Thank you again for having us here. It's been wonderful to share fellowship with one and all and to sit and hear the Gospel preached so clearly, boldly, faithfully. A Gospel that puts man in the dust and lifts Christ up high. Let us seek the Lord's face in prayer before we begin. O Lord God, we thank Thee for Thy grace and Thy mercy which Thou hast shown unto sinners through Thy Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, unworthy, wretched rebels that deserve nothing but Thy wrath, but a people that Thou hast chosen in Thy Son to show grace unto, a people whom He loved and gave Himself for. Our Lord, we pray this morning that thou wouldst give us hungry hearts, give us a hunger and a thirst after righteousness. And we pray, Lord, that thou wouldst take the bread of life and break it, and the water of life and give us to drink. Give us Christ, Lord, we pray. Preach him, lift him up. Bring all glory and honour to his name. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. When we were last here, there was a question posed to me, which is often asked by sinners, which was, how can I believe in a God that I cannot see? How can I believe in a God that I cannot see? Well, how can we believe in a God that we cannot see? But is he so unseen? Or do we close our eyes and shut our ears and turn our face and seek to flee from his presence. Is he so unseen? We cannot see the air, but we need the air to breathe and we would soon know if it wasn't there. We cannot see the wind, but when the storms stir, as they have done this week, We soon hear and feel their effects and cannot deny their presence. So too it is with Almighty God. He is there and he makes his presence known whether we wish to acknowledge it or not. Surely when we say, how can I believe in a God that I cannot see? We are hiding behind an excuse for our unbelief. Paul comes to this question in Romans in chapter one. Turn to Romans one. We will read of why Paul was ready to preach the gospel to those that were at Rome also. and why today he would preach the gospel to you who are in New Jersey also, or wherever you may be. I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. Verse 15, verse 16. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, the just shall live by faith. In the gospel, God reveals the righteousness of God. In the gospel also, God reveals his wrath. Verse 18. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness, who resist, who hold back the truth in unrighteousness. God's wrath is revealed against them. He's revealed against us as we fight against him, as we resist, as we close our ears. Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them, for God have showed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. The invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. Because that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful. but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkened professing themselves to be wise they became fools. We say we cannot see him and yet there is that of God his eternal power and Godhead which are clearly seen though invisible Their effects are all around us. There is no man upon the face of the earth who can truly say from his heart there is no God. Oh yes as the psalmist says there are those who say in their hearts there is no God but they are as fools they know there's a God because his creation is all around them. They are one of his created beings. They have a heart and a soul and a conscience that cries out, I'm made by a living God and I'm answerable to him. They know. You know. We know. Because the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen. How are they seen? Chiefly in three ways. God in creation speaks unto man. His handiwork in creation shows forth his glory. Every day there is this in the world that declares that God is. Whether we choose to see it or not, it cries out. The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament showeth his handiwork, the psalmist writes. Day unto day uttereth speech and night unto night showeth knowledge. Every day God's creation says, there is a creator who created all this and created you and I, whether we acknowledge or not. It's all around us. Is it any wonder then that modern man chooses to hide indoors? Sat indoors in the darkness, looking unto screens, hiding away from the creation outside. Is it a wonder to us that this is the world we live in today? Because man doesn't want to acknowledge God. When he goes outside, when he looks up to the stars, they are speaking to him. So he hides his face. Secondly, God has sent forth his word, his gospel from the beginning of time. He's spoken. He's spoken by the mouths of his prophets. He's spoken by the apostles. He's spoken by his son. And all his speech unto man has been recorded in the scriptures, remarkably preserved through the ages. broadcast throughout all the world, available on every bookshelf for men to read. And they declare His eternal power and Godhead. They declare the message of Christ. But we would rather pick up a magazine, a novel, read anything, see anything, know anything, but read his word and know Christ. And yet it's there. Through the ages, preserved to today, men gave their lives to give us this word. Tyndale and others gave their lives to bring us this word in our tongue. And we turn our backs. And lastly, There is that conscience within each and every one of us that says, there is a God and I am answerable unto him. We know there's a God. We know this is the truth. Men may argue, men may contend, you may. You may say, how do I know that the scriptures, that the Bible is the truth? How do I know the truth isn't found in Islam, or in Hinduism, or in some other religion? Because there's one truth. and there's one God and only one is true and only one speaks through the creation and only one speaks through his word and only one truly speaks in our hearts and conscience and we know which one. Therefore when we say how can I believe in this God that I cannot see We are without excuse. He has made himself known unto all men in the creation, in his word, and in our conscience. There's no such thing as an atheist. An atheist is a liar to others and to himself. He knows there's a God. He just will not bow to him, so he tries to pretend that there is no God. and if that's you, you are a fool. We all know. We know. In the next two chapters, two or three chapters in Romans, Paul goes on to describe what we are in our unbelief, in our blindness, in our arrogance, in our rebellion against God, in our rebellion against that which is made known by God unto us. He's come unto us in creation. He's spoken in the creation. He sent his word which we reject. He speaks in our hearts and conscience and we hold back the truth in our unrighteousness. We resist it, we close our ears and over the next few chapters he goes on, Paul goes on to show us the state of man, what we all are, Jew and Gentile, religious or irreligious. He shows how those who profess to be wise, profess to be knowledgeable, have become fools. How we've changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man and to birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things. How we'd rather worship idols, whether they are physical or whether they are idols in our heads, the idols of religion, another gospel. another Jesus, another way of being saved. Wherefore God has given us up to uncleanness through the lusts of our hearts to dishonour our own bodies between ourselves. Those who change the truth of God into a lie and worshipped and served the creature more than the creator who is blessed forever. Amen. We go on to read of a catalogue of sin. The way that God has given man up to vile affections. How the women left the natural use and went against nature. How men also, leaving the woman, burned in their lust one towards another. How we became filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, envy, murder, debate. deceit, malignity, whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful, who know in the judgment of God that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. Oh, what a catalogue. And how that net catches every one of us. We're all in there. We're all guilty. And the travesty of it all is that being vile, wretched rebels against God, we all point the finger at one another and set ourselves over one another and find fault with our fellow man when we're the worst. Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest. For wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself. For thou that judgest doest the same things. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. That's the worst of it. The vilest sin is the self-righteousness that we have within each and every one of us that sets ourself over our fellow man. Particularly if we have some understanding in religion. Particularly if we've come to hear something of the gospel and we've received it in the flesh and we start wagging a finger at those that don't live like we do. How we find fault with one another. And yet if God would break us and show us what we are, how we'd find that we're the worst of sinners. It's that self-righteousness we need to be delivered from. It's vile, it's despicable, and it's worthy of death. Paul goes on through chapter 2 and chapter 3 to speak of the Jew and the Gentile, the religious and the irreligious. And he proves them all to be under sin. We've before proved both Jews and Gentiles that they are all under sin. As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one. There is none that understandeth. There is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way. they are together become unprofitable. There is none that doeth good, no, not one. There is no fear of God before their eyes. Now we know that what things are worth the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore, by the deeds of the law, There shall no flesh be justified in his sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Has God brought you there to know that? Even if you turn from the vileness of sin that men look upon as sinful, Even if you have never murdered a man physically. Even if you've been faithful to your wife or husband. Even if you've never gone into a store and stolen that which is not yours. Even if you've decorated the outside of your life in a manner that is moral and upright before others. Have you seen the depravity within your heart, your self-righteousness? That your attempts to live right and your attempts under religion to live by the law perhaps are vile. You've broken it every single day in every single way. You're as guilty as anyone, you're more guilty. because you're the one that's sinning through and through whilst pointing the finger at others with your pride and your arrogance. How wretched, how vile we are. Paul brings us into this point in chapter three So bring us in guilty, needy. But only God can teach you that. There is that which is visible and that which is invisible. He's made the invisible facets of his Godhead, his eternal power known in creation. We know there's a God. We know we're created. We know that he's there. But has he taught us that we're a sinner? Or do we think that our sins are invisible? That nobody can see? That what we think is hidden? Do we hide and conceal invisible things from others? They don't know. They don't know what I've thought. I'm okay. I'll not be found out. Well, God sees all. He looks within, he sees the heart laid bare. There's no secrets before a holy God. He knows within and without. We're a place to be brought. A wretched place, a desperate place to know that there's no good in us. Even as believers, we need to know there's no good in our flesh. We've got nothing to boast in, nothing to glory in, except Christ, if he's our saviour. All our salvation, if God has made himself known unto us, all is in Christ, from beginning to end. Our sanctification is of Christ. Our holiness, our justification, all is of Christ. Then why do we judge our brother? Why do we set ourselves up above others? We're wretched. We're wretched in religion. That's the worst. It's inexcusable. But thankfully, God doesn't leave his people there. And it would be a mercy if he doesn't leave you there. You see, all that may be known of God is eternal power and Godhead. All this that you may deny when you say, I cannot believe in a God, I cannot see. All that is known by the devils. The devils believe and tremble, James tells us. They know there's a God. They know he rules over all. They know he sent his son into this world. They know the scriptures are true. Even if you acknowledge this, you're no better than they. And to deny it is foolishness, for they know it's true. But we need God to come and meet us in our blindness, our foolishness, our rebellion, and break our hearts and melt them and cause us to see Him, to see His glory, to see His salvation, to see His Son. And Paul doesn't leave us in Romans chapter 3 and verse 20. He goes on. He goes on in verse 21 to say, boldly, clearly, joyously, triumphantly, but now, The righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe. For there is no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. but now. We went so far day after day, month after month, year after year, multiplying our sins until we were so far away from God there was no rescuing us and then God came unto us in his gospel with a but now. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested. He made known that which was once invisible. He revealed that which was once hid. God was manifest in the flesh. He came in the person of his son Jesus Christ. He entered the darkness of this world. And the light shone forth in the darkness. Righteousness was made known in a world of sin and corruption. God was manifest in a world of sinners. Christ came unto beggars, unto the blind, unto the deaf. unto the dead. Has he come unto you? Has he come unto you? Is there that but now in your lifetime when God has manifested the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ unto you? Has He opened your eyes to see a Saviour who came into the darkness for you? Who took your sin, who took your sins, who took your unbelief, rebellion and rejection of Him and took it upon His back and went to the cross for you? Has God showed you His Son made sin in your place that He might make you to be the righteousness of God in Him? Has God led you to the foot of the cross and shown you His Son Have you seen his blood shed? Was it shed for you? Did it wash your sin away? Has it washed your unbelief away? Has it washed your rebellion away? Has he made you to see? To see the sinner you are? To see the wretchedness that you have? To see your sins burned by your Saviour? and to see in him in the darkness the light of God shining, manifesting the righteousness of God. the righteousness of God. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets. The law and the prophets from the dawn of time pointed to the day when Christ would come. It pointed to his coming, they pointed to him. Every aspect of the law preached Christ. from the day it was given unto Moses and Israel. It all depicted Christ, every offering, the priesthood, the tabernacle, the temple, the lambs, the bulls, the sin offering, the peace offering. Every offering, every aspect, every dictate of the law pointed unto Christ and his glory. They witnessed of Him. The prophets, from the dawn of time, declared the coming of Christ. They preached Him. Messiah will come. He will suffer for His people. He will take away their sins. He will bring in the righteousness of God. He will bring in and establish his kingdom. He will come. Have you read them? Did you believe them? They pointed unto him. But there came that day when there was no more need for prophets. to point forwards, for Christ came. He was manifested, the prophet, the priest, the law keeper, the sacrifice, the servant of God, the preacher, came and walked amongst men. Never man spake like this man. There was none like him. Here in the darkness, the light of God shone amongst men. Here was a man unlike any other, God in the person of his son. fully God and fully man with human flesh and a human soul. He lived and breathed. He suffered what we suffer. He felt how we felt. He felt the frailty of our human frame. He know what it was to be tired, to hunger, to thirst, to feel the pain when he was beaten and bruised. He can empathize with us. He knows how weak we are as humans and yet he never once sinned. He manifested the righteousness of God. Here is righteousness. Light shining in the darkness. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested. without the law in any manner. The law pointed and witnessed to him. He was the fulfillment of the law. He came and was made under the law. He fulfilled it in every jot and every tittle. But he just was righteous. He was the righteousness of God. He didn't have to strive to keep that law. He just lived. And the law measured him. and the law could find no fault in him. Here the righteousness of God was manifested. But truly, in the truest sense, the righteousness of God was manifested in Christ, at the cross, in the darkness, when by faith, He offered himself up as a sacrifice for the sins of his people. In the cross, in the darkness, the darkness hid from the sight of men the light of God. And to that day they'd seen the person of Christ physically. But upon the cross they could not see. And that darkness depicted how he bore his people's sins, how he was made sin that they in him should be made the righteousness of God. For three hours, the light of the day was taken away. He'd looked to this moment In Gethsemane, he'd been in turmoil, knowing what would come. If it be possible, take this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done. He knew what he would suffer. He knew that he who knew no sin would be made sin for his people. that he who had never sinned would bear their sins in his own body on the tree. He knew the horror of that moment. And in that moment, God laid upon his own son the iniquity of all his people. Their vileness, their wretchedness, their unbelief, he laid it all upon him. And in the darkness, he suffered for that sin. He suffered for every one, every transgression, every unbelief, past, present, and future. He suffered an eternity of hell in the darkness until he could cry out, it is finished. It is finished. And when it was finished, the light shone. In that time, the righteousness of God was manifest where it was not previously seen. This righteousness always was in Christ. But as he suffered by faith on the cross, he took the darkness of his people's sins, and he took it away. and made them in him to be the light of God. He manifested this righteousness where it never was. Just as in the day of creation, God said, let there be light, and there was light, and God called the light day, and the darkness he called night. God saw the light, that it was good, And God divided the light from the darkness. He took our sin. He divided it from the light. He took it away and blotted it out, never to be seen again. And all that was seen was the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ. The righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe, for there is no difference. He believed that when he went into the abyss of that darkness that his father would lay upon him their sins. He believed that he would have the wrath of God poured down upon him. He believed that he would take that away. He believed that at the end that sin would be blotted out. He believed that he would rise up victorious with every one of his children. He believed that that righteousness would be made theirs. He believed that everyone that the Father gave him from before the dawn of time would be saved. His faith manifested this righteousness. This is why in Romans 10 Paul contrasts the righteousness of the law with the righteousness of faith. His life was a life of faith. He walked by faith. He looked unto God throughout every day. When the Jews rose up in opposition, when men rose up in opposition against him and sought to stone him and sought to put him to death, he looked alone to his Father. He never flinched. Every word that flowed from his lips were the words of faith. He trusted God. He believed God. He believed God, which is the very opposite of man by nature. The nature of our sin, of our rejection, for which there is no excuse, is that we make God a liar. We say in our hearts there is no God. Christ manifested God in the flesh. He made Him known. He believed His God. He believed the Father. He trusted His Father. He loved His Father. He made Him known. He made this righteousness known. He brought forth that which was hidden, shone the righteousness of God, shone in the darkness. Oh has God given you a glimpse a glimpse of Christ a glimpse of his righteousness has he given you the faith of Jesus Christ to believe on Christ the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all his people And upon all them that believe, it was brought forth at the cross for every one of his people. And when God comes in the gospel and preaches unto them and the Spirit of God brings them to life, that's theirs. As Clay preached earlier, they become partakers of the nature of God. They have a new life quickened in them. When God in the Spirit comes and makes them hear this Gospel, they're brought to life and the righteousness of God in Christ is theirs within. There's this new life within. It's unto them and upon all them that believe. There's no difference being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Yes, this is revealed. revealed. Those hidden things, those invisible things of God, his righteousness, his character in his Son are made known, are revealed unto us in his gospel. Colossians Chapter 1 talks of this. It talks of Him who has delivered us from the power of darkness and has translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son, in whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins, who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature. Christ is the image of the invisible God. God has made Himself known in Christ. For by Him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, all things were created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist. As God made known, himself, the invisible God, by bringing you to see his son, Jesus Christ. Well, we read before the meeting of one who was brought to see, Job. Job, through all the trials and all the sufferings that Job was brought into, God used it to make him see in a way he'd never seen. Job 42, then Job answered the Lord and said, I know that thou canst do everything and that no thought can be withholden from thee. Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? Therefore have I uttered that I understood not. Things too wonderful for me which I knew not. He knew things. But you only really know when God brings you to know. And you only really see when God gives you faith to see. You can hear of Christ and never know him. Here I beseech thee and I will speak. I will demand of thee and declare thou unto me. I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eyes see of Thee, wherefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes. Is that you? You've heard of Christ by the hearing of the ear, but has God by His Spirit opened your eyes, given you faith to see Him? But now mine eyes seeth thee, wherefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes. There's a huge difference between hearing with the ear, having a knowledge, and seeing by faith. Job saw. Job saw and the effect of him seeing was that he abhorred himself in dust and ashes. He felt vile before a righteous and a holy God. Later on in time God met with his servant Moses who was brought to see invisible things. Hebrews 11, 24, by faith Moses, when he was come to yours, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, Not fearing the wrath of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. God opened Moses' eyes by faith to see the invisible God. He looked through time to Christ his Saviour. He saw his sins blotted out upon the cross. How do you know? Because through faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest heat that destroyed the firstborn should touch them. By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, which the Egyptians are saying to do, were drowned. He looked at that Passover lamb and he saw the Lamb of God. He saw in that lamb in that blood his sins washed away. He saw the invisible God in Jesus Christ and Christ was his all. And God delivered Moses and delivered the Hebrews and led them through the Red Sea by dry land which the Egyptians are saying to do were drowning. There are those who try to come into heaven, into glory, unto God by their own will, their own wisdom, their own strength, their own works, and they're drowned. But God took Moses, he appeared unto him, and he gave him faith to look unto his son, and he led him and the people through dry shot. Lastly, turning Acts, Chapter 7, where we will read of another character in the scriptures who was given to see that which was hitherto invisible. In Chapter 7 of Acts, we read of Stephen, who was brought to suffer unimaginable suffering as they stoned him to death for preaching the gospel. He declared unto the Jews Christ. He made known unto them whom they had crucified, just who they had put to death upon the cross. He declared plainly, this is Christ the Son of God, the Saviour. I know Him. I trust him and I stoned him. We read in verse 50 We read from verse 47 how he says Solomon built God and house. Howbeit the most high dwelleth not in temples made with hands as saith the prophet. Heaven is my throne and earth is my footstool. What house will ye build me? saith the Lord. What is the place of my rest? Hath not my hand made all these things? God is greater than this world. He's greater than any house you can build to contain Him. He's the Creator. O ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost. As your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? And they have slain them which showed before of the coming of the just one, of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers. Oh, how we've done the same. God sent his gospel unto us. He sent us preachers. And in our hearts We put them to death. We silence them. We don't want to hear. We don't want to know. And in putting them to death, we stone also the just one. We crucify him. We become a betrayer and a murderer. who have received the law by the disposition of angels and have not kept it. You Jews, you were given so much. God sent his word. He sent you his law. He sent you the scriptures. And you disobeyed. You broke his every word. You went away seeking your own glory. You took his things and used them for your own glory and your own ends. And when they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God. And they cried out with a loud voice and stopped Darius and ran upon him with one accord and cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. He called upon his God as they stoned him to death. He looked up in faith and saw his Saviour. in glory, risen, glorified, having taken away all his sins, he saw eternal life, he saw the righteousness of God. And Stephen cried out, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Oh what grace God showed unto Stephen and what grace we see in his dying words that he looked upon those who stoned him as Christ looked upon those who crucified him. When Christ was crucified he cried out forgive them they know not what they do. And Stephen here, stoned to death by these murderous, idolatrous, religious sinners. Sinners like you and I. When we shut our ears to the gospel and say away with this man, Stephen looked upon sinners like you and I. When we were in our unbelief, and said, Lord lay not this sin to their charge. Well I'm glad that there was a day when God laid not my unbelief to my charge. For in spirit I was in that crowd stoning Stephen to death. And in spirit I was in that crowd nailing the nails into Christ's hand and his feet, and crying out, crucify him. I would not believe. And yet God said, in a day, but now, Ian, but now the righteousness of God is manifest, not just to sinners, not just before the world upon the cross, but unto you, and your sins are washed away. as he manifests himself unto you. What brought Job through his sufferings? What brought Moses through the great opposition he faced every step of the way? What brought Stephen through the hatred of those who stoned him? They all saw Christ. They all beheld their Saviour crucified for them. They all looked up beyond time and sense and physical things and saw their Saviour in glory. They all saw the Saviour stood as Stephen saw Him. They all saw their glorified Son of God, the Son of God, Jesus Christ. They saw him, as we read in Hebrews 2.9, but we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that he, by the grace of God, should taste death for every man. We see Jesus. Have you? Have you? When Stephen was stoned, what did the people see? What did they see? Nothing but a fool, a bloodied man, a rebellious man to them and their religion. They thought they did God's service. They were defending the faith. They were being very zealous for the Lord God. There was Saul who would become the Apostle Paul and he consented to his death. There he was doing what he thought he should do before God. And they put one of God's children for whom Christ died unto death. Such was the blindness of their religion. They saw nothing but a bloodied man, a figure of derision. They saw nothing but victory for their own position, their own hatred of the truth, their own defence of the faith. But Stephen saw the invisible God, his saviour standing in glory. He saw Jesus. His life, his righteousness is all. And Christ looked down upon him, and Christ saw one of his faithful servants whom he loved, for whom he gave himself. He loved him and gave himself for him. What does God see when he looks upon you? And what is your confession? Oh that God would teach us through his gospel what he taught one poor sinner who used to say, I'm a poor sinner and nothing at all. Jesus Christ is my all in all. I'm a poor sinner and nothing at all. Jesus Christ is my all in all. I've nothing but Him. It is His grace, grace, grace that found me. It is His grace that sought me. It is His grace that turned me. It is His grace that saved me. I am nothing. Once I was blind, but now I see. Once I was in the darkness. Once I denied all the revelation of the invisible God that He had made known unto me. There He was in creation and I denied Him. There He was in the scriptures and I closed my ears to Him. There He was in my conscience and I shut my conscience down and wallowed in my sin. But He made Himself known unto me. He broke me. He came unto me in grace. And He revealed my Saviour unto me. I'm a poor sinner and nothing at all. Jesus Christ is my all in all. Paul writes in 1 Timothy, now unto the King, eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.