Let's get started. Lord, we just magnify your name and should be magnifying your name in all the things that we do. We ask that you would be with us in this time, certainly the holidays, our time of travel and potential closeness with families, and also potential with conflict in families. We just pray that you might be there in believing families, and there might be great fellowship and enjoyment there, and that you would just call those to yourself. We ask these things in prayer in this time to follow in Jesus' name, amen. All right, we're in John 15 today. And we've moved on. We're doing the I Am's of Christ. So without going in a lot of detail, you've heard me say it many times, but it's a hearkening back to the I Am's of God's visit with Moses at the burning bush when He said that His name was I Am and that He was to represent Himself as I Am has sent me to you. As Christ comes, He connects that with Himself in many I Am statements about who He is. And so we'll start in John 15. John 15.1, I am the true vine and my father is the vine dresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away. And every branch that bears fruit, he prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him, he bears much fruit. For apart from me, you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up and they gather them and cast them into the fire and they are burned. And if you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. My father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. So a little context, this is Some things that have already happened. Judas is already left to do his infamous deed of betraying Christ. So it is a group of saved individuals, I believe, there with him. He's preparing the 11 left for his pending departure and crucifixion, his resurrection. and subsequent departure for heaven is ascension. He had just told them that he would be leaving them. We can just look at that briefly in John 14, 2. In my father's house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you, for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way where I am going. And Thomas said to him, Lord, we do not know where you are going. How do we know the way? Then we get into something we've already looked at. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the light. But he's warning them that something different's happening. He's leaving, and they're a bit confused by this. But he has warned them of that. So now we're in chapter 15, and he's saying to abide in him. I think he would understand the, let's say, feeling of disconnection since they have been with him physically that would transpire at his leaving. And he's dealing with that connection that would be there and illustrating it as he is the vine and we are the branches. So this intimate connection between Christ and those who are in Christ. Now, certainly as possibly, as you heard me read that, you went, oh, that sounds like you can lose your salvation. Pruned branches that dry up and are thrown into the fire. And I would say that if that's the only text we had on the subject, I'd be hard pressed to come up with any different statement. But, That's not the case. It is much better described something differently. But let's look at that idea of a loss of salvation. We call this in Christianity the concept of eternal security. So being secured in your eternal position. Go to John 3.16. And John 3.16 says, For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. It's interesting to make the thought of how can life be eternal if it can be lost? It doesn't sound very eternal if it's short term. So can we really have eternal life and then lose eternal life? That's an argument for for eternal security, continuing on, for God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him. So a continuing work. He who believes in him is not judged. He who does not believe has been judged already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son. So it seems that the two requirements there in John 3, 16 and 17 and 18 are that you believe in him and those who do not believe in him are the ones that are separate. John 6, 35, A couple pages later, through 640. Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life. He who believes in me will never thirst, but I say to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me come to me, and the one who comes to me I will certainly not cast out. For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. This is the will of him who sent me, that of all that he has given me, I lose nothing but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes Him will have eternal life, and I myself will raise him up on the last day. I have this underlined with a little note, eternal security passage here. So, that's one, then go to John 10, 25. And Jesus answered them, I told you and you do not believe the works that I do in my Father's name, these testify of me. But you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. I give eternal life to them and they will never perish and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father who has given them to me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. And I and the Father are one. Now, assurance means freedom from doubt. There's a verse I should have put in there, but I don't have it. but we actually dealt with it last week or the week before last, that we might be assured of our salvation. Now, we would be remiss not to look at some warnings, or this one in particular, Philippians 2, so go there, that I think help us understand the vine passage, Philippians 2, 12. So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absent, work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work of his good pleasure. So, somebody might read that and say, oh my, salvation is me working on something, okay? But we, what it is is a warning to ensure that you have indeed and fully embraced Christ, and it is not inappropriate to say, to evaluate, okay? So the idea of work out your salvation is obviously it's a serious thing, obviously it's worth your time to read God's word and evaluate yourself, see that you have in fact trusted Christ, that you aren't relying on any works of your own, and that you fully see what salvation is. I think a great question, and it's not biblical per se. I'm going to throw it out there and see what you think. There's an evangelist who would ask, if you're standing before God, so you pass away today of a heart attack or at this moment, and you're instantly before the Lord, and he says, what right have you to come into my heaven? What is your answer? Now, I'm not saying that you will answer that question. I'm not saying that that's a true scenario. What I'm saying is that it is a mind or heart evaluation of what you're relying on. What is your answer, right? Now if your answer is, Lord, I remember one time I said that you were Lord. And I've lived a pretty good life after that. It's like, you don't know your Bible well enough. You don't know the message of the gospel well enough, right? We would have to say something like, I have no right. I have no right to the blood of Christ, right? Only because Christ paid it all, that's it. I have no right. So, ask yourself that question. See what your answer would be. Now there's other answers that are right, of course, not just the one I said. So, I've talked about Okay, something I do not want to make light of is that as someone wrestling with their salvation, because this says wrestle with it, right? Don't take it flippantly, okay? Consider it. Preach the gospel to yourself every day, I've said. From something Jacob said, from something we have the gospel primer book said. But one of the books that will just John Bunyan. Now, one of my difficulties with John Bunyan is that somehow, some way, his writing is like a lag bolt into my heart. So I spent the morning reading some of this John Bunyan. It's just hard, and I was tearful even reading it, and I wasn't up here, and I knew it was gonna be terrible, but I need to subject you to it. He wrote a book called Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners. How many people have read that book, anybody? I'm just gonna read some of it. I probably have quoted too much of it here, but hopefully you'll get This is paragraph 139, so you'll see I'm skipping around here. John Bunyan's words. One morning I was assaulted with this temptation. So he's talking about his difficulty with am I saved or am I not? To sell and part with Christ. I answered no, not for thousands. But after much striving, I felt this thought pass through my heart. Quote, let him go if he will. I don't get the significance of this. Let him go, meaning let Christ go if he, Christ, will, like if he'll depart. And I thought that I felt my heart freely consent that when he had that thought, he felt like He let Christ go. Now the battle was won. Now the battle won, I fell as a bird that is shot from the top of a tree into great guilt and fearful despair. Now when you say the battle won, this is Satan won the battle, okay, because he's battling with who he calls the tempter. Thus, getting out of my bed, I went moping into the field, but God knows, with as heavy a heart as mortal man, I think, could bear. There, for the space of two hours, I was like a man bereft of life, and has now passed all recovery and bound over to eternal punishment. And withal, that scripture did seize upon my soul, or profane person, that profane person as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For you know how afterwards, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. So that verse becomes a burden to him. that Esau comes back wanting the blessing, and he found no place for repentance. Well, this, it's hard to criticize John Bunyan, but his heart took this the wrong way, I would say. But this is his testimony. Now I was as one bound, I felt myself shut up into the judgment to come. Nothing now for two years together would abide with me, but damnation, nothing now for two years would abide with me but damnation and an expectation of damnation. I say nothing now would abide with me but this. save some few moments for relief, as in the sequel you will see. These words were to my soul like fetters or chains of brass to my legs, in continual sound of which I went for several months together. But about 10 or 11 o'clock on that day, as I was walking under a hedge full of sorrow and guilt, God knows, and bemoaning myself for this hard hap, that such a thought would arise within me. Suddenly, this sentence rushed upon me. The blood of Christ remits all guilt. At this, I made a stand in my spirit. With that, this word took hold of me. Behold, the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleansed us from all sin, 1 John 1, 7. Now I began to conceive peace in my soul, and methought I saw as if the tempter did leer and steal away from me. So he frees himself from the temptations of Satan. As being ashamed of what he had done, at that time also I had my sin in the blood of Christ thus represented to me, that my sin when compared to the blood of Christ was no more to it than that of a little clod or a stone before me. So to this vast and wide field, that here I see this gave me good encouragement for the space of two or three hours, at which time also methought I saw by faith the Son of God as suffering for my sins, but because it tarried not, meaning that thought didn't sustain, didn't hold in his heart, therefore I sunk in my spirit under exceeding guilt again. So you just see this anguish of this poor Man. But chiefly by the aforementioned scripture concerning Esau's selling of his birthright, for that scripture would lie all day long, all the week long, all the year long in my mind. So he's just tormented by that Esau, though he sought it with tears, which is probably what John Bunyan is doing. wasn't enough, for when I would strive to turn this scripture for that, for relief, still that sentence would be sounding in me, for ye know how that afterwards, when he would have inherited the blessing, he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. So skipping some, this torment, he felt as if he had sold his Savior, this fleeting thought that went through his mind. Then I began to compare my sin with others. David's adultery and murder, most heinous crimes, were committed after light and grace received, but were only against the law of Moses. So he rationalizes that what he did was worse. Mine was against the gospel. I had sold my Savior. I considered Peter's sin, and indeed this came nearest to mine, for he had denied his Savior. after light and mercy received and warning given. But this is the denial of his master. Mine was a selling of my Savior. I thought that I came nearer to Judas than to David or Peter. Skipping down, here again my torment would flame out and afflict me. So that other one was paragraph 151, I'm on 155. God has preserved them. but I was a reprobate. God would leave them for a time to such sin only that might not destroy, but humble them as might not put them beyond, but lay them in the way of his mercy. He would not let David, Solomon, Peter, and others fall. He chastised them and keeps them in safety, but not me. My sin compared to Judas. 175. The text would cry, return to me. This would make me stop to see in God's grace. To see in the grace of God did follow me with pardon, but all would be clouded and darkened by that sentence, for you know how afterwards, when he would have inherited the blessing, he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. Esau speaking just resounds in his mind. Paragraph 183, now the most free and full gracious words of the gospel were a greatest torment to me. Every time I thought of the Lord Jesus, His grace, love, goodness, it went to my soul like a sword. You, Bunyan have said, let him go if he will. 184, now also the tempter began afresh to mock my soul another way, saying that Christ indeed did pity my case. and was sorry for my loss, but I had sinned and transgressed as I had done, he could by no means help me nor save me. These things may seem ridiculous to others, even as ridiculous as they were in themselves, but to me they were most tormenting cogitations. I did not think that the reason why he could not help me was because his merits were weak. for His grace and salvation were spent on others. But because His faithfulness to His threatening would not let Him extend His mercy to me, the ground of all these fears of mine arose from the belief in the stability of the Holy Word of God and also from my being misfortunate of the nature of my sin. I would pray Him and entreat Him to count and reckon the sin among the rest for which He died Good, John. But this scripture would strike me. Christ being raised from the dead died no more. Thus by the strange and unusual assault of the tempter, my soul was like a broken vessel. Paragraph 190. Being many under many fears, I went to seek the Lord and as I prayed, I cried and my soul cried to him. Show me that you have loved me with an everlasting love and with sweetness this return to me. I have loved you with an everlasting love. I went to bed in quiet and awakened with a fresh upon my soul, 191, but the tempter left me not. The words of Esau would fly in my face, yet God did not bear me up and keep my heart upon his word. I saw my sin most barbarous and I felt my soul greatly to love and pity and most horribly abused son of God, yet he was still my friend. 193, and as I was thus musing, considering how to love the Lord, it came to me, if you, comma, Lord, would mark iniquities, who should stand? But there is forgiveness with you. Thus my soul set free from being afflicted with my former guilt and amazement. Therefore, many weeks, many weeks, I began to despond. Quote, the scripture cannot be broken. Quote, is it impossible those who were once enlightened, having tasted the heavenly gifts that were made partakers of the Holy Spirit and have tasted the good works of God and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away to renew them again to repentance. That's that difficult verse in Hebrews six, four through six. Now the word of the gospel forced my soul Paragraph 1, excuse me, 213. Then several scriptures came to, the reason why I'm telling you is he still has all this anguish and turmoil, okay, that he's wrestling with, and I'm skipping a lot of it. Thus the scriptures came to mind of grace, and Esau's birthright began to wax weak. and withdraw and vanish. And this, about the sufficiency of grace prevailed with peace and joy. And as I was in a thought about this, this scripture came to me. Mercy rejoices against judgment. 2.15. This scripture also came to me. He that comes to me, I will in no way cast out. John 6, 37. And I had mentioned this to you in the past, that this was his breaking forth verse of the Lord promised that if I come to him, he won't cast me out. Oh, the comfort that I had from this word. But Satan would labor to pull his promise from me, telling me, Christ meant this for those whose sins were of a lower rank. That's supposedly the tempter speaking. And I would answer him, Satan, there is no exception to these words. He who comes to me, I will in no way cast out. Satan put the question, but do you come aright? If ever, Satan, I did strive for any word of God in all my life, it was for this good word of Christ's. He at one end, and I at the other. Oh, what work did we make, but God be praised. I got the better of him, I got some sweetness from it. 116, notwithstanding Esau's selling of his birthright would still at times distress my conscience. Paragraph 220, I had one question that my soul did much desire to be resolved about, whether it be possible for any soul that has sinned the unpardonable sin, yet after that to receive though but the least true spiritual comfort from God through Christ, I find the answer was no. Number one, to such there remains no more sacrifice of sins. So he's quoting a passage. And number two, it shall never be forgiven him neither in this world nor in the world to come. Matthew 12, 32 and 33. I think he's referencing the unpardonable sin of grieving the Holy Spirit. We are excluded from Christ's intercession. I had been afraid to look at those scriptures that they might destroy me, but now I had more. been more encouraged and considered them. Paragraph 223, I found their visage changed, for they looked not so grimly. I found that the failing of Hebrews 6 was failing from an absolute denying of the gospel. I found this failing must be open to put Christ to open shame. I found those were forever shut up in blindness, hardness, and impenitency. By all these particulars I found to God's everlasting praise my sin was not the sin in this place intended. First, I confessed I was fallen, but not fallen away from professing a faith in Jesus. Second, I confessed I had put Jesus to shame by my sin, but not to open shame. I did not deny him before men or condemn him. Third, nor did I find that God had shut me up or denied me to come. I found that the willful sin is that which throws off Christ. My sin, though devilish, did not amount to these. As touching the birthright, though this is that which killed me and stood like a spear against me, yet now I did consider. His was not a hasty thought against the labor of his mind, but a thought consented to, Genesis 25. It was a public and open action. He continued to slight his birthright. He ate and drank and went his way. I came again to the New Testament to see that white to see what might be the mind of God so far as I could conceive the birthright signified regeneration and blessing and eternal inheritance. One day, as I was passing in the field, this sentence fell upon my soul. Thy righteousness is in heaven. And I thought I saw with the eyes of my soul Jesus Christ at God's right hand. There, I say, was my righteousness. So that wherever I was, or whatever I was doing, God could not say of me, he wants my righteousness, for that was before him. I also saw, moreover, that it was not my good frame of heart that made my righteousness better, nor yet my bad frame that made my righteousness worse, for my righteousness was Jesus Christ himself, the same yesterday, today, and forever. Now did my chains fall off my legs. I was loosed from my afflictions and irons. My temptations also fled away, so that from that time, those dreadful scriptures of God left off to trouble me. Now I went home rejoicing. I looked to see if I could find that sentence, thy righteousness is in heaven, but I could not find such a saying. But I found 1 Corinthians 1.30, Jesus Christ made to us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. By this word I saw the other sentence true. Therefore, here therefore I live for some time very sweetly at peace with God through Christ. It was glorious to me to see his exaltation and the worth and prevalence of all his benefits. Now Christ was all, all my wisdom, all my righteousness, all my sanctification, and all my redemption. Further, The Lord also led me into the mystery of union. This is what I want to rest on this last paragraph. Mystery of this union. For the Son of God, that I was joined to him, that I was flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone, and now the word was sweet to me, Ephesians 5, 30. By this also was my faith in him as my righteousness. the more confirmed in me. For if he and I were one, then his righteousness was mine. His merits, mine. His victory, mine. Sorry to put you through all that. So one of the reasons I have a hard time reading Bunyan, he's not dismissive. He's contemplative. He's serious. I'm dismissive. Yeah, I got that figured out. And to have someone write such heart rending, I could never bear my heart like that. But he did. John Bunyan, and so you can see what someone can go through can be a tremendously difficult thing as they wrestle with sin in their lives or for him, one thought that crossed his mind that he felt like he denied Christ in his own mind. So serious to him. So I'm convicted by Bunyan's seriousness, I guess, There's certainly no flippancy there. His reliance on the truth of God's word and his comfort, every word of it is true and he's not questioning it. It's just so interesting. I hope that was beneficial. I know that was painful to hear probably me blubber through it. Let's just do one verse to conclude. In comfort. Romans 8, 31. One of the things that I was thinking about, I was going through this, is the benefit we have of being able to quickly reference Scripture. You think of him, he's got a Bible, but he has no concordance. You know, if he has to find comfort in God's Word, he can't Google it. External security versus, he's got to do the work, right? And things that come to mind from his reading. So part of his struggle is that he's wrestling with what he's reading only. Very, very poor man, didn't have much education. So I just thought of the benefit of us being like having a little question about God's word and quickly having the answer, you know. A thousand answers. Be assured, right? Be assured you're saved, right? Within minutes of Googling it, let's say. He didn't have that, and I think that's a factor too. All right, Romans 8, 31 through 39. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare his own son, but delivered him over for us, how will he not also with him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies. I think of this verse, Satan is the one that kept, he is saying, Satan is bringing these, the tempter is bringing these things to mind and tormenting him. And then this verse, who will bring a charge against God's elect? To me, that's a great comfort. God is the one who justifies. Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is he who died. Yes, rather, who was raised? Who is at the right hand of God who also intercedes for us? Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword just as written for your sake? We are being put to death all day long. We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Now as I read that, I imagine myself as Bunyan, and I'll bet Bunyan would say, yeah, but it doesn't say I can't. I would say, yes, it does. You're a created thing, Bunyan. You're elect. You're pursuing Christ. Does the Vine verse have something to say? Yes, it does. It has something important to say, but it is not about losing your salvation, okay? Not that we shouldn't, we will see what he's warning about in the Vine verse. All right, let's close. Our Father, we ask that you bless us I thank you that you've preserved even Bunyan's struggle that he penned so many hundreds of years ago that we might be encouraged or convicted by or better understand your word. But Lord, we can't rely on Bunyan's reasonings. We must rely on your word and what it says and what you're doing in our own individual hearts. We just pray that we would be sensitive, if nothing else, to make sure that we are in the faith and that We are doing your will as we move forward in our walk. We thank you for it. We thank you for your words to us and these verses that say that our salvation is rested in your grip, in your hand, and in your power, and our righteousness is indeed covered and hidden in Christ, in Christ's righteousness. We thank you for these things and ask that you'd be with us as we go. In Jesus' name, amen.