Good morning. If you'd like,
join me in John 6, last part of John 6 this morning. John 6, we'll begin reading in
verse 66. John 6, 66. From that time, many of his disciples
went back and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto
the 12, will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him,
Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal
life. And we believe and are sure that
thou art that Christ, the son of the living God. Seems like
every time this passage is brought to my attention again, a passage
immediately follows. Lord, I believe, help thou my
unbelief. Verse 69 is where we're going
to jump off from. And we. Am I included? Do I believe? Are you? And we believe and are
sure that thou art that Christ, the son of the living God. When
my heart cries out, amen, that is my confession as well. What
is it that I believe and am sure of? We don't need to hold our
place here in John, turn over to Genesis chapter one. I don't have anything new today. This is just a reminder of all that the
Lord has done for us. Genesis 1, as we walk through
this book, my prayer is, Lord will be pleased to reveal to
us some of what we mean when our heart affirms Peter's declaration. Genesis 1, verse 1. In the beginning, God, we'll
start right there, the first four words, We believe and are
sure that Jesus Christ is God. Over and over again, I have read
these words and almost without fail, I've associated this with
time in the beginning. And yes, God at a time appointed
by himself created the heavens and the earth. but he created
them in the beginning. Revelation 1.8, I am Alpha and
Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which
is and which was and which is to come, the Almighty. The beginning is a person, the
Lord Jesus Christ. We believe Jesus Christ is the
Almighty God. John 1 verse 3, speaking of the
word, speaking of Christ says, all things were made by him and
without him was not anything made that was made. Lord Jesus Christ is God. Specifically,
he is God the Son. He isn't like God. He isn't a
lesser God. He is God, one with God the Father
and God the Spirit. Colossians 2.9, for in him dwelleth
all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. We believe and are sure
that Jesus Christ is the Almighty God. We believe His law is holy,
good, and just, and that He is holy, good, and just in upholding
His law. Chapter 2, verse 16. And the Lord God commanded the
man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely
eat, But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt
not eat of it. That's the command. For in the
day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die. And the penalty for breaking
the command. Paul, writing in Romans, summed
up the law. For Moses describeth the righteousness
which is of the law. that the man which doeth those
things shall live by them. Said more simply, do and live. And we failed to do, and we died. Chapter three, verse six. And
when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it
was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make
one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave
also unto her husband with her, and he did eat. We believe and
are sure there is none righteous, no, not one, for all have sinned
and come short of the glory of God. Wherefore, As by one man
sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed
upon all men, for that all have sinned." All of mankind is in
the same spirit and in the same condemnation. Chapter 6, verse
5. And God saw that the wickedness
of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of
the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. That's
the testimony that God gave of man before the flood. After the
flood, surely with only Noah and only his sons being saved. Surely the testimony changed. Chapter 8, verse 21. And the Lord smelled a sweet
savor, and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse
the ground anymore for man's sake, for the imagination of
man's heart is evil from his youth. When we confess, Thou
art that Christ, the Son of the living God, we confess that I
am sinful. I am undone. I am dead in trespasses
and sin by my nature, without Christ, without God, justly condemned
by His law. In our confession, we take the
stand before the just and righteous God of all the earth and we woefully, in humility, declare, I am guilty. I have sinned against you and
you alone. Wherein do we hope? Can the righteous
judge set aside his law? Go back to chapter 6. Chapter 6, verse 8. But Noah, Noah, a man included
in the description from verse 5, being no different from any
of the other men in and of himself. But Noah found grace in the eyes
of the Lord. We believe and are sure that
salvation is of the Lord. God chose Noah, not because Noah
was different, not because Noah was looking for an escape from
the condemnation, not because Noah was doing good, but God
chose Noah because it pleased him to do so, to the praise of
the glory of his grace. We believe and are sure that
the Lord Jesus Christ is a just God and a savior. Chapter six,
verse 17. God said unto Noah, verse 17,
Behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy
all flesh wherein is the breath of life from under heaven, and
everything that is in the earth shall die. But with thee will
I establish my covenant, and thou shalt come into the ark
Thou and thy sons and thy wife and thy son's wives with thee. The last phrase in verse 20. To keep them alive. The penalty of sin is death. And it is the Lord Jesus Christ
that executes judgment. But for those who have found
grace in the eyes of the Lord. As Noah. It is the Lord Jesus
Christ who keeps us safe. We believe and are sure that
God shall not forget a single promise. Genesis 9, verse 12. Genesis 9, 12. And God said, this is the token
of the covenant which I make between me and you and every
living creature that is with you for perpetual generations. I do set my bow in the cloud
and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the
earth. And it shall come to pass when
I bring a cloud over the earth. that the bow shall be seen in
the cloud, and I will remember my covenant which is between
me and you and every living creature of all flesh, and the waters
shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh, and the
bow shall be in the cloud, and I will look upon it." that I
may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every
living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. It thrills
my heart every time I see what we call a rainbow. But I'm so
very thankful. It is not my seeing that rainbow
that gives peace that the cloud will not destroy the earth. For
often I cannot see the bow in the cloud, but God sees his bow,
and he is reminded of his covenant, and that brings peace. We believe and are sure from
John 3.36 that he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. Genesis 15. Genesis 15, verse six. And he, Abraham, believed in
the Lord and he counted it to him for righteousness. Abraham
believed in the Lord and the Lord counted it to Abraham for
righteousness. By which we say salvation is
of grace. Echoing Paul, for by grace are
you saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is the
gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. Hold your
place here and turn with me to Romans chapter four. Romans chapter 4. Romans 4 verse 1. What shall we say then that Abraham
our father as pertaining to the flesh hath found For if Abraham
were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory, but not before
God. For what saith 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. But to him that
worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly,
his faith is counted for righteousness." Paul says here, if Abraham had
done something to obtain a righteous standing before God, then God
would have been indebted to give him something. We go to work,
we give our time, we give our efforts, and in return, We receive
our wages, our payment. Our companies, our bosses don't
give us money just because they want to give us money. We earned
it. We deserve it. That is not so
with salvation. There is nothing we can do. We
are dead in trespasses and sins. So Abraham, performing no works,
trusting in nothing that he did, He believed God and God counted
his faith for righteousness. Go back with me to Genesis chapter
21. Genesis 21. When this world becomes heavy,
when our sinful minds forget, He is faithful. There's a word
of comfort for us, and we need it. We've already seen it, but
I need reminded of it so very often. Genesis 21 verse 1, and
the Lord visited Sarah as he had said. He made a covenant. He said, I'm going to do for
you. And the Lord visited Sarah as
he had said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken. We believe and are sure that
God's word shall not return unto him void, but it shall accomplish
that which he pleases, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto
he sent it. He gave command, and he shall
fulfill his command. What do we confess when we declare,
I believe and am sure that the Lord Jesus Christ is that Christ,
the son of the living God? We declare that we believe and
are sure that the Lord Jesus Christ is the lamb slain from
the foundation of the world. Genesis 22, verse seven. And Isaac spake unto Abraham
his father and said, my father. And he said, here am I, my son. And he said, behold, the fire
and the wood. But where is the lamb for a burnt
offering? And Abraham said, my son, God
will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering. So they went,
both of them, together. Turn with me to John chapter
one. You don't need to hold your place
here in the Genesis. John chapter one. John one, verse one. In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was
in the beginning with God. All things were made by him,
and without him was not anything made that was made. In him, not
in doing, not in man, in him was life. And the life was the
light of men. And the light shineth in darkness. He came to where we are naturally
in darkness. And the darkness comprehended
it not. Now skip down to verse 29. The next day, John seeth Jesus
coming unto him. and saith, Behold the Lamb of
God, which taketh away the sin of the world. The thrice holy
God, God the Father, God the Son, God the Spirit, created
all things for his good pleasure. And he has decreed in the beginning
that the Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, should
receive all glory, all honor, all praise. His holy law, established
to point sinful men to Christ, we have not, can not, and will
not keep. And it condemns all men and women. There could be no hope for any
of Adam's descendants had it not been for God's redeeming
grace. Before there was a cloud in the
sky, Noah and his family entered the ark, and the Lord shut him
in. God the Father, having chosen
those of Adam's sinful race, those he loved from the foundation
of the world, those he loved in the beginning, those he loved
in Christ, shut them in Christ. And it pleased God to make a
covenant concerning us. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved. We won't and we can't believe
for we are dead and in darkness. But he who gave the command,
he is faithful. He sends his word through the
preaching of the gospel, and he calls his own to himself. When he calls us, he reveals
who we are, sinful, rebellious creatures deserving of death. He reveals who he is, and he
gives us life in him. And he causes us to cry out for
mercy. He reveals that He is the just
God and the Savior, the Lamb of God who shed His own blood
for our sin. He came down in our likeness.
He fulfilled His law in our place. He obtained a righteous standing
before God in our place. He became bone of our bone, flesh
of our flesh. Being found as a man, a man faultless
before man and God, he bore the sins of his elect people. He bore my sin. He suffered and
he died upon Calvary's cross in my stead as my substitute. The just and righteous wrath
of God that targeted my sins, my transgressions, my iniquities
fell upon him, just as it had upon that ark in the days of
the flood. Yet in that ark, Noah and his
family were kept safe. As on that cross, I in him was
kept safe. The fire that was intended for
Isaac, that was intended for me, found instead the willing
sacrifice, the Lamb of God Himself, our Lord Jesus Christ. Our salvation
is His covenant. His choosing, His faithfulness,
His safekeeping, His calling, His doing, His saving, His love,
His grace, His mercy, His living, His dying, His burial, His resurrection. To our Lord Jesus Christ, be
all the glory forever and ever. And finally, for this study,
We believe and are sure that he has fully and completely obtained
the salvation of all those he came to save. And because we
are so certain, we say with Joseph, and Joseph said unto his brethren,
I die and God will surely visit you. and bring you out of this
land unto the land which he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to
Jacob. And more sure than Joseph's word
is the word of our Lord. Turn over to John 14. John 14,
verse one. Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also
in me. In my father's house are many
mansions. If it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place
for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself. that
where I am, there ye may be also. May the Lord be pleased to give
each of us faith that says, Lord, I believe and am sure that thou
art that Christ, the Son of the living God. No, Lord, please
help my unbelief. You're dismissed.