Nice to be back with you. Martin Thompson and Harvey Shaw do a fair bit of preaching together. I've been praying much for you. I'm sure Sadie won't mind if I mention her name. I called with Josh and Sadie a good wee while ago and the next thing I heard she was in the Royal Hospital and I thought it had anything to do with my visit. So I'm glad to see you out and I know the Assembly have been praying for you, me and my wife have been praying for you every day, so it's good to be with you. Remember Netta? I have a fondness for Netta, and she's a good, godly woman, and we commit her to thee. I would ask you to pray. I'm calling with a certain person in Cookstown after the service this morning. I'm going to ask him to come along to the gospel this evening. I don't know if he'll come. I just trust the Lord. So if you've got a Bible with you and you'd like to open to John 15, John chapter 15, I have just two verses for you this morning. And you see very clearly the link that binds these two verses together. John 15 verse 13 says this, John 15 verse 13, greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. The other verse I want to read, you'll know it, I'm sure it's in Romans chapter 5. Romans chapter 5 and verse 8, very well known verse. I'm sure you could quote it from memory. Romans 5 and 8 says, but God commended his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Verse always speaks to my own heart and I'm sure it speaks to yours. You'll see the link between the two verses, John 15 and 13, and Romans 5 and 8. You'll see the link that binds them together is this word, love. That's God's love for the saints, and it's also God's love for the sinner. This is the greatest love, ever known to man. You and I won't find a better expression of love than we have in them two verses this morning. This is the greatest love ever known to man. And it's also the greatest sacrifice that was ever made for man. Philip Bliss wrote the lovely hymn, Jesus Loves Me. And I know I love him. Love brought him down, my poor soul, to redeem. Yes, it was love made him die on the tree. And oh, I am certain this morning, along with you, that Jesus loves me. You can make that very personal this morning. Jesus loves me. A sinner saved by grace. Hymn books the world over testify that this love is the greatest love ever known to man or ever man will ever know. From our days at Sunday school, if you went to Sunday school, where we learned, Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. The word of God, which is our standard, tells me that God loves me, that Christ died for me. And the words that I quoted earlier on this morning from Charles Wesley when he said, amazing love. How can it be that thou, my God, shouldst die for me? And you're well enough taught up here to know that the gospel message is centred, if I could put it this way, in John 3 and 16, where it simply says, for God so loved the world, And I've said this in gospel meetings before, you can put your name in there. For God so loved Alan Gilton. And I do that frequently, especially in gospel meetings. Allow me to read another verse. Talks about God's love to people like us. 1 John 3 in verse 1 says, Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we, you get that now, that we, sinners saved by grace, that we should be called the sons and daughters of God. And then it goes on to say, therefore the world knoweth us not. Why? Because it knew him not. You look across the world this morning. The reason why so many Christians are being persecuted is because those that are doing the persecution know not God. I can't put it any simpler. It's happening all over the world. in various faiths that they seem to spring up overnight. My Bible says, greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Christianity stands alone and declares its faith in a loving, living, dying, risen and returning saviour. We have a great God and a great saviour. Scripture says if Christ be not risen, and we put it to you this way, if Christ be not risen his promise is broken. His prophecies have failed. And if Christ be not risen, his praise is unworthy. Why? Because you and I are still in our sins. If Christ didn't rise from the dead. If Christ didn't rise from the dead, I'm wasting my time. You should be at home watching television. But it says in 1 Corinthians 15 and 17, a verse that we can lay much stress upon. It says, and if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain. That word vain is the Greek word metolos, and it simply means of no use. Of no use. You are yet in your sins. And praise God for us this morning that the same question was settled at Calvary. Nowhere else to look, nowhere else to go. We just go to Calvary and we see one there who suffered and bled and died in our place. And then three days later, God raises him from the dead and that we have a living saviour. excuse me, for being political for a moment or two. Willie McRae may have lost his mid-autumn seat in the local elections, but Willie can still sing about a great God and a great saviour. As Willie sings, the old account was settled long ago. Long ago. And that's a promise for you and I. This is a wonderful chapter in John 15. The inspired words of verse 13 say this, I've quoted them before. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. I find that amazing. John 15 begins with a remarkable statement from the lips of Jesus himself. He said in the first verse of John 15, he said, I am the true thine. I looked at that in some other translations and they leave out the word true. And I think they wrongly do that. When Jesus said, I am the true thine, he put the emphasis on the word true. I am the true thine. Why did he stress this meaning of the true thine? I think the answer is fairly simple if you look back in Old Testament history. The reason he said he was the true vine was because Israel was an empty vine. An empty vine. All they ever produced was legalism, formalism and tradition. That's all they ever produced. Forgive me for digressing, I listened to a service on the radio this morning And I have to be honest with you, 90% of it was tradition. Tradition. Do you know what tradition does? Well, Matthew 15 and six tells us what tradition does. Tradition makes the word of God of none effect. And there are people maybe this morning and they're sitting listening to tradition. And it's not touching their hearts. Because the true vine is hardly mentioned in what Jesus done for them. And when Jesus said, I am the true vine, it goes on to say this, we are the branches. You and I this morning are the branches. And we're depending on the vine. And we're depending on each other. And we're depending on the grace of God. And we're depending on the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives day by day. Listen carefully, don't pick me up wrong. Our responsibility is not to produce fruit. Think carefully about what I'm saying. Our responsibility as Christians is to bear fruit or to witness. It is God who produces the results. You and I might go out and knock doors. We might give somebody an invitation or a gospel tract or take up an opportunity to speak to them about the gospel. We might perform the tasks in our local assemblies. But above all this we depend on God for the outcome. It is God that gives the increase. I know as an evangelist I couldn't create an anxious thought in the hearts of some of the people that I talk to. I was doing some tracks in the town of Portadown. You all know Portadown. George used to get the Portadown news delivered to him frequently. So did I many years ago, but we'll not talk about the Portadown times. But I hand people gospel invitations and I invite them to church. And depending on their response, depends on whether I can carry on a conversation. I was in a place called Oban Street, I was giving out some gospel literature, some gentlemen sitting in cars, and the window was down and they said, you wouldn't be offended if I offered you a gospel track, an invitation. And he said, I would go away, I'm an atheist. He was very rude. So I didn't have much opportunity to talk to him. But those conversations and that contact, I leave in the hands of God. There are people that I won't convince at all. Some people say, why do you bother? Why do you bother talking to people on the town or stopping? Oh yeah, why bother? I bother because God has called me to do it. And I leave the outcome with Him. When I'm here this evening, God willing, and preach the gospel, I'm not able to save anybody. It's not in my power or my authority to save anybody. But I believe God can. Verse 4, John 15, it says, as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine. No more can ye accept ye abide in me. Do you notice the condition that has to be met? Accept ye abide in me. I thought the hymn writer put it so well when he wrote the hymn, abiding oh, so wondrous sweet. I'm resting at the Saviour's feet. I trust in him. I'm satisfied. I'm resting in the crucified. There's another reason why Jesus said, I am the true vine. And why he emphasized the word, the true vine. Jesus knew that after him, others would come. And they would declare themselves to be leaders of men. They would declare themselves to be another thing, preaching another gospel. And sadly we see it so clearly today. Those who would want you to join their group, Because they feel that they've got the truth. Jesus said in John 14 and 6, I am the way, the truth and the life. And went on to say, no man, no person can come to the Father God but by me. That's Jesus Christ. I don't care what denomination or faith a man or a woman might hold this morning. If their faith is not in what Jesus Christ done for them on the cross, they haven't got the truth. They're holding on to a false hope. We boldly sing the great hymn, We Have an Anchor, that keeps the soul because it's steadfast and sure while the billows roll. It's fastened to a rock which cannot move and it's grounded firm and deep in the Saviour's love. I was thinking about this during the week and even this morning and I thought, I wonder maybe would there be somebody Maybe listening somewhere this morning, I know these messages go out over the internet and I get phone calls from some folk asking me what I'm talking about. Well maybe there's somebody in there listening this morning and if I'm being honest, they're not convinced. They're not that sure that God loves them personally, as an individual. I speak to many people like that. I would have to say, if I'm being honest, they're being very sceptical. Very sceptical indeed. And as far as they're concerned, and maybe as far as you're concerned this morning, you don't see much of God's love in this world. Look at what happened just the other week in Nepal. People have said, where's God's love now? You know that? They reckon there might be as many as 20,000 dead. You can hardly grasp that, can you? I don't see God's love in all that. Can I respectfully suggest to you that you're looking in the wrong place and you're looking at the wrong people? My wife and I had very close friends who were from Nepal. Minnie Pearson and her husband Ken, they're both with the Lord now. If Minnie Pearson was alive today, this news would have broke her heart. Lovely Christian from this very area. And she prayed much about her homeland. And she was a godly woman. Sometimes we look in the wrong places to see God's love. Sometimes we need to look into the face of women like Minnie Pearson, who prayed for us every day, and whom shortly before she died, we went over to London to meet her. And she would have said to my wife and I, Turn your eyes upon Jesus and look full in his wonderful face. And then she said, the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace. We as Christians this morning firmly believe that Jesus is the greatest love ever known to man or woman. I believe that with all my heart. I was in a prayer meeting not so long ago and somebody expressed the same meaning. And I happened to say to them, casually, isn't there a hymn that says, no one ever cared for me like Jesus. They knew the hymn and how true it was. You and I this morning believed that Calvary was the greatest sacrifice ever made for man. Now when I say man, I mean the whole people. Sometimes we can, people say, he's a bit sexist, isn't he? Man and woman. Calvary was the greatest sacrifice ever made for sinners. Christ's death on the cross was sufficient to save every sinner in the world. I believe that. You might have a bit of difficulty with that. I've said this before, I've said it in other churches both up here and down in Belfast and Lurgan and different other places. I've said that I firmly believe there's not a sin that a man could commit that the blood of Christ couldn't cleanse. I believe that with all my heart. I believe it a wee bit more because of the hymn that we sang this morning. I didn't pick the hymn. This is the hymn that we sang. Listen to the words that spoke to my heart. The blood that purchased our release and purged our crimson stains, we challenge earth and hell to show a sin it cannot cleanse. There is not a sin that a man or a woman could commit that the blood of Christ couldn't cleanse. Of course, the sinner has the responsibility, of course. But I believe that, and as we sang that this morning, that touched my heart. And then, of course, Robert Lardy wrote the words we all know, what can wash away my stain? Nothing. Absolutely nothing but the blood of Jesus. I want to start drawing to a close. Sometimes when you hear Baptists saying, I want to draw to a close, you can be sure there's not 20 minutes. Did I tell you the story about the Baptist pastor, you know, he took off the watch, you know the way they do that, and they set it down. And the wee fella asked his daddy, what was he doing? And he said, nothing at all, son. Don't let it worry you. Don't pay any attention. But I want to draw to a close. This is the greatest love ever known to you and I. This is the greatest sacrifice that was ever made for you and I. Let me add this. Jesus is the greatest friend you or I will ever have or ever need. And I mean that from the heart. I was thinking of Joseph Scriven and his great home, you all know it. And I had pinned up on my prayer board a wee notice, you see. And the wee notice is to do with Joseph Scriven, who had many trials and tribulations in life and eventually emigrated to Canada, opened a few shops and some heartaches along the way. but he was a well-loved man. And there's a wee place in Canada called Port Hope. Port Hope is in Ontario in Canada. And in the middle of the town square in Port Hope, there's a monument erected to Joseph Scriven. Millions have seen it over the years. It says on his monument, and I quote, an Irish immigrant who was a friend to many and who found a friend in Jesus. What a testimony to leave behind. A friend to many. Hope that could be said to you and I. And of course we found a friend in Jesus. and you know the hymn I'm going to quote, what a friend we have in Jesus. All our sins, not one or two of them, all our sins in grief to bear. And then he said, what a privilege. Do you ever think about that? What a privilege you and I have this morning to bow in prayer, to bow at this table. Now you never forget that's a great privilege. Don't ever take it lightly. What a privilege to bow in prayer and to carry everything to God in prayer. That's a great hymn. That's sang all over the world today. From a man who left these shores, he was born in Banbridge. emigrated to Canada, had many, many disappointments, yet loved the Lord and left a great testimony behind. The last chapter and the last verse of Matthew 28 leaves us with a precious promise. This is what it says. I am with you always. What a great promise. We don't know what tomorrow holds, but we know who holds tomorrow. And we don't know the outcome of many things, but we have this great promise from the lips of Jesus that we can depend on. And I say to you this morning, one day, Faith is going to give way to sight. One day we're going to see him. And praise God, we're going to be like him. I'm not absolutely sure what that means. I have my own ideas. But I'm going to see him, and so are you. And we're going to be like him. Praise his name. And the verse in 1 John 3 and 2 says this. Beloved, now, now at this very moment, now are we the sons of God and the daughters of God. And it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, whenever it is, we shall be like him, for we shall see him. as he is. You see the Christian life is a process of becoming more and more like Christ. How can I put this? The process will not be complete until we see Jesus face to face. And what a day that's going to be. Charles Gabriel wrote to him, when by his grace I shall look on his face, that will be glory, be glory for me. What a day that's gonna be. Sinless perfection at last. Don't you try and tell me now you can have it down here. I know people that promote this. I've known of people who go, I haven't sinned in 25 years. Said that to Willie Mullin, and Willie says, well, if you keep it up for another couple of years, you'll be able to say to Christ when you meet him, I was sinless long before and long after you. Loaded nonsense. But one day when we stand face to face with our saviour, You'll know about sinless perfection then because we're going to see him and be like him. That's what I think it means. We'll be sinless, pure, spotless. That's a great thought. Listen to the words of this great hymn. Face to face with Christ my Saviour. Face to face what will it be? When with rapture I behold him, Jesus Christ who died for me. Will we know him by the nail prints in his hands and the scars on his brow? Those are difficult issues. I remember talking to a young Christian in a gospel hall that I spoke at some time ago, never invited me back, but he said, oh, I think the wounds will have healed up. Well, I don't think the hymn writer knew that, because we shall know him by the print of the nails in his hands. In the last verse of that hymn says this, face to face, oh blissful moment, Face to face to see and know. Face to face with my Redeemer, Jesus Christ, who loved me so. I could say it to you, if you take nothing home with you this morning, take this promise home and write it on your heart. because Jesus says to you and I this morning personally, I am with you always. In the hard times, in the difficult times, when you're in bed in the royal, at all times, he's there. No one ever cared for me like Jesus. And when he said, I am with you always, he backed it up in Hebrews 13 and verse five. I will never leave thee, or forsake thee. That's a tremendous promise. Never leaves. If these were the only two promises in the Bible, I would stake my life on them. because they would be sufficient for me. And they'd be sufficient for me and sufficient for you because this morning our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. And we dare not trust the sweetest frame, wherever it may be, but wholly lean on Jesus' name. and on Christ the solid rock we stand. Because all other ground is sinking sand. And I thought when I was preparing the message for here this morning, I sat in my study and I have in the back of my mind, forgive me if you think this is wrong, I have in the back of my mind that there are those who listen on YouTube and the internet just that and the other. And I thought about that and I thought, Lord, how should I finish off this word because I'm speaking to Christians? And I felt the Lord saying to me, ask them where they stand this morning. Are you standing on the promises of God? Or are you just sitting in the pews? You see, there are multitudes today, and they're just sitting in the premises. And they're not standing on the promises at all. And they're just going through emotion. And a lot of it is tradition. And that's sad and I felt that's something that I needed to mention. And I know that at times it can be difficult to speak to people who hold a religious point of view. Now, I'm not religious. Indeed, I don't have much time for religion, but that's another debate. I might have mentioned this before, I'll mention it again. There are an awful lot of people who would turn themselves, how can I put it without offending anybody? They would turn themselves maybe as Frank Sinatra Christians. And you say, what do you mean? Listen to one of Frank Sinatra's songs. And now the end is near, and so I face the final curtain. My friends, I'll state my case, of which I'm certain. I've lived a life that's full. I've travelled each and every highway, but more, much more than this. Frank Sinatra said, I did it. My way. The scriptures says, your ways are not my ways, saith the Lord. And there are multitudes this morning and they've got a false hope. And I speak to some people and I'm sure you do as well. and they have a false hope and they're decent, honest, respectable, caring. I wish there was more like them. But the truth this morning is they're not saved. Their faith and their hope and their trust is in their denomination. When my wife and I first went to be missionaries and we left Northern Ireland The first thing I heard on wrapping some doors in the White City Estate in London, and I thought I'd got away from it, when I invited people to the local church, their reply was, oh, but we're Roman Catholics. I never thought I would hear that. And other similar remarks. And I'm not criticising Roman Catholics. I get opportunity to speak to many of them. and we share our opinions and we agree to differ on various points and we agree to share many points. But there are so many in the world today and they've got hold of a false hope. The scripture says and the hymn writer said, the way of the cross leads home. And I say this morning to those who might be listening wherever they might be, There's no other way. Jesus said, I am the way. And there is no other way. And we know that from our own hearts because there was a moment in our life's experience when we came to Christ and put our faith and our trust in what he'd done for us at Calvary. When he shared his precious blood, And we have a living saviour this morning. A dead saviour wouldn't be much good to us. We have a living saviour. And he promised he'd return for his own. God bless you. You're going to get out ten minutes early. Do we know that hymn? It's 420 in Redemption Songs.