Separating Sheep from Goats, #2 (Mat. 25:31-46)

Introduction to the Lord's Supper and the Sermon's Context

0:01 The following sermon was delivered on Sunday evening, February 3rd, 2002, at the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey. Now I would encourage you to turn with me in your Bibles again this evening, as we did this morning, to the 25th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, Matthew chapter 25. And follow, please, as I read, beginning at verse 31 to the end of the chapter. Our Lord Jesus, speaking to his own disciples, says, But when the Son of Man shall come in his glory, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit on the throne of his glory, and before him shall be gathered all the nations, and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he shall say, And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, and the goats on the left. Then shall the king say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

1:25 For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in. Amen.

1:38 And I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you?

1:53 Or a thirst, and gave you drink? And when did we see you a stranger, and take you in? Or naked, and clothed you? And when did we see you sick, or in prison, and come unto you?

2:08 And the king shall answer and say unto them, Truly I say unto you, Inasmuch as you did it unto one of these my brethren, even the least, you did it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire, which is prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry, and you did not give. I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink.

2:43 I was a stranger, and you did not take me in. Naked, and you did not clothe me. Sick, and in prison, and you visited me not. Then shall they also answer, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry, or a thirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto you?

3:08 Then shall he say unto them, Truly I say unto you, Inasmuch as you did it not unto one of these least, you did it not unto me. And these shall go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. Now it was evident upon your entering tonight, and in conjunction with several of the people, the comments made by Pastor Smith, that this service will culminate in our remembering the Lord Jesus in the way of his appointment, that is, in the breaking of bread that is bread on the table, will be bread after we have given thanks for it. It will be bread when you take and break it and eat it. But taking bread and eating it in remembrance of Christ, the bread symbolizing the body he assumed for us, the body in which he carried out his life of obedience, obedience unto death, even the death of the cross. And then we will take the fruit of the vine, which is just that, as it's there in the cups on the table.

4:26 It will be but the fruit of the vine when we have given thanks for it. It will be the fruit of the vine when we take it in our hands and when we drink it. But it is the fruit of the vine symbolizing the blood that Jesus poured out as a sacrificial victim on behalf of his people, thereby securing their eternal redemption. And as we do this, we will again read the words of 1 Corinthians 11 and verse 26, in which the apostle writes, As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you do show forth or preach forth the Lord's death until he come.

5:10 Making it very clear that in coming to the table, we not only look backwards in remembrance of what Christ did for us in his once for all death upon the cross, look upward in present communion and remembrance of his person, but we look forward, we anticipate the consummation of redemption. We eat the bread and drink the cup until, until he come. And so tonight it is fitting that we conclude our present series of studies on the return of Christ by returning to that passage by which our Lord himself concludes his most concentrated teaching on the subject of his return in power and glory at the end of the age. As I indicated this morning, the passage read in your hearing, is our Lord's concluding statement in this very dense and concentrated section in which he himself is giving teaching concerning his own second coming. He leaves parables and gives this graphic description of that final judgment

Recap of the Judge's Identity and Activity

6:31 that will be ushered in, in conjunction with his own return. This morning we noted, first of all, the identity of the judge in verse thirty-one. Our Lord Jesus identifies himself as the son of man, but the son of man coming in his glory, coming with all the angels as his entourage, and coming to sit on the throne of his glory as the unrivaled king of the universe. And then we noted, secondly, the activity of the judge, that he will, first of all, secure a universal convocation.

7:16 Before him shall be gathered all the nations. That he will, secondly, effect an infallible separation. He will then separate them one from another as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. Thirdly, that he will then issue a magisterial declaration.

7:38 The king will say to those on his right hand, Come, you blessed of my father. And then verse forty-one, he shall say also to them on the left hand, Depart from me, you cursed. Then he will proceed to give what I call the factual vindication. He will demonstrate before the assembled universe of rational beings, that when he says to those, Come, you blessed, that they are indeed blessed with a salvation that brought them into this unique and personal relationship to the Lord Jesus, that not only constituted them righteous in the courtroom of heaven, a righteousness imputed to them on the basis of the sacrificial death of Christ, but a salvation which so united them to himself, in love and devotion, as well as in faith, that they manifested their personal, intimate relationship to Jesus by the way in which they regarded the people of Jesus, those whom he calls his brethren, who are inseparably united to him in the bond of faith and the saving union.

9:05 And likewise, he will speak to those on the left hand, to the goats, and he will give this factual vindication of identifying them as the cursed ones, who belong in the company of the devil and his angels, for they have made it evident that they do not regard Jesus Christ with any personal affection or attachment, and this is manifested by their indifference to the people of Christ. And then in closing, we had just time to note, by way of stating the heading and little more, that following this universal convocation, this infallible separation, the magisterial declarations, the factual vindication, the Lord himself will ensure an irreversible implementation of what he has said, both to those on the right and to those on the left. And the sobering words with which the entire passage closes, with which this entire section on the second coming closes, are the words of verse 46, These shall go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. And as we noted this morning, the very next words in Matthew's Gospel are these,

10:31 and it came to pass when Jesus had finished all these words, he said unto his disciples, You know that after two days the Passover comes, and the Son of Man is delivered up to be crucified. The Son of Man who when he comes in glory and power shall sit upon the throne of his glory, that Son of Man is on his way voluntarily to die, to secure a redemption from the horrors of hell, and to procure for his resurrection, a redeemed one, the glories of heaven. And so the words of verse 46 not only are the capstone over all his teaching on the second coming, they are in a very real sense an introduction. They give the rationale for that which follows in the suffering of our Lord Jesus. And what I want to do in the half hour that remains for our meditation tonight, is I want us to think together concerning these words of verse 46. These shall go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.

The Nature of Eternal Punishment: Soul and Body

11:46 And I want you to consider with me from the Scriptures the nature of the eternal punishment imposed by the King, and the nature of the eternal life granted by the King. And as I address both of these matters, I do so without speculation, without undisciplined and unsanctified imagination, seeking to attach to these words nothing, nothing more, nothing less, than what Scripture itself demands that we attach to them. So then, first of all, the nature of the eternal punishment imposed by the King when Jesus said as the ultimate result of His function as judge of the moral universe that these shall go away into eternal punishment, what is the nature of that eternal punishment of which He speaks in this concluding verse? And I would like you to trace out with me very simply four basic categories with respect to the nature of this eternal punishment.

13:09 First of all, it will consist of punishment in soul and in body. It will consist of punishment in soul and in body. Earlier in this Gospel, our Lord Jesus Christ, the one concerning whom it is said, they wondered at the words of grace that proceeded from His mouth. He says in Matthew 10 in verse 28, Do not be afraid of them that kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul, but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. He speaks in words that may be twisted, in words that may be ignored, in words that may be denied, but in words that cannot be mistaken. Hell consists of punishment in soul and in body. This is why our Lord Jesus in speaking of the fact that all judgment has been committed unto Him makes it abundantly clear that in preparation for this judgment

14:33 He will speak and raise all of the dead, uniting body and soul in resurrected constituted integrity of humanity. The living souls and bodies of the living wicked will immediately go to judgment. The dead wicked shall be joined to their departed spirits and when Jesus said these shall go away into eternal punishment He was speaking of an eternal punishment the nature of which consists in punishment of soul and of body. This is why in Revelation 20, 11 to 15 John sees this vision of this same judgment and he says the dead stand before God. And they stand there because the graves give up their dead and the sea gives up its dead. And as body and soul united again they stand before the judge of the universe. Therefore it should not surprise us that when our gentle, gracious Savior speaks of what it will be for soul and body to endure the torments of hell itself, it is our Lord Jesus who six times

16:01 in the Gospel of Matthew alone speaks of the weeping, wailing and the gnashing of teeth. He says it will be a place of the intense torment of soul and body producing the weeping, the wailing and the gnashing of teeth. Secondly, it will consist of the punishment proportioned to one's light and privilege. When our text says these shall go away into eternal punishment it is our Lord Jesus who makes it plain that that will not be a flattened punishment. There will be a gradation of punishment in hell. How it will be meted out is none of my concern because to my knowledge it is not revealed in the Scriptures. But that the torments of hell shall be proportioned to light and privilege is indeed clearly taught by our Lord Jesus.

The Nature of Eternal Punishment: Proportionate to Light and Privilege

17:09 In Matthew chapter 11, the chapter famous again for the gracious, tender words of our Lord Jesus coming to us at the end of the chapter Come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly of heart and you shall find rest to your souls. The meek and lowly of heart Jesus in the very preceding paragraph speaks and acts according to Matthew 11, 20 in this way. He then began to upbraid.

17:51 He began to scold. To castigate the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done because they repented not. Woe unto you Chorazin! Woe unto you Bethsaida!

18:06 For if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. And thou Capernaum shall you be exalted unto heaven? You shall go down unto hell.

18:32 For if the mighty works had been done in Sodom which were done in you it would have remained unto this day. But I say unto you it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you. Intolerable to both Sodom and Gomorrah and to Capernaum. But less tolerable for one than for the other.

18:56 Punishment proportionate to light and to privilege. The privilege of Capernaum far greater than the privilege of Sodom and Gomorrah. And therefore punishment proportionate to that disparate light and privilege. Again our Lord in Luke chapter 12 in Luke chapter 12 indicates that the punishment of hell will indeed be with respect to proportionate light and privilege.

19:27 Verse 47 of Luke 12 And that servant who knew his Lord's will and made not ready nor did according to his will shall be beaten with many stripes that he that knew not and did things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with few stripes and to whomsoever much is given of him shall much be required and to whom they commit much of him they will ask the more. Our Lord says even in our human interaction we operate on the basis of greater light and privilege brings greater culpability when there is failure to perform the will of the one to whom we are answerable. And so when our Lord Jesus says in Matthew 25 and verse 46 these shall go away into eternal punishment. What is the nature of that eternal punishment? It will consist of punishment in soul and body. Secondly it will consist of punishment proportionate to light and to privilege.

The Nature of Eternal Punishment: Despicable Company and Non-Terminating

20:31 Thirdly it will consist of punishment in the most despicable of company. It will consist of punishment in the most despicable of company. Here in this very passage verse 41 Then shall he also say to them on the left hand depart from me you cursed into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels. It is the understanding of most responsible Bible students that the devil's angels are what we now know as demons demonic powers those foul murderous heartless vicious unclean spirits and their master the devil and the company of hell is the devil and his angels. Revelation 20 and verse 10 again makes this abundantly clear. In Revelation 20 and verse 10 we read of God's banishment of the devil and the powers that have aligned themselves with the devil. Verse 10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where are also the beast and the false prophet

21:59 and they shall be tormented day and night forever and ever. Verse 15 of the same chapter and if any was not found written in the book of life he was cast into the lake of fire not another but the lake of fire where the devil and the beast and the false prophet are to join them in their torment. The nature of eternal punishment it will be punishment in the most despicable of company the devil and his angels and fourthly it will be punishment that is non-terminating. It is punishment that is non-terminating. It is called in this very passage in Matthew 25 eternal fire eternal punishment the same word used to qualify the nature of the life of the redeemed and these shall go away into eternal punishment but the righteous into eternal life the word itself eternal has varying nuances but in certain context it is the only word that anyone could use in this linguistic setting to describe unendingness non-terminating existence or condition

23:26 hence our Lord uses graphic grotesque R-rated language in such passages as Mark chapter 9 here our Lord is enjoining the absolute necessity of our willingness to deal with sin ruthlessly at any cost realizing that failure to do so allowance of any one sin to dominate us is to seal our own damnation and to drive the point home our Lord says in Mark 9 in verse 45 and if your foot cause you to stumble cut it off it is good for you to enter into life halt rather than having two feet to be cast into hell and if your eye cause you to stumble cast it out it is good for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell where their worm dies not and the fire is not quenched worms that consume dead bodies as long as they have flesh to feed upon they live when there is nothing more to feed upon they die the Lord Jesus said hell is a place where their worm dies not

24:53 and the fire is never quenched unless someone is determined to make language mean something other than what it is intended to mean surely the punishment to which our Lord refers when he says these shall go away into eternal punishment is punishment that is non-terminating the language of Revelation 14 again grotesque language but surely the language does not exceed the reality it is meant to shock us into an awareness of the horrific possibility that sitting in this place tonight we could be in this condition Revelation 14 speaking of those who worship the beast and his image those to whom Christ is not precious enough to forfeit even life for Christ's sake what will happen to them verse 10 he also shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God which is prepared unmixed in the cup of his anger and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the lamb and the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever

26:18 and they have no rest day and night they that worship the beast and his image and whoso receives the mark of his name dear people I've not added anything of my imagination I've not taken these texts and allowed even legitimate amplification my prayer has been oh God if the sheer reading of these texts does not awaken men and women boys and girls to flee from the wrath to come what can I add that will shake them out of their stupor Jesus concludes all of this rich teaching on his second coming by pointing us to the day when the son of man shall come in his glory and sit upon the throne of his glory separate sheep from goats make the magisterial pronouncement come you blessed depart you cursed and Jesus says these shall go away into eternal punishment into punishment that consists of soul and body punishment proportioned to light and privilege punishment in the most despicable of company punishment that is non-terminating

Warning Against Softening Biblical Truth on Hell

27:45 at this point before we move on to the nature of the eternal life secured by the king I want to quote from the servant of God from another generation who saw in his generation men offended by this plain Bible teaching and seeking to bring to it sophistry and a twisting of the obvious significance of language and listen to the perceptive words of Dr. A. A. Hodge on this matter more than all this we should recognize the superficiality and essential cruelty of that mock love which makes so many professed teachers of the Bible disguise from sinners or explain away the real facts as to the attitude of the word of God on this subject he's speaking of the subject of eternal punishment even if mistakes should be made in the way of rendering the aspect of scriptural teaching more menacing than it really is while that might give unnecessary pain for the present it could not betray souls to unexpected danger hereafter you see his point if preachers have at times allowed sanctified burden for men to allow their minds or move their minds into some

29:12 undisciplined imaginative descriptions of the horrors of hell A. A. Hodge says while making this teaching more menacing than it really is might give unnecessary pain for the present it could not betray souls to unexpected danger hereafter but there is no more deadly injury no more wanton cruelty which any man can perpetrate upon a fellow creature than that which the theological reformer is in danger of when against the apparent meaning of God's word against the unanimous judgment of Christ's church he softens the emphasis of warning and assures the unbelieving sinner that it is not after all so certain that he must die the second death of eternal pain and shame the most cruel thing I could do to any man woman boy or girl in this place is to say upon a first reading the words these shall go away into eternal punishment seem to indicate unending pain of body and soul seem to indicate body and soul proportionate to light and privilege

30:39 seem to indicate pain of body and soul proportionate to light and privilege in the most despicable of company and that forever ah but my friends the words though they appear to teach that let me quiet your minds that they don't really mean that that's soul cruelty of the most vicious wanton kind and I will not commit it though there is much in my temperament that wished I could you better take seriously the words of Jesus these shall go away into eternal punishment but with equal certainty but the righteous the verb shall go away understood but the righteous shall go away into life eternal and again very briefly just quoting scriptures letting them speak and affirm their own weight to our hearts what is the nature of that eternal life to be granted by the king when he comes in his glory and makes the separation and makes the pronouncement well first of all it will consist of the glorification of soul and body we saw that in previous studies

The Nature of Eternal Life: Glorification of Soul and Body

32:07 on the second coming that God's great redemptive purpose according to Romans 8 29 whom he did foreknow he did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son and then Paul goes on to say in the chain of God's redemptive activity that culminates in their glorification whom he justified then he also glorified and what will that glorification be it will consist of the glorification of soul and of body we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is our souls utterly thoroughly permanently irreversibly transformed into the moral likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ but our bodies as well fashioned like unto his own glorious body Philippians 3 and verse 20 the Lord Jesus for whom we wait from heaven shall fashion the body of our humiliation like unto his own glorious body by the power wherewith he is able to subdue all things unto himself the teaching of 1 Corinthians 15 that focuses not on the immortality of the soul but upon the glorious resurrection of the body untainted minds in unwearied bodies

33:33 in a transformed universe that's what eternal life will be it will consist of the glorification of the body the glorification of soul and body secondly it will consist of a life lived in the direct sight of and the most intense communion with God and the Lamb it will consist of a life lived in the direct sight of and in the most intense communion with God and the Lamb listen to the language of Revelation 22 and verse 4a how much do we need to know about heaven well in a sense this is about all we really need to know and they shall see his face and they shall see his face that's it heaven is where Jesus is that's what Paul holds out to the distressed Thessalonian believers that where he is there we shall be so shall we ever be with the Lord Jesus with the Lord or Revelation 21 1 to 3 I saw new heavens and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth are passed away and the sea is no more and I saw the holy city New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God

The Nature of Eternal Life: Direct Communion with God and Unwearied Service

34:56 made ready as a bride adorned for her husband and I heard a great voice out of the throne saying behold the tabernacle the immediate dwelling of God is with men and he shall dwell with them and they shall be his peoples and God shall be their God that's the essence of this eternal life this is life eternal Jesus said that they may know thee the true and living God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent and what is eternal life in its consummate fulfillment it consists not only in the glorification of body and soul it will consist of a life lived in the direction of sight of and in the most intense communion with God and of the Lamb this is what Jesus prayed for in John 17 24 he says Father I will that they whom you have given me be with me where I am to what end that they may behold my glory I want them to be with me knowing that with me beholding my glory will ravish their souls and be the heaven of heavens to each of them but then thirdly it will consist of a life of unwearied service in a setting where the curse of God

36:24 is completely removed this eternal life into which the sheep shall be ushered will consist of a life of unwearied service in a setting where the curse of God is completely removed Revelation 7 and verse 15 therefore are they before the throne of God there's intimate face to face communion and they serve him day and night in his temple or his sanctuary intimate communion yet they serve and he that sits on the throne shall spread his tabernacle over them they shall hunger no more neither thirst any more neither shall the sun strike upon them nor any heat for the lamb that is in the midst of the throne shall be their shepherd and shall guide them unto fountains of waters of life and God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes this eternal life will consist in such a life of unwearied service in a setting where the curse of God is completely removed Revelation 22 3 points us in the same direction there shall be no curse anymore

37:48 and his servants shall serve him this notion that heaven is somehow glorified spirits floating about on ephemeral clouds hooking harps that excites the soul of no man or woman who has any sense of his or her identity as image of God God the great creator God the great worker and in heaven we shall work with unwearied labor in the immediate presence of God and of the Lamb no curse producing weariness no reluctance in the renewed creation remember the parable of the talents in the mina those who have been faithful are given a stewardship of service be over ten cities be over five work to be done but never any weariness no need to put in a twelve hour day it will be twenty four hours days without weariness without pain without weakness without the encroachment of deterioration in the joints and in the natural powers perennial freshness we'll know an eternal freshness fresher than the freshness of Adam when he came from the creative wisdom and power of God

The Nature of Eternal Life: Perfect Harmony and Non-Terminating Blessedness

39:15 but then fourthly when the scripture says these shall go away into eternal life this life will consist of a life of perfect harmony and love in the most desirable company now you talk about an antithesis hell is the place of exquisite torment in the most ugliest company eternal life heaven consists of a life of perfect harmony and love in the midst of the most desirable company Hebrews 12.22 says that in coming to Jesus we come to the general assembly and church of the first born enrolled in heaven as well as to an innumerable company of angels 1 Thessalonians 4.14 and following Paul is careful to make it plain that when Christ comes all of his saints will get the full installment of their redemption of their redemption all at once to enter into it together and I don't have time to read all the passages but when we turn to Revelation 21 the angel says come I'll show you the wife the bride of the lamb and John says when he took me on a mountain to see the bride the wife of the lamb we expect him to say and I saw this beautiful woman beautifully adorned but he said I saw a city the bride is a city I saw a city coming down from heaven

40:43 coming down from God out of heaven why a city with all the mechanism of interaction and organization and activity and it's the city of perfect love in the most desirable company nobody short tempered nobody jealous nobody envious think what that will mean in a multitude whom no man can number out of every kindred tribe and tongue and children with the devil and his angels when you can be in the company of God and of the lamb and all when God's done with us we're going to perfectly reflect the beauty and the loveliness of Christ not that we'll be made gods no there will be no question that he is the first born among his many brethren but we'll so bare the family likeness there won't be one quirk left in us not one rough edge what a wonderful thing do you know what it's like to get in the company of some ripened saints do you feel man I could stay here forever they exude love and likeness to Jesus that's what heaven's going to be when Jesus said these shall go away into eternal life that's the life into which they go

42:11 and finally in this brief overview it will consist of the non-terminating experience of all this blessedness it will consist in the non-terminating experience of all this blessedness the text says these shall go away into eternal life unending non-terminating life Revelation 22 5b captures the essence of it with these words there shall be no night they need no light of lamp neither light of sun for the Lord God shall give them light and they shall reign forever and forever forever and forever the language used of the damned and their torment they have no rest day nor night the smoke ascends forever but here we are told in the stark contrast of the glory of the redeemed the Lord God shall give them light and they shall reign forever and ever dear people when we come to this table and we hear the words take eat this is my body which is for you as oft as you eat this bread and drink this cup you do show the Lord's death till he come

Pastoral Application: The Cost and Purchase of Christ's Death

43:40 what has that death purchased for us it's purchased for us what I've tried to give in but a sketchy inadequate way of eternal life all that that means that life that consists in the glorification of our souls and bodies consists of a life lived in the direct sight of in the most intimate communion with God and the Lamb that consists in a life of unwearied service in a setting where the curse of God's completely removed consists of a life in perfect harmony and love in the most desirable company and all of that in non-terminating blissful reality Jesus died to secure that for us looking at the darker side he died because we all deserved eternal torment remember the connection between Jesus words at the end of Matthew 25 and when he finished these words Matthew 26 he sets his face to die that's where you and I belong in eternal torments eternal torments is our desert eternal glory and life is his purchase let's never get so sophisticated

45:09 that we fail to think of ourselves as hell deserving sinners as hell sinners and by the grace of God live with this passion that we want to see as many others rescued as can be rescued through our endeavors that's why I'm preaching to you tonight you children and young people young adults old adults if you're not in Christ mark down the words you shall go into eternal punishment if you're in Christ you shall go into eternal life in the next 10 to 15 years not a few of us the Lord delays his coming we're going to go the way of all flesh there's going to be a grave plot marked somewhere it'll have a headstone with your name on it and my name on mine the Lord tarries in 50 years many of you will have gone the way of all flesh in a few 100 years a little blip in the scope of human history you're all going to be gone

46:35 awaiting this day when the son of man shall come in his glory and with all the angels and sit upon the throne of his glory God will stop the wheel of time and start ticking the clock of eternity that never winds down and you and you and you and I shall either go into eternal torment or we shall go into eternal life God grant God grant that none of you none of you none of you will hear him say depart from me but that every one of you will hear him say come you blessed of my father there's no reason for him not to say it to everyone sitting there Christ is died Christ is risen Christ authorizes his servants to offer salvation in his name to any and every sinner who will have him why will you not have him what better place to embrace him when set before not just your ears or the overtures of grace but before your very eyes what he did to validate that his offers of grace are not just your ears

48:03 his offers of grace are real he died he shed his blood go to the savior and go to him now and go to him in the confidence that he'll receive you as he promised let's pray our father we're so thankful that you have in mercy pulled back the veil and shown us all we need to know about the future that we might flee from the wrath to come and find refuge in the Lord Jesus and oh God we beg of you this night that your servant will not have preached these things in vain but that here in this place in this very hour some would flee from the coming wrath and find refuge in a gracious almighty sincerely inviting savior and know the joy of sins forgiven and the anticipation of heaven to come we pray for those of us who are your children that you would fill us with a fresh awareness of what it is to be brands plucked from the burning

49:27 Lord to the extent that we've lost our first love and moved away from that amazement that we should be rescued from hell oh God restore to us a fresh sense of what it is to be rescued hell deserving sinners loosen our tongues to speak of your salvation to others and fill us with joy unspeakable and full of glory that will make our lives contagious in the midst of a poor sick confused hate fateful and light rejecting generation oh Lord help us bless we pray our time now as we come to the table may our hearts be ravished with a fresh sight of our savior crucified for sinners we ask in his worthy name Amen