Returning to Matthew chapter 7 this evening, Matthew's gospel chapter 7. We'll begin our reading at verse 21 of Matthew chapter 7 and read to the end of the chapter. Matthew chapter 7, verse number 1, you'll know that the speaker here is the Lord Jesus Christ, and we want to hear what He has to say to us. Remember that as we read the word. It's not the word of a preacher. This is the words of Christ himself preserved for us by the Spirit of God. And so let's hear what the Savior says here in this sermon, Matthew chapter 7 and the verse number 21. Lord Jesus Christ said, not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. But he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven, many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works. Then will I profess unto them, I never knew you, depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon the house, and it fell not. for it was founded upon a rock. And everyone that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. It came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine, For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Amen. And we'll end our reading there at the end of the chapter number seven. And with the word before us open, let's unite in a word of prayer, please. Let's pray. Our heavenly Father, we do again approach thy throne, ever thankful for the opportunity to preach the gospel. We thank thee, O God, for thy leading and guiding up until this moment. We thank thee for a word given. And Lord, we pray that thou wilt help all who hear the word tonight preached. We pray they may understand that it is a word from God. God is speaking through the word. O may it be so. Lord, we cry, O God, that every little peace of resistance in this house might be subdued by an overwhelming sense of the divine presence of God, come at this moment in answer to prayer, touch us, O God, physically, touch us spiritually, and grant us, O God, the anointing of thy Holy Spirit, that I might exercise the ministry to which thou hast called me to, for I offer These are petitions and my petitions in and through your Savior's precious name. Amen and amen. Having concluded our little series of gospel messages for farmers last Lord's Day evening, I started to pray and I started to think about how the Lord would have me, how the Lord would direct me with respect to our gospel services. And as I did so, the Lord impressed upon my heart that farming not the only occupation that people are involved in within and without the congregation. When you read through the Word of God and through the Scriptures of truth, reference is made to a multiplicity of different occupations. There are many gospel texts and many passages of Scripture that lend themselves to a message with regard to some certain occupation. And so over the next little while, as the Lord will lead and guide in our gospel service, I want to preach some gospel messages that are geared towards various occupations that we have in the world. Now, as I want to say, as I did before, when we came to preaching on respect to farming, I want to emphasize that you don't have to be involved in the occupation itself. The word of God to impact your life. Lord Jesus Christ said, he that has ears to hear, let him hear. And I pray that if tonight, maybe you're not involved in the occupation that we'll think of, yet God by his spirit will open your heart, he'll open your ear. and that you'll hear the word that God would have for you. Just because I'll preach a message maybe some night on a fisherman or on a doctor doesn't mean that you have to have ever been on the high seas or in some hospital operating theater for that message to take a hold of your heart and bring you to saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, the danger is when you speak upon an occupation that you No, absolutely nothing off and there are people before you within the congregation who have been involved in that occupation for many years. There's always the problem that you're going to say something that is incorrect. You're going to leave yourself open to being challenged at the door. Well, I want to try and walk that tightrope over the next coming weeks and trust that God will help and God will lead and guide in all that I have to say. Tonight I want to preach A gospel message for a builder. A gospel message for a builder. And surely the passage that we have read together here, the end of Matthew chapter 7, brings us to consider those who are involved in such an occupation. Because as the Savior nears his Sermon on the Mount, in his closing remarks, he brings a personal challenge. He brings a final challenge to his hearers in the gospel. Some hyper-Calvinists could learn from the Savior when it comes to preaching. The greatest of preachers, the Lord Jesus Christ, believed in the personal application of the Word of God as the Word of God was preached. They didn't, or He didn't leave it to be so general. that the Word of God really was applied to no heart and to no life. And so we see the Savior applying the Word personally, bringing it home to his hearers, looking for a response at the end of this great sermon on the mount. He preached for a verdict. And every gospel preacher does that. As they preach the Word of God, they preach for a verdict. Now, who is in? Who is in the stand? Who is being judged within any gospel meeting? Who is it that's taken the stand? Well, it's always the Lord Jesus Christ. And tonight you're going to pass a verdict on the Lord Jesus Christ and His gospel. By the help of the Spirit of God, I pray that God will bring you to a decision with respect to what you're going to do about your soul and what you're going to do with the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now in his concluding remarks, Lord Jesus Christ speaks of two different hearers. One a wise hearer, the other a foolish hearer. And he likens those hearers to be like two builders who construct two houses on two different foundations. We want to consider what we have in the verses 24 through to the verse 27 and what gospel truths we can glean from these particular verses. A gospel message for a builder. Now the first thing that we see here in these closing words of Matthew 7, I want to turn your attention to, I want you to consider first of all the two builders. The two builders. Now it's not complicated, the outline tonight. You'll be glad to know that. Just simply we want to think about these two builders. Now these two builders are distinguished from each other by the Savior in the following way. One is described in verse 24 as a wise man. The other is called in verse 26, a foolish man. Now we have seen this division of humanity before, but let me repeat it. For emphasis sake, the human race, that race to which we belong to, is divided by God into two companies of people, and only two companies. Now the world subdivides the humanity into many other classes, based on gender, and the multiplicity they believe with respect to gender today, what we believe that there is only male and female, but not the world. The world believes that there are many different kinds of gender, and so they subdivide the world into various genders. They divide the world into ethnicity, where a person comes from, whether they're British or Irish, whether they're Asian, whether they're German or French or Italian. And so there is that division with respect to a person's culture, to their ethnicity, and then there are those and they subdivide the world with respect to the financial status of individuals. There are the poor and the rich, the affluent. There are the middle class, the upper class, the working class. But whenever it comes to God, God only subdivides humanity into two different groupings. There are those that are seen. There are those that are lost. There are those that are regenerate. There are those that are unregenerate. There are those who are righteous. There are others who are unrighteous. There are those who are children of God. And there are others who are children of the devil. And as we have here in Matthew chapter 7, there are those who are wise and there are those who are foolish. Now into which category of people you fall into is dependent on one thing, your relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. If you are to be identified with the saved, the regenerate, the righteous, the children of God, then you have to have more than a simple, casual relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. You have to know more than knowing about Him merely intellectually. You need to have a saving relationship with Christ, whereby you've been brought into saving union with the Christ of God. And so it's all dependent upon your relationship with Jesus Christ. So let me ask you, what is your relationship to Jesus Christ tonight? Do you know Him savingly? Has there been a moment, a juncture on the road of life, whereby you have turned from sin and you have received Christ as your Savior? A moment when all things passed away, and behold, all things became new. Has that been your personal experience? Now, there are a number of things that we can see about these two builders. Notice, first of all, that they set about the same task. They set about the same task. You see, both men within the parable of the Savior, they set about building a house. for themselves. The wise man, we're told, built his house upon a rock. The foolish man, verse 26, built his house upon the sand. Now, these houses were obviously going to provide shelter, shelter for them, a place of refuge, a place of refuge as the harsher elements of the weather would sweep into the land at some time or another, a place of safety. place of shelter, a place of refuge, each man starts to build. You see, both men come to an understanding that they needed a place of refuge. They needed a place of refuge when the storm would come in. And so they get to this building and the task that they set themselves to I see a picture of mankind as they build for eternity. You see, they understand, most of the human race understands, that there needs to be a place of refuge, a place of safety. Deep within your human heart there is this acknowledgement that there is a God and there is a day of accountability. Now Romans tells us that men and women, they suppress that by their unrighteousness, by their ungodly living, by their sinful living, they suppress the knowledge of God, they suppress this awareness that there is a God, I am a sinner, I am accountable to God and there's coming a day of storm, there's coming a day of judgment and thereby I need to meet God and in meeting God I need to find and I need to provide for myself a place of refuge. And so what the sinner does is that they begin to build. They begin to build and they begin to try and establish for themselves their own righteousness. They build on the foundation of morality, church attendance, charitable dealings with others, being a good neighbor, reading their Bible, saying their prayers, all the kinds of things, becoming involved in some cult or in some religion, and adhering to all of the dictates of that particular church, of that particular religion, of that particular cult, because they realize, I need a place of refuge. Others, they come to rest on the righteousness of Christ. They come to rest upon Him, who is the only solid foundation upon which anyone can face the storm of judgment. Let me ask you this evening, with the evident aging process taking its toll on your body, with death all around you, the demise even possibly of your own health. Have you come to understand? Have you come to that realization that you need a place of refuge? That you need somewhere to hide when God's judgment breaks upon this world? Can I inform you tonight that Jesus Christ is the only place of refuge. He's the only shelter in the time of storm. He's the only place of security upon whom we can hide. You see, it is those who have trusted in Him who have fled for refuge, as Hebrews 6, verse 18 tells us. And they have laid hold upon the hope that is set before them in the gospel. That's what the sinner does. That's what the Christian has done. They have fled for refuge. They have fled to Christ, they have fled to the place of safety, and they've laid hold of the hope that is set before them in the gospel. By faith, they have made Christ Savior and Lord and Master of their lives. They say with Wesley, other refuge have I none. hangs my helpless soul on thee. Levi, leave me not alone. Still support and comfort me. All my trust on thee is stayed. All my help in thee I bring. Cover my defenseless head with the shadow of thy wing. They set about. They set about the same task. But another common feature about these two men is that they accomplished the same goal. Having set about to build these houses, both men completed that building project. I'm sure those men, when they were putting their finishing touches on the respective structures, I'm sure they stood back. And I'm sure they admired the labor of their hands. If you had a look at those two structures, They would have seemed quite complete. They would have been as equally complete as the other, from floor to roof. There would have been nothing that you would have suspected that were different really about these two structures. All seemed to be well. Well, that was at least on the surface. There are those in this world, individuals even within the visible church of Jesus Christ, and they feel They have provided for themselves a suitable place of refuge. By the works of their own hands, they have constructed a shelter that they hope will withstand the coming storm of God's wrath. They stand back. They survey its edifice. They contend themselves that all is going to be well, and yet all will not be well. Because folks, while the two builders were much alike up until this point, Yet they were poles apart, because one was a wise builder and the other was a foolish builder. One's house was merely superficial, that which was on the mere surface. The other was substantial and grounded upon a good foundation. You see, these two men, these two men were different. These three builders were set apart. What was it that set them apart? It wasn't their levels of expertise when it came to the building profession. It wasn't their skills in construction. It wasn't even their eye to detail. But that which distinguished the two builders from each another was the basis upon which they built their place of refuge. And that brings us to consider not only two builders, but two foundations. This parable speaks of two foundations. The wise man is said to have built his house upon a rock. The foolish man is said to have built his house upon a sand. Now the word rock that Christ uses here when referring to the foundation upon which the wise man builds his house is not the Greek word petros. That word is translated rock in the New Testament, but it's not the word petros. Because the word petros means a movable stone, or a pebble, or a rock that can be moved. But this is not the word that Jesus Christ uses here within the parable. It is not the Greek word petros, but it is the Greek word petra. And that speaks about the bedrock. That's a rock that's beneath the soil. Whenever you strip the soil back and you hit rock, that which probably builders maybe don't want to hit too much because they are the person that's constructing, they'll realize that they'll have to spend a little extra bit of money to try and get that good foundation in place. But the bedrock, that solid, firm foundation, it's a foundation that is immovable, solid. never be shifted that's the very word the very word rock that jesus christ uses it's very interesting that this word petra is also used in other verses of scripture let me read three of them to you romans chapter 9 33 as it is written behold i lay in zion a stumbling block and rock of offense, and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. This is speaking of Jesus Christ, the rock of offense. 2 Corinthians 10 verse 4, And they did all drink of the same spiritual drink, for they drank of that spiritual petra, rock, that followed them, and that petra, that rock, was Christ. 2 Peter 2 verse 7 and 8, Unto you therefore which believe, He is precious. But unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock or a petra of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient, were unto us, so they were appointed. And this again is speaking about the Lord Jesus Christ. All three references speak about this rock. and they point to the rock as being Christ. Jesus Christ is the rock upon which men and women and boys and girls can build their hope for heaven. Christ is the rock of ages into which the sinner can build and can hide and seek refuge in and find themselves safe when the storm of judgment sweeps over this world. Let me ask you, have you built your life? Have you built your hope for heaven upon the rock of ages, the Lord Jesus Christ? There is something enduring when you build upon that rock. Something that will last. Something that will endure. Something that will remain stable when the storm of judgment breaks upon this world. On Christ, the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand. But in opposition to the rocky foundation, We have the sandy foundation upon which we are told, the foolish man builds his house. Now the word sand that we have in the verse 26 is the Greek word amos. And it really translates to mean sand as it is heaped on a beach. Sand as it is heaped up on a beach. It really has a thought behind it of a sand dune. If you know anything about sand dunes, you'll understand that a sand dune is a highly unstable structure. It's liable to shift even with someone walking over the top of a sand dune. It can cause the sand to run down right to the very ocean itself. They are highly unstable. They are liable to shift at any moment of time. And Christ says the man that builds his house upon that foundation is foolish. And of course we understand him to be such. Who would build on such a structure? Something that's going to crack. I'm sure some of you, maybe not say builders, could get into trouble, but maybe you who have a house, maybe you bought a new house, you have what is in that house that is known as, well this is what builders say, they call them settling cracks. I don't know whether they are or not, it depends. If you can put your fist through it, it's certainly not a settling crack, but there is that, obviously, you think of the weight that comes upon a foundation, and the windows go in, and the doors go in, and the tiles go in, and the shower goes in, and the tiles on the floor, and the wooden floors, and all the furniture goes in. You think of that structure bearing itself down. There's going to be settling cracks, obviously, but you don't understand whenever you build on sand. It's certainly not a strong foundation. There's gonna be more than just settling cracks whenever the storm comes. And we know that to be the case. We know the parable so well. You see, folks, men and women and boys and girls who feel to build their hope of heaven without Jesus Christ and without his crosswork, they're building on sand. They're building on the shifting sands of life Some may build their hope of heaven on the shifting sands of human opinion. What does my frame think about heaven? About hell? About God? About judgment? And so they build their hope on human opinion. What is really the thinking of the day with respect to spiritual matters? And they're going to find that building their hope of heaven, and their hope for eternity, and their hope beyond the grave on that sand, it's going to shift. And greed's going to be the fall of it. Others say, build it on human attitude. How do I feel today? Should I be saved? Some base it on human religion, others on human philosophy. And all of those grounds are going to be fine. No foundation at all when the storm blows and sweeps our hopes of heaven away. Now the reason why the wise man is said to have built his house upon the salt and sure foundation is because that individual not only heard the sayings of Christ, but he heeded the sayings of Christ. Notice what it says, therefore, verse 24, whoso heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them, and doeth them. Now, in contrast to the wise man, the foolish man who builds his house out of the sand is deemed foolish by Christ because he only hears the sayings of Christ, but he never does anything about those sayings. He never acts upon them. He never responds to the sayings of Christ. Notice what it says, verse 26. And everyone that heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them not. And that's the distinguishing point. That's the place of departure. That's where there is this distinguishing mark. There's a man and he hears the word, and he does it. And there's another man, he hears it. He hears it, but he doesn't do it. This is what makes him foolish or wise. When I was studying the parable, I asked then myself the question, and I trust that you're answering or asking the question, what sayings of Christ? You know, they are said that they have heard these sayings of mine. Well, what are they? Because folks, if my hope of heaven and my eternal welfare hinges on my acceptance or my rejection of the sayings of Christ, I need to understand what those sayings are. That's the automatic question that arises from this parable. Well, what are these sayings of Christ? I believe that we have some of them, just some of them, in this great sermon of Jesus Christ. And I want to point you to three of them. And as I look at these three, I want you to ask yourself the question, what have I done with this saying of Christ? That's a very simple question. What have I done with this saying of Christ? Because this will determine whether you're a wise builder or whether you're a foolish builder. So what are the sayings of Christ? Just turn back to Matthew chapter six in the verse 19 through to 21, and we'll look at this first saying of Christ. Matthew six, verse 19 to 21. Jesus Christ, the speaker, lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust do corrupt, doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." The Savior was reminding his hearers that day that there are treasures. There are treasures that endure. There are treasures that will pass away. And if all that a person does is to lay up and hoard up for themselves the treasures of earth, treasures that pass away, and they give no thought about laying up for themselves treasures in heaven, well then they are foolish people indeed. Foolish indeed. There are many in this world tonight, maybe even someone in this meeting. Your only concern is about laying up for yourself earthly treasures. But have you laid up for yourself treasures in heaven? Is your heart in heaven? It was Rutherford, I believe, who said that Christ, whenever he was converted, Christ stole his heart and carried it away to heaven. And that's what happens. Whenever you're genuinely saved, not physically, obviously, your heart still beats, but your affections, your desires, may become heavenly. That becomes your focus, your aim, your goal. All you desire is to see the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven extended. And you desire nothing but wealth there and treasure there. I ask you this evening, is there a crown of righteousness waiting for you in heaven? Because that's one of the treasures. You might have property here on earth, but have you any real estate in heaven? If ye have any property in heaven, is a mansion prepared for you in glory? Are the title deeds, as it were, in your hand by faith? Is there someone whom God has prepared for you? Sinner, do not expend all your time and all your strength and all your days in providing simply for the here and now. Let your chief concern be to prepare for eternity, to have treasures in heaven, to have treasures awaiting you there. Make sure you have a title to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Only you can answer honestly in your own heart whether or not You have been laying off for yourself treasures in heaven. Only the Christian can do that. Have you been laying off for yourself treasure in heaven? It is a saying of Christ. Have you done it? Have you done it? The second saying of Christ is the one found in Matthew 6, verse 33. But seek ye first. the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added on to you above everything else that we are to seek after. Jesus Christ said that you are to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. What did he mean? He simply meant make sure you're a citizen of the kingdom of God, and make sure that you have the righteousness of Christ on your account. Seek those things. Seek your place in heaven. Seek a clothing for you in the righteousness of Christ, and everything else will fall into its rightful place. The Lord Jesus Christ said to Nicodemus one day, and I say unto you that except a man be born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God. How do you become a citizen of the kingdom of God? You become a citizen by the new birth, by being born again of the Holy Spirit, by experiencing salvation within the soul. That's how you become. a member, a citizen of the kingdom of God. Now you may be concerned in building your own little kingdom here in this world, but what about the kingdom of God? Are you sure of your place in that kingdom? Without the new birth, Jesus Christ said, you'll not even see it, never mind get into. the kingdom of God. You'll not even see it. You'll not even see the kingdom of God. Never mind. Get into it. And what about the righteousness of Christ? Do you place any value on the righteousness of Christ? It is only by the righteousness of Christ, imputed to us, made over to us, that we can find acceptance before God, thereby sinners It is imperative of you, it is imperative that you cast away your rags of self-righteousness tonight and be closed again and closed alone in the righteousness of Christ if you were ever to find acceptance before God. So this is a saying of Christ. Let me ask you, have you been seeking first the kingdom of God? and his righteousness, because it is the one who not only hears that saying, but the one that does that saying is a wise man who builds upon a rock. The third saying of Christ is found in Matthew 7, verse 13 and 14. Enter ye in at the street gate, for wide is a gate, and broad is a way, that leadeth to destruction. And many there be which go in thereat, because straight is a gate, and narrow is a way, which leadeth on to life, and few there be that find it." Now the word straight does not refer to its non-crookedness. It doesn't refer to its non-twisted state, that's not the word straight. The word straight means to be pent up, to be made narrow by obstacles standing in the way. And when Christ uses that word straight, he's referring to the fact that entering into the straight gate and entering into the place and entering into the position whereby we eventually are brought to enjoy the glory of heaven itself. That way that gate is narrow, it's pent up. It's obstructed by many an obstacle. And it requires a sinner to strive to enter in. It requires for them to put effort, to put all of their energy with all of their thinking into the very thought that I need to get to Jesus Christ. I need to be born again. I need to enter through this straight gate if I am ever to enjoy everlasting eternal life. without entering the street gate, a sinner remains on the broad way. We are told that that broad way leadeth to destruction, eternal destruction. By just staying in your sin, by just remaining as you are presently, spiritually speaking, you will end up in God's hell. We're born in sin, wholly depraved, without any ounce of righteousness that whereby we can claim our right to glory. None of us possess such a claim. None of us possess such a righteousness. And thereby, by nature, we're all on the broad way. There must come a time, a moment, a meeting. Maybe for some, it will be this meeting. whereby you leave the narrow or the broad way. You step on to the narrow way as you enter through the straight gate. Now before us is a saying of Christ. He has said to enter in at the straight gate. Let me ask you, what have you done with that saying of Jesus Christ? You have heard it before. Tonight it has been repeated in your hearing. But what have you done with that saying of Jesus Christ? Have you regarded it? And by faith have you left a life of sin behind? And have you now become one who now walks in new obedience? Or have you disregarded the saying of Christ? Because he that heareth my saying and doeth it not, is like the foolish man who built a house upon a sand, and the storm came, the house fell, and great will be the fall of it. And what about his other sayings? Repent ye and believe the gospel. Ye must be born again. What about those sayings? He that heareth and doeth them, I will like him to be a man, a wise man, who builds his house upon the rock. The parable brings to our attention two builders. The parable brings to our attention two foundations. The parable brings to our attention one storm. one storm. We're told that upon both houses, and you can read verse 25 and verse 27 and you'll find the exact same words are used. You find that the rain descended, the floods came, the winds blew and beat upon both houses. The exact same storm came to test the stability of both buildings. Scripture reminds us that there is a day of testing ahead for each and every one of us. There's coming a day when every man's work is going to be made manifest. Because on that day, the day is going to declare it. It's going to be revealed by fire, we're told in 1 Corinthians 3 verse 13. And the fire shall try every man's work. of what sort it is. And it is only those who have built their hope of heaven upon the foundation of Jesus Christ, the rock, that will find themselves safely through the day of testing and in the time of storm. There is a day of accountability before us all. Romans chapter 14 verse 10 tells us, For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. The storm is coming. Now the judgment for the saint of God is not the same as the judgment for the sinner, but it is a judgment nonetheless. Our works will be tried, the Christian. Your decision, sinner, for Christ will be tried. But God someday is going to blow the wind of judgment and he's going to rain the rain of judgment, and he's going to send the flood of judgment, and when he does, some in this meeting house are going to be able to stand, and some in this meeting house are going to fall. I say, sinner, the storm clouds are gathering, the signs of the time are pointing to the fact that the final storm of God's judgment is about to break upon this world. The rising tide of sin and wickedness within our nation is a precursor of the day of the Lamb's wrath. The day of His wrath has come. Who shall be able to stand? Who will stand that day when the Lamb arises and all of the fury and all of the wrath pent up because of man's sin. Whenever the storm breaks, the storm of God's judgment, the deluge comes, and God in His wrath comes to judge this world. I ask you, will you be found in a suitable place of refuge? Will you be found in a place of safety? Will you find yourself in a place of refuge from the coming storm of God's wrath? I say the only place of refuge is in the blood of the Lamb. That's the only place of refuge. One storm. The storm came to test both buildings. I say, do not wait for that day. before you concern yourself about what foundation you have built upon for your hope of heaven and your hope of eternal life. Two builders, two foundations, one storm. Lastly, quickly, two aftermaths. Two aftermaths. The house that was built on the rock, it withstands the storm because it's built on the foundation. which built his house upon a rock. Verse 25, why did it not fall? The end of the verse, for it was founded upon a rock. Thank God the Christian has nothing to fear with respect to the storm that's about to break, and I'll tell you the reason why, because the storm will not break on me. And Christian, it'll not break on you. But thank God it already broke and the person of Jesus Christ at the cross of Calvary. He endured the storm. Do you remember the story of the ark? Noah's in the ark, and the children, and the wife, and the animals. Noah did not bear the brunt of the storm. No, the ark did. The ark took the storm. It took the bellows, and the wheels, and the wind. And it endured the storm. And in this we see a picture of Christ. He endured the storm for us on the cross of Calvary. We have nothing to fear. Thank God when that storm breaks. Thank God it has already exhausted itself on the person of Jesus Christ. Thank God for that. We'll stand the storm. We'll be brought safely through the storm. But not for the sinner. not for you, sinner, but the house that's built on the mere sand. We are told that it fell, and great was the fall of it." You see, that storm, it really swept away the pretense It exposed for all to see, those that couldn't see previous to this, it exposed for them to see the faulty foundation upon which the foolish man had built his house. I wonder on the day of judgment, will the faulty foundation upon which you have built your hope of heaven, will it be exposed for all to see? to be merely a sandy foundation. Can I say that a mere profession of faith is no foundation upon which any person should ever build their hope of heaven. It will be found to be but a foundation of sand. I tell you it's all very well and good hearing God's word. It's all very well and good listening to the Word of God and what He says to you through His Word. We're glad to see you in the house of God tonight. You've listened well. Time's over. We're going to close. But sinner, it's not simply merely listening to God's Word. You need to respond to God's voice in the Word. You need to respond positively. to his offer to you in the gospel. You need to do what he bids you to do in the gospel, to come and be saved from your sin. Will you do that tonight? Will you not only be a hearer of the word, but will you be a doer of the word? I pray that you will, or else great will be the fall of you when the final storm breaks in upon the world. Which builder are you? A wise builder or a foolish builder? The wise one will not only have heard God's Word tonight, but they will respond and do what God has said for you to do in the gospel. May God bring you to the place where you begin building upon Christ the solid rock. May this evening you come to Christ and be saved. May God bless His word to our hearts. Let's bow our heads in prayer. I want to say that I'm here as always. Maybe God has spoken to you in recent weeks, maybe not tonight, but maybe recently. You just can't get away from the gospel. Something's taken a hold of your heart. You realize that all is not well, spiritually speaking. You understand your responsibility, maybe as a parent, children coming up around your feet, and there you are, you're not a Christian. Do you understand your need of Christ? Why not speak to us at the door? Maybe you're a long time person who's come to this house for many a year. You're still not saved. Why not come to Christ tonight? Don't be foolish. Don't be foolish. Be wise. Oh, that they were wise. May God make you wise unto salvation through the gospel and through the word tonight. Let's pray. Our loving Father, we do cry to thee that thou wilt take of thy word and apply it to some individual, to some heart, to some life. We're aware, O God, that it is by faith It is by faith, the mixing of the word with faith that brings profit to the soul. Oh God, mix this word with faith tonight and all of its weakness as it has been delivered. Oh God, help the sinner to assess the foundation. Oh, may there be a building survey done by the Holy Ghost in this house. May sinners come to understand that they've been building upon sand that's shifting and will be unstable and will not endure the storm. Help them to understand it, Lord. Help them to flee to the rock of ages. Oh, may they hide in him. May they seek refuge in Him. And so answer prayer, and glorify thy Son, and save the sinner, restore the backslider, and encourage us, thy people. For we pray these are petitions in and through your Savior's precious name. Amen and amen. Thank you for listening. Appreciate it.