An Empty Ledger and a Burning Lake

I used to live near a lake, and each morning I would take walks there, and I'd see a mother duck and her little chicks. She'd have about ten chicks, and the next week I'd walk by that lake and there'd only be eight chicks there. Then the following week I'd go by that lake and see if the mother duck was there, and I'd find that there were only five little chicks with her.

The chicks would die off for various reasons. Some got eaten by otters, some gave out because of the harsh weather and conditions. But I know this, friends.

It was hard to survive out on that lake. There is a lake mentioned in my Bible that is so horrible, you would not want to survive it. This lake, found in Revelation, is not peaceful nor still, but violent and raging.

It's not accompanied by laughter and pleasant conversation, but by shrieks and screams of horror. It's a burning lake of hellfire. It's a churning violence, and it's fueled by the wrath of God.

How do you get into this lake? You get there by way of an empty ledger. Something missing in a book, a missing name. One of my publishers years ago published a little booklet I wrote entitled, Are You in the Book of Life? And this message today, friends, is about that book of life.

The title of my message is, An Empty Ledger and a Burning Lake. My text can be found in the book of Revelation, in chapter 20. You can turn in your Bibles there now, friends.

We will be in verses 10 through 15, and let me read us this gripping passage of scripture at this time, and it is my prayer that if your name, friend, is not found written in that book of life, that you won't miss Christ and end up on that burning lake of fire. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. I will pause here, friends.

That lake of fire is a place of punishment for the devil. God will one day cast that dirty devil into that burning lake, where he'd be tormented for ever and ever. Now, he deserves that punishment for his rebellion against a holy God.

But do you know who else will join him in that lake, beside the beast and the false prophet? A bunch of Baptist preachers who were deceived and unconverted. A bunch of unconverted deacons will be thrown in there as well. Some choir members and Sunday school teachers will join them too.

Why? I'll tell you why from this passage. Let's read on. And I saw a great white throne and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them.

And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God, and the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And 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 their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.

This is the second death. Now here we go, friends. Listen to this.

Listen to who else joins the devil in that burning lake. Look at verse 15. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

This speaks of an empty ledger in the most important book in all eternity. I want you, friend, to take a pen right now and mark in your Bible above the word whosoever. Write your name there.

And Joe Smith was not found written in the book of life. Put your name there, friend. This is a serious matter.

This is the most important matter you will ever face. Notice in verse 10 it states, and the devil that deceived them. Do you know that Satan can give you a false assurance that you are saved when you're not? He can give you an emotion or a feeling or a vision or a bright light to make you think you are saved.

He is a deceiver. He is transformed into an angel of light. Your hope of heaven may be on sinking sand.

Did you know that the devil can give you a false peace? Do you know he can give you a supernatural experience to trick you into believing you are saved? An empty ledger can send you to hell. If your name is not found written in that book of life, then you will surely be cast into hell's lake of fire. I was listening to the famous preacher, Parris Reedhead, who preached that famous sermon Ten Shekels and a Shirt.

And he was addressing an evangelistic meeting, and he asked, how many of you here have been saved? And he said, hundreds of people raised their hands. Then he asked the second question, how many of you have ever been lost? And he said, four people reluctantly raised their hands. Then Parris Reedhead told that crowd of church people, how can you claim to be saved if you were never lost? Then he quoted Matthew 18, the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Let me ask you, friend, has there ever been a moment in your life where you realized you were lost and guilty before God and on your way to hell? Do you know that salvation is in Christ? Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. Jesus said, I am the bread of life.

He that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. I fear that there's a great many church members whose name is on the church roll, but there's an empty ledger in the only book that matters in regard to eternity, which is the book of life. Many believe that Jesus died for their sins without believing on the Christ who died and rose again.

Have you missed Christ, friend, or have you found Christ, and is he real to you, and are you joined to him in a living union with a living Lord? As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, and all who looked on it were healed, even so Christ was lifted up, and whosoever believes on him shall be saved. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is none else. Don't let an empty ledger and a false hope send you to that lake of fire.

Turn to Christ, friend, seek him. Salvation is in Christ. Jesus said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

Let us pray.