In this sermon titled 'Blessed Assurance,' Pastor Steve Hopkins explores the concept of no condemnation in Christ Jesus. He emphasizes that believers find comfort and assurance in God's Word, knowing that condemnation has been removed through Christ's sacrifice. The sermon highlights the transfer of sin and righteousness, the satisfaction made by Christ's sacrifice, and the assurance of salvation for those who are in union with Christ by faith. Pastor Hopkins encourages believers to seek assurance and trust in God's promises.

Welcome back to Burnet Bible Church. Join us this week as Pastor Hopkins continues his sermon series through the Book of Romans. Good morning. Let's turn in our Bibles to the book of Romans once again, where we will be standing and reading one verse again, just one verse. Romans chapter 8 and verse 1, as we look at part 2 of No condemnation, blessed assurance, no condemnation, part 2.

Let's stand for the reading of the Word of the Lord. Let's read together. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit." Let's pray. Father, we are, Lord, so grateful for your Word, and Lord, the assurance that we get from your word, and Lord, the comfort that we gain from your word when we read, Lord, that condemnation has passed from off your people, from those who are in Christ Jesus, who walked not after the flesh but after the Spirit. Lord, we've been looking at these things and we ask once again that you would open up our understanding to see truth in your Word, that you would apply these things to our heart, that you would conform us more to the image of Christ, Lord, that you would receive glory in this hour and the kingdom of your Son advanced, for we ask it in his holy name, Jesus' name, amen.

Let's be seated. So as I said, the title of the sermon this morning is Blessed Assurance, No Condemnation, Part 2. How many were here for last week or heard it online? Okay. Any were not?

And that message, No Condemnation, Part 1, I want to review for those who were not here and those who are listening over the internet or watching over the internet. In that first message, we heard the Apostle Paul assuring his readers that there is therefore now, that is right now, no sentence of condemnation against those who are in Christ Jesus. On account of what Christ has done for those who are in him, in bearing their guilt, in paying the penalty due them for their sin, in suffering and dying in their place, there is no condemnation, not a single sentence of condemnation against them who are in Christ. And I said that last week that it wasn't that there was no condemnation to them, for their sin, every person ever born, has merited the condemnation of eternal death under divine wrath on account of their offenses against God But that Paul is telling his readers that there is no there's no sentence of condemnation hanging over the heads of those who are in Christ Jesus that can stand. They can stand against them, they can legally be charged against them, because Christ was already charged, and Christ was already sentenced, and Christ was already condemned in their place.

Satisfaction has been made for the sins of those who are in Christ, both original sin, that which was imputed to us because of Adam's offense and that which was inherited because of Adam's offense, inherited by ordinary generation, as well as our actual sins, both original and actual, were atoned for. Satisfaction was made for them by Christ's sacrifice on the cross. The sin of God's people was removed from them and placed on Christ and punished in him and satisfaction made thereby to the justice of God. The wrath of God has been appeased against all those who are in him by faith." And it's a comforting doctrine and a comforting truth. Every handwriting of ordinance written against the people of God, those who are in Christ, has been blotted out from the ledger.

If you're in Christ this morning, the debt book is crossed out in the words of the Puritan Thomas Brooks. The black lines of sin are crossed out in the red lines of Christ's blood. There is therefore now no condemnation to you that are in Christ Jesus. And I said last week, how could there be? How could there be when God's only begotten Son bore the sins of all those in him in his own body on that tree 2000 years ago and was condemned in our place?

How could there be any condemnation or sentence still hanging over the head of those who are in Christ Jesus? Our sin was imputed to him, it was declared to his account, and he suffered the penalty for it, that is, the condemnation for it. Dying in our place, how could there possibly be any sentence of condemnation still standing against those in Christ, seeing that Christ was condemned in our place and bore the eternal death penalty we deserved. How could there be any condemnation to us seeing we who are in Christ Jesus are no longer clothed in the filthy garments of our sin and our self-righteousness? God took them off of us and put them on his son.

And he took the spotless robe of his son's righteousness of Jesus righteousness off of him and put it on us. Our sin was transferred to Jesus account and his righteousness was transferred to our accounts and therefore we who are in him are forever justified and declared right righteous in God's sight. There is therefore, Paul says, because of what Jesus Christ has done for his people in suffering and dying for them on the cross, now, right now and forevermore, no condemnation, not a single sense of condemnation hanging over the heads of them that are in Christ Jesus. They are, as I said last week, again in the words of Watson, out of the gunshot of hell. In other words, damnation cannot reach them.

The shell drops far before the target. The arrow of condemnation can't reach them. There's no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. We looked then at the the root word of this word condemnation last week and we found in our last session that the root of the word, just look at the word, is damnation. The root of the word condemnation is damnation, and I quoted Dr.

Sproul saying we could quote, we could render the text this way, therefore there is now no damnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, close quote. The threat of eternal damnation has been forever removed from those who are in Christ. If you're in Christ, your reservation with eternal wrath has been canceled. If you're in Christ, your reservation with damnation has been canceled it's been canceled if you're in Christ you will not have your part in the lake that burns with fire, because Jesus already bore your curse and suffered all of the hells you deserved on the cross. On the day of judgment, we're told that the wicked will will cry out for the rocks to cover them and hide them from the face of him who sits on the throne but the soul that's in Christ will be safe and secure in the cleft of the rock of Christ Jesus because Jesus suffered and died and paid the penalty of death eternal for all those in him, there is therefore now no condemnation, no damnation awaiting them that are in him.

And then we asked the question last week, but what does Paul mean when he says, to them which are in Christ Jesus." What does it mean to be in Christ Jesus? And I said very simply to be in Christ Jesus is to be in union, that is spiritual union with him by faith. Faith unites the soul with Christ. In the words of Martin Luther, Jesus said in John 5 24, verily, verily, that is, truthfully, truthfully I say unto you, he that hears my word and believes, and believes on him that sent me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation. There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ, in union with him by faith." And then Paul went on to describe those who were in Christ by faith as those who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Not that those who are in Christ come to be in Christ by the way they walk. I said no one ever walked his way into Christ or worked his way into Christ, but that this is the way that those who are in Christ walk. They aren't in Christ because they walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. No, they walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit because they are in Christ. Their walk, quote, is not the cause of their being no condemnation in them, in the words of John Gill, but is descriptive and evidential.

That is, it is descriptive and evidential of the life of the person who is in union with Christ by faith. That which characterizes the life of the person in Christ is that they no longer walk as they did when they were in the unregenerate state of the flesh, but now walk after the Spirit and begin to manifest over time the fruits of the Spirit it's fine line here and Pastors have to be very careful preachers of the Word of God have to be very careful Because you know we want so much and I pray so much that God I want you to encourage those who are truly in Christ. Give them that blessed assurance that Jesus is theirs, that they're truly in Christ, that their salvation is secure. But oh God, please God, Don't let any who are not in Christ to Lord who are still living in the sin And the pollutions of their former state of unregeneracy or their continuing state of unregeneracy Oh Lord, don't let those who are not in Christ believe themselves to be saved. Please God, there's no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus, but the opposite of that is also true.

There is condemnation, and there is damnation awaiting those who are not in Christ Jesus. And I said, and our message and the message last week, you might ask at this point, how do I know when the apostle Paul says there's no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus who walked not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. How do I know if that's me? How do I know if I'm in Christ Jesus? And again, there's this fine line that we tread.

Someone who's in Christ by faith is going to see and be sensitive to sin in their lives more so than the person who doesn't know Christ and doesn't have the indwelling Holy Spirit. I said last week if someone says you know my walk isn't what I know it should be and my my walk isn't what I want it to be. My response is, I'm glad that you asked the question, what should I do if my walk isn't what I know it should be and my walk isn't what I want it to be? How do I know if I'm in Christ Jesus?" I'm glad a person asked that question because those who are not in Christ Jesus don't typically ask questions like that. They're just not concerned.

There's never any real burden. Oh, they carry around guilt of sin, but they find some place to place that guilt and to transfer that guilt not to Christ. Those who are not in Christ Jesus don't typically ask these kinds of questions. They don't ask, how do I know? My walk isn't what it should be.

My walk isn't what I want it to be and they don't ask those cut they're not concerned with things like that those who are not in Christ consider themselves good enough to get by on the day of judgment they are troubled by their sin if they have they even admit of any I said last week they can see others sins but an eagle eye they can They can pinpoint your sin and the people of God, they can look at the people of God, they can pinpoint your sin and all your inconsistencies and and all your failures and everything. But they're almost blind to their own sin. Those who are in Christ, on the other hand, as I said a moment ago, are sensitive to the sin in their lives. That's an evidence that the Spirit of God is indwelling you. You're sensitive to the sin in your life.

You read the Word of God and you see things And you say, Oh Lord, please help me God. I want to be more like Christ. Oh God. Though they're being those who are in Christ, so they're being conformed more and more to Christ, it's sometimes difficult for them to see it and to see the progress because the more they've conformed to Christ, the more they see how far away from his image they are, and the more they see of the holiness of God, the more they become aware of their own sinfulness. So when a person says to me my walk isn't what I want it to be, and my walk isn't what I know that it should be, but I just want to be more like Jesus, that's not a red flag to me.

That's a good sign. One of the problems that we have, we are in Christ have, is that we tend to put more stock in our feelings than we do in God's Word. We also talked about this last week. For instance, a moment ago I read John 5 24 where Jesus said, I'm fairly I say unto you, whoever hears my word believes on him that sent me, has everlasting life, shall not come into condemnation, is passed from death to life. We say to ourselves, I don't know, can that really be true?

We're like doubting Thomas, you know, we just, we have so many doubts and fears. And what we should be saying to ourselves is it's true. I know it's true because it is written. Jesus said it and I'm going to take him at his word. I'm going to believe it because it's written with the finger of God and the blood of Christ.

But I don't feel like I'm in Christ sometimes. Isn't it a good thing that God doesn't bring people into his kingdom or restrict them from his kingdom based upon their feelings? Is that a great thing that our feelings are not what counts? You know, we may not always be able to trust our feelings, but we know we can trust God's Word. Those who are in Christ trust Christ above their feelings.

As we closed last week, I made it personal. I said, can you say, can you say to yourself, I believe what Jesus said, I'm going to trust him in his word, that all those who believe on him and him who sent him have passed from death to life and will never come into condemnation. Can you do that? Can you just take God at his word? All who truly trust in Christ are in Christ and will not come into condemnation.

All who are in Christ are safe in Christ both now and forever. As I said last week, the coroner of eternal death will never draw the sheet of damnation over the face of anyone who is in Christ Jesus. They're out of the range of the cannons of hell. There's therefore now no condemnation to them. And as we pick up with part two this morning, it's my hope and prayer, continue to be my hope and prayer, that those who are in Christ, who have laid hold on the person and work of Jesus Christ by faith, will come away from this meeting house today, saying to themselves, I am more certainly assured of my salvation now that I was when I climbed those steps this morning.

Christ and what he has done for me and dying for my sins, arising from the dead, is the ground of all my hope that I'm in a state of grace and justification and no longer in a state of condemnation, awaiting the fiery judgment that will one day devour the enemies of God. But as we go forward, we need to understand something we're talking about. When we talk about assurance of salvation and trusting Christ for salvation, we're not talking about the same things. We're talking about two different things here. We're talking about saving faith and assurance of saving faith.

Does everybody get that? We're talking about two different things. They're not one and the same thing. Saving faith and assurance of saving faith are not one and the same thing. A person may have saving faith but not fully be assured of it.

We should all seek it, but everyone will not be fully assured that the genuine faith they have, who have genuine faith, is that they really possess it. We're not saved by assurance, we're saved by faith. Faith in Christ and his work. Remember, there are four kinds of people in the world. There's four kinds of people in the world.

There's those who are saved and they know it. There are those who are not saved and they know it. They don't want anything to do with God. There are those who believe themselves to be saved, and they're not saved. Then there are those who are saved, but they don't have the full assurance of their salvation.

It's four categories of people. Every one of the faces of the earth fits into one of those categories at every moment of time. We're dealing primarily with that fourth category this morning, with the category of those who are saved but do not as yet have full assurance that they are saved. It's a reality. It's a reality that they're saved, but They don't have the full assurance of that reality.

It's a fact. Their trust is in Christ and in him alone, but they don't have the full assurance. They're not experiencing the blessed assurance and the joy and the peace on a daily basis that comes from knowing Jesus has truly saved me. We're talking about precious brothers and sisters in Christ who believe in Jesus, who love him, and who have fled to him for refuge and who have put their trust in Christ and his work alone for their salvation, but who have not as yet attained the blessed assurance of that salvation. Webster's 1828 dictionary defines assurance as it relates to theology as, quote, full confidence of one's interest in Christ and a final salvation.

There are those who know, who are assured, have full confidence that they're one day going to be in the presence of God, of final salvation. Do you have that blessed assurance, that full confidence of your union with Christ, and that your salvation is secure, you're eternally secure in Him. The fact is that many true believers don't have that confidence, that full confidence. Many true believers struggle in this area. Doubts and fears come in so many times and sometimes like a flood, sometimes all at once like a flood and overwhelm them.

The Prince of Preachers, Charles Spurgeon, back in the 1800s, relates the story of a man who says it was a godly man in their congregation, respected for his devotion to God and his love for God and his life exemplified it. And this is a man, he says, who was in his congregation and went on for 37 years without full assurance that he was saved. 37 years. And he only gained that assurance on his deathbed while he was dying. And he was so joyful as he, as he died.

It was the only time in his life that he really gained that full assurance. For 37 years, he went limping through life without the joy and peace that comes from the blessed assurance that one is truly saved. Armenian doctrine rejects the doctrine of assurance because they reject the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. That is, they reject the doctrine that true believers will never fully or finally fall away. They believe in more of the kind of the revolving war kind of Christianity.

It's like, you know, you're in you're out you're in you're out. They don't believe that the true Christian, as the scripture teaches, will persevere to the end of their lives in the faith of Christ, though there's many trials and testing and tribulations and ups and downs and, and yes they still sin and they go to God that confessed their sins and he washed them clean of their sin and because they're tender to their sin, but they don't believe that the Christian perseveres to the end of their lives in the faith of Christ, because they don't believe that God preserves his saints. You see, the perseverance of the saints, the doctrine of perseverance, that we will persevere in the faith to the end who are truly saved, is guaranteed by the doctrine of the preservation of the Saints. We are preserved by God unto life eternal. We have an inheritance waiting for us, reserved for us by God in the heavenlies that no one is going to take away.

Similarly, Roman Catholic doctrine teaches that assurance of salvation cannot be known by men in this life. Anglican Bishop J.C. Ryle, how many of the young men or older men have read Thoughts for Young Men? Raise your hand if you've read Thoughts for Young Men. If you haven't read Thoughts for Young Men or read it recently, we've got copies.

We'll give them to you. You need to read this book. He was back in the 1800s. He was a contemporary of Charles Spurgeon. He was a Bishop in the Anglican Church, J.C.

Ryle, who performed in his theology, cites the Roman Catholic teaching of the Council of Trent, which states, "...a believer's assurance of the pardon of his sin is a vain and ungodly confidence." What in the world? No wonder people get hooked on works and live in guilt. It's not what the teaching... It's not what the Bible teaches. It's not what the apostle Paul taught.

If you look at 2 Timothy chapter 4 and verse 8, the Apostle Paul speaks confidently in 2 Timothy 4 8 of his and every believer's final salvation. Every true believer's final salvation. He says, henceforth, as in the future, There is laid up for me, he says a crown of righteousness, which signifies that the future state of glory in heaven, which the Lord, the righteous judge shall give me not potentially, not possibly, but shall give me at that day, and not me only, that is not something specific to me as an apostle, not to me only, but unto all them that love his appearing, all those who are waiting on Christ from heaven, all those who are eagerly anticipate Jesus coming, all those who are in Christ. Job, you know, expressed full confidence in his final salvation in Job chapter 19 When he said this, I know that my Redeemer lives and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh, I shall see God.

He had that blessed assurance, that blessed assurance that he, after he died, in the future, he's going to be put in the grave, but he's going to be raised from the dead and he's going to see God. Not potentially, not possibly, not a probability, but he says, I know, I know. David speaking on the day of his future death. Everyone knows this verse. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.

Why for thou art with me. Think about that verse for a moment. David knew God was with him right then, but he speaks of him being with him even unto death. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I'm not going to fear any evil. You're with me.

You're with me now and forever. Of course, John says in John 3.14, we know we have passed from death unto life. Then in 1st John 5 13 these things I write I have written unto you that believe on the name of the son of God that you may know that you may know that you may know that you have eternal life." John says that you can know that you have eternal life. These things I've written to you so you will know. Our Baptist confession agrees, quote, such as truly believe in the Lord Jesus and love him in sincerity, endeavoring to walk in all good conscience before him, may in this life be certainly assured that they are in the state of grace, that is, that they're truly saved, and may rejoice in the hope, that is, rejoice and exult in the certain expectation of the glory of God.

He's saying that you can rejoice now knowing that you're headed for the state of glory then in the life which is to come when all those in Christ Jesus will be in the presence of God without sin beholding the face of God in his unveiled glory forever, which hope shall not fail, which hope shall not fail." John speaking by the Spirit says, you may know that you have eternal life. That is, you may be certainly assured of your salvation in this life. And I'm just gonna take two minutes here and kind of go in another direction for just a second because I said a moment ago it's very important, Very important that when we speak on these kinds of topics, when we talk about things of eternity, we need to be very careful about this. That we don't, when talking about assurance of salvation, that we don't instill a false hope in a person who's on their way to hell, that they're truly a believer and have nothing to worry about. But at the same time, we walk that fine line.

We don't want anyone who is in Christ Jesus to believe themselves or to not be in him or to struggle with assurance and miss out on that blessed assurance of the peace and joy that comes from knowing that we're in Christ Jesus. So, you know, I mentioned 1 John here and where John says, These things have I written unto you that believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you Have eternal life or what things did he write? I'll just kind of rapid-fire some of these things off He said here's the things that are associated with those who are in Christ Jesus, that these are the things that people believe who believe in the name of the Son of God. This is kind of what their life looks like and this is how they can be more assured and know that they have eternal life, and he says that they walk in the light and not in the darkness. He says that they are people who admit that they're sinners and they confess their sins to God.

Just think about yourself for a moment here. They walk in the light and not in the deeds of darkness. They admit that they're sinners and they confess their sins to God. They're a humble people and they confess their sins to God when they're aware of them. Their style of life is one of obedience to God's commands.

That's what 1 John teaches. It's a lifestyle of obedience to God's command, not a lifestyle of rebellion and defiant disobedience to God. Disregard for his commands. Fourth, it's the, he says, the love of the Father is in them, not the love of the things of this world. They love not the things of this world.

If you love the things of this world, the evil things of this world is what it's talking about, then the love of the Father is in them. Fifth, he says, the truth of God's word abides in them. They cling to the truth. They hold to the truth. They, they persevere in the truth of God's word.

They love the people of God, 6th. They love the people of God. They, they, they love to be with the people of God. They love to fellowship with the people of God. They're not alienated from the true people of God.

They love them. And John said, here by we know we're in him because we love the brethren. We love the brethren. This is how we know we've passed from death to life, he says. Unbelievers and hypocrites either openly or secretly hate Christians.

You know that. They hate Christians. Either openly or secretly, they despise Christians. Why? Because they hate Christ.

But that's not you who are in Christ Jesus. He goes on and he says that they practice righteousness as the children of God, not unrighteousness like the children of the devil. They follow in the footsteps of their father as a style of life, not in the footsteps of their father the devil as a style or manner of life. And finally, they know that they're in Christ and he and them because they have the witness of the Spirit testifying within them. John MacArthur had a sermon on this, a rabbit trail for just a moment again, about this and talks about the Spirit testifying that God is our Father and brings in the passages about where it says that The Spirit groans within the people of God, groans within us, and it is the Spirit that is within us that cries out, Abba, Father.

And in another place that we cry out, Abba, Father, the people of God cry out, Abba, Father. It's a very intimate term of endearment that he is our father, Abba. Abba is like what a little child would call his father, daddy. Abba, father. And you know, in the darkest times of our life in the greatest trials of our life in the situations where we are just Overwhelmed with the circumstances of this life or with temptations or what-have-you We're driven to him We're driven to him and we cry out God.

Oh father, help me. That's because the Spirit of God entwels us. The Spirit in God entwels us. We have the witness of the Spirit testifying within us that we are the people of God. So, you know, just look at those.

You walk on the deeds of darkness, you refuse to admit and confess your sins to God, you live a lifestyle of carnality and rebellion against God and his commands, you love the evil things of this world, you reject the truths of God's word, you hate Christians, you practice unrighteousness, you have reason to doubt that you're in Christ than he in you. But if the opposite is true, you don't. You don't. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life that you may know. John speaking by the Spirit says it's something you can be certainly assured of in this life.

You know it's the Word of God. You've seen that probably years ago that popular bumper sticker of God said it, I believe it, and that settles it. But you know, if God said it, that settles it. It doesn't matter whether anyone believes it or not. But we need to believe it.

We're the people of God. We need to believe what God has told us. Bishop Ryle again says it cannot be wrong to lean on the scriptures and believe that God means what he says and take him at his word. I just want to go back to that right now. Can you take God at his word?

Can you just take him at his word? There's nothing, I think, more sad than a true believer, truly loves God, truly wants to serve Christ, but is disturbed by sin in their life, or, you know, besetting sins, or circumstances, or great temptations, you know, coming up on them at times that they can't understand or whatever and laying their head on their pillow at night and not being sure if they're in Christ if Jesus is truly theirs and their his and that the love of God is upon them and that God is with them and not against them, nothing more sad. We want to lay our head on our pillow at night and be able to say Jesus and to just thank God and just rest in him and just rest in what He's done for us. So I would ask you, can you take God at His word? John 6 37 says, All the Father giveth unto me, this is Jesus speaking, All the Father gives unto me shall come unto me and he that comes to me I will in no wise cast out do you believe that have you come to Christ can you say I've come to Christ come to Christ we said come to him in faith believing on him trusting him have you come to him in faith believing on him trusting him have you come to him in faith believing on him and trusting in his person what he did to save sinners can you take him at his word that he will never cast away from him those that come to him can you trust him can you just take him at his word John 3 16 we all know it says God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish the one who believes will not perish but have everlasting life do you believe that do you believe that That whoever believes in God's son shall not perish eternally?

Do you believe in God's son? I know you do. Can you take God at his word that those who believe in the Jesus of the Bible will never perish, but have right now presently everlasting life, life in the presence of God that will never end? Do you believe what Jesus said in John 5 24, which we read earlier, that the person who hears his word, believes on him, is not going to come into condemnation ever, but has passed from that situation of death and is now in the situation of life, has passed from the state of death and eternal death to the state of eternal life? Can you take God at his word?

All who trust in God's Son are justified in God's sight the moment they believe, though assurance of the fact may not come at the same moment. Again, a person may have saving faith but not be fully assured of it, but he should seek to be. We should seek, listen brothers and sisters, we should seek assurance of our salvation if we don't have it, we should seek for it. We should seek for it. We should, as Peter says in second Peter chapter one, be diligent to make our calling and election sure.

We need to be diligent to make our calling and election sure. We need to be diligent to make our calling and election sure, but I have to keep coming back to this fourth category of people in the world, the category of those who are truly saved, but have not as yet come to full assurance that they're saved, just because a person is not sure, doesn't make him not saved. I want to just keep returning to this because I don't want you to go home and say, well, I'm going to be diligent to me by calling election sure. And then it's just, it's just, you know, often in something I'm going to work on one day or really kind of consider. No, no, no.

You take God at his word, take him at his word, take him at his word and understand that to not be sure doesn't make you not saved. Just because a person is not sure doesn't make him not saved. The two are not equated. We're not saved again by assurance. We're saved by the grace of faith, a faith that's grounded in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

At this point, you know, someone might say, you know, my faith is so weak. My faith is so weak. My faith is so small. I'm of such little faith. Brothers and sisters, a little faith is still faith.

Remember when Jesus was on that ship with his disciples and the and the storm came up? What he said to them when they were they were terrified? He said, O ye of little faith. O ye of little faith. That's Matthew 8 26.

Jesus wasn't saying, O you who are eternally lost because your faith is small. I wasn't saying that. No. You may be one here today who is of little faith, but little faith is still faith. And a little faith saves.

Even the Apostles themselves, as we just read, were at times of little faith, or was just recounted. Faith isn't like the high striker. How many know what that is? Anybody? So you go to the fair, you get the big hammer, you pay for the little thing, you quack the deal, and it makes the deal go up to strike the bell.

Faith isn't like the high striker of the county fair. You don't have to, you don't have to have enough strength of faith to ring any bell. Just enough to trust Jesus. Just enough to trust Jesus. Again, Bishop Ryle writes, bear simple faith and Christ shall save a man though he never attained to assurance.

Do you believe that? We need to believe it because it's true. You know, maybe you're one of the little children here today or all these little children all the children look up here at me Can all your children look at me? I? See probably four year three year olds four year olds five year olds six year olds seven eight nine year olds maybe you're only five or six or seven or eight or nine and you're wondering if you have enough faith to trust Jesus to forgive your sins and be saved.

What I want you to understand children is that if you have any faith at all it's enough to be saved. If you have any faith at all in Christ, it's enough to be saved. Just trust Jesus. Jesus said, let the little children come unto me for of such is the kingdom of God. Do You know that?

Have you all heard that? Have you all children heard that? Let the little children come unto me, for of such is the kingdom of God. In fact, Jesus once set a little child in the middle of him and told a group of older people, like older moms and dads and everything. He said, except you, older people, be converted and become like these little children, you're not going to enter the kingdom of heaven.

You need to humble yourselves. But again, the person whose faith is weak and small is just as saved as the person whose faith is strong. You know, sometimes we just need to admit where we're at. Take it to the Lord. Remember the father in Mark chapter 9 who cried out, I believe Lord, help thou mine unbelief.

It's okay to admit that, it's okay to say that. I believe Lord, help my unbelief. And I want to end this morning with a passage from John chapter 10 verses 27 and 28. This is Jesus again speaking to his disciples and he says, My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me and I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish my father Who gave them to me is greater than all and no one can pluck them out of my father's hand No one can pluck them out of my father's hand Jesus says those who are truly his sheep. They listen to him you listen to Jesus I know you do and he knows them and They follow him You're following Jesus?

Yeah, I'm following Jesus. And he gives them eternal life. Can you say right now, Lord, I'm listening to you. I'm following you and you know me Lord that I'm trusting you and Though my trust is imperfect and weak I'm taking you at your word that you've given me eternal life not the possibility Of eternal life, but the certainty of eternal life And I believe you Jesus when you tell me that your father who gave me to you is greater than all and no one's going to be able to snatch me out of your hands. I believe.

Can you say that? Hebrews 10 22 says, Let us draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith. Let's pray. Father, we thank you God again for your word, and Lord we ask, we've been asking for a work of your Spirit, God, by whom alone your people can come to that blessed assurance of their eternal security in Christ. Lord, we're asking you God to help those who are in Christ here today, who are in your Son by faith, to be assured of that fact, of the reality of it, of their eternal security in Christ.

Lord, that this blessed assurance would control, as the hymn says, that Christ has regarded their helpless estate and shed His own blood for their souls. Let this blessed assurance control, O Lord, and not doubts and fears. Because Lord, we know that it is well with the souls of those whose trust is in Christ. So God, help your children this morning to be assured that it is well with their souls for we ask it in Jesus name amen