Hypocrites Dangling Over a Smoking Pit — E.A. Johnston

The Danger of Empty Religious Profession

I was once a lost church member for years, believing myself to be saved. I was self-deceived and arrested upon an empty religious profession. If you asked me when I got saved back then, I would point to a time in my past where I walked an aisle in response to a preacher's invitation, where I accepted Jesus as my personal Savior, and I sealed the deal by repeating the prayer.

Maybe some of you friends have done the same thing. Well, I was baptized and added to the church roll, and I was nothing more than an unconverted church member who made a mental flip for Jesus. I was still unchanged, still dead in sin, still in the kingdom of darkness while all the time sitting beneath the lights of the sanctuary, and most of my church friends were just as lost as I was.

I taught a big Sunday school class in a big Baptist church that was full of lost church members who were full of themselves, but we all could tell you how much we loved Jesus. Our lives were no different from the world's.

Our hearts were unregenerate, and we had no experiential knowledge of Christ. We all had two things in common. We had made a public profession of faith in response to an emotional appeal, and we were hypocrites dangling over a smoking pit, and that's the title of my message today, friends.

Matthew 7 and the Two Ways

Hypocrites dangling over a smoking pit. My text can be found in Matthew's Gospel in chapter 7. You can turn in your Bibles there now, friends. We will be in verses 13 through 14, where we have the Lord Jesus warning about two ways, two ways that lead to two destinies, either heaven or hell.

He speaks of the two ways as a warning of each. He warns that one way is a difficult way, less traveled and few there be on it, and he warns of a broader way, which is full of peril, danger, and many travel that way, which leads to destruction.

Like swine in herds going to the slaughterhouse, completely ignorant of their danger, listen to the words of Christ as he warns of these two ways. Enter ye in at the straight gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat.

Self-Deception on the Broad Way

Here Christ warns of a crowded path, full of people who are self-deceived. They believe their condition is all right. They believe they are traveling the right road to heaven. Because they once made a public profession of faith, they can each point back to a time in their life where they walked an owl and came out for Jesus.

They are busily occupied in church service, and this reinforces their false assurance. On this road is much laughter and levity and fellowship, as many are upon it, and they have much in common as baptized church members.

In fact, their numbers lend support to their deception. But Jesus issues a dire warning to all who travel upon this path. As they go to their destruction, like dumb animals go to a slaughterhouse, this road of the broad way is full of hypocrites dangling over a smoking pit, ready to drop down at any moment, completely unaware of their constant peril and danger of dying in their sins outside of Christ's blood.

As the bridge that is washed out by a storm poses sudden danger to all who drive upon it, so too a crowd of hypocrites, whose collective weight of sins will eventually pull them down into the smoking pit of hell.

False Hope Among Church Members

Some of these deceived church members are elders and deacons. Some sing in the choir. Some are ushers in the sanctuary. Some are Sunday school teachers. But they each share a common denominator, and that is they each rest upon an empty religious profession, and they have a false hope of heaven that's nothing more than a hole in the wall.

Jesus describes these hypocrites along these terms. Many will say to me, in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works?

And then I will profess unto them, I never knew you, depart from me, ye that work iniquity. And then Jesus issues another warning, friends. This time he warns that the way to heaven is a difficult way, a less traveled way, a narrow way, and he warns that few are on this way to heaven, the majority travel to hell, because straight is the gate and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

The Narrow Way and the Few Who Find Life

In other words, out of a vast church congregation, only a few make it to heaven. The majority end up in a devil's hell. The majority are hypocrites, dangling over a smoking pit, ready to drop down into a region of outer darkness, where there's wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Isaiah's Warning About Everlasting Burnings

There's a verse in Isaiah, which describes the sudden horror of the hypocrite as he awakes in hell. Isaiah 33, 14 declares,. The sinners in Zion are afraid. Fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire?

Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? Everlasting burnings in a smoking pit of hell. Are you safe, friend? Have you ever been lost? Have you ever been awakened to your lost condition by coming under holy ghost conviction?

Repentance and Genuine Salvation

Have you ever seen your hopelessness of resting upon a false profession? Have you ever exercised repentance toward God in faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? Are you born from above and washed in the blood?

Or are you resting upon an empty religious profession that dangles you continually over a smoking pit of hell? You say you know Jesus, but does Jesus know you? When you die, will you hear four terrible words that will ring in your ears all throughout eternity?

I never knew you. Repent before it's too late.