Well obviously this year is the 40th anniversary of the congregation here in new buildings and we look forward to what lies ahead, different events, different meetings that are planned for the months ahead and we know that you will pray for them and pray for God's blessing to be upon us in 2025, 40 years since the opening of this church building. Just during the past week, Pastor Scott McFarland was in touch from Limavady. This year is their 19th anniversary, the 19th anniversary of the opening of their church building. And so we will be speaking there on the 9th of March, God willing, at their anniversary services. Anniversary services, anniversary years are important. It's good to mark anniversaries. And today I want us to mark another anniversary that most people are unaware of. Did you know that today marks the 470th anniversary of the martyrdom of John Hooper and Roland Taylor? John Hooper and Roland Taylor martyred on the 9th of February, this day, 1550. Most people haven't heard these names, probably because these names are rarely mentioned in churches today. And I say that with a note of sadness. Hooper was martyred at Gloucester. Taylor was martyred near Ipswich. Sometimes we don't understand, we don't appreciate what these men went through. Both of them obviously were led on the 9th of February, 1555 on the day of their execution. Both of these men were led to the stake, to a wooden post and obviously firewood around the post and these men were chained. Do you know that Bishop Hooper kissed the stake as he was being chained, as he came to the place of execution? In fact, it reminds me of Ridley, Nicholas Ridley, another martyr, he did the same. When he came to the stake, he kissed the stake. Imagine kissing the instrument of death, a strange thing to do, isn't it? Why did they do it? because they knew that it wouldn't be long until it would be absent from the body, present with the Lord. You see, death for the Christian is just a gateway to a better life. In fact, far better is not what Paul says in the book of Philippians, to be with Christ, which is, he didn't just say better, it's better to be with Christ. No, far better. to be with Christ, and those martyrs knew that they were about to see the Savior face to face. They were chained to the stake, chain placed around their neck, chain placed around their waist, chain placed around their legs. Some of them actually stood in a barrel of pitch. We would say tar or bitumen. And then the whole thing was set aflame. And these men that we're thinking about today, Hooper and Taylor, they suffered greatly. One of them, can't quite remember which one, but one of them was in the flames for 45 minutes before he went to be with the Lord. These men suffered greatly for their faith. And these men are worthy of remembrance, There's a monument to Roland Taylor, it's just in a field near Ipswich, in a place called Aldam Common. And the martyr just says that Dr. Taylor, in defending that which was good, left his blood. I like that. Dr. Taylor, in defending that which was good, left his blood. We want to think about these men who left their blood, who shed their blood for the freedoms that we enjoy today. Where did you think freedom come from? Where has this blessed, glorious freedom that we enjoy today to be able to come together into God's house, assemble together and worship the Lord, no policemen at the door, no government officials at the door trying to hinder us? Where did this freedom come from, to just fall out of the sky? No, it has been handed down to us from men like Hooper and Taylor. So next question, maybe you're asking, why did these men die? Why do it? Why become martyrs? Three reasons that I want to leave with you this morning. Reason number one, they refused to be celibate. In other words, they believed in marriage. We'll say more about that in a moment. So reason number one, they refused to be celibate. Reason number two, they resisted an apostate church, resisted an apostate church. And then finally, they rejected the mass, they rejected The Mass. First of all, reason number one, why Taylor, Hooper, Ridley, Latimer, so many others, you do know the 288 were murdered under Queen Mary, Bloody Mary, that's a good title, Bloody Mary. 288 of our Protestant forebears died a martyr's death. Are you thankful for the freedom that you have today. We ought to be. And as I often say, we dare not deliberately throw it away. So reason number one, Hooper and Taylor, they went to the stake because they refused to be celibate. You see, both Bishop Hooper and Roland Taylor, they were married. They had wives, they had children. You know, the Bible says that marriage is honorable. Hebrews chapter 13, just three words, but wonderful words. Marriage is honorable. But the devil hates marriage. And the Church of Rome at the time of the martyrdom of Hooper and Taylor, the Church of Rome hated marriage too. And the Church of Rome forbid its priests, its clerics to be married. But men like Hooper and Taylor, they had read their Bible. And they knew that it said marriage is honorable. They knew that it said that marriage was a good thing. In John chapter two, the Lord Jesus had gone to the wedding in Cana of Galilee. So by doing so, he had put his seal of approval on the institution of marriage. So the teaching of the church in 1555 was that priests were not to be married. It was a law of the church. Priests must remain celibate. But of course, the martyrs defied this law of the church because it was a bad law. They were good Christians because they broke a bad law. Good Christians break bad laws. Do you get that? Good Christians break bad laws. In other words, good Christians do what Peter said in Acts 5, verse 29, we ought to obey God rather than men. It's a verse that ought to be memorized by every one of us today. We ought to obey God rather than men. And that is exactly what Bishop Hooper and Roland Taylor did. They defied man's law and they obeyed God's law and they entered into holy matrimony. Why is it that the devil hates marriage? Why is it that marriage is under such attack in our day and generation? Why is it that you have gay marriage, which is just another way of saying fake marriage? So why is marriage under such attack today? Well, it's because it was instituted in the garden. instituted in the garden, the Garden of Eden. If you turn back to Genesis chapter two for a moment, Genesis chapter two. So just in case you're saying, oh, he's just given us another history lesson today. Look at Genesis chapter two and verse 24. And by the way, this verse was quoted by the Savior. Genesis 2 and 24. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife and they shall be one flesh. The institution of marriage. Adam is alone. The Lord says it's not good for the man to be alone. He takes a rib from Adam and he creates the woman. He creates Eve and he brings her to Adam and they become husband and wife. That's where marriage came from. Marriage is not an institution of the government. No, marriage is an institution of God. So marriage was instituted in the Garden of Eden. It was an ordinance that was instituted before sin entered into the world. And that is one reason why Satan hates this sacred ordinance. That's why he hates marriage. Second reason why Satan hates marriage is because it's an illustration of the gospel. It's an illustration of the gospel. We're over to the New Testament now. And it's Ephesians chapter five. Ephesians chapter five. Verse 25, Ephesians 5 and 25, husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it. Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. The Lord Jesus Christ, he loved his bride and he shed his blood at Calvary. to purchase his bride. And so marriage is actually an illustration of the gospel. Every time there's a wedding, the gospel is preached. It's an object lesson. An object lesson of the gospel of Christ. So simple. The Lord Jesus, he's the great bridegroom. And then there's the bride. Every born-again believer, tell me, are you part of the bride? The two brethren who were received into membership today, they are part of the bride. Are you? If not, thank God you can be saved today, and you can come and you can submit to King Jesus and say, King of my life, I crown thee now, thine shall the glory be, lest I forget thy thorn-crowned brow, lead me to Calvary. They refused to be celibate. They resisted an apostate church. Roman Catholic Church was apostate in 1555 and because Hooper and Taylor resisted the church, the apostate church, they were martyred on this day in that year. They resisted an apostate church, an apostate church with its indulgences. You come to us, we'll give you a little slip of paper, a pardon for your sins. All you have to do is pay us money, give us some money for the indulgence, and then you can go and you can sin, but you've got the piece of paper and your sins will be pardoned, the indulgence. Purgatory. Christ's sacrifice in Calvary was good, but it's not quite enough, so we need another place called Purgatory after you die, so you go there to have your sins purged away. But of course, folks, there is no such place as Purgatory. It was the belief of an apostate church. Purgatory doesn't exist. or as the reformers called it, pickpocket purgatory. There is no purgatory after death, but let me say this, there is purgatory before death. Now, just in case you're getting worried, let me explain. The blood of Christ is the only purgatory we need. Purgatory, it means to purge, a place of purging. Thank God that Calvary is the only purgatory that we need. And that's what Hooper and Taylor and the other martyrs believed and preached and declared, and for that, they were burned at the stake. Oh, we could talk about so many other false beliefs of the church at that time, but thank God for Hebrews 9, verse 14, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Christ shed his blood to pardon us, to purge us. He's the head of the church. The Pope at that time claimed to be head of the church, but Christ is the head of the church according to Colossians chapter one and verse 18. He's the head of the body, which is the church. And so, Hooper and Taylor, on the 9th of February, 1555, on this day, they suffered death rather than submit to potpourri. I trust, by the way, you're praying for your Roman Catholic neighbors. I trust you're doing what you can to reach them with the gospel. Are you praying for them? Are you trying to bring the gospel to them? Christ died for our Roman Catholic countrymen, and it ought to be our desire that they would be saved, for it's his desire. Thank God for these two martyrs. They refused to be celibate. They resisted an apostate church. Finally, they rejected the mass. They rejected the mass for two reasons. First reason, the session of Christ. That just means that Christ is seated in heaven. He has gone back to heaven and he's seated. Time and time again, folks, you'll read in the scriptures that Christ is seated. He's sitting on the right hand of God. His session. That's what the theologians talk about, Christ's session. And that's where he is today as we worship in his house. He is seated at the Father's right hand. And you see Bishop Hooper and Taylor, these two martyrs, they believed that that's where Christ was. So how could Christ be at God's right hand in heaven and also be in the bread and the wine? How could he be in the wafer and the wine and also be in heaven? It's not possible. I mean, even a child could understand it. It's not possible. And so this is why Hooper and Taylor rejected the mass or transubstantiation, another term that's used, the real presence of Christ. Because of the session of Christ, because according to Acts chapter three, verse 22, if you turn there for a moment, Acts 3, 22. As we finish this morning, Acts chapter three, verse 22. Where is Christ today? 9th of February, 2025. Where is he? Acts 3, 22. Well, let's go back to verse 20. And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you, whom the heaven must receive. You get that? Jesus Christ, whom the heaven must receive. Acts chapter three makes it clear that Christ is in heaven. He was in heaven in 1555. In fact, he was in heaven in 33 AD, and he's been in heaven ever since. So that is why the mass is a blasphemous fable and a dangerous deceit. that's what our martyred forefathers believed, and that's why they rejected the Mass. The session of Christ, reason number one. Reason number two, as we finish with this, we're done with The sufficiency of Calvary. The sufficiency of Calvary. We have read Hebrews chapter 10 already today. Maybe you're wondering why we read it. Let's go back to it as we finish this morning. Hebrews chapter 10. And if you look at verse 12, you will notice the sufficiency of Calvary. Hebrews 10 and 12, but this man after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever sat down on the right hand of God. Verse 14, for by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. Did you notice the word one? One sacrifice, one offering. That is what Taylor and Hooper and the other martyrs believed, the sufficiency of Calvary. You notice down at the end of the passage we read earlier, verse 18, now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for You can't put it much clearer than that. Listen, no more offering for sin. After Calvary 33 AD, no more offering for sin. The mass is obsolete. That is wonderful news for every one of us today, that Calvary is sufficient. Are you weighed down this morning beneath a load of sin? Do you feel that you deserve hell? In fact, I was reading this past week, one of the martyrs, he actually prayed and he said, Lord, I am hell. That's what he thought of himself. I am hell. But he knew that Jesus Christ at Calvary had taken his hell. I wanna tell you that this is the wonderful news of the gospel today, that those of us, in fact, every one of us, we do deserve hell. And if you dispute that statement, then you'll never be in heaven. But every one of us deserve hell, but what Taylor and Hooper and the other martyrs, they believed and depended on was the sufficiency of Calvary. Let's just bow in prayer this morning as we have thought about these courageous heroes from church history. And let's bow and thank God for our freedoms afresh today. Let's pray. Father, indeed, we thank you, Lord, for the liberty we enjoy today. Forgive us that we so often take it for granted. Forgive us that so often we become familiar with the gospel and with the Bible. We pray, Lord, that you would help us to realize the reason we have the freedoms we do today, the reason we have an open Bible today, is because in a large measure of the sacrifice of our forefathers. But how we thank you above all today for the one sacrifice of Christ at Calvary. And we thank you that it is sufficient. And we need no other offering and sacrifice. I need no other argument. I need no other plea. It is enough that Jesus died and that he died for me. We give you the glory today. May Christ be praised, for it's in his name we ask it. Amen.