** Genesis 19:17
"Escape for thy life."
** Genesis 19:19
"Thou hast magnified thy mercy,
which thou hast shewed
unto me in saving my life."
In these two verses, we see
THE WARNING TO THE ONE IN PERIL.
and THE GRATITUDE OF THE SAVED.
BACK IN THE 1800'S, there was a ship,
"the good ship ‘Amazon'"
a ship that
crossed the ocean
many times
carrying passengers
from England
to America.
The underwriters
had no fear of loss
when it
came to this great vessel
described
at that time as being
"as stout a vessel as ...
ever ploughed the deep."
Neither crew
nor passenger
had any reason to be in apprehension
that the grand ship might sink,
But on a
night, while harsh winds blew
And the passengers
were snug in their berths,
The winds blew harshly,
& the great ship rolled
more than usual,
Suddenly
a passenger shouted fire,
& a cry of alarm was raised.
Passengers were quickly aroused &
they scurried out on deck.
The winds
whipped the flames
into an unstoppable conflagration.
Rockets were fired into the air,
& fortunately,
Other ships came to their aid.
Not a passenger was lost that night,
But they watched in consternation
As the good ship Amazon
burned & then sunk.
THOSE WHO WERE SPARED THAT NIGHT
HAD GOOD REASON TO REJOICE
I. FIRST, THEY COULD BE GLAD THAT SOMEONE
SOUNDED THE ALARM!
1. It is true in our text
& it
is true in our story.
2. It is not pleasant to be disturbed
from your
sleep.
It is easy to be resentful
to the one who awakens you,
Perhaps some on board ship
that fateful night
were hateful to their rescuers.
but when you realize that
They awaken you to sound an alarm,
You should feel differently.
OH, WE WHO HAVE BEEN COMMISSIONED
BY GOD TO CARRY HIS MESSAGE
ARE OFTEN MALIGNED AS ALARMISTS,
But I ask you,
is there not a cause?
SHOULD WE ALLOW YOU
to slumber on to Satan's lullabies
knowing that you will soon perish?
Or should we shout
like sons of Boanerges
In an effort to awaken you
from your sleep of death?
** Genesis 19:17
"Escape for thy life."
Such shouts of fire
must be given with intensity.
It is true in both the
Story of the Amazon
& our Biblical story.
So they could be grateful
that someone
sounded the alarm.
II. THEY COULD ALSO BE GRATEFUL
THAT THEY WERE SPARED INDIVIDUALLY
** Genesis 19:19
"Thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed
unto me in saving my life."
Fire is no respecter of persons.
Flames ‘detour not' for any.
They show deference to none!
Rich & poor alike
must escape for their life.
The rich traveler
Will perish with his fat purse
Full of wealth
Just the same as the
Penniless pauper
Who spent his last funds
Just to be on board.
Educated & illiterate
face the same terror
In such circumstances.
I MUST PAUSE NOW TO ASK A QUESTION?
A question asked in your Bible.
** Isaiah
33:14
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?
THE JUDGEMENTS OF GOD SHOW NO FAVORITISM
BASED ON EARTHLY REPUTE.
Who among us will soon
feel the heat of God's judgement?
Who among us will soon sink into the deep?
IS IT
NOT
TIME TO SOUND THE ALARM – TO GIVE A WARNING?
I say to the amiable, moral soul
who sits in our assembly today
without any contemplation of your danger
that you
are in the same boat
with the
harlot and the murderer
& you
will likewise perish with them,
if you don't
abandon the ship
Of human self effort,
& get in the lifeboat of salvation.
YOU MAY THINK
IT NOT SO,
BUT IF YOU
STAY WITH THE GOOD SHIP WORKS
WHILE THE SINNER ABANDONS SHIP
& GETS ON BOARD THE LIFEBOAT,
He will be spared
& you will be lost.
WHAT I SAY TO ONE,
I SAY TO ALL.
WHAT I SAY TO ALL,
I SAY TO YOU,
** Genesis 19:17
"Escape for thy life."
** Acts 4:12
Neither is there salvation in
any other: for there is none
other name under heaven given
among men, whereby we must be
saved.
OH, UNCONVERTED SOUL,
FLEE FROM THE WRATH TO COME!
** Malachi 4:1
FOR, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an
oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly,
shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn
them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave
them neither root nor branch.
Note that the proud & they that do
wickedly
stand
on the same deck
of the same burning ship
& they will surely perish together
If they do not heed the call
To abandon ship.
DO YOU NOT TREMBLE AT THE THOUGHT
OF THESE SOLEMN WORDS:
** Matthew 25:41
Then shall he say also unto them on the
left hand,
Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting
fire,
IF HE HAS THE POWER TO CAUSE WORLDS
TO MELT, WHAT COULD HE DO WITH YOU?
** 2Peter 3:10
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief
in
the night; in the which the heavens shall pass
away with a great noise, and the elements shall
melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the
works that are therein shall be burned up.
OH, LOST SINNER FRIEND,
DO THE FLAMES LICK AT YOU EVEN NOW?
Do not be
angry with me
as I as
I seek to sound the alarm.
I do not want you to perish.
** 2Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning his
promise, as some men count slackness;
but is longsuffering to usward, not
willing that any should perish, but
that all should come to repentance.
WE REST NOT
WHILE ANY REMAIN SLEEPING
If we know that the ship
Will soon sink ablaze in flames.
ACT QUICKLY NOW
DO NOT GAMBLE WITH YOUR SOUL?
If the sword be polished and sharp,
why do you play around the blade's edge?
In this life, we walk for years and years
around the edge of our own graves,
acting &
living as if
our bodies would never rest in them,
but friends, they surely shall.
We would be wise to prepare.
LOST FRIEND, HELL STARES YOU IN THE FACE,
While you,
with sleepy eyes,
fail to
even see it coming,
WE MUST SHOUT A WARNING TODAY . . .
** Genesis 19:17
"Escape for thy life."
WE WOULD DRAG YOU FROM YOUR BERTH,
BUT SADLY,
SOME WILL CLING
TO THE COMFORT OF THEIR OWN DELUSION
THAT THERE IS NO DANGER.
You will wrap yourself
In the luxurious comfort
Of Satanic deception,
& pull the covers
Of a thousand excuses
Over your being,
Lamenting how poorly
We have done our job
In trying to warn you,
Not knowing
that your damnation
Slumbereth not
& that it will soon
be upon you.
YOU HAVE PAWNED YOUR SOUL
FOR ANOTHER MOMENT'S SLEEP
& will awaken too late.
YOUR SCREAMS WILL SURELY
AWAKEN YOU, AND
BREAK YOUR OWN HEART,
& you can blame others
All you like
As you sink in despair,
But it will not change
The fact that
You have been lost
& after being warned.
I lift my voice
Here & now
To sound the alarm.
In the words of Jesus:
** Luke 13:3
I tell you, Nay: but,
except ye repent, ye
shall all likewise
perish.
He repeated it
In Luke 13:5.
WHETHER THE PREACHER BE A RELUCTANT JONAH
OR AN EAGER STEPHEN,
it should be of no concern to you.
YOUR CONCERN SHOULD BE OUR MESSAGE
OF WARNING
–
The sounding of the alarm.
DO NOT HESITATE!
NEVER MIND WHAT YOU LEAVE BEHIND!
The alarm has been sounded.
Hasten now to the lifeboat –
The boat of life –
Jesus is the ark of safety.
Do not walk – run.
Hasten now to Jesus.
It is out of self
And into Christ.
One has come to save you;
Leap now into His
Everlasting arms.
& you will be safe, Saved eternally.
** Genesis 19:17
"Escape for thy life."
And then you, too can rejoice and say,
** Genesis 19:19
"Thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed
unto me in saving my life."
****************************************
The preceeding is a sermon written by Ben Shepherd
Copyright 1999 Ben Shepherd
Permission is freely granted to those who minister to
use in public proclamation without stating attribution.
All other rights reserved.
Written and edited after reading & rereading from the
sermon(s) cited below by C.H. Spurgeon. Some of the
thoughts and ideas were inspired by Spurgeon's sermons,
which are in the public domain.
THE SHIP ON FIRE-A VOICE OF WARNING.
Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Vol. 10, No. 550
DELIVERED ON SUNDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 8TH, 1863,
BY THE REV. C. H. SPURGEON,
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.
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