Look unto me and be ye saved

COLERAINE EVANGELICAL CHURCH

SERMON NOTES SUNDAY 22 FEBRUARY 2026 PM - MR CRAIG DENNISON

ISAIAH 45 

In this portion of God's word, God makes many wonderful promises. In chapter 44, Cyrus is selected to be God's shepherd. We maybe think that a strange thing that our God would call a heathen king to be a shepherd of his people. But Cyrus was a chosen vessel of the Lord. God used him to release the Jews from their captivity. So in many ways we could say that Cyrus was a redeemer. He was one who saw people redeemed and brought out of bondage and set at liberty. And of course that is what Christ does for his people. He takes us out of the bondage of sin and brings us into his glorious kingdom. Now Cyrus himself we could say is a type that is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was a Saviour of God's people. He brought them out of bondage. He restored them back to Zion. and he enabled the true worship of God in Jerusalem again. So Cyrus himself was not a true Saviour. He couldn't get men to heaven, but he was a little foreshadowing of the Saviour that God would send. Now in verses 1 to 4 of chapter 45, we are told the great things that God will do for Cyrus to enable him to release God's people. Verse one, we're told that he will subdue nations, loose the lines of kings, and open gates. We're told in verse two that God himself would go before Cyrus to prepare the way. In verses 5-7, we have the proof, the evidence of God's eternal power and his sovereignty over all creation. In verses 5-6, God declares himself to be the only God. Verse 7, God lists his power in creation. He tells us that he is a peacemaker and that he even permits evil to happen. He doesn't ordain evil, but he allows it to happen. Some people take verse 8 to be a prayer, and it's certainly something that the Lord's people can pray if it's in it is in accordance with his will. But I agree with the commentators who believe that this is this is God revealing his precept. What God has planned will always happen. And in verse eight here we have God revealing what is certainly going to happen. “Drop down ye heavens from above and let the skies pour down righteousness. Let the earth open and let them bring forth salvation and let righteousness spring up together. I the Lord have created it.” So this is the Lord revealing what he is going to do and pouring out his spirit upon the earth, turning men and women to faith in his son. But dear congregation, notice something amazing about this passage here tonight. Isaiah is not prophesying directly into the ear of Cyrus because Isaiah was a prophet before Judah went into captivity. In the days of Isaiah, he ministered to the kings of Judah - Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah. So Isaiah lived long before Cyrus. And God is not speaking directly to Cyrus either because Cyrus is not even born when these words are recorded. Isaiah preached this message 210 years before they came to pass. So God gave Isaiah a message about Cyrus to preach 210 years before it would be fulfilled. Because God in his foreknowledge, in his sovereign predestination knew that Cyrus would be born. He knew that Cyrus would come to power. God knew the Jews would be in captivity and he ordered Cyrus to release the Jews and he gave the order before Cyrus was even born. He also ordered Cyrus for the temples to be rebuilt again and they were we read of that in 2 Chronicles chapter 36. But as we come down tonight to our verse 20, God here makes an offer and it's an offer not just to the Jews but to all the nations which Cyrus is going to release from captivity. Verse 20, “ye that are escaped off the nations.” So God here is speaking to the nations of the world. And he has an offer for them. And he tells them in verse 22, "Look unto me and be ye saved all the ends of the earth. For I am God and there is none else." God makes an offer of salvation. And it's not just an offer to the Jews. It's an offer to all the nations of the world, to sinners from every different type of nation. The offer is the gospel offer. It's the same offer that God gave to Adam in the Garden of Eden. God, after Adam and Eve had sinned, God promised that the seed of the woman will bruise the serpent's head. So, he promised a Saviour. And of course, Christ is the seed of the woman. He bruised the serpent's head at the cross of Calvary. But the Lord in the garden, he also showed Adam and Eve how the Savior was to come and how the Savior or was to be the sacrifice for sin. You'll remember in Genesis it says that God made Adam and Eve coats of skin. But where did he get the skin from? He got it from an animal. How did their son Abel know the right sacrifice to bring to God of a lamb? They were taught it by their parents, Adam and Eve, who taught it to Adam and Eve. God taught it to Adam and Eve in the garden. Whenever he took an animal and made a sacrifice and took the skin and made coats for them, that is what I believe. And to be more specific, I believe it was the second person of the Trinity, the Lord Jesus Christ, who made that sacrifice in the garden and showed Adam and Eve, "This is what I'm going to do. I'm going to be the lamb of God. I'm going to be the one that bears your sin upon the cross of Calvary." So, it's the same offer that was given to Adam. It's the same offer that was made to Noah. Come into the ark and you'll be saved. And Noah and his family were in the ark. they were saved. And it's the same offer that God has given down through the generations. Look unto me and be ye saved. Well, let's look tonight at the subject of the gospel offer. Four things I want to leave with you in a very simple message as we think of the gospel offer.

First of all, the gospel offer is a great offer. It is a great offer. And I don't mean it's a great offer like you would maybe get on a car coming up to the end of the tax year. It's not a great offer like there might be on Black Friday. It is far greater than that. It is a great offer for a number of reasons. First of all, it's a great offer because of the reason we're having this offer. And the reason God is making an offer to you and me is because we need this offer. Our sin has separated us from God. The sin of Adam had him kicked out of the garden. And we have been sitting against God ever since. Our sin is piled up like a massive mountain of debt. And it doesn't matter how hard we work, how much we try, we can never clear this mountain of debt against God. It just keeps piling higher and higher and higher. And God comes to us in the gospel and he offers to  remove our mountain of debt against him. He promises to remove our sins against him. He even tells us that he will cast our sins into the into the depths of the sea that he will remember them no more. This is the great offer that God is making to us. We who have sinned against God and offended him with our law breaking and our idolatry, God is offering to forgive and to pardon that sin. If you ran up a big debt in your credit card, a big massive, imagine your credit card company forgot to put a limit on your credit card and they just let you spend and spend and spend and you racked up debt into the tens of millions of pounds. Well, there's no way that I'm sure most of us, if not all of us, could ever pay that back in our lifetime. Doesn't matter how hard we worked. We worked 24 hours a day, we wouldn't be able to earn enough money to pay back the credit card company. Let me say there is nothing you and I can do to pay off our debt of sin. Our debt of sin is too great. And yet, God makes us an offer. An offer. So, think of the one who makes the offer. He says, "Look unto me. Look to me. The one who made you, the one who is your creator. Look to me, the one who gives you life, the one who sustains you, the one who holds your very breath in his hands. Look to me. He doesn't say to look to anybody else. God says to look directly to him. We don't need to look to a priest or a bishop. We don't need to look to dead men's bones. We only need to look to God directly ourself. the one who is our creator, but also the one that the Bible says is our judge. Because the scriptures are very clear, God has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man, the Lord Jesus Christ, whom he has appointed, heir of all things. So the one who is telling us to look to him is our judge. The judge tells us to come to him and look to him for forgiveness and pardon. Again, I venture to say if you racked up a hundred penalty points in your car license and you were told to go and see the judge, you'll be pretty fearful knowing that the judge has the power to suspend you from driving, take away your license, and ban you from the road. But if the judge sent you a message saying, "Come to me. Come and see me and I will and seek forgiveness and I will forget about all your transgressions." I venture to say he would rush to the judge. You would probably be banging on his door at 6:00 in the morning saying, "Judge, I'm here. I'm here. Wipe away the penalty points for my license. Give me a clean license again so I can drive.” Well, here the judge of all the earth tells us to come to him, tells us to look to him. It's a great offer because of the one who makes the offer. And what is the offering? Well, he's offering you pardon for your sin. All your sins against God, he is willing to pardon. He is willing to give you peace with himself. Because the truth is, our sin sets us at war with God. That's what our sin is. God has no fellowship with darkness. God has no fellowship with sin. Yet God says, "I want you. I want fellowship with you." But first of all, we have to deal with this problem of your sin. And God says that he will deal with it. And it's a great offer because it's not just an offer for this life, dear friends. It's an offer for all eternity. There's some offers you get in this life and they expire the moment you die. There's a man I was reading the paper many years ago. He bought a lifetime airline ticket and it allowed him to fly with a certain airline as many times as he wanted. And that man has made sure he's got his money's worth out of that airline ticket flying all over the world. But that airline ticket will one day expire. Whenever that man dies, that airline ticket will cease to exist. He can't pass it on to his relatives. He can't take it with him where he's going. It has a limitation. But whenever God offers you salvation in the gospel, it's not limited to this world alone. It's for the next life as well. Because there's coming a day, whenever you and I, and perhaps we don't like to think about it, but there's coming a day when we'll breathe our last breath. There will be that time we'll go to bed for the last time. We'll put on our socks for the last time. We'll kiss our loved ones for the last time. And then the Bible says there's eternity. But God has given us an offer. But this offer can only be seized upon during this life. One second after death, it is too late. “Behold, now is the day of salvation. Behold, now is the accepted time.” The scripture says, "Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, and call ye upon him while he is near." We are told in scripture, it is time to seek the Lord. And it's time now. Oh, there's many a second after death are full of regret for not having taken Christ up on this gospel offer. It's a great offer, everlasting life with God in heaven. But think of the alternative. The alternative to having the gospel and having salvation for all eternity. The alternative is not to have the gospel and not to have salvation, not to have heaven, not to have God, not to have Christ, not to have peace, but rather the alternative, is to face the wrath of God for sin, to have the anger of God, to have the fury of God. The Bible says it's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a living God. We're told of the rich man in Luke 16 that he opened up his eyes in hell being in torments. We are told that those who reject Christ will hear these awful words, "Depart from me, ye cursed. I never knew ye." So, the alternative to accepting this great offer is to reject it, and it's not to be saved, but it is to be lost. So that is why we say that the gospel offer is a great offer. There's no better offer for you and I to have.

Secondly, tonight the gospel offer is a free offer. It's a free offer. And the offer is to all the ends of the earth. It's not just limited to a couple of people there in the Middle East. It is an offer to all the ends of the earth. God makes this a free offer to all nationalities, to all religious groups. If you're trapped in the religion of Islam, God has an offer for you. If you've been brought up in a Roman Catholic home, brought to trust in the works of the flesh and to follow the teachings of the church, this offer is for you. It is an offer to the rich and an offer to the poor. It's an offer to those of all educations and to those of all social groups, regardless of your wealth or your job or your education. This is an offer for you. So no man can look at this text and say, "Well, it's not for me." No, it is for you. It's for all in Coleraine, all on this island, all on this planet. This is an offer for all the ends of the earth. And it's an offer without money and without price. In Isaiah 55 verse 1 the prophet says, "Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters. And he that hath no money, come ye, buy indeed, ye come, buy wine and milk without money and without price." And that's the sort of supermarket that you'd like to go to, isn't it? where you can just go and buy stuff without money and without price. That's a sort of supermarket that would be full with people going in day and night. Going in and taking stuff without having to pay for it, without having to give any money. That supermarket, well, wouldn't be a very good business plan, but it would certainly be very popular. And yet, the Lord is saying, "That's what I'm offering you. I'm offering you salvation. I'm offering you heaven. I'm offering you everlasting life. Come to me. You don't need money. You don't need to pay for anything. You don't need to do anything. Just come and freely receive my great salvation. That's what the Lord offers. Now, some people say, "Well, it can't be that simple. Surely there is something I would have to do." Well if there was something you could do, then there would be no need for Jesus to come into this world. No need for Jesus to go to the cross of Calvary. No need for Jesus to take the wrath of God for sin upon his own body on that cross. If there was something you could do, then Jesus didn't need to come and die on the cross. But because there's nothing that you can do, he had to come. He had to suffer. He had to take sin upon himself. He had to face the wrath of God and bear our punishment because there's nothing we could do. All we have to do is come without money and without price and receive. So dear friend, it's a free offer because there's nothing you can contribute. Jesus paid it all. Every sin paid for on the cross of Calvary. Sins past, present, and future have all been paid by Christ for those who come to him. So, it's a great offer. You'll not get a better offer. It's a free offer without money and without price. 

The Persevering Church

COLERAINE EVANGELICAL CHURCH

SERMON NOTES SUNDAY 22 FEBRUARY 2026 - MR CRAIG DENNISON

READING: REVELATION 3 VERSES 1 TO 13

I want us to look at one of the letters that the Lord Jesus Christ wrote to the church in Asia. And it is the sixth letter, the letter that he wrote to the church in Philadelphia. Now, what do we know about this place called Philadelphia? Well, it is a town that was situated in a valley. It became an important centre for trade and many passed by and did their business there. It was founded in the year 189 BC but it suffered terribly in the earthquake of AD70. Now the name Philadelphia means brotherly love. It is two Greek words put together. The word brother and the word love. It was given this name by its founder King Gumz II in honour of his brother Atalus II for his steadfast loyalty. So the king named it in honour of his brother. Now Christianity had a long lasting impact upon this town of Philadelphia. The Scottish minister, Robert Murray McShane, noted that in the 1800s, Philadelphia had a population of 2,000 people. There were five churches and 800 professed faith. So 40% of the town professed to be Christians. But sadly, after the events in Turkey in the 1920s, the Greeks fled Philadelphia in a mass exodus, and there's little to no Christianity in the town today. But in its day, Philadelphia had a church and it had a faithful church. It had a church that was highly commended by the Lord Jesus Christ for their steadfast loyalty to him. Now, one of the striking things we can note as we read through the letters to the seven churches is that only two churches received praise from Christ without any rebuke or admonition whatsoever. Smyrna, the suffering church, was praised by Christ, and Philadelphia was praised by Christ. But the other five churches received rebukes and warnings from Christ. Only two were praised without fault. Now, we have to remember the Lord Jesus Christ is never unfair in his assessment of the churches. If there are things to praise, he will most certainly give praise. If there is a rebuke needed, he will give that honest rebuke. But just because the church in Philadelphia and Smyrna did not receive any admonitions from Christ at all, don't mean that they were perfect churches. We're not saying that Philadelphia was a perfect church because even the purest churches under heaven are still subject to a mixture of both truth and error. There's no such thing as a perfect church. And the reason there's no such thing as a perfect church is because of all the people who walk in through the doors. None of us are perfect. We are all fallen sinners. We're all rebels like Adam. We all bring our own thoughts and ideas and we all bring our own pride. We all bring our own ambitions. So as soon as men walk in through the door, it ceases to be a perfect church. There's no perfect church here on earth. The only perfect church is the church glorified, the church in heaven. And the Christians have that great hope that one day we will join with the saints in that perfect church. But in saying that it should be the desire of every Christian and it should be the desire of every church to be praised by Christ. Now some churches they want the praise of men. They want worldly recognition. and they want to be acknowledged by society as being a a good influence for their humanitarian efforts, for their good works, for all the efforts that they make in the town. They want to be praised by other churches for the size of their congregation or their music or even their preaching. And many people today in churches they want the praise of men in the world. But that's not the type of praise we should be aiming for. We should be seeking to be a church that has the praise of Christ, to know that we are doing his will and not our will. That we are doing things his way and not our way. And sadly, we can all fall into that trap. Even preachers can fall into that trap. They can preach sermons that they know people will like, that won't ruffle any feathers, that will get them a pat on the back as they go out the door.  They can avoid difficult or challenging portions of God's word. And they can do things just to try and please men. Well, dear friends, we should all seek to be God pleasers and not men pleasers. Well, the church in Philadelphia were praised by Christ. Why were they praised? Well, I believe they were praised for their consistency in the faith. Put simply, this was a church like Caleb that wholeheartedly followed the Lord. They persevered in their love to Christ. They persevered in duty and in service because persevering is what Christians are called to do. Now, persevering is not always easy. In fact, persevering can often times be the hardest thing to do. We face opposition when we try to follow Christ. We face hostility. We face abuse. We face pressures to conform to this world. And we are laughed at. We are mocked and we are scorned. But the Christian is called to persevere. And the truth is if one is a Christian they will persevere because that is a mark of a true believer. They press on in the midst of evil and wickedness in the midst of laughter and mockery. They press on. They take up their cross and they follow Christ. So as we think of this church in Philadelphia here this morning, I have given this church the title of the persevering church. And there's three things I want to leave with you as we think of Philadelphia, the persevering church. They want worldly recognition. and they want to be acknowledged by society as being a a good influence for their humanitarian efforts, for their good works, for all the efforts that they make in the town. They want to be praised by other churches for the size of their congregation or their music or even their preaching. And many people today in churches they want the praise of men in the world. But that's not the type of praise we should be aiming for. We should be seeking to be a church that has the praise of Christ, to know that we are doing his will and not our will. That we are doing things his way and not our way. And sadly, we can all fall into that trap. Even preachers can fall into that trap. They can preach sermons that they know people will like, that won't ruffle any feathers, that will get them a pat on the back as they go out the door.  They can avoid difficult or challenging portions of God's word. And they can do things just to try and please men. Well, dear friends, we should all seek to be God pleasers and not men pleasers. Well, the church in Philadelphia were praised by Christ. Why were they praised? Well, I believe they were praised for their consistency in the faith. Put simply, this was a church like Caleb that wholeheartedly followed the Lord. They persevered in their love to Christ. They persevered in duty and in service because persevering is what Christians are called to do. Now, persevering is not always easy. In fact, persevering can often times be the hardest thing to do. We face opposition when we try to follow Christ. We face hostility. We face abuse. We face pressures to conform to this world. And we are laughed at. We are mocked and we are scorned. But the Christian is called to persevere. And the truth is if one is a Christian they will persevere because that is a mark of a true believer. They press on in the midst of evil and wickedness in the midst of laughter and mockery. They press on. They take up their cross and they follow Christ. So as we think of this church in Philadelphia here this morning, I have given this church the title of the persevering church. And there's three things I want to leave with you as we think of Philadelphia, the persevering church.

Number one, notice the recognition of their perseverance. In verse eight, the Lord Jesus says, "I know thy works." Now, I think those opening two words there are some of the most comforting words in the whole of scripture. The Lord Jesus Christ says, "I know. I know, he says, I know your struggles. I know your trials. I know your difficulties. I know your temptations. I know your persecution. I know what keeps you up at night. I know what you're struggling with and the battles you face. I haven't forgotten you. I haven't abandoned you. I know. I know everything that you're going through. And surely those are  words of great comfort for the Christian personally to hear Christ say, "I know." But they're also words of great comfort for the church because the Lord says, "I know. I know what's going on in your church. I know all about your difficulties. I know the pressures that you face in society. I know." The Lord says, "I know." And that is a comfort to those who are seeking to be faithful. The Lord knows what we are going through. Well, what did he praise them for? Well, we assume it to be the spreading of the gospel of Christ. He recognizes their efforts. He recognizes that they are a church and they are seeking to win souls to the Savior, bring the lost into the kingdom. He could also be praising them for defending the faith against attack. We know they had enemies, those who maybe took issue with the gospel message. And the Lord says, "I know that you're defending the faith. I praise you for this." So the Lord recognizes their perseverance. In verse 8, he goes on to say, "Thou hast a little strength." Now, the Lord acknowledges that this is not the strongest of congregations. In fact, he says they have a a little strength. He's not being rude about them. He's just being factual. This is a church with a little strength. Now, we're not told why  the Lord refers to them as little, but we can maybe make some assumptions. Maybe they lacked the gifts of ministry. Maybe they didn't have the most gifted of preachers within their churches. Maybe they didn't have the most educated of scholars to present and to teach the Bible effectively. Maybe they lacked communication skills. Maybe they didn't have financial resources to do evangelism. Maybe finances were a struggle. Maybe the congregation was older and frailer and they weren't able to do the things that they used to do before. And we could go on. But with the little strength that they did have, they used it for the Lord. They didn't give up. They didn't retire. With a little strength, this church persevered and pressed on.

I remember many years ago, I was living in England and our work had a its annual meeting. They had a motivational speaker come, a man who had spent many years in Kosovo clearing landmines. and he was recounting the story of how one day when him and his field were in the team that a landmine went off and before he knew it he was flat in his back looking at the sky and he said he went to move his legs and one of them didn't move but had been blown off in the blast and he said whenever he looked down and saw the horror of his injury and he saw those around him who had been killed or maimed He felt like just closing his eyes and giving up. But he says, "I knew if I did that. I knew if I closed my eyes, that would be me. I'd be gone." So he said with every ounce of strength that I had, I rolled onto my belly and on my elbows shuffled back to the safe zone. And he said, "It seemed to take an age. And it seemed to take all the energy I had just to move an inch. But I knew if I didn't that I would be dead. With the little strength that he had, that man persevered to get himself to safety and to the safe zone.

It might be, dear friends, that maybe we are tempted to give up. Maybe we're tempted to say, "Well, we have laboured for years and years and years and we're seeing nothing happen." Maybe like Elijah's servant who went up to the top of the mount one time and he came back down and Elijah sent him another time and he came back down. And by the time that servant was going back to the top of the mountain the seventh time, he's probably thinking, "What's the point of this? There has been no raincloud the first six times. Why is there going to be one the seventh time? Why am I bothering going again?” And yet when he got to the top, he saw that little cloud the size of a man's hand. And look at the showers of blessings that that brought in those days. Maybe we're tempted to think, well, what's the point of preaching? People aren't coming in. What's the point of evangelism? People aren't coming in. What's the point of witnessing to people? People aren't coming in. Well, dear friend, that is the Lord's business. You and I are only called to be the sowers of the seed. We are only those who go out and plant. The scripture says, "One planteth, another watereth, the Lord giveth the increase." With the little strength that we do have, and we do have a little strength as individuals and as a congregation, with the little strength that we do have, we're not to bury that talent in the ground. We're to use it for the Lord. We are to use the little strength that God has given for his service and for his glory. So let us not think that we are at an end because we're not. Today you and I, we have a little strength. And the Lord wants us to use that little strength for him. He's not asking us to go and  evangelize the whole of Coleraine in a single afternoon. But with a little strength we you and I can make an effort and we can make an impact upon our community. 

Whenever the missionary to India William Carey arrived in India, he laboured for eight years and didn't see a single convert. Eight years. Did he give up after one year? After his five-year plan saw no converts, did he give up? No. He went again and again and again and he kept preaching and then the Lord didn't just save one, he saved a multitude. There was a whole community started uh based upon the works of William Carey. Remember when William Chalmers Burns went to China. William Chalmer's Burns was used mightily by God in Scotland and in Canada. Whenever Robert Murray McShane left his pulpit in Dundee to go on a missionary trip to Israel, he asked William Chalmer's Burns to fill his pulpit for a matter of months and whenever Chalmer's Burns preached in Dundee, there was revival. In fact, such revival that it spread throughout Scotland and news of the revival even reached Robert Murray McShane in Israel. What is happening in his church in his absence? He tried to get home early to be part of the blessing. So William Chalmers Burns was used in Scotland. He went to Canada and the Lord used him there. But then the Lord called him to China. So he went to China and he preached there. Same messages that he preached in Scotland and Canada, but it nothing happened year after year. Nothing happened in China. It was 20 years before William Chalmers Burns saw his first convert in China. 20 years. But he didn't give up. The Lord called him to be faithful. He remained faithful and he kept preaching. We are not to be weary in doing good for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.

Notice also in verse eight what the Lord praises them for. He says, "And has kept my word." This is a church that has kept my word. Now, I have to say this is essential in earning the praise of Christ. If you and I as individuals and as a congregation want to be praised by Christ, we have to keep his word. We have to be faithful and we have to be obedient. Whenever we keep his word, it shows obedience. It shows that we obey God in listening to his voice. Children who don't listen to the voice of their parents are not obedient children. And so Christians who do not listen to the voice of their heavenly father are not  obedient children. But it also shows love. It shows that we love our God and we want to keep his word. And it demonstrates that our desire is towards him. But also in verse eight, Christ praises them for not denying his name. You see, Christians in Philadelphia, they face the same pressure that all Christians face to deny Christ, to turn away from the faith, to follow after the world. Peter  faced this temptation in the courtyard of the high priest's house when people said, "You're one of his disciples. You're one of his followers." Peter denied. Paul was brought before Jewish leaders, Roman governors, Greek scholars, and they debated with him, but he didn't deny Christ. Well, it's one thing for us to be a Christian privately in the secrecy of our own homes, but are we willing to confess Christ publicly before others? Are we willing to let others know that we are Christians, that we are believers and followers of the Savior? Not just that we go to church on a Sunday, but that we follow the one who is the King of glory. This church was recognized for their perseverance. It was evidenced by their works, the keeping of the word, and not denying Christ's name. I wonder if the Lord were to write to us here today, would he praise us for the same things as well. 

Secondly, notice their responsibility to persevere. Whenever we receive praise, it can have one of two effects upon us. It can cause us to become lazy and to rely upon our past efforts or it can motivate us and inspire us to continue to work hard. Well, the Lord wanted to ensure this church did not become lazy. So, he gave them instructions. In verse eight, the Lord says "I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it." So in writing to this church, the Lord doesn't say, "You've tried your best. Sit down. Put your feet up." He doesn't say that. No. He tells them, "I'm praising you for your faithfulness, and I've opened a door for you. I have set before thee an  open door, and no man can shut it." So this is a door that the Lord says is open. It's not a shut door. It's not a locked door. It's a door that they're going to have to worry about any man shutting. They're not going to have to try and find this door. No, this door is before them. And the Lord Jesus wants them to enter through this door. He doesn't say just admire the door. No, he wants them to go through the door. Now, one of the hardest things to discern as a congregation is how do we advance the church? What doors should we try to open? What should we try to do as a church to to reach people and to see more people come in and to see more conversions? Well, so often we forget that it's not us who opens doors, but Christ who opens doors for us. And sometimes we are so determined to see the work of God advance that we maybe try to open doors ourselves. We don't want to be seen as being lazy, so we try this door and that door and another door. We want to be seen as a busy church, so we don't wait for God to open doors. We don't even pray for God to open doors. We try to create our own doors and go through our own doors, not realizing that Christ might not want that particular door opened. There could be times when we are pushing a locked door and Christ could have it locked for a reason. This is where prayer comes in. We ought to be praying for open doors. Praying for the Lord to open an effectual door before us. And thinking of this theme of open doors, it is biblical to wait and pray for God to open doors for us. In Colossians 4:3, the Apostle Paul writing to the church at Colosse, he said with all praying also for us that God would open unto us a door of utterance to speak the mystery of Christ for which I am also in bonds. So Paul asked this church of Colosse to pray that God would open a door of utterance to do what? To preach Christ, to speak Christ. Not where they could find cheap and affordable bouncy castles. But where they could preach the gospel. That is what Paul asked the church at Colosse to pray for. Pray for a door of utterance. And dear friend, the prayers of the Bible are to be our prayers as well. If Paul told people to pray for a door of utterance to speak Christ, that is a door we should be praying for. God, open a door for us to preach Christ to these people. In 2 Corinthians 2:12, Paul says, "When I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel, and a door was opened unto me of the Lord." So why did Paul go to Troas? Well, he didn't go to dig wells, and he didn't go to establish a school. He went to preach. And what did the Lord do? He opened a door. a door there in Troas us for the preaching of the gospel. So here in two verses we have seen that the door is linked to the preaching of the word. Another example 1 Corinthians 16:9 Paul said for a great door and effectual is opened onto me. So here Paul acknowledges that the Lord has opened a great door but not just an open door but an effectual door. That is there will be much fruit, much results from this door that has been opened. In Acts 14 verse 27, Paul and Barnabas when they were come and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles. Who opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles? It wasn't Paul. It wasn't Barnabas. It was God. He opened the door. Paul and Barnabas went through it. So dear friend, we are to pray for God to open doors, great doors, effectual doors, not to entertain people, but for the preaching of the gospel and for the sharing of Christ's name.

I remember many years ago I was having lunch with a woman in Wales and she was telling me that whenever she was young, she had so many ideas of how she wanted to serve the Lord. She wrote them all down in a big list and she went to her minister with all these ideas saying, "There's so many things we need to be doing. I can't possibly do them all." And the minister said to her, "Well, I want you to go home and pray over your list and which ideas are yours and which are of the Lord." So very wise advice. And she thought he was just trying to get out of doing some of her ideas. But she went home and she started praying over her great list of ideas. And one by one she started stroking them off until there was only one left and it was to go and serve the Lord. She went to Bible college. She met her husband and they laboured for years in Africa as missionaries. And she says if she hadn't been doing her list, she never would have had time to go to Bible college to study and to learn more, meet her husband and end up serving the Lord in that means. 

You and I can have ideas, and there's nothing wrong with having ideas, but we have to make sure that those ideas, they are the will of God. We have to make sure they're the door that the Lord wants us to go through. If it's not for the preaching of Christ, if it's not for the sharing of the message of the gospel, we have to question, is it the great and effectual door that the Lord wants us to do? I know some churches, they go out into communities and they cut grass and they paint fences and so forth. And while there may be a place for some of that if it's not the sharing of the gospel, it's a humanitarian effort, it's a good work. The church is called first and foremost to go into all the world and preach the gospel. That is the calling of the church. If we are not if we don't have the that single eyed focus for the preaching of the gospel, then we're not fulfilling the great commission and we're ultimately not behaving as a church. So, we are to pray for open doors, open doors for yourself and open doors for your church. But another thing the Lord recognizes here or sorry another thing the Lord gives them as a responsibility we see in verse 11 “the Lord says hold that fast which thou hast that no man take thy crown.” Not only were the church to go through the door of service but they were commanded to hold fast to that which they already had. The Lord is saying here don't compromise with the world. Don't be lowering your standards just to please people. Keep my word. Don't deny my name. Hold fast. You know, the greatest temptation could be to lower our standards to get people in. Well, we'll do away with the old hymns and we'll get into modern music and we'll have all the instruments of the day. 

There's one church like that in Scotland. I remember a man. He went to that church and this is what he said. He said, "Oh, yesterday the singing was so good, we didn't even need to open the Bible. Didn't even need to read the Bible. Didn't even need preaching because the singing was so good." They have 500 people at that church and they're now building a mega church. And yet, that was what he said. The singing was so good, we didn't even need to open the Bible. Dear friends, that's an abomination in the eyes of God. That is not God pleasing. that is pleasing men with music and with entertainment. Christ is saying that this church they are to continue as they are though small they are faithful. They have a little strength. They are to go through this open door without changing. Well, we must be those who hold fast to the word of God. Let's not lower our standards to please the world. 

But then thirdly and finally here this morning, notice the reward for perseverance. And the first reward we see in verse 9 is that their enemies will be converted. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie. Behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. Now, some interpret this to mean that the enemies of the church will stop persecuting them. Others take it to mean that the enemies will be converted to Christ. Well, I believe it's the latter. I believe this is an open door for the preaching of the gospel and the effectiveness of the preaching of the gospel. such an effectiveness that even the enemies, those who persecute the church will come and join them. When it says they worship before thy feet, it doesn't mean they will worship the Christians. It means they will worship with the Christians, worshiping the Lord Jesus Christ. So what an open door. These hard Jewish hearts will be opened to worshiping the Savior. They will join with the believers. Now man can't do that but only God can do that. And surely that's what we want to see. Even our enemies converted to faith in Christ joining with us sat here praising and worshiping God. So the first reward enemies converted. Second reward kept from temptation. Verse 10 “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth.” Now surely the biggest fear that we have in life is failing Christ. Failing him, letting him down like Peter did whenever he denied him. Peter went out and wept bitterly. And surely we fear failing the Lord, ruining our testimony and grieving our Saviour. Well, the Lord promises that those who are faithful to him, he will keep them from temptation. And then the third reward is that they will be made a pillar. Verse 12 “him that overcome will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out, and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem. I will write upon him my new name.” Now, look at the imagery that the Lord uses to describe faithful Christians. A pillar. You and I maybe don't think of ourselves as pillars. We maybe think that if we're anything in the church of God. We're a little stone. We're a little grain of dust. Yet the Lord doesn't look upon his people that way. He calls us pillars. He refers to those Christians in Philadelphia as pillars. What beautiful imagery. And that is the reward that Christ will give us when our earthly journey comes to an end here that we will forever be with him in heaven. We will be made that pillar with him in the new Jerusalem. What rewards do you seek as a Christian? Thought of well in the community or in the church, a life of ease and comfort. Well, the greatest reward is to be part of Christ's kingdom here on earth, but also in heaven as well. And that very thought ought to encourage us to persevere. Our time in this earth is only a vapor. There's heaven to be gained and heaven to enjoy for the Christian. We live in a day when Christians need great encouragement. We live in an evil and sinful world. Sin certainly seems to be abounding. There is hostility to Christianity. There's pressure to conform. And sadly, we look around us and we see many churches that are compromising and denying the faith. We need encouragement to persevere. And here in this letter to the church in Philadelphia, the Lord gives us a letter. And it's a letter to persevere, to hold fast to the faith, not to deny his name, but continue to be faithful, continue to seek open doors prayerfully from God for the furtherance of the gospel and the making of disciples in our nation and further afield as well. So dear friend, if you're weary today, if you're struggling, if you're thinking of giving up, may this be a letter for you, encouraging you to press on towards the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus. 

The Final Courtroom

COLERAINE EVANGELICAL CHURCH

SERMON NOTES FROM SUNDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2026 pm – MR GARETH McINTYRE

READING: REVELATION 20 VERSES 11 TO 15

THE FINAL COURTROOM

 

I wonder can you picture the scene here this evening where we've read as the apostle John writes under the inspiration of God. Imagine walking into a courtroom and it's a courtroom like something you have never seen before. In this courtroom, you will not find any solicitors in this courtroom. You will not find any barristers. No witnesses will be called. No cross examination will be necessary in this courtroom. There will be no need for a jury because the verdict is not to be debated. As you lift your eyes to the back of this courtroom, there will be no clock hanging on the wall because by this stage, time has well and truly run out. At the front, you'll see a throne. And it's not just any throne. Verse 11 tells us this throne is a great white throne. Great speaks of its power and its authority. White speaks of its purity. Its purity is blinding and its authority is absolute. The only one, the one in the throne, the judge, he doesn't sit and shuffle through the pages like a an elderly man in frustration trying to piece together all the information. No, this judge is a perfect judge. This judge knows already the truth in every single detail. The judge here is the Lord Jesus Christ. He's the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. The word of God says he's the judge of all the earth. We're told here in this passage that the books were opened, every word ever spoken in secret, every motive behind every behaviour, every lustful look, every act that you've maybe forgotten, every thought you've maybe hoped that God had forgotten will be placed before your eyes. In verse 12 it says another book is opened and it's the book of life. No arguments are made. No appeals are filed. No postponements are granted. And the question is not 'were you religious?' The question is not 'were you better than your neighbour?' It's not 'were you baptized?' or 'did you attend church regularly?' But rather it's 'is your name written in the lamb's book of life?' This is not a trial to determine guilt. This is a judgment that reveals truth. In verse 15, it says, "And whoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." This is one of the most solemn, sobering, and serious passages in all scripture. This judgment is for every unsaved soul who from all history down through the ages has lived their life without Christ and died without Jesus Christ. This is the final sentencing of the lost. It's God's final dealings with the unrepentant sinner. It's for those who have rejected or simply just neglected God's offer of salvation. And friend, tonight, listen. They will be raised to stand before the judge of all the earth and in the very bodies in which they sinned. What a solemn and frightening experience it will be for those who are found at the great white throne judgment. You know, many terrible things, many frightening things have occurred throughout this world and maybe even in this land over many years. You can maybe think of something that you've witnessed personally, something you've read about, something you've watched on television. You could maybe think of the 9/11 terrorist attacks that morning in lower Manhattan, New York. It was a morning that I'm sure none of us will ever forget when those men, motivated by pure evil, hijacked those planes and flew them into the Twin Tower World Trade Centres. Google tells us that 2,977 people that day lost their lives and many more were injured. Think about it. 2,977 souls launched out into God's great eternity in an instant. It was scenes of utter horror and scenes of disbelief. The city was filled with smoke, the noise of screaming, the deafening sound of police and fire engines sirens. Many helplessly had to watch on as terrified people jumped out of the windows of that 110 storey building trying to escape the flames that surrounded them. But friend, whenever you consider this scene that we've read this evening in Revelation chapter 20, this is something like none of us have ever seen before. This is the day when the unrepentant sinner meets God. But they'll meet him not as their Saviour. They'll meet him as their judge. You know, many in this world tonight, and I'm sure you've met them, are happy to talk about little baby Jesus. They're happy to hear about his birth at Christmas. They're happy to listen about his love and his compassion. They're happy to sing along 'gentle Jesus meek and mild.' But don't mention judgment. Don't mention accountability because that makes us feel uncomfortable. Listen tonight, we must face the reality. We must understand that not only is he a God of love and a God of compassion, but he is a God of wrath and a God of mercy, a God of wrath and a God of judgment. Revelation 6 verse 15 and 16 tells us about this day of wrath. It says, "And the kings of the earth and the great men and the rich men and the chief captains and the mighty men and every bond man, every free man hid himself in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains and said to the mountains let the rocks fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the lamb." That's Jesus Christ. For the great day of his wrath has come, and who shall be able to stand? Matthew Henry wrote these words, "Those who will not deliver themselves into the hand of God's mercy cannot be delivered out of the hand of God's judgment." When we hear about judgment, we often think of fear. But Revelation 20 doesn't just warn us, it points us to hope. Yes, the books are opened. Yes, people are judged. But there's another book here and it's the book of life. And the good news is the gospel that tells us how your name personally can be written in that book. The Lord Jesus himself said in John 10 verse 10, "I have come that you might have life." Jesus can set you free and he can forgive you of all of your sin. Romans 8 verse 1 says, "There is now therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus." And friend tonight, it doesn't matter who you are listening online or if you are in this building. It doesn't matter where you're from. Doesn't matter what you've done. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's son, can cleanse you of all of your sin. Yes, one day the saved person will have to stand before the bema of the judgment seat of Christ and they will be rewarded for their works. But here in Revelation 20, it's when God judges sin and every unsaved soul will stand before God at the great white throne and they will receive not a reward but they will receive their wages. The Bible tells us clearly what those wages are in in Romans 6 verse 23 it says "For the wages of sin is death." You might say this evening, 'why should I believe the Bible? How do I know that this is all true?' Listen, people have spent their entire lives trying to disprove and discredit this holy inspired book. And every one of them has went to their grave unsuccessful. And one day they will stand before the God that they refuse to love. Friends, tonight listening online or in this meeting, it's time to listen. This book proves itself and the clock is ticking.

Let's look at these verses together and see firstly a final call that is inescapable. John writes here, "I saw" you see, he was in the isle of Patmos. We're told he was in a cave or on a hillside and he records this vision as the God of heaven pulls back the curtain and allows him to see the eternal damnation of the wicked. After World War II, a membership roll was discovered in Germany with the names of 8 million people who belonged to the Nazi party. To have one's name written on the authentic pages had been a source of satisfaction. But whenever the war ended, everything changed. The Nazis fled in all directions. But for many, there was no hiding place. They were extradited from their countries, taken back to Nuremberg, and sentenced for their crimes. You see, they were called to judgment. You see, we're not kept in the dark. The God of heaven has given us sufficient warnings many times in his word. We're told of sure and coming judgment. Hebrews 9 verse 27 reminds us "And it is appointed onto men once to die, but after this the judgment." You see, at this throne, there is no miscarriage of justice. There won't be a debate over guilt or innocence. The court will not be adjourned to a more convenient time. There will be a prosecutor but no defence. There will be an accuser but no advocate. And there will be no loophole or contamination of evidence. The verdict will be guilty with eternal punishment in a prison where there is no escape. And every day of your life, Satan wants to impress on your mind his greatest lie. And it's this. There is no final call. There is no day of judgment. There is no day of accounting. Just live however you like. Die like a dog and just go to the ground. He's been telling that lie from the very beginning. He told that lie in the Garden of Eden. Remember what he said to Eve in the book of Genesis when he tried to convince her to eat the forbidden fruit. He says, "Thou shalt not surely die. Thou shalt not surely die." Satan is a liar and he's a deceiver. Satan was really saying, "Do what you like, Eve. There is no consequences. There is no judgment to come." And whenever Adam and Eve ate that fruit and disobeyed God, we're told they heard the voice of the Lord in the garden saying those heart piercing words, "Where art thou? Where art thou?" This was God's first words to sinful man. And they had to stand naked and ashamed in their sin with nowhere to hide. And I wonder this evening, is that how you live your life? Do you live for the here and now? No thought of God, living like nothing really matters, no fear of judgment, no expectation or eternal consequences, no day of reckoning. You see, there's coming a day when history will stop and eternity starts and the sinner will be judged. That's why this gospel is not optional. This gospel is urgent. You know, if someone wronged you or wronged your family, and in doing so, they broke the law of the land. It's part of our makeup. It's part of our inward heart to desire that justice would be served. Yet with God, some expect that somehow God can just overlook and brush over sin, turn a blind eye, and not execute justice. No. The Bible tells us that after death comes judgment. There is a final call that is inescapable. And that voice that spoke to Adam and Eve in the garden will one day summons every unsaved soul to stand at this great white throne in judgment. There is no hiding place. There is no escape. Look at verse 13. It says, "And the sea gave up the dead which were in it. and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them. And they were judged, every man according to their works." Think of the scene here. Think of the pain and the agony and the torment of mind. Standing at that throne, looking at the judge, seeing those hands that were pierced because of your sin, seeing that brow that was scarred with the crown of thorns. Every memory of your life will at that moment come flooding back. Every gospel privilege you have been graciously afforded will be brought to your remembrance. You'll remember that Sunday school teacher who taught you faithfully and prayed for your soul. You'll remember that godly grandmother and godly grandfather that wept for you. You'll remember that godly mother and father and whoever's in your family that is saved. You'll remember those times when the spirit of God challenged you over and over again, but you didn't respond. And now it's too late. You lived for time and no thought of eternity. And now you stand before God with no hiding place. I wonder this evening what it is you're hiding behind. Are you hiding behind money? Is it your social status? Is it your popularity? Your respectability in the town in which you live? Is it some form of religion? Are you hiding behind some empty profession that you made as a child and it never materialized? You see, at this great white throne, all those things will be gone. That's why the Lord said, "What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul." There at the great white throne you'll not be standing in the crowd. You'll not be standing with a community. You'll not be standing with your companions. You'll be standing on your own. Verse 12 says, "I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God." Who's the small and great, you might ask? Well, that means every kind of person in this world, wherever you want to place yourself tonight. Upper class, middle class, lower class, whatever. That means from the prison to the palace. It means from the prostitute to the politician. It means from the poor to the plentiful. John saw the dead, small and great, stand before God. You know someone that will be there. Judas will be there. You remember him. He sold the Savior for a measly 30 pieces of silver. It was just the price of a slave. You see, the love of money ruled his heart. And whenever that money failed to satisfy his inward desires, he realized that he had betrayed innocent blood. And the Bible tells us that he threw down the money and he ran out into the night and he committed suicide. Yes, he died with regret. But he died without repentance. And one day Judas will stand at the great white throne judgment. You know who else will be there? Pilate will be there. You'll remember him. He was the one who asked life's greatest question. 'What will I do with Jesus which is called Christ?' Pilate faced the greatest dilemma. It was choose the crowd and crucify Christ or it was choose Christ and ignore the crowd and Pilate died in sin having made the wrong choice. He was a crowd pleaser and one day Pilate will stand at the great white throne judgment. This is the final call that is inescapable.

But notice secondly there's a factual consideration that is irrefutable. In the middle of verse 12, it says these words, look at it, "and the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books according to their works." You see, when you're standing at the great white throne, you're there, as one old preacher put it, not to find out if you're going to hell. You're there to find out how much hell you're going to get. This is a factual consideration. Everything is open, everything is honest and transparent. Every evil thought, every evil word, every evil deed, God will bring before you. Every hidden sin, every selfish thought, every spoken word. The things that you have done, the things that you have left undone, God will judge. It's the day when God will bring your sin to your remembrance. In Romans chapter 2 verse 16, God calls it the day when God will judge the secrets of men. There will be no excuse. There will be no escape. No favouritism will be shown. We live in a day and we all know it were everybody wants equality. Everybody wants their rights. Well, Romans chapter 2 verse 11 reminds us "for God is not a respecter of persons." The self-righteous person who somehow believes that God will respect their quality will be sadly mistaken. The one who believes that their moral and outward conduct will somehow relieve them from judgment will hang their head in shame when God judges the very thoughts and the intents of their hearts. In Romans chapter 2 verse 16 it says, "God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to his gospel." You see, your gospel privileges will be a factual consideration. You live in a land that's blessed and overflowing with the gospel. Open airs on every corner of your town. Gospel invitations, no doubt, coming through your door. The word of God within your very reach. Opportunity after opportunity after opportunity, privilege after privilege after privilege. Just like that city the Lord Jesus speaks about in Matthew 10 verse 15 where it says it shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city. Sodom and Gomorrah was a vile wicked city that God had overthrown with fire and brimstone. But the other city, it was a place that knew great privileges. It was a place that knew God's miracle working power. Yet they died graceless, having been the most privileged people on earth. There's a final call that is inescapable. There's a factual consideration that is irrefutable.

But thirdly, there's a there's a fate of condemnation that is irreversible. Look at verse 14. It says, "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death." The books have been read. Every mouth has been stopped and everyone at this great white throne is found guilty before God. Can you imagine it as they hear those awful words in Matthew 25 verse 41? "Depart from me, you cursed. I never knew you into everlasting fire." There won't be a retrial. There won't be a court of appeal. There's no turning back. There's no time now to get on your knees. No more opportunity to call out to God. His sentence will be final. You might say, "I thought God was a God of grace and a God of compassion and a God of mercy." Well, that's right. He is. But you must accept this offer of mercy. Now, this side of the grave, the Lord Jesus has reminded us, if you die in your sin, where I am, you cannot come. The Bible speaks of this awful place on so many occasions. We are warned that hell is a place of pain, a place of darkness, and a place of torment. It's a place where John 8 verse 12 says, "But the children of the kingdom shall be cast into outer darkness. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." This is a place of suffering. This is a lake of fire. Our minds this evening can't fully understand or grasp the awfulness of this place or the duration of suffering. This is for all of God's eternity. Thomas Brook said these words, "The damned in hell may weep their eyes out of their head, but they will never weep the sin out of their souls." Not only is this a place of suffering, it's a place of separation. This is the second death. You see, the first death is separation of the soul from body, but the second death is separation of the soul from God. But friend, tonight, praise God, you're found alive in a gospel meeting, with breath in your lungs, with yet another gospel opportunity. The spirit of God promises to be here. And he says to your soul, "Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." We've seen the call that is inescapable. We've seen a consideration that is irrefutable. You've seen a condemnation that is irreversible.

But praise God, tonight unsaved soul. You are brought to a crossroads. You're faced with a choice that is inevitable. Tonight, you can get right with your creator. You can have your sin dealt with right now. Thank God. Tonight, Revelation is not where the Bible begins the story of judgment because before there was a great white throne, there was a rough wooden cross. Before the books were opened, another record was nailed to the tree. Before sinners stood before a holy judge, the holy judge himself stepped into our place and he took our sin. At the final judgment, no one will argue their case. But at the cross, Jesus Christ made our case for us. That same God who one day will say, "Depart from me." One day lifted up his voice in agony and said, "It is finished." The books of our deeds demand justice. But the book of life speaks grace. And tonight, listen, the only reason a sinner can stand before a holy throne is because 2,000 years ago, holiness stood before sinners and was judged in their place. So the question tonight is not 'are you ready for judgment?' The question is 'have you been to the cross?' Because only those who have been born again, only those who have been covered in Christ's precious blood will find their name written in the book of life. Tonight you can make your way out through those doors with a new heart and a new life, with a full assurance that you will never stand at the great white throne in judgment. Instead, whenever the time comes to leave this scene of time, you will be absent from the body and present with the Lord. I said earlier, one day you'll meet your Saviour, and you'll either meet him as your Saviour or as your judge. But how you meet him, well, that's your choice. The story is told of two young men who were mightly moved by the spirit of God. In the same night they walked down to the minister's house together and intending to go in and surrender their heart and lives to Jesus Christ. And as they reached the gate, one said to the other, "Look, I'm just not ready to go in. You go on ahead and I'm just not ready." And after all persuasions, sadly, those two young men parted at the gate. The man went into the minister's house. He surrendered his heart and life to Jesus Christ and he went on to become one of the greatest preachers America has ever seen and he was used mightly of God. The other young man who parted at the gate he ended up in Cuba. He got involved in drugs and violence and sin of every kind. And we're told that whilst he was in Cuba, he got involved in some rebellion and was shot and sadly that young man died in his sin. You see, they parted for eternity at the gate of the minister's house with each man's future depending on the choice they made at that moment. I wonder this evening, what will you choose as you're standing at the gate? I wonder, will you choose Christ and go home tonight knowing that your name is written in the book of life? You'll be able to sing like the hymnwriter "Upon the spotless book of life, God wrote my name one day. Eternal years can never take that God penned name away. My name is there forever through all God's endless days. For he who died to write it there. Praise God. He put it there to stay." Don't go home without Christ tonight. accept him as your own and personal Saviour and let his peace and his joy flood your soul and live that life of abundant life that he died to save you. 

 

Joyful Fellowship - Growing in Grace Together

 

COLERAINE EVANGELICAL CHURCH

SERMON NOTES SUNDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2026 – MR GARETH McINTYRE

READING: PHILIPPIANS 1 VERSES 1 TO 11

JOYFUL FELLOWSHIP – GROWING IN GRACE TOGETHER

 

One of the themes, if not the chief theme of Philippians, is joy in Christ. Paul writes this word joy or rejoice or some form of the word some 14 times in just four chapters. Many point to Philippians 4 verse 4 as the key verse where it says “rejoice in the  Lord always. And again I say rejoice.” For many people they consider joy to be something that is solely tied to their circumstances. They think ‘if only my circumstances would change, then joy would suddenly arrive. If only this day was over, I could have joy. If only I could get this month of February out of the way. If only my car was fixed. If only my health was better. If only this pressure was lifted and this thorn removed, I could have joy.’ But whenever we come to this letter the book of Philippians we find the true source and the true meaning of true joy which is joy in Jesus Christ. You see joy is supernatural. Joy is something only known by believers because it is a gift from God. In Galatians 5 verses 22 and 23 we read of joy as a fruit of the spirit. 1 Peter 1 verses 8 and 9 tells us that joy is received through faith. John 15 verse 11 tells us that joy is made full in Christ. This joy that we're talking about this morning is lasting. This joy endures. Joy is not dependent at all in what is going on around us, but rather joy is dependent upon what is going on inside of us. Joy is an inward rejoicing in our salvation no matter what the circumstances we find ourselves in. And here as Paul writes this lovely letter, it's around the year 61 AD and the apostle is found in a place where some might think that joy should be absent or impossible. Here Paul is found imprisoned under house arrest awaiting trial before Caesar in Rome. Here, as Paul picks up his pen, you could only imagine those chains are rattling. He's surrounded by walls and being guarded by a Roman soldier with the possibility of death looming. Here, Paul's tomorrow is unknown and his future is uncertain. But here in this letter, we find no bitterness, no despair, no desperation or demand for rescue. Instead, we find only joy. Here we see gratitude for God's grace. We sense a love  in his heart with an unwavering confidence in God, knowing that “he who began a good work will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Here in prison, the apostle’s eyes are not focused on his chains, but they're fixed on Christ. And as he writes this beautiful letter, he shows us the great truth this morning that joy rooted in Jesus Christ cannot be chained. In the opening verses of this letter, Paul really lays bare his heart as he shows us his deep love and affection for this church at Philippi. Paul held dearly this group of believers to his heart. This was the first church that Paul established in Europe in response to his preaching roughly 10 years before he wrote this lovely letter. If you were to cast your mind back to Acts chapter 16, you'll remember how Timothy and Silas joined Paul in a second missionary journey around the year 51 AD. And you'll read there how the Holy Spirit forbid them to preach in certain regions, but instead God directed them to Macedonia through a vision in Acts 16 verses 9 and 10 “And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. There stood a man of Macedonia and prayed him saying, "Come over into Macedonia and help us." And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that God had called us for to preach the gospel onto them.” And that's how the gospel set its feet in Europe for the very first time. People were saved. And the church at Philippi to whom this letter was addressed was established. In chapter 1 verses 1 to 11 you'll see how God creates and how he sustains gospel fellowship. This is a fellowship that grows believers into mature Christlike, fruitful people all for his glory. As we look at these verses together, we're going to see not only what Paul prays and thanks God for, but we're going to see what God desires to cultivate in us, his church today.

 

Look with me firstly at these verses and you'll see the foundation of this joyful fellowship. This letter begins in verse one by showing us Jesus Christ, the foundation of the Philippian church. Here in verse one, in Paul's opening words, he identifies himself and Timothy as “servants of Jesus Christ.” Here, Paul didn't need to defend his apostleship by writing Paul an apostle like he did whenever he wrote to the church at Galatia or the church at Corinth who constantly caused him much grief. But here in Paul's opening words, he identifies himself as a servant, as a slave of Jesus Christ. Here Paul models Christ's humility, teaching these Philippian believers that true greatness comes from self-sacrifice and not from status. It reminds us that humility is essential for faithful service. Proverbs 15 verse 33 reminds us “humility comes before honour.” You see Paul even though he was an apostle, he lived as a servant. The word servant implies total ownership, total surrender, and total obedience to Christ. Paul sets this example to encourage these believers to always embrace humility that will manifest itself in unity and joyful Christian service. I wonder this morning, is our lives marked by this humility that Paul shows? Do we put others first? Do we serve willingly? Do we submit to authority? Do we readily forgive? Do we look for unnoticed ways to serve God by serving others? To give, to help, to encourage, not when people are watching, but whenever no one else sees but God. Not only does Paul call himself a servant of Christ, but if you look there again at verse number one, you'll see how he addresses a people who were saints in Christ. He writes “to all the saints in Christ who are at Philippi.” These people weren't saints because they lived at Philippi. It doesn't matter where you live - that will never make you a saint. A saint isn't someone that you see in a stained glass window. It isn't some status declared by anyone because of some great service or achievement. No, the God of heaven alone makes a person a saint. These people were called saints simply because of their foundation. Verse 1 tells us they were in Christ. This word saint is a New Testament word that is used to describe every Christian. A saint is a called out one. It's a holy one. One separated by God. 1 Peter 2 verse 9 puts it like this. “Called out of darkness into God's light.” You see, none of us are born saints. As Psalm 51 verse 1 reminds us, we are all born in sin. We all inherit Adam's fallen nature. As 1 Corinthians tells us, “for as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” And a saint is someone called out of a life of sin and is now in union with Jesus Christ. And if you're here this morning and you're saved, you're a saint. And with all other believers, you have a common bond. And that bond is grace. And because of God's grace, you will know something about this supernatural, this enduring, and this lasting joy because your foundation is in Christ. And if you're here this morning or you're listening to this message online and you're not a Christian, you too can place your life on the only firm foundation who is Jesus Christ. To do that, you need to accept you're a sinner. You need to repent of your sin and turn away from all of it. You need to believe that Jesus Christ, whenever he died on the cross, he took your place and he bore your punishment. And if you come to Christ this morning, he will save your soul. He will forgive your sin and your new identity will be in Christ. And the work God begins in your life, he promises through his word that he will complete. The people Paul was writing to included bishops and deacons who were just the people in charge with the oversight of this congregation. This church here at Philippi was made up of many different types of people, different ages, different backgrounds, different temperaments, different personalities and interests. But through the gospel, they were now one people in Christ. The first convert we are told in Acts 16 was a wealthy lady called Lydia, whose heart the Lord opened and both she and her family get saved. A short time later, Paul and Silas were thrown into prison for exercising a demon possessed slave girl. And whilst Paul and Silas were in prison, God delivered them at midnight through an earthquake. And Paul and Silas had the joy of pointing the Philippian jailer to Jesus Christ whose family also gets saved and became members of this church in Philippi. And that's exactly what God can do. He can take any person from any place with any background. He can open their eyes. He can save their soul and he can make them saints. Paul says in verse two, "Grace and peace from God our father and from the Lord Jesus Christ." This was just a common greeting that Paul used reminding us that we must know the grace of God before we can know the peace of God. This is the foundation of this Philippian church.

 

But notice secondly, there's a thankfulness in this joyful partnership. Paul here as he writes this letter from a cold prison cell, his warm heart is bubbling over as he reminisces about his friends back in Philippi. He writes here in verse 3 ”I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.” Every time Paul thought about these believers, he couldn't help but lift up his heart and thank God for God's work of grace in the lives of these people. These Philippian believers had helped Paul so often and supported him in his ministry. But notice here, Paul doesn't give the credit to the believers. It says he thanks God. You see, by thanking God, he acknowledges that all  fruitfulness, all generosity, and all perseverance is not a result of human achievement, but as a result of God's ongoing work in the lives of his people. Paul goes on to write in verse number 4, “always in every prayer of mine for you all, making my request with joy.” Here you see the faithfulness of Paul's praying. He says, "Always”. Paul brought these believers before God in prayer faithfully and frequently. You see, for Paul, prayer wasn't a burden for his brothers and sisters. Prayer wasn't a dread or it wasn't a chore. For Paul, prayer was a delight. Even amidst difficult circumstances, whenever Paul pondered the memories of these people, it caused him to pray with joy. It reminds us this morning that our prayers should be shaped by gratitude and thankfulness, not shaped by perfect circumstances. Paul's thankfulness shows us this morning that through prayer, our relationships can be strengthened, offering our prayers for one another, delighting in God's saving and sanctifying work in each of our lives. Also, you'll notice Paul doesn't single out any favorites in this fellowship. He says, "Always in every prayer of mine for you all." Paul remembered every single one of them. He thanked God for every one of them. The ones who were easy to love and those ones who were maybe a little more difficult. Now Paul goes on to show us the reason for his thankfulness in verse 5. Look at it. He writes, "For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now." You see, Paul was thankful for these believers for their support practically, physically, materially. Both whilst he was in prison and whilst he was with them in person, these believers showered him with generosity and always showed a concern for Paul's well-being. Through these saints at Philippi, God always met Paul's need. In 2 Corinthians, Paul made mention of the generosity of the churches in Macedonia and by that he was referring to this church at Philippi. In Philippians 4 verse 14 Paul writes, "Notwithstanding, ye have well done that ye did communicate with my affliction." And by that, Paul was referring to practical sharing as well as spiritual. Whenever Paul went to prison here, these believers didn't cut him off. They didn't cast them to the side and forget about him. No. Look at verse 5 where it says “they fellowshipped with him.” They shared with him. They laboured with him. From the first day they heard the gospel until now, they remained faithful. You see, even though they were separated by distance and by circumstances, they remained fully committed and deeply united in gospel partnership. That's the foundation of this Philippian church. That's the thankfulness that we see in the hearts of the people in this Philippian church.

 

But notice thirdly, there is a confidence in this joyful fellowship. Whenever Paul prayed and thanked God for these believers, his confidence wasn't placed in the individuals, but his confidence was placed in Christ, the foundation and the builder of the church. The story is told of a town that once built a bridge to connect two communities together that were divided by a river. This bridge project took quite some time to complete. During the build, different workers came at different times. Some laid the foundations, others raised the beams, some of them tarmacked the roads. Many never saw that bridge completed, but everyone trusted the same engineer. Years later, people crossed that bridge every day without fear. Not because the workers were perfect, but because the one who designed the bridge was faithful. And you know, that's how Paul saw this church at Philippi. He didn't look at their faith and worry about whether or not they could somehow hold it together or no. Instead, Paul writes in verse number 6, "Being confident in this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." Paul could rejoice. Paul could have confidence and gospel fellowship because the God who started the work will complete the work. I'm sure all of us here this morning can think of many things that they've started and never completed. I know I can. The only thing I ever seem to finish is my dinner. Maybe things that we've had an interest in and through time we've just set it to the side. Maybe books that we've opened for a while and never finished. But isn't it wonderful this morning to be able to have confidence in God, knowing that even whenever we falter, he is faithful in our times of doubt, he continues to work. Times when we slow the pace and maybe become apathetic, his love for us and his work in us, it never changes. Remember what Paul said to the Corinthians in chapter 1 verse 8 "Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ through times of uncertainty and obscurity. Times whenever you feel like just giving up and throwing in the towel. Times whenever you feel like the walls are closing in around us, remember God, our father, he wraps his loving arms around us and he says, "I will see you through." You see, God will continue to work in each of our lives. Some doors he will open and others he will close. God will rule and he will overrule. He will lead and he will guide and direct until our completion in the day of Jesus Christ. That's not the day of our death. But that's the day whenever we stand before God, not only with a perfected soul, but with a resurrected body. That's the foundation of this Philippian church. That's the thankfulness that is found in the heart of the people in this Philippian church. That's the confidence that is placed in God who built this Philippian church.

 

But notice fourthly, there's a connection within this joyful fellowship. The apostle Paul, I'm sure we can all agree, was a very intelligent man. He was a man with great knowledge. Whenever you read his letters, you can see that how he can just deal with extremely difficult situations. He just seems to be able to take problems and with wisdom just tear them apart. But although Paul was a man with great intelligence, better still, Paul was a man with a tremendous heart. He had a heart and a and a deep affection that connected him for Christ's mission. You see, a head full of information this morning will profit you very little if it is without heart. Paul writes here in verse number 7 “even as it is meet for me to think this of you all because I have you (where?) in my heart.” Isn't that a wonderful place to carry your Christian friends? Not just in your phone contacts but carrying them in your heart? Paul was saying here to these believers, "My heart aches for you. My heart yearns for you." He had a deep burden and a deep affection that really connected him for gospel fellowship and for Christ's mission. Paul's imprisonment would have been a source of great shame at this time in the ancient world. Nevertheless, Paul would have been encouraged. So encouraged knowing that these believers were standing prayerfully and practically right by his side. And you know, Paul never forgot it. Even though Paul was restricted in many ways during this imprisonment, nothing could stop him and nothing would stop him from doing the greatest thing you and I can do for anyone, and that's praying for our brothers and sisters. You see, Paul never looked upon these chains as isolation. He looked upon them as shared mission and they remained united. They remained connected even when circumstances were difficult. Paul knew that whenever he was suffering for doing that which was right, he was participating in God's grace and God's mission, not abandoned by God. That's why he goes on to write in verse 7, "In as much as both in my bonds and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye are all partakers of my grace." These people were connected because the love of God was overflowing in their hearts. Sinclair Ferguson writes “Paul and these Philippian believers shared a common bond and that bond was grace. Jesus Christ had bound them to himself in love. A love so amazing and so divine that the only appropriate response for Paul was to give us all to Jesus Christ.  Having done that, he wanted to love everyone and anyone else who had experienced this same grace and responded in the same way.” Paul wasn't tickling any ears here as he pulls back the curtain of his heart and expresses his affection and his love for these believers. These words were genuine. So much so that he writes in verse 8, “for God is my record. How I greatly long after you all in the bowels or the affections of Jesus Christ.” Paul says, I long for you. He said, I yearn for you. That was sincere. That was a wonderful expression of his affection. But look again at verse 8. This wasn't a love that was shaped by human effort. This was a love that was shaped by the bowels or the affections of Jesus Christ. Paul's love flowed from Christ and it flowed over all the saints, not just personal preference. You see, whenever we depend on ourselves and our emotions and our love fades like it so easily does, that's when conflicts can arise. But whenever we anchor our love in Christ, he will he will sustain unity and keep us connected in the gospel. That's the foundation of this Philippian church. That's the thankfulness that is found in the heart of these people in the Philippian church. That's the confidence. This is the connection.

 

But notice lastly, there's a prayer in this joyful fellowship. Paul writes in verse number 9 ”And this I pray that your love may abound yet more and more.” These Philippian believers had so much love for Paul, but Paul prayed that their love would continue to grow. You see, it doesn't matter this morning how much love you think you have in your heart. There is always room for more. Paul emphasizes the need for a continuous progress in the lives of God's people. He prays for a constant growth and a and a continuous cultivating towards Christlikeness. And only you can answer that this morning. Are you becoming more fruitful? Are you growing in your faith? Is your love growing for one another? Are you praying for your brothers and sisters? Only you can answer that truly this morning. If you planted a little fruit tree in your garden, and after maybe a year it had a few green leaves, you might be pleased. But then after a few years, if its trunk was still thin, if its branches was still short and no fruit in the tree, you wouldn't say, "At least it's alive." You would know that there's something desperately wrong because a healthy tree is supposed to grow. Its roots should deepen, its branches should spread out, and each season it should produce more fruit. And isn't Christian love much like that through prayer, through obedience, and Christ's work in us? Our love should grow deeper and stronger and be more fruitful. Cultivate it towards Christlikeness. We can often hear it being said that ‘love is blind.’ But here Paul didn't pray for a blind and shallow love. No, Paul prayed at the end of verse 9 that this love would abound more and more. What does it say? “In knowledge and all judgment.” Paul prayed for a love that was shaped by God's word and a love that reflected Christ's character. knowing how to show love in specific situations. A love that was rooted in truth and shaped by wisdom. Paul goes on in verse 10 to explain the purpose of this knowledge and discernment. He writes “that you may approve things that are excellent and be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ.” Sincere means unmixed. It denotes transparency of heart. A heart that is pure and unmixed desires. It speaks of our lives inwardly, without offense. It literally means without stumbling. It speaks of what is seen by others outwardly. Therefore, if we have inward purity, it should manifest itself by living blameless outwardly, living pure, moral, and transparent lives free from stumbling, always walking in sincerity and in the light of eternity in view. One commentator points out the word approve here means a method used to test something against a particular standard. And that standard, that goal is Christlikeness. Remember what Paul said to the Corinthians. “Be imitators of me as I am of Christ.” Becoming more like our Saviour as we stand before the mirror of his word. I love how FB Meyer illustrates it. He writes, "Just as the X-ray passes through the limb and shows up the fracture. So the X-ray of God's truth is always searching the heart.” The man who walks in sincerity and love does not mind meeting the searching rays of God's truth which shows that he is no hypocrite. Paul writes in verse 11, "Being filled with the fruit of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ." Paul not only prays that these Philippian believers would stand pure and blameless, but he prays that their lives would be full and overflowing with the fruit of righteousness. Those qualities are found in Galatians 5:es 22 and 23. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control. All of which, as verse 11 says, comes through Jesus Christ. You see, a tree that is alive will bear fruit, but a tree that is filled with fruit that glorifies the gardener's care. The Lord himself said in John 15 verse 5, “whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit.” In John 15 verse 8, Jesus says again, “by this my father is glorified that you bear much fruit.” If you went to a Christian concert, you will always see stage lighting. Those lights are bright. They're powerful and they're essential. But their purpose is not to draw their attention to themselves. Rather, their purpose is to shine towards the performer. To shine and to point others to the one who really matters. In the same way, the life of a Christian is much like that stage lighting. God does the work. He produces the fruit and deserves all of the glory. Our role this morning is to shine bright and to bring glory to the one who is worthy of all praise. That one is found here at the end of verse 11. It says, "Unto the glory and the praise of God." I'm sure many of us know the amazing story of Hugh Latimir and Nicholas Ridley. They were Protestant bishops in the 16th century England who were condemned for their faith during the reign of Queen Mary I. Imprisoned in Oxford, they were sentenced to death by burning at the stake for refusing to renounce their faith. On the day of their execution in 1555, it said as they walked to their destiny together, side by side with a great calmness and a great joy and remarkable courage. Rather than showing fear, they encouraged one another. As the fire was lit, Vladimir famous famously called out to Ridley, urging him to be brave and to trust God, declaring that their death would light a flame in England that would never be put out. Together they faced suffering, they with joy and with a confidence rooted in Jesus Christ, believing that their sacrifice served a greater purpose, they were martyed and became a powerful symbol of steadfast faith, hope, and courage in the face of persecution, inspiring future generations to stand firm in their convictions. Their joyful fellowship showed this world that joy rooted in Jesus Christ can never be chained. Like I said earlier, the first 11 verses of Philippians 1, we see not only what Paul prayed and thank God for, but we see what God desires to cultivate in us, his church today, that each one of us would be confident in God. Knowing that the work he has started in our lives, he promises to complete. that our love would grow more and more for our brothers and sisters, that our joy would be filling our hearts, and that we would be connected for Christ's mission. Growing in grace together, even whenever circumstances are difficult, knowing that our joy rooted in Jesus Christ can never be chained. each day striving towards that goal of Christlikeness and being like that fruit tree and harvest with our branches full and hanging low, fully loaded with good deeds that Christ has worked in us and through us remembering that all that we do is for the praise and for the glory of God and for Jesus' sake.