Beloved friends, we greet you in the precious name of the Lord Jesus, our Saviour. We welcome you to the meditation of God's precious Word. We will commence a short series of messages on an important theme, the assurance of salvation, meaning that we can know that we are saved, to be assured of it. And this can only be proved by the Word of God, which reveals that we are either saved or we are lost. It either assures us of going to heaven, or, on the other hand, be assured we are headed for hell. The same precious book, The Word of God, not your word, nor mine, but God's word will clearly tell you and me which direction your soul and mine is traveling. Now let us commence our subject. The assurance of salvation... by taking a key text which is found in first epistle of John chapter five verse thirteen in order to prove first of all that God's word definitely indicates we can know that we are saved here are the inspired words these things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God that she may know that she have eternal life and that she may believe on the name of the Son of God. First John chapter five, verse thirteen. Please take in the purpose for which the apostle has written this epistle, that she may know that she have eternal life. Do not misread it. It does not say that you may think that she have eternal life. Neither does it say that she may hope to have eternal life. God says that she may know it. If you're interested enough, I suggest that you read the epistle of First John through from beginning to the end, and underscore every occasion you read the word K-N-O-W, no. You will count twenty-seven times, I believe, it is used. But let me further add, in the original translation, the Greek text, there is another form of the word no, in addition to this one. and altogether found forty-two times. So do realize that God is saying to those who have believed upon the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, I want you to know, I want you to be assured of your salvation. Now let us raise the question first. What does it mean to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? This should be properly understood. For unfortunately, and sometimes disastrously, there are some letters stray from the true meaning of it, as God's word teaches it. It does not mean a mere mental agreement to a fact which God has stated, for it is not a matter that is settled in the mind, but rather in the heart. Here again we can realize the emphasis that God places upon believing. Suppose we take John's Gospel. Note the repetition and the emphasis that God makes by using the word believe or the word faith. If you will find it, you will notice approximately one hundred times in the Gospel of John the word believe or faith is recorded. Let me repeat this. If you go through John's Gospel and note the many, many times the word believe or believeth or believing is found, Again, let me raise the question, what then does it mean to believe? It must be. It's got to be more than a mental agreement. Now let me give you one example. From John chapter nine, verse thirty-five, through thirty-eight. Jesus asked the blind man whom he had restored sight to, Does thou believe on the Son of God? The man answered, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? Jesus said, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. The man said, Lord, I believe and worship him. Was not this man face to face with the person of the Son of God? And from his confession of faith and his worship of the Savior, did he not reveal that this transaction was much more than any mental acknowledgement. It was a transaction of his heart. not only the acknowledgement who Jesus was, but the receiving of that blessed person, the Son of God, within the heart. Please let me take the words of the Apostle John, quoting them from chapter one of his Gospel, verse twelve, to reveal what it really means to believe. Listen to the words. But as many as received him, meaning Christ, the Son of God, to then gave thee power, meaning authority to be called the sons or the children of God, even to them that believe on his name. Please, will you note, it is the believing heart receiving the person of the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Let me go a little further to verify this. Let me quote from Romans chapter ten, verse nine and ten. Listen to these words. If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Please let me exhort. Do not use your mouth to say that you were saved, unless you have first believed in your heart, that Christ has died for your sins, that he was buried and rose again the third day, which is the gospel, according to First Corinthians fifteen, verses three and four. Salvation is not merely a matter of mental acknowledgement. For what is wrong with all of mankind is, not the head, as much as the heart. Did not Jeremiah write, it is the heart that is desperately wicked and deceitful above all things. Who can know it? Jeremiah chapter seventeen in verse nine. I would not ask you, my beloved listener, if you know Christ in the head, but do you know and do you possess Christ in your heart? Not alone believing who he is and what he has done to save you, but have you received him within your heart? I wonder if you ever have read the story of Zacchaeus and the salvation of this publican, recorded in Luke chapter nineteen, telling us how he was saved. Though he was the chief of the publicans, and a despised Jew because of his odious profession as a tax collector? Yet he became desirous to see Jesus who he was, the one who evidently was changing the life of publicans and tax-gatherers. And when he heard that the Savior was coming along the way, he climbed into the sycamore tree, being small as statue, unable to look over the people in the crowd. He climbed up into the tree to see Jesus as he came that way. How greatly surprised he was when the Savior stopped and looked up and spoke from the ground. And said to Zacchaeus, as he called him by name, Zacchaeus, make haste and come down. For today I must abide at thy house. And he made haste and came down. and received Jesus joyfully. Luke nineteen, verses five and six. My beloved friend, please let me emphasize what it means to believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Tis not the mere acknowledgement of the mind, the mental assertion regarding what you have heard of him, but have you received him into your heart. My beloved listener, if you never have, why should you not do it now? Let me quote the precious words of the Savior from the book of the Revelation chapter three and verse twenty. How indicative these words are of his attitude toward those who still know him not. Here we hear him say, Behold, I stand at the door, meaning the heart's door, and then knocking. If any man hear my voice and will open the door, I will come into him and sup with him and he with me. Revelation chapter three and verse twenty. Ah, my beloved friend, to those who believe, to those who receive him, their blessed Redeemer, who they believe shed his blood to save them, To those who are the children of God by faith in Christ, God reveals through His precious word sources of divine assurance of possessing eternal life. God's word reveals three blessed sources of assurance which we desire to consider in our subsequent messages. But first of all, most important to begin with, The question that Jesus asked the blind man whom he healed in John chapter nine we bring to you. Does thou believe on the Son of God? If not, we ask faithfully, lovingly, earnestly, with your heart will you receive him now? Then you can open your mouth and confess him. Again we repeat the words. For with the heart man believeth, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Settle your soul's salvation in your heart first, before you open your mouth. There are too many who have professed salvation with their mouth, often very loudly, who have never believed with the heart. Oh, my beloved friend, can we not say the words of the dear old chorus that many times as children we sang, Into my heart, into my heart, come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Come into day, come into stay, come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Beloved, we raise the question, Have you believed upon the Son of God? Have you received him? For to as many as received him, the person who did the work to save you, to them he gives the power to be called the children of God, even to them that believe upon his name. Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus, by the Holy Spirit, sanctify and bless the truth to every listener's heart in Jesus' name for his glory. Amen.