Open your Bibles to the book of 2 Corinthians chapter 11. It is a wonderful joy and blessing to be back at the great Central Baptist Church in Southington, Connecticut. I've been looking forward for some time in coming. I'm certainly excited and elated to be here. I'll be forever grateful for that day when God allowed my path to cross with Dr. and Mrs. Townsley, and I believe knitted our hearts together. They're not associates, they're not acquaintances, but they're actual friends. And I'm never with the Townsleys, but what I'm blessed, encouraged, and benefited by both their friendship and their fellowship. There's much that's wrong with America, but when you flip that coin over, there's still much that's right with America. And one of the things that's right with America is a preacher, a preacher's wife, in a church family like the Townsleys in the Central Baptist Church in Southington, Connecticut. Let me say right at the outset, God is in the revival business. What he's done in the past and what he's done on the pages of the Bible, he's interested in doing in the present. At this moment, our country literally, literally is standing on the crumbling edge of her own grave. And the only answer? The only remedy, the only solution is a Bible revival. We don't want to have just another meeting. We don't want to have just another series of services. But we're praying and we're preaching that revival rain will not only fall but also flood. I'm thrilled to be here and I'm excited and elated about what I believe God will do in these days that have been set aside for revival. Now if you're a member of the Central Baptist Church, then I'll be quick to tell you there's nothing going on these days that is as important as these services. So I hope that you've wiped already your calendar clean and you're planning to be back tonight, planning to be back tonight Can a brother get a witness? Back tonight and Monday night and Tuesday night and Wednesday night in the morning services, if possible, but through the evening services for this fall revival meeting. I like to tell folks, Dr. Townsley and the church, where I'm preaching a revival meeting, that their place those days is not in front of a television set, but in front of a fundamental pulpit. Now, if you're planning anything outside of revival these days, just cancel it. If you're planning on, oh, robbing a bank, shooting someone, stealing a car, backsliding, just put it off till Thursday and not let anything stand in your way of being in each and every service. Book of 2 Corinthians chapter 11. So good to see our dear friends, the Browns, Dr. and Mrs. Brown as well. 2 Corinthians chapter number 11, and I'll begin reading with verse number 13 through verse number 15 where we find the text of the message. And I would invite you to stand with me as I read the Word of God. And if I, fellas in the sound booth, could get a little bit more volume, I'd appreciate it. That'd help me. I'm struggling with allergies like many of you, and a little bit more volume will help me. My goal, really, is for Mrs. Hamlin to hear me back in Detroit. That's my goal. So if you can set it right there, because if anybody needs the devil preached out of them, well, I'm not brave enough to finish that statement. Thank you, fellows. I appreciate it. 2 Corinthians 11, beginning with verse 13 through verse 15. I feel that before I preach, I need to make mention that this month we are marking 37 years of being saved, preaching, and in full-time evangelism. And in these 37 years of being on the revival road, there's not one single message, not one. that I pray over more than the message I'm going to attempt to preach this morning. Now, you can imagine that in, oh, 37 years that there's been thousands of times preaching and hundreds of sermons that have been delivered. But of all those times and out of all those sermons, there's not one. There's not a single message I pray over more than the message I'm about to preach this morning. In the moment when I read my text and I announce my subject, I think you'll see why that there's not a single message bathed in prayer more than the one that you're about to hear at the start of this fall revival meeting. 2 Corinthians 11, beginning with verse number 13 through verse number 15. For such are false apostles. deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel, for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works. Please look back with me at verse number 15. Book of 2 Corinthians chapter 11 and verse number 15. There are two words in this verse. that I wish this morning you'd underline, if not in your Bibles, then certainly in your minds. I've underscored them in my Bible, and they're the two words, His ministers. Do you see them? There they are, His ministers. And for a few moments, I want to speak to you on the subject this morning, when the devil takes the title reverend. Let's bow our heads for a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, I want to thank you for this privilege to stand behind a sacred desk to preach the Word of God. If I know my heart, I want to be a blessing. But the only way that I can be is if you hide me behind the cross and fill me with the Spirit Place a hedge around this great church by the blood of Christ to keep the devil and his demons from hindering this service. Save the sinner and stir the saint. Heavenly Father, for all that you'll do in our midst and even in our hearts this morning, we will be careful to give you all the praise. and honor and glory. Bless and protect my precious family as I'm away. Give us fresh, warm bread from the oven of heaven to feed from this morning. And Lord, I'd request, oh, how I would request that you'd clothe me in my calling. For we ask these things in Jesus' name and for His sake. Amen. And you may be seated. Today, in countless pulpits across the country and even around the world, the Prince of Darkness has hung a sign that says, open for business. It is impossible to even imagine the number one enemy of God and good calling a house of worship to order. carrying a Bible and being considered a member of the clergy. Satan is never more subtle than when he seems to be spiritual and speaking for that which is sacred, when the devil takes the title reverend. In the book of 2 Corinthians chapter 11, we find the apostle Paul warns about false teachers and walks through the trials he endured for the gospel. This chapter could be easily or effortlessly outlined like this. Paul's stand for the church, verses 1 through 2. Paul's sentiments for the church, verses 3 through 4. Paul's service for the church, verses 5-12. Paul's strong words for the church, verses 13-15. Paul's signposts for the church, verses 16-22. And then Paul's sufferings for the church, verses 23-33. It is while the apostle Paul is dealing under the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit with Paul's strong words for the church that a person finds a warning that crosses all days and dispensations. Verse 15, therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness whose end shall be according to their works." Now, if you even have a casual understanding of the Bible, you're aware of the fact that Satan fashioneth himself into at least three things. On the pages of the Bible, we see where Satan fashioneth himself as a beguiling serpent, Genesis 3.3. We see where Satan fashioneth himself as a mother-in-law. Just wanted to see who was tuned in and really listening. We see where Satan, secondly, fashioned himself into an angel of light or a minister of right, 2 Corinthians 11, 14. And then thirdly, we see where Satan fashioned himself as a roaring lion, 1 Peter 5, 8. So on the pages of the Bible, Satan transformed himself into a beguiling serpent an angel of light, or a minister of light, and a roaring lion. Evangelist Oliver B. Green once wrote about our text, usually when we think of the devil and where he is working, we think primarily of bars, gambling halls, dope houses, and other places of sin. He went on to write, but we must not forget that the devil in the person of his ministers is also in the pulpit in the supposedly Christian school, in the supposedly Christian organization. Never forget, if the devil can show up in paradise before the fall of man, he can certainly show up in a pulpit after the fall of man. Now, if you missed everything that I preached this morning, I pray that you have not missed that. And it even bears repeating, if the devil can show up in paradise before the fall of man, he can certainly show up in a pulpit after the fall of man. Friend, you and I, the unsaved and the saved, need to be able to detect when the devil takes the title reverend. Now quickly, I want to give you this morning some obvious signs. when the prince of darkness steps into the shoes of a preacher. You see, as we start this revival meeting this morning, not only across the country and around the world, but even within driving distance of this house of God, in every house of God, there are false prophets, there are false preachers, there are those that in the shoes of a reverend are nothing spiritual, are nothing sacred, and if God has his preachers, mark it down and mark it well, the devil has his preachers as well. And quickly, I want to give you this morning the obvious signs. when the Prince of Darkness steps into the shoes of a preacher. Let's quickly notice it this morning. Number one, attacks Heaven's darling, John 1.1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. An obvious sign, when the Prince of Darkness steps into the shoes of a preacher is he attacks heaven's darling. In John 1, the Apostle John tells us that if a person could commute back to where time and eternity intersected, they would see God the Father and God the Son, Jesus Christ, coexisting in the glory world. That means before the Son would tell the earth, good morning, before the moon would be the silent companion of many a sad heart at midnight, and before the stars would inspire humanity to reach up and catch one as it shoots across the inky black sky, the forever Father and the supernatural Son walk down the corridors of the celestial city enthralled and engrossed with one another's company and companionship. Someone put it like this. Ask the sun if it were ever without its beams. Ask the fountain if it ever were without its streams. So God was never without his son. Friend, you and I need to detect when the devil takes the title reverend, he attacks heaven's darling. The Bible says in Luke 3, 22, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Mark it down the moment. that a so-called minister denigrates, disparages, or decries the Lord Jesus Christ's message, ministry, miracles, or miraculous resurrection. He has brimstone breath. All the demons in perdition holler, Amen, and you had better stop listening to him. Some time ago I read where Daniel Webster The 19th century statesman once dined in Boston with several intimate literary figures. Soon the conversation turned to Christianity. Webster, a convinced Christian, confessed his belief in Christ and his atoning work. A Unitarian minister at the table responded, Mr. Webster, can you comprehend how Jesus could be both God and man? Now, let me interject that a Unitarian is a liberal that liberals won't even have anything to do with. And you know you're pretty sorry, and you know you're pretty sad when liberals break fellowship with you, and that's exactly what a Unitarian preacher is. Well, that Unitarian minister looked at Webster, and again he said, Can you comprehend, Mr. Webster, how Jesus Christ can be both God and man? No, sir, I cannot comprehend it, replied Webster, and I would be ashamed to acknowledge Christ as my Savior if I could comprehend it. He could be no greater than myself, and such is my conviction of my accountability to God, my sense of sinfulness before him, and my knowledge of my own incapability to recover myself that I feel I need a superhuman Savior. And when the devil takes the form of a preacher, he attacks heaven's darling. Number two, let me hasten, and I know I'll get stuck here. Number two, air conditions hell's depths. Mark 9.44, where there worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. An obvious sign when the Prince of Darkness steps into the shoes of a preacher is he air-conditions hell's depths. In Mark 9, verse 44, the Apostle Mark tells us that a person must comprehend that the Bible teaches that the door of death for a lost soul is not a fire escape but a furnace entrance. Charles Haddon Spurgeon, that prince of preachers, once said, do not begin telling me that there's a metaphorical fire in hell. He went on to state, who worries about that? If a man were to threaten to give me a metaphorical blow on the head, I should worry very little about it. He would be welcome to give me as many as he pleased. And what do the wicked say? We do not worry about metaphorical fires. And then Mr. Spurgeon said, Mr. Spurgeon said, but they're real, sir, as real as yourself. Newsflash. Anybody who puts a drinking fountain and fan in hell is making plans on moving in. And the reason that some preachers never preach on hell is because if I was going there, I'd never preach on it either. You see an obvious sign. When the prince of darkness steps in to the shoes of a preacher is he air-conditioned hell's depths. I don't think in America we need less preaching on hell. I believe in America we need more preaching on hell. And we're in the place of our nation where we're seeing the fruit of Sunday being turned into fun day, and the Ten Commandments being turned into the Ten Considerations, and preaching being turned into patty cake. Can a brother get a witness? Friend, you and I need to be able to detect when the devil takes the form of a preacher as he there air conditions hell's depths. Now there are several real reasons that I know that hell has fire. First of all, it may shock you, stun you, and even surprise you, but the Savior said so. Matthew 13, 42, "...and shall cast them in to a furnace of fire. There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." The reason that I know that hell has fire is the Savior said so. The greatest fire and brimstone preacher that ever lived was Jesus. and if a person does not like fire and brimstone preaching, they certainly would not have enjoyed Jesus because Jesus, sir, ma'am, preached more on hell than he did on heaven. I said recently, Dr. Townsley, to a group of preachers that if you have more sermons on heaven, than you do on hell, or rather, yes, more sermons on heaven than you do on hell, then you're not the kind of preacher that Jesus was because if you were to look at the sermon catalog of the Son of God, he had far more sermons on hell than he did on heaven. The Savior said so. Secondly, the Scripture said so. Revelation 20, 14, and death and hell were cast in to the lake of fire. A real reason that I know that hell has fire is the Scripture said so. You cannot be a true, bona fide, and real Bible believer without saying amen to every fiery verse on hell. You see, the Bible is not a spiritual smorgasbord. We don't accept what we like and then not accept what we don't like. Either we receive it all or we reject it all. And as a Bible believer, we have to absolutely there agree to every verse that's in the Bible on hell. The Scripture said so. And then thirdly, the sinner said so. Luke 16, 24, 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. A real reason that there's a hell that has fire is because the sinner said so. A lost person who's been in a crisis eternity for centuries still cries and calls back water, water, water. You say preacher I know what you're trying to do, you're trying to scare me. Friend I'd rather have you hell scared than ever have you hell scorched. And a real reason that I know that hell has fire is the Savior said so, the scripture said so, and the said so. An American troop ship, just before landing on an enemy shore, before a particular bitter battle during World War II, the soldiers crowded around their chaplain and asked plainly, do you believe in hell? Now many of these men, a good share of them would never see today turn into tomorrow. Many of these men would literally be going into the jaws of death not to return. Many of these men would never see the rising of the sun in the east and the shedding of that same sun in the West. And as they crowded around their chaplain getting ready to go in to battle, they said, do you believe in hell? And that chaplain looked at them and smirked and said, I do not. One of those soldiers stepped up as a spokesman for the rest and said, well then, sir, would you please Resign, because if there isn't a hell, we don't need to, and if there is a hell, we don't wish to be led astray. And I've come to this pulpit this morning right out the gate in the first service of the revival meeting to say that preachers that don't preach on hell ought to resign and get an honest living and get a real job. Air conditions hell's depths. And then number three, and last of all, my time's gone. Not only attacks heavens, darling. You find out what a preacher believes about Jesus, and you'll pretty much realize whether he's God's man or the devil's man. If you ask a preacher, well, what do you believe about Jesus? And he halts, and he hesitates, and it's hard for him to say that he is the divine Son of God. I want you to know you ought to run as fast as you can from that preacher. Attacks heavens, darling. Air conditions, hells, depths. And then thirdly, last of all, attaches works to heaven's declaration. Ephesians 2.8, "'For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, An obvious sign, when the prince of darkness steps into the shoes of a preacher as he attaches works to heaven's declaration. In Ephesians 2.8, the apostle Paul tells us that a person is redeemed never by the good works of man, but by the wonderful grace of God, the best. An easiest acronym for anyone to recall about God's grace is God's riches at Christ's expense. The hymn writer was spot on when he penned, Not have I gotten, but what I've received. Grace hath bestowed it since I have believed. Boasting excluded, pride I abase. I'm only a sinner. Saved by grace. My mentor Dr. Tom Malone Sr. once said, building your own salvation is like putting beads on a string with no knot at the end. In other words, forever futile. Friends, salvation is not in works. It's not in water. It's not in worry beads. It's not in wafers. It's in the wonderful blood of the crucified one. Friend, you and I need to detect when the devil takes the title reverend as he attaches works to heaven's declaration. The Bible says in Romans 3, 24, being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ, Jesus. Whenever a so-called preacher tells you that to be forgiven of your sins, you have to bribe, beg, or buy your way to heaven, just look at his ordination certificate and see where Satan has clearly affixed his wicked signature. Hints and an illustration, and I'm through. Back in February of this year, I'd preached on a Friday night, a Saturday morning, and a Saturday afternoon outside of Mobile, Alabama in a men's conference. I was preaching the next day, Sunday, all day in Lexington, and then staying over and preaching several days at a fundamental Bible college. As I was flying from there at Mobile to Lexington, I had to change planes in Atlanta. And after careful and diligent Bible study, Dr. Tonesley, I've come to the conclusion that in the rapture, we'll change planes in Atlanta. It seems like I can hardly fly from Detroit to Pontiac without changing planes in Atlanta. And so I was changing planes in Atlanta and got into my seat and just as soon as I sat down, I pulled out my Bible and the messages that I felt the Lord was leading me to preach the next day and the next week in that fundamental Bible college. And as I was praying and preparing, a fellow sat down right next to me and he saw that my Bible was open and he picked up on the fact that, well, I wasn't the butcher, the baker, or the candlestick maker. He looked at me and he said, You must be a preacher. And I said, Yes, sir, I am. He said, I'm a reverend too. He said, You have a business card on you. And I said, I do. And I reached into my pocket, and I pulled out of my pocket what every Christian should carry on their person all the time, and that's a Gospel tract. I gave him that gospel tract. He gave me a business card. And if I'm lying this morning, I'm frying. It had more shingles, that business card did, than an old-timey hardware store. More shingles. And he wanted to talk on that old 48, 49-minute flight from Atlanta to Lexington. He wanted to talk shop, and I wanted to talk Scripture. And the more he talked shop, the more I talked Scripture. And it dawned on me what a sad thing. In just a handful of hours, I would be stepping to a pulpit with a Bible to preach the truth, and that man, who knows what he'd be going to the pulpit with. If God has his preachers, the devil has his preachers too. If God has his messengers, the devil has his messengers too. And just because somebody's name is on a church sign, or because they have a business card, or because they told and toot the title reverend, does not mean that they're God's man that has God's message. What is your belief, your doctrinal stand? Asked a committee, an examining committee of Mel Trotter, a converted drunkard, as the committee sought to ascertain Trotter's qualifications for the gospel ministry. My doctrine is the Monroe Doctrine, he said. Well, he meant that he believed in the heart-transforming power of the gospel as exemplified in the miraculous conversion of Harry Monroe, who had sunk to the lowest depths of sin and was humanly a helpless alcoholic. After Harry Monroe's conversion, he became superintendent of the world-famed Pacific Garden Mission of Chicago. There he brought many outcasts to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Don't miss this. No one should sit under the ministry of any preacher, evangelist, or pastor who does not subscribe to 110% to the Monroe Doctrine. And the Monroe Doctrine simply is this, that God can say from the guttermost all the way to the uttermost. There attaches works to heaven's declaration. We have seen from the pages of the Bible this morning when the devil... Oh, I know it's hard to believe. I know it's hard to even try to get our head around, but there is a real devil, and he works overtime in deceiving and tricking and leading astray and bamboozling folks and thinking that salvation is in works. He realized there'll be no one in heaven there because of what they did. But everyone that'll be in heaven will be there because of what Jesus did and having accepted the salvation that Jesus offered. Our heads are bowed, our eyes are closed.