We hope that you'll be able to read it, for it contains a very clear and concise gospel message, and it also holds our details, because we would have you to know that we are not fly-by-night cowboys. Indeed, we are part of a registered Scottish charity, and our church is long established. And we meet at 2 Thornwood Terrace up Dumbarton Road. And when you come to Thornwood Park, if you go up the hill there, you'll come in the first instance to Thornwood Primary School. And then you'll meet our building there next door at the crossroads. And we meet on the Lord's Day. That's the first day of the week, Sunday. We meet at 11 a.m. And we also have a early evening service at 6 p.m. And we also have a midweek meeting on Wednesday at 7.30. And you would be more than welcome to come along to any of these public diets of worship. It may be that you've not been to a Christian place of worship for some time, or maybe you've never been. and maybe you would be a wee bit embarrassed or apprehensive. Well, please do not feel in any way apprehensive. You would be made most welcome and there would be no obligation upon you at any time. And as we said earlier, we're here for our weekly live stream, Open Ear Witness. We've done this on many occasions and we would have been here last week, but because of the weather. And that raises a question, does it not? Who controls the weather? And what's happened to the weather? Well, we know that what the environmentalists would try to tell us, they would try to tell us that there's such a thing as climate change and that's been brought about by man's activity. Well, friends, forgive us if we don't really believe that. We believe ultimately that the weather is in control of Almighty God. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth and he has not come off the throne and he has not given the control of the weather to anyone else. It is entirely under his control. And he said to Noah after the flood, While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall not cease. And you are living proof to the authenticity of that covenant that he has made. Because all throughout the running centuries, God has maintained that covenant, covenant that he made with Noah. while the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall not cease. And that's exactly what has happened. And therefore God is in control of the weather. But we would acknowledge that when God created the heaven and the earth way back at the beginning, He created a perfect creation. He looked upon his creation and he said, behold, it is all very good. And therefore, at the very beginning, there were no such thing as bad weather, none whatsoever. This has all come about because of man's rebellion, because of man's sin. There would be no tsunamis, no earthquakes, no volcanoes, No bad weather whatsoever, no winds, no hurricanes, no tornadoes, none of these things. These have all come about because of the curse that God has put upon creation because of mankind's sin. But we come out this afternoon because we have wonderful news from heaven for every creature because of what Jesus Christ has done God, indeed, is going to create a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. And all the things that are associated with the curse upon this present world will come to an end. Thank you, my dear. We'll try to do our best. As long as we've got a voice, we'll try to do our best. Well, this is the message we want to proclaim to you, that this world has fallen, it is cursed, and it is cursed because of Adam, and since we've all come from Adam, we are sinners. Yes, we might not like to hear that. It might hurt our pride. We're not here to make anyone proud. We're here to inform and to tell them the truth as it is in Jesus. And the truth is, friends, the Bible tells us, look it up yourself, in Romans chapter 3, verse 23, for there is no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. God is a glorious, person. God is a glorious individual, and he has made man originally in his image. God created man, male and female, after his own image in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over the creatures. And when Adam and Eve were first formed, Adam from the dust and Eve from Adam, When they were first formed, they were perfect. They were holy. They were sinless. They were pure. They did, in some sense, resemble their creator. And God positioned them in the Garden of Eden, and he gave them things to do. They were to be industrious. They were to look after the garden. But God gave them a very clear and simple command. What was that commandment? Thou shalt not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. You're not allowed to eat that fruit. And God was simply testing them. God had been good to them, created them, provided everything for them. Now He was wondering and asking them, would they show their love towards their Creator by being obedient? Well, the test came. The evil one, God's enemy, appeared and began to tempt Eve, and she succumbed to that temptation. She looked upon the tree. She saw it looked good. She saw the fruit was desirable. She listened to the lie of the evil one. She ate the fruit, and then she gave it to her husband. And here we are today in the 21st century, and you're saying to me, well, that's no big deal, is it? It's no big deal. Well, we would disagree, and so would God. Why? Because they committed high treason, and they sided with God's archenemy. They would rather listen to a murderer and to a liar than be obedient to their creator, God. And therefore, ever since that time, sin entered into human existence, and the devil himself was cursed. All would rejoice in that. He was cursed, and he was assured that someone would come who would ultimately crush his head, and that person was, that prophecy was pointing towards the ultimate day when the Son of Man would come, when the Lord Jesus Christ, the second person in the Trinity, when He would come, And that's what happened. He came and on the cross there, he made a fool of the evil one. And the devil has been cursed ever since that time. And that curse rests upon him today. And the promise of the Savior has been realized. He has come in the fullness of time. But for us, friends, we have to realize that since we've all come from Adam and Eve, yes, they are our first parents, well, we have inherited their guilt and their sinful nature. And that's why the Bible tells us not in any sense to flatter us, but to inform us that we might see things the way that God sees them. For there is no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And friends, we cannot reconcile ourselves to God by our own efforts, by our own achievements, by religion, by good works, by giving money or doing anything like that. It's impossible to be reconciled to God. The only way is through the way that he himself has so wonderfully and graciously provided for us. And maybe you're asking this afternoon, what is that way? If our plight is so bad, and it is, but there is a way back to God, there is a way to be reconciled, what is that way? Well, that way is to be found in the Savior. Who is the Savior? The Savior is the Son of God, the eternally begotten Son of God, who became a man and became just like us. In order that he would live that perfect life that was required, a perfect life that we ourselves could never live, why could we not live it? We couldn't live it because we have a sinful nature, and that sinful nature will display itself, will manifest itself in sinful thoughts, sinful words, and sinful actions. And that is what happens. We're all sinners, sinners by nature and sinners by practice. And this tells us that we need a Savior. We cannot save ourselves. Now, this is humbling. This strips us of our self-righteousness. It exposes us as ones who need help. And we don't like to think that we need help. Well, we do. And the only one that can help us, the only one that can save us, is the Son of God who became the Son of Man, the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's why it tells us In the Bible, in the Old Testament, even 600 years before the Savior came, look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God. and there is none else. There, friends, is a wonderful divine invitation to the chief of sinners to look unto another. Who is that other? It is Jesus Christ the Lord, the eternally begotten Son. the one who came down from heaven. Indeed, the only one who has come down from heaven and who has returned back into heaven, into glory. Why? Because all the work that he came to do has been completed. It was successful. Do you remember some of that words that Christ uttered when he was on the cross? When he was being crucified, he was able to say, even before he gave up the ghost, he was able to cry out with a triumphant cry, it is finished. Now have you been to a deathbed before? Have you been to a deathbed, a very solemn thing? When someone's about to die, do they lift up their head and do they cry out? No, they don't. They can hardly speak. That's the normal experience, but not for the Son of God, because there He was on the cross, and as moments before He was about to expire, we're told in the Word of God, you'll read it in John's Gospel, chapter 19, and He lifted up His head. and cried with a loud voice, it is finished. What is finished? His life? Well, that's true. But what he really meant is all that he came to do is finished. He had been given a work. He came on a mission. It was a mercy mission. He came ultimately to lay down his life. that he might be punished in the room and in the place of sinners, that he would be our substitute, that he would take the punishment that was due unto guilty sinners, that it would be laid upon him. And therefore, he was able to say at the end, it is finished, because God was imputing the sins of his people to Christ. He was being punished. in our room and in our place. And don't listen to that religion that tells you that Jesus, the Son of God, was not crucified. Absolute, utter nonsense. The very essence of Christianity is that the Son of God came and that He suffered and that He died. And He was taken down from the cross, dead. And He was put into a tomb. on the Friday and he was there all day Saturday. But what happened on the first day of the week? What happened early in the morning? He arose. He came out of the grave. Why? Because the grave could not hold him. He was fettered in the grave. Death was holding him. But the time of appointment came when he broke the bands of death and he came out of the grave. And friends, here is something you must realize. Here is something that you must take on board as you listen to the Gospel. That we are proclaiming to you a Savior who came a saviour who ministered, a saviour who performed miracles, a saviour who was despised and rejected and crucified, a saviour who died, a saviour who came out or was taken down from the cross and put into a tomb. But on the third day he arose, and he arose so that death no longer has any hold upon him. He cannot die. He is beyond death. He has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. This, friends, is what the Christian gospel is about. It is about eternal life. And we get eternal life through what Jesus Christ has done. How then can you have eternal life? The only way that you can have eternal life is to come to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is to follow Him. It is to believe upon Him. It is to trust upon Him. It is to recognize that you are a sinner and that you deserve nothing but God's wrath and curse, but that you are prepared to believe and to accept upon the Lord Jesus Christ that He died in your room and in your place, that your sins have been punished on Him, and because God is a just God, God cannot demand payment twice. If your sins have been laid on Christ, then you're free. Then you are pardoned. Then you are accepted. Then you are forgiven. Then you are reconciled to God. Then you have that gift of new life. And you can know that experience the moment that you truly trust upon the Lord Jesus for yourself, that He would become your own personal Lord and Savior. Is it any wonder then that we seek to come out with this message? Do you not think that we would be a wee bit awed if we had the most wonderful message that mankind could hear and we keep this to ourselves? Do you not think it is incumbent upon us to go out even to the highways and the byways to proclaim this message? that there is a way to be reconciled to God, that there is a way to have a great, sure, and steadfast hope for eternity, that that way has been provided by another. Who is that other we're talking about? We're speaking of Christ Jesus the Lord, the Son of God, who became the Son of Man, in order that he might live in this world, in order that he might live a perfect life, a life that you and I could never live? Do you think, therefore, we should keep this to ourselves? Is it not incumbent upon us to take up the commission that Christ gave to his early church? What is that commission, you may well ask. You might not be familiar with it. Well, we'll make you familiar with it because it's found in the Word of God. Here is the parting words of the Saviour to His early church. Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations. Do we not have all nations figuratively in Glasgow these days? Well, here we are. 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. You see, friends, this is a message that has worldwide application. Why? Because we're all human. Doesn't matter the color of our skin. It doesn't matter the language we speak. We're all the same. And we're all sinners. And we all need this wonderful message of hope. And Jesus said on another occasion, He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. What must I do to be saved? You must repent. You must turn away from your sin, turn away from your idolatry, turn away from your Sabbath breaking, turn away from your blasphemy, turn away from your stealing, your lying, your cheating, your slothfulness, and you are to believe upon the Son of God. You are to believe that indeed He is the Son of God, that He is the only God-appointed Saviour, that He is the one who has come down from heaven and undertaken everything that was required of Him, in order to secure the eternal salvation of all his people. And therefore, we come out, friends, and we give the gospel call to you all. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for 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. Here you are today, the 31st of January, 2025. Here you are, you're walking past on Buchanan Street in Glasgow, and you've got a burden, and it's not your shopping, it's not your backpack, but you've got a conscience that troubles you. You know you're not right with God, You know that should you pass into eternity, you'll meet God and you're not ready to meet him. What can you do? What's the problem? Well, the Gospel answers the problem. It identifies it. What is the problem? It's sin. That's that great barrier between God and man. You see, God is a holy God. The Bible describes Him as, Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look upon iniquity. That's the God of the Bible, who is holy and pure and upright, and He cannot and will not tolerate sin. And our great problem is we're sinners. Sinners by nature, sinners by practice, conceived in sin, born in sin, shaped in iniquity. And as a result, we are estranged and separated from God. And that would be a very bad position if that was to be the end of it. But God has seen our plight, and God has done something wonderful, something divine, something that addresses our great problem, something that deals with sin. You see, God is able to justify the ungodly. How is he able to justify the ungodly? Because he has punished one in our room and in our place. This is what Christianity is about. It's about a person. It's about this glorious person who came from heaven and lived the life that we should have lived, a life that we cannot live. And what's more, at the end of that life, He offered up Himself as a sacrifice. Why did He do that? Well, the wages of sin is death. That's why. And that's what every sinner deserves, death. Not just physical death, not just spiritual death, but eternal death. What is that? You may well say, that's the second death. What is it? It is to be separated from the gracious presence of God forever and forever in eternity. That's what awaits us if our sins are not dealt with. Well, God has done something about it. He has sent the Savior and He has done everything that was required of Him, but you are required to believe You are required to repent. You are required to trust upon the Lord Jesus Christ, to take up the cross and follow Him, that He might be your Lord and that He might be your Savior. And this message is for all. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And the Bible gives us plenty of encouragement to come to the Savior. He is willing to save. In fact, the Bible would teach us that He's more willing to save than you are to be saved by Him. Such is our depravity. Such is our hostility towards Christ and His message. But friends, we come out. to tell you the truth as it is in Jesus, that you might be found in Him on that great day, that you might have your sins forgiven, and that you might be reconciled to God. I agree. I'm glad you agree, sir. Thank you. You're welcome, sir. Good to have someone to agree. But I'm sure there's others who need to be won over yet, and that's why we come out and we seek to preach the truth as it is in Jesus. He that believeth and is baptised shall be saved. But Jesus goes on to say, but he that believeth not shall be damned. and therefore belief, faith, trust is vitally important. It's all very well hearing about the Saviour. You must apply to Him. You must have dealings with Him yourself. It's a personal matter. I cannot save myself. You cannot save yourself. You must go to the Saviour. He alone can save. And we're delighted to say that that's what His name means, Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins. 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. Hello and good afternoon. We're here from Partick, Free Church of Scotland continuing. We're a local congregation. We meet in the Partick area of Glasgow. We meet at Two Thornwood Terrace every Lord's Day, Sunday at 11 a.m. and in the early evening at 6 p.m. And we also meet on a Wednesday evening at 7.30 p.m. And we would extend a warm and sincere welcome to you to any of these meetings. They are open to the public and we have nothing to be ashamed of and we don't want to hide anything from you. and therefore please feel free to come along and don't feel in any sense apprehensive. We will be delighted to have you. You may not be familiar with Christian worship or going to church or you might have fallen out of the habit of going. Whatever, don't make an excuse. Please feel free to come along you will be made most welcome. Now, we're not here to seek to embarrass anyone, but we would ask this question, do you really know anything about the Christian gospel? Have you ever actually heard an authentic gospel message? Now, we say that because we do realize that some people will go to a Christian place of worship, but they might not hear the gospel. They might hear something like, well, do the best you can. God is merciful. Live the best life you can. Be good to your family, to your children, your grandchildren. Be good to your neighbors. Be a good citizen. Be moral, be upright, obey the Ten Commandments, be religious, and then God will have mercy upon you. Well, friends, that's not the gospel at all. The gospel tells us, first and foremost, that is none righteous, no, not one. And as far as righteousness is concerned in the Bible, to be righteous means that you can stand before God uncondemned. And none of us by nature can stand before God uncondemned. We're all guilty sinners in His sight. It doesn't matter how good a life we live. It doesn't matter how morally upright we may be. We may be fine citizens, and there's nothing wrong with that, but that will not give you an entrance into heaven. You see, heaven is a perfect place, as you might expect, because God is perfect. And those who are to be with him need to be perfect. Well, I think we'll all recognize that none of us are perfect. None of us would really claim to be perfect, but we would like to think that God will accept us because of the kind of life that we live. Not so. The only way to get to heaven, or we could express it another way, the only way to be reconciled to God is to have Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. It is to believe upon Him. because ultimately he is the one whom God has provided in order to get us a passport to heaven. You see, God has done something. This is what marks out Christianity. Christianity is a religion that tells us that God has done something for mankind. God has come down in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, in order to do what we could never do. What did Christ do? Well, ultimately what He did, He lived that life that we could never live. He lived that perfect life that pleased God. He was conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary by an extraordinary, supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. And that ensured that he did not have original sin. And therefore, when he was born in the normal manner, he was without sin. And he lived a perfect life. He never had a sinful thought. He never uttered a sinful word. He never committed a sinful act. The Lord Jesus is the only one who never had to say sorry, who never had to retrace His words or His actions. He lived a perfect life, a life that you and I are required to live, but we cannot. He did it, and He did it on our behalf. And what's more, friends, because the law of God is inflexible, it demands that the soul that sins should die. That's the punishment for sin. The wages of sin is death. And that's why Jesus gave up Himself as a sacrifice on Calvary's tree. He was being punished by God the Father on behalf of sinners. He was our substitute. He's the one who took upon himself the punishment that's due to mankind. He suffered the pains of hell on the cross. He did it as our substitute. Now, can you see it, friends? Is it clear to you now? He lived a perfect life, he fulfilled the law of God, and he also paid the penalty for that law that was broken, not by himself, but by mankind. There we have the complete answer to our great need. He lived a perfect life and he gave up himself as a sacrifice to pay the price for the sins of mankind. Now, that's wonderful. This is something that God has done. It's something that has happened. It is an historical fact that cannot be denied. The Son of God came. He suffered. He died. He rose again. Yes, He rose again. He came out of the grave. The death could not hold Him. Why? Because His work was finished and His work was accepted. And that's why we're able to come out on occasions like this and to tell the poor people on Buchanan Street their great need and the great provision that God has made even for the chief of sinners. Yes, none of us should give up hope. You might have lived a terrible life. You might be sin hardened. You might be a Christ rejecter. You might have lived all your life and you've been rejecting Christ. Well, friends, what does the Gospel tell us? Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for 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. There we have it, the words of the Saviour to every single one of us this afternoon. Come unto me, come unto the Saviour. Look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God and there is none else. On another occasion, he said in the New Testament, behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come into him and will sup with him and he with me. These words were uttered in the first instance to a church. in modern Turkey, a church that had in some sense forsaken the Lord Jesus Christ. He was outside of the church. They were professing Christians, but Christ was outside of the church. And he says to them, behold, I stand at the door and knock. We can use this in an application for ourselves. Is Christ knocking on the door of your heart? Yes, friend, ask yourself, is Christ speaking to you? Is Christ speaking through providence? Is Christ speaking through something that's happened in your life? Has Christ spoken to you about your behaviour? Is your heart being knocked? Is the Spirit speaking to you? Well, here He says, behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice, or any woman hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." Is he not talking there about restoration? Is he not talking about being reunited? Is he not talking about having our sins forgiven and being reconciled to God? Is that not a gospel invitation to you this afternoon, to every man, woman, boy and girl, that they might come to the Saviour? On another occasion, what do we find in Revelation, at the last book of the Bible, Revelation chapter 22, nearly the last verse in the Bible, at verse 17, and the Spirit and the bride say, and let everyone that heareth say, Come, and let him that is athirst come, and whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely. Oh, friends, do you want to have your sins forgiven? Do you want to be reconciled to God? Would you like to know that your eternal destiny is safe and secure? Well, what must you do? You must come to the Saviour and let Him that is a thirst come. Is there a longing in your heart? Do you recognize that need? Is there a spiritual thirst in you? Well, here is the invitation, and whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. That's an invitation in pictorial language to come to the Savior, to come to the Lord Jesus Christ. And that invitation is repeated earlier on in the Old Testament, some 600 years before the coming of the Savior. Oh, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money, Come ye, buy and eat, yea, come. Buy wine and milk without money and without price. Friends, these are words describing to us a gospel invitation to come to the Savior. The things that they're speaking about there, 600 years before Christ in the Middle East, were things that were precious. Water, wine, and milk, they were precious things. Well, you're to come to the Savior, because there's no one as precious as the Savior. No one can satisfy your life like the Savior. You see, friends, The Bible would tell us we're made in the image of God and God is eternal. And what's more, God has put eternity into your hearts. You know that you will live forever. You know it. It's in you. It's part of your DNA. It's part of the fact that you're made in the image of God. and you have eternity in your heart. You know there's more to life than what we have here. You know that when you pass on, you will go into eternity and you will live forever in that eternity. The question is, where will you spend eternity? Will it be in heaven? Well, if it's going to be in heaven, you need to have a mighty change. You need to love the things that you currently hate. You need to love holiness. You need to love light. You need to love God. And before that can happen, there must be a wonderful divine transformation. So where are you going to spend eternity? or you don't want to think about it. Well, is that not a bit silly, really? Is that not simply burying your head in the sand? We're all mortal, are we not? We're all exactly the same. We all have a limited lifespan. What is it? 40 years, 50 years, 60 years, 70 years, 80 years, four score, maybe more. But whatever, what is it in comparison with eternity? What is 100 years? Or what is 200 years in the light of eternity? Where are you, therefore, going to spend eternity? No, I'm quite happy you carry on, sir. Quite happy. Thanks very much for listening. Where are you going to spend eternity? That's what matters. The Bible tells us it'll either be in heaven or hell. How can I get to heaven? The only way you can get to heaven is to have Jesus Christ. I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father but by me, he says. Well, if you're going to go to heaven, you need someone to take you there. You need to be changed. You need to love the things that you currently hate. But what if it's not heaven? Where else? It's hell. Yes, friends, we don't like to hear about it, and in some sense, we don't like to speak about it, but we must. We must warn John the Baptist, the one who came before Christ, his forerunner, who hath warned you? to flee from the wrath to come. That's what he said to the scribes and the Pharisees, and that's what a gospel preacher must do. He must warn. There's a place called heaven, yes, but there's a place called hell also, a place that has been prepared for the devil and for his angels and for those who will not come to the Lord Jesus Christ and have their sins forgiven and be reconciled to God. Well, where will you spend eternity? Think about it. Put that on your agenda. Where will you spend eternity? Where are you going? We're all on a journey. We're here for a limited period of time. And don't be deluded along with the atheist who would love to tell you that once you die, it's all over. We know that's nonsense, absolute, utter nonsense. You know it yourself. But Christianity proves it. How can it prove it? Well, Jesus suffered and died. Jesus was put into the tomb. He came out. And because Jesus is alive, the day will come when you will hear His voice. and you'll come out of the grave and your dust shall be reconstituted and you'll stand before him and you'll give an account one day. Friends, it's better to deal with God now in Christ. It's better to receive the salvation that's freely offered to us now while it's the day of grace. This is a day of God's favor being extended to every one of us. No, friends, no. No. I don't live in fear. Well, where are you going to spend eternity then? Eternity is forever and forever. Heaven or hell. Christ or the devil, what's it going to be? No wonder, friends, we're out. This is an urgent message, but we bless God that Christ has done something for us. He has suffered and died in our room and in our place. Going to take a short break, but may the Lord be pleased to bless His word to you this afternoon. and thank you very much for listening. Good afternoon again, glad to be with you. Here we are from Partick, Free Church of Scotland continuing, a local congregation, and we're very glad you're able to join with us on our weekly live stream, Open Ear Witness, and this week we're coming from Buchanan Street in Glasgow City Centre. We come out, friends, because we realise that most of the population in our country doesn't go to the public means of grace. They don't go to a Christian place of worship. And as a result, they don't hear the Christian gospel. And we can see the results of that lifestyle in our community. We can see the decline in moral standards. We can see our courts being full, our prisons being full, our police being overwhelmed. We can see it in the breakup and the home life. marriage, divorce, all of these kind of things can be attributed to the fact that people are not under the means of grace and they're not heeding the Christian gospel. They're not being told about a God who is in heaven, a God who is holy and a God who is righteous and a God who demands that we obey his commandments that he has given to us. He has given us the Ten Commandments Thou shalt have no other gods before me, being the first commandment. And if we would examine our lives, we would find that we have a multitude of gods in place of the one true and the living God. Because anything that takes the place of the living God is an idol. And if we think more about our money, about our possessions, about ourselves, about our spouses, or our families, or our homes, our properties, or whatever than we do concerning the great God of heaven who made us and formed us, then we are idolaters and we have other gods. And that is the position with us. And if we went through the commandments, we would recognize that we have broken all the commandments, every single one of them. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. Remember the Sabbath day. Honour thy father and thy mother. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness. Thou shalt not covet. Now, friends, these are the Ten Commandments. And if we look at them, we've broken them all. And the Bible tells us, if we have broken one, then we have broken them all. And the law of God is to be proclaimed because it reveals to us our sin. It reveals to us how we have fallen far short of God's glory. And it reveals to us our need of a Savior. And it reveals to us that Jesus Christ is the one who alone has obeyed the law of God. He alone has lived that perfect, righteous life that God demands that we all live. Now, we cannot do it, and therefore we have a real predicament. If God demands that we live perfectly, yet we cannot do it, how can we solve this problem? Well, we rejoice because God has solved the problem. Jesus Christ has come, and He has lived that perfect life on our behalf. And He has paid the penalty for that law that has been broken. He has done it. He has done everything that was required And therefore, what is required of us? Well, what is required of you and what is required of me is that we believe on the one whom God has provided as our substitute. We are to believe upon Him and we are to receive Him as our Lord and as our Saviour. It's very good to hear about Jesus Christ, to hear about all that He has undertaken, and to recognise that He is God's appointed Saviour. But it must not stop there. You must have personal application. You must call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. You must have Him as your Lord and Saviour. Yes, friends, you must look to that One who suffered and died on Calvary's tree. Yes, don't listen to those who tell you that the Son of God did not suffer. He did. He did. He came down from heaven. and he humbled himself, and he condescended by taking upon himself our form and our nature. He did this in order that he might be able to suffer and die, because as the Son of God, he could never suffer and die. He couldn't possibly do it. But as our mediator, as the God-man, he could suffer. And he did suffer. And he could die. And he did die. He did all that was required in order to work out a salvation. A salvation. What does that mean? It means freedom. It means liberty. It means to be set free. Well, Jesus Christ has worked out a way whereby we can be set free. set free from the guilt of sin, set free from its power, and ultimately in glory, to be set free from the very presence of sin forever and forever. That's the great end that lies before the children of God. You see, friends, this present world is cursed. It's cursed because of mankind's sin. When God made the heaven and the earth, it was all good. At the end of the six days of creation, God looked upon his handiwork and he said it was all very good. It was perfect, but something happened. Adam and Eve, our first parents, they sinned. What does that mean? They rebelled against God. They disobeyed Him. They listened to the liar. They listened to the murderer. Who's that? Satan, the evil one, the devil. And friends, the devil's active today. The devil's active whenever the gospel is proclaimed. He will say things to you like, you see that preacher there? Don't listen to him. He's talking nonsense. Or he might say to you, well, you see that preacher there? He's telling you the truth, but you don't need to worry about it now. Tomorrow's okay. Or next week. You don't need to pay heed to that word now. The devil can have many things. He can speak to you in many ways. He doesn't want you to close in with Christ. He doesn't want you to have your sins forgiven, and he doesn't want you to have eternal life. He knows his time is short. He knows he's heading for the lake of fire. He's going to that bottomless pit. There's no hope for him. He's got a curse upon him. God has cursed him. and his end is sure, and he wants to drag you with him. Yes, he's out and out to destroy you. Well, Blessed be God. Jesus has come to destroy the works of the devil. This world is cursed. It's cursed because of man's sin. But the day will come, friends, when the curse shall be removed and there shall be a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. Oh, we know he's real. We know he's real because he lives. He lives. If God wasn't real, nothing could be real. God is a reality. God is all around you. You cannot avoid him. He knows your thoughts. He hears your words even before you utter them. You cannot hide from God. You're going to meet him one day. And that day you'll not speak a word because your tongue will stick to your mouth when you see God in Christ. And that's why we come out, friends, that you might be prepared, 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's why we come out, friends, that you might be persuaded there's a better way. It's the gospel way. It's a way of forgiveness. It's a way of repentance. It's a way of believing. It's a way of receiving Christ as your Lord and Savior. It's a way of thinking about eternity. Here you are. You are but one breath away from eternity. Where will you spend eternity? Will it be heaven? Will it be hell? It won't be purgatory. No, no. It won't be purgatory because there's no such place. Don't be deluded. When we die, friends, what happens? It is appointed unto man once to die, and after this the judgment. Are you ready then for that day? Are you ready when you'll be judged, when you'll give account for all your actions, for all your words, for all your thoughts? What a thought! God will judge your thoughts. I don't know your thoughts. I hardly know my own thoughts. But God knows all your thoughts. That's the God of the Bible. Does that not then tell us we need a Savior? Who is that Savior? That Savior is Jesus Christ. He alone can save. because there is one God and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave his life for ransom for all to be testified in due time. There's no other way to get reconciled to God. There's no other way to have your sins forgiven. No other way. No other person, no other faith, no other religion. Muhammad cannot save. Muhammad's in his grave, smoldering there. He cannot save. Buddha cannot save. Confucius cannot save. Any other religious guru cannot save. Only Jesus Christ. Jesus says, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father but by me. Very clear, very dogmatic. very unpolitically correct today. Nevertheless, it must be said, Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father but by me. And the apostles said, salvation is found in none other, for there is none other name under heaven among men, whereby we must be saved. He is the only one. He's the God-appointed Saviour. He's the one who has come down from heaven. 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. The words of the Apostle Paul he wrote to young Timothy, that he might be reminded about the Gospel. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. He didn't come into the world to condemn sinners. He didn't come into the world to destroy sinners. He came to save. And that's the mission that is on today as we go out and as we seek to preach the gospel along with others, to tell them the truth as it is in Jesus, that there's a way to be reconciled to God. That way is through the Lord Jesus Christ alone. and you are to be encouraged to come to Him. Wherefore, He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them. You know, the Saviour that we proclaim to you today is alive. That's the Saviour you need You're not asked to put your faith in someone who's dead, but someone who's alive, someone who's in heaven today, someone who makes intercession for his people today in order that they might be eternally saved. Wherefore, he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seen he ever liveth to make intercession for them. We're going to draw our time to a close, but it's been good to be with you this afternoon. May God bless his word to you, and thank you for listening to us.