The thing with Colossians, I suppose, again, could really be, part of it, apart from the preeminence of Christ, could really be saying to us, what is a Christian? What truly or who truly is a Christian? Is it somebody that's just decided to live their life in a slightly different way? Just decided in some way to follow a certain set of principles in their lives? Because if that is the case, then the Colossians actually wondered whether that was what being a Christian meant. It's not surprising that Paul felt there was a danger that they might go off and start following other teachings, other ways of earning their salvation. But the whole point of this letter, we've just read chapter 1, and Paul goes into considerable detail through the aid of the Holy Spirit of what a tremendous work Christ has done. Did Christ really need to do all that? if it was just a matter of deciding to live by a different set of principles. No. Paul tells us, as we've been reminded recently, this is really part three of one bible study, that we are new creatures. We are a new creation. And we find that in what we've been reading in Colossians. He says you are a new creature. You are a new creation. There is no satisfactory illustration to give us that. Think of a butterfly. Think of a butterfly. Starts life as some insignificant caterpillar crawling over a cabbage, eating away at the leaves, finding the gardener's most upset with the damage he's doing, and then becomes a chrysalis, and then, unless we knew what had happened, we wouldn't believe So that beautiful white cabbage butterfly that's now soaring in the lovely sunlit sky on a lovely scented afternoon in summer is in fact once that caterpillar that couldn't get within 6 inches of the muddy earth and spent most of its time in the shadow and dark of the leaves under a cabbage. We'd say, isn't it strange if we saw one of those butterflies deciding that's where it was going to spend the rest of its life, stuck under a cabbage with the dots. But no, the butterfly now is a new creature. It's environment's changed. It's a new person. It's not a caterpillar that's decided to actually live life by a new set of principles. Or you get a picture of a potter. He's making a pot out of clay. And he makes something that's lovely. A new creation. Now what's he going to do with that? Well it's going to be used for something. It's been made for a purpose. And Pope Paul is saying you are new creatures, you are a new creation. And he develops this very much at the beginning of chapter 3 by actually stressing this fact here quite clearly, saying that you are risen with Christ. We know in Genesis we are told that we died. The day that you eat of that tree you will die. Morally dead, spiritually dead. You and I, strangely to say, were born dead. We were born spiritually dead. But if we're Christians it's because we've been raised with Christ. We're risen with Christ. This is dramatic. It is not just deciding, Colossians, to live your life by this different set of principles. You were risen. Did you do it yourself? No, this is the work of God. The whole of your salvation, the whole of being a Christian is to do with a new life, a new creature, a new creation. We just looked at comparing what that is with what we know of the final resurrection as it were. There's a new life after death, there's going to be a new nature, there's going to be new knowledge, new awareness, new relationships, new power, new responsibilities. That's all involved with being a Christian. We are risen with Christ. We saw that in fact Paul uses the symbolism of baptism to show us this. He says, you were dead but now alive. Remember we said it's a change of state. You were dead, now alive. It's also a change of walk of behaviour. You once walked according to the lust of the flesh, you are now going to walk in the spirit. But there's a problem. There's a problem. Not really a problem, but we perceive it as a problem. The problem is this. Our sin has been dealt with, but in effect our sinfulness hasn't. The psalmist says we were shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. And although you're a new creature, you're a new creature spiritually, yet you are still in this body, and this body is still shaping this sin. And the letters of the Colossians might well be addressing this issue to young Christians, how they should deal with this challenge of being a new creature. You see, Christian life, as I reminded on Sunday, started with repentance. And I happened to glance through a book on Sunday, a little booklet, called the moral basis of faith. In other words, it's quite a good title for the Little Book, because it's saying our conversion, our new life, started with repentance. It started with an awareness of sin. It became a moral awareness. We repented of sin. We saw sin for all its ugliness. We saw it's terrible nature. We saw that we were sinners. We saw that sin actually has been separating us from God. We saw very often that sin separates us from one another. I only need to look out in the playground to see this. Children today on my patch don't know how to play together. And adults don't know how to get on together. Families don't get on together. Sin separates not just from God but from one another. Sin enslaves. Jesus said if you sin you are the slaves of sin. Sin has wages. The wages of sin is death. Jesus says, you will die in your sin. What an awful thing to die in your sin. You say, well what's so awful about that? I'll tell you what's awful. All the time you're alive, the gospel is still there. You may be a sinner, but if you live through God's grace to tomorrow, the gospel is still proclaiming, come unto me and be saved. But what happens when you die? When you die, there is nothing that can deal with your sin for the rest of eternity. Nothing. If you have X amount of sin when you die, you will spend eternity with X amount of sin. Why is there everlasting punishment? Because you will be a sinner everlastingly. God has given you all your life to repent. If you die in your sin, as Jesus said, it's such a terrible thing to die in your sin, because that's the end! You go into eternity with your sin. What will you do? Will you get the priest to light some candles for you? Will you get somebody to pay some money to the church for you? Do you honestly think that God will take any notice of that when you've refused the blood of Jesus Christ? That's the terrible nature of sin and when we're converted we realise just how terrible sin is. And we repent of it and say, oh my sin! Often broken in tears over it. And really, that's the start of a life of repentance. A life of daily recognising that we're sinners. Any Christian will tell you, we all know, that so often in the evenings as we come to prayer, sin is there. We have consciously sinned that day. We need to repent of it and be cleansed again from that daily cleansing. It's a constant battle, a constant warfare. For God will give us grace. And the whole purpose of us not going straight to glory when we are saved is that we may be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. So, that's why these false teachers are likely to come along and say, you are Christians, but how are you going to live this life now? You know God saved you, you're a Christian, but how are you actually going to deal with sin now? Try all these things. These things will help you. The Paulists say to them, if you were saved through the blood of Jesus, then just trust Jesus for the rest of your life. If he was able to save you, if through his power you've been cleansed and forgiven, he's the one to work with, he's the one to love, he's the one to see you through to your final salvation when you go to glory. Don't go to any other course if you won't save by works. What makes you think that works are going to be of any help to you in living your Christian life? We saw there were three issues in this chapter. Paul looks at the lusts of the flesh. These were the way we walked when we were sinners, before we knew Christ, and these are still there so often. We saw it wasn't just to do with sex, it's to do with anything that actually has an overpowering demand on us. As I said, it can be even just a hobby. You get a hobby magazine and you look into it and overnight you want that next thing, you want that next thing, you must go and buy that next fishing reel or something. And it sort of just consumes you. You see that's part of our nature. We're never satisfied. But as Christians we shouldn't be walking by the lusts of the flesh. Paul says do not walk by the lusts of the flesh. Walk by the Spirit. This chapter, chapter 3, very much is about a love for Christ. The positive side You once walked in the lusts of the flesh, now walk with love for Christ and he says in chapter 3 verse 1, if you then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above. Why set your heart on the things of the mud and the things of the dirt and the things of the cabbage as it were? Set your heart on things above where your new life is. Another life like Christ's and he goes on to say later in the chapter, I can't find the verse now, about being like in the image of Christ. This is our whole purpose, that we might be in the image of Christ. So we look last time very much, and it's the negative side of things, at those things that very much were part of our life, and the things that we've got to kill of, fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil, concupiscence, covetousness, idolatry. We saw the most key issue there. The worst sin there is that covetousness, because that's the root of all else here. I'm going to come on this evening very much to the love of Christ, because Paul says, seek those things above where Christ is. You see, how are we to live as new creatures? We're new creatures, we're a new creation, we're risen with Christ. How are we going to face this problem? How are we going to deal with that sin that so easily besets us? We won't want it. This is the mark of being a Christian. Before you're a Christian you sin and you enjoy sin for a season. When you're a Christian you will sin, but it will grieve you. There's a battle When you have sins, you may not grieve immediately, but God will ensure that you're brought face to face with your sin and you will grieve over it like David did. So this is the point. But how do you deal with it? How do you actually ensure that sin is dealt with? How do you ensure that you're able to deal with these sins and become a victor, become a conqueror? And Paul says, be positive. Don't sit there saying, I mustn't do this, and I mustn't do that, and I mustn't, I mustn't, Set your affection on things above. It's positive. Where Christ is, where Christ is. Because this is the key. Not setting our heart on things above in an arbitrary sort of way. It's where Christ is. If you're in love with somebody, you want to know about where they are, you want to know them. Set your affection on Christ. And as Christians, This is the most glorious thing. We come to love Christ. We come to know him. And I would have faced it if we went to a seminar over at Romney and something that actually stuck with me, perhaps it didn't appeal to other people so much, but it came as a challenge to me. Having been a Christian, having known Christ, would you carry on being a Christian if somebody said to you, actually there's no heaven, there's no hell? It's not a matter of what you're going to get out of it, but would you carry on loving Christ for who he is? And for what he is. And I'd say, yes, I truly believe I would. I so love him. Yes, if there wasn't a heaven, if there wasn't a hell, I still love him. I still know him on a day-to-day basis. And I wouldn't give that up for anything. So it's that love for Christ can be the real motivation to us living a life that is victorious and that is conformed to the image of Christ. A true Christian may have a battle. that they will always grieve over sin. We reminded ourselves, didn't we, of the terrible cost to David of his sin. Psalm 51, we're not going to go through it again. But the terrible agony he faced. And for a Christian, we're now brought to see sin on occasion, sin in their lives. David says, my sin is ever before me. My sin is ever before me. He says, I've lost the joy that I once knew. Oh, poor David. But haven't we known that at times? When sin has been brought home to us in a terrible way and we realise how we've bereaved ourselves? Why? Because the psalmist has suffered a personal separation from Christ. So the challenge is actually to live the Christian life and to live it setting our affection on things about The Bible says you are controlled by the lusts of the flesh. Now our first hymn said, may the mind of Christ my Saviour dwell in me from day to day. Christians should be people controlled by their minds, not by their lusts. And minds that are conformed to the image of Christ. Now isn't this a wonderful thing? Isn't it a wonderful thing to actually be controlled by your mind? If it's conformed to the image of Christ and not just by your lusts. Maybe a battle sometimes. If we look at one or two verses about where we are told to do this. Romans. Romans chapter 12 verse 2. Paul says, who will not conform to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your minds that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. This is how we are going to walk a Christian life. This is how at the next church meeting we will make wise decisions. Be not conformed to this world. If we have a church meeting and we're all walking in conformity to the world, how can we make decisions that are based on the mind of Christ? Be not conformed to this world, but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Philippians 4 verse 8 Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians. Ephesians called their saints. Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things. Is that easy? No, it takes some willpower. Take some effort, take some prayer. Romans 7, verse 22, 23. Paul's talking about this warfare. Paul the Apostle, the Apostle Paul, that holy man. Listen to what he says. For I delight in the law of God after the inborn man, but I see another law among members, warring against the law of my mind. See the battle here? the lust of the flesh, the law of my mind, and bring me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord." So there is a battle. That we're not to be controlled by the lust of the flesh, but by a mind that is in tune with God, in tune with Christ. A love for Christ. And Paul says, seek those things above. Set your affection on them. Here is a key to restoring the image of Christ. How positive Paul's being. He's not saying, you've got to give up that, you've got to give up that. He's saying, set your mind on the Kingdom of Christ. Now what does this entail? For a start, why do we have the rules table? Can we forget the cross of Jesus? Yes, we may forget it. But Paul says, so as often as you do this, do this in remembrance of me. We have the rules table, we break the bread, we drink the wine. Why? We might set our affection on things above. Now God in his grace knows what we're like. We're frail creatures. And it's something positive. We have to set our mind on it. Do any of you actually have to set your mind on eating? Do you have to set your mind on actually getting to sleep at night? Do you actually have to set your mind on watching a television programme you want to watch? Do you actually have to set your mind to read a good novel? Do you have to set your mind to listen to a good piece of music? No, you don't. But you have to do this. You have to set your mind on things above. It's something that is not natural to this body. And that's why the Lord says, even as Christians, You've got to meet together regularly round the Lord's table to set your mind on things above, to set your heart on the love of Christ. That's a very good illustration of what we should be doing every day, through God's word and through our prayer time, setting our affections on things above. We might really truly know Him, truly know Him. You see, all God's love will show of his love, doesn't matter what passage you're reading in the Bible. It will show that God is a God of grace and a God of love. You say, well what about judgment? What about the punishments? Oh, but they were in God's grace. Here were people going into idolatry and God was bringing them back. He was chastising them. Can you say that a father that smacks his young child is unloving? Of course you can't. God's love is through all the pages and the more we read of it the more we'll see of the love of God. Set your affection on things above. Set your affection on God's word. Set your affection on the prize, the gift of Christ's love, an inheritance, incorruptible and undefiled we're told. Set your love on the crown that you're going to receive, on the reward that you're going to receive. Set your affection on the goodness of God. You say goodness of God? Yeah, I mean I think that that is a challenge to me. I've said before, I think if it was possible for me to be embarrassed when I stand before Christ, it will be that I ever doubted in circumstances that he'd withdrawn his love. Don't we sometimes feel that we're being treated a bit hard, that perhaps God isn't treating us in love, perhaps God isn't good? The way we talk sometimes we would think it. We've got to believe, and I'm sure we do really believe, in the total and ultimate goodness of God. God is good, and everything he does with his people is because of his goodness and his love. God is good. This was the insult of Adam's sin, wasn't it? Adam was saying, really? As we've been reminded of recent months. Oh yes, I'll take that for what Satan was really saying to Adam and Eve, wasn't he? God's a bit mean, isn't he? God's a bit mean. Why shouldn't you eat of that fruit? God's been very mean. And that's the sort of feeding they must have had. And this is the feeding Christians sometimes have. They mustn't think like that. Think of everything that God has given them. Bountifully. People say, oh if I become a Christian I'll have to give up this and I'll have to give up that. Give up what? All that the world offers. is perversions of what God's given you. What God's given you is the perfect, is the pure, is the lovely. Wonderful, just think of it, go through it. I mean the perfect illustration is the role of sex. The world perverts it, the world spoils it. But how beautiful are we in God's context, how wonderful, how glorious. All these gifts, perfect and good gifts, we can read about these in James. Set your affection on the things above. James chapter 1 verses 13-17, I'll read them to you. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God, for God cannot be tempted of evil, neither tempteth he any man. But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed. Then when lust is conceived it brings forth sin, and when it is finished brings forth death. Do not err my beloved brethren. Every good gift, every perfect gift is from above. What's he saying? Don't be lured into the lie of Satan in the world saying that we've got all the good gifts to give you. Look at this young people says the media, look at what the world can offer you. God is saying, God's word is saying, the good gifts, every perfect gift is from above. cometh down from the Father of Light, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Yes, let us set our hearts on things above, on a goal of love, on a Christ of love. Just before we finish that section, would you turn with me now to Philippians chapter 4? This is God's Word. And very often, particularly, and I can understand it, I can understand it, young people will come to you or come to me and they'll say, but what is wrong with this? What is wrong with it? Now here is a very good verse. This is God's Word. And if we disobey this, we're sinning. Now here is a guide to test everything. Let us read together, may we? Philippians chapter 4 verse 8. Just that one verse. Shall we read together? Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are a good report, if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things. Am I in God? No. What a glorious list. It's a wonderful test for us personally to apply to things in our own lives, about whether they are in fact the things we should be setting our minds on as Christians. That's God's Word. And then we go on to a life like Christ's. We know that Adam was created in the image of God, don't we? He was created in the image of God, but that image was marred, it was spoiled. And we reminded ourselves a couple of times ago that part of that Christian life now is to have that image restored. That's what we know as sanctification, it's a long word. But it's really through God's grace and the work of the Spirit and our efforts restoring that image. And Paul starts really in chapter 3 by saying you're not going to do it just by trying to do this and do that. That's why at the beginning of chapter 3 he starts his chapter on restoring the image of Christ by saying Set your love on Christ. That's the key to it. If you don't love Christ, if you haven't got any love for Christ, don't try doing the rest of the chapter. Get that bit done first. Make sure you're in love with Christ first. Because if you're not in love with Christ, there's no motivation to live in the Christian way. So having done that, Paul goes through, and we can read some forceful words here. Chapter 5, verse 5 now. He says, first of all, multiply therefore your members which are upon the earth, fornication, sexual immorality that is, uncleanness, inordinate affection, now that's another word for lust of the flesh, that lust that goes beyond reason, evil concupiscence, covetousness which is idolatry, forsaying, you've got to cure those off. No, sorry, there's no We'll try and sort of have a go at this. We'll get a psychologist in, we'll get a psychiatrist in, we'll see what we can sort out. Paul says, look, don't mess about with it. Simple answer, kill it off. I remember somebody saying from the pulpit here, was it? You know, people come to them and say, well, how do I give this up? And he said, give it up? Really? It's got to be as simple as that. And people that are giving up smoking, thankfully I haven't had to do it, found in the end that with all the different things on the market that help give up smoking when it comes to it, it's just the issue of giving it up. And for say, mulchify. What does mulchify mean? It means kill up. Kill up. These are weeds. You can probably find this on dandelions. They've got roots that go down deep. But it's all the same that a gardener does with weeds. You've got to kill them off. They've got to be dug up deep. They've got to be, when they start sprouting, delivered immediately. Don't wait for the lust to grow in your mind that the very first No sign of a weed growing. Kill it off if you're a good gardener. I'm sure Mr Hawkins knows more about dealing with weeds than I do. I've never seen a weed in his garden. Mortify, kill off those deeds in your members. Jesus says, doesn't he, if your eye offends you, pluck it out. What did he mean? Did he actually mean if your eye offends you, pluck it out? What does it tell you? Paul Yeats is saying, BE DRASTIC! If you're a young man, or even an older man, and seeing some of the pornographic books on some newsagent shelves is a problem, you go in there and it causes immediately your eye to come... What do you do? You say, I'll never go in that newsagent again. That's drastic action. But that is what Paul's saying here. And that's an obvious one, but I'm sure you can think of all the other ones. Some people, certain things may not be a problem. But if they are, you have to take drastic action. You may be criticised for it. Another Christian might say to you, what on earth are you being so fussy about that for? I can't see what you're making a big issue about it. They may not have a problem with it, you see. It may not cause them to sin. But Jesus was saying, and Paul is saying, be drastic. You have to multiply it. You have to kill it off. If it doesn't cause you a problem, then you won't have to be, but if it is, you kill it on. I mean, some people have problems with their diet, have to be pretty drastic about what they do, where they don't go. People can be very serious about their diet because they're worried about what they look like. Shouldn't we be more concerned about what we look like to God and the image of Christ? We will need to study God's word. How are we going to know what the image of Christ is by reading his word? Because Jesus is speaking to us in here. Jesus is saying through his word. Now he said the Holy Spirit will teach you the things that I will have you to know. And right through scripture the Holy Spirit is speaking to us and teaching us what Jesus would know. How we can become like him. What about our attitude to eating and drinking? The Bible will give us the principles. Our attitude to dress? The Bible will give us the principles. The role of men and women in society and marriage. No, modern society won't give you the guide. The Bible will give you the guide. Either principles or specific teaching. The way we should deal with disagreements. The Bible will give you the guide. The way we should deal with children and punishment. The Bible will give us a guide. Don't listen to the latest psychologists. The principles underlying our enjoyment of the pleasures that God has given us and God has given us richly many things to enjoy. The Bible will give us that guidance. to the high and beautiful place of sexual relationships. God will give us the guidance in his word. To our use of time, to our attitude of gaining promotion in our career. God will give us the guidance in his word. It's all there. The image of Christ. A lifelike Christ. There's no need for a vacuum. And please, hang on. I remember Edgar Wood teaching this, and it's something that's stayed with me ever since. If God is saying no to something, in your life. It may be no to a career, it may be no to promotion, it may be no to a move, it may be no to something that you particularly enjoy. Be assured that because God is good, he has got something far better for you. God is going to be no man's debtor. If God says no to something, it's because he's got something far better for you and far better for me. Get hold of that, that God is a God who is good and kind and loving. Then look at this image that we are to put on. Just quickly we can just read through those words. Put on, verse 12, therefore, holy beloved, bells of mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one another, forgiving one another. If any man have a quarrel against any, even as Christ forgave you, so also do you. and above all things put on charity. Glorious. How can people say this is wrong or they don't want to be like this? How glorious to be like this, to be like Christ. Kindness, humbleness of mind. The welcome to see it as glorious. I nearly lost my job as head because I quoted some of these characteristics. In my interview, I was asked, Mr Orchard, what do you think of the qualities of a good leader? And I said, well, to know where he's going, and to be humble, and to be meek, and to be firm. And I was told afterwards, you shouldn't mention the word meek or humble when you're a leader. He nearly lost the job. But it happened, the head that was interviewing me was a Christian. I didn't know it at the time. But the inspector didn't like the thought of this chap who thought that a character of good leadership was meekness. or humbleness, that I knew as a Christian that good leadership does involve those characteristics, does involve those attributes, because God says so. The image of Christ. I think I'm done singing, I haven't got time to think on those now. Just to finish with, we have to turn to the passage we had on Sunday, just the last couple A Life, Life, Christ. Matthew 7, verse 21 to 23. Not everyone that saith unto me in that last day, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, in thy name cast out devils, in thy name done many wonderful works. We were church members, we were baptised, we were deacons. Then I will profess unto them, I never knew you. Depart from ye that work in iniquity. Therefore whosoever heareth these words of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man. It's important that Christ knows us. It's vitally important that Christ knows us. Just being a church member doesn't automatically mean that Christ knows us. Can I ask you, would he recognise you? Would he recognise me as one of his? By our life? By the fact that we now have got the image of him? By the fact that we've been talking to him regularly every day? By the fact that we've been listening to what he's been saying? You see the key word was there wasn't it? Jesus was likening this person that he didn't know to somebody that hadn't listened to his words. Hadn't listened to what he said. They thought being a Christian was just making a profession of faith and then living their life as they wanted to. Jesus said, I never knew you. Because you hadn't done as I said. You haven't listened to my words. But there are awful things I say, I'm just having to now repeat what he said Sunday really. It's a frightening thing. He says many Many in evangelical churches, many in churches across the land will find that Christ doesn't recognise them because they don't bear his image, they haven't heard his words, they haven't listened to his words. What an awful thought. Does Christ know you? Do you know Christ? I remember a story something like this. It was at the end of the war in Poland. There was a Red Cross camp for orphans. A couple of little children sitting there, well, a young teenage 13 year old and an 8 year old. The 13 year old was cuddling the little one. Dirt was down their faces, their hair was dirty. Torn, borrowed clothes. They looked dejected sitting in the court room. Some of the children looked a lot cleaner and brighter, but these two were huddled in the corner, giving up hope it seemed. Many people wandering around for the camp. some coming in to take children to adopt them or wanting to adopt them. One or two parents that had been separated in law were coming in to see if their children were in this camp. They were travelling from one Red Cross camp to another Red Cross camp, to another Red Cross camp. Long, weary journeys. And into the camp came Mr Sapolsky, shall we say. It had only been about 18 months previously that the Nazis had stormed their house and they'd been separated as a family. He had been taken to a prison camp. He'd been separated from his wife, but his quest now was, at the end of the war, to find his children. He came into the camp, into the place where the orphans were. Children were hanging around. One or two were coming up, and quite deliberately trying to tug his heartstrings by saying, Daddy, Daddy! I'll have you as my daddy. I want you as my daddy. Some of them were offering him what they could offer, tiny little meagre scraps. But his eyes weren't on them. His eyes were only fixed on one thing. He was scanning every face, every eye, every body, every child, wandering up and down with a forlorn look in his eyes, until the moment came when his eyes rested on this bundle of sadness in the corner of the yard. His eyes, like his own, although they were dirty now, They were in a terrible state. He'd recognised them. He knew them. And as they looked up, although he'd now looked haggard from loads of food and prison camp for 18 months, they knew him. How was it they knew each other? They knew each other because they'd lived together for years. They were in the same family. They recognised each other. Now that's a very poor illustration. I know it doesn't bear many semblances. But I couldn't help thinking of that. Will you recognise Christ? I mean this. Will you recognise Christ? Will he be like you expect him to be? We haven't seen him physically, have we? Will he be like you expect him to be when he returns? And will he recognise you as one of his? Will he recognise me as one of his? What if he does? Then he comes again and he says, Paul, I know you. Or sister, I know you. Come to me. I've shared with you when you've spoken with me. I remember the times we've shared fellowship. I've drawn near to you in your bedroom when you've had tears running down your face over a bereavement. I've been with you in your bedroom when you've drawn near to me over this issue or that issue. I know you. I know what you patiently bore. I know the scoffing and sacrifices you made because of the honour of my name. I know the career you had to give up because of the honour of my name. I know the time you spent in that church with nobody really knowing what you did for me. I know. Enter into your reward. Enter into your rest. Our hearts have been challenged this evening. The one who has been speaking as well as us who have been listening. By our lack of love for thee. How attractive we find the things of this world still. because we do not truly love Thee as we ought, because we do not truly comprehend the love that brought Thee down to earth to die on Calvary. Lord, teach us what it meaneth, that cross uplifted high with one the man of sorrows condemned to bleed and die. Lord, break our hearts with love for Thee again this evening and repentance of sin. Lord, if there are those here yet who do not have assurance of faith in Thee, O Lord, be merciful to them. Show them your love for them in all their need. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.