I would like to thank you for the opportunity you've given me to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ here. It's been an immense privilege to me. I did wonder, before I left the United Kingdom nearly four and a half weeks ago, whether I had bitten off more than I can chew, if you understand that idiom. Whether, in fact, I was somewhat mad to try this extended trip and travel so far. Maine, Sacramento, Phoenix, Mexico, and now here. but I have found blessing and encouragement more than I can say. And God has helped me thus far to be physically well, and I hope I can not disappoint you and have something for you in this last session. I want to apologize, though, because you will have noticed, those of you who've been here all the time, that my discourses are unstructured, and they tend to ramble all over the place, and I do repeat myself, I know. I'm not going to apologize for the next point. I know you will think, some of you will think, that I'm a man of one theme. But that theme is Jesus Christ. And I do not apologize for that. And I return to it again in this discourse. I know that some of you will say, well, we've heard what you've said more than once in this weekend. But there are several new people here. And this is being recorded, and perhaps other people will hear it and see it in days to come. And I don't want to miss any opportunity. to set forth, as I see it, the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. I said last Wednesday when I came unexpectedly to the prayer meeting, and I was asked to say a few words, I made the point then that I was not interested in trying to promote New Covenant theology. I don't want to be misunderstood, I do believe in the theology of the New Covenant. And I've argued in this weekend that all believers should be interested in the New Covenant. That's where we are saved. That's where we're placed. And we should want to explore that New Covenant and its theology. But the sum and substance of the New Covenant, the end, the purpose of it all, is the exaltation of the Lord Jesus Christ. I opened, I think, on Friday. Was it Friday? Yeah, Friday, I think it was, with Titus 1. God, from the very beginning, has determined upon a plan, a purpose. And that is an English hymn that you won't know. All is for the uplifting of Jesus on high. Because he said, if I be lifted up, will draw all men to myself, lifted up on the cross, and lifted up, too, I believe, in the preaching of the gospel. So I am a man of one theme, Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Jesus Christ is Lord. And in my small way, I do join in with the apostle when he said, Woe is me if I preach not the gospel. So I don't come preaching new covenant theology. I do, but I really want to preach Christ. Because Christ, my friend, Christ is the only way. This may not be politically correct. Christ is the only way for men and women to be saved. When I go to my GP—that's an English term—my physician, and I say I've got this pain, or this ache, or this sensation, or whatever it is, she has to think carefully and decide which course of treatment I might need, which inspection, which test, which sample, or whatever, what medication she should give me, what pharmacopoeia reference she should go to, and all the rest of it. And I admire her. I don't know how she does it. I admire all physicians who can do this, and think across this wide range of symptoms, and decide on the particular solution for this problem. As a preacher, and I'm glad to say, as a much simpler task, I do not have to ask what your problems are. I do not have to know what your case is. I know the solution to it. Jesus Christ. So whether you're a saint doubting your salvation, struggling with a particular sin, having this problem or that, that issue, that fear, that doubt, it is the preaching of Christ that will meet you in your need. Unbeliever, I do not care where you have been, what you've experienced, what state you're in. I know the answer to your problem, your difficulty, your plight, and it is Jesus Christ. And I know God has told me, he's told you, it is by the foolishness of preaching. And if you like the preaching of what sounds like foolishness, that God is pleased to save sinners and edify his people. How God uses feeble men, a man like me, What words can we do? What eloquence? I determine, says Paul, not to come with flattering words, not with eloquence, but simply to preach Christ. And I, says Christ, if I be lifted up. I'm going to try and ride at least two horses in this final session, so I'm bound to come adrift somewhere. I am trying, on the one hand, I'm trying to make some sort of logical conclusion to this weekend. But I'm not very good at giving lectures. I'm not very good at delivering papers. I can't help myself. I usually, but I always, sort of get somehow into a preaching mode. You probably noticed that. And I can't help it, and I don't, in a sense, apologize for it. I know some of you would prefer a much more rational and reasoned discourse. but you've got what you've got, and you've got me. And this is what I'm going to do. So some of you will say, well, we've heard this theme before, but some of you are new, aren't you? Some of you are fresh. And I want to speak to you. The first session, I tried to give an overview of what we call covenant history, redemption history through covenants. I started with Abraham, and I explain why I started with Abraham. We went down through the old covenant, Moses. We went down then to see the fulfillment of the old covenant in every aspect, all its pictures, all its shadows fulfilled in the work and person of the Lord Jesus Christ. And He, by fulfilling that covenant, rendered it obsolete, bringing to into great fruition the great Abrahamic promise. And now we have the new covenant. In the previous discourse just before this, I showed that there was, unfortunately, in the early church, an attack upon this new covenant. An insidious attack. Men infiltrating the churches and bringing in a doctrine which, if it had won the day, would have taken the believers back under the old covenant, back under bondage, and made them lose their liberty and all their joy in Christ. And worse, I believe it would have meant that sinners would never have heard the saving grace of Jesus Christ. And I tried to show, and I mentioned several passages, I tried to show that Paul in particular, but he was not alone, but Paul in particular stood up against this and set out in broad detail, in precise detail, in many passages of Scripture, arguing, reasoning with the believers never to go back under the old bondage from which they've been delivered. The writer to the Hebrews does the same with his constituency, the converted Jews, who were in danger of going back to the old covenant. And I made the point a few moments ago, I made the point that this is not a historical, technical debate which was satisfied 2,000 years ago. We live today with the same struggle. Christ, Christ and Christ alone, and all the free grace that there is in the Lord Jesus, is the answer to our every need. I didn't choose the hymn, I would call it, the song, which was the theme for this weekend. Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer's praise. The triumphs of His grace. He speaks. The dead hear His voice. The lame leap like a heart. Wesley wrote many more verses than the ones you have sung. All ascribing praise to Jesus Christ. So, I'm going to try and finish in some sort of logical conclusion, but I'm also going to try and preach. So, it will fall between two stools. But we'll see how we get on. I want to read a passage of Scripture to you to conclude this weekend. And I want to read, not Colossians 2, which we read just now, or had read together, but I want to read Colossians chapter 3. Colossians chapter 3, and I'll read the first 11 verses. The point I am trying to make, the point I am trying to make is this. New covenant theology, whatever that might be, does not exist in isolation. It's not there, I think I used the illustration before, as a kind of theological chess game, something to manipulate, text to argue over. I believe it to be the truth of God's Word. But God's Word was never designed just to let us play theological word games with. One of the great dangers to which I am exposed, because I so admire Paul's arguments, I can stay at the level of the mind, the academic. I am fascinated by the way he reasons. I mentioned the short words, the gars, the buts, that's therefore, the gars, the ands, the buts, now, since, all those kind of words, the ifs, these fascinate me. But my friend, that's not the purpose of God's Word. I said in the previous discourse, Paul was wrestling because he had a pastoral heart. He was wrestling for my soul. He was wrestling for the souls of men and their eternity. He wasn't interested in playing word games. I have said some strong things against John Calvin. I have said some strong things against the Puritans. I was asked in the interval about Calvin and about Puritans. Let me make my position. I am not worthy to polish their boots. They were great men, but they were not infallible. I can't hold a candle to them. I can't stand in the same shadow as them. These were great men. These were giants. I am a pygmy, a Lilliputian. Sorry, I understand pygmy is a bad word for you. Sorry, I was told that about 20 years ago. But Lilliputian, okay. Sorry, I apologize. But having said that, I cannot hold back and say that they were infallible. I can't say they're infallible. I can't say that they had it all right. In certain issues, they had it wrong. But I want to quote a Puritan. William Perkins, 1600. Perkins was at Cambridge, close to where I live. A great intellectual. But it is also said, well it's not only said, it was true, the common people of Cambridge heard him gladly. He would go to the gallows and pray with men as they were just to be hanged. He was a Cambridge fellow, he was a learned man, but he was also a tremendous man for the souls of men and the preaching of the gospel, and the common people could hear him gladly. And Perkins wrote a book called The Art of Prophesying. And in this book, he set out what became the normal standard for Puritan preaching. Prophesying there, he meant preaching. And one of his maxims was this, what's the use of it? What's the use of it? Let me explain. Too many men think they have preached when they have set out the truth of Scripture. When they have expounded the text. That is a vital thing. That is an essential thing. I won't do it properly this morning. That's why I say I'm making a bad mistake. But having set out the exposition of Scripture, having set out the technical points of the Scripture, Perkins says, what's the use of it? Ram it home. Drive it into their hearts. Make them see it in the mind. Make them feel it in the heart. And then make them live it out. Now, he can't make him do it, but may God's Spirit move us. What's the use of it? What I'm saying, my friend, is when I used the illustration throughout the weekend, I used about a table, didn't I? And laying the table. To change the illustration, but to use the same picture, expounding the text is spreading the tablecloth, and laying the table, laying the china, laying the silver, putting the glasses there, putting the meat on the table. But my friend, if that's all it leads to, what's the good of it? Here we are sitting around the table, here we are discussing, that looks good, that looks tasty, that's nutritious, that's well-cooked. Very good, my friend, very good. But what was the purpose of the meal? Why did you sit down? Why did those dear people work so hard in preparing it? Why did God give us that nutriment? For us to eat. And not only to eat, but then to go in the strength, and the vitality, and the life of that food, to live it out. You see the illustration, my friend? If all you do is go away saying, oh, New Covenant theology, very interesting, I've learned a lot this weekend. My friend, I failed! I failed! I don't care whether you're a New Covenant theologian, or a dispensationalist, a Calvinist, or an Arminian, in this sense. What's the use of all this theology? What's the practical outcome of it? Are we just taking food into ourselves and it's not working out? The apostles are full of this point. You can't read the letters of the apostles without noticing it. The first few chapters of their books, or interspersed in their books, they gave massive doctrine. Look at Ephesians 1, 2, and 3. Tremendous statements of doctrine! Now you read chapters 4, 5, and 6. What's the use of it? Let your light so shine, do this, do the other, do the other. Too many friends, my friend, too many people want to stop in Ephesians 1, 2, and 3, debate it. Lovely. Come on, my friend, let's live it out in 4, 5, and 6. This is what the apostle is doing in Colossians 3. Let me just read these few verses. Since then you have been raised with Christ. Set your heart on things above. where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden. By the way, there's another now there. Some of you over here, you know what I'm talking about. But now, there's another now there. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your, or it could be our, life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature— sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways in the life you once lived, but now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these—anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Don't lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all and in all. And the subject of this particular session is Christ is all. Now, if I was preaching properly, I would expound those words and show the context properly and argue it out. but you must forgive me. I'm just going to jump to the application, the use of it. The apostle says, since then you have been raised with Christ. I am trying to apply all I have said this weekend. This is where he starts. Since then you have been raised with Christ. What is he doing there? He is arguing with them, he's assuming, he's believing that these men and women to whom he's writing are true believers. Since you have been raised with Christ. Some technical words there, but what he's really talking about is these men and women that he's writing to are true believers in our Lord Jesus Christ. They have felt the conviction of their sins, they have turned from their sins, and they have received Christ. You remember I've said several times context? Well, let's have a look just at some context. Verse 13 of chapter 2. When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the written code," and so on. He's writing to these people, God has forgiven your sins. You have been redeemed. You have been forgiven. Go back to chapter 1, verse 13. For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. I am writing to you, He says, you who have experienced this, you have been brought out of darkness, you have been brought out of Adam, you have been brought into Christ, you've been brought out of death and bondage into the freedom of the forgiveness of sins and peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. I am writing to you. as believers, the very way he opens in chapter 1 and verse 1, Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae. They are holy, and they are faithful. By faithful, he means believing. And by holy he means, by faith in Jesus Christ, they have had all their sins forgiven, and they are perfect forever in the sight of God. This is what he means. They are justified. That's a technical word. They are positionally sanctified. If you don't understand the terms, we can talk about them afterwards. I'll advertise, if you want to see my fivefold sanctification, a book, I'll go into this positional sanctification there. But the point is, These people are true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Going back to chapter 3, verse 1, "...since then you have been raised with Christ." That takes us into Romans 6. If you'd like to read it, you'll see there are union with Christ. These are tremendous technical terms, but the time will go if I develop them. All I'm saying to you is that Paul is writing to these people as true believers. You say, well, I know that. But my friend, I'll tell you what happens in England. And I've listened to a lot of sermons on the web, too, and I'll tell you what happens. Most preachers start assuming that everybody is a Christian in the room. They're inclusive. They treat everybody as though they're believers. Well, I know you're sitting in a chair. I know you're in this meeting house. I know you've got a Bible. But are you a believer? Well, I believe in God. No! Are you trusting in Jesus? Are you united to Christ? I don't know what you're talking about. Have you ever repented? Have you ever cried out for mercy to Jesus? Have you ever said, I trust you? Do you want Christ to be your Savior? Of course, this is painful to preach like this, because it's divisive, isn't it? I am dividing you, my friend. He's a divisive minister. Praise God if I am. You're either sheep or goat. You're either dead or alive. Which are you, my friend? What I say for the rest of the discourse applies, because Paul's words apply only to those of you who are in Christ. I don't want you to leave now and say, well, I don't want to hear it. Stay, my friend. But before you stay, look to Jesus and trust Him. And then you will come into what I say. Again, if you like the picture, I've been spreading a meal. You're outside the house looking in the window, you can see it. Come in, my friend, come in and sit down with us. Partake of Christ. He stands ready, willing and able. The hymn, the song that the friends sung just now, it reminded me of a hymn by Joseph Hart, and I think some of the words were based on Hart's hymns. Come ye sinners, Poor and wretched. Weak and wounded. Sick and sore. Jesus ready stands to save you. He is willing. He is willing. He is able. Doubt no more. I said to some brothers on Wednesday, when you hear me speak on Sunday morning, you will think I'm an Arminian. Well, I'm a five-point Calvinist, if that means anything to you, and I'm not ashamed of it. Do I sound like an Arminian? Then praise God for it, for that's what I read in my Bible. Not that you have the power to come, but Jesus ready stands to save you. He is willing. He is able. Are you willing? Are you willing? I take all that for granted, my friend, and I address you now, and I address myself, since, or if, on the basis then, this is what Paul says, that you have been raised with Christ. What does he say? Do you notice that he gives us now a tremendous range of imperatives? Do you understand about imperatives? Listen, set your heart. That's an imperative. It's a command. Set your minds. That's an imperative. That's a command. Put to death, therefore. That's a command. And so it goes on. Why do I stress that? Well, I think I spoke on that… Was it Saturday evening? I'm losing track of… I think I spoke on it on Saturday evening. The law of Christ. Oh, we spoke of it in the questions and answers sessions as well. What is this law of Christ? We're not under the law of Moses as believers, but we're under the law of Christ. Some say, well, you know, there's no law here. My friend, I don't know how you read these Scriptures. I don't know how you read them. I'm a simple man. When Christ says to me, through His apostle, do this, I take that to be a law. I don't know what you take it to be. I take that to be a command. I take that to be an imperative. I take that… Over in my Bible it says, rules for holy living. That's not inspired. Okay, you don't like the word rules. How about law for holy living? Commandments for holy living? The principles? What do you want? Are they options? Christ commands you, my friend, John 14 and so on, if a man loves Me, he will keep his own opinions. No, he will keep… You smile, but you'll be surprised. I keep what the Spirit tells me, what the Spirit tells me according to Scripture. Christ promised it. He said, The Spirit will lead you, you men, into all truth, so that My people In Memphis, or South Haven, or Olive Branch, wherever we are at the moment, I get confused. Wherever we are at the moment, these men and women, they will have some imperatives in 2016. They won't have to say, Oh, the Spirit is telling me. The Spirit does work in us. I'm not belittling the Spirit. The Spirit does move in us. And it's only the Spirit's power that can bring any sinner to faith. It's only the Spirit's power that can bring any obedience from my life. But the truth is, I'm obedient to the apostolic commands. Why did they write them if it's not there for me? What is the apostle talking about here? He is talking about the way of progressive sanctification. That also is contested by some. Don't believe in it. Don't you? What do you make of the text then when Peter closes his letter? Grow in grace. and in the — grow? Progressive? — grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. How about us sincere children desire the sincere milk — us children desire the sincere milk of the Word that ye may grow thereby? holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. That is not speaking of what I am in Christ by faith. That is speaking of my life. Read the context. I keep saying, read it, and you'll see it's my practical living. My brother and sister, you may claim to be a Christian. Well, if I'm a brother and sister, you are a Christian. My friend, you may claim to be a Christian. But unless you live a new life, conforming to Christ, growing into Christ. If any man is in Christ Jesus, he is a new creation. I remember, oh, about 20 years ago or 15 years ago, I remember meeting some American fundamentalists. I believe you have some over here. American fundamentalists, and they were in England. And they came in to a place where I was having a meal, and they came in having done some evangelism on the streets. They'd been knocking at the door, and they told us how many people had been converted that afternoon. So I was interested, I said, asked some details. Well, they'd gone on the door, and they talked to this man, and he'd said a prayer. and they come away. So he was converted. I said, well, I said, if any man is in Christ Jesus, he's a new creation. All things have passed away, and all things have become new. They would never see him again, you understand. They would never meet him again. There'd be no way of seeing any change in his life, but I asked this question, and this came back the answer. Well, he is a new creature. Before we went to the door, he was going to hell, and now he's going to heaven. He said a prayer. I don't know what you think of that, but I know what I think of it. If any man is in Christ Jesus, the rest of his life will show it. Not that two minutes on the door to get rid of him and say a prayer. It's not the saying of the prayer, my friend. Paul wants a life here. A life of obedience. Not to earn my salvation, but to reflect my salvation. Not to deserve it, but because Christ has saved me. This man here is talking about progressive sanctification. And he comes to this. I told you I'm not preaching properly, but he comes to this. Christ is all. Now, I want to… Take that and say to you that that really does mean it. I'm now addressing believers. I've tried to address unbelievers, you understand? I've tried to call you to Christ. Now I'm moving on to those of us who are believers. My brother and sister, Jesus Christ is all. What do I mean by that? He is my justification. He is my position of sanctification. He is my glorification. He is my life. He is my assurance. Let me just unpack that very briefly. You understand, my brother and sister, that when we trusted Christ, we were justified. All the righteousness of Christ is ours. as God looks upon his Son in his perfection, so he looks upon you." My friend, if I really understood that, I don't know what a transformation that would be. Is it really true that God sees me as spotless, and more than spotless, as positively righteous as the Lord Jesus Christ? That doctrine, by the way, is sorely under attack today. I'll just mention the words by something called the New Perspective. I'll give you an Englishman's name who's doing it, N.T. Wright. But I say no more about it. But that doctrine is under attack. Like in the last session, I said there's nothing new under the sun. It's coming back. Luther was wrong about it. I'm wrong about it. You're wrong about it. It's not this. This is not what justification. So it is, my friend, it is this. If we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, we are absolutely accounted righteous by God. And Christ is all. Unbeliever. It's not creeds or confessions. It's not ceremonies. You can be sprinkled every day of the week, but it won't make you right with God. It's not sacraments. I hate the word. An invention imposed by the Fathers upon the church. It is Christ, my friend. It's not church. You may be a member of this church. You may come to this church. But unless you're in Christ, you are yet unjustified. But the moment you're in Christ, trusting Him, you are justified from all things, what the law of Moses could not justify you from. You are positionally sanctified. Christ is made unto us wisdom, sanctification, redemption, the whole shooting match. Christ is all. 1 Corinthians 1, verse 30. And here Paul says, Christ is all. Positional sanctification, we have been drawn out of the world, separated under God. By one offering, He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. That leads on to progressive sanctification. But I mentioned assurance, and I really just like to spend a moment or two on this. Christ is all. And I want to address you on the subject of assurance. If America is like anything like England, there are many believers who are suffering from a lack of assurance. I do not know. It's like the man in the Kings. He fires the bow at a venture. Are you lacking assurance? You're a believer. In Scripture, we find the way of assurance. But the way of assurance, which has come down as common currency amongst evangelicals, though most don't realize it, stems from the Puritans. The Puritans taught this, that there are three ways of assurance. First, The Bible says, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. I argue with myself. I believe on the Lord Jesus, so I am saved. But of course, the more sensitive you are, the more inclined you are to ask a question. Do I really believe? Is my faith sincere? Do I believe strongly enough? Is it the real faith? So the Puritan said, the next step is this, that you look at your progressive sanctification. You look at your evidences. You see that since you came to faith, You have these marks within you of spiritual life. And because you can reason from these marks, then you can say to yourself, well, this shows that God's Spirit must be in me, therefore I have assurance. Salvation by evidence. I hope I'm making myself clear. If I'm not, please call out. Salvation by evidences. Is there any scriptural ground for this? Well, I believe there is some scriptural ground for it. Yes, I do. But the main use of evidences is not to give me assurance. According to my Bible, I will try and prove it, the main use of evidences for assurance is not to assure me about my salvation, but to assure me about yours. The apostle writes to the Thessalonians, Now we know your elect because God gave us a secret message. No. Now we know your elect because when we came preaching to you, you received what we preach as the gospel, and you turned from idols to serve the living and true God. We can see the evidence in your life, and therefore we know that you are true believers. You see, I get assurance by looking at your life. You get assurance about me by looking at my life, not by listening to my sermons. but by looking at my life. But the Puritan said that is the main way of assurance. Think about it. The more progressive sanctification that you make, I put it to you, the more sensitive you are to sin. When I was a first believer, it would have been things like drunkenness and murder and violence. But what pains me now? I'm very good at speaking, exposing myself too much. The danger is, for a man like me, is hypocrisy. Here am I preaching to you. Is it an act? Is it a performance? What does God say? What I'm trying to say to you, the further I get on, the more sensitive I am to my weakness of evidence. In other words, what I'm saying to you, assurance by evidence really has got an inbuilt defect, because you'll never be assured, because your evidences can never be good enough. So what's the hope? Well, let's go to the Bible. Let the Bible teach us what assurance is. The Puritan said, ah, but there is a third way. Thomas Brooks, the great Puritan, wrote a book which is still being published by the Banner. You can buy it and you can read it. I don't advise it, but if you want to buy it, you can read it. This is what Thomas Brooks teach. There is a third way of assurance, but very few get it. Did you hear it? There is a third way, but very few get it. These are the legal preachers, my friend. Because they practiced infant baptism, that's my view, and because they taught the law so heavily, evidences became their major work. And they put the witness of God's Spirit, that's what they're talking about, third and the highest. And Thomas Brooke says quite clearly, very few of you will get it. Indeed, he says, very few of you are worthy of it. Making it up. No, I'm not. Read my book, Assurance in the New Covenant. You'll see the evidence. Martin Lloyd-Jones taught the same. The third ground, the highest ground, but few get it, you search for it, you strive for it, is the witness of the Spirit. That's wrong, my friend, according to my Bible. You want me to prove it? I think I ought to. Ephesians chapter 1. Ephesians chapter 1. This will make some sense in a minute, I hope, when I get... Ephesians chapter 1, and verse 13 and 14. Paul is writing to the Ephesians. He's not writing to special people in the seminary. He's not writing to the top brass of the Christian. He's writing to the ordinary. John Doe, wherever he is, Joe Blox, we call him in our country. The ordinary believer. And what does he say to every ordinary believer? He says it to you, brother. He says it to you, sister. What does he say to you? Listen. Ephesians 1, 13. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Now that's true, isn't it? You heard the word of salvation. You heard the gospel preached. And as he goes on to say, you believed. He'll say that in the next line. You believed, you trusted. Do you know you were included in Christ then? The moment you believe, the moment you trust, You're in Christ. And then he goes on, having believed, now the idea there some say, ah, there's a long gap now. There's no gap there, my friend. That's not the, no, no, no. He doesn't say about 40 years later, some of you might get this next experience. That's not what he's saying. The moment you believe, I'm not saying it, he is. having believed you were marked in him, in Christ with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit. Every believer in this room has the Holy Spirit in him, in her, dwelling in you. This is the glory of the new covenant. That question was asked yesterday in the question and answers. What's the difference between the old covenant and the new covenant as far as the Spirit? Well, there's a problem here. But one great thing about the new covenant is we have the Spirit within us, the Spirit of God within us. And He marks us, and He seals us. Well, what does that mean? who is a deposit, guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption. He's sealing us. He's marking us. He's guaranteeing us. Now, the Spirit does not stay in us in a silent capacity. He's not sitting in me, just looking out of the window. He's there for a purpose. What purpose? Romans chapter 8. Romans chapter 8. Verse 15. Well, let me read from verse 14. Romans 8, verse 14. Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God for you. And he's writing to every Tom, Dick, and Harry, and Doris, and Jane, whatever their names are, at Rome. He's not writing to the pastors or the elders. the super-duper Christians, at the end of their life, who get some sort of special experience. Do you understand what I'm saying? He's writing to you, brother. He's writing to you, he's writing to me. And he says this, We are the sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit, an attitude, a feeling that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of Sonship." Now, whether that small s there, or capital S, I don't trouble. Whether it's the attitude of Sonship, or the Holy Spirit bringing me into a sense of Sonship, it's the same thing. And by Him, and in fact, I'm sure it is the Spirit, because it's by Him that we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit comes into me, and He starts speaking in me, and He starts moving in me, and He enables me, the moment I believe, to cry, Abba, Father. God is my Father! The Spirit Himself testifies. I said He's not sitting there silent. He's speaking to me. It doesn't say, testified, once. It doesn't say, will testify, when you reach a certain level of maturity. He says, testifies, and that means He goes on testifying. He's testifying to me every moment of the day, if I will hear Him, if I will listen. He is testifying with our spirit, with my spirit, with your spirit. What is He testifying? That we are God's children. You want assurance, my friend? then look to this, listen to this, listen to the Spirit witnessing with you, testifying to you. I will go on a bit further, I haven't finished yet. Listen to the Spirit's voice. He does it day by day, hour by hour, if you will listen to Him. I say again, evidences come in as a backup, as a secondary. Under certain circumstances. The biggest book for evidence is for assurance is 1 John. And that's because the believers there had lost their assurance. They had it, but they had lost it. They had lost it by listening to false teachers. There's a lesson there somewhere. The Spirit witnesses. What does He witness to? John chapter 16, I think. Or is it 14? John 16, I think. Yes, John 16, verse 12. Christ says to His disciples, I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth. I've spoken on that this weekend several times. He will not speak on His own. He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come. I've spoken on that theme about Christ, through His Spirit, revealing things to the apostles. Right, good. Listen to this, though. He will bring glory to Me, by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. He will bring glory to me by taking what is of mine and making it known to you." By putting these texts together, The Spirit is witnessing to me. He is testifying to me. And what does He testify to me about? He's not writing Scripture in me. I'm not an apostle. But as an ordinary Christian, what is He testifying to me? He is taking of the things of Jesus and making them known to me. That is what Christ says. Where did I get all that from? Christ is all. Do you want to be assured, my brother? Then, of course, look at your evidences. Yes, of course, use that syllogism. Yes, of course, you can use that. But above all, my friend, listen to the Spirit, and He will take you to Jesus. What do I mean? Think of what He is. Think of what He has done. The devil will tell you that you've sinned. Of course, you have. But your hope is in Christ, is it not? He hasn't sinned. The devil will tell you, you're a poor Christian. So you are. I'm not congratulating you. I know it's true. I am, too. But my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame—that means feeling. Do you know that, Him? I dare not trust the sweetest feeling, but wholly lean on Jesus' name. I'm failing to convert you. I want to experience this. I want to so cast myself upon Christ. that feelings coming and going, circumstances rising and falling. Jesus stands ever, and the Spirit is ever saying, think about Jesus. Think about His love for you. Think about His death for you. Think about His praying for you. Jesus is praying for me now. I thank God sometimes for those who pray for me, and there are those who do pray for me, and I thank. But you know, one always prays for me. And you know His name? His name is Jesus. He ever lives to make intercession for me, night and day. I say me. I mean you, brother. I mean you, sister. If you look within, my friend, you will never get assurance. I'll say again, the evidences are vital. But the real assurance is not something for the special people, unless you call every believer special. The peculiar people. Because we are peculiar. I don't mean odd. I mean, we have the Spirit of Christ in us. This is one of the great fruits of his accomplishment for us in the new covenant. And Christ is all. That's a digression here, because Colossians 3 is not primarily about assurance. But Christ is all justification, assurance, and notice I put the assurance before progressive sanctification. Because progressive sanctification follows on from that. What do I mean? How can I be holy? And I'll soon close now. But how can I be holy? I want to please Christ. I want to live for Christ. I want to be like Christ. Don't you? How can I do it? I've quoted time and again what Calvin says. You know that he drives us by the whip of the law. Well, show me that in this passage. Would you please? I'm willing to shut up. Show me in this passage. No, no, I mean it. I mean it. Look at the passage. What's his argument here? What shall I say to you, brother, to make you holy? Shall I reprove you? Well, yes, I can. Shall I remind you of the punishments? Shall I speak about the law? Let me tell you what this man says. Set your hearts, your heart, my friend, not just your body, your outward externals, but your heart. Set your heart where? On where Christ is. Do you want assurance? Do you want sanctification? Do you want justification? Do you want glorification? Christ is all. Set your heart on Him. Looking to Christ, trusting Christ, thinking about Christ, talking about Christ, praying to Christ, worshiping Christ, singing about Christ. All of it will promote. holiness of life. Set your mind. Look at verse 12. As God's chosen people, holy and dearly beloved. Look what he's saying. You're elect. Think about that. You're holy in Christ. Think about that. He loves you. Think about that. Put to death, therefore. Can you see the argument, my friend? Can you feel the force of it? Everywhere in Scripture, in the New Testament, wherever there's an appeal to your duty, and there's tons of them, you will always see the appeal is based on Christ and the love of God to you as a believer. God is not smiting you, brother. He is drawing you by His love. Sister, He is not smiting you down and whipping you and lashing you into obedience. He is saying, think of My love for you. Think of what I've done for you, what I've accomplished for you. Let me just prove it in one place, Ephesians chapter 4 and 5, and then I must sit down. Ephesians 4 and 5. Look at Ephesians 4, verse 32, and read to the second verse of chapter 5. The division is very bad here. Be kind and compassionate to one another. That's our duty, brother. That's our duty, sister. We must be kind and compassionate to one another. Why? Because if you are not, God will smite you. Well, you've got a certain version of the Bible which I don't know. My Bible doesn't. My Bible says, be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other. My brother, you must forgive me when I offend you, and I must learn to forgive you. I must! Just as Christ Just as in Christ, God forgave you. Can you see the motive there? And bearing in mind the spring of the Spirit within us to produce this love? Let us go on. Be imitators of God, therefore. And as dearly loved children, live a life of love. There's a command for you, brother. There's a command for you, sister. I'll take the rest of your life, I'll tell you. You've got your work cut out now, so have I. How are we going to do it? Just as. You know, the Reformed talk about people like me as antinomians, and fuzzy, and vague, and all that kind of stuff. Do they read their Bibles? I have to love you, listen, just as Christ. If there's anything fuzzy about my theology there, it's because Christ's love is fuzzy. There's nothing fuzzy about Christ's love. And my standard of love must be measured against His. Not only that, that is the motive. Because I'm forgiven, how can I hold a grudge against you? I know the temptation, and so do you. But I must rebuke myself. If Christ has forgiven me, How can I hold a grievance against you? You remember that woman who anointed Jesus' feet and hair and so on? He said, she loved much. Why? Because she has great fear. Because she is forgiven much. And gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering. and sacrifice to God. What I wanted to say in this session was, let us reduce, as an old hymn in England again, another English hymn, reduce to practice what we hear. Reduce to practice. Let us bring it down to our lives, brothers and sisters. Let us live out this new covenant theology. Let us think about it and debate it by all means, but let us above all live it out for the glory of God. And that is living for Christ based on the great work of Christ for us. who He is and what He is to us. I can't put it better than the apostle. I know I'm a man of one thing, but Christ is all. There is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me. You can use that to address sinners with the gospel. So it is true. But my friend, it's also true for every saint. Whatever your issue, whatever your fear, whatever your doubt, whatever your sorrow, whatever your theology, make sure that Christ is all for you. Because you can be dead right on theology, but unless Christ is all, you're wrong. John Newton, do you know this hymn? What thinking of Christ is the test, to try both your heart and your scheme. You cannot be right in the rest unless you think rightly of Him. Some take Him to be this. Some take Him to be that. But if asked, what of Jesus, I think, And then He gives a long string. He's my meat and my drink. He is my husband. He is my all. Was John Newton right? What think ye of Christ is the test. But what do you think of Christ, my friend? What is your answer to this? Is Christ your all in all? Is He everything to you? I could not do without thee, thou Saviour of the lost, unto you who believe He is precious. May Jesus become more and more precious to us. Then we shall have the Spirit and the essence of new covenant theology. Christ is all. Shall we just pray? O God, give us this sense that Christ is all. May none of us go away. without having that conviction and sense in our heart that Jesus Christ is all in all to us. And may we now go to live for His glory. For Jesus' sake we ask it. Amen.