Participants:
Series Code: HCAU
Program Code: HCAU200006S
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00:11 And this is the record
00:13 that God hath given to us eternal life 00:16 and this life is in His Son. 00:20 Welcome to 3ABN Australia Homecoming. 00:30 Thank you for joining us 00:32 for this nearly halfway 00:35 of the 3ABN Australia Homecoming, 2020. 00:40 And today we will be looking at Chapter 6 00:43 of the book, Steps to Christ, 00:46 a beautiful book to help you in preparing for eternity. 00:51 And I want to thank those of you 00:53 who are here as our audience, we really appreciate you. 00:56 It's wonderful to have you with us today. 00:59 Our speaker for this hour is Pastor Justin Torossian. 01:06 And he's going to be speaking on Chapter 6 01:09 "Faith and Acceptance." 01:12 And I'm looking forward to hearing 01:14 what he is going to say 01:16 because, excuse me, I've got an itchy nose. 01:19 The lady who wrote the book that we're looking at 01:23 is his, was his great, great, great grandmother. 01:26 So this book is very important to him. 01:30 But we're just going to review 01:32 what Pastor Abel Iorgulescu preached on. 01:36 On Chapter 5 consecration, his summary is one, 01:41 "What is the greatest battle that was ever fought? 01:44 Consecrating your heart to God. 01:47 Why? 01:48 Because we are sinners with a tendency to rebel, 01:53 to run away from God." 01:55 Number two, 01:56 "According to Joel 3:14 01:59 multitudes are in the valley of decision, 02:04 choosing to surrender to God or to reject Him." 02:08 Three, 02:10 "But even when we choose to turn away from God, 02:12 He doesn't give up on us, but pursues us." 02:16 Four, 02:17 "We cannot change our hearts, 02:19 but we can allow God to do the transformation." 02:23 Five, 02:24 "Many people are in the valley of decision today, 02:27 and God is inviting us to come to Him 02:30 just as we are, 02:31 with our broken lives, 02:32 with our sin polluted hearts 02:35 and surrender completely to Him." 02:37 And number six, 02:39 "When we do this, we will experience the peace, 02:43 joy and assurance of salvation in Jesus Christ." 02:48 That's a wonderful chapter that he did on consecration. 02:51 Read the book and find out for yourselves, 02:54 Steps to Christ. 02:55 And our music is by Diane Hope, a very special girl, 03:01 dear to my heart. 03:02 And she's going to be singing a song called, 03:05 "Everywhere I go." 03:07 Thank you, Diane. 03:33 This is my journey 03:37 like Israel of old 03:44 I travel through the wilderness 03:49 So far away from home 03:55 Though dangers surround me 03:59 Though the night is long 04:04 The Lord is my light My beacon and guide 04:09 My strength and my song 04:14 And I will be strong 04:18 I will walk unafraid 04:23 With the Lord as my companion 04:28 Every step along the way 04:33 Then come what may I'll live 04:35 with courage in my heart 04:39 Because I know He is with me 04:46 everywhere I go 05:07 This is my journey 05:10 Like Israel of old 05:18 I need not wander lost Nor seek 05:22 to find my way alone 05:28 His presence before me 05:32 Is all that I require 05:37 The Lord is my light My beacon and guide 05:42 My pillar of fire 05:47 And I will be strong 05:51 I will walk unafraid 05:56 With the Lord as my companion 06:01 Every step along the way 06:06 Then come what may I'll live 06:09 with courage in my heart 06:12 Because I know He is with me 06:19 everywhere I go 06:28 This is my journey 06:33 And nothing will I fear 06:38 The Lord my God Will safely pilot me 06:44 And keep my pathway sure 06:48 My Help and my guardian 06:52 To the journey's end 06:57 The Lord is my light My beacon and guide 07:02 My Savior and Friend 07:06 And I will be strong 07:11 I will walk unafraid 07:16 With the Lord as my companion 07:21 Every step along the way 07:24 Then come what may I'll live 07:27 with courage in my heart 07:31 Because I know 07:36 He is the Lord of heaven and earth 07:41 He is the perfect light of truth 07:45 And He is with me 07:49 everywhere I go 08:09 Amen. 08:10 Praise the Lord that He is with us 08:12 everywhere that we go. 08:13 Amen? 08:15 What a beautiful song. 08:16 Thank you so much for that, Diane. 08:17 It has been a wonderful time at 3ABN camp meeting, 08:21 or rather 3ABN Homecoming thus far, hasn't it? 08:24 And praise the Lord and we pray that 08:28 even in the midst of COVID, 08:29 as you have joined us here today, 08:31 that you'll be uplifted, enriched and blessed. 08:34 And that you'll find yourself walking more closely to Christ 08:39 than ever before. 08:41 Just as we prepare to get into the message, 08:44 I just want to say that, 08:45 you know, it's really a privilege 08:46 to preach the Word of God. 08:48 And I wanted to mention that 08:51 the Bible calls the Word of God, 08:54 yeah, the Bible calls itself the Word of God, 08:56 a double-edged sword in Hebrews 4:12. 08:59 It says that the Word of God is living and powerful, 09:02 sharper than a two-edged sword. 09:04 And I believe that one of the reasons 09:06 that it's called a double-edged sword 09:07 or compared to a double-edged sword 09:08 is because it cuts not only the hearers of the Word, 09:12 but also the one who delivers the Word. 09:14 And every sermon really is a sermon to self 09:18 and one that God has preached to you, 09:20 as you prepared it to share with others. 09:25 This is a beautiful little book. 09:27 Every year I reread this book from cover to cover, 09:30 just a page a day as a part of your devotions 09:33 and you'll get through it in less than half of the year. 09:35 And every year that I reread it, 09:37 I'm drawn closer to Christ. 09:40 And I see new things in it that stand out to me 09:43 that I didn't notice the year before. 09:45 And that is because it's so full 09:47 of beautiful Bible principles 09:48 that are timeless 09:50 and become more relevant 09:51 as our lives go on 09:52 and the days of our lives passed by. 09:56 As your conscience has been made alive 09:58 by the Holy Spirit, 10:00 you have seen something of the evil of sin 10:04 of its power, 10:05 its guilt, and you look upon it with hatred. 10:08 You feel that sin has separated you 10:11 from your God, 10:12 and that you're in bondage to the power of evil. 10:16 The more you struggle to escape like quicksand, 10:18 the more you realize your helplessness. 10:21 Your motives are impure, your heart is unclean. 10:25 You see that your life has been filled 10:27 with selfishness and sin. 10:29 You longed to be cleansed, to be forgiven, to be set free. 10:34 What can you do to attain this? 10:37 It's peace that you need. 10:39 It's heaven's forgiveness and peace and love in the soul. 10:43 Money cannot buy it. 10:45 Intellect cannot acquire it, skill cannot attain it. 10:49 You can never hope by your own efforts to gain it. 10:53 But God offers it to you as a free gift 10:58 without money and without price. 11:01 It is yours, 11:03 if you will, but reach out your hands 11:05 and grasp it. 11:07 Father in heaven as we dive into Your Word together today, 11:11 as we spend this time studying, 11:13 we pray that You will bless us with a clearer picture 11:17 of Your great gift of salvation. 11:20 And the assurance, the blessed assurance 11:22 that You want to grant to each and every one of us. 11:26 May Christ be lifted up, Lord, that all will be drawn to Him. 11:30 We ask in His precious name, amen. 11:33 There, I was driving down Highway 99 in California, 11:37 Central Valley. 11:39 And I was listening to a radio station 11:41 called family Christian radio. 11:43 It was a radio station with beautiful music, 11:46 but very bad theology. 11:49 And the reason that I say that 11:50 is because the founder of that radio station and ministry 11:54 predicted at least four different times 11:56 the date that Christ would return. 11:59 And, of course, each time 12:00 Jesus didn't return at that time, 12:02 and he, oh, well, I misunderstood this, 12:04 and then he'd set another date. 12:06 In addition to that, 12:07 the leaders of this ministry 12:09 actually believe something that is often called, 12:13 "Once saved, always saved." 12:15 It's this idea that once you accept Christ, 12:20 at one point in your life, 12:21 you are saved no matter what you do after that point. 12:24 And as I was listening to this radio station, 12:26 I wasn't particularly paying attention 12:28 because it was between songs, 12:30 and I was listening to it for the music. 12:32 But there came a voice 12:34 that kind of caught my attention. 12:37 The radio commentator said, 12:39 "So if you would like your free copy of, 12:42 I hope God saves me, call 1800, 12:45 " da-da-da." 12:47 And I thought, 12:48 "Did I just hear that right? 12:49 I hope God saves me?" 12:51 Friends, do we have to just hope that God saves us? 12:55 Or can we have true peace and confident assurance 12:59 that we are in a saving relationship with Christ, 13:02 and that if He were to come back right now, 13:04 we would be able to go home to heaven with Him. 13:07 This is the question 13:08 that we will be answering in our message together. 13:12 And, friends, we're going to see 13:13 what the Bible has to say about assurance, 13:16 what the Bible truly teaches about assurance, 13:19 and praise God that it's more than just something 13:21 that we can hope for. 13:23 It's something that we can have confidence of 13:25 not because we're confident in ourselves, 13:27 but because we're confident in Jesus Christ, 13:30 our Lord, and our soon coming Savior. 13:33 Now, there are extremes 13:35 when it comes to the path and the road of salvation. 13:39 There are extremes to the left and to the right, 13:42 there are ditches 13:43 that the devil would like to get us caught into. 13:45 And there are many different ditches 13:47 that the devil would have us, 13:48 you know, to be distracted and stuck in, 13:50 rather than on our heavenward way. 13:53 But there are really two major ones 13:55 when it comes to the topic of salvation. 13:58 And the first is, as I mentioned, 14:00 this idea that once we accept Jesus 14:02 by the expression of our mouth, 14:05 and if we mean it with our heart, 14:06 once we accept Him as our personal Savior, 14:09 then no matter what we do, 14:10 after that small point of faith, 14:13 no matter what our life entails, 14:15 we cannot turn our back on God, we will be saved. 14:19 Once saved, always saved, 14:21 no matter what terrible things you might do in your life, 14:24 and even if you tried turning your back on God. 14:27 In the other ditch, 14:28 on the other side of the road of salvation, 14:30 there is this idea 14:32 that you will never be ready for heaven 14:35 that no matter what happens in your life, 14:38 you can't have assurance because you're just too bad. 14:41 You've messed up too bad, 14:43 you've gone too far 14:44 and you are beyond God's ability to save you. 14:47 And so these are the two ditches 14:50 in the on the sides I should say 14:52 of the road of salvation on our heavenward way. 14:57 Now, we can avoid both of these ditches 15:01 by having faith in Christ 15:02 as He invites us to in His Word, 15:05 and have confident assurance of our salvation. 15:09 Once again, not because of confidence in self, 15:11 but because of confidence in our Savior. 15:14 Now, as this chapter, Chapter 6 of Steps to Christ rolls on, 15:19 we come across the following quotation. 15:22 And this is really beautiful. 15:23 It says this, 15:25 "From this simple Bible account of how Jesus healed the sick, 15:29 we may learn something of how to believe in Him 15:32 for the forgiveness of sins. 15:34 Let us turn to the story of the paralytic at Bethesda." 15:40 And so, friends, we're going to do just that, 15:41 we're going to launch off the diving board 15:44 of Steps to Christ 15:45 into this story from John Chapter 5. 15:48 And after we've gathered some gems 15:50 from the pool of Bethesda, 15:52 we're going to come back to this powerful chapter 15:54 from Steps to Christ 15:56 and to talk a bit more about assurance of salvation. 15:59 And what the Bible teaches about this very important 16:02 yet often misunderstood topic. 16:06 John Chapter 5, 16:08 the Bible says there in verse 1 that Jesus was in Jerusalem, 16:13 He just arrived, it says, 16:15 "After this, there was a feast of the Jews 16:16 and Jesus went up to Jerusalem." 16:20 Verse 2, reading on, 16:21 "Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, 16:24 which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, 16:27 having five porches." 16:29 Interestingly enough, a little side note, 16:31 for years different people 16:33 that were critics of the Bible said, 16:35 "Oh, the Bible is not true, 16:36 because we've never found anything 16:38 that had five porches in Jerusalem. 16:40 So it must not be true, the Bible must be wrong." 16:43 But not too long ago, they unearthed these porches, 16:47 they had seen two of the five porches. 16:49 But they didn't realize that 16:51 the other five were actually there, 16:52 they just hadn't dug them up. 16:53 And so archaeology once again demonstrated the Bible 16:56 as being true. 16:58 Now, back to verse 2, it says, 17:01 "There is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool," 17:04 some translations, the King James says 17:06 the sheep market 17:08 that word gate or market 17:09 is actually put into and supplied, 17:12 because it's not in the original Greek, 17:14 but it would have been likely 17:16 the place that people would have brought their sheep 17:18 no doubt through a gate, an entranceway. 17:21 And probably the place as well 17:22 where the Jewish leaders would set up their shop 17:25 to tell people, oh, that sheep. 17:27 You're not going to sacrifice that, are you? 17:29 No, no, no, that's not good enough, 17:31 buy one of ours and we'll take that one. 17:33 And then they would take that good sheep 17:35 from the people they taken advantage of, 17:37 and then they would sell it for even more money. 17:39 And so this is the point that they had come to, 17:42 and it could have been this location 17:44 where they would do some of this work. 17:47 But the reason that I'm pausing to reflect upon this verse 17:50 is because often when we read the Bible, 17:53 we miss key points, 17:55 because we think as we read, oh, well, that's interesting, 17:58 but there's no significance or real deep meaning there. 18:02 But when God mentioned something in His Word, 18:04 it's significant. 18:06 Yes, some passages have points 18:07 that are less significant than others. 18:09 But when it says that this was by the Sheep Gate 18:13 the pool that was by the sheep gate, 18:14 it was significant. 18:16 Names of places often have significance 18:19 in line and in connection with the story. 18:21 For example, in Acts Chapter 9, 18:23 the Bible tells us that Paul, 18:25 he had been blinded by seeing Jesus 18:27 on the road to Damascus. 18:28 He'd been instructed by Jesus to go into the city 18:32 and then God spoke to this prophet Ananias 18:35 and told him, 18:36 "Listen, go into this city, 18:38 and go to a road called Straight. 18:41 And you will find that Saul is there, 18:44 and I want you to lay your hands on him." 18:47 It was no coincidence 18:48 that God of all the places that Saul could have stayed, 18:51 Saul who became Paul, by the way, 18:53 the greatest missionary of the New Testament. 18:56 It's no coincidence 18:58 that of all the places he could have gone, 18:59 this street was called Straight. 19:02 It was that street called Straight 19:03 where God was straightening out Paul's theology. 19:07 He was straightening out Paul's misunderstandings. 19:10 And for two days, the Bible tells us 19:12 He didn't eat or drink. 19:13 He actually was so just agonizing in his soul 19:16 because he'd been persecuting the people of God. 19:19 And he thought that he was serving God 19:21 by persecuting them. 19:22 He didn't realize that he was wrong this entire time. 19:25 And the Holy Spirit was working on his heart and his mind, 19:29 bringing back the pictures of Stephen 19:32 losing his life 19:34 looking up into heaven 19:35 and seeing the heavens open and seeing a vision of Jesus. 19:39 God was bringing these pictures back to Saul's mind 19:41 and he was setting him on the straight and narrow way. 19:45 Friends, there was no coincidence. 19:46 And there's no coincidence that 19:47 this was at a place called the Sheep Gate 19:50 and that, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, 19:52 John penned this detail into the Gospel of John 19:56 as we read in John 5:2. 19:58 The significance, well, 20:01 the Bible says in just a few chapters, 20:02 Jesus Himself in John 10 says, 20:05 "I am the good shepherd. 20:07 And he also says, I am the door of the sheep." 20:11 Jesus was going to this place, 20:13 and there was going to be a man 20:15 who would hear His voice 20:16 and recognize that it was Him calling. 20:19 He was one of Christ's faithful sheep. 20:21 He just hadn't met Jesus yet. 20:23 And so the story is being set up, 20:25 that there were many sheep 20:26 and this man was one of God's faithful followers. 20:29 He just had not yet met Jesus, the Messiah. 20:32 Verse 3, 20:34 "In these lay a great multitude of sick people, 20:36 by this pool of Bethesda, 20:38 the blind, the lame, the paralyzed, 20:40 waiting for the moving of the water." 20:43 Verse 4, 20:44 "For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool 20:46 and stirred up the water, 20:47 and then whoever stepped in first, 20:50 after the stirring of the water, 20:51 was made well of whatever disease he had." 20:55 Now, this was a superstition of the day. 20:58 This was not the reality. 20:59 God doesn't work in this way. 21:01 He doesn't work in a way that some people would be healed 21:04 if they were the strongest and the fastest, 21:06 survival of the fittest in a sense. 21:08 And other people were trampled to death, 21:10 as people were trying to rush to the pool. 21:12 That's not the way God works. 21:14 This was a superstitious belief in the day 21:16 that people would be healed 21:18 if they were the first one to get into the water 21:21 after it was moving, 21:22 and there was the movement of the water. 21:26 Verse 5, 21:28 and by the way, in verse 4, 21:29 we just read that the people had put their faith, 21:32 their confidence, their assurance in this water. 21:36 That was where their hope was in the moving of this water. 21:40 Verse 5, 21:41 "Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity 38 years." 21:46 You know, 38 years is a long time. 21:49 I'm 34 years old. 21:51 And, you know, I know 38 is longer than I've lived, 21:56 obviously, and some of you listening today may think, 21:59 well, you know, 22:00 I'm 85 so 38 years is not all that long 22:04 compared to my life span. 22:05 But listen, even if you're 100 years old, 22:07 38 years is still more than one-third of your lifetime. 22:11 That's a long time. 22:12 And it's likely that this man was one of the worst cases 22:15 around the pool of Bethesda. 22:17 Here, he was sick, crippled for 38 years. 22:22 Verse 6, 22:23 "When Jesus saw him lying there, 22:25 He knew that he already had been in that condition 22:27 for a long time, 22:28 and He said to him, 22:30 "Do you want to be made well?" 22:33 What do you think this man's first thought was? 22:35 Of course, I want to be made well. 22:37 Why do you think I'm here? 22:38 The whole reason 22:40 that I'm camping out in this spot 22:41 is because I want to be made well. 22:42 This was a question 22:44 that Jesus already knew the answer to. 22:47 Why do you think 22:48 He asked this man this question? 22:50 He already knew, 22:52 of course, he wanted to be well. 22:53 But this man's expression 22:56 that he wanted to be made well. 22:58 This man's speaking out and crying out for help, 23:01 is what Jesus wanted to hear so that He could answer 23:04 and work a miracle in healing him. 23:07 Verse 7, 23:08 "The sick man answered Him, 23:10 "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool 23:12 when the water is stirred up, 23:14 but while I am coming, another steps down before me." 23:18 You know, this man's answer speaks volumes. 23:21 What did he mention? 23:23 He said, "Sir, I have no men to put me into the" what? 23:27 "Pool when the water is stirred." 23:29 This man was focusing on his problems, 23:31 and he was focusing on people 23:33 and the things of this world that seemed to promise 23:37 healing and success. 23:39 He had his hope in this water, 23:41 but his hope was in the wrong water. 23:44 A few chapters later, in John Chapter 7, 23:46 Jesus says this in verse 37, at this feast, 23:48 this great feast, He said, "On the last day," 23:51 it says, 23:52 "He cried out, saying, 23:54 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 23:57 He who believes in Me." 23:59 As the scriptures has said, have said, 24:01 "Out of His heart 24:02 will flow rivers of living water." 24:06 It goes on verse 39, 24:07 "But this He spoke concerning the spirits 24:09 whom those believing in Him would receive." 24:13 Jesus said very clearly, He said, 24:15 "Let anyone who thirst 24:17 the things of this world have left you dehydrated 24:19 and empty, come to Me, 24:21 and I will give you the water 24:22 that leads to everlasting life." 24:25 Jesus is saying in this verse, 24:26 a few chapters after our story, 24:28 that He is the true source of water. 24:31 He's the true source of living water 24:33 that can bring health and healing and blessing. 24:36 Think about it. 24:38 Where did the Israelites get their water from 24:40 in the Old Testament 24:41 when they were wandering through the wilderness 24:43 for those 40 years? 24:45 Where they get their water? 24:46 Feel free to answer. 24:49 That's right. 24:50 They got their water from the rock. 24:52 Now, 1 Corinthians 10:4 tells us 24:54 that rock was Christ. 24:57 That rock pointed forward to Christ, 24:59 and that was Christ. 25:01 Christ is the rock of our salvation. 25:03 So, friends, Jesus is the only source of the water 25:07 that can bring healing 25:09 and that can bring eternal life into our lives. 25:12 And that water is the Holy Spirit. 25:15 But due to superstition, 25:18 this man and so many others 25:19 had put their faith in the wrong place, 25:22 they were looking for the moving 25:24 of the wrong water, 25:26 because the source of living water was moving 25:30 in their midst, you follow? 25:32 Jesus was moving in their midst. 25:34 And friends, Jesus can be moving 25:36 and blessing all around us. 25:38 And we can be missing it. 25:40 If we are not in tune with His Spirit, 25:42 if we are not surrendered to Him, 25:44 we can miss it when He is moving 25:46 all around us. 25:47 Friends, if we are focusing our time, 25:50 our energy, our money 25:52 on the do it yourself solutions of this world, 25:55 they will leave us nothing but empty and hopeless. 25:59 But Christ is the one who can provide the waters 26:02 that satisfy our souls. 26:04 He is the one that can provide the waters of life. 26:08 Verse 8, 26:09 "Jesus said to him, 26:11 'Arise, take up your bed and walk." 26:14 You know, Jesus could have healed him instantly, 26:16 don't you think? 26:18 Christ could have instantly healed this man. 26:19 Why didn't He? 26:21 Why did He choose to tell the man, 26:23 "Arise, take up your bed and walk?" 26:26 Very interesting that Jesus decides to do this. 26:29 And why would He give him a command 26:31 that was physically impossible? 26:34 I want to suggest to you today 26:36 that Jesus did this very intentionally. 26:38 Jesus did this, 26:40 so that the man would recognize very clearly 26:43 that this was a complete miracle of God. 26:46 Secondly, the other reason was 26:48 because Jesus gave this man an opportunity 26:50 to express his faith in Him by obeying His word, 26:55 through obedience to Him 26:56 and to try to do through trying to do 26:59 what He commanded. 27:01 Now, this man could have been like, 27:03 listen, Jesus, well, He didn't know 27:04 who was Jesus at the time, 27:05 as we'll see later on in the story. 27:08 But this man could have said to the Lord, 27:13 "What do you mean? 27:15 How do you expect me to get up 27:16 and rise and take my mat and walk? 27:18 If I could do that, I wouldn't be lying here. 27:20 Listen, you can just heal me, 27:22 and then I'll get up and then I will walk." 27:25 But this man didn't do that. 27:27 This man went to get up 27:29 with the little energy that he had 27:31 with whatever he could do, he did do. 27:34 And as he did this, 27:36 as he responded to the compassion 27:39 in Jesus eyes, 27:41 and the authority in His voice, 27:43 as this man tried, 27:45 as he did, his limbs started to feel again 27:50 as he hadn't felt them in years. 27:52 And instantly, the Bible says, 27:54 this man stood up, 27:57 and he picked up his mat, and he began to walk. 28:00 He stepped out in faith, 28:02 so to speak, he stepped up in faith. 28:04 And this man when he tried to get up 28:06 as an expression of his faith in Christ, 28:09 as he moved in faith, 28:11 God moved with a miracle. 28:13 And, friends, when we move in faith, 28:16 God will move with miracles. 28:17 Amen? 28:19 This is how God operates. 28:20 But He doesn't leave us completely out of the equation. 28:24 He allows us 28:25 and He leaves us the opportunity 28:27 to respond to Him as an expression of faith, 28:30 and to step out and do 28:32 what He has said, for us to do. 28:34 Friends, our faith can enable God 28:37 to do the impossible. 28:39 And we serve a God 28:41 who is in the business of doing the impossible, 28:44 nothing is impossible for Him. 28:46 Verse 9, immediately He was made well, 28:48 he took up his bed and he walked. 28:51 This, the Bible says there in verse 9, 28:55 this is one of the seven times, 28:58 one of the seven healing miracles 29:00 that Jesus worked on a Sabbath. 29:02 The gospels record seven times 29:04 where Jesus worked healing miracles 29:06 on the Sabbath. 29:08 And this was one of the seven. 29:10 Just reading quickly through the rest of the story, 29:11 verses 10 to 13. 29:13 "The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, 29:15 'It is the Sabbath, 29:16 it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.'" 29:19 That is according to their own rules. 29:21 There's nowhere in God's Word that says, 29:22 "Don't carry your bed on the Sabbath." 29:24 Verse 11, 29:25 "He answered them, 'He who made me well said, 29:27 'Take up your bed and walk.' 29:29 They asked him, 29:30 'Who is the man who said to you, 29:32 'Take up your bed and walk'?' " 29:33 In other words, 29:35 who dare contradict our authority? 29:37 Who is this who would be so bold 29:39 as to do such a thing? 29:42 Verse 13, 29:43 "But the one who was healed did not know who it was, 29:46 for Jesus had withdrawn, 29:48 a multitude being in that place." 29:51 Friends, this man did not know yet 29:54 who Jesus was, 29:55 but he had had an experience with Him. 29:57 He had had a personal miraculous experience 30:01 with Christ. 30:02 He had been healed by Him, 30:04 because he had followed His command 30:06 and stepped out in faith. 30:07 And now he was healed. 30:09 And, friends, the reason we're going through 30:11 this story together, 30:12 the reason we're examining it is 30:14 not just, is not just because it's an amazing story 30:17 about physical healing and a physical miracle, 30:19 but rather because it has lessons for us today 30:22 about salvation. 30:24 The same way that God worked for this man 30:26 in healing his physical ailments, 30:28 He works for us today when it comes to our salvation. 30:33 God wants to heal us 30:34 from the deadly sickness of sin. 30:37 He purifies us 30:39 from our filthiness of character. 30:40 He accredits everything in Jesus perfect life to us. 30:44 And as He does this, 30:46 we're transformed, we're justified, 30:48 and it's just as if I'd never sinned, 30:51 that's an easy way to remember the word justified, 30:52 what it means? 30:54 It's just as if I'd never sinned. 30:56 And, friends, 30:58 this is never something that God does 31:00 automatically against our will. 31:03 Rather, He offers this 31:05 as a free gift of salvation to us 31:07 if we accept Him into our hearts by faith. 31:11 And this is something that we do daily 31:14 after we've done it for the first time. 31:16 Now back to the topic of assurance 31:18 and the assurance of salvation. 31:20 And we're going to get to some gems 31:22 from this little book. 31:23 This is one of the best books ever written. 31:26 Outside of the Bible, 31:27 it is one of the very best 31:29 and it's the reason for that is because it's full of Bible, 31:31 not only Bible principles, but Bible verses, 31:34 you can't find a single page without Bible references, 31:37 Bible quotes, and Bible verses 31:39 and helping bring those verses to clarity 31:43 when it comes to the journey that we have with Jesus 31:46 and the journey of our salvation. 31:49 Now remember, how many ditches, 31:51 how many main ditches are there on the road of salvation? 31:54 How many? Two. 31:56 Two, that's right. 31:57 We've got on one side 31:58 this idea of once saved, always saved. 32:01 On the other side, we've got this idea 32:02 that we'll never be ready 32:04 and we can't ever know with any kind of confidence 32:06 that we are in a saving relationship 32:08 with Jesus, 32:09 and we will be saved when He returns. 32:12 Now, once saved, always saved, this idea. 32:15 The Bible is full of examples of people 32:18 who sadly were walking with God, 32:21 and then turned their back on Him 32:23 and ended up being lost. 32:25 And just before we look at just a few, 32:28 Hebrews 3:12, 32:29 in this chapter, 32:31 the Apostle Paul pens these words. 32:32 He says, 32:34 "Beware brethren, 32:35 lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, 32:38 in departing from the living God." 32:42 So Paul warns saying, 32:43 "We can't depart from the living God." 32:46 We see this in a number of illustrations 32:48 and examples of people in the Old Testament, 32:49 the New Testament, 32:51 one from the Old Testament is King Saul. 32:53 Was King Saul in God's favor, yes or no? 32:56 Yes, he was. 32:57 Did he end up turning his back on God 32:59 and being lost? 33:01 Yes or no? 33:02 Sadly, yes, he did. 33:03 How about Judas? 33:05 Judas was literally walking with Jesus, 33:07 he was journeying with Jesus, he was one of the disciples. 33:10 But sadly, because of his greed, 33:12 he sold Jesus and betrayed Him, 33:14 and then ended his own life. 33:17 Judas is another example of this. 33:19 So what do Christians who believe 33:21 in once saved always saved 33:23 believe about these examples from the Bible? 33:26 You know what they say? 33:27 They say, 33:29 "Oh, well, 33:30 these people were never really saved 33:32 in the first place." 33:35 They were never really saved in the first place. 33:36 It was all just it looked like they were saved, 33:38 but they were not. 33:40 And, friends, you can see why 33:41 this idea of once saved always saved. 33:44 It sounds good 33:45 and it sounds like it provides assurance. 33:47 But it never offers assurance to people, 33:50 that they are safe. 33:52 Because think about it, 33:53 you could get to the end of your life. 33:55 And you could think, 33:56 man, I could get to the last days of my life 33:58 and turn my back on God. 33:59 And it means my current experience 34:00 with Him is fake. 34:02 But rather than this, friend, 34:04 the Bible teaches that we can be walking with God, 34:07 but it's a walk in progress. 34:09 Amen? 34:10 It's a walk in progress, we walk with Him every day, 34:13 we journey with Him, we continue to choose Him, 34:16 and we enter into a saving relationship 34:18 with Him. 34:19 And we, by His grace, and with His help, 34:21 never turn back to the ways of the world. 34:26 Now, on the other side of this, 34:28 as mentioned, 34:30 is the teaching 34:31 that we'll never be ready for heaven. 34:34 Now the question comes, 34:35 does the Bible actually teach that 34:37 we can have assurance of our salvation? 34:39 That's a really important question. 34:41 We'll just look at a few verses together, 34:42 two primarily. 34:44 Luke 10:20, 34:45 Jesus had just sent out the disciples, 34:48 and they came back 34:49 and they had experienced miracles. 34:51 The demons were subjected to them 34:52 in Jesus name, 34:54 and they were healing the sick. 34:55 And as they came back, Jesus says this. 34:59 He says in Luke 10:20, 35:00 "Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, 35:03 that the spirits are subject to you, 35:05 but rather rejoice 35:06 because your names are written in heaven." 35:11 Question, 35:13 could the disciples rejoice if they weren't sure 35:16 if their names were written in heaven, 35:18 yes or no? 35:19 No, 35:21 but Jesus told them 35:22 your names are written in heaven. 35:24 Similarly, 1 John 5:13, 35:27 "These things I have written to you 35:28 who believe in the name of the Son of God, 35:31 that you may know that you have eternal life, 35:34 and that you may continue to believe 35:36 in the name of the Son of God." 35:39 John doesn't say, I've written these things, 35:40 so that you can think or hope that you have eternal life, 35:44 he says, so that you may know that you have eternal life. 35:47 Friends, the Bible teaches that, 35:49 that there is an assurance of peace 35:51 that comes through a confidence, 35:54 not in ourselves, 35:55 but because of our Savior, 35:57 who we are connected to. 35:58 Does that make sense? 36:00 This is a beautiful teaching of the Bible. 36:02 And we can't have peace and true assurance 36:07 until and unless we understand this. 36:10 Now, friends, once again, 36:14 this is not because of our confidence in self, 36:16 but because of our confidence in Christ. 36:19 And, you know, if Satan doesn't have us in one ditch, 36:21 he'll try getting us in the other. 36:24 And dare I say 36:26 that more people 36:27 in the Seventh-day Adventist Church 36:29 are in this ditch rather than that one, 36:32 rather than the once saved, always saved, 36:33 we tend to be in the ditch of man, 36:36 I'll never make it to heaven. 36:38 I can never know and have peace and assurance. 36:42 And don't get me wrong, 36:43 there is a thing called false assurance 36:45 where we feel like we're okay, 36:46 but we're actually living in sin. 36:48 And that's a very dangerous thing. 36:50 But the opposite extreme once again, 36:52 is that we can never have peace and assurance 36:55 and be sure that 36:57 we are in a saving relationship with Jesus 36:59 that will lead to our eternal salvation 37:02 if we continue journeying with Him. 37:05 The devil points to us 37:07 and he says, you know, you're too messed up. 37:10 Your life is too much of a mess, 37:11 you're not good enough to be there, 37:13 you're not good enough to make it into heaven 37:15 and, friends, you know, that's true. 37:17 You and I are not good enough to make it into heaven, 37:21 because of our righteousness. 37:23 But praise God that Christ is good enough. 37:26 And Christ accredits everything in His account to us 37:30 when we accept Him into our hearts, 37:32 and into our lives by faith. 37:35 When we have confessed and forsaken our sins, 37:38 we can close our ear to the enemy, 37:41 when he throws these accusations at us, 37:44 and we can turn our eyes to the promises of God. 37:48 Isaiah 41:9-10. 37:50 God says, 37:52 "You are My servant, 37:53 I have chosen you and have not cast you away. 37:55 Fear not, for I'm with you, 37:57 be not dismayed, for I am your God. 38:00 I will help you, yes, I will strengthen you, 38:02 I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." 38:06 Friend, beautiful promises, 38:08 that there are in the Word of God 38:10 and they are for you. 38:11 Jeremiah 31:3, 38:12 "The Lord has appeared of old to me saying, 38:14 'Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love. 38:18 Therefore, with loving kindness, 38:19 I have drawn you." 38:21 Philippians 1:6, 38:23 "Being confident of this very thing 38:24 that he who has begun a good work in you 38:27 will be faithful to complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." 38:32 Now there must be at least one person 38:34 listening right now 38:35 who thinks, you know, those promises are nice, 38:37 but they don't apply to me. 38:39 I'm too messed up. 38:41 I've gone beyond the reach of God's help, 38:44 the reach of God's salvation. 38:45 Friends, listen to this, 38:47 Steps to Christ, page 52 and 53. 38:50 "Put away the suspicion 38:52 that God's promises are not meant for you. 38:54 They are for every repentant transgressor. 38:58 Strength and grace 38:59 have been provided through Christ 39:01 to be brought by ministering angels 39:02 to every believing soul. 39:04 None are so sinful," 39:05 how many? 39:07 "None are so sinful 39:08 that they cannot find strength, purity 39:11 and righteousness in Jesus, who died for them. 39:14 He is waiting to strip them of their garments 39:16 stained and polluted with sin, 39:18 and to put upon them 39:19 the white robes of righteousness, 39:21 He bids them live and not die." 39:24 Friends, these are beautiful promises. 39:27 And this is saying basically, 39:28 every one of those Bible promises 39:30 is for you. 39:31 If you have repented of your sins, 39:33 every promise from the Word of God 39:36 is a promise for you. 39:37 You can take it to the bank, 39:39 and know that you can cash in on that promise 39:42 because it comes from a God who cannot lie. 39:44 And He has made this promise to you. 39:48 The Bible has this principle. 39:51 And I like to call it the divine paradox. 39:54 And the divine paradox, 39:55 it's this principle that 39:57 the closer we come to Jesus, 39:59 the more we recognize our own imperfections 40:02 and weaknesses, 40:04 our character flaws. 40:05 It's kind of like when, 40:06 you know, Charisa would come visit me 40:08 while we were dating. 40:09 Inevitably, the day before I'd go to pick her up 40:12 at the airport, 40:14 I'd be in my kitchen and think, 40:16 I hadn't seen that spot. 40:17 And I get down and start to clean it off, 40:20 and then I'd see another one and be like, 40:21 oh, there's another one over there. 40:24 And then walking through my house, 40:26 I had kind of been oblivious to that stack of papers there, 40:28 you know, I should tidy these things up. 40:30 When someone with a higher standard 40:32 of cleanliness 40:34 is coming into your home and your personal space, 40:37 all of a sudden, 40:38 you start seeing all the imperfections 40:40 and the messiness of your home. 40:43 And it's the same with Jesus 40:45 when it comes to our characters. 40:46 When we draw closer to Christ, the closer we come to Him, 40:50 and see His perfect character, 40:52 the more we see our own imperfections, 40:55 our own weaknesses, our character flaws, 40:57 and our faults. 40:59 And this is the divine paradox, as it were. 41:02 But this is a healthy thing, 41:05 because we should recognize 41:06 our imperfections and our weaknesses, 41:08 the more that we see Christ's perfection 41:10 and His holiness. 41:12 However, 41:13 the devil will inevitably try discouraging us 41:16 by trying to get us to focus our eyes 41:18 and leave our eyes on ourselves, 41:20 rather than focusing our eyes on Christ, our Savior. 41:25 Moving to another beautiful quote, 41:28 "Do not be misled by Satan's devices. 41:30 Many who are really conscientious, 41:33 who desire to live for God, 41:35 he too often leads to dwell 41:37 on their own faults and weaknesses, 41:39 and thus by separating them from Christ 41:41 he hopes to gain the victory. 41:43 We should not make self the center 41:44 and indulge anxiety and fear 41:47 as to whether we shall be saved. 41:49 All this turns the soul away from the source of strength. 41:53 Commit the keeping of your soul to God 41:55 and trust in Him... 41:57 He is able to keep that 41:59 which you have committed to Him." 42:02 Friends, in the beautiful words of Martin Luther, 42:04 when I look at myself, I don't see how I can be saved. 42:08 But when I look at Jesus, I don't see how I can be lost. 42:12 This is the key. 42:13 We must focus our eyes and turn our eyes upon Jesus 42:18 to look full in His wonderful face. 42:20 And as we see more of our imperfections, 42:22 we surrender them to Him. 42:24 He lives out His life in us, He transforms us, 42:27 He removes those things 42:29 that are keeping us from a closer walk with Him. 42:32 And He uses us 42:34 in a sense to reflect His character 42:36 to a dying world. 42:39 You know, another trap that the devil sets for us 42:44 when we are on our heavenward way. 42:47 Another trap that he sets for us 42:49 is bringing up past sins. 42:51 You know, I realized some time ago 42:53 that this was some number of years back now. 42:56 But I realized that I was confessing sins 43:00 that I had already confessed to God 43:03 and forsaken. 43:04 They were a thing of the past. 43:05 But for some reason, I continue to confess this sin. 43:08 And one day, 43:09 it was as if God spoke to me and said, 43:11 "Justin, I already forgave you for that. 43:13 What are you talking about? 43:15 I've already forgiven you for that. 43:17 I'm not going back to it. 43:19 Why are you digging into your memory 43:20 and doing that? 43:22 It's gone." 43:23 I heard the story of a boy 43:25 who was learning to drive at the age of 16. 43:28 In America, you can get your license, 43:29 your permit at 15 and a half, 43:31 and he was learning to drive, 43:32 and him and his dad were driving 43:33 as his dad was teaching him. 43:35 And as they pulled out of the driveway, 43:36 the neighbor's cat 43:38 ran straight in front of the car. 43:40 They ran over the poor cat and killed the neighbor's cat. 43:43 In tears, he picked up the cat 43:45 and they went together to the neighbor's door, 43:47 they rang the doorbell. 43:49 And with broken hearts, 43:50 they told them the story 43:51 of how they had accidentally killed their cat. 43:54 And they said, 43:55 "Oh, listen, look, we know it was an accident. 43:57 These types of things happen, we forgive you." 43:59 They said, "Okay, thank you. Thank you so much." 44:01 And he and his father went home. 44:04 The family took the cat in the back that day, 44:05 they buried the cat, 44:07 had a little funeral service for it 44:09 and then the next evening 44:11 there was a knock on their door, 44:12 just as the sun was starting to set. 44:15 And they opened the door. 44:18 And here was this boy 44:21 with the cat covered in dirt dug up out of the ground. 44:24 And he was saying, 44:25 "Oh, look, I'm so sorry. 44:27 I'm so sorry for killing your cat." 44:28 And they said, 44:30 "It's okay. 44:32 Yeah, look, we forgive you. It's fine. It's fine." 44:34 And they took the cat they buried it again. 44:36 And boy went home 44:39 and conscious clean went to sleep. 44:41 But the next day, guess what happens? 44:44 Knock at the door again. 44:46 And the boy was there with that dirty buried cat. 44:50 And this time the neighbor said, 44:51 "Leave it buried. Leave it alone. 44:55 We've forgiven you. 44:56 We've moved on, leave the thing buried." 44:58 And, friends, the Bible tells us 44:59 in Micah 7:19, 45:01 that God buries our sins 45:03 in the deepest end of the ocean. 45:05 We shouldn't go fishing for them. Amen? 45:07 When we've confessed and forsaken those sins, 45:09 we can trust that they are gone. 45:12 And when the devil knocks at the door of our hearts 45:14 to tempt or discourage us 45:16 and point us back to those sins, 45:17 don't answer the door, send Jesus to the door. 45:20 And when Satan sees Jesus coming at to the door, 45:23 "Oh, I've got the wrong house," 45:25 and he'll be out of there. 45:27 He'll flee at the presence of Jesus Christ. 45:30 Friends, remember, 45:31 it doesn't matter if you feel forgiven. 45:34 It doesn't matter if you feel saved. 45:36 It takes faith, not feeling. 45:39 Don't wait until you feel you have been made whole. 45:42 Like that crippled man 45:44 who was healed saying, 45:45 I believe it. 45:47 It is so not because I feel it, 45:49 but because God has promised. 45:52 Friends, remember that, that's a line worth memorizing, 45:54 by the way, and it's out of here. 45:56 I believe it is so not because I feel it, 45:59 but because God has promised. 46:01 It was through faith that this man stood up, 46:05 not because he felt like he could, 46:07 but through faith in the one who had told him. 46:10 Friends, when we receive Christ by faith, 46:12 we can then believe and accept that 46:14 our salvation is a reality 46:17 that we can have assurance of. 46:19 You know, it's an eternal life assurance policy. 46:23 Forget insurance, we've got God's assurance. 46:26 Amen? 46:28 And that is a beautiful promise. 46:30 A final quote from Steps to Christ 46:32 as we wrap up. 46:37 Page 64 of this beautiful book, 46:40 "There are those 46:41 who have known the pardoning love of Christ, 46:43 and who really desire to be children of God, 46:46 yet they realize that their character is imperfect, 46:49 their life faulty, 46:50 and they are ready to doubt 46:52 whether their hearts have been renewed 46:53 by the Holy Spirit. 46:55 To such I would say, Do not draw back in despair. 46:59 We shall often have to bow down and weep at the feet of Jesus, 47:03 because of our shortcomings and mistakes, 47:05 but we are not to be discouraged. 47:07 Even if we are overcome by the enemy, 47:10 we are not cast off, 47:11 not forsaken and rejected of God. 47:13 No, Christ is at the right hand of God, 47:17 who also makes intercession for us. 47:19 And if you will, but yield yourself to Him, 47:22 He that hath begun a good work in you 47:25 will carry it forward to the day of Jesus Christ." 47:29 Friends, this is a beautiful promise. 47:32 Yes, you may trip, you may stumble, you may fall. 47:35 But the Bible says in Proverbs 27, 47:37 it's not that the righteous man never trips and falls 47:40 and the wicked falls. 47:41 No, it's that the righteous gets up again. 47:44 They take the hand of Jesus, 47:46 get back up and keep on our heavenward way. 47:50 Friends, if we commit 47:51 the keeping of our lives to God, 47:54 we can have this beautiful, beautiful gift of assurance. 48:00 And this is something 48:02 that we can be eternally grateful to him for. 48:07 You know, there was a time 48:09 where Martin Luther a young Catholic monk. 48:14 And by the way, 48:16 the Protestant Reformation was predominantly led 48:18 by former Catholic teachers and monks and priests 48:22 because they were the ones who had access to the Bible 48:25 in the Dark Ages. 48:27 Martin Luther had given his life to the Lord 48:30 in serving Him. 48:32 One day he was climbing 48:34 the supposedly a staircase from Pilate 48:37 that had miraculously been transferred to Rome. 48:40 That was the story at least, 48:42 he was climbing it on his knees as a form of penance, 48:45 in order to receive a level of forgiveness of sin. 48:50 And as Martin Luther was climbing 48:51 this long staircase on his knees, 48:54 the verse thundered into his mind, 48:57 the just shall live by faith from Habakkuk 2. 49:01 The righteous, the just shall live, 49:04 not by working out their salvation, 49:06 but by faith. 49:07 This was the beginning of a change 49:10 in Martin Luther's life. 49:12 He reached out and it was him 49:14 who God used in the Protestant Reformation, 49:17 to highlight the beautiful truth, again, 49:21 of salvation by grace through faith, 49:23 not by works, but by grace through faith. 49:27 One night, Martin Luther had a dream. 49:30 And this dream felt so real, it was as if he was there. 49:33 He saw the devil there, Satan was there 49:36 and he had his hand, 49:38 his arm up on the top of this scroll. 49:41 And there was this long scroll with fine details 49:45 of Martin Luther's sins listed on them. 49:48 And the devil said, 49:49 "Martin Luther, are these your sins?" 49:52 And he said, "Yes." 49:54 But he saw that 49:55 there was something behind the devil's arm. 49:58 This light that was emanating 49:59 from the top of the scroll and he said, 50:01 "Yes, but move your hand." 50:03 The devil said, 50:04 "No. Martin Luther, aren't these your sins?" 50:08 And he said, "Yes, but move your hand." 50:11 And Satan said, 50:12 "No. Aren't these your sins, Martin Luther?" 50:16 And he said, 50:17 "Yes, but in the name of Jesus move your hand." 50:20 And the devil at the name of Jesus fled away. 50:23 And Martin Luther saw emblazoned in words of light 50:26 across the top of that scroll. 50:28 The blood of Jesus Christ 50:30 cleanses Martin Luther from all of his sins. 50:34 Friends, the blood of Jesus Christ 50:37 cleanses us from all our sins. 50:40 If we have surrendered everything we have 50:42 and everything we are to Him, 50:45 we can have the calm and blessed assurance 50:48 that we are in a saving relationship with Him. 50:51 And that, no matter what happens 50:54 if we hold on to His hand in this life, 50:56 He will walk us through until His second coming 50:59 when He physically comes back 51:01 to take us in the clouds of heaven, 51:03 to a place of eternal life, 51:06 and recreating the earth even a place 51:08 where we can dwell 51:10 throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity. 51:14 Friends, praise God, 51:15 that it doesn't matter how we might feel. 51:19 It matters if we have faith in God's Word. 51:23 Amen? 51:24 Feelings are something that God has given us. 51:26 But feelings can come and go. 51:28 God gave us our emotions. 51:30 And with this gift of faith, 51:32 this gift of our assurance 51:34 can come feelings of joy and peace and they will. 51:38 But feelings again, they come and go. 51:40 And in the times that we don't feel saved, 51:42 in the times that we don't feel forgiven, 51:44 we can know that we are because God has said so. 51:48 And what a blessed promise and blessed assurance this is. 51:53 Friend, today for those here 51:55 and those who are watching from home, 51:58 or wherever you might be. 52:00 If you have fear about your salvation, 52:04 you fall most likely into one of two groups. 52:07 First, if you're in the first group, 52:10 and you have fear about your salvation, 52:13 that's a healthy fear, 52:15 because maybe you have not surrendered 52:17 everything in your life to the Lord. 52:19 Maybe you've not yet accepted Jesus 52:21 as your personal Savior. 52:23 And if that's you, 52:25 then there's reason to fear 52:26 because outside of Christ, there is no hope of salvation. 52:30 We are not good enough, 52:32 no matter how perfect we attempt to be, 52:35 we cannot make it. 52:37 And, friend, if that's you today, 52:40 either you've not accepted 52:41 Christ as your personal Savior, 52:43 and you want to do so for the first time. 52:45 Or if there are things in your life, 52:48 that you've not yet surrendered to God, 52:49 and you want to do so. 52:51 I want to invite you to do that just now. 52:54 And if that's you, as a physical token, 52:56 I want to invite you to raise your hand to say, 52:57 "Lord, I want there to be nothing 52:59 between you and I. 53:01 Lord, I'm accepting You fully into my life. 53:03 I'm giving you these sins 53:05 and the hang ups and get rid of them, Lord, 53:07 that there be nothing between my soul and my Savior. 53:11 Praise the Lord. 53:13 If that's not you, 53:15 but you still have fear in regards to your salvation, 53:19 it may be because 53:21 you're going based upon your feelings. 53:24 And maybe because 53:26 as you've given your life to Christ, 53:29 your eyes are on you, instead of on Him. 53:33 You don't have peace, you don't have full assurance 53:36 that you're in a saving relationship with Him that 53:38 that eternal life is a reality for you, 53:42 because your eyes are on you. 53:43 You see the high and holy standard 53:45 of Jesus' perfection 53:47 and you recognize your own imperfections, 53:49 and you're scared 53:51 because your eyes are on you instead of on Him. 53:54 Friend, Christ speaks to you today. 53:56 He says, 53:57 "I have loved you with an everlasting love. 53:59 Therefore with loving kindness, 54:01 I have drawn you." 54:02 If that's you, my friend, you want to say, 54:05 Lord, I trust You fully with my salvation. 54:08 I wanna invite to raise your hand, 54:09 wherever are you. 54:11 Amen. Amen. 54:12 Raise your hands to say, 54:13 "Lord, we trust You." |
Revised 2021-04-02