Thank you, Roger, for leading the meeting tonight. Lovely to see you out on Monday night. As Roger says, you let the meetings be known. That we'll only be here for another four nights, and then everyone can get a good rest, and everyone can get a good sleep. And if you're tired, well, I'm exhausted. But I trust that the Lord will lead us in the preaching of his word and I trust that the old voice will keep on going and that the frog will not jump out and hit the floor tonight that's in my throat tonight. But I thank you for coming. You let everyone know about the meetings and let invite your friends and those that have dodged the gospel. You get them by the scruff of the neck and get them in to these meetings and they'll be more than welcome at these meetings tonight. Now if you have a Bible with you this evening, I want you to turn to Genesis in the chapter number 6. Genesis chapter number 6. We're going to read a few passages or a few verses from Genesis 6 and from Genesis 7. But we're going to commence in Genesis 6 at the verse number 5. It's going to be a very familiar story. But don't let the familiarity breed contempt within your heart. Verse number 5, it says, And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, Both man and beast, and creeping thing, and the fowls of the air, for it repented me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh has come before me, for the earth is filled with violence through them. And behold, I will destroy them with the earth, make thee an ark of gopher wood. Room shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it with in, and without with pitch. Verse number 1 of chapter 7. And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark, for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. Verse number 7, And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him into the ark because of the waters of the flood. Verse 16, And they that went in went in, male and female, of all fleshes God had commanded, and the Lord shut him in. And the flood was forty days upon the earth, and the waters increased and bare up the ark, and it was lift up. above the earth. And the waters prevailed upon, and were increased greatly upon the earth, and the ark went upon the face of the waters. Verse 23, And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven. And they were destroyed from the earth, and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. Amen. May God bless the reading of His Word. Let's keep our Bibles open and let's seek God's help in the preaching of His Word again as we come. to the opening of these scriptures. Heavenly Father, we rejoice, dear Father, in the privilege that is ours, Lord, again, to come before an open Bible. We thank thee, Father, for the freedom, Lord, that we have to preach the gospel, the old evangel, the blessed gospel of Christ that delivered our souls, that set us free. We thank thee, dear Father, Lord, for the grand old gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. And Father Lord, we thank Thee for all that are in this meeting tonight. We thank Thee, Lord, for the unseathed, Father Lord, that are amongst us. And we pray, Heavenly Father, that tonight might be the night that they will close into the ark of God's salvation. We pray, Heavenly Father, Lord, that You'll lift us, Father, from the realm of the natural into the realm of the supernatural. We bless Thee, Heavenly Father, Lord, that Thou hast said in Thy Word, dear God, that Thou art able to give the Holy Spirit to them that ask. And we pray, Heavenly Father, that we might preach, O God, clothed in the very mantle of Almighty God. We think of those, Father, that are watching in, dear Father, in through the internet tonight, those that are on Sieve, Bring them to Christ, dear God. We pray, dear Father, that Thy Spirit will move upon their hearts. And, Father, Lord, that there might be the sound of the abundance of rain. Lord, encourage our souls. Stand beside us in this pulpit. Grant us liberty. Grant us freedom to preach, dear God. And give us an old-fashioned meaning. with old-fashioned power and old-fashioned results at the end, Father, of this gathering of people. Lord, answer prayer, Father, not because we're asking, but because we ask in the name of Thy Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and for His eternal glory. Amen and amen. It has almost been 1,500 years since Madam had broken God's single law in the Garden of Eden. And as a result, he had plunged mankind into sin and into sin's consequences, that being eternal death. As each generation has passed from that moment of time, the human race has went deeper and has descended into darker sins, sins that now reach into the very nostrils of Almighty God. God for nine generations has been long-suffering and merciful to men. But now enough is enough with God. And God's patience now is about to run out. Tonight, God's justice is going to overtake His mercy. Now sin is going to have its payday, because sin always has its payday, and God always settles his accounts. The Word of God tells us in the book of Ecclesiastes, that God requireth that which is passed. But God who is rich in mercy, and God who is rich and abundant in love, devises a plan a rescue plan. It is a means of salvation. It is a means of deliverance. It is a means of rescue for sinful man. Measuring 135 meters long, measuring 22 and a half meters wide, and measuring 13 and a half meters high, the ark was to become God's lifeboat. God's lifeboat to rescue all those who would enter in through its one and through its only door. Now, I know that Hollywood has recently released the movie, Evan Almighty. And I know that they've tried to make a comedy out of Genesis 6 and out of the account of Noah's flood. But I want to say to you, unseen friend in this meeting, that whenever judgment came and whenever the flood came, it was no comedy. It was the reality of God's wrath being poured upon sinful men. Tonight, as this meeting comes to a close, I want us to speak on the subject, The Ark, God's Lifeboat. And I want to encourage you, if you're unsaved in this meeting, I want to encourage you to come into God's Ark, because judgment is coming to your soul. God's Ark represents to us and is a picture of us in the Old Testament of what the cross is in the New Testament. The ark represents to us in the Old Testament what the cross is in the New Testament. And I trust that we'll see some truth from this passage of Scripture tonight. I want you to see first of all the need, the need for the ark. The need for the ark. You know, Noah didn't build the ark. He didn't decide to go out into his garden one day. And he didn't decide, you know, some men they decide to maybe build a pond, or some people they decide to maybe put a bird table, or erect a gazebo, or put in a lovely summer house. You know, Noah didn't go out one day and decide, you know, to enhance the character of my garden, I think I'm going to build a big ark and set it out in my backyard. Noah didn't build it to enhance his backyard. And Noah didn't decide that he would build this ark, that it would be some type of modern type of sculpture that they would put into the local square in the local town. You know, he wasn't looking to win the Turner Prize of his day. You know, the Turner Prize, you usually get men, and they put like sheep in a big purse-packed box, and then they fill the box up with urine. That's what modern art is today. You know, Noah wasn't trying to win the Turner Prize from art critics of his day. There was a purpose for Noah to build this ark. Now, Hebrews 11 tells us why he built the ark. Hebrews 11, verse 7, it says, By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, he was moved with fear, prepared an ark, and here's the reason why he prepared the ark. He prepared the ark to the saving of his house. I want to speak to God's people. I wonder, has this mission Have you been moved with fear because of judgment that is coming to invite your friends into this mission? I wonder. I wonder, have you this week asked somebody to come into this mission? Because if you haven't, then you haven't realized what's about to come around the corner. God's judgment. You see, the ark was built and the need for the ark was quite simple. The need for the ark was simple because judgment was coming. If you look at Genesis 6 and the verse number 7, it says, And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth. Verse number 5 tells us why judgment was coming. And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination and every thought of his heart was only evil continually. God saw man's sin. And I want to say to you, if you're in this meeting, the Word of God tells us about people that try and cover their sin. The Word of God says that he that covereth his sin shall not prosper, but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. And if you're trying to cover your sin, I want you to realize that God looks past all the camouflage that you're trying to put in and trying to shield the eyes of God from your sin. God sees your sin. The Word of God tells us in the book of Numbers, be sure your sin will find you out. And your sin will find you out, if it finds you out not in life, it will find you out in death, it will find you out in hell, and it will find you out at the great white throne judgment seat of Jesus Christ. But be sure, your sin will find you out. Now where did God see these men's sins? God saw these men's sin in two areas of their lives. He first of all seen it in their outward lives. Verse number 12, it says, And God looked upon the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. Men's lives were full of sin. And God saw the human race forsaking his way. The Word of God makes it very clear that all we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. All we like sheep have gone astray. These men had gone away from God. These men had gone away from the sacrifice on the altar of the Lamb. They had decided to make their own way to God. They decided that they would eradicate God out of their skulls, out of their minds, out of their thoughts. And they decided that they would indulge themselves in every known sin that they could involve themselves in. They were drunken. They were full of pornography. They gambled. There was sexual immorality. There was adultery. There was drug pushing. There was vandalism. Look what the Word of God says, that the earth was filled with violence. There was murders. There was rapes. Whenever this happened, and God saw it all. And I want to say, God will see all your sin. God not only saw everything, but God heard everything. God heard men blaspheme his name. They heard every curse that they had said on the worksite. They had heard every anti-God statement. You know, it's no difference today. God hears every man that defies God. Brad Pitt, I'm sure you all know who Brad Pitt is, but Brad Pitt said one day, he says, right on my headstone, burning in hell. Brad Pitt said, right on my headstone, burning in hell. And if he does not repent of his sin, Brad Pitt will be someday burning in God's hell. God's heard that. You see, the word of God says that God is angry with the wicked every day. You know, there's a lot of people and they think, you know, God is like a, is a wee bit like Santa Claus. We live in a society that people believe that God is a bit like Santa Claus. And he's going to lie everybody into heaven. Well, I want to say to you that God will not let everyone into heaven. The Word of God says that God is angry with the wicked every day. You see, you unsafe person in this meeting, the only thing that keeps you out of God's hell tonight is mercy and love from God. But I want to say to you someday that God's mercy will run out for you. You see, there's a lot of people and they think, you know, well, whenever my mum and dad are standing there, at the Great White Throne Judgment, and they're Christians, and they know the Lord, or my grandfather, or grandmother, and they're there, and they're looking on on this scene, that whenever God casts my soul into hell, that they will be weeping and wailing, and they will be shedding their tears because I'm being cast into hell. That will not happen, folks. You know what they'll do whenever your soul is being cast into hell? They will stand and applaud God, and say God's will is done. Because you see, justice has overtaken mercy. And they will say God's will has been done. Because the judge of all the earth on that day is going to do right. God saw their sin and their outward lies. And I want to say that God has saw the internet sites that you were on last week. God has saw the triple-X movies that you have under your bed. God sees the pornographic magazines that you have hid in some cupboard. God has saw the sexual immorality that you have indulged yourself in, the drunkenness and the immorality, the images on your computer hard drive. You may be saying in this meeting, well, who cares? I want to say God cares. And God requireth, and God for all these things, God will bring thee into judgment. He not only saw sin in their outward lives, but he saw sin in their inward thoughts. Look what it says in verse number five. God saw the wickedness of man and the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Now you might be in this meeting and you might think, you know, everybody thinks I'm a pretty good sort of guy. I'm a pretty good sort of person. I don't do anybody any harm. I'm charitable. I come to church. I bring my Bible with me. I'm a pretty good sort of person and I'm glad to be in this meeting and I enjoy God's house and I enjoy the things of God, but I'm not saved. But I want to say that God knows your thoughts. If I was to place your thought life on this wall tonight, You know what every one of us would do? We would go out that door and never to return again. Because we have all thought things so vile and so sinful that we haven't even told those that are nearest and dearest to us. Do you realize, folks, that within your heart you're unsaved in this heart? Do you realize that you have the capacity to be worse than Adolf Hitler? If God took his restraining hand of grace off your life, You would make Adolf Hitler like a choir boy because of sin in your heart. We have all rebelled against God. And the Word of God says that our sin will someday find us out. You see, God looked on to planet earth and he saw drunkenness, he saw gluttony, and he saw divorce. Sound familiar? Does it not sound like 2007, whenever God looks onto this earth, all he sees is drunkenness, gluttony and divorce? Well, the Word of God tells us that that's the way it's going to be. In Matthew's Gospel it tells, But as in the days of Noah were, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be. For in the days that were before the flood, they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and he took them all away. So shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. God saw the need for the ark was because of sin and because judgment was coming. But God, in his mercy, through an ark, provided for Noah and the rest of mankind a means of salvation and security. Not only did God do that, but I want you to notice that God made it accessible to all. You know, Noah didn't stand at the ark and say, well, if you don't have a hat on your head, you're not getting into the ark. He didn't say that. He didn't say, if you don't have a Bible with you, you're not getting into the ark. He didn't say, if you haven't got a skirt on you, that you're not getting into the ark. There was no dress code to get into the ark. You just came as you were. There was no fare. No one didn't stand with tickets and say, you know, that's £100 to get into the ark. It was free to get in. God's place of salvation was free to enter in. You know, there was no age limit. He didn't turn away, he wouldn't have turned away a 100-year-old man or a wee child. There's no age limit with God's salvation. And there's no gender. Noah didn't say, well, I'll allow all the women in, but I'll not allow all the men in. Or I'll allow all the men in, but I'll not allow all the women in. There was no gender distinction at the door of the ark. God made it accessible to all. And not only did he make it accessible to all, but God signposted the road to the ark. That moves us secondly to the signpost to the ark. Now I'm not referring to you about physical signposts. I'm not talking like God put a big neon arrow and say this way to Noah's ark. God didn't do that. He didn't say straight ahead to the ark. God didn't do that. Because I tell you, whenever you've got a 135 meter long boat, and a 22 and a half meter wide boat, and a 13 and a half meter high boat, I think people are not stupid enough. They know where to find where the ark was. They knew physically where to find the ark. But I do believe that God put spiritual signposts in the pathway of Noah's family. his friends and his neighbors to direct them to the place of salvation. And I want to say to you, unsee a friend in this meeting, that God uses the exact same signposts that he used in Noah's day to direct you to the cross of Jesus Christ. You may ask, well, what are these signposts? First of all, there was a signpost of a personal testimony. that of a personal testimony. Note what it says in Genesis 6, verse 8 and 9. It says, But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Verse number 9, it says, Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. Chapter 7, verse 1. God says, Come thou and all thy house into the ark, for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. I want you to notice that Noah had a testimony in two areas of his life. The first place where Noah had a testimony was in the family. Noah had a testimony at home. I want to ask you, child of God, do you have a testimony at home? Do you have a testimony of what Christ has done in your life? You know how I know Noah had a testimony at home? The reason is because if you read Genesis 6, You'll find that whenever God first said that there was judgment coming, you'll find that it says that Noah, and only Noah, was the person that found grace in the eyes of God. It doesn't say that Ham found grace in the eyes of God. It doesn't say that Japheth found grace in the eyes of God. It doesn't talk about Noah's wife finding grace in the eyes of God. All it says was that Noah found grace in the eyes of God. And thus we can come to this conclusion was that Noah was the only person that was saved. Noah was the only person that had experienced God's grace at that moment of time. Whenever God first said judgment was coming. But if you look at Genesis 7 and the verse number 7, it says, And Noah went in, and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him into the ark because of the waters of the flood. Do you notice that? Between judgment and between God sending forth his judgment, you'll see that all the family got into the ark. All the family got into the ark. You see, God was real to Noah. God was real to Noah, for it says in verse number 9, it says that Noah walked with God. His unsafe family saw that. I can see Noah as he gets his dinner and as the boys, they just ram dash and they throw the food down their throat. I can see Noah as he bows his head and he thanks God at the dinner table for the food that has been provided. I can see Noah as he tucks his boys into bed and he prays for them as little boys. I can see him as he refrains himself from hearing the dirty jokes and the filthy language on the worksite. I can see Noah as he goes out on the Sabbath day. Maybe it's out into a forest, maybe it's out into an open plain and there he's an erected, he's erected an altar and on that altar He comes and he brings a lamb and he slays the lamb. And because of the blood sacrifice there, he sacrifices and he praises and he worships God. And I can see his boys looking out of the window and saying, where's dad going today? And he says he's going to the altar. He's going to worship his God. I can see them. I can see Noah as he pleads for his family. I can see as he sheds the tears for his boys. I can see him as he cries at night. There on his knees he pours out his heart to God that God would save his family. Can you not picture the scene? I can see Noah as he gets to the side of his bed. Ah, his wife's already in bed. She's reading the latest Jackie Collins novels, who she is. And she's not caring about God. She doesn't think about God. And there's no one. He's on his knees and he's saying, Dear God, save my wife. Show her that judgment is coming. But show her that the ark is the place of salvation, the place of security, the place of rescue. Dear God, open her blinded eyes and make her see. I can see Shem, he comes home drunk one night and he staggers into a house and his father finds him at the bottom of the stairs and there his loving father picks him up and throws him over his shoulder and he gets him into his bedroom, he strips off his clothes, puts his pyjamas on him and there he stands and he looks at his boy And he says, and he cries to God, and his tears fall onto this young boy's cheeks and onto the pillow of his bed, and his son is in a drunken stupor, and his son doesn't know what's happening in his life, and he's wasting his life, and yet Noah's praying for him. I can see, nearly my time, can you not see him as he comes in to the house some day, and there's Noah standing, and he's saying, you know, son, is Christ ahead of your home yet? Is Christ ahead of your home yet? I can see wayward Japheth, oh, he's broken his father's heart. Oh, he's shamed the family name. And yet there he lies in his bed. Can you not see Japheth lying in his bed and his dad's study is next door? And there he's down on his knees praying and crying to God that God would save his soul. Can you not see it, folks? And then one by one they start to come. One by one they start to respond to the tears and the pleadings and the exhortation for them to enter into the ark, enter into God's salvation. Because they realized that Noah wasn't going through a phase in his life. This Christianity wasn't a phase that he was going through. But they knew that God was real. I wonder, does the world realize God is real in your heart? Do they realize that you know that they're going to hell? And do you care? Do you care? I tell you, you're maybe in this meeting and you have got a mother and father that prays for your soul. Do you care? Maybe you've got a friend, somebody that's invited you in tonight. I tell you, if you're in this meeting, sitting beside a saved person, I can guarantee, and you are unsaved, I can guarantee that they have been praying for your soul. I can guarantee that they have been weeping before God, that God would save your soul and show you that you need to enter in and you need to get into God's salvation. They started to come, one by one. Could it be that your salvation in this mission could be the means of bringing your whole family to Jesus Christ? You know, it's amazing what you set into motion. God only knows what is set into motion whenever somebody comes to Jesus Christ. You could be the means of bringing your brother, your sister, your mother, your father, your uncles, your aunts, your grandparents to the Lord Jesus Christ, if only you had moved. And if only you would respond, and if you would only come whenever God's Spirit is striving with your soul. Have you got somebody tonight praying for your soul? I can tell you folks, that there's people in this building, and while we are here, they are praying for your soul! And they're praying that tonight that you'll respond, and tonight that you'll come, and tonight that you'll go into God's salvation. Dear folks, I tell you, I've been lying awake at night thinking about your soul. I've been praying for you. Do you think that we just go home at night, turn on the television, watch Newsnight, watch some movie, And forget all about coming here and what happened the night before. Do you think that's what happens whenever a preacher goes home? Whenever we're lying awake at half one, two o'clock, 5.30 one morning, I was on my knees for you. May God have mercy. May God have mercy. Is there a mother that takes your name before the throne in the morning? And there she prays, dear God, speak to my girl. If you're from a saved home tonight, from a Christian home tonight, I can guarantee that there's somebody praying for you. Listen, young man, I've heard your father cry for your soul. I've seen his tears. I've heard his cry. early morning prayer meetings, late night prayer meetings. God, by His Spirit, is trying to draw you to Himself. And they're your father and your mother. You're breaking their hearts. I'll tell you, you'll not have to become a harlot or a prostitute to break your parents' hearts. And you'll not have to shack up with some girl. And you'll not have to become a drug addict or an alcoholic to break your heart. You know, all you'll have to do is not get saved. That'll be enough to take your mother to an early grave. That'll be enough to take your father to an early grave. And you don't care. You don't care. Well, he had a testimony in his home life. He had a testimony in his work life. Look what it says. Noah was a just man. He was a lawful man. He was a lawful man. Do you know what that means? Noah came to work on time. You see, if Noah had started to work at 8 o'clock, Noah was there at 7. 55. He clocked in at the right time. And you know whenever Noah went home, he always clocked out at the right time. He didn't clock out, if he finished at 6 o'clock, he didn't clock out at 5.59. Noah made sure that the clock had hit 6 o'clock. I wonder, Christian, are you like that? I wonder, are you a just man? I wonder, are you fiddling the books? Are you paying all the taxes? Oh, but the tax man gets too much. So I render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar, and unto God the things that are God. You know, he didn't skive in the job. You know, Noah didn't say, well, I have a personal phone call to make, so I'll just make my phone call in my boss's time, and I'll make sure I don't use my mobile phone. I'll use his phone. Maybe you're doing that. You say you're a child of God. You know, he didn't, you know, no matter if the boss was there, I noticed a lot of, I noticed whenever we're in at work, and other places, it's very strange, you know, whenever the boss is away, it seems to be that the tools go down, and it seems to be that the work starts to go a wee bit slacker. But whenever you hear the boss come in in the car, oh, pick up the tools again, and let's get at it again. I tell you, that's stealing from your boss. Maybe you didn't think of it like that. But Noah was a just man. No one could have pointed the finger and said, that man's a hypocrite. I wonder could they point the finger at you tonight and say, you know, they're in that meeting, but you know they're the biggest shore of hypocrites that are around. I wonder do you love a hypocrite. You know, it goes on to say that Noah was perfect in his generations. That word perfect, if you go back to the Hebrew, it means he was a man of You don't hear a lot about it. He was a man of integrity. Integrity. I'm sure Noah Witness to his workmates wherever he worked at I'm sure Noah witnessed to them and many a time I'm sure Noah got laughed at and many a time people mocked him and many a time, you know They called him. He's a holy rower. He's a bit fanatical. He's one of these Bible bashers. He's one of these Jesus lovers we've got quite a bit of that on the internet whenever we start to hand out things Jesus lover you're a Jesus lover. Yes. I'm a Jesus lover. I love the Lord And not ashamed of it. And I love Him because He first loved me. And if they want to call me a Jesus lover, I don't care. Want to call me a mad man? I don't care. As long as I know that God's smile is upon my life. And as long as I know that God's presence is in my life. And as long as I know that God's Spirit is upon my life. I do not care what man will say unto me. I will not fear what men can do unto me." You know, I'm sure God, he controlled his temper whenever, you know, people called him and ridiculed him and maybe misrepresented him. But I'll tell you, he kept because he was a man of integrity. You know, he didn't steal nails from work to build the ark. He bought them. And he didn't go and nick someone else's saw. No, no, no. He took it and he went and he bought his own saw and he got his own hammer. I tell you a lot of people and they're stealing from their work. Maybe that's you tonight. Maybe you have to make a bit of restitution. I don't know. But God placed a Christian, God placed a Christian in their way at their work. I want to say to you young people, You might go into school tomorrow. You know what, God has sent you. You might not have thought this before, but God has sent you as an ambassador. We all hear about these ambassadors. We hear a lot about this ambassador, the British ambassador to Burma at the minute because of all the trouble. Well, I want to say to you that God, if you're a Christian, has sent you as an ambassador to stand for Jesus Christ wherever you are. I don't know where you work. I don't know where you go to college. But God wants you to take a stand for Jesus Christ. Can I ask you, unsafe person in this meeting, has God placed a Christian beside you at work? That's a signpost from God. I'm not talking about one of these hypocritical Sunday morning only Christians, because they're not Christians, they're just sham. That's not the real thing. I'm talking about one of these people that witnesses to you about your soul. Someone who has invited you to these meetings. Someone who prays for you, someone who even weeps over your soul. I tell you, this is one of God's signposts. But people walk blindly past it. Another signpost that God placed before this man and this generation was that of powerful preaching. 2 Peter 2 verse 5 says that God spared not the old world, but saved Noah, the eighth person. And then this is his terms of employment. It says that he was a preacher of righteousness. Can you not see him? I can see Noah. He sets down his hammer. He sets down his saw. He sets down his chisel. And there he goes off to the local town, and he stands at the street corner with his big long beards, and all he has is just one message. Here's the message. Judgment is coming. Judgment is coming because of your sin. And if you do not turn to God's ark, God's means of salvation, then you will perish in the flood. Just one message. Judgment is coming. A provision has been made. Come and enter in. Sound familiar? Sounds familiar to me. It sounds familiar to me. It sounds like the brethren up on the street on Saturday nights through the summer. It sounds like the people that stand at the banquets and seek to witness to you about your soul. They're standing there just preaching the gospel. Judgment is coming. Provision has been made through the cross. All you have to do is enter in. There he stood. I can see a young boy. And he's with his dad and he tugs his dad's coat and he says, Daddy, who's that man there standing, roaring and shouting that judgment is coming and that I need to make preparation? Oh son, don't worry about that. He would have turned around and said, that's just mad Mr Noah. Sure he's been saying it ever since I was just a wee boy and judgment hasn't come yet. Forget about what he says. But someday judgment did come. And Noah wasn't as mad as everyone else thought he was. He was the only sensible man in the country. I know some people think that we're mad being here, but I'll tell you we're the only sensible people in the country. See, everyone else, they want to talk about politics. And they want to talk about their car. And they want to talk about their house. And they want to talk about their greenhouse. And they want to talk about their garden. And they want to talk about their job. And they want to talk about their girlfriend or their boyfriend. They want to talk about their career. They want to talk about their education. But they don't want to talk about their salvation and their need for Christ. Talk about everything and anything but these eternal issues. There was no one. He was, I can see him, he hammered away at the nails and then he hammered away at the preaching. And he stuck at it. And he only saw eight people saved. He was just stuck at it. You know, it says in the Word of God, through the foolishness of preaching that God has ordained, it pleases God. to save them that believe. I'll tell you, you'll not come to Christ by listening to a praise band. You'll not come to Christ by eating hamburgers and hot dogs. You'll not come to Christ by watching drama in some church. You'll come to Christ through the preaching of the Word of God. It's God's only ordained way to save sinners through the preaching of the very cross of Jesus Christ. Think about the preaching that you've heard. Think about the preaching that you could have heard. You know, I always hear, you know, people saying, you know, somebody dies. Isn't that a pity? He never got a chance. Never got a chance. I tell you, I've been around this countryside putting harvest invitations through the door since I was 11, 12 years of age. Didn't get a chance. They'd every harvest to get a chance. Think of the Mid-Auster meal. Man, dear, the amount of gospel halls, the amount of harvests, the amount of children's days, the amount of gospel missions, the amount of tent campaigns. But no, sir, you didn't bother to come in. I'm sure you'll not say to God, I never got an opportunity, because you did. But you let that opportunity go. Think about the door-to-door evangelists that came to people's doors. Oh, I'm too busy. There's something in the stove. I need to go. There's a cake in the oven. I need to go. I need to wash the car. Look, the children are crying out. There's something wrong in the house. I don't have time for you. Maybe come some other day. And you shut the door. That's God's signpost in your life. What about the gospel tract that you got handed out on a Saturday or maybe at a band parade or a festival or wherever you go? Think about it. God's opportunity, God's signposts. Think about the evangelists. Think about the wee pilgrims that come about the country. Your minister, your pastor, the laymen. Think about the gospel texts upon the telegraph poles. These are all God's signposts to turn around! Turn around! Because judgment is about to come. But they just walk blindfoldly and blindly on by. The last signpost was that of patient strivings. The strivings of the Spirit of God. You know, I can see Noah's friends and they laughed at him in public. But if you looked at behind closed doors, you know what they were doing? They were crying. I can see them as they ridiculed Noah whenever they stood in the crowd. But you know, in the loneliness, At two o'clock or three o'clock in the morning, whenever all the lights were out and whenever the lights were dimmed and there was no noise in the house, they thought about eternal issues because God's Spirit was striving with them. I wonder, has God's Spirit been striving with you? You may say, well, how do I know if God is speaking to my soul? Well, I can tell you, folks, that there's unsaved people in this meeting tonight. There are backsliders in this meeting tonight. and you're not here for the tea. With all reverence to the ladies, and we thank God for them, and the suppers that they've been making, you're not here for the tea. God's Spirit has been striving with your soul. You know, you sense your sin. You know that you've broken God's law. You know, you've been talking about becoming a Christian. You've maybe said to your boyfriend, you know, I'm thinking of becoming a Christian. Maybe you've said to your girlfriend, you know, I'm thinking of becoming a Christian. Maybe you've said to somebody that's a Christian, you know, I'm thinking and I'm seriously considering about coming through for Jesus Christ in this mission. Maybe you've been weighing up the pros and cons, what it would be like to be a Christian, but what will I have to give up? And where will I go? And what will my friends say? Maybe you've been thinking about, maybe you've had sleepless nights and you've been lying awake two, three o'clock in the morning thinking about these things. Maybe your past troubles you. Maybe the future terrifies you. And beyond the voice of the preacher, there's a voice tonight and it's saying, come tonight. Come tonight. That preacher, you know that that preacher, what he's saying is right. Come tonight. Come to Christ. This is God's Spirit striving with your soul, but the Word of God says, My Spirit shall not always strive with man. We have known people whom God's Spirit has been striving with, and they leave. And we just wonder, we just wonder, has God stopped speaking? I want you to see, thirdly, the hesitation at the ark. the hesitation at the Ark. You know, I'm certain that many intended to get in. I'm sure many intended to get into the Ark. I'm sure they said to Noah, you know, Noah, I know what you're saying is right. And I know what I need to do. And my heart's saying that I need to come. But my head's saying not tonight. And Noah, I know that I need to enter in. And maybe just when I'm a wee bit older, and whenever I've got my wife, and whenever I've set up my home, and whenever my career is going well, then I'll think about getting into the Ark. I'm just a young man. I'm just in the prime of my life. I enjoy the nightclubs. I enjoy the drinking. I enjoy the sexual immorality. And whenever I've enjoyed all those things, at the end of my life, then I'll come into the ark. I'm sure many intend it, to enter in through the ark. But I'll tell you, good intentions never saved any man. You know, there's a lot of people and they intend to come to Christ. You ask any man on the street, you ask any person on the street, Do you want to go to heaven? Everyone, everyone, apart from a few fools. I was going to say something else, but I better not behind this puppet. Only for a few fools, they'll say that they don't want to go to heaven. Everybody wants to go to heaven. You know what the problem is? They don't want God to be there whenever they show up. They don't want God to be there whenever they show up. You see, it's God's heaven. and God's going to be there. You see, you've made a sort of a, your heaven is sort of like drink and woman and all. Your heaven is like what you think heaven is on earth. Remember that song that you used to sing, heaven a place on earth? I remember my, I remember listening to it years and years ago. Heaven is a place on earth. I'll tell you heaven's not a place on earth. Heaven is a place where none that defileth shall enter in. No sin. No adulterer, no fornicator, no blasphemer, no Christ rejecter will be in God's heaven. It's God's heaven. Many intended to come in, but something kept them back. Could I suggest to you the things that kept these men and women back from entering into the ark of salvation keeps you back tonight? Do you know the first thing that kept them back was their stinking, rotten pride. That was it. Like, who really wants to be associated with the madman that stands at the street corner? He says that he's a Christian. He says that he's God's man. He says that God has warned him about judgment. You know, if I went and joined myself with Noah, everybody would think that I'm just as crazy. And that's what keeps you back to Christ from night to night. You think if I became a genuine Christian, everyone would think I'm crazy. Everyone would think I'm mad. But I would rather be mad and glad than mad and sad. I'd rather be mad and go to heaven than be mad and go to hell. Pride kept them back. Someone would have said, well, I have my way. Many times have you heard that. I have my way, and you have your way, and we'll all make it in the end. You know, folks, there was only one ark. There was no other wee boats. Just one ark, just one door, just one way. And that was the only way. You see, everybody thinks, you know, that God's like, it's like a mountain. And God's at the top of the mountain. And the Buddhists, they go up this way. And the Hindus go up this way. And the Protestants go up this way. And the Catholics, they go up this way. And all at the end of the day, we'll all get to God. But there's one problem, folks. You forgot whose mountain it is. It's God's mountain. And God said that neither is there salvation. in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given amongst men whereby we must be safe." Pride kept them out. Their pals kept them out. Their pals. You know, many did not want to enter the ark because they knew that they would have to say goodbye to their friends and their companions. They were afraid of what their friends would say. They were afraid of what their girlfriends or their boyfriends, their husbands and their wives would say. And that kept them from coming into the ark. Does that keep you from coming to Christ tonight? And then there was the pleasures. Matthew says that they were eating, drinking until the day that Noah entered into the ark. Can you not picture the scene? I was thinking about this today. I can picture the scene. Can you not see Noah go in and all the animals are in? And I can see the boys standing at the bar. And they're looking out through the door and they're saying, look boys, look at Noah going in through that door and he's got a mini zoo with him. Isn't he a real madman? Look, there's the elephants away in and they're going to be stinking and the cows and the sheep and there's the serpents. How is he going to suffer? Look boys at Noah. Look at him, he's a real madman. Look at him boys. Oh Mr Noah is a nutter. He's lost his marbles. There's his wife and they're going in. Look at the poor craters. He's misrepresented God to them. He's fooled them into believing that there's coming a flood. Look boys, sure there's no, not a cloud in the sky. The skies are blue boys. And they stand at the door and they laugh and they joke. And they tell jokes and they think the Christians are a madman. And then judgment came. And God said, the party's over. And there is nobody laughing then. Nobody laughed then. All the jokes are over. I can see a man and a woman standing at the altar in the church or the chapel. Can you not see it? I see it. I can see them as they say, and the cry comes up and they're here. They hear a turmoil outside. The whole city is in uproar. There's water falling out of the sky, and there's water coming up out of the tarmac, and out of the shacks, and out of the ponds, and out of the rivers. The great waters have broken up, and I can see the waters as they start to flow down the isle that day of the marriage. Can you not see them sitting at the reception, and they're having their drink and their party, and they're up dancing, and then all of a sudden, water comes in round their feet, and then they start to run, and they start to run and they go to Noah, and they go to the ark, and they say, Noah, let us in. Noah, sure you remember me, I used to work with you. Noah, sure you used to pray for me. Noah, let me in. Ham, can you hear my voice, Ham? Let me in. Let me in. And they can't let them in because God shut the door. And I'll tell you, sinner, no matter how much pleading you do at the great white throne judgment, and I want to say that you're going to see me there. Not because it's anything to do with me, but God will bring you to account of this meeting and he will bring me as his defense, as his prosecutor. And he will say, that young man warned you about your soul. And you'll say, preacher, say something to the Lord. Tell him that I was charitable. Tell him I was in that mission. Tell him that I was concerned. Tell him that I talked about becoming a Christian. Preacher, say something to Jesus for me. But it's too late. Too late. Folks, the joke was over and the Christian wasn't as mad as he thought he was. There was finally the parting at the ark. The parting at the ark. Can you not see Noah? I can see Noah as he goes for the final time to the town and to the same street corner that he stood for 120 days, or 120 years, and now seven days. And people were passing by and, you know, they just thought, it's just another gospel open air. But little did they realize that it was Noah's final gospel open air. It's just another gospel message. But little did they realize that it was Noah's final gospel message. It's just a final, just one final appeal. It's just another appeal, but they didn't realize that it was Noah's final appeal to enter in. It's just a gospel invitation, but little did they know that it was the final gospel invitation to come. And Noah went, and got his family in, And God shut the door, and the door of opportunity became the door of lost opportunity. The door of inclusion now was the door of exclusion. And the parting came. Where did the parting come at? The parting came at the door. Jesus said, I am the door. By me, if any man enter in, he shall be saved. and shall go in and out and find pasture. There was only one door, and Christ is the door, and the parting always comes at the door. You see, the opportunity for you to come to Christ is in this meeting. The door is open for you. But can I say to you that you could leave this meeting and God could shut the door. And the door of opportunity now becomes the door of missed opportunity. And now judgment comes. You see, you must enter in to God's salvation. How do I do that? You know, you have to recognize that your sin is taking you towards God's judgment. You have to realize that the only place of salvation, just like the only place of salvation was the ark, that the only place of your salvation is found in the cross of Jesus Christ. You must be willing to repent of your sin. You know, Noah's, the people that were given the opportunity, they were given the opportunity to turn from their sin, to turn from their friends, to turn from the pub, to turn from the drink, to turn from the eating, drinking, giving and marriage, and they had to enter in and leave it all behind. and you have to leave it all behind. And I want to say to you that no one was half in and no one was half out. You're either in or you're out. And there's a lot of people who say, well, I think I'm a Christian. Not good enough. Not good enough. You're either in or you're out. There's no one half in the ark and no one half out. You're either saved or you're lost. You must leave your sin behind. You come confessing your sin. If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin. You must come calling. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. You must come with certainty. Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out. I wonder, will you enter into God's provision? I wonder, will you come to the cross tonight? I wonder, will you come to the door? Because Jesus Christ is that door. May you respond to the call of the gospel and may you come to Christ tonight and enter in while there's still that opportunity. Let's bow our heads in prayer. If you are concerned about your soul, we will be standing at the doorway with little booklets called A New Beginning. If you want to take one of them, then speak to us, and we'll be delighted to give you a booklet. If you want to speak to myself or Roger, Roger will be in the hall, and we will be at the door. You come and speak to us. Tap us on the shoulder and just say, I want to get right with God tonight. I want to enter in. I need to get right. I guess my soul hangs on this meeting. We trust that you'll come to Christ and make yourself available and make yourself responsive to the call of the gospel. Our Father in heaven, We pray Heavenly Father, Lord, that thou wilt bless, Father, the preaching of thy word. We pray, Lord, that you'll bless it in the salvation of precious souls. We pray Heavenly Father, Lord, that you'll take us to our homes in safety. Bless, Lord, those that will stay for fellowship. Father, Lord, round the T. We pray, Father, Lord, then, that you'll take us to our homes in safety. And, Father, give no rest and no peace to those who know not Christ until they come and put their faith in him. For we pray it in Jesus' precious name, Amen.