If you'll turn with me this morning to 2 Timothy chapter 4. And in a few minutes, we'll read from verse number 9 down through verse 18. Before we read, though, would you join hearts with me and together as we approach our great God? Our Father, we are so thankful that there is the reality of Thee, the living God and that of Christ and the great work He did at Calvary and what we are. because of Him and the Spirit of God taking that which is Christ and revealing it unto us. Our Father, we continue to wait for that stirring, that wind from above that might come into our garden, and the fruit of the Spirit, and the fragrance from that would flow out to our living God. We cannot fully express Our thanks cannot fully describe, or we don't even know, the extent of thy great work. But I do ask that, Lord, you might fit us this morning to be receptive, and that our hearts might as one people run after thee. And that we might be made aware that there is reality within of the presence of our God and our Savior. I pray you'll help these dear souls There are others, Lord, that we'll hear later of them. Give us of Thy Spirit that we might be able to do that which is required of us now. And give these of Thy Spirit that they might be able to do that which is required of them. a good hearer, and a good group that live with much prayer. Make Christ precious to all of us, more so than he is, for it's in his name And for thy glory, our Father, that we ask these things. Amen. Lord Hepping, I want to speak to you on signs found on that narrow road. I do know that there are some here that have a very sensitive spirit heart. I do not want to overburden you or for you after hearing to leave feel with doubt instead of encouragement. And there are others out there that I know I speak with that have such a sensitive heart and spirit Sometimes a message like this will, instead of lifting, will put them down. And though it might create doubt and unrest, they are in far better shape than those who are never within pricked. Maybe down the road, The message could be a help when they're tempted to depart the narrow way and enter the broad way. That's what took place here in 2 Timothy 4, being the last of the great apostles' writings. Read with me what he said, beginning with verse 9. Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me. Before we read 10 and 11, 12, I want you to look in the inspired, sacred Word of God. Verse 13, the cloak that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest bring with thee and the books, but especially the parchments. The tender, tender care of our great shepherd and our God, can be seen. Paul telling about his condition and warning Timothy to get there to him. And God let it be put in his sacred writings, through thy diligence to come shortly unto me. And I find this even more of the great tender care of our Lord. Bring the coat. You wouldn't think something as simple as that would ever be put in sacred writings. But God has it here that you might see the tender care of our Father, our Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit. In 1919, up in a small town in Pennsylvania, I dare not try to pronounce it, it sounds like an Indian name, and there were a lot of them up there, There was this Methodist preacher, Frank Grief. Not spelled like. If you're talking about, you're in grief. But he penned this. Does Jesus care when my heart is pained too deeply for myrrh or song? As the burdens press and the cares distress, and the way grows weary and long. Oh, yes, he cares. I know he cares. His heart is touched with my grief. When the days are weary, the long nights dreary, I know my Savior cares. Does Jesus care when I said goodbye to the dearest on earth to me? And my sad heart aches till it nearly breaks. Is it ought to him? Does he say? Oh, yes, he cares. I know he cares. His heart is touched with my grief when the days weary, the long night dreary. I know my Savior cares. Oh, yes, my Jesus cares. And you can see that here by reading about Paul warning a friend to get where he is. Do diligence and bring my coat. Down there in an old, cold, damp dungeon. He just wanted a coat. And his Lord cared. Now verse number 10, for Demas hath forsaken me. Having loved this present world and is departed into Thessalonica, Crescens to Galatia, Titus into Dalmatia. Only Lucas with me take Mark and bring him with thee, for he is profitable to me for the ministry. Antiochus have I sent to Ephesus, the cloak that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest bring with thee. and the books, but especially the parchments. Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil. The Lord reward him according to his works. Of whom be thou aware also, for he hath greatly withstood our words. At my first answer, no man stood with me, but all men forsook me. I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. Notwithstanding, the Lord stood with me and strengthened me that by me the preaching might be fully known, that all the Gentiles might hear, and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work. and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Such tenderness that our shepherd has for us. I don't know why sometimes we grow cold-hearted. I don't know why sometimes we forget about him. Our heart's nowhere near any place that could be running after him. But wherever, my Jesus still cares. In the midweek message that got out, I labored there to encourage God's people in speaking about a help to being cast down. And now we take the other side today. Warning signs that our God and Lord has posted throughout scripture as you travel down this road to your eternal destiny. Midweek I spoke to Christians. It is the same today. I'm speaking to all of you that profess His name. I want you to just consider just a few, and you will probably know many more as we go along. warning signs on your journey, hopefully to that celestial city. Paul writes about Hebrews 12, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven and to God, the judge of all and spirits of just men made perfect. That general assembly. Those in heaven, the spirits of just men already there and already made perfect. And then those that are on the road to that city. Now what Paul's writing about there and the one there, that is the true God. Not necessarily the one that your mind has invented or come up with. One thing all of you know, God is far greater than our intellect. Canst thou by searching find out God? Job 11. Can't do it. Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways are past finding out. That's our God. Paul saw, I should say, would have gone to eternal damnation serving the God in his mind that he thought was the true God. After all, it was the one his fathers had served and had taught him. And to him, his God was the true God. What of your God? Is it the one in Scripture Or is it one that you've concocted that is easier to live with than this God that demands that we walk holy, down here before others and always before Him? Who is your God? Oftentimes God must strip us and destroy the idol that we have of God. Wearing a coat, warning a friend to get there as quickly as he could, and writing about one that has journeyed with him on this road for some time. Demas hath forsaken me." Now, if you go to the church today, that one that is out there in the world, they would begin their evaluation, well, Demas really didn't forsake God. If he did, he was just backslidden. Or maybe he found that God was easier to live with the God in his mind more so than the one that Paul continued to write about. If he did, he just backslid. He found another whose service to God is not as demanding as was Paul. Now he can walk on that road to glory with another that he'll never be bothered internally again. And so we look. Many finds the church on the other side of town where there are more people, and there are more activity, more children there, and your friends are there, and a lot more to do. After all, we don't have anything here. Dear ones, there is a great truth runs throughout Scripture that has been lost in our day, and that is the perseverance. Not the preservation. Everybody believes once saved, always saved. But there is this, the perseverance. Every saint of God will finish the race. It's not those that start, it is only those that finish. Many people remain faithful to a church. but their heart left God a long time ago. Throughout the scripture, there are many warning signs that God has posted, but only the serious minded will continue to pay attention to them. If you're traveling down the highway and you read the sign, bridge out 2,500 feet, Being in a right mind, you start slowing down. Another driver comes along. He does not believe the sign. Well, I crossed that bridge last week, and it was fine. Guess what happens to him when he drives over the cliff because the end of the bridge on this side of the road was completely gone. Another driver gets so busy and so occupied and careless that he misses the sign altogether. So you. In the scripture, many, along with this, Deimos, having loved this present world. That's one. Are we too busy to check them out? Are we speeding down the highway with so many things on our mind that we never slow down to read the warnings that God has left behind? So the scripture posted many. How about this? Over a half million men left Egypt, not counting the women and the children. God kept them in that wilderness there until that generation passed away, with the exception... I've lost their names. Book after Deuteronomy, who wrote that? Caleb. Those two, do you take seriously what God has said? Have you ever been behind the semi coming down from one of the water towers around the county down 48 And you ever got behind the tractor trailer loaded and you knew he's never been on this road before, he can't see around that curve, that first curve or the second. He does not know how long that he will be in that curve. And so he begins braking at the top as he comes down into that first curve. but one that is familiar with the road, though he might slow down. It won't be at the beginning up there. It'll be towards the second curve and where another highway, 129, runs into it. Unknown was the road to the one that began cautiously driving down that hill, those curves. The Puritans and the Reformers have left us valuable writings. They can be a great help, and I've found it so many times. But we're on a different road today in many ways. Their path and ours are very similar. But they didn't live. They didn't live in this day. They lived under Bloody Mary and James II, and another one, intent on wiping out every, every man or woman that did not bow to the Roman Catholic priest. Now, they left us many devices. Now, I'll get to that later. They listed many devices that Satan uses, but they couldn't write about this century. They were persecuted. They were drowned. They were burned alive, nailed to the stake's cross. There was a life then within the church that made them gladly, gladly go on carrying the gospel, knowing that it could mean their life. Today, no persecution. We don't have enough power. There's not enough godliness about us to offend anybody. And almost all seriousness and sober thinking has disappeared. And we're all driving safely alone, not paying any attention to what God has told us. How about the large number that started out with Jesus? But due to his teachings, the road began to narrow in. They found that there were but few followers of him, and the closer he got to the cross, less were the number that stayed with him. Do you take seriously your standing before God? Do you examine? Do you make certain you're calling an election? Do you search throughout the scripture to see what God say? Where am I in light of that? What signs have I missed that has brought me to the condition that I'm in? Now another old Puritan I started to mention a while ago, Matthew Mead. And we used to have a book over there, I see that it's gone, but it was a tremendous sermon on the almost Christian discern, discovered. And it was about a false professor tried and cast away. Do you not take seriously the path you're on? Do you not consider when I go to God for you that sometimes I wonder, where is he? Where is she? Another old man, his wife woke up in the middle of the night, and he was beside the bed there on his knees. She said, get back in bed, you're going to catch a cold down there. He said, I don't know how it is with many of my hearers, and I can't get back now until I've talked with God. and carried them to God. She got up and took an old quilt and wrapped it around him while he stayed there praying. Now turn with me. We don't have that kind of ministers today either. 1 Peter chapter 1. I Peter 1.13, I did say to you that seriousness is about gone. We're all okay. I Peter 1.13, wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. The one that called this morning mentioned Luther in passing and how he fought doubt as to whether or not he was dying as a Christian. And I know of other men. gird up the loins of your mind, and all of you get serious about this, get sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation. Hope to the end for the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Today's grace won't do. in that dying hour. When your soul is headed out into one of two eternities, one of light, one of glory, one of joy undescribable, that's where every child of God is headed. The other, darkness, pain, agony, separation, loneliness. Though there are millions upon millions there, everybody will be to themselves. All of you get sober-minded now and you begin laboring and hope for grace in your dying hour. I Peter 5 verses 8 through 10. I Peter 5, 8, beginning, Be sober, twice, he's warned his hearers. Be vigilant, because your adversary the devil is a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus. After that ye have suffered a while, make ye perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you. That's what we're laboring for. Verse number 10. Many days our adversary, like that roaring lion, Paul said, God has delivered me out of the mouth of the lion, the devil. Our adversary goes about like that. But you stay faithful, you stay diligent in prayer and in reading the scripture. Don't discard any of it. and hope to the end for dying grace. Remember the seed in Luke 8, the good ground hearers, they with an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it and bring forth fruit with patience. That's the child of God. Bring forth fruit with patience. And God's told you this, our Lord Jesus, in Matthew 13, ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake. But he that endeareth where you are today, you should not be here next Lord's day. you should have advanced somewhat within, and your heart come in richer, more determined to hear, endearing. Your only hope is finishing this race. Another sign that every one of us would do well to take heed The love of money, I Timothy 6.10, is the root of all evil. For 30 pieces of silver, Judas forsook the road and ended up, wasn't fit for heaven, wasn't fit to live upon the earth, so he just hung himself between heaven and the earth. How many have turned aside foot dollar bills for higher salary, move halfway across the country, never considering what will the church be like when I get there? Had a good friend that they were shutting down one part of Goodyear in West Virginia, Ohio. He drove every day. And he could move to Gadsden, but before he ever made a decision, he came down here and spent several days checking out and seeing, is there a church near Gadsden that I can attend? He had to still drive a good way every Lord's Day, he and his wife and his daughter moved because of a church. Truth is more important than a job. Be careful that that root of all evil not sprout You begin hoarding up and loving money. Covetousness. Beware of covetousness. Just a little sign pointing to the left as you journey on the narrow road. Better house. A richer town. More things to do. Better school for the children, a lot of activity there. And deciding this, God was not in all their thoughts. They wanted these things, so they moved. You skip that. Just a little ahead there, there'll be one to the left, and trying to obtain the world. That is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. The pastures down in the valley, they look a lot greener than this old hillside grass. We'll be near a town down there that my wife and daughters can visit quite often. And so Lot chose the plain because they were well watered and he lived near people. I don't know about the two daughters that left with him, where they are. I know about the other. Possibly three daughters, I know he had at least two. I know where they are, his son-in-laws and his wife. Because that was a better place for his herd. You're looking at the world and you're thinking, there's places out there that I've never been. There's things that I've never done. There's success out there that I've never gained thus far. You're thinking about all these things and what you might, the ladder of success you might rise in the world, the popularity you might gain. New styles of clothing out there. You can work hours over time, ever how much you want. And with this thought, I look after my soul when I retire. You're like that foolish man, so eat, drink, and be merry, for you've got much goods laid up for many years. Enjoy it. If you want to pursue higher wages, more friends, better opportunities to advance in the world, it's plenty out there. But then you see a very broad road. Don't take that, professing child of God. But you look and you see that road's got so many people on it. Well, I can keep my religion and gain the world. the preacher out there, he's kind, he's loving, he never mentions sin, he never talks about holy living, he never talks about a personal relationship to Christ, with Christ, and the crowds flock to him. You've got to be better. Children, you know the one place 21st century men and women don't want the one thing, plain, honest teaching and preaching. They don't want their sin to ever be brought up. Don't mention my fallen nature. are facing the righteous judge. Just leave me alone. I'm happy. I'm a Christian. Give me a man or woman, boy or girl, you young folks. Always within you're dealing with, why don't I love my God more? Why is there this constant battle within me? What is it that takes away my assurance and my confidence, makes me wonder if my profession was real or not? The one place we don't want these things brought up where you're sitting in the church house. I think I told you, I'm pretty sure I did, about I was preaching the funeral for the wife of a longtime friend. And I did not mention heaven or her being there. And I closed out, and we were told, just sit there. And the director and another one working at the funeral home, they came down the aisle. Between them, a woman sitting to my left, jumped up, tripped over the wires running to the pulpit, stumbled, but she meant to have a word in that funeral. She did not know the lady, but she was the pastor of this one's sister. And she wanted everybody there to know that lady's in heaven. Her sisters told me a lot about her. Well, that's what we get at homegoings today in funerals. We've got a doctor's appointment. And the one thing we want from our doctor is honesty. And so they draw the blood work and calls me and says, your blood work's fine. Vital signs were excellent. This was right and this was at a good number. And so it looks like that your body's in pretty good shape for your age. We want the truth there. Even if it means, he says to us, come back in a couple of days because there's something in your blood work that I want to check out further. We want him to be honest because all of us want to add a few more years to living down here. But the one place that we don't want the truth, right here. I don't know how many will cut this off that listen through the week. Want a good doctor to tell them everything, but they don't want a preacher to do that. Turn with me to the last passage this morning, Isaiah 30. Isaiah 30. In verse number seven, the last phrase, their strength is to sit still. Verse eight, now go write it before them in a table and note it in a book that it may be for the time to come forever and ever that this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord. which say to the seers, see not. Don't be looking out there to find something wrong. Just quit looking. And they say to the prophets, prophesy not unto us right things. Don't tell me the truth. Speak unto us smooth things. prophesy deceit. Even if it means I go to hell, at least I want to live here happy. And I don't know a preacher telling me this and this and that's wrong. Jehoshaphat had determined that he would go where Ahab to battle and all they have prophets become, or they came, go, God will give you the victory. You shall defeat this king and take him. And there was that within Jehoshaphat. It's known to us as the still, quiet, small voice of God. And he said to Ahab, is there not here a prophet of the Lord? Oh yeah, there's one, Micaiah. By him, he never prophesies good towards me. Jeremiah, the prophets prophesy falsely Jeremiah said, and my people, God had him right, and my people love to have prophets prophesy falsely. Got a son, he was in Orlando and they shipped him over to West Palm Beach. He might call. Well, he's usually good about calling when he gets there, and sometimes that's the last I hear of him until he's ready to leave someplace. But he called Monday, and he called back two times. He said, guess what I just heard as I walked through the lobby down there on the way to work. I heard one man saying to another, the purpose of my being here is to help the pastor train him how to keep the millionaires in his church and how to get more. That's my purpose. Well, folk, we know about that kind out there. Nemus having loved this present world. Do you realize that in us there's a tendency to depart from the Lord? I have that. In most people it takes some time to be manifest outwardly. especially in the congregation. You may get mad with me, but it really doesn't make any difference to me about this. I don't want any of you to do like John did here. He was getting ready to leave. He didn't want to be here anymore. And he came up with this excuse. He preached that directly to me. Didn't have a thought of him that morning in mind. Now it would be good if you felt the Lord had a word for you. But don't blame me. I have given none of you a reason, and I have preached to none of you personally, though again I wish everybody here would believe in their heart that the preacher was speaking directly to me. The old writer Robert Robinson, again 1700s, you got to go back that far to get good hymns. and good books. We sing that here quite often. Prone to wonder, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love. Folk, you can be here. You can sit here faithfully until Kedrith no longer exists or you have gone into eternity. You can be faithful, yet your heart has departed. You've got to watch your heart. Do you know what God said about David's grandson, Solomon's son, the king Rehoboam? You know what God said? Well, surely God pointed out some wicked deeds that he did because the phrase, the verse starts off, he did evil. I bet he got other idols. I bet he moved them into the temple of God. Or he may have put this one to death. Surely, surely there were some bad things that he did. You know what God said about him doing evil? Because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord. Evil. He didn't prepare. Is there a word there to you? Dear ones, great harm has been inflicted on Christianity by professors of the Lord Jesus to go back into the world. Experimental godliness has all but disappeared. And we today, we compare ourselves to the mainstream of religion. I look pretty good. Our lies, well, they're just little ones. Maybe I stretch the truth a little bit. And most of the time, my language is a whole lot better than theirs. And what I hear from the majority that are big church attenders, oh, we rarely use the Lord's name in vain, but we have no tears or no grief of conviction or ever doing anything wrong. Or we have no conviction on our relationship and how we deal with other people. Well, they said this or they did that. It does not matter what anybody does to you. Your responsibility is a right heart before God. You can't pray with bitterness. Stir it up in your heart. And folk, are we guilty of rendering half-hearted worship? Or are we guilty like Rehoboam, sitting down without having prepared our heart to seek the Lord? Can you remember the last time your heart truly went out to God as your Father? To Christ Jesus as your great friend, your heavenly bridegroom? You remember the last time your redeemer was precious to you? And your heart melted as you thought of the price he paid? Folk, the greatest loss you can ever suffer, it's not your health, it's not your riches. It's a sensitive conscience. And God, not talking to you through his word, or in that still voice. You hear it anymore? Balaam's donkey had more sense than he did. She turned aside, he beat her. She ran into a wall, crushed his foot, and she fell down under him. And God gave that donkey that had been mistreated the ability to talk. Why are you doing me like that? I've been faithful to you. See, the jack could see the angel, but the prophet couldn't. Children, you've got the greatest gift ever given. It's called life. But if you are a Christian, you've got a greater gift and the greatest of all gifts. It's called eternal life. But right now you are having to deal with life. What you do with it and how you live in it is the greatest responsibility that God's ever laid upon the people. You can improve your time here. Or you can sit in the shade sipping lemonade and let your house fall in for lack of repairs. I'm talking about your spiritual building. Chief end of man, glorify God and enjoy Him forever. The opposite of that is for you to live for yourself with no concern about glorifying Him. And all of us here are using our life and our time either for good or evil. And the question every one of you should ask, am I fulfilling the end of the life God gave me within? Or am I going to end up being responsible, but never considering it in my walk, being responsible to others, either benefiting them or leading them astray to eternal damnation? Do you see yonder fig tree, children, over there in that eastern land? It's all dried up. The leaves have withered. And it's in the condition it's in today as the disciples pass by. It's in the condition it's in because it did not fulfill the purpose for which God created it. That is, providing fruit. So it ended up being cursed by our Lord. I don't want to discourage any, but I sure would like for every one of you to leave being honest within your own heart.