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Source: https://www.sermonindex.net/speakers/brandon-doll/thus-saith-the-lord/
Tonight, just to get a verse that you could find in many different places in the Bible, rather a phrase that's been upon my mind this whole entire day. Exodus 4, and we're reading here just for the first mention of it.
And I just want to get the phrase. It's a phrase you won't find in the New Testament, but it's all over in the Old Testament. Exodus 4, and we're going to read at verse number 22. And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn.
And I say unto thee, let my son go, that he may serve me. And if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn. The little phrase I want to get is just four words. It is simply this, Thus saith the Lord.
And the reason I read the full verses is as you know the story of the Old Testament, what God said He would do, He did. Pharaoh would not let his people go. And God did destroy the firstborn of the land that night.
Thus saith the Lord. Now come with me to the New Testament. And as I mentioned, that phrase is not found in the New Testament, but the Lord Himself speaks in the New Testament. We're going to go to Luke 12.
We'll take three readings from the New Testament. Luke 12. And we'll read together at verse number four. Now to keep it simple, you'll know that these are the words of the Lord, for they're in red if you have a red letter edition Bible.
These are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Luke 12, verse four. And I say unto you, my friends, be not afraid of them that kill the body. And after that, have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom you shall fear.
Fear Him which after He hath killed hath power to cast into hell. Yea, I say unto you, fear Him. The book of the Revelation, the last book in your Bible. The last chapter of your Bible. That would be in chapter 22.
The second to the last verse in the Bible. Verse number 20. These are the words of the Lord again. He which testifieth these things saith, surely I come quickly. Amen, even so come, Lord Jesus. And I have one more in the Gospel of Matthew in chapter 11 and verse number 28.
Matthew 11, verse number 28. Words of the Savior again. He says, come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. And the Lord will bless to us the reading of His precious Word.
Thus saith the Lord. Isn't it a mercy tonight that we can go to the Word of God and for our eternal security, for our eternal destiny, to know the facts of the matter of heaven and hell that we can go to a book that is inspired by God and is God-bred?
Thus saith the Lord should be the model of every person. A person who is interested in being right with God must know indeed what God says. When it comes to a church gathering, that should be the doctrine, the creed of every assembly.
Thus saith the Lord. And when it comes to the preaching of the Gospel, a message from God Himself to lost and perishing sinners, it must be, thus saith the Lord. Nothing else will do. You're not interested in the opinions of men.
It doesn't say, thus saith the scholars, or thus saith the scientists. What we're interested tonight in is the true authority and the only authority found in the Word of God itself. Thus saith the Lord.
They are the only true words that are fitting for a Gospel message. They are only the true words that are fitting for rebuke for sin. They are only the true words that are good for eternity. We're not interested tonight in theories and opinions, but that your faith might stand upon the power of God and His Word.
We read very simple statements tonight. We read together in the end of the Bible, surely I come quickly. These are the last recorded words of the Lord Jesus as He's mentioning His coming. It is the Word of the Lord.
This is a tremendous privilege to have a conference like this today. It could possibly be the last gathering of God's people in this capacity before He comes. I really believe that. I really believe that the Lord could come at any moment.
And the longer the days go by, the opportunities are passed by. His coming is getting closer. And He Himself said, surely I come quickly. Does He mean what He says? Or someone might say it's been 2 ,000 years since He has said that He's coming again.
Ah, one day is with the Lord is 1 ,000 years and 1 ,000 years is one day. But know this, that the Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness. But His long-suffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
It was the Savior said, surely I come quickly. If you follow the developments on a global scale, it will terrify you. When you see what is taking place behind the scenes around this world, whether it's the Great Reset Initiative, how they're seeking to, in due time, reset the whole entire world economies.
Whether it is the things that are developing day in and day out in different parts of the world, whether it's Israel, or whether it's China, or whether it's America. If you are not saved tonight, my friend, and find yourself still in your sins, the words of the Lord Jesus, surely I come quickly, should speak volumes to you tonight.
Louder than they've ever spoken before. Oh, I know you've heard them. You've heard them time and time again. You've heard them every Gospel series. But my friend, listen tonight. The urgency of the Gospel is this.
You'll never find in God's Word, wait till tomorrow to be saved. That's a lie from the pit of hell. God's Word will tell you this. Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation.
Why? Why is there urgency to it? Well, surely He comes quickly is one. If He comes to the air tonight and He gives the shout, and that door that is so wide open tonight with the invitation to come will be shut faster than any door has ever been shut.
You won't see it creak on its hinges. You won't hear the squeak of the rust of the doorknob. But that door will shut. And it will shut so quickly. And the opportunity for those of you that have heard the Gospel and rejected the Savior will be over.
It will be over. Thus saith the Lord, surely I come quickly. Are you ready? Are you ready? I remember a few weeks ago in these meetings in Stout and there was a little boy that sat there in the second row.
And that question was asked and he had gotten saved just a night or two before. And he was there and he was going, first time in his life, he had the confidence and the assurance that if the Lord would come tonight, he was ready.
My friend, are you ready for the Savior to come? It's yes or it's no. It's one or the other. The Savior Himself said He is coming. And as that shout is given and the saints are caught up together with those that have already died in Christ to meet the Lord forever in the air, what a day that will be.
You know, sometimes the believer is torn. They pray for the Lord to come and they pray for the Lord to save souls because there are loved ones that will be left behind. And that's the sad reality of missing an open door.
A door that is shut. We went on a little trip a few days ago or a couple weeks ago and we were standing in line for a certain thing and we got right up to the end and it closed down. We were standing in line for so long and there all of a sudden, no more.
No more. Sorry, folks. Full. Full. Capacity has been reached. No more are allowed in. Thankfully for that thing, there was another show. There was another chance to see the dolphins. When it comes to salvation, when the last soul is saved and the door is shut, that's it.
As far as those of you that have rejected the Gospel. Oh, there will be many souls saved in tribulation. A multitude of souls saved. But those that reject God's offer of salvation in His Son because they believe the lie.
You wouldn't think a whole world could be duped into believing a lie, do you? Certainly you do. Certainly you do. Amazing how quickly God and how gracious God has shown us how things are going to happen.
He says, surely I come quickly. Then we come to Luke 12, verse 5. These are the words of the Savior and He is warning people who to fear. The warnings in Scripture are never hard. A warning is always given in love.
The warning of the Lord's coming is given in love that you might prepare and that you might be ready and that you might come. And the warning of the Lord Jesus, here I will forewarn you whom you shall fear.
Fear Him which after He hath killed hath power to cast into hell. Yea, I say unto you, fear Him. Fear Him. Fear is a great motivator of the world. There are really two great motivators, mainly in the world, and they are fear and they are greed.
And if you're a believer, you should be neither. You should be neither. Fear is a great motivator. Fear gets people to do things that they wouldn't do otherwise because they are scared. And greed gets people to do things that they wouldn't do otherwise because they're covetous.
And they go in for things because the other guy might get it first. Oh, I wish there would be souls wanting salvation like that here tonight. That you might get it. And that you might get it tonight. And He is telling His disciples not to fear those that have power to kill, but to fear Him who after He hath killed hath power to cast into hell.
Do you know tonight very clearly why souls go to hell? If we were having a personal conversation, a one-on-one visit, what would your answer be? If someone would say to you, if you died tonight, where would you be?
And I believe most here in the audience have heard the Gospel before. And many people say, well, I would be in hell because I'm not saved. What takes a person to hell is their sin. Their sin. When a person gives the answer, because I'm not saved, in essence, they're blaming God for them still being in their sin.
Souls are separated from God because of their sin. Their sin. Sin is the problem tonight. Sin is the problem between God and man. Sin is the problem between God and you if you're not saved. Sin is the issue.
Those outside of Christ are still in their sin. And Lord Jesus said, the Word of the Lord is this, if you die in your sin where I am, you cannot come. Those are the words of the Savior. If you die in your sin where I am, you cannot come.
Where is He tonight? The younger ones. He's in heaven, isn't He? That's where He's at. And for those who die in their sin, they'll never be in God's heaven. You see, there is a solemnity to verses like this because they speak of an afterlife.
An afterlife. There are some tonight and they believe that when they die, that is the end of the story. Whether they're cremated, whether they're buried, whether they're lost in the wilderness, it makes no matter to them because they die like a dog in their opinion.
But the Lord Jesus says, fear Him, that after He hath killed, hath power to cast into hell. There are eternal destinies tonight. The chart behind me very clearly depicts a road that goes down to a black spot right down here.
And there is a place called hell. There is a road with a door. That is the straight and the narrow gate that leads to life. And that road goes to heaven. Man dies. Man gives up the ghost. Where is he?
Where is he? What destiny is yours tonight, my friend? Think it over. If you would go out into eternity tonight like the rich man, and you lifted up your eyes, what would you see? What would you see? I worked with a man many years ago and he would always say the phrase, you're going to wake up dead someday.
In a sense, he's right. The rich man died and he lifted up his eyes and there he was in the place called hell. And you remember the story how there was a man that was laid at his gate. That word laid means to be tossed, to be flopped.
It wasn't as though someone brought him very gently and laid him down. No, they flopped him there. And he might get something that would come from the rich man's table, or maybe someone had mercy upon him as he was begging at that gate.
And that man realized something. That this world had absolutely nothing to offer him. Nothing. But there was a man who was separated from him on the other side of the gate. And that man is the rich man.
And he thought that this world had everything to offer him. You see the difference? He was clothed in purple and fine linen. He was well-dressed. He was well-respected. He fared sumptuously every day.
And his only focus in life was today. But that poor beggar, realizing that this world had nothing to offer him, he prepared for eternity. And the rich man never did. And now he's in hell tonight. He's been there for 2 ,000 years.
And the Lord Jesus says, his own words fear him. Romans tells us that there is no fear of God before their eyes. It's never been more evident than the day and age in which we live. Let me ask the audience tonight.
Do you fear God? Do you fear God? Why would a person fear God? God is love. A person would fear God because God is holy. And God's righteousness demands that sin be punished. And sinners, those that are outside of Christ, they're in their sin and their sin must be punished.
And we are punished for what we are and what we've done. What does that tell you, dear sinner, tonight? Oh, dear soul, if you die in your sin, you'll be in hell. You'll be lost for eternity. Your eyes will never see the glory of heaven.
Oh, you'll see the Lord Jesus one day. You'll see Him at the judgment of the great white throne where the sentence will be passed. Cast Him into the lake of fire. May it grip our souls tonight that there's souls in this meeting and you're perishing in your sin.
And it's not tonight a matter of if you're going to be in hell. It's just a matter of when. The Savior says fear Him that if power to cast into hell. Oh, God is longing to save tonight and to rescue sinners from their sin.
But He is holy. And He is righteous. And His righteousness must be maintained. Oh, He is absolutely loving. We're going to get to that in a minute. But you must understand tonight that He is holy. You're in your sin.
The Lord says fear Him. And then we read in Matthew 11, come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. And if you go down the context of the words that are written in chapter 11, you'll discover at least three different types of people in that context.
There are those that are indifferent. The Lord Jesus says you are like children in the marketplace and we have piped and you have not danced and we have mourned and you have not lamented. You see, they weren't interested in what John preached as he says repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
And the Son of Man comes preaching the kingdom of heaven. And He comes and they want what He has to say. They're indifferent to the truth of God. But it's in that context of those men that the Savior says come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.
Maybe you've been indifferent to your eternal destiny up until tonight. Maybe the Lord has spoken to you tonight and now you're concerned about eternity. You're concerned about your sin and you don't want to be in that place called hell.
And you're no longer indifferent. It's you, my friend, the Savior says. Come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden. You see, an understanding of the brevity of time, an understanding that the Lord is coming, it should motivate a sinner to get the matter settled.
An understanding of meeting God in your sin should be a burden that you could never bear. It should be a longing to know peace with God and the forgiveness of sins and to know the Savior has indeed died for me.
And it's to you, my friend, the Savior says. Once indifferent to your sins, once careless to the holiness of God, He says come. Come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.
Rest from the burden of your sin. Rest from the calamity of dying without Christ. The second group of people are the great cities of Capernaum, Bethsaida. What's the deal with those cities? Oh, it was the mighty works that were done in those cities.
And they repented not. They repented not. They saw great things. The Lord Jesus used Capernaum as almost a hub in His ministry. He was in and out of Capernaum all the time. And they would have heard and seen what He had done, not only in their city, but in His travels.
But they wouldn't repent. What type of person is that? Now that is the privileged people sitting in this audience tonight. You've heard of others being saved. Maybe you were there when your friends were saved.
Maybe you were there in a Gospel series and others were saved, but you weren't. And you have not yet repented. You have not yet turned. And the responsibility of those cities, God was holding them accountable for the privilege that they had to see the Savior work.
And it was more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah than for those cities that saw the blessing of God. And perhaps tonight that brings a burden upon your heart that you indeed are responsible and privileged.
It's to you, my friend, the Savior says come. Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. And there's another group of people. It's those that the truth of God is hid from.
And the Savior is thankful for that because it's not for the wise and the prudent. It's for the babes. Who's that? That's souls that are going to miss it. They're going to miss it. And maybe tonight the Word of the Lord is to you that He is coming and you think you're going to miss it.
Or maybe to thus saith the Lord is that there's a yawning hell waiting to receive you at the end of life. My friend, it's to you, He says. Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden. You see there's a qualifier, isn't there?
It's those that are heavy laden. There needs to be burden. There needs to be a reality of guilt before God. And a repentance from our sin. A turning from our sin and turning to Christ for salvation. Dear soul, don't miss it.
Everything for salvation has been provided by God Himself. And He says, the Savior says, Come. Come when? Come now, let us reason together, saith the Lord. Though your sins be as sky, that they shall be white as snow.
Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Come tonight! The Savior says come. It's not the preacher says come. It's the Savior. He says come. Come to Him. Come unto Me. All ye that labor.
Is there a laboring soul tonight with a burden of sin? The Savior says come. And He will give you rest. Thus saith the Lord.