0:00:13.091,0:00:18.126
...Christian assurance.

0:00:18.126,0:00:22.604
And I want to because it seems like

0:00:22.604,0:00:25.126
I've just been getting [br]a number of questions

0:00:25.126,0:00:27.232
asked about it lately.

0:00:27.232,0:00:31.217
I've been receiving emails.

0:00:31.217,0:00:41.294
And I guess that's what I want [br]to talk about tonight.

0:00:41.294,0:00:45.452
Assurance.

0:00:45.452,0:00:47.475
What do we mean when we say that?

0:00:47.475,0:00:50.190
Christian context - what [br]do we mean by that?

0:00:50.190,0:00:52.619
Assurance.

0:00:52.619,0:00:53.642
(from the room)

0:00:53.642,0:00:56.255
Assurance of salvation?

0:00:56.255,0:00:57.673
Tim: Right.

0:00:57.673,0:00:59.302
What do we mean?

0:00:59.302,0:01:01.586
That we can be sure of it.

0:01:01.586,0:01:03.940
That we can be sure that we're saved.

0:01:03.940,0:01:07.976
Anybody say it a different way?

0:01:07.976,0:01:11.292
Know with confidence

0:01:11.292,0:01:13.965
that we're saved.

0:01:13.965,0:01:17.407
Anybody say it another way?

0:01:17.407,0:01:19.430
It's confirmed.

0:01:19.430,0:01:21.204
There's confidence.

0:01:21.204,0:01:25.907
There's surety.

0:01:25.907,0:01:28.435
Evidence - we might say that.

0:01:28.435,0:01:33.998
Evidence.

0:01:33.998,0:01:38.434
Assurance has to do with the confidence;

0:01:38.434,0:01:43.214
a certainty.

0:01:43.214,0:01:45.068
Ok.

0:01:45.068,0:01:49.783
I can tell you this.

0:01:49.783,0:01:52.407
I've told you folks this before,

0:01:52.407,0:01:55.269
but I remember when I was first converted.

0:01:55.269,0:01:56.480
I went to a church:

0:01:56.480,0:02:00.424
Calvary Bible Church [br]in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

0:02:00.424,0:02:02.896
And in fact, when I was back up there,

0:02:02.896,0:02:04.768
Ruby and I and the children,

0:02:04.768,0:02:06.327
we went back and we visited

0:02:06.327,0:02:09.235
in Kalamazoo, MI.

0:02:09.235,0:02:12.160
We went to church back there

0:02:12.160,0:02:14.321
at Calvary in August.

0:02:14.321,0:02:15.823
When I was first converted

0:02:15.823,0:02:18.541
and I was in that church,

0:02:18.541,0:02:21.622
typically at the end of the sermon,

0:02:21.622,0:02:23.415
they had a sound booth

0:02:23.415,0:02:25.385
positioned right in the middle

0:02:25.385,0:02:27.634
of this auditorium.

0:02:27.634,0:02:29.921
It seated about 1,200 people,

0:02:29.921,0:02:31.083
had a balcony,

0:02:31.083,0:02:32.436
a lot of people.

0:02:32.436,0:02:34.548
They would have a guy in the sound room.

0:02:34.548,0:02:35.794
And right at the end,

0:02:35.794,0:02:37.898
you know, he would work this thing up

0:02:37.898,0:02:41.355
and he would get people where

0:02:41.355,0:02:44.952
he'd try to get the emotions moving,

0:02:44.952,0:02:47.717
and the guy would have the sound dial

0:02:47.717,0:02:50.742
(probably more linear).

0:02:50.742,0:02:52.560
He would start moving that thing up.

0:02:52.560,0:02:55.639
So you would have this [br]very enchanting music

0:02:55.639,0:02:57.770
begin to come in.

0:02:57.770,0:02:59.499
And he would say,

0:02:59.499,0:03:02.214
"Just believe. Just believe."

0:03:02.214,0:03:03.837
And I can remember at those times

0:03:03.837,0:03:05.429
I would have my eyes wide open.

0:03:05.429,0:03:08.039
I know I've told this story before.

0:03:08.039,0:03:09.639
I'd have my eyes wide open

0:03:09.639,0:03:11.859
and I'd be looking around [br]at all those people.

0:03:11.859,0:03:14.816
And of course, I was a product.

0:03:14.816,0:03:17.648
I was saved in 1990.

0:03:17.648,0:03:20.162
John MacArthur came out with his book:

0:03:20.162,0:03:21.780
"The Gospel According to Jesus."

0:03:21.780,0:03:26.650
I think it was released publicly in '88.

0:03:26.650,0:03:29.468
So that book was kind of at its prime.

0:03:29.468,0:03:31.423
He was writing the Gospel

0:03:31.423,0:03:33.809
according to Jesus as he saw it

0:03:33.809,0:03:37.443
coming out of the Gospels.

0:03:37.443,0:03:41.226
God used that book to save me.

0:03:41.227,0:03:43.318
That book was largely about

0:03:43.318,0:03:46.682
the necessity of repentance

0:03:46.682,0:03:47.963
in being converted.

0:03:47.963,0:03:50.868
It was about the whole [br]Lordship controversy.

0:03:50.868,0:03:52.943
And of course, there were a lot of people

0:03:52.943,0:03:54.209
writing against him

0:03:54.209,0:03:56.452
that were denying [br]the necessity of repentance.

0:03:56.452,0:03:58.458
Denying that you had to bow the knee

0:03:58.458,0:03:59.427
to Jesus Christ.

0:03:59.427,0:04:00.990
They were saying that was adding

0:04:00.990,0:04:02.398
something to salvation.

0:04:02.398,0:04:03.555
So here I am,

0:04:03.555,0:04:05.109
saved right in the heart

0:04:05.109,0:04:06.705
of that controversy

0:04:06.705,0:04:09.347
through the materials of John MacArthur.

0:04:09.347,0:04:11.750
So you know where my bias was.

0:04:11.750,0:04:14.972
And you can imagine what I was convinced

0:04:14.972,0:04:16.236
was the truth.

0:04:16.236,0:04:17.593
And I was convinced of that

0:04:17.593,0:04:18.925
not just MacArthur said it

0:04:18.925,0:04:20.741
but because when I went to the Bible,

0:04:20.741,0:04:21.492
I saw it there.

0:04:21.492,0:04:23.244
And so now when this guy is up here

0:04:23.244,0:04:25.983
saying, "just believe, just [br]believe, just believe,"

0:04:25.983,0:04:28.385
and I'm going to the Sunday school class -

0:04:28.385,0:04:30.232
the singles Sunday school class

0:04:30.232,0:04:31.296
in that church,

0:04:31.296,0:04:32.677
and I got this girl over here

0:04:32.677,0:04:34.145
coming to me and talking to me

0:04:34.145,0:04:36.028
telling me she's sleeping [br]with her boyfriend.

0:04:36.028,0:04:38.048
And that guy over there,[br]I'm talking to him,

0:04:38.048,0:04:40.174
and he says he's got a drinking problem.

0:04:40.174,0:04:41.369
I'm thinking, well, what?

0:04:41.369,0:04:43.186
You got saved and now once in a while

0:04:43.186,0:04:43.927
you go back?

0:04:43.927,0:04:46.345
The guy's getting drunk every day.

0:04:46.345,0:04:48.018
I got another guy over here,

0:04:48.018,0:04:51.061
he invites me to his bachelor party.

0:04:51.061,0:04:53.000
And I'm thinking, wow, this is great.

0:04:53.000,0:04:54.429
Now it's not going to be like

0:04:54.429,0:04:55.849
the ones I knew when I was lost.

0:04:55.849,0:04:56.847
We're going to go over there,

0:04:56.847,0:04:58.566
probably exhort the guy [br]from the Scriptures.

0:04:58.566,0:04:59.608
We pull in his yard.

0:04:59.608,0:05:00.422
There's a keg.

0:05:00.422,0:05:01.543
And I'm thinking,

0:05:01.543,0:05:03.106
something is wrong here.

0:05:03.106,0:05:04.548
I joined the softball team.

0:05:04.548,0:05:05.896
There's a guy on the team.

0:05:05.896,0:05:08.931
His mouth is so filthy and so foul.

0:05:08.931,0:05:10.565
And I said something [br]to the coach.

0:05:10.565,0:05:12.244
Isn't that guy supposed [br]to be a Christian?

0:05:12.244,0:05:13.427
"Well, he's a Christian.

0:05:13.427,0:05:15.367
He just fell in with a bad crowd."

0:05:15.367,0:05:16.811
And I got looking at all that

0:05:16.811,0:05:18.666
and I thought something is wrong here.

0:05:18.666,0:05:20.976
They asked me to write an [br]article for the paper.

0:05:20.976,0:05:22.520
I wrote it about the nature

0:05:22.520,0:05:23.651
of biblical repentance.

0:05:23.651,0:05:24.580
They shot it down

0:05:24.580,0:05:26.830
and would not publish it.

0:05:26.830,0:05:28.898
Well, now here's this guy in this pulpit

0:05:28.898,0:05:30.187
every week saying,

0:05:30.187,0:05:32.951
"Just believe, just [br]believe, just believe."

0:05:32.951,0:05:35.663
And I wanted to stand up and shout,

0:05:35.663,0:05:37.378
(and I almost did)...

0:05:37.378,0:05:39.288
If the Spirit of God had moved upon me

0:05:39.288,0:05:41.713
a little bit more, I probably would have.

0:05:41.713,0:05:43.468
But I wanted to shout,

0:05:43.468,0:05:49.035
"No! It's repent and believe!"

0:05:49.035,0:05:54.595
Well, that's basically where [br]my beginnings were.

0:05:54.597,0:05:58.324
And so, I have been adamant

0:05:58.324,0:05:59.954
about Lordship.

0:05:59.954,0:06:02.638
I mean, here I was in the tensions

0:06:02.638,0:06:05.291
when I was under conviction.

0:06:05.291,0:06:06.859
What does it profit a man

0:06:06.859,0:06:08.517
if he gains the whole world

0:06:08.517,0:06:10.276
and loses his own soul?

0:06:10.276,0:06:12.185
What's Christ saying there?

0:06:12.185,0:06:14.527
He's saying unless a man forsakes

0:06:14.527,0:06:15.885
the whole world,

0:06:15.885,0:06:18.043
he will lose his own soul.

0:06:18.043,0:06:19.345
That's what that means.

0:06:19.345,0:06:21.302
That's the tension I was in.

0:06:21.302,0:06:23.363
I mean, I've told some of you before,

0:06:23.363,0:06:25.395
I had "The Gospel According to Jesus"

0:06:25.395,0:06:26.922
and I had the forty ouncer,

0:06:26.922,0:06:29.098
and I'm telling you, I was trying to run.

0:06:29.098,0:06:31.287
I was being drawn,

0:06:31.287,0:06:32.734
but at the same time

0:06:32.734,0:06:34.102
I was trying to run.

0:06:34.102,0:06:36.359
"God, leave me alone!"

0:06:36.359,0:06:38.275
If you'll just let me enjoy my sin

0:06:38.275,0:06:39.400
like I used to,

0:06:39.400,0:06:40.693
I'll get rid of this book.

0:06:40.693,0:06:41.666
I'll go back.

0:06:41.666,0:06:43.366
Just let me...

0:06:43.366,0:06:45.530
But there's this tension,

0:06:45.530,0:06:46.958
this pulling.

0:06:46.958,0:06:48.540
And I knew it.

0:06:48.540,0:06:49.766
It was like in one ear

0:06:49.766,0:06:51.976
I could hear the devil saying to me,

0:06:51.976,0:06:53.662
"You can't give up your life.

0:06:53.662,0:06:55.311
You can't give up that lifestyle.

0:06:55.311,0:06:56.897
You can't give up those friends.

0:06:56.897,0:06:59.372
You can't give those things up.

0:06:59.372,0:07:00.467
All your idols.

0:07:00.467,0:07:01.769
That's who you are.

0:07:01.769,0:07:03.113
That's what you're known for.

0:07:03.113,0:07:04.473
That's your reputation.

0:07:04.473,0:07:07.494
You don't want to live [br]without that reputation."

0:07:07.494,0:07:08.687
And I would think,

0:07:08.687,0:07:10.113
yeah, you're right.

0:07:10.113,0:07:12.106
And then I would hear that Word:

0:07:12.106,0:07:14.361
What will it profit you if you gain

0:07:14.361,0:07:15.754
all that reputation

0:07:15.754,0:07:16.678
and all those idols

0:07:16.678,0:07:17.667
and all those things

0:07:17.667,0:07:19.074
and lose your own soul?

0:07:19.074,0:07:22.517
And so this battle back and forth...

0:07:22.517,0:07:25.829
I was birthed into the [br]Kingdom through that.

0:07:25.829,0:07:28.581
I knew Christ would forgive me

0:07:28.581,0:07:29.600
if I came to Him.

0:07:29.600,0:07:31.324
I knew there was rest there.

0:07:31.324,0:07:34.222
But I knew what He was [br]going to require of me.

0:07:34.222,0:07:43.056
And when I finally let go,

0:07:43.056,0:07:45.246
and said, "Lord, help me."

0:07:45.246,0:07:51.445
He saved me in a moment.

0:07:51.445,0:07:56.530
Here's what it seems like happened.

0:07:56.530,0:07:58.686
You had everybody talking about

0:07:58.686,0:08:01.101
the carnal Christian heresy.

0:08:01.101,0:08:03.564
What's the carnal Christian heresy?

0:08:03.564,0:08:05.863
Well, basically, it goes right along

0:08:05.863,0:08:07.243
with this whole deal.

0:08:07.243,0:08:08.804
What is it?

0:08:08.804,0:08:10.482
Well, it's basically saying this:

0:08:10.482,0:08:12.648
That there were guys that were

0:08:12.648,0:08:17.457
actually even responding to MacArthur -

0:08:17.457,0:08:18.870
you know some of the names.

0:08:18.870,0:08:19.791
They're out there.

0:08:19.791,0:08:22.596
Most of them came from [br]Dallas Theological Seminary.

0:08:22.596,0:08:24.889
They wrote books against MacArthur.

0:08:24.889,0:08:27.163
Back and forth.

0:08:27.163,0:08:29.081
They were saying things like this:

0:08:29.081,0:08:32.844
You could actually at one [br]point in time believe,

0:08:32.844,0:08:34.728
and because you made that

0:08:34.728,0:08:37.182
one-time decision, you could actually

0:08:37.182,0:08:39.637
fall into all sorts of notorious sins.

0:08:39.637,0:08:42.208
You could even actually fall

0:08:42.208,0:08:45.173
eventually into atheism.

0:08:45.173,0:08:47.373
And I remember MacArthur saying

0:08:47.373,0:08:49.350
these guys are advocating you can become

0:08:49.350,0:08:51.718
an unbelieving believer.

0:08:51.718,0:08:53.982
And he's like what is that?

0:08:53.982,0:08:54.709
Exactly.

0:08:54.709,0:08:55.920
What is that?

0:08:55.920,0:08:58.103
What in the world is that?

0:08:58.103,0:09:00.133
And so what happens is

0:09:00.133,0:09:02.114
trying to put away these errors;

0:09:02.114,0:09:04.037
trying to put away this idea

0:09:04.037,0:09:05.662
that you can be a Christian

0:09:05.662,0:09:07.812
and live any way you want,

0:09:07.812,0:09:09.410
which is basically a denial

0:09:09.410,0:09:10.746
of regeneration.

0:09:10.746,0:09:12.147
That's basically what it is.

0:09:12.147,0:09:14.118
Because God says if He saves you,

0:09:14.118,0:09:15.936
He's going to give you a new heart.

0:09:15.936,0:09:17.433
God says if He saves you,

0:09:17.433,0:09:19.369
He's going to put His Spirit within you.

0:09:19.369,0:09:22.727
God says if He saves you,

0:09:22.727,0:09:27.032
He's going to write that [br]law on your heart.

0:09:27.032,0:09:28.547
That's what it says.

0:09:28.547,0:09:30.724
The Scripture says if by the Spirit

0:09:30.724,0:09:32.906
you don't put to death [br]the deeds of the body,

0:09:32.906,0:09:34.818
you're going to die.

0:09:34.818,0:09:36.360
This is a life and death thing.

0:09:36.360,0:09:38.133
Jesus Christ comes along and He says

0:09:38.133,0:09:40.740
it's not anybody and everybody[br]that says to Me, "Lord, Lord,"

0:09:40.740,0:09:42.436
that's going to inherit [br]the Kingdom of Heaven.

0:09:42.436,0:09:44.053
He says it's the ones [br]that do the will

0:09:44.053,0:09:44.931
of My Father in Heaven.

0:09:44.931,0:09:45.957
Basically, if there is not such

0:09:45.957,0:09:47.572
a radical transformation in your life

0:09:47.572,0:09:49.152
that old things pass away,

0:09:49.152,0:09:50.531
all things become new,

0:09:50.531,0:09:52.313
and you're a new creation in Christ,

0:09:52.313,0:09:53.901
keeping the will of the Father,

0:09:53.901,0:09:55.330
if that's not true about you,

0:09:55.330,0:09:58.322
you haven't been born again.

0:09:58.322,0:10:01.445
I mean, that is where [br]repentance flows from.

0:10:01.445,0:10:05.964
Repentance flows from [br]a renewed man or woman.

0:10:05.964,0:10:08.390
It flows from one who is born again;

0:10:08.390,0:10:10.616
radically transformed by God -

0:10:10.616,0:10:13.201
by the power of God.

0:10:13.201,0:10:17.322
And we have undoubtedly in our church

0:10:17.322,0:10:19.291
and folks like you that gather here

0:10:19.291,0:10:20.576
for the Bible study,

0:10:20.576,0:10:22.808
you have embraced these things.

0:10:22.808,0:10:24.795
I think most of you have.

0:10:24.795,0:10:26.963
You like these things.

0:10:26.963,0:10:31.252
But I'll tell you,

0:10:31.252,0:10:33.521
what I think is happening -

0:10:33.521,0:10:34.860
now listen to me,

0:10:34.860,0:10:37.211
Satan is cunning.

0:10:37.211,0:10:39.595
Oh, he is cunning.

0:10:39.595,0:10:43.178
There is a text - now listen to this.

0:10:43.178,0:10:47.769
Paul says this in 2 Corinthians 11:3.

0:10:47.769,0:10:50.452
I'm going to read the ESV.

0:10:50.452,0:10:52.816
And then I'm going to [br]read the New King James.

0:10:52.816,0:10:55.017
2 Corinthians 11:3.

0:10:55.017,0:11:00.260
By the way, the NAS, the old King James

0:11:00.260,0:11:03.106
are virtually the same; pretty close

0:11:03.106,0:11:04.868
to the New King James.

0:11:04.868,0:11:06.480
So you'll get the flavor there.

0:11:06.480,0:11:08.834
Listen to the ESV first.

0:11:08.834,0:11:12.354
"I am afraid that as the serpent

0:11:12.354,0:11:14.259
(there's the devil)

0:11:14.259,0:11:16.772
as the serpent deceived Eve

0:11:16.772,0:11:19.322
by his cunning,

0:11:19.322,0:11:22.677
your thoughts be led astray

0:11:22.677,0:11:25.089
from a sincere and pure

0:11:25.089,0:11:26.620
devotion to Christ."

0:11:26.620,0:11:27.956
Now the New King James:

0:11:27.956,0:11:29.741
"I fear lest somehow as the serpent

0:11:29.741,0:11:33.108
deceived Eve by his craftiness,

0:11:33.108,0:11:36.355
so your minds may be corrupted

0:11:36.355,0:11:39.803
from the simplicity that is in Christ."

0:11:39.803,0:11:42.244
The reason I wanted to use that one;

0:11:42.244,0:11:43.676
the NAS, the New King James,

0:11:43.676,0:11:44.691
the old King James,

0:11:44.691,0:11:47.652
they all use that word: simplicity.

0:11:47.652,0:11:49.436
Listen.

0:11:49.436,0:11:53.143
There is a simplicity in Christ.

0:11:53.143,0:11:55.828
What is the craftiness

0:11:55.828,0:11:57.362
that Paul's worried about?

0:11:57.362,0:12:00.024
The cunning of the devil?[br]

0:12:00.024,0:12:03.417
It is to move us away from Christ.

0:12:03.417,0:12:05.466
And I'll tell you this,

0:12:05.466,0:12:07.958
if all of a sudden,

0:12:07.958,0:12:09.718
the movement in the church

0:12:09.718,0:12:13.899
is to reintroduce and [br]reemphasize repentance,

0:12:13.899,0:12:17.499
guess what his craftiness will be?

0:12:17.499,0:12:20.901
Guess where the danger is?

0:12:20.901,0:12:23.800
He would gladly have us to believe

0:12:23.800,0:12:28.186
you can be a Christian and live like hell.

0:12:28.186,0:12:31.736
But ok, if they're not going to buy that,

0:12:31.736,0:12:34.453
if they're going to move back to Lordship

0:12:34.453,0:12:37.031
and there's going to be a resurgence

0:12:37.031,0:12:39.112
of repentance,

0:12:39.112,0:12:41.823
then let's do this:

0:12:41.823,0:12:46.322
let's get them so focused on repentance;

0:12:46.322,0:12:50.739
let's get them so focused on themselves

0:12:50.739,0:12:52.901
bending the knee to Christ

0:12:52.901,0:12:56.092
and what that looks like

0:12:56.092,0:12:58.465
that they're no longer setting their eyes

0:12:58.465,0:13:00.469
simply on Christ.

0:13:00.469,0:13:02.138
You see, there is a simplicity

0:13:02.138,0:13:03.803
in the Gospel.

0:13:03.803,0:13:06.012
And there is a simplicity in what it is

0:13:06.012,0:13:08.353
coming to Christ in the beginning.

0:13:08.353,0:13:11.561
And there is a simplicity of where

0:13:11.561,0:13:14.121
our strength as a Christian comes from

0:13:14.121,0:13:16.043
in the Christian life;

0:13:16.043,0:13:18.637
in Christ.

0:13:18.637,0:13:22.391
And Satan will seek to divert us away

0:13:22.391,0:13:25.209
in his craftiness all the time.

0:13:25.209,0:13:29.456
Oh, let us go back to repentance.

0:13:29.456,0:13:34.083
But if he's going to have us go back there

0:13:34.083,0:13:39.492
then he would have us [br]look away from Christ

0:13:39.492,0:13:42.215
in the midst of our repentance.

0:13:42.215,0:13:45.452
Now, you say, wait a second,

0:13:45.452,0:13:48.436
I thought you were going to speak

0:13:48.436,0:13:50.503
on assurance.

0:13:50.503,0:13:55.063
Oh yeah.

0:13:55.063,0:13:58.452
Think with me here.

0:13:58.452,0:13:59.841
You know what?

0:13:59.841,0:14:04.314
Satan - basically his strategies:

0:14:04.314,0:14:08.440
keep the lost lost.

0:14:08.440,0:14:12.328
If somebody is saved,

0:14:12.328,0:14:17.760
keep them powerless.

0:14:17.760,0:14:19.003
And you know what?

0:14:19.003,0:14:21.462
You keep the lost lost

0:14:21.462,0:14:24.152
when you keep them blind to Christ,

0:14:24.152,0:14:28.207
and you keep the saved powerless

0:14:28.207,0:14:32.959
when you keep their eyes off of Christ.

0:14:32.959,0:14:36.314
How does that relate to assurance?

0:14:36.314,0:14:42.065
Folks, let me ask you this:

0:14:42.065,0:14:46.131
Have any of you ever asked a Catholic

0:14:46.131,0:14:49.874
if they know they're going to heaven?

0:14:49.874,0:14:51.712
I have.

0:14:51.712,0:14:53.371
And you know what?

0:14:53.371,0:14:56.810
Now you may prove me wrong on this,

0:14:56.810,0:14:58.967
and somebody watching is going to say,

0:14:58.967,0:15:00.695
"Wait a second! I'm a Catholic

0:15:00.695,0:15:02.500
and I wouldn't answer that way."

0:15:02.500,0:15:03.623
And you know what?

0:15:03.623,0:15:04.794
That may be.

0:15:04.794,0:15:06.415
You may find exceptions.

0:15:06.415,0:15:07.825
But I can tell you this,

0:15:07.825,0:15:09.395
I've talked to many Catholics

0:15:09.395,0:15:11.043
and I've asked them this question.

0:15:11.043,0:15:13.484
And I have never found one answer

0:15:13.484,0:15:16.305
to the contrary.

0:15:16.305,0:15:21.513
Do you know you're going to heaven?

0:15:21.513,0:15:23.672
Do you know what they say?

0:15:23.672,0:15:25.966
Have you ever asked one?

0:15:25.966,0:15:28.334
What do they say?

0:15:28.334,0:15:29.688
I hope so.

0:15:29.688,0:15:30.984
I've gotten that answer

0:15:30.984,0:15:32.264
from almost everyone.

0:15:32.264,0:15:33.912
If not exactly that answer,

0:15:33.912,0:15:37.682
something that's basically comparable

0:15:37.682,0:15:39.439
to that answer.

0:15:39.439,0:15:40.983
I hope so.

0:15:40.983,0:15:42.746
You know where that comes from?

0:15:42.746,0:15:44.424
That comes from the top.

0:15:44.424,0:15:45.769
What do I mean by that?

0:15:45.769,0:15:50.899
Have you ever heard of [br]the Council of Trent?

0:15:50.899,0:15:53.427
Basically, many of the Catholic dogmas

0:15:53.427,0:15:55.804
were asserted or reasserted

0:15:55.804,0:15:57.700
in that council.

0:15:57.700,0:15:58.854
Let me tell you this,

0:15:58.854,0:16:00.912
Council of Trent;

0:16:00.912,0:16:05.922
16th Canon, 6th Session, says this:

0:16:05.922,0:16:08.367
Now listen to this very carefully:

0:16:08.367,0:16:15.564
"If anyone saith that he will for certain

0:16:15.564,0:16:19.773
of an absolute and infallible certainty

0:16:19.773,0:16:22.567
have the great gift of perseverance

0:16:22.567,0:16:26.493
unto the end,

0:16:26.493,0:16:29.019
unless he have learned this

0:16:29.019,0:16:32.165
by special revelation,

0:16:32.165,0:16:34.198
let him be anathema."

0:16:34.198,0:16:35.651
In other words,

0:16:35.651,0:16:38.404
if you say that you have confidence

0:16:38.404,0:16:41.481
and assurance of salvation

0:16:41.481,0:16:43.891
in the end of this life,

0:16:43.891,0:16:46.667
they say we pronounce our curse

0:16:46.667,0:16:50.712
of damnation on you.

0:16:50.712,0:16:52.066
That's what they say.

0:16:52.066,0:16:53.494
Now, isn't it interesting,

0:16:53.494,0:16:56.305
they give that exception,

0:16:56.305,0:16:59.124
"unless he have learned this

0:16:59.124,0:17:00.659
by special revelation."

0:17:00.659,0:17:05.454
Why do you think they added that?

0:17:05.454,0:17:07.193
I'll tell you why they added it,

0:17:07.193,0:17:08.883
because it helps them explain

0:17:08.883,0:17:11.571
somebody like Paul.

0:17:11.571,0:17:13.537
Because if they can't explain

0:17:13.537,0:17:16.251
some of the things Paul says about himself

0:17:16.251,0:17:19.617
they're in real trouble.

0:17:19.617,0:17:22.280
Like what does Paul say?

0:17:22.280,0:17:24.117
"I am not ashamed..."

0:17:24.117,0:17:25.547
2 Timothy 1:12

0:17:25.547,0:17:28.453
"...for I know Whom I have believed

0:17:28.453,0:17:31.327
and I am convinced (or persuaded)

0:17:31.327,0:17:34.020
that He is able to guard until that day

0:17:34.020,0:17:36.146
what has been entrusted to me."

0:17:36.146,0:17:37.472
Galatians 2:20

0:17:37.472,0:17:39.868
"I have been crucified with Christ.

0:17:39.868,0:17:41.837
It is no longer I who live,

0:17:41.837,0:17:43.440
but Christ Who lives in me,

0:17:43.440,0:17:45.259
and the life I now live in the flesh,

0:17:45.259,0:17:47.223
I live by faith in the Son of God

0:17:47.223,0:17:51.179
Who loved me and gave Himself for me."

0:17:51.179,0:17:54.218
There is no doubt in that man...

0:17:54.218,0:17:55.997
that man has assurance.

0:17:55.997,0:17:57.952
Does he not?

0:17:57.952,0:17:59.902
Ok, what is assurance?

0:17:59.902,0:18:01.415
You want to define assurance?

0:18:01.415,0:18:02.810
It's that right there.

0:18:02.810,0:18:04.813
I know Whom I've believed.

0:18:04.813,0:18:06.948
I am persuaded He is able

0:18:06.948,0:18:09.659
to keep that which I've committed to Him

0:18:09.659,0:18:11.547
against that day.

0:18:11.547,0:18:13.127
I know it. I believe it.

0:18:13.127,0:18:14.545
I'm persuaded.

0:18:14.545,0:18:18.432
I know that the Christ Himself loved me

0:18:18.432,0:18:20.576
and I know He gave Himself for me.

0:18:20.576,0:18:24.814
Listen folks, that's assurance.

0:18:24.814,0:18:27.290
That's assurance.

0:18:27.290,0:18:30.789
The Catholics basically say you're cursed

0:18:30.789,0:18:33.607
if you say that you can know

0:18:33.607,0:18:36.754
that you're going to have eternal life

0:18:36.754,0:18:38.032
in the end of this

0:18:38.032,0:18:40.348
with the assurance that Paul has,

0:18:40.348,0:18:42.862
unless you've had special revelation.

0:18:42.862,0:18:44.381
And they would basically say

0:18:44.381,0:18:46.005
yes, Paul has it,

0:18:46.005,0:18:49.862
and yes, maybe certain select saints -

0:18:49.862,0:18:52.899
super Christians have been given

0:18:52.899,0:18:57.090
special revelation.

0:18:57.090,0:19:01.725
Listen to this text.

0:19:01.725,0:19:04.805
1 John 5:13

0:19:04.805,0:19:07.157
The Apostle John says

0:19:07.157,0:19:09.253
after he gets done writing

0:19:09.253,0:19:13.241
the first epistle.

0:19:13.241,0:19:17.112
"I write these things [br]to you who believe..."

0:19:17.112,0:19:20.941
Not just to those who [br]have special revelation.

0:19:20.941,0:19:27.122
To every single person who believes.

0:19:27.122,0:19:30.536
"I write these things to you who believe

0:19:30.536,0:19:33.612
in the name of the Son of God

0:19:33.612,0:19:35.867
that you may know

0:19:35.867,0:19:39.647
that you have eternal life."

0:19:39.647,0:19:42.996
Oh, my brothers and sisters,

0:19:42.996,0:19:46.301
God wants us to know we have eternal life.

0:19:46.301,0:19:48.301
He's not playing some game with us

0:19:48.301,0:19:50.774
where He dangles a carrot before our eyes

0:19:50.774,0:19:52.737
and says, I never want you to be sure

0:19:52.737,0:19:55.780
that you have it.

0:19:55.780,0:20:02.035
Brethren, the very Spirit He gave us

0:20:02.035,0:20:04.820
is a Spirit of adoption

0:20:04.820,0:20:07.692
by which we cry,

0:20:07.692,0:20:10.416
"Abba, Father."

0:20:10.416,0:20:13.530
The Spirit speaks to us

0:20:13.530,0:20:16.726
in ways that resonate within us

0:20:16.726,0:20:19.394
that we're children of God.

0:20:19.394,0:20:21.040
What does John say?

0:20:21.040,0:20:24.588
"Behold what manner of love

0:20:24.588,0:20:28.139
the Father hath bestowed upon us

0:20:28.139,0:20:30.763
that we should be called [br]the children of God."

0:20:30.763,0:20:33.021
Does he say, oh, He wants us to doubt?

0:20:33.021,0:20:34.386
He wants us to fret?

0:20:34.386,0:20:35.627
He wants us to worry?

0:20:35.627,0:20:37.246
He wants us filled with anxiety?

0:20:37.246,0:20:40.970
He wants us filled with uncertainty?

0:20:40.970,0:20:44.112
Brethren, He doesn't want that.

0:20:44.112,0:20:46.833
Why?

0:20:46.833,0:20:49.199
Listen.

0:20:49.199,0:20:54.544
When you lack assurance,

0:20:54.544,0:20:57.669
what are you doing?

0:20:57.669,0:21:02.401
(Unintelligible)

0:21:02.401,0:21:08.519
But if you lack assurance...

0:21:08.519,0:21:13.310
Look, if we said we lacked faith,

0:21:13.310,0:21:17.076
I would say you're right on.

0:21:17.076,0:21:19.834
Lacking faith - faith and assurance

0:21:19.834,0:21:24.273
are not exactly the same.

0:21:24.273,0:21:26.583
Because you can have saving faith

0:21:26.583,0:21:27.812
and lack assurance.

0:21:27.812,0:21:30.282
You all agree with that right?

0:21:30.282,0:21:34.170
I mean a person can truly be converted

0:21:34.170,0:21:37.145
and wrestle with whether or not

0:21:37.145,0:21:39.203
he's truly saved.

0:21:39.203,0:21:41.063
So they're not exactly the same.

0:21:41.063,0:21:45.339
Faith is believing what God has said.

0:21:45.339,0:21:46.796
It's believing His character.

0:21:46.796,0:21:49.739
It's believing His promises.

0:21:49.739,0:21:56.633
Assurance is that confidence

0:21:56.633,0:21:58.969
that I truly belong to God.

0:21:58.969,0:22:00.178
I'm truly saved.

0:22:00.178,0:22:03.766
I'm truly going to receive eternal life

0:22:03.766,0:22:05.244
at the end of this.

0:22:05.244,0:22:07.792
And those are two different things.

0:22:07.792,0:22:10.649
So if I'm lacking assurance,

0:22:10.649,0:22:13.167
what am I doing?

0:22:13.167,0:22:14.833
Now look, a lost person can

0:22:14.833,0:22:16.294
lack assurance.

0:22:16.294,0:22:19.144
And a saved person can lack assurance.

0:22:19.144,0:22:20.785
So think with me here,

0:22:20.785,0:22:23.181
what is it that whether you're saved

0:22:23.181,0:22:28.298
or lost if you lack assurance,

0:22:28.298,0:22:29.680
what are you doing?

0:22:29.680,0:22:31.633
Totally separate from whether you have

0:22:31.633,0:22:33.298
saving faith or not.

0:22:33.298,0:22:37.313
What are you doing when [br]you lack assurance?

0:22:37.313,0:22:39.078
What is that?

0:22:39.078,0:22:41.133
(unintelligible)

0:22:41.133,0:22:44.542
But what is it you're [br]thinking about yourself?

0:22:44.542,0:22:49.494
(unintelligible)

0:22:49.494,0:22:51.640
Well, not so much that necessarily.

0:22:51.640,0:22:53.609
(from the room): Am I going to heaven?

0:22:53.609,0:22:54.864
Tim: Exactly.

0:22:54.864,0:22:57.447
You're in a quandary.

0:22:57.447,0:22:59.226
I'm not positive I'm going to heaven.

0:22:59.226,0:23:01.404
Right? Isn't that what [br]lacking assurance is?

0:23:01.404,0:23:04.187
I'm not positive that I'm saved.

0:23:04.187,0:23:06.856
I'm not positive that I've actually had

0:23:06.856,0:23:07.930
saving faith.

0:23:07.930,0:23:10.146
I'm not positive if I'm [br]going to go to heaven.

0:23:10.146,0:23:12.588
I'm not positive if I'm [br]going to go to hell.

0:23:12.588,0:23:15.554
I'm not positive if I'm one [br]of God's children or not.

0:23:15.554,0:23:16.737
I'm not positive.

0:23:16.737,0:23:17.879
I don't have confidence.

0:23:17.879,0:23:19.590
That's what it is to lack assurance.

0:23:19.590,0:23:21.646
And to have assurance is to say,

0:23:21.646,0:23:24.947
yes, I know that I'm one of His.

0:23:24.947,0:23:26.209
Paul had that assurance.

0:23:26.209,0:23:27.891
I know Whom I've believed.

0:23:27.891,0:23:28.938
I'm confident.

0:23:28.938,0:23:30.214
I know He died for me.

0:23:30.214,0:23:32.344
I know He loved me.

0:23:32.344,0:23:34.578
Now listen, assurance, like I said

0:23:34.578,0:23:35.734
is not faith.

0:23:35.734,0:23:40.640
A person can have great assurance.

0:23:40.640,0:23:45.271
These folks in Matthew [br]7 seem quite certain.

0:23:45.271,0:23:47.983
"Lord, Lord..." We were there.

0:23:47.983,0:23:49.341
Many mighty works.

0:23:49.341,0:23:50.616
Remember all those?

0:23:50.616,0:23:52.283
Remember the demons we cast out?

0:23:52.283,0:23:54.869
Remember us prophesying?

0:23:54.869,0:23:56.434
And they were pretty confident.

0:23:56.434,0:23:58.014
Look, you can have assurance

0:23:58.014,0:24:00.277
and not be saved.

0:24:00.277,0:24:02.148
There are a lot of people, Christ says,

0:24:02.148,0:24:07.925
many in that day are going to say to Me...

0:24:07.925,0:24:09.791
You see the second soil type

0:24:09.791,0:24:11.439
in the parable of the soils.

0:24:11.439,0:24:13.138
They receive the Word gladly.

0:24:13.138,0:24:14.189
There's a time there,

0:24:14.189,0:24:15.731
they're thinking they're in.

0:24:15.731,0:24:17.254
They're pretty confident people.

0:24:17.254,0:24:19.932
They receive these things.

0:24:19.932,0:24:22.422
There's a confidence there.

0:24:22.422,0:24:25.001
Trials come and they fall away.

0:24:25.001,0:24:30.376
But we're speaking about assurance.

0:24:30.376,0:24:32.642
And of course, I'm wanting us

0:24:32.642,0:24:36.317
to give consideration to the Christian

0:24:36.317,0:24:37.902
and assurance.

0:24:37.902,0:24:39.474
(Incomplete thought)

0:24:39.474,0:24:41.454
What are some big indicators

0:24:41.454,0:24:43.155
that a person - even if they have

0:24:43.155,0:24:44.487
tremendous confidence,

0:24:44.487,0:24:46.869
that they're a Christian?

0:24:46.869,0:24:51.074
What are some big [br]indicators that they're not?

0:24:51.074,0:24:53.865
They don't desire the Word of God.

0:24:53.865,0:24:56.043
Fruits.

0:24:56.043,0:24:57.534
They don't pray.

0:24:57.534,0:24:59.289
Again, all these things. Fruits.

0:24:59.289,0:25:00.931
These have to do maybe

0:25:00.931,0:25:02.405
with the fruits of repentance.

0:25:02.405,0:25:04.386
Maybe with the fruits of regeneration.

0:25:04.386,0:25:05.991
And see, we're coming back now,

0:25:05.991,0:25:08.738
to where I really wanted to go.

0:25:08.738,0:25:12.719
Folks, let me tell you something.

0:25:12.719,0:25:16.926
My fear that there's a danger -

0:25:16.926,0:25:18.333
there's always a danger

0:25:18.333,0:25:20.380
with everything,

0:25:20.380,0:25:23.668
and it's missing the simplicity of Christ.

0:25:23.668,0:25:26.585
The danger is forgetting Christ.

0:25:26.585,0:25:28.886
Listen.

0:25:28.886,0:25:30.862
Think with me here.

0:25:30.862,0:25:33.540
That as we stress and we stress,

0:25:33.540,0:25:35.668
and I'm hearing some of you do this,

0:25:35.668,0:25:37.342
I'm hearing this happen.

0:25:37.342,0:25:39.104
I'm hearing it in the church.

0:25:39.104,0:25:40.678
I hear it in this Bible study.

0:25:40.678,0:25:42.743
I hear you folks when you tell me

0:25:42.743,0:25:44.146
what you're telling people,

0:25:44.146,0:25:45.756
when you're out on the streets,

0:25:45.756,0:25:47.163
and listen, I'm not saying

0:25:47.163,0:25:48.983
that what you're saying is wrong

0:25:48.983,0:25:50.759
about repentance and about looking

0:25:50.759,0:25:51.825
for the fruits;

0:25:51.825,0:25:53.601
obviously, they're there.

0:25:53.601,0:25:57.869
Obviously, the great evidences

0:25:57.869,0:25:59.890
of regeneration need to be true

0:25:59.890,0:26:01.038
in our lives.

0:26:01.038,0:26:02.900
But let me tell you this.

0:26:02.900,0:26:04.982
Why is it that the Catholic

0:26:04.982,0:26:08.619
doesn't have confidence?

0:26:08.619,0:26:10.993
Why?

0:26:10.993,0:26:13.444
I mean, yes, they said [br]it in the Council of Trent,

0:26:13.444,0:26:18.635
but practically, why [br]do they lack confidence?

0:26:18.635,0:26:21.889
(unintelligible)

0:26:21.889,0:26:24.231
They're trusting their works.

0:26:24.231,0:26:27.791
And what's wrong when [br]you trust your works?

0:26:27.791,0:26:31.862
(unintelligible)

0:26:31.862,0:26:33.979
You never know if you've done enough.

0:26:33.979,0:26:35.065
That's the problem.

0:26:35.065,0:26:36.613
The problem with works is

0:26:36.613,0:26:38.771
you never know when you've done enough.

0:26:38.771,0:26:40.445
If you've ever been part of a religion

0:26:40.445,0:26:44.407
that is based on works,

0:26:44.407,0:26:46.443
you never know when you've done enough.

0:26:46.443,0:26:48.691
And so if you're always [br]looking at your works,

0:26:48.691,0:26:50.384
you're always looking at yourself.

0:26:50.384,0:26:52.463
And the problem with looking at yourself

0:26:52.463,0:26:55.337
is your self is bad.

0:26:55.337,0:26:56.482
You are bad.

0:26:56.482,0:26:57.760
By nature, you are bad.

0:26:57.760,0:26:59.666
By nature, you are full of imperfection.

0:26:59.666,0:27:02.890
By nature, you fall short [br]of the glory of God.

0:27:02.890,0:27:05.205
(Incomplete thought)

0:27:05.205,0:27:06.246
And you know what?

0:27:06.246,0:27:08.081
Even whatever religion it is

0:27:08.081,0:27:10.207
and no matter whatever code they stick up,

0:27:10.207,0:27:12.086
nobody ever keeps the code

0:27:12.086,0:27:13.309
of any religion.

0:27:13.309,0:27:14.704
They always have a standard

0:27:14.704,0:27:16.420
that even when they bring it down;

0:27:16.420,0:27:18.578
even when they back off God's Word,

0:27:18.578,0:27:20.774
nobody ever keeps any of the standards

0:27:20.774,0:27:23.279
of any of their religions.

0:27:23.279,0:27:26.900
And so whenever they look at themselves,

0:27:26.900,0:27:29.283
they are always shaken.

0:27:29.283,0:27:30.663
They don't know.

0:27:30.663,0:27:34.717
They don't have confidence

0:27:34.717,0:27:38.109
because they're always [br]looking at themselves.

0:27:38.109,0:27:40.564
You know why they don't have confidence?

0:27:40.564,0:27:44.568
Because they can't say,

0:27:44.568,0:27:49.459
Jesus Christ perfectly kept the law

0:27:49.459,0:27:51.479
in my spot.

0:27:51.479,0:27:54.290
And my acceptance with the living God

0:27:54.290,0:27:56.668
is not based on my performance.

0:27:56.668,0:27:58.625
He did it!

0:27:58.625,0:28:00.535
And you see, as soon as faith

0:28:00.535,0:28:01.865
turns away from self

0:28:01.865,0:28:03.012
and our works,

0:28:03.012,0:28:04.589
you know what happens?

0:28:04.589,0:28:06.286
Folks, there's a lot of attention;

0:28:06.286,0:28:07.818
a lot of emphasis being given

0:28:07.818,0:28:11.285
with regards to repentance.

0:28:11.285,0:28:12.627
(incomplete thought)

0:28:12.627,0:28:17.437
Listen, we've got a lot of people saying;

0:28:17.437,0:28:18.928
well, let me just tell you what

0:28:18.928,0:28:20.907
some people are saying.

0:28:20.907,0:28:25.673
Let me tell you some [br]emails that I've received.

0:28:25.673,0:28:27.169
Here's an email.

0:28:27.169,0:28:29.179
I'm going to read two emails to you

0:28:29.179,0:28:33.148
that I've just received [br]in the last week or so.

0:28:33.148,0:28:34.300
First guy says -

0:28:34.300,0:28:35.991
and these are shortened versions

0:28:35.991,0:28:37.508
of actually what I got.

0:28:37.508,0:28:38.387
First guy says,

0:28:38.387,0:28:40.849
"I have to confess

0:28:40.849,0:28:42.525
that I am not so sure

0:28:42.525,0:28:44.350
I've been genuinely converted.

0:28:44.350,0:28:45.297
I'm so confused,

0:28:45.297,0:28:47.640
and I honestly do not have assurance

0:28:47.640,0:28:48.902
of salvation.

0:28:48.902,0:28:51.212
Every day is miserable for me.

0:28:51.212,0:28:53.255
I have no peace,

0:28:53.255,0:28:54.714
joy,

0:28:54.714,0:28:56.284
or love.

0:28:56.284,0:28:58.127
Let me tell you why I'm so confused

0:28:58.127,0:29:00.071
about my salvation.

0:29:00.071,0:29:02.670
In the past,

0:29:02.670,0:29:05.340
I've been more devoted to reading the Word

0:29:05.340,0:29:07.855
and I truly loved it.

0:29:07.855,0:29:10.605
I had a prayer life.

0:29:10.605,0:29:12.962
I felt clean and free.

0:29:12.962,0:29:15.268
And I knew I was born again.

0:29:15.268,0:29:17.340
But I've compromised in many ways.

0:29:17.340,0:29:19.082
If you knew who I used to be,

0:29:19.082,0:29:20.629
you would say without any doubt

0:29:20.629,0:29:22.029
that I had a radical change

0:29:22.029,0:29:24.445
that had occurred in my life.

0:29:24.445,0:29:26.230
I know I've changed,

0:29:26.230,0:29:29.329
but now I'm unsure I'm truly saved.

0:29:29.329,0:29:30.487
I want to be free.

0:29:30.487,0:29:31.954
I want to have peace with God.

0:29:31.954,0:29:34.220
I want to rejoice in what [br]God has done for me

0:29:34.220,0:29:35.262
through Jesus Christ.

0:29:35.262,0:29:36.483
I want to shout for joy.

0:29:36.483,0:29:39.324
I want to be a bold witness for Christ.

0:29:39.324,0:29:41.100
I can't.

0:29:41.100,0:29:43.689
Oh, I've wrestled with God in prayer.

0:29:43.689,0:29:46.022
I've begged Him to help me.

0:29:46.022,0:29:48.106
To set me free.

0:29:48.106,0:29:50.603
To give me assurance.

0:29:50.603,0:29:54.072
But I still can't say with joy I'm saved.

0:29:54.072,0:29:55.799
I want to so badly.

0:29:55.799,0:29:57.926
If I do say that, I feel like a hypocrite

0:29:57.926,0:29:58.664
and a liar.

0:29:58.664,0:30:00.487
I think I've grieved the Holy Spirit.

0:30:00.487,0:30:02.505
And His manifest presence is no longer

0:30:02.505,0:30:04.244
in my life."

0:30:04.244,0:30:05.493
Here's the second email:

0:30:05.493,0:30:07.548
"I've been a Christian for over two years

0:30:07.548,0:30:09.728
but so often I still [br]struggle with assurance

0:30:09.728,0:30:12.701
which may mean that I'm not truly saved.

0:30:12.701,0:30:15.139
I have no doubt about [br]the truth of Scripture,

0:30:15.139,0:30:17.013
about who God is, who Christ is,

0:30:17.013,0:30:18.145
and that to be saved

0:30:18.145,0:30:21.515
one must repent and put full trust in Him.

0:30:21.515,0:30:24.219
(Referring to a particular [br]time in his past, he says...)

0:30:24.219,0:30:27.456
My entire life was changed.

0:30:27.456,0:30:29.379
My mom tells me that she remembers

0:30:29.379,0:30:31.103
the transformation that took place.

0:30:31.103,0:30:32.898
I remember talking about how God

0:30:32.898,0:30:34.210
gave me a new heart.

0:30:34.210,0:30:36.194
Now over the past year,

0:30:36.194,0:30:38.905
I've been blessed to be [br]under good teaching,

0:30:38.905,0:30:41.006
and I know all the right answers

0:30:41.006,0:30:43.104
to the questions that someone would ask

0:30:43.104,0:30:47.995
concerning how you can know you are saved.

0:30:47.995,0:30:50.281
(But he says) I can't get assurance

0:30:50.281,0:30:52.060
from those answers.

0:30:52.060,0:30:53.432
I look back at my conversion

0:30:53.432,0:30:55.166
and I can't remember a single moment

0:30:55.166,0:30:57.621
where I placed my trust in Christ.

0:30:57.621,0:30:59.535
I know that I must trust in Christ alone

0:30:59.535,0:31:01.116
for the forgiveness of my sins

0:31:01.116,0:31:03.524
and that I cannot trust [br]even a shred in myself.

0:31:03.524,0:31:04.786
I know that to be true.

0:31:04.786,0:31:06.049
I see my sinfulness.

0:31:06.049,0:31:07.949
I understand my weakness and inability,

0:31:07.949,0:31:10.081
but I fear that because [br]I didn't understand

0:31:10.081,0:31:12.276
that then, that I never [br]really put my trust

0:31:12.276,0:31:14.726
in Christ and just don't know what to do.

0:31:14.726,0:31:16.468
I don't know if I should seek God

0:31:16.468,0:31:18.499
for assurance or seek Him to save me.

0:31:18.499,0:31:19.957
Sometimes, I share the Gospel

0:31:19.957,0:31:22.739
and I completely forget about [br]my assurance problem.

0:31:22.739,0:31:24.482
Other times, I'm sitting alone.

0:31:24.482,0:31:25.715
Tears well up in my eyes

0:31:25.715,0:31:27.302
because I'm simply not sure if

0:31:27.302,0:31:28.758
I truly belong to Him.

0:31:28.758,0:31:30.324
I cannot go living like this.

0:31:30.324,0:31:31.754
It's so taxing.

0:31:31.754,0:31:34.209
I don't know if I truly am His.

0:31:34.209,0:31:36.339
I know all the tests from 1 John.

0:31:36.339,0:31:38.716
When I hear an exposition of 1 John,

0:31:38.716,0:31:41.780
and I ask myself, ok, does my life

0:31:41.780,0:31:43.381
stand the assurance test?

0:31:43.381,0:31:45.727
I simply cannot place any trust

0:31:45.727,0:31:47.999
in my own reasoning

0:31:47.999,0:31:50.633
to answer that question.

0:31:50.633,0:31:53.848
I fear so immensely for my salvation."

0:31:53.848,0:31:58.492
Folks, we've got people running around,

0:31:58.492,0:31:59.748
and I'll tell you,

0:31:59.748,0:32:02.064
some of them probably [br]aren't true Christians,

0:32:02.064,0:32:05.637
but we've got true [br]Christians running around.

0:32:05.637,0:32:08.175
And you know, they're there

0:32:08.175,0:32:14.597
and they're just wondering.

0:32:14.597,0:32:16.474
Does He love me?

0:32:16.474,0:32:18.824
Does He love me not?

0:32:18.824,0:32:21.068
Am I in? Am I out?

0:32:21.068,0:32:24.039
Am I saved? Am I not?

0:32:24.039,0:32:32.777
Back and forth they go.

0:32:32.777,0:32:36.910
Brethren, I'll just tell you this.

0:32:36.910,0:32:41.870
If you don't have assurance,

0:32:41.870,0:32:43.949
guess what else you don't have?

0:32:43.949,0:32:46.337
Both these guys hit on it.

0:32:46.337,0:32:47.443
The first guy said,

0:32:47.443,0:32:50.097
"every day is miserable for me.

0:32:50.097,0:32:56.394
I have no peace, joy, or love."

0:32:56.394,0:33:00.378
The second guy hits on it.

0:33:00.378,0:33:11.069
(incomplete thought)

0:33:11.069,0:33:14.644
He says, "I cannot go on living like this.

0:33:14.644,0:33:19.335
It is so taxing."

0:33:19.335,0:33:20.866
Both of these guys hit on

0:33:20.866,0:33:23.223
no joy.

0:33:23.223,0:33:25.784
No peace.

0:33:25.784,0:33:28.142
So taxing.

0:33:28.142,0:33:31.103
I can't go on living like this.

0:33:31.103,0:33:36.691
What happens when you lack assurance?

0:33:36.691,0:33:38.587
You have no what?

0:33:38.587,0:33:42.423
Joy.

0:33:42.423,0:33:44.245
Let me read an Old Testament passage

0:33:44.245,0:33:47.827
to you from Nehemiah 8:10.

0:33:47.827,0:33:55.635
"The joy of the Lord is your strength."

0:33:55.635,0:34:00.765
No assurance. No joy.

0:34:00.765,0:34:05.492
No joy. No strength.

0:34:05.492,0:34:09.982
"The joy of the Lord is your strength."

0:34:09.982,0:34:12.324
Brethren, let me tell you something.

0:34:12.324,0:34:17.182
Confidence makes you brave.

0:34:17.182,0:34:25.191
You think a person can run headlong

0:34:25.191,0:34:28.538
into heavy Muslim population

0:34:28.538,0:34:30.662
where they very well may lose their life

0:34:30.662,0:34:33.273
and preach the Gospel boldly?

0:34:33.273,0:34:35.275
If they're there and they're wondering,

0:34:35.275,0:34:36.354
am I in? Am I out?

0:34:36.354,0:34:38.184
Does He love me? Does He love me not?

0:34:38.184,0:34:39.444
Am I the real thing

0:34:39.444,0:34:40.501
or am I fake?

0:34:40.501,0:34:41.909
Am I going to go to heaven?

0:34:41.909,0:34:43.362
Or am I going to go to hell?

0:34:43.362,0:34:44.943
Am I still in my sin?

0:34:44.943,0:34:47.861
Am I not?

0:34:47.861,0:34:51.289
Is my name graven upon His palm?

0:34:51.289,0:34:54.773
Or is it not?

0:34:54.773,0:34:57.765
You cannot be brave.

0:34:57.765,0:35:00.496
You cannot charge off into the world

0:35:00.496,0:35:03.091
and battle for Christ

0:35:03.091,0:35:05.812
if you have no assurance.

0:35:05.812,0:35:06.916
No assurance. No joy.

0:35:06.916,0:35:08.001
No joy. No strength.

0:35:08.001,0:35:10.581
No strength. Folks, [br]you've got no boldness.

0:35:10.581,0:35:12.071
You've got no confidence.

0:35:12.071,0:35:13.480
You've got to have confidence

0:35:13.480,0:35:15.755
if you're going to be bold as a lion

0:35:15.755,0:35:16.678
for Christ.

0:35:16.678,0:35:18.425
You will not be.

0:35:18.425,0:35:22.343
See, folks, you cannot scare

0:35:22.343,0:35:24.770
a person with assurance

0:35:24.770,0:35:27.244
with death.

0:35:27.244,0:35:28.849
You can't. Why?

0:35:28.849,0:35:31.103
Because they're confident that at the end

0:35:31.103,0:35:34.467
of this life, there is joy everlasting.

0:35:34.467,0:35:37.168
There is an eternal weight of glory.

0:35:37.168,0:35:40.058
You don't scare Christians

0:35:40.058,0:35:42.927
with that assurance of that joy

0:35:42.927,0:35:44.791
and that eternal weight of glory

0:35:44.791,0:35:47.303
with death.

0:35:47.303,0:35:50.092
But if you're wondering...

0:35:50.092,0:35:52.512
"I don't know."

0:35:52.512,0:35:53.910
I may come in here

0:35:53.910,0:35:55.195
claiming to be a Christian,

0:35:55.195,0:35:56.552
but if they put me to death,

0:35:56.552,0:35:58.324
I may go straight to hell.

0:35:58.324,0:36:01.648
I may not be any better off than them.

0:36:01.648,0:36:03.394
You don't have boldness to go out

0:36:03.394,0:36:04.465
on the East side.

0:36:04.465,0:36:07.402
Well, what if this happens to me?

0:36:07.402,0:36:08.667
Folks, you don't know

0:36:08.667,0:36:10.461
if you're a child of God or not,

0:36:10.461,0:36:13.245
you're trying to protect everything.

0:36:13.245,0:36:19.018
(incomplete thought)

0:36:19.018,0:36:23.473
Folks, what do we say to people like this?

0:36:23.473,0:36:25.709
And I'll tell you what,

0:36:25.709,0:36:30.355
we need to be really careful.

0:36:30.355,0:36:34.958
You know what I'm hearing a lot of times?

0:36:34.958,0:36:37.957
Well, that person fell into...

0:36:37.957,0:36:40.123
Look, one of these guys,

0:36:40.123,0:36:45.399
he's been falling into masturbation.

0:36:45.399,0:36:48.073
He had such assurance in the beginning.

0:36:48.073,0:36:49.597
And I'm telling you, we can take

0:36:49.597,0:36:52.099
all these tests from 1 John,

0:36:52.099,0:36:54.694
and look, we don't dismiss them.

0:36:54.694,0:36:55.763
They're valid.

0:36:55.763,0:36:58.326
Regeneration looks like something.

0:36:58.326,0:36:59.728
But I'll tell you this folks,

0:36:59.728,0:37:02.330
if we start keying in on repentance

0:37:02.330,0:37:04.524
and on the fruits

0:37:04.524,0:37:06.318
and on all these things

0:37:06.318,0:37:08.600
that ought to be true [br]of the Christian life,

0:37:08.600,0:37:10.328
and you're not [br]constantly taking people

0:37:10.328,0:37:11.388
to the cross;

0:37:11.388,0:37:12.686
taking people to Christ,

0:37:12.686,0:37:13.696
you know what?

0:37:13.696,0:37:15.297
You're going to be tearing down

0:37:15.297,0:37:16.585
people's assurance.

0:37:16.585,0:37:19.194
Because there isn't a [br]one of you in this room,

0:37:19.194,0:37:20.808
truly and genuinely converted,

0:37:20.808,0:37:22.459
that isn't going to fall into sin

0:37:22.459,0:37:26.624
and sometimes majorly [br]in your Christian life.

0:37:26.624,0:37:29.766
And if we're setting up this standard

0:37:29.766,0:37:31.648
that is unreal;

0:37:31.648,0:37:32.742
that is not right;

0:37:32.742,0:37:33.983
that is not biblical...

0:37:33.983,0:37:35.451
Listen, if you're in Christ,

0:37:35.451,0:37:36.792
definitely, by the Spirit,

0:37:36.792,0:37:39.610
you're going to be putting to [br]death the deeds of the body.

0:37:39.610,0:37:41.674
You will be practicing righteousness.

0:37:41.674,0:37:44.308
But we have to be confident, folks,

0:37:44.308,0:37:47.479
of texts like "therefore there is now

0:37:47.479,0:37:48.995
no condemnation for those

0:37:48.995,0:37:50.355
who are in Christ Jesus."

0:37:50.355,0:37:52.015
We've got texts in the Scripture.

0:37:52.015,0:37:53.741
"Who shall bring any charge

0:37:53.741,0:37:55.055
against God's elect?

0:37:55.055,0:37:57.359
It is God Who justifies."

0:37:57.359,0:37:59.320
We have to be turning our eyes

0:37:59.320,0:38:02.114
again and again and again

0:38:02.114,0:38:06.602
back to that cross.

0:38:06.602,0:38:10.392
Now look, if people [br]struggle with assurance,

0:38:10.392,0:38:11.536
and some do,

0:38:11.536,0:38:14.832
and some do more than others,

0:38:14.832,0:38:16.474
what we want to do is we want to

0:38:16.474,0:38:18.134
take them to the cross.

0:38:18.134,0:38:20.379
We want to take them [br]to passages like this:

0:38:20.379,0:38:22.168
Romans 8:34

0:38:22.168,0:38:23.819
"Who is to condemn?

0:38:23.819,0:38:25.631
Christ Jesus is the One Who died.

0:38:25.631,0:38:27.326
More than that, Who was raised.

0:38:27.326,0:38:28.902
Who is at the right hand of God.

0:38:28.902,0:38:30.726
Who indeed is interceding for us."

0:38:30.726,0:38:35.853
Brethren, we are not Catholics!

0:38:35.853,0:38:38.353
Our performance is not what gets us

0:38:38.353,0:38:41.198
into Heaven.

0:38:41.198,0:38:43.900
Our acceptance before God Almighty

0:38:43.900,0:38:49.253
is based on the perfect work of Christ.

0:38:49.253,0:38:52.935
Brethren, He came to save sinners.

0:38:52.935,0:38:55.837
And you are at best in this room

0:38:55.837,0:38:58.130
a saved sinner.

0:38:58.130,0:38:59.707
And you are not perfect.

0:38:59.707,0:39:02.000
And practicing righteousness does not

0:39:02.000,0:39:03.228
mean perfection.

0:39:03.228,0:39:04.731
And it doesn't mean that you're

0:39:04.731,0:39:05.650
not going to fall.

0:39:05.650,0:39:07.949
And it doesn't mean that [br]even some of the best

0:39:07.949,0:39:10.046
Christians we read about in the Scriptures

0:39:10.046,0:39:11.865
didn't have terrible falls.

0:39:11.865,0:39:15.898
And the way to heal such wounds

0:39:15.898,0:39:18.440
is to take the balm of Gilead

0:39:18.440,0:39:22.623
to the hurting Christian.

0:39:22.623,0:39:25.181
It isn't simply to beat them over the head

0:39:25.181,0:39:27.666
with a standard of righteousness

0:39:27.666,0:39:30.354
that is unbiblical and not real.

0:39:30.354,0:39:31.920
Yes, we come to them and we say,

0:39:31.920,0:39:33.695
brethren, we want to exhort you.

0:39:33.695,0:39:34.963
We want to encourage you

0:39:34.963,0:39:36.175
that you not sin.

0:39:36.175,0:39:37.795
But if you do sin,

0:39:37.795,0:39:39.755
you have an Advocate with the Father.

0:39:39.755,0:39:42.469
Does that sound familiar to us?

0:39:42.469,0:39:44.487
That comes at us from John.

0:39:44.487,0:39:47.568
In all of John's tests,

0:39:47.568,0:39:49.656
in all of 1 John,

0:39:49.656,0:39:52.527
in all the marks of true Christianity,

0:39:52.527,0:39:54.802
he says, brethren, I'm telling you this;

0:39:54.802,0:39:56.875
I'm writing this to you

0:39:56.875,0:39:59.260
that you might have assurance;

0:39:59.260,0:40:02.186
that you might know.

0:40:02.186,0:40:03.867
And I'm writing all this to you

0:40:03.867,0:40:06.220
that you sin not.

0:40:06.220,0:40:08.384
And yes, the standard is high.

0:40:08.384,0:40:10.275
And yes, it's radical

0:40:10.275,0:40:13.056
when you've been truly born again.

0:40:13.056,0:40:15.345
And it's going to do [br]something to your life.

0:40:15.345,0:40:17.112
And your life is going to be affected

0:40:17.112,0:40:18.892
by the cross of Jesus Christ.

0:40:18.892,0:40:20.796
And if you truly have a faith in Him,

0:40:20.796,0:40:23.760
it's going to turn your life upside down.

0:40:23.760,0:40:25.612
And he says, brethren, I write to you

0:40:25.612,0:40:28.686
that you not sin.

0:40:28.686,0:40:31.101
But he knows...

0:40:31.101,0:40:33.112
He says if you sin,

0:40:33.112,0:40:34.887
we have an Advocate.

0:40:34.887,0:40:36.729
And you see when the devil rushes in

0:40:36.729,0:40:38.946
and says, "look at you."

0:40:38.946,0:40:42.229
"You've got all this [br]teaching on repentance.

0:40:42.229,0:40:44.159
Hey, don't you hear what they're saying?

0:40:44.159,0:40:46.133
If repentance isn't true in your life;

0:40:46.133,0:40:49.988
if radical bowing to the [br]Lordship of Christ isn't real;

0:40:49.988,0:40:52.341
if there isn't some pattern

0:40:52.341,0:40:55.024
of righteousness in your life,

0:40:55.024,0:40:56.440
who do you think you are

0:40:56.440,0:40:58.697
saying you're a Christian?"

0:40:58.697,0:40:59.619
But you see,

0:40:59.619,0:41:02.493
if you can say,

0:41:02.493,0:41:04.970
"devil, you're right...

0:41:04.970,0:41:09.062
what you say is right.

0:41:09.062,0:41:12.528
But I can tell you this,

0:41:12.528,0:41:16.303
I'm not perfect.

0:41:16.303,0:41:18.017
But I know this,

0:41:18.017,0:41:20.326
I'm not what I once was.

0:41:20.326,0:41:23.805
I'm not perfect, and I fall,

0:41:23.805,0:41:26.986
and I struggle and I fight

0:41:26.986,0:41:29.496
and I wish I could be perfect,

0:41:29.496,0:41:33.288
but I know I have desires [br]I didn't have before.

0:41:33.288,0:41:36.272
And I know I love Christ in [br]a way I didn't before.

0:41:36.272,0:41:38.367
And my life has been transformed.

0:41:38.367,0:41:39.274
You're right.

0:41:39.274,0:41:41.774
I've sinned. I've fallen.

0:41:41.774,0:41:43.417
But I'll tell you this.

0:41:43.417,0:41:46.090
I didn't come to Christ in the first place

0:41:46.090,0:41:48.056
dependent on my works.

0:41:48.056,0:41:49.917
And I don't stay there now

0:41:49.917,0:41:51.377
dependent on my works.

0:41:51.377,0:41:54.380
There is no condemnation

0:41:54.380,0:41:56.127
to those who are in Christ.

0:41:56.127,0:41:59.641
Devil, all you're telling me right now

0:41:59.641,0:42:01.357
all the more assures me

0:42:01.357,0:42:03.173
that I need to trust Christ

0:42:03.173,0:42:05.935
and not look at my own life.

0:42:05.935,0:42:07.104
What you're saying to me

0:42:07.104,0:42:11.087
only drives me back under His wing."

0:42:11.087,0:42:12.763
Brethren, that's got to be so.

0:42:12.763,0:42:14.003
And I'll tell you this,

0:42:14.003,0:42:16.608
that's where our assurance comes from.

0:42:16.608,0:42:18.067
We've got to be running back

0:42:18.067,0:42:20.524
again and again and again.

0:42:20.524,0:42:22.814
And I would say this to any of you,

0:42:22.814,0:42:24.992
you get where you're struggling

0:42:24.992,0:42:25.927
at a point in life

0:42:25.927,0:42:27.867
where you're struggling with assurance.

0:42:27.867,0:42:29.446
I would ask you this:

0:42:29.446,0:42:32.344
Did you ever have assurance?

0:42:32.344,0:42:36.972
Because listen, why would I say that?

0:42:36.972,0:42:40.329
Why would I ask that?

0:42:40.329,0:42:47.520
The Spirit of God is a Spirit of adoption.

0:42:47.520,0:42:52.559
By that Spirit, we cry, "Abba, Father."

0:42:52.559,0:42:56.536
[Romans] 8:16 - He bears witness

0:42:56.536,0:42:58.647
with our spirit.

0:42:58.647,0:43:01.001
Now listen.

0:43:01.001,0:43:05.337
Do not grieve the Spirit

0:43:05.337,0:43:08.330
by which you've been sealed.

0:43:08.330,0:43:11.800
The Spirit seals us.

0:43:11.800,0:43:15.347
The Spirit seals.

0:43:15.347,0:43:20.767
When you sealed a document -

0:43:20.767,0:43:27.977
if a president puts his seal on something,

0:43:27.977,0:43:31.625
it's a sign of ownership.

0:43:31.625,0:43:33.814
The Spirit of God is given.

0:43:33.814,0:43:37.460
That is a seal.

0:43:37.460,0:43:38.951
Where the Spirit of God is

0:43:38.951,0:43:40.826
there are definite evidences.

0:43:40.826,0:43:43.391
What's one of the things [br]the Spirit of God does?

0:43:43.391,0:43:45.361
Bears witness with our spirit.

0:43:45.361,0:43:47.540
Pours the love of God into our heart.

0:43:47.540,0:43:49.142
Now listen to me.

0:43:49.142,0:43:52.149
If that Spirit is resident,

0:43:52.149,0:43:54.502
that person is going to have assurance

0:43:54.502,0:43:57.162
at least at some time.

0:43:57.162,0:44:00.070
Now, it's possible to grieve the Spirit

0:44:00.070,0:44:01.745
by which you've been sealed.

0:44:01.745,0:44:06.994
And if you grieve Him, [br]or as 1 Thessalonians 5,

0:44:06.994,0:44:12.414
quench, then yes, the [br]witness of the Spirit

0:44:12.414,0:44:14.518
may go silent.

0:44:14.518,0:44:17.214
If you're a person who has never known

0:44:17.214,0:44:19.187
the witness of the Spirit,

0:44:19.187,0:44:21.364
you have never had assurance

0:44:21.364,0:44:23.523
of your salvation,

0:44:23.523,0:44:26.470
I don't believe you're saved.

0:44:26.470,0:44:28.827
By the testimony of the Scriptures.

0:44:28.827,0:44:30.014
I don't believe that.

0:44:30.014,0:44:34.367
But if at seasons, you have indeed had it,

0:44:34.367,0:44:35.841
well, then look,

0:44:35.841,0:44:38.015
people can have false assurance.

0:44:38.015,0:44:39.558
There's no question about it.

0:44:39.558,0:44:41.673
And that definitely needs to be examined.

0:44:41.673,0:44:42.839
But I can tell you this,

0:44:42.839,0:44:45.418
it's definitely as a true Christian

0:44:45.418,0:44:48.727
possible to have that resident

0:44:48.727,0:44:51.227
Spirit of adoption

0:44:51.227,0:44:53.239
by which we cry, "Abba, Father,"

0:44:53.239,0:44:55.863
and at seasons because we've quenched Him

0:44:55.863,0:44:58.222
or grieved Him, have Him go silent.

0:44:58.222,0:44:59.511
And so what I would ask:

0:44:59.511,0:45:04.745
have you had seasons where [br]you've known assurance?

0:45:04.745,0:45:06.705
And if you tell me yes,

0:45:06.705,0:45:10.797
then I would ask you,

0:45:10.797,0:45:12.524
have you done anything in your life

0:45:12.524,0:45:14.717
to grieve the Spirit?

0:45:14.717,0:45:16.568
And typically, we know.

0:45:16.568,0:45:18.341
We've allowed something.

0:45:18.341,0:45:20.582
The Spirit has prodded us to repent

0:45:20.582,0:45:23.063
of something that we've resisted.

0:45:23.063,0:45:25.761
You've allowed some sin or worldliness

0:45:25.761,0:45:27.847
or idol into your life

0:45:27.847,0:45:34.162
that you're not repenting of.

0:45:34.162,0:45:40.759
Brethren, the Spirit bears witness.

0:45:40.759,0:45:44.408
Look, I can't tell you

0:45:44.408,0:45:47.279
about what you've experienced.

0:45:47.279,0:45:50.476
But I can tell you, I've experienced it.

0:45:50.476,0:45:52.035
I've experienced it in a way

0:45:52.035,0:45:55.341
I never experienced it when I was lost.

0:45:55.341,0:45:56.891
I mean, I never experienced it

0:45:56.891,0:45:58.645
when I was lost.

0:45:58.645,0:46:00.448
Look.

0:46:00.448,0:46:03.182
The witness of the Holy Spirit

0:46:03.182,0:46:06.265
is different than assurance

0:46:06.265,0:46:10.404
that's gotten from other things.

0:46:10.404,0:46:13.274
Like there are people who are certain

0:46:13.274,0:46:14.896
they're going to go to heaven.

0:46:14.896,0:46:15.761
Why?

0:46:15.761,0:46:17.967
Because (have you guys [br]ever come across this?)

0:46:17.967,0:46:19.041
God healed me.

0:46:19.041,0:46:20.422
I'm certain everything's ok.

0:46:20.422,0:46:21.938
We were just talking about this

0:46:21.938,0:46:23.607
at the campus today at Palo Alto,

0:46:23.607,0:46:25.245
that many people have an assurance

0:46:25.245,0:46:27.206
that everything's ok. Why?

0:46:27.206,0:46:29.530
Because they got sick and God healed them.

0:46:29.530,0:46:31.961
Because they were in a car accident

0:46:31.961,0:46:33.728
where they should have been killed

0:46:33.728,0:46:34.923
and they walked away.

0:46:34.923,0:46:36.803
You guys have heard things like that?

0:46:36.803,0:46:38.446
Listen.

0:46:38.446,0:46:40.357
The kindness of God

0:46:40.357,0:46:41.837
is meant to do what?

0:46:41.837,0:46:43.697
Assure us we're Christians?

0:46:43.697,0:46:45.809
Is that what the Bible says?

0:46:45.809,0:46:47.013
Lead you to repentance.

0:46:47.013,0:46:49.699
Right. The kindness of God is meant

0:46:49.699,0:46:52.138
to lead you to Christ.

0:46:52.138,0:46:55.695
Not confirm that you're in Christ.

0:46:55.695,0:46:57.133
In fact, the fact is

0:46:57.133,0:47:00.196
that many who are in Christ,

0:47:00.196,0:47:04.052
don't avert the accident or the sickness

0:47:04.052,0:47:07.332
or the trial or the tears

0:47:07.332,0:47:09.912
or the death...

0:47:09.912,0:47:15.171
in fact, through many tribulations...

0:47:15.171,0:47:18.865
Why do other people have assurance

0:47:18.865,0:47:21.229
that's no good?

0:47:21.229,0:47:23.199
Not based on good foundations.

0:47:23.199,0:47:27.919
Where does other false [br]assurance come from?

0:47:27.919,0:47:29.412
Emotions.

0:47:29.412,0:47:31.075
People feel like they're saved.

0:47:31.075,0:47:33.825
But why would people [br]feel like they're saved

0:47:33.825,0:47:35.868
when they're not truly saved?

0:47:35.868,0:47:37.064
And I'll tell you this,

0:47:37.064,0:47:38.444
if they're not truly saved,

0:47:38.444,0:47:42.220
it's not the witness of the Holy Spirit.

0:47:42.220,0:47:45.222
What is it?

0:47:45.222,0:47:48.446
Where would emotions come from?

0:47:48.446,0:47:50.064
Let's go through a list of things.

0:47:50.064,0:47:52.518
Maybe false teaching, right?

0:47:52.518,0:47:54.377
People assure you that you're saved

0:47:54.377,0:47:56.084
when there's really no evidence.

0:47:56.084,0:47:57.854
How many men are out there

0:47:57.854,0:48:00.302
telling men they're saved?

0:48:00.302,0:48:02.041
How many preachers stand in pulpits

0:48:02.041,0:48:04.462
and say if you say this little prayer,

0:48:04.462,0:48:06.279
you're saved?

0:48:06.279,0:48:08.586
Basically if you did this, you're saved.

0:48:08.586,0:48:10.188
We've got men all over the place

0:48:10.188,0:48:12.119
telling people that.

0:48:12.119,0:48:13.723
How about something else?

0:48:13.723,0:48:16.124
How about people who just

0:48:16.124,0:48:17.989
get emotionally stirred up?

0:48:17.989,0:48:18.798
They weep tears.

0:48:18.798,0:48:20.577
They were greatly affected.

0:48:20.577,0:48:22.856
And because of bad teaching, again,

0:48:22.856,0:48:24.793
they don't understand what true

0:48:24.793,0:48:26.248
saving faith looks like.

0:48:26.248,0:48:27.365
They don't understand

0:48:27.365,0:48:29.480
the nature of biblical repentance,

0:48:29.480,0:48:30.986
and so they're led to believe

0:48:30.986,0:48:38.443
(incomplete thought)

0:48:38.443,0:48:40.122
Can you think that maybe the devil

0:48:40.122,0:48:41.600
would try to convince people

0:48:41.600,0:48:44.623
that they're saved when they're not saved?

0:48:44.623,0:48:46.949
How?

0:48:46.949,0:48:48.959
Let me give you an example.

0:48:48.959,0:48:52.945
We were just talking about this at Mark's.

0:48:52.945,0:48:55.763
I remember as a Catholic having a dream

0:48:55.763,0:48:59.138
on Christmas Eve about Mary.

0:48:59.138,0:49:01.975
And I felt so much assurance

0:49:01.975,0:49:04.774
and warmth from that dream.

0:49:04.774,0:49:07.760
I went and visited my Roman Catholic

0:49:07.760,0:49:10.130
great uncle.

0:49:10.130,0:49:11.705
A week before I went there

0:49:11.705,0:49:13.864
to preach the Gospel to him,

0:49:13.864,0:49:17.552
an angel appeared in his dining room

0:49:17.552,0:49:19.040
in the middle of the night;

0:49:19.040,0:49:20.642
lit up the whole house.

0:49:20.642,0:49:22.936
He said it was the most beautiful creature

0:49:22.936,0:49:24.744
he ever laid his eyes on.

0:49:24.744,0:49:27.323
I said, "Uncle Tom, Satan comes

0:49:27.323,0:49:28.967
as an angel of light."

0:49:28.967,0:49:30.498
You know when I told that story

0:49:30.498,0:49:31.697
at church one night,

0:49:31.697,0:49:33.123
Carlos turned and looked at me

0:49:33.123,0:49:34.254
and he said,

0:49:34.254,0:49:37.530
"My parents had the same thing happen."

0:49:37.530,0:49:39.788
They saw an angel in the doorway

0:49:39.788,0:49:41.084
of their bedroom

0:49:41.084,0:49:42.398
in the middle of the night.

0:49:42.398,0:49:44.614
Listen to me, folks.

0:49:44.614,0:49:47.355
The devil will seek to give men

0:49:47.355,0:49:50.551
false assurance.

0:49:50.551,0:49:52.033
Many different ways.

0:49:52.033,0:49:53.766
Through false religion.

0:49:53.766,0:49:57.975
Through various manifestations.

0:49:57.975,0:49:59.479
But true assurance -

0:49:59.479,0:50:02.144
listen to me.

0:50:02.144,0:50:05.572
The Spirit of God bears witness

0:50:05.572,0:50:08.239
with our spirit.

0:50:08.239,0:50:12.001
When God Almighty wants to speak

0:50:12.001,0:50:13.767
to the soul of a man,

0:50:13.767,0:50:16.846
do you think He's impotent in doing it?

0:50:16.846,0:50:19.018
He pours the love of God

0:50:19.018,0:50:22.665
into the heart.

0:50:22.665,0:50:24.083
How?

0:50:24.083,0:50:26.529
Well, the Scripture tells us.

0:50:26.529,0:50:28.542
God's love poured into our hearts

0:50:28.542,0:50:30.162
through the Holy Spirit Who has

0:50:30.162,0:50:31.696
been given to us,

0:50:31.696,0:50:34.889
for (fuller explanation)...

0:50:34.889,0:50:36.652
for while we were still weak,

0:50:36.652,0:50:37.682
at the right time,

0:50:37.682,0:50:39.496
Christ died for the ungodly.

0:50:39.496,0:50:41.649
Do you know what the expressions of love

0:50:41.649,0:50:43.331
are that are poured into the heart

0:50:43.331,0:50:45.059
of God's people?

0:50:45.059,0:50:47.726
They're expressions of the love of God

0:50:47.726,0:50:49.846
as shown through us.

0:50:49.846,0:50:51.768
In a time of weakness,

0:50:51.768,0:50:53.784
His Son died for us.

0:50:53.784,0:50:57.028
(Incomplete thought)

0:50:57.028,0:50:58.893
Listen.

0:50:58.893,0:51:03.231
The Spirit bears testimony

0:51:03.231,0:51:06.338
not as you gaze at yourself.

0:51:06.338,0:51:08.964
Brethren, you can gaze at yourself.

0:51:08.964,0:51:10.907
If we get a church that's gazing

0:51:10.907,0:51:14.876
on ourselves where the talk is,

0:51:14.876,0:51:18.633
am I a Christian or am I not a Christian?

0:51:18.633,0:51:23.610
Well, have you masturbated?

0:51:23.610,0:51:26.900
Well, is this true?

0:51:26.900,0:51:30.499
Well, is there that sin in your life?

0:51:30.499,0:51:33.141
Look, there's a place [br]for practicing righteousness.

0:51:33.141,0:51:34.866
There's a place for these tests.

0:51:34.866,0:51:36.746
We need to examine ourselves.

0:51:36.746,0:51:39.276
Folks, there's no proper examination

0:51:39.276,0:51:43.427
except looking at the cross.

0:51:43.427,0:51:47.063
True repentance is,

0:51:47.063,0:51:49.857
see, so often,

0:51:49.857,0:51:56.167
(incomplete thought)

0:51:56.167,0:51:58.860
is missed because what repentance

0:51:58.860,0:52:01.777
is viewed at is more like,

0:52:01.777,0:52:04.662
imagine a human scale.

0:52:04.662,0:52:09.742
Imagine I've got a big human yard stick.

0:52:09.742,0:52:13.998
And we say, well, am I up here?

0:52:13.998,0:52:15.345
Am I full of pride?

0:52:15.345,0:52:16.985
Am I lifted up?

0:52:16.985,0:52:21.635
Am I high and haughty?

0:52:21.635,0:52:25.910
Versus, am I low?

0:52:25.910,0:52:27.685
Am I broken?

0:52:27.685,0:52:29.218
Am I repentant?

0:52:29.218,0:52:30.681
And you see, the whole time,

0:52:30.681,0:52:34.071
we're looking at ourselves.

0:52:34.071,0:52:38.805
Versus being done with the yard stick

0:52:38.805,0:52:42.387
and looking at Christ.

0:52:42.387,0:52:43.248
You see, folks,

0:52:43.248,0:52:46.696
repentance, so often what happens

0:52:46.696,0:52:50.503
is just in religion -

0:52:50.503,0:52:52.981
every human type of religion -

0:52:52.981,0:52:56.418
what they do is they put the yard stick up

0:52:56.418,0:52:59.660
and they say you've go to go from here

0:52:59.660,0:53:01.336
to here.

0:53:01.336,0:53:03.316
Or from here to here.

0:53:03.316,0:53:04.809
However you want to look at it.

0:53:04.809,0:53:08.226
Either from pride to humility

0:53:08.226,0:53:10.591
or from this low, debauched state

0:53:10.591,0:53:12.362
to this high moral standard.

0:53:12.362,0:53:14.185
Whichever way you want to invert it.

0:53:14.185,0:53:15.566
But what is it?

0:53:15.566,0:53:18.151
The whole time you're [br]looking at the yard stick.

0:53:18.151,0:53:19.760
Where what the Bible says

0:53:19.760,0:53:23.352
is repentance - true, biblical repentance

0:53:23.352,0:53:26.700
is throwing that thing away altogether

0:53:26.700,0:53:30.039
and looking at Christ.

0:53:30.039,0:53:36.325
And see, when you [br]pull the yard stick back,

0:53:36.325,0:53:38.426
and now as a Christian -

0:53:38.426,0:53:39.871
see, the Bible doesn't say,

0:53:39.871,0:53:42.651
examine yourself and now

0:53:42.651,0:53:45.029
pull the yard stick back.

0:53:45.029,0:53:47.105
And look at it again.

0:53:47.105,0:53:48.587
Well, where am I at on here?

0:53:48.587,0:53:50.794
That's not the examining of yourself.

0:53:50.794,0:53:55.781
If you ever take your eyes off of Christ,

0:53:55.781,0:53:57.148
I'll tell you this,

0:53:57.148,0:53:58.907
the Spirit of God came into the world

0:53:58.907,0:54:00.208
to exalt Christ.

0:54:00.208,0:54:01.542
Where does the Spirit of God

0:54:01.542,0:54:03.090
bear witness with our spirit

0:54:03.090,0:54:04.502
that we're children of God?

0:54:04.502,0:54:05.916
As we gaze at Christ.

0:54:05.916,0:54:08.753
Looking to Christ in faith.

0:54:08.753,0:54:10.462
The love of God is poured abroad

0:54:10.462,0:54:11.371
in our heart.

0:54:11.371,0:54:14.757
It's shed abroad when [br]we're looking to Christ.

0:54:14.757,0:54:16.897
It's shed abroad when we see ourselves

0:54:16.897,0:54:20.993
as weak, as ungodly, [br]and Christ dying for us.

0:54:20.993,0:54:23.771
That's where the assurance comes in.

0:54:23.771,0:54:26.474
It's not looking at our works.

0:54:26.474,0:54:28.164
(incomplete thought)

0:54:28.164,0:54:30.826
You say, well, how do I measure up then?

0:54:30.826,0:54:32.202
How do I look?

0:54:32.202,0:54:34.904
How do I do that?

0:54:34.904,0:54:36.761
If this indeed is true;

0:54:36.761,0:54:41.743
if there's got to be this radical change,

0:54:41.743,0:54:43.933
well how can I not see that?

0:54:43.933,0:54:45.565
Or how can I see that?

0:54:45.565,0:54:48.691
How can I measure myself

0:54:48.691,0:54:51.593
against that

0:54:51.593,0:54:55.151
if I'm not pulling the yard stick back?

0:54:55.151,0:54:57.073
But you go look at those things.

0:54:57.073,0:54:59.925
Go look at the biblical yard sticks.

0:54:59.925,0:55:01.577
And I'll tell you what happens.

0:55:01.577,0:55:04.610
Yes, there has to be a look

0:55:04.610,0:55:06.408
at what God has done in my life.

0:55:06.408,0:55:08.015
There's going to be that evidence

0:55:08.015,0:55:09.692
of what God has done in my life,

0:55:09.692,0:55:11.808
but what is basically at the root

0:55:11.808,0:55:12.821
of the evidence?

0:55:12.821,0:55:14.691
What is the heart of repentance?

0:55:14.691,0:55:15.575
It's a turning.

0:55:15.575,0:55:17.023
it's a turning away from what?

0:55:17.023,0:55:18.934
It's a turning away from the yard stick.

0:55:18.934,0:55:20.142
Because what happens,

0:55:20.142,0:55:21.546
if you look at the yard stick

0:55:21.546,0:55:23.464
by itself, even as a Christian,

0:55:23.464,0:55:25.383
what are you doing?

0:55:25.383,0:55:27.118
You're saying well,

0:55:27.118,0:55:28.316
am I doing this?

0:55:28.316,0:55:30.692
Have I lived righteously enough?

0:55:30.692,0:55:33.769
Have I lived perfectly enough?

0:55:33.769,0:55:35.190
Have I prayed enough?

0:55:35.190,0:55:36.435
Have I loved enough?

0:55:36.435,0:55:37.969
It says if I don't do that -

0:55:37.969,0:55:39.440
have I done this enough?

0:55:39.440,0:55:40.870
And you start looking there

0:55:40.870,0:55:42.285
and you start looking there,

0:55:42.285,0:55:43.406
and I'll tell you what,

0:55:43.406,0:55:45.741
the poor Christian is just getting

0:55:45.741,0:55:46.964
beat up by the law again.

0:55:46.964,0:55:48.943
They're getting beat up by the standard.

0:55:48.943,0:55:50.769
They're getting beat up by this thing.

0:55:50.769,0:55:54.962
And then, suddenly [br]they're floundering around.

0:55:54.962,0:55:56.416
Am I in? Am I out?

0:55:56.416,0:56:01.467
Because I have sinned.

0:56:01.467,0:56:06.319
Brethren, this is why

0:56:06.319,0:56:09.672
whenever these standards of Christianity

0:56:09.672,0:56:12.885
are held out,

0:56:12.885,0:56:14.559
you look biblically,

0:56:14.559,0:56:16.728
they are just impacted,

0:56:16.728,0:56:17.962
they are surrounded,

0:56:17.962,0:56:19.427
they are encompassed

0:56:19.427,0:56:21.139
with lookings to Christ.

0:56:21.139,0:56:22.693
Looking to Christ.

0:56:22.693,0:56:24.359
The cross of Christ.

0:56:24.359,0:56:27.974
Do you see what the problem can be folks?

0:56:27.974,0:56:29.910
Is when we begin to pull

0:56:29.910,0:56:32.005
these things out of Scripture.

0:56:32.005,0:56:35.529
And you begin to pull them away.

0:56:35.529,0:56:37.747
You begin to set up

0:56:37.747,0:56:39.994
this standard before people.

0:56:39.994,0:56:43.678
Practice righteousness. [br]Practice righteousness.

0:56:43.678,0:56:47.435
You fall into this thing of masturbation;

0:56:47.435,0:56:49.221
you fall into this thing over here,

0:56:49.221,0:56:51.664
it's practice righteousness;[br]practice righteousness.

0:56:51.664,0:56:53.091
And we can get to where we're

0:56:53.091,0:56:56.219
hammering people and [br]hammering people....

0:56:56.219,0:56:58.302
We hammer them with holiness.

0:56:58.302,0:57:02.216
Folks, we're under the New Covenant.

0:57:02.216,0:57:05.370
What is the New Covenant?

0:57:05.370,0:57:07.561
The New Covenant is God saying,

0:57:07.561,0:57:13.361
"I will forgive their sins."

0:57:13.361,0:57:16.269
Blessed is the man -

0:57:16.269,0:57:17.575
blessed is the man, folks,

0:57:17.575,0:57:20.559
whose transgressions are [br]not held against him.

0:57:20.559,0:57:23.791
David went in with another man's wife

0:57:23.791,0:57:26.419
and he killed that man.

0:57:26.419,0:57:28.233
And he could come before God

0:57:28.233,0:57:34.874
and say, "Blessed is the man..."

0:57:34.874,0:57:37.646
Folks, we've got to be there all the time.

0:57:37.646,0:57:39.807
We've got to be there.

0:57:39.807,0:57:42.607
I tell you, brethren, don't sin.

0:57:42.607,0:57:45.076
But if you sin, we have an Advocate.

0:57:45.076,0:57:45.950
Do you see?

0:57:45.950,0:57:47.512
We've got to take these letters

0:57:47.512,0:57:48.442
in their entirety.

0:57:48.442,0:57:49.783
Yes, you've got Romans 8.

0:57:49.783,0:57:52.374
Yes, yes, yes.

0:57:52.374,0:57:54.731
By the Spirit, you put to death

0:57:54.731,0:57:56.013
the deeds of the flesh.

0:57:56.013,0:57:57.418
But remember how he started

0:57:57.418,0:57:59.551
that same chapter.

0:57:59.551,0:58:03.120
There is no condemnation.

0:58:03.120,0:58:05.135
Remember how he's hitting at this

0:58:05.135,0:58:07.883
when he gets to v. 33-34,

0:58:07.883,0:58:10.467
Nobody can bring an accusation

0:58:10.467,0:58:12.495
against God's elect.

0:58:12.495,0:58:14.476
There is no condemnation.

0:58:14.476,0:58:16.679
No one can condemn.

0:58:16.679,0:58:18.456
It's freeing.

0:58:18.456,0:58:20.916
Brethren, I've been hearing a lot

0:58:20.916,0:58:22.084
about repentance.

0:58:22.084,0:58:23.673
And I hear some of you guys,

0:58:23.673,0:58:25.175
and you're hammering it,

0:58:25.175,0:58:26.343
hammering it,

0:58:26.343,0:58:28.827
you're hammering it...

0:58:28.827,0:58:31.159
but folks, we've got to take people

0:58:31.159,0:58:33.741
to the cross.

0:58:33.741,0:58:35.289
What we're going to do,

0:58:35.289,0:58:36.686
if we don't keep taking

0:58:36.686,0:58:38.831
the brethren to the cross,

0:58:38.831,0:58:41.449
we're not going to outfit people

0:58:41.449,0:58:42.769
for the mission field.

0:58:42.769,0:58:44.161
What we're going to do is

0:58:44.161,0:58:45.993
we're going to have them wondering,

0:58:45.993,0:58:48.913
Am I in? Am I out?

0:58:48.913,0:58:50.645
Does He love me?

0:58:50.645,0:58:52.909
We've got to take them to the cross.

0:58:52.909,0:58:55.949
Say your acceptance is here.

0:58:55.949,0:58:58.654
We know you've fallen into sin.

0:58:58.654,0:59:01.719
We've fallen there ourselves.

0:59:01.719,0:59:03.912
We're not advocating a life

0:59:03.912,0:59:06.613
that is habitual sin.

0:59:06.613,0:59:08.545
There's got to be victory.

0:59:08.545,0:59:12.288
There's got to be righteousness,

0:59:12.288,0:59:14.338
but it is a righteousness that flows

0:59:14.338,0:59:17.041
out of a life that is constantly

0:59:17.041,0:59:18.760
resting in the cross.

0:59:18.760,0:59:21.494
When I came to Christ in the beginning,

0:59:21.494,0:59:23.619
yes, there was radical transformation

0:59:23.619,0:59:24.740
in the beginning,

0:59:24.740,0:59:27.100
but I fell into some horrible sins

0:59:27.100,0:59:28.213
in the beginning.

0:59:28.213,0:59:30.456
My wife fell into some horrible sins

0:59:30.456,0:59:31.492
in the beginning.

0:59:31.492,0:59:32.822
And I'll tell you what,

0:59:32.822,0:59:34.422
in the midst of that,

0:59:34.422,0:59:37.461
I didn't fall into despair

0:59:37.461,0:59:39.479
for this reason:

0:59:39.479,0:59:41.139
Because when Satan would rush in

0:59:41.139,0:59:43.311
and say, "look at you.

0:59:43.311,0:59:46.427
You wretch.

0:59:46.427,0:59:48.589
You think God wants [br]anything to do with you?

0:59:48.589,0:59:51.523
How could you claim you're saved?"

0:59:51.523,0:59:52.886
And I could say,

0:59:52.886,0:59:57.016
"Devil, you can slander me day and night.

0:59:57.016,0:59:59.017
But I came to Christ in the beginning

0:59:59.017,1:00:01.123
because I was a wretch.

1:00:01.123,1:00:04.581
And I know, all I am right now

1:00:04.581,1:00:07.267
is a saved sinner.

1:00:07.267,1:00:09.273
And all you're proving to me

1:00:09.273,1:00:10.943
all the more is I need to run

1:00:10.943,1:00:13.430
back to Him again.

1:00:13.430,1:00:15.178
And I'm going to head back there."

1:00:15.178,1:00:16.659
Folks, we've got to be heading

1:00:16.659,1:00:17.750
back to the cross.

1:00:17.750,1:00:19.430
Because that's where our assurance

1:00:19.430,1:00:20.343
is going to come.

1:00:20.343,1:00:23.379
And it's only when we're confident:[br]

1:00:23.379,1:00:28.112
Yes. I am not accepted by God because

1:00:28.112,1:00:29.774
of my own works,

1:00:29.774,1:00:31.499
even as a Christian.

1:00:31.499,1:00:34.801
I am not accepted because of my own works.

1:00:34.801,1:00:38.623
And my own failings as a Christian

1:00:38.623,1:00:41.252
don't sever the way I'm received

1:00:41.252,1:00:42.987
by the Lord.

1:00:42.987,1:00:44.666
And I run back there again

1:00:44.666,1:00:46.256
for healing,

1:00:46.256,1:00:47.959
for the blood,

1:00:47.959,1:00:49.639
back again,

1:00:49.639,1:00:51.953
where I know there is full forgiveness

1:00:51.953,1:00:53.601
and no condemnation.

1:00:53.601,1:00:55.011
Back to that cross.

1:00:55.011,1:00:56.656
Over and over and over.

1:00:56.656,1:00:58.295
And I set my eyes there.

1:00:58.295,1:01:03.104
And that Spirit will breathe in

1:01:03.104,1:01:06.541
such loving expressions of the Father

1:01:06.541,1:01:09.068
to me as His son -

1:01:09.068,1:01:10.734
expressions of love,

1:01:10.734,1:01:12.292
bearing witness,

1:01:12.292,1:01:14.006
and in those expressions

1:01:14.006,1:01:15.532
there will be assurance.

1:01:15.532,1:01:17.184
There will be confidence.

1:01:17.184,1:01:18.908
Where there is confidence,

1:01:18.908,1:01:22.058
there will be strength.

1:01:22.058,1:01:24.997
There will be boldness.

1:01:24.997,1:01:28.259
We will be bold as lions.

1:01:28.259,1:01:31.034
We will have a church of lion-hearts.

1:01:31.034,1:01:32.863
Brave-hearts

1:01:32.863,1:01:36.003
where there's confidence.

1:01:36.003,1:01:41.269
Oh, it comes in Christ alone.

1:01:41.269,1:01:43.296
That is my word for us tonight.

1:01:43.296,1:01:45.721
Brethren, go to the cross.

1:01:45.721,1:01:50.251
Brethren, when you see others struggling,

1:01:50.251,1:01:51.764
take them to the cross.

1:01:51.764,1:01:55.428
Don't beat them up,

1:01:55.428,1:01:59.879
but take them to the healing wounds.

1:01:59.879,1:02:02.853
Take them.

1:02:02.853,1:02:06.417
Back again and again.

1:02:06.417,1:02:09.056
And amen.

1:02:09.056,1:02:12.709
Any last comments or questions

1:02:12.709,1:02:17.359
or anything tonight?

1:02:17.359,1:02:22.042
What will help us look to Christ?

1:02:22.042,1:02:24.748
Fair question, right?

1:02:24.748,1:02:27.129
I would say this.

1:02:27.129,1:02:29.917
(incomplete thought)

1:02:29.917,1:02:31.962
Look, if my eyes need to be there,

1:02:31.962,1:02:33.648
then my eyes need to not be

1:02:33.648,1:02:36.079
on other things.

1:02:36.079,1:02:40.676
(incomplete thought)

1:02:40.676,1:02:43.079
We don't have spider eyes.

1:02:43.079,1:02:44.721
We don't have fly eyes.

1:02:44.721,1:02:46.404
We don't have compound eyes.

1:02:46.404,1:02:49.268
I mean, basically, God has designed us -

1:02:49.268,1:02:53.812
we can basically look in one direction

1:02:53.812,1:02:55.207
at a time,

1:02:55.207,1:02:58.068
and maybe that's true spiritually

1:02:58.068,1:03:00.706
to a great degree as well.

1:03:00.706,1:03:03.447
We need to set our minds on things above.

1:03:03.447,1:03:06.376
Folks, it's very difficult [br]to fix your gaze

1:03:06.376,1:03:07.871
upon Jesus Christ,

1:03:07.871,1:03:09.261
when your gaze is on

1:03:09.261,1:03:11.073
a thousand other things.

1:03:11.073,1:03:12.185
And so, I realize,

1:03:12.185,1:03:13.803
there are things we need to give

1:03:13.803,1:03:15.148
our attention to in life.

1:03:15.148,1:03:16.800
Gazing on Christ means

1:03:16.800,1:03:18.306
I'm thinking on Christ.

1:03:18.306,1:03:20.825
(incomplete thought)

1:03:20.825,1:03:24.850
Have you ever read Psalm 1?

1:03:24.850,1:03:28.546
What does that godly man,

1:03:28.546,1:03:29.825
that righteous man,

1:03:29.825,1:03:31.954
that upright man of Psalm 1 -

1:03:31.954,1:03:33.387
what is his relationship

1:03:33.387,1:03:34.416
to the Word of God?

1:03:34.416,1:03:36.732
There's something he does [br]with the Word of God.

1:03:36.732,1:03:38.257
He meditates on it.

1:03:38.257,1:03:40.734
Folks, you've got to meditate.

1:03:40.734,1:03:41.853
You've got to chew.

1:03:41.853,1:03:43.826
The little, flippant reading of Scripture

1:03:43.826,1:03:44.941
isn't going to get it.

1:03:44.941,1:03:46.493
You need to be in the Word

1:03:46.493,1:03:49.253
long enough, well enough,

1:03:49.253,1:03:51.271
where you're able to meditate

1:03:51.271,1:03:54.135
and chew and think.

1:03:54.135,1:03:57.138
The Spirit of God begins to work

1:03:57.138,1:04:00.034
and drive those thoughts deep.

1:04:00.034,1:04:02.766
Go deep with God.

1:04:02.766,1:04:05.623
I mean, you're not going to go deep

1:04:05.623,1:04:06.813
with God in the Word;

1:04:06.813,1:04:08.935
you're not going to go deep with Christ

1:04:08.935,1:04:10.343
in visions of the cross;

1:04:10.343,1:04:11.658
you're not going to go deep

1:04:11.658,1:04:13.305
into those realms of Christianity,

1:04:13.305,1:04:16.296
where the Spirit of God really breathes,

1:04:16.296,1:04:18.379
where you just do flippant reading

1:04:18.379,1:04:19.309
in the Scriptures.

1:04:19.309,1:04:21.269
You've got to get in there.

1:04:21.269,1:04:23.068
A lot of you guys listen to sermons.

1:04:23.068,1:04:23.935
You know what?

1:04:23.935,1:04:25.697
Sometimes we can get where

1:04:25.697,1:04:28.017
we can really like a [br]certain kind of sermon.

1:04:28.017,1:04:30.670
We really like the kind of sermons

1:04:30.670,1:04:32.155
where we get all beat up.

1:04:32.155,1:04:34.224
I know in the beginning,

1:04:34.224,1:04:35.199
I like that.

1:04:35.199,1:04:37.145
I like sermons that really beat me up,

1:04:37.145,1:04:38.107
but I tell you what,

1:04:38.107,1:04:39.916
a lot of times, we need to listen

1:04:39.916,1:04:41.499
to good sermons that just take us

1:04:41.499,1:04:43.335
to the cross.

1:04:43.335,1:04:44.756
And you find a good preacher.

1:04:44.756,1:04:46.601
Go read some good Spurgeon sermons.

1:04:46.601,1:04:51.175
When you guys find a good sermon

1:04:51.175,1:04:52.034
on the cross,

1:04:52.034,1:04:55.353
begin to recommend it to one another.

1:04:55.353,1:04:56.274
I'll tell you this,

1:04:56.274,1:04:58.628
avoid legalism.

1:04:58.628,1:05:00.065
Avoid it among yourselves.

1:05:00.065,1:05:01.624
Avoid it in your own thinking.

1:05:01.624,1:05:04.151
Don't go to a church that is legalistic.

1:05:04.151,1:05:05.011
Why?

1:05:05.011,1:05:07.834
Because legalistic churches [br]set up standards.

1:05:07.834,1:05:09.261
They set up rules.

1:05:09.261,1:05:10.295
They press it.

1:05:10.295,1:05:11.453
Press it. Press it.

1:05:11.453,1:05:12.252
That's no good.

1:05:12.252,1:05:15.134
That is not good to assurance.

1:05:15.134,1:05:17.555
Don't go where they're legalistic.

1:05:17.555,1:05:19.467
Don't go where there's preaching

1:05:19.467,1:05:22.489
that hammers law and responsibility

1:05:22.489,1:05:28.632
and holiness where Christ [br]isn't constantly mixed in.

1:05:28.632,1:05:30.660
Where Christ isn't central in the singing;

1:05:30.660,1:05:32.190
central in the preaching.