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[0:00] Well, good morning. It's good to welcome you all this morning. I'll just be leading the service, but soon Dapheth Williams from Binfield Free Church will be taking over the service.

[0:18] But as we start, let's just consider some words that you'll find in Psalm 145, which I think on the screen, which reminds us, the Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving towards all he has made. And here's the encouraging thing, the Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. It's wonderful to be able to come into God's presence this morning knowing that we are his and he cares for us and loves us and lifts us up when we're down and is always there to be called upon. So let's, thinking about that, sing our first hymn. As we come to worship, it's be still and know that I am God. It's going to come up on the screen behind me. Now let's come to the Lord in prayer. Let's pray together.

[1:28] Lord, as we think of the words of that hymn, we thank you that you demonstrate your grace towards us, that you demonstrate your power amongst us, and Lord, that you are a God who loves his people. And so we thank you that at this time we can be still in your presence, knowing that you're here amongst us, that your Holy Spirit will be guiding us as we seek to bring our worship to you. And thank you that as we meet together we can just enjoy fellowship around your word and fellowship with one another as we seek to serve you. So Lord, we pray that we might be able to put aside all our concerns of this world, if only for a short period and just, as it were, relax in your presence, knowing that you have only good plan for us, that you love us so much, that you have open arms, and that you lead us into ways that are good.

[2:34] And so we pray this morning that you indeed be with us and help us as we seek to serve you and worship you. We pray for those who, for whatever reason, can't be here, and we pray for them that wherever they are, they will know not only your presence, but know that we're still at one as your people, still worshiping you. So Lord, bless this time and the ministry of the word this day.

[3:01] May our hearts be lifted to the heavenly realms as we seek to worship you today. And we ask all these things in Jesus' name and for his sake. Amen.

[3:12] Amen. Amen. Praise God. We have a vital part of the meeting now. We're going to hear and read the very words of God written in the Bible. And the main scripture reading comes from Mark's gospel and the first chapter and the first 15 verses. So that's Mark chapter 1, verses 1 to 15.

[3:54] Let us hear the very word of God. The beginning of the good news about Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God.

[4:10] As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, I will send my messenger ahead of you who will prepare your way. A voice of one calling in the wilderness, prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.

[4:28] And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him.

[4:44] Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. John wore clothing made of camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.

[5:01] And this was his message. After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I'm not worthy to stoop down and untie.

[5:15] I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. At that time, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.

[5:31] Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.

[5:42] And a voice came from heaven. You are my son, whom I love. With you, I am well pleased.

[5:55] At once, the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, and he was in the wilderness 40 days being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.

[6:10] After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee proclaiming the good news of God. The time has come, he said.

[6:24] The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news. Amen. This is the word of God, and may he bless the reading and the preaching of his word.

[6:42] Prayer. Yes, holy, awesome, Lord God Almighty.

[6:57] We thank you that it is possible for sinners like us to call you Father, our gracious, loving, heavenly Father.

[7:10] Thank you that we can only call you Father through faith in your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you that you call us your children when we receive Jesus and believe in his name.

[7:26] And Lord God, we thank you that by your Spirit we can cry out, Abba, Father. We thank you that you're such a good Father. You're so loving.

[7:39] You're so gracious. You're so compassionate. You're so faithful. You're so generous. You're so strong. You're so firm. So dependable. We thank you that you're not like some earthly fathers who have a bad day or let us down.

[7:58] You're such a faithful God, and we love you, and we praise you for that. And Lord God Almighty, I pray if there's anyone here this morning who can't call you Father yet, I pray that today they will come to call you Father, worship you, and know you as their loving heavenly Father, that they will put their faith in Jesus, receive him, and repent of their sins.

[8:26] And Lord God Almighty, I thank you so much for this church. We thank you for the witness of this church. Thank you for the way you've blessed this church over the years.

[8:37] We thank you for the way you're blessing this church today, and we trust you that you will bless this church tomorrow, and for the many days, maybe months and years to come, Lord God.

[8:51] And Lord, we do pray for the children who've just gone out now to hear more about Jesus being taught from his word. We do pray for Barry and the other helpers this morning.

[9:04] We use them mightily to tell the children the good news about Jesus. I pray that you'd open their eyes, open their hearts to receive Jesus. And we pray for any of the children who already know Jesus as their Lord and Savior, that they will grow in grace and knowledge of him this morning.

[9:23] And Lord God Almighty, we do pray for this fellowship. We pray for the ones who can't be here this morning because they're on holiday.

[9:35] Keep them safe on holiday. I pray that you will bless them as they try and find a place of worship this morning. But if they can't, I pray that they will experience worship this morning, that they will read your word and call on your name.

[9:51] And Lord, we pray for the ones who can't be here this morning due to ill health. I pray that you'd give them grace in their suffering. Give them peace and even joy in their suffering.

[10:03] May your hand be upon them. And Lord God, we pray for the week ahead. Lord God, I don't know everyone's situations. Maybe people have got appointments this week.

[10:15] Maybe people have got a difficult time in work this week. But we thank you that your grace is enough. That you give us peace for trouble and anxieties.

[10:26] You give us grace for difficulties and hardships. And Lord God, we pray for the world around us. We pray that many people will come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ all over the world today.

[10:42] And no doubt, we know that no doubt maybe thousands will be added to the kingdom from all over the world today. We thank you for this Sunday, this Lord's Day, this first day of the week.

[10:54] This day that Jesus rose again from the dead. And I pray that people will know new life in Jesus today. People will know the power of the resurrection. We thank you that your word says that faith comes from hearing.

[11:09] And hearing the words being proclaimed. We thank you that your word is being proclaimed all over the world today. May people come to faith. And Lord God, we do pray for the government of this land.

[11:26] Governments all over the world. Politicians. People that you have put in positions of authority. Lord, I pray for the ones who don't know you yet.

[11:38] That above everything, you would save them. And that you'd make them into godly men and women. Who would rule in a righteous way. Give them wisdom, we pray. And help us to submit to the governing authorities.

[11:52] Give us wisdom, we pray. And Lord God, we praise you and we thank you for this great joy, honour and privilege of being able to come together to sing your praises and to call on your name on this day.

[12:05] Amen. And we thank you that you're speaking, God. We thank you that we've heard your voice. And I pray that we'll continue to hear your voice as your word will be read and your word will be preached.

[12:19] Please be glorified, honoured and exalted for the rest of this meeting. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[12:31] Praise God. Well, it is a real privilege and an honour to be with you this morning, to worship with you and to serve you with God's word.

[12:43] Amen. Amen. And I am the minister of a church called Binfield Free Church, which is near a town called Bracknell in Berkshire. It's not far from Reading.

[12:55] So, just off Junction 10 on the M4 if you're heading towards London. So, it is a delight to be here. Now, Barry told me that there are usually unbelievers, there are usually some unbelievers in the morning meeting here at Whitby Evangelical Church.

[13:19] And that the sermon on a Sunday morning tends to be evangelistic. Now, that's a bit of a mouthful, isn't it? What does evangelistic mean? Well, evangelistic comes from the word evangel, which means gospel.

[13:36] Well, what does gospel mean? Does it mean wearing gowns, singing and clapping? Well, that's what people call gospel music, maybe a genre of music.

[13:47] What does gospel actually mean? Well, it means good news. Good news. And I have got good news for you this morning that I've come to tell you, good news.

[14:03] They're not just good news that will make you smile a little bit or make you feel good for a few minutes. It's life-changing good news. Good news that will change your life, that will change your death, which will change where you will be for all eternity.

[14:20] And that good news is only found in Jesus, as we see in Mark chapter 1, this one. The beginning of the good news about Jesus.

[14:32] I heard a story once about a brother and a sister. The brother was a teenage boy, 14 years old, and the girl was 7 years old.

[14:47] And one Saturday morning, the girl woke up at 7 in the morning, the 7-year-old girl. And she was banging on her 14-year-old brother's door, and she was saying, Kevin, get up, get up.

[14:59] I said, what's the matter, what's the matter? I've got good news for you, and I've got bad news. What do you want to hear first? And it was 7 o'clock on a Saturday morning, and the 14-year-old teenager saying, oh, I don't know.

[15:12] Tell me the bad news first then. Then you can tell me the good news, and I'll feel a bit better after you've told me the bad news. What's the bad news then?

[15:27] Well, the bad news is, there is no good news. And then he threw the pillow at his sister, and she ran out. It was just a con. But I haven't got a con for you this morning.

[15:38] I really have got good news. What I would like us to do, I'd like us all to pray. Quietly and silently. Just a short prayer.

[15:48] But I'd like us all to pray, even if you don't believe in prayer. Even if you don't believe in God. I'd like you to try praying. Just speak into God, saying, God, please speak to me.

[15:59] If you are there, show yourself to me. I want to hear good news. I want my life to change. I want to go to heaven. I want to know God.

[16:11] So I'd like us all just to pray. Quietly and silently. In our own hearts and minds. And ask that God would speak to us. I'm just going to leave just a moment's silence.

[16:23] For us to pray shortly. Lord God, we thank you that you've got good news to tell us about Jesus.

[16:44] Please speak to us all. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. My wife sometimes tells me that I've only got one sermon.

[16:59] And I think she's right. I've only got one sermon. Really, every sermon I preach, basically all boils down to who is Jesus?

[17:10] What has he done? And what's involved in following him? So that's quite simple this morning. Three very brief points for us this morning. Who is Jesus? What has he done?

[17:22] And what's involved in following him? So firstly, who is Jesus? The beginning of the good news about Jesus.

[17:34] Who is Jesus? Well, first and foremost, Jesus is Jesus. Even his name is good news, isn't it?

[17:44] How sweet the name of Jesus sounds, isn't it? What a beautiful name is Jesus. Even his name is good news.

[17:57] What do we read in the book of Acts, chapter 4, verse 12? Acts, chapter 4, verse 12. The Bible says, salvation is found in no one else.

[18:11] For there's no other name, no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.

[18:23] No other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved. And what is that name? The sweetest name, Jesus. And you might be thinking, how can a name save someone?

[18:38] How can a name save someone? Well, I heard a story once about a couple and they were just in their living room and the door was kicked down by a gangster.

[18:56] And he'd been paid to assassinate this couple. He kicked down the door, went into the living room with a gun and he said, I've come to kill the both of you.

[19:08] But before I kill people, I like to know their name. And he pointed to the woman and he said, what's your name? And she said, my name is Sue. And he said, oh, my mother was called Sue.

[19:22] I don't think I can kill you. And then he turned to the man, said, what's your name? He said, my name is Sam, but everyone calls me Sue. And he couldn't kill them.

[19:36] He couldn't do it. They were saved by a name. Even though that story's amusing, Jesus' name does save. It's such a powerful name.

[19:46] What does Jesus mean? It means the Lord saves. Jehovah saves. Yahweh saves. God saves.

[19:58] What does the name Jesus mean? God saves. So what does that tell us about who Jesus is? Well, Jesus is God. Jesus is God.

[20:10] Jesus is not just a good man, not just a good teacher, not just a prophet. Jesus is God, the eternal son.

[20:22] And if you want to be saved, you've got to confess that Jesus is God. You must believe in your heart that Jesus is God. God saves. If he's an angel or a chief angel, he can't save us.

[20:38] He has to be God. Well, some people say, well, I don't believe in God because you can't see him. And we've all heard people say that.

[20:51] I'd believe in God if I could see him, if I could audibly hear his voice, if I could touch him, if I could feel him. Well, do you know what? If you'd have lived 2,000 years ago in the Middle East, you would have seen God.

[21:07] You'd have heard his audible voice. You'd have been able to touch him. You'd have been able to hug him. You'd have been able to kiss him. Because God came down to earth in the Lord Jesus Christ.

[21:21] He lived on this earth for 33 years. Reliable witnesses wrote about Jesus, the God-man. I heard a story about a primary school teacher and she had loads of marking to do.

[21:41] And she turned up one morning and she hadn't had any lessons planned and she didn't know what to teach. So she just told the children, I've got a pile of marking to do so we're just going to paint all day.

[21:54] So, right, get the easels out. Put your aprons on. Go and get the pots of paint. Go and get the brushes and I just want you to paint. You can do whatever you want.

[22:05] And there, the children were painting, doing their drawings. And then after a while, the teacher went round having a look and some of the girls had drawn and some of the boys had drawn and some of the boys had drawn tractors and cars.

[22:23] And she looked at one boy's drawing and it was just a mess. It was just sort of scribbles. It was something that the teacher had never seen before.

[22:33] And she said, Johnny, what on earth is that? He said, that is God. And the teacher said, Johnny, you can't say that that is God.

[22:45] Nobody knows what God looks like. And he said, well, they do now. And we do know what God looks like. All the guessing games are over when we look at Jesus.

[22:58] If you want to know what God is like, you look to Jesus. He is the image of the invisible God. So first and foremost, who is Jesus?

[23:10] He is God. That's the foundational truth of Christianity, that Jesus is God. Do you believe that? And I tell you something, when you read the Bible, especially John's Gospel, which has got most of Jesus' words in it, when you read the Gospels, when you read Jesus' words, when you read what he did, the conclusion is, this wasn't an ordinary man.

[23:40] This wasn't just a great prophet. Jesus wasn't just a chief angel. He has to be God. And then, who else is Jesus?

[23:53] Well, what do we read? The beginning of the good news about Jesus, the Messiah. Jesus is God. Jesus is the Messiah. And what does that mean, Messiah, or Christ?

[24:10] Well, the word Messiah means anointed one. Jesus is the anointed one. Anointed with what? The one anointed with the Spirit.

[24:21] Jesus is the one filled with God's Spirit, without measure. And we read that in verses 9 and 10 of Mark chapter 1.

[24:33] At that time, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open, and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.

[24:51] And a voice came from heaven, So Jesus is the Spirit filled God man.

[25:06] Well, what does it mean to be filled with the Spirit? How do you know if someone is filled with the Spirit? Well, what do we read in Galatians chapter 5, verses 22 and 23?

[25:21] What are the fruit of the Spirit? It's love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control.

[25:35] And Jesus is the most loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, and self-controlled man ever to set foot on this planet.

[25:50] Full of love, joy, and peace. Jesus is the kind of person that you would want as your best friend. What do you look for in a best friend?

[26:02] You might be thinking, or someone who's brave, or someone who's funny, someone who's outrageous. No, they're the kind of characters you should look for, or characteristics you should look for in a best friend.

[26:17] Loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, and self-controlled. And that is Jesus, the Spirit filled man.

[26:33] And do you know him? Do you know him as your best friend? The Spirit filled God man. So Jesus is God. Jesus is the Messiah, the anointed one, the one filled with God's Spirit without measure.

[26:50] And thirdly, Jesus is the Son of God. What do we read in Mark chapter 1, verse 1? The beginning of the good news about Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God.

[27:05] And what do we read in verse 11? And a voice came from heaven, you are my Son. That's the Father in heaven speaking. God, the Eternal Father said, you are my Son, whom I love.

[27:22] With you, I am well pleased. So Jesus is the Son of God, the Eternal Father. Jesus is the Son of God.

[27:35] And one of the most basic truths about God is that God is a family. God is a family of three persons.

[27:47] God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And God has always existed as three persons. One God, three persons.

[27:59] A happy triunity. An unity of three persons who are full of joy, peace, and happiness. God is a family, and God invites us to join that family.

[28:15] An invitation is given for us to know the Most High God as our Father in heaven. An invitation is given to us to know Jesus as our elder brother.

[28:27] An invitation is given to us to know God the Holy Spirit living in us. God created planet Earth.

[28:37] God created the universe. God created human beings to come into a relationship with Him and to know Him forever.

[28:49] Are you part of this family? I don't know. There might be someone here this morning and you have no family. Maybe your parents have passed away.

[29:03] Maybe you don't have any siblings. Maybe you don't have any children. And you feel, I've got no family. I feel as if I'm the loneliest person on earth. You don't have to feel like that.

[29:15] You can have the greatest family this morning. You can know God as your father. You can know God the Son as your elder brother. You can know God living in you by His Spirit.

[29:30] And you might be thinking, this is too good to be true. Knowing God living in my heart. Knowing God as my father. Knowing God as my elder brother.

[29:41] How can this be? How is this possible? Well, we come on to my second main point. That's who Jesus is.

[29:52] Jesus is God. Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus is the Son of God. So who is, what did Jesus do? What has Jesus done in order for us to join this family of God?

[30:08] Well, Jesus had to do something so that we can know God. And you might be thinking, well, how don't we know God? Why, why aren't we just born naturally knowing God?

[30:23] Well, our sin has separated us from God. The reason we don't know God is because of our sin. And if we remember what the name Jesus means, Jesus means God saves.

[30:39] And what did Jesus come to save us from? He came to save us from our sin. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.

[30:50] Sinners like you and me. And we're all sinners. We're all born sinners. even from the time my mother conceived me, even in the womb, I had this disease of sin, this condition of sin.

[31:06] The world is born lost. We're all born with our backs turned to God. But He loves us. And He's come to save us from our sin.

[31:16] So what did Jesus have to do in order to save us from our sin? Well, firstly, He had to become, He had to become a human being and live the sinless life that you and I couldn't live.

[31:35] Jesus had to live the perfect life that you and I couldn't live. It's almost as if life is an exam. And in order for us to live, in order for us to pass the exam of life, we have to have 100%.

[31:51] We have to be perfect. And all of us have miserably failed the exam of life. All of us are imperfect, aren't we?

[32:02] Hands up if you're perfect. I'm glad no hands have gone up. So it's almost as if Jesus sat the exam of life for us and He's passed it with flying colors.

[32:15] What do we read in verses 12 and 13 of Mark chapter 1? At once, the Spirit sent Him out into the wilderness and He was in the wilderness 40 days being tempted by Satan.

[32:31] He was with wild animals and angels attended Him. Do you know, we're tempted every day, aren't we? Maybe we don't hear an audible voice, but every day we're tempted to do things, to say things, to think things that we don't want to do.

[32:48] And that is the devil lying to us. He tells us, you'll be happy if you do this. You'll be happy if you say this. You'll be happy if you think this. But he's a liar and a murderer.

[33:00] And that's what the devil tried to do with Jesus. Oh, you'll be happy if you do this. You'll be happy if you turn those stones into bread.

[33:13] You'll be happy if you have this kingdom. You'll be happy if you prove to me that you are the Son of God. But Jesus was able to defeat the devil. He was able to resist the devil's temptations.

[33:27] Jesus lived the perfect, sinless life that we couldn't live. And Jesus has been tempted in every way that we are tempted.

[33:39] What have you been tempted with this week? What will you be tempted with this week? Jesus has gone through that. He understands what it's like. And he's able to sympathize with us.

[33:52] Jesus has beaten temptation. Jesus succeeded where Adam failed. Jesus did the work for us.

[34:06] I wasn't a great academic when I was in school. I have to be honest, I didn't like school. I didn't like doing homework.

[34:17] I used to find homework so wrong. Because school is a long day, isn't it? It's quite hard work. So I'd have to catch a bus at eight in the morning.

[34:27] I'd have to walk to the bus stop to catch the bus. And it was always raining. In Wales, it always rains. So I'd be soaked standing in the bus stop. I'd have to catch the bus into school.

[34:40] And then it would be a whole day of listening to teachers and writing and everything. and then I'd come home then on the bus and then I'd have to walk in the rain again.

[34:54] And I'd get home, I don't know, it was gone four o'clock and I'd be exhausted. And then I'd think, oh no, I've got a ton of homework to do. And do you know what I used to do?

[35:06] The homework would be out there. I'd make a little start and then I'd think, do you know, I just can't do it. I don't understand it. And I can't be bothered. I'm just going to sleep and I'll see what happens in the morning.

[35:20] And I said, do you know what? And I'm just going to take the punishment. I'm going to face the teacher and I'm going to say, I just, I just didn't want to do it and I couldn't do it. I'll just take the punishment instead.

[35:33] So I'd go to bed and then I'd wake up in the morning and something amazing would happen. The homework would be completed. I had a very, silly mother who was very soft and she would do my homework for me.

[35:50] Now children, I don't do this. I don't recommend that you do that. But then I'd go into school and I'd say, there it is, the homework.

[36:00] And I wouldn't have to be punished. I wouldn't suffer the wrath of the teacher because someone had done the work for me. And do you know what?

[36:11] We haven't done the work of we. We haven't done the work. We deserve to be punished by a holy and just God. But Jesus has done the work for us.

[36:25] It's almost as if Jesus is saying, they have lived the perfect life. I've lived it for them. They don't need to take the punishment. Jesus is the son of God who came down to earth from heaven to bring us into God's family.

[36:43] Now, one day, William will be king of the United Kingdom, wouldn't he?

[36:54] And it'll be a wonderful day, won't it? I don't know how many of you have seen a coronation. I haven't seen a coronation, but I've seen clips of it and it looks quite awesome.

[37:06] I've seen sort of a documentary on the coronation day of Queen Elizabeth II. and it's quite an event. So, one day, William will be made king.

[37:18] And can you imagine on the day of the coronation, William turns to his firstborn son, George, and he tells him, now I want you to go out into London and I want you to invite everyone to join my royal family.

[37:35] It's very unrealistic and it probably won't happen, will it? But it has happened. The King of Glory has sent the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, into this earth to invite us to join the royal family.

[37:54] Isn't that wonderful? But the illustration doesn't end there. I want you to imagine that it did happen, that George went into maybe the roughest parts of London and he found orphan boys, homeless people, and he said, join the royal family.

[38:17] And people just mock him and abuse him. and then George finds a poor young boy, an orphan, and he says, come and join the royal family.

[38:32] Come and be my younger brother. Come and know King William as your father. And the poor boy starts to come and then a gang of boys come and they start to attack this little boy and then George steps in the way.

[38:48] Don't touch him. He's mine. And then George sends this poor off and run to the carriage, go to the palace. You're now the son of the king.

[39:00] You're now my younger brother. I'll protect you. And there George stands and he's beaten to death by this mob. That's what Jesus has done, isn't it?

[39:12] Jesus has died so we can know God as our father in heaven. So we can join the family of God. Jesus had to live the perfect life for us but he also had to die the perfect death.

[39:30] He had to take the punishment that you and I deserve. And that is the gospel. What do we read in 1 Corinthians 15 verses 1 to 4?

[39:42] Where the gospel is described to us. 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verses 1 to 4. Now brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you which you received and on which you've taken your stand.

[39:59] By this gospel you were saved if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise you've believed in vain. For I received, I passed on to you as of first importance.

[40:11] importance that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. That he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures.

[40:30] Jesus is God. Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus is the Son of God. What has Jesus done? He's lived the perfect life for us. He's died the perfect death and he offers us his spirit.

[40:46] Do you remember Jesus is the spirit-filled God-man? Jesus is the God-man filled with God's spirit without measure. Jesus is overflowing with the Holy Spirit and he offers us his spirit.

[41:01] He says, come, come and take of his spirit. Jesus, the most loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, and self-controlled man ever to set foot on this planet offers us his spirit.

[41:20] And here's a question for you. Would you have liked to have met Jesus? Would you have liked to have lived 2,000 years ago in Galilee? Would you have liked to have heard Jesus' audible voice?

[41:34] Would you have liked to have touched him? Would you have liked to have hugged him and kissed him, enjoyed a meal with him? It would be nice, wouldn't it? If we're honest.

[41:46] But you know what? There's something even better than that to offer for us. You can know Jesus living in your heart by his spirit. That is the privilege that every Christian has.

[41:59] I can tell you this morning, Jesus lives in my heart by his spirit. Not because of anything good that I've done, because I've been saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

[42:14] So lastly, thirdly and lastly, we know who Jesus is. We know what he's done. What's involved in following him?

[42:26] What do we have to do to know him? Well, it's verses 14 and 15, isn't it? After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee proclaiming the good news of God.

[42:40] The time has come, he said. The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news. What do we have to do to join the family of God?

[42:55] To know Jesus living in our hearts by his spirit? What do we have to do to know our sins forgiven? To have eternal life? Repent and believe.

[43:08] Repent and believe. One preacher, Thomas Watson, said that they're the two wings that take you to heaven.

[43:20] Repent and believe. That's how we get to heaven, isn't it? But you might be thinking, well, what does it mean to repent? I had a friend.

[43:32] He's in heaven this morning. His name is Franz Majoko and he was born in Zimbabwe and grew up in Zimbabwe. And he told me a story once that if you were walking in the bush in Zimbabwe and you came across a lion, you would say these words in the native African language, Shona.

[44:03] Nuka hunda luka which means turn around and run for your life. And if you translate nuka hunda luka into English, it's repent.

[44:21] Repent. What does repent mean? Turn around and run for your life. Because we do have something far, far more dangerous than a lion facing us.

[44:36] That is sin. Sin is far, far more dangerous than a lion. And when we're faced with sin, the devil and hell, what should we do? Repent.

[44:47] Turn around and run for our lives. And who do we run to? We run to Jesus with his arms wide open ready to save us and he invites us to repent.

[44:59] It literally means change your mind. Stop believing the rubbish that you used to believe. Stop living for the things that you used to live for. Change your mind. Turn around.

[45:11] Run to me and be saved. We're to repent and believe the good news. The good news that we've heard this morning that Jesus loves us and that he's died for us and that he's risen again.

[45:26] Believe in who Jesus is. Believe that Jesus is God. Believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Believe that Jesus is the Messiah. Believe that he died for you and rose again for you.

[45:40] Have you done that? Have you repented and believed? But look at what verse 15 says.

[45:52] The time has come. And I wonder if this is a word for someone here this morning. The time has come. I wonder if the 26th of August 2018 is the time.

[46:07] I don't know. I don't know this church. Maybe there are people who've been coming here for weeks, months, and years and you've been hearing the good news week after week, week after week.

[46:18] But you still haven't repented and believed. I wonder if this is a word for you this morning. The time has come. The time has come. The kingdom of God has come near.

[46:31] Repent and believe the good news. Because Jesus is coming back. He's coming back to carry out the judgment.

[46:42] And then it's heaven or hell. And the time has come maybe for you to take your last breath, your last heartbeat.

[46:53] This might be the last Sunday you'll ever experience. experience. Because we don't know what tomorrow will bring, do we? We don't know what tomorrow will bring.

[47:06] So don't put this off. Don't say, oh, I've got plenty of time. I'll wait until I'm on my deathbed and then I'll repent and believe. You could be taken like that.

[47:17] Jesus could return like that. And it'll be too late. Don't put this off. If Jesus came this morning, are you sure that you would be with him for all eternity?

[47:33] Are you sure that he will take you home to heaven? If you took your last breath today, your last heartbeat, are you sure that you will go to be with Jesus forever?

[47:47] Maybe you're here this morning and say, I'm not sure. Do you know, I'm not sure if I am a Christian. Well, you can make sure of it this morning just by repenting and believing.

[48:00] Shall we pray? And maybe this could be a time for someone to repent and believe for the first time. Amen. Our Lord God, we thank you for the good news about Jesus.

[48:30] We thank you that Jesus is the God who saves. Father in heaven, we thank you that Jesus is your son who invites us to join your family.

[48:45] We thank you that Jesus is the Messiah, the Spirit-filled man, the man, the God-man filled with love, joy, and peace.

[48:56] And I pray that everyone here this morning would know Jesus as their friend, the friend of sinners. And Lord God, we thank you for what Jesus has done.

[49:10] We thank you that he lived the perfect life that we couldn't live. We thank you that he took the punishment for our sins on the cross. we thank you that he's alive, that you rose him from the dead to give us new life.

[49:27] And Lord God, we thank you that you've told us this morning what we have to do. Repent and believe. I pray that someone here this morning would turn away from their sin and turn to Jesus.

[49:39] That someone here this morning would change their mind. They'd stop believing the things that they used to believe. They'd stop believing the lies and they'd believe the truth of the gospel. I pray that someone here this morning now would cry out to Jesus to be saved.

[49:56] In his name we pray. Amen. Amen. Now may the grace, that undeserved kindness and favour and goodness of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father and the presence of the Holy Spirit be with each of us now and forevermore.

[50:30]  Amen. Amen. Amen.