The sermon transcript discusses a man in Detroit, Michigan who had a near-death experience but was saved by God. The preacher emphasizes the importance of not deceiving oneself and the need for God's mercy. He urges the congregation to turn to the light of truth before it's too late. The sermon also references a verse from the book of Luke, where Jesus speaks about those who make excuses and will not taste of his supper. The transcript also mentions the consequences of not seeking truth and the revelation of the mystery of iniquity.

I think we'll just sing one chorus tonight. Did you hear what Jesus said to me? They're all taken away. Your sins are pardoned and you are free. They're all taken away. And the second verse is, so I'll praise the Lord for sins forgiven. They're all taken away while onward pressing my way to heaven. Let's stand and sing it. Preaches not well tonight. Let's sing his song for him so he'll get better. Spirit of God hadn't done that. Been debating, trying to find the mind of the Lord. Decided we don't know exactly what to do, so we'll just keep on doing what we're doing till we get a little clearer light from the Lord. How desperately we ought to be crying to God for him to intervene. Twice since I've been your guest this time, two terrible airplane crashes have occurred in your own state. It's like everybody in Ohio would be calling on God for mercy, don't they? I wonder what God has to do to get the attention of this generation. I'm praying, I want you to keep on praying. Work as hard as you can. But brother, we do need the Lord to come and take charge. We desperately sleep over this country, sleep over my soul, sleep over my soul. Sing it one more time. Sleep over my soul. Tonight we begin in the book of Jeremiah, chapter 13. We're going to try to speak tonight on the subject, Honest people will not go to hell. Nobody but spiritual crooks will spend eternity in hell. Honest people will not go to hell. There's a principle of God's dealings with mankind that runs all through both the Old Testament, Chronicle, and the New. It's the principle that light sent against will bring on God's judgment, and that judgment will be to turn the light into darkness. That's a reason America may for a season be under reprobation. I believe it is. It looks like God has gone off and left this country, just letting us do as we please. In the Old Testament you remember the people who were God's covenant people, but most of them were not saved, were going off after every God that came along and listening to every false prophet that came along, building themselves mansions of their own, making big insistence that had no water and drinking, of them being satisfied. God will continually have call his prophets to warn the people that you can't trifle with precious light that God Almighty places on a man's pathway down here on this scene of probation. The New Testament says the same thing. Man is as helpless as he can be defying God unless God reveals himself. A blind man is not responsible for not being able to see until the remedy is offered for his blindness and he refuses it. Until God Almighty puts a bolt of lightning and puts a shaft through the darkness and shows men, gives them life, then man's responsibility starts. When we remember that the Bible states that Christ is the light that lighteth every man, I can't explain that, it's just bound to be so. And when we remember that it's also a principle taught in the word of God, that if a man will walk in what light he has, God will see to it he has more. That's also like a thread throughout the word of God. Back to the original thought in the Old Testament and the New, light trifle with, light refuse, brings God's judgment in this life. And that judgment is to turn the light into gross darkness. That principle is found in the cry of the Prophet Jeremiah as he cries to God's covenant people who knew him not in experience, except to him that in verse 15 of our chapter, the Prophet will say, Hear ye, and give air. Be not proud, for the Lord hath spoken. Give glory to the Lord your God, and before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and while you look for light, turn it into the shadow of death and make it gross darkness. God does that way, don't he? That's the reason the sinners hang on topside of God's earth. If it's got a religious tally to it, you can get more converts than the truth of God as it is in Christ. Something's happened to people who sin against as much light from heaven as people have in America. And what's happened is God's turned off the light and turned on the gross darkness to where people will believe that light is darkness and darkness light and good is evil and evil is good. In the book of Luke's gospel, at chapter 19, we have an illustration of this picture and the principle and the truth that was just read from or about in the book of Jeremiah. In the 19th chapter of Luke's gospel, the Lord is approaching the holy city of Jerusalem. And in verse 41, this is just before his crucifixion. And in verse 41 we read as follows, And when he was come near, he beheld the city and wept over it. And he wept as he thought within himself, if thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace. But now they are hid from thine eyes. He did have the light, but they haven't got it now. Something's happened and God's taken it away and fixed it so you can't see. Nothing now but judgment, for the day shall come upon thee. And this took place. And Titus surrounded the city. And the people lived a while by eating the flesh of their children. For the day shall come upon thee that thine enemy shall cast a trench about thee and compass thee round and keep thee in on every side and shall lay thee even with the ground and thy children within thee. And they shall not leave only one stone upon another. Why? Because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. Times when God is greatly visiting the people, that's when multitudes are ushered into the kingdom of God. That's what we long to experience, even in our day. When the wind's blowing, it's so easy to get to Christ. When it's not blowing, it's impossible. Men can only be saved in the time of their visitation. It is not true that a man can decide to decide to be a Christian. It's not that simple. Yet the matter of some people who did not recognize the things that belonged to their peace when God was visiting them. And judgment comes upon them. And it came. And it came because they did not know the time of their visitation. Here is the Savior in tears, weeping over the city of Jerusalem, the Holy City. Here he was, coming to his own race, the Jewish people. Here he is. Now in just a day or two, the leaders of that nation, blood of his blood, flesh of his flesh, are going to scream out their blasphemous cry, Away with him! Away with him! Release unto us Barabbas, the son of his father, and crucify Jesus, the son of his father. Here he is, weeping over that city. Some people have preceded him as he comes riding on an ass, and they've thrown flowers in his pathway. And the religious people have remonstrated, and Jesus said the very stones would cry out if I stopped them. Here is the Lord of the universe, the Creator of heaven, earth, hell, and mankind, about to be crucified, not by some people who are to be pitied, but by some people who knew exactly what they were doing. For it was not until the leaders of the Jewish nation were convinced of who Jesus really was, that they plotted his death, and would not be satisfied until it was encompassed. And here is this Savior, weeping over his own people, according to the flesh, represented by his own city, weeping over a city full of people that had had a lot of light. Now that light has been taken away from them, hidden from their eyes. The most solemn thing you'll ever read in the word of God, what I'm talking about now, is that God Almighty will actually take the light away, hide it so a man can't find it, and replace it by gross darkness. That's awful. That's awful. That's a picture of ungodly America tonight. I hope not a picture of you. And judgments declared. For nothing remains but judgment when a man stands against the power of God's perfect power. There's nothing left but judgment. But there's one time that lightning never strikes twice in the same place. When the door is shut by Almighty God, it's shut. Nothing but judgment remains. Why this judgment? Simply because with their eyes wide open, they deliberately rolled up their sleeves, spurned their hands, and refused to recognize the God-sent Messiah. They were an ignorant, foul world. You know, Brother Barnard, the Greek word for know and knew it here, had two words for know in the New Testament. And one of them is used here. And every time it's so used in the Bible, it means to know by spirit. And that means that they could have known the time of their visitation. And the reason they missed it is because with their eyes wide open, they refused to pay the price of submission. They understood that the Messiah had come to rule in their hearts and over their lives. And they began that cry, We will not have this man to reign over us. I don't think anybody in Dayton objects to somebody keeping them out of hell. The sore spot is that the only one that can keep anybody out of hell won't keep anybody out of hell apart from setting up his rule in your life. Oh, that's the issue. Then said to me, Brother Barnard, I'm not ready to be a Christian. They understand that what it means to be a Christian, dear old Vance Havner, that blessed preacher, if you've not heard him, I guess you won't be happy in heaven. He started in Hamstown the world of theology when he was saved. He didn't know how to pronounce all those big words in the Bible. But he said when he came out of that experience, there's one thing he did sure understood, that he had a new master. And that's what salvation means, that we've got a new master now. And here comes this sent one of the Lord, a criminal judge, with all of his documents in order to prove he was what he claimed to be. And when the folks found out who he was and what submission to him meant, they said, No, we will not have this one to be our master. You made a mistake, God. You'll have to send us a different kind of Savior. We don't want this one. The judgment came. They could have known. But ladies and gentlemen, we need never to forget that these people and every other group of people since time began have been given light from above. God has brought a flash of light in the dark pathway, this side of hell for every human being that's ever lived. The apostle Paul, that brain of his saturated by the Holy Ghost, in the first chapter of the book of Romans certainly leaves no doubt that God has acted in behalf of giving life to all mankind in such a way as to leave everybody without an excuse. We'll have a legitimate excuse at the judgment bar of Almighty God. These people have been given enough light to act on, and so have you. And let us never forget that a man, listen to me, a man is responsible for the light God has shed on his pathway. A man cannot walk in light he doesn't have. God help you, you dare not walk less than in what light you have. You can't have my convictions. They're mine. You haven't had my experience. You can't walk in my experience. You can't walk in my light. You must walk in what you have. And man's responsibility begins there. If God Almighty doesn't bring any revelation to you and put some light on your pathway, you are not responsible. But God bless you, he does. Christ, some way or another, is the light that lighteth every man. And all men have sufficient revelation from God to leave them without excuse. If what I've been saying becomes evident, my subject is so. Honest people are not going to be sent to hell. An honest person, not a brilliant person, not an educated person, just an honest person, will seek to find truth so he can walk in it. An honest person will seek to find out where you come from. If you've got sense enough coming out of the rain, you can't tell me that that question isn't sort of an interesting question. Where did you come from? What are you doing here now? You was honest. You'd try to find out truth about that, wouldn't you? Surely you would. Where would I have it? An honest man, if there's any way I remember it, he could give out an answer to these questions and be sure you are put out. No man but a spiritual crook can possibly live in God's world without the love of man that's right in all the law of God. That you see his footprints everywhere. And you know you're responsible to him. And an honest man living in God's world, far away, just as this thing goes awry, if you try to be God yourself and deny him his place, things just won't work. This is God's world. This world won't work when God is not exalted. That's right. And according to Old Snag, like those two planes going together, something is wrong. And in fact, the arrangement of this earth in which you live has been forced that you do not break God's law, you break yourself. They are safeguards and not God pulling his rank. An honest man would seek to find out truth. You live in America, land of Bibles, land of the gospel through many years. You couldn't be an honest person without having heard of one called Jesus of Nazareth. Any history book will tell you he was born. We know that fact. Don't need a Bible. Tell us that once lived here on this earth a man by the name of Jesus who came from Nazareth. Any book of history will tell you that he died on a tree on a hill called Golgotha outside the city of Jerusalem. You don't need a Bible to tell you that. That's a fact of history. You do need a Bible to tell you what became of him after they put him in that grave. History books can't tell you about that. You do need a Bible to tell you where he is now. On a throne at the right hand of the majesty on high. And that introduces you to this book that tells you what the history books can't tell. That when they put the body of that man by the name of Jesus of Nazareth in the hole in the ground, this book dares to say God took him out of that grave and put him on his throne. If you were honest, you'd investigate this book. Might be so, brother. Just might be so. Yes, it might. An honest person could live in America without doing something about this book. Come to some sort of conclusion about it. And if you find out it's not so, please don't tell this old gray-headed preacher. I don't want to hear it. Don't tell me if you find out that this is a bunch of fables. I don't want to hear it. I'm perhaps in favor of this book. Our firstborn child with us three and a half years. This book tells me I'm going to see her again. Don't you tell me this book's not so. My sainted father dead these 30-odd years, the best man I ever saw. This book tells me I'll see him again. Don't you tell me this book's not so. My blessed mother long since gone to be of the Lord. Don't you tell me this book's not so. My older brother gone to be of the Lord. Don't you tell me this book's a bunch of fables. Since I've been here, the husband of my oldest sister gone. Don't you tell me you found out this book's not so. Don't you tell me this is the book that tells me of the hope of the resurrection. I couldn't live without it. 31st of January in Houston, Texas, I called my baby sister in Montana and said, Honey, her husband had dropped dead the day before, 51 years old. You'll understand, won't you? 2,000 miles from nowhere out in Montana. You'll understand I'm in the midst of a meeting. I can't come. And with a heartbreak, said, Yes. Yes, I understand. Since I've been here, same thing with my older sister. I can't come. I'm in a meeting. Didn't I just go to the funeral of my oldest brother? I was in the meeting. The pastor said, You go, Brother Martin, but I wish you didn't have to. It's over being saved. I wonder if I can just attend my own funeral. I'm liable to be somewhere in a meeting and have to continue. Ladies and gentlemen, don't you rob me of the hope of the resurrection. Go on and have your doubts, and brush your teeth, and put your lips, and bow your smoke in the nostrils of the thrice-holy God, if you must. Don't tell poor Brother Martin that the Bible's not God's word. It tells me of a home far away. Yes, sir, Brother, an honest man would seek to find out the truth about this book. The Bible says, If any man will to do his will, he shall know the teaching, whether it be of human beings or not, that will bring a will, that will bring the will of God. God will reveal Christ to your inmost being, as pure as I'm standing here. If you go to hell, you'll have nobody to blame but that old world-family of yours that has stretched the flesh wide open rather than yield it to King Jesus. An honest man would seek the truth. An honest man would seek the truth with an unprejudiced mind. I tell you, there's a terrible danger of bringing your prejudices to truth. Old Dr. Gamble, the old war horse of Texas Baptist, used to say, If you meet a fact in the road, you just well camp there. You can't do much with facts except face them. And the Bible talks about the terrible, terrible, terrible price men pay for not bringing unprejudiced minds to seek for truth. In 2 Thessalonians 2, there's something going on here that's been going on in every generation. It looks like it's coming to a head in yours and mine. I don't know about that. But it's talking here about a terrible revelation of the mystery of iniquity, verse 7, which does already work, only there's something restraining. And then it tells in verse 9 about somebody who's coming is after the working of Satan with all powers and signs and lying wonders and with all deceivableness and unrighteousness in them that perish. Why do they perish? Because they receive not the love of the truth that they might receive. And from this cause is the testament, O God Almighty, on man who brings with a hearty love the truth of time and eternity. For this cause God shall send them strong deluge. Who's going to send it? God. That they should believe a lie that they all might be damned. Who all might be damned? Who believed not the truth but instead had pleasure in unrighteousness. The terrible price to pay for bringing a prejudiced mind in your search for the truth of God. Straining the Bible, taking what you like, throwing the rest of the way. An honest man won't trifle with truth. An honest man won't trifle with truth. In the 14th chapter of Luke's gospel there's a verse of scripture, make your hair stand on your head, so that we could get into its meaning. In the 24th verse of the 14th chapter of Luke's gospel I read these words. They come from the lips of the Lord Jesus Christ. For I say unto you that none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper. Those words go back to three different people. In verse 16 the Lord said to a certain man, made a great supper and bared many. And he sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden. Come on! For all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first one said, Well, I've bought a piece of ground. I've just got to go out and have it surveyed. I pray thee, have thee excused. And here's a man that got his prayer answered. For the Lord said, I say unto you that none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper. Another said, I've bought five yokes of oxen. I don't know where they'll wear the yoke right or not. I've just got to go work them out. I pray thee, have me excused. And he got his prayer answered. For the Lord said, I say unto you none of those that were bidden shall taste of my supper. Another fellow said, Well, I've married a wife and I want you to excuse me. He got his prayer answered. Well, Brother Bond, you mean to tell me a synod and pray in Galileo? These folks did. All through the Old Testament, people prayed. He gave them their desires and leanness of soul. The other man said, I look to come to the supper. I'm glad everything's all ready. I know it's going to be nice, but I just got married. Please excuse me. The Lord said, All right, that's the way you feel about it. None of these that were bidden shall taste of my supper. Weren't these people silly? Anybody that uses anything under God's shining sun to keep you from rolling up your sleeves, spitting on your hands, and seeking the Lord with all of your heart, is silly. Anybody that uses any trifling attitude toward the invitation, Come on! Come on, we've got everything ready! Come on! That's trifling. And honest people don't trifle with truth. In Charon, Pennsylvania, close to Youngstown, Ohio, where there is now a steel city, one Saturday afternoon, the mayor let me, he roped off a block, kept the traffic out of it, let us roll a truck up on the sidewalk right by the bank, put up a loudspeaker and hold a street service. A young man who claimed to be saved during the meetings, leaning up against the bank building wall with a buddy that he worked with in the steel mill. And they just cashed their weekly paychecks. We had a service there, and when the service was over, the young Christian boy, newborn baby, said to his buddy, he said, tonight I'm going to come around and get you and take you down to the tent. I want you to hear that preacher preach tonight. And the unsaved boy said, well, what are you talking about? He said, this Saturday night, I've got my pocket full of money. And he said, this is my night to hell, and I'm dead sure not going to spend it listening to some old preacher. But the boy went by after his buddy. But his buddy turned him down, refused to come to the meeting. The service was over that night, and I was back in my room and fixing for bed, knocking on the door. The Christian boy came in to tell me the news. His buddy, with his pocket full of money, Saturday night, his night to hell, sure not going to spend it listening to some old preacher. Somebody shot him to death while I was preaching down under the tent. And instead of his night to hell, it is his night to die. And it's appointed unto men once to die. And after that, the judgment. And that's so. The old Jews who said, a wise man will repent the day before he dies. You have today, not tomorrow. Men who trifle with God's time are not honest, are not honest. And there's nothing for God to do except fill heaven with crooks or send dishonest people to hell. When the wind's blowing, when the spirit's wooing, when God's teaching and drawing, that's when men can get saved. And that's the only time in the day of thy visitation. Weep on, Lord Jesus, over men and women who didn't recognize the things that belong to their feet. And let the time of your visitation come and go when all is lost and the door is shut. Weep on, weep on. I wonder if he's weeping over a godless American night. I wonder. Is this your night to be saved? Is tomorrow the day you're going to die? Those are not silly questions. They might be of the Holy Ghost. A man in Detroit, Michigan, the evening paper said, phone down somewhere, fab on a date and got reservations to stay all night. And his little plane collided with that jet and he spent the night in the hands of a living God. Honest people won't trifle with eternal truth. Will you bow your heads? Now for the best we know how to commit this congregation to your tender mercy. You're the only one that knows all about every last one of us. You're the only one that can pick out those who are deceived. They may be honest, but they're deceived. O God, deal in mercy with us as a congregation right now and please, if it could please you, discover that somebody here tonight, their condition, they'll go to hell blindfolded unless you turn the light on one more time. O God, deal with people here tonight. You're so wonderful to belong suffering, to hold up your hands all day long to again save and disobedient generations. Tonight in mercy. Keep the hand of judgment away. Turn the light on some darkened soul right now and enable them to walk in it. It's the best way I know how to pray, Lord. I don't know much about it, but I'm so helpless now. This congregation's in your hands. Thank you that you're the kind of God you are, long-suffering, rather delighting in mercy than in judgment. So now as we draw the net, our little net's no good, Lord. Yours is. Speak to hearts just now. We're going to sit here just a moment. Miss Barnard's going to come and play softly past me, not, O gentle Savior. Hear my humble cry. While on others thou art calling, do not pass me by. Why don't you just sit there half a minute, if you will. What you're doing about what you know about the things of eternity. Ignoring them, that's not honest. Trifling with them, that's dangerous. Thou shalt seek me and thou shalt find me. In the day thou shalt seek me with all thine heart. Let this be the night you begin a search to know God in Jesus Christ and never quit searching to leave precious to yourself.