Gospel—J. Hyland
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Let's begin the Gospel Meeting this evening with Hymn #25 on the Gospel Hymn sheet.
Life at best is very brief, like the falling of a leaf, like the binding of a sheaf.
Be in time. Fleeting days are telling fast that the die will soon be cast and the fatal line be passed. Be in time. I'd like to suggest that we stand up to sing this hymn #25 and if someone will please start it.
Goes by grace the masses of the cross together. There's no wine, big cross, and your priceless soul belongs.
Period. Time.
You will get in the flow.
Of tears us all to begin now.
Before we turn to the portion that is particularly before me in the gospel this evening, like to read two other portions. First one is in the book of Song of Solomon.
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Song of Solomon, chapter 8.
And verse 6.
Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm, for love is strong, as death, jealousy is cruel as the grave. The coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it, if a man would give all the substance of his house for love.
It would utterly be condemned. And then back up with me to the Book of Ecclesiastes.
Ecclesiastes, Chapter 9.
And verse 13.
This wisdom have I seen also under the sun.
And it seemed great unto me. There was a little city, and few men within it. And there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it. Now that now there was found in it a poor wise man, And he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no man remembered that same poor man then said I Wisdom is better than strength.
Nevertheless, the poor man's wisdom is despised and his words are not heard. And then the portion that's particularly before me in the book of Proverbs, Proverbs, chapter 30.
Proverbs chapter 30 and verse 24.
There be 4 things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise. The ants are a people, not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer. The cones are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks. The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them.
By bands. The spider taketh hold with her hands.
And is in King's palaces.
Well, we had this afternoon some exhortations from these three books.
Penned by divine inspiration through God's servant Solomon. And I have it before me in the preaching of the Gospel to, particularly, as I say, speak of these four wise things that are brought before us in the book of Proverbs. Because I believe these four wise things bring before us a very important lesson in connection with being ready for eternity. But I thought it would be good to back up to the book of Song of Solomon.
That love song, as we were reminded, the greatest love song, the greatest love story that mankind has ever known, fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Himself. That one of whom we often say, God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life, have often said, can you stand with the Apostle Paul and say, the Son of God who loved me?
And gave himself for me. And so we find here this love brought before us. And all the gospel tonight is a is a story of love. God is a God of love. Tonight the Lord Jesus is a savior of love. I heard a child, a very young child, just some moments before this gospel meeting singing Jesus loves me. A child knows what it is to be loved. And they can know not only what it is to be loved by parents.
And grandparents and family and friends in a natural way. But they too can understand what it is to be loved by the Lord Jesus Christ, to be loved by a loving God who has provided A Savior. How often have we heartily joined in the singing of that children's gospel song? A little child of seven or even 3 or 4 May enter into heaven through Christ the open door.
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Yesterday afternoon I received a very sad phone call. A phone call informing me.
That a young boy had passed from this life into eternity. He was nine years of age. His name was Brayden.
And this afternoon, as I have had the privilege of mingling with various of the Lord's people here, I have questioned one and another parent as to how old their sons are, and having done so, I realized that there is more than one boy in this audience tonight who is 9 years of age.
And if you're nine years of age this evening, I want you to just listen to me for a moment. More important, I want you to listen to what God has to say.
But just listen for a moment and consider this matter.
If you had been riding that four Wheeler.
Around Aberdeen, ID.
Yesterday afternoon.
And if you were the one who had run that four Wheeler?
Into the canal.
And if you were the one.
Who had been suddenly ushered into eternity.
Without warning.
Where would you be right now?
You wouldn't be sitting in a seat like this in a Gospel meeting.
Taking one breath after another.
You would be an eternity.
And you would be.
Either absent from the body and present with the Lord.
Or you would be in that place that Luke's Gospel describes.
As a place of torment.
It's solemn.
It's serious. Tonight, as this Gospel meeting unfolds, we're going to deal with very real issues.
So real are these issues that they do not just affect us for this life, but they have their effect and their consequence.
For eternity.
Nine years of age.
I've just returned from Saint Vincent W Indies and there is an elderly sister in the village of Brighton that I often have the opportunity and privilege of visiting with.
She's, I suppose, in her early 90s.
But in her younger years, she was a nurse.
At the hospital in Kingstown, Saint Vincent, a capital of that country.
And she often had opportunity to speak a word to the Lord for the Lord Jesus.
To the patients that she ministered to.
And she has told me a number of stories of how the Lord has blessed His Word and used her in the salvation of souls who were nearing eternity.
But the one that impresses itself upon my mind the most.
Was a 13 year old boy. Maybe there's some 13 year olds here. You finally reach the point of being classed as a teenager. Maybe you think you've really arrived and it is exciting to be a teenager.
But this boy of 13 years of age was lying in a hospital ward and a hospital ward, very different from the hospital wards in the hospital in Saint Hospitals in Saint Louis or any other town or city in North America. Pretty primitive stuff. But he was lying on a cot in that hospital ward, and his life was slowly, hour by hour, ebbing away.
And as Dorcas Dublin told me on one occasion, she was making her final rounds in that ward for the night.
And she came to this boy, and she knew from experience that he wasn't going to last very much longer.
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She wasn't sure if he could hear her, if he was even conscious, but she leaned over him.
And she began to quote some of the familiar Gospel verses.
That you boys and girls and young people have learned from the very early days of your youth.
And finally, she said to him, because there seemed to be no response.
She said to him, If ever you need the Lord Jesus.
You need him now.
He opened his eyes and he looked up into her face and he said Lord Jesus, I believe.
And he was in eternity.
It's pretty close, isn't it?
Pretty close.
But I wonder.
How many opportunities you young people have had?
You 13 year olds have had and don't assume that you will have the opportunity to have a last minute conversion.
Saw bumper sticker one time on a car in front of me. It said those who wait till the 11Th hour to be saved usually die at 10:30.
I thought that was very interesting.
Don't assume that you're going to have opportunity in the last moments.
To receive the Lord Jesus as your savior.
A nine year old. A 13 year old.
A few days ago in the town of Oscillosa, Iowa.
A 20 year old.
Was taking a shower.
Somehow banged his head and was drowned in his own shower.
20 years of age in eternity.
And as far as those who knew him knew, he was not ready.
To make God.
Solemn, isn't it? But tonight we have a glorious message.
The door is of mercy and grace is open for you. You have opportunity tonight to receive the Lord Jesus as your Savior and all tonight as we read of this love.
Our prayer is that the love of God and the love of Christ would so grab at your heartstrings that it would draw you to the Lord Jesus if you could just get one taste of his love, oh taste and see that the Lord is good. God commendeth his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. And so we find here, Solomon says, set me as a seal upon mine heart.
That's the affection. And oh, tonight I want to stress at the beginning of this meeting the affections of God and those affections, the heart of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In giving himself at Calvary's cross. And this was manifest, the love of God toward us in that.
He gave himself to be the propitiation for our sins. God gave his Son the Lord Jesus gave himself. And so set me as a seal upon thine heart and as a seal upon thine arm. Because if the heart speaks of the affections, the arm speaks of strength, and his arm is not shortened that it cannot save, He's able to save to the uttermost. There's one who not only loves you and is not only willing to save you.
But there's one who is able.
You know, I might see you in a desperate situation.
And my heart may go out to you, and I may want to help you and to save you in that situation.
But I may be powerless to help you but others. One tonight who loves you and he's able to save, set me as a seal upon thine heart. As a seal upon thine arm. For love is strong as death. The Lord Jesus said greater love hath no man than this than a man lay down his life for his friend. Does that touch your heart this evening? If that doesn't touch your heart this evening, I wonder what goes on within your heart.
Because the prayer of so many here tonight is that you would, in the language of Scripture, know the love of Christ, which passeth all understanding. Do you know the love of Christ? I'm not asking you if you know about the love of Christ. I'm not asking you tonight if you know the gospel story. I'm not asking you if you can stand up and recite some gospel verses that you've learned in Sunday school. I'm asking you, do you know?
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The love of Christ and do you know Him? And the power of His resurrection?
The preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but to us who are saved, it is the power of God unto salvation.
Love is strong as death.
Oh, the Lord Jesus. He died on Calvary's cross.
This is the greatest display of love that has ever shone for or been manifest in this world. The Lord Jesus going to the cross and there bearing my sins in his own body on the tree.
They're dying for me. They're laying down his life for me.
There, shedding his precious blood for me, I rejoice to be able to say that I rejoice in my soul, to be able to go over that those precious truths, to realize that he loved me and He died to redeem me.
Many waters cannot quench love. Neither can the floods drown it. I'm going to tell a little story I've sometimes told in the Gospel.
But it illustrates this verse about as well and simply as any gospel story I've heard.
Many years ago, there was what they called the California Gold Rush.
And people came not only from places around North America, but people funneled into California from all over the world.
With dreams of being wealthy, a dream. With dreams of striking it rich.
Dreams of making their fortune. I suppose people line up to buy Lotto tickets today with the same dream. Same idea.
There was a man, as the story goes, who came from England, and in those days it would have been a long, arduous journey to take a ship from England to New York City and then to board a train and travel across the continent by train.
And to finally make it to California. And he was one of the few.
Who struck it rich? Most who came went away disappointed. Some struck it rich, and this man was one of the few that struck gold.
He had that gold melted into gold bars.
Put in a burlap bag.
Boarded the train for New York City.
Boarded a ship.
To return to his home in England with all his dreams in that bag of gold.
The ship got out in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and a storm came up.
And it was soon determined by the crew that that ship wasn't going to make it.
That ship was going to go to the bottom, and that's exactly what happened.
As that ship was tossing the cold waters of the Atlantic, this man took his bag of gold and he secured it around his waist.
And he was washed into the cold, dark waters of the Atlantic Ocean. And as he was there, treading water and hoping for rescue, he heard over the roar of the wind and the waves, the voice of a child.
Calling for help.
As he peered into the darkness, he could see her. Several feet away she could see him, and she was calling to him. Mr. Rescue me. Help me. Save me.
Would you be able to ignore a plea like that?
He was able to make his way towards her.
But as he reached out to take her in his arm, he realized.
That he was not going to be able to save the child and his bag of gold.
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He hesitated for only a moment. Then he reached down and fumble with the knot.
He was able to untie it and that bag of gold.
All these dreams.
Slipped silently to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
And I assume it's there to this very moment.
He was able.
To keep himself and this child afloat.
Until a lifeboat came and rescued them.
Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it, if a man would give all the substance of his house for love.
Would be utterly condemned, that is. He looks on what he's given up and he says it was nothing in relationship to what I received in return. You think that man in the long run regretted letting that gold slip to the bottom of the Atlantic as he and that child were rescued? And no doubt the gratitude and love of that child expressed to her rescuer.
You think the Lord Jesus is disappointed that he went to Calvary's cross? You think he's disappointed in anyone here who knows him as savior? Never. Never. Sometimes he's grieved by the things we do as believers, but all he'll never be disappointed for all eternity that he gave up, all that he sold, all that he had to purchase that Pearl of great price.
We read in the book of Ecclesiastes this little story, tucked in here again by the preacher Solomon.
Story of a poor wise man. And it's not my thought. Our time is sliding by and it's not my thought to go into the details of this story. But I think we see very quickly that this poor wise man is a picture to us of the Lord Jesus summed up in First Corinthians where it says or Second Corinthians where it says.
That though he was rich, yet for your sakes, he became poor. That he, through his poverty might be rich. This little city that we read of. Here is a picture of this world. Do you realize that this planet is just a speck? It's just a marble. In God's creation, We think of the vastness of the universe and people are finding out more and more how vast the universe really is.
But this planet is just a speck. And yet it was to this very planet that the Lord Jesus came. His delights were with the sons of men.
Man thinks he's pretty great.
Maybe there's someone here this evening and you think you're pretty great.
You've done a lot of things in your life. Maybe you've made some accomplishments.
When I was growing up, I grew up in the city Of Montreal, QC, Canada.
And in 1967, Canada's Centennial year, they had a World's fair, an Expo.
In the city Of Montreal, they called it Man and His World.
And people flocked from all over the world to see the exhibits that were at that great Expo.
The accomplishments and inventions of man up to that point, but I dare say.
If we were to go back and view those exhibits now.
Almost 40 years later.
We probably smile.
We'd probably say, well, we've left those things behind long ago. Man thinks he's pretty great.
But there was a little city and few men there in it, and the enemy came and besieged it.
The enemy here, for our purposes tonight, is a picture of Satan.
Satan's not your friend tonight. He's a hard taskmaster. Tells us. We're held with the cords of our sin.
Seemed like this was a hopeless situation.
But there was a poor wise man who delivered the city.
And the Lord Jesus? It says he was crucified through weakness.
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By weakness and defeat he won the meeting crown, trod all our foot, his foes beneath his feet by being trodden down.
Does this mean something to you tonight? Because it tells us here that in delivering the city.
No one remembered that poor wise man, and not only so, his words weren't heard.
And that what happened? What's happening today? Do people have time?
To hear the words of the Lord Jesus.
Do people have time to come into a Gospel meeting?
Do people have time to remember the one who went to Calvary's cross and gave his life?
All they will remember the greats of this world.
But they forget.
The poor wise man.
But now I want to go to Proverbs chapter 30.
And I would like to speak of these four wise things.
That Solomon refers to here. You'll notice first of all that they were small.
You know, I'm encouraged tonight to realize that God is interested in the small things.
You know, sometimes when people get great, they forget about the small things.
Some great men in this world, they're not interested in me. They're probably not interested in you.
But you know, not only is the Lord Jesus interested in the smallest things of creation.
But he is interested in every person, no matter how young they are. Tonight, as we were saying earlier, he's interested in the little ones.
He's interested in the young people, he's interested in those who are older.
And so these things are small but we find that they are exceeding wise.
So often Solomon makes a contrast in the book of Proverbs.
Wise and foolish.
Now it's not for me.
To call anyone in this room tonight foolish.
But I do want to say this, that in the sight of God tonight.
And in regard to the gospel.
This room is divided into two categories of people.
The wise and the foolish.
I want us just to think about that for a moment.
This room is divided into two categories tonight, in the eyes of God and in relationship to the gospel message.
Wise or foolish?
We know the story well of the parable. Of the 10 virgins, five were wise and five were foolish. Five were wise because they were ready to go out and meet the bridegroom.
Were foolish because they made no preparation.
And tonight, before a holy God, you have to answer the question.
Are you wise or are you foolish?
Fools make a mock of sin.
Solomon said.
The fool has said in his heart, no God.
Garney Richardson was 59 years of age.
The town of Smiths Falls.
When he walked in one day to the insurance office, the.
Of a brother in the Lord that I know very well.
They conducted their business.
And when the business was conducted?
This believer.
Said to Garni Richardson Garney.
What about your soul?
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He laughed. He made a mark of sin.
And he said, I've got lots of time to consider things like that.
That was on a Friday afternoon about 3:00.
The next morning.
The news screamed of the.
Incident.
That about 3:00 AM that morning there had been a house fire.
Garni Richardson.
Was in eternity.
12 hours later.
12 hours later all I say fools make a mark of sin. There was a man the Lord Jesus told about who had it. We would say all together. And he was prosperous and he had a good harvest.
And he said I have much good slayed up in store. I'll eat, drink and be merry. I'll have a good time.
Not the North American way. Not the society we live in today. Live it up. Have a good time.
The Lord said, Thou, fool, Thou fool, this night shall thy soul be required of thee.
And so as we very quickly speak of these four things.
Ask yourself.
Are you wise or are you foolish?
There's no neutrality. There's no middle ground tonight.
You're wise or you're foolish. And if you remember nothing else about this gospel meeting tonight, I trust that as you lay your head on your pillow, if you are without Christ.
That these two words will ring in your ears.
And prod at your conscience.
Wise. Foolish.
The ants are a people, not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer. You know, if we were to go back to the 6th chapter, we have the aunt mentioned again. It says there go to the Ant thou sluggard. Consider her ways and be wise. Why? Because she gathers her meat in the harvest. She makes preparation.
For the onslaught of winter.
And where I come from, where we have very bitter cold Eastern Canadian winters.
It doesn't take long to realize the reality of what Scripture is saying here.
If those ants don't prepare and take their food crumb by crumb down into the heart of the earth and make preparation for winter, they are going to perish when the cold blizzards come.
We are going to remember 4 PSI hope tonight. The 1St is preparation. The ants are wise because they prepare.
And I think of what it tells us in the book of Amos. I think it's the fourth chapter. It says prepare to meet thy God.
Are you prepared tonight?
You know, I suppose we spend really.
Our whole life making preparation.
We prepared to come to this conference.
Foolish to wake up yesterday morning or this morning and decide we were going to come to this conference if we hadn't made some preparation. Oh, I realized sometimes we do things on the spur of the moment, but generally we make preparation.
On Wednesday morning, I showed up at the Ottawa airport.
You would say it would be foolish to show up at the Ottawa airport and hope to fly to Saint Louis that same day without some preparation.
No, I had a piece of paper in hand that said I had an E ticket.
With a seat from Ottawa to Chicago and from Chicago to Saint Louis.
And I had in the other hand a passport.
So that I could go through US immigration, hopefully without any difficulty.
Which I did.
There was preparation.
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And we go through our whole life making preparation. We send our children to school to prepare them.
For a job.
Child goes to elementary school to prepare him for high school, to high school to prepare him for maybe college or university or the workforce. He goes on to university to prepare him for a profession. When he gets a job, he begins to put things a little aside. He's preparing for the day when he can retire and he won't have to work so hard.
And isn't it foolish to make preparation as far as this life is concerned?
And not prepare for eternity. A young man was going out of a gospel meeting one night.
The preacher put his hand on his shoulder and he said what is the best thing in this life?
And this young man looked at him and said the best thing in this life.
Is to be ready for the next life. I thought that was an excellent answer.
You know we need to be prepared not only because of the fact that we don't know when we're going to draw our last breath.
But there is an event about to take place, and I believe we are just on the eve of this event, the event of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And that coming will mean that every believer, every child of God, every person washed in the blood of Jesus, will rise to meet the Lord in the air. But it will also mean that God's door of mercy and grace will be forever closed. And it says, when once the master of the house hath risen up and shut to the door, they come and they knock. And they say, Lord, Lord, open unto us, is that door ever opened again? No.
From the other side of that door come those solemn words to ring in their ears for eternity.
Depart from me. I never knew you. They didn't prepare.
They weren't ready.
We're exhorted to be ready.
So the answer wise because they prepare.
But then it tells us that the cones are a feeble folk, yet they make their houses in the rocks.
Now, if you go to a Bible dictionary, you'll get various opinions about what a Coney really is. But if you'll just allow me this evening, for our purposes tonight so that we can make this as simple and relevant as possible, we're going to speak of it like a Prairie dog. Those little creatures that have no might of themselves, they're just a little creature. They can't face that coyote or that wolf or fox.
Or that animal that wants to prey on them in their own strength. So what do they do? They have protection. We've spoken of the ants who prepare, but the cones are wise because they have protection from the enemy and they don't go very far from their homes. And if they do, they.
As I've read, they have one who will watch one of their own.
Will be watching, his eyes peeled for the enemy. And when he gives the signal, what do they do? Try to meet the enemy in their own strength? No, they head for the rocks. They have protection. How often the Lord is spoken of in scripture as the rock, my rock and my salvation when my heart is overwhelmed lead me to the rock that is higher than I. Have you found your protection?
Your safety in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The ants are prepared against the storm.
The colonies are protected against the enemy. You know there's a wily enemy, Satan, and not only that, but there's a storm of judgment coming on this world when they will cry for the rocks and the mountains to fall on them and hide them from the wrath of the Lamb and the face of him that sitteth upon the throne. Are they going to find protection in the rocks in those that day? No, there will be no protection because they refused God's protection.
From the coming judgment through the work of Calvary and his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Have you found your protection in the Lord Jesus? Are you saved tonight?
You might think you're pretty strong. I know the young men here, they like to go and workout, like to build up those muscles.
Run the treadmill, lift the weights, whatever it is.
It's not going to protect you in a coming day.
Won't matter about social class and that day won't matter if you're great or small.
Won't matter if you've had a place of position and power in this life.
All that will matter is have you availed yourself?
Of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Several 100 years ago.
In England, there was an uprising against one of the Saxon kings.
And at first, the King wasn't very worried about it.
But as this rebellion grew and gained momentum.
He realized that something was going to have to be done or there was going to be trouble.
And so he sent his trained army of men.
To squash this rebellion and put down the insurgents.
And that's exactly what they did. And history tells us that many were slain.
But most escaped most of the rebels headed for the mountains and the hills and the forests.
And hid out there fearing for their lives.
But this king was a merciful man, and he decided after a time that he would grant a pardon.
To any who would show up at the door of his castle.
In a certain time frame, this is what he did. He put a candle.
Burning in the window of that castle.
And said that whoever came.
In submission.
Well, that candle burned in the window.
They would receive a full pardon.
And the story tells us that many came, many came with fear and trembling and trepidation.
Many came as soon as that candle was placed in the window. Others waited. Some waited almost too late, and there were others who hardened their hearts.
And never came at all and were later dealt with.
By that King's army.
You know when Paul preached the gospel, it says some mocked.
Some said we will hear thee again of this matter, and some believe.
There were some who rejected, some who neglected, and some who believed.
Which is it going to be for you tonight?
So we have preparedness, we have protection.
Now we have the locusts, and they have no king yet go they forth, all of them.
By bands they have power.
You know, there's a lot of talk about power in this world tonight, and I want to be careful being a Canadian, but there's a lot of talk about being about being a superpower and a lot of talk about trying to have power exercise that power in various parts of the world.
And no doubt the Lord uses those things.
But that's not the kind of power we have here.
You notice it's the locusts plural, and they have power when they go forth together.
You know 1 locust or grasshopper isn't going to do much damage if you find it in your backyard, but you know there are parts of this world.
Where sometimes great hordes of locusts or grasshoppers.
Will come through an area so great that they will darken the sun and when they pass.
Such is their power in going forth as a band that there's no foliage left.
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And not only foliage, but sometimes loss of life.
In the animal Kingdom, and even people, if they're in the way, there's power. And you know, sometimes when the Gospels preached, people say, well, I'd like to be a Christian. I'd like to get saved, but I know I don't have the power to live for Christ.
None of us have the power to live the Christian life in ourselves, but when we get saved, He gives us that power. The Holy Spirit comes to indwell our bodies.
Our bodies become the temple of the Holy Ghost. That's the power for our life to live for the Lord Jesus and for God's glory.
While we're left here in this world, you want that power tonight.
You can have it the minute you get saved there is that power.
To go forth in that way.
And with other of the people of God.
To encourage one another to strengthen one another. I'm thankful for times like this, when the people of God can be together and our fellowship and our speech together in the ministry of God's Word encourages us and strengthens us to go on in the pathway the power that God has provided for us.
But then there's the spider. But I want to read this in a better translation.
Thou takeest hold of the lizard with the hands yet Is she in King's palaces? That's Mr. Darby's translation.
I never appreciated this verse, really, until I've spent a great deal of time in the tropics where those little lizards are everywhere and you can't get rid of them.
Just the other day, I sat down at the bookroom in Saint Vincent to e-mail my wife.
And on the modem of the computer, little lizard was sitting there. This Beady Eye is looking me up and down and licking out his little tongue at me.
The other night, at a prayer meeting in Dixon Village Saint Vincent, my Bible was sitting about a foot from me on the bench.
110° and I was mopping my brow to keep the water out of my eyes. I looked over into my amazement. Right beside me, on my Bible was sitting a little lizard.
And I thought of this verse I believe the lizard brings before us preservation.
These lizards, you take hold of them with your hand. You can't get rid of them. They're still in King's palaces.
You might try to chase a lizard from the computer room. You might try to chase him from the meeting room.
I've had them right in my bedroom.
You can't get rid of them. They're fast. Even if you grab them, they're slippery. They can drop part of their tail if you grab part of their tail.
I believe it speaks to us of the fact that when a person gets saved.
Nothing is going to pluck them out of the hand of the Lord Jesus, to pluck them out of the hand of God the Father. As John 10 tells us, they're safe, and they're safe forever, and they'll never perish.
No man, even the devil himself, can pluck a believer.
Out of the hand of the Lord Jesus or rob him of his salvation.
They shall never perish.
You want to be preserved like that. You want security like that.
There's no security in this world is there's no job security today. I don't care how high up you are in your company.
I don't care how much seniority you have, there's no job security today.
There's really no security in your neighborhood. All you might have neighborhood watch and you might have this and you might have that.
Everything is being shaken today, but there is security in the Lord Jesus Christ.
And so again, the answer wise because they prepare the cones are wise because they have protection.
The locusts are wise because in going forth they have power, though they have no visible leader.
And the lizard is wise because she has preservation. And if you have those four things tonight in Christ, you are indeed wise too. But if you go out of this room tonight and you refuse to avail yourself of that which God is offering you in Christ tonight, you are not wise. And I am not going to call you a fool tonight. But you can turn to the word of God, and you can see what God says about you.
00:55:26
Thou fool.
Thou fool, it's solemn, it's searching. And so we have had something tonight from the three books that Solomon penned by inspiration that bring before us the gospel by type and shadow and exhortation.
The love of the Lord Jesus, his wisdom, his work, in going to Calvary, in weakness.
To win the fight against the enemy and to conquer death and Satan.
And we have had these, these exhortations, It says in the New Testament, Does not nature itself teach you? You know, sometimes in the animal Kingdom they listen more to the Creator.
Than we who are intelligent and have a God consciousness breathed into our nostrils.
Tell you one more little story and then I'll close.
The last time, Mount Sufri on the island of Saint Vincent, had a major eruption.
About two hours before it blew its top.
Every animal on the northern end of the island that was loose, be they domestic or wild, headed down the mountain to safety. Brother Garvin, Seymour and others have told me many times how that even the goats, some of them broke out of their pens, broke their tethers because they knew by instinct, God-given instinct.
That the volcano was going to erupt.
Did people listen?
Some did and some didn't.
Some perished because they didn't listen. Are you going to listen tonight? Oh be wise. Be wise tonight. Receive the Lord Jesus Christ.
And peace and grace will fill your soul and the joy of the Lord. Let's pray.