The lame man at the gate Beautiful

 

COLERAINE EVANGELICAL CHURCH

SERMON NOTES FROM SUNDAY 6 SEPTEMBER 2026 pm – PASTOR HENRY CASKEY

Acts 3 verses 1 to 12

 

I want us this evening to consider this man, this man who's sitting at the gates of the temple there in Jerusalem, the beautiful gates as they're known as. I want you just to simply think tonight of a day in the life of this man because this was going to be a very different day from any other day because this was going to be the day that he would meet with two men that would point him to the Lord Jesus Christ. That's a wonderful thing tonight. He was going to have a living encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ himself. I wonder, can you imagine this man just for a moment or two with me this evening? Can you imagine what his home life must have been like? Here's a man, and the Bible tells us that he he was lame from his mother's womb. It tells us that in verse number two, “a certain man”, it doesn't give us his name, it just says he was lame from his mother's womb and he was carried daily at the gate of the temple. So, can you imagine this man for a moment or two? This man was born in such a manner that he couldn't walk. He couldn't walk from the day and hour that he was born. And in chapter 4, we realize because we're told there that he was a man now of about 40 years of age. So for 40 years, he suffered this fate. For 40 years, he couldn't put one foot past the other.  Can you imagine perhaps maybe an elderly mother now by this time or an elderly father in the house and they're caring for this young man and maybe they have to wash and dress this young man. There are many in our province tonight that have been reared in this country under Christian mums and dads. They have done so much for them but still they're not saved. Maybe this man's friends were thought of highly because they would maybe have come each morning before they went off to work themselves and would have lifted him up and carried him down to where he was at the temple gates because he wanted to sit there and he wanted to beg. He had a little bowling bowl in his hand and he would just beg for some coppers as the rich men would pass by and enter into the temple. Again, there are many young men and they've got many, many young friends. Sometimes we always say “we have to watch our friends because our friends can bring them down.” But here's a situation perhaps where these friends were doing everything for this young man. And there are many tonight who are inviting their young friends to gospel meetings and missions and they're sitting under the sound of the gospel but still not saved. Maybe you've been invited to gospel meetings. Maybe you know someone at the university or maybe someone at the high school, maybe someone in the workplace and they've been inviting you to go along to a gospel meeting and maybe you've been going and you've been hearing that great news of the Lord Jesus Christ and how he come into this world, how he came to seek and to save and my as you sat and as you listened to that word, you're unmoved. You're moved in the gospel. And a young man has invited you or a young girl has invited you to hear the gospel. What a privilege that has been. But still, you're not saved. I want us to think tonight about this day in the life of this man.

The first thing I want you to think about with me this evening is the place where he sat. He sat at the gate of the temple.  There he sat with his little begging bowl for money. But this was going to be the very place where he would receive healing and he would receive conversion. It was the very place that he believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you remember how when Peter and John came down? Do you remember how he looked on them so differently and he asked for alms and Peter turned around to him and said, "Look at us." And you can see this man from the dust of the ground. and he lifts his eyes and he looks up. He just gets Peter in his view and this is the day that he's going to be totally transformed. What a place this was for this young man. I wonder tonight, have you got a place where we can look back and say, "That was the place where I was saved. That's the place where I met with God." I think of Zacchaeus. If you could go to him tonight and say, "Where were you saved?" He would take you out of his front door. He would take you down the main street and  to that little tree just at the end of the street and he would say, "That's where I was saved." He would never ever forget that tree in all of his days. This man at the beautiful gates, he could take you back to that place where he was sitting on this particular occasion when he met two men and these two men pointed him to the Lord Jesus Christ. It was there that he was healed. It was there that he was converted. It was there that he believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. He could point to it. Isn't it good to have a place tonight where we might point? Zacchaeus could point to that little tree. He could say, "I was sitting up there in the foliage whenever the Lord Jesus Christ passed by." And he stopped just at the bottom of the tree and he called out my name. He didn't have to be introduced to him. He called out my name and he said “make haste and come down.” I come down the tree and I went with him. And that was the day that I was converted.  Zacchaeus would never forget that tree. It's hard to forget the place you were converted, isn't it? It's hard to forget. You might know some people who forget about the dates and times and others who when they get up to testify they can tell you the date and the very time. I had a good friend who was saved and he was saved at 5 to 12. He was standing in his bathroom shaving. As he looked into the mirror, he come under great conviction. He felt that if he took a step over the threshold of that door that somehow he'd be taken out into eternity. He stopped where he was and he called on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to save him. I think of John chapter 4. Do you remember that woman Jesus met. The Lord Jesus Christ came through that place where that woman was. If you went to that woman and said, "Can you remember where you were saved?" She could take you by the hand and bring you to this place, this well, and she could tell you all about how when she come out that day and brought her vessel to fill it up with water. "I met the most wonderful man. He was the Messiah. He was the Saviour. As he spoke to me, he told me all about this living water that he would give to me that I would need not thirst again. I surrendered my life to him there and then.” She could point to that well. I think of Bartimaeus. If you were to ask Bartimaeus, “Bartimaeus,  where did you meet the Lord?” Bartimaeus could tell you, “I was sitting in the dust. I was sitting here. He could take you up the main street just out of Jericho. And he could say, “I was sitting there. That's the very spot when I heard the noise. And I heard what was happening up the way. And I asked someone ‘What's the meaning of this noise?’ And they told me ‘it's Jesus of Nazareth and he's passing by.’ I began to cry out ‘Lord have mercy upon me.’ They tried to silence me you know, they tried to tell me to be quiet but he said I shouted the more and just as Jesus was passing by he stopped and he called me to him. He said ‘what would you have me to do for you?’  I told him that I might receive my sight. And Jesus says, "Thy faith has saved you." Isn't it wonderful to have a place tonight that you can look back upon and say, "It was there that I was saved. It was there that I met the Lord Jesus Christ." Do you remember the testimony of the last person to be saved through the ministry of John Harper on the Titanic? If we could ask him, "Where were you at?” He can say “I was floating just on a little board when someone asked me, ‘Are you saved?’ It's wonderful tonight to have a place that you can look back to. I wonder tonight can we look back to that place? Does it bring a smile to our face?

There was the people that he met. For this man, it was just a day like any other. He was carried down. His friends brought him down to the temple gates and they got him positioned. They got him seated there. And this was the place. This was the main entry for the temple and all the Pharisees and religious leaders and everyone would come in through this way. This man knew where to sit and he was begging. He was looking for money. He's watching the crowds pass by. The Pharisees go in, the religious leaders, the scribes, and they look at him and they have no more concern about him. Never give him a second thought. He’s only a burden on society. But you know, to the Lord Jesus Christ, he was a lost soul. For any one of us tonight, that's how the Lord looked on us. We were just a lost soul. My we might have been a burden to society. We might not have been worth much to anybody else, but to the Lord Jesus Christ, we were worth something because he came into this world to save your precious soul. He came into this world via the womb of the virgin Mary. And there he grew up amongst men and when he came to adulthood, he was rejected of the religious leaders. He was rejected of men. And there he was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, taken before the religious leaders, transported over to Pilate's judgment hall, beaten and tortured there, and then taken out and hung upon an old rugged cross at Calvary. And he was doing it all for you. Imagine that tonight. He was doing that for you tonight because you had sinned and I had sinned and we had come short of the glory of God. And all we like sheep had strayed. We had gone our own way. And yet the Lord Jesus Christ who knew no sin, he was made sin for us. He took your sin and my sin. He placed it upon his own body. And there on the cross of Calvary, he made that supreme sacrifice. The Bible tells us it pleased the Lord to bruise him there at Calvary for you and for me tonight. What a wonderful Saviour we have this evening. This man is watching the Pharisees pass by. He's watching the scribes pass by. And then something happens. He sees these two men coming, Peter and John. He sees them walking down the way. And somehow as he looks upon them, they're not like the Pharisees. They're not like the scribes. There's something just different about them. These two men were going to be signposts that God had brought before this man to point not to themselves, not to the temple, but to point this man to the one who could heal his body and convert his soul. They were going to tell him the wonderful news of grace. Isn't it wonderful the people that God brings across our pathway? You remember whenever you weren't saved and you look back on it now, you thought at the time ‘that man's mad or that woman's mad.’ You thought about it that way. Now when you look back upon it, you know that was just one of the links in the chain. That was just one of the little steps that that God brought someone across your pathway and my pathway. If you're saved in the meeting tonight, or maybe if you're watching online, maybe this very service is someone that God has brought across your pathway to hear the glorious message of the gospel. You see, these two men came across his pathway. The people that we met. I think of Philomen's young slave in the Bible. He went down into Rome and he got himself into a bit of bother there and he was cast into prison but whenever the prison cell door was open and there someone was sitting in the corner and who was it? Only the apostle Paul and Paul had the great joy of pointing him to Christ. The Bible says that God is not willing that any should perish. God has people to meet us. This man met these two men on this particular occasion. You remember the eunuch in Acts chapter 8. He was traveling up from Jerusalem. He'd been down there worshiping and my he had the word of God open before him. He had the word of God open before him and he was reading it. He was studying it but he couldn't understand it and in his dilemma he lifted his head and Philip was standing at the very chariot where he was. Philip says “do you understand what you read?” He replied "How can I except some man would come and explain it to me?" And Philip got up and he opened up at the very same scriptures and he began to preach onto him Jesus and he saw that man gloriously saved. That man met Philip that particular day Do you remember Pilate? There he was standing with the Lord Jesus Christ before him and the door opens. The door opens and in comes his wife. The wife says, "Listen, have nothing to do with this just man. I have suffered much by the way of a dream about this man." Pilate was confronted with someone who brought the message of Jesus Christ to him. How many times have you been confronted with the claims of the gospel and God has brought people before you time after time after time and still you're not saved.

Notice with me here the poverty that he faces in verse number three. Look what the man does. He's sitting there in the dust and has his little begging bowls out. He sees Peter and John coming down and he's asking for alms. And then it says in verse number four, “and Peter fastening his eyes upon them with John said, ‘look on us.’ And he lifted up his eyes and he gave heed unto them expecting to receive something of them. Peter said, "Silver and gold have I none." He expected to receive money from them. You can almost imagine them flapping their pockets and saying, "We don't have any." This man must have felt disappointed. He thought to himself, "Here are two men that are so different." But now he found that they were of no help to him whatsoever because they said “‘silver and gold have I none.” The man himself was in total poverty. He was sitting begging and he thought here was the help that he needed. But sadly he was left again in limbo. He finds that Peter and John have no money either. But they would give him something which was far better. Peter has something more to give him. We realize the poverty that we are in. We realize our greatest need and that salvation can only be found in none other name other than the Lord Jesus Christ. That's where we come to. That's where this man came to. This man was looking something special of Peter and John. But Peter and John says, "Listen, we can't do anything for you. We don't have anything." And this man perhaps was disappointed. Peter spoke to this man about the Lord Jesus Christ. And this man placed his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. That was far better. That was far better than any monetary gift that Peter could give. It wasn't faith in Peter that healed this man, but in Christ and in Christ alone. Salvation is in none other name. “For there is no other name given amongst men under heaven whereby we must be saved.”  

There's the power now that he experiences. It tells us now in verse number seven it says “Peter said ‘silver and gold have I none but such as I have I give unto thee in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Rise up and walk.’ And Peter reached down and he took him by the right hand and he lifted him up and immediately his feet and his ankle bones received strength.” This man put his hand in Peter's hand and Peter lifted him up. The help that this man needed didn't come from Peter or for John. In this world, we have been separated from God with our sin tonight. We were born in sin. We were shapen in iniquity. We were separated from God and heaven would never be our home. To die in our sin tonight would mean that we would go into a lost and Christless hell for all eternity.

An old preacher told the story one time of a man who was dying in hospital. The old preacher was asked by this man’s friend to call up and see him. So they went up to see the friend. They went in and the man in the bed is very weak and very ill. He just looked at him and said, "I'm glad to see you. I have been a church member all my days. I was born into that church, christened, confirmed, baptized. I've come now to the end of my days, and what have I found? I have found that the church has failed me. I sat at the Lord's table. I took communion, and now he says, I'm at the end of my life's journey. And the Lord's table has failed me. I've supported my minister and ministers all down through the years. And my ministers have failed me. Now you have come along. I'm glad you've come." And the old preacher looked at him in the bed and he says, "You've depended on so many things and they have failed you." He says, "That's right." And the old preacher said to “Well I'm sorry. I can do nothing for you." And with that, the man began to sob and cry on the bed. He said, "But I had heard so much about you, and I thought that you were the answer. I thought that you would come along and I would find help in you." The preacher said "I'm sorry I can do nothing for you, but I can show you one who can." He opened up the scriptures and took the man through the scriptures and showed him how he could be gloriously saved. That evening, lying on that bed, he realized the power of God coming into his life and saving his precious soul. Thank God.

We finish tonight with the praise that is rendered. Whenever this man got to his feet, what did he do? He went worshipping. He went praising. He went leaping. He went singing. He went into the house of God to give God the glory. And tonight if we're saved by the grace of God, we give him all the praise and all the glory because there's nothing of us. This man could say the very same thing as he sat there with legs that wouldn't support him. He could say, "To God be the glory, great things he hath done." He could do nothing for himself. But thank God that day, a day in the life of this man, a day that saw him being carried as any other day, but a day that saw him walking home to his mum and his dad. Can you imagine what it must have been like whenever he come home? Can you imagine the people seeing him walking down the street? What a testimony. Oh, this man offered all praise to God.

 

Five Little Stones

 

COLERAINE EVANGELICAL CHURCH

SERMON NOTES SUNDAY 6 SEPTEMBER 2026 – PASTOR HENRY CASKEY

1 SAMUEL 17 VERSES 32 TO 50

 

Many years ago in Limavady, I did a wee bit of a study on the stones that we find in the Bible.  And this is one particular stone that I want to look at this morning. It's the stone that David picked up and it's the stone that David used to put into his little sling and to bring this great giant down. We think of that monument that was set up whenever the children of Israel came to the Jordan River and the Jordan River was flowing as banks. It was harvest time and it flowed as banks at that particular period of time. And you remember how God in that on that particular day he dried up the Jordan River and they walked across on dry land. You remember there how they were told to take a stone a leader of every tribe of the nation of Israel was to go down into the dry bed of the river Jordan and to pick up a stone, place it upon his shoulder and carry it onto the bank of the river and set it there until there was the 12 stones. And then you'll remember how Moses said to the people, there'll come a day whenever God will or the children will come to you and say, "What meaneth the stones?" And then you'll be able to give them a clear direction in life. What these stones meant, these stones meant in a time whenever God moved in a mighty way. This is a remembrance of how God brought us across the Jordan River, a river that was flowing in all of its fullness and brought us into the land of Canaan. This is the monument for it. Have we stones like that in our lives? Whenever our children or grandchildren ask us about certain aspects of our life, can we look back and say, "Well, that's what God did for us there and that's what God did for us at that particular juncture in our life." Do you remember whenever Samuel pointed to the stone there? He says, "Hitherto hath the Lord helped us." This was a stone of a protection. the people could point to this stone and they remembered the stone so well that was that was named ‘hitherto have the Lord helped us.’ Is there a stone that you can look back to this morning? Is there a stone, a particular part of your life where you can look back and say you know it was there that the Lord really stepped in and the Lord really helped me through that particular occasion, he helped us as a little family, he helped us as a couple, was good to us? Or what about the stone whenever the woman folk came that morning to anoint the body of the Lord Jesus Christ and why when they were making their approach to the tomb that was the thought in their mind. The stone that was over the mouth of the tomb, how would they ever roll it away? It took Roman soldiers, those big strong men to roll it there in the first place. How are we ever going to roll it away? And when they came, they found that the stone was already rolled away. Sometimes there's storms in our lives, you know, that we wonder at times how we're ever going to manage. And then somehow when we get to that particular point in our lives, we find that we've nothing to worry about because the stone has been rolled away.

I want to take up this little stone here this morning and I want to think about it. Think first of the setting of the stone. This great big giant Goliath was coming out and he was fighting against the nation of Israel. All of its elite army. were so afraid of him that they were hiding behind hedges and the rocks and in the caves. They wouldn't come out to meet this man at all. Every time he come out and he proclaimed his victorious life to these Jews. Why? They fled from him until one day David come down. And David was standing there and maybe knew nothing about this situation at all until he heard the shouts and the ridicules and the cursings and slanders of this great big giant standing up on the top of the hill. And he says to Saul, “What's all this about?" And Saul explains the situation. And David says, "I'll take him on." I'm sure Saul had maybe a wee bit of a smile on his face. David says, "I'll take him on. Don't be afraid. I'll take him on." And Saul says, "How are you going to take him on? You're only a youth. This man, he's been trained in the skills of fighting even from he was a youth. and you're going to go out and you're going to stand against him?” Some of the elite forces of Israel at that time wouldn't even go near this man. But David says, "I’ll take him on." And then you can imagine David, he gets into that suit of armour that Saul puts upon him, but he can't wear that. He says, "Not at all." And off he goes. You can see him, can't you? This we strappling of a lad. And he's going out. And my you can almost imagine the elite soldiers and they're peering over the rocks and they're looking through the holes and the hedges to see what's happening. This wee boy, he's heading out to meet this great big giant. And he goes down into the brook. And as he goes down into the brook, he lifts out five little stones. He puts them into his shepherd's bag and he keeps them. And then he goes up to where the giant is. And the giant comes down as he's done so often before and he frowns upon David and he curses David and he curses the gods of David. And then David takes the little stone out of his bag and he puts it into the sling and you know the rest. It goes into the giant's head and down he goes. Just the one little stone. It's wonderful what God can do with these little things. I want us to think first of all that this little stone, it was carried by the river's current. The current of this little brook carried the stones that David selected for the purpose he had in mind. That little brook brought those stones right down to the very place where David stepped in. Imagine that for a moment. The very place where David was going to cross that little brook. The very place where he looked down into that brook and he picked out five little stones. These were the stones that God in his providence had brought down to where David was. You know, God makes no mistakes. Some of the things we look back on and think to ourselves at times, you know, I could have done this that way. I could have done this the other way. But God makes no mistakes. Do you remember whenever the apostle Paul he came to minister in Corinth and there he was coming to preach the gospel. Who did he find in Corinth? He found Priscilla and he found Aquilla a man and his wife and they were there because of persecution in Rome. They were there because of where they were living at that particular time. The Christians had to flee. And Aquilla and Priscilla, they fled here to Corinth. They were there in Corinth for a very special purpose because whenever the Apostle Paul got there, it was them who took Paul under their wing, brought him into their very home and fed him and encouraged him and helped him in the days to come. As a matter of fact, Paul could say about the same pair in the book of Romans "They would have laid down their necks for me." In other words, they had given their life for me. But you know, it was no mistake that they were there. They were there because of persecution. They were there because of trouble that was taking place. They were there because of threats. And you know, maybe God can use you and me in some way that we would never think. And because something has happened, that's how God's going to use us in the days to come. Perhaps there were times whenever that little stone, the very stone that was in the sling of David, can you imagine where it started off at and it was washed down day after day, week after week, month after month, just to the very place where David would pick it up. It all started off somewhere else, but it was tumbled down that little stream. Maybe there were times whenever there was a real strong current that lifted that little stone and smashed it up against others and smashed it up against corners and brought it down. Maybe there was times whenever it just trickled down. Maybe there were times that it was stuck in the same place for a long time before it ever moved. Sometimes we're like that, aren't we? Sometimes we go through the real rough and tumble of life. But you know the edges of that little stone, every time it moved and every time the water flowed over it, what was happening? The water was making that little stone the smoother every time. There were edges on it. There were rough edges on it that had to be taken off. And sometimes that's what God has to do with us. And we have to come through the rough and tumble of certain situations that we thought we would rather do without. Do you remember the Apostle Paul? The Lord gave him a thorn in the flesh and he says he prayed thrice about this thorn in the flesh, but he says it wouldn't go away. But Paul realized through that infirmity, through that weakness, that weakness was turned into strength because Paul could say, "I can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me." And sometimes, you know, you and I, well, there's little edges that have to be taken off. For this little stone that is what was happening at all the time. Perhaps times we go through troubles and maybe like this stream, there are times when our lives are upside down. Or maybe there's a time when nothing's happening. Maybe there's a time when everything's just sitting as it were and calm and still and somehow there's nothing happening. Those are the quiet times that God's bringing you and I through that he might use us further down the line. Isn't that what James says? "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations. Knowing this, that the trying of your faith workketh patience, but let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." How patient the lesson is that we see before us. You know, we don't know how long the little stones were lying there just under the surface but those stones were going to be used mightily. I think of Moses. You remember Moses? He was sent down to Egypt to bring out the children of Israel. But you remember he had to spend 40 years in the wilderness. He had to spend 40 years leading the sheep out to pastures and bringing them back in again. He had to spend 40 years listening to someone else telling him what to do, looking at the little sheep, making sure that they were all right, making sure they were healthy. 40 years, day in day out, he had to walk that desert pathway. And he was out there perhaps alone every day, but he had to be like that 40 years. And then God takes him up one day. He says, "Moses, it's time. It's time for you now to go back into Egypt. It's time for you to lead my people out. I think of Joseph.  He was sent out to meet with his brethren. His brethren hated him. His brothers hated him. They put him in an old an old dry well. They picked him out of that well and they sold him down into Egypt. He went into a a market yard in Egypt and Potiphar looked at him and thought, "What a what a handsome young man. What a strong young man. I'll purchase him. Joseph had to stand there in the market yard. And then he was brought into Potiphar’s house. He was accused falsely. He was put into prison. He had to sit in a prison cell. And he had to sit there for some two years before he was brought out again and would stand before Pharaoh. Before he would become the second in command. I think of Acts chapter 8 and the persecuted church there in Jerusalem. Do you remember how the disciples had to flee? It was Philip that came to Samaria. And what did he do when he came to Samaria? He began to preach the gospel. And men and women began to hear the gospel in in a real a real new light as it were. And they were listening to the message of the Lord Jesus Christ, his death, his resurrection, and the new life that they could have in him. And the Bible tells us there was great joy in the city. Persecution. Sometimes we don't know how God will use us. Sometimes we don't know how God will prepare us to be used. And that's important. We see that stone carried by the river's current.

But then I want you to see here the caution of the selection. You see, it tells us here in verse number 40 "He took a staff in his hand, and he chose him five smooth stones out of the brook." He chose these out of the brook. Just at the time David comes to the brook, the little stone is there. Maybe in the eyes of the world in Israel, I'm sure David looked very, very foolish. How would he ever face and defeat this great giant in all of his armour, in all of his power and all of his wisdom and all of his might, standing here before David, trained in all of his military combat with a sword and little David, what's he doing? He's standing with a shepherd staff. He's standing with a little sling. David didn't just lift these stones as he went across the wilderness. He waited till he was in the brook. He waited till he could see the right stones and he chose them out. He knew the importance of the task. So he chose that which he knew he would be successful in. He was careful in his choice. If he had picked up an ordinary stone that was lying just on the highway, you see, there may be edges on it, there maybe been a roughness on it that would hindered it leaving the sling that he was going to use. It wouldn't have bedded right into the leather of the sling. If there had been a rough edge on it whenever David was about to fling it, then maybe it would have went off in a different direction altogether. So, he had to have the right stone in this little leather pouch to face this enemy. And God needs his right tools. Maybe you're that right tool this morning. Oh yes, you've come through difficult times and hard times, but maybe God now wants to take you up and he wants to use you. Do you remember what Paul said in 1 Corinthians chapter 1? "God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty." Goliath standing there in all of his armour. He's standing there with a with a spear. He's standing there with a great big sword. David stands with a we stone and a sling. And he's going to bring this great big giant down. Perhaps God has David stopped at this little brook. David peers down in to the brook to see what he can use. Maybe God looks down into this assembly this morning. He looks down into this assembly this morning to see who he can use. Would we be like the prophet of old? Would we be willing to say this morning, "Here am I Lord?" Or would you be the first to say, "Well, you know, Lord, I would love to do that, but maybe there's somebody else. Maybe there's somebody else could do that. Somebody else far better qualified than me for that.” But God's looking down this morning and he's looking into this little fellowship and he wants someone now this morning for a particular task in life to take you into the battle. You may feel you don't have much. Maybe you feel you're not up to whatever God says this morning, but there's a work to be done. And God this morning is laying his hand upon you to do it this morning. It's a good time for it, isn't it? Because we're going now into what we call the winter work. and the children's work will be starting up again, the Sunday school, the the Lifeliners, the youth meeting, whatever the case may be. And maybe God's saying to you this morning “now it's time that I'm going to use you and I'm going to use you in this season. Are you prepared to give me a season?” That's what God is saying this morning. David looked down into the little brook and he could see the stones that he was looking for. He could still do this. He could see the stones that he could use. He could see that that little flat stone, that smooth stone. He knew that's the stone that would fit well into that little sling. That's what God is saying this morning. He's got a little place for you this morning. And he wants you to step out this morning. Now, what will you say to God this morning? Will you say, "Yes, Lord. I'll do that?” In Acts chapter 13 we read of the little church there in Antioch. God comes there and he says "Separate, unto me Saul and Barnabas for the work that I have called them to do." The Bible tells us there that they are ministering unto the Lord and they're praying and they're fasting. And then God comes. He says to Saul and Barnabas, "I want you to separate." He says to the elders, "Separate them for me. I have a work for them to do and they have to be sent forth." Remember Gideon? Gideon said "I'm from the weakest tribe. I'm from the smallest of all the families." And yet God came to him and God says, "I'm going to use you to deliver Israel." They were under the oppressive hand of the enemy at that particular time. And God says to Gideon, he says, "Gideon, I'm going to use you." Gideon says, "Lord I'm from the smallest of families. I'm from the smallest of tribes. How could you ever use me?" God tells him to surrender his life to him because he is going to use him. Whenever Gideon went out he mustered up 30,000 of an army. He thought to himself, "We're not bad here." And he gets to the front of the army and then the Lord comes and tells him "You have far too many." The Lord begins to wind them down until he gets to 300. Poor Gideon he's back to where he started again, isn't he? He's thinking about the weakest tribe and the weakest family. But that's what God was going to use to defeat the enemy and to deliver Israel. Maybe this morning you feel you don't have much.

Notice something else here. Not only was this little stone carried, not only was it cautious in its selection, but I want you to see how it was concealed from view. Notice what David does with this little stone once he picks it up in verse number 40. It says he puts them into his shepherd's bag. This little stone was going to be concealed until the time it was needed. I love the story of Esther. It's a wonderful story about one young Jewish woman. A beautiful young woman. She was selected to be the queen. The nation of Israel was under tremendous persecution and pressure. There was a man called Haman who was going to destroy the whole nation. It didn't matter whether they were young, middle age or old. He was so determined that he was going to wipe all out on a certain day. Mordecai had reared Esther and now she was being brought into the king's court to be his wife. He told Esther "Maybe it's for this very reason that you've been brought to the kingdom.” He didn't want her to miss it because God could use somebody else. Don't miss it. If God is calling you morning, this is maybe why you were brought to the kingdom for this very purpose. Allow God to use you. Remember how Moses was concealed as he worked as a shepherd? He was reared in Pharaoh's house, the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He was educated in all the ways of of Egypt. And then he tried to rush things. He was down there for a purpose. And God was educating him there. But then he tried to rush things. He tried to lead the children of Israel out his way, but it was too soon. And God had to conceal him for 40 years there in the wilderness until the time appointed. When God met with him there at the burning bush he had to decide to go back down to Egypt. Maybe God has been concealing you. Maybe God has been just keeping his hand upon you. Maybe God has been, yes, knocking off those edges, bringing you through certain things, and you're concealed until the time that he wants to use you. Are we ready to be used of God? That's the most important thing. Are we prepared this morning? Joseph was concealed as well. He was kept out of sight. Even David himself was concealed for a long time. Do you remember how he was out keeping the sheep whenever Samuel come down to his father's house to choose out a king? All of Jesse's sons passed before him and Samuel says “there's none of these chosen. Have you any more sons?” Jesse said “there's one more. But he is out in the field keeping the sheep.” Samuel says “bring him in.” Whenever Samuel saw him, he realized God was saying this is the one. But he was concealed. Samuel didn't know anything about him. Maybe you feel overlooked in a sense today. God doesn't really know much about you. But maybe it's just a case that you've been concealed for that very special time.

I want you to notice now how David conquered through this one little stone. David took up five little stones and he put them into his bag. And five is the number of grace. And you remember what God's word says, "My grace is sufficient for you.” David didn't have to exhaust the five. He only took one. He put his hand into the bag. He lifted out one little stone. He put it into the sling. And David was a marksman. Isn't it wonderful to be in the hand of the one who can do so much for us? You see, that little stone picked up could do nothing of itself but once that little stone was in the sling and in the hand of David, it was mighty. Do you think this morning that your life means nothing? That your witness means nothing? When your life and your witness is in the hand of the one who created us that's a mighty thing. It might only be in the shop tomorrow. It might only be saying hello to someone, it might be only bringing them down something they can't get out to do, but that's mighty. When you and I commit ourselves to the Lord God of heaven, my, he can do great things for us. Maybe this morning we could be that little stone, the little stone that David picked up. Maybe you could be that little stone that God reaches down this morning and says, "Listen, I want to use you." You know, that little stone was only used once. I don't know whether David picked it up again or not. Maybe you might only be used the once in all your Christian experience. But don't miss that once. Whether it comes at the beginning of your Christian life or whether it comes at the end. You remember how Wesley said as the people looked around his deathbed, “our people die well.” You can be that witness this morning

 

Why?

COLERAINE EVANGELICAL CHURCH

SERMON NOTES SUNDAY 30 AUGUST 2026 – PASTOR DENIS LYLE

JOB CHAPTER 1 

I want to deal with the question why? Or why suffering? Job is the oldest book in the bible. He lived during the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Outside of our Lord no man suffered like Job.

The sound was deafening. Although no one was near enough to hear it, ultimately it echoed around the world. None of the passengers in the DC-4 ever knew what happened—they died instantly. That was 15th February 1947, when the Avianca Airline flight bound for Quito, Ecuador, crashed into the 4,267 metre high peak of El Tablazo not far from Bogota, then dropped—a flaming mass of metal—into a ravine far below.

One of the victims was a young New Yorker named Glenn Chambers, who had planned to begin a ministry with the “Voice of the Andes.”

Before leaving the Miami airport earlier that day, Chambers had written a note to his mother on a piece of paper he picked up in the terminal. The paper was a piece of an advertisement with the single word “WHY?” sprawled across the centre. In a hurry and preoccupied, he scribbled his note around that word, folded it, and stuffed it into an envelope addressed to his mother.

The note arrived after the news of his death. When his mother received it, there, staring up at her was that haunting question: WHY?

Mrs Chambers stopped asking Why? when she saw the Who? behind the scene.

All other sounds are muffled when we claim His absolute sovereignty. Even the deafening sound of a crashing DC-4.

There is no question so tremendous as why. Why would God allow tragedy to come to his children? Why should the innocent child be physically and mentally handicapped? 

Early on the morning of 28th March, Mr. James McMullan was ambushed by four terrorists as he was driving his lorry to work. The attack took place about three and a half miles to the north-east of Toomebridge in County Antrim. Mr. McMullan drove through the ambush but was chased by the men who fired at him from their car. Although the lorry was hit a number of times and Mr. McMullan was cut by flying glass, he was able to escape into a neighbour's house. The gunmen then switched their attack to the home of Mr. McMullan's parents in Crosskeys. They fired indiscriminately into the house, killing Mrs. Hester McMullan

Why did that happen? Why do the righteous suffer? Where is God when tragedy strikes? How can he allow human suffering? Does God care? Is the Lord worthy of our worship in the difficult times? These are difficult questions.

“Man is born unto trouble as the sparks fly upwards.” Job 5 verse 7

No-one is exempt from wrestling with the problem of suffering. Suffering for Christ may come from 4 directions – 

Through the hand of the Lord. Hebrews 12 verse 6 “he whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth.” This kind of suffering is not a denial of the Father’s love. It is evidence of the Father’s love. 

It may come through the hands of the world. Peter wrote about “suffering for righteousness sake.” (1 Peter 3 verse 14) “In the world you will have tribulation but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world.” (John 16 verse 33)

It may come through our own hands. The Lord himself said “if thy hand offend thee cut it off.” (Matthew 5 verse 30) Self-imposed discipline. 

It may come through Satan. Were Job’s sufferings and trials not the activity of the devil?

Job lived in North Arabia, South East of the Dead Sea. He didn’t suffer because he did nothing wrong. He suffered in spite of doing right. He was a man upright who feared God. He had a great faith. He had a great family. Verse 2 tells us he was the greatest of all men of old. He was esteemed. He was held in great favour. He ministered to the poor continually. One day he went from hero to helpless. He lost everything. Job learned first hand what it is when life is not fair. No-one except our Lord suffered like Job. We learn from him lessons that will help us stand in life. To realise that life is not always fair. 3 words I want to use this morning to direct your thoughts to – trouble, test and triumph.

Trouble

I want you to see first of all the trouble. What God did to Job. Chapter 2 verse 13. In one day he lost his fortune and then he lost his family. The people he loved. Things he loved. He lost his fitness. He lost his friends. “My kinsmen have failed me.” He went from sunshine to rain. From joy to pain. From blessing to brokenness. From happiness to heartache. Before we can investigate the how of it we must recognise it was activated by Satan. In chapter 1 verse 8 we learn something interesting things of the devil. Satan doesn’t have the presence of God. He is not omnipresent. He doesn’t have the perception of God. God knew Job’s heart but Satan didn’t. Only God knows your heart. In verse 9 we see the power of God. How did Satan know God put a hedge around Job? He was protected by the Lord. As a Christian believer the devil and demons in hell can attack you but not without the permission of the Lord. In the midst of that Satan asked God a question – verse 9 “doth Job fear God for nought?” What was he was saying? Satan’s accusation was no-one is good without reason. God saved Job. You have blessed him financially, materially, physically, agriculturally, domestically. Take away everything then see if he will serve you. Is the Lord to be worshipped today because of who he is or because of the things he gives? Even if he doesn’t bless us materially and spiritually and practically? I have to ask myself – if the Lord did not bless me would I still be as excited as worshipping the Lord, serving the Saviour, seeking the lost? Do you serve the Lord because you want him to bless you? Would you serve him if there was nothing in it for you? 

A mother was exasperated with her 5 year old boy. He gave her trouble all afternoon. She asked if he couldn’t be good to which the boy replied “I would be good if you gave me 5 dollars.” The mother responded “why can’t you be good for nothing like your dad.”

The reason Satan attacked Job was to prove he was good for nothing. He was only serving God because of what he could get from God. He has to worship you because of what you have done in his life. Job’s troubles were activated by Satan. They were allowed by a sovereign Father. God allowed Satan to attack Job’s possessions, then his person. “Behold he is in your hand save his life.” Ultimately it was God who allowed bad things to happen to good people. Severe chastening was allowed to make him better. Fundamental reason to silence the accusations of Satan. He would honour God even though he had lost everything sovereignty of God. Not promised them in this book. This is a book about God. God controls Satan’s power. He will do as he pleased without consulting his critics. He did it for our good and his glory. Where is God when tragedy strikes? He is on the throne working out his purpose for his glory and our good. The righteous suffer because God chooses them to suffer. Beyond it all the Lord’s glories are evident. In chapter 2 verse 10 evil can be translated as adversity. Job’s God was not some heavenly Christmas Santa Claus dropping little gifts from heaven hoping to make us happy. What brings glory to himself. God afflicted the comfortable. Not so much interested in our happiness but more interested in his holiness. Though he lost a lot, thought his soul was crushed in through that experience he gained more. He became stronger, a more mature believer. Are there not times we just to have to rest on the faithfulness of God? Knowing it is too wise to make mistakes. One of the greatest hymnwriters was William Cowper. He suffered tremendously in his life. In 1744 he composed the great hymn 

God moves in a mysterious way

  His wonders to perform:

He plants His footsteps in the sea,

  And rides upon the storm.

2

Deep in unfathomable mines

  Of never-failing skill,

He treasures up His bright designs,

  And works His sovereign will.

The trouble – what God did to Job.

Secondly, the test

What God did in Job. Every trial and trouble is a test. He knoweth the way I take. Every trial, tribulation, trouble that comes into your life will you continue to trust me? Obey me? “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. “ ( 1 Peter 1 verse 7) The faith that cannot be tested cannot be trusted. Unless faith is put to the test it can never be shared. What you call faith is it really faith? It is only by testing that we can determine the character of our faith. Job’s faith was tested in 2 ways. First by his friends – chapter 2 verse 11. Times of adversity bring out people who want to be your friends. These friends came to sympathise but actually stayed to scrutinize and stayed to sermonise. We know what your problem is – there is sin in your life. They believed in a health and wealth gospel. That theology taught suffering is a result of sin. If you are not rich it is because you are not right. If you are a child of God you will suffer. David suffered. He committed sin with Bathsheba and carried it around for 12 months. Psalm 51 David suffered spiritually, emotionally, physically. If you are bound to sin you are bound to suffer. Every suffering is not always caused by sin. The Lord never sinned yet he suffered more than anyone else in history. Job caused it. He was right with God. He wasn’t a sinner but sanctified man. You suffer because of sin in your life, transgression in your life. Although the Lord does discipline us through affliction it is never our business to tell that person that sort of reasoning, that is God’s business. 

A preacher in the west of America came home from holiday. An elder picked him up at the airport. “Well how are things at home” he asked. “Terrible” came the reply. “A tornado came through the town, it wiped out my house.” The pastor responded “I am not surprised I have been warning you about the way you have been living.” “Ah but it also destroyed your house too.” The pastor responded “did you know the ways of the Lord are past finding out?”

Job’s faith was tested by his frustrations. Have you sinned? Why what have I done? You will find the question time and time again – “why” in the book of Job. God never answered his question. Frustrated by God’s silence. “I will speak to the almighty, reason with God.” God was talking to Job. He does not need to explain for anything he does. When we hurt deeply we do not need an explanation from God but a revelation of God. The Lord could have told all that would have happened. I want to know. I will take care of you. You will get double of all you have. Job was written to help us understand. We don’t always have to understand. There are some things that are going to happen in our lives we will never understand this side of glory. We don’t have to understand what he is doing. You can trust him to do always that which is right. He did not need his family, flocks, fortune. He already had those. What God wanted was his faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God. You will never know what real faith is until you have nothing else.  Real faith is believing God may hear you and praise him anyway. If you only praise and worship when things are good your praise is not worth anything to him. 3 men were cast into the fiery furnace – “our God is able to deliver us but if not. “ Have you faith prepared to worship and serve God even when things don’t turn out the way they should? Job had God to help him when he said “thou he slay me yet I will trust in him.

Triumph

What God did for Job through this trial. God did some things for Job that he wouldn’t otherwise have done. He learned things he wouldn’t have learned. For 37 chapters God is silent throughout. God is silent and then he begins to give Job reason. He reminds Job of his presence. “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Job I created everything. I can do all things in and through it. Reminded him of his pre-eminence and his person. “I know that thou canst do anything.” God can do what he likes. When God finishes talking with Job, he said “I have heard what you have said, wherefore I repent in dust and ashes. “ He was an imperfect man. He has no right to question the motives and method of God. Just because doesn’t mean I am less God. Created, controlled, conducts it all and completes it all. Then God renewed his fellowship. God accepts Job. Marked by righteousness. God restored Job to the joy of his salvation. He rebuked his friends. People cannot fight silence. The greatest way to handle criticism is not to handle it at all. Let God handle it. He restored his fellowship. He restored his fortune. Chapter 42 The Lord gave twice as much as he had before. God often digs out the wells of sorrow that sends wells, eventually whether here on earth or up in glory. All will end well for the child of God. 

I may never know the reason why but when I cannot trace God’s hand I can trace God’s heart. 

Treasure Island was written by Rober Louis Stevenson. His father was chief engineer and inspected lighthouses up and down England. Often he would take his boy out. One day they went out into the water and encountered a storm. They fought a storm for 24 hours with no food. During the storm the father made his way to the deck of the ship. Only one man was on the deck, the captain. He had taken a rope and tied it to the mast in case he would be swept overboard. He took a look at the captain of the ship.  The son asked him “are we going to drown?” The father replied “no. “ “Why not? “ “Because I looked into the face of the captain and everything is fine. “ Job did that in the face of his suffering and he knew God knew what he was doing.

The good, great and chief Shepherd

COLERAINE EVANGELICAL CHURCH

SERMON NOTES SUNDAY 30 AUGUST 2026 – PASTOR DENIS LYLE

 

John chapter 10 verse 11

The Lord Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd." The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. I want you to take note that he's the good shepherd

 

Hebrews chapter 13 verse 20

“Now the God of priests, the God of peace that brought again from the dead, our Lord Jesus Christ, that great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you, that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. So, he's the good shepherd. And now he's referred to as the great shepherd.

 

1 Peter chapter 5 verse one

”The elders which are among you I exhort who am also an elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed. Feed the flock of God. Isn't that the responsibility of the elder or the pastor? Feed the flock of God which is among you. Taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly, not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind. Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd shall appear, so he's the good shepherd, that's my past. He's the great shepherd, that's my present. He's the chief shepherd. That's my future. And when the chief shepherd shall appear, you shall receive a crown of glory.”

 

Psalm 23 - The key to happiness.

“The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul. He leadth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yay, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. I will fear no evil, for thou art with me, thy rod and staff, they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil. My cup runth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

 

No visit to the city of Memphis would be complete without calling to see Graceland, the home of Elvis Aaron Presley. And so while we were there a few years ago preaching in Eastville Baptist Church, we were taken one day to Graceland. The tour of the home and the surrounding area was most informative. Elvis Presley was born in the humblest of circumstances in a two- room house in Tupelo in Mississippi on the 8th of January 1935. He and his parents moved to Memphis in Tennessee in 1948. Elvis was brought up in a Pentecostal church and no doubt he heard the gospel of saving grace. He became the undisputed king of rock and roll. By 1956 he was an international sensation. Globally he has sold over 1 billion records more than any other artist. His American sales earned him gold platinum and multi-platinum awards for 150 albums and singles. And as John and I toured Graceland that day, we saw his home, we saw his piano, we saw his memorabilia, we saw his many cars, his motorbikes, we saw his airplanes, and we even saw his grave. And as we walked away down the avenue from Graceland, we were sad. For as we walked down the avenue, all I could hear John whisper in my ear, "He had it all, but he had nothing. He had it all and yet he had nothing." How different was Clara Tear Williams. She lived in a one room shack with a dirt floor, curtain walls, and an oil lamp. She had a day supply of food in her cupboard. Her money was found in a covered bowl beneath her bed. One day, a friend asked her to pen a poem, and she wrote these words. "All my life, I had a longing for a drink from some clear spring that I hope would quench the burning of the thirst I felt within. Hallelujah, I have found him whom my soul so long as craved. Jesus satisfies my longings through his blood. I now am saved.”

 

Tell me tonight, how many satisfied people do you know? People can have everything this world has to offer and yet not be satisfied. The Bible says, "He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied." It's not just money that will satisfy. Nothing will satisfy but the Lord. And yet I believe in Psalm 23 we have the key to happiness. This psalm has been a companion at the fire side, at the bedside, at the graveside. It consists of 118 words, actually only 55 words in the original Hebrew. And yet it sums up all our needs in life and the abundance of God's grace. It begins with the Lord and it ends with forever. What could be better than that? While it consists of 118 words, 116 of those words are devoted to explaining the first two, the Lord. You see, this psalm is all about the Lord. Here is how David faced life. And in writing a psalm, he shows us and he gives us the secret to facing the days that lie ahead. What was David's secret? The man who wrote almost half of the Psalms. What was his secret? His secret was the Lord. His fixation. He was captivated with the Lord. He was able to face life. And all that life threw at him because of the Lord. My friends, 3,000 years have passed since David first sung this song. And yet it is as fresh today as though it were just composed. The relics of David's life lie among the debris of the ages. The harp, the banner that he used to uplift in the name of the Lord, the sword with which he slew the great Goliath, the book of the law which was his meditation all the day long. All these lie among the debris of the ages, but this psalm lives on forever. These words touch us. They inspire us. They comfort us not as an echo from the past but as the voice of a living friend.

 

This psalm is easy to divide. Preachers always love divisions and headings and outlines but this psalm is so easy. Talks about life talks about death talks about eternity. Simple, isn't it? Life, death, eternity.

 

If I were to ask you tonight, what's the secret of a blessed life? I wonder how you would respond. David would say, "The Lord is my shepherd." You see, the heart of the gospel lies in these personal pronouns. There's all the difference in being able to say, "The Lord is a shepherd, the Lord is the shepherd,” and being able to say, "The Lord is my shepherd." Is the Lord Jesus tonight your shepherd? Is he? Do you want to know how you can find out? Well, let me ask you the question. Is the shepherd your Lord? You see, the only way for you and I to be able to say, "The Lord is my shepherd," is for you and I to be able to say, "The shepherd is my Lord." Is the shepherd, the Lord Jesus, your personal Lord and Savior? You see, my friends, the need for this shepherd is obvious. I mean, you know how the Bible describes us? The Bible describes us like this. The Bible says, "All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord hath led on him the iniquity of us all." Now, you think about a sheep tonight. And when you think about a sheep, you realize that a sheep is not one of the smartest of animals. A sheep is dumb. It really is. I wonder, have you ever gone to a circus and seen a trained sheep? Well, lions are trained and horses are trained and monkeys are trained and elephants are trained. But a sheep, why? Because a sheep is not too smart. You say, "Dennis, hold on. I was the top of my class at school. You misunderstand me." My dear friends, I'm talking tonight in spiritual terms. I wonder tonight, do you look like Nicodemus? Are you intellectually sharp but spiritually dumb? You see, a sheep is dumb. A sheep has no sense of direction. It nibbles. It gets lost. It gets away from the flock. It gets away from the shepherd. Do you realize tonight that you're lost, separated from God because of your sin? Sheep is dumb. Sheep has no sense of direction. Sheep is dependent on the shepherd by nature, my friends. Each of us because of our sin are separated from God. Sin like a barrier or wall rises between us and God. A sense of our guilt makes us afraid of him. A sense of God's holiness keeps us at a distance from him. And the very first question that we need to ask tonight is this. How can I draw an eye to God? How can I be justified? How can I stand in the right before God? How can a sinner like me be reconciled to God? And the Lord Jesus stands before us and he says, "I'm the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep." Because tonight, like sheep, we're dumb. or directionless. We're dependent. We need the shepherd. We need the Lord Jesus. I wonder tonight listening to me here or online, my friend. Do you realize your need of Christ? I wonder, have you made the most important discovery of all, the discovery that you're a sinner by nature, by practice, by birth? Have you come to see that Jesus Christ on Calvary's cross dealt with the sin question in its totality and for eternity and through the cross he opened a way back to God? I wonder have you heeded the word of God repented of your sin and trusted Christ as your Saviour.

 

Sir James Simpson was the guy that discovered chloroform. In fact, he made many scientific discoveries throughout his life. And he was asked at the end of his life, “sir, what's the greatest discovery that you've ever made?“ You know what he said? “The greatest discovery that I have ever made was this, that I was a lost, guilty, hell deserving sinner, and that Jesus Christ, the Saviour of sinners, is my Saviour. I wonder, have you made that discovery? The need for this shepherd is obvious. Ah, but look again the nature of the shepherd is glorious. You see in John chapter 10, the Lord Jesus Christ unlocked the mystery of the 23rd Psalm when he said, "I am the good shepherd." The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. Now listen, when he said, "I am," he was saying, "I am God." When he said, "I am the good shepherd," he was saying, "I am man." You see, my dear friends, if you're going to be satisfied tonight, three aspects of your life have to be met. The past, the present, the future. And those three aspects of your life can be met tonight in the person of Jesus Christ. You see, he's the good shepherd. He says, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep." We've often heard of sheep dying for the shepherd, but we're less likely to hear of the shepherd dying for the sheep. And yet is that not what the Lord Jesus did? Do you realize tonight that Jesus Christ, the son of the living God, the one who was eternally God, equally God, essentially God? Do you realize tonight that he died for you? Do you realize that he died taking upon himself the punishment for all that is sinful in my life? “He took my sins and my sorrows. He made them his very own. He bore the burden to Calvary, suffered and died alone.” Now when Christ died as the good shepherd, he was taking the penalty of our sins – “for the wages of sin is death.” That's what Christ paid. And my friend tonight, your sin will be pardoned in Christ or punished in hell, but it will never be overlooked. Unless you have a good shepherd who died for your sin, you'll never escape the wrath of a righteous God. But listen tonight, he's not only the good shepherd, he's the great shepherd. The Bible says, "Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead." As the good shepherd, he died for us. But as the great shepherd, he rose from the dead for us. I mean tonight, what good is a dead shepherd? Christ died for our sins. He carried them to the cross. He took care of the penalty of sin. Ah, but when he rose from the dead, he takes care of the power of sin in my life. I wonder are you here tonight and you're maybe hesitant about trusting the Lord. Maybe you're fearful tonight. You would say, “Dennis, well, I would love to become a Christian and I would love to become a follower of the lamb, but I just couldn't keep it.” My friends, he does the keeping. He saves me and he keeps me. He's the good shepherd. That's my past dealt with. He's the great shepherd. That's my present dealt with. Ah, but look again. He's the chief shepherd. Peter says, "And when the chief shepherd shall appear." You see, my dear friends, the great shepherd and he had to be great to do it. Christ died for us as the good shepherd and he had to be good to do it. He died for us as the great shepherd. And he had to be great to do it. He rose for us. But as the chief shepherd, one of these days, he's coming to the air to take from the world his own. He's going to take us out from the very presence of sin itself. Think of it tonight. The good shepherd, that's the penalty of sin dealt with. The great shepherd, that's the power of sin dealt with. The chief shepherd, that's the presence of sin dealt with. Ever wonder what the world is coming to? Economic instability, political uncertainty, social disorder, natural and evil. What is this world coming to? Is a question that's on many minds tonight. Maybe the question that we should be asking is this. ‘What is coming to the world?’ For it is the growing conviction of many that the countdown to apocalypse has already begun. But listen tonight, if you're saved, you needn't fear. For Christ is coming one of these days to take us out from the presence of sin itself. Now that's life.

 

But look at death for a moment. The secret of a happy death is realizing the presence of the shepherd. Ah, David is coming to deal with a reality now. He says, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me."

 

John McNeill was a great Scottish preacher. And during his early teens, he was a ticket clerk at a train station. He used to work late on a Saturday night to 12. And there was a seven mile stretch between the train station and his home. And between that stretch there was a place known as the valley of the shadow. And one night John wanted to be home for the Lord's day. He started out on that seven mile stretch. And when he got to this place that was known as the valley of the shadow, his feet couldn't hardly hit the ground. He was flying. The adrenaline was flowing. He was scared as he was running into the darkness. Out of the darkness of the night, there came a voice that shouted, "Is that you, John?" And out of the darkness came his dad. And with his father's hand upon his shoulder and his father's footfall hitting the ground beside him, John feared no evil because all that made home was with him. One of these days, dear friends, you and I are going to walk through this valley if the Lord does not come. But David says, "I will fear no evil, for thou art with me." Now, even as Christians, we don't like to discuss death, but we need to learn to deal with death.

 

Almost every week when our grandchildren were a lot smaller, I used to take them down into Moira Parish Church to the graveyard. And when the little ones were smaller, they would say, "Well, what are these granddad and what's this?" You know what they're like? They're full of questions when they're young. And I would say, "Well, these are graves." And people who die are buried there. And I would say, "Look at that grave. It's got an inscription on it. It's got a scripture verse upon it. And that person that died there, they must have been a Christian.” And you say to me, " How awful filling a child's mind with such things." No, it's good to have those thoughts. We're not trying to scare our children, but we want them to understand the reality of life and death and eternity. And when we're caused to think about death, God uses that to stress to us the brevity of life and what we should be doing with our lives. Death is a fact we need to accept. Do you notice how David begins verse four? He says, "Yea" He doesn't say ‘nay.’ He wants us to see the death is a reality. If the Lord Jesus doesn't come soon, each of us in this building, we're going to go through the door of death. Solomon said in the book of Ecclesiastes, “to everything, there's a season, a time to every purpose under the heaven, a time to be born, and a time to die. Just as surely as there's a time to be born, so the Bible says there's a time to die. We cannot escape it. Death. It's actual. You see what David says?  It's a reality. We speak of statistics tonight and I could give you a lot of statistics about death, but let me just give you one. One out of one die. Did you get that? One out of one die. Death is actual. And then it's individual. David says, "Yea, though I walk, not they walk." You know when a preacher starts talking about death, do you know what happens in the human mind? They say that mind says yes tell them about death preacher tell them about death. But my friends what we must realize this is this I must I may be the next one to die. It's actual but it's individual. It's personal and but it's something else. It's not only actual. It's not only individual. It's problematical. The problem with death is this. That you and I doesn't know when it's going to happen. “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.” David was talking about a valley here. It probably was the one he kept that brings you down from Jerusalem to Jericho. And David the shepherd is going through that valley with his sheep. And he doesn't know from one moment to the next moment what is going to happen. You see, for David, for us, we live at a step at a time. It was David himself that said, "There is but a step between me and death." The old man, the young mother, the little child may drop its t toys to grapple with the iron strength of death. I must preach as a dying man to a dying man and woman. I don't know, my friends. This may be the last message that I'll ever preach, but this may be the last message that you will ever hear. You remember James's words. He says, "What is your life? It is even a vapor that appeareth for a little while and then vanishes away." We count our birthdays. We count our years at every birthday. But God tells us not to number our years. He tells us to number our days. After all, we live at a day time. And they rush by so quickly the older we go. Have you ever thought about death? Have you ever thought about your death?

 

Let me tell you how Gandhi, the man who led India to independence, faced death.  Some 15 years before his death, he wrote in his journal. “I must tell you that all in all humility that Hinduism as I know it entirely satisfies my soul and fills my whole being.” However, just before his death, he wrote, "My days are numbered. For the first time in 50 years, I find myself in the slock of despond. All around me is darkness. I'm praying for light." What a contrast to the American preacher DL Moody.  As his loved ones gathered around his deathbed he caught a glimpse of the coming glory and he said, "Earth is receding. Heaven is opening. God is calling. I must go. This is my coronation day. This is my triumph." How will you face death? Saved or lost without Christ? Moving towards heaven or moving towards hell. I said this psalm is all about life. It's all about death.

 

Ah but David goes a step further. It's all about eternity. Eternity. He says, "Surely goodness and mercy like two sheep dogs follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." David's thinking about heaven. He's thinking about the tabernacle of the house of God- “the dwelling of God is with men and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people and God himself shall be with them and be their God. Here David's moving from the sphere of the temporal and he's moving into the sphere of the eternal. Three vital questions confront us all tonight. They're very simple. Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going? Can I just remind you tonight there is an eternity? While the word eternity appears only once in the Bible, the concept of eternity appears time and time again. Eternity is an attribute. It's a perfection of God. God's existence is without beginning. It's without ending. You remember what the psalmist says. He says, "From everlasting to everlasting, thou art God." Paul says, "The things which are seen are temporal." The things that I see with my visible eye, the river, the flowers, the buildings, the house, they're temporal. But the things which are not seen, God, Christ, heaven, hell are eternal. You see that great unseen state of existence which lies beyond the grave is forever. It doesn't matter in the sense well it does but for a moment it doesn't matter whether it's joy or bliss whether it's heaven or hell whether it's pleasure or pain in one sense it's completely unlike this world it is forever there in the great eternity there's no change there's no decay there's no annihilation there's no alteration. Whatever is beyond the grave is eternal it's everlasting. The great American and preacher cried out. “I stand on the shores of time and cry out, "Eternity! Eternity! How long art thou?" When 10,000 times, 10,000 years are passed, eternity will have just begun. Look ahead tonight. How long have you got? One year, 5 years, 10 years, 50 years? Then what? Those years will soon be over. Then eternity. Do you recognize that there is an eternity? Do you realize that the things that are seen are only temporal and you're moving into a sphere that's eternal? There is an eternity. May I remind you tonight that you, like David, must spend eternity somewhere. You must, for the time will never come when you will cease to be. You will be somewhere throughout the endless cycles of eternity. As death leaves me, judgment will find me. Moreover, my friend, you have a soul tonight. I wonder, have you counted the cost if your soul should be lost? One day the body will die. You'll put it in a grave. It will decay. Ah, but the soul made in the image of God will live for eternity. That's why the Lord Jesus said, "What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" My friend, tonight you have a soul that's precious, a soul that's eternal, a soul that's immortal, a soul that will exist in bliss or woe in paradise or perdition or heaven or hell. Tell me this. What are you doing with the soul that God's given to you? Are you preparing that soul for the great eternity? Have you come to the cross? Has that soul been washed in the blood of the lamb? There is an eternity. You will spend eternity somewhere. Where you spend eternity will be in heaven or hell. Christ said, "And you shall seek me and die in your sins, and whether I go, you cannot come." He says, "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal.” And where you spend eternity will be determined by what you do with Jesus Christ. Think of what Christ said. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. He that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.” Eternity. If you accept Christ as your Saviour, you'll spend eternity with him. If you reject Christ as your Saviour, you'll spend eternity without him. Life, death, eternity. Let me just pause for a moment. Think of what eternity is going to be for us as the Christians. Think of the knowledge that we'll have there. Paul says, "Now we know in part, but then shall we know, even as also we are known." The tangled network of life will be unravelled. And I bless the heart that planned and the hand that guided. Think of the knowledge that we're going to have there. Think of the friends that we're going to see there. One of the first persons that I want to see in glory apart from Christ is my dad. How he prayed for me when I was in the in the far country. How he sought God for me. I just want to see him again. But think of the Saviour that we'll see there. What a moment it will be when faith will give way to sight. And we shall see him as he is.

 

Life, death, eternity, the key to happiness.

 

One time a little girl was called in Sunday school to quote the 23rd Psalm. She got up and said this, "The Lord is my shepherd. I've got all I want. I've got all I want. That's the key to happiness. Not the things that he gives us, not the blessings that he bestows upon us. My dear friends, it is the Lord himself who is the secret of satisfaction. Jehovah, Jesus, is my shepherd. I've got all I want. Let me ask you in closing tonight, is the Lord Jesus your shepherd? Years ago, a preacher was out on the highlands of Scotland and he came across a Scottish lad, a little shepherd boy, and sitting down beside him, he asked him, "Did he know the 23rd Psalm?" The wee boy says, "Of course I do." The preacher said, "Well, what's the opening verse?” “The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want.” The preachers said, "Not so quickly. Let's take it off like this. Let's take it off on your left hand. The Lord is my shepherd." And he paused and he said to the wee boy, "Is the Lord Jesus your Saviour? Is he your shepherd?" And that preacher explained to that little Scottish shepherd boy the way of salvation. And before he left, he trusted Christ. And before he left, with his right hand, he was grasping the fourth finger of his left hand. Christ had become his personal shepherd. The following winter, there was a severe storm. One day the sheep and the shepherd didn't come home and the search party was sent out and they began to dig the sheep out from the snow. And then they came across the wee boy, the little body of this wee shepherd boy. And there they saw him with peace on his face and with his right hand he was grasping the fourth finger of his left hand. Such was his last thought. Do you see how David commences the psalm with the Lord? Do you see how David concludes the psalm with the Lord? Tell me tonight, do you know him? I'm not asking you tonight, are you a Baptist, an independent Methodist, whatever denomination you are tonight, you could be all of those and die and go to hell. I'm asking you tonight, do you know Christ? Can we truthfully say, "The Lord is my shepherd and I will dwell. Surely I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

 

3 Significant days in the life of the apostle Paul

COLERAINE EVANGELICAL CHURCH

SERMON NOTES SUNDAY 16 AUGUST 2026 - JOHN WEIR

ACTS 9

I think you would all agreed that our lives are made up of many defining days. There is the day of our birth, the day we start or finish school, the day we get our first job, the day we pass our driving test, the day we get married, the day we buy our first home, the day we retire from a job. Memorable days, significant days. The Bible says "Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Every day is precious. The older you get the more thankful you become. Did you thank God for another day today? Some people didn't see today, they went out into eternity. Thank God for a brand new day every day. Every day brings us closer to eternity. Very soon we are going to see the Lord. I don't want to have any regrets when I see the Lord face to face for the first time. I want to hear the words "well done good and faithful servant enter into the joy of thy Lord." Paul had many wonderful days. He was known as a saint, a scholar, a scribe and a soul winner. Paul was a man conquered by Christ, consumed by Christ, committed to the cause of Christ. He had 3 big defining days.

First the day of his conversion. It was the most important day in his life. The day when he met the Lord. He was a converted man. In Acts 9 we read how he met the Lord on the Damascus road. A day he would never forget for the rest of his life. When you meet the Lord you never forget that day. Conversion is a real thing. It is a miracle. I remember hearing the gospel for the first time at 19 years of age. I walked into the Metropolitan Church, was convicted of my sins and met the Lord that night. I remember asking the Lord to save my soul and going the next day to the Faith Mission shop in Belfast to buy my first bible. I couldn't wait to get to the church meetings on a Sunday and prayer meetings during the week. The Holy Spirit came into my life. He gave me a new heart and a new mind, a new tongue. The places I used to go I didn't want to go to anymore. Are you genuinely converted today? Maybe you had Christian parents and you went to church every week. You heard the gospel. You attended Sunday School. Maybe you accepted Christ as Saviour there or maybe it was in your bedroom or in a mission. It is the most important thing you can ever do. Matthew 18 verse 3 "Except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." If you are genuinely converted there should be a change in you. You cannot meet the Lord and still be the same. As the hymn says "What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought, Since Jesus came into my heart." The conversion of the apostle Paul encourages us. No-one is too hard for the Lord to save. Maybe you are praying for many people in your family and they are still not saved - never give up on them. Notice that the apostle Paul was converted suddenly - verse 3. Do you know anyone who has been converted suddenly? Many people share their story that they were converted suddenly. They had no real interest in the gospel at all. Someone invited them to a meeting and they went to please them. Then suddently they were converted. The Lord broke in to their lives. They had no record of reading God's word, or praying. Paul was going to do the devil's work - verse 1. He was putting Christians in prison. He stood against everything that Christians stood for. He spent his life causing havoc in the early church. The devil had him blinded, deceived. Paul was very religious before he was saved - a Pharisee, from the tribe of Benjamin. He knew all the Jewish law and was taught by Gamaliel. But for all his religious upbringing he did not have God's salvation. Do you know someone like that? Many people are very proud of their church. They attend every week, partake of the Lord's Supper but they do not know God's salvation. The devil can deceive people through false religion. "And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus." (1 Timothy 1 verses 12 to 14)  Paul would never forget those awful days. He thanked God for saving his soul. He was proud to be in the family of God. Are you proud to be in the family of God? As we come into God's house, his special place where we come together as God's people, let us praise his lovely name for what he has done in our lives. Acts 9 verse 4 - the Lord saw what this man was doing. He knew what he was doing. Saul was his Hebrew name, Paul his Greek name. The Lord called his name twice. Has the Lord had to do that to you to get your attention? Maybe he has had to call you more than twice. Isn't it lovely to hear God's voice? For us there is the voice of salvation. Sometimes we hear his voice for service. It might mean you are to go into full time service. Or maybe he will ask you to do something for him in the background. Maybe the Lord will ask you to do a job for him this week. Maybe it will mean visiting someone and explaining to them the way of salvation. "My sheep hear my voice and I know them  and they follow me" (John 10 verses 27 and 28) Maybe you are hearing his voice in relation to his service. Maybe you haven't a lot of offer and yet you ant to offer yourself to God today, There are multitudes around this church who need to hear God's voice. They are spiritually dead, under the judgment of God. We have to go out and reach them. Did you reach anyone this last week? Did you buy anyone a bible? Did you invite someone to come to church? "The harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few." Did you know that the most popular funeral hymn is "I did it my way"? Jesus is the only way to be converted. There are so many people attending church who are not yet converted. There are some churches where people never hear they have to be converted. The greatest tragedy in the ministry is not an empty pulpit but a full pulpit occupied by a man who has never truly been born again. Paul was encouraged as a young convert. Barnabas encouraged him. Ananias encouraged him. The disciples of Damascus encouraged him. The disciples in Jerusalem encouraged him. Be an encourager today. Think of those who encouraged you when you first were converted. Paul was also humbled in his conversion - verse 4. He fell to the earth. He recognised he was a sinner. A lot of people don't see that. The first defining day in Paul's life was the day of his conversion.

Secondly, the day of his commitment. Some people I know are converted but they are not always committed. It is hard to get people committed. You can get them out to church on Sunday morning but never see them at the prayer meeting or at the outreach activities. Acts 9 verse 6. Paul asked the Lord "what do you want me to do?" He made it personal. Have you ever done that? What is the purpose of my life? Paul goes to the right person and asked the right question. We have no record of the other men on the Damascus road ever asking that question. Some people are like that - committed to the work of God but others will let them get on with it. Other things take priority. God's work is a special work and it is the best work to be involved in. We are serving the King of Kings. Too many Christians are inconsistent. Faithful people are a thing of the past. We need those kind to build up the work, to keep the work going, all playing a part, all unique, all with different gifts and abilities and talents. We all need to be encouraging one another, supporting each other. We recently moved to Ballyclare, into a new housing estate and it has been wonderful to see new houses built around us. Everyone on the building site has a part to play in getting the houses built, finished and ready for moving ito. We all have to work together in God's work. We all individually have a part to play. Paul was committed. He was prepared to suffer - verses 15 and 16. He was a "chosen vessel". Ananias was told of the great things Paul would have to suffer for God. The Lord was going to use Paul but he would suffer for it. The Lord has people like that. They suffered many things. 2 Corinthians 11 "Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness." It was blow after blow after blow and we read in 2 Corinthians 12 of his "thorn in the flesh". But then we read "my grace is sufficient for thee." Perhaps you are involved in God's work and at present you are going through trials. Claim the promise of God given to Paul. Paul was still committed. He preached to big crowds and small ones. He preached to Jews and to Greeks. The motto of his life was simply "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain." The Lord uses ordinary people, failures, people who are willing. "But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty." Whatever the Lord has given you today be committed. You might not always be successful but your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

The third day was the day of his crowning. One day Paul would go home. He would finish his journey and see the Lord face to face. Commentators are not sure how old Paul was when he died. Some say he was between 60 and 65 years of age. Paul said in 2 Timothy 4 verses 6 to 8 "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." Paul would go into the presence of the Lord. His trial would be over. He would see the Lord face to face. He was not afraid to die. Have you ever been with someone who is afraid to die? Sometimes I have been with people and meant to be the encourager but instead they have encouraged me. Paul would be rewarded at the Judgment Seat of Christ. In scripture there are 5 crowns mentioned:

The incorruptible (or imperishable) crown - 1 Corinthians 9 verse 25

The soul winners crown - 1 Thessalonians 2 verse 19

The crown of righteousness - 2 Timothy 4 verse 8

The crown of life - James 1 verse 12

The crown of life - 1 Peter 5 verse 4

Paul's service didn't prevent him from suffering. The Lord allowed him to go through those trials. He was beheaded and the Lord allowed that to happen. He was in prison and the Lord allowed that. Think of the different people in scripture - Joseph, Jeremiah, John the Baptist, Peter, Paul and Silas. They were there because they loved the Lord. There are many in prison today for their faith - will you pray for them? They will die today for their faith. 

3 defining days in the life of the apostle Paul. Let's keep pressing on until the Lord calls or comes. I am sure you have heard saints of God who just want to go home, home to heaven. That is the hope we all have. To be promoted to glory soon. Let us die well. Let us finish well. Let us serve our day and generation to the best of our abilities today