Click the "Sermons" button for access to hundreds more messages and
PowerPoint Presentations!
Use the controls, below, just like you would a VCR.
Double-click the "Play" arrow to begin. This page must
remain open to continue listening. To browse the internet while you
listen, open a new browser window by clicking on "File", then "New", then
"Window".
[Best
viewed w/ Windows Media Player 11 (get
the free update) on a high speed connection. If
video is 'choppy' or does not stream, right click link above and choose
'save target as' and then choose 'desktop' and let it download all the way
before playing.]
All service songs used by permission. CCLI #425103
Click
here after starting sermon audio to bring up PowerPointslides and visual aides which go along with the sermon. [A new
window will open and remain blank until fully loaded. It may take 1-5
minutes to open.] Once the first slide appears you can follow along
with the message and use the arrow keys to advance the slides.
Help
Please help
keep this ministry free by honoring our system:
Click here to recommend this sermon to others.
[A new window will open. Scroll to the bottom to enter your vote or
comments, then close.]
Help spread the Word by casting your
vote...it's a proven system that keeps this ministry free!
Hebrews 8:12
For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their
iniquities will I remember no more.
A man on
death row, sweating it out, hoping, praying and waiting for a word of pardon
from the governor's office, would be a fool to turn it down if it actually
came.
In 1830, a man
named George Wilson was convicted of killing a government employee while
robbing the U.S. Mail. He was tried and sentenced to be hanged. Andrew
Jackson, then President, issued a pardon for Wilson, but Wilson did a
strange thing: he refused to accept the pardon and no one seemed to know
what to do.
http://supreme.justia.com/us/32/150/case.html
What must that
warden have said when his delivery was rejected? I imagine it was something
like, “Pardon me? You don’t want the President to pardon you?”
The matter
went all the way to the Supreme Court…to Chief Justice Marshall, perhaps one
of the greatest Chief Justices we ever had, and he concluded that Wilson
must be executed. “A pardon is a slip of paper,” wrote Marshall, “the value
of which is determined by the acceptance of the person to be pardoned. If it
is refused, it is no pardon. George Wilson must be hanged.” And he was.
Many have
said, "He was crazy!" or "What a fool!" Perhaps they were right, but there
are millions of people who continually refuse God's offer of pardon from
eternal death.
A lot of
people got saved thru our ministry this week. Here’s the story:
·
Midday Tuesday, my wife and I went to the home of a new young couple in the
church. They had some questions about the church. As always, we don’t take
anyone’s salvation for granted, so I planned on eventually getting around to
questioning them on that…but I didn’t have to bring it up, because the
husband said, “I’ve been baptized, but as for being saved, I don’t know what
that is, but I’d like to.” “Pardon me?!” is what I felt like saying…what a
refreshing way of leading someone to the Lord that was…he was asking me to
tell him how and help him thru it. Wow!
·
Tuesday, early evening, I met w/ the family who lost their 14 year old boy
in the tragic accident last weekend. It was a few minutes before the
visitation was to begin. I told them about how he got saved in my office 2
years ago, and they asked me to share it at the funeral so others,
themselves included, could be saved. “Pardon me?!” again came to mind!
But I had planned to do just that.
·
Later that evening, I went by the hospital to check on a member who had had
surgery. He said the girl who was the driver in that accident was right
down the hall, and he is close friends w/ the family. “Pardon me?” I
thought, this family must really be hurting, and went down to the room along
w/ 2 others to show them some Christian love and pray w/ them. They soaked
it up like a sponge and it became apparent that the girl wanted to be saved,
too. I shared the gospel and told the others in the room that if they
wanted to be saved they could pray the prayer with us…and all 4 of them
did. Again, “Pardon me?” came to mind.
·
Wed. morning at the funeral, the funeral director came to my prayer room as
it got time to start, and said there were easily over 300 people waiting.
“Pardon Me?” Well, the spirit was electric. I’ve never before been
applauded at a funeral for preaching the truth, but it happened several
times. They were so vocal I invited them to come here and join us on a
permanent basis! At the end I said they could silently repeat a sinner’s
prayer if they wanted to be saved. But many repeated it out loud, dozens at
least, and who knows how many in their hearts!
Should we be
surprised when God pours out great blessings? Should we say, “Pardon me?”
to that? No! Praise God that He
pardoned so
many this week, turning tragedy into
triumph!!
Follow me on
this simple progression:
I. GOD'S PENALTY*
There is
a vast difference between the prison code and the law of God. The law says
that a man is innocent until he is proven guilty. God's law tells us that
ALL are guilty, and somehow need to be found innocent. We read in John
3:18, " . . .he that believeth not is condemned already . . ."
Romans 5:12
tells us, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by
sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned."
"ALL" takes in
both the good and the bad. Paul says, "As it is written, There is none
righteous, no, not one" (Rom. 3:10).
Ill.—Pardon
me? Do you think you are not a sinner? Most adults admit it, but our
children sometimes need a little help realizing they are sinners. We are
working w/ our young daughter on this right now. We ask her if she is a
sinner and she defends herself, “No!” As if she would be admitting to
something if she said otherwise. And so we point out each time she sins…and
believe me, the sin nature runs heavy on the female side at our house!
1 John 1:8 8 If we say that we have no
sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
God says,
pardon me? Do you deny you are a sinner?
That’s why we
illustrated a couple of weeks ago using the 10 commandments to show people
the serious nature of their sin…all are lying, thieving, adulterous,
blasphemers at heart, and stand before the judge of the universe Who cannot
just overlook their sins…there must be a penalty!
The same Bible
that records the law also records the penalty for breaking that law.
The penalty
for a broken law is eternal death. In Revelation 20:14 the penalty is
called "the second death" or "lake of fire."
Romans 6:23
declares again, "For the wages of sin is death . . ."
No
mention is made of degrees of sin. The man who breaks the least is guilty
of all. The man who breaks one commandment has broken all ten.
James 2:10
"For whosoever
shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of
all".
The liar is as
guilty as the murderer. The woman who takes God's name
in vain is
just as guilty as the harlot. The man who doesn't love his neighbor might
as well not love God, for he is just as guilty as if it were so.
According
to the Bible, everyone is guilty and the penalty is hanging over every
head. Millions are sitting on death row. Some have quit drinking, cursing,
lying, stealing and all the rest. Others have even joined churches and have
been baptized. Then they feel they are going to heaven. Pardon me? All of
these are still condemned by the penalty.
Will the
pardon come? Will it be accepted?
II. GOD'S PAYMENT*
Barabbas
was a murderer. He was waiting on death row. The
execution was
to come soon. The jailer came and announced,
"Barabbas, you
are free!"
“Pardon
me?” he must’ve said.
Barabbas
shouted for joy and couldn't believe his ears. What happened? Who arranged
this? All the answers were wrapped up in a short statement, "Jesus
is going to die instead of you."
Yes,
Jesus took Barabbas' place and died for him. He was the payment. Romans
5:8 tells us, "But God commendeth his love
toward us, in
that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
We also read
in I John 2:2, “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for our
sins only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”
In the
Old Testament, the sins of the people were placed on lambs and the lambs
were slain. Blood was shed to make an atonement for sins. God promised
them that if they just believed in His Word they were forgiven and cleansed
for one year. In the New Testament, Jesus was the Lamb. His payment was
made for all, and He substituted as the Lamb. God has said that His
sacrifice was our payment. By faith we believe it and can relax. Then we
can refocus our energy into serving Him and taking others to heaven with us!
III. GOD'S PLEA*
One might
think that folks would run over the top of one another to accept the payment
for sin and pardon for guilt. To the contrary, men are unconcerned.
Because of the Devil's influence, men have ignored God and have forgotten
that they are on death row. The Bible says in II Cor. 4:3,4: "But if our
gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this
world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of
the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto
them".
But God
is concerned. God loves all people and is not willing that
any should
perish. Through the efforts of the Holy Spirit, the Lord is speaking,
reminding and warning men of their need.
People don’t
seem to hear His pleading voice today. It’s not that He’s not still
pleading, it’s that we cannot hear Him over all the commotion we have
crowded our lives with. Like this week’s accident, it oftentimes takes
something major to get our attention before we will hit bottom and look up
and listen to the Lord!
We need to
say, pardon me, Lord, for not listening…you
have my full attention, and now I ask you, please pardon me!
God's plea is,
"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be
as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson,
they shall be as wool" (Isa. 1:18). He pleads, "Come; for all things are
now ready" (Luke 14:17). Again comes the call, "Come unto me, all ye that
labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28). He
again urges, "Take my yoke upon you . . ." (Luke 14:18). A note of warning
is sounded, with the plea, "Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye
upon him while he is near" (Isa. 55:6).
IV. GOD'S PROMISE*
Man is
condemned. But God has provided payment in full. Now, the Lord is pleading
with the hearts of men to believe and receive His gift of salvation. The
contract has been drawn up. God has made us many promises. We find
recorded, "And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal
life" (I John 2:25). Numbers 23:19 tells us,
"God is not a man, that he should lie . . ." The Word of God
is true and safe. Surely, man can believe what God has said.
God has
promised to give the gift of eternal pardon and salvation to all who would
receive it. God has promised that, "For whosoever shall call upon the name
of the Lord shall be saved" (Rom. 10:13). Again He has said, " . . .him
that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37). The man who has
been saved has believed the promise of God, and the man who is still lost
has not, as yet, believed God.
V. GOD'S PARDON*
Now, what
is contained in this pardon? Are there any strings attached? I assure you,
there is no kidding here.
First,
notice that pardon is not penance.
Deciding to turn over a new leaf, or saying, "I'll not do it anymore," will
not get the prisoner out of jail. Many are laying aside their evil deeds
and striving to live better lives. Some have already sown their wild oats,
and now they feel that good, moral living will get them through the gate of
Heaven.
Penance
is trying to reform, or trying to make up for sin, by doing good. The rich
man pays the bills of the church to get God to overlook his sins. The
society woman serves on all the committees and labors long to try to repay
her evil acts in former days. But, this is the work of the flesh.
"Therefore by
the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be
justified in
his sight . . ." (Rom. 3:19). "Not by works of
righteousness
which we have done, but according to his mercy he
saved us . .
." (Titus 3:5).
Secondly,
please notice that pardon is not parole.
The pardoned man is free, while the paroled man is under conditions. If the
man who is on parole gets into any trouble at all, he must go back and serve
the original sentence. To be pardoned suggests that all guilt is stricken
from the record. A cloak of innocence is given to the pardoned man.
Many
today believe that the child of God is on a conditional parole. They accept
that we have been made free by our Substitute, but they declare that if we
do not hold out, we will be taken back to judgment and end up paying the
penalty in Hell. May I remind you that salvation is not you holding out,
it’s God holding on!
My
friend, God's pardon is eternal and the man who realizes that lives for God,
but only because of his thankfulness. The convict is not just released; he
is transformed into a Christian.
Thirdly,
notice that pardon is not payment.
When a man has served out his sentence and released, there is no pardon
involved. If he pays his fine and goes free, there is no need for mercy or
pardon. Man does not have enough money to pay the fine.
It would take eternity to serve out
the sentence! The only hope is a full pardon. The Bible
says, "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed"
(John
8:36).
Pardon is available for you,
dear sinner, just for the asking.
God would be happy to forgive you and save you now.
Help keep this service free by
recommending it using the voting links or...
