For a scripture reading, turn with me to 2 Corinthians chapter 13. Last chapter in 2 Corinthians chapter 13. Corinth was a church with a lot of troubles. A lot of troubles. They had some men in there that were proud of their calling. We had a special calling. Paul called. God used Paul to call me. And then some of them said, well, Peter called me. He's down in Jerusalem. He's the main apostle. And then others said, well, Christ called me. And then they were bragging on who baptized them. And Paul said, I'm glad. I didn't baptize any of you except for just one or two. He said, best you said Paul saved you.

But here in this chapter, this last chapter, he said, this is the third time I'm coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. I told you before, and foretell you as if I were present the second time, and being absent now, I write unto them which heretofore have sinned, and to all others, that if I come again, I will not spare."

He was an apostle. For though he was, since you seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, which to you, word, is not weak, but is mighty in you. For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you. Examine yourselves. This is going to be my text this morning. Examine yourselves whether you be in the faith. Prove your own selves.

Know you not your own selves, how that Christ Jesus is in you, except you be reprobate? But I trust that you shall know that we're not reprobates. Now I pray to God that you do no evil, not that we should appear approved, but that you should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates. For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. We are glad when we are weak and you're strong and this also we wish even your perfection. Therefore I write these things being absent lest being present I should use sharpness according to the power which the Lord has given me to edification and not to destruction. He wanted them to hear. He didn't want them to be damned. He wanted them to understand something about love and not And he wanted them to be of one mind, he said. Finally, brethren, farewell.

Be perfect. Be of good comfort. Be of one mind. Live in peace. And the God of love and peace shall be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. Sometimes we just walk by somebody, don't we? Shake your hand, let alone give them a holy kiss. All the saints salute you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all. Amen. That's 2 Corinthians chapter 13. You will turn back with me to 2 Corinthians chapter 13. The subject this morning is in the form of a question. Am I a believer? Is that an important question? Everything is dependent on it, isn't it?

He that believeth not shall be damned. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. He that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. There's a lot riding on this thing of faith. Too much riding on it to just say, well, whatever will be, will be. Am I a believer? And this question, I suppose, is as old as the commandment to men to believe. Men love to just kind of slough off their responsibility and to use God's sovereignty as an excuse. I don't know if you've ever heard that, but one old man at the church down in Ball years ago said, well, he said, I just believe whatever will be, will be, whether it ever comes to pass or not.

That's foolishness. But a lot of men slough off this responsibility to believe saying that very thing, whatever will be, will be. They just shrug their shoulders and ignorantly referring to God's work of grace as though we programmed like some kind of computer or something. And that's not how God works in men. When God works in men, he convicts them. He convicts men of sin.

He brings that sinner into the court of God and he calls forth his witnesses. He calls forth the conscience of man, the creation of God, the mercy of God that caused his reign to fall on him his whole life. He shows him the blessings of God even on the just and the unjust. His providence that has spared him and given him food and sustenance his whole life. His preacher that's warned him told him the truth. And the Holy Ghost that's caused him to even tremble from time to time. He calls in his witnesses. and each of them give their account to the sinner, so that the sinner begins to see his sin not just against laws on a book, but against a person, against the love of God.

Here's a God that's done nothing but good to him, and his sin is against his goodness, it's against his love, it's against his mercy. It's not Satan dragging them into their rebellion. It's their own lust and desires. When God convicts a sinner, he makes that sinner to realize that what he's suffering is his fault. And he'll get on God's side. He'll say, you're just. You're just. That's what David said. He confessed exactly what he was. I come forth from the womb speaking lies, he said. And I'm saying that that God may be just in all that he says.

It's not the world pulling them into these things, it's their own evil heart out of which comes evil thoughts and adulteries and fornication and thefts and on and on it goes. This is the condemnation, Christ said. Lights come into the world and men love darkness rather than light. Why? Because their deeds are evil. Sin is against light. It's against love.

And conviction of sin makes a person throw up their hands in desperation and listen as though it were the last words they're ever going to hear. God ever brought you there? Huh? He may never let me hear again. If he does, he'd be just. I've turned my back, jerked my shoulder. I've walked away so many times. I was absolutely convinced when God began to convict me of sin that God would never speak to me again. How many times had he spoken to me? Kindness, and love, and mercy, and all these things, and I just walked away from it.

Conviction of sin convinces us that we're helpless, hopeless rebels. We're locked up in the prison of our nature awaiting our final sentence. The second death. The good news is that all who are convicted of sin shall be convinced of righteousness. He's not going to convict a man of sin without convincing him of righteousness. He just leaves them to their self. And they go on in their self-righteousness, believing that, well, if a man just does the best he can, he'll be all right. God will accept that. No he won't. No he won't. If he would accept that, Christ wouldn't have had to come and die. Every man convicted of sin is going to be convinced of righteousness, not by their deeds They're just wiggling maggots feeding on corruption, but the righteousness wrought out by the sovereign loving Father.

A righteousness of God's provision for naked sinners. A righteousness earned by the obedience of a divine representative. He's going to convince you of your need of that righteousness and that that righteousness actually exists. How can God receive a sinner? How can he do that? How can he be reconciled to that sin? By the righteousness of Christ. How is it given?

Scripture said Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness. Abraham didn't do anything righteous. It was counted to him for righteousness. In Romans chapter 4 verse 23 it says, Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but for us also to whom it shall be imputed if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered for our offenses and raised again for our justification.

I'm going to tell you something, there is no justification apart from righteousness. Our God is a righteous God. And being made righteous by another's obedience, we're then convinced of judgment. That there is one? No. No. When he's talking about being convicted of judgment, or convinced of judgment, he's talking about judgment satisfied. Judgment satisfied. Like Barabbas of old, we're brought out of the prison house and told we're free to go.

How come? How come? Why would God just set a man free? Because another was chosen to die in your stead. That's why. Oh, that blessed doctrine of substitution. Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Now that's the experience of grace. I want you to hear me this morning because I'm going to get down to some fine points on this thing believe in God. This is the experience of grace, conviction of sin, convincing of righteousness, and convincing of judgment satisfied. The only way that can be done is through substitution, representation.

No other way. There are no, now listen to me, there are no proud believers. There are no such thing. There are no ungrateful believers. Well, I think he knows the truth, but boy, he's not thankful. He's not a believer. There are no ungrateful believers. There are no unmerciful believers.

Where's boasting, Paul said, having stated the truth that God saved us that he might be just in our justification. He saved us through a representative, through Christ Jesus, through substitution. Now he said, where's boasting? You didn't have anything to do with it. God did it all. So where's boasting? It's excluded. By what law? Of works? Nay, but the law of faith. What's that mean? That means there's a fixed principle in the experience of grace that absolutely excludes boasting. That's exactly what that means.

Salvation is 100% by the grace of God, but it is God working in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. And all who are being saved by his inward working are willing, loving, obedient children. All of them. If you're here today and think you're saved because you agree with or accept some doctrines of grace, you need to listen to what I'm telling you. The gospel's not an insurance policy. It's not something you sign and agree to and then put it in a drawer, and then when catastrophe happens, you run and grab it. Well, I'm covered. No, that's not it. That's not it. Sin's not just what we do. It's what we are. Sin is a nature. It's the history of every unregenerate life. Sadly, it's the reality of every saved man's life. He's a sinner. He's a sinner.

The only way he's a saint is by the grace of God. The difference between the believer and the unbeliever is that the believer is being saved and the unbeliever's perishing. He's just left to himself. One's being lifted up, the other's being left to himself, and the believer's in The believer is in whom God has, his life, God's intervened.

He's not left him to himself. He's intervened in his life. This man's life over here, God's not intervened in it. He's just letting him live out his day. The unbeliever's one who just trusts in himself. And he refuses the counsel of God. How many times have you told sinners the truth, and they just refused it? They just won't have it. I don't care. You can read it to them word for word right out of the book. Read it to them.

Let me give you a few things this morning to think about concerning true saving faith. First of all, I want to talk about what faith is. Faith is believing God. It's not believing there is a God. Although that's necessary too, but faith is believing God. And not about certain things, about everything. It's a principle of the heart. It believes God. Believe God. It's leaning your soul on the veracity of God's Word. You willing to do that? You willing to say whatever happens is going to happen, but I'm going to trust His Word. Whatever God says is right. Right. It's a full heart commitment to God.

I want you to listen to this scripture in 1 Thessalonians 2.13. He said, for this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because when you heard, when you received the word of God which you heard of us, You received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which affectionately also worketh in you that believe.

Preachers have nothing to offer sinners but the word of truth. I don't have anything of my own. The sinner has a Bible, but he can't discern anything about the saving knowledge of God in his pages. It's revealed to him through the preaching of the gospel.

And I tell folks that, and they respond this way, well, that's your opinion. Huh? That's your take on the matter. That's what they tell me. But that's not how believers react. Believers receive it as the revelation of God's word, his gospel. And you're not coming to God unless God draws you. That's what the Lord said. There's no need for you to murmur about election. He said, ain't no man coming to God. You're not going to come to me except my father draw you.

Well, how does he do that? By the means he's ordained. That's how he does it. Gospel preaching and his providence. Listen to this, 1 Corinthians 121. Now listen to these words. For after that, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God." Didn't they have a Bible? Sure they did. The Bible's been around a long time. Didn't God have a witness? Sure He did. He put a conscience in men. They're standing in His creation. They themselves are created by Him. God has His witness.

But in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God. It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. If you do not receive what I'm preaching to you today as the word of God and the gospel of God, you're not being saved.

Is that too hard? I don't think that's too hard. That's exactly what he's telling you. Listen to this. Paul said, well, who's Paul? Talking about himself. And who's Apollos? You're bragging on Apollos. Who's Apollos? We're ministers by whom you believe.

That's how your faith came. Faith comeeth by hearing, hearing by the Word of God. And he said, even as the Lord gave to every man. You mean there's a preacher for every believer? Absolutely. Absolutely. And Paul said, it effectually worketh in you that believe. God's work is always effectual. Always effectual.

And Paul said, you're seeking some kind of proof that Christ is speaking through me. He said, you're my proof. Isn't that what he said? Read it back in 2 Corinthians, I think it's chapter 3. He said, you're my letter. I don't need a letter to you or from you. God called me. But he said, you're my letter. You want a letter? Look in your own heart. Is what I'm saying ringing true with your heart?

Chapter 4, he said, I've renounced the hidden things of dishonesty. I don't use the word of God deceitfully. He said, I preach to you the truth, and I commit it to every man's conscience in the sight of God. God will make you to know if that man is preaching the truth. I don't need to raise the dead or cleanse a leper. I don't need it. All I need it. is for God's word to penetrate your heart. That's all the evidence I need and it's all you need.

Faith perceives, now listen to me, faith perceives the wisdom of God. And it lives in awe of his wisdom and power. We preach Christ crucified, Paul said, under the Jews it's a stumbling block, under the Greeks it's foolishness. But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God, and the wisdom of God. All right, here's a third thing. This is so important. Faith obeys God. Huh?

In Romans chapter 1 verse 5, Paul said, we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for his name. In Romans chapter 16 verses 25 and 26, flip over there and let's read this again together. Romans chapter 16 beginning with verse 25. He's written this long letter to the saints at Rome, talking to them about justification by faith, telling them what faith is, what faith does, what faith produces. On anything you want to know about faith, it's in the book of Romans.

Now watch this. Romans chapter 16, verse 25, he said, now to him that's of power to establish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret since the world began, but now it's made manifest by the scriptures of the prophets. According to the commandment of the everlasting God, and it's made known to all nations, now watch this, for the obedience of faith. Faith obeys God. It doesn't find other alternatives. It obeys God.

I tell you, if I told one of my kids to sit down and they thought they had six or eight alternatives, they'd go exercise. I wouldn't let them do that. If I said sit, I mean sit. I don't mean stand there and look at me. I mean sit. We read this in the first message, but let's read it again.

Turn with me to Romans chapter 6. Faith is obedience to God. You want to know what faith is? Am I a believer? I don't know. Do you obey God? Now you can know a truth, you can even agree with it, and still not be obedient to it. You do it every time you drive up to a stop sign. You know what that sign means, don't you? It says stop. Do you always stop? No, not always. Not always. You know what it means. The obedience of faith, and this is very important. It's a heart work. It's a heart work. And oftentimes, it makes the distinction between belief and unbelief.

Now watch this, Romans chapter 6 verse 16. Know ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey? Why is he using this verse here concerning baptism? You read the whole first part of Romans chapter 6 dealing with baptism. When I baptized this past Sunday, I told him, I said, it's according to the commandment of God. It's his obedience to the commandment of God. That's why he's being baptized. God commands baptism. And he said, know ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey? His servants you are to whom you obey, whether of sin unto death or obedience unto righteousness." Nobody ever questions why they sin. You ever notice that? The only time they ever have questions is when you're talking about believing. Nobody has a question about sin. It's just sin. We just do it. It's just natural, it's fallen off the law.

But boy, believing is contrary to your nature, ain't it? Obedience, he said, whether of sin under death or obedience under righteousness. But God be thanked, you were the servants of sin, living in the lust of your flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as others, walking in the vanity of our minds, the eyes of our understanding being darkened. You were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed, now watch this, from the heart. that form of doctrine that was delivered unto you. You either love it or hate it. And you can't love it without a new heart. But boy, when God puts that new heart in there, you love it, don't you? I tell you, you want to get the hair raised up on your neck, read Second Thessalonians, Chapter 2.

Why God turned them over to strong delusion to believe a lie and be damned. Because they received not the love of the truth. It's not that they didn't receive the truth, they didn't receive the love of it. There was no love involved in it anywhere. It was all mechanical. But you have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you, being then made free from sin. How does God make us free from sin?

In a substitution. Huh? God put me into an eternal union of grace with His Son. My standing is all in Him. And those who know it become servants of righteousness. We serve a risen Savior. Isn't that what that hymn writer wrote? Who's in the world today. He's sitting on the throne of God, King of kings, Lord of lords, and His reign is the reign of grace. His grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life.

And we're either for Him or against Him. Isn't that what Christ said? You're either for him or you're against him. You're either gathering with him or you're scattering abroad. One or the other. There's no limbo. There's no vacuum. You're doing one or the other. If we do not gather with him, he said, we're scattering abroad.

Faith obeys God. All right. How does faith work? Galatians chapter 5 verse 6. He said, in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision availeth anything or uncircumcision. It don't matter if you're a Jew or a Greek. But faith which worketh by love. Uh-oh. I can't believe apart from love. Is that right? I can't do anything. I can't do anything by faith without love.

And the greatest of these, he said, is love. Love. Our Lord said the whole law hinges on love. That's the first two commandments, isn't it? Love God and love your neighbor as yourself. Now, if you don't do that, I don't care. You can keep the whole rest of the law perfectly just like Paul did and still be guilty of the whole law because you didn't love God. or your neighbor.

The whole law hinges on love, and even so, faith, the faith of God's elect, works by love. He that loveth not, he not only don't have faith, he don't know God. That's what he said, isn't it? He that loveth not knoweth not God. All men say, well, I love God, though. And what John said, if you don't love your brother, you're a liar.

Wow. Boy, you talk about a knife in the belly. And thirdly, what does faith produce? It produces fruit. He doesn't say fruits. He says fruit. Everything he has to say here is one fruit. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, goodness, gentleness, and watch this, faith, meekness, and temperance. That's fruit. That's what faith produces. If what you have doesn't produce those things, you don't have faith.

Faith is being grafted, our Lord said, into the vine. His father, he's a gardener, and he's got this garden, same as he did the Garden of Eden. He's got a garden. He planted one vine in it, one vine, Christ. Everything that he grafts into that vine produces fruit.

That's what he said. If it don't produce fruit, it never was grafted into the vine. No good for anything just dries up. It ain't good for anything except to be burned. John 15, verse 5, he said, I am the vine and you are the branches. He that abideth in me and I in him, the same shall bring forth much fruit. For without me, you can do nothing. We can't do anything.

And then lastly, and this is very important, Faith leaves all justice in the hands of God. Turn with me to 1 Peter chapter 2. I want you to see this. 1 Peter chapter 2. And here's what he's talking about. He's talking about wives and husbands. He's talking about servants and masters. He's talking about how we get along in this world. We're believers and we live in a world full of enemies of God.

Now watch this. Servants, verse 18. Be subject to your masters with all fear. Not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. That man that every time you do a little something wrong, just screams at you. For this is thankworthy if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. Now watch this.

For what glory is it if when you be buffeted, that is, raked over the coals for your faults, you take it patiently? You deserved it. If you deserve it, just take it and go on. But if when you do well and you suffer for it and take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.

For even hereto were you called because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow in his steps, who did no sin. We say, well, I didn't do what they accused me of, neither did Christ. He suffered his whole life in this world. They had to move him when he was a baby to keep the king from destroying him. He suffered wrongfully, and he says he did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. And when he was reviled, Peter said, he reviled not again. When he suffered, he didn't threaten anybody. He committed himself to him that judges righteously.

Oh, but you don't get it. This guy did this to me. I'll tell you what you better do with that. You better leave that in God's hands. Number one, you're too evil to judge anything. And number two, he's too righteous to miss anything. He's not going to overlook anything. He's the only suitable judge, and that's what we're to do. I know what our tendency is to fly off the handle. But here's what we better do. We better just patiently take it and give it to him. It's in his hands anyway. What he's doing in this world is proving that you're his elect, proving his faith that he gives you. God's going to prove that faith that's in you. He's going to prove it. One of the ways he's going to do it is right here.

And he said, when he was reviled, he reviled not again. When he suffered, he threatened not. He committed himself to him that judges righteously, who his own self bear our sins. He didn't do them. We did. But he bore them, didn't he? And God judged them righteously.

Now, we're following his steps. Can you see how this is the experience of grace? You're not going to come to faith and not be taught these things. It's the very experience of a believer. And Paul goes over it and over it and over it to remind us, teach us. Faith leaves justice in the hands of a righteous God, because he alone has the wisdom to judge. He doesn't miss anything, and we're too evil for it.