convinced that I would just wait
until Sunday to say what I had on my heart. And as the day went
on, I thought more and more about what was on my heart. And this
afternoon, as church time grew closer and closer, I still vacillated,
wondering whether or not I was going to say anything this evening. And at about quarter to six,
I guess, I told Glenda, I said, well, I guess I better get ready. I'm going to try to have something
to say tonight. I want to say just a word or
two about a subject that is truly close to all of us. A subject that deals with, without
a doubt, every person either in this congregation or someone
that you know that's close to you. It's the subject of the
apathy of man by nature. toward the gospel. The greatest of all folly is this attitude, this universal
apathy of man toward the Lord Jesus Christ. Today, while I
was at one of my appointments. I heard somebody,
one of the ladies that was there, make some statements concerning
this thing of the glory of our Lord, the Lord that we worship,
the Lord that we love. And it came to my mind that it
just grieved me because I thought of how man by nature He doesn't
care about the things of God. Two months ago, I had a stroke,
and I did not know when I had it that I had it. Glenda later
told me some things that I said, some things that happened, and I thought back on those things,
and I thought, I don't remember any of that. Man is going to
leave this world and he just may leave it without any knowledge
that he's leaving. Whenever I had this stroke, I
didn't know I had it. I had no earthly idea what was
going on. And it was really days after
the fact before I came to the conclusion I'd had a stroke. Man is going to leave this world,
and he comes to the end of his life as a hell-deserving sinner
with no care but for the grace of God, for the things of God
Almighty, before God sent the flood. He sent a preacher to proclaim
what he was going to do. And for, according to many, and
I believe it to be so, for 120 years, there was a man named
Noah that preached the gospel. And he said, God's going to end
this world. God's going to send wrath on
this world. God is going to bring this to
the end. And for 120 years, men heard
what Noah said. And according to the Word of
God, after 120 years, men, except for Noah, his wife, his three
sons, their wives, all mankind cared nothing for what he was
saying. Almighty God sent a flood and
destroyed everything and did it in absolute justice. Man deserved to die. Well, according to the word of
the Lord, there's a day coming that's going to be the last day
as far as days as we know it. You all got up today, I did too,
and I went through the stuff that I was doing, and I had some
things I had to do, and you did too, and we go about doing our
daily stuff. Let me ask you something, just
don't answer out loud, but let me ask you something. How many
of you today thought that this was gonna be the last day? I dare say any of us did. I didn't,
I didn't even think about it. I just went through what I had
to do. I had some things that I had to do. And right now, man
by nature is doing just exactly what he's done since he was born
into this world. And the apathy of man, the apathy
of mankind, it's a grieving thing to a believer
when he sees, how many people do you have in your family? that
don't know God, that make no claim to love Him, to bow to
Him. How many do you know? God Almighty,
the God of heaven and earth, has been pleased to speak to
men in the clearest of terms. He's spoken in nature. I said,
well, I don't see how men could understand the things of God
in nature. Well, He's spoken in Providence. Men will say, well, I don't see
how I could really understand how I could hear the things of
God in Providence. I don't see. God has given us
His Word. He's given us this book and words
that can be read and understood. We understand what God Almighty
is going to do. He's going to bring this world
to an end and to ignore and to disregard His Word. Leaves men
and women without excuse. This world is going to be wrapped
up. He's given us the gospel. The
gospel of His grace. The gospel of His mercy. And
does it not grieve you for those that you know and love to see
the apathy that they have toward the gospel? Turn with me to Romans
chapter one. We've read this passage of scripture
so many times. I want to read Romans chapter
one, verses 15 to 18. Romans one. Verse 15, the Apostle Paul says,
for as much as in me is, I'm ready to preach the gospel to
you that are at Rome. For I'm not ashamed of the gospel. That's man by nature. Man by
nature is ashamed of the gospel. He's ashamed of what people are
gonna say, what they're gonna think. He's afraid they're gonna
laugh at him, And man's gonna die, he's gonna
leave this world. I'm not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to the
Jew first, also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness
of God revealed from faith to faith as it is written, the just
shall live by faith. For the wrath of God is revealed
from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who
hold the truth in unrighteousness, because that which may be known
of God is manifest to them, for God has showed it unto them. Men are without excuse. Men are
without any excuse. Word of before God. Now, beloved,
I'm gonna wrap this up. But I'm gonna make a statement,
and I know just a little bit more about what I'm saying. We're
all getting older. We're gonna die. I'll soon be
75 years old. 75 years old is old. I'm going to leave this world
and you are too. And we're all getting to that
point where we're going to soon meet God face to face. I'd like two other scriptures
to be read. Matthew 24, read Matthew 24. We're going to meet
the Lord. Matthew 24, verse 35. Here's
what the Spirit of God moved Matthew to pen. Heaven and earth
shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that
day and hour knoweth no man. not the angels in heaven, but
my Father only. But as the days of Noah, so shall
also the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days that
were before the flood, they were eating and drinking and marrying
and giving in marriage until the day that Noah entered into
the ark, and knew not until the flood came and took them all
away, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. Beloved,
my heart's desire, I want men, I want women to know God, know
Him in truth, know Him as He is, But I can't save you. I can't save anybody. I can warn
you. I can proclaim the truth of God's
grace. But unless the Lord is pleased
to call one of His own out of darkness, men are going to do
just exactly what they want to do. As it was in the days of
Noah. That's the way it's going to
be at the coming of the Son of Man. Last scripture, 1 Thessalonians
5. 1 Thessalonians 5. These scriptures, as I was looking
at them, I may have told you this. I told
somebody if I haven't told you. I was talking to Gabe early this
morning, and his heart was burdened. There's a funeral. that he's
going to have to preach. And he was burdened about that. And we began to talk and express
to each other the necessity of setting forth the truth of God's
grace, setting forth the truth of God's word. And as we spoke,
got off the phone, I started thinking about it. And again,
as I told you a while ago, I thought about it all day. And just about
had myself convinced that I wasn't gonna say anything tonight. I'm
just gonna sit down and we're just gonna watch a video, a message. Lord willing, we will in just
a few minutes. But beloved, we're in a world that's passing. And
it's passing quickly. And Almighty God is gonna return. And I have and you have People
in our family that don't know God. I pray God have mercy. 1 Thessalonians
chapter 5 verses 1 to 10. 1 Thessalonians 5, but of the
times and seasons, brethren, you have no need that I write
unto you. For yourselves know perfectly
that the day of the Lord so cometh. as a thief in the night. For
when they shall say, peace and safety, then sudden destruction
cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child. And they shall not escape. This is the word of God. This
is God's word. Does this not move our hearts
to pray? God have mercy. Lord, I know
you're gonna do what you wanna do. I know you are. But Lord,
in wrath, would you remember mercy? Have you ever prayed that
prayer? I have. Knowing what I deserve,
what I'm due by nature. Lord, in wrath, remember mercy. Verse four. But ye, brethren,
are not in darkness, that day should overtake you as a thief.
You're the children of light and the children of the day. We're not the children of the
night nor of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep as
do others, but let us watch, be sober. For they that sleep,
sleep in the night. They that be drunken, are drunken
in the night. But let us, who are of the day,
be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a
helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us
to wrath, but to obtain salvation. by our Lord Jesus Christ. As
I read that last verse that I just read, I thought to myself, thanks
be unto God that God's got a people that he has appointed, not under
wrath, but to obtain salvation. Verse 10, last verse, who died
for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together
with him. Oh, may the Lord bless this to
our hearts. May the Lord move our hearts
to pray and ask for the Lord to have mercy. Pray for our brethren. Pray for one another. Pray that
God have mercy. He's gonna have mercy on whom
he'll have mercy. He'll have compassion on whom
he'll have compassion. Ask him, ask him.