Okay. I have given unto them
the words which thou gavest me, and they have received them,
all of them. We don't fight with the Word
of God, we don't argue with the Word of God. I'm glad that God
doesn't say you have to understand it all. We just believe it. We're
believing the most remarkable things, aren't we? We're believing
that a man came to this earth 2,000 years ago and was born
of a virgin and he was a baby. And he lived for 33 and a half
years on this earth, perfectly loving God, perfectly obeying
the law of God, perfectly loving his neighbor, and not a single
soul around him knew, had the foggiest notion of who he was,
until the Spirit came. Not even his family knew, even
though they'd been told. And we believe that on that cross
of Calvary, God the Father laid all of the on him and he suffered infinitely
and perfectly and with perfect justice for every single one
of those sins. And God says they're gone. God
says they're gone. We believe things like this,
don't we? Our hope of eternal life, our hope of heaven is based
on what he did. And we believe that after he
died and he was buried in a tomb, we believe that he rose from
the dead and we believe that he spent the next nearly six
weeks going and manifesting himself in his glory to his people. He didn't go to a single unbeliever
to manifest himself. And we believe that he gloriously
and triumphantly went back to heaven. We believe that he rules universe and he'll take his people
out of here and they'll be made to be exactly like him in resurrection
glory and live in a new creation forever and ever. You try and
explain the physics of any single part of that but we believe it
don't we? We keep his word and we receive
his word have known surely, we have received
and have known surely. We know surely, we know truly,
we know in reality, we most certainly know. And what do we know? That
I came from thee. That the Lord Jesus Christ had
an existence as the Son of God before the foundation of the
world, in perfect unity and in perfect harmony. He is God Almighty. And he was sent out by his father
on a mission as God Almighty, as our mediator, as our substitute,
as that perfect sacrifice for all of our sins. All of what
he said in his words that he was going to do in type and picture
in the Old Testament, he did it all. We know that surely.
He said it's finished. We know it surely. We know it surely. Believers
know surely that the Lord Jesus Christ was God the Son before
he came. He was one with the Father and
one with the Holy Spirit as God. And what did he do before he
came? We talk about it so often, but it's essential to the Gospel.
He entered into a covenant of grace, love and salvation in
his blood as the surety, as Tom read in Hebrews 7.22, he was
the surety of that covenant of all the Father gave into his
hands. Listen to how Revelation 13 describes what happened before
the foundation of the world, why he came out. And all that
dwell upon the earth shall worship him whose names are not written
in the book of life of the Lamb, slain from the foundation of
the world." The more you ponder that statement, that the Lamb
was slain from the foundation of the world, the more amazing
it becomes. I don't have to understand it,
but I can embrace it. I can receive it. I can say,
this is what God says about that Lamb. Why did he come? He came to finish the work. That's
what he said in verse 4 of our chapter. He came because he was
sent. We know this surely. We know surely that he came willingly. We know surely that for the joy
set before him, he went to the cross. We know surely that because
of a love union with his people, he went to the cross and bore
all their sins. We know surely, we know surely,
we know surely because he has been made manifest to us, because
his word has come to us. is his word, his people receive
it. We know that Christ is all in
salvation. We know that Christ is all in
the new birth. We know that Christ is all in
faith. Listen to what Peter the Apostle
said. I just love it. This is a description
of what it is to have saving faith, isn't it? Firstly, the
Apostle said, nowhere else to go. You can go wherever you like. God's people can't go. He keeps
them. He says, Peter says, we believe
and are sure that thou art the Christ, the son of the living
God. He doesn't say, we are sure that
you loved us and we are sure that you died for us. We are
sure that we have done this really. the object of faith, and that's
what the Lord Jesus Christ is declaring here. Our faith's object
is made known. We believe and are sure that
thou art the Christ, the Anointed One of God. The prophet, the
anointed prophet who brings the word of God, the anointed priest
who brings his people into the very presence of God on his breastplate
and on his shoulders and by his blood. And we know that he's
the anointed king who reigns and rules over all things. He's
got power over all flesh. May he have power over flesh
today to bring saving knowledge of him. And they believe, they
have believed, the last of these, they have believed that thou
didst send me." The Lord Jesus Christ is sent. He's sent of
his Father over and over again in the Gospel accounts. He describes
himself as the one who is sent. He comes in perfect obedience
to his Father's will and his Father's desire. He comes in
perfect obedience the foundation of the world. We believe, we
believe, we believe. God's people believe
because he's made manifest. God's people believe because
he has given them the words. Listen to what Romans 4 declares
of Abraham. We read about Abraham at the
beginning of our service. Romans 4 verse 1, what shall
we say then concerning I'll just turn to it in my Bible. It's
so wonderful. What then shall we say then that
Abraham, our father, as pertaining to the flesh, has found in his
walk in this world? For if Abraham were justified
by works, he hath whereof to glory, but not before God. Abraham had no works to boast
in, and he did some remarkable things. For what sayeth the scripture? Abraham believed God and it was
counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the
reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. If you've worked
and you've done something for which God must reward you, then
God is your debtor. And that's what people turn up
in heaven, don't they? They turn up saying, well, I've
done this, and I've done that, and I haven't done these things,
and I haven't done what these other wicked people have done.
And the Lord turns to them and says, I never knew you. What shocking words. I never
knew you. But, listen to what he says in
verse five. But to him that worketh not. But, believeth on him that justifieth
the ungodly. His faith is counted for righteousness. His faith is counted for righteousness. To believe is to rely upon, to
be depended upon. All of my eggs are in my basket. All of my salvation is wrapped
up in who the Lord Jesus Christ is and what He has done. Faith
is relying on what God has done, on who God is as He's declared
and He's revealed. I'm relying, I'm relying on what
He did 2,000 years ago. My obedience to the law of God
was worked out on this earth before God and men 2,000 years
ago. God says it's perfect. Everything
the Lord Jesus Christ did, He did as an us. All of these people
that He speaks of here that the Father has given Him, were in
union with Him when He walked on this earth. I'm relying on the Lord Jesus
Christ, having done everything that God requires of me. I'm relying on Him being my Saviour. I believe Him to be a Saviour. And he says, believe. He says,
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. It's a command from God to believe. Your warrant for believing is
the command of God. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,
the saviour, the substitute, the sacrifice, the song. The
one who operates in this remarkable way in the hearts of these people.
I love what happened in John chapter 4. It's a glorious chapter
of scripture isn't it? The Lord Jesus Christ came to
that woman at the well and he made himself manifest to her.
And he declared himself to be the Christ to her. And she goes
back to the village. She leaves the water pot. She
goes back to the village. and it says in John 4, 41, and
many believed, many more believed because of his own works. And
listen to what they said to the woman. This is their confession,
isn't it, to the woman. Now we believe, not because of
thy saying, for we have heard him ourselves. Don't you love
that? Saving faith is hearing him. him ourselves and know, what
do they know? What do they surely know, these
Samaritans? That this is indeed the Christ,
the Saviour of the world, the only Saviour the world has. And
don't you love what he said to that woman? May there be some
here who might do as this. He said, if you knew the gift
of God, John 14, if you knew the gift of God, he gives his
word, he gives himself. And who it is that saith unto
you, give me to drink, thou would have asked of him, and he would
have given you living water. We hear, God's children hear
from Him, Himself. And if He has spoken, no one's
going to take it away from you. And no one's going to convince
you otherwise that There was a man, a preacher,
Robert Howey, many years ago was asked, he said, there are
so many scriptures and it's all so confusing, he said, can you
please write down in black and white what I am to believe? There are so many texts, give
me one to read and believe. And this man was led with great
wisdom to reply, it is not any one text, nor any number of texts
that saves, Any more than the manslayer could be saved by reading
the signpost on the way to the City of Refuge. You know the
story, don't you? The City of Refuge. There are
three on each side of the Jordan River. And if you had accidentally
killed someone in some sort of way, whatever, you could run
to the City of Refuge. You can read about it in the
Old Testament. It's a glorious picture of the Lord Jesus Christ,
the City of Refuge. And you were safe in that city,
and you were protected in that city. high priest died and then
you were free to go home. Well our high priest has not
only died but he's risen again and he lives forevermore and
we're safe in him. Listen to what he said. Not any
one text or any number of texts are saved any more than a manslayer
could be saved by reading the signpost on the road to the City
of Refuge. The people in the city have to
clear the road and they have to put signs up saying Refuge,
Refuge, Refuge. He must go and enter the City
of Refuge. and in coming to him. Our gospel, our gospel comes
not in word only, but in power and in the Holy Ghost and in
much assurance. I know, says Paul, I know whom
I have believed And I am persuaded that He is able to keep that
which I have committed unto Him against that day. Saving faith
is a knowing. Saving faith is a persuasion. Saving faith is committing everything
into His hand. True faith comes as the Word,
as God Himself is manifested in His character by the words
that He's given. True faith has the Father, the
Word, and the Holy Spirit as the objects of faith and hope
and love. True faith is not looking into
ourselves for anything. True faith looks out, always
looks out. What must I do to be saved? Believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ. Rely on the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray that we would be enabled
of God by His grace, having heard these words, to make much more
of the object of faith than our activities of faith. that clings. May he give us faith
that keeps his word, that knows, that receives his word, that
knows surely, and that believes that our great God and Saviour
was sent by his Father on the mission of saving his people
from their sins. Let's pray. Our Heavenly Father,
we thank you that All saving faith is the operation of God. And we pray, Heavenly Father,
that you would take the words of the Lord Jesus Christ and
you would cause us to keep them and to guard them and to treat
them as precious, Heavenly Father, that we might cling to Him alone
in his precious blood to cleanse us from all of our sins. O our
Father, may you magnify your Son in our midst, and may he
be gave great glory by his work of faith in the hearts of his
people. Heavenly Father, cause us to
call on him. Ourselves and for those that
we love that don't know you, Heavenly Father, we thank you.
There's a vast multitude who will call on his name and rejoice. Rejoice with joy unspeakable
in the glories of our redeeming saviour. Make His blood precious,
make His body precious, make His activities amongst us. Precious
Heavenly Father, and may You cause us to bear witness of Him
in this dead and dying world, that life might rise from the
dead. and that we might find ourselves
rejoicing with the saints of God in heaven as you save your
people from their sins. We thank you again, Heavenly
Father, that our Saviour declared it's finished. What a glorious,
glorious word that he spoke. all of our salvation accomplished
and finished, all of our debts paid. May you cause us, Heavenly
Father, to eat and to drink in remembrance of Him, and cause
us to eat and to drink worthily, Heavenly Father. because we do
so looking alone to Him and trusting Him in all things. We pray, Heavenly
Father, for your glory and the glory of your dear and precious
Son, by whom we can come with boldness to your throne of grace. We praise you, our Father, in
Christ's precious name.