FOUR BIG CHEATS

MARK 8:3

A. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN CHEATED?
  1. Paul warns against the great deception in the last days: 2 Tim. 3:1-9; 2 Thess. 2:9-11
  2. Bitter remorse came to some of the Old Testament characters:
    1. Adam and Eve became fully disillusioned of their deal with the serpent - Gen. 3:7
    2. Judas, the traitor, also became disillusioned with his deal with the leaders of the Jews when he sold his Master for thirty pieces of silver - Matt. 26:16, 17; 27:1-5
B. THIS EVENING I PURPOSE, WITH THE HELP OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, TO CALL YOUR ATTENTION TO FOUR BIG CHEATS THAT WILL KEEP MANY OUT OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD
  1. "No Danger" is a deadly cheat; beware of it:
    1. Lot's sons-in-law fell for this death trap - Gen. 19:14
    2. The people, living in the days of the second coming of Christ will be faced with the same deadly cheat - Luke 21:34, 35
    3. Your humble servant could write a large book showing how many he knew personally that lost their lives by not heeding the "No Danger" sign.
  2. "Plenty of Time" is another deadly cheat; beware of it:
    1. The rich farmer of the parable of our Lord is a vivid example of this cheat - Luke 12:16-18
    2. Let none of us be hasty and point the finger at the foolish farmer of yesterday. How many of us think of tomorrow as being sure because we feel well bodily!
    3. Thousands lose their lives every year attempting to cross the railroad tracks; why? because they are cheated by "Plenty Time"!
    4. Lot's wife was cheated out of her life by thinking that she had "Plenty Time" to stand still and look back to see what was happening to her home town - Gen. 19:26
    5. No, dear soul, you do not have "Plenty Time" to get right with the Lord; it never pays to put off the most important duty of our life.
  3. "Not Now" is the third deadly cheat to beware of: Felix, governor of the province of Judah, was troubled at the thought of meeting his sins in the day of judgment, but he said to God and Paul:
    1. "Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee" - Acts 24:25
    2. Pharaoh's answer to Moses' plea to let Israel leave Egypt was - "Tomorrow" - Ex. 8:10
    3. But God says, "Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation" - 2 Cor. 6:1-3
    4. "Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith) Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts" - Heb. 3:7, 8
  4. "Almost" is, if that is possible, the most deadly cheat of the four:
    1. It endangers the future of God's own people. How many "almost" Christians are members of the church of God?
    2. Said King Agrippa, "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian" - Acts 26:28
    3. Who is an "Almost" Christian?
      1. One who lives his faith maybe seventy-five percent, or even ninety-five percent, but not one hundred percent.
      2. To many, many in the church of God, Christ would say, "One Thing Thou Lackest" - Mark 10:31; Luke 18:22
    4. He who keeps nine commandments and breaks one - Jas. 2:8-11
C. WHAT A LESSON FOR SINNERS AND SAINTS
  1. It is possible for a person to believe the theory of the truth, and yet perish in sin; why? because one of the four cheats will keep him out of the kingdom:
  2. It is even possible to be a member of the church, take part in some of the activities of the church, and yet be lost: why? because one of the four cheats kept that person out of the kingdom of God:
  3. Dear reader, are you in danger of being cheated out of the kingdom of God because you listened to one of the four cheats?


Design © John Bryant 2011