 And the title of our sermon this morning is believe in him, believe in him, and our text is John chapter 3 verse 16, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. Our study of John chapter 3 and our Lord's conversation with Nicodemus has been set against a backdrop. And the backdrop of that conversation, a backdrop of the Lord's teaching in John chapter 3 is the backdrop of man's depravity. All men are born depraved. Adam is our representative and the Bible says in Romans chapter 5 verse 12 that just as through one man sin entered the world and death through sin thus death spread to all men because all sin. Sin has affected every aspect of who you are. The Bible describes your heart as foolish, darkened and defiled. Your understanding is described by God's word as depraved. You are futile in your thoughts professing to be wise. All men outside of Christ are fools filled with all with all unrighteousness. We are spiritually blind and dead in our trespasses. This is God's assessment. God's assessment of you and I apart from the regenerating, transforming work of his spirit. It is what is meant by the term total depravity. It is a thorough and pervasive depravity. That depravity is clearly seen in the thoughts and intents of our evil hearts apart from Christ. Mark chapter 7 verse 21 says, for from within out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness and evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. He sums it up, all these things come from within and defile a man. The glorious truth, however, against the backdrop of that deplorable reality is that the history of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is the account of God's working in history to redeem this fallen man to himself. Why? Why? One, for his own glory. For the praise and the worship that is due his name, for the exaltation of his son. But secondly, because the Bible says that God is love, because God is love. This is not a sentimentalized or a sappy or a superficial kind of love. This is a love that is governed by God's perfect holiness. It is a love first for his own righteous character that upholds his own divine justice. It's a love that would not settle for anything less but that God would be holy and that God would be just. God's holiness is of such perfection, God's justice so pure and so undefiled, man's sin such a horrid stain and such an offensive blight on the character of God that to uphold his perfect justice and to preserve his perfect holiness, God would be right and just to cast mankind eternally into punishment. But the history of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, it's not a history about a hopeless condemnation whereby God, merely and only, vindicates his holiness and justice by glorifying himself in man's eternal punishment. The glorious truth of the Bible is God working in history to reverse the human tragedy of sin and to provide a means by which we may be saved. It's for our own good and for his eternal glory. It's a love that upholds God as just, but it's also a love that upholds God as the great justifier in all and such a way that God alone gets all the glory for it. There's only one way that this can be done. It's only one way that this can be done. It would take an immeasurable love. It would take an indescribable gift and it will take an indestructible faith. An immeasurable love, an indescribable gift and an indestructible faith. First an immeasurable love. A love so immeasurable as to be thoroughly unconditional. A love so great that flowing from it would be grace and mercy and kindness and compassion and patience and all toward those that are thoroughly undeserving in every possible way. Enemies of God by their wicked works. Out of that immeasurable love flows an indescribable gift. The chasm or the rift between God and man created by our own sin and rebellion against him is so great there can be no forgiveness of sin without the greatest of cost, the shedding of blood or the giving of life, that which is most valuable. To fully and finally and completely repair the breach would take a sacrificial gift on the part of God so great and so unimaginably high a cost that it is described in the Bible as indescribable. It would be the gift or the sacrifice of God's own son. In all of that calling for demanding an indestructible faith. Finally this great salvation would have to be so completely the work of God alone that it would render man unable to boast about anything and that God whose chief consideration is his own glory would have all of the glory to himself. The only appropriate response is that God gifted, God empowered and God preserved faith. All three of these points and immeasurable love and indescribable gift, indestructible faith are explained all beautifully in one simple but extraordinarily profound verse. Martin Luther called it the gospel in miniature. That is John chapter 3 verse 16. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. Such massive, such a massive compilation of wisdom in such a few words. I mean absolutely amazing. So what are we to do with these glorious truths that we find here? You're not merely just to sit back and ponder how good and loving God is. Of course God is good and loving. This is not like going and watching fireworks and then walking away and going back to your life. You're awed and impressed by the fireworks and then you go back no different than you were before. Maybe you've had your emotions stirred before by a great piece of music. Maybe you listen and now you listen to it over and over again because of the way it makes you feel. It's not that kind of an experience. You must believe in him. You must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. John writes this gospel so that you may believe in him. That you may believe that he is the Christ, the Son of God and the believing. You might have life in his name. This belief in Jesus Christ is not merely mental. It's not merely intellectual. It's not merely emotional. Being here is the way the Bible communicates genuine saving faith in Christ. You must entrust yourself to him for salvation. It's the only reasonable response to the gospel. The only reasonable response to what God has done. You must entrust yourself to him in order to follow Christ by faith. We'll see that as we get into our text. As we begin we need to understand the context that this verse is found in. John chapter 3 verse 16 is found in a context and the context is extremely important. John chapter 3 verse 16 is an explanation of the illustration just given by the Lord Jesus Christ in verses 14 and 15. In verse 14 Jesus Christ speaking to Nicodemus begins to recount for us the historical account that we find in Numbers 21 where the Israelites and the wilderness having grumbled and complained against God were judged. In judgment God sends fiery serpents among the people and many of those people it says they were bitten and died as a result of the snake bites. However Moses intercedes for the people of God and in an act of great mercy and in an act of great love toward a stiff necked and rebellious people God tells Moses to take a bronze serpent placed at the top of a pole. And that whoever is bitten would believe God, look at the serpent, look at the rescue, the remedy that God has provided and be saved. Jesus says then in verse 15, John chapter 3 verse 15 that in the same manner must the Son of Man be lifted up. He must, it is a divine necessity, be crucified, sacrificed on Calvary's cross. That's what he means by lifted up. So that those believing in God and the salvation that God has provided may look to Jesus Christ in faith trusting Him alone for salvation and placing that saving belief in Christ they would not perish but have eternal life. And all of that is because God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. So we see then in verse 16 this glorious act of mercy, this glorious act of love begins with an immeasurable love, point one, an immeasurable love, for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. Literally there, if you translated the text literally, so loved God the world. So, meaning in the same manner, in the same way, in the same way as what? In the same way that God demonstrated love for those wicked, stiff-necked and rebellious complaining and grumbling Israelites by providing for their rescue from the serpents, God demonstrated love toward the world in providing Christ. And the illustration, now think about for a moment what so loved the world then is emphasizing. Think about the context. Numbers 21 and the account of God saving the people from the fiery serpents is drawing attention first there to the total depravity of the people. Look at all that God had done for them. As we've said, He led them through the wilderness, provided them the fire by night, the cloud by day. He parted the waters of the Red Sea after rescuing them out of bondage in Egypt. He provided for them food from heaven, manna, which now their soul they say loaves. He provided them meat to eat, provided for them water out of the rock, gave them His law at Sinai. They heard His audible voice. Look at all that God has done and yet they grumbled and complained against the Lord accusing Him of bringing them out into the wilderness to kill them by the hands of the Amorites. All that God has done for them and yet they respond in great sin and rebellion. Their rebellion as shocking as it is, now consider the context. Their rebellion as shocking as it is can only be eclipsed there by the great love and mercy of God at saving them rather than blowing them up on the spot. It is a great mercy. It is a great kindness on the part of God. In this same manner, in this same manner, God loved the world. The sin of this wicked world against God is so absurdly wicked, is so absurdly pervasive, so offensive to God that in this context, in our context, that great wickedness of the world may only be eclipsed by how great the love and mercy of God that He would provide for our salvation rather than blowing us up on the spot. God didn't have to make provision for sin and yet He did. How great and wondrous the love of God. You see, the magnitude of God's love isn't primarily being described here by its scope in that it extends to the whole world. It certainly does. Not just a juice, but to men and women out of every tribe, tongue, and nation. It certainly does extend. But it is being described here primarily in its perfection, perfectly independent of how unlovable its object is. There's not anything lovely in us. Even our good is as a filthy rag before God. God's love is completely unconditional and sacrificial, a choice of God's own sovereign will. Just because in His own good pleasure He decided to perfectly glorifying to God alone, grounded exclusively in God alone. And look at the great love with which He loved us. He gave His own Son. He gave His own Son here in the context for a world that did not know Him. For a world that rejected Him, rebelled against Him. For a world that killed Him is His immeasurable love. We can only truly understand God's amazing love toward us when we more fully understand how completely unlovely we are, and then only in the light of Jesus Christ on the cross. You know, both of these truths have to be urgently pressed upon people today. Both have to be proclaimed and preached at the same time equally. We need constant reminding of both of these truths. The total depravity of man, the complete wickedness of man, the fall and how sinfully, offensively we rebelled against God, and the great love and mercy and grace and kindness and compassion and patience of a gracious, loving God. Listen to how Paul puts both of those truths together in Titus chapter 3 verse 3. He says to Titus, for we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But listen to the contrast. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy, He saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace, we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. You know, if you preach the love of God without its contrast and the wickedness of men, you get prideful, self-righteous people who admire the love of God, but see no need in themselves for a Savior. Mark chapter 2 verse 17, those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, Jesus says, but sinners to repentance. If you preach the wickedness of man without its hope for redemption in the love and mercy of God, then you get a despairing, discouraged, hopeless, faithless, legalistic people striving in their own strength for right standing with God. You preach the wickedness of man without its hope for redemption and the love and mercy of God. It sounds like Islam, doesn't it? Paul said to Titus again in chapter 2 verse 11, the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, and it's that grace that teaches us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in the present age. Revealing for the blessed hope, the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from every lawless deed. It's not going to be ourselves that drag us out of the pit of our own sin. It is the Lord Jesus Christ that has redeemed us from every lawless deed, and he's purifying for himself his own special people zealous for good works. All glory be to God. From the standpoint of these rebellious and dying Israelites in Numbers chapter 21, God showed love toward them all, didn't he? There were many there in the desert in the wilderness that day that were bitten and died. There were others that looked to God's provision, believed on God and were saved. God showed love toward them all, didn't he? By raising the serpent, providing a rescue was an act of love toward them all. The bronze serpent was raised for anyone to look. There was no other remedy provided. There was no other remedy provided. The bronze serpent was the only one. It was an act of mercy toward all of them in that God provided that remedy, whether they looked or whether they didn't. It was an act of mercy to all of them, whether they believed in God and in his provision and looked or whether they didn't. Here in John chapter 3 verse 16, this love of God is said to be directed to the world in the same way, in the same manner. The world here in context is the mass of fallen humanity. It is a general term used for humanity in a general sense. This is the world of John chapter 1 verse 10 that did not know him. This is the world of John chapter 3 verse 17 that his son was sent into. This is the world of John chapter 3 verse 19 that the light has come into where men love darkness rather than the light. There are two errors people often fall into in thinking about this. One error is that God only loves those who believe and therefore hates all those that are lost. That God only loves those who believe. The second error is that God loves everyone indiscriminately in exactly the same way. We could speak for weeks and weeks and weeks on this subject alone. The love of God. It is biblically true that God hates. And we need to understand that from the Bible. Jacob I have loved and he saw I have hated Romans chapter 9 verse 13. God hates all workers of iniquity, Psalm chapter 5 verse 5. God hates the one who sows discord among the brethren. He hates the false witness that speak lies from Proverbs chapter 6 verse 19. However, it is also equally true that God shows love and compassion toward lost people. Think about it for a moment now from Scripture. In Mark's account of the rich young ruler, in Mark chapter 10 verse 21, Jesus in speaking with the rich young ruler, it's interesting there, says that Jesus loved him. And the rich young ruler went away unsaved. The second great commandment in Scripture is to love your neighbor as yourself, right? Luke 10, a lawyer wanting to justify himself, ask the Lord Jesus Christ, well then who is my neighbor? And Jesus gave him the parable of the good Samaritan. They are to love everyone then if everyone is their neighbor. Jesus says that we are to even love our enemies. In the first Timothy chapter 2, we are to pray for all men, which is good and acceptable in the sight of God who desires in the desired will of God, desires all men to be saved. God has a will of desire and a will of decree. In God's will of desire, he desires that all men are saved. God doesn't take any pleasure in the death of the wicked. He takes no pleasure in the death of one who dies, but that they would turn from their wickedness and live. It's an act of compassion on the part of God. Finally, there is no greater act of love than the giving of the gospel. God doesn't do this in condemnation. Jesus Christ did not come into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. He offers the gospel freely in love and then commands all men everywhere to repent. That's an act of loving kindness on the part of God. That's a loving act. Paul says in Corinthians that we are to plead with the lost as though God were pleading through him, through us. The gospel offer is a sincere offer. It goes out to all sincerely, offered to all freely. It is the greatest act of love toward a lost world that Jesus Christ would give the gospel, that God would give the gospel in Jesus Christ. One of those who say that the world in John 3 verse 16 is referring only to believers without distinction to race, I would say that one, he so loved the world and whoever believes are not equal terms. If you look at John 3 verse 16, he so loved the world and then whoever believes, I think about this, that which is expressed by the one is not equally expressed by the other. There's a difference. I'll let you ponder that. There's a difference between the two. The world of verse 17 is inclusive of he who believes and the he who does not believe of verse 18. It includes both. In the context of the world includes those who believe and those who do not. There is a part of the world that rejects the light and is condemned in verse 19. The context here and the teaching of Scripture demands that a general love toward all humanity is in view here in John chapter 3 verse 16 and it is a love that is displayed in God's gracious offer of the gospel to all men. To those who believe that the world means that God loves everyone the same. John chapter 3 verse 16 is not teaching a universal salvation. The context clearly teaches that unbelievers will perish in eternal judgment. The Bible clearly teaches a particular or electing love reserved for those that God chooses of his own goodwill and pleasure. No one would fault me for saying that I love you but that I love my wife in a special way. Right? There is a particular love for my wife in the same way there is a particular way in which God loves those whom he has chosen for salvation. But just like Moses raises up the only remedy to a serpent bite in the wilderness, God raises up the only remedy before the entire world. It's the only remedy for the world whether they look to him or do not. Whether they reject him because they love darkness, they love walking in their evil or if they put their faith and trust in him and believe in him to eternal life, he is the only remedy, the only Savior, the only rescue, the only ransom for the whole world. When John says in 1 John chapter 2 verse 2 that he himself is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but also for the whole world, it is in the sense that he is the only propitiation, the only possible wrath satisfying sacrifice that God has provided for the world. If they believe in him, then they have their sins propitiated. They have the wrath of God satisfied for them on behalf of them. When Paul says to Timothy that Jesus gave himself a ransom for all, it means that he is the only ransom available. Jesus Christ is the only mediator. He is the only ransom. He is the only Savior. He is the only reconciler. He's the only one that can repair the breach. God sends he is the only one that is offered up. If men are to be saved, they must look to Christ alone in faith. They must believe in him. God sending his son for the mass of sinful, fallen, lost humanity. This is the greatest act of love. He is the only reconciler, the only Savior. If men are going to be saved, they're going to look to Christ alone. So how great is the love of God for this sinful world that he sent his only begotten son? How great, how immeasurable the love of God for this wicked world that he gave that gift. John MacArthur said this, God so loved the world, wicked though it was. And despite the fact that nothing in this world was worthy of his love, he nevertheless loved the world of humanity so much that he gave his only begotten son. The dearest sacrifice he could make so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. The end result of God's love is therefore the gospel message, the free offer of life and mercy to anyone who believes. In other words, the gospel, an indiscriminate offer of divine mercy to everyone without exception, manifests God's compassionate love and unfaigned loving kindness to all humanity. It's just a testimony to God's great love. The hymn that we sang, the love of God, very famous hymn by Frederick Lehman. The last stanza in there is considered by many to be the greatest words of any hymn ever written. And the last verse goes like this. Could we with ink the ocean fill and were the skies of parchment made, were every stalk on earth a quill and every man ascribed by trade, to write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry, nor could the scroll contain the whole though stretched from sky to sky. God's love is immeasurable. It was written by a man, we don't know who, the third verse. The first two verses written by Frederick Lehman, the third verse scrawled on the wall of an insane asylum, where a man had been a patient there and wrote those verses on that verse on the wall. Like those Israelites, think about now for a moment all that God has done for you. All that God has done for you, the love and mercy and grace and compassion that God has shown you. If you're in Christ, certainly meditate on the love and grace and mercy of God toward you. If you're outside of Christ, if you've never turned and put your faith and trust in him, think about all that God has done for you. You think to yourself, maybe God is planning to condemn me. He's going to glorify himself in my condemnation. You may think that my sin is too great, my heart too rebellious. But remember the words of Scripture, God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. Look at all the many ways in which God has shown love toward you. An amazing love. He's presented you with the Gospel many times if you've been here. Many times you've heard the Gospel. You have a Bible in your hand. You're surrounded by genuine brothers and sisters who love you and care for your soul. Many of you, you kids have grown up in a family where your mother or father taught you the Scriptures. They've shown you from the Bible all that God has done for you. The glory is grace and mercy of God to you kids who have grown up with parents like that. The Bible says that God takes no pleasure in the death of one who dies. No pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked would turn from his wickedness and live. God desires that you would be saved. God desires that you... Not that he's going to condemn you. He didn't send Jesus Christ into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. God desires that you be saved. The desired will of God. Don't grumble and complain against God like those wicked Israelites in the desert. When he comes to you in immeasurable love with the Gospel, you must believe in him. Believe in him for eternal life. Let me also give you this warning. For God so loved the world here in verse 16. It's not an excuse for presumption. Men have presumptuously claimed the love of God while they have lived in their sin. You better understand your Bible. A presumptuous view of the love of God will leave you in your sin and stand before God one day on judgment day saying, Lord, Lord, while he cast you into hell. I was witnessing to a man on the college campus last week and he was presuming upon the love of God to think that he could have gotten into heaven without repentance. Just presuming on the love of God. God is so loving he would never send anyone to hell. And he was living in his sin. We'll see the balance of this, the biblical balance of this next week in verses 17 to 21. Secondly though, this immeasurable love then is demonstrated with an indescribable gift. An indescribable gift. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. The greatest gift of God to this world is the gospel in which God delivered up. He sacrificed, he endured the loss of it. That's what the sense of that word is there. He sacrificed his only monogonase, his radically distinctive, unique, one of a kind without equal son. The only man who was ever perfectly worthy of the love of God. Paul describes it as indescribable. Too glorious to be expressed in words. He made him who knew no sin to be sinned for us. That we might become the righteousness of God in him. It's only through Christ that we come to know the love of God and to love God. It's only in Christ. The word there for only begotten, better translated unique or one of a kind. It does not mean that Jesus Christ was created or that he came into being. The Bible never teaches that and any reasonable person would see that as error. Christ's uniqueness is another aspect that points to the greatness of the gift. His radical distinctiveness, his one of a kind without equal. Another aspect that points to the greatness of the gift. Jesus Christ was not a created being. Jesus Christ was incarnate God. God, when he gave the gift of his only begotten son, he is giving a gift of himself. God in the flesh. All the promises of God are yes and amen in him. Now think about your great need and the great gift of God. You need a perfect substitute. If you were to stand before God with your own sin, you're worthy of hell. And yet Jesus Christ, the gift of God, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, is the perfect substitute exactly what you need. He never sinned in word, thought, or deed. Perfect life. Perfectly fulfilling all of the righteous demands of God. You need a wrath satisfying sacrifice. You need someone to take your punishment for you. You don't want to go to hell when you die. You need someone who can take that eternal punishment for you. And Jesus Christ comes along, perfect gift, and takes the punishment that you rightly deserve. And takes it in his body, the Bible says, on the tree. You need someone who can conquer death. You have no power over death. The Lord Jesus Christ conquered death. You need a Savior. Jesus Christ is a perfect Savior. So what will you do? This is an indescribable gift. A gift of God himself, a gift of God's only Son. It cost God everything to redeem you. What will you do when that gift is being offered to you? Right now, if you're here this morning and you're not saved, God again is freely offering the gift of his Son, desiring that you would be saved. Not desiring to condemn you, but to save you. Not taking pleasure in the death of the wicked, but desiring that you would be saved. God freely offers the gift of the gospel to you again. What will you do? Will you be indifferent? Will you sit there with a cold heart? Or will you be grateful to God for the gift and turn to Christ believing in him and be saved? Will you make excuses and shun his grace? Stop making excuses. This is a free offer of the gospel. The glorious truth of the cross is that it is a free offer from the grace of God in Christ to you that if you will put your faith in him, he will justify you to himself, reconcile you to himself. You must believe in him. Turn from your sin. Here we're talking about faith. Point around your notes. This is an indestructible faith. Whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Hebrews chapter 11 says that without faith it is impossible to please God. Ephesians 2 says that we are saved by grace through faith. To believe in him and to have faith in him are expressing the exact same thing. God's grace and mercy is only available for those who believe in Christ. Literally there, it's all believing ones. That all believing ones should not perish but have everlasting life. It's a present active participle. It is an ongoing present reality. Those who believe in Christ is describing the look. The look to the bronze serpent that was raised. The Son of Man has been lifted up. Look to the Son of Man in faith. Believing God. It's that simple reception that then bears fruit in your life. Expressing this from a negative perspective, from the negative perspective it says if you believe you won't perish. Meaning that if you are unbelieving right now you are already perishing. You're condemned already. It's exactly what verse 18 says. He who believes in him is not condemned but he who does not believe is condemned already because he is not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. If you were to die now unbelieving you would perish. Your default position is as condemned. And it's because of your sin. And that condemnation is final and eternal. In the same way that life is eternal that condemnation is eternal. However the purpose of the Son in his first coming was not to condemn but to save. There is a promise from the positive perspective of eternal life to all those who believe in him. A promise that those who would believe in him would never perish. That means that salvation, genuine salvation can never be lost. That once you are in Christ God will preserve you and you will persevere to the end and be saved. You are kept by God's power. Listen to 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 3. Peter says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that does not fade away reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. The Lord preserves those who are his. Preserves them in that present active ongoing believing. Those who are believing and everyone, every person who is believing will not perish but have everlasting life. So what does it mean to believe in him? To believe in him. And this is getting to the very point that John is writing this Gospel that you would believe in Christ that he is the Son of God and believing you would have life in his name. Believing is to entrust yourself to him for salvation. As those in the wilderness that day looked to the bronze serpent entrusting themselves to the remedy the rescue that God had provided and believing in God for it were saved from the fiery serpents you must entrust yourself to Christ for salvation. This is no mere emotional response only. This is a response grounded in the truth of the Word of God and the truth of who Christ is. This is not a subjective belief only without any evidence. There is great evidence for our faith. In faith it is you placing yourself at the complete disposal of the Lord Jesus Christ with a spiritual hope and convictions that are rooted and grounded in the Word of God. You believe in him. You entrust yourself to him. You trust him despite what goes on in you or what goes on around you. You trust in him in all things. Listen to the example again of Christ from 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 21. He says for this you are called because and listen to our great example the example of the Lord Jesus Christ for to this this faith you were called because Christ also suffered for us leaving us an example that you should follow his steps and here's the example that he left us. Who Christ committed no sin nor was deceit found in his mouth who when he was reviled did not revile in return when he suffered he did not threaten but committed himself to him who judges righteously. That's faith. That's an example of faith from the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Despite your circumstances despite what goes on in you or what goes on around you you commit yourself to him who judges righteously. You commit yourself to Christ. Christ entrusted himself to God as we are to entrust ourselves to Christ. Whatever circumstances he gave himself over to the purposes and plans of God. Is this a mystic feeling? No. Is this subjective experience only? No. This kind of faith is a self-denying kind of faith. To believe in Christ to put your faith in him to entrust yourself to him is to turn from the old man is to put off those old appetites that once enslaved us by trusting in Christ. It means to confront that temptation that rises up against you with a courageous faith in Christ choosing Christ rather than the passing pleasures of sin. True faith denies the will of the flesh. True faith denies the world. Denies the devil and chooses Christ. Not my will, but your will be done. It chooses Christ and then it bears the fruit then of obedience. There's a great promise here if you put your faith in Christ you won't perish. You'll have everlasting life. If you'll today, even right now where you're seated just turn from your sin. I don't want that life anymore. I want to entrust my soul entrust all that I am to all that he is a glorious savior one who has given everything an immeasurable love an indescribable gift to redeem me I entrust myself completely to him and to him alone if you'll come to Christ in that abandoning kind of faith then the promise is given to you in John chapter 6 verse 37 all that the Father gives me will come to me and the one who comes to me I will by no means cast out the word says that you'll not perish but have everlasting life turn from your sin you must believe in him it's a great salvation amen? amen let's pray Father in heaven Lord God we praise you and worship you thank you for this glorious salvation God thank you for this demonstration of immeasurable love in that you gave your only begotten son for wicked sinners that everyone who believes should not perish but have everlasting life God what a glorious demonstration of the perfections God of your character your justice your perfect holiness but also God your great love the great love with which you loved us out of which flows grace and mercy and compassion and kindness and patience we praise you God and thank you for these glorious truths just root them deep within our heart there's anyone here not saved God I pray that you would save them for your name it's in that name that we pray amen