[0:00] By singing in Gaelic in Psalm 25 verses 4 and 5.! I'll read them in English. Show me thy ways, O Lord.
[0:13] ! Thy paths, O teach thou me. And do thou lead me in thy truth, therein my teacher be. For thou art God that does, to me salvation send, and I upon thee all the day, expecting to attend.
[0:30] So we'll remain seated. We sing in Gaelic these verses to God's praise. And afterwards, Tharchar will lead us in Gaelic prayer. Play for you.
[1:23] Thank you.
[1:53] Thank you.
[2:23] Thank you.
[2:53] Thank you.
[3:23] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[4:03] Thank you. Thank you.
[5:03] Thank you. Thank you.
[6:03] Thank you. Thank you.
[7:03] Thank you. Thank you.
[8:03] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[9:05] Thank you. Thank you.
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[13:29] Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Amen.
[14:06] Thank you, Father. We'll continue in our praise by singing in Psalm 16. Psalm 16 from verse 6, we'll sing in English.
[14:21] Unto me happily the lions in pleasant places fell. Yea, the inheritance I got in beauty doth excel. I bless the Lord because he doth by counsel me conduct.
[14:36] And in the seasons of the night my reins do me instruct. Before me still the Lord I set. Sith it is so that he doth ever at my right hand, doth ever stand at my right hand, I shall not move to be.
[14:53] And we'll sing down to the end of that psalm, to the end of verse 11. So we'll stand to sing these verses to God's praise. Unto me happily the lions in pleasant places fell.
[15:04] Unto me happily the lions in pleasant places fell.
[15:22] In the inheritance I got in beauty doth excel.
[15:39] I bless the Lord because he doth by counsel me conduct.
[15:56] And in the seasons of the night my reins do me instruct.
[16:14] And in the seasons of the night my reins do me instruct. Before me still the Lord I set. Sith it is so that he doth ever stand at my right hand, I shall not move it be.
[16:50] Because of this my heart is dry, And joy shall be expressed.
[17:08] In my mind, glory and my flesh, In contentious shall rest.
[17:27] Because my soul in great to dwell, Shall not be left by thee, Nor wilt thou with thy glory won, Corruption to see.
[18:03] Thou wilt thou with me show the path of life, Of joy's earnest full store, Before thy face at thy right hand, Our pleasures evermore.
[18:41] If you have a Bible turn with me to the letter to the Hebrews. The letter to the Hebrews chapter 1. I'll read the whole of that chapter into chapter 2 verse 4.
[18:57] And just to say what I forgot to mention in the intimations was to welcome those online. I'll stop anyone wondering what it was.
[19:09] But we do welcome those who are watching online. So we're reading the letter to the Hebrews chapter 1. And here the writer speaks about Jesus Christ.
[19:21] And listen to the way he speaks about him. And then he goes on to quote Old Testament scriptures as he does so. And then we go into chapter 2.
[19:32] So let's hear God's word. Long ago, At many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets.
[19:43] But in these last days, He has spoken to us by his son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
[19:57] He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature. And he upholds the universe by the word of his power.
[20:11] After making purification for sin, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. Having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
[20:32] For to which of the angels did God say, You are my son. Today I have begotten you. Or again, I will be to him a father and he shall be to me a son.
[20:45] And again, Then when he brings the firstborn into the world, He says, Let all God's angels worship him. Of the angels, He says, He makes his angels wounds and his ministers a flame of fire.
[21:03] But of the sun, He says, Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.
[21:14] And you, You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore, God, Your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.
[21:28] And you, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning. And the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain.
[21:39] They will all wear out like a garment, Like a robe that will, You robe you will roll them up, Like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same.
[21:51] And your years will have no end. And to which of the angels has he ever said, Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.
[22:02] Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?
[22:13] Therefore, We must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.
[22:25] For since the message declared by the angels proved to be reliable, And every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?
[22:43] It was declared at first by the Lord, And it was attested to us by those who heard, While God also bore witness by signs and wonders, And various miracles by the, And by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
[23:03] Amen. May the reading of God's word be a blessing to those who have heard it. Before we come back to this passage, we'll sing Mission Praise 738.
[23:14] We sing the praise of him who died. We stand. We sing the praise of him who died.
[23:41] Of him who died upon the cross. The sinner's hope and left divine.
[23:56] For his sweet land, the world was lost. His sight upon the cross we see, His shining letters on his love.
[24:19] He bears our sins upon the tree, He brings us mercy from above.
[24:35] The cross it takes our guilt away, It holds the faith in spirit of.
[24:49] Of his Son, Of his Son, Of his Son, Of his Son, Of his Son, Of his Son, Of his Son, Of his Son, Of his Son, Of his Son, Of his Son, Of his Son, Of his Son, Of his Son, Of his Son, Of his Son, Of his Son, Of his Son, do The measure and the pledge of love The sinners' refuge here below
[25:55] The angels sleep in heaven above Turn back to that passage and we'll turn back to specifically the beginning of chapter 2.
[26:19] We'll read again in verse 3. How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?
[26:30] How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? First, to ask you what you care about tonight. What's the one thing that you're most devoted to in your life?
[26:45] What's the one thing that really takes up most of your time? I'll probably tell you the thing that you care about the most. It could be football, rugby, cars, houses, work, money, family.
[27:01] All of these things tend to give up our time. All these things we care about. And you might even be thinking about these things even sitting here just now.
[27:12] Maybe you've dropped out from listening to what we're saying about this passage in Hebrews. Maybe you're disengaged. Distracted even by the thoughts of these things tomorrow morning.
[27:23] Because I well know, and I'm speaking to myself as I speak these things, that we can sit in church. We can become disengaged from what the preacher is saying.
[27:36] Even when we're reading the Bible together, we can switch off and we can be distracted. All these cares of the world that come before us and tempt us and tease us away from what should be our primary focus.
[27:52] Our minds are so prone to wonder. And the writer here is saying, well, it's dangerous ground. Not to be paying attention to what we hear.
[28:05] Not to be paying attention to the word of God. Not to be truly grasping who Jesus is. As he has been saying, as he has been writing.
[28:17] Because he knows it has eternal consequences. Of all things to care about in this world. Of all interests to have.
[28:30] Of all the passions of our life. He says, this demands your care. This message of the gospel demands your time.
[28:43] Your thoughts, your considerations. To Jesus Christ, we should be inclined to think of it. It's almost as if a teacher in school is teaching you something very important.
[28:59] And they say what they want to say. And then they're looking at these pupils. And they start emphasizing and saying, you need to listen to this. This is most important. This is what you need to know.
[29:12] And that's what he's been saying. He's been talking about Jesus. He's been talking about Jesus as a Savior that is not like anyone else. And then he's saying, this is fundamental.
[29:27] Hear this. Listen to this. What I am saying. At the beginning of chapter 2. As he begins, therefore. As we look at these few verses at the beginning, we can pick out kind of three main ideas that the writer has in making this warning.
[29:47] And this thoughts about Jesus' attention grabbing. And he first warns by saying, pay close attention. In verse 1.
[29:59] Pay much closer attention. He says to all that you hear. It's the first thing. Second thing he says or warns is that there will be a just retribution or a just punishment in verse 2.
[30:17] And then the third thing he does is he brings these two things together. And he says in verse 3, how shall we escape? Retribution, judgment, punishment.
[30:29] If we neglect such a great salvation. If we do not pay close attention to it. If we do not hear. So how do we hear this word when we gather together?
[30:44] Do we neglect it? Do we carefully consider it? It's as if the teacher is there wanting to shake the pupil.
[30:57] Listen to this. You need to listen to this. This is what you need to know. It comes with warnings. Pay close attention.
[31:11] Do not be half-hearted to the word of God. Do not read it without thinking. Do not be passive. Do not be lackadaisical.
[31:23] It's a good word. To be there. But do not really be engaged with what's been said. To be half-hearted. And so he says.
[31:35] After speaking about Jesus Christ in such a way. Pay much closer attention. That's our first point. Pay close attention.
[31:47] If you care about something. If you care about something. You'll pay close attention to every detail of it. Whatever it is.
[31:58] Whatever you love. You'll care about it. You'll look at the details of it. And what is he pleading with them to pay close attention to? Well, it's just what we've been saying.
[32:11] Jesus. Who he is. Jesus, the Messiah. Jesus, the Son of God. As he highlights. Jesus, the exact imprint of the nature of God.
[32:28] Jesus, who is the radiance of the glory of God. Jesus, who upholds the universe by the word of his power.
[32:40] Greater than any prophet. Greater than any priest, he will go on to say. Greater than any other king that has been anointed in the history of the world.
[32:52] There's no one like him. Jesus Christ. He's directing their attention to Jesus. It's as if we were saying in the morning.
[33:04] The highs and lows. It's as if he is writing here on a high. Thinking about Jesus. Grasping Jesus is anew. At the wonder of who he is.
[33:18] But he's writing to people that are low. He's writing to people that are feeling hard going. Living Christian life.
[33:30] He's writing this letter to Jews that have converted to Christianity. The first few generations to come through. Out of the Jewish customs.
[33:41] To follow Jesus Christ. To teach Jesus Christ. They're figuring it out. They're facing the difficulties. And the challenges. The tensions that are there between those who are upholding the Jewish customs.
[33:55] And those who are following Christ. Many persecuted. Some assaulted. Some sent to prison. There's a real temptation under this weight.
[34:07] Under this struggle. To go back. Maybe to give up. Maybe to stop. But he's telling them. Pay close attention.
[34:20] To what is written. Look at Jesus Christ. Rediscover him in the word of God. Because if they are Jews. They'll know the Old Testament scriptures.
[34:32] We can assume that. And so he starts by quoting these Old Testament scriptures in chapter 1. Jesus like no one else.
[34:43] Jesus is son of God. He's telling them. Put two and two together. Pay attention. Find Jesus.
[34:56] Even in these Old Testament scriptures. He's there in it. He's all the way through it. Discover him. And he says.
[35:08] Pay close attention to what you have heard. Because it would have been by what they heard. They wouldn't have had the privilege of having written scripture as we do.
[35:20] It would have all been sitting and listening to the rabbis in the Jewish customs. Sitting and listening to those who had the words, the scripture. And he's saying.
[35:32] Pay attention to all these things that you are hearing. Find Jesus in all these things. This is the way the common man, common woman would have heard.
[35:48] The word of God. And as David said in the morning. I had this passage written down. Faith comes by hearing. Hearing through the word of Christ. Faith comes from hearing.
[36:00] And hearing through the word of Christ. He says pay attention to all that we hear.
[36:11] When we come to church. When we gather together. And it comes with a warning. Pay attention lest we drift away from it.
[36:22] He says. As we could probably assume. Some of them are starting to drift. In the difficulties of the situations that they're finding themselves in.
[36:35] Prison. Persecutions. People after them. People assaulting them. Assaulting them. They're probably drifting. Tempted to give up.
[36:46] But he's saying. Keep your mind. On Jesus. Keep your minds set.
[36:56] On the word. Of God. These times when you are low. And feeling low. This is what will keep you from drifting. That's what he's saying.
[37:07] Because as he later go on to say. As he works his way through Hebrews. Is that the promises that are found in scripture.
[37:20] Are sure and steadfast anchors for the soul. And we know the anchor keeps the boat from drifting. Don't we? The picture that we have.
[37:31] Even in this word drift. That is used here. They say it can be used of things that are carelessly lost. But really. This word was often used.
[37:43] To refer to a boat. A boat that would drift. A boat that would be drifting aimlessly. A boat that's drifting without any direction. Being tossed to and fro.
[37:57] But we can imagine it. Not as an empty boat. With people aboard. But someone aboard. That's not paying attention.
[38:08] Someone aboard. That's not too bothered. To follow the map. To listen to the word. Someone aboard the boat. That's sleeping maybe.
[38:19] Not caring. Maybe someone distracted. By a hundred other things. That entertains him. Rather than the one thing.
[38:31] That he should be focused on. Getting to their destination. Getting to arrive safely. Where they should be. Now the Christian's not immune.
[38:46] From this. Drifting. Is a subtle thing. A gentle thing. And Barclay. The commentator says that.
[38:58] For the most. The threat is not plunging. Into disaster. But rather. That we should drift. Into sin.
[39:12] If you're on the boat. You may assume. That you're not going to sink. You may assume. Your own safety. But if there's not been directed.
[39:26] By anything. If there's no one paying attention. To where. They are going. It's liable. To hit a rock. It's liable. To face a day.
[39:37] Where it will. Be disaster. And for the Christian. Is our lesson in that. We're to have our minds.
[39:47] In the word of God. We have our thoughts. Fixed on Jesus Christ. That is also. What we heard. In the morning. Nine times out of ten.
[39:58] David was saying. When people are struggling. When they're feeling low. It's because they don't have their minds. In the word of God. They're not reading the word of God.
[40:09] They're not praying. The promises of the word of God. Even. Because the word of God. Is our anchor. The word of God.
[40:20] Is the thing. That holds the Christian. From drifting. Although we will drift. Be assured. You'll drift. As we usually say.
[40:31] The anchor doesn't move. We move. We drift. But as the anchor. Holds the boat. You can imagine. The chain.
[40:42] Taking up the slack. As we're drifting. And then. It jolts you. It hits home. We can be reading. The word of God.
[40:53] Feeling so cold. Or we can be reading it. In the mornings. And feel like. We're not getting anything. From it. And we wonder. What's wrong with us. But then.
[41:05] The word of God. Jolts us. Something. Jolts us. That we don't drift.
[41:15] So far. Into disaster. That we are not. Left. The anchor. Of the word of God. Is what holds.
[41:26] The Christian. So we should be reading. Regularly. Listening to the word of God.
[41:36] Regularly. Attending services. Whenever we can. Sometimes we need. A jolt. Sometimes we need.
[41:48] The chain. To go tight. Give it. Your attention. Spend time. In the word of God. If you feel.
[41:59] Like you've drifted. Open up the Bible. Get to the services. Get to prayer meetings. Get to Bible studies. Spend times.
[42:09] Spend times. With other Christians. We have so much. Online resources. More than probably. Any other generation. Has had. We have no excuse. To hear the word of God.
[42:21] And for some strange reason. Maybe we feel like. Maybe we feel like. We're not as. Directed. As past generations. Maybe we are more liable.
[42:33] To drift. Than others had been. Maybe we're so distracted. By all the things. That are around us. Than when we look back. And we read stories.
[42:44] Of past Christians. Who were so faithful. And devoted. They wouldn't miss a prayer meeting. They would be at fellowship. With one another. So often. And our nation.
[42:57] Has drifted greatly. From the word of God. Let us not be carried. By that current. Because a drifting boat.
[43:11] If it is not anchored. In the word of God. Will certainly face. A day of disaster. And that leads us. On to our second point. A just retribution.
[43:23] In verse 2. It says there. In verse 2. For since the message. Declared by angels. Proved to be reliable. And every transgression. Disobedience. Received.
[43:34] A just. Retribution. Now if you care. For something. You care. For someone. You will seek. To avoid. Any risks.
[43:46] Any dangers. That's what we do. With risk assessments. We care. For those in the church. Care for those. That we work with. We have these risk assessments. To avoid. Anyone falling. Into danger.
[43:57] So we have a care. For them. We have a duty. Of care. And he says here. That since. The message.
[44:07] Declared by angels. Proved to be reliable. We must ask. Well. What is meant. By this. When he's been talking.
[44:18] About paying. Close attention. To the word. And he's talking. About this message. That has come. From the angels. That has. Proven itself. To be. Reliable.
[44:29] We ask. What is it? Well. Looking further. And study. Galatians. 3.
[44:40] Verse 19. Tells us. That the law. Was put in place. By angels. Act 7. Verse 53. Tells us. That the law.
[44:51] Was delivered. By angels. So the message. Declared by angels. Seems to be. As commentators. Agree. That it's the law. And if it's the law.
[45:03] And if it's broken. Or if it's transgressed. Or if it's disobeyed. It should face. The punishment. Should face. A just. Judgment.
[45:15] Or retribution. It has. A clause to it. If we break it. The Jews expected this. If they broke the law. If they did not listen to God's word.
[45:28] If they did not heed its warnings. They expected punishment. They knew they deserved to be punished. They knew all sin. Merits punishment.
[45:43] And if it is the law. And if we think about ourselves. And the ten commandments. That we have. And we know. That we've broken. All.
[45:54] Most. All. Matthew 5. Tells us. That it's not the doing. Of the action. It's even the thought of it. In killing someone.
[46:04] Or adultery. That breaks the law. And Jesus taught. That the law was still relevant. The law was like a school teacher.
[46:15] To show you. Your sin. And this message. Proved to be. A reliable. Message. It proved to be true.
[46:30] But this message. Was delivered by angels. Who the writer. Has just been saying. They're lower than Jesus. They don't have the same prominence.
[46:41] As Jesus. He says that. And clearly in verse 4. Jesus has become much superior. To the angels. As a name.
[46:51] He has inherited. More excellent. Than theirs. And so we can discern then. If. If he's saying. Disobedience to the angels. Message. They are.
[47:02] Not so superior. And then he goes on. To say disobedience. To the message of Jesus Christ. Who is far superior. Will there not be.
[47:13] A far greater. A greater judgment. From the greater. Message. From the greater. Deliverer. Not to neglect.
[47:26] This message. As we'll go on to see. For the message of the son. Will carry a greater judgment. The law highlighted.
[47:37] Their sin. The law highlights. Our sin. What we have done wrong. What we have done wrong. In the sight of God. Shows us we're guilty. And the Jew would come.
[47:48] Knowing the weight of his sin. He would come to the temple. He would come with his sacrifice. Knowing that. He would face the punishment.
[47:58] From God. If he did not. The word of God. When we pay our attention to it. Tells us we are sinners. It's a sure thing.
[48:14] And if we are sinners. We are deserving of punishment. We're deserving. Not to be with God. But to be separated. And to be separated eternally.
[48:28] If we continue. In disobedience. We'll face the punishment. Eternally of hell. You see. We are lost.
[48:38] Without. Jesus Christ. This is a warning. That is setting forth. As he considers Jesus. As he tells him. To pay attention.
[48:51] Without. Jesus Christ. There will be eternal. Consequences. For you. For you. Are we paying attention.
[49:03] To this word. Are we realising. The punishment. That we'll face. If we are. Lackadaisical. If we are. Passive.
[49:15] If we are not really. Considering. What has been said here. And if there's anything. That proves. That the message. Of the angels. Was reliable. Certain.
[49:26] And established. Is that Jesus Christ. Died. To pay for our sins. Because the law. Condemned us. Is that not a sure thing.
[49:39] To show us. How sure. That message was. From a message. Of angels. All. Sin. Required.
[49:50] The payment. Of blood. And Jesus Christ. Pays for our sin. With his. Blood. God. And if there's anything.
[50:02] That you should care for. In this world. Surely. It's your own soul. Surely. You would care. That you would not let yourself.
[50:13] Drift into a lost eternity. That you would seek out. Jesus. With all your heart. So that you would escape.
[50:24] This punishment. This punishment. That will be even greater. Than the message of the angels. You escape this punishment. Because you find salvation. In Jesus Christ.
[50:34] And him alone. And that's what he says. In verse three. How shall we escape. Our third point. If we neglect. Such great.
[50:45] Salvation. As we said. The writer is building. On what he said. He's warned them. About neglecting. Not paying attention. He's warned about. A punishment.
[50:56] That will come. He says. Whoever. Rejects. This salvation. Will not.
[51:06] Escape. No escape. From the guilt of sin. No escape. From the weight of sin. No escape. From the punishment. Of hell. Nor the eternal.
[51:18] Torment. And pain. Of it. If we neglect. This great. Salvation. And he poses it.
[51:31] As a question. Doesn't he? Because it's a question. To be answered. By each of us. As we read it. Our only escape.
[51:44] Is to pay attention. To this great salvation. To consider Jesus Christ. As our great salvation. To find our life.
[51:59] In this great salvation. It's almost as if. You could picture it. As someone reading out. Your lottery numbers. That would change your life. And you're seeing the numbers.
[52:10] Matching and matching. And matching. And this is going to be. A life changing sum of money. And we'd be all attentive. To keep hearing the numbers. As we would see them coming.
[52:21] And coming. And coming. As the same ones. How attentive. We would be to that. For money. How attentive.
[52:33] We should be to the word of God. For our lives. What does it gain. What shall man profit.
[52:45] If he gains the whole world. And lose his soul. We have life. In Jesus Christ. And him alone. That is the great salvation.
[52:56] That we receive. Through him. Who died on the cross. For us. Are we neglecting. This salvation. Is what he poses to us.
[53:09] What is neglect. You can imagine. If you have a pet. You have possession. Of the pet. It's as if your name.
[53:20] Bears the responsibility. For it. Neglect. Is not caring for it. Neglect. Is not attending to it. Neglect. Is being distracted.
[53:30] By all other things. Not to look after this pet. Neglect. Is a serious matter. It's almost worse. Than outright rejection. Neglect.
[53:43] Is all the more serious. A matter. When it's a great salvation. Of Jesus Christ. That we neglect. That we do not pay attention to.
[53:55] That we do not. Rightly consider. That we do not. Take seriously. Do you have a Bible.
[54:06] In your hands. Do you have a Bible. At home. Do you neglect it. Or do you attend to it. Do you hear what it says.
[54:19] Do you live by it. Do you pray over it. Even as a Christian. Are we living our lives. Are we living our lives. Attending to the word of God.
[54:30] In our daily lives. But to the unconverted. To ask this question. How shall we escape. If we neglect this great salvation.
[54:42] It's a serious thing. You can imagine. You can imagine. You can imagine. Jesus. Offering you life. Which he does. You can imagine.
[54:53] Jesus saying to you tonight. I have given you. The greatest opportunity. To receive my salvation. You have heard many times.
[55:03] In this building. That I have died for you. On the cross. You know that I became. A sacrifice for your sin.
[55:15] And that my blood. Has paid the payment. For you. That's as if he's saying to you tonight. I let you live in a land. Where the gospel.
[55:26] Was freely proclaimed. You are privileged. To know. Some of. My most faithful sins. Faithful believers.
[55:39] That you knew. I gave you that privilege. And I let you see. The work of my spirit.
[55:50] At work. In changing. Men. Women. Boys and girls. To bow down. Before me. People that were tossed to and fro.
[56:02] In this world. And now people. That have a direction. And acknowledge Jesus Christ. As they say. I let you see them. That change.
[56:13] So that it might have an effect. On you. Maybe you sat under the preaching. Of the gospel. Every week. Maybe my word.
[56:26] Convicted you. But you chose. You chose. You chose. To sleep through. You chose. Not. To go to the wheel of the boat.
[56:37] But you chose. To go down. You chose. To go below deck. And ignore. What was saying.
[56:48] You chose. To let my word. Pass you by. Jesus is saying. I have set before you. The greatest gift. Of salvation. And he's asking.
[57:01] Are you neglecting it? How can we escape. If we neglect. Such. A great. Salvation.
[57:11] The word of God. Is freely. Proclaimed to us. We have it in our hands. We can hold it. Pay attention to it.
[57:27] Because through it. It tells us. The guilt of our sin. And the expected judgment. If we do not receive. Christ as our savior. And there be no excuses.
[57:39] For neglecting. This great. Salvation. That has been offered. To you. Tonight. I pray. These thoughts.
[57:49] Be a blessing to us. I understand. That some. Are due to go. To town. In a minibus. So. If the younger ones. Do need to go.
[58:00] And Kenny. If you do need to go. Please do go. And. We'll conclude. By singing. The hymn. One six four.
[58:12] Mission praise. One one six four. Come. O fount. Of every. Blessing. So as we. Stand. To sing. These words. To God's praise.
[58:23] If you do need to go. Please. Just feel free. To go. Okay. So. Come. O fount. Of every. Blessing. Tune my heart.
[58:34] To sing your grace. Streams of mercy. Never. Ceasing. Call for songs. Of loudest praise. We'll stand. To sing. These words. Of quality. Amen.
[59:13] Amen. Amen.
[60:13] Amen. Amen.
[60:44] Amen. As I conclude, the man that wrote that hymn was converted under George Whitefield's preaching.
[60:59] He became a pastor, but he drifted from the Word of God. And he found peace by travelling the world. And as he was travelling the world after many years, he bumped into a girl on the train.
[61:17] He asked him to think about this hymn that she was reading. It was his hymn. And it was his hymn singing about the fountain of blessing that brought him back to follow God.
[61:35] He drifted. But the Lord wouldn't let him go. And he came back. So we'll pray. Our Father in heaven, we pray and acknowledge that sometimes we drift.
[61:52] And we pray and acknowledge that we have received great blessings from your hand and privileges that are ours in Christ Jesus. Help us to consider.
[62:05] Help us to pray over the promises in your word. To steer us. To guide us. To keep us. To be an anchor to your soul. To keep us sure and steadfast in your ways.
[62:19] Lord, we pray that your blessing would be over us. And as we consider and remember this great salvation that Jesus Christ has wrought for us.
[62:33] So part us, we ask with your blessing. Amen. Amen. Thank you.