6-21-2026 I Believe

Good morning, everybody. Our scripture reading this morning is from Psalms chapter 119, verses 105 to 112. It's the Hebrew letter Nun. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments. I am afflicted very much, quicken me, O Lord, according unto thy word. Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord, and teach me thy judgments. My soul is continually in my hand, yet do I not forget thy law. The wicked have laid a snare for me, yet I erred not from thy precepts. Thy testimonies have I taken as a heritage forever, for they are the rejoicing of my heart. I have inclined my heart to perform thy statutes always, even until the end.

May the Holy Spirit grant us understanding of his word. Thank you, Brother Mike. Would you turn in your Bibles to the book of Luke? Luke chapter 18. One of the continual approaches to me in this position that the Lord has put me in, are for those to come to me when they're weak in faith. I get a lot of phone calls, emails, text messages. Help me brother, I don't feel like I'm saved. I understand that. I understand that completely. Every child of God does. Feelings can be deceiving, especially my feelings. I don't know, maybe yours are better than others, but for the most part, when we start looking at our feelings, we come up short, don't we?

We come up short. We're like 666, marked with the beast. We come up short of God's glory. That's what 666 is. Everybody thinks it's some kind of a tattoo, a chip in your arm, whatever. Folks, we come into this world with the mark of the beast. We come into this world deep, dead, and trespasses That's what 666 is. It comes short of the glory of God. The glory of God is perfection. Seven. God created the world in seven days, and the heavens in seven days, and it was perfect. It was good. Many come in their weakness of faith, troubled by the flesh, deep waves crashing against their little boat, as I like to put it. How can I be saved, they say? How can one be saved that thinks the thoughts that I have? I ask myself that all the time.

It may surprise some of you, but one of the sweetest ladies that we all know, Judy Harmon. Never saw her ever in a bad mood. Never saw anything of her that would ever lead me to think that she was a sinful woman. Came to me once and she said, I feel exactly the same.

Why would God save anything like me? How can one who One minute is thinking about this helping the poor, this perfect little child, one who's got this perfect thought in their mind, how could God think of this one who, in the next moment, says, oh, what they have done to me. Remember how I closed last week's Sunday's message?

I told you I had somebody who I thought I deserved to be very mad at. I could have done some legal things, too. I could have charged after him for what I think he did. I don't think he was completely honest with me. I believe that there were some things that he could have been more honest with me about. Kathy and I took our little trip off to the coast last week.

It's interesting how God works some things. Some of the things that I thought were wrong with that big machine outside, turned out it wasn't anything that had to do with that man at all, other than the fact that he bought bad gas. Here I was, right at that moment, sharing with you something inside of me. You see, folks, we're all just human. Kathy likes to call it my humanality. But that's right. She's right. We all have this battle within ourselves.

And so one of the things I've shared with you many times is those who come to me and they talk to me about, oh, I'm so, I just don't know if I'm saved. I don't know why would God love a person like me. I asked him, I said, well, why are you looking at it that way? Because I feel. And I try to stop him right there. Whoa, stop. You're looking at yourself. I'm preaching to me now. Stop, John. You're looking at yourself. Your feelings are moving up inside of you.

And instead of doing this, looking into the Word of God, I'm looking into John's feelings, and that's going to mislead me. That's not going to lead me to Calvary. You know what leads me to Calvary? When I see it down here, there's nothing in here. when I see that there's nothing in me worthy of God to look at.

This is what leads me to cowry, to Christ. We're not being led to some stick stuck in the ground, some tree where people were hung from. We're being led to the one who hung on the tree for us, the one who was made a curse. Cursed is he that hangeth on a tree.

I say things like, I don't feel saved. I don't act saved. I'm going to tell you, I would rather have those. I don't feel. My faith is weak. I would rather have those kind of feelings than statements like this. I must be saved because I don't do this. I must be saved because the congregation I'm worshiping with, those who do nothing to say anything about Christ Himself, but there's thousands of people attending in that service, so I must be one of them. I must be saved. I must be saved because I got into the waters of baptism. I would rather say I have no faith. My faith is weak and there is nothing to it.

How can God be saving this person than I would want to say, look at me. Look how God has changed me. Look at the difference in John Reeves. None of God's pointed you to Christ. Look to Christ. Turn away from the flesh. The flesh will fool you. As Mike brought out in his study. Let me see if I can get the exact words. It was, do not lean to your own understanding. Wasn't that something you just mentioned a moment ago? Close to that? Yeah. Do not lean on your own understanding. Lean on the understanding of God's Word. Leaning on the Word that points us to our Savior who has perfected us in Himself. There's no perfection in any of us. Don't get me wrong, we're all pretty good at some things, aren't we, according to men?

I was a pretty good truck driver. I got a trophy to prove it. My son called me up this morning and lied through his teeth. He said, you are a great dad. I would rather have these feelings of being unworthy of God than have any feeling of, oh, how much I must be saved because of the way I walk. I'm a different man. Are you with me in Luke chapter 18? Look at verse 9 and we'll begin there. And he spake this parable. This is Luke chapter 18, verse 9.

And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves." Could that be you? There was a time I had trust in myself. There was a time when I was pretty confident in myself as a human being, as a person, as a part of the community. Could this be that the Lord is speaking a parable to me here? Ask yourself that question. I don't want you to raise hands and give me any answers, but in your own heart, ask yourself that very question. He spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves, that they were righteous and despised others. Oh, wait a minute now. That's not me. I never despised anybody. What about righteousness? Have you ever thought, you know, hey, I'm not a bad guy. I'm pretty good. Look at all the good things that the Lord is doing in me.

Listen, look at verse 10. It says, Two men went up into the temple to pray, the one a Pharisee and the other a publican. Now listen to these words. And the Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself. God, now see, remember, God looks upon the harvest. Jesus Christ is God Almighty. He's equal with God the Father, equal with God the Spirit, all the way down to the very last detail, other than Christ is the only one that died. And here he's telling us right here, this Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself. He looked upon this man's heart, and he knew that his heart was natural. He knew that his heart was carnal. He knew that his heart was not renewed, was not regenerated by God Almighty. He said, God, I thank Thee.

Now, this is important, that I am not, as other men, as extortioners, unjust adulterers, or even as a Republican. tithes of all that I possess, and the publicans, standing afar off, would not lift up so much his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me, a sinner."

I want to talk to you this morning about this statement. I believe. My beliefs, thank goodness, do not coincide with my feelings. This man believed that he was good in the eyes of God. Feelings will damn your soul. The one felt he was walking the right path. He felt like he was better. Look at verse 11 again with me, 11 and 12. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself. He said, God, I thank thee. Did you catch that?

People will read that and they'll skip right over and say, oh, he's thanking God for, well, what's he thanking God for? He's blaming God for what he thinks his walk is. He's giving God the credit for what he thinks his walk is. But his credit is not to God for it.

His credit is to him. Look how good I walk. Look at my steps through this world. I thank God that I am not, as other men, extortioners, even though he was. unjust, even though he was, adulterer, even though he was, or even as this publican sitting over against the side out of the way that couldn't even raise his head towards the altar. Do you see how even He attributes his walk to God. What he's saying is this, look how the Spirit moves me. Look how the Spirit moves me to do this, not to be an extortion, not to be unjust, not to be an adulterer. Even as this public, and don't get me wrong, folks, I'm not saying it's okay to go out and be those things. I'm telling you, you are those things. Whether you want to believe it or not, you are exactly every one of those things.

How are we adulterers as we walk through this? Every time we take credit for something of ourselves, we're taking the intimacy between God and His people away from Him. And we're saying, it's me. It's mine. Extortioners, unjust. Oh. This is exactly what we do in this world. We walk through this world and we think to ourselves, we're a better person today. And what we're saying is this. Look how the Spirit moves me to do this or to do that. He says, I thank Thee. Now consider the other, if you would, verse 13.

And the publican, standing afar off, would lift not up so much as his a sinner. He stood afar off first. He didn't even look to God because he was so ashamed of what he was. Have you ever been ashamed of the sin that is within you? Folks, if you say, well, I'm not that much of a sinner, then you're calling God a liar. There are those who want to say, I'm a better man and I don't sin like I used to. You're calling God a liar.

He's afraid. He's afraid of the truth because he's unworthy. His faith is weak. He sees the sin from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet, as our brother Mike brought out in Bible study. He sees his sin before me, that he can't even look upon God who is so holy and think to, why would this one love me and save me?

Because he loves to be merciful. That's the gospel. That's the good news, that God Almighty, who cannot look upon sin, loves to be merciful. loves to be gracious. Grace is God. You can say that. You can say it exactly that. You know why? Because he sent his only begotten son to be the substitute for his people, to take his wrath out on his son rather than us.

That's mercy. That's grace. And that's what this poor beggar Publican was crying out. He could not even lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but he smote upon his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me, a sinner. He's crying out to the one who loves to be merciful.

Somewhere along the line, he had heard that God would send his only begotten son. to lay down his life for his people, that's good news to somebody who knows they're a sinner. You talk about the gospel, the good news of God's law, absolutely. What a wonderful God we have, that he would have something so perfect to teach you and I how much we need him. It just boggles my mind every time I think about how much God really loves His people. I hear people telling me about how weak their faith is, and I ask them, I say, but do you believe in who He is?

Oh, yeah. Oh, absolutely. I'm fully convinced. That's what Paul says, I'm fully convinced. I'm fully convinced that He's God in the flesh, that God sent His Son to walk in this earth, to be the Son of God, He sent Him in a body, He prepared a body, as it says in Hebrews 9, and He sent Him here to walk this earth because God the Father can't die, God the Spirit can't die, but Jesus Christ sent in the flesh could. That's what we were talking about earlier. It's the one thing, and you can attribute all things to the great three in one, except for that one. That one thing, and that is the death for God's Son.

I believe. You know, the Bible tells us that we can't believe without God. He read it over there in Matthew chapter 16. Who do you say He is? Well, He's the Son of the living God. You know, in your heart, you cannot say that unless God the Father has revealed it, and He doesn't reveal it to anybody but His people.

Oh, okay. Well, maybe I am Savior. Do you believe that what Christ did on this earth? Do you believe that the walk that God did in the flesh on this earth was to be a servant to his people? He didn't have to send his son down here to be righteous. He's righteous already! But he did send him here to be made sin. You read that too. 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 21. I don't remember whether he sings it like I should. But you know which verse I'm talking about. He sent his son here to be made sin, folks. Do you grasp that? This is something you can believe in and hang on to and grab a hold of. This is not one of those things where you can say, well, see how different I am? See how much better a person I am than I was once before?

I don't smoke, and I don't cuss, and I don't do this, and I do this, and I don't do that, and I do that. You think as if there was any person Other than the Lord Jesus that could walk this earth and say something like that, it might have been Paul. But what did Paul say over in Romans chapter 7? The things that I do, I don't. And he said, the things that I shouldn't do, I do. Oh, wretched man that I am.

That's not just Paul, folks. That's every one of God's children. That's every one of us. I'm not going to stand here like most preachers do and say, you can be a better person. You can do it if you would just do this. I'm telling you that it doesn't get any better. In fact, anything, just like we read several weeks back over in, what was it, 2 Samuel, where we saw that there was a long And the house of salt, which is a picture of all of mankind, had to wax weaker. And David, who is a picture of Christ, had to wax stronger. That's really what it's all about right there. As we go through this earth, you ask Mike.

He's been walking with the Lord for a long time, and he'll tell you the day is no better for him than it was when he first heard the gospel. You ask Pastor Gene, if you can get through the phone to him, and he'll tell you the day he started walking with the Lord way back 40, 50 years ago is no better than he is right now. Today, the last time I sat and talked with Pastor Gene, it was this.

Our God waxes stronger in our lives as we become less. He must increase, but I must decrease. That's what that's all about. The only thing that I can do is cry Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner. Unaware, it seems that it is God himself who gives him the awareness of his unworthiness. Lord, turn us in the Psalms, is what it says, and we shall be turned. Repent. That's what repentance means. It means to be turned, to turn from something, to turn from self, to turn from the understanding we have in the flesh and turn to Christ. Only God can give man a new heart.

Look over at Ezekiel chapter 36. I want you to read this with me this time. You're familiar with these words. Turn over to Ezekiel. It's right after Jeremiah. Lamentations, Ezekiel. Go to chapter 36. Only God can make a new man out of one. Only God can turn a heart of stone, cut it away and give someone a new heart. Look here in Ezekiel chapter 36 beginning at verse 21.

But I had pity for mine holy name. God has pity, He has mercy, He has grace because of His holy name. which the house of Israel, that's his people, that's talking about all of his people throughout every tongue, throughout every nation, that's what Israel is a picture of. It's a picture of you and I. We're not a Jew outwardly, we're a Jew inwardly. One who has been given a new heart that loves God. One who is favored of God. And every one of us, we're just like how it explains of Israel hath profaned among the heathen whither they went. Therefore say unto the house of Israel, speak unto the house of Israel, the prophet.

Thus saith the Lord, I do not this for your sakes." It's not because of something you've done. If it was something you had done, it couldn't be grace. It wouldn't be mercy. But for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whether ye went, that I will sanctify my great name, I will make it, I will set it apart, I will make it holy, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them, and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, saith the Lord God, when I shall be sanctified in you, when I shall be honored, set apart, before their eyes.

I will take you from among the heathen and gather you out of all the countries and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water." There you go. See how I told you it was going to go right along with your study? The Word of God. That's clean water. That's the water of God. That's the water that flows through our hearts now. The very part that the psalmist was crying out, I love thy statutes. I love thy precepts. It's all talking about the Word of God, which is Christ Jesus, as it says in John chapter 1, verse 1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean from all your filthiness, and from all your idols will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you, and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh, and I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, in my word. And you shall keep my judgments, my word, and do them." and ye shall dwell in the land that I gave your fathers, and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God."

I believe, as the title for this morning's message, I have believed that I am unworthy, just like that poor beggar, just like that publican, I'm not worthy of anything other than what he has stated right here, therefore say unto the house of Israel, say it to the Lord, I do not this for your sakes.

The verse 21, I had pity for my holy name because of his name, for his name. That's why our God has made me to believe for his sake. Turn over to Ephesians chapter two. I believe what the Lord's Word says about men, about God's people. He says over here in Ephesians chapter 2, how unworthy we are. Remember, our God is holy. He's perfect in every way. He requires holiness. He can't even look upon sin. If He could, He wouldn't be holy. He'd be defiled by it.

Look here at verses 1 and 2 of Ephesians chapter 2. And you hath he quickened, that means made alive, who were dead and trespassers in sin, wherein time passed ye walked according to the course of this world. according to the prince of the power of air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience, among whom also," verse three, among whom also, we all had our conversation, that means our walk, our belief, our heart, in times past, in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

I believe God's word. I believe that Jesus Christ was sent, was sent to this world. Look over at Matthew chapter 1. Turn over to the left there to Matthew chapter 1. according to the word of God. You know, over in the book of John, chapter 17, the Lord's Prayer says to, she says to his father, Lord, Father, they believe, because of thy word, they believe that you have sent me. This is a letter. This entire book is a letter to every one of us who God loves. Everyone, you're sitting there thinking to yourself, does God love me? Well, here's how you know. Do you believe his word? Do you believe what he says about you? Do you believe what he says about his son?

Look here at verse 21 of chapter one. Matthew chapter one, verse 21, and she shall bring forth a son and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. Oh, I believe. If I look at this flesh, my belief falters. But when I look at God's word, When I look at the Word of God and see that He sent His only begotten Son, His name shall be called Jesus, for He shall, not maybe, not might, but shall save His people from their sins.

What assurance we have that if we belong to Him, we are saved. Those of us who profaned His name all the days of our life as we walked through this earth, Those that we know, we rebelled. Today's Father's Day. And my sister puts up a picture on Facebook of my dad, Calvin Samuel Ellis. He's got such a smile on his face. He's been gone since September 12, 2001, the day after 9-11. And I couldn't help but think this. I was a nasty child. Just wrong. Everything about me was wrong. I was a rebellious child. My mom remarried. I hated my real father. I had good reason to. And I treated Calvin Samuel Ellis like crap. Until the Lord saved me.

That last year he was alive was the best year he and I ever had. I told my sister, I made a statement on Facebook, even though I rebelled against him harder than probably any child I think I've ever heard rebelled, he still loved me. He loved me despite me. I can say that about two men in this world, Calvin Samuel Ellis and Jesus Christ my Lord. I'm not trying to say we need to put people on a pedestal with Christ, I'm just telling you. I rebelled and he still loved me. I rebelled against Christ and he still loved me.

I believe in Jesus. is the Son of God. Turn over to Matthew 16. Another verse that our dear brother read in Bible study. Look at verses 13 through 17 over in Matthew 16. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God. And what that means is that everything He did was perfect. Everything He, every spot, every jaw, every till that God requires, My Savior, because He is God, performed it.

Look here, if you would, at verse 13 through 17 of Matthew 16. When Jesus came into the coast of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, whom do men say that I, the Son of Man, am? And they said, some say that thou art John the Baptist, some say Elijah, some others say Jeremiah, or maybe one of the other prophets. And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

Now here comes Peter's answer, and this is an answer from the heart. Remember, our Lord looks upon the heart. Jesus Christ knew the heart of Peter. He knew what Peter was going to answer before Peter ever even answered it. But for our sakes, he asked the question, and Peter answers it this way.

He said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said, blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father, which is in heaven. I believe. I believe that Jesus is the Son of the living God. I believe that Jesus saved his people by shedding his own blood.

Turn over to Ephesians again, if you would. Ephesians chapter one this time. And we'll be quick about coming to the table here in just a moment. I want to lead into it with a couple of things here from God's Word. In Ephesians chapter 1, we read in verses 5 through 7, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children, this is Ephesians chapter 1, verse 5, by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted.

This is what I believe, folks. It was according to His will, not to mine. I believe that I am redeemed by the blood of Christ, in verse 70, in whom we have redemption through His blood and the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace. Oh, to believe I'm God. I believe that He arose for my justification.

Turn over to the left to Romans chapter 4. Romans chapter 4. In Romans chapter 4, it tells us in verse 28, 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. God accepted the sacrifice that his son gave as our justification. That means just as if we'd never sinned. I know, you look in the mirror and say, well then, how can I know that it's me? Do you believe?

In John 3.16, we hear these from all these people, God's a love the world. And that just simply means that He's loved His people out of all the world throughout all time, throughout every nation, throughout every tongue, everyone for whom His Son went to the cross for throughout all time. For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth.

There's the key to John 3.16. I believe. that I have justified in my Savior. I believe that he was raised to God's throne as my mediator. 1 John 2, verse 1. 1 John, over there, just after Peter. I believe that he was raised to God's throne. Look at verse 1 of chapter 2, 1 John, chapter 2, verse 1.

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. Oh, folks, there are those who accuse God's preachers of being antinomian, meaning it's okay to sin. That is such just absolute nonsense. It's not okay to sin. That's like our brother Mike was bringing out in a discussion earlier.

There's consequences to sin. on this earth. The consequences of God have been paid for. But if you kill somebody on this earth, you're going to pay the consequences through the justice system of the people. If you commit adultery, you're going to pay the consequences and the troubles that come with that.

Sin not. Turn from your sin. Turn from the lust of your flesh. Look what it says next, though. And if any man sin, does it say what kind of sin? It says if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous. I believe that nothing, not even my feelings can separate me from my Lord from the love of God found only in Christ Jesus. And then what we read over in Romans chapter 8, verses 38 through 39. If you can turn over there quickly, I'll wait just a second for you. Romans chapter 8. Paul writes these words, beginning at verse 37.

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor even any other creature? Are you feeling short on your faith in God? Are you coming up short in your faith? Read these. Read these words. Turn to the Word of God.

I am persuaded that none of these things, neither death, nor life, nor angels, principalities, powers, things present, or things to come, or height or depth or any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

If there was anything that could, then he wouldn't be God, would he? Could the devil do anything to Job that God would not let him do? He couldn't take his life. Took his family. Took all of his goats and cows and all of that. take his life. His life belongs to God. Christ is sitting on the throne saying that's mine. You can't accuse him of anything. You can't accuse her of anything. I paid the price. I believe.

Now let's close with Mark chapter 9. 9, verse 17, one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which had a dumb spirit. And whosoever he taketh him, he tarreth him, he fometh, he gnasheth his teeth, he planteth away. And I spake to thy disciples, that they should cast him out, and they could not. Verse 19, this is Mark chapter 9, verse 19.

Faithless generation. That's me. How long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you? Bring him unto me now. I want you to look over to verse 23. And straightaway, immediately, without hesitation, the father of the child cried out and said in tears, Lord, I believe. That's the title for my message today.

I may not believe like I'd like to. I believe it with my heart, the new heart that God has given me. I know the difference between the old John Reeves and the new one, and I'm telling you it's not any better than the old one was. But I believe God's Word, so therefore it is. I believe He is my protector. I believe he is my shepherd." Let me just read a quick article from Brother Don Fortner.

One of the most beautiful and most frequently used pictures of Christ in the scriptures is that of a shepherd. A shepherd is one who tends sheep, who serves sheep. He knows his sheep. He leads them, feeds them, protects them, and nurses them. The shepherd leads his sheep out in the morning, tends to them throughout the day, and puts them in the fold at night. What could be more blessed than the realization that the Lord is my shepherd?

6-21-2026 I Believe

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6-21-2026 I Believe

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