This message has been on my heart
for some time. It says here in verse thirteen,
In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth,
the gospel of your salvation, in whom also, after that ye believed,
ye were with that Holy Spirit of promise. And I want to talk
about assurance today. That's the title of my message.
Assurance. Assurance. There's several things that I
want to say from this, but one thing I want to make sure. By
God's grace, I don't want to give assurance to, you know,
I don't want to be guilty of giving assurance to false prophecies.
I do want to give assurance to false professors. Those who don't
know Christ, give assurance to them. And those false professors
rarely, rarely need assurance. They generally have plenty of
it. The only person who never worries about being a hypocrite
is a hypocrite. And Job said that to hypocrites,
hope shall perish. Those men who crucified our Lord,
they were every one of them, single one of them hypocrites.
Christ called them hypocrites. But they didn't believe it. He
told them he's a hypocrite. He said, how are you going to
escape the damnation of hell? And they just turned around to
him and said, didn't we say, well, that you have a devil?
That you're a Samaritan? So you know the hypocrite, he
don't know he's a hypocrite. The very minute that he knows
he's a hypocrite, he'll cease to be one. And the only people
who worry about being hypocrites, who people are, aren't. And we
just despise it and hope and say, God save me from all my
hypocrisy. We don't want to. Oh, we don't
want no hypocrisy. And secondly, in talking about
assurance, I don't want to be guilty, not only of giving false
professors assurance, but I don't want to be guilty of robbing
God's sheep of their assurance, of burdening them with things
that they shouldn't be burdened about. I don't want to burden
them unnecessarily about their standing in Christ, their relationship
with the Lord Jesus Christ. I was looking through one of
Paul's Bibles up at Rocky Mount there, where I was sitting down
in the basement. He has a Bible laying there,
and I was sitting there, and I picked it up. It's a Bible like mine.
I looked through it, and he had a whole song by John Newton in
the back of it. And this is the one you know
about assurance, but he says this, "'Tis the point I long
to know, and oft it gives me anxious thought. Do I love the
Lord or no? Am I His or am I not? Depth of
mercy, can there be? Mercy still reserved for me?'
And, O beloved, do I love the Lord or no? Am I His or am I not? But there
are several things that may be our trouble when it comes to
assurance. I had two people talk to me this weekend, and they
faced what they talked about. They've been believers for a
while. But they talked about when they're out in the world,
before they ever get back to the services, about their feeling
so unclean, and all the things that they have to hear, and the
things that they have to deal with. And then how they come
into the service so unprepared. They come rushing in. They don't
have time to sit down and get relaxed sometimes. They have
trouble with that. How could I love Christ and be
so cold? How could I love Christ and know
Christ and be so unprepared when I come into service? How could
I know and love Christ when I say and do the things that I do and
listen and put up with the things that I put up with? And that's
why we come to hear the gospel. to take away that uncleanness,
to give us some hope, to give us some assurance. But there's
four things that may be our trouble when we come to talking and feeling
about our relationship with Christ. We too often compare ourselves
with somebody else. When we compare ourselves, say
with you, compare yourself with David, when he wrote the Psalms.
Or you compare yourself to Abraham and his great sacrifices. Compare
yourself with Peter when he was out preaching, or maybe the Apostle
Paul. And all of all, we compare ourselves
with those who have great zeal and great ability. I hear preachers
preach sometimes, and I think to myself, I don't believe I'll
ever get up and take another shot at it. I really do. After all these years, after
all these years, I hear somebody get up and preach, and I say,
boy, I don't know a thing in the world about it yet. I just
believe I'll give it up. But you know, you can't. But
that's because I hear some and I compare my preaching, my zeal,
to others. But, excuse me. You know, we
see those with great zeal and great ability to express themselves.
Those who have the great ability to pray good. And oh my, you
look at those who have great, a seemingly great understanding
of the scriptures and seem to remember them very well. And
you say, why in the world can't I remember? Why don't I have
that seal? Why can't I pray like that? And
those things hurt our assurance. And I used to be really guilty
of this, and I don't anymore, because I quit doing it. But we read biographies, you
know, about people who love the Lord, who seemingly just do great
things for the Lord Jesus Christ. You take John Knox or David Brainerd
or Charles Haddon Spurgeon. or Miss Shane, or somebody in
the church, John Calvin, or somebody like that, and you begin to think,
oh my goodness, there's no way in the world. You think those
folks were just lived in the heavenly atmosphere all the time.
Never have never had any problems. And this is one of the greatest
problems we have. We look for a full harvest on
a young tree. When you first plant a tree,
When you first plant that thing, the first year or two, you don't
expect anything off of it whatsoever. You know, and you're a young
tree, and you're young in the Lord, and we're young in Christ,
we're young in the gospel, and we look for full fruit on a tree
that's just been planted two or three years. And I tell you,
that's one of our problems. But I tell you, the fruit, One
thing about a young believer, the fruit is either small or
it's in the bloom. But because it's small and it's
just in the bloom, we think because there ain't no fruit that there
ain't no life. We all look to ourselves, where's my fruit?
Where's my fruit? Where's my fruit? And here's the greatest
fault we have. This is the greatest enemy we
have, is that we look for assurance for someplace else besides in
God's blessed Word. That's the greatest fault that
we have. And the greatest enemy that we have is not looking into
the Word of God. And here's some things. We look
to an experience. Oh, thank God for an experience. You can't be saved without having
experience. And we have lots and lots of
experiences. But, beloved, we know for us,
if you ever look to an experience, whether it's a good one or a
bad one, We'll lose our assurance just as sure as God's on His
throne. And then we maybe look to a work that we've done. And
our worst enemy, this is the worst enemy of a believer right
here. And believe me when I tell you this. When we look to our
feelings, look to our feelings instead of the Word of God. That's
the greatest enemy. How do we feel? How many times
have you felt saved? How many times have you felt
moksha? How many times have you been
filled with absolute joy? How many times have you been
filled with depression and discouragement? How many times have you felt
like there's no, you know, but if you go by your feelings, that's
the worst enemy. Look into your feelings. And
feelings go, and feelings come, and feelings are deceiving. The only warrant is the Word
of God, naught else is worth believing. And that's the worst
thing that we have is our feelings. But all these things, experience
and works and feelings, all have their place, but true assurance,
true assurance and confidence is born of this blessed Word.
When you sit here in the gospel, when you're hearing the Word
of God, that's when assurance comes more than any other time.
That's when you can say, when God's speaking to you and something's
going on in you, say, yes, yes, yes, I know, I know, I'm saved
because right now, what's going on with us? You know, that's
why Paul wrote, he says, you know, faith cometh, it comes,
it comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God. And he says,
you know, when you heard the gospel, when you received the
gospel, did you receive it? By the flesh? Or did you receive
it by the law? Or did you receive it by hearing?
Hearing the Word of Faith. If you want to worry about forgiveness,
you consider forgiveness while the Scriptures say, Lord, if
thou should be able to mark iniquity, if thou mark iniquities, who
would be able to stand? But the next line says this,
but there's forgiveness within that thou mayest be feared. Look
over here in Colossians 2.13 with me just a minute. Two books
over to your right. Colossians 2.13 with me just
a moment. You talk about forgiveness. Everyone who prayed up there
this weekend, the last thing they said before they got through
praying, whether it was at a table eating, whether it was in a service,
they all, every one of them, closed their prayer with this
up there. Lord, forgive us of our sins. We ask you in Christ's
name. And I'll tell you, we not only
ask God to forgive us of our sins, we ask Him to forgive us
of our sin, and we ask God not only to forgive us of what we've
done, but forgive us, Lord, of what we are, what we think, what
we feel. That's what we do. And here in
Colossians 2.13 it says, Being buried in your sins and
the uncircumcision of your flesh, the uncleanness of your flesh,
has he quickened together with him, listen to this, having forgiven
you all trespasses. Now when I read that, my sins
are gone. And oh, beloved, you want to
talk about a Savior? Is Christ a sufficient Savior? Does He need our help? Does He
need our aid? Does He need our cooperation?
Is He able to save us to the uttermost? Well, Hebrews 7.27
says that He is able to save us to the uttermost. How do we
know? Seeing He ever lives. And what
is He doing living? He's making intercession for
us right now. He says, you know, all that the
Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that comes to me,
I'll never cast him out. When David was in the arm of
Bathsheba, did God cast him out? When Simon Peter denounced the
Lord three times, did Christ cast him out? When Noah got drunk
and naked, did God cast him out? And we may do none of those things,
but what goes on in us is just as bad. Huh? And so he said, I'll never cast
him out, and I don't know when I might cast him out, but I'll
raise him up at the last day. I'm going to keep him, and I'm
going to not only give him life, but I'm going to keep him and
raise him up at the very last day. And, oh, what about all
who believed are saved? Look over here at 1 John 5 with
me just a moment. And you know, this is the thing.
If you was going to witness to somebody, really witness to somebody
that's in trouble, and they don't know Christ, and you wanted to
show them something, you wanted to use some scriptures to really
be a witness to them and tell them what God says about salvation.
Right here. In 1 John 5, verse 10. He that believeth on the Son
of God hath the witness in himself. And he that believeth not God
hath made him a liar, because he believeth not the record.
What's the record? Right here in this precious book that God
gave of His Son. And this is the record. God put
it on record. That God hath given to us, given
to us, given to us, not earned, not deserved. not merited, given
to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Now listen
to it. He that hath the Son hath life,
and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. And watch
it. These things have I written unto
you, that believe on the name of the Son of God, and all that
you may know, know that you have eternal life, and that you may
believe on the Son of God. And, oh, beloved, what about
confessing our sins? If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and just and can forgive us of our sins. And the dead
shall rise? How do we know the dead is going
to rise? Because God said. God said they would. And, oh,
beloved, you know, the Scriptures tells us that Abraham believed
what? God. Believed God. Even in his weakest time, he
believed God. John Bunyan said this, he said,
I venture all, I venture all, all I am, all I am, all I am
on the Word of God. Venture it all. And David and
Paul both said this, as I have believed, talking about the Word,
getting assurance from the Word, as I have believed, therefore
have I spoken. What you believe is what you'll
speak. Him and I were talking up there this weekend, and how
that, you know, we just got to, we got to stay true to the Word
of God, regardless of what anybody says, or what anybody does, and
wherever we go. And that's why David said, I
believe, I believe, and what you believe is what you speak.
What you believe is what you speak. That's why he says, you
know thy Word. thy word have I hid in my heart,
that I might want my sin against you." And he said, wherewith
shall a young man, there's some young people there, how's a young
man going to cleanse his way while he's going through this
world? How's he going to keep his way clean? It says, taking
heed thereto according to thy word. And he says, thy word forever,
O Lord, it's settled. Where's it at? Settled in heaven.
And Simon Peter was out They fished all night. The Lord Jesus
Christ, early in the morning, they came to shore. And the Lord
Jesus got in the boat with them to launch out into the deep.
He said, catch your net down there. And Simon Peter said,
oh, we fished all night. But here's what he says. Nevertheless,
at your word. Nevertheless, at your word. And
ain't that the way we are? Nevertheless, at your word. And
you know what gets you through? You know what's getting Floyd
and Ellen and these kids through this situation? God's blessed
Word, the promises in His name. It certainly ain't their feelings.
It certainly ain't their experiences. It certainly ain't what they
want to go out into eternity facing, is it? You see, first
we have the root of grace. Job said, the root of the matter
is in me. Then we have the fruit of grace. And look what it says
here in verse 13. That's four, five, one, two,
three, four things that I want to talk about here. You heard,
you believed, you trusted, you were sealed. In whom you also
trusted after that you heard. So you heard something. And then you believed in whom
also after that you believed. And then in whom you trusted,
you trusted. And then you were sealed with
the Holy Spirit of promise. You see, beloved, the first thing
is you heard the word of truth. And Paul calls it here the gospel
of your salvation. Now, here's the difference in
somebody that knows Christ and has any assurance at all. You
heard the what? Word of truth. Truth. Truth. Truth. Not just anything. Truth. And
then the truth, that you heard the truth. The truth. Look what our Lord said over
here in Matthew, talking about the word. Look in Matthew 7,
24 with me just a moment. You heard the word of truth.
You heard about the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. You heard about how God's glory,
and that when you've seen Christ, you've seen the Father. When
you heard Christ, you heard the Father. When you trusted Christ,
you trusted the Father. When you embrace Christ, you
embrace at the top, that you heard that Christ Jesus is the
only hope there is for any sinner in this world, that His righteousness
is the only righteousness you can have. And you heard these
things. You heard the word of truth.
That's why Paul said, Our gospel came unto you in word, not in
word only, but in power. Look what our Lord said here
in Matthew 7, 24. He said, Therefore, whosoever
heareth these sayings of mine, the truth, and doeth them, I
liken him unto a wise man which buildeth his house on a rock."
He said, here's the truth. Here's it. Here's that truth. And you've got to hear the word
of truth. And oh my, you know how many people are not telling
the truth? That's why he says, you know,
whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved,
but how can you call on him in whom you have not believed? And
how can you believe on him of whom you have not heard? And
this is what I don't like, you know, I find it so hard to grasp,
but somebody can hear the word of truth over and over and over
and over and never believe it. Never believe it. And that's
why Peter says, you know, being born again, not of corruptible
seed, but incorruptible, by the Word of God, by the Spirit of
truth. And, oh, beloved, look over here
in II Thessalonians 2.13 with me, just a moment. You heard. We're going to hear some things,
and I tell you what, one way you know you've really heard
the truth, You always want to hear the truth. If you've ever
heard it, you say, that's all I want to hear from then on.
You heard the word of truth. You heard the word of truth.
Look here. It talks about down here in verse
10, it talks about men and women who are deceived by Satan, 2
Thessalonians 2. And because, look what it says
in the last part of that verse, because they received not the
love of the truth, They're hurting that they don't receive the love
of it, that they might be saved. And because they don't receive
the love of it, because they would rather perish in their
own unrighteousness and trust in that, God shall send them
a strong delusion. Believe that lie. Believe that
lie. Believe that decision you made.
Believe them works you trust in. Believe that false prophet. Believe, go ahead and believe
in Allah, go ahead and believe in Buddha, go ahead and believe
in Jesus, who needs your cooperation. And oh, listen to this, they
believe a lie that every single one of them who believes that
lie might be damned. Who believed, not only loved
it, but didn't believe the truth when they heard it. But they
had their pleasure in their trusting in their own unrighteousness.
And there's people who really, really enjoy trusting in their
own righteousness. If anyone makes it Lord, surely
I will. I'm building a bridge. I'm building
it strong and I'm building it wide. Across a great divide. Oh, they love that. But oh, there's
another people that's different than that. Paul turns around
and talks about them, but we are bound to give thanks always
to God for you. Brethren, your love to the Lord,
and because God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation,
watch this, through sanctification of the Spirit, the Spirit sending
you apart. And what else? Belief of the truth. Those folks didn't believe. They
heard the truth, didn't believe it. They heard the truth, they
never trusted it. They heard the truth, they didn't
love it. We hear the truth and we love it. The only difference
is love of God, chosen of God. And oh, you heard about the glory
of God in the face of Christ, about Christ, our Lord Jesus,
being the power of God by which He saves us, the wisdom of God
by which He makes us just and justifier. And then look back
over in our text. Not only did you hear the word
of truth, but you believed the word of truth. After you heard
the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also
that you believed." You believed. You not only heard it, but you
believed the word of truth. Well, do you know what that means?
That means that you agreed with God. What God said, you said,
yes. Yes, I agree with that. I agree
with that verb. I agree. Whatever God says, I
agree with. I'm not going to argue with God.
I'm not going to correct God. I'm not going to apologize. That's
why we come when we hear the truth and believe it. We make
no apologies for the sovereign glory and power and righteousness
of our Lord Jesus Christ or God's doings in this world. All these
tornadoes and all these people that got killed, It's sad. I mean, it's really sad. The
heart breaks for them and we just look at it and oh, we're
just astonished at the things that happened. But still yet,
beloved, we have to say the Lord has His way in the world. The clouds as they roll by us
at a hundred or fifty or sixty miles an hour, they're just the
dust off of these feet. He said, the earth trembles,
and beloved, when this earth is trembling, they're trembling
at God's voice. And we agree with that. We don't
apologize for it. The devils don't control the
wind. Oh, we agree with God. Oh, look
over here in Matthew 15 with me just a moment. And I'll tell
you, that's what, that gets, you know, oh. God's people don't contradict
God. I remember we supported a missionary
for quite a while, and then he started sending me some
tapes of some different preachers and books that he was reading
and listening to. And this one preacher, he's a
pretty famous preacher, he's gone now, but he made this statement
in a book he wrote, and in a message he preached. He said, there's
lots and lots of people that are God's sheep, that they're
saved and they're living for the Lord, but they don't believe
in election. How can you not believe in election
when you were on God's elect? And I mean, he said they face
it and they look at it and they say, I just don't believe that.
I know fellas that used to go to Henry's back years ago that
went to the went to the preacher's classes up there, and after they
got out and started preaching and that, and it started costing
them something, the first thing they give up is particular redemption,
God's effectual love for His people. And they say because
they want God to love everybody, they're afraid that that will
hinder their gospel, that it contradicts their gospel, that
God has a certain kind of love for everybody. So they give up
that particular redemption, they give up that essential love of
Christ for His people. Now God's people, listen to me,
I believe this with all my heart. I mean, you know, we're young
babies when we first start, but I tell you, there's nothing that
we hear that we don't agree with. When we hear election, you mean
God chose a people and they have to be one of them? me, well, can God love and choose
a wretched, miserable sinner like thee?" Huh? Oh my, we agree with God. Look
what he says here in Matthew 15 and verse 22. And behold, a woman came out
of the same coast, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coast,
Tyre and and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord,
son of David. My daughter is grievously, vexed,
grievously troubled by a devil, with a devil. But he answered
her not a word. And you know, you start going
through the Gospels. I never noticed this until here recently.
Almost everything that went on, Christ tried to keep people from
coming to it. He put obstacles in their way
over and over and over again. And here He done this woman.
He said, just didn't answer. And His disciples came and besought
Him, saying, Send her away. She's aggravating us to death.
All she's doing is crying after us and hollering at us and following
us. Lord, Lord, Lord. But He answered and said, I'm
not sent but the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then she
came and worshipped Him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered,
said, it's not right, it's not fit, it's not good for me to
take the children's bread and to cast it to dogs. Look what
she said here. Truth, Lord. I agree with everything
you said. I agree with the way you've treated
me. I agree with the way... Truth, Lord. But yet the dogs, she said, I'm
a dog. The dogs eat of the crumbs which
fall from their master's table. And our Lord, do you know how
He answered her? O woman, great is thy faith. It's going to be
just what you want it to be. What you will to be is what's
going to happen. And you see, beloved, we agree with God. God's
people don't contradict Him. Their mouth is stopped. And one
of these days, all mouths will be stopped. And why did we believe
it? Why did we believe the word of
truth? We heard it, but why did we believe it? Our Lord Jesus
says, my sheep hear my voice. My sheep hear my voice. What
do they do? They follow me. They follow me. And let me show you this. I've
got to show you this. John 12. John chapter 12. Why? Why don't? Why men don't
believe? And we just read over a minute
ago. John chapter 12, verse 39. It says in verse 37, But though
he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed
not on him, that the sayings of Isaiah the prophet might be
fulfilled which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report?
To whom hath the arm of the Lord believed? Now listen, listen
to this right here. Therefore they could not believe,
could not believe, God's in a strong belief. There's people in this
world that God has done sealed, they're dead, they're doomed.
He's ordained men to preach lies, tell lies. And He don't make
them do it. They're doing just what's natural
to them and He lets them alone. And He says they could not believe. Why? Because the Scripture said,
who blinded their minds? God blinded their minds. Who
blinded their hearts? God blinded their hearts. And,
boy, when we read something like that, the first cry comes from
our heart, Oh, God, don't leave me to myself. Oh, give me, open
my heart, open my heart, don't leave me like, oh. When we read
that, we see the difference, and the only difference for us
not believing in them is the grace and mercy of God. Huh? And, oh, beloved, let me, I'll
read this to you. Our Lord Jesus Christ said this.
You know, why do you not understand my speech? You know why? He said,
because you can't hear. You can't hear my word. That means you don't believe
it. You won't listen to it. You won't pay any attention to
it. And then he says in John 8, 47, he that's of God, he that's
of God hears God's words. And then he says, and therefore
you hear them not. Why? Because you're not of God.
Why do we hear? Because we're of God. When did
we become of God? Chosen in Christ. And I tell
you, this is the thing. Chosen in Christ for the foundation.
And what I'm saying is this. You heard the Word of Truth,
and when you heard it, I believe it. I believe it. And the cross
is foolishness. It's offensive to man's pride. Oh, I've got to do something.
It's offensive to his wisdom. I know how God saves somebody.
I know about it. And our Lord Jesus Christ said,
I thank you, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, you have hidden
these things from the wise and the prudent, and took a bunch
of babies and taught them. And then not only did you hear,
not only did you believe, look what else it said here. In verse,
first part, in whom you heard the word of truth, the gospel
of your salvation, in whom also that you believed. And then it
says there, you also trusted. You also trusted. And watch what
it says there, in whom you also trust. You hear the truth about
it, you believe the truth, and when that happens, I'm going
to trust you. And this word trust here means,
it's another word for believe, but it means so much more than
that. It means commit. It means surrender
to. To trust. Trust. Trust. You see, and how do we
know? Abraham believed God, but how
do we know? He trusted. He trusted Him with
his whole life. God said, Abraham, go out. Abraham
packed up his tent, brought his wife, and he went out. Where am I going? Where are we
going, Sarah? I mean, Abraham said, Sarah said,
where are we going? God told me to go out, and I'm
going out. Not knowing where he's going. Now that's what's
called trust. Huh? Nor preparing an ark. Because God told him it was going
to rain. It never rained a drop for 120
years. I mean, beloved, not a drop.
Not a mist in the air. I mean, not even a light rain. Nothing had ever fell before.
In 120 years, not one drop of rain fell. But God told him,
He said, I'm going to destroy this world. And he, beloved,
trusting that there was going to be rain and a flood and judgment,
he went to building an ark. And with Moses, God told him,
He said, I'm coming through here at midnight tonight. I'm going
to bring you all out in the morning, and I'm coming through here at
midnight tonight, and if you don't slay a lamb, and roast
it with fire and eat it with bitter herbs and take that blood
and put it on the posts of them doors and across the middle of
that door and down. He said, if there ain't no blood there,
I said, I'm coming in and I'm going to kill the firstborn. And I'm telling you, that was
people in those homes when they start hearing people being, start
dying and screaming and hollering when this firstborn was killed. They stand behind that blood.
But they trusted. They trusted that God do just
what He said He would, He'd pass right over. You know, and when
the judgment comes, and it's coming. It's on us now, really. Judgment's on this earth. Judgment's
in this world. Judgment's in America. The hand
of God's hard against this country right now. And I don't believe
He gonna lift it. But what am I gonna do? I certainly
ain't gonna trust the government. Certainly ain't going to trust
a politician. I ain't going to trust no lawyers.
Until he writes everything, he's got to get all his seeds out
of his eyes. I ain't going to trust. Seek
or swim, live or die, if this world turns upside down, we're
going to trust Christ, ain't we? And oh, Barnabas. The Scripture says, when the
Lord opened his eyes, he followed Jesus' wrath in the way. And trust, trust is a commitment. Look over here in 2 Timothy 1
with me. In whom, in whom do you also trust? In whom do you
also trust? Look down here in verse 12, 2
Timothy 1.12. Look what it says here. talking about in whom you trusted,
in whom you trusted. In the first verse before that,
he said, Christ. But he says, for the wish cause
I also suffer these things, but I'm not ashamed. I'm not ashamed
because I've suffered for Christ. I'm not ashamed because I'm in
jail. I'm not ashamed that I've suffered for the gospel. I'm
not ashamed that I'm in chains. I'm not ashamed that I've been
beaten. I'm not ashamed that these fellows
come in here and I'm a prisoner. For what? Why aren't you ashamed,
Paul? Why aren't you ashamed of your suffering? If God really
meant... And I've heard preachers say
this when people get sick and they say, that's not the will
of God for you to be sick. If you just had enough faith,
you'd be well. Well, if that's so, why did Christ
himself suffer? And that's why Paul said, that's
what they said to Paul. They said, Paul, if your God
was as great as you say He is, and He's Lord of heaven and earth, and He's sovereign, and He has
mercy on whom He'll have mercy, and saves whom He will, and we're
playing the potter's hand to make a vessel of oil and another
vessel of this, and this God is so great and so powerful and
so glorious, why in the world are you doing in jail? And Ed Martin made fun of him,
he said, I'm not ashamed of that. Why ain't you ashamed, Paul?
He says, for I know who I have believed. And watch this
now, and Amperswain, this is what we're talking about, and
Amperswain, that he is able to keep that which I've committed
unto him against that day. Uh-huh. Oh, we swore allegiance
to the Lord Jesus Christ. Were the whole realm of nature
mine, that world present, far too small, not so amazing, so
divine, to bless my life, my soul, my all. My life, my love
I give to thee, O thou Son of God who died for me. And let's
look at the last thing here in our text. Not only you believed,
You heard, you believed, you trusted, and then it says there
you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise. Now, what
does it mean to be sealed? Everybody knows what a seal is.
And when it talks about seal, it don't mean like you seal a jar, you know, and you
have your beans and that, and you put them in the jar and you
wait Here at SEAL, this is different. This means putting evidence on
that that's mine. Everybody, we have the SEAL of
the state of Tennessee. President has a SEAL. We have
coats of arms. Everybody has a coat of arms.
The Scottish have a certain plaid that they wear, you know, show
them what plaid they're from. And that gives evidence of what God
says here. I'll put a mark on you. Put a mark on you. The foundation
of God, stand assured, having this seal, the Lord knows. He put a mark on you. He told
Spurgeon one time, said, well, if you believe so much in election,
why don't you just preach to the elect? If I could see the
mark, and they all had an election, and wrote, oh, that's all I've
preached, I'd say, it'd make my preaching so much easier.
But that's not the way it is. But God seals us. And how does
He seal us? He seals us with the Spirit.
The Holy Spirit Himself comes and bears witness with our spirit
that we are the children of God. That's a sealing. And God has
sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our heart, and we cry,
I have a Father. And oh, we're kept by the power
of God through faith. And all beloved, salvations of
the Lord. He seals us. He puts that evidence,
that mark on us. And all beloved, and I tell you,
because of that, and I'm going to show you one verse of Scripture
and we're through. 1 John 5, 20. And I tell you, you know, after
a while, when you spend so much time, I was talking to a fellow
that I like very much up at Paul's. I've been knowing him for a while
now, and I just thank the world of him. He's just a wonderful
person. He says, you know, he said, that one of the amazing
things is, is that when you get with somebody that you never
met before, and you talk to them a little while, and it's amazing
how believers, just like they've always knew one another. You
know why that is? We all got the same mark. We
talk the same language. You know, we get to see the mark.
And how do we see the mark? We heard, we believe, we trust
it, we see them. And will I, David, therefore
as I believe, have I spoken?" And we just have, we have a language.
And oh, look what it says here in 1 John 5, 20. And we know,
here's what we're talking about. This is the sealing now. And
we know that the Son of God has come. We know that. How do we
know? Because He sent the Spirit of
His Son into our hearts. He sealed us with the Holy Spirit.
and hath given us an understanding." When He come, He gave us some
understanding. That we may know Him, that is true. And we're in Him, that is true.
Even in His Son, Jesus Christ, this is the true God and eternal
life. God said the sun would have to
quit shining and the moon give off the stars before He would
ever, ever let one for whom He died go. His covenant stands
forever.