Transcript: Christian Testimonies: Real Stories of Faith and Redemption

There is a scripture of late the Holy Spirit has been ministering to my heart. And this scripture is found in the second book of James. James speaks to believers in this time, exhorting them about their deeds and actions, which are called works. And he is saying that if your faith does not have works of obedience to God's commands to back it up, it is destitute of power. This means, then, it is a dead faith. He says also that you can believe that there is one God, but demons believe that and know that all too well. And this is saying that demons have knowledge of God too, so the knowledge of God alone does not give proof of our salvation. Look with me please to begin this message in James 2.17 to begin our subject today called Tangible Evidence of My True Christianity. James 2.17 So also faith, if it does not have works, deeds, and actions of obedience to back it up, by itself is destitute of power. It's inoperative and dead. But someone will say to you then, You say you have faith and have good works. Now you show me your alleged faith apart from any good works, if you can, and I will, by good works of obedience, will show you my faith. Verse 19 You believe that God is one. You do well. So do the demons believe in shudder and terror and horror, such as make a man's hair stand on end and contract the surface of his skin? I know I will rock somebody's boat by declaring that no matter how much people may know about God and the Bible, it is not a sure sign that they are saved. The scripture we have just read says that you may believe that there is one God, but so do demons believe and know this too well. The word tells us that they shudder in terror and horror, such as make a man's hair stand on end and contract the surface of his skin. So we know that by scripture that Satan, who was an archangel called Lucifer before his fall, was known as one, the bright and morning star, a flame of fire, and also one who excelled in wisdom and beauty. In the book of Isaiah 14.12, the word declares, blasphemed satanic king of Babylon and you said in your heart I will ascend to heaven I will exalt my throne above the stars I will sit upon the mount of assembly in uttermost north and I will ascend above the heights of the clouds and I will make myself like the most high verse 15 yet you shall be brought down to Sheol Hades to the innermost recesses of the pit the region of the dead Another scripture speaking of the beauty of Lucifer before his fall is found in Ezekiel 28 verse 12. The word declares, Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to him, Thus says the Lord God, you are the full measure and pattern of exactness, giving the finishing touch to all that constitutes completeness, full of wisdom and perfection and beauty. you were in Eden, the garden of God every precious stone was in your covering the carlion, topaz, jasper, crystallite, beryl, oxen sapphire, carbuncle and emerald and your setting and your sockets and engravings were wrought in gold on the day that you were created they were prepared you were the anointed cherub the one that covers with overshadowing wings and I set you so You were upon the holy mountain of God. You walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire, like the paved work of gleaming sapphire stones upon which the God of Israel walked on Mount Sinai. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until iniquity and guilt were found in you. Through the abundance of your commerce, you were filled with lawlessness and violence, and you sinned. Therefore I cast you out as a profane thing from the mountain of God and the guardian cherub drove you out from the mist of the stones of fire. Your heart was proud and lifted up because of your beauty. You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground. I lay you before kings that they might gaze at you. You have profaned your sanctuaries by the multitude of your iniquities and the enormity of your guilt, by the unrighteousness of your trade. Therefore I have brought forth a fire from your mist. It has consumed you, and I have reduced you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all who looked at you. All who know you among the people are astonished and appalled at you, because you have come to a horrible end and shall never return to being. Verse 17 says Satan knew much about God. The word says your heart was proud and lifted up because of your beauty. You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground, I lay you before kings that they might gaze at you. Well, just because he, Satan, was thrown out of heaven for his perversion of his beauty and wisdom, this does not mean his memories of the almightiness of the one true God has been forgotten. People who ignorantly speak in immature ways of the stupidity of the devil know not what they say. The word of God declares that Satan is more crafty than any other created being. Satan has always had great mental ability and is very knowledgeable about God, although he is not able to experience the joy and peace and the presence or plans of God anymore. But my point again is the knowledge of God alone, no matter how much people may know about God and the Bible, is not a sure sign that they are saved. We see through these scriptures we have just covered, Satan knew much, and so did the other third of the angels who were thrown out of heaven. They were privileged to know much in the way of the knowledge and the ways of God. But since Satan's assignment was to be chief angel before God, it is quite right to assume that he had more understanding and more knowledge than any of the other created beings. Satan's great revolt against God did not destroy his memory and since his great coup and revolt he has been busy fulfilling his devious activity in tempting especially the chosen one of God the Father in Matthew 4.3 it shows us that he even came as the great tempter against our Lord Jesus Christ Matthew 4.3 And the tempter came and said to him, If you are God's son, command these stones to be made loaves of bread. But he replied, It has been written, Man shall not live and be upheld and sustained by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God. Well, Satan knows much about the work of God, and he also knows much about the Bible as well, and he has worked diligently in his great deception and perversion in twisting the word of God through human agents. We find this spoken of in 2 Corinthians 11.13 For such men are false apostles, spurious, counterfeits, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles, special messengers of Christ the Messiah. And it is no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. So it is not surprising if his servants also masquerade as ministers of righteousness, but their end will correspond with their deeds. Well, Satan must have great knowledge of God to masquerade and attempt to pass off that he is righteous. Satan was the bright and morning star, but now his light is dim and perverted. Satan knows all about heaven firsthand since he has lived there for so long. And he knows all about hell as well with very real and personal knowledge. And he has experienced its torment for so many thousands of years and he has great aim to take all of mankind there and especially with great effort God's very own elect called his children. He has been deceiving generations upon generations since his fall. So again my point is made to establish that mere knowledge of God and also of the Bible does not prove that one is same. In James 2 verse 17, the word tells us, So faith, if it does not have works, deeds, and actions of obedience to back it up by itself is destitute of power, inoperative, dead. Verse 18, But someone will say to you then, You say you have faith and I have good works. Now you show me your alleged faith apart from any good works if you can and I by good works of obedience will show you my faith. Verse 19, You believe that God is one, you do well. So do demons believe and shudder and tear and whore, such as make a man's hair stand on end and contract the surface of his skin. Well, deeds and actions of obedience to the commands of God's word must be proof of our salvation. Did you hear that? They must be proof of our salvation. No amount of knowledge of God or religious activities in going to church, singing in the choir, or writing books, preaching a sermon or talking about the Bible or quoting hundreds of Bible verses and or even giving personal testimony could prove that a person has been saved from their sin. James 2.17 again pardon me while I belabor the scripture says so also faith if it does not have works which are deeds and actions of obedience to the commands of God's word to back it up by itself is destitute of power an operative dead but someone will say to you then you say you have faith and I have good works now you show me your alleged faith apart from any good works if you can and I will by good works of obedience show you my faith you believe that there is one God you do well to believe that but so do the devils believe and shudder in terror and horror such as make a man's hair stand on and in contract the surface of his skin. Well, there are many who talk about the way of salvation and the workings of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of sinners or even show others the how to become a Christian. Yet this is still not a sure, tangible or concrete proof that one has received the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ in their hearts. Just as we have read that even demons believe and have knowledge that there is one God. it is not enough for any person to say I believe in God if a person says I believe in God there is one God then they must also agree with all of the truth in the Bible and there is one God who created all things and who holds all things into existence by his almighty power Then if people say they believe in God, they must agree, they must subscribe, they must comply and harmonize with all the truth in the Bible. In Matthew 4, verse 4, Jesus spoke to Satan the devil when he came to tempt Jesus and Jesus said to him, man shall live on every word that comes from the mouth of God. In Matthew 4 verse 3 the tempter that is saint and the devil came and said to him if you are God's son command these stones to be made loaves of bread. But Jesus replied it has been written man shall not live and be upheld and sustained by bread alone but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God. and also in the gospel of Luke we find the author of truth and life speaking in verse 28 but he said blessed, happy and to be envied are those who hear the word of God and obey and practice it and practice means to live it practice means that it will become a habitual way of obedience to truth spoken in the word of God practice becomes the way of preference here. Jesus said, blessed and happy are those who hear the word of God and obey it and practice it. This happiness, which Jesus speaks of, is the result of knowledge in him and obedience to him in their united influence of each other. And since faith requires knowledge of Jesus' person as our Savior, then obedience is the action that follows in the work required in our practice of this obedience. James 2 verse 17 says, So also faith, if it does not have works which are deeds and actions of obedience to the commands of God's word to back it up, it's by itself destitute of power. It's inoperative and dead. You see, many people forget that God's word gives and shows absolute evidence of the tangible proof of Christianity. And today there are so many books and formulas on the how to become a Christian. The word of God shows us clearly the folks who did not practice what they confessed to believe. We read of one called Simon the Magician, Acts 8, verse 9. But there was a man named Simon who had formerly practiced magic arts in the city to the utter amazement of the Samaritan nation, claiming that he himself was an extraordinary and distinguished person. They all paid earnest attention to him, from the least to the greatest saying, this man is that exhibition of the power of God, which is called great and intense. And they were attentive and made much of him, because for a long time he had amazed and bewildered and dazzled them with his skill in magic arts. but when they believed the good news the gospel about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ the Messiah as Philip preached it they were baptized both men and women even Simon himself believed he adhered to trusted in relied on the teachings of Philip and after being baptized devoted himself constantly to him and seeing signs and miracles of great power which were being performed he was utterly amazed and now when the apostles, special messengers at Jerusalem heard that the country of Samaria had accepted and welcomed the word of God they sent Peter and John to them and they came down and prayed for them that the Samaritans might receive the Holy Spirit for he had not yet fallen upon any of them but they had only been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus then the apostles laid their hands upon him one by one and they received the Spirit However, when Simon saw the Holy Spirit was imparted through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he brought money and offered it to them, saying, Grant me also this power and authority in order that anyone on whom I place my hands may receive the Holy Spirit. But Peter said to him, Destruction, overtake your money and you, because you imagined you could obtain the free gift of God with money. You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is all wrong in God's sight. It is not straightforward or right or true before God. So repent of this depravity and wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, this contriving thought and purpose of your heart may be removed and disregarded and forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in a bond forged by iniquity to fetter souls. And Simon answered, Pray for me, beseech the Lord both of you, that nothing of what you have said may befall me. The quick and just rejection of Peter aimed at this sorcerer for his crime in thinking that he could buy the gift of God with this filthy money was quick and prompt and was a rebuke. This man who believed and was baptized and followed the apostles around saw something that he desired or coveted or lusted after in order to build his own kingdom. He thought the precious gift of God was like any other common day or ordinary gift to be purchased off a merchandising table. This so-called believer had undervalued the gift of the Holy Spirit and put this precious gift upon the level of an average common place or an ordinary gift. He thought the power of an apostle might as well be had for a fistful of money, like you might pay for a sack of potatoes or a bag of rice. What an insult and great contempt to be spoken in action and deed towards the spirit of grace. My point here is that this man shows his true character. He was a baptized believer, but his words and actions and his character showed he was not saved. His character gave or showed and inferred his crime of being a hypocrite. He did not have faith in Jesus, nor did he obey what was commanded by those who were teaching the truth at that time. Verse 13 declares, even Simon himself believed and adhered to, trusted in, relied on the teachings of Philip, and after being baptized, devoted himself constantly to him, and seeing signs and miracles of great power, which were being performed, he was utterly amazed. In verse 23, we see this man's wicked root, given by Apostle Peter in a word of knowledge. Peter said, But in essence, you are not sincere. The gall of bitterness, which Peter describes as Simon's character here, is really the root of wickedness. Pride, bitterness, jealousy, and hatred are killers. And this is why Satan was cast out of heaven. The gall of bitterness is odious to God and is defined as an abominable thing which the Lord hates. Bitter gall to anyone in biblical terms means the viciousness of one's own nature. And this is what Peter told Simon the sorcerer that he was full of. This deadly poison of bitterness aims to destroy anything good or godly and is joined with the appearance of looking real, but is a hypocrite and is a counterfeit and bent on putting souls into captivity along with itself. the word says for I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in a bond forged by iniquity to fetter souls indwelling sin is a root of bitterness that bears gall and wormwood which is spoken of in Deuteronomy 29 verse 18 beware lest there should be anyone among you man or woman or family or tribe whose mind and heart turns away this day from the Lord our God to go and serve the gods of these nations lest there should be among you a poisonous root that bears gall and wormwood and lest when he hears the words of this curse and oath he flatters and congratulates himself in his mind and heart saying I shall have peace and safety though I walk in the stubbornness of my mind and heart bringing down a hurricane of destruction and sweep away the watered land with the dry. The faculties of perception are corrupt, and the mind is embittered against all that is good. Apostle Paul spoke of this in Hebrews 12, 14, when he said, Strive to live in peace with everyone, and pursue that consecration and holiness, without which no one will ever see the Lord. Exercise foresight and be on the watch to look after one another, to see that no one falls back from and fails to secure God's grace, his unmerited favor and spiritual blessing in order that no root of resentment, rancor, bitterness or hatred shoots forth and causes trouble and bitter torment and the many become contaminated and defiled by it. Verse 16, that no one may become guilty of sexual vice or become a profane, godless or sacrilegious person as Esau did who sold his own birthright for a single meal. for you understand that later on when he wanted to regain title to his inheritance of the blessing he was rejected, disqualified and set aside for he could find no opportunity to repair by repentance what he had done no chance to recall the choice he had made although he sought for it carefully with bitter tears Simon the sorcerer sold out and I am almost certain that as he pleaded for help in prayer it was too late just like Esau when in verse 17 he wanted to regain his title to inheritance he was rejected the word says for you understand that later on when he wanted to regain title to it his inheritance of the blessing he was rejected disqualified and set aside for he could no longer find opportunity to repair by repentance what he had done no chance to recall the choice he had made although he sought for it carefully with bitter tears. So Esau treated his inheritance so lightly and was more interested in satisfying his flesh, his taste buds, with a bowl of soup in the moment. He could find no opportunity to repair the damage he had caused to himself. And also, Simon the sorcerer, because he treated such a gift, the highest prize of adoption into the eternal family of God won by our Lord Jesus Christ both of these individuals Simon the sorcerer and Esau were in the bonds of iniquity bound over to the judgment of God by the guilt of sin and bound under the dominion of Satan by the power of their own sin led captive by him at his will and it is a bitter, bitter bondage like that of Egypt which the Israelites experienced under their harsh taskmasters. Egypt represents the world system and the harsh taskmasters represent Satan who is its ruler. Hell is a horrible place to be for eternity. It is truly a bitter place and takes its prisoners through its arrows of bitterness and hatred and anger by hating that which is good and godly and upright The man Simon the Sorcerer did not exemplify evidence of true Christianity. In fact, the evidence of what he demonstrated was what our opening scripture in James 2.17 was saying. This man's faith did not have works, deeds, and actions of obedience to back it up. Again, I know I belabor the scripture, but I pray your ears will be attentive to hear and listen to it again so that you will grasp this truth in this word today. James 2.17 So also faith, if it does not have works, deeds, and actions of obedience to back it up by itself, it is destitute of power inoperative dead but someone will say to you then you say you have faith and I have good works now you show me your alleged faith apart from any good works if you can and I will by good works of obedience I will show you my faith so you believe that God is one you do well so do demons believe in shudder and terror and horror such as to make a man's hair stand on the end and contract the surface of his skin Well, back to my point in this message to you today. If our faith, which is believing in the person of Jesus Christ, does not have the works of obedience, please hear that, does not have the works of obedience to God's commands to back it up, then it is destitute of power. And this means, again, it is a dead faith. if our faculties of perception are not being renewed and empowered by the Spirit of God given to us to lead us in the way that we should go which is in the way of all truth then we will have a dead faith which will end up like Esau indulging in the fleshly desires the carnal appetites which last only for a time and tickle our senses or like that of Simon the sorcerer who was hungry for power to build his own kingdom or ministry, no matter what it may take to sell out or tap into a different or dark evil realm to get that power. Dear church, many people are bound in this awful sin of selfishness, of competition, of jealousy, of bitterness and hatred. they do not demonstrate the tangible evidence of their Christian salvation which was bought with a price by our Lord Jesus Christ they are not demonstrating the truth of believing according to God's commands Apostle Paul said in Titus 1.1 I Paul a bondservant of God and an apostle a special messenger of Jesus Christ the Messiah to stimulate and promote the faith of God's chosen ones and to lead them on to accurate discernment and recognition of and acquaintance with the truth which belongs to and harmonizes with and tends to godliness. Well, the heart of the apostle is so needed in the church of the living God today. This man, Paul, was showing the heart of God for his children in these verses to stimulate and promote the faith of God's chosen ones and to lead them in an accurate discernment and recognition and acquaintance with the truth which belongs to and harmonizes and tends to godliness. The evidence of these words will have deep and profound effect upon the lives of the serious-minded Christian with the eventual and consistent change which takes place in the heart and is lasting. it is not temporary not for a week or two and then laps back into the old way or the old man or woman it is with a firm resolve with an election purposed in your heart like that of the young boy Daniel who spoke out in the scripture saying I have purposed in my heart not to defile myself defilement was not his main reason or purpose for keeping himself untainted defilement to his body by eating of the king's food, which was offered to idols, was offensive and abominable to the God whom he loved and served. And I might add, this is the very same God whom we serve today, and his requirements, his precepts for his holy people never change. The scripture spoke of this prophet Daniel as one who had an excellent spirit because of the election in his heart to be true to the God that he served. And Daniel is one example in our book of life who shows us today the necessity of forging ahead with pure hearts and sincere motives in the reason we serve our great God and Father. Daniel did not waver in doubt with unbelief and pity parties and rejection and competition and victim mentality and hatred and bitterness and so forth. his focus was single eyed and he kept his eyes and heart steadily looking up to where he knew where his help would come dear church we can even have religious experiences which can touch our feelings and our emotions and yet we can still not be saved people who are unsaved and on their way to hell have many and varied religious experiences which deal with their feelings. And yet, they head into the lake of fire along with all of the wicked and demonic angels. Many unsaved people may feel happiness and love of an earthy kind and a kind of peace which wavers because of their circumstances. And this does not come as a result of their changed heart. The cause in their hearts is still the same. They've never named their cause because they had so many. It is of a self-type, a self-love, which is centered on what makes me happy and gives me peace. True spiritual experiences have a different source. A true spiritual experience transforms the heart. Tangible evidence of our Christianity will show forth in the transformation of our hearts. For true believers, God's own spirit has been given them, and he is busy in their hearts, producing tangible evidence of their salvation. 2 Thessalonians 2.15 declares, So then, brethren, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions and instructions which you were taught by us, whether by our word of mouth or by letter. Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God of our Father, who loved us and gave us everlasting consolation and encouragement and well-founded hope through his grace, unmerited favor, comfort and encourage your hearts and strengthen them, make them steadfast and keep them unswerving in every good work and deed. the tangible evidence of our salvation is not about our feelings and we have seen that even the unsaved have feelings of happiness love and a pseudo peace even the demons according to our previous scripture believe and tremble that there is one God even the demons have feelings just like the unsaved and they are of course perverted but again I say the tangible evidence of our salvation is not about our feelings or emotions. Our true Christian experience has a different source. And this source is and must be the overwhelming and unmistakable sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. since faith stems from one fountain and that is believe in the person of Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior you find yourself being drawn and your heart being held captive by the absolute beauty of divine grace at work in your life in your heart you begin to have true spiritual experiences which are of a different source and nature than you ever knew before your source is the sense of the divine and overwhelming holiness and beauty which is being awakened in your spirit to the lover of your soul. And this is beauty found in the one who died for you. This sense of awakening in your spirit and this drawing is an unmistakable sign of God working in your heart by the Holy Spirit wooing you into a deeper and abiding fellowship with your Lord. this work again is not about your feelings remember our feelings in our spiritual experiences are not a sign of our salvation this is a divine holy and eternal effort on behalf of the spirit of God to bring you into a higher realm of spiritual awakening to communicate with the God who made you and love you He communicates with you by His Spirit. God is Spirit. And He relates with you and me, not through our feelings which spring forth from our soulish nature. Oh yes, we are given feelings. But in our being made new creatures in Christ, these feelings and emotions are renewed into right order as well. The Lord bypasses our feelings and our emotion and goes right to our hearts and begins to touch us right there. He touches us with the beauty of his presence and his loveliness. And he begins to awaken our hearts to the absolute understanding that he is ever-present and all-powerful. And he begins to convict and convince us of our sins. understanding by the works of the Holy Spirit within your whole being you begin to see the beauty of your Lord Jesus Christ and his saving grace which gives your spiritual eyes and ears the true sense of what makes this Christian experience different different from any other experience than you have ever had and your faith is now based on this and you begin to see the truth of God's word being entwined around your whole being, being made one with it, and seeing and understanding the beauty of salvation which has come from Christ's sacrifice on the cross and His undying love and matchless love for you. And the work of the Holy Spirit is appreciated in your life and it is not opposed or a big fight working against Him anymore. Your mind and your whole being is convinced that this is of God and you begin to believe with all of your heart and this truth which is now established and rooted in the eternal kingdom of your heart could never be uprooted because you are now willing to die for what you believe and this is because you see the light of the truth in the gospel of grace 2 Corinthians 4.3 but even if our gospel the glad tidings also being hidden, obscured, and covered up with a veil that hinders the knowledge of God. It is hidden only to those who are perishing and obscured only to those who are spiritually dying and veiled only to those who are lost. Verse 4, For the God of this world has blinded the unbelievers' minds that they should not discern the truth, preventing them from seeing the illuminating light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, the Messiah, who is the image and likeness of God. The reason people live in their feelings and base their religious experiences on their feelings is because they do not see the light of the truth They may have knowledge of the gospel and may understand certain facts about it, but they do not see its light. They are blinded because of wrong motives and their own carnal appetites, just like our examples of Simon the sorcerer with the intent to build his own kingdom, making God a means to his own end and Esau who preferred to satisfy his fleshly appetites in the moment by selling out his birthright. So no matter how many tears he cried the decision of God for him was irrevocable. The beautiful and supernatural light of the truth which our brother Apostle Paul speaks of in 2 Corinthians 4-5 when he says for what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ is Lord, and our lives merely as your servants, slaves for Jesus' sake. For God who said, Let light shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts, so as to beam forth the light for the illumination of the knowledge of the majesty and glory of God, as it is manifest in the person and is revealed in the face of Jesus Christ. This beautiful light, precious ones, is the divine light of God made to shine in our hearts, to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. God's word means what it says. And this is absolutely and most clearly then the divine work and life of God's own spirit who gives us and enables us to see by his supernatural light, He shines into our hearts the beauty of the gospel and preciousness of our Lord Jesus Christ. This divine light is the Spirit of God. He shines in our hearts, shows us the matchless beauty of Jesus, and convinces us of his all-sufficiency as our Savior. And we understand like Daniel the prophet when he said, I have purposed in my heart that I will not defile myself with the kings and princes of darkness as idols and defiled things. This true tangible evidence of my Christianity is now established in my heart because of the supernatural light of understanding and knowledge that's given me a sense of Christ that convinces me in a way nothing else could. And your soul now begins to understand as well that Jesus has paid the penalty for your sins and you understand that you are accepted by God because of Christ's precious blood sacrificed for your sins and your desire and obedience to God now comes to be a preferred allegiance to him rather than fighting against him. Jesus spoke in John 6.40 and he said, For this is my Father's will and his purpose that everyone who sees the Son and believes in and cleaves to and trusts in and relies on him should have eternal life and I will raise him up from the dead on the last day. What we are speaking of here, dear and precious church, is true and tangible evidence of your salvation. You must see the sun in the light of the truth which is shown in your heart by precious Holy Spirit giving witness to the eyes of your spirit that the preciousness of Christ's blood which was shed for you, then you shall have eternal life. You shall evidence the beauty of this salvation. And you can't help but manifest the beauty of your risen Lord. John 17 verse 6, Jesus said, I have manifested your name. I've revealed your very self. yourself to the people whom you have given me out of the world they were yours and you gave them to me and they have obeyed and kept your word now at last they know and understand that all you have given me belongs to you is really and truly yours for the uttered words that you gave me I have given them and they have received and accepted them and have come to know positively and in reality to believe with absolute assurance that I came forth from your presence and they have believed and are convinced that you did send me. Well, this is the proper foundation of faith and trust with the eyes of your spirit. This is saving faith. This belief is rooted and grounded in love. Jesus says they have received and accepted the words you gave Father and they have come to know positively and in reality to believe with absolute assurance that I came forth from your presence and they have believed and are convinced that you did send me. This is true spiritual evidence of your salvation. This is more than a vague feeling that Christ loves me or died for me or a feeling of gratitude for escaping the punishment of your sins. You see, many people are deluded by this kind of false pseudo-faith. If our faith, which is believing in the person of Jesus Christ, does not have the works of obedience to God's commands to back it up, it is destitute of power as we have been reading in the scriptures today. This means, again, it is a dead faith. But this true spiritual experience is because you have seen the light, is where your soul is inclined now to love God back as if by an all-powerful force has now apprehended your entire being and you sent yourself being drawn into his vortex of love. And you know that you have become God-hungry and this is more real than any fuzzy feeling that you may have experienced in the natural over any person or thing. Because now you are learning that these kinds of feelings and emotions are based on a self-love, a gratification that is of self. It's selfishness. And it's not a love for Christ Jesus who died for you. Our scripture is very real, which we have previously read in 2 Corinthians 4. When the apostle said, For God who said, Let light shine out of darkness, has shown in our hearts, so as to beam forth the light for the illumination of the knowledge of the majesty and glory of God as it is manifest in the person and is revealed in the face of Jesus Christ. I am saying, this is based on belief which illumined in our hearts and a love which is rooted in and established on and in the person of Jesus Christ. This produces and causes true desires after the things of God. The grace of God working in your hearts begins to surface up everything undesirable and unlovely. And as a result, we begin to hate every evil thing the Lord shows us. And we begin to respond to God in obedience to his commands with a holy, sincere, and a pure heart. And our zeal is based on love for God and not for self-gain or self-notice. and this brings us back then to our opening scripture which I believe will have greater meaning than it did when we started out today in James 2.17 bear with me again so also faith if it does not have works deeds and actions of obedience to back it up by itself is destitute of power inoperative dead but someone will say to you then you say you have faith and I have good works now you show me your alleged faith apart from any good works if you can't, and I will by good works of obedience will show you my faith. You believe that God is one, you do well. So do the demons believe in shudder and terror and horror, such as to make a man's hair stand on end and contract the surface of his skin. Our faith, our belief, which is the tangible evidence of our Christianity or salvation, must have works which are deeds and actions of obedience hear that again they are works and deeds and actions of obedience to Christ's commands to this word to the very word of God and these words deeds or good works are evidence of a genuine and tangible experience of God's grace working in our hearts and the man who says I know him but does not do what he commands is a liar and the truth is not in him well let's look finally at the scripture which I have endeavored to make impact upon your heart today in 1 John 2 verse 3 this is how we know we may discern daily by experience that we are coming to know him to perceive, to recognize understand and become better acquainted with him if we keep bear in mind and observe and practice his teachings, his precepts and commandments whoever says I know him I perceive, recognize, understand and am acquainted with him but fails to keep and obey his commands his teachings is a liar and the truth of the gospel is not in him but he who keeps treasures his word who bears in mind his precepts who observes his message in its entirety truly in him has the love of and for God been perfected, completed, reached maturity by this, we may perceive and know and recognize and be sure that we are in him. These few verses summed up for us say, when your hearts have been ravished by the beauty of Jesus Christ, how else can you respond to his love but by your honest and sincere obedience to please him because you love him and you have beheld the beauty of your Lord which is the greatest gift of God to man. And this gift is worth more than gold or silver of this earth. This gift is eternal and will never perish. This gift is eternal life. This gift is the life of God living in you right now is to be nourished and sheltered and protected from the ravishings of the world's care and the world's glitter and fashions and poles. This gift is heavenly and is to be taken serious. Let us bow our heads. Holy Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, I pray for the hearers of this word today that the truth of this word will capture their hearts by your precious Holy Spirit and cause this word as life to the very core of their being to live and bring about the understanding and tangible evidence of their Christianity and understanding personally the depths of their salvation. Holy Father, I pray the listener of this word would through the moving of your spirit upon them and in them take to heart the importance and seriousness of living in the obedience of your word and practice it as a way of life, preferring you, Lord, and at the illumination of the knowledge of the majesty of the glory of God as it is made manifest in the person and revealed in the face of Jesus Christ. Amen. Thank you.