When the Dead Shall Hear the Voice of the Son of God — E.A. Johnston

The Danger of False Security

Well, I have a special message for you this evening friends, and I want you to hear me because. It's a matter of life and death to some of you. Some of you sit on a rotten foundation of carnal security and a false faith of an empty Religious profession and you are in great danger of being sent to hell at any time.

This has become the land of sudden death and you can be suddenly removed from this Earth without warning in America today. You can be gunned down any moment. You better be dead sure that you're really saved or you just may wake up in hell tonight.

We live in a day of a false gospel. Handed out by false prophets who are dressed real slick. They look like angels, but live like devils. Many have been deceived by what we call modern evangelism. I've spoken to many Baptist ministers through the years and I marvel at their responses when they give me their testimony.

I'll often hear a man say When I was six years old I came forward in church and gave my heart to Jesus. Or I'll hear one say when I was eight years old I came forward in a meeting and accepted Jesus as my personal Savior.

Or I'll hear another say when I was a teenager. I Responded to an invitation and accepted Jesus and I listened to these men. What they did and I think to myself Poor devil, is that all he has does he believe that's gonna keep him out of hell.

These men are trusting in something they did to get them into heaven. Listen to me friend. It's a make a shocking statement to you. Trusting in something you did won't gain you entry into heaven, but it surely will send you to hell.

Unconverted Church Members and Empty Profession

Unconverted church members are unchanged individuals who live a lie and call that Christianity now listen to this message this evening friends. It could change your entire destiny. There are good church members out here Tonight friends who are as mean as hell and who are as greedy as hell.

And they are full of hell and on their way to hell yet. You'll find them sitting in their spot in church this Sunday and some of them sit on Deacon boards now, that's the truth. Some of you call yourselves Christians, but you are as mean as a snake to your family.

Some of you call yourself a Christian, but you are filled with greed and covetousness. Some of the greediest men I've ever known were deacons in a Baptist Church. Trusting in something you did years ago and calling that salvation.

Won't cut the mustard when you die. It hasn't changed who you are. You're a rebel still and you hate the holiness of God and you despise. Hear me now you despise the lordship of Jesus Christ. Go ahead.

Get mad get mad at this preacher. Maybe you'll get mad enough to see how lost you really are. So you responded to an altar call and you shed a little tear. But have you ever been transformed by Christ?

The Redeemer has got implanted a new disposition in you for holiness. That's what happens to a born-again believer in Christ Jesus. Those who have encountered him have experienced change some of you.

Within the sound of my voice. Will be in eternity before this year is out. Maybe somebody here will get mad enough to get lost so God can save you. I believe the main problem with modern evangelism today is that we have taken Salvation out of the hands of God and placed it in the hands of men.

Saving Faith and the New Birth

But if you're saved friend, it's because God gave you saving faith. Now a lot of Baptists today. Don't believe that and a lot of Baptists today are as lost as the devil in the fifth chapter of John's Gospel.

The Lord Jesus Christ makes a startling statement. Listen to his words. Verily verily I say unto you the hour is coming and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and they that hear shall live and That's the talent my message this evening friends when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God.

I want to ask you three questions this evening friends and if you'll humor me and stay with me friends and give me your participation in these three questions. If you don't mind. The first question is this if I asked you right now.

To raise your hand in answer to this question. How many of you are saved? Go ahead and raise your hand if you think you're saved. Okay, now let me ask you the second question. How many of you have ever been lost?

Go on raise your hand if you've ever been lost. Now this is the last question to you. How do you know you've ever been saved if you've never been lost? Jesus said the Son of Man is come to seek and to save That which was lost.

Have you ever been lost friend. Has there ever been a time in your life where you saw yourself as a lost sinner? Do you know that all men all women are by nature dead and trespasses and sin? And because they entered the world with a ruined nature and bent toward sin.

That every mother's son is under the condemnation of a broken law and has the wrath of God abiding on them. That's because your natural condition. Every step you take moves you closer and closer to hell.

Recognizing Sin, Judgment, and Spiritual Peril

You must be pointed to the cross of Christ to see yourself in your lost condition and perilous position. Outside of Christ's blood you not only need to be awakened to your danger of dying in your sins.

To be cast down in outer darkness in a smoke-filled abyss. You need to have your eyes opened to your immediate danger of hell being open beneath you at any Moment where the mere weight of your sins would thrust you headlong Into that bottomless pit of smoke and misery.

You need to get lost friend to see your danger. I'm here to warn you of your danger of suddenly dying and being cast into the region of the damned. Here is a verse for all unsaved church members in Isaiah.

It declares the shock and horror of finding out too late about your own hypocrisy. The sinners in Zion are afraid. Fearfulness has surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire?

Who among us shall dwell with everlasting? Burnings. Listen friend if you want an interest in Christ, then you must come to Christ in a total renunciation of self-righteousness and of all selfishness In every form and present yourself as an empty-handed beggar.

Come into a king seek and mercy and come and present yourself In humility of heart through an utter committal of all you are to the Lord Jesus Christ. When Jesus was here In his earthly ministry as he passed through towns and villages all who encountered him experienced change.

Repentance, Surrender, and the Righteousness of Christ

You better forget about this namby-pamby stuff you call salvation. When all you have to stand on is trusting in something you did in a church years ago. Your hope of heaven is a hole in the wall. You have a good opinion of yourself as you try to climb up to heaven by your self-righteousness.

But you are clinging to a rope of sand that the wind will evaporate. You better surrender to a thrice. Holy God and get an interest. Get an interest in the merits of Christ Jesus. I know I am a sinner and I need a substitute for sin in the person of Christ.

And so do you friend? So do you the only hope I have of getting into heaven? It's Christ's life laid down and applied to me and I get my sins washed in his blood. So that when the father looks at me he can say.

Or when I see the blood. When I see the blood. Some of you have been nice little church members for years. But you don't know the Lord Jesus and worse than that He doesn't know you. If you drop dead right now and left this world for another world.

You'd be face to face with Almighty God and your ears would burn from his stinging rebuke. I never knew you depart from me ye that work iniquity. Don't delay and get an interest in Christ friend. You must enter upon a life of submission and devotion to Christ Jesus the Lord.

How do you think you stand on a firm foundation? When you've never known Holy Spirit conviction. How can you say you are saved individual when you've never been lost? Trusting in something you did won't gain you heaven.

But it surely can send you straight to a devil's hell. There's an unconverted church member busting hell-wide open every hour. Trusting merely in something you did in response to an emotional appeal in church and calling that Salvation.

The Failure of Modern Evangelism

Hear me now. It's like standing on a broken leg on the edge of a cliff in a strong wind that will eventually overcome your human weakness and Instability. Down you'll go down. You'll fall over that dark chasm of eternity.

Tumbling down to a region of darkness and misery where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth. If I could walk you over to the very verge of hell and lift the lid off that bottomless pit right now. The tortured cries of the damned in hell at this moment.

Have enough combined force of inertia to level this whole city. The combined cries of the damned are deafening if you die in your sins. Outside of Christ's blood your church membership will burn up in a blink of an eye.

Trusting in something you did back yonder won't add up to a hill of beans in hell. You've been the victim of the modern church on a building campaign. Seeking warm bodies to pay the rent so they fed you a diluted gospel.

That had no saving power and they told you if you'd only accept Jesus. Then you'd go to heaven. But that's a lie friend. The ease of belief gospel of the last 60 years. Has filled hell with nice church people who trusted in something they once did.

Rather than trusting in a risen Lord. If you want to know what salvation is Self must be dethroned and another must be enthroned there. The Lord Jesus Christ there must be a utter committal to him and you must come to him in repentance.

Confessing you are a sinner and own them as your Savior and Lord. I believe there's folks who think they're safe. I think there's folks out here tonight. You think you're secure? Because you believe Christ died for you.

What out without ever believing on the Christ who died and rose again. Who now sits at the right hand of the Father and he earned that right by way of a bloody cross? Let me tell you something friend.

The Cross, Substitution, and the Wrath of God

Let me tell you about Jesus the friend of sinners. Romans tells us. But God Commanded his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners. Christ died for us. Your trouble is friend. You don't believe God will punish sin.

You don't believe in a God who would send someone to hell. Go on admit it you feel you're safe. In your opinion about the God you serve. But he's not the God of the Bible because the God of the Bible must punish sin.

Your natural condition is nothing but amnesty against God. You're not a sinner because you sin rather you sin because you are a big sinner. God must and will Punish sin and the best example of this is God's beloved Son on the cross.

Who became sin becoming a curse as he hung on that ignoble tree? The nails driven into his innocent flesh were pounded in there by my sins. The stain of sin Was imputed to Jesus on the cross and when God saw the stain of sin on his only Son He could not spare him but his wrath and curse must he bear.

The cry of a crucified Christ from the cross Joined heaven. Oh my god. My god Why have you forsaken me? Galatians 3 13 resounds with that cry that went up from the cross to the father. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law.

Being made a curse for us. Because it is written a curse it is everyone that hangeth on a tree. Don't go to hell friend. Trusting something you did that will only melt in those burning flames. Come to that cross where a blood-stained Christ is nailed up there for sin.

Look that blessed man on the cross. Look at that man. Hang in there lifted up from the earth his arms outstretched. Beckoning you to come to him for forgiveness of sin. Oh Christ is the only remedy and refuge for sin.

Coming to Christ for Mercy and Cleansing

But you must get to him friend to get under his blood. God and Isaiah exclaims Come now and let us reason together. Sayeth the Lord though your sins be as scarlet. They shall be as white as snow. Though they be red like crimson.

They shall be as wool. Look unto Christ friend and come to him. The duty required is to come to Christ and believe on him. And he has a pure gospel promise to all who come and him that cometh to me. I wanna know why's.

Cast out. Listen to me. I'm just a poor preacher here doing my best to warn you to keep you out of hell when you die. If all you've heard tonight is my poor shaky voice, you'll be none bettered. Remember our text for this evening friends and John's gospel.

Hearing the Son's Voice and Responding to the Gospel

Where Jesus says hear me now? He says Verily verily I say unto you. The hour is coming and now is When the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and they that hear shall live. If you only hear my voice, it won't help you much.

But if you hear God's voice friend in this message as it comes to you when all power Majesty and authority now, that's a different story altogether. If you hear his voice, you must respond or just go on to hell.

Because if in the sovereign providence of God through my voice you hear his voice. You'll go away with life. Haven't been raised from the dead because when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God.

They that hear shall live. Shall live a living eternity in heaven. Listen to these pleas of the gospel dear sinner friend. Seek ye the Lord While he may be found. Call ye upon him While he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return Unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God.

Free will abundantly pardon. Jesus says I am the way the truth and the life. No, man cometh unto the Father. But by me. Well, I'm gonna sing a hymn friend and I want you to come to Christ for salvation from sin.

The Invitation to Trust in Christ's Blood

If God's been dealing with your soul through this message. Don't delay you come to Christ and lay your sin burden down at his nail pierced feet. Get under his blood the blood of Jesus can make you clean.

God's Word declares and the blood of Jesus Christ his son Cleanses us from all sin. Oh come now friend to that blessed Christ who died for sinners. Are you a lost sinner or you weary of your sins. Come lay your sin burden down.

Come to this blessed Christ as I sang I'd lay my sins on Jesus the spotless Lamb of God. He bears them all and frees us from the heavy load. I Bring my guilt to Jesus to wash my crimson stains. White in his blood most precious till not a spot remains.

I Lay my wants on Jesus. Awfulness dwells in him. He heals all my diseases. He doth my soul redeem. I lay my griefs on Jesus my Burdens and my cares. He from them all Releases he all my sorrows shares.

I rest my soul on Jesus this weary soul of mine. His right hand me Embraces I on his breast recline. I love the name of Jesus Emmanuel Christ the Lord light fragrance on the breezes. His name abroad is poured.