Red Hot for Christ in a Hell-Bent World — E.A. Johnston

The Faith of Hebrews 11 and Sacrificial Christianity

I would like to read us our passage of scripture at the beginning of my message today, friends. Please turn in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews, in chapter 11. We're going to begin reading this hall of faith, as it's been called, about these worthies who were willing to suffer for their testimony for God.

Let me begin in verse 24. This is the word of God, and may the spirit of the Lord be pleased to attend the reading of his holy word. By faith, Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.

Esteeming the reproach of Christ's greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king, for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.

Through faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them. By faith they passed through the Red Sea, as if by dry land, which the Egyptians, sane to do, were drowned.

By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days. By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when also she had received the spies with peace.

And what shall I say more? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthah, of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets, who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens, women received their dead, raised to life again, and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection.

And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover, of bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword, they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, of whom the world was not worthy, they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens, and caves of the earth, and these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise, God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

I will stop there, friends. We need the spirit today of these pre-Christ worthies who were so sold out to God that their own lives mattered little. The Christianity in this country today is one of self-preservation.

Recovering the Apostolic Spirit of Self-Sacrifice

Where are the self-sacrificing lives who were so sold out for God in this generation that they're willing to part with all for Him as long as souls are saved and hell is shaken? I don't know about you, friend, but I want to be red-hot for Christ in a hell-bent world.

And that's the title of my message today. Red-hot for Christ in a hell-bent world. I want us to be gripped with the spirit of these worthies. I want us to find the lost cord of the apostolic church that was more willing to say, Jesus is Lord, then Caesar is Lord, and put their necks on the line for saying so.

The Courage of the Early Church Martyrs

The early Christians threw their lives away for Jesus. They were tortured in the Roman Colosseum, torn to shreds by lions and bears. They were hung up on poles and drenched with oil and lit up as human lanterns for the barbarians to make sport of while the flame of their lives burned out for Christ and their generation.

Scottish Covenanters and the Cost of Faithful Testimony

Where is the lost cord of Christianity which so gripped the hearts and conscience of the Scottish covenanters who were willing to have their heads cut off and put on poles in the grass market to bake in the hot sun?

And as they saw the heads of their mates on those gruesome poles, they said to each other, I, my head will be there next for my testimony in Christ Jesus, for I will not deny my Lord, come hell or high water.

The Wigton Martyrs and Faith Unto Death

And that's exactly the spirit of the Wigton martyrs, the two women, one old and one young, who were strapped to stakes while the tide came in and drowned them. The high water drowned the older Margaret MacLachlan and the tormentors cried out to the younger Margaret Wilson, what do you think of her now?

And the young girl, who was a red hot martyr for Christ, answered them, think, I see Christ wrestling there. Think ye that we are sufferers? No, it is Christ in us, for he sends none of warfare at their own charges.

And when she finished her testimony, the swirling waters came up to her neck and she craned her face toward heaven and sang at the top of her lungs Psalm 25 and verse 7, the meek in judgment he will guide and make his path to know.

What It Means to Be Red-Hot for Christ

Listen to me friends, you can't stifle or shut up a Christian who is red hot for Christ in a hell bent world. They don't care for their reputations, they don't care for their own lives, they want Christ at any cost and have lost everything to gain him.

A red hot Christian is dead to this world, a red hot Christian is dead to sin, a red hot Christian makes the devil weak in his knees because a red hot Christian lives on their knees and shakes the gates of hell with their desperate and mighty prayers.

Listen to me dear friends, you are one of two things, you are either red hot for Christ or you're lukewarm like a lay of the sin, you are either red hot for Christ or dry rot for the devil, for a red hot Christian risks everything for Christ in eternity, a red hot Christian is willing to lose his life for the sake of the gospel to find it in him, a red hot Christian lives on the front line of the battle and takes the hottest fire, a red hot Christian has his scars and wears them like medals for King Jesus.

Let me ask you friend, are you willing to throw your life away for Christ? Are you willing to lose your reputation for Christ? Are you ready to die if necessary for your testimony in Christ? We must receive the same spirit that enabled these worthies to go all out for God, they were stoned, destitute and afflicted, but they cared little for their own skins as long as God got the glory, a red hot for Christ in a hell bent world.

Red-Hot Preaching and the Gospel of the Cross

We must recapture the lost cord of the early church and though we lose everything and die in the process we can sing glory to God, hallelujah, Christ my King. What this land needs today is some red hot preachers who care little for their reputations as long as souls are saved and God gets the glory.

We need some red hot preachers who preach some hell popping sermons which shut sinners up to the holy law of God and all its strictness and severity and leaves a poor sinner crying out to God for mercy.

And we need to preach a bloody cross and a bloody savior who died there and show a poor sinner the way to heaven is only through repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ. We need some red hot prayer warriors who live on their knees in desperate and unfortunate prayer who will storm the gates of hell with their desperate and anguished heart cries and lay hold of heaven's throne and not let go until a blessing comes down, a red hot for Christ in a hell bent world.

Prayer, Spiritual Warfare, and the Church Militant

We should all be on our faces crying out to God like old pray and hide. Give me souls or I die. Listen to me, friends. The night is far spent and the day is at hand. Let us put off the foolishness of this materialistic world and put on the Lord's armor and fight the devil tooth and nail.

Let us be proactive in our warfare and not weary of the fight. Let us recapture the flame of the martyrs and let the church militant rise to her feet and storm into action and make the devil tremble in the process.

Let us push back the darkness in our communities with the almighty power of the most high. Let the church once again be a force to be reckoned with in these desperate days of a waning world sunk in sin.

A Final Call to Revival and Fearless Faith

Great God, come down and empower us from on high to rattle the gates of hell and prevail against the darkness in our generation. Let each one of us be red hot for Christ in a hell bent world, rushing madly to an eternal place of torment and misery, a Christless eternity.

Let us be red hot lights in a dark age. Let us ignite others to the battle. Let us go now, friends, to a time of prayer. And just maybe, just maybe, we can catch a chord of those we've read about here in Hebrews 11, the worthies.

Let's catch the chord of the early church. Let us rise up to our task with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and no longer fear, only fear God and not man. Let us go now to a time of prayer.