Pulled From The Fire | Pastor Paul McGee

Come together, just praise. The Lord Yes, we've.

All come together from. Every part of town.

Yes, we all. Come together.

To make a joyful. Sound, singing, Glados and us

with our hearts in one accord. Yes, we.

All come together just. Praise the Lord, Amen.

Aren't you glad to be here? It's good to be here.

I'd rather be here than the best hospital in the world.

Amen. Rather, to be here today.

Again, we do tip our hats this morning to all of our

firefighters within this church and within this community.

Amen. We honor those courageous men

and women that serve in in the firefighting capacity today.

It's always the strange thing. They're running toward the

dangers. Everybody else is running away

from the danger and it's not for sure.

Many of that's within this city are volunteer and it's not a

career. It's a selfless mission to save

lives and we appreciate you this morning.

For years now they have been involved here since the middle

church involved in firefighting. It wasn't nothing in common in

those days in particular to see 5 or maybe so get up and have to

leave to go to attend the fires. And so we're thankful today.

Amen for them. We're glad to have Bob with us

this morning. This is Bob Adams.

Finally, folks, this. Is the one that's responsible

for Kevin. I'm just letting you know this

is the one. And so we're glad to have Bob

today. He's telling me a story about he

and the son doing some horseback riding and said his his horse

kept on kicking and he didn't know what was going on.

His son was riding behind him, gouging the horse here and

there. Bob finally took care of his boy

and slapped him upside the head and I think he ended up falling

off his horse and I think that was just yesterday.

I just. Joke.

I'm joking. I don't think it was.

Yesterday was it Bob? OK.

Hey, baby. We're glad to have him this

morning. Amen with us.

Amen. We're going to.

Be turned to Genesis. Chapter 19 today, Genesis

Genesis 19 · chapter mention Genesis 19 · chapter mention

chapter 19, and I'm going to read just a couple verses of

Scripture. They are just kind of extracted

from a larger story, of course, as often as the case, but I want

to read verses 15 and 16 this morning the Bible says, and to

give you kind of idea where we are here this morning, this is

the story of of Lot with Sodom and Gomorrah going to be

destroyed by fire and brimstone. And this is what the Scripture

says in verse 15. And when the morning arose, then

the angels hastened Lot. Saying, Arise, take thy.

Wife and thy two daughters, which are here, lest thou be

consumed in the iniquity of the city.

And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, upon

the hand of his wife, upon the hand of his two daughters.

The Lord. Being merciful unto him, and

they brought him forth and set him without the city.

My mind has been on this whole fireman thing here for the past

few days because I knew it was coming up.

Made a video for it that. Should be published today and

all that good. Stuff I want to minister just a

little while this morning on this.

Pulled from the fire. Pulled from the fire.

Amen. Let's pray one more time,

Father. We need your help this morning.

I pray God in this. Place we're thankful Lord for

those that have gathered here in today we pray O.

Lord, that you would. Direct our mind.

You would direct our words. God, let your spirit, Lord show

up in this place. God, let there be a spirit.

Lord of Power. And conviction, I pray Lord,

that would flood over our hearts and souls give us.

Lord Direction. Lord for our individual.

Lives. Today and will not fail to thank

you and praise you for it. In Jesus name, a man and a man

you may be seated this morning in Jesus name something that I

off time say I say I think maybe it's something that happens

frequently, but nonetheless. There's a pattern that takes.

Place in Scripture that is unmistakably clear.

And that pattern. Is this that?

God always allows space, A space of.

Mercy for mercy. Before he ever brings judgement.

Judgement is never God's first move.

It's always God's final. Move.

It's his final. Response.

If judgment ever comes, it will, because mercy.

Had knocked on the. Door frequently and often.

Before judgment ever arrived. Grace was there pleading, Grace

was there crying before judgment will respond.

And it seems like judgment only comes after mercy is refused or

grace is ignored. And so it's as we see in

Scripture before there was the first drop of rain that ever

fell in Noah's day, there were many years of warning.

There is even a construction of an ark out in what is seemingly

a desert. That should have been an

indication to all those that were around.

There was Noah himself, which the Bible calls a preacher of

righteousness, whether that was his own pleading with his lips

or by the way that he conducted his life visibly showing forth

actions of trying to turn of that day.

A very corrupt world that was full of imaginations that were

just wickedness continually, even before our texts here

today, before Sodom. And Gomorrah before the.

Fire and the brimstone fell. God allowed a great patriarch by

the name of Abraham to intercede and go to the bargaining table

with God over the city. The scripture that I read to you

today is the story of where the angels were even sent personally

to rescue and his wife and his daughters, grabbing them as

though the scripture portrays by the hand even when they

hesitated and lingered. Before the first born of Egypt

ever died before the first born of Pharaoh ever died from the

final plague, we read that there were 9 clear opportunities that

Pharaoh and the nation of Egypt had to turn their ways to

repent. Water became blood.

We read of the frogs and the flies and the boils and and the

hell, and all these signs were doing nothing more but shouting.

God shouting, let my people go. And grace was speaking in and

through that to Egypt and to Pharaoh.

Even the Canaanites, before the children of Israel ever came

into the land and dispatched them and dispelled them on the

left and on the right. Those who had been wicked before

they were brought to destruction, the Lord had given

them well over 400 years to turn before Joshua and his army ever

raised a sword and entered into Jericho and AI and the Promised

Land. Because God wasn't eager to

destroy. Amen.

God was trying to be patient with where they were.

He is really a long-suffering God.

He is really a God that that is merciful and patient and

gracious, but he cannot forever be silent.

We Fast forward even into some of the other writings of the

Scripture. We look at Nineveh, and when

Jonah finally obeyed God and went to that city, an entire

wicked city turned, and God relented because they repented

and they asked forgiveness because mercy always proceeds

wrath. Whenever Jesus even walked the

streets of Jerusalem and he interacted with the people, He

healed their sick, He raised the dead, He touched fevered brow

and it was displaced, The Bible says, from a particular place.

He looked over Jerusalem and the Bible says that he wept over

Jerusalem and said Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how long I've

gathered thee as a hen would gather it's brood under my

wings, but he would not He had done all these great things,

preach the gospel to them of the Kingdom, but the moment of their

visitation, Jerusalem missed. And the Bible says that that

city was indeed destroyed. It came under the hand of

judgement, not because God was impatient, but because they had

rejected the repeated mercies and graces of God.

It's a biblical pattern then that is evident in Scripture

that again, grace always precedes judgement or grace

always precedes fire. So make no mistake about it that

whenever grace is resistant that sooner or later the fire will

come. But I said all that to say this

this morning we are standing at the end edge of another

judgement. We're standing at the edge of

another day similar to those that have happened before in

Scripture. This is not a local judgement.

This is not a regional judgement.

This is the final judgement. This is the eternal judgement.

Peter even tells us that that day of the Lord is coming.

And although God is not willing, the Bible says that any should

perish. He will not postpone eternity

forever. Amen.

And so with that in mind today you said brother McGee whoo

Sunday morning. This is kind of heavy, but

listen to me today. We oftimes look at this season

of mercy and grace and it's like you know what that's the

opportunity for this find their way to God and I.

But we always put the burden of that season upon the Sinner.

We always put the burden of that season upon the one that's done

wrong and need to repent, but I want to take the burden today

and put it upon us. It's about someone, say man,

because we're not just living or preaching in uncertain times, we

are preaching and living in. Borrowed time.

And so we got to take advantage this world, we all.

Are right. For judgment, can I say in

certain terms that the fire is already kindled?

And just as God sent Noah, I've warned Lot, and just as he

called Jonah to Hostel City. He's placed you, he's placed me

where we are during this time. With a.

Similar assignment as many as we.

Can the fire someone say man, it's not the hour for us to grow

numb. It's not the hour to say well

the signs are coming. Bless God.

I'm glad that everything sealed the deal for me.

No, that not be our personality. That not.

Be the type of mindset we have. Our mindset shouldn't be, well,

good for me, it should be what? About those it's not good for,

What about those that? It's not someone say man going

to sound the alarm because the fire is real.

Recently I read Mother Fred. I read a book here recently and

it was about firemen and things of that nature.

And they made mention in that book of a particular fire in New

York called the Lionel Hampton, I think it was.

A building hotel. The Lionel Hampton Fire in New

York, and they described it when they got there, they had two

different hoses that were running against the fire that

were pumping 500 gallons. Per minute.

From the hoses, but it was so hot that just a couple feet from

the nozzle was turning to steam. The fire is real.

The fire that destroyed Sodom Gomorrah is not just a story

from the past, but it is a reminder of the devastating

power of God's judgement. Cities that were consumed by

fire and brimstone because of the wickedness of the condition

of the inhabitants. As a matter of fact, you can

read of archaeological excavations findings that

support the biblical account of Sodom and Gomorrah, where the

evidence tells us that there was such a fiery destruction.

That was there on that site that researchers have uncovered

layers of ash and remnants of buildings showing signs of those

things being incinerated by some intense heat attesting to the

city's destruction action. And it was a warning not just

for those of that age, but for us of our age about what lies

ahead, what happens whenever mercy and grace is just trampled

on and rejected. There is the reality, folks.

And I know, I know that there are not a lot of pulpits talking

about this today, but I'm still a Bible believing man of God

here today. And we still got to talk about,

but there is still a reality of. Hell, there is still.

The impending destruction of the the world according to scripture

by fire. It's a sober truth.

I know it's something that we don't want to talk about, but it

demands our urgent attention in these.

Last days and last. Times, Jesus spoke emphatically.

About a place. Called hell where the.

Fire is not quenched. And the.

Worm does not die. He was portraying the eternal

suffering and the destruction that came along with that fire.

We have illustrated in Luke 16 of a Rich.

Man and Lazarus. And the Bible says that the rich

man lifted up. His eyes in hell.

And he is pleading. Just for one drop.

Of water to be. Laid to his parts.

Tongue because of the unrelenting.

Anguish that he was. In in.

Hell, the Apostle. Peter warns emphatically that

the day of the Lord is coming, and it's coming as a thief in

the night. That the heaven will.

Pass away with a. Great noise and the elements

will melt with fervent heat, both the earth.

And the works. Will be burned up in it.

The fire is real. They just go a step further with

you for a moment. The fire is real, but this is

not like finding some corpse in a burning building that you're

going to go there and the flesh has been melted off of it and

bones is the only thing that remain.

No, no, no, no. Whenever in the realm of

eternity, when every individual, whether wicked or.

Good and resurrects. Amen, they will.

Have a body. That will be able to endure for

eternity. Their body's not going to burn

up. They're going to keep feeling

the pain, keep feeling the agony, keep feeling the sorrow.

What are you saying? The fire is real?

That's not just a call to the Sinner.

That's a call to the Saint. What are we doing?

Someone say Amen, look what our scripture says.

There's all type of different attitudes that are being

expressed. Lot hears word about this

impending doom and he goes to his sons in law and tells them

we need to remove ourself from this place.

And verse 14 says that they basically looked back at him and

they thought that he was. Just mocking.

He was just joking. You can't be serious.

And then we understand that even though Lord himself must not

have taken the seriousness of the situation, because whenever

he should have been exiting the city, the Bible in our text read

this morning. But while he lingered, he knew

the doom, he knew the destruction, he knew what was

going to happen. But he lingered none the less,

at the same spot, in the same city, with the same

surroundings. It's the deception, folks.

I can't tell you anything but this.

The Bible speaks of the deceivableness of sin.

It's the deception of the world. That blinds us from the reality

of what's happening. It's in this whole scenario

though. It's in this whole scenario of

Lot lingering his sons in laws thinking he's just joking that

the Bible. Says God that physically took a

hold of lots hand and physically took a hold of his daughter's

hand and physically took a hold of his wife's hand and he pulled

them, had them, pulled them out of the impending destruction.

No, no, no. That was coming.

You can read it, read it. I read in all.

Kinds of different translations. The first one that I read it in

is what prompted this sermon where the Bible says that the

Lord did this because he was merciful.

You read other translations, it says he did it because he was

compassionate. He did it because of this, did

it because of that version that I'm reading this year stated it

like this. God did it because he wanted to

save. Them.

Call it mercy, call it compassion, call it whatever you

want, but he sent some angels. To grab some physical hands.

Because he wanted to save lot. He wanted to save lots kids.

He wanted to save lots, wife, someone say man God wanted to

save. Him lot didn't save.

Himself. Those daughters didn't get out

of the city by themselves. No, they were pulled out not

because they were righteous enough, not because they were

fast enough, not because they were bold enough, but because

God wanted to save them. Someone say Amen in that

solitary chapter which makes up the entirety of the book of

Jude. Which is the book?

Right before Revelation, writer says Jude says in verses 22 and

23. He's speaking directly to Our

Calling, he says. And of some have compassion

making a difference, And others save with fear, pulling them out

of the fire, hating the garment spotted by the flesh.

Jude is taken upon himself in this solitary chapter.

He's all related. He's related to the believers

already, of some that have erred from the Way, some that have

erred from the faith have turned their back upon particular

things. He's already told them, if you

will, the framework of the side. He talks about how some it went

by the way of Cain, some by the way of Core, by some by the way

of Palam. He speaks of all these things,

but then he's speaking to the believers, he says, in light, if

you will, of all of these things that are happening or have

happened. He says, I want to give you some

practical instruction on engaging in with people that are

in spiritual danger. He says some of them are

wavering, some of them are doubting, some of them are

confused. And what they need is a voice

and a touch of compassion that perhaps a difference, their

doubt would be turned back into faith or that their way wavering

would somehow get them aligned directly again on the street

called straight, he said. There's something like that, he

said, but there are others. Someone hear me right now, he

lay raises the ante, the level a man of seriousness, he says.

Some are just wavering, he said. But there are others that are in

far greater danger than some other ones.

There are others that have strayed much further than some

other ones, he says. We got to save them with fear.

You know what the apostle Paul said, and in Second Corinthians

he said he said knowing therefore, therefore knowing the

terror, TERROR, therefore knowing the terror of the Lord,

we persuade men. Paul's talking to the church.

At Corinth. You know what he.

Said we know what's coming. We know the fire.

'S real. We know judgment is sure.

He said as a result of that knowledge, we, someone say me,

must persuade. Men at whatever cost, however

much we must go. About it by whatever.

Means we must persuade. We must be convincing.

We. He says we must persuade.

We must persuade. Men he's.

Saying we got to, if necessary, pull them out of the fire.

Hallelujah. Listen, I know, and I'm all for

it. But the game's changing because

the hour's getting late. It's out of time now.

We don't have time to reason. We got to rescue.

I know the Bible says the apostle went into the synagogues

in different places and he reasoned with them daily, but

we're at a stage now. We can no longer just be in the

reasoning stage. We got to be in the.

Rescue Stage. This is the search and rescue

step. Someone say man.

The book that I read. Concerning firemen.

Again, as I stated. Earlier, you know, everybody's

always amazed they're running in as others are running out, one

fireman said. This is really written around

the whole idea of the September. 11th scenario, he said.

We could not afford to worry about the risks.

Said we had. To think.

Only of the mission, and he insisted the mission was to save

lives. He's like, if we stopped just to

think about all of the risk or the what ifs, we're losing time

for what was. Necessary in the moment, lives

being saved I. Mean I'd love to put together

A10 week Bible study about how to invite and save the loss and

all this and we can reason about it.

We could talk about it. We could break it down 25,000

times. But at the end of the day, you

know what's necessary. Just go to the mission.

It might look ugly to you to begin with, how you approach it,

how you do it. But God will honor.

God will honor your doing of it. Our mission, they're not like

maybe lives in a burning building, but they're eternal

lives. And we can't be casual about it.

We can't just be laissez faire about it.

We can't be comfortable. Hey, man, we got to be willing

to understand. Yeah, there's risk involved.

Let's call some of them. It might inconvenience you.

It might make you uncomfortable. But that's all right, because

the mission is there. Lives got to be saved.

Leonard Ravenhill said this. Could a mariner sit idly if he

heard their drowning cry? Could a doctor sit in comfort

and just let his patients die? Could a farm and sit idle and

let men burn and give no hand? He said.

Can you? Sit at ease in Zion with the

world around. You damned.

Maybe God was entertaining some of those things when before he

sent the angels, he dropped by Abraham's tent.

He dropped by there along with the angels that would be sent to

Sodom and God. The angels ate, they had some

food and drink there at Abraham's tent that Abraham made

sure was prepared for them, and then the angels got up and

headed. Towards Sodom.

And you read the. Scripture in chapter 18.

That God begins to ponder Shall shall I talk to?

Shall I hide? From Abraham that.

Which I'm about ready to do. Questions in Chapter 18.

What God saying should I? Share with Abraham.

Should I share with Abraham? What's about ready to happen?

What's going to take place? And he begins recounting some

things. So he's going to be the.

Father of promise, I know this is what God says concerning

Abraham. I know he'll bring his children.

Upright. It's in your Bible.

I know, I know He'll do right by his children.

I know He'll try to live the right.

He's looking at all this. Shall I?

Shall I? You know what?

God was contemplating and looking at the life of Abraham.

He says if he would do that for his own children, he would

consider them. I know He will if I shared with

him what's. About ready to happen.

To these people. Would he have any compassion for

them? I wonder sometimes if God is

fiddling his fingers in these end times and saying.

I wonder if I can talk. To the first Apostolic Church

about what's coming. I wonder if I can convey to

them. Some of the.

Things that will unfold. I wonder.

If he can. Say, well, they're doing right,

They're doing this. I wonder, there's what I want to

know. Can he?

Trust us with the information, not just to talk about it, but

try to do something about. It because it's right after this

whole scenario, you know what you start to see Abraham having

a private conversation with God and he says God will you destroy

the. Righteous with the.

Unrighteous if you if there's 50.

Righteous. Please note though.

You can get somehow turned over on your side in a moment and

think all that Abraham cares about was the righteous.

But look at the Bible. Look at the Scripture right here

if you will. Look at verse #24 of Genesis 18.

Here's Abraham. He's starting his bargaining

with God. And again, at first it seems

like his primary concern would be the righteous.

But I'm telling you, it was larger than that Amen.

Abraham understood that it wasn't just the righteous, Amen,

that was in a place of harm's way.

It was everybody that was in that city and in that valley

that was in harm's way. Look what he says in verse 24.

Abraham says pre adventure, there be 50 righteous with them

the city. Note this next phrase.

Wilt thou also destroy look? And not spare.

The place. 450 Righteous. If it was just all about the

righteous, Amen, Abraham, could I ask God just get the righteous

out of there? But no, he's just using the

righteous as a bargaining chip for the whole city, the whole

place. The righteous and the

unrighteous, the godly and the ungodly, the same and the lost.

403530 all the way down to tent God.

There's a city down there, God. There's a city.

Down there. There's men and women.

Down there, there's little boys and girls down there.

There's aged men and women down there.

God, will you not spare the city?

Someone say Jesus God wasn't just revealing the judgment to

Abraham. Knowing God's thinking about

Abraham, he understood when he. Involved him.

That he was recruiting. Him in the rescue.

God knew. He's just walk with me here a

little. Bit.

God knew that Abraham would be concerned beyond his immediate

family about what was. Inside him.

Yeah, nephew Lot was there and his nieces, her great nieces

and. His wife, yeah, but.

It was more than. Just about his family.

It was about the. City.

We lived in the shallow end of the of the pool of concern for

the. Lost if it's only.

Our family that we're worried about.

You need to start counting on her hands and say, well, there's

just that one there that needs in and once they get in, it's

good. No, no, no.

It's never. You're never done counting.

You're never, you're never done counting.

You're never done counting because there's somebody else.

There's somebody else. But Brother McGee, I don't know

them. They're not an acquaintance to

me. I've never spoke to them.

They don't matter. They're important to God.

God says I'm sending angels down there to pull them out because I

want to say Lord. You don't have to know them, God

knows them, but God wants to save them.

Hello Boshi, I'm Akari. I'm one night.

He negotiates. Back and forth with God, I tell

you, he negotiates for the Fred, even at the risk of

embarrassment or feeling like he was overstepping.

Because that love that he had for that city and those who were

in it moved him. To do so, God, I don't want to

be presumptuous, you know, He's kind of walking tender with God.

But he did anyway because he says there's people down there,

There's people down there, God. Could I?

Could I maybe presume today the Abraham was the first

outstretched? Hand reaching towards Sodom

because of his intercession period with God.

And God is still looking for the Abrahams in our day.

He's looking for somebody that he can tell it to because he'll

know they'll do something about it.

Angels laid a hold on. Those girls.

Had a hand on Lord, laid a hand on them.

Ask you today, whose hand does he have?

You, Regent. I understand.

Please hear me today. I understand there'll be some.

That won't. Want to leave?

I understand that. I understand some.

Will think it's like lots of son-in-law.

'S it's just all. Big joke I get.

That, but that doesn't mean we refrain from reaching, we

refrain from laying a hold of a hand because God has employed us

as messengers of hope, rescuers, not bystanders.

In this hour, I'm not going to hold you much longer.

So I read this. Book I talk about it my video

today called Firehouse. It was about one particular.

Firehouse. That was close.

Not too many blocks away from 911 that was called into that

situation 13. I believe it was.

Fireman went out, only one returned.

The one returned horrible, horrible shaped bodily.

It's a miracle that he made a deal with all the guilt and

shame because he feel like he shouldn't have when all of his

comrades didn't and his words were these.

That the greatest, greatest. Impact on him of that day, he

said, wasn't. Even so much the bodies that

were thrown themselves from the. Tower as it was the sound that

their body made when it hit the pavement, he says.

I'll never be able to forget the sound of the bodies as they hit

the pavement, he said. That sound haunts me.

Why? Because it was the finality of I

can't save that life. It was the 3rd of a soul that

was beyond saving, beyond reach, ladies and gentlemen.

Every obituary, every funeral. Service.

Every tragic accident, every overdose, perhaps every

heartbeat that is silenced without hope is the spiritual

sound of a body that's hitting the pavement, that there's

nothing you can do. And if hell is real, and the

Bible tells me it is, then the rescue.

Must be urgent the. Firefighter doesn't wait for

people to run out of the building before they go in, and

the angels don't wait for Lot to decide before they go in.

And lay a hand on him. We got to grab a hand because

Mercy's running. Staying with me today.

You got to grab a hand because Mercy is running now.

I'm a messenger today. You're a messenger today.

You're a rescuer today. Hand that reaches into the fire.

I don't want to grab my mom or my dad.

Do so and you must. Please.

I'm not saying you neglect your. Family, but I'm telling.

You just as much as you grab the hand of a family or a friend or

a Co worker or a neighbor and you should you need.

To grab the hand of a stranger. We by our heads today.

I'm asking you this morning, who, who, who?

Are we reaching for? Taking their hand may may look

different in all types of different lights.

It may be a literal taking of their hand, or it may be a

taking of their hand. In prayer.

It may be a taking of their hand through an invitation to come

set beside you. It may be the taking of their

hand with with a text or or e-mail, just just a refusal to

give up. It may be the taking of their

hand even whenever they don't. Realize that the fire.

Is closing in. And if you're not the rescuer

today, if you're like Lot, please listen to me today.

If you're like Lot and you're lingering when you should be

leaving, I'm letting you know that this is your moment too.

You're still here. I believe within a shadow that

you're still here. Because the.

Lord is still trying to save you.

We can just begin to pray to the Lord right now.

I'm monitoring us, every individual and remember this

congregation, if you're not a member this congregation, that's

fine, but these altars are open today.

I'm imploring us to reach for a hand.

I'm imploring us to be the hand. I'm imploring us to pull someone

from the fire because as we're walking in this sanctuary this

morning, there's the proverbial hits of the souls on the

pavement. That's the constant reminder

someone else has slipped. Into eternity.

Did they or did? They not know God and did they

realize what's coming? I wish if we could just.

Turn into a womb. Here today we could just be a

mother that the church is described as that could enter

into a labor pain right now with groanings and utterings and

calling out to God. We could have the the

vocalization of Rachel upon our lips that says give me children,

they'll die. Someone would reach right now

with their prayer. They would reach right now with

their sincerity. They would reach right now with

their burden. They would reach right now no

knowing at the hour, knowing the terror of the Lord, that we

would be persuasive rescuers today

because the the fact of the matter.

Is this God wants to save him? God, I don't care if they seem

like the helpless case to you. I don't care if they flip all

the buttons in your emotional panorama.

God wants to save them. God wants to save.

Them God wants to save them. Come on, let's talk to him right

now. You have family members.

You have friends, you have coworkers, you have neighbors,

you have people you've seen myriad of times.

You never talked to them, but you've seen them, you made eye

contact with them something and you just kind of draws you.

It's like. What is that?

Maybe you need to? Act upon that.

Maybe you need to act upon that. Somebody needs pulled from the

fire. Come under the Mason.

I hear the tune of what you're playing right now.

Come on, let's. Let's.

Talk to God.