If you turn to Acts chapter 17,
we read in verse 22 and 23 the following. Then Paul stood in
the midst of Mars Hill and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive
that in all things ye are too superstitious. For as I passed
by and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription,
To the unknown God, whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare
I unto you. As I passed by and beheld your
devotions I found an altar with this inscription to the unknown
God whom therefore ye ignorantly worship him declare I unto you. The unknown God unknown to these
these superstitious that Paul found at Athens this very religious
people these who worshipped many gods these who knew there was
a spiritual realm but daring not to miss any out they made
this altar to an unknown god that they might worship the unknown
god also in case the gods that they did worship were not all
that they should the unknown god There is a God who is unknown,
unknown to many in this world, unknown to a world which sits
in darkness, unknown to a world which is blind, blinded by its
sin, blinded by its rebellion against that God that made it
and sustains it. He's unknown to them. He's there. He breathed life into every man,
woman, and child upon the face of this earth. He keeps every
heart beating. And yet he's unknown to them. They may hear of him through
the word of God, the scriptures. They may hear his name mentioned. And yet he's still unknown to
them. They may have heard with the outer ear. Some of them may
be very religious. Some of them may be able to quote
to you chapter and verse from the Bible. And yet this God is
still an unknown God to them. Their description of Him when
asked, their understanding of who both He is and His Son is,
fall short of the reality. They say like the Pharisees of
old that they see and yet they are blind. And that which blinds
them is the corruption of their hearts that enables them to see
with the intellect and understand to a degree and yet never see
the reality in the spiritual realm. because that which is
spiritual is only made known where the Spirit of God dwells
as Corinthians tells us that these things are past our understanding,
beyond our understanding except the Spirit of God reveals them
we're blind to them this God to us by nature is unknown Unknown
until light penetrates the thick gloom in which we live. Unknown until light penetrates
the shroud of sin and unbelief which engulfs us. Unknown until
light shines forth in the darkness and God takes the veil of our
hearts and rends it asunder that he might shine the light in and
that we might comprehend that truth, that gospel and that God
to whom we were once blind. We may have spoken of Jesus,
we may in ignorance have worshipped one that we call Jesus, but in
reality he was unknown to us. We were in darkness and when
the light shone The darkness comprehended it not. As John
says in his Gospel, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning
with God. All things were made by Him,
and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was
life, and the life was the light of men, and the light shineth
in darkness. and the darkness comprehended
it not. To those in darkness, that God
who made all things is an unknown God. What is he to you? What is he to you? At this time
of year, the world multitudes will speak of the birth of Jesus
Christ. Multitudes will hear passages
of scripture. They will hear of the birth.
They will hear of Mary and Joseph traveling to Bethlehem. They
will hear of that birth in the manger, in the stable. They will
hear of the angels and the promises. They will hear of the shepherds
feeding the sheep by night and the angels appearing unto them.
They will hear of those wise men who travel from the east
to find the one who was born King of the Jews. Multitudes
in their celebrations and feasting and gatherings at this time will
hear something of the truths regarding Jesus. And yet so much of what they
hear is so confused and so mixed up. So much is of no consequence
to them. Many will go to meetings and
services to worship that babe born in the manger and yet to
them in reality He is unknown. The rest of the year they give
him not a thought. The rest of the year he's of
no consequence to them. And yet at this time of goodwill,
this time of celebration, they sing and rejoice that Jesus was
born. And what is our response to such
a world? Do we condemn it? no it is already
condemned as john tells us in chapter 3 of his gospel and christ
came not into the world to condemn it god sent not his son into
the world to condemn it for the world was already condemned but
they sent his son into the world that the world through him might
be saved He that believeth on him is not condemned, but he
that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not
believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this
is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men
loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh
to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that
doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest,
that they are wrought in God. God sent his son into this world
of darkness. He sent his son, this one of
whom the world will speak in these coming days, this one of
whom they will sing, this one of whom they will hear, really
came. He really came, the Son of God,
sent by God into this world, not to condemn the world, but
that the world through Him might be saved. God shone His light
into a dark and an evil and a blind world. And the only reason why men die
in blindness and darkness because they comprehend not the light
which shone in the darkness and they will not come unto him.
They will not. What is our response to them
in their folly as they worship who to them is an unknown God?
Do we turn our backs on them? Do we turn our backs on their
remembrance of the birth of Christ? Do we say the scriptures speak
nothing of remembering his birth so we will not say anything to
them leave them in their blindness? Or do we like Paul observe the
folly and the blindness and the darkness of mankind in his superstition? And do we say unto them that
as we pass by and see your devotions and see you worshipping a God
who is unknown unto you We will come unto you and we will stand
up boldly and say of the one whom ye ignorantly worship, that
he is Christ the Lord, the Son of God, whom God sent into this
world to die in the place of sinners. Whom ye ignorantly worship,
we declare him unto you. Let us preach the gospel. let
us preach the gospel boldly firmly and plainly because christ did
come because he was born he was born in bethlehem and he was
born a savior a savior the savior of sinners whom therefore ye
ignorantly worship him declare i unto you Christ the Son of
God, not just a babe in a manger, not just one that children like
to speak of meek and mild, but that same child that grew into
a man whom all men rejected, that same child who grew into
a man who declared the wondrous truth of God and his gospel.
who walked a righteous man, the only one who was without sin,
that man who went to the cross, that man whom all men cried out
of, crucify him, crucify him, away with him, we will not worship
him, we will not have him to rule over us, that man whom you
in your heart have said of, crucify him i will not worship him that
jesus that lord jesus christ whom you from the day you were
born loving the lies of satan following the ways of the world
have rejected and despised and crucified in your heart that's
who was born in bethlehem That who you, like the Jews with wicked
hands, put to death upon a cross. You say I never did. Yes you
did. In your heart you did. For you would not bow down and
worship. You would not consider him. You
shut your ears to him. You would go after this thing
and that thing and the other thing. But not the Christ who
died on a cross in a place called Golgotha. that Christ who was
born the babe in a manger in Bethlehem. In a manger in a stable
for this world had no room to provide an inn in which he may
be born. This world had no room for him
at his birth and had no room for him at his death and has
no room for him in its hearts. Has your heart room for the Lord
Jesus Christ, for have you in your heart slain the Son of God,
the Prince and Saviour, the King of Kings that God sent into this
world of darkness? Is he to you yet the unknown
God? If he is, then I wish to declare
him unto you. that this God who is unknown
unto you has been sent into this world to save sinners and proclaims
his gospel and his message of salvation from on high that sinners
like you and I might hear and hearing might cease to reject
hearing might cease to slay him in our hearts but hearing that
we might believe and through him have eternal life. For when
he died, he died in the place of sinners. He died taking their
sins upon his back. He died taking the wrath and
the judgment of God against their sins, that they might not have
to die, that they might not have to pay that price. He paid the
price in their place. He was their substitute. He died
that they should live. If you come to see Him and believe
on Him, sinner, He died dying for your sins, taking your place,
drinking the wrath and the judgment of God against your sins and
your corruption, that you should never die, but that you through
Him should have eternal life. Yes him whom you ignorantly worship
when you speak of a Jesus born in a babe in Bethlehem at the
time of Christmas. Him whom you hear of once a year. Him whom you speak of in the
folly of the world's corruption of the truth as they confuse
the record of scripture when they speak of the shepherds and
free kings when the scriptures speak of wise men from the east
that didn't turn up until the child was about two years old.
Him who you ignorantly worship was born. He was worshipped by
the shepherds. Wise men did come and seek him
out and he did grow into that man who was slain upon the cross
outside Jerusalem, who rose again the third day in power and who
saved the countless multitude with a mighty salvation that
man who is both man and God, that man who rose and ascended
into glory, that man who sits on the right hand of God his
Father, that man who rules over all this world at this very hour
and brings every event to pass, who rules over every word which
is said, Whatever is said and done in this world, He is over
it all. He causes things to happen, it's
at His command and His providence. It is no accident that the tradition
of remembering Christ's birth at this time of year has continued
to this very day. Yes it's mixed up in the traditions
and celebrations of this world but God is over these things
and God would use these things and overturn the wickedness of
blind men in their folly who set up altars to worship unknown
gods. He would overturn them and send
preachers of the truth to those who worship ignorantly and declare
unto them Jesus Christ and he would have his son's name remembered
remembered and spoken on the lips of everyone in this world
unto this day he would have this come to pass and he would have
it come to pass that he might declare his gospel this man is
the one who sits in heaven above this is the one who was born
in Bethlehem and this is the one who in a day to come We will
all have to stand before, we will all bow the knee before
and we will all worship as the one who comes in power at the
end of the earth to judge all men, women and children. for
the good and the evil that they have done the one who will bring
this world to an end to a conclusion the one who will wrap up all
things and the one before whom we will all stand and he will
judge the world in righteousness that one of whom John spake in
Revelation when he had a vision of him where he said he saw in
the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the son of man,
clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the
paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white
like wool as white as snow, and his eyes were as a flame of fire,
and his feet like under fine brass as if they burned in a
furnace. and his voice as the sound of
many waters and he had in his right hand seven stars and out
of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword and his countenance was
as the sun shineth in his strength and John says that when he saw
him he fell at his feet as dead. This one will come and stand
before all men, women and children and judge this world in righteousness
and before whom we will have to give an account, an account
for what we have done. And if we have done evil then
he will justly send us into that place of condemnation for eternity
to come. Where will we stand before this
one? He may be unknown to you now
but he'll be known to you then. Where will you stand before Him?
Better that He should be declared unto you now, and that the Spirit
of God should open your ears to hear of Him, and to hear His
voice now, and that you should fall down and bow before Him
now, and worship Him now, and no longer be blind to who He
is, deaf and without understanding, but that you should come to know
Jesus Christ and hear His voice now. as the Saviour of sinners. Who is He to you? Of course this time of year when
people remember the birth of Christ, these celebrations in
the middle of winter, are a time, the winter celebrations, the
winter solstice, Yuletide are times that have been remembered
by all sorts of societies and all sorts of countries and peoples
for thousands of years. The German nations remember the
winter solstice. The Romans had their feast of
Saturnalia where they remembered Saturn, their god of agriculture. The ancient Egyptians worship
their sun god at this time. The pagans celebrated the winter
solstice. And many will point to these
things and say that this is a terrible time. And why are Christians
remembering the birth of Christ at a time which has traditionally
been remembered by all these other peoples and societies? in their blindness and their
superstition. But we need to look a little
bit beyond these things and to look at what is common to all
these things. Because all these different societies
and all these different people in having these celebrations
at this time in winter were seeing various things in nature and
in the natural realm and the times and the seasons. which
God had placed there as signs that man in this world should
know both that he is God and should know something of the
truth of his gospel. These people recognised in the
midst of winter around this point around December the 25th that
the days, the darkness had been increasing as it reached the
middle of winter. and then around the 21st of December
and onwards around the 25th around this point the days start to
get longer the light returns the warmth returns to the ground
from which life comes forth that which had once been dying is
now turned around and they see the light returning and the life
returning and the cycle of life returns and their celebrations
and rejoicing in these things were because in the natural realm
they saw this as a great occasion and rightly so God put these
seasons there he shows us the pattern of life and then death
life and then death life and then death of resurrection continually
every year he shows us that life and light return as winter passes
but these things were taken by these societies and they could
see the power of the sun and they could see the signs in nature
and the seasons and they knew that there was a spiritual reality
behind these things they knew that there were great forces
and powers at work but they didn't know the God that caused these
things to be They were blind to who made the sunrise. They were blind to who made the
ground warm up and life come forth again. They were blind
to who brought the life and the light in this world. They could
see these things in the natural realm. They could see that they
pointed to spiritual realities. They could see that there was
a God to be worshipped. But they didn't know the one
true and living God and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. So the
Egyptians saw the wonder and power of the sun, and they worshipped
the sun god that they created. They could see that life came
from the sun, that it had an amazing effect upon this world. But they didn't know God. And
other societies, and then the pagans and the Romans, all of
these could see these natural events, and they each had their
own gods and own ideas which they worshipped. All of which
was simply the worship an unknown God did they did these people
in their blindness and their darkness did they make the Sun
they did not Did they cause the life to return in a world which
was dying? They did not. Did they make these
things? They did not. Did they invent
the evergreens that they could see countered the pattern in
other plants, whereas all the other trees and plants lost their
leaves and died as winter came? before life returned unto them
again. They could see that all of these
evergreens, the holly, the fir trees, kept their life throughout. And they could see the difference
in these things and they revered these things as pointing to everlasting
and eternal life. Something to be desired. They
could see the realities of these signs and wonders in nature.
But they couldn't see the one true and living God who is everlasting. of whom the fir tree was a picture
in nature they didn't know the reality they saw the signs and
they rejoiced in them and they should have done because God
sent them God put them there that man might see and we reject
these things that are folly because God has given them as signs that
the heathen take them and turn them into that which they worship
idolatrously is nothing to concern us our response to the heathen
is to say unto them that that god who is unknown unto you whom
you ignorantly worship him declare we unto you because he who is
eternal life whom you seek is the everlasting God and his son
Jesus Christ and he who brings life from the dead is the everlasting
God and his son the Lord Jesus Christ and he who is everlasting
as pictured by the fir tree is Christ And he who shines light, he who
is light, he of whom the sun is a picture in its light and
its warmth, is Christ, the everlasting God, the son of righteousness. Yes, God put these signs in nature
and in the seasons, it says in Genesis. that God said let there
be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day
from the night and let them be for signs and for seasons and
for days and years and let them be for lights in the firmament
of the heaven to give light upon the earth and it was so. And
God made two great lights, the greater light to rule the day
and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars
also and God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give
light upon the earth and to rule over the day and over the night
and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that
it was good. Well he did, he set them there
for signs, he set the sun in the sky as a sign, as a picture
of him and his son and his gospel. He set the moon as a picture
of the Lord that reflects the light of the sun but it has no
glory in itself but is reflective of the light of the grace of
the gospel in Jesus Christ. He made the seasons, He caused
there to be spring, summer, autumn and winter in order to show unto
this world the contrast between the lightness, the light and
the darkness, the contrast between life and death, to be a constant
reminder in the passing of the seasons that there is life and
death, life and death, and that the light comes from the sun.
the Son of God, and that there is everlasting life to be found
in one place and one place only, in Christ and his gospel. All
these are signs and pictures. Mankind from the beginning has
seen the signs, but in his blindness and corruption of sin, he ends
up setting gods that he worships in relation to them. or he ends
up worshipping the actual creatures and signs themselves. So he ends
up worshipping the sun rather than he of whom the sun is but
the picture. These things are hidden from
the wise and the prudent. They're hidden from the natural
man. He's blind but they're there. As God says in Romans chapter
1, He says that which may be known of God is manifest in them,
in all men. For God has showed it unto them,
He has shown it. For the invisible things of him
from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood
by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead,
so that they are without excuse. He's put the sun there, he's
put the seasons there, he's put the trees there, he's put the
fir trees, the evergreens there, he's put these things that point
man to him and his gospel. because that when they knew God
they glorified him not as God neither were thankful but became
vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkened
professing themselves to be wise they became fools and changed
the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like the
corruptible man and to birds and four-footed beasts and creeping
things That's what the pagans, the Romans, the Egyptians and
all of these heathen nations did with that which God had sent
them as a sign and a picture of the truth. God sent them the seasons, God
sent them midwinter and the turning of the seasons with the onset
of spring and the coming of light and the effect of the sun. He
sent them these things to point them to the reality of his existence,
his power and his truth. And yet in blindness they ended
up worshipping the creature and the created more than the creator. then what do we say to these
things? Do we condemn them? Or do we as Paul say that that
which ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. Because this point of winter
which has since become to be remembered throughout the world
has become that time at which many remember the birth of Christ
is not merely a traditional time that these heathen nations had
their feasts and their winter solstice. They didn't invent
that season. They saw it, recognized the spiritual
realm and celebrated the things pictured. But God made that season,
God made it for us to recognize the truths indicated by it. God
made the middle of winter as a picture of that darkness of
this world into which he sent his light into which he sent
his son that he should come into a world of darkness as the light
of God to save sinners some will say why do we remember the birth
of Christ on December the 25th when scriptures don't tell us
when he was born Some analyse the events of scriptures and
they will say that it's more likely that Christ was either
born in the spring or in the autumn. Then why has it come
to be that so many remember his birth in December? And they're
quite right that scripture doesn't tell us the date of his birth. Not as a day on a calendar. But
they are wrong to say that scripture doesn't give us a spiritual picture
of when he was born. Because the scriptures do tell
us when he came. He came in the darkness, the
winter of this world. And there is no better time if
we are to remember the coming of Christ than to remember him
in the darkness and cold of winter. Because spiritually speaking
that is indeed when he came. The exact day in which he was
born historically doesn't matter. Spiritually speaking, he came
at this point in time, when this world was at its coldest, when
this world was at its darkest, when this world was ruled by
death. When Christ came, when he was born, when his birth was
announced in the beginning of the gospels, Matthew and Luke,
There had been no prophets recorded in the scriptures for 400 years. The oracles of God, the speaking
of God to his people, the Jews of old. He had spoken, he had
prophesied. and their hearts had grown cold
they had grown apostate they had turned the truth of God into
their traditions and lies and shut their ears to these things
Christ was coming and they weren't looking Christ was coming and
they knew him not when Christ's birth was announced it was not
announced by the angels to the scribes and pharisees in Jerusalem
but it was announced to a young woman called Mary and to a espoused
husband called Joseph and it was announced to a few nothings
of shepherds on a hillside and it was announced to wise men
from the east not from Jerusalem or Israel God announced it to
those whom he would reveal his truth to. Because those who should
have known, those who had the scriptures, those who had the
prophecies all pointing to this coming of Messiah, were blind. And though they thought they
saw, they saw nothing. The God they spake of, the God
they worshipped in their countless celebrations and rituals in the
temple, they knew not. They were dark and dead as much
of the world around us and the religious world around us today
is. Many will remember and celebrate
the birth of Christ at this season who know him not. They are in
darkness. Their souls are in the middle
of winter. They are cold. And they need
the warmth of the light of the Son of God to be shining. They need to hear of the Son
of Righteousness. They need to hear of the power
of His Gospel. Him whom they ignorantly worship,
declare I unto you. There is no better time to preach
Christ, no better time to speak of the light which God shone
into the darkness, than here in winter. We preach him every
day, but as the world watches its times and seasons, in actual
physical days there's no better picture of the darkness in men's
hearts and the coldness of men's hearts and the blindness of men's
hearts than the middle of winter and there's no better picture
of the shining of light than the lengthening of days that
come on as spring comes on and there's no better picture of
of the eternal life of God than the evergreens yes they were
used of old as a picture of everlasting life and those that took them
knew not the living God but they're a wonderful picture of everlasting
life it's no surprise that they've been adopted in this manner and
there's no better time to preach Christ and his birth than now
For He is the Son that these people worshipped. He is the
One who brings life. They knew Him not. They worshipped
the created Son. They worshipped gods of their
own making. But that spiritual realm that
they knew existed, that God which was unknown to them is this God,
the Son of God, the Son of Righteousness. We may look back at times of
old and despise the pagans and the Romans and their superstitious
ways but at least they in their blindness knew that there was
a spiritual realm and at least they could see the signs in nature
and in the seasons and recognize what these things were pointing
at even though they didn't know their source. today the world
this wonderful world of science and knowledge simply looks at
the passing of time and the seasons as the sun going around as the
earth spinning around the sun and tilting on its axis and they
can see nothing in these things and no reality in it they're
the most blind there was more awareness with the egyptians
or the pagans of old than these blind fools today who see nothing
but a textbook of science for there is a spiritual reality
and there is a God who brings these things to pass and there
is a reason why there is death and life there is a reason why
there's winter and darkness and the reason for the darkness is
the sin in man's heart is the sin in your heart and my heart
is your rebellion and turning away from the God who made you
That's the reason for the winter and the darkness. And what you
need is for the light to come and to be shone into your heart.
What you need is to see the sun, the sun of righteousness. What
you need is everlasting life. And that is found in Christ and
Christ alone. That is found in the one whom
God the Father sent into this world that he should not condemn
this world despite the fact that it was blind, despite the fact
that many followed after things they knew not or understood not. Despite the fact that many took
Jesus' name and never knew Him, God didn't send His Son to condemn
them, He came to save. He came to declare His gospel. He came to say that, yes, I am
the God who created and sustains this world. Yes, I am the God
before whom you will stand. and yes I am the God who sent
his son I sent my son at Bethlehem he was born he is my son that
babe don't ignore him go to Bethlehem Go and hear what was said of
him. Go and hear what he said as he
grew up a man in this world. Go and hear that truth that he
declared, that I am the way, the truth and the life for he
is. that in me is eternal life that
ye must be born again that ye might have that life and that
you might enter into the kingdom of God hear his truth hear his
words hear his words and live go with my son and go to Jerusalem
go hear what he said in Jerusalem and go and stand outside Jerusalem
and look upon my son as wicked men nailed him to a cross look
upon him he who is eternal life He who is the Son of God, he
who brings everlasting life, look upon him as he was nailed
to the tree, as he bled and as he suffered in the place of sinners,
as he bore my wrath against their sins, as he wrought salvation. There is your need. Your need
is not of all those presents you wish for at Christmas. Your
need is not of great wealth. Your need is not of great success
in this earth. For whatever you seek after,
for whatever you gain in this earth, you cannot take beyond
the grave. And the grave, that darkness
of winter, is coming upon you. That death will come. The seasons
tell you, you're born you die, you're born you die, everyone
is born and dies. Then wake up and see, for your
day to pass from this world into the next is coming. And you need
light and life and righteousness in your heart, if you're to stand
before my Son, who will rule and judge over this world in
the end. Where will you stand? Where will you stand? What will
you plead? Will you plead your own goodness?
Your own righteousness? Or will you own that you are
black and filthy and corrupt by nature? That you are blind
and dead in trespasses and sins that you have no righteousness?
Will you look upon my son crucified upon the tree and see his blood
which he shed for sinners? And will you come before me and
say, Lord, I have no plea. but his blood. My only plea is
that Christ thy Son whom thou sent into this world to save
sinners, Jesus, my only plea is that he died. And Lord, I
trust he died for me. Lord, I trust his blood washed
me. For if that's your plea, and
if the Lord says that's right, he did. he came for you in particular
and he took your sins away in particular and he washed them
in his blood he shed his blood and cleansed you in it and he
made you the righteousness of God in him if he says yes that's
right you're his chosen from eternity chosen to be saved I
chose to save you I sent my son for you he was slain for you
who were in darkness and death that you might live yes that's
right then Then you will enter into eternal glory. Then you
will enter into everlasting life and righteousness. Then you will
enter into eternal light, where there are no more tears, no more
sin, no more darkness, no more death, but everlasting glory
as you worship the Son of God, the Lamb of God, seated on high
in glory upon his throne. Then you will enter in there.
But if you cannot claim that, if you do not know that Christ's
blood was shed for you, if you cannot stand before Almighty
God and His Son, the Judge of the heaven and earth, and say
that His blood was shed for you, He died in your place, if you
know that not, if you've lived your life seeking your own things
and never thought of Him, if He remains an unknown God to
you, then he will say depart from me ye worker of iniquity,
I never knew you. No matter how many Lord, Lord
you say, no matter what you say you did in his name, if he's
an unknown God to you, if this sovereign God, if this free grace
of Christ in salvation is foreign to you, then you will depart
into darkness, into a winter and a death from which there
is no escape. Now in this world, summer and
winter, summer and winter, come and go, come and go, a constant
reminder of our need of light and our need to be delivered
from the darkness. There comes a time when the light
will be divided from darkness forevermore. when there will
be those who dwell in light and will never return to darkness,
and those who dwell in darkness and will never enter into the
light. Now is the day of salvation. Now is the time when you see
the passing of the seasons, when you see the signs, when you hear
the gospel. Now is the time when the light
shines in the darkness. And that light is Christ, the
Son of God, the God who to many was once unknown. Do you know
Him? Do you know him? That light has
shone and the people which sat in darkness saw great light,
Matthew records. Christ came a light into the
world that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. Have you seen him? Will you see
him on that last day? Will you stand before that man
who stands in glory with five wounds, two in his hands, two
in his feet, one in his side? Will you be able to say of him
once, to me, thou wast an unknown God, but now to me, because one
came unto me. when I knew him not, and declared
you unto me, now to me, Lord, thou art my Lord and my Saviour,
mine everlasting God, the Lord Jesus Christ. And I praise thee
forevermore. Will you say that? Amen.