Men hurl themselves into perdition, and their destruction
is willful.
Man's amnesty against God is great, and his
rebellion strong and fortified, because of his rune
nature, for in Job we read, how much
more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh
iniquity like water.
But give man a little religion, and he
is content to remain in his sins, with
a hope of heaven.
Yet every step he takes draws him closer
to hell.
Hell groans beneath him, and the weight of
his sins press down upon him, and God's
wrath hovers above him, and the very ground
he walks upon is like ice, as the
prophet Jeremiah's sermon against lying prophets declares.
Wherefore, their way should be unto them as
slippery ways in the darkness.
They should be driven on and fall therein,
for I will bring evil upon them, even
the year of their visitation, saith the Lord.
Some think they can attain heaven, but good
works and a good opinion of themselves.
But a sinner in heaven will stand out
like a bluebird in a lemon tree.
Every saint and angel will gawk at you
and demand your immediate removal.
But you can hide behind the doorway of
a church and blend in with real believers,
with a smile on your face and a
long track record of service.
Your swagger and your boasting about all you've
done for God may impress man, but it
won't sway God, friend.
God is angry with the wicked every day,
and his anger boils against the hypocrite.
Christ had harsh words for hypocrites in his
day.
He denounced the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew
23, 27.
Oh, woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites,
for ye are like unto whited sepultures, which
indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full
of dead man's bones and all uncleanness.
A religious person, full of themselves, is an
ugly sight to behold as they go about
seeking self-recognition under the guise of serving
God.
Some sing solos in the choir because they
like applause.
Some serve on deacon boards because they love
power.
But the hypocrite travels a broad path to
destruction as he jostles others out of his
way for a place of prominence at the
front of the line.
But every step he takes draws him closer
and closer to hell.
And when his time comes to die, his
body is laid softly in a velvet coffin
and put in the ground while his soul
enters eternity and busts hell wide open.
And then he is seized with terror and
alarm, for the prophet Isaiah 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?
Listen, dear friend, you do not know that
when you lie down tonight, death will visit
you and soon you'll make your bed in
hell.
Religion won't help you then.
Your good reputation won't help you then.
Your good opinion of yourself won't help you
then.
Your tears of regret and remorse will only
sting and burn your face as a reminder
that you scorned the love of God while
you were in the world and you made
a mockery of God by your hypocritical, empty,
religious life.
And then outer darkness will engulf you as
the internal chains of the damned will be
fastened hard upon you.
And there you will wiggle and squirm like
a worm held up in the flame as
the wrath of God is outpoured upon you
like a smoking furnace.
Listen, friend, yet you are still in a
day of grace.
If God's spirit has been dealing with your
heart in conviction of sin, then God has
not yet given you over to reprobation.
Your only hope is to seek him now
as God still offers mercy.
If you don't take Christ now, friend, as
your savior, you will one day meet him
as your judge.
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, for he will abundantly
pardon.
There on a bloody cross was a bloodstained
savior from sin who can wash away all
sin.
The person is the Lord Jesus Christ.
And there is a fountain filled with blood
drawn from Emmanuel's veins.
And sinners plunge beneath that flood, lose all
their guilty stains.
Come to Christ, friend, in repentance, confessing you
are sinner and own him as your savior
and Lord.
Surrender all you are to all he is,
for he is Lord.
Let us pray.