Three Questions

Well, we're glad to see so many here tonight, and glad to see these girls and boys here. We know they're going to listen. Wouldn't it be wonderful if some girl or boy tonight was to get saved? Wouldn't it be nice if some girl or boy was to say to the Lord Jesus tonight, I want you to save me tonight.

I remember a little girl, if you'll pardon this story, a little girl who used to cry going to bed, and I remember her mother said, I wonder what's the matter with her. She's always crying when she goes to bed. She was about the age of this girl right here, this girl right here.

And you know, her father went in and knelt down beside the bed with her and said, why are you crying every night? Are you sick? And the little girl said, no, I'm not sick. Well, what is the matter with you? And the little girl said, I want to be saved. And her father was able to lead her to the Lord Jesus.

And we just trust tonight that with this precious book in our hands, the Word of God, we may be able to lead you by the Lord himself, by the Holy Spirit, to the Savior, that somebody tonight may see clearly why Jesus died on the cross and the result of that death and resurrection. Now, I want to bring before you tonight three questions in the Word of God. We're going to read just the questions and then speak briefly on each one after.

I want to turn Matthew 27 for our first question. Matthew chapter 27. We're going to read just two verses.

And here in this chapter we find the Lord Jesus was nailed to the cross of Calvary. And it tells us here in this verse, verse 45, Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying," Now here is the first question.

Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani, that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Now in the sixteenth chapter of Acts, and just the end of verse 30, just the end of verse 30, Acts chapter 16, the end of verse 30, What must I do to be saved? What must I do to be saved? Just one more question now. In the twenty-seventh of Matthew again, and the twenty-second verse. Matthew 27, verse 22, the third question.

Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus, which is called Christ? Now they're good questions, aren't they? They're wonderful questions. The first question that we read together in the twenty-seventh chapter of Matthew's gospel is really a question that we may say is a mystery. Who can fathom this great question? We can see that site at Calvary.

We can see a cross standing on that hill at Calvary and two other crosses, there were three crosses, you know. But tonight we're talking about the center cross. And on that cross was the Son of the Living God.

Just imagine, the Son of the Living God, the Almighty God, the Eternal God, the Creator of heaven and earth, was nailed to a cross by man whom he had created. The Creator of man was nailed to a cross. And as we draw near to that cross by faith tonight, we see that on the head of that man was a crown of thorns.

And we can see that in that man's hands were nails, nailed to the cross. Nailed to the cross by men with hearts just like yours and mine, no difference. And then we look at those feet and we see that they were nailed to the cross.

And there he was hanging there, a sight for God to gaze upon, a sight for the devil to gaze upon and for the angels and for the demons and for all the men and women that were around at Calvary. As there the Son of God hung on that cross. And I say this is a mystery.

Why did this happen? Why did this man who was God manifest in the flesh, the Creator of the universe, why did he have to hang on the cross? Was there no other way that God could save man? No. That blessed one was on that cross, beloved friends, as a victim. For God has to punish sin.

And you know, you girls and boys here tonight, you can understand this. You've told lies, haven't you? And I sure have told lies too. When I was a little boy I used to tell lies.

And you've told lies, haven't you? Now there's a verse in the Bible that tells us, it's right at the end of the Bible, Revelation 21, we won't turn to it. But it says, you know, about that place where sin will never come. It says not even a lie will ever enter into that place.

Now I'm going to ask this girl here, one of you girls, tell me how many lies is a lie? I don't know. One. She answered the question.

She knows the answer, you see. A lie, one lie will never, never, never enter into heaven. Now, have you told a lie? How many lies have I told? I don't know, but God does.

Maybe a hundred, maybe two hundred. How many lies have you told? Well, this little girl told us that a lie is one lie. So one lie cannot get into heaven.

One lie. Now, is there anybody in this room tonight that hasn't told one lie? Hasn't told one lie, you know. You've told more than one.

We know we have, because we're sinners. And when we get caught, we tell lies, don't we? We try to cover up by telling lies. And, you know, a lie will never enter into heaven.

And that's why the Lord Jesus had to go to the cross in order that sinners like you and me might not go to hell. For God will not allow one sin into heaven. Not one.

Not one. If it was possible for a man to live and only sin once in all his life, he would have to go to hell because God cannot pass the sinner by. His sin demands that he must die.

But in the cross of Christ we see how God can save, yet righteous be. You see, God must punish sin. God must judge sin.

Many years ago, and you'll pardon me if you've heard this story before, many years ago in the old days, there was a ship crossing the Atlantic Ocean. As it was crossing the ocean, it sprang a leak. One of the officers went to the captain and said, there's a leak in the ship.

The water is coming in. What will we do? The captain said, get the pumps out as quickly as you can and start pumping. Well, after a little while, the officer went back and said, we pumped, but it's no use.

We're losing the battle. The ship is going to sink. And he said, find out how large the leak is.

And they came back and they said, we estimate that the leak is the same size as a man's arm. And so the captain said, bring every man on the deck at once. Every man.

And he addressed them and he said, men, this ship is going down. We're going to all perish unless one man, one man, will go down into the ship, dive into the water, and push his arm into that hole. Now, the man that goes, he has to die.

But he will save all our lives. Who is going to go, gentlemen? Who's going to go? Nobody moved. Nobody stirred.

He said, men, somebody has to go. It's either one or all. And a young man stepped out and said, father, I will go.

And he said goodbye to his father, shook hands with the captain who was his father, went down into the ship, dived into the water, found the hole, pushed his arm into it. And the rest of the men pumped. And a few days later, that ship landed in England.

They all got off the ship, but down in the bottom of the ship floated the dead body of that young man. And they took his body and they took up a collection and they had a funeral and they bought a tombstone. And on that tombstone they wrote these words, he died that we might live.

Six thousand years ago, this world sprang a leak. And into this world came sin and death. And God said, who will go? Who will go into that world of sin and death? And the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God said, father, I will go.

I will go. And he came into this world as a man, died on Calvary's cross. And tonight we can say he died that we might live.

Either he had to die on that cross or every man and woman who ever lived in this whole world would all go to hell without exception. For the scripture says there is no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. The word of God says there is none righteous, no, not one.

There are none good, no, not one. Yet I have heard men, they've told me, and I'm a good man. They're liars.

They're liars, my friend. If you say you're a good man, you're telling a lie. Because the word of God says there are none good, no, not one.

God can search the universe, east and west and north and south, and he can't find a good man because there are none good, no, not one. That's what God says, and I believe it. By the grace of God, do you believe it? Or are you deceived tonight by Satan into thinking that there are good men? Now getting back to our question, here is the question the Lord Jesus asked.

Notice he didn't say, My father. He said, My God. My God, why hast thou forsaken me? Have you found the answer to that question? Do you know the answer to that question? Why did the only man who never sinned, the only man who did everything in his life for the glory of God, why did God forsake him? I can understand if God forsook you, and I can understand if God forsook me, but why did he forsake this man? Why did he forsake the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross? Now here, there is no answer given to this question.

If you were to read the 22nd Psalm, you would find that God was holy, and the Lord Jesus Christ, during those three hours, from twelve o'clock noon until three o'clock in the afternoon, was made sin. Another mystery. And he bore our sins in his own body on the tree, and God punished him in order that he might never punish us.

Isn't that wonderful? And the Savior died on the cross. The wages of sin is death. And the Son of God died in the sinner's place.

For every child of Adam's race who will believe that testimony, God will save you. God will save you. Now, I know from personal experience that people say that religion is an awful boring thing, and I agree with them, one hundred percent.

I can't think of anything more boring than religion. But I can't think of anything more happy than Christ. For Christ is not religion, but Christ is a person.

A person who comes into our hearts, into our lives, and who, by the grace of God, gives us a brand new life and starts us on our way to heaven so that if we get away from him, if we forget him, we lose our happiness. And we're never happy until we come back to himself. Maybe there's a backslider in this room tonight who says, Well, I knew the Lord, but I got away from him.

And if you really knew the Lord, you are not happy. You are not happy. A Christian, a real born-again Christian who leaves the Lord and goes back to the world can never find happiness.

There was a young man here last night who told me something very interesting. I think he said, if I remember right, 60,000 people were asked this question, What are you trying to find in the world above everything else? And he told me that the answers came in and they found that 52% of all those people said, We are trying to find happiness. And maybe there's somebody in this room tonight and you are trying to find happiness and you say, I have failed.

I can't find it. And you never will until you come to Christ. For to know Christ is real happiness and real joy, to know Christ.

Because this blessed one was forsaken by God in order that we might never be forsaken. He took our place. He died that we might live.

Isn't that wonderful? He finished the work of redemption. He shed his precious blood. There's nothing more to do.

Which brings us to our second question in Acts chapter 16. And I wanted you to draw your attention to this question, which I believe is most important, and the answer. The 30th verse of the 16th chapter of Acts.

And here we find Paul and Silas are brought out by the jailer at Philippi. It says, And brought them out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And I want to draw your attention to that little word because it's most important. And this is the little word that there are so many Christians, so-called Christians tonight, and people who go to church and who attend gospel meetings who always ask this question, What must I do to be saved? What must I do? Because man wants to do something.

But God says you can't do anything. You can't do anything, nothing, except to come to him, as we mentioned last night, and own that you are a sinner. Have you done that, my friend? Have you ever been to God and said, I am a sinner? Have you done that, my friend? Is everybody in this room tonight being in the presence of God, alone with God, and say to him, I am a sinner? Man doesn't like to do that.

He likes to do something. Now what can we do? We talk about good works. What does God say about good works? He says, By grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves.

It is the gift of God. Not have works, lest any man should boast. So you see, all these good works that people talk about, who are trying to do something to get saved, God says, I don't want your good works.

In fact, he says in Isaiah, Your good works are as filthy rags. Your righteousness, your own self-righteousness are in my sight as filthy rags. Now do you know what those filthy rags are? Where they came from? They were taken off the lepers' sores.

Can you imagine anything more filthy, more ugly, than bandages taken off filthy lepers' sores? And yet God says that your righteousness and mine too, are just like those dirty, filthy bandages. And yet man thinks he can get to heaven his own way by his own righteousness. You can't do it, my friend.

What must I do to be saved? Well, people say, they said to me recently, to get saved you have to get baptized. Well, you say, show me the verse in the Bible. And they can't find it because it's not in the Bible.

For baptism has never saved a man yet and never will. If anybody in this room tonight is trusting in their baptism, you're on the wrong road, my friend. What must I do to be saved? What must I do? Well, will we join some religious organization? That won't save you.

Because the Pharisees who murdered the Son of God, who led to his crucifixion, they were the most religious men in the whole world at that time. So, you see, religion will never save you. Now, what is the question again? What must I do to be saved? Now, notice the 31st verse.

And notice what it says, and they said. Notice that. They said.

Who was that? It was Paul and Silas. These two men were the Lord's servants. And they were both of one mind.

Paul didn't preach one thing and Silas another thing, like we have in America tonight. All kinds of preachers. They had the same message.

They had God's message. And they said, Believe on the Lord, Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved and thy house. Now, notice, friends, that Paul didn't put before these men religion.

He didn't put before them the temple at Jerusalem. He didn't put before them the Jewish religion of that day. He put before them a person.

And that's exactly what tonight, by the grace of God, we are doing here tonight. We're bringing before you a person. And that person is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, that's wonderful, isn't it? His title, he's the Lord. His lowly name is Jesus. And he's the Messiah, the Anointed One.

He's the Christ. And there's a verse that tells us, in Acts chapter 2, I think it is, that God hath made that same Jesus whom ye crucified, both Lord and Christ. So, Jesus is the Lord Jesus Christ.

And that's what the Apostle said. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. And there's no doubt about it.

He didn't say, Thou mayest be saved. Thou mayest hope to be saved. But he said, Thou shalt be saved.

And the jailer, the jailer believed that word. The jailer believed that message. And he got saved.

And he's now in heaven. And every one of us who know the Lord are going to someday, very, very soon, maybe tonight, maybe tonight, are going to meet the jailer. The jailer is in heaven now.

He's with the Lord now. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy house. Maybe there's a mother here tonight who says, My boys are breaking my heart.

Maybe there's a father here who says, My daughters are breaking my heart. Like a man told us down in the Maritimes. We said, Sir, what you need is Christ.

No use you trying to rescue your boys from the power of the devil and your girls from their drinking and their dope and their smoking and everything else while you yourself are going to hell. You need Christ. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy house.

That's what God says. Oh, dear mothers and fathers tonight, are you saved yourself? Are you sending your children to Sunday school and you're going to hell? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. God says it, my friend.

Christ died for sinners on the cross of Calvary. Christ died for the ungodly. Isn't that wonderful? And Christ died for you and Christ died for me.

And the devil says, well, if everybody, if Jesus died for everybody, then everybody must be saved. But the Bible is very, very careful to say that while Christ died for all, he bare the sins of many. He bare the sins not of everybody, but he bare the sins of many.

And I want to ask you tonight, every man and every woman, every boy and girl in this room, has Christ borne your sins? Has he? Are you among the many? Are you in this poor world that's going on to judgment? You know, the Lord is coming very soon and he may come tonight. What would happen in the United States if the Lord came tonight? Well, first of all, tomorrow morning, there wouldn't be in this great country one Christian. Every born-again believer whose sins have been washed away in the blood of Christ would be taken out of this world.

You see, my friend, you don't understand, do you? Any more than I did years ago. What's going to happen to this poor world? And yet I tell you tonight, I tell you tonight, my friend, that even the newspapers themselves are testifying that this world is wrecked and ruined, that God is going to judge this world. And you need Christ.

There was a man named Noah many years ago, and he preached. Many, many years he preached. And he only got seven converts, only seven.

The rest of them, I suppose, said, what a fool building a ship on the dry land. You know, they had never seen rain in Noah's day because the earth was watered by a mist that came up out of the ground. So they never had seen rain.

And the men of the United States and the women have never seen fire coming down from heaven. They never seen that. They don't know anything about that.

Just like as in Noah's day. But the day came when the ark door was closed, and the Lord Jesus said, everybody outside was drowned. They all perished.

Maybe they called Noah a fool. Maybe they said, who does this fellow think he is? He think he's the only one that's right? Who does this man Noah think he is telling us that we're all a bunch of sinners and he's going to be saved? Well, that's what they do tonight, friends. That's what they do.

You know, the world laughs that we are Christians. You know that? The world mocks us. They say we're fools.

They say we have a stupid idea of the future. We're a bunch of pessimists. Yes, we are.

As far as the world is concerned, I'm a real pessimist. There is no hope for this world. It's going down, down, down to God's judgment.

And my friend, tonight, are you saved? Are you under the shelter of the blood of Jesus Christ? Are you on the side of God, or are you on the side of the devil? Are you on the narrow road that leads to glory, or are you on the broad road that leads to destruction? Which brings me to my last question tonight in Matthew 27. And this is the question we might label decision. Everybody has to make a decision.

Everybody will make a decision. Maybe you have made your decision. Notice now in Matthew 27, verse 22, Pilate says unto them, What shall I do? No, there's that little word do again.

What shall I do then with Jesus, which is called Christ? We can see the scene, can't we? We can see the scene, beloved friends. We can see Pontius Pilate sitting on his throne. We can see all around him his legal representatives.

We can see all the crowd in front of him, the Pharisees, all outside the judgment hall, waiting for the great Gentile leader to make his decision. And he made his decision. He said, I find this man not guilty.

And they said, crucify him. He said the second time, I find the prisoner not guilty. Again they said, crucify him.

He brought back the third time his verdict. The prisoner is not guilty. I will release him.

They said, crucify him. And then he turned and he said, What shall I do with Jesus? What shall I do? And then he thought, I know what to do. It's the Jewish custom to release one of the prisoners on the feast day.

He said, I will release to you this man, the king of the Jews. Will you have him? And they said, no, we don't want him. Now friends, listen.

Because this verdict, this decision they made, has affected you tonight and me. They said, release unto us Barabbas. Now isn't that solemn? For the word of God says, now Barabbas was a robber.

The word of God says that Barabbas for sedition and murder was cast into prison. And yet, this world said, we want that man. And friends, they have that man tonight.

Right tonight, the world has Barabbas. Our prisons are packed with men Barabbas. Our streets are unsafe to walk on.

Why? Barabbas is loose. Our women can't walk on the streets at night. And men are afraid to walk on the streets at night because Barabbas is loose.

The world wanted Barabbas. They made their decision. When Pilate asked this question, what shall I do then with Jesus, which is called Christ? They all say unto him, let him be crucified.

The Lord didn't get one vote. Every person voted for Barabbas. Barabbas swept the land.

Like a politician, he won every vote. Friends, the world's got their man. Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap, which also covers countries and nations and the world.

And the world sowed Barabbas and they're reaping Barabbas. Now listen. I'm going to ask you this question.

What will, in our question, what shall I do then with Jesus, which is called the Christ? Let us suppose now, let us suppose that here stands Jesus. There he stands. Let us pretend he's there.

See this blessed, perfect, holy, sinless man. See his face radiant in glory. See his nail-pierced hands and feet and his spear-pierced side.

There he stands, Jesus. There he stands. Now, on this side stands the devil.

See his sneering laugh. See the hatred in his face. See the determination in his face to damn you and hell.

See him. There he stands, the devil. There he stands, Jesus.

And I say to you tonight, what will you do? Who will you decide for? You have to decide. You cannot be neutral. Neutral you cannot be.

Someday your heart will be asking, what will he do with me? Friend, you're going to walk out of this room and say, I'm not a Christian yet, but I hope to be one someday. If Christ is worth having someday, then Christ is worth having today. He's worth having today.

Do you want him? Do you want him? I don't ask you, do you want Christianity? I don't ask you, do you want religion? I ask you, do you want Jesus? Do you want Christ? Who will you have? Here we have the two masters. Here is one who is kind and loving, who is gentle, who is faithful, who is marvelous, who is wonderful, who is altogether lovely, the Christ of God, the Son of God, who loved us and died for us on Calvary's cross, whose love will never cease, whose precious blood has power to cleanse us from all sin. Whether we've sinned a million times or a billion times, or whether we've only sinned a few times, there's power in the blood to cleanse from all sin.

Let us turn to this person here. What is he? What is this person? He's a murderer from the beginning, said the Son of God. He hates Christ.

He hates God. He hates everything that's good. He's against everything that God stands for.

He's against everything that God stands for. He hates everything that's right and good. And he's robbed men's souls for six thousand years.

He's an expert. He's a liar. He's a thief.

He's a robber. Are you going to have him tonight? Are you going to say to the devil, You are my friend. I want you.

You'll go to hell if you do. Or do you want this glorious person? Who is going to be your master? Well, I think Joshua said, As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Friend, we marvel as you go to this room, these gospel halls, we marvel at men.

And the little hymn says this, Angel hosts are musing, O'er this sight so strangely sad, God beseeching, Man refusing to be made forever glad. You're on your way to eternity. You're on your way to the grave.

You're on your way to the undertaking parlor. You're going to pass out of this world into eternity. You're going to stand before almighty God.

The books will be opened and your sins recorded. All of them there. You can't lie.

You can't get a notary or a lawyer to stand for you. You're doomed. The books are opened by God himself.

And you, my friend, who tonight have heard the gospel that God loves you, that Christ died for you, that there's a Savior now for you. Not tomorrow, but now. God doesn't promise to save you tomorrow, but he promises to save you tonight.

And are you going to leave this room flippantly and laughing and joking when you're marching to hell? And tomorrow morning you may be under the judgment of God Oh, awake, my friend, awake! I ask you in God's name to awake lest you find yourself under the judgment of God with the devil and the dam for eternity. Solemn thought, you're a sinner. You've sinned against a righteous and a holy God.

And you went to bed last night and you went to sleep when you were under the judgment of God. Are you going to do the same thing tonight? Are you going to sell your soul tonight? Are you going to sell your soul tonight? Who are you going to have? This one, this glorious Savior? Or this awful person, the devil? Who will you have? I will turn to this one, my beloved Savior, my wonderful Lord. Many a time we weep on our knees before this glorious person, this wonderful Savior.

Oh, what a Savior, my friend. What a marvelous Savior. His love is so great, so marvelous, so wonderful.

He's so faithful. He's so true. It's a marvelous thing to know Him and to be able to say, I belong to my blessed Jesus.

Tonight He wants you. Do you want Him? Tonight He waits for your decision. And as you leave this room, you must make your decision.

You must make your decision for Christ or against Christ. Tonight, not tomorrow night. Tonight.

God says today, if you'll hear His voice, harden not your heart. Will you receive tonight the Lord Jesus Christ? Or are you going to reject Him once again and allow this person to harden your heart a little bit more against God? Friend, you'll never forget this night. This night will be written across your soul.

January the 12th, 1976. When you might have been saved. You might have been saved tonight.

January the 12th, 1976. You might have started for heaven, but you preferred to be on the side of the devil and the world that crucified God's Son. Now, that's pretty clear, isn't it? There is no middle ground.

You cannot say, I am neutral because God won't let you. You have to make your decision. Every man and woman sometime in their life has to make their decision.

God speaks. He speaks tonight. The Holy Spirit speaks.

He speaks tonight. The verse He gave me when I was a young man was this, My spirit shall not always strive with man. I heard a preacher say, If God stops striving with you tonight, you will land in hell.

And I used to think to myself, If God stops striving with my soul tonight, and I tell you that that verse hung in front of my eyes as I walked down the streets of Montreal, time and again I saw that verse hanging like this, My spirit shall not always strive with man. May I just tell this before I close? And I think somebody, you have heard this story before, but it bears repeating. It may be used of God and blessing.

There was a man who one day walked into an art gallery and he looked at all the pictures. And at last he came to a picture that drew his attention because he happened to be the champion chess player of that particular place. And he saw this chess game and he stopped naturally to look at it.

And the picture showed a table, a chess game in progress, on one side a young man with his head down, a look of horror on his face, on the other side the devil. The devil was playing chess with this young man and the devil had won the game. The stake was the young man's soul.

He had lost his soul. The artist had made a look of horror on his face. And the chess player looked at that picture for a long time.

He went out. He came back. He looked at it again for a long time.

He came back again and he spent hours looking at this picture. And at last they heard him say, I have it. I have it.

And somebody said, you have what? He said, I have found the move that the young man might have made and he would have won the game. But he missed his move and he lost the game. Friend, tonight are you playing chess with the devil? There is one move you can make and only one.

And God help you if you miss that move. And that move is to come to Jesus Christ and receive him as your Lord and your Savior. And that is your only move.

Your only move. If you miss that move, you will perish. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin.

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy house. May God exalt Christ.