Whosoever believeth, 1 John chapter
5, whosoever believeth that Jesus
is the Christ, is born of God. And every one that loveth him
that begat, loveth him also that is begotten
of him. Are you a child of God? Are you born of God? Not all men and women are. Much
of religion believes that, that we're all God's children. Our
Lord Jesus Christ plainly stated that that's not true. But the
question this morning is, are you one of God's elect? Not is everybody gotcha or not. The question is, are you? Are
you? God's people are referred to
more often than any other way in this book, you might be surprised
to learn, as the elect. The elect. Chosen of God. That's how we're identified most
often in the Word of God. Those who are chosen of God.
Are you one of God's elect? You've never seen the Lamb's
Book of Life. I know that. I haven't either. in order to see if your name
is recorded there. And God knows our frame. He knows the deception of our
hearts. He knows the insidious nature of our sin and the evil
motives and malice of the accuser of the brethren. Satan, who delights
to plant doubt in the mind of God's people, as he has from
the very beginning. That's what he did in the garden.
He planted doubt, didn't he? In the mind of God's children. And God knows the weakness of
our faith. The strongest faith is as a grain
of mustard seed, less. How do you know that, Chris?
Have you seen any mountains moving around lately? No sinner can say. Lord, I believe. But what it is appropriate to
add. Lord help. Help me because I don't believe. And our Lord loves us. You see
why I'm saying all these things. Because our Lord, knowing our
frame, knowing our enemies and what they're up to, and indeed
using them, and allowing them to do what they do, do you have any assurance? Do you know that you're a child
of God? Our Lord loves us. He would never
have us suffer needlessly. And what causes a believer to
suffer more than unbelief? Doubt. And so our Lord has given us,
here in his word, he's used his apostle, John, the disciple whom
Jesus loved. to write of his love, to write these words of assurance
by which we may know. And John wrote an entire epistle,
an entire letter to the people of God with this singular purpose. Look down in our chapter at verse
13, 1 John 5, 13, clearly stated Singular purpose these things
have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son
of God Pretty clear who he's writing to And why has he written
these things that you may know That you may know that you don't
so that you won't have to wonder So you won't have to have doubts
that So that you won't have fears about it. So that you won't be
upset and in turmoil over it. So that you might know that you
have eternal life. Not know that you're going to.
Most religious people look back to an experience and forward
to an experience. What I need to know right now
is that I have the life of God. And that you may believe on the
name of the Son of God. He just got through saying you
believe on the name of the Son of God. Yeah, and I'm writing
that you might believe. Because everybody that believes
as I said has to say Lord, I don't believe. By this verse, it's crystal clear.
Is it not who John is writing to? And why he's writing what
he's written. And the purpose which will be
accomplished by this epistle, by this word of God in the divine
providence and grace of God. Whosoever believeth that Jesus
is the Christ is born of God. And everyone that loveth him,
that begat, that word begat refers back to him saying you're born
of God. Those who love him who birthed us Love those who are born of him. Whoever believes. Let's try to
put some perspective on this. Whoever believes that a person. Is. Who he said he is. Is that right? Whoever believes that Jesus. The carpenters son. is God's
own, well-beloved, only-begotten Son. Whoever believes that the Nazarene,
that's what they call Him. Can any good thing come out of
Nazareth? That's Him. The Nazarene. Whoever believes
that the Nazarene is the Prince of Peace, if your faith, all of your faith, Whatever that
is, is in a person. Resting upon that person. Person of the Christ, God's Son,
Jesus. Then you are one of God's elect. How much faith must you have
in God the Son in order to be saved? I think that's a legitimate
question because I don't have much, do you? And so that would
cause me maybe to doubt whether I know him at all. Does that
ever cut my faith? It's so weak. I'm full of unbelief. Even my belief is full of unbelief.
How much faith do you have to have? Here's the answer to that
question. The answer to that question.
You know how much faith you have to have? All of it. All of it. But it's not much.
All of it. It doesn't matter how much it
is. All of it. Must be, must rest upon Christ. It doesn't say here you must
be a person of great faith if you have great faith in Christ,
or strong faith in Christ, or unfaltering faith in Christ.
It's simply this, do you believe on the Son of God? Do you believe
in Him? This is why our Lord asked the
man in John chapter nine, the man which was blind from his
birth. He asked him what he did because of our text. He said
there, do you believe on the Son of God? The Pharisees and
religious Jews had other questions for him, you know. Is Christ
a sinner? We know that he's a sinner. And
they asked him all these different questions. But the Son of God
had one question for him. Do you believe? Do you believe? And the man's answer is very
revealing and very instructive. Think about his answer. You know,
you remember it, don't you? He said, who is he, Lord, that
I might believe on him? You know why that's instructive?
Because those who believe spend their entire lives trying to
find out who he is, that they might believe on him. Did you
notice the last phrase in John 5.13, 1 John 5.13 when we read
it a while ago? I'm speaking to you that believe so that you
might believe. If you believe. Then you're here
this morning to find out who he is that you might believe
on him. That may help you. That may help
us. But it is faith in him. in his
faith in who he is, that he is, you notice that word, that he
is somebody, that he is the son of God. It's primarily, now we
must believe what he did, what he accomplished, it's Christ,
we preach Christ and him crucified. We trust his work, his finished
work of salvation, certainly, but what he did is what it is
because of who he is. John says in this very letter
that we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But if I do that for you, it's
not gonna help you. The fact that he laid down his
life, just the laying down of a life
isn't gonna save you, is what I'm saying. It's that he laid
down his life. And notice the word believeth. Not whosoever believed. Whosoever believeth. Right now. If you want assurance. And this
is what John. Is that what we're talking about?
John said, I wrote this so that you would know. So that you would
be confident. So you would be bold. If you want that, if you need
some assurance in this matter, don't look to a decision, don't
look to an event, don't look to an experience. It is not whosoever
believed, it's whosoever believeth. Right now, it is not did you
believe on the Son of God, it's do you believe on the Son of
God? For some years, I was a member
of a church, or so-called church, they called themselves a church
in my youth, where it was very popular and common to say, I
know that I know that I know that I know that I'm saved. They
would say that over and over again. I know that I know that
I know. And if you asked them how they know that, they would
say, because I gave my heart to Jesus. On December 4th, 1973,
I gave my heart to Jesus. Yeah, but do you believe on him
right now? The Lord never asks Did you make a decision on a
certain day? He says do you? Love me Do you believe? On the Son of God and John says
whosoever believeth Hath eternal life And I'm not suggesting that if
you ever did believe on Christ that you can ever not believe
on Him thereafter. I'm not saying that, just the
opposite. What I'm saying is if you want to know if you ever
have believed, ask yourself this, do I right now believe on the
Son of God? If I ever did, then I most certainly
do. Because the gifts and calling
of God are without repentance. And faith is God's gift. And
when He gives, He doesn't take that away. The gifts and calling
of God are without repentance, his spiritual gift. I don't trust
a past experience or a past anything or a future anything. Faith is
now. Faith is who we are now in relation
to who he is. John Newton wrote the song Amazing
Grace, how sweet the sound. that saved a wretch like me. That sounds like assurance, doesn't
it? How sweet to hear of his amazing
grace. He saved me by his grace. John
Newton also wrote this song, "'Tis a point I long to know,
and oft it causes anxious thought. Do I love the Lord or no? Am
I his or am I not? If I love, why am I thus? Why this dull and lifeless frame? Hardly sure can they be worse
who have never heard his name. Could my heart so hard remain? Prayer, a task, and burden prove. Every trifle give me pain if
I knew the Savior's love. When I turn my eyes within, All
is dark and vain and wild, filled with unbelief and sin. Can I
deem myself his child? If I pray or hear or read, sin
is mixed with all I do. You who love the Lord indeed,
tell me, is it like that with you? Yet I mourn my stubborn will.
I find my sin a grief, a thrall. Should I grieve at what I feel
if I didn't love at all? Could I joy his saints to meet
and choose the ways I once abhorred? Find at times his promise sweet
if I did not love the Lord. Lord, decide this doubtful case. Thou who art thy people's son. Shine upon thy work of grace,
if it be indeed begun. Let me love you more and more.
If I love it all, I pray. And if I have not loved before,
help me to begin the key word to the whole thing today. Do I love him today? Quit looking at your doubts.
Quit looking at your sin. Quit looking at your doubtful
case and look to the son of God right now and answer this question
in your heart. Do I believe on God? The sun. Do I believe that Jesus? The
Jesus Described in this book from the beginning. To the end. He is the woman seed in Genesis
and he is the Alpha and Omega in Revelation. And he is the
lamb, the light, the door, the life, everything in between. I want to believe on him right
now because whosoever believe it. have everlasting life. And notice, as John Newton acknowledged
in that hymn, love is vitally included in faith. We see that
in that hymn, and we see it in our verse, too, don't we? Let
me love you, Lord. Do I love you? Do I love you?
We see that in our verse. If you believe on Christ, you
love him. It's equated, they're equated
with what faith and love are equal in the verse. Do you see
that? Whosoever believeth and whosoever loves him, it's like
it's the same word. And if you love him, if you believe
on him, you love him. And if you love him, you love
his people. Verse two, by this we know that
we love the children of God. when we love God and keep his
commandments. Now loving God is always vitally
connected in the scriptures to loving his people. That's so
clear here. But remember also that loving him is also vitally
connected as here to doing what he says. Do you love indeed or just in
words? What is loving him indeed? How
can you see love? How can you do love? The number one way is you do
what he wants. How does Vicki know I love her?
Well, I say it a lot. Well, we know that doesn't necessarily
always mean anything. And it's not just by doing things,
it's by doing things she likes, she wants, she wills. It's doing
God's will. It's pleasing Him, obeying Him,
bowing to Him, serving Him. That's what love indeed is. He
said, I'm sure you'll remember to his disciples in John 14,
15, if you love me, keep my commandments. Do you see that in our verse?
When we love God and keep His commandments. It's the same thing.
When we love Him, not just in word, but in deed. That's what
this is saying. We love Him in deed. And this
is not a perfect, meritorious, righteous obedience to God's
law. That's what the law could not do. In that it was weak to
our flesh. That's what could, by the deeds
of the law, shall no flesh be justified in God's sight. That's
not what this is. It's why God sent his son to
redeem us and to be our very righteousness. We can't be justified
by what we do because of the sinfulness of our flesh. Our
obedience is full of sin. Our faith is full of unbelief,
but by God's grace, We have obeyed that form of doctrine that was
delivered to us in the gospel. That's what Paul said in Romans
6, 17. Let me read it to you. It doesn't say you ought to.
Romans 6, 17, but God be thanked. Not praise you, not good for
you. God be thanked that you were
the servants of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart that
form of doctrine which was delivered unto you. We haven't obeyed God's
strict, righteous law in the sense that we keep his commandments.
Thou shalt and thou shalt not. No man has ever done that except
the Lord Jesus Christ. But we obeyed his doctrine, his
gospel. How did we get that form of doctrine?
Well, by faith. That's how we believe, by faith.
Believing is faith. Where did faith come from? By
grace are you saved through faith, and that's not of yourselves.
It's the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should
boast. His commandment to us before he left this world in
bodily form was what? He said, a new commandment I
give to you. Love one another. Do you love? That's what he's
talking about in this context. We've obeyed, we've kept his
word. We love indeed in that we do what he said. By his grace. Remember, God be thanked that
we do. Not good for you. God be thanked. Do you love the
people of God that he's given you in this world to worship
with and fellowship with in this world? How? How is it that you
love them? The fruit of the Spirit is love. And so us keeping his commandments
in the sense of 1 John 5 2 is as much the work of God's saving
grace in us as his redemptive work at Calvary was a work of
salvation for us. In both cases, it's God. He gets
the glory, not us. Philippians 2.13, it is God which
worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure. It's doing His good pleasure.
That's what love indeed is. That's the only way you can do
love. By doing His good pleasure. So it comes back, doesn't it,
to faith and love. That's the context of this whole
chapter. Faith in Christ. Whosoever believeth. And if you love him, you love
his people. Faith and love. Faith in Christ
and love for him and one another. 1 John 3.23. This is his commandment. That we should believe on the
name of his son, Jesus Christ. And love one another. He talked
about in our text keeping his commandments. What commandment?
1 John 3.23. This is his commandment that
we should believe on the name of his son, Jesus Christ, and
love one another as he gave us commandment. You see that? Verse three, for this is the
love of God, that we keep his commandments. Now, there's two
ways to look at this. And both are right. Both are
scriptural. Both are true. This is the love
of God. How is God's love for us expressed,
experienced, lived out? We believe and we love. His love for us results in our
love for Him. So this is the love of God. that
we love him and believe on him. Also, this is the love of God
in us, expressed by us. Do you love him? Do what he says. Isn't that what
he said? If you love me, do what I say.
Our keeping of his commandments, as we've seen, is his work in
us, and it all springs from faith, the gift of God. Anything we
do that's not a work of faith, without faith, it's impossible
to please God. Without faith. The gift of God. And it's wonderful, isn't it?
It's so easy. He said, His commandments aren't
grievous. Is it hard for you to love Him?
Well, I love Vicki, but boy, it sure is tough. That's not
very flattering, is it? Well, I love God, but I don't
know, you know, what a drudgery it is, you know, to worship Him,
to serve him in this world. Do you feel that way about it? His yoke is easy, is it not?
Do you find it so? His burden is light. There's
nothing now, there's nothing more grievous than trying to
keep God's law for righteousness. Nothing more grievous. That's
the burden that he was talking about when he said, you who are
heavy laden, who are laboring and they're heavy laden, come
to me and I'll give you rest. That's what he's talking about,
laboring under the burden of the law, trying to keep God's
law for righteousness. Oh, should I watch TV? Oh, there's
so much bad stuff on TV, I'm gonna get rid of my TV set. Oh,
I can't read that book, it's got curse words in it. Oh, I
went to the movies and they said a bad word. Oh, you know, just
always worried about doing this and not doing that and have I
done enough? No, you haven't done enough. Rest in Christ. There's nothing grievous about
resting in Christ, and that's what we're talking about here.
The scripture I just quoted from Matthew chapter 11. Do you remember
the part that I didn't quote? I'm talking about taking his
yoke upon us and how his burden is easy and light. Let me read
you the whole thing. Matthew 11, 28. Come unto me,
all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I'll give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn
of me. For I am meek and lowly in heart,
and you shall find rest unto yourselves. Rest, to learn of
him. is to find rest. Rest in your
surface. Rest in your love. Oh, is my
love good enough or is it not yet? Look, it ain't good enough. It's not gonna measure up. Your
love, your faith, your anything is not gonna measure up. We're
not resting in those things. We're resting in Him. My yoke is easy and my burden
is light. It's easy to love him, isn't
it? He's altogether lovely. It's easy to believe on him. To whom shall you go? What's hard is finding anywhere
else to go. Anyone else to trust him. Anything
else to find any comfort or peace in. for the believer. I'm not trying to believe perfectly. I just want to believe. I want
to believe. Laboring and being heavy laden
under the yoke of the law is indeed grievous. But keeping
the commandments of God, the only way they can and will be
honored, truly honored, by and through faith in Christ alone,
that's a delightful rest. I don't have much faith, my friends.
I wouldn't brag about my faith for anything, and I don't trust
in my faith. But what faith God has given
me is all in Christ, by his grace. It's all in him. Do you have
any other refuge? To whom indeed shall we go? By grace, through faith in God's
Son, I'm well-pleasing in His sight. I keep His commandments. By His grace, through faith in
His Son, and by that same faith, Christ is well-pleasing in my
sight, too. You remember what Paul wrote
in Hebrews 12? Turn over there with me just
for a minute. Let's look at Hebrews chapter 12, verse 18. Hebrews 12, 18. This is with regard to keeping His
commandments and how we approach God. How are we going to get
to God? You are not come unto the mount
that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness
and darkness and tempest, and the sound of the trumpet and
the voice of words, Which voice, they that heard, entreated that
the word should not be spoken to them any more. For they could
not endure that which was commanded. That mountain he's talking about
there clearly is Mount Sinai. Dark and black and thunderings
and fear. They couldn't approach to it.
If so much as a beast, verse 20 again, touched the mountain,
it shall be stoned or thrust through with a dart. You can't
even come close. You can't even hear it except
through a mediator. And so terrible was the sight
that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake. You're not coming
to that mountain. Don't go to that mountain again,
ever. But you're coming to Mount Zion,
and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,
and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly
and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven,
and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men
made perfect, And the reason the way that you're able to come
to them, to God, to his city, and to his saints, is by coming
to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant. The new covenant,
the one that's not like the old one. How is it not like the old
one? In that you didn't keep the old one. Because of your
sin, the old one is null and void. But this new one doesn't
depend on you. It depends on him. This new one
is sealed by His precious blood, not by what you do or don't do.
And to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than
that of Abel. You see where we're coming now?
We don't come to the law. That's not how we please God.
That's not how we serve Him. That's not how we approach Him.
That's not how we're acceptable in His sight. We're acceptable
in His sight through Jesus, the mediator, new covenant and by
that precious blood by which he washed away all of our sins.
Verse 4 of our text, for whatsoever is born of God overcometh the
world and this is the victory that overcometh the world even
our faith. Now we sort of skipped over by
design a phrase in verse one that we see again here in this
verse. I wanted to talk about it now
to show how all of this happens. Do you believe? Do you believe
on God? Whosoever believeth, whosoever
loveth him loveth faith and love. Do you believe? Do you love?
How? Well, we've already said it's God's gift, but how does
God accomplish that gift in us? Well, it's a birth. It's a birth. It's not just a learning. It's not just that
I know more than I used to know, although I do, by His grace.
I know Him. I know sin, what I am. I know how God can put away sin
and still be God. I do know some things I didn't
used to know, but it's more than that. The reason I know what
I know, the reason I do what I do, the reason I am what I
am now in Christ, the reason I believe on Him, the reason
I love Him is because He birthed me again. It's because I am something
that I never was before. You see that? It's more than
just knowing more than you did. It's being something by the very
power and generating grace of God that you never were before. Born of God. It's a birth. It's the beginning of a new life
in Christ. It's not you doing anything.
It's God giving birth to you, a new you, a spiritual you. He said to Nicodemus, you must
be born again or you can't see the kingdom of God, much less
enter into the kingdom of God. And we are entered into the kingdom
of God by faith. He went on to say, whosoever
believeth on him shall not perish. How's that gonna, how am I gonna
believe on him? You must be born again. So you see why it says
it the way it does in our text. It's talking about faith and
love and how if you have those things, then you're his. You have eternal life. How did
you get those things? God gave them to you. God birthed
you, gave you new life. If you find yourself right now,
and that's all that matters is right now. Believing on the Son
of God. If you find yourself believing
on him, then you know you've been born of God. Because that's
how sinners believe on him. God gives him a new heart, a
new nature, new life. And when you are his child, begotten
again unto a lively hope, the scripture says in 1 Peter 1 3,
begotten again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead. You are an overcomer of this
world. What are we talking about this
morning? The Lord's gonna save us from
this world. He's doing that right now. You know how? Through faith. The victory that overcomes this
world is our faith. What does it mean that you overcome
the world? You know what he said, you overcome
the world. That's what our text says. What does he mean by that? Well, by Christ, this world is
dead to me and I'm dead to him. Galatians 6, 14. God forbid that
I should glory save in the cross of my Lord Jesus Christ. By whom? By him, I am crucified to this
world. in this world to me. That's how
I'm an overcomer, and in what sense? By Christ, because of
Him, because of His life in me, this world can't deceive me.
And that's what this world is about. It says that the religion
of this world, if it were possible, would deceive the very elect. But, bless God, it's not possible.
Matthew 24, 24. And I overcome this world because
greater is he that is in me than he that is in this world. 1 John
4 in our very context, greater. We have overcome this world as
believers and we do overcome and we shall overcome because
he's great. Don't ever forget that. It's
not me, it's not you. No man can pluck us out of his
hand. And by faith, How does our faith
overcome this world? You know, the scripture says
that God's people do exploits. By faith, let me read it to you.
Daniel 1132 and such as do wickedly against the covenant. Shall he
corrupt by flatteries? But the people that do know their
God shall be strong. And do exploits. The people that
do know. Their God. Those who are of this
world are subject unto the flatteries and the corruption of this world.
That's what he said. He shall corrupt them by flatteries. That's
what this world does. It flatters you. It rewards you
for evil. And it brags on you for evil.
And it is your friend because of your evil. And you're subject
to that corruption and that flattery and the corruption that results
if you're of this world. But they who know their God,
what is that? Whosoever believeth. Whosoever
loveth Him loveth His people. Those who have been given faith
in God by believing on Christ and Him crucified, they're strong.
Through faith in Him, we're strong and we do exploits. The word
exploits is not in the original text in that verse in Daniel
there. But the word do, which comes
right before it, is very meaningful. It's the reason they put the
word exploits there. It means to accomplish, to produce,
to bring about. And this is what God gives faith
for. We can't do anything in obedience to him without this
faith. It's how he worketh in us. Faith
which worketh by love. It's how God works in us to do
into will of his good pleasure. And so it's that faith that is
talked about here in our verse by which we overcome. Our Lord
said to that woman, thy faith hath made thee whole. Oh, you should never say faith
doesn't say it depends on where you got it from. If you got it
from him, it does. If you worked it up, it's not
going to save you. Verse 5, we're through. Who is he that overcometh
this world? But he that believeth that Jesus
is the Son of God. It's come full circle, hasn't
it? Whosoever believeth. Whosoever believeth loves. And
if you love Him, you love His people. And if you believe on
Him, you've overcome this world. And who is it that's overcome
this world, but him that believeth. We're right back to faith. Faith
again. And I was going to read all of
Hebrews chapter 11. That's your homework assignment
today. Hebrews, you know what that's about, my faith. Enoch
walked with God. And he was not, for God took
him. I've heard somebody put it this way. He was so close
to God that he was closer to God than he was this world. And
so he just disappeared. He just gone. He's with the Lord
now. The Lord just took him. By faith. By faith, Moses chose the reproach
of Christ over all the treasures of this world. The treasures
of Egypt. By faith, Noah moved with fear
and built an ark. Faith in Christ, the Ark of God. By faith they did these exploits. By faith they accomplished, they
produced, they did, they brought about. Faith. Now I want you to turn over there
and we'll read one part of this anyway. And I'll be through with
it. Hebrews chapter 11. Now we just talked about, let's
read some of the rest of it here. Look at verse four, by faith
Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain,
by which he obtained witness that he was righteous. He was
righteous by virtue of that sacrifice, not the lamb that he killed,
the one that that lamb represented. By faith he had an interest in
Christ, the lamb of God, which does take away sin. By faith
Enoch was translated that he should not see death and was
not found because God translated him. He just took him up into
heaven without dying. He pleased God. But without faith,
it's impossible, verse six, to please God. By faith, verse seven,
Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved
with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house. By faith,
Abraham, verse eight, when he was called to go out into a place
which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed. And
he went out not knowing whether he went. By faith he did that.
You see why it says this is what overcomes this world. The faith
God gave us. Faith in Christ now. Through faith, Sarah, verse 11,
received strength to conceive seed. And these all died in faith. And it goes on and on to the
end of the chapter. By faith Isaac verse 20, by faith
Jacob verse 21, by faith Joseph verse 22, by faith Moses verse
23. But go back to verse one. And
something very important is learned here. Now faith is the substance
of things hoped for. The evidence. What is faith? The evidence. What do you hope
for? Well, I hope that I have eternal
life, don't you? What evidence is there of that,
do you believe? Faith is the evidence. I hope that I have
a saving interest in the Lord Jesus Christ. I hope I'm His,
don't you? I hope I'm His. What evidence is there of that?
Faith is the evidence of what you can't see. And notice this,
it doesn't say faith is the cause. A lot of people trust in their
faith, my friends, this very morning. A lot of people trust
in their faith. God didn't save you because you believe. You
believe because God saved you. Faith is not the cause of salvation.
It's the evidence of it. The evidence of things not seen.
May God increase our faith. What a precious gift it is. May
God give us more of it. And take away my wretched unbelief. I have some assurance that I
know God. I wish I always did. I wish I had
more, don't you? Lord, increase our faith. Always
remember that faith never looks at self. Faith never looks at
itself. Faith doesn't trust faith. Faith
looks to and trusts Christ alone. Faith has one object. He himself
is our assurance that we're saved. And may God increase our faith.
Let's pray.