through the hypocrisy of men who speak lies, branded in their own conscience as with a hot iron;
This is something that I think that we all ought to really carefully examine our own hearts. The Bible says, "Now let a man judge himself. For if we will judge ourselves, we will not be judged of God" ( 1 Corinthians 11:28 , 1 Corinthians 11:31 ). And I think that we should all examine our own hearts and our own present relationship to Jesus Christ. And as I examine my present relationship to Jesus Christ tonight, is there a time in my walk with the Lord that I was more fervent than I am tonight? Is there a time when I was more excited about the things of Jesus than I am tonight? Is there a time when I was more diligent in my serving the Lord than I am tonight? And if in the examining of your heart, your present relationship and your past experiences, if tonight you do not have a deeper, richer, more enthusiastic relationship with the Lord, then you are in a backslidden state.