We are free at full for Rachel and Rebecca and tearsa for the
ministry and song. Beautiful choreographer brother
Bart and I, he's going to come and share word of personal
testimony. I thank the Lord that he has.
See if me uncapped made by his grace, I grew up in a Christian
home and we attended the free Presbyterian Church, Myron
Avenue in Belfast. There was a large Sunday school
there with over 100 children attending every week.
I remember attending Sunday school even as a tiny tot and
climbing up into the back of a very old Caravan.
I think it was that was used for some disco classes.
At that time, went along the side of the main Church.
Faithful, Sunday school teachers, taught me week-by-week
portions of the Bible and events from the Bible that still stuck
with me today. At home every morning before
leaving for school. And every evening after dinner,
we had family worship, we took turns reading a verse from a
chapter of the Bible. I'm praying and we still do.
We do this today? When wake up Sunday school, I
remember Willie Ferguson as a Sunday school teacher asking
each of us in the class. Whether we received not direct
question was met with her. I was nearly served but I knew
it wasn't and nearly wouldn't be good enough.
From the age of nine. I attended by anger and
dependent Christian School along with my brother and others from
Murray and church. The Christian School is sooo
needed in these dark days and there's an anchor to so many
children who would otherwise fall into the sense of the
world. It teaches the same subjects is
the government-run school but to a higher standard and teaches in
light of the moral standard and truths of the Bible while I was
at my Maria. and I was privileged to sit under the
preaching of Reverend Health's, Plumbing, Reverend Stephen
Hamilton, and Reverend Jim Hardin, and it was while
attending young people's Fellowship, Reverend Harden
discussed The Roman Road of Salvation, this was using the
book of Romans and text from up to point someone to Jesus, as
Savior and Redeemer. The only one that can forgive
her sins after hearing the Roman Road of Salvation.
I didn't immediately go down that path, so to speak.
But the Holy Spirit was definitely working on me.
I always loved learning about creation hide the Bible so
accurate, when it mentions, the creative power and works of God.
Some and the Psalms it says the heavens declare.
The glory of God, it's a text, the shoes, God's creation, truly
shoats that there is an intelligent designer.
Romans 1 verse 20 says, for the invisible things of him from the
creation of the world are clearly seen being understood by
the things that are made us even his eternal power and godhead.
So that they are without excuse God was using his creation for
me to understand him as Creator. One night at about 3:00 in the
morning, I couldn't sleep. I knew that I could no longer
sleep another night without being.
Sure of where I would be, if I died, I started reading the book
of Romans, I read it from beginning to end.
It was an incredible moment of Revelation for my shul.
I understood each verse and I could see that I was a Lost
Sinner. Romans 3 verse 10 says there is
none righteous no not one and Romans 23.
Verse 23 for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God
Romans 5 and he upped his but God commendeth his love toward
us in that while we were yet. Sinners State for us and Romans
6. Verse 23 says, for the wages of
sin is death. But the gift of God is eternal
life through Jesus Christ, Our Lord I was worthy of Eternal
punishment and hail. If I didn't love Christ, come
into my life, forgive my sins and give me a new life.
Remember, on previous occasions of reading, second Corinthians,
five or 17. Therefore, If any man be in
Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away,
behold all things are become new.
I had not had that change of heart, the priorities of my life
for herself and not for gold. So, as I read the book of
Romans, I ask God to forgive my sins.
Cleanse my heart and make me a new creature for him room.
Z at verse 30 and 39 says for I am persuaded that neither death,
nor life nor angels, nor principalities nor powers nor
things present or things to To come nor height nor depth nor
any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of
God which is in Christ. Jesus, our lord, what Assurance
of salvation for me this is always one of the most amazing
verses of the Bible. God loves love reaches into our
hearts. I can never be taken away.
Romans 10 verses 9 to 13 reads. Lift Thou shalt confess with thy
mouth, the Lord Jesus. And shalt believe in thine heart
that God hath raised him from the dead.
Thou shalt be saved for with the heart, man, believeth unto
righteousness. And with the mouth confession is
made unto salvation for the scripture.
Saith whosoever, believeth on him, shall not be ashamed, but
there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek.
For the same Lord over all is Rich unto all that.
Call upon him for whosoever shall call upon the name of the
Lord, shall we? See.
Moved and you that I receive now.
I had a change of heart. Everything I did, I did to the
glory of God, the free Presbyterian Church started a
comp him cold doing something more for God.
And I was at this time that the parable of the business
marketing talents to each of his servants, according to their
ability, really spoke to me Weller.
God gives you just one Talent or five talents or more.
He wants you to use your talents and the service of the church
and I would just ask you argue sieved, have you asked God to
forgive your sins, come into your heart and take control of
your life. And if you are saved or talents,
has God, given you, and are you using them for his service in
half? Well, thank you Mark, for
sharing that word of testimony. Mark, of course, is a mountain
with a number of different talents.
He's the man that set up onto spearheading our internet
Ministry, that God is using On Blessing.
So those who are listening and watching tonight, have Mark to
thank for setting up this ministry but he'd appreciate the
word of testimony. I our Bible reading.
The safe thing is taken from 2nd Corinthians.
Second Corinthians chapter 4. We're going to read the first
six versus second, Corinthians Chapter 4.
Verses 1 through 26. Let's hear the word of gold. 2nd
Corinthians Chapter 4 verses 1 through 26.
Therefore seeing we have received this ministry as we
have received Mercy, we faint not but every ninth, the hidden
things of dishonesty. Not walking in craftiness, not
handling the word of God deceitfully, but by
manifestation of the truth, commending ourselves to Every
Man's conscience in the sight of God.
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are Are lost in
whom the God of this world. Hath blinded the minds of them
which believe not lest the light of the Glorious gospel of
Christ, who is the image of God should shine unto them for we
preach, not ourselves, but Christ Jesus, the Lord and
ourselves your servants for Jesus sake, for God, who
commanded the light to shine out of Darkness, have shined in our
hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in
the fears of Jesus Christ. Well, and the reading they are
at verse 6 and we pray. God will stomp was only approval
and blessing. That's reading a bunch of and
precious word. Now, my text tonight is found in
2nd Corinthians chapter 4, and verse 3, it reads as follows.
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost.
And I want us to think tonight and the theme that I've entitled
the cause and the consequences of hiding the Gospel.
They this is indeed a Solomon taxed, it contains the most
serious message. You see the Apostle Paul didn't
look upon or view the preaching of the Gospel as I agree.
Sure. Or as a task to fulfilled in a
light-hearted manner, he fully relied on preaching.
The gospel. As a vital part of his ministry,
is he from the day of his conversion, God had called him
to be. A gospel preacher and as a
gospel preacher, he faced many challenges he experienced many
difficulties along the way he had trials and troubles, he had
Fierce adversaries. And foes even at times he grew
weary faint-hearted and, and whale doing and yet despite fear
within and fear without all the way Lee was going through this.
He's soft to be fearful to this grid charge and that God had
called him to God. He knew had put him into this
ministry. He acknowledged in Acts 26 22
that he obtained help of God. He knew he wasn't sufficient in
an office for himself, but his sufficiency his strength was in
God and the New Testament records.
For us, Paul's life of service and devotion as a gospel
preacher. Remember, he tells us there and
First Corinthians in chapter 1 and in verse 22, he says for the
Jews require a sign and the Greeks seek after wisdom, but we
preach Christ crucified under Jews a stumbling-block and unto
the Greeks foolishness. He goes on to tell us there and
chapter 2, he says in a rather, and when I came to, you came not
with Excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you, the
testimony of God for, I determined not to know anything.
Among you see of Jesus Christ and him crucified and I was with
you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling and my speech.
And my preaching was not with enticing words of man's Wisdom.
But in demonstration Creation of the spirit, and of power that
your faith should not stand in the wisdom of man, but in the
power of God, and if you look at Second Corinthians 4:5, he tells
us this for we preach, not ourselves, but Christ Jesus, the
Lord and ourselves your servants.
For Jesus sake. Paul's Ministry that God had
given to him centered in the person and work of the Lord
Jesus. It wasn't in the VA in
philosophy. If man, it wasn't on some social
remedies of the day, it certainly wasn't on climate
change, that wasn't the focus and it certainly wasn't
lgbt-related. It wasn't a religious rights and
ceremonies of man. It wasn't even on politics of
the day. He didn't even focus on the
moral issues and values of the day but he focused on Christ and
Christ Alone. He tells us something.
Here is a right to the Corinthians but if our gospel be
hid, It it is head to them that are lost.
What is the greatest crime in the century?
I believe the greatest crime in the century happens today and
said-- churches churches that were open to the glory of God
churches, that were opened for the preaching of the gospel
because mayonnaise churches, today are closed and many
churches today, have lost their focus on the gospel.
It was that a doctor Peasley that said, gospel preaching.
Oh, Opens churches and the opposite.
Then is true, not preaching, the gospel, not preaching Christ and
him crucified. What happens eventually the
church days and weathers and becomes closed.
The gospel is not a trivial matter, look at our text,
there's four things here, you've got the testimony of the Hidden
gospel. If our gospel behead, Notice the
words Our Gospel, that's interesting.
Is he hears the testimony of the Apostle.
Paul. Whose gospel, is it?
It's God's gospel, but he calls it here.
Our Gospel that is himself, and the people that were with them.
He had a personal testimony to the saving power of the Gospel
in his own life. Remember in the road to
Damascus, he was dead in trespasses and sins.
How he was spiritually, blind to go.
God and Jesus, Christ and sin, and a soul and salvation.
He was sprightly disease. Did who thought her real fear of
God at that time? And yet, he's not my because of
what happened in the Damascus Road.
He's not a changed man. He is a transformed man.
The persecutors become a preacher.
The blasphemers become a Believer.
Hi, was it possible? Here's the answer for God.
Who commanded the light to shine out of Darkness, not takes you
back to Genesis chapter 1. One verse one and two, what does
that God? Um, have shined in our hearts to
give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the fears
of Jesus Christ, hears Paulo's personal experience, God who
commanded the light to shine out of Darkness.
The God who said let there be late well that seemed God by his
creative power. He have shined in our hearts.
And what do these Shane into our hearts.
The light of the Glorious Gospel of God in the face of Jesus
Christ. And that's what see if to that's
what changed him. That's what transformed him and
he was fully persuaded in his whole heart and mind that what
he had experienced was the power of God.
God unto salvation. Remember what he says in Romans
1 verse 16, for I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it
is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that
believeth to the Jew first and also, to the Greek for therein
is the righteousness of God revealed from Faith to Faith.
As it is written, the just shall live by faith.
That word power is the word dunamis from which we get the
English word Dana made and you got to think of explosive energy
and the gospel is like explosive energy to those, that hear the
gospel and to those to whom the gospels applied, you see the
gospels, the answer. And here's why Paul risked his
life day and Ely, he lived to exalt and magnify the name of
the Lord, Jesus Christ, you know, that the neum Jesus refers
to his Humanity. The name Lord refers to his
daddy, the name Christ, as he emphasized this morning with
fares to his ministry. The gospel is a very Dynamic.
Now message it's the explosive energy of God and here's a
mound, he's burdened. Here's a man who's bent and
reaching souls for Christ and he lived his life with the full
intent of presenting Christ. To all who would hear them.
He knew the reality of what it meant to be a lost soul, he
could see them dead and send. He could see them Spirits,
they've claimed he could see them spiritually disease
destined for damnation and he says this therefore seeing we
have this ministry as we have received Mercy, speaking about
his personal experiences, testimony we finished not in
other words we're not going to lose heart.
We're not going to give up. We're not going to quit because
Paul was possessed by the gospel, it felt his heart and
mind. Mind.
And you see we live in a day when preachers and sadly.
Or D and clergyman in certain churches, do not know what the
gospel is. And yet this man could say in
1st Corinthians 9 and 16 woe unto me.
If I preach, not the gospel and it's good to have a fine
building over here on her fifth anniversary and we rejoice in
this building, it's good to have a program.
It's good to have activities and even good to have a strong
congregation when everybody's here.
But that's nothing. You can have the building the
program, the activity you can have hundreds of people and yet
not have the gospel. Paul wanted and longed and you,
the necessity of a faithful gospel Ministry that centered or
on the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
He knew the gospel, he was possessed by the gospel.
He loved the gods, he lived for the gospel.
There was no room for changing the gospel.
No room for diluting, the gospel truth.
You, the gospel starts with God and yet he called it Our Gospel.
There's the testimony of the head and gospel very quickly
think about the tragedy of the Hidden gospel, he Says of Our
Gospel behead, ask yourself who's behind the hating of the
Gospel. And the answers given to us in
the next verse. We don't have to second guess,
look at verse 4 and whom the God of this world has blinded the
minds of them. Which believe not the God of
this world is another title for the devil and you see as the
true gospel preacher Harold's forth the gospel and people hear
it. People maybe read it in the
taxed of Holy Scripture, people see it before their very eyes.
Sadly, those who To see and hear and read the gospel.
Can go on with a Christ without a sense of appreciation, without
understanding of what that message is all about, without
having a desire or an appetite for it, something it's not
important to them. Why?
Because the Bible tells us 2nd 1st Corinthians, 2:14 the
natural man. Receiveth not the things of the
spirit of God for. They are foolishness unto him.
Neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned
and you see what is happening to their natural mind and heart as
The devil is at work because his goal is to deceive and to
devalue and deny and doubt and get them to justice.
Believe the gospel, the God of this world.
What has he done? He hath blinded the minds of
them, that believe not. Here's here's the activity off
the devil, the devil's. An expert witness.
They, the devil's being revealed here is the one who desires and
uses his power to exercise over the hearts and minds of
unbelievers. So that they stay blinded and
they stay in the dark as far as the gospel as concerned over
there in the Gospel of Luke in Luke chapter 8 and in the verse
15. We read these words by way of
explanation whenever we think about the parable of the sower,
he says. Sorry it's verse 12.
Luke chapter 8 verse 12, those by the wayside.
Are they that hear. So think of something hearing
the gospel, then cometh. The devil at that moment in time
and take us away the word out of their hearts lest, they should
believe and be saved and over there in John chapter 12 and in
the verse 14, We have something similar, he has blinded their
eyes and hardened their heart, that they should not see with
their eyes nor understand with their heart and be converted and
I should heal them. And that was a quotation.
Of course from the book of Isaiah, see the devil's buzzing.
He does not want the light of the Glorious gospel to shine
forth into your heart because he doesn't want you to be saved.
He doesn't want you to be converted.
There's nothing good about the devil.
There's nothing true about the Devil.
He's a liar. He's being not from the
beginning. Remember what we read in John
chapter 8 and verse 44, year of your father, the devil and the
lusts of your father, ye will do.
He was a murderer from the beginning and Abode, not in the
truth because there's no truth in him.
When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own for, he is a
liar and the father of it, and he still in the business of
trying to stop the advance and Red of the great truths of the
gospel and heal. Obscure your heart and mind
using your natural bent to deny and turn away from the gospel.
And he will try as much as they can.
To hide the gospel from you. I want to tell you, here's one
of his favorite devices very quickly pleasure.
You know, the Bible talks about being a lover of pleasure, your
lover of pleasure tonight, more than lovers of God, as in the
motto of Manny in our world eat drink and be merry for tomorrow.
You die. Let me have my Pleasures.
Let me do whatever I want. Give me what I found.
See what I lost four. How many people drink
themselves? Into Oblivion Dance the Night
Away, Gamble? Party scene.
Music. What's happening?
The devil's using this to blame their manes to stop their ears
to what the grid throughs of the Gospel, isn't it?
Interesting. We think of Jesus Christ being
crucified in the cross. What were the soldiers doing?
They were gambling At His Feet. Gambling for the clothing.
That came off the back of Christ.
Here's the crucified Christ. Hanging in agony and blood.
Can you picture that scene? And one of the soldiers doing
there? Gambling for his vesture.
That here, the art, mangs are blinded the devil's at work and
they're in the route to hell and don't know what under oblivious
to it. I'll tell you another device
that the devil has preyed on by Nature's a pro creature.
And remember, praise the Sun and we are going to preach on God's
verdict of the pride month. Next at Sunday night, or put you
on notice in relation to that. Praise one of the seven deadly
sins. It's an Abomination to God.
And you hear the ungodly say well, who needs God.
Who is the Lord that I should obey?
And that's what Pharaoh said. Remember the crowd when they
were crucifying Christ, not the smile.
Turian overs away with him crucify him you see man or quite
happy to live live and pleasure live with all their proud
Spirit. Pray to fee has prayed of Ria's
prayed of Spears on the and they're having to live and die
and not steal it and happy to go out and do eternity.
Well if there is a God would meet them.
Not knowing this a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the
Living. God, here's another device
procrastination. This is one of the devil's
tactics. Boast, not thyself tomorrow for
no man. Knoweth what a day may bring
forth. Putting it off know that you
need to be saved, one thing to be said and yet putting it off
till another time. Remember Felix said, when I have
a more convenient time I will call on you, can you picture
Felix trembling and the hammer blow of the word of God coming
on his heart? And mind is Paul reasoned of
righteousness and Temperance and judgment to come.
There is a judgment as it is appointed unto man once to die.
And after this, the Judgment death is not the end.
You'll have to stand before God and give it a kind.
And God will say depart Eat worker of iniquity and
everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels Felix
wanted a more convenient time we don't really ever got it.
The Bible says today if you will hear his voice Harden, not your
hearts. The Bible says behold now is the
day of salvation. Now is the accepted time.
You may not see tomorrow. I may not see tomorrow
procrastination, false professions.
How how many faults professions is there in Northern Ireland?
Remember the devil? As an angel of Light and how
many people have been urged by the preacher to walk and I'll
say Nack, yard offer a prayer. Not doesn't see if, but they put
their confidence and faith and not, and then they get for free
and and unworried. Did I say the rate formula of
words was my name, spelled correctly.
That, that was a humble enough as a came forward and they never
even have a thought. I could have a simple false
profession. Not to me as a masterstroke of
the devil, some of the thinking that they're sieved pretending
that they're seeing but they're not actually born again.
There's no evidence of a new heart.
There's no evidence of a new life.
Maybe you're here tonight and that's what you have, you've
made a profession, but is actually a false one because you
were never changed. You've no real love for God or
Christ or the things of God, you do hit.
But for sin, you know, desire for holding.
What about the device of possessions, a love for things,
or how many people have a love for things?
And yet their razor close to spiritual reality and spiritual
truth. Happy with their spiritual
blindness, happy with their spiritual, state knows.
Sense of fear, no sense of alarm.
No sense of drama. Why?
Because they're blinded to the gospel.
Notice this here, Half blinded the minds of them, that believe
not. It's not We'll try to put half,
he's doing it at ready. Paul says, in Corinth, it's not
a new thing. He's been added from the
beginning and do I could flag up tonight.
The days of Noah, I remember he was a preacher of righteousness
and many received in Noah's day. Just Noah his wife, his three
sons and their ways not many Comforts in the old world.
We don't really have one come to the days of lot.
Not was a backslider i'mi'm, not spoke to people in Sodom.
He seemed as if he was knocking. Lot's wife.
Turned back became a pillar of salt.
Why? Cause you haven't done your
heart. She had a heart for Sodom not
for the Savior. She loved its lifestyle and it's
lawlessness. The Bible tells us remember
Lot's wife, what about the days of Isaiah?
And if you turn there to the book of Isaiah for a few minutes
and Isaiah chapter 1, you're going to reach something
startling. Something that's actually a
picture of our day. It says there and Isaiah 1:2
hear o heavens and give ear o Earth for the Lord of spoken.
I have nourished and brought up children and every belt against
me, the ox new with his owner and the ass, his master's crib,
but Israel dog. Not know, my people do not
consider a sinful Nation a people Laden with iniquity a
seed of evildoers children that are corrupters.
They have forsaken, the Lord, they have provoked.
The Holy One of Israel under anger.
They are gone away backward, why should you be stricken and him?
Or he will Revolt more and more. The whole head is sick, and the
whole heart feeling from the sole of the foot.
Even under the head, there is no soundness in it.
But wounds and bruises and putrefying sores, they have not
been closed, neither I end up neither mollified with ointment.
You see the spiritual blindness was an epidemic in Isaiah's day
and here's the evidence that spiritual blindness.
There's a love for sin. There's a continuation in sin.
There's a forsake in of God, on a forgetting of US law, people
refuse to repent. People don't want to know, you
tell them they're lost and they laugh, they think sends our
friend. But all the while it's a fool
and the Bible talks about the deceitfulness of sin and sin, of
course, not only just saves but what sin destroys Send downs and
not only as their continuation in sin, but there's a
carelessness for the Savior. Hey, many people have no anxiety
for Christ. You invite them to a gospel
service, they're not troubled. They're not tell you, I'll be
there, isn't it? Interesting?
That Isaiah if we go back to Isaiah and Isaiah chapter 53,
and he tells us there, and as I a chapter 53 and the verse 1,
the aasa' on a question who hath believed our report.
And to whom has the arm of the Lord revealed.
And the liberal thought is there who hath believed our Doctrine
who believe the revelation of God, who believed the gospel,
you see to them. It was a worthless thing to
them. It meant nothing.
So they emitted no appeal because remember, they're blind.
Remember, they're dead? Remember, they're spiritually.
Diseas'd they see no attraction to create, they have no love for
Christ. Trust in themselves and their
good. And what's the end of it?
All if you look at our text the tragedy of the head and gospel,
it says, but if our gospel be head and his head to them that
are lost, Lost in sin. Lost in relation to Jesus
Christ. Lost modeling, lost spiritually.
Lost eternally for one day. They will be lost for all
eternity. For Jesus said, if you die in
your sins where I am there, you can't be that's the tragedy of
the head and gospel the devil's at the back of it.
Here's what he's doing, here's the devices and many others that
he's using and here's the end result, lost lost.
One final thing I want you to think about the truth of the
head and gospel. as I've told you the devil's at the back of
us, And the devil Works quickly. As soon as you hear the gospel
to snatch, it away your heart and night.
The devil Works. Intensely, he's not playing a
game, he knows what he's doing, lest, you should be converted.
The devil Works viciously users region anger and persecution.
And of course, that's what he did in Paul's day and that's
what he's doing in our day. The devil Works subtly, he can
come as an angel of Light. He can take away one or too,
few, few truths. Out of the Gospel messy.
Distort, the gospel, that makes it, another gospel, another
Jesus, and it's hidden from the hearts and minds of the people
Here's the truth of the Hidden gospel.
You see this word lost? Are we thinking about?
Sadly, there's a hell. For those Sinners, how many
tonight are lost and sin, naturally lost because they're
born spiritually, dead, blind and diseas'd.
They're spiritually lost. There's no hope.
There's no meaning and they're in danger of Eternal damnation.
They're in danger of being eternally lost because he'll is
real. And who's the one that can
uncover the gospel? Who's the one that can make it
known unto us? Well, that's the work of the
Lord. Jesus, that's the work of the
holy spirit of God, and that's why Paul preached Christ and him
crucified and he preached in the power of the Holy Spirit.
He said we preach Christ and him crucified because yes, there's a
hell for Sinners, but there's hope for sinners.
On the hope for Sinners as this hidden gospel has hidden from
their hearts and Minds will be revealed to them by the spirit
through the scriptures. Unrevealed of the savior.
And they discover that there's hope and joy and peace to be
hard on him. Let me ask you tonight.
What's your attitude and thought to the gospel?
Do You Love The Gospel tonight? Or do you love the gospel?
Have you come to Christ as your lord and Redeemer as your life
being changed and transformed because you're trusting in Him?
Are you among those tonight to him the gospel as head?
Because the devil's at work and you don't even know what and
you're still in the Road to Perdition you're actually lost
with a Christ. The night is that a picture of
you? Would you not like to be saved?
We want you to be saved. We invite you to come to Christ.
Souls got saved over there, to come permission.
It Souls were led to the Lord last year through the internet
Ministry that her brother Mark has set up.
We thank God for the heart and for those who are going home,
well, we Rejoice with them. You could be among them.
What about you tonight? I leave that thought with you.
As the gospel head from you, are you among the lost tonight or
has your age been opened? Because God has chained in your
heart and giving you the light of the knowledge of the Glorious
Gospel of Jesus Christ in the face of Christ?