The first of a series of special messages based upon Ezekiel 22:30-31.

(This series was preached on Lord's Day evenings, February 8th to March 1st 1998. Events have moved on since then but the diagnosis remains accurate though the disease has advanced and the patient is in greater need than ever.)

The final consequences of sin in the life of an individual is eternal damnation. Sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death, James 1:15.

The preaching of the gospel is God's means of saving sinners from such an eternal fate. The sinner must be told plainly of his sin and the wrath of God that will surely fall upon him.

The consequences of sin in the nation is exactly the same -- judgment. Likewise, the same cure must be applied. The gospel must be proclaimed if disaster is to be averted. It is the same message with a broader application. The same process of informing the offender is to be followed.

This line of preaching is very much neglected.

Tonight we commence a brief series of messages based upon Eze 22:30-31.

We start with God's diagnosis of Ulster's troubles. Sin, just like physical disease, has its pattern of development. When once it penetrates society through some weakness or wound, it then strikes for the heart. Its pattern is clear in this chapter.