Gospel—Mark Rogers
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Well, we have 15 minutes.
And we have.
Stopped a little early. It reminds me when you're flying an airplane and they get on the sound system.
And they say on the first part of the trip that, uh, we're expected to get into the destination airport in such a, such a time, but with prevailing winds the way they are, why we may get in six months early or 7 minutes early. And now if you're on the inbound of the flight coming home, why, uh, that's a very encouraging thing to be able to arrive home a little early. So we do have indeed.
15 minutes. It kind of reminds me.
Who has flown an airplane or a train to get to this conference raise of hands?
There we go fair amount. Now when you flew that plane or drove in the train, particularly the planes and the terminals, there is a Bank of monitors that are in there that determine generally when you come off one flight and you're going to go to another flight, there is a terminal of of monitors there in which you're looking for your city to find out if you're connecting flight.
Is where you think it's going to be.
And a a moment of panic will happen if you find on the Bank of monitors that your city or your flight is not listed, or if it has the word canceled next to it.
I was in a inbound flight about 3 months ago in the winter time coming from the South coming in through Seatac. So yeah, Seattle, Tacoma, and uh, I was supposed to be making a transfer plane late at night into Pasco, WA.
And we were told on the on the ground down on the other destination that there is a chance that we are going to be late and you will not make your connecting flight. I can assure you that everybody on the plane as we sat there in the terminal was on their phones calling the airline asking what alternatives we had. I was, I was calling the airline to ask what alternatives do I have because this flight was supposed to be arriving at 11:00 at night. I want to get home.
And I know that that flight coming out of Seattle is gonna be the last flight. It's a short flight. It's only 50 minutes, the last flight coming home. And the thought occurred to me, if I do not make that flight, what am I going to do in the Seatac airport at midnight? Now, some of your brethren did come on my mind to give you a call if I needed a place to stay that night when I get there.
There were there's a wing of these little puddle jumpers there.
And in that wing there was a fair amount of flights that were getting canceled. Fortunately my flight I couldn't believe how busy this was. 11/30 at night. My flight I was able to catch home.
And you know, that reminds me of something that every you and everybody in this room right here is on a flight.
Everyone of us is on a pathway, and we have been reading in Hebrews. In fact, there's the analogy of a race. If you went on another chapter or so, there is an analogy of a race. Everyone in this room is in a race or in a pathway.
There is a difference though.
We also were referred to in this last couple, umm uh, yesterday, I believe it was the 1St Corinthians 10, where in that chapter, the very first part of the chapter talking about Israel, there is an all and there's a sum some and all ALL and there's a sum SOME.
Now I can say of a surety that in this room the all says all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
That is a certainty that all have sinned and we have all fallen short of the glory of God.
But the reason why I'm here for a few minutes is because there is a fear that there is a Psalm in here.
There is an uncertainty that not everyone is on this pathway we have been Speaking of with a savior.
00:05:00
You are walking a pathway. If you're in this room and haven't taken the savior, no doubt that pathway may be fine.
But some in this room, most most importantly, a majority in this room.
Have been walking a path with their savior.
That has taken care.
Of the connecting flight, their savior, who's going to meet them at the end.
And if you're on the pathway tonight?
And are walking alone. Maybe you're walking with a crowd, but you don't have the savior by your side.
Why the end of the flight is a different story.
I'd like to turn to one story briefly, Luke chapter 16.
To describe the pathway of two men.
I'm just going to read in Luke 16.
From verse 19 to the end of the chapter, this story has a lot to say.
Before I share this story, what's striking to me is the fact that the one who is telling it knows exactly what has happened. The very man of glory stepped out of glory came onto this earth.
Knew exactly what was happening behind the scenes. You and I do not know exactly what's behind in the unseen world.
And it says here as he is, as the Lord Jesus is telling these Pharisees in verse 19.
There was a certain rich man which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day. And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores. So they are both on their individual paths. You may say one path was very fared sumptuously. We had everything to eat. He had all the friends over. He had all the partying. He needed the other one.
Scrapping at the gate 2 paths two men. Verse 22. Their flights come to an end and it came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. I'd like to stop there and note that the fact is is one man had someone waiting for him at the other end, and one man.
Was buried.
You know, there, there's there's nothing more devastating is to get off a flight expecting someone to be there and no one's there.
It's interesting back in the old days when you could go be at the gates, why you could see that happen quite a bit.
And sometimes you can see it today down on the terminals and what not with baggage claim is there's people wandering around figuring out who they were supposed to meet is not there.
This rich man dies and was buried.
And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments or pain. And CS Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame.
Now there are two things that this man asks. This is the first thing and I want to make note the fact that this man in torment.
He does not ask to get out.
He's being tormented.
And he's asking for some kind of relief.
And my friend, today you may have maybe in an assembly somewhere and you haven't taken the Savior.
That's walking beside you.
And uh, you will be in a situation that if your day is called, and we never know when that day may be, when your day comes up, your flight ends.
If you haven't got the savior next to you, you will find yourself in the same position.
Abraham said, Remember that thou in thy lifetime receiveth the good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things. And now he is comforted and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between US and you there is a great goal fixed. So they which cannot pass from tents to you cannot that neither can they pass to us that would come from fence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father.
That thou would send him to my father's house, for I have.
00:10:00
Five brethren, that he may testify to them, lest they also.
Common to this place of torment.
This is his second request. His second request is merely this send back someone to tell those five brothers not to come here.
And you know something interesting, there are those in this room possibly that have had those that have gone on before.
That may be experiencing this torment.
And they wish to have you, not to join them.
Contrary to what the world says, the world says it's going to be a big party. But this man says, warn my five brethren on the other side.
Well, what does it say here? What's Abraham's statement here in verse 29? Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets. Let them hear them. You know what, it's interesting. That's the Word of God in that day. The Word of God had it was consisted of Moses and the prophets.
And those five brethren on the other side, on the on the side of living in the world that we're in today, they had this in front of us. You do too.
You have the word of God.
A warning from the other side will not help you.
And I'd like to add to this that just because you may have someone in your past that maybe has gone into a lost eternity would like to warn you there was on the flip side of it, there are those that probably have been praying for you as well.
Generations past, there might be those.
That have been praying for you.
Verse 30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham, but if one went into them from the dead.
They will repent, and he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets.
Neither will they be persuaded though. Rose 1 rose from the dead. And today we have the completed word of God. We have one that has been risen from the dead 2000 years ago. And today around the world in Christianity, they're celebrating seven days before his resurrection. And we have the fact of a resurrection of one ascended. We've been talking about He sit at the right hand of the Father.
We have that fact of one that has ascended.
And yet there are still some.
That are rejecting.
And you may be walking this pathway.
Without him.
And when your flight ends, as to we don't know when your flight ends and I don't know when my flight ends, you will be alone.
Because it is awfully nice to get down to the other end of the flight and have someone waiting for you. May I say someone with a capital S.
And so there's a solemn warning for the few minutes we've been here because many in this room, if not all the room, have heard the story of the Lord Jesus.
But to think of what's on the other side in torment. And the poor man did not request to come out.
He was only requesting.
That his pain, his torment would subside and it would not. And then he was concerned about his five brethrens. And there may be those that are concerned about you on the other side. And would you? You have Moses and the prophets and you have the Gospels. You have it all laid out. And that is the only thing that is going to drive you to the Savior who still has his arms.
Open wide today, I can't speak of tomorrow.
I do not know what's gonna happen tomorrow.
And that's what's very precarious in today, in 2017, we all see the instant things are shaking on one end of the globe. It shakes on the other end of the globe, whether it's the markets, whether it's a earthquake, we know about it from one side of the globe to the other side of the globe. And the instance that he comes to take his people out, if you wanna see a visual, there's a visual on that chart over there.
He comes to take his people out. You won't have time because it says.
In a twinkling of an eye, you will not have that decision then.
00:15:04
And so that's why the burden is for the few minutes that we're here as we close.
Is that we have no certainty that all in the room know the Lord Jesus as our Savior.
And so there's been plenty opportunities for these 2 1/2 days. We've taken some tremendous truths of the Lord Jesus and who He is and where He is today. But on the flip side, for a few minutes, understand what's waiting if you reject the Savior that we've been talking about.
Shall we close in prayer?
Our Father, our God, we consider the fact that we have been enjoying these truths of thy Son, O Lord Jesus. And yet, Father, we consider the fact that thy Son came to die for the for this entire world. And yet some have taken the Savior, Lord Jesus, and perhaps others haven't. And we asked suspiciously for those souls right now that they indeed would glass the glass on to.
Thyself, Lord Jesus, on this pathway as their Savior.
Before it is too late, because we have heard the warnings from the other side, and we would ask and plead for any soul in this room that hasn't accepted the Lord Jesus. And so we give thanks for that tremendous work, and we also give thanks for the hope of thy coming Lord Jesus and thy name we pray. Amen.