The Light of the World — Ian Paisley

Join us now for the Chapel Hour, coming to you from the campus of Bob Jones University. Today's message was preached during the 2006 Bible Conference. Following the introduction by Dr. Bob Jones III, our speaker will be Dr. Ian Paisley, pastor of Martyrs Memorial Free Presbyterian Church in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

The title of his message is, The Declaration of Jesus Christ, the Light of the World. The text is from 1 John 1, verse 5.

Dr. Paisley is a living example of the scriptural truth which says, When a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. Those of you that are younger here would have a hard time understanding just how many enemies Dr. Paisley has spent his life confronting.

My father went over to a prison in Belfast to confer an honorary degree upon Dr. Paisley in the 1960s. They became lifelong friends. Soul brothers, if you will. Dr. Paisley was one of the preachers at Dad's funeral in 1997.

He came all the way over for that. Never forget his kindness that the family experienced at that time by his coming. When he first began his ministry in politics, and it is a ministry, and it would be hard for us on this side of the ocean not understanding the dynamics of Ulster, his country, Northern Ireland, and its history of breaking off from the south of Ireland, becoming a part of the British Empire and all of that, to understand how the ministry of the gospel and the ministry of politics is so intertwined in his country.

Time would never permit me, nor does my understanding permit me, to fully explain that or understand it. But I've seen it at work, and I've admired this man's capacity, God-given capacity, God-given gifts, to mesh those two, to never lose sight of the priority that it's all ministry, it's all about his representation of Christ, it's all about the gospel of Jesus Christ.

And I can tell you from years of privilege of knowing this man intimately, there is nobody on earth that loves the souls of men more than Dr. Ian Paisnick. I have watched him witness to people that he has no more than 90 seconds of conversation with and inquire about their soul.

I don't know a personal soul winner in all the world more diligent than he is. I don't know a more gifted preacher of the gospel than he is. I remember one time years ago, I was over for his Easter convention, privileged to preach there at that, and he, representing a large constituency of both Protestant and Catholic in Northern Ireland, had received a letter from a lady who felt like she was not getting the pension benefits that she was entitled to as a veteran's wife.

And he was trying to find her home and assure her that he would take care of this and be sure that she had her needs met. And we were riding in the car up and down country roads, and the driver would get out and try to find the house.

No, that's not the right one. We spent probably two hours riding up and down roads trying to find her house. Finally, he found her house. He went to her door, spent about three or four minutes with her, got back in the car, said it's attended to.

She was greatly relieved. And the whole time between those attempts to find her house, he had a text on his mind that he had to preach on the next day at the Easter convention. He said, I know this is what I'm supposed to preach on, but I don't know what to say about it.

I just can't seem to get it. And we got back to his church and he said, now there's a book here that's going to help me. And he has many offices and they're all laden with books. We put wallpaper on our walls.

He puts books instead of wallpaper on his walls. Thousands and thousands of books. And he went through this one office. There had to be probably 3 ,000 books in that office. And he was going around. He said, I know it's here.

I think it's in this volume. I think it's on page 243. And he opened it up. Yeah, here it is. He took it to his secretary. He said, type this for me. I need this for tomorrow. Uniquely best of God. Unique mind.

Unique spirit. Unique gifts and capacities. God knew what was needed for the task that would be before this man. And so he created this when the life was formed. I've never seen a man more interested in giving God the glory for all things than Dr. Ian Pace.

He served 25 years in the European Parliament. Gave that seat up a few years ago because he had now more duties than ever in Northern Ireland and in the British government. 25 years in the European Parliament.

Once the Pope came to address the Parliament. He stood up and protested with a big sign about the Pope being the Antichrist. He got kicked. He got beaten. They dragged him out of the session. He was trying to honor the Lord.

Tell the truth. When he first went to the Parliament at Westminster, the British Parliament, 35 years ago. That's how long he served in British government. When he would walk down the halls, he was so despised that his fellow legislators, parliamentarians, would spit on the floor at his feet as he walked by.

But he stayed with his convictions. He was kind. He was gentle. He was sweet. He was forceful. He was adamant about what was true and right. And he eloquently persuaded others to his position. Today, he heads up the largest party of Northern Ireland.

One of the largest parties in the British Parliament. He has received honors because of that position. His positions that he has espoused through all these years, which the British press lampooned, people ridiculed, the Prime Minister of Britain ridiculed, the Prime Minister of the South of Ireland ridiculed.

Now they've all embraced his position that we cannot sit in government with a terrorist party. The Sinn Féin must not sit in our government until they disarm. Very reasonable and simple position. It should be straightforward.

But it was despised for years. Now they all have taken up that mantra. He meets on a regular basis with Prime Minister Tony Blair now as the leader of his party several times a month. Just in the last few weeks, the Queen of England appointed him to her Privy Council.

It's a group of people. It's an honorary position for life where the Queen says, I need you to be an advisor to me. It's called the Queen's Own Council. A handful of people that meet with her on matters of state and security and all of that sort of thing.

How greatly the Lord has made his enemies to be at peace with him. When he returns home within a few days of their arrival there, Mrs. Paisley will be inducted into the House of Lords in London. The Lord has made his enemies to be at peace with him.

But all of those political things he described to me a few months ago when I was over there, just baubles. He said, Bob, they're just baubles. He said they don't mean a thing. They're just opportunities for the gospel.

So it's my great privilege to welcome back after about five years of not being able to come due to health matters or to matters of state. Dr. Paisley, Mrs. Paisley, his wife, Eileen, we're so privileged to have them.

Of course, Kyle, wonderful preacher of the word. And he has another son, Ian, Kyle's twin. He has daughters, Sharon and Cherith, and his daughter Rhonda, who's a graduate of this institution. Dr. Paisley was ordained into the ministry in 1946.

For 60 years has been pastor of the Martyrs Memorial Free Presbyterian Church in Belfast and is the moderator of the Free Presbyterian Church worldwide.

The Apostolic Witness to the Word of Life

Please open your Bibles at the first chapter of the first epistle of John. John's first epistle at the chapter one. That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the word of life.

For the life was manifested and we have seen it and bear witness and show unto you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested unto us. That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you that ye also may have fellowship with us.

And truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you that your joy may be full. This then is the message which we have heard of him and declare unto you that God is light and in him is no darkness at all.

And God will bless the reading from his very own infallible book. Let's stand for prayer together. I take the promised Holy Ghost. The blessed power of Pentecost to fill me to the uttermost. I take. Thank God you undertake for me.

The Certainty of God's Revealed Message

And the people of God said, Amen. You may be seated. While praying for God's message for this service, my mind was directed by the Spirit of God to the fifth verse of this first chapter of 1 John. This then is the message which we have heard of him and declare unto you that God is light and in him is no darkness at all.

There is absolutely no uncertainty here, no hesitancy here, no apology here about God's revealed and God's imparted message. This then is the message. Today, of course, is a day of religious doubt and ecclesiastical uncertainty.

But there's no uncertainty in the book of God. It stands forever sure. And when all of the things that you see with your eye pass away, the heavens and the earth, there's one thing that will not pass away and it's this book.

Christ's Protest Against Religious Corruption

This book shall live on and on. Why? Because the breath of the eternal God is upon it. And you cannot kill the breath of God. And God lives forever. And because Jesus lives, we shall live forever. Now, you may have noticed that when the Lord Jesus Christ was upon this earth, he made two notable protests in the religious world.

One was at the beginning of his ministry and the other was at the end of his ministry. And those two protests were two great public protests at the temple at Jerusalem. What happened? Christ saw that a great principle had been violated in the religious world and that God's house, the Father's house, had been changed from a house of prayer to a house of merchandise.

Note how deep was Christ's indignation on both these occasions. Nothing in all his ministry provoked him to such anger and such a display of holy wrath. He actually ejected by force those who were profaning God's house by polluting it from being a house of prayer and making it a place of merchandise and making its altars counters for the coins of their covetousness.

Could I say to you today, as Christ began his ministry, so he ended it. And when the end came, he cleansed the temple for the second time. God keep us true to the last day of our ministry. We had an old preacher in our country who was a great revivalist and I many times knelt with him for nights of prayer.

And I used to tremble. He used to pray this prayer. He said, Lord, if I should compromise, I have just one thing to ask you. Kill me, put me in the coffin, bury me before I disgrace your name. And I was kneeling there and I would tremble.

My friend, we need to be prepared to say to the Lord, we will finish as we began. There may be misunderstanding of our position, it matters not. The world and its crowds may scoff, an evil man may rise up against us.

And our friends may say of us, as they said of Christ, we are beside ourselves. But we have got to finish as we began. The glory of Christ, the honor of the blessed Son of God must take preeminence. It matters not what men do with our bodies.

The Message Emphasized: God Has Spoken

It only matters that we are faithful unto death and Christ will give us a crown of life. Now, if you look with me at my text, you will notice there are five things that we need to consider. First of all, consider the message emphasized.

This, then, is the message. The revealed message of God is not a matter for theological debate or for doctrinal dispute. Neither is it a matter for dialogue or for discussion or even argument. The debate is over.

The dispute has ended. The dialogue has fizzled out. The discussion is terminated. All the arguments are silenced. God has spoken. And that's the end, not the beginning. That's the end. He's finished His revelation and it standeth forever.

It is real. This message that I'm preaching to you today is real. It is definite. It has been unwrapped. God, who at sundry times and at divers manners speak unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken to us by His Son.

God's ultimatum is His Son. God has spoken His final word. God has said to this world, Christ, He cannot be added to. Nothing can be taken from Him. He is the same yesterday. He's the same today. He's the same forever.

What a wonderful Savior is Jesus, my Jesus. What a wonderful Savior is Jesus, my Lord. God's final word to this world of ignorance is Christ. He is the wisdom of God. God's final word to the world that bears the marks of damnation is Christ, the Savior from God.

He sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. God's final word to the world of folly is Christ, the light of God. To the world of death, Christ, the life of God. To the world of weakness, Christ, the power of God.

God's final word to this world is not the church. Thank God it is Christ. It is not a system of doctrine. It is the Savior who saves all dynasties of sinners by the power of the blood of redemption. And thank God there's power in the blood of the Lamb to cleanse us from sin and make us righteous in God's sight.

God's final word to the world is the person of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who coveted Himself in eternity to be the surety of His people. Yes, Christ, who in time was made in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh, who incarnated Himself in human flesh, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

The Lord Jesus Christ not only became flesh, but He went to Calvary and there was crucified for us upon the cross of Sheol. When He died, He descended into hell. When He died, His body was left in the tomb for three days and three nights.

But on the day of resurrection, He left the tomb. He discarded the grave clothes for He's the living Christ and He lives forevermore. And He has the keys of hell and of death. And if He's your friend, He'll never open the door of hell and put you into hell.

He has the keys. I'm glad it's not the Pope has the keys. I'm glad it's Christ has the keys. There'd be no hope for me if He had the keys. He has ascended to heaven. You know what He's doing now? He's praying for us.

Before you woke up, He mentioned your name at His Father's throne. What a wonderful intercessor is the blessed Son of God. And one day, glorious day, He's coming for us. The heavens will glow with splendor, but brighter far than they.

The saints shall shine in rapture as Christ shall ever reign. And the beauty of the Savior will dazzle every eye. For the crowning day is coming by and by. Dear friend, are you ready? Are you blood-washed?

Heaven-born and heaven-bound? If not, you can be saved now. You don't need to remain to the appeal. Christ is appealing to you to come. His arms are outstretched. His nail-pierced hands show that He is the Christ who suffered for you and bled for you and died for you.

Come to Him today, wherever you are, sinner. Among this great number in this house today, wherever you are, call upon Him. Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. There's not any doubt about it.

It's a fact. I remember the day I called and thanked God, save me and save me eternally and forever. Oh, the wonder of God's salvation. You can experience it today. We've been talking about birthdays.

You can have the greatest possible birthday today. You can be born into the family of God. Let us make up our minds today that we're going to confess Christ. We're going to contend for Christ. We're going to defend Christ.

We're going to proclaim Christ. We're going to exalt Christ. We're going to crown Him Lord of all. This is the message. And the message is emphasized. This is a message Christ alone. Not Christ divided, but Christ united.

Not Christ plus something, but Christ alone. Not Christ interpreted by the scholars, but Christ alone as revealed in the scriptures. Not Christ minus anything, but Christ alone. Not Christ of the denominational way, but Christ the only way.

Not Christ by many ways, but Christ the only way. Not Christ of diverse creeds, but Christ who Himself is incarnate truth. Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be seen.

The Gospel Energized by Christ Himself

Let me emphasize a second thought. This message must be energized. Not only emphasized, it must be energized, which we have heard of Him. The message, the only message, the only seeming message, must not only be emphasized, but must be energized.

Please note, the speaker of this message, to our hearts, is Christ Himself. That's what energizes the word of the gospel. Christ speaking Himself to the heart. This is the miracle of preaching. That a preacher takes up the word of God and opens up the text of Holy Scripture, and Christ takes His own precious word, and Christ speaks it to the heart.

That's when the work of grace and God is done. How shall they hear without a preacher? And who is the preacher? Christ Himself. And when Christ preaches the message, there will be a response. Oh, that we may have in our ministry Christ preaching His gospel through our lips and by our words.

Notice how this is stressed in this whole first chapter of the first epistle. And if we see the personal relationship of Christ, we have heard Him, we have seen Him with our eyes, we have looked upon Him, our hands have handled of the word of life.

Jesus draws nearer and shows Himself as the message is preached. That's what energizes the message. That which is from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, and looked upon, and our eyes have handled of the word of truth.

Notice the hearing comes first. Christ must speak to the sinner personally. Moreover, the one who hears must be able to confirm that their eye of faith has seen the Savior. They have looked upon Him and their hands have handled of the word of life.

What a day that was when we first saw Him with the eye of faith. The beautiful and blessed Son of God. It was Samuel Rutherford, the old Scottish covenant preacher, who said, I love Christ. I love Him in the garments of glory and beauty.

I love Him especially when He wears the red vesture of the cross. And please remember when He comes again, He will be wearing the red vesture of the cross. For the one who arrives in glory and comes back to this earth has a vesture dipped with blood.

There's one thing that can never be separated from Christ, and that is His precious blood. The blood of Christ is tied into the person of the only Redeemer of God's elect people. Oh, the wonderful Savior.

The beauty of the Son of God. And do you know that when this energized word is spoken, miracles start to happen. I was singing of that old prophet, Nebelum. And you remember he rode his ass to go and disobey God.

And there was an angel met in the way. And he didn't see the angel, but the ass saw the angel. And the ass pushed him into the wall. And Nebelum was very angry. But Peter tells us in his epistle that the dumb ass rebuked the madness of the prophet.

And oh, when Jesus appears, the madness of false prophets are rebuked. When Jesus energizes the gospel in an area with a gospel preacher, things start to happen. You can't have quietness when Christ appears to win men and women into His kingdom.

The devil will be mad. Don't worry about the madness of the devil. I'm always glad when the devil's mad. I'm always worried when everything's peaceful and still. God hasn't called us to a peaceful ministry.

God has called us to battle, to strife, to the war of God. May the Lord help us to see that this message is energized by Christ. That we'll be preachers of Christ. Presenters of Christ. Soldiers of Christ.

Preaching as God's Ordained Method of Salvation

But look again at the text and you will find that the message not only needs to be emphasized and energized, but it needs to be exercised. How is this message exercised? It's exercised by it being declared unto you.

Look at what it says. This then is the message which we have heard of Him and declare unto you. You know what we want today in the church? We want a race of preachers. The church doesn't need more scholars, more philosophers, more geniuses.

It needs more old-fashioned Bible preachers. Men of the book that will take this word and make its message ring everywhere in the area. Everywhere must be told by the preacher the way of life. God has set His method.

God has not changed His method. God has ordained through the foolishness of preaching, man and woman will be seen. The passing of the Dageans, the passing of centuries, the passing of millenniums make no change in God's ordained method of saving people.

They're saved by the preaching of the gospel. When you have time, go home and read the first chapter of Romans and then the first chapter of 1 Corinthians. And you will notice that the gospel is interchanged in those chapters with the preaching of the gospel.

The gospel is called the power of God. The preaching of the gospel is called the power of God. You can't sever it, the gospel, from its preaching. The gospel has to be preached. God Almighty is looking for a race of preachers today.

And the best thing you can do, my friend, is pray for your minister that he'll be a real preacher of the word. Someone said to John Wesley one day, we have a preacher and he's no good. He's no good. And the old founder of Methodism said, dear lady, pray him on fire and the whole neighborhood will come out to see him burning.

Now, we need to get that fire back into the pulpits of our land. And there's many young men before me in this congregation. Don't choose second best young man. Ask God, it is His will to make you a preacher of the gospel.

But I'm asked to sign what I am when I'm getting an official form filled that you always put preacher of the gospel. That's what I am. I'm a preacher. I may preach from my seat at Westminster, but I'm still preaching.

The St. Paisley camp, they can't shut them up. The other night I was in the presence of the Queen's husband, and he said, you never stop, Paisley, you never stop. I have no intention of stopping. Why should I stop?

I have the best possible message. I serve the best possible master. I have the best possible joy in my heart. Nobody's going to shut me up. I'm going to shout it. I'm going to proclaim it. I'm going to live it.

I'm going to fight for it. And if needs be by the grace of God, I'll die for it. My friends, we need back to the old time preaching. And we need man to preach. Wanted man to preach the Word of God. God is in a quest in this congregation for young men to go and preach His Word.

Not in the words that man's wisdom teacheth, but in the power and in the demonstration of the Spirit of God. Men who will be a living testimony in their own bodies, in their own spirits, in their own lives, that what they're preaching is truth.

For it has changed them. It has transformed them. It has made them new creatures in Christ. The old things have passed away, and behold, all things have become new. The answer to the spiritual declension that's in the church is that preaching may become the first thing that the church should be doing.

Preaching the Word of God. The answer to spiritual weakness in the church is the preaching of the gospel, which smashes tombs and sepulchers, and draws dead Lazarus alive out of the caves of death. The gospel has been the salvation of souls.

No one has been saved ever in any age of the church but by the gospel. God preached the gospel to Abraham. There must have been some sermon. I'd like to have been in to get the points on that sermon. God preached the gospel to Abraham.

God had one son, and he made him a preacher. He sent him to preach the gospel. May God help us to study the commandment. May God help us to obey the commandment. May God help us to be what we ought to be.

God Is Light, and Darkness Cannot Unite With Him

But fourthly, this message has to be epitomized. And it's summed up in these three words. God is light. God is light. The epitome of the message is simple. God is light as contrasted with fallen devils and fallen men.

They are darkness. But God is light. Let us mark first of all that between these two, there cannot be any union of any kind. Between light and darkness, there is no meeting place. There's no reconciliation.

There's no unification. They remain irreconcilably apart. When light comes, darkness goes. When darkness comes, light goes. I was struck with the words written by Dr. Bob III in the Diamond Jubilee Anniversary Hymn.

If I would turn from rebel wild a tender heart of little child, thy mighty Lord must be the light to make me wise and keep me right. The mighty Lord is the light. Oh, that we could get hold of this great truth.

God is light. God is light. You will notice that God is light and that light cannot be mixed with darkness. In 2 Corinthians chapter 6 you have six great separations. You have the separation of righteousness from unrighteousness.

You have the separation of light from darkness. You have the separation of Christ from Belial. You have the separation of belief from infidelity. And you have the separation of God from the temple of idols.

Between righteousness and unrighteousness, there's no fellowship. Between light and darkness, there's no fellowship. Between Christ and Belial, there is no fellowship. Between belief and infidelity, there is no fellowship.

Between the temple of God and the temple of idols, there is no fellowship. God is light. Separation is the order of the Holy Spirit. Partial separation is ungodly compromise. And you know what ungodly compromise is?

It's surrender by the installment system. God help us to see that separation is separation. Let's cut clean from all the accursed alliances in the religious world today. Let's stand outside the camp to bear the reproach of Christ.

Where is Jesus today? He's not in the World Council of Churches. Jesus Christ today is outside the camp. I will go unto Him without the cap bearing His reproach. Remember the first day I did a prison sentence?

The door slammed on me and the jailer took the keys and locked the door. And I sat down on a hard bed and I burst into tears. There were not tears of remorse or sorrow. There were tears of joy. And in that prison cell I met Jesus as I had never met Him before.

The one who was led as a lamb to the slaughter as a sheep before her shears is done. And I learned what it was to be outside the camp. But it's a blessed place. That's where Jesus is. You'll not find Him in the camp of apostasy.

You'll find Him outside the camp. Outside the camp is a lonely place. Outside this very wall there on thy breast let my soul ever rest. Outside the camp with thee. Let me finish. One last hymn. One last point.

The Eternal Light of God's Presence

In Him is no darkness at all. Here we have the message eternalized. God's laws are everlasting. They're immutable. They're incorruptible. They're unchangeable. Like God Himself they live and abide forever.

No change Jehovah knows. Stand with me for a moment at the gates of Pearl. Behold Emmanuel's land. Consider heaven the city of God. And you will see that heaven is eternally lit with eternal light. So is this message.

It's going to be eternalized. You turn with me in your Bibles to the 21st chapter of the book of Revelation. And you, we read there,. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it.

For the glory of God did lighten it. And the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it. And the kings of the earth to bring their glory and honor into it.

And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by night. For there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honor of nations into it. And there shall no wise enter into it anything that defileth neither whatsoever work of abomination or make of the lie.

But they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. But if you're going to be in that city, you must have the experience of verses 6 and 7 of 1st John chapter 1. You must know what it is to be cleansed by the precious blood of Christ.

Note carefully the foundation of the light. My dear brother Bob Jones Jr. used to say to me, Ian, never forget this. That it's the blood which fuels the glory. The blood that fuels the glory. Oh, may we make much of that precious blood.

Make sure you're washed in it dear sinner and you'll be healed. And make sure that you'll walk in the light of it, dear believer. And then you'll be sanctified and meet for the Master's use. May God bless His word to our hearts and make us faithful unto death and Christ will give us.

You've been listening to the chapel hour coming to you from the campus of Bob Jones University. Our speaker was Dr. Ian Paisley pastor of Martyrs Memorial Free Presbyterian Church in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

For a cassette or compact disc copy of today's message, send a check for $6 to Campus Store Bob Jones University Greenville, South Carolina 29614. Be sure to mention the name of the speaker and today's date.

The chapel hour has been sponsored by Bob Jones University.