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I have previously mentioned ten ways to go to hell. Now we want to examine in the Bible five more ways to go to hell. My friends, this is indeed a solemn subject. This is a question concerning man's life and death. The salvation or perdition of a sinner is determined by his attitude towards these questions. I do not believe that there is a man on earth who wants to go to hell. People do not want to go to hell. Whenever the subject of hell is discussed, they turn pale and become afraid of what will happen in hell. Nevertheless, many are subconsciously walking on the way of hell. In their hearts they do not want to go to hell. But with their feet they are taking the way of hell. In the end when they arrive at the place where their feet have been walking all their life, they will have much regret. Hence, the most important question for us and the one that we all have to take heed of is how can we not go to hell. But first we must know the ways to go to hell so we can know how to avoid them. I hope that all those sitting here are seekers of the truth, and I hope that no one here is uninterested and unconcerned about the destination of their soul. Even if some are unfortunately indifferent toward the question of eternal life and death in the future and are very careless in your walk, I hope you will be awakened to turn, seek, and receive eternal life through hearing God's gospel.
I have one verse, and the word here is very solemn. "All the false, their part will be in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death" (Rev. 21:8). The Bible mentions hell many times. If there is no hell, there is no God because if God does not punish the world, then He is not God. Without hell, there would be no need for the Lord Jesus because everyone would be able to go to heaven, and there would be no need for Him to come to be our Savior. Without hell, there would be no need for the gospel because everyone would be saved, and there would be no need for a gospel to save sinners. Without hell, there would be no need for preachers because without the fearful punishment of hell there would be no need to preach. Alas, hell is real, and all the sinful sinners will go there. For this reason sinners should hear the gospel and believe in the gospel. This is why I have to preach the gospel to you today.
The verse that we just read tells us that in the future there will be a lake of fire and brimstone. This will be the second death. Please notice that what we fear the most is death. But the Bible says that there is not just one death but two. The death of the flesh is not the end. In the future there will be a second death. In the second death our whole being will be cast eternally into the lake of fire and brimstone and will suffer punishment and pain for our sins. Hell in the Bible refers to the lake of fire and brimstone. The Bible mentions the teaching of hell many times, specifically telling us the kind of people who will go to hell.
This verse says that people who lie will go to hell. Many people consider lying an ordinary sin and one which is not important. I am a native of Foochow. In Foochow we have a busy bridge called "the Great Bridge." Countless numbers of people pass over this bridge everyday. The people of Foochow have a saying: "Three days without lying and the Great Bridge would be without pedestrians." How common is lying! We do not follow the Bible teaching of having our yes be yes and our no, no (James 5:12). Instead we change our words back and forth, gossip, and criticize. We think that it is a very little matter for us to lie. But the Bible says that those who lie will go to hell. Therefore, those who are sitting here should be careful. Please examine yourselves if you have lied. You will go to hell if you have!
How common is lying! For many people, two or three out of every ten sentences are lies. It seems impossible for them to start off any sentence with the truth. I remember that we had a very honest person in our house. He never lied. Whatever was yes he said yes and whatever was no he said no. He was forthright and honest. Others, however, did not value his honesty; they thought that he was foolish. There is a common saying that being honest is foolish indeed. Yes, in this sinful world, people do not know about honesty. If you want to be honest, others will say that you are a foolish cow. How pitiful that the world considers honesty foolishness! Yet this is the level of their moral standards. What else can we say?
Many people, in an attempt to earn a reputation for themselves of being clever and smart, use many deceitful words to cheat others. They may indeed earn a name of being clever and smart. But are they really clever and smart? This is only deceitfulness and craftiness. Most of the people in the world who are clever and smart are actually deceitful and crafty. Moreover, the world realizes that the so-called clever and smart ones are actually deceitful and crafty. They know. They may know better than we do. But they still call these ones clever and smart. Why is this? They accept this lie because they are also used to lying. To someone who lies, a deceitful and crafty person is clever and smart. Oh, how the world excels in lying!
The present world can be said to be a lying world. Everyone lies to each other. How many are honest? In the family, even between parents, brothers, and sisters, there is much lying. Lying is common even between husbands and wives. In the school there is much lying between teachers and students. Lying reaches its peak in government circles. Indeed, one has to lie. Why? Without lying, one may lose his position and even his office.
Lying is even more commonplace in business circles. Many business people have told me that if they do not lie, they will have no way to make money. If they want to be honest, their only choice is to close their doors and terminate their business. They think that lying is the guiding principle in business and that without lying, their business will close down immediately. I remember a story. A fabric store was once visited by a man from the country. After the man examined many kinds of fabric, he still was not satisfied. In the end the shopkeeper took one of the previously examined rolls back into his shop and wrapped it with high-quality colored paper. He then presented it to the customer, saying, "This is the best fabric we have in this shop. I just took it out from my warehouse." The country man believed his word and bought it. If one does not lie, he cannot run a business. Several days ago I read in the newspaper of two British Christians who refused to put false labels on their goods. They were terminated by their employers. If one will not lie in this world, he will lose his position.
Perhaps some who are sitting here will say that they are not in business and have not lied in this way before. You may not have not lied in this way, but have you exaggerated and said more than the truth in your conversations? This is lying. Have you made something big out of something small? This is lying. Have you uplifted yourselves with lies because of a love for vainglory? Have you said vague words in an attempt to avoid difficulties and misunderstandings? This is also lying. Many people, when confronted with difficulties, deceive others with untrue words in order to avoid facing sufferings. Alas, we think that we are honest people only because we have not examined ourselves. If you do not believe me, go home and write down all the lies you said throughout the day in a little notebook. Please remember that anything you said other than yes to what should be yes and no to what should be no are lies. You should write down in your notebook everything other than these yes and no statements. Then you will find out how good you are at lying!
Let me point out the biggest lie in the whole world. Do you know what the biggest lie in the whole world is? Please listen to 1 John 1:8, "If we say that we do not have sin, we are deceiving ourselves." Here we see a very important verse. It points out man's biggest lie. Our lies are meant to deceive others. They are not meant to deceive ourselves. We do not like to deceive ourselves. We think that it is all right to deceive others because they are the ones who are cheated and suffer. We are very unwilling to deceive ourselves because we will suffer. But subconsciously there are many who deceive themselves. This verse tells us how a man can deceive himself.
All those who say that they are without sin deceive themselves. They are telling the biggest lie. We have said that those who lie will go to hell and perish. The words of the Scripture will not fail. It may be all right for you to have told any kind of lie before. But if you say what is said in this verse, I feel uneasy for you. No lie in the world can compare to this lie. Those who speak other lies may still have the hope of being rid of their sins and being saved. But those who lie by saying that they have not sinned will surely be lost and go to hell; they are beyond hope. When they lie in this way, they reject God's salvation and forbid the coming of the Lord's grace which makes it possible for them to be saved.
Today many people say that they are without sin. They think that they are moralists, religionists, and the best people on the earth. They think that they do everything according to their conscience. Since they think they are good, they say that they do not have sin. Preachers are the most unwelcomed because every time we open our mouths we show others that they have sinned. This is man's open wound. If you touch it a little, they will feel unbearable pain. Many people say, "What sin do I have? Where are my sins?" This is truly self-deception. Please remember I am not the one who says that you are deceiving yourselves. The Bible says this. All those who say that they do not have sin deceive themselves. How foolish is this! What profit is there for one to deceive himself? If you are saved and spared from hell, you will receive the profit; the one who helps you to be saved receives nothing. Why do you need to deceive yourselves? Why do you have to lie and say that you have no sin, making it impossible for you to be saved and liable to go to hell to suffer eternal torment and loss? Has not your conscience told you even once that you are a sinner? When you examine yourself in the quiet of the night, have you not realized that you have sinned? While you are in torment in the deepest part of your being, are you not aware of the problem of sin and the way to a solution? While you are alone and quiet, have you not thought of the punishment of hell? Have you ever asked where you came from and where you are going? I believe your conscience cannot be fooled to that extent. Man's conscience tells him his real condition. I am afraid that you are deceiving and cheating yourselves with your own lies by saying that you have no sin, that your sins are common sins of no significance, that there may not be a judgment after death, and that when man dies everything is over and there is no more judgment. You comfort yourselves with these words and think that, even though you have sinned, it is all right and you will not perish. Or you may think that you have no sin and will not come under any judgment. Actually, this is not self-consolation, but self-deception.
Why do liars go to hell? Let me tell you something. No matter what lies someone has told in the past or is telling in the present, he can have the chance to be saved because the Lord Jesus has died for all his sins. The sin of lying has been judged in the Lord Jesus. Anyone can be saved. Those who lie by saying that they have no sin, however, will go into eternal perdition. They will go to hell, and there will be no chance for them to be saved.
Why is this so? A man who lies that he has no sin is saying that he does not need a Savior for his sins. Since he has no sin, why does he need to trust in the Savior to be saved? If he has no sin, he will not suffer the punishment of sin. If he will not suffer the punishment of sin, he will not need a Savior to assume the punishment of his sin. However, if he has sin, he needs a Savior or he will go into perdition. On the one hand, he thinks that he is without sin and has no need of a Savior. On the other hand, he definitely has sin and needs a Savior. What then will be his end? It will be perdition. There is no other choice besides hell for him. Therefore, whatever lies you have told, you can still be saved through the merit accomplished by the Lord Jesus on the cross. But if you lie saying that you have no sin, there is no other choice for you except hell. All who have not believed in the substitutional death of the Lord Jesus will perish and all those who have believed in the substitutional death of the Lord Jesus will be saved. Those who lie will perish. But if a liar believes in the Lord Jesus, he will be saved. Those who lie saying that they have not sinned will perish. Unless a man first removes the sin of lying about his sinlessness, it will be impossible for him to be saved. Only those who really know that they have sinned will believe in the Lord Jesus, and only those who believe in the Lord Jesus will be saved. Therefore, those who lie and think that they have no sin will never be saved.
There are two kinds of excuses, one unintentional and the other intentional. Unintentional excuses are made when someone thinks that something is not important. His heart is not in the matter, and he makes some excuses to shuffle the matter away. Intentional excuses are made when someone knows that a matter is crucial. Yet he makes excuses to get away from it because he is unwilling to face it. Unintentional excuses are the result of ignorance; one excuses himself because he does not know the importance of the matter at hand. Such ignorance can be removed. If someone explains the importance of a matter and he still does not care, taking an indifferent attitude or making excuses, he errs in his mind. Intentional excuses are the result of unwillingness in the heart; one knows that a matter is important, yet he makes excuses and declines to take the proper action because of his unwillingness. This is senseless. How senseless it is when, despite knowing that something ought to be done, one refuses to do it simply because he does not want to do it.
If there is anyone here who declines to believe in Christ as his Savior, he is either making unintentional or intentional excuses. If you do not know the importance of this matter, you should listen to what I am saying in order to realize its importance. Please do not make excuses. Please seek after the truth with an open attitude. Do not hold onto any prejudice. Do not think that the future is not an important issue and that you can, therefore, reject these words easily. If you know that it is important to believe in the Lord Jesus and be saved, then your excuses are intentional if you reject these words through your unwilling heart, fear of men, or dislike of men's mocking. How unreasonable is such an excuse! Many people come to our preaching with a prejudice in them already. They think that they are just coming to listen and will never believe. When others persuade them to believe, they make many excuses. Let me tell you something: your real difficulty is not your excuses but your prejudice. If you do not have any prejudice, you will see that your excuses are without reason and that you do not have any problem.
Now we have to read the Bible and consider what the Bible says concerning this matter. Luke 14:15-24 tells a parable. It says that a man set up a feast and invited many guests to come. "And he sent his slave at the dinner hour to say to those who had been invited, Come, for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuses. The first said to him, I have bought a piece of land, and I need to go out and see it. I ask you, have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to prove them. I ask you, have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and because of this I cannot come" (vv. 17-20). All these made excuses and would not go. This parable was given by the Lord Jesus. It tells us that God has prepared a gospel feast for the world to enjoy. Man does not have to pay any price; he only needs to believe and come. Yet he makes excuses. In Matthew 22:7 the Lord Jesus points out the end of the ones who excused themselves: "And the king became angry...and destroyed those...." Those who do not receive God's grace, refusing with unreasonable excuses, will end in nothing other than perdition and hell. Just imagine: God has prepared grace for man and made it possible for man to be saved. All that man needs to do is believe and receive this grace. Yet man uses many unreasonable excuses to refuse God's grace. Is there any end for them other than perdition?
Many do know that it is important to believe in the Lord Jesus now. They know that they have sinned and that their own sin will bring them to perdition. They know that the Lord Jesus has died for them and that they will be saved if they will receive with faith the merit of the Lord Jesus' death. But due to an unwillingness of heart, they devise many false excuses to reject the Lord Jesus as their Savior. There may be many reasons for such unwillingness. But in reality it is simply unwillingness. All these excuses are due merely to unwillingness. Oh, how foolish this is! If it is right for one to believe, he ought to believe. If it is not right to believe, he should not believe. How senseless it is to know that you ought to believe and yet refuse to do so because there are other loves in your heart! How foolish it is to know that a medicine will heal you and yet decline it because you dislike the medicine and then die instead!
When many people hear the gospel, they excuse themselves by saying that they are too busy, that they do not have the time to believe in the Lord Jesus. It is unreasonable to excuse themselves this way. First, even though it takes time to believe in the Lord Jesus, not much time is required. Second, if a matter is important, one should lay down secondary matters to take care of the more important one, even though there is not much time. If you think that the salvation of your soul is important, you should set aside the time to believe even if you do not have the time. There is no reason for making such excuses.
Some are afraid that they may not succeed. They are afraid that they may become a laughingstock to others and that this is much worse than not doing anything at all. But why do you ignore God's promise? God told us, "He who has begun in you a good work will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus" (Phil. 1:6). If God has helped you and enabled you to believe and if it is God who has begun in you this good work, He will surely complete it. What else do you have to fear?
Some excuse themselves by saying that they do not understand this doctrine. But the Bible tells us that first we believe, then we understand. Since some do not understand many teachings in Christianity, they wonder how they can believe in the Lord Jesus as their Savior. This excuse is also without a good reason. I only need to ask you one thing: do you know that you are a sinner? Do you know that your sins deserve punishment and that the Lord Jesus has borne this punishment for you? If you know this, you should believe in the Lord Jesus; there is no reason for you to excuse yourselves. You may not understand other doctrines. But if you are unwilling to enter the door, how can you see the scene within the house? There are many mysterious things in the Bible. Although they cannot be explained by words, the Lord will help a man to experience them and will remove any doubt about them after he has believed in the Lord. Take the illustration of an elementary school student going to school. He tells his parents that he has never learned anything in the school and therefore does not want to go to school. Knowledgeable parents will tell him that they are sending him to the school precisely because he does not know. If he knows already, there is no need to send him to school. You have to believe in the Lord Jesus because you do not understand. If you understood, why would you have to believe? Those who do not read a book do not understand the book. In the same way, if you do not believe in the Lord Jesus, you will not understand the mysteries in the Bible.
Some have excused themselves by saying that there are many bad people in the church whose behavior is worse than their own, even though they are unbelievers. Why then, they ask, do they have to believe in the Lord Jesus? I admit that in the so-called church today there are many whose conduct is indeed bad. But we should not give up eating just because our throat feels uncomfortable. These people come to the church because of tradition. Many others come with other motives. These should not be considered as believers in the Lord Jesus. They have merely "joined a religion." When a student learns calligraphy by copying some writing and does not copy well, we cannot blame it on the original writing. Even though some who have learned of the Lord Jesus have failures, we cannot say that the Lord Jesus is not worthy of our belief. If you say this, let me advise you: if you do not choose to believe in the Lord Jesus, I have nothing more to say, but if you choose to believe in Him, do not be the kind of Christian mentioned above; otherwise, you will stumble others!
Strictly speaking, all excuses are unreasonable. I can mention many kinds of excuses; but one thing is sure: there is no reason for any excuse. Why? Since it is called an "excuse," it is surely without a reason. Since it is called an "excuse," you know that even though something is required, you are using an excuse to keep from doing it. Some say that their excuses are good. No matter how good the excuse appears to be, as long as it is used as an excuse it is an excuse, and as long as it is an excuse, there are untruth, falsehood, and other motives behind it. There is no reason for any excuse. Therefore, please do not make any excuses.
Many times gospel preachers persuade others to believe in the cross of the Lord Jesus for their salvation. But some people still do not want to believe. As I am standing here today, I think of the people to whom I have preached the gospel and who have declined me. Where are they now? Some have died and entered eternity. They are now suffering in Hades. They regret the fact that they rejected so lightly and refused to accept the Lord Jesus as their Savior. Now they are suffering the punishment of their rejection. Many others are still alive. What are they doing now? Not only are they short of the standard of God's holiness and glory, they cannot even come up to the standard of the worldly morality. They are fallen; their humanity is now in ruin. Would they have degraded to such a state if they had received the Lord Jesus as their Savior? Those who make excuses will go to hell because the Lord Jesus has no way to save those who make excuses. Let me speak an honest word to you. Suppose you make an excuse now and do not accept Christ as your Savior; you may not have any regrets even while you are alive, and you may not have any regrets when you are about to die, but you will have regrets after you die and enter eternity. Why wait until later to regret? Is it not far better to believe in the Lord Jesus today?
Many who are sitting here are Christians. Many are even preachers and pastors. We have to be careful not to think that only people outside the church will go to hell. I am afraid that there are many in the church who will go to hell! The people inside Sodom and Gomorrah were burned by brimstone and fire. Yet outside the city, Lot's wife also lost her life on the plain. It is most pitiful that many who have come into the church are only nominal. They have not genuinely believed in the substitutional death of the Lord Jesus; they are not yet saved and do not have eternal life. They are only church members nominally and are not real Christians.
We can read a few verses now. These words are spoken by the Lord Jesus Himself. "Not every one who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but he who does the will of My Father who is in the heavens. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, was it not in Your name that we prophesied, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name did many works of power? And then I will declare to them: I never knew you. Depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness" (Matt. 7:21-23). In this passage of the Scripture, our Lord Jesus describes the situation at the time of the coming judgment. There will be many Christians — not only Christians, but many preachers and miracle workers — who will be driven away by the Lord. They will marvel and wonder why people like them will not be able to go into the kingdom of the heavens. But the Lord Jesus will tell them, "I never knew you." For this reason, my Christian friends, be careful. Do not have the thought that because you are a Christian, however nominally, that your portion will be different from that of the heathens. Let me tell you: this thought is something in your imagination only. It is not in the Bible.
Many Christians sing hymns along with others, saying, "Lord, Lord." They think that singing this way will secure the question of their salvation. But the Lord said that those who say, "Lord, Lord," with their mouth only will not enter the kingdom of the heavens.
Many may think they can pray. After everyone prays, they will say, "Amen." They even say, "Lord, Lord," and call on the Lord. They may think that they are saved. But the Lord said that not everyone who says, "Lord, Lord," will enter into the kingdom of the heavens.
Many people preach the Word and call themselves servants of the Lord. They preach to others once a week and labor in many works. When they preach, they speak concerning the Lord. We may think that such people are more advanced than ordinary believers and are probably saved. But the Lord said that some who call Him "Lord, Lord" will not enter the kingdom of the heavens.
Some people are not just nominal church members. Sometimes they may possess supernatural powers that enable them to cast out demons and perform miracles. They may think that they will surely enter the kingdom of the heavens. Little do they realize that they may say, "Lord, Lord," with their mouths, cast out demons, and perform miracles in His name, but still not enter the kingdom of the heavens.
Therefore my friends, ladies and gentlemen, those who are sitting here, please be careful. Do not think that you are saved just because you are a member of a church, can pray and sing, always come to the services, always offer money, and even occasionally exhort others to join the church. Please do not be so assured! Not every one who behaves as a Christian outwardly will be saved. Many in the church will end up in the same hell as the pleasure-seeking men and women in the prostitution houses, cinemas, and amusement places!
According to the Lord's word, what kind of people will enter into the kingdom of the heavens? He said it will be "he who does the will of My Father who is in the heavens." What is God's will? Listen to this verse: "Who desires all men to be saved and come to the full knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:4). The initial will of God is for one to be saved. The way to be saved is not by singing, praying, preaching, or giving. Please note that I am not saying that you should not sing, pray, preach, or give. Every Christian should at least do this. However, these things will not save you. Please note that salvation does not come from singing, praying, preaching, or giving. How then can one be saved? "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved" (Acts 16:31). Salvation is nothing other than believing in the Lord Jesus. There is no other way to salvation than by believing in the Lord Jesus. If you believe in His death, you will be saved. If you do not act according to God's will for your salvation, you will surely go to hell. You may know many religious formalities and church ordinances. But if you do not trust in the Lord Jesus as your Savior and are not saved according to God's will, whatever you do and whatever denomination you belong to cannot grant you the possibility of salvation.
Please pay attention to the great scriptural principle mentioned by the Lord in this passage. When the day of judgment comes and these types of people come to the Lord, they will only talk about themselves: "We...! We...! We...!" When they go before the Lord, they do not talk about what the Lord Jesus Christ has done. Instead, they talk about themselves. They do not mention that the Lord Jesus died for them or that they were saved through trusting in the merit gained by His blood. Rather, they say, "We prophesied, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name did many works of power." There is no better work than prophesying, casting out demons, and doing works of power. Yet this did not save them. The Lord said to them, "I never knew you. Depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness." "Workers of lawlessness"! What does this mean? Were they not prophesying, casting out demons, and performing works of power? Can these things be lawless? But the Lord said that even though these may be the best of works, they cannot save a man. Salvation does not depend on how many good works one has before God; it depends on the accomplished works of the Lord Jesus before God. Salvation is not what you have done for the Lord. It is what the Lord Jesus has done for you. Salvation is not the wage you earn from your labor; it is the gift bestowed upon you through the accomplishment of the Lord Jesus' labor.
These ones err. They think that they can exchange their own works for God's salvation. They think that salvation is merchandise and that they can buy eternal life through their works. Little do they realize that unless God first accepts us through the Lord Jesus, He will not accept the works which come from ourselves. Unless we are accepted first, our works will not be worth anything before God. We must first be saved, and then there is the possibility that our works will be accepted. Even if our works are the best and we nominally bear the name of God's children, we will not please Him. Dear friends, have you accepted the Lord Jesus as your Savior? Did you become a Christian because you were afraid of the coming wrath and were trying to flee the eternal death? If you want to go to hell, I have nothing more to say, you can go on in your present nominal way. You do not have to change and believe with sincerity in the Lord Jesus as your Savior. Please do not mistakenly think that everyone going to hell is weighed down with sin and evil. This is a mistake. You can try your best to do good, be zealous, attend services, sing, pray, preach, and give. But if you do not act according to God's will and believe in the Lord Jesus as your Savior, you will surely go to hell.
John 3:18 says, "He who believes into Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not believed into the name of the only begotten Son of God." Verse 36 says, "He who disobeys the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides upon him." Being condemned is to perish and perishing is to go to hell. Not seeing life and having the wrath of God abide on one is also to perish and suffer God's punishment, which is also to go to hell. These two verses tell us another reason for people to go to hell.
Who will go to hell? Those who do not believe will go to hell! What do they not believe in? They do not believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Many people think that man goes to hell by committing different kinds of sins. But the Bible does not teach this. It does not matter whether you are a moralist, religionist, or philosopher; it does not matter how much good you have done, how virtuous, righteous, loving, and kind you are. If you do not believe in the Son of God, the death and judgment waiting for you will be no different from that of the publicans and sinners. Please listen carefully. You do not have to commit any more sins. You do not have to tell one more lie. You do not have to reject Christ, persecute the saints, fornicate, or trespass God's law to go to hell. You can even try your best to reform, improve, serve, sacrifice, love, show kindness, perform charity and relief work, and do many other kinds of good works. But as long as you do not believe in the Lord Jesus, that is good enough for you to perish and go to hell. The words in these two verses are clear and plain. He who does not believe will be condemned. He who does not believe will not have eternal life, and the wrath of God is upon him all the time. "He who does not believe." Besides not believing, there is no other reason for the condemnation. It is not because a person has sinned or does not have good morals. Rather, it is because he does not believe. Besides unbelief, there is no reason for one to perish.
What does an unbelieving person receive? He who does not believe has been condemned already! Many people are more loving than God is. They think that God will surely not judge man's sin. But in these two verses the Lord Jesus Himself said that God will judge man and punish sinners with His wrath. God has His wrath. Do not think that God is an easy-going and foolishly good person with no righteousness at all. Many people think that God is kind and full of mercy, too kind to punish sinners. I say this in a most reverent way: if God were like this, He would not be kind but foolish. Although our God is kind, He is also righteous. He shows His love toward the sinners in the world. But He will show righteous judgment to those sinners who reject His love. Consequently, the Bible says that he who does not believe in the Son will not have eternal life and God's wrath will abide upon him. God has His wrath and His wrath abides upon unbelieving ones. Hell is real; the righteousness of God and the sin of the world require a hell!
What do these ones not believe in? They do not believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God. What is the name of the only begotten Son of God? His name is "Jesus." Why is the name of the only begotten Son of God called "Jesus"? The Bible says, "For it is He who will save His people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21). The word "Jesus" means "Jehovah the Savior." Therefore, whoever does not believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God does not believe in Jesus. Not believing in Jesus is not believing in Him as the Savior who saves one from sin. All those who do not believe in Jesus as their Savior will perish and go to hell. This is what the Word of God says.
How did the Lord Jesus become man's Savior? The Bible says clearly that He is not a Savior of our flesh or of society, but a Savior from sin. He came to save the sinners from their sins. Please listen carefully, and do not be deceived or cheated to think that the Lord Jesus was a great teacher, example, and pattern who promoted love, peace, equality, and freedom for everyone. The Bible does not say that He was such a person. It says clearly that the goal of all His works was to "save His people from their sins." He came to be the Savior from sin.
How could He become the Savior from sin? Please listen to His own words: "For this is My blood of the covenant, which is being poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matt. 26:28). In this verse the Lord Jesus explained the way He saves sinners. He saves not by reforming and improving sinners but by dying on behalf of sinners and shedding His blood so that their sins may be forgiven. The way He saves sinners is by the shedding of blood. This is His cross. He saves sinners by the merit of the blood which He shed on the cross. His work did not exhort sinners to do good, educate them, teach them, or slowly develop goodness in their heart. He did not come to serve the sinners' physical body, reform society, or give sinners a more comfortable living in the sinful world. He saved sinners through the shedding of His blood. All the work of the Lord Jesus during His life on earth could not save one sinner. The source of a sinner's salvation is His death.
How did the Lord Jesus save sinners through His death? Why did He say, "This is My blood of the covenant, which is being poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins"? Was shedding His own blood the only way to forgive man's sin? Indeed, there was no other way. The forgiveness of sin presupposes the existence of sin. Because there is sin, there has to be the forgiveness of sin. In what way, however, can sin be forgiven? It can be by the shedding of the Lord Jesus' blood. But why is there a need for the shedding of blood? There is a need because sinners have sinned and sin must be punished. The Bible says, "The wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23). Since the wages of sin is death, then a sinner who has sinned must die. The flesh and soul must suffer eternally in hell. Since a sinner has sinned, he should perish. In order to save sinners, the Lord Jesus died and shed His blood for them. Romans 5:6 and 8 say, "For while we were yet weak, in due time Christ died for the ungodly"; "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Listen! The death of Christ was not a martyr's act. Neither was it an example for us to follow. His death was a death for sinners. In other words, He died in place of sinners. Sinners should die and perish themselves. But the Lord Jesus died for sinners and suffered the punishment of sin on behalf of sinners. The punishment which sinners should have suffered was upon the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus substituted for sinners, stood in place of sinners, and received from the hand of a righteous God the punishment of sinners. Since He died, sinners do not have to die. This is the gospel! This is salvation!
The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, through His offering up of Himself on the cross, has borne the sin of sinners and accomplished eternal salvation. There is no salvation other than this salvation. There is one other way for man to be saved before God — he must commit absolutely no sin from the day of his birth to the day of his death, including every minute and second of his time, in all of his thoughts, words, conduct, and attitude. No matter how good, moral, godly, and no matter how much he is sheltered by religion, if he has sinned just once in thought, word, conduct, or attitude, that is sufficient for him to go to hell. Since this is the case, can man still be saved by himself? Of course, no one can be saved. This is why the Lord Jesus came to bear sinners' sins. He shed His blood for sinners, so that sinners could be saved through Him, even though they could not save themselves.
Not believing in the name of the only begotten Son of God is not believing in Jesus; not believing in Jesus is refusing the salvation accomplished by the blood of Jesus shed on the cross. If one does not believe this, he is already condemned. If there is a person on earth who is perfect in goodness and has never sinned in his life, whose conduct is as good as the Lord Jesus', then he does not need to believe in the Lord Jesus. If such a person does not exist, then everyone has sinned and should receive punishment for their sins. If you do not accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior and do not believe that He has died for you, you will bear your own sins and perish forever. Therefore, the sinners who are sitting here should ask themselves if they have sinned. If you have not sinned, there is nothing more to say. But if you have sinned, you must believe in the Lord Jesus. If you do not believe, you will go to hell and bear your own sins. Alas, you will perish because you refused salvation, not because salvation was not offered to you!
The Holy Spirit is now working among us and causing us to realize that we must believe in the Lord Jesus before we can be saved. But there is a danger. Many people want to wait. They realize that it is good to believe in the Lord Jesus and they know they will be saved by believing in the Lord Jesus. But they say that believing is inconvenient for them and they should wait. In the near future, when an opportunity comes, they will believe in the Lord Jesus. Dear friends, please be careful! Consider! Do not be deceived by the devil. The matter of believing in the Lord Jesus is the most important thing on earth. Think carefully if you can afford to wait and delay.
Listen to these two verses of the Scripture. Ecclesiastes 9:10 says, "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." Proverbs 29:1 says, "He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, / shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy."
Who can say how long he will live? Who can know his own life span? You may say that you will wait until some future day. But how much time do you have in the future? No one sitting here can guarantee how long he will live. Since you cannot guarantee, why risk your soul? It is either now or never. You have to be careful.
I remember a story. Once a young Scottish girl came to a certain Dr. T. The doctor preached to her and persuaded her to accept Christ as her Savior. She said, "Doctor, I need to wait a while. I do not want to accept Christ now." The doctor replied, "How long will you wait? Are you going to wait for a year? Are you willing to say that no matter what circumstances befall you and what opportunities you have during this year that you will not accept Christ, and that you must wait for another year before you will accept Him?" She said, "No, doctor. I cannot say this, for I may die in less than a year." The doctor said, "That's right. So are you going to wait for another month? Are you willing to say that during this month, no matter what opportunity there is and whatever may happen that you will not accept Christ, and that you must wait for another month?" She pondered a little and then replied, "Doctor, I cannot say that I must wait for a month and that whatever opportunity or event may happen during this time that I will not accept Christ, because I may die within a month." The doctor again said, "That's right. Are you then going to wait for a week, and no matter what happens within this week you will not accept Jesus Christ?" She hesitated and then said, "No, I cannot say that. I cannot say that I must wait for a week and no matter what circumstance I encounter and whatever may occur this week that I will not take any opportunity to accept Jesus Christ because I may die in a week." The doctor then said, "That's right. Then are you going to wait for one day? Are you going to wait for another twenty-four hours and within these twenty-four hours, whatever may happen, you will not accept Jesus Christ?" She said again, "No doctor. I cannot even say that, because I may be dead in twenty-four hours." The doctor said, "That's right. Now consider, is it not far better for you to accept Christ as your Savior now?" In the end she could not refuse and said, "I will accept Him." Today I put the same question before you. What are you waiting for? Are you going to wait for a year? Who can say that within this year, he will not encounter an accident and that he will live through the year? Perhaps a year is too long. You dare not guarantee anything. But who can say that he will live for another month? Are you going to wait for another month before you believe in Christ? Are you willing to say that you will not believe in Christ within this month no matter what opportunity is afforded to you and that you will wait until next month to believe? Who among us can say that he will not die during this month, that he will still be around next month, and that he will believe in the Lord Jesus next month? Who can say that he will live another week? If you cannot say that you will live another week, why do you have to wait for another week? Why do you have to wait for one more week to go by before you seek an opportunity to believe in Christ? I believe no one with a sound mind would dare to say before men or in his heart that he will live for another week.
I have a friend whose cousin did not believe in the truth. He made excuses and put off the matter all the time. Once my friend preached and persuaded him to believe in the Lord. But he said that he would wait for a few days. My friend told him, "Very well, I will come back in a few days to preach to you." But during those few days, his cousin took his wife to see his in-laws in the villages and was beaten to death by bandits while he was there. Can anyone say that they will not die in a few days?
Can anyone here say that he will not die in the next twenty-four hours? If you cannot say it, why do you wait when you know that you should believe in Christ as your Savior and that by believing you will be saved from hell? If you cannot guarantee your own life for the next twenty-four hours, how can you say that you will wait for the future? Therefore, at this time, you should hear what the Scripture says, "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might" (Eccl. 9:10). Why such haste? Because of "the grave, whither thou goest." Man must die and go into the grave. In the grave, "there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom." Therefore, you should not hope to believe in Christ after you die. No! You should believe today; otherwise, you will not find the opportunity in the future. Why not make the decision now? Why wait for another day? We do not know what we will face tomorrow, and we do not know how many sitting here will be gone tomorrow. Who wants to die? Who can say that they will not die? Therefore, we have to believe in Christ right away.
Once in Philadelphia, a big city in America, a seven-story building was on fire. This building was rented out to many big corporations. On the sixth floor there was a newspaper office containing much telecommunication equipment through which the company communicated with the world and sent out reports. Unfortunately, this floor caught on fire that day. The fire started on the first floor. Everyone on the seven floors began to move things out of the building and were running for their lives. One telecommunications operator remained on the sixth floor. He liked doing novel things so he did not leave the burning building right away. He began to telegraph to the whole nation: "Our newspaper office is now on fire. The fire is on the first floor. I am on the sixth floor." After a while he sent out another telegram: "The fire is now on the second floor, but I am still on the sixth floor." After fifteen minutes he sent out another telegram: "The fire has come up to the third floor, but I am still on the sixth floor." After a little while he sent out a telegram again: "The fire has come to the fourth floor, and I am still on the sixth floor." Finally he sent another telegram: "The fire has come to the fifth floor, and I am still on the sixth floor." He thought that sending out telegrams this way would cause a sensation in the whole nation. How exciting that the fire was on the fifth floor and a man was still on the sixth floor! However, his life was also important. He paused for a while and went out to see the fire. What he saw shocked him. The fire was not on the fifth floor. It had been wrong to say that the fire was on the fifth floor and that he was on the sixth floor. He should have said, "The fire is on the sixth floor, and I am also on the sixth floor." The fire had reached him. He thought that there was time for him to escape. He opened the door and wanted to run down the stairs. But once the door opened, billows of smoke and fire poured in. He was forced to close the door. The stairs were burning. Every floor of the building was on fire. How could he escape? In the end he opened a window and saw a power line hanging across the street. He thought that here was the way. He jumped out of the window and caught the line and began to cross over with his hands. But streets in America are very wide and he stopped in the middle of the street. There were many people watching him from down below. Every eye was set on him. In everyone's heart there was the question, "Can this man be saved? Will he have enough strength to get to the other side?" After a while one of the man's hands slipped. After a little while the man fell and was dashed to the ground in the middle of the street!
Dear ones, if you know that your life is precious, if you know that your soul is important, and if you know that Christ will save sinners, why do you still wait? The fire of hell has started to burn. Why are you not running for your life? Alas, the fire of hell is burning before your eyes! What are you waiting for? Watch out! Do not think that the fire is on the fifth floor and that you are on the sixth floor! The fire of hell is already before your eyes. There is hell fire right where you are. Why are you still waiting?
Now is the time to accept Christ as your Savior. If you miss the chance, it will be difficult to say if another will come. Satan cannot stop you now from believing in Christ. He knows that man fears sin and is afraid of the punishment of hell. He also knows that it is very reasonable for one to believe in Christ and be forgiven. He has only one method: to make you wait and delay until the time is past and the opportunity is gone. Although you know that you should be saved, you will perish eternally. What are you waiting for now? Are you going to wait until you are sick before you believe? Are you going to wait until you face some peril before you believe? Are you going to wait until you die before you believe? Please do not wait any longer. Wait no more. Please come to the Lord Jesus this minute and accept Him with faith as your Savior. Pray to Him: "Lord, I am a sinner who should go to hell. I ask You to save me now." The Lord will hear your prayer.
