From Ballymunny in County Antrim, we present Let the Bible Speak. It's good to have you with us today as we spend fifteen minutes around the Word of God, preaching Christ in all His fullness. Leslie Curran here saying hello once again and welcome to the program. I'm delighted that you're tuning in and I trust that you'll stay with us through the next quarter hour and hear God's Word to your heart today. The Reverend Ivan Foster is bringing another message in his series from the Gospel of Mark and we'll have some words in song as well. But before we hear those, let's take a moment or two to just consider words found in Luke's Gospel. The Gospel of Luke, chapter 15, and verse 2. This man receiveth sinners. These words were, in reality, a charge that was brought against the Lord Jesus. But as we consider them carefully, we find that they're really full of consolation to us. Jesus Christ did receive sinners, and he received them as sinners. But the truth is, He receives sinners still, and He receives them despite all their sins. He receives the very worst of sinners, no matter how worthless they are, no matter how they're despised by others, no matter how peculiar or particular their circumstances might be. He receives sinners of every color, of every race, He receives sinners of any age without making any distinction, and every sinner that comes to Jesus Christ is received by Him. He receives them with all their sins, however polluted, however vile, and He receives them without anything to recommend them. He does it most graciously, and what does He receive them for? He receives them to pardon all their sins and to cleanse them from all of their pollution and defilement. He receives them to make them new creatures. He wants to make them that peculiar people, zealous of good works, as the Bible tells us, so that as they live, they will live to glorify Him and do those things that are well-pleasing in His sight. I wonder have you come to Jesus Christ as a sinner to trust in him and believe on him so that you can say I'm saved and saved from all my sins through the precious blood of the Lord Jesus. It's our prayer as you listen to God's Word today that you will be able to testify that you too have been saved and that Christ has received you. Here's the Reverend Ivan Foster. Good morning and welcome again to our Bible study. Now let's have a reading from God's Word. We were particularly studying verse 20 of Mark chapter 6, so we'll take up our reading from the verse 21. And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee, And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod, and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee unto the half of my kingdom. And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, the head of John the Baptist. And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. And the king was exceeding sorry. Yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought. And he went and beheaded him in the prison, and brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel, and the damsel gave it to her mother. And when his disciples heard of it, they came, and took up his corpse, and led it in a tomb. Amen. May God bless this reading from His Word. Now here's some music. It's the Woodville Quintet, and they're singing Amazing Grace. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found. was blind, but now I see. T'was grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears All precious things that raise up here When we've been there ten thousand years Bright shining as the sun We've no less days to sing God's praise Than when we first begun Than when we first begun Now let's turn our attention to those verses that we read together. Now despite the regard that Herod had for John, Herod remained a very evil man, ruled by his lusts and his corruption. The man whom he admired was a man who lived in the wilderness, who feasted upon locusts and wild honey, but Herod, though he admired him, didn't read from such a menu. Rather, he was a man who loved the banquet and the excesses of life that goes with it. Verse 21, When a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee. He celebrates his birthday with a great feast. How often such activities are engaged in, in order to distract the mind from the passage of years and the approach of death. Certainly John's preaching had warned men to flee from wrath to come. You can read that in Matthew chapter 3 in the verse 7. And doubtless Herod would have heard that aspect of John's preaching as well. And the great king would have been told that death was approaching. And because he was an evil wicked man, that death would result in his damnation. So perhaps his feasting was in order to turn away his thoughts from those troubling thoughts brought on by the preaching of John the Baptist. How often men and women try to bury their head in the sand like the proverbial ostrich. They don't want to think of death. They don't want to think of eternity. They don't want to give thought to that which lies ahead of them. So they engage in all sorts of worldly entertainments and activities. Crowd their days and their evenings with festivities in order to blanket out thoughts of God, of judgment, and of eternity. Don't be so foolish, my dear friend, but rather give thought to what the Bible has to say. Sit down and face humbly and squarely and truthfully the call of the Word of God, for except you repent, you shall perish. It is to be observed that festivities are dangerous affairs. How often a mixture of drinking and dancing and ungodly company leads to disaster. It certainly was the case here. The feasting of Herod led on to the death of God's choice servant, John. Each week end in our country records the truth of what it is I'm saying. Violence, stabbings, bloodshed, this is the invariable harvest of such events as men engage in. It certainly was the case in the event recorded here in the passage before us. It started out as an occasion of merrymaking and it ended in murder most foul. See how the king's mind was affected by the activities, by the atmosphere, the heady atmosphere of his party and doubtless by the wine that he was consuming. In the verse 22 the daughter of Herodias, his illicit wife, is dancing. The whole tenor of the account indicates a non-savory affair. And with the inflamed passions of an ungodly man, he makes this extravagant promise to this young lassie. He says in verse 22, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. We have to challenge Herod here. Just what makes him think he can give anyone whatsoever they desire? Pride fills men's minds with an exaggerated view of themselves. Pride, furthermore, binds the king. For in verse 26, when he hears the request of the young lassie, pride says, You can't now back down. And so John the Baptist's fate was sealed. Men and women, how foolish it is to be ruled by the sinful lusts of our evil hearts. May God give us the grace to turn to Christ, recognizing that we are prisoners of our sins, and seek from Him that blessed deliverance, for He has come to seek and to save that which is lost. Christ's salvation is primarily and chiefly a saving us from our sins. He died in order that we might be delivered from the penalty of sin. from the power of sin and eventually from the very presence of sin itself. There is in the Lord Jesus Christ the full answer, the only answer to man's sinful depravity. Come this morning, give thought to the need of your soul. Don't be like Herod, flinging yourself into the world's distractions. flinging yourself into the world's activities in order to drive from your mind thoughts of eternity. I'd rather face up to your need today. May God save you. 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, Ballymoney, 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.