About the Author

Thomas Ray Floyd was born in 1953 in Simpson County, Mississippi, the son of Roy Thomas Floyd and Lina Sue Shows Floyd. Thomas Ray's mother was a member of a Primitive Baptist church, and he cut his teeth on the doctrines of distinguishing grace.

When he was a small boy, his father was converted to Christ and became a member of a Missionary Baptist Church. Thomas Ray joined the church of his father when he was 13 years old, and thought of himself as a Christian. The doctrines of grace that he had heard as a child continued to be precious to him and when he became an adult, he joined a Primitive Baptist Church. When he was 27, Thomas Ray made his first effort to preach the gospel in public and was ordained to the full functions of the ministry in 1985. In 1986 he was convinced under the preaching of Rolfe Barnard (by tapes from Mt. Olive Tape Library), the written sermons of Spurgeon, and the ministry of Elder Zack Guess that he had been a false professor and cried out in agony of soul to the Lord Jesus Christ to have mercy and truly save him. And He did! Floyd then began to preach the gospel as he had been taught of the Lord.

Floyd has pastored churches in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee and until recently was pastor of a church plant known as "Particular Baptist Fellowship." He and his wife Brenda presently attend Zion Baptist Church at Polkville, Mississippi, pastored by Elder Glen Hopkins. The pulpit ministry of Zion Baptist Church can be heard at Sermonaudio.com.

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Save Yourselves

(Article for publication week of 5-1- AD 2013)

“…Save yourselves from this untoward generation” (Acts 2:37). There was never a generation of which this verse was any more applicable than the one in which you and I live. We live in an “untoward” generation, that is crooked, warped, perverted generation. A nation that condones and even promotes perversion is an untoward generation. A nation where roughly half the people being born are bastards is a warped generation. A society where the people go practically naked is a crooked generation. A nation that murders its unborn citizens is a perverse generation. A culture where the people live for carnal pleasure is an untoward generation.

What will God do with an untoward generation? Psalm 9:17 tells us, “the wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” God has turned whole nations into hell, and He is set to turn such a one as our own into hell. Some learned men have estimated there may have been as many as three billion people on earth when God sent the Great Flood about 4300 years ago. (No one can prove that, but it is a reasonable theory. When men lived to be over nine hundred years it is a reasonable theory that the human race had multiplied exponentially by the time of Noah’s generation.) However many there were, God killed all of them except Noah and his family, and sent every last one of them down to hell. Go read II Peter 2, if you don’t believe me. God will send a crooked generation to hell. Think of it my friend, God sent the entire population of the world in about 2340 B.C. to hell, except for one clan of eight people. That untoward generation has been in hell now for over four thousand years, and won’t ever get out except for long enough to appear before God in the final judgment, and receive a condemned body fitted for eternal punishment, and then back down to hell forever.

Now that is where most of you are headed. Everybody that is outside of Christ is damned and doomed for the torments of an eternal hell. This untoward generation is headed for a Christ-less eternity. My friends and neighbors, if you are outside of Christ, you are part of this untoward generation.

Actually, the term ‘untoward generation” refers to the whole human race since Adam fell. Though there are times and localities where it is pronounced, the whole human race has been warped and crooked and perverse since Adam fell. We are condemned in Adam, and that in and of itself is enough grounds for God to send the whole human race to hell. You were conceived and born into an untoward generation. You immediately began to willingly practice sin. You are a fallen sinner; you are a natural sinner; and you are a practicing sinner. You are thrice unholy. God is going to send you to hell unless you save yourself from this untoward generation.

There is set before you two gates. One is wide and leads to the way to hell. The other is difficult, and leads to the way to heaven. There is set before you two ways one is broad, and the other is narrow. This untoward generation, the vast majority of you are in the broad way that leads to hell. Save yourself from this untoward generation by repenting of your sins and fleeing to Christ Who is the only Way to be saved from this hell bound generation. “Save your selves from this untoward (warped, crooked, perverse) generation.

There is somebody reading the Narrow Way this week that needs to get in you car and come see me so I can tell you how to be saved. If you will call me at 601-927-5070, I will tell you more of how Christ saves poor sinners.

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