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TOPIC: Torrey, R A - How To Work For Christ (Book 3) (Other Topics in this Collection)
SUBJECT: 08 - BOOK THREE CHAPTER FIVE (cont)
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# THE APPALLING SIN OF UNBELIEF IN JESUS CHRIST
"He that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." Joh_3:18.
INTRODUCTION. -- The failure to put faith in Jesus Christ is not a misfortune, it is a sin, a grievous sin, an appalling sin, a damning sin.
I. Unbelief in Jesus Christ is an Appalling Sin Because of Whom Jesus Christ is. Because of the Dignity of His Person, Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
A dignity attaches to Jesus Christ that attaches to the person of no angels, or archangel, to none of the principalities or powers in the heavenly places. His is the name that is above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. An injury done to Jesus Christ is, then, a sin of vastly greater magnitude than a sin done to man.
II. In the Second Place Unbelief in Jesus Christ is an Appalling Sin not only Because of the Dignity of Christ's Person but also Because Faith is the Supreme Thing Which is Due to Him.
Jesus is worthy of many things. But first of all, underlying all else, Jesus Christ is worthy of faith; man's confidence is due Jesus Christ.
III. Because Jesus Christ is the Incarnation of all the Infinite Moral Perfections of God's Own Being.
"God is light and in him is no darkness at all." This infinite absolute light which God is, this infinite holiness and love and truth, is incarnated in Jesus Christ; and the refusal to accept Him is the refusal of light and choice of darkness.
IV. Unbelief in Jesus Christ is an Appalling Sin Because it is Trampling Under Foot the Infinite Love and Mercy of God. Joh_3:16.
Jesus Christ is the supreme expression of God's love and mercy to sinners. {432}
CONCLUSION. -- It is as clear as day that unbelief in Jesus Christ is an appalling sin. Theft is a gross sin, adultery is worse, murder is shocking, but all these are as nothing to the violation of the dignity and majesty of the person of Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, by our unbelief. Give up your awful unbelief in Jesus Christ and accept Him tonight.
# THE SECRET OF A HAPPY LIFE.
"Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice." Php_4:4.
INTRODUCTION. -- Every one wants to be happy. Every one ought to be happy. Every one can be happy. God has provided a way in which we can have joy every moment of our lives.
The secret of a happy life is a wonderful secret. The prescription is simple.
I. The First Ingredient in the Prescription is, Obtain the Forgiveness of Your Sins by Repenting of Them, Confessing Them and Accepting Jesus Christ as Your Savior. Psa_32:1; Isa_55:7; Acts 10;43.
II. The Second Ingredient in the Prescription is to Obtain the Holy Spirit by Absolute Surrender to God. Act_5:32.
III. The Third Ingredient is Prayer. Frequent Prayer. Joh_16:24.
IV. The Fourth Ingredient is Bible Study. Joh_15:11.
# DAVID'S SIN
"The thing that David had done displeased the Lord." 2Sa_11:27.
INTRODUCTION. -- The story is too horrible for public recital, though if one will read it in private with earnest prayer he may find exceedingly precious lessons in it. It was one of the most horrible and dastardly crimes of history. The record of it and its consequences has held many back from contemplated sin, and has brought hope to many a despairing heart.
The history of David's sin teaches seven great lessons.
I. That a very good man, if he gets his eyes off from God and His Word, may easily fall into very gross sin. {433}
II. That God never looks upon any man's sin with the least degree of allowance.
III. That whatsoever a man soweth that he shall also reap, and like the farmer he will reap much more than he sows.
IV. The fourth lesson of David's sin is that the sin of God's servants gives great occasion for the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme.
V. That the sin of God's people is base ingratitude toward God.
VI. That there is full and free and abundant pardon for the vilest sinner.
VII. Pardon is found by the confession of our sin. Cf. Psa_32:1-5; Luk_18:10-14.
# JOYS OF THE CHRISTIAN
"Rejoice always." 1 Thessalonians_6:16.
INTRODUCTION. -- There are three things that Christians should do constantly: rejoice, pray, and give thanks. 1Th_5:16-18. Constant rejoicing, unceasing prayer, continual thanksgiving -- this is God's will in Christ Jesus regarding us. "Rejoice always." That is our duty, that is also our privilege. God has made it possible for us to constantly rejoice. How much more our lives and our testimony would count for Christ if only we did rejoice always.
I. Joy of Sins Forgiven. Psa_32:1.
II. The Joy of Communion With God.
1Jn_1:3; Psa_16:11. Not only in heaven is there fullness of joy in God's presence, but in the present life there is fullness of joy in God's presence, in communion with Him. There are three methods of communion with God.
1. The first of these is prayer, breathing out to God the desires of our hearts.
2. The second method of communion is the method of thanksgiving. {434}
3. The third method of communion with God is the method of worship. Worship is different from either prayer or thanksgiving. In prayer we are asking for something; in thanksgiving we are returning thanks for something; in worship we are just b owing before God, contemplating and adoring Him and His Son Jesus Christ.
III. The Joy of Feasting on the Word. Jer_15:16.
IV. The Joy of Victorious Service.
There is great joy in serving one we love, and especially is there great joy if our service is effective. The Christian loves Christ; his service of Christ may always be successful and victorious.
V. The Joy of Winning Souls.
Few joys this side of heaven so great as the joy of bringing someone else to Christ.
VI. The Joy of Suffering for Christ. Act_5:40
VII. The Joy of the Holy Spirit. 1Th_1:6.
# SINCERE BUT NOT SAVED
"Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon... who shall tell thee words, whereby thou shalt be saved." Act_11:13-14.
INTRODUCTION. -- A man may be a sincere and earnest seeker after truth and still not be a saved man as yet.
I. The Character of Cornelius.
1. He was "a devout man." It is evident that his devotion was genuine, for it affected his whole household, the soldiers under him and his kinsman and his near friends.
2. But Cornelius was not only a devout man towards God, he was also righteous towards man. Act_11:22.
3. Cornelius was a generous man.
4. Cornelius was a man of prayer.
5. Cornelius was an eager seeker after more light. {435}
6. Cornelius was ready to obey the truth when he found it, whatever it might require of him. Altogether this man Cornelius was a man of singularly lofty character, yet with all this the inspired record tells us that Cornelius was not yet saved, that he needed salvation.
II. How Cornelius was Saved.
1. First of all he prayed for light. Act_10:31-32; comp. Act_10:1-48; Act_22:1-30 and Act_11:13-14. Cornelius felt that he had not the whole truth. He knew he had not peace. He knew that for all his excellencies he was a sinner and needed pardon, and he sought God to find where pardon could be found.
2. He obeyed the light that God gave him step by step. There are some who will not take a step until God shows them the whole way. Such people never find the way. But if we are ready to take a step at a time God will lead us into the perfect day.
3. The third step toward salvation was that he heard the simple Gospel of Christ crucified and risen again, and of remission of sins through simple faith in Him. The sermon Cornelius heard was very short. Peter simply told him a few facts about Jesus. How God "preached peace by him." How He was "Lord of all." How He had wrought wonders delivering people from the power of Satan. How He had been crucified and raised again. How He had been appointed of God to be "the judge of living and dead," and then would up by saying, "To him bear all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins." That was all he heard and you have all heard it.
4. Then Cornelius took the decisive step. He believed in Christ right there and was saved at once. As good and exemplary as Cornelius was, he was saved in the same way that the coarse, brutal, prayerless, godless Philippian jailer was saved, by faith in Jesus Christ for the pardon of sin. When Peter spoke of the forgiveness of sins he knew he needed it. When Peter said, "Whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins," Cornelius said that means me, and he believed and received remission then and there. {436} One more thing, the Holy Ghost came upon Cornelius then and there in testimony that God had accepted him, and he began to magnify God in the power of the Holy Ghost.
# AN OPEN DOOR
"I am the door; by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and shall find pasture." Joh_10:9.
INTRODUCTION. -- Wide-awake men are always on the alert for open doors. Some are seeking an open door to wealth, others an open door to fame, others still an open door to power and others an open door to wisdom and learning. One of the chief differences between the men who succeed and the men who fail in this world is that the former are quick to see the doors which stand open and quick to enter them, and the latter are so slow to see, or so slow to enter, that the door slams in their face while they are standing wondering whether they would better go in or not. An open door which if entered leads to more that is good and glorious than any other door that men have ever entered. Joh_10:9. Jesus Christ is the Door.
I. To What Is He The Door?
1. He is the door to salvation. "By me if any man enter in he shall be saved."
2. He is the door to life. Joh_10:10 Rev_3:1-22. Christ is also the door to liberty and security. "By me if any man enter in he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and shall find pasture."
4. Jesus Christ is also the door to pasture. "Shall find a pasture." Food, satisfaction. It is in Christ alone that the soul of man can find pasture, find food, find satisfaction.
II. To Whom is the Door Open?
"I am the door; by me IF ANY MAN enter in, he shall find pasture." That door is open to any man, to every man.
CONCLUSION. -- The door stands open to all here. The door will not always stand open. Luk_13:25. {437}
# A PLAIN ANSWER TO A GREAT QUESTION
"And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" "And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." Act_16:30-31.
INTRODUCTION. -- The question and answer are found in the sixteenth chapter of Acts.
I. The Importance of the Question.
II. The Plain Answer.
1. Note first the confidence of this answer. Thou SHALT be saved. What made Paul so confident?
(a) God had revealed it to him. Gal_1:12.
(b) Paul had tried it.
2. Note second the completeness of the answer, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be SAVED." Not helped, not made better, not patched up, but "saved."
3. Note third and lastly the simplicity of the answer. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." Can not any one understand that? To believe on any one is to commit yourself to them. To believe in a doctor when you are sick is to put your case in his hands, to surrender yourself to his directions. To believe in a lifeboat when you are on a sinking ship is to commit yourself to it, get into it, to surrender yourself to its keeping. 2Ti_1:12. "Believe on the LORD JESUS CHRIST." Paul said Believe in Him as LORD, the Divine One to whom we cry as did Thomas, "My Lord and my God." Believe in Him as JESUS, i.e., SAVIOR, the One who bore our sins in His own body on the tree, the One who, as a risen One in the place of power at God's right hand, saves from the power of sin day by day. Believe in Him as Christ; God's anointed king, to whom we shall render our homage and obedience. The One to whom we shall render absolutely the control of our lives. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." {438}
# AN IMPERATIVE AND IMMEDIATE NEED
"We must be saved." Act_4:12.
INTRODUCTION. -- Every one here who cannot say, "I have been saved," should say with that intensity of emphasis that comes from depth of conviction, "I must be saved." You need a Savior more than you need anything else. That is your most imperative and most immediate need.
I. Why We Need a Savior.
1. You need a Savior because you are a sinner. Rom_3:22-23.
2. You need a Savior, in the second place, because you have not only sinned but because you have committed the greatest sin a man can commit. Cf. Mat_22:37-38.
3. You need a Savior, in the third place, because you are under a curse. Gal_3:10.
4. You need a Savior, in the fourth place, because you are in bondage to sin. Joh_8:34.
5. You need a Savior because you cannot save yourself.
(a) You cannot save yourself from the guilt of sin.
(b) Can we save ourselves from the power of present sin?
6. You need a Savior because if you are not saved you must spend eternity in hell. Rev_20:15.
# A KING'S FOLLY AND WHAT IT COST: A TRAGEDY
"Thou art weighed in the balances and art found wanting." Dan_5:27.
INTRODUCTION. -- The Bible is the most dramatic book that was ever written, etc. (Picture scene.)
I. Belshazzar was Weighed in the Balance of God.
He had been weighed in other balances and not found wanting. Balance of his own judgment? Balance of public opinion? Balance of worldly philosophy.
We, too, each one of us, are being weighed in God's scales. {439} The great question is, What do we weigh there?
II. Belshazzar was found Wanting. Why?
1. "Thou hast not humbled thine heart." Dan_5:22.
2. Belshazzar had refused to humble his heart in face of God's known dealings with others. "THOUGH THOU KNEWEST ALL THIS."
3. Belshazzar had lifted himself up against the Lord of heaven. Dan_5:23.
4. "The God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified." Dan_5:23, last half.
III. The Consequences of Belshazzar's Folly. What it Cost.
1. His kingdom. Dan_5:26. You too have a kingdom. Jam_2:5.
2. His life. Dan_5:30. So with us. Rom_6:23.
# THE WONDERFUL JESUS
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful," etc. Isa_9:6.
INTRODUCTION. -- The prophet Isaiah with a mind illumined by the Holy Spirit looked down 710 years and saw the coming of Jesus of Nazareth and uttered the sublime words of our text. In them is wrapped up a world of meaning concerning the Divine Glory, the Matchless Character, and Wonderful Offices of our Lord. In the Bible names have meaning, especially when applied to God the Father, the Son or the Holy Ghost. The name is a revelation of what one is. Jesus is called wonderful because He is wonderful.
I. Jesus is Wonderful in His Nature.
1. He is a Divine Being. He is Divine in a sense in which no other man is divine. The Bible is full of that great truth.
2. While He is Divine, He is at the same time a Real Man. 1Ti_2:5.
II. Jesus is Wonderful in His Character.
His character was absolutely perfect. He was absolutely without blemish and without spot. He was not only blameless but {440} every possible perfection of character rested upon Him. There is not a perfection of character of which we can think that is not to be found in Him, and found it its fullness. His character is indeed wonderful. He is the wonder of the ages. He stands out absolutely peerless and alone. When any man ventures to put any one else alongside of Jesus Christ he at once loses the confidence of all candid and fair-minded men.
1. Jesus was perfect in holiness.
2. He was also perfect in love.
There are many other perfections in the character of Jesus; e.g., the perfection of His meekness and gentleness and humility and patience and courage and manliness.
III. Jesus is Wonderful in His Work.
1. In the first place He makes a perfect atonement for sin. Isa_53:6.
2. He also saves from sin's power. Indeed Jesus completely transforms men. 2Co_5:17.
3. Jesus will do more wonderful things still in the future.
CONCLUSION. -- Jesus is indeed wonderful in the infinite glory of His Divine nature. He is wonderful in the matchless, absolute perfection of His character. He is wonderful in His work, blotting out all sin by His death, delivering from all sin by His resurrection life, transforming us from all remaining imperfection into the full glory of Sons of God by His living again. Jesus is the Wonderful. Now, what will you do with Him? What will you do with this wonderful Jesus? Will you accept Him or reject Him?
# THE GREAT QUESTION OF THE DAY
"What shall I do with Jesus?" Mat_27:22.
INTRODUCTION. -- If I should ask this audience what is the great question of the day, I presume I would get a great variety of answers. Some would say, etc.
But there is a question of vastly more importance. A question upon the right decision of which immeasurably more depends. The question is this, "What shall I do with Jesus, which is called {441} Christ?" It is not a new question. Pontius Pilate asked it more than 1900 years ago. Thousands upon thousands have asked it since. Upon a right decision of that question everything that is really worth having for time and for eternity depends. If you do the right thing with Jesus you will get everything that is worth having for time as well as for eternity. If you do the wrong thing with Jesus Christ you will lose everything that is really worth having for time as well as for eternity.
I. What we will Get if we Do the Right Thing with Jesus Christ.
1. If you do the right thing with Jesus Christ you will get forgiveness of sins. Acts 10;43.
What an unspeakable blessing the forgiveness of sins is! Psa_32:1.
2. You will get peace of conscience by doing the right thing with Jesus Christ.
3. You will get deliverance from the power of sin by doing the right thing with Jesus Christ.
4. You will get great joy by doing the right thing with Jesus Christ. 1Pe_1:8.
5. If you do the right thing with Jesus Christ you get eternal life. Joh_3:36; 1Jn_5:12.
Eternal life. What has the world to put in comparison with that? Do the right thing with Jesus and you get eternal life; do the wrong thing with Jesus and you lose it.
6. There is something even better than eternal life that you get by doing the right thing with Jesus Christ.
By doing the right thing with Jesus Christ you become a son of God and heir of God and joint heir with Jesus Christ. Joh_1:12; Rom_8:17.
II. What is the Right Thing to Do with Jesus?
1. First of all to receive Him as your Savior. Joh_1:12.
2. Let Him into your heart. Rev_3:20.
3. Enthrone Him in your heart. He is the Christ, God's anointed King. Act_2:36.
4. Confess Him before the world as your Lord and Master. Matthew 10;32-33; Rom_10:9 RV. {442}
# HOW TO BE SAVED
"And [he] brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." Act_16:30-31.
INTRODUCTION. -- God has not left us to guess how to be saved. The question has been asked and answered. The way of salvation is here made as plain as day. Notice the positiveness of the statement. All any one then has to do to be saved is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. (Cf. Joh_3:1-36; Joh_16:1-33.)
I. Trust in Him for the Pardon of all my Sins. (Cf. Act_13:38-39.)
"Believe on the Lord JESUS."
II. The Surrender to Him of the Control of my Entire Life.
"Believe on the LORD Jesus."
III. Confession of Him as my Lord. Rom_10:9 RV.
"Lord Jesus."
IV. The Surrender to Him of the Control of my Thoughts.
"Lord."
V. Looking to Him for Guidance.
VI. Study of His Words in order to Know His Will. Joh_14:23.
VII. Dependence upon Him for Strength to Do His Will. Joh_15:5.
CONCLUSION. -- The first step of faith is possible right now, and it is absolutely sure that the moment you take it you will be saved.
# THE ONLY FOUNDATION
"For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." 1Co_3:11.
INTRODUCTION. -- Philosophers and wise men have tried hard to lay some other foundation than Jesus Christ, but have failed {443} utterly. Still they keep at it. They are bound in their foolish wisdom to find some other foundation than God's and in this way they are dooming themselves and their followers to wretchedness, failure, disappointment and sorrow here, and to shame, degradation and anguish hereafter.
I. Jesus Christ is the only Foundation for Obtaining the Forgiveness of Sin.
II. Jesus Christ is the only Foundation for Peace of Conscience.
III. Jesus Christ is the only Foundation of Peace of Heart.
By peace of heart as distinguished from peace of conscience, we mean freedom from anxiety and worry.
IV. Jesus Christ is the only Foundation upon which to Build a Successful Attempt to Get the Victory over Sin. Joh_8:36.
V. Jesus Christ is the only Foundation for Comfort in Sorrow. Mat_11:28.
VI. Jesus Christ is the only Foundation for Deep, Abiding, Overflowing Joy.
VII. Jesus Christ is the only Foundation for Hope.
VIII. The only Foundation for Eternal Life.
IX. The only Foundation for Social Regeneration.
# WHEN IT PAYS TO BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST
"My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Php_4:19.
INTRODUCTION. -- If there is anything in this world that pays it is to have a living faith in Jesus Christ. Just listen to that text. There is a guarantee to the believer on Christ to have every need supplied and that guarantee is good.
When it pays to be a believer in Jesus: {444}
I. In Health and Strength.
It pays to be a Christian when one is well and strong. What has a strong man who is not a Christian to do that is worth doing? Without Christ there is nothing worthy for a well and strong man to do.
II. In Sickness.
It pays in many ways.
1. In the first place faith in Jesus Christ promotes restoration to health. It does this in an indirect way. Nothing is more conducive to health than a peaceful, contented, joyful, hopeful frame of mind. It is a certain fact that many people are well today who would be sick or dead if it had not been for direct answers to prayers for their healing.
2. It brings joy and blessing in the midst of
sickness.
III. In Sorrow.
Happy is the man or woman who in the time of deep sorrow, the time when loved ones are taken away and the heart is lonely and aching, believes in Jesus Christ.
IV. In Adversity. Rom_5:3-4; Romans 8;28.
It makes one to rejoice and praise God in the midst of the loss of all one's property, and the complete overturning of our plans.
V. In Prosperity.
No one needs faith in Jesus Christ more than a prosperous man.
1. Prosperity will eternally ruin any man who is not stayed and guided by a living faith in Jesus Christ.
2. In order to really enjoy prosperity.
VI. In Death. Php_1:23; 2Ti_4:6-8.
How dark is the hour of death if one has not a living faith in Jesus Christ. How bright is the hour of death if one has, etc. {445}
VII. In the Judgment. Rom_14:12.
It will pay to be a believer in Jesus Christ in the Judgment.
VIII. Eternity. Joh_3:36.
In eternity to have believed in Jesus Christ will mean eternal life, eternal joy, eternal glory. In eternity not to have believed in Jesus Christ will mean eternal death, eternal darkness, eternal shame, eternal agony, eternal despair.
# ETERNAL LIFE, WHAT IT IS AND HOW TO GET IT
"The gift of God is eternal life." Rom_6:23.
I. What Eternal Life Isa_1:1-31. Eternal life is real life. 1Ti_6:12; 1Ti_6:19 Rev_2:1-29. "Eternal Life" is abundant life. Joh_10:1-42; Joh_10:1-42 Rev_3:1-22. Eternal life is joyous life. 1Pe_1:8.
4. Eternal life is a life of true knowledge. Joh_17:3.
5. Eternal life is endless life. Joh_10:28.
II. Who can Have it? Rev_22:17.
Anybody.
III. How to Get it.
1. First it is a "gift."
2. It is "in Jesus Christ."
3. In order to get eternal life you have simply to take Him in whom it is. 1 John 5;12.
# REFUGES OF LIES
"Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place." Isa_28:17.
INTRODUCTION. -- In the preceding verses of the chapter God has announced to Israel that there is a day of judgment coming for them. But the rulers of Israel regarded this warning with scorn. They spoke just as the obstinate fools today talk. The Assyrian army came and destroyed the stout-hearted princes of Israel. Now God has declared there is to be another judgment, another {446} hail, another day of dealing with ungodly and Christ-rejecting men. What these princes of Israel did: strengthened their proud and wicked hearts and sought comfort in refuges of lies, in false hopes. Many are doing so today.
I. How to tell a Refuge of Lies.
Five common sense tests by which you can tell a true refuge, one that will stand fast in the Day of Judgment from a false one, a Refuge of Lies, one that the tempest of hail shall sweep away and leave you exposed to the pitiless fury of the storm of eternal judgment.
1. The first test is this: Does the refuge in which you are trusting satisfy the highest demands of your own conscience. If not it will of course not satisfy God. 1Jn_3:20.
2. Is the refuge in which you are trusting delivering you from the power of sin? The refuge that cannot save us from the power of sin here cannot save us from the consequences of sin hereafter.
3. Will the refuge in which you are trusting stand the test of the dying hour?
4. Will the refuge in which you are trusting stand the test of the all-seeing eye of God in the judgment?
5. Will it stand the test of Scripture? A refuge that will not stand the test of Scripture is utterly unreliable. The Bible is the book that the ages have tried and tested. Through these ages one philosopher after another has set up his opinions against the Bible. But the philosophers each have had their day and gone down, but the Bible has withstood the wreck of the centuries.
II. Refuges Tested and Proven Refuges of Lies.
1. Universalism. Apply tests.
2. Infidelity. Apply tests.
3. Spiritualism. Apply tests.
4. Refusal to consider.
5. Morality.
6. Religious ceremonies.
7. Orthodoxy of belief. {447}
CONCLUSION. -- Is there a sure refuge? Yes. Isa_32:2. Jesus Christ. Apply tests.
# HARDENED
"But exhort one another daily, while it is called today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." Heb_3:13.
INTRODUCTION. -- There is not a more solemn warning in the Bible than this. There is not a more timely warning in the Bible than this. All around us we see men and women who are being "hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." Three times in this one chapter God pleads with men, "Harden not your hearts."
I. Indications that one is Hardened.
1. The truth does not move us as it once did.
2. Jest about sacred things or listen approvingly to others when they jest about them.
3. Not deeply moved by thoughts of God's love.
II. Results of being Hardened.
1. The first evil that results from a hardened heart is a corrupt life. The hardening of the heart against the truth and against Christ leads inevitably to sin.
2. Spiritual blindness.
3. Loss of joy.
4. Utter despair.
5. Eternal death. Rom_2:5. There is no hope in the life that is to come for the man whose heart is finally hardened against Christ.
# THE JUDGMENT DAY
"He hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness, by that man whom he hath ordained, whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead." Act_17:31.
INTRODUCTION. -- Two events in the future are absolutely certain, the coming of Christ for His people, the coming of a judgment day for the world.
Note five things about this judgment day: {448}
I. The Certainty of it.
The resurrection of Christ from the dead is a certain, incontrovertible fact, and it is a guarantee that there is a day of judgment coming. When Jesus was here upon earth He said that in coming days He would judge the world. (Joh_5:22-23.) Men scoffed at this claim. They put Him to death for making it, and the other claim involved in it, that He was the Son of God. But God set His seal to the claim by raising Him from the dead. The resurrection of Christ from the dead makes it absolutely certain that there is a Judgment Day coming.
II. The Universality of it.
"He will judge the WORLD."
III. The Basis of it, or About What the Judgment will be.
1. It will be about the deeds done in the body. 2Co_5:10 Rev_2:1-29. The secret things will be judged. Rom_2:16.
3. The great basis of that judgment will be what men have done with Christ. Joh_3:18-19.
IV. Who will Sit as Judge.
That same Jesus whom you are rejecting today will be the judge in that day.
V. The Issues.
They will be eternal.
# ETERNITY
"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." 2 Corinthians 4;17-18.
INTRODUCTION. -- The apostle Paul had to endure some things that to most men would seem very hard to bear, and some of these afflictions continued through years. But in speaking of these afflictions {449} in our text Paul speaks of "our LIGHT affliction" and our affliction "which is FOR THE MOMENT." Is thirty years but "a moment"? Yes, when compared with eternity. And is the loss of friends, the loss of ease, the loss of admiration and applause of man, the loss of home and native land, the loss of all men ordinarily hold dear, and imprisonment and shipwreck and scourging and wandering and hunger and stoning, is all this "light affliction"? Yes, when compared with the joy and honor and glory which is to be revealed to us. And when all the wealth, and pleasures and honors, that one can possibly get in this world are put in comparison with the eternal agony and ruin and despair and shame that it costs to live for the world they too are nothing.
I. There is an Eternity and we Must Go there.
II. When and How we shall spend Eternity is Settled in the Life that now is.
III. How to Secure a Blessed and Glorious Eternity.
1. Believe on Jesus Christ. Joh_3:16.
2. We must serve Jesus Christ.
3. The sufferings we endure, the sacrifices we make for Christ, make eternity richer. Mat_5:11-12; Rom_8:18; 2Ti_2:12.
CONCLUSION. -- The greatest practical question that confronts you and me tonight is, Where shall we spend eternity, and how shall we spend eternity?
# HELL
"If thy right eye causeth thee to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not thy whole body be cast into hell." Mat_5:29 RV.
INTRODUCTION. -- Text is from Sermon on the Mount. Many persons say they do not believe the whole Bible but do believe the Sermon on the Mount.
I have also taken my text from the Revised Version, for some so-called liberal preachers are proclaiming today that the RV {450} has done away with hell. There seems to be a good deal of it left in our text.
I. The Certainty of Hell.
Hell is a certainty.
1. Hell is certain because God's Word declares it. Mat_25:41; 2Th_1:7, 2Th_1:9; 2Pe_2:4, 2Pe_2:9; Jud_1:14-15.
Listen. Jesus spoke after He Himself had gone down into the grave and risen again and ascended to the right hand of God. He certainly knew now what He was talking about when He spoke of the future life. Rev_21:8.
2. Experience, observation, common sense also point to the existence of hell.
II. The Character of Hell.
1. Hell is a place of Physical anguish. This is plain from the Bible description of the future destiny of the impenitent. "Death" and "destruction" are the terms most frequently used of the future punishment of sin. Both of these terms are defined in the Bible. Rev_17:8; cf. Rev_20:1-15; Rev_10:1-11, Rev_21:8.
In the next world we are not disembodied spirits. We have bodies. Not these same bodies, it is true, but bodies. The bodies of the damned will be the fit partner of the degraded spirits that inhabit them and partakers in all their shame and agony.
2. Hell is a place of remorse of conscience. Hell is a place of memory and remorse, remorse without a moment's rest, endless remorse.
3. Hell is a place of unsatisfied and consuming desires. Hell is a place where passion and desires exist in their highest potency, but where there is absolutely no gratification for them.
4. Hell is a place of ever-increasing moral degradation. It is a "bottomless pit."
5. Hell is a place of shame.
6. Hell is a place of vile associations. Rev_21:8.
7. Finally, hell is a place without hope. {451}
# A CHEERING PROMISE ABOUT HELL
"All liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone." Rev_21:8.
INTRODUCTION. -- The subject of hell is one of the most awful subjects that any man can contemplate. There is but one subject that is more awful and that is sin. Sin is worse than hell. The suffering and misery that sin causes are not so awful as the sin which causes them. Hell with its vast ages of agony and shame is a frightful subject to contemplate, but even hell has its pleasant side. It is found in the text.
It is a comforting thought that there will not be one liar in heaven. There will be men in heaven who have been liars and have repented, but there will not be one man or woman there who persisted in their lying. I am sorry that there are any liars in the world, but there are, and as long as there are I am comforted to think that there is a hell for them to go to. A liar is a son of Satan, for the devil is a liar and the father of lies. A liar is the most hopeless case on earth. He can be saved only by faith, and it is hard for a liar to have faith in God. He is such a liar himself that it is hard for him to put confidence in any one else. Men, you, that is the reason why so many liars are infidels. The case of the liar is very dark indeed, and we need not wonder that it is written that "all liars," etc.
I. Classes of Liars.
1. The slanderous liar, the liar who slanders his fellow men.
2. The atheistic liar. The slanderous liar slanders man, the atheistic liar slanders God.
3. The infidel liar. The slanderous liar slanders his fellow man, the atheistical liar slanders God, the infidel liar slanders the Bible, God's Word, infinitely the best book the world ever had; and in slandering God's Word he slanders the God who is the author of it.
4. The fourth class of liars are those who deny the Virgin Birth. The slanderous liar slanders his fellow man, the atheistical liar slanders God, the infidel liar slanders the Word of God and the God who is the author of it, and {452} he who denies that Jesus is the Christ, the apostle John tells us, is the liar of liars. 1Jn_2:22.
5. They, too, are liars who say that there is no hell and no future punishment for sin. Any man who says this is a great enemy of his fellow man. He holds out false hopes to his fellow man, and lures him on to eternal ruin.
6. The sixth class of liars are those who make false excuses for not coming to Christ.
II. How to Escape Hell.
There is but one way in which you can escape hell. That is by the personal acceptance of Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord and the open confession of Him before the world. Act_4:12; Joh_3:36; Mat_10:32-33; 2Th_1:7-9.
# "GOD'S BLOCKADE OF THE ROAD TO HELL"
"The Lord is... not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." 2Pe_3:9.