Sunday Night Meditations 43 Message and Song - 1950's — Welcome Detweiler

Eternity and the Sufficiency of Scripture

The Bible teaches us that we are creatures of eternity, and since this is true, we must think in terms of a life beyond this short span on earth. Only a very foolish person would say, I want to be ignorant regarding the future.

Well-balanced, thinking people are interested in learning all they can about the eternal state, and all our information is limited to one book, the inspired Holy Scriptures. But they are sufficient, and all the findings of accredited science will fall in harmony with the Word of God.

On this Gospel broadcast we invite the attention of well-balanced, thinking people as we seek to bring the claims of the Lord Jesus Christ to your attention. The members of the Choir of the Gospel Center are ready to present musical collections.

The Witness of God and Eternal Life

On chapter 5, beginning at verse 9,. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater. For this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself.

He that believeth not God hath made him a liar, because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

He that believeth on, he that hath the Son of God hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things are by written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

Christ's Love, Death, and Resurrection

When I hear the groan of the crucified and I look on those death-slows die, when I know that for me he the anguish bore from sin he might set me free, oh, I know that I'll love him forevermore when I think of his love for me.

When I think of the grave where they laid my Lord and they sealed him within the bloom, when I think how according to his word he arose from that vanquished tomb, oh, I know that for me he endures it all.

My eyes with tears grow dim, while low at his feet in love I fall whenever I think of him. For we bow before thee to praise thee for that wondrous love that was expressed in the giving of thy Son, and we pray that the sons of men who have never trusted him may be brought unto the power of that love, and may trust him as Lord and Savior.

We ask in Jesus' name. Amen. Suicide, drunkenness, and the release of these cause you to raise the question, What lies ahead of this poor world? The natural man who does not read his Bible has found no answer to this question.

The Last Days Foretold in Second Timothy

But Bible-reading Christians are not too greatly disturbed, for in the Scriptures they have been told that these things will increase as time marches on. In the second letter to Timothy, chapter 3, we have a record of the conditions that will exist in the last days of this dispensation of grace.

Here is the record I am reading from 2 Timothy, chapter 3. This know also that in the last days perilous times shall come, for men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, cruise-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof from such turnaways.

As you read these verses slowly, I leave you to judge whether these things characterize the days in which we are living. If so, and I rather think you will come to that conclusion, then we are living in the last days in which the chief ambition of man is to please himself, giving very little, if any, regard to God, nor the moral laws that God has established for the welfare of the human family.

Noah's Day and the Certainty of Judgment

The Bible history of God's dealing with Adam's race revealed that God has allowed man to continue in disobedience until a certain point. Then God steps in and calls for a balance of the books. It was so in the days of Noah.

God allowed men to indulge at any length. They deliberately disobeyed all God's commands. God watched them patiently until a given day. Then he seemed to say, it is enough, and judgment fell. When Christ was living on the earth, he said, as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of Man.

They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, or had their marriage annulled, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Did you notice those three words?

Until the day. It must have been a shocking day, a very rude awakening. The Bible clearly tells us that an event is yet to occur which will give to the world its greatest shock. The shock will consist in the sudden disappearance of millions of its choicest inhabitants.

This disappearance will be of such a mysterious nature that it will seem as though the earth has opened its mouth and swallowed them. But that will not be the case. Heaven will have opened its doors to receive them.

The Coming of Christ and the Rapture

I do not wish to be sentimental, but these facts are clearly stated in the Bible. Listen as I read from 1 Thessalonians 4 .16,. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first.

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. When this world-shocking event takes place, those who are not saved will be left behind for punishment, and the world's experts will have to give an explanation of the mysterious disappearance of millions, and I am sure they will be able to offer explanations that will be accepted by some.

However, I think there will be some who have heard of the second coming of Christ, who will have read in the Bible, and who will not fall for the satanic explanations that experts will offer. These will know what has happened, and will find no comfort, for they will know that their doom is sealed.

No Second Chance After Judgment

In Noah's day the coming of judgment was proclaimed for 120 years, but as now, so then, many would not believe the report. Only eight souls out of the teeming thousands believed that God's program would be carried out.

The masses were saying, a loving God wouldn't send a flood, and by this satanic reasoning they brushed aside all responsibility of taking shelter in the ark which God provided. After the fateful day arrived, many believed, and if a second chance had been offered, they all would have crowded into the ark.

After Christ comes again, and all Christians will disappear in a moment of time, many Christ rejecters will be anxious to be saved, but God will not offer a second chance. Remember, Christ said, As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of Man.

And the flood, or judgment, came and destroyed them all. If you raise the question, what lies ahead of this poor world? The Bible answers your question in a twofold manner. For those who are born again, who have come to Christ for salvation, heaven and eternal happiness lies ahead, not just the possibility, but as a definite certainty.

The other half of the answer to the question, what lies ahead of this world, is extremely sad. For those who are not born again have nothing ahead but judgment. Facing such a dark prospect will rob you of all possible joy, and life is unbearable, a mere waste of energy.

The Offer of Salvation Before Christ Returns

The solemn fact of judgment ahead is announced in the Bible, not to cast gloom upon the future, but to cause men and women to face the facts, and to turn from that coming judgment. The coming judgment will not fall upon all men, it will only come on those who neglect God's free salvation.

So there's no reason why you should ever be caught in that fearful day of vengeance. It is God's desire that you might be saved before Christ comes again. He would much rather save you than punish you.

But if you refuse his kind offer of salvation, there's nothing left for him to do but to banish you from his presence for all eternity. The shock of Christ's second coming will apparently not last very long, for men will learn the necessity of adjusting themselves to any existing condition.

Evil Unrestrained After the Rapture

The Holy Spirit, who is now in the world restraining the forces of evil, will also be removed when Christ comes again. The bounds of Satan's power will be greatly enlarged, with no representative from heaven to restrain him.

If you think world conditions are bad today, you have a few more guesses coming, for after Christ comes, this poor world will reel to and fro like a drunkard. The front page of your newspaper will only be able to carry a few of the blood-curdling events of the day.

I'm glad I won't be here when the devil's ropes are lengthened. His present power is more than I care to see. In the light of these Bible facts regarding the future, do you still feel that you should be without Christ and unsaved?

Trusting Christ Instead of the World's Experts

I appeal to your better judgment. Does it seem reasonable to you that Christ should stand ready to save you from the awful day of impending judgment, and still you should refuse him and deliberately wait for God's wrath to fall upon you?

The tremendous price that Christ paid on the cross of Calvary in order to save you ought to melt your cold heart. Those of us who are saved still shudder to think of those days when we were exposed to eternal judgment.

How stupid of us to hear of God's free salvation than to turn a deaf ear and prefer to go on in our sins. Among the greatest regrets in my life are those days when I turned down God's offer of salvation.

I now look upon it as a form of insanity. Evidently I didn't believe that God meant what he said, but I'm glad, eternally glad, for the day when I trusted Christ as my Lord and Savior, and I read in the Bible of the fearful judgment that will come.

I am not disturbed. I can read it calmly, saying, Thank God, when all this happens I will be at home with my blessed Savior. But I find it difficult to read about the things that shall fall upon this poor world without being concerned about you who are still unsaved.

I wish you would believe that this matter is very serious. Perhaps you don't believe what God says. Perhaps you prefer to listen to the world's experts. Bible haters have a wide variety of answers to offer.

You can take your pick, and one of them will lead you, every one of them will lead you, to hell. My unsaved friend, as I bring this broadcast to a close, I ask you once more to consider the days in which you are living are days that hold nothing for joy and happiness.

You'll never have it until you trust the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. I beg of you to open your heart to him this very hour, and find the peace, the joy, the satisfaction that your heart is longing for.

You'll find it all wrapped up in one package, and it's the Lord Jesus Christ. And now, our gracious Father, we ask thy blessing, the rest, upon everyone who has listened to thy words, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen.