Some man named Nicodemus came to Jesus by night. He had a question he needed answered. He did not come to start a fight. Dear Master, can you tell me the way to get to heaven? Jesus answered, I will tell you. The Demas was a good man and a leader of the Jews, but his goodness could not save him, nor can your goodness save you. But Jesus died on Calvary to wash away your sin. You must put your faith in Jesus. you must be born again I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore. Very deeply stained within, seeking to rise no more. But the master of the sea heard my despairing cry. From the waters lifted me, now safe am I. Love lifted me, love lifted me, when nothing else Love lifted me, love lifted me When nothing else could help, love lifted me All my heart to Him I give, ever to Him I'll cling In His blessed presence live, ever His praises sing Love so mighty and so true, merits my soul's best songs Faithful, loving service to Him belongs. Love lifted me, love lifted me. When nothing else could help, love lifted me. Love lifted me, love lifted me. When nothing else could help, love lifted me. Souls in danger, look above, Jesus completely saves. He will lift you by His love out of the angry waves. He's the master of the sea, billows His will obey. He is Savior once to be, be saved today. Love lifted me, love lifted me, when nothing else could help. love lifted me, love lifted me. When nothing else could help, love lifted me. Amen. Oh, when you do not let the word depart And enclose thine eyes against a lie For sinner hearted, not your heart Be safe, oh, tonight Oh, why not tonight? Why not tonight? Why not tonight? We'll bow, we'll say, we'll bow, we'll say Then why not tonight? Tomorrow's sun may never rise To bless thy longing who decides This is the time, oh let me rise Be safe, oh tonight Why not tonight? Why not tonight? Why not tonight? Why not tonight? We'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, And wilt thou thus his love requite? Renounce him, what's thy sovereign will? Be safe, oh, tonight Why not tonight? Why not tonight? Why not tonight? Why not tonight? We'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, we'll fail, Why not tonight? Why not tonight? Why not tonight? Why not tonight? We'll both be safe We'll both be safe Then why not, oh why not Callum was riding towards the western sun And recalled his life he had lived by the gun His heart was heavy and felt how hope was lost He caught his style into a halt and cried out to God And he cried, O Lord, save my soul Forgive me for all the wrong I've done make me whole and cleanse me in the blood of his precious son as he continued he rode into a town Solveig knew the white church and heard a choir singing loud As he walked through the doors he fell upon his knees Tears filled his eyes and he cried, I have believed And he cried, Lord, save my soul, forgive me His precious son The same old cowboy on a sunny Sunday morn Walked through those same church doors where he was reborn He's now a teacher telling about Christ our King Telling folks about the gift that he had received And he taught the Lord, saved my soul Gave me for all the wrong I've done The Lord made me whole And cleansed me in the blood of His precious Son highways and ledges highways and ledges highways and ledges I'll be somewhere working for my Lord. I'll be somewhere working, I'll be somewhere working, I'll be somewhere working for my Lord. I'll be somewhere working, I'll be somewhere working, I'll be somewhere working for my Lord. If he calls me, I will answer. If he calls me, I will answer. If he calls me, I will answer. I was somewhere working for my Lord. I'll be somewhere a-workin', I'll be somewhere a-workin', I'll be somewhere a-workin' for my Lord. I'll be somewhere a-workin', I'll be somewhere a-workin', I'll be somewhere a-workin' for my Lord. In the highways and hedges, in the highways and hedges, I shall not be I shall not be moved I shall not be, I shall not be moved just like a tree that's planted by the water. I shall not be moved. Golden hallelujah, I shall not be moved. Golden hallelujah, I shall not be moved just like a tree that's planted I shall not be moved. When my burden's heavy, I shall not be moved. When my burden's heavy, I shall not be moved. Just like a tree that's planted by the water, I shall not be moved. When my breath is safe me I shall not be moved When my breath is safe me I shall not be moved Just like the tree that's planted by the water I shall not be moved I shall not Out in the songs for the Savior Out in the byway of sin Out in the highways and hedges Somebody's soul you may wing Out in the slums for the Savior Out in the hills weak and cold Telling of Christ the Good Shepherd Bringing the lost to the throne Out in the slums of Judea What was our mission begun? Though like the dear loving Jesus Search for the wandering one Out in the slums for the Savior Out in the hills we can go Hailing of Christ the Good Shepherd Bringing the lost to the fold Out in the sin-cursing region Ignorance, blight and despair ♪ Out in the slums for the Savior ♪ ♪ Herald His word anywhere ♪ ♪ Out in the slums for the Savior ♪ ♪ Out in the hills bleak and cold ♪ ♪ Telling of Christ the Good Shepherd ♪ ♪ Bringing the lost to the fold ♪ Telling of Christ the Good Shepherd, bringing the lost to the fold. Thank our young people. We do thank the church family. What a wonderful service we've already had. What a wonderful week we've already enjoyed. Looking forward to tonight, and yet tomorrow night, praying God, we'll continue to bless these next two nights in a very special way. Before we go any further, and I take up more time than I need to, I want to go back to the Lord in prayer. Once again, ask God's blessing upon this service, upon the speaker, praying God would just be gracious You might feel the Spirit of God in this place tonight. That's what I want. I want you to feel God's Spirit. And I want you to know that He's in this place. And I want you to feel what the Word of God is saying to you. May God direct your heart. May God direct your mind. May God give you the faith, if that's what you're standing in need of tonight, to be saved by His amazing grace. Brother Joey Lyons, would you ask the blessing upon our speaker, please? Amen. Brother Joe Collins, you've got to preach what the Lord laid on your heart. Help your Bibles over to the 16th chapter of the book of Luke if you will Luke chapter number 16 We are thankful to be back with you tonight Be my last night here. You don't have to put up with me anymore who's preaching tomorrow night brother I Brother Matt? Oh, OK. Well, you'll be in capable hands, Brother Matt Step. But I had a wonderful time. You're very easy to preach to. And that makes a preacher feel comfortable when he's not in his own church, when he comes out to visit churches. I've been in some churches that are not too comfortable, to be honest with you. So you're very easy to preach to. And so we're thankful to be with you. Thank you for your pastor. We love him very much. I don't know of anything we can argue about. We just think alike on a lot of things. And so I'm thankful for that. Love to hear him preach. You know you're blessed. Now, I hope you will be tolerant of me tonight. And if I move, do I mess you up back there when I move over here? Can you still hear me? All right, because I may move around. If you tie my feet, I can't think. But I hope you'll be tolerant with me tonight. I want to go ahead and finish up my message from last night. I brought a nicer one. I did. It's much more pleasant to preach. But I want to go ahead and finish up my thoughts. Last night we preached a message. Hell is waiting to meet you. Very difficult subject for me personally. And I did not even get halfway through it. But we'll try our best to finish up some thoughts, some broken thoughts tonight. Let me just talk to you if I can. Brother John can tell you, and by the way, I got some scriptures here. I'm not very good at using notes. I mess up. So I'll take these with me. But let me tell you a little bit how I came to that message. I mentioned it briefly last night. But Brother John can tell you, there's certain messages that stick with you. more than others. You know, when you preach to the same people three times a week, and sometimes it's a struggle to make sure you're not saying the same thing over and over again, ding dong, dong ding, you know. But sometimes the message feels like it's for you more than it is for anybody else. I came away about between 1.30 and 2 o'clock in the morning here, a couple weeks or so ago, and got thinking about my boys. And I do that fairly often. And if God brings them to your mind, you pray for my boys. Adam and Kristen, one lives out in Oregon, Portland, Oregon. and the other one is in Colorado. I have a good relationship with them. I'm thankful for that. We still talk frequently. But you pray for my boys. I lay there and I thought about this and I was thinking about my boys and I have to say I have never seen two boys do an absolute 180 degree turn from everything they had been taught their whole life. And they had a good childhood. They were not any problem at all. They were straight-A students. Took it out to a dad. They were hard workers. They took a job very quickly and earned their way a lot. I didn't buy my kids' car. I couldn't afford it. And so they had to work and get their car. So they were good boys. But they did a complete 180 degree turn. They are for everything we are against. And they're against everything we're for. Never seen anything like it in my life. And so I lay there, and Belinda and I will pray for our children quite often, and we'll start to cry. And I told Brother John this today. I told Belinda something one night as we were laying there crying, and I said, you know, honey, we believe in election except when it comes to our own children. Tough thing to say. But I tell you what, I have more confidence in a sovereign, merciful God than I do in their ability to choose Him, which they cannot. But I lay there and this subject came to my mind. And I know that if God doesn't intervene in their hearts, hell's waiting to meet them. That's a hard thing. Now let me say something to you tonight if you're lost. I'm speaking as a man. I want you to understand me here. I'm speaking as a human. I know the other side of the coin. But I've never, humanly speaking, I don't see how you can sit under the sound of the gospel. And I know this man, I know his heart, I know what he preaches. I know about the privacy of man, I know what the Bible says, but I just think like that. How in the world can you sit there, service after service after service, and still walk out in rebellion, refuse to believe, and repent of your sins. I think like that. Don't you dare doubt that if you continue in the direction you're going, hell is waiting to meet you. Now, we took our text out of Isaiah chapter number 14, lest you think I'm kind of nutty here when I say it like that. The Bible actually says that. In Isaiah chapter 14 verse number 9, the Bible says that hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming. Now think about that. Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming. In other words, hell is waiting to meet you. I read about these two preachers one time, and by the way, I don't take joy in preaching on a subject like this at all, but these two preachers one time was called to this church that was looking for a pastor, and they called them there on the same day. And they both were scheduled to preach. And both of them preached on the same subject. Both of them preached on the subject of hail. After they finished, the man of the church told the second man, he said, listen, we have decided that we appreciate you coming, but we're going to call the first man. And the second man said, well, that's fine, that's well and good, but why is that? We preached the same message, the same subject on hell. And the man said it like this, he said, well, when you preached on hell, it looked like you was enjoying yourself. But when he preached on hell, he wept all the way through it. we looked at Proverbs chapter number 27 when it says hail and destruction and verse 20 says hail and destruction are never full there's always room for more always room for you you see and hail and destruction I also looked in Isaiah chapter 5 where the Bible says that Hell hath enlarged herself. Now, I don't think that means by any strength of the imagination that Hell's getting bigger and bigger and bigger. The idea, as I said last night, as the Bible talks about the pit or the abyss, it is a place of unlimited capacity. Now, that mystifies us. It boggles our mind. It ain't no problem with God. Hell hath enlarged herself and opened her mouth without measure. So last night, all we did really was introduce our subject and got through the first point or so, almost, not quite. But we talked about hell being an actual place. Listen to me. Hell has not been invented by religious minds to kind of scare you into being good. Hell is an actual place. And it is right now 10 minutes to 8. And there are people in hell right now. Hell's an actual place. Now let me give you some scripture. I have these jotted down, but just to show you, listen, the Bible actually talks more about hell than it does about heaven. Sure does. For example, in Psalm number nine, I may have used this last night, the Bible says the wicked shall be turned into hell, and all nations that forget God. That's what it says. In Psalm 55 verse 15, let death seize upon them, let them go down quick into hell. Isn't that a frightening thought? Let them go down quick into hell. Proverbs chapter 9, but he knoweth not that the dead are there and that her guests are in the depths of hell. It goes like that. Look at Ezekiel chapter 31, I cast him down to hell with them that descend into the pit. You go to the New Testament and our Savior said this in Mark chapter number 9. If I hand offend thee, He said cut it off. He said it's better to for thee to enter into life maimed than having two hands to go into hell and to the fire that never shall be quenched. Listen, for the worm dieth not, He says, and the fire is not quenched. And it goes like that throughout the scriptures. Of course you go over to Revelation chapter 21, the Bible says there that the sea gave up the dead which were in it and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them and they were judged every man according to the works, right? That's going to be, they're going to be given up the dead at that time. So hell is an actual place. Now by the way, hell is not the final place. Because one day death and hell is going to deliver up the dead. And then the Bible says in the next verse in Revelation chapter 21, and death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And so believe me sinner, hell is an actual place. Now, let me read my text tonight, if I can, just a portion of it to remind you what's going on, again, in this text. certain verse number 19 there was a certain rich man which was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day and it was a certain bagger named Lazarus which was laid at his gate full of sores and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table moreover the dogs came and licked his wounds and it came to pass And was carried by the angels that does something to me carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom And the rich man also died and was buried and this son and in hell lifted up his eyes being in torment and seeing Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom and he cried and He cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me. Let me tell you, there's not gonna be any mercy at all in hell. Father Abraham, have mercy on me. And sin Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for he says I am tormented in these flames. Let me go ahead and just for sake of time, put my scripture reading right there. You know this account well, and just to remind you of the gist of it. Now, again, we quoted Mr. Spurgeon last night. I think we need to hear it a lot. I think it ought to do something to us as believers. Mr. Spurgeon said one time, he said that the sinners be damned. He said at least let them leap to hell over our dead bodies. He wrapped about their knees and implored them to stay. If hell must be filled, He said, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertion and let no man go unworn or unprayed for. You think about it. Do you have loved ones that are lost? Do you have a husband or do you have a wife? that are lost. I'm telling you that ought to do something to you. It's real to me, folks. It's real. I thought about this. When people are confronted with the reality of hell, they will usually react in one of three ways. First, they'll try to rationalize it, you know, out of existence. I want to tell you, it is astounding what direction your natural mind will take you. Listen to me, your natural way of thinking, your natural mind is an enemy of Almighty God. And so they try to rationalize this. They get to the place, well, end up where God is not real, the devil is not real, hell is not real. Well listen, rationalize it all you want. I still say, let God be true and let every man be alive. rationalize hell out of existence. So they'll try to rationalize it, and then they'll try to ridicule it. They love poking fun at it. I've seen in hell, you know, as they flippantly and casually say foolish things like that, they start ridiculing the very idea of hell. Charles Darwin, the fool, the evolutionist that he was, He was very fond of saying that hell is a foolish doctrine, a foolish teaching. Well, I'm going to tell you, Charles Darwin, he was the fool. You can rationalize it. You can ridicule it all you want. I still say, let God be true. Let every man be a liar. Hell's still real. So they'll try to rationalize it. They'll try to ridicule it. And then, when all else fails, they may try religion. And religion, some people have got just enough religion to be miserable. You ever seen somebody like that? And modern religion is a farce. Modern religion, you don't hear nothing like this in modern churches. Modern religion says God is love. God would never cast anybody into hell. Christian science says hell is an error of the mortal mind. Mormons say that everybody will eventually make it into heaven. Jehovah's Witness says the wicked are just annihilated. That's what modern religion says. But you try religion all you want, folks, that will not help. And I still say, let God be true. Let every man be a liar, folks. Hell is an actual place. Are you with me? Number two, now that's number one. Get out of here before 10 o'clock. Number two, hell is also an agonizing place. In other words, listen to me. It is a place of unimaginable torment. Sure is. Now, we could stand here and speak for hours, perhaps, on what is in hell. I mean, the Bible describes hell in such an horrific way. Believe me, sinner, it's not a place you want to go to. It's not a place to be so flippant about. It describes it in some horrible... For example, hell is a place of unquenchable fire. You know. Somebody says, well, how can you be on fire? And by the way, it is an eternal fire. Somebody says, well, how can you be on fire and not be burned up? It ain't no problem with God. How can you be on fire and not be consumed? Have you forgotten about the burning bush? Have you forgotten about the three Hebrew children? I love that, by the way. Mo Nebuchadnezzar threw the boys in that furnace and he looked in there and he said, wait a minute, did I not throw three of them in there? But I see four and they're loosed and walking about, they have no herd. And one of them is like the Son of God. One of them was the Son of God. And they come out and they had no hurt. Their clothes were not burned. Their hair was not singed. They didn't even have the smell of smoke on them. It ain't no problem with God. It is a place of unquenchable fire. But we can talk all night about what is in hell. I chose this text because it tells us a lot about what is not in hell. What is not in hell ought to frighten you just as much as what is in hell. Number one, I can tell you this, there is no light in hell. In fact, you know what it's called? It's called outer darkness. You say, wait a minute. See how our rational mind thinks? How can it be absolute darkness and yet be fine? It ain't no problem with God. Just tell us that at the very heart of a flame, it is actually pitch black. Isn't that interesting? But I'll tell you, there is no light inhaled whatsoever. These foolish people say, I'll see you in hell. No, you won't. But you will be tormented in absolute, obscure darkness. You will see no one else of that unconquered. Now, think about the significance of that for a moment. You know what he said of Christ in the Bible? The Bible says, and in him was light of men, and the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. Jesus said, I am the light of the world. Men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. You're going to be an act, there's not going to be any light. Now just try to imagine, try to imagine if you can what that would be like. to be in absolute darkness, and yet still remember the comfort and the safety of the light. I was a security cat. When I was a kid, I'd lay there and imagine all kinds of things at night. But I'd turn on that light, and I'd be fine. I don't know why Boogeymen don't bother using the lights on them. But they did. Can you imagine, think about this, to be in darkness, say for a thousand years, and to know you've only just begun, and remember the comfort and the safety and the light, but you be in absolute darkness. And you may enlighten him. I worked coal mines for three years before I started Bible college. Everybody in my family worked coal mines, this is what we did. crawl around, about 34, 36 inch seam. That's when my hands were crooked, that might last my hand. Rock crushed them one time. But I used to, first job they give you in the coal mines at that time was to put you on what's called the tailpiece. The tailpiece is where the beltway ends inside. And so when the miner mines the coal and the muggy men come down and shove the coal out on the tailpiece, they're trying to haul all the coal as quickly as they can. They're shoving that coal out faster than the belt is moving. And so you know what happens? You get all this spillage. I shoveled coal eight hours a day with a number nine coal shovel. I used to be pretty good shape. Now I'm all flat. But part of my job was once a week I had to crawl the belt line all the way outside on this side to check for rock falls and then crawl back in on the other side. It took me eight hours. If you move pretty good. I was about a mile and a half back underground. And so a couple of times I got down that belt line and my light goes out. Now you know when the Bible talks about darkness in Egypt that can be felt? I know what that's like. They teach you If that happens, don't move. Feel around for the rib, the wall of the mind, we call it the rib. Find you a spot of the rib and sit back against that rib and just sit there. And somebody will eventually find you. They'll miss you and come looking for you. Now, boys, the first time that happened to me, and then we have rats about that long that will crawl over your legs, it's a trip. But you know what? That ain't nothing. When you'll be in absolute obscure darkness for eternity, you'll be there for thousands and thousands of years, and you still have only just begun. It's not going to be like that. The second thing I thought about, there's not going to be any laughter in hell. The Bible says here, in verse 23, he lifted up his eyes. Poor man. Verse 24, he cried. have mercy on me. Send Lazarus, and he might dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. For he said, I am tormented in these flames. You say, it sounds like he's having a good time. These foolish people get the idea that hell's just going to be one big old party. You're going to continue your wicked lifestyle even in hell. No, you will not. Not going to be any laughter in hell whatsoever. Jesus, the scripture says this. Matthew chapter 8, verse number 12. Cast into an outer darkness. Weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew chapter 22. Then said the king to the servants, bind him hand and foot, take him away, cast him into outer darkness, and there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Revelation chapter 14, verse number 11. And the smoke of her torment ascended up forever and ever. It goes like that, folks. Hell is no laughing matter. Sir Francis Newport was the head of an infidel club. It was fashionable back then to call yourself an infidel, an atheist, or agnostic. He was the head of an infidel club. On his deathbed, he cried out, you need not tell me there is no hell, for I already feel my way. No frightening thought. He cried out, wretches, cease your idle talk about there being hope for me. There's not going to be any light in hell. There's not going to be any laughter in hell. I can tell you thirdly, there's not going to be any lenience or liberty in hell either. Sure ain't. Verse 26 says, and besides all this between us and you, there is a great goal fixed. Think about this. So that they which would pass from hence to you cannot, neither can they pass to us that would come from thence. One preacher said there ain't no exit signs in hell. That's right. There is no liberty. Now listen, good news I got for you folks. Listen to me. Jesus Christ can set you free. Ain't that glorious? And if the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. With any mental liberty, you're not going to be set free from hell at all. Frightened, frightened thoughts. Not going to be any light. Not going to be any liberty at all. Not going to be any laughter. Last thing, there's not going to be any leniency in hell. Verse 25, the Bible says, but Abraham said, son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receiveth thy good things and likewise Lazarus evil things. And now he's comforted. And he says, you're a torment. You know what? He's being tormented right now. One of these days, you're going to get exactly what you've got coming to you. You sure are. At that time, folks, there's not going to be any mercy, not going to be any grace, not going to be any comfort, only going to be torment. Let me tell you something. Right now, God is a loving God. I like to say that. God is benevolent to all of his creatures, isn't he? He's benevolent. His benevolence goes to all. I admit that. In love, he provided for us a savior. In love, he died for my sins. In love, he calls me unto himself. In love, he saves me. Let me tell you, there's coming a day when all of that stops. Not going to be in grace, not going to be in mercy, not going to be in peace, not going to be in love. Only going to be torment. On one occasion, the agnostic or atheistic speaker, I mentioned him last night, Robert Ingersoll, announced that he was going to give a lecture on hell and proved conclusively that hell was invented by religious minds to scare people. And as he got up to give his lecture, an old drunk stood up in the audience and he said, make it strong, Bob, because a lot of us poor fellows are dependent on you. If you're wrong, we're all lost. So prove it plain and true. Ingersoll was a fool. Hell's a real place. It is an actual place. It is an agonizing place. Lastly, I'm glad to tell you, hell is an avoidable place. You don't have to go there. You can escape. You can flee from the wrath to come. Sure can. As I mentioned last night, Jesus said to Nicodemus, God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned. I'm glad to tell you there came a day when God saved my soul. And he that believeth not is condemned already. Hell's waiting to meet you. Sure is. I don't see how you can sit there, time after time, as a lot of folks were not playing games. Hell and destruction are never full. Hell hath enlarged herself, and openeth her mouth wide. And hell is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming. Hell is waiting to meet you. Tonight would be a good night. It'd be a great night for you to finally just give up. I'm just talking plain to you. Quit trying to figure this thing out with your rational mind. It don't work. Quit trying to be saved. Just surrender. Say, Lord, I give up. I'm telling you, if you continue down the path you're on, maybe sooner than you think, hell's waiting to meet you. Brother, I quit. I'm done. I messed all this up.