WEBVTT

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 Amen, amen. Children, we are ready for Children's Church at this time. You may make your way over here to the side and follow Miss Savannah out. It is a joy to be worshiping with you all today. I'm so thankful for all that God is doing. Many things that we have going on coming up. I'm thankful for Thailand and his desire to join the church. And he's been running around already continuing to work.

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 And my girls will be excited to know that he's joining the church as well. In the first service, we just announced, you know, giving him this, thanking him for his time. And they said, he's not leaving, is he? And I know, no, no, he's not leaving. And so we're thankful that he is going to be with us for quite some time. But I'm so thankful to be worshiping here with each and every one of you today. And I just want to reiterate the fact that we want to see as many people come out tonight as possible.

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 Tonight is going to be a night where we focus on discipleship, where we focus on the importance of growing in our relationship with the Lord. And a good, dear friend of mine is going to share as we think about this.

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 Ken Jones, as you've already heard, was my campus minister. He was Josh's campus minister for a little while. And we just, he has a special place in our heart. Once you meet Ken, you won't forget him. He has a lot of energy.

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 And you, it will be, you'll be hard pressed to find someone who is as passionate about discipleship as Ken Jones is. So please come out tonight. It is a potluck.

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 But if you get a busy afternoon and it's getting close to time, you're thinking, oh my goodness, well, I don't have anything to bring. I guess I can't come. No, please come.

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 We'd rather have you than your food. And so please come and enjoy this wonderful evening of fellowship as we talk about discipleship and the importance of that.

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 This week, we're going to spend one more week understanding that disciples know some things. There are some things that are evident in the life of all disciples.

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 Last week, we talked about this. We started as we talked about who God is and then who we are in light of that and then finished with understanding who Jesus is and that Jesus makes a way.

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 Jesus is the difference in our life. He is more important than anything else.

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 And so we ended with Jesus last week. We're going to begin with him this week.

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 And it's important that we know that Jesus, it's important that we know Jesus because knowing him changes everything about us.

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 Knowing who Jesus is changes all areas of our life.

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 If Jesus was just another good man, if he was just another good teacher that lived and died 2,000 years ago, this church wouldn't exist.

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 The ministries of the church wouldn't exist.

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 And if for some chance they did exist, it would all be pointless.

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 It wouldn't be for anything.

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 But if Jesus really is who he says he is, then that changes everything.

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 It changes everything.

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 If he really is the Son of God, the creator, the savior, sustainer, the hope of our lives, the one that we sing about, the one that we read about in Scripture,

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 then it not only changes how we live and how we operate as a church, but it changes how we live and operate our lives, our families, our finances, our jobs, our hobbies.

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 It changes everything because Jesus changes everything.

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 Charles Spurgeon once said, he says,

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 Now, to justify such claims, such high claims, the gospel ought to produce strong evidence.

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 Spurgeon says, and it does.

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 It does not lack for external evidences.

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 These are abundant.

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 And today we're going to begin looking at some of these evidences, some of these testimonies that we see in Scripture.

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 And our passage today builds on our understanding of knowing Jesus.

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 And so if you have a copy of God's Word, I want to invite you to open with me to 1 John chapter 5.

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 You'll note that last week we started in 1 John chapter 1, and now we're moving to the final chapter, chapter 5 here.

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 And we're kind of looking at some bookends of this book today.

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 Last week, again, we finished with understanding who Jesus is.

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 And today is going to be all about Jesus as well.

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 And so as we look at this passage, I want you to follow along as we read 1 John chapter 5, starting in verse 6 and working our way to verse 15.

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 This is what the Word of the Lord says.

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 It says,

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 This is He who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ.

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 Not by the water only, but by water and the blood.

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 And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.

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 For there are three that testify, the Spirit and the water and the blood.

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 And these three agree.

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 If we receive the testimony of man, the testimony of God is greater.

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 For this is the testimony of God that He has born concerning His Son.

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 Whoever believes in the Son has the testimony in Himself.

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 Whoever does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has born concerning His Son.

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 And this is the testimony that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

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 Whoever has the Son has life.

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 Whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

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 It says,

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 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.

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 And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

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 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know we have the request that we have asked of Him.

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 As we look at this today, I believe John is trying to communicate to us very clearly that the evidence that Jesus really is who He says He is.

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 He's showing us very clearly as we work through this passage just who Jesus Christ is.

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 And it is my hope and prayer this morning as we look at this passage, as we dive into it a little bit deeper this morning,

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 that we'll also begin to see Jesus clearly.

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 But we will clearly see the hope that only He can provide as well.

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 And what this means for us each and every day.

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 Now I'm not sure if you noticed or not as we were reading through this passage,

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 there's a word that keeps getting repeated.

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 There's a word that keeps coming up as we read through this passage a number of times.

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 And the word is testify or testimony.

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 You will see it over and over again.

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 And so what the author is trying to communicate for us is there's some testimonies that disciples know.

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 There's some things, there's some evidences, there's some evidence and witnesses to who Christ is.

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 And these are things that all disciples who claim to be followers of Christ should know in their life.

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 And so to begin with, we see that disciples know the testimony of God.

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 Disciples know the testimony of God.

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 It says, starting in verse 6,

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 This is He who came by water and blood.

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 Jesus Christ, not by the water only, but by the water and the blood.

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 And the Spirit is the one who testifies because the Spirit is the truth.

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 For there are three that testify, the Spirit and the water and the blood.

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 And these three agree.

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 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater.

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 For this is the testimony of God that He has borne concerning His Son.

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 You see, John brings our attention to three testimonies before showing us how they all fit underneath the testimony of God.

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 He brings forth these three testimonies.

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 And to begin with, we see the testimony of water.

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 The testimony of water.

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 From these verses, we see water being referenced several times.

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 There have been cases made as to what this water is referencing.

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 Some will say that it is referencing the actual physical birth of Jesus.

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 Showing His humanity.

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 Understanding that.

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 Others will talk about the water that flowed from Jesus' side when He was pierced on the cross.

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 But I believe, from the context of this passage,

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 that I agree with most scholars that this is actually referencing the baptism of Jesus.

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 Given the context, it seems this to be the case.

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 You see, the baptism of Jesus played such a significant role in the life of the disciples

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 that we see the baptism being described in all the gospel accounts.

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 Some have noted that Jesus had no need for a baptism of repentance since He had no sin in His life.

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 Well, that's true.

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 That's absolutely true.

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 He had no more belongings at a baptism for repentance than He does on a cross for sinners.

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 But in both events, Jesus identifies Himself with sinners He came to save.

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 At His baptism, we are reminded of who Jesus is.

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 John the Baptist declares, he says,

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 Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

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 And so, at the testimony of water, at His baptism, we see a picture of who Jesus is.

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 Next, we see the testimony of blood.

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 Now, there's many that will try to argue the difference in the water there,

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 but very few scholars will argue the difference in the blood here.

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 The blood is referencing His crucifixion.

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 There's this testimony of the crucifixion of who Jesus is on the cross.

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 And He says, when you look at the accounts, when you look at all of the events surrounding it,

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 it testifies, it shows very clearly who Jesus is.

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 So, as we look to the cross, it declares His divinity.

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 It declares that He is the Son of God.

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 You look at the evidence surrounding it.

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 At the time of the crucifixion, from noon until 3 o'clock,

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 it says that everything went dark.

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 Everything went as night.

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 I don't know if you remember, it hasn't been too, too long ago,

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 but Tekoa was fortunate enough to be right in the path of the total eclipse.

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 And so, several years ago, we got to experience, in the middle of the day, everything go dark.

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 Now, it was just for a few moments, but it was pretty neat.

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 It was pretty neat to experience that.

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 But what we're talking about here is that everything went dark in the middle of the day for three hours.

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 In addition to this, there was an earthquake that happened that shows who Jesus is.

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 There's this earthquake.

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 There was a number of Old Testament saints who were raised and appeared to many

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 as the first fruits of the resurrection of life for all who trust in Jesus.

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 These events surrounding the crucifixion of Jesus led one of the Roman centurions.

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 So, it led one of the people who was tasked to make sure that this execution took place,

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 that Jesus went to the cross.

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 It led one of these Roman centurions to say,

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 this man really is God's son.

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 There was significant evidence the day of the crucifixion

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 that says Jesus really was and is God's son.

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 When John points to the blood as proof of who Jesus is,

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 he surely has all of this in mind, not to even mention the most convincing evidence of all,

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 the resurrection.

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 And so, as we see the testimony of the water, the testimony of the blood,

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 we also see, finally, in this lineup of three, the testimony of the Spirit.

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 The last evidence in these first three verses is the proof that the Holy Spirit provides.

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 Now, it's important to know that this is a three-fold witness that John is showing us.

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 He's not just showing us, saying that, hey, the testimony of the water shows who Jesus is,

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 and leaving it to that.

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 No, he says, it's the testimony of the water.

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 It's the testimony of the blood.

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 It's the testimony of the Spirit.

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 And I believe what John has in mind here is the importance of having multiple testimonies.

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 You see, in Deuteronomy 19, it says,

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 You see, all three are in agreement that Jesus is the Messiah.

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 And I really appreciate how Pastor James Merritt addresses the ministry of the Holy Spirit by saying this.

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 He says,

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 The witness of the Spirit is God's witness to us, in us, and through us.

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 Just as the arrow of a compass always points north, the Spirit of God always points to Jesus.

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 We know this to be true.

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 Primarily, we know this to be true because Jesus himself testifies to this

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 and summarizes the work of the Holy Spirit by saying this in John 16.

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 He says,

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 He will glorify me.

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 And so this testimony of the Spirit is declaring who Jesus is.

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 So you have the testimony of the blood.

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 You have the testimony of the water.

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 The testimony of the Spirit.

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 And if this were not enough,

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 then John removes any doubt whatsoever in our minds

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 and says,

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 Then you have the testimony of God the Father.

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 God the Father is declaring this.

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 If the evidence is not clear enough yet,

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 then he removes all uncertainty by declaring that God the Father himself declares this.

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 See, John is showing us how all of this evidence is ultimately from God himself.

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 Who gave the proof of water?

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 Who gave the proof of blood?

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 Who gives the proof of the Spirit?

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 God the Father Spurgeon,

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 who was as gifted as anybody to show us and to point out and to articulate the beauty of Scripture.

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 He says this, talking about God's authority.

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 He says,

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 God is to be believed if all men contradict him.

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 Let God be true and every man a liar.

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 One word of God ought to sweep away 10,000 words of men.

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 Whether it be the philosophers of today or the sages of antiquity,

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 God's word is against them all for he knows infallibly.

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 Of his own Son, he knows as no one else can.

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 Of our condition before him, he knows.

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 Of the way to pardon us, he knows.

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 There is nothing in God that could lead him to err or make a mistake.

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 And it were blasphemy to suppose that he would mislead us.

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 What he is saying, the greatest evidence of all,

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 is that this is God the Father testifying to this.

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 God the Father has put the full weight of his authority behind the fact that Jesus is the Messiah

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 and he is our only hope of salvation.

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 So this is the testimony of God.

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 But next, the testimony that we must be aware of is our own.

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 And so we see that disciples know their own testimony.

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 It's important that we understand that disciples know the testimony of God,

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 but it's also important that disciples know their own testimony.

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 It says,

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 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself.

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 Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar

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 because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son.

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 And this is the testimony that God gave us eternal life,

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 and this life is in his Son.

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 Whoever has the Son has life.

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 Whoever does not have the Son does not have life.

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 So what is your testimony?

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 I want you to think about that question this morning.

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 What is your testimony?

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 Do you have the Son?

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 Because if you don't have the Son, you don't have a testimony.

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 The internal witness of God's Spirit is in the heart.

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 It confirms to the child of God that he or she is right to believe that Jesus is the Son of God

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 who alone gives the gift of eternal life.

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 I know for me personally, when I received Christ, when I understood what it meant,

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 there was this weight that's lifted off of this testimony that I have.

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 Part of my testimony is that I grew up in church and came down at a very young age,

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 seeing my friends do this, but I didn't really understand what it was that I was committing to.

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 But at 16, all of a sudden, I realized that I've got sin.

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 And because I've got sin, that means I have a problem.

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 And the problem is I can't do anything about my sin.

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 And so at 16, God stirred in my heart.

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 He troubled my heart to help me see my sin as something that has separated me from him.

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 But also at that moment, realize that he made a way.

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 And that I can give my life to Jesus, give my life to him and say,

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 Lord, forgive me.

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 I'm placing my trust in you.

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 And in doing so, he takes that sin and shame and gives me his righteousness.

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 And so there's this moment where you feel the weight of that sin,

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 but also at the same time, feeling the release of that weight and experiencing the peace of God

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 that goes beyond our comprehension.

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 And so we see that we have this testimony.

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 I've often heard sometimes people say, well, I'm not sure I have a testimony.

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 I'm not sure I have a testimony.

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 And the truth of the matter is, if you're a child of God, you have a testimony.

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 Now, I know what people are saying when they say that.

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 A lot of times what they mean is they're saying, well, I don't have this crazy testimony.

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 I don't have this time in my life where I was in prison on death row or doing any of these number of things.

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 And then all of a sudden God saved me out of that.

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 I don't have this dramatic testimony that a lot of times people want to hear about.

00:20:14.580 --> 00:20:16.960
 And those things are wonderful.

00:20:16.960 --> 00:20:22.759
 Those things are a way of showing how God can work and move in people's lives.

00:20:22.840 --> 00:20:25.900
 Those are wonderful and powerful testimonies.

00:20:26.440 --> 00:20:29.640
 But you know what is also an incredibly powerful testimony?

00:20:30.460 --> 00:20:35.000
 The young man or woman who has spent their life being raised in church

00:20:35.000 --> 00:20:40.519
 and all of a sudden realizing that they have sin that needs to be dealt with.

00:20:40.519 --> 00:20:44.220
 All of a sudden realizing they have an issue that needs to be dealt with.

00:20:44.539 --> 00:20:48.799
 Last week we saw the Bible makes it very clear that we all have sin.

00:20:49.619 --> 00:20:53.180
 Because we all have sin, we all have a great need.

00:20:53.740 --> 00:21:01.619
 So a beautiful and powerful testimony is also one that starts with someone who has grown up in church,

00:21:02.619 --> 00:21:05.420
 was there every time the doors were open.

00:21:05.420 --> 00:21:11.240
 On the outside everyone else looks like they really have their life together.

00:21:11.460 --> 00:21:13.500
 Everybody else is looking at them and thinking,

00:21:13.660 --> 00:21:16.580
 wow, this person just really understands it.

00:21:16.840 --> 00:21:21.019
 But yet on the inside realizes that they don't, that they have sin.

00:21:21.120 --> 00:21:24.800
 So a really powerful testimony is one who has grown up in church,

00:21:25.279 --> 00:21:28.580
 realizes the need they have, and gives their life to Christ.

00:21:29.080 --> 00:21:31.300
 This is a beautiful and powerful testimony.

00:21:31.299 --> 00:21:35.819
 Our testimony isn't what we have done or what we've been through,

00:21:35.899 --> 00:21:39.399
 but it is what Jesus has done in our place.

00:21:39.839 --> 00:21:42.599
 Our testimony is Jesus.

00:21:43.539 --> 00:21:45.960
 And so I want to ask you, have you given your life to him?

00:21:46.579 --> 00:21:49.480
 Have you trusted in him as your Lord and Savior?

00:21:50.339 --> 00:21:54.659
 Have you said, Lord, I'm not holding anything back, I'm going all in?

00:21:55.480 --> 00:21:57.960
 I want you to think about it like this with me for just a moment.

00:21:57.960 --> 00:22:04.319
 About 10 years ago, the preschool was getting rid of all kinds of furniture that they had,

00:22:04.500 --> 00:22:06.180
 and they were trying to get some new furniture.

00:22:06.440 --> 00:22:10.440
 And one of the pieces that they were getting rid of was this little blue chair.

00:22:10.819 --> 00:22:13.019
 It's about this tall, just a child's chair.

00:22:13.460 --> 00:22:16.900
 And we had a small table at home, and we had a couple of chairs,

00:22:17.000 --> 00:22:18.960
 but we wanted another chair to go with it.

00:22:19.319 --> 00:22:21.819
 And the reason they were giving this chair away

00:22:21.819 --> 00:22:26.960
 was because it had a large crack that went down one of the legs.

00:22:26.960 --> 00:22:31.200
 Now, for a 40-pound child, it's no big deal.

00:22:31.400 --> 00:22:33.660
 It was still plenty strong to hold them up.

00:22:33.920 --> 00:22:36.340
 They didn't want anybody to get pinched with it or anything else,

00:22:36.380 --> 00:22:39.480
 and it was just time at the church for us to get rid of it.

00:22:39.519 --> 00:22:42.059
 But I thought, you know what, this will be great for me to take home.

00:22:42.500 --> 00:22:45.759
 So I took it home, put it with our little table there at the house,

00:22:45.900 --> 00:22:48.059
 and it worked great for our kids.

00:22:48.340 --> 00:22:51.600
 They were able to sit in it, and it didn't affect them whatsoever.

00:22:51.599 --> 00:22:58.059
 But there was a problem, and the problem was they wanted us to come and sit at the table with them.

00:22:58.500 --> 00:23:01.859
 They wanted me to come and pretend to have a meal with them,

00:23:01.939 --> 00:23:03.519
 pretend to have tea, all of those things.

00:23:03.599 --> 00:23:06.319
 And so a lot of times they would want me to sit in this chair.

00:23:06.759 --> 00:23:09.659
 Now, I knew that the chair had a problem with it,

00:23:09.899 --> 00:23:11.579
 but I wanted to be there for my kids.

00:23:11.659 --> 00:23:13.799
 I wanted to enjoy and play with them.

00:23:14.139 --> 00:23:17.980
 And so I would go over to the chair, and I would do just like this.

00:23:17.980 --> 00:23:20.559
 And I would just kind of stay there.

00:23:20.599 --> 00:23:23.079
 I can't stay there long, but just imagine me doing that.

00:23:23.539 --> 00:23:26.660
 But I would go over there, and I would pretend to sit in the chair.

00:23:26.880 --> 00:23:31.279
 I would just barely touch the chair, but I wasn't letting the chair support me.

00:23:31.680 --> 00:23:33.360
 I was still supporting myself.

00:23:33.539 --> 00:23:35.839
 Now, if anybody else came in and looked at it,

00:23:35.860 --> 00:23:39.000
 all my kids thought I was sitting right there at the table with them.

00:23:39.240 --> 00:23:43.180
 They thought that I was just trusting that chair and just being right there with them,

00:23:43.180 --> 00:23:46.259
 but I hadn't fully transferred that weight to the chair.

00:23:46.259 --> 00:23:50.660
 In reality, I was doing my very best to support myself.

00:23:51.680 --> 00:23:54.119
 You see, all of you right now sitting in these pews,

00:23:54.279 --> 00:23:56.379
 you're sitting in them, and you're trusting them.

00:23:56.980 --> 00:23:59.180
 You've transferred your weight to them.

00:23:59.599 --> 00:24:01.640
 You're not sitting there trying to hover over.

00:24:01.779 --> 00:24:06.140
 You've fully committed, and you have transferred your weight onto that pew.

00:24:07.359 --> 00:24:10.039
 Many times, and I'm not going to say Christians,

00:24:10.039 --> 00:24:14.559
 but I want to say many times churchgoers say that we trust Jesus.

00:24:14.559 --> 00:24:18.879
 After all, we prayed a sinner's prayer one time, and we were baptized.

00:24:19.679 --> 00:24:21.899
 But like me in that little blue chair,

00:24:22.220 --> 00:24:25.559
 we have not fully transferred everything over to Jesus.

00:24:26.740 --> 00:24:28.940
 You see, we like the idea of Jesus,

00:24:29.460 --> 00:24:33.679
 just not the idea of giving our lives completely over to him.

00:24:34.359 --> 00:24:36.039
 We certainly don't want hell.

00:24:36.339 --> 00:24:38.319
 We don't want that to be a part of the equation,

00:24:38.319 --> 00:24:42.980
 and so we want to trust Jesus so that we can remove that out of the equation,

00:24:42.980 --> 00:24:46.819
 but we haven't fully transferred our lives over to him.

00:24:47.579 --> 00:24:49.099
 If this is you today,

00:24:49.919 --> 00:24:52.500
 and I hesitate to say this,

00:24:52.939 --> 00:24:54.159
 but if this is you today,

00:24:54.399 --> 00:24:57.659
 then I hope and pray that this message is troublesome.

00:24:57.660 --> 00:25:02.100
 I pray that this message is unsettling.

00:25:03.040 --> 00:25:08.880
 I pray that the words of John in 1 John 5, 12,

00:25:09.019 --> 00:25:09.560
 where it says,

00:25:09.820 --> 00:25:11.620
 whoever has the Son has life.

00:25:12.420 --> 00:25:16.740
 Whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

00:25:17.340 --> 00:25:19.580
 I pray that those words are hard to hear.

00:25:19.579 --> 00:25:23.039
 If you're not really believing in Jesus,

00:25:23.220 --> 00:25:27.059
 then the most loving thing that God can do is to trouble your spirit.

00:25:27.879 --> 00:25:29.899
 But I've got good news for you.

00:25:30.500 --> 00:25:33.139
 Even if you have come to church your entire life,

00:25:33.720 --> 00:25:37.899
 even if you've been here and gone through every Sunday school class we offer,

00:25:38.240 --> 00:25:40.899
 been baptized, prayed a prayer, all of those things,

00:25:40.960 --> 00:25:42.539
 even if you've done all of those things,

00:25:42.859 --> 00:25:43.960
 you can be saved.

00:25:44.439 --> 00:25:45.859
 You can give your life to Jesus.

00:25:45.859 --> 00:25:54.079
 And just like if you've never even thought about following Jesus until this point,

00:25:54.899 --> 00:25:56.500
 then you can be saved as well.

00:25:57.219 --> 00:25:59.719
 This message of hope is for all of us.

00:26:00.079 --> 00:26:02.579
 And this message of hope is asking us,

00:26:02.939 --> 00:26:04.099
 do we have a testimony?

00:26:04.619 --> 00:26:08.000
 In other words, do we have Jesus?

00:26:09.079 --> 00:26:12.579
 Finally, what is the conclusion that we can draw from these testimonies?

00:26:12.579 --> 00:26:16.539
 What's the conclusion that we can draw from the testimony of God,

00:26:16.819 --> 00:26:20.679
 the testimony of our own life, our own personal testimony?

00:26:20.939 --> 00:26:23.480
 Then if we can understand those things,

00:26:23.740 --> 00:26:25.639
 if we can wrap our mind around this,

00:26:25.919 --> 00:26:28.639
 then we understand something else that disciples know.

00:26:29.000 --> 00:26:33.379
 And we can clearly see that disciples know assurance.

00:26:34.419 --> 00:26:35.619
 We have assurance.

00:26:36.619 --> 00:26:38.599
 Listen to what it says here in verse 13.

00:26:38.599 --> 00:26:42.599
 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God,

00:26:42.759 --> 00:26:46.819
 that you may know that you have eternal life.

00:26:47.939 --> 00:26:53.299
 Clearly, the point that John is trying to make for us as we look through the first John

00:26:53.299 --> 00:26:57.259
 is that he's trying to give us this confidence,

00:26:58.119 --> 00:26:59.959
 this assurance of our salvation,

00:26:59.959 --> 00:27:02.659
 that if we truly believe God,

00:27:02.919 --> 00:27:04.959
 that we truly see the testimony of him,

00:27:05.039 --> 00:27:07.179
 that Jesus is the only way,

00:27:07.180 --> 00:27:09.279
 that we all have sinned,

00:27:09.500 --> 00:27:12.580
 and that Jesus is the only way to fix that problem,

00:27:12.580 --> 00:27:14.980
 if we have this as our testimony,

00:27:14.980 --> 00:27:18.960
 then we have this assurance of our salvation.

00:27:20.620 --> 00:27:24.440
 I think this is something that many church members struggle with today,

00:27:24.799 --> 00:27:26.019
 all over the world.

00:27:26.039 --> 00:27:26.820
 As a pastor,

00:27:27.279 --> 00:27:30.799
 sometimes I struggle preaching texts like this.

00:27:31.320 --> 00:27:33.480
 I want to be very clear that our confidence

00:27:33.480 --> 00:27:36.980
 confidence is in Christ and is only found in Christ,

00:27:37.299 --> 00:27:38.559
 not in church attendance,

00:27:38.720 --> 00:27:39.079
 membership,

00:27:39.299 --> 00:27:39.860
 or baptism,

00:27:40.019 --> 00:27:40.940
 or anything like that.

00:27:40.940 --> 00:27:42.539
 But at the same time,

00:27:42.720 --> 00:27:47.960
 I firmly believe that the Lord wants us to have this assurance of our salvation,

00:27:47.960 --> 00:27:52.220
 because it's not until we understand this assurance of our salvation

00:27:52.220 --> 00:27:56.759
 that we can truly experience the joy that only Christ provides.

00:27:56.759 --> 00:27:59.920
 It's not until we have this assurance of our salvation

00:27:59.920 --> 00:28:05.140
 that we can truly feel the weight of God's love for us

00:28:05.140 --> 00:28:08.819
 and live lives that are obedient to him.

00:28:09.660 --> 00:28:10.019
 You see,

00:28:10.119 --> 00:28:10.819
 verse 13 says,

00:28:10.900 --> 00:28:12.779
 I write these things to you

00:28:12.779 --> 00:28:16.220
 that you may know that you have eternal life.

00:28:16.579 --> 00:28:17.099
 Clearly,

00:28:17.299 --> 00:28:18.700
 the point that John is writing

00:28:18.700 --> 00:28:20.619
 is he wants us to understand

00:28:20.619 --> 00:28:23.140
 that we have eternal life,

00:28:23.140 --> 00:28:24.540
 that we know God,

00:28:24.620 --> 00:28:27.940
 that we know this assurance of our salvation.

00:28:28.920 --> 00:28:29.100
 You know,

00:28:29.140 --> 00:28:30.520
 people have made the argument before

00:28:30.520 --> 00:28:33.920
 that if God gives us assurance of salvation,

00:28:34.600 --> 00:28:38.520
 then we will just cause us to live our lives however we want.

00:28:38.900 --> 00:28:40.640
 We'll give them over to God and say,

00:28:40.720 --> 00:28:41.180
 you know what?

00:28:41.400 --> 00:28:43.259
 Now that I have that box checked,

00:28:43.300 --> 00:28:45.160
 I'll go and live however I want.

00:28:45.720 --> 00:28:46.660
 They'll make the argument.

00:28:46.740 --> 00:28:49.320
 It'll be like telling an employee he can't be fired.

00:28:49.540 --> 00:28:51.000
 If he can't be fired,

00:28:51.000 --> 00:28:54.440
 then what is there to motivate him to do a good job?

00:28:55.319 --> 00:28:55.759
 Well,

00:28:55.799 --> 00:28:57.339
 the first problem with that argument

00:28:57.339 --> 00:29:00.160
 is comparing your walk with Christ to a job.

00:29:01.079 --> 00:29:01.460
 You see,

00:29:01.519 --> 00:29:02.039
 in a job,

00:29:02.160 --> 00:29:04.440
 you do something in order to gain something.

00:29:05.019 --> 00:29:06.400
 You work hard all week

00:29:06.400 --> 00:29:08.900
 in order to gain this paycheck at the end of it.

00:29:09.319 --> 00:29:09.640
 Nobody,

00:29:10.220 --> 00:29:11.960
 in the history of all the employees

00:29:11.960 --> 00:29:14.140
 that have ever been employed by somebody,

00:29:14.259 --> 00:29:16.059
 nobody has worked hard all week,

00:29:16.519 --> 00:29:17.539
 gotten their paycheck,

00:29:17.940 --> 00:29:19.220
 and gone back to the boss

00:29:19.220 --> 00:29:19.539
 and said,

00:29:19.619 --> 00:29:20.160
 my goodness,

00:29:20.160 --> 00:29:21.940
 you are so gracious to me.

00:29:22.100 --> 00:29:23.160
 I don't deserve this,

00:29:23.220 --> 00:29:25.060
 but thank you for just giving this to me.

00:29:25.420 --> 00:29:25.840
 No,

00:29:26.120 --> 00:29:28.000
 we understand that we get that

00:29:28.000 --> 00:29:30.100
 because of what we have done.

00:29:30.720 --> 00:29:31.480
 In fact,

00:29:31.519 --> 00:29:32.700
 if you got to the end of the week

00:29:32.700 --> 00:29:34.220
 and the boss didn't have a check for you,

00:29:34.460 --> 00:29:35.019
 you'd probably be like,

00:29:35.060 --> 00:29:35.200
 whoa,

00:29:35.240 --> 00:29:35.360
 whoa,

00:29:35.400 --> 00:29:35.800
 whoa,

00:29:36.440 --> 00:29:38.000
 you owe me something here.

00:29:38.220 --> 00:29:40.279
 There's something you need to give me here.

00:29:40.700 --> 00:29:43.340
 You haven't given me what I deserve here.

00:29:43.660 --> 00:29:43.980
 You see,

00:29:44.060 --> 00:29:46.680
 the gospel is completely different.

00:29:47.460 --> 00:29:49.300
 God changes us differently.

00:29:49.299 --> 00:29:54.139
 He wants you to have an assurance of his love so much

00:29:54.139 --> 00:29:57.099
 that he made a way for Jesus,

00:29:58.059 --> 00:30:00.039
 made a way for us to have that relationship

00:30:00.039 --> 00:30:01.039
 because of Jesus.

00:30:02.319 --> 00:30:02.759
 You know,

00:30:02.799 --> 00:30:05.200
 it's much the same way that I want my children

00:30:05.200 --> 00:30:08.460
 to have assurance in the love that I have for them.

00:30:08.460 --> 00:30:14.500
 I would never want my kids to question my love for them.

00:30:15.640 --> 00:30:17.799
 Will they do things that I don't want them to do

00:30:17.799 --> 00:30:19.940
 or fail to do things that I've asked them to do?

00:30:20.140 --> 00:30:20.500
 Absolutely.

00:30:21.319 --> 00:30:21.740
 Daily,

00:30:21.900 --> 00:30:22.700
 sometimes hourly,

00:30:22.860 --> 00:30:23.640
 they do this,

00:30:24.039 --> 00:30:27.700
 but I would never want them to question my love for them.

00:30:28.559 --> 00:30:32.340
 We're still at a stage where we're dropping all of our kids off at school.

00:30:32.339 --> 00:30:33.859
 And so we,

00:30:34.039 --> 00:30:36.119
 a lot of times as we pull up to the school,

00:30:36.259 --> 00:30:39.079
 we'll have a prayer together and pray for the day.

00:30:39.220 --> 00:30:40.539
 And then I'll just encourage them and say,

00:30:40.619 --> 00:30:40.720
 hey,

00:30:40.759 --> 00:30:43.819
 make sure that you do what you're supposed to do today.

00:30:44.359 --> 00:30:44.659
 You know,

00:30:44.759 --> 00:30:45.359
 I love you.

00:30:45.399 --> 00:30:46.539
 I hope you have a wonderful day.

00:30:46.599 --> 00:30:47.559
 Hope you have fun today,

00:30:47.559 --> 00:30:49.619
 but make sure you listen to your teachers.

00:30:50.119 --> 00:30:52.459
 Make sure you do what they ask you to do.

00:30:52.599 --> 00:30:54.220
 Set a good example for others.

00:30:54.779 --> 00:30:55.679
 All of that's good,

00:30:55.680 --> 00:30:58.160
 but imagine at that point I said,

00:30:58.539 --> 00:31:00.180
 and if you do this,

00:31:00.240 --> 00:31:02.000
 then I'll be here after school for you.

00:31:02.160 --> 00:31:03.320
 But if you don't do this,

00:31:03.360 --> 00:31:04.480
 you'll never see me again.

00:31:05.120 --> 00:31:07.920
 Can you imagine that that being the way that I send them off?

00:31:08.000 --> 00:31:08.259
 All right,

00:31:08.279 --> 00:31:09.060
 have a good day.

00:31:09.600 --> 00:31:11.080
 Hope I'll see you this afternoon.

00:31:11.080 --> 00:31:11.560
 No,

00:31:12.700 --> 00:31:13.519
 they want to,

00:31:13.620 --> 00:31:13.740
 we,

00:31:13.880 --> 00:31:18.940
 we understand the importance of having this assurance of our salvation.

00:31:19.259 --> 00:31:24.740
 That may curve their obedience somewhat to do what I'm asking them to do.

00:31:24.740 --> 00:31:28.240
 But think about the resentment it would cause in their life.

00:31:28.240 --> 00:31:31.539
 If they were constantly trying to work for that approval,

00:31:31.960 --> 00:31:33.839
 constantly trying to work for that love.

00:31:34.240 --> 00:31:39.019
 God absolutely wants you to have a certainty about your salvation.

00:31:39.680 --> 00:31:40.359
 He changes,

00:31:40.660 --> 00:31:41.120
 encourages,

00:31:41.359 --> 00:31:45.099
 and motivates us not by the uncertainty of fear,

00:31:45.380 --> 00:31:48.000
 but by the security of love.

00:31:48.720 --> 00:31:53.819
 This is what makes the gospel and Christianity different than any other religion.

00:31:53.819 --> 00:31:54.919
 You see,

00:31:55.000 --> 00:31:56.119
 every other religion says,

00:31:56.279 --> 00:31:57.679
 if you do this and this,

00:31:58.299 --> 00:32:00.339
 make sure you check all of these boxes,

00:32:00.779 --> 00:32:02.299
 make sure you try hard enough,

00:32:02.439 --> 00:32:04.879
 and do enough good to outweigh all those bad things,

00:32:04.939 --> 00:32:05.799
 and then hopefully,

00:32:06.039 --> 00:32:11.019
 you'll get to a point one day in your life where you've done enough good to outweigh the bad.

00:32:11.720 --> 00:32:13.700
 Christianity understands you can't.

00:32:14.339 --> 00:32:17.980
 It understands there's nothing you can do to save yourself.

00:32:17.980 --> 00:32:19.839
 We've all sinned,

00:32:20.099 --> 00:32:22.180
 and that sin separates us from God,

00:32:22.380 --> 00:32:24.620
 and we can't do anything to earn that.

00:32:25.339 --> 00:32:25.880
 In fact,

00:32:25.920 --> 00:32:27.420
 if there was a way that we could earn it,

00:32:27.579 --> 00:32:29.539
 then there would be no need for Jesus to come.

00:32:30.000 --> 00:32:31.360
 But the fact is,

00:32:31.579 --> 00:32:32.960
 there's nothing we can do,

00:32:33.180 --> 00:32:34.400
 only Jesus.

00:32:34.819 --> 00:32:37.880
 And the beauty of this is what changes us.

00:32:38.640 --> 00:32:38.819
 See,

00:32:38.880 --> 00:32:42.099
 J.D. Greer said it in one of his books this way so powerfully.

00:32:42.099 --> 00:32:42.500
 He says,

00:32:42.500 --> 00:32:49.000
 I'll be so bold as to say that your spiritual life will never really take off

00:32:49.000 --> 00:32:51.619
 until you have the assurance of salvation.

00:32:52.319 --> 00:32:56.179
 Until you know that you are his and he is yours,

00:32:56.379 --> 00:32:58.219
 your obedience will be limited.

00:32:58.779 --> 00:33:00.359
 Your love will be stifled,

00:33:00.480 --> 00:33:02.039
 your confidence will be shaky,

00:33:02.039 --> 00:33:04.859
 and your courage will be minimal.

00:33:05.279 --> 00:33:09.779
 It is only by the confident assurance of our Heavenly Father's love for us

00:33:09.779 --> 00:33:12.859
 that we can love in a way that God desires,

00:33:13.220 --> 00:33:17.660
 that we can endure this life when we experience trouble and difficulties,

00:33:17.660 --> 00:33:19.599
 when we have those doubts.

00:33:19.899 --> 00:33:22.859
 It is assurance that gives us the boldness to go.

00:33:23.480 --> 00:33:26.660
 It's the assurance that gives us the boldness and courage to go to our neighbor

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 across the street and share the good news of the gospel with him.

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 It is this assurance of salvation that gives us the boldness to go wherever God has called us to go,

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 to raise our family in a way that glorifies him,

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 to love our spouse in a way.

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 It is this assurance that motivates our obedience to him like nothing else can.

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 So let us clearly see the testimony of God today.

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 The testimony which states that Jesus is the only way,

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 that he truly is who he says he is,

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 and because of that it changes everything.

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 But then I want you to ask yourself,

00:34:05.039 --> 00:34:06.420
 what is my testimony?

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 Do you have a testimony?

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 Do you have trouble figuring out your testimony?

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 Are you placing your hope in Jesus or something else?

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 But finally, I want to encourage you,

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 if we understand the testimony of God,

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 if we understand our testimony,

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 I want to encourage you to live in the joy

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 and serve out of the abundance of love we experiencing,

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 knowing that Jesus provides assurance like nothing else can.

00:34:37.400 --> 00:34:40.679
 I encourage you to consider these things today,

00:34:40.980 --> 00:34:43.039
 to look to the testimony of God,

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 to look at your own testimony,

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 and then finally,

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 know the assurance that only Jesus provides.

00:34:50.280 --> 00:34:52.680
 Father, we thank you so very much

00:34:52.680 --> 00:34:56.620
 for everything that you give us each and every day.

00:34:56.740 --> 00:35:00.300
 Lord, we thank you for the hope that we have in you,

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 the hope that only Jesus provides.

00:35:03.519 --> 00:35:05.480
 And so, Lord, we thank you for that.

00:35:05.519 --> 00:35:07.600
 And I pray that if there's someone here today

00:35:07.600 --> 00:35:11.080
 that hasn't given their life to you,

00:35:11.160 --> 00:35:13.300
 that can't say that they have a testimony,

00:35:13.620 --> 00:35:16.000
 that can't say that they've placed their faith

00:35:16.000 --> 00:35:17.120
 and their trust in you,

00:35:17.580 --> 00:35:20.220
 Lord, I pray that you give them the boldness and courage

00:35:20.219 --> 00:35:21.239
 to do so today,

00:35:21.619 --> 00:35:24.919
 to respond to you in a way that leads to salvation.

00:35:25.619 --> 00:35:27.199
 Lord, we pray that for them.

00:35:27.419 --> 00:35:28.799
 But also, Lord, I pray

00:35:28.799 --> 00:35:30.359
 that you be with the rest of us

00:35:30.359 --> 00:35:32.239
 who have given our life to you.

00:35:32.579 --> 00:35:34.359
 Lord, that we would live lives

00:35:34.359 --> 00:35:36.819
 out of the assurance we have in you,

00:35:37.159 --> 00:35:38.439
 out of the assurance of knowing

00:35:38.439 --> 00:35:41.279
 that there is absolutely nothing we can do

00:35:41.279 --> 00:35:44.199
 to add to what you have already done for us

00:35:44.199 --> 00:35:46.899
 and nothing we can do to take away from it.

00:35:47.399 --> 00:35:49.000
 And so, Lord, help us to live

00:35:49.000 --> 00:35:50.579
 in that bold assurance

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 each and every day of our lives.

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 And we ask all these things in Jesus' name.

00:35:55.380 --> 00:35:55.699
 Amen.

00:35:56.519 --> 00:35:56.760
 Amen.

00:35:56.780 --> 00:35:59.539
 I'm going to invite you to take your Baptist hymnal out

00:35:59.539 --> 00:36:01.780
 and turn to hymn number 582,

00:36:02.239 --> 00:36:03.320
 Thank You, Lord.

00:36:03.579 --> 00:36:06.460
 And let that be our prayer this morning

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 as we respond to this message

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 of thank you, Lord.

00:36:09.739 --> 00:36:11.819
 Thank you, Lord.

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 Thank you, Lord.

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