of the Bible is God is a God, a holy God, but he’s a loving God.
And his love, this is a character of his love, that he sent his son to die on the cross for our sins.
Did you thank him today? You say you’re a Christian? You say you’re a Christian? Really?
And you have never thanked Jesus today for dying on the cross?
It’s a mark of a Christian. A mark of a Christian is someone who is overflowing with appreciation.
There’s a lot of people who say they’re Christian. I go to a Christian church.
Going to a Christian church doesn’t make you a Christian.

[12:37] Going and getting a baptism doesn’t make you a Christian. Saying your prayers doesn’t make you a Christian.

[12:45] What makes you a Christian? The moment you embrace Jesus Christ as your savior. It’s a moment.
You became a Christian. No one was always a Christian. No one.
The central theme of the Bible, the central figure of the Bible, Jesus, from Genesis to Revelation 22, even so come Lord Jesus.
All through the Bible, he is a central figure of the Bible.
You say there’s a lot of stuff in that Old Testament I don’t understand.
A lot that I don’t understand either, and there’s probably no one here that has grasped it all because every day we crack it open, or turn it on if it’s digital.

[13:28] Every day we discover new things in the word of God. But ask a Christian who’s been reading their Bible about some of the things in the Old Testament that are difficult to understand.
And they’ll tell you, ah, I discovered, oh, that’s a picture of Christ.
That’s a title of Christ or that’s a prophetic utterance about the Christ who will come 1500 years down the road.
This is a fulfillment of scripture, Christ is. And then all of those different materials in the tabernacle that you read about in Exodus and all those places, the colors and the animals used, the characters, do you know, they all speak of Christ one way or another.
It’s a beautiful book.
John 21 says, the world itself, I know Corey mentioned the biggest libraries in the world and then he brought you to this verse in John chapter 21.
The world itself could not contain the books that should be written about him.

[14:32] Jesus is a central theme of the Bible. He’s a central figure of the Bible.
So it’s no small wonder then that the central question of the Bible is, What shall I do with Jesus?
This just isn’t a lecture. Our prayer is that you’re responding in your heart, inside.
Not to us. We can’t save you. You don’t.

[14:54] To us. There’s no person on earth who could ever remove one of your sins or forgive one of your sins. Our sins are against God. Only God himself can forgive, sins. But in your heart tonight, answer this question, what will I do with Jesus?
That’s the central question of the Bible. John wrote at the end of his beautiful gospel account, these are written that you might believe that Jesus is the, Christ, the promised one, Messiah. That’s why it’s written that you might believe.
Is there someone tonight, and you’ve been putting it all, procrastinating. You’re listening, we’re thankful that you are listening, but you have never actually made the choice.
You’re still over here with the hundreds of thousands of millions of people who are just just getting on with, you know, there were people who stood by the cross.
They continued to call it their insults, throw their insults at them.
There were another group of people that were throwing their dice at the bottom of the cross.
And they said, oh, who’s going to get that piece of clothing?
People were on their business trips and the Bible says they were passing by and they looked up as it traveled down the road and they say, ah, they kept on going.
Is there anyone here tonight brave enough to leave the crowd, come to Christ.

[16:20] It takes a spine. Not everyone will be happy for you. Some people may criticize you.
Some friends may drop you. But my friend, this is so important.
This will determine whether you’re going to be in heaven or hell.
And so it’s okay to lose a friend or two. This is your soul.
What are you going to do with Jesus? Matthew 26, the Jewish high priest said, are you the Christ, the Son of God?
And Jesus said, no, they thought they had him cornered, really, I’m just thinking, they thought they had him cornered.
If he said yes, they would say, well, that’s blasphemy to say that you’re a God.
And then if you do say this, if you say you’re a king, Pilate asked him, are you a king?
If they say, if he says he’s a king, well, then that would be, he’d be guilty of treason against the Roman Empire. And they went through all those charades.
But the context for the central question is this. Pilate’s day was interrupted.
He wasn’t planning on it.
This kind of business that particular day, maybe your day has been interrupted.
So Pilate, we need you out here. We’ve got a monumental choice to make and you have to make it.

[17:32] You’re responsible. I don’t know whether it was early, how early in the morning it was, whether Pilate had to wipe the sleep out of his eyes and say, really, yes, I guess I am the governor.
I guess I am responsible. The Jews say, this is an urgent matter.
What’s the great matter?
And they bring in before Pilate, Jesus.
He had already been through the night, stood before the powerful Exi priest, Annas, and then another one, Caiaphas, and Jesus had been through that through a long night.
And now they’re asking Pilate, the Roman governor, approve the death sentence for Jesus.
You have the authority. We’re just Jews, we’re under the Roman domain.
You’re the one that can pass the death sentence on this man, Jesus.

[18:18] So it’s morning and Pilate listens to all the accusations. Then, he said, he’s looking at Jesus.
He said, I find no fault in this man. I’ve looked into the eyes of many criminals and dishonest people.
I’ve seen their heart and countenances. This is what I think Pilate is thinking as he looks at the face of Jesus.
He looks at his innocent hands that were always outstretched to do good and to bless others.
And maybe in his mind he’s thinking, this isn’t a criminal.

[18:54] I know what a criminal looks like. He doesn’t have eyes of tender compassion.
He doesn’t have hands that aren’t clenched fists.
He’s innocent. He says, I find no fault in this man. And they kept at him three times, four times.
Pilate says, I tell you again, I hear you crying, I hear your accusation, but I find no fault in this man.
Then he comes up with a Barabbas option. Would this be an out for him?
And then they say, Pilate, here’s a message for you.
Then he opens up the message. Dearest Pilate, have nothing to do with this just man, this good man, this righteous man, this holy man.
I’ve had a bad dream last night about him. Don’t you become involved in condemning this man, this righteous man, is a message from his wife.
But the chant of the mob gets louder, louder. A riot, that’s actually the word used, a riot is about to break out.
Pilate asks, Barabbas or Jesus? The unanimous instant response is, Barabbas!
And Pilate says, what?
Do then? Jesus. They said, let him be crucified. What would you say tonight about Jesus? You must

[20:16] have something against him if you’re not willing to embrace him as your savior. What shall I do with Jesus? Then he was, Jesus was scourged. The scourging didn’t satisfy. That means he was whipped many, many times on his back. The scourging didn’t satisfy the crowd. And then Pilate gets that bowl, and he washes his hands and he says I am innocent to the blood of this just man.
If you could see Pilate, if you could see Pilate tonight in hell, you know what, he’s probably still doing? Why? I knew he was without sin. I knew he was faultless.
Why did I make the wrong choice? Because I was afraid of the crowd. Why? Friend, if If you turn Jesus down, it will haunt you for all eternity, that you heard the story of the cross.
You heard about his precious blood that was shed for your sins.
And you had the privilege of sitting and responding to the gospel.
And you said, no, I’m just going to say farewell.
I’m going to get on with life. I’m gonna stay over here with the crowd.
Friend, it’s the wrong choice. This choice is for eternity.
Your eternal future depends on what you do with Jesus.

[21:42] We know what Pilate’s choice was. Don’t you make the same mistake as Pilate.
As you hear from Corey just now, couldn’t you trust Christ as your savior?
Wouldn’t you want him?
Wouldn’t you want to have all your sins forgiven? God will save you tonight, if there’s a cry from your heart for salvation. Romans 10 verse 13 says, whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Kory

[22:17] I’d like to read tonight in Acts chapter 26, if you have your Bible.
And I’d just like to echo what Peter said at the start. I’m just thankful for the time spent here and have enjoyed the time and the invitation and working with Peter, but I was thinking as well, all those things have been nice and good, but really the purpose of this gospel series is it is a rescue mission.
And each night the life raft, the life preserver has been cast out.
I know there’s no greater joy that could come after working here and preaching the gospel each night than hearing of one that has reached out in faith and taken hold of the only one that can save, the Lord Jesus Christ.
And so we would hope tonight, as you hear this last message of this 10 series, that even still yet, you would reach out and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.
We’re gonna read about another man who is presented with the choice of what to do with Jesus Christ.
And we’ll read about him in Acts chapter 26.
And here, Paul is before a large group of royalty, a King Agrippa and many others there that day.
And he’s going to recount a bit of his testimony in his life, and he’s gonna tell them about Christ.
And it says in Acts 26 in verse 12, when thus, this is Paul speaking, while thus occupied as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, at midday, O King, along the road.

[23:40] I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me.
And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?
It is hard for you to kick against the goads.
So I said, who are you, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, but rise and stand on your feet, for I’ve appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness, both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you.
I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes in order to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they might receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me.
Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus, in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.
For these reasons, the Jews

[24:56] in the temple and tried to kill me. Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand witnessing both the small and great, saying no other thing than those which the prophets and Moses said would come, that the Christ would suffer, that he would be the first to rise from the dead and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.
Now, as he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, you are beside yourself. Much learning is driving you mad.
But he said, I’m not mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and reason.
For the king before whom I also speak freely knows these things.
For I’m convinced that none of these things escapes his attention.
Since this first, since this thing was not done in a corner.
King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.
Then Agrippa said to Paul, You almost persuade me to become a Christian.
And Paul said, I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains.

[26:08] What a scene of great pomp and majesty that day. We’ve seen throughout these weeks in the book of Acts, many preachers preaching to many different people.
But it was that day when what great privilege to speak, to preach to the very king of the land.
And the one who was known often as the king of preachers, Paul, he was also the preacher to kings.
And you see that right here, when he presented to King Agrippa and told him of one who is the king of kings, the Lord Jesus Christ.
And friend, tonight from the very first meeting of this series till now, the message has not changed.
And this is the message that we have preached, that this same Jesus is the only one that can save.
We’ve declared him every single night and these three words, this same Jesus.
And maybe response tonight would be two words. The words of this King some 2000 years ago, and hearing of this same Jesus, he would say this, almost persuaded, almost persuaded.

[27:11] There’s no such thing Peter was saying as an always Christian.
There’s no such thing also as an almost Christian. There’s a famous preacher who would say, Almost persuaded to be a Christian is like a man who was almost pardoned, then was hanged.
An almost Christian is like the man who was almost rescued, but he was burned in the house.
A man who is almost saved is lost forever.
And friend and I, you could leave here thinking, I almost believe the message.
And tonight, friend, hell is full of people who were never close to being persuaded of trusting in the gospel, but it’s also full of people who are almost persuaded.
And that’s the message that that was the response that day of the King, King Agrippa.
And he would hear and consider everything that Paul preached him, that this Christ would suffer.
He would die and he would rise from the dead and he was promised in the prophets. He would even say, King Agrippa, you know the prophets, you know the promises. And yet, even considering all that, he would say, almost persuaded. Almost persuaded. But friend, tonight, the reason we’ve had these gospel messages is not that you would go home almost a Christian, because that has no, value. It has no value. But friend, that you would go home, knowing this. Not that I’m a part of a church now that I can join the Midland Park Gospel. None of that. But you could go home knowing tonight. I am saved. I am a Christian. There was a.

[28:40] Old bishop that was speaking in England and he was, he, he, he said this. He said, he who is almost years ago, a few hundred years ago, and as he went home, those, those words struck a chord in his heart. Almost persuaded is almost saved, but to be almost saved is to be entirely lost. And he sat down and he wrote a hymn. A hymn that’s in the hymn book we have.
Almost persuaded, Philip Bliss, almost persuaded, now to believe, almost persuaded Christ to receive.

[29:08] Seems now some soul to say, go spirit, go thy way, some more convenient day, on thee I’ll call.
And friend tonight, tonight might be the last opportunity by God’s grace that he has given to you as we have heard, to call upon the name of the Lord to be saved. And you might linger, and you And you might go home almost persuaded.
Paul could recount to King Agrippa the purpose of the gospel message, or in other words, the definition of a Christian.
We find it right here. Five things in verse number 18 that we have read.
The purpose of the gospel, the results of the gospel is this.
He says that your eyes might be open.
God appointed him, he said, he appointed me to preach this message.
Why? That their eyes might be open.
And friend, the gospel is preached this night just like the other nights, what?
That your eyes might be open.
Do you ever feel like you’re going through life and you’re in the dark?
That you’re blind? You don’t know what one day will bring. You don’t know where you’re going.
You don’t know where you’re headed. Salvation is often in the scriptures, in the word of God, referred to looking. Look to me and be saved.

[30:16] All the ends of the year. Oh that your eyes might be open tonight, and you’d look, You’d look to the only one just like those many years before when they would erect that serpent in the wilderness that serpent of bronze, Dying from that from the wounds and friend tonight in your sins. You’re not dying The Bible says you’re already dead and know that you would look, Not to a serpent on a pole not to a religious system or ceremony, but that you’d look to Jesus The only one that could see, that your eyes might be open.
There was a blind man who, I love the story, the blind man who encountered Jesus.
And after he was interrogated, after he received this sight and all those religious people were so worked up about what had happened, about Jesus who would heal them, he would say this, I don’t know very much, but one thing I do know, having been blind now I see.
And friend, you could have come in here and you can also leave knowing hardly anything about the Word of God, anything about the Bible, but you could do this coming in, being blind, you could say, one thing I do understand, I came in here lost and I’m going home a free person.
I came in blind and now I see how. It’s through the message of the gospel.
It’s through the one who bled and died on Calvary. The purpose of the gospel, the definition of a Christian.

[31:34] Is those who have had their eyes opened to see the wonderful works.

[31:39] Of God, the wonderful work of Jesus Christ. He doesn’t stop there.
He doesn’t say, I was sent that their eyes might be open, but he says to turn them from darkness to light.
Friend, tonight, this world is full of darkness.
Sin brings nothing but darkness into our lives. One sin after another, it’s like you reach out in the dark, just hoping to find something to hold on to.
Find something that’ll bring satisfaction, bring peace. And when the Lord Jesus Christ was promised to come, I would say the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light, have seen a great light.
In the light of the world, he came in and he walked here on this earth.
And all those who walked in darkness in that day, they saw one who was full of light.
And friend tonight, the gospel, the purpose of the gospel has not changed.
And we preach the message so that you might turn from darkness to light.
You know why many people don’t do it?
The scriptures tell us why. John could write, this is the condemnation that light has come into the world.
And men love darkness rather than light. Maybe tonight you’d say, I’m almost persuaded, but I love my sin too much. Men love darkness rather than light.
It was true in Jesus’ day, it’s true in our day.

[32:48] It says, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light, and does not come to the light.
Oh friend, tonight that you might turn from your sins, turn from the darkness and look to the light.
The Lord Jesus Christ, who is the light of the world, he offers tonight freedom from the darkness, how?
Because he endured the darkness for you. On Calvary, he took the darkness of our sins.

[33:10] Three hours and eternity of darkness upon himself so that you could see the light, that you could turn from darkness to light.
And he doesn’t even stop there. He doesn’t even tell them that their eyes might be open and they turn from darkness to light. What else does he say?
He says, turn from the power of Satan to the power of God. Friend tonight, if you are not saved, you are under the power of Satan. You’re a slave to sin.
But there’s one who came and we announced this message, that you might turn from the power of Satan to the power of God.
What a contrast. One leads to death, one leads to destruction.

[33:42] One leads to condemnation the power of Satan the power of God leads to salvation leads to light leads to, That is the purpose of the message preached that is the purpose of why Paul preached the gospel message, That’s why we preach the same gospel message some 2,000 years later that you turn from the power of Satan, to the power of God the gospel message is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that would believe and Paul that day preaching to that King. He doesn’t even leave it at that for the King, He gives them another reason as to why he’s preaching, why he was sent.
Not just that they would turn, they would be free from the power of Satan, to the power of God, but that they would receive the forgiveness of sins.
Friends and I, we preach the gospel message so that you could receive, not because of us, not because of some great show of emotion, but from the God of heaven himself, who has promised in his eternal world, he that believes in the son has forgiveness, that you would receive the forgiveness of sins.
There is not a single person who is almost persuaded that has received the forgiveness of sins.
With God, there is no almost forgiven.

[34:48] There’s condemned and completely set free. Almost persuaded means to be forgiven nothing.
Forgiven nothing. Blessed is the one whose transgressions, whose sins are forgiven.
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity.
It leaves that king with another tremendous blessing, another tremendous definition of what the gospel is, to receive the forgiveness of sins, and what does he say?
And an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me.
The same Jesus that we preach is not just the Jesus who desires to forgive your sins, to set you on a road for heaven, but he’s one who wants to share with you an internal inheritance.
What greater message is there than that? that the Son of God desires to you be a part of His family, co-inheritors, the Bible says, of an eternal inheritance.
That is the purpose of the gospel. That is the definition of a Christian, one who has an inheritance with God, one who has received the forgiveness of sins, one who has come out from the power of Satan and is under the power of God now saved, one who has turned from darkness to light, one who has had their eyes opened.
And hearing all that, friend, of what Christ offers you, How would you respond?
King Agrippa, after hearing all that, he would say, almost persuaded. Almost persuaded.
That was the response.

[36:13] The gospel. I remember a young man, we were preaching at a coffee farm in a very rural area of Costa Rica a few years ago.
And I remember as we preached each night and kind of the open air there to some chairs with a spotlight set up on that coffee farm and many of the workers were coming from the farm.
There was a man, a young man out in the street and he always, like you could always see him because he was standing back, maybe back where the school was and there was a light post there and he would stand there. And as the meeting was ending, he would just leave. And the last night of those meetings, he came in and he spoke with us. And that night had been preached on, the, the, the parable of the great supper. And it was emphasized of, of those excuses that were made. One who, who said for a piece of land, he could not come. Another for a material things, another for the relationships of this world, they would not come. And he came in and with tears in his eyes, I’ll never forget. His name was Martin. And he said, I’ve listened every night. And the things that you spoke about, tonight, those three things are the things stopping me from from being saved.

[37:13] And he said, I’m certain that if I do not get saved tonight, I will never be saved.
You know, sadly, I can’t tell you tonight that he was saved because after he spoke a little with us and he left, we gave him our number, never to be heard from again.
You know, someday I hope I see Martin in heaven, but you know what, maybe that night he heard and he went home saying this, almost persuaded, almost, almost saved.
And tonight he could be in a lost eternity.
This came after he heard a tremendous message of freedom, of forgiveness, of sin.
Almost persuaded. It’s like the man who had his sentencing would hear that life sentenced and as walking back to his cell, he could say, I was almost set free.
But he went to spend the rest of his life in a jail cell.
Almost set free means completely lost. Thirst is not quenched by almost drinking.
Hunger is not filled by almost
having something to eat. Being saved from drowning is not accomplished, by almost reaching out for the life preserver.
Friend almost persuaded tonight. If you leave this tent almost persuaded, you go home completely and entirely lost before God.

[38:27] That was the response the king gave that day. And what was Paul’s reaction to hearing that answer?
He said, I would to God that not only you, but all those here today might become both almost and altogether, such as I, except for these chains.” That man was a literal prisoner.
He said, I just wish everyone here could be just like me, minus the chains.
In other words, he was saying, I wish everyone here just knew Christ like I knew him.
I wish everyone here was just saved like I am.
They could know Christ precious like I do. You know that same man, Philip Bliss, who wrote that hymn, Almost Persuaded.
He had a tragic ending to his life. When he was 38 years old, he was in a train accident with his wife. And he was able to escape, But as those train cars began to burn, he entered back in to try and save his wife.
And him and his wife were consumed in the flame, leaving out two children of four years old and one year old.
And that man, as they brought his belongings and gave it to the family, one of his family members found a hymn that he had finished writing, maybe even on that very train ride.
And these were the words of that hymn. I will sing of my Redeemer and his wondrous love to me on the cruel cross he suffered from the curse to set me free.
Sing, oh, sing of my Redeemer.
Blood, he purchased me on the cross. He sealed my pardon, paid the debt, and made me free.
Wait!

[39:52] The same man who could put the thoughts in others’ minds of this almost persuaded.
What he wanted more than anything was that all those that heard his hymns would be able to sing of his Redeemer.
And the apostle Paul to this king of Gripa, he had the same desire.
Oh, king of Gripa and everyone present, that you might be able like me to do this.
Sing, oh, sing of my Redeemer.
On the cross, he purchased me.
That in all things, he said that in all things like me, that maybe he was thinking of the words he had wrote in Romans, that therefore there is no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus.
Oh, King Agrippa and all those here, he would say, that you can understand there is no condemnation.
For me, why? Because I’m in Christ Jesus and I desire everything.
All of this for each one of you. Maybe he had the words that he wrote in Ephesians.

[40:43] In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.
Oh, King Agrippa, almost persuaded. My desire is that you would understand something of the redemption that is in the blood of Jesus, forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.
You know, some of the last book of the Bible But Paul wrote, this is what he would write, and maybe he hadn’t quite written it at this stage, but maybe in a future day, he was thinking back to King Agrippa.
He said this, but I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he’s able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.
I know in whom I have believed, and he is able, he is the firm foundation.
Friend tonight, if you are not, If you do not trust in Christ tonight, what greater foundation could you find in this earth?
There is none, there is none. Oh, that you might be able to respond in this, not like King Agrippa did, almost persuaded, but after listening to the gospel of this same Jesus, you might say, my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.

[41:57] From there’s no other foundation. There’s no other salvation found outside of this.
You know, the last hymn of that verse, of that hymn that Philip Bliss wrote, goes like this.
Almost persuaded, harvest is past. Almost persuaded, doom comes at last.
Almost cannot avail. Almost is but to fail. Sad, sad, that bitter wail. Almost, but lost.
Friend, tonight you could be saved from your sins, forgiven, made right with God, because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross when he shed his blood, cried out, it is finished, was buried, and rose again the third day. After hearing this message, what would you do with Jesus? Our hope is that you would not leave this place with these two words, almost persuaded, but that you would turn from, your sins, and you would trust in Christ, you would say, Christ is the Savior for me.

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