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[0:00] So we're going to go to the James chapter 5 verse 19 talking about the subject of conversion.! It's a wonderful truth that we can know personally and see others know too.

[0:14] And we see that there in James 5 verse 19. James 5 verse 19. It reads, Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth and one convert him, let him know that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death and shall hide a multitude of sins.

[0:39] Conversion. Conversion. Conversion. It's a wonderful truth. That you can know and see others know. It's almost just as good telling others as knowing it yourself I think.

[0:51] Here is the work of conversion. James talks here about conversion and we're going to just unpack this a little. Here is the work of conversion. It's God's great work.

[1:02] It's all about, I'll put to you three things you could break it down kind of conveniently for the traditional three points of the sermon. It's all about sinners, souls and sins.

[1:15] Sinners, souls and sins. It says how a believer can be instrumental, used by God to tell another soul and see them also converted. So what's involved in this important work?

[1:28] As I mentioned we've got a soul winning team, we've got soul winners going out straight after the service. So you can actually put this sermon into practice even if you've got the opportunity to tag along today.

[1:40] But soul winning, winning souls, conversion. Let's look first at sinners. Sinners. Sinners. Sinners. Sinners. The bad news is all have sinned.

[1:51] There's no non-sinners here present. In effect, in your first state. We're all sinners before we're saved.

[2:03] Then we become saints, strictly. But the good news is that about sinners, that sinners can be saved. Amen. Sinners can be saved. Yes. Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.

[2:18] Yeah. Yeah. Specifically for that purpose. And we read in Romans 5 verse 8, but God commendeth his love towards us in that while. While we were yet sinners.

[2:31] Amen. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Wow. Now, and Paul says again, this is a faithful saying, 1 Timothy 1 15.

[2:42] Worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief. Paul didn't try to paint himself in a good picture here.

[2:56] He says, I'm the chief of them. I'm the worst of the worst. And our text tells us of he which converted a sinner from the error of his way.

[3:07] So, the first point, really, it tells of sinners. Sinners converted. Wow. Sinners converted. Soul winning involves converting the sinner from the error of his way.

[3:20] It's saying sinners are going down the wrong road. There's an error of their way. They're choosing error instead of truth. They're taking the wrong path. The good news, like David, tells us back in the Old Testament is how sinners can be converted.

[3:37] Sinners can be converted. In Psalm 51, where his heart is broken up over his sin and he restores that joy of his salvation, he says, I will teach transgressors, sinners, thy ways, and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

[3:54] Now, the greatest thing that you can do as a believer, I put to you, I firmly believe, the greatest thing you can do is to tell another soul. As for sinners to be converted.

[4:05] Wow. That's tremendous. Nothing beats that. Thank God sinners can be converted unto God. David says, sinners shall be converted unto thee. It's God's way.

[4:15] It's God's way. A new way of living. It's the way of truth, of life, of peace. It's a new direction, a new way. A turnaround, a new destination. A new direction.

[4:27] From error to truth. From being lost to being saved. Sinners can be converted. Amen. Do you believe that today? Do you believe God still converts sinners?

[4:39] Yes, he does. Glory to God. Many, sadly, are not converted. A lot of the people that are spoken of here, like the Jews of Acts 28, 27. It reads, for the heart of this people is waxed gross.

[4:54] You know, it's just grown this heaviness here. Their ears are dull of hearing. You know, it's a blockage there. Their eyes have they closed.

[5:06] Lest they should see with their eyes. And hear with their ears. And understand with their heart. And should be converted. And I should heal them. These same words are given first by Isaiah.

[5:21] And then repeated in Matthew. In Mark. By Luke here. In Acts. By John. So all four gospel writers say the same verse.

[5:32] And, of course, here in Acts. At the conversion of Paul. As he recounts it himself. The very miracle of his own conversion.

[5:43] So these words are very often said. Yet many reject this. The gospel. And many reject to be converted. Many still. Around the streets today.

[5:55] As we know. Yesterday with the door knocking. Not interested. It's a common retort, isn't it? Don't want to know. I'm all good.

[6:08] I'm good. They say. No. The Bible says you're not good. Actually. None. No one's good. You're not good. You're not good until you know the one who is good. The only one who's good.

[6:20] Truly good. Who can make us. His own. Yet many reject the message, don't they? Conversion. It means God comes to us. He brings us to truly see. To truly hear.

[6:31] To truly understand with our heart. Peter preaches this. He says repent. Which means literally change your mind. People make it to say something else. But repent means change your mind.

[6:43] It's a mind shift. It's a switching of your mind. It's a turning of your mind. And he says that here in Acts 3 verse 19. Repent ye therefore and be converted. Be converted.

[6:53] That your sins may be blotted out. When the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. So repent. Have that change of mind. Of heart. Believe.

[7:05] Be converted. Be converted. That's also translated be turned. There's a turning happens. There's a repenting. Changing your mind. There's a converting.

[7:15] Which is a turning. A turning around. Such as in 1 Thessalonians 1 verse 9. The word convert. Is also translated turn. As we see 1 Thessalonians 1 verse 9.

[7:27] For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you. How you turned to God from idols. To serve the living and true God. As a change happens.

[7:38] A shift. We turn from idols. To the living and true God. God told Paul. How that he was sending him to the Gentiles. And his mission. His commission.

[7:49] In Acts 26 verse 18. Paul is told by the Lord. That he sent. To open their eyes. To turn them. From the power of Satan. Unto God. That they may receive forgiveness of sins.

[8:02] And inheritance. Among them which are sanctified. Made holy. By faith. That is in me. So conversion. That's the message today. Conversion. It affects a radical change.

[8:16] I know it's been said. We're not just making. Helping people make a decision. Just not making decisions. But making disciples. I want to see people. Not just mouth some words.

[8:28] But to actually see a heart transformation. A conversion. And conversion is a turning. From darkness. Unto light. From the power of Satan. Unto God. The light goes on.

[8:39] The dark goes out. The light goes on. As a radical conversion. And what happens? God gives. If we will receive it. Forgiveness. Forgiveness of sins.

[8:51] Paul himself was radically converted. Here's the. One of the things said. At his conversion. As the Lord called him. Out of darkness. Into life. And as we see.

[9:01] Paul was turned from being a full on. Christian hater. Into a Christian. That was a big turn. Wasn't it? 180. Sadly. I believe. There's many people.

[9:12] Even in churches. Who are not yet. Actually converted. You know. When. We actually. Ask someone. How do you know you're saved? And they say things like. Well.

[9:22] I think I am. I try. I try really. Really. Really. Hard. To be a Christian. Christian. Mm-mm. If you had that. Buzzer noise. Boom.

[9:33] Wrong answer. No. That's not the way. It's not the way. It's not the way. Try as you might. You cannot be a Christian.

[9:43] By trying. It's by trusting. It's trusting. It's receiving. It's a gift. Receive it. With an open hand. An open heart.

[9:53] And conversion happens. When God. Comes in. Sadly. I believe. Many are not. Converted. They even might have jobs. Responsibilities. Positions. Titles.

[10:05] But they are. Unregenerate. What a shame. That would be. To be. Unregenerate. You might be one of the most faithful. Church goers. And still. Be as lost. As the next man.

[10:17] To not be born again. Is to miss heaven. And. For some. They never have been. They're kidding themselves. But. Good news is. They can be. You can be. If you're hearing this.

[10:28] And you're saying. Well I'm a bit like that. I'm not sure that I'm a Christian. I'm not sure that I've ever been born again. Trust him. And bang. That's it. Believe.

[10:39] Receive. His forgiveness. Trust him. For that transformation. We hear the word. We believe. We are converted. And friends.

[10:49] The Bible says. Faith comes by hearing. Hearing by the word of God. The psalmist says. In Psalm 19. In praise of the word of God. The Bible. God's holy scriptures.

[11:01] Says. The law of the Lord is perfect. Converting. The soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure. Making wise the simple. You know. There's a wonderful. Power.

[11:13] Of the word of God. Power of the gospel. Isn't it? Power of God. Unto salvation. To those who would believe. It's converting of the soul. God's word affects a conversion. That's why when we talk to people.

[11:25] We open the scriptures to them. We point out what the Bible says. Not what you think. And really. It's not your opinion. Or their opinion. Anybody's opinion. It's what God says. That's what matters.

[11:36] It's what God's word says. As to how to be saved. And so that's why we go to the word of God. Faith comes as we hear it. How we need to preach the gospel. We'll see more conversions.

[11:47] Such conversions. And actually a conversion is simple. It's so simple even a child can receive it. As we know the scripture. As our Lord says. Become as little children.

[11:59] Be converted. Become as little children. What is conversion? Again it's a turning around. It's been said. We come. As the popular hymn goes.

[12:11] Just as I am. We come just as we are. You can't reform yourself. You can't get rid of your sins. Or anything of your own self endeavours.

[12:22] You can't make yourself righteous enough. To deserve it. You come as a sinner. As you are. But he doesn't keep you that way. He loves you too much to leave you like that.

[12:34] You come as you are. And he affects that transforming. That changing. The revolutionising. God converts the heart. And he makes it brand new. He gives us new desires. He converts the mouth.

[12:45] He gives us a new way of talking. He converts the mind. He gives us a new way of thinking. He converts our walking. Our living. And it says therefore. If any man be in Christ.

[12:56] He's a new creature. A new creature. Wow. Like the picture earlier. I like to picture it as. As of course. The graphic picture of a caterpillar.

[13:08] A caterpillar. And then a butterfly. The butterfly is no longer a caterpillar. It's a new creature. Amen. It's the same situation. Isn't it? And it says if we're in Christ.

[13:19] We're a new creature. Old things. Are passed away. Behold. Everything. All things. Are become new. Paul told Agrippa. That his message. Was for people. That they should repent.

[13:30] Have that mind shift. And turn. And do works. Meet for repentance. God's work of salvation. Starts when we repent. The light goes on. We realise.

[13:42] We're lost. We realise. There's an understanding. That we are lost. There's a change of mind. We start to see the truth of the gospel.

[13:55] We see the saviour has come. We see his forgiveness offered. If we but receive it. His cleansing. His heart changing. The new life in Christ.

[14:06] If we receive the gift of it. And as we turn to God. There's a wonderful transformation. That happens. We are incapable of meeting God's high standard.

[14:19] I know I often refer to that scripture. All have sinned. And come short of. The glory of God. I know people have heard me say this before. I like to talk to you.

[14:29] When you're talking to someone who says. I'm going to go my own way. You know. I've got my own religion. I'm going to do it my way. You know. Like they sing the song. I did it my way.

[14:41] Actually. My way. Your way. Is the wrong way. Got to go do it God's way. Right. They try to climb this ladder of good works. Look. They build this beautiful ladder.

[14:53] It's a polished wood. Or it's. It's the best ladder you can buy down at the Bunnings. But it's not going to be high enough people. No. No ladder of good works. Is ever going to make.

[15:04] Is never going to make it. Oh. You get to the top of the ladder. And you're way short. All the good you can do. You fall short of the glory of God. God's standard is a perfection.

[15:14] You can never attain to that. You don't use your ladder. You use God's way. The saviour. He's the one. That we can trust. All our works.

[15:25] Our filthy rags. All of our. You know. We fall short of the glory of God. We cannot attain to it. But God can give it. Unto us. And that light goes on.

[15:36] So our only hope is Christ. James tells of conversion. He says. He which converts the sinner. From the error of his way. So the spirit of God brings a conviction. Of our sin.

[15:47] Our great error. Our fault. Our need to know him. We see. We're sin stained. Sinful. Slaves of sin. But God converts the sinner.

[15:57] See the sin. Bring it before him. In all of its vileness. And wickedness. See your heart. For what it truly is. Deceitful.

[16:08] Desperately wicked. Polluted. God the Holy Spirit. Will urge us. To flee to Christ. To know that new and living way. His Holy Spirit.

[16:19] Will convict us. It will draw us. To the saviour. Our refuge. Our one and only answer. So the work of conversion. It's all about sinners. So firstly. See yourself as a sinner.

[16:31] See the one that you're presenting the gospel to. That they can see themselves. I'm a sinner. Yes. No doubt about it. Sinners can be converted. Secondly. Souls can be saved.

[16:43] Secondly. Souls can be saved. This is another blessed truth about biblical salvation. That a soul. A never dying soul. Which every soul is never dying. Every soul will go somewhere.

[16:56] For eternity. The soul winner is sent to save a soul from death. Souls are either saved or they're lost. There's only two categories. One or the other. You're either a soul that's saved.

[17:07] Or you're a soul that's lost. There's no in between. There's no. Kind of intermediate state. Or some. Where you go to some place for a time. And then you go to heaven.

[17:18] No. It's either death or life. It's either heaven or hell. There's no middle ground. There's no. Intermediate state. And such. It's not biblical.

[17:29] It's either saved or lost. So the wonderful work of God is this. That we can be saved. Where our soul's destination is changed forever. A soul can be saved from death.

[17:39] That's what we want as a church. That's what we individually as believers. We want to see souls saved. Saved. Assuredly saved. For time and eternity.

[17:51] Our state can be changed. When we're saved. Changed forever. It says change from death. Unto life. The soul winner. In undertaking this.

[18:03] Work of conversion. Is charged with. Saving a soul from death. And the only one who can take us from death to life. Is Jesus. Our Lord.

[18:14] Taken from death. Unto life. And believing on him. It says you have. Everlasting life. You're made truly alive. So Paul saw this same mission in his work.

[18:25] As he says. That by all means. I might save some. He saw that as the focus point. As our Lord tells. How he's come to seek and to save. Those souls that are lost.

[18:38] And the one who saves souls is the saviour. Again it's not religion. It's not church. It's not churchianity. It's not philosophies. It's. Jesus.

[18:50] Shall save. His people from their sins. He shall save. Do you believe that today? God does the saving. All we can do. Being like nursemaids really.

[19:01] Aren't we? Or what they call it. Midwives. We're just there. God's doing the work. We're just here to help. We're there to help. And so the saving of souls is God's work.

[19:14] All we can do is present it. Present his message. Be his messenger. And the soul. Friends. You've got a soul. Really you are a soul. The body's kind of.

[19:26] That's temporary. You are a soul. That's what counts. The soul of you. And it's the real you. It's the invisible you. The Lord Jesus is all about seeking and saving still.

[19:37] Is your soul saved? Is it? You can know that it is. You can know that it is. God is able to save your soul.

[19:50] He's able. Still. He's able to save. Save to the uttermost. Those that come unto God. By him. The saviour. He's able to save. His hand is not shortened that it cannot save.

[20:05] Even though you may fill yourself a filthy rotten wretch beyond saving. Amen. Even if you think I'm the chief. I'm the top of the.

[20:16] I'm the bottom of the pile. I'm the chief of sinners. Paul was so humble that he said that. I'm the worst of the worst. There's no one. No one. No one better at sin than me. I'm the chief of sinners.

[20:28] Even if you feel yourself such a lousy wretch. A wretched sinner. He can save you. He can. No one's beyond hope.

[20:38] Well they've got breath. And the gospel saves. His word saves. It says. So lay apart. All filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness. Which is a kind of unusual term.

[20:50] But it means like an abundance of evil. Lay apart the filthiness. Lay apart the evil. Lay apart that which is overflowing of the wickedness that is in you. He says. And receive.

[21:00] He says. The engrafted word. Which is able to save. Save. Save your souls. Save your souls. So. A question for you now. Would you rather lose money or save money?

[21:12] Of course we'd all like to spend money. Yeah. But no one wants to lose money. Yet what of that which is much more important than money?

[21:22] Mere money. I'm talking about your soul. That's the most important. Isn't it? Do we care about losing our soul? Our Lord says. What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole wide world?

[21:35] And lose his very own soul. We can't put a price on the value of a soul. And that's why really we want to invest in souls. We want to pour out what we are.

[21:47] What we have. To reach. Souls. Across our city. Souls can either be saved or lost. Many are lost. Many souls are lost.

[21:57] They're in this fog. This whirl. This life without meaning. Without direction. What a tragedy to be lost. Have you ever been lost? I get lost often actually.

[22:08] Especially when Julie's not helping me know which way to go. Because she's my guiding star here. But what a tragedy it is to be lost.

[22:20] To be lost. To have no idea where you are. You've lost orientation. You've got no... Your GPS. Your phone's died. You don't know where to go. You don't know which way's north. And the Lord tells us some lost things.

[22:32] As we know. In Luke 15. He says, What man if you're having a hundred sheep? If you lose one of them. Doth not leave those ninety and nine in the wilderness. And go after that which is lost.

[22:43] And until he find it. And then it says that when he's found it. He lays it on his shoulder. Rejoicing. And when he cometh home. He calls together. His friends and neighbours say.

[22:53] Come and see. Come and look. Come and rejoice with me. For I have found my sheep. Which was lost. Can you picture it? What a picture. I know people would know.

[23:05] I've got a little bit of land. And a few limited sheep. And one day I lost a sheep. In fact he's still lost. He never came back. I went looking for him.

[23:17] But he's still out there somewhere. He probably ended up on someone's barbecue. He got lost and he never got found. But you can be.

[23:27] As the picture here. A sheep lost. In danger. Away from the safety and care. Of the shepherd. At the mercy of the elements. A sheep lost.

[23:39] I know Julie and I saw a little video clip of a sheep. That hadn't been shorn for a while. And it was. The wool was so thick. It must have been like five years plus of wool. And it was dangerous.

[23:49] That sheep couldn't see anymore. The shepherd wasn't able to care for that sheep anymore. But they found the sheep. And they sheared the sheep. And the sheep was saved. We can see a sheep found.

[24:01] A sheep saved. What a joy for the shepherd. To see such. And what a rejoicing. To find the lost sheep. Can't you see? Can't you feel it? Can't you hear it?

[24:12] His great jubilation. He was jumping out of his skin. I found my sheep. My sheep that was lost. So too our Lord has that joy. I found my sheep.

[24:24] When you trust him. He seeks and saves the lost sinner. And he's still searching and reaching out today. Seeking. And we who are saved. We ought to be so minded.

[24:35] To be about the same work. That needful work. Better that your soul is saved. Than for you to even have the riches and glory of the whole earth. As we read earlier.

[24:47] Get the whole world and you lose your own soul. What a trade that is. It's a poor trade. Friends.

[24:58] What does he save a soul from? Death. The message we have. We offer is life. Life. And life more abounding. More free. More full. More grand.

[25:10] True. Real. Life. Eternal. Life. Life with a capital L. Life to the max. Life in all its fullness. The life that the creator wants for us to have.

[25:22] To know. Jesus saves. Jesus saves. We can't. That's the theology isn't it? Really. That's it. How dramatic.

[25:32] How glorious. To be saved. To be rescued. To be delivered. Regeneration. It's a new start. A new beginning. New life. And wow. It's fantastic.

[25:43] And the shepherd is joyful. To know a sheep saved. Wow. When God saves. We see sinners converted.

[25:53] We see souls saved. And thirdly. We see sins covered. Sin. Your sin. My sin. Says he which converted the sinner.

[26:06] From the error of his way. Shall save a soul from death. And shall hide. A multitude. Of sins. Now you can say preacher.

[26:18] I'm hearing all this. But I'll just go my own way. You can carry your sin. And your guilt. And shame. All the way. To your grave. Or you can know.

[26:31] Your sins forgiven. And taken. And taken. Away. Glory. What would you rather. God is interested. In your sins.

[26:42] He sees your sins. He knows your sins. The bitterness of sin. The judgment of sin. You can't hide it from him. He knows the detail. Of our sin.

[26:53] And we can do nothing of ourselves. About our sin. Apart from going to God. To receive. And find his forgiveness. And what's more. Your sin.

[27:04] The very nature of sin. In the state. Of being lost. Is that. There's a penalty. For you. But God leads us.

[27:14] To realize. A sorrow for sin. A conviction of sin. A dread of sin. Sin. Condemns us. To judgment. There's no hope. For you.

[27:25] Outside of Christ. If your sins. Are not covered. They are. Exposed. And they will be exposed. There's no hope.

[27:35] For you. If your sins. Are not covered. There's. But there is a wonderful. Hope for you. In Christ. It says. He exchanges. Our sin. For his.

[27:46] Righteousness. Look at that one. 2 Corinthians 5. Verse 20. He has made him. Jesus. To. Who knew no sin. Perfect. To be. Sin. For us.

[27:58] That we. Might be made. The righteousness. Of God. In him. It's amazing. He swaps. Swaps. Our sin. With his righteousness. You can't. Really understand it.

[28:08] Can you. That. It's. Grace. He shall hide. A multitude. Of sins. Thank God. There's a covering. There's a covering. There is grace. Grace. Grace.

[28:19] Sufficient. For even. A multitude. Of sins. Again. You can't. Sin. So much. That he cannot.

[28:30] Save you. I'm not saying. Go and sin. But I'm saying. If you are a sinner. If you're the most. Worst. Of the. Sinful. He can hide. A multitude. Of sins.

[28:41] His grace. Is sufficient. Is sufficient. And. Those who are. Forgiven. Much. Love much. It's all. Thanks to God.

[28:52] Isn't it. That we can have. Such full and free. Complete. Forgiveness. Because of the. Blessed work of Christ. It was completed. At the cross. God provides. A covering. That's what atonement.

[29:03] Means. It was covered. Fully covered. Comprehensively. Covered. Christ's death. At the cross. A complete. Work. A complete.

[29:14] Removal. Of sin. God covers it. He blots it out. As David. Was quoted by Paul. In Romans 4. Verses 6 through 8. Which is Psalm 32. Verse 1.

[29:27] David describes. The blessedness. The joy. The gladness. Of the man. To whom God. Imputeth. Righteousness. Without works. Now this word. Impute.

[29:38] It basically means. He grants it. He. He. He states it. He. He makes it. He declares it. He. Grants it.

[29:49] To you. His righteousness. Without works. What? I don't have to work for it? How could it be? How can it be?

[30:03] He gives. He declares you righteous. Without works. Saying blessed are they. Whose iniquities are forgiven. Whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man.

[30:15] To whom the Lord will not impute sin. So righteousness is granted. We can't fathom it. There's a blessedness there. The wonderful blessedness of the believer.

[30:26] That righteousness is granted. And it is without works. Without works of our own. Now that's not to say we should just be a lazy layabout Christian.

[30:37] But we should recognise our righteousness is imputed. It's granted. It's gifted. And the power of the Holy Spirit brings this sanctifying work.

[30:51] It's like this great heavenly heart surgeon. Operates on us and he saves us from that dreaded affliction. Called sin. Such that he removes the old heart. And gives us a new heart. We can't cover sin.

[31:05] You know. It'll come out. What does it say? Your sin will be found out. You know. It'll come out. It'll come to the light. Nothing can be heard from his x-ray vision.

[31:16] It says there's nothing covered that shall not be revealed. And hid that shall not be known. Go back to the garden. Adam and Eve. It's kind of funny what they did, isn't it?

[31:27] You know. They disobeyed God. And then they think. Oh. Let's get some fig leaves. And sew them together. Can you imagine what a ridiculous sight that would have been? How foolish.

[31:38] How stupid. Walking around with these fig leaves sewn together. Honestly. Honestly. That's what they tried to hide from God. Oh.

[31:48] I'll hide behind this tree. Well God can see behind trees. You can't hide from him. You can't hide from him. People. You can't hide your sin. Better to acknowledge your guilt and shame.

[32:00] And bring it to him. And take his cover. Hide in him. Nothing a man can do can take his sin away. You can't get rid of it.

[32:12] We know. There's monks and such things that might flagellate themselves. And crawl over broken glass. And punish themselves by fasting to death's door.

[32:24] As if that's going to make them more holy. Or help them get rid of their sin. There might be benefits in fasting. I could probably do with some of that. But we cannot get rid of our sin by our own work.

[32:40] It has to be his work. So what happened? God covered them. God covered Adam and Eve. God can hide sin.

[32:51] He can hide it such that he'll never see it again. Wow. He'll put it in that great sea of his forgetfulness. And he'll permanently remove it. Even a multitude of sins. Not any of our good works or efforts can cover our sin.

[33:05] God must impute it. Grant it. Gift it. Declare it to you. Counts you as righteous. Even though you're not of yourself.

[33:17] In Genesis 3. Here they were looking so funny. Covered with sewed together fig leaves. Trying to cover their sin. Hiding themselves from God. In the presence of God. In the trees of the garden. And it says.

[33:28] Unto Adam. Also and his wife. Did the Lord make coats of skins. And clothe them. It's interesting. The blood was shed. So they could be covered. Right back then.

[33:40] In the third chapter of Genesis. The blood had to cover them. In effect. The blood had to be shed. So they could be covered. And friends.

[33:50] It's the same today. God covers us. As Isaiah. Pictures it. As like the robe of righteousness. The garments of salvation. He gives you those garments. As the prodigal comes.

[34:02] And the father gives him the robe. He gives him the ring. He gives him the shoes. And the Lord. As pictured here. In Isaiah chapter 61. He gives us. He covers me.

[34:12] With the robes. Of righteousness. Friends. What a glorious picture. And so. Our Lord Jesus. Not only does he cover us.

[34:23] But he covers us with. His righteousness. Wow. It's not my own righteousness. No. It's actually his. We can't walk around. Pridefully. And say. I'm so holy.

[34:33] I'm so righteous. Look at me. Look at what I do. Actually. It's his robe. That looks so good. It's his robe. It's nothing inside of it. It's his robe. That looks so good.

[34:44] Yeah. Wow. Look at this robe. Look at this righteousness. That's what we should be like. Isn't it? It's his. His. Glory to God. It's his righteousness.

[34:55] That covers us. And it says. 1 Peter 2. 24. His own self. Bear our sins. In his own body. On the tree. That we being dead to sins. Should live unto righteousness.

[35:06] By whose stripes. Ye were healed. Our sin. In his own body. On the tree. You might say. Well I haven't been to Jerusalem. But I can tell you.

[35:17] That your sin has been there. Your sin has been there. Amen. It was on the hill of Calvary. Your sin. It was nailed there. My sin.

[35:29] He bore it there. In his transfixed body. Hung there. Transfixed there. Tortured there. Twisted there. Tormented. Torn there. And my sin. There.

[35:41] At the hill. On that bleeding cross. Because of me. Because of my sin. My sin. My worthlessness. My shame. My fault. My guilt.

[35:52] It was all there. In all of the gruesomeness of it. In all of the foulness of it. In all my guilty. Godless ways. It was all there. At the gruesome place. Of Golgotha. Friends.

[36:03] So now. What a relief to know. I'm covered. Yep. Take a look at how good this is. How good this is. His robe. His robe of righteousness. What's not. Not what's inside of it.

[36:14] It's what I'm wearing. I'm clothed with him. Clothed with him. His armour of light. Clothed with the righteousness. That he grants. Covered.

[36:25] Don't you want to be covered? You know. I've had some. I've had some. Problems. Lately. I'm glad I had. Fully comprehensive cover.

[36:37] What a relief. I've had floods. I've had. I've had car accidents. Fully comprehensive cover. I'd recommend that to you people.

[36:49] And I'm not talking about insurance. I'm talking about the covering of the blood. Of Jesus. It can cover you. It can hide your sin. And it can pay for it. In full. For eternity.

[37:01] Purchase. Paid for. Signed. Sealed. Stamped. Delivered. Salvation. Wow. Look. It's for a limited time only.

[37:12] I've got to tell you. If you've not received it. Honestly. There's only a limited time. To have the name written down in glory. Yeah. Whoa. There's some angel with a lovely pen.

[37:25] Well it doesn't matter what kind of pen. It could be a cheap pen. But your name. That's what matters. Your name written down. Your name written down. The title deeds to a heavenly mansion. Stored in safety there for you.

[37:36] There's a blessed joy. An assurance you can know. A victory now. Sin's covered. Wow. And there's peace and rest now. There's a covering now.

[37:49] Are you covered? It's a big question. Sometimes we have an insurance claim. We think. I better check my policy. Is that going to be covered? Yes it is.

[38:00] I'm fully covered. I'm not meaning to cheapen that. Or you know. Be flippant about it. But it's comprehensive cover isn't it? He covers.

[38:11] He covers you fully. And that doesn't mean you act like you can do what you like. But you know by his grace. Wow. He's done everything to cover me.

[38:21] By his blood. What a dreadful shock to find you're not covered. Oh no. I didn't renew that policy. Not covered. I know my dad was an insurance rep.

[38:32] He can tell you some stories. Not protected. Not safe. But we can have assurance that we are covered. Not by any payment or credit or merit of our own.

[38:45] But he has paid it. In full. If we but receive it. We won't enter heaven before heaven enters us. Has heaven entered your heart? Have you been converted?

[38:58] That's the question. It's not. I'm kind of a Christian. I'm you know. Pretty good sort of person. I'm better than the average Joe. Than my next door neighbor. Well you should see what he's like.

[39:10] I'm nothing like him. I'm pretty good. I'll be right. You know. I'll get there and I'll argue my case. No. It's not how it works. You're either lost or saved.

[39:20] You're either converted or unconverted. Has God put a new nature inside of you? A new heart? Have you found the joy of a soul? Save your soul. Save. Of your sins.

[39:31] Washed. Covered. Made clean by the blood of the Lamb of God. The heart purifying blood of Christ. To know the glorious work of salvation. And once we have it.

[39:44] How dare we be so selfish to keep it to ourselves. Believer. There's nothing matters more. Than you talk to other souls. You know people who don't know the saviour.

[39:58] Friends. How much time have you got? How much time? Write a letter. Make a phone call. Send an email. Knock on a door. Tell a loved one.

[40:10] I've had. Instance of doing that. Going to loved ones who don't know the saviour. Because I'm concerned for their souls. You know. They probably didn't. Probably like it. I've told them.

[40:24] Tell another. And another. And another. Like Jesus said to the man delivered of demons. Go home to your friends. Tell them how great things the Lord has done for you. And has had compassion on you.

[40:37] The task that he bids us to has an eternal dimension. It tells us one day. Those who are winners of souls shall shine. As the brightness of the firmament. They're going to be like shining stars.

[40:51] Forever and ever. Not that we're doing it for that. But. There'll be an acknowledgement. Friends. It's been truly said. Life without Christ. Is a hopeless end.

[41:03] Life with Christ. Is an endless hope. Have you been converted? For you to see heaven. You must be. We're born in sin. It says.

[41:13] Our heart is deceitful. Desperately wicked. You are a sinner. Outside of Christ. You are a sinner. And your sins have separated you from God. God. And what's more.

[41:24] You've got no real goodness or righteousness of your own. It's. It's hopeless for you. You are damned. But. The glad news is.

[41:37] A sinner can be. Converted. You don't have to stay there. You can be converted. The wages of sin. Is death. Yet God can save your soul from death.

[41:49] Think of that. God can save your soul from death. The gift of God is eternal life. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. A new birth is offered to you. New life.

[42:00] Just like the caterpillar. Can be chased into a butterfly. Wow. It just happened. God. Affects.

[42:10] That transformation. And. No matter how sinful you are. You might say. Oh preacher. Look. I hear all this. But. You don't know what I've done. You don't know that.

[42:23] The condition of my heart. I've done such bad. Bad things. I'm so far. Far from God. God. What would he want with me.

[42:33] Or. I'm never going to measure up. If I do trust him. You know. Who am I. Even if I become a Christian. I'm going to foul it up. And. And.

[42:44] I'm not going to measure up. It's not about you measuring up. It's about receiving the gift. Receive the gift. And the conversion happens. God changes our heart.

[42:56] Our spirit. And God can hide a multitude of sins. He can forgive you. Comprehensively. Right. Cover you. Let's pray.

[43:08] Lord. We thank you that you are a saviour. From sin. That you can convert. A sinner. Lord. That you can save a soul. Such as mine. Lord.

[43:19] We pray. Everyone here might know that saviour. From sin. The saviour. Who brings salvation. You can cover us. Even with yourself. Such that even our own.

[43:30] Worthlessness. Is. It's not even seen anymore. Because. It's your righteousness that counts. Lord. That we can receive it. Pray that. If there's any here present. They're struggling.

[43:42] They're. They're. They're. They're unsettled. They haven't settled it. They. That they do business with you. Lord. Today. Until they settle it.

[43:52] Even today. Even now. I say. Lord Jesus. I want to be like that. I don't want to be that caterpillar anymore. I've had enough of living like a caterpillar. I want to be that butterfly.

[44:04] I want to be that one. That you want me to be. To be saved. To have that new creation. That new heart. That new mind. That new life. To know heaven is my home. To know my sins forgiven.

[44:16] The grace that you've given. The cross you paid. My sin. And I receive that payment. Lord. I don't deserve it. I'm. I'm never going to deserve it.

[44:27] And Lord. I know. I can't measure up to anything. Of my own. Miserable efforts. But yet. Lord. It's all about what you have done. I pray.

[44:38] Each one might have that heart assurance today. And Lord. Help us. Save once to be. Sent once. We that are saved. We that are converted. Our souls are saved.

[44:48] We that have our sins covered. We want to tell others of this great message. That others can be converted. Unto you. And Lord. We pray that. By your grace. We'll see that. As you help us.

[45:00] Give us the. Courage. To tell others. Give us the courage. Give us the words that you want us to share. Give us the tact. The wisdom. Give us the.

[45:13] The sensitivity. To. Reach out and touch others Lord. To tell what wonderful things you've done for us. Of that wonderful gift. That so great salvation.

[45:25] We thank you Lord for that glad, glad news. In Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Praise the Lord. We'll go to our. Closing song.

[45:36] And be encouraged. If you. If this message has spoken to you. You've yet to trust the Lord. Please. Indicate that to me. Tell me. I'll put you in touch with another believer. If you're a.

[45:47] A woman here. I can put you in touch with another woman. To talk with. Who can share that. That with you. To settle that. For you. With you. To encourage you. To counsel you.

[45:58] To pray with you. To help you settle things with God. If you're. Wanting to speak. Please don't leave today. Without speaking to someone. About your soul.

[46:10] If you. If you go home. And this message. Echoes back with you again. Go to God. Go to him. Go to him in prayer. I kind of.

[46:21] Sorry brother. I know. I kind of joked to someone. Even yesterday. Look. You don't have to come to me. For me to conduct some holy ritual. To say some holy words.

[46:33] To. To. To. To sprinkle some holy water. So sprinkle some holy water on you. You know. It's. It's not that. To blow some holy smoke on you.

[46:44] To say some holy things. That. That I can make you holy. Or you've got to say the prayer. That I say you should pray. It's none of that.

[46:56] It's between you and God. Trust in the Lord. Believe on Jesus Christ. And you shall be saved. Believe. Simply believe. You can do that in your bedroom tonight. At home.

[47:07] In the privacy of your own home. Or you might seek some counsel this morning. As other believers can help you. Take that step. And let's be encouraged in this. Amen. Thank you.