Good afternoon and welcome to our weekly live stream, Open Ear Witness, and this week we have returned to our favorite spot on Buchanan Street in Glasgow City Centre. We're here from Partick, Free Church of Scotland continuing, and we're very delighted that you're able to join with us this afternoon. We do believe that heavy rain and wind is forecasted, So we expect to finish before that comes. But we lay all matters before the Lord our God. We recognize that He is absolutely sovereign in all matters, and even the weather is in His control. We are told in the Bible of an incident when the Lord Jesus Christ, after a hard day's teaching and preaching, was in a boat, and He was in the back of the boat, And because he was tired, he went to sleep. And a storm came upon the boat and upon those who were sailing, so that the fishermen who would experience seamen expected the boat to perish. And they woke up the Lord Jesus Christ, and he calmed the storm. He said, be still. and the disciples were amazed. What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the waves obey him? And that's the one we want to present to you for a short time this afternoon as we're enabled. We don't want to speak about ourselves because we are irrelevant, but we stand before thee this afternoon and we seek to commend a saviour, Now you may well ask, well, why do I need a savior? Everything's going well in my life. I'm fairly fit. I've got a spouse or a partner. I've got children, I've got grandchildren maybe. I've got plenty of money and possessions and life is looking pretty good for me. So why do I need a savior? Well, the Bible, and we take all that we want to say to you this afternoon from this holy book here, indeed, the only holy book. It's God's Word. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God. And we want to quote the Scriptures in what we want to say to you this afternoon. And one thing that the Scriptures draw to our attention is something that we really don't want to hear. and we don't want to accept, but in order to make progress, we have to accept what the Bible says about us, because in the Bible, we have God's Word. We have God's verdict, not man's word, and not what man thinks about man, but what God thinks and knows about man. And in the Word of God, you'll find it continually, but we could quote One or two verses. For instance, in Romans chapter 3 and verse 23, that wonderful book where the Apostle Paul outlines the Christian gospel in detail. And when he says in Romans chapter 3, verse 23, we urge you to read it yourselves. But there he says, for there is no difference for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. There we notice he says, for there is no difference. You see, Paul was a Jew, and before his conversion he was known as a Pharisee, which was a very strict branch of Judaism. And he delighted in his self-righteousness, and indeed that was one of the principal sins of the Jewish nation, because they had been highly favoured by God, in that they had been given the means of grace, they had been given the law of God, they had been given covenants and the prophets and many spiritual blessings that the other nations did not receive. And therefore, they were inclined to be somewhat self-righteous, and they thought that, well, they were God's special people. And somehow they thought that the gospel did not apply to them. It was all right for the Gentile nations, but not for them. They were, after all, God's people. Well, Paul begins, and he says, for there is no difference. In other words, it doesn't matter if you're a Jew or a Gentile, there's no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Every one of us, madam, are sinners, and that's why we come out this afternoon to tell you there is a way to be reconciled to God. In other words, there is a way that our sin can be dealt with. And as a result, we're able to come out onto Buchanan Street or indeed to any street in the city or throughout this nation or indeed to the ends of the earth. Whenever we have an audience, we can come out and we can say exactly the same thing to every single person, man, woman, or child. For there is no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And that's why we need a Savior. And we are delighted to be able to tell you this afternoon that that Savior has been provided by God Himself. Now just stop and think about that for a moment. This is remarkable. Why is it remarkable? Well, we are the ones who have offended God. How have we offended Him? We have offended Him because of our behavior. We can go back to the very beginning. Adam and Eve, they were created holy, perfect. God created man, male and female, after His own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over the creatures. Our first parents were perfect, but they sinned, and because we've all come from Adam and Eve, they are our first parents. We have inherited their guilt. It has been imputed to us, and we have their sinful nature, and that's why we sin. We sin because we have a sinful nature, and that has to be dealt with, and we cannot deal with it ourselves. and therefore we have offended God by our behavior. And this is the remarkable matter that the Bible brings to our attention. God who has been offended by our behavior is the one who was instrumental in seeking to restore that relationship. He took the initiative. Put it simply in human terms. If you fall out with your best friend and it is your fault, would it not be surprising if your best friend took the initiative to try to mend that broken relationship? Would it not be more likely that you, who were the one who caused the rift, would seek to remedy it? Well, we are the ones who have sinned against God. We are the ones who are guilty in His sight, yet He is the one who has gone to great lengths in order that the relationship that has been broken by man may well be restored. You may well be familiar with what is regarded as the most well-known verse in the Bible. We find it in John chapter 3 and verse 16. Let me remind you of it. It would be good to store it in your minds. 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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. There are a number of things in these two verses, but surely what's absolutely crystal clear to us is that God has taken the initiative. God has seen our plight. God has seen the broken relationship, and God has done something about it. And I tell you, friends, if you study the other religions, and there are many of them, and if you study them, you'll be studying them for a long time, because there are so many of them, and they're being added to day after day. But every one Every religion, apart from Christianity, will tell you this is what you must do in order to be saved. You must do good works to win the applause and the approval of God. In other words, you must work your way to heaven. That's what they'll all teach you in different ways, But that is in essence their message. Do this or do that or do a number of things and God will be pleased with you and God will accept you. Christianity is completely and utterly different. Real Christianity tells you, you must trust in someone who did what you cannot do. and who suffered in order that you might not suffer. In other words, Christianity tells you to believe, to believe in a person. Who is that person, sir, you ask? That person is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only begotten Son of God. He is the second person in the Trinity, He is from everlasting to everlasting, but 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. At just the right time, in the history of the world, As far as God was concerned, the Son of God came into this world in an extraordinary way. He was conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary. He didn't have a human father. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit. in a miraculous miracle that none of us can understand nor explain. But he was born in the normal manner, and he lived in poverty for around 30 years, and he was a joiner or carpenter by trade. He followed the line of his adopted father, his legal father, Joseph, who was a carpenter. And he was obedient to his parents until that time when he was set up, when he was baptized by John the Baptist in the River Jordan, when the voice from heaven was heard, this is my beloved son. in whom I am well pleased. And the Holy Spirit came upon him in the form of a dove. And there we have clear evidence in the New Testament for the doctrine of the Trinity. The Father spoke, the Son was baptized, and the Holy Spirit came and rested upon him and equipped him for his ministry. And for around three years, we are told in the Bible, He went about doing good. He went about teaching and preaching. He went about healing the sick. He opened the eyes of the blind and stopped the ears of the deaf. He raised the dead. He fed the 5,000 and the 4,000. He did many, many miracles, and all of these miracles were wonderful signs demonstrating that He truly was the God-sent and God-approved and God-authenticated mediator who was going to ultimately go to Calvary and suffer and die in the room and place of sinners. That's the one we recommend to you. That's the one that we seek to proclaim to you this afternoon. That's the one that we seek to introduce to you. because we read in the Word of God that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. And you are urged to put your faith and hope and trust upon this person, but how can you put your faith and trust upon someone you know nothing about? And why should you put your faith and trust upon Him when you have no real idea why you should trust Him? That's the prerogative of the gospel preacher. He comes out in the highways and the byways, and he tells people the truth as it is in Jesus. And what does he tell them? He tells them what we find in the Word of God. He tells people that as far as God is concerned, we've all come short of His glory. There is none righteous. No, not one, the Bible says. We've all sinned. And because God is holy, He cannot accept us as we are. The Bible describes God like this, thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look upon iniquity. God hates sin. Why does he hate sin? He hates sin because he is holy, absolutely holy, pure, dwells in light, unapproachable. and sin is offensive to him. Indeed, what is sin, you may well ask? Sin is any want of or conformity unto the law of God. God has given us a law, and you have that law. You have that law in your heart. It's part of what it is to be made in the image of God. We are told, or the Bible teaches us, God created man, male and female, after his own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over the creatures. And therefore man, as he was originally created, was like his creator. And as I've said, the creator is holy. And Adam, when he was innocent, and Eve, when she was innocent, they were holy. And because of this, they had a wonderful divine relationship. They were on good terms with their Creator. They enjoyed fellowship and communion with their Creator. But what happened? Well, you know what happened. Adam and Eve sinned. That relationship that they once had was broken. God came into the garden and said, where art thou, Adam? Because Adam had hid from God. Why did he hide from God? He was hiding from God because he knew he had broken God's law and that he had sinned. And that's one reason today that men and women do not go to the house of God, and they don't like to hear God's Word read or preached. They don't like to be confronted with God's claims upon their lives. They're just like Adam. They're just like Eve. They want to hide from God. Why? Because they have a guilty conscience. And maybe that describes you this afternoon. As you walk by here, your mind is taken up with buying some festive goods and presents, or maybe your weekend, what you're going to do tonight, or what you're going to do tomorrow. You're taken up with the things of this world, and you might resent someone presenting to you what God says in His Word. You're just like Adam and Eve, because you have a guilty conscience What has caused this guilty conscience? It is that you have sinned. And the relationship that you should have, you don't have. And you don't want to be reminded about it. But God has sent forth gospel preachers to go into the world and to declare His Word, that sinners might be reconciled to Him. that they might avail themselves of the wonderful, glorious salvation that Jesus Christ has secured. Now, I've used that word, salvation. You don't hear much of that word in normal, everyday conversations. What does it mean? It's a biblical word, salvation. What does it mean? Well, it means to be delivered. It means to be set free. It means to be emancipated. That's what it means. And biblical salvation is to be set free from sin. That's what it means. And the moment that you trust upon the Lord Jesus Christ, you are set free from the guilt that sin brings to you. The moment you truly trust upon Him, the moment that you have Him as your Lord and Savior, you are set free from that guilt. And what's more, you're set free from the power that sin has over you. We don't like to hear this, but the Bible would teach us that we have a ruler over us. And that ruler is the evil one. But when we become Christians, His power and the power of sin is broken. It no longer has that grip and that hold that it once had upon us. And ultimately, friends, salvation means to be free from the very presence of sin forever and forever. You see, there's going to be a new heaven and a new earth. Oh yes, did you not know that? This old world was destroyed by a flood many thousands of years ago. But this present world that we know and that we live in It's going to be destroyed one day. Not by a flood, but by fire. Read it. Read it in 2 Peter chapter 3. We're told that scoffers will come and they'll deny all these things. But we know they will happen. People laughed at Noah thousands of years ago when he told them there was going to be a flood. They had never seen rain, never seen it. Yet here was this preacher of righteousness, Noah, telling his generation for around 120 years, he told this message to them as he was building the ark, that God is going to send a flood, and the flood's going to destroy the earth, and that they are to prepare themselves for that flood. They laughed. They laughed at him. We've never seen rain. It's not going to happen. It's nonsense. The preacher's gone mad. Well, we know what happened, do we not? The rain came. Forty days and forty nights it rained. It came down from the heaven, and indeed it came from the bowels of the earth as well. so that the earth, the whole of the earth was encased in water for a long period of time. God judged the ancient world. Well, God's going to judge this present world one day, and this world as we know it shall end. And He's going to make a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. And what that means, amongst many other things, it means there'll be no sin, none whatsoever, and all the vestiges of sin shall be erased, confined to human history. That's the salvation that we can look forward to. Well, that's the salvation, friends, that you can enjoy today. when you put your faith and hope and trust upon the Lord Jesus Christ. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. I'm reading here from Romans chapter 10, verse 13. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach except they be sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things. There, friends, we have the necessity of going forth to preach the everlasting Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. How shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they call upon someone they don't know anything about? And why indeed should they call upon Him if they don't know the reason? Well, the reason's clear. The reason is abundantly clear. We're sinners in the sight of God, all of us. And because we're sinful, we cannot enter into God's presence. As we are, there must be a great change. And that great change is we must have our sins forgiven and we must be prepared for heaven, for that holy place. And by nature, we're not ready for it. But this is why we have the opportunity. We are to put our faith and our hope and our trust upon Jesus Christ, because He has said in His own Word, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father but by me. There you are. Jesus Christ being unpolitically correct, He is declaring unequivocally that He is the only Savior. And there's no other way to get to heaven, or put it another way, there's no other way to be reconciled to God. There is no other way to get your sins forgiven. There is no other way to be at peace with God except through the Lord Jesus Christ. No one else can save you. No one else can take you to heaven, only Jesus Christ the Lord. For there is one God and there is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who gave his life, a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. Therefore, if you are following anyone else, you will perish. There is no hope. There's only one Savior. There's only one God. And He's only provided one way. And He has declared that way in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. No one else has ever lived the perfect life that Jesus did. He was the one who came down from heaven and lived a perfect life. He didn't sin. He couldn't sin. He knew no sin. And therefore, at the end of his life, he was able to offer up a perfect sacrifice. A sacrifice that was demanded by the inflexible and holy law of God that we have broken. And Jesus obeyed that law on our behalf. and he was punished. He took the punishment that was due for mankind breaking God's law upon himself on Calvary's tree. I'm sure you will agree that the gospel story is absolutely remarkable. To think that the sinless Son of God should come to this world and that he should so humble himself and undertake anything and everything that was required of him in order to secure the salvation of his people. A young man has just passed by extolling his football club, Hibbs. Well, it's very sad, you know, friends, to see today how football and sport has become a religion. I may not be quoting it accurately, but there's a store down the street there, the Celtic store, and I think it says something like this, you live for Celtic. And other football teams would have you say the same thing about their team. You live for Rangers, or you live for Celtic, or you live for Aberdeen. In other words, your sport, your football, has become a religion. Well, friends, whatever you live for, it will never save you. It will never save you. There's only one Savior. and that's Jesus Christ. And that one Savior is the one who has suffered and died in your room and place. Tell me this, will your football team die for you? Will your entertainment die for you? Will your sports stars die for you? Will your celebrities die for you? No way. They'll take all your money, they'll take all your applause, they'll take everything from you, and they'll give you nothing back. But the Savior that we commend to you this afternoon is one who has come down from heaven. Here we read in Philippians chapter 2, it gives us a description of what Christ did, who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men, and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. There we have the condescension of Christ, the Son of God. Is it not marvelous that he did this for hell-deserving sinners in order that we might have a glorious hope before us? Being in the form of God, being the second person of the Trinity, He became God in the flesh. And in the flesh, He veiled His glory. We couldn't see it. There were one or two occasions when He did reveal something of it. We could think of the Mount of Transfiguration, there when He shined gloriously and wondrously, like He will do when He returns in power and in glory. but he took upon himself the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of man. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Well, we are delighted indeed that he did this because there was no other way that we could be saved And there's no other way that we could come forth and tell you this wonderful message. He had to suffer. He had to die. He had to humble himself. He had to undertake and undergo all that was required of him. And friends, we're delighted to tell you that he was successful. He came in a mercy mission, and moments before he expired, he cried out, it is finished. I've done everything required of me. All that was laid to me, I've done. It's finished. He has secured the salvation of His people. What's required of you now? You must put your faith and hope and trust upon Him. You must recognize your lostness, your deadness, your hopelessness. You must see your need of a Savior. You must cast yourself upon Him. You must hear the Gospel call, repent, and believe the Gospel, turn away from your sins, and your principal sin, I put it to you, is that you reject Christ. That's your principal sin. That's the sin of unbelief. You're rejecting the Savior, this one whom God has provided for you. You are saying to God, we will not have this man to reign over us. We will try to work our own way to heaven. We will manufacture our own way, our own religion. We'll do as we want. We'll do as we please. Well, friends, you're in for a tremendous disappointment because the Bible tells us Our God is an all-consuming fire, and it's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of Almighty God. That's why we need a Savior. We need someone who was condemned in our room and in our place. We need someone to save us, and that person is Jesus Christ the Lord. 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 bless His Word to you this afternoon. We're glad to be out again on our weekly live stream, Open Ear Witness, and we're coming from our usual spot. on Buchanan Street in Glasgow City Centre. We're glad you're able to join with us and we hope you hear something good. We have one or two individuals out who are handing out gospel tracts. We would be very happy if you'd take one. It has our contact details as well as a short gospel message. And we have our contact details on that in order that you might be assured we are a genuine Christian congregation. We're a Scottish charity. We meet in two 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 then you'll meet our building at 2 Thornwood Terrace at the crossroads. We meet on the Lord's Day. That's the first day of the week. The Lord's Day, the day he rose from the grave. And we meet at 11 a.m. And we also meet in the early evening at 6 p.m. And we have a midweek meeting on Wednesday at 7.30. And you are warmly invited to come along to any of these services. And that's why we have our contact details on these tracks, that you might be fully assured that we are a genuine Christian congregation. And we spoke latterly about the humiliation of the Son of God. Well, friends, We are delighted to inform you this afternoon that Jesus Christ has now passed from his estate of humiliation, and he has now entered into his estate of exaltation. And that began on that first Easter morning. when he arose, when he came out of the grave. He was in the grave over Friday night, all day Saturday, and then in the early first day of the week, he came out of the grave, because the grave could no longer hold him. And the Savior that we present to you this afternoon is one that is alive. We are talking about someone who's in heaven and who is upon the throne of heaven and who is ordering and directing and ruling and overruling all things. And he is in his state of exaltation. He's not in a crib. He's not on a cross. He's not in the grave. He's not smoldering. He's not dust. He's alive. That's the Savior. And this is what we find here when we read for more from Philippians chapter 2. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus Every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. There we have the exaltation of Christ. And friends, this is one whom you're going to see. You may well live your life and you may wish to reject Him and you may wish to have nothing to do with Him and never to acknowledge Him. You can do that. That can happen. But one day you're going to meet Him. You're going to meet Him like you're seeing me and like you're hearing my voice. 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 hath done, whether it be good or bad, knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. That day is coming when you will come before King Jesus as he's there on his great white throne, and you will acknowledge that he is Lord, Your tongue will acknowledge that wonderful truth that we know today, yet you will acknowledge it by your own admission that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow. All those who mock Him today will bow before Him. All those who reject Him will confess Him one day. But friends, it may well be too late. because this is the day of grace. This is the time when you are to make your peace with God through Christ Jesus, the Lord. This is the time. As far as God is concerned, he has given us this day of grace when we are indeed to seek the Lord while he may be found, and we are to acknowledge Him as Lord and Saviour and to avail ourselves of that wonderful salvation that He has provided. Today is the day of salvation. Now is the accepted time. Because, friends, if you meet Him, on that great day of judgment without a Savior or without your sins forgiven, then you will be condemned. That's why the Apostle says, knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. 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, Do you realize, friends, that you will never ever be saved by your works? Never? For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, and not by works, so that no man may boast. But you will be judged according to your works. Did you see the difference? Can you distinguish between the difference? Let me repeat it again. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, and not by works, so that no man may boast. If we're going to be saved, friends, it is by the grace of God. God has provided a Saviour for us. We are to put our faith and hope and trust upon Him, not upon our works, not upon our good deeds, not upon our religion, not upon anything but Christ. For it is by grace you have been saved through faith and this not of yourselves." Faith is a gift. Faith is a gift that God gives. We cannot believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ left to ourselves. It's impossible. Absolutely impossible. It's a gift. It's a saving gift, and God gives it. You must go to Him. You must plead with Him that you might see your need, that you would see the wonder and the beauty and the glory of the Savior that He has provided for you. You see, friends, as far as God is concerned, we're all sinners. All sinners. And because of that, we are estranged and separated from God. We don't have the relationship that we should have, because sin is that barrier. That barrier must be dealt with. It must be bridged. How can it possibly be bridged? We cannot do it ourselves, but Jesus Christ can. He is the only one who has been appointed to deal with our greatest problem. What is our greatest problem? There may be many problems today in our society, but none of them top our own personal problem that each one of us has, and each one of us takes with us day by day. What am I referring to? I'm referring to our relationship with God. And that relationship with God, by nature, we do not have. We don't have that relationship that we should have. Why? Because of sin. Because of our own personal sin. You see, in the beginning, God created man, male and female, after his own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over the creatures. And we could sum that up by saying that God created man and woman, Adam and Eve, perfect. Adam from the dust, and Eve from Adam. And when they were created, they resembled their Creator. They were perfect. And they had a wonderful relationship as a result. But then the evil one came, God's enemy, and he tempted Eve. And she succumbed to the temptation. They were given a very clear command. They were not permitted to eat. of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They were placed in the garden of paradise and they were able to eat from every other tree apart from that one. You see, God was testing them to see whether they would truly love Him or not. And the evil one came and told Eve, did God really say that? He wants to hold you back. He hasn't got your best interests at heart. He wants to keep you back. And that's the lie that people are listening to today. They think that God wants to keep them back. They think that God is, in some sense, against them. when nothing could be further from the truth. God has revealed His love, and God has revealed the depths of His love. 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. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. God has not just revealed His love to us in word or in speech, He has revealed it in deed. And that deed is that He sent His only begotten Son. That's how much God loved the world. That's how much God loved this sinful and this rebellious world. For God so loved the world, He gave His Son. He gave His only begotten Son. He gave the highest, the ultimate gift that He could. There is no greater gift that He could have given to mankind. He gave His only begotten Son. that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Well, friends, let me ask you here on a busy Friday afternoon, the 6th of December, 2024. Here we are. Another year is almost over. We're another year nearer eternity. We're rapidly going into eternity. Do you believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ? Have you got a hope? for eternity. What will happen to you when you pass into eternity? Where will you go? How will it fare with you? Oh, you don't want to think about that. Here we are at the beginning of the festive season. You don't want to think about your eternity. Well, friends, you must. You must, because we're all mortal. And the day will come when we will close our eyes in death. and we will wake up in another world. What world will you wake up in? What does the Bible tell us? Well, the Bible tells us clearly that we will either go to heaven or we will go to hell. Where will you go? How can I go to heaven? The only way that you can go to heaven is to be reconciled to God. And the only way to be reconciled to God is to have Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. He is the one who has suffered and died. He's the one who has acted as our substitute, taking the penalty that was due upon mankind, upon Himself, fulfilling the law of God that we could never do. He has done it. And friends, if we believe upon Him, then we are assured of heaven. And you can know that now. Yes, you can know it now. For 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. Friends, have you got peace with God? Can you honestly say that you have got peace with your Creator? Can you honestly say that you're looking forward to eternity? Can you honestly say that you've got a hope for heaven? Well, the Christian has. The Christian can know that today. Yes, today. That's what the thief in the cross knew. He turned to the Lord Jesus. Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said to him, today shalt thou be with me in paradise. But what if you don't have this great hope for heaven? What will happen to you when you die? Where will you go? Well, friends, the Bible tells us it's either heaven or it's hell. It's either heaven with Christ or it's hell with the devil and his angels. It's in that place that has been prepared for the devil and for his angels. Well, we want to tell you there is a way to heaven. And there is a way to heaven from Buchanan Street in Glasgow, and that way is to be found in a person. Who is that person? I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father, but by me. These are the words of the Savior. And he tells us this afternoon that we are to follow him, We are to repent. We are to believe the Gospel. We are to receive Him as our Lord and Saviour. And we are to follow Him. We are to repent. What does that mean, sir? I don't hear that word very often today. It means to turn from your sin, turn from your idolatry, turn from your blasphemy. Turn from your Sabbath breaking. Turn from your lying. Turn from your swearing. Turn from your gossiping. Turn from your adultery. Turn from your fornication. Turn your back upon your old sinful lives. Take up the cross and follow the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what's required. That's the gospel terms. Jesus will not change them for you or for anyone else. If we're going to be saved, we must repent and we must believe. We must believe that He is the only begotten Son of God who suffered and died in the room and in the place of sinners. Well, it's good to be with you this afternoon. 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 bless His Word to you this afternoon. Good afternoon again. We're very happy to be here and glad you're able to join with us. We're from Partick Free Church of Scotland, continuing. We meet at Two Thornwood Terrace, Upton Barton Road, when you come to Thornwood Park, go up the hill there, and you'll come to Thornwood Primary School, and then you'll meet our building at the crossroads. We meet there every Lord's Day, Sunday at 11 a.m., and in the early evening at 6 p.m., and we extend a warm and sincere welcome to you to come along to any of these services. We are a Scottish registered charity. We're a bona fide Christian congregation, and we have nothing to be ashamed of. We declare to you the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only Savior of God's elect. There is no other Savior. There is no other gospel, and we seek to bring his message to you this afternoon. We very much live in the real world. We don't live in a fantasy world, and we know that many people, indeed most people today, don't go to a Christian place of worship, and therefore they never hear the authentic Christian gospel. Therefore, it becomes us to go out into the highways and to the byways, whereby we might, even for a few moments, make clear the claims of Christ, that you might put your faith and hope and trust upon Him. Thanks very much for that very rude sign, sir. It's obvious the Word of God is working in you. One day you'll stand before King Jesus and you'll give an account and you'll not raise your finger. Instead, you'll bow your knee and you'll acknowledge that he is Lord. That day is coming, sir. It's coming for us all. 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 the Apostle Paul goes on to say, knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. That's why we come out. That's why we leave the warmth of our homes and the security of our churches. We come out to the highways and the byways to warn people to flee from the wrath to come. Yes, to flee from the wrath to come. That's how John the Baptist began his public ministry. Who hath warned you to flee from a wrath to come? And indeed, friends, there's going to be a day of wrath. God will have his day of judgment. Today, we're living in man's day. Man is having his way. He has his sway. He can reject. He can despise. He can blaspheme God. He can do all these things. But God will have his day. and all of us shall stand before Him, and you will be there. It is appointed unto man once to die, and after this, the judgment. That day has been set. The day that you were conceived was set. You had no part in it, none whatsoever. The day of your birth has been set. God decreed the day that you would come into this world. You had no part to play in it. and the day of your death will be exactly the same. It's been appointed to you, sir. It's been appointed to you, madam. It is appointed unto man once to die, and after this, the judgment. That day has been set, and therefore, is it not wise, is it not sensible for you to prepare for that day? Surely, You don't want to stand before God in Christ on that day pleading your own righteousness or your own merits. Surely you want something more. Surely you would want what God has provided because God's verdict upon your life and upon my life by nature is, for there is no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." In other words, we've all missed the mark. God has set a standard for us. He has given us His law. It's codified in the Ten Commandments. And do you know, that you have broken every single one of them. All the days of your life, you have broken these commandments, but God has set a standard for you and for me. What is His standard? His standard is absolute perfection. Or we might even say, absolute perpetual perfection. He has given you this law and you are to obey it. You are to obey it every moment of every day of all the days of your life. Now, if you're thinking at all, you must surely admit you've never done this. I've never done it. No one has ever done it but one. Who is that one who has fully obeyed the law of God? It is His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's the one whom we proclaim to you this afternoon. You see, the wonderful message of the Christian gospel is that God is prepared to accept a substitute on our behalf. You are required to perfectly keep God's law. You cannot do it. Why not? You cannot do it because you're a sinner. You have a sinful nature, and therefore, from that sinful nature, you will have sinful thoughts, sinful words, and sinful actions. And therefore, you cannot keep the law of God, the law that God requires you to keep. But here's the wonder, here's the glory of the Christian gospel. God is prepared to accept a substitute on your behalf. Who is that substitute? It's Jesus Christ. He has kept that law perfectly. Every jot, every tittle, all the days of his life, he has kept that law. He never had a sinful thought. He never had a sinful word. He never uttered a sinful word. He never committed a sinful deed. Is it not remarkable that he never had to apologize? Never. You've had to apologize continually. Why? Because you always err. Not so, Jesus Christ. Not so. He kept that law of God perfectly. Well, His righteousness is given to us when we believe upon Him. Yes. Oh, did you hear that, sinner? Did you hear that? There's a wonderful hope before us because someone else has kept the law on our behalf. And more than that, He has paid the penalty for breaking that law. You see, we deserve to die. We deserve to die eternally, spiritually, because we have broken God's law. You see, the wages of sin is death. That's what sin deserves. That's the penalty that sin deserves. It's death. Not just physical death, not just spiritual death, but eternal death. Well, Jesus Christ paid the penalty. He suffered the pains of hell when he was on the cross, when he was crucified. God was punishing him. in our room and in our place. That's the good news of the Christian gospel. And friends, what must you do to benefit? You must believe upon Him. You must believe upon Him. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the chief. Who wrote that? Well, ultimately, it was the Holy Spirit who wrote it. But Paul wrote it. He was inspired to write it. And there's the wonderful truth of the Gospel. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. You know, He didn't come into the world to save the righteous. Why not? Well, there are no righteous. We're not righteous in the sight of God. No one is righteous, for there is no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. That's what the Bible teaches us. It doesn't make us popular, no. It doesn't make us proud, that's true. We don't like to hear these things, that's true. But we need to hear these things because then when we recognize that we are sinners, then we will delight in the Savior whom He has provided. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. That's what the Apostle Paul said. And therefore, there is a great hope for us He didn't come to save the righteous. He came to call sinners to repentance. And that's what he's doing today. That's what he does when he sends out gospel preachers to preach the Word of God, to tell them the truth as it is in Jesus. He tells sinners to come, come unto me, all ye that labour under heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me. But I am meek and lowly of heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. That's what Jesus says to us. That's what he says to us in his word today. Come. Come unto Jesus. Come with your sins. Come, repent, believe. Come, cast your life upon him. plead for mercy, and you will find that He is merciful to the penitent. He will. He will receive you. He does not turn away anyone who is truly genuine. He does not. Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and all of us one day will bow before Him and acknowledge that, and we will say, that he is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Well, we're going to draw our time to a close, but it's been good to be with you this afternoon. We're very grateful that you have been hearing and listening. We're very grateful to the Lord, our God, because rain has been forecasted. and we've managed to carry out this open air in dry weather, and we're very, very grateful for that. So we're going to draw our time to a close, but we do trust that the Lord would be pleased to bless His Word to you. And thank you very much for listening and for your encouragement.