Good morning, everyone. I was going to read a part of a text that Moose Park sent me yesterday, but the marks already mentioned Moose, so I don't have to do that one. But I do have a couple of things I want to mention to you before I begin in my message.

Of course, my dear wife sends her love and her hellos to everyone. and my brother Paul, who's been here to preach several times, sends his hellos. But do remember Moose for sure. I remember he, this has been several years ago and, excuse me, Moose and Sandy had invited Penny and I down to St. Croix. Of course, that's the first time I'd ever been out of the country, you know. First time I ever flown in a plane that big And I just remember that week we had there, and it was just beautiful. Sitting on the beach, getting to go to services, and talking with Moose. And now I think of Moose being in Montana with snow that deep. It's just like a total juxtaposition of a place.

But I also want to mention my wife's brother, Calvin Trent Jr. He has my asthenia gravis. Uh, he's a little bit younger than I am. Um, I suppose in his later fifties, but it's, it's getting really dangerous for him. Uh, there are times when he can't swallow, can't hardly breathe different things. So, and he's in the hospital right now. So remember him, um, you know, when Mark was commending miss Ruth, uh, we need to encourage one another. We need to encourage one another.

The whole 16th, almost the whole 16th chapter of Paul's letter to the church at Rome, he mentions name after name after name, encouraging those people in the Lord. And when I was young and very dumb, I'm not saying I'm not still that way now. When I was young and very dumb, I used to think, well, you ought not You know, don't go to the preacher afterward and tell him how good the message was. You know, it might make him proud. And after I preached for a few years, I realized he's already proud. You're not gonna make him proud. Pride's already there. But we need to actually encourage one another, especially in the age in which we live right now. It's, you know this, We live in a maddened, insane world. And if I didn't know the Christ of God, I'd go to preaching against this insane world. But I have something better than that.

Let me turn this thing on here and then we'll get started. All right, if you wish to follow along, I will be reading as my text from 1 John 5. 1 John chapter 5. I'm just going to read four verses. And by the grace of God, I will not try to take these verses, of course, out of the context. But I'm not going to try to deal with the verses, say word by word or line by line. But here are the verses. 1 John chapter 5, verses 9 through 12.

If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater. For this is the witness of God, which he hath testified of his son. He that believeth on the son of God hath the witness in himself. He that believeth not God hath made him a liar, because he believeth not the record that God gave of his son. And this is the record that God hath given to us eternal life. And this life is in his son. He that hath the son hath life. And he that hath not the son of God hath not life.

The subject I want to try to give you this morning it would be my title as well, is this. It's a question that I must ask myself. It's a question that I pray that God will encourage you, enable you to ask yourself. Here's the subject. Here's the title. Do I believe God's record of his son? Think about that. Do I believe God's record of his son. I would venture to say that most everyone here this morning has used GPS to get to an unknown destination. Right. I did yesterday. I come in a different way than what I normally come in. And although I've been that way before, it's not near as familiar as the southern route. I come in from the from the north and then come west. And I put the coordinates for the motel in my phone, and as I made, as the lady said, you know, in one mile turn right, or in two miles take exit, and I received her record implicitly. I didn't question it. How many of you all have done that? You're just going somewhere, you have no idea where you're going, you're listening to that lady on that GPS, and you're doing what she says to do and not questioning it at all. She says turn right, you turn right. She says take this exit, you take this exit.

And yet in our unregenerate state, we will not and we cannot. Or I could say we cannot and we will not. And some theologians have tried to debate or argue as to which comes first. They're like this. It's not a matter of cannot and will not or will not and cannot. It's a matter of both. And yet we in our unregenerate states, we will not and cannot believe God's record of his son.

You would think with the Bible being so prevalent in our day and age, anyone that has been trained that's literate can read the Bible and it would be easy to believe the record God gave of his son. It's not only difficult, it is impossible apart from the grace of God. And yet, we'll take some lady on a GPS, her word implicitly. Right? Now granted, that lady has led me to make a wrong turn on occasion. But God's Word never has a wrong turn. If there's any failure, it's my failure to comprehend and believe the record simply as God puts it in this book.

I found this to be more so the Older I get and the longer I've been preaching. When I was younger, I used to think it was my responsibility to explain the scriptures. You know, that's not so. They're already explained. They've already been given by divine inspiration. It was written down originally and copies were made and we now have translations into almost every language on the face of the globe. You don't need me to explain it. I just need to preach it. And God must give us the grace to believe the record God gave of his son.

You see, according to John, unbelief is not neutral. It's not impartial. It's not unprejudiced. No, sir. The apostle, as many have called him, the apostle of love puts it this way. If we receive the witness of men, and we do, we do, the witness of God is greater for this is the witness of God, which he testified of his son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself. He that believeth not God hath made God a liar. That's pretty serious, isn't it? Hath made God a liar.

And here's the one major way in which that's so. Because he believeth not the record God gave of his son. Unbelief is an insult to God. It's not a neutral place. Unbelief is to slander God. Unbelief is to malign God Almighty's integrity. And I am guilty of that. I used to live a life that's all I knew was unbelief. Now, by the grace of God, I find myself believing the record God gave of His Son.

Yes, we receive the witness of men, but John says the witness of God is greater. That's M-E-G-A. We get our English word mega from the Greek word. It means higher, larger, but it's more than that. It's absolute. This is the way it would be put in the Sproul's Concordance. Absolute hugeness. Explain that one. Absolute genius. So God's witness, God's testimony, God's record of his son stands unaffected, unblemished, and untarnished in spite of unbelief's insult. It's still true.

I mean, in our day and age, there are There are people that they either have been lied to or lie so much they begin to actually believe the lies. You could see that on the TV. You watch the news and you'll see two different parties looking at the same event and come up with totally different explanations of what just took place. Something's wrong. Right? It can't be both. And yet the two sides will hold vehemently that they're telling the truth.

Again, I say God's record of his son stands unaffected, unblemished and untarnished by my insult of unbelief. Do I believe the record God gave of his son? Let me just give you a few.

God's record of his son is that the Son is God. The Son is God. This is exactly what the writer of Hebrews says, and he's actually quoting from the Old Testament, and it's in Hebrews chapter one, and it says this, Hebrews one, for the sake of time, I'll begin in verse six, and again, when he bringeth the first begotten into the world, and check the context, make sure I'm not lying to you. Check the context. This is speaking of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God. When he bringeth the first begotten into the world, he saith, and let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he saith, who maketh his angel spirits and his ministers a flame of fire. But here it is, here's the verse. But unto the Son God saith, But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God. Do you see that? Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever. Jesus Christ of Nazareth, God's Son, is God in fact. This is not walk the aisle and pray the sinner's prayer, is it? It's much more than that.

Do I believe the record God gave of his son? Here's another thought. God's record of his son is that the son is the sovereign determiner and sustainer of all things in this universe. Colossians chapter one, the apostle Paul put it this way, Colossians chapter one, Verse 14, in whom, speaking again, look at the context, we're talking about the record God gave of his son, in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins, who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature. For by him, do you see it? This man, this man, for by him were all things created. Do you see it? that are in heaven and that are in earth. Whether you can see them or you can't, right? Invisible or visible and invisible. Whether they be thrones, that would be local authorities. Or dominions, that would be regional. Or principalities, that would be global. Or powers, that is all derived might. And all might outside of God is derived from God. God is all powerful. That means all powerful, all power resides in Him. And we're reading here that it resides in who? The Son. You see it? The Son. All things were created by him and for him, and he is before, that is, not just in front of, but he is superior to. He is before all things, and by him all things are held together. They consist. That's not give Jesus a chance to change your life, is it? No.

Do I believe the record God gave of his son. Well, you folks here have heard the gospel for years. And after a while, the flesh begins to take this for granted. But if you're still believing the record God gave of his son, it is taking as much grace today for you to believe the record God gave of his son as when God first called you out of darkness into light. Today, I don't need just a little bit more grace. I must have that same free reigning grace of God for me to believe the record God gave of his son.

There's another thought. God's record of his son is that the man Jesus is God himself. Now I've mentioned that, but he called himself God. I watched a YouTube video several days ago and had a Christian, and you can put that in quotes, okay? Put a big question mark on it. I saw a Christian and a Muslim debating. And the Muslim kept asking the Christian, where did Jesus ever call himself God? And the so-called Christian kept referring to what other men in the Bible say about him. But the Muslim kept saying, but where did he call himself God? And the so-called Christian had no answer. And I was flabbergasted. He did call himself God. He said before Abraham was, I am. He called himself, I am. That's God. That's the very name God gave Moses when Moses said, but Lord, who shall I say sent me? He said, you tell them, I am sent you.

This is not ask for forgiveness and give Jesus your heart, is it? This is, do I believe the record God gave of his son?

There's another thought. Now, before I give you this fourth one, let me say this. When I get done here today, I will have but scratched the surface. But some of these things, the reason I'm giving you those is because there are many people who believe some parts of the record but they don't believe the record God gave of his son. Do you understand the difference? The record God gave of his son is John saying the whole thing, not picking and choosing what you want to believe.

Here's the fourth one. God's record is that his son... Think about this. I'm not going to read it, but you could go back and look to see if I'm telling you the truth or not. Go back and read Romans 5 specifically, verses 6 through 10. God's record is that his son reconciled all for whom he died, and he reconciled them when he died for them. and that everyone that he reconciled when he died for them will be saved by his life. That's the record God gave of his son. This is not accept Jesus as your personal savior, is it? This is receive, believe the record God gave of his son.

I vividly remember reading that, Romans specifically, Romans 5, 6 through 10, years ago when I was still in darkness, very religious, for some time even was a young preacher. And I read those verses, and they're there in plain English, as clear as day, as we say. And Mark, it just went like that, just right over my head. I believe Jesus died so everybody could be reconciled if they would do something. And I was reading the same verses I read today. That's what unbelief does. It's to call God's record of his son a lie. And you don't need it explained to you. You just need the grace of God to believe the record God gave of his son.

Here's a fifth thought. God's record is that the son earned his exaltation. Now, he is exalted because he is God. But even as a man, God's record is that his son earned his exaltation by his obedient death on the cross, Philippians 2, verses 6 through 11. This is not make Jesus your Lord, is it? He's already our Lord. Those people over there, all that chaos you see if you see the news all over there in Iran. Some of us talked a little bit about that today. He's their Lord. And He's controlling them. And I don't mean to insult puppets, but He's controlling them like puppets. They're doing exactly what God Almighty in His sovereign, sovereign, predestinated purpose, decreed that they would carry out.

Do we believe the record God gave this son? Think of it, when he died on Calvary's tree, it was almost like they were opening up the Bible and saying, all right, what do we do next? Weren't they? And probably I have reason to say that most of those Roman soldiers that were doing the very things they were doing to him, plucking out his beard, All that he went through. It's like they probably weren't even Bible readers. But it was like they were opening up the book. And so what do we do next? Do I believe the record God gave of his son? We don't make Jesus Lord. We are to believe the record God gave of his son.

Here's the sixth one, and I'll go through these. I'll just mention them. I'm not going to go back and read any of them. This will be recorded, I suppose, and you can check these references later. Here's a sixth thought. God's record is that his son was. Hebrews 2, 7, made a little lower than the angels. Do I believe the record God gave the son? Somebody says, I don't know. With all you've said about him before, I don't understand it. God didn't, John didn't say we need to understand it. We believe the record God gave of his son. Hebrews puts it, by faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God. It does not say by faith we understand how the worlds were framed. I don't know how he did it. I know that he did it.

God's record of his son was he was made a little lower than the angels, Hebrews 2.7. The father made the son, Lord and Christ, Acts 2.36. The son was made of the seed of David, Romans 1.3. Do I believe the record God gave of his son? Christ is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. 1 Corinthians 1 and verse 30.

Do I believe the record God gave this son? If I find myself beginning to say, okay, I need to work up some righteousness. If I believe the record God gave this son, I don't need to work it up. I just receive him, right? And isn't that what John was actually telling us? And you could use a wisdom, sanctification, I won't go through the details, but had a man that was a deacon in our local assembly, and he was a deacon when I came along, and that was back in the summer of 1985. And just a couple years ago, he got caught up with this progressive sanctification, turned around and called what I preach and Paul preaches, heresy. I was stunned. I was stunned. I was hurt. I was saddened. Why? The only answer is unbelief, because Christ is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, 1 Corinthians 1. He was made a quickening spirit, 1 Corinthians 15.45. Do I believe the record God gave His Son? It's that simple. and yet that impossible apart from the free reign and grace of God. But it is that simple. I am giving you direct statements from the record as to who the son is, what the record is of God's son from God himself. The question, the only question is, do I believe the record God gave of his son? Christ was made sin, 2 Corinthians 5.21. That's what the book says. I don't need to try to explain it. I need to believe the record God gave of his son. The book says in Galatians 3.13, Christ was made a curse for us. I can't understand that. But I'm not told I have to understand it. I am told, believe the record God gave of his son. He was made of a woman. Galatians 4 verse 4. Now, as I begin to write all this down, I started with this in my mind weeks ago when I was first asked to come again. I thought, but this seems so simple. It's true, it is so simple. But it is so beyond me apart from grace. God willing, as we will see here in a moment. So think of it, made sin, made a curse, made of a woman. Hebrews 2.7 said he was made like unto his brethren. Do I believe the record God gave of his son? And yet my flesh says, but let's delve into the depths of that. You can't do it. It's not about all that. It's not about our becoming theologians. It's about, do I believe the record God gave of his son? Hebrews 5 verse 9 said he was made perfect. I can't understand that one at all because he already was perfect. But he was made perfect. Do I believe the record God gave of his son? He was made an high priest forever. Hebrews 6, verse 20. He was made surety of a better covenant. Hebrews 7, verse 22. This is not, well, I came to the doctrines of grace. I've given you far over five points right now, haven't I? As a matter of fact, one of those five points of the Doctrine of Grace is not about the record God gave His Son, it's the record God gives against me and you. That's total depravity. But here we're told, believe the record God gave His Son, and it's far more than four points.

Do I believe the record God gave of His Son? That preacher Doesn't all whom God saves, don't they start somewhere? Are you saying that I have to know all these things? Again, the mind, the flesh takes you somewhere else. It's not about knowing this, it's about this. Do I believe the record God gave of his son? And I began by hearing just minute parts of it. But by his grace, I began to believe it when I heard it. And some of these things I've given you, even some of the things I've mentioned. And remember, I'm just scratching the surface. I remember struggling with them. And I remember thinking, but I don't understand that. Or I remember thinking, but that's not the way I was taught before. And I had been so indoctrinated that some of these things just blew my mind. But I found myself believing the record God gave of his son.

My pastor, late pastor, Earl Cochran, used to say this quite often. None of us are born with a full set of teeth. Do you understand what he was talking about? We're not born with a full set of teeth. But John indicates in our text where we all start. He doesn't declare it directly to be the starting place, but I'm saying by the preponderant testimony of God's Word, it's where we all start. Now, it's not where this all started. The record God gave of his son started way back yonder, wherever and whenever that was. And that's probably not even the right way to say that. But John indicates where we all start. And we started here. If we're believing the record God gave his son, we all started here, even if we didn't understand the language that was associated with it, because it's not something we come to understand. It's something God calls to happen to us. Look at it. Because John directly says, and this is the record. And remember, believing the record of God's Son is what it's all about. Because if you don't believe the record, you're what? Calling God a liar.

And this is the record that God hath given to us eternal life. I might not have even understood that it was eternal life. I may not even really have understood that it was life. But bless God, it happened to me. God gave me this eternal life. He didn't offer it to me. He didn't make it possible for me. He didn't make it available for me. This is the record. Why? Why does he say that? Why is it that one thing? I've been giving you 12, 13, 14, 15, 17 things. And John kind of narrows it down to this one thing. Why? Because that's where we all start. And this is the record that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life. He that hath not the Son of God hath not life. It's that simple. Somebody said, but how do I know that happened to me? Do you believe the record God gave of his Son? I'm not asking you if you're better today than you were yesterday. Now that's not the question. Because in your flesh, you're not better. In the new man that God gives when this life starts in us, he can't be improved because he's created in righteousness and true holiness in the image of him who created him. And that dawned on me, I still don't understand it, I began to realize that Apart from my flesh, my old man. Some say the old nature. I understand that. I got no quarrel, but why don't we just use the scriptural language and call him what he is, the old man. The book calls it, that's the record from the book. The old man, the new man. But I realize that I'm not going to get the new man one day when I awake in glory. He has already been created in me. I have something from God. John calls it eternal life. How do you explain that? I have from God all the perfection I will ever have. I'll just have to drop this robe of flesh and God give me a new body. He's not going to give me a new nature, a new man. He's already done that. But I don't see him very well. Do you? Do you run around and say, boy, that was the new man. Oh, well, that was the old man. Now, you know, the works of the flesh are manifest. There are some things that's quite clear. That was the old man. But the old man's an imposter, too. He's sneaky. He's an imitator. Here's the question, though. It's where we all start. It's an act of God in free reigning grace. And this is the record that God has given, given to us eternal life. And the one the record's about himself, Jesus Christ the Lord, prayed it this way. Praying to the Father. Listen. You don't have to turn. Listen. to the record. These words spake Jesus and lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour is come. Glorify thy son, that thy son also may glorify thee, as thou hast given him power. Power, somebody says, does that mean might or right? With God, it means both always. See, don't let preachers confuse you. Well, is that might or right? With God, it's always both. As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. What's it? He just gives it. Gives it. And it's not like I was listening, this has been years ago, but I was listening to something on the radio, or maybe it was on TV, I don't recall directly, but it was one of these religious shows, and at the end of the broadcast, they said this, they had this book, they were promoting this book, and it showed the title and showed the book, said, you can have this for free. That sounds pretty good, right? You can have this for free, if you'll send us a donation for $20, of $20. How's it free? This is what religion does. They speak out both sides of their mouth, as we say. You can have the book for free, but you've got to at least give us a $20 donation. That's trickery.

God the Son gives eternal life to as many as the Father gave Him. And this is life eternal. Notice. that they might know thee. He has to give eternal life so you can know him. You don't know him, then get eternal life. He must give it. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.

Why? Because when you have the Son, you have life. And the manifestation of that is you begin to believe the record of God's Son. Now, isn't that pretty simple? That's not complicated, is it? Those given eternal life believe the record God gave of His Son.

And as I, again, as I began to prepare this message, I thought, people's going to get tired of me saying that phrase over and over again. If you do, you got a problem. If you have, you've got a problem. Because believing the record God gave his son is that one thing by which God in his grace enables his people to honor him. Anything else is unbelief and it is to call God what? A liar. It is to insult God.

You see, those who have the Son, they begin to believe the record of God's Son, because those that have the Son have life. Now, let me find this passage. It's in John, and I want you to, if you're following along, it's in John chapter 5, and I'll close with this. If you're following along, turn to John 5. And again, go back, look, make sure I'm not lying to you. Check these verses and their surrounding context later to make sure I'm not trying to bring in my own opinion.

Look at John 5 verse 21 for the sake of time. For as the Father raiseth up the dead and quickeneth them, Even so the son quickeneth what's that next phrase whom he will Look at it for Now we're getting that you don't need me to explain it. Just read the record that God gave of his son for that is John said, I'm going to explain, and actually, let me rephrase that. John is recording what the Lord said, and he was explaining it.

For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment. And that word there is the whole plethora. But in the context, it means all verdict rendering. He's the one that renders the verdict as to whether or not you'll have life. It's not up to me. It's not up to you. It's up to Him. For the Father judges no man but hath committed all verdict rendering unto the Son.

Preacher, and I hope you get this. I really hope this is real in you. You say, Preacher, are you saying this thing that The salvations of the Lord? Yeah, that's what the book says. Are you saved? This thing is, you're saved by grace through faith, and that not of yourselves, it's the gift of God? Yeah, that's what I'm saying, that's what the record is. And again, I say this, that is so simple, and yet so beyond us. apart from that God and that grace.