A Thankful People in a Reprobate Age — Rolfe Barnard

Multitudes of our church members are not batting very well when they are thus tested. I believe that every organization of a church that doesn't function in services like this ought to be done away with.

I cannot conceive of a Sunday school teacher who could sleep at night if all the students in the class were not here every night, if they didn't have both legs broken or working or something, or the WMU or the Training Union or the Brotherhood or any of the 10 ,001 organizations we've got now trying to pump up the old dead cow.

And I think we ought not to get discouraged, but we ought to rehaul the whole machinery. For if our machinery don't function, we'd better swap it off and get some that will. Amen. So we're being greatly tested, I am.

I dearly love this godly pastor and his wife. I wish I could have been a help to them. He'll get some sense, he's the hardest working man I've seen lately, doing what he ought not to do. It's been a test of me.

The Reprobate Condition of the Present Generation

What shall I preach? I don't know the judgment, what the Lord's purpose was here, but for better or worse, we've been speaking this week on the text in 2 Corinthians chapter 13 and 5, and we're quoted afresh tonight.

Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith, your own. Know ye not that Christ is in you, except ye be reprobate. If he's rejected, of course he's not in you. Last night, on my conviction, and I tried to enforce it by the word of God, that this generation has passed into a season of reprobation.

Multitudes about us commit what we call the unpardonable sin every day, and their number is increasing day by day. And the reason, of all reasons why we believe that is true, is that men are not seeking after the Lord today, either those who profess to be Christians or those who don't profess to be Christians.

And the one thing that would break your heart if you followed the evangelists around, do not pant after God. I do not pay a great deal of attention to the acts, good or bad, of men, but I do think it's very, very, very important what their desires are, what they're looking for and what they're running at.

The best man I ever saw could be in many different directions, but thank God the priesthood of the Lord is bound to be a fellow that's running scared for more Christ. I cannot understand the generation of so-called Christians who say, I'm all right.

I believe it's far into Christianity. And if, speaking a little truth, that we do live in a day of people who seem to be pretty well satisfied with themselves and their relation or lack of relation to the Lord, if that be true of people who at least tell you they're Christians, we need not wonder that those who make no such claim are full of excuses and alibis are not.

And that's a terrible state, if it be true, and I think maybe it is, because the one unanswerable reason why this generation is not characterized by a persevering, seeking after the Lord, is that God has to create thirst and then supply it.

And men and women are not thirsty for God now, and that's the most terrible thing we can face, because the only one who can make men thirsty after holiness ain't making men thirsty after holiness now.

It seems that God has left this generation of church members and otherwise to do everything else except him, and to go on to hell. Tonight I wish to speak on the subject, a thankful people in a reprobate day.

The Blessing of Being Chosen by God

You'll not turn to it, please, I've fudged on you, I have it marked. I want to read one verse of scripture in the Old Testament, and then a passage in the New, in the 65th Psalm, and the 4th verse of scripture.

It reads like this, Blessed is the man who made dwell in thy significant nation, and made them, elected them out from among all of the nations. And then to read about how every time a false prophet came to town, they went whoring after him and departed the formal worship of Jehovah God.

The Old Testament days were nothing more or less than a call through the motions and giving lip service instead of heart worship to Almighty God. In a setting like that, the Apostle Paul will remind us that the whole outfit would have been his Sodom and Gomorrah, except that God remembers his covenant.

To live in Old Testament days, and to read this verse and say, glory, glory, glory, evidence, and read that this text includes me. Blessed is the man whom God, that he might have been blessed to be one of the people when the Lord was dealing with an elect of whom individually died or inhaled the knife.

For the holy scriptures say it was not mixed with what, thus they died. It would have been blessed to have been one of the few who followed Caleb and Joshua. And believe God, instead of took counsel of their fears and their carcasses rotted in the wilderness and they're in hell tonight.

What a blessing it would have been. What a cause for praise it would have been. Oh, how they would sing, how they would sing. They had some evidence in those awful days that they were one of those five nations that went to hell.

They were those that God had called. There is a thanksgiving message like that in the second chapter of Thessalonians. In second Thessalonians, in second Thessalonians chapter two, then God giving thanks, amen.

Thanksgiving in the Context of Strong Delusion

And in the message tonight we'll see this context in the most terrible, terrible context perhaps in the entire Bible. And in this awful context, we'll read it in a little bit, where men have been given a strong delusion, such a strong delusion by the judgment of almighty God, that they can't believe the truth, they can only believe the lie.

And they've been done that way because they did not receive the L-O-V-E, L-O-V-E, of the truth that they might receive. And God almighty, because they didn't believe it if they'd have had it, and they could only believe a lie, and he did that in order that they might be dead.

That's exactly what the scripture will read in a moment. In that awful context, we'll read verse 13. The apostle Paul says in this context, but I've painted a dark picture, he said, of the time of Antichrist and the time leading up to it.

Thanks, verse 13. But we are bound to give thanks always. We are bound. You couldn't keep us from it. Just bless God. It bubbles, and it bubbles, and it bubbles. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so. That's all you've got to do.

Just give them a chance. Anybody that is saved in the Old Testament time would praise the Lord. And anybody that's saved in this awful day we're living in now, brother, he'll be full of bubbling praise.

Thanking God that God saved. Thanking God. To God for you, brethren, To God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord. Why? Because God has chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit, the truth.

He didn't just fix it so he hoped you'd stumble on it. To the what? Sanctification. Call to the what? Belief of truth. That's all it's meant. Belief. The word of the Spirit and the truth of God. And then he didn't just run off and hope that we'd stumble on it, but bless God to hold you out of that awful atmosphere.

By our call to the what? Jesus Christ. That's something to thank God about. And anybody that's experienced it, brother, he'll never get over it. He'll never get over it. He'll never get over it. A thankful people in a reprobate age.

The Falling Away from the True Faith

I want tonight your indulgence through the Scripture briefly and get a description of the day that Paul is living in when he wrote these blessed words. To get a new conception or have our old conception refreshed if we can on how wonderful it is to be snatched out of a day like Paul's day or a day like our day and called unto the obtaining of the glory of Jesus Christ.

I'll tell you what fact I know that it could burn in our souls again that it is a child of this awful night. It may be in any of us. Out of the black atmosphere of the day in which Paul is just like it on the worse, we've been called unto the obtaining, bless God.

Does the New Testament teach that there was to be a falling away from the true faith of the Gospel? Yes. Chapter 3 here in this chapter says, Let no man deceive you by any means, for that day shall come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the Son of Timothy.

At chapter 4 now,. And some shall depart from the faith into seducing spirits and teachings of demons, speaking lies and hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron. They were all church members, remember now.

Every one of these people that made a profession of faith. I'm going to give you a description of Paul's day religiously wise. Amen. All right. And then we turn to 2 Timothy, and we read from the same man, the Apostle Paul, that in the last days perilous times shall come for men.

What kind of men? Men with their names on church rolls, ladies and gentlemen. That's what he's talking about. Not the drunkard and the bootlegger, but professing Christians. Men shall be lovers of their own self, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient, appearance unthankful, unholy.

Reads like the description of the membership of a Southern Baptist church today. Natural affection, truth breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof.

Brother, you'd better, if you don't want to go to the same hell they're going to. Read what the Apostle Peter said. This isn't just the testimony of Paul. The Apostle Peter will tell us in his epistle in the 2nd chapter of the 2nd book.

We'll find it here in a minute. In the 2nd chapter, but there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privately shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

He'll bring them into our organized churches. That's what he's talking about. Amen. And many shall follow their pernicious ways, many shall follow their pernicious ways, by reason of whom they're evil.

Let the Apostle John tell us in the 2nd chapter, 1 John, little children, it is the last time. And as you've heard, that Antichrist shall come even now. Are there many Antichrists whereby we know? I'm a Southern Baptist, so I talk about McKinn, folks.

Apostasy Within the Churches

What's the explanation of the fact that a church has to have 1 ,000 members now to have 500 and send to school, and 200 of them will be below the age of church membership? That's part of the cause, brother.

Remember that if you depart from a church that preaches the gospel, you've departed from Christ. Now listen to me. Remember that a church member who absent himself from the preaching of the gospel is going to split head wide open.

He never knew him to start with. He just thought he did. What happened to him? They went out of business. But they were not of us. They never were God's people. If they had been of us, they would not have had churches in the places to go and flick out like we worship God on Sunday morning and then go to the beach and 10 ,000 other things the rest of the Lord's day.

No, God's people don't do that way. But this is talking about a fall. Let me ask you this question and answer it the best I can. I don't know what your theology here is, and if I cross you, just forgive me.

You apologize and I'll forgive you. But here, when did this fall away take place? It took place while these epistles were being written. It's been going on now for nearly 2 ,000 years. This departure from the gospel is nearly 2 ,000 years old.

And, brother, it's stinking worse. When did this fall away take place? Well, read again 2 Timothy 3 and 1 and 5. This, know, in the last days, perilous times, from such time away. I've already said to Tim, you turn away from that out there.

You go along with that Christ. It's going on there. It's beginning to end. Or read again the last verses that I read to you. And so forth. It's going to come. And the Christ is coming. And now they're meeting in the Christ whereby we know that it is the last time.

From the true faith of the gospel was even underway before these epistles were written. But, brother Barnard, what about the New Testament teaching that this falling away was to take place in the last days?

That's right. But the last days in the New Testament means the day between the first and the second coming of Jesus Christ. We've been in the last days ever since Jesus went back to glory. We'll be in the last days until he comes back.

Now, hold on. Just speak of the times past. Chapter 1, God who is now in these what? Last days. Spoken to us in this. How the teaching of the Word of God is that this awful falling away from the true faith of the gospel even started in the days of the apostles.

And it's been going on until this good end. It's getting worse and worse. And it's going to get worse until antichrist appears. I was given to God to be a preacher before I was born. I didn't know until after I was saved.

Salvation Is More Than a Profession

But I was an infidel when I was saved. Had been claimed to be one for four years. And I was an infidel because I had to have some sort of peace. And I knew if I got saved I'd have to mind God. And that meant I'd have to preach.

This generation tell me they got saved but they never have been obedient to the Lord. I don't understand no such sacrifice. I'll tell you what's fact. I don't believe a man saved if he's still bucking God and spitting amber juice in God's face and telling him I ain't going to mind.

And the issue between me and God was I knew if I ever surrendered to God I'd have to do His will. If that ain't salvation you tell me what it is. And I knew His will for me was to be a preacher. And I wasn't going to be one of these little old hitchhiking preachers like I've been for 39 years.

Not on your life. But when I was a kid I didn't know nothing about it. I was going to have to be a preacher or go to hell. And you were going to have to do whatever God called you to do or go to hell too.

I don't know what He called you. And I used to preach when I was a kid on the farm. And a chicken would die or a cat would die or a dog would die or something. We'd always have a big funeral. And if the chicken or cat or whatever it was my daddy and mother owned it I'd preach the funeral brother.

None of the other kids got to preach the funeral. And I was a stem winding preacher in them days. And I remember our favorite cat died. And we had the biggest funeral that was ever held on old man Jim Barnard's farm.

I'll tell you that. We put on all the rousemuts and I preached the funeral to Thurman Wood and quack. And we took that cat out and quack. And I used to fond of the cat that when we buried I left the teal end of his teal sticking up.

I wanted to go out and check on the cat every once in a while. And I did. And you wouldn't believe this folks. But more of the days passed. Every day I'd go out and just pull that teal just a little bit.

See if the cat was still there. And I know you won't believe it but the smell was a little worse the longer the time went. Now the cat wasn't a bit dead until we put him in the ground except the teal end of his teal.

But he smelled a lot worse than it was when this falling away first occurred. But it smelled so much worse. I'm going to make an announcement. I know you'll appreciate it. It's warm weather. No it ain't.

It's cold. It's fall. At one o 'clock today summer skedaddle. It looked to me like it had been hot up until one second before one o 'clock and then it got cold. But it didn't. It didn't yet in person.

But it's been. Has the world been existing in a state and apart from the true faith of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Nearly two thousand years. This world's tearing itself to pieces tonight. It's been dead.

And a dead carcass smells worse the longer it's dead. That's why this world is steeped in filth tonight. Where is the generality of professing Christian and to the world over is concerned. Been in a state of apostasy from the apostolic faith and has been since New Testament days.

I startle you with this terrible truth. The basic principles of the gospel are not believed by professing Christianity today. They have not been believed and taught all these years. There have been individuals who believe the gospel.

There have been local congregations and groupings of congregations who believe the gospel. But for nearly two thousand years what we call Christianity has really been anti. Ladies and gentlemen, in two thousand years organized Christianity has been preparing itself to welcome with open arms the anti-Christ when he takes charge.

Gratitude for Grace Amid Apostasy

That's the God's truth. Ladies and gentlemen, if you are saved out of this awful anti-Christian spirit that's now erupting and threatening to wipe out churches off the face of the earth. You'll join the psalmist who says, Blessed is the man whom God chooses and causes to approve.

We're bound to give thanks, beloved brethren of the Lord, because God has in the beginning chosen you unto salvation through the sanctification of the spirit and the belief of truth. And has called you by our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of Jesus Christ.

In other words, I believe that if the Apostle Paul were to come back and preach today in our organized churches, the majority of every church we've got would reject this message. Every visitation of God's Holy Spirit in the New Testament days has been a blessed intervention of the faith of the gospel.

We thank God for every one of them. But it's been over a hundred years since we've had anything like that in the world. Just alone without this thing of peace. Even the Reformation. Born in the Reformation as apostatized from the gospel.

There is no more similarity between what Baptists believe now and what they believed 50 years ago. Between a bird and an ass. We have come to the challenge of the night, that to be saved out of the arms of the anti-Christian salivate of the christianity of the day.

There's a call for thanks. That's the reason I know ain't about Christian in this world today. I'll never get over praising God. Without it's such a hellish atmosphere. Keep them up and change them by grace.

The Mystery of Iniquity and the Coming Antichrist

Put a new song in their hearts. Junior of his days. You see I compare with our days. The second chapter of the second Thessalonians here. Let me read it. Now we beseech you brethren. By the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And by our gathering together under him. That you be not soon shaken in mind. Or be troubled neither by spirit nor by word. Nor by lettereth from us. As at the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means.

That day shall not come. Except there come a falling away first. And that man of sin may reveal the son of perdition. Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God. Or that is worshiped.

This is a religious setting. So that he as God sitteth in the temple of God. Showing himself that he is God. Remember ye not that when I was with you. I told you these things. And now ye know what withholdeth.

That he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work. Only he now will prevent. Until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that wicked one be revealed. Whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth.

And shall destroy with the brightness of his coming. Even him whose coming is after. He is energized by. After the working of Satan. With all power and wonder. Of unrighteous. Why that they might be saved.

What God do about it. Nothing. Oh no. Men and women. Heed not the love of the truth. The brother Barnes tells you. I know I'm right. That if you. Use the gospel. I've just got to speak I suppose. In the inner circle of this church since I've been here.

I've been doing my dead level best. To say something to get you alarmed. About the unfaithful condition of your church members. Say quit crying. You can't tell me David preaches. If he don't preach the gospel.

I know he does. And if he does. Church members. With the names on the road. The angels held high. That's right. You tell me you love so. Well quit frowning at me. So go after them. Put your arm around them.

And warn them. They are on that road to hell. How you know brother Barnes. They don't love the truth. The only way a fellow can get saved. Is he got to come where he loves the truth. Because they receive not the love of the truth.

Love of the truth. That they might be saved. They go to get it. And because they did not receive. The love of the truth. That they might be saved. For this cause. The next verse. Send them strong delusion.

How strong shall it be. And this is something that is going on. When Paul was preaching. And it's going on today. Only words. Shall send them such strong delusion. That they'll believe the last season.

They'll be turned over. With such a strong delusion. That they'll believe the lie is in order. That they all may be damned. Who all shall be damned. Believe not the truth. Who had faith. Christians got no business being in a church.

That doesn't believe. Lock, stock and barrel. Teach, preach and live. The truth of the gospel of Christ. Amen. And a fellow that wants to get saved. He better not mess around with a church. That has departed from the gospel faith.

And where it's not taught. And it's not preached. For I'll tell you ladies and gentlemen. That do so. Is to bring God's strong delusion. On men and women. And fix them so they'll believe a lie. And they'll believe a lie.

So that believing the lie. They'll be damned. And the ones that'll be damned. Are the folks who believe not the truth. And had pleasure and unrighteousness. The situation in Paul's day. And for nearly 2 ,000 years.

By and large. You've got people here and everywhere. That's the God's truth. Little movements in every generation. Little handful here. Little handful Brother David here. He's never had but a few. Thank God he's had them.

A Thankful People in a Godless Generation

Oh how blessed. To have been one of them. One of Christ. Ladies and gentlemen I face you tonight. I face you tonight. With a wonder. In an atmosphere where men have been given up to such strong delusions.

They believe the lie. They believe the lie that they may be damned. As God's nation over to such strong delusions. Everybody shall be damned. Who do not do two things. First love the truth. Pleasure in unrighteousness.

In such an atmosphere. Glory hallelujah. We are bound to give thanks. For some giving thanks. If in the day we live in now. When everything under God's shining sun. Except truth is being proclaimed. Nearly.

And believed by the multitude. When the most foolish things out of hell. Get the biggest following. In this generation where the truth is despised. Witnessed. The empty houses of the Lord. In this generation where people take unrighteousness.

Witnessed. The carnival spirit of this infidel generation. In that awful atmosphere. It shows. And put in the past the work of the spirit. It's not salvation. It's untrue salvation. It's out of such atmosphere.

That he didn't do it. The old outfitted go to hell. But he picks out his trophies of his wonderful grace. And monuments of his love. And blocks their road to hell. With the striving to be powerful. It's real to men and women.

To be obtained. In this awful. Thank him. That in a generation. That's gone wild. Was God talking to you. You tell it by hearing. You say that's God. Preach about it. In this generation. That's a thankful people.

In a reprobate. Blessed. Is the man whom God chose. And called. Virgin. That actually got saved. And one day. And the preacher was wandering. Saying nothing about like me I guess. He said. He couldn't follow him.

And so he just sat there. Having lost. Just trying to trace. Said thanks be unto God. For his untraceable gift. And the day right now. It'll make the joy of bringing your soul. You start out. To trace it.

Virgin said. You know. I sought the Lord. He did. As a young man. He sought him for years and years. He went to preaching place. Had to preach in place. He's reared in a godly home. And all of that. Had to go to a little old free Methodist chapel.

On a snow bitten day. And hear a lame one. Just quote a verse of scripture. And Leo. Virgin said. Well blessed God I look. So wonderful not trying to trace it. He said. I found out I sought the Lord. I learned about it.

And then I found out the reason I sought him. Was he first sought me. And he said. I felt love in the heart. Of the Lord. Said I love him. But I found out we love him. Because he first loved us. And he said.

Every direction I went in. I found out. That the reason I stayed. Was God saved. Years ago. A big rich contract in the state of Mississippi. Claimed to get converted. Under my little ministry. And after some years.

He began to pour me in thousands of dollars in my ministry. And we had a big five fold tent. And everything goes with it. We held association wide. City wide meetings for many years. And he footed the deal.

And I got to be with him a lot. One day we were riding down the highway. Going somewhere. And we got in a fuss. We got in a fuss. He said. Ross. I love the Lord more than you do. I said. That can't be.

I know I love him more than you do. His wife used to phone all the hotels in Memphis. And Nashville. And Knoxville. And St. Louis. Finally she'd find him. He'd go and rent the whole floor of a hotel. Fill up a bathtub.

And all the rooms full of whiskey. And invite everybody in the city that loved whiskey. And partying to come. He footed the bill. He'd get so drunk he didn't know where he was. And she'd finally trace him down.

Go get him. Bring him home. Over and up. That kind of life he lived. And one day he claimed God saved him. He said. Fell as mean as I was. I know I love the Lord more than you do. I said. No prayer. I never got drunk in my life.

I never pulled in those parties. But reared in a Christian home. Trained in the Sunday school. Training unions of Baptist churches. Educated in a great Baptist college. President of the Infidel's Club in that Baptist college my senior year.

And in spite of that. God. Saved me. Only honey. Anybody God saves. He'll never get old. He'll never get old. I'll tell you the reason the Lord saved me. Because I was such a fine fellow yesterday. Every Friday night.

In that great Baptist school. I'd speak to 300 young Baptist students. That joined me in the Infidel's Club. And if you couldn't get a guest speaker. I'd speak. I'd shake my fist. And I'd curse God. And I'd dare him.

If he didn't like what I said. To come down and do something about it. Boy we had more fun cursing God. Than making fun of God in a barrel. And God saved me. Saved me. I didn't accept Christ. God saved me.

I didn't just make a profession. God. I didn't join the church. God. Saved me. He's the man that God calls a coach under. Do you hear me? While our heads are bowed. Brother Carter. Will you just lead us.

The Closing Invitation and Call to Prayer

We don't need the music in the first verse. This will be our closing prayer. This will be the invitation. Pass me not oh gentle Savior. Hear my humble cry. Brothers thou art calling. Thank God. Even in this awful day in which we live.

The God of all grace still calls. Brothers thou art. Will you sing that first verse. That's the closing prayer. That's the invitation. Sing it. Right where you are. Pray it right where you are. Every head bowed.

Tomorrow night God willing. We continue the messages on this awful theme. I covet great crimes of God on the part of God's people. May yet be honored and the Holy Spirit will discover me and split me in parts open.

Tomorrow night I speak on the folly of knocking at a door that God has shut to and will not open. And Saturday night when God calls the sinner the less. Those of you who are Christians. Wait upon the Lord and ask him to honor his word.

Yes. I'll be honest with you. I don't like for the devil to whip us. I just don't. If I could lick him I would. But the Lord can lick him and less call on him. Amen. Good night. God bless.