Believing God, not just believing about God, is what saves a person and makes them a Christian. The sermon distinguishes between intellectual assent to facts about God and a personal trust that throws oneself upon Him, taking Him at His word. This personal faith, exemplified by the experience of realizing one's sins are washed away, leads to repentance and a desire to follow the Lord. The message concludes by pointing to John the Baptist's ministry as a call to prepare the way for Christ, urging listeners to receive God's word today.
Restored with Diffio
Audio restored with Diffio. Diffio processed the original archive recording to reduce noise and produce a cleaner listening version; the original stays available.
Speech quality score (model-estimated, SCOREQ): before 2.02 → restored 4.56
Good morning, neighbor. How are you today? Here we are again with Moments of Melody, five minutes to help you begin your day with a song. There are two kinds of believing. First, a believing about God, which means that I believe that what is said of God is true. This kind of faith is rather a form of knowledge than of faith. And then is this secondly a believing God which means that I put my trust in Him and believe without any doubt that He will be and do to me according to the things He said.
Such faith throws itself upon God, whether in life or in death, and makes a man a Christian. In other words, although believing things about God is important, It is only personally believing in God that saves a man. I simply take him at his word. I praise him that my plea is heard, and claim my answer from the Lord. I take. He undertakes. Oh, how well do I remember how I felt it day by day?
For I did not know for certain that my sins were washed away. When the Spirit tried to tell me, I would not the truth receive, I endeavored to be happy and to make myself believe. But it's real, it's real.
Oh, I know it's real. Praise God, the doubts are settled. Oh, I know it's real. I know it's real. We're reading God's word from the translation of Monsignor Ronald Knox. The Gospel of St. Mark, chapter one, verse one. The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is written in the prophecy of Isaiah, behold, I am sending before thy face that angel of mine who is to prepare thy way before thee. There is a voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, straighten out his paths.
So it was that John appeared in the wilderness baptizing, announcing a baptism whereby men repented to have their sins forgiven. And all the country of Judea and all those who dwelt in Jerusalem went out to see him, and he baptized them in the river Jordan while they confess their sins. How wonderful when people really believe.
It causes them to see themselves as they really are. Then they'll want to repent and turn away from their sins and trust in the Lord Jesus. John the Baptist was pointing the way to Christ. People were coming to him. I wonder are you receiving the message that God has for you in the Bible? John the Baptist isn't here any longer, but God has left his word to speak to us.