The title of this message tonight, The King Humbled and Healed. The King Humbled and Healed. There was a man born in Elstow near Bedford in 1628. He was the son of a tinker, a man who was a tinker by trade. But this boy that was born, he rebelled against God. And it was said of him, he had few equals, incursing, swearing, lying, and blaspheming the holy name of God. Such he was. Such a sinner he was. As a teenager, he joined Cromwell's New Model Army, which was in the 1640s during the English Civil War. But this man continued his rebellious ways, even the army. And I say this, and not very lightly, the army today is a dream compared to Cromwell's army, if you read about it. But even the army couldn't stop this man in his wild career. In fact, he was so vile and so bad that even the other people in the army couldn't believe it. His life was saved on one particular occasion at the siege of Leicester, one of the great battles in the Civil War, because he was due to be the person watching the sentinel. But he was taken away and another fellow soldier put in his place. And that fellow soldier was hit by a musket ball and killed. This man's life was spared. God was going to use him. Discharged from the army after three years, that's all he lasted, he married a God-fearing woman in 1648 and she brought two books to the marriage, The Plain Man's Pathway to Heaven and The Practice of Piety. It was these two books that convicted this man of his sins and made attempts to reform his life as in an outward show. It wasn't within his heart, it was actually trying to be a better person. But he realized that he was lost and without Christ. And when he come into contact with a group of women who, in his own words, joyous conversation about the new birth and Christ deeply impressed him. In 1651, the woman introduced this man to their pastor in Bedford, John Gifford. And this man was instrumental in leading the man to Christ that we're speaking of. This man that I speak of was saved in 1651 And he later went on to write the book, A Pilgrim's Progress. It is, of course, John Bunyan spending almost 10 to 15 years in prison for the Lord. And when he was in prison, he wrote A Pilgrim's Progress and many other books. Yet he was a great sinner from his youth. And John Owen said this about him. This is how much God used him. Because going from that man who had no equal in swearing and laying and cursing, To being a man who was so well adapted to preaching and how much the spirit of the Lord used, that John Owen, who is known as the prince of theologians, the man who said that his writings, if you can understand them and work them out, you are a profound theologian. John Owen said this of John Bunyan. He would gladly exchange all his learning for Bunyan's power of touching men's hearts. That's a great preacher the Lord made, John Bunyan. And so tonight, as I tell you that story, the testimony of John Bunyan, that's just a short part, there's a book, you can read all about him. I want to study the theme tonight. There is mercy for even the greatest of sinners. There is mercy for even the greatest of sinners. And so the first point tonight I want to look at in this passage here in 2 Chronicles 33 is Manasseh's evil purpose. We've talked about John Bunyan, we saw his testimony, he was an evil man. before he got saved. King Manasseh was worse even than John Bunyan. And Manasseh, like many people today and throughout the history of this world, had a godly father. King Hezekiah was Manasseh's father. Hezekiah was the one who opened the doors of the house of the Lord after his own father, King Ahaz, who was a wicked man, died, and who made a proclamation throughout his kingdom to have the Passover held once again and for everybody to follow the Passover. It must be seen and acknowledged that having a godly father or, indeed, a godly mother will never save a soul. There are many people today who believe it will, but they think by being attached to some holy person, in their eyes, it will save their souls. J.C. Wright, the Bishop of Liverpool, said this, thousands have lived and died in the blind delusion that because they were allied to holy people by ties of blood or church membership, they make themselves hope. to be saved. And you know that is not true. And if you're unsaved in this meeting tonight and you have a godly mother or a godly father, your godly father's faith will not save you. And your godly mother's prayers will not save you. It is the blood of Christ alone who will and what much must save you. But Manasseh was an ungodly wretch. And I stress this on the basis of scripture. All men are ungodly in their sin. Such was I, such was every child of God in this meeting. And if you're a sinner here tonight, such are you. But we can all be used and saved by God. But Manasseh was a king, a king over God's chosen people. A king God had set up to rule the people and lead them in the ways of righteousness. And yet Manasseh sinned grievously against God and led the people away from God rather than to God. I know if God saved Manasseh, God can save anybody. And so in three points, three sub points I want to look at as, just quick sub points I want to look at as sins here, as evil purpose. Firstly, there is this terrible blasphemy. Verse two. But did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord leg on to the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel? It says how Manasseh did leg on to the abominations of the heathen. Not only was this man a sinner and a wicked king with an evil purpose from the start, but he actually sought to be like the heathen, like the ungodly nations that God had cast out before the children of Israel. He went back to the heathen practices and way of living God had outlawed and said was wrong. Is this not a picture of what's happening today? God delivered us in this country from apostasy in the past and from heathen practices in the past, and now so-called Christians are running back into it as headlong as they can. Look at the mainstream churches today. They're running headfast back into Rome as quickly as their legs will carry them. The Reformation, don't tell me about it. That's what they want to say. The martyrs, oh, those men were extremists. Those men were bigots. Though they are so blinded by the truth today, the mainstream Christian, that they think Rome is all great and wonderful. And really, Rome wants to suck everybody into their devilish ways. Rome is the seat of Satan that has seen millions of souls perish, and it will continue to see millions of souls. And yet, apparent Christian ministers and so-called spiritual men long to be united with her. That's like it was in Manasseh's day. They went back to the old rotten ways. Read what it says in verse 3, what Manasseh done. The first part of that verse, we see how he built again the high places. Therefore, he went back to the old ways, as we said, and he actually undid all his father's work in restoring Israel to the Lord. However, he was not content with just going back on what his father has done. He went farther. And you usually find that when a parent or parents are not in the way of the Lord, usually the children go farther and the grandchildren farther and farther. That's usually the way it works. That's the way generation works. But you know it says here, he reared up altars to Balaam and he made groves and worshipped all the hosts of heaven and served them. His terrible blasphemy was great, for he turned the people back to the high places after they were broken down. Then he reared up altars and made groves, and then he worshipped the host of heaven. And then he actually served them. Just like the idolaters today, they served their gods as man served the host of heaven here. Those groves that it talks about are either idols or idols placed in a group or shade of trees, as it were. And here we have basically paganism and humanism all in one. Not to go into a real lot of depth with that, but paganism is an age-old thing. It's a few thousand years old. If you've heard of the Celts, that's paganism. Really, they worshipped trees and rivers and plants and ponds and everything they thought. They thought the spirits dwelled there. They thought the gods dwelled in those places. In fact, to a point, they actually made sacrifices to those things. That's how much they worshipped trees, et cetera. And humanism isn't much better. Humanism is coming back today. And the idea of getting back with nature and getting in touch with nature and worshipping nature. And you maybe hear this phrase used today, mother nature. And Christian, tonight I say this to you, a Christian should never use that term. Mother nature is an ungodly term because it's making out that God's not sovereign. No, God is sovereign over the entire world. But Manasseh really was a paganist, a humanist, if you want to put it in today's terms. Manasseh saw the freedom his father lived in, the peace his father knew with God. And I'm sure Manasseh was there when those Passover's were taking place. And he saw the joy of the Lord in his father's life. But yet in his evil purpose, he turned to idols and living in bondage to them. However, it's blasphemy once further, if you look at verse four and verse five here in 2 Chronicles 33. Also he built altars in the house of the Lord, whereof the Lord had said, in Jerusalem shall my name be forever. Verse six, verse five, sorry. And he built altars for all the hosts of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. He built altars in God's house to his idols. The place where God said his name would be forever. Manasseh, in an act of terrible blasphemy, erected idols there. And he built altars to the host of heaven, that's to the sun and the moon and the stars and the planets, really Saturn and Jupiter, that's really the two they'd be looking at, in the two courts. He built it all over God's house. He wasn't content with one idol. He filled God's house with his idols, his altars, his blasphemy. And yet today, is that not what the world is today? Churches which used to be gospel preaching churches now have idols in them. Crucifixes and robes and lecterns scattering all over the place, kneeling platforms, and it's all idolatry. It's all flesh because it's not from the heart. I must stress there's nothing wrong with robes or lecterns or even kneeling platforms to a degree, but the fact is, The men and even the women who sometimes use it, it's really just legalism today. It's potpourri. It's good works, but it's not from the heart. A man can kneel in prayer before God, but what they're doing is an outward act to show that they're pious and humble, and yet in their heart, they are not saved. That's the truth of the matter. But sinner tonight, like Manasseh, you worship other gods. Maybe it is the gods of this world, money, immorality, drink, cursing, the nightclubs, the evil lifestyle. I don't know what it is. Those are your gods. You've erected altars to them in the house of God. You say, how come? I have built nothing. Ah, but dear friend, in your heart is where God should reign. That's where God should dwell by his spirit and salvation. What is man's chief end? Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. And yet, in your heart, there are idols. If we were to walk, as it were, around your heart, we would see the groves to maybe pop stars and to the booze and to having a good time, to good works, to church membership, many other things, but no throne where the Lord himself can dwell. And such was Manasseh. Blasphemy! He put idols before the true and the living God. But also Manasseh had devilish practices. Look at verse 6. And he caused his children, his own children, to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Haman. Also he observed times and used enchantments and used witchcraft. and dealt with a familiar spirit and with wizards, he wrought much evil in the sight of the Lord to provoke him to anger. He caused his own children to pass through the fire. This was a Canaanite practice of sacrifice and worship to their god, Moloch. And you know Canaan was the promised land. The Lord had cast the Canaanites out. And the children of Israel come in to possess it. But Moloch was their god. And he was really a god with a body like a man, with a head like a bull. He was a great big iron thing. And as it were, it was a rite of passage or dedication, if you want to put it that way, for a child to pass through the fire to Moloch. That's what they did. That was one of their rites of ceremony in their religion. Also, however, child sacrifice was at times involved. And Manasseh caused his own children to be dedicated to a devilish idol. He really gave his children over to Satan, as it were. And children were killed in this place. You see the progression of his evil purpose. First, he was worshiping the host of heaven and rebuilding what his father tore down in the groves and the altars. And he placed idols in the house of his God. And now here he's sacrificing and dedicating his children to the idols of this world and really to the devil himself. It's not cultish practice. Notice next what he does in verse six. He observes the times, horoscopes, and the stars and sought to find the future. And believer, we should never look at horoscopes or be studying the stars or any of those things. We don't believe in jinxes or magic. We believe in the power and the sovereignty of God. We believe God is over all. We don't need to look at those things. But what does the word of God say? Leviticus 20, verse 27. A man also, or a woman, that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death. They shall stone them with stones, their blood shall be upon them. He was involved in practices banned by Scripture, that was commanded against. Yet he went further than that. He used enchantments. He used witchcraft. He dealt with mediums and familiar spirits and with wizards. Not only was he in the midst of these ungodly people, these hellish rituals, but he actually took part. This man, Manasseh, blasphemed the Lord, mocked God and his house, destroyed all the good his father had done, and then he took part in ungodly rituals. You know, believer, there are many men today, and I can name plenty, and I won't. But there are many men. One, for example, is a man called Alan Barclay. Have you ever heard that name? That man claimed that one time he couldn't go down the stairs in the morning. This man claims to be a believer, by the way, and he does apparently preach the gospel. But he claimed he couldn't go down the stairs one morning because there was devils at the bottom of it, and so he couldn't get out of the house. But you know, I don't stand in the place of God, and where that man is with God, between him and his maker, has nothing to do with me. What I say is this to you, believer, just in passing here. It doesn't matter if every devil of hell comes against us. The blood of Christ is still stronger. The blood of Christ is all-powerful. It cannot be overcome. It cannot be failed or robbed of its power for the sinner. It cannot, cannot be. There is no such thing as being able to walk down your stairs because of the devil. That is pagan. We have the spirit of God. One thing before I pass on more here that you should remember, the Lord God of Israel and the Lord Jesus Christ is the God of heaven, the God of the earth, and he's also the Lord of hell as well. Therefore, we have no need to fear. But any man or woman, just to get back to this here, any man or woman who gets involved with so-called magic and enchantments and mediums, and really the Hebrew word here, soothsaying or fortune telling, is in grave, grave trouble. How often do we hear or see people who say, oh, I went to a fortune teller and they told me this or that. A load of rubbish. Oh, but they spoke to my departed loved one. They gave me great comfort, knowing my loved one's okay. No, friend, they took your money, and they played on your grief, because there's no comfort in the work of the devil, and that's what them people, or who them people are speaking to. The comfort in grief, and in anything in life, comes from Christ, and from his precious word. And maybe you're unsaved in this meeting tonight. Maybe you've been to a fortune teller. Maybe you've been to those people. It's time you repented and get to the true God of Scripture, to the Lord Jesus Christ. So we've seen Manasseh's evil purpose, and we've seen his terrible blasphemy in it, and we've seen his devilish practices and his evil purpose, and then lastly, we see his willful blindness. We've seen those two, and now we come to his willful blindness. Notice verse 10. And the Lord spake to Manasseh and to his people, but they would not hearken. They would not hearken. And that word hearken, to explain it, means to listen to, to take heed to, to obey what the Lord was telling them to do. The Lord spake to them through the prophets, yet they would not obey. Can you hear what the prophets were saying? Beware, a wrath is coming. Ah, nonsense. Listen to him. He's a prophet. Ha, I don't believe. He thinks he knows all. Sure, I know better than him. All's grand, all's good. Isn't that what it's like? What possibly could go wrong? We're all enjoying ourselves here. King Manasseh's a great king. All's going well. And sinner, is that you tonight? You say to me, preacher, that book you're preaching is nonsense. And as I said this morning, we're involved in open air work in Mackerfeld. Quite often we're standing in the street, and people roll down the windows and say, get a life! Or, that's nonsense, that's rubbish, why are you preaching lies? But you know, this book is the only true and infallible book this world has ever known. Though I say to you, as Manasseh and the people were told, wrath is coming, repent and be converted or else perish. The old phrase was, turn or burn. And to you tonight, dear unbeliever in this meeting tonight, I say to you, turn or burn. And yet you laugh and you mock and you scorn. And perhaps in that day of Manasseh, there was wizards, wise men say, we know this, we know that, we can do this, we have power. But is that not the same today? Scientists who think they know everything, yet they cannot keep a soul on this earth any one moment longer. They cry out about global warming, and I tell you, believer and sinner alike, the only global warming this world will know is what God allows. This world is careering closer and closer to the great return of the Lord Jesus Christ. We don't know when it will be. But that's nothing to do with the melting of the polar ice caps. Stop worrying about the polar bears in Antarctica, as it were, and start worrying about your soul. Notice verse 9, and I think this is a most solemn verse. So Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Israel to air. Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Israel to air. Think of that land as Manasseh took charge. Hezekiah, the godly king, had just died. He had led the country back to the Lord, as it were. And so the country at that time would have been conservative, God-fearing, and living in his will to most of the degree. There would have been a part of the population, I'm sure. It doesn't say it in Scripture. This is just my thoughts. But I was thinking, surely in Scripture there, or surely at that time, there would have been some thinking, I want to go back to the idols of King Ahaz. I'm sure there was. There was a minority. But they were being kept down because Hezekiah made the people follow the Lord. However, when Manasseh started his reign, and his evil purpose was displayed, I'm sure there were many in uproar. I'm sure there were many thinking, I want to stay with the Lord, and this evil king's here, and I'm afraid of this. I want new Lord. I'm sure there were many people like that. Isn't it like our land 100 years ago was conservative for the most? Yes, the sins of today were there, but they were frowned on, criminalized, and kept down. And those who practiced them were kept down as well. But slowly and surely, or even quickly, this nation has moved away from God. And Manasseh as well, slowly moved, even quickly moved, a godly nation into a heathen nation. And look what it says in verse 9. And it says, and to do worse than the heathens. worse than the heathen. He took them that far, they were actually worse than the heathens around them. He knew the right way, but by woeful blindness he led the people into sin and depravity. He wasn't content leading himself, he led the people as well. He could not say to God, I did not know, for he knew, and he was spoken to, as we see in verse 10, but neither he nor the people would listen. And as such, it says in verse 11 there, it says about how, or verse nine, sorry, how they were worse than the heathen. That's what happened in our land today. You think of it today, the perverse and the devil worshippers and all have got their way and all this the way it is. That's the way it is in our land, just like this today. But you know Manasseh, as they say, he led the people by willful blindness. He provoked the God of Israel to anger. His evil wish was to live, or to live as he wanted, and he did that. But verse six says, At the very end of it, he wrought much evil on the side of the Lord to provoke him to anger. Sinner tonight, is this a picture of you? I fear God, it's not. I pray it's not. You say, I don't sin like Manasseh. Ah, but you might not do his sins, but you're a sinner nonetheless. And if you leave this building tonight unsaved, you neglect his son, and you reject his blood, and you're provoking the God of Israel to anger. And to your unbeliever tonight is a serious, solemn thing when your soul is disgust, and you would be wise to take heed and hearken and listen to what the Lord has to say. Then secondly, Manasseh's earnest penitence. Manasseh would not hearken and listen to the Lord. Therefore the Lord brought judgment. Verse 11, the king of Assyria came in. Manasseh was taken amongst the thorns by the king of Assyria, who bound him with feathers and took him to Babylon. The ungodly wretch who had provoked the Lord was in bondage now. Notice he didn't find out this was coming from his wizards or from his enchantments, from these soothsayers that he was going to that couldn't help him. Rather, they came upon him in the thorns and bound him and took him to Babylon. And sinner, tonight I say this lovingly and kindly, but solemnly as I say this with you. This is a picture of you. If you do not repent and ask Christ into your heart, what will it mean for you? You will be like those in the thorns, caught up in the wrath of God. You see, I'm not amongst the swords. But friend, your sins are thorns. Think of it. Your sins feel good to you for a little while, but once you get them, then there's pain, and then there's misery, and there's torment. They're like those green trees with sweet fruit, but once you grasp them, you feel the thorns, and as you walk into a bush, you take the fruit of your hand, get spiked. Isn't that the way? And as you turn everywhere, there's thorns all around you. That's what your sin is like. And everywhere you go, you turn right, you turn left, forward, back, you're spiked by the thorns of your sins. You're trapped in the thorns. The booze takes all from you, but you can't leave it behind. The sinful thoughts or practices you cannot let go, though they've destroyed you. And as you are there, the king of Assyria, the enemy of Israel comes in and binds you and carries you to Babylon. Death comes and judgment comes and binds you and carries you to the eternal Babylon, to the lost sinner's hell, and there you remain forever. in that place where there is weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. And dear unsafe friend, tonight, I don't glory in saying that, far from it. But I must tell you the truth. Lest you leave this meeting believing all is well with your soul, and when you go out into God's eternity, it's not. And then you stand before God, and we all stand before God at the end, and you say to me, preacher, I listened to you on the 10th of October, 2021, and you never told me I needed Christ. So I tell you, sinner, you need Jesus tonight. Ezekiel says, the soul that sinneth, it shall die. And then after death, the judgment, Paul says, woe is on to me if I preach not the gospel, I must preach it to you tonight. And sinner in the thorns, I plead with you in the name of Christ to turn and be saved. But notice verse 12 and 13. what Manasseh's repentance or Manasseh's penitence, what it says here. And when he was in affliction, he besought the Lord, his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. Now notice here when Manasseh was in affliction, blind, he besought the Lord, his God. He didn't beseech all those idols, he besought God, sinner. That's what he did, believer, that's what he done. And you know he prayed to him. He was in a foreign land. He was nothing but a prisoner. This proud king ended up being a prisoner in another land. And maybe tonight I say to you, unbeliever, maybe that's like you tonight. Maybe there's a war going on within your heart tonight. Maybe you know you need Jesus Christ. You know you need his blood, but you're afraid to give up your sin. You're afraid to leave your sinful life. And maybe there's something you're worrying about, that darling sin. Maybe your friends will laugh at you. You're worried that you're gonna lose your friends. A sinner, it's better they go to heaven alone than they go to hell with a crowd. And you know tonight, you go out this meeting tonight and you're under conviction, you might not get another Sunday night of conviction, you might not make it home, or perhaps the Lord will stop speaking to you and leave you in your sin. What does Genesis say? My spirit shall not always strive with man. Maybe in your soul there is that battle. And God quite often brings afflictions to put men to their knees. And you say that seems unfair. And the old proud heart comes up in man, and they shake their fist at God. My friend, I say it isn't mercy. God brings that affliction that you might let go of your sin and your own works and everything else. God oftentimes strips the sinner of everything that he has so that he rests wholly on Christ. Because you know, every believer in Christ, every Christian, is a spiritual millionaire. And Manasseh was such a one. The affliction came, and he besought the Lord. What will God bring to your path? Will there even be one? Perhaps, as I said, the Lord will leave you in your sin. But you know it says there, had humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. And that word greatly, it means in abundance and with force. Manasseh humbled himself with force before God. You can just imagine him on his knees crying out, Lord, help me. I need your help, Lord. I've sinned against you. I've mocked your name. I've put idols in your house. Restore me, and I will turn from what I've done. You know, friend, you know what that is? That's repentance. That's earnest repentance before God. He saw his great sin, he saw his great folly, and he repented of it. What about you tonight? Is there any repentance with you? Ah, but I am not as he is. You're still a sinner. You still need to be saved. That's why Christ died. Christ died for the ungodly, according to the scriptures. Then lastly, and quickly, Manasseh's earnest prayer. Verse 13. Notice the words, and prayed. Pray to the true God. As we've seen there in verse 12, that's the penitence. And now here we have faith. They're the two twins of saving faith, repentance and faith. Them two go together. Without them you cannot be saved. He humbled himself and he prayed to God for mercy and for forgiveness of sins. And that word entreated there, it says there in verse number 13, and he, God, was entreated of him. That word is a Hebrew word, as we know. The Old Testament is written in Hebrew. And it means either making prayer, or really it means burning incense in prayer. And Psalm 142, our prayers are called incense before God. But it really means to be heard in prayer. It can either mean to pray or to be heard in prayer. That's really the sense of the word. And here it means being heard in prayer. And so you can read it this way, and prayed unto him. Manasseh prayed unto God, and God heard Manasseh. That's really what it's saying. God heard his prayer. God listened to this poor, lost sinner's prayer. Why? Because Manasseh meant what he said. He didn't take a decision card and write his signature on it. And just to say I'm not against decision cards, I don't mean that. And there's plenty of godly people who have been saved and put their name on a decision card, and that's a thing to remember to date. What I'm saying is this. Many a person has put their name on a decision card, and it's been a false profession. And they've walked away thinking they were all right, and there's been no fruit in their life. When Nasa didn't say, oh Lord, change me and I'll be all right, just get me back to where I was. It wasn't a false profession. It was real. Lord, forgive me. I'm a sinner. I'm in chains, Lord. I'm trapped in Babylon. Lord, rescue me. God heard his prayer. You see, unsaved person tonight, you have to mean it. Many souls have prayed a prayer and said the sinner's prayer, but there was no conviction, no fear of wrath, no acknowledgement of sin, and throwing yourself in the mercy of God and Christ. And if that's not there, there's empty words. It must be from the heart. Manassas was. It was earnest. And then look, verse number 13, and heard his supplication. It is the same as I said. Supplication really is earnest pleading and seeking. Supplication is what Manasseh made. He earnestly sought the Lord, and the Lord heard, and noticed, brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. And that's the sinner restored in Christ to what Adam lost. That's the picture there. We mentioned that this morning, how when Adam was in the garden, and the flaming sword blocked the way once Adam sinned, he could no longer get back into Eden. Adam was perfect and holy, made in the image of God. He sinned, he demurred the image of God and Adam was a sinner and Adam would die. But whenever we could see it, we're restored to the image of God in Christ. were brought back to where Adam was, and higher still, higher still because we are with the Son of God, we are engrafted into his body. Christ restores what he took not away, he restores to Adam's posterity what Adam could not give us. And then it says, then Manasseh knew that the Lord, he was God. He knew that God had saved him. And sinner, as I close tonight, dear person who's not right with Christ, The Lord can bring you again to the spiritual Eden. He can restore you to where you would have been had Adam not fell, and if you weren't a sinner. He can restore you there and take you higher. And when you leave this scene of time, you will be in heaven with him and not lost in a lost sinner's hell. And you say to me tonight, why does a sinner be lost? Because they sin against God, they've broken his law, and God is just, and God is holy, and God must punish the sinner. God either punishes my sins in me, or in my Savior. And he has punished them in my Savior. And that's what God says, God must punish sin, and he will. How can you be saved tonight? As I close, simply. Jesus Christ, the son of the living God, John the Baptist in John 3 cried out, behold the lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. And I cry the same thing. Behold the lamb of God. Christ came into this world. He lived a perfect life we could never live. The life of sin that we live is not good enough, we're rotten. Christ lived the perfect life, fulfilled the law of God, and then he went to the cross and he shed his blood at the cross, and with that blood he cleanses our sin. And so the perfect life of Christ, plus the blood of Christ, makes the atonement. And so, and then he rose again the third day, triumphant from the grave, and all that trust in him will never be lost. And so, to be saved, when you trust in Christ, you will. Have his righteousness on. You'll have your sins washed in his blood, and his righteousness on. And when you stand before God, God will look on you, and he will see the image of Christ in you. And sinner, you ask me this as I finish tonight. How can I ask Christ into my heart? The old Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas, what must I do to be saved? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. Turn from your sin, and turn to Christ, and ask him into your heart. And he will, tonight, and save you for all of God's. Great.