First Corinthians chapter two. Corinthians chapter three. And verse eleven. For other foundations can no man lay than that is laid, which is Christ Jesus. So I want to read a couple of verses. A few verses. In Matthew chapter five. Matthew chapter five. Matthew chapter seven, Matthew chapter seven. Matthew chapter seven and the first verse. Enter ye in at the straight gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. Because straight is the gate, the man who is the way which leadeth unto life, And few there be that findeth. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing. But inwardly they are ramming wolves. He shall know them by their fruit. The men gather grapes of thorns or figs or fissils. Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit. But a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit. Neither can the corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth forth good fruit is chuned down and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruit she shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. But he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven, many will say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works, then will I profess unto them, I never knew you. Depart from me, ye workers of the Necithere. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them I will liken him unto a wise man. I want you to get that. A wise man which built his house upon a rock And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell not. For it was founded upon a rock, and every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and And the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. And it came to pass when Jesus had ended these saying, The people were astonished at his doctrine, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the stride. The reason I read this passage in Matthew is, you'll notice in our studies thus far in First Corinthians, in Chapter I and II, you have repeated reference to the wisdom of God and the foolishness or the folly of man. And then if you come to Chapter III in First Corinthians, we'll be on that, Lord willing, next Sunday, you have the importance of a foundation. So you have the three things. God's wisdom, man's foolishness, and the importance of the right foundation. One night this week, while I'm awake thinking about the message this morning, I thought of what we have in Matthew chapter seven, where you have all these three things brought before you. You have a wise man who builds his house upon a rock. You have a foolish man who builds his house upon the sand. So you have God's wisdom and the wisdom of a man who follows the will of God. You have the foolishness of man, and the important thing in this case is the foundation. So I thought we'd compare these this morning. You have also in Matthew chapter three, because I believe that sermon along this line begins with verse thirteen, where you have the narrow gate. the narrow way that leads us down to life. And also you have the broad gate and the broad way that leads us to destruction. Lord Jesus is bringing before us some very solemn contrast, and here you have the straight way, the straight gate, and it leads down to life. One gate, one way, one gate, one way, and one destiny. That's all. And this one gate is narrow. This one way is narrow. Not too much company on this way. And this way leads to a glorious destination that is life eternal. Then he brings before us a wide gate, a wide way, a broad way that leads us to destruction. Only one truth on the narrow way. That is Christ. I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. But on the broad way, there are many errors. It is a certainty. Many false doctrine. All kinds of company. But the end is the subject. Now the Lord Jesus is making yet very plain. If people are wanting something that's popular today, you're right at home on the Broadway that lead us to the sun. But if you're prepared to have less company, then you'll have to take the narrow way that lead us onto life. And the truth on the narrow way is a person the Lord Jesus Christ. Every man and woman at some time in their life have got to come to the forks of the road. That's what the Lord Jesus is pointing out. You've got to come to a place where you're going to make a decision, either to enter the broad gate to the broad way and the endless destruction, or enter the narrow gate for the narrow way that leadeth unto life. And so the Lord Jesus is bringing this before us. and how a man needs to be wise in making his decision. A fool would only make the other decision, the broad way, why gait than the broad way that leads to destruction. A wise person says, I want the narrow gait, the narrow way that lead us unto life. It may be unpopular, but I want... to go to heaven. The majority says Christ are on the broad way that leadeth unto the sun. On all the many and varied cults and false doctrines and errors today, plenty of room on the broad way that leadeth to the sun. But there's only room on the narrow way that leadeth unto life or truth. And that's the Lord Jesus Christ. And then he goes on and gives a second warning. And I might say in that connection, you'll either die with a many or live with a few. The decision is yours. Then he comes to his second warning here in verses fifteen and twenty. And it's a case of the danger of doctrine. False thought. Arrhenius doctrine. The true prophet of God goes by the word of God. The false prophet, he goes by the word of wisdom of men. And what men teach and men say, the one is a representative of the true God. That is, the true prophet. He goes according to the Scripture. And he represents the author of this blessed book, God himself. The other, the false prophet, is the emissary and servant of the devil. And he's busy in these last days trying to lead people astray, and many are falling for his bait. And so the Lord Jesus brings this situation before us, and man is blind. If he listens for the truth, how can you judge a true prophet, a true prophet? is one who doesn't just take one verse of Scripture and take it out of its context, but he'll prove his point by turning to a number of Scriptures or going from Genesis to Revelation to back up one verse of Scripture. Therefore he's saved, as the Bible says, and will be on that tonight in our spiritual education, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. If I find a verse in the Bible, how now am I going to prove that verse means exactly what it says? Look it all up throughout the whole Bible, the Old and New Testament, if that one verse is supported by all the scriptures I am on the stage now. And so he warns against false trust, and I tell you they're subtle like wolves in sheep's clothing. Is that wolf? yet it's got the nature of a wolf but outside it looks like a sheep but inside it's a ravening wolf and today there are these false prophets and oh they're subtle they look like the real thing but they're not they've got a nature of a wolf and not of the sheep then he comes to other warnings here and it's nice for us to remember this The warning I read, and I want to point out the one I read in verses twenty-one to twenty-three, here's a warning against profession and practice. This is a solemn verse. The Lord Jesus says, Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of God. Assuring there are a lot of people today, religious people. And they say, Lord, Lord. And they're quite ready to refer to the Lord and say, Yes, I know the Lord is my Lord. Not everyone that saith unto me, the Lord Jesus, speaking to those people. Here you see His eternal sonship, the coming eternal judge. And he says, Not everyone saith unto me in that day, because you people there have got to meet me. Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. But he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. That's the test. For he says, Many shall say unto me, Here's the Broadway. many shall say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord. Here he brings in himself again, many shall say unto me in that day. Here's the eternal judgment. He stood right there and he was warning them. Many shall say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, we have prophesied in thy name, preachers. We have cast out devils in thy name. And in thy name we've done many wonderful works. Plenty of the miraculous of what people are looking for today, trusting me, he shall say unto them, depart from me the works of the iniquity I never knew. That's good, Sr. I said this in Burlington when I was there a couple of months ago, and I was saying here, A man could raise a person from the dead right in my presence, or he could cause a man's arm to come out and be normal. That wouldn't sway me a bit. I'd say, friend, do you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior? Are you trusting in the blood of Christ that takes me to heaven? No. Then I don't believe your merit. Your miracles don't move me. Your wondrous works don't move me. I judge everything by the word of God. And Christ, as many shall say unto me in that day, we've done wondrous things in your name. We've cast out devils. Suppose when a man came to Albany, and there's a man in Albany possessed with demons, trotting at the mouth such as the one we read about in Mark five. No one could chain him. He was a violent man, a desperate man, living in the cemetery. And that man was brought into this city, supposed to be a healer, for a man that was doing wonders of work, and he passed the demons out of that man. And the man was perfectly normal. And went home and lived a normal life. So the whole city of Albany would be swayed. That man wasn't a born-again believer, washed in the blood of Christ. It was a cake. Jesus Christ, as many shall say unto me in that day, we've preached in your name. We've passed out devils, as the case I referred to. And we've done many wonderful. That may sell even pastoring out demons that may even be raising someone from the dead. And the Lord Jesus says, I never did know you. Not I knew you once, I don't know you now, but he says, I never knew you. These are such things. We've got to go according to this book, the Bible. I'm not called for everything sensational that comes along. We've got to go according to the Word of God. The Word of God alone is the judge of God. And many men may, more or less, perform miracles. Let me tell you, that miracle doesn't accredit that man, or prove to his right. You've got to go according to the book. And what that man may, his outward act, may be fantastic. But if he is not straight on this doctrine of the Bible that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God and only his blood upon the cross and save, only those who have the Spirit of God within can do those things which are pleasing to God and glorify his name, they that through the will of my Father which is in heaven. In other words, these men were doing these miracles of preaching and they weren't doing it in the will of God. And in the last days you can look for a lot of fantastic things. And you're only safe, God, if you get back through this book. And so you have all kinds of false doctrine today. And if you follow any of them, you lead to a faith-wrecked life. And that's what God warns us in his work. In other words, what God wants is obedience. He doesn't want us to question his word for a minute. It was Duke of Wellington who dispatched some engineers, a group of engineers, to do a job. And they came back and the officer in charge of that group of engineers said to the Duke of Wellington, he said, I think it's not impossible. It's not impossible to execute the directions you gave me. Juth said, I did not ask for your advice. I gave you orders, and I expect you to carry them up. God's not asking men for his advice about the Bible and the way to heaven. He's not asking men to counsel him. He's not asking men for their knowledge of what they think. God says, I've given you orders. you obey what I say or tell him. He that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. And I find over him my Bible that he includes in that a lot of miraculous, fantastic things. It's the simple faith of the child of God in the written word of God. And he says in the last day many false prophets shall come. so much so. They'll perform some miraculous things, but they'll almost deceive the very next. Matthew twenty-four and twenty-four. Christian, you go by this book, and if you don't, you're in trouble. God wants you to go by the word of God. People today are not studying the Bible for themselves. They'll take anything the preacher says in the classroom. They'll follow. They're not acquainted with the Bible, and therefore... Many of them are being dead, are straight. And so here you have the Lord Jesus, and he's giving these warnings concerning these various things that I've mentioned, the two ways, the false prophets and the truth, and also what we've just been mentioning about calling him, Lord, Lord, now, and doing wonderful things, startling things with impressed man. But he says, I never knew you. You're not doing it in my name or in my power. You're doing it in the power of Satan. And you can expect that in the invalidation. Now he comes to the most solemn portion of all, and that is what we read about the foundation. You'll notice in connection with this foundation, there were two men and they're building a house. each undoubtedly building a house. It could be possible that the houses were very much alike because the very same circumstances, the storm that the Lord refers to that shook the one house, shook the other. The one house stood, the other one didn't. So evidently these two men built side by side. A lot of characteristics about these and also similarities. Undoubtedly the same desire of the one who built on the sand. was the same desire the other who built on the rocks. They wanted a house for themselves and for their family. So they had the same desire. Undoubtedly the same locality, they could have been neighbors. Should they, because, I say, the circumstances that shook the one house and blew it over, for the other house stood still? Outside, externally, they could have looked just the most of the life. You look at those two houses, and as to what they look like, their size, windows, doors, and all the rest of it, they look exactly alike. Some days, some cases are pretty hard to differentiate between a real child of God and a person on the way to hell. Their outward light is very similar. They look very much alike. I don't see any different algorithms. See, the same food. And they live about the same life. And as far as I can see, there's very little difference. But the Lord Jesus is driving home a point here. Some people are satisfied with the loose. Christ says the main thing is the foundation. The main thing is the foundation. You know, it's remarkable when you consider what... This man did, and I'm going to read what Luke says, and he makes it very plain. In verse forty-eight of Luke, He is like a man whosoever cometh to me and heareth my sayings, and doeth him, I will show you to whom he is like. He is like a man which built a house and dig deep. Notice that. He digged deep and laid the foundation on a rock. And when the floods arose, and the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth and doeth not is like a man that without a foundation built in house upon the earth or the sand, against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it didn't stand long. immediately a cell and the ruin of that house was built. Now the Lord is pointing out definitely in this the importance of the foundation. It's not the loose. It's not the wall. The important thing is the foundation. And as a rule, you can't see the foundation. That was true with Solomon's temple. You couldn't see the foundation. And friend, you can't see the foundation of the church. He's in him. People today are wanting to see them. You may see one of the finest specimens of humanity. Their life is clean, respectable. They're educated. They're cultured. They're kind. They're loving. They're giving. Oh, yes. wonderful neighbors you see that lovely structure next door there's someone living who knows the Lord Jesus Christ who is born again and all their hopes for eternity are on Jesus Christ that one foundation that we read about in chapter three when the test comes one fall the other ones survive. And we miss the point that the lesson the Lord is getting across here if we say, well, we'll wait till the storm comes to see who's right. It's too late then. After the storm swept through that area, the house on the sand was gone. The house on the rock too. And if you're waiting till the storm comes, the storm of death or of judgment, To find out whether you're on the rock or not, it will be too late. He wants you to find out now. In this life, that's why he's giving you his words. You know, sand is something nice. You can play in it all day and won't get dirty. It's not like mud. Some people are building their hope for heaven on a clean life. They don't get into the mud and the vile things of life. They're clean. more of respect. The whole thing in this case is the foundation. Friend, are you built upon the foundation? That's it. These two houses are very much alike. The desire of the ones who built them very much alike. But here is a fundamental situation. Everything depends on the foundation of these houses. The other day I read something very interesting. I happened to see a book, and it was concerning the East. This man had traveled through the East. And he mentions this incident in the Bible. And he said there was one case where a little village was established. And he said he stayed with this man. And he said during the night, and it was not far from Nazareth. He said, during the night there was a terrible storm coming up. And he said, I tell you the wind blew and it could come up quickly there. And he said, during the night I heard the water rushing. And he said, I knew something was going on on the outside. I heard people hollering. I looked out. I saw them carrying something that may look like clothing and furniture. He says, the next morning there wasn't a thing left of the other houses around me. pieces of furniture here and there. It was all gone. He says, on the house, I will stay. It wasn't all that I thought. He says, this man dug thirty feet down, and he had the pillars of his house on a rock. In other words, I read to you in Luke eight, this Luke six. This man, this wise man dug deep. He dug deep and built this house upon a rock. That means work for me. Your digging is not going to save you. Your house is going to save you if it's built on a rock. This other man who was in the house that was on the sand, he wanted it quick. Oh, I haven't got time. Go to all the trouble to dig down that rock. I want my house immediately. I want to live in it now. Yes, a lot of people today, well, I want what I want now. Some people want their pie in the sky by and by, but I want my pie now. I'm living for now, and I'm willing to have my house built alongside a pleasant stream in the summertime. I enjoy it with no thoughts of a heavy winter and spring thaw. and the torrential rains that may turn that little river, that little stream into a raging cataract, sweeping everything before. I think we've had some illustrations of that recently out in the West, and to see the work those engineers went to and everybody who had property and homes there, working hard, putting up sandbags, night and day, because of the fallen river. Pleasant in the summers. but awful when the storm comes and the snow melts. Looks like to me after a person went through that two or three times, they get the hint. I went through West Virginia many years ago in the Ohio River, went about sixty-some feet above its normal level. In fact, we baptized some people in the Ohio River and we went down to baptize them. There were the stones down there. I don't know how far below normal because the water was low. But we came down, or this was Smith, that I referred to, before we went down into the water. Sixty-seven feet up on top of those trees, the mark was around where the water was. That's unbelievable. And another time when I was coming through that area and there was a flood on, the Red Cross was called in. I stood there watching people being evacuated, standing on their roof with a few belongings and boats getting overtaken. But you know they were just laughing. I said to a man standing beside me, I said, well, those who do? Oh, I said, they go back after all over. They've done that many times. I said, well, I'd be seeking higher ground if I lived around here. I don't have to be flooded out once. I'd get the highest lot I could get. That's weakness. Friend, let me tell you, you better be on higher ground. You better be on the water. When that storm comes, it's going to test others. It'll test your spirit, your soul, your body. Yes, the floods came, the winds blew, and the rain fell. This is the Lord Jesus. The rain tries to root. The wind tests the wall. bloods tested the foundation. God's going to test you, spirit, soul, and body. Already your body's beginning to feel a test of life, a test of day. Our body's having to yield to the test of time. We're getting afraid. And also... The mind is not what it used to be. It can become forgetful and play tricks on you. It's failing under the pest. Spirit, soul, and body is going to be tested in that coming day. And unless you're built on Christ the solid rock, you're going to be lost and lost forever. That's what your Bible says. On Christ the solid rock I stand. All of the ground is sinking sand. Are you on Christ this morning? Are you on this solid rock in a surging sea? For the waters are getting mighty rough around us. And God wants us to be sure of Sunday. I wouldn't sleep tonight if I didn't know. I was born again, and all my hopes for eternity were resting upon Christ, the solid rock. He said in Matthew chapter sixteen, upon the rock, upon the basis of Peter's confession, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God, he says, on this rock, of what you just said, Peter, that I am the Son of the Living God. And the eternal Son of God on this rock I'll build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against. That's how solid a Christian is. The very gates of hell can't destroy a Christian because the foundation you're standing on is secure. It's already been tested. Christ was tested at Calvary. He was tested by man. Oh yes, the floods of ungodly men surround me, he said prophetically in the psalm, the floods of ungodly men. There they were around the cross. They were attacking the Son of God. They were hurling all kinds of filthy things out of their mouths, persecuting, ridiculing, shuffling the Son of God. For three hours he was submitted to the ways of floods of ungodly men, if thou be the Son of God. Come down from the cross. He was tested at the hands of man. But he stood the test. He was tested at the hands of the devil, for the wind blew. And the devil is the prince and the power of the air. And the Son of God could say, Satan come up and he findeth nothing in me. Satan tried his best to test the Son of God in the wilderness for forty days. But the Son of God came out of the wilderness after forty days. Triumph! Satan tested them and God tested them. Blood rains came down from heaven. Man tested the foundation, Satan tested the guile, and God tested the roof. For he says, From above hath thou sent fire into my boat. God tested his son at the cross. Finally, after God withdrew, testing his son, he said it soon. The storm is past. The storm that broke, strong jaw dropped as hills, the storm that broke upon the person of Christ, tested by man, by demon, by God, it stood the test. And the Son of God, when this last raindrop fell and the last peal of thunder was heard and the last flash of lightning, he said it to him, and the Son of God stood the test. And that's the foundation of the church. And that's the foundation of my soul, if more. To have built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself, being the chief cornerstone. Friend, I want to ask you, are you resting solidly, squarely on the foundation of Jesus Christ, if more? There's always going to be an awful test in that coming day for men and women who put it off. It was too late then. You better get this settled now and submit to the searching, casting influence of the Word of God. There are two verses over in Jeremiah I want to read. Jeremiah twelve five. If thou hast run with the footman and they have wearyed thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? And if in the land of peace wherein thou trustest they weary thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan? Jeremiah, you've run with men for battle, and you got tired. You couldn't make it. How are you going to contend with horses as the steed and strength? Jeremiah, you can't do it. And Jeremiah, after that, when you come to the swelling of Jordan, how will you contend with death? If you, friend, begin to feel yourself weakening under your contentment or tests under humanity, you're failing. You can't stand the test you're showing signs of the end. You're going to contend with greater things than you need, human beings. How are you going to contend with horses, with events and troubles far greater than men can bring about? There are problems coming, and they're going to be far worse than anything you've ever had. How will you contain them? And after the horses pass from the sea, seen, God says to Jeremiah, How wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan? When you come to Jordan's banks and the river has swollen the flood waters are overflowing the banks, and Jordan is flowing swift. How will you navigate that rough walk? No, Lord, no treat you off your feet and everything you believe. If you don't know the Lord Jesus Christ and if you're not resting four square on the foundation that God has laid for your soul's salvation. What is your to do? What is your foundation this morning? Are you resting upon your good life? Are you resting upon things you've done? Are you resting upon your ideas? Remember this. There is the foolish. There is the wise. The wise man built his house on the rock. The foolish man built his house on the sand. And the Lord Jesus tells us what happened to the man who built his house on the sand. Short was his. time of living in that house in Laplock the man on the rock everything was well it is well it is well with my soul what are you resting on for eternity dark days are coming eventually the final battle with death and you're going to lose it God said says the Christ set thine house in order for those who die are not lived. Your house is your whole being, your whole personality, spirit, soul, and blood, anything that might be a covering or a shelter. How will you fare then with nothing like having Christ? How when the waters of Jordan begin to roll and you feel them up your feet? You're impatient. I read church history about the Christians who were martyred. Some of them were taken out to where a river would rise, and they were tied to a stake. And watched as the tide came in. And the persecutors of the Christians just stood and watched. As the tide rose, as the people, the Christians were tied to the stake. And the tide came in, the water rose. They crept up their bodies. What were they doing? They were seeing. They knew what was coming. They sang together and encouraged one another. As the water came up, it went over their heads, and they went to be with the Lord. Friend, it's coming. Make no mistake. And if you're wise, you'll set it. And only going into the wise and foolish version, there's another illustration. The wise virgins had the oil in their lamps, and when the bridegroom came, they went with the bridegroom, but truly didn't have oil. The oil speaks of the Holy Spirit. Whether it be death or the coming of Christ, friends, it's coming. You may be left behind any day. If Christ were to come and take all those who were saved here this morning to heaven, leave you sitting in your seat. Knowing what happened, the door shut. You weren't ready. You weren't on the rock. You weren't on the rock. Are you on the rock this morning? Works has no part. My work has no part in that foundation. All my forty-two years preaching hasn't added one little stone to that foundation. That foundation was laid at Calvary when Jesus died and his resurrection. That's what I'm resting on this morning. That's my foundation. Nothing Lester Wilson ever did. Nothing that he is. Whatever we'll do, that's not in the foundation. My foundation is in Christ. On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand. Durant sand. Thinking sand. shifting sand. Don't you want to get on a solid foundation? It's Christ and what He did for you upon the cross. Oh, that you would say this morning, yes, I'm going to accept Christ. I'm going to be wise. I'm not foolish. I'm going to be wise. I'm going to be wise. I'm going to save and believe that I'm calibrated, paid my debt and purchased my ticket for glory. I'm resting on Him. He is my sure countenance shall we pray. Our Father in heaven, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we come to thee. We ask thy blessing upon thy word. We thank thee for it. Father, we trust that some here this morning who are not saved will come to know Christ, though that they might examine their position today. In the light of thy word, To wait until death, the judgment days be late, the dies already pass. Thou have given us thy word, that we might examine our foundation in this life, and thus know before we reach the end, that we are on that foundation that the gates of hell shall not prevail again. So grant that someone was born, or trust that saviour, and be saved, we ask of him in this worthy and present day. Thank you.