Well, I'm certainly happy to be with you folks this morning. I was down in Baton Rouge, Louisiana a few days last week. And the weather was so beautiful, so nice, and so warm. Of course, I came from Michigan, where we had snow everywhere, real cold weather. When I got home from down in Louisiana, in fact, that's where I was born, the state of Louisiana. When I got home from Louisiana, I realized I was getting sick and I was catching the flu. So I began to doctor and try to get ready to come down here and speak to you folks today. And I said to myself, I'll not let anyone know that I have the flu because if someone gets it down in Charlotte, They'll know that I gave it to them, and they'll lay it on me. But you know the secret's out. You've already got it. So I just won't mince any words. I got it too. But I told someone this morning, even when I feel bad, I feel pretty good. because I'm saved and have the Lord and it's just great to be in the Lord's work and have the Lord in your life. I'm happy to be here with you. I was talking to a preacher this week who goes to different places and visits. He said he was going to a certain place and the preacher picked him up at the airport. The preacher was instructing him, that it didn't have too much time and not to take a lot of time and preliminaries and so forth. He said, now you don't have to tell the folks how much you think of me. They know you and I like one another. If we didn't, you wouldn't be here in the first place. And he was telling me what the pastor had said to him. But in spite of what that preacher said, I want to say that I certainly thank God for Dr. Jack Hudson. We've been friends, acquaintances, good acquaintances and friends for many, many years. And I love him and respect him. And I just want to tell you that I pray often for your pastor, that the Lord would give him strength and help and continue to use him till the Lord comes. And so it's real good to be with you folks here this morning. If you have your Bibles, and I certainly hope you do, turn with us today to the book of Jeremiah and chapter 7. And I want to read a very heart-searching passage of Scripture. In fact, as I was praying last night and this morning, what the Lord had lead me to speak to you about this morning, I believe God laid this message on my heart. It's not the most pleasant message. It's not one that if a choice was just mine, just mine, and the Lord had nothing to do with it, maybe I would not speak from this message this morning. But I want to speak to you on the subject today, too late to pray. too late to pray. And I want to get this message out of the Word of God. And so if you'll notice chapter 7 of the book of Jeremiah, we'll read beginning with verse 1. The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying, stands he in the gate of the Lord's house, and proclaim there this word and say. I could not help but notice where the Lord told Jeremiah to stand. Stand in the gate of the Lord's house and proclaim there this word and say. Hear the word of the Lord, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. Trust ye not in lying words, saying, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are these. For if you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings, if you thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor, If you oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt, then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever. Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit. Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense under bale, and walk after other gods whom you know not, and come and stand before me in this house which is called by my name, and say, we're delivered to do all these abominations. Is this house which is called by my name become a den of robbers in your eyes, Behold, even I have seen it, saith the Lord. But go ye now unto my place, which was at Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel. And now, because you've done all these works, saith the Lord, and I speak unto you, rising up early and speaking, But you heard not, and I called, but you answered not. Therefore will I do under this house, which is called by my name wherein ye trust, and under the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I've done in Shiloh. And I will cast you out of my sight, as I've cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim. Therefore, pray not thou for these people, neither lift up crying a prayer for them, neither make intercession to me, for I will not hear thee." And I want to take this very sobering verse, this very serious verse, out of the Word of God. And by the way, I want to say that I believe that the book, the Bible that's before my face, Here this morning, from which I'm reading, is the Word of God, and the perfect Word of God. There is no other book, there is no other message, to preach except this book, this Bible, this Word of God, which is a perfect book, the Word of God. And I would say to you, if we have no perfect Bible to preach, we have no perfect message to preach to the hearts of people. And I thank God for the Bible. And here in the Bible, God said to his weeping, tenderhearted prophet by the name of Jeremiah, Pray not thou for this people, neither lift up prayer nor cry for them, neither make intercession to me, for I will not hear thee, a strange verse indeed. But it's found three times in the book of Jeremiah. It is found not only in this place where I've read this morning, but had we the time to look at chapter 11, verse 14, You find almost the identical phraseology. Don't pray for these people. Don't lift up cry to me for them. Don't make intercession to me for these people. For I won't hear your prayer and I won't listen to you. Then again in chapter 14, verse 11, God reminded Jeremiah again, I'm not going to hear your prayer for these people, so you need not pray, because if you do, I will not hear you in this regard. I believe in prayer. I thank God for prayer. Were it not for prayer, I would not be in this pulpit this morning. Were it not for prayer, I would not be a preacher. Were it not for prayer, I would not be standing before you this morning. I believe God answers prayer, and I believe with all my heart. One thing that's needed amidst the people of God and in the church of the Lord Jesus today is just to get back to the old-fashioned way of praying and believing that God answers prayer. That is a prayer hearing and a prayer answering God. Now I will say this to you, I do not believe that this person in this building this morning, this preacher who's preaching, none of you sitting there, no one on the platform, I do not believe there's a person in this building today But what has unanswered prayer? I think that every one of us has some holy burning desire in our heart, some great aspiration, some tremendous need, some lost loved one for whom we're praying, some affliction for which we're laying at the throne of God. I don't think there's anyone here but what has unanswered prayer. I do. I've seen prayers answered and I've seen enough prayers answered to believe with all my heart if God never answered another one. I've had enough prayers answered to believe that God hears and answers prayer. Call upon me and I will answer thee. Show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not of. God said, Seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you. Ask and you shall receive. Whatsoever you shall ask in my name, that will I do. that the Father may be glorified in the Son. I'm saying to you that the answer to the need and the problems of many Christians and many churches, it will not be found in plans and seminars and formulas and programs, but in answered prayer. That's where God meets our need and God comes to our aid. I believe in answered prayer. We have people, and I know you have in this church also, we've had people through the years for whom the doctors held no hope. And we, I can bear witness this morning that I've seen God heal people for whom doctors gave no hope of life. Now I'm not a divine healer. I do not endorse all the false teaching and practice and delusion that goes on in our land today about it. I'm not a divine healer, but I am one who believes God can answer prayer. And I believe God's hands are untied. His ability is unlimited. God knows no bounds, no limitations that restrain him from hearing and answering the prayers of God's people when we are right with him. I could bring you the story this morning of a lady that is in this class, one for whom the doctors held no hope. brain tumor first said to be inoperable. Then in answer to prayer, one of the few cases of such awful malignancy in the brain, the doctors operated. That's been about four years. They said, we give you a few months to live. At the most, our church has always prayed, among the other things, prayed for sick people. That's what all good Bible-believing churches do. We don't discount them medical help, medical science, and doctors, and nurses, and hospitals, and all this. We don't discount that. We call for that. But our church prayed, that young mother and that young wife of a deacon has been coming to church and serving the Lord. And a few months ago, the doctor said, we find no remains of malignancy in you. She first wanted to live until Christmas. Then to May, until her child could graduate, and people kept praying. And she's lived now about four years, and a beautiful lady. What I'm saying to you this morning is, God is not limited in what He can do in answer to prayer. But here are God's people who've come to a place. Had I the time this morning, I'd tell you why God said, I won't listen to you praying for these people. They've gone after idols. They had substituted something in the place of God. Not only that, God said, when I speak, they won't listen. Their ear is deaf to the voice of God. They won't hear. So when you pray for them, Jeremiah, I will not answer you when you pray for them. And so the subject is from the Bible. Too late to pray. Oh, that strikes fear to my heart this morning. Too late to pray? You mean, preacher, that a Christian can come to a place in their life when it's too late to pray? My, if I couldn't pray, I don't know what I'd do. And God says there's a time when it was too late for his people to pray because God wouldn't answer them. I believe when God is forsaken for something else, It's too late to pray. I think some things will have to happen before God will ever hear one when he is forsaken for something else. God said, I spoke unto you, you heard not I called, you answered not. And in verse 18 of chapter 7, he said, you have other gods. Now, wait a minute. Don't go way back across the centuries, hundreds of years, and say, well, that's in the days of heathenism and the lack of civilization. And people had gods of stone and wood and so forth. No, don't do that. I want you to come up to now. And think of many people in our churches who are called fundamental, Bible-carrying, believing people, and yet many people, I believe today, have substituted something into the place where God ought to be. And that's the first place in the life of a Christian. You know, God can answer prayer, oh yes. Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened that he cannot see, neither is his ear heavy that he cannot hear, but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, Isaiah 59, one and two. Well, I've been in the same church long enough. We've seen a whole generation of the most wonderful people I've ever known. In my life, saints of God, men and women, and young people, a whole generation, go to heaven. Hundreds and hundreds of times in these 45 years, I've said goodbye to some sweet people in our church whom the Lord took away. I've been there long enough to see people grow up and marry and have children, and their children have children. I remember years ago, a young couple in our Christian school, and they became sweethearts. And then one day, well, first of all, they were brought in their mother's and dad's arms as little infants and were dedicated at the altar of our church. Not baptized, but dedicated to the Lord publicly by their Christian parents. Then one day they stood before me to be united in marriage and to be made one in the eyes of God. So I knew them from infancy to the day they married. A beautiful little boy was born into their marriage and they were the happiest people you would think in all the world for this beautiful little child. One day they said, our baby boy is in the hospital. We want you to pray." And the church prayed. Then one day the news came, doctors say, that unless something miraculous happened beyond which we don't know anything more to do, your little boy is in bad trouble. I remember that Sunday morning, like this morning, when I walked in the church and I was in the back of the auditorium for a moment. And a young couple stood there whose little boy was in the hospital. And I went over to them to give them sympathy and assure them of my love and my prayers. And that young woman reached out. She took one of my hands, both of hers, and her husband standing with his arm around her. And she said, preacher, you know us. You dedicated us at the altar. You performed our marriage ceremony. And you know us. You know us almost as well as our parents. And she said, preacher, you know. that we've been living out on the edge of things. We haven't been right with God. We've been cold and indifferent, and we've been maxling. Oh, yes, we come to church, but we've been away from the Lord. And then the tears streaming down her face, she said, preacher, I'd give anything in this world this morning. I'd give our home. I'd give everything we have. If I could just go to God and know that God is hearing me when I pray, I want my little boy well. When the invitation was given that day, down the aisle they came, and they knelt at the altar, and they wept, and they had their arms around each other, and they made things right with God. Years came and went. They moved away and I kind of lost track of them. One night I was preaching and there came a young man dressed in a blue suit and carrying a Bible and he said, Mr. Malone, would you sign my Bible for me? I didn't know who he was. I signed his Bible and put my life's verse. Then he said, you don't know me, do you? I said, I'm sorry, I can't place you. And he gave me his name, said, I'm the little boy who's about to die. My mother and dad got right with God. And they told me about it. And you prayed, I'm the little boy. Said, what are you doing now? He said, I'm studying for the ministry and in the ministry. Oh, listen, I'm speaking to somebody this morning. I know, I've been there. who wants right now an answer to prayer more than you want anything else in the world. I say to you, and I say it truthfully, my conscience bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, if someone were to come to me this morning and say, preacher, what did you rather have today than anything else? I'd say to you, I want my prayers answered. I want some things that I'm longing for in my heart. I want my prayers answered more than anything in the world, more than any material thing, more than any tangible thing, more than any visible thing. I'd rather know that when I pray, God hears and answers and comes to my need. Oh, God said, don't pray for these people. You don't put in judgment. has already set in. I think of the boy whose dad told him, now I'm going to be gone, you cannot use the car. And they said the boy slipped the car out and used the car and had an accident and turned it over and over and tore it all to pieces. And then he got out on his knees by the wrecked car and said, Lord, I pray you that this would not have happened. A little too late, I'd think, wouldn't you? And I want to tell you, when judgment sets in, sometimes it's too late to pray. And that often happens. And I can tell you this morning, people, you know, even the Apostle Paul said, but I keep unto my body. Never been a greater Christian, the Apostle Paul. He said, I keep under my body, lest when I preach to others, I myself should become a castaway, a documos, put on the shelf, no longer used, no longer effective. Why? Because I haven't kept under my body and live like I ought to live before God. Yes, God does chastise a Christian. It's a frightening thing to me. Every day of my life, it makes me, I live in a rotten, sinful body that's not yet converted. I'm converted, I'm saved, but my body won't be changed till the Lord comes. And I'm living in an old, corrupt, rotten body this morning. Well, I've heard people say, when I got saved, I got saved all over. No, you didn't, not all over. When you got saved, your sins were put behind the back of God. Your name was written in the Lamb's Book of Life, never to be removed. God gave you a new nature, and God made you a new creature, but you didn't get saved all over. If you had, some of you dear men, God bless you, wouldn't be getting bald. If you got saved all over, nobody'd have bridges in their mouth. If you got saved all over, there'd be no dandruff. No bunions, no bulges, oh no. You live in a body that's yet to be redeemed. And I'm saying you, a Christian, needs to realize you can do anything any other Christian has done who has fallen. Because you live in the same kind of a rotten body. Paul said, old wretched man, that I am. I say, wait a minute. You're the one been talking to me about rejoice all the time. and be content all the time, and have peace all the time. And Paul said, oh, wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death? The greatest Christian that ever lived. The Bible says, whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. Many years ago, one of my dear preacher friends, going through trial, and listen, you know God lets people suffer and go through great trials, not for punishment always. You know, Job said, he knoweth the way that I take, and when I come forth, I shall come forth as pure gold. God lets a Christian walk through the fire sometime. But you see the Bible teaches, whom I love, whom he loves, he chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. And it says, if you be not chastened, if you be without chastisement, then God says, you're bastards and not sons. That's the language of the Bible. I want to say to you, a Christian that can't live like they want to, you can't do as you're pleased. You think some people think they can, but you can't. I can't. I can't always do what this body, this old body says to do. You can't do that. For the Bible says, whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. I say to you in love this morning, be careful how you live. You may get one day under the hand of God when it's too late to pray. I think there are times when it's too late to pray, when the opportunity has passed by. It's no longer there. You know, Jesus said when he healed the blind man in chapter 9, before it ever happened, he said, I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day. The night cometh when no man can work. I believe there comes a time when God draws the shades of night upon the glorious opportunities of life. And God says, it's nighttime. It's not daytime. It's not work time. That's over. God draws the shades of darkness upon the opportunities of life. And I believe when one passes the glorious moments of opportunity. You know, I think God gives us certain times to win people to the Lord. I don't think you and I can say, when I really get red hot in my heart and when I really get burdened and concerned, then I'm going to lead my loved one to the Lord. I want to tell you the night cometh when no man can work. Well, I remember that big old redheaded athlete played ball on the opposing teams many years ago from the ball team I was playing on. Now, I remember one time out on the ball field, that big old red-headed strong athlete came to me, and he said, Tom, my uncle, Homer, is in the general hospital, and Homer's, my uncle's not saved. And he said, I believe if anybody could reach him, I believe you could. Would you go see him? I said, I'd be glad to. So I went the very next day. I went, I think, a little bit after the noon hour. And there he was in his bed, bed on which he was soon to die. And I said to him, Homer, I know Red, that was his nephew. And he and I are good friends. And I said, I came to talk to you about the Lord. He said, I don't want to hear it. And I said, well, let me pray for you, Homer. They tell me, you really, you're real sick, and I'm sorry. Let me pray for you. I said, if you want to pray, pray for yourself. Don't pray for me. I bowed my head to pray, and I felt like he looked the other way and never one time closed his eyes. And so when I finished praying, discouraged, of course, and hurt, I turned and walked out of that hospital room that night about the time for the sun to go down. I saw the sinking, son, and I thought, there's a life sinking, and yet without forgiveness and without God and without hope, I must do something else. So I went back in the late evening, the twilight part of the day, and I said, I was here today, you know, but I couldn't help but come again. I want you to be saved. I want to pray for you. You need Christ. He died for you. He loves you. Won't you be saved? He said, I told you, I don't want to talk to you. I don't want to hear it. I said, I'm going to pray for you, Homer. I bowed my head and I prayed, and if you'll let me tell you, I could not help but weep because I saw a man dying and turning down the Christ of Calvary, the only one who could forgive his sins and give him a home in heaven. And I prayed. I went home, and that night, long after the middle of the evening, maybe 9 or 10 o'clock, I went back to the hospital again. His loved ones are in the waiting room. They were waiting and staying with him as long as they could. And I went to the bed and I said, Homer, I can't let you go. You're going to die. You need God. You need to be saved. I don't want to hear it. I didn't ask you to come. Again, I prayed, and with a more broken heart than ever, I walked out of that room. I went to my home and went to bed, and a little after midnight, the old phone rang, and his wife said, Preacher, Homer just died, and you showed an interest in him. I want you to preach his funeral. I remember that day. when we went out to the cemetery. And I couldn't give much hope to the family except to tell them about the Lord and to be saved. And that big redheaded athlete came to me. We'd lowered the box into the ground. Family was standing around weeping. And big old Red came to me, nearly a head taller than I am, reached out and put his two hands on my shoulders, looked me right in the face, and he said, Tom, did you go see Uncle Homer? I said, yes, I did. I went to see him more than once. I prayed for him. I did what I could to get him saved. He said, did he get saved? I said, no, not as far as I know. He gripped my shoulders with those two hands and looked me in the face. And he said, Tom, I want to ask you another question. Did you do the best you could? I said, Red, I believe with all my heart, humanly speaking, I did the very best I knew to do. He said, that's all I want to know. Slung his head into tears, flying, and walked on out of that cemetery. One of these days, you and I are going to stand at the judgment seat of Christ, not to determine whether or not we're saved, that's already settled, but we're going to meet God about the souls of some other people, whether they're saved or not. I want to tell you when the opportunity has passed, then it's too late to pray. It's too late for me to pray for Homer. All the praying I could ever do would not bring him back nor change his state in eternity. He lost! Because one day God pulled the curtains of night upon the moment of opportunity. I believe it's too late to pray. when the opportunity has passed. I think it's too late to pray when some people's consciences are seared, as the Bible says in 1 Timothy 4-2, with a hot iron. Having their conscience seared with a hot iron. You know what that means? That means people can hear God and not talk to him and not listen so many times. God can talk and you won't even know he's talking. I don't like to tell about it, but it's the truth anyway. I have the most wonderful mother I believe God could ever give a man. She'll soon be, if God lets her live, into the middle of the next month. My mom will be 94 years of age. She lives alone in a little home down in North Alabama. What a wonderful mother God's given me. I wouldn't trade what my mother's meant to my life for all the money in the state of North Carolina. But when I was just a little boy, about that high, and my brother 22 months older, my father broke my mother's heart and mine and my brother John's. He left us. And from a little lad, maybe five and a half or six years of age, I never knew what it was to have a father, but I had a wonderful mother. But my father left us, and our hearts were broken. My grandfather, old-fashioned farmer man down on the farm in Alabama, said to my mother, now you come, let the boys live here on the farm with us, and we'll help take care of them. And my mother worked. I remember the first night on the old farm. I never will forget it. My heart was broken anyway. I was a nervous little child, disillusioned with life and heartbroken. And about midnight, I didn't really know what it was, but the big old freight train and the railroad tracks were just less than half the distance of this auditorium. Well, maybe 125 feet from the little old country house was the railroad track. And at midnight, big old freight train that must climb a little mountain in another mile and a half came rumbling down by the edge of the farm. Lights were flashing. Bells were ringing. Whistles were blowing. And the whole earth shook. I woke up that night, and I thought the end of the world had come. I've never been more frightened. I jumped out of the bed screaming. The freight train was going by. But I lived and slept in that same bed in that same little room until I was just before I was 20. And I was saved in August just before I was 20. And I lived in that same room. That freight train never quit coming at the midnight hour. And the lights always flashed. And the bells rung. And the whistles blew. And the earth shook. But I never felt it. I got used to it. I never woke up. Someone would ask me the next morning, did a freight train go through here last night at midnight, shaking the earth, lighting up the whole countryside around this house? I'd say I didn't know, because I slept. It didn't bother me. I didn't hear it. It's like a preacher one time was preaching an 18-year-old young lady's funeral, riding in the buggy in the old days, and the father of the girl riding with him. And the father said to the preacher, preacher, Has your preaching changed? He said, why do you ask? No. He said, I preach just like I've always preached. My preaching, as far as I know, hasn't changed, he said. This man said, when this girl was growing up, I was coming to your church, he said, I'd get under such conviction, he said, I'd reach and hold on to the seat before me, because I didn't want to turn loose and give in to God and go forward. And I'd hold on to the seat, and he said, I'd shake like a leaf. And he said, I just felt such fear of God in my life. But he said, now I hear you preach. And he said, I don't take a hold of the seat, and I don't quake and tremble. Has your preaching changed? The old preacher was a man of God, I could give you his name, but he said, no, my preaching hasn't changed. But you've changed. Your heart's not tender now. You turned God down so many times. You've gone cold and hard. No, my preaching hasn't changed. You've changed. God is still speaking, but you're not hearing. God is still pleading, but you're paying no attention. Oh, listen, I would beg you this morning, both saved or unsaved, if they might be here, I'd beg you with all my heart. Remember this Bible says one day people won't the prayers answered, but it won't do any good. I Remember one day a man came to me in my church and said yesterday yesterday I called on a man in his at his home and he said I don't want you coming to my house and bothering me and Turn me down and the man in my church said But today, I hear he just died. Oh, listen. You know, you're not meant for this world forever. You only have the one harvest of a lifetime to reap. You only have this side of the big trumpet blowing and the Lord coming to win people to Christ and to live for God. and to accomplish in your life what God wants you to accomplish. Oh, sad, tragic day. I pray it'll never happen, never happen to any of you. I pray that it won't. That when you would come to the day when God says they can pray all they want to, I'm not going to listen. They've gone too far. Let's bow our heads for prayer. My father in heaven, If we know our hearts, we love you today and I love you. Oh God, when I think of your goodness to me, saving me from a life of sin and giving me the greatest privilege in the world to just be a preacher, I love you today. Lord, we know you love us and you love these people. And I pray today that the Holy Spirit of God will speak to our hearts. We know we're not smart, but we know some needs and hearts this morning. Somebody here, her heart's just thumping right now because they have a loved one that's lost, and they haven't won them, haven't been able to, and their heart's just thumping right now. Thinking, oh God, if my dear daddy, a mom, a brother, a sister, my son, a daughter, that's lost, goes to hell, what will I do? Oh God, speak to hearts this morning. And Lord, I believe the people here this morning know who know. They know, just like I know, when I'm not what I ought to be and where I ought to be with you. I believe there are people that know that if they had to pray about a serious, serious matter right now, that probably their prayers would not be answered. Because there's something between them and you, we long to be able to sing, nothing between my soul and the Savior. Oh God, speak to hearts this morning. And Lord, may there be a sense of urgency about this moment. We don't want to come to church and hear the beautiful singing and hear the preaching and see the people of God and go away and not feel any urgency to move or to be moved or to do what you want us to do, help us today. My blessed Father, In the name of Jesus, may the Holy Spirit speak to hearts. Let's stand together. Brother Larry, you lead us in the invitation hymn. Now let's stand and please just give me your attention one moment. Please don't move or leave unless, move anywhere unless it's in the pursuit of your duty. We're going to be dismissed in a little bit. But if you need to be saved, we're here to love you and to help you. No one ever stands alone down here. There's always someone reaches out their arms to you. Won't you come this morning, you that need to be saved? Won't you come, dear friend, while it's still yet time and God's given you the opportunity? Won't you come because you're saved to unite with this church? Won't you come to follow the Lord in baptism? Won't you hear his call this morning? Will you come while we sing it prayerfully? Sing it. Just slip right out of your seat and come while we're singing. And Christian, you help someone to come. That's right. Come right on, right now, on this song, you come to the Lord. Keep singing, keep praying.