In this sermon, the preacher tells the story of a lost soul who decides to visit an old country church. As he enters the deserted church, his memory takes him back to a Sunday morning filled with singing and prayer. The preacher emphasizes the importance of pouring out one's soul to God and seeking His blessings. The sermon concludes with a reminder to prepare to meet God at the judgment and to repent before it is too late.

I want you to tell the rest of me if you have the Bibles, I think mine are terrible. I mean, the night comes and goes, and the message I'm not certain fits the crowd, but it's too late to change now. And I want to read first from the book of chapter 4. And I want to read the twelfth verse, and the thirteenth, of Amos chapter 4. Now, as you turn to that, Pastor and I, we get to arguing. He got his own convictions, and he won't change them just because I say so. He's peculiar, and I like that. And we get to looking for a book, and he'll remind us. And while you're turning to it, you've got your finger on chapter 4, verse 12. I want to try to speak tonight on a theme suggested by the last 24 hours of perhaps the greatest saint America's ever known, David Brainerd. Forty of the pioneer missionaries of the world gained inspiration and spread the gospel around. But David Brainerd, who prayed so that the snow sometimes so seized the prayer, he wouldn't remember where he was, and up in this snowy country of New York State, the blood of his son preached in agony. Jonathan Edwards, the greatest preacher America's ever known. No man has ever been used of God. Just one man in America to bring revival. He said he'd always thanked God through eternity that he had just of having David Brainerd die in his own home. Mr. Brainerd was engaged to marry Jonathan Edwards' daughter, but he said that he would not marry so that he could give himself to prayer and preaching to the end. But when he came to die, they brought him to Jonathan Edwards' home. Jonathan Edwards said the greatest privilege of his life was to be around David Brainerd in the last days of his life. And he said that Mr. Brainerd, who literally gave his life for those red, drunken, murderous Indians, saw revival in the midst, spent the last 24 hours of his life doing something that seemed to think strange. He spent the last 24 hours of his life examining himself to see whether he could see any evidence that he had a saving interest in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. I warn you're going to go to hell presuming that because you made a decision, you're saved. And I want to talk to you tonight about the fact that there comes a time in a person's life when God reprobates him, gives him up, and turns him over to hell. There are lots of people, I would not doubt, walking the streets of your county who are reprobated. And I want to read to you tonight some of the injunctions in the word of God about that. First, I want to read the account of how he was reprobated by Almighty God. In other words, how a nation committed what the preachers are using. And so I suppose the preacher knew what he was talking about. Only unpardonable sin. But like so many other things, the Bible shows a lot of light on what we're hearing. And I began searching the scripture for something that smelled. But what the preachers call the unpardonable sin, the Bible calls on a sinner and places him in the state of reprobation where he cannot, in any circumstances, talk to men in this life. We'll read about it in just a moment or two. And here in Amos, we have the account of God summoning a nation, the elect chosen nation, the Jewish nation, who crucified the Lord Jesus Christ because they had a perverted understanding of election. Just exactly like churches are crucifying the Lord afresh today because they are certain and preserved that because of that they're saved. The Jews were crucified. He said, you're slaves of sin. They said, we're children of Abraham. And you say you're going to go to heaven because of what you've done. Salvation isn't what you've done. It's what God's done. What God's done. What God's done. Now here in the twelfth verse of the fourth chapter of Amos, we have these words. Therefore, thus, and because I will do this unto thee to meet thy God. Now that doesn't mean that God says, I wish you'd make preparation for eternity. That means it's too late to make any preparation for eternity. It's too late. He said, now, just one thing on the program. I'm going to judge you. Get ready. Judgment time has come for a whole nation. God gave them up. And the scripture is crystal clear. This is just one charting of one man, named Abraham. And he picked them out. And chose them. Most of them came to the place that has a nation that affected the members of it. God says, all right, boys. I've done all I'm going to do. Now get ready. My daddy used to talk to me like that sometimes. When he said it, he never told us what he's going to do. And they know you ain't going to punish them. Isn't that right? But God don't do that. He says, now, get ready, boys. Get ready. Prepare to meet God. What does that mean? We've been talking about it the last two or three nights. That means to prepare to meet God. To plead your case. That'll be the most terrible experience in time. That's all hell is. It's men and women experiencing the severity of the holy character of law. God, you felt the need of having that man who's a mediator between God and man to plead your case, to die in your stead, to take the lash of God's law upon himself or you. I'd give anything in the world if I knew how to plow through your nice little place of refuge that you used to hide from God and strip you of it, bring you to the place you saw your need of a mediator to stand between you and a holy God. In Jeremiah 6 and 30, I'll quote it. You do not need to turn to it. God says, reprobate silver. Shall men call them? Why? Because I have rejected them. Reprobate silver. Just throw it away. It's no good. Throw it in the trash heap. Reprobate silver. Shall men call them? Why? Because I, God, have rejected them. In Mark chapter 3, where we have what we've had referred to as the unpardonable sin. In Mark chapter 3. You're familiar, aren't you, with the experience here? Oh. Well, let's take time to read it. Verse 22 of Mark 3. And the scribe which came down from Jerusalem said, he hath Beelzebub and by the prince of the demons casteth he out demons. And he called him unto them and said unto them in parables, how can Satan cast out Satan? And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan rise up against himself and be divided, he cannot stand but hath an end. No man can enter into a strong man's house and spoil his goods except he'll first bind the strong man and then he'll spoil his house. Verily I say unto you, all sins shall be forgiven of the sons of men and blasphemers, well if so ever, they shall blaspheme that he against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiven. This is reprobation. How you know? The next term. But is in danger of eternal damnation and the better rendering of it by far is, for he hath guilty of an eternal sin. In other words, the man who's under God's reprobation, he's just been given over to sin. He'll sin throughout the rest of his life and there's no hope for him. No hope for him. And that's not one sin, but that's this awful thing that eventually heads up into blasphemy. Speaking in a blasphemous way out of your heart against the Holy Ghost. No wonder, no wonder David Framer spent the last 24 hours of his life as he knew he was dying seeking to find some evidence that he had a saving interest in the blood of Jesus Christ. Are you interested in that? I am. And I submit to you that if a godly man like David Framer who wrought more under God than 29 years and all of us put together have in our lives. He thought it necessary to spend his last week in Ireland doing what? 13 chapter 2nd correct in verse 5. Examine yourself. Examine yourself. You see, brother one-armed man, I don't know whether you're saved or not. I can't tell. If you're not interested, I guess you just have to go on in whichever shape you're in. Didn't say now, Ralph, you examine brother Cook. I can't see inside of you. Huh? Isn't that right? It says you examine yourself. Isn't that what it says? Examine yourself whether you be in the faith. Well, you say, brother Barnum, I'm a Christian. I know. But, brother Barnum, I made my decision. That's what you've been taught in other years of salvation is. I know. But, say, brother Barnum, I go to the devil. He's got an imp in every one of them. Well, brother Barnum, I don't get drunk no more. Well, a jackass never got drunk to start with. There's no evidence you see. Huh? Isn't that right? You're just getting on the level with him. But, brother Barnum, don't brother Barnum examine yourself whether you be in the faith. And then notice what it says. How that Jesus Christ is in you! Not that you don't do this or you do do this at this one time. It's Christ dwelling in you. Isn't that right? Except you be reprobates. You don't dwell in reprobates. Have you been reprobated? Has God given you up? I hope not. You remember there are three classes of people living in the world today. I'll mention them briefly. There are people who have been made subjects of God's redeeming grace. They're safe. They're safe. And then there are people who are subjects of what we call God. And all men, unless they are reprobate, are under God's common grace and may yet be saved. They're not saved yet, but they may be saved. And then there are men under no grace. There are people whom God has done like he did to Israelites and the fellow who guilted the black scheming against the holy ghost. And the people God describes in Romans chapter one, wherefore God also gave them up. I believe that the vast majority of people in America are reprobates. If you can tell me any way on God's earth to get them to listen to God, I'll do much of that. If you're out here like you either ought or I hope you are, you're going to have to be, you certainly have to spend a lot of money out here for nothing. Trying to talk to men and women about things of God. And then you reach mighty far between somebody that seems to understand a word on God's earth they say. It looks like it just rolled over like water off a duck's back. I preach my fool head off and worn my body out. And the biggest majority of people names on church roads never hear one word I say. Not one. I'm afraid God's criminal. You see the preacher or the personal worker is so helpless. We can't open a man's blind eyes. We can't unstop his deaf ears. We can't purify his affections. We can't energize his dead will. We can't do it only the Holy Ghost can. Most people I preach to, everything I say bounces back off of them and hits me. I'm afraid the Holy Spirit has reprobated them and they're going to hell. I hope there's nobody there like that tonight. But I tell you that the time comes when God's patience is at an end. When his forbearance is no longer for an individual. And because of his continued obstinacy and rebellion against God, God Almighty reprobates him. And I want to speak of five things very quickly. To face the sinner that God gives up on. The first thing I want to say tonight is that in hell the heathen who've never heard the name of Jesus and never heard a gospel sermon will fare better than the man who's lived in America and rejected so much truth that God Almighty reprobated him. The reprobate will have punishment in hell ten million times worse than the person who hadn't rejected God's counsel. Enough to be set aside by God and condemn the eternal hell. The principle of degrees of punishment is throughout the Bible. He that had committed bigger sins, why he'll get more strikes, we learn in the book of Luke. And the man who has been a subject of God's common grace, and the common grace of God extended to all men who hear the gospel, is sufficient to leave them without any excuse. It's not sufficient to save them, but it's sufficient to leave them without any excuse. Men sin against the common grace of God, the love of family, the love of your nation, your conscience, the government, and so forth. The Bible mentions five things that God in common grace does for all men. The knowledge of right and wrong he gives to all men. A conscience that first accuses men and keeps on accusing until it gets seared and then it goes to exit. And the government, the powers that be restrain men. That's a gift of God. The powers that be are ordained of God. And the common ties of affection deliver. Never last one of them leave a man without excuse if God sends him to hell. Wouldn't it be awful to go to hell from a church where the preacher tells you the truth about yourself and about what God's done. Wouldn't that be awful? In the second place, in hell, for that's the place where reprobates are punished forever and ever. People that God's given up in hell is darkness. Anything on earth that's fearsome is real darkness. You have a master switch here, somebody will go to it, won't do it, but you'll understand the illustration. Somebody go to the master switch now and suddenly cut off the lights for half a minute or some portion of time. We would not be able to see one thing. Isn't that right? Just completely dark. I read in the word of God, you mean turn to it, I'll get to it before you do. In the book of 2nd Peter, if I can find it over there, it's in the New Testament too, in the book of 2nd Peter. We read there in verse 4, chapter 2, for if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved under judgment. And just reading through the book of June, verse 6, and the angels which kept not their thirst to stink, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved and ever... under the judgment of the grave danger. And on down, for instance, in verse 13, raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own chain, wandering stars, to whom was reserved the blackness of darkness, not a ray of light. Contrast that with what makes a man Christian for self of God who commanded light to shine out of darkness has shined in our hearts, to give the knowledge of the glory of Jesus Christ, of God in the face of Jesus Christ. And the reprobate who in this life, and all men, will one day become reprobates unless they're saved. They'll be reserved in chains of darkness forever and ever. Not a ray of light. In hell, there shall be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. Remember this, ladies and gentlemen, that one thing I know about you. You're either going to be saved by God's grace, or just give God time. He's going to reprobate you in time and condemn you to live in hell the rest of your life and rest of eternity. All men, all men, are going to wind up in one of the other camps. There'll be nobody in hell except people God's given upon. There'll be nobody in heaven except people God's saved. Oh, all the weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. The sons of the kingdom, Matthew 8, 12, shall be cast into hell and there shall be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. I'm telling you what's fact, honey. I'm telling you what's fact. You better not fight what I've been giving you here for ten, twelve days. You better examine yourself. You'll never get anybody to God. Your neighbors don't come to you and ask you how to be saved. What reason have you got to call yourself a Christian? What power is there in your life? I'm talking plainly. Examine yourself. You're headed for salvation or reprobation. You're headed for heaven or hell. You're headed for the joy that comes in the morning. Or you're headed for the time where you'll spend eternity where there'll be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. Under God I don't know about you. You better find out. There's one thing you better be dead certain about. I'm telling you the truth. This is even the silliest thing that ever was. It's the most important thing in eternity. Your own relationship to Christ. In hell the worm dieth not. The worm I think is the consciences of men. It'll gnaw at you throughout eternity. Over and over again the Lord talks about where the fire is not quenched and the worm dieth not. Never leaves a man alone. Remember every person listening to me now. Right now you're headed right straight toward salvation. Final salvation when you're just like Christ. Or you're headed for the time and time when God will reprobate you. He'll give you up. And you'll begin to live in hell even before you die. I talk to a lot of people and they say preacher I believe all the hell a man will get he'll get in this life. I know lots of people that are living in hell right now. The big movie stars live in hell 24 hours a day. There's nothing on God's earth that they taste that has any flavor to it. They burn the candle at both ends and in the middle they're already in hell. Hell is where they hang in the burden of multitudes of people all experiencing the ruin and the destruction of H.E.L.L. hell. And the man's conscience gnawing at him. In hell there'll be associates. My the associates in hell. But the fearful and the unbelieving and the abominable and murderers. Just look at the gang that's gonna be in hell. And sorcerers and idolaters and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstones. You notice that crowd? One of them is the unbeliever. Unbeliever. Does that mean willful refusal to accept the evidence that God gives you? Never kill the man, never rob the bank, never commit. All you do is take Jesus as your savior and deny him in your Lord every day of your life. I'm gonna read you a description of the gang you're gonna associate with in hell. The fearful, the abominable, the murderers, the whoremongers, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all liars will be your company in hell. For without adulterers, Revelation 1 through 15, and sorcerers and whoremongers, there without the holy city, and murderers and idolaters and pure women, all they did was never back. Failing as the one big thing in your life, for the rule of God's son in your life. You'll join the dogs and the sorcerers and the murderers and the whoremongers and the drunkards and the rest of them as your associates in eternal hell. What a terrible hell there's never been. The only reply the rich man got when he pleaded with Abraham to dip the tip of his finger in water and bring his finger from heaven to hell, just having dipped the finger in water to come all the way to where I was. The only reply he got was son, remember that in this life down on the earth you had all the good things you'll ever have. And Lazarus had all the bad things he'd ever have. Now it's reversed. And the thing is fixed as a duck being a convert. Son, remember there's a legion that a lost soul in hell pleaded piteously for a short respite from the agonies of hell. Just one more day back on the earth, he said. And he found himself at sunset on a familiar country road nearest childhood's country home. Said he to himself, what shall I do? And he said, I'm going to my old country home. He's out of hell now. He's back on earth. At the gate of his old country home, memories came trooping in. He was standing there in his memory at the gate as a sixteen-year-old lad at twilight talking with his father of the cross and the cows and the hogs and the sheep and everything was going on pretty well. And in his memory he heard his father say, but my son, this all means so little as long as my precious boy is unsaved. And in his memory he saw the father's eyes were in tears and he heard his father say, oh my boy, the Savior gave himself for you that he might redeem you from iniquity. Will you not bow to him and trust him now? The lost soul wailed, I can't stand this. I'm going into the house. He went into the house and in his memory he stood by the fireplace where he knelt at his mother's knee and listened to the evening prayer where she told him of God's of the Savior dying for his sins. Where she pleaded with him to rely wholly on him. And he said, oh my God I can't stand this. And he turned and as he turned he saw over there in the corner in his memory his mother's bed. Over there in memory served him as he watched her die. There he remembered how he knelt at the bedside of his mother and with a hand placed upon his head she begged him to repent and bow to the Lord and Savior. He said oh my God I got to leave here. I can't stand this any longer. So out in the road in the gathering shadows this trembling lost soul stood wondering how to spend the rest of the 24 hours God had granted him on the earth. He said I know what I'll do. I'll go to the old country church and in his memory as he approached he saw that the old church had long since been deserted. And as he entered the moonbeams were struggling down through the rotten roof and the cane rafters. This lost soul crept into the family queue and sat down. In memory went to work. It's a Sunday morning, a beautiful bright day. The people are gathered and there come the old senior deacon his wife, their grown sons and daughters and there come the neighboring farmers and families. They're crowding the house. There's a great audience and the old white head passed the stands. And the pulpit gives out the first hymn and he hears them sing Rock of Ages cleft for me. Let me hide myself in thee. He remembers how they sang how the old cracked voices of the white haired saints of God stirred the soul. And then the old preacher gave out another hymn Jesus lover of my soul let me to thy bosom fly. The young people are singing. The old pastor now is leading in prayer. He's pouring out his soul into gratitude to God for his blessing for the Lord, for the revealed word pleading with the people and for the people for God's continued blessing on them. For the lonely missionaries in the foreign land. Then he gives out another hymn. There is a fountain full of blood. Beneath that blood lives all their guilt and stain. His memory says that was there ever such sin that poured in the soul out to God. His tears come trickling down the wrinkled hair where the cheeks of the saints of God were cracked. Then in a nobler, sweeter song I'll sing thy power. The saints cry out and the old pastor gets up and announces his thanks for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son should not perish but have everlasting life. That sermon he remembers God's love. The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell. God's love given his son. I wish I knew how to get men and women to quit making fun of or assuming God's love. It's wonderful that he gave his son. Our hearts were not as hard as tempered steel. We'd have old man amen and old man wet eyes once again in the pews of our fundamental churches. Never had any smell like revival till a brother amen to God's truth and brother wet eyes saturates the atmosphere. New old preacher's tears are trickling down his cheeks the boy remembers he said says the preacher not many more times will I be here to plead with you to be saved. My course is near to run I've nursed you on my knees I've closed the eyes of your mothers and fathers in death I've pleaded for your salvation I've stood in this pulpit year after year these many years and pleaded why oh why will you die in your sins now is accepted time today if you will hear his voice and don't harden your heart and then they sing how firm a foundation he speaks the grace of the Lord is laid for your faith in his excellent word hear the coming the boy remembers young boys and girls men and women gray haired hardened sinners and he says in his memory shall I and then he sees the neighbor's son and he says I believe I'll go and then he says no and the old pastor holds up his hand and says how my soul rejoices over all these but they're others won't you come down to pray you're almost persuaded why not come and they sing the soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose I'll never I will not I will not deserve to his foes he sees them coming he says I believe I and he says no no and with the Lord's terrible shrieking agony the Lord's sinner says oh I can't stand it any longer let me go back to hell throughout hell reprobates who kept on rejecting God's truth refusing the vow that God reprobates will spend eternity haunted by their memory there are three classes of people in the world those who've experienced redeeming grace have you those who've never yet been saved but God hadn't given them up yet is that true of you those whom God has reprobated and already they're in hell they walk the streets dead men while they examine yourself whether ye be of faith prove yourself don't you know that Jesus Christ dwells in you except you be reprobate David Brainerd spent the last 24 hours of his life seeking to find some evidence that he had an interest I want to get in on that for a king Jesus died for something brother Ray I want in with the king amen never stay