God's Last Call — Rolfe Barnard

Testing the Church Through Revival Meetings

I suppose there is no way a congregation or a Christian individual could possibly be more tested in his strengths and weaknesses exposed than for a congregation to set aside days like you have here, call them services, hoping for revival.

I have been somewhat alarmed by the pastors, Brother Davis, all over the land that say they'll never attempt another series of meetings. That's not good. I can remember when Evangelic Services were the glory of Baptists, many of you can.

I hate to see what's happening. I think we could fuss about it or something like that. But when the going's rough, the Lord shows us a lot of things that maybe we never would see if we didn't encounter some rough going.

I've been preaching 39 years, and this is the roughest I've ever experienced. You just can't seem to strike a note that the Lord will bless. It's a test of your organizations. It's a test of your prayer life.

It's a test of your visitation program. It's a test of our spirituality. It's a test of our love for the Lord. It's a test of our love for lost souls. Multitudes of our church members are not batting very well when they are thus tested.

Rebuilding Church Ministries That No Longer Function

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, that didn't have both legs broken, or working 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 their old head care. 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? Though 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.

I hope he'll get some sense. He's the hardest working man I've seen lately doing what he ought not to do. Amen? What he ought not to do. It's been a test of me. 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 selves.

Though you're not, he's in you, you be reprobate, if he's rejected, of course, he's not in you. Last night, we spoke 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 of doubters commit what we call the unpardonable sin every day, and that number's 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, who profess to be Christian or those who don't profess to be Christian. The one thing that would break your heart if you followed the evangelists around was people who do not seek 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 depict the pieces in many different directions, but thank God a Christian whose taste is of the Lord is bound to be a fellow that's running scared for more of 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 I'm 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, but are not seeking the Lord.

Spiritual Thirst and the Reprobate State

And that's a terrible state, if it's true, and I think maybe it is, because the one unanswerable reason why this generation is not characterized by hearts and a whole head and a persevering and seeking after the Lord is that God has to create the 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 pursue everything else except him and go on to hate.

Tonight I wish to speak on the subject of people in a reprobate state, a thankful people in a reprobate state. You'll not turn to it, please. I've putched 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.

It reads like this, Blessed is the man that he may dwell in thy court in the setting of the Old Testament, where God elected a significant nation and made them chosen people, electing them 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, and how all of the calls to revival in the Old Testament days were nothing more or less than a calling of the people from going through the motions and giving lip service instead of heart worship to Almighty God.

In such a, in a setting like that, where the Apostle Paul will remind us that the whole outfit would have been as Sodom and Gomorrah, except that God remembers his covenant. Oh, to have lived in Old Testament days and to read this verse and say, glory, glory, glory, I believe that this text includes me.

Blessed is the man whom God said he might serve the land. It would have been blessed were it not for the people when the Lord was dealing with an elect, none of whom individually died or in hell tonight.

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

What a blessing it would have been. What a cause for praise it would have been. Oh, how they would sing, Hallelujah! They had some evidence in those awful days that they were one of those, in spite of the way the elect nation went to hell, they were those whom God had caused to approach.

Thanksgiving for Salvation in the Midst of Delusion

And there is a Thanksgiving message like that in the second chapter of Thessalonians, second Thessalonians. In second Thessalonians chapter two, there is another man praising God, giving thanks and glory, hallelujah, amen.

And in the message tonight, we'll see he's doing it in the awfulest 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 letter of the truth that they might receive. And God almighty, because they didn't love the truth, brought them to the place they couldn't believe it if they'd have had it, and they could only believe a lie, and it 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, but I'm bound to give 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 got to do.

Just give 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 him.

Thanking God. Thanking God. But we're bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord. I won't be in that crowd. There's no hope for me. Folks, it's the Lord's love. And we're bound to give thanks to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord.

Why? Because God has chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth. Well, until he didn't just fix it so he hoped you'd stumble on it. Well, God calls you to what?

Salvation. Calls you to what? Belief of truth. And then he didn't just run off and hope that we'd stumble on it. God pulled you out of that awful atmosphere by our gospel, called you to what? Of our Lord 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. I want tonight your indulgence.

The Falling Away and the Last Days

Go through the scripture briefly and get a description of the day that Paul is living in when he wrote these blessed words. I want us 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 Jesus' day.

I'll tell you what fact I wish and that it could burn in our souls again, that it is sure enough something a child of God in this awful day. What a bliss for the slightest chance it may be in any of us that he's called us out of the black atmosphere of the day in which Paul wrote and the days just like it only was.

We've been called unto the obtaining, bless God, of our Lord. Does the New Testament teach that there was to be a falling away from the true faith of the gospel? Yes. Three here in this chapter says, let no man deceive you by any means for that day shall not come except there come a falling away first and that man of sin be revealed.

The sin, the son in first Timothy at chapter four, now the spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and teachings of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hard iron.

They were all church members remember now. Every one of these people that made a professional faith, I'm going to give you a description of Paul's day religiously wise. Amen. All right. And then we turn to second Timothy and we read from the same man, the apostle Paul, this know also 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, 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 to me.

It is true. Without natural affection, truth breakers, false accusers, incontinent fears, despises of those that are good, traitors, hitty, high minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.

You'd better, if you don't want to go to the same hell they're going to. From such turn away, from such turn away, from such turn away. 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 second chapter of the second book. We'll find it here in a minute. In the second 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 brought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

They'll bring them into our organized churches. That's what he's talking about. And many shall follow their pernicious ways. Many shall follow their pernicious ways by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil.

Let the apostle John tell us in the second chapter, first 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 that it is the last time they went out from us?

Why? Typical. I'm a Southern Baptist. I talk about my kin, folks. What's the explanation of the fact that the church has to have a thousand members now to have 500 and send to school and 200 of them will be below the age of church members?

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 gospel is going to split hell wide open.

He's quit Christ. He's apostatized. He never knew him to start with. He just sold it. What happened to him? They went out from us, but they were not of us. They were of God's people. They were not of us.

They would knock our churches into places to go and flick out like we worship God on Sunday morning and then go to the beach and ten thousand other things the rest of the Lord's day. Now God's people don't do that.

But this is talking about a falling away, a falling away. Now, may I 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.

When the Last Days Began

When did this falling away take place? It took place while these officials were being written. It's been going on now for nearly two thousand years. This departure from the gospel is nearly two thousand years old.

And brother, it's stinking worse every day. When did this falling away take place? Well, read again. Second, 10 to 3 and 1 and 5. This, no, in the last days, perilous times. Paul already said to Tim, you turn away from that out there.

You go along with that practice. It's going on there. It's beginning there. I'll read again the last verses that I read to you. They went out commerce and so forth. There are many antichrists going to come and antichrist is coming.

Now there are many antichrists whereby we know that is the last time. The falling away from the true faith of the gospel is even on the way. Before these officials 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 till he comes back.

Now hold on. The scriptures speak of the times past. Hebrews chapter 1, God who in times past, at now in these what? Last days. Spoken to us in his son. Now the teaching of the way is that this falling away from the true faith of the gospel even started in the days of the apostles.

Barnard's Conversion and Call to Preach

And it's been going on until this day. And it's getting worse. Get worse. Until antichrist appears. I was a boy. I was given to God to be a preacher before I was born. I didn't know about the life I saved.

But I was an infidel when I was saved. Had been claimed to be one for four years. 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 those that sassafras. 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. As a kid. I didn't know nothing about it. I was going to have to be a preacher or go to hell. You're going to have to do whatever God calls you to do or go to hell too. I don't know what He calls you.

And I used to preach when I was a kid. On the farm. And a chicken would die, a cat would die, a dog would die. Something we'd always have a big funeral. And if the chicken or cat or whatever it was owned 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 that our favorite cat died. And we had the biggest funeral that was ever held on old man Jim Barnett's farm.

I'll tell you that. We put on all the rousements. And I preached the funeral of Thurman Wood and quit it. And we took that cat out and bang. I was so fond of the cat that when we buried it 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 big deal. So we put him in the ground except the teal end of his teal.

But he smelled a lot. Than it was when this falling away first occurred. It smells so much worse. Except Christ ain't gonna hang just like that without warnings. I'm gonna 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 skedaddled. And fall took charge. It looks to me like it had been hot up to one second for one o 'clock and then it got cold.

But it didn't. And he's a person but he's an apostle from the true faith of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The other two thousand years. This world's tearing itself to pieces tonight. It's been dead and a dead carcass smells worse than dead.

That's why this world is still worse tonight. As the generality of professing Christian the world and it's the world over state of apostasy from the apostolic faith. And has been since New Testament days.

Apostasy in Organized Christianity

I start 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 for nearly two thousand years organized Christianity has been preparing itself to welcome with open arm.

The antichrist when he takes charge. That's that God's job. 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 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. Under 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 the Lord 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. You Testament days. Has been a blessed intervention of the gospel. We thank God for every one of them.

But it's been assumed with the spirit of his mouth. And shall destroy with the brightness of his coming. Even him whose coming is after he's energized by. After the working of Satan. And the evilness of unrighteous.

In them that perish. That they might be saved. What God do about it? Nothing. Oh no. Because men and women. Receive not the love of the truth. You wonder brother Barnes tells you. I know I'm right. That if you.

Warning the Church About Strong Delusion

Truth of the gospel. And we've still got some. You quit crying. You quit crying. I've just got to speak I suppose to the inner circle of this church since I've been here. I've been doing my dead level best.

Just say something to get you alarmed about the unsaved condition of your church members. And quit crying. You can't tell me David Beach don't preach the gospel. I know he does. And if he does. All these church members with the names on the road.

In danger. Act right. You tell me you love souls. Well quit frowning at me. So go after them. And put your arm around them and warn them. They on their road to hell. How you know brother Barnes. They don't love the truth.

Get saved is. You've got to come to 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. That they might be saved.

For this cause. The next verse. How wrong shall it be. And this is something that's going on. When Paul was preaching. And it's going on today. On the word. They'll send them such strong delusion. That they'll believe.

And the reason 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. Who believe not the truth. Shall end on right.

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. Well I'll tell you ladies and gentlemen. To 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 who'll be damned. Are the folks who believe not the truth. And have pleasure in unrighteousness. The situation in Paul's day.

And for nearly 2 ,000 years. You've got people. That's the God's truth. Little movements in every generation. Little handful here. Little handful Brother Davis here. He's never had but a few. Thank God he's had them.

Oh how blessed. To have been one of them. One of Christ's little flock. In such an atmosphere. Ladies and gentlemen. I face you tonight. I face you tonight. With a wonder. An atmosphere where men have been given up.

To such strong delusions. They believe the lie. That they'll be damned. As God said. Everybody shall be damned. Who do not do two things. First love the truth. Pleasure in unrighteousness. In such an atmosphere.

God's Sovereign Grace in Saving Sinners

We're bound to give thanks. Couldn't keep us from giving thanks. If in the day we're living 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 now. In this generation. Where the truth is despised. Witness. The empty houses of the Lord. On Sunday night. In this generation. Where people take pleasure.

In unrighteousness. Witness the carnival spirit. Of this infidel generation. In that awful atmosphere. Thank you Lord. That you chose me. And put in my path. The work of the spirit. And the word of truth.

And it's not salvation. It's unto salvation. 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 that road to hell.

With a striving. Convicting. Moving. Converting. Power of the Holy Spirit. As it takes the two men and women. And pulls us to the occasion. Jesus. In this. On the Lord. In a generation. That's gone wild.

It was God talking to you. Come as by hearing. You said let go. For they. Is the man whom God chooses. And calls us. To approach. He got saved. He went preaching one day. And the preacher was wandering.

Saying nothing about like me I guess. And he said. He couldn't follow him. And so he just sat there. Having lost track. Just trying to trace. He said thanks be unto God. For his untraceable gift. And the day right now.

It is make the joy. You start out. To trace it. You know. I sought the Lord. As a young man. He sought him for years and years. He went to preaching place. At the preaching 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 Gerald Lehman. Just quote a verse of scripture. And Mr. Spurgeon said. Well bless God I look. Wonderful not trying to trace it.

And he said. I found out I sought the Lord. I was earnest about it. And then I found out the reason I sought him. Was he first sought me. And he said. I felt love in my heart. For the Lord. And I 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 saved. Was God saved. Contract in the state of Mississippi. Claimed to get converted.

Personal Testimony of Grace Alone

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 full tent. And everything goes with. We held association wide. Citywide meetings for many years.

And he footed the bill. 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. I love the Lord more than you do. I said can't be.

I know I love him more than you do. His wife used to phone all the hotels. In Memphis or Nashville. Or Knoxville or 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 gets so drunk. He didn't know where he was. And she'd finally trace him down.

Go get him. Bring him home. Sober him up. That kind of life he lived. One day he claimed God saved him. He said. I never felt as mean as I was. I know I love the Lord more than you do. I said no Fred.

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. You can't tell me honey. You can't tell me. Anybody God saves. He'll never get older. He'll never get older. And the Lord saved me.

Because I was such a fine fella. Yes sir. Every Friday night. In that great Baptist school I'd speak. To 300 young Baptist students. That joined me in Infidel's Club. And if you couldn't get a guest speaker.

I'd speak. And shake my fist. And I'd curse God. And I dare him. If he didn't like what I said. He'd come down and do something about it. Boy we had more fun. Cursing God. Making fun of God. Than a barrel of mustard.

And God saved me. God. 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. Is the man that God calls us. To approach unto him.

Invitation to Seek the Lord

To him. Heads about. Brother Carter. Will you just lead us. We don't need the music in the first verse. This will be our closing prayer. This will be the invitation. To me not. Oh gentle Savior. Hear my humble cry.

On others thou art calling. Thank God. Even in this awful. Day in which we live. The God of all grace still calls. Do not pass. 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. Heads about. We continue in the messages on this awful tune. Covet. To God on the part of God's people. That the word. May yet be honored. And the Holy Spirit will discover man.

Let men's hearts 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 last time. Those of you who are Christian.

Wait upon the Lord and ask him to honor his word yet. I'll be honest with you. For the devil to whip us. I just don't. If I could lick him I would. But the Lord can lick him. And let's call on him. Amen.