Being Confident

[0:00] Being confident. Paul had a confidence in God. A God confidence, if you like. Not a self-confidence, which the world would praise, but a God confidence.

[0:13] A full trust in him.

[0:31] To deliver his promises. It's a great mistake to fail to have confidence in God. And through life we can all have times of doubt, of self-doubt, of doubt on a faith realm too.

[0:46] We can wonder where are we in our lives? Where are we going? What does the future hold? Life can be set with doubts and we can have times of a lack of confidence in God.

[0:56] But the Bible urges us and presses us to have this God confidence I put to you. Life can be short and before you know it, it's gone.

[1:08] It's gone. We are gone. Like Johnny, my friend, gone just yesterday to be with the Lord. A man someone might know, Johnny Adams, he's a local character.

[1:21] He's come to our church a number of times. He's gone just yesterday. I've had the news that he's gone. Come to our men's breakfast and various times he's come, visited the church.

[1:32] He is with the Lord. Life is short, friends. Life is short. And I have a confidence that he is with the Lord because God says, they that trust in the Lord go to be with the Lord.

[1:45] And for every one of us, life is a journey. And there's these times of doubt, of uncertainty. We're not sure how far along we are, how much time we've got. We might be older in the earthly age, but yet we might go longer than some who are younger amongst us tonight.

[2:03] There's no guarantees, is there? We're facing uncertain times. Life is uncertain, but eternity is forever. We can be confident of that. And life, with all its twists and turns, can be somewhat like a construction zone.

[2:20] And I know I've used this kind of illustration before, putting a hard hat on. There's that sense of, there's a construction zone. There's a sense where it's unfinished. It's in the process.

[2:30] And if you ever visited some of these new builds around the place and where the builders are still doing their thing, it's a messy thing, isn't it? Builders are messy people.

[2:41] These carpenters and these trays people, they just throw the tubes of, what's it called, silicon on the floor and the bits of gyprock are scattered.

[2:53] It's just piles of rubbish and paper blowing everywhere and cement bags and that until eventually they clean it up. And life's a bit like that. It's like a construction zone. We're kind of going through this process.

[3:06] And building sites are messy places and life can get messy too. We face tests and challenges through life. And some like this kind of little slogan here, we're Christians under construction. God is not finished with me yet, is the sense of that we're still a work in progress.

[3:22] And I made the passing mention of that when we were on Thursday night saying, my dad's still a work in process, in progress. You know, he's 83 but he's still got a lot of rough edges.

[3:35] And my dad said, amen. We're all Christians under construction, aren't we? No matter how old we are in life, in our age, as it were.

[3:46] And so we need to be patient with others to know that we're all on that journey as God's people. We've all got some rough edges and we're a construction zone.

[3:59] There's a sign up, as it were, that says, God is at work. Now, you pass the roadworks and it says men at work, or it used to say men at work. What does it say now? But now it says, in this Christian sense, God is at work.

[4:13] In the church zone, God is at work, isn't he? And that's a good thing, that we're in this process, this construction phase, this construction zone. Sometimes you're in the furnace as part of that process.

[4:25] We're all going through a process. It's called life. And here's the scripture to hang on to tonight. Philippians 1 verse 6. Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.

[4:49] All of us are a work in progress. And the Bible says he has begun a good work. Let's just look through this verse and the thoughts that arise.

[5:02] God has begun a good work. He has begun it. Salvation is not the work of man.

[5:14] It's not our own work. And here's a good picture I found to illustrate this truth. And this is what it looks like when you're relying on your own works for salvation.

[5:25] As if it was some kind of, what do they call those things? A multi-plug point thing. And the plug itself is plugged into the power board there.

[5:35] As if the power board can power itself. That's what trying to rely on your own works looks like, isn't it? There's no power there. You can't power yourself.

[5:46] And the power that we need, the power of salvation must come from outside of ourselves. It must come from God. Salvation is not by your own works.

[5:57] It cannot be. To think so is a grave mistake, a grave error. Salvation is of the Lord. You know, the prophet Jonah, as he was locked in this prison of the fish's belly, in his rebellion, he was encased in this stomach, the belly of the fish, of the great fish.

[6:20] And he came to that realisation. The light went on for Jonah. And he said, salvation is of the Lord. Jonah 2 verse 9.

[6:30] And then, bang, he was expelled from the fish onto the beach. And he got the revelation. Salvation is of the Lord.

[6:41] It's of God. And I picked up this other little way. Someone has expressed it here. I'm not sure you can read all of that, but I'll read it through.

[6:53] So, and the heading here is that God is the originating cause of salvation. It's okay. That's the best we can do.

[7:04] God is the originating cause of salvation. And it goes to say these things. It says that Jesus is the meritorious cause. So, in other words, salvation is based on the merits of Christ.

[7:18] His merits. His is the merit that is the cause. The Bible is the instrumental cause. In other words, his truth. It says, you know, the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth.

[7:33] The Bible is the instrumental cause. His truth shows us the message of salvation. The spirit is the, I'm sorry, the faith is the conditional cause.

[7:44] How are we saved? By faith. Salvation is from God. Jesus, our Lord, his merits.

[7:56] The Bible, his word, his truth. By faith is the condition. We must receive by faith. And then it says the spirit is the efficient cause.

[8:07] So, it's through God's spirit. It has to be a work of the spirit of God, not of man. So, and this writer summed it up like this. In other words, God thought it.

[8:17] The Lord Jesus brought it. The word taught it. The mind caught it. The soul sought it. Faith brought it. The spirit wrought it.

[8:29] The devil fought it. But I've got it. Amen. I'll just say that again because it's just, it's beautiful, isn't it? God thought it. He thought of salvation. It's his plan.

[8:39] Jesus brought it. The Lord Jesus, as he came and he died in our place on the cross for our sin. The word taught it. It's here for us to read, to receive. The message of it. The mind caught it.

[8:50] Wow. Yes. The light goes on. The soul sought it. Yes, I need Christ. I need his saving. Faith brought it. By faith, I receive it.

[9:00] Yes. I receive his promise. By faith, I trust him. The spirit wrought it. It's the working of God's spirit. It's God's work. The devil fought it. He hates salvation.

[9:10] He doesn't want you to hear it. Lock your ears. The devil fought it. But I've got it. That's salvation. And there's ways we can think of salvation.

[9:24] And, you know, especially when you're witnessing to people. I always get sermon illustrations from going witnessing. It's just a beautiful thing, witnessing. And the different responses to the gospel you get.

[9:37] And the different objections to the gospel that you get. Am I 100% sure that I am saved? Yes! Some might say, well, that's prideful of you.

[9:52] You know, there's... We get some that... They say, oh, well... You know, we talked to one guy, didn't we? Peter and I. And he said, well, no one can be 100% sure.

[10:05] You know, he said something like that, didn't he? Maybe 99%. No, he was kind of arguing, we can't be sure. We can't be sure. But that's in contradiction to the word of God.

[10:16] Some might say, well, that's prideful for you to say, oh, you're sure that you're going to heaven. Oh, that's pride. But actually, it's a humble thing to do. Because if I'm believing in God's power, not my own, then I know, yes, he is able.

[10:31] He can save me. I'm resting on his promises. Not on my own working or my own efforts. Any power of my own. I'm believing that God is going to finish the work that he began in me.

[10:47] 1 John 5.13, it says, These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that you may know that ye have eternal life, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God.

[11:06] 1 John 5.13, you may know that ye have. Ye have it. I've got it. I've got it. Yes, I have it. And that's not presumptuous or prideful.

[11:17] That is because I believe he is able, and I'm trusting him entirely, not me. If it was up to me, I know I'd be flipping and slipping and sliding and failing and falling. But I'm resting on his promise, what he says, not my own working or my own effort.

[11:35] I believe in God is going to finish what he began in me because my trust is in him, in him. I believe what he says.

[11:45] This is God confidence, people, isn't it? We have need of God confidence. That's faith. Now, men fail in this aspect. We see many records of men, likely women, failing in this aspect of confidence in God.

[12:01] Abraham. Abraham failed to have confidence in God. God gave him a promise. But instead of waiting in God's time for God's way, he went his own way to Hagar to have a child.

[12:16] Abraham failed to have confidence in God. Moses failed to have confidence in God. God said, talk to the rock, but he disobeyed and he struck the rock. He didn't obey God.

[12:28] He didn't wait for God. He didn't do it God's way. He failed to have confidence in God and go God's way. King Saul failed to have confidence in God. Samuel promised to be there to offer a sacrifice to God before they were going out to battle.

[12:44] And this is in 1 Samuel 13. Samuel said, wait, I'm going to help bring a sacrifice before you go into battle. But King Saul failed to have confidence in God.

[12:55] He just, he couldn't wait. He was impatient and he just went ahead on his own merry way. Peter didn't have confidence in God. Took the sword and he struck the high priest's servant's ear.

[13:09] Peter didn't have confidence in God. He should have waited. He should have gone God's way. He should have trusted how we need that, don't we? To have confidence in God.

[13:20] To put our confidence there. To place our confidence in him. Paul says he had that confidence. As we've read, Philippians 1 verse 6, it says, Salvation, friends, it's in God's hands.

[13:42] Absolutely. It's what he said he would do. And we might think, well, and some would discount or try to edge around this and disbelieve God.

[13:57] Or try to disbelieve or cast doubt on his word to us. Is God a liar? No. He is no liar. He cannot lie. He cannot lie.

[14:08] Titus 1 verse 2. God says it, whether we believe it or not, that settles it. If God says it, that's it. That's it, brother. God says it.

[14:19] He will do it. He will accomplish it. God says he will, then he will. Now, I'm a bit of a task-focused kind of person at times.

[14:30] I often find it to leave something half finished. Something unfinished. I just got to keep going until it's done. No matter whether tea's ready or whatever it be, I want to get it done, not leave it halfway through.

[14:47] And I find it hard to leave off a project that I've started. God is like that too, isn't he? He's not going to leave you half finished. He's not going to leave you halfway through.

[14:59] He's not going to leave you hanging. He will see you through. He will take you through. He'll get you through. He'll see you through. Being confident of this very thing.

[15:11] Here which hath begun a good work in you shall form it until the day of Jesus Christ. So what is this good work? What is this good work?

[15:24] It's salvation. Salvation. It's variously called through the teachings of the word adoption where we're accepted into God's family.

[15:35] Wow, that's special, isn't it? It's almost like a child who's adopted is almost, it's actually, in a way, it's more special than the one that's born into the family, isn't it?

[15:46] In some ways, it's kind of, they were chosen. They were selected and brought into the family. That's the picture for us, isn't it, that are saved, that we're adopted into God's family.

[15:59] There's regeneration that we have new life in Christ. There's pardon in that we have removal of guilt and sin through Christ's atonement. To think of that, wow, you're slate, wife clean, that even God can't recall your sin.

[16:16] He's taken it such that he's removed it from his thinking, that you have such pardon, that you are declared. You're free, holding nothing against you.

[16:29] You're forgiven. There's reconciliation that we have right relationship with our Lord. Reconciliation, what a beautiful truth that is. In a world where there's lack of reconciliation, we can have that wonderful relationship, that close relationship where there's nothing between us.

[16:46] There's nothing getting in the way of that relationship. We're just so totally restored to him. There's conversion, that we can have a change of heart. What a beautiful thing that you can know, conversion.

[17:00] So God is the author of salvation and he's the finisher of it. You know, you don't have to worry that God's going to start something that you're going to blow it. If you're saved, you're saved.

[17:17] God will start and God will finish what he's started. In Hebrews 12, 2 it says, You know, it's been truly said that when he was on the cross, you were on his mind.

[17:49] We could think of that. He knew what he was doing. As we talked in quite graphic detail this morning of the shocking horror of the cross, yet there was the joy of the cross, the joy that was set before him.

[18:03] Amen. Salvation, it's his operation. You can take heart in that. And he has begun it. If you're a saved man, a saved woman here tonight, then you can know for sure you can have a God confidence.

[18:16] He has begun it. He will finish it. My faith is not in my works. Now, we met a woman yesterday and she said she kind of, just kind of a bit flaky, a bit hedging her bets.

[18:32] She said she kind of believed in Jesus of sorts, but she said she didn't want to put all her eggs in one basket.

[18:44] What? She wanted to kind of believe in Jesus and Zeus and, I don't know, all kinds of Buddha, you name it. She wanted to have the whole basket full of whatever she could believe.

[18:59] And my friend, sadly, I don't think that God had begun a good work in her. She wanted her works to be a part of her salvation too.

[19:11] She thought that as if, like, believing, just believing, that's not enough. As if she's got to help God to save her by putting her own works there.

[19:23] It says he will perform it. He will perform it. He is the one who does the working. He will perform it. He will complete it. He will finish it. Not us.

[19:34] She was missing the point by having this kind of idea that, oh, I believe in Jesus, but I'm not going to put my eggs all in one basket. As if I'm not going to trust Christ completely and entirely, but I'll trust, I'll kind of say that I trust him, but I'm trusting in my works really.

[19:50] I'm trusting in my hopes of whatever God is going to be able to save me. But she was close, but a million miles away.

[20:02] She really was. And some people are like that. Now, again, this might be a bit hard to read. I'm sorry, but I'll read it through to you. But it's a comparison of what man's wisdom teaches and what God's word says.

[20:14] So on man's wisdom side, we see they would say salvation is by attainment. You attain it by your own effort. But God's word says salvation is by atonement.

[20:29] Atonement, that Christ's cross is the method, the means. Atonement. On the works, the wisdom side, it would say that salvation is upon the ground of human merit.

[20:45] In other words, you get some credit, some deserving, some, you know, you might get a more advanced standing because you're a bit better than someone else by human merit.

[20:56] But no, God's word says that salvation is upon the ground of divine mercy. Divine mercy. Now, this woman we were talking to, she was kind of saying, well, that would mean that criminals could get into heaven and good people like me would miss out.

[21:16] And she thought, no, that's not, no, it's nothing to do with your goodness. And we tried to explain as that familiar scripture goes, Isaiah 64, 6, that all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.

[21:32] Even the best, the most righteous things, the best of our good works are ugly and vile and lacking and insufficient.

[21:44] On the wisdom side, it says what you need is a new start. You know, turn over a new leaf. I've seen people become Jehovah's Witnesses. They've given up their smoking, their drinking, you know, they put a suit and tie on.

[21:56] They go morning, noon and night to their meetings. It's not a new start. On God's side and God's word, it says what you need is a new heart. Not a new start, a new heart.

[22:09] That's what you need. On the wisdom, worldly wisdom side, it says, in other words, turn over a new leaf. God's word says, no, you need a new life.

[22:20] It's not about reforming. It's about a new life, a new birth. On the man's side, it would say, your motto is do.

[22:32] Do, do, do, do lots of good. Do this, do that, do the other. On God's side, it says, done. It's done. Everything's done.

[22:44] God has done everything. On the worldly wisdom side, it says, develop yourself, your character. Develop yourself in character. Now, this is like this woman. We're saying there's nothing wrong with trying to be a good person.

[22:56] Yes, that's a noble and right thing to do. This doesn't save you. They would think that developing yourself and being a good person, developing a character saves you. No.

[23:08] Rather than develop yourself, envelop yourself in Christ. Let Christ be your righteousness. There's quite a good comparison of these two schemes of thinking.

[23:19] The focus, friends, is not on my righteousness, but his. That's the good news. We can be in the most dreadful state of lostness, so far, far from God.

[23:33] And we might think, I'm too far gone. But no one is too far gone. I love the scripture that says, his hand is not shortened that it cannot save. The long arm of the Lord, the long arm of the Lord can reach the foulest, the furthest.

[23:49] He has begun a good work, it says, in you, in you. Now, someone has commented on this, that God's primary concern is not your relationships, your bank account, your health, your strength, your beauty, your influence.

[24:04] You know, some churches would paint that. Become a Christian and you become, you know, prosperous and you'll have a perfect life. And, you know, when you become a Christian, you're going to have such material blessings and such.

[24:21] But God's primary concern is not such things as that. It's the primary concern is your soul. God wants to do a good work in you. In you, not the outside, but inside of you.

[24:33] In you, salvation is not a surface work. As we talked about turning over a new leaf, putting on a show and a new face and having a new look, a new kind of persona.

[24:46] It's not a surface work. It's an internal. It's not a superficial work. It's an internal work. And it's an eternal work. In that there's a permanent work too. When you're saved, there's a permanent work.

[24:58] It's permanent. It's like a permanent marker. You know, and you write it on the whiteboard and you can't get it off. It's permanent. Salvation is permanent. You can't wipe it away.

[25:09] The work of God. It's a work of God. It's his work. Not by the agency of man. And it's an ongoing work as well. Spurgeon said the life of a Christian is a series of miracles.

[25:22] That's true, isn't it? The sense that salvation is really that first miracle. There's a series of miracles. That God would forbear with us. That he would persevere with us.

[25:32] Talk about the perseverance of the saints. But the thing of the perseverance of God with us. That he would be so forbearing with us. That he would be so long-suffering with us. This work, it says, it is within you.

[25:43] It is in you. Some churches, again, it seems to get out of kilter here. They focus on the many benefits and blessings and bonuses of being a Christian.

[25:53] Now, there are such times, but it's not about that. It's not about making you feel good or have a blessing. And we could have been giving this message in some communist or Islamic country where if you were to trust Christ tonight, it's putting yourself in mortal danger.

[26:13] Because, friends, it's not about you. It's not about you. It's not dependent on you. It's about him.

[26:23] It's all about our Lord Jesus. It's all about him. It's about him. It's by him. It's for him. It's unto him. It's through him. Our salvation is not because of our good works.

[26:35] It's not dependent upon us. Now, that's not to say we shouldn't strive. And as we talked about this woman, you know, we should be careful to maintain good works.

[26:46] It talks about how he's created us unto good works. We are his workmanship created. We should be zealous of good works. Good works are good. Yes.

[26:57] But your salvation doesn't hinge on the good that you do. It cannot because your good can never be enough to save you. It's about him. It's about him. Now, in a way, that's good news, isn't it?

[27:09] Because you might think, well, I can never be good enough. No, we can't. I can't either. It's not about you. It's not about your effort or intent. Salvation, in a way, it's a relief.

[27:22] Wow. I'm glad it doesn't depend on me because I would bomb out. Absolutely. I know that I would fail. Salvation is not dependent upon you.

[27:33] Now, I was really encouraged by some recent testimonies we've heard. Of recent times through, you know, the last three or four people have talked about their story. And it's a rocky road, isn't it?

[27:45] It's like there's ups and downs and there's backslidings. And there's one step forward, two steps back. I think, wow. Christians are human. Christians sometimes fail and fall.

[27:59] And it's a good thing, isn't it? When you hear the stories of those that have told their human story, they've opened their cells to tell what's and all.

[28:12] And we've seen how some have gone forward and then they've kind of gone back and think, oh, there's things that they struggled with. There's habits and addictions and stuff that kind of got in the way.

[28:24] And then they got back on track again. In a way, it's because of him, isn't it? That's why. Because it is his work. And it's the work of God.

[28:36] It's the finished work, the work of the cross. And his work is activated in our lives. He finished it all when he took your sin at the cross. And he paid for it there in full.

[28:48] Paid in full. He stamped it on your debt, on your sin debt at the cross. And it's the only way. Thank God for the cross. It's the only way.

[28:59] Our only hope is his mercy, his grace. Romans 8.32. It says, he that spared not his own son. That's how. To what extent he went.

[29:10] He held nothing back. He spared not his own son. Gave him up for us all. He held nothing back. Trust him tonight. Have that God confidence.

[29:22] Yes, God started that work. I know I've slipped and slided here and there. But God started it. He's going to finish it. I'm in his hands. I'm trusting him to take me to the end.

[29:33] To rest in him. His promises. To believe in his keeping power. Here's another little picture of some further truths. Again, sorry, it's maybe a little small here.

[29:45] But I'll read it through. Of what salvation means. There's a repentance. There's a change of mind. We start to see God's truth.

[29:56] There's a revelation. He opens our mind. There's a regeneration. A change of heart. There's a conversion. A change of life. There's an adoption.

[30:07] A change of family. There's a sanctification. A change of behaviour. There's a justification. A change of state. And there's a glorification. Ultimately, a change of place.

[30:19] Ultimately, there'll be glorification. Salvation is a miracle from beginning to end. And God is able to work that miracle in human hearts tonight. Today. He will perform it.

[30:31] And he will complete it. He will see you through. Jude 1.24. It says, He is able to keep you from falling. What a promise.

[30:42] Can you hang on to that one? He is able to keep you from falling. He's going to present you faultless. Before the presence of his glory. Exceeding joy. He has begun a good work in you.

[30:55] I am confident he will finish his work. Aren't you? You that are saved here tonight. And you that might be thinking about, I'm not saved, but hey, this is starting to make sense to me.

[31:07] I want to be saved. He that has begun a good work will complete it. I am persuaded that he is able. It says in 2 Timothy 1.12. Paul says this, I know whom I have believed.

[31:21] And I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. I am persuaded he is able. I am confident. He is the author and he is the finisher of the good work.

[31:32] Our faith. He will finish what he started. He is able. Completely able. But when we doubt that, we are doubting God. We are doubting the ability of God.

[31:43] We are doubting the power of God. We are doubting the work of God. We are doubting the promises of God. He is completely able. And we will be complete on the day of Jesus Christ.

[31:55] 1 Peter 1.5. It says, Who are kept of the saved, who are kept by the power of God, unto salvation, through faith, ready to be revealed in the last time.

[32:07] I've got that wrong there. I'll say that again. Who are kept by the power of God, through faith, unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. Paul says, He is able to keep that which I've committed unto him against that day.

[32:24] That day is coming, friends. That day is coming. It's closer today than it was yesterday. For the meantime, we are a work in progress.

[32:35] What God starts, he finishes. God's at work in your life. Friends, I urge you tonight, just to grasp this simple truth, God is working in me, both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

[32:47] From beginning to end, God is at work. He is the one. And you can have confidence, not in yourself. Place your confidence in God. Place your confidence in the work of the cross.

[32:58] Jesus, our Lord, died on the cross for our sin. And God is faithful. God is able. And for the meantime, you and I, we're under construction. There's a construction process here.

[33:10] We're not doing the building. He is. He's the builder. And he has the design in view. God is in control. You see, the architects laboring over their plans, and they can see the building in their mind's eye.

[33:24] They can see what it will be before it's built. God is in control of this building progress, project of your life. He's in control. He's in charge.

[33:35] And you are his workmanship. He's going to, he that has begun it, he's going to see it through. He'll complete it. And that there will be that ultimate day. Friends, we're drawing to a close here.

[33:53] An important personal question. Has God started the good work in you? This is a fundamental question.

[34:05] We can all make excuses. We can put it off and say, oh, yeah, I'll get around to it when I'm a bit older or a bit wiser or when I've had a bit of pleasure and sin. Then I might think about, no.

[34:21] Don't put it off. Don't make excuses. Don't, don't think like that woman. Oh, I just want to have my eggs in. I don't want to put my eggs in one basket. Stop making excuses.

[34:33] Respond to God. He wants to begin that good work in you. Respond to God now. Word says, in the latter part here it says, behold, now is the acceptance time.

[34:50] Today is the day of salvation. Friends, has God begun? The good work in you. Very important question.

[35:03] And, uh, we can rest in that promise of God. That he which hath begun a good work in you. Peter, have confidence in that. Paul says there's no doubt about it.

[35:17] There's no doubt here. It's faith. The confidence of faith, isn't it? And you can believe this promise of the word. You can believe this is certain.

[35:28] There's a certainty here. You can all look back. When we were lost and think, well, God was working even when I was lost.

[35:41] He was working. Um, to bring me to that point, to that place, to that time. And, then, salvation began.

[35:55] And a new life began. And that new life continues on. And he will perform it. He'll complete the work he started.

[36:06] He'll finish that work. We're still a work in progress. There's rough edges there. There's, there's some finishing off to do. God's not finished with me yet. With none of us here tonight.

[36:19] But eternity is just around the corner. And the curtain will fall, if you like, on this earthly stage. And like my friend Johnny, his, his time of, um, earthly labour has ended.

[36:34] He is with the Lord. Curtain will fall on your earthly stage. But eternity is in prospect. Friends, be grateful and rest in this promise that he says to you that believe, he that has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.

[36:57] Be grateful for that. Be refreshed in that knowledge and that certainty and that sure hope. And friends, if you're outside of Christ here now, don't delay. Don't delay another minute.

[37:10] I urge you, do not delay. Settle it. Do business with God tonight. And that doesn't mean that, uh, you have to come to me and I'm, I've got some, some holy water that I'm going to sprinkle on your forehead and, or some holy smoke I'm going to blow over your, um, person and I'm going to utter some mumbo-jumbo words or, or have you, uh, lay hands on you such that you go sprawling on the floor and, or, or, or put you in a baptism tank as if that's going to save you.

[37:44] No, none of that. Simply trust Jesus. As, believe he died for your sin.

[37:55] You don't even have to talk to me. If you want to, you can. Welcome that, those that might like to seek prayer tonight from another trusted Christian here tonight to give you some support in, in taking those, that step of faith.

[38:10] What matters is faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. To trust Jesus as your saviour, to trust he died on the cross for your sin. Simply trust that in your part he did everything that had to be done.

[38:25] Of course there's things that follow on from that. Of course you would, would expect that you would then follow on to be baptised, you would follow on to, enter the church fellowship and get an activated Christian life.

[38:39] But that does not save you. I urge you tonight to simple faith in him. Let's close in just a quiet moment here. If God's speaking to your heart tonight, you've yet to trust Christ and I urge you again, simply trust him.

[38:56] believe. Died on the cross for your sin. You, you had sin and the penalty of it but he took that for you at the cross.

[39:14] You can but believe, just simply believe him. Trust him now. Trust him. Know him. Rest in him, his promise.

[39:25] And what he has begun, even by faith, even in that moment of faith, of that trust, of that work of God on your heart and soul, that that is the beginning and he will finish the work that he started.

[39:40] And fellow believers here tonight, let's just be reassured that yes, God's still working on me and all of my wonderings and setbacks doesn't negate the fact that God is working but yet it should draw us back to be on track.

[40:00] It should draw us back that the mercies of God are such that he would extend such grace to me that for me, I often fail him.

[40:14] He would have such tender mercies upon us. if we could put ourselves in that picture tonight, that God is full of mercy and long-suffering.

[40:29] Surely he's doing a work. He will continue to do that work in you. And dear saint here tonight, don't be discouraged. Have confidence. But not confidence in yourself.

[40:40] God confidence. Confidence in God. Confidence in his promises. God, we thank you for your word that it is true. We know every man is a liar but you cannot lie.

[40:51] And Lord, we know that your word is true from beginning to end. And the promises of God are yea and amen. You cannot bend or break them. They are set in stone.

[41:03] You cannot break your word that says that we are saved. You are the good work and you'll complete it. Lord, we thank you for these things in Jesus precious name.

[41:15] Amen.