Well last week we were looking
at the certain blessings of biblical salvation in Jeremiah, those
things that he was saying. God knows the thoughts that he
thinks of his people. Thoughts of peace, to give an
end, to give a good hope of eternity. blessings that God has loved
his people with an everlasting love. You know, it's not like
the Arminian gospel that says it all depends on you and your
decision. No, he's loved his people with an everlasting love. He's underwritten it with a legal
document called the New Covenant, which is in the blood of the
Lord Jesus Christ. It's signed and sealed in that.
And the blessings are just incredible. Well, they're not incredible
because people believe them. His saints believe those things.
They believe them. But who possesses those blessings
of eternal salvation in a world of uncertainty? In a world where
there's so much providential uncertainty, who possesses these
blessings? Through life? And especially
at its end. you know, when I'm going to pass
from this life through that door into eternity, who knows about
these blessings of eternal salvation? The answer? Only God's elect. That is the message of this book.
It's the elect of God, the people of his choice who have those
blessings pronounced upon them. Now this is the question. Am
I Are you numbered amongst God's elect? How can I know, how can
I be sure that I am blessed by God's choice? That I am drawn
with his loving kindness. I have loved you with an everlasting
love, therefore with cords of love I have drawn you. He's drawn
his people to him. Blessed is the man whom thou
choosest, truly blessed, truly blessed, from on high, from the
one who's created and upholds, truly blessed is the one that
he causes, that he's chosen, and that he causes to approach
unto him. Is that you? And is that me?
Well there are certain signs that we can see, that show us,
is that me? Is that me? Firstly, and you
know I tell you so often, you believe the gospel. That's the
very first thing. You believe the gospel of God's
grace. God's elect believe God's gospel. Not a gospel that's been distorted
by man because they want to make it more palatable. God's elect
believe God's gospel. Think of the Philippian jailer.
What must I do to be saved? What must I do to Paul and Silas? And the answer comes back. Believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. That's the
answer. What must I do to make myself right? Believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. What is the work of
God that we might do it? The Jews asked Jesus in John
chapter 6. What is the work of God that
we might do? We want to do the work of God. You're talking about
the works of God. What is it that we have to do to do the
work of God? And Jesus said this, this is the work of God. This
is the work you must do if you want to do the work of God. That
you believe on him whom he has sent. And then read it another
way. This is the work of God. Your
belief on him whom he has sent, on the Lord Jesus Christ, on
the Messiah, on the Saviour, on the Christ of God, is the
work of God. For it's him that works in you
to produce that belief. You are saved by grace, through
faith, belief, and that, not of yourselves. It is the gift
of God, it's the work of God, that you believe on him whom
he has sent. And what did Jesus say about
believing? Jesus said a lot about believing
in the Gospels. He said, he that believes on
me shall never thirst. He that believes shall never
thirst for what? Water? No, no, he's talking about spiritual
water. He's talking about spiritual
things. He's talking about that thirst-quenching
knowledge of rightness with God. He that believes on me shall
never thirst. Why? Because you've got that
permanent source of water. That's what he said to the woman
at the well. He that believes on me shall never thirst. He
said, he that believes on me has everlasting life. He that believes on me, not he
that does all of these good things, not he that is so much better
than all of his compatriots. He that believes on me has everlasting
life. He said, he that believes on
me shall have rivers of living water inside him. Talking about
the Spirit of God and the things of the knowledge of the Spirit
of God. He said, he that believes on me, Jesus said, he that believes
on me, believes on him that sent me. People say there are many
ways to believe in God, you know, the Muslims believe in their
way and the Hindus believe in their multiple gods and so on
and so forth. No, Jesus said, if you would
believe on the one true God, you must believe in Him. If you do not believe in Him,
you do not believe in the one true God. He that believes is
in the one true God. He that believes on me shall
not abide in darkness." This world is shrouded in spiritual
darkness. You see it all around us. the
blindness, it's as if men and women are blindfolded, walking
down the broad way to a lost eternity. They're in darkness,
the people that walked in darkness, but praise God, His people He
causes to see a great light. And His people shall not abide
in darkness, for they shall see in Him, in His face, the light
of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus
Christ. He that believes in Me shall
not abide in darkness. And whilst he was doing miracles,
he said to his disciples, he that believes in me shall do
even greater works than these that you see me do now, spiritual
works, spiritual works of eternal life. You know this passage well
because I've mentioned it so many times before. To the Thessalonians,
in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 13, Paul writes to them
how he knows that they are chosen of God, how he knows that they
have the salvation of the elect of God, how he knows that they
have all the blessings and promises of salvation that Jeremiah spoke
of. And he says this, I know that
you are beloved of God, I know that you are chosen in Him, because
you're chosen to salvation, because why? I've seen it, the Spirit
of God has set you apart. The Spirit of God has set you,
sanctification of the Spirit. And how has it manifested itself?
You believed the truth. The gospel that Paul preached,
which is the gospel that we seek to preach, which is the gospel
of this book, they believed it. when many others shunned it and
turned away from it. They believed it. What is it
to believe the truth? Do you believe the truth? Do
I truly believe the truth? You know, belief, you've got
to mentally agree to it. You've got to mentally hear it
and say, yes, I agree with that. But it isn't just that. It's
not just mental assent belief. James tells us, James 2 verse
19, he said, you say that you believe in God, that's very good,
very good, give yourself a pat on the back. He said the devils
also believe and tremble. They have mental assent that
there is a God. They have mental assent about
God's holiness and knowledge of Him, but they tremble. They
believe, but it's not the belief of the gospel of God's elect,
it's mental ascent belief. They know the facts are true
and they tremble. No, the Thessalonians, their
belief, their faith produced results. I've got some scriptures
to turn to, and I want you to follow along with me if you can.
If it's too fiddly to turn the pages, don't worry about it,
just listen while I read them. So it's not just mental assent
belief, but listen, in 1 Thessalonians, And chapter 1, so the first epistle
of Thessalonians, because I was still talking about the Thessalonian
believers, of whom Paul said what he said in the second epistle,
chapter 2 verse 13. But in the first epistle, chapter
1, start at verse 4. Look what Paul says, writing
to these Thessalonians. He says, knowing brethren, beloved,
your election of God. Paul knows these people, are
the recipients of all the blessings that the elect of God are the
recipients of. He says, knowing, brethren, beloved,
your election of God. For our gospel came not unto
you in word only. You didn't just hear words and
go, oh yeah, I'll tick the box for that. It came in power, and
in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance, as you know what manner
of men we were among you for your sake. And you became followers
of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction
with joy of the Holy Ghost, so that you were examples to all
that believe in Macedonia and Achaia." They looked, they could
see something different. They could see a change. They
could see that the people that you were, children of wrath just
like others, you changed. You were examples to all that
believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you sounded out the
word of the Lord. You proclaimed with your mouths
the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Not only in Macedonia
and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God is spread
abroad. People know the rumors out there. These Thessalonians believe the
gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. So that we need not speak anything
because just the shining light that comes from you as those
who are the elect of God The rumor's out there. They're talking
about you. You're believers. For they themselves
show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you. What Paul's
saying is, all these that are seeing the change, see that that
was a genuine change. That when Paul came and preached,
a people that were idolaters turned around and became something
completely different. Look, he says, They themselves
show us what manner of entering in we had unto you." The message
that he preached went in. And how you turn to God from
idols to serve the living and true God. They were idolaters.
Look at them now. They're not. They're serving
the living true God. They're waiting for his son from
heaven, whom he raised from the dead. Even Jesus, which delivered
us from the wrath to come. They're living in the good of
it. They're living in the good of it. James says in James 2,
you don't need to turn to this, verse 18, he's talking about
true faith, the faith of God's elect. And he says true faith
manifests itself in works. He says, I will show you my faith
by my works. He will show you his faith by
the fact that he works, he produces the fruits of the elect of God. In the parable of the sower,
Jesus talked about four different types of ground. The wayside,
the stony ground, the thorny ground, and the good ground.
You read that parable again. Which is the only ground that
produces fruit? A harvest. A harvest of seed,
a harvest of grain. It's the good ground. The rest
do not produce any fruit. The distinguishing mark of a
good ground receiver of the gospel is a harvest of fruit in that
person's life. Fruit arising from union with
the vine. He uses this analogy in John
15, Jesus uses the analogy of the grape vine. that's bearing
clusters of grapes, the fruit that you want to make the wine
with for dessert grapes, it's fruit. And he says it only produces
fruit when it's joined to the vine, because the vine provides
the sap. He says, I, Jesus said, I am
the vine, you my disciples are the branches. And he says this,
the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide in
the vine. No more can ye except ye abide
in me. Without me, you can do nothing,
is what he said. Without him, we must abide in
him. Now, what is this fruit that
characterizes true belief? The belief of God's elect. The
belief that is the sign and the assurance that you are amongst
the elect of God. Knowing brethren your election
of God. Knowing brethren that he's chosen
you. How does it manifest itself? You bear gospel fruit, but what
is that? Number one, it's not legalism. Bearing fruit is not legalism,
and yet so many preach it as if it were. They preach a legalistic
system of do's and don'ts, of regulations. It's not law works. What produces law works? The
constraint of the law. The law threatens punishment
if you do not do. The law promises rewards if you
do do. Do this and you shall live. Don't
do this and you shall die. No, it's not legalism. Not legalism. Nothing a believer does or doesn't
do can either add to his salvation or subtract from it. In the Lord
Jesus Christ, he is to us wisdom. and righteousness, and sanctification,
and redemption. As Colossians says, you are complete
in him. In him dwells all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete in him, for he to
you is wisdom from God, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption,
everything you need. Nothing you do or don't do can
change that in any way whatsoever. If we're true believers, we are
free from the law. The gospel is absolutely clear. The epistle to the Galatians
is absolutely clear. Romans is absolutely clear. Hebrews
is absolutely clear. We are free from the obligation
of the law. We are free from the bondage
of the law. We stand fast as Paul in Galatians
tells us to do. We stand fast in the liberty
wherewith Christ has made us free from that bondage of the
law. Jesus said, The truth shall make you free, and if the truth
shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. There is no bondage
in the gospel of God's grace. But true gospel deliverance,
if it's genuine, if it's the genuine article, and not that
which is produced by the flesh, if it's the genuine article produced
by the Spirit of God, it produces a worthy walk. It produces fruitfulness. It produces good works. You say,
oh, you're sounding a bit like a legalist yourself when you're
talking like this. No, I want to be in conformance with what
the Scripture says. Turn to Colossians chapter 1.
Colossians chapter 1, Colossians chapter 1 and verse 10, just
read 5 verses, 10 to 14. Colossians chapter 1 and verse
10. Paul is praying for these Colossian
believers, and in verse 10 he's praying that they might walk
worthy. Walk, live. Live your lives worthy
of the Lord. Live your lives becoming of the
Lord that has saved you. Live your lives in a compatible
way to the God who in Christ has saved you, is what he's saying.
And to all pleasing. being fruitful in every good
work, and increasing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with all
might according to His glorious power, that's where the strength
comes from, His glorious power, unto all patients and long-suffering
with joyfulness, giving thanks unto the Father which hath made
us meet See, the Father has made us fitted, meet, to be partakers
of the inheritance of the saints in light, who hath delivered
us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the
kingdom of his dear Son, in whom, in his Son, in whom we have redemption. the purchase, the purchase price,
the ransom price, deliver him from going down to the pit for
I have found a ransom in whom we have redemption through his
blood. His blood is the ransom price,
even the forgiveness of sins. That position that Paul talks
about there is the motivation to walk worthy. It's not do not
kill because there's a law that says thou shalt not kill. It's
not, oh, you better not steal because the Ten Commandments
say thou shalt not steal. Oh, you better be truthful because
the Ten Commandments will threaten you. You better not lie, you
better not bear false witness. No. It's because of gospel reasons. You look throughout the New Testament.
Every time we're exhorted to do something, every time, it
is never, ever, ever written Do this because the law tells
you to. It's always written, do this
because look where the gospel has put you, if you believe.
And having put you in that place, and having dressed you in that
robe of the righteousness of Christ, live a life that's compatible
with it. Compatible with it. So then,
what is it? to bear gospel fruit. What is
it? It's not the product of the natural
ability that we might have in the flesh. There are all sorts
of different temperaments of people, as we know. There are
some that are very placidly, mildly mannered. There are others
who are quite volatile and I probably count myself amongst them. Just
ask the people that live with me. differing temperaments, but
all are sinners, all of us, without exception, the mildest, meekest,
most gentle person, all are sinners, there is none good as God counts
good, the gospel fruit doesn't arise from fleshly resolution. It doesn't. You find out in the
world of religion, religious folks produce a lot of social
fruit with all of their campaigns to do this and their charitable
giving to do that, but it isn't gospel fruit. It's what J.C. Philpott calls wax fruit. We don't see it these days. I
remember as a kid you'd go to some old auntie's house and there
on the sideboard would be a bowl of apples and oranges and bananas. Oh, it looks so delicious, and
this is in the 1950s, to my childish eyes, oh wow, look at that plum. I'd love to sink my teeth into
that plum, it looks so good. You wouldn't, because it was
wax. It was just meant to make it look like the family could
afford some nice fruit. And you'd have to dust the fruit
periodically to stop it looking very bad. Philpott says in religion
there's a lot of wax fruit. or he also likens it to sour,
inedible hedgerow fruit. You know, there's lots of fruits
in the hedgerows, but half of them, you wouldn't think for
one minute, it might look nice, there's some very nice looking
berries, but some of them are poisonous, you wouldn't want
to take that. No, true gospel fruit arises from the heart. and it manifests itself with
the lips and in the life, with the mouth and in the actions.
It doesn't make a disciple, but it manifests the fact that one
is a disciple. Romans 10 verse 10 says this,
for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the
mouth, the lips, confession is made unto salvation. What is
heart fruit? You see people say, oh you need
to be bearing more fruit, you need to be tithing your money
and you need to be not going to the cinema, and you need to
be avoiding this vice and that vice, and there's a whole, you
don't want to be going there, you don't want to be dressing
like that, you don't want to be doing this, and you ought to be doing
this that many times a week, and you need to be, you know,
it's all rules and regulations. But no, what this is about is
heart fruit. What is heart fruit? Philippians
chapter 2 verse 13 tells us this, Paul writes to the Philippians,
it is God which works in you both to will and to do of his
good pleasure. It's the work of God inside,
in the core of your being. It's the new man that he puts
there, born of the Spirit of God. As John says of him in his
first epistle, chapter 3, verse 9, whosoever is born of God doth
not commit sin. Hosea, chapter 14, verse 8, God
says through the prophet, from me is your fruit found. That
fruit comes from God and it's through his work in the heart.
It's heart fruit manifested as these things. This is true heart
fruit. Have you got this heart fruit
in you? I'm not talking about, have you done these things to
qualify for yourself to say, yes, yes, I'm a believer. But
are these characteristics in you? You know, you know, the
fear of God. That's a heart fruit of the gospel.
The true gospel, the one who believes the true gospel fears
God. There's the fear of God in your
heart. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Christ is
made unto us wisdom from God. The fear of God is the beginning
of wisdom, the beginning of knowledge. Jeremiah 32 verse 40 has a statement
of grace in Jeremiah when he's talked about everlasting love.
He says this of his disciples, of his people. He says, I will
put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me.
He gives his believing people in the heart a fear of him, a
desire to obey his word, a desire to follow the Lord Jesus Christ,
looking unto him, a desire to do his will, a desire to hear
his words speaking to me, and order my life according to what
I read his word tell me to do. There's a fear of God, not a
fear of judgment, but a fear, a reverence of offending God. of violating his will and his
purposes, a fear of God, of grieving the Holy Spirit. There's a fear
of grieving the Holy Spirit. I don't want to grieve the Holy
Spirit of God. That's a fruit of gospel belief
in the heart, the fear of God. Secondly, faith. Faith is a heart
fruit. It's in the heart. Faith is planted
there by the Spirit of God. Romans 10.10 again, with the
heart, man believes unto righteousness, with the heart. It's the work
of God inside, the work of the Spirit of God inside, to believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ. And what is it to believe on
Him? It's one thing to know that something exists, It's another
thing to commit your entire future to that thing, to put your entire
trust in it. You know, it's one thing to stand
looking at a little footbridge over a raging torrent of a river
and say, oh yes, I see that that bridge is there for supporting
people so that they don't fall into the river. Yes, that's mental
assent to the fact that the bridge is there and will support you.
Belief is you walk out on it. You walk out to the middle of
it. You trust it. You believe it. This is it. Heart,
faith. It's a heart fruit. Hope. hope
of eternal life, hope of heaven, good hope through grace. You
know when you look forward to an event or to a holiday or something
like that and you've got this, well the true believer has this
heart fruit of thinking, not constantly or morbidly but thinking,
I'm going to glory, I'm going to eternal glory. When these
days are done, when my life is over, When God calls me home,
I'm going to eternal glory. I've got a good hope of eternal
life through grace. How do I know? I know because
Christ has died for me. I know because Christ has satisfied
the justice of God for me. I know that on the grounds of
what he has done, he will say to me, come, thou blest of my
father, enter into the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation
of the world. There's love in my heart. This
is a heartfruit. Love. Love. Love for Christ. Love for him. You know who you
love in this life. You know family, friends, you
know who you love. Love for Christ is a heartfruit. For the honour of his name. For
his cause. For his people. To love one another. To love one another. Because
Romans 13, 8 says this, He that loveth another hath fulfilled
everything that the law intended. loving. It's a heart fruit and
it produces visible evidence. In the heart there is also, the
heart that is bearing heart fruit, there is repentance over sin,
constantly, daily, repentance over sin of what we are by nature.
There's contrition for what we are by nature. There's humility
of spirit, blessed are the meek. The humble, blessed. There's
not a proud arrogance about what we are. There's not a pompous,
pleased with myself. No, humility. There's prayer
in the heart. For, says David, God put it in
his heart to pray. God puts it in his people's hearts
to pray. All these are heart fruits. They
come from the heart. You know the difference between,
say for example, the musician that's been through all of the
lessons but doesn't really want to play the instrument, compared
with the one who some spark, some light goes on. And I remember
hearing, what was her name, the cellist that died years ago of
Jacqueline Dupre, the very one. And I remember her talking of
her experience as a little girl of hearing that sound that the
cello made and thinking, wow. And it just, every minute of
the rest of her life was devoted to making that sound. Think of
tennis, you know, that the rich and the famous can afford and
have ways of getting them seats on centre court for Wimbledon
men's final, you know, the peak of the tennis calendar. But then
there are the real fans who have tennis in their hearts, and they
love the game, and they want to do it, and they want to be
there, and they'd give anything they could in order to be there.
It's that difference. Heartfruit is what God puts there.
and it produces lip fruit. It produces lip fruit, for with
the mouth confession is made unto salvation. What we do say
and what we refrain from saying evidences heart fruit, the fruit
that's gone on in the heart. It produces an outcome in the
lips. In Exodus 15, when the children
of Israel have been brought by the hand of Moses out of Egypt,
with God guiding Moses as to what to do. And when they come
out and they cross over and they see the Egyptians destroyed in
Exodus 15, Moses sings a song. That which his heart had seen
and been convinced of, of the salvation of God, produced praise. Praise came out as a result of
it. In 1 Samuel chapter 2, Hannah
who was childless, and God gives her a child, she prays, and in
chapter 2 of 1 Samuel, there's Hannah's song of praise. Where
does it come from? It comes from the heart. She
knows God in her heart, and it produces worship, praise on her
lips. In Psalm 40 verse 3, the Psalmist
says, He, God, has put a new song in my mouth, even praise
unto our God. If He has changed your heart
by the gospel of His grace, the gospel of His salvation, He put
a new song in your mouth, even praise to our God. Many shall
see it and fear and shall trust in the Lord. There's Hezekiah's
song of thanksgiving in Isaiah 38. There's Mary's song of thanksgiving
in Luke chapter 1. This is the lips pouring forth
that which has gone on in the heart. There's an open confession
in bearing the cross for Christ's sake. You know, he says, you
can't be my disciple unless you take up the cross of belief in
Christ and follow me. There's reproach for Christ's
sake. Reproach. The reproach of this world for
Christ's sake. But there's open confession that
comes from bearing his cross. There's encouragement to one
another, to the brethren, in word of mouth, in letters, in
emails these days. There's encouragement for one
another, and it's greatly appreciated, and we ought to do it, and it
ought to come from the heart, not as a legal requirement, but
as the natural fruit springing from the heart, using kind and
affectionate language to others in all things. Praying. Writing good things to one another.
Lip fruit. Lip fruit. Coming from the heart.
And then life fruit. Fruit that manifests itself starting
in the heart and producing a change in the life. In summary, This
is how we could put it. What do I mean? Laying aside
everything and becoming to the gospel. This is what Paul calls
for again and again, that you lay aside everything that doesn't
accord with, that doesn't comply with. the gospel that you believe. Putting off, we read in Colossians
3, putting off the old man. Putting on the new man, like
this, as if it's a garment. The old man is that scruffy,
filthy, dirty old coat. Take it off and put on the new
one, which is that robe of the righteousness of Christ. Put
it on, wear it, wear it. Putting on the new cloak, the
new man. Obeying Christ's gospel precepts
because so many of the epistles, so many Ephesians is 50% gospel
precepts. This is the case, therefore live
like this, therefore don't do these things, therefore, all
because of gospel reasons, never ever, never ever ever law. Now, gospel precepts, adorning
as he says to Titus, adorn the gospel of our God and Savior
in all things. Look how Peter puts it, turn
over to 2 Peter chapter 1, 2 Peter chapter 1 and verses 5
to 10. And verse 10 is where I got the
title for this message from, the marks of God's elect. Verse 5 of chapter 1, he said,
God's given us everything we need for life and godliness.
And then in verse 5 he said, and beside this, giving all diligence,
add to your faith virtue. That sounds like a command to
me, doesn't it? An encouragement. for you to
do something, for you to make a choice to do something. Besides
this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, and to
virtue, knowledge, and to knowledge, temperance, and to temperance,
patience, and to patience, godliness, and to godliness, brotherly kindness,
and to brotherly kindness, charity. For if these things be in you
and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor
unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he
that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off,
and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore,
the rather, brethren, Give diligence to make your calling and election
sure. Give diligence to it. When my little plum tree, it's
only in its second year in the garden, when my plum tree produces
plums, I know for sure that it's a plum tree. And it only produced
five this year, it produced less this year than it did in its
first year. And only two of the ones it produced
were good big plums, but when we tasted them, they were lovely
sweet Victoria plums. And that told us that that was
a plum tree, for sure. If I go and get one of those
wax plums, you know, from the wax fruit, and I tie it onto
a hazel tree, it doesn't make the hazel tree into a plum tree.
No. Fruit doesn't make a disciple,
but it evidences that you are a disciple. I know that plum
tree is a plum tree because it's produced only a little bit, but
the genuine article, it's produced plums. You know when you hear
about a failing school, and there were many in London in recent
years, failing schools, terrible, the children were an utter disgrace,
the exam results were absolutely diabolical, the manners and the
deportment were terrible, and then you get one of these super
heads brought in to try and turn the school around, with a commission
to make this a good school, and they put into practice a whole
load of things and they turn the school around. And the society
around sees the difference. Hey look, the kids look up for
learning. They look smart and ready to
go and learn. They look like they're organized
for it. And the exam results are brilliant. Whereas they were terrible, these
people from deprived backgrounds are now getting You see, if you're
a disciple of Christ, you will evidence the fact that Christ
is your teacher, by his spirit, through his word, and you will
produce fruit. And I have to say this, and this
is my third point, you will eschew, you will shun, you will turn
away from a sinful lifestyle. I know we all slip and fail in
the flesh. I know that the best of us slip
and fail constantly. but it's not a situation that
you sit happy with. I know people might accuse me
of preaching legalism, of causing people to look more at self than
at Christ, but let's be clear, let's just be clear. Look at
1 Corinthians chapter 6 and verses 9 to 11. I won't be much longer. Paul says this, know ye not that
the unrighteous, listen what he's saying, he's saying this
to people who were saying, I'm a Christian, I'm alright, I've
made a pact with death that it's not going to affect me because
I'm going to heaven. He says, know ye not that the unrighteous,
the habitually unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Be not deceived, neither fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, effeminate,
abusers of themselves with mankind, thieves, covetous, drunkards,
revilers, extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And
such was some of you You were, we all were, but you're washed,
you're sanctified, you're justified in the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Galatians 5, we haven't got time to look at it, but the
fruit of the Spirit compared with the works of the flesh,
the works of the flesh, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
idolatry. He's saying in verse 21, he says,
I tell you I tell you about this, as I've also told you in time
past, that they which do, and he means habitually in a settled
state of habitually living like this, they that do such things
shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Let's not be deceived
Let's not be deceived. You cannot say I'm a child of
God. I'm an inheritor of the promises of God in Jeremiah to
the elect of God. That he's loved me with an ever...
You cannot say that and yet live a habitual life which manifests
those works of the flesh. You may slip, you will slip.
But it's always accompanied by repentance and grief and sorrow
and the fear of offending God. No. Ephesians 4. Ephesians 4,
verse 22. that you put off concerning the
former conversation the old man which is corrupt according to
the put it off take it off and be renewed in the spirit of your
mind and that you put on the new man which after God is created
in righteousness and true holiness. Let a man examine himself. Judge
only yourself not others. Don't look at others. Don't go
judging them and their lifestyles. No. Don't do that. Don't do that. We'll get it wrong. We're not
to judge in that way, we have discernment by all means, but
don't judge. Look at yourself, be as harsh
as you like with yourself. There is no perfection in the
flesh. We all slip, but true believers don't stay in a habitual,
settled state of doing these things, bringing disgrace on
the gospel. That's what it does. If we walk
openly in this world, living in the way that these texts condemned,
we bring shame on the gospel. Look at these people, they claim
to be Christ and look, they're living in open sin, they're living
corrupt lifestyles. No. It brings disgrace. Adorn the doctrine of our God
and Saviour in all things. Where do we get the power? from
God. We get the power from Him alone
to do this. I know that in me says Paul in
chapter 7 of Romans dwells no good thing for to will is present
with me in my flesh but how to do in my spirit to will is present
with me but how to perform in my flesh that which is good I
find not. He says, he goes on to say, O
wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this
death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Through him,
without me you can do nothing. Are you conscious of heart fruit
within that leads to lip fruit and life fruit? I'm not saying
give yourself a pat on the back, but is there evidence there in
the heart of heart fruit? Is there an eschewing, a turning
away from, shunning of evil? And when it's pointed out, you
might slip into it, but it's pointed out, no, I'm going to
resolve not to do that. Is there a warfare going on in
you that you're conscious of? A war between the flesh and the
spirit? And despite corrupt flesh and
its failings, is your soul living by faith in Jesus Christ, looking
unto him for keeping and for guidance? you know, entrusting
to him. Paul said, I know whom I have
believed and I'm persuaded, I'm convinced that he is able to
keep that which I've committed unto him. That's trusting Christ
to keep us and to take us there. Then he says, then you can take
assurance that your calling and election is sure and that the
blessings of salvation are yours. If not, if not, what's the message
of this book? Flee to Christ. What must I do
to be saved? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved. Amen.