In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the power of the gospel of Christ to release people from their chains. He explains that the gospel shines through preaching and sets an example for others to follow. The preacher also highlights the role of God in bringing light into the darkness and how the devil blinds the minds of those who do not believe. The sermon concludes with a discussion of the attributes of Jesus as described in the book of Revelation.

You'll find an authorized version of the Holy Scriptures in front of you in the future. Pick it up and turn to the New Testament, to 2 Corinthians chapter 4, the fourth chapter of Paul's second epistle to the Church of Corinth. 2 Corinthians chapter 4 Therefore seeing we of this ministry, as we have received mercy, we think not, but have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, not handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth, commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them, in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants, for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed. We are perplexed, but not in despair. Persecuted, but not forsaken. Cast down, but not. Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then, death worketh in us, but life in you. We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believe, and therefore have I spoken, we also believe and therefore speak. Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many return to the glory of God. For which cause we faint not, but though our outward man perish, yet our inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. For we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. And God will stamp with his own divine seed of blessing this reading from the everlasting word that came directly from his lips. God bless his holy word this night. Open your Bible at the fourth chapter of 2 Corinthians, verse 3. But if our gospel be hid, can the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ be hid? Yes it can. It is hid to them that are lost. How many people, how many people have the gospel hidden from them? All who are lost, in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. There are some things in these two texts of scripture we would do very well to. First of all, we have a revelation of the false god, verse 4. In whom the God of this world, the God of this world. The revelation of the false god. But we not only have the revelation of the false god, but we have the work, the tactic, the strategy of the false god. To blind of them, to hide the gospel of Christ, lest the light of the people. So we have the tactic of the false god made clear. And the aim of the false god made crystal clear. To blot out the light of the glorious gospel of Christ. But over against the revelation of the false god, there is a revelation. And you will find that that is written in these words, Christ who is the image of God. God cannot be seen, but Christ. The word became flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld his glory. Over against the false god of this world stands Jesus Christ, who is the image of the true God. And he is the one who shall, he is the sunrise in the night. He is the dispeller of evil. I want to look at these points with you tonight. First of all, the false god. Do we live every day with the clear vision that all of the falsehood in this world is controlled by the false god of this world? Are we aware that everything that is stumped with falsehood is the product of the devil? That all false religions in the world are all the production of the devil? Are we aware that all false doctrine in the world is a production of the devil? The devil is a mighty force. He is a real person. He once was the most wonderful cherubim that shadowed God's everlasting throne. He was different from all others because God made him different. Read Isaiah, read the book of Ezekiel, and you'll find out the mystery of this person who is now through us in the false god of the world. He does not have all power, but he has mighty power. He is not omnipresent. He's not everywhere present. He can only be present at a certain place. Just like a human being, he is limited. He's not only not omnipotent and not omnipresent, but he's not omniscient. He's not all wise. In fact, any wisdom he had is now twisted by his twisted personality and his twisting in sin against God. But he is the god of this world. He's very busy, and he works to do something. Look at verse 4. The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not. Please note the tenet. It doesn't say he will blind, but he has accomplished it. He has blinded the minds. If you're in this meeting tonight, and you walk the path to hell. You go down the broad road. Every step takes you farther from heaven and nearer to hell. And you don't know it. God hath blinded the minds of them that believe not. You're in a blinded state. Religion cannot help you. Baptism cannot help you. Joining the church cannot help you. Being a protestant can't help you. Being orthodox in doctrine can't help you. There's only one person who can help you, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. He's the only one who can dispel the darkness of the false god. The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not. If our gospel is hid, it is hid to those that are lost. Think of that. That the devil has the power to hide the greatest message, the greatest truth, the greatest doctrine from poor loss. He can hide the only thing that can save them. The only power that can release them from their chains. But they have been blinded. He's hid from them. So we need to... But Christ has chosen a method for the enlightenment of sinners. And that method is the light of the glorious gospel of Christ shining onto them. And how does the gospel of Christ shine? It shines by being preached. And it shines by being a Christian who has been transformed, giving an example to all who see him. That there has been a change, a miracle wrought in his heart. That all things have passed away, and all things have become new. Look at verse 6. For God who commanded the light to shine. That was in the day of creation. And in that dark day when all was in chaos. And when all was a great deep unfathomable. And all was intense darkness. God said, light be. God has shined into the heart of every man and woman who are saved by his light. And what does it shine? Of the knowledge of the glory of God. Have you ever wondered that word? That scripture could have read many other ways. The knowledge of the glory of God in the person. The knowledge of the glory of God in the word of Jesus Christ. The gospel of the glory of God in the face of Jesus. Why is that? Have you ever asked yourself that? There is of course a reason. Because he's quoting. He's quoting from the miracle of creation in Genesis 1. Go back to Genesis 1. And when you go back to Genesis chapter 1. You will read this. You will read that the earth was without form and void. And darkness was upon what? The face of the deep. And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the water. And then God said, let there be light. And there was light. And the light of course was Christ himself. If you study the early chapters of the book of Genesis. You'll be struck with the many times the word peace occurred. Thank God, way back there in that first chapter. We read of the great facelift that God gave the world. Lifting it from the depths of chaos to that great creation. That he himself pronounced was very good. But there is a greater face than the face of creation. And that is the face of our Lord Jesus Christ. You read the scriptures. You'll find many facts given in the scriptures about the face of Jesus. Take down a concordance when you go home. And look at the many times we read of the face of Jesus. Of his eyes that lit upon the people. Of his mouth that spoke words so sweet and so savingly to sinful man. The transforming face of Jesus. There's not one in this meeting who is saved by grace. That cannot say, I've seen the face of Jesus. He smiles in love on me. Oh, the look of love that comes from the face of Jesus. And if you turn over with me to the last book of the Bible. And the last book of the Bible is a wonderful book. Let me tell you something that I saw this week in the Bible. I saw that the first two chapters of the Bible had no mention of the devil. And the last two chapters of the Bible had no mention of the devil. For this book, thank God has destroyed the devil. And destroyed all his works. You come into the book and there's no devil in chapters one and two of Genesis. Thank God there's no devil in the last two chapters of the book of the Revelation. This is a great book. It destroys the devil's works. Feeds back the powers of hell. And Satan trembles at the name of him in whom we dwell. Turn over to Revelation. At the chapter one. And you will find in Revelation chapter one. The looks, the look of Jesus. Notice that in verse five, he is the faithful witness. In verse five of chapter one, he's the first begotten of the dead. Verse five of chapter one, he's the prince of the kings of the earth. In verse six, he has made us kings and priests unto God and his Father. In verse seven, everybody is going to see him in the last dread judgment day. The ungodly who never saw him, they're going to see him. It says, every eye they shall see his face. And then we come down a little farther. And we read of his face. Verse fourteen. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were as a flame of fire. The face of Jesus. But then turn with me over in the book of Revelation. And you'll get another vision of the Lord. How different it is. I saw a great white throne. Twentieth chapter of the book of the Revelation, verse eleven. And him let sacrament from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place. Are you going to flee away on the judgment day? And there'll be no place found for you upon the earth. And no place in the aerial heaven. For they will be wrapped up as a scroll. And the only place for the damned soul that will be in your soul. Will be in hell forever. That is what the God of this world wants to keep you from considering. He wants to hide from you the fact. That by the gospel of Christ. You can be gloriously saved. And delivered from the wrath that is to come. So Paul says. We preach not ourselves. Christ Jesus the Lord. And ourselves your servants. And he goes on to tell about his experience. He's troubled. But not despair. He is perplexed. He's not in despair. He's persecuted. But he's not forsaken. But not destroyed. Always bearing about him. You see the death of Christ. From his wounds. Their flow. And everything you need sinner. To save your soul. And bring you to heaven. He can conquer the devil. And he can bring your thoughts of tonight. He'll bring your fears. That you'll leave the faith in God. You'll turn away from the blindness. And you'll turn in with healing. May it be so. For Jesus' sake. Let's bow our heads in prayer. Heavenly Father. We pray that thy words bless thy word. We pray that thy words enlighten sinners. And we pray that they may come. To the broad light. The glorious light. The immortality of the gospel. Let them not perish. Saved by your grace. Bless us as we remain to pray. And visit us with thy power. For Jesus' sake. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. And the love of God. And the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Rest and remain. And abide with you all. Now and forever more. Amen. We will have a five minute break. And then we will start our primitive. Do you remember the boxes at the door? Those boxes are for your gifts. For our churches. In the south of Ireland. And also in the rest of the United Kingdom. So remember that missionary offering. And God bless you. And let as many as can stay. For this time of prayer. Amen. And Amen.