Peter Brandon emphasizes three essential facts of being a Christian: receiving Christ as your sin bearer, savior, and sovereign. He illustrates the concept of Christ's sacrifice through a powerful story about a prince and his mother, highlighting the depth of God's love and justice. Brandon stresses the importance of not only accepting Jesus as savior but also recognizing Him as the Lord of one's life, urging the congregation to embrace repentance and a transformative relationship with Christ. He concludes by encouraging individuals to respond to God's call and receive Jesus wholeheartedly.

Now what I'm going to do tonight is to read the scriptures and then I'm going to give a demonstration of what it means to be a Christian and then I want to give three facts about receiving Christ. And I think the service will be over just after half past. Now I'm going to read from John 1. If you haven't got a bible I shall read it as correctly as I can. John 1 and we'll read from verse 1. John 1 reading from verse 1. 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 light shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. The same came for a witness to bear witness of the light that all men through him might believe. He was not that light but was sent to bear witness of that light. That was the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world and the world was made by him and the world knew him not. He came unto his own and his own received him not. But as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on his name. Which were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God. Now God will bless to us the reading of that word. Now I wonder if Jonathan would come up. Now in the first few words I'll preach on just for a few moments is the one that I read in verse 12. As many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God. Now I believe in meetings like this the spirit of God comes very close to the congregation and I believe I can say this from my heart and I'm not imposing my will in this present in this hall tonight there is the very presence of God. And I believe as you are sitting there already you are beginning to realize the closeness of Jesus Christ and there comes a moment in your life when the Lord comes to you and he wants you to do three things. He wants you to receive him as your sin bearer, your savior and your sovereign. Now what does it mean sin bearer? In our country there was a brilliant surgeon whose name was Professor Rendall Short and for two years he worked in the heart of Africa at the end of his surgery life and he came back to Westminster and there were 3,500 people there and he told a story that I want to relate to you that shook 3,500 people. He said he met a chief and he was a prince who did not know how wealthy he was and all his wealth was in ivory, diamonds, gold, bronze and so on. And one day there came a man to him that was I suppose a primitive accountant that he had and said that two of his best diamonds were stolen and he sent out his old town criers and they went through the town saying that the culprit court would be beaten with 30 rods that was to the point of death but they couldn't find the culprit. A few days later five of his best diamonds were stolen amounting to thousands of pounds. Again he called these primitive compound criers and they went throughout the compound breathing out threatening and slaughter telling the culprits that he would be beaten with 30 rods. Then he lost his best diamond and someone said to him it's someone in your house and so he brought in a primitive detective and his job was to serve at his table and one day hid in the throne room where they kept the jewels and in came the prince's mother. She opened this safe, took out two diamonds and was apprehended. The news was leaked out and all the compounds were discussing this. If one of us had been guilty and we stood before him we would be beaten with 30 rods. What will he do to his own mother? Would he be just? Well they said if he's just he's not very loving. Well if he's loving he's not just and thousands assembled to hear the case. Unfortunately for the prince the mother stepped forward and she confessed that she had stolen all the diamonds and she let out where those diamonds were. What would he do? And it took him five minutes to make up his mind and then to the surprise of the whole of the court he sent his mother to the post of beating and they all whispered just, just. Now dear friends Griffiths if you die in your sins the wages of sin is death and that is eternal separation from God and that's a tragedy and that's why you must be saved because we've all sinned and that's the judgment. Then all of a sudden they watched the prince and he started to disrobe until his back was bare and then he walked down from the very place where he found his mother guilty. He went to the post of beating pushed aside his mother and said to the men that were going to administer the judgment tie my hands they wouldn't do it and this is what he said. I made that law I'm going to fulfill it tie my hands and they did and the mother stood by her son and every rod that cracked over his back she was heard to say for me, for me, for me and when the 29th rod hit him his back was broken his spine was cut and he was dead. The mother fell on him apologizing weeping it was too late he was dead. When Jesus Christ died on that cross the judgment that should have come upon us came upon him and when he said finished the work was done but there's a difference. The mother wept over her son but he was dead. God has raised him from the dead and you can go and weep at his feet now and ask God to forgive you for your sins but we need something more. A young man came to me and I shall never forget this I'm not going into the details it's too sordid he was only 21 had three good a-levels and when I looked at him I knew he was finished he was hard on heroing not long ago may I say this to young people I have seen hundreds spoiled by sin I've never seen Jesus and that boy came to me with a trembling hand and he said mister I would like to have my sins forgiven but how could I live this life how could I get off the needle how could I stop smoking how could I stop drinking you see the problem well he needs a daily saviour. You know years ago in London when you went to school everybody had to have a basin of art and there was one fella called Johnson and he was a wizard at maths but hopeless at art he never even had a gene that was called art in him and when he lined up to go into the art class it was always a nightmare hated it he got in the classroom and he used to try and get right at the back so that no one would see his masterpiece and then they were all told to paint a rose and the moment he grabbed hold of the paintbrush he was holding it like a cricket bat he hadn't a chance and he started to paint the intensity was so great that the perspiration was falling from his forehead and then it smudged his work and stupidly he got his elbow and did that and a hole went in the paper and after 24 minutes of struggling and striving he threw down the brush and he didn't know the art master was watching the pantomime and he slapped him on the shoulder and said Johnson you're absolutely hopeless he looked up rather afraid and said a greeter he said what are you going to do with that he grabbed it into the smallest ball he could find went out in the front and threw it in the waste paper basket he didn't say this out loud but he said hooray glad to see the back of it there comes a time in your life when you go into the presence of god and you say lord i can't make it i'm a poor loss you must help me right says the art master get a new piece of paper and he did a brand new piece of white paper it looked lovely now he said clean those paints and he did he said that's awkward enough for me and so he had to clean them now he said take that piece of white paper up clean the desk and he did and when there was a new piece of paper and everything clean he started now that's what god wants to do in your life he wants to cleanse your life from all sin through the precious blood of christ and he wants to give you a new life entirely and put the holy spirit within you right he says take hold of the brush not like that laddie hold it like this he did and then he slipped his hand over his and they started to paint a rose and the boy couldn't believe it his eyes nearly popped out on his cheeks he saw a rose coming no longer was it like the world in its chaotic state it was now a rose he couldn't believe it it was wonderful then the art master said laddie let your hand go limp let it go like a piece of wet fish he knew that language and he gave himself completely to the art master and then he finished the painting you see the art master was painting through him now please note this when you become a christian he removes your sin through his death now watch this into your life comes the holy spirit and jesus relives his life in you think through your mind sees through your eyes speaks with your lips serves through your hand it's christ living in your life you says where's your scripture for this here it is i am crucified with christ said the apostle nevertheless i live yet not i but christ liveth in me and it's christ reliving his life in you he asked the art master could he take it home he said yes so when the art master had gone craftily he put his name underneath and then and when he got home they had an old-fashioned mantelpiece you don't see them now i can't explain it to you all made of wood and he stuck it with a pin right on this wooden panel his mother was at work to keep him at school he had lost his father and he was doing his sums or some algebra matter of fact and in came mum now she was a typical cockney lady and she looked at him and she looked at that painting and you know what mums are she went up slowly and looked at it and smiled and saw his name and she liar he said what do you mean you didn't paint it i did she looked did you hold the brush yeah did you put the brush to the paper yeah well she said the days of miracles are not over ah but he said i've told a lie it was the art master doing it through me what do you mean through you well he held my hand and did it through me and that's what christ can do with a life relive his life through you lastly and with this i close we must receive him as sovereign now i do want to make this clear it's a wise thing to know where you're going and it's a wise thing to know that if you die in your sins you will die away from god and i want to say this with all the love that god can give me there is a hell but my dear friends i must say this just to get saved from hell is not sufficient there must be repentance and what is repentance it means this i turn to god from my sins or put it in other language where filth and sin reigns jesus christ reigns now could i say something in love that's hard there are some christians and they just go once the church on sunday morning and they think they're saved because of that the rest of the week they please themselves you'll never get to heaven like that that's total deception when a person is going to be a christian he makes jesus savior and sovereign and may i say this is the best master you could have we were having a mission in eggsmouth in devon and the lady stopped behind a very wealthy lady very fashionable lady and she said i've been every night as you know yes i said it's been very nice to see you and i would like to be saved that's lovely language so i was just going to ask the lady to pray and i said no there's one more thing i must ask before you have faith there must be repentance and that means instead of you being lord of your life jesus must be lord and you know what she said i make him savior but i can't make him lord well i said madam you can never be a christian like that unfortunately she got up and went out and i was very disturbed about two years later i was back in eggsmouth and i was having a meeting in a house and the room was packed and i didn't see all the people that were there but when they all left suddenly this lady came from behind the door and who should it be the lady i had spoken to two years ago who wouldn't accept so she said are the terms the same i said madam when that book changes the terms will change and then i read her a scripture if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the lord jesus and shalt believe in thine heart god hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved it's confessing him as savior and lord now i said i'm not going to argue i gave her a slip of paper and on that paper i put three words not so lord and then a line of demarcation now i said if it's going to be just savior cross out the word lord if it's going to be savior and lord cross out the word not so and i told her where it was found that lady in whose house the meeting was on was mrs german and i said quick let's pray there's a woman right near the kingdom and we really laid hold on god bring her right through lord and when i got into the room it was as though the light of heaven was there she had obliterated the word not so and she left the word lord and she got down on her knees and this is what she said lord lord lord save me and she was gloriously saved wouldn't it be lovely if someone did that to you know we mustn't now put natural pressure but i believe that the lord is in this building and i believe he's come to two or three people tonight don't miss this opportunity he's standing at the door knocking receive him now as your savior and lord