I had the privilege of preaching at the Chattanooga Rescue Mission from 2 Samuel 14:14, “For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again.”
It was a good night, and I am thankful for the liberty the Lord gave in preaching His Word. The message was solemn, but necessary. Death is not a subject men like to think about, but it is a truth every man must face. We can ignore it, delay it, laugh it off, or crowd our minds with the noise of life, but we cannot escape it. “We must needs die.”
The burden of the message was simple: death is unavoidable, death is unpredictable, and death is irreversible. But the hope of the message is greater still. The same verse that tells us our lives are like water spilled upon the ground also says, “yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him.” What man cannot gather up, God can redeem. What sin has ruined, Christ can restore. What death has claimed, Jesus has conquered.
After the service, I was approached by a man who wanted to tell me that a new dispensation was coming, that the New Testament would become like the Old Testament, and that a newer testament was on the way. He said the gospel being preached today is too focused on the individual, on “save me” and “forgive me,” and not focused enough on community love.
The first thing that came to my mind was the words of Jesus in John 8:24: “if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.”
I told him, “That is a pretty individual statement about salvation coming from Jesus.”
His response was that the Gospel of John was a complete fabrication.
From there, the conversation wandered further, and when I pressed back on what he was saying, he ended the discussion.
That kind of thing happens often. After trying to spend an hour shedding light on eternal truth, there will almost always be someone who wants to argue in darkness. But it also reminds me why the gospel must keep being preached plainly, patiently, and urgently.
Men do not need a newer testament. They need the Christ of the New Testament.
They do not need a gospel reshaped to fit the spirit of the age. They need the old, old story of Jesus and His love.
They do not need a message that avoids personal guilt, personal sin, personal repentance, and personal faith. They need to hear that every soul will stand before God, every sinner needs mercy, and every dying man must flee to Christ while there is still time.
Yes, the gospel creates a redeemed people. Yes, the love of Christ teaches us to love one another. Yes, salvation brings us into the family of God. But no man is saved by hiding in a crowd. No man is forgiven by belonging to a community. No man escapes judgment because others around him speak of love.
Jesus said, “if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.”
That is personal. That is urgent. That is eternal.
My prayer is that this message will cause someone to stop and consider his own soul. Do not wait until the water is spilled. Do not wait until the breath leaves your body. Do not wait until the opportunity is gone.
Repent. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the only Savior for dying men.
