The Deaf Man and the Fire

By Harold Smith

How would you like to be in a burning building? I'm sure I wouldn't, and I'm sure you wouldn't. How would you like to be deaf and dumb? I'm sure I wouldn't, and I bet you wouldn't either. My story today is about a man who was in a burning building and he was deaf and dumb. The fire was raging in this large building in a city. They thought everybody was out of the building when suddenly the firemen saw a man hanging by his hands from a window in the upper story. They quickly brought a ladder, but it was too short to reach him. The fireman climbed up as far as he could and called for the man to drop down to him, but he couldn't hear him. The man, they discovered, was deaf and dumb. How sad - he was so near death and yet he was deaf to the offer of help. That's like a lot of boys and girls and older folks who are deaf to the offer of salvation, the salvation of their souls. Are you one of them? The man in our story needed to be saved from a burning building, but you know, sinners need to be saved from a burning Hell. He needed salvation for the body, but everybody needs salvation for the soul. Do you turn a deaf ear to the voice of the Spirit of God when He tells you that you should be saved? Well, they didn't know what they were going to do with this poor deaf and dumb man. With great difficulty a brave fireman climbed up so he could touch the foot of the poor man and attract his attention. The man looked down and saw the fireman and let go of the window ledge. The fireman caught him and he was saved just in time! He almost perished in the fire, but thank God he was saved. The fire of God's judgement is before all those people who are still in their sins. They are deaf and dumb when it comes to the wonderful news of salvation. The Bible says, "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation..." Hebrews 2:3 You must come to realize that you're a guilty sinner and that you're dying in your sins. You must hear the message of the Gospel and come to that Savior who said, "...and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out", John 6:37 If you will come to Him and trust Him as your Savior, you too will be saved from eternal Hell and the Lord will take you to Heaven. Why don't you trust Him and be saved right now?