Everybody. Thanks for coming out.
When Ray asked me to speak, he actually assigned me June 20 fifth. And you'll notice today is not June 20 fifth.
He said the topic was wide open, so. My brain started swirling and spinning and I wasn't sure what I was gonna speak about.
My a couple weeks after after I committed to the 20 fifth by paternal grandmother passed away so We had to go to funeral on the 20 fifth so Ray had to scramble and find somebody else to stand in for me.
We are August sixth and thankfully the Lord. Gave me a topic to discuss. So. I want to consider.
The solid rock this evening.
So Some of you may know. I have a degree in architectural design. From the University of Wisconsin-milwaukee, the School of Architecture and Urban Planning, which sounds more important than it actually is.
Most of the design program focuses on Classical design and Students study architecture from various. Periods of history to learn what makes good design versus bad design.
Some of our classes though touched on the basic or fundamental elements of building. It's good for architects to know these things.
So construction projects begin. With soil sampling to make sure that the ground can support the new structure. Once the project is approved and moves forward.
The contractor is going to start with site clearing. Site preparation and they move a lot of dirt around.
The company that we work for now. Does some of the testing that's necessary for these phases of the building project.
Most buildings utilize. Excuse me, following the site clearing and everything, site prep they Construct foundations.
I don't know if you've driven past. A construction site and seeing them pouring concrete and things like that into forms.
It doesn't look like anything and it's going to be below ground so nobody's going to see it anyway but they're very important.
Most buildings you utilize those shallow spread footings and column footings and then taller buildings typically utilize some kind of deep foundation system or some pilings or something like that.
So the purpose of a foundation is to provide for the structures stability. It serves to distribute the weight of the structure over a large area.
In order to avoid overloading the underlying soil, possibly. Causing settlement. So suffice it to say that foundations are a very important component to any building.
So let's look at a couple examples.
Much of Milwaukee is built on marshland. I don't know if you guys knew that.
The marshland bordered its 3 rivers, the Milwaukee River, the Connecticut River, and the Menominee River.
The entire third ward in nearly 3 quarters of downtown actually stands on what was a swamp. So although it was filled in with dirt and garbage and the like underneath it, water still flowed.
The buildings in these swampy areas were built on wood pilings that extended through the filled in dirt into the ample water table.
About 10 feet beneath the grade. Then into the swampy soil found beneath that. The pilings were expected to remain.
So, There's the key word and be sound for centuries, but in recent years the water table has drained away.
There's various different.
Theories as to why that's happening, but the drained off water has exposed the pilings in many of the buildings are actually suffering from dramatic settling because the the pilings are decaying.
So as their structural foundation degrades, the buildings. Subject to potential catastrophic failure.
So I don't know if you can see the building behind me is one of the buildings in the third ward and I did a
A facade inspection. There's a facade ordinance for the city of Milwaukee.
So I work for a structural engineer and I went up in a boom lift to look at this and we got up to this.
This is the top of the building. This is like 8 stories. And the the sheet metal, the black stuff in the back.
Actually a sheet metal cornice so it's all decorative but we got up there and you can see Looking down the site line, it drops off dramatically.
So you can tell the windows are square.
And you can see how far they. Dive down. So. This building actually had been.
Extensively repaired in the basement. So we actually studied the the structural engineering drawings in the that were utilized to kind of shore up the basement.
So the facade shouldn't go down anymore, but. The restoration contractor had a fun time.
Routing out and filling in those cracks because they run from the bottom to the top. So, so that's an interesting.
Where was II don't know where I was.
Oh, yeah. So that's an interesting example from the walkie. So let's look at another more famous example you might know.
This one's really famous. We studied this one also.
For design language and what not to do. This is the leaning tower of Pisa or the Tower of Pisa.
It's the Kempe Nile, I don't speak Italian. This is the free standing bell tower of the piece of cathedral.
It's known for its nearly 4 degree lean, which is the result of an unstable foundation.
The height of the tower is 183 feet 3 inches. On the low side. And it is 185 feet 11 inches on the high side.
So The story is amazing to me. I don't know why they didn't just stop and tear it down.
But the tower began to lean during the twelfth century due to the soft ground. Which could not properly support the structure's weight.
It worsened throughout the completion of the construction in the fourteenth century. So we started in the twelfth century and we completed fourteenth century.
And by the 1990, s it had reached. 5.5 degrees of lean. So construction of the tower began.
Or it occurred over 3 stages over a 2 like 199 years. And the foundations were actually laid in 1173.
And followed by the ground floor. So the tower actually began to sink after construction had progressed to the second floor and 1178.
So this was due to the. Foundations only being 3 meters deep. And the soil was weakened unstable underneath them.
So it was a design flaw from the beginning. Construction was subsequently halted for the better part of a century.
As the Republic of Pisa was almost continually engaged in battles with Genoa, Luka, and Florence.
So they were city states. They just didn't get along. So, this allowed time for the underlying soil to actually settle, which was probably a good thing because otherwise the tower probably would have fallen over if they'd kept going.
So then in 1272 construction resumed in an effort to compensate for the tilt, the engineers actually built the upper floors with one side taller than the others so it actually bends as it goes up.
They didn't fool anybody, it's not straight.
So because of this, the tower is curved. Construction was halted again in 1284.
When the, the city state of Pisa actually suffered a military defeat by Genoa. The seventh floor was completed in 1319 and the bell chamber was finally added in 1,372.
So numerous efforts. Slide. Numerous if she'd stop kicking it, it would stand up straight.
Numerous efforts have been made to restore the tower to a vertical orientation or at least keep it from falling over.
Most of the efforts have failed and some of them actually made it worse. 1964 the government of Italy requested aid in preventing the tower from falling over.
It was however, considered important to retain the current tilt due to the role that it's, this element.
Played in promoting tourism to Pisa. So the tower was close to the public. January seventh of 1,990 after more than 2 decades of stabilizing studies and spurred by the abrupt collapse of the Civic Tower in Pavia in 19 8 to 9.
So there was another one that fell over. The bells at the top were removed to relieve some of the weight and the cables were cinched around.
I think I'm supposed to be.
Sorry. Watch your notes. The bells were removed. To relieve some of the weight and cables were actually since cinched around the third level.
And anchored several 100 meters away. And residence is in the path of the potential collapse.
We're actually vacated. In 1993, 870 tons of lead counterweights were added.
Which straighten the tower slightly the selected method for preventing the collapse of the tower was to slightly reduce its tilt to a safer angle by removing.
1,342 cubic feet of soil from under the raised end. The towers tilt was reduced to.
17 and 17 and a half inches returning it to its position that it was in an 1838.
So after a decade of corrective Reconstruction and stabilization efforts, the tower was reopened in 2,001.
And declared stable.
After the structural strengthening the tower underwent gradual surface restoration. To repair visible damage most mostly corrosion from weather and standing from exposure to weather.
So in May of 2,008 the engineers announced the tower had been stabilized such that it had stopped moving for the first time in its history.
And they stated it would be stable for at least. 200 years. Not bad. So, those of you who were here for Alex's message.
2 weeks ago because we had DBS last week. You heard about the men's canoeing camping trip, which was a good time.
I learned a couple of things.
I didn't write those down. I can read them off here. Sand is not as comfortable to sleep on as you would think.
It's pretty hard. I think Dean slept, what was he saying? It was, you weren't there.
Concave. His back. Sand is a lot harder to walk on than you would think. Sand gets everywhere, so you may as well just accept it after.
The first night in the tenth I just gave up on getting the boys to wipe their feet off. The jumpy little bugs really like light.
So Dean can tell you about how many he had in his tent. And then 10 stakes do not work well in sand.
So this illustration.
Yeah, we, my first time camping on sand bars and having to bring all of our supplies and canoes and kayaks.
Even though the HARDLES had already done this trip, Stephen and Preston, their input was.
It was valuable, but I learned a lot by experiencing the trip myself. So I learned What sorts of things were critical or crucial to take what were nice to take and what things we could have done without.
I learned that the tenth that my boys and I slept in is water resistant. Not waterproof.
So we had to we had to rescue roads in the middle of the night, but we made it. And also I've never pitched a tent in the sand, so.
The, the sand doesn't know the 10 stakes and we had an incident where the wind picked up a little bit and folded one of the tents and a half.
So we had to use some ballast to hold it down.
So at this point, you're asking yourself, why is he talking about foundations and pitching tents and sand?
Is he going to talk about anything biblical this evening? So your perseverance is about to be rewarded.
What I want to get across with these examples is that foundations are extremely important. They stabilize a building.
And help it deal with static loads, dynamic loads. Windows, seismic loads, no loads, etc.
So with that in mind, turn in your Bibles if you got them. To Matthew chapter 7.
And we're gonna start. In verse 24 and read through 27.
Matthew chapter 7 verse 24. Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house. But it did not fall because it had been founded on the rock.
And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house and it fell and great was its fall.
So hopefully now you understand the discussion and the opening of foundations. So let's go get a little more context here.
Alright, so Matthew chapter 4, Jesus has just been baptized by John the Baptist.
And John's message, if you recall. In the wilderness has been repent for the kingdom of God is at hand.
So in chapter 4 after. John baptizes Jesus. Jesus went into the wilderness and, was tempted by Satan.
And then after the temptation, my Bible has a heading that reads Jesus begins his ministry. This is Still chapter 4.
So chapter 4 verse 12. We have now when he heard that John had been arrested, he would threw into Galilee.
And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea. In the territory of Zebul and Naftali.
So that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled. The land of Zebul in in the land of Naftali.
The way of the sea beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light.
And for those dwelling in a region and shadow of death on them, a light has dawned.
From that time, Jesus began to preach saying, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Skipping down then to verse 23.
And you went throughout all Galilee teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.
So his fame spread throughout all Syria and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those are pressed by demons.
Epileptics and paralytics and healed them. And great crowds followed him. From Galilee and the Decapolis.
And from Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan. So if you look behind me. You can see the region we're talking about up in Galilee.
You can see that purple areas, the decapolis. In Jerusalem obviously down in Judea.
So there's people following him from all over this map.
So in chapter 5, verse one, we read seeing the crowds, you went up on the mountain and when he sat down his disciples came to him.
And he opened his mouth and he taught them saying, blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
So you'll recognize there that we are. We are.
Reading, the portion that's referred to commonly as the sermon on the mount. So the rest of chapters.
5, 6, and 7 up to the portion that we read in, 24 and 27.
Contain the that sermon on the mount so Jesus teaches The Beatitudes he discusses salt and light.
He says that he came to fulfill the law. He discusses anger and lust, divorce, oaths, retaliation.
Loving of one's enemies. Giving to the needy, he teaches us how to pray. He discusses fasting and laying up treasures in heaven, not being anxious, judging others, asking and receiving.
What is referred to as the golden rule or due unto others as you would have them do to you. And knowing a tree by its fruit.
So we covered a lot of ground and we don't have time to go through all of that. That's probably several sermons in and of itself.
So. So the question that I had in in preparing this was what What is the sermon on the mount pertaining to?
And I think The answer can be found if we go back to chapter 4, 17 when Jesus is. Traveling around and preaching repent for this kingdom of heaven is at hand.
So our text this evening is at the end of the sermon on the mount. So let's.
Read our portion again.
Oh, that's not what I was gonna say.
Oh, it is what I was gonna say. Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house. But it did not fall because it It had been founded on the rock.
And everyone who hears these words of mine. And does not do them would be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
And the rain cell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house and it fell and great was the fall of it.
So Jesus wants us to see the contrast. Between these 2 groups of people. So those that will be like a wise man.
And those who will be like a foolish man. So who are we talking about here? Let's, back up a little bit and look at the preceding verses for context and see if we can shed some light on these groups.
So starting in 15. Hmm. We get some, warnings here. So beware of false profits.
Who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits.
Our grapes gathered from thorn bushes or figs from thistles. So every healthy tree there's good fruit, but the disease tree bears bad fruit.
A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a disease tree. They are good for you. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Thus, you will recognize them by their fruits. Verse 21. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven.
But the one who does the will of my father who is in heaven. On that day, many will say to me, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name?
And cast out demons and do many mighty works in your name. And then I will declare to them, I never knew you.
Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.
Again, our text. Right behind that. So everyone who hears these words of mine. And does them will be like a wise man who builds his house on the rock.
And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house but it did not fall because it had been founded on the rock.
And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them would be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house and it fell.
And great was the follow of it. So Jesus is contrasting our 2 groups of people. And 24 to 27 the first group we have is everyone who hears the words.
And does them will be like a wise man. And the second group is Everyone who hears the words of mine.
It does not do them will be like a foolish man. So I wanna focus on, the second group of people first.
And dig into who those are. So. So these people will be like a foolish man. So I wanna.
Stay focused on the context because I think it helps me precise about who they are. So. Back in chapter 4 verse 25, Matthew tells us that Jesus is talking to these massive crowds of people that are following him as.
As he's been preaching. Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand so it He's healing all kinds of diseases and disabilities.
Most of them will be people from the region of Galilee that he's in, but We read that there's also people from the Decapolis from Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan also.
People from all over flocking to him as the news spreads about him. So I would imagine that some of the scribes and Pharisees would have come out to witness for themselves just like they went out to see.
Who this guy John the Baptist was and what he was preaching and. What his message was.
So Jesus is talking to. To Jewish people, right? So he's talking to those that are part of the Mosaic Covenant.
They were given the law and the sacrificial system and tasked with being a light to the Gentile nations.
And over the centuries, though, the religious leaders in Israel describes the Pharisees and Sadducees, they had taken the prescribed worship of the Lord.
Given a Moses in the wilderness and contorted it into a convoluted system of oppressive rules and regulations that they use to garner power unto themselves.
They thought that their nationality and heritage and pedagogy was something that made them better than those around them and they looked down on the Gentile nations.
Mike last week was breaching about the Samaritan woman and he, was indicating that The Sumerians were.
We're Israelites that it intermarried and intermixed so they were They were not a pure bloodlines, so, they looked down on their.
Even their brethren because they were they were not pure. So. Over in Matthew chapter 11, Jesus says, But to what shall I compare this generation?
It is like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to their playmates. We played the flute for you and you did not dance.
We sang a dirge. And you did not warn. For John came either eating or drinking and they say he has a demon.
The son of man came eating and drinking and they say, look at him a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.
Yeah, wisdom is justified by by her deeds. Verse 20 of the same chapter. Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done because they did not repent.
In 21 we read, whoa to you, Chorizon, woe to you, For if the mighty works done in you had been done entire inside in, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
But I tell you, it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for tyre inside and than you than for you.
And you could turn them, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades for if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment. For the land of Sodom, then for you.
I don't know how that hits you, but these are scathing comments to these people. Why is Jesus saying these things?
These scribes and Pharisees and Sadducees knew the prophecies about the Messiah.
They knew Moses and the prophets and they should have heard the message of John the Baptist.
And then they should have seen all the signs and wonders that Jesus was doing in their midst and they should have believed that he was the Messiah.
Even after doing all of the miracles that Matthew refers to from the beginning of his ministry. Over to chapter 12, we read.
Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him saying, teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.
I don't know what they were looking at, but, he answered them and said, an evil and adulterous generation seeks for assigned, but no sign will be given to it except sign of the prophet Jonah.
So back to our second group of people in chapter 7 verse 26.
We read and everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like So I want to focus on the fact that he didn't say is like.
He said, will be like, so he's talking about a future event or a future day. So what What is that day?
Let's back up to verse 22 and find the answer. On that day, many will say to me, Lord, Lord, so what day is he referring to?
He's talking about. The day of judgment. And.
Hebrews 9 27 we read and just as it is appointed for man once to die.
And after that comes judgment. So on that day of judgment, our second group of people will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
As I mentioned earlier, Pitching a tent on sand is not very stable. But our foolish man doesn't build a temporary structure there.
He builds his permanent dwelling. The coming storm on the day of judgment will beat against that house and it will fall.
So I would like to submit that this second group of people is the same group of people that Jesus was referring to.
Up in versus 2123. There will be those on the day of judgment that are self deceived.
In verse 21 we have not everyone who says to me lord lord will enter the kingdom of heaven But the one who does the will of my father who is in heaven.
On that day, many will say to me, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name and do mighty works in your name.
And then I will declare to them. I never knew you depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.
So this should be sobering. Jesus is telling us that there will be people on the day of judgment that are convinced.
That they should be allowed to enter the kingdom of heaven but will not get in. They appear to have done many works in his name, but he rebukes them.
I think that the rebuke actually can help further define who these bullish people are. Jesus says, I never knew you depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.
So I don't think he's saying. I never even seen your face. I've never heard your name before.
In VBS we learned or the kids learned that Jesus is omniscient. Do you guys remember omniscient?
That means all knowing. So of course, Jesus knows who they are when he says, I never knew you, he's referring to the way.
That a husband and wife know each other. He's talking about an intimate relationship between spouses.
These people took on themselves the mantle of religion, but they never bothered to cultivate an intimate relationship.
With the Lord Jesus Christ. They never placed their faith in his finished work on the cross. They try to present him with all of their accomplishments.
Did we not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name and do mighty works in your name.
Lord, look at all the things I've done for you. Does that count for anything? Look how good I was.
Isn't that enough to save me?
So the second group of people. Built houses that look like the first group. On the outside. They heard the words of Jesus and hastily built their houses to look the right way.
They practiced. Religion and they were convinced that their religiosity would save them and if that's not a word it should be.
God's not interested in religious practitioners performing religious rituals and rights to earn his favor.
In the end, the foundation of what these foolish people build for themselves will be no more stable than sand.
Just like the religious leaders that Jesus confronted, they were face to face. With the way the truth in the life and they completely missed it because they thought that their adherence to a religious system was sufficient to earn entry into the kingdom of heaven.
This is a truly sad reality. Jeffrey O'hara. Wrote the following poem. You call me the way and walk me not.
You call me the life and live me not. Ye call me master and obey me not. If I condemn the blame me not.
You called me bread and eat me not. You call me Truth and believe me not, ye call me Lord and serve me not.
If I condemn Let me not.
So now that we've established who the second group. Is let's turn our attention back to the first group, those who will be like a wise man.
Where's 24 everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like A wise man who built his house on the rock.
And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house. But it did not fall because it had been founded on the rock.
What's the defining characteristic of this group of people?
They hear the words of Jesus just like the other group, but these people do something about it. They are the doers.
Luke chapter 6, verse 48 actually has. Somewhat condensed version of the same sermon on the mount and he renders it like this.
He is like a man building a house who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house.
And could not shake it because it had been well built. So the first group is like a man who digs.
This first group, I'm getting myself confused first and second. This first group. Is like a man who digs deep and makes sure to build a foundation on the rock.
Not a rock. But the rock. The word is petra or bedrock. It's not petros, which is a piece of stone or rock.
This is bedrock. This group heard the words of Jesus and dug deep into them. They carefully and diligently studied this.
Building code if you will. And applied it to how they built the foundation of their house. They allowed the truth of God's Word to affect their actions.
The end result is that the house that our first group built. Was will be able to withstand the day of judgment.
The differentiator is not that they built a better structure. Or a more ornate structure, they weren't better carpenters or better masons.
They were Excuse me, the differentiator was that they built upon the rock.
In First Corinthians chapter 3, 10 and through 11, we read for no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid.
Which is Jesus Christ. Second Timothy 2 19 Paul says nevertheless the firm foundation of God stands having this seal.
The Lord knows those who are his.
In James chapter 1 22 to 26 be doers but be doers of the word not here's only deceiving yourselves.
For if anyone is a heare of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.
Or he looks at himself. And goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty and persevered being no here who forgets but a doer who acts.
He will be blessed in his doing. If he's 2, 19 to 22. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets.
Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone. In whom the whole structure being joined together grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
In him, you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. First Peter 2 4 3 6 as you come to him a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of god chosen and precious.
You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house. To be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices.
Acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in scripture. Behold, I'm laying in Zionistone, a cornerstone chosen and precious.
And whoever believes in him will not be put to shame. Every single human being born has an eternal soul.
There is life after death.
Hebrews 9 27 says and the just And just as it is a pointed for man wants to die.
And after that comes judgment. Every person born in Adam's race is subject to the penalty of our of sin.
Our sin separates us from a holy God.
Our kids, this week at VBS. Had these memory versus John 3 16 and 17.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only son. That whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world. But in order that the world might be saved through him.
Verse 18. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
Roman 6 23 reads for the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord
The only safe way to enter eternity is to be standing on the rock. I mentioned earlier that I didn't know what I was gonna.
Gonna say or talk about but I've had some interesting conversations over the last couple of weeks. A coworker grew up.
In the church and
He, he was taught things that were not based on the solid rock and he's discarded it and he's decided that
Religion is worthless.
Which is a sad state of affairs. And then we had another conversation with somebody.
She was commenting on how her friends were all. Older and passing away and she was She was hopeful that she might be able to see them again and we got into.
The hope that we have in Jesus Christ and she just kept saying, well, I hope so. But if
We were trying to impart to her that if those people had come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and were born again in him.
They were absent from the body and present with the lord and if she did the same she could see them again.
Because that's our sure hope. So we're gonna have to have more conversation with her, but
The only safe way to enter eternity is by standing on the rock. On our camping trip, Otis learned that if he stood in the current of the Wisconsin River The water would erode the sand around and under his feet and he would sink until he was buried to his ankles.
The current on the day of judgment is going to be overwhelming. It will be worse than any hurricane that has ever made landfall.
So I am sure you not to trust in your own strength for that day. If you're standing on anything other than the rock.
You will not be able to stand. The good news of the Lord Jesus Christ is that our eternal souls can have fellowship with their loving Creator for all of eternity.
The provision has already been made. It's a free gift that's offered to absolutely everybody. If you're listening tonight or you're listening to this later or you're watching on Zoom.
That would be listening tonight, I guess.
If you've never heard the gospel before, please seek out and talk with somebody who's going to point you to.
Jesus Christ in the pages of scripture Colossians 1, 15 to 20. Tells us more about who he is.
He Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God, the first born of all creation. For by him all things were created and heaven and earth.
Visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things were created through him and for him.
And he is before all things and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church.
He is the beginning, the first born from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. And through him to reconcile to himself all things.
Whether on Earth or in heaven making peace by the blood of his cross. If you have heard the gospel before and you haven't done anything with it.
Please. Seek Jesus before it's too late. We're not guaranteed that tomorrow is going to come.
And if you grew up in the church. Like my friend, my coworker, and you've heard all this countless times.
But you think that you are fine because you're more religious than other people that you know or or you practice religion and you think you're fine.
I want to tell you that you're self deceived. The house that you build for yourself may look good on the outside.
What if the foundation is not on the rock? Great will be the fall of it. So don't get caught up in religiosity and miss the way the truth in the life.
Religion can't save you from eternity of judgment and torment. The only hope we have is to stand.
The only hope we have to stand before the Great White Throne of Judgment is to trust in Jesus substitutionary death.
Very in resurrection on our behalf. We have to stand on the rock. Let's pray.
Heavenly Father, we thank you for. The time that you've given to us. We thank you for the word.
That you've given to us. Where we can find truth.
We thank you for. Providing the way of salvation completely in the person of your son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
We're thankful. That we're able to study the word. And learn these truths.
I pray that. Those who have not. Come to a saving relationship.
In Jesus Christ. Would make a profession of faith. And understand their need for the savior and the fact that he's paid the the whole price and that the work is done.
Then paid info. We thank you for that. And we. Thank you for this time again.
I pray that. The words that I've spoken this evening. That your spirit would be able to use them.
And effect change in our lives and our hearts. For your glory and your son's precious name we pray.
Amen.
Thanks