First Corinthians chapter three and verse eleven. For other foundations can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stone, wood, hay, and stubble, every man's work shall be made manifest. For the day shall declare it. because it shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is, or what quality it possesses. If any man's work abide which he has built thereon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss. but he himself shall be saved, yet so as thy fire. Last Sunday we were speaking on the importance and significance of gold. You'll notice it's the first metal that's referred to here, gold, silver, and precious stone. What is it that's going to meet God's approval in that coming day? What is it going to abide forever? For one who is born again is going to be in heaven and forever. And I'm sure every Christian would love to have something up in heaven that is the result of his labors for Christ after he became a Christian. And so God is giving us this incentive. There are things you can win. Salvation is free. But after you become a Christian... Then you can live for Christ, and God will reward you for what you do for His glory and for the benefit of others. And the first and foremost is fellowship and communion with God. We tried to point out how that in the tabernacle of old, when God gave orders to Moses to build that tabernacle, the place where God... Holy of Holies was characterized by gold. Actually, everything was gold. The presence of God is characterized by gold. And when a Christian spends time in prayer in the presence of God, he is spending valuable time before the Lord, and that is gold, to your own blessing and to God's glory. And in the measure that God... God permeates your life and labors in that coming day that will survive the test, and you shall receive a reward something that will exist and last forever. So that's the truth of the gold. Then he speaks of the next thing, which is silver, and we pointed out last Sunday that the next precious metal, next to fellowship and communion with God, is fellowship with the people of God. That is seen in the boards that surround the tabernacle, because there were boards, and they surrounded that tabernacle, or the inner presence of God, and they were made of acacia wood. But those boards had sockets of silver, and silver seats of redemption. And here you find these boards that speak of the people of God and God dwelling in their midst. It's made of acacia wood, but that acacia wood is covered with gold. More than that, those boards are knit together. And there was one piece of wood that went right through the center of all those boards to find them together. But they rested upon silver stock. and silver speaks of redemption. So every Christian is resting upon, descending upon redemption. We redeem not with such corruptible things as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ. That is the Christian's basis for salvation and going to heaven. And so you find these boards, and they're all knit together, And that's what you have over in Ephesians, and I'm going to read this to you, Ephesians four, fifteen, and sixteen. But speaking the truth in love may grow up into him in all things which is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body swiftly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplied, according to the efficient and effective working in the measure of every part, making increase of the body unto the edifying itself in love. That's a wonderful verse, showing how closely knit together God's people are. And in the measure that we can enjoy that sweet fellowship one with another, God says He will reward them. It's a sad thing, but true over in chapter five, He speaks of certain things that an individual that must be put away. because they are hindering that togetherness. He says, put away from yourself, that wicked person, and he gives five or six other things by which a person can be put out of church fellowship because they are interfering with the togetherness of God's people. And so God loves to have His people dwelling together. I don't know whether you've ever heard about A man by the name of Samuel Hibbick, I've heard about him all my life, but I never have mentioned one of his sermons from the pulpit. I just have to run across it this week. But this man was a missionary in India, and this man was a remarkable missionary on the coast of India, and he is a German. So he has spoken somewhat of broken English. But this is exactly how he put it down, and I read it, and I'm going to try and imitate it as much as I can. But he was a man who believed in Christians being closely joined together. That's the expression of you. Join together. And this is what he said. I suppose some of you remember a little older. The old pubs we used to have. Some of them, they stood about three feet high. possibly could hold a hundred gallons or maybe fifty, and you had the top and the bottom and all these boards in between, and also the bands that went around. Well, this is what this man Samuel Hewitt said. He said, did you ever see a tub? Tub, factory, you will see some very large tub. Take a good carpenter to make a good tub, for it will hold no water. Tub not made of one piece, but many pieces they must be. Fifthly, joined together four things to make a good tub. First, each tub must have a good bottle. Second, each of the pieces must be fitly joined to the bottom and to the top. Third, each one of the pieces must be fitly joined to his fellow. the other piece next door and the other side. Fourth, each one must be kept close by the bands outside. One piece may be narrow, the other lie. Yet it shall be a good top. But if a little stick or we stomp come between the pieces, it will not be good at all. Now if we have all the pieces fitly joined together from the top to the bottom, Do we have a good job? No. It will not hold on for a moment till the bands are put off. The bands press hard to each piece of wood, and then the wood is simply joined together. The love of Jesus is the instructing band to keep brother close to brother. Then the spirit can fill the church with overflowing and not leak out. Well, that's a pretty good illustration of unity. And this man, he put in that way in his book in English. What an illustration. Here you find these pieces of wood, and first of all, they're fixed firmly in the bottom, and also in the pot. Speaking of Christians, resting upon Christ for salvation, and at the same time he is our head. The one that gives us our footing, our standing in the presence of God is the one who is our head now at God's right hand. Then all these pieces of wood, and they were shaped and something like this. Some are narrow and some are wide. But then there had to be a band go around, two or three bands. And those bands pressed all those pieces together, and the top would hold water, as the old gentleman said. I think that's a wonderful illustration of the verse we quoted. And what your Bible has to say about Christian fallacies. I was amazed this week in looking it up. There are seventeen times in your New Testament where the word together is mentioned. And a lot of them, most of them, are in Corinthians, first and second Corinthians. The Apostle Paul is trying to stress the need of togetherness. There were so many things in Corinth that were disrupting this and preventing this togetherness. And he deals with these one by one. And I just think of these texts. I'm not going to give you the text. I have them here before me, but I'll just mention the togetherness. He says we are knit together. We are fitly framed together. We are tempered together. We are followers together. We dwell together. We strive together for the faith of the gospel. We commune together. We labor and work together. We rejoice together since God has built us together and also raised us up together and made us sit together and we're made heirs together. We're comforted together. We'll be caught up together and glorified together. Think of all these wonderful scriptures that speak of the togetherness of God's beloved people. All and for all eternity we shall live together. That is, those who are saved, those who are born again. We're going to live together how wonderful this is. And with all of this in mind, should we not build again? And that's the subject. Build together on this foundation. things that will abide, things that will be eternal. Now we come to that third metal, or the precious stone. Gold is that fellowship with God that always abides, that gives color and character to a person's life and ministry, and to the togetherness of God too. Gold, silver, then precious stone. Well, the church is a building composed of living stones. Now you see the analogy changed. We've seen it as a building, and the church is a body, but now we see something else. We see some living stones, and Peter talks about Christians being living stones, being built into this living temple, a dwelling place of God. So Peter tells that over in First Peter Chapter Two. But it's nice to add, One word. Not only Livingstone, every Christian, born again Christian, is a Livingstone. I remember a brother, elderly brother, at that time. I was around twenty, say, when I was nineteen, when I heard Mr. Livingstone, a little short fellow, who ministered the Word, he had a great big Bible, and how he balanced his own fingers, I'll never know, but he could stand there a whole hour with that Bible balanced out on his fingers, and he ministered the Word. And he says, I am a living stone. That was his name. But he said, I am more than just having a name. I am a living stone. I have life in my soul. I am built upon Christ the foundation. I am a true living stone. How wonderful to be able to say that. Well, now you have these precious stones. We made reference, I believe, in the earlier meeting about the best faith of the high priesthood is. The high priest of Israel went into the presence of God where all that gold was. He went in, and he had a beautiful breastplate, and he had twelve lovely stones on that breastplate, and they were the name of the twelve tribes of Israel. He also had two shoulder pieces, and six stones on each shoulder, again mentioning and referring to the twelve tribes of Israel. Now all this is beautiful. Having the breastplate and these beautiful stones speaks of affection. The heart on his shoulder speaks of breath. Yes, we are on his heart. Those who are saved by the grace of God are precious in his sight. We are on his heart. In the morning, tonight, twenty-four hours a day, he has us upon his heart. He loves his feet. But we're also on his shoulders. You know, when the shepherd found the lost sheep in Luke chapter fifteen, it doesn't say he put it upon his shoulder, singular, but he put it upon his shoulder. And the shepherds in the east have a way of so getting that sheep, they'll take the two front legs in this hand and the two hind legs in the other, and they have a way of swinging around. And finally it ends up on both shoulders with one leg, pair of legs, and this hand, and the other, and that. How secure the sheep is, the lamb or sheep, in the case they do, right on his shoulders, and how firmly by both hands it is secure. The Lord Jesus said, I give unto my sheep to turn the light, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck the mouth of my hand. My Father which gave them me is greater than all, and no man shall pluck them out of my Father's hand. How safe and how secure the people of God are! They are upon his shoulder, speaking of secure. Yes, on his heart and on his shoulder the place of affection and the place of strength. You know, when you think of these precious stones, they have a figurative meaning. And it is to signify value, beauty, and durability. Oh, the value of a precious soul. And that's what we're referring to now. The value of precious souls. Is there anything on the face of the earth exceeding the value of a human soul? No. God puts his price tag upon a human soul at hell. God saw your soul lost, and he puts his price tag on it. What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul if you want to see the price tag God puts upon your soul at the caliber? That's where Jesus Christ died to save your guilty soul. In the past week, In fact, I left last Sunday afternoon invited by a friend of mine, and not many of you know Mr. Hollingsworth, who is chairman of the board of the Georgia Ironworks. And the Georgia Ironworks have a condominium down in Hilton Head. I don't know whether you've ever been to Hilton Head the first time I was there. Mr. Hollingsworth said to me, he says, you know that this spot is the wealthiest spot between Palm Beach and New York. Well, my stuff. And we were staying in an apartment that had six rooms, and the Georgia Ironwork paid a hundred and ten thousand dollars for that apartment, six rooms. And he says, what do you think the furnishings cost? I said, I would have at least, I said, seventeen thousand dollars. Rolling a tap down there, he just sat in Georgia for a while. Sitting in the midst of wealth. And that community, my was lovely. You went around and played all you practically see was golf course, because that's where the wealth is. And you know what the green fee is? Twelve dollars. A golf cart, twelve dollars. Before you swing at a ball, twenty-four dollars. Talk about wealth. I tell you it's this. And I've also seen, well, elsewhere. Years ago, I went to California and up and down Los Angeles, San Francisco, up to Vancouver, Canada. You go up and down the coast, you see those great big caves, those lagoons. Oh, the beautiful ships, the yachts. There they are anchored, beautiful boats. I don't know what they call them. I saw them down there, too, where I was at Hilton Head. You just stand at miles, side by side, hundreds of them, when we were down to the Virgin Islands two years ago, go down to St. Tom's, and then other places down there in that area, Martinique and Puerto Rico and so on. And you stand and look at those days, the lagoon, and all the beautiful yachts there. And then look up to the hillsides of those mountains that are here. Islands know for their poverty, but know for their wealth, because a lot of those homes look like castles. No matter where you go, you see your networks of pirates, and they're caught, and marvelous bridges, they're caught. Wherever you go, you see wealth, wealth, wealth, wealth. And that's only a little explanation or reference to the wealth of this country. The friend, I was there until Thursday morning, and I was hungry to get back to Holland. I want to talk about something that's worth far more than all that left. I told Mr. Hollingsworth I said, this is no place for me. I want to get back to deal with something more valuable than all this wealth, precious soul. so precious that God gave his son his only son to die that they were from going down to hell yes precious stones how wonderful to know that I am saved by his grace a precious stone on the heart and on the shoulders of our great high priest Daniel Webster the one who gave us our remarkable dictionary One time, by walking in the New England town, he met a little boy, and he took his head off and smiled at the little fellow. Someone saw him do it and said, why did you do that, Mr. That's it. Oh, he said, you know, I saw that little fellow, and I couldn't help but think of that little boy. What potential is in that? What possibilities in that little brain? And all the years ahead are going to, on days, the potential of that little boy. Who knows what the future of that boy may be, may become the president of the United States. And here, as Webster, lying a little boy because of the possibility, friend, God would like to see you saved because you have possibilities. There's no possibility if you're still in your sin. You're on the way to a lost state. But there are spiritual eternal potential and possibilities in you. Oh, when you've got things of Christ and become a Christian. And if you're not saved, if you haven't built a thing, you're life going up in smoke, nothing more. fact you won't even be at the judgment seat of Christ for only Christians are going to be there those saved by grace that be rewarded for how they've lived after they were saved you've got to be born again or never enter heaven there's only blood-washed ones are there the ransom and for gifts so you have the value of a precious soul God wants to save that precious soul of yours There you have its value, then the beauty and the durability of a precious soul, fittingly described, created by God, blighted by sin. And when it saves, that soul is saved. Oh, the beauty of it. The incomparable power of that soul in the hands of God. You think of a human soul, the power of reason. and the power and warmth and affection of a soul that's been touched by the love and power and grace of God. What turned Billy Graham around? What turned other men around whom God assumed over the church is? Just because saved by the grace of God, before they were saved, they were selfish. They thought of themselves and what they wanted to and enjoy, but when God touched them, there was a new warmth. There was a new compassion there. And so on you, this is what God's grace can do to an individual. That sense of discrimination between what's right and what's wrong, the faculty of volition or choice. and the capability of appreciation. All this comes when you're saved by the grace of God. The qualities alone make the beauty of the human soul itself above and beyond. Anything else is on the face of this earth. You don't know the capacity of your heart and soul until you come to know the Lord Jesus Christ. Wouldn't it be so if you could go out and see a mud fire and you could take out all that mud, a little stone, and by some arc of the lapidary, you could transform that little stone into a diamond. Why, wouldn't I do that? That's exactly what's wrong there. He takes a stone, a poor sinner, and he changes that sinner into a diamond. He changes it into a precious stone, precious in his sight. This is what the gospel does. God wants to exercise that power this morning and to change you into something worthwhile. How empty. I couldn't think the other day and walking around here from here. All the wealth that's there and mostly the people that are up in years. This is all they do day after day. just waiting for the undertaker, enjoying it in the meantime. And I thought this, they'd better enjoy it while they've got it. This is the only heaven they're going to get from those things. I asked Mr. Hollingsworth, I said, Mr. Hollingsworth, you know, verses I call them. You know the fundamental church in this place. He said, I don't. They don't want the old-fashioned gospel. They've got money. Now they're going to enjoy it, enjoy this life. But it's sad. With all the heavens they're going to get, and they might as well enjoy it. Here, after death, the judgment. Oh, how wonderful he saved my branches. Think of a soul. David said this in Psalm forty. He brought me up also out of unhorrible pit. Out of them I reclaimed, and set my feet upon a rock. and establish my going, and he have put a new song into my mouth, even praise unto our God. Many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord. This is God's act in the lapidary, taking out a stone, a common pebble, turning it into a precious stone, a precious stone saved by the grace of God. Have you had that experience before? You know, you have the divine ingredients and soul winning over in Psalm twenty-six. He that goeth forth. There's the quality, there is the incentive, the compelling imperative to go. He that goeth forth. And what? Those are good things. He that goeth forth, and the next thing, and weepeth the compassionate heart, bearing precious seeds, the light-laden seeds. What we're preaching this morning has light in it. The Bible says that Christ says the word that I speak unto you, our spirit, and their light. I could talk to you this morning about politics, morals, ethics, and everything like that. There's no light in that. It might feed your mind, your intellect, but it never would save your soul. There's only one thing that will save your soul, and that's the gospel of the grace of God. That's how Paul established that first influence. That's what the people need today, the grace of God that revealed in the gospel of his son, who gave himself further for us on the cross. That's the only way you can be saved. And that's the message of the gospel. Shall doubtless come again, bringing she, there's the abiding assurance of the result there's nothing more marvelous than to see someone saved what an investment when i went to the carolina's forty-two years ago started working up there left now there are around twenty-some churches in that area the result the point is this they've got a great sunday school about it Every child that hears the gospel and yet says to this day, I have an investment. That's quite an investment. And if you ought to link in the chain of someone who comes to know Christ, that's an internal investment. You've invested in God's work and heaven's stop, never drop. This market never crashes. investment for sure steadfast with eternal dividend. How wonderful to be able to win souls with Jesus Christ. That opens the wall. And here you have come again with rejoice. Here is the incentive of the homecoming, the judgment seat of Christ that was given in us. And for every part you have in another person getting saved, God will reward you at the judgment of Jesus Christ. Fellowship with themselves, the gold. Fellowship with God's people, the silver, and the precious stones, winning souls, for our Lord Jesus Christ. There's nothing on earth comparable here. Dr. Wilton Smith, the Princeton Seminary, one day resolved, I'm not going to go to bed tonight. until I speak to someone about the claims of Christ. Well, of course, he had business to attend to, and the hours went by and finally he found it dead time, and he hadn't witnessed to anybody about Christ. And he got miserable. Now he said, I'm a man of my word, and I've got to speak to someone about the Lord Jesus Christ. He looked out through this pretty dark. Hardly anybody on the countenance. Well, he said, I can't speak until I go up. got to be a man of my word. I said this morning I would speak to someone about Christ. He went out onto the campus, into the night, and he walked up and down, fighting, fighting, fighting. Ah, go on, back to your day. He couldn't do it. He looked up, and he saw a light in the window on the third floor, and he happened to know who was in that room, someone he had influence over relative to the baseball game. And he said, I'm going to run. Finally he went up the first flight and he was fighting. Oh, I just can't speak to him. He went up the second story and up the third and he found himself standing before the door. Will I not? Finally he said, I've got to and it's just the door and the door closed. When the door closed, the man inside the door, he saw, well, somebody's come here with a special mission of what's on his face, looking at his face. A look of earth.A la la. And he said, Well, then, Wilson, what in the world are you doing this? What's your trouble? He said, I promised God this morning. I would not go to bed tonight until I spoke to someone about the claims of Christ. I want to ask you this question. Why is it you're not a Christian? And the man burst into tears. He says, Well, I've been waiting for hours for someone to ask me that question. You were special. I knew you were. I've been waiting for hours for someone to ask to that question. Why are you not a Christian? I ask you the question. Why are you not a Christian? Can you give me a legitimate, sensible, intelligent answer? Why you're not a Christian? Why you're not born again in a precious stone in the family of God? Why are you not a Christian? How wonderful to know that you're saved and on the way of heaven. A gentleman offered a gospel fact to a woman on the train one day, only to get the withering reply, please attend to your own business. Madame, he says, that's exactly what I'm doing. It's my business to give you the gospel, whether you want it or not. That's the business of every preacher of the gospel. To give people the gospel, that's our business. The king, the king that win his foes is wise. They that turn many to right, pray that shine to shine is the brightness of the firmament. will turn many who dare return many to righteousness are signs of a star forever and forever he that delivers the soul of death the same or multitude or covet or multitude of shame in other words it's a wonderful thing to be a link in the chain of someone coming to death tranny crosby the blind songwriter He went to a mission. In fact, strange, I wrote for this mission this past week. It was all a mission in New York. I have to know the man who runs that mission has been there for nearly a hundred years. And I wrote him a letter. And just a couple of days after, I read this interview. Fanny Crosby went down to this rescue mission, blind. She asked the chairman, She said, is there a motherless boy in this audience? If so, would you mind telling him to come up? I'd like to put my hand on his head. There was a motherless boy there, and he came up. Fanny Crosby put an arm around them and kissed him. Many years passed, and Fanny Crosby went home to be with the Lord. Out in St. Louis, a thousand miles away, Sanky, who was Moody's song, got up, and he was going to sing. Because after that night at the mission, Fanny Crosby went home and wrote that lovely hymn, Rescue the Perish, Care for the Down. So Sanky got up, he gave out that hymn, and he was going to sing it. It was a wonderful story. And he gave the background. how that hymn came into existence. Fanny Crosby asking, is there a motherless boy? I'd like to put my hands on him. Frankie told the story a man leaped to his feet. He said, I'm that man. And he said, I couldn't get away from that act, that touching act, when that woman kissed me on the cheek. I could never rest. Yes, friends, souls are present. God wants to save your guilty soul this morning. What shall it profit you if you gain the whole world and lose your soul? Will you take Christ this morning? I can't save you. Joining the church won't save you. You could join all the churches in Albany. That wouldn't save. Baptism won't save. Christ will save you. Baptism and church fellowship comes after yourself. This morning, the Lord Jesus Christ wants to save you. He's paid the price, and if you get saved this morning, then you can start to build on this foundation and have something to look forward to when you die and the Lord comes, you'll have something to look forward to. you salvage something out of your life, but only what you've done after your conversion will be of any value in that day. Gold, silver, precious gold. God doesn't reach into one converted day and try and salvage some good deed of yours and bring it over to this side. No, whatever you do before you're saved is filthy rags. The Apostle Paul, For his conversion on the Damascus Road, and he was a very intelligent, educated, religious, honest, and sheer man. How does he refer to it? Dung! After he was shaved, he went in for gold, till the precious gold. His early life comes. Oh, I'd hate to close my eyes in debt and look back over the wasted night. Nothing was wrong. I praised him and he saved me at the age of nineteen and took me away from what I was so interested in hockey and sports and all the rest of it. No life on earth more satisfying, thrilling than serving the Lord. What about your life? You say, if not, why not? That's the question I asked you this morning. Why not? God loves you. He gave Christ to die to you. It's up to you. What will you do with Jesus? What will your answer be? Dear precious soul, Lord, have borne the diadem of the Son of God forever. God has you. For Christ, our Father in heaven, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we come before you. He asked thy blessing upon thy word, Oh, that precious soul, with trust of savor now, may they call upon thee. For thou art said, Whoso shall call upon the name of the Lord, should he say. How wonderful! Someone this morning was to trust Christ and pass from death unto life. May it be so. For Christ now savor's sake. Amen. just as I am without one plea, but that thy blood is shed for me, that thou bid'st me come to thee, O Lamb of God, I come, and will you come to Christ? Figure it out, weigh it up, think it through. Are you wise to postpone the salvation of your soul for one more minute? Christ could come. Spirit could cease to strive, and the little pump in there could stop, and yet listen. What is your decision you want? Shall we pray? Come down, I am without one's need, But that my heart must stand for me, And let the busy come to me your land. How far I come, how far I come. If you have made that decision, wouldn't you like to make it public? I've come to Christ who is the second one. Just as I am and wait to come to rid my soul of one star's love. To thee whose blood can quench this bar, O land, of God, I come, I come, just as I am the Lord of the Mount. With Lydia down, fightings and fears within, with the land of God I know. I know. Miss Vassar, I don't think I met Miss Vassar before, but she accepted Christ as well. That's the best decision she's ever made in her life. I thought she would do the same. She was going to sing one more verse, but no one comes. The meeting will be considered. Next verse. Just as I am to where this is gone, I see this is me, we will go so far. The old white maiden lived in the final land of God alone.