Well I am very thankful for the opportunity to be with you here tonight and it has been a while since I've been able to even attend this congregation but I'm more than happy to renew fellowship with you and it's such a privilege and an honour to be asked and I thank your youth leader and also your minister in your session for this opportunity. As Colin said, my name is Johnny Omerot, and many of you will probably know my father better than perhaps you know me. And I was born into a Christian home. I was born the son of a preacher. And I can truly testify that from an early age, I knew the things of God. And like young Timothy, I was instructed in the Word of God. I knew from a child the Holy Scriptures. And I'm thankful for the upbringing that I had, for it was very clear to me from an early age that I was born in sin and shapened in iniquity. And even from the earliest days of my life, the moment that my mother conceived me, that there was sin in my heart. And this sin separated me from a holy and from a righteous God. And if I stood before Him at the judgment seat, I wouldn't stand there in any merit of my family, I wouldn't stand there in any merit of any good things that perhaps I had been able to accomplish in my life, but rather I would stand there in the sin that separated me from Him, and I would be judged according to it. But you know the Lord, in His mercy and in His love, even came and sought after my soul. and offered me that opportunity of salvation in Him. And I'm thankful that I can testify of a night in my life whenever we as a family met morning and evening for prayer and devotion together. And it was at one of these prayer times that my mother was praying, and she was praying for the things of the house, and she was praying for her two sons in particular, that the Lord would not allow them to go into hell's fire and to burn forever. And that night as a six-year-old boy, I was sitting looking into a fire as my mother was praying, and I was watching a piece of wood and a piece of coal burn before my very eyes. The Lord struck my heart that night just with the reality of death and with the reality of hell. The fact that indeed it was a real place, and because of my sin that was a deserved judgment of my soul. And if I did not repent of my sin and get right with him, then just as a piece of wood and coal burned before my eyes, then I too would burn forever, separated from God. But that night I was visibly upset and my father took a Bible and showed me very clearly, even through the book of Romans, how the Lord Jesus Christ died for me. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. And you know, the Lord saved my soul that night. And I'm thankful for the salvation and for the keeping power of that salvation. For Colin mentioned that it's been a while since he's seen me. And I truly believe that probably the last time he had acquaintance with me, it was during the years that I wandered far from the Lord. And it was even in my teenage years that I got out into the things of the world, and the Christian life was no more in existence in a visible way in my heart. But you know, the Lord was still at work. For even though I was far from Him and not doing those things which pleased Him, I'm truly thankful that I can testify that He never gave up on me. And He is truly a second chance, and a third chance, and a fourth chance God, for He had patience and long-suffering with me, just as we see throughout Scripture that He had with His own people. And the Lord brought me back to Himself, and it was during those years that even I had been in Glasgow to university and then came back to the city of Belfast, there to find work and to find employment. And while there, it was at William Tyndale Memorial Church that the Lord really dealt with my heart and brought me back to himself. And also while I was in Belfast, I had the opportunity to get involved in children's work. For whenever I came back to the Lord, I realized that I needed to do something with my life, and I needed to even tell others of what He had done for me. And the Lord led me to get involved in the children's work at the Martyrs Memorial. At that stage, they were running five children's meetings on the five different nights of the week. And I revealed of the opportunity to get involved in this work, and that's where I met Jessica, who was fully involved in that work even before I met her. The Lord brought us together, and we were married in December of 2006. And it was shortly after this, in January 2007, that I had the opportunity to go to Poland on a mission trip. And while in the country of Poland, the Lord truly dealt with my heart. And he showed me clearly from his word, and from even the various sermons that I heard, and even from the work and from the need right before my eyes, that there was a greater work to be done. And that there was something that he had to, even asked or to even place upon our lives if we were but willing to yield to him. And that was one of the hardest things, was yielding to the Lord. Because recently, of course, we'd just got married and we'd purchased a house and All of those things that go into that, the uncertainty and even all of the commitments that are in those things. I struggled with this and I gave it to the Lord one night and I said, Lord, if you truly have called my life to be yours and to serve you all the rest of my days, I pray that you would call Jessica in her own separate way and I would never have to breathe a word to her of the way that that has dealt with me. Three months later, it was whenever the Crown College choir were over, And we had the opportunity to go to various services that they took up and down our country that I was on the way home from one of these services that we were talking in the car, and Jessica broke down and said that the Lord had called her, even to serve Him all of her life, and she just wanted to make that commitment and that surrender to Him. And I knew that moment, and I said, and I confessed even at that moment on that call in my own life. And truly, the Lord worked all things together for good. And it was during these next few months then, in 2008, that the Lord worked it all out that we were able to make the move to Crown College in Tennessee. We prayed much about where the Lord would have us to go, what area of the work that he'd have us to get involved in, and he very clearly and very evidently led us to Crown College in Tennessee, where we were able to learn and to be instructed in the things that would even be of use in our lives for future ministry. Whenever we left our friends and whenever we left our families, we had a great tearing because, of course, home is dear. And the call of friends and the call of the country that you were brought up in never really are things that you can deal with on your own. But we can truly testify of the Lord's peace. that he gave us. Psalm 37 in verse 5 says, And that is truly what we did. Two very immature and naive Christians, ones who lacked the faith that perhaps was needed for this venture, but were thankful that when we gave it to the Lord that He took care of everything else. And we can truly testify of a great time that the Lord gave us out there. Crown College is an independent Baptist Bible college in the city of Knoxville in one of the southern states, Tennessee. It has around about 1,000 students in various age groups and young men and young women all training for various calls in their Christian life. They teach different subjects along the lines of to be Christian educators, missionary work, even how to use your talents in church ministry in regards to musical ability. And then, of course, the pastoral ministry to which the Lord called me. And even while we were there, we had the privilege to sit under the ministry of Dr. Sexton, who is the founder and president of that college. And his preaching and his teaching and the influence that he had on our lives really reinforced the truths that of the Word of God and of the work of God that we had known to be true and we had been instructed in from an early age. While there, we also had the opportunity to do various things in the ministry. It was a very hands-on and practical ministry. You attend your classes as required, but there's a great expectation upon each student that they get involved in the ministry of the church and in outreach ministries that the church has. And it's truly a time where your learning and where your instruction is tested to its maximum for your sometimes place in situations that you maybe perhaps had no prior notice to or perhaps had no time to prepare for. but you really truly rely on the Lord and you see his hand moving all these things. Some of the ministries that we had a privilege of being a part of were a university ministry whereby there's a Bible study held weekly in one of the largest universities in America. And during the week then you go out and you meet the students on the campus and you seek to witness to them and to invite them to that Bible study. We also had the opportunity to work among international people who moved to the city of Knoxville, perhaps to go to the university. Or even in my own case, I had the opportunity to work with some Iraqi refugees whose families had worked with the US military in Iraq and thus had been granted asylum after the war had ended. And it was among these that we've seen some real evidence of the Lord working, because even though the language barriers were there, we can still sense that the Lord was a work in their lives. And many of them come with a lack of the English language. And there's an opportunity then to teach in the English language using the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. These people take these books home and they read them and they're instructed in them and the Word of God is very evident and a real place in their lives and in their homes. There's other ministries that we had a chance to be a part of that I won't go into in too much detail tonight but the Lord has taught us many things and we're so thankful for the way that even the classes there have impacted our daily walk and our lives. And even as we now prepare to have our first child in the month of June, we truly can testify of a desire in our hearts to bring up our family and bring up the child that the Lord has blessed us with in a way that honors and glorifies his name. And during our last term in Tennessee, which started last August, that was when we discovered the blessing that the Lord had gave to us in regards to the expectation of a child. And it was a time which was filled with much joy, but also brought a degree of uncertainty into our lives. For, of course, the health care system in America being the way it was, it was impossible for us in many regards to stay and to remain in the country during the time of expecting, and then in the first few months of the child's life. It was because of this that we committed it to the Lord, and we really inquired of what the Lord would have us to do. We knew, of course, that there was a division in Birmingham, and we just prayed and we asked that the Lord would open a door for us to be able to go and to continue in our study there, because previously it had been a closed door to couples who were married, and there were couples who obviously had to live in their own accommodation type situation. But you know, the Lord clearly guided and he opened doors for us to continue in our exact course of study in the land of England. And we were based then in the city of Birmingham from January of this year right through then till May Day when we returned home. And we can truly testify that the hand of God led us through all of this and he provided everything that we needed. Because the provision of God is one thing that we can definitely testify of throughout our days there. In many regards, we left our homeland, we left our jobs, and we left a lot of security behind, stepping out into the unknown, stepping out in faith, so to speak. But the Lord has met us at the very point of our need in His exact timing. For that, we're fully thankful. We are truly marveled even at what the Lord has done to two undeserving people, but we're thankful for the opportunities that He has allowed us to enjoy. The work in England then sort of provided us with Many new opportunities and many new challenges. It is, of course, a young work. It's only been going the last three years. But it's a work that God is evidently involved in, and he is evidently at work in that place. It's based in a Baptist church in just the suburbs of Birmingham in an area called Beaches Road. And while we were there, we were, of course, following our studies. And a lot of our studies then were based upon the practical outworking then of starting up this work and really seeing this work grow. And we can testify of the Lord truly at work in our lives and the lives of the other students. And these were students that he's had the privilege to meet just over six weeks ago, I think it was, whenever we were in Northern Ireland. And they are definitely a great bunch who are very near and dear to us because many of the guys that were here that night were the people that I first met in the college that truly welcomed me in and have remained good friends till then. But the Lord blessed us all as a group and even my own life and Jessica's life as individuals as we laboured there in the city of Birmingham, even reaching out to those who absolutely knew nothing about the Word of God. England is most definitely a post-Christian society. There is little recognition of the Lord and even of the fact of his word and of what it contains. There's no recognition whatsoever of anything like the Ten Commandments or of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And I know that many people here can testify of a sense of that coming into their own areas and into their own places that they labor in. But truly, England is a land that is very hard to the gospel. But it's a land where God is willing to work. It's a land where the power of Jesus Christ can truly break through. And there, in that church, they've been blessed with a wide variety of people who've come to them over the last three years. And there's those, of course, who have loved and served the Lord, but there's those who are searching. There's those who know nothing about Jesus Christ, and the whole thing is new to them. And we're thankful for the opportunity to witness to them and to work among people like Muslims and Sikhs and Hindus in a very multicultural society that's out there. And we also had the privilege of joining and laboring with some of the other ministries in England that you would be more familiar with in regards to the work of our brother Desi McComb of Dr. Green. And then of also a brand new work that started in the city of Oxford, and that started with two missionary couples from the land of America who came from Crown College. And it was a great opportunity to see a work start from absolutely nothing, even in a city that is basically called the playground of Richard Dawkins, a great atheist. a man who truly has contempt of the Word of God and of the power of God, but the Lord is at work in that city. And we trust that he will continue to work, continue to grow the work that he has started. In regards to our future, I'd ask you just to pray for us. We are in the land of Northern Ireland, provisionally right through to the middle of August. Our child will hopefully be born around the 17th of June. And immediately after the birth of the child, that's when the visa application process will start again. Of course, the child needs its own passport. And then we will have to reclassify ourselves in the sight of the American government as a family. and seek to apply for a whole new set of visas, which will present a whole new differing set of requirements from the American government. And of course, the ultimate decision lies with the American government in regards to the granting or denial of the visa. But we know that God can work all things together for good. And we just ask you to join with us in prayer as we Seek to even wait on God for this, and then as we seek to start that application process, that he truly would undertake in all of the things that pertain to it. And continue to pray for the work of Crown College, especially there in England, especially with Pastor Zinker, who you had the opportunity to meet some weeks ago, that the Lord would truly continue to use him and his wife and the few members of staff that are there with him, that they would continue to see signs following the preaching of his word. I want you to look tonight at the book of 1 Timothy, in the chapter 6. 1 Timothy in the chapter 6. We'll read together a few verses from this chapter. Starting at the verse 1. Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed. And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brethren, but rather do them service because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit these things teach and exhort. If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing. But doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness, from such withdraw thyself. But godliness with contentment is great gain. Let us just commit this time to the Lord in prayer. Our Father and our God, we are truly thankful for the opportunity and for the access that we have. We realize that Thou art the great God of the universe, the one who spoke this world into being. And yet now at this moment, we have a free and an open access unto Thee in the holiest of holies. And Lord, we acknowledge that tonight we stand and no merit of our own, but on the one who came, who was clothed in flesh, who walked the scene of time, who died on the cross, who was buried in a borrowed tomb, and on the third day rose again from the dead. We're thankful for the name of Jesus Christ, and we're thankful for the gospel of Jesus Christ. And as we come to thee tonight, we realize that that gospel has lost none of its power. And Lord, we pray that we would not be a hindrance to the power of the gospel tonight, but rather, Lord, that thou wouldst remove anything of self, and Lord, that thou wouldst fill me with thy power and with thy spirit. In my weakness, I stand before thee tonight, but I know that thy grace is sufficient, and that thy strength is made perfect in weakness. O Father, give us that strength tonight. Save that soul that is nearest hell, we pray. Restore that backslider that is farthest from thee, and give us all a real sense of thy working in our lives, we pray. For it's in the name of Jesus Christ that we ask all of these things. Amen. Sir Walter Scott was considered to be somewhat of a dunce in his early days. It's said that his accustomed place in the classroom was a corner upon which he sat on a chair. And on his head, he wore the famous dunce cap many weeks of his schooling days. But as a 12-year-old boy, he was in a house where many literary guests were being entertained. And as the morning progressed, he was able to mingle with Robert Burns, was at this meeting, and he was standing before a portrait, admiring it. And just below the portrait, there was a couplet of a stanza. And he asked the various guests and the owner of the house in regards to who the author of the poem was, and no one could give an answer. But as he stood waiting for someone to answer him, he felt a timid young boy creep to his side, and quietly but Confidently, he named the author of that poem and quoted the rest of the poem. Burns, it's quoted, was a man who was surprised but delighted. And laying his hand on the head of the young boy, he exclaimed, you will be a great man for Scotland someday. From that day, Sir Walter Scott was a changed man. He was a man, of course, who went on to be a great author and a writer of his time. He wrote books such as Ivanhoe and many others, which are still used in universities around the world today. But in his own personal memoirs, he noted down that it was that night, it was that phrase, it was that one word of encouragement that spurred him on and set him on his way to greatness. And as we come to the first book of Timothy, I truly believe that the aim of Paul as he writes this letter, this epistle to a young Timothy is exactly the same. is to encourage one who is young in the faith, one who has been placed in a position of authority, one who knows and has known from an early age the things of God and the things of the Word of God, but it's to encourage him to truly become a great man of God, to become a man who is willing to be used of God in the place where he finds himself. And it's to be used to encourage Timothy to take a step along the road of truly being known as that great man of God in that place. There's some things in this chapter and in this epistle that I think are very evident for us tonight. And I want us to look at some of these things in the time that remains. First thing I believe that we can see in this passage and also this epistle is Paul's teaching. Paul the Apostle is a great example of a New Testament Christian. He is a great example of a man who is doing the work of God in exactly the way that God intended it to be done. For here he is imparting the knowledge that was given to him, imparting the knowledge which he has gained and garnered from the various opportunities and from the various ministries that he's been involved in. And like as God commanded, he's able to teach others also And he taught his young son in the faith, Timothy, and seeks to teach him through this epistle. And throughout this epistle, Paul constantly reminds young Timothy of his own personal teaching. He reminds Timothy of his duty then to pass this teaching on to others, just as he is doing even to Timothy through his writing. One word that is constantly to the fore in this epistle is the word doctrine. It's found for us twice in the passage that we read tonight. I find in verse one, it says, let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed. In the verse three, it also says, if any man teach otherwise and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and to the doctrine, which is according to godliness. The doctrine is of course a body or system of teaching relating to a particular subject. Paul here seeks through this epistle to even teach young Timothy the various things that are needful for his ministry. There are so many things that are contained in this epistle that it would take a long time to go through the many teachings that Paul seeks to bring out. But I truly believe that there's four areas that Paul focuses on, and there's four areas that we can implement in our lives and in our ministries and in our witness to others that will be of great benefit. The first thing that I truly believe that Paul seeks to teach a young Timothy is the teaching of Jesus Christ. In 1 Timothy 1, verse 15, he writes to a young Timothy and he says, this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief. He goes on to say in chapter two, in verses five and six, for there is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time. And throughout this book and in other passages that we don't have time to go into tonight, Paul brings to Timothy's attention that Jesus Christ was the one who came to this earth, who lived a sinless, spotless life to be the sacrifice for sin. He came fully God, yet fully man, equal in power and glory with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. He walked this scene of time and offered up his life that we may go free. Not only does he teach about Jesus Christ, but he also teaches about salvation. In chapter 2, verses 3 and 4, he says, He also records for us, God as being the saviour in the chapter 4 in the verse 10. When he says, for therefore we both labour and suffer reproach because we trust in the living God who is the saviour of all men, especially of those that believe. And Paul truly here is bringing out the fact, the fact that Paul or Timothy needs to implement in his teaching and in his ministry that salvation is of God and of God alone. It's not of works lest any man should boast. It's not by any God or any form of any other teaching, but by the God of heaven who created him, the one who sent his son to be the propitiation for sin. He also writes to young Timothy of the nature and of his teaching of the church. Whenever he says in the chapter 3, in the verse 15, he says, but if I tarry long that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and grind of the truth. Pillar is, of course, something which is unmovable, a foundation block to all else that is built upon it. And I so hear Paul writes to young Timothy that the church is supposed to be something which is a foundation block to which everything else is built in that city and in that region where he seems to work. It's a grind of the truth, the place that is to be known. If nowhere else in this world is to be known for the truth, the church is to be known for the truth. The truth that Jesus Christ came to this earth to die, to die for men and to die for women, and you know Him as our Savior. He also writes to Timothy in chapter 6 in the verse 14 about the second coming of Jesus Christ. Reminds him of the fact that I keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. Surely in Paul's ears, as he writes, even this verse and this part of his epistle to Timothy are ringing the words of Jesus Christ himself, which he said, occupy till I come. And if we can sum up Paul's teaching on these areas that we've looked at tonight, and Paul's teaching that we as Christians and we as people of God should seek to implement in our lives, surely we can say this statement, that the church is a pillar and ground of the truth, that the truth is that salvation is of God and of God alone, and it was made possible by the coming of Jesus Christ, the one who came to die on the cross, the one who came and by his death, his burial and his resurrection we can know what it is to be rightly related to God. Paul's teaching is evident and Paul's teaching is something in our lives which we should seek to know and to implement. For in this world, whenever we are gaining so many distractions from this world, whenever so many other people seek to witness and seek to testify of a truth which is not of God, but yet they even dress it up in the enticing words of man, we need to base our beliefs and our teaching on the word of God and the word of God alone. We truly live in the end days. We truly live in those times whenever the days are ripe for the reappearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. Even in this last week, we have seen that so many people want to look at the distractions and not the reality. As they seek to converse and to discuss and to go about, to seek to implement how to form a government, they don't seem to realize that the word of God has been fulfilled before their very eyes. And yet here we have the truth. And we should seek none other but the Word of God as a foundation block and as a cornerstone of our lives. Not only do we have Paul's teaching, but we have Paul's testimony in this epistle and in this chapter tonight. A testimony is defined as an open declaration of our profession. And this epistle contains two such testimonies that Paul writes to a young Timothy. The first is found in the first chapter in the verse 12. And he says there, and I thank Christ Jesus, our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, who was before a blasphemer and a persecutor and injurious, but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant, with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtain mercy that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. Now unto the King, eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. This is a testimony of that day, of that hour whenever Paul's life was changed. This was a testimony of the day and of the hour that God changed him from one whose sole job and sole purpose of life was to persecute the church. Whenever the Lord met him at the very point of his need and offered him the offer of salvation, the gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord. He also has a testimony in the last chapter, in chapter 6 that we read, in verses 13 through 16. He says, I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession, that thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which in his times he shall show who is a blessed and only potent day, The King of kings and Lord of lords, who only hath immortality dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto, whom no man hath seen nor can see, to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen. Paul opens his letter with an open declaration with the profession of the moment whenever Jesus Christ came into his life and made all things new. And he brings it to an end by an open declaration and a profession of the God whom he now serves with every part of his being. A God whom he seeks to bring honour and glory to, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, the one who in his time shall show who is that only potentate. Now, as we look at these two professions, these two testimonies, we can see that one is in regards to the glory of God and the moment of salvation. And this last testimony in the chapter 6 deals with the character of the God whom he serves. F.B. Meyer once said that the certainty of our salvation rests on the character of God. And as we think about that, and as we look at these words that Paul writes to the young Timothy, we can see that the God who offers the salvation in the gospel is the only King, is the only Lord, is the only one who is the Jehovah Governing, keeping God, the one whose word is his bond. And whenever he says, I give unto them eternal life, that's exactly what he offers. The story is told of a man in the city of Glasgow, He was diagnosed with tongue cancer, and a date was set for his operation. And as he came into that theater, and as he was sitting on his bed waiting for that moment, whenever he would be put under even the drugs in order that the operation might occur, he was struck with a somewhat moment of anxiety in regards to what the future would hold and the prognosis of even how he would recover. So he questioned the surgeon in regards to even his future. The surgeon said that with all probability that the operation should go well and that the cancer should be removed. And then in his future that he would probably be able to make himself understood if he talked clearly. But I mentioned in passing the fact that he would never sing again. The man's ears pricked up at this stage, and he questioned him about that point. And he says, did you just say that I will never sing again? And the surgeon confirmed that it was 100% certain that due to the nature of the operation that the man would never be able to sing. And so in front of a theater full of doctors and nurses, he broke out into the famous song of William Kuyper, there is a fountain filled with blood. And as he sang through that piece, he came to that last verse, And he sang these words, soon in a nobler, sweeter song, I'll sing thy part to save when this perlispering cancerous tongue lies silent in the grave. That man died in the immediate aftermath of the surgery, but his last moments on this earth resounded forth the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ. My wonder tonight, as you're in this meeting, do you have a testimony? Can you testify at the day and at the hour in your life whenever Jesus Christ stepped in? Can you testify at that moment whenever you repented of your sin, whenever you turned from those things that displease God, and you put your faith and your trust in the one who's able to keep us from falling? You know, the one thing that we all can testify of tonight is the sin that dwells in each one of our hearts. No man can dispute the fact that is given in the Word of God so clearly written whenever it says, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. That sin, of course, separates us from God. It gives us nothing but the prospect of eternal damnation. And if you're here tonight in your sin, there's nothing before you but an eternal separation from the God who loves you, who loved you so much that he sent his son to die on the cross for your sin. And I wonder tonight, can you truly testify at the moment in your life whenever Christ changed it forever? Can you testify of a God whom you seek to serve with all of your heart? Are you here tonight knowing what it is? Knowing what is required of you in regards to the gospel, but never having trusted Him as your Savior? And I wonder tonight as you go out of here, will you go out of here like you've done in the past, trampling under your feet the very blood that He shed on that cross? For my friend tonight, you can trample out of here, and you can keep on trampling for the rest of your life, but one day you're going to trample straight into hell. And there you'll be eternally separated. Like the rich man. In the story of the rich man and Lazarus, you'll just ask for one drink of water. One more opportunity to warn those whom you love of what truly lies ahead. And you know the important thing tonight, it's not what you think of this message. It's not what you think of the one who stands before you. The important thing tonight is what you do with the message. For Jesus Christ is standing here with open arms, ready to welcome you home. And just as the shepherd left the fold to seek for that one sheep that is lost, so too he is in this meeting and he's seeking for you. Your soul is of eternal value to him. Oh, may you heed the word of God. May you accept of the offer of salvation. May you truly know of a moment in your life whenever old things pass away and all things become new. Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. And I would urge you, do not leave it a moment longer, do not leave it a day longer, but rather come to the one who is willing and able to cleanse you from your sin and to make you so sure of heaven as if you were already there. Not only do we have Paul's teaching and Paul's testimony, but lastly and quickly, we have Paul's trophy. This is found in the last verse that we read from the chapter six tonight, Verse 6 when it says, but godliness with contentment is great gain. A trophy is of course something which is a reward or something which can be gained by an individual. In verse 5 it's interesting to note that Paul draws our attention to the fact that godliness is not the game. Godliness is something which people can have a form of Maybe you're here tonight and you are trying to live in a way that you think is appropriate, but you're missing that one thing that truly makes the difference in your life. For that one thing is a godliness with contentment that Paul writes about in verse 6. Now godliness is a central theme to this whole epistle. Paul deals with it with young Timothy in regards to a personal godliness in his own life. in a corporate way, if we can use that term, in regards to the church and what's required and what's expected of those who would seek to hold office within the church or seek to be members of the church. And godliness is defined for us as conforming to the laws and to the wishes of God. And Paul here stresses that godliness is important, yes, but the necessity and the importance of contentment is not to be underestimated because godliness with contentment is great gain. He also draws that fact to the attention of the people in the Church of Corinth. In the second book of Corinthians, in chapter 9, in verse 8, he writes on to the Church of Corinth, and he says, God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work. What is interesting to note here is the word contentment and the word all sufficiency are translated from the exact same Greek word. And Paul here is truly saying to young Timothy that contentment is all sufficiency in all things, and that is the godliness in which he should seek to exhibit in his life. It's that fact and that belief in his own walk, in his own life, that God is more than enough. And if you're here tonight and you know and you love the Lord, then this trophy of the Christian life here on earth is this godliness with contentment. It's a realization that no matter what you go through in life, no matter where God has called you to be, no matter the problems, the difficulties, and the burdens that you carry, that our God is more than enough. That he is sufficient in all things. and He is able to carry us through. It's this fact in our lives that our God is powerful enough and that His Word is more than enough to meet every need that we have. Godliness with contentment is great gain. It's something which is in evidence throughout other parts of Paul's life and ministry. For even in the book of Acts, he says, in him we live and move and have our being. And to the Church of Colossae, he writes and he testifies that Christ is all and in all. And even tonight, as we were sitting here before, or during the meeting, they sang that piece, Complete in Thee. That is a testimony that each one of us as believers should have. It's a fact that Jesus Christ is sufficient. He is all-sufficient. He is the one to whom we should seek. He is the one to whom all our worship should be ascribed. And this contentment, this godliness with contentment is the one thing that should be the distinguishing characteristic of our lives. For those who truly follow God and of those who know Him as their Savior, there should be that realization that our God is more than enough. Jeremiah Burroughs, a great Puritan writer, said it this way, No people in the world can enjoy outward comforts with as much fullness of contentment as the people of God. Because they all come to them through Christ. Christ is all. Christ is in all. And Christ is in the enjoyment of all. May that be the testimony of each one of our hearts tonight. For Jesus Christ is all that we need. And if you're here tonight and you know not him as your savior, if you're here tonight and you have that thirst which nothing in this world seems to be able to quench, And whenever you're alone and you're truly honest with yourself, you know that that's a thirst which you seek to quench. But you know nothing in this world can satisfy like our God can satisfy. Nothing in this world can give you the contentment, the peace and the enjoyment that the love of Christ can. And tonight, he but seeks after your soul and he says, come on to me, all you that weary and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. And if you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, may you seek to implement the teaching of Paul in your life. May you seek to ever profess and to witness to others that Jesus Christ is the one who came to die on the cross, that salvation is of none other than God himself, and that our God is more than enough. May we seek to implement that in our lives. May it be a real evident testimony for all to see that Christ is all and in all. But godliness with contentment is great gain. Amen.