Well, hello everyone. Good morning. Welcome to church. It's awesome to be here. I'm preaching out of this book, the ABCs of Christian Growth. I'm going to begin preaching through this. I guess there's probably 26 lessons in it since it's the ABCs. But lesson one is probably going to take two lessons for me, so maybe there will be 52 lessons in it. Who knows? In any case, what the A in the first one is Assurance of Salvation. I took their verses and I took their points and I put it into a message. I would not call it Assurance of Salvation if it were just me naming what I wrote down. But that's what we're going to talk about. and I have a hard time giving you assurance. So I'm just going to give you the things in which you must find assurance, give you where you can get the assurance. I can't give you assurance. You know, that's become something very, very important to me to distinguish is that I cannot give a man assurance. No man can give another man assurance. If you seek assurance from a man, then you're not going to find it. It's not assurance. So I'm going to talk just a little bit about some of the things in this book. Really, it kind of starts off with some points that before it even gets into the lesson, and that's probably all I will get through today. I put it in here and I got seven pages and I didn't even put the rest. That's why I brought this up here. In case, per adventure, I do get to the rest, but I don't think I will. I feel like an evangelist with my books for sale up here on the side of the deal. We're not doing that though, amen? I don't have just a chunk to read to you. I'm gonna go through Luke and John and Ephesians and a whole bunch of stuff. So before we begin, let's just go to the Lord in prayer and then we'll talk about assurance of salvation. Let's pray. Dear God, thank you Lord for today. Thank you for waking us up. Thank you for giving us this day. Lord, thank you for saving me. Thank you for giving me assurance. Thank you for saving my soul, Lord, for each one of us here that has assurance, God, we know how sweet it is, how peaceful it is, how restful it is, how quenching it is, God, and I pray that you just continue to bless us and help us to hold fast to that, Lord, and to be able to share that and be able to share the reason of the hope that is within us with any and everybody that wants to ask or even has an inclination to know. God, I pray that you bless this time, pray that you bless this message. Help me, Lord, to say the things that you have said. Help me to take you in the direction you want it to go. I pray that you bless each here, each hearer here, and I pray that you'd help them to receive it and apply it to their heart and their life and their walk just the way you want us to, God. Thank you again for everything you've done for us. Lord, we know every single thing we've got from assurance to materials to everything in between is from you. and there's nothing we've got that's not from you, Lord, and I pray that you'd help us to remember that and remember how blessed we are. Again, thank you for today, for this church, for the leadership here, for your word, for the truth. God, I pray that you'd help us. In Jesus' name, amen. Assurance of salvation. First, we're going to talk about what you were. Then we will talk about what God promised, what you did, and that's probably where I'll end up, is talking about what you did and a few of those points. But just to zip through this, what you were, turn to John chapter three, John chapter three, and I'm going to read just one verse for you out of Luke 19. For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. Hey, here's what I want you to know right away, what the book would have you know, what the Lord would have you know, your default setting is lost. Your default setting is that you need to be sought and saved by the Lord. You didn't just tumble into salvation. You didn't grow up saved or grow up. It's just not that way. Your default setting, no matter how good you are, you know, I feel like I'm always picking on my grandma, but I tell people this out soul winning, so I'm just going to go ahead and say it. My grandma is the sweetest lady I ever knew. I don't think she ever did anything wrong. I never saw her do anything wrong. I certainly never saw her lose her temper or say a cross word. But let me tell you something. My grandma, if she got what she deserved, she'd die and go to hell just like everybody else. Just like the filthiest, dirtiest, wickedest sinner you ever saw because her default position was lost. And that's you too. I love my grandma. She's super sweet. She passed away. She's not with us. She's in heaven. Of all my relatives, I am most assured that my grandma I will see again one day. So I hope she's not the only one. Amen. I hope I do see her because I don't know anybody's heart. But let me tell you, your default position is that Christ, the Son of Man, has to come, has to come to you, has to seek you. You didn't seek Him. He had to come to you and save you because you were lost. That's your default starting position. You line up in the bricks, lost. That's where you are. John chapter 3, look at verse 17. We'll just go straight to verse 17. It says, It says, He that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light has come into the world. And men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. just want to talk about a few things from this passage and then we'll move on to another one but it says condemned already he that believeth on him is not is not condemned but he that believeth not is condemned already you're condemned already you're literally condemned in your initial starting off state, and this is what I believe, and I didn't put this in here, but the Bible says that I was alive once, but then when the law revived, I died. And I may be misquoting it, but here's what I believe. I believe that if Anna, who is three weeks old, were to, if a meteor hit the church or something, and Anna were to pass away, straight to heaven. She's under the blood. No problem. Sin has not revived in her. She's not responsible. She doesn't have a consciousness or an awareness of her sin. But above her, I don't know. I don't know. I would presume just about everybody in here does. I don't know that. I don't know that. But here's the point. I believe that once you realize, once you have that consciousness of sin in your heart that you know, boom. You're dead, you're condemned already and it's up to you to believe because at that point you've got consciousness of sin and God is putting it on your heart, seeking you to save you because you're lost. Condemned already, literally headed straight for hell. You don't have to earn this death sentence, you inherited it, alright? You just were born right into it. You can't deny it, you prove it all the time, you prove it every day. You say, well, you know, I inherited it. That's not fair, but you prove it. All right. You did inherit it, but you prove that it's yours. You believe it. You earn it. You don't have to earn it, but you do earn it because it is in your nature. And that's what you're going to do is things according to your nature. It says, because he hath not believed, hath not trusted, hath not placed all of his hopes and expectation in the Lord, hath not put faith in Jesus Christ, because he hath not believed, condemned already. That is to say that the way to not be condemned is to believe, amen? It says, in the name. He that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. I believe that means in the power, in the authority, in the saving ability of Jesus Christ. It doesn't just mean that some guy lived and his name was Jesus and I believe all these facts. That's not what it means. It means in the power and authority of Jesus Christ, of the only begotten Son of God, Almighty God in human flesh. So it says you're condemned already because you're already condemned. You are headed straight for hell. You didn't have to earn it. You inherited it. You prove it because you've not trusted. You've not placed all your hope and all your expectation of salvation in the power and authority of Almighty God in the flesh, Jesus Christ. That's just me saying it in my way, but that's what the Bible says. He that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed, trusted in the name and the power and authority of the only begotten Son of God, Almighty God in the flesh. John 3, you guys can turn to Ephesians 2. We'll talk about that in just a moment. I'm going to try to go quick through this because there is a ton here. I'm going to slow down in a minute. Ephesians 2, I'm going to read one verse from John 3. It says, He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. And he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. Just another way of saying what we said before, that if you've not believed in Jesus Christ, if you've not one time, for real, in earnest, from the heart, placed your faith in the power and authority of the Son of God, of Jesus Christ, the wrath of God abideth on you. That's what the Bible says. Ephesians chapter 2, look at verse 1. It says, and you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins, wherein in time past you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience, among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others." I'm going to talk about some of these points, but as I read this here, this sticks out to me. We're by nature the children of wrath. You didn't have to earn it, though you do. You didn't have to prove it, though you constantly do, but by nature You were the children of wrath. It says, and you hath he quickened. Now quickened means made alive. And we know that because it says who were dead in trespasses and sins. So quickened in this, and I'm not going to, I'm not going to bear any of this out too deep. If you have a problem with anything I say, come ask me. We'll talk about it later. Ask Pastor Turk. Quickened in the Bible means to be made alive. Quick is alive. The Bible says the Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. So quickened, the Word of God is quick. It doesn't mean it's going from one place to another in a short amount of time. It means it's alive, quickened, made alive. I think Pastor Turk has made this point that if you cut to the quick, or whatever, or you clip your nails to the quick or something, all the way to the living flesh, right? You clip that nail off, no big deal, it doesn't hurt. But if you get to the quick, to the living flesh, that hurts. Quickened is made alive. You didn't start out alive. Your default setting is spiritually dead. That's what's so important to know. It says you have the quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins. You started out dead to God because of your sinful nature, your sinful nature to defy and deny Him. It says, wherein in time past ye walked. So don't deny it. This is important to start off. This is very important. Nobody gets He that is whole needs not a physician. He says, go ye and learn what that meaneth. I will have mercy and not sacrifice. So here's the point. You're not gonna get right. You're not gonna get good. You're not gonna get clean. You will fall at the feet of Jesus Christ and plead for mercy and grace or you will continue to be dead in trespasses and sins because you started out dead, God, because of your sinful nature. You don't have to deny it. You cannot deny it. You prove it constantly. It says, And you at the quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins, wherein in time past ye walked. Again, you proved it. It's a fact. Think back to that. If there was never a time past, all right, if you cannot ever say, well, there was this watershed moment, we call that your testimony. If there's never a watershed moment, then there was never a time past, and you're still walking according to trespasses and sins. There's gotta be a time past. You gotta have a time that you trust in the Lord, that you're quickened, that you're made alive. that you believe, not just that you believe the facts and so now I'm good. There needs to be a time that you were made alive. It says wherein you walked in time past according to the course of this world. You know the natural course of this world is contrary to God, leads to death. The Bible says, "...and lust when it hath conceived bringeth forth sin, and sin when it is finished bringeth forth death." Lust is natural. We all have lust. We lust after things that are just terrible and lascivious and filthy, but we also lust after things that are not just, according to the letter of the law, wrong. But God puts it on your heart that that's wrong. He puts things in our heart that such and such is sin. The Bible says the law is written on our hearts. So we know when we're lusting after something that's not right. The Bible says, according to the prince of the power of the air. Well, one more point, according to the course of this world, listen, if you get along with this world, if you just always got along with the world, and the world makes you happy, and the people of the world make you happy, and you've got no problem with the world and its priorities, and its thoughts, and the things that it's teaching, and then you believe a bunch of facts, and you still just have no problem with the world, then you were not quickened. You were not made alive. If you're in agreement with the world, then you're in agreement with death. That's the Bible. According to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. according to the prince of the power of the air. You know, why is this world in agreement with death? Well, because the carnal, physical, temporal, lost world follows its God, Satan. The Bible says Satan is the God of this world. Again, once again, the natural course of this world is contrary to God. It leads to death. And if you get along with this world, if you love this world, you cannot love God and mammon. You'll either hate one and serve the other, or you'll cling to the one and deny the other. I've misquoted it, but if you get along with this world, then you are in agreement with death according to the prince of the power of the air. the God of this world. It says, also, I'm just going to put, according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, according to the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. Children of disobedience are men who are contrary to God. Children of disobedience are set against God. Children of disobedience have not obeyed the gospel. They have not believed. Children of disobedience walk according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air. Children of disobedience are dead in trespasses and sins. Children of disobedience are condemned already. They didn't have to get to that point. That is where you started off. You die a baby, you go to heaven. But the moment you have a consciousness of sin, and you can choose to do right and obey the Holy Spirit in particular, or completely deny it and go the other way, that is when you are condemned already. Here's the way it's been said, and I like this. It's not super, super clear, but I do believe this. I do think this is a good way to judge it, that a child will just run around naked, just a little kid just run around naked, no problem, no shame about it. I will not run around naked. You probably would not do that. But a child, a little child, would just run around naked, no problem, no conviction about it. But there's a point. And I'm not talking adult. Even my sons. Ben, would you run around naked? No, he wouldn't do it. Ben's young. But Ben's old enough to know I'm not running around naked. So he knows some right and some wrong. He said, why would you pick that? Well, because Adam and Eve, when they became sinners, when they fell from grace, when sin revived and they died, they said, oh my gosh, we're naked. they knew their sin. And I think that's just a good way to see, I mean, if you could, you know, probably put Charlie out here naked, he'd still run around as if everything was fine. But any of the rest of us probably wouldn't do that because we know we have this sin has revived in us and we know what is right and what is wrong. The Bible says, but every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin. And sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. I'm going to read a little bit from Revelation 20, if you want to go to Revelation 20. And I'm just zipping through this beginning part of what you were, all right? Revelation 20, verse 10, it says, and the devil that cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever hey that's what's in the lake of fire and brimstone torment day and night forever and ever as if forever was not fearful and terrifying enough. There's another ever on there. Verse 11, And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was no place found for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God. And the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works. Just stop and talk about that real quick. It says, and the books were opened. That's, I believe these are the books, the 66 books. That's what I believe that we are judged out of according to our works. If you're not found written in the book of life, there's no judgment when it comes to the book of life. You're either in it. No problem, under the blood, paid in full, stamped, approved, washed clean, or you're not in the book of life. And if you're not in the book of life, then they're going to turn to the other books, the 66 books of the Bible with all the commandments and the truth. And this is the truth, by the way, and you'll be judged out of those things according to your works. Because in the end, there's only two religions. There's Cain and there's Abel. Cain brought forth the fruit of the ground, the best that he could muster, his works. Boy, he put sweat and toil into it, and he probably brought some good fruit. I bet it was fantastic, but it was not perfect. But Abel brought forth a blood sacrifice. And the blood of lambs and goats does not pay for sins, but what that blood did, what that sacrifice did, was bear record of what Abel believed. And that's what the Bible says in Hebrews, that God looked at that sacrifice and saw that Abel believed. Here's the thing, if you won't sacrifice, if you won't offer up to the Lord an acceptable sacrifice, you'll not be saved. You say, well, I need to give him a whole bunch of money, or give him a whole bunch of time, or give him my body. No, you need to offer up the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what you gotta offer. That's what you have to take into your heart and present before the Lord. When we go to somebody and knock on their door, and we get to talk to them, and we get to ask them the question, you know, if you stood before God, and he said, why should I let you into heaven? What would your answer be? Well, the only right answer is Jesus Christ. I'm trusting Jesus. Jesus paid it. Jesus did it all. I'm just putting my faith in Jesus. There was a time that I received Jesus, that I believed in Jesus, in the power and the authority of Jesus Christ. That will be the only acceptable answer. An unacceptable answer would be, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name have cast out devils and I've done all these wonderful works. And I said, Nope, I never knew you depart from me. You that work iniquity because the only acceptable answer is Jesus Christ. It says, And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, whose face the earth and heaven fled away, and there was no place found for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God. And the books were opened, and another book was opened, which was the book of life. And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, books according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them. And they were judged, every man, according to their works. death and hell were cast into the lake of fire this is the second death and whosoever is not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire so it's clear verse 15 is very very clear that there's not a single person that will be judged out of the books on their works that won't be cast into the lake of fire if you're not written in the lambs book of life you got no chance it says this is the second death Death. It's very important to know that there's two deaths. You've got one death waiting for you. It's appointed unto man once to die. No doubt about that. Your body's going to die. No doubt about it. Your body just won't live forever. Even if you're raptured out of here, that body is not going to live on with the Lord. That body is done. But your soul is what would be subject to the second death should you not believe and be cleansed and trust in the Lord. So it's very important to realize that there's two deaths. You know, I'm certainly not the first person to preach this, but you'll either die twice because you were only born once or you'll die once because you were born twice. You must be born again. Last point in this right here, it says Romans 6 16, 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. So just quickly to put these in your mind, you were the servants of sin. In time past you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, according to the children of disobedience. You were the servants of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart That form of doctrine which was delivered you. It doesn't say you have obeyed with the hands. It says you have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine. That just means truth, by the way. Doctrine's synonymous with truth. It's synonymous with teaching. And the teaching of Jesus Christ is truth. So you've obeyed from the heart the teaching of Christ which was delivered you. To go back to the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. Delivering the truth to your heart and you gotta obey in your heart. Revelation, no, we already read that. Okay, what God promised. So we've got a couple points. What God promised, what you did, and that's as far as I'm gonna get. What God promised. You guys can turn to Colossians chapter one. I'm gonna read one verse out of Romans, chapter six, verse 23. You know it. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. The wages, what you earn, What you deserve for your sin, which is inevitable, you've got sin, is death. But the gift, you cannot earn it, you just receive it. The gift of God is eternal, everlasting, forever and ever and ever life, not death, through, and only to be received through, Jesus Christ, our Lord. God in the flesh, Jesus Christ, God the Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior. There's so much, it's so simple, but there's so much in there. Colossians chapter one, verse nine. For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with all might according to his glorious power unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness. giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son, in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins. Now I'm reading all this because the point I'm covering right now is what God promised, a gift which is eternal life. God promised to make you partaker of the inheritance of the saints in light. A partaker of the inheritance. That's verse 12. In verse 13 of Colossians 1, delivered from the power of darkness. These are what God's promised. Promised to deliver you from the power of darkness. Promised to translate us into the kingdom of His dear Son. Promised redemption through His blood. promised the forgiveness of sins. God has made some lofty promises. God cannot lie. It is impossible for God to lie, the Bible says. Titus 2.11, for the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men. God has promised salvation. It's appeared to all men. Everybody gets the truth, everybody gets a chance. Nobody will say, and this helps me, this helps me because there's people that I love, that I want to reach, that don't want to be reached, and it helps me to realize that the grace of God, which bringeth salvation, hath appeared to all men. It's important to know. If somebody didn't get saved, it's not... they rejected it. They rejected it. That's sad, but that's the truth. Ephesians chapter 3, we read in Ephesians chapter 3 verse 14. You guys can turn here, I'll read just a little bit. It says, For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named man I could preach up I even I could preach a whole message on that right there Verse 16 that he would grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might By his spirit in the inner man This is what God has promised to be strengthened with might by his spirit in the inner man that Christ may dwell in What a promise that Christ may dwell in your hearts. I've heard it said, you've heard it said, Oh, Jesus is not in your heart. Well, the Bible says right here that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith. So yes, he is. Yes, he is. If you've been born again, yes, he is. that she, being rooted and grounded in love, verse 18, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ, to know the love of Christ, to comprehend the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge that she might be filled with all fullness of God. These are what God's promised. Dwell in your hearts by faith, strengthened by might with the Spirit in the inner man, to know the love of Christ, to be filled with all fullness, This is what God has promised. What you were is headed for hell. For sure. Deserving it. Headed for hell. Deserving every bit of it. But what God has promised is all these things. I'll give you one more. Philippians chapter 4. It says in verse 6, be careful for nothing. But in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. Verse seven, and the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, and it says, this is something God's promised. The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. then it's got some instruction if you want to keep your mind in peace finally brethren whatsoever things are true whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are pure whatsoever things are lovely whatsoever things are of good report if there be any virtue and if there be any praise think on these things you know that That is only going to be possible if you've allowed the peace of God which passeth all understanding to keep your heart and mind through Christ. It's only going to be possible for you to think on these things. You've got no peace, you've got no assurance, you've got no rest if you've not believed on the Lord. And I don't know your heart, but if you've got no peace and you've got no assurance or you've Let me not say no peace and no assurance, but if you've got a lack of peace and a lack of assurance, it's either because you've not allowed the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, to have your hearts and minds cleansed through Jesus Christ, or it's because you're constantly thinking on things that are not true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, and virtuous. Don't know. That's all I got as far as what God promised, and that's just because that's all that was laid out in the book. There's a lot that God's promised, but let me tell you, what God's promised you is eternal life. I mean, that's all you need to know. There's nothing for a lost person that's scarier than eternal and eternity. Eternity. Because it means, it stands for, it represents eternal death, eternal damnation, eternal torment forever and ever. Eternal life is what God's promised you. There's nothing more comforting and peaceful than that. There's nothing better than that. Man, I just think about how blessed we are, just as a side, as a commercial. Last night, I went to the gas station and I watched a lady walk in. And for whatever reason, I was not in a very good mood and just something I don't even know. And I had Charlie with me and I watched a lady walk in that could just barely walk. She had cerebral palsy or what, I don't know, but she could barely walk. She had a hard time getting up to one step of the curb. She had a great attitude, great spirit. I said hi to her and everything, but it just made me realize, good grief. how can I be in a bad mood? You know, how can I, how can I possibly not have peace? And because you know what I'm doing? I'm not thinking on things that are true and honest and just and pure and lovely and a good report, virtuous and praiseworthy. I'm thinking on other things. And that's why here this lady is who can barely walk. I mean, really, she's like, she's like, might as well be laying at the pool of Bethesda, you know, wanting to be healed. And here I am, with a bad attitude. And I thought, I am so unbelievably blessed. And then I went in, we did whatever, and then we came out, and a guy asked me for water. And the guy, I saw him walking down the road, and he was looking rough, and he asked me if I knew where he could get a gallon of water. And I always have a gallon with me. I said, man, I got a half gallon, I'll give you. And he's like, that'll work, I'll take it. I gave him my half gallon. And I thought, good grief! I got a lady that can't walk, I got a guy that needs water, and here I am with a bad attitude. Very, very convicting. Let me just sum that up by saying, finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things. man, there's a message for me last night. I was very convicted seeing this lady and that guy and you know, me healthy as a horse, all the water I can drink with a bad attitude, just convicting. But that's one of the things that God's given us. He's given us peace. And you know what I can do in a moment because of that, just switch to peace and realize that man, I'm so blessed. I mean, I am saved. My, my, I got a wife that I love. She's saved. I mean, peace, peace, what peace, what amazing peace. Amen. All right out of that and then what you did and this is where the message is going to I'm gonna slow down a little bit I'm gonna be out of time almost out of time good grief. What happened what you did? All right, let's zip through this Romans 10 13 for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved I'm just gonna give you four or five verses out of this book real fast and then I'm gonna talk about these called, for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." You've got to call. Romans 10, 9, "...that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." You believed. This is if you were born again, if you've got the peace, if you no longer walk according to the prince, the power of the air, according to the spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience, If you've been born again, you called, you believed. John 1.12, but as many as received him, to them give you power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. You received. Acts 17.30, and the times of this ignorance God winked at, but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent. You repented. But just real quick, I'm going to talk about just a couple of these. Repent. This book defines it as a change of attitude resulting in a change of action. And I like that. And if I was to boil it down, and men have said this, the most basic boiled it down definition of repent is to turn. But you know what? As I read this, you could say change. Change is also a pretty good definition of repent. And so you would say, oh, so you're saying you got to stop sinning to be saved. No, that's not what I'm saying. But if that is your attitude, if that is your chief concern, if that is even a thought in your mind, when you said you were repentant, then you've not been repentant and you've not been saved. All right. You say, prove it. You're preaching works based salvation. The only reason I put these hypothetical rebuttals into my message is because I've heard them. I've heard them. Prove it, they would say. You're preaching works-based salvation. Well, okay, here's what Jesus Christ said. Remember, God manifest in the flesh. Here's what he said. John 3, 19, and this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God." I'm not going to slow down. I'm out of time. I've just got to get through this one point, all right? Men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. It says, everyone that doeth evil, hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. And then it says, he that doeth truth, something's being done, cometh to the light, he's going somewhere, that his deeds, remember this is all about the deeds. Deeds are a very central theme here. that his deeds may be made manifest." So it sure looks to me like this man's deeds are his issue, and it sure seems to me like a man must be willing to have his deeds reproved. And it sure looks to me again like the man who does truth will come to reproof, all right? The deeds must be repented of. It's the deeds. They would say, oh, you're preaching to repent of your sins. Call it what you want. Call it what you want. You've got to change. You've got to allow your deeds to be reproved. How do you do that? You've got to come to. Look, I'm going away from and I'm coming to. You could say I turn. You could say I repented. You gotta have your deeds reproved. You gotta come to the light. That's the turning. That's the changing. That's the repenting. Loving darkness is choosing evil deeds over and instead of the light. Alright, real clear. Loving darkness. This is the condemnation. That light is coming to the world and men loved darkness because their deeds were evil. They wouldn't come to the light, neither would they be reproved because they love their evil deeds. Your deeds are the problem. Your deeds are the reason why you're going to hell. You have a sin nature, you inherited it, there's no doubt about it, but you prove it with your deeds. Your deeds make you a sinner. Loving the darkness is choosing evil deeds over and instead of your light instead of the light All right, you got to turn from your evil ways to the light Well, so you're saying you got to stop sinning and do it. No, that's not what I'm saying I'm saying you got to repent and believe you got to turn and trust you got to confess and forsake You gotta die to yourself, to your will, and receive life in Jesus Christ. To receive life in Christ, and I know I'm done, I'm out of time, I'm gonna take about four more minutes, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, past your turn. John chapter one, it says, in the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, without Him was not anything made that was made, in Him was life. And the life was the light of men. This is the condemnation that light is coming to the world. And men loved darkness because their deeds were evil. And the light shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not. Darkness doesn't like it. Oh no. Comprehended means to envelop. It doesn't just mean to understand. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of that light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light. That light was the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. Hey, this is the condemnation, that light is coming to the world. But men loved darkness, because their deeds were evil. You're going to have to allow your deeds to be reproved. You're going to have to come to the light. Jesus Christ is the light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world. The world was made by Him. The world knew Him not. He came unto His own. His own received Him not, but as many as received Him. To them give you power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name. Receive, believe, call, repent. These are the things that it says you did. To receive Christ is to believe in His name. To believe in His name is to trust in His power and His authority. To trust in His power and authority is to receive the light. To receive the light. And to receive the light is to come to the light, to draw near to the light. You know what drawing near to the light is? It's allowing your deeds to be reproved. It says, this is the condemnation, that light is coming to the world. Men loved darkness. They loved their wicked, filthy deeds. Their deeds were evil. They loved darkness because their deeds were evil. They would not come to the light. They would not allow their deeds to be reproved. To allow your deeds to be reproved, I've said it before, is to agree with the counsel of God against yourself. You didn't just learn some facts and be saved. If you think, let me avail you of the notion that you just learned some facts and now you're good enough for heaven. That is wrong. You need to allow your deeds to be reproved. I'm going to give you just one more. I'm sorry, I'm almost done. In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by Isaiah, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his path straight. And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leather girdle about his loins, and his meat was locusts and wild honey. Then went out Jerusalem," verse 5, Matthew 3, "...then went out Jerusalem, and all Judea went out to him, Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan, and were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins." Now we're getting back to deeds. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth Therefore fruits meet for repentance. And think not to say within yourself, we have Abraham to our father. For I say unto you that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also is the ax laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. is what he says, but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I'm not worthy to bear. He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire, whose fan is in his hand. He will throughly purge his floor and gather his wheat into the garner. He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. John's baptism was to repentance. You're saying, oh, so you're saying you've got to be baptized to be saved. I've heard it too. No, that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying, I'm saying you're not repentant because you love your evil deeds. These guys were not repentant. John was not about to baptize them because his baptism was unto repentance. Luke 7 29 and all the people that heard him and the publicans justified God being baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves being not baptized of him. Let me remind you, then went out to him Jerusalem and Judea and all the region around about Jordan and were baptized of him in Jordan confessing their sins. He told the Pharisees, and then he says right here, he saw many of the Pharisees had come to his baptism, he said, Do you know what that is? That's confessing your sins. That's what the others did. That's what they were being baptized unto. That's what the Pharisees and the Sadducees, the rulers, that's what they would not do, was confess their sins. They would not bring forth fruits of meat for repentance. They would not turn from their evil deeds because they loved darkness. Their deeds were evil. They wouldn't come to the light. They would not repent. It says, think not to say within yourselves, we have Abraham to our father. We said a prayer. We know the facts. For I say unto you that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. God is able of these stones to get the facts or to get a prayer. And I know that's a fact because the Bible says that if these should hold their peace, then the stones should cry out. So God can get the stones to say whatever he wants them to say. He can get you to say whatever he wants you to say, knowing the facts. It's not what saves. If you love darkness, you've got to turn from the darkness to the light. What does that do? That reveals your evil deeds, and that is bringing forth fruits, meat for repentance. Confessing it to the Lord, putting it before the Lord, bringing forth fruits, meat for repentance. It says, for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him in whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? I'm going to skip down. But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. I'm out of time. I'm sorry. I've gone over. Think of Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth was in the line of Saul. Closing it up. I'm done. I won't read anything else. I'm sorry. I didn't even get through what I wasn't going to get through. Mephibosheth was in the line of Saul and he deserved just like all the other of Saul's lineage to be put to death because Saul was a transgressor and he inherited every bit of that and there was no reason for David to allow any of Saul's line that could potentially give him trouble or come and try to claim the throne or cause up an insurrection. He could have put him to death. Putting them all to death. But because Mephibosheth was not just in Saul, and in the lineage of Saul, as you are in Adam. Mephibosheth was in the son. Mephibosheth was a son of Jonathan. And Jonathan, David loved Jonathan. And Jonathan was the reason for the promise, for the covenant in this instance. And David and Jonathan had a covenant, all right? So you know what Mephibosheth was? He was a child of promise. He was a child of the covenant. Because Mephibosheth was not just in Saul, like you and I, in Adam. Mephibosheth was in the sun. So you and I are not going to be born to the right dad and then, you know, be saved like Mephibosheth was in this literal physical sense. However, if you would hate the darkness, if you would love the light, if you would come to the light, if you would confess your sins, if you would allow your deeds to be reproved, then God would make you whole. And that's what you got to do. You got to bring forth fruits, meat for repentance. And what is that? That's confessing your sins, coming to the light, allowing God to just expose it all and show you how wicked you are and how filthy you are and you agree with it and you just receive it and you say, God, that is me. That's all me. That's definitely me. I am no good. He'll save you. He'll save your soul if you'll put it all on Him. What you did is what the point was. You believed, you called, you confessed, you repented. It all goes together. I was telling Michael just a moment ago, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I know I'm out of time. You're not going anywhere, amen? I'm just taking Pastor Turk's time. I was telling Michael just a moment ago that, you know, we've talked about this here and, you know, I'm not going to make a dogmatic statement up here right now, but it's been said like, well, what comes first? Faith, repentance, faith, repentance, you know, who knows? Well, let me tell you something. They can be apart. You could be repentant and not believe, I suppose. You can definitely believe facts and not be repentant. They must be together to be saved. But you know what I think? And this is just in light of some testimonies I've heard lately, and as I read through the Bible, I think that if you truly have faith, you've already repented. You've already been repentant. You cannot have faith. You don't have faith until you're repentant, I guess is what I'm saying, until you realize that your deeds are a problem, that you're steeped in darkness, that you're filthy and wicked as can be, until you're willing to allow your deeds to be reproved, until you're willing to turn and go to the light and allow your deeds to be approved and confess your sins, you're not repentant. And then it's after that that you can be saved and have faith and believe. I don't believe, and it's been said by a preacher, and he says it well, that he was convicted because he had his testimony on the wrong side of salvation. And what that means is that he believed some facts and he prayed a prayer, and then years later, perhaps down the road, he was repentant. He saw his wicked, filthy sin. He came to the light. He allowed his deeds to be reproved. That was when he was repented, and that was when he could believe unto salvation. Until you're willing to turn from your filthy, wicked self. I'm not telling you to turn from any specific sins. Though Jesus did, I'm not telling you. I don't know your heart. He does. Listen to what He says, just like the people in the Bible had to do. There's no man in the Bible that preached, do this, do that, turn from this sin. But Jesus, who knows the heart of man, He said, go get your husband. And I bet she didn't say it like, Oh, I don't have a husband. I bet she was like, I have no husband. You know, I bet it broke her because he got to the heart of her sin. There was another guy who said, look, I've done all this stuff for my youth up. He said, well, why don't you just give everything away, sell it, give it to the poor and come follow me. And he, he wasn't going to do it. I would not have told somebody to do that because I don't know their heart. All I can do is send them to Jesus and hope that they will allow Him to work on their heart. But if you will, if you'll allow Him to search your heart and to clear you of your wicked filth, then it's because you've hated the darkness, you've loved the light, you've turned to the light, that's repenting, you allowed Him to reprove you of your evil deeds, you confessed your sins, that's fruit meat for repentance, you believe, boom, saved. That's what you did. If you've done that, let me give you all the assurance that I can give you. If you've not done that, you've got no assurance and you shouldn't have any. Does anybody have any questions about this message that Pastor Turk could answer? Because I've just rattled off here for some time and I'm sorry. Let's pray. Dear God, thank you so much for your word. Thank you for the light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world. God, thank you so much for that. Lord, I pray that you continue to bless each one of us and shine light into each one of our hearts and help us to just continue to be perfected. I pray that you'd help the trials and the tribulations to continue to perfect us and that we would think on things that are honest and just and true in those times and that you'd bless us and perfect us and make us more complete is what I mean by that. God, thank you so much for that. God, thank you for your word. Help us to love it. Help us to receive it. God, those people that we love, that we want to reach, that we want to talk to, that are not receiving the light, Lord, I pray that you work on their hearts, and just smite their hearts, and afflict their hearts, and give them no peace. Help them to find no peace in anything, God. I pray until they find peace in you. Help us to be the answer, the remedy, that we can bring that to them, God. Thank you so much for what you've done for us, for this church, in Jesus' name, amen. Amen, we got a minute.