I thank Mr. McClung for the invitation to be here and for his warm words of welcome. I was asking him who you had at your convention meetings. You had the moderator, you had the deputy moderator. I said, what am I doing in the middle of it? Well, we're glad to be here. We trust the Lord will come. When all's said and done, salvation is of the Lord. And if the spirit of the Lord isn't working, it'll not matter who's in the pulpit. But we trust that he will be pleased to undertake for us tonight. We would covet your prayers for Bush Mills. It's not the biggest congregation in the country, but the Lord's blessing. And as you probably know, we retired from Tully Vallon, it's two and a half years, coming up to three years now, and went to live in Ballamoney. We were actually trying to get the house sold, and nobody was interested, and we couldn't understand why. Then the Lord showed us. He was keeping us there for Buis Mills. We were invited to take on the work there because they were without a pastor, and we moved in with something like eight people, with the Lord's blessing. The eighth is now somewhere at 15 or 16. We have a children's meeting running. and normally we get about 18 children on a Thursday night and they come from rough backgrounds. You may have heard the news this week, both males made the news this week, a couple of pipe bombs. That was in a housing estate known affectionately as Dodge City. That sums it up well. It's a dive. It's run by paramilitaries and I don't know who was involved in the pipe bombing. but it was a couple of homes in that housing estate. But that's where we're getting a number of these children from. And out of that we have some who attend a Sunday school, something that Bushmills didn't have for a few years. The Lord has been pleased to bless. We've seen a number of people sealed. We had the joy of seeing a dear lady from Fort Stewart. Her and her husband started to attend about a year and a half ago. She was an alcoholic. We did a mission in October of that year, and her and her husband were there about four times, I think. Then every Sunday night after the mission concluded, there they were. And she sat there with tears running down her face. The Lord was dealing with her. And the Sunday night before Christmas, we had a wee cup of tea for everybody. And that lady came with the tea in her hand and said, I can't go on. I need the Lord. with the joy of pointing her to the Saviour and rejoicing. She's a trophy of grace. You might pray for her husband. He's still not saved, yet he attends faithfully. That's just something. We've had others who have professed faith. Quite a number of children have been saved in recent times. We're thankful for that. The Lord indeed is doing a work Do remember some prayer then for the mission that's coming up beginning next Lord's Day. I trust the Lord will be pleased to bring the right people in and speak to hearts and save souls by His grace. Can I invite you to turn please to the book of the Psalms and the Psalm number 39. Psalm 39. Psalm of David, and we're reading from the opening verse. In verse 1, I said, I will take heed to my ways that I sin not with my tongue. I will keep my mouth with a bridle while the wicked is before me. I was dumb with silence. I held my peace even from good, and my sorrow was stirred. My heart was hot within me, While I was musing the fire burned, Then spake I with my tongue, Lord, make me to know mine end, In the matter of my days what it is, That I may know how frail I am. Behold, thou hast made my days as in hand breadth, And mine age is as nothing before thee. Verily, every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah. Surely every man walketh in a vain show. Surely they are disquieted in vain. He heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them. And now, Lord, what wait I for? My hope is in Thee. Deliver me from all my transgressions. Make me not the reproach of the foolish. I was dumb. I opened not my mouth, because thou didst it. Remove thy stroke away from me. I am consumed by the blow of thine hand. When thou with rebukest this correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth. Surely every man is vanity. Selah. Hear my prayer, O Lord. and give ear unto my cry. Hold not thy peace at my tears, for I am a stranger with thee and a sojourner, as all my fathers were. Oh, spare me that I may recover strength before I go hence and be no more." May the Lord bless the reading of his Word. With God's Word open before us, let's just unite our hearts for a moment in prayer, please. We need His help. We turn to His Word. May you pray this evening that the Lord would speak to your heart that we have not saved you especially should we pray, Lord, don't let me miss hearing thy speaking voice. Our loving Father, we thank thee for an open door in Newton Abbey tonight. We thank thee for the witness of this house down the years. We thank Thee for the opportunity that has been presented in this district, that men and women and young people must be without excuse, because the Word has been faithfully proclaimed from this place. We thank Thee for all who have gathered this evening. We pray, Lord, that as we look into Thy Word, that Thou Thyself will come, come as the author of the book, take this frail vessel of clay, grant us the unfilling of Thy Holy Spirit, give utterance in the things of God, Lord, by Thy Spirit, take Thine own Word, take what is of Thyself, carry it home to every waiting heart, and especially, Lord, for any who are without Christ tonight, oh, we pray, give grace, give wisdom, give the gift of repentance and faith. Grant that dear souls might close in I wisely close in, in time, seek the Lord while He may be found. Undertake for us now, we pray of Thee, make Thy Word to be a blessing to our hearts. In Jesus' name, Amen. Verse 7 of the psalm reads, And now, Lord, what wait I for? My hope is in Thee. True religion is a solemn thing because it deals with eternal realities. If only we could Get men today to understand that eternity is forever. People live in this scene of time as if they're never going to die. Or if they do die, then somehow there'll be some place of euphoria where they'll drift off to and nothing has to change. It'll just all work out. If only we could get home to people's hearts that because we're born in sin, people don't like that word, born in sin and sin must be dealt with. And sin brings its repercussions. That person who dies in sin is going to be lost forever. I wonder, did the young man in Paris think about this when he got that young policewoman by the throat the other day and ended up being shot dead? What does he think of it now? Had he any thoughts about eternity? Isn't this the sort of thing that goes on all the time? People live as if there were no No tomorrow. No day of reckoning. Scripture makes some matters very plain. And those matters need to be given attention. These are Scriptures that we're all familiar with. Romans 3.23, where all have sinned. If only we could get that home to people's hearts and minds. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. James 1.15, sin when it is finished. Bringeth forth death. People don't want to know. What it really means is everlasting separation from God, and therefore separation from mercy. And there's no going back. You can't put the clock back. If a person dies unsaved, unrepentant, unready, unconverted, he's lost forever. People talk about the brevity of life, and it is short. No matter how many years we get in this scene of time, it's just a blink. The couple in Bushmill are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this week, and we were congratulating them this morning. It says it doesn't seem like it. It feels like yesterday. I'm glad marriage is so good to them. They're enjoying it. It hasn't been a drudgery. But isn't life brief? I remember talking to a man in Norwich one day, he was 92, no thought of salvation, no thought about dying, preparing to die, never thought of what he said. 92 years, it's only a short, it's only a blink, but eternity's forever. Our finite minds can't begin to take that in forever. Never-ending. And therefore, to die without a Saviour is to be forever lost in the darkness of that place the Bible calls hell. They don't like us talking about that, do they? They don't. But it's forever. And the lovely thing about it is, 2 Peter 3 and 9, the Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering to us. We're not willing that any should perish. But then all should come to repentance. Oh, if I could only get people to see that. You know, if a soul does nothing about his own needs and doesn't seek the Savior, if he dies without Christ and goes to a lost eternity, he can't blame the Lord. It's not God's will that anybody should go there. The Lord has provided a wonderful free salvation. Have you got it tonight? Luke 13, 3. Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. The dogs in the street really know these verses, don't they? Yet people still go on, and it doesn't seem to register with them. Mark 1 15, the time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent ye and believe the gospel. People don't want to hear it. 1 Timothy 1.15, Christ Jesus committed the world to save sinners. Praise the Lord. John 3.18, he that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed. In the name of the only begotten Son of God. Acts 4 and 12, neither is there salvation in any other. It's not in good works. You know, this country of ours, despite all its gospel privileges, this land of ours is coming down with Protestant potpourri. The number of so-called Protestants who believe that they'll work their way to heaven is outstanding. Isaiah 55 and 56, "...seek ye the Lord while he may be found." And that suggests that there is a time when the Lord will not be found. Because He has said in His Word, "...my spirit shall not always strive with man." That's a verse that arrested me as a teenager. Well, it's not very gratifying to be considered a sinner, sure it's not. What about the young man who was speaking in a school in Belfast just recently, was it last week? An audience of 450 young people? And after, I mean, he was just telling those young people the simple gospel. He showed them how that we're all born in sin and that we need a Savior. He did his best to warn them that we'd have to meet God one day, and that our sin must be dealt with. And he had protestors, or rather the headmaster, had twenty phone calls protesting. These young people took the message home to their parents. How dare he come and tell our children that they are sinners in the sight of God? This is so-called Protestant Ulster. People don't want to hear it. They don't want the message. David here, well, At the time of writing these words in this psalm, he has already come to exercise faith in Christ. David here is a saved man. He is trusting in the Lord for full salvation. However, as we take the thoughts that he expresses here, we want to apply them to any that are not saved tonight. And what we do, we discover not only where the sinner stands, but we learn what he must do to put matters right between himself and God. And beloved, please, get this tonight. If you are not saved, you need to give heed to this word. Let's have a look at what David says here. A few things of what I notice. First of all, his meditation. We're in this seventh verse. Now Lord, what wait I for? My hope is in Thee. Notice his meditation here. He exercises wisdom. In his opening remarks in verse 1 he says, I will take heed to my ways. It's a good place to start, isn't it? You know, when somebody doesn't want to take heed to his life, doesn't show any concern as to where he is with God, doesn't even want to consider eternity, that should cause alarm bells to ring. I have been hunted away from many a person's front door because they don't want to hear. They don't want the message of salvation. They don't want to be told they're sinners. And they say, there's the gate, you come in and get out of it. When a pure soul, unsaved, is headed for utter and everlasting destruction and isn't concerned, that, beloved, is a grave matter. That is very serious. People are dying all around us, and who cares? Some folk will shrug their shoulders and say, well, sure, we all have to die. So what? But that's the whole thing. We do have to die. It's about the only thing that's guaranteed in this life, is death. The difference is that those same people who talk like that, well, they'll have to die themselves one day. But again, if they die unseen, if they're not prepared before they die, their souls are going to be lost. This is so crucial. It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this, the judgment. And that's the bit that people don't want to consider. John Blanchard said we will go past the judgment seat of Christ in single file. And everyone will stand on his own before God to give an account. An account of what? The deeds done in the body? Yes. given account of what he or she has done with God's Son. Those who reject God's offer of mercy are, in effect, nailing Christ afresh to the cross. They don't want Him. They don't want His sacrifice. They want their sin. And that face-to-face encounter with Almighty God will be something that will cause all ungodly men to shake in their boots, because there will be no hiding place. Isn't it lamentable today, beloved, that there's so little fear of God these days? People have no idea just how terrifying it would be to meet God unprepared. He has the power to banish men's souls to the lake of fire forever because of sin. And people don't care. Beloved, you need to care. You may be concerned about what you're doing the rest of this evening. Maybe you're considering soon the bedtime. You're thinking about how I have to get up early in the morning. I need to make sure of the breakfast. I have this to do and I have that to do this week. You could have all sorts of concerns and they may be perfectly legitimate. But have you given any concern to eternity? Because There are people in this province tonight who are not going to see tomorrow morning. They'll be in eternity before midnight strikes. If you're one of them, where will you be? We're not scaremongering. We just want everybody to face up to the truth. This is what's wrong these days. People don't want to face it. They want to run away and hide from it. But it's going to hit them someday. Every man, woman, young person needs to do what the Psalms did here. He said, I will take heed to my ways. You need to examine your heart, beloved, and see how it is between you and God. If God sends His angel tonight with an arrest warrant, and it's got your name on it, and you're summoned away, are you ready to go? Tell me what else matters. But the psalmist goes further here. He says, I take heed to my ways that I sin not with my tongue. There's a lot of sin committed with the tongue, isn't there? Men can utter falsehoods. speak deception with the tongue, they express hatred, even utter blasphemies, all with the tongue. But God's Word on the matter is this..." Now listen to it. Matthew 12, 36, 37, "...but I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." It's all going down in the record. every word you and I speak. What a deadly weapon the tongue is betide. Psalm 10, 4, and 7 read, The wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God. God is not in all his thoughts. Under his tongue is mischief and vanity. And isn't it so that what's in the well of the heart shows up in the bucket of the speech? Oh, the tongue's a giveaway, isn't it? So often a man's conversation is a dead giveaway as to what kind of person he really is. Tell me, beloved, what does your conversation say about you? If your words were to be taken as a barometer reading of the condition of your heart, what would they tell us? You may try to use the right words when you're talking to some Christian. Some people are like the chameleon, they can blend in the best every scene with the background. But if we could hear you when you're among your own circle of friends on a social occasion or something, what's it like then? Are you found talking the language of the damned? Don't we hate hearing bad language in this old world? There's some people out there, and if it wasn't for swear words, they'd almost be dummies. Well, here's the psalmist. He's prepared to examine himself. He has thought upon his own way, and that brought him to think upon the Lord. Verse 3, My heart was hot within me, he says, while I was musing the fire burned. Then spake I with my tongue. He's like a sinner who has come to his senses. He has realized his lost condition and made the wise decision to call upon the name of the Lord. But that is what you need to do if you are not saved tonight. Thank God the promise of God's Word is, Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. You need to believe that. You need to do something about it. Notice secondly here in his supplication, verses 4 and 5. Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my day as what it is, that I may know how frail I am. Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth, and mine age is as nothing before thee." A handbreadth. Not very wide, sure it's not. An insect could crawl across that in a few seconds. That's the way he sees life. So brief. His years are as nothing compared with the eternality of God. When he considered the measurelessness of Almighty God and the frailty of puny man, he thought to himself, why should I worry what men think of me? Every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Let him be healthy, wealthy, or otherwise, his life is no more than a puff of hot air. Men's pursuits, their actions, their desires, their anxieties, their fears, They're all for nothing if they don't know the Lord. They're all in a masquerade deceiving themselves, deluded by the arch-magician, the God of this world, who has blinded their mind. Oh, surely worldly cares lead nowhere. Surely temporal anxieties are in vain. They produce nothing worthwhile in life. They don't terminate in any good, and they certainly do nothing for the glory of God. And when man is finally in his grave, Who's going to gather all the riches he has accumulated and left behind? It's all a waste of effort. I've often said to people, especially in funeral circumstances, it doesn't matter what size of a house you're carried out of. The only thing that matters is where are you now? Where are you going after death? Why heap up riches for somebody else to gather? Am I not walking in a vain show, he asks. And in light of this contemplation here, he utters the words of verse 7, And now, Lord, what may I for? My hope is in thee." Now he's getting somewhere. He's come to his senses. He realizes that if he had all that the world could give him, it's really nothing. It's nothing if he hasn't got the Lord as his Savior. Suddenly he realizes the truth of these words that we find in Mark 8.36. For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world? and lose his own soul. And nobody's going to gain the whole world. Even though some might have it in their heads that they could. It's never going to happen. But if they could, what is it? Leave it all behind. If you haven't got Christ, you're nothing. Now Lord, what wait I for? Now that I have observed the brevity of my own life and the endlessness of eternity, what am I waiting for? What conclusion can I come to? Now you notice what he didn't wait for. He didn't wait for the opinions of men. He didn't go out among the ungodly to see if they would advise him on this issue. I mean, if he were to do that, if he were to go and ask them, I wonder what they'd have said. If you were to ask your companions, beloved, about being saved, what would they say? Would they laugh at you? Well, if they're not saved, they probably will. Would they tell you, well, you don't want to be bothered with that stuff yet. Time enough worrying about that when you're going to die. Are you? That prompts A simple question, when are you going to die? You don't know, sure you don't. That's why you have to be ready now. What would the response be? Would some say, I know you're right, but that's not for me. You go ahead, but I'm not going to do that. Would their attitude, beloved, keep you from coming to Christ? Would you put it off on account of your friends? If you allow your friends to keep you from coming to Christ, they're not really your friends. And you'll not realize that until you come to Christ. Beloved, if you don't quit with sin and receive Christ into your heart to be your own personal Savior, you'll die in sin and hell will be your portion. forever. Now, there's no preacher who gets any thrill out of saying that. It's an awful truth. It's a truth we must face up. Let that truth get into your heart. We're talking reality here. This isn't just something that churches talk about to pass the time. We're not just talking religion. We're talking about where you are going when you die. Let me put the question to you that the psalmist put to himself. He said, what wait I for? What are you waiting for? If you're not saved tonight, what are you waiting for? I was asked to visit a man in the Royal before Christmas at November time. He was at death's door and he knows the Gospel. He brought him to a Christian home. He's in his thirties. He knows the Gospel. Not saved. He was going in for an operation and the doctor didn't even want to do the operation because he says you've only a 20% chance of coming through this alive. He went into the operation knowing he's not saved and knowing he could die on the operating table. I visited with him. I asked him, what are you waiting for? Why are you not saved? He says, I don't really know. And the Lord, in His mercy, brought him through that operation. We still don't see it. And by his own confession, he said, God has been good to me. See, this is the fourth time the Lord has spared my life. What's he waiting for? Now, you could be in good health. Maybe no prospect of your death anyway soon. That's not to say it's not coming soon. It may be. You could be dead before morning. But if you don't see Him, why not? What are you waiting for? I mean, hasn't the Lord done everything that is necessary to purchase salvation for you? If there was anything more he could do, he'd have done it. But it's all done. The work's finished. All you have to do is receive it by faith. Why not? What are you waiting for? Is it not a foolish deception to think that you can keep putting it off? Yes, the devil's lying. The Bible clearly states that now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. Not tomorrow, but now. What are you waiting for? You know, if you wait, beloved, until you think the time's right, like that man in Bushmills, you wait till you think the time's right, you'll never be saved. The devil will see to it that time's never right. But it's not your time you need to be worried about. It's God's. And God says now is the accepted time. Now is the day of salvation. Come now and let us reason together. Though your sins be as scarlet this evening as white as snow. Isn't the Lord merciful? Hebrews 3, 7 and 8. Today you will hear His voice harden not your hearts. Beloved, don't gamble with your soul. Notice thirdly here is affirmation. Verse 7, My hope Now, the writer here has looked at life and has discovered it is so fickle, so insecure, so uncertain, so brief. He's come to realize that he needs something secure to hold on to. Something that will give him comfort when it comes to dying. You may say, Preacher, why do you talk so much about death and dying? Simply, beloved, because that's the only thing you can be sure of. Therefore, it's imperative. You're ready now. I remember sitting in school and a careers officer was exhorting the students to work hard and strive after the best jobs and get yourself a secure future and all the rest. And yes, we have to work hard in school. I'd hate to be back at it, mind you, but we did work hard. Didn't prove much, but we did our best. But you know, that careers officer, I remember coming out of that and thinking, it's as if we're here forever, but we're not. Jobs are important while we're here. But life is so brief. Eternity is forever. And so the salvation of the soul is infinitely more important than any job prospect. Here's a man, and he has discovered that his most valuable possession is his soul. And for that reason, he wants to know that his soul is in the safest place possible, so that when death comes to take him away, he knows he's going to be secure for all eternity. That's wisdom. Hence, he puts his trust in God. He has anchored his soul in the haven of rest. He's resting on the blessed rock of ages. My hope is in thee, he says, not in himself. Too many are quite happy in their own minds that because they live a decent life, they'll be alright for heaven. That's a big mistake for the simple reason that all our righteousness is not doing the best you can. It's all as filthy rags. And no matter how decent a life a person may live, if he's not saved, he's lost. and will be for all eternity. If a man has not got the imputed righteousness of Christ, he has nothing. And you only have that by receiving Christ by faith. Nothing else will suffice. How often do we sing that lovely hymn, My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name. My hope is in me, not in myself, not in some church, not in some religious creed. It is not the church that saves, it is Jesus Christ. This man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down. Thank God the work is finished. Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. Why do men despise Him today? Isn't it because they want to hold on to their sin? There can be no other reason. But if men don't want to, if they don't and won't repent of their sin, then they're never going to be in heaven. I've lost count of the number of people that have been talking to They fondly dream of being in heaven, but they want to take their sin with them. And they want a heaven that doesn't have God in it. They're living in cloud cuckoo land. My hope is in thee. This is reality. And when you wait on the Lord, if you truly wait on Him, spend time in His presence with His Word, you soon begin to see Him for who He really is. You see the nail prints on His hands and feet, the mark of the spear on His side, the imprint of the thorns upon His brow, wounds that He bore for you, beloved, and for me. It was your sin and my sin that put Him on the cross, but He took your place so you could go free. Oh, I love that doctrine of substitution. The psalmist here has recognized Christ has satisfied divine justice for him. That's why he could say with confidence, My hope is in thee. If he bore the wrath that was due to me, and I claim him as mine, then I go free. That's the gospel. You put your hope and trust in him. I saw pictures recently of hundreds if not thousands of people along the edge of the River Ganges in India. And they all wade into the water. Do you know what for? They're hoping to wash away their sins in what they call a sacred river. It's sad. We're not mocking them. We're not belittling them. They're blinded. They've probably never been told the truth, but ye have. Ye know that ye'll never get your sins taken away by washing in a river, but ye will by washing in the blood of Jesus Christ by faith. Notice fourthly here is consternation. Verse six, surely every man walketh in a vain show. Surely they are disquieted in vain. He heapeth up riches and knoweth not who shall gather them. Well, just about everybody in this world wants to get his hands on as much riches as he can. But nobody seems to think of the rich man as being caught in a trap, but many are. Not all, but many are. David was a rich man. He's king, after all. But he's a man who got his eyes opened. He was able to see beyond the trappings of earthly wealth. More than that, his heart was moved now to love the Lord. See, he discovered the emptiness of a life lived without God. And he recognized that just what treasures are to be found in knowing and trusting Him. All his hopes, all his expectations now rest upon him. You know, whenever David died, he died, as 1 Chronicles 29 records, in a good old age, full of days, riches and honour. But when he was lying on his deathbed, David saw things in a sharper focus. He saw men labouring for wealth with the life they lived to reach. And the goal they were aiming at, he said, it was one of unreality, unrest. It was all a vain show, as he saw it. He saw the pursuit of earthly treasures being like a traveller in the desert, whose tongue is swollen by thirst. The traveller sees an oasis, or thinks he does, and he staggers over the burning sand toward it with arms outstretched to find that it suddenly just disappears in front of him. It was all a mirage, and he falls to the ground in bitter disappointment. There was nothing there. It only looked as though there was. But that's life without Christ. There's no substance, nothing concrete to hold on to when it comes to dying. And that's the dilemma that too many are found in tonight. You may have yourself convinced that you're having a good time in this world, The devil will want you to think that the more you can have of the things of this world, the more amusement you can get involved in, the more satisfaction you're going to find. It's a mistake. It's all a lie. God has so created man that nothing and nobody can satisfy the soul of man but God himself. God has created man with a vacuum that only the Lord can fill. There is life for a look at the crucified one. The Lord Jesus says in John 10.10, I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. But then isn't it his own lament, that you will not come to me that you might have life? Why not? Does this not suggest that man thinks he knows better than God? He'll tell the Lord where life is found. It's a sad delusion, isn't it? It doesn't matter what kind of good time this world or the devil may promise you, beloved. Nothing. will match the life that Christ gives. The peace of God passes all understanding. Ask anybody who's saved. Ask that man who used to be drunk every night. Since God saved him, has he a desire to go back to the old life? Would he like to go back to the pubs? Not a bit of it. Ask the poor wretch who has sunk to the depths of depravity if she would swap God's salvation for her old life back again. A million times no. Burdened one, why will you longer bear sorrows from which He releases? Open your hearts and rejoicing, share life more abundant in Jesus. Very quickly, in closing, notice his expectation. Verses 7 and 8, Now, Lord, what wait I for? My hope is in Thee. Deliver me from all my transgressions. Make me not the reproach of the foolish. And you notice that he didn't wait for the opinions of other men. Nor did he wait for any worldly advantage from his religion. He didn't decide to wait and see which way the wind was blowing, whether or not he would lose favor with men. He's not interested in the applause of men, nor is he going to be put off by the rejection of men. His hope, his faith, his trust, his utter dependence is now fully upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Why is this? It's because he realizes that only Christ can properly deal with the great sin question that affects his soul. He's deeply conscious of the presence of sin, the shame of sin, the guilt of sin, the dominion of sin in his life. He's only too aware that his sin is going to land him in hell and he can't save himself. Only Christ can put away his sin and give him acceptance with God. Only he can. only He can fit them for heaven. His sacrifice of Himself, you see, has found acceptance with God the Father. God looked upon Christ on the cross. And our Savior was able to say when He had borne all that agony and grief that was due to you and me, when He had satisfied divine justice, He was able to utter those words of triumph. It's finished. The work is done. What am I waiting for? What wait I for? He says, my hope is in thee. He has discovered Christ is all he needs. And he's prepared now to have done with sin, cast himself upon the mercy of God, whatever that leads to. It may well lead to people mopping him. But he's not going to be put off by what men say. No, he's found Christ now. And he's taking Christ to be his Saviour. And he gladly affirms, My hope is in thee. Now, he's not hoping against hope. We're talking here about something that he can lean on, that he can face death because he's got Christ. He has hope with a capital H. He's got something that will never fail him. That word hope is a word that means expectation. As we said, it's not a matter of hoping against hope. It's a glad assurance that now all is well with his soul. Tell me, beloved, is it well with your soul in this meeting tonight? Will you be wise like the psalmist, flee from your sin and its consequences, and trust Christ to save you and keep your soul? What are you waiting for? Jesus is passing this way. You know, Felix was presented with this same gospel. And I'm sure under Paul's ministry he was exhorted to seek the Lord urgently. And what did he do? Oh, he said, whenever it suits me. When I have a convenient season, I'll call for you. If you know anything about the Scripture record, you'll know that that convenient season never came. And we have to conclude that that man died without Christ. What was he waiting for? A better time to be saved? There will never be a better time for anybody to be saved than now. Beloved, I say this with all sincerity and I'm finished. If you are not saved in this meeting, be saved now. I was thinking, sitting in the prayer meeting, this might be the last time I never stand on the pulpit. I don't know. My wife would be disappointed if it is. My family would probably miss me. But if it is, I want you to know we love your soul for Christ's sake. It may be my last time. I hope you understand that there's an urgency about your salvation. If this is the last time you ever hear it, you be wise, because you don't know maybe it is the last time. Maybe this is your last ever gospel meeting. What wait I for? Flee to Christ and do it now. Do it tonight before it's too late. God give you grace to trust Him.