It is always encouraging to have visitors come to our hall. On Sunday we had a nice surprise when friends from Ontario, Canada spent the day with us before they travelled onto Inverness. They heard a message about:

“It is appointed unto men once to die but after this the judgment” Hebrews 9: 27

“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, it is finished: and He bowed His head and gave up the ghost” John 19:30

“But He answered and said, It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” Matthew 4:4

‘It is appointed’ tells us of the certainty of death. Most people do not like to think or speak of death. Yet we are all very fragile. The Bible urges us to confront the day of our death, and to  ask the question, what happen afterwards? So many people do not know. Other say they will wait and see. Some think that when God reviews their life, the good they have done will outweigh the bad. Yet we do not need to be unclear as we are solemnly told that if we just continue to live as we are, after death there is the judgment!

‘It is finished’ declares the finality of the sacrifice of Christ. This is the good news that is at the heart of the Christian message. God has provided a Saviour for sinners. His Son died on the cross at Calvary. A man once asked, what must I do to inherit eternal life? So many in Bishopton are trying to do things that will earn them God’s favour. Yet what can we do for God when His Son has cried , ‘it is finished’? The work is done! All that we can do is accept what Christ has done for us. The apostle Paul’s confidence was in ‘the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me’ Galatians 2:20.

‘It is written’ underlines the authority of scripture. In this modern world there is no shortage of opinions and views about faith. But if we intend to know God and be accepted by Him, we will eventually have to acknowledge the authority of the Bible – Old Testament and New Testament. It is a very challenging book. Yet it is a book of comfort for those who find themselves in distress. Why not begin to read it?

I have just learned from Google maps that our friends from Canada travelled 5,248 km to be with us on Sunday! Most people in Bishopton and Dargavel are a few minutes walk or car journey from us. Why not come one Sunday and hear the Gospel message for your self?