WEBVTT 00:00:00.300 --> 00:00:03.120 I invite you to open your Bible with me to the 00:00:03.120 --> 00:00:08.460 book of Hebrews and the sixth chapter. As you're 00:00:08.460 --> 00:00:10.400 turning there, let me ask you a question, and 00:00:10.400 --> 00:00:12.619 this sounds like a come on for a joke, but it's 00:00:12.619 --> 00:00:16.719 not. What do Jenny Craig, David Durenberger, 00:00:16.800 --> 00:00:20.820 and Miracle Ear have in common? I told you it 00:00:20.820 --> 00:00:25.199 sounds like a joke. It's not really. The fact 00:00:25.199 --> 00:00:27.280 is that all three of them either had claimed 00:00:27.280 --> 00:00:29.920 something or had claims made against them which 00:00:29.920 --> 00:00:34.619 were found not to be accurate. The same can be 00:00:34.619 --> 00:00:39.000 said with milk that supposedly cures cancer that 00:00:39.000 --> 00:00:42.619 we've heard about in recent days. When a claim 00:00:42.619 --> 00:00:46.240 is made we expect that there will be grounds 00:00:46.240 --> 00:00:50.859 for that claim. We assume that it can be authenticated, 00:00:51.100 --> 00:00:54.969 that it's genuine. If a person claims to be a 00:00:54.969 --> 00:00:58.850 citizen of the United States, there ought to 00:00:58.850 --> 00:01:02.469 be proof of that, either in papers of naturalization 00:01:02.469 --> 00:01:06.430 or in a birth certificate. If one claims to have 00:01:06.430 --> 00:01:08.969 made a discovery in science, there should be 00:01:08.969 --> 00:01:14.450 some evidence of that. You may recall that a 00:01:14.450 --> 00:01:18.129 few years ago there was a claim of cold fission, 00:01:18.950 --> 00:01:22.500 which was found to be false. in the University, 00:01:22.560 --> 00:01:26.099 I think, of Utah, if I remember correctly. If 00:01:26.099 --> 00:01:28.260 one claims to be successful, there ought to be 00:01:28.260 --> 00:01:32.099 some evidence of success. I was watching a little 00:01:32.099 --> 00:01:34.900 league game this last weekend as one of the opposing 00:01:34.900 --> 00:01:38.500 team's runners came by. The opposing team, by 00:01:38.500 --> 00:01:42.299 the way, was ahead about 15 to 1. One of the 00:01:42.299 --> 00:01:46.159 fathers on our side was watching his son struggle 00:01:46.159 --> 00:01:49.849 as well under the load of 15 to 3. He said to 00:01:49.849 --> 00:01:52.569 the opposing player on first base, hey, you've 00:01:52.569 --> 00:01:56.370 got a pretty terrific team. He says, yeah. He 00:01:56.370 --> 00:01:59.310 said, what's your record? He said, 10 and 1. 00:02:00.549 --> 00:02:02.890 Well, you see, there was evidence they had a 00:02:02.890 --> 00:02:06.890 good team. The twins also claim to be a good 00:02:06.890 --> 00:02:12.370 team. If there is relationship and a claim to 00:02:12.370 --> 00:02:14.610 that, then there ought to be some kind of likeness 00:02:14.610 --> 00:02:17.889 to it. Sometimes we fathers look at our children 00:02:17.889 --> 00:02:23.270 and we say, too much like the old man. The same 00:02:23.270 --> 00:02:27.530 can be said regarding salvation. If one claims 00:02:27.530 --> 00:02:30.930 to be saved, claims to be a Christian, there 00:02:30.930 --> 00:02:36.270 ought to be some signs that that's genuine. In 00:02:36.270 --> 00:02:39.969 Hebrews chapter 6, beginning in verse 9, we read 00:02:39.969 --> 00:02:43.860 these words. Even though we speak like this, 00:02:44.080 --> 00:02:47.159 dear friends, we are confident of better things 00:02:47.159 --> 00:02:52.620 in your case. Things that accompany salvation. 00:02:53.719 --> 00:02:56.560 That's the phrase I want you to note. Things 00:02:56.560 --> 00:03:02.360 that accompany salvation. God is not unjust. 00:03:02.479 --> 00:03:05.879 He will not forget your work and the love you 00:03:05.879 --> 00:03:08.259 have shown him as you have helped his people 00:03:08.259 --> 00:03:12.340 and continue to help them. We want each of you 00:03:12.340 --> 00:03:15.560 to show this same diligence to the very end in 00:03:15.560 --> 00:03:20.740 order to make your hope sure. We do not want 00:03:20.740 --> 00:03:24.500 you to become lazy, but to imitate those who 00:03:24.500 --> 00:03:28.639 through faith and patience inherit what has been 00:03:28.639 --> 00:03:34.180 promised. There are signs that accompany salvation. 00:03:35.080 --> 00:03:39.719 It is the presence of those signs which authenticate 00:03:39.719 --> 00:03:43.699 the claim that a person may make to being a Christian. 00:03:46.240 --> 00:03:49.560 We should expect that genuine salvation will 00:03:49.560 --> 00:03:53.120 be accompanied by signs giving testimony to that 00:03:53.120 --> 00:03:57.840 truth. The absence of those signs caused Paul 00:03:57.840 --> 00:04:02.340 to challenge the Corinthians. He said to them, 00:04:02.659 --> 00:04:06.219 examine yourselves whether you be in the faith. 00:04:08.750 --> 00:04:11.689 It is not enough to have been raised in a Christian 00:04:11.689 --> 00:04:15.590 family or a Christian nation or to go to a Christian 00:04:15.590 --> 00:04:20.089 church. We are challenged by the Word of God 00:04:20.089 --> 00:04:23.790 to examine ourselves to see if in fact we are 00:04:23.790 --> 00:04:28.709 in the faith. It's not our job to examine others, 00:04:29.509 --> 00:04:32.750 though we're often more proficient at that. It 00:04:32.750 --> 00:04:36.899 is our job to examine ourselves. Hebrews 6 verse 00:04:36.899 --> 00:04:40.420 9 speaks of those things that accompany salvation. 00:04:41.879 --> 00:04:44.160 He compares them in the previous verse or two 00:04:44.160 --> 00:04:49.699 to a crop from land that is good. He says, land 00:04:49.699 --> 00:04:52.680 that drinks in the rain, how we know much about 00:04:52.680 --> 00:04:57.699 that. Often falling, there's Minnesota. on it, 00:04:57.740 --> 00:05:01.319 and that produces a crop useful to those for 00:05:01.319 --> 00:05:04.459 whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. 00:05:05.040 --> 00:05:08.019 But land that produces thorns and thistles is 00:05:08.019 --> 00:05:11.399 worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In 00:05:11.399 --> 00:05:15.800 the end, it will be burned." Here we see an agricultural 00:05:15.800 --> 00:05:19.699 illustration. And he says, good land is going 00:05:19.699 --> 00:05:25.699 to produce good crops. Bad land is going to produce 00:05:25.699 --> 00:05:32.839 thorns and thistles. Genuine salvation produces 00:05:32.839 --> 00:05:36.680 good fruit in the life of the person who is a 00:05:36.680 --> 00:05:40.160 Christian. If the claim is false, there will 00:05:40.160 --> 00:05:43.480 not be good fruit there but only thorns and thistles 00:05:43.480 --> 00:05:48.000 of character. He tells us that the presence of 00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:53.199 these signs makes our hope sure in verse 11. 00:05:54.639 --> 00:05:57.519 That doesn't mean that we become more Christians 00:05:57.519 --> 00:06:00.720 because they're there, but that hope that we 00:06:00.720 --> 00:06:04.939 profess becomes more sure to ourselves and to 00:06:04.939 --> 00:06:08.639 those around us when the presence of these signs 00:06:08.639 --> 00:06:15.420 can be pointed to. The claim to salvation will 00:06:15.420 --> 00:06:19.180 surely be proven by signs that accompany it if 00:06:19.180 --> 00:06:23.319 it is genuine. There are three signs that accompany 00:06:23.319 --> 00:06:28.170 salvation. as pointed out in our text. The first 00:06:28.170 --> 00:06:32.930 one is suggested in verse 12. It is a faith that 00:06:32.930 --> 00:06:37.589 matures. A person who is a genuine Christian 00:06:37.589 --> 00:06:43.589 will have a faith that matures. In verse 12, 00:06:44.629 --> 00:06:51.009 he speaks about imitating those who through faith 00:06:51.009 --> 00:06:55.779 and patience inherit what has been promised. 00:06:57.699 --> 00:07:00.939 The writer of the book of Hebrews was concerned 00:07:00.939 --> 00:07:05.139 that those who were professing faith in Jesus 00:07:05.139 --> 00:07:10.079 as the Messiah were lacking the signs that accompany 00:07:10.079 --> 00:07:14.000 that faith. Now he wants to think the best of 00:07:14.000 --> 00:07:18.360 them, and does, and yet through this book he 00:07:18.360 --> 00:07:25.149 gives strong warnings to them. lest it be found 00:07:25.149 --> 00:07:29.550 that their faith is not genuine, that it only 00:07:29.550 --> 00:07:35.009 be superficial and not deeply rooted in their 00:07:35.009 --> 00:07:39.310 hearts. There is a severe warning that precedes 00:07:39.310 --> 00:07:41.610 the verses that we've read this morning in chapter 00:07:41.610 --> 00:07:45.889 6. The text really goes back to verse 11 of chapter 00:07:45.889 --> 00:07:47.990 5, and that's where I want to pick up a reading 00:07:47.990 --> 00:07:54.019 for a moment. The writer is unfolding some of 00:07:54.019 --> 00:07:57.240 the deep things of God regarding the person and 00:07:57.240 --> 00:08:02.240 the work of the Lord Jesus Christ And then he 00:08:02.240 --> 00:08:04.980 interrupts himself so to speak by saying in verse 00:08:04.980 --> 00:08:08.800 11 We have much to say about this, but it is 00:08:08.800 --> 00:08:15.279 hard to explain Because you are slow to learn 00:08:15.279 --> 00:08:21.040 in fact Though by this time you ought to be teachers, 00:08:22.019 --> 00:08:25.439 you need someone to teach you the elementary 00:08:25.439 --> 00:08:29.980 truths of God's Word all over again. You need 00:08:29.980 --> 00:08:34.799 milk, not solid food. Anyone who lives on milk 00:08:34.799 --> 00:08:38.080 being still an infant is not acquainted with 00:08:38.080 --> 00:08:41.240 the teaching about righteousness. Solid food 00:08:41.240 --> 00:08:45.940 is for the mature. who by constant use have trained 00:08:45.940 --> 00:08:50.139 themselves to distinguish good from evil. Therefore, 00:08:50.220 --> 00:08:53.879 let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ 00:08:53.879 --> 00:09:00.200 and go on to maturity." Now the language that 00:09:00.200 --> 00:09:06.299 he uses here is strong and severe language. What 00:09:06.299 --> 00:09:11.799 he is underscoring is this. The first sign That 00:09:11.799 --> 00:09:16.100 a person is genuinely a Christian is a faith 00:09:16.100 --> 00:09:24.120 that goes on to maturity Faith grows in a genuine 00:09:24.120 --> 00:09:28.019 Christian now it may grow with varying rates 00:09:28.019 --> 00:09:33.039 But there is growth that is certain it is expected 00:09:33.039 --> 00:09:36.679 There's another strong warning back in chapter 00:09:36.679 --> 00:09:41.940 3 in verse 14 When he says we have come to share 00:09:41.940 --> 00:09:48.559 in Christ if We hold firmly till the end the 00:09:48.559 --> 00:09:54.340 confidence we had at first You notice the if 00:09:54.340 --> 00:10:00.419 clause there What is the sign that a person has 00:10:00.419 --> 00:10:05.509 genuinely become a partaker of Christ? It is 00:10:05.509 --> 00:10:09.549 that he holds firmly till the end the confidence 00:10:09.549 --> 00:10:14.450 that he had at first There is a perseverance 00:10:14.450 --> 00:10:20.490 about his faith All of us sadly can point to 00:10:20.490 --> 00:10:24.509 people that we know Who have at some point in 00:10:24.509 --> 00:10:29.230 their lives professed faith in Christ and Then 00:10:29.230 --> 00:10:31.389 have fallen away and beyond that there has been 00:10:31.389 --> 00:10:34.990 no evidence at all of salvation Are they saved? 00:10:35.850 --> 00:10:39.870 Are they genuine Christians? Well, only God knows 00:10:39.870 --> 00:10:45.870 the answer to that. We're not called to be judges 00:10:45.870 --> 00:10:52.389 of others in this ultimate sense. But the indications 00:10:52.389 --> 00:10:56.629 are that that faith was not genuine. Because 00:10:56.629 --> 00:10:59.570 a faith that is genuine, a faith that brings 00:10:59.570 --> 00:11:04.269 salvation, is a faith that perseveres and matures. 00:11:05.049 --> 00:11:08.389 It goes on to grow beyond the elementary things. 00:11:12.809 --> 00:11:18.669 A genuine believer will keep on believing. Now 00:11:18.669 --> 00:11:21.570 that is an act of grace in the part of that believer. 00:11:21.750 --> 00:11:23.789 It's nothing that he can brag about in himself. 00:11:24.940 --> 00:11:28.340 It is a work of grace that we continue to persevere 00:11:28.340 --> 00:11:31.539 in our faith. We cannot boast of it as though 00:11:31.539 --> 00:11:36.419 we did it. But the fact is that when one is genuinely 00:11:36.419 --> 00:11:39.980 a partaker of that grace it will enable one to 00:11:39.980 --> 00:11:46.679 believe on to maturity. So the first sign that 00:11:46.679 --> 00:11:50.500 accompanies salvation is a faith that matures. 00:11:53.340 --> 00:11:57.450 There was a young book salesman who a number 00:11:57.450 --> 00:12:00.710 of years ago was assigned to a rural area to 00:12:00.710 --> 00:12:06.529 sell his books during the summer period. Some 00:12:06.529 --> 00:12:08.909 of you have worked those kinds of jobs. They're 00:12:08.909 --> 00:12:13.190 tough. This young man saw a farmer sitting on 00:12:13.190 --> 00:12:17.149 a rocking chair on his porch and approaching 00:12:17.149 --> 00:12:21.289 this farmer with all the zeal of a newly trained 00:12:21.289 --> 00:12:25.909 salesman He said, sir, I have a book here that 00:12:25.909 --> 00:12:29.190 will tell you how to farm ten times better than 00:12:29.190 --> 00:12:34.269 you're doing now. The farmer just kept rocking. 00:12:36.409 --> 00:12:40.230 Then in a few seconds he said, son, I don't need 00:12:40.230 --> 00:12:44.250 your book. I already know how to farm ten times 00:12:44.250 --> 00:12:51.110 better than I am right now. See, he knew he just 00:12:51.110 --> 00:12:54.129 wasn't practicing it. There are a lot of people 00:12:54.129 --> 00:12:57.850 like that in the world. They know about Christ, 00:12:57.929 --> 00:13:00.049 they know about how to become a Christian, they 00:13:00.049 --> 00:13:04.389 know the story of faith, that when we trust Christ, 00:13:05.250 --> 00:13:08.370 we're born into God's family, they know that 00:13:08.370 --> 00:13:12.870 they just haven't practiced it. Because if they 00:13:12.870 --> 00:13:17.769 have, they'll be farming. If they have, Their 00:13:17.769 --> 00:13:20.929 faith will be growing. Their faith will be maturing. 00:13:21.169 --> 00:13:26.529 It will persevere. They will not fall away, ultimately. 00:13:27.769 --> 00:13:29.629 Now there may be periods in their lives when 00:13:29.629 --> 00:13:33.230 they will not believe God as they should. Or 00:13:33.230 --> 00:13:37.230 when they will stumble in their faith. But they 00:13:37.230 --> 00:13:43.149 will not fall away from their faith. There's 00:13:43.149 --> 00:13:45.649 a second sign that we see in our text that accompanies 00:13:45.649 --> 00:13:51.629 salvation. Turning back again to chapter 6 in 00:13:51.629 --> 00:13:57.850 verse 10. He says God is not unjust He will not 00:13:57.850 --> 00:14:01.629 forget your work The second sign that I want 00:14:01.629 --> 00:14:03.789 to point to this morning that accompanies genuine 00:14:03.789 --> 00:14:09.730 salvation is this works that prove Genuine salvation 00:14:09.730 --> 00:14:14.049 will inevitably be accompanied by works of righteousness 00:14:14.049 --> 00:14:19.720 in the life of the believer Not that he cannot 00:14:19.720 --> 00:14:23.940 still sin and won't sin. Because as long as we 00:14:23.940 --> 00:14:26.600 are in this world, in this body, we still struggle 00:14:26.600 --> 00:14:32.639 with the reality of sin's power. But the fact 00:14:32.639 --> 00:14:35.659 is that a genuine child of God will produce in 00:14:35.659 --> 00:14:40.500 his life, God's grace working in him, good works 00:14:40.500 --> 00:14:44.639 of righteousness. Why is that? Because he's a 00:14:44.639 --> 00:14:49.100 new person. Turn back with me to Acts chapter 00:14:49.100 --> 00:14:57.639 26. The book of Acts chapter 26. Here we have 00:14:57.639 --> 00:15:07.059 the testimony of the Apostle Paul. In Acts 26, 00:15:08.559 --> 00:15:12.299 he is speaking to King Agrippa and in verse 20, 00:15:15.120 --> 00:15:17.960 He says this. Let's back up to verse 19 to catch 00:15:17.960 --> 00:15:21.000 the flow. So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient 00:15:21.000 --> 00:15:25.100 to the vision from heaven, first to those in 00:15:25.100 --> 00:15:27.860 Damascus and then to those in Jerusalem and in 00:15:27.860 --> 00:15:31.919 all Judea, and to the Gentiles also. I preached 00:15:31.919 --> 00:15:36.740 that they should repent and turn to God and prove 00:15:36.740 --> 00:15:43.190 their repentance by their deeds. This is not 00:15:43.190 --> 00:15:45.870 John the Baptist preaching. This is the Apostle 00:15:45.870 --> 00:15:48.470 Paul. This is not the Old Testament. This is 00:15:48.470 --> 00:15:54.289 the New Testament message of grace Paul says 00:15:54.289 --> 00:15:57.009 I preach that they should repent and they should 00:15:57.009 --> 00:16:03.269 prove their repentance by their works of righteousness 00:16:03.269 --> 00:16:09.769 And so he writes to the Philippians Continually 00:16:09.769 --> 00:16:15.929 work out your salvation. Paul isn't saying work 00:16:15.929 --> 00:16:19.629 for your salvation. He makes it clear that salvation 00:16:19.629 --> 00:16:22.350 is apart from works. It's a gift of God given 00:16:22.350 --> 00:16:25.889 by grace. We receive it by faith. But he says 00:16:25.889 --> 00:16:29.230 that when God has put that salvation in us, we 00:16:29.230 --> 00:16:34.529 are to work it out in our lives. The second evidence 00:16:34.529 --> 00:16:38.960 that one is a genuine Christian is works. that 00:16:38.960 --> 00:16:46.679 prove it. James says, faith without works is 00:16:46.679 --> 00:16:50.919 dead. It doesn't have any reality, any life to 00:16:50.919 --> 00:16:58.600 it. He says, can that faith save anyone? And 00:16:58.600 --> 00:17:01.159 the answer that he expects is the correct one, 00:17:01.200 --> 00:17:07.700 no, it cannot. Faith that saves is accompanied 00:17:07.700 --> 00:17:12.920 by works that prove its reality. Salvation demonstrates 00:17:12.920 --> 00:17:17.019 its presence by the works of the life. When one 00:17:17.019 --> 00:17:19.779 trusts Jesus Christ as Savior, he becomes a new 00:17:19.779 --> 00:17:23.119 creation. God puts in the heart new desires. 00:17:24.119 --> 00:17:26.619 He gives us the Holy Spirit so there is a new 00:17:26.619 --> 00:17:31.220 power. And all of that newness creates new good 00:17:31.220 --> 00:17:37.299 works of righteousness. The second evidence that 00:17:37.299 --> 00:17:41.960 one is a genuine Christian. The second sign that 00:17:41.960 --> 00:17:47.539 accompanies salvation is works that honor God. 00:17:49.660 --> 00:17:53.960 Good works that prove the reality of salvation 00:17:53.960 --> 00:17:58.119 being within. Again, I refer to the Apostle Paul 00:17:58.119 --> 00:18:02.500 who wrote to the Ephesians, for we are his workmanship, 00:18:02.619 --> 00:18:07.839 God's workmanship. created in Christ Jesus to 00:18:07.839 --> 00:18:12.519 do good works. Now remember just before he wrote 00:18:12.519 --> 00:18:17.279 that he said by grace you're saved not by works 00:18:17.279 --> 00:18:22.160 lest any man should boast. But then he says you 00:18:22.160 --> 00:18:25.859 are created in Christ Jesus to do good works 00:18:25.859 --> 00:18:31.299 and the good works surely do follow in the life 00:18:31.299 --> 00:18:37.089 of the genuine child of God. Now there's a third 00:18:37.089 --> 00:18:39.650 sign that accompanies salvation in Hebrews chapter 00:18:39.650 --> 00:18:44.009 6. Again back to verse 10 where he says, God 00:18:44.009 --> 00:18:47.869 is not unjust. He will not forget your work and 00:18:47.869 --> 00:18:53.710 the love you have shown him as you have helped 00:18:53.710 --> 00:18:58.009 his people and continue to help them. The third 00:18:58.009 --> 00:19:01.150 evidence of salvation, which is genuine, is a 00:19:01.150 --> 00:19:05.670 love that serves. Notice that it is first directed 00:19:05.670 --> 00:19:12.650 toward God, supremely toward God. We love Him 00:19:12.650 --> 00:19:18.089 because He first loved us. The genuine Christian 00:19:18.089 --> 00:19:22.089 will love God. That will then become his highest 00:19:22.089 --> 00:19:25.650 motivation for all of his service in life. It 00:19:25.650 --> 00:19:30.329 will be his passion for serving others because 00:19:30.329 --> 00:19:34.309 he loves God. Many years ago, a well -to -do 00:19:34.309 --> 00:19:38.329 Christian went into a slave market and there 00:19:38.329 --> 00:19:42.730 paid a high price for a particular slave that 00:19:42.730 --> 00:19:47.950 he chose. This man abhorred the practice of slavery, 00:19:49.049 --> 00:19:51.829 and his sole purpose in buying the slave was 00:19:51.829 --> 00:19:58.069 so that he might set the man free. So when the 00:19:58.069 --> 00:20:00.549 two men met for the first time, this wealthy 00:20:00.549 --> 00:20:03.730 Christian said to him, It is true that I bought 00:20:03.730 --> 00:20:07.829 you, but I did it only to free you from the terrible 00:20:07.829 --> 00:20:12.269 bondage that you have known." And then he handed 00:20:12.269 --> 00:20:15.829 to the other man his papers that guaranteed his 00:20:15.829 --> 00:20:20.710 freedom. The slave looked at the papers in his 00:20:20.710 --> 00:20:24.470 hands, and then his eyes went to the man who 00:20:24.470 --> 00:20:27.970 had paid the price for him. And he said, Am I 00:20:27.970 --> 00:20:33.380 truly free? Am I on my own? May I do whatever 00:20:33.380 --> 00:20:39.799 I wish?" His benefactor said, yes, that's why 00:20:39.799 --> 00:20:42.619 I bought you so that you could be loosed from 00:20:42.619 --> 00:20:48.559 those chains forever. With tears coming down 00:20:48.559 --> 00:20:54.839 his cheeks, that slave fell at the feet of the 00:20:54.839 --> 00:20:58.170 man who had purchased him. And with heartfelt 00:20:58.170 --> 00:21:01.769 devotion he said, then my greatest joy and freedom 00:21:01.769 --> 00:21:08.470 will be to stay with you and to serve you. What 00:21:08.470 --> 00:21:11.509 a wonderful illustration that is of those of 00:21:11.509 --> 00:21:14.910 us who have been purchased out of sin by Christ. 00:21:17.130 --> 00:21:23.230 How our hearts love Him and worship Him because 00:21:23.230 --> 00:21:26.490 He has paid the price for us. that we might be 00:21:26.490 --> 00:21:32.130 loose from the terrible bondage of sin. That 00:21:32.130 --> 00:21:35.009 love for Him now becomes the highest motivation 00:21:35.009 --> 00:21:38.009 in our lives for whatever we do. Paul said, the 00:21:38.009 --> 00:21:43.890 love of Christ constrains me. It does, the genuine 00:21:43.890 --> 00:21:47.789 child of God. Because the evidence that He is 00:21:47.789 --> 00:21:51.990 a child of God is that He has love. A new and 00:21:51.990 --> 00:21:55.950 different kind of love. is a love for God that 00:21:55.950 --> 00:21:59.650 serves others. It is directed toward His people 00:21:59.650 --> 00:22:03.450 in helping them, as this verse says. Jesus said 00:22:03.450 --> 00:22:07.069 by this, all men will know you are My disciples 00:22:07.069 --> 00:22:12.470 if you have love one for another. Evidence, proof, 00:22:13.210 --> 00:22:18.630 documentation. For the child of God is love. 00:22:22.109 --> 00:22:25.230 John MacArthur's written, Keeping God as our 00:22:25.230 --> 00:22:29.109 focus and first love not only gives us the desire 00:22:29.109 --> 00:22:31.869 and power to love others and to serve them, but 00:22:31.869 --> 00:22:35.170 it also sustains us in our love and service. 00:22:35.750 --> 00:22:41.690 Only God's love has such staying power. Well, 00:22:41.690 --> 00:22:43.829 these are the signs of salvation. They are not 00:22:43.829 --> 00:22:46.190 the only signs of salvation, by the way, but 00:22:46.190 --> 00:22:49.210 they are the ones in the immediate context of 00:22:49.210 --> 00:22:55.779 this verse where the apostle writes, We are confident 00:22:55.779 --> 00:22:59.579 of better things in your case, things that accompany 00:22:59.579 --> 00:23:05.000 salvation. I do not preach this message this 00:23:05.000 --> 00:23:07.539 morning to shake the assurance of any child of 00:23:07.539 --> 00:23:10.960 God who is here. I could not do that anyway. 00:23:13.160 --> 00:23:15.460 But if there be someone who has come this morning, 00:23:16.259 --> 00:23:21.559 even someone who may come regularly, and the 00:23:21.559 --> 00:23:24.279 signs that accompany salvation are not present 00:23:24.279 --> 00:23:27.559 in your life, then there is reason to follow 00:23:27.559 --> 00:23:29.920 the admonition of the Apostle Paul when he said, 00:23:30.140 --> 00:23:33.940 examine yourself to see if you're in the faith. 00:23:36.279 --> 00:23:38.500 Because you see where the lightning of faith 00:23:38.500 --> 00:23:42.160 strikes the thunder of evidence will follow. 00:23:45.779 --> 00:23:48.319 I've heard sermons and I've probably even preached 00:23:48.319 --> 00:23:50.779 some that said you ought to be able to name a 00:23:50.779 --> 00:23:53.240 date or have a date in your Bible as to when 00:23:53.240 --> 00:23:55.859 you trusted Christ and there are those who can 00:23:55.859 --> 00:24:00.359 do that and I'm glad for them. But we ought not 00:24:00.359 --> 00:24:05.559 to depend upon a date in our Bibles for the assurance 00:24:05.559 --> 00:24:10.619 of our salvation. Nor are we to depend upon a 00:24:10.619 --> 00:24:14.279 memory of some event or someone else's comments 00:24:14.279 --> 00:24:19.390 about the time when we trusted Christ. Because 00:24:19.390 --> 00:24:22.630 ultimately the only assurance of our salvation 00:24:22.630 --> 00:24:25.130 that really matters is that assurance that the 00:24:25.130 --> 00:24:29.190 Spirit of God gives within our hearts. That witness 00:24:29.190 --> 00:24:34.529 from Him that we are truly God's children. And 00:24:34.529 --> 00:24:37.210 that witness of the Holy Spirit can be found 00:24:37.210 --> 00:24:39.970 in what we've talked about this morning. It is 00:24:39.970 --> 00:24:43.190 that faith that He nurtures and causes to grow 00:24:43.190 --> 00:24:48.619 in our lives. It is the good works that he stimulates 00:24:48.619 --> 00:24:53.460 and empowers through our lives. It is the love 00:24:53.460 --> 00:24:57.259 for God that he produces which then reaches out 00:24:57.259 --> 00:25:01.160 to our fellow man to embrace them and to serve 00:25:01.160 --> 00:25:05.059 them. That is the witness of the Holy Spirit. 00:25:08.420 --> 00:25:11.279 Let me tell you the parable of the misguided 00:25:11.279 --> 00:25:17.480 goat. A goat wanted more than anything else in 00:25:17.480 --> 00:25:22.319 the world to be a lion. He told himself if he 00:25:22.319 --> 00:25:25.279 could learn to walk like a lion, talk like a 00:25:25.279 --> 00:25:29.160 lion, and go where lions go, he would be a lion. 00:25:30.240 --> 00:25:34.240 So he practiced stalking through the jungle and 00:25:34.240 --> 00:25:37.359 tried to swish his stubby little tail majestically. 00:25:39.000 --> 00:25:42.619 Then he sought to turn his pitiful little bleat 00:25:42.700 --> 00:25:46.460 into the deep awesome roar of the king of the 00:25:46.460 --> 00:25:51.420 beasts. He worked and worked on it. Finally, 00:25:52.400 --> 00:25:54.819 he convinced himself that he really looked and 00:25:54.819 --> 00:25:59.259 sounded like a lion. Now he said, all I have 00:25:59.259 --> 00:26:04.579 to do to be a lion is to go where lions go. And 00:26:04.579 --> 00:26:07.420 so he marched into the lion's territory one day 00:26:07.420 --> 00:26:13.309 about lunchtime and was never seen again. You 00:26:13.309 --> 00:26:15.049 know there are some people who think that they 00:26:15.049 --> 00:26:18.589 can just talk like Christians talk and walk like 00:26:18.589 --> 00:26:21.490 Christians walk and they sing Christian hymns 00:26:21.490 --> 00:26:24.009 and if they go to church, if they get baptized 00:26:24.009 --> 00:26:28.390 and go through all those outward things, somehow 00:26:28.390 --> 00:26:32.509 they'll become a Christian. It doesn't work that 00:26:32.509 --> 00:26:39.210 way. We become a Christian on the inside by the 00:26:39.210 --> 00:26:43.470 new birth. The Spirit of God giving us new life 00:26:43.470 --> 00:26:48.670 which trusts in Jesus Christ as Savior. And then 00:26:48.670 --> 00:26:51.849 eternal life becomes real and one becomes a genuine 00:26:51.849 --> 00:26:55.349 child of God and there's evidence in the life 00:26:55.349 --> 00:27:05.630 of it. I preach this S .O .S. message this morning. 00:27:07.029 --> 00:27:11.359 Lest there be someone here who has a faith. without 00:27:11.359 --> 00:27:16.059 a foundation. I mean the faith itself is strong, 00:27:18.059 --> 00:27:21.859 but it's not rightly placed. You may honestly 00:27:21.859 --> 00:27:24.440 believe that what you've done is going to get 00:27:24.440 --> 00:27:30.819 you to heaven, but though you honestly believe 00:27:30.819 --> 00:27:41.240 it, you believe the wrong thing. A few years 00:27:41.240 --> 00:27:45.259 ago a Midwestern hospital came to such a startling 00:27:45.259 --> 00:27:50.799 discovery. They had a marvelous water system 00:27:50.799 --> 00:27:57.880 in their building to extinguish fires. It was 00:27:57.880 --> 00:28:02.380 the up -to -the -moment state -of -the -art kind 00:28:02.380 --> 00:28:07.700 of firefighting equipment. Beautiful polished 00:28:07.700 --> 00:28:11.549 valves in the hospital. well -placed outlets 00:28:11.549 --> 00:28:14.410 that were adequate to take care of any problem 00:28:14.410 --> 00:28:17.509 that should ever come up in that building. And 00:28:17.509 --> 00:28:23.430 for 35 years, they felt secure because they had 00:28:23.430 --> 00:28:28.150 faith that that system would help them to conquer 00:28:28.150 --> 00:28:33.849 any fire. But after 35 years, it was discovered 00:28:33.849 --> 00:28:37.670 that the water main had never been connected 00:28:37.670 --> 00:28:41.759 to that system. that it went four feet down to 00:28:41.759 --> 00:28:46.500 the ground and that was it. There was no water. 00:28:51.380 --> 00:28:57.299 The danger of unfounded faith. Genuine faith 00:28:57.299 --> 00:29:02.119 is accompanied by signs of salvation. There's 00:29:02.119 --> 00:29:05.019 evidence there to document the fact that we are 00:29:05.019 --> 00:29:09.930 children of God. Is there that evidence in your 00:29:09.930 --> 00:29:12.410 life this morning that you genuinely belong to 00:29:12.410 --> 00:29:18.210 him? I'm persuaded says the writer. I'm confident 00:29:18.210 --> 00:29:20.910 of better things of you things that accompany 00:29:20.910 --> 00:29:30.670 salvation Let's pray It may be that as you hear 00:29:30.670 --> 00:29:33.170 this message from God's word that your heart 00:29:33.170 --> 00:29:37.829 is troubled And you wonder, is my faith genuine? 00:29:38.069 --> 00:29:42.450 Has it been founded correctly? The fact is that 00:29:42.450 --> 00:29:44.529 I can't look into your heart and know the answer 00:29:44.529 --> 00:29:51.130 to that. Only you and God, as God enables you, 00:29:52.829 --> 00:29:57.910 can see whether that faith is genuine. Do you 00:29:57.910 --> 00:30:00.230 have the witness of the Holy Spirit in your heart? 00:30:03.200 --> 00:30:05.740 Is there documentation that you're a child of 00:30:05.740 --> 00:30:09.579 God? Can you prove that citizenship? You say 00:30:09.579 --> 00:30:12.680 you've discovered eternal life. What evidence 00:30:12.680 --> 00:30:18.220 is there of your discovery? Is there documentation 00:30:18.220 --> 00:30:23.039 for the claim? Well, friend, if there's not, 00:30:23.319 --> 00:30:28.579 this morning the safest thing you can do is to 00:30:28.579 --> 00:30:32.890 be sure. And today, place your faith in Jesus 00:30:32.890 --> 00:30:37.250 Christ alone for your salvation. To stop trusting 00:30:37.250 --> 00:30:40.170 in things that you may have trusted in wrongly. 00:30:40.690 --> 00:30:49.910 Your church, the sacraments, your past. And to 00:30:49.910 --> 00:30:52.890 trust in the living Savior, Jesus Christ, who 00:30:52.890 --> 00:30:59.309 died and rose again. Will you right now say something 00:30:59.309 --> 00:31:04.130 like this in your heart, Lord Jesus Christ? I 00:31:04.130 --> 00:31:07.170 believe that you died for my sins and I turn 00:31:07.170 --> 00:31:09.690 from everything else I've trusted in in my life. 00:31:10.369 --> 00:31:15.089 I come to you alone and I receive you into my 00:31:15.089 --> 00:31:20.730 life and I ask you to give me the gift of eternal 00:31:20.730 --> 00:31:26.720 life and to produce through me. the evidence 00:31:26.720 --> 00:31:32.660 that I'm genuinely your child. My friend, there's 00:31:32.660 --> 00:31:35.559 no prayer that he delights more to answer than 00:31:35.559 --> 00:31:41.200 one like that. And now Father, I pray that you 00:31:41.200 --> 00:31:45.579 will bring to a focus your work in every heart. 00:31:47.000 --> 00:31:49.799 And may that act that is in response to it be 00:31:49.799 --> 00:31:55.279 according to your will and purpose. In Jesus' 00:31:55.880 --> 00:31:57.200 name, Amen.