Would you turn back to John chapter
three? We're going to observe the Lord's
table tonight. And I'm going to be preaching from the seventh
beatitude, blessed are the peacemakers, for they should be called the
children of God. And the person who is blessed
of God and who is God's child Is that person who's an actual
peacemaker proactive in this thing of making peace? What's
that mean? I feel like this is a very important
message. Blessed are the peacemakers.
Am I a peacemaker? Only the peacemakers are the
children of God. I want to preach this morning
on saving faith. Saving faith. Verse 18. He that believeth on him is not
condemned. That's saving faith. But he that
believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed
in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Saving faith. I have three goals in this message.
First, to state clearly what saving faith is. Wouldn't that
be a blessing if that happens? If the Lord gives us the grace
to hear what saving faith is. And my second goal, if God is
pleased to bless this, is that he would take this message and
cause those who believe To continue to believe and to believe more
and to believe more strongly. You know, the apostle said, increase
our faith. Don't you want your faith increased?
I want to believe more strongly than I ever had before. And the
third thing I'd like to see if the Lord is pleased to do this
for us is that those who have never believed. And there are
those in our midst right now who have never believed that
they might believe savingly for the very first time. Wouldn't
it be a great blessing if the Lord gives us those desires? Saving faith. Let me read verse 18 once again. He that believeth on him, is
not condemned. But he that believeth not is
condemned already because he hath not believed in the name
of the only begotten Son of God. Now we must say with sorrow that
the one who does not believe, the scripture says, is condemned
already under the curse of God with hell awaiting. Unbelief is the master sin. Unbelief is the mother of all
other sins. It is the master crime to not
believe on the name of the only begotten son of God, the only
proper place for that person is hell. He that believeth not
is condemned already. He's going to be spending eternity
in the place where God's torments toward the damned are never extinguished. Look in verse 35 of this same
chapter, John chapter three, the father loved the son and
had given all things into his hand. He that believeth on the
son hath everlasting life. He's got it. And he that believeth
not the son of God shall not see life. But the wrath of God
abideth on him. Now, the father loves the son. And anyone who doesn't believe
the son doesn't love the son. And I can tell you what God thinks
of you by what you think of the son. Let me repeat that. I can tell what God himself thinks
of you by what you think of the son. The Father loves the Son. Now that one who believes, back to
John chapter 3 verse 18, he that believeth on Him, I want to leave
the part about being condemned already, but oh how that one
who fails and refuses to believe on the Son deserves the wrath
of God, deserves to be under God's wrath. But verse 18, he
that believeth on Him is not condemned. Not the one who will
believe on Him, Not the one who has already believed on Him,
but the one who believeth. The one who believeth on Him
is not condemned. Now here's my fourth point. The
object of saving faith. Him. He that believeth on Him. is not condemned. There is the
object of saving faith. Would you understand what saving
faith really is? Well, first I must understand
the object of saving faith. Him, the Lord Jesus Christ, not
the father, not the spirit, but the son. The Lord Jesus Christ,
the only begotten Son of the Father. Now, some think in their
minds, well, I could believe on the Lord Jesus Christ if I
knew I were one of the elect. Well, it's the Father's work
to elect. And you can't know your election
apart from faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. As many as were
ordained to eternal life believed every single one of them. So
no, you don't look to the father, you look to the son. Somebody
else thinks, well, I could believe I was saved. I could believe
I was really a Christian if I felt more of the spirit's work within
me. If I had more victory over sin, if I acted more like whatever
it is a Christian is supposed to act like, if I had more victory
in my life, and I could believe I was a Christian if I saw more
of the Spirit's work within. Well, that's not believing in
the Son, that's believing in yourself. Believing in yourself. We're
called upon to believe the Son. As many as believed on Him, to
them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them
which believe on His name. We're called upon now, oh, would
to God that you and I can just forget ourselves right now. Forget
everything about yourself. Believe on Him. Believe who He is. He's God. All the fullness of God dwells
in Him. He is the Man Christ Jesus. He's really flesh and bones. Blood pumping through His veins.
The Man Christ Jesus. Believe who He is. All that God
is, He is. He's the Mighty God and the Everlasting
Father according to Isaiah 9, 6. He's the Man Christ Jesus. Believe in His perfect obedience. Somebody did honor God. Somebody
did keep God's law perfectly. There's somebody who really never
did sin. The Lord Jesus Christ. Believe
his life is the perfect life that only God can accept. Believe
he died. Believe in his death. That's
a mystery to me. How could the God man die? I don't know, but he did. He
did. The God-man died. Believe that
Jesus Christ actually died on Calvary's tree. But believe he
was raised from the dead. He was laying dead in that tomb
for three days and all of a sudden he opened his eyes and he was
alive. Believe in his resurrection,
his rising from the dead. And remember this when we talk
about him. His person, His life, His death, His resurrection.
We're talking about Him doing this as a substitute. The doctrine of substitution
is so essential to the gospel that it must be continually declared. God is just. You know that. He said, I will
by no means clear the guilty. That means if you are guilty,
under no circumstance will he clear us. God is absolutely just. God is merciful. He delights
in mercy. I'm guilty. How can I be saved? Well, let me tell you. The sins
of those who believe were lifted off of them and placed upon the
Lord Jesus Christ. Not typically, not metaphorically,
like the Old Testament sacrifices. They would sacrifice that animal.
Sin was typically placed on that animal, but not actually. Not
really. It's just represented something.
But when our Lord died, it wasn't because sin was typically placed
upon Him. 1 Peter 2, 24 says, who His own
self bear our sins in His own body. You know, that's one of
the things that makes sin so grievous. When you think of the vileness
and the filthiness of your sin, your corrupt sin, and to think
the Lord Jesus Christ had to bear that in His own body on
the tree. That's what the scripture says.
Who His own self bear our sins in His own body on the tree. He became guilty of those sins.
And if they're in him, and if they're on him, you know where
they're not? They're not on me. Justice truly. as my sin became
his sin, so that he became guilty of it and the absolute justice
of God punished him. So truly, does his righteousness
become my righteousness. Now, the reason these people
are not condemned is because there's literally nothing to
condemn them for. Their sin has been put away.
If Christ bore my sin, I don't have it. It's gone. It's put
away. That's how God can be just and
justify the ungodly. Now somebody's thinking, I could
believe I was saved if, if what? If what? If Christ died? Oh no,
I believe that. I could believe I'd be saved
if I experienced more, if I felt more. That would be believing
in yourself. That's all it would be believing.
It would not be believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ
Jesus himself is the object of saving faith. Now, why is it that a man believes? Why is it? that a man believes. Now we see that Christ himself
is the object of saving faith. Why is it that somebody believes? Where does faith come from? Well,
the scripture says faith comes by hearing. What we're doing
right now, sitting and hearing the gospel. Faith cometh by hearing. Okay, here's two men hearing
the same message. One believes, one rejoices in
the message. The other is indifferent, bored,
wishing he was somewhere else. What's the difference? Well,
one finds a need in that message. You're the gospel. that I preach
is the gospel that suits my needs. I need the Lord Jesus Christ. I need his substitutionary death. I need him. Somebody else doesn't
need. Well, why is it that the one
needs and the other doesn't? Well, I can answer that question,
too, because God the Holy Spirit didn't work a brace in somebody's
heart. And they had that need because God gave it to them.
And the other man doesn't. Well, somebody says, well, why
did God work in one and not work in the other? Here's the only
answer to that question. Even so, Father, for so it seemed
good in thy sight. The reason behind saving faith
If you want to know why it is somebody believes, somebody has
a need, somebody has the work of God in them, the reason behind
it all is because of the electing mercy of God. If you believe,
it's because God elected you to believe. For the children
being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the
purpose of God according to election might stand not of works. But
of him that calleth, it was said unto her, the elder shall serve
the younger. You know that, don't you? If
you believe, you know the reason you believe is because of God's
grace toward you. That's why somebody believes. Now, I've not seen the Lamb's book
of life. I've not seen the names of the
elect. And there's no doubt the Lamb's
book of life, scripture says there is. with all the names
of God's elect written in the book. But I've got no access
to the book. So how can I believe that I'm
one of them? How can I believe? What gives
me the right? Upon what ground can I believe
on Christ? How can I dare to believe on
Christ? And I've already said a man believes
on Christ because he feels he needs Him. But understand this,
I don't believe because I feel a need. I believe because I have a need. This I know. I'm a sinner. I know this about
myself. I'm a sinner. I may not be sure if I'm an elect
sinner. I may not be sure if I'm a repentant
sinner. I may not be sure if I'm a believing sinner. I may
not be sure if I'm a regenerate sinner. But this I'm dead sure
of. I'm a sinner. And the Scripture
says that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Of whom Paul said, I am the chief.
I'm one of them. Therefore, I can conclude that
he came to save me. My ground of believing on him
is the fact that I'm a sinner. Who needs a savior? A sinner. Who needs a great savior? A great sinner. All we bring
is our sin, pleading this promise. Lord, you said him that cometh
to me, I'll in no wise cast out. You said that. And I'm coming.
And you said you won't cast me out no matter how great a sinner
I am. I'm coming to thee. No matter how sinful we are,
he's promised he won't cast us out. Now, what is the warrant? for our
faith, or why does a real sinner dare to trust Christ as his Savior? And I'm gonna use a statement
that I normally hate. You know, people talk about accepting
Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. Well, forget the accepting
part, but I'll tell you what, the Lord Jesus Christ must be
my personal Savior, or He's not my Savior at all. Now, how is
it that one can believe that He's their personal Savior. I believe He's the Savior. I
really do. I believe He's the Savior. I believe He's the only
Savior of sinners. How can I believe that He's my
personal Savior? Would it not be presumptuous
for a man that has nothing but sin to trust Christ? No. It's faith. It's faith. Now, God, according
to the scripture, commands, it's a commandment, all men everywhere
to repent. Now that's God's commandment
to you, to me. The Lord said, go and preach
the gospel to every creature. Now I'm in that group. The gospel
is to be preached to every creature. And faith, the gospel, is a command. It's not so much an invitation,
although it does sound like an invitation sometimes. You know,
when the Lord said, come unto me, all ye that are weary and
heavy laden, and I'll give you rest, that sounds like a glorious
invitation. But it's more than that. It's
a command. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
is a command. It's not an invitation. It's
not an option. It's a command by God. God commands
you. Here's my right to believe he's
my personal savior. God commands me to believe. And
if he commands me to believe, I've got the right to believe.
It's a commandment. Now, an invitation is good, but
it's not a crime to turn down an invitation. If you invite
me somewhere, I appreciate it, but it's not a crime if I say,
well, I can't make it. But if I'm commanded by God to believe,
and if I'm told I'll go to hell if I don't believe, it's more
than accepting an invitation. I'm doing it because I'm commanded
to, and I got nowhere else to go. Now, this is my way of believing
the gospel, believing Christ as my personal savior, because
God commands me to believe. I'm calling on you and I'm calling
on myself to trust Christ right now. And I'm telling you that
God commands you to. Whoever you are, I don't care
who you are. Don't forget about election and whether Christ died
for you. God commands you to believe on
his son. And your right to believe comes
with his command. You're told to trust Christ because
you're a sinner. And God's reason for saving the
sinner is not found in the sinner, but in his own great heart. Now listen to this. There is
as much a reason in you as to why you should be saved as in
somebody else. And you know what that reason
is? There's no reason. The reason is found only in Christ
himself. Is that enough? Now God commands
you to believe on his son. Obey his command right now. Don't wait. God's command to
you is to trust his son completely in your nothingness and your
sinfulness. You are commanded by God to believe
the gospel. You are. Well, I'm thinking he's
talking only to the elect. No, he's talking to you. You're
commanded to believe the gospel. I love what, can't help but think
of what Paul Daniel told me once. He said, I just struggled so
much with election. Oh, I struggled with whether
or not, when I was one of the elect. And I said to the Lord,
well, I don't know if I'm one of the elect, but I know I need
your son. Me too. I need the Lord Jesus Christ.
And that is the person who's commanded to believe the gospel. Your right comes with the command. Now, the object. The saving faith is not the Father,
it's not the Spirit, it's not some kind of work in you, it's
totally outside of you. We're commanded to look upon
the Lord Jesus Christ, to believe Him, to believe who He is, and
what He did is all that is needed to make me perfect and clean
and unblameable before God. I'm commanded to believe that.
My right to believe comes with the command. Now, what are the
results? of saving faith. Well, our text
says in John 3, 18, he that believeth on him is not condemned. And that's what saving faith
is. He that believeth on him is not condemned. This is what the Bible calls
justification. Turn with me to Romans chapter
four. Verse 1, What shall we say then
that Abraham, our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath
found? How was Abraham saved? If Abraham were justified by
works, by something he did, works are anything that comes from
you. I don't care if it's an act of your free will, that's
a work. If you were saved, if you had any contribution in your
salvation, if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to
glory. but not before God. For what saith the Scripture?
Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the
reward, not reckoned of grace, but of debt. God becomes your
debtor. But to him that worketh not,
but believeth on him, that justifieth the ungodly. Now there's a gospel right there.
Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. He that believeth on him is not
condemned. Notice it does not say he shall
not be condemned, but right now he is not condemned. Romans 8.1 says there is therefore
now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. But he sins. Yes. But they were not laid to
his charge. But he falls and he falls often. Yes. But he's not guilty. Justification. Justification. Now this justification is continual. You know, the subject of justification
may go through many changes, many ups, many downs, many going
backward, sometimes thinking it's taking a step, just change
and decay and all around I see. The subject of justification
in his experience goes through so many different changes. But
he never changes. And his justification never changes.
I am the Lord. I change not. Aren't you thankful
for that? Therefore, ye sons of Jacob are
not consumed. And this justification not only
is continual, but it's complete. He shall not be condemned in
any measure to any degree. When the Lord said it is finished,
all of my sins were forever put away. The putting away of sin
was not partial. but complete. All the sins that
I am yet committed have all been put away, washed away. It's a
complete justification. Hebrews 10, 14 says, For by one
offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. And
this justifying work of the Lord Jesus Christ in behalf of the
sinner is effectual. I may lose my assurance by my
sin. I've done it. How could you be
saved and do things like that? I may lose my assurance by my
sin, but I will never lose my justification. I may lose the
light of his countenance, but I'll never lose his love. But
what if he falls? What if he falls? Turn with me
to Proverbs 24. I touched on this last Wednesday. Proverbs
24. What if he falls? Verse 16. For a just man falleth seven
times. Why not six? Why not eight? Seven is the work of completion. It's the number of completion.
You know what that means? That means a just man falleth all
the time. Not sometimes. All the time. And riseth up again. All the
time. All the time. But the wicked
shall fall into mischief. Though he falls, and though he
falls, and though he falls, this just man, the perfect righteousness
of Christ will never be invalidated by his sin. He's righteous in
Christ. Isn't that a glorious gospel?
He that believeth, he that simply believes on the Son, is not condemned. If I'm not condemned, that means
I'm never looked upon as guilty, and I'm never liable for the
punishment of my sins. Never, never. Complete in the
Lord Jesus Christ. Chastised, certainly, whom the
Lord loveth, he chasteneth, and scourges every son he receives,
but I'll never be punished. Now, the three conclusions I
want to draw from all this. He that believeth on him is not
condemned. Here's my first conclusion. We
have a gospel that altogether excludes boasting. Paul said, where is boasting
then? What can you glory in? What can you boast about that
you've done? It's excluded. It's altogether shut out. By
what law? Works, named by the law of faith. Therefore, we conclude that a
man is justified by faith without, without the deeds of the law.
I've got nothing to glory in but the cross. But oh, how we
glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul said, God forbid that I should glory.
I remember who Paul was. Paul was the man God used more
than anybody else to expound the gospel. But he said, God
forbid that I should glory, saving the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
by which the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world.
Surely the gospel excludes all boasting. But you know what else
it excludes? It excludes all doubts. It excludes all doubt. Now, what
do I mean by that? If Jesus Christ is my righteousness
before God, if He justified me, any doubt I have is contrary
to what I just said I believe, because that means I'm looking
to myself. Any doubt I have is looking to self. I'm not to look. Saving faith is to look to him,
not to yourself, not to the work in you, not to your, you're left
out. It's him. That's saving faith. Believing on him, not believing
in yourself, not looking to yourself, not looking to your experience,
looking to him. The gospel excludes all doubts. It excludes all boasting. And
it excludes all doubts, but here's the third thing. This gospel
should make us make this resolve right now. I'm never going to
sin again. I'm never going to sin again.
You see, the world will hear the gospel we believe. And they'll
say, why? Why, that'll lead men to sin.
That'll lead men to indifference. I mean, if your works and your
conduct have nothing to do with your acceptance before God, why,
you've got no motive for obedience. That's the reaction of a goat.
A goat may feel that way, but no believer does. When I hear that all my sin All
of it, not a part, but all of it, every bit of it and all of
its vileness and wickedness has been put away. And that all that
God requires of me, I have in the Lord Jesus Christ, and he'll
never leave me. He'll never forsake me. And I
can't lose this glorious salvation. You know what makes me want to
do? Lord, give me grace to not sin against you. Oh my, give
me grace to not sin against you. Sin's against Him. And I don't
want to sin against Him. But listen to this. Turn to 1
John chapter 2. 1 John chapter 2. Verse 1. My little children, These things,
the gospel, write I unto you that you sin not. And if, and that word is also
translated when, when you do. When you do, remember that gospel
that you first heard and believed that saved you. It's the same.
When you do, we have an advocate with the father. We have a lawyer
with the father. We have a representative before
the father and he's no corrupt lawyer. He's Jesus Christ, the
righteous. And He is the propitiation for
our sins. He put them all away. He removed
God's reason for anger. Never forget that. Now, don't
sin. Don't sin. Don't sin against
Him. When you do, we have this advocate with the Father. Jesus
Christ the righteous. He's the propitiation for our
sins and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole
world. Not Jews only, Gentiles too. Now, He that believeth, you're
saving faith. He that believeth on Him. He
that relies on Him. I'm relying on Him to save me. It's that simple. I'm relying
on Him. All my hope is right here. When he said it is finished,
it was finished. And it has nothing to do with
anything that I do. It has wholly to do with who
he is and what he did. I'm relying on him. I, right
now, I'm relying on Jesus Christ. And you know what? The one who
relies on him is not condemned ever. That is saving faith. May God enable all of us to exercise
saving faith. Remember, you are commanded by
God to believe on him right now and to trust him as your all
in salvation. Let's pray.