Spender, Jack: The Still Small Voice ~ 1 Kings 18;

Good to be here this morning. Good to see so many faces. I don't know all of you, but I hope it won't be too long before I do know you all. And it's good to hear such wonderful singing. My goodness, I don't know how long it's been since I've heard singing like at Park of the Palms. Wonderful. Before I read a portion from God's word, I'd just like to call our attention for a moment to the lines of this hymn that we have just sung. Jesus Calls Us is the name of it. Jesus calls us o'er the tumult of our lives, wild, restless sea. I don't care what age you are, and I don't care where you live, I can tell one thing, and that is in this day and age, your life is probably somewhat like a restless sea. I doubt that there's anyone here this morning that can say that they're just constantly relaxed. And this hymn has meant a lot to me, and I would like for us this morning to center our attentions on the thought of the call which comes to us from the Lord Jesus Christ, but I'd li- like to approach it from a rather unusual angle. Turn with me, if you would, to First Kings, chapter eighteen. First Kings, chapter eighteen. I want to read from chapter nineteen, but before we read, I'd just like to point out something for background, which I think will help us. You're all familiar with the story of how Elijah called upon the four hundred and fifty, I think it was, high priests of Baal to get a sacrifice and place it on the altar, and then there would be a contest between God Jehovah and the high priests of, or the priests of Baal. I used to love this story when I was small because I could just see in my mind's eye that scene, and I could, I used to love to read it. It said that, uh, after a while, it, uh, Elijah began to mock them, and he said, well, maybe, uh, your God is asleep, or maybe he's taken a vacation, or maybe he's, uh, maybe he's busy. That's interesting that that's in there, who he would be talking to. But Elijah just began to mock them, and you know, I could see in my own self just exactly what it would be like, or something of what it would be like to be Elijah and to just sort of sit back and enjoy this. Well, call louder, because maybe your God is, uh, he's doing something else. He's busy. Elijah all the time getting a little slam at the, at Baal. In other words, your God is not omniscient. He's not omnipresent. He can't do everything at once. And so this scene goes on, and we won't read it because, uh, it's not what I want to speak about, but in any case, you remember that when Elijah called upon the name of the Lord, that fire fell and consumed the sacrifice, and it even went down into the trench around the altar and licked up the water, and it even says that it ate up the dust and consumed the, even the rocks. It said, uh, then the fire of the Lord fell, verse thirty eight, and consumed the burnt sacrifice and the wood and the stones and the dust and licked up the water that was in the trench. And of course, when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces, and they said, the Lord, he is the God, the Lord, he is the God. What a marvelous triumph was won that day. And yet, if you turn just over one page in your Bible to chapter nineteen, I'm only going to read one verse, verse four. we see something perhaps surprising here. This is Elijah's, he went, he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a juniper tree, and he requested for himself that he might die. And he said, it is enough. Now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am not better than my father's. Elijah was being pursued by the wicked Jezebel, and and uh, it seemed to him as if God had perhaps forgotten, and he had just, everything had closed in on his life, and he was in despair. He went off in the wilderness, and he sat down, and he said, like Jonah, let me die. I'm, I've finished. And this is not too long after the terrific and marvelous miracle which had just happened, where fire fell and where God showed himself in power. And so then, let us read in chapter nineteen. Let's begin reading at verse eight. And he arose and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb, the mountain of God. And he came thither unto a cave and lodged there, and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said unto him, What dost thou hear, Elijah? And he said, now listen to the, uh, to the answer that Elijah gives. I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts, for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword. And I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life to take it away. And did the Lord give him the answer right there? No, he said, go forth and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And behold, it's understood here that Elijah did that, and it says, and behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains and break in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind, an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake, a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, a still small voice. And so, and it was so when Elijah heard it that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entering of the cave, and behold, there came a voice unto him and said, What dost thou hear, Elijah? Same question. And notice the answer, almost except for one word, word for word, the same answer. And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life to take it away. And the Lord said unto him, Go, return on the way to the wilderness of Damascus. When thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria, and Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shalpat of Elmoa shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room. And it came to pass that, it came to pass that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay, and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay. Yet have I left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him. The Lord will bless to our hearts this morning the reading of his word. I'd like for us to notice this morning, just briefly, something that we find here in verse twelve. It said, after the fire there was a still small voice, and the Lord spoke to Elijah in this still small voice. You see, Elijah came to a place where he could pour out his complaint before God, and he, he made his case known to God. He said, here is what it is, here's what is the problem. I've been jealous for thee because thy people have forsaken thee, thrown down thine altars, forsaken thy covenant. And God told Elijah that he must needs get himself into a position or a place where he could hear God. In other words, prepare to hear the word of God. It's not always so in scripture. In fact, it's not, it's very rare that we read of this, but I think there's a lesson here for us, that God was not ready for his own reason, for his own all-knowing reason, to answer Elijah at that moment. God told Elijah to go to the certain place that he told him, and when Elijah went there, I think he learned a real lesson. You know, it wasn't too many days before that Elijah had seen the God of fire, had seen God manifest himself in great power and come down and take up that sacrifice. And I think that, uh, many times this is our own attitude toward the way God works as Christians. You remember the disciples, what they said when the Lord went to Samaria. People there didn't receive him because it says his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. And the disciples right away said, Lord, would you like for us to command that fire come down and consume them, even as Elijah did? In other words, would you like us to show that we understand the way God deals with men? This is a time for fire, a fire of judgment, and the Lord Jesus in, in great compassion and love rebukes them and shows them that he didn't come to consume men. And so Elijah perhaps has gotten the idea that God speaks through fire. He had just seen this, this miracle, and then we see him discouraged, and I think the Lord had to teach Elijah a lesson here. Elijah saw the great earthquake. First of all, he saw a great wind which rent the mountain, and I can just picture Elijah standing there. Here is the great wind. Many times God speaks this way. Now for sure I'll hear the voice of God. And yet the wind broke the rocks, but it went by. And then it says that there was an earthquake. You know, when Moses was up on the mountain, there were quakings and all, and perhaps Elijah thought, well, now here for sure is the way God will speak. Here's the earthquake, the mighty God that rends the earth, and yet there was no answer. And then the fire, and perhaps, uh, most of all, Elijah would be thinking, well, God has spoken to me before in fire and spoken through fire, and now the fire comes. This is where I'll hear the word of God, and he didn't hear it. And it said, and after the fire, the voice of the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire, a still small voice. Isn't that wonderful? That Elijah heard God speak through this small voice. And as I say, I think there's a lesson here for us as Christians. We've been singing Jesus calls us, or the tumult of our life's wild, restless sea. How many times, looking back, can we honestly say that our life has been such a tumultuous, restless, wild, raging sea that we haven't had time to listen to the still, small voice of God. Perhaps I'm speaking to someone this morning in the meeting that has never in their life ever listened to that still, small voice calling you to know the Lord Jesus Christ. Perhaps you're here this morning confused and mixed up and wondering why life seems as it does. Perhaps you see those around you that are, that seem to have a measure of peace in their life, and you yearn to know the peace that passes all understanding. I trust this morning that maybe for the first time in your life that you will listen to that still small voice which calls. You know, our brother Wardenburg was speaking about the painting of the Lord Jesus Christ standing at the door and knocking. And there's a great truth there that God never forces his way into any human life. God never says, you are going to come to know me whether you like it or not. God always stands and knocks and asks admittance. And so it is with us who know the Lord that God never forces his way into our lives. Many times we say, Lord, I can do this. And many times the Lord has to say, okay, okay, I'll let you prove to yourself that you can't do it. And then we turn when everything else is gone, and we say, Lord, I'm stuck, help. I know you've had that experience. I certainly have. And how much the Lord wants us before, before trying anything to come before him and say, Lord, I'm ready to listen. I'm ready to receive your word, whether it come in fire or wind or earthquake, in other words, dynamically and with great power, or whether it come in the still, small voice. Well, in the moments that remain, I'd like for us to try and answer this question. You know, when I was much younger, I used to sit and listen to preachers, and there was one thing, I think, above all else that really, that I really didn't like, and that was when a preacher would give a command and yet never tell how to do it. And there was one man that used to preach, and I used to like him because he used to preach like, I used to say, like a cookbook. He always gave the recipe. He always told what to do. And I was reading the other day in a little devotional that I have, and I just want to illustrate what I mean. This is the verse, Isaiah fifty two one, Awake, awake, put on thy strength. And here's the comment. Put on strength, we have not to purchase it or generate it by prayers and resolutions, but simply to put it on. You know, especially a young Christian. What does that mean to a young Christian? Put on strength. What are you gonna do? How do you put on strength? There's no, there's no recipe there. There's no directions to follow, especially for a simple person. It's nice to have someone say, do thus and so. And so I hope this morning not just to stand before you and say, ah, we need to listen to the still small voice, but I hope to offer some suggestions on how we can do this in our lives, because I believe that when we learn to listen to the voice of God speaking through his spirit, not only to bring us to Christ, but also to lead us, that we'll truly learn to grow. First of all, I've just quickly written down three reasons why I think that sometimes we miss the still small voice. One is, very obviously, that we won't listen. And here I call to mind the passage in Hebrews chapter thirteen that speaks about chastening, and so often we read this passage about how the Christian is chastened by the Lord, and yet we neglect to think about that one little phrase that's in there on which the whole thing turned. It says, after the chastening, it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness. What? To them that are exercised thereby. That doesn't mean that everyone that er is ever chastened by the Lord comes out with the peaceable fruit of righteousness, not at all. It's only who tho- to those who are willing to be exercised. It's only to those who are willing to say, this is hard, Lord, but I want to go through it because I know I'll learn something. And many times you and I, we won't listen. It's too hard, or the temptation to do it our own way, we refuse. And then another thing is, sometimes we're making too much noise to hear the still small voice. Do you ever think of that? It says in Matthew chapter twelve that we will give an account for every idle word. That's a staggering and a sobering thought, an account at the judgment seat of Christ for every idle word. And it says in James chapter one, let everyone be swift to hear, slow to speak. And then finally, I think of that great discourse which is recorded for us in the book of Job. Poor Job and his affliction sits there, and he hears all these three men's complaint or accusation against him, and it goes on and on and on, and then finally this young man, Elihu, answers, and he goes on even longer. Instead of just saying, Job, listen to the still small voice of God, wait for God's time. What does he do? He takes up twice as much time, and finally God answers for Job out of the whirlwind, and what does he say? The first thing God says, who is this that darkeneth counsel by many words without understanding? In other words, you haven't brought a light into Job's life, you just brought more darkness. And yet, as you read what Elihu said, every word of it is true. He gives highest glory to God. He calls him the Almighty. You see, it's not that what he said was a lie, it was the way he said it. If he'd had just been quiet and let and instructed Job to just wait for the Lord, to just listen to the little voice, give the Lord a chance to speak, I'm sure he would have helped Job. Sometimes we're making too much noise. But I don't wish this morning to take any of our time with these first two thoughts. It's the third one that I'd like to dwell on a little bit, and that is that there's too much noise in our surroundings. Now you say, well, that can't be helped. We live in a day when the jets fly overhead and thousands of people throng around us at the stores and all, and we just can't help all the noise. I don't mean this kind of noise. What kind of noise I mean is the kind of noise or distraction that we voluntarily place ourselves in. I don't want to be unkind this morning. I don't want to tread on any toes. I don't want to single anyone out. I couldn't really. But I do want to say that there's some of us in this meeting this morning, and I do speak to myself, that many times we are crippled Christians. We are not usable for the Master because the still small voice, oh, it's there, it's crying, it's calling. Jesus calls us, but he's calling over such a tumult that we have voluntarily placed ourselves in that we never hear, and he has to go on and say, I need a job done, but I'll have to choose another vessel. Sometimes the distractions which come into our lives are people. Remember our brother Bob speaking Thursday night mentioned that verse, Genesis chapter thirteen and verse fourteen, about how God said to Abraham, let me read it here so I'll get it right. God spoke to Abraham, and it says in verse fourteen, the Lord said unto Abram, when that Lot was separated from him, lift up now thine eyes. Abr- or Lot was there for quite a while, but when Lot left, God spoke to Abram, and he said, lift up now thine eyes. And that's when he spoke to Abram. And you might think too of Isaiah chapter six, that famous portion in Isaiah where it said, in the year that King Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord high and lifted up. Isaiah, of course, stood before the king constantly, and because he was a righteous king, there's no reason to believe that there was any, any hatred or dislike between them. He was a righteous king, and perhaps Isaiah was rather proud to serve the great king of the nation. But it says in the year that Uzziah died, I saw the Lord. And so sometimes we have to confess that there are people, relatives, friends, someone which often keeps us from hearing the voice of the Lord. But even more drastic and even more prevalent and even more harmful to us as Christian, I think, it's these things, it's the material things that we have that we all know so much of in this great country of ours that keep us from hearing the voice of the Lord. Turn, if you will, in your Bibles to Luke chapter eight. You remember that in Luke chapter eight, the Lord Jesus Christ gives the parable of the sower, and we won't read this parable because you're all familiar with it, but I'd just like for us to look at his interpretation of the parable. Luke chapter eight and verse 12, or verse eleven, he says, now the parable is this, the seed is the word of God, those by the wayside are they that hear. Notice in each case now, the word hear is used. Those that hear, then cometh the devil and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. Very clear here what's happened. Satan has come in immediately and ca- caught the word away. Verse thirteen, they on the rock are they which, when they hear, receive the word with joy. These have no root, which for a while believe and in temptation fall away. Now, there are many people that would like to stand here and say that this is very plain. The first three cases are people that don't know the Lord, and only the last one, which brings forth fruit, knows the Lord. It doesn't say that here, and I don't wish to say that. It's very evident that the first one is someone that never really comes to know the Lord, and it's evident that the last one is someone that does. But as to these two in between, I think that there's no deeper explanation given because it can apply to both. Look at verse fourteen. That which fell among thorns are they which, when they have heard, go forth and are choked. Now notice this, choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life and bring no fruit to perfection. It certainly sounds like someone that has never really come into an experience with the Lord Jesus, but on the other hand, I wouldn't say that that's absolutely true in every case, because I've seen Christians that have been absolutely choked by cares and riches and pleasure of this life. You know, as I read that little phrase of this life, it called to my mind a verse over in Acts. I think it's Acts chapter five. You don't need to turn to it. I'll just read it because I think it's interesting here. Acts chapter 5 and verse twenty. Verse nineteen, it said, the angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them forth and said, now these are the disciples that have been in prison for the word of God, and the angel opens the doors, and what does he say? He says, go, stand, and speak in the temple to all the people, all the words of what? Of this life, right. Of this life. You see, it's the very same phrase that we find over here in Luke chapter eight, this life, but you can see what a difference there is there. The disciples were to go and stand and speak the words of this life. In other words, this new life in Christ, this self-denying life, this life which placed one's life right on the throne before God. And yet over in Luke chapter eight, the phrase this life obviously has reference to the snarl, the thorns of these cares and riches and pleasures. Now I know this morning that there are many cares that are sent from God. There are many people that have riches, and it's a gift from God. And there are many pleasures which God gives to us, his people. I don't mean that a Christian is a, a careless, poor, and sad person. I don't mean that at all. You know that. What I mean is the wrong use of these things. These cares, care speaking for there being not enough, and so we worry, and we don't listen to the scripture when it says, casting all your care on him, for he careth for you. These riches which mean too much, and it says in, I think it's Ecclesiastes or Proverbs, that the, the riches suffereth not the rich person even to sleep. There's, there's just too much. And the pleasures. Many times the pleasures speak to us of the person who is not satisfied, and they're grasping out all the time for more. They're trying to find peace with God. These cares and riches and pleasures which choke us and keep us from hearing the voice of God. I like what Barnes, Albert Barnes, had to say on this, just one sentence, I'll read it because I think it's so good. It says they take time and attention, they do not leave opportunity to think and examine the state of the soul. Riches allure and promise what they do not yield. How true that is. And now, just in the moments that are left, I would like to offer or to suggest a couple of ways in which we in as Christian people can guard ourselves against this, these thorns which grab a hold of our lives and separate us many times from the will of God. Turn to Joshua chapter one and verse eight. Ver- the very beginning, the commission of Joshua, we find these beautiful words. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein. For then shalt thou make thy way prosperous, and then shalt thou have good success. Meditate. That doesn't just mean that we take the word and sit down and we go through our verse or our paragraph or even our chapter. That means that we think about this. In First Timothy chapter four and verse fifteen, it says, give thyself wholly to these things, meditate upon them. To meditate and to read are two different things, because to meditate means to read with thoughtfulness. And we will find, as Christian people, that when we sit down with the Word of God and prayerfully ask God to speak to our hearts through his Word, if it's only one verse, it's better to read one verse and think about it than to read one book and not think about it. It's all the word of God, and it's all profitable for reproof, for doctrine, for doctrine, for correction and righteous, instruction in righteousness. But it's not profitable for any of these things if we refuse to let it be. See, once again, it's God that must speak into our lives. It's God that must call us, but it's us that must be willing to listen. To meditate means to really think about, to sit down and to ask the Lord to break this bread of life to our souls. If we can read over a verse and we have absolutely no questions, there's nothing ambiguous, we understand or we think we understand everything in the verse, then it's time to go on to another verse. But if we're in a verse of scripture and we don't understand it, it's time for prayer, it's time for a little thought, because here is where God can come and teach us a lesson, can speak to us, meditating on his word. And then the second thing is harder. Turn to Proverbs chapter four and verse twenty six. Proverbs four and verse twenty six. It says, ponder the path of thy feet, and let thy ways be established, or so let thy ways be established. Now, this is apart from the word of God. Perhaps, uh, we are reading the word of God too in the midst of this, but this says, ponder the path of thy feet. Take time to think about our steps. Christianity is not a very mechanical thing in which we say, well, now I have a problem, what chapter and verse is it, and the Lord spells out each rule to us. This isn't the way it's done. We have to think, we have to use our minds that God has given us, and it's good for Christians to ponder the path of their feet. You know, when I was very young, I was in a chess club. I don't know how many of you ever played chess. I used to love to play chess, and I went to this chess meeting, the first one I went to, and, you know, it would take me all thirty seconds to make a move. But that was easy to understand because I was new, and I didn't know how to play the game very well, and I figured when I got to be a good player, I could make the move in fifteen seconds. When I got very good, perhaps only five seconds or maybe four or three, I'd pick up and move. But, you know, I got a great surprise when I went to the chess meeting, because men who had been there ten or fifteen years and that were real good players were sitting thinking five, ten, fifteen minutes on one move. And I thought, what kind of a game is this where the better you get, the longer it takes? But you can see right away what the problem is. There's always a move at first glance that seems, you know, there's a way that seemeth right unto a man. At first glance, there's always that move that we just love to take, and that I pick up the piece and do it and wonder why I rarely ever win. But the expert realizes that he has to suppress that first impulse. He has to stop and think. He has to ponder the path of that man. And many times, nine times out of ten, one sees that way over in the corner is this little fellow that will come right over and take it. And this is, I believe, what we have to do in our lives. We should set aside some time to ponder the path of our feet. And because we're all people, we're all individuals, the way in which we do this is not as important as the fact that we do it. Some people like to get up very early in the morning and go for a walk. Other people might like to ride along in their cars and think. Some people like to lay in bed at night and think. There's all kinds of ways in which we can take a few minutes every day and ponder the path of our feet and ask ourselves simple, down to earth questions like, who did I offend today with my mouth? Who did I speak unkindly of? And how can I help this? What should I have done that I didn't do? Not that our lives become a cold, routine sort of scientific thing where we're constantly just dumping chemicals together, but more o- more the thought of showing the Lord that we're interested, that we're wrestling daily with the problems of our own personality, that we're interested in bringing our lives into conformity with the Lord Jesus Christ. We ponder the paths of our feet, and there's one other verse, you don't have to turn to it, but in Psalm chapter four and verse four, a well-known verse, we get the same. It says, stand in awe and sin not, commune with your own heart upon your bed and be still. It's interesting that this word still here is the very same word that's used in First Kings chapter nineteen, of the still small voice. I looked that word up, and what it actually means is calm or restful. The calm, restful voice, the quiet voice, and that we ought to commune with our own hearts, so to speak, upon our bed. This is so important. You know, many psychologists now, you all know, are saying that the person with a mental turmoil ought to go fishing because fishing is a good time to rea- relax, and they say that the less fish there are in the place where you go, the better you'll, you'll fare. Because to just get out there and stand and relax for a couple of hours and to think, I fish every summer, and boy, I love to think. Many times I come home singing away, and I got no fish, and mom can't understand that. But, you know, it's a great time to have a small, personal state of the union message. How am I doing? What do I need to ask the Lord for more help in? And we should do this yearly and take account of our lives. Has another year slipped by without a single lesson learned? God forbid. We won't turn to it, but I have jotted down here too. I was just stumbled on this this morning. In Genesis twenty four, it says that Isaiah, or Isaac, went out into the field at night to meditate. I thought that was interesting. There's a real concrete example of it. Then thirdly, and most difficult of all, we ought to cultivate a quiet attitude or spirit. Now, I fully realize that God has given us all personalities that are different, and we don't ask the person with a, with a lively and a, and a bubbling personality not to speak anymore. That isn't what God wants. But we ought, each one of us, to cultivate a personality which has strained out those things which are obnoxious to the Lord. How do we know? It says in Ephesians five that we ought to put away silly talk, foolish talking and jesting. I didn't say that. That's here. It's very hard, especially for some of us that like a joke. This doesn't mean that we never tell a joke anymore. This just means that we try and bring our lives to a place where we can hear that still small voice, where we're not constantly making a racket. Turn to Psalm chapter forty six, if you would. Psalm chapter forty six and verse ten, it says, be still, same word, be still and know that I am God. That's all I'm going to read, just that thought, but you see what I mean. Be still and know that I am God. Be quiet, be calm, and know that I am God. And we can all think of the many verses which could have been read this morning, which apply to the same thing. You know, several years ago, I read that a consumer, a famous president of some company, said that if you want to sell a product and you want to have absolute positive assurance that this product will sell in this country of ours, there's one way to do it. Start off in the morning with a little chart of the moment John Doe wakes up, and follow his life as closely as you can, minute by minute through the day, until the moment he falls asleep at night. And if you can find one moment in that day, one minute, even just one minute that isn't occupied, that is called leisure time, and your product will fit into that moment, you'll have a million seller. You'll be a millionaire overnight. Because, you see, in the society we live in, things are so geared that every moment has to be taken up with something. I've met people that could not get in their car and ride from their home to the store without having a car radio on. They'd be absolutely a wreck. There's got to be somebody in there talking and speaking and singing. They get home and they turn the TV on right away, and if company comes, they turn the volume either up a little higher or down a little lower, but it's still on. And at night they lie in bed and they have books and they have entertainment and the TV's going, and then when they're ready to fall asleep from exhaustion, everything goes off at once, and they're, they become a blank. If I speak to someone in the meeting this morning that is like this, that we have to have continual things to take up our time, that we can't bear to be alone with ourselves and our thoughts for a minute, we have to ask the Lord to do something about this, because the Lord is not going to come in and shout over the voice of the TV set. He never will. I'm not condemning TV, I'm just simply saying that God will not burst his way in around the television set. That God wants some time for us to be still and know that he is God, and that's when he'll speak to us. Just in closing, I'd like to say one other thing. We spoke about those a little while ago who would not hear, and we mentioned that verse in Hebrews that spoke about chastisement of the Christian. There's another verse that comes to my mind, and that is Proverbs chapter twenty nine and verse one, and it says, he that being often reproved and hardeneth his neck shall suddenly be destroyed or cut off, and that without remedy. This is a solemn thought, that there are people who are often reproved. They are often instructed in the way of the Lord, that they are often called by the voice of the Holy Spirit to come to God, and yet they continually turn the voice off. They continually turn their back. They won't listen. When I was younger, I was on a boat ride in New York City up the Hudson River, and I remember so well a man going around and saying, would you like to accept the Lord as your savior? It was after the invitation had been given, and the man that stood ahead of me said, no, I don't want to accept the Lord. I've been asked before. I'm tired of hearing. Please go away. I'm still young. And this kind of struck me, and I thought, boy, isn't that awful? But in time, I forgot about it, and a half an hour later, we got to the dock, and I'll never forget that night. It was raining hard, and I saw this man run down the gangplank and slip on the pavement, and a taxi came and struck him down, and they carried him away. He had plenty of time. You see, the voice of God calls only so long, and that there are those that harden their heart, and they'll suddenly be cut off. Friend in the meeting, if that's you this morning, if God has been calling and speaking to you, and you've been turning your back, I warn you this morning that this may be the last time that that voice will call you. For those of us that know and love the Lord, let's go out of this place this morning resolved anew to examine our lives before the Lord. Let's leave some time for God to speak to us. Let's put that time above all other time, the time when we go into his word and meditate, and when we allow the Lord to speak to our hearts. Shall we pray? Father in heaven, we do bow in thy presence with thanksgiving for thy word. We thank thee for the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank thee, Father, for each one who is here this morning. Thou knowest the needs of each heart, and we ask, Father, that if there be one in this meeting this morning that has never come to a place in their life where they can say, Lord Jesus, I accept thee now as my own Savior. I realize that you have died for my sins. I want to get this matter cleared up and straight once for all. Give that one the grace, Father, to make it known. Help that one to seek, ask any of us, the Lord might lead, bring them into his family this mo- this day. We thank thee for n- for thy word and ask that thou bless it to each one of us. And might we go forth from this place resolved anew to be those who would listen to the still small voice of God. We thank thee, Father, for calling us, for calling us over the tumult of life's wild, restless sea, and we would be those who answer with action. We would be those who stand still and listen and know that thou art God. Bless each one as we part, we do ask in the Lord Jesus' name. Amen.