On behalf of the General Committee of the Trinitarian Bible Society, I extend my warmest greetings to you all, and we are very thankful that you've given us the opportunity to commence this work in the south of Wales. And it is a privilege to be here in Cardiff, the second time to speak in Wales. May the Lord bless you. Indeed, the history of the Welsh Church is a very rich one, It would be a great mercy if the Lord were pleased to revive it, as he did in days gone by. And the only means he will use of reviving, of course, is the Blessed and Holy Spirit using the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. And that is the central message we have for you this afternoon, and it is indeed the central message of every sermon rightly preached. I want to direct your thoughts this afternoon to a few words you will find in the Gospel as recorded by Luke. I'm going to read from chapter 1, the first four verses, then concentrate on one particular sentence. I'll read the first four verses in Luke chapter 1. Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, even as they deliver them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word. It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, and these are the words that are on my spirit, that thou mightest know the certainty of those things wherein thou hast been instructed. certainty of those things wherein thou hast been instructed. The Gospel of Luke along with Matthew and Mark and John are the record that God has given us of the holy ministry of the dear Saviour in his humanity. And they're a precious record as well. And each of the Gospels majors on a different aspect. John for example dwells much on the Godhead and divinity of our Saviour. Luke being the physician, tells us much about the amazing wondrous healing touch of the hand of the Saviour. Not just in the body, but in the soul. How did Luke come by his gospel? Others had, he says, taken it in hand. But I think it was different with Luke. God took him in hand. and gave him through various means that that we have before us in the gospel as recorded by Luke. In other words the hand of the Holy Spirit was upon Luke just as much as it was when Peter speaks of holy men of old when they were moved by the Holy Ghost and no greater privilege could be given to any man than to be moved by the Holy Ghost. We are moved by many other things. Inward corruption, temptation, the world, there are many things to move us. But friends, the most precious thing to deliver us from all those contrary movements, is to have the Holy Ghost moving upon us, moving in us. And thus we have the confidence as we open the Gospel as recorded by Luke. And we know this, it's not just Luke's opinion, but even Luke's memory. It is the Holy Ghost bringing to us, through the pen of Luke, some precious aspects of the ministry of our Lord and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Now of course, the Gospel is a wonderful message. It is the news that God has given, through his dear Son, to sinners. And there are three things that stand out, as we would just come to our subject in a moment, The first thing is those of us who handle the word of God have a most solemn responsibility. You say, why is it a solemn responsibility? We are not to tamper with it. We are not to add to it. We are not to subtract from it. It is God's word. It is not man's word. And that's why your Bible is called the Holy Bible. No other book has a right to bear that name. The Holy Bible, as inspired by the Holy Ghost. If any man shall add to these things, the Word of God says in the very last chapter of the Word of God, God shall add unto the plagues that are written therein. If any man shall take away, then God shall take away his name out of the Book of Life and of the Holy City. What a prohibition God has put upon this. A solemn responsibility to all of us, handle the word of God, whether we are to preach it, read it, distribute it, it should be in a word, in a way that is consistent with the holiness of God. And that is why we are suspicious of the so many translations that have come in recent years, many based on false manuscripts or suspect manuscripts, and they are turning away from this principle that nothing must be added nothing taken from the Word of God. The second thing is that it's a sacred privilege. I don't know if you ever thought about that, the privilege you have this afternoon of holding in your hand the Word of God in a faithful translation in your language. Not everyone on the face of this earth has that privilege. And God having given you and I this privilege, then how we should be very careful that we value it, prize it. There may yet come a day in this land when to the reading of it, even the possession of it, is forbidden. You say surely not. What do you think of the encroaches of Antichrist in our land in recent years? It could happen. It could come to pass. It would be very solemn for you to look back on the misspent hours when you could have been reading God's word and could have been attending to it. It is a sacred privilege to have the Word of God before us as we do. May God help us to use that privilege right while we have it. The third thing is, it is a sure success. God has promised it. His Word will not return to him void. It will accomplish that thing where to he sends it. There's no uncertainty there. Luke is speaking about certainty. We'll come back to that word in a moment. Here is something certain. The one thing that is certain is that the word of God will accomplish all that God is determined to accomplish through it. And it is our privilege in some very small way as ministers of the gospel, some of us, and as the members of the Trinitarian Bible Society to seek to be in God's hand. And we're only in God's hand in this. to spread this seed as was mentioned in prayer. Cast thy bread upon the waters, it shall be found after many days. Well then here we have Paul and Luke speaking about certainty. Now we live in very uncertain days. Perhaps it's a fact of getting older, but you look back to former days more as you get older. And some of the changes some of us have seen over the past say, 50 years, are phenomenal. I'll give you just one example. When I was a lad, brought up in Kent, on the other side of the land, I attended a Baptist chapel, a strict Baptist chapel, where the truth is faithfully preached. When we were walking to the house of God, you'd see no one in their gardens, you'd see no one hanging their washing out, The whole village was quiet. They weren't all worshipping, I grant you that. But there was an acknowledgement given that this was a special day. Now, in Chippenham where I am called to worship and to preach the gospel, to find a car parking space on Sunday morning is almost impossible sometimes. It's not because there are so many worshippers, it's so many who are in the shops and leisure seeking. A change has taken place. And it's a downward change. What has happened? Men have departed from the holy principles of the Word of God. Little by little, Satan is excluding this precious book from our society, out of schools, out of public acknowledgement. And he would, if he had his way, have it out of our homes too. And you see the terrible consequences in society that we have around us. Things have changed. And what will change it back? Well, God has done it in days gone by. In the 18th century, of course, there were terrible revolutions in Europe. Blood was shed in almost every one of the European countries. But this land was saved. What we call a bloody revolution. Instead, God sent men like Whitefield, and others of great ability and great grace. In Wales especially there were godly men and the nation was turned round in many ways. This is what is needed. A reformation through the declaration, the unashamed declaration of the word of God. Not to be ashamed of its contents, of its message, of the God whose word it is and of the authority whether man will hear or whether he will forbear. All of us, whether we believe in God or not, are under the authority of what is contained in this holy book. Well, we have certainty, which I want to speak of this afternoon. Luke says there are some certain things that we might be thankful for. As I pondered this, I thought of Psalm 46. Remember that's the psalm that Martin Luther and Philip Melanchthon used to sing when things were bad. Philip Melanchthon was one who was more depressed than Martin Luther. When he saw Philip Melanchthon down, he would say, come on Philip, let us sing Psalm 46. Psalm 46 begins with commotion, convulsion, earthquakes, volcanoes even, the sea roaring and raging. Then we come to this. There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High. What is that river? God's holy word. It runs undisturbed, unmoved, unchanged, not damned up, it still runs. What a mercy in uncertain times. to have such a certainty. The river that runs to make glad the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High. God's church has that certainty in every day. Adversity, prosperity, joy, sorrow, temptation, darkness, bewilderment, dismay, there is a river. Friend, there may be one here this afternoon You are in despair. Very end of the earth. Go to Psalm 46 and see these blessed words. There is a river. It's still flowing for the needy, for the hungry, the thirsty. Those who feel their sins and long for deliverance. Those who are dismayed about the uncertainty of the day. There is a river. Bless God for it. It is interesting to notice I'm not a Greek scholar, so I'm not going to pretend I am. But apparently the word certainty is used three times in the New Testament. One of the other times is in Acts chapter 5 verse 23. Let me just refer to that for a moment. Where we're given another light on the meaning of the word certainty. Acts 5, 23. We read these words. These were the officers who were supposed to have been looking after Peter in prison. The prison truly found we shut with all safety. And the keeper standing without before the doors, when we had opened, he found no man within. Well, we haven't got time to discourse on Peter's imprisonment and deliverance. Amazing though that was. It's that word, with all safety. They thought it was certain, didn't they? We know we've got it. Now turn it right the other way around dear friends. Forget Peter and his imprisonment for the moment. There's something wonderfully safe in God's hand about the certain things I'm going to speak this afternoon. There's a safety in the certainty of God's word. What do we sometimes say? On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking. sand. Now when Paul was writing to the church at Corinth, he had many things to deal with. They were uncertain times, very uncertain. The church was rocked by division over ministers they liked and some they didn't like, rocked over heresy, rocked over immorality and many other things. And Paul wrote to that church and he planted the cross of Christ within them. One thing he said, while trying to deal with the matter of the speaking of tongues, which had completely got out of hand, that apostolic gift, of course, now we don't believe it is in the church in our day, but leave that to one side. There was total confusion in worship. And Paul said, if the trumpet shall give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself for the battle? Have you been an Israelite? In the days of Moses, in the wilderness, there were trumpets. If they were going to call the nation to worship, a particular sound would be sounded. They knew what they got to do. Or, if there was a danger of war, another sound would be given. Or, if they got to move on, then another sound would be given. On the day of Jubilee, a wonderful trumpet was sounded, which meant freedom for all those who were in bondage. a wonderful sound. But Paul said, if the sound was uncertain, they wouldn't know what to do. Was it the year of Jubilee? Was there war? Was there something else to be done? He said, no, the trumpet must give a certain sound. And it must be both sides of it. He who blows it must know the sound he's blowing. That's a word for those of us who preach the gospel. And those who hear it, must understand the sound, yes, and obey it. They had to obey it. They had to follow what the trumpet was saying. So how important it is that these certainties we may speak of are spoken with an uncertain sound, with a certainty, not an uncertain sound, not a maybe, not a perhaps, but with the authority of God's holy word and of God himself behind it. How our Lord Jesus Christ said, did he not, this is certainty, isn't it? Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall never pass away. And it's very instructive again to notice in our Lord's perfect ministry, when he wanted to emphasize the certainty of something he was saying, and everything he said was certain, there was no idle word from his dear lip. Remember that. How different to you and me. How many idle words we speak, don't we? Careless words during the day. But there were no idle words from his holy lips. But there were some times when he wanted to, and determined to emphasize, then he would say, verily, verily, truly, I think of the dying thief. What a certainty that was to him. Verily I say unto thee today, thou shalt be with me in paradise. There was such a certain sound in that dear man's heart that he died in the faith of it. Was taken straight home to glory. True, late converted. But surely, certainly, what a mercy God deals like that still with sinners. And I thought about this in another context. If you go to the Old Testament and you have the case of Rahab and the two spies. Do you remember that she said she wanted a true token? And they said, yes, you tie in the window this scarlet cord which you are going to let us down by. Now just think of that scarlet cord, it had to be secured very firmly in the window. It had to be strong enough to bear the full weight of those spies that were let down the side of the walls, otherwise they would have plunge their death. Now friend, the word of God is like this, it's so certain. We may, with God's help, hang our whole hope on it. Our whole dependence on me fix. Nor entertain a thought thy worthless schemes with mind to mix but venture to be nought. To hang on Christ is to cleave to him. To cling to his word. To cling to those precious promises he has given. in the Holy Word of God by the application of His Spirit. Friends, are you hanging on the Word of God like those spies were hanging on that scarlet cord? It had to be so certain. If it wasn't certain, they would have plunged to their death. It's a point, isn't it, for you and I to consider. Again, my thoughts wander around a bit, you must forgive that. I thought of our dear Saviour combating the enemy in the wilderness. And how did he combat it? The enemy comes with his temptations, and the Lord Jesus, three times over, uses those words, it is written. He makes no apology for quoting it. He doesn't qualify it. He doesn't add conditions or take anything from it. It is written. Something certain. And the devil, you remember, had no answer for each one, each time the Lord said that. He had no answer. Because the certainty of it has the authority of the Godhead behind it. It is written. What's written in God's Holy Word, the more important. What's written in your heart, child of God, has the authority of God upon it. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Again, something certain. You go to the time our Lord was about to suffer. He gathers his bewildered, perplexed, despairing, uncertain disciples around him. And he says this. In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, where I am, there ye may be also. If it were not so. In other words, he's saying John, Peter, Bartholomew, Nathaniel, it's so certain. If it were not so, I would have told you. There's something so certain here. In my Father's house are many mansions. I'm going to prepare a place for you, and I'll come again and receive you unto myself. Where I am, there ye may be also." Friend, the certainty of our Lord's teaching. If it were not so, with any doubt about it, I wouldn't have told you. But I have told you. Fear not, little flock. It is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. I thought of godly Moses. Mercy Moses did not know what lay before him when he was called to lead the children of Israel. I've been a pastor now for just on 40 years, as long as Moses in the wilderness. And the God has given me in many ways a quiet pastorate. But there have been things that have taken place, had I known I was going to face them. I would have been much more hesitant in taking out that pastor than I was at the beginning. It's a mercy the Lord doesn't tell us what's before us. But he did tell Moses this. Certainly, I will be with thee. He told him that. You don't need to know what's around the next corner Moses. You don't need to know what's over that next hill. The one thing is sure. Certainly, I will be with thee. Did Moses need any more than that? No. Perhaps for his curiosity, he might have wanted to know more, but that wouldn't have been profitable. He was to go a step at a time, a day at a time, leaning on the certainty of the promise that God had given him. Same with Gideon. Surely I'll be with thee. Friends, we need certainty. And so it was in the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 3, What God doth, he doth forever. Nothing can be added to it, and nothing taken from it, that man should fear before him. Now I want, with God's help, very briefly to mention several things that are most certain, whereby we may pick up this holy book before us, and with gracious confidence, as God helps us, without any uncertainty, may God give us such faith. The first thing is, it is inspired. What do I mean by that? I mean that the words you see on the sacred page came originally from God himself. The Holy Ghost, I said at the outset, moved the heart of holy men of old to give us the holy scriptures. They are inspired. No other book is like this. There are good books, and we read good books, And there are good men, and we're thankful for good men. But friends, only one book can be called holy. Inspired. Any page you open up, even those difficult pages, even what may seem to you contradictory pages, it's holy. If all their dark appear, bewail thy want of sight. No imperfection can be there for all God's words. are right, every one of them, from the beginning to the end. The second certain thing, especially has to do with the Trinitarian Bible Society, is that God speaks to us of himself as a trinity of persons, three co-equal, co-eternal persons in one undivided Godhead. This is a mystery, we're not called to explain it, but the Word of God teaches it, And if we deny this, then friends, we're in a morass of uncertainty that could never support our soul in all its need. What do we mean when we say the Trinity? We don't mean there are three gods. We mean there's one God in three persons. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost. There's no doubt many of you have had Jehovah's Witnesses knocking on your doors or standing in the streets trying to Beguile you with their literature. You start talking to them, and you say to them, do you believe that Jesus is the son of God? Oh yes, we believe that. You say, well that sounds good. Now put it another way. Do you believe that Jesus is God the son? Oh no, we don't believe that, they say. But I believe that. He's God the son. Equal, co-equal with his heavenly father. Co-equal with the Holy Spirit, God the Son. And what did our Lord say about that? This is something certain. If you believe not that I am He, you shall die in your sins. Very solemn, but very certain. This glorious doctrine, the Trinity. God the Father sending the dear Son, God the Son willingly coming, verily God, verily man, laying down his lovely life at ransom for many, taking it again as only he could, ascending on high, presenting the merits of his blood and righteousness before the Father, even this very afternoon, for the vilest sinner out of hell who lives to feel his knee. All the wonder of the Trinity. And bless God, dear friend, for the Holy Ghost off as it is to open the blind eyes, unstop the deaf ears, break up the hard heart, give hands of faith and willing feet in his ways. Or without the Holy Ghost, friends, we are dead, dark, distant. You know what John the Baptist said in one of his first sermons? The Pharisees came to him to be baptised and he wouldn't receive them. Their testimony was, with Abraham as our father, we can trace our genealogy back to him, there is our salvation. And what did he say? God is able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham. What did he mean by that? He meant that when God finds a sinner, and he does still find sinners, blessed be his holy name, He finds them dark, dead, cold, indifferent, unfeeling, unyielding, ignorant, just like a stone. But the Holy Ghost takes that stone out of nature's quarry and he makes him a child of God. And the Word of God is the blessed means he uses. That's why we're exhorted to preach the Word. Like Ezekiel, we have to preach to dry bones sometimes. But God has promised. There's something blessedly certain about this. Further, we should not be ashamed to say this, there's a divine certainty about God being the judge of all. You know, we live in a day when it's called human rights, isn't it? And liberty. Usually one man's liberty is another man's bondage, sadly, but that's how the day we're living in. Sad, solemn, awesome day. But friends, very few believe what is the truth. God is the judge of all. And every one of us here, and all in Cardiff, and all in Wales, and on our islands, and throughout the world, are answerable, accountable to this God. You can never escape his jurisdiction. Men are talking about going to Mars, aren't they? Friends, if they ever got there, they'd still be under God's jurisdiction. They wouldn't escape the eye of this all-seeing God. You can never escape it. This is something certain. At home, at school, at work, in the street, on your own, in company, in worship, or elsewhere. The eye of God is upon you. That's something absolutely certain. You can't forget it. At least we do forget it, but we shouldn't. Thou, God, seest me. Nothing more certain than that. He sees us this afternoon. He sees those secret sins. He sees that sin you've covered up thinking no man will ever know of it, but God knows. And the wise man Solomon tells you what to do about it. He that covereth this sin shall not prosper, but he that confesseth and forsaketh them shall find mercy. And if the Holy Ghost has mercy on your soul, dear friend, He'll uncover those very sins to your conscience. sins you long forgot about, but the certainty of God's eye will be the Lord saw it all, knows it all, and are the very sins you must bring to the fountain open for sin and uncleanness. But blessed be God, there's something certain here, isn't there? If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another. Now the light reveals, doesn't it? The light reveals what you and I are. And yes, it reveals a sad, sad morass of sin very often. What does the Word of God then say? And the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin. Blessed certainty there. And the more the light reveals of your sinnership, the more needful is the blood of Christ. And the deeper that light goes down into your corrupt nature, showing what it really is, the more you need the fountain open for sin and uncleanness. That's the gospel. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. The difficulty is, friends, we don't like to call ourselves sinners. But when God calls you one, you'll feel it. And you'll know your need of that precious one who came to save, to the uttermost, all that come unto God by Him. Again, certainty of the finished work of Christ. When our Lord cried, it is finished, hell itself shook at its very foundations. Why did hell shake? Well, for several reasons. One, it knew its own doom was pronounced, because a victory over hell was gained at the cross. It also knew, and Satan knew, that there would be out of his family the children of wrath, we might say. who when they live on earth will be plucked as brands from the burning while they're on the earth and made children of God. He saw his kingdom was going to be overthrown. He saw that his kingdom would be encroached upon by the gospel that was now proclaimed from Calvary. No wonder Satan shook. And he still shakes at the sound of that word, it is finished. But the certainty of it is this. Blessed be God for it. It's brought in a complete righteousness. of full atonement, an open door of mercy, a throne of grace that's never vacant, and the dear Saviour sitting at the right hand of God this afternoon hour. What do we read about it? But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood, that's certain. Wherefore, he's able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him. seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. Such a high priest became who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners. One further thing, sufficient grace is certain. You know, you come into paths, dear friends, where you feel so inadequate. Paul did, with that thought in the flesh. He said, Lord, I can't live with it. I can't go on with it. Something's got to be done with it. And he told the Lord what to do with it. And you've told him as well, haven't you? The Lord did deal with it, but not as Paul thought. My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Something blessedly certain. Whatever load the Lord lays on you, child of God, there's always grace sufficient for it. However sharp the thorn, there's always grace for it. Whoever humiliating the path, there's always grace for it. Whoever hot the fiery triumph, there's always grace for it. Blessedly certain, my grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness." Well, we could go on, dear friend, with many, many more certainties, could we not? But this is what we delight to proclaim before you. the certainty of the things of God. Yes, says Luke, writing to Theophilus, thou mightest know the certainty of those things wherein thou hast been instructed. As we read in 2 Timothy, Paul says to Timothy, continue thou in those things thou hast learned, knowing of whom thou hast learned them. So as we commend this dear auxiliary to the hands of God, we do pray it may be mightily used in spreading forth these certainties in the valleys around here. It may be made a great blessing. I thought of something Martin Luther said. You read Martin Luther's Table Talk. It's a very interesting book to read. There are some very good things in it. I'll just read what he did say. This is one thing. No greater mischief can happen to a Christian people than to have God's Word taken from them or falsified So that they no longer have it pure and clear, God grant that we and our descendants be not witnesses to such a calamity. Well may that be so dear friends. May it be our privilege under the hand of God in some small way to turn the tide. Only God can do it. But he uses weak men often so that the honour and glory belongs to him. Him alone. May God add His blessing. Amen.