Sonlight Devotional

[Printable version]

Scripture reading: 2 Timothy 4:2

The first two thousand years of the existence of Earth man had gotten so wicked, so vicious, so cruel, so godless that he had entirely rejected God. He had piled up so much sin that the debt was so great that it demanded the life of every living creature. There were only eight people: Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives who remained steadfast to God. Can you imagine, out of a whole world of people, only eight people, “…Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water” (I Peter 3:20). God selected to let them die by water and in dying by water they got the opportunity of repentance. But remember now, no man can go to hell unless God gave him a square chance to go to heaven (John 1:9). The Bible says that He died to save every soul on the face of the earth. Now, Jesus had not yet come in the time of Noah, therefore, at that time there was a special way of salvation. They would go before God, offer a sacrifice and God would forgive their sins. But these people were not able to do that. They came against Noah. So, God built an ark and He was going to send water to drown them that they might be saved by water. This is a truth laid down in the Bible. Let us go to I Peter 3:18 and there we see that they were saved.

“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: 19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison…”

Remember, no one can go to hell unless God Almighty has given him a square chance of going to heaven and he refuses or accepts it. Now, these people when they were drowning, they must have called upon the name of the Lord or else Jesus would not have gone down into hell to save them. Verse 20, “Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, (120 years) wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. 21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, [in other words, not taking a good bath,] but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: 22 Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.”

Now, you can understand what this is saying. This is saying that people did not get the chance that you have now. They were not in a position to call upon the name of the Lord, and God allowed them to be drowned, to go into a compartment of hell where they could be saved. Jesus Christ died and the first thing He did was go down into hell. He couldn’t get into hell without sins, so He took our sins and went down into hell with all this burden of sin and there He was resurrected in hell and preached unto the spirits in prison and led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men (Ephesians 4:8). He took them out of hell and brought them into heaven. That is a mighty rescue. Jesus Christ went to hell and rescued the people who were in hell. In looking at II Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” Hallelujah.

So, God Almighty is saying to us that if a man goes to hell, he could never blame God, because God is going to do everything possible. Sometimes even on his deathbed the last thing that will happen is that Jesus will appear to him and present Himself to him asking if he will accept Him. If he does not accept Jesus at that time, then he would never accept Jesus throughout the eternal ages, because at that time a man is brought to spiritual consciousness. No matter how dumb he was in the natural world, no matter how carnal, how natural, how brutal he was, at the end when he finally gets serious – he is about to enter into eternity – Jesus Christ presents Himself to him. If that man accepts Jesus at that time, he will be saved.

This is the reason, brethren, why we should not forsake to “speak the Word of God in season and out of season” (II Timothy 4:2). I am saying that sometimes it is not convenient to talk about God. Sometimes you are in a place where people would look down on you if you ever mentioned God – God says you should mention, because that is out of season. “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears…

Brethren, God is saying to us that we have to be different human beings from the normal human being. We have to be different from the human being that will say, “Well, you have to be wise as serpent and harmless as a dove. You can’t preach everywhere.” You cannot be “out of order” in preaching the Word of God. Believe you me, you might be looked down upon, you might be scoffed at and that is all good. If somebody scoffs at you or looks down on you for the preaching of the Word of God, then you should feel good that you are in good company. “Ye (we) are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.” That is found in Matthew 5:14. Verse 15, “Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

(Excerpt from Keeping in Touch, September, 2009)

Thought for today: Brethren, we should not forsake to “speak the Word of God in season and out of season.”