Now, if you'll take your Bibles
and open them to the book of Deuteronomy, I have just a portion of a verse
which I'm going to use both for my text and for my topic. Deuteronomy, chapter 32, verse
35. Deuteronomy 32, 35. Let me read the whole verse,
and then I'll come back to the text, because I want the text
to be impressed upon your mind very strongly. Deuteronomy 32,
35. To me belongeth vengeance and
recompense. Their foot shall slide in due
time for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that
shall come upon them make haste. Our topic tonight, their foot
shall slide in due time. Our text tonight, their foot
shall slide in due time. Now this is not going to be a
pleasant sermon, either to preach or to hear. Any man who enjoys
preaching a sermon on damnation has no heart. A man who enjoys
preaching a sermon on God's wrath and eternal condemnation has
no compassion. And a man who has no fear of
God's wrath, doesn't matter if he's in the pulpit or in the
pew, a man who has no fear of God's wrath, whether he's in
the church or in the world, A man who has no fear of God's wrath
knows nothing of his sin, and he knows nothing of the Savior
if he has no fear of God's wrath. I have a twofold purpose in preaching
the message tonight. First of all, I want always to
faithfully sound a clear warning to all who hear me to do two
things, to seek the mercy of the Lord as it is found in Christ
Jesus, and to flee the wrath to come. I want to faithfully
sound a clear warning to all who hear me, and that warning
is, seek ye the Lord while he may be found. Call upon him while
he is near. For the day will come, God said,
when you shall seek me and I will not be found, when you shall
call and I will not hear. And the second purpose in preaching
this message tonight, I want to make it perfectly clear to
all men who hear this message, the fact that there is nothing,
absolutely nothing, that keeps every son of Adam out of hell,
but the sovereign mercy of God Almighty. That's the only thing
that keeps any man out of hell. It's not religion, it's not the
church, it's not the faithful preachers of the word, it's not
godly mothers and fathers. The only thing that keeps all
men, not some men, all men, not the most evil men, all men, the
only thing that keeps all men out of hell is the sovereign
mercy of a holy God. That's the only thing. Now my
message will have six divisions. The first one is this. God has
the power. God has the power to cast you
into hell. He has the power. We see a man
standing on a box in the park. He claims to be an atheist. He
stands on that upturned box and people are standing around listening
to him. And he's making a speech. He's
denying the existence of God. And at the close of his speech,
he shakes his fist in the air. And he curses and he swears. And then he declares, if there's
a God up there, I dare him to strike me dead. Nothing happens. And he repeats his blasphemy. He shakes his fist in the air
again, and he says, if there's a God up there, let him strike
me dead. And some little frail woman trembles
and says, he ought not do that. That's terrible. And some man
says, well, maybe there's not a God. Look at there. There's
a fellow standing there, and he challenges God. He dares God
to strike him dead, and the atheist steps off the box, and he laughs,
and everybody else laughs, and he walks away. And somebody says,
well, why doesn't God do something? Why doesn't God do something?
Well, He will in due time. Their foot shall slide in due
time. You see, God does everything
in due time. God has a schedule. You don't
rattle the Lord of Glory. You don't shake Him up. You don't
change His purpose, and you don't change His schedule. So I said
prayer changes things. Prayer never changes the will
of God. It changes you. It changes me.
God's got a schedule. He does everything in due time.
Listen to these scriptures. I'm not going to have you turn
to all of them, but you listen to them. In 1 Timothy 2, verse
6, it talks about Christ and it says, "...he gave himself
a ransom to be testified in due time." In Romans 5, 6, it says,
"...in due time Christ died for the ungodly. In Titus 1.3 it
says, in due time he manifested himself through the preaching
of the gospel. In 1 Peter 5.6 it says, he will
exalt you in due time. Everything God does, he does
in due time. And the man who stands on the
soapbox and challenges God to send him to hell, God will in
due time. The sinner has no power to resist
God. Man's weakness is seen when he
faces floods, when he faces earthquakes, when he faces just great snowstorms
which paralyze a whole city. Man can't do a thing. All God
has to do is take a bucket of snow and dump it on this earth
and paralyze it. All God has to do is shake this
world a little bit and cause it to split open with earthquakes,
and man can't do a thing. All God has to do is swell the
creeks and the rivers and the streams, and man's paralyzed. He flees to the high ground.
He can't do a thing. Or send a little flu epidemic
and paralyze a whole city, state, or nation. As easily as you step
on a worm, God can destroy a rebel. As easily as you walk down a
road and see a worm on the ground and reach over and stomp it and
mash the life out of it, God Almighty can destroy any rebel
that lifts his hand or his voice against God Almighty. Turn to
Daniel 4. Here's an example of that. In
Daniel 4, beginning with verse 29. Daniel 4, 29. There was a powerful, rich, wealthy
king named Nebuchadnezzar. And he said in verse 29 of Daniel
4, at the end of 12 months, he walked in the palace of the kingdom
of Babylon. Daniel 4, 30. And the king spoke
and said, Is not this great Babylon? that I have built for the house
of the kingdom by the might of my power and for the honor of
my majesty. And while the word was in his
mouth, there fell a voice from heaven saying, King Nebuchadnezzar,
to thee it is spoken, the kingdom is departed from thee. And they
shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the
beast of the field. They shall make thee to eat grass
as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou knowest
that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth
it to whomsoever he will." The same hour was the thing fulfilled
upon Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from men, he did
eat grass as oxen, his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till
his hairs were grown like eagles' feathers and his nails like birds'
claws. And at the end of the days, I,
Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up mine eyes to heaven, and my understanding
returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and I praised
and honored Him that liveth forever, whose dominion is an everlasting
dominion, and His kingdom from generation to generation. And
all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing, and he
doeth according to his will in the army of heaven and among
the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand or
say unto him, What doest thou? God has the power to make you
rich or make you poor. God has the power to make you
healthy or make you sick. God has the power to save your
soul or send you to hell. God has the power. There's no
lack of power on the part of God. The second division of this
message is this. Sinners deserve, all sinners
deserve, now this is where we run into some conflict, sinners
deserve to be cast into hell. Supposing that you died tonight,
an unbeliever. Supposing you died tonight, one
who had never believed on Christ, who had never received his gospel,
who had never confessed him as your Savior, and you stood at
the judgment, and you heard the sinners regarding you, bind him
hand and and cast him into hell. And those awful words ring in
your ears, and you wait, and nothing happens, and no voice
is heard, and all is silent. And you look about you for someone
to object, someone to plead your case, someone to speak for you,
but no one says anything, and you're standing there alone.
And the voice of God says, bind him hand and foot and cast him
into hell. And you object. You say, wait
a minute. Hold on. Is there no one who will speak
for me? God turns to the law. And God says, all right, law. Holy law of God. Do you object
to this man being damned? And the law of God speaks and
says, I do not. This man transgressed the law. This man broke the holy law of
God. This man, before the law, is
guilty. He's guilty of breaking God's
law, and he deserves to go to hell. And the law is silent. And God turns on his left and
he says, Justice? Justice, you're fair. You look
upon all men with equity and fairness and righteousness, justice. Do you object to this man being
sent to hell?" And justice speaks and says, I do not. The Word declares, the soul that
sinneth, it shall surely die. He knew that. The Word says,
and sin, when it is finished, bring it forth there. He knew
that. The word says, God will in no
wise clear the guilty. He knew that. I have no ransom
in his name. I have no atonement for him. I have no price of redemption
for him. I look on my books and I see
that nothing's paid. His account has not been settled.
I have no objection to him being sent to hell. God speaks again. great high priest, my son, the
Lord Jesus Christ, do you object to this man being sent to hell?" And the master says, no, he never
looked to me for salvation. My gospel was preached, he never
believed it. Sin was condemned, he never confessed
it. Mercy was offered, he never received
it. The sacrifice was made, he never
claimed it. I have no objection to him being
sent to hell. And you say, but God, wait a
minute. But the law is spoken, and justice
is spoken. And the Son, who is the King
of the kingdom and who has all preeminence, He has spoken. Wait
a minute, wait a minute. What about all the good Christian
people? All of the believers? Let's hear
them speak. So God turns to the redeemed
in glory, who have been cleansed by the blood and made whole by
the Lamb. who are children of the king,
and he says to them, people of God of all generations, do you
object to this man being sent to hell? Let me read you what
they say in Revelation chapter 19. Let me read you what they
say. This question was brought up
right here when God judged the rebels, and when God judged the
great religious whore and cast her into hell, listen to what
they said. In Revelation 19, verse 1, And
after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven,
saying, Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and honor
and power unto the Lord our God! For true and righteous are his
what? His judgment. for he hath judged the great
horror which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and
hath avenged the blood of his servants in her hand, and again
they said hallelujah, and her smoke arose up for ever and for
ever." God cast this religious world into hell, and the people
of God said, Amen. That's what they said. Hallelujah.
Sinners deserve to be sent to hell. That's what the law says.
That's what justice says. That's what the Savior said.
And that's what the redeemed in heaven say. It's unanimous. Now the third division. Sinners
are right now. Unbelievers are right now under
God's wrath. It won't be any new thing to
see them under God's wrath in eternity. They're already under
God's wrath. Turn to John 3, verse 36. I'm
saying this, when we see the wrath of God upon sinners at
the judgment, upon rebels at the judgment, unbelievers, it
won't be any new thing. God's wrath's already on them.
When we see the wrath of God fall on men in hell, it won't
be any new thing. They're already under God's wrath.
In John 3, 36, it declares, He that believeth on the Son hath
everlasting life. And he that believeth not the
Son shall not see life. But the wrath of God doesn't
say the love of God. It says the wrath of God. The
wrath of God abided, continuous, on him. Every unbeliever is under
the cloud of God's wrath. You know what God says in Psalm
711? He said, I am angry with the wicked every day. I think these little slogans
that we carry on the back of our cars, smile, God loves you,
are deceiving. I wonder how many would sell,
he that believeth not on the Son, the wrath of God abideth
on him. I wonder how many of those would
sell. But that's the truth. Nowhere from Genesis to Revelation
does it say, smile, God loves you. Nowhere. But it does say
that they that believeth not the wrath of God abideth on him.
We're not on probation, my friend. The sentence is passed. This
world's already been tried and found guilty. We're not on probation. Every believer belongs in hell. Listen to what Christ said. Turn
to John 8. Turn to John chapter 8. That's his place. Every rebel
belongs in hell. That's his place. Let me show
you that in John 8, verse 23. And Jesus said unto them, You
are from beneath. I am from above. We're not from
the same place. You see what he says there? We're
not from the same place. We're not citizens of the same
kingdom. You're from beneath. That's where
you're from. That's where you belong, he said.
I am from above. You are of this world. I'm not
of this world. I'm from above. You are of your
father, the devil. Unbelievers are right now under
God's wrath. Right now. Every rebel is right
now an object of God's wrath. And every rebel is from beneath. He properly belongs in hell. That's where he belongs. God's unchangeable law and God's
unchangeable justice has already assigned every unbeliever to
hell. Already. For he said, if you die in your
sins, you cannot come where I am. You can't do it. You will not
be permitted where I am if you die in your sins. And that brings
me to the fourth point. Now this is something that's
true. You may not believe this, but you think it over, you'll
have to believe it. Unbelievers, I'm talking about
rebels. I'm talking about unbelievers who do not know Christ. They
are controlled by evil principles. And a rebel, an unbeliever, would
not find any happiness in heaven if he went there. Did you know
that? Now, my friends, people in this world do not want what
heaven offers. They just don't want what hell
offers. They don't want what heaven offers. That's not what they're interested
in. Let me ask you this. If a man doesn't love Christ
now, would he love him in heaven? If a man does not enjoy the gospel
now, would he enjoy it in heaven? If a man does not enjoy fellowship
with the people of God now, would he enjoy it in heaven? If he seeks not his fellowship
with the people of God here, he'd be miserable in heaven.
If a man does not love holiness now, would he love it in heaven? Oh, you say, but we'll be changed.
Hold on. That's one of the greatest errors
that's ever been taught. Now you listen, if any man be
in Christ, he's already a new creature. If any man be not in
Christ, he's not ever going to be a new creature. Now listen
to this carefully, and you think on this. There is laid in the
carnal nature of every unbeliever a foundation of evil. There is
in his very nature a foundation of evil, corrupt principles that
are the beginnings of hell. Only the restraining hand of
God keeps them in check. If all evil men were turned loose
by God, if this restraining hand were removed, this world would
already be hell. But God says to evil men with
evil hearts and evil principles, just like he says to the sea,
hitherto shalt thou come and no further. in the believer, in the regenerated
person, in the redeemed person, the principles of heaven are
already laid. Already laid. And when he is
raised in the likeness of Christ, he will lay aside that old nature
and be nothing but that new nature. That love with which he loves
Christ is the love with which he loves Christ in heaven. And
the unbeliever, that hatred for holiness that he has, and that
hatred for Christ which he has, is the same hatred he'll have
in hell. Somebody says, well, it won't
do a man any good to send him to hell. God doesn't send men
to hell to do them good. Christ is the only one who can
do a sinner good. Hell won't do a sinner any good,
but God doesn't send him to hell to do him any good. God sends
men to hell to rid his universe of evil. That's why he sends
men to hell. He'll put the rebel where he
can do no more harm. God's going to destroy all evil. And he sends men to hell to rid
his universe of evil. An unbeliever would find no happiness
in heaven. none whatsoever, because the
principles of their foundation of evil, his very nature despises
righteousness and holiness and God. His nature loves corruption
and evil and dishonesty, and he would find no happiness at
all in the presence of God. Turn to Revelation 22. Now, here's
what I'm saying. Revelation 22, verse 11. Listen
to this. Let me give this illustration
now. Here's an unbeliever. Here's a man who's never been
regenerated. And you know what I mean by regenerated.
That is, he's never been made alive in Christ. He's never been
born again. He's never had the life of God
planted in his soul. He may be religious. He may have
a religious veneer. Some of the meanest people on
earth are religious people. Religious people crucified Christ. Religious people beheaded Paul
the Apostle. Religious people lighted the
streets of Rome with the burning bodies of Christians. Religious
people did that. Religious people are persecuting
believers all over this world. A man may be religious. I'm talking
about here's a man who's never been given a new heart and a
new nature. who's never had the love of God
shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Spirit, who's never been
brought to love the Word and love the gospel and love the
people of God and love the promises of God and love the Word of God.
He's a rebel. The foundation of evil is in
him. Well, when he dies, that evil
is going to be the same evil. And it says here in Revelation
22, 11, he that's unjust, let him go on being unjust. And he
which is filthy, let him go being filthy. You see what I'm saying? He's not going to just suddenly,
when he dies, that the man that's been unjust, and unrighteous,
and unholy, and unconcerned, and indifferent, suddenly he's
just going to enjoy God, and enjoy heaven, and enjoy singing
these hymns. Why, fully on you, he's not going
to do it. He's going to hate it in eternity
just like he hated it here on this earth. And when he stands
at the judgment, he's going to cry for the rocks and mountains
to fall on him. He's not going to cry for mercy.
He's going to cry for extermination, for God to put him out of the
way. Now here's a man that's been regenerated, not by his
own works, but by the grace of God. Not because of who he is
or what he's done or he's better than that man more perfect than
that man, but he's been given a knowledge of the Word, been
given a knowledge of his sin, been made to mourn over them
and grieve over them and confess them and ask for mercy. He's
been brought to love Christ and love the Word and love the people
of God. He's not perfect, he's not without
sin, but he does love Christ. love holiness, and love truth,
and love God's law, and he delights in the presence of God, he delights
in the worship of God, he delights in the Word of God, he delights
in the people of God. He's got an old nature that's
a drag on him, that's a problem with him, that makes warfare
against him, but his first love is Christ. The tenor of his life
is righteousness, and truth, and honesty. And that's his life,
and that's what he loved. Read this next verse here, Revelation
22, 11. And he that's righteous, let
him be righteous still. And he that's holy, let him be
holy still. You see that? That's what's going
to happen. And this man who's been regenerated,
he's going to know as he has been known. This man never knew
anything. He's going to love as he has
been loved with a perfect love. This man never loved. He loved
himself. That's all he ever loved, himself.
He's going to be conformed to the image of Christ. The work
that has begun is going to be completed. Never was any work
begun over here. So I'm simply saying this. I'm
saying that sinners, evil men, rebels, They have the same nature
right now they'll have in hell, and it's not going to be changed.
Redeemed people, believers, have the same nature right now they're
going to have in heaven. The only difference is they're
going to lose this old nature. Now, the fifth fact, the very
fact that a man is right now in health and prosperity is no
security from hell. Turn to Psalm 73. Now a lot of
people take a little bit of satisfaction, find a little security in the
fact that they've been blessed of God. You've heard them say
that, haven't you? I've been blessed. Well, let's see if you've
been blessed. David says in Psalm 73, let's turn over here, you
know material blessings are no sign of God's presence. Sometimes
you will find You'll find where there's great material possessions,
there's not much presence of God. And where there's very little
material possessions, there's real faith and real love and
a real knowledge of Christ. You can't measure your relationship
with God by how many cars you've got and how much money you've
got and how much health you've got. You listen to Psalm 73.
David said in verse 3, I was envious of the foolish. when
I saw the prosperity of the wicked. There are no bands in their death. Their strength is firm. They
are not in trouble as other men. They are not plagued like other
men. Verse 7, their eyes stand out
with fatness. They have more than their hearts
could wish. Verse 9, they even set their
mouths against heaven. And verse 11, And they say, how
does God know? Is there knowledge in the Most
High? And I said in verse 12, Behold God, these are the ungodly
who prosper in this world, who increase in riches. Have I cleansed
my heart in vain? Have I washed my hands in innocence
all day long? I'm plagued and I'm chastened
and I'm going through sorrow and trial. Verse 16, and I thought
to know and understand this is too much for me, until I went
to the sanctuary, to the house of God, and then understood I
their end. Oh, I saw their foot shall slide
in due time. It doesn't matter whether they
slide in satin and silk or in rags they're going to slide.
It doesn't matter if they slide with all the fame and the popularity
this world has to offer, but their foot will slide. It doesn't
matter if they slide from the very top, most pinnacle of earthly
success, their foot will slide. Their foot will slide in due
time. If that doesn't make you tremble, I don't know what will.
But I'll tell you something that'll keep you from trembling. Turn
to Job chapter 33, and this is my closing remark, the sixth
point. Oh boy, I'm glad for this. If
all I had to preach is what I just got through preaching, is, no,
God's got the power to send you to hell, and you deserve to be
sent to hell. And that's where a rebel's from.
He's from hell. Christ said, you're from beneath.
I'm from above. That's where you're from. That's
where you're from. And you wouldn't be happy in
heaven anyway. No, you wouldn't be. You wouldn't be happy in
heaven. But I'm thankful for this. Job chapter 33, verse 24. Then he is gracious unto him. And he said, deliver him from
sliding down into the pit. from going down into the pit,
I have found a ransom. Oh boy, I found an atonement. That's what that word is. I found
somebody that can do something about my lost condition. I found
somebody that can do something about my sinful state. I found somebody that can do
something about my record. I found somebody who can do something
about my sins. I found a ransom. I didn't find
it in the dusty theological books, in the libraries of the seminaries. I found it on Calvary. I didn't find it in all of the
ecclesiastical organizations and all the man-made denominations. I found that ransom at Calvary. I didn't find it among all of
the rituals and processionals and robes and crosses and beads
and rosaries and ceremonies and rituals and candle burnings and
stained glass and mammoth cathedrals and temples and synagogues and
churches and steeples reaching to the heavens. I found it at
Calvary. I found a ransom. I didn't find
it among all the laws and the statutes and commandments and
ordinances laid down by men, do this and go to heaven, do
that and go to hell. I didn't find it there. I found
it at Calvary. I didn't find it among all the
Hollywood evangelists who go up and down the country saying,
come to the front and get saved. I didn't find it there. I didn't
find it shaking a preacher's hand or playing through at a
mourner's bench. I didn't find it at a table of
sacrament. I didn't find it in the waters
of baptism. I found it at Calvary. There's a fountain filled with
blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins, and sinners plunged beneath that
flood lose all their guilty stains. The dying thief without the aid
of ritual, the dying thief without the aid of an earthly priest,
the dying thief without the aid of a personal soul winner, the
dying thief without the aid of anything that religion has to
offer, rejoiced to see that fountain in his day. And there may I,
though vile as he, wash my sins away. Dear dying Lamb, thy precious
blood will never lose its power till all the ransomed Church
of God be saved to sin no more. Ever since thy faith I saw that
stream, that His flowing wound's supply, redeeming love, hath
been my theme, and shall be till I die. I don't care what denomination
you are. That couldn't be of lesser importance. There won't be a denomination
in eternity. I don't care how many professions
you've made, how many decisions. I don't care how religious you
are, what kind of record you've got. I'm interested in this.
Have you found a ransom? Can you say with Job, I've been
delivered from going down into the pit. for I found a ransom. It's not a plan, it's a person. Person. It's the Son of God and
I love Him because He first loved me. I love Him. Our Father in heaven Natural man can see religion
with its relics and rituals, and natural man cannot see Christ
with his beauty and his grace. And there's no way that we can
reveal to the blind eyes of dead sinners the grace and mercy that
flows from the lips of our Lord Jesus Christ. You've got to reveal
Him to them. We've done all we can do. We've
just preached Christ. He is the ransom. He loved us
and gave Himself for us. And men will continue to rest
in their righteousness and rest in their works and in their religious
deeds. Unless you rout them out of these
false refuges, unless you overturn their refuges of lies, their
false foundations, unless you show them the bed's too short
and the cover's too narrow, And the overflowing scourge of God's
wrath is going to rout them out into judgment when they shall
cry for the rocks and mountains to fall on them. Oh God, may
they find the ransom. May they all in this congregation
who hear this sermon on the radio be able to rejoice with Job and
say, I found the ransom. I found the ransom. Christ is
my ransom. speak to our hearts in a supernatural
wonderful way through Christ our Lord we pray.