Amen. Please take your Bibles and turn with me to 1 John 2. Let's read 1 John 2. I want to pick up reading in verse 18. I want to read to the end of the chapter. I want to not just continue the message that I was preaching this morning, but I want to talk about the Holy Spirit and His working in the life of the believer today. It says, little children, it is the last time. And as ye have heard that Antichrist shall come, even now are there many Antichrists whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us. For if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us. But they went out that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things." I just want to pause right here and just say, you know, that word, unction, troubled me for quite a number of years. And this, as we say that the Bible, the King James Bible, defines itself as you keep reading it. And if you look at the context of this passage, you'll find out what unction means as you keep reading. So I just alert you to that. And understand here at the end of verse 20, it says, "...and ye know all things." Of course, we're talking about how to know that you really know the Savior. Some people know Him just mentally, but we're talking about having an intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. He says, I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is an antichrist that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father. But he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. Let that therefore abide in you which ye have heard from the beginning. In that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you. Ye also shall continue in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life. These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. But the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you." You correlate that with verse 20 that we read. We have an unction. Okay? Unction means anointing. It's talking about the Holy Spirit there from the Holy One. But the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you. And ye need not that any man teach you, but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. This verse has troubled many people. I have had this verse thrown at me as a preacher many, many times. When I do visitation or I'm talking to people about faithful church attendance, They'll try to belittle the church sometimes, not just this church, but church in general, and say, you know, I'm saved, I'm on my way to heaven, I have the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit of God, I can take church, or I can leave it. I don't really need church, because the Bible says that I have no need that a man teach me. That is an abuse of this verse of Scripture. That is taken right out of context. He says here, "...and now, little children, abide in Him, that when He shall appear, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. If ye know that He is righteous, ye know that everyone that doeth righteousness is born of Him." Now, look at verse 28. Verse 28 tells us the reason why In addition to pointing out the false teachers and the false teaching, why he's really writing this passage? He is not trying to shake the believers up. And understand, he's writing to believers. He's calling them little children, and we've laid that foundation already. But it says, and now little children abide in him. You can tell that John is also the penman that God used for the gospel of John, can't you? John chapter 15 talks about abiding in Christ. And it says that when He shall appear, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. So, He's telling us that He doesn't want us to be ashamed when Jesus comes again in the rapture of the church. I want to ask you something tonight, several questions. And I don't want to give you the impression that I'm trying to talk you out of your salvation. I've been in some church services where preachers have preached, and practically the whole church gets saved again. I'm not interested in doing that. I'm not interested in trying to say, hey look, we had 300 people in church, 200 of them got saved, and we baptized 150 of them. I'm not looking to do that tonight. But there is an important truth that's being brought out. He's saying, I want you as individual believers to know and have confidence that you truly have Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and have the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in your life. And so when I go through this message and I ask these questions, I ask you to ask yourself, not for your neighbor's sake, but for yourself. You see, because there was a time in my life where I made a decision when I was nine years of age and I didn't mean business. I just did it to get out of trouble. I just prayed a prayer, I got baptized in my local church, and I was going to church because I had to go to church, but I had all the outward trappings of a good Christian. If you would have looked at my life at age 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and part of 15, you would have said, Mike's a saved boy. But you know what? Mike was a lost boy. And it took the preaching of the Word of God and me being honest with God and with myself that I had just prayed a prayer to get somebody off my back that I did not mean it. And then I truly came to Jesus Christ on September the 9th, tomorrow, amen? 1972. 30 years ago, tomorrow night at 9 o'clock, I'll be 30 years old in the Lord. Amen. I'm excited about that. But I'm not trying to shake you, but I am trying to say, hey, Are you sure you're saved? Are you born again? Are you assured of heaven? If you died tonight, would you be 100% sure that you would go to heaven? You say, Pastor, I mean, look, I teach Sunday school here. And by virtue of the fact that I'm teaching Sunday school, you know that I have made a profession of faith. I've been baptized. I even have a certificate from the Pembina Valley Baptist Church that I've been baptized and I can show it to you. Pastor, I also have a membership certificate. Boy, it's got my name print on it. It's got your signature on it. Surely, I'm born again. That's not the telltale sign of being born again. Those are good things. We ought to do those things if we're born again. But they don't assure us of heaven. They're not the seal that we are on our way to heaven. You may have given in the offering. I see some offering envelopes. I'm not going to rummage through there and find names and look at the figures, but by the same token, I see that people have put money in the offering plate. You say, Pastor, I'm one of the faithful attenders here. I'm one of the faithful givers here. If you were to check my giving record, I give 10% and more. I'm even involved in the Faith Promise Missions program of the Pimina Valley Baptist Church. I get excited when missionaries come through here and when you need special projects and you tell the need, I give in the offering. I'm saved. That does not mean that you're born again. You say, well, I can do one better than that. I give to World Vision. I was watching TV some years ago and boy, it just pulled at my heart strings and so I'm involved in benevolent works around the world. I've even got a picture of someone on my mantle and I'm watching them grow every year because of the offerings that I send through World Vision. I even give to MCC more so than just on Tuesday mornings when the doors open up and I can rush in and get a bag for three bucks. You say, well, I've even helped when I've heard of disasters going around. I've even been involved in MDS, Midnight Disaster Services. I've gone to Missouri during the times of the floods and I have built houses. I've gone down to Texas and I've been to Florida. I've even gone over to Africa and I've helped in building houses and huts and things of that nature to make sure that people had a roof over their head. Surely I'm born again. Folks, those are great and good works. But they are not the seal that you know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. In Matthew chapter 7 and verse 15, the Scripture says, Beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits, Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles? Even so, every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire. Wherefore, by their fruit ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? Have we not gone out and spread the good news? Have we not shouted your name from the housetop, so to speak? He says, and in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works, And Jesus says, and then will I profess unto them, I never knew you. Depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Look at verse 19 of our text again. And we read this this morning, it says, They went out from us, but they were not of us. For if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us. But they went out that they might be made manifest. That means to show forth. exposed that they were not all of us. You see, it just goes to say that if someone's born again, they're going to stay by the stuff. They're going to keep serving the Lord. But yet at the same time, as you take this self-test, as you look at this scripture, you need something more than just the outward trappings. You need the inward dwelling presence of the Holy Spirit of God. Amen. That's why it says here in verse 20, but ye have an unction from the Holy One. Now, naturally, when we read a passage of scripture like this, we keep slipping into the context of comparing somebody else's lifestyle to what I'm talking about. But that's not what John is trying to get across. Yes, a saved person will continue, but that ought to be one of the proof positives for your life as you analyze your life and your relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Whether you're abiding in Him and in fellowship with Him. So, friend, have you believed from the heart that Jesus is God's Son? that Jesus Christ died for your sin, paid your debt? Have you believed that Jesus Christ shed His blood, died on the cross for you, was buried in your place, was raised by God the third day for you according to the Scriptures? Has there been that time in your life where you have done what the Bible says to do, not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to His mercy and grace, He saved us. Have you simply received Him? Have you done that in your life? In the sincerity of your heart, recognizing your sin, recognizing your sinful state, recognizing where you deserve to go, recognizing that Jesus died in your place, have you put your faith and trust for the eternal keeping of your soul to Him? Have you done that? Trusting only in Him as we say plus nothing and minus nothing? Are you trusting only in Him? Do you believe the record that God has given of His Son? Do you believe that Jesus and God are one and the same? In John chapter 10 verse 30, he says that and makes an open declaration, I and my Father are one. So any denomination, any teacher who comes along and says, no, they're not the same, that's heresy. It's a false teacher. Shy away from it. Get away from them. Amen? Nicodemus was religious, yet he was lost, was he not? John chapter 3, we go there to that passage of Scripture. Famous verse of Scripture is located there. But he says, Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, the same came to Jesus by night and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God, for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except the man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Religion has damned more people to hell than any other thing known to mankind. because it lulls us to a position of complacency. We rest on the traditions of our forefathers and the way they have been grown up, and then we fail to apply that same truth as far as the saving gospel message of the Lord Jesus Christ to our lives. I've been knocking doors in the South where Baptist churches are in every corner, and there are some people who hold membership in a Baptist church, and yet you ask them for the reason of the hope that lies within them, and they'll talk about their baptism and their church membership. My friend, that does not get us to heaven. We can't say it any more clear than that. The Scriptures can't be any more plain than what it is. Ye must be born again. Look at verse 14. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. There's a story told about a young lad in England. His mother was on her deathbed and she was a streetwalker. She lived in a very seedy part of town. And the story goes that she was on her deathbed and she told the boy, she said, go out and find a minister. Go find me a minister that he can bring me in. And so he didn't really know what all that meant, so he went from church to church trying to find somebody, and finally he came to some big old stately looking building, a cathedral type of a building, and he knocked on the door, and a minister came to the door, and the boy says, my mother needs you. She said to go get a minister. to bring her in and he thought maybe she was outside somewhere and recognizing that the boy was not well kept and figured that probably she was not well herself as far as her background and just the way he was dressed didn't think that he was coming from an up-and-coming family. He said, well, why don't you go find a policeman? And he said, but my mom said to go get a minister to bring her in. And so on the way, as he was following this little boy, he was thinking, what am I going to say? Here I've been speaking to my crowd who seems to be well-dressed, and they have good-paying jobs, and they have money in the bank, and I can't give them just the same old things that I've been giving them. There's got to be something else. What am I going to tell her? I usually tell my people that they must live moral lives, and most of my people live good moral lives outwardly. What am I going to tell? Because I know that this lady is probably not a good moral individual. And he walked into that room and saw, of course, that she was indeed dying. And she said, preacher, can you bring me in? And he turned to John chapter 3 and verse 16. And he said, the Bible says here, for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. And he simply said, you know, I haven't really understood this verse. But it says here that God so loved the world. And that lady on her deathbed said, you mean to tell me, minister, that God loves me? He says, I don't understand it, but that's what the Bible says here, that God does love you. You mean that all I have to do is believe in Him and I'll be saved? I'll be brought in? And he said, that's exactly what this verse says. And you know what? She, right there on her deathbed, prayed and asked Jesus Christ to bring her in. And you know what? It says there in the account that that preacher also walked out of that house that night, and he himself had trusted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. Amen. Folks, he must be born again. It doesn't matter whether you're a preacher It doesn't matter whether you're a good church member. It doesn't matter whether you're moral or immoral. You must trust Jesus Christ as your personal Savior if you ever hope to see the Kingdom of God. Amen? My friend, that's the message of the Gospel. Let's go back now to our passage of Scripture. In verse 20 it says, But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. You see, you know Christian. If you are saved, you have the presence of the Holy Spirit of God. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians chapter 6, what? Know ye not that your bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit of God? The temple in the Old Testament was where the presence of God dwelt. God dwelt there. That was His house. And now the New Testament dispensation of time, we find with the coming of the Holy Spirit of God, that now every single one of us that know Jesus Christ have the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in our life. Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit of God. Romans chapter 8 verse 16 says, The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. The Scripture says here in verse 20, and ye know all things. Ye know all things. What does it mean by that? Let's go to 1 Corinthians chapter 2. 1 Corinthians chapter 2 bears out the fact that the unsaved man cannot truly know God in an intimate way. He can know about Him, but he can't really know Him. It says here in 1 Corinthians chapter 2 verse 9, But as it is written, I have not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by a Spirit. For the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. That's the Holy Spirit of God. He says, For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the Spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God. Now, We have received not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Amen? Isn't that good? If you're saved, you have been given the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit of God so that you can truly know Him. And if you are saved tonight, you know all things. Okay? Which things also we speak, verse 13, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man, that's man in his unsaved state, receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. That means that they don't have the ability within themselves to understand spiritual truth. They may know the facts of truth, They may seem to have some comprehension in regards to the truth, but because they've not been indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God, because they've not been saved, they don't truly understand, they don't truly know God. But he that is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is judge of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. We have the mind of Christ right here in the Word of God. And that confidence is given to us by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit of God. They work in concert together so that we can not be ashamed when Jesus Christ comes again, as His Scripture points out to us. So the unsaved man cannot truly know God. And right here, 1 Corinthians chapter 3, we find that the carnal, fleshly, backslidden Christian will lack the depth and confidence regarding his salvation. I'd venture to say that those of you who are up one day, down the next, you probably doubt your salvation quite a bit. You wonder whether you're really born again. Well, the Holy Spirit of God, when you're right with God, when you're walking with God, as He is in the light, you have fellowship one with another, amen? 1 John 1, verse 7, that was brought out to us in our study already. Then we have that confidence. But when we are sinning, and we're doing this one day, and trying to better it the next day, and then we slip back again, and we come back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, then that confidence is eroded, is it not? And it says here, and I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal. even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk and not with meat, for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able, for ye are yet carnal. For whereas there is among you envy and strife and divisions, are ye not carnal and walk as men?" Let's go back now to Hebrews. Hebrews chapter 5. Hebrews chapter 5. You've heard this recently read, verse 10, the scripture says, call of God and the high priest after the order of Melchizedek, of whom we have many things to say and hard to be uttered, seeing you are dull of hearing. For when for the time you ought to be teachers, you have need that one teach you again, which be the first principles of the oracles of God. And it becomes such as have need of milk and not of strong meat. For everyone that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on into perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, and laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do if God permit. For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put into an open shame." Let's drop down now to verse 17. And folks, a lot of times people go to chapter 6 here and they try to shake you in regards to your salvation. Just like they try to use 1 John chapter 2 in this passage of Scripture that is our text passage. And just as we see by keeping the Word of God in context in 1 John chapter 2, He's writing these things so that we can be confident and have that assurance and not be ashamed when he appears in the rapture. Amen? Then we find here in chapter 6 that there's no way that he's talking and trying to undermine the salvation of these Jewish believers. Because he says here in verse 17, wherein God willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise The heirs of promise, those who are born again, the immutability of his counsel confirmed it by an oath. He says, I made a promise that by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie. Sounds like Titus chapter 1 verse 2 as well, amen? God, who cannot lie, promised before the world began eternal life. He says, We might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us, which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil. Whether the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus made a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. We started in chapter 5 and we saw at verse 10, called of God and high priests after the order of Melchizedek. We come here and we find out that's the same order of the Lord Jesus Christ. We're one with Him. Isn't that good? You see how the Bible fits and there's that continuity? Never just dive into something and say, boy, look what it says. That's so confusing. Can I lose it? These things are not written to cause us doubt. They're written to, as the scriptures say, give us that anchor to solidify us in our faith. Amen? Number three, I want you to know, dear believer, that at salvation you receive the Holy Ghost. Now, I mentioned already 1 Corinthians chapter 6 verses 19 and 20. I invite you to go to 1 Corinthians chapter 12. Of course, this is talking about the gifts. And I'm not going to preach this whole passage, but I do want to read verse 13. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. I like that. The moment you trusted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, you were placed in the body of Christ. No, it was not in the tank. It happened in the heart. The moment you trusted Christ, there was a holy transaction that took place. You were birthed into the family of God. And you weren't poured in. You weren't sprinkled in. You were placed in. You were buried. You are in Christ. Amen? When you got saved, You got all of Christ, and Christ got all of you. I like that. Amen? And so let's go to Ephesians chapter 4. Ephesians chapter 4. And if you want another book that will just light your fire as far as the security of the believer, to know whether you're really in Christ or not, these six chapters would be the great book for you to spend some time in. Ephesians chapter 4. It says here, and we pick up in verse 1, I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called. He's saying, look, you're Christians. You say you're Christians. Now you ought to live like Christians. You ought to walk like Christians. You ought to talk like Christians. You ought to look like Christians. And he says, I'm begging you. Paul's saying, yeah, I know a lot of you don't do it. And I say that to you tonight. A lot of you don't do it, but I beg you to do it. With all lowliness and meekness, with all suffering, forbearing one another in love. Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, even as you're called in one hope of your calling. One Lord, one faith, one baptism. One God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in you all. Now you notice, He's not saying it's in the ordinances of the church, is he? He says that there is one Lord. There is only one Lord. There are many who call themselves Lord, but there is only one Lord. Amen? There is only one faith. You don't have several ways of salvation. You only have one way of salvation. Romans chapter 11 verse 6 says it's either by works or it's by grace. If you say that you add any work to grace, it's no more grace, it all becomes work. You can't have a mixture of the two, it's either one or the other. And the Bible says, for by grace are you saved through faith. Amen? And that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. There's one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. There's one placing into the body of Christ. There is the security of the believer. Now you say, but pastor, I believe that this has to do with water baptism. One Lord, one faith, one baptism. If you want a hold of that as far as the door into the local church, I can give you that. That's no problem. That doesn't do injustice to this passage. But at the same time, I think if you look at the context here, he's talking about the unity of the body. And so, yes, there is the unity of the body in the spiritual sense and also in the local sense, in the local assembly. One Lord, one faith, one baptism. But look where it says in verse 7, But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore, he said, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men. Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things. And he gave. Jesus Christ gave these gifts. So understand, we're talking about the unity of the faith. It says, and He gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. For what reason? For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. So here we go to 1 John chapter 2 and it says, Ye know all things. Here it says you have the Holy Spirit of God that indwells you and you have no need that man teach you anything. Then you come to this passage of Scripture and it says, hey look, Jesus Christ Himself has given you some gifts. And as you come to the church and as we impart biblical truth to you and you go to the college and the teachers are imparting biblical truth to you, then you are being taught. And that's God's program. He's not saying that set the human teacher aside. He gave gifts. But it's always a check and balance with the Holy Spirit of God that dwells within you. Amen? I mean, those human instruments that God uses, you can check them by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit of God, as well as the written Word of God. Amen? Now look what it goes on to say. Why do we have those human instruments in our life? For the perfecting of the saints. Isn't that something? So we need one another. You need human teachers. Boy, we don't like that, do we? We don't like that because we've been so geared today that you can't put your faith in man. Folks, when you listen to a teacher who's imparting the Bible to you, your faith is not in a man. Your faith is in the message that the man is bringing. When Moses spoke to the people after spending 40 days and 40 nights on Mount Sinai, they were following him as he followed God. And he was speaking the words of God, was he not? They didn't hear God, they heard Moses. Right? When we are preaching, you're hearing my voice tonight, but I trust you're hearing from God. And there's a confirming work going on in your body. The presence of the Holy Spirit of God is given that witness through the preached Word based upon the written Word. That yes, what I'm saying is true. Amen? Amen. Let's keep reading. Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure, the stature, the fullness of Christ, that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the slight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive. So at salvation you received the Holy Spirit. And then you find that the Holy Spirit will guide you. And I close with this passage here in John chapter 14, if you'll turn there. If you want to know what the ministry of the Holy Spirit is in the world today, then go to John and read chapters 14, 15, and 16. And it says here in verse 16, and Jesus is speaking here, it says, I will pray the Father And He shall give you another comforter that He may abide with you forever. Now, just so we get into context until I move through chapter 16 and also point out a verse in chapter 17. He's already said here at the end of chapter 13 that He's leaving them. So before that time, Jesus, just by His very presence, was a comfort to the disciples. When they were on the Sea of Galilee in that storm, Jesus was asleep. The disciples were afraid, and they came to him and said, Master, carest thou not that we perish? Just his presence was a comfort. And we know that he woke up and he went up there on topside, and he said, Peace be still. And the sea became as glass, and the wind died right down. Isn't that good? Jesus was their comforter. And now he's trying to assure them, he's saying, look, I'm going to go, but I'm coming back. But until I come back in the form, you see me now, I'm going to give you another comforter. He says, I will pray the father and he should give you another comforter that he may abide with you forever. In other words, Jesus saying, I got to go, but I'm going to send someone to you and he's going to stay with you forever. That's why when you get to Hebrews chapter 13 and he says, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. That's exactly what he means. In your life, there's never, since you're saved, there's never going to be a time where you're without the comforter. See, when the rapture of the church takes place, you're going to be in the presence of who? Jesus Christ. You can't lose. You have comfort all your life from here on out. You say, you mean the trouble I'm going through now? You mean the trouble I may go through should the Lord, Terry, is coming? I mean all of that. He's the comforter. He says, even the spirit of truth That Holy Spirit that indwells your life is the comforter. He's also the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it seeth Him not. Neither knoweth Him, but ye know Him, for He dwelleth with you and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you. So that's why when we sing songs, Jesus loves me, this I know. For the Bible tells me so. And then we sing songs about how we have Jesus in our heart. That's where we get that from. You see? He's in us now as we're saved. I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you. Let's drop down now to verse 26. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost. So I know people are saying, well, who is that Comforter? How do we know? Well, the Bible just told us. That Comforter that He's been talking about is the Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost. Whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things. Well, they have other teachers. We find through the apostles and the ministry of the local New Testament church that there's other teaching going on. He said that they continued in the book of Acts chapter 2, they that gladly received his word were baptized and the same day they were added unto them about 3,000 souls and these continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine. What was the apostles doctrine? It was the words of Jesus Christ. Amen? And he says, He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you. Let's go to chapter 15, verse 26. Jesus says, But when the comforters come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth which is proceeded from the Father, he shall testify of me. Chapter 16, 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." Do you realize how many times we've thought, boy, if only Jesus could be here. Have you ever thought about that? Boy, if only Jesus could be here. Boy, wouldn't it be neat if all of a sudden it came time after Jeff and Kerry had sung the special that Jesus stepped into the pulpit. Boy, that would be great to have Jesus as our pastor. Look what it says here. He says, But if I depart, I will send him unto you. Or excuse me, verse 26, he says, Even the Spirit of truth which was received from the Father, he shall testify of me. I lost my place here. He said, 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. And so we have the Spirit right now with us. Jesus is with us now. And He will never leave us. Some people say, well, what is the work of the Holy Spirit today? Somebody were to come up to you and say, why is the Holy Spirit here today? What's His work in the world today? It tells us right here. It says, and when He has come, He will reprove the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. Of sin, because they believe not on me. Of righteousness, because I go to my Father and you see me no more. Of judgment, because the Prince of this world is judged. He explains the work of the Holy Spirit in the world today. We don't have to worry about charismatic doctrine. We don't need to be blown about. There it is, right there, synopsis form. We know why the Holy Spirit, what His work is in the world today. Look at verse 13. Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth. You see, the Holy Spirit of God that lives in you, As we look at 1 John 2, He will teach you all things. He will lead you in the way of truth. And when a teacher comes along and He gives you out that truth, you can know whether it's of God or not. by the Word of God as well as the Holy Spirit of God that's in you. And you don't need me to tell you, hey, what he's saying is true. No, the Holy Spirit will confirm that what I am saying or some other preacher is saying is true. In other words, You can know what's true and have confidence that you believe right, not based upon what some man is telling you. Not based upon what some church is telling you. You can know all things by the Word of God and the Holy Spirit of God that lives in you. Amen? But there's a qualifier there in this passage of Scripture, and we'll see that in just a moment, but I want to read a little bit more here. Let's look at chapter 16. It says, he says, it will guide you in all truth, verse 13, for he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak, and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me, for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. In other words, he's saying, look, when the Holy Spirit comes, And He indwells you. He's not going to magnify Himself. He's not going to magnify the Father. He's going to magnify the Son. Because the only way to get to the Father is through the Son. And so any belief system that magnifies any other part of the Trinity but Jesus Christ is not right. Well, they're the three in one, yes, that's true, but they have chosen to operate this way. And God the Father says, hey, this is Jesus Christ, my Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye Him. He said, don't listen to me, hear Jesus. The Holy Spirit comes on the scene and He says, look, I'm going to lift up Jesus. Don't lift up the Holy Spirit. Lift up Jesus. If the Holy Spirit is evident in the life of a church, in the life of a believer, he's going to be talking about Jesus, not the Holy Spirit. So that just sets aside a whole lot of stuff right there, doesn't it? Doesn't it? See, so you can know all things. By the Word of God and the Holy Spirit of God, they're going to witness that this is true, that I've just said. So you can say, is Pastor Sullivan right? Is that true? I mean, how about those other groups that magnify the Holy Spirit so much? They're not right. How do you know that? Because I'm telling you that? No! Your faith is not in me. Your faith is in the Word of God and the witness of the Holy Spirit of God that's in you. His Spirit bears witness with my spirit that I'm a child of God and the Bible says I can know all things. Amen? He'll teach me. Praise the Lord. Look at chapter 17, verse 17. Sanctify them through thy truth. Jesus is praying His high priestly prayer here. He says, Thy Word is truth. The Spirit of truth. Jesus says, I'm the truth. The Bible is the truth. Folks, you can't go wrong with the truth. Amen? Hey, let God be true. And every man a liar. Then look at verses 28 and 29 and we're done with our text passage of Scripture. It says, And now, little children, abide in Him. There's John 15 again. That when He shall appear, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. If ye know that He is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of Him. The self-test. Do you have the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit of God in your life? Are you abiding in Christ? If you're abiding in Him, you also are sitting here tonight with that confidence that if you were to die tonight, you'd go to heaven. Not because I've convinced you of that, but because God the Holy Spirit has convinced you of that through the authority of the written Word of God. Amen? Isn't God good? Don't be shaken. If you're a believer in Jesus Christ, As you yield to the Holy Spirit in your life, give Him control. He will guide you into all truth, and you can know all things. Amen? Aren't God's good? Let's all stand with our heads bowed and our eyes closed, please. Our heads are bowed, our eyes are closed. I know that people say, Boy, you go to that Baptist church? And you're just following a man. You're just following Pastor Saul. Whatever he tells you to do, you do it. I trust that's not your testimony. I trust you're saying, you know, just like the Apostle Paul. He wasn't afraid for people to check him out according to the Scriptures. I mean, those Christians in the New Testament searched the Scriptures daily whether those things were so. But it sure is great that God in his infinite wisdom has given us the written word. that tells us of the Living Word, Jesus. Amen? And we can be indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God, and then He gives us gifts, which are the teachers that He gives us, so that we can be perfected, we can be matured, that we can be everything God wants us to be. And when a man gets up and preaches the Word, a teacher gets up and teaches the Word, you can know whether it's the truth or not. You don't have to leave it up to personality. You don't have to leave it up to heritage. You can know all things, because you have an unction from the Holy One, from Jesus Christ. He's the Holy One. I start off the service by saying, Christian, or person here, start off the service asking, are you saved? Do you know Jesus Christ is your personal Savior? It could be that you've been relying on your baptism, or your church membership, or your good moral works, doing good deeds to get you to heaven. I ask you to ask yourself, have I done what the Bible says to do? You see, God commandeth all men everywhere to repent. Have you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone. When I was 15, I realized that I've been fooling myself and everybody else. Don't do that. And I'm not trying to get you to doubt your salvation, but if you're not saved, I want you to get saved. And if you are saved, I want you to walk in confidence.