Your pastor, if you weren't able to be there today, brought an excellent, excellent message on God's children being delivered, departing from this world, departing from this body of death, Scripture in the book of John calls it, passing from death unto life. What a wonderful way to put it.

You know, we all know that the moment we're born, we're on that path to death. It's just, it's inevitable. We're all going to have to go through it. And I find it Interesting now, I never gave much thought to this before the Lord called me out of darkness, but I find it very interesting how it doesn't matter who you are, doesn't matter what kind of life you lived, in this world, how often do we hear this phrase, they're in a better place? I don't know the exact way David put it, but he was speaking to the director, I believe it was today, He mentioned something to this effect. How many people have you seen come through these halls going to hell?

None. You don't hear that. You don't hear people gathering around funeral homes and funeral services or celebrations of the life of this world. People just, they just don't want to look and see the truth about things. Folks, there's two places that we're all going to go through when we go through that doormark death. We're either going to stand on the left side of the seat of judgment and be judged for what we are, deserving the wrath of God, or we're going to stand on the right where there's been a substitute who stood for us.

One who has loved his people from before the world was ever created. In fact, in reality, you take that into consideration, grab a hold of this. Grab a hold of this. Everything that has happened in this world, Every single thing that is going to happen between now and the day the Lord comes back to this earth is purposed for one thing, to bring His loved ones to Him, that we might glorify Him in eternity. Interesting, isn't it?

That when it comes to the world, everybody thinks their loved one is going to go there. How do they know? If your loved one has never given any indication, has never even heard the gospel, the good news for sinners, how are they going to call upon the One who saves sinners? Isn't that what we read in Romans chapter 10? How are you going to call on somebody you've never heard of? How are you going to hear about them if you don't have a preacher? A better place, how do you know? Set your Bibles down and we'll be there to Matthew in just a moment, but I want to set the table for a couple of points. I want to begin with this verse.

You know, this is another verse that the world has taken and just Well, those scriptures call it lasciviousness. They've used the word of God and turned it into wickedness. They love to say that God loves the whole world. John 3, 16, for God so loved the world. And they skip right over this part. For whosoever that he loved the world, that he sent his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth should have everlasting life.

Over in John chapter 5, we read this in verse 24 and 25, we read, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life."

That's what I said about Judy just a moment ago. You know, I've been blessed to know several folks of this world like Judy. Not all of them have ever heard the gospel though. I had a neighbor who lived across the street from Kathy and I there in Sacramento for 33 years. Him and his wife were just the sweetest people. Just wonderful, just like Judy, always smiling.

And when I preached his funeral, I told the folks there, you know, I think he's in a better place too. but not for the same reason you do. I believe he's in a better place because he's heard the gospel, and I went about preaching the gospel from that time on. I know in my heart, as best as any man knows, that Judy is in a better place because she has heard the gospel. She's expressed her very feelings to me over the years.

Like Brother David said, we've been under the ministry there at Rescue for 19 years before Jean and Judy came out here. And I've had many a time, just like many of you have as well, to speak with Judy. You know, we saw these pictures today and all the pictures were of her smiling. Have you been blessed with the times when she didn't smile?

I have. And those were the times when she spoke of herself. Judy knew. She believed. She believed the Word of God, what he says about each and every one of us. And she believed the best part of the Word of God, and that is that Christ came to save sinners, as Brother David brought out so well in his message today. It says in Mark 9, verse 23 and 24, it says, if thou canst believe, all things are possible. And then the father of that dear child that the Lord was speaking to, where he said, if thou can't believe all things are possible, he cried out in verse 24, he said, Lord, I believe.

Help thou my unbelief. That's the times when Judy didn't smile. But the heart When he grabs a hold of that, and you see that she's looking to Christ, her only hope of salvation. It's kind of a bittersweet thing. Sweet and sour, as I like to call it, when it comes to food. You know, I like food. Sweet and sour. Judy confessed, not only with her mouth, but with her heart. God given faith according to God's gospel, according to God's word. And I wanna talk to you briefly this evening about saving faith. I'll give you four points. And the first one this evening, Judy knew that she had a need.

Those times when she wasn't smiling and looking at her inner self and seeing the same thing you and I see when we get up in the morning and we look into the mirror, this flesh. This flesh that we don't like it at all, do we? I don't like the things that I think when somebody cuts me off on the freeway. I don't like the things that I think when I don't get my way about things.

Judy understood that. Sometimes it's easy for folks to turn away from those things and not see the truth about what all of us have to face in this world. Judy knew that she had a need, and that's the first point I want to bring before you about faith. Faith, true God-given faith, always takes those that He has loved from the very beginning and shows them their need. Folks, you've got to know your need before you know who it is that can fulfill that need. You know, there's a lot of folks who go around wearing their religion on their shoulder, on their shirt sleeve.

Oh, I know I'm saved because I go to church every Sunday. I know I'm saved because I tithe. I know it's like that Pharisee in the temple, isn't it? Lord, I'm sure glad you didn't make me like those other people. I do all this and do all that. I'm thankful you didn't make me like this publican over here.

Those who have a righteousness of their own, they think. Men and women come to Christ in faith because of a need of Christ. The well have no need. Are you with me in Matthew chapter 9? Look here, beginning at verse 11. But when Jesus heard that, He said unto them, They that behold need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, and I will have mercy, not sacrifice, for I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance."

Our sister Judy knew her need. She knew that anything that came good from her came from the Lord Jesus Christ, her Savior. She knew that anything she might do that seemed good in this world was caused and purposed by God Himself. She knew that He was sovereign in all that is. Nothing happens outside of the purpose of our God and Lord. And she knew that everything about her in the flesh was against that.

There's a word in scriptures called, it's enmity. You know what that is? You folks know what that is, right? I'm sure David's expressed it once or twice. That is the exact opposite of what God is. That means we are in the flesh exactly the opposite of what God is. He's holy. He's so holy he can't even look upon sin.

Yet the love for God sent His only begotten Son, as it says in John 3.16. His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth, whosoever believeth that they need a Savior and that there is absolutely nothing they can do in this flesh to earn or to warrant the love of God.

The love of God must be by one thing and that is by grace. Unmerited favor. He must have loved you from before the world was ever created. In fact, everything that He created, everything that He has purposed, is because of that love for us, you and I. Folks say, oh, that verse 316, you know, you ask those why they think that God loves everybody in the whole world, they'll use that one word. for God so loved the world.

And they don't take into consideration all the rest of God's Word where it talks about like in John 17, I pray not for the world but for them that thou hast given me. Well that doesn't make sense John. How can you explain that? Well, best I can figure it is the Lord tells us, he sends his disciples out into every nation, every tribe, Every tongue, that word world must mean all of time.

All of those who will walk this world who belong to Him. Everyone who walks this world that He has given the gift of faith to, like Judy, will come to Him. Isn't that what Scripture tells us? All that the Father giveth me shall come to me. Second, fundamental of faith that Judy expressed greatly. Faith's one foundation is the Word of God and the Word of God alone. We have no reason to believe anything except what God has said in His Word. Over in Romans chapter 10, verse 17, we read these words, faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word.

I've shared this, I may not have shared this with you folks a couple of times though with some others. You get in an airplane and you fly 35,000 feet from Dallas, Fort Worth to Sacramento, California, and you fly right over the Grand Canyon. And when you fly over the Grand Canyon, if you look out and the skies are clear, you can see how water would have receded down through the Rockies, out into the different valleys, from one valley right into the next, and how they all funnel right down into the top, to the east side of the Grand Canyon. And if you think about all that water, you can imagine that the flood was real. You can see that the flood was real. It really happened. But that's not good enough evidence to prove anything for us. Here's our evidence right here.

God says it's so, it's so. And that was one of the things that Judy was very stout about. What does the word of God say? My faith is based on that, not on John and his flying an airplane 45,000 feet. That's nice, but that's not proof. This is proof. The inspired, inerrant word of God.

Faith cometh by hearing. and hearing by the Word of God. Thirdly, the fundamental of faith is this, Christ. Everything flows right into that. Just like it does the Grand Canyon, everything flows right into that. The sole object of saving faith is Christ. Let me share with you in Isaiah 45 verse 22, listen to this if you would. Look unto me, he says, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God, there is none else. Faith, real saving faith, true saving faith will always point God's children to the Savior, the Lord Jesus.

It doesn't put your faith and point to anything that you have done. It doesn't bring you to a point to where you've made a decision to go to church on Sunday. It doesn't point to the fact that you have decided to be baptized and therefore you're saved. No, it always points to the one who went to the cross and shed his blood for us. Every time I get to this point of the message bring out the blood of my Savior, it just grabs ahold of me. That's what we're talking about, faith pointing us to Christ. How the blood of my Savior that was shed for my sake, it just grabs ahold of me.

God has loved us so much so You know, we love each other. There's no doubt. You folks know what love means. You've got grandchildren, you've got children, you've got wives, husbands. You know what love is about. But not when it comes to the depth of how much Christ and God loves us.

To magnify the love of God in humbling himself to become a man, to walk this earth, to walk in our flesh, bone of our bone, flesh of our flesh, that He would suffer what you and I deserve. What a... That's... If I try to wrap my mind around that too much, my brain's gonna pop and there's gonna be gray stuff everywhere. It's...

It's the one thing that I love to tell when I'm allowed to do it. And that is the true love, the best that we can describe it in this flesh, of how much our God loves us. It really makes me kind of angry when people slough it off as something that's not worthy of being anything more than common.

And what I mean by that is when you say that God loves the whole world, well, then the whole world ought to be saved if He's truly God. According to His work, He saves His people in not part way, but all the way. Judy knew that there was nothing of her flesh that she could do to deserve God's salvation, but she knew the love of God for her covers it all. Calvary covers it all.

Oh, I love those words. The sole object of saving faith is Christ Jesus. Over in Hebrews chapter two, we read these words. Let me just turn over there and read that for you real quick. He says, for looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith. He's covered it all, folks.

You go home and you look in the mirror and you're telling yourself, I just can't do it. Maybe you folks don't, but I do. I struggle with that all the time. You know what? Judy did too. Gene does as well. Every single one for whom Christ gives that need, and that need is this, I need somebody to save me from myself.

The Word. And according to the Word, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Christ, our Savior, our Lord. He is of God. He has made unto us all things that we need, we believe, We look, we trust, and we rest in Him. Turn over to Colossians chapter 2 with me, if you would, and we'll just read a couple verses there. This is the one that faith leads us to. The one that God-given faith, true, saving faith, leads us to in every single way. Look at verses 9 and 10, if you would, of Colossians chapter 2.

For in Him, in Christ, Folks, this is the reason His death on the cross covers everything. It's God's blood. It's the blood of God that was shed upon Him. And is there anything, is there anything about God that is not perfect? Here's just something to grab ahold of your brain and maybe twist it up a bit. Christ was made perfect He was perfectly made sin. That'll twist you up a little bit, doesn't it? Everything about God is perfect.

The fact that he went to the cross and shed his blood for it, God accepted that sacrifice on our behalf because he's sitting on his throne right now in heaven. Death couldn't hold him. He's sitting on His throne ruling all things according to the counsel of His own will. For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and ye, grab a hold of this, you, all for whom He died, ye are complete in Him which is the head of all principality and power.

Isn't that what it says over in Hebrews chapter 10? For by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified." Oh, folks, there's three points right there of fundamental faith that I know for a fact I've had conversations with Judy about each and every one of those. And then the last point, and I'll bring this to a quick close here, both the will to believe and the power to believe are the gifts of God, not of works.

Turn over Ephesians chapter one. Look at verse 19 with me if you would. Actually, let's back up to 17. Read 17 through 19. that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and the revelation in the knowledge of Him.

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened, being illuminated, being open. You know, when Paul had those scales and they fell off of his eyes, his eyes were illuminated. He was blinded by the glory of God on the road to Damascus when he was going to persecute the church. And then the Lord blinded him for however long that was. And then when his eyes, when the scales fell off, he was illuminated, he saw. He saw the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ through the eyes of faith.

We don't walk by sight. Careful about that statement because some people try that and they walk into the wall. We walk by faith. That's what Judy did. She had faith in what the Lord promises in His Word. Abraham believed and therefore it was counted to him for righteousness. that the eyes of your standing might be enlightened, and that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward, who believe according to the working of his mighty power. False preachers are always trying to get sinners to make an all-important decision.

If you'll just do this. If you'll just come down and say a prayer. We'll stand there, we'll pray with you. If you'll just get into the waters of baptism and get wet. If you'll just do this. When the Lord Jesus said to Doubting Thomas, Be not faithless, but believing. Thomas fell down and he cried, my Lord, my God.

I remember the first time I heard the gospel, one of the very first times there, I remember thinking to myself, here's a God that deserves to be called God. I grew up in religion. I went to church on Sundays as long as mom grabbed a hold of the ear, as long as she could grab the ear. When I got too big for her to grab my ear, I quit, like most. I saw the hypocrisy of it. I didn't know I was seeing it, but I saw the hypocrisy of it.

And then when I heard about this one, This one who says in Romans 10, whosoever calleth upon him shall have everlasting life. And I heard about the true him. I said, there's one who deserves to be called God. When Thomas fell down, he cried, my Lord, my God.

What important decision did he make at that point? When Lazarus was called out of the grave, Do you think he sat up for a moment and thought to himself, eh, maybe in a minute or two? No. When Christ walked by the sea and called his disciples, his apostles, if you read it, you'll see they got up and left immediately. God's call to his children doesn't come as it does to the world.

It comes with power. The power that makes us willing in the day of His power. Sinners are saved by God giving them faith to see who Christ is and what He did for them. Look over at Ephesians 2 verse 4. My favorite statement in the entire Word of God But God. That should be the answer to everything right there, shouldn't it? Somebody asks you a question and you can't answer it? But God. That's a good answer for anything.

But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, By grace ye are saved, and hath raised us up together, and made us to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, It is a gift of God, not of works, lest man should boast.