Good afternoon, we're very glad you're able to join with us at our weekly open-air live stream. Witness, this week we're coming from a very cold Buchanan Street in the heart of Glasgow, but it is a pleasure and a delight to be out here this afternoon. We're here from Partick, Free Church of Scotland continuing. We're a local congregation and we minister in the Partick area of Glasgow. And we would extend a warm welcome to you to come along to any of our services. We meet on the Lord's Day. That's the first day of the week. Not Monday, but Sunday, the Lord's Day of the week, the Lord's Day. because that's the day when Jesus rose victorious over the grave. And that's a wonderful story that we have to relate to mankind today, because it is apt and it is appropriate for us. And as we said, we meet on the Lord's Day, Sunday, the first day of the week at 11 a.m., and we also have an early evening service at 6 p.m. And we also have a midweek meeting, a prayer meeting on Wednesday at 7.30. And we would extend a warm welcome to you to any of these public worship services. You are indeed most welcome. And we come out on the streets, friends, because we live in the real world and we know that Most people today in Scotland and in the city of Glasgow, they will not go to a place where the gospel is proclaimed. They will not find themselves in a Christian place of worship. And that may well be throughout the whole of their lives. And therefore, they might live and die without hearing this essential message of the Gospel. Well, we feel it is incumbent upon us to go out and to bring this message to your attention, even if it is just for a moment or two, in order that you might hear about the great love of God that has been displayed in the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and of Him suffering and dying in the room and in the place of sinners. A verse that we like to quote is from 1 Timothy chapter 1 verse 15, a verse that the Apostle Paul wrote to a young pastor called Timothy who was struggling there as he was trying to look after the churches in Ephesus, and Paul is reminding him of the centrality of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. And Paul tells him in 1 Timothy 1, verse 15, 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 apostle says. And there in that verse, we have something of the very heart and the very essence of the Christian gospel. It's a faithful saying. This is what the church should be proclaiming. This is the very central message that the gospel preacher should be proclaiming to everyone. Whenever he gets an audience, this is the message that is to be proclaimed. It's a faithful saying. It's a saying that has come from heaven itself. It's something that we need to hear. And it's worthy of all acceptation. It has universal application. Why is that so? Well, it is because we're all the same. We may speak a different language. We may have different colours of skin. Our hair may be somewhat different. We may be male or female, young or old. We may be educated or uneducated. We may well be rich or we may well be poor. But there is something that we all have and all need. We need to be saved from our sins. Why is this so? Well, the Bible, and we go to the Bible for all our teaching, the Bible tells us, for there is no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. There we have it, friends. In Romans chapter 3 and verse 23, a message, a word that speaks to all of us For there is no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. In other words, it's God's estimation. It is God's judgment upon your life and upon my life, upon your behavior and my behavior. For he says, for there is no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We've all missed the mark. And what is God's standard? What does He require of us? Well, hardly surprising, because God is perfect. Because God is perfect, He demands absolute perfection from us. That's what He demands. What song, sir? Is it? You heard it in the fucking news, they're all raping each other, haven't you? One more won't make any more difference, and if we're all full of it, won't make any more difference. Well, yes, I am ashamed, but I'm not ashamed of my Saviour. And you know this, whoever puts their faith and hope and trust upon the Saviour shall never be ashamed. Of course, I'm ashamed of my sin. That's all I can bring to my Saviour, but He's not ashamed of me. And when I put my faith and trust upon Him, I will not be ashamed. And that's the wonderful message that we have to proclaim, even to the chief of sinners. to turn to the Lord Jesus Christ, to call upon Him, and you know what? We will be accepted. Isn't it remarkable? Yes, even the chief of sinners. This is what the Apostle Paul said in the verse that we're quoting. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. that Christ Jesus come into the world to save sinners? And how does the Apostle Paul describe himself? Of whom I am chief. He's the chief of sinners in his own estimation. He was one who persecuted the church. He was one who blasphemed God. He was the one who rejected the Lord Jesus Christ up until a point, up until a time when he was converted. And then he became a changed individual. His whole outlook was changed. Why? Because he had an encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ. He was converted. And friends, this is the very essence of biblical Christianity. we must be converted. Except ye be converted and become like little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of God. That's the words of the Lord Jesus. That's the words that He says to us this afternoon. Except ye be converted and become like little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of God. What's He telling us? He's telling us that our mindset must be like a child. A child will listen to their parent. When the parent says something to the child, The child will listen, the child will recognise that the parent has the child's best interests at heart. And the child will trust the parent and rely upon the parent. Well, that's the way it's got to be for the Christian. He must rely upon Jesus Christ. He must renounce his own self-righteousness. He must renounce any hope that he may have that he might be saved by his own efforts or by his own achievements or by his own religion. In other words, he turns his back upon his old life and he receives the Saviour. That's what Jesus said. Unless you become like little children, it means you've got to accept what He says. And you know what, friends? Being a Christian, it's a humbling experience. Why is that so? Because when you become a Christian, you recognize that God is true, and His verdict upon your life is bang on. And when He says you're a sinner, that is true. And when He says that we deserve nothing but His wrath and curse, that is true. And we must go to Him for mercy. We must cry out to Him for mercy. That's our only hope. And you know, friends, it's a wonderful hope to have because our God is merciful. Our God indeed is one who receives sinners. who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passes by the transgression of the remnant of his people. He retaineth not this anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. That's the God of the Bible. That's the God of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. He delights in mercy. Judgment is a strange work. Nevertheless, we are to be warned that when God threatens judgment, that judgment will come if we remain unrepentant. If we will not heed His warnings, we can be sure that God will make good His Word concerning the judgment to come. And friends, this is something that we must declare, 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. Therefore, knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men." And friends, this is what we seek to do this afternoon here in a very cold Glasgow, on Buchanan Street, in the very heart of Glasgow. Friends, this is what we seek to proclaim to you. that God indeed is merciful, and God indeed is gracious, and He has shown the full extent of His love. How has He done that, you may well ask? Well, He has sent forth His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to suffer and die in the room and place of sinners. 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. And therefore, I put it to you that God indeed has revealed his great love towards sinful mankind. He has not held back. He has given the ultimate gift. What is that gift? That gift is His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And He gave Him... Now, now, now, there's no need to speak like that in public. Keep your vile language to yourself. We're here. to proclaim to you the lordship of the Lord Jesus Christ, and out of the mouth the heart speaketh. And when we speak nothing but swears and blasphemy, that tells us that our hearts are rotten, and it tells us that we need a new heart. And that's what Jesus Christ alone can give to us. He alone can give us that new heart. We cannot save ourselves. We need to be saved. We need to be saved from our sins. And we give thanks this afternoon that the Lord Jesus Christ is the only Savior of sinners. He's the only one who can save you from your sins. How is that? You may well ask me. Because He is the only one who has suffered and died in the room and in the place of sinners. He is the God-appointed Saviour. He alone is the only one who has ever come from heaven. No one else has ever come down from heaven. Jesus Christ has. and He has returned to heaven, and He's returned because His work on earth is completed. He did all that was required in order to save His people. He was crucified on the cross. Yes, the eternally begotten Son of God was crucified in the room and in the place of sinners, and it was all in the plan of God. It was all that God had decreed in order to save sinners. And when Christ was on the cross, He was there because wicked and cruel men rejected Him, but overarching everything was God's plan for mankind. There, Christ was being punished in the room and in the place of sinners. He became sin for us who knew no sin, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. A wonderful divine transaction was carried out there on the cross. Wicked men nailed Him to the cross. Wicked men brought about the end of His life. But God was using that in order to punish him in the room and in the place of sinners. Now, that is a reality. That is a fact. But that's not enough to save you. You need to put your faith and hope and trust upon the Lord Jesus. You need to follow Him. You need to believe upon Him. It's wonderful, and indeed it is a wonderful blessing to open our mouths and to loosen our tongues and to speak of the glory and of the majesty of the Son of God and what He has done. But, friends, you must come to Him. You must receive Him. It is said in the Word of God, that He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. They rejected Him. And that's what the dead, when they crucified Him, they rejected Him. And that's what multitudes are doing today. Maybe that's what you're doing, even as you pass by this afternoon. You're hearing something about the Son of God. You're hearing about what He has done. You're hearing that He is the friend of sinners. You are hearing that he is God's substitute and you are rejecting him. What a terrible crime. What a terrible condition to be in, to reject the one whom God has approved, to reject the one whom God has sent in order to seek and to save that which was lost. And therefore, when you reject Him, what are you saying? You are saying, in effect, I don't want what God has provided for me. I'll work my own way to heaven. I'll follow my own religion. I'll work my own way. I will reject the way that God has provided and the way that God has approved. How do we know that God has approved what Jesus Christ has done? Well, we know it because there's an empty grave. There's an empty tomb. You know, the Lord Jesus was crucified on Calvary's tree. Rusty nails were put through his hands and his feet. A spear was put through his side. He gave up the ghost. He came down from the cross dead. They put him into a tomb and there he remained on the Friday night, all day Saturday, but then very early on the first day of the week he came out of the grave because death could no longer hold him. He was not to be under the domain of death forever. He broke the bands of death. He came out of the grave, and that tells us that His work was acceptable. That tells us that what He came to do, He achieved. And we know later on, He appeared on many occasions to the disciples and to the apostles, some of whom did not believe But they became convinced when he appeared to them. And on one occasion, some 500 men saw him alive. And friends, let's be clear about this matter. We are not proclaiming to you someone who is dead. We're proclaiming someone to you this afternoon who is alive. who is alive forevermore. We are proclaiming to you a Saviour that cannot die. Is that not the Saviour you need? Is that not the Saviour that meets all your hopes and aspirations? That you are to put your faith and hope upon this One who has gone to death, gone to the tomb, gone to the grave, but has risen and is now in heaven at God's right hand, waiting for that time when He shall come again in power and in glory. Yes, friends, you know, the world thinks they've heard the last of Jesus Christ. And many would like to think that they'll never see Him or hear of Him again. But I tell you, He shall come. He shall come like a thief in the night, He will come when you least expect Him. He will come in power and in great glory. He will come and He will bring to end this world as we know it. And He will usher in the judgment day and that shall come after the day of resurrection when all of us shall come out of the grave and our bodies shall be reconstituted, and we will stand before King Jesus. 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. What a day that will be! Are you ready for that day? Are you ready for that day when you will give account of your actions, of your words, and of your thoughts, when you stand before King Jesus Christ the Lord and be judged on that day? Well, I'll tell you that on that day you will need a Savior. But it'll be too late to call Him on that day. Too late. Now is the day of salvation. Then is the day of damnation. Now is the day of salvation. Oh friends, what a wonderful day this is. Here we are on Buchanan Street in Glasgow City Centre on the 14th of February 2025. This is a day of grace. This is when God's grace is extended towards you, a day of mercy, when you're urged to make your peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone. 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 Apostle Paul says. You know, sin came into this world. It's something that's alien to this world, but it came into this world near the beginning of time. We are told in Romans chapter 5, verse 12, it tells us about this, therefore, as by one man's sin entered into the world and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. Where did all the suffering come from? Where does tears come from? Where does sickness, suffering, death, where does it all come from? It hasn't come from God, it's come from man's behaviour, because he has sinned against God, and the wages of sin is death. Friends, therefore, we're out this afternoon to tell you something about the Lord Jesus Christ. We're here from Partick Free Church of Scotland continuing, and we're going to take a short break. But may the Lord be pleased to bless his word to you this afternoon. Afternoon again and welcome to our weekly live stream Open the Eyewitness. This week we're coming from the heart of Glasgow on Buchanan Street on a very cold Buchanan Street, but very cold and very bright, and we're glad to be here. We're here from Partick, Free Church of Scotland. Continuing, and we do want to draw your attention to the most important person that ever walked upon this earth. It is concerning the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. We have said earlier that he has come to seek and to save that which was lost, And we are delighted that his mission was successful. First of all, we're delighted that he came. No one else could undertake what was required. No one else could possibly do it. Mankind was lost. Mankind was perishing. Mankind was without hope in this world. And God saw us lost and perishing. And it pleased God in the fullness of time to send forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them under the law. And indeed, it's marvellous to think that the Son of God would so condescend and come down to this barren, sin-cursed world and undertake everything that was required of Him, in order to save his people. And this is the very heart and the very essence of biblical Christianity, friends. It tells us the truth. It tells us that God is holy. God is righteous. God is a God who cannot and will not tolerate sin. He must deal with it. Yet, God is also merciful and God is also gracious. And in order for Him to be gracious and merciful towards sinners, He must deal with the problem of sin. And that's what He has done in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ, being the eternally begotten Son of God, took upon Himself. Our nature became like us. He was conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary. by a miraculous operation of God the Holy Spirit, so that he did not contract original sin. And when he was conceived, he did not contract original sin, something that we all contract by nature. And when he came out of the womb, when he was born in the normal manner, he lived with his parents, Mary and Joseph, Mary, his true mother, and Joseph, his legal father. And for about 30 years, he lived a life of obscurity until the time came for his public ministry to begin. And he was baptized by John the Baptist on the River Jordan. He did not need of himself to be baptized because the baptism was a baptism of repentance. And repentance brings to our attention sin, but the Lord Jesus Christ had no sin. Nevertheless, He wanted to be identified with sinners, and He underwent the baptism of John. And as He was being baptized, God the Spirit spoke. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." And the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, came upon him and anointed him for his ministry. And therefore there, at that incident there, we have the Trinity. We have God the Son being baptized. We have the voice of God the Father speaking. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And then we have the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove coming upon Christ to enable him to undertake his ministry. And for around three years, friends, he went about Israel, Judea, Samaria, Galilee, Jerusalem, teaching, preaching, performing miracles, demonstrating that he was indeed the Son of God in the flesh, and that he was the long-promised, long-waited-for Messiah. He was the one who had been promised in the Old Testament prophets, and he was the one who went about fulfilling these prophecies. telling us without any doubt that he truly was the Son of God. But he was hated, he was despised, he was rejected by the religious leaders. Why? Because he revealed their hypocrisy and they were envious of his success with the common people who heard him gladly. And as a result, he was handed over to Pontius Pilate and he was crucified on a cross on Golgotha. Wicked men nailed him to a cross and crucified him there. But it was all part of God's ultimate plan, something that he had ordained in eternity in order that he might suffer as our substitute, that he might be punished for our sins. Having lived that perfect life, he was then able to offer up a perfect sacrifice, a sacrifice that would satisfy the holiness and the justice of God's holy and inflexible law. And that's what Christ did. And He did it on behalf of others. And what is required of you this afternoon, for you to do any way to benefit from what Christ has done, you must put your faith and hope upon Him. You must believe upon Him. You must trust Him. You must follow Him. you must renounce any hope to be saved by your own efforts, by your own good works, by your own religion, or whatever, whatever hope you're hoping in, you must renounce it because you'll never be saved unless Jesus Christ saves you. He himself has told us, I am the way, the truth, and the life, No man cometh to the Father but by me. There you are, friends, you've heard it from the mouth of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Very dogmatic, very unpolitically correct today. Very unpolitically correct today, but true. I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father but by me. will never end up in heaven, in glory, unless Christ Jesus takes us, unless he saves us. There's no other way. For 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. He alone is the one who has come down from heaven. He alone is the only one God has approved and appointed to be the mediator that is the go-between between a holy God and sinful mankind. There is no one else. It is His only begotten Son, Christ Jesus the Lord. And therefore, You must trust upon Him. You must come to Him. The Bible tells us that the gospel is to be proclaimed. Repent and believe the gospel. Oh, yes, you don't like to hear about repentance. Why? Because it tells you that you must turn away from your sin, turn away from your lying, turn away from your cheating, Turn away from your blasphemy. Turn away from your fornication. Turn away from your adultery. Turn away from your incest. Turn away from your homosexuality. This is what repentance is all about. Turn away from your sin. Turn. That's what it's telling us. Repent and believe the gospel. Repent and believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the terms of the Gospel. In order to be saved, we must believe upon Him, believe that He is the only God-appointed Saviour. We must believe that He is the One who has come down from heaven, who alone is the Son of God, who became the Son of Man, and He is the only God-appointed and approved Saviour. And to reject Him, friends, is to turn your back upon what God has done. And when we consider that we are the ones who have offended God by our behavior, that He is the one who has been instrumental in seeking to be reconciled to us. He's the one who has taken the initiative He is the one who has provided the Saviour. Mankind, because of sin, is happy in sin. Yes, mankind is happy in sin. He loves sin, but he does not recognise the end of his sin. Because the wages of sin is death. That's what the Bible tells us. And it's not just talking about physical death, and not just talking about spiritual death, but it's talking about eternal death. What is that, you may well ask? Well, eternal death is to be separated from the gracious presence of God forever and forever in a place called hell. That's what the wages of sin are. That's what sin deserves. That's what sin gives. Well, we're delighted to come out this afternoon to tell you that Jesus Christ has come in order to save us from our sins and to save us from the consequences of our sins. What a glorious message for young and for old, for male and female. It's a wonderful message that has universal application to us all. because Jesus Christ has come to seek and to save that which was lost. And do you know, friends, we're all lost by nature. Yes, we're all lost by nature and we all need a Saviour. And we rejoice that God has provided that Saviour in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And we want to tell you what the Bible tells us. And it says, who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passes by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger forever, because he delighteth in mercy. That, friends, is the God of the Bible. He delights in mercy and He's able to be merciful to sinners because one has suffered and died in the room and in the place of sinners. God has dealt with sin. He has not gone soft on it. He's dealt with it in the form of His Son. the Lord Jesus Christ. And therefore, this is the day of grace. This is the day of God's mercy. This is the day when God's mercy is extended to you in the gospel. And this is the day when Christ and his word says to you, this afternoon, 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, the Lord Jesus Christ has issued you. No, sir, thanks for listening. The Lord Jesus Christ has issued you a wonderful, sincere, divine invitation. Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passes by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger forever because he delighteth in mercy. It's wonderful to be able to come out then to tell you this good news, the good news of the Christian gospel, that God, with whom we have to do with, delights in mercy. Delights in mercy. And many of us know this mercy. Indeed, I should correct myself, we all know something of this mercy. God has been merciful to you today. Everything that you have has been given to you by God. Your life, your health, your strength, the money you have, your spouse, your family, your home, your employment, the food you eat, the water you drink, the air you breathe, everything has come from Almighty God. He has been gracious and merciful to you. But there's one thing more. When the Lord forgives your sin, that's the ultimate gift. When you're reconciled to God and when you have his saving grace, when you have Christ as your Lord and Savior, that, friends, is the ultimate gift that you can have. There, God is fully displaying His grace and His mercy. And that's what He does in the Gospel. And friends, you are urged, therefore, to come to Him, to believe upon Him, to receive Him, because the great God of the Bible delights in mercy. And He's shown His mercy towards mankind. Has He not? I put it to you. John 3, 16, 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, friends, is it not true then that God does not simply love in words, but in deed? And what greater deed could he perform than send his Son down from heaven to be our substitute, to suffer and die, to take upon Himself our punishment that was due. Why? Because we've broken God's law. That's why. And the wages of sin is death. That's what sin deserves. Oh, sin doesn't tell you that. Oh no, sin tells you you'll have happiness. Do this, rebel against God, and you'll have your life. Ah, but it doesn't tell you that the wages of sin is death, eternal death, to be separated from God forever and forever and forever. Therefore, friends, come, come to the Lord Jesus Christ, the one who came to seek and to save that which was lost, and the one who will receive you today He says on another occasion in His Word, Look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God and there is none else. No other Saviour but Jesus Christ. None whatsoever. Mohammed cannot save. Confucius cannot save. Buddha cannot save, Jesus alone can save. We're here from Partick, Free Church of Scotland continuing, 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 glad to be out on Buchanan Street on our weekly open air live stream witness. We're here from Partick Free Church of Scotland continuing. We're a local congregation. We meet at 2 Thornwood Terrace. If you go up Dumbarton Road, you'll come to Thornwood Park. If you go up the hill there, you'll come to Thornwood Primary School, and then you will meet our building there next door at the crossroads. to Thornwood Terrace. We meet on the Lord's Day, the first day of the week, Sunday at 11 a.m., and we also have an early evening meeting at 6 p.m., and we also have a midweek meeting, 7.30 on Wednesday, and you're welcome to all of these public worship services. And maybe you're not one who is accustomed to going to a Christian place of worship, well, and maybe you feel a wee bit apprehensive, please don't feel apprehensive. You'll be made most welcome. You'll be under no obligation. We would be delighted to see you. And if you're looking for a copy of the Scriptures, the Holy Bible, we would be happy to give you one. Make yourself known. We love to distribute the Word of God because we know all Scripture is given by inspiration of God. And we have the very words of God. And in the Bible, what's it all about? Well, ultimately, it's a love story. It's a love story between God and mankind. How God made man in the beginning. In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. And God made man after his own image in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over the creatures. And God made man perfect and put him into a garden there. Adam and Eve were happy there, perfect. Everything was laid on for them. But the evil one came and tempted our first mother, Eve. because our parents had been given a clear and simple command in order to test whether they loved the Lord their God or not. And they were given this commandment, you can eat from all the trees in the garden, but you are not to eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And if you do, you will die. Very clear, very concise, very precise. Nothing difficult. Eat of that tree and you'll die. The devil came and tempted Eve. And what did he say? Did God really say that? And that's what people are saying today. Here we are with God's word in our hand and we're seeking to proclaim it. And many people are saying, did God really say that? Did God really say there's a heaven and a hell? Did God really say that men and women will be punished for their sin? Yes, He did say it. It's in the Word of God. And when we seek to dispense with the Word of God or deny it, we're just acting like the evil one. Well, Eve listened. Eve took the fruit. She gave some to her husband. And since that point in time, Mankind's relationship with God changed. Why did it change? Because man became a sinner and God is holy. And therefore there was a great gulf, a great chasm between holy God and sinful mankind caused by sin. And since we've all come from Adam and Eve, we have inherited their sinful nature. That's why we sin. We sin because of our sinful nature. Now you might find that difficult. Well, is it really that difficult? Look at your children. Did you teach them to be naughty? Did you bring them up to be rebellious? Did you bring them up to be disobedient? No, you didn't, did you? Where did it come from? It came from their own sinful nature that they inherited from you, and that you inherited from your parents, and all the way back to our first parents, Adam and Eve. That's why we have sin. That's why we're sinners. because we have a sinful nature. And that sinful nature will manifest itself in sinful thoughts. And these sinful thoughts will often manifest themselves in sinful words and in sinful actions. That's our problem. That's the greatest problem that faces mankind. It's the greatest problem since ever the fall. Well, we rejoice to be able to tell you that God has done something positive about our greatest problem. He has sent His Son, and His Son has come into this world without sin because He was not conceived in the normal manner. He was conceived by a miraculous operation of God the Holy Spirit so that He did not contract original sin, and therefore he was able to live a perfect life. He fully obeyed the law of God in thought, in word, and in deed. He lived a sinless life. In fact, he could not sin. It was impossible for him, even although he had been tempted by the evil one. And we rejoice that he lived this perfect life. And he lived it for others. He lived it in order that he might be able then, at the end of his life, to offer up a sacrifice, a perfect sacrifice, a sacrifice that would satisfy divine justice. Because God is a holy God. And this is what makes Christianity unique, Our great God does not overlook sin. He deals with it. He has punished someone in our room and in our place. Who is that person? That person is the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross on Golgotha. There, as Christ was being nailed to the cross, the Lord was imputing the sin of mankind upon Jesus Christ. And Christ was suffering the pains of hell there on the cross. Yes, He was suffering a terrible death, a horrible physical death, of course, But friends, his real sufferings there were spiritual sufferings. His soul was torn apart, as it were. He was suffering the pains of hell. And he was doing that as our substitute. He was doing it as the God-appointed substitute. Now, Has this got any reference to you and me this afternoon? Well, yes, it does. Because, friends, we go out and preach the gospel and tell people that they must have Christ as Lord and Savior in order to have their sins forgiven and to be right with God. Because it's all very well telling you about Him, You must receive Him. You must have Him as your Lord and as your Savior. And you must believe that He is who He said He was. Who did He say He was? He said, I am the Son of God, and He demonstrated it by all that He did. He did things that only God could do. He healed the sick. He opened the eyes of the blind. He gave life to the dead. He opened the ears of the deaf. He fed the 4,000 and the 5,000 and many other things that he did, demonstrating that he was the Son of God. And he is the one who has come down from heaven with God's authority, God's approval. And what is more, He is the one who has returned to heaven. Having completed his work, he was taken down from the cross, dead, put into the tomb, a borrowed tomb. Yes, a borrowed tomb, because he wasn't going to be there for long. He wasn't going to need it for long. He was there for the Friday night, all day Saturday, And then, on the first day of the week, Sunday, He arose. There was a great stone over the tomb, and there was a Roman guard there, guarding the tomb. But nothing could stop Christ from coming out of the grave. Nothing whatsoever. And He's alive. He's alive today. For about 40 days, He was seen by many, many people who were absolutely convinced that He was alive, and they were prepared to die. Many of the apostles died because they believed in the Son of God, who indeed was raised alive. Now, they would never have suffered and died for a lie, would they? Of course not. They believed. They believed. Yes sir, they did believe. And you'll believe one day. You'll get over your atheism. It's a temporary condition. And we want to ask you then friends, what's your great hope then? Where are you going? Where are you going? This life is a journey, is it not? How long have we got on this journey? Fifty years? Maybe less. Sixty? Seventy? Eighty? Ninety? A hundred? Well, maybe. Very few will get a hundred, but maybe. So what? What's it in the light of eternity? When are you going to spend eternity? How can you calculate eternity? Well, you cannot. We cannot even think about it. We cannot comprehend it. on and on and on and on forever and forever. Where will you spend eternity? This is the great issue. We're mortal, are we not? Well, we know that. You know it. I don't need to tell you. Maybe I have to remind you, but you know it. You know. You've seen parents go. You've seen grandparents go. You've maybe seen siblings going. Maybe you've even seen Your children go before you. Well, we're all mortal. We're here today and gone tomorrow. This is the day of grace. This is the time when you are to close in with Christ. Now is the day of grace. Now is the accepted time. When you hear about the Lord Jesus Christ, you are to put your faith and hope and trust upon Him. For we do not know what one day will bring. What is your life? It is but a vapor. You're here today and you're gone tomorrow. Where are you going? Where will you end up when you go into that world that is to come? When you open your eyes up in that new world, where will you be? Will it be heaven? Will it be with the Lord Jesus Christ? Will it be in glory? Well, friends, the only way that you can get to heaven is to have Christ as your Lord and Savior. For salvation is found in none other, for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. Well, what if it is not heaven? What if you wake up in hell? What will it be like? that place that has been prepared for the devil and for his angels. What will it be like in that place of torment, that lake of fire, that bottomless pit, that lost eternity? What will it be like? Oh friends, no one wants to go there. How can I avoid it? How can I escape? You must come to the Lord Jesus Christ. You must come to Him. He alone can save you. No one else. No other religion can save. No other person. None but Christ Jesus the Lord. And friends, we're delighted to tell you that He saves to the uttermost. He saves all that will come to Him. 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. These are the words of the Saviour, and this is what he says to us this afternoon. He says, repent and believe the Gospel and come unto the Saviour and have your sins forgiven and be reconciled to God and to know that wonderful gift of eternal life. And friends, this is something that we can know even today. Jesus said on one occasion, verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. The Bible would teach us that the moment that we truly close in with Christ, the moment that we truly believe upon him, We are saved. Saved. We can know it. It's something we are to know and to experience. I say unto you, he that heareth my word, well, in some sense, you're hearing the Word of God this afternoon. And believing on Him that sent me, do we believe on God the Father who sent the Lord Jesus Christ? hath everlasting life. If we heed the Word of God, if we believe God's Word and God's testimony concerning Christ, then, friends, we have this wonderful assurance, hath everlasting life. We have it in bad form, and one day it will bear fruition. We'll have it complete on that resurrection morning. when we receive our new bodies, spiritual bodies, fit and apt and appropriate for that new world that is to come, the world wherein dwelleth righteousness. That's the world that awaits us. That's the world that Jesus Christ will usher in when he returns in power and in glory. And we are to know and to understand Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. And therefore we are to seek the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near. Well, he's near when his word has been proclaimed. He's near even here as we walk about on Buchanan Street. The Word of God has been proclaimed. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found. Call ye upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him. And to our God, for he will abundantly pardon all our sins, and they're great, and they're many, far more than you can realize, far more than you can count. Yet, when we come to God, our sins are forgiven. Why? Because Christ indeed has paid the penalty for our sins on the cross on Calvary's tree. Let the wicked forsake his way. This is talking about repentance, turning away from our sins. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God. and there is none else. That's what he says in his word. We are to take our eyes off ourself, and we are to look to the Lord Jesus Christ alone. As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways, For why will ye die, O house of Israel? Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them. There King Solomon is giving a gospel exhortation to the young. that they might seek the Lord while they're young, that they would give their lives to Christ and to serve Him in the flower of their days. Give your life to the Lord Jesus Christ when you're young before you get entrenched in sin and call upon Him. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. When we truly believe, from that moment we are reconciled to God. And he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. Well, we're going to draw our time to a close. It's been good to be with you this afternoon. And thank you very much for listening. And we do hope and trust that the Lord would follow with his own unique blessing upon the proclamation of his word.