Gospel—Michael Hapanowicz
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Well, good evening and welcome to the Gospel Meeting. You know, if I could pull back the curtain a little bit, I just want to share with you that a couple minutes ago there were a couple of us here met in a room and just a little bit Yonder and we held what was called Prayer for the Gospel Meeting.
And it's remarkable to see. You know, the room was filled with grown men, and yet here they were, burying their heart before the Lord. And as I go into this and I I hear the chorus of amends that ascends at the end of each prayer, it always does my heart good.
And I've sometimes thought, you know, if we would just hold the prayer for the gospel here in this room with everyone present, I think there are souls that would be saved even before the message was delivered.
So I want you to know tonight, if you are sitting here in your chair and you have never accepted Christ as your Savior, you are cared for.
You are loved and you have been prayed for.
And that's how much those who have hosted this wonderful conference and this meeting here tonight care about you. So I pray that that's not lost on your soul. And there are so many people in the world here today who think no one cares about me. But that's not true for you here tonight. So let's open with, from our hymn sheets here, the echoes of grace.
Hymn #30.
Someone could start that for us. Please hymn #30.
You must save me, though my face were breathing.
Like an hour away my fears.
Could not watch the sins of years weeping. Will not save me.
Jesus.
Flat and die for me.
It's a suffer upon the tree.
Jesus waits to make me free.
Be alone and say.
Working when I'm saying.
That I can do only as I'd send feelings to can I for my soul on you working will not save me.
Jesus.
Jesus suffered on the tree.
Jesus waits to make me free.
Can't say me.
Waking will not save me. God bless. Guilty. Lost by life.
In my ear is first is crying. If I wait, I can but I.
Waiting will not save me.
Jesus.
Plead and die for me.
Jesus suffered on the tree.
Jesus waits to make me free.
He alone can save me.
They think Christ will save me.
Trust in him, thou Raisin won't trust the work that he has done.
To his arms I now make one.
Faith in Christ will save me.
Gives us flare and die for me.
00:05:10
Privilege of travelling to another country. Actually a couple, but Malawi is the one I'm thinking of specifically, and in that country they wrote a tract.
Was seven things that will not save you.
And we've had a couple of those things mentioned here in this song tonight, but thankfully there is that fourth verse of the song that tells us what will save you.
Faith in Christ will save you. And now before we pray, I want to read 2 verses for you.
First one is in the book of Ecclesiastes.
It's in the 11Th chapter.
Ecclesiastes Chapter 11, verse three. And this is what it says. If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth.
And if the tree fall toward the South or toward the north?
In the place where the tree falleth.
There it shall be.
The other reference is in the book of Luke.
The 14th chapter.
Luke, chapter 24 and verse. Sorry Luke chapter 14 and verse 26.
If any man come to me.
And hate not his father and mother and wife and children, and brethren and sister Yay, and his own life also.
He cannot be my disciple.
Those are kind of unusual verses to read at a gospel meeting, don't you think?
I don't know if I have ever heard Ecclesiastes, 11, read at a gospel meeting.
I want to share with you two stories, and I don't intend to share the names of the individuals in this story. I want you to know that both of these are true stories. They happen to real men, one of which I know personally, the other of which I only know of. But the stories are something like this. The first one took place in the life of a man who was around 18 years of age.
And he had just graduated high school, and he was a basketball player.
And he had applied to a number of universities, but he was offered a scholarship to play at a Christian university for their basketball team.
And this man had.
I suppose he might have said he was a Christian in the extent that that's just kind of the thing that you do or say here in America, at least at the time when he was young. But he had no personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, and so when he was offered this scholarship at this Christian university, he decided that it was the best offer he had received.
And so that was the school that he was going to go to. Not because it was a Christian university, but we might say, despite the fact that it was a Christian university.
But as he played there basketball, it was the habit of the team.
Before the game to meet together in a huddle and one or two of the basketball players there would share some thought or some scripture and they would pray together.
And one evening before a basketball game.
The team captain read that verse from Ecclesiastes, Chapter 11, verse 3. There's a different translation, but the thought is more or less the same. If a tree falls in the forest, whether it falls north or South, wherever it falls, that's where it stays.
And that night, this young man could not fall asleep.
And as he lay there on his bed, he could not get out of his mind the image of himself.
As a tree dead.
00:10:00
Within eternity, that was fixed.
And unmovable.
And that night he got off of his bed. He got onto his knees, and he cried out. Lord, save me.
And he was saved.
And he went on to be used very powerfully of the Lord.
The second story that I want to share with you is also the man who is around 18 years of age and he was raised in a religiously observant household.
He would, I suppose, have considered himself to been religiously observant as well. He too had never come to a saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
But the school that he was attending put on a play. The name of the play was Godspell. It's a play about the Gospel of Luke. And so he attended that play.
Shortly after there was a movie version of it came out, also called Godspell on the Gospel of Luke. And he went and he watched the movie Godspell and he thought to himself, you know, I've seen a play on the gospel of Luke, and I've seen a movie on the Gospel of Luke.
Maybe I should read the Gospel of Luke.
So he went home, found a Bible, and he began to read.
And he couldn't put it down. He couldn't put it down until he got to the 14th chapter.
And he came to that 26th verse that we read. If a man doesn't hate his father and mother, he cannot be my disciple. And he thought to himself, can this possibly mean what it's saying?
And you know, the interesting thing is.
His mind didn't go as he thought about. Who can I ask?
Who knows the Bible? His mind didn't go to the priest.
It went to an old man in the neighborhood who had taught a Bible study for young men.
He thought to himself, I'm going to ask that man.
What does this verse mean?
So he made his way up the street. He knocked on the door.
Asked if he could come in.
And he had a conversation with that old man about Luke's Gospel 14, verse 26.
And after the man explained the verse, the old man explained the verse. He asked the young man, do you want to be saved?
And the young man said no.
And the old man asked again.
Do you want to be saved?
And the second time?
That young man said yes.
And that night, he was saved.
You know, if we were to go back in time and you were to ask me.
I want you to go share the gospel with these two young men.
And I want you to think of justice, the right verse.
That will get hold of their soul.
I would never in a million years have picked Ecclesiastes 11/3, and I never in a million years would have picked loose Gospel chapter 14 verse 26.
But those are the 2 verses that God used to get ahold of their souls.
And so my plea with you here tonight is this.
Listen. Listen to the word of God. Listen to the word of God like your life depends on it.
Because it does.
I want to speak to you tonight.
About the final 24 hours.
Of the Lord's life.
And in the final 24 hours of the Lord's life, there are a number of different individuals that he interacts with.
We are not going to look at all of them.
But we are going to look at three of them.
They are.
Judas.
Pilot and the thief on the Cross. And even though these three men have lived and died a long time ago.
I think in some ways everyone here is either.
Judas Pilate.
Were the thief.
And you might be surprised which one of the three.
00:15:03
You should want to be.
Now it is my hope that as we go through the interactions of the Lord Jesus with these three individuals.
That even as we examine, we might call it the profile of these three men. We would not lose sight of keeping the main thing the main thing.
And that is that the Lord Jesus would be the focus of everything that is said here tonight. It is not possible for me to emphasize strongly enough that he.
Is what your soul needs.
So I do pray that he would be our main focus. Let's turn to Matthew's Gospel, chapter 26.
And before we read verse 20 through 25, I just want to give a little bit of the context for this setting.
And where does one even begin to provide the context for this? Well, let me go back all the way to the birth of the Lord Jesus.
That miracle that we call the Incarnation is the reality that God has stepped into this world as a man.
And even as he became truly a man, he stayed.
Truly, God.
And he walked on this world for 30 years, and in those thirty years he lived his life before the eyes of only one.
Of God as Father.
There was really very few else who noticed or cared that the God of this universe had stepped into his world.
And in those thirty years which we know very little about.
He lived a life that was totally pleasing to God his father.
So that before anything had really been done, before the eyes of men, God could look at his son and say this.
Is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.
But at 30 years of age, he began what we call his public ministry.
And in those three years of his public ministry, he performed for those who had faith to see all of the proof and evidence that was needed to show that he was and is the Son of God.
You know, in those three years of his public ministry, he called 12 men to be with him. They were going to be 12 Companions, 12 friends, 12 disciples. These men would spend their life, their time with the Lord Jesus, and he was very close to them.
And now we have come to the end of the three years of that public ministry, and the Lord knows exactly what is going to happen to him within the next 24 hours, and he has chosen to spend that last meal of his life with these 12 men.
But one of the 12 is Judas.
And even though no one else could tell the difference.
Judas in his heart was not right towards God. There was a lust for money, and he was willing to sell the Lord Jesus to the chief priests who hated the Lord because of reasons for envy. He was willing to sell the Lord Jesus to them.
For 30 pieces of silver.
And the knowledge.
That this close companion is going to do that.
Weighed on the Lord's soul. So let's read from the 20th verse.
Now when the even was come, he sat down with the 12 and as they did eat, he said, Verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.
And they were exceeding sorrowful.
And everyone of them.
Say unto him, the Lord, is it I? And he answered, and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, The same shall betray me. The son of man goeth as it is written of him. But woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed. It had been good for that man, if he had not been born.
00:20:04
Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I?
He said unto him.
Thou hast said.
You know, it's a remarkable thing to me here in this interaction between the Lord and Judas.
That when Jesus says one of you will betray me.
There wasn't a single disciple in that room who pointed the finger at Judas and said, ah, it must be him.
That's the one that's going to betray Judas. Not one of them suspected that Judas was the one Each one of them asked the Lord. Is it I?
And I think that shows us two remarkable things. It shows US1 The ability of Judas to continue on in an outward way, like he was real. But it also shows that the Lord in those three years.
Had never given any indication.
That Judas was different than the rest.
He had never treated Judas differently. He had never given Judas the cold shoulder.
He hadn't dropped insinuations all over the place again and again. Judas, I know what you're going to do, because none of the disciples suspected that Judas was the one, and so the Lord was patient.
With Judas, he gave him opportunity again.
And again and again to repent and change his course.
And you know, I'm speaking here to an audience, and as I look across this room, I think I might recognize, if not everyone here, most everyone here.
And I can say to you tonight as well.
That if you are sitting here in your chair and you have never accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, God has been patient with you.
He has given you opportunity again and again and again.
To repent.
To turn to him.
To set aside the hypocrisy of pretending to be something or someone that you are not.
And to come before him.
And confess and embrace him for the reality of who he is. That is the patience of the Lord, and that is the patience with which he dwelt with Judas. It's the patience with which he dealt with you is dealing with you. And so I pray, as we look at some of the other incidents here in the life of of Judas, that would be a word of warning to you. You are still under the sound of the word of God.
You still have opportunity to change course, and I pray that you would not spurn the patience of the Lord.
And I just want to say this to you as well. You know, in the Gospels we get the record of what happens, but in the Psalms we get the record of the inner emotions and thoughts of the Lord. And he could say of Judas, mine own familiar friend.
Has lifted up his heels against me. He felt the sting of what it was to have so close a companion.
Willing to betray him, you know. As we turn to the next section, we're running behind schedule. So just to read from verse 47.
And you know what? I want to present the context for this as well. The Lord Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane, and Judas has gone out to do the deadly deed. He's bringing with him the soldiers that will arrest the Lord Jesus. And as we're getting closer and closer and closer to the cross.
It is increasingly weighing on the soul of the Lord the knowledge of what he is about to go through.
Certainly yes, the human suffering that he was going to experience. But I'm sure it is the thought of what would happen on the cross in the three dark hours as he was punished by God.
Holy and righteous, he was going to become the sin bearer.
And that was horrifying to him.
And as he thought about it, he prayed again and again.
To God his Father let this cup pass from me.
00:25:00
And if his prayer had ended there?
How sad it would be for you and me.
But that wasn't the end of his prayer. He ended it with this nevertheless. Not my will.
But thine be done.
It was so distressing.
That he sweat, as it were, great drops of blood.
Falling down to the ground.
And I don't know if the Lord Jesus ever got an opportunity.
In the final 24 hours of his life to get any rest or any sleep.
But when he turned to look at the companions, those few men that he had brought with him to be there in prayer, as he turned to them, perhaps to get some comfort, what did he find?
He found that they were asleep.
And so in the Garden of Gethsemane there was number solace for his soul.
And that is the context.
That these verses take in.
Verse 47 And while he yet spake, lo Judas, one of the 12 came, and with him a great multitude, with swords and staves from the chief priests and elders of the people.
Now he that betrayed them gave them a sign, saying, whomsoever I shall kiss, the same as he hold him fast.
And forthwith he came to Jesus and said, Hail master.
And kissed him.
And Jesus said unto him, Friend.
Wherefore.
Art thou come?
Then came they.
And laid hands on Jesus.
And took him.
Hail Master.
I know the Gospel Meeting is not really the place.
For Greek word studies.
But I want to read for you.
A few times from the book of Matthew.
Where this same Greek word hail.
Is used.
Because I want you to know the force.
With which that word?
Must have struck.
The heart of the Lord Jesus.
Matthew Chapter 2.
In verse 10.
When they saw the star, they rejoiced.
With exceeding great joy.
Matthew Chapter 5, verse 12.
Rejoice.
And be exceeding glad.
For great is your reward in heaven.
For so persecuted they the prophets.
Which were before you?
Matthew Chapter 18, verse 13.
And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, He rejoiceth more of that sheep.
And of the 90 and 9 which went not astray.
What word did those 3 verses have in common?
Did anyone notice it?
Rejoice.
That is the word.
That Judas used to greet the sorrowful heart of the Lord.
Rejoice, Master.
How cruel.
Can you be?
And it doesn't even end there.
We can't tell in the English.
But Judas told the soldiers.
The one that I kiss.
He's the 1:00. Grab him.
But when he comes to the Lord Jesus, he doesn't kiss him, not with the Greek word that he used to describe it to the soldiers. He kisses him in the same way that the Father smothers the prodigal son with kisses.
00:30:07
He kisses him again and again and again.
Why? Just so the soldiers could be sure it wasn't someone else.
How it must have touched?
The heart of the Lord Jesus.
You know, I want to read for you in Psalms chapter 55.
Psalms 55.
Verse 12 Port was not an enemy that approached me.
Then I could have borne it.
Neither was it he that hated me, That didn't magnify himself against me. Then I would have hid myself from him.
But it was thou.
A man might equal my guide and mine acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together.
And walks under the House of God in company.
The Lord.
Felt the sting.
Of that betrayal.
You know, I think I forgot to mention it, but earlier as we go through these three interactions of the Lord with these different individuals.
In his interaction with Judas, we find revealed to us the Lord as a man.
In his interaction with Pilot, we find the Lord revealed as God.
And then his interaction with the thief on the cross, we have the Lord revealed as savior.
And so I say to you again.
The Lord felt.
Sting of the betrayal.
Of his close companion.
And it hurt him.
I'm sure it hurt him more than the nails hurt him.
It hurt him more than the whip hurt him.
Hurt him more than the thorns hurt him.
This one who had walked with him to the House of God.
Had lifted up his heels against him.
How does the Lord address Judas?
You say betrayer, get away from me.
Was the verse that we read.
Friend.
Wherefore art thou come?
He asked him a question.
Why did you come here?
Just like God asks Adam a question in the garden. Where are you, Adam?
Did God not know the answer to the question?
He knew.
So why did he ask it?
He asked it because he was trying to draw out the heart of Adam. He was dealing with Adam. He was appealing to Adam.
Isn't it the same way in our chapter here in Matthew?
That the Lord Jesus.
Question of Judas. Not because he doesn't know the answer, but because he's trying to draw out from Judas's heart a response.
He's dealing with him. He's appealing to him.
The Lord Jesus.
Never stopped.
Reaching out to Judas.
Even.
As he was in the act of betraying him.
Matthew Chapter 27.
Matthew Chapter 27.
Verse one when the morning was come all the chief priests and elders of the people to counsel against Jesus to put him to death.
And when they bound him, they led him away and delivered him to Pontius Pilate, the governor. Then Judas, which had betrayed him when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the 30 pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, I have sinned.
And that I have betrayed the innocent blood.
And they said.
What is that to us? See thou to it.
And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.
00:35:03
The chief priests took the pieces, the pieces, and said it is not lawful for to put them into the treasury because it is the price of blood.
And they took counsel and bought with them the Potters field to bury strangers in.
Wherefore the field was called field of blood unto this day.
And was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the Prophet saying, And they took the 30 pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they have the children of Israel, did value, and gave them for the Potter's field, as the Lord appointed me.
And Judas.
Went out.
And he hanged himself.
It is a sad end.
To a sad life.
It's one of the most vivid illustrations I can think of.
Of the verse, the way of the transgressor.
Is hard.
Judas had seen the Lord in the past.
Walk right through.
Crowd that wanted to kill him.
And I think he must have.
The Lord Jesus is going to do the same thing again.
So why don't I just get 30 pieces of silver?
And you know what? It didn't workout.
That way.
I'm going to read a verse though in Second Corinthians.
2nd Corinthians.
Chapter 7.
2nd Corinthians Chapter 7 reading from verse 9.
Now I rejoice.
Not that you were made sorry.
But that he sorrowed to repentance.
For ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us, and nothing.
For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation, not to be repented of, but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
You know, it's one of the reasons why I picked the hymn that we started with. It has the opening verse. Weeping will not save me.
Though my face.
Were bathed in tears.
Judas was sorry.
For what he did.
He was sorry.
After a worldly manner.
And that kind of sorrow.
Leads to death.
I pray that you would have the sorrow of your sin that's spoken of in the preceding verse that leads to repentance because you still have the opportunity to be saved.
Satan was behind what Judas did.
And death is what he wanted for him.
The Lord Jesus wants life for you.
So repent.
And be saved.
The Lord did not rejoice in the death of Judas.
It says in Ezekiel he does not take. And you know what, Let's read it and Ezekiel chapter 33.
Ezekiel 33 and verse 11.
Say unto them as I live, saith the Lord God.
I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked.
But that the wicked turned from his way and live.
Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways. For why will you die, O House of Israel?
The Lord didn't want Judas to go out and hang himself.
There was not one iota of a vengeful spirit in the Lord.
There wasn't a single thought or a single desire. That's what he had coming to him.
That's not what the Lord wanted for Judas.
00:40:04
He wanted him.
To repent he wanted him, as this verse says, to turn from his way.
It's too late for Judas.
But it's not too late for you. And so this verse, this, this plea is applicable to you tonight. Turn.
Turn knee.
And live.
That's what the Lord wants for you.
You know I can't look into your heart.
I don't know who here is real and who here isn't.
But it seems to me.
That if it's possible.
For the very companion.
Of the Lord Jesus.
To be with him for three years.
And keep up that charade the whole time.
And it's possible for someone here tonight.
To be putting up a charade and we wouldn't even know it.
I don't want to assume.
Everyone here is saved.
I don't know roughly how many people there are in this room.
But what if the ratio wasn't any better?
Than what was present.
On that night, as the Lord gathered his 12 disciples to eat a meal with him.
That would be one in 13.
1/2.
3/4.
567.
891013 persons getting really nervous right now.
That's not not exactly the point, but I pray that you will turn and live. I'm kind of in a difficult position at this point.
Because I obviously haven't left enough time to go through the other two men.
And I shouldn't have even told you I was going to and you wouldn't have known the difference.
So.
Maybe we'll just end with that.
And let's close with one prayer or one hymn.
The 20th.
Behold, the Savior at the door. He gently knocks, has knocked before, has waited long, is waiting. Still, you use no other friend, so I'll open the door. He'll enter in and Sup with you, and you with him.
Did someone start that?
I'm sorry.
It stands when all can follow.
And download scriptures.
All right, let's.
Find this.
Open my door.
Kill What happened to him?
I am so when you.
Thank you.
The Enterprise ain't so kind of guest no portal.
Always can tell.
Where it will be gone?
Listen to the.
All by the internal Lord, your hands.
And some great view and you.
Will kill you.
You know, I do want to share this verse with you before we end because.
You know we didn't get into the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus.
We did, I suppose, already refer to the three dark hours we're there on the cross. The Lord Jesus paid for the punishment of sin, as he was there a sin bearer we didn't speak of. After the Lord had dismissed his spirit, how a soldier came and pierced his side and forthwith came there out blood and water. We didn't speak of how he was placed into a grave where there he laid for three days.
But afterwards he rose again from the dead.
And that is an amazing and incredible thing. And without that, we would never have a gospel message to share with you.
Because it is a risen Savior who is on high on the glory, and we stand here in Christ stead, pleading with you be reconciled.
To God.
I want to read for you from Matthew, chapter 28.
And.
Why don't we just read from the beginning of the verse? Why not? We've got time in the end of the Sabbath as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and Mary the Mother, and Sorry the other Mary to see the Sepulchre. And behold, there was a great earthquake for the angels.
Descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat upon it.
His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow. And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became his dead men. And the Angel answered and said unto the woman, Fear not.
Ye for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
He is not here, for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay, and go quickly and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead. Behold, he goeth before you into Galilee. There ye shall ye see him. Lo, I have told you.
And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy.
And they'd run to bring his disciples word. And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them saying, all hail, And they came and held him by the feet, and worshiped him.
This is a lot of fun.
That I get to share this with you.
Do you remember back in the Garden of Gethsemane?
Where Judas came and he greeted the Lord and he said, Hail master.
00:50:02
Rejoice.
Master.
The Lord Bore.
The sting of that alone.
What is his message to the women who are leaving the empty tomb?
All hail.
And they come and worship him. It is the same Greek word.
All rejoice.
Was there a reason for the Lord to rejoice in the Garden of Gethsemane?
No, there wasn't.
Is there a reason for these two women to rejoice as the Lord greets them?
Yes, there is. And he didn't want the rejoicing to be just limited to those women, he says. All hail.
He wants you to share in his rejoicing the sorrow he will bear by himself.
The rejoicing he shares and he wants to share with you.
You know there will be joy in the presence of the angels of God if one Sinner here tonight repents.
And there would be joy on our parts too. So if you do repent.
And we are calling you to do that.
Share it with us.