Tonight, if you have your Bibles, turn to Revelation 11. We're going to begin reading at the first verse. And there was given me a reed, like unto a rod. And the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court, which is without the temple, leave out, and measure it not. For it is given unto the Gentiles, and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand, two hundred, and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth and devoureth their enemies. And if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy, and have power over waters to turn them to blood and to smite the earth with all plagues as often as they will. And when they shall have finished their testimony, The beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and a half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another. Because these two prophets tormented them that dwell on the earth. And after three days and a half, the Spirit of life from God entered into them. And they stood upon their feet, and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies beheld them. And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell. And in the earthquake were slain of men five thousand. 7,000, rather, and the remnant were affrighted and gave glory to the God of heaven. The second woe is past, and behold, the third woe cometh quickly. Let's ask the Lord's blessing on his word. Father in heaven, we come to praise thee and thank thee for this portion of thy word that we have read tonight. We are grateful for these days that are prophesied and which will see the culminations of the things of this age. We pray especially thy blessing upon each one tonight who is without the Lord Jesus Christ, that they might understand that these days of tribulation are for those who have never trusted the Savior. And how we do pray that in the midst of these things, as the Lord Jesus comes back to this earth to set up his kingdom here, to rule and to reign for a thousand years, and in the meantime we might be faithful witnesses, telling others of the need to come to the Savior. We pray thy blessing upon each one who has come to this meeting tonight. We ask thy blessing upon each home represented. We pray, Lord, that you'll open our minds and hearts now to receive the truth of thy word, that thy name might be glorified. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. We're continuing this evening with our studies in the book of the Revelation. Last week we We looked at the first two verses of this chapter, and we saw that they tie in very closely with the prophecy of Daniel. We saw that the temple here is one that is to be rebuilt in Jerusalem, where the Lord Jesus Christ is to rule. But instead of Christ on the throne, it's going to be Antichrist on the throne, as he will reign supreme in the coming tribulation period. And we saw also how Daniel speaks of this same 7 years of judgment that God is going to bring on the earth in the very near future. We saw the 70 weeks of Daniel and how this prophecy is going to find its fulfillment right here in these chapters that we've been reading together here in the book of the Revelation. But as we come to this 3rd verse of the 11th chapter of Revelation, we find one thing that always has been and always will be blessedly true. the fact that God never leaves himself without a witness. We read, "...and I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days clothed in sackcloth." Three and a half years, probably the last half of the tribulation period. We find these two witnesses to testify of the return to earth of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, the situation in order to study it here requires another complicated message. So rather than hit you with two in a row like the one that I had last week, I thought that we might look together this evening at something a little easier and see how this ties in with God's perfect methods as we find them here within the pages of the Word of God. Now, these two witnesses are important to us not only because of their position here in the tribulation period, the fact that they are going to be God's witnesses to men during this hour, but also because they speak to us of God's great care in presenting to us the message of the Bible. Let's turn for just a moment, if you will, to the 19th chapter of the book of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy 19, we're going to notice one verse there. Here in Deuteronomy chapter 19, we're reading the 15th verse. Here in the law of God we read, one witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity or for any sin, and any sin that he sinneth. At the mouth of two witnesses or at the mouth of three witnesses shall the matter be established. Now this was God's judgment as far as his dealings with the earthly nation of Israel and their dealings with one another, that in matters of law that one witness would not be sufficient as a testimony against any man and any sin that he sinned. But when it came to making a matter of judgment, making a decision on the basis of the evidence presented, at the mouth of two witnesses or at the mouth of three witnesses shall the matter be established." Let's turn to 2 Corinthians 13. The Apostle Paul is here writing to the Church at Corinth. He's writing about many matters, but he says here in chapter 13 and verse 1, this is the third time I'm coming to you, and the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. So you see, the Apostle Paul is here recognizing this simple precept that came out of the law of God there in the book of Deuteronomy. two witnesses in order to present any aspect of the truth and present it acceptably, so that the words can be established, so that they can be definitive words that we know are the truth indeed. What I want you to see is that God not only says things, he does them. This simple statement from the law is a testimony to God's care in giving us his truth. We have before us an abiding principle that's to be found throughout the pages of the Word of God. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. Now this is the kind of truth that means absolutely nothing to the unbelieving Bible scholars, but it's a simple example to the child of God of the perfection of this book. When God makes a statement, he abides by that statement throughout the pages of the Word of God. And when the Lord gives us the important things here in the Bible, he does it in connection with two or three witnesses. He wants no mistakes. He wants us to understand what he's saying. He wants every word established in the mouth of two or three witnesses so that we'll be without excuse when we stand before him. Now let me show you what I mean. Time and time again, throughout these pages, we find God using two witnesses. For example, in the days before the flood, when God was about to bring his judgment upon the earth, a time very similar to this time of which we've just been reading in the 11th chapter of Revelation, God raised up two witnesses, Enoch and Noah. Enoch came on the scene preaching the truth of the Word of God and the fact that God was going to bring judgment upon the world. The same is true of Noah. The Bible calls him a preacher of righteousness. And for 120 years, at this same time, he prophesied the word of God. God even had his witnesses in the animal kingdom in that day. Two by two, they went into the ark, male and female, as a testimony to the fact that God was going to preserve the animal kingdom out of the midst of the flood. We find also that two angels went to Lot and Sodom to warn him of the fire and brimstone that was going to fall upon that city as God was about to pour out his judgment. Moses and Aaron were the two witnesses that God raised up to testify concerning the law of God as it was given on Mount Sinai. Caleb and Joshua were the two witnesses out of the twelve spies that went into the land of Canaan. They came back to give a witness to the glory of the promised land that God had provided for his people. Reading on further, we find that in the days of Israel's apostasy, God again raised up two witnesses, and the person of Elijah and Elisha. David and Jonathan, two witnesses, witness to the wickedness of King Saul and his kingdom. The same is true when we come to the New Testament. We find that when the Lord Jesus sent out the 70 disciples to do his work, he sent them out two by two. We read of Paul and Silas. We read of Peter and John. We read of Paul and Barnabas. We read of Mary and Martha, Aquila and Priscilla. Over and over, God is giving a two-fold witness to his truth throughout the pages of the Word of God. But this is not only true in a general sense. It's true in a very specific sense also. Every major biblical truth has two witnesses connected with it. Sometimes in the form of individuals. Sometimes it's in the form of two groups or two representations. Now let's take, for example, the fact of God. Turn for just a moment, if you will, to Romans chapter 1. The very first issue that comes to the mind of man is whether he's even going to believe in God or not. And so when it comes to this question, when it comes to this possibility, God has given two witnesses to the fact of God. We read about them right here in Romans 1, and let's begin at the 18th verse. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness." Now there again we have a statement of judgment. The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness. But then he tells us why. He says, "...because that which may be known of God is manifest in them For God hath shewed it unto them." Now, there's one witness right there. That which is in man, his conscience. Built into every single man who's ever lived, there's been a God consciousness, a fact of knowing that there is indeed a God. And then there's a second witness there in the 20th verse. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen. being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse." So there we have the twofold witness that God has given. Man's conscience, which is in him, and the creation which is all around him. A dual testimony, a dual witness to the fact of God. Any man who is willing to acknowledge what's inside of him will acknowledge there's a God. That's why you find the heathen in the darkest jungles worshipping God of some sort. That's why you find people who've never heard of the Bible, who've never heard of the Lord Jesus Christ, bowing down to idols, worshipping in some fashion, because of something built into them. And when they look around, when man looks at the things that are clearly established all around him, the heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handiwork. But we find also that God has given us not only a two-fold witness to the fact that he exists, but he has given a two-fold witness to his word. Let's turn for just a moment to Luke 16. Now you'll remember, I'm sure, that back in the days when these things were written, when the Lord Jesus was speaking these words, all they had, as far as the Bible was concerned, was the Old Testament scriptures. They had these writings of the Old Testament from Genesis to Malachi that had been set down by the scribes and preserved for the nation of Israel. This was their Bible in that day. And so we read here as we come to the 16th chapter of Luke. Let's notice verse 27. Now he's talking here about the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man who died and went to hell and lifted up his eyes being in torment. And Lazarus who went to the place of blessing, he went to Abraham's bosom to be with God forever. And we see here in the 27th verse, then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou would send him to my father's house." Now, this is the rich man speaking. He's down there in hell and he's talking. He said, I want somebody to go to my father's house, because I have five brethren, that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Now, the rich man is there in hell, tormented in the flames. And he can see Lazarus in his blessing. And he wants Lazarus to go and to speak to his five brothers that are at home, because he doesn't want them to come to this same place of torment where he is. But notice what Abraham said to them in the 29th verse. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets. Let them hear them. Now he was talking about the Bible, a two-fold witness, Moses and the prophets, the law and the prophets. And he said, Nay, Father Abraham, but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they will not hear Moses and the prophets, if they won't believe the Bible, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. You see, God had given a two-fold witness, the law and the prophets. Moses and the Prophet. And he said, if man won't believe that, he won't believe that somebody rises from the dead. And you see, that's proven out to be true. Because again today, God has given us a two-fold witness. He's given us the Old Testament and the New Testament. And not only that, somebody has risen from the dead, the Lord Jesus. People still don't get saved. People keep on hardening their hearts because they won't believe the two-fold witness of the Word of God, the Old Testament and the New Testament that God has provided. All right, but the same is true when we come to specific doctrines of the Bible. Let's turn for just a moment to Luke 1. A very important doctrine is that of the virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. The fact that the Lord Jesus was not born as a natural man of the fact that he was conceived by the Holy Ghost, that he was born into this world sinless and perfect, and he went out exactly the same way as he died on the cross for our sins. But here in Luke 1, verse 26, we find one of the witnesses to the virgin birth of the Lord Jesus. And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin a spouse to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her and said, Hail thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. And he shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest. And the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever. And of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, saying, I know not of man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the highest shall overshadow thee. Therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." So here we see that God sends a witness to testify to Mary of the virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, the angel Gabriel. All right, now let's turn to Matthew 1. It's not enough just to send one witness. Here in Matthew 1, verse 18, we read these words. Now, the birth of Jesus Christ was on this watch. When, as his mother Mary was a spouse to Joseph, before they came together she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph, her husband, being a just man and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost." So here we see the second witness that God provided for the virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. Not only the angel Gabriel appearing to Mary, But here we find another angel and a dream or a vision appearing to Joseph to confirm this fact of the virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. And of course when we come to the birth itself, if we wanted to take the time to look, we'd find that there was a twofold witness again. In Matthew we read of how the wise men came to the birth of the Lord Jesus. In Luke we read of how the shepherds came as the second witness to the actual birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. All right, now let's look at Matthew 3. Here's another important event in the life of the Lord Jesus, his baptism. Matthew 3, notice what we read at verse 16. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water. And, lo, the heavens were opened unto him. and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon him. And lo, a voice from heaven sang, This is my beloved Son, and whom I am well pleased." Now, God was very much concerned that as the Lord Jesus started out on his earthly ministry, that a confirmation should be given that he was indeed God manifest in the flesh, that he was one who was chosen from all the ages past to come into this world, the one promised throughout the Old Testament scriptures, and so he gives a twofold witness. The Spirit of God descending in the form of a dove and a voice from heaven, saying, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Now let's look at Luke 19. We saw last week that another great event in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ was his triumphal entry. into Jerusalem. This was the event prophesied by Daniel the Prophet. The actual presentation of Messiah the Prince, the Lord Jesus Christ, is what we are talking about when we talk about Palm Sunday and about the Lord Jesus riding on the back of the donkey into the city of Jerusalem. Here in Luke 19, verse 35, we read this. And they, that is the disciples, brought him to Jesus, and they cast their garments upon the coat, and they set Jesus thereon. And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way. And when he was come even now at the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen. saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. Now we saw that what he was saying here is the fact that this was the day. He kept saying over and over again, mine hour is not yet come. Because it hadn't come. Because this is it. The time when officially he was to ride into the city of Jerusalem, offering himself as a king to the nation of Israel. Presenting himself as messiah to the prince, to this nation. That they might receive him or reject him. And so, God had ordained that the disciples would cry out. We read about it in the book of Psalms. Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest. And the Lord Jesus said, if these disciples don't do it in answer to that prophecy, then the stones immediately would do it. And when we read in the 21st chapter of Matthew, we find not only that there was the witness of the disciples, as we have it here, but the witness of the children. Matthew tells us about the children. And here again, this is an answer to the prophecy that the prophets had given regarding God's twofold witness to the coming of the Lord Jesus and offering himself as king. And again, they said to him to silence these children that were shouting and saying, Hosanna to God. But Jesus said, yea, have you never read? Talking about the Bible, talking about the prophecies of the scripture. Yea, have ye never read out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?" This was God's prophecy that these little children would announce the coming of Messiah the Prince, as well as these disciples, as we've read about them here in Luke 19. Again, a two-fold witness to the offer of the Lord Jesus Christ as a King to the nation of Israel. All right, now let's look at Luke 9, because another important event is the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. Certainly God is going to have two witnesses on this scene. Luke chapter 9 and the 28th verse, we'll begin reading. And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James and went up into a mountain to pray. And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistening. And behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias, who appeared in glory, and spake of his disease, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem." Now here we see the Lord Jesus Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration, and here as we learn in Mark A vision comes on the scene, a vision of Moses and Elias talking with the Lord Jesus, two witnesses. And we see there what they're talking about. Verse 31, "...who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease," of his death, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. Moses representing the law, Elijah representing the prophets, a two-fold witness once again to the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. All right, now let's turn over to John chapter 19. The Apostle Paul told the church at Corinth that he was delivering to them the gospel that he had received, how that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, how that he was buried, how that he rose again the third day, according to the The burial of the Lord Jesus is important. We need two witnesses to this. And we find them here in John chapter 19 and reading at the 30th verse. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, it is finished. And he bowed his head and gave up the ghost. The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation that the body should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day, for that Sabbath day was in high day, They sought Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. Then came the soldiers and broke the legs of the first and of the other which was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was dead already, they broke not his legs. But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came thereout blood and water. And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true. And he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. For these things were done that the scripture should be fulfilled, a bone of him shall not be broken. And again another scripture saith, they shall look on him whom they pierced." So here we see the death of the Lord Jesus. And as we come to this 38th verse, we read, and after this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus as the first witness. Joseph of Arimathea. 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 an 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 in the garden a new sepulcher, wherein was never man yet laid. There laid they Jesus, therefore, because of the Jews' preparation day, for the sepulcher was not had." So here are the two witnesses that God provided, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, to the burial of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now let's look over to John 20 and see the two witnesses to the resurrection. John chapter 20 and reading at the 10th verse. Then the disciples went away again unto their own home. But Mary stood without at the sepulcher weeping. And as she wept, she stooped down and looked into the sepulcher. And you know what she saw? Two witnesses. And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And they say unto her woman, Why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. The Lord Jesus was gone. And here were the two witnesses, an angel, one at the head, one at the feet of where his body had been, two witnesses to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. All right, now let's go over to Acts chapter 1. A couple of pages. The first chapter of Acts. And here we're going to see that there are two witnesses also at the ascension of the Lord Jesus when he went back to heaven. Acts chapter 1 and the 7th verse. The Lord is speaking here. He said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you. And ye shall be witnesses unto me, both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Now notice this, and when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven. So here again, at the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, we find two witnesses. Two men stood by in white apparel as the Lord Jesus went back to heaven. Now, there are any number of others that we might look at. We had the time. that God has provided two witnesses at the rapture of the Lord Jesus Christ. Not individuals, just time that accompanies. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, we read the dead in Christ shall rise first. That's one. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. When we speak of the revelation of Jesus, of his coming back to the earth to set up a kingdom, again we have two witnesses, the one that we've read about there in the 11th chapter of the book of the Revelation and the 3rd verse. But we want to see something if you'll turn to John chapter 16. Because not only has God made provision to testify of the fact that they exist, the Word of God, the virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, his baptism, his triumphal entry, his death, his burial, his resurrection, his ascension, the rapture, the revelation, but also he wants us to understand the truth of the need for salvation. And we see here in the 16th chapter of John the same principle. "...and the mouth of two or three witnesses, let every word be established." Now the interesting thing is that when it comes to the need for salvation, he provides three witnesses. Notice what we read here in John chapter 16. And verse 7, Nevertheless I tell you the truth, it is expedient for you that I go away. For if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you. But if I depart, I will send him unto you. Now the Lord Jesus is here telling about what's going to happen when he goes back to heaven, about how the Holy Spirit is going to come and do a work in the world. Now notice what he's going to do there in verse 8, And when he is come, He will reprove the world of sin, there's one witness, and of righteousness, there's two witnesses, and of judgment, there's three witnesses. Three witnesses that God has provided to the need of salvation. Verse 9, of sin, because they believe not on me. Verse 10, of righteousness, because I go to my Father and you see me no more. Verse 11, of judgment, because the prince of this world is just. Now those are three things that God has provided, three witnesses to point you and me to our need for salvation. The fact of sin, we can look around us and see what that's done to the world, can't we? We can look at our own life and see what sin has done, but the greatest sin of all, the Lord Jesus says, is unbelief. A failure to recognize the need in our lives as individuals to surrender our life to the Lord Jesus Christ. Now that's a big witness. The fact that this has not been done in the lives of countless hundreds of thousands of people in this world today. In fact, most of the people you know have never given their life to the Lord Jesus Christ. Not only is there the witness of sin, there's the witness of righteousness. The Lord Jesus was the one who was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. The Bible says he did no sin. The Bible says in him was no sin. The Lord Jesus was a perfect manifestation of what God requires. Now you see, we have a tendency to start comparing ourselves to the people that live down the road, or the people that we're related to. When we start talking about this matter of righteousness, we say, oh, well, I might not be too good, but I'm a lot better than some of the people I know. But you see, that's not the point. The witness that God has given is the righteousness of the Lord Jesus. That's what we have to measure up to. And if we fall short of that standard, we've come short of the glory of God. and we need to be saved. But then thirdly, he gives the witness of judgment, of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. You see, the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. Time and time again, God's testimony has been throughout the pages of this Word and throughout the history of mankind that he's going to judge sin, that he's going to judge unrighteousness. And this is something that's obviously true in the life of the people we know, of the nations that we've seen, of the history that we've read, of the Word of God that gives testimony. God brings judgment upon sin. The wages of sin is death. All these things testify to us of the need for salvation. The fact of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. But if you'll turn to one last scripture, 1 John chapter 5, we'll see there that he's also given us a threefold witness to the way of salvation. It would be a cruel thing indeed if the word of God should witness to the need for salvation and not tell us the way of salvation. But here again, just as he's shown us the need, he's showing us also the way. As we come to 1 John chapter 5 and the 8th verse, he says, and there are three that bear witness in earth. Three witnesses down here on the earth for us to see, to show us the way of salvation. The Spirit, the water, which is a type of the Word of God, and the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And these three agree in one. Three witnesses that God has given so that you and I might know the way of salvation. The Spirit of God to interpret these things to our heart, to make them plain to us, since the natural man cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God. The water of the Word of God, the blessing of this truth that's here before us in the pages of this book, and the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, the Spirit of God comes to you and he comes to meet in our lives through the Word of God. Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. And these witnesses give testimony to the blood of the Lord Jesus. Now you tell me something tonight. You tell me why the Lord Jesus had to shed his blood on Calvary's cross. If you're going to get to heaven by doing the best you can. You tell me why the Lord Jesus had to shed his blood if you're going to get to heaven because you've always been a Presbyterian or a Baptist or a Methodist or whatever. It was a wasted sacrifice. But you see, the blood of Jesus is one of the witnesses. It testifies to the fact that there is no other way of salvation. Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins. Now, he warns us here, in the 9th verse, he says, if we receive the witness of men, and we always do, riding around somewhere and stop at a service station, the man says, well, you go down here to the next block, and you take a right, and you go down six blocks to the light, and you take a left, go down eight blocks to the service station there, and you're nowhere close to it. But they tell you things like that. And we receive the witness of men. We go on out and do things every day because people say that we ought to do them and give a witness about certain things. But if we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater. For this is the witness of God, which he hath testified of his Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself. There's the Holy Spirit again. He that believeth not God hath made him a liar, because he believeth not the record that God gave his Son." There's the water of the Word of God again. And this is the record that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. There's the blood of Jesus. Shed on Calvary's cross for you and me. Now notice that 12th verse, and don't miss it, because it's very simple. John, 1 John chapter 5, And verse 12 is the reason why, if you're not saved tonight, and you leave here not saved, you'll stand before God without excuse. Because it's so simple that any little child that's here can understand it. It's the record that God has given of his Son, this witness that he's provided for you and me. This is the record that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Now notice that twelfth verse. He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. Now that's not complicated, is it? The people who have Jesus in their heart, they have life. Eternal life as a gift from God. The people who don't have Jesus in their heart, they don't have eternal life. It's just that simple. And it's all upon the basis of believing the record that God has given His Son, of receiving this witness, of believing God's Word when He tells us, and putting our faith and trust in the Lord Jesus and His precious blood to cleanse us from sin. And it says there in verse 13, These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life. No need to wonder about it. You either have Jesus in your heart or you don't. It's just that simple. If you do, you know that you have eternal life, because God says it. If you don't have Jesus in your heart, you know that you don't have eternal life, no matter what else you've done or where else you've been, or it would have been foolish for the Lord Jesus ever to die and shed his blood in the first place. Now, I hope tonight that you have put your faith and trust in the Lord Jesus. that there has come a time in your life when you believe this witness that God has given of His Son, when the Spirit of God has come knocking on the door of your heart for the testimony of the Word of God, and you've asked the Lord Jesus to come in to cleanse you from your sins, to be your Savior, to give you eternal life. Now, this is not something anybody can do for you. It's not anything that you can ever deserve or ever earn. But it's something that you can have as a free gift just by asking, just by asking God to forgive your sin and to give you this gift of salvation. Now you see, all these witnesses are given here to make it plain, to make it clear, to make it simple, so that we'll stand before God one day without excuse. We can't say we didn't understand it. We might say we didn't believe it. But we can't say we didn't understand it. Because he's given all these witnesses to testify that this is indeed the truth of God. And before you go from this place tonight, you can know that you have eternal life. Because right now, you can bow your head, you can ask the Lord Jesus to forgive your sin and come into your heart and save you. And he'll do it. And remember, he that hath the Son hath life. I have eternal life tonight because I have the Son. He's living right in here. Not because I can see Him, not because I can feel Him, but because He said He'd come in if I'd ask Him, and I did. And it's just that simple. I hope tonight this is true in your life, that the Lord Jesus is in your heart, because he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." It means condemnation. It means coming under the wrath of God, never to have believed this simple message as a little child, and ask the Lord to come into your heart by faith. Let's bow our heads in prayer. Our Father, as we have looked together into these pages tonight, we're thankful that as we study Thy Word together, we can see not only the perfection of it, but we can see the beauty and the simplicity of this way of salvation that you've provided. Lord, help us never to be caught up in the study of the Word of God and lose the wonder and the blessedness of this salvation. Help us to know tonight, as we go to this baptismal service and then as we leave this place, the great joy and the peace that can only come from a knowledge of sins forgiven. Father, help us that we might go from this place tonight rejoicing because our names are written in heaven. Not because of the church or the preacher or anything that we can do, but because the Lord Jesus shed his blood for us and because we've trusted in that sacrifice and ask him to come into our heart and cleanse us from sin. We pray these things in his precious name. Amen.