From Ballymunny in County Antrim we present Let the Bible Speak. It's good to have you with us today as we spend 15 minutes around the Word of God preaching Christ in all His fullness. Leslie Curran here saying hello and welcome in the Savior's name to our gospel broadcast. I'm glad to welcome you. I'm delighted that you're tuning in and I trust that you'll continue with us for the next 15 minutes as we bring God's Word in message and song. Letting the Bible speak is the Reverend Ivan Foster. He's been preaching for some time now in the Gospel of Mark and today he has another message for us from that same gospel and here he is. Good morning everyone. Here's a melody of resurrection hymns entitled The Glory of the Resurrection. I trust that you enjoy this rousing singing. Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia! A child of God's holy day, Alleluia! Who did once upon a cross the world to live in a long time. We shall never e'er be joyful, Never could some be gay, Though proud or deep I try, Love has all that it can be. He is risen, he is risen, Christ the Lord is risen, Our joy will never fade. Let all be free, let none be driven from the right path. For Christ the Lord is risen, our joy and laughter aware. He is risen! He is risen! We pray them, we pray them, Christ the Lord is risen, O Lord at last! And the Lord is with you today, Alleluia! Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia! Raise your joy and triumph high, Alleluia! Singing and candles we fly, Alleluia! In the name of Gloria sing aloud! Hear the bells ringing, they're singing that we can be born again Hear the bells ringing, they're singing, Christ is risen from the dead. The angel upon the tombstone said, He is risen just as He said. Quickly now, O tell His disciples that Jesus Christ is no longer dead. Alleluia, He lives there, Alleluia, He lives there, Alleluia, Alleluia. With the bells ringing, they're singing that we can be born again. Till the darkening, darkening light is risen from the dead. The angel upon the tombstone where he is hidden just as he stands, raising up all perished disciples that Jesus Christ is no longer there. Alleluia. Let's turn now, please, to Mark chapter 6 and take up again our study in that chapter. We're reading from the verse 16. You will remember how the reports of the Savior's ministry have penetrated the walls of Herod the King's palace, and what he has heard has greatly troubled him. Listen now as we read from verse 16. But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John whom I beheaded, he is risen from the dead. For Herod himself had sent forth and led hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife, where he had married her. For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife. Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him, but she could not. For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man, and unholy, and observed him. And when he heard him, He did many things, and heard him gladly. I want to speak today upon the simple subject of how religious a person may be, and yet miss heaven and go to hell. Herod was a wicked king. He had been rightly rebuked by John for his adultery. It is clear in our reading that the woman whom Herod had married, his sister-in-law Herodias, would have gladly killed John immediately. He rebuked her and shamed her for her wickedness. But she wasn't able to do it. And why was that? Because we read in verse 20, Herod feared John. And in that verse 20, we see just what sort of a view Herod had of John. Let me read that verse again, because it lists number of very commendable features of Herod's view of John. It says Herod feared John knowing that he was a just man and unholy and observed him and when he heard him he did many things and heard him gladly. Now could I just underscore what is here said about Herod because here is a man who was undoubtedly religious and there were aspects of his religious views that we could not fault and yet he was a wicked man and died and went to hell first of all it says Herod feared John that is he reverenced John as a man of God and it's a good thing to reverence God and to reverence God's servant but that in itself is not a mark of a genuine Christian. It says furthermore that he knew John was a just man and a holy. He noting the lifestyle of John and John's lifestyle if you remember was a very simple lifestyle. He was a simple man and he proclaimed God's word fearlessly and Herod didn't say this is a nutcase. This is an absolute fool of a man. He's mad. No, he didn't. But he knew that he was a just and a holy man. To know what the elements of true holiness are, that's a good thing. But knowing such a thing does not make you a Christian. It says that he observed him. That means he had regard for the things that John had to say. To observe rules is to attempt to keep them. And I have no doubt that that Herod made some attempts. Perhaps they were very feeble, but nevertheless he made some attempt to keep what John set down in his messages. But, my dear friend, attempts to keep the law of God will not make us a Christian. If that's all there is to our religion, we will not get to heaven. It is not by the keeping of the law that men are saved. Paul, in his epistle to Titus, makes very clear that we are not saved by our own works. Chapter 3, verse 5, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us. We cannot, by making our own feeble attempts at keeping God's law, justify ourselves in the sight of God. We need the pardon that Christ alone can provide. We need the righteousness which Christ alone wrought out in His holy life. and in his spotless death and glorious resurrection. But here's a man. He observed John the Baptist. It says he heard him gladly, verse 20, and yet that ungodly man perished. Let's not play with religion. Let's not think that an occasional visit to a house of worship, let's not think that a nodding acquaintance with the Word of God, that that's enough to get us to heaven. We have just concluded a period in the life of many in which they have abstained from items of food or pleasure, and somehow or other they think that that will placate God. My dear friend, you can be very religious on occasions. You can hear the best of preachers. You can regard them and reverence them and observe what they say, and yet perish in hell There is a need for us to recognize our utter lost condition, that our only hope is to fling ourselves into the arms of Jesus Christ and not to trust in our own efforts. May God bring before you the picture of Herod today, and may you learn that truth concerning yourself. God bless you. Tune in again to our program. Goodbye. You've been listening to Let the Bible Speak, coming from Ballymoney, County Antrim. We count it a privilege to bring the gospel of Christ to you in all its biblical fullness, and I trust that you've enjoyed today's program. If you've been challenged, encouraged, or helped in any way, we'd like to hear from you. Our mailing address is Let the Bible Speak, Ballymoney, County Antrim, BT 53 6PE. Let the Bible Speak. Ballymunny. County Antrim. BT 53 6PE. Thank you for listening today. We're on the air here on Gospel AM each morning, Monday to Friday at 9.30. So do remember to join us at this time as we Let the Bible Speak.