Tonight we want to read from Luke's Gospel chapter 12. Luke's Gospel chapter 12. We'll take the reading from the 13 verse of the chapter. Luke chapter 12 and the verse number 13. Luke 12, the verse 13. One of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother that he divide the inheritance with me. He said unto him, Man, who made thee me a judge or divider over you? And he said unto them, Take heed and beware of covetousness, for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do? What shall I do because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, this will I do. I will pull down my barns and build greater. And there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, soul, that was much goods laid up for many years. Take thy knees, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, thou fool, This night thy soul shall be required of thee, and whose shall those things be which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, no thought for your life what ye shall eat, neither for the body what ye shall put on. For the life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, neither have they storehouse nor barn, and God feedeth them. How much more are ye better than the fowls? How much of you taking thought can add to a stature one cubit? If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow, they toil not, they spin not. Yet I say unto you that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Then, if then God so clothed the grass, which is today in the field and tomorrow is cast into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? And seek ye not what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of a doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after. And your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God, and all these things shall that he added on to you. Fear not, little flock, for it is the Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell that you have and give alms. Provide yourselves bags which wax not old. A treasure in the heavens that feeleth not, where no thief approaches, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. We'll end our reading at verse 34. Let's keep the word before us open. Let's seek the Lord and a word of prayer before we bring God's message for this evening. Our loving Father, we do thank Thee, O God, for the word before us. We thank Thee for this account. We bless Thee, O God, for the challenge, the solemnity of it all. We pray that the solemnity of the very words that we've been ringing or be reading would settle in upon the soul of some individual, Lord, that they would become consciously aware that this night their soul could be required of them. And so we cry, O Father, that thou wilt come, clothe us, clothe me with the mantle of God the Holy Ghost. May I know the enduement of power that only comes from God. Send thy spirit, we pray. Help me, I ask. Help me to fear no one and nothing but God and sin. And grant, O God, help as the gospel is preached. Bind the strong man, glorify the Christ, And may all, may all hearts be taken off to him, for we offer prayer in and through Jesus' precious and worthy name. Amen and amen. I wonder, did you know that fruit as a food product constitutes a significant part of human nutrition? Its consumption is highly recommended if we are to enjoy a healthy, vitamin-rich diet. makes up part of our what is termed five a day. Now worldwide over the year more than 675 million metric tons of fruit are produced each year with the greatest annual fruit harvest occurring on the continent of Asia. China alone produces some 275 million metric tons of fruit annually. The most popular fruit that is grown is bananas, then followed by apples, then by grapes, and then by oranges. Now although Northern Ireland's climate does not as it were, tend or agree with fruit growth. We can't grow things like pineapples, we cannot grow things like melons or oranges. Yet there are a number of fruits that can be grown here. In the summer months, things like strawberries and raspberries are harvested. While County Antrim, that is fondly known as the Orchard County, is a place to go if you want to avail yourself of a good cooking apple. According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Northern Ireland's soft fruit production is estimated around 700 million pounds per annum. Apples, however, are much more the dominant fruit produced believed to produce some 10 million pounds worth into the Northern Ireland economy. Now tonight we have read about a man in Luke chapter 12 who was involved in fruit farming. We know that to be the case because when this farmer comes to express the dilemma that he finds himself in because of the bountiful and bumper harvest that he's about to gather in, he asks this question, what shall I do? Because I have no room where to bestow my fruits. That word fruits that we have in verse 17 is the word fruit as plucked. That's the word that we have in the Greek. Or fruit off the tree. Or fruit off the vine. Now for some reason whenever I always read Luke chapter 12, I always thought that this man was a cereal farmer. A man who was involved in the bringing in of wheat. or of barley, but the word used here seems to suggest that that is not the case, but rather he was a farmer that was involved in the bringing in of some kind of fruit, whether of a tree or whether of a vine. And we want to simply look at this fruit farmer tonight in Luke chapter 12 and preach a simple message entitled A Gospel Message for a Fruit Farmer. Now for those who haven't been with us, over the last number of weeks we've been preaching messages to those who are involved in the farming community. We've preached a message about the poultry farmer. We thought about the sheep farmer. Last week we thought about a goat farmer. And tonight we're thinking about this fruit farmer. Now there are a number of things that I want us to see from Luke chapter 12. I want you to see first of all a plenty bestowed. In this passage we find a plenty that is bestowed. In verse 12 the Lord Jesus Christ speaks about the ground of a certain rich man that brought forth plentifully. Now God by his Spirit places here emphasis not on the farmer but on the ground. The Lord Jesus Christ was simply reminding his hearers on this occasion that it did not matter how good the farmer was, didn't matter how good a farm manager he was, It didn't matter how well skilled he was in soil management. It didn't matter how skilled he was in the growing of fruit. It didn't matter how expertise or what his expertise was with regard to the use of fertilizers, but rather it is ultimately the ground, the ground of a certain rich man and of a certain farmer brought forth plentifully. It was the ground itself. It was a ground. ground that God had blessed. It was ground that God had sent showers of April showers upon. It was ground that was used and was bejewed with the early morning dew. It was ground God had warmed by the rays of his sun. It was growing that God had furnished with the needed nutrients, all of which helped now in the growing and in the maturing of the fruit that was now ripe for the picking. All these essential elements rain, sunshine, nutrients, elements that were completely outside the control of this particular farmer, but within the control of God. Without such elements, no harvest would have been reaped in Luke chapter 12. God was good to this man, God out of his common grace. was good to this man. We read of God's common grace in the book of Matthew, how God sends the rain and the sunshine upon the just and upon the unjust. This man was a recipient of the goodness of God. This man was a recipient of the very grace of God, and he didn't even acknowledge it, and he didn't even know it. Now, we asked ourselves the question, What did God's goodness produce in this man's life, in this particular portion of God's Word? Well, it certainly did not produce the virtue of charity. No, God's goodness did not produce the virtue of Christian charity. Because we do not read of him taking any part of this surplus harvest. We don't read of him distributing to those who were on the bread line within the community in which he lived. But rather we find him greedily and selfishly hoarding up all of the fruits that God had given to him. God's goodness did not produce in this man the virtue of charity. Neither did it produce in this man any kind of worship. We do not read of him making any plans to take the first fruit of the crop, the first fruit of harvest, to present it before the Lord as an expression of his gratitude to Almighty God. God, you had given him such a bountiful harvest, and yet no worship is produced in this man's heart. Something else it did not produce? It did not produce humility, for the farmer goes on in the particular chapter and boasts of all that he had done and all that he was going to do. No, instead of him kneeling in prayer and acknowledging all that he now had enjoyed had come from God's good and gracious hand. No, instead we find him proud, proud of what he has done and what he has accomplished. And it certainly did not produce repentance. on this man's part. You see, that's what God's goodness is supposed to produce in the hearts of men and women. Romans chapter 2 verse 4, Or despises thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance. This man had none of these things produced in his life. But having considered him and his response to God's goodness, I then come to ask this question. What has the goodness of God, that goodness that he has bestowed upon you? Sinner, what has that goodness produced in your life? For it certainly hasn't produced the much-needed repentance that is required if you're ever to be with God when life here on earth is over. Repentance has certainly not been produced in your life. It hasn't brought you to a place. where you have humbled yourself before God, taken your rightful place as a sinner before Him, and there in deep contrition acknowledged that every good and perfect gift has come down from the Father of lights. No, these things, these good things, have not produced humility in your life. Neither has it. Neither has it resulted in you giving God the proper worship that is most His and most certainly due His name. No, rather you worship self and you worship your own abilities and skills. No, the bounty and the plenty that you have received from God's good hand has been taken for granted because you, in your foolishness, believe that by your own power you have received such bounty. And yet the scripture reminds me in Deuteronomy 8 verse 18 that it is God that giveth thee power to get wealth. It is only out of God's goodness and out of God's grace. Now tonight you may sit here and you may say and you may deny that God has been good to you. You look at the things that have happened in your life You consider those things that you do not have what others have. You consider the troubles, the tragedies that you've suffered during your lifetime and you refute, you refute that you have experienced God's goodness in your life. But I want to remind you, sinner, that God has been good to you. God has been so good to you. Can I say in the first place, He's been good to you with respect to the temporal things of life. God has granted you a measure of health and wealth that others do not enjoy in this world. He's given you a faithful and long-suffering wife or husband and beautiful children around your table. And while you may have suffered tragedies and tragic events in your life that I will not deny, I want to remind you that for every tragedy that you have experienced, God has spared you from a thousand more out of his good grace. Numerous evils have been kept from you by the restraining hand of a merciful God. want you've never known, starvation you've never experienced, destitution you've never felt, abandonment you have no clue or understanding about, and yet you would say that God has never been good to you. Oh, the folly of it. Oh, the folly of such a charge against a good and a gracious God. His goodness has been experienced in the temporal things of life. God has also been good with respect to the spiritual things of life. The Word of God is in your home alongside the godly example of a Christian husband or wife. You've been cradled in the gospel. Your ears have heard the earnest pleadings and preachings from the gospel preacher many a time while others have never heard the gospel's glad tidings even once. The Spirit of God has striven with you. There have been times when you've been almost persuaded to be a Christian, and you would say that God has never been good. What nonsense! What lies! What blindness on your part, sinner! Oh, the spiritual things of life. God has been good. A plenty bestowed upon this man. that should have moved him to repent of his sin. Oh, may God's goodness, as you think of this tonight, God being good to me, as you think of God's goodness in the temporal and in the spiritual things of life, the bounty, the plenty that he has bestowed upon you, may those things in just you to leave your sin of life behind for once and for all, and experience His goodness as it is found in the gospel of His own dear Son. God has been good. And what have you done with it, sinner? But you've cast it behind your back. Oh, may today you turn in mercy, and seek mercy and grace in the gospel. Yes, aplenty bestowed. But our second consideration that I want us to consider from Luke chapter 12 is a plan proposed. There is a plan proposed, surveying the bumper harvest before him and calculating that he had not enough capacity to house this vintage crop. This rich farmer comes up with a plan. He proposes to pull down his existing barns and then to build greater into which then he will house his harvest that he gathers in. What shall I do? This will I do. I will pull down my barns and will build greater and there I will bestow all my fruits and my goods. And then having done that, he proposes to take early retirement. He says, soul, thou has much good laid up for many years, take thine ease, take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. He proposes to take retirement early, to gratify his sinful pleasure and fleshly and base desires, to eat and to drink and be merry the rest of his days. I want you to notice that this man's accumulated wealth, it did not bring him the satisfaction that he thought it would bring. Rather, it sends him into a state of anxiety, because as he considers this dilemma of this great harvest, he asks the question, what shall I do? What shall I do? having gotten the harvest that he had always dreamed of reaping, that harvest that he always thought someday that he would have the pleasure of bringing in. Now it is before him and now it leaves him perplexed, anxious. What am I going to do now? I haven't enough room. He's worried about where he's going to store it and how he's going to keep it. Can I say, sinner, there's many a person in the world just like this man, and maybe you're just such a person. You know, you put yourself under great stress to accumulate all the wealth that you possibly can, and then whenever you acquire it, you put yourself under greater stress on how you're actually going to keep it. Having gotten wealth, how am I going to keep it? Maybe that's you tonight. I don't need to tell you that wealth can be here today and gone tomorrow. It only but affirms the truth that we read in Proverbs 23 verse 5, for riches certainly make themselves wings. They fly away as an eagle towards heaven. here today and gone tomorrow. And even if wealth did hang around, as it were, even if wealth did stick around, it would never truly satisfy the deep longings within the soul of man. John D. Rockefeller was an oil tycoon, merchant in the United States of America. One day while he was at the height of his Incredible personal wealth, he was asked the question, how much is enough? How much is enough? Rockefeller said, one more dollar. Just one more dollar. That's how much enough is. By his response, he was evidencing that he was not satisfied with the wealth that he had already accumulated. He felt that satisfaction was attainable by the gaining of just another dollar. And then I'll be satisfied. That'll be enough. Just one more dollar. I wonder, are you a bit like this man here? In Luke's Gospel, chapter 12, your journey through life is all planned out. He has the plans in place. Is that you? Life planned out from cradle to grave. The bucket list has been drawn up. A destination hot list has been formulated. Goals, life goals have been set. After which, when you've done all that you've wanted to do, and been everywhere that you've wanted to be, and reached goals that you've always wanted to reach, you hope that you'll find yourself in a state of satisfaction. Well, forgive me for bursting your bubble, but you'll never find lasting satisfaction in any of these things. That can only be found in knowing your sins are forgiven, and by having a saving relationship with the blessed Son of God, none but Christ can satisfy none other name for me. There's love and life and lasting joy, Lord Jesus, it's found in thee. The thing that I notice about this man's plans is that they all center on himself, and they all center on the here and now. There's no mention in this great master plan about getting right with God. There's no mention here, no comment made about preparing for eternity. There's no talk about setting the house in order, spiritually speaking, so that all would be well for him when he leaves this world behind. No, it's all what's going to bring him happiness now. What's going to satisfy him now. What's going to gratify the flesh now. That's all that he's concerned about. And is that not how the vast majority of people live in this world tonight? They simply live for the here and now. What can I achieve? What can I accomplish? What can I do to try and satisfy my soul? And so they threw off every moral restraint. Yes, without thinking of the long-term consequences of giving themselves over to sin. I wonder, is that how you live? Sinner, is that how you live? Do you live for the here and now? Do you live for a moment's pleasure? Or is all that you're concerned about is me, my, and mine? Are you driven by an insatiable desire to try all of the world's pleasures and sins regardless of the price that you'll pay in your body and your soul? Sinner, I warn you, sinner, don't omit God from your plans. Don't omit God from your plans. Give God his rightful place. Make him Lord and Master and Savior of your life. Let him satisfy you with his salvation. Let him satisfy you inwardly. Let him satisfy you outwardly. This man left God out of his plan. What a tragedy. There is a third point I draw your attention to within the chapter. There is a presumption that is here expressed. This man was a good cultivator. No man can deny that. The ground brought forth plentifully. That took time, that took effort, that took many, many hours of labor. rooting out of weeds, making sure that blight didn't come to the very fruit that he was trying to bring to maturity. He was a good cultivator, but he was a bad calculator. A bad calculator. Because you see, this man made a terrible, yea, he made a fatal miscalculation when he came to draw up his plans. He miscalculated. He miscalculated that he would be around to see the harvest before him safely gathered in. He made that great miscalculation. He expresses his presumption by what he says to his own soul in verse number 19. So thou has much goods laid up for many years. He thought that he had many years. If only he would have picked up his Bible, he would have realized that he didn't have many years. If only he had have turned to Proverbs 6 and the verse 15, he would have read, Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly. Suddenly shall he be broken without remedy. If only he had have turned a few chapters on. to Proverbs chapter 27 in the verse 1 he would have read, boast not thyself of tomorrow for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. If he had only turned on two chapters to Proverbs 29 in the verse 1 he would have read, he that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy. If he only had have turned to Ecclesiastes chapter nine in the verse 12, he would have read, for man also knoweth not his time. As the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as birds that are caught in the snare, so are the sons of men snared in an evil time. when it falleth suddenly upon him. He should have picked up his Bible, instead of saying of many years. If he only had have turned to the Word of God, he would have saw that he had only hours, not even hours, not even moments. He only had that moment, just that moment. He hadn't even tomorrow, or the promise of it. But not only that, if he had have looked around him, he would have understood how presumptuous he was because he would have watched the funeral cortege going down the road. He would have witnessed his neighbors and his friends and maybe his loved ones. being taken out suddenly by death and into God's eternity. He would have picked up the newspaper and he would have read the death notices and he would have saw there in the death notice that little word, suddenly, suddenly. And if only he had have picked up even the paper, if only he had have opened his eyes, if only he had have thought about the funeral that he attended last week, he would have fully understood that he didn't have many years. He didn't even have tomorrow. We read of that. I tell you, this man's presumption is exhibited by many a sinner. They believe themselves to have many more years to get saved. Many more years to call upon the Lord. Many more years to get my sin dealt with to the satisfaction of God. Many more years to close in with God's offer of mercy. Many more years to become a Christian. Many more years to live the Christian life. And yet they do not understand that they fail to calculate that today, today, I say sinner today, and be your last day on earth. And before I go on holidays, I could meet and be in this house, and your body before me, lying dead in some coffin, and your soul out into God's eternity. I press upon you, therefore, tonight, sinner, accept Christ while He is near. call upon him as he calls upon you. I wonder, are you guilty of such presumption? Does the sudden death of others around you not alert you to the danger of presuming that you have more years, many more to live? And yet, sinner, even if you did, God counsels you with this counsel, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. Linger no longer in your sin, but flee to the arms of infinite mercy." And so he speaks to himself. He says to his soul, soul, that was much good laid up for many years, but unknown to that man Someone was listening in to his private conversation. It wasn't his wife. It wasn't his children. We do not know if he had a wife. We do not know if he had children. But it is obvious that he was going to give his goods to someone. There's someone there. But it was none of these people. Someone was listening. and someone interjects with a pronouncement on what he has just said. And that moves us to consider the fourth consideration, a pronouncement declared. You see, God, the omnipresent, omniscient God was listening in to this man's conversation. Did he say it verbally? I don't know if he did. But God knows our very thoughts are far off. God was well able to read this man's inner intentions. I can see that man as he puts the dog away for the night. He closes the gate into the yard, makes sure that the horse The stable door is bolted. You can see him as he starts to make his way across the farmyard, as he makes his way towards the light off the farmhouse, and all of a sudden, out of nowhere, he hears a voice. It's not the voice of a wife, it's not the voice of a friend, it's not the voice of a neighbor, but it is the voice of Almighty God. Thy fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee. Then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided years to live? God said, you don't even have days to live. You don't even have hours to live. Tonight. Tonight. sinner tonight, thy soul shall be required of thee." God called this man a fool. You're a fool. Now, he wasn't a fool because he wanted to build bigger barns. He would have been a greater fool if he had have left the harvest out in the field for the winter frost for it to spoil. Then he would have had nothing to live on. That would have made him a bigger fool. He wasn't a fool because he thought this unexpected harvest was enough to last him a lifetime. He made the calculation, this is enough for the rest of my days. But what made the man a fool was that he left God out of his life. He left God out of the picture. He failed to realize that his life was in God's hands, because the soul of every man is in the hand of God. He thought he was the master of his own soul. And God said, not so, not so, but I'm going to require thy soul this very night. You see, while he was planning, and while he was carefully planning for his comfortable life on earth, This man failed to prepare for eternity, to store up for himself treasures in heaven. I wonder, would God place the same label upon you this evening tonight in the gospel? Would God call you a fool? You know, you might be a highly intelligent person. You might be an individual who is savvy with your finances. You might be an individual who is diligent in your affairs and yet foolish when it comes to the most important matter, the matter of your soul. You see, according to God, the fool is the one who takes no account of God, takes no account of their soul, takes no account of eternity. And let me ask you, You, who have taken no account of your soul. You, who has taken no account of God in your life. You, who has taken no account of eternity. What does then that make you? It makes you a fool, just like the man in Luke chapter 12. What if your soul was required of thee? You know, the Greek that we have here, I've said it before, but I remind you again. It says, hear thy fill this night, thy soul shall be required of thee. The literal rendering is this night, they shall require thy soul. They shall require thy soul. Well, if the angels take the believer into the presence of God, could it be, could it be that those who fell from their first estate, the wicked angels, they are involved in taking your soul down into hell? God only knows. They shall require thy soul. Where will your soul be in eternity? Will it enter the bliss of heaven? Will it enter the torments of hell? We've thought about the plenty bestowed, the plan proposed, a presumption expressed, a pronouncement declared. Let me close the gospel message by thinking about a point applied. See, in verse 21, the Lord Jesus Christ He applies the central truth taught in the story to the consciences of his hearers by showing them that the person who lays up treasure for themselves is not rich toward God. They are as much a fool as this man in Luke chapter 12. You see, this man enriched himself outwardly. but he impoverished his self inwardly. All he concerned himself about was time and self and pleasure and thought nothing of God. Now these riches would have enabled this man to buy him many a thing, But there were things that his money could not buy him. Could not buy him satisfaction. We've thought about that. For he's not satisfied with the barns that he already has. No, I need to pull them down. I need to build greater. It didn't buy him wisdom, because God called him a fool. It didn't buy him an extra day on earth, because God said this night, thy soul shall be required of thee. Now your earthly riches may buy you many a thing, but they can never buy you eternal life. They cannot buy you redemption, the redemption of your soul. They cannot buy you a place in heaven. These are only earthly riches. You need to seek heaven's riches. The riches of a conscience that is at peace with God, the riches of a sin record cleared, the riches of a home in heaven, the riches of being in the family of God. These are the riches that you need to seek after this evening. Seek those riches, and then you shall be rich with God and be rich toward God. With this I close some time ago in passing through the crowded streets of London, a Christian gentleman was attracted to a corner where in the midst of about 200 people there was a man dressed as a clown, moved with pity and moved with love for that man whose daily bread was in the performance In such a way of a clown, this man, this Christian man, he lifted up his heart in prayer to God. He pressed his way through the crowd and gave that clown a carefully selected gospel tract. The clown contemptuously looked at it. To the astonishment and to the dismay of the giver, he held it up to the crowd. He commenced reading it aloud. Word after word he read with wonderful distinctiveness, until at length his eye rested on the closing statement of that gospel tract, thy fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee. As he read it to all gathered, his body began to physically tremble with fear. He quickly left the place of performance, followed hastily after the Christian man. Such was the fear of God that had come upon that man's soul, that all that the man, Christian man, could get out of him as he tried to enter into conversation with him were the words, I'm lost! I'm lost! I'm lost! The Christian man spoke to him at length. He spoke to him about the cross, about the blood, and how he did no longer need to be a fool, but that he could be made wise unto salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. The man listened, drinking in every word of the man, the hardness Within the man's heart was softened by the Spirit of God. He was led by the Christian man to the foot of the cross. And he found forgiveness that day. He found forgiveness through the crucified Savior. Just because he read the tract with the words, thy fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee. Sinner, you have heard those words, but I do not see you trembling. I do not see you crying out, I'm lost. I'm lost. Oh, may tonight you abandon your foolishness. May this night you seek the pardoning of your sins, the cleansing away of sin's guilt and staying by the blood of Jesus Christ, and settle this matter once and for all. King Saul, he said, I have played the fool. And I tell you, sinner, having heard the gospel, if you die and go to hell, you will say in hail, I have played the fool. Now come to Christ, come to Christ, lest this night thy soul shall be required of thee. He never even got to enjoy the first grape of the harvest. He never got to enjoy the first orange from off the orange tree, because by that night, he was in God's great eternity. May God bring you to Christ, and may you be saved this very night, for Christ's sake. Let's bow our heads in prayer. Sinner, are you going to play the fool again? Are you going to die in your sin and where Christ is you'll never be? I tell you that's foolishness to the highest degree. The offer of the gospel is held out to you. Come, all things are now ready. There is a way to escape hell and judgment, and that's by hiding yourself in the wounds of Calvary. That's by repenting and trusting in Christ. Will you do that? Do you need help? Do you need help? I'm God's servant. I'm here to help you. You need to make that known. On your way out tonight, you need to take the hand of the preacher and say, I have played the fool. I'm a foolish man like this, farmer, because all I'm concerned about is the here and now, and I have given no thought about where my soul is going to be. And I need help with this. Well, I'll speak to you. Oh, may you come to Christ. May you be saved. May God, by his grace, bring you to the foot of the cross. May God bring you to Christ even tonight. Our loving Father and our gracious God, thou hast been good, That goodness has led many in this house to repentance. We thank Thee that out of His goodness, Thou didst send Thine only Son to die for sin on the cross and to take our punishment and to take our guilt and our shame and to pay the sin price to the full. Lord, we pray, O gracious Father, that us sinners see the goodness of God in the gospel that it would lead them to the place of repentance, deal with sinners, we pray. Let none be foolish and leave this house without seeking the Savior. But may this night be the night that individuals close in with the offer of God's mercy. And so answer prayer. part us with thy fear, and may, O God, the sinner become terribly afraid as they consider their lost and sinful state. Answer prayer, for we offer our petitions in and through Jesus, precious and worthy, and all glorious name. Amen and amen.