The Faith of God's Elect

Unfortunately, regrettably, there are millions
of religious people who live under the Christian or gospel
ordinances and under the preaching of the Bible in some form, who
profess a faith in Jesus Christ, unfortunately, though, A great portion of them do not
have saving faith. Our Lord said, many, and we need
to think on that word, many, shall say to me on that day,
Lord, have we not engaged in the preaching of the word, in
the performance of great works, in the casting out of evil spirits,
and then shall I profess unto them, I never knew you. you've ever had or possess saving
faith. These people need to be warned.
Only God can rout them out of their false refuges. Only God
can expose their empty professions, but they need to be warned, solemnly
warned. And then secondly, there are
many who are lost, who do not profess faith, who do not have
faith, who know they don't have faith, who know they're lost.
and who would like for someone in plain everyday language to
define for them what it is to believe on Christ. I believe
there's some folks who know they do not know God, who know they're
not saved. Last Tuesday night down in Mississippi,
I preached in the Baptist church there down in Hussar, Louisiana. And there was a dear lady about
35 or 36 years of age. She was a church pianist. And
she came to the pastor after the service and she said, I was
raised in this church. I've been going to church all
my life. But she says, I'm not saved, and I know it. I have
religion, but I don't have God. I need help. And the pastor is
only 25 years of age, but he's a young man wise beyond his years
because he has Christ in his heart. And he said to her, there's
nothing I can do for you. There's nothing the preacher
can do for you. Only God can help you. You must seek the Lord. We'll pray for you. You come
and listen to the messages and seek the Lord. That's good advice.
He left her with the Lord. He didn't try to win her to the
Savior right there. give her some assurance and hope.
She'd been through all that for years and years and years. Well,
she came. And we had several services.
Then Thursday night, the last night of the meeting, we stood
to sing the closing hymn. She was playing the piano. So
we stood to sing, Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior. To hear my humble
cry. She hit about four notes and
got up from the piano. Came and stood down in front
of the church. And the pastor said to the people, he said,
this dear lady has something to say. He said, but I have something
to say first. He said, I'm here, God sent me
here to tell you how God saves sinners to preach the gospel.
When I came here, you all told me this was the best woman in
the congregation. But God has revealed to her that
even though she had the approval of her friends and family, She
didn't have the approval of God. She didn't know God, didn't know
the Lord. And she wants to tell you something.
So she told them, in essence, what I've already told you, that
she'd been a church member, but never had known the Savior. But she said, God gave me peace
last night. She said, I woke up this morning
happy, resting in Christ. She said, everything hasn't gone
well today. But she said, it's all right,
it's in his hands. I told her out loud, I said,
it won't go well tomorrow either, but it's still in his hands.
Pastor and I talked on the phone yesterday, and he said after
the service, next morning early, another couple, one of his men
and that man's wife called and said, we've been up all night,
we're lost. Just like that piano player, we don't know the Lord
either. We've been carrying on a religious profession all these
years, but we don't know Christ. We need help. And I told him
yesterday on the phone, I said, you got something to preach tomorrow,
hadn't you? He said, yeah, I've got somebody
to preach to also. People who are lost and who know
they're lost need help. And we need to quit playing games.
We need to quit preaching sermons and start delivering some messages
to these people who need to be warned and who need to be helped.
There's a third group here tonight. There are some who do believe
on Christ, who have no other hope but His blood and His righteousness,
who have no other foundation than what Christ did for them.
That's all we have. That's all we have. To whom shall
we go? To whom shall we go? Thou hast
the words of eternal life. Some of you know that. But you
don't have assurance. You don't have comfort. You don't
have confidence of that saving faith. And these people need
help, too. In other words, there are those
who are lost who think they're saved. There are those who are
lost who know they're lost. There are those who are saved
who think they're lost. That's right, Bob. So you're
always pressing. There are those who are lost
who think they're saved. There are those who are lost
and know they're lost. There are those who are saved
who think they're lost. You say, you mean, first you
have people who really know the Lord who think they're lost?
That's right. They don't have assurance, they
don't have comfort, they don't have confidence. So they need,
they need someone to help them. And that's, that's what I'm going
to try to do tonight. I'm going to try to help you.
I'm going to try to talk to you about saving faith, the faith
of God's elect. Saving faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ. And pray that you might be blessed
with some assurance that you have the faith of God's elect.
Now let's look at about five things. The first one is this.
A person may know that he has saving faith. A person may know
that he has saving faith. Assurance is possible. Because
we're commanded by our Lord to determine this. He said in 2
Corinthians 13, 5. Listen to this. Examine yourselves
whether you be in the faith. What? Know ye not your own selves,
how that Christ dwelleth in you, except ye be reprobate? Don't
you know yourself? It's possible to. Examine yourself
whether you be in saving faith, whether you be in Christ. He
didn't say examine yourself whether you be in the right church, the
right prophetical position, whether you be in the
right baptism, but examine yourself whether you be in the faith.
This is the thing that we want to determine. Do I have saving
faith? And then Peter said in 2 Peter
1.10, give diligence, wherefore the rather brethren give diligence,
to make your calling and election sure. So it can be done. We're commanded to do it. And
then we have examples in God's Word of men who had assurance.
I think David had assurance. He said, the Lord is my shepherd.
I shall not walk. The Lord is my strength. The
Lord is my refuge. Paul said, I know whom I have
believed. I'm persuaded he's able to keep
that which I've committed to him. John said, we know we've
passed from death unto life. We know that. So we have examples
of men who knew they had saving faith. They had saving faith.
Thirdly, a strong assurance of my interest in Christ or saving
faith is the only thing that will make me turn from even those
closest to me, even children, family, friends, and make a man
willing to give his life for what he believes. A man's got
to believe something pretty strongly. Now, I'm thankful. I'm so thankful
to God. That's what I was thinking about
in a prayer a while ago. Who am I and what is my house? It just
thrills me. My son Paul and I have a spiritual
relationship. And my daughter and son-in-law
and my wife and some of you that are close to me. But if we didn't
have that spiritual relationship, I love Christ so much If I have
saving faith, I'd be willing to turn from those people who
are nearest. Now, you see what I'm saying?
That takes a pretty strong faith. We're going to have to have,
Cecil, some pretty strong faith to give up children, houses,
land, loved ones, wife, husband, and lay down our lives. So this
saving faith, we're going to have to determine that this is
real. to be able to do what Christ
commanded that we must do. If any man come to me, let him
hate mother, father, brother, sister, husband, wife, years
on like. Somebody says, I can't do that.
No, you can't. And no question you can't with
this little easy simple believism of today. It's going to have
to be something real in it. It's going to have to be something
real for me to sell all I have to buy that pearl. And we're
not talking about just selling out material possessions that
can be replaced. We're talking about selling out
possessions that can't be replaced. So you see, this saving faith,
it can be. It can be known. God commanded
it. Secondly, there are many who
have attained it. And thirdly, it's really the
only kind of faith that will give a man a willingness to cut
off some things that are mighty precious. And then fourthly,
this enables a man to rejoice on his deathbed. Paul said, and
Paul could say this with strong confidence, he said, the time
of my departure is at hand. I've fought a good fight. I've
kept the faith. I've finished my course. Henceforth
it is laid up for me a crown of righteousness. And then he
said, I have a desire to depart and be with Christ. And David
said this, although it be not so with my house, the Lord hath
made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure,
and this is all my desire and my salvation, although he make
it not to grow. In order to face death with some
kind of confidence, you've got to have strong saving faith.
And these men did. And a genuine assurance of my
interest in Christ enables me to rejoice even in the face of
death. I'm going to die? So be it. So
be it. All right, now, here's the second
thing that I want us to look at. That's the first. This saving faith can be known.
The second thing is this. A saving interest in Christ. is more important to you than
anything else. It's more important than you
building a happy home. You husbands and wives want to
build a happy home. There's something more important
than that. That is important, I agree with you. There's something
more important than that, and that's a saving interest in Christ.
You want good health, and people go to great measures to attain
good health, but there's something more important than that. You
want comforts in this life and security for your old age is
something a whole lot more important than that. Our Lord said, What
shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his
soul? Is something a whole lot more
important than that factory, than that business, than your
in your relationship with your wife or husband or children.
There's something a whole lot more important than that. Well,
I want to be happy. Something a whole lot more important
than being happy. That's being saved. Knowing Christ. That's right. What shall it profit
a man if he gained the whole world and lose his soul? Or what
would you give in exchange for your soul? Our Lord has repeatedly
declared in this book that Christ is the only way of life. I must
have Christ. He said, I am the way, the truth,
and the life. No man cometh to the Father but
by me. He said in 1 John 5, 11, this
is the record. God hath given to us eternal
life, and this life's in his Son. He that hath the Son hath
life. He that hath not the Son of God
hath not life. Other foundations can no man
lay than that which is laid, Christ the Lord. There is none
other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be
saved." I must have Christ. I must have Christ. A saving
interest in Christ is more important than any, than all other things
in your life. And regrettably, I don't know,
I don't know, it just, it disturbs me. I don't think the large majority
of our congregation realizes just what I've just said. We allow so many things to be
first. I think about so many of our
people who travel on the Lord's Day. Is there no sin in traveling
on the Lord's Day? I tell you this, there may come a day when
you wish that you had availed yourself of every opportunity
to hear God's Word on the Lord's Day, when you could have traveled
on Saturday or Monday. That's right. It's just where
the importance is. That's what disturbs me. Where
the importance is. I'll tell you this, Christ, Christ
is more important than your family, or your job, or your health.
or any and all things that you can accumulate together, Christ
is more important. And oh, we may weep and wail
some day wishing we could have one more Sabbath, one more Sunday,
one more Lord's Day, one more opportunity to hear this blessed
gospel, one more opportunity to think it over, think it over. It's not important enough when
it becomes And it becomes important enough that these little inconveniences
don't keep you from availing yourselves of the opportunity
to hear God's Word. All right, thirdly, we must allow
our state, our spiritual state to be determined by this We must allow our state, our
interest in Christ to be determined, not by feeling, not by experience,
not by work, but by what? By the Word of God. My feelings cannot be trusted
because they change me. My experiences cannot be trusted
because experiences are determined largely by circumstances. My
works are filthy rags. The only thing unchangeable,
immutable, is the Word of God. That's right. The only thing
that's unchangeable, the only thing that's sure and steadfast
and certain, immovable, without error, infallible, is God's Word. Unchangeable, finite, fallible. Subject to error. My heart's
deceitful. Desperately wicked. Who can know
it? I hear people say, well, if I know my heart, well, that's
one thing you don't know. God does. God's Word is sure,
and faith cometh by how? By hearing, and hearing by the
Word of God. The Word of God, Christ, is the
only object of faith. The Word of God is the only foundation
of faith. How do I know God'll save sinners?
The moon won't tell me. It's beautiful. It declares the
wisdom and glory of God, but it sure won't tell me God'll
save sinners. The stars, the heavens declare the glory of
God, but nothing about redemption. How do I know God'll save sinners?
He said so in his Word. How do I know that God'll pardon
sinners? He says so in his word. How do
I know that Christ became a man and walked on this earth as a
representative of a people God gave him before the world began? He says so in his word. That's
the only way I know it. You know any other way? You got
any secret messages? I don't know any other way to
find that out. How do I know that he died on
the cross for sinners? How do I know that he rose again?
Maybe he's still in the grave. How do I know He arose again?
How do I know He's at God's right hand? There are no angels preaching
today. There's no gospel in the wind. The only way I can know that
is His Word. How do I know that He's the only
Mediator between God and man? He says so in His Word. You take
away the infallibility of the Scriptures and you take away
all foundation, all reason, all right that you have to believe
anything about God Almighty. That's so. That's the reason I say this,
that we're going to determine whether or not a person's saved.
You don't determine that by what that person says or does or thinks
or feels. You determine that only by what
God says in this book. And if you could get, if you
could, my friends, we could get hold of some peace here. We could
get hold of some confidence and some assurance here if we'd hear
what I'm saying. This one point right here is
vital and important. Peter said, listen to this, Peter
said, I was on that mountain when Christ was transfigured.
I was there with James and John. I was on that mountain when Elijah
and Moses appeared with the Lord. I was on that mountain. I was
on that mountain when God spoke from heaven and said, this is
my son, hear ye him. I was on that mountain, I heard
God say that. Well, Peter, boy, that ought
to give you some assurance. No, sir. He said we have a more
sure word of prophecy. We have a better foundation than
being on that mountain and hearing that voice and seeing that vision.
We have his word. Now what he said, Charles? He
said, we have a more sure word of faith. I'll bet you a dollar
and a half and a cow and a calf to a hole in a donut that everybody
here, if you had your choice between having this book right
here and being on that mountain and seeing that sight, you'd
take that mountain and that sight. And you'd be a fool if you did.
Because Satan, he's not almighty, but he's mighty. He's able to
give you some dandy dreams and some real outstanding visions,
and He can hallucinate you as well as anybody you ever come
across. That's the reason John said, try the spirits, whether
they be of God. But there's one thing Satan can't
do, he can't change this. Not one jot or one tittle shall
pass from this book, then it's all fulfilled. This is the foundation
of our faith. God has said so that we may boldly
say, the Lord is my keeper, the Lord is my helper, I will not
fear what man shall do. The Lord has said I'll never
leave you, I'll never forsake you. He said it in his word,
therefore I will not fear. Why will you not fear? Because
he said it. I didn't feel it, I didn't experience it, I read
it. So we must allow, don't, let's
don't let any Don't you go to a soul winner to find out if
you're saved or not, whether you have faith or not. Don't
go to anybody. Don't go to your feelings or
dreams or works. If you want to know whether or
not you have a saving interest in Christ, turn to the book.
The promises are right here. The foundations are right here.
God said He'd save sinners, and I'm a sinner. He said Christ
died for the ungodly, and that's me. He said Christ suffered for
those who believe on Him, and I believe on Him. He said he
died and rose again, ascended to heaven where he's the great
high priest and the only mediator for those who will call on him.
And I'm calling. And that's sufficient. That's
sufficient. What is the faith of God's elect?
The faith of God's elect is expressed in the scripture in many ways.
Number one, now this is going to, when I get through here defining
the faith of God's elect, some of you are going to feel that's
too simple. And that's the reason folks miss
it. That's the reason they miss it. Because it's just that. It's
just faith. It's believing. That's where
we've gone wrong. We've complicated faith. We've
given man what he wants to hear. We've given him the complicated
analysis of human theology. That's what he wants. But now,
where is the faith of God's elect? What is saving faith? Number
one. It's looking to Christ. That's
right, L-O-O-K, four-letter word and two alphabets just alike.
L-O-O-K, look. That's what he said. Look unto
me, and be you saved. You know what it says? He says,
look. It's looking to Christ. You know,
Israel was out there in the wilderness. And it murmured and complained
and found fault with God's providence. And God sent a plague of fiery
serpents among them, and they were dying. And Moses went to
the Lord and said, we need help. We need mercy. And God said,
make a serpent of brass. Make it in the image or likeness
of the serpent, the serpents which have bitten the people,
and put it on a pole. And everyone who looks will live.
And Moses made that serpent of brass, just like the ones that
had bitten the people, and put it on a pole and lifted it up.
And he went out there and said, Look! Look! And live! And bless your heart. That's what it says, everybody
who lives. Turn your eyes on Jesus. That's what we're trying
to get you to do. We've got our eyes on everything
and everyone. We've got our eyes on works,
and we've got our eyes on church membership, ordinances, and all
these things. Look to Christ. Look to Christ. Look to Christ. Look to Him,
the Sovereign on the throne. Look to Him, the source in the
flesh, our representative. Look to Him, the Savior, suffering
on the tree. Look. Just look. For our Lord said, as Moses lifted
up that serpent, even so must the Son of Man. Christ came down
here. Watch this. He came down here
and was made in the likeness of the serpent that had bitten
the people. The fire serpent preacher? No, the flesh. He was
made in the likeness of flesh, the second Adam. And he went
to that tree, and God nailed him to that tree with human hands,
and we looked. We just looked at Christ. We
don't look in here. We don't look up here. We don't
even look here. We look to Him. Charles Spurgeon. He was raised in a church home,
His grandfather was a Presbyterian minister. His mother and dad
were devout church people, theologians. He studied. He memorized. His grandmother used to give
him a penny for every hymn he memorized. And he had a photographic
mind. And he's breaking this little
old lady up, you know. So she finally started giving
him a pence, a p-e-n-c-e, pence, I said penny, for every five
songs he memorized. A whole song. And he cashed in
a whole lot on that. He was real religious and all
that, but he was lost. And one snowy Sunday morning,
like this morning, except heavy snow, he started to his church. He's 16 years old. And the snow
was so bad that he couldn't get to his church. He stopped off
in a little primitive Methodist chapel that wouldn't seat 75
people, 60 people. Went in and sat down. The pastor wasn't there that
morning. The pastor couldn't get there on account of the bad
weather. They had one of the men of the church speaking, and
he hadn't had time to prepare a great deal. He prayed and sought
God's leadership and finally turned to Isaiah 45, 22, and
that was his message. And Spurgeon said, I sat there
and I listened to that man, and I leaned forward and listened
to him. and said that there's just a handful of people there,
but he kept saying, look, look unto me and be ye saved, all
the ends of the earth, for I'm God and there's none else. And
he said, he looked back there at me and he said, young man,
you look miserable, why don't you look to Christ and be saved?
The Virgin said, it just seemed like God drew the curtain, that
God turned on the light. And I realized that salvation,
faith, is not to memorize doctrine and scripture and to do religious
works and to seek a Lord who could not be found, it was just
to look. And he said, I looked and I blessed
God I lived. Look to Christ. The second thing
about saving faith is this. Turn to another scripture in
Isaiah. Isaiah 26. Let's read this one
here in Isaiah 26. Saving faith is to look to Christ.
Have I made that sufficiently clear? Is that all there is to
it? That's right, that's all there
is to it. Israel looked to the surface. Well, you say, well, I don't
have saving faith. Well, have you looked? Well,
you said, I've looked into the catechism. Have you looked to
Christ? Have you looked to Christ? That's
what I ask you. No, you haven't. If you did, you'd be saved. You'd
have some confidence. Well, I've looked in the heart,
see if I've repented enough, see if I've been convicted. No,
that won't save you. You've got to look to Christ.
Look to Him. All right. Isaiah 26, 1, In that
day shall this psalm be sung in the land of Judah. We have
a strong city. Salvation will God appoint for
walls and boards. Open ye the gates that the righteous
nation which keepeth the truth shall enter in. Thou wilt keep
him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he
trusted in thee." Because he trusted in thee. Trust ye in
the Lord forever, for the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength. He is the Rock of Ages. What
is faith? It's to look to Christ. It's
to trust trusting. Other refuge have I none. Hangs
my helpless soul on thee. Leave, O leave me not alone. Still support and comfort me. All my trust on thee is stayed. All my help from thee I bring. Cover my defenseless head with
the shadow of thy wing. I trust thee. I lay all my weight
upon thee. I trust thee. I lean completely
on Christ, not on anyone or anything else. Just trust Him. Let me
show you a scripture that is one of my favorites for finding
assurance in Romans 4. This has helped me a great deal
in finding assurance and confidence. Romans 4, verse 20. Listen to this, Romans 4, verse
20. This helps me so much. who had a lot less revelation
than we do, a lot less understanding. He staggered not at the promise
of God through unbelief, but he was strong in faith, giving
glory to God, Romans 4, 20, 21, and being fully persuaded that
what God had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore
it was imputed to him for righteousness. 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." That same righteousness of which Abraham
partook, who was called the friend of God, can be mine if I will
but believe. And that believing is trusting.
Abraham trusted the Lord. He believed everything God said
he'd do, he would do. And brother, let me tell you
something. Actually, Abraham had a lot more difficult time
in believing than we do because what we believe has already transpired. What he believed hadn't come
to pass. He believed a promise. He believed
a promise. He trusted a promise. You and
I trust and receive and believe a fact. All right, the third
thing, and this is the end of this definition, is faith is
looking to Christ. And I'm sorry I can't give you
anything else to do. That's salvation, look to Christ.
It's trusting Him, trusting Him, leaning all your weight upon
Him. And then thirdly, John 1.12, turn over here a minute, it's
to receive Christ. That's what believing is, it's
receiving. John 1 12 says, as many, but
as many as received him, received him, to them gave he the right
or privilege to become the sons of God. But now watch this, it's
to receive Christ as he is, not as I want him to be. It's to
receive Christ as he is, not as I've imagined him to be. Receiving just anyone by the
name of Jesus won't save, it's calling on the name of the Lord
Jesus Christ, receiving him as he is, who he is. He's that prophet
who reveals God, he's that high priest who opens the holiest
of holies, and he's that Lord who reigns. It's not receiving
Christ partially, it's receiving Christ totally. I hold out to you, now listen
to me, this thing of saving faith is to look to Christ It's to
trust Christ, and it's to receive him. And I hold out to you a
sovereign Lord. I hold out to you a supreme,
absolute dictator. If you cannot receive him as
he is, then you cannot be saved, because Christ will not be altered
to your specification. He's that king, he's that prophet,
he's that Lord. He's that substitute. He's that
high priest. That's what it is to receive Christ. Paul said
that over in Romans 10, 9 and 10, that if thou shalt confess
with our mouth Jesus to be Lord and believe in thine heart, God
hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. This is
what Barnard came here 29 years ago preaching, something we hadn't
understood, the Lordship of Christ. We talked about receiving Christ,
but we talked about receiving the Christ of our imagination,
or our own identification, or our own specification. If we
want Christ to be Christ of the doormat, then he's Christ of
the doormat. Or Christ of the fire escape, he was Christ of
the fire escape. Or Christ who ruled one day a week, then he
was Christ who ruled one day a week. But we accepted Jesus
according to our specification. But he comes along here preaching
this about 30 years ago, that Jesus Christ is Lord. And to
receive Christ is to receive him as he is. To receive him as he is. He's
Lord. That's the reason he said, if
any man come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross
and follow me. I'm his Lord. That's the reason
when people, I hear Baptist sitting around arguing whether or not
a man ought to tie. I just wonder if they've heard
anything about the Lordship of Christ. 10% of what I have doesn't
belong to God. All that I have belongs to God. Brother Barnard one time, a little
girl, a little lady came to him and he asked if she was saved.
She said, no. And he said, why not? She said, I'm afraid. I'm
afraid if I'm ever saved, God will make me go to China as a
missionary. He said, I'd rather go to China than go to hell,
hadn't you? He said, it's not my choice, sister. I'd rather go to China and go
to hell. Christ is Lord. Supreme, absolute, sovereign
Lord. And receiving Christ is to receive
him as he is. Now here's what we've got today.
We've got this modern version of religion where you accept
Jesus and he pretty well fits into the style of life that you're
accustomed to and with the companions that you're accustomed to running
with The work or vocation you're making your money in, and you
accept Jesus, and you just stay where you are. Do what you're
doing. And Jesus is supposed to come
in and fit into that pattern. But I beg your pardon. Christ
is Lord. And your pattern of life, and
your style of life, and your companions are going to fit in
with His supreme, sovereign will, or you're not coming along on
the journey. He's the Lord. That's right, Chuck. And that's
where we're missing it. Now, we come to Christ just as
we are, but we don't stay just as we are. There's a difference.
I know that's a pretty hymn, just as I am, I come to thee.
Well, that's the way you come, but that ain't the way you stay. And anybody who tells you it
is, he doesn't know what he's talking about. Christ is Lord.
Christ is Lord. And that's saving faith. It's
looking to Christ. It's trusting Christ. And it's
consciously, sincerely, totally, lovingly, willingly, receiving
his yoke. You know the oxen out there running
in the field eating grass. And the farmer comes and brings
it over and he puts the yoke on the neck. And he puts that
oxen in the pad, in the furrow, and he plows. He's got his yoke. He said, coming to me, all ye
that labor and are heavy laden, I'll give you rest. Take my yoke
upon you, and learn of me. I am meek and lowly, and ye shall
find rest unto yourselves. But my burden is light. My yoke
is easy, my burden is light. It won't be as difficult as you
think it might be. But nevertheless, that's salvation.
It's to receive His yoke. His yoke. I'll take Jesus, if
he'll fit into my style of life, into my pattern, and I do pretty
well what I want to do, you know, and I go where I want to go,
and I draw up my own blueprints, and yeah, well, sorry he's not
available on those terms, those conditions. Well, the last thing,
and I quit with this, here's some mistakes concerning saving
faith. Now listen to this just quickly,
or five quickly, and I'll close. First of all, it's a mistake
to believe that everyone who is in Christ knows he's in Christ.
That's a mistake. Because 1 John 5.13, listen to
this right here. 1 John 5.13 says this, it says,
These are written, these things have a written unto you that
believe on the name of the Son of God that you may know that
you have eternal life. William Guthrie says that What
he's saying here is there's some people who believed on Christ,
and he's giving them a word of assurance that they might know
that they have eternal life. See, I've preached, I've received
Christ, I've believed on Christ. Now, how do I know that Christ
gives me eternal life? Well, this is written that you
might know that. Secondly, it's a mistake to believe that all
who have a saving interest in Christ have equal assurance.
No, they don't. One says, nothing can separate
me from the love of God. Another pours sin to him and
says, Lord, I believe, help my unbelief. That's two different
testimonies. Thirdly, it's a mistake to believe
that everyone who has assurance of grace will always have that
assurance. You may have strong assurance tonight, next week,
it just might not be that strong. Let me show you an example of
that, two scriptures. David said, I'll just read this
to you to keep you, our time's gone. Psalm 91, David said, verse
2, I will say of the Lord, He's my refuge, my fortress, my God,
in Him will I trust. That's confidence. But listen
to him over here. Psalm 31, 22, he says, I said
in my haste, I am cut off from before God's eyes. That same
man, that same man. John Newton wrote Amazing Grace,
how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was
lost but now am found, was blind but now I see. He turned right
around and wrote this song. Tis a point I long to know, oft
it gives me anxious thought. Do I love the Lord or no? Am
I his or am I not? So it's a mistake to believe
that everyone who has assurance will always have that assurance
at all times. No, not necessarily. There may
be times of doubt, there may be times of confidence, there
may be times of fear, there may be great times of failure. But
that doesn't determine whether or not I'm in Christ. This is
my foundation for sure. And then fourthly, it's a mistake
to believe that everybody who has a saving interest in Christ
can answer all of the objections and charges of an infidel world.
Don't be upset if you can't handle folks that come to you and want
to know all the answers, you know. They've got questions you
can't answer. They've got problems you can't solve. They've got
objections that you can't deal with. That's all right. Just,
you know, we're so wordy. We've got to use all these words,
you know. You've got to, if you can't answer
all the questions and solve all the problems and all the doubts that people have, don't
worry about it. Don't worry about it. Just be
able to say this, that Christ died for my sins, and that's
sufficient. And then fifthly, it's a mistake to believe that
everybody who cries, Lord, Lord, are objects of grace. Our Lord
said, many false prophets have gone out into the world. Try
the spirits, whether they be of God. Beware of false prophets. Many shall say, Lord, Lord. So
everything that is religious, don't swallow it. Don't be influenced by it. And
you turn on your television and your radio and there's so much
religion in the air. But try the Spirit. Well, what's
our rule by which we try them? The book. This is it right here. To speak not according to the
law and the prophets is because there's no light in them. Our
Father, we are thankful for the Word, the foundation of our faith. the source of our comfort. O Lord, reveal the Word unto
us. Christ is our Redeemer. He's the object of our faith.
He's the source of life. And we look to Him and Him alone.
We trust Him. We believe that we receive Him
as our Lord and our Master and our King. But Lord, imprint this
blessed Word on our heart. Because it's in the Word that
we find assurance. It's in the Word that we find
confidence. Not in our feelings, not in our experiences, not in
our deeds. But because the Lord has said,
I'll never leave thee nor forsake thee. Therefore we can boldly
say, the Lord is my helper. I will not fear. So that's this
message to the understanding of the people. Give us, O Lord,
the ability

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