Hebrews 11 - Part 6 — Leonard Ravenhill

Faith as the Key to Pleasing God

Well now those, some fellows were coming up from where, Jimmy Swigerts, did he come, have they any? No. That's two weeks they got lost. OK, Hebrews 11, and remember again that this is a faith chapter, and the word occurs, what, 300 times in the New Testament and only twice in the Old Testament.

The key in this chapter is faith, but the key verse is verse 6. He that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently beseech him. To them that diligently beseech him.

Let me recite that again. Verse 6. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Notice that? Doesn't say without education, doesn't even say without Bible knowledge. You know, we're putting such an emphasis today on Bible knowledge, and yet the word of God does not say the people that do not know their Bibles.

It says the people that do not know their God shall be exploits. Boy, if Bible knowledge could change the world, we'd have changed it months ago. We're reeking with Bible knowledge. As I tell you, you could put a four-lane highway from Detroit to the Gulf of Mexico with tapes.

Christian tapes, there are so many of them around. But they don't do much. The people that do know their God shall be exploited. Okay, let's go back into the Old Testament. See where we want to go here.

Abraham's Call to Leave His Country

Into Genesis chapter, what, let me see. Genesis chapter 11. Let's read verse 30 of chapter 11. This is the demand. Get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred. You see, it gets tighter and tighter and tighter.

Getting out of your country may not be too difficult. Getting away from your family is. All you have to do is to tell your daddy and mommy you're going to the mission field. They'll never relapse. They'll die nearly.

Of course, if there's a war and you say, Well, I can't imagine Jesus with a machine gun mopping people down. And I can't do it. I can't fight on the battlefield. Oh, you better do that. You'll bring disgrace to the family.

We're very, very quick to keep people from going to a mission field, but get out and serve your country. That may be right. I don't know. But what about serving the Christ? But you see, the basis of true Christianity is sacrifice.

An experience of God that costs nothing, is worth nothing, and it does nothing. And if you want to graduate with a double zero, that's it. Be nervous about God. Don't believe that God is. Don't believe Hebrews 7 to 25, He's able to save to the uttermost.

Don't believe that He's able to make all grace abound. Don't believe He's able to keep you from falling. It's just a piece of paper. You see what these men did? They really believed God. Doesn't it later say in the scripture, Abraham believed God, and he was a candidate to Him, and all that came out of him was because of one thing, he believed God.

But God is able to make all grace abound. God is able to guide me, O thou great Jehovah, pilgrim through this barren land. You see, the trouble is, this world isn't barren to many people now. It's supplies of everything, in luxury, luxuriating.

The Lord said unto Abraham, Get thee out of thy country. That's number one. From thy father's, and from thy kindred, number two, and from thy father's house, to a land that I will show thee. Now that's the demand.

But look at the reward. Next verse, I will make of thee. Next line, I will bless thee. And then I will make thy name great, and thou shalt be a blessing. And verse three, I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curses thee.

And in these shall the families of all the earth be blessed. And verse four, Abraham was seventy and five years old. Isn't that something? Seventy and five years old. And you think the Lord's late in calling you.

Maybe he's waiting to get rich enough to smash all the crutches you lean on. Seventy-five years of age. The Lord is not slack in saying his promises. Okay. Seventy-five years of age, God called him.

A hundred and seventy-five, God finished working on him. So cheer up, you have a long way to go. Just one more century. Well, doesn't it say in the tenth chapter of Hebrews, the year of need of patience after you've done the will of God?

What happened to Noah that we described last week? Noah built his ark for a hundred and twenty years, which we worked out, dear Martha, whether you have any on that little computer, computer she kept.

It was a million and a half hours from the time he started to the time he... And then you think God was impatient. A hundred and twenty years building the ark. What was it? Thirty-eight thousand four hundred hours.

One and a half million... No. Thirty-eight and a half... What was it? Thirty-eight thousand four hundred hours. No, it wasn't. What was it? Days. Days and a million and a half hours. Do you wonder the Word of God says the patience of God, the long-suffering of God, waiting, waiting, waiting, is very slow.

But as someone said, God is never in a hurry, but is never late either. He keeps the scorecard and He keeps the timetable. And nobody hurries God. I've got to do some spot through here. Genesis chapter 12 and verse 7.

And the Lord appeared unto Abraham and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land. And there he built an altar unto the Lord, and God appeared unto him. Time and time again this man is building an altar.

Remember we said about the first man in Hebrews 11 was who? Abel. What did he do? He built an altar. For why? To worship and sacrifice. So Abel built an altar. The next character is Enoch. He walked with God.

And we stress that. Abraham walked with God. Adam walked with God. You have one of the outstanding stories in the New Testament of the men on the Emmaus road. What were they doing? Miracles? No, they walked with God.

And that's the greatest thing in the whole world. Not the exploits that we do, but to know that day by day we're walking in step with God. We're not behind Him. We're not before Him. We're walking according to the dictates of His Spirit for our individual lives.

Abraham's Journey to Egypt and the Danger of Wrong Offerings

Let's go down to chapter now. Verse 10. There was a famine in the land, and Abraham went into Egypt. What in the world did he go there for? Well, his resources were running out, so he went and borrowed from Egypt, the land that had a curse on it.

You remember that Cain slew Abel, his brother. Why? Because Abel's sacrifice was accepted. The sacrifice Cain brought was cursed because it was out of the ground that God had cursed. We've got to be very careful about the offerings we make.

I remember some years ago in England, a young man held a crusade in a country church, and he met one of his college friends. He said, well, how was your crusade? Anybody saved? He said, yes, two and a half.

Well, that's good, he said. Two adults and a child? He said, no, two children and an adult. What do you mean two and a half? He said that man half of his life was over this fence, so he's only half. We look at it the other way, don't we?

There was one of the smallest crusades ever held in England, again in a village, and a man by the name of Thomas Cook, you remember he wrote the book New Testament Holiness, and after three weeks, you know, the grey beards met together, and they said, well, what's come out of this crusade?

It cost us so much in lighting, it cost us a heating, it cost in love offering, it cost in travel expenses. Now, what are we to show for it? Oh, just one boy called Thomas Cook. Oh, you know that widow lady?

She has one son, 14 years of age, Thomas Cook, and he's not very bright, he's retarded. Thomas Cook became the president of the Methodist Church and the founder of the college I went to. Not much to look at.

What was it? Well, it doesn't matter who it was, anyhow. I was going to give you the name, it doesn't matter. The poem that says, ill, ill, that he blesses is our good, and unblessed good is ill, and all is right that seems most wrong, if it be his sweet will.

Well, Madam Gein says, Could I be cast where thou art not? That were indeed a dreadful spot, but with thee my God to guide the way is equal joy to go or stay. All right, verse 10 of Genesis 12. There was a famine in the land, and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was grievous.

It came to pass, and he came near to enter into the city, Sarah his wife, he said to her, Sarah, behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman, to look upon. She was a lovely blonde. And verse 12 says, Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall say to thee, they shall say, this is his wife, and they will kill me, and save thee a life.

So what happens? Say I pray thee, that thou art my sister. You see, here's this Superman. What's the first thing he does? He makes a mistake, he goes to Egypt. But if you read the 7th chapter, you must read it after, don't read them now.

Read the 4th chapter of Romans, it's all about this amazing man Abraham. Read the 7th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, about Abraham. What does it say? The God of glory, lest we forget it, the God of glory, the God of supermajesty, appeared to our, what do you call him now?

Let me read it correctly, from the good version of course. Acts chapter 7 verse 1. Then said the high priest, I thee think so, and he said, men and brethren, the father's hearken, the God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia.

In other words, that was a hell hole. It was an enlarged, type of, well Sodom, which was a type of course, or today we'd say Las Vegas, and all that filth rolled into it. And yet the God of glory comes when he's in a horrible city.

In Mesopotamia, the God of glory appeared unto Abraham. You see, there's no way you can predict where God is going to come. Moses goes on the backside of the desert, and God of glory appeared unto him in a bush.

Somewhere he was at a banquet I think, he was at a banquet with the kings and lords and ladies of the earth, and somebody said, you know Moses is stargazing. Sure he was, you know what he was doing? He was looking into heaven, he was seeing the glory of God.

Not in a Bible class, because there are no Bibles, but there he is, in the strangest place, the God who appeared to Abraham appears to Moses at a burning bush, and appears to him somewhere in a banquet.

What did it say? Because it says in Hebrews there, he was supposed to be the son of the Pharaoh's daughter. And what did he do? He had a vision of what? Well he had a vision of the glory of God. He chose rather to suffer affliction with the children of God than enjoy the pleasures.

Oh we sing, you know, for thee all the follies of sin. Forget it. Sing the scripture, for thee all the pleasures of sin are desired. Of course there's pleasure in sin, but it only lasts for a moment. People don't borrow money to go to Las Vegas and have all the thrills to sit there miserable.

Boy they laugh and cry and carry on, but it lasts for the night. Fading is the sinner's pleasure, all his boasted pomp and show. Solid joys and lasting pleasure, none but Zion's children know. And Abraham chose, and Moses chose rather to suffer affliction with the children of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin which are but for a season.

Lot, Sodom, and the Consequences of Worldly Choices

Well where did he see the pleasures of God? Somewhere when he was in some tremendous experience there in Egypt. Come in, welcome. Let me find my scripture here a minute. Chapter 20 of Genesis, I think.

Chapter 20 in verse 14. What did Abraham say? He said, when you go into the city they're going to look at you and they're going to say that beautiful blonde, get her right to the king's harem right away.

What did he do first? His first mistake was to go down into Sodom, into Egypt. Why? Because a bit later it says when he gave a choice to Lot, young Lot, looked to the north or south, east and the west and he looked to the well-watered plains of Jordan and it says he pitched his tent toward Sodom.

The next moment he's in Sodom. The next moment he's the king of Sodom. The next moment he's out of Sodom, Bangkok. But why did he go to Sodom? Why did he pitch his tent toward Sodom? Because he said it looked like unto Egypt.

Well, who took him to Egypt? His godly uncle. Don't you blame God or anybody else if you buy your youngsters a TV for their own bedroom you leave them alone they'll take all the junk there is. They'll get lustful and you'll be to blame, not them.

If he'd not gone down to Egypt and seen all that was of the flesh, the world of flesh and the devil, the lust of the eye and the lust of the flesh and the pride of life he'd never have pitched toward Sodom.

But he went toward Sodom. He lived in Sodom. He sat in the gate. I used to wonder as a kiddy when the gates of hell will not prevail against the church you're saying well who's going to carry the gates around?

The gate is symbolic of government. The government met in the gate. And he sat in the gate the word of God says. But then you get this amazing thing that's said about in Joshua chapter 24 and verse 2.

Joshua said unto all the people thus saith the Lord God of Israel your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time even Tera the father of Abraham and the father of Nacor and what? And they served other gods.

So what happens? God says get thee a part of thy country. You see there are things you can't do today they did in the Bible days. Let me tell you what it says here. In chapter 13 and verse 1 it says Abraham went out of Egypt he his wife and all he had and lot with him and Abraham was very rich in cattle and in silver and in gold.

He's very very wealthy. And he says to the cowboys round up the cows bring up the cattle. And he's living I used to be able to tell you I can't. Let's say it's down here in the river Chaldees and he's going up to the river Chaldees and near the river called the river you won't guess what river that is the river Euphrates.

If he's going to go up there which he did and then come down into Palestine or as it was called in those days it's all those cattle is all those other things to take he has to keep them alive. Now you go down the road tomorrow say tonight the Lord says I want you to get up and go live south.

Even if you're only two or three cows and a couple of pigs go down the road you get arrested for being on the main road. Abraham takes all he has and sets off on the journey not knowing whether he went the word of God says.

Let's look at the 7th chapter of Acts a minute here in chapter 7 verse 3 and the Lord said unto him get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred and come into the land which I will show thee. He came out of the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Charon or Charon from thence.

And when his father was dead when his father was dead what's he doing there? What did God say to him? Look at the 51st what is it 53rd chapter in Isaiah I think it is no 50 pardon me 51 Isaiah 51 Harken unto me verse 1.

Harken unto me ye that follow after righteousness ye that seek the Lord look unto the rock from whence ye are hewn and to the hole of the pit from whence ye are digged. Look unto Abraham your father and unto Sarah that bare you.

For I called him what? Alone. I called him alone and blessed him and increased him. I called him alone. Did he go alone? No he didn't. He took the rest of the family with him. What's the penalty? Let me go back a moment there.

I'll skip these things if you know well enough Exodus. Where were we? Oh sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry. Genesis. Genesis again verse 13 13 of chapter 12. Say I pray thee that thou art my sister that it may be well with me for thy sake and my soul shall live because of thee.

Okay. And so she went in there. But I'm thinking of a scripture that you remember. He says that well he says say you're my sister. Well she was his half sister. And there's another scripture I can't just remember at the moment that says she was born of my father but not of my mother.

She was his half sister. So he was telling half of the truth. But he was making it convenient for himself because it's in enemy territory. And so he says well she's my sister. So what happened? You can't hide sin.

You can cover it over. Do what you like. But your sin will if it isn't found out. And don't swallow the idea that someday that sin you buried will be found out. It may not tell a judgment. It will find you out.

It will wake up at night and haunt you. I remember a story that Shalemi used to tell of a man that was killed in New Jersey working a night shift and a man hit him with a shovel and killed him and threw him into a furnace.

And for 12 years that man was haunted and finally away in California. He woke up one night screaming I did it. I did it. I can see his eyeballs and he told the detective I've seen that man's head fall back when I threw him feet first in the furnace.

His eyeballs were reflecting like mirrors. And he said every day of my life I've seen those rolling eyeballs. Now his sin was not found out. It found him out. There are more people suffering from all kinds of nervous complaints away in California than anywhere at all.

And a leading psychiatrist said recently most of them are suffering from guilt. They call it some other name. They've covered it. And it comes because of sin. So what happens. This beautiful lady goes into the harem.

What's the result. Verse 17. The Lord plagued the house of Pharaoh with great plagues because of Sarah. Now Sarah had nothing to do with it. Abraham allowed her to be deceitful and he told the lie. So you've got a man that God uses that went to Egypt got his nephew contaminated tells a lie to get out of trouble.

So there's another big mistake again. I've told you these people in Hebrews 11 and old but by no means are they perfect characters. I wouldn't have put Noah in. He got drunk. I wouldn't put Abraham in.

He was a liar. I wouldn't put David in. He was an adulterer. But they're all in Hebrews 11. I sure wouldn't put a harlot in but God did. He talks about Rahab the harlot. Moses is a murderer. I would have put characters in and out there.

I would have put Enoch. I would have put Elijah. He isn't there. I told you why that old lady told me. But anyhow there are other characters. I would have put Joshua. He's there by inference by faith.

The walls of Jericho fell down. Well who was the captain Joshua. Good night. What's the good. They would have been humble if you don't tell people about it they'll never be suspicious. Will they. Ok let's skip over this.

Abraham Rescues Lot and Rejects Sodom's Wealth

Now into the 14th chapter. And verse 9. Verse 9 has one of those big wonderful names. Chedorlaomer the king of Elam with the title king of nations. Anam-Raphael the king of Shinar. Anariot the king of Elalassa fought the battle of the four kings against five.

And it says the valley of Sidim was full of slime pits. And the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah remember those cities. The capital cities of iniquity had a government. They had kings they had everything set up like we have today.

And yet they were like us today. They were fighting. Verse 11 says they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and their peoples and went away. And they took Lot Abram's brother's son and dwelt in Sodom and Gad and departed.

And there came one that escaped and told Abram the Hebrew for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite brother Eshkol and brother Anar. And these were confederate with Abram. What did he do when he heard that his brother was taken captive.

What did he say. Oh that's Lot the stupid Lot I told him about. You see when there came a moment of choice. Abram says that the in chapter 13 and verse 6 they so prospered according to the promise of God.

The land wasn't able to bear the weight of them. And so there was strife between Abram's servants and Lot's servants. And so Abram good old Abram says Lot well do you know what Lot was. He was the bad Lot.

Because when Abram said choose this side of the valley and I'll take that side. He looked to the plains and he said oh I'm going to take that. Who's going to take those mountains. Well the grass is so short that the sheep would have to kneel and come down to eat it.

But look at the lush valley look at the water. Everything here will make me prosperous. And so he chose the well watered plains. He chose everything according again to the lust of the eye and the lust of the flesh.

Everything for me. You see a simple definition of love is that love desires the supreme best for the person it loves. I go after the picture. I do everything for that one I love. So Abram says well myself he always says Sarah did you ever see anything.

Think of this little twerp we have with us. If we'd have left him in the old country he'd have been a slave. We looked after him educated him clothed him. And now he's a smart businessman. He's taking stocks and bonds.

And he's got the land. He's got everything he wants. And Abram goes on a ball mountain. But when God is going to speak what does he do. Well he does what all true friendship does. He says shall I hide from Abraham the thing that I do.

And when the word of God says he won't hide anything from the eyes of the prophet. I don't think. That means you have visions in the night and dreams. It means that God has revealed through his word. Be up to date with the word of God and find out what's going on.

Abram heard that his brother was taken captive. He armed his trained servants born in his own house 318. Dear Lord if I'd 18 I'd think he was a pretty tall guy. 318 servants. Good night. Paying insurance for that car would be a lot.

Wouldn't it sonny. Do you have as many as that. No you don't 318 servants. Abram doesn't say that young guy needs to learn his lesson. Let him get scowled. Let him lose his money. What did he do. He took what 318 servants that were raised in his own house.

He didn't send for mercenaries. He didn't say go out and ask fellows to become soldiers and fight. He had trained 318 servants and they knew their master and they loved him. And they went out and fought the battle and won it.

Dear Lord if every church was really a church even evangelical church if we really taught the word of God we wouldn't need Bible schools. Why should people have to go to church in their 25 years of age.

They can go to a Bible school. That's a disgrace to the church. You know the Roman Catholic kids. The Roman Catholic slogan is this give us a child till it's 7 years of age. We'll cut it loose on the world.

And they'll never go into anything else. That's why it's so hard to win them. They're indoctrinated about the Virgin Mary. They're indoctrinated about what do you call it purgatory. They know the doctrine.

They don't know the word of God. But they know their doctrine. And in some ways they're steadfast and movable. So here is a sample for us. That's why I say of course it's always when you get to my age when you have most of the wisdom anyhow.

But you realize what a fool you'd be if I could go back. I think I'd take a dozen men like Jesus did and say you come for 3 years and we're going to go through the word of God. And you're going to go through the middle as well.

You're going to have nights of prayer and days of fasting. Read church history by the grace of God. Make some history. As I tell you I'm sick to death of reading church history. Let's make it by the grace of God.

But he took his 318 servants and he wiped the mob out and he got this young fellow back again. Now look at verse 17. The king of Sodom went out to meet him. That is he went out to meet Abraham after the slaughter of that king whoever he was and the kings that were with him in the valley of Sheba.

Verse 18. And Melchizedek the king of Salem went forth brought bread and wine and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him. That is he blessed Abraham and said blessed be Abraham of the most high God.

Isn't that great. Well he didn't say that smart guy that lives up on the hill there you see when God was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. He didn't go to the mayor of the town. He didn't go to the judge in the gate by the name of Lot.

He went to a man praying on the mountain. The man that hadn't got a dime invested in Sodom and Gomorrah. The man that was considered old and archaic. He's always building altars. He's always praying. He's always interceding.

Well if you're going to be wise in the eyes of the world you'll be a fool. No if you're going to be wise in the eyes of God you'll be a fool in the eyes of the world. You can't have it both ways. But which empire is going to last.

You sang it tonight. I trapped you thine is the kingdom the power and the glory forever and ever. Ages and ages. If there were a thousand eternities Jesus Christ would still be living. There are not a thousand eternities.

There's one. Because eternity is duration without ages cycles of ages. It goes on and on and on. There's no end at all. And he shall reign forever and ever. How many of you have a record of the Messiah.

Let me see three. Well now you know what. To buy your wife for Christmas. Get a good recording of the Messiah from England. If you can get it. I mean an English version. There's one of the London Philharmonic and it's super.

You know when they start singing king of kings and they go up and up and up good lord it'll all break down. And it's just awesome to hear. He shall reign forever and ever king of kings and lord of lords.

And so we have this wonderful example here. Ok. The man said blessed. Verse 19 of chapter 14. Blessed. He blessed him and said blessed be Abraham the most high God possessor of heaven and earth. Isn't that great.

Not that Abraham possessed heaven and earth. God did. The earth is the lord and the fullness thereof. We kind of think somebody's taking it over temporarily. Not at all. The earth is the lord and he's going to gather all the spoil one day.

Verse 22. Abraham said to the king of Solomon oh wait a minute. I'm sorry. Verse 20. Blessed be the most high God which hath delivered thine enemies into thine hands. And he gave him tithes of all. And the king of Sodom said unto Abraham give me the persons and take the goods for thyself.

Now listen. Abraham said I've lifted my hand unto the lord most high God possessor of heaven. I will not take a thread even to a shoelace. This multimillionaire king of the richest country in the world offers to give all the money to Abraham he wants.

And he says I won't touch a damn thing. There's damnation over all of it. I won't even take a pair of shoestrings from you. And yet one big boy full of the Holy Ghost took over a million dollars of the filthiest filth in the world was the word of God called filthy lucre.

And the filthiest of filthy lucre comes from casinos and race courses and dog tracks. And that guy takes over a million filthy dollars. Tears stained fear stained blood stained sin stained dollars. As an answer to prayer.

That's blasphemy. I'd like the chance to tell him face to face. This man says I will not take any servant. I will not use anybody that isn't trained in my own house. It should be about the time a pastor's been in a church five years.

He's got so trained his deacons that any of them can fill the bill any time he's away. That's their job to do not to stand at the door Sunday morning so sweet with a little buttonhole in you know nice little flower there and lead old ladies down the aisle and lead everybody else astray.

No. His job is to know the word of God. You see the man who invested everything he had in Sodom lost everything. Yet Abraham is not rich and increased in goods. All right. Verse 23. I will not take even a shoe latchet of anything.

That isn't lest thou should say. I have made Abraham rich. You see what poor old old Roberts did. You know he did. He didn't just stain his hand. He put a zipper on his mouth. Do you know why. Because the year before he took that money he opposed the establishing of a horse racing track in Oklahoma.

He opposed state horse racing. Well once he took gambling money he couldn't say a word. He couldn't oppose it again. He sold himself for a million dollars. Dear God I wouldn't sell myself for all the money in Fort Maltz or Fort anywhere else perishing things of clay born.

But for one brief day A .B. Simpson said. Or if you like you don't know. But he may be all for Jesus. All for Jesus. You know that hymn. Do you know it. All for Jesus. All for Jesus. All my beings ransom powers.

Another standard says worldlings prize their gems of beauty cling to gilded toys and dust. Boast of wealth and fame and pleasure. Only Jesus will I trust. It finishes with this amazing thing. Oh what.

Wonder how amazing Jesus glorious king of kings deigns to call me his beloved. Lets me rest beneath his wings. All for Jesus. All my beings ransom powers. All my thoughts and words and doings all my days all for Jesus.

Oh yes. He used to say a lot a few years ago. Only one life will soon be passed. But that's not what the poet wrote. The poet wrote only one life will soon be passed. Only what's done for God will last.

But when I am dying how glad I shall be that a lamp of my life has been burned out today. That is my dear friend Jim Simbler of the Brooklyn Tabernacle uses the phrase often. That's where the brother meets the road.

Perseverance, Holiness, and Walking in Obedience

Of course you remember that lovely old hymn. Abide with me. Fast falls even tide. The last tender says what. Hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes. Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.

Heavens morning heaven's morning heaven's morning breaks and earth's vain shadows flee. Hold thou change. Change is not abide with me. I don't like that idea. But hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes.

The Catholic says hold the crucifix before my closing eyes. Some people die. Oh when I die put my Bible in my casket. And some do. And some are too stingy to do that. Do you think. The man that's dying of AIDS says put six copies of Playboy in my casket.

I don't want to hold the crucifix. I want to hold a picture of Madeleine Monroe or some girl. Of course he doesn't. That's where that's again where the rubber meets the road. Everything falls. If we're not founded in Jesus Christ swift to its close ebbs out life's little day.

Earth's joys grow dim its glories pass away. Oh that wonderful American hymn that says my faith looks up to thee. The last stanza says when ends life's transient dream. Ladies in England a lady came to our church.

We had one rich lady. She was a pest. She had a fur coat made of. There are not many in America I understand a mole. A mole is very much like a rat. But it has a very silken coat. And she had a gorgeous.

I did that too. One lady said a coat made of rat skins. Ok. But she had this this lovely coat. But you know the amazing thing about a mole. It's blind until it dies immediately. They hit them to kill them their eyes open.

You know that's tragically true of most people. They're living in a dream. When ends life's transient dream. When death's cold sullen stream shall o 'er me roll. Bless, save, then in love fear and distrust removed.

Oh bear me safe above a ransomed soul. I will not take him to a. Let me take one more thing and skip. Skip over this chapter 15 verse 1. After these things after this battle after the time that this man has proved himself the word of the Lord came unto him.