E.A. Johnston warns that the broad and crowded road to hell is easy to follow, urging listeners to repent and enter the narrow way through faith in Jesus Christ.
In 'The Crowded Road to Hell,' E.A. Johnston delivers a sobering evangelistic message about the reality of hell and the urgency of salvation. Drawing from Matthew 7 and Revelation 20, Johnston highlights the ease with which many follow the broad road to destruction and the rarity of those who find the narrow path to eternal life. He passionately calls listeners to repent and trust in Jesus Christ before it is too late. This sermon challenges believers and seekers alike to examine their spiritual condition and respond to the gospel with urgency.
Full Transcript
Jesus made a truly shocking comment that goes against mainstream Christianity today. In Matthew chapter 7 and verses 13 and 14 he mentioned how hard it is to get into heaven, how few there are in each generation that go to heaven. Dear friends, that there is a crowded road to hell and he says it is an easily accessible road with many people on it.
It's not hard to find and it's easy to get on. Your very nature would prefer that road of pleasure and sin. It draws like a magnet and on that road is a long line of careless and deceived souls who will reach the end of that road which stops at a pit and everyone on that road at their time of death will drop into that black bottomless pit called hell.
Jesus describes the road to destruction and hell as a broad way. Listen friends, the road to hell is crowded with all the world religions. The road to hell is jammed with those who are working their way to heaven.
The road to hell is paved with pleasure-seeking, sin-loving, God-haters. The road to hell is full with unconverted church members who rest upon a false foundation. The road to hell is crowded with a multitude of individuals who don't believe God will punish sin.
And the road to hell is jam-packed with folks who believe they are good enough to get into heaven. If you believe the words of Christ as they are found in my Bible here in Matthew chapter 7, then you will have to admit that there are very few people in this world right now who have found the narrow way that follows a crucified Christ to glory. It bothers me when I go to a mall and see masses of people who are clueless to their eternal destiny and climb over each other's backs in a mad rush to get to hell.
And it grieves my heart to sit in church and listen to a false shepherd who's feeding his goats with the devil's gruel when they can be sitting under a God-called preacher who warns them of the great danger of dying in their sins and entering a Christless eternity in a terrible region and chamber of horrors which is the devil's hell. At least somebody's got a chance to be saved under that kind of preaching. But there are very few who are truly saved and who travel the narrow way which goes against the world's ways.
I feel sorry for this generation of teenagers who grew up in the church and who've never heard the true gospel preached to them by a God-called preacher. Their lifestyle betrays their profession of faith, for they can drink and cuss and do drugs and fornicate with one another on Saturday night and go to church on Sunday morning and sit in the sanctuary and clap their hands and sing about how they love Jesus. And all they get to hear from their pastor is some light teaching mixed with a lot of humor.
It's sad, friends, and it breaks my heart. I hope it breaks your heart enough to get on your knees and pray for this godless generation of young people today who party on the broad road to certain destruction. I believe we live in a day of a largely unconverted ministry that grew up being fed a diluted and perverted gospel that will only damn you instead of having any power to save.
These are very serious times in which we live, friends, times when the light has almost gone out and society grows darker and darker and it's harder and harder for someone to sit under the sound of the biblical gospel and be saved. The crowded road to hell is an easy road to stay on. You just get pushed along in a joyride that ends with doom and damnation.
And hell itself is a very crowded place. It's been estimated that 83 people a minute die apart from Christ. That adds up to 5,000 people an hour.
Do the math. That comes to 120,000 souls a day that drop into the crowded corridors of hell. That adds up to over 800,000 people a week, friends.
And every month another 3 million people are crammed into that smoking pit. Do you realize that through the course of a year that comes to 40 million souls who are shut up in that burning prison to scream in agony? Let 10 years go by and another 400 million souls are locked up in that chamber of horrors. Now think back in your mind of all the generations that have lived and died since the time of Adam and add up all the hordes of people who have died in their sins and occupy hell at this moment.
Yes, friends, hell is a very crowded place and the road to hell is crowded as well. There is a final judgment that awaits all mankind where the judge of all the earth sits on a pure white throne and every mother's son will stand before that throne and have to give an account of their life to that judge. The crowded road to hell leads to this judgment day.
My Bible speaks of this time in Revelation chapter 20. And I saw a great white throne and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God.
And the books were opened and another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in them and they were judged every man according to their works.
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Then that is a solemn scene, friend. Strive to enter in at the straight gate, which is the person of Jesus Christ. There is a bloody cross that stands at that gate, and all who pass and get beneath the blood will have their sins washed away.
How about you, friend? How is it with you? He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. That word abideth means forever and ever. Hell is forever.
Repent of your sins and believe on Christ now before it's too late and you're swept along that crowded road until you make your bed in hell. Let us pray.
Sermon Outline
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I. The Crowded Road to Hell
- Jesus' warning about the broad way leading to destruction
- The road is easy to find and many follow it
- The nature of man prefers this road of sin and pleasure
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II. The Condition of the World
- World religions and unconverted church members on the broad road
- False assurance and disbelief in God's judgment
- The danger of diluted gospel and unconverted ministry
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III. The Reality of Hell and Judgment
- Hell is a crowded, eternal place of torment
- The final judgment before the great white throne
- The importance of being written in the book of life
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IV. The Call to Repentance and Salvation
- Strive to enter the narrow gate through Jesus Christ
- The cleansing power of Christ's blood
- Urgent appeal to repent and believe before it's too late
Key Quotes
“Jesus made a truly shocking comment that goes against mainstream Christianity today.” — E.A. Johnston
“The road to hell is paved with pleasure-seeking, sin-loving, God-haters.” — E.A. Johnston
“Strive to enter in at the straight gate, which is the person of Jesus Christ.” — E.A. Johnston
Application Points
- Examine your own spiritual path and ensure you are on the narrow way through faith in Christ.
- Pray earnestly for those who are deceived and traveling the broad road to destruction.
- Respond immediately to the gospel message by repenting and trusting Jesus as Lord and Savior.
