Effect This Should Have on Unbelievers

The point: The doctrine of hell ought to arrest you in your present spiritual course.

A seacoast town going about daily life is suddenly warned of an impending, annihilating tidal wave. This illustrates how the news of hell should arrest people in their ordinary activities, highlighting the urgency of the warning.

Number one, as you behold the reality of this impending doom and as you consider the mercy and goodness of God in warning you, about your doom. Let me illustrate. Try to picture with me a seacoast town back in the days when there were kings and lords. And this particular town is like many towns of that day.

11:31 - 11:56 Read in full sermon

The point: These nine weeks of considering our Lord's teaching on the doctrine of hell, if it does nothing else, should at least bring you up short and cause you to take your hands out of the door and drop the pall and stop your pl…

Building on the tidal wave analogy, the town is revealed to be rebellious against a king who is coming to judge them. The king, however, mercifully sends a warning of the tidal wave. This illustrates God's goodness and mercy in warning sinners, which should further compel them to stop their destructive course.

Suppose these people learned that the very king who knew of the coming tidal wave, who was on his way to destroy that village and could have justly given them no word but simply, turned around and gone back to the place of safety and view the coming of the tidal wave as a divine act of providence to carry out the judgment and spare his sword the bloody task. Suppose the people of this village learned that it was no one other than this king himself riding on his way to judge them that had sent messengers to warn them. What should that do to the people? Oh, I tell you, if the thought of the dang...

17:37 - 18:40 Read in full sermon

The point: Get into the way of true conversion; begin to read the scriptures...press toward the gate, cry out to God, 'Oh God, make me a true Christian, show me what it means to be truly converted.'

Martin quotes John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, describing Christian's initial distress, his arrest from his former life, his question 'Whither must I fly?', and Evangelist's direction to the Wicket Gate. This illustrates the transition from being arrested by the doctrine of hell to actively seeking the way of true conversion.

John Bunyan has captured this beautifully in his Immortal Pilgrim's Progress and I want you to notice these different facets as I read from the Pilgrim's Progress. Now I saw upon a time when he, that is Christian was walking in the fields he was as he was accustomed to do reading in his book and greatly distressed in his mind and as he read he burst out as he had done before crying what shall I do to be saved? I saw also that he looked this way and that way as if he would run yet he stood still he was arrested he could no longer go on the way he was before but he didn't know which way to go he...

23:58 - 25:25 Read in full sermon

The point: Get into the way of true conversion...begin to cry to God before you come Sunday mornings, 'Lord, prepare my heart to receive that word that it may take root, reveal your son to me, enable me to lay hold of him in true f…

Continuing the tidal wave analogy, the path to the safe hills is obstructed by barbed wire and muddy bogs. This illustrates that the way of true conversion will involve difficulties and self-denial, but the conviction of impending doom should compel one to overcome them at any cost.

of hills outside the town hills that are buttressed by high immovable rocky cliffs and the wave will not reach to them they are convinced that the way of escape is to those high rocks and they set out into the way of escape but they haven't gone far when they behold six foot high bales of barbed wire what are they going to do listen my friend it's better to get bloody to the top of the rock and they're going to be a bloated body floating upon the ocean's surface in three days from the barbed wire tearing at their flesh it matters not a little bit further they meet some boggy areas that are mud...

32:11 - 33:40 Read in full sermon

The point: Get into the way of true conversion...begin to cry to God before you come Sunday mornings, 'Lord, prepare my heart to receive that word that it may take root, reveal your son to me, enable me to lay hold of him in true f…

Martin again quotes Pilgrim's Progress, detailing Christian's neighbors mocking and threatening him, and the defection of Pliable at the Slough of Despond. This illustrates the opposition and difficulties encountered on the path of conversion and the necessity of perseverance.

is to the high hills then we'll stay in that way at any cost again Bunyan captured this beautifully for right after we find Christian arrested and starting to the way what happens the neighbors also came out to see him run and as he ran some mocked you thought that was a contemporary word didn't you kids they're going to mock me out that's as old as Bunyan he said some mocked others threatened and some cried after him come back and among those there were two that resolved to fetch him back by force good southern word too you see Bunyan was very Catholic he was very modern he talks about mockin...

36:38 - 38:07 Read in full sermon

The point: Keep crying, keep applying to Christ, keep holding on to Christ as he's offered in the gospel and the Lord will soon whisper to your heart, 'Daughter, thy sins be forgiven, thy faith have made thee whole,' 'Son, thy fait…

These biblical examples illustrate persistent faith in the face of opposition, even when it seemed to come from Christ Himself. They serve to encourage those seeking Christ to keep crying out and applying to Him for mercy, despite apparent deafness or delay.

my friend stay in the way at any cost strive to enter into the narrow gate to go back from pressing to the hill is to put yourself back in the village where the tidal wave is coming and to be there is destruction our Lord has given us some beautiful examples and I just close with mentioning them I won't even turn to them in the interest of time you have that Syrophoenician woman in the 15th chapter of Matthew and then you have blind Bartimaeus in the 10th chapter of Mark and what a beautiful picture they are of this convinced that only Christ could meet their need when they faced opposition to...

42:34 - 44:02 Read in full sermon