I believe this stuff we call the gospel
that we've been handing out in our churches
for the last 50 years is an abomination
to a thrice holy God and makes a
mockery of his son, Jesus.
We have shrunken God down to our size
and have taken salvation out of the hands
of God and placed it in the hands
of men.
We have filled our seminaries with unconverted men
who, upon graduation, have tried to preach a
Jesus they never met.
We've been successful growing our churches with money
from religious-minded men and women who are
regulars at church each week but who have
never been subjects of regenerating grace.
And as we ministers hold court each week
over our unconverted congregations, we act like the
prophets of Baal in contest with Elijah as
we dance around the platform with as much
fleshly energy as we can muster and cut
ourselves with our religious knives while we make
some noise to prove we are not as
dead as we appear as we try to
drum up some kind of response to prove
our religion is not in vain.
But try as we may, and as sincere
as we are, we still scratch our heads
and wonder why there is no spiritual life
among us.
We must be honest with ourselves and come
to the point where we admit we cannot
preach about a God whom we do not
know.
I believe if God snatched some of us
away like he did old Enoch and took
us straight to heaven, we'd stumble around in
confusion as we'd have to ask some saints
in glory to point out Jesus to us
for we wouldn't be able to recognize him
on our own.
The urgency of our late hour demands full
consecration to God and an utter surrender to
the Lordship of Christ Jesus.
We must begin to be honest with hardened
sinners and tell them the truth about a
holy God who has rights and claims on
all followers of his.
We must preach that hell is hot and
sin is black and men and women and
boys and girls need to repent or just
go on to hell.
We just must get to the point where
we can put to bed once and for
all the only believed gospel that has given
folks a hope of heaven but only consigns
them to a devil's hell.
I believe God is still in the business
of saving souls and I believe the Lord
Christ can once again regain his prominence and
preeminence in our sanctuaries but it's going to
take some honesty on our part if we
want to see God move in our midst.
I had to face the hard reality myself
that I was a lost religious person who
had gone through the motions by complying with
modern day evangelism and was yet unconverted.
God and his mercy took the scales off
my eyes and showed me in my religious
decision I was on my way to hell
and not only that but I deserved to
go there.
God took a religious lost person like me
and saved me that day.
I haven't been the same since for I
experienced change.
Christ came in as king and kicked all
my religious props from beneath me.
I believe God can save your congregation from
going to hell but he has to start
with you.
If you weren't truly safe, friend, wouldn't you
want to find that out now before it's
too late?
It's awful hot in hell and it's awfully
dark in that burning region of eternal damnation.
If you don't have the reality of Christ
Jesus in your life, why don't you just
admit it?
Become a seeker of God and ask him
for the grace to give you so you
get so thirsty for Jesus that you can't
live without him.
Jesus is a risen living Lord who is
up in heaven right now because there is
a man in heaven with nail prints in
his hands and feet.
He is seated at the right hand of
the Father and he earned that right by
way of a bloody cross.
You must repent of your sins and come
to him and believe on him and own
him as your savior and Lord.
Jesus said, I am the way, the truth,
and the life.
No man cometh unto the Father but by
me.
Jesus is the pearl of great price.
He's worth selling off for and losing off
for, even your reputation, so he may be
gained.
Stick your pride in your pocket, friend, and
come to this blessed, blood-stained savior from
sin.
Let us pray.