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In society, we're turning this 
morning to 1st Thessalonians 

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chapter 5. 
First Thessalonians chapter 5. 

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We're going to read verses one 
through to 11. 

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Let's hear the Word of God. 
First Thessalonians chapter 5, 

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verses 1 to 11, reading, of 
course, from the King James 

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Bible. 
The words will come up on a 

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screen for all who are on the 
Internet and for any that wants 

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the Bible, please feel free to 
contact us and we'd supply you 

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with a free copy of the Holy 
Scriptures. 

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First Thessalonians chapter 5, 
verse one. 

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But of the times and the 
seasons, brethren, you have no 

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need that I write unto you, for 
yourselves. 

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Know perfectly that the day of 
the Lord so cometh as a thief in

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the night. 
For when they shall save peace 

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and safety, then sudden 
destruction cometh upon them, 

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has travailed upon a woman with 
child, and they shall not 

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escape. 
But ye, brethren, are not in 

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darkness, that that day should 
overtake you as a thief. 

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But year all the children of 
light, and the children of the 

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day. 
We are not of the darkness nor 

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of the night. 
Therefore let us not sleep as do

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others, but let us watch and be 
sober. 

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For they that sleep, sleep in 
the night, and they that be 

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drunken or drunken in the night.
But let us who are of the day be

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sober, putting on the 
breastplate of faith and love, 

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and for in Helmand the hope of 
salvation. 

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For God hath not appointed us to
wrath, but to obtain salvation 

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by our Lord Jesus Christ, who 
died for us, that whether we 

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wake or sleep, we should live 
together with Him. 

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Wherefore comfort yourselves 
together, and edify one another,

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even as also ye do Amen. 
We know God will stamp with His 

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own approval and blessing this 
reading of His own precious and 

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infallible word. 
Now this morning, as we continue

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with our expository studies in 
the book of First Thessalonians,

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we're turning our attention 
today to the words of First 

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Thessalonians, chapter 5, verses
6 through to 8. 

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And I want to attempt to deal 
with the theme today with the 

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spiritual duties of the children
of the day. 

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Listen to what the Word of God 
says. 

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Therefore, let us not sleep as 
do others, but let us watch and 

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be sober. 
For they that sleep, sleep in 

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the night, and they that be 
drunken or drunken in the night.

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But let us who are of the day be
sober, putting on the 

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breastplate of faith and love, 
and for in Helmand the hope of 

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salvation. 
Now let's remember, the church 

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at Thesslonanka was a young 
church. 

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It was being persecuted and 
oppressed by evil and wicked 

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man. 
So the apostle Paul had written 

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to comfort them, especially 
concerning the question about 

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those who'd died in Christ. 
Remember they were wondering 

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what would happen to the bodies 
of their dead loved ones who had

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died in Christ when the Lord 
Jesus would be returning in 

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power and would they be 
forgotten about? 

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The Apostle Paul also aimed to 
clarify to them the second 

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coming of the Lord Jesus and 
power and glory, that when He 

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would return to this earth, He 
would return bodily and visibly 

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and suddenly and gloriously. 
Now let's remember what we 

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learnt last Lord's Day morning. 
First Thessalonians chapter 5, 

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verse one and two. 
We thought about the period that

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is discussed. 
The day of the Lord will be a 

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sudden event, a surprising 
event. 

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The day of the Lord comes when 
it's least expected. 

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Remember here Paul uses the 
analogy of a thief. 

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A thief comes suddenly. 
Surprisingly, he's not saying 

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that the Lord Jesus is a thief. 
The analogy is to how a thief 

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operates at night. 
He appears at a house suddenly 

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when it's least expected. 
I told you the times and seasons

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is about the period of time 
leading up to the Lord's return 

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and the precise moment when that
event will occur. 

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And what Paul is doing in 
chapter 5 of First Thessalonians

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is challenging God's people not 
to think about when Christ will 

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return, but the way that they 
are to live in light of his 

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glorious return. 
We don't know the precise time 

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or the particular date when 
Jesus will return, but what we 

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do know is this. 
The day of the Lord will come. 

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That's a major theme in the 
Bible. 

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The Day of the Lord is a period 
of great intervention and 

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tribulation that will culminate 
in the visible, bodily, 

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personal, glorious return of the
Lord Jesus to this earth and he 

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will establish his eternal and 
everlasting reign. 

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Remember this event is not it's 
not secret and silent. 

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It is sudden and surprising. 
It's also most solemn because 

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it's going to catch a whole 
world of ungodly men who are 

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totally unprepared out. 
We also knew that last Lord's 

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day. 
The people that are described, 

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but ye remember he says that 
there in verse 4, but ye 

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brethren are not in darkness of 
that day should overtake you as 

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a thief. 
We thought about the contrast 

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between the godly and the 
ungodly, the saved and the lost.

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There's a particular distinction
here. 

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But ye brethren are not in 
darkness. 

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There's a particular description
here. 

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True Christians are children of 
light. 

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They're also called children of 
the day. 

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This is a reference to those who
are truly born again of God's 

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Spirit. 
We also thought about a 

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particular delight. 
Children of the day belong to 

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the coming day. 
And then I closed with this 

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thought. 
The posture that is determined, 

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he says in verse 6. 
Therefore, let us not sleep as 

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do others, but let us watch and 
be sober. 

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Now I want you to learn 
something this morning. 

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And it's this something very 
important. 

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The doctrine of eschatology 
always leads to the duty of 

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ethics. 
The doctrine we believe will and

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should produce in us a duty, a 
duty to live not unto ourselves,

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but unto the Saviour. 
What we believe about the second

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coming will impact upon our 
behaviour, and that's what Paul 

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is teaching. 
Because we belong to the day. 

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Because we're designated and 
described as children of the 

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day, we must live as children of
the day. 

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Yes, there are those who are in 
spiritual darkness. 

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They are children of the night. 
And because they live in a state

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of spiritual darkness, they 
continue then to have a life and

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spirit of rebellion towards God 
and his Christ, that they live 

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in a state of perpetual 
unbelief. 

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Do you know that the vast 
majority of the population of 

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this world, including many in 
Northern Ireland, they dismissed

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the doctrine of the second 
coming of Christ? 

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That's the stuff of myths and 
legends. 

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That's the stuff of fairy tales.
But they don't know about the 

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Scriptures, and they don't know 
that the Scriptures warns of 

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sudden destruction. 
And yet they refuse to believe 

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not only in God, the coming of 
Christ, but also in wrath to 

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come. 
Remember what Paul says there in

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Second Thessalonians? 
He says this 2nd Thessalonians 1

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and seven. 
And do you hear troubled rest 

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with us when the Lord Jesus 
shall be revealed from heaven 

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with his mighty angels and 
flaming fire, taking vengeance, 

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and them that know not God, and 
that obey not the gospel of our 

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Lord Jesus Christ. 
You see in that day the world of

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ungodly men, those who know not 
God and obey not the gospel. 

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They'll not escape the wrath and
judgement of God. 

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They are not ready for the 
second coming of Christ. 

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But we who are in Christ, we are
ready not because of our 

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goodness, but because of God's 
infinite, free, sovereign, 

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saving grace. 
Who are we? 

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We're children of the late. 
We're children of the day. 

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We are saved by the grace of 
God. 

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We are ready for Christ's coming
whenever that coming takes 

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place. 
We have been born again of the 

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Holy Spirit. 
We're indwelt by the Holy 

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Spirit. 
We have spiritual light in our 

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soul. 
We we are gripped by a spiritual

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knowledge of God. 
We we have a knowledge of Christ

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and his personal work, the the 
knowledge of the doctrine of 

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salvation. 
We are spiritually prepared for 

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the Lord's return. 
We're not like the unregenerate 

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or the unprepared. 
We're living in light of the 

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Lord's return, and living in 
light of the Lord's return will 

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be seen the spiritual duty of 
the children of the day. 

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That's what verses 6 to 8 is 
teaching. 

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In light of our new identity in 
Christ, we are possessed, we are

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gripped, we are enabled by a new
spiritual life to to live unto 

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the Lord in the light of his 
coming and his true believers in

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Christ. 
We conduct our lifestyle in a 

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way that is appropriate in light
of our Lord's return. 

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You see, the Christian life's 
not passive, it is passionate. 

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The Christian life's a a 
watchful life. 

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It's about being super. 
It's about being spiritually 

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armed. 
They look very quickly at our 

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text of Scripture. 
I want you to see four things in

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this text of Scripture. 
Children of the day are wakeful 

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in devotion. 
You see, there's a spiritual 

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wakefulness instead of slumber. 
Look at verse 6. 

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Therefore, let us not sleep as 
do others. 

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The word therefore means in 
light of this, in light of the 

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day of the Lord, let us not 
sleep as do others. 

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Nepal is not Speaking of 
physical sleep here. 

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I don't believe he's referring 
either to the dead. 

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I believe it's a reference to 
spiritual carelessness and 

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coldness in light of Christ's 
return. 

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Let us not be spiritually cold. 
Let us not be spiritually 

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careless. 
The sleep here represents 

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indifference to divine realities
over there. 

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In the book of Romans, in Romans
chapter 13 and in the verse 11, 

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the apostle Paul uttered this 
tremendous statement and that 

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knowing the time that now it is 
high time to awake out of sleep 

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for now is our salvation nearer 
than when we believe. 

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That's the same context. 
The people who are addressed are

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born again believers. 
The problem experienced is the 

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problem of spiritual coldness 
and carelessness. 

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Let's ask, what is this 
spiritual sleep? 

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Could it be a reference to a 
dull conscience? 

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Could it be a reference to a 
neglected prayer life where you 

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profess the name of Christ but 
no time for private or public 

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prayer? 
You've no desire for prayer. 

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You've no mindset for prayer? 
Is it about a refrain from 

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reading the Bible on a daily 
basis? 

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Are you careful or careless 
about reading for spiritual food

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for your soul? 
Do you have a casual attitude to

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sin? 
Do you treat sin lightly in your

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estimation? 
Well, it's no big deal. 

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Do you have a feeling, 
expectation and anticipation of 

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the Lord's return? 
I want you to think for a moment

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of a soldier. 
He he's at his post, he's on the

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wall, he's in the watchtower, 
but he falls asleep. 

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And a soldier who falls asleep 
in duty is a soldier who invites

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destruction upon his city. 
It was when Samson slept and 

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delighted his lap and had his 
hair cut, he wished not that the

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presence of the Lord, the power 
of the Lord, had departed from 

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him. 
And you see thousands of 

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professing Christians all over 
Northern Ireland and beyond. 

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The Bible says this in Matthew 
chapter 1224, verse 12. 

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Because iniquity shall abound 
the love of the man, they shall 

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wax cold. 
The Lord Jesus said to the 

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church at Ephesus, I have 
somewhat against thee. 

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Thou has left thy first love. 
And you see if you have new life

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in Christ, that new life is 
evidenced by a transformed life.

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If any man be in Christ, he's a 
new creature. 

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Old things have passed away and 
old things have become new, and 

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all things are of God, and that 
life is called a life of 

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separation unto the Lord. 
It's also a call to a life of 

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sanctification in the Lord. 
The Westminster Confession of 

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Faith speaks of sanctification 
as a real work of grace whereby 

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renewed in the whole man. 
A renewed man should be 

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spiritually awake, not asleep. 
A sleepy man is not concerned 

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about what's important in this 
life. 

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He's not concerned about what's 
important in eternity. 

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The second thing I want you to 
learn is this. 

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The spiritual man, he will be 
watchful in discernment. 

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Look again at verse 6. 
But let us watch and be sober. 

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Now what does it mean to watch? 
Being watchful means to be 

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actively attentive. 
So he's not just awake, but he's

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alert. 
Think back to the SOLDIER and 

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duty at his post. 
He is awake, but he's also 

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alert. 
The New Testament Greek carries 

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00:15:42,360 --> 00:15:46,400
the idea of a SOLDIER here who 
has alerted his post. 

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He's scanning the horizons. 
He's looking for some unusual 

230
00:15:49,760 --> 00:15:51,960
activity. 
He's looking for a cloud of dust

231
00:15:51,960 --> 00:15:55,840
and wondering why it's coming. 
He he's looking for the buzzards

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00:15:56,080 --> 00:15:58,960
that are flying overhead, 
thinking that there must be 

233
00:15:59,360 --> 00:16:01,560
something dead and rotten out 
there. 

234
00:16:02,080 --> 00:16:06,720
He, he's looking for the glint 
of a change of sunlight to tell 

235
00:16:06,720 --> 00:16:11,320
him that there's soldiers coming
with great amounts of armour 

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00:16:12,040 --> 00:16:19,000
against his city. 
You see, if I ask this, what are

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we as Christian soldiers 
watching for? 

238
00:16:22,320 --> 00:16:24,560
Are we watching for the return 
of Christ? 

239
00:16:25,440 --> 00:16:28,400
Behold, he cometh, the Bible 
says. 

240
00:16:29,360 --> 00:16:33,560
What's our response to the 
second coming of Christ? 

241
00:16:33,920 --> 00:16:36,200
Let me tell you a little story. 
This is true. 

242
00:16:36,200 --> 00:16:38,680
In the Larne Mission Hall many 
years ago, there was a preacher 

243
00:16:38,680 --> 00:16:41,080
there called the Reverend Paul 
Finch, whom I had the joy of 

244
00:16:41,080 --> 00:16:42,680
hearing. 
He was a holiness preacher from 

245
00:16:42,680 --> 00:16:44,920
America. 
I'd never met the man before, 

246
00:16:44,920 --> 00:16:49,000
but I was taken there from 
Coleraine by Mr Ken Atchison. 

247
00:16:49,160 --> 00:16:52,240
He's the late father of the 
Reverend Paul Atchison, who's 

248
00:16:52,240 --> 00:16:54,960
the minister in Newtownard's 
Congregational Church, a dear 

249
00:16:54,960 --> 00:16:58,000
friend. 
I was just a young convert, so 

250
00:16:58,000 --> 00:17:01,240
Mr Atchison took me along to 
hear this holiness preacher 

251
00:17:01,440 --> 00:17:02,960
thought I need a dose of 
holiness. 

252
00:17:02,960 --> 00:17:06,240
He was right. 
OK, so this preacher was 

253
00:17:06,240 --> 00:17:09,720
preaching away and I can't 
remember he speak about himself 

254
00:17:09,720 --> 00:17:13,000
or spoke about his own father 
who was also called Reverend 

255
00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:16,200
Paul Fence. 
He said that this preacher got 

256
00:17:16,200 --> 00:17:21,920
up every morning early, and when
he pulled back the curtains at 

257
00:17:21,920 --> 00:17:24,960
the dawn of the day, as the sun 
began to stream through the 

258
00:17:24,960 --> 00:17:31,880
window, this is what he said. 
Even so, come Lord Jesus, you 

259
00:17:31,880 --> 00:17:35,960
see that preacher was living in 
light of the sure and certain 

260
00:17:35,960 --> 00:17:41,080
expectation of the Lord's 
return, and it had an impact 

261
00:17:41,080 --> 00:17:44,960
upon him, and he was watching 
out for the deceitfulness of 

262
00:17:44,960 --> 00:17:47,920
sin. 
He knew that sin was a deadly 

263
00:17:47,920 --> 00:17:50,120
vapour. 
He knew that sin was a poison. 

264
00:17:50,560 --> 00:17:53,160
He was watching out for the 
subtly of the devil. 

265
00:17:54,280 --> 00:17:57,600
He was watching out for the pool
and lure of the world that 

266
00:17:57,600 --> 00:18:01,080
wanted to squeeze him into a 
particular mould and anti God, 

267
00:18:01,080 --> 00:18:03,320
anti Christian mindset and 
agenda. 

268
00:18:04,120 --> 00:18:06,920
He was watching out for the 
weakness of his own flesh. 

269
00:18:07,360 --> 00:18:11,360
He knew he was prone to sin. 
And you see the true Christian 

270
00:18:11,360 --> 00:18:15,240
does sin and sins against the 
Lord and thought and word and 

271
00:18:15,240 --> 00:18:18,600
deed. 
Remember Paul or John says this,

272
00:18:18,600 --> 00:18:21,840
my little children, these things
I write unto you first John two 

273
00:18:21,840 --> 00:18:27,880
and one that you sin not. 
And if any man sin, we have an 

274
00:18:27,880 --> 00:18:30,720
advocate with the Father, Jesus 
Christ the righteous. 

275
00:18:30,840 --> 00:18:34,080
There's a call to holiness 
amongst the people of God, but 

276
00:18:34,080 --> 00:18:38,120
there's also a reality here 
facing up to the corruption of 

277
00:18:38,120 --> 00:18:41,480
our own heart. 
And of course he ends up in the 

278
00:18:41,480 --> 00:18:44,600
court of heaven with the 
righteous advocate, the Lord 

279
00:18:44,600 --> 00:18:50,360
Jesus over there in first Peter 
and in chapter 5 and the verse 8

280
00:18:50,560 --> 00:18:52,560
Paul says this or Peter says 
this. 

281
00:18:52,560 --> 00:18:56,400
Be sober, be vigilant because 
your adversary the devil is a 

282
00:18:56,400 --> 00:19:00,800
roaring lion walketh about 
seeking whom he may devour. 

283
00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:04,440
Remember the Lord Jesus said to 
his own disciples, what could 

284
00:19:04,440 --> 00:19:08,200
you not watch with me one hour, 
that's all he asked. 

285
00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:19,760
And remember, they fell asleep. 
He told them watch with me and 

286
00:19:19,760 --> 00:19:22,880
when he came back they had fell 
asleep and that physical sleep 

287
00:19:22,880 --> 00:19:28,280
symbolised a spirit of spiritual
carelessness and a spiritual 

288
00:19:28,440 --> 00:19:30,680
coldness. 
They were commanded to watch 

289
00:19:30,680 --> 00:19:34,720
with me in prayer, but they 
couldn't even watch one hour. 

290
00:19:34,920 --> 00:19:39,760
They were so careless and so 
indifferent and so spiritually 

291
00:19:39,760 --> 00:19:42,160
cold. 
And I want to tell you this 

292
00:19:42,160 --> 00:19:46,080
morning, I'm very concerned 
about the state of Christianity 

293
00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:49,560
in Northern Ireland. 
I'm concerned about the state of

294
00:19:49,920 --> 00:19:53,960
Irish Christianity. 
I I want to tell you that no 

295
00:19:53,960 --> 00:19:57,720
church falls into a state of 
sudden apostasy. 

296
00:19:59,640 --> 00:20:03,680
No church ends up immediately 
with echo board on the door. 

297
00:20:03,680 --> 00:20:08,840
The glory has departed. 
No, there's a spiritual slumber.

298
00:20:09,760 --> 00:20:13,920
There's a gradual decline. 
There's a state of carelessness 

299
00:20:14,120 --> 00:20:18,520
and coldness. 
They're not awake, they're no 

300
00:20:18,520 --> 00:20:25,040
longer alert, they're not 
spiritually attentive to God in 

301
00:20:25,040 --> 00:20:28,560
Christ and the Holy Scriptures, 
and that's where we're at. 

302
00:20:29,040 --> 00:20:32,320
I'll be writing an article on 
that and sending it out in due 

303
00:20:32,320 --> 00:20:37,880
time. 
The third thing is we are also 

304
00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:43,640
workers in discipline. 
He he says verse 8 for they that

305
00:20:43,640 --> 00:20:46,880
sleep, sleep in the night and 
they that be drunken or drunken 

306
00:20:46,880 --> 00:20:49,320
in the night. 
But let us who are of the day be

307
00:20:49,320 --> 00:20:52,080
sober, putting on the breastfeed
of faith. 

308
00:20:53,520 --> 00:20:55,960
Let's stop there. 
Notice this word sober. 

309
00:20:55,960 --> 00:21:00,600
It's mentioned twice, verse 6 
and it's mentioned in verse 8. 

310
00:21:01,360 --> 00:21:06,480
Now it's not a reference to the 
Christian abstaining from 

311
00:21:06,520 --> 00:21:09,600
alcohol. 
So it's not a reference to 

312
00:21:09,640 --> 00:21:13,200
alcohol. 
Mention is made in verse 7 here 

313
00:21:13,200 --> 00:21:16,120
of drunkenness. 
This is the children of the 

314
00:21:16,120 --> 00:21:20,440
night for they that sleep sleep 
in the night and they that be 

315
00:21:20,440 --> 00:21:26,440
drunken or drunken in the night.
And I believe it represents 

316
00:21:26,440 --> 00:21:32,280
spiritual intoxication, being 
under the influence, under the 

317
00:21:32,280 --> 00:21:37,080
control to to be super means to 
be self controlled, clear 

318
00:21:37,080 --> 00:21:41,440
minded, steady, not intoxicated 
by the world and it's system of 

319
00:21:41,480 --> 00:21:45,160
ungodly values. 
We can connect this with 

320
00:21:45,880 --> 00:21:49,480
drunkenness and we get asked 
ourselves, well, what 

321
00:21:49,480 --> 00:21:53,360
spiritually intoxicates 
believers so that they're 

322
00:21:53,480 --> 00:21:56,480
spiritually drunk even though 
they never consume alcohol? 

323
00:21:57,120 --> 00:22:05,240
Could I suggest materialism, An 
eye for things, a love for 

324
00:22:05,240 --> 00:22:09,600
things more than a love for the 
truth, the love of pleasure, 

325
00:22:10,400 --> 00:22:15,120
worldly ambition, entertainment,
me first pursuits and power. 

326
00:22:16,120 --> 00:22:19,040
There's many professing 
Christians even taken up with a 

327
00:22:19,040 --> 00:22:23,960
political obsession, as if 
politics is going to sea of 

328
00:22:23,960 --> 00:22:26,560
Northern Ireland. 
As if politics will solve the 

329
00:22:26,560 --> 00:22:30,120
problems of the United Kingdom 
and all its social evils and 

330
00:22:30,120 --> 00:22:35,840
ills. 
Many have a worldly strategy. 

331
00:22:37,640 --> 00:22:39,520
They want the success of the 
world. 

332
00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:43,960
So here's a question. 
Can Christians become 

333
00:22:43,960 --> 00:22:47,880
spiritually slothful? 
And the answer is yes. 

334
00:22:47,880 --> 00:22:51,520
Now they'll not lose their 
salvation, but they can fall 

335
00:22:51,520 --> 00:22:54,880
into slumber. 
They can fall into a spiritual 

336
00:22:54,880 --> 00:22:58,160
sleep. 
They can feel to be watchful. 

337
00:22:59,320 --> 00:23:03,120
They can be dull of hearing. 
They could be living a a a a a, 

338
00:23:03,480 --> 00:23:08,680
a, a slothful spiritual life and
that appears in their attitude 

339
00:23:08,680 --> 00:23:11,760
to prayer. 
So there's little prayer in 

340
00:23:11,760 --> 00:23:15,040
their life really. 
There's no real heart for God 

341
00:23:15,080 --> 00:23:19,840
worship the the so mechanical. 
It's outward. 

342
00:23:20,760 --> 00:23:23,480
They have light views of sin. 
They might even compromise with 

343
00:23:23,480 --> 00:23:26,120
sin. 
There's a loss of evangelical 

344
00:23:26,120 --> 00:23:28,000
burden. 
There's no love and passion to 

345
00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:30,680
win souls. 
There's a loveless spirit for 

346
00:23:30,680 --> 00:23:35,360
the work of God. 
There's a loveless spirit for 

347
00:23:35,360 --> 00:23:38,760
the House of God, the day of 
God, the word of God, the people

348
00:23:38,760 --> 00:23:40,680
of God. 
That's a problem. 

349
00:23:42,240 --> 00:23:43,640
They're not workers in 
discipline. 

350
00:23:44,520 --> 00:23:49,960
They've there's a spiritual 
slothfulness that has come upon 

351
00:23:49,960 --> 00:23:53,800
them instead of spirituality. 
It was Calvin that said be 

352
00:23:53,800 --> 00:24:00,560
killing sin or sin will be 
killing you and one other thing.

353
00:24:01,360 --> 00:24:09,520
Here's the fourth thing, the 
spiritual duty of warfare and 

354
00:24:09,520 --> 00:24:12,520
being armour ready. 
You see, there's a spiritual 

355
00:24:12,520 --> 00:24:16,720
warfare instead of weariness. 
Notice these words putting on 

356
00:24:16,720 --> 00:24:20,840
the breastfeed of faith. 
Now that's important again, that

357
00:24:20,840 --> 00:24:25,000
you've got the image of a 
soldier, a soldier in warfare. 

358
00:24:25,000 --> 00:24:28,880
He's not just awake, he's not 
just alert, but now he's armed 

359
00:24:29,600 --> 00:24:32,120
spiritually. 
He is battle ready. 

360
00:24:32,600 --> 00:24:35,440
He realises that he's in a a 
spiritual war. 

361
00:24:35,440 --> 00:24:38,560
And remember what we read in 
Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 

362
00:24:38,560 --> 00:24:40,520
12. 
For we wrestle not against flesh

363
00:24:40,520 --> 00:24:42,880
and blood, but against 
principalities, against powers, 

364
00:24:42,880 --> 00:24:45,840
against the rulers, rulers of 
the darkness of this world, 

365
00:24:45,840 --> 00:24:49,280
against spiritual wickedness in 
high places. 

366
00:24:49,720 --> 00:24:54,240
The enemy is all around us. 
We live in an ungodly world. 

367
00:24:54,760 --> 00:24:58,080
And one of the duties of the 
Christian soldier is not just to

368
00:24:58,080 --> 00:25:03,280
be awake at his post, not just 
to be alert, but also to be 

369
00:25:03,520 --> 00:25:06,520
armed. 
He's to put on what look at it, 

370
00:25:06,640 --> 00:25:10,280
the breastplate of faith. 
And you see, the breastplate of 

371
00:25:10,280 --> 00:25:13,520
faith is all about a life of 
dependence on the Lord. 

372
00:25:14,400 --> 00:25:17,040
We believe that the way of 
salvation is clear and plain. 

373
00:25:17,160 --> 00:25:18,800
For by grace you see it through 
faith. 

374
00:25:18,800 --> 00:25:21,440
Not, none of yourselves. 
The gift of God, not of works, 

375
00:25:21,440 --> 00:25:27,960
lest any man should boast. 
Do you believe in God the living

376
00:25:27,960 --> 00:25:32,080
and the true God this morning? 
Do you believe that he's the God

377
00:25:32,080 --> 00:25:35,080
of the Bible? 
Do you believe in the person and

378
00:25:35,080 --> 00:25:38,240
work of Christ? 
Do you believe the Bible to be 

379
00:25:38,240 --> 00:25:44,320
the infallible word of God? 
Do you believe in the literal 

380
00:25:44,320 --> 00:25:48,240
historicity of Genesis chapter 1
to 3, never mind Genesis 1 to 

381
00:25:48,240 --> 00:25:50,320
11? 
To me, that's fundamental. 

382
00:25:50,840 --> 00:25:55,120
To me, that's foundational. 
And isn't it sad that in this 

383
00:25:55,920 --> 00:26:02,320
age in which we live, there's so
much apathy and there's so much 

384
00:26:02,440 --> 00:26:06,760
evidence of the work of the 
devil that even in some Bible 

385
00:26:06,760 --> 00:26:10,560
colleges, they're taught to 
reject the historicity of 

386
00:26:10,560 --> 00:26:15,560
Genesis chapter 1 to 3, never 
mind the rest, Genesis 1 to 11. 

387
00:26:16,200 --> 00:26:17,920
They reject the doctrine of 
creation. 

388
00:26:18,320 --> 00:26:20,640
They reject the doctrine of the 
fallen to sin. 

389
00:26:20,720 --> 00:26:23,880
They reject the doctrine of the 
first gospel promise. 

390
00:26:26,360 --> 00:26:29,240
The first gospel promise is all 
about resting on the finished 

391
00:26:29,240 --> 00:26:33,120
work of Christ. 
But when the fullness of the 

392
00:26:33,120 --> 00:26:37,280
time was come, God sent forth a 
son made of a woman made under 

393
00:26:37,280 --> 00:26:39,760
the law to redeem them that were
under the law. 

394
00:26:40,080 --> 00:26:44,280
So I asked this morning this if 
you have put on the breastplate 

395
00:26:44,280 --> 00:26:48,560
of faith, here's the questions. 
Have you got faith in Jesus 

396
00:26:48,560 --> 00:26:52,880
Christ? 
Are you depending totally and 

397
00:26:52,880 --> 00:26:56,280
fully on him? 
You see, if you don't believe in

398
00:26:56,280 --> 00:26:58,720
the Lord Jesus Christ, you're 
not a true Christian. 

399
00:26:59,400 --> 00:27:02,360
Acts 1631. 
Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ

400
00:27:02,520 --> 00:27:05,640
and thou shalt be saved. 
And if you do not believe the 

401
00:27:05,640 --> 00:27:08,600
Bible to be the infallible, 
inerrant word of God, then 

402
00:27:08,600 --> 00:27:10,280
you're opening up yourself to 
doubt. 

403
00:27:11,240 --> 00:27:15,240
Hath God said, opening up 
yourself to darkness, opening up

404
00:27:15,240 --> 00:27:19,440
yourself to despair? 
You see, you really can't live 

405
00:27:19,440 --> 00:27:24,160
out the true Christian life if 
you do not believe in God, Do 

406
00:27:24,160 --> 00:27:28,840
not believe in the Lord Jesus 
Christ, do not believe in the 

407
00:27:28,840 --> 00:27:32,200
Bible, do not believe in heaven 
and hell and in the doctrine of 

408
00:27:32,200 --> 00:27:33,840
salvation. 
It's impossible. 

409
00:27:36,400 --> 00:27:40,640
And it's impossible because your
life will be full of doubts and 

410
00:27:40,640 --> 00:27:45,040
full of darkness and depravity 
and that will undermine you and 

411
00:27:45,040 --> 00:27:48,400
you'll feel and eventually 
you'll fall away. 

412
00:27:49,360 --> 00:27:52,760
The breastfeed of faith is all 
about a life of dependence on 

413
00:27:52,760 --> 00:27:55,520
the Lord. 
Notice also it's called the 

414
00:27:55,520 --> 00:28:01,600
breastplate of faith and love. 
It's a life of delight, a love 

415
00:28:01,600 --> 00:28:05,680
for him, who he is and what he's
like and what he's done. 

416
00:28:06,240 --> 00:28:09,080
The call of the Bible is Thy 
shall love the Lord thy God with

417
00:28:09,080 --> 00:28:11,320
all thy heart, with all thy 
soul, and with all thy mind and 

418
00:28:11,320 --> 00:28:15,040
with all thy strength. 
Deuteronomy 6 and 5, Matthew 

419
00:28:15,040 --> 00:28:19,000
2237 to 40. 
Do you delight in this person, 

420
00:28:20,400 --> 00:28:24,440
delight in his true humanity, 
delight in His true and 

421
00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:27,600
essential deity? 
He's the eternal Son of the only

422
00:28:27,600 --> 00:28:30,880
begotten of the Father. 
Do delight in His work. 

423
00:28:31,480 --> 00:28:35,040
You stand and think at the cross
of how He was obedient unto 

424
00:28:35,040 --> 00:28:38,960
death, even the death of the 
cross isn't the call of the 

425
00:28:38,960 --> 00:28:41,920
Bible to delight thyself also in
the Lord. 

426
00:28:42,560 --> 00:28:47,440
Can you say this day I love Him?
We love him, John says first 

427
00:28:47,440 --> 00:28:50,280
John 419 because He first loved 
us. 

428
00:28:51,120 --> 00:28:57,920
Our faith worketh by love, a 
love for God, a love for Christ,

429
00:28:58,400 --> 00:29:01,160
a love for the Saints, the 
Scriptures, the the, the 

430
00:29:01,160 --> 00:29:04,200
sanctuary, the the the Lord's 
day. 

431
00:29:04,840 --> 00:29:09,160
See this breastplate of love it 
it guards our relationships, our

432
00:29:09,160 --> 00:29:12,200
relationship with the Lord, but 
our relationship also with 

433
00:29:12,200 --> 00:29:15,520
others. 
Love is the fulfilment of the 

434
00:29:15,520 --> 00:29:17,720
law. 
I'll tell you very quickly. 

435
00:29:18,520 --> 00:29:23,600
Look again at our text. 
And for in helmet, the hope of 

436
00:29:23,600 --> 00:29:26,920
salvation. 
Every soldier needs a helmet and

437
00:29:26,920 --> 00:29:28,480
the Christian soldier needs a 
helmet. 

438
00:29:28,480 --> 00:29:30,200
And what is the Christian 
soldiers helmet? 

439
00:29:30,680 --> 00:29:37,520
The hope of salvation. 
There's a life of desire, not 

440
00:29:37,520 --> 00:29:40,040
just a life of dependence 
because you have the breastfeed 

441
00:29:40,040 --> 00:29:45,160
of faith, and not just a life of
delight because you have put on 

442
00:29:45,160 --> 00:29:48,240
the breastfeed of love, but a 
life of desire. 

443
00:29:50,080 --> 00:29:53,400
You've put on for a helmet, the 
hope of salvation. 

444
00:29:53,760 --> 00:29:58,800
You see, this hope's a grace. 
This hope means that you don't 

445
00:29:58,800 --> 00:30:01,760
have an element of doubt or 
uncertainty. 

446
00:30:01,840 --> 00:30:04,640
You see this hope, young people,
is not about. 

447
00:30:05,240 --> 00:30:08,240
I hope I find a wife soon or 
else I'm going to be left on the

448
00:30:08,240 --> 00:30:11,720
shelf. 
This hope is not, I hope that I 

449
00:30:11,720 --> 00:30:14,840
get a new car soon because my 
car's about to pack in. 

450
00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:17,040
I'm going to breakdown. 
I'm going to be left stranded 

451
00:30:17,480 --> 00:30:21,200
somewhere in some Rd. 
It's not. 

452
00:30:21,200 --> 00:30:24,400
I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow 
because I've got gardening work 

453
00:30:24,400 --> 00:30:27,080
planned. 
You see, we can't be certain. 

454
00:30:27,840 --> 00:30:33,520
You can't be 100% sure you you 
can't say I will find a wife or 

455
00:30:33,520 --> 00:30:39,520
a husband, I will buy a new car,
I will do the work because we 

456
00:30:39,520 --> 00:30:43,160
don't know what tomorrow brings.
Sufficient on to the day is the 

457
00:30:43,160 --> 00:30:47,840
evil thereof. 
But the word hope in the Bible 

458
00:30:47,840 --> 00:30:51,400
doesn't mean that. 
Think of the motto of the Boys 

459
00:30:51,400 --> 00:30:54,480
Brigade, an excellent 
organisation. 

460
00:30:55,080 --> 00:30:59,600
I believe our church has failed 
our whole denomination in 75 

461
00:30:59,600 --> 00:31:02,280
years that we didn't have a 
proper uniformed organisation. 

462
00:31:02,360 --> 00:31:06,120
We should have had. 
We know that now it's too late. 

463
00:31:07,920 --> 00:31:12,160
But you think of the word hope 
in the Boys Brigade sure and 

464
00:31:12,160 --> 00:31:16,800
steadfast. 
It speaks of a guarantee and yet

465
00:31:16,800 --> 00:31:20,520
notice faith comes first, 
followed by love. 

466
00:31:21,920 --> 00:31:26,560
That's to protect the heart and 
the soul and then the mind. 

467
00:31:27,080 --> 00:31:31,960
Hope guards the mind. 
A helmet protects us, girds our 

468
00:31:31,960 --> 00:31:33,880
mind with the truth of the word 
of God. 

469
00:31:34,600 --> 00:31:37,400
I finished this morning. 
God knows the future. 

470
00:31:38,600 --> 00:31:40,480
Reverend Macmillan sang here on 
Sunday night. 

471
00:31:40,560 --> 00:31:42,320
Beautiful song. 
I haven't got out of my head all

472
00:31:42,320 --> 00:31:44,080
week. 
My father planned it all. 

473
00:31:44,080 --> 00:31:45,360
I would love to be able to sing 
it. 

474
00:31:45,960 --> 00:31:49,040
My wife would love me to be able
to sing it properly, but I Can't

475
00:31:49,040 --> 00:31:51,800
Sing. 
I try my best but let me tell 

476
00:31:51,800 --> 00:31:55,400
you this. 
The Bible says in Romans 828 and

477
00:31:55,400 --> 00:31:58,840
we know that all things work 
together for good to them that 

478
00:31:58,840 --> 00:32:02,760
love God and to them who are the
called according to his purpose.

479
00:32:03,520 --> 00:32:07,000
And whatever you're going 
through this morning, your 

480
00:32:07,000 --> 00:32:12,800
trials and troubles, your 
worries about the future, let me

481
00:32:12,800 --> 00:32:15,960
tell you one thing that's 
certain for the future. 

482
00:32:16,920 --> 00:32:20,040
Jesus Christ is coming back to 
this earth and power and glory. 

483
00:32:20,040 --> 00:32:24,960
And I'll tell you something else
about sure and certain the 

484
00:32:24,960 --> 00:32:31,920
judgement of God on the nations.
You see, the judgement of God is

485
00:32:31,920 --> 00:32:36,840
already upon our nation, and 
it's impacting on the life of 

486
00:32:36,840 --> 00:32:41,760
the church and all of this 
explosion of immorality and 

487
00:32:41,760 --> 00:32:45,560
iniquity that abounds, and the 
apathy and the indifference and 

488
00:32:45,560 --> 00:32:48,160
the apostasy and mainline 
churches. 

489
00:32:48,880 --> 00:32:51,800
It's all a sign. 
What's it a sign of? 

490
00:32:52,920 --> 00:32:57,640
It's a sign of widespread 
displeasure and judgement from 

491
00:32:57,640 --> 00:33:00,560
God. 
But in the midst of that, 

492
00:33:01,720 --> 00:33:05,080
despite the judgement of the 
nation's been guaranteed, and 

493
00:33:05,080 --> 00:33:09,160
Despite that Jesus Christ is 
coming back again to this earth 

494
00:33:09,160 --> 00:33:12,520
and power and glory, you and I 
have to look up and say, Even 

495
00:33:12,520 --> 00:33:16,280
so, come Lord Jesus, and as we 
look up, then look into our 

496
00:33:16,280 --> 00:33:20,960
hearts, let's examine ourselves 
and let's look out onto the 

497
00:33:20,960 --> 00:33:22,520
world. 
Remember who we are. 

498
00:33:22,520 --> 00:33:24,800
We're children of light. 
We're children of the day 

499
00:33:25,520 --> 00:33:29,760
positively. 
We're light in the Lord, and as 

500
00:33:29,760 --> 00:33:34,880
we look out in the day, we're to
shine on as lights. 

501
00:33:36,200 --> 00:33:40,240
We're progressively learning to 
live as lights in an ungodly 

502
00:33:40,240 --> 00:33:42,280
world, in a world of spiritual 
darkness. 

503
00:33:42,480 --> 00:33:48,240
We walk in light. 
We're awake to sin's penalty. 

504
00:33:48,960 --> 00:33:53,160
We're awake to sin's power. 
We're awake to sin's presence, 

505
00:33:53,280 --> 00:33:58,920
to sin's pollution. 
And we're to watch and pray, 

506
00:34:00,160 --> 00:34:02,040
we're to put on the gospel 
armour. 

507
00:34:02,880 --> 00:34:05,760
We're to plan for the return of 
Christ. 

508
00:34:05,760 --> 00:34:12,360
And what motivates us as we plan
for the return of Christ is to 

509
00:34:12,360 --> 00:34:15,639
evangelise the children of the 
night. 

510
00:34:17,360 --> 00:34:21,960
Here's the spiritual duties of 
the people of God. 

511
00:34:22,880 --> 00:34:28,560
Let's see to it that we are 
amongst those that are seeking 

512
00:34:28,560 --> 00:34:33,520
to embrace and engage in these 
spiritual duties. 

513
00:34:33,800 --> 00:34:36,360
May the Lord take these few 
thoughts and bless them to our 

514
00:34:36,360 --> 00:34:42,040
hearts this morning. 
We'll continue with our study in

515
00:34:42,040 --> 00:34:43,480
the weeks to come.