and I have to do this. So thank you for being here tonight and it's really good to see everybody here in church and it was just one of those sort of light bulb moments when putting the Rota together I thought why not have as many of the praise team together as we can to come and lead the service on the last Sunday night. So it's just whoever could be here tonight, and we're just going to sing our praise unto the Lord. And the first one that we're going to sing is a really well-known song. It's, I Stand Amazed in the Presence of Jesus the Nazarene. There's a couple of lines in it which I think are really just fantastic words. And it says, for me, it was in the garden. He prayed, not my will, but thine. He had no tears for his own grief, but he swept drops of blood for mine. That's who our God is. That's who we serve. That's who we love. And he loves us. And one day we will stand amazed in the presence of Jesus. That's something that we can look forward to. So please, just join us and stand as we sing this song. And we're just going to get into our next one and it is just how wonderful and marvelous God's love is for us and our second one we're going to sing is Behold Our God. Thank you. oceans in his hands. Blue as number, every grain of sand. Internations trample by his voice. All creation lies in his hands. All is calm, all is bright, There He overkilled the sinful man. Lord eternal, humble, true. Please be seated. Maybe you're perceiving something of a theme as we've been doing these different songs of worship. Some of you will remember very vividly the coronation of King Charles III with a parade through London and the king in Westminster Abbey and the robes and so on he was wearing. That was but nothing. compared to what we're going to see at the coronation of King Jesus. When every eye shall see him, and every tongue confess that Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father, the splendor of the King, clothed in majesty, let all the earth rejoice. The offering's gonna be received during this song. Please sing well, but you wouldn't do this with the King were here, but remain seated as the offering is received. Amen. Amen. Sing with me, how great is our God. Oh, sing how great, how great is our God. And Father, we are so glad tonight that we can bow before the King, the one who is high above all, the one who sent the Son to be the Savior of the world, the one who is living in our hearts. How we praise you for that wonderful love that you showed to us when the Savior came and was born and then went and died upon a cross. Lord, it's because of gratitude that we bring our offering to you. We ask that you might accept it and multiply it and use it, not just in the work and witness of the church here, but also to the ends of the earth. And thinking of the church overseas and our prayer calendar today, we want to pray for those who are persecuted because they love the Lord Jesus. We pray, Father, that you will strengthen them. We ask, Lord, that you will help them to be such a witness even to their persecutors that they likewise will come and trust in Christ as Lord and Savior. Father, we ask, Lord, that you will help us to be strong in our faith these days and to witness without fear or favor to the one who loved us and who gave himself for us. We bring this our prayer in the Savior's worthy and precious name. Amen. OK, everybody, we're going to sing one more before Darren comes and speak to us this evening. and that's the Ancient of Days and you know at this time of year we're thinking about the year ahead and we might be worried about things that are going to happen but you know we can trust in God because he knows everything and he is the King of Kings that we've been singing about this evening so we're going to stand this evening and sing this before Darren comes. My God is in ancient domain. And above him the peacock is, and on high it is crowned for his glory. Yeah. Okay. Well, it's nice to be with you again this evening, and can I say thank you for having me? Or, sorry, putting up with me? Is that the best way of putting it? And I'm sure you're thinking there's gonna be a Welsh accent this evening. Uh-uh, it's a Belfast accent. I've lived here, I was gonna say, most of my life. Yeah, most of my life, yeah. However, for the last 16 years, we've been in Wales, two years before that in Scotland, and don't forget the year in Leeds, either, so we've been away for quite a while. But things are the same in many respects, because you deal with people. No matter where you go, you deal with people. Whether they are Christian people, or whether they're people who just want to have a go at you, it's fine, it happens. But as we step into the new year, we're gonna think about a few things from the Bible. Let's turn to the Bible together. Romans chapter five, Romans chapter five, and I wanna give you something for Those who do believe in Jesus, and for those who don't believe in Jesus this evening, I wanna see what you're missing out. Romans chapter five, we're gonna read, I think it's the first 15 verses, but we're only gonna look at the first five. Now you gotta be very careful when a preacher says they're only gonna look at five verses. You could be here all night. If they say they're only gonna look at one verse like they did at Christmastime, you gotta think they're gonna be here for an extra long time. So let's read together God's Word, Romans 5 verse 1. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we also have access by faith into this grace. in which we stand and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance, and perseverance character, and character hope. Now, hope does not disappoint. Because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die. Yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if when we were his, we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his son. Much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned. For until the law, sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed where there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of him who is to come. But the free gift is not like the offense, for if by one man's offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift of God by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. Let's pray together. Father, this evening as we Lord, come around your word, we pray for your help. Lord, to understand, Lord, your word, and to see, Lord, for those of us who are born again of the Spirit of God, who are believers in Jesus, how privileged we really are to have this justification by faith in Christ. That truly, Father, that at this moment in time, Lord, you look at us, standing in a righteousness that's not our own, as you look at us in Christ. And Lord, you see us as we are through what He has done on the cross of Calvary. And this evening we come to you and we thank you, and Lord, have us to take it in. Lord, what a privilege it is to be a child of God. Remind us, Lord, of what you've called us to and what we're to be. and how we're to live out this faith before a lost and dying world, that truly we are the children of the King, but not by what we have done. but because of what he has done. Father, we thank you for sending your Son into the world, and we thank you, Father, for your Son dying in our place, reconciling us back to our heavenly Father, that, Lord, we may know you even this evening. Help us, Lord, help us to rejoice even in our tribulations, our troubles, because we know who we are. Our identity is in Christ and in Christ alone. So be with us, and we pray that in Jesus' name, amen. Well, just before the last song, it was said we're looking forward to a brand new year. Many of us will reflect back, oh, what has happened in the last year? It might have been a year of good or woe. I don't know for you, but a whole year has passed by, and maybe you are a little bit more wiser. Or none the wiser, by looking at some of you. Sorry. But you see, when we come to the Bible, and we come to what is truth, we must anchor ourselves in the truth. Because if we anchor ourselves in our feelings, the feelings change. If we anchor ourselves in what we are seeing before us, things change. But if we come and we anchor ourselves in the Scriptures, what we've read this evening, even in those first five verses, we have this assurance and we have this realization what salvation really is. That it's not just about saving you from God's wrath. His righteous anger. but it's actually to make you his child, to have you to have a heavenly father, to know how the love of God has been poured out, that the Spirit of God will remind you, as a child of God, how much you're truly loved. Now, within the next year, I don't know what's going to happen. Maybe there's gonna be wars that rage, economies that falter, families who will struggle, men and women who will go around this world looking for something, something that will satisfy. something to cling on to, and we find in our passage that there is a hope, a hope that we can have, an eternal hope. Like it says in the book of Hebrews, that's an anchor for our soul, that actually we've got this Jesus Christ who doesn't change. He's the same great high priest yesterday, today, and forever. By the way, that's what that verse means. You just don't trot that out, by the way, Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever. Read it in Hebrews. He is the same high priest over the house of God. He is faithful and merciful all the time, that means. It's even greater than what you're saying. That Jesus Christ doesn't change, but he's even greater. He knows exactly how to treat his children. And as we come to think about this tonight, we get to think about how great our salvation truly is. Do you see the first word we've got? If you look at the Bible, it says, therefore. Now what did your school teacher tell you? You've gotta remind people, it's the same old thing, isn't it? And every preacher says it, what is the therefore therefore? And for you, I'm not gonna go back through the first four chapters. I should go back through the first four chapters. In fact, let me give you a quick way of going through the first five chapters. Because Paul is telling us that this is the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. That's what he sets out in verse one. It's gonna be very long if I do verse two. But here he goes, and he tells us exactly, I want you to know about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And I want you to know this about what God is, that God is holy. And he wants, in chapter one he says, that the wrath of God has been revealed. It's been shown to us that God is angry with sinners every day. Do you believe that? He's angry with sinners every day. So when you say that little saying that you shouldn't say, love the sin, no, hate the sin and love the sinner, God is angry with sinners. And there's only one remedy for sin, and that's Jesus Christ. And we gotta remind ourselves of that. That if we're expecting people who are outside of the church to act Christian, you've lost it, you've lost your mind. Because people will swear, they will use Christ's name in the wrong way, they'll get angry with people who are believers, who are trying to be holy. You cannot expect people outside the church to behave like Christians. So if they come in here shouting and screaming, that's what they do out there. Christians don't come in shouting and screaming. We come in saying, this is who Jesus is. Therefore, having been justified by faith, I as a sinner have been declared innocent before Almighty God to be innocent. Imagine that. I'm guilty." The final verdict in the court case that happens at the very end when the judge stands up and gives his verdict, that's where we are. If you're a Christian, the final verdict is this, you are justified by faith in Christ. It is a legal declaration. It has already happened as you put your trust in Jesus. Isn't that amazing? But let me tell you this, it's not cold. You can get up in a courtroom and you can see how cold it is. This is my judgment. That's not how God works. This is God's judgment. If you're in Christ Jesus, you are declared innocent. And yet we gotta see why. For this is personal. Christ died for my sin. He died for your sin, dear child of God. It's costly. You have been bought at a price. Do you realize that? You've been bought at a tremendous price, that the price was that Christ died on that cross. He shed his own blood. His body was broken for you. We do it every time we take communion, that surely we think about this. But think about it today, that you have been justified because of what he has done. The hymn writer put it, because the sinless Savior died, my sinful soul is counted free, for God the just is satisfied to look on Him and pardon me. Now as we began to think about justification by faith, that my salvation comes because I put my trust in Him, in Jesus. Let's see the benefits or the implications of that. Because here's what Paul is doing. He has unfolded the whole time from chapters two and three and four, all about how we're guilty, no matter if we come to church, no matter if we are circumcised, no matter what happens, you are guilty and you need a savior. Then he comes in chapter four and tells us that Abraham had this righteousness that was imputed to him. It was put into his account. And in light of that, in light of what God has done, listen to what it says we have. Firstly, it should come up on the screen for us. Firstly, it says this, that we have peace with God. Look what it says, therefore having been justified by faith, have you put your trust in Jesus Christ? Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. You are at peace with God. Do you believe that, that you're at peace with God? You see, when you weren't a Christian, you were at war with God, and you didn't even know it. There was a war on because you said, no, God, I don't want to listen to you. I don't want to go with you. I don't want to praise you. I don't want to worship you. But when Jesus Christ saved you, you said, I want to worship him. I want to know him. I want to live for him. I want to serve him. I want to give glory to him from my life. Isn't that what you should be as a Christian? This is not half-heartedness, by the way. This isn't just turn up on a Sunday morning or a Sunday evening. This is my life now. I am justified by faith in Christ. My life is his. At one time I was a slave to sin. He who sins is a slave to sin. But whoever the Son sets free, you're free indeed. But this is what Paul says, I was a slave to sin, now I'm a slave to righteousness. My life says I'm at peace with God and I need to live for him and to know what he wants in my life. That truly, that the weapons of war have been set down. Imagine this for a second, that for a soldier on the battlefield, Imagine how a soldier would be in the trenches day after day. He would hear the bullets whiz by. He would see the shells flying across and exploding. And day after day, he is in a war mentality. And then the news comes that the peace agreement has been signed. that the weapons of war are set down, and no longer is he there under the tyranny of war. No longer does he have to stay in the trenches. No longer does he have to have the bullets flying over his head from the enemy. We find that he is free to go home. Peace has come. And for the Christian, no longer Are we those who are at war with God but are at peace? Over these last number of months, we have seen America and we've seen Europe trying to negotiate peace. Do you know God doesn't negotiate? It used to be governments don't negotiate with terrorists. God doesn't negotiate His terms of peace. There's only one terms of peace that God brings. He says that through the blood of Christ Jesus, through the blood of the cross, there comes terms of peace. That is the only way for sinners to be at peace with God. You cannot be at peace with God by walking up the the steps of the Priscilla Gate in Rome. You cannot have terms of peace if you were going on a pilgrimage to the far-flung places of the world. No, the terms of peace is this, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Trust in what He has done. Don't trust in yourself. And you know, in our world this evening, there are people who are searching for peace. I wish there would be peace in Ukraine. I wish there would be peace in Ulster. I wish there would be peace in my family. I wish I would have some peace and quiet. But you know what? The real peace that we truly need is this way, between God and us. And dear Christian, you have come into the faith. You have come and put your trust in this Jesus. And the war's over. And I hope you're not fighting against God. Are you fighting against God this evening? That he wants you to be holy and righteous. He wants your whole life and not just part of it. You see, there's peace with God. We have been justified by faith. We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said, come to me. all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Peace. Peace, blessed peace. I wonder, dear Christian, I wonder, dear Christian, are you restless this evening? Because you've forgotten that your peace comes in Christ and in Christ alone. You're running here and there and everywhere to try and satisfy every tom, instead of saying, I just need to rest sometimes in Christ. That every single day, my assurance rests not in me, but in Jesus, for he is gentle and lowly of heart, and you will find rest for your souls in him. That's the first thing. Now, the second thing we have, that we've been justified by faith, we have peace with God, but secondly, we have access, access by faith into His grace. Now, God's grace is God's undeserved, unmerited, unearned favor, the favor of God. Can you imagine, dear child of God, you're under His favor? God doesn't want to withhold things from you. It says in Ephesians chapter 1 that we have every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places through Christ Jesus. We have everything we ever needed. So why are we so sad? Why are we so restless when we actually have access to God? What does it mean to have access to God? Well, it means we can come into his presence at any time. It means you can pray to God. Imagine the church setting up a prayer meeting so you can go and pray with other Christians. Imagine sitting at home praying for your pastor and praying for the people who are sick or praying for the persecuted church. We have access to God. I don't know whether you know your Bible or not, but when you think about the Old Testament, think about the tabernacle, how it was all shut off the whole way around. It had a curtain the whole way around it, and you'd bring your sacrifice. You'd bring your lamb or your bull, and you'd put your hand on it because you were saying this, that I'm the guilty one, and there's going to be a transferal of guilt onto the animal. And so the animal is sacrificed, and the priest takes it away. to be burned. But you don't get to see all of this. You get to stand at a distance as the priest does his thing, and the priest can't go into the mercy seat right behind the curtain, right into the very presence of where God is, at the Ark of the Covenant. Now think about the temple, for example, that truly if you're a Gentile, there's a court for the Gentiles, and there's a court for the women, and there's a court for the Jews, there's a court for the priests to serve, there's the holy place, and then there's a holy of holies. How close can you get to God? There's barriers everywhere. And yet here we have before us in Romans chapter 5, you have been justified by faith, through whom we have access by faith into His grace. We have access into God's presence. We have access to our heavenly Father. Could you imagine this evening rocking up to Buckingham Palace and saying, excuse me, excuse me, I want to come in here. Let me in. You're never going to get into the king's palace, are you? But imagine someone came from the royal household with a letter for you, and said, this is for you. And it tells you that you've got access. And when you get to the Buckingham Palace, the gates open. And when you get to Buckingham Palace, the king is there saying, this is my throne room. Come in. Stay here. Dwell a while. Come into the very throne room of the king, because you're a child of the king. Do you know you're a child of the King? Do you know you've got access to God's grace by faith? Do you know you can come and talk to Him and know Him because He has dealt with your sin? He has dealt with everything that's against you. All the barriers are taken away that we have access to God. It's an invitation this evening not to scurry away and to think that you can't do anything with God. You can talk with Him and know Him and be close with Him. You can be as close as a forgiven sinner can be to a holy God, a three times holy God. It's not a privilege. You ever think about it? That I, this sinner, can come near to his throne? In fact, go to the book of Hebrews, it tells us that we can come with boldness, not because of who I am, but because of who Jesus is. That I'm allowed to come to God Because no longer am I a child of disobedience. I'm a child of the King. Are you a child of the King? Well, why don't you start praying? I'm not talking about write a list. There's too many lists. I use a list. There's so many names to write down and to pray for. There's so many of you. However, to have this relationship with my Heavenly Father, Do you know that? Do you know the nearness of coming close to God? It's for you. It's for you every day. It's for you every moment of every day. And yet some of us forget that God has blessed us so much. through Christ Jesus, we have been justified by faith. It's not only a legal declaration, it's an invitation. Come near. Come near. Come and see the King. Charles Spurgeon says, we stand in God's grace, not at the door, but in through the door. We're not hoping for God's grace, we already have it. Again, another man called John Stott, he says, our relationship with God is not to be sporadic, I wonder, is your relationship with God a bit sporadic? Sometimes this week and sometimes next week. No, no, no, no, no. No, it's continuous. We stand in His grace. We have acceptance with God. We have access to Him. We have peace with God. Now, there's two more. Will you bear with me? Justification by faith gives us something else. It gives us joy in suffering. Do you know, I've not met any person in all of the world who can say they rejoiced in the hard times, but look what it says in this passage. We've been justified by faith, in verse three it says, and not only that, but we also glory in tribulations. Why? Why do we glory and joy in sufferings? Because we know that our suffering produces perseverance, and perseverance produces character, and character brings us back to the hope of God. And hope never disappoints us. You see, here is the thinking that we need to get to. That God is sovereign. He is the Lord. He is the King of kings, isn't he? He is the one who orders every single day, doesn't he? The good and the bad. And so as we find ourselves in suffering and pressed down by it, we're reminded that actually God wants to develop our perseverance, our character, and our hope. Because let's think about it. There are times in our lives where we have anchored our lives in this world only, haven't we? That we think that this is all we ever gonna have. And actually, this world is a fallen world under a curse. Remember that? That actually there's still gonna be disease and disaster and death. There's still gonna be days of darkness that still come over us. But yet God wants us to see that truly one day, like we were hearing about earlier, that we'll see him in all of his glory. that truly there will be no more tears, there will be no more sadness, there will be no more death, because the King has put an end of all of those things. But now, as we've been justified by faith, we see the end point. And we can say, like Paul, that truly the suffering here on earth is but light affliction. compared to the eternal weight of glory, 2 Corinthians 5. And everything now for you as a Christian is weighed by what's going to happen in heaven. That's how you're to look. So suffering is but for a small moment in time, just a small fraction of what's going to happen for all eternity. And yet, I don't know about you, but when I go through difficult days, and there's been many difficult days, many difficult church members, they're not here so I can talk about them. However, we've worked it out. I love them. And I know they love me. But I know that actually it gives you a backbone. You know the problem with this world today and this generation that we live in? That people try to get the easy way out. Young people, children. I don't like that, so I'll not face it. I keep telling my boy, and he's not here so I can get away with this too, I call him a snowflake. because of the first moment of trouble they run. Instead of doing what this says, you've been justified by faith. I am a believer in Jesus. I am declared innocent by him. Now, if trouble comes, I need to know what's going to happen. I need to persevere. I pray on, in other words. I keep on going with God. I keep on developing a character, and a character brings me to this eternal hope, knowing the very end of everything is going to have me to be with Him for all eternity. Amen. And so because of justification by faith, I have peace, I have access to God, and I can continue through the most difficult times. That's why when you think about people, for example, those Christians in the first century, who were put up like lampposts and set alight, how could they go through that? They were justified by faith. They were looking forward to the end, the eternity that they were promised. It's the only way we can go through. In the most difficult of circumstances, how can we have joy? Do you know why I think about it like this? And I try to go back to Scripture all the time to think about how would I get an illustration that would help us to understand? And I think of Acts chapter 16. Do you remember Paul and Silas? Remember how they were preaching the gospel and then they were arrested? And we find that they were beaten and given, they were hit and put in prison. Remember what they were doing at midnight? You tell me what they were doing at midnight. Yeah, they were praying and singing hymns. Now, at your worst moment in your biggest suffering, have you been praying and singing hymns? How on earth did Paul and Silas, after being beaten within an inch of their life, how on earth were they singing hymns and praying? Because they thought about Christ Jesus and what He's done for them. And do you remember what happened? Boys, do you remember what happened in Acts chapter 6, 16? That actually, in that prison cell, it says, and you can read it for yourself, how the other prisoners were watching on. People were watching and saying, here are these two Christians who were beat up for Jesus. Says, we're giving Him the glory, by the way. For all of this, for all of the suffering, we're giving Him the glory. What happened? It was an earthquake. What happened? The gates opened to the prison, the inner prison. The chains fell off, and the prison guard came in, and he says, well, I better kill myself because The prisoners are out. It's on my head, be it." And Paul and Silas would say, no, don't do yourself no harm. We're all here. And guess what happened? Guess who trusted in Jesus? Because here were these two men who had their eyes fixed on Christ, and they were justified by faith, and they knew they had joy in their sufferings. They looked to God through everything. And the Philippian jailer. put his trust in Jesus. It says those of his household put their trust in Jesus. Ladies and gentlemen, the world doesn't know how to have joy in suffering. They just suffer. But the Christian can go on and on and on because they know of the eternal hope for their soul. One last thing to see. In fact, before we see the last thing, I did write down an individual who I see most weeks. He's an iron man. Any iron men in here? No? What's an iron man? He cycles, and he swims, and he runs. And I says, well, what are you doing swimming? He says, well, because he goes twice my speed, by the way. I says, well, I'm training for the iron man, right? And where's that? In New Zealand. All right, nice for some. Go and live in New Zealand for a while. But this man, he says, I hate swimming. He hates swimming, but yet he's in the pool every other day, trying to exercise his muscles. And he says this, he says, you know, the first time I got into the pool, all my muscles were sore. But yet through each painful lap, there was a building of endurance. Each hill he ran, his body was strengthened. Every mile he went on that bike, he was only going to get to the start line. And then one day he would know that as he went to that race in New Zealand, I'm not jealous, because he can keep his cycling and his running. I like swimming, so it's okay. But there he was and he would get to the end. He would finish 2,300 and whatever else he was. But he got to the end. He finished the race and got the prize. And this is what it is in joy and suffering that we get to the prize. The prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Suffering isn't meaningless. It shapes us to be more and more like Christ. One last thing. Very briefly, but gloriously, because lastly, we get to see that because of justification by faith, there is this assurance of God's love. Look what it says in this last verse. Now, hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who has given to us. The Holy Spirit of God reminds us of how much we're loved. Have you ever been in your house and you've had a leak? I'm not talking about a Welsh leak, come on. But a leak, and you see it, it starts like a drip. And it goes along the weakest point, and it just keeps on dripping. A couple of years ago, we came back to the months, and the leak was at the end of the bed. It wasn't on my side of the bed, it was on Helen's side of the bed, so I was fine. But it was just a drip. But look what it says. Look what it says. That the love of God has been poured out. It's not just a little leak. It's been poured out. It's been poured out on you as the children of God. He loves you. He loves the children of God. Have you ever forgotten that? Have you ever forgotten that of his love? It's not only the love that sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross. It's his love for his children every single day. You fathers know how you love your children. You do. We'll just magnify that by eternity and see how much God loves His children, that truly here it is that the love of God has been poured out upon us, that why we were God's enemies, that Christ died for us. You've got to picture it like this. There's a family, and they go to bed. And it's been dry during the day, but they go to bed, and during the night the heavens open. Just like in Ulster, there have been floods recently. And you can go to bed where it's been dry and then wake up where the floods are everywhere. But you gotta think of this family who went to bed and they closed their doors and in the morning time they waken up and all around their house, because their house is elevated, it's just a flood. Everything's flooded. Everything. And we need to picture what God has done for us like that, that has been poured out and His love and His mercy is everywhere all around us and for us. And the Spirit of God comes and reminds us of that. Your God loves you if you're a believer. If you don't know Jesus, you need to know that Christ came into the world to save sinners. and God will have mercy upon whom he'll have mercy. But for the blood-bought child of God, read what it says, hope does not disappoint us because if we are truly a Christian, we know that God has poured out his love into our hearts. God's spirit witnessing with our spirit that we're the children of God. God reminding us of what Christ did for us. that how can you forget that Christ died for our sins? It's easy, you know. You wonder why we have communion. This do in remembrance of me. Because we forget, we forget how much we've been loved. We forget how costly it was to save you, and to rescue you, and to have you to be a child of God. But now you are a child of God, you've got peace with God. Now you are a child of God, you've got access to pray. Now you are a child of God, you have joy in your suffering, and you're to know how much you've been loved. Ladies and gentlemen, I don't know about you, but the longer I read the book of Romans, And by the way, when I go back to Wales, we're preaching through Romans. I'm just overwhelmed by the love and the mercy and the grace of God. Because once you slow down and read the words carefully, you have been justified by faith. And this is the implications. Isn't it so good to be a child of God? I don't think you believe it. Isn't it so good to be a child of God? Yeah. Well, it's time not just to sit in church and go, let's sing, I stand amused in the presence. Do you know the verse that I love was, he took my sins and my sorrows and he made them his very own. He bore the burden to Calvary and suffered and died alone. He did that for me. For me, this insignificant person in, I was going to say Cumbrian, but we're not in Cumbrian, but in Abbots Cross tonight, He did that for me. Yes, He died for my sins because I'm His child. Love incarnate on the cross. It's not a trickle. It's not a trickle, it's not a drip from the roof. This is poured out love upon the sons of men. No wonder, no wonder when we get to see that in the fullness of time, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who are under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. No wonder. It's wonderful when you start to really get what Christ has truly done for you. This is no shower. This is a flood. A flood of love, and of hope, and of assurance. And by the way, once you get to Romans chapter eight, and it says, if God is for us, who can be against us? And if you get that little verse that we always love, Romans 8, 28, for we know that in all things, God works what? for our good. Do you know what that good is? That's our eternal good. That truly you have been justified, declared innocent, it's a point of time. And it says you've been not only justified, you've been called and you've been set apart which is to have been sanctified and you will be glorified. And this evening, What do you have because you've trusted in Jesus? Can I tell you what I have? Romans 5. Peace with God. His terms. Peace on His terms. I have access to God. I can come to the king. I think we used to say it, didn't we? Come to the king with large petitions we bring. I haven't heard that in a long time. I can rejoice when everything is going wrong. Because I know this is only gonna be for a short time. And I can know as a child of God, I am eternally loved. And let me apply this in two ways. Firstly, are you a Christian? Are you? Have you been declared innocent before Almighty God? Because if you're not innocent, you're guilty. And God's wrath is being revealed and has been revealed from heaven against all ungodliness. And so if you were to stand before him this night, he would tell you, depart from me ye who are accursed. It's very sad, isn't it, that people would be lost and pay for their own sins. And yet, if you're a Christian, if you're a believer, that tonight that Jesus Christ has paid for all of my sins, past, present, and future, I have been declared innocent. Now, dear child of God, that doesn't mean that you abuse God's grace. Our lives are to be set apart as holy. I live for him. He died for me. I live for him. And if you're a child of God, don't forget the peace that he offers. Come unto me, all you who are burdened and heavy laden. I will give you rest. Learn of me, for I'm gentle and lowly. Don't forget that you can come to God at any time and pour out your heart to him for your children, for your nation, for your family, for your neighbors, for everyone, for anyone, for your church. You can talk with him. You can come right into his presence and pour out your heart. Children often do that, don't they? And they come with tears in their face. They just pour out their heart. When was the last time you did that? Just to pour out your heart before God? Lord, I'm broken. I have nothing to offer. But Lord, you can take this broken vessel and you can put treasure in this earthen vessel and it could be used for your good, your glory. Dear child of God, you gotta know that there's joy in suffering. And boy, oh boy, if we didn't know it, God loves you. Dear child of God, God loves you. And he wants you to see that love every time we meet around the word of God and thinking about Jesus. Every time we come to Calvary and think of his death, Every time we wake to think about where we're going to be for all eternity, that because of Jesus, because of his sacrifice, and because of his resurrection, and because of what he has promised, I'm going to be with him, the King. See, ladies and gentlemen, Therefore, having been justified by faith, are you justified? And it's not impersonal. Have you been justified by faith in Jesus Christ? Oh, may the Lord help you. If you're a believer, to recognize all the implications. And if you're not a believer, there are other implications. Why not run to Jesus this night? Why not trust in him with all of your heart? Why not come to him now while it's still day? The Savior is still passing this way. It's still a day of grace. May God help us this evening to know who we are as the children, the very children of God. Let's pray together. Father, we thank you this evening that truly we can rejoice in our Savior. we can rejoice in this eternal hope that is an anchor for our soul. And we pray tonight that truly, Lord, that you would give us eyes to see all the things that the Savior's done for us. That truly, tonight, we can have this eternal hope for our soul. So be with us, Lord, and grant us that we can rest, rest easy, simply because of Christ Jesus, his life, his death, his resurrection, and also that one day as his children will be gathered before his throne, praising the Lamb, singing, worthy, worthy is the Lamb of God. Be with us, in Jesus' name we pray, amen. We are gonna stand together and sing, and we should know this one. In Christ alone my hope is found. He is my light, my strength, my song, this cornerstone, this solid ground. Let's stand together and sing. is. In the ground His holy name Brighter world by darkness slain. Until he returns, until he calls me over here in the park next time. glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they exist and were created. You're worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain and have redeemed us to God by your blood, out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and made us kings and priests to our God, and we shall reign on the earth. Worthy is the lamb that was slain. to receive power and riches and wisdom, strength and honor and glory and blessing. Blessing to the lamb both now and forever. In the name of Jesus, amen.