1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:03,400 David, once again, we're indebted to you for coming, 2 00:00:03,400 --> 00:00:06,480 brother, and we appreciate that tremendous ministry. 3 00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:11,840 Do you know, my Jesus, just sitting there thinking is not 4 00:00:11,840 --> 00:00:15,480 the keyword. No, Remember the Lord Jesus 5 00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:19,480 prayed, and this is life eternal, that they might know 6 00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:24,360 thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou has sent. 7 00:00:26,800 --> 00:00:32,119 The sad reality is folks and carried off beyond, the vast 8 00:00:32,119 --> 00:00:38,160 majority of people do not know God and they don't know the Lord 9 00:00:38,160 --> 00:00:41,520 Jesus Christ. We should pray much that God 10 00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:47,320 will visit this place in wrath rather than mercy. 11 00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:51,960 Going to ask Colin to come minister God's word. 12 00:00:51,960 --> 00:01:04,800 Thank you, Colin. Amen. 13 00:01:05,239 --> 00:01:08,120 Thank you very much, brother. Great to be back with you again 14 00:01:09,080 --> 00:01:10,880 tonight. I have the opportunity of 15 00:01:10,880 --> 00:01:13,600 preaching the word. Can we turn to 1st John Chapter 16 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:18,520 3 please? First John and the Chapter 3. 17 00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:24,760 You know, somewhere has arrived officially because I'm going to 18 00:01:24,760 --> 00:01:29,520 take my coat off. That's it. 19 00:01:29,520 --> 00:01:33,480 Remind the Met Office you've heard from us, Pope tonight, 20 00:01:33,520 --> 00:01:36,440 summer is here, kind of be looking at Parker. 21 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:39,400 Maybe tomorrow night, who knows, but we'll enjoy that. 22 00:01:39,400 --> 00:01:42,440 We will have it first John chapter 3, one verse that we're 23 00:01:42,440 --> 00:01:48,040 going to look at tonight. It's the words of verse 8, the 24 00:01:48,040 --> 00:01:51,480 words of verse 8. Hear the word of the Lord. 25 00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:58,080 It says he that committh sin is of the devil for the devil 26 00:01:58,080 --> 00:02:04,120 sinneth from the beginning. And then it says and this is 27 00:02:04,120 --> 00:02:07,880 where we want to concentrate our thoughts for this purpose. 28 00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:14,960 For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might 29 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:20,960 destroy the works of the devil and with our Bibles open before 30 00:02:20,960 --> 00:02:22,320 us. That's that's seek the Lord 31 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:25,360 again in prayer. Our Father, we thank you for the 32 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:28,880 meeting thus far. The hymns that we have sung and 33 00:02:28,880 --> 00:02:33,480 have heard sung to us have been glorifying to Thee. 34 00:02:34,400 --> 00:02:39,240 And we remember, Lord, that's what we want, to glorify God and 35 00:02:39,240 --> 00:02:43,840 to enjoy Him forever. We need your power now, Lord, to 36 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:47,880 preach the word. The arm of flesh, as ever, Lord, 37 00:02:47,880 --> 00:02:51,520 will surely fail. We can't even take a chance on 38 00:02:51,520 --> 00:02:54,560 it. It will surely fail and we dare 39 00:02:54,560 --> 00:02:58,360 not trust our own. But all we can pray, we can ask 40 00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:02,160 God for help and we believe, Lord, we have the right to look 41 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:06,640 for that help tonight because we are about the master's business. 42 00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:11,640 And what a joy it is to be a preacher of this old, old story 43 00:03:11,640 --> 00:03:14,960 of Jesus under love. We never weary, we never tyre of 44 00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:17,600 it. We never say, well, I've 45 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:22,280 preached it enough all that we could preach it more, preach it 46 00:03:22,280 --> 00:03:24,840 better. And Lord, we're leaving it with 47 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:28,840 thee to move in the gallery. Thou knowest those, the hearts 48 00:03:28,840 --> 00:03:30,640 of all who are gathered before thee. 49 00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:35,600 There's nothing hid, Lord before thee, and we're just asking you 50 00:03:35,600 --> 00:03:39,400 now to bless your word, and especially in the salvation of 51 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:43,440 souls for Jesus sake. Amen. 52 00:03:44,640 --> 00:03:46,280 Amen. The text that we're taking this 53 00:03:46,280 --> 00:03:51,520 latter part of first John chapter 3 and verse 8 introduces 54 00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:58,680 us immediately the two powerful beings and then by application 55 00:03:58,680 --> 00:04:06,440 to 1/3 being less powerful but still of the greatest importance 56 00:04:06,440 --> 00:04:09,760 to us. Immediately in our text we are 57 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:16,720 introduced to the Son of God. He is the first named here in 58 00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:23,120 our text, this part of verse 8. And of course the Son of God is 59 00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:28,840 our Lord Jesus Christ tonight. We are a Trinitarian church and 60 00:04:28,840 --> 00:04:33,640 we believe that He is the second member of the glorious and 61 00:04:33,640 --> 00:04:38,760 Blessed Trinity. We we worship the Saviour in 62 00:04:38,760 --> 00:04:43,320 this church. He is King of kings and He is 63 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:47,960 Lord of Lords. He is the possessor of all power 64 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:52,600 in heaven and at earth. The homewriter wrote those 65 00:04:52,600 --> 00:04:55,520 lovely words that we loved to sing so often. 66 00:04:55,520 --> 00:05:02,280 Not his feet, at his feet we we humbly fall, we crown him, crown 67 00:05:02,280 --> 00:05:07,640 him Lord of all. But also then immediately 68 00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:11,400 afterwards that is named in our text, we have the devil. 69 00:05:12,240 --> 00:05:16,360 And the devil is the great arch enemy of God. 70 00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:20,200 The devil is very powerful indeed, but he's not all 71 00:05:20,200 --> 00:05:23,720 powerful. That's not a tribute too much to 72 00:05:23,720 --> 00:05:26,400 him. He's not all powerful, and yet 73 00:05:26,400 --> 00:05:30,040 he is powerful enough to have this title. 74 00:05:30,040 --> 00:05:35,760 In the Scriptures, he is called the God of this world, this 75 00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:40,520 world's chosen God. The rival to the throne of the 76 00:05:40,520 --> 00:05:44,920 Most High is the devil. And in many hearts tonight, 77 00:05:44,920 --> 00:05:51,240 perhaps the vast majority, God knoweth the devil is the God of 78 00:05:51,240 --> 00:05:54,280 their heart and he should never be dismissed. 79 00:05:55,040 --> 00:05:57,480 I think it is one of his greatest achievements. 80 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:01,200 I hate to use the word give credit where it's due. 81 00:06:01,200 --> 00:06:02,640 That wouldn't be very appropriate. 82 00:06:02,640 --> 00:06:06,280 But we would have to say it's one of his greatest achievements 83 00:06:06,720 --> 00:06:13,040 that he has managed to convince so many people that he doesn't 84 00:06:13,040 --> 00:06:16,200 exist at all. If you were to go onto the radio 85 00:06:16,200 --> 00:06:19,880 in the morning on the Mr Nolan Show or whatever and you were 86 00:06:20,200 --> 00:06:26,160 got the opportunity to affirm your belief in a personal devil, 87 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:29,560 you would be laughed out of court. 88 00:06:29,760 --> 00:06:34,320 You would have those phone lines to the BBC buzzing and you would 89 00:06:34,320 --> 00:06:37,760 be denounced right across social media. 90 00:06:38,560 --> 00:06:42,800 And many people are convinced that he doesn't exist at all, no 91 00:06:42,800 --> 00:06:46,160 more than that bogeyman. Remember when you were young and 92 00:06:46,160 --> 00:06:48,400 you went to bed, you were sent to bed and you maybe were 93 00:06:48,400 --> 00:06:51,800 messing about a little bit and you maybe got this call up the 94 00:06:51,800 --> 00:06:53,920 stairs. Will you lie down and go to 95 00:06:53,920 --> 00:06:59,680 sleep or who? The bogeyman, I never met this 96 00:06:59,680 --> 00:07:02,520 bogeyman. He never come up our stairs but 97 00:07:02,520 --> 00:07:05,560 just the mansion of him. The tone of my mother's voice 98 00:07:06,120 --> 00:07:10,960 told me I'd better go to sleep. And some people say, well, the 99 00:07:10,960 --> 00:07:17,240 devil was just the bogeyman of evangelical Christianity, but 100 00:07:17,240 --> 00:07:26,040 our text speaks of him as a real person and to the words of the 101 00:07:26,040 --> 00:07:29,720 inspired apostle. We must run. 102 00:07:30,760 --> 00:07:34,440 The third person who is here by the way of application, of 103 00:07:34,440 --> 00:07:40,840 course, is you and me. John tells us why he wrote these 104 00:07:40,840 --> 00:07:45,640 things over in first John chapter 5 just a few over the 105 00:07:45,640 --> 00:07:48,120 page really in my Bible in verse 13. 106 00:07:48,360 --> 00:07:52,840 He says these things have I written unto you, you the reader 107 00:07:53,360 --> 00:07:58,040 tonight, you the hearer unto you that believe on the Son of God, 108 00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:02,520 that you may know that you have eternal life and that you may 109 00:08:02,520 --> 00:08:07,560 believe on the name of the Son of God. 110 00:08:07,560 --> 00:08:10,600 What we are reading here tonight in a fact is one of the earliest 111 00:08:10,600 --> 00:08:14,480 gospel tracts like John's gospel was written that we might 112 00:08:14,480 --> 00:08:20,440 believe on the Son of God and therefore our text tonight is 113 00:08:20,440 --> 00:08:26,080 calling for a personal and an individual response. 114 00:08:26,680 --> 00:08:29,840 Pilot's question, the great question that he asked in 115 00:08:29,840 --> 00:08:35,679 Matthew 27 and verse 22 is effectively asking here in this 116 00:08:35,679 --> 00:08:40,600 text, what shall I do? What shall I do with the Son of 117 00:08:40,600 --> 00:08:46,440 God, the Son of God who was manifest that he might destroy 118 00:08:47,000 --> 00:08:50,120 the works of the devil? I have three very simple 119 00:08:50,120 --> 00:08:51,520 thoughts. I'm just drawing them from the 120 00:08:51,520 --> 00:08:55,640 text themselves itself tonight. And we'll, we'll look at this 121 00:08:55,640 --> 00:08:59,720 here and, and through it preach this glorious message of the 122 00:08:59,720 --> 00:09:02,880 gospel. The first thing concerning the 123 00:09:02,880 --> 00:09:06,640 Son of God, and of course he's the centre of our text is this. 124 00:09:06,920 --> 00:09:11,720 The Son of God was manifested. That's what it says, the Son of 125 00:09:11,720 --> 00:09:15,560 God was manifested. We know that the Lord Jesus 126 00:09:15,560 --> 00:09:18,520 Christ was unique in a sense. We are all unique. 127 00:09:18,520 --> 00:09:23,840 We all have our own fingerprints and so on, our own DNA and all 128 00:09:23,840 --> 00:09:27,640 that kind of thing. But it was really so for the 129 00:09:27,640 --> 00:09:31,920 Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus existed in a 130 00:09:31,920 --> 00:09:38,240 railway before he was incarnated at Bethlehem. 131 00:09:38,240 --> 00:09:40,480 That's why we sang that hymn tonight. 132 00:09:40,480 --> 00:09:44,040 I got to pick the hymns tonight and I said, want to sing 84 It 133 00:09:44,040 --> 00:09:46,320 might be there. Well, I didn't say this might be 134 00:09:46,320 --> 00:09:49,600 there with all those Christmas hymns, but nevertheless, Jesus 135 00:09:49,600 --> 00:09:53,760 my Saviour to Beth the hymn came. 136 00:09:54,360 --> 00:09:57,200 And I say that he existed in a real way before he was 137 00:09:57,200 --> 00:10:01,600 incarnated at Beth the Hymn, in a real way, not merely as an 138 00:10:01,600 --> 00:10:10,760 idea in the mind of God, not merely on paper as a plan, but 139 00:10:10,760 --> 00:10:15,280 as a person. Before Beth the hymn, He did not 140 00:10:15,280 --> 00:10:22,400 possess a permanent human body. He got this body from Mary, the 141 00:10:22,400 --> 00:10:26,360 Mower of Jesus. But as God, because he's not 142 00:10:26,360 --> 00:10:29,520 only the Son of God, we believe he is God the Son. 143 00:10:29,840 --> 00:10:34,680 As God, He is a spirit. That's what it says, John, for 144 00:10:34,680 --> 00:10:38,160 God is a spirit. They that worship Him must do so 145 00:10:38,440 --> 00:10:43,080 in spirit and in truth. And we find this very hard to 146 00:10:43,080 --> 00:10:47,360 picture in our mind. When we hear people talking, we 147 00:10:47,360 --> 00:10:51,560 get little pictures in our mind and we struggle here with this 148 00:10:51,560 --> 00:10:56,040 thought of how of what our Saviour must have looked like, 149 00:10:56,040 --> 00:11:01,200 as it were, so we could picture Him before the world began, 150 00:11:01,200 --> 00:11:05,680 before He came to the cross. Most likely we will picture 151 00:11:05,680 --> 00:11:11,600 maybe a Trinitarian diagram when we speak of the things, but for 152 00:11:11,600 --> 00:11:15,240 all that, even though maybe we struggle to grasp it, we can say 153 00:11:15,240 --> 00:11:17,760 this. He had an existence. 154 00:11:18,040 --> 00:11:22,600 He was in the beginning with God and He was God. 155 00:11:23,080 --> 00:11:26,720 And before the world's in order stood the earth received her 156 00:11:26,720 --> 00:11:31,560 frame before the 1st clock was made and began to take there. 157 00:11:31,760 --> 00:11:38,600 The Son of God was with the Father, and daily his delight. 158 00:11:39,720 --> 00:11:44,600 But there did come that moment in history when the Bible says 159 00:11:44,600 --> 00:11:47,680 the Word. He was in the beginning with 160 00:11:47,720 --> 00:11:54,120 God, and the Word who was God? The Bible says He became flesh 161 00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:59,200 and He dwelt among us. And that means then of had you 162 00:11:59,200 --> 00:12:03,200 been alive at that time, and had you been in Israel at that time 163 00:12:03,200 --> 00:12:06,960 with those great multitudes, then you could have seen Him 164 00:12:07,240 --> 00:12:11,480 with your eyes. In fact, the Epistle opens there 165 00:12:11,480 --> 00:12:14,880 with those words. First John one verse one not 166 00:12:14,880 --> 00:12:19,040 which was from the beginning, which or whom we have heard, 167 00:12:19,280 --> 00:12:24,320 whom we have seen with our eyes, whom we have looked upon, and 168 00:12:24,320 --> 00:12:29,360 our hands have handled of the word of life. 169 00:12:29,600 --> 00:12:36,080 He now becomes tangible. He now is manifested. 170 00:12:36,080 --> 00:12:41,080 That word manifest is translated in so many different ways in the 171 00:12:41,080 --> 00:12:45,320 New Testament and Matthew 6 and verse 4 speaking about the 172 00:12:45,320 --> 00:12:47,320 giving of alms, the giving of charity. 173 00:12:47,720 --> 00:12:53,480 He says Thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee 174 00:12:53,960 --> 00:12:57,720 openly. It have been manifested in God's 175 00:12:57,720 --> 00:13:02,840 good time openly. And then again he, he charged 176 00:13:02,840 --> 00:13:06,680 the Saviour on Mark 3/12. He charged those unclean spirits 177 00:13:06,840 --> 00:13:10,320 that they should not make him known. 178 00:13:11,320 --> 00:13:13,560 Kindred word. These are synonymous here, 179 00:13:13,560 --> 00:13:16,640 aren't they? Mark 4, verse 22 nothing will be 180 00:13:16,640 --> 00:13:22,560 kept secret but that it should come abroad again be manifested 181 00:13:23,040 --> 00:13:28,880 and and spread abroad is used outwardly is used concerning the 182 00:13:28,880 --> 00:13:33,040 one that is a Jew is not one outwardly, but inwardly. 183 00:13:33,480 --> 00:13:38,960 And then first Timothy 4 and verse 15, the word again is used 184 00:13:39,040 --> 00:13:44,040 appear we talk about the appearing of our great God and 185 00:13:44,040 --> 00:13:48,000 Saviour the Lord Jesus. I think we get the idea here. 186 00:13:48,920 --> 00:13:53,720 He was manifested, He could now be seen. 187 00:13:54,760 --> 00:13:59,920 You see for many long centuries, several millennia, the coming of 188 00:13:59,920 --> 00:14:04,800 the Messiah was promised. We have that Romans one verse 2 189 00:14:04,800 --> 00:14:10,480 the gospel of God which he has promised a for or be for by his 190 00:14:10,480 --> 00:14:15,360 prophets in the Holy Scriptures. The Bible tells us God preached 191 00:14:15,360 --> 00:14:19,000 the gospel on the Abraham. What a sermon that must have 192 00:14:19,000 --> 00:14:21,640 been. He preached the gospel on the 193 00:14:21,680 --> 00:14:24,840 Abraham. Jesus could say, Abraham 194 00:14:24,840 --> 00:14:29,960 rejoiced to see my day. He saw it, that is, he saw it by 195 00:14:29,960 --> 00:14:33,320 faith in the promise, and he was glad. 196 00:14:35,120 --> 00:14:40,120 But until Bethlehem there had been no manifestation, no 197 00:14:40,120 --> 00:14:44,440 permanent one, no appearing, no incarnation for thousands of 198 00:14:44,440 --> 00:14:47,280 years. And the reason for that is very 199 00:14:47,280 --> 00:14:51,360 simple and it's very wonderful. The due time of God's 200 00:14:51,360 --> 00:14:56,800 appointment had not yet come. It was in the fullness of time, 201 00:14:57,160 --> 00:15:00,880 that is, on the right date, on God's character, God's calendar. 202 00:15:01,880 --> 00:15:06,160 Our Saviour was born of a woman, so he was still hidden. 203 00:15:06,840 --> 00:15:11,680 He was out of sight in heaven. But think of the night in which 204 00:15:11,680 --> 00:15:15,520 he was born. You think of those shepherds, 205 00:15:16,640 --> 00:15:21,120 they were out in the fields watching their flocks and all of 206 00:15:21,120 --> 00:15:25,680 a sudden the whole sky lit up and there was all the heavenly 207 00:15:25,920 --> 00:15:30,880 angels, the great myriads and myriads of angels, and what that 208 00:15:30,880 --> 00:15:35,200 they proclaim under them, under you is born this day in the city 209 00:15:35,200 --> 00:15:42,480 of David, a Saviour, A Saviour who is Christ the Lord. 210 00:15:43,240 --> 00:15:46,840 Later on, the Lord Jesus could say to his disciples many 211 00:15:46,840 --> 00:15:51,200 prophets, you're thinking of Isaiah and I, Ezekiel, Daniel. 212 00:15:51,440 --> 00:15:55,000 The men are prophets, many prophets and righteous men have 213 00:15:55,000 --> 00:16:00,560 desired to see those things which ye see, that is now with 214 00:16:00,560 --> 00:16:04,880 your natural eyes, and they have not seen them and hear those 215 00:16:04,880 --> 00:16:10,440 things which ye hear. And I have not heard them that 216 00:16:10,440 --> 00:16:14,960 the disciples saw and heard. And at the age of 30 our Saviour 217 00:16:14,960 --> 00:16:19,200 started His ministry, and for three very, very busy years He 218 00:16:19,200 --> 00:16:22,800 traversed the whole country and He preached the many. 219 00:16:23,680 --> 00:16:25,720 This thing was not done on a corner. 220 00:16:26,400 --> 00:16:32,040 The Son of God was manifested. And then we see secondly here as 221 00:16:32,040 --> 00:16:35,760 we go back to our text, verse John 3 and verse 8, we can say 222 00:16:35,760 --> 00:16:40,640 that the Son of God was manifested for a purpose for 223 00:16:40,640 --> 00:16:44,520 this 'cause that's not what it says there for this purpose, the 224 00:16:44,520 --> 00:16:49,600 Son of God was manifested. He was manifested for a purpose. 225 00:16:49,840 --> 00:16:54,200 And other words, these events did not happen by accident. 226 00:16:54,880 --> 00:16:57,480 There was nothing casual about this. 227 00:16:58,480 --> 00:17:01,760 This was no arrow fired out of anger. 228 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:07,000 We've already mentioned the long term promise, and that long term 229 00:17:07,000 --> 00:17:11,000 promise out of Saviour would come, goes right back, goes back 230 00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:17,079 into the Garden of Eden immediately after the fall and 231 00:17:17,079 --> 00:17:21,319 before the expulsion. And the promise was given there 232 00:17:21,319 --> 00:17:28,000 that the seed of the woman would bruise the seed of the serpent, 233 00:17:28,160 --> 00:17:32,400 the serpent's head would be bruised as a reference to 234 00:17:32,400 --> 00:17:33,800 Christ. Very oblique. 235 00:17:34,240 --> 00:17:36,520 If you were reading the Bible for the first time, you would 236 00:17:36,520 --> 00:17:39,520 maybe wonder what that meant. It would open up to you as you 237 00:17:39,520 --> 00:17:41,920 read on more revelation was coming. 238 00:17:42,560 --> 00:17:47,240 But looking back, we know that that was a reference to the Son 239 00:17:47,240 --> 00:17:51,040 of God being manifested. But you know, it goes back even 240 00:17:51,040 --> 00:17:55,160 further than the garden. It goes back into the eternal 241 00:17:55,160 --> 00:18:01,520 mind and into the purpose of God and what God did, what God is 242 00:18:01,520 --> 00:18:05,520 doing, what God has yet to do has all been decided and 243 00:18:05,520 --> 00:18:07,600 purposed. You and I can't work like that. 244 00:18:07,600 --> 00:18:09,440 You, oh, you and I can lay our plans. 245 00:18:10,360 --> 00:18:11,920 You say, well, I want to go to London. 246 00:18:11,920 --> 00:18:14,800 I, I, I, well, I, I'll have to book a, a flight. 247 00:18:15,480 --> 00:18:17,400 I'll have to get accommodation, let up. 248 00:18:17,400 --> 00:18:22,160 There's a lot of things that we have to do but that mayn't come 249 00:18:22,160 --> 00:18:24,720 to pass. Something could intervene. 250 00:18:24,720 --> 00:18:27,400 We don't even know what, whether they will bring forth. 251 00:18:27,400 --> 00:18:31,320 And if we did, we might know how to cope with it, and precious 252 00:18:31,320 --> 00:18:33,120 little that we could do about it. 253 00:18:33,400 --> 00:18:35,600 But not so. God doesn't know what it says 254 00:18:35,600 --> 00:18:39,920 about God. God works all things after the 255 00:18:39,920 --> 00:18:44,880 counsel of His own will. Ephesians 3 verse 11 says 256 00:18:45,080 --> 00:18:50,840 according to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Jesus 257 00:18:50,840 --> 00:18:54,760 Christ our Lord. May I remind you that whatsoever 258 00:18:54,760 --> 00:19:00,120 God purposes to do, it comes to pass, It cannot be hindered. 259 00:19:00,320 --> 00:19:02,880 It cannot be delayed, never mind stopped. 260 00:19:03,120 --> 00:19:08,080 It cannot be destroyed. The Bible says Proverbs 21 verse 261 00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:10,560 30. There is no wisdom, no 262 00:19:10,560 --> 00:19:13,960 understanding, nor counsel against the Lord. 263 00:19:14,120 --> 00:19:16,040 It's not that none of that exists. 264 00:19:16,360 --> 00:19:19,600 Obviously it does, but none succeeds. 265 00:19:20,440 --> 00:19:25,240 Every plan that is hatched against God is going to fail. 266 00:19:25,480 --> 00:19:33,120 It has failures stumped upon it. Isaiah 14 verse 27 says the Lord 267 00:19:33,120 --> 00:19:38,920 of hosts hath purposed. Excuse me, Lord of hosts have 268 00:19:38,920 --> 00:19:41,120 purposed and who shall dis annoy? 269 00:19:41,120 --> 00:19:45,880 I know it. His hand is stretched out, and 270 00:19:45,880 --> 00:19:49,440 who can turn it back? Remember the words of Old 271 00:19:49,440 --> 00:19:51,800 Gamelia. The New Testament church is 272 00:19:51,800 --> 00:19:54,360 getting going. The people, the religious 273 00:19:54,360 --> 00:19:57,280 authorities want to stomp it out altogether. 274 00:19:57,760 --> 00:20:01,160 They say we're going to deal at a decisive blow once and for 275 00:20:01,160 --> 00:20:04,480 all. The old Gamelia, a wise old man, 276 00:20:04,960 --> 00:20:09,160 not a sea of man, not a godly man by any means, but in a wee 277 00:20:09,160 --> 00:20:13,600 bit of grey matter between the head and he said that those 278 00:20:13,600 --> 00:20:17,640 fighting folk, he says, leave these men alone, let's see how 279 00:20:17,640 --> 00:20:21,920 it works, right? Because he says, if it be of 280 00:20:21,920 --> 00:20:27,200 God, if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it. 281 00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:36,040 Lest haply you be found to fight against God, you don't want to 282 00:20:36,040 --> 00:20:38,400 fight against God tonight. God will not fight. 283 00:20:39,040 --> 00:20:43,000 God has never lost a fight. Yet whatever God starts, he 284 00:20:43,000 --> 00:20:45,800 finishes. The Saviour told a parable about 285 00:20:45,800 --> 00:20:48,600 the man who wanted to build the tower. 286 00:20:49,240 --> 00:20:52,720 He must have took this notion about building himself a tower 287 00:20:52,720 --> 00:20:55,720 and he started, he got the foundations down and that was a 288 00:20:56,960 --> 00:20:59,400 a long time at that sort of work. 289 00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:04,880 But then he ran out of money. He had this grandiose idea. 290 00:21:04,880 --> 00:21:08,720 He had his plans there, but he, he wasn't able to finish it. 291 00:21:08,720 --> 00:21:11,240 That's what the book says. And you know what men did? 292 00:21:12,040 --> 00:21:15,360 Men began to mock him. What a fool. 293 00:21:15,800 --> 00:21:17,200 What a fool, starting to work like that. 294 00:21:17,200 --> 00:21:20,280 And he couldn't finish it. Did he not have it all thought 295 00:21:20,280 --> 00:21:23,480 out? But he wasn't speaking about his 296 00:21:23,480 --> 00:21:28,320 Heavenly Father here, was He? Whatever God sets out to do, God 297 00:21:28,320 --> 00:21:31,400 accomplishes. And while it is still in this 298 00:21:31,400 --> 00:21:34,840 present moment in the history of the world of work in progress, 299 00:21:35,360 --> 00:21:37,840 yes, there are still things to be fulfilled. 300 00:21:38,720 --> 00:21:43,200 There are still prophecies to be fulfilled concerning the events 301 00:21:43,200 --> 00:21:46,480 that will lead up to and including the coming again of 302 00:21:46,480 --> 00:21:50,960 our blessed Saviour. Yet all that God has decreed, 303 00:21:51,720 --> 00:21:56,640 all that he has written will certainly be fulfilled. 304 00:21:57,720 --> 00:22:03,200 Ecclesiastes 3 verse one says to everything there is a season and 305 00:22:03,200 --> 00:22:07,360 a time to every purpose under heaven. 306 00:22:08,080 --> 00:22:11,480 Time to live, a time to die, a time to sow, a time to reap, a 307 00:22:11,480 --> 00:22:14,360 time to rejoice, a time to mourn. 308 00:22:15,160 --> 00:22:22,280 And how much more when in the fullness of time, God sent forth 309 00:22:22,680 --> 00:22:27,440 His Son born of a woman. It was then that he was 310 00:22:27,440 --> 00:22:30,800 manifested. You are entitled to wonder 311 00:22:30,800 --> 00:22:34,600 tonight as we expound these things to say, Well, where do I 312 00:22:34,600 --> 00:22:39,360 fit into this great divine purpose as usually worked in 313 00:22:39,360 --> 00:22:42,960 into the question or worded rather than the questions Why am 314 00:22:42,960 --> 00:22:45,920 I here? The great philosophy questions 315 00:22:46,840 --> 00:22:49,040 that men have struggled with. Why am I here? 316 00:22:49,440 --> 00:22:52,760 What is, what is the purpose of life? 317 00:22:54,680 --> 00:22:56,760 But we could bring in, I suppose, if they were here 318 00:22:56,760 --> 00:23:02,160 tonight, the children, the Sunday school, the 10 or the 11 319 00:23:02,160 --> 00:23:06,720 year olds. And we could say to them that 320 00:23:06,720 --> 00:23:10,800 old gem, that old Mary, what is the chief end of man? 321 00:23:10,800 --> 00:23:14,520 And the hand would shake, go up in the right away, the one that 322 00:23:14,520 --> 00:23:17,600 we could all remember, maybe struggle up a little bit on, but 323 00:23:17,600 --> 00:23:22,000 the hand would go up. Please Sir, man's chief end 324 00:23:22,880 --> 00:23:29,600 man's purpose on earth is to glorify God and to enjoy Him 325 00:23:29,600 --> 00:23:32,320 forever. And you need to say to your 326 00:23:32,320 --> 00:23:34,800 heart, and I can how do I rise to this matter? 327 00:23:36,160 --> 00:23:40,160 How do I willingly conform to the will of God that is revealed 328 00:23:40,160 --> 00:23:44,480 in the scripture for my life? Will you remember this? 329 00:23:45,120 --> 00:23:51,520 The purpose of God for your life included involved the sending 330 00:23:51,520 --> 00:23:54,680 forth and the manifesting of His Son. 331 00:23:55,560 --> 00:23:59,080 We see thirdly here removing on the Son of God was not only 332 00:23:59,080 --> 00:24:01,320 manifested and manifested for a purpose. 333 00:24:01,480 --> 00:24:06,680 For this purpose our text tells us that He might destroy the 334 00:24:06,680 --> 00:24:10,680 works of the devil. We first meet the devil in the 335 00:24:10,680 --> 00:24:14,480 Garden of Eden. He comes in the disguise of the 336 00:24:14,480 --> 00:24:16,640 snake. Has He taken over the snake? 337 00:24:17,360 --> 00:24:21,400 Well, one way or another here, here he comes more subtle than 338 00:24:21,400 --> 00:24:26,240 all the other animals. And you know you, you know the 339 00:24:26,240 --> 00:24:29,720 story. How he, he, he tempted Eve, then 340 00:24:29,720 --> 00:24:33,920 through Eve he tempted how a man fell in the garden and being 341 00:24:33,920 --> 00:24:36,680 perhaps in an inquisitive mood. And it's good they ask 342 00:24:36,680 --> 00:24:39,200 questions. We might ask, well, how did the 343 00:24:39,200 --> 00:24:44,040 devil get here in the first place, and especially in the 344 00:24:44,040 --> 00:24:47,040 light of of those consequent events? 345 00:24:47,040 --> 00:24:50,960 He tempted Adam to sin. Through Adam the whole world 346 00:24:50,960 --> 00:24:54,200 fell unto sin. What came with man's sin, sin, 347 00:24:54,400 --> 00:24:57,520 misery and hell? Could God have prevented it? 348 00:24:59,000 --> 00:25:03,040 Yes, I said no, tonight the meeting will be over. 349 00:25:03,040 --> 00:25:05,560 Be a row, Need to be a row. Be a row. 350 00:25:05,560 --> 00:25:08,080 Certainly afterwards. Yes, easy. 351 00:25:08,320 --> 00:25:11,640 The Almighty God. And although the devil may 352 00:25:11,640 --> 00:25:15,320 indeed be as he is, a powerful being, we introduced him as 353 00:25:15,320 --> 00:25:17,440 such. He's not all powerful. 354 00:25:17,440 --> 00:25:21,680 Let me say that again. Furthermore, he is a creature of 355 00:25:21,680 --> 00:25:25,480 God. Somewhere in those six days, God 356 00:25:25,480 --> 00:25:30,640 created him, and the devil tonight is dependent on God for 357 00:25:30,640 --> 00:25:34,840 his very existence, his sustenance, and his future. 358 00:25:35,640 --> 00:25:39,400 So why did God, why did God not prevent all these bad things? 359 00:25:39,760 --> 00:25:41,440 Why did he not nip him in the bud? 360 00:25:41,440 --> 00:25:45,320 Why did he not say, devil, get back, get back into your box 361 00:25:45,320 --> 00:25:46,880 again? You're not going to do that 362 00:25:47,440 --> 00:25:51,560 because God has a purpose. God had a higher purpose. 363 00:25:52,280 --> 00:25:55,000 You know, there's much that we cannot answer here when it comes 364 00:25:55,000 --> 00:25:59,040 to these things. Romans 1133 says, O the depths 365 00:25:59,040 --> 00:26:02,400 of the riches, both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God, 366 00:26:02,560 --> 00:26:07,160 how unsearchable, unsearchable are his judgments and his ways 367 00:26:07,400 --> 00:26:11,120 past. Finding out, Paul concluded his 368 00:26:11,120 --> 00:26:14,760 look into the deep mind of divine judgement, and he 369 00:26:14,760 --> 00:26:20,200 concluded his words not with a woe, not with a shrub of the 370 00:26:20,200 --> 00:26:23,960 shoulder, not with a look of despair, but with a word of 371 00:26:23,960 --> 00:26:31,480 doxology, a word of praise of him, through him and to him are 372 00:26:31,480 --> 00:26:35,320 all things. So indeed, there are many things 373 00:26:35,320 --> 00:26:39,800 that Paul did not know because had to give up. 374 00:26:40,720 --> 00:26:43,400 I don't know. It's it's unsearchable to me. 375 00:26:43,600 --> 00:26:45,840 I can't answer, but I know enough. 376 00:26:46,080 --> 00:26:49,960 We know enough tonight to praise God, to praise God. 377 00:26:50,720 --> 00:26:53,320 Think of all what the devil has been allowed to do. 378 00:26:53,320 --> 00:26:55,200 He's been allowed to deceive nation. 379 00:26:55,440 --> 00:26:59,280 That's Revelation chapter 12. You think of all those nations 380 00:26:59,280 --> 00:27:02,520 right there, all those Arab nations tonight, all those 381 00:27:02,520 --> 00:27:06,640 nations were Hinduism. If you have been following that 382 00:27:06,640 --> 00:27:09,120 programme, what is it? The race across the world. 383 00:27:09,120 --> 00:27:13,000 It's coming to its climax this week and we've been reading that 384 00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:14,640 or watching that on the television. 385 00:27:15,000 --> 00:27:18,400 And where are they? In the heart of India, Hinduism, 386 00:27:19,680 --> 00:27:24,200 all the idolatry you think of it there he's been allowed to 387 00:27:24,200 --> 00:27:29,560 deceive individuals. Individuals are blinded unsaved 388 00:27:29,560 --> 00:27:35,360 people by the God of this world, the unsafe heart of your unsaved 389 00:27:35,360 --> 00:27:38,040 tonight. This is God's biography of you 390 00:27:38,360 --> 00:27:42,920 in your life thus far. You walk according to the course 391 00:27:43,240 --> 00:27:48,920 of this world, according to the Prince of the power of the air. 392 00:27:49,040 --> 00:27:53,920 That's the the devil, the spirit that now worketh in the children 393 00:27:53,920 --> 00:27:57,760 of disobedience. And therefore the devil is the 394 00:27:57,760 --> 00:28:04,120 great Dalmer of men's souls. Remember what Jesus said, You're 395 00:28:04,120 --> 00:28:09,520 off, you're follower, the devil, a murderer and a liar from the 396 00:28:09,520 --> 00:28:15,680 beginning. But here's the good news for 397 00:28:15,680 --> 00:28:22,360 this cause was the Son of God manifest that he may destroy the 398 00:28:22,360 --> 00:28:25,120 works of the devil. They had their big confrontation 399 00:28:25,120 --> 00:28:28,520 in the wilderness. Our Saviour has gone 40 days, 40 400 00:28:28,520 --> 00:28:34,400 nights without food. Afterward, when he was 100, the 401 00:28:34,400 --> 00:28:38,320 devil appeared 3 times. They went into the ring 402 00:28:38,320 --> 00:28:43,000 together. Three times the devil had to get 403 00:28:43,000 --> 00:28:45,160 out of the ring. It is written. 404 00:28:45,640 --> 00:28:51,440 All the power of God's Word, it is written again, it is written. 405 00:28:51,440 --> 00:28:55,520 And the devil had to leave him for a little season. 406 00:28:55,960 --> 00:29:01,640 He went away to lick his wounds. But especially at the cross, at 407 00:29:01,640 --> 00:29:04,480 the cross of Calvary. What did Jesus do on the cross? 408 00:29:04,480 --> 00:29:08,760 He bore the sins off His people. It's not a tremendous truth. 409 00:29:08,760 --> 00:29:13,560 All our iniquities in Him were led, all our indebtedness by Him 410 00:29:13,560 --> 00:29:18,720 was paid. He that believeth the good Book 411 00:29:18,720 --> 00:29:24,560 says, hath everlasting life. He defeated the devil at the 412 00:29:24,560 --> 00:29:26,320 cross. There's a lovely verse over in 413 00:29:26,320 --> 00:29:29,440 Colossians chapter 2 and verse 14. 414 00:29:29,440 --> 00:29:34,600 It says, having spoiled our text here, having destroyed 415 00:29:35,000 --> 00:29:38,440 principalities and powers, that's all the devil and all 416 00:29:38,440 --> 00:29:43,320 hell with them. Our blessed Saviour made a show 417 00:29:43,320 --> 00:29:49,920 off them openly triumphing the language of victory tonight, 418 00:29:50,160 --> 00:29:52,880 triumphing, triumphing over there minute. 419 00:29:53,040 --> 00:29:56,920 The idea there they tell me the commentators O's in the no is 420 00:29:56,920 --> 00:30:00,880 off the victory marks. The great battles would take 421 00:30:00,880 --> 00:30:06,240 part take place and the victor would come home to his people 422 00:30:06,240 --> 00:30:08,440 and there'd be the great victory marches. 423 00:30:09,320 --> 00:30:13,560 And as he's marching along and the people are cheering, usually 424 00:30:13,560 --> 00:30:18,680 in those days attached to the Chariots that are going into the 425 00:30:18,680 --> 00:30:26,000 battle where some of the chief antagonists marching behind, 426 00:30:26,400 --> 00:30:32,160 humiliated, humiliated, my Saviour went to the place called 427 00:30:32,160 --> 00:30:34,040 Calvary. There's victory in Jesus 428 00:30:34,040 --> 00:30:36,040 tonight. Not a wonderful thing. 429 00:30:36,840 --> 00:30:43,200 And here he he displays his defeated enemy and his conquest 430 00:30:43,400 --> 00:30:46,360 that he won on the cross. He makes a blood atonement. 431 00:30:46,360 --> 00:30:49,920 We believe that tonight, but there's victory at the cross 432 00:30:49,920 --> 00:30:52,760 tonight. And not only did Jesus destroy 433 00:30:52,760 --> 00:30:57,880 the word there means not only did he loose the works of Satan, 434 00:31:00,200 --> 00:31:03,840 but he did something else. Here's the proof. 435 00:31:04,680 --> 00:31:09,400 He rose again from the dead. What victory there is in the 436 00:31:09,400 --> 00:31:13,400 empty tomb. Death could not keep its prey. 437 00:31:14,400 --> 00:31:20,640 Jesus, my Saviour, unto him was given the keys of hell and of 438 00:31:20,680 --> 00:31:23,280 death. Remember listening to old Willie 439 00:31:23,280 --> 00:31:26,440 Mullen preaching. Heard him on tape and he quoted 440 00:31:26,440 --> 00:31:27,920 that hymn. I'll probably put you off it now 441 00:31:27,960 --> 00:31:30,720 for the rest of your life. And I thought not. 442 00:31:30,920 --> 00:31:33,640 Great resurrection hymn that we all loved to sing. 443 00:31:34,480 --> 00:31:38,440 He tore the bars away. Jesus, my saviour and moan with 444 00:31:38,440 --> 00:31:41,640 his typical bluntness. He says that's rubbish. 445 00:31:41,640 --> 00:31:44,560 It's not that he's denying the resurrection. 446 00:31:45,400 --> 00:31:49,680 He says when you have the keys, you don't need to tear the bars 447 00:31:49,680 --> 00:31:51,640 away. I thought that was powerful. 448 00:31:52,240 --> 00:31:53,960 But here's the thought, isn't it? 449 00:31:54,560 --> 00:31:58,680 He has conquered the devil. He has conquered the devil. 450 00:31:59,600 --> 00:32:03,800 Satan did everything he could to keep him in the tomb. 451 00:32:03,800 --> 00:32:08,040 Remember how they organised all the soldiers to be there and so 452 00:32:08,040 --> 00:32:12,240 on, never held him back. And then these disciples in 453 00:32:12,240 --> 00:32:14,760 their early days, you, you read it in the early book of Acts, 454 00:32:15,000 --> 00:32:18,360 they went everywhere preaching the resurrection and they were 455 00:32:18,360 --> 00:32:20,720 told never. You preach that again. 456 00:32:20,720 --> 00:32:26,360 The devil wants to keep it quiet, but he can't do it, can 457 00:32:26,360 --> 00:32:27,240 he? He's, he's failed. 458 00:32:27,240 --> 00:32:29,440 He's failed in that. He's failed in that. 459 00:32:29,440 --> 00:32:32,720 He tries to discredit it. He tries to banner he has 460 00:32:32,720 --> 00:32:35,280 failed. But you know, the ultimate 461 00:32:35,280 --> 00:32:39,680 fulfilment of our text is this. Brother and sisters, tonight, 462 00:32:39,680 --> 00:32:42,240 the end is not yet and the best is yet to be. 463 00:32:42,920 --> 00:32:45,360 Our Saviour's going to return someday. 464 00:32:46,280 --> 00:32:51,520 And the Bible tells me in Revelation 20 and verse 10, when 465 00:32:51,520 --> 00:32:56,240 he has made the last use of the devil and the devil is of no 466 00:32:56,240 --> 00:32:59,680 more use to him. He's going to take him by the 467 00:32:59,680 --> 00:33:03,280 scruff of the neck and he's going to put him into the lake 468 00:33:03,320 --> 00:33:09,200 of fire burneth forever and forever, and he'll be nowhere 469 00:33:09,200 --> 00:33:13,120 again in this earth, in this new heaven and new earth. 470 00:33:14,040 --> 00:33:18,800 The devil will not be there because our saviour has 471 00:33:18,800 --> 00:33:21,680 destroyed the works of the devil. 472 00:33:21,680 --> 00:33:25,120 But we need to move tonight, and we'll do it very quickly from 473 00:33:25,120 --> 00:33:29,040 this big cosmic picture that we have been painting to an 474 00:33:29,040 --> 00:33:34,160 intensely personal one. If you're in the gallery in 475 00:33:34,160 --> 00:33:37,680 tonight and you're unsealed and you've never been to this 476 00:33:37,720 --> 00:33:42,600 blessed cross of Calvary and your sins have never been 477 00:33:42,600 --> 00:33:46,600 forgiven you, you're still abiding under the wrath of a sin 478 00:33:46,600 --> 00:33:50,080 hating God. You're still a child of the 479 00:33:50,080 --> 00:33:53,480 devil, then you need to get saved. 480 00:33:54,480 --> 00:33:56,240 You need to get out of the devil's camp. 481 00:33:57,160 --> 00:34:01,160 You need to come to Christ as your Saviour because not only is 482 00:34:01,160 --> 00:34:06,320 the devil cast into the lake of fire, the same chapter in 483 00:34:06,320 --> 00:34:12,280 Revelation 20 says whosoever's name was not written in the 484 00:34:12,280 --> 00:34:19,880 Lamb's Book of Life, they too are cast into the lake of fire. 485 00:34:20,560 --> 00:34:23,400 I don't want to particularly finish on that note tonight 486 00:34:23,400 --> 00:34:27,040 because I've got, it's true. I'm not going to take it back. 487 00:34:27,040 --> 00:34:30,600 It's there, it's in the book, but here you can come to the 488 00:34:30,600 --> 00:34:34,360 Saviour. The gospel mission, isn't it? 489 00:34:34,360 --> 00:34:38,760 Here's your chance of escape. Here's your place of refuge. 490 00:34:39,000 --> 00:34:41,880 It's in Christ our refuge. Have I none? 491 00:34:42,920 --> 00:34:46,600 Ah, Hines, my helpless soul, and thee. 492 00:34:46,600 --> 00:34:50,000 Will you come to him tonight? Will you seek Him tonight? 493 00:34:50,000 --> 00:34:51,520 If you seek Him, you'll find Him. 494 00:34:52,239 --> 00:34:55,360 He was manifested. That He may put away the works, 495 00:34:55,360 --> 00:34:57,760 that He may destroy the works of the devil. 496 00:34:58,280 --> 00:35:01,800 He can do it in your heart. He's able to save to the 497 00:35:01,840 --> 00:35:06,760 uttermost all. You come under God by Him, but 498 00:35:06,760 --> 00:35:10,080 you need to come. If you will not come, you won't 499 00:35:10,080 --> 00:35:13,520 have life. But if you come, he says, I'll 500 00:35:13,520 --> 00:35:16,400 not cast you out, and he'll put you beyond the reach of the 501 00:35:16,400 --> 00:35:19,480 devil. Your life will be head with 502 00:35:19,480 --> 00:35:23,120 Christ and God. He gives his sheep eternal life. 503 00:35:23,120 --> 00:35:28,200 They shall never perish. Neither shall any man word man's 504 00:35:28,200 --> 00:35:33,360 not in the original, neither shall anyone, devil or not, 505 00:35:34,400 --> 00:35:38,920 snatch you out of his hand. I trust that God will give you 506 00:35:38,920 --> 00:35:42,520 that deciding grace even in your own seat where you're sitting. 507 00:35:42,720 --> 00:35:47,000 You ask him to save you tell him that's why he came, to seek and 508 00:35:47,000 --> 00:35:51,200 to save not which is lost. Say, Lord, I am the Sinner You 509 00:35:51,200 --> 00:35:55,360 came to save. Save me now, save me now. 510 00:35:56,400 --> 00:36:00,040 Wash me. Cleanse me in the blood that 511 00:36:00,040 --> 00:36:02,080 flowed in Calvary. Or if you want to speak with me 512 00:36:02,120 --> 00:36:04,920 afterwards, I'll be happy to speak with you. 513 00:36:04,920 --> 00:36:09,840 I am in no hurry away and we'll be glad to speak with you, the 514 00:36:09,840 --> 00:36:12,800 minister here, but glad to speak with you. 515 00:36:12,800 --> 00:36:16,000 May the Lord bless these words to all of our hearts.