Participants:
Series Code: TMC
Program Code: TMC000025A
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00:14 I don't know how many of you have ever
00:17 stood on the corner and listened to a Salvation Army band play? 00:23 But this song tonight is entitled The Assurance March. 00:27 And if you'll just listen carefully 00:30 as she plays you'll be able to hear the Salvation Army band. 00:34 OK: 02:40 Maddy Couperus has been working with us for the last 9 years 02:47 holding crusades different places. 02:50 Her voice has always been one that has been clear. 02:54 Always has spoken to my heart. 02:57 I hope it has to you. 02:59 And I'm sure that you'll be blessed in a very special way 03:03 tonight as she ministers to us in music. 03:16 For what earthly reason 03:21 would the Father send down 03:26 His Son? 03:30 To suffer rejection 03:35 and pay for 03:37 crimes He had not done. 03:45 For what earthly reason 03:49 would the Father 03:52 let Him hang on the tree? 03:59 I wept with the answer: 04:04 the one earthly reason 04:08 was me. 04:16 I was the 04:18 reason... 04:25 the one 04:26 earthly reason. 04:35 I was the 04:37 guilty; 04:44 He was the 04:47 sacrifice. 04:53 I was the 04:56 taker; 05:03 He was 05:05 the Giver. 05:12 Dying 05:14 while I go free... 05:19 the one earthly reason 05:24 was me. 05:29 The fairest of heaven 05:34 was summoned from His throne 05:38 in the sky 05:43 to pay for my purchase 05:48 not even the angels 05:53 could die. 05:58 The only provision 06:02 for my pardon 06:05 was destined to be 06:12 that sweet Lamb of glory. 06:17 His only reason 06:22 was me. 06:29 I was the 06:31 reason... 06:38 the one earthly 06:41 reason. 06:48 I was the 06:50 guilty; 06:57 He was the 07:00 sacrifice. 07:06 I was the 07:09 taker; 07:16 He was 07:18 the Giver. 07:25 Dying 07:28 while I go free... 07:33 the one earthly reason... 07:38 God's only reason... 07:43 the one earthly reason 07:49 was 07:51 me. 08:12 Heavenly Father, 08:16 there was no earthly reason 08:19 for You to send Your Son 08:23 except, Lord, that without Him we would be lost. 08:29 Lord, tonight 08:31 may we see clearly 08:35 that life is found only in Jesus Christ. 08:39 May we surrender our hearts; 08:42 may the Holy Spirit move in our lives; 08:47 and may each of us be drawn close to Jesus Christ. 08:52 For this we ask in Your name, Amen. 09:04 Find that today man is trying to find 09:07 life in many many different places. 09:11 Just exactly where can I find eternal life? 09:16 We find that some people 09:19 think that they can communicate with the dead. 09:23 That life is found there. 09:27 They look to those that have gone on before hoping 09:32 that some way somehow 09:34 that they might communicate and talk with them. 09:38 But life is certainly not found in man. 09:43 Not going to find it in man. 09:45 Man cannot offer it; it is not to be found among mankind. 09:51 Man has looked for it down through the centuries 09:54 but it can't be found in humanity. 09:58 Says in Genesis 3:19: 10:15 So the Bible's very clear that you and I 10:18 were taken from dust. 10:19 And it says that we will return to dust. 10:23 And you have stood in funeral services 10:25 and you've heard the minister say the committal 10:28 "Dust to dust and ashes to ashes. " 10:30 You know that when a person dies they return back 10:34 to the dust or to the ashes. 10:37 So life is not found in us. 10:41 Man does not have immortality. 10:45 It's not found there. 10:46 Tells us in Job 4:17: 10:49 "Can a mortal... " Can a what? A mortal. 10:54 Doesn't say immortal. Mortal means what? 10:58 Mortal means subject to death. 11:01 Yes. 11:10 No way. Man is dust and he returns back to the dust. 11:16 So all I'm trying to get across to you tonight 11:18 is life - eternal life - cannot be found in human beings. 11:24 Man has searched for it. 11:43 So it says clearly that only God has immortality. 11:49 Now what I'm doing here tonight, folks, 11:51 is I'm laying down a basic principle of Scripture. 11:55 And if you get that real clear in your mind 11:58 then a lot of the troubles that people have 12:01 will clear up. 12:03 And so the principle that I'm trying to lay down tonight 12:06 is that God is the only One that has immortality. 12:10 Man does not have immortality. 12:13 Man is mortal. 12:16 OK? That means he is subject to death. 12:19 Goes on and says: 12:31 Even though science 12:34 would like to give the idea that they 12:39 can offer life, they have not been able to do it. 12:44 All you have to do is look around right now. 12:47 Almost in every large city in the United States 12:53 they now have places where you can go 12:56 and be frozen. 12:59 Did you know that? 13:01 Yeah, people now think that when they die 13:04 they can take them and freeze them 13:07 and keep them frozen until medical science 13:12 develops a cure for the problem that they had 13:16 and then they will thaw them out and cure their problem. 13:20 And so you can actually pay to be frozen 13:24 and kept that way. 13:26 Sorry... man is mortal, subject to death. 13:31 I can take you to the bookstore 13:33 and I can show you book after book 13:36 that will tell you that there is life after death. 13:41 The Bible does not teach that there is life after death. 13:47 Just does not do that, folks. 13:50 In fact, there's a place over here in Arizona 13:55 where they tell you that dying is just the result 13:59 of a wrong attitude 14:02 and that you can come to that particular place in Arizona 14:05 and, of course, you have to give them all your money. 14:09 You know, and you live there at that place 14:12 all your life. And if you die, 14:15 well the problem was you just had the wrong attitude. 14:19 But this is offered today, folks. 14:24 The Bible has this to say in Titus 3 verse 7: 14:38 Yeah, but it says "the hope of eternal life. " 14:42 Get it clear. The Bible doesn't say eternal life now. 14:45 It says "the hope of eternal life. " 14:48 OK? You need to get it clear. 14:51 It doesn't say that man now has eternal life. 14:54 It's the hope of eternal life. 14:58 Luke 2:23: "Who shall not receive many times more 15:03 in this present time and in the age to come... " What? 15:09 Yeah... "in the age to come eternal life. " 15:13 See, the Bible's very very clear. 15:16 You and I don't have to be in any doubt about it. 15:19 In the age to come you and I can have eternal life 15:24 but right now we are mortal. 15:27 We're subject to death. 15:30 That's what the Scripture simply says about us. 15:46 You're not going to find eternal life any other place. 15:51 There isn't such a thing as the fountain of youth. 15:56 There isn't a place where you can go in this world 15:59 and receive eternal life. 16:03 You will find it only in Jesus Christ. 16:22 You see, that's the reason when Jesus died, folks, 16:26 and He came forth from the grave 16:29 you find one statement in Scripture after another 16:33 that validates the fact that He came forth from the grave. 16:38 He did not make it so there would be any doubt. 16:42 There were over 500 people that saw Him 16:46 after the resurrection. 16:49 And He gave it with infallible proof 16:51 that He came forth from the grave. 16:53 I want to share just a few with you tonight 16:55 to show you that Jesus Christ is the Resurrection and the Life. 17:00 These are proofs of His resurrection. 17:37 These are people, folks, that He appeared to 17:40 and spoke to... absolute proof of the resurrection. 18:35 All these are statements of proof 18:38 that Jesus came forth from the grave. 18:42 That He IS the Resurrection. 18:44 Therefore, what I'm trying to say to you tonight 18:46 if Christ is the Resurrection, 18:48 and He said that He is the Resurrection and the Life, 18:51 then you and I, if we're going to find life 18:54 on the other side of the grave, 18:58 we're going to find it only in 19:01 Jesus Christ. We're not going to find it any other place. 19:20 Clear? 19:22 So dear friend, tonight you don't have eternal life 19:28 if you don't have Christ. 19:31 You see, if you don't have Jesus you don't have anything 19:37 because you're going to die 19:39 and all the things you have 19:41 are going to go to somebody else. See? 19:45 But if you've got Jesus, you've got everything... 19:48 Amen! 'cause you've got life. 19:50 You're going to come out of the grave. 19:52 As He came out of the grave, 19:54 so you and I will have that opportunity. 19:57 All right. Listen as it continues on: 20:10 Now true... you and I need to spend time in the Book. 20:16 This is how you come to know Jesus Christ. 20:19 Do you understand me? 20:21 But dear friend, let me tell you something: 20:24 don't read the Book and not get acquainted with Jesus. 20:30 Because it says: "This is life eternal to... " What? 20:35 "to know You. " You see, eternal life is in Christ 20:40 and you and I must know Him. 20:42 As an individual we must know Him as our Savior. 20:45 It's not... You can't have an "arms-off experience" 20:49 with Jesus Christ. It's got to be something 20:52 that is in your heart and in your soul. 20:55 It's gotta be something that you experience. 20:58 You take somebody who has experienced it 21:03 and they may not be able to explain it to you 21:06 but I can tell you one thing: they know it. 21:10 There's no question about that. 21:12 God is a great God 21:16 and the Lord Jesus Christ comes into your heart 21:21 and gives you eternal life 21:23 I guarantee you you know it. 21:25 No question about it. 21:27 All right... let's go on. 21:32 You don't have it. You're mortal, right? 21:36 So how am I going to receive eternal life tonight? 21:39 Well the Bible tells you this is how you receive it. 21:55 Was that clear? 21:57 Dear friend, if you didn't need any other text but that one 22:02 that's clear enough. 22:04 It says: "If you do not have the Son you don't have life. " 22:10 Now I hope you'll fasten that in your mind because 22:13 I'm coming to something. 22:14 I'm coming to a point in just a little bit, 22:17 and if you don't have that fastened in your mind 22:19 then you may have trouble. But if you'll fasten it clearly 22:22 in your mind that if you don't have the Son 22:25 you do not have life. 22:29 You get that real clear 22:31 then the point we're coming to won't be a problem with you. 22:33 OK? 22:37 He doesn't have life if the wrath of God abides on him. 22:48 That person that believes in Jesus Christ 22:51 has everlasting life. 22:53 That's a promise that God gives to you. 22:57 OK? So we find that eternal life 23:00 is found only in Jesus Christ. 23:03 Now the question is: how do I keep it? 23:09 It's a gift! That's what He tells me: "It's a gift; 23:12 it's given to us. " That's what it says 23:14 in Romans the 5th chapter verse 17 that it is a gift. 23:17 So it's a gift given to me but how do I keep it? 23:23 Do you know how to keep it? 23:26 'Cause I run onto people that lose it. 23:30 Well let's see how you keep it. 23:46 That's how you keep it. 23:49 I've gotta look, and I've gotta read the Word of God. 23:52 And I've got to walk by faith; I've got to believe. 23:55 As Jesus said: "Blessed is he 23:59 who doesn't see and believes. " 24:04 You see, I've gotta walk by faith. 24:07 The Christian experience is a walk by faith. 24:10 That's the difference. You see, animals... 24:13 animals live by scent. 24:16 OK? That's how they exist is by what they smell. 24:21 Sinners... sinners... they live by reason. 24:28 That's how sinners live. 24:30 Christians live by faith. Amen! 24:35 Great great difference, folks. 24:38 Great difference! 24:39 And if I'm going to lay hold of eternal life, 24:42 I do that by faith. 24:45 That means that by faith 24:50 I put Jesus Christ 24:52 above everything else. 24:57 I must... listen carefully 'cause the Scriptures going to 25:00 tell you... I must put my priorities right. 25:44 How do you keep it? 25:46 I keep it by making sure my priorities are right. 25:53 That's what Jesus was talking about when He talked about 25:56 the man that went out and bought the piece of land. 25:58 He's talking about the man that sold everything he had 26:01 for the pearl of great price. 26:03 I have to place it in the right priority 26:06 and reach out and hang on to it 26:09 and hang on to it for all I'm worth by faith. 26:14 THEN you keep eternal life. 26:17 That's what He's telling us. 26:19 All right. Now we come to the point that 26:24 many people don't understand: 26:26 What is the penalty for sin? 26:29 What is the penalty for sin? 26:33 That's what we have to establish 26:35 because this is the area that many people do not understand. 26:56 Sin brings forth what? Death. 27:01 The penalty for sin is death. 27:06 That's what the Scripture tells us: 27:08 that death came into the world by sin. 27:20 OK... through one man sin entered the world. 27:24 "and death through sin. And thus death spread to all men 27:30 because all sin. " 27:33 Because Adam sinned 27:36 death passed upon the whole human race. 27:41 OK? Death means what? 27:48 Death means what? 27:53 Death means that life ceases. Doesn't it? 27:59 It does not mean this, friends: 28:02 it doesn't mean that you change existence. 28:07 See, that's what some people think. 28:09 They think when you die all you do is change existence. 28:13 No... that isn't what the Bible says. 28:16 Death means the end of life. 28:21 Ceases. Now there's a special death 28:26 that you and I as Christians do not want to have happen. 28:31 The Bible's very clear on that 28:33 'cause righteous and unrighteous both die, don't they. 28:40 Yes, OK... but watch carefully. It tells us: 28:59 See, eternal life is in Christ Jesus. 29:02 "He that hath the Son hath life. " 29:06 That's the way it happens; that's the way it takes place. 29:10 Death brings about the end of life. 29:16 So it says in Revelation 21:8: 29:36 Now are you getting clear? 29:39 You see, righteous and unright- eous both die the first death 29:45 but only the wicked will die the second death. 29:51 See, you have eternal life in Christ Jesus. 29:54 Jesus said: "Even though a man may die 29:57 yet he shall live. " 29:59 Just as He died and came forth from the grave 30:03 so the righteous will die and will go into the grave 30:06 but they will come out. 30:08 They will be resurrected. They have life in Christ Jesus. 30:12 But the wicked the Bible says very clearly 30:16 will be resurrected but they will die 30:20 the second death. From that there is no return. 30:26 And dear friends, it is not... it is not 30:31 a place where the devil 30:36 is going to stoke the fires of hell for eternity. 30:40 It is not that. 30:42 Death means the ceasing of life. 30:47 Comes to an end. 30:48 Does not continue on. 31:07 You see? There's a resurrection of the just AND the unjust. 31:12 And they come forth from the grave. 31:14 There's just a great difference in the two. 31:17 Those that are righteous, those that are just, 31:20 they have eternal life. 31:25 The Bible says that they are changed 31:29 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye 31:32 at the last trump. For this mortal must put on 31:36 immortality. And so as the righteous 31:40 come forth from that grave 31:42 they have life eternal... immortality! Amen! 31:48 The wicked? NO! NO! 31:53 They come forth from the grave 31:55 to die the second death. 31:59 And from that there is no return. 32:06 Let me take a moment on this. 32:09 I hope you'll understand something. 32:13 Do you understand what you're worth tonight? 32:16 Do you understand what you're worth? 32:19 Do you understand tonight that there is not another individual 32:25 anywhere in the entire universe 32:30 that's exactly like you? 32:33 Do you understand that? 32:35 That's what makes you of supreme value. 32:39 You see, if that was not the case, 32:43 then when sin came into the world 32:45 God could have just wiped it all out and started over. 32:50 But the fact is there is not another person 32:55 like you anywhere in the vast universe of God. 33:00 That's what makes you of supreme value. 33:04 That's why Jesus Christ would have come and He would have died 33:08 if it had only been you. Amen! Praise the Lord! 33:13 Now, that's also why 33:17 that if you're lost 33:21 if you are involved in the second death 33:24 how terrible that is. 33:27 I mean, you will never be. 33:30 It'll be the end. There'll never throughout eternity 33:34 be an individual like you. 33:36 You're lost... gone... for eternity. 33:40 How terrible! 33:42 Never would there be another person like you. 33:47 That's why the Lord Jesus Christ said: "Listen, 33:53 I'll come to this old planet and I'll die for you. " 33:58 "I'll die just for you 34:00 that you might have eternal life. " 34:05 That's what He did for you and for me. 34:21 No more. All the way down through the corridors of time 34:27 never never again will the wicked be. 34:35 How terrible! 35:01 They're going to perish. 35:03 They will be no more... never again. 35:13 Are you beginning to understand? 35:17 See, that's what's going to happen. 35:18 The wicked just aren't going to be any more. 35:21 They're going to be destroyed and they will be no more... 35:26 never again. 35:46 Says the wicked will be like brute beasts. 35:51 They'll be destroyed; they'll be no more. 35:56 That's what God says is going to happen to them. 35:59 So what I'm trying to tell you tonight, dear friends, 36:03 is you can have life. 36:05 God offers you life. 36:08 All you've gotta do is accept Jesus Christ 36:10 and give your heart to Him. 36:12 Surrender your life to Him. 36:15 He'll give you eternal life. 36:27 How thoroughly is He going to do His job? 36:34 Never, throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity 36:38 will sin ever come again. 36:43 "Affliction shall not rise a second time. " 36:47 Glory Hallelujah! It'll be and end of it! 36:51 There will be no more... never, all the way down 36:54 through the ceaseless ages of time 36:58 will sin ever raise its ugly head again. 37:01 Will be no more. 37:03 That God offers to you and to me. 37:08 How could this be, folks? 37:11 Now you think with me: 37:13 How could this be? 37:16 If there was a place called hell 37:21 where the wicked burn for eternity, 37:28 how could this text be? 37:31 There it would be a constant sight, a constant reminder 37:35 of what sin was? 37:37 No... not what the Scripture says. 37:42 What is going to happen? Is there a hell? 37:44 Yes, there's a hell. 37:46 You and I have a hell to shun and a heaven to win. 37:50 Oh, yes, there's punishment... 37:53 but let's see what the Scripture says. 38:03 This is referring to the wicked. 38:11 Have you ever seen a stubble field on fire? 38:15 Do you know what I'm talking about? 38:17 I grew up in Oklahoma. 38:20 The western part of Oklahoma has huge huge wheat fields. 38:25 Wheat fields so big that you can't see across them. 38:28 OK? And they come in there the latter part of May 38:32 first of June and they cut that wheat 38:35 and they leave about that much stubble sticking up. 38:39 And then it begins to dry. 38:43 By the time you hit August 38:46 that stubble is golden brown. 38:50 There is no moisture in it at all. 38:53 And you let it get on fire 38:55 and I will tell you you haven't seen a fire 38:59 till you've seen a stubble field on fire. 39:01 I mean, it'll roll across that field. 39:03 You can hear the roar of the fire for miles away 39:07 as it burns across that field. 39:08 And when it's through there is absolutely nothing left. 39:14 That's what it's talking about when it says the wicked 39:16 will be like stubble that is fully burned, fully dried. 39:41 You see, folks, that text didn't say 39:43 the fire shall burn them. 39:47 It says: "It shall burn them up. " 39:50 Don't miss that little word up. 39:59 So it says the wicked are going to be burned. 40:02 They're going to be burned up. 40:04 It will leave them "neither root nor branch. " 40:08 How thoroughly does it do its work? 40:22 So it says the wicked are going to be burned up. 40:25 They're going to be turned into ashes. 40:29 It speaks of the wicked as "stubble. " 40:33 Do you know what the Scripture speaks of the righteous as? 40:39 Hmm? 40:41 It talks about the wicked as "stubble. " 40:44 What does it speak of the righteous? 40:47 What does it call them? 40:49 Well it refers to the righteous as gold. 40:54 The Bible talks about them as gold. 40:57 Fire burns up stubble. 41:02 Fire does what to gold? 41:06 Refines it... purifies it. 41:08 See? Marvelous what it does! 41:12 Marvelous what God does to the righteous: they're gold. 41:17 Refines, purifies them. 41:19 But the wicked? They are "stubble. " 41:22 They will be no more. 41:25 Some people say: "Well Brother Cox, 41:27 when you die, you know, well your soul 41:30 it goes off some other place. " 41:33 Do you know what a soul is? 41:35 Let me clarify what a soul is. 41:37 The Bible says that you are a soul. 41:41 OK? 41:43 What makes a soul? 41:44 The Bible says it takes the body 41:48 and the breath of life to make a soul. 41:51 That's why it refers to you as souls. 41:53 It even refers to the fish in the sea as a soul. 41:56 OK? 41:59 'Cause it has a body, has the breath of life. 42:02 OK? So you are a soul. 42:06 When a person dies, the body goes back to the ground 42:10 the Scripture says. It says the spirit 42:13 which is the breath of life goes back to God. 42:18 On the resurrection morning... on the resurrection morning 42:22 God's going to form the body again. 42:25 And the breath of life will enter it, and that person 42:28 will be a living soul. 42:31 See, that's what it says. 42:33 That's why this text says this: 42:43 All right? 42:53 Yes... destroy the person. 42:55 That means they will be no more! 42:59 That will forever be the end of them. 43:02 Says that the fire will burn them. 43:06 Burn them up. They will be no more. 43:19 Now I run onto people who have trouble here 43:22 'cause it says - speaking of the wicked - 43:25 that they're going to go into what? Everlasting punishment. 43:29 OK? "but the righteous into eternal life. " 43:34 Now folks, the problem here is this word punishment. 43:40 You see, what I run onto people 43:43 is they try to take this word and apply it the wrong way. 43:47 You see, the punishment is eternal. 43:54 When the wicked are destroyed they're never never coming back. 43:59 The punishment is eternal. 44:03 Are you with me? That's why it says 44:04 they're going to go into everlasting punishment. 44:07 Means they're destroyed. Never, throughout eternity, 44:10 will they ever come back. 44:11 Please do not take that word everlasting 44:14 and apply it to punishing. 44:18 The punishment is eternal... not the punishing. 44:22 And that's where people get it all mixed up. 44:25 They take it and apply it to punishing 44:27 rather than punishment. 44:29 And the Bible gives you a very very clear example 44:34 so that you don't have to be in any doubt about it at all. 44:37 OK? 44:38 You remember a city by the name of Sodom and Gomorrah? 44:44 Wicked. So wicked 44:50 that God said: "I'll have to destroy it. " 44:56 And so God sent some angels. 45:00 You remember those angels had to take Lot and his 2 daughters 45:04 and wife and lead them out of Sodom and Gomorrah 45:08 by their hand? 45:10 And then Lot's wife didn't even make it then. 45:13 OK? 45:14 Would you like to see what the Scripture says about this? 45:18 Watch... 'cause it's making a comparison. 45:45 Sodom and Gomorrah suffered the vengeance of eternal fire. 45:49 Are Sodom and Gomorrah burning today? 45:52 No! No. Do you know where they are? 45:57 Oh, they're under about 3 feet of water 46:02 in the lower end of the Dead Sea. 46:03 Certainly not burning today. 46:06 But the punishment was eternal not the punishing. 46:12 Are you with me? 46:13 See... the Bible makes that very very clear. 46:17 The punishment? Yes... that's eternal. 46:20 The punishing is not. 46:23 So the wicked will receive punishment 46:27 but God is not, folks... God is not 46:31 a God of... how should I say? vengeance 46:36 in the sense that He's not a sadist. 46:40 He's not interested in punishing people. 46:43 That's not God's way. 46:49 When will it take place? 46:52 Well, let's see. The Scripture makes it 46:54 very clear when it's going to take place. 47:13 Doesn't say wrath now. It says: "Wrath to come. " 47:18 Get it clear... it's not happening now. 47:21 When people die they don't go to hell. 47:26 That does not happen... they DO NOT go to hell. 47:29 They are asleep, and the "wrath to come" is when 47:33 they will face it... not now. 47:47 When is it? "End of this age. " 47:51 That's when that's going to happen... not now 47:54 but at the end of the age is when it will take place. 48:00 This is... This subject, folks, 48:04 is important because 48:07 you misunderstand the character of God 48:09 if you don't understand it right. 48:13 Very very hard to love a God 48:17 who is not merciful. 48:23 You take... if you put somebody in hell, 48:28 if you say when they die they go to hell, 48:32 people that died 6,000 years ago 48:34 they've been burning in hell for 6,000 years? 48:38 They get 6,000 years more punishment than people today? 48:42 No! You see, God's not that way. Amen! 48:46 God is just; God is kind, longsuffering. 48:51 Oh, don't misunderstand me. 48:53 Sure there's punishment but He's a God of mercy. 48:58 God loves you, cares about you. 49:24 All right now. The Scripture is just as clear as can be. 49:27 "The wicked are reserved for the day of doom. 49:30 They shall be brought out on the day of wrath. " 49:39 That's what the wicked are going to receive... all of that. 49:53 Hmm... "a vigil kept over the tomb" 49:58 waiting for the day of resurrection. 50:05 If you don't know Jesus Christ, 50:07 if you don't know Him as your personal Savior, 50:11 the Bible says you have an angel. 50:15 It says that that angel keeps record... 50:20 keeps record of all the things we do. 50:24 If you know Jesus Christ and you die, 50:29 then that angel will be there to welcome you 50:33 when the resurrection takes place. 50:37 If you don't know Jesus Christ, 50:39 that angel keeps a vigil over the tomb 50:43 so that on the resurrection of the wicked 50:47 they will come forth to receive their punishment. 50:53 To receive their PUNISHMENT. 51:28 So the Bible says the wicked are going to die. 51:31 Clods of the earth will be sweet to them. 51:33 They'll be there, but on that day 51:36 when God calls all the people forth from the grave 51:41 judgment will take place. 51:44 And then it says the wicked will be destroyed. 51:48 It says this earth will burn. 51:51 All the wicked will be burned up in it. 51:56 Now let me explain something. 51:58 God takes no pleasure whatsoever 52:01 in the punishment of the wicked. 52:03 That is contrary to the nature of God, friends. 52:08 And if you've been one of these people that 52:10 down through the years have never been able to... 52:13 to put together how a God 52:15 could punish people through the ceaseless ages of eternity, 52:19 I hope tonight you're seeing that that is not how God is. 52:24 That God loves you; He cares for you. 52:27 He doesn't want you lost. 52:28 He takes no pleasure whatsoever 52:31 in the punishment of the wicked. 52:50 That's what God has pleasure in. 52:53 "Turn from your way and live! " 52:56 You understand that? 52:59 The Bible calls that conversion. 53:02 With me? 53:04 You understand conversion? 53:06 I think I told you one night what conversion is. 53:10 That's right. "I'm going to hell, I'm going to hell, 53:13 I'm going to hell, I'm going to hell. " 53:15 Turn around. "I'm going to heaven; I'm going to heaven. " 53:18 That's conversion! 53:19 TURN AROUND AND LIVE! 53:21 That's what God offers to you. 53:24 I don't have to be lost. 53:27 THAT's what God has pleasure in. 53:29 That's what He wants: He wants you SAVED! 53:32 Wants you in the kingdom of heaven. 53:42 So tonight God is just simply offering to you 53:48 life in Christ Jesus. 53:51 I want you to think with me a little bit. 53:54 What's the penalty for sin? 53:58 Are you clear on that tonight? 53:59 The penalty for sin is death. 54:03 Did Jesus pay that penalty for you? 54:06 Yes. Huh? Yes! 54:08 Are all of you clear on that? 54:10 Yes! That Jesus paid the penalty for you? 54:13 Praise the Lord! Amen! 54:16 Paid the penalty. 54:17 OK... now think with me. 54:20 If the penalty for sin was to go to hell 54:24 and burn in hell for eternity, 54:27 then Jesus didn't pay it. 54:31 Are you with me? 54:34 See, any time you do that 54:37 you just moved Jesus out of the picture. 54:39 No, He paid it. The penalty was death. 54:42 He died... understand me tonight... 54:45 Jesus died like the sinner died. 54:51 That's why He cried out: "My God! My God! 54:54 Why has Thou forsaken Me? " 54:55 Because He died as a sinner. 54:57 He didn't die as you and I as a Christian might die 55:01 and have hope. 55:02 He died understanding that He was paying the price 55:06 for sin. He paid that price... the horrible price. 55:10 He paid for your sins and mine. 55:15 You and I... we can die by faith. 55:20 And even though I may die 55:23 yet I still can live - Amen! 55:27 because of what Jesus Christ has done for you and me. 55:39 Don't let people mix you up on that. 55:42 The opposite of life is death. 55:45 Death is not life. 55:48 OK? 55:58 OK... that's simply the way it is. 56:00 Now let me ask you a question: 56:06 what do I have to do to have eternal life? 56:11 What do I have to do to have eternal life? 56:16 I have to accept Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. 56:20 Life is in Him. 56:22 That's how I receive eternal life. 56:26 Now I don't know if you put it all together. 56:30 You see, dear friend, you've got to have Christ 56:33 to receive life. 56:36 You can't get eternal life 56:39 in hell. 56:43 Did you just follow me? 56:44 Only way you can get eternal life is in Christ. 56:47 You can't get eternal life in hell. 56:51 It's impossible! 56:53 It's the end of life. 56:55 The wicked are going to die 56:59 and they're going to die the second death 57:02 and that will be the end of them. 57:03 They'll be no more. 57:05 But to you and to me 57:08 we have a promise of life... life in Christ Jesus. 57:15 That's what He offers to us. 57:17 And so tonight I hope that you 57:21 by faith will just simply reach out, 57:25 accept Jesus Christ into your heart as your Savior, 57:28 and find life in Him. Because He wants to give 57:31 life to you in a very very definite and special way. 57:37 Let's bow our heads for a word of prayer. 57:38 Heavenly Father, we thank you 57:42 for all that You have done for each of us. 57:45 Wonderful hope that we have in Christ our Lord 57:49 to know that in Christ Jesus we can have life eternal. 57:53 May each one of claim that today by faith. 57:57 We pray, Lord, that we all 58:01 each day might rejoice 58:03 in what You have done for us. For this way pray 58:05 in Christ's name, Amen. |
Revised 2019-06-26