Well, good morning, Lighthouse. Did you come to worship the Lord this morning? Enjoying all the weather? We asked the Lord to give us some rain last year, and so he ended up sending us twice the amount we needed. But we're all good. We're all here, safe and sound. What's the reason that you love the Lord? That's because he made the first move and loved us first. Let's all sing and stand this morning. Quick sing, Hurley. The name I love to hear, I love to sing is good. It sounds like music in my ear, the sweetest dream on earth. Oh, how I love Jesus. Oh, how I love Jesus. Oh, how I love Jesus, because He first loved me. It tells me of a Savior's love, who died to set me free. It tells me of His blessings, but the sinner's burden free. Oh, how I love Jesus! Oh, how I love Jesus! Oh, how I love Jesus! Because He first loved me. Oh, how I love Jesus. Oh, how I love Jesus. Oh, how I love Jesus. Because He first loved me. so There is a name I love to hear, I love to sing its words. It sounds like music in my ears, the sweetest dream on earth. Oh, how I love Jesus Oh, how I love Jesus Oh, how I love Jesus Dear God, He first loved me It tells me of a Saviour's blood, who died to set me free It tells me of His precious blood, no sinners were pained with Oh, how I love Jesus Oh, how I love Jesus Oh, how I love Jesus Because He first loved me Because He first loved me Because He first loved me Before you guys have a seat, we have a birthday to acknowledge. There are actually two, but I don't see one in here. It happened to be Lisa's course's birthday just coming up. And Greg, we will sing next week. Greg will get next week. So Lisa, happy related birthday. We're going to sing happy birthday to Lisa. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Lisa. Happy birthday to you. There's also Hayden Bell, but I don't see him this morning. Who's that? Hayden Bell. It was also his birthday. Oh, Hayden. Mary got dragged by the ears in church next time. We'll get him next week. All right, you may be seated. Well, good morning, everyone. One of the things that really stood out to me in the song we just sang was, it tells me of his precious blood, the sinner's perfect plea. Really, when you start examining what the scripture teaches about our salvation and our standing we have, you use a lot of legal terminology such as condemnation. We see the word justified. One of the things that we have from Romans 5 says that by faith we are justified. We are justified by faith, we have peace with God. Zoomed out a little bit more on that same chapter, it tells us by the blood we are justified. So, by faith in what Jesus has shed blood did for on the cross is what justified. Justified is a fancy terminology that means one has rendered righteous or one that has rendered it unright. So, it's the blood of Jesus that justifies us by faith in Him. So, when we come before the Lord in a standing and a judgment sense, Satan can bring all these accusations that, hey, he's done this and this and this and this. There's no way he enters heaven. All the accusations will even be true, but yet, because of what Jesus Christ did for us, because of His love that was done towards us and demonstrated, Jesus points back and says, I already paid for that. The blood of Jesus is your absolute, perfect plea before righteous and holy God, because it is what has washed away our sin, it is what has justified us, it is what has set us at liberty. So that is really an amazing God that we serve, and when we want to talk about and brag about how much I do for the Lord, how much I love the Lord, all of it is just simply a response of gratitude, and it's reasonable to do so, because anything that we have within ourselves is because He loved us first. As it says in 1 John 1.4, it says, we loved him because he first loved us. 1 John 3.16 says here in love, not that we love God, but that he loved us. It's his love that motivates us to do what we do. It's his love is the reason why we're being here in the first place. So the other question I have for you, what do you think of our new decorations here at White House? I've seen people. We might as well just keep this up for now on. I see people leave churches over the church carpet color, but I wonder what people think of our new setup. But this can only tell us one thing, that Vacation Bible School is here. It is starting tonight at 6 p.m., starting from tonight to Thursday. We so far have about 44 kids registered so far and more to come. It is not too late to register for volunteer, not too late to register your kid. So, we're going to have a wonderful week. The focus is going to be on the seven seas of history. So, if you've been able to count it now all the way, we have creation. We talked about how God created this world. We did not come from some kind of natural process or evolution. That we do have a God that did create us with intention and with purpose. Well, we got to see how that creation and its beauty didn't fully last because we will now teach them corruption. How sin came into this world and corrupted everything. It's what brought death into the world and is why we deal with the consequences we do today. Then we get to see the catastrophe. I always say that word wrong. Catastrophe. Catastrophe. I know that word. Catastrophe. I can study another language, but English is difficult for me. So, catastrophe, how the flood and its effects and what the impacts the world had. Well, then we get to see about confusion. That's going to be related with Tower of Babel, how we all won at one point, but thanks to a certain event that the scripture actually accounts for is why do we have all these different cultures, all these different languages? Why is everything scattered out? Well, scientists can try to figure out all they want, but look what we have with the scripture already laid out before us, how this happened. Then we get to see Christ, how when he came to this world and offered us life and grace and peace and hope, and the cross, and how that was able to save us from the corruption once and for all. And then we see the last, when he comes back, the consummation, whenever God brings everything to the end. People wrestle with that question, well why is there wickedness, why is there evil, why is all this stuff still existing in the world? And yes, it does exist, but God already laid out all the evil, all the things that we struggle and wrestle with. God has an intention to remove it once and for all. We have a purpose here and now. Evil is, in essence, the absence of life. Darkness is the absence of light. And so the more and more and more people try to push out God, who is good and who is light, the more and more darkness and evil will reign. But there is going to come a day where God is going to remove it, and that's going to be an awesome day that we look forward to. So if this is your first time at Lighthouse, I just want to thank you for coming to worship with us. This is a time in our service where we just take a moment and reflect on our own hearts and our own status before God because we want to worship God in spirit and in truth that the Bible lays out. Well, we can't do that off our own merits, so we need to rely on something else. We rely on a promise that we find in 1 John 1, 9. The book of 1 John 1, 9 is written exclusively to the believer. in the context that truly our fellowship is with us and with our Father. So the Bible in this passage is not talking about a how to be saved passage, but how we can walk in fellowship with Him. It says, if we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So when we fail the Lord, when we sin against Him, we take it to Him, we confess it, we acknowledge it, bring it to Him, ask Him to restore us. And he says he will cleanse us from all some unrighteousness, all unrighteousness. And that means he gives you an absolute fresh start. And I don't know about you guys, but I need that consistently. I need that fresh start. I need the Lord to renew me. The Bible says in Leviticus, limitations, that it is of the Lord's mercies we are not consumed already. And that great is his faithfulness. Faithfulness means that he is there all the time Every time so you can come to the Lord with that same struggle over and over and over again Yes, he is going to restore you he is going to forgive you because that's the promise and that's the kind of guy we serve So let's go ahead and pray and continue our services for him Our Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for being with us, Lord. That's really a thing that we can truly take gratitude in, that you are not distant, or that you are not uncaring, or that even the details in our lives, you do care about us, Lord, as it's written in the scriptures, that even the very number of our, the number of hairs that are numbered on our heads, so knowing knowing that would be an impossible count for mankind, Lord, but with you, nothing is impossible. So Father, thank you so much for allowing this week to happen, that we get to put on our yearly event for Vacation Bible School. Some churches are starting to have to shut it down because of the unwillingness to make it happen, Lord, and servants unwilling to step up. But Father, thank you so much, Lord, that you have provided the servants and given us here and people are stepping up, willing to make these things happen. So we thank you, Lord, for the contributions that we've made. And may this not be just a week just for the kids only, Lord, but also for the leaders and volunteers stepping up to make this event happen and be a light and a blessing to our community. So thank you, Lord, for entrusting us with the gospel and entrusting us with the truth to be able to preach and not just in truth or but preach the truth and speak it in love. So thank you for being our God and doing all the things that only you can do. And thank you for the God you will always be. In Jesus name we pray. All right, let's all stand and continue worshiping the Lord this morning. Go ahead, Pastor. I'm trading my sorrows, I'm trading my shame, I'm laying them down for the joy of the Lord. I'm trading my sickness, I'm trading my sin, I'm laying them down for the joy of the Lord. ♪ I've been dragged from my cusp ♪ Persecuted, not abandoned ♪ Struck down, but not destroyed ♪ I've left behind a verse that is promised well before ♪ That is sure it's gonna be my stay ♪ Though the sorrow may last for the night ♪ Joy comes in the morning ♪ I'm saving my sorrow I'm draining my shame I'm laying it down for the joy of the Lord I'm draining my sickness I'm draining my pain I'm laying it down for the joy of the Lord Lord, yes, yes, Lord, amen I am blessed for not a touch Persecuted, crowned, or beggared Struck down, but not destroyed I am blessed beyond the gird For His promise will endure And He's sure to be my strength ♪ Though the sorrow may last for the night ♪ It's the joy that comes in the morning ♪ I'm draining my sorrow ♪ I'm draining my shame ♪ I'm laying down the joy of the Lord ♪ I'm draining my sorrow The Lord hath come, and I confess Bowing here, I find my rest. Without you, I fall apart. You're the one that guides my heart. Lord, I need you. Oh, I need you. Every hour, I need you. My wonder, grace, my righteousness. Oh, God, how I need you. Grace is more. Grace is found. It's where you are. Where you are. Lord, I am free. Holiness enters Christ in me. Lord, I am free Only this I know Oh, I need you. Oh, I need you. Every hour I need you. My Lord defends my righteousness. Oh, God, how I Teach my song to rise to you When temptation comes my way When I cannot stand, I'll fall on you Jesus, you're my hope and my slave When I cannot stand, I'll fall on you Jesus, you're my hope and strength I need you, my one defense. My righteousness, O God, how I need you. You're my one defense. My righteousness, O God, how I need You Worthy of every song we could ever sing Worthy of all the praise we could ever bring Worthy of every breath we could ever breathe We live for you, we live for you Jesus, the name above every other name Jesus, the only one who could ever save Worthy of every breath we could ever breathe We live for you, we live for you There is no one like you There is love beside you Open up my eyes in wonder And show me who you are and fill me With your heart and lead me In your love to those around me Jesus, the name above every other name Jesus, the only one who could ever save Worthy of every present He could ever bring There is no one like you There is none beside you Open up my eyes in wonder And show me who you are And fill me with your heart And lead me in your love to those around me I will build my life upon your love. It is a firm foundation. I will put my trust in you. in you alone and I will not be shaken. I will build my life upon your house. It is a firm foundation. I will put my When you are alone and I will find me shaking Hold me, there is no one like you There is none beside you Open up my eyes and wonder Show me who you are and fill me Take your heart and lead me Give it up to those around me I will build my life upon your love I will not be shaken. You all may be seated. Due to last Sunday of the month, we will be having the kiddos out here with us today. That's better. You know, the older you get, the shorter you get, because you start shrinking. Notice that? But at the same time, it's further to the ground than back. How does that work? Good enough, part two. Two weeks ago, we talked about those people that are trying to be good enough to make it. I could have preached the whole thing then, but I think you'd like two 30-minute sermons better than an hour sermon. So we broke it up. Got another part today. Are you ready for the Word of God this morning? All right. That's a good sign. Go to Matthew chapter 5 and verse number 17. Jesus said, Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets. I have not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, not one jot or one tittle shall in no wise all be fulfilled. Whosoever, therefore, shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. Now for all the scripture we have read and quoted and all the evidence that we have presented, there are still those out there who still imagine that somehow all the good things that they have done will cause them to be accepted in heaven. That somehow they are actually good enough. Now I will acknowledge to you that the Bible has much to say about righteous living. It's filled with admonition to righteous living from front to back. For example, Titus chapter 2 verse 11. It says, For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. Now it is true that people who have received salvation and have thus been transformed by the power of God should live exactly as verse 12 states. But don't make the mistake of thinking that good works, which is the fruit of salvation, somehow is your salvation. It's not the same. So back to the original question. Just how good would you have to be How good would you have to be to be good enough? As we look at our text this morning, we're going to see numerous points of interest. One especially, here in verse 19. Verse 19 shows us that there are people in the kingdom of heaven who have broken some of God's commandments. That'll be good news to us. Because best I can see from up here, everybody I'm looking at except for Mason back there, and I don't see him right now. But everybody else has broken some of God's commandments. Even the little short ones that are getting ready to be excited about vacation Bible school. They were marking on the wall, and when mom said, did you do that? They said, no, we didn't do that. Lied like little sinners, didn't they? Because that's what they are. You see, we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. That's what Romans 3.23 tells us very plainly. We have already learned from James that, and I'm not talking about the one back there, I'm talking about the one who wrote the book of James, that one sin makes you guilty. James said, for whosoever shall keep the law and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. Now that being true, how guilty does that make you? Well, I guess we better move on. If you're still somehow hanging on to the idea that God, who does not change, will somehow change his mind and make an exception for you and consider your works for salvation. In that case, how good is good enough? Well, the Bible says that you must be better than a Pharisee. That's what Jesus said, except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees. You're not going to make it. Now, in the Bible, the Pharisees were best known for what? Being hypocrites. Matthew 23, verse 13, Jesus said, But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men, for you neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. Woe unto you, verse 14, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, he said, for you devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayer. Therefore, you shall receive the greater damnation. Woe unto you, scribes, verse 15, and Pharisees, hypocrites. For ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, you make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. Wow. Now, I suppose you're thinking, well, I'm better than that. Are you now? Are you really better than that? Luke 18 verse 9. It says, He, Jesus, spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others. You know the story. Two men went up into the temple to pray. The one a Pharisee and the other a publican. They were both seeking the Lord. They were both talking to the Lord. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself. God, I thank Thee that I'm not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in a week. I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican standing afar off would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven. but smote upon his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me, a sinner. Jesus said, I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other. For every one that exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. So do you fast twice in a week? Probably not. Well, they call it breakfast. Breakfast when you eat breakfast. I don't really think that counts. Do you? Well, do you tithe? Some say, yeah, I tithe. I hope you do. You're robbing God if you don't. Yes, some of the Pharisees were hypocrites, but there were others, you know. They weren't all like this. In case you haven't noticed, the things done wrong will make you famous quicker than what you do right. I heard one word, and I said, what are the Pharisees known for? Hypocrites. I can't recall. You remember that one. There were other Pharisees besides the hypocrites. There were lesser known Pharisees. There was Nicodemus. Remember him? The one who came to Jesus by night there in John chapter 3? Nicodemus started out in ignorance, much like each of us. Didn't we all start out in ignorance? We did. We did, yeah. But in the end, Nicodemus turned out to be a pretty good guy. Nicodemus and his Pharisee buddy Joseph, who was from a place called Arimathea, they were also disciples of Jesus. They were the ones who cared for the body of Jesus after he was crucified. John 19 tells us about them, beginning of verse 38 says, after this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews. Any secret disciples in here? I guess if you raised your hand, it wouldn't be a secret, would it? He besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore and took the body of Jesus, and there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pound weight. Then took they the body of Jesus and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. Now in the place where he was crucified, there was a garden and then the garden, a new sepulcher wherein was never man yet laid. Their late day Jesus, therefore, because of the Jews' preparation day for the scripture, or for the sepulcher, was nigh at hand. Some of you have been there. I've been there a couple of times. There's a garden there, and it's real close, about the length of this building from where Jesus was crucified. Like it says here in the scripture, still there, You can see the place where they laid it, but it's empty for a really good reason, and that's because they couldn't hold Jesus. There were other Pharisees besides the ones that were famous for being hypocrites. Then there's the most famous Pharisee of all. Do you know who that is? No? Let's read it. Listen to his testimony. Philippians 3 verse 3. He said, for we are the circumcision which worship God in the spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh. Doesn't sound like this Pharisee thought he was good enough. He said, though I might also have confidence in the flesh, If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more. Circumcised the eighth day, the stock of Israel of the tribe of Benjamin and Hebrew of the Hebrews, that's touching the law of Pharisee. Concerning zeal, persecuting the church, touching the righteousness, which is in the law, blameless. Wow. What things, he said, what things were gained to me, those I counted lost for Christ. Yea, Dallas, and I count all things but lost for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and to count them but done that I may win Christ, and be found in him. Listen to this. And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." Yes, this is Paul. He is the great apostle to the Gentiles. He is the one who instructed us as to how to possess the greater righteousness than all the righteousness of the Pharisees. This was his greatest heartache when he writes about those he loved in Romans chapter 10. Look at verse 1 of chapter 10. He said, brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. You got anybody you're praying to God for that they might be saved? I bet you do. If you don't, you should. He says, for I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. As touching the righteousness of the law, What is that talking about? That's outward righteousness. That's what you thought of first when I read to you what Jesus said about exceeding the righteousness of the Pharisees. Well, I have to be better than them. I have to live better. I have to do good works. I have to sin less. That's all talking about the righteousness of the law. You know, the one that says, love God with all your heart. Don't steal. Don't commit adultery. Don't. Don't. Don't. Most of us don't. This Pharisee we're talking about is the one who taught us about righteousness. Righteousness that exceeds the righteousness he had on his own. This guy was a Pharisee champion. But it wasn't good enough, was it? This Pharisee is in heaven today because he possessed by faith the very righteousness of God himself. How good is God's righteousness? Perfect. Perfect is good enough. Amen? It's good enough. What you have on your own is not, nor will it ever be, good enough. This apostle knew that. He counted it all. Now we're getting into language you don't want the kids to hear. Paul's righteousness was blameless. There was nobody Nobody, anywhere, they could look at his life and said, you're unrighteous, look at what you did. They couldn't do that. They couldn't find anything wrong with his life concerning the law. If I looked at your life, would I find anything wrong concerning the law? I expect I might, but that's not why I'm here. You already know all about that. Paul tells us that you can receive the same righteousness that he received as a free gift from God, the perfect righteousness of God himself. Hebrews 6.1, he said that leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection, not lay again the foundation of repentance from dead works and a faith towards God. All those works that Paul did, all those wonderful things he did. Some of them he just thought were wonderful. They actually weren't so wonderful. Persecuting the churches were not part of his wonderful. But he learned that. This word repentance here, as I reminded you a couple of weeks ago, it means you're going to have to change your mind. I could get up here and try to please everybody and tell you that, yeah, you need to trust Jesus, but you keep on doing your good work, because that's a good thing. It makes you a good neighbor, and I won't have to put up with some of your garbage if you keep doing good stuff. Or I could tell you the truth, that all the good things you can do put together are absolutely meaningless when it comes to where you're going to spend eternity. You need to change your mind and quit trying to establish your own righteousness and place your trust in Jesus. What will happen when you do? You know, I could just about write a book on that. Because when I was 26 years old, I did that. And man, the things that happened afterwards were They were notable, let's put it that way. One of the things that's going to happen when you put your trust in Jesus, and there might be somebody here who hasn't done that yet, but one of the things that's going to happen, well, let's read it in Romans 3 and verse 21. It says, but now the righteousness of God without the law is manifest, being witnessed by the law and the prophets. Even the righteousness of God, that perfect righteousness you're talking about, which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe. Well, there's no difference for all of sin that comes short of the glory of God. Being justified freely, freely by His grace to the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Your redemption is not in your goodness. It's not in your works. It's not in your church. It's not in your neighborhood. It's not in community service. It's in Jesus. That's where your redemption is. By his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, who God has set forth to be a propitiation, an atoning sacrifice. And it comes through faith in His blood to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God. To declare, I say, at this time, His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. When you put your faith in God, not just the Father, we're talking about God the Son. When you put your faith in His blood, that He shed for your debt of sin. The Bible in Hebrews puts it a different way. It says when you make His soul an offering for sin, your offering is Jesus. God will declare you righteous. I love to think about God's declarations. There are more than one. When's the first time you ever read about God declaring something? He spoke the world into existence. He spoke the universe into existence. He made this declaration. He said, let there be what? Light. What happened? He hadn't made the sun yet, but there was light. Bubba, when Jesus looks at you and you've made your, you've placed your trust in him, you've made his blood your sacrifice for sin, Jesus said, I declare you righteous. That's amazing. Whatever God declares is. You know, Bill Clinton made that word famous. But Jesus made it famous before he knew it. Whatever he says is. And he says you're righteous when you put your trust in your son. Not only will he declare you righteous, God says he will impute his righteousness to you. Just like he did for Abraham. Remember that? Romans 4.20 says, speaking of Abraham, he said, he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith. The word faith means trust, giving glory to God, and being fully persuaded. You know, I never really thought about the word, what the word believe really means. I've looked it up, I know it's pastu, it means to put in trust with. But you know, we just, that statement right there, that's what it means to believe, to be fully persuaded. Are you fully persuaded that Jesus is enough? Me too. Let me tell you something, if you're still trusting in your works, it's hanging on, you gotta have that too. You're not fully persuaded. You need to be fully persuaded. And being fully persuaded that what he had promised he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but for us also to whom it shall be imputed if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered for our offenses and raised again for our justification. You need to be fully persuaded. Not only will God impute his righteousness to you, not only will God declare his righteousness to be what you are, God will recreate your spirit in righteousness. He will make you what He says you are. And that is righteous. Now we're getting, now we're up there with the parting of the Red Sea. That is miracle among miracles, folks. You wanna see a miracle? You put your trust in Jesus, you'll not only see one, you'll be one. Spiritually, we are dead in trespasses and sins. You remember what that was like? Oh, I do. I do, like it was yesterday. Ephesians 2-1 says of those Ephesian Christians, and you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins. When we finally believe, that is, we finally put our trust in Jesus, death, burial, and resurrection is the complete payment of our sin debt. By the power of God, we are passed from death unto life. And that life is eternal life. Here's how Jesus said it, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death, being dead, and trespasses in sins, unto life. And that new life is eternal. It's forever. You will be a new creation. Ephesians 4 24 tells us who are new creation. He says in that you put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Created in righteousness and true holiness. No wonder after I trusted Jesus to save me, I never was the same again. Never could be the same again. It's no wonder. He declared me righteous. He imputed his righteousness unto me, and then he recreated my spirit, brought my spirit to life. I started to say brought it to life, but it's not an it, it's a who. He brought me to life. recreated literally in righteousness and true holiness. Now every time my flesh wants to go this way, my sphere says, uh-uh, this is the way to go over here. Some of you haven't been saved very long. You're just now getting used to that. It's not the same as it was. Oh, I remember having a guilty conscience knowing that I was doing this and it was wrong. But after I got saved, it was a whole new world. I had this new person on the inside of me that threw a fit every time I wanted to go the wrong way. It still does. It still does. People say, how can you be sure you're saved? Well, there's a bunch of different things. Tell me. The first and foremost that I want to share with you is I have it in writing right here in the Word of God that I am a born-again, believing child of God. Because I put my trust in Jesus in 1977, and I was there. I remember. I was the witness. So I have it in writing from God that I'm a believer. But I also have some evidence. You say, you've been living a perfect holy life since you got saved? My spirit has. No, I haven't. But all the fruit, all that is, the Bible says, is to be produced in that transformation. has been playing out in my life ever since. And I know I'm going to heaven. You say, are you righteous? You better believe I am. I'm not righteous because of what I've done, but I am righteous because of what Jesus has done. And He gave me, freely, He gave me His perfect righteousness. People talk about getting to heaven's gate and what are you going to say when Peter asks, why should I let you in? Let me tell you a little bit of a secret. When I get to heaven's gate, nobody's going to ask why should I let me in. They'll know. They're going to let me in because I'm righteous. I've been made righteous by the power of God. Did I earn it? Nope. Will I ever deserve it? Nope. Do I have it? Yes. Dad, I want to earn mine. Well, you go ahead and try. You'll be a good neighbor. But that's all you'll ever be. It's a free gift. Let's see. If you're someone here who's finally realized you're not good enough, I have good news for you. Jesus can make you good enough. He'll give you his perfect righteousness. Some preachers are somewhere saying, all you have to do is ask. No, you don't even have to ask. All you have to do is believe. That's what the book says. It's silly to ask what is being handed to you as a free gift. Just take it. Trust Him and rejoice. Say, okay, Lord, You've got it. I'm turning it over to You to handle it. It might be in order to say thank You. Amen? Let's sing.