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A Time of Refreshing w/ guest pastor Dr. Don Whitt
17 Plays30 days ago
Sunday Message recorded 23 March 2025
by guest pastor Dr. Don Whitt
First Baptist Church - Columbus, TX, USA
1700 Milam St.
Columbus, TX, USA 78934
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Welcome
00:00:06
Speaker
Victor, I believe you've got one of the largest crowds that I've seen through the many years. come in Man, this looks good. Amen? And thank you so much for getting to be back with you again this year.
00:00:21
Speaker
And we look forward now what God is going to do. want to encourage you to be back tonight. I'm going to be preaching a message basically for the believer tonight. This morning, be more evangelistic.
00:00:35
Speaker
want to be preaching, devil, you ain't going to get my pee patch. So you be here tonight, we're going to have a good time. And then the bar tonight, Dr. Ted Traylor, who is the pastor of the Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida. Been there over 30 years.
00:00:52
Speaker
Great, great preacher. And you're going to be blessed by him. And then on Tuesday night, Dr. Joe Shakur.
00:01:03
Speaker
He is a pastor in Wilson, North Carolina. And a young man. And just to share a little about him, so you may have not have heard about Brother Joe.
Joe Shakur's Church Growth
00:01:16
Speaker
I preached there about 10 years ago. They were running about 170 at that time. We went back there two years ago, and then again this last year.
00:01:28
Speaker
Now they're running over 1,200. And the church is growing. They're getting ready to build an $8 million dollars auditorium. And God's hand is on him. And you're going to really be blessed by him. So we encourage you to be back on both of these nights. Victor, what time or the services? Six o'clock all the way through. Okay.
00:01:50
Speaker
So I want to just remind you of that.
Tribute to Dr. Holly Miller
00:01:53
Speaker
And then also just a word to share with you. Remember last year, Dr. Holly Miller. Y'all remember Holly preached here and was sharing then about the things that they've been going through and his wife been sick.
00:02:07
Speaker
His wife passed away last weekend. And so pray for Holly and and their family. As you know he was sharing with us last year when we were here.
00:02:18
Speaker
And then one thing we did last year, and so we're going to
Symbolism of Lifting Hands
00:02:21
Speaker
do it again this year. Some of y'all missed out on it. ah What it means to lift up two hands. Y'all remember that? and It means at least three things. Number one, it means victory.
00:02:33
Speaker
Whenever, you know, an athletic athlete, person has won the contest. They will lift up their hands in in victory, Tennessee, last night.
00:02:46
Speaker
yeah So we lift up two hands. Listen, we're not on the losing side. We're on the victory side. Amen. And so we lift up our hands in victory. And then the second thing that it means that we lift up our hands in adoration and praise because our God is worthy to be praised. Amen.
00:03:08
Speaker
And then number three, it means surrender, that we surrender. How many of you remember years ago on Saturday mornings? Amen.
00:03:20
Speaker
Roy Rogers, Gene Autry. How many of y'all remember that? Okay, all the old people. And you know, when they would finally you know get the outlaw, that they would lift up his hands in surrender. And we lift up our hands in surrender. We surrender.
00:03:40
Speaker
The Bible says in Revelation 19, verse 4, that when we get to heaven... That we're going to shout. Amen. Hallelujah. Let's just practice Okay. Let's practice it.
00:03:54
Speaker
I'm going to count. One. Two. Three. And then we're going to lift up our hands. And we're going to shout. Amen. Hallelujah. Are you ready? One. Three.
00:04:08
Speaker
Two, three. Amen. Hallelujah. In a Baptist church. um Amen.
Prayer and Spiritual Guidance
00:04:19
Speaker
Let's pray together. Father, it's just good to be in your house today.
00:04:24
Speaker
It's good to sense the excitement and the joy that we experience here today. Lord, I thank you for each person who has chosen to be here today.
00:04:35
Speaker
And I pray especially now For that person that's nearest to hell. I pray today they'll come to Christ and be saved. Lord Jesus, I do pray in your strong name and by the power of your shed blood that you bind the demons of hell from this room.
00:04:56
Speaker
And may the only spirit be here, be the Holy Spirit. And Spirit of God, you're welcome in this place. Walk up and down these aisles and then out these pews.
00:05:08
Speaker
And when the invitation is extended in a few moments, that there'll be a freedom for people respond to your call and come to Christ. May your perfect will be accomplished. May the name of Jesus be honored.
00:05:21
Speaker
In Christ's name I pray. And all of God's people say. amen Let me just share this with you. You know, we preach revivals and crusades week after week.
Mission Trip Plans
00:05:34
Speaker
And then also this year, we're going on three mission trips. We're going to Ethiopia again. This will be my 24th trip to Ethiopia the last two weeks of May.
00:05:48
Speaker
And then the first two weeks of July, we're going to the Philippines. and This will be the first time we've ever gone to the Philippines. and We have a lady who lives here in Texas that's going to be going with us.
00:06:05
Speaker
Miss Millie, just lift your hand there. She's going to be going with us, and we're excited about what God is going to do there. and Then also good to have her husband Don.
00:06:17
Speaker
That's a good first name. um And then the first two weeks of September, I'll be going, Rosita and group will be going to Uganda.
00:06:28
Speaker
And this is our first time to Uganda. And so we're excited about God just opening up these doors to go.
00:06:40
Speaker
Angel Martinez was an evangelist of years gone by and he preached crusades across America from the 1950s through the 1970s.
Angel Martinez's Stories
00:06:54
Speaker
And he was known to be one who had great insight into the word of God. And he wrote several different books. And one of his books he told about three stories.
00:07:07
Speaker
The rich young ruler, the rich foolish farmer and the rich man that went to hell. And he described them as being the same man. He said he believed that Jesus, through the gospels, was sharing with us about the life of this man. Now,
00:07:28
Speaker
We could not be sure about that, but we do know that each one of them had the same characteristic. And so I want to take those same three stories and preach today on the subject, Three Steps to Failure.
00:07:43
Speaker
Now, we have books that tell us how to have three steps to success, or five steps to riches, or ten steps to happiness.
00:07:54
Speaker
Well, I want us to look at these three stories about this rich man, about three stories three steps to failure. And open your Bibles, first of all, to Mark chapter 10.
00:08:07
Speaker
Mark chapter 10, and there we're told about this flawed evaluation about this rich young ruler. Mark chapter 10, beginning in verse 17.
00:08:25
Speaker
If you've got your place there, say amen. Jesus said, and when he was gone forfeit to the way, there came one running and kneeled to him.
00:08:36
Speaker
and asked him, good master, what shall i do that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto to him, why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, and that's God. Thou knowest the commandments, do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, defraud not, honor thy father and mother.
00:08:56
Speaker
And he answered and said, master, all these have I observed from my youth. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, said unto him one thing thou lackest go thy way and sell whatsoever thou hast and give to the poor and thou shalt treasure and they shall have treasure in heaven and come take up the cross and follow me and he was sad at that scene and went away grieved for he had great possessions now here is one that jesus called the rich young ruler
00:09:35
Speaker
There is much that we admire about him. And there's so many things that were going good for him. Let's just look at him in several different things that we learn here about him.
00:09:47
Speaker
First of all, he was healthy. Notice verse 17 again. The Bible says, and when he had gone forth into the way, there came one running. I mean, here was one that did not hobble up to Jesus.
00:10:02
Speaker
He did not come walking with a walking cane. But he came running... the Jesus you know is it's great to see a young person come to Christ a man I Mean, there's something special about a young person giving their heart to Christ while they're young and so He was healthy and then also he was humble notice where this took place This did not take place in a dark corner, but here he is out in the open and
00:10:34
Speaker
And he's described as being rich and being a ruler. And here he is down in the dust before this humble prophet from Galilee.
00:10:45
Speaker
He was healthy. He was humble. And then also he was hungry. Hungry for the truth. He was not asking about how to make more money or how to be happy.
00:10:58
Speaker
He's not talking about the nasty now and now, but about the sweet by and by. He is asking what must I do that I may inherit eternal life.
00:11:09
Speaker
He was healthy. He was humble. He was hungry for the truth. And then he was holy. That is in the sense on the outside. He said I've kept the commandments.
00:11:21
Speaker
I have honored my father and my mother. I'm not a thief. i not kill anyone I've anyone. not committed adultery. I mean he would have been a good neighbor. He would have been like good church member.
00:11:35
Speaker
Probably we would have made him the treasure since he was good with money. And so when we look at him, he was healthy, he was humble, he was hungry for the truth, he was holy, but he was horrible.
00:11:50
Speaker
Notice, he came to Jesus asking Jesus, good master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? He had the idea that being saved Being a good boy.
00:12:05
Speaker
That's way some of you are. You say, I'm a good boy. Don't count. I'm a good girl. Don't count. Mom and daddy are good church members.
00:12:18
Speaker
Don't count. I'm a Baptist. That sure don't count. Or I'm a Methodist. I'm a Presbyterian. I'm a church of God.
00:12:29
Speaker
I'm a Catholic. Don't count.
00:12:33
Speaker
Jesus is going to show him really how bad he was. I mean, here he was, he said that he had kept the commandments, but Jesus now is getting ready to give him an acid test.
00:12:47
Speaker
He said, go, sell whatever you have and give it to the poor. Take up your cross and follow me.
00:13:00
Speaker
And the Bible says he went away grieved because he had great possessions. You know, when you look at the 10 commandments, they're broken into two main divisions. The first four go together.
00:13:12
Speaker
That tell us about our relation with God. The last six go together. as they tell us about our relationship with other people. The first four can be broken down to love God with all your heart.
00:13:26
Speaker
The last six can be broken down to love your neighbor. As you love yourself. And so this man said I've kept all the commandments.
00:13:37
Speaker
But Jesus said no. You broke them all. Now look at
00:13:44
Speaker
His face begins to break out and sweat. His hands begin to tremble. He's biting his lips. He begins to think about his wealth.
00:13:56
Speaker
And then he thinks about the demand that Jesus has placed upon him. The angels in heaven are getting ready to write his name in the Lamb's Book of Life.
00:14:09
Speaker
But the demons are beginning to say, think about what you're going to lose. Think about all your wealth.
00:14:19
Speaker
And the Spirit of God begins to thunder in his heart. And he begins to think. And finally he says, no, no, no.
00:14:35
Speaker
And the demons begin to shout with glee. And the angels begin to weep. And the Bible says he went away and grieve because he had great possessions.
Warnings of Wealth without Faith
00:14:49
Speaker
And so number one, we see here a flawed evaluation. And then number two, I want you to see a foolish end. Now, I'm going to take the liberty with the word of God that I believe that is with the spirit.
00:15:05
Speaker
of what we discover here. And I believe that there's a good possibility that this next story is the same man as he gets older.
00:15:16
Speaker
And look now on over in into Luke chapter 12. Luke chapter 12, beginning there in verse 16. sixteen The Bible says, And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully.
00:15:32
Speaker
And he thought within himself saying, what shall I do? Because I have no room where to bestow my fruits. And he said, this will I do. I will pull down my barns and build greater.
00:15:44
Speaker
And there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, soul, thou hast much good laid up for many years. Take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. Not only a flawed evaluation,
00:16:01
Speaker
But a foolish end.
00:16:05
Speaker
He rejected Christ. And he chose gold rather than God. And then notice how God responded to him in verse 20.
00:16:17
Speaker
But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee. And then who shall ah those things be which thou hast provided?
00:16:29
Speaker
So is he that lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God. Here he is. He's in his study one night and he's drawing up plans to build bigger barns.
00:16:44
Speaker
And suddenly there's a knock on the door and he says, who's there? Death. Death, I didn't sin for you. Go away.
00:16:55
Speaker
But death puts its bony hands on the doorknob and opens the door and walks in. And he says, I didn't send for you.
00:17:08
Speaker
don't have time for you. I'm getting ready to build bigger barns. I've got great plans. Here, take some money. But in essence, death says, I didn't come for your money.
00:17:22
Speaker
I've come for you. And he says, I don't have time for you. Don't blow your cold breath on me. But he dies. And the Bible says that God said, thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee.
00:17:45
Speaker
You know, one of my favorite philosophers was Yogi Berra.
00:17:53
Speaker
Y'all recognize who Yogi Berra was? The baseball man. How many remember Yogi Berra? ah Again, all the old people. um You know, he he had on 10 World Series rings. He was in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
00:18:10
Speaker
But even more famous than being a baseball man, he was famous for his Yogi-isms. but Little statements that he would make. ah forest For example, he said, ah you better go to other people's funerals because they might not come to yours. now Hold on, some of you get that tomorrow. so It's going to hit you.
00:18:33
Speaker
On another occasion he was talking to his wife and he was talking about the movie The Magnificent Seven where Steve McQueen you know starred in it and he said you know he was pretty good in that movie.
00:18:46
Speaker
He must have made that before he died. um Yes, people die.
00:18:54
Speaker
Can you imagine? Tonight you go home after everything is over ah You sit down there in your kitchen and you make yourself a sandwich.
00:19:07
Speaker
You get up and you walk on into the den or the living room and you sit down in your favorite chair. Guys, we've all got our favorite chair. Don't you sit in it.
00:19:19
Speaker
It's fine, right? And so he sits down in his favorite chair. He begins to look around the walls. There's the pictures of all of his family. i mean, there's his grandson oh back years ago when he was down on the beach and playing with the beach ball.
00:19:37
Speaker
Over here on the other side is a picture of his granddaughter. She's got on her, you know, cheerleading outfit. And over here on the end table there, there's a picture of his wife in her black and white dress.
00:19:54
Speaker
picture from years gone by in her wedding dress and looks around and he just thinks how he's been blessed. And then he gets up and he goes back to his bedroom.
00:20:08
Speaker
He gets ready for bed and lays down in the bed and dozes off to sleep. and And then all of a sudden wakes up. And feel a little sick and reaches over there to the table next to the bed and reaches in and gets some tums and roll eggs and begins to chew on them and swallow and begins to feel a little better.
00:20:35
Speaker
dozes back off to sleep. and Then a short time after that, he begins to wake up again, but this time feels a little sicker. and He says, I'm going to need some medicine. and So he gets up and goes to the bathroom and opens up the medicine cabinet. and There's the medicine the doctor gave him several months back, and he takes some of that and goes back to bed and dozes back off to sleep again, but wakes back up.
00:21:05
Speaker
And he knows now something bad is wrong. I mean from the bottom of his feet to the top of his head, it's just a fever and chill and fever and chill and fever and chill. And there's a pressure there upon on his chest.
00:21:21
Speaker
And reached over and wakes up his wife says, honey, wake up, wake up. I'm sick. I'm really sick. Call for help. The emergency vehicle shows up.
00:21:34
Speaker
They get him, put him on a stretcher, takes him quickly to the hospital, and they roll him out into the emergency room, and there's doctors and nurses all around him, and they're putting in needles and and tubes, and they begin to beat upon his chest. I mean, there's frantic activity all around him.
00:21:57
Speaker
And then suddenly all there is is silence.
00:22:04
Speaker
Standing over the corner, there's his wife. And the doctor walks over to his wife and says, we lost him.
00:22:17
Speaker
He's gone. He's dead. And the wife walks over and looks down at him and says, sweetheart, I loved you.
00:22:29
Speaker
Plants a kiss on his cheek and says goodbye. And the nurse walks over and pulls a sheet up over his face. And then suddenly, it's like he is a projectile cast out there into space.
00:22:51
Speaker
And just a few hours before, he was sitting right here in church. And now he's out into eternity.
Certainty of Death and Urgency of Faith
00:23:00
Speaker
Could something happen like that today?
00:23:03
Speaker
I mean, is that not a possibility today?
00:23:08
Speaker
Thou fool, tonight thy soul shall be required of thee. The Bible says, there is but a step between me and death. The Bible says, and appointed man once to die, but after this to judgment.
00:23:23
Speaker
Brother Victor, how many people have come to this church and heard you preach?
00:23:31
Speaker
They were lost. They knew that they needed Christ, but they said no. And they walked out those doors and they died.
00:23:45
Speaker
Death is a certainty. The time of death is uncertain. It may be that you're here today and you're lost. You don't know Christ. And before this day is out, God is going to say, thou fool this night.
00:24:03
Speaker
Thy soul shall be required of thee. that brings us to that third story. Not only a flawed evaluation, not only a foolish end, but also a fatal eternity.
Rich Man and Lazarus Parable
00:24:15
Speaker
Now again, I don't know whether this be the same man or not.
00:24:21
Speaker
But the characteristics are so similar. Look now over to Luke chapter 16. Luke chapter 16.
00:24:32
Speaker
Beginning there in verse 19.
00:24:38
Speaker
Jesus said, there was a certain rich man which was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus which was laid at his gate full of sores.
00:24:53
Speaker
Look up here. I really do not believe that this was just a made up story. But I really believe that Jesus is actually telling us here about two men that he actually knew.
00:25:06
Speaker
Because in the parables, Jesus never gave us a man's name. And here he says there was a certain rich man. And then he says there was a certain beggar named Lazarus.
00:25:20
Speaker
And then he says, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, the beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom.
00:25:35
Speaker
And the rich man also died and was buried. You know, those four verses could be the obituary of any person.
00:25:46
Speaker
I mean, it could be a obituary of any person here today. Mr. So-and-so. died unexpectedly after attending services at the First Baptist Church in Columbus, Texas.
00:26:03
Speaker
He is survived by his wife and so many children. He was employed at such and such plant.
00:26:14
Speaker
Pastor Victor Morrison will be in charge of the service. Such and such funeral home will be in charge of the arrangements. He will be buried in such and such cemetery.
00:26:27
Speaker
I mean, that's what the world says when a person dies. But it does not matter what the world says. What really matters is what heaven says.
00:26:40
Speaker
And notice how God described it in verse 23. The Bible says, and in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torment.
00:26:51
Speaker
And see, the Abraham of for all, then Lazarus in his bosom. Underline there in your Bible that word hell. And right out beside it the word Hades.
00:27:03
Speaker
H-A-D-E-S. You say, what is Hades? John Butler in his commentary described Hades as being a holding place.
00:27:15
Speaker
He described it like being the the county jail.
00:27:19
Speaker
A person gets out here and commits a crime. They're arrested. They're placed into the county jail, a holding place. A place of concrete and steel.
00:27:33
Speaker
I mean a real jail. And they are held there until the trial. And then at the trial, they're found guilty.
00:27:44
Speaker
And they're sentenced then to the penitentiary where they serve their time.
00:27:51
Speaker
Hades is like the holding place, the county jail. The penitentiary is where the sentence is served out.
00:28:03
Speaker
Lost friend, you get up to walk out of here today, and before you you fall dead.
00:28:15
Speaker
And before your body hits the ground, your soul will be in Hades, where that rich man is today.
00:28:27
Speaker
and A real hell. A place of punishment. A place of fire. A real hell.
00:28:39
Speaker
And you're there until the great white throne judgment. where sentence will be handed down and you'll be sentenced to be cast into that lake of fire.
00:28:57
Speaker
A real hell.
00:29:03
Speaker
Look on down in that passage of Luke 16. Notice verse 23 and verse 24. The Bible says that in hell... He lifted up his eyes being a torment and seeth Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom.
00:29:20
Speaker
And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue for I'm tormented in this flame.
00:29:30
Speaker
Have you ever wondered why? Why did Jesus say Father Abraham? Why didn't he just say Abraham? You ever thought about that? tell you why.
00:29:41
Speaker
If he had just said Abraham, he would have been saying, I'm a Jew like you're a Jew. I mean by flesh, we're Jews. But he didn't say that. He said, Father Abraham.
00:29:55
Speaker
He was saying, I'm a religious Jew. Like you're religious Jew. We're both members of the temple. We both offer our sacrifices.
00:30:06
Speaker
We both pay our tithes. I mean, I'm a religious Jew like you're religious Jew. I don't deserve to be here. Let me tell you what Jesus is saying.
00:30:18
Speaker
Jesus is saying that you can be a child of the Jewish faith, but if you're not a child of God, you'll go to hell.
00:30:28
Speaker
You can be a child of the Baptist church, but if you're not a child of God, you'll go to hell. You can be a child of the Methodist church, but if you're not a child of God, you'll go to hell.
00:30:40
Speaker
You can be a child of the Catholic church, but if you're not a child of God, you'll go to hell. Some people have the idea, well, good people go to heaven. Bad people go to hell.
00:30:52
Speaker
Oh no. Same people go to heaven. Lost people go to hell. Look on down in that passage. Beginning in verse 27. Verse 27.
00:31:05
Speaker
The Bible said, then he said, I pray thee therefore, Father, that thou would send him to my father's house, for I have five brethren, that he may testify unto them, lest they also come to this place of torment.
00:31:16
Speaker
Abraham said unto him, they have Moses and the prophets. Let them hear them. And he said, nay, Father Abraham, but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto to him, if they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
00:31:35
Speaker
Look up here.
00:31:38
Speaker
He said, raise someone from the dead. Have them go to my five lost brothers. You know, I have a command from hell.
00:31:52
Speaker
I have an assignment from hell to come here today and in the congregation?
00:32:05
Speaker
I mean, you're fine father. You're a good husband. You're active in the community activities. But you've never been saved.
00:32:16
Speaker
You've never trusted Christ.
00:32:21
Speaker
Listen, I have an assignment from your older brother to come here and say to you today, don't go hell. Stay out of hell.
00:32:35
Speaker
Miss hell!
00:32:42
Speaker
Does the older brother have any of his younger sisters here today? I mean, you're a fine lady. You're a good mother. You're a good wife.
00:32:55
Speaker
I mean, you're involved in community activities. You're involved in the PTA. I mean, you're a fine person. But you've never trusted Christ. You've never been saved.
00:33:07
Speaker
Sweetheart, I have a command from your older brother to come and say to you today, don't go to hell. Stay out of hell.
00:33:21
Speaker
Miss hell. You say, that's old fashioned preaching. I know it is. Jesus taught me how to preach this s way. Amen.
00:33:34
Speaker
In Matthew chapter 5 verse 29. The Bible says there, And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee. For it is probable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not thy whole body should be cast into hell.
00:33:53
Speaker
Underline there in that verse the word hell. And right up beside it the word Gehenna. gehinna You say, well, what is Gehenna?
00:34:04
Speaker
Gehenna is the lake of fire.
00:34:09
Speaker
Picture again. You're lost. You don't know Christ. You get up to walk out of the church, and before you get to your car, you fall dead.
00:34:21
Speaker
Before your body hits the ground, your soul will be in Hades. Hades. where that rich man is today.
00:34:33
Speaker
And they will take your body out here and place it into the ground, place it into a grave.
00:34:41
Speaker
And then at the great white throne judgment, God will summons you to come and stand there. And it's like with one hand, he reaches down in that grave and he pulls out your body.
00:34:58
Speaker
And with the other hand, he reaches down in Hades and reaches to pull out your soul and brings your body and your soul together. There is a great white throne judgment.
00:35:10
Speaker
And the Bible says that both death and hell, death and Hades will be cast into the lake of fire forever and forever.
00:35:26
Speaker
Jesus said,
00:35:32
Speaker
it'd be better for you to have your eye plucked out than to go to hell with both eyes.
00:35:44
Speaker
He said, don't fear him who can only destroy the soul, but body into hell.
00:35:55
Speaker
Listen, whatever you've got to give up, give it up. Nothing is worth going to hell over. I went into a convenience store several years ago.
00:36:08
Speaker
And as I was checking I've sort of got a habit. I like to find out where people are with Christ. And so ah I asked him, I said, do you know for sure if you were to die, you'd be with God in heaven?
00:36:24
Speaker
He looked back at me and here's what he said. He said, I can't ah can't be saved. I can't be a Christian. He said, if I were to become a Christian, would be able to sell my beard here in my store.
00:36:38
Speaker
And I would go bankrupt. And I looked at him and I said, listen, it'd be better for you to suffer bankruptcy than to die and go to hell.
00:36:51
Speaker
I was doing a revival and you know, lot of times in revival meetings we'll have youth night and pizza night, right? I mean, youth like pizzas.
00:37:04
Speaker
Amen? And so we always have pizza night. And I noticed there that was sitting over here by herself.
00:37:19
Speaker
And I walked over to her and began to talk to her. And I asked her that same question, do you know for certain, if you were to die, you'd be with God in heaven. And again, she looked back and here's what she said.
00:37:32
Speaker
She said, I really can't be a Christian. She said, if I were to become a Christian, my boyfriend wouldn't date me anymore. And I said, sweetheart, it'd be better for you to be placed on some remote island And never have another date in your life than to die and go to hell.
00:37:57
Speaker
Lay your pride in the dust.
00:38:00
Speaker
Swallow your pride.
00:38:04
Speaker
Don't go to hell.
00:38:07
Speaker
Don't go to hell.
00:38:14
Speaker
I suppose one of the greatest evangelists that has been in America over this past century was Dr. J. Harold Smith. How many of you recognize the name J. Harold Smith? Anyone at all?
00:38:25
Speaker
Okay.
00:38:28
Speaker
He was a one of the greatest evangelists that I and convinced that was in America.
Legacy of J. Harold Smith
00:38:35
Speaker
Had great influence on my life, my family's life, and I can tell you a lot about that.
00:38:41
Speaker
And we became very, very close friends. In fact, Brother Victor, we had him preach, you remember, at First Baptist Church in Milan years ago. And I think that Sunday morning we had 56 people get saved.
00:38:55
Speaker
And I baptized 42 of them that night. It almost killed me.
00:39:01
Speaker
But we became very, very close friends over the next 20 plus years. And when he passed away, I got to help conduct his funeral service. And as I was with him, he would tell many of his stories or events out of his ministry.
00:39:18
Speaker
And I was with him on one occasion and I actually heard a man come and ask him this question. He said, Dr. Smith, is there anything that you know outside the Bible that would indicate that when a man dies lost, that he'd go to hell?
00:39:40
Speaker
And I heard Dr. Smith share this story. He said, yes.
00:39:47
Speaker
He said, when I was pastor years ago at First Baptist Fort Smith, Arkansas, on a Sunday night, when people were passing out the door, and I was greeting them, there was the lady, the wife, she was a member of the church, she was a Christian, and her husband was lost.
00:40:11
Speaker
and said as he came out that night, I took him by the hand and I held him by the hand and I looked at him and I said, listen, he said, God loves you and Christ died for you.
00:40:27
Speaker
And if you will trust Christ, God will save you. And he said he pulled his hand back like that and he looked at him and said, preacher, all you have here are a bunch of hypocrites.
00:40:40
Speaker
I don't want any part of it. And he said he walked on away. He said that night about 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning his phone rang. And he picked up the phone and it was another one of his church members and she was saying, Preacher, there's something terrible, something awful that's going on next door.
00:41:02
Speaker
You need to go over there and find out what it Isn't it strange? that Preacher, you need to do it. And said he got up, got dressed, and he was at same man's house.
00:41:18
Speaker
And said he pulled him front of their house under a street light, and he could hear the crying and the screaming from upstairs in the house. And he said he walked up the sidewalk, walked on into the house, walked upstairs, and there in the bedroom,
00:41:37
Speaker
was that man and said he was pulling at himself and he said, it's me. It's about to kill me. Get it out.
00:41:48
Speaker
Get it out. And he said, sitting over in the corner was the man's wife and there was the doctor who was actually a member of his church.
Dr. Smith's Tale of Rejection and Terror
00:42:00
Speaker
And he looked at him and said, dr Smith, said I've examined him. And physically I can't find out, he cannot find out anything is wrong with him physically.
00:42:11
Speaker
He said, you examine him knowing that Dr. Smith himself was a medical doctor before he was saved and called to preach. And he said, I went over, I examined him, looked at him.
00:42:26
Speaker
And then I looked at that doctor and said, doctor, I don't find anything physically wrong with him. But he said he's got a sin that's lost there in his heart.
00:42:38
Speaker
And he won't turn loose of it.
00:42:41
Speaker
And he said about that time the man sat up in the bed. he looked out the window. And he said, there he is. Do you see him? He's coming up the sidewalk.
00:42:55
Speaker
He's got a chain over his shoulder. Do you hear him? you hear the dragging of the chain? He's coming up the steps. There he is now, there he is at the end of the bed.
00:43:08
Speaker
Do you see him? There he is. he said all of a sudden the man's feet went together like that. all of a sudden his hands went together like that.
00:43:18
Speaker
And all of a sudden he began to cry out and say, he's choking me, he's choking me.
00:43:27
Speaker
And he said he was dead.
00:43:31
Speaker
Dr. Smith looked over at the man's wife And the doctor and said, you've just seen a man chained, hand and feet and taken into hell.
00:43:47
Speaker
You say, is there anything in the Bible that would bear that out? When you get home today, don't look at it now, but look over to Matthew chapter 22. And we're told there beginning in verse 11 about a marriage feast.
00:44:02
Speaker
And you remember the marriage piece that the master saw this man who had come in there without a wedding garment.
00:44:12
Speaker
Now understand you were not allowed to come into the wedding without the wedding garment. By the way, there's only one garment that's going to be in heaven. That's the righteousness of Christ.
00:44:24
Speaker
We're going to be rolled in the righteousness of Christ. Amen? Amen.
00:44:31
Speaker
And he said, you can't come in without the wedding garment. And in essence, without the wedding garment, he was naked. Now I can't tell whether you're saved or lost today.
00:44:45
Speaker
I mean, you're a church member. You've been baptized, you've been confirmed, you've been sprinkled or whatever.
Parable of the Wedding Garment
00:44:52
Speaker
You're a good person. But I can't tell by just looking at you whether you're saved or lost.
00:45:01
Speaker
But the master looked and he did not have on the wedding garment and he was naked in his sight. And the Bible says the man was speechless.
00:45:14
Speaker
You know, a lot of times, pastor, you know, people sort of be smart aleck. And they'll say, oh, preacher, you've got your way.
00:45:27
Speaker
got my way. Let me tell you, your way, my way won't get you to heaven. It's got to be God's way. Amen. And he was speechless.
00:45:40
Speaker
And then there is one of the most awful statements and verses in the Bible.
00:45:49
Speaker
The master looked over there to the servants. And he said, servant, take this man. Bind him hand and foot and cast him into outer darkness where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
00:46:08
Speaker
Exactly the way Dr. J. Harold Smith described it.
00:46:16
Speaker
Picture
00:46:19
Speaker
It's your time.
Final Plea for Salvation
00:46:22
Speaker
You've never been saved.
00:46:25
Speaker
And the servants come to take you. And you say, I'll be saved now. I'll trust Christ now.
00:46:37
Speaker
I'm ready to give my heart to Jesus now.
00:46:42
Speaker
But they come and you're bound. Hand and foot. And in essence, they take you over that pit of fire.
00:46:57
Speaker
And you say, oh no, not now. I'll trust Christ now. But they catched him. Head over hills. Head over hills.
00:47:09
Speaker
Head over hills. You fall into that liquid lake of fire. You're not playing with your buddies now.
00:47:20
Speaker
And you lay there
00:47:24
Speaker
in the liquid lake of fire forever and forever.
00:47:30
Speaker
The Bible says in Hebrews 9, 27, it's the point that man wants to die, but after this, years from now, every person here today will be dead.
00:47:50
Speaker
Spiritually, that is, that Jesus tarries his coming, okay? Every person here will be dead. And spiritually, you'll either to be in heaven or in hell.
00:48:06
Speaker
Lost friend, God loves you. Jesus died for you. Jesus paid your sin debt at the cross. Amen? Amen.
00:48:19
Speaker
And thank God, praise God, they placed him in that grave. he He didn't stay in that grave. What happened three days later? He arose.
00:48:29
Speaker
Listen, I didn't come to Texas today tell you about a dead God. I came to Texas to tell you about a living Christ who loves you, who wants to save you, who desires for you spend an eternity with Him in heaven.
00:48:49
Speaker
Lay your pride in the dust. Swallow your pride.
00:48:57
Speaker
Don't go to hell.
00:49:01
Speaker
Come to Christ.
00:49:05
Speaker
Come to Christ.
00:49:08
Speaker
He'll save you.
00:49:11
Speaker
Yes, He'll save you. And you'll have the assurance that that when you die, that you're going to be with God in heaven forever and forever.
00:49:25
Speaker
All God's people say, amen and amen.
00:49:35
Speaker
This is a ministry of First Baptist Church located at 1700 Milam Street, Columbus, Texas.