Evangelist Rolfe Barnard passed away in 1969. Two years before the Lord took him home, he preached a sermon on Proverbs 29:1 (Audio):
"He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy."
The title of this sermon was The God of the Bible Kills People.
Here is an excerpt from this solemn sermon:
I was in a city in Oklahoma. The pastor came and asked me to hold meetings. Seven deacons of that church came to the pastor and said, " Now, brother pastor, we're not going to oppose anything. We just don't believe in this emotionalism. And we don't believe in what you call evangelistic campaigns." And they said, "We'll just not be back until this preacher's gone and the meetings are over."
The pastor said, "Well, I hate to see you take that attitude, but if that's what you want to do I appreciate you coming and telling me."
Well, you know, if they'd had done what they said they would do it would have been alright. But we couldn't get a crowd for a few nights, and we was hitting it pretty hard. And those fellas were glad and they got to bragging about how we weren't getting anywhere in the meetings. They violated their word that they weren't going to oppose us. And the pastor came to me and he was broken-hearted.
And he said, "Brother Barnard, it's killing me. What can we do?" I said, "I don't know. Are you game for us to get down on our knees to ask God to either save them or kill them?" He said, "Yes, I'm game." And so we got down on our knees and said "Lord, you know what these men are doing. They're ruining the meeting and making fun of the gospel and the church and the Lord Jesus Christ and God's preachers." And we said, "Lord, save them or kill them."
And somehow or another word got out to the deacons about our prayer, and they just cackled and had a big time and said, "The preachers up there are praying for God to kill us."
But we weren't praying for God to kill them. We were praying for God to save them or kill them. Get them out of the way. They were bucking God, they were hardening themselves against God. And I think that's dangerous.
And so they just laughed and had a big time. And in 4 days time, the Pastor had 7 different funerals, and the 7 different funerals were the 7 Baptist deacons, and every one of them died a horrible sudden death.
God kills people that harden themselves against his claims for Jesus Christ.
"He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy."
The title of this sermon was The God of the Bible Kills People.
Here is an excerpt from this solemn sermon:
I was in a city in Oklahoma. The pastor came and asked me to hold meetings. Seven deacons of that church came to the pastor and said, " Now, brother pastor, we're not going to oppose anything. We just don't believe in this emotionalism. And we don't believe in what you call evangelistic campaigns." And they said, "We'll just not be back until this preacher's gone and the meetings are over."
The pastor said, "Well, I hate to see you take that attitude, but if that's what you want to do I appreciate you coming and telling me."
Well, you know, if they'd had done what they said they would do it would have been alright. But we couldn't get a crowd for a few nights, and we was hitting it pretty hard. And those fellas were glad and they got to bragging about how we weren't getting anywhere in the meetings. They violated their word that they weren't going to oppose us. And the pastor came to me and he was broken-hearted.
And he said, "Brother Barnard, it's killing me. What can we do?" I said, "I don't know. Are you game for us to get down on our knees to ask God to either save them or kill them?" He said, "Yes, I'm game." And so we got down on our knees and said "Lord, you know what these men are doing. They're ruining the meeting and making fun of the gospel and the church and the Lord Jesus Christ and God's preachers." And we said, "Lord, save them or kill them."
And somehow or another word got out to the deacons about our prayer, and they just cackled and had a big time and said, "The preachers up there are praying for God to kill us."
But we weren't praying for God to kill them. We were praying for God to save them or kill them. Get them out of the way. They were bucking God, they were hardening themselves against God. And I think that's dangerous.
And so they just laughed and had a big time. And in 4 days time, the Pastor had 7 different funerals, and the 7 different funerals were the 7 Baptist deacons, and every one of them died a horrible sudden death.
God kills people that harden themselves against his claims for Jesus Christ.
