I want to read some more scripture
tonight. If you'll turn to 1 Corinthians
15. 1 Corinthians 15. The Apostle Paul is writing here,
and he says in verse 1, 1 Corinthians 15. Moreover, brethren, I declare
unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also you have
received, and wherein you stand, by which also you're saved, if
you keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless you have believed
in vain. For I delivered unto you, first
of all, that which I also how that Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures, according to the Scriptures,
and that he was buried and that he rose again the third day according
to the Scriptures, according to the Scriptures. Some time ago, while reading
the newspaper, In reading a columnist with whom
all of you are quite familiar, who entitles her part in the
paper, Dear Abby, I cut out a letter and put it in my files. This
was years ago. And while going through my files
the other day, I found this letter and read it again. This is what the letter said.
Now, you listen carefully. Dear Abby, I would like to tell
the person from Philadelphia whose Jewish cousin passed away
not to worry about whether she goes to heaven or not. As a good
person, her goodness will precede her no matter where she goes. And this is the letter continuing.
I read an article by a reverend in which he said, Adolf Eichmann,
some of you may remember who that is, some of you won't, Adolf
Eichmann had a better chance of going to heaven than his millions
of victims because he believed in Jesus. Abby, if believing
in Jesus is the only condition to getting into heaven, I refuse
to go there." Signed, Christian. Answer. I wonder where the Reverend thinks
the millions of Buddhists and Islams go if they do not go to
heaven. Now, the first thing you have
to do with a letter of this type is to get the Adolf Eichmann
thing out of the picture. That's the first thing to do
when you're dealing with this or reading it or even discussing
it. The first thing is just lift
out the Adolf Eichmann situation because that's a straw man. That's
a smoke screen. That's a satanic way of getting
people upset. You see, when you make a statement
like that, Adolf Eichmann has a better chance of going to heaven
than his millions of victims because he believed in Jesus,
immediately the blood begins to boil, the emotions begin to
stir, and you think of a man who had a hand in murdering millions
of people and burning them in gas chambers and all that. That
stirs you up and you don't see the terrible error, the terrible
error that's in the rest of this letter. which is the opinion
of nearly every natural man, every natural religionist. So
the first thing to do, as far as Adolf Eichmann is concerned,
I don't know where he is, nor do you. What I can, I don't know
where the Reverend got his information. My information was that he never
did believe in Christ Jesus. He said, I believe, Jay, it was
reported in the paper, I don't need a mediator. I think that
was his comment when they tried to win him to Jesus, some soul
winner. But that's not the issue here. And you say, well, Preacher,
why deal with a letter of this nature? How does it fit into
your sermon? It raises three important questions
that because of the Eichmann situation in here that most people
have, you have forgotten already possibly the rest of that letter
because your mind, and this is a subtle crafty way of Satan,
to get the mind away from that which ought to be dealt with.
There are three things in here that she mentions that is the
opinion of most people. Now watch this, here's the first
one. Don't worry about whether or not your religious relative
cousin, mother, father, brother, sister, grandfather, grandmother
goes to heaven, her goodness will precede her wherever she
goes. Is that true? Is this true? Is it true that you don't have
to worry about whether or not a person goes to heaven, their
goodness precedes them? Is this a true state? Isn't there
as much error in that as there is in the Eichmann thing? Isn't
it as damning, isn't it as blinding as the Eichmann situation? Her
goodness. Don't worry whether or not she
ever was converted or ever knew Christ or ever was born again.
Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Except you repent, you shall perish. Except you be converted
and become as a little child, you shall no wise enter the kingdom
of heaven. Except you confess Christ, receive
him, you cannot see the kingdom. Doesn't matter about that. Is
this true? Her goodness precedes her wherever
she... Listen to the second statement.
If believing in Jesus is the only condition to getting into
heaven, I refuse to go there. Well now, is believing on Christ
the only condition? Is there another foundation than
the one God laid? Is there another way than the
one God provided? Is there another Savior? Man
must have a Savior. Mary said, My soul rejoiceth
in God my Savior. Is there another Savior that
we don't know about? Is believing on Christ the only
way? Is it true there's no other way? This question has to be
answered. And this is really, my friends, this is what the
average person thinks. Now listen to the third statement.
And this is the answer that she gave to the letter. I wonder
where the reverend thinks the Buddhists and Islams go. Well,
where do they go? Now, just where do they go? Where
does the reverend think they go? Where does this reverend
think they go? Where does that reverend think they go? Where
does this reverend think they go? Where does this elder, where
do you think they go? Now that's a question that has
to be answered. Just where do you think they go? Is it true
that those who do not believe on Christ and do not receive
him as Lord and Redeemer, is it true they go into everlasting
condemnation? Is it true? Well now, here are
three questions. Here are three important questions.
This dear cousin, or my dear mother, or yours, or father,
or my dear brother who has died, or my son, Does their goodness
precede them? Is that their hope? Where do
we go for an answer to a question like that? Where do you go for
the answer? This thing about, is believing
on Christ the only way of life? Where do you go for the answer?
Where do the Buddhists and Islams and Confucius and Mohammedans
and all the rest of them, where do they go? The atheists, the
agnostics, the skeptics, where do they go? Where do we go for
an answer to the question? Do we go to our own thoughts?
I think that's what most people do. Do I say, well, I think this,
and I think that. Well, God comes back with your
thoughts and not my thoughts. And do I go to the councils of
religion? Do I go back to the old fathers? Back to the old writers? Do I
go to them for the answer? Do I go to the philosophers?
How reliable are they? Let me say this to you, and let
me say it loud and clear. Without the written word of God,
we have no reliable information on any of these subjects without
this book. I say that for any question in
regard to heaven or hell, we have to go to the word of God.
My thoughts are totally unreliable. The religious councils are totally
unreliable. The philosophers are totally
unreliable. Life after death. How does God
save sinners? What does God require? What does
God command? What does God provide? We have
no source, no reliable source of information regarding any
spiritual question except the Bible. And you and I are shut
up to receiving this word in its entirety or scrapping all
of it. Now that's just right where we
are. If it's the word of men, it cannot
be trusted and should not be trusted. If it's the Word of
God, it must be trusted. Even when I don't understand,
and even when it's a mystery, and even when God does not care
to reveal His secrets to me, I must believe what God says.
I may not put it together, I may not understand it, but God requires
me not to understand, especially but to believe. Let me just ask
you a few questions. Consider these things. If a man
dies, shall he live again? What serious information do you
have on that subject? I know we've got Reader's Digest
had an article recently and they've got a movie out now about some
people who have gone into some kind of mysterious state of coma
or they call it death and they saw some things and came back
and came back and revealed those things. Do you trust that? Are
you willing? You've got one soul. Are you
willing to trust your soul to someone's vision? Someone's hallucination,
someone's coma. Are you willing to trust your
soul? I'm not. I'm not willing to trust my soul to Joseph Smith
and his visions, or Mary Baker Eddy and her dreams, or any of
the rest of these people. There's absolutely no serious
information on the subject, if a man dies, shall he live again,
except that which is written in this book. That's the only
place. I plead with you, I declare unto you, this is it. Here's another question. Goodness
and righteousness. Now, this woman said something
about this dear lady's goodness. What constitutes goodness? What
is goodness? The Jews ask our Lord one day,
what shall we do that we may work the works of God? What in
the eyes of God is goodness? You answer that question. God
is in heaven, you're on the earth. Tell me, what is goodness in
the eyes of God? I know what men consider goodness,
I know what men consider righteousness, but what does God Almighty consider
goodness and righteousness? Just what kind of goodness does
God require? Just what kind of righteousness
does God require? Just how much goodness does God
require? And how much righteousness does
God require? How much goodness is required
in proportion to badness? Come on now, give me the answer
to those questions. Well, I'll tell you what I think.
Well, now your thoughts aren't worth a snap of the finger. I've
got to find out what God says about goodness. I've got to find
out what God says about righteousness. Paul said that the Israelites
had a zeal for God and they were going about to establish their
own righteousness and would not submit themselves to the righteousness
of God. What is the righteousness of
God? How do I attain unto the righteousness of God? Our Lord
said, except my righteousness exceed the righteousness of the
best men on earth, I wouldn't enter the kingdom of God. How
do I get this righteousness? Where do I find the answers?
This is the only place. You won't find it around a table
with a bunch of mystics. You won't find it in a discussion
group. Swapping ideas with a bunch of
religious folks. You won't find it in some denominational
paper. You'll only find it right here
in this book Let me ask you another question heaven Is there a place
called heaven? Where'd you get your information?
Let me ask you just Frank. Is there a place called heaven?
You said sure this place called heaven who told you I? Who told
you there's a place called heaven? Where did you get your information?
Now just tell me, where did you get your information that there's
a place called heaven? I don't know but one place that
declares, or one source that declares there's a place called
heaven. That's the word of God. Is there a place called hell?
Where is heaven? Where is hell? What is heaven
like? What is hell like? Who goes to heaven? Who goes
to hell? What's the source of your information?
Well, I say it's not worth a hill of beans unless it's the Word
of God. Not worth a hill of beans. People sit around and say, well,
I think. It really doesn't matter what you think. Well, I've always
believed. Well, that doesn't matter either.
What is your source? Is it reliable? Is it sure? Is it certain? Well, no, it's
not. If this is the Word of God, it
is certain. And if it's not, we have no information. Heaven's just something somebody
made up. This is the reason that the atheist says, I don't believe
in heaven, because he doesn't believe the Word of God. I don't
believe in hell. Why? Because I don't believe
the Word of God. Because this is the only place in the world
where hell is declared as a fact, is the Word of God. I'll ask
you another question. I've been out to the cemetery
a few times. Some of you have been out there. The last we see
of our loved ones is when we look in a casket and there they
lay. They close the casket and we go out to the cemetery and
put them in a grave. That's the last we see of them
is when it goes down into the grave. Let me ask you a question.
What then? Well, you say, I think they rise. Who told you? Where did you get
your information? Where is the soul? How does the
body get out of that grave? You say it's coming out of the
grave? Tell me, how is it going to get out of that grave? It's
in a cement vault, it's already rotted and gone back, the worms
have devoured it from within, and it's gone back to the dust.
How does it get back together and out of the grave, and with
what body do they come? Where do you get your information?
Is there judgment? What's the measure at judgment?
Now, there's going to be a judgment, somebody says. Well, where did
you get your information? For God's Word says there'll be a
judgment, all right. What's going to be the measure at the judgment?
Well, how good we live. Is that what God said? No, that's
what I think. Well, how can you take what God
says about the judgment and not take what God says about the
measure? How can you take what God says about the resurrection
and not take what God says about the entrance into heaven? How
can you take what God says about the fact there is a heaven and
there is a hell and not take what God says about how to get
to heaven and how to escape hell? How can you take part of this
book and turn down the other part of it? That's what's inconsistent
to me. I hear people say, I don't believe
in the doctrine of election. Well, why don't you? I don't
think it's fair. Well, now wait a minute. Does the word of God
teach it? Well, yes. Then you've got to
believe it. Or you've got to junk everything else you believe.
Well, I just don't believe in a literal creation. I don't believe
that God literally created this earth. I believe in heaven and
hell, I believe in Jesus, but I don't believe God created the
heavens and the earth as it says in Genesis 1. Well, if that's
not so, Genesis 3.15 is not right. And that's the promise of the
coming Redeemer. We're such inconsistent people.
No answer can be given to any of these questions. I tell you,
my friend, no answer can be given to any of these questions regarding
life, death, judgment, heaven, hell, eternity, Christ, salvation,
sanctification, justification, imputed righteousness, or anything
else except it comes from this book right here. There are no
answers. But I like what I read a moment
ago and kept reading it according to the scriptures. Paul says,
I delivered unto you this message that Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures. His death was according to the
Scriptures, and my message was according to the Scriptures.
His justifying righteousness was according to the Scriptures.
As the Lamb of God, He fulfilled every promise, every prophecy,
every picture, and my message is according to the Scriptures.
and he was buried and rose again, and he did it all according to
the Scripture, and my message to you is according to the Scriptures."
Oh, I suppose somebody wrote you a letter like that, preacher.
What would you do with it? I'd answer it in the light of
God's Word. So let's take these three statements one at a time.
Now, this is what the average person believes. Here's a dear
mother or a father, and they've lived to be old people. And they've always, they've lived
on a farm. They've worked hard. They've got calluses on their
hands. Mama has sewed and made bread. and cook for children,
and grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and minded their own business,
and lived out there in the country, you know, and worked hard, and
followed an old horse with a plow, and always paid their bills,
and treated their neighbors right, and went to church on Sunday,
and sung in the choir, and Daddy was a deacon, and served on the
pulpit committee, and just did all these wonderful things, and
we stand over the coffin, and we say, he was such a good man. I believe, I believe that, I
believe God's gonna look with favor upon my mom. She was such
a good woman. Is that true? Let's see what
the Bible says, Matthew chapter 19. This is what we gotta go
by. What constitutes goodness? What
is goodness? Now, let me tell you this, compared
with other mamas, I agree with you, mama was a fine woman. Compared
with a lot of other folks, she, my, our daddy's a good man compared
with other men. moral, all that clean. But now let's say something here.
Matthew chapter 19 verse 16, And behold, one came and said
unto him, Good master, good master, what good thing shall I do that
I may have eternal life? And Christ Jesus said unto him,
Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one. That is God. Do you believe that?
Your mother is not good. Your daddy's not good. As we
say, that dear old saint we put in the grave is not good. Born
in sin, Herman. Shapen in iniquity. Brought forth
speaking lies. The poison of asp under their
lips. Their fetus swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery in their
ways. before the holy law of God, guilty,
guilty, guilty, worthy of God's wrath and judgment and condemnation. That's what this book says. Now
where are we going to go by? Are we going to go by emotion?
Are we going to go by sentiment? Are we going to go by what we
think? Or are we going to go by what
this book says? Our Lord Jesus Christ said, young man, young
man, if I'm not God, if I'm just a human being, If I'm just a
rabbi or a teacher, if I'm not good, if I'm not God, don't you
call me good, because there's none good but God. There's never
been buried on this earth but one good man, and that's Christ
Jesus. Just one. The rest of them were
sons of Adam. The rest of them were children
of wrath. The rest of them had the poison of the devil in their
hearts and the evil of Satan in their souls. and were under
the wrath and condemnation and judgment of God unless they knew
Christ. And that's so. Turn to Romans. I know this doesn't sound pretty,
but here's what I'm saying. Let's put my source of information
against yours. The source of information that
I'm speaking from, that I'm reading from, is what you say is the
Word of God. Now, where's yours from? Well,
it's what I think. I tell you, friends, the heart's
desperately wicked. It's deceitful. My thoughts,
God said, are not your thoughts, and my ways are not your ways.
He said there's a way that seemeth right to men. It seems right. You know the reason we look on
folks and talk about their goodness is because we can't see their
hearts. God looks on the heart. And God sees so many things that
we don't see. He sees the evil of sin, the
nature of sin, the thoughts of sin, the imaginations of sin.
Look at Romans 3 verse 10. As it is written, there's none
righteous, no, not one. There's none that understandeth.
There's none that seeketh after God. They're all gone out of
the way. They're together become unprofitable.
There's none that doeth good. No, not one. Like you were talking
about last night, Brother Pruitt, their throat is an open sepulchre.
With their tongues they've used to seat the poison of Aspes under
their lips. That old snake with that bag
of poison under his throat there, ready to spew it out. Every one
of us by nature have a bag of poison in our hearts. And our
tongues are the faucets that let it out. Poison. God sees the poison. Turn to
Psalm 14. Look at verse 2 and 3 of Psalm
14. This is our source. As far as
I'm concerned, this is the only source of information about these
subjects. The only source of information.
In Psalm 14 verse 2, the Lord looked down from heaven upon
the children of men to see if there were any, any, that did
understand and seek God. They're all gone aside. He's
not just talking about the males, he's talking about the females.
They're all together become filthy. You know what that word filthy
is? Look it in your margin. Stinking. None that doeth good, no not
one. Brethren, I say unto you, this
comment as a good person, her goodness will precede her. I'll
tell you what's preceding her or me or you or any other son
of Adam who doesn't have a Redeemer, who doesn't have a Savior, a
Lord, a substitute. Our evil precedes us. Our corruption
precedes us to the judgment and waits for us to come so the books
can be opened. And that which was spoken in
secret shall be shouted from the housetop, and that which
was done in darkness shall be revealed in the light. I just
don't want anything to do with that. I just don't want anything
to do with that. Turn, let me show you one more
scripture, Isaiah chapter 64. Isaiah 64, and let me say this
to you. You've got to come to this place.
Now this is all there is to it. Faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God. You've got to come to this place.
That this scripture is the only rule of faith, of practice, of
information, the only rule. And you've got to accept it in
its entirety, that which you do understand, that which you
don't, that which is revealed, and that which is secret. You've
got to accept it for every answer. regarding every spiritual question,
or you've got to junk the whole thing. Now, that's just the way
it is. That's just the way it is. When
you come to creation or man's fall, how do you know how God
created man? We read it in the scripture.
How do you know what happened to God's man whom he created?
How do you know who tested him, who tempted him? How do you know
the direction he came? Through the woman, you say. How
do you know that? How do you know the results of that fault?
How do you know the consequences of that fault? How do you know
God's covenant mercies and purpose to redeem a people? How do you
know God will forgive sin? Maybe He won't after all. Maybe
some preacher just made that up. Maybe there's no such thing
as salvation. Maybe Jesus Christ was the illegitimate
son of a blond-headed German soldier like one fellow said.
Maybe that's so. How do you know it's not so? This is how I know. This is the
only way I know. If this is not true, that may
be true. Universally, everybody goes to heaven. Maybe that's
so. If this is not so, maybe that is so. But I believe the
word. And the most dishonest man walking
in shoe leather is the fellow that believes some of this word
won't take the rest of it. That's the most dishonest, hypocritical
fellow that ever lived. There's a fellow that stands
and opens the book and says, now Paul didn't mean that. He
was just an old bachelor, you know, that was wrapped up in
his own dreams and thoughts. Paul didn't mean that. He didn't
mean anything else, he said. He lied about everything else.
Look at Isaiah 64, verse 6. We, but we, mama and daddy, husband,
wife, brother, sister, child, we are all as an unclean thing. I'm talking about in God's sight
now. And all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. We all do
fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us
away. And the only reason that we'll
entertain any other thought than that is because we don't know
what iniquities are. We don't know what transgressions
are. We don't know what righteousness is. All right, let's look at
this second question briefly. Is believing on Christ the only
condition to getting into heaven? Is that definitely decided? Is
that set? Is that the only way? Well, let's
look at a few scriptures. Turn to the one Jay read a moment
ago, 1 John 5, 11-13. 1 John 5, 11-13, is believing
on Christ. Now, they ask the Lord, what
shall we do that we may work the works of God? He said, this
is the work of God. that you believe on him whom
God has sent. That's the work of God. Now look
at this. Jay read this a moment ago in
1 John 5.11. This is the record. This is not
a vision or a dream or a philosophy. This is a record that God has
given to us eternal life, spiritual life. That's the quality of it.
That's the very life of it. It's divine life. It's God's
life. And this light's in his Son. excluding all others. It's in His Son. It's not in
the mourner's bench, or the baptismal water, or the Lord's table, or
the sacraments, or the communion, or the law, or morality, or good
works. It's in His Son. This eternal
life is in His Son, and He that hath the Son hath this life. Now watch it, don't quit. He
that hath not the Son of God, whatever He has, whatever He
knows, whatever He does, whatever He gives, hath not life. Now it doesn't take a college
professor to understand that. If words mean anything, can you
understand? I know what he's saying. Let's turn to Mark chapter 16.
Mark chapter 16. And listen to it. Our Lord, this
is his commission when his disciples were to go into all the world
and preach the gospel. He said to them, after he had
risen from the tomb and before he ascended to heaven, he said
to them, go ye into all the world and preach the gospel. We don't
have but one gospel, the gospel. The gospel, not a gospel, the
gospel to every creature, to every son of Adam you know. He
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. He that believeth
not Whatever he does shall be damned, justly damned, eternally
damned. He shall be damned. How about Acts 4? Let's look
over here in Acts the fourth chapter. He's believing on Jesus
Christ, the only condition, the only way, the only terms. What
must I do to be saved? The Philippian jailer said, Paul
said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Acts 4 verse Verse 11
and 12, this is the stone which was set at naught of you builders,
which has become the head of the corner. Neither is there
salvation in any other, for there's none of the name unto heaven
given among men, whereby we must be saved. Why is Christ the only
way? He said, I'm the way, the truth,
and the life. No man cometh to the Father but by me. Because
why is he the only mediator between God and men? Because he is the
only one who is able to save. He is the only one who has provided
the way by which men can be saved. He is the only one who has honored
God's law and satisfied God's justice. He's the only surety.
He's the only representative. He's the one who came from heaven
and took our nature and was numbered with the transgressors and in
the flesh met the law and obeyed every jot and tittle, went to
the cross and died, and the one of whom the Father said, I'm
well pleased. Hear Him! In Him there's life. He is that rock. He is that Passover. He is that Redeemer. He is that
Christ. He is that Lamb of God. He can
save because He has sufficient righteousness to give to those
whom he saves. One other, Acts 13. He's paid
the debt. He's met the demands. He supplied
the need. He filled the storehouses. In
him there's a sufficiency. He's able. Jesus Christ is the
only creature in heaven, earth, or hell upon whom God can look
with favor. That's right. There's going to
be a new heaven and a new earth, because God's going to destroy
the old heaven and the old earth, wherein sin dwells. And out of
the old heaven and the old earth, there's only one creature that's
always been well-pleasing in his sight, and that's Christ.
Now, big boy, Ralph used to say, if you can get in him, you'll
be safe. If you can get in him. If you can get in Christ, if
you can be found in Him, if you can be hidden in Him, then when
God destroys heaven and earth, He won't destroy you, because
He's not going to destroy His Son. If I can be found in Him,
not having my own righteousness, but having His, clothed upon
in His righteousness, I'm going to be preserved when God's flood
of judgment passes through, I'm going to be on high ground, hidden
in the cleft of the rock. Acts 13, 38, listen to it. Be
it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through
this man, this man, this God-man, is preached unto you the forgiveness
of sin. And by him all that believe are
justified from all things from which you could not be justified
by the law of Moses. Now that's pretty exclusive,
isn't it? All right, the last question is this. Just where
does a man go who refuses Christ? Now I add this, whether it's
Buddhist or Baptist. The dear lady said something
about where does the reverend think the Buddhists and Islams
go? I'd ask the dear lady where does she think the Baptists and
Methodists go who don't have Christ? There are a whole lot
of them. It's not just the Buddhists who've
rejected the Son of God in his sovereign particular mercy. It's
not just the Buddhists and Islams who have rejected discriminating
grace and sovereign mercy in the hands of God. It's the Baptists,
Methodists, Presbyterians, Catholics, and everybody else. And it doesn't
matter whether a man's a Baptist or a Buddhist, whether he's an
Islam or interdenominational. If he misses Christ, he misses
glory. That's what the book says. John
5, 21, turn over there a minute. That's what this Word says. I
know that's not what the preacher says, and I know that's not what
the average person thinks, but brethren, that's what this Word
says. In John 5, verse 21, As the Father
raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth
whom He will. The Father judges no man but
hath committed all judgment to the Son, that all men should
honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth
not the Son, honoreth not the Father that sent him. Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth
on him that sent me, shall not come into condemnation, but is
passed from death unto life." That's pretty clear, isn't it?
Let's try John 3. John chapter 3, in verse 16,
it says, God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten
Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but
have everlasting life. God sent not his Son into the
world to condemn the world. The world was already condemned.
He came that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth
on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned
already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten
Son of God. Verse 36, he that believeth on
the Son hath everlasting life, he that believeth not the Son
shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. I have no commission and I have
no permission from this book, and this is our only source of
spiritual information, to offer any hope to anybody, whether
it be a heathen hot and tight in the heart of Africa, or whether
it be a blind communist in the heart of Russia, or whether it
be a religionist in the most humanitarian organization in
America, I have no permission or commission from this book
to offer any hope to any person who is not by faith in Christ
Jesus. That's so. And it doesn't matter to me what,
are the heathen lost? Well, do the heathen know Christ?
No, sir. Then they're lost. That's what
it says, Bob. That's what the book says. You
say, I don't believe they're lost. Well, what's your information?
Well, I just don't think they're lost. I'm going to stick with
this. I'm going to stick with this. Well, I just don't believe
God will send a man to hell who's never heard the gospel. Well,
what's your information? Well, I just don't believe it.
Well, I'm going to stick with this. I'm going to stay with
it. And I find, Cecil, all the way
through the Old Testament, I know there's a light that lighteth.
Every man that cometh into this world, I know men have a conscience.
I know God does not leave himself without a witness. And I know
if men walk in the light that God gives them, he'll give them
more light. But men love darkness, they don't love light. And all
the way through this book, I find Israel, not all of Israel was
saved. That whole outfit that came out
of Egypt, only how many of them, two of them went in the Promised
Land? that were over 20 years of age. They could not enter
in because of unbelief. That's why they couldn't enter
in. Their works wouldn't take them in. Their righteousness
wouldn't take them in. Faith would take them in, but
they didn't believe, so they stayed out. Moses couldn't take
them in. God killed Moses before he crossed
that Jordan and turned it over to Joshua, Jesus. That's Scripture. Moses couldn't take that outfit
into the Promised Land because the law can't take anybody into
rest. You'll find no rest in the law, no rest in your works,
no rest in your goodness. You find rest only in Joshua,
Jesus Christ. Oh, this book's so exact. It's
so perfect. Turn to John chapter 12 a minute. And I'll tell you what you'd
better do, rather than making up theology, if you don't understand
where the heathen goes or where the religionist goes, you better
just say, well, let's see what God says and leave it there.
and leave it there. Because the scripture says if
you add anything to the words of this book, God will add to
you the plagues written in this book. That's what it says. You
take anything away and God will take your name out of the book
of life. You add anything and God will add to you the plagues
written in this book. So better handle it with care.
If you're not going to have anything to do with it, you better put
in a drawer and shut the drawer and run. But if you're going
to open it up, you better look at it by faith or leave it alone. It's dangerous. This is a dangerous
boat. You're handling, you talk about
playing with dynamite. You talk about, look at John
12, let me show you something. In John chapter 12, I'm going
to quit with this. Let's look at starting out with verse 44. And Jesus cried and said, He
that believeth on me believeth not on me only, but on him that
sent me. He that seeth me seeth him that
sent me. I am come, a light into the world,
that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
And if any man hear my words and believe not, I judge him
not. I came not to judge the world,
to save the world. He that rejecteth me, rejecteth
not my words, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth
him. What is it? The words I have spoken, the
same will judge him in that day. There it is. If you were not
willing to face this book now, there will come a day when you
will. Christ said, He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words,
hath one that judgeth him. The word that I have spoken,
the same shall judge him in that day. That's the reason I say
it's a dangerous book, Herman. It's deadly. You've got something
on your hands when you've got this on your hands. There are
not many degrees in glory, but there's some degrees in hell.
I believe that's so. I believe that's what Scripture
teaches. I believe that's what Scripture teaches. And so I'm
not preaching what I think. I'm not declaring what I think
or what I've been taught. I'm trying to preach this book.
Trying to be true to the word. I'm not seeking proselytes. I
think you know that. I'm not seeking... I've got nothing
to proselyte people to. We've got no denomination here.
We've got no school. We've got no monuments or memorials
for you to put a name on. We just got a place here to meet.
We're declaring good news to those that are interested. Preaching
the gospel. We're not in competition with
anybody. We're not trying to set any records. We're not seeking
to apply any pressure. What I'm trying to do, believe
me, is answer some questions that are mighty important. If
a man dies, shall he live again? I believe he will. Why do you
believe that, brother men? God says so in this book. Sinners
are sinners. They're lost. They have no ability
to save themselves. Why do you believe that, brother
men? God says that in this book. But God elected a people in Christ.
He gave his Son a people. How do you believe that? He just
says that over and over again. All that my Father giveth me
shall come to me. Chosen in Christ before the foundation
of the world. If God had not left us a remnant,
we'd be like Sodom and Gomorrah. Christ died to redeem those people.
How do you believe that? I believe it because this book
says it. And all who trust him, and all who receive him, and
all who believe on him, and all who commit themselves to him
by faith, God'll save them, forgive them, and remember their sins
no more. You know why I believe that? That's what it says in
this book. That's what it says. And God's gonna raise our vile
bodies and make them like unto his glorious body. I read that
in this book. I read that in this book. And
it's so precious, it's so wonderful, I wish everybody loved it, cherished
it, respected it, revered it, stood before it in awe, read
it with interest? I wish so because it's coming
today when our Lord says this book gonna judge you.