It's good to be here and I always enjoy Children's Day as I've been travelling all over the country throughout the month and it's good to hear the boys and girls take part and I must say I really, really enjoyed you all this morning. Mums and Dads, did you enjoy the children? I thought it was miserable. Did you enjoy the children? Yes, I hope you did. I see some old faces in here, haven't seen for some time. And it's nice, and young faces, and it's nice to see them out with us this morning. And we pray to the Lord. Boys and girls, I want to tell you a story today, and I want you to listen. Sit up and listen. Yeah. Because I'm not going to be too much longer, because it's near dinner time. And I don't want you to miss your spuds. All right. You don't like to miss the spuds. But I want you to listen carefully to what I'm about to tell you. My story today, boys and girls, is about this man here. A man called Noah lived many, many years ago. Lived in a time, boys and girls, of great wickedness and great evil in the earth. And you know, it wasn't easy for him. This boy loved the Lord. and he sought to walk with the Lord from day to day. And boys and girls, as the Lord looked down from heaven, because there's nothing the Lord doesn't see, and there's nothing he doesn't hear, the Lord knows everything about us, no matter where we are. Whether we're in the presence of our parents or not, The Lord knows all about us. And Pius encourages, as God looked down upon the earth, he could see nothing but great wickedness, and that every imagination of man's art was only evil continually. And you know, it grieved God at his heart that he had even made man. And therefore God came to this man called Noah, and he spoke to Noah personally, because out of all the mass wickedness, Noah lived in the midst of it all. But boys and girls, Noah continued to walk with the Lord. And it wasn't easy. And maybe you're at school, boys and girls, primary school, secondary school, Technical college, as I would have said it in my day. And maybe because you're a Christian, you're getting it hard. And people mock you and say bad things against you. I want to tell you, you're no different than this boy. But he kept walking with the Lord anyway. Mother about the rest. And boys and girls, you keep pushing on for God. For God will bless you. as you walk close to him. And God came to Noah and he says, Noah, I want to speak to you. And Noah listened. It's a good thing to listen. If you don't listen, you don't hear. So Noah listened. And God said unto Noah, he says, the end of all flesh has come before me. He says, Noah, the earth is filled with violence through these people. And he's just letting Noah know what he knows. And then he says, Noah, I'm going to destroy this people with the earth. I'm going to send judgment. You see, boys and girls, the Bible says the wages of sin is death. And boys and girls, that's the reason why you and I need to be safe today. Because if you're not saved when you come to die, you will face God's judgment. And God says to Noah, I'm going to destroy these people with the earth, but I want you to do something. I want you to make an ark, a vast boat, and I want you to make it of gopher wood. I want you to make this boat, and God told him the size of it, the length of it, the breadth of it, the height of it. God drew out the plan exactly the way he wanted it built. He says, I want you to put a door in the side, I want you to put a window in the roof. And Noah sat aside from that day forth, and he began to build the ark. He didn't question God, though, though it had never rained yet. And boys and girls, it's no about the ark. It took them, now listen, I might ask the question at the end. It took them about 120 years to construct this boat. And it shows God's grace. Because God was being gracious to a people and they didn't even know it. And for 120 years, he constantly got the water in order. And bit by bit, he brought the boat together. And as he was building the boat, these boys thought he was mad. Why is that boy building a boat out here in the middle of nowhere? But Noah used to go out to these people, boys and girls, and he preached to these people. And he says, you need to listen. You need to listen to me. because God's going to send judgment because of your sin. And except you repent, except you turn away from your sin, listen, you're going to perish. And you know what they did? They just laughed at him, son. And others mocked him. Others thought this boy's mad. But no, I kept preaching anyway. And boys and girls, it would have said all manner of evil things against him. But boys and girls, Noah kept worshipping the Lord. He would have built an altar. He would have took a lamb. He would have slain the lamb. His blood would have been shed and offered to God, for he knew that the only acceptance before God was through the blood. And boys and girls, that's exactly what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross of Calvary. He was God's lamb sent from heaven. and God's lamb had to be slain on the cross, and Jesus shed his blood for our sin, that we might be saved, that we might be washed from sin by his blood and made ready for heaven and for home. And boys and girls, listen, Noah kept worshipping the Lord. He knew that he was in the right place. He knew that he was in communion with God. He knew exactly what was ahead of him. But one day, boys and girls, after many, many years, the ark was completed. Yeah, the ark was completed. And Noah hammered in the last nail. And God spoke to him. God says, Noah, it's time to come in. And all the animals were gathered in, listen, coming from all over the place in order to fight her. And boys and girls, I don't believe that Noah had to go out and look for them. They just came, and God brought them into the ark. And Noah had the feed and oil in the ark for them, and he was ready. And God says, Noah, listen, it's time to come in. And Noah went to his wife, and he says, dear, it's time to go to the ark. God has called us. And she went and she gathered her three sons. They were married now, and she told them, it's time to go, boys. God has given the invitation. And they spoke to their three wives, and it says, yes, it's time. We've got to go. And eight souls made their way to the ark. There was only one door of safety into the ark, and they entered in. And the Lord shut the door. No one done everything else, but God shut the door. And boys and girls, when the door was shut, their day of opportunity was gone. And the craft just sat there. Seven days, nothing happened. And these boys, well, they would have been about the ark, one of them would have made a say to the other. I'm only thinking now. You're allowed to think when you're reading the Bible. Hey, did you see that preacher about lately? No. Have you heard him? No. But I noticed something. The door of the ark shut. And I just sat there seven days. And then the clouds started to gather. And the rain began to fall. And it not only fell from the heavens, boys and girls, it gushed up from the depths of the earth until the boat began to float. And the people weren't laughing now. They weren't mocking now. They came to realize what this preacher's been telling us for 120 years has been the truth. And they would have ran to the side of the ark. I'm sure they knocked on the door. Noah, let us in. But God had shut the door. And the ark began to float away from the earth, but the people couldn't reach it. And they began to run to the mountains, to the high places. They ran, they began to run to safety, as it were, on the mountain peak. But when God's judgment comes, boys and girls, you can't escape it. There's no hiding place from God's judgment. For the Bible says that the rain came, it came down from the heavens, it gushed up from the earth. Listen, and the Bible tells me that all flesh died that moved upon the earth, and every mountain across this planet was covered. And every man, woman, and child were lost because of sin. except the eight souls who trusted in the Lord. We were still alive in the ark. And boys and girls, listen, the old craft floated about by the hand of God for some time. And then eventually the flood stopped. The water began to drop. And eventually the ark landed on a mountain. And you call the mountain the Mount Ararat. Now listen, Noah never went in till God called him. And neither did he leave till God told him to go. And God says, Noah, I want you now to go forth of the ark. The doors opened, and here they're coming out of the ark, saved from the judgment of God. And Noah built an altar there, and he gave praise unto God for his salvation. And God made him a promise. See the rainbow in the sky? He says, I'll never judge the world again with a flood. Can he not? For God can't go back on his promise. But why, boys and girls, one day he will judge it again in his own fashion. And boys and girls, listen. You know what the Lord Jesus said? The Lord Jesus said when he walked on this earth, I tell you, nay, but except ye repent. You see, boys and girls, we are all sinners just like these people were sinners. We are facing judgment just like these people were facing judgment. But listen, there's hope for us. And there was hope for them, but they wouldn't listen. And boys and girls, you can do one of two things this morning. You can repent of your sin and you'll never perish. You can repent of sin, turn and receive the Lord Jesus Christ into your heart, and listen, His blood will cleanse you from your sin. But if you don't, if you don't, the warning is this, boys and girls, if you don't repent, just like the people in Noah's day, you and I, will all likewise perish under the judgment of God. I wonder today in this meeting, wee boy, wee girl, are you saved? Are you ready for heaven? Can you look back to a time in your life when I realized that I was a sinner? And I acknowledge that Jesus Christ loved me and died for me on the cross. Therefore, I came and trusted him, and his blood cleansed me from sin. And as I sit in this church building this morning, I know in my heart that if anything was to happen to me even today, that I am ready for heaven and for home. Maybe you say, Uncle Everett, I'm not saved, but I'd like to come to the Lord. Don't you leave the meeting this morning without him. Whether you're young, middle-aged, or a teenager, listen, you come to the Lord, you ask the Lord to be your savior. And the Lord who saved Noah is the same Lord can save you. Mom and Dad, what about you? Listen, I was fascinated by this and I'm finished and I'm gonna let you go. Listen, fascinated by this truth, Now watch this, this is a family day, this is children's day, isn't it? Moms and dads and grannies and grandas are gathered in, isn't that right? I want to tell you something. Listen, do you see in the ark? There was a family in it. Mommy, daddy, sons and daughters-in-law gathered safely into the ark. Moms and dads, Is your family prepared for heaven? Are you going to be there together? That's the precious thought. You know, I don't only want to go to heaven myself, but I want to be sure that my family will be with me. And you can come and you can put your trust in the Lord today. And you as a family can be sure that all is well in the midst of the storm. Let us pray. Loving Father, we thank Thee today for the listening ear and for the word of warning. We know that as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the coming of the Son of Man. And Lord, we're drawing near to those days. And I pray that in the stillness and in the quietness and the closing moments of this meeting, We recognize that here we're a nation that were lost because they would not repent of sin. And oh God, I'm asking thee this morning in Jesus' name that thou would bring conviction upon the heart that would indeed lead to the conversion of the soul. and that every person under this roof this morning might know of a surety before they come to die. All is well with my soul. Write your word upon every heart. May your son be glorified this day. In whose name we pray, amen. God bless you.