Crossing God's Deadline | Part 1

1:10 before we reach the point of no return. If you have your Bible, turn to Proverbs 29, as Adrian Rogers warns us of crossing God's deadline. Would you take your Bibles and turn please to Proverbs chapter 29, and we're going to look at one verse. Sometimes when a pastor preaches from the Word of God, he will take a chapter. As a matter of fact, I believe the chapter headings were put there to keep preachers from preaching too long. And sometimes he'll take a paragraph. But today we're going to take just one verse and we're going to look at that one verse because it is so rich, it is so strong, it is so powerful, it is so pertinent.

2:03 Can a man spiritually pass the point of no return? Can he so stubbornly and arrogantly sin against God? Can he be so willfully rebellious that God will give up on him? The answer to that question is yes. And that's a frightening thing. There is a deadline. And if a man, woman, boy, or girl crosses that deadline, his doom is sealed and he has no hope. You say, but Pastor, God is a God of love, infinite love. Yes, He is. But He's also a God of wrath and a God of judgment. And when you say that God is a God of love, that is truth. But it's not all of the truth. It is part of the truth. And when you try to take part of the truth and make part of the truth all of the truth, that part of the truth becomes an untruth.

3:01 So we need to see all of God's Word. I want you to look at this verse of Scripture because it is terrifying in some ways. Proverbs chapter 29 and verse 1. He that being often reproved and hardeneth his neck shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy. He that being often reproved and hardeneth his neck shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy. There's a time I know not when. There is a place I know not where which marks the destiny of men to heaven or despair. There is a line by us not seen which crosses every path, the hidden boundary between God's mercy and God's wrath. And to cross that line means that there's no hope for you.

4:03 I've been told that in the Niagara River, I've never seen it, but in the Niagara River that rushes down to Niagara Falls, at first the Niagara River is very placid and very slow, but it reaches a point where it rises and picks up speed. And there's a sign there, I'm told, on the riverbank, which says, the point of no return. Now you can be in that river for a long time, but when you come to that place, you're not going to turn around and go back. That is the point of no return. And you are going over the falls if you pass that point. It is the point of no return. Now there are four definite truths that are in this one verse. And so I want you to take Proverbs chapter 29 and verse 1 and keep it open in your hand. And if you don't have a Bible with you, listen to it again. And he that being often reproved and hardeneth his neck shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

5:04 Four thoughts I want to lay on your heart today. And I pray God the Holy Spirit will etch them upon your consciousness and rivet them into your mind. The very first is spiritual conviction. God does convict us. We are often reproved. Now, nobody goes to hell unloved, unwarned, unconvicted. Not a one. He that being often reproved. God strives with us. God knocks on our heart's door. God reproves us. God calls us over and over and over again. The Bible says he that being often reproved, many times reproved. It would have been glorious mercy if God had just warned us one time, wouldn't it? but over and over and over and over again and again and again and again, God reproves. God speaks to us. Now, how does God speak? How does God reprove? Well, by His Holy Spirit.

6:02 There have been times when you've been driving along in your automobile, doing dishes. Maybe you've been out on the football field. Maybe you are just about to go to sleep, and you feel the Spirit of God speaking to you, and you know that you're a sinner. You know that you're doing wrong. You know that you need to be saved. And God's Holy Spirit is gently but strongly speaking to your heart. I know He did to mine when I was a teenage boy before I came to the Lord Jesus Christ. There's no way to describe it except the dearest, precious Holy Spirit of God was speaking. And if God's Holy Spirit is speaking to you today, I beg you, I plead with you, listen to the Spirit of God. But not only does He speak through His Spirit, He speaks through sickness. Have you been sick? Have you been in trouble? Have you been to the doctor and gotten a bad report?

6:50 Well, God speaks through that. You know, the Bible says, before I was afflicted, I went astray. What does sickness do? It's a messenger from God to tell us that we are going to die. And every one of us here has some kind of a sickness. And for some, it's going to get worse and worse. You say, I'm not sick. Well, you might be using glasses like I am. That means your eyes are sick. You might be getting gray hair or it's falling out. That means your scalp is a little sick. Dear friend, your posture is not what it used to be and your muscles are not what they used to be. You are dying and God speaks to us that way and says you're not going to be here upon this earth forever. We're winding down to the grave. Not only does God speak through His Spirit and not only does God speak and reprove through sickness but also through sorrows. Maybe when you went to the grave side of your mother you didn't know the Lord.

7:44 And you thought to yourself, I'll never see my godly mother again unless I get saved. Maybe God has spoken to you through the death of a child. Maybe God has spoken to you through some financial reverse. God speaks through His Spirit. God speaks through sickness. God speaks through sorrows. God speaks through sweetness. And if you're saved, thank God for His goodness. But if you're lost, thank God for His goodness. The Bible says, the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance. and God will reprove just by simply the smile of a baby, the beauty of a flower. God speaks through these things. God speaks to you through his servants. The songs that we have today, Victory in Jesus, I've Been Crucified with Christ, The Greatest Song of All, Oh God, Our Help in Ages Past. God speaks to you through those songs.

8:37 That's the reason that we are singing church. God speaks through his servants. I'm not the best preacher in the world. And there are others who can preach the gospel better than I can. But nobody can preach a better gospel than I can. And I never preach a sermon until I've soaked it in prayer. And God brought you here today to hear this message. And God speaks through His servants. God speaks through His soul winners. Maybe somebody has witnessed to you. Maybe somebody shared a gospel track with you. Maybe you took it and crumpled it up. Maybe you threw it on the floor. Maybe you scoffed. Maybe you laughed. God sent a special messenger of love to you. A young man was getting ready to go out in a night of sin. His precious mother loved him so much that there by his cap she put down a gospel track. She knew he'd see it. He picked it up. He looked at it and said, Mother, would you stop doing this? He said, Today when I got off the bus, somebody gave me one of these. I wish you wouldn't do that.

9:33 Where can I go where people won't give me these things? She said with tears, My son, you can go to hell. Nobody will give you one there. God speaks. And there's not a mother's child in this building today that has not been spoken to by the Holy Spirit. Listen to this text. He that being often reproved. God has spoken to you, precious friend. I don't know all of your names, but I know this much about you over and over and over and over and over and over again. God has reproved you. If you're not saved, He loves you too much. to let you go to hell without being warned, without being reproved. Every time I open this book to preach, God is speaking to you. That's the first thought. Spiritual conviction.

10:26 Here's the second thought. Stubborn rebellion. Stubborn rebellion. He that being often reproved and hardeneth his neck. That means what we say today is bowing up the neck. Just saying no, jutting out the chin, saying I will not do what God would have me to do. How do you harden your neck? Well, you're in Proverbs 29. Just go back to 27 and look, if you will, in verse 1. Some harden their neck by procrastination. Post not thyself of tomorrow. For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. You have the idea, well, yes, God has spoken over and over again. And one of these days, one of these days I'm going to give my heart to the Lord. Tomorrow, but God's Word says don't boast about tomorrow.

11:21 You know, there's an interesting story. Now, Egypt had a king, the Pharaoh, and he was a vile, wicked, lascivious, and arrogant man. And so God, in order to touch Pharaoh and allow God's people to go, God began to send plagues into the land of Egypt. And one of the plagues that God sent to the land of Egypt to get Pharaoh to let God's chosen people go that they might go to the promised land, one of the plagues that God sent was the plague of frogs. I don't mean one frog. I don't mean two frogs. I don't mean thousands of frogs. I mean millions of frogs. covered, came up out of the Nile River and covered the land of Egypt. There were frogs everywhere. The den must have been thunderous. As these frogs were croaking all over, you put on your shoe, there would be a frog. A woman would open a kettle to cook and there'd be a frog in the kettle. You would get down between the sheets, there'd be frogs under the sheets. Little boys would be squishing frogs between the toes when they went to school. There were frogs everywhere.

12:29 They covered the land. I mean, you might think it's funny, and it sounds funny, but if you were living in Egypt, I'll guarantee you it would not be funny. They're killing frogs, dead piles of frogs, smelly frogs everywhere. The stench, unbearable, the noise, cacophonous. It was horrible and terrible. Pharaoh had had enough. He said, Moses, ask God to take away the frogs. And I'm going to read from Exodus chapter 8, verses 9 and 10. And Moses said to Pharaoh, Accept the honor of saying, When I shall intercede for you, for your servants and for your people, to destroy the frogs from you and your houses, that they may remain in the river only. Now Moses said, Okay, Pharaoh, you just ask me and I'll ask God to stop the frogs. When do you want me to do it?

13:22 Now here's something, you won't believe this. And he said, that is Pharaoh said, tomorrow. Tomorrow. Now there are frogs everywhere. He's up to his ears in frogs. Now Pharaoh, would you like me to take away the frogs? Yes, I would. All right, Pharaoh, when? Tomorrow. Give me one more night with the frogs. Isn't that an amazing thing? Isn't that an amazing thing? And there's some of you. Sickness, sorrow, pain, discomfort, all of these things. And I say, do you want to come to Jesus? Oh, yes, I do, Pastor. When? Tomorrow. So give me one more night with the frogs. I don't want to be saved today. There's an old story about a convocation of demons that got together to try to damn mankind and they were trying to cook up some schemes and plans and one demon said, let's tell them there's no God.

14:26 The other demon said, oh, the fact of God is so obvious only a few would believe that. Well, then let's tell them that God is not a God of love. Oh, no, no, no, no. God's handiwork, God's love is shown everywhere. Well, let's just tell them there's no hope. Oh, no, the gospel has been preached around the world. Then one demon, malevolent, known for his craftiness and cunningness and wickedness, according to this fable, stood up and said, I know what to do. Let's tell them there is a God, that He's a God of love, that He has made provision for people that they need to be saved, they ought to be saved. But tell them just simply to postpone it. And applause broke out in that convocation of demons, and they said, yes, that's the plan. We'll get more people by procrastination than any other way. People who intend to be saved, but when they're reproved, they harden their neck by procrastination. I'll tell you another way that people harden their neck, not only by procrastination, but they harden their neck by pride. You know, I'll give an invitation. At the close of this service, I'll say, come, accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and make it public. And the devil will come and sit right next to you in that seat and he'd say to you, hey, don't go down there.

15:46 You're going to make a fool of yourself. Everybody will be watching you. Don't humiliate yourself. Don't admit your need. And pride will escort you to hell in chains forged on the anvil of a hard heart. So many of the people in America are egomaniacs strutting to hell. And when the gospel is preached, that pride comes up in them. And the Bible says only by pride, pride goes before destruction. He that being often reproved and hardeneth his neck shall suddenly be destroyed.

16:35 I'll tell you another way that people harden their neck. Some through pride. Some through procrastination. But others just the pleasures of this world. I mean they're having a big time. And the Bible speaks of these in 2 Timothy as lovers of pleasures. More than lovers of God. And they're those who are sitting in this building. And God has spoken to you time and time and time again. But you think of your sin. You think of the pleasures of this world. It may be vile sin. It may be homosexuality. It may be adultery. It may be fornication. It may be drunkenness. It may be thievery. It may be violence. It may not be those things. It just may be your lifestyle. And you get the idea, you know, if I come to Jesus, look what I will give up.

17:28 And so the Holy Spirit of God is speaking to you over and over and over again, but you harden your neck through the pleasures of this world. The Bible speaks of those who are lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God. Now let me say this. I would not for a moment tell you there's no pleasure in sin. The Bible speaks of the pleasures of sin, but the Bible says they're for a season. The Bible also speaks of the pleasures of righteousness. The Bible speaks of our God and says that thy right hand are pleasures forevermore. Don't get the idea that when you come to Jesus, you give up something. The Bible says the Lord thy God is a sun and a shield. No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly. If it will make you happy, if it will make you holy, if it will make you healthy, God says help yourself. God is a good God. God is a good God. The Bible says God gives us richly all things to enjoy.

18:24 And every time God says thou shalt not, God is just simply saying don't hurt yourself. And every time God says thou shalt, God is saying help yourself to happiness. Remember that. But friend, I know people who are so wrapped up with the pleasures of this world. I've met people I believe who would give up coming to church before they'd give up getting a new television or a new refrigerator. There are people, when I give the invitation, the devil will whisper to them, now wait a minute. Don't turn your back on this. Don't turn your back on that. Don't turn your back on that. Don't you go down there and make a commitment to be one of those old Christians. And so you may harden your neck by procrastination. You say, well, I'll do it, but later. Or you may harden your neck by pride and saying, I'm not going to go down there and make a fool of myself. Or you may harden your neck to the pleasures of this world and say, I'm a lover of pleasure more than lovers of God.

19:20 But now there's a third thing I want you to see in this text. Now look at it. He that being often reproved, that's spiritual conviction, and hardeneth his neck. That's stubborn pride. Then, notice, there comes also our stubborn rebellion. Then there comes sudden destruction. Sudden destruction. Look at it. He that being often reprove, spiritual conviction, and hardeneth his neck, stubborn rebellion, shall suddenly be destroyed. Sudden destruction. That's what God's Word says. There comes a time when you cross the deadline. Now, God will bring judgment. God is a God of love, but He's also a God of wrath. Now, how may that sudden destruction may come to you?

20:14 Well, first, it may come to your mind. Not merely to your body, it may come to your mind. Not merely to your soul, the destruction may be in your head. God will destroy your ability to think right. You say, Pastor, where is that found in the Bible? Well, I want to give you a passage of Scripture, and if you want to turn to it, you can turn to it. Or if you just want to listen to it, it's found in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, verses 11 and 12. The Bible says, For this cause God shall send them strong delusion. God sending delusion? Well, Pastor, I thought God was here to teach us the truth. Do you mean God would delude a person? Do you know what delude means? It means to be deceived. for this cause God will send them strong delusion. Well, why would God send people strong delusion? Well, he goes on to say that they should believe the lie. You mean God wants people to believe the lie? That's what it says. Well, you say, I don't understand that. Well, it gets worse that they all might be condemned. Damn. Now, wait a minute, pastor.

21:19 Are you telling me that God sends delusion, that people would believe lies, that they might be damned? That's what it says, black print on white paper. Well, why would God do that? He goes on to say, these are the ones who did not believe the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. God spoke to them, God gave them truth over and over and over again. Now in this passage, and listen very carefully, the opposite of truth is not error, it is sin. You see, you're faced with the truth. And you know that if you receive that truth that you'll have to turn from your sin. So here's a man over here, he has truth over here. He has sin. And so when he's faced with the truth, he refuses the truth. He embraces his sin. The opposite of truth here is unrighteousness in this passage of scripture. And when that man turns from his truth, he's being often reproved. He hardens his neck. He turns toward his sin. Then the baggage that he has is strong delusion.