Our help and only expectation is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth, who keepeth truth forever and never forsakes the works of his own hands. Grace, mercy, and peace be unto you from him that is, and that was, and that is to come, and from the seven spirits which are before his throne. and from Jesus Christ, which is the faithful witness, the first begotten of death, and the Prince of all the kings of the earth. Amen. Let's continue our service by saying in Psalter 415, the fifth stanza, all the pathways of Jehovah speak of truth, and mercy is pure, and to such as keep his covenant and his testimony sure. The fifth, 415. You. Glory, glory, all the glory of thy name. The reading of the Holy Scriptures can be found in the letter of Paul to the Romans, the 6th chapter, Romans chapter 6, before the 12 articles and after the Lord's Day, 7 of the Heidelberg Catechism. I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell. The third day he arose again from the dead, he ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost. I believe one holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. Amen. Romans chapter 6 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid! How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein? Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore, we are buried with him by baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection. Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more, death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died unto sin once, but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, but yield yourselves unto God as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for ye are not under the law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? God forbid! Know ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey, whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh. For as ye have yielded your members, servants, to uncleanness and to iniquity, even so now yield your members, servants, to righteousness unto holiness. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Lord's Day 7. Question 20. Are all men then as they perished in Adam saved by Christ? Answer. No, only those who are engrafted into him and receive all his benefits by a true faith. Question 21. What is true faith? Answer. True faith is not only a certain knowledge whereby I hold for truth all that God has revealed to us in his word, but also an assured confidence which the Holy Ghost works by the gospel in my heart. that not only to others, but to me also, remission of sin, everlasting righteousness and salvation are freely given by God, merely of grace, only for the sake of Christ's merits. Question 22. What is then necessary for a Christian to believe? Answer. All things promised us in the Gospel, which the articles of our Catholic undoubted Christian faith briefly teach us. Question 23. What are these articles? And we have just read them. Lord, we draw nigh unto thy footstool, knowing that thou art a light and a fire. For though nobody can live, then only those who are covered by thy dear sun. And we plead upon thy words that nobody might be left alone, but that we all by grace might be covered by the cover of him. And we pray that thou would open the scriptures therein too, that we may understand these things not only, but I have an experience of these things. that not only others but also me is given Christ and all his benefits. Not only others of which we are, but ourselves by grace in fact. Therefore we pray, be with us, open the scriptures into our souls, and our souls into thy scriptures. Lord, that thy name may be glorified also this evening. Give us light to understand, and grace to faith. Remember those who couldn't come, the sick and afflicted, and those who went to other churches or other denominations, bless them there. Remember the ministers sent out, and make them a blessing. Here in Canada, the United States, the whole world, mission fields, that the old covenant people that used But the salvation comes from the Jews. Christ was the son of Abram, David, Mary, and of Adam. Lord have mercy upon us, open the Scriptures, remember those who serve away, go their own roads, their own ways, forsaking the truth. Remember the world around us, it stands. East and West. The wars in the Middle East. Lord, we pray that thou would protect that Old Covenant people in the midst of enemies. But we plead upon thy word that they may behold him whom they pierced. King of thy kingdom eternal and glorious. Suffering in this world, but being victorious in Him who is raised from the dead and is everlasting power at the right hand of thee, O Father. For Him is given all power, all authority in heaven and on earth. Rulers place by word and spirit Remember our handy work, the work of our hands, our businesses, our farms, our duties, our callings. Thou knowest. And we pray, Lord, please open the Scriptures to behold Thy beauty. For Christ's sake only. Amen. Congregation, Lord's Day 7 and Lord's Day 23, has always been a difficult issue in the church. Not so difficult. We have all kinds of explanations of the scriptures, especially of the Heidemarke Catechism. Now one thing I want to tell you, and remember that, you better go by Ursinus. who wrote the Heidelberg Catechism for explanation, not by ministers afterwards, but by him who was used as an instrument for the Heidelberg Catechism. Later on, they modified it, changed it. Some have said of the Lord's Day 7, it was faith, but not the well-being of faith. More or less love. And later in the Lord's Day 23 then there is spoken of the justification. That's not true. In Lord 7 is spoken of the justification. And in the Lord's Day 23 is spoken how such a righteous person is. What kind of a person is he? not what he has become, but what he is, 23. And therefore, the question is, how are thou righteous before God? How are thou, when thou art righteous before God, still a sinner? Still a sinner. But grace rules in Christ. That's 23. It's spoken against the Roman Catholic Church, who said that after grace you start to be a holy man. Oh, holy grace. Still, though my conscience accused me that I grossly trespassed all the commandments of God. That's after grace. And kept none of them after grace. I'm still inclined to all evil after grace. Notwithstanding God, without any merit of mine, but only of mere grace, grants and imputes to me the perfect salvation, righteousness, and holiness of Christ. That's what a Christian is, a sinner. safety in Christ, His holiness, satisfaction, and righteousness. Even so, His work, eh? Why do you speak about 23? Well, then I come to 7 and say, this is after grace, after faith, eh? 23, after faith. Even so, as I have never committed any sin, although I have sinned against all the commandments, but if the righteousness of Christ is given to me, as if I had never committed any sin, as if I had fully accomplished all that obedience which Christ has accomplished for me, insomuch Yes or no, it means as I embrace such a benefit with a believing heart, not the gift of faith, but the exercise of faith after knowing Christ, the exercise of faith, a believing heart. Not faith, a believing heart. That's the fruit of faith. Number seven, my dear congregation, and it's right for you, what is a true faith? Now, who is saved? And I'll speak a bit about what it means to be engrafted in Christ and receive all his benefits. Are all men then as they perished and had them saved? by Christ, no. Only those who are engrafted into him and receive all his benefits by a true faith. What's a true faith? A true faith is not only a certain knowledge, there you have it, whereby I hold for truth all that God has revealed to us, by which we believe that the word of God is God's word, not a man-made word. God has spoken to you by it. That's a word thing. But also an assured confidence, not a confidence, an assured confidence of which you are sure. Which the Holy Ghost works by the gospel in my heart. that not only to others but to me also. I hope that remission of sin will be given. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. But to me also remission of sin, everlasting righteousness and salvation are freely given by God. are given to me by God freely, without condition, only for the sake of Christ's merit. Here is spoken about justification and in 23 is spoken how a justified person is still in itself a sinner with the testimony of his conscience against him. but resting in the finished work of Christ alone, that's a Christian, after Christ still. The Reformation says simul justus, simul peccator, just in Christ and still a sinner. Let's go to Lossday 7, but after singing in collection 281, 1 through 4, 281, 1 through 4, where we will sing together, 281, 1 through 4, mindful of our human frailty and let's follow it. so so you. to eternity. Amen. you. If Christ is, he only mediates. Does that mean that everyone is saved by Christ? Like all have sinned in Adam, if he is the substitute of Adam, and some have taught it, is everyone then saved in Christ, like everyone has been made a sinner in Adam. We call it Our Redemption. There was a theologian in Jerusalem who went to church called Bath, and he says the only thing the gospel is to be meant is to tell them that they are saved. Aware or not aware? For Christ is the general saviour of the whole world. It's a lie. But the other way around is there is general redemption, not all redemption, general redemption of the Arminians. They say that Christ satisfied the righteousness of God for everyone and there is only one condition that I make a choice for him. So the salvation depends on my choice, not on election and God's choice, but my choice. Now we have already chosen, so that's done. But the wonder is, and we have seen it this morning, that God chooses enemies to be saved and ungodly to be redeemed. its everlasting love for his own people. And therefore question 20 says it, are all men then as they perished, and I have explained it, in Adam saved by Christ? No. Only those who are engrafted into him and receive all his benefits by true faith. First him and then the benefits. Some thought first the benefits and then him. No, no, no. It's like a wedding. If you have a wedding with the bridegroom, then all his is yours. He might give you a gift, but the benefits of Christ are only for those who are, and now we have the word engrafted in him. What's engrafted? I am the vine, the true vine, and my father is the husband man. every man's in me that beareth no fruit he taketh away, and every branch that beareth fruit he purchased it that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are cleansed through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abides in the vine, no more can ye accept you bite a mane. Now it's taken from fruit trees or vine. You can in the stem of a vine engraft a branch. Even in this chapter it says of a wild vine. but you can only engraft it in that vine when it's cut off of its own roots, isn't it? You have to cut it off from the own roots, make a point, a sharp point on it and make with that same knife a cut this time. So with the knife of righteousness you cut off a wild branch. And with the same knife you cut in the vine a cut to bleed. And then you take that branch and put it with the point in that cut and you bind it together. And if grace is grace, then it grows together. If it's by true faith, united, it grows together. It will be one plant, we have read in Romans, with Christ. And you die with him and are raised with him. That second word is for me important, one plant. But you see congregation, if you are on your own roots, that Adam, you can never be engrafted in Christ, you have to be cut off of your own step, of your past, of your sin, of your old Adam. And then the husband man takes that branch. and he slices in Christ, he wounds him and he puts you in the wounds of Jesus that you might get that blood and that spirit to be fruitful in him. But John says, the Holy Scripture says, the Bible says that you might fall out. You might have been for a little while in him, but never by a true faith united. You can speak about sin, but if I talk to some people, they might have some conscience convictions. But if I would ask, do you know by grace the Lord Jesus? They are dumb. Yah, but I had convictions. Yah, I'm a sinner. But the dear question is for the church. The Catholic Catechism starts with the first question and answer. What's your only comfort? both in life and death, that I belong, made one, united with my precious Savior. In that moment when He cut you up from the old Adam and grabbed you in as a branch in the vine, But if it's only conviction or feelings, without a unifying faith, it doesn't bring forth fruit. You don't see the fruit of Christ. Repentance, righteousness, holiness, obedience, gracious thought, That's first. And dear congregation, if God does it, it happens in the single moment. If you would cut off a branch and leave it alone, it dies. But when it gets fruits, blood and water of the vine, it grows, brings forth fruits. one body planted together, Romans 6, with him. That happens in the moment, and therefore the Heidelberg Catechism starts with law. And we have seen in all the questions and answers that they try to escape judgement. But my dear congregation in those day five, it's clear. Since then, by the righteous judgment of God, we deserve temporal and eternal punishment. And I've said last week or the week before it, we're not indifferent. They were not indifferent on the day of Pentecost. Man and Brethren, what shall we do to be saved? But they were cut off from that old Adam and by repentance had faced, joined together, growing together in Christ Jesus. Secondly, what I have to announce and to preach this, Not first the gifts. I've heard ministers saying you first get a gift. First the person and then the benefits. First your husband and then his bank account. First Christ. and outside of communion with Christ, there is no benefit to be awaited. Yahweh, Pastor, I have got already this and that. Clearly, clearly. Only those who are engrafted into Him and receive all his benefits, wisdom, righteousness, holiness and total redemption in him. You see the order? Not first my righteousness and then Christ, or first the possibility to be saved and then Christ, no. First Christ revealed to your soul, engrafted in him, made me one, and then receive all. Then his is yours, and yours are his. All your sins are his, and all his righteousness and faithfulness are yours. That's the benefits, the blessings. And how do you get it? By a true faith. Why true faith? It's historical faith. You believe with all the truth. And if you come on house visitation and say, this is it, yeah, pastor, yeah, pastor, yeah, pastor, yeah, absolutely. But if you say, do you know him? They say, oh, no, no, no. They even make confession of historical faith and they say you are allowed to go to the Lord's Supper. Not true. You need a true faith, saving faith, worked by the Holy Ghost in your heart. It is a miraculous faith that you believe that there has to be done a wonder in your life You have all those people always waiting for a wonder. You need to wait for the forgiveness of sins and the knowledge of Christ Jesus. And that's a wonder, sure. But people say to me, I have heard many people say, yeah I was so sick and now I'm healed and it's a sign that I'm saved. might be giving you knowledge that there is a living God, but the healing of your sickness is not a sign of your salvation. That's nonsense. I know that here in church are people and they have had real proofs of a living God and I know it might even be young people of ours. But do you know what the old people of God said? When he heard that he had a living proof of the living God, sometimes by wonders, healing and other things, they said, you need to open the door, you need to know Him, Christ, would not rest in miracles, healing of sickness. that happens to many people, and you might even say that God did it. But that's not salvation. Salvation is engrafted in Christ, receiving His righteousness, His holiness, His redemption, His grace. What's a true saving faith? that unites with Christ. Let's make it plain that you know He is mine and I am His. I remember that old Omri, when I was a young man, I was listening to his sermons. His name is Omri Dumurci. And he said to me, Joche, a truth-saving faith unites with the Lord Jesus. And he is right. And if it's not a truth-saving faith, you're not united with Christ. You might have an historical faith, you might agree with all the truths. You might have some miracles in your life to tell about. But if I would ask you, who is the Lord Jesus for you? They are foul-mouthed. Don't know anything about it. Deceived. Deceived. A true saving faith united with the Lord Jesus. Well congregation, now we come to the next question and answer. What is a true faith? Faith is not only a knowledge, that said it not. A certain knowledge. If God gives you knowledge, you know it for sure. That is God's knowledge. You don't need to doubt that God spoke to you. You don't need to doubt that it's God's truth. You know that God spoke to you, and otherwise you have never heard anything. A certain knowledge, and now I speak by experience, when God speaks once, The moment he has spoken by the scriptures to your soul, you believe his whole word. This becomes your treasure. Precious word of God. I am not saying you experienced everything already. God will eat you into the tooth. I once met an old lady in Harkin and I met her at the hospital and a child of God and I don't know how we got to talk but anyways. And she said to me, she said to me, Pastor I have a little Bible in my heart. I said that's what I have too, a Bible in my heart. God has spoken to me. I'm not saying I understand all things immediately, but I know for sure that God had spoken to me. And no one can wipe it out. Not because I'm so certain, but because God is making it certain, sure. My sheep hear my voice and follow me. And you know it's His voice. But if you're not of His sheep, you don't hear His voice. You know that in the Bible, in Bible times there were many flocks of sheep and they were gathering together sometimes during the night in a certain spot with stone walls around it. And then every shepherd had his own flock, but they heard the voice of the shepherd and followed him. And if you have ever heard the voice of the shepherd you will. No, pastor. Oh no? Do you see that old man sitting there, Levi? Later his name is Matthew. Do you see him sitting, counting money? And the Lord Jesus passes by. Do you know what he said? Follow me! And he stood up and followed him. He didn't say, I'm selling my business first. The Lord says, if you follow me, you're not even allowed to greet your father and mother. No, pastor, I'm not. Not even to bury them. Let the dead bury the dead, but ye follow me. You must be sure, isn't it? You must be certain. Can a child of God not doubt? But if I ask a child of God of what God has spoken to your soul, you never can deny it. You might not always have enough fruit of it. It might be attacked from inside and outside. But if I woke you this night, you would say, he has said it to me. We don't have Says Peter, Babels or Dox, it didn't happen in a corner. The things which we believe are true. If that's not it, I couldn't preach. I stopped preaching. I would immediately stop preaching. but an old pastor said to me he said you might have all the books against you but my dear son he said to me if the book is for you God will bless you preach the word and if God seals it with his spirit you hear his voice during the sermon here in church and you have heard his voice and you will never forget it He speaks once, a few times, but let's sing again, that's 12, 2 and 4, 12, 2 and 4. Well, we will sing together, 12, 2 and 4. Come, O Lord, my soul deliver, and for now do foes that seek to harm me love to inform. Hey. When there is not an assured or certain knowledge of the truth, then there can be an assured confidence. Confidence is faith, confidence is trusting. And what does God's people trust in? The Word of God. Therefore Paul in Romans 10 says, faith is by the preaching of the Word. God reveals himself by law and gospel, by his Word and Spirit. So God's people are resting in the word in which Christ is revealed to their soul as a lost sinner. He has spoken. We already read in John 15 that he says you are clean because of the word I spoke to you. You are not clean, but you are clean. I call you clean. You are clean. Because of the word I spoke to you. You believe the word of God. In congregation, that's not the thunder of a thunderstorm. I've heard people say, my soul was saved when I heard a thunderstorm. I said, can't be. That's not God reveals himself by word and spirit. And Christ is revealed in the word that speaks of me. So the assured confidence, the sure confidence, or assured is better to say. Assured confidence means that the assurance comes outside of me. He assures me. And I trust, confidence. For He assures me by His Word and Spirit. And now I speak to the children of God. The moment Christ is revealed to your soul, were you sure of it, yes or no? There was a moment you couldn't believe, but when Christ was revealed to your soul, you couldn't say, I don't believe. I'm assured and only comfort goes in life and death. And again, they are not saying I'm sure, but assured. The assurance comes outside of me to me. God has said it here. Say to David, his sins are forgiven. Make him go to David and speak to him, his sins are forgiven. And he believed it. He couldn't say, it's not forgiven. I'm not saying to God's people that sometimes you can hesitate, you might be attacked. Especially when you think and you are promised after grace that you will live holy and you can't find it. You say, what does it mean, friend? But if I would evoke you this night and when God has spoken to you, your mind, and I'm yours, would you ever forget it? with the Holy Ghost, it's God's work. And the gifts of God are not reproachable. I read a book even of someone I would never expect it, he says faith is a thing of mine. Faith is a work of the Holy Spirit, it's a work of the Holy Spirit in my heart, it's a divine work. Now I have a question here. Do you think God makes weak faith? But can your faith be weakened by legalism, by doing it yourself again? But the moment you got faith and Christ was revealed to your soul, were you sure? Absolutely. assure it. For it's a work by the gospel. For God so loved, says Martha Luther, Martha Luther, that he gave his only begotten son, that Martha Luther, wouldn't be condemned, and I say it with my words, but an heir of life eternal. You know, out of Romans 1, Luther wrestled with faith and righteousness. He always thought that God required righteousness of himself. He always crept across the stairs to his cabin, sometimes angry at God that he required something that he couldn't do nor give. His little room in the cloister. He went upstairs, creeping mostly. But one moment he read Romans 1 17 and God spoke to his soul. For daring is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith. As it is written, the just by faith shall live. faith in Christ. And do you know what happened to Luther? He got out of charge, for he saw Christ as his righteousness. Do you know what he tells about his own conversion? He says, I got the bell of my doctrine, and my hand of my doctrine, that same moment I was a doctor in grace. And he started to preach the righteousness of Christ for every woman, for sinners. Now he was attacked by the devil, they hated him to kill him, but he became by grace a faithful witness of faith, of Christ in faith, and we need it today. With God works in my heart, faith is in the heart, not in the head only. Faith is trust and trust is a matter of the heart. The heart. Trust. Where God works. And what is that faith? That not only others, And I've a little bit been a minister for 40 years and I've met several people. They always spoke about the children of God, whole stories. And they fought sometimes with me by sayings of the children of God. They said Pete says so and Pete says so and he says so. But one moment I got enough of it. I said, but tell me what do you say of it? Are you so sure? They started to send her. They asked for faith like it's revealed in the word and given to the people of God. Not only others, but to me also. What? Remission of sin, that's a nice word, eh? Sins remissed, that's sin to another. That I believe that my sins was taken from me and given to the Lord Jesus, that's it. Luther says, he robs even the sins of me because they are his. He was made sin. Therefore I said this morning that salvation is changing, he takes my sins. And I asked the child of God this night, the moment when God revealed his son to you, so where were your sins? Gone. And you stood new in paradise, as if you have never sinned nor done any evil. Do I have witnesses here? Or am I talking only to chairs and walls and deaf persons in spiritual life? The woman God gave me grace. It was as if I'd never sinned and stood new in paradise. Heaven a joy and a peace, surpassing all understanding. Why do you say this yourself? Because I happened and I'm sure of it. Always past the old man, you don't know how much I'm attacked. But it goes never away. And when I looked around, I came with that burden that condemns me down. When they looked around, it was taken. Therefore the Bible says, Hyrule, he takes the burden of you and puts it on the Lord Jesus. And he takes the obedience of the Lord Jesus and puts it on you. Here, listen. Everlasting righteousness Then I get an obedience that's everlasting the same. And salvation that's the wrath of God is taken from me. Soterio. God becomes my Father. And He kisses me on both cheeks and said, That's what the Bible teaches here. That's what God's people know. And how do you get it freely given without a condition? We have seen this morning ungodly and enemies on their way to hell freely given without paying tears or money. or sincerity. My dear children, do you know, I tell you this, I was on my way to hell and it was just one moment if I would have been there and he gave it free to me without any condition. Therefore there is no fear. But you always want to make it conditional. If I cry enough, if I have a burden enough, but it's not going to hell, you don't find him there, not raising to hell, he is near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, in your heart and in your mouth, the word revealed to you. Mary of Grace, Holy Grace, God bows down to give you mercy, only for the sake is the reason, the merits of Christ, paid for it, with life and death, with death and resurrection. What do you need to believe? All that God revealed in the Gospel. which the articles of our Catholic and Dutch Christian faith briefly teach us. Some have said, that's for sure the Roman Catholic Church. No, that's not what's meant here. Catholic means the church of all ages and places. Like Adam was converted, God's people is converted today. That's it. Catholic means the church of all ages and places. How many churches are there? Yeah, but we have our own church. All those who are engrafted in Christ and of whom Christ is their The communion of true believers. Within the United States we have 501. In the reformed circles probably we have 35. And they all say that they are the true church. Do you believe it? I don't. Only when you are engrafted in Christ you belong to the church. What church? What's Kyriaké? Kyrios, the word Lord is in it. And Kyriaké means what belongs to the Lord. The church doesn't belong to us, the church belongs to the Lord. Yeah, but we have our own church. No, you don't have your own church. That's nonsense. We make churches, but God has his own church. And it's invisible. And I believe they gather sometimes where you never would expect them to gather. In the Dullam with David. Guilty. Shameful. Christ is a friend of publicans. They rejoined to save them, for they need regeneration and conversion. Well, the Twelve Articles is a confession of the Church of 200 A.C. in Rome, and it was given as a confession of the Trinity. I believe in God, and then the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. One God, three persons, that's the Trinity. It was a confession made against the Unitarians. The Unitarians believed that there was only one God, and the Son wasn't God, and the Holy Ghost wasn't God. So the church started to confess the work of the Father, creation and salvation and election. the work of the Son, salvation, and the work of the Holy Ghost, the application of it. So we believe with the Church of all ages and places are adopted. Basilic, Christian, faith. One remark while I make and then I close. things promised. The whole content of the 12 Articles are first promised and then believed. He believes to be our Father, if I start to explain the 12 Articles, you come to it, in Christ Jesus. And it's believed and confess. With the heart you believe and with the mouth you confess into salvation. It's remarkable that you see that the Catechism says it's promised. The whole Gospel, we live and live by the promises of God and rest upon it. for time. And he did. Or not. Or not. You live by the promises or you live by your works. And if you live by your works, you are on your way to hell. And if you live by the promises, for God so loved the world that he gave it only because of that. Everyone that believes in him shouldn't perish but have everlasting life. Amen. Let's end with prayer. Lord, we thank Thee for Thy Word and we ask the application of the Spirit to believe. And if there is a true faith, it is an assured faith, it's not a word. Thou art not working half-faith or 10% faith. The moment we believe, we are assured. But later it's attacked, I know, because we want to do it again ourselves. And then thou art hiding thyself to us. Lord, remember the congregation, the youth, when they come from Grand Rapids, that they might have a good time. Give us to have some topics and provide it for me too. Bless us by thy word and spirit. Forgive our sins in preaching and hearing. If we have heard the word we don't believe, we may be a liar and don't trust the promises of a day. That's the worst sin. But thou wilt convict the world of sin because they don't have believed. And we all ought to give us what we don't have. Give us what we sometimes even don't want to have. Although we are sitting here, give us that Thy words may speak in Christ to our souls. The worship on us is weak. The weak and the sick give all they need. And glorify Thy name, please. Only in Him of which thou hast said here, in whom I am only well pleased in Him. We ask it for grace sake only. Amen. Let's sing together, 178, 1 and 2, 178, 1 and 2. Lord bless and pity us, shine on us with thy faith, that the face of God is Christ, the light of the world. 1 and 2, 178. you I love you If you may all go home in peace, receive the blessings of the Living God, the love of God the Father, the grace of Jesus Christ, and the communion with the Holy Ghost be with you all. Amen.