Greetings, radio friends. Once more we greet you in the ever-precious name of the Lord Jesus and turn again to the second epistle of Timothy chapter three and speak once again concerning the great conditions morally prevailing in the world today in relation to the end of the Christian age. Reading verses one through five for the last occasion. This know also that in the last days Perilous time shall come, for men shall be lovers of their own selves. Covetous, boasted, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truth-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisors of those that are good, traders, heavy, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereon from such turn away. May God bless the reading of his words. We pray earnestly. The Holy Spirit will deeply impress upon hearts and consciences the depths of these truths that we have read. Again may I remind my listeners These are remarkable words. They are important words. They should be heard and understood as well as appreciated by every Christian. For they describe the end of the Christian age in its moral character. The prevailing moral and spiritual state of things around us in the world, and even, unfortunately, even in the midst of the professing bodies of Christendom. And we have touched upon eighteen characteristics, eighteen separate elements that are prevailing features in relation to the end of Christianity. My dilemma this is a solemn fact, and I emphasize it and I re-emphasize it, that you and I may not turn away from this redeemed truth with indifference. but that it will have some work of grace and power in the hearts and consciences of our own testimony today for our Lord Jesus. Now all these eighteen conditions that we have considered and touched upon in detail, though they prevail, the fifth verse reveals there is a condition that above all others is most unfortunate. What we have touched upon has been even, characteristic of the heathen in their blind, idolatrous, licentious, and immoral darkness. Some of the very conditions that we have mentioned that the Spirit of God has stated prevailed in dark heathenism in their gross blindness of immorality and idolatry. but how sad to see these moral conditions prevail in the very midst where Christianity has been heralded and known. For the fifth verse indicates the fact, for above all these conditions they will still persist in retaining a form or an outward veneer of godliness. Having a form of piety, but denying the power of it. Now, beloved, I want to dwell very carefully, as well as clearly upon these words. We have prevailing today a form of Christianity, a form of godliness, and now the veneer of piety, without any inwith power. Oh, beloved, and I say it very earnestly, and it touches my soul, and it touches my own heart. The condition of Christianity today, where is its power? When we contrasted with the days of the early church, where is its power? The power of God is greatly lacking. God's power may be manifested in some places, in some cases. But you take the whole prevailing profession of that which claims to be Christianity. It is absolutely, chiefly, it is a form without a power. This is the prevailing state of things as God's Holy Spirit wrote them long ago concerning the end of the Christian age. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. Now I want to come down specifically. Specifically to an individual application. Is it not true, sadly true, that there are many people today who take outwardly, nominally, the name of Christ, the profession of being a Christian. But who have not inwardly experienced what it is to be a Christian, what it is to be a child of God, what it is to take the name of Christ. May I say very definitely from the words of Paul in Romans one sixteen what the gospel is. For it is the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ that is the prevailing message of Christianity to all the world. Paul writing in Romans one sixteen declares, For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Within that message that Christ died for our sins, and that he was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the scripture? In that great message of the evangelist, the power of God dwelling. That message is God's power to thank precious souls. And those souls who believe upon the Lord Jesus in sincerity and in truth become the recipients of God's salvation. But I would repeat, There are many today who make an outward profession, but have never had an inward experience of being born again, and by the power of God have been made, children of God in Christ Jesus. Listen to these words. John chapter one, verse twelve, to as many as received him, to then gave thee the power, the right, the privilege, the authority to be called the children of God, even to them to believe on his name. Now, beloved friend, I want to ask you carefully, are you just a professing Christian? Are you just a church member without no work of grace and power of the Holy Spirit redeeming your soul within? Have you just joined nominally a church? Have you taken your place outwardly in the ranks of Christianity without ever being born again? God forbid, my friend, you can be a church member and still not know the power of God to save your soul. You can attend church regularly and still not have had the power of God within your soul by his spirit bringing you to the birth of possessing that new light in Christ. You may have indeed sung in the choir. You may have even partaken of the Lord's Supper. You may even have been baptized. But may I say, all these outward evidences will not take the place of that inward work of the soul that the Spirit of God desires to do. In fact, the others should never be done until you've had the birth of the new birth, until the Spirit of God has brought you to the knowledge of sin forgiven. Now, beloved, I want you to realize, look, God describes the last days of Christianity. And he says, this is what they profess. Even with all their condition, they profess to have a form, an outward form of piety or godliness. But denying the power. I'm telling you, it's a very important matter to be sure that your soul is saved. I want to say to my friends, and I do this in love, I do it with no bitterness in my heart nor animosity and malice in my mind. That just being a church member will never save you. What you need is Christ. The church doesn't save you. Baptism doesn't save you. Baptism in the Son may think so, but I don't. And God's word doesn't teach it. Baptism is the evidence of one that has been saved. I read in the scriptures, they leave and be baptized. And I read the evidences in the book of the Acts that it was when they had believed they were baptized. You don't get baptized to believe, though some may teach it. Baptism doesn't save you. Taking the Lord's Supper doesn't save you. Many shall save. In that day, says the Lord Jesus, we have shut to thy table. But he answers from within when they knock at the closed door, I never knew you. I never knew you. Depart from me, ye workers of iniquity. And I want to say frankly, I am concerned, rightly concerned for the sake of my God, about many who are just professing Christians. and maybe outwardly they seek to even participate in the outward forms of Christian privileges. My radio friend, are you born again? Or do you deny the power? God grant. that you realize the danger. For that's what the Spirit of God is pointing out. The dangers of the last day. This know also that in the last day, dangerous and difficult times shall come. You can go along with all these things and still make a profession of Christianity and yet not be saved. God grant that this is not true of you. And I beg you, come to Christ. Christ is the only one that's saved. Neither is there salvation in any other. For there's none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. And beloved with earnestness of soul, I may never see you, but I do pray that God's word will convict you if unsaved, that you need the Lord Jesus. Don't trust in your church. Don't trust in your preacher. Don't trust in any man. You can only put your trust in the Lord. And our Lord Jesus Christ gave Himself for our sins, to deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God, even our Father. And beloved, when I read these words of Second Timothy, chapter three, verse five, I take these solemn words at the close of the fifth verse. As Paul describes all this empty profession, With its unfortunate characteristics, he says, from such turn away. Oh, beloved, where shall we turn? Turn to Christ, for he alone can save you and me, and keep us by the power of his Spirit through the word. Shall we pray? Blessed Father, we commend and we fully commit. To thy blessing and power, thy word as it has been spoken, to thy glory and the blessing of others, in Jesus' name. Amen.