Ready to Die

Let us turn, please, to John's Gospel, chapter 19. John's Gospel, chapter 19, in verse 30. When Jesus, therefore, had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished.

And he bowed his head and gave up the ghost. He yielded up his spirit. Jesus died a real death.

The final reading, Luke's Gospel. Luke's Gospel, chapter 23. Luke 23, in verse 39.

And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing that thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds. But this man hath done nothing amiss.

And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise. And it was about the sixth hour.

And there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, He said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.

And having said thus, He gave up the ghost. Yielded up his life. May God bless the reading of these instructive and powerful verses from his word.

A four-year-old girl once said to her mother, Mommy, am I going to die someday? Imagine, four years of age and thinking about death. Her mother very wisely answered. She said, Yes, dear.

Someday you are going to die. And we would like to tell the audience, Because there may be somebody here today, And you have never come to the Lord Jesus in repentance. And you've never put your faith in Him as Savior.

And we need to tell you, Yes, someday you are going to die. Because the Bible tells us, It is appointed unto man once to die. And after this, the judgment, You and I have an appointment that we cannot miss.

You are going to die. And when we die, If we are saved, we will be in heaven with the Lord Jesus. If we die without Christ, The Bible says we will open up our eyes in hell.

Being in torments. So it's wise to stop and think this afternoon. And ask yourself the question, Am I ready to meet God? Am I ready to die? Am I ready for that appointment with death? Jonathan Edwards was a mighty preacher of the gospel in the United States of America in the 1700s.

When he preached, When people left one of his meetings, They knew the following things. First, they knew they were sinners. And would to God that every person would realize, I am a sinner.

The Bible tells me. I was born in sin and shaped in iniquity. Second thing that they realized was that there is judgment coming.

And God wants people to know That after death is the judgment. And he tells us about it. He speaks of that great white throne.

He tells us almighty God has raised his hand and taken an oath. Swearing by himself for there is none greater. That every person is going to be brought into judgment.

He speaks of that time when the books are going to be opened. And those who died without Christ. Who went to hell when they breathed their last.

They are going to be called out of that place. To stand before the risen glorified Lord Jesus Christ. And to watch as he opens the books.

And to listen as he goes over the sins that the person committed. And they were not saved from. And then it says this.

Whosoever's name was not found written in the book of life. They were cast into the lake of fire. When I think of that.

When I think of a person standing before the Lord Jesus. And hearing him say as he looks at the book. Hearing him say your name is not found written in the book.

I don't know of anything more chilling. If a person here tonight is not saved. I want you to think of hearing the Lord Jesus say to you.

Your name is not found written in the book. Depart from me. In my mind's eye I see people pleading.

Lord it must be there. And he turns and said your name is not found written in the book. There's a lot at stake in this meeting this afternoon.

If you're not saved. Because the Lord Jesus will then say depart from me. Into that fiery burning lake.

You don't want to ever be there. The last thing that people learned when they listened to one of Jonathan Edwards meetings was this. Not only were they sinners and not only was there judgment to come.

But they needed to be saved now. Because the Bible says behold now is the accepted time. Behold now is the day of salvation.

Most important death that ever occurred was the death of the Lord Jesus. Every human death is a tragedy unspeakable yes. But the death of Christ stands alone in universal history.

The Lord Jesus said seven things. When he was crucified. The first thing he said after being taken through the streets of Jerusalem.

His back like a plowed field and carrying a cross. And they came to the place that was called Calvary. It says there they crucified him.

And the first thing that the Lord Jesus said was. Father. Forgive them for they know not what they do.

The tense of the verb indicates that he said it over and again. My dear listener. That is the divine response.

To the most heinous act of injustice that has ever been perpetrated by humanity. Because they crucified the son of God from heaven. But listen.

You and I are part of the human race. Responsible for the crucifixion. The putting to death of God's unique and lovely son.

And really we have no right to expect anything from God. Except wrath and judgment. And vengeance.

And the divine response is. Father forgive them. For they know not what they do.

Listen my friend. If you are not saved. There is forgiveness.

The blood of Christ. God's son cleanses from all sin. There is forgiveness.

And almighty God wants to forgive somebody in this meeting this afternoon. If you will just come. Second thing that the Lord Jesus said.

He looked down. He saw his mother standing there beside John. All the others had forsaken him and fled.

But John stayed. And the Lord Jesus looked at John. And he looked at his mother.

He said to his mother. Mother. John is going to take you to his home.

He will look after you. And he said to John. Look after my mother.

This day in heaven. The Lord Jesus has a memory. It is an eternal memory.

Of the moment when on the cross. He looked down his other disciples. And forsaken him and fled.

And he looked down. And there was faithful John standing there. The Lord Jesus will never forget that.

And I would like to apply it this way. The Lord Jesus will never forget. The night when I as a boy of eight.

Desperately troubled about my sins. Knowing I was going to be lost. And go to hell if I died like that.

He has a memory of me coming. Into his presence. Acknowledging my sin.

Telling him I believed he died for me. And then telling him. Lord Jesus.

This moment. I place my soul into your hands. I trust you.

To save me from ever ending up in hell. In the lake of fire. I just sat back.

And realized I would never be there. I had just trusted Christ. I was saved.

And you see the Lord Jesus has an eternal memory. Of that moment. And I would like to ask you.

Does he have a memory. Of a moment. A day.

A night. When you came to him as a sinner. And realized you were lost.

And needed him to save your soul. Does he have a moment. When you came and trusted.

Accepted. Believed. Rested on him.

Placed your soul's eternal safe keeping into his hands. Does he have a memory. Of that moment.

And for you. Third thing the Lord Jesus said was. Two thieves were dying with him.

And for a time both blasphemed. But one began to think. He began to realize.

I'm going out into eternity. And I'm not ready. To meet God.

He rebuked his companion. He expressed repentance. And then he turned to the Lord Jesus.

And can I say something here. Without repentance. There is no salvation.

God has put in his sovereign right. Two conditions on salvation. One is repentance toward God.

And a frank honest acknowledging. That I'm lost. And I'm a sinner.

And I deserve to perish eternally. And the other condition is faith. In our Lord Jesus Christ.

That just means you trust him to do for you. What you can't do for yourself. You trust him.

To save your soul. And his finished work. He gives you.

All the blessings and benefits of his work. On the cross. The man turned to the Lord Jesus.

And he said. Lord. He started properly.

He called him. Lord. Lord.

Remember me. When you come into your kingdom. And he heard the Lord Jesus say to him.

Today shall thou be with me in paradise. When a person trusts Christ. In this blessed book.

The Bible. There are verses that give assurance. To the one who has come to Christ.

We don't have to depend on our emotions. Our emotions change. What we depend on for our assurance.

Is the written word of God. Which is eternal. He that believeth on the son.

Hath everlasting life. To as many as received him. To them gave he the authority.

To become the sons of God. Even to them that believe on his name. Then came the darkness.

The Lord Jesus said three things. Before the darkness fell. He said one thing.

During the darkness. It was a darkness. That covered the face of the earth.

The ones who were mocking. Around the cross. They were stilled into silence.

By the fear that came upon them. Because of the darkness. And let me say this.

The darkness. Of the lake of fire. It is eternal darkness.

Never to see a morning sunrise. Never to see the beauty of an evening sunset. Never to see anything.

For eternity. To wander. Alone.

The darkness. Of blackness forever. The darkness was a darkness.

That covered the face of the earth. There was a teacher in Alexandria in Egypt. Who when the darkness came.

Went outside and then came back. And said to his class. Either the world is coming to an end.

Or God is dying. And how right he was. For just a few hundred miles to the north.

The son of God. Was hanging on a cross. Paying for the sins of the world.

In that darkness. The Lord Jesus cried out. That dreadful.

Dreadful. Abandoned cry. My God.

My God. Why hast thou abandoned me? Why art thou so far from helping me? And from the words of my roaring? And my dear listener. If there's someone here that is not saved.

Could I tell you what happened in the darkness? We turn to the book of Isaiah. And we find exactly what happened. There in the darkness.

It says all we light sheep have gone astray. We've turned everyone to his own way. But the Lord Jehovah laid upon him.

The iniquity. The sin. Of us all.

And I want you to just think for a moment. Of the sin in the city of Toronto last night. And the sin in Montreal.

Vancouver. London. Moscow.

All the sins of all the cities of the world. Think of the great number. And think of the years that have gone by.

The sin that has accumulated from the time of Adam and Eve. To now. And then to think that that vast load of human sin and iniquity.

It was brought out to the light. By God himself. Determined the judgment those sins deserve.

And made to meet upon his holy son. The sin of the world. And I'm so thankful that my sins.

Were put upon him. In the darkness of Calvary. You know what that really means? It means that the sins of all the sinners in the world.

Two thousand years ago was paid for in full. By the Lord Jesus. He shed his blood.

Died our death. And if you're a sinner. And willing to admit it.

Then you can accept that he died for you. And trust him. And wouldn't it be wonderful.

If as it were at the foot of the cross at this moment. We who are saved. Might just bow our heads and say thank you Lord Jesus.

For ever dying for a sinner like me. And for somebody here not saved. That you would come to him.

And acknowledge your sin and guilt. And thankfully. Accept him to be your savior.

After the darkness the Lord Jesus said three more things. He said I thirst. Even though he was God the sufferings were as real.

They were intense. He wept in the garden of Gethsemane. Maybe you think no one has ever wept over you.

But Jesus did. And the thirst he felt was so dreadful. But you know when I think of thirst.

I think of a man that the Lord Jesus spoke about. Drawing aside the curtain. And letting us look right into the pit.

And there was a man. Rich in life. He died without Christ.

And the scripture says in hell. He lifted up his eyes being in torment. And he cried out for mercy.

There's none. Two places in this universe where there's no mercy. There is no mercy for Jesus at Calvary.

And there's no mercy for a lost soul in hell. There's mercy here tonight and this afternoon. If you'll take it.

Second last thing the Lord Jesus said. It is finished. He had endured on behalf of sinners.

The awful wrath of Almighty God. Every last sin is paid for in full. We can tell sinners at Calvary.

The sin of the world was paid for in full. And the Lord Jesus confirmed it. And he said it is finished.

And sinners can rest on that finished work of Christ. And they can have eternal life. The last thing that he said.

Was Father. Into your hands I place my spirit. I'm thankful for those words.

You know as a boy I had heard the gospel ever since I was a little kid. And I believed it. I believe that Jesus was the son of God.

I believe God existed that the Lord Jesus made this world. I believe that he had come into this world through that wonderful miracle of the virgin birth. I had heard from my parents.

I had heard in Sunday school and in gospel meetings. He lived a perfect life and never sinned. I heard how he went to the cross.

I heard how he died for sinners. And yet I didn't know how to believe. And I struggled.

I knew and believed that if I could only believe. That he would save me because I knew that verse. He that believeth on the son hath everlasting life.

I knew it was spoken to the jailer in Philippi. I believe on the Lord Jesus Christ thou shalt be saved. And I struggled.

And my struggle was this. I believed the message. There might be somebody here and you've been brought up in a Christian home.

And you believe all the facts of the gospel. But you know you're not saved. You know it's interesting how the Lord helps us out in these matters.

He commissioned it to be written. These wonderful words. Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

You see a person can't call on the name of the Lord for salvation. Until they accept the facts of the gospel. That this is the word of God.

It's true. That Christ is the son of God. That he came into the world and died on the cross for the sins of the world.

But you see when a person believes that. Then they can come to the risen Christ who is so interested. And loves them so deeply.

They can come and call upon him for salvation. The apostle Peter when he stepped over the side of the ship. And began to walk and walk for a time.

And then began to sink. He called upon the name of the Lord. He invoked the name of the Lord.

To save him from what? To save him from drowning. That night I called on the name of the Lord. To save me from going down to hell.

And he saved my soul. I sat there in my bedroom. Used to close my fists and my eyes and say I believe.

Didn't work. The spirit of God graciously put a thought into my mind. David what is the worst thing that could ever happen to you? And I answered it to the Lord Jesus.

I said Lord Jesus the worst thing is to die without you. And end up in hell. I said I'm terrified.

And I can never explain what transpired. But there was an instant when I understood. That there was a moment when God put my sins on his lovely son.

And I just turned to him and I said thank you. And I said Lord Jesus right now I trust you. To keep me out of hell.

You see the Lord Jesus when he was about to go out into eternity. He had never died before. And he placed his spirit.

Into the hands of his father. For resurrection. What was he doing? He was trusting his father.

To raise him from the dead. If there's a soul here this afternoon and you would like to be saved. Could I commend to you.

Those wonderful words of the apostle Paul. Describing what happened on the Damascus road. He said this.

I know in whom I have placed my faith. And I am sure that he Jesus is able to keep. What I have committed unto him.

What had Paul committed to the Lord Jesus? He had committed his soul's eternal safe keeping. I am sure that he is able to keep. What I've committed unto him against that day.

What was that day? It was the day of judgment. I know in whom I have believed. And I am sure that he is able to keep.

What I've committed unto him against that day. The apostle Paul knew the peace and joy. Of sins forgiven.

And salvation. From a lost eternity. May God bless his word.

And even as the meeting is closed in prayer by our brother. God grant someone will come to Christ. This afternoon.