Hello and good afternoon. Welcome to our weekly live stream, Open Ear Witness. And this Friday afternoon, we're coming from Buchanan Street in Glasgow City Centre. It's good to be with you again. We're here from Partick, Free Church of Scotland continuing. We are a local congregation. And as you might gather from our name, we minister in the Partick district of Glasgow. And we have done so for a number of years, in fact, well over a hundred years. So therefore, we are a local Glasgow congregation, and we seek to come out this afternoon with the good news of the Christian gospel. And we do this, well, for one or two reasons, principally because we our disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, and that is the commission that he has given to his disciples, to his followers, that they might go out with the wonderful good news of the Christian gospel. Let me read to you the commission that Christ gave to his early apostles and disciples just before he ascended up into heaven. He said, all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." And that was the initial commission that he gave to his infant church as he was being taken up into heaven to receive back into glory. And the early apostles and the disciples went about their commission. They went back to Jerusalem. And then on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out upon them, and they then began to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ. And such was their preaching that they turned the world upside down. And friends, this afternoon we simply want to take up that commission. that was given to the early church, and we want to go out into the highways and the byways, and we want to tell people about the glorious good news of Jesus Christ, the one who came to seek and to save that which was lost. And friends, he's a savior who saves forever. He saves to the uttermost. Is it not wonderful that in and through the Lord Jesus, all our sins can be forgiven? He is the one who forgives sins. No one else can do that, but Jesus can. Why? Why is He the Savior? Why is Muhammad not the Savior? Or why is Confucius not the Savior? Or why is Mary Baker not the Savior? They cannot save because they're sinners themselves, but the Son of God is the one who lived a perfect life. He's the one who came down from heaven and lived the life that we could never live, and he lived it on our behalf. He fulfilled the law of God. He alone lived a righteous and a holy life. He fully obeyed the law of God in thought and in speech and in all his actions. And therefore, because he lived that perfect life and fulfilled all the demands of God's holy and inflexible law, he was then, at the appointed time, he was then able to offer up himself as a sacrifice for sin. Why? Because the wages of sin is death. And mankind has sinned and mankind deserves death, not just physical death and not just spiritual death, but eternal death. Well, Jesus Christ undertook that. on behalf of sinful mankind, and here is the essence of the Christian gospel. When we believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ, His righteousness is given to us. It is imputed to our account, so that when God looks upon us, that is those who believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ, He doesn't see our sinful lives. He doesn't see our sinful actions. He doesn't record our sinful thoughts. He sees us as righteous in Jesus Christ. Is that not glorious, friends? Is that not wonderful that we can speak of this glorious person? Because Christianity is all about a person. It's all about what the Son of God has done on behalf of sinful mankind. You see, we have sinned and we have come short of the glory of God. We deserve, because of our actions, we deserve God's wrath and God's curse and God's condemnation. But through Christ, We escape. How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? That's what the Apostle Paul said to the Hebrews. How shall we escape? And we want to press this question upon yourselves this afternoon. How will you escape? You know, deep within your own hearts, because you have been made in the image of God, and this is part of his image that he has indelibly placed upon the heart of men, that we know there's going to be a day of judgment, for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the things done in his body according to that he had done, whether it be good or bad, Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. Now, you know about this day of judgment. You know it. You might not like to know about it, but you do know about it because it's part of your makeup, or we might say in modern terms, it's part of your DNA. It's part of being made in the image of God that you know you will give account. on that great day. Well, ask yourself, how will you fare? How will you fare when your thoughts are laid bare? How will you fare when your words are known and recorded? How will you fare when your actions are discovered and you have to give account for all of these things? That's going to be an awesome and a terrible day. And that's why Paul reminds the Christians at Corinth, for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the things done in his body according to that he had done, whether it be good or bad. And that's why he goes on to say, Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. That's reminding us that that day will be a terrible day, an absolutely terrible day when we stand before Christ on his great white throne and we give account. But friends, it need not be a terrible day because if you believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ, That day will be a day when you shall be vindicated before the whole of the world, and you shall be gathered to be with the Lord Jesus Christ. And indeed, that will be a day when you will realize that Christ has truly been punished and condemned in your room and in your place. And therefore, because the Lord Jesus Christ has died in your room and in your place, then you cannot be condemned twice, because God is just. He's a God of justice. And if Jesus Christ has paid the price of my sins and died in my room and in my place, then God cannot demand payment twice, because God is a God of justice. And therefore, the Christian can know the joy of having his sins forgiven, and he can know the joy of being at peace with God. That's what the Bible would teach us. And indeed, that's what all of us need, and all of us ultimately long for. And this is what we're looking for, but we'll not find it in the things of this world. We'll find it only when we come to the Lord Jesus Christ, and when we recognize what God has done for us in the gospel. That's why the Bible teaches us, He was delivered for our offenses and raised to life for our justification. Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God. Is this really not what you're longing for, what you're looking for, what you're trying to achieve? Well, you'll never achieve it in this world. You have to go to Jesus Christ. He alone is the one who has died in the room and in the place of sinners, there on the cross on Calvary. God was imputing the sins of mankind upon Christ so that Christ was suffering and dying in the room and place of sinners. He himself was not a sinner. He could not sin. He knew no sin. He had been conceived by extraordinary generation so that it was impossible for him to sin. And all the days of his life, we are distinctly told that he went about doing good, healing the sick, feeding the 5,000 and the 4,000, calming the storms and many other things that He did, demonstrating that He was truly the Son of God, He was the Savior, who has come down from heaven, who left the realms of glory in order that he might come to this barren, sin-cursed world, ultimately to suffer and die in the room and in the place of sinners. Is that not good news then? Do you think we should keep this news to the confines of our church buildings? Is it not therefore incumbent upon us to go out to where the people are, to the highways and to the byways? and bring this good news message, this message that has come down from heaven. This is not my message. This is not the message of the church. This is not something that we have devised. This is what we find in the infallible Word of God, and we are reminded, friends, that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God. It does not rest upon the authority of men. No, holy men of God were moved as they wrote the Scriptures. They wrote exactly what God would have them to write. And friends, as we read the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation, what do we find? There are 66 books in the Bible, 39 in the Old Testament, 27 in the New Testament, and every one of them has a common theme. What is that theme? The theme is the Savior. The theme is the Son of God who was going to come down from heaven, take upon Himself our form and our nature, and live as we should have lived. And He would do it in order that He might provide a salvation for all who will put their faith and hope and trust upon Him. Well, we're delighted to say that in the fullness of time, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons. And that day has fully come, that day when the Savior came from heaven down to this world and lived that perfect life, a life that no one else could do. He did it on behalf of lost sinners. And friends, we come out this afternoon to urge you to make peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ, through the only mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, that one who has bridged the gap between a thrice holy God and sinful mankind. He alone could do it. And you are to put your faith and your hope and your trust upon him. You are to believe the gospel. You are to repent. Now, what does that mean? We don't hear much about repentance today. Sadly, even if you go to a Christian place of worship, you'll not hear much about repentance today. But friends, this is an essential ingredient in the Christian gospel. The Lord Jesus Christ began His ministry by telling people to repent and believe the gospel, and so did the prophets in the Old Testament, and so did the apostles and the disciples in the New Testament, and indeed all throughout church history. This has been a consistent message from the Christian church. and believe the gospel. Repent means to turn away from your sin. Turn away from your sinful lives. Turn away from your sin and believe upon the Lord Jesus. And the principal thing that we need to repent over is our rejection and our opinion of the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, there's many people will accept that Jesus Christ was a historical character and that He lived upon the earth. But it's somewhat different to believe that He is the Son of God who became the Son of Man. He is the God-Man. And He is the only mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. And this same Jesus, after He lived a perfect life, gave up that life on the cross. He was rejected by His people. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. And they cried out, Crucify Him, Crucify Him. We have no king but Caesar. and he went to the cross and suffered and died. Now, many people believe, as we said, about an historical Jesus, but they don't believe that he went to the cross. Well, friends, we know he went to the cross, and indeed it was all part of God's plan in order that he might provide a way whereby sinful mankind could be reconciled to a holy God. You see, Christianity deals with man's greatest problem. Now what is that problem? That problem is our sin. Only Christianity deals with it. Only Christianity recognizes that God is a holy God and God must deal with sin. He will not tolerate it. He must deal with it because it is offensive to him, it's against his holy character, and he will deal with it. And he has. And indeed, this is the good news of the gospel, that God has dealt with sin in his Son, Jesus Christ. He has been punished. And therefore, because sin has been dealt with, God can be merciful towards us, and that's why we have the gospel of the Lord Jesus there when we go to the cross. What do we see? We see God's anger. We see God's hatred of sin to the extent that He was prepared to punish His Son in the room and place of sinners. Such is His hatred of sin. Such is His determination to deal with it, that He did not spare His only begotten Son. He was punished in our room and in our place. But if we see the wrath and the anger of God on the cross, we also see His love We see His love towards sinners, and we see the love of the Savior, who was willing to suffer and die in our room and in our place. Because, friend, that was the only way whereby our sin could be dealt with. That was the only way that God could be merciful towards us, because He had dealt with sin on His Son. And that's why we have good news to the people on Buchanan Street today, on the 10th of January 2025. We are delighted that we're on mercy's ground and that we have a biblical warrant to go forth and to preach the gospel and to tell men, women, boys and girls to repent, to turn away from their wicked lives and to put their faith and hope and trust upon Jesus Christ. And what encouragement we have to follow the Savior. What encouragement we have to call upon Him. Who has He ever turned away that was truly penitent, that was truly wanting to be right with God? Has Christ ever turned anyone away? No, He has not. Go through the Bible, you'll see that many people went to the Lord Jesus Christ and He turned none of them away. Even the chief of sinners, He does not turn them away. If we are repentant, He will receive us. If we are penitent, if we repent, He will have us. And therefore, we should be encouraged and we should not listen to the lie of the devil. Yes, the devil speaks, friends. He's speaking to you this afternoon. Here we have a poor Christian preacher out telling you something, the good news of the gospel, and you have the devil telling you, well, you don't really believe that, do you? You don't really believe that someone who died on the cross can save you from your sins? You don't really believe that? That's what he's telling you? Or maybe he's saying, well, you know, you see that minister there, he's a bit, over the top. Some of the things he's saying are okay, but don't listen to everything. Just instead live a good life. That's what the devil tells you. Live a good life and God will be merciful to you. Indeed, that's what you hear in many Christian congregations today. Do your best and God will be merciful to you. Do your best and God will save you. Well friends, that's not the gospel because our best is never good enough and God is one who looks for absolute perfection. Why does he look for perfection? Because he himself is perfect. and He has not lowered His standards. He has given us a law, and we have broken it. But the good news of the gospel is there is one who has obeyed that law. Who is that one? It's Jesus Christ the Lord. Jesus Christ the Lord, sir. He suffered and died in the room and place of sinners, and we're all urged to put our faith and hope and trust upon Him, and He will receive us. He will receive us. and we will have a new start. You know, that's what we want, a new heart, a new nature, new life. That's what Christianity brings. You see, by nature, we're dead. We're dead spiritually. We're dead towards God. But when Jesus comes into our lives, we are transformed. We have new life in Christ. What happens when we become a Christian? Well, the guilt of our sin is taken away from us. We no longer have that burden that we carry around, knowing that we're not right with God. It's gone. Why is it gone? It's gone because Jesus Christ, the Lord, has paid the price of our sins. And when we become Christians, friends, The power of sin is broken. It no longer has that grip that it once had upon us. And ultimately, in glory, in eternity, we will be free from the presence of sin forever and forever and forever. throughout all eternity, something that we cannot really comprehend or indeed imagine, because every day that we live, we are surrounded by the influence of sin. We cannot go anywhere. We cannot do anything. But we are confronted with the fruit of man's fall into sin. But one day, friends, it'll all be over. There'll be a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. And everything connected with sin shall be confined to history. It will be no more. That's what Jesus Christ, the Lord, the Son of God has achieved. And we are urged to share in his victory. How can we possibly do that? We are to believe upon Him. We are to receive Him. We are to acknowledge Him as the only God-appointed Savior who suffered and died on the cross and who was put into a tomb. But on the third day, He arose out of the grave because the grave could no longer hold Him. And therefore, as we draw this first session of our open ear witness to a close. We present to you this afternoon a Savior who is alive and alive forevermore. Is that not the Savior that you want to trust upon? The more that we go through life, what do we find? All the people that we depend upon. Our heroes, they all disappear. Our parents, they go. Our grandparents, they pass on. Maybe even our siblings, maybe even our spouses, maybe even our children, our friends, our best friends, our school friends, they pass on into eternity. But friends, we are to trust one who cannot die. Death no longer has any more hold upon him. Having suffered and died, he is now alive forevermore. And that's the Savior that we present to you this afternoon. May the Lord bless His word to you. And thank you again for listening. God bless you. And God's word doesn't return void, it accomplishes what it's set out to do. Isaiah, well done dear. Amen. Okay, thank you very much. Good afternoon again. We're here from Partick, Free Church of Scotland continuing. We meet at 2 Thornwood Terrace. If you go up Dumbarton Road, you'll come to Thornwood Park. If you go up the hill there, you'll come to Thornwood Primary School, and we are next door at the crossroads. We meet there. Every Lord's Day, that's Sunday, the first day of the week, we meet at 11 a.m. And then we have an early evening service at 6 p.m. And we also meet on Wednesday evening at 7.30 p.m. And you are warmly invited to attend any of these services. They are open to the public. We have nothing to be ashamed of. We don't want to hide anything. We simply want to present to you the authentic claims of the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, that one who came not to destroy men's lives, but to save them. Is that not a wonderful theme to think about? here as we're on Buchanan Street in Glasgow City Centre this afternoon. that the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, King of kings and Lord of lords, the lion from the tribe of Judah, the one who sits upon the throne of the universe even today, who orders and directs, rules and overrules all things, who will return one day in power and in glory to judge the world, Well, that one has come down to this world as a savior, and he has shown his great love towards mankind in that he has done all that was required of him. in order to save his people, all who would believe upon him. And you are urged this afternoon to put your faith and hope and trust upon the Savior. And we come out With all our difficulties and shortcomings, we're far from perfect, but we seek to come out, and if we can, to introduce you to this glorious person. Because if you need to be saved, which you do, you need to know the Savior, and you need to know about Him. And that's why we want to come out, because this is the principal duty of the Christian preacher, that he is to be one who presents the claims of Christ wherever he can get an audience, and to make the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ known. Because, as it says in Romans chapter 10, let me read one or two verses from God's holy book, the Bible. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Is that not a glorious and a wonderful gospel invitation for us? For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. That's wonderful, but you may be asking yourself, why do I need to be saved? Why? I'm not a bad person, you're saying to yourself. I'm not perfect, you're ready to admit that, but you will be saying to yourself, well, I'm not really a bad person. I do charitable things. I'm good to my husband or my wife. I look after my children, I have a good job, I'm a good citizen, I'm a law-abiding citizen, and I look upon myself as a good person, then why do I need to be saved? Surely I'm all right, and surely God will have mercy upon me. Well, is that what the Bible says? We take everything that we want to present to you this afternoon from the Bible, And the Bible's verdict upon your life is a lot different, maybe, to what you consider your life to be. What does the Bible say? Well, for God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Now, that's a bit different, isn't it, to what you think about yourselves. Is that not true? This is what God said about the people before the flood and what he said about these people is true today for the people in the 21st century. For God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Does that not tell us, friends, that the problem with us is internal? It's the heart. Only evil continually. The thoughts of mankind, only evil continually. That's God looking into the heart, and God alone can do that. God looks into your heart, and He looks into my heart, and by nature this is His verdict upon your heart and upon my heart. And God saw that the wickedness of man was great, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. In the New Testament, Paul says much the same thing to us. He says in Romans 3, verse 23, for there is no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Everyone has come short. What does God require? God requires perfection, absolute perfection. Why? Because God himself is perfect, and he has not loosened his standards. In the beginning, God created man, male and female, after his own image. in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over the creatures. Our first parents, Adam and Eve, were created perfect, sinless, pure, undefiled. And as a result, for some time, they had a wonderful close relationship with their creator God, because there was no barrier. There was no obstacle. They were like their creator. God created man, male and female, after his own image and knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over the creatures. But that did not stay. They did not keep their original righteousness. What happened? Well, briefly, the evil one tempted Eve. She succumbed to temptation and she gave the forbidden fruit to Adam. He ate it. He disobeyed a clear and very simple command that God had given to him. And therefore, from that moment, our first parents sinned. Their relationship with their creator, God, changed. They were now fearful of Him. They now wanted to hide from Him. Instead, before they had a close relationship, but now that sin had entered in, their relationship had changed. And that's where we are today. Because we've all come from Adam and Eve. They are our first parents. And when they fell, we fell. We inherited their sinful nature. And that's why we don't become sinners, we are sinners. We have been conceived in sin and shaped in iniquity. And when we come out of the womb, that sinful nature will manifest itself. It will give evidence of the depravity of our hearts because we will commit sin. We will say the wrong things. We will think the wrong things. And we will perform sinful actions. You see it every day. It comes from the heart. It comes from what has been defiled by sin, our sinful nature. Well, this is why we need to be saved, because one day, friends, we will pass into eternity and we will meet God. And where will we go? God cannot tolerate sin, and God will not pardon the unrepentant sinner. So where will we go? Well, we'll go to that place that has been prepared for the devil and for his angels. And that place is hell. If we're not right with God, if we don't have our sins forgiven, if we're not reconciled to Him through Jesus Christ, then when we end up in eternity, it will be to a lost eternity. We will be in that terrible place of torment called hell forever and forever and forever without any respite whatsoever. But it need not be that way, because whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. And friends, you need to know that you need to be saved. And that's why we speak about this terrible disease that we have that is called sin. But we rejoice that God has done something about sin. What has he done? Well, He has sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to live that life that we were supposed to, but could never. He has lived it on our behalf. He lived a perfect, sinless life, and at the end of that sinless life, He was then able to offer up that once for all perfect sacrifice. Don't listen to anyone who will tell you that the Son of God didn't go to the cross. He went to the cross. He suffered and He died. And this is the very essence of the Christian story. There is no gospel without the crucifixion. There's no hope for mankind unless Christ has suffered and died. There is no gospel. And that's why the Apostle Paul said, we preach Christ and him crucified. Because in the crucifixion, God has done something about mankind's greatest need. As I stand here, I see some people shaking their heads. Well, you won't shake your heads on the Day of Judgment. You will not do that on that day. On that day, this day will come to your memory, because on this day, on the 10th of January, 2025, A poor gospel preacher and his colleagues were out on Buchanan Street and they were seeking to tell you something about the Lord Jesus Christ, about your own sin and your need to be reconciled to God, and you heard the good news that Jesus Christ has suffered and died in the room and in the place of sinners, and whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Shall be saved. And that's why we come out. We tell you, yes, we have to tell you your plight. We have to tell you your true position, that you're sinners and you need a Savior. But on the other side of the coin, we tell you about the Savior in order that you might run to Him For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved, young or old, male or female. And it doesn't matter our nationality, it doesn't matter where we've come from, because we've all come from Adam and Eve, and we're all sinners in the sight of God, and we all need the same Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. that one who alone can reconcile us to God. He was delivered for our offenses and raised to life for our justification. Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you realize that when you truly trust upon Jesus, that very moment When you close in with Christ, your sins are forgiven. You are reconciled to God. You have that great hope for eternity. The moment that you turn to Him in repentance and faith, you can know the joy of being reconciled to God. That's what it means to be justified by faith. because someone has been punished and condemned and died in your room and in your place. And as we have said earlier, the God of the Bible is a God of justice. And if Christ has paid the price of my sins, then he cannot demand payment twice. He will not do. Those who believe in Christ are declared righteous in the sight of God. Is that not wonderful? Is that not glorious? Is it any wonder then that we keep this message to ourselves? Is it not incumbent upon us that we might go out to the highways and to the byways where people are in order to tell them the truth? that Christ has come to seek and to save that which was lost. We're here from Partick Free Church of Scotland continuing. We're going to take a short break, but may the Lord be pleased to follow with His blessing, the proclamation of His Word. And thank you again for listening. Good afternoon again, we're here from Partick, Free Church of Scotland continuing. We're glad you're able to join with us on our weekly live stream, Open Air Witness, and this week we're coming from Buchanan Street in the very heart of Glasgow. We're glad you're able to join with us. We simply want to introduce you to the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. We want to bring to you the essential elements of the Christian gospel, because we recognize today that multitudes never go to a place of Christian worship. They're never found in God's house, and therefore it's very possible that many people will come into this world and they will go out of this world and into eternity and they will never hear anything about the Christian gospel. Or maybe we could say they would never ever hear an authentic gospel presentation to them. And therefore, we want to come out and we want to tell you about Jesus Christ. Because friends, there's a day coming, the day of our departure or that terrible day of judgment when the day of grace shall be over and there will be no opportunity to get reconciled to God. And therefore, because we're on what we describe as the day of grace, the day when God's grace and mercy and favor is to pose towards God, towards man. This is the time to get right with God. This is the time to depend and to believe and to call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and to have our sins forgiven. Now many people hear about these things and yet they don't believe. They don't believe that there's going to be a day of judgment. They don't believe there's going to be a day when this world as we know it shall end. Oh, they think it's some kind of fairy story. Well, let me take you back a few thousand years ago to a preacher of righteousness called Noah. Noah was a preacher of righteousness, and he lived in terrible times. And God describes that time by saying, and God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. That's what God saw when he looked upon mankind in the days of Noah, that the thoughts of man was only evil continually. And because his thoughts were like that, so were his actions. There was a lot of bloodshed, and there was a lot of sexual immorality at that time, much like today, much like the 21st century. Well, God said to Noah that he was going to send a flood, and he told Noah to prepare an ark. to prepare an ark because God was going to pour out a flood upon the earth. Now, people had never seen rain, but God said he was going to set a flood. And Noah went out and he preached, telling people that this day was coming when God was going to destroy the earth. and the people thought nothing of it. They never listened to Noah. And we're inclined to believe that Noah, while he was building the ark, was also preaching. And for about 120 years, Noah was out telling people, the day is coming, this flood is going to come, you must repent, you must change. They never listened. Until the day when Noah went into the ark and God shut the door, And then the rain came, and the rain poured out from the heavens above, and we're told from underneath the earth also there was water stored there, and the water from above and the water from the earth came and covered the whole of the earth for what a period of time. The whole of mankind and all the animals that were not in the ark were destroyed. And that flood has shaped our environment that we now live in today. But the lesson that we are to learn, friends, is that the flood came and the people who did not repent and did not believe were destroyed. Are you dyslexic by any chance? You tell me, sir. I'm dyslexic. I don't think so. I don't know. Anyway, that's what happened. Noah had been preaching for about 120 years, telling him, telling the people that God was going to send a flood. And they laughed at him. They thought he was off the head. They didn't listen to him. There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. And these people who had been warned for over 120 years, they ignored the warning. And then it was too late. The day of grace had expired. Well, friends, what does the Bible tell us? The Bible tells us that this present world will be destroyed. And don't think for one moment it will be because of any climate change. Don't listen to these environmentalists. Listen to what we find in God's Word, and you'll read it in 2 Peter chapter 3, and it tells us that this present world will be destroyed not by water, but by a flood, not by water, but by a fire. It will be destroyed by fire. And this world will be refurbished. And from that world will come a new world wherein dwelleth righteousness. That's what God's Word tells us. And God's Word is true. We can rely upon it. We can trust it. There are no errors in God's Word. And yes, we realize because God's Word tells us that in the last days scoffers will come. And they will say, where is his coming? Where is the second coming of the Lord Jesus? And where is this fire that's going to destroy this world? And where is this new world wherein dwelleth righteousness? Well, they'll all come at the appointed time. They'll all come according to God's decree. And that's why we come out to tell you that today is the day of grace. Today is the time to get reconciled to God. Today is the time to avail yourselves of the salvation that He has provided for us in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. And we are to make our peace with God today while we still have opportunity because we can pass into eternity at a moment's notice. Boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. You've heard about the fires in America and Los Angeles. You've seen the utter devastation that has been brought about there. Boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. You are to get right with God today. That's why the psalmist would tell us, urging that God might teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom, Noah was telling the people to repent for the flood was coming. Well, the gospel preacher, friends, he comes out and he tells people to repent because who knows when Christ will return? Who knows when you will pass into eternity? You cannot make peace with God in eternity. You have to do it now in time. You have to call upon Him now while He is near. This is what we find in God's Word. So then, every one of us shall give account of himself to God. You will give account. I will give account. We'll stand before him. The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? Well, the Lord knows the heart. I, the Lord, search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings. Friends, what are you trusting in? We're all mortal, we're all going to end up in eternity, we're all going to stand before King Jesus. How will you get on that day? What will you be able to say? Are you trusting in your religion? Are you trusting in a priest? Are you trusting in a bishop or a cardinal? Are you trusting in Mary? Or are you trusting upon the eternally begotten Son of God, that one who suffered and died in the room and in the place of sinners? Where do you stand then? Are you ready for that day? He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. Did you hear that verse from John chapter 3 verse 36? He that believeth On the Son hath everlasting life. The moment that we trust upon Him, the moment that we believe upon Him savingly, we have eternal life. It's ours. It's a gift. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. And he that believeth not the Son shall not see life. If you reject the Son of God, there's no hope for you. There's no other way to be reconciled to God. Jesus himself did say, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father but by me. There's no other way. There's no other person who can reconcile you to God. There's no other one who has come down from heaven. No other one has suffered and died in the room and place of sinners. That's why we come out to tell you about this person. Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. What an opportunity. Here we are, out in the street, and you're hearing something about the Christian gospel, about Jesus Christ the Lord. It's not a time to reject Him. It's a time to call upon Him. Behold, now is the accepted time. The evil one who seeks your damnation, he tells you tomorrow, the Bible tells you today, now, now is the time to embrace him, call upon him while he is near. Ezekiel tells us, as I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel? There, God does not delight in the death of the wicked. Instead, He would have us to return. He would have us to repent. He would have us to turn away from our old ways, from our old life, from our sinful life, and to embrace Christ as He has freely offered to us in the Gospel. Look unto Me, He says, look unto Me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God and there is none else. You'll find that in Isaiah chapter 45 and verse 22. Look unto Me, Isaiah is not saying look unto Him, but look unto the Savior and be ye saved all the ends of the earth, for I am God. And there is none else. Only God can save us. And Jesus Christ is the God-Man. He's the Son of God who became the Son of Man. He lived like us in order that He might provide and secure a salvation for us. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth. For I am God, and there is none else. Jesus said on one occasion, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life. Well, you are in some sense hearing the Word of the Lord Jesus Christ, but to hear Him in a saving manner is to receive Him. It is to follow Him. It is to call upon Him. It is to accept Him for who He is. And who is He? He's the Son of God. who became the Son of Man. He is the only mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. And salvation is found in none other, for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. No one else can save you. No other person, no other religion, None but Jesus Christ. That's what He said Himself. I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father but by Me. Well, what are we going to do then? What are we going to do with the Lord Jesus Christ? Our eternal destiny depends upon a positive reaction to Him. Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not. nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them. What an exhortation there for all of us, for the young especially, and for anyone who might call themselves young in heart. Remember now thy creator. Remember the great God who created you and formed you. The great God who has been with you all the days of your life. who has given you food and clothing and shelter, health and strength, employment, and every good gift He has given to you. You are to remember Him in the days of your youth, while the evil days come, when the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them. What are these evil days? The evil days are the days of old age, when you don't have the strength and vitality that you once had. And when you're not as strong and as fit and as capable as you once were, and when you know that your life is ebbing away, and you're not right with God, that's why you're urged to put your faith and hope upon Him now, while it's still the day of grace, Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth. Who is a God like unto thee? Micah says in chapter 7, verse 18 of his prophecy, Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity? and passes by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage, he retaineth not his anger forever, because he delighteth in mercy. That's the God of the Holy Bible. That's the Christian God. He retaineth not His anger. He has every reason to be angry with us. Why? Because we have rebelled and we sinned against Him. We have offended Him by our actions, by our words, by our thoughts, and by our actions. And we're under His wrath and curse. He retaineth not his anger forever. And there's a wonderful exhortation, therefore, to repent and to believe, to turn away from our sin, to turn away from our idolatry, from our blasphemy, from our Sabbath-breaking, from our fornication, adultery, homosexuality, lying, cheating, gossiping, stealing, covetousness, to turn away from these and many other sins. That's what the gospel requires of us. Repent and believe the gospel. Because he retaineth not his anger forever, because he delighteth in mercy. That's the great God of the Bible. He delights in mercy. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found. Call ye upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. There, more incentive to turn and to call upon him. the great God of heaven who has provided a way whereby we can be reconciled to God and we can have the gift of eternal life. Well, it's been good to be with you this afternoon. We're grateful for this weather. We could do with a bit more global warming, but we believe ultimately that God is in control of the weather. Not man, but God. And while the earth remaineth, seed time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall not cease. And God gave that covenant to Noah thousands of years ago. And it has been faithful for many, many years, and it will continue while the earth remains. Thank you again for listening. It's good to be here. May God bless His word to us, and hope to see you sometime soon.