Mark chapter 1. You know, Mark was the nephew of Barnabas. If you remember, Paul and Barnabas had a falling out over Mark, over John Mark was his name. And the issue was this, he did not like to serve, that was the charge. And Paul and Barnabas had a real falling out over Mark, and they separated, they separated. And we really don t hear Barnabas anymore after that. But later on Paul, in writing one of his letters, he said, Bring John Mark with you.

He's profitable to me in the ministry. Aren't you glad God's merciful? I'm so glad that when we stumble and fall, the Lord doesn't throw us away and He doesn't put us on a shelf. But He remembers our frame, that it's dust. I'm glad of that. I'm so glad of that. But the title now of the message tonight is this, THE BEGINNING OF GLAD TIDINGS. THE BEGINNING OF GLAD TIDINGS. THERE IS GOOD NEWS. I'M THANKFUL I CAN COME TO THIS PULPIT AND SAY I HAVE GOOD NEWS FOR YOU TONIGHT. IF YOU'RE A SINNER AND NEED MERCY, I HAVE GOOD NEWS. GOOD NEWS. THERE'S GOOD NEWS in this dark, evil world.

This world is evil, isn't it? It's evil. A place where death is all around and we don't even seem too much phased by it anymore. You turn on the television and so many people died and you say, Oh, that's sad. We've become almost callous to it. We're so used to it. THE NEWS TALKS ABOUT IT, THEN THEY'LL FLIP AND TALK ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE LIKE IT'S NOTHING. BUT THIS GOOD NEWS, LISTEN, IT'S NOT GOING TO BE FOUND ON ANY OF THE NEWS CHANNELS. YOU WON'T FIND IT ON ANY OF THE NEWS CHANNELS. WATCH THEM 24-7 AND THIS WILL NEVER COME UP. THIS GOOD NEWS WILL NEVER COME UP. BUT YOU WILL FIND IT IN THE MESSAGE that God has sent from heaven. This good news, this glad tidings is from heaven. It's from heaven.

And it's about God providing a Savior for sinners. God has provided a Savior for sinners like me and you. Mercy for the guilty. You know anything about guilt? FORGIVENESS FOR THE TRANSGRESSOR, LAWBREAKERS, LIFE FROM THE DEAD. God's going to save a multitude of sinners that no man can number, and EVERY ONE OF THEM, EVERY ONE IS GOING TO BE SAVED THROUGH GOD'S SON JESUS CHRIST, EVERY ONE OF THEM. I'm going to try to make this message as simple as I can make it without making it too simple. Someone said make it simple but not too simple. Make it as simple as the Word of God puts it, reveals it. Our salvation is in the Lord Jesus Christ.

He did it all. All to Him I owe. seeing it left a crimson stain, and he washed it white as snow. Now Mark says this in the first verse, he says, The BEGINNING OF THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD. That's the theme of all the Gospels. That's the theme of the whole Bible. The BEGINNING of the Gospel. of Jesus Christ. Now we know that the gospel began long ago. Mark's not talking about when he started writing it. The gospel reaches back into eternity. It reaches back to a time when there was no time, if that makes any sense. It reaches back into eternity.

BEFORE GOD CREATED THE FIRST THING, and I never get tired of saying this, I never get tired of hearing it, BEFORE GOD CREATED THE FIRST THING, HE PURPOSED TO SAVE A SINFUL PEOPLE. Not just a sinful people, but some of those sinful people are here, you have a name. Every one of those sinful people have a name. And God knows every one of His people's names. He knows every one of them. And He's going to save every one of them. And this gospel that reaches back into eternity is for me and you. It's for us. It's for us.

You know that the fallen angels have no hope? Can you imagine that? Can you think about that? ZERO HOPE! Those demons said to the Lord Jesus Christ, HAVE YOU COME TO TORMENT US BEFORE THE TIME? They didn't ask for mercy. Nobody asks for mercy until God has mercy on them. Nobody else asks. None.

But God has had mercy on a multitude of sinners from Adam's race. And this gospel was preached to Adam, it was preached to Abel, to Noah, to the patriarchs, to the prophets, and it's being preached to us and it's going to be preached again until He comes.

As long as God has one sheep on this earth, this gospel is going to be preached. It's never going to be silenced. No one can silence the gospel. HE SAID THE GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT PREVAIL AGAINST THEE, IT WILL NOT KEEP THE GOSPEL OUT. IF GOD HAS HIS SHEEP, IF HE HAS ONE IN NORTH KOREA, THE GOSPEL WILL GO THERE AND HIS SHEEP WILL HEAR THE GOSPEL AND BELIEVE. THE EARTH IS THE LORD'S, THE FULNESS THEREOF, AND THEY WHO DWELL THEREIN. THIS IS ALL HIS. NOBODY IS KEEPING HIM OUT. NOBODY IS PUTTING GOD IN CHECK. HE SENDS THE GOSPEL WHERE HE WILL. HE SENT IT HERE. BECAUSE HE HAS A SHEEP. HE HAS SOME SHEEP IN THIS COMMUNITY. AND I HOPE, I HOPE FOR YEARS TO COME. I DO, I HOPE FOR YEARS TO COME. BUT IT WILL BE HERE AS LONG AS HE HAS SHEEP HERE. AS LONG AS HE HAS SHEEP HERE, THE GOSPEL WILL BE HERE.

NOW WHAT DOES THE GOSPEL, WHAT DOES THE WORD GOSPEL MEAN? It just means this, GLAD TIDINGS. GLAD TIDINGS. THE GLAD TIDINGS OF JESUS CHRIST. That's what the gospel is. We could read it like this up here, THE BEGINNING OF THE GLAD TIDINGS OF JESUS CHRIST. That's how we can read it, THE BEGINNING OF THE GLAD TIDINGS OF JESUS CHRIST.

NOT THE CARPENTER SON, BUT THE SON OF GOD. JESUS CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD. MARK STARTS WITH HIS DEITY. MATTHEW STARTED WITH HIM AS THE SON OF DAVID. MARK STARTS WITH HIM AS THE SON OF GOD. THE SON OF GOD, NOT THE SON OF A CARPENTER, BUT THE SON OF GOD WHO CAME FROM ABOVE.

HE CAME FROM ABOVE. He came into this world. He said, I'm from above. He says, you're from beneath. I'm from above. I came from heaven. I came from the father. I came from the bosom of the father. I came to declare the father to you. I came to reveal the father to you. That's how you know the father. That's how you and I call God our father is through the Lord Jesus Christ. We know Him as our Father in Christ in no other way. No other way. Christ is divine, that's how John starts.

Only a divine person is sufficient for the work of salvation. Nobody else can do this. No one else can do this. Only God can do this. I think one of the greatest things that's going to amaze us when we stand in glory is that THIS MAN IS GOD. THIS IS GOD. All the fullness of God is right here standing in front of us. THIS MAN. THIS MAN IS GOD. Only a divine person, only God incarnate is sufficient FOR THE WORK OF SAVING SINNERS LIKE YOU AND ME. ONLY GOD CAN JUSTIFY THE UNGODLY. YOU KNOW NOBODY ELSE CAN DO THAT. A JUDGE CAN PARDON YOU. A JUDGE CAN FORGIVE YOU. A JUDGE CAN SET YOU FREE. HE CAN NOT JUSTIFY YOU. BUT GOD ALMIGHTY CAN ABSOLUTELY JUSTIFY YOU TO WHERE THERE IS NOTHING ON THE BOOKS AGAINST YOU.

HOLY IS GOD'S SON. HOLY IS GOD HIMSELF. Holy, holy, holy. No charge. Justified. Justified. Now Mark starts with the prophecy of the forerunner. You know, many hailed John as a prophet. You know, they hailed prophets in high esteem. Elijah. They thought John the Baptist was Elijah. They said, Are you the Christ? He said, No, I'm not the Christ. Are you Elijah? He said, No, I'm not Elijah. He says here in verse 2, As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

About 400 years had gone by and they had heard nothing from God, silence. And now, and now John comes on the scene, the last of the Old Testament prophets. And when he comes on the scene, he's got a message. God's given him a message. He's the herald of the Christ. He's the forerunner of Christ. I send my messenger. We have the ministry here of the forerunner, John the Baptist. He was the HERALD OF CHRIST. God said this in verse 2, it's what the Lord says, I SEND MY MESSENGER. He does not say, I SEND A MESSENGER. I SEND MY MESSENGER.

John was filled with the Holy Spirit, it says, from the womb. This is my messenger and he's coming before the Christ, he's the forerunner. HERE'S A PROPHECY BEING FULFILLED, HERE'S SCRIPTURE BEING FULFILLED. IT WAS PROPHESIED OF IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. IN ISAIAH 40, VERSE 3, MALACHI 3, VERSE 1. IT WAS PROPHESIED, I SEND MY MESSENGER. GOD NEVER SNEAKS UP ON ANYBODY.

IF GOD'S GONNA SAVE A SINNER, He's going to send a messenger. He's going to send a preacher. He's going to send a preacher. And that preacher is going to preach Christ. He's going to preach the Lord Jesus Christ. He's going to preach. He's going to plow. He's going to prepare. He's going to turn up that ground, the fallow ground. He's going to preach. Then the sower is going to sow.

That word is going to be sown in the heart, the Holy Spirit. was so the word in the heart gonna break up that fellow ground and prepare the good and prepare make it good ground you're not good grounded God makes you good ground he said there's none good no not one we despise and hate the gospel like everybody else in this world IT IS GOD WHO MADE US GOOD GROUND. IT IS GOD WHO MADE US BELIEVERS. IT IS GOD WHO ENABLED US TO FALL IN LOVE WITH HIS SON. IT IS GOD WHO ENABLED US TO BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.

I NEVER WONDER, I DON'T. I DON'T WONDER WHY MEN DON'T BELIEVE. MEN AND WOMEN DON'T BELIEVE. I KNOW WHY THEY DON'T BELIEVE. THEY'RE DEAD LIKE I WAS AT ONE TIME. THERE WAS A TIME YOU COULDN'T You couldn't talk to me about the gospel. There was a time you couldn't talk to me about the gospel. I didn't want to hear it. I didn't want to hear it until God stopped me.

He gave me an ear to hear, eyes to see. He gave me an understanding heart. And I was scared to death He wasn't going to save me. Everybody was telling me, God wants to save you. The Lord wants to save you. I was told that so many times. I think everybody in my family had made a profession but me. I was the holdout. And I kind of liked that. I was the holdout, I was strong.

And the Lord let me know, you're nothing. You're nothing but fodder for hell. That's all you are. You're just fodder for hell. I might save you and I might not. I might save you and I might not. There is nothing in the world that will make you bow and fall at the feet of Jesus Christ like realizing, realizing He might save you and He might not. That's a different God than what's being preached today, isn't it? That's a different God. So what John does here, he prepared the way by preaching. That's what I'm doing right now. The way was not prepared by singing. God sent a preacher and he gave him the message and his message was Christ. His message was Christ. He pointed Christ out to Israel. He said, Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.

That's what he said. I'll tell you this, when a sovereign is about to visit any part of his dominions, it's requisite that a messenger be sent before to get the way ready. That's why He said, Make the path straight, get the way ready. And that's what preaching does. That's what preaching does. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare you the way of the Lord, make His paths straight. The sovereign is coming! The Messiah, the Sovereign Messiah is COMING! That's the way He's saying it. Prepare you the way of the Lord, make his path straight.

But notice where John's ministry took place. The voice of one crying in the wilderness. It took place in the wilderness. He was in the Judean wilderness near the Jordan River, that's where His ministry took place. It took place AWAY from organized religion. He did not go into Jerusalem to preach. It was away from organized religion. It was away from ceremonial hypocrisy.

It was away from that. all the ministers of the gospel are preachers they are one voice crying in the wilderness crying in the wilderness we have to come out from among them we're not just part of them we have to come out john cried out in the wilderness and they came out to john they came to john in the wilderness it's what they did I tell you what, all God's preachers are preaching in the wilderness. This world is barren. You see how barren it is, don't you?

There's no knowledge of God. There's no real knowledge of God in this world. It's corrupt knowledge. It's corrupt knowledge. Now there's knowledge where God has given it. There are local churches in different places where the gospel is preached. But for the most part, where there's one gospel church, you'll find a thousand lying on God. You'll find a thousand lying on God. And some of them are pretty close now, some of them are pretty close. Because the Lord said if it were possible, they'd deceive the very elect.

It takes a discerning ear. It takes a discerning ear when you're hearing a man preaching, there's something not right, there's just something missing. Sometimes it takes a while, sometimes it does take a little while, he's like, there's something missing.

But I tell you this, you know when you hear the gospel, your heart rejoices, your heart just leaps within you. like John did when Mary, when Elizabeth was pregnant with John and the Lord, or Mary entered into the room when she was pregnant with the Lord, and it said, John LEAPED IN HER WOMB! Do you ever felt that when you're sitting under somebody's preaching? I tell you so many times when I've sat and listened to Henry preach, and other men preach, men that have preached here, I have sat there and I just felt like it just LEAPED WITHIN ME! And that gives me such courage that I rejoice in the gospel and I recognize it when I hear it. I can say that's the gospel. That's the gospel.

But listen, He's one crying in the wilderness. Preaching is the plowing and preparing the good ground for sowing. And plowing is not easy work. The ground is being broken up. You know, God's got to break us up. He's got to wake us up, break us up, and bring us down. Doesn't He? He has to. He's got to take us off our high horse and put us on the ground.

I haven't met anybody that didn't believe the gospel that didn't think they were somebody. They all think they're somebody. They all do. Now these people, when they came out to hear John, they had to leave the comfort of their homes. They had to leave their religion back home and go out into the wilderness and hear John. And John starts his message like this, PREPARE YOU THE WAY OF THE LORD, THE SOVEREIGN, THE MESSIAH IS COMING! The Old Testament says, SOMEONE'S COMING! And John is saying, HE'S HERE! That's what he's saying. He's saying, HE'S HERE! He's here. He's saying, PREPARE TO MEET THY GOD!

The only way any sinner can prepare to meet God is to REPENT! Now, what is repent? THE VERY BASICS OF REPENT IS TO CHANGE YOUR MIND, CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK. NOW IF YOU CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK ABOUT GOD, ABOUT SIN, ABOUT YOURSELF, ABOUT CHRIST, IT'S GOING TO AFFECT YOUR HEART AND YOU'RE GOING TO MOURN. YOU'RE GOING TO MOURN OVER YOUR SINFULNESS WHEN YOU REALLY UNDERSTAND WHO GOD IS. And you never, never understand who you are until you see Him. Until you understand who God is, you and I have no concept of what sin really is and what we really are.

In thy light shall we see light. Only in His light can I see what I am. You turn the light off in this room, it can be dirty and filthy as it can be, you can't see it. But when you turn the light on, you can see everything. You can see everything in the room. And when God gives us light, when He commands the light to shine out of darkness, and you see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, you ALSO SEE YOUR SINFULNESS. for the first time, O WRETCHED MAN THAT I AM!

Paul did not say that until Christ, who is God, struck him down on the road to Damascus. Paul would have choked and died and went to hell for he had said that, but after God saved him, he said, O WRETCHED MAN THAT I AM, WHO SHALL DELIVER ME FROM THIS BODY OF DEATH? I THANK GOD THROUGH JESUS CHRIST, THAT'S WHO!

Now it says there in verse 4, John did baptize in the wilderness and preached the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. You know when he preached the baptism of repentance he didn't do that apart from preaching Christ because it makes no sense to repent if you don't know who he is. You see, just calling upon people to repent doesn't get you anywhere. It's telling people who Jesus Christ is and calling them to repentance.

Change your mind, your thoughts about God, about Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Kingdom of God. They had such twisted thoughts about God. God said in the Psalms, YOU THOUGHT I WAS ALL TOGETHER LIKE YOU, YOU THINK I'M LIKE YOU. Now that's twisted, isn't it? You can't get any more twisted than that, to think God's like you, me. You can't get any more twisted than that. In Romans 10, Paul said, THEY WENT ABOUT TO ESTABLISH THEIR OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS, BEING IGNORANT OF GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS.

So when John preached THE BAPTISM OF REPENTANCE, HE DID SO IN LIGHT OF PREACHING CHRIST, PREACHING THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. BUT I WILL SAY THIS, WE ARE IMMERSED, NOW THAT'S WHAT BAPTISM IS BY IMMERSION, THIS BAPTISM RIGHT HERE IS BY IMMERSION, IT'S NOT SPRINKLING, IT'S NOT SPRINKLING AT ALL, IT'S BY IMMERSION, BAPTISM IS BY IMMERSION. The BAPTISM OF REPENTANCE IS THIS, WE ARE IMMERSED IN REPENTANCE.

The way we think of God, there is such a change when God saves a sinner, there is such a change in the way you think. And you will mourn over your sins, you will do it, you'll mourn over your sins. You can't have a change of mind not affect your heart. You can't do it. But we are immersed in repentance before we are immersed in water.

They didn't just have a baptismal going on. I know a man that put an ad out over radio, and I think he put it in the paper too, some years ago. You all don't know him. He said, We're going to have a baptismal service if anybody wants to be baptized show up at a certain time. What's that got to do with it? You're just going to get wet. That's all you're going to get. You're going to get wet. That's not salvation. That's not salvation. Here's what happened.

John dealt with sin in the light of Christ. John dealt with sin and he's preaching. He's not telling people just to be baptized. He preached Christ to them and their need to TURN to Him TURN FROM and TURN TO, that's what baptism means. You're turning from your life, your way of life, you're turning to Jesus Christ FOR LIFE and FOR FORGIVENESS and FOR ACCEPTANCE before God. That's what repentance is, and that's what He said. He's not just talking about being baptized, He's preached Christ to them in their need of Christ and need to turn to them.

John 1 15 John bear witness of him and cried saying this was he of whom I spake see he was preaching him he that cometh after me preferred before me for he was before me there's the eternality of Jesus Christ little Pharisees they said He said, Our Lord, we'd be not sinners. Well, I have nothing for you. If you're not a sinner, I have nothing for you. If you're not a sinner, I have no glad tidings for you. None at all. None.

You see, the whole need not a physician, but the sick. If you're sin sick, you're sick of sin. I have good news. I have good news. there is one who can put away your sin there's one who can heal you you know when the believer dies no matter what that believer has physically sickness whatever it is they are finally healed a hundred percent whatever it is none of this life goes with us beyond the grave So whenever I get sick, and however long I live, and however old I end up being, and sick I might become, I mean, I don't know where I was gonna go, but I'm gonna be healed. You believe in healing? I do.

I believe the Lord's gonna completely heal me of everything, sooner or later, sooner or later. I'll be healed completely. Mark in verse 5, And there went out unto him all the land of Judea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins, their need of a Savior. They confessed their need of a Savior to save them from their sins, that's what they confessed, confessing our sins. But I know this, confessing our sins comes first. Baptism of itself is not first, it's our relationship to Jesus Christ, that's first. Not everyone that was baptized with John, not everyone that was baptized there was saved.

It says in John 1.37, listen, AND TWO DISCIPLES HEARD HIM SPEAK, HE HEARD JOHN SPEAK, AND HE SAID, BEHOLD, THE LAMB OF GOD WHICH TAKES AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD. NOW HERE'S SALVATION. AND THEY FOLLOWED JESUS. THEY LEFT JOHN, AND THEY FOLLOWED THE LORD JESUS.

NOT EVERY ONE OF THEM DID THAT. NOT ALL OF THEM DID THAT. YOU KNOW FROM ACTS, WHEN THE APOSTLE WAS PREACHING TO A CROWD THERE, HE ASKED ME IF I HAD BEEN BAPTIZED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, AND HE SAID, WE HAVEN'T EVEN HEARD OF SUCH A PERSON, I'M GONNA PARAPHRASE, WE'VE NOT HEARD THAT THERE BE SUCH A PERSON, SUCH A HOLY SPIRIT. HE SAID, WELL WHO YOU BAPTIZED? HE SAID, WE BAPTIZED UNTO JOHN.

NOW JOHN PREACHED THE GOSPEL AND HE PREACHED CHRIST. BUT THERE COMES A TIME, THERE COMES A TIME, AND I'VE SAID THIS BEFORE. You go from the preacher to Christ and it's you and it's Christ. And that's when you'll say, I want to confess Him. I'm not just doing it because it's the Baptist doctrine. I'm doing it because the Lord said so. And I want to be identified with Him, with Him.

THE FIRST BAPTISM, BEFORE THE WATER BAPTISM, I WANT YOU TO LISTEN TO THIS, BEFORE WATER BAPTISM, HERE'S THE BAPTISM THAT MUST HAPPEN. GALATIANS 3.27 FOR AS MANY OF YOU AS HAVE BEEN BAPTIZED INTO JESUS CHRIST, HAVE PUT ON CHRIST. YOU SEE THAT HAPPENS BEFORE YOU ASK FOR THE WATER BAPTISM, THAT YOU'VE BEEN BAPTIZED INTO You've been born again. You've been sealed with the Holy Spirit. There's no saving power whatsoever in the water. It's all in Christ.

And John was clothed with camel's hair and with a girdle of the skin about his loins, and he did eat locusts and wild honey." Now why did Mark point that out? The Holy Spirit points that out. He's moved Mark to write this to show that John was not of this world.

If you went to Jerusalem, you see the Pharisees. What do you see? The broad phylacteries. You see this garb they're all dressed up in. I mean, they really looked the part, don't they? Oh, John, he looks rough as a cob. What if I stood up here, what if I stood up here tonight with a girdle of a skin about my loins and all my food today was locusts and wild honey?

I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to do that. This was basically the dress of a prophet, but John did not live above the people he preached to. John was not trying to draw any, and this is important, he was not drawing any attention to himself whatsoever. We never dress, when we come to the house of God, we never ever dress in such a manner that we draw attention to ourselves. The attention is to be on the Lord Jesus Christ. And none of you all do that. None of you do that. You don't come and overdo it. You don't do that. But we're not to do that. We're not to do that.

And then John preached the preeminence of Christ. In verse 7, And he preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. They thought highly of John. They said, You the Christ? Are you Elijah? Herod thought a lot of him. He heard John gladly.

He wanted to hear John. But John says this, I'm not, this is not about me. This is not about me. The one I'm talking to you about, I'm not worthy. And they considered him a prophet. I mean they held prophets upon a pedestal, some of them. He said, I am not worthy to stoop down and untie his shoes. John exalts Christ above himself.

You can see that over in Colossians 17 chapter 1 verse 17 18 i don't really have time to go i planned on reading these but i don't really have time to do that but over in colossians 17 and 18 it speaks of christ having the preeminence who has the preeminence in your home who has the preeminence in your life is it the lord jesus christ or you John exalts Christ above himself.

Here's how you know true preaching, who's getting the glory. When you have time, go home and read John chapter 3 verse 26 through 35. John 3 verse 26 through 35, read that. You'll see the preeminence of Christ. John speaks of Him there in that chapter. Then I'm going to close, verse 8.

JOHN SAID, I INDEED HAVE BAPTIZED YOU WITH WATER, BUT NOW HERE'S THE REAL BAPTISM. HERE'S THE SPIRITUAL BAPTISM. BAPTIZING YOU WITH WATER IS NOT A SPIRITUAL BAPTISM. HERE'S THE SPIRITUAL BAPTISM. HERE'S LIFE. BUT HE SHALL BAPTIZE YOU, JOHN SAYS, WITH THE HOLY GHOST. HE WILL IMMERSE YOU IN THE SPIRIT, THE HOLY SPIRIT. THAT'S WHAT BAPTIZE MEANS, DOESN'T IT? IMMERSE. HE'LL IMMERSE YOU, BAPTIZE YOU IN THE HOLY SPIRIT.

YOU ARE SEALED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. WHAT JOHN IS PREACHING HERE IS CHRIST'S POWER TO SAVE. IF WATER BAPTISM IS ALL YOU GET, YOU'RE NOT SAVED. BUT IF THIS ONE IF THIS ONE BAPTIZES YOU WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT, YOU'RE SAVED. YOU HAVE SPIRITUAL LIFE. YOU'VE BEEN BORN AGAIN. THIS IS THE NEW BIRTH. IMMERSED IN THE SPIRIT. NOW HOW DO I KNOW WHEN THAT HAPPENS? HOW DO I KNOW? ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST WITH ALL YOUR HEART, THAT'S HOW YOU KNOW YOU HAVE BEEN SPIRITUALLY BORN AGAIN BY THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD. That's how you know.

You know over in 1 Corinthians Verse 3 says, WHEREFORE I GIVE YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT NO MAN, SPEAKING BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD, THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD, CALLETH JESUS A CURSE, THAT NO MAN CAN SAY THAT JESUS IS THE LORD, BUT BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. Now I know a lot of people make false claims, but nobody from their heart can call Christ LORD. Lord, Master, the only way you can do that is by the Holy Spirit who reveals Him to your heart. That's the only way. There's good news for sinners. It's from heaven. It's only for sinners. And it's Jesus Christ, the Son of God. That's who it is. Jesus Christ is the BEGINNING of the GLAD TIDINGS of the Gospel.