so so so so We gather today to give thanks to God for His grace and mercy in the life of P.J. Coble. For God is the one who gave him life and sustained that life for 85 plus years. And we come today to give thanks to God and to worship Him for Paul Junior Coble, P.J. Coble. Many people have probably wondered what those letters stand for, and that's what it is. He came into this world on April 23, 1932, and passed from this world on January 6, 2018. He is survived by his wife Donna of 67 years. Two sons who are still living, Tony and Terry, and Tony's wife, Sandy, And he was preceded in death by two sons, Tim and Tom. He has eight living grandchildren and two grandsons who are deceased, Tony Coble Jr. and Matt Coble. And he also leaves behind 23 great-grandchildren. That's quite a record. The Bible says that as arrows are in the hands of a mighty man, so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that has his quiver full of them. And P.J. Coble had a very, very full quiver. Different members of the family have arranged the various elements of our service today, and we're going to Worship the Lord together and ask him to minister to hearts and to glorify his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's look to the Lord in prayer. Father, it is to you that we look, for we know that in you we live and move and have our being. We thank you for the grace that you have extended by sending your son into the world. to die upon the cross that those who trust in him might have eternal life. We pray, O Lord, that your grace will minister to every heart, for you know every heart and the needs that are there, and we ask that you will apply truth and life and peace and joy and a sense of your presence and increased faith in the heart and life of everyone who has gathered here today. as we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen. Find a hymnal, please, and turn to number 362. We sing this familiar, familiar old hymn of truth. Rock of ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee. If you're able to stand, please stand and sing together. ♪ All creation is but for me ♪ ♪ Take me high in my silver wings ♪ ♪ Where the water and the blood ♪ ♪ And the hills and the sea ♪ Onward, ye heroes, onward, ye heroes! Hail, all hail, the lost and found! Good-night, dear, good-night to my home! Good-night, dear, to my home! ♪ When I cross that way ♪ ♪ May I come to Thee for rest ♪ ♪ May I respond to Thee for grace ♪ ♪ That I do not have to run ♪ ♪ Watch me strain for all I've done ♪ ♪ I shall see them face to face ♪ Let me say that it's a privilege for me to take part in this memorial service and it's our prayer that Donna and the families of Tim and Tom and Tony and Terry will be encouraged by what they hear today. Whenever someone leaves this life, we all have memories of that person. Some of those memories are personal, and they mean more to us than they would to other people. And I'm sure we at Beacon, all of us, are thankful for the memory of PJ and Donna attending services at this church as long as they could physically. And then when they couldn't attend due to health reasons and health issues, they watched on the service on live stream. One memory that I want to share is of a personal nature. It prompted me to choose Psalm 23 as the Bible passage that I'm going to read a little bit later on in the service. But first, I've got to give some background. Prior to 2006, when I joined the pastoral staff, I had very little interaction with PJ other than cordial greetings. That didn't change a great deal until I assumed pastoral care duties after Brother Gerald Count's homegoing. My first visit to the Coble home was on January 28, 2017. I mention this because it's the beginning of a growing relationship that I've had with both PJ and Donna. As P.J. grew weaker over time, one particular visit stands out to me. He and I happened to be alone, and I said, P.J., I'd like to share something with you that I've shared with many Beacon folks to encourage them. It's similar to what I shared with my own parents. I read Psalm 23 and said, we can be confident that the Lord is our shepherd when we understand what it means to trust him as our personal Lord and Savior. And then I gave this illustration. A man can say that he trusts a doctor who tells him that he needs major surgery in order to live. He demonstrates the reality of his trust when he entrusts his life to the doctor's care and surgery. Entrust. Entrust means to place into the care of another. To entrust the welfare of our eternal soul into the care of Christ means that we're placing our faith in who he is and what he accomplished on that cross. In my mind, P.J. was a strong, no-nonsense, goal-oriented man of few words. But on that day, his body language spoke volumes. Upon hearing Psalm 23, his facial expression proclaimed that he was indeed entrusting his soul to the safekeeping of his shepherd. For me, the icing on the cake came after I prayed with him. As I got up to leave, P.J. said, I love you, Bob. For this strong man of few words, that sensitive statement said a lot about P.J. as he entered life's home stretch. I pray that it encourages his family and friends as much as it encouraged me. Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup runs over. Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. I believe. that along with several others from Beacon, P.J. Coble has taken up residence in glory. For him, faith has become sight, and he is now rejoicing with relatives and friends who have gone on before. Let's ask the Lord's blessing, may we pray. Dear Father, our greatest desire in this memorial service is that you will be glorified through all that's said and done. We praise you for your grace and mercy in the life of P.J. Copel. We're thankful for his testimony of faithfulness from months when it was obvious that his health was failing. We're also thankful for evidences of spiritual growth in his life. And Father, today we ask for the grace to respond and to rejoice in the promises of your word as Pastor Kern shares it with us. As we look to the days ahead, we pray for PJ's family. They're dealing with both the joys and the sorrows of seeing a loved one depart for heaven. Father, as they miss his presence, we ask that you would help them to be thankful that PJ is no longer a prisoner to his bed. Truly, he is free at last. Dear God, there's no greater way that we can honor the memory of PJ than to have his memorial service point others to the Lord Jesus Christ. If there are any here today who do not have the assurance that they have been saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, please use the truth of your word to draw them to Christ and salvation. We ask all of this in Jesus' name. Amen. For those of you that don't know me, I am PJ and Donna's oldest grandchild and Tim and Barbara's daughter. Grandma asked me to share memories of Pawpaw on behalf of all the grandchildren. So these are memories that I've had through the years and some that others have shared with me this week. Pawpaw was a jack-of-all-trades, a do-it-yourselfer to the max, and he was the hardest-working man I've ever known. I've been told he hand-dug their well at the first house they built on Beaver Creek Road. He started a business completely from scratch and worked hard every single day to build a successful construction company that built what seems like half of Burlington. He then ventured into heavy equipment sales and rentals, ready-mix concrete, and crane rentals. He didn't believe in going into debt, which seems to be a rare trait in recent generations. There were two sides to P.J. Coble, the work-business side and then the fun-loving, crazy side. I was intimidated and even a little scared of him when he was in business mode, so I usually chose to keep my distance then. So my favorite memories of him stem from the fun-loving side of him. Popo had a need, the need for speed. He loved his fast cars, Corvettes, Camaros, whatever his vehicle of choice was at the time. He just loved to go fast. whether it was micro midget racing around the track, flying up and down the road in his El Camino or pickup truck, skiing down a mountain, lawnmower racing, or on one of his whirlwind road business trips. Terry said that Pawpaw visited four states in one day looking at equipment and was back home by evening and he was so proud of it. I don't condone any of this, I'm just sharing memories. There always seemed to be a contest between the men in my family to see who could get to the auction site in Kissimmee, Florida, unload equipment, and get back home in the fastest time. I'm convinced that the cobalt leadfoot is a real genetic trait that you could see under a microscope. Adam was telling me yesterday about a trip to Florida he took with Pawpaw. They unloaded the equipment, slept a few hours, and then started back home. They stopped in Georgia, and Pawpaw had bought huge bags of peaches to bring home. When they were ready to get back on the road, Pawpaw told Adam to hop in the driver's seat. Adam was reluctant, telling him he had never driven anything that big before. Pawpaw said, oh, just put it in high gear and drive it like you drive your Honda. He said Pawpaw just sat over there in the passenger seat eating peaches and drinking Pepsi, just laughing. One of Terry and Adam's favorite memories of Pawpaw was when they were skiing at Snowshoe one year. Now you have to realize Pawpaw was in his 60s when this took place. Terry remembers skiing down the mountain behind Pawpaw and finding a trail all the way down of pieces of Pawpaw's blue snow boots. They were old and were coming apart little by little, but Pawpaw didn't care one bit. He was just bent on coming down that mountain just as fast as he could. Terry found Pawpaw and Adam in a snowy mountain. in a snowy ball at the bottom of the slope. Hats, skis, gloves everywhere, and they were laughing their heads off. Even when his body was wearing out these past few years, you could tell he was still longing to be active. When we would be out at the pool, I would go in to find him standing at his bedroom window, even when he really couldn't stand anymore. He would stand there just so he could watch the kids play and swim and having a good time. Summer before last, he even rode the golf cart out to the pool and jumped in with the kids before anyone could stop him. He really could have drowned that day, but it just showed us his desire to have fun and to do the things he used to do. The hardest thing for me these past months has been having to watch him trapped in his body. The mind was still willing, but the body was weak. Grandma and Grandpa did so much for us when we were children. They would take us all to the beach year after year, and then they eventually built their beach house in Duck, which has been a special blessing to myself and to all the family and so many others. Many, many precious memories have been made in that special place. I remember for several years in a row, they would pick up me, Jenny and Brian, Matt and Misty up from school and take us to the circus. To save money and avoid crowds, we would go to the matinee showing, and I would eagerly anticipate all day the call over the school intercom saying the Coble kids were to report to the office. We'd load into their car and head to Greensboro. Pawpaw bought and sold equipment every February for years at a large auction in Florida, so my parents, siblings, and cousins, we would all go along. Of course, the ladies and the children would hit the theme parks while the men were at the auction. Those are precious memories. Some of my fondest memories at their house were the Sunday lunches we had every other week. They would host the entire family for lunch after church, and if my memory serves me correct, they did this for many years. Grandma would do all the cooking herself, and as the family grew and grew, that became quite a feat. I look back now and realize what a sacrifice this was for them, but it was their way of keeping the family connected. And speaking of grandma's cooking, Pawpaw wasn't happy eating anywhere else besides Donna's kitchen. She had spoiled him with southern home cooking on the table every night when he got home, and pies and cakes to take with him to work to share every day. They have tried many a restaurant, but very, very few ever satisfied Pawpaw. When they were on a cruise one time with every kind of gourmet food imaginable at their disposal, Pawpaw looked at her and said, I just want to go home and eat pintos. Now, Pawpaw did have a love for a good hot dog, especially hot dogs from Captain Frank's and Kitty Hawk. That was his happy place. For years in early December, they would reserve a private room at the Angus Barn Steakhouse in Raleigh for a family Christmas dinner. We looked forwards to it all year long. The two-story Christmas tree they had there was magical to me as a child. I will never forget those very special family gatherings. A random thing I remembered this week was the way he used to always greet me. He'd come up to me and pat my face like this and say, hey Mel. He'd always pat a little too hard and it would hurt and kind of aggravate me, and I realized he probably did it on purpose. But as I aged, I grew to love it, as I knew that was his way of showing me love. As I looked through pictures this week, I realized how involved Mama and Papa have also been in the lives of their great-grandchildren. I am very thankful for that and for the memories my children will have of them. Papa always lit up when a child or a baby came in the room. He loved his grandbabies. These last years, as Papa aged and was homebound, our relationship changed. He couldn't fly out the door and go to work anymore. He softened in his demeanor, and he seemed to enjoy just sitting and talking to me more. I would bring the kids over to visit often, and we had some really precious times. Just me and him sitting on the bed talking. Although it was sad to see him failing, I am very grateful that the Lord allowed me to strengthen my relationship with my grandfather and to see him in a different light. I know these thoughts are random, but it's hard to sum up every 40 years of memories in just a few short minutes. I really could go on and on, but for time's sake, I won't. Papa worked hard, but he also played hard, and he allowed the fruits of his labor to be shared with family and many others. They were always there when you needed them, and for that I'm truly grateful. Our family has had its share of troubles and strife, but I'm grateful for the memories God has allowed me to make that I will carry with me the rest of my life. Grandma, thank you for everything. I'm so proud of how strong you've been this week. You have been an example to your grandchildren this week of God's grace and strength as we watched your marriage of almost 68 years come to an end. What a privilege it was this week to watch a love like you had stay strong to the very end. I love you. Thank you, Melanie, for a beautiful, beautiful tribute. And I want to thank those of you who've come today to show your love and support. Your presence means a great deal to the family. It's my privilege to offer a few reflections as PJ's pastor of 45 years. I actually came to know PJ Coble several years before we came here and saw the beginning of this church. because of the relationship that my wife had with the Kobels. And the first time I met him was in 1970, after Donna had given a bridal shower for Marty here in Alamance County, North Carolina. And Tom was planning to fly her down to Chester, South Carolina, where I was working in a church on weekends while I was in school during the week. And weather prohibited that. P.J. drove all the way down to Chester, South Carolina and delivered my bride, soon to be wife, to that location and that's where I first met Don and P.J. Coble in 1970. In unusual circumstances that the Lord arranged that we would never have imagined in 1970, God directed us here to begin a new church, the planting of Beacon Baptist Church. And P.J. Coble was a part of that from the very beginning and a very enormous part indeed. I have reflected a lot upon that in the last few weeks and months as P.J. has been declining. And I realize that in the goodness of God, God used him as a powerful instrument in the beginning days of this church and even on into many of the extended years of the church, and to allow us to develop much more rapidly than we would have otherwise. P.J., of course, was a builder. And so when the time came to build, he stepped right into the role of the builder, and he took charge of our buildings, first one, then two, then three. He first constructed the building where you're sitting today. And that building, which was completed in 1976, constituted 11,000 square feet. And we paid $110,000 for that building, this building. And it's not a It's not a shabby building, a very good quality building to be sure, but that's incredible. Even in 1976 to construct a building like this for $10 a square foot is unheard of. It is. Humanly, it would seem impossible. And yet God used him to do the impossible and he knew how to do it. He knew exactly what to do. And we are so grateful for that. And then a second building was completed a few years later in the third building after that. When P.J. got to the place where he eased out of the construction business and was just focusing on equipment, we continued to do some building, but nothing of the magnitude that we had done before. There were some additions, smaller additions and renovations, building upon the foundation which he had laid, and that was critically important in the early life of our church. I should also mention something that very few people know, and that is that P.J. was a very generous man, not only in his construction skills, but also in his giving, and I'm thinking particularly about benevolence gifts that he directed every year to the church for us to be able to help some of our members who were struggling Uh, over the years, I wouldn't know how to calculate the multiplied thousands of dollars that were directed, uh, to the needs of those who had special needs. And we thank the Lord for a man who was not only successful as a businessman, because he was a hard worker and because God blessed his efforts, but was generous with what God had entrusted to him. But on a more personal note. In the early years of our church, we were starting with nothing, and it would have been very difficult if, number one, PJ had not made available, rent-free, a house for myself and my wife to live in. We had just a handful of people, we had no resources, we didn't have financial assets at that time, and to ease the burden of Supporting and caring for a pastor, he made that rental home available to us, and we lived there for five years until the Lord enabled us to purchase our own home. After we moved out, I believe Tony moved into that house over on Wooddale Drive in Elon College, as it was known in those days. That dates me, if I'm calling that Elon College instead of the town of Elon. Furthermore, my wife and I can testify that in those early years, when things were very tight, it was not unusual at all for us to receive a check for several hundred dollars that came from P.J. Coble from time to time, particularly at Christmastime. And what a help and blessing that was. I don't know how we would have made it without that. And there were many other things. I'm not going to take time for all of them, but I do want to mention one that was very significant. In our early years, we not only thought we were too busy to take vacations, and we really took very few, but we were actually too poor to go anywhere. And a vacation was really something that other people did until Don and PJ built a beach house in Duck. And actually, even while it was under construction, I remember Donna coming to Marty one day and saying, this is where you're going to stay when this is completed. And sure enough, for I don't know how many years, every year, we were given without charge a week's vacation at that beautiful home in Duck, North Carolina on the Outer Banks. These are wonderful memories. These are a great encouragement to me and I realize how greatly God used P.J. Coble to establish and strengthen this church and get it on a firm foundation in so many ways. He was not a preacher. He was not a teacher. There was many things he was not. He didn't try to be what he was not. But what he was, what God made him, he put himself into 100% and he shared that with others and God blessed and used him in that way. But there's something else that encouraged me about PJ and that was the faithfulness of his church attendance over the years. There are a significant number of people who will be faithful to church at least on a Sunday morning only basis. Not PJ. Sunday morning, he was here, he and Donna, sitting right back there. Sunday night, they were here, sitting right back there. And don't, you get in their seat. Wednesday night, sitting right back there. And that way year after year after year after year until age and health began to take its toll, and I have memories of seeing them struggling to come into church when anyone else with the same health problems would have said, I can't be done. It's just not worth the effort. But here they came, sitting right back there in their place, faithful to the house of God. And what P.J. seemed to be most interested in I was happy to to learn was his interest in the Word of God. What he came for was the preaching of the Bible. He learned the contents of God's Word from preaching and primarily from the beacon pulpit. And he listened to every sermon and he delighted in the expository uh... way of preaching our congregation through books of the bible in a systematic way and from time to time he would comment on various sermons i can still remember his great delight in a sermon from acts chapter twenty seven when i was making my way through the book of acts and almost to the end and he really really really liked that sermon from Acts chapter 27. He had a love for the Word of God. And that's probably what encourages me more than anything to believe that there was a genuine work of God's regenerating grace within his soul. Because the natural man doesn't have an appetite for God's Word. The natural man might have an interest in religion, might have an interest in church and church membership, but those who are unregenerate very seldom show any interest, any sincere and strong interest in the Word of God itself. But that's what I saw in P.J. Coble, and that's what has encouraged me so much about his life. ♪ My life flows on in endless song ♪ ♪ Above earth's lamentation ♪ ♪ I hear the real though far off hymn ♪ ♪ That hails a new creation ♪ No storm can shake my inmost calm ♪ While to that rock I'm clinging ♪ Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth ♪ How can I keep ♪ From singing ♪ ♪ Through all the tumult and the strife ♪ ♪ I hear that music ringing in my ears ♪ It sounds and echoes in my soul. How can I keep from singing? No storm can calm, while to that rock I'm clinging. Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth, how can I keep from singing? The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart A fountain ever springing All things are mine since I am his How can I keep from singing ♪ No storm can shake my inmost calm ♪ ♪ While to that rock I'm clinging ♪ ♪ Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth ♪ ♪ How can I keep from singing? ♪ That special number was a very special song to PJ and Donna. P.J. requested that song sung by family members at their 60th wedding anniversary. I didn't know that until recent days and what a rich, rich hymn that confesses a faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, this afternoon, I want to direct your thoughts to the conclusion of one of the most famous sermons ever preached. Famous because of what was preached, but probably more famous because of who preached it, the Lord Jesus Christ. And it is the conclusion of his Sermon on the Mount recorded in Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7. And I want to read three verses. Again, these are at the conclusion of a three-chapter sermon recorded in the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus said, Therefore, whoever hears these sayings of mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house, and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these things of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, and it fell. And great was its fall. In three short verses, Jesus sets before us two builders. One is a wise builder and the other is a foolish builder. And what distinguishes the two builders is the foundation that they built upon. And as I thought about this responsibility today, my mind went to this passage. not knowing what others were going to say, not knowing really, hadn't reviewed in my mind the words that were just sung here by Bobby Latour about how fitting for this occasion. But my thoughts of why I thought this was particularly suitable today is because few people knew the importance of a strong foundation like P.J. Coble, the builder. It doesn't matter how glamorous the building is, but if the foundation is faulty, you've got a problem. So he was a man who knew the importance of a strong foundation. However, this passage is not about physical buildings, residential or commercial. All of us are in the process of building a house. that is living our lives. And there are two categories here. We are either a foolish builder or we are a wise builder. And what makes the difference is the foundation upon which we are building. So as we consider this closing illustration in Jesus's sermon, I want you to see three certainties, three certainties, certainly number one, Here is a certainty of life, and that is the certainty of storms. The certainty of storms. In the case of both builders, the wise builder and the foolish builder, the rains fell and descended. The floods came and the winds blew on both houses. And they beat upon those houses. PJ and Donna Coble know about storms in life. Storms have come. And storms have been weathered. And when the storm was over, they were still standing. Why? Because of the foundation in their life. The scriptures teach us this, that life is full of storms. No one escapes them. Job says, man is born to trouble as sparks of a fire fly upward. Just as certain as sparks from a fire fly upward, trouble will be a part of our earthly existence. James tells us how to respond to trials, not if they come, but when they come. The certainty of storms. There's a second certainty here that I wanna draw your attention to. Not just the certainty of storms, but number two, the certainty of exposure. the certainty of exposure. And you say, well, what do you mean by that? Well, picture in your mind's eye two buildings. They look similar. And what is hidden from the casual observer and what lies beneath the ground is the foundation. And it is the storms of life that expose what kind of a foundation a person's life is built upon. And most often, not until. What was hidden from the casual observer and made all the difference when the storms of life came was the foundation. So at the end of this sermon, Jesus is stressing the importance of an adequate foundation. And I must ask today, on what or upon whom have you built your life? Upon what or whom are you building your life? It makes all the difference in the world. because there's no escaping the storms. They will come. And we're not talking about a midsummer rain and a thundershower. We're talking about something that threatens your life. It's floodwaters. It's winds that pound on your home. And apart from a solid foundation, your life will be washed away. One of the great hymns of the church titled The Solid Rock sets this imagery before us. And the hymn writer penned these words. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus's blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus name. And then the refrain, on Christ, the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand. There's a confidence with us that there was a strong spiritual foundation in the life of P.J. Coble. The storms of life that battered his life and Donna's life didn't embitter them, didn't sour them, didn't turn them from Christ. Why? Because their life was on the foundation of Christ. Yes, they have questions. Yes, they wonder. Yes, there's pain that doesn't go away. That's the nature of storms. But they continued to remain steadfast, continued to be faithful. continue to trust, continue to look in believing faith to Jesus Christ. Verse 24 and verse 25 of this illustration of Jesus's sermon depicts the wise builder whose life is built and founded upon the rock, Christ Jesus. And his life continued to stand despite the threatening rain and storm because and only because of the foundation of his life. But the foolish builder did not give priority to the most important aspect of life. His life was not prepared nor preserved. Listen to what Jesus said. Verse 26, Everyone who hears these sayings of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house just like it beat on the wise man's house. But in this case, and it fell, and great was its fall. I would urge you to listen carefully today. I trust that you have been. I view myself as a house inspector today. There's people that that's what they do for a living. You buy a home and The bank says, well, before I can lend you the money, we must have this house inspected. And the house inspector comes and crawls under your house. Well, I can crawl under the house and I might be able to give some kind of an assessment, but he knows what he's looking for. And it's good when he comes out and says, you know, I've inspected the foundation of your home and your house is sitting on solid ground. You need to know that, right? And you know what else you need to know? If the house is not sitting on solid ground, you need to know that too. Why? Well, if you're going to buy the house, you're in a better position to negotiate a price. And we wouldn't be upset with the house inspector if he came to inspect the foundation of a home we're getting ready to buy. So see me today as helping you. Examine the foundation of your life because it's the consequences are great. It's not just temporal consequences. It's eternal consequences here. There's one final certainty here that I need to mention. Not only do we see here the certainty of storms and the certainty of exposure, but there is the certainty of judgment, the certainty of judgment. The conclusion of this three-chapter sermon really begins in verse 13, where Jesus talks about two gates, a narrow gate and a wide gate, two roads, a difficult road and a broad road, two destinations. If you're on the broad road, the destination is death. If you're on the narrow road, the destination is life. Boy! What road you're on means a lot. There's a lot at stake here. And it's as sermons are constructed, we learn our preaching from the Lord Jesus. Jesus said a whole lot of things, but when he got to the end of the sermon, he came to the conclusion where the rubber meets the road, where the application needs to be made. And there is the certainty of judgment. And this is brought forth here in what happens to these two houses, one built by a wise builder and one built by a foolish builder. Well, the man who built wisely and was certain that there was a solid foundation, when the storms came and the floods came and the winds came, that house remained. But the other builder, the foolish builder, without a solid foundation, the same winds, the same rains came and there was destruction. His house was swept away. I don't want that for anybody in this place today. And I know PJ Coble doesn't want that for anybody in this place today because I know he's talked to me about some that he has talked to about this very important matter. And if he was concerned about that down here on earth, do you think he's any less concerned about it now that his faith has given way to sight? I think he's every bit as concerned for you today. Most of us here can quote John chapter 3 and verse 16, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. But verse 17 says God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. That's why he came. He didn't come to condemn the world. He came that the world, through Him, might be saved. Verse 18 says, He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. What's the bottom line? The bottom line is, have you believed? Have you believed upon him? Have you believed in him to the saving of your soul? And I trust I'm speaking today to some who are perhaps thinking and saying, yes, I have believed. Or perhaps you're asking, in all honesty, how do I know if I've believed? Or what does it mean to believe? in or upon Jesus. We don't want to be fuzzy about that. We want to be as clear as we can so there's no misunderstanding. Because our eternal destination hinges upon it. Jesus reserved this last illustration for the very end of his sermon. And he's been preaching all day long. And some believe that this sermon that is recorded here, that he preached it over multiple days. That not everything he said on those days is recorded here, but we have this. But when he got to the end of the sermon, this is what he had to say. And there's a contrast. Keep in mind, there are his disciples hearing his words, there are multitudes hearing his words, People with mixed motivations are there. They're curious. They've heard about the man of Nazareth. And listen to what Jesus says. Here is the contrast. Verse 24. Therefore, whoever hears these sayings of mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock. The contrast is between that man and this man. Verse 26, everyone who hears these sayings of mine, the exact same words that were said about the wise man. But on this occasion, the foolish man, he hears the word, the sayings of Jesus and does not do them. That helps us understand what it, what it means to believe. Jesus said this. I know my sheep. They hear my voice. And they follow me. What does it mean to believe? In Jesus or upon Jesus to the saving of your soul, it's not just hearing the words of Jesus. It's bringing your life into conformity with what Jesus has said. It's obeying Jesus. It's following Jesus. And it's not just here that we learn that. Jesus said this to Mary and Martha when their brother, Jesus' friend, Lazarus, died. He said this to comfort them in their sorrow. Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever, listen to this, whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Liveth and believeth. That's what it means to believe in Jesus. There has to be the living part. And it's the living that gives credibility that you really have believed. It's not just hearing. And there's a lot of people who have heard about Jesus and have heard about salvation, but what's missing in their life is the living part. How encouraging to be able to stand before you on a day like today. and be able to acknowledge that P.J. Coble was a man who didn't just believe, he's a man who lived. I was so encouraged to talk with Tony and we reminisced about various things over the last week or so. Tony told me about when P.J. was building his beach house in Duck. that they'd go out on a Thursday night, they'd work all day Friday, they'd work all day Saturday, and nothing doing. We're packing up, we're driving back to Burlington. Why? So we can be in church on Sunday. Week after week after week. See, there was substance to his belief. He was living his faith. And here's the bottom line. One sentence that really summarizes what I'm trying to say to you today. A life of obedient faith in Jesus Christ will sustain you in the storms of life and in the storm of God's final judgment. That's our hope. That's the good news. Keep in mind, Jesus did not come into this world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. But what about this judgment part? What was Jesus doing on the cross? He was dying a cruel death. Why? He was sinless. He hadn't broken any law. He was bearing our judgment on the cross. He was paying our penalty for our sins so that we wouldn't have to, so that we wouldn't face God's judgment. Now that's good news, isn't it? Amen. And that's what P.J. Coble believed, and it was evident in the way he lived his life. Let's pray. Father, thank you for the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for a Savior who came into this world to save sinners. He came into the world not to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. Lord, cause your word to be received today and believed today and to be lived out in obedient faith for the good of all who have heard and for the honor and glory of Christ, I pray. Amen. We wanna sing in conclusion of our service today. 342. 342. Will you stand as we sing together? My voice will echo forevermore. ♪ I see it as the light of the universe taking hold ♪ ♪ And that's how I feel it all the time ♪ ♪ And I for you believe ♪ ♪ May you know how glad to be ♪ ♪ Here in the Savior's sight ♪ ♪ I was risen today ♪ ♪ To see the light ♪ ♪ Show my right of way ♪ ♪ O, hear the angel now ♪ ♪ Bright as the lights through the shell ♪ ♪ The dwells near in his heav'nly sky ♪ ♪ Jesus, children of this high ♪ ♪ And the grace of heav'n appear ♪ ♪ Now has come this new year ♪ ♪ Now has come this new year ♪ ♪ Now has come this new year ♪ ♪ Now has come this new year ♪ you you Yeah.