A great gulf fixed

 

COLERAINE EVANGELICAL CHURCH

SERMON NOTES SUNDAY 4 OCTOBER 2026 pm – MR JASON CRUISE

Hebrews 2 verses 3 and 4

Luke 16 verse 19 to 31

In the passage that we have just read here tonight, the Lord does indeed confirm be beyond any doubt that there are two destinations in eternity. He tells us here about two men that lived here on earth. Two men who lived very different lives in life. These two men walked upon very different roads spiritually speaking. You see, one of these men walked upon the broad and the crowded road to a lost and a Christless eternity. The other man, he walked upon the narrow way, that way that leads to heaven and to home. As we consider these two men this evening, I want you to ask yourself, which one of these men resembles you tonight? Which one of these two men is a picture of the life that you're living? Which one of these two men tramp the same road that tonight you tramp? Tonight I put the question to you - are you on the broad road down to that awful place of destruction? Or are you on the narrow way to heaven and to home? You see, as we made our way to the gospel meeting we all came upon different roads. As some came from the east, some from the west, some from the north, perhaps some from the south. We're all traveling on different roads, but spiritually speaking, we're on one of two roads. You're either on the broad road or you're on the narrow road. This rich man here tonight lived a life that was very different to the beggar that we read about Lazarus. Look with me there at the verse 19 "There was a certain rich man which was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day." Here's a man here, this rich man. He has plenty of money. He has plenty of food. He has the best of clothes. He was clothed in purple and fine linen. In the scriptures, of course, purple would remind us about royalty. Here's a man and he's living life just like a king. This man is living a lavish lifestyle. He's enjoying all that the world has to offer.  Maybe tonight you're enjoying all that the world can offer. But in the light of eternity, it is worth nothing. There will come a day whenever it will be taken from you. Just in an instant, you'll be taken from it and you'll leave the scene of time and you'll cross over the boundary line out into eternity. And I put the question to you this evening, where will your soul be in God's great eternity? Will you be in heaven with the Lord? Or will you be in hell without the Lord and eternally separated from the love of God? Here's a man and he's preoccupied with the temporal. He's taken up with the material. And this man has nothing for eternity. Perhaps this is just like you. You're just like this rich man and you're still in your sin. You have nothing at all for eternity. Perhaps you're shouting back at the preacher and you're saying "Preacher, I hope you're not saying that I'm a sinner. I'm just as good as the man next door. I'm just as good as the man down the street." I don't doubt that for one moment. I'm sure you're just as good as the man next door. But we can tell you on the authority of God's word that you're a sinner. We read in Romans chapter 3 verse 10, "There is none righteous, know not one." The apostle Paul reminds us there in Galatians 3 verse 22, “scripture hath concluded all under sin.” All of your good deeds that you do, all of your church attendance, all of your charitable works, it will never gain you access into God's heaven. The only way to enter heaven is by knowing God's son, the Lord Jesus, as your Saviour and your lord. Have you ever come in repentance and came to that place where you've put your faith and your trust in Christ and in his finished work? And you're resting upon what Christ has done upon the centre cross. You're saying, "It is enough for me." That Christ was willing to come to suffer, to bleed, and to die in my place. You're a repentant sinner and you're saved by God's grace. Could that be said of you? If you're relying upon your good deeds tonight, we remind ourselves that the word of God tells us in Isaiah 64 verse 6, “we are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.” Your good deeds, your good works, your charitable works can never gain you access into heaven. But if that's what you're relying upon, you're a self-righteous sinner and you're on the broad road to a lost and a Christless eternity. Look again at verses 20 and 21 "And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus which was laid at his gate full of sores and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores.” Some would believe tonight that the Lord Jesus simply told this story as an illustration, that it's not really a life account, that these men didn't really live or exist. But we know that these men did indeed live. That these men did at one time live here upon earth. "And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus." These men did indeed live. The Lord Jesus knew this man personally. He was able to say his name. Does God know you personally? Is your name recorded in the rule book of heaven, the Lamb's Book of Life? Do you know that joy of your sins forgiven? Do you know tonight the joy of being made clean from your sin and made right and ready for a home in heaven? The life that this rich man lived is in stark contrast to the life that Lazarus lived. Here's a man here now, Lazarus. And the word of God tells us that he was laid at the gate of the rich man. It says there, "And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus which was laid at his gate full of sores." In the original Greek, he's actually not laid. He's actually cast at the gate of the rich man. Here's a man and he can't walk for himself and he can't work. He can't earn. And so now he has to beg. And we see this man as he lies at the gate of the rich man his body is covered in sores. And this man, as he lies there, he waits and hopes that the servants would bring the crumbs that fall from the rich man's table. I wonder how many times the rich man's wife after passing by Lazarus she maybe came to her husband and she would say, "I've seen Lazarus again today lying at the gate. Perhaps we should take him something to eat.” I wonder how many times this rich man's five brethren made their way through the gates of their brother's house and they've went past Lazarus, I wonder did they say “we saw Lazarus again today lying at your gate and perhaps we should take him down something to eat.” I wonder did the rich man say “no but the servants will perhaps take him something later.” I wondered did his wife maybe at any time say perhaps we could bring Lazarus up to the house today. Perhaps we could give him a meal. I wonder did the rich man say “no he's been lying with the dogs all day. Oh, we don't want him in the house.” Picture this man. Picture him in his dilemma as he lies at the gate of this rich man. Oh, these two men, they are living very, very different lives and they're walking different roads spiritually. They're heading out to two very different destinations in eternity. Look at verses 22 and 23. It says, "And it came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried and in hell he lift up his eyes being in torments and seeth Abraham a far off and Lazarus in his bosom." You see here now that death has come for these two men. Death has come suddenly. It has come unwanted. It has come unannounced. These two men have been ushered out into God's great eternity. It doesn't matter tonight how rich you are. It doesn't matter how much of this world's goods you have accumulated. Each and every one of us has an appointment with death. Hebrews 9 verse 27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die but after this the judgment.” All that this rich man had gathered around him, all of his money, all of his lands he left it all behind. There will come that time when everything that you have accumulated, you'll leave it all behind. I think there of the French philosopher Voltaire. He was a very rich man. As he lay upon his deathbed, he said to his doctor, "If you could give me another year, I'll give you half my fortune." His doctor replied to him, "If you gave me all your fortune, I couldn't give you another hour." Whenever the time comes to leave this scene of time and go out into eternity, it is an appointment that you will keep. It's not an appointment that you have with the doctor or the dentist. You can simply phone up in the morning and put it off for another week. Put it off for 6 months. When your appointment with death comes you will be ushered out in to the great eternity. We read here about this man Lazarus. Notice there's no mention of a burial. In fact, it's highly likely that the body in fact would have been dumped. But concerning this rich man, he did indeed have a burial. I'm sure his funeral was a grand affair, a great farewell. All the high flyers of society, the rich and the famous, I'm sure they made their way along to the funeral service of this rich man. I am sure no doubt there was a Jewish priest and he stood and gave a great eulogy over this man's open grave. I am sure that he had much to say concerning this rich man. But it may well have been a grand send off. But I wonder what the arrival was like. Here's a man, he has left time and he has arrived in eternity. I wonder what the arrival was like. Five minutes after you die, where will your soul be? Will you be in heaven with the Lord? Or will you be in hell, eternally separated from the Lord? Here's a man now. He went out into eternity unprepared and unrepentant. The word of God tells us “in hell he lift up his eyes being in torments.” It's now too late. You see, there's no second chance. There's no rerun. He's out into eternity and he's there forever. I think I've told the story here before of the Sunday school teacher and teaching her Sunday school class one Sunday about eternity. One of the young boys in the class asked the teacher, "How long is eternity? How long does eternity go on for?" The Sunday school teacher took off her wedding ring and she handed it to the young boy and she said, "Find the end of the ring." The young boy turned the ring around in his hand and around and around and he said, "Miss, there is no end." She said, "Give it to your friend beside you." He handed the wedding ring to his friend and he began to turn it around in his hand and around and around and again he lifted it up and he said to the Sunday school teacher, "Miss, there is no end." She said, "That's just like eternity. No end." If we could tell you tonight that after a thousand years in hell you'd be released, then at least you'd have some hope. But I can tell you tonight that after 10,000 years in a Christless eternity, you'll have no less time to shed your tears than when first you entered there. Where do you stand before God tonight? Are you still in your sin? Or by God's grace, do you stand under the gaze of God, saved for time and for eternity? We read there in Mark's chapter 8 verse 36 “For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” What an awful thing for a man who accumulated so much and yet whenever the time came to leave time and go out into eternity, the very thing that he needed, he didn't have it, salvation. Whenever you go out into eternity, the only thing that's going to matter is if you know Christ as your Lord and your Savior. The only thing that's going to matter is if you can look back to a time in your life's experience whenever you simply came as a repentant sinner and acknowledged before God that you have lived that life that has been an offense to the holiness of God. You simply come in repentance and accept Christ for what he has done upon the cross. You are resting upon him and what he has endured and what he has accomplished for you. We see here for this rich man the day of the banquets, the day of the feasting is now over. We read here in the scriptures that he fared sumptuously. This man lived life just like a king. He was clothed in purple and fine linen. Across our province there are many ruins of factories that were once involved in the linen production. Used to be a lot of linen produced around our province and there are many factories that are closed up and many of them now in ruins and they were once thriving businesses that were involved in the linen production. Linen is well known for keeping the body cool. They are only a distant memory now for here's a man for whom the flames of hell have laid hold upon his body, laid hold upon his soul.

Verse 24 "And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame." Throughout this man’s lifetime, this man wanted for nothing. But here he's only moments into eternity and now he cries out for a drop of water. I don't know how long this man has been in hell. But what I can tell you is that this man still cries out for a drop of water. Simply a little drop of water just to cool his tongue. Tonight he's still in a lost eternity and he still hasn't received that drop of water. This rich man also refers to Abraham as father Abraham. This man most likely was brought up in a religious Jewish home.

Can you look back to a time whenever you were brought up in a home where you were sent along on a Sunday morning to Sunday school? You were taken along on a Sunday morning to church. Each and every Sunday morning, you were found in your place in your pew. Each and every Sunday evening, you were brought along to the gospel meeting. and you've heard the gospel down through the years preached by various preachers and you know the word of God so well but sadly you do not know the God of the word and you've simply clothed yourself in a cloak of religiosity. There'll be many religious people in a lost eternity. We don't simply get into heaven by attending church. We get into heaven because we have accepted Christ as our Savior. Can you say that you've accepted him? Can you say with all assurance that you know that your name is recorded in the rule book of heaven? You are religious, but you're not redeemed. You are sympathetic to the gospel, but sadly you're not saved. You are just relying upon church attendance, relying upon your good works, relying upon what you've done for your neighbours. We read in the word of God in Titus chapter 3 ”Not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us.” Salvation is all of God not of man. All of God. We read in Jonah chapter 2 verse 9 “Salvation is of the Lord.” It's nothing to do tonight with the preacher. It's nothing to do tonight with a church elder or a church oversight or any denomination. Salvation is of the Lord. Have you ever simply come in repentance and bowed the knee and asked Christ to be your Saviour.

Verses 25 and 26. “But Abraham said, "Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivest thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things, but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented." And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot, neither can they pass to us that would come from.” We see here now these two men, they're out into eternity. We read here now about a great divide. The word of God says clearly, a great gulf that is fixed. If there's anything, as one preacher once put it, that could be written over the gates of hell, it would simply be, "Abandon all hope, all ye who enter here." There's no exit door and there's no excuse. We're still living in the day of grace. You could simply come in repentance and come and rest upon what Christ has done. The apostle Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 1 verse 15 “it is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” There's 8.3 billion people around the world tonight. Each and every one of us are born with this sin problem. And because of this sin problem, you and I could never enter heaven. But the only one who can deal with your sin problem

is God's eternal son. Because of your sin, he died upon the centre cross so that you could be made right, made clean, and made ready for a home in heaven. Why would you sit with your back towards God in rebellion? Why would you not simply come and put your faith and your trust in him? Or will you go through the doors of the church another time, still a Christ rejector? There's a great divide here now between these two men. The word of God tells us here about a great gulf that is fixed. We read in Hebrews chapter 2 verse 3 “How then shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?” A great salvation that has been made available by the person of God's son, the Lord Jesus, the one who told this story, would one day make his way into Jerusalem. And those men would eventually bring him to Pontius Pilate who would condemn him to the death of crucifixion. They would tie him to the scourging pool and that Roman flagrum would come down upon his back time and time and time again. So that the words of the psalmist could be fulfilled. “The plowers plowed upon my back; they made long their furrows.” Eventually they would lead Christ out through the city gate and he would ascend a hill towards Golgotha. There they would lay him down upon the cross, the eternal son of God. They would drive the nails through his hands and through his feet. They would raise that cross up into position and there between heaven and earth the sinless, spotless lamb of God. The Lord Jesus would hang in your place and in mine. And in the darkness, he bore all of your sin, your guilt, and your shame. So the divine judgment of a holy God would be satisfied with that once and for all forever sacrifice that was offered by the Lord Jesus, God's eternal son. because of what he has accomplished upon the cross. This great salvation is available for you tonight. Are you going to go out into eternity without the Saviour. to end up on the wrong side of this great gulf that is fixed?

Verses 27 and 28. “Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou would ascend him to my father's house, for I have five brethren, that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.” In this passage, we read about six brothers. One of these brothers is already in hell and the other five are making their way there. We see that this man has all of his senses. He has his memory. He has his feelings. He has his sight. He has his hearing. And friend, if you go out into a lost eternity, you'll have all of your senses as well. And you'll be able to look back to this night and remember how you sat and you sang the hymns and you heard the word of God read and preached from. And yet foolishly you left the church still in rebellion towards the Lord. We read now about this man praying. No mention of prayer when he was alive, but now he begins to pray. It's too late. If you were to enter into eternity tonight unprepared and unrepentant and to enter eternity without the Saviour there'll be absolutely no point in praying then. And more so, there'll be no point in anyone else praying for you. You see, this great gulf that is fixed, if you go out without the Saviour, you're going to end up on the wrong side. That's why we present to you a loving Saviour and one who is not only able to save but one tonight who is willing to save. We read in Hebrews 3 verse 15 “today if ye will hear his voice harden not your heart.” I wonder how many gospel meetings have you sat through and you've hardened your heart towards the voice of God. Think of all the head knowledge of the scriptures that you have. It'll count for nothing. The Lord Jesus told us while he walked this earth in John 14 verse 6 "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the father but by me." What are you relying upon for eternity? If it is not Christ, can I tell you it is futile? We don't know how long this man has been in eternity, but it's 2,000 years since the Lord Jesus himself told the story. And this man tonight still longs for a drop of water. The Lord Jesus tells us in John 4 verse 14, "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." You could have everlasting life if you would only come and taste and see that the Lord is good.

Finally verses 29 down to 31. “Abraham saith unto him, ‘they have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘Nay, Father Abraham, but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.’ And he said unto him, ‘If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.’" We present one to you in the gospel meeting who did indeed enter in to death and one who did indeed rise from the dead. God's eternal son, the Lord Jesus, the one who rose victorious from the grave, victorious over sin and over death and over hell. Why would you leave the gospel meeting still in rebellion towards him? He has opened up the way for you to come. Come from the dark paths of sin and come again into fellowship and communion with God. And you can know your sins forgiven. The Saviour who died upon the cross, the one who entered into death for you and for I rose victorious and now he lives in the power of an endless life. Tonight he sits at the Father's own right hand in glory. “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Come tonight and have rest and come and receive this rest for your soul. Why? Because life is short and death is sure, judgment is certain, but eternity is long. A decision tonight is required. What will you will your decision be tonight? Will you leave the gospel meeting another time still rejecting the Saviour to go out into eternity and end up on the wrong side of the great gulf that is fixed? End up on the wrong side of the great divide. Or will you come in a veil of the great salvation that has been procured for you at that place called Calvary? I remind you again of the passage that we read in Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 3 “How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?” You could avoid going down into this awful place that the Bible calls hell if you'll only come to put your faith and your trust in the risen Christ tonight. The scriptures tell us, "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." It doesn't say you might be saved. It doesn't say there's a possibility you'll be saved. It doesn't say if all ends well, you'll be saved. No the word of God says “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” It's a sure and certain salvation. It's freely available for you. May you know God's help to come

 

Spiritual armour

 

COLERAINE EVANGELICAL CHURCH

SERMON NOTES SUNDAY 4 OCTOBER 2026 – MR JASON CRUISE

EPHESIANS 6 VERSES 10 TO 19

When any country or nation sends its troops into the midst of a war they have an obligation to make sure that those in the army are suitably dressed for the battle. It would be detrimental to the outcome if they didn’t have the proper attire. The same can be said for you and I from the moment we give our lives to Christ. From that moment forward until Christ comes or calls we are involved in warfare with a very powerful enemy. Colossians 1 verse 13. What a blessing to be found in the family and fold of God. 1 John 3 verse 1. From that moment when we raised the flag of allegiance to Christ we are involved in a spiritual war and we have a great enemy. 1 Peter 5 verse 8. The devil is a great tactician. He is a great strategist. He is seeking to bring down the child of God. Ever since Eden he seeks the downfall of the child of God. But God has provided armour for you and I for the battle. To fail to apply that armour is to expect defeat before the battle has begun. The great Puritan John Owen who died in 1683 said “no one preaches his own sermon well to others if he does not preach it to himself first of all.” The apostle Paul speaking to believers at Ephesus and he is telling them to be empowered daily by the Lord. 

Verse 10 To live a successful Christian life here on earth, relying on your own strength and ability or capabilities would be futile. We do rely on the Lord. “Stand strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.” We dare not step out to do a work for God relying upon our strength. We rely first and foremost on the Lord and his enabling power.

Verses 11 and 12 Notice that Paul doesn’t simply say “put on the armour of God” but rather in both verses 11 and 13 he emphasizes it is the “whole” armour. A few pieces of armour will not be sufficient for the task. You and I are in the spiritual battle today. We must put on the whole armour of God. This is the result of putting on the whole armour of God. We don’t want to be soldiers of the Lord who stand ashamed and embarrassed because of our paltry efforts. We want to stand strong and steadfast. In verse 13 we see the onus is on us to apply the armour. This is different than Isaiah 61 verse 10. God has covered us with the robe of imputed righteousness. Take unto you the whole armour of God. God has provided us with it and it is up to us to take it up day and daily. There are 6 items of armour to be considered.

The letter to the Ephesians is a prison epistle. It was written while Paul was in prison in Rome. Day and daily Paul would have seen the Roman soldiers as they walked about prepared for battle. He saw the garments they wore. He likens the armour we would put on to the armour the Roman soldier would have put on in preparation for battle. The tunic had space for head and arms. It was free flowing. The tunic was held in place by the belt. The belt helped the tunic from moving about. The soldier would be unencumbered. We can apply it to ourselves. The belt of truth. There is much false doctrine about today. Deception and many lies and half truths. Without the belt of truth so many can blow about after every doctrine. Ephesians 4 “that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro carried about with every word of doctrine by the slight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive. The belt was applied to the soldier, it held the tunic in place. We must apply the belt of truth so we are unencumbered. Know the difference between false doctrine and lies and deception. “Having on the breastplate of righteousness”. The breastplate protected a vital part of the body. The upper part of the body from the neck to the torso. The thorax covering to put on the upper body and lower torso. Protecting the heart. We read of 3 types of righteousness – self-righteousness, imputed righteousness and practical righteousness. Self-righteousness means we believed we were good enough before we got saved, we could make our own way to heaven by our own efforts. Imputed righteousness was given at the moment of conversion, the day we put our faith and trust in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5 verse 21. We have received the imputed righteousness of God. The breastplate pictures 2 things – imputed and practical righteousness. John MacArthur once said “Imputed righteousness makes practical righteousness possible but only obedience to the Lord makes practical righteousness a reality.” Harry Ironside once said “If you want to win in this battle, you must practice righteousness. Your life must be clean. There must not be hidden sin or unholy thinking tolerated, no unrighteousness in your life covered up if you are to have victory in this conflict.” I wonder in our lives day and daily do we practice practical righteousness? Are we living right before God? When we are far from this assembly what is our testimony like before those we come into contact with? John 15 verses 10 and 11. The devil would want to take the joy we have through our salvation knowing we have been made right through the finished work of Christ. What a joy it is to know your sins forgiven. The devil would seek to take that joy away. The breastplate was the only one item to have received help from others to put it on. Every other piece would be put on by the soldier. To practice righteousness day and daily. To live a holy life in our community, families we need the help of the Holy Spirit to enable to demonstrate that practical righteousness, that holy living before those that we live among and before the Lord himself.

Verses 15 and 16 Have you got on your gospel boots today? I wonder in the week that lies ahead will our walk match the talk on a Sunday? The boots of the Roman soldier had spikes on the sole to enable the soldier to stand securely in the battle. Each and every day are we standing strong, steadfast and secure? Have we on our boots today? If a Roman soldier hadn’t these strong leather boots on and laced up around the shin to the knee he could have become hurt with the thorns and stones from the rough ground. If that happened of course it would affect his walk. It would affect his walk. The last thing any believer wants is to have their walk with God affected. Think of Enoch in Genesis 5 verse 24 “and Enoch walked with God.” Hebrews 10 verse 5 before his translation he had this testimony that he pleased God. Does our walk with God please God? How is your testimony today? Have we the boots on today? Are we standing secure in the battle? Are we swift to spread the gospel? Maybe never stand in the pulpit but walk among people tomorrow that the preacher will never see. Are you swift to spread the gospel among those you move among in the week ahead?

Verse 16 Shield of faith. The Roman soldier had 2 shields. A small shield of 2 feet in diameter which was strapped to his arm and used on close combat. Then there was the larger shield which was 2 and a half foot wide and 4 foot high. It was carried by the Roman soldier at the front of the battle. It was made of wood covered by leather and pieces of metal. It protected the soldier and those behind from the arrows. As they came toward the soldier the shield would have been put in place, each one lined up together. These shields were dipped in residue so that whenever the fiery arrows hit the shield, they were immediately extinguished. Think of the shield of faith. Paul talked about the shield that is able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. Doubt, fear and discouragement that the devil would fire at us each and every day. When we come under attack we can take refuge behind the shield of faith. John Patton the missionary to the South Sea Island preached the gospel to tribes but when he was translating the bible he could not find a word for faith. One of the tribesmen came into his home one day and sat down in a chair. He said “it is good to rest my whole weight upon this chair.” “That’s it” John Paton said. I translate faith like this. It’s just like resting your whole weight upon God. You and I shelter and take refuge behind the shield of faith.  Today, we're simply not trusting in our faith, but rather we're trusting in the one in whom our faith has been put. You and I today are trusting in the Lord. The one who will never leave us nor forsake us. The one who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. My dear friends, the one that you and I rest or wait upon, he is infinitely powerful and he is absolutely dependable.

Verse 17 Paul says, "And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit which is the word of God." This is the fifth piece of the armour. The purpose of the helmet was to protect the soldier's head in the battle. Whenever you and I think about the helmet of salvation, I think of how the devil would come at times and he would say to the believer, he would say, "Are you really saved at all?" He would say, "Are you really even a Christian at all?" He would seek to come and to plant those seeds of doubt about your salvation. We're thankful today for the helmet of salvation that protects against those seeds of doubt and discouragement. The devil comes along and he seeks to distract and distort and take away your confidence and make you doubt. You and I can take comfort from the words of the Lord himself in John chapter 10 verses 28 and 29 "I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave them me is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. My Father and I are one.” You're held securely today not only in the hand of the Lord himself but in the hand of the Lord. The apostle here finally he mentions the sword of the spirit which is the word of God. That word in verse 17 that is translated here “word” in the original is not as some people would think as they would translate it as being “logos” which is the written word but rather it is the word “remma” which means the spoken word the spoken word. Out of the six pieces of armour that the Apostle Paul mentions, five of them are defensive and one of them is offensive - the sword of the spirit. Whenever the Lord was in the wilderness and the devil comes along to tempt the Lord, you'll recall that Christ didn't quote the words of a hymn. He didn't quote the words of some Jewish rabbi and he didn't quote the words of some Greek scholar. He quoted the word of God. He quoted the inherent, infallible, indestructible, and inspired word of God. It's not simply enough to have the Bible in your hand but may it be absorbed into our very being so that whenever you and I would come under attack that we can quote the word of God. I wonder are you ready to wield the word of God? Do we have it in our very being? Have you set time aside not only to read the word of God but to study the word of God? Remember the words of Peter in 1 Peter 2 verse 2 “as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby.” Did you set time aside to read the word of God to absorb it into your very being today? In the week that lies ahead, will each of us take time to come aside with the Lord, leaving aside all the cares and the worries of life and spend a little time with him and in his word to absorb his word into your very being. These six pieces of spiritual armour enable the believer to stand strong when under attack. They enable us to stand strong each and every day. Do you and I have on the whole armour of God today?

Finally, verse 18, Paul says, "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit and watching there unto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints." Are we men and women of prayer? Do we set time aside not only to read and to study the word of God, but do we set time aside for prayer? Have you came already to the Lord this morning and poured out your heart before him? Have you committed the day to him? Before we lift our feet off the floor in the evening to go to our bed, do we come again to the Lord in prayer, simply thanking him for who he is and for what he has done? You know, we're thankful whenever we come to him in prayer. We're not simply coming to one who hears us, but we're coming to one who hears and has the power to answer.

Have you on the whole armour of God? And are you men and woman of prayer?

 

 

Mission Impossible

 

COLERAINE EVANGELICAL CHURCH

SERMON NOTES SUNDAY 27 SEPTEMBER 2026 pm – PASTOR LAWRENCE KENNEDY

ACTS 12 VERSE 1 TO 16

There was a film franchise called Mission Impossible a number of years ago. I think it was Tom Cruz who played the part of Ethan Hunt. They are action spy thrillers. The first one was way back in 1996. There's been eight in the series. There was Mission Impossible 1, Mission Impossible 2, Mission Impossible 3, and so on. The last one in 2025 was Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning. This historic event recorded for us in Acts 12 is a thrilling story in its own right. It is indeed a mission impossible. James has been martyred verse two. And for Herod, it worked in the population. It worked well politically. It was a popular move. And Herod looked around for another candidate to execute to boost his approval ratings. And his eyes fell on Peter. Peter was outspoken when the rest of the majority would be silent. Peter was dynamic when the rest of the church seemed to be timid. Peter was passionate when the majority of the church seemed to be restrained. It could be that Herod had possibly heard of Peter walking on the water to meet Jesus at Galilee there in Matthew 14 and he heard of this amazing event that happened as it was spread and rumoured about that he had walked on the water. Maybe he had heard how Peter had used violence at the arrest of Jesus and had cut off the ear of Malchus, the servant of the high priest there in John 18. And he thought, yes, Peter, Peter will be the next victim. If I can silence Peter, then I will silence the church. Peter was soon imprisoned. It was Passover time. And so rather than rush a court appearance, he holds Peter until after the Passover to execute him. But God amazingly, miraculously rescued him. It is a marvellous story. It's a mission impossible. And tonight it illustrates for us what God is able to do tonight in the life of an unsaved person. He is able to do mission impossible. And I was thinking in the prayer meeting and mentioned it in prayer how we find in the Bible so many impossible cases. Namaan the Syrian general was a leper and he seemed to be an impossible case. yet through a wee servant girl he was brought to faith in God Jehovah or we have Rahab the harlot who lived in Jericho on the walls and entertained the men. Who would have thought that not only would she come into the family of God but she would be listed in the genealogy of our Saviour. What a work of redemption. Or Ruth, the Moabite girl who lost her husband and her brother-in-law and her father-in-law, and yet decided she would travel with her mother-in-law back to Bethlehem. And she said, "Where thou goest, I will go. Thy God shall be my God. Thy people shall be my people. Where thou diest will I die, and there will I be buried." What an amazing trophy of grace. Here we have another one. Peter in prison. chained with two chains, sleeping between two Roman soldiers. I want you to notice a few things tonight as we summarize this narrative.

First of all, I want you to see the danger he faced. You see, it's bad enough being arrested, but it's worse whenever you're imprisoned and Peter understood the significance of being in prison. It was the James scenario all over again. This was a death sentence and Peter knew that. And so there he is in the prison with two chains and two soldiers making sure there was no sign of escape. I don't know if he scribbled down a will. I don't know if he wrote a final note to his family and supporters. He sits awaiting the mock trial and for the guards to take him from the cell to the place of execution, the danger he faced. Now I see a parallel because as I look over this congregation, as I look into the camera there at the back, I need to remind you that God says if you have not turned from sin, if you have not embraced the work of Jesus Christ on the cross for you, then you are in grave danger. You might be sitting in your own home or sitting in church tonight. You might not have two chains or two soldiers, one on either side of you, but the Bible tells us that if you know not Jesus Christ as your Saviour, you are in grave danger. You're in bondage to the devil. You're condemned already. You're dead in your sins. And although you don't realize it, you're awaiting eternal execution and judgment. If Jesus Christ is not your Saviour, then by default he is your judge. If Jesus Christ is not your substitute, then he is your accuser. If Jesus Christ is not your sanctifier, then he is your condemner. And if you find yourself without Jesus Christ tonight, without knowing him personally as your Saviour, you are in grave danger. Because without Jesus Christ, you face suffering in hell. And we could spend time in Revelation thinking of the torment and the agony and the darkness and the weeping and the gnashing of teeth and the thirst and the eternal flame. And we go through a whole list of descriptions of what hell is like if you know not the Saviour. Not only the suffering of hell, we could think about the eternity of hell because it never ceases. There is no reprieve from it. There there's no way out. There's no light at the end of the tunnel. No. No. We could talk about the eternity of hell. We could if we wanted we could speak about the consciousness of him because you remember you remember meetings. You remember Sunday school days. You remember verses that were learned and choruses that were sung and maybe the prayers of a granny or mommy at the bedside. You remember those days of opportunity. Oh, the danger he faced.

The second thing I want you to notice is this. The prayer he attracted. Verse five tells us, "Peter was kept in prison, but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him." The church was in a lockdown, a 247 prayer vigil. There they were on their knees, maybe lying prostrate and they were crying out to God. And there's only one topic of prayer. They were praying for Peter. Lord, move in this situation. Lord, we need you to move. We need you to bring Peter out of prison. We need him. We love him. We appreciate his ministry. And they were crying to God. I imagine tears in that prayer meeting. I visualize burdened, agonized prayers of saints broken with worry. Peter was being prayed for. And tonight, if you're not a Christian, I want you to understand that before the service tonight, we were praying for you. We zoom just in here, we were praying for you. Praying for those physically here, not saved. Praying for those tuning in online, not saved. Praying for family members not saved. My prayer list just seems to get longer and longer. People have promised to pray for and it takes a while getting through that prayer list. Some of you have been prayed for years. You know what I would love? I would love for some unsaved people to slip into our prayer room, slip into our prayer meeting that that you would hear people, Christians crying out to God to save your soul. I would love you to hear them praying with a choke in their voice and tears on their face as they cry to God for you. sometimes maybe mentioning you by name. I think you would be shocked. I think maybe you'd be embarrassed. I think maybe you'd be humbled to think that others care more about your eternal soul than you do. Lord, make it simple for them tonight. Lord, make it obvious to them tonight. Lord, make the gospel powerful tonight that they'll understand it. Lord, save them tonight. Give them the joy of forgiveness. You know, in in Acts chapter 12, there was some people in the prayer meeting praying, but they didn't really believe anything would happen. Because whenever Peter turned up at the door, they thought it was a ghost. And they didn't believe we wrote it. Whenever she went to the door and came back. You see, they were praying. They were sincere. They were they were passionate. Have no doubt. And they really knew that God was able. But somehow in the back of their mind, they didn't really believe that he would he would answer there and then. I'm a wee bit like that, you know. Pray and pray, but maybe if God answered, I'd be shocked. I'm a wee bit like the man who said to the Lord, "Lord, I believe. Help thou my unbelief." Dear friend, as we pray, I want you to know that God is able to answer. He's able to meet the need. He's able to answer in ways that we couldn't even imagine. And maybe even in the prayer meeting tonight as we prayed, maybe some of us just didn't believe that God would answer. But God answered in Acts chapter 12, God answered and he can answer tonight. The danger he faced Oh, it was it was fatal. And without Jesus Christ, you face a danger you can't even imagine. An eternity without God, an eternity of torment whenever God has provided an answer. Not only the danger he faced, but the prayer he attracted, the believers were praying and probably people at home looking in have no idea the number of people who are praying and holding on to God. Maybe a mom, a dad, a brother, a sister, a child praying and praying that God would move. The prayer he attracted.

Notice thirdly, the rest that he enjoyed. Verse six tells us that Peter was sleeping between two soldiers bound with two chains and the keepers before the door kept the prison. Peter was sleeping in spite of the danger. In spite of the pending execution, Peter was asleep. I don't think it was that he felt he needed his beauty sleep. You see, Peter was content because he appreciated that all was well for eternity. He appreciated that God was in full control and he knew that he was not in Herod's hands. He was in his heavenly father's hands and he wouldn't need to lose a night's sleep because God was in control. My is this not a great message for us as we go into another week. We waken up tomorrow. We don't know what will come our way. We don't know what will happen. Maybe a phone call and our life has just turned upside down. Isn't it lovely to know that our times are in his hands? My God, I wish them there. Our hands are not in the hands of some dictator in Iran. Our times are in God's hands. Christians are unique because whenever we become Christians, we lose the fear of death. Now, we still fear illness and we get apprehensive about how and when and how death might come. That's a human instinct. We're only human at the end of the day. But we don't fear what lies beyond the grave. We don't fear eternity because we have the assurance from God that it will be far better. It it'll be better in every way. We will be so overcome with the glories and the wonders of Christ and the glories of heaven that the cares of this world will not even enter our thoughts. We have the assurance of God that all is well. We need not fear for Jesus Christ has already taken our judgment. We need not fear for Jesus Christ has already taken the wrath of his father. We need not fear because he's already taken my place. And I could bring you to the cross of Calvary in mind tonight. And we see there three crosses standing side by side of the broken law sign. Two for their own transgressions died. The middle one for mine. The blood of Jesus Christ shed for all takes away my fear and apprehension. The blood of Jesus Christ, the empty tomb, reminds me that all is well when my trust is in him. You know, there's another kind of sleep. There's a satanic spiritual sleep. That makes us oblivious to our danger. There's a sleep that makes us blaze to the cross. There's a there's a sleep that anesthetizes us to the danger of our sin. and we're just lulled to sleep and we speak to them every day. People who pass us by and if we were to talk to them, they say, "Okay, I'm all right now. I'm all right. I go to my church and I know the Bible and I'm good. I'm the best neighbour in the street and I do anything I'm needed to do. I'm all right there." And Satan has lulled them to sleep and have no idea of the danger that they face. no idea of the prayer that has been attracted on their behalf and they've been lulled asleep. But Peter is in a sleep of peace and contentment knowing that all is well. Peace in a troubled world. You know the story of a painting competition and the title of the competition was tranquillity. And so the artist went away and one painted a meadow scene and there was the sheep and the field and the cattle and a beautiful peaceful scene, beautiful tranquillity. Another artist he went in another track and he painted a wee harbour scene and the waters still as still could be and the sun going down and the wee boats in the harbour - tranquillity. The winner of the competition went on another track completely. He painted a roaring waterfall crashing down over the precipice and churning up underneath. And it you can nearly hear the sound of it and the crash of it and the noise of it. But if you look very closely at the painting, behind the waterfall was a wee branch. And on the branch was a wee bird singing his heart out. Peace, in spite of the roar of the waterfall, in spite of the chaos and the noise, peace in a troubled world. What a wonderful thing. And here's Peter asleep. Even though the waterfall of trouble is all around him, peace in a troubled world. Is that how you'll sleep tonight? Knowing that all is well. The danger he faced. Oh, the danger not knowing the Savior. The prayer he attracted. There's people praying for you, concerned about you. The rest he enjoyed.

But number four, the deliverance he experienced. Look at verse seven. “Behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him and a light shined in the prison and he smote Peter in the side and raised him up saying, arise up quickly and the chains fell off from his hand.” He told him to get up and guard himself, bind on his sandals, cast his garment about him and follow him. What a wonderful illustration of the gospel. This is supernatural. This is divine. This is mission impossible. God intervenes. There he is asleep to his need. Asleep in the prison and God intervened. The light shone. Peter was raised up. The chains fell off. He was clothed. He followed. An illustration of what God does in salvation. God intervenes. The light of the gospel dawns on a soul into the darkness of the mind. The penny drops and suddenly it makes sense. It seems obvious. There's an awareness of sin. There's an appreciation of Jesus Christ. He took my place. Peter responds. He is raised up. I was thinking of Psalm 40 when the psalmist says, "He brought me up also out of an horrible pit and out of the miry clay and he put a new song in my mouth. Even praise unto our God." When you respond to Jesus Christ, the chains fall off. You're clothed in God's righteousness. You follow the Saviour. Maybe tonight in cold rain, your chains are religious pride. Hard to break. You know, “I'm all right. I go to my church. I am as good as you.” Maybe your chains are self-righteousness. Maybe your chains are faulty theology or peer pressure or hurts and scars from the past. And you were hurt in church and you say, "I'm not going to be like one of them.” And God tonight is shining his light as he intervenes in your life. He commands that you respond by repentance and faith and trust. The chains will break. You'll be clothed in salvation and you follow him. Notice please that this was not initiated by Peter. No, this was initiated by God himself. Peter was unconscious. It was initiated by heaven. Was it um Haldor Lillenus who writing in the 1900s wrote that hymn?

Once I was bound in sins galling fetters
Chained as a slave, I struggled in vain.
But I received a glorious freedom
When Jesus broke my fetters in twain.
 
Freedom from all the carnal affections
Freedom from envy, hatred, and strife
Freedom from vain and worldly ambitions
Freedom from all that saddened my life
 
Freedom from fear with all of its torments
Freedom from care with all of its pain
Freedom in Christ my blessed redeemer
He who has rent my fetters in twain.
 
Glorious freedom wonderful freedom
No more in chains of sin I repine
Jesus the glorious emancipator
Now and forever. He shall be mine.
 

What a glorious deliverance. This can be your experience tonight. Maybe you've been asleep spiritually up to now. Maybe not even thinking about God and thinking about Jesus Christ and what he meant and what he did and what he accomplished. But God can intervene in your life. The danger you face, the prayer that is attracted for you. The rest that you can enjoy, the deliverance that can be experienced. Jesus died to take your place. Jesus died to take your punishment. Jesus died to be your substitute so that you can come to God through him and say, "I believe that I'm a sinner. I believe I can't save myself, but Jesus died for me. Jesus took my place. What a glorious truth. Let me finish. Not only the danger he faced, the prayer he attracted, the rest he enjoyed, the deliverance he experienced, but the rejoicing that he created. Verse 12 “And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John, whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying. And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken named Rhoda. And when she knew Peter's voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in and told how Peter stood before the gate. And they said unto her, "Thou art mad." But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. And they said, "It is his angel." But Peter continued knocking and when they had opened the door, they saw him and they were astonished.” Who said there's no humour in the Bible? This is hilarious. The prayer meeting in Mary's house and there's a knock at the door and Rhoda comes and recognizes the voice. Instead of opening the door, she runs in to tell them in the prayer meeting that their prayers are answered and they don't believe her. Eventually they see him and they rejoice together. Our prayer is that we might rejoice together over souls in bondage set free and souls in danger delivered because of the danger you face and the prayer that is attracted. Maybe Satan has put on you just a sleep of death. The deliverance that you can enjoy. The rejoicing that we can have together over a sinner that comes and puts their trust in him.

Some of you will know I worked in the bank. That's where I started my career before going to Bible college. A young fella came to work in my department. Charlie was his name. Charlie was a bit of a rascal. You were always in Charlie's van to get work done. He seemed to be not too worried about banking. One day in my office, the phone went and it was for Charlie. And I called him in. “Charlie, that's for you.” I left the office to give him a bit of privacy. And the when the phone call was over, I said, "Charlie, is everybody okay? Everyone okay?" He says, "Lawrence, I need to speak to you. My mom and dad and my aunt and uncle are in Enniskillen on Lough Erne and on a cruiser and he says they've invited me up for the weekend. Could I get away early?” I told him “Charlie you get your work done and you can get away early.” Well I never saw him work as hard in all his life. He worked like a trooper and away Charlie went then to Enniskillen. Now the story goes like this. He parked the car. The cruiser was just off the jetty. Charlie thought that if he ran he could jump onto the cruiser. He ran and Charlie almost made it. Almost. He fell into the water. His foot got caught in something under the water. His uncle dived from the boat, got his arm, but couldn't release him. He had to come up for air and tried to duck dive and couldn't get low enough. And they got Charlie's body two days later at Lusty Beg. That was in 1982. He almost made it.

The greatest tragedy would be if you almost made it but are lost. To know the hymns, to know the verses, to know the Bible stories, to know about the cross, to know about Jesus, to know about his death, to know about the resurrection, and know it all in theory in the head and never do anything about it. And death comes and you're lost. You almost made it.  Come tonight and say, "Lord, I'm a sinner, but I believe that God loved me. Christ died for me. He died on the cross to take my punishment, to take my place. Tonight, I'm turning away from my old life. And I'm putting my trust and my confidence on him who died for me. The light will shine. The chains will fall. He will dress you in righteousness that are not your own but his and you'll be set free. Hallelujah. What a Saviour. May God help you to come tonight. What a wonderful passage. What a wonderful illustration and what God can do in the life of someone bound by sin. May God help you to come tonight.

 

 

 

Eternal Security With Christ

 

COLERAINE EVANGELICAL CHURCH

SERMON NOTES SUNDAY 27 SEPTEMBER 2026 – PASTOR LAWRENCE KENNEDY

JOHN 10 VERSES 11 TO 29 

Security is an important issue today. A vital issue for everyone. We have home security – dead bolts, locks, alarms, hidden cameras. All to keep us secure. We have travel insurance for security on holiday. That means when we arrive at the airport 2 hours before our flight, when we get into that snake queue and go through the airport security we don’t feel guilty before we even sit on the plane. Some planes now have air marshalls for added security. We want to have financial security particularly in these days when the cost of living is ever rising. We not only have home security, financial security and travel security but there is national security. Now they are even talking about cyber security, they tell us we should change our computer passwords every month to keep ourselves safe. Even our late queen was vulnerable when someone broke into the palace and again in another incident in Windsor Castle involving a man with a cross bow. All of those fade into insignificance when we consider spiritual security or eternal security. This touches at the very core of what we are as human beings. Because even though we're maybe in good health at the moment, there will come a point when health will fade and we will finish our time here on earth and we will go out into eternity that will last forever. And so eternal security is at the very core of what we are as human beings. Making sure all is well for the great eternity. The preacher in Ecclesiastes spoke about that in Ecclesiastes 3 verse 11. He said that God has set the world or God has set eternity in our hearts. There's something in us that is eternal, is God breathed. And that's why this world with all its amazing beauty and opportunities can never really satisfy us at the deepest level. There's always something missing. That is the eternity that God has put in our souls. Down through the centuries, theologians and preachers have debated this profound issue of eternal security. Is it possible to be saved and know it and rest on it to such a degree that we have no fear for eternity? We know that all is well. Whenever it comes, whatever happens, whatever the circumstances, we know that all is well for the great eternity. This is life's ultimate question.

In the passage before us this morning in John 10, the Lord Jesus introduces himself as the good shepherd who gave his life for the sheep. And in these verses, he says a lot about his sheep. He deals with this profound issue of eternal security. To summarize these verses in front of us this morning, I want to use three simple headings. I want to talk about his promise to the sheep. I want to talk about the problem with his sheep and I want to talk about the proof of his sheep.

First of all, then the promise to the sheep. The Lord Jesus clearly states in verse 28 four words. He says “they shall never perish.” He said this to all his sheep without exception. They shall never perish. This is true of all his sheep regardless of church denomination. This is true of his sheep regardless of colour or culture or country or century, they shall never perish. This is true whatever their theological bent or whatever their theological preference, this is true regardless of where they fit into the theological spectrum. It's true whether they're premillennialists or amillennialists, reformed, Pentecostal or high Anglican. They shall never perish. If you're a Christian this morning in Coleraine Evangelical, you should be shouting hallelujah inside because this is the promise that God gives you as one of his sheep. You shall never never never perish. Now notice, please, he did not say that you would never get sick and die  He did not say that you would never get into difficulty and make mistakes. He did not say that you would never doubt or struggle. He didn't even say that you would never wander or backslide. He didn't even say that you would never get cold spiritually and become carnal. He didn't even say that you would never be disobedient or murmur and complain. But he did say this, "Ye shall never perish." They can be a work in progress. I put my hand up to that work in progress. Or that we could be a negative and critical. They can say stupid things and hurt other believers. And they can be stubborn, unloving, and ungracious. And very unlike the Lord Jesus who they claim to love, they can be all those things, but they shall never perish. This is a glorious truth. Engrave it indelibly upon your heart. If you can truly say, "The Lord is my shepherd," then God can say of us, "you will never perish." We have a golden ticket to glory. We have what this world cannot give. We have what money cannot buy. All because of God's amazing love. All because of God's mercy and grace that draws us to repentance and trust. We used to sing a wee hymn years ago. “With Christ in the vessel, we can smile at the storm as we go sailing home.” Dear friend, in this shaky world with global uncertainty with Israel and Gaza and Iran and Ukraine and Russia and the Garvaghey Road and financial instability and politicians that really we wouldn't give much for, yet we have a bold confidence that for his sheep they shall never perish. Nobody can take it away. Doubt cannot erase it. Disease cannot remove it. Depression cannot abolish it. Dementia cannot dispel it. A demon cannot obliterate it. The devil can't detach it. Death can't take it away. Nothing can shake it. They shall never perish. Guaranteed by Almighty God. That's exactly what he promised in John 10 verse 28. “My sheep, I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” You see, not only does God purchase his flock, he guides his flock, he feeds his flock, he defends his flock, and he secures his flock. That is the promise to the sheep. If you're a Christian here this morning, you can rest assured that in spite of the chaos around the world and in spite of all the problems that will beset us and the uncertainties that lie ahead, we can underline this because we are his sheep, we shall never, never, never perish. The promise to the sheep.

But the second thing I want you to notice is the problem with the sheep. The most vital question must be this morning. If his sheep shall never perish, who are the sheep? Who are the sheep? You see, the Bible makes it very, very clear that many think that they're one of the sheep, but they're not. The Bible makes it very clear that that people think all is well when all is not well. The Bible makes it clear that Satan's master tactic is deceiving people into thinking they're one of his sheep when they're not. And I could spend time this morning looking at different pastures. We could go to the sermon on the mount just north of Tiberias there and the slopes coming down to Galilee. And the Lord took his disciples out there to give him a sermon which was called the sermon on the mount. And there in Matthew 7, he says that “people will say to me in that day, we prophesied in your name and we cast out demons and we did many wondrous works. But the Lord will say to them, "I never knew you." Wow. They thought they were sheep. They did all the sheep things. They did all the things that sheep were expected to do. They prophesied in his name. They cast out demons. They did many wondrous works. There was the miraculous going on. And yet the Lord reveals not only he doesn't know them, he never knew them. There never was a moment when they were one of his sheep. Or I could go this to Paul writing to the church at Corinth. 2 Corinthians in chapter 13 verse 5. He's writing to sheep. He's writing to the church of Corinth. But he said to them, "Examine yourselves whether ye be in the faith. Prove your own selves." Paul was aware that some in Corinth maybe thought they were sheep, but they weren't. And he said to them in writing his epistle under inspiration, he says, "Examine yourself. Go around the foundations. Make sure you be in the faith. Prove your own selves. Make sure it's real. Make sure it's genuine. Make sure it's not just your thinking and a lifestyle choice. Or we could go back to Matthew 7 whenever the Lord said to that group on the hillside, "Ye shall know them by their fruits. There'll be evidence." So scripture makes it very clear that it is possible to be sincere. It's possible to be earnest and honest, but in reality be self deceived.It's the problem with the sheep. This is the ultimate problem because hell is real and judgment for sin is sure. And so we have to be really really careful that that we are really one of the sheep. And I go about different churches every Sunday and people will say to me, "Well, I prayed the sinner's prayer." I wonder where they find that in the Bible. Not there. Or I filled in a decision card. That's not found in the Bible either. I'm involved in church and have a testimony. Is that what it is? I grew up in church. I knew the verses. I memorized verses because you got money when you memorize them and I wanted the money. But I wasn't one of God's sheep. I knew the language. I knew the hymns. I knew the verses. I knew the Bible stories. But I wasn't saved. I wasn't one of a sheep. And hell will be full of people who thought all was well when all wasn't well. You're with me so far. The promise to the sheep, they shall never perish. golden ticket. If you're one of his sheep, he gives you that promise. The problem with the sheep, the problem of self-deception.

Let me come on to the third one. The proof of his sheep. How does God define his sheep? How does he talk about his sheep? Because if he defines it, then we can tick the boxes and we'll know before we leave this morning whether or not  we're really one of his sheep. If you read John 10 carefully, I believe you'll discover four criteria that provide indelible proof that you're one of God's sheep. The first one is this. They believe in Jesus. That's obvious, isn't it?

So, it's basic. Now, now be careful because whenever you go to the Epistle of James chapter 2, you find that the devil believes in Jesus, and he's certainly not one of the sheep. No, but look at verse 24 that we read. “Then came the Jews round about him and said unto him, How long dust thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.”  Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believe not. The works that I do in my father's name, they bear witness of me, but ye believe not because you're not of my sheep. So the Lord is saying to them, you don't believe because you're not my sheep. Because by implication, he's saying, "My sheep believe me. My sheep believe what I tell them. They believe in their sinfulness and helplessness. They believe in who Jesus Christ is, the second person of the Holy Trinity, God's son, his perfect lamb, his perfect sacrifice. They believe the miracles. They believe in his purpose and plan of redemption. They believe in the cross work of Calvary, that atoning sacrifice and the resurrection. They believe in his love and mercy and grace to redeem a sinful man or woman or young person and they believe John 3 verse 3, “except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” These beliefs are not dry liturgy. They're not just Protestant heritage. This is speaking about personal transforming encounter with the God of heaven. I believe him. I believe whatever he says. I believe that he is God's son. He is my rock. He is my foundation. He's my security. He's my substitute. There's no grey area. I believe it from verse one to the last verse in the Bible. From Genesis through to Revelation. I believe it with all my heart. It's personal. It's transforming. It's an encounter with the God of heaven. Did you tick the box? Did you say, "That's me. I believe in him. He's my Savior. I believe every word that's in the word of God. I embrace it. If I don't understand it, well that's because my knowledge is limited. But I still believe it. I believe it even when it doesn't seem to make sense to me at the moment. I believe it even though I can't rationalize it. I believe it because it's there. I believe.” Not only do they believe in Jesus, but criteria number two, they listen to Jesus. Verse 27, “my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me.” They listen to Jesus. You can identify the genuine spiritual sheep because not only they genuinely believe in Jesus Christ, but they start to listen to Jesus Christ. “My sheep hear my voice.” Sometimes it comes like a whisper, like a still small voice whispering into the conscience. Remember Elijah when he made his journey to Horeb, the mount of God and God wasn't in the earthquake and he wasn't in the wind and the storm. No, he was in the still small voice. “What doest thou hear, Elijah?” Sometimes he comes with a roar like a lion roaring in your heart. That's how the prophet Amos got it. He was from Tekoa down in Judah and he was called to preach to the people up in Israel. And he says, "I'm not a prophet or the son of a prophet. I am a farmer and the keeper of fig trees. But one day the lion of Judah roared and I had to obey.” In my life, many a time it's the still small voice and other times it's like a megaphone from heaven. Tell me when last did you hear the voice of God? It frightens me that some believers, professing believers that I speak to, look at me as if have horns. They never hear the voice of God. I would be worried if a day went past and I didn't hear his voice. Text so and so. Contact so and so. Pray for so and so constantly. Not because I'm special, but I'm listening for his voice. And the number of times that I send a wee text message or I make contact and they're just waiting for someone to ring or someone to contact and I say, "Thank you, Lord, to for speaking into the circumstances.” We listen to Jesus. Sometimes it's a pang of guilt. Sometimes it's a balm to the soul. Sometimes it's an arm to strengthen. You start to listen to Jesus. You start to listen to what he says in discipleship. You start to listen to what he says on worship. You start to listen to what he says on holiness. You start to listen to what he says on baptism and fellowship and membership and money and marriage. What does the Lord say? I remember some years ago some of the young people used to go about with bracelets WWJD - What would Jesus do? Not a bad philosophy. Why? Because his sheep believe in Jesus and they listen to Jesus. Now, you might not do it perfectly. The best of Christians stumble and struggle at times, but you listen to him honestly, diligently, continually. You listen for his voice. As you read the word of God, it's not just to fill in a quiet time and say you've done it for the day, but you're listening for his voice. When last did you hear his voice? Do you remember Matthew 17, the mount of transfiguration? And Peter, James, and John are with the Lord on the mount. Do you remember? And the voice came out of the cloud and said, "This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him. Hear ye him.” Why? Because God's sheep not only believe in Jesus, they listen to Jesus. Something else. Criteria number four. You're ticking the wee boxes? They believe in Jesus. And not only believe in Jesus, but they listen to Jesus. Thirdly, they know Jesus. Look at verse 14. “I am the good shepherd and know my sheep and am known of mine.” Spiritual sheep have instilled within them a desire to know Jesus better. The Apostle Paul was known as Saul of Tarsus before he got saved. He was on the Damascus road heading to Damascus to persecute the church and to incarcerate them. You'll read about his testimony in Acts chapter 9, Acts chapter 22, and Galatians 1. Since that great conversion when he fell and met with the with Jesus Christ in resurrected glory, 30 years have come and gone. He has written most of our New Testament. He has planted churches throughout Asia taking the gospel to the Gentiles. He's a powerful theologian and yet he reveals after 30 years on the road with the Saviour, he reveals the longing of his heart. In Philippians 3 verse 10, he says, "That I might know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death." You see, Paul is teaching us that the that longing to know God better, to know Jesus better, is one of the marks of a real spiritual sheep – “that I might know him.” Tell me, do you know him better in 2026 than you knew him in 2025? Do you know him better this Sunday than last Sunday? Not in a superficial bland way but personally, intimately, powerfully. In 1912 Charles Austin Miles wrote

I come to the garden alone.

While the dew is still on the roses

and the voice I hear falling on my ear,

the son of God discloses

 

And he walks with me and he talks with me

And he tells me that I am his own

And the joy we share as we tarry there

none other have ever known.

I can tell you honestly, I wish I knew Jesus better. I feel like the Apostle Paul. “Oh that I might know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings.” Just as a new baby cries out for food, so a new sheep, a new Christian has a hunger and a thirst for God. The promise of the sheep, they shall never perish. The problem with the sheep, the problem of self-deception. It's possible to think you're a sheep when you're not. And the north of Ireland is full of it. We have developed a Christianity light where you don't need repentance and you don't need commitment and you don't need to pray and you don't you just it's a lifestyle choice. It's from the pit of hell. The proof of his sheep. They believe in Jesus. They listen to Jesus. They want to know Jesus. Fourthly, they follow Jesus. Look at verse 4 “And he putteth forth his own sheep. He goeth before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.” Verse 27, “my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me.”

It is impossible to be a Christian and not a disciple. Every Christian, if they're genuine, will follow Jesus. And that's what a disciple is, a follower. It's not just a one-off event. It's not just ticking a box. It’s a life of following him and listening to him and knowing him and believing him. One of the characteristics of being a sheep is that they follow. Following Jesus takes priority and time. It takes priority and energy. It takes priority in finance and passion and prayer. W C Martin in the early 1900s wrote,

Where he may lead me, I will go,

For I have learned to trust him so

And I remember it was for me

That he was slain on Calvary.

Where he may lead me, I will go.

Followers, real sheep follow Jesus. Do you remember whenever the Lord Jesus was calling his disciples in Matthew 4 verse 19 he said, "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men." And they left their nets and they followed him. Are you following him?

The promise to the sheep - they shall never never never never never perish.

The problem with the sheep - the problem of selfdeception.

The proof of the sheep, they believe in Christ. They hear Christ. They know Christ. And they follow Christ.

Easy? No. Boring? No. Costly? Yes. Is it worth it? And they shall never perish. One day faith will give way to sight. “And the lamb shall be all the glory in Emmanuel's land.”

And by and by when I look on his face

I'll wish I'd given him more more.

So much more more of my life

than I ever gave before.

By and by, when I look on his face,

I’ll wish I'd given them more.

Eternal security promise. Yeah. They shall never perish. Guaranteed. Even people I wouldn't agree with. Even people I wouldn't meet in a Sunday with. But if they're one of his sheep, then they have the promise. The problem with the sheep, self-deception. And we have a generation coming up who seem to be self-deceived. The proof of the sheep. They believe in Jesus. They hear Jesus. They know Jesus. And they follow Jesus.

 

The parable of the Pharisee and the Publican

 

COLERAINE EVANGELICAL CHURCH

SERMON NOTES SUNDAY 20 SEPTEMBER 2026 – MR DAVID ANDERSON

LUKE 18 VERSES 9 TO 14

To set the context we need to look at Luke 17. Jesus has begun to make his way to the city of Jerusalem for the last time before coming to the cross. In verse 12 Jesus had entered into a village. We see 10 lepers coming out to meet him and calling out for mercy and Jesus healed them. Following after that he is met by some Pharisees – verse 20. They are constantly looking for fault in Jesus, for ways to trip him up. They asked a question “when shall the kingdom of God come?” He answered them – not by observation. Then he turns and talks to his disciples. He talks of the coming kingdom. A kingdom that was future for them. Some people take this passage to talk about the rapture of the church. Verses 34 to 36 "I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed. The one shall be taken, the other left. Two women grinding together, the one taken, the other left. Two men in the field, the one taken and the other left." Those verses are speaking of judgment. You can see the context of that in verses 26 to 29. It is all about coming judgment not those taken by the rapture. who are left are those who will not be part of the kingdom. It is actually beyond the rapture. Looking to the return of the Lord to the earth. Some people say they don’t want to talk about prophecy Well, Jesus talked about it. It is not a secondary subject. The Lord talked extensively about the fact that he would come again. I hope you believe that Jesus is coming again. We know that because he is coming again. A principle set for all of us to pray. In this passage immediately after this when we read verse 1 of chapter 18 it is easy to take it out of context. Many say it is talking about being prayerful people but rather we should be focused on the fact that Jesus is coming again. We should desire his coming again. That goes against the grain. We have a desire to preach the gospel, to see people saved. The greatest desire of the Christian is that we see Jesus our Saviour. Jesus continues on that theme with 2 parables. First the unjust judge contrasted with the judge of all the earth. That parable finishes in verse 8. "When the son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth." Then he goes into the parable we read in verses 9 to 14. The second parable is not directed at the disciples. It's directed at those who were gathered around. We see that in verse 9 because he it says he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others. Some had gathered. Jesus had been sharing with his followers, with his disciples. Within that crowd of people as they've gathered together, there are some there who are sceptical about who he is, are sceptical about his teaching, and who are thinking themselves to be better than others. And perhaps it's the case that some of those who had gathered were Pharisees. He tells the parable of 2 men who went up to the temple to pray. A clear contrast between them. That is the contrast Jesus is emphasizing – those who enter the kingdom will be those of faith. Those who will not will be depending on themselves. The contrast between 2 men. 

First of all notice their contrasting reputations. Verse 10 "Two men went up into the temple to pray. The one a Pharisee and the other a publican." The one a Pharisee and the other a publican. So let's begin with the first description, the Pharisee. Jesus is telling this parable. The people he is speaking to may not have grasped that Jesus is speaking to them. They thought of the Pharisees in their own community and in the place of worship. They were considered to be those most upright of all the religious people. They kept the law in every aspect. They held everyone accountable to their interpretations. It was their own opinions that mattered. It put a sense of fear into the people. They determined if the people made the right sacrifices and whether they could enter into the temple. If you remember, Jesus went into the temple and he whipped the place and he overturned the tables and he put out the money changers. And what was going on there was that people were coming to the temple with their sacrifices. And the people, the Pharisees and the religious people were looking at them and saying, "They're not good enough, but we have sheep or we have lambs or we have doves here and you can purchase one of them." They would buy the sacrifice or the offering that the people had bought from them for a nominal value and they would sell them their own and they were making money. It was a money-making racket and that's what Jesus was condemning in the temple. The Pharisees were considered by the people of the community to be on a higher spiritual level. Many of the Pharisees thought that of themselves too. Jesus talks in this parable about a Pharisee and a Publican – what did he mean?  What does the word Publican mean? Who does he represent in this parable? The title is used in a negative sense. In the King James Version it often means tax collector. The tax collectors took employment of the occupying Roman government. They betrayed their own kinsmen. No-one liked them. They were the lowest in society as far as the Jewish people were concerned. The word that's translated as publican is only used in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. And there are at least two occasions where publicans are actually directly associated with sinners. In Matthew chapter 9 and verse 10, it says, "Many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples." The publicans and the sinners are grouped together. In that same chapter, it's the Pharisees who question why Jesus is eating with publicans and sinners. the Pharisees and the publicans, they're almost the complete opposite as far as the people are concerned. In Matthew chapter 21 verse 31, Jesus himself is making this point about what type of people the publicans were considered to be and he associates the publicans with the harlots. So we can see what people think about the publicans and we can see what the people think about the Pharisees.  2 men went up to the temple to pray – one a Pharisee and the other a Publican. The people would not have imagined that the publican would be in the temple because the Pharisees would not let them in. We see a really strange contrast being made. 2 very different types of people. The Pharisees are proud of who they are. The Publicans betrayed their heritage. The Pharisees tried to obey all the laws, pleasing God by their own efforts. The Publicans had no problem breaking laws in order to fill their pockets. They were godless, greedy for money. That is what caused them to betray their own people in the first place. 2 different type of people in view. Jesus knew who he was speaking to. Some of those in the crowd were in the heart a Pharisee. Perhaps as Jesus set the contrast there were those in the crowd who would have assumed that Jesus was about to praise the Pharisee and criticize or condemn the Publican. What does Jesus do? He contrasts their reputations.

Secondly we see contrasting prayers – verses 11 to 13. Notice how the Pharisee prayed “with himself”. It means within himself. "God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week. I give tithes of all that I possess." His heart was not turned toward God. It was a prayer to be seen and heard. It was all for show. One bible commentator said this prayer never got beyond the ceiling. He was the only important one in this whole exercise as far as he was concerned. Notice how 5 times he praises himself: “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. ¹² I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.” In his prayer here, as Jesus tells us about it, he believes that his religion is enough. He says, "I fast twice in the week. I give tithes of all that I possess. I'm not like others because of who I am. I'm a Pharisee. I have religion. He believes his character is enough. He isn't a sinner like everyone else. He prays and he lists off the sins and the characteristic of others. It is almost like he has a list and he is checking it off. A checklist in his head checking himself off against everyone else. So full of pride and upright character. He believes his works are enough. He goes above and beyond. Prideful works based religion. Thinks he is better than anyone else. Then he hears the prayer of the Publican. He is standing afar off. There is no pride in this man’s prayer. It is as if he is standing at the back out of the way. Not worthy to be there. The temple is a holy place. He felt there was nothing in him to allow him to be there. He knew his own worth. He wouldn’t lift up his eyes unto heaven. A contrast with the Pharisee. He was clearly full of pride. His head was lifted up. He was so self-righteous. The Publican smote his breast. Someone in anguish of soul. If you read this story the Publican is demonstrating his remorse because of sin. Jesus telling the parable created in minds this man doing something unusual. This would be considered unacceptable in the temple. It is a story of contrasts. “God be merciful to me a sinner.” 7 words. A sinner’s prayer. A recognition of his need, unworthiness before a holy God. Some of those listening to Jesus would have thought they were still good enough. They didn’t do the awful things this man did. They kept the moral laws. A contrast is being presented. People are falling on both sides of the line. Jesus brings home the real point of the story.

Their contrasting eternity – verse 14 "I tell you, this man, the publican, went down to his house justified rather than the other. For everyone that exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." Many of the people gathered didn’t expect this ending. The Pharisee is relying upon himself. His own efforts. His own self righteousness. It was never enough. We are all as an unclean thing. All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. If they are not dwelt with they will take us away from God. The Publican, the outcast, the one who no-one wanted to associate themselves with yet he knew what needed to be done. The evidence in his prayer. He acknowledged he was a sinner, that his sin had offended God and needed God’s mercy. Jesus says the Publican was justified, the Pharisee is condemned. One saved and one is not and it wasn’t the way people assumed it to be. The way of salvation is still the same. The way of salvation is for all who believe. Maybe you could be like the Pharisee and are depending our your own righteousness and efforts. Or maybe you are like the Publican. Someone living in open rebellion and everyone knows that. Whether you are like the Pharisee or the Publican the way of salvation is still the same – through Jesus and his work at the cross. Jesus came into the world to die for the unjust that he might bring us to God. We were born as sinners. If we never come and confess our sin to God we are heading on the broad road, to separation and hell. You need to come and acknowledge you are lost in your sin. Maybe you might be an upright individual who attends church. You don’t know Jesus as Saviour. Your are currently heading for a lost eternity. The best you can do is not enough. “There was no other good enough, to pay the price of sin. He only could unlock the gate of heaven and let us in.” Pray the Publican’s prayer tonight – “God be merciful to me a sinner”, confess your sin, accept him as your Saviour. One day Christ will come again and take his church to be with him in heaven – are you ready for that day?