In his sermon 'I Am the Way,' Scott Brown addresses John 14:1-7, focusing on Jesus' promise of everlasting rest and the path to it. He emphasizes the importance of believing in Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life, and the need for believers to find comfort in this promise, especially during troubled times. Brown contrasts the common misconception that dramatic conversions are necessary with the reality that faith and repentance are gradual processes. He underlines the importance of a personal relationship with Jesus over mere theological knowledge or lifestyle adherence. The sermon also reassures believers of God's promises, portraying them as an anchor during life's storms, and encourages believers to trust in God's resources and Jesus' role as the sole path to the Father.

Oh, it's such a delight to be here today, and especially to be with the saints from Sovereign Redeemer, a place where the gospel is being preserved, a place where the Word of God is loved and honored, a place where there's biblical order, a place where families are being blessed by being regulated and cared for by the Word of God. I so praise God for Sovereign Redeemer. You know, there are churches like yours all over this land and they're doing exactly what you're doing. I'm so thankful for that. I'm so glad we can be together too.

What a rich history we have together and I'm just so happy for you for the church that you have there. You never know when you go plant a church what's going to happen, but boy am I thankful for what has happened. Okay, we are in John chapter 14. Now, Sovereign Redeemer people, I'm just going to give you a warning right now. You're not going to get the detailed exposition that you're used to, and guess what, neither are you here from hope, because I'm just, I'm going to focus on two verses and I'm going to apply them.

So this will be a little bit different in terms of a sermon. So John chapter 14, verses 1 through 7, Now I'm dividing this text up into two parts and the first four verses compose the first part and this is a promise of everlasting rest. Let's read it. Let not your heart be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions.

If it were not so, I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go, you know, and the way you know." And then the second section is composed of verses 5 through 7, and this is the way to everlasting rest. How do you get to everlasting rest? Thomas said to him, Lord, we do not know where you're going and how we can we know the way.

And Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. And from now on, you know him and have seen him Let's pray Lord we thank you for these thrilling words these helpful life altering words Heart changing words Destination changing words Lord we're so thankful for these powerful, beautiful ways that you've set before us. They are wonderful.

And I pray, Lord, that you would help us to grasp them that we would soak them in that we would rest in your love we would rejoice We would rejoice in the greatness of your gospel. That's to communicate it here In Jesus name amen Please be seated So as you know, we are in the upper room discourse. Jesus is with His disciples in the upper room. He's teaching them what kind of men they ought to be. He's really teaching them what kind of church he's creating.

He's already taught them that the kind of church he's creating is a church of servants where they pick up a towel and they wash one another's feet. He's already told them that everything he's doing is for his own glory. He's already taught them that he will preserve them Like he did Peter when he said to Peter Pro after prop from prophesying his downfall and his failure. Oh, but you will be with me He will preserve even those who fall. So it's the longest section of the Bible explaining the person and the work of the Holy Spirit.

You know, over the next period of time, you're going to get a master's degree on pneumatology, the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Jesus right at the beginning is more concerned with troubled hearts than he is with his own trouble that he's experiencing to bear the weight of sin. He cares more about the troubles of others than he does his own. This is the most comforting sermon in the Bible, I think. This is many people's favorite verse.

And he's telling them what life will be like. And he's telling them how to get through it. These chapters are so full of comforts. His assurances, his promises, his tenderness is really in every single verse From this chapter all the way to the end of chapter 17 Jesus has been walking with his disciples for 12 years. He's just given them the most disturbing news they could hear I'm leaving and They are terrified.

Can you imagine walking with Jesus for three years? Imagine the security imagine the confidence Imagine walking a man who could do anything Who could calm a storm who could turn water into wine? They walked with Him. Can you imagine walking with such a person? You know, some of you have very sweet husbands, very protective, very careful and gracious husbands.

What if you think about losing Him, what would that be like? Well, multiply that ten billion times. Losing the one who moves the weather. And they're terrified. Judas has departed and Jesus is just speaking to his remaining disciples.

And in this section you'll hear not only the doctrine of the Holy Spirit but the doctrine of the Trinity over and over again as the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are spoken of and how they relate with one another. Jesus' divine and human nature are displayed right here in this section as well. We won't go into all of these. We won't have the kind of detailed exposition that you might expect, but this section contains one of the most helpful verses in the entire Bible. Let not your heart be troubled.

Jesus' deepest teaching, His most comforting teaching, comes right here at the deepest and darkest and most uncomfortable hour in the lives of the disciples. Have you noticed how that's how Jesus does it? When you're the lowest, He comforts the most. Isn't that amazing? There is no...well like Cory Tim Boone had said, there's no hole deeper that he can't reach.

Well, Jesus is preparing his disciples for the work of the ministry. From that day forward, he's preparing them for heaven. Isn't that really what every sermon ought to be, what every reading of the Bible ought to be. It ought to prepare you for heaven. It ought to help you figure out how to live from now on until then.

And that's what Jesus is doing with his disciples. Now, as I said before, I've divided this into two sections. The promise of heaven, let not your heart be troubled, and the instructions for how to get to heaven. I am the way, the truth, and the life. Very simple.

So Jesus has opened with these remarkable words, let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me, in my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so I would have told you I go to prepare a place for you and if I go to prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you to myself that where I am you there you may be also, and where you go I know, and the way you know." It may be true in your life, but one of the greatest manifestations of the presence of Jesus in your life is comfort. And that's what Jesus is doing with His disciples. So they're instructed not to fear.

First of all, he urges them to abandon their troubled fears that he's taking care of everything, he's preparing everything for them for all eternity, and instead of being troubled, rather they ought to just believe God, and in believing God, they believe in Him. Those two go together. It's very critical that we understand that. And the peace that passes all understanding, the peace that Jesus will talk about in this discourse here. It only comes when you understand that God's resources at the moment and for all eternity are all you need in this world.

You know, there's so much trouble in this world, and Jesus is giving His disciples an anchor for the things that happen in everybody's life, for the times of fear, for the times of loss, for the times of attack, for the times of despondency. Jesus is comforting His disciples, and I pray that He's going to come for you today, too. These words are for you, just and me. You know, Job said, man who is born of woman is of a few days and full of trouble. Well Jesus would later say, in the world You shall have tribulation.

Count on it, but be of good cheer. I've overcome the world." You know, when you read the Psalms, you find out that You're a lot like David. You're afraid all the time you have a trouble coming around every corner and David says the troubles of my heart have enlarged in Psalm 25 Bring me out of my distresses Look on my affliction And that's exactly what Jesus is doing with His disciples. He wants to bring them out of their pain by giving them clear instruction about what really is going on. You know, Jesus is doing what Isaiah prophesied the Messiah would do.

He said that the Messiah would have a word in season for the weary, And that's what Jesus is doing. He's got a word in season for his disciples where everything is coming apart They're losing everything That was so you that meant security for them. They were losing the most solid the most powerful thing in their life. It's hard to grasp really what they were experiencing. If you'd walked with Jesus and seen him calm the storms and heal the sick and raise the dead and then expecting that he's going to bring about a revolution and then he's saying I'm leaving very very jarring well what are you gonna do when your world falls apart when you lose something that you've grown to love and you're tossed and you're troubled and you're agitated and worried.

That's exactly what this word troubled means when Jesus spoke it. And so the disciples they can't see beyond their current troubles and Jesus takes them there. Let me show you where this is all going. Don't let your heart be troubled anymore. There's all this tension in the room.

Oh man, there's so much tension. The disciples had just been arguing about who's the greatest. You know, then there's the treachery of Judas. And then there's the over self-confidence bravado of Peter. And then Jesus tells Peter that he's gonna betray him and he says no, I'm not there's tension in this room Judas is departed and he's been identified as a betrayer.

There's there's trouble in this room There are so much turmoil here. And what what do you do in the midst of your turmoil what do you do and things are coming unglued and where will you go when you lose something you've grown to love so much that's exactly what's happening here and Jesus is preparing us for those same things This is a manual for handling a troubled heart. These words are for our sake. Okay, let me just say a few things by way of application. First, Here's one truth about life.

Are you ready? This is the truth about life. If things are going well now for you, don't think they always will be. Christians think that when things are going smooth, this will be steady state. Life isn't like that at all, And that's why Jesus says, in the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer.

He says this just a few minutes after this. You know, it's hard for us to think about this sermon correctly, because we take it in such small bites, But Jesus is repeating himself over and over again in the sermon. The second truth, I think this should be for young people particularly, you know, if you're facing the world and you're out there kind of in the job market or you're getting ready, you know, to rumble as a real live adult you need to prepare yourself for the storms ahead You're gonna have storms and don't be so immature To think that you won't have trouble and don't be so stupid as not having your heart Capable of being being untroubled by Jesus. You will need Jesus Christ to untrouble your heart Here's another truth the object of your belief determines the strength of your heart in a time of trouble. Jesus says, you believe in God, believe also in me.

Believe in God and believe in Jesus Christ. You know, do you believe that he is good? Do you believe that his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom? Do you believe that Jesus Christ's words are words of life? Do you believe that the works of the devil are stinking lousy, horrible for you?

Believe in God. Do you believe that He is good? You know, your friends will never be able to sustain you, your spouse can't sustain you, your job can't sustain you, the economy can't sustain you. God is your refuge and strength in him alone And God will always hold you up in the storms He'll always hold you up in the storms, you know I was reading Martin Luther on this text a few days ago and I was struck by what he said I'm just gonna paraphrase it he said he said you know if the devil wants to impoverish you God will feed you if the devil wants to take from you God will give back to you the devil can't strike you down more times than god will lift you back up and raise you up if the devil kills you god will raise you and then he said this he I paraphrase he can't kill you more times than god can raise you how about that I'm thankful for that I hope you've experienced that Because the piece that Jesus is talking about is in the knowledge that God's resources in the moment are Sufficient They are all that you need God God is all you need God is your refuge and strength your ever-present help in trouble Therefore you shall not fear though The earth should change and the mountains slip into the heart of the sea because God is your refuge.

If God is not your refuge, you are going to have a troubled heart. That's the whole logic that we have here. And then he tells us something about heaven. "'In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you.'" Now the word, the translation of this word into mansion is an unfortunate one It really means a big house or resting place everybody in one house everybody in the father's house you know it was it was over 30 years ago our family our little family lived in a in a house and we moved out of this house into an apartment and we you know we had this you know sort of big house we moved into an apartment and we drove up to the apartment complex.

And my daughter Kelly looked, and she looked from, it was huge, it was massive, from side to side. And she looked at us with her eyes as big as Texas, and she said, Papa, we're moving into a big house. And it was true, but it was a little apartment in a big house. But he's taught this this imagery is about a big house the whole family's there and the it's your father's house that's what he's and it's a place of rest everlasting rest. You know there there people have wrong ideas about what this place is.

You know, it's like some people think, well, it's going to be like my favorite country house. You know, if you want to hear some really bad theology about heaven, listen to country music. You know, I remember when I was a young Christian, there was this popular evangelist who was singing in Southern California, and he used to say that Jesus has been preparing this house for two thousand years you can't believe how long does it take to build a house good enough for you and he's it took him two thousand years well that's not exactly the meaning here Jesus isn't out there hammering nails for a house, for He's building. You know, people visualize heaven as the place where all their favorite people are there, you know, they're all their favorite hobbies are there and in some Circles your dog is there. So I mean everything's there everything you love is there All your favorite sports all your favorite food.

It's right there. You are a Cajun forever, you know, you might say. And it's not like that. That's the Bible...the Bible doesn't talk about heaven like that. Well, what's there?

Well, Jesus is there. He's there. That's the attraction of heaven. His glorious wisdom and love and perfection will make you happy forever. You know, you've never been around anybody that can make you happy forever and you will be in heaven This is such a low view of heaven there's a Christless view of heaven But what heaven what makes heaven?

Heaven is in verse 3 and if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again. And now these are the words, verse 3, and receive you to myself, that where I am there you may be also the glory of heaven isn't that your granddaddy's there the glory of heaven is it Jesus is there he's such a glorious king he'll be satisfied like never before well I don't know how many times you've moved, but when you get to heaven you'll never move again. Our residences here are transitory. Some of you might be worried about how many times you're going to have to move in the next couple years. Well, that worry will be all over in heaven, so don't worry about it too much.

So this is the promise of heaven, the way to heaven, verses 5 through 7. Thomas said to him, Lord, We do not know where you are going and how can we know the way?" Well, he didn't see it clearly and then Jesus says, I am. Oh, let's stop there. We know what that is. That's the sixth I AM statement in the gospel of John.

There's seven, there's one more left, I am the true vine and you are the branches. Here I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me. And then in verse 7 he says, If you had known me, you would have known my Father also, and from now on you know Him and have seen him. What does that mean?

That means that the relationship to the Father is central and knowing the Father is critical. By the way, the word father appears 22 times in John 14 alone. It should tell you something. This is the way to the Father. And Jesus says, I am the way.

I am. Now, many things to say about that, but one thing, maybe the simplest thing to say about that is that Christianity Is not primarily believing in a theology And it's not primarily about a lifestyle. It's about a relationship with a person It's about a relationship with your father and the Lord Jesus Christ Now there there are There is theology that we need to know, and there is a life we need to live, but the heart of Christianity isn't that. Those things are results of the primary thing, and that is to know the Father, to love Him, to follow Him, to care for His ways, to speak to Him, to pray to Him, to cry out to Him. It's a relationship.

You have it, and you can have it anywhere you go, whether you're in prison or in a palace. It doesn't really matter. And so He says, I am the way. There's only one way to God, and itís Jesus. You know, way back when there was a revival rolling through Southern California, It was really interesting because there were so many people getting saved.

There was a hand signal that everybody understood. And I mean people would give that hand signal all the time. Almost everywhere you'd see it. You know, around here You'll see people pray before their meals Well, man, if you were a teenager in Southern California in the late 1960s people would do this and They'd be pointing to heaven and you know what it meant and meant there's one way to God, and it's Jesus. There's only one way.

It was the exclusivity of the gospel of Jesus Christ, our only hope, one way. That's exactly what Jesus is saying here. I am the way, the truth, and the life. You know, the early Christians were called the people of the way. Well this is the central message of the whole Bible, that Jesus Christ was sent by His Father to save sinners from their sins.

And there's only one way. It's really very simple. It's very beautiful and very simple. You know, the whole story of history is also very simple. It's the story of how God created mankind and they sinned, and He's rescuing them.

He's rescuing them through substitutionary atonement. That's the whole story of the Bible. That's the whole story of history, that God so loves sinners, He has compassion on them, and He wants them to come into His house, His big house. I am the way, the truth, and the life. Well, unfortunately, there's nothing more offensive today than to say that Jesus is the only one way.

And that's the way it is. This is the exclusivity of the gospel. Now this is the place in the sermon I've been wanting to get to the whole time. All of this is just introduction to what I wanted to get to. It's been burning in my heart.

And I want to speak to people, particularly young people or even children, and eyeball to eyeball, I want to speak to those of you who've grown up in the church I'm gonna spend the whole rest of my time talking to you So I'm gonna look at you in the eye whenever I can see you If you've grown up in the church, how many of you kind of grew up in the church? How many? How many is that? Raise your hand. Higher, higher, higher, higher, higher, higher.

Point your finger one way. I'm just kidding. That's a lot. A lot of you grew up in the church. Praise God.

I'm so glad you did. It's the best place to grow up, absolutely. Well you grew up in the church. You know the facts of the Bible. You can recite the gospel backward, forward.

You know all the words. You know more theological words than a lot of people, you know, who are in seminary right now. But you're not sure you're a Christian. You're just not sure. So I'm going to ask you several questions.

Now, if you're...I said several, several questions. I'm going to...I'm not...I think I have 11 questions, but you never know. I might skip one or something like that, but I have 11 questions for you. But they're for you if you're a child who grew up in the church. You know, if you're four years old, five years old, ten, fifteen, twenty-two, whatever it is, you know, If you grew up in the church, these questions are few.

And what I want to do, I want to try to explain what might be some of the most misunderstood parts of the gospel. And when all this is done, you know, just have your parents correct anything they thought was wrong, okay? Question number one. Now this is for the person who grew up in the church that are not 100% sure where they stand with God. Number one, are you waiting for a dramatic moment?

Are you waiting for a dramatic moment before you can say you're saved? You've repented, you've asked Jesus Christ to fill you, you believe, but you're waiting for something to happen to you. And you wonder why there hasn't been this cataclysmic, earthquake-y change that's taken place in your life. You don't see the massive change, and you're kind of waiting for a bright light to appear. You're just waiting for something massive.

You might be waiting for more holy affections. You might be waiting for more knowledge to follow God. You might be waiting for more passion for God. You might be waiting to have more hunger, you know, for the Bible or something like that, and you're concerned about those things. And Jesus says, I am the way, the truth, and the life.

No man comes to the Father. Is it possible that you just need to come? Do you just need to come? You know, you grow up a Christian in a Christian home. Here's the reality about growing up in a Christian home.

When you're converted, you won't see the massive changes that you see people who've torn their lives up in the world. I don't, you know, last week one of my friends was here and I'm telling you he had a dramatic conversion story. He was standing in front of a judge with a 384 year prison sentence for attempted murder and armed robber all kinds of stuff. It's crazy Well, he had a conversion story. I'm telling you But if you've grown up in the church and you didn't go tear up your life You're not gonna see that quite that kind of dramatic thing happen in your life.

And the changes will be more subtle. You know when it became pretty clear that my children had turned to the Lord, there were changes, some more dramatic than others, but they were all very subtle compared to a radical light from heaven, fall off the horse conversion story. Okay? Well, they were sinners before and they were sinners afterward, but their hearts had changed and they made more progress. But some of their besetting sins continued, but they abated over time It wasn't a man.

So here's my question Are you waiting for some massive cataclysmic earthquake of the soul that'll throw you down on the ground and you're gonna weep for a day like that other guy did. You know, you might not experience that. You know, if I was talking to a father, a friend of mine, an evangelist, We're talking about all this and he said, he said, you know, my son came to me a year and a half ago or something like that. He said, Dad, I became a Christian. I couldn't sleep all night.

I was all torn up inside and I just wanted to follow God he said dad I've been born again a year later son comes to him says dad you know when I told you I was born again he said I don't think I was born again then he said I've been reading my Bible and the Bible says that if I believe and follow Him, I'll be born again. And he said, that's what I want to do. And that dad said, I think he was born again then when he believed. We need to get our language right about conversion. And the Bible just doesn't talk about these dramatic cataclysmic earthquake-y situations they talk about believing question number two will you ever come to the place where you're holy enough or motivated enough to come to Christ.

Can I answer the question? I'll answer it. You will never come to the place where you are holy enough or motivated enough to become a Christian. You will never match up with God's righteous standard and you won't match up with your own standard either. Lay hold of Jesus Christ.

In John chapter 1, we read this months ago, but as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." And then He said later on, no one comes to the Father but by Me. You come to the Father. You know, you ought to look up that word come in the Bible. Jesus said, come to me, all you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I'll give you rest. In other words, Jesus didn't say, hey, get your life together, get your affections all set, you know, get your Bible study right, get all your doctrine, get everything all right, and then come to me.

No. He said, come to me when you're weary. Come to me when you're out of gas. You don't know which way is up. Come to me that way.

So don't wait. Don't wait for some level of holiness to hit you. It never will hit you. Paul told the Roman church in Romans chapter 10 verse 9 he said if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you shall be saved. The language of conversion is entering into Christ, being in Christ.

That terminology is used all over, particularly in the letters of Paul, what it means to be a Christian. You come and you are in Christ. You believe. You have faith, not in yourself. You're not waiting for some amazing sanctification level.

You know, Jesus said, whoever believes should not perish but have everlasting life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him." And then He said, He who believes in Him is not condemned. Believing in Him, not having everything working just right, It won't be working just right when you come to Christ. I guarantee you it won't.

If you think it's working right when you come to Christ, you ain't thinking right. Question number three, is there something keeping you from Christ? What is it? Well, maybe it's unbelief. That should keep you from Christ, for sure.

Doubt. Everybody doubts. Pride, selfishness, anger, fear. You know, fear of just accepting the religion of your parents. You need to figure that one out.

Is this just your parents' religion or is it yours? You need to figure that one out. God forbid if it's just your parents' religion. You believe, you have faith. Do you really believe that Jesus is the Son of God?

Do you really believe that God created the heavens and the earth? Do you believe that God made man as male and female? Do you believe that God is ruling everything and he's gonna Roll up everything and sum it up in Christ. Do you believe that? Jesus said I'm the way the truth in the life question number four I'm gonna bring this up again in a different way.

The question will sound a little bit different, but I want to lean on, are you wanting a righteousness of your own to prove your salvation? Are you wanting a righteousness of your own to prove your salvation? Men and women want to bring something to the table to qualify them. That's our human nature. There are two views of salvation.

One's called monergism and the other's called synergism. Monergism is that God draws you, He moves your heart, and He saves you. Synergism is that you both work together to make it happen. I'm a monarchist. Only God's grace could save a person like me or anybody else in the world.

Whatever desire you have, He gave it to you." Here's something that you need to understand. Okay, young people, please. You will never at any time in your life love the Lord your God with all your heart. You understand that? You have never at any time in your life truly, perfectly loved your neighbor as yourself.

It's not happened. But Jesus did. He did love the Lord his God with all of his heart every second of his life He can't he never broke any law his words were always full of grace and truth always That's not true of us Every emotion Every thought every deed every word is tainted with sin, hopelessly tainted with sin. You will never get righteousness right on your own. Don't wait for it.

You'll wait. You'll wait too long. Now when you believe you are legally declared righteous before God and then God is so kind He keeps working on your unrighteousness. But the Lord was righteous in your place. Every neglect of every law every sin Fell on Christ and any any Fragment of love that we have for God and any desire we have for him It's just the result of the miracle working power of the gospel in our lives And all of your sins are paid for and there's no there's no accounting Jesus is not like the IRS who's going to roll you up once a year.

It's done, it's finished. All accounts are settled past accounts present accounts future accounts all settled You know The Lord said to Moses about himself, the Lord's talking about himself. He says, the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty except we know now in Jesus Christ. The guilty are cleared in Jesus. That's the gospel of Jesus.

Question number five. Are you thinking too highly of your sin? Are you thinking too highly of your sin? It's easy, it's easy for not just young people but I think it can happen with young people. You grow up in a church and you're just looking at sin.

You know, you hear preaching and it really convicts you and you're just overwhelmed. You're just overwhelmed with your sin, your stupidity, your inadequacies, and all you see is your sin. You see nothing but your sin at all. And you don't see the greatnesses of the mercies of Jesus Christ. You don't see the superabundance of God's grace, grace that is greater than all of your sin.

Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. Question number six, are you waiting for something that you will never have? Are you waiting for something that you will never have? Are you waiting for something that you will never have? Let me say it this way.

Let's talk about what is faith and what is repentance. Okay, These faith and repentance, get this very clear, faith and repentance are virtues that grow. Okay? You don't have all the faith you need when you become a Christian, and you don't have all the repentance you need when you become a Christian. These things are virtues that grow over time so don't expect complete repentance.

Nobody ever repented completely. Nobody ever had the capacity to understand their sin enough and the depths of it to even repent completely And don't expect anybody in your life to repent completely. It isn't going to happen. All we can do is repent as much as God gives us light to repent. That's all we can do.

And That should also help us to have mercy on our brethren. You don't need perfect faith to be saved. You don't Need perfect repentance because those are things that you grow in The only question is do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and do you want to follow him? That's the question. Do you believe?

When Jesus says, I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but by me. Let's just be really clear. The only people God saves are sinners. That's it. And guess what?

The only people that God preserves are sinners that He saved. You know, do you see your need of Him? Do you want to trust Him? Turn to Him. Question number seven, are you trying to pinpoint the exact moment of your salvation?

This might be controversial for some, I don't know, but Are you trying to pinpoint the exact moment of your salvation? This might be controversial for some, I don't know, but are you trying to pinpoint the exact moment of your salvation? Well, what happens to normal people, thousands and thousands of people who really love Jesus, they say, did I really believe when I said I did? Was it real? Did it, was it real?

You know, one of my most distinct memories as a young believer, I remember asking myself this for probably a year after it was really clear that I really wanted the Lord. I didn't want it. I didn't want this world anymore. And I kept asking, okay, Scott, is this like just another fad in your life? Is this just like another thing?

Is it that? Is it going to go away? You know, it's normal to ask that question. Somebody said this yesterday, don't ask when did I believe, rather ask am I believing now? Do I believe now?

That's the better question. Do I believe? Do I want to follow Jesus Christ? Question number eight. Are you using the right tests of faith?

Are you using the right tests of faith? Now 1 John has them in spades, so go read 1 John, but I'll just make it really quick and really easy. Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? Do you believe? Do you desire to obey Him?

Do you love the Brethren? Do you want to walk in the light? It's important that you have the right test of faith. I love the Apostle's Creed. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator in heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who is conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy universal or Catholic Church, the communion of the saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. That is what you believe to become a Christian. That's why Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. Question number nine, are you taking lightly the promises of God that he saves by faith? Are you taking that lightly?

You know, what God has promised, do you believe it? Now I don't know about what I'm going to say now, But you know. Here's the question. Do you need to be rebuked for not believing the promises of God? For wanting something that doesn't exist, but you need to just trust the promises of God.

Do you need to be rebuked from thinking that your sin is just so bad when it really isn't? Do you need to be rebuked because you won't just say, Lord, I believe, help my unbelief? I don't know if anybody here needs to be rebuked for that but if so let the Lord do it You know, there's that old illustration of faith, you know, putting your...faith is putting your trust, you actually, you know, trust in Jesus Christ. And there's that old...it's a very popular illustration that preachers give you. Remember it's this Charles Blondin who was that great, you know, French tightrope walker and he was walking across the Niagara Falls.

He was the first person that crossed the Niagara Falls, 1,100 feet across Niagara Falls in 1860. And he did it several times. He had a big crowd of people, and he walked one time with a sack, then he walked another time on stilts, and then he rode a bicycle, and then he went blindfolded. And one time he carried a stove and he cooked an egg in the middle of the wire. I mean this guy could do it and then he went over the sack of potatoes but then he asked everybody in the crowd, do you think, Do you think that I could carry a person in a wheelbarrow?" And everybody said, yes, yes you can thunderously.

And then he said, who would volunteer? Well, as it turns out, Nobody volunteered. Their faith wasn't really strong enough. You know, faith...but faith trusts in the promise. You know, Looking down on the promises of God is so bad.

You know, think of the promises. We need to have a sermon series just on the promises of God. How about that? Don't look down on the promises of God. Question number 10, is your desire for God an indication of your regeneration?

Well, is your desire for God an indication of your regeneration? You know, why do you want to believe and why do you want to repent and why do you want to follow Jesus? Well, here's what I believe about that. Primarily, we believe, Primarily, we believe, we repent, we want to follow, we cry out because we've been regenerated. The regeneration comes first.

You cry out to God because you've been regenerated. You want to be holy because you've been regenerated. The origin of your desire is regeneration. Of your desire is regeneration? Question number 11.

Do you fear fakery or failure? Do you fear fakery or failure? You know, we sang the gospel doxology at the beginning of this. Isn't it interesting? It ended up in my notes.

You know why? Because that gospel doxology really explains the order of salvation. I'll read it. Don't sing it, read it. Your perfect law exposes me.

I feel my sin and desperate need. Three, my best good works are powerless. Four, to satisfy your righteousness. But there is one who lived for me, his life my only victory, his death forever sealed in time, that I am His and He is mine. Praise God from whom all blessings flow." That's the order of salvation.

And there's only one Savior and it's Jesus Christ. There's only one way to God and it's Jesus. Praise God. And his death and his resurrection Satisfied all of God's holy demands Against you he nailed your sins to the cross. He put them in the bottom of the ocean He threw them behind His back.

He separated them from you as far as the east is from the west. That's what the sacrifice of Jesus does for sinners. Only trust Him. Only trust him. Only trust him now.

He will save you. He will save you. He will save you now. Amen. Would you pray with me?

Lord, we thank you for your matchless wisdom and your kindness to rescue sinners. We could never come to you unless you drew us. We could never feel anything toward you unless you made us feel that and we do. And we believe in the Lord Jesus. I pray that you would help anyone to rest their whole weight upon the promises, to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved, that You are the way, the truth, and the life.

No one comes to the Father but through Me. And so, Lord, we come. We're so glad to come into your house for all eternity. Amen.