The Gospel in a Nutshell

Amen. That's good singing.

Good to have that assurance of sins for a given.

Good to have that assurance that the hymn writer did and does.

We are going to a palace that is built of gold.

But I wonder what about you today?

I wonder what about you in this gathering today, you watching

along the service online. Do you have that same assurance

that so many of us have? That assurance that comes to

know that we have our sins forgiven.

I want you to turn, please, to John's Gospel chapter 3.

We intimated or hinted at it this morning that we were going

to be looking at this gospel in a nutshell that we find here in

John chapter 3 and the verse marked 16.

John 3 · chapter mention

What a wonderful account this is.

John chapter 3, verse 16. Of course, the Bible wasn't

John 3:16

originally given in the chapter divisions or indeed diverse

divisions of a habitant today that we have and love today.

But we do appreciate the fact that there are those that came

before that divided it up as it is.

In fact, it was a year, I think it was in and around the year

1227, whenever Stephen Langdon, the then Archbishop of

Canterbury, took to that mammoth task of dividing the Bible up

into the chapter divisions that we know and love today, and then

the verse divisions, they came sometime later.

That was Robert Stevens, a printer, a French printer who

divided up into the verse divisions that we know and love

in and around the year 1551 for his edition of the New

Testament. And it's John chapter 3, verse

John 3:16

16. In fact, we're going to make

reference of this tonight because it's something that

comes up in the message. And every time I think about

this passage about that division 316, you're going to have to

wait a minute or two to hear of that.

But we want to read, first of all, trust you find the place.

John, chapter 3. We want to read a number of

John 3 · chapter mention

verses at the start of this chapter.

Now, let us just set the scene here.

Here we have a learned man, a ruler, a very important man in

the city of Jerusalem at that time, who came under the cover

of darkness to quiz the Lord, to ask him difficult questions,

questions that he didn't know the answer to.

And I believe that very evening, that very night was the night

when the penny dropped for that individual, the night when the

skills came off his eyes and he was able to see the Lord Jesus

Christ for who and what he was, the Saviour of the world.

He had questions that night. He had things that he couldn't

get into his head or couldn't understand perhaps.

I think a little bit of this was the case.

He was overcomplicating those things.

But I believe that's the very night that could be traced back

to how this man was converted. John chapter 3 verse one reads,

John 3 · chapter mention

There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the

Jews. The same came to Jesus by night

and said unto him, Look at the very title that he uses here.

He respected the Saviour so much.

He said, Now this was just the very commencement of the

Saviour's ministry. But here he is, He comes in, He

knows enough to indicate to us that he's been watching the

Saviour for some time. He started off Rabbi.

We know that thou were the teacher, come from God.

Now the very term we as a plural thing, it brings others into it

as well. Perhaps there were others who

had been discussing the matter of who this man really was.

But regardless of who that was, here we find this man on his own

that night. We know that thou were the

teacher, come from God, for no man can do these miracles of thy

dost except God be with him. He knew there was something

different about the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus answered and said unto him, verily, verily, and

incidentally. It's only in John's Gospel that

we have the verrillies repeated or doubled, as we have here in

this little phrase, verily, verily.

And that's one of the things that we look out for.

Whenever the Saviour was about to say something of look at me

when I say this utmost importance, He always preceded

it with either verily, verily, as in John's Gospel, or verily

as in the other Gospels, the Synoptics, or words like, lo or

behold, words like that, or words that we ought to look out

for when we're reading Scripture.

Here we have it, verily, verily, and then we've got something of

utmost importance coming. We know this.

I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the

Kingdom of God. That's once Nicodemus said unto

him, Here's the first of the questions.

How can a man be born when he is old?

Can he enter the second time unto his mother's womb and be

born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily,

I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit,

he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.

That's twice. See the way the Lord is

reinforcing this truth, this divine truth, thus saving truth.

Verse 6, that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that

which is born of the spirit is spirit.

Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again.

That's three times and just a few verses where the Saviour is

reinforcing this thought to him. In fact, this time in verse 7,

he prefaces it with that little free is marvel not he could see

by reading this man's face. In fact, beyond that, oh, we're

way beyond that because we're dealing with the Lord Jesus

Christ here, the Son of God and God the Son, He read this man's

hearts as he does with you tonight.

He knew that he was surprised or we could even go further than

that and we could say that he was a little bit taken.

Abide aback. That's why did you ever think of

the first few words in verse 7, the 1st 2 words?

Why did the Saviour say, Marvel not that I said unto thee,

Because this man was struggling with this thought, that he had

heard by now three times, or twice by now this was going to

be the third. Marvel not that I said unto

thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it

listeth, and thy hearest to sound thereof.

But canst now tell whilst it cometh, and whither it goeth,

what he is saying here, that you cannot see the wind, but you can

merely see the effects of the wind, That's what he is using

here by illustration form to this religious leader.

So was everyone that is born of the spirit.

Nicodemus answered and said unto him, he he was now at the point

where he didn't even ask individual questions about

individual things that the Lord was saying.

It was just so much for him. Look at his response in verse 9.

Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?

He had questions. Jesus answered and said unto

him, Art thou a master of Israel?

Knowest not these things. Verily, verily, I say unto thee,

we speak, that we do no one testify that we have seen, and

ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly

things, and you believe not, how should you believe if I tell you

of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up unto

heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of

Man, which is in heaven. And here the Saviour is Speaking

of Himself, the Son of Man. That's how he refers himself in

John's gospel, especially the Son of Man.

And in fact, here when we get to verse 14, now we know what verse

14 refers to. It refers to something that

happened a way back in Israel's history, a way back before the

time of Christ Incarnate. In fact, it refers a way back to

something that we read off in the Old Testament in Numbers

Numbers 21 · chapter mention

chapter 21. We know about that.

But this man, this religious leader, this ruler of the Jews,

this Pharisee, or he knew all about that.

Their knowledge of the Old Testament would have put us to

shame. I believe that's why the Saviour

said what he did that day in private consultation with this

man in verse 14, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the

wilderness, and here he gives us prophecy of how He himself would

die, Even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.

That's the central event, and all time the cross work of my

Saviour referred to here in that verse.

That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have

eternal life. Listen to these verses, friends.

For God so love the world that he give His only begotten Son,

that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have

everlasting life. For God sent not His Son unto

the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him

might be saved. He that believeth on Him is not

condemned. But there's that word of

contrast. But he that believeth not is

condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of

the only begotten Son of God. We'll end the reading there,

please, of that eighteenth verse, praying in the knowledge,

but the Lord Himself will pour out His own blessing upon this,

the reading of His own precious word to our souls just now.

If you could join me, please, by standing in prayer for a moment.

Let us take a moment as we come before the Lord and the throne

of grace, as we reverently approach His word this evening.

Let us pray, Father. Well, thank Thee for the

blessing that we've had of thy presence already tonight.

But Lord, we admit that we can do nothing more, nothing else.

We can't open up the Scripture at all without thy help.

Therefore, Lord, I plead with Thee to draw near, help this

preacher in his weakness. Help those, the hearers and the

Pew and the hearers along online as well, whether it's live right

now in their own homes as they're watching the service, or

sometime after the fact through the week or beyond.

I pray that the entrance of Thy word might bring light and life

undertake for us. And I give that help, Lord, for

these next several moments in Thy presence.

It is for Thy glory and Thy glory alone would you plate.

And thy precious and and Thy holy nobody ask.

Amen. You know, every time I think

about this particular passage of Scripture, John chapter 3 in

John 3 · chapter mention

particular, it brings a smile to my face.

It brings a smile to my face. Let me tell you one of the

reasons why. There's a lot of things that I

could go into just now, but one of the reasons is my home church

is a few mile up the road in Balnahenge right from.

I always joke that that church was built to coincide with my

birth. I think the church there was

opened in March 1978 and I was born in the last, the end of

1977, but right from that church was first opened to this very

day. Part of John chapter 3, verse 7

John 3:7

is painted on the wall behind and big bold lettering behind

the preacher's head. John chapter 3, verse 7, ye must

John 3:7

be born again. That's part of the reason it

brings a smile to my face. But there's other parts of that

reason as well, that it brings a smile to my face.

And indeed, a cold shiver can also run the length of my spine

whenever I think about it. George might know something

about this, because it makes me think and brings me back, in

fact, to an open air that we were doing down at the City Hall

one Friday afternoon. Do you remember we used to do

those open airs? Brother Doctor Paisley started

those open airs in the 1960s, lunchtime open airs on a Friday,

and US ministers in the Belfast area tried our best to continue

that and to keep on doing that. But I remember 1 particular dump

Friday afternoon at Belfast City Hall away back in 2019.

In fact, I've researched this and I know exactly when that

date was. I'll not forget it.

It was Friday the 18th of October 2019 to be precise.

I remember it well. I remember sitting in my study

that day and it was damp, it was wet.

It was a nasty sort of a day on the late Clifford Black, if you

know if you know Clifford Black and the sort of man he is or

was, he's been called a higher reward since Clifford Black

lived in Larne and the weather over there might have been

different from what it was in Dromara and certainly the middle

of Belfast. And I remember whale.

I can still see it yet before sitting in the study window with

me at the desk and the phone rang and it was Clifford's name

on the phone and I answered it and he says brother, what's the

weather like where you are? I says well it's a bit wet here.

What do you want to do with the open air today?

Do you want to leave it or do you want to go for it?

I says we'll give it an hour. So he rang me back in an hour.

By that stage I was down in east Belfast and he rang me again and

he says, well brother, what do you think now?

What's the weather like now? He says it's still raining but

it's given it to dry up. I'm just for somebody here at

the minute, Clifford. We'll give it another hour.

It was about half 11, but half 12.

He rang again. He says, well, what are we going

to do? I says, I'll tell you what we'll

do. We'll go for it.

I says I'll meet you at the gates of City Hall at 1:00.

He had it booked, meticulously booked.

He had a contact in City Hall and he emailed that Lady every

day, every week. And he got the booking cemented

and set in stone where we might be able to continue that

tradition that Doctor Pacey had started back so many years ago.

But I remember the day that I remember that later on, about

5:00 to 1:00, I pulled up and the wife car actually that day.

And he was standing at the sight of their own pulling his hair

out. What are we going to do,

brother? I says, why?

What's wrong When he pointed at this Transit van that was parked

and I turned around and I says, well, get him beside it, that'll

not be a problem. I don't mean the van, he says.

I mean that. And he pointed over at the 50

plus Republican protesters that were just about to start a

protest that day. They were having a protest that

day and it was started. It was actually organised by

John Finucan, the then Lord Mayor of Belfast, who was

holding a protest that day to reuse the profile of Michaela

McCallum. Do you remember that one?

One of the Peru too had been caught being as drug mules.

That's why they were there. And I said to Clifford, I says,

you know what? We'll, we'll go for it.

I had the pipes and all with me as always do.

Your brother asked me as he come into the pulpit.

Do you have the pipes with you the night?

I'm a piper. I'm I wear a whole lot of hats.

You'll know that about me. I'm a piper.

I'm a bus driver, I'm an engineer, I'm a preacher.

I'm a lot of things. But I had the pipes with me that

day and I said, Clifford, we'll not bother with the pipes.

We'll go straight into preaching the word because we may get a

short shift. And he set up his microphone at

the start. And you know what I did?

I just, I, I didn't really plan it.

Maybe I should have thought about it a little bit more.

I had a little black Bible that would have preached from a

little black book. It maybe didn't even look like a

Bible, but it was a little black Bible.

And I held it up as high as I could and I spoke directly into

that microphone. So on a nut, joking people over

a mile away would have heard every word.

You're laughing. You think that's true?

That is true. That's been proven because the

way the buildings are structured and right down Royal Ave, you

could hear me over a mile away, every word.

And that was proved because I spoke to somebody on one

occasion after preaching at the open air and they were able to

tell me that they heard somebody preaching on what the outline

was. And after the finish, I said,

bro, that was me if I could hear it.

But I stood up that day with my little black book.

I don't know if you've ever heard this story, brother.

It's a true story. I held up that little black book

and I said I have evidence in my hand of collusion at the highest

level. Oh, I knew I had them on the

hook when I said that. And I went on further and I said

collusion between political leaders and religious leaders.

I have evidence of it here in this little black book.

Oh, I knew I had them and then I brought the book down and I

opened it up and I opened it up at this very portion that we've

read together this evening, John chapter 3 and began to read of

John 3 · chapter mention

how Nicodemus, this religious leader, this political leader

came under the cover of darkness that very night that we've read

of to speak to this question, to quiz to to have that one to one

conversation with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Oh, I knew I had them that day. I preached probably for 20

minutes or so, and I was afraid to turn my head to the left or

to the right. I was determined to finish what

I had started, and I could feel people closing in right behind

me and I didn't know who they were, whether they were friends

or foes. I was waiting to get pulled back

off that microphone that day, and it never happened.

And as soon as the meeting was over, as soon as I finished

preaching and clothes and prayer, I turned around.

It was actually some of my own deacons, my own committee man

from our own church. I didn't know that there was one

other man there from the protest who had actually, believe it or

not, actually come over to share his appreciation for what we did

and how we did it that day. And to tell me that they had

actually waited for us to finish before they would start their

protest. Imagine that, you see, if I was

in America now, that we shouldn't praise the Lord.

Tell you what the Lord does wonderful things.

In fact, I remember something else I told you earlier on about

the chapter divisions and the various divisions and what the

316 means to me. This is also a true story.

I used to work in, well, I don't, I shouldn't say used to

work, but I used to work in aerospace engineering.

I left in aerospace engineering and went into the ministry 20

years ago. I actually went back to

engineering 2 weeks ago. I've done two weeks now back at

engineering again after hiatus of 20 years.

But I used to work an engineer in a in a factory up near

Crumlin called Langford Lodge Engineer and we made ejector

seats for jets. And I remember 1 morning, I

remember it well as clear as if it was happening right in front

of me. Now there was a fellow I worked

with and got on very well with. His name is Marty.

And I remember Marty, as soon as I came into my workstation that

day and put down my bag and started to get ready for work

about 5:00 to 8:00 that morning. I remember him already making a

B line for me and I said to myself, I wonder what this is

now. And he comes straight over to me

and he says to me, I've got a question for you.

I said, Marty, what's your question?

I knew the nature of the question because of the way he

come over to me. I just knew there was something

up. And he says, I know that you'll

be able to answer this question. I said, what's your question?

Marty spit it out. He says what does 316 mean?

And I smiled and I said Marie, why are you asking that

question? He says I was down at Crue Park

yesterday for a big Gaelic final or something like that.

He was a GAA fan and and player. He says I was down at the Crue

Park and behind the goals. Every time there was a a goal

scored in One Direction or every time attention was down at that

end of the pitch, there was somebody there with a big

sandwich board on them. And it didn't say much but it

said this 3 double .16. And he said, I knew you would be

able to tell me something about that.

And that is I had the privilege that Monday morning of sharing

the gospel message, the gospel in a nutshell of sharing John

John 3:16

chapter 3, verse 16 with Marty McNally that day as he listened

and hung upon every single word. How did he know it was something

religious? How did he know it was something

that I'd be able to answer the question?

I don't know the answer to that question, but I know the Lord

give us a gospel opportunity that day.

In fact, I've only just heard the commencement, the close.

That's funny how things go full circle.

The close of that story recently because I was preaching at a

conference, ACPA conference up in Port Stewart last summer.

And I related that same story. And somebody come up to me after

the meeting and they said, I know the man that used to go

down to all those matches, he had no interest in Gaelic.

He had no interest in that. But you know what he had an

interest in? And this is the reason why we're

here tonight, folks. He had an interest in the souls

of men and women and young people.

He had a burden for his poor, deluded Roman Catholic

neighbours. And that's why he bought out of

his own pocket tickets to go down, paid for the journey and

went down and stood proudly with his 316 on his bed and a message

front and back that he might win others to Christ.

Now you understand, perhaps there's three stories there in

one, the one of the verse on the wall in Balnahenge, the one of

that true story of the Sinn Fein protest that day all those years

ago, and of reaching Marty with the gospel in that manner.

You know why? It brings a smile to my face as

well as a cold shiver down my spine.

But let me ask the question today.

What about you? You understand anything of the

import and the meaning of what we have here in John chapter 3,

John 3:16

verse 16. I want us to think about this

verse. I want us to think about those

words that are that encapsulated there in that verse number, the

many Bible as it's been often referred to or as as we're

calling it tonight, the gospel in a nutshell.

I've heard, I'm sure you have as well heard, hundreds or maybe

even thousands of sermons preached on that particular,

that famous text of Scripture. In fact, I'm almost afraid to

come to that Scripture because we'll never do it justice.

But if you were to hold that attitude, you'd never preach in

any verse of Scripture because we could never plummet the

depths of any verse of Scripture that we'll ever come to.

But look at the even the very third word of that verse.

Look at it in your copy of God's word for God.

So was said this morning how easy it is to skip over words,

especially small ones to to just to rush past them and to get to

the the main words of meaning in the verse.

God and his love in the world and and begotten.

What does that mean in Son and perish?

But we can and skip over the small words.

But look at even that third word.

For God so loved the world. That word in itself is like a

whale with no bottom, inexhaustibly deep when we seek

to think about and describe and have that cognitive grasp of how

much God loved you tonight. I want us to look at this verse

in the few moments that we have in respect.

I don't know if you've ever heard it taken this way or not.

I know I haven't. In respect very simply to time.

I've divided up three very simple ways.

You'll know something about me. I'm a very simple preacher.

If I can understand it, you'll be able to understand it.

And it is in respect to time, specifically the first part, the

middle part, the last part in the past, the present, and the

future, because it divides up in my mind at least that way so

easily. Look at the verse.

That's lies before us. For God so loved the world that

He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him

should not perish, but have Everlast life.

Here we have. First of all, the opening words

of that verse speak to us of the past.

Do you see what it says there of how the Lord Jesus Christ spoke

to this individual, this anxious Enquirer, this genuinely anxious

Enquirer who was concerned about his soul all day?

Let me ask you a question. Are you concerned for your soul

today? Because here we're dealing with

One who certainly is. He took time.

Imagine the God of all the universe, the only speak the

words unto being, took time to speak to this individual.

Perhaps He's the one that's knocking your heart's door

tonight and has been knocking your heart's door.

Would you let Him in? Here we have something that

alludes to the past. Look at all the words that are

used. Look at the verbs that are given

in the past tense. For God, a verb is a doing word.

It's a word, with a few exceptions, that you can put I

in front of and that still makes sense.

I walk, I sing, I love, I for God, so loved the world.

That's past tense, Speaking of something that happened and

something that occurred, of a council that happened in

eternity past, as we would call it, for the limitation of our

own mind. Really, in the mind of God,

there's no such thing as eternity past or eternity

future. There's eternity.

But in our minds, the way we have to think, God so loved the

world that He gave His only begotten Son.

There was a council, you see, hailed in eternity past when God

the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit came up with

this plan, this perfect plan of redemption, that sinners like

you and I might be saved. I thank God for that meeting all

those years ago. In fact, an eternity past.

We can't even speak of it in terms of years, whenever the

whole eternity, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit

came up with this perfect plan of redemption for a fallen

reeds, for a fallen world of sinners such as you and I Just

you think about that for a moment.

It's hard for the mind to grasp fact.

I want us to think about the love of God for a moment.

We're thinking here about things that are hard to grasp.

We can't really grasp that fully.

We think of love as an attribute that's added on to us and and he

can love or he does love or he is lovely or I love this or I

love that. God not just has or possesses

whose attributes God is love. It makes up his essence.

God is love in the words of first John chapter 4, verse 8

1 John 4:8

and verse 16. We're told there in those verses

on those occasions that God is love.

You can turn to that verse if you like.

I'm going to read it now. John 4 verse 8, first John

John 4:8 1 John 4:8

chapter 4 verse 8. He that loveth not knoweth not

God, for God is love. Not just that he can love or

does love or shows the characteristics of love, but it

makes up His very essence. It's who He is because God sent

his only begotten Son into the world.

First John chapter 4 verse 9 continues.

1 John 4:9

God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might

live through Him. Herein is love.

Oh, think of it friends, not that we love God, but that He

loved us and sent his Son to the to be the propitiation of our

sins, that he might buy us from the slave market of sin.

You know, right away, back before the start of time.

God, the Holy Trinity devised this plan in the past for

sinners such as you and me, because on the merit, on the

basis of His love for us. You think about that for a

moment and then in the fullness of time we're getting more

recent now to that central event and all time that happened

almost 2000 years ago. God and the Person of God, the

Son, the Lord Jesus Christ himself, the one who willingly

left the splendour of heaven's glory, the one who came to this

sin, cursed earth. Why, yes, He came to do many

things. He came to train the 12.

He came to raise the dead and heal the sick.

He did. He came to do many things and he

did many things. But you know the central reason

that Christ came. He came to die upon the cross of

Calvary for the sins of many for you and I.

Do you ever think about that? That was in the past.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.

That alludes to and speaks to and references the cross work of

my Saviour. He willingly allowed them to

hold His arms back against that wooden cross.

He willingly allowed them and in full control He could have

called. The hymn writer puts it this

way, that he could have called 10,000 angels to come and set

him free. But what was it that held him

there to the cross? What was him that held him to

that task that he had covenanted from eternity past to do?

And was his love for sinners such as you and I?

That's why he came. That's why he allowed those

cruel and wicked men to nail him to the tree of Calvary.

That's why he gave his back to the smiters.

That's why he allowed them to force that crown of thorns whose

long eastern thorns down upon his lovely brow.

That's why he shed his life's blood, because of his love for

sinners such as you and I. Oh yes, this first part of this

verse that encapsulates the gospel in a nutshell.

It alludes to the past. It brings us back.

And let me say this tonight, everyone of you have a past.

Maybe there's something in your past that is keeping you from

coming. I remember doing open airs up

and down the main road there, the Craigor Rd.

I remember taking our microphone and our stand and setting up

outside a shop and preaching the gospel for 10 or 12 minutes or

so and then packing everything up and moving a couple of 100

yards up the road and doing it again and again and again and

again as we moved our way up that road.

And I remember one of those occasions, this particular man,

he ate a few drinks and and I made his lips loosened.

And I remember whenever we were packing up from one of those

stations ready to move on to the next, that man following me and

saying, I would love to be C of minister.

I would love to be see of pastor.

I said, well, I can point you to the Saviour and he can save you

right now on that footpath in that drunken state in which

you're in, He can save you right now.

And then the excuses started to flow.

And you know what 99% of those excuses were?

There were things that had happened to him in his past.

There were times that he had been burned maybe whenever he

was involved in the church. There were times that he had

been hurt and annoyed whenever he was in in Christian

situations or in Christian families.

There was something in that man's, there was many things in

fact, in that man's past that was keeping him from coming.

What about you today? There's one thing that I've

discovered here in Northern Ireland more than anywhere else.

And last year we were preaching over in Texas, Tennessee, Ohio,

West Virginia, New York, up that eastern seaboard.

The year before we were over in Canada preaching.

But I find it more here in the province than anywhere else that

I've ever preached in the world. And that is that everybody you

meet here and you tried to share with them in the gospel, they

always bring up their past, their baggage, something that's

holding them back from coming because of that has happened in

the past. Perhaps that's the case with you

tonight. Maybe that's the reason.

If I were to get you 1 to 1 as the Saviour got this man 1 to 1,

and I asked you personal questions like why have you not

come to the Saviour for salvation, for sins forgiven?

Maybe you'd give me a similar sort of an answer from what that

man gave me at the site of the Rudad data in the Craig.

It's because of the past, It's because of the baggage.

It's because of the emotional baggage.

It's because of some family situation that's arisen.

Oh, Pastor, if you knew what I had gone through or if I had a

penny for every time I heard this, I'd love to be seen.

But if, you know, knew what I've done in my past, there, it's

coming up again. If you knew what I'd done in the

past, you would understand why I simply cannot come.

Well I can point you to structures I can point you to.

We're thinking this morning and praying for those that were

involved in that. Yet another terrorist attack

down in Dunmurry by cards last night.

I could point you we are anti terrorism and I could point you

to occasions in scripture. Let me say this, where we have

terrorists who terrorised and wreaked havoc in the church,

soul was one in Acts chapter 8 and 9.

Acts 8 · chapter mention

Saul was one who wreaked havoc in the church have was anything

to do with any of us who wouldn't have found his body.

But the Saviour stopped that man in his tracks that day on the

road to Damascus and turned him into a trophy of grace for

himself. That's how the Saviour treats

and dealers with those who have a past that would prevent them

from coming. What about you tonight?

Would you not come? Maybe there's something in your

past that prevents you from coming.

Would you not come tonight? Come just as you are?

Oh, there's people that will say to me, I'm going to get saved.

I want to get saved. But first of all, I have to give

up the drink. First of all, I have to give up

the gambling. First of all, I have to give up

the cigarettes. What does the Lord say regarding

all those things and many more? Seek ye first the Kingdom of God

and His righteousness and all these things, all these other

things, all these things that's holding you back.

All these things shall be added on to you with all your getting

get to the cross. Don't try to put all those

things right first. That's putting the cart before

the horse. Come just as you are, Come just

as you are. You can be savoury.

You set on those lovely, comfortable red pews that could

be your birthplace tonight. Maybe you're watching the

service along online from your living room or your kitchen, or

listening it after the fact from the comfort of your van or your

cab or your car or somewhere else.

You can be saved right now where you sit.

Just pray to the Lord to save your sinful, never dying soul.

And He can save you as He saved this man Nicodemus in our

passage, yes, there's the past alluded to here in the first

part of the verse. But look at what we read here in

the heart of that verse. Look at what we read there and

concerning the present. For God so loved the Word or the

world as we read there in John chapter 3, verse 16.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave us only begotten Son.

That's the past that. And here we come to the present.

Let me say this, there's a decision that you're to make.

Not tomorrow, not the next day, not down the road, not whenever

you've lived your life, not whenever you've had your fun.

But this is something for the right now, for the present.

Look at what it says, that whosoever believeth in him

should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Whosoever believeth in him. This is something for right now,

friends, right now. Do you realise today, but while

the covenant of redemption was hatched and eternity passed

between the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, do you realise

right now that their personal responsibility, the onus is on

you tonight? Would you not come?

You have a decision to make. You have to walk out through

those double doors, through another set of double doors and

then out into the into the evening air.

But you have a decision to make tonight, will you?

There's only two decisions. There's not yes, no.

Or maybe that's a third decision.

No, there's only two decisions. There's either for or against

him. There's no room on the fence for

you. Would you not come?

Let me ask you today, what are you trusting in right now?

What have you put your hope in? Maybe it's church attendance.

Maybe it's giving into the church.

Maybe it's good works. Maybe it's endeavours like that.

Let me say those things will never save you.

You could be the member of a church.

You could even be in office in the church.

You could have your name in a church role.

But let me say this reverently. Your name might as well be in a

sausage role tonight. If you're not saved, would you

not come just as you are? Come to the Saviour for sins

forgiven. The Scriptures don't speak of

coming tomorrow. The skeptors don't speak of

tomorrow being the accepted time of tomorrow being the day of

salvation. Rather, it is right now.

Behold, there's that word. Behold again.

Behold, now is the day of salvation.

What about you today, friends? And then we have something here

at the close of this verse. We'll better move on.

That's alludes to and speaks to the future.

Oh, here in these closing words of John chapter 3, verse 16, the

John 3:16

Lord Jesus Christ grasps and deals with one of the darkest

subjects that we will ever have to deal with.

On the one hand, the Lord Jesus Christ speaks to Nicodemus, this

individual. He looks him in the eye, having

read his heart and knowing all about him.

He looks him at the eye and in the eye, and he speaks to him

here about eternal perishing. That's a reality that we have to

embrace tonight. Dear friends, I wouldn't be

faithful to your soul if I didn't make much of this.

Look at what the verse says. Look at what the Saviour says.

For God so loved the world that He give us only begotten Son.

But whosoever believeth in him should not perish.

That's why He came. That's the good news of the

gospel. You know what the law is?

The law is laying it out, all these rules and regulations and

then put over them all. All is you cannot hope to fulfil

the law perfectly. It's doom and gloom in the law

in your natural state. You're headed for a crisis

eternity down that broad road to that place the Bible speaks of

more than heaven, that place called hell.

But you know, the gospel is the good news.

Is that what my privilege and pleasure as a gospel preacher

is, is to be able to tell you that that's not the end of the

story? It's my privilege and pleasure

tonight to be able to tell you on the authority of Holy

Scripture, of Holy Writ, on the authority of God's own Word,

that that's not the end of the story, but that there's hope in

Christ. Would you not turn to him when

you still have time and opportunity that whosoever

believeth in him, we've discussed that already.

That's a decision for right now for you.

Otherwise, if you continue on in the state in which you were

born, that Adam fallen state, you will perish.

But then there's that other, that alternative that you can

turn to Christ for. But there's that word but the

lovely. There's another small word that

I always notice when I read Scripture, especially because

it's always a hinge word. It's always a turning point.

It always show a contrast before it.

It speaks about perishing. There's nothing darker than

eternal Hellfire and perishing but have everlasting life.

What about you tonight, dear friends?

Maybe you're not saved. Maybe you don't have the

assurance that all those lovely hymns that we've been able to

sing already Tonight Show us and teach us.

The first hymn was blessed assurance.

Jesus is mine. Can you sing that tonight Of a

heart of a truth? The second hymn was, oh what a

wonderful, wonderful day, day I will never forget.

Is that something that you can say of, of a heart of truth or

is that something that applies to those around you?

You can't say it personally. What about the offering hymn?

We are never, never weary of the grand old song, Glory to God,

Hallelujah. What about you tonight?

The gospel message preached always calls or else.

It's not right, it's not done right.

It's not preached right. It's not faithful to the blood

and to the book always calls for a decision.

What decision will you make tonight?

Would you not come? It was December 1913.

The concert was in full swing during the half time interlude.

The Piper. You've already heard that I'm a

piper, but the paper was playing the well known Scottish tune The

Hills of Tyrol. But as that young piper played

that tune on his pipes, all he could think of, all his mine was

taken to was another hell far, far away.

That hell where they took my saviour, Golgothas hell where

they took my saviour and kneeled in between on the wooden cross.

That old of Roman torture and hung in between the two other

malefactors. That's all he could think of

that night. The young piper on that occasion

was none other than the 15 year old Duncan Campbell.

Some of you'll know that name. The shivers go up my spine now

as I think about it. In fact, it was less than a

month before Duncan Campbell's 16th birthday.

But as Duncan Campbell played that tune, a terrible conviction

gripped his soul. He struggled through the tune

that he was playing. It was all that he could do to

finish. But as soon as he finished, he

rose to his feet. He lifted his two swords.

He was, he was a paper and he and he played for those that

sword danced and he lifted his pipes in one hand and his two

swords in the other. And he said this boys, I'm going

home. And the way that he said it, the

dance chairman picked up on it because he knew there was

something different. He knew there was something

troubled. That young man going where the

dance chairman asked him. Duncan replied that to that man

he says unless I'm mistaken I'll never be at a dance again.

Another young man overheard Duncan's conversation that night

with the boys and with the dance chairman.

The older man that ran the thing and as he left as Duncan

Campbell left the dance had other troubled young man.

In his biography it puts it something they guess fell in

step with the young Duncan as they were travelling down the

road. He accompanied them down the

road to Benderloch that pool December night.

As they both made their way home, the two lads discussed

their state, their spiritual state, and indeed they discussed

the way of salvation that night as they walked and talked until

they came to a crossroads where, if they were to continue on

home, they would be forced to part ways.

After a long time standing at that crossroads, Duncan

Campbell's friend asked him the question.

What are you going to do? Duncan had a reply.

He said I don't know about you, but I'm going to go home right

now and get right with God tonight.

He didn't know at that stage, but his father was in the church

praying for him. His mother would have been there

too, but they'd visitors in the home and she wasn't able to get.

But unbeknown to him, his mother was lying in front of the fire

on the hearth, lying prostate, crying for her wayward son.

He didn't know that at the time. I don't know about you, but I'm

going home right now to get right with God.

They dwelled there for a moment or two at the crossroads.

After a long silence, that young man said these cold, these

chilling words. He said, I think I'll wait.

Is that what you are tonight? I think I'll wait.

He waited. He waited until he too grew unto

manhood. He waited until he became a

successful businessman. He waited until eventually, an

old age, he was taken into a nursing home to die.

Questioned many many years later, questioned about his

spiritual state by I think it was 2 Faith mission pilgrims

that had come that day to see him and they urged him to seek

Christ in his twilight years while he still had time.

He replied to them with these cold and chilling words.

He said this and maybe this is where you are.

Speak no more to me on the matter.

I settled it the night Duncan was saved.

He knew that he had missed his opportunity.

What about you? Tonight, you've a decision to

make. We've been thinking about this

mini Bible, this gospel In a nutshell, what will your answer

be? I trust the Lord may give you

grace to simply come in childlike faith and your life

will never be the same again. Hymn #177 It is our closing

hymn. We're going to sing it just now

together. You'll find it in Page 382.

I have a message from the Lord. Hallelujah.

The message unto you I'll give to.

It's recorded in his word. Hallelujah.

It is only that you look and.