through verse number 9 is the scripture that I want to read tonight. I Peter chapter 1, verse number 1, Peter and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontius, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. Grace unto you, and peace be multiplied, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith, unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. For in ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations, that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ whom having not seen ye love, in whom though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. You may be seated. We've been dealing with a series called Jesus Passing By, and as we talked about that series and dealt with that series, we said The first part was dealing with the condition of every man before Jesus passed by. When a man reaches the knowledge of accountability, where that's at we know not, but that man is under the wrath of God, we know that, but that man is also, he's dead and trespasses in sin, he's depraved to the core, he's rotten to the core. He's also dominated by the flesh, the world and the devil. He's also deceived, he's blinded by the devil, hearts deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it, and he's doomed. The wrath of God hangs over his head. But God, but God, who is rich in mercy, you see, I thank God for the buts in the Bible, in that sense of the contrast, the bad picture, sure, that's where everyone was, But God, meaning we're dear to the Lord in that condition. Every one of you are dear to the Lord. You're loved. You're graced. You're graced in that God sent the... He planted the seed in your heart. He gave you light, first of all. Planted the seed deep in your heart. That means you had to plow the soil, of course. but yet He, He also sent a human instrument across your path and He sent the Holy Spirit to do a work in your heart and that's got to be done before Jesus passes by. Now I know when a person's waken the Holy Spirit comes by but the phrase I'm trying to get across is the fact of Jesus passing by at the point of salvation, what we call the straight gate. at the point of believing, at the point of being saved. So there has to be a completed work of the Holy Spirit. Now we said the last two times we dealt with the fact of the work of the Holy Spirit in every man before Jesus passes by. It means every man that Jesus is going to pass by has this work completed in their heart. Now many people have been positioned to receive light. We talked about how that he positions you to receive light. but yet he moves in our darkness and then positions us to receive light and there's many that have that that still never are saved but yet that's God's grace to them to show them that they could have had an opportunity so he moves in our darkness He positions us to receive life. He works reproval. He positions us for the work of reproval, then works reproval, and that work of reproval we said is that if we define all the five English words that goes along with that, that translated from the same Greek word, it means to lay blame on with a purpose of correcting it sharply and sternly with authority using the evidence at hand to persuade one, to convince one of the righteousness of God and convict them of the sin of unbelief and the judgment of God that's sure upon their life, and bring that condemnation to pass as a reality in their heart. Now many people say, well I'm lost, I'm a sinner, and yet they've not had the reality of that. God got to deal with that. And so therefore He works the work of reproval and that's because He graced you. And He said when He's come He will reprove the world, mankind, of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. All the while God holding back that wrath and is charring His goodness upon us, longsuffering with us, forbearing, holding back that wrath, giving us a space to repent that He might work that work, a complete work, and it's got to be in all three areas righteousness and judgment. Now some people deal with sins, which is the fruit of the sin of unbelief, and God's going to get down to the root problem. You've never believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. The word on means to come to a point, place, and a time with a purpose, and the only way you can do that is for the Holy Ghost to bring you there. Salvation is the Lord. you've ever been saved, you'll say He did it all, to God be the glory. And if you're not saved yet, you'll get to that point, and I pray Jesus will pass by. He could pass by tonight for somebody and save your soul. I mean, He could. He can work what's needed in your heart. I don't know where you're at, but He sure does. Amen. and so he, but he will reprove you of the sin of unbelief, he'll convict you of judgment, realizing that you deserve the wrath of God, but he doesn't save you to keep you out of hell, he saves you for his glory, therefore he'll convince you of the righteousness of God, and that righteousness is not what you do, it's who you have. He, the Jesus Christ, is the righteousness you need to be convinced of, I need him. Christ is all I need we sing this song that's what you and the Holy Ghost brings you to that place to where you need him now he's hidden in the bosom of the father and and he's not revealed many people say well you go to hell for rejecting Jesus no you go to hell for rejecting life you see man has all, every man has light of conscience and creation. If he'll respond to that, God will position him to receive light. He'll move in his darkness, he'll give him light through the Holy Spirit of God and he'll, he'll send the human instrument across his path if he has to wreck an airplane to get him to him so that he can hear as God's way, in other words, and the Holy Ghost will finalize in him a work and he'll be saved. He'll do that for every man anywhere. But the thing about it is he, He's got to empower that gospel. We can preach the gospel all day long, but until God's Holy Spirit empowers that gospel to you and pricks that heart, reaches down inside, plows the soil, if you please, whatever you want to call it, you'll never be saved. He's got to show you a reality of you're separated from God. Now that's a problem. We've got a revelation of a lot of things, and you hope, but we don't have a reality of it. May God send us a reality this week of where we're really at and who we really need. And in other words, that's what we need to come to. So he'll empower the gospel, which is the fact that Jesus died and buried and rose again for our sins, but that required the virgin birth, the sinless life. It required the fact that he was not only buried and died and buried and raised again, but he ascended, he sprinkled his own blood in the presence of God and satisfied the holy Holy God, the Father, and as a result He's set making intercession for you right now, not willing that any should perish. He's praying for you tonight. And He's sitting at the right hand of the Father, making intercession to the uttermost. Amen. And then one day He's going to come back again. That's all about the Gospel, as well as the sanctification work of the Spirit, we call Holy Ghost Conviction. or the work of reproval, that's part of the gospel. So he'll empower the gospel to you, and then he'll grant your repentance and faith. Now godly sorrow or deep-caused grief, which is kindred word to Holy Ghost conviction, is what really, is where he really brings that sorrow down inside, and he said godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation. It's got to be worked inside by him, not by preacher, not by mama, saying it's about time you joined the church. That won't get the job done. And when He gets you to that place, He'll bring you, He'll grant you repentance, and He'll grant you faith. Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God, Romans 10, 17 said. But that word there is harima, which means the utterance of God. He's got to quicken to you. I preach you the truth 100%. Don't always do that. because every, every man preaches with a margin of error. Amen. But the thing about it is he can, you can hear the Word with a hundred percent accuracy and doctrinally a hundred percent correct. God don't speak it to you, it's not going to do you any good. Oh, it'll do you some good in the sense that you will finally, maybe it'll come through, but God's got to quicken it to you. He's got to do it. If a preacher tries to does it, that's man-made religion, that's not right. And all that'll do is produce a false convert, amen? But when He speaks to your heart, He gives you a promise. He speaks to you through the Word, through the preaching, through somebody's life, whatever it is, even circumstances, God can use it to speak to your heart. And as a result, when He speaks to you, that will build faith in you. And when He gives you the faith, the saving faith, you need then and then only Can you believe unto the point of salvation? So the work of the Holy Spirit in every man before Jesus passes by. He moves in our darkness. He works reproval. He empires the gospel. He grants repentance and faith. Then he calls us with an effectual call. That's a call that's capable of producing the desired effect, which means to be saved. And then he enables you to obey the gospel, which is to repent and believe. Now we said last week we even dealt with this a little bit, but it said there in verse two of our text verse, He's writing to the elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience and the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. So you see, He's got to do, He's got to work that work in your heart, bringing you to a place to where He enables you to obey the Gospel. What is obeying the Gospel? Repent. and belief, verbs, that's your part. But you can't do it till you've got something to act on. If you've never had repentance worked in your heart, and repentance is not some little word that some people tag on. Well, I repent. No, that's not it. It's a change of mind, a change of direction, a change of action, a change of direction. It's a turning around from sin, self, and the world, and taking up sides with God against yourself. And that's what repentance is, and it's His work. You won't do that. Your nature's not to do that. You don't want somebody to tell you what to do. That's why it's Lordship Salvation. Amen? John chapter 6, when those people, they called them disciples, they were followers of the Lord, but they wasn't saved, they were just those that tagged along, wanted their bellies full of five loaves and two fish, and so as a result of that, they said, we want to make you king. But he knew their heart and he said, except you eat of my flesh and drink of my blood, you'll have no life in you. That's not taking the Lord's Supper. That's not taking communion. That's not taking the Eucharist. Is that what they call it in the Catholic Church? That's not taking those wafers and stuff that they take. It's taking Him as Lord of your heart, and that's at the point of salvation. And if you don't do that, you cannot be my disciples, what he's saying. That's the point of salvation. So he enables you to obey the gospel, and that's by repenting and believing. Now, you can't do it unless there's a completed work of Holy Ghost conviction. A completed work of the Holy Spirit in your life must be before Jesus passes by. That's why he said in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verse number 3, no man can call Jesus Lord but by the Holy Ghost. Now a lot of people say Lord. You hear a lot of people around the country say Lord. They use His name in vain with emptiness and put some other explicits along with it a lot of times. And just a lot of times say it and it's really taken in vain. they don't, they're not talking about the Lord Jesus Christ, amen, and so therefore you, for you to call Him Lord of your heart, it takes the work of the Holy Ghost for it to be done, and then whenever that's completed, Jesus will pass by, Jesus passed by. Now let's look tonight at sort of the point when Jesus passes by, all right? When Jesus passes by. It's in the series on Jesus passing by, but we want to look at the point of when He passes by. When He passes by. Well, that's the point saving faith, in other words, can be exercised is when He comes by. Now, I'm not talking about some mystical figure walking by you somewhere, and if you see that, you better watch it. wrong Lord, the God of this world doing that, but I'm talking about just figurative language. When Jesus comes by, the Holy Ghost of God's done a work, and when He come by at that point, you can exercise saving faith. You can do that at that point. 2 Thessalonians chapter number 3, chapter number 2 verse 13, he said we're bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth. Belief of the truth, it emphasizes the human response faith to the truth of the gospel, and as I said, that will not happen without a completed work of Holy Ghost conviction before Jesus passes by. But whenever that happens, then you can call. The Bible said in Isaiah chapter 58 verse 9, Nine, he said, then you'll cry, and he'll answer, here am I. And you said, where's he been all that time? Just right there, closer than you even realized, waiting for you to get in line, waiting for you to get to the end of yourself, and not just you doing it, but his work bringing you to that place, and when the ducks get in a row, I mean, it'll all work out, amen. He'll pass by, and you'll believe, and you'll cry, and he'll say, I've been here all the time, but here I am. salvation comes, that's what we're talking about, and so we look into the night at the results then of when Jesus passes by. Well, what's the result? Well, verse number 4, excuse me, verse number 3 of our text verse, look at what Peter said, writing to the saints of God, that's all the word elect means, it means those who are in Christ Jesus, that's basically all it means. But he said, Blessed be, verse 3 of I Peter 1, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. You notice he's talking to the saints, he said he hath begotten us again. The word begotten us again, that's the result of Jesus passing by, begotten us again. Now what does it mean, begotten us again? That simply means to be born again. That's another phrase that's equivalent to being born again. Now I know, I know Jimmy Carter messed that phrase up all across this country back in the 70's, wasn't it 70's? He was in there, I mean he messed it up, now everybody's got a born again experience, amen. and they know not what he's talking about. Nicodemus came and wanted to discuss some things in John chapter 3 and said, we know you're a man sent from God because of the miracles you do. And Jesus didn't even discuss what he came to discuss, but he looked at him, knowing his problem, he said, ye must be born again. Barely, barely, I'm saying to you, in other words, he mentioned truly, truly twice to get his attention, ye must be born again. Now folks, every one of us got to be born again. You know why? Because we're born wrong the first time. But that's the only man that he ever told, you must be born again in the scripture because he was depending upon his first birth, his connection to Abraham. A lot of people depending upon their connection to their mama or their daddy or something in America today. I will tell you, the connection to human beings is not enough to get you in. I don't care how good a mama and daddy you had. I don't care how good a community you grew up in. You've got to be born again. And he said to all the elect, you've been begotten again. When Jesus passes by, you're begotten again, means you're begotten from above. And that means, and he said in John chapter 3 verse number 5, he says there, he said, Jesus answered and told Nicodemus, verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of the water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. You won't even see it if you're not born again. And you sure won't enter unless you're born of the water and of the Spirit. Now that water is a symbol of the Word in the Scripture. Somebody said, oh, that means you're born of the physical birth and the spiritual. But why talk about the man that's all standing there in the physical birth? Why say you've got to be born of water, the physical birth, if that was what it meant? Well, that's sort of a lot of unnecessary words, is it not? I mean, that's just like a lot of times. Have you ever gone somewhere to try to get some kind of paper? You know what they want is your certified birth certificate. I'm here. You know, I'm here. Here I am. You know? I mean, do you think I was hatched? I mean, do you think I was born out in a swamp somewhere? I mean, I'm here. What difference does it make? But they've got to have a certified birth certificate, right? Well, listen, you realize he would never have to say, you've got to be born of physical birth because he's already born. So he's talking about the symbolically of the water of the Word of God. You've got to have the Word. You've got to have the Spirit. Both have to be present for you to be begotten again, be born again. And what happens, of course, at that point? That's eternal life. John 5, 24, Jesus said this, Verily, verily, there's those two words again which means truly, truly, listen to what I'm saying, if he says it one time it's enough, but he said it twice to draw the attention, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, not the preacher's word, my Amen and believeth on him that sent me not the preacher but on him the father that sent me He said have everlasting life. That's the same word for eternal life for this crowd believes you lose your salvation and cozy didn't say eternal, well it is eternal, and shall, he said he hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. If we have, we're drawing it on the paper, we use that in our classes sometimes, here is the side which has no relationship to God. In other words, they're dead in trespasses and sin. They're under condemnation. Over here across the line of demarcation is the place of being alive, having eternal life, and saved, justified. Now he said when you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you pass from this side over here, you pass over that line, if you please, into a relationship with the Lord, and he said you pass from death to life and you'll never go back in the death again. You'll never go back under condemnation because you've been justified. Now that's what Jesus said. Now how do people get the fact you can be saved and then lost and saved? That just shows you there's room for rent in the balfour, amen? It's what it amounts to, amen? Somebody said, not the sharpest crayon in the box. I heard that the other day, amen? You know what I'm saying. We're blinded and deceived. That's whatever condition of every man is before Jesus passes by. But the thing about it is we have eternal life never to come back into that. That's being begotten again when Jesus passes by. That's after a completed work of Holy Ghost conviction. Well, it also said in John 10, 27, My sheep, Jesus said this, My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me, and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father which gave them Me is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. You see? That's what he's saying. We're safe and secure when Jesus passes by because we've been begotten again. We've been born again. We've been saved from heaven, from above, if you please. That's what he's talking about. Birth from above. And then another word that's used for that, begotten, is the word justified. Romans chapter 5 verse number 1, he said, he said, therefore being justified by faith, in other words, by faith. That's the work, the faith that God grants you, saving faith, and the point of believing Jesus passes by at that point, you can exercise that faith and you're justified. You're saved from the penalty of sin, and we can pronounce the word this way, just if I'd never sinned. Why, all your sins placed on Jesus' account. You have none on yours. The only thing you've got on yours is righteousness, who is Jesus, who will be the one that will be. either hath the Son hath life, either hath not the Son of God hath not life, and so therefore begotten." What does it mean? It means justified. It means also quickened. Ephesians 2, 1, it says there, and you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sin, made alive is what it's talking about. It also uses a word similar to the word begotten. It's the word translated in Colossians 1, 13. It said, who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son. The word translated there means a change of situation and place. The kingdom of Satan, now the kingdom of our dear Son. We've been changed places. We're a new creature. It also said, the word begotten means a new creation or a new creature in 2 Corinthians 5, 17. Therefore any man be in Christ, that means at the point of believing you are baptized into the body of Christ. He said all things are passed away. Behold, all things become new. You're a new creature, he said, is what I'm trying to see there. And at point of salvation, at the point of believing, at the point when Jesus passes by, you're begotten again. You know what that means? That means now you're back in the image of God. You're spirit, soul, and body now. You've got His Spirit living inside you. And you're made in the image of God again. You see, Adam was made in the image of God, but he lost that image. And you and I are born in the image of Adam. We're not born in the image of God. People try to say, oh, we're born in the image of God. No, no. We're dead in trespasses and sin. But when God makes you a new creation, you're recreated or begotten again into the image of God. And I don't know if all that really tells us, but it says you've been begotten again. When? When Jesus passes by. After the Holy Spirit's done a work in your heart. So the results, you've been begotten. You've been born again. And then you also have peace. The Bible said in Romans 5, Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God. Peace with God. The word with means to make one. We were broken in Adam. We were separated from God in Adam, if you please, in the loins of Adam, but now we're made one in Christ and peace is not a work in a sense. Peace is a person. Ephesians 2.14 says, And he is our peace. He, Jesus Christ, is our peace. In Isaiah 32, 17, he said this, he said, the work of righteousness shall be peace and the effect of righteousness, quietness, and assurance forever. In other words, the work of a reproval of the righteousness of God, when the faith is exercised, the gospel is all empowered to where you can obey it by repenting and believing. At that point, you exercise the faith in the Lord Jesus Christ because Jesus passed by and you've got peace. You've been made one with Christ, amen? In other words, it said the work of it is peace and the effect of it is righteousness and assurance forever. Well, you realize something, that means you won't be shaken. Won't be shaken. Why? It's the Lord's work. It's His work. It's something that's settled. It's something that's real. It's something that's lasting. And then another thing, not only have peace, not only when Jesus passes by, but you also have a begotten again, you're born again, justified or whatever, a new creature in Christ, but you also have forgiveness. Now that's something we need. I mean, if you ever, you've got something on your mind sometimes, boy, I tell you what, it'll drive you up the wall. lot of people being, being driven to Hopkinsville in this state. I think in Tennessee they call it Bolivar, amen, being driven to Bolivar, because there's no, no forgiveness. There's so much guilt upon them that they can't handle it. And there's people in our churches that are full of guilt that's made profession, but boy, they wake up, if they get around the truth comes close and searching, boy, that old flag, why, and I know the devil's still waving at you, but listen, if you've ever been saved, you can say, hey, that's covered too. I've been forgiven for that, and the guilt's gone. It's gone. Ephesians 1, 7, he said this, and said, In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace. In other words, that means a dismissal. Sin is gone. It's gone. Dismissed. Hebrews 10, 17, he said, Then their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. That's the result of Jesus passing by, being saved, if you please, because it's been a work of the Holy Spirit. conviction at that point. Psalms 103 verse number 12, he said, As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. In other words, our sins is what it's talking about. Where are they at? Well, I don't know where they're at. They said they're behind God's back and God don't ever turn around, he don't have to look behind his back because he can see the whole world. He's got the world inside. I don't understand all that, but he does say the forest east is from west. And I've used the expression many times, if he said north and south, oh, that would put me in trouble. That would put you in trouble because you go north, you're going to come to points, you start going south. When you hit the tip of the North Pole, you'll start going south at that point. Now, I don't know where it's at, and I don't want to find it. Amen. I don't want to go up there. It's too cold for me. But it's the same thing at the south. You go south as far as you want to go, but when you go so far to the south and hit the bottom axis of the earth, wherever that's at, cold down there too. Amen. But you start going north again. So, you see, He said east and west. In other words, you start going west or you start going east. Where does east meet west? Just two men down the roads on a place I know where they'd meet, amen. Two men named East and West, they could meet, but you go East and you keep going East and you'll circle there, you'll wind up over in England if you head the right direction, won't you? That's East, isn't it? I reckon across the land. You don't even know, boy, wake up. You'll have to lay brick back if you don't know which way your country is. But you go east and you come over there and you keep going around and some places you'll want to dodge. You don't want to go through Iran and all those countries today. Amen. But you keep going east and you know what? After a while you come up over here and you'll be right back where you started from. Still going east. And you'll never find where east meets west or west meets east. And he said, I hit them as far as east is from the west. Get gone. they're gone, thank God forgiven. Now, you realize something, some people want to hide behind that and say, well, I just don't have any guilt about anything. Listen, if you've got sin in your life unconfessed, God's going to deal with you about that, amen. You can't live in sin even after you're saved and get by with it, amen. And so therefore, but you're forgiven for all those past sins. Somebody said, you mean you have a past? Everybody has. Somebody said, what is it? Don't matter. It's covered by the blood. Keep it there. Get yours covered by the blood. Don't have to portray it. Don't have to confess all those things. I mean, we're not a priest that you confess to, but you realize you're forgiven. Dismissed. Gone. Clear mind. You can rest. Lay and pillow your head at night because it's quietness and assurance forever that he talked about. You've got forgiveness of sin. Now, forgiveness indicates that you're free from the guilt as well as the penalties, what we're trying to say. You see, justified means you're free from the penalty of sin, but forgiveness means you're free from the guilt of sin. Colossians 1.14, he said, In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins. In other words, the result of Jesus passing by. But begotten again peace forgiveness, and then he said we're begotten again The result of that is we're begotten again to an inheritance to an inheritance now I don't know about you, but a lot of people looking always looking for rich uncle of that some way You know what I mean said well Maybe I'll have an old rich uncle somewhere that I didn't even know about dying leave me a bunch of money sometime. You know, you've heard that and I know it's a joke, but it's not a joke. You'd sure take it to come your way, huh? Right? Looking for, yeah, I see the heads are shaking, say, whoever it is. You'd want that, but see, we've been begotten to inherit. Look at verse 4. And after he used in verse 3 of our text verse, he said, we're begotten again unto a lively hope by the resurrection and erection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance. incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. He said you've been begotten unto an inheritance. When Jesus passes by, you've got an inheritance laid up on the other side for you. Now I don't think that's what you, that's what's going to be majoring you, you're going to major on, you understand, but you've got an inheritance, amen. Now a lot of people lay up a lot of things down here and it just don't pan out. I know I heard somebody say they didn't trust the banks so they put their money in some kind of a coffee can and it rusted through and the molds got in the can and all they had was a bunch of green powder. Wouldn't you like for $100,000 to be eat up and the mole will eat it up and just, out, green powder? Brother Gary's shaking. That would be rough, wouldn't it, Brother Gary? I mean, it would work. But you see, you lay up down here, but moth is going to corrupt and rust to corrupt and moth will destroy and the kangaroo eat on it. It's not here you're laying up. Lay on the other side. But, he said you've got an inheritance. What did he call it? He said it's reserved in heaven. Romans chapter 8 verse number 17, he said, And if children, then ours, ours of God and John ours with Christ, if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. Ours with Jesus. We're a joint heir with Christ. We're going to inherit in Christ. We're going to be a joint heir with him, he said. And so this inheritance, incorruptible, undefiled, and reserved in heaven, fadeth not away. Ephesians 111 says something like this, talking about Jesus, in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. Now, if you look at that in English, it says we've got an inheritance. We've been, in other words, we have obtained an inheritance and that is true. But really the Greek in that verse is saying we are Christ's heritage. We are His inheritance. Paul made a statement in the book of I Thessalonians as he told the Thessalonican saints, he said, ye are my crown of rejoicing. And Jesus is saying in essence, you're my inheritance. You're my heritage. You're my heritage. If you're saved, when Jesus passes by, you have an inheritance yonder on the other side, but you are His heritage, you are His inheritance, you've been designated as an heritage to God. In other words, His possessions that He bought on the cross of Calvary. Now the word predestinated we use in that verse. Don't get afraid of it. It just simply means everybody who's been saved has been predestinated. It has nothing to do with a lost man. The word predestinated never has anything to do with a lost man. It has to do with the saints of God. Three things in the Bible it says you're predestinated unto. First of all in this verse Ephesians 1 We're His heritage or we're His inheritance. We've been predestined. When God, the Lord passes by and saves you, He's predestinated that you're gonna be the heritage of the Lord. You're His inheritance. Yeah, you'll have an inheritance, but you're His inheritance as well. The second thing you're predestinated to is in Ephesians 1, 5, when He said this, We've been predestinated, in other words, unto adoption. Now, adoption is not, we don't know much about it today like they did in those days. But listen, the natural born son could be disowned by mom and dad, but the one who was adopted would never be disowned. He'd be placed as an adult son, meaning he would share in the inheritance with the natural born child. Jesus in a sense is a natural born child and we're heirs together with Him so we've got an inheritance there and it can fade if not away, it's reserved, it's undefiled, nothing can get in and eat it up. You know, somebody, well, like they said tonight, somebody went off somewhere and they got their pocketbook stole, you know, all the cards and all their money and everything. Boy, that'd be a funny feeling to be off in another place like that. If you was in another world it'd even be better than another country, it'd be worse. But, it's bad enough. But you know what? He's saying, hey, you're in Christ, you're also placed already as an adult son. Jesus passed by, you believed at the point of saving faith, and as a result, you're predestinated to be placed to join Him, that inheritance with Him, the natural born Son in a sense. And then also we're predestinated to be conformed to the image of the Son. The Bible said in Romans 8, 29, and this is right after the verse that said, all things work together for good. To them who love God who are the called according to His purpose. And then the next verse said, verse number 29, he said in Romans 8, 29, for whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. God said, the Lord said, I'm going to make you like My Son. You're going to have an incorruptible body, a non-defiled body. an immortal body like my son is going to have. God, the Lord's going to make you that way. And that's why He's working on us. That's why He's teaching us. That's why He's training us. That's why we need to have the work of sanctification which is the walk of progression toward perfection that'll be gained at the first resurrection. We need that in our lives. It's a growing process if you please. And so therefore, that's why He said in the book of I John chapter 3 verse number 1 and 2, Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us. In other words, that means what foreign kind of love that the Father would bestow His love upon us that we should be called the sons of God now. Therefore the world knoweth us not because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God. It doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. In other words, we're guaranteed to be made like our Lord. We're His inheritance, and He's our inheritance. Why? Because the work of the Holy Ghost conviction brought us to the end of our self. Faith was granted. Repentance was granted. He enabled us to obey the Gospel by repenting and believing. And at that point, Jesus passed by and called you. and you melt it, in other words, you believe, you trust it on Him and you've got an inheritance, you've been begotten again, you have peace, you have forgiveness of sin, but you've been begotten to an inheritance, but also you have assurance, you have assurance. Now, boy, that's very little, most people say, well, it took 10 years for me to get my assurance and took this and took that. But the word of, in other words, what did he say in 1 Thessalonians 1, 5? For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance. Much assurance. And in the Greek, the word much means a whole bunch. Amen? That's all it means. He said you've got assurance. How long? Isaiah chapter 32, verse 17, he said, And the work of righteousness shall be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness, and assurance forever. He says, when you've exercised saving faith, when God's done a work, Holy Ghost has brought you there, the reality, you may not have all the terms together like I've given them to you, but you'll know that it's real. You'll know there's something transpired. You may not understand every minute detail of it, but the more it's preached on, the more you go back and examine it, the stronger it gets and the stronger your assurance gets if you really have something. If you've got that nagging doubt, if you've got that failure to have assurance. You just mark it down. And that little voice that said, that's just the devil making you doubt. Doubt is opposite to what God said salvation was. My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. Listen, the Gospel gave you assurance. Not the preacher. It's not my job to give you assurance. And yet I got a newsletter here the other day from some missionary and I quit reading a lot of newsletters to you. You know why? Because it's just It's heartbreaking to read some of those newsletters. And that missionary, and it wasn't one of ours, but he read the fact he went over and this boy had lived like the devil and done this and done that, and then he come to a point to where he said, he said, when I got through, he just had to have assurance. That's all it was. I want to tell you what, man lost is a ball in high weeds, and that preacher's going to have blood on his hands for not telling him the truth. Amen. somebody say you'll mess people up. I won't tell you, you can't mess somebody up on a rock, amen. I mean if they have some misunderstanding and they be shaking for a little bit, and it will be a little bit, by some terminology or something you use, when they go down to the rock they'll bounce back and be stronger than they ever were before, amen, more stability. And if you can be messed up, my man, you need to be messed up. If I mess you up, you need to be messed up, amen. because you see, the devil's a whole lot stronger than I am, amen? And I'll guarantee you, he'll keep you messed up if he can. That's his job. Confusion's not of the Lord, it's of the devil. So therefore, you need the gospel gives you the assurance, not the preacher, not mom, not dad, or anyone else. That's not their job, it's the gospel's job. He said, our gospel came not in word only, but also in power and the Holy Ghost and much, much assurance. He said, that's where it comes from, the gospel, the gospel, you see? You realize something, Romans 8, 16, it says this, the spirit himself, well really it says itself, and I've told you before that King James uses a neuter gender a lot, but the Holy Spirit's not an id, not a force, it's a person, amen, He's a person. But He said, the spirit itself or himself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. I've had a lot of people down through the ages that walk up to somebody and say, boy, I tell you, my spirit bears witness to you. It's what the Bible says. That ain't what the Bible says. The Bible don't say my spirit bears witness to your spirit. It said his spirit bears witness with your spirit. In other words, his spirit, if you're saved, comes on the inside and bears witness with your spirit that's been quickened, made alive, been begotten, have past peace, past forgiveness, has an inheritance, and he's got assurance because there's an agreement inside of you. You don't have to have anybody else around to have that, in other words. That's why he said in I John chapter 5 verse number 13, he says there, let me read that, I John 5 verse 13, These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know. In other words, I'm writing these things, John said, but also it's not just John for the whole book, but I'm writing these things that you may know that you have eternal life. And what does most people say? Well, you doubt. You doubt every day. You got to doubt. Does that book say these things are written that you may doubt that you have eternal life? Is that what it said? No, it says that you may know, that's the opposite of doubt, that you have eternal life and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God. Now even after you're saved, there's still some believing every day you've got to do. But now what did it back up? If we back up and take that in reverse when it said these things are written, verse number 12 says, He that hath the Son hath life. He that hath not the Son of God hath not life. Now how do you have the Son? It's Christ in you, the hope of glory. Holy Ghost in you. How do you explain it? I can't explain it. Amen? But he said, in other words, the Holy Spirit moves inside, bears witness with your spirit, but that is Christ in you. He is the Spirit of Christ. in you that bears witness with you. And if you have Him, you have life. If you don't have Him, you don't have life. It's that simple. And by the way, that's the righteousness that God requires, that we talked about you need to be convicted of and convinced of. But you realize, if you back up verse number 11, 1 John 5, he said, And this is the record that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. In other words, this is the record. He's talking about the Word of God points to the Lord Jesus now folks I won't tell you a lot of people have got word only is all they've got you know what I'm saying they've looked at the word and they said well I know I'm saved by the word but that's the record what do you say this is the record that God given us eternal life but this life's not in the record it's in the Sun And then he goes back up, verse number 10, he said, He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself, the Holy Ghost of God that bears witness, we talked about a while ago. And he that believeth not God hath made him a liar, because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. You see, a lot of people won't believe this word, they'll never get to the Son. Never get to the Son. Now, I've used this illustration before. I remember when I came here, I don't know whether I used it the first day I came, but I remember seeing the sign up here. that lied to him, it says a mile down the road. Of course it was, it's a mile and seven-tenths, all right? But what I'm saying, that didn't bother me, but there used to be a sign where wood nickels at up here on the corner. Y'all remember it? Sign there, it says, New Hope Baptist Church, one mile down the road. Well, just suppose that that day, or today, or any day, these who come in, and in other words, hadn't been here a whole lot, but just suppose Let's just use Brother Dusty for an example. He don't mind me, but let's just suppose that sign was still up there, okay? And he had never been here before tonight, and he has, but you know what I'm saying. I'm supposing, all right? But he comes around the corner and it says New Hope Baptist Church down the road, down this road. So he pulls his car over and says, Susan, let's just get out and sit right here. We're going to church. And he sits down right there in the ditch beside that sign. It says New Hope Baptist Church, corner, right? Now, you realize something? I'm gonna tell you. You better watch if you get in the ditch around here. There might be a broken bottle and you sit on a piece of glass and get cut. You stay there and the mosquitoes probably get out about dusk, amen, and they eat you up, amen. You might find an old lizard or a snake somewhere come along and take a bite out of it, amen. You might get a car turn the corner too fast and run over you in that ditch. You understand? Now, I'm talking, but do you know what? A lot of people are sitting on the sign. They're sitting on the record. Well, I know the Bible says this, and I'm just going to believe it. And they sit down on it, and they're staying there, and it's pointing to the sun. The sign up yonder pointed to the church. Now, this is a building where the church meets. But you see, if I'd have stopped there or anybody stopped there, you'd come by and you'd say, what in the world are you doing there? And they'd tell you, I'd say, it's the church. You'd say, dummy, the church is down the road. It's down there on the left. You've never been there? Follow me, amen? But you've got to believe the sign is there pointing down the road. I mean, if it was still there, you understand. Trying to get you to see a point. And yet, many people have sat down by the sign. and not, they say they believe the sign, the record, but they hadn't, because he said the record points to the sun. Right? Isn't that what he said? The record points to the sun. This, you've got to believe the record, but the record points to the sun, and he that hath the sun hath life. You stay on the record. Now thank God for the record. I mean, you know, that's God's way. He uses that, all right? That's what reaches down inside. God uses it to sharpen, let you see something's wrong. But it points to the Son. Did not Jesus say to the Pharisees in John 5, 39 and 40, Search the Scripture, for in them you think you have eternal life, but there they which testify of me, and ye will not come unto me that ye might have life. They stayed with the record. They stayed with the Word. help us to get away from the work. You understand the written word. Thank God for the written word. I'm not belittling. You understand? I'm trying to put it in its right place. You know who you need tonight? It's not what you need, it's who you need. You need the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, look what he said. I'm still talking about assurance here, but here he said there, verse number 9. I've already read 13, 12, 11, 10, now let's read verse 9. He said, If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater. For this is the witness of God, which he hath testified of his Son. What is the witness of God? He's testified of his Son, verse 8 of 1 John 5. And there are three that bear witness in the earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood. these three agree in one. Now remember I told you water in a still sense means the Word, so the Spirit, the Word, and the blood agrees. In other words, that's where your assurance comes from. Well, are you saved? Well, see, the Spirit of God's there, but see, somebody said, well, I know I'm saved by the Word, but now wait a minute, the Spirit bears witness. and the Spirit will bear witness and answer and say, I was there when the work of approval was completed. I washed you in your blood. The Spirit and the blood agree. Then you can open up the book anywhere and it says, truth, truth, truth, truth. Now you've got a threefold witness. And that's more than required. A threefold witness. He said, you've got, if you've got the Son, but if you don't have the Son, all you've got's the record, then no wonder there's so much upheaval today. Oh, may we get to the Son, if you please. These three agree. You see what? The blood is cleansed, the Spirit bears witness to, and the Word will verify it, and that's assurance that we're talking about that you have when Jesus passes by. He begottens you, or begets you. He saves you. He gives you peace. He grants you peace. He also, forgiveness of sin is there, and you're begotten to an inheritance that's the fate of not a way, but you've got assurance. because you have the Son, a threefold witness about that, amen? And that's why the devil can't shake it and the world don't doubt it, that's why we can shout it, save, save, save, why? All because Jesus passed by. Has He passed by you? Well, He's passing by, He's headed that way. Is the Holy Spirit doing the work? Are you yielding to the light you have? Are you obeying the light you've got? Are you walking in that light? If you will obey the light, God will give you more light. You continue, Jesus said you shall know the truth. You know who the truth is? Jesus. Know means to be intimate with. It means to have a relationship with. And He said you'll be saved if you'll continue in His Word. That's a conditional promise. But if you'll do it, He said you shall be saved. I'm looking for somebody, Jesus, to pass by. would be good tonight, it'd be good Sunday morning, Sunday night, it'd be good home, he'd pass by your bed anytime, and may he pass, but he'll not come by until there's been a completed work of Holy Ghost conviction in all three areas of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. So may we let God do His work through the Holy Spirit in our lives, and may we be sensitive to His work. And when He grants repentance, when He grants faith, you'll be able to exercise the faith and exercise repentance by repenting and believing unto salvation and He'll live inside. Jesus passed by. Oh, may Jesus pass by. So therefore, as I said, the devil can't shake it, it's assurance. The devil can't shake it, the world don't doubt it, that's why we can shout it, save, save, save. Why? passed by. Father, I pray you'd pass by somebody in revelation of who you are, not just a bunch of facts, but the reality of who the Lord Jesus is. May the Holy Spirit show someone the real righteousness of God, that they might be saved and have forgiveness and have peace and be born again from above and have this assurance we're talking about and Lord the inheritance don't mean all that much in one way, in one sense because we have you and in you we've got everything because we're going to share with you and Lord just do a work in hearts and lives tonight and throughout this week. Thank you for the record that points us to the Son but thank you for the Son who died on the cross of Calvary. May we come to you that we might have life and we'll thank you for what you do for we ask it all in Jesus' name for his sake we pray.