Beloved friends, we greet you in the precious name of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. We welcome you to the study and to the meditation of God's holy word, and that great theme, the assurance of salvation. It is not only grand to be saved, but it is grand to be saved and know it. To be assured, beyond any doubt, to be able to say, I know, I know, that I am saved. Oh, my beloved friend, we pray that you can save us. But let me once again repeat, as in our previous message we said, God desires every believer in the Lord Jesus to know, to be assured that they are saved. And we quote the words of God again from First John chapter five, verse thirteen. 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, meaning to be assured of it. First of all, we have emphasized from the Word of God that believing is not merely a mental agreement, but from John chapter one and verse twelve, believing is receiving a person. For as many as received him, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to them, not to others, but to them, gave he the power, meaning the right, the privilege, or the authority, to be called the sons or the children of God, even to them that believe on his name. Therefore we present the question, my beloved listener. Have you, my friend, through faith receive Christ the Son of God into your heart. For believing is not a question of the head, but it is a hard question. We would neither ask, what is your church association or affiliation of any kind upon the earth? But do you possess Christ? Have you received him? You and I must forget all others. You and I have to do with Christ. and his redemptive work which he performed upon the cross alone for our salvation. Now we state to those who believe God's word reveals three sources of assurance. We mention them briefly. First, there is an external proof that I am saved. Second, God's word reveals there is an internal proof that I'm saved. Third, God's word reveals there is an evidential proof that I am saved. Now, we must proceed and consider them separately. First, consider with me the external proof of salvation, whereby I can know that I am saved. Now, listen very carefully. This is most important. So many beloved believers are constantly depending upon feelings inside of them, instead of listening to what God in His Word declares about salvation. In other words, my friend, let me ask this. Could you give to me a verse of Scripture, or more than one verse if necessary, confirming the fact that God tells you you were saved. Now don't be anxious to state, you join the church, that's not the answer, don't state you were baptized, don't tell me that you take the Lord's Supper or teach a Sunday school class, which may be good in his place, but does God from His Word assure you you were saved? Can you show me or anyone from the Word of God a written verse telling you are saved. Now if you are not resting your soul salvation on the authority of God's word, you better check yourself about your salvation. For listen to God's word, which can and will assure me and you of being saved. There are many scriptures we can find, but let me just refer to a few familiar ones. First I'm going to take the most familiar, one that is known perhaps by all. John three sixteen. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, then whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. Perhaps you know the verse well. It tells you, I'm sure you realize, first of all, God's love for all of us, for you, for me. And then it comes at his great gift that he gave, the gift of his son. And I'm sure you will realize he gave that son to die on the cross of Calvary for your sins and for mine. Then you will know very carefully, God then makes a promise that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. He declares, first a fact, he has loved us. Then he declares an act. Because he loved us, he gave his son to die for us. Then God makes an agreement. He makes a pact, an agreement that whosoever believeth in him, on him, his son. Because he loved us, he gave that son. Whosoever believeth on him is the promise to those who believe. Now my friend, have you believed? I have, and may I point out, whosoever believeth the word whosoever includes you. And it includes me. It includes anyone. And what is its promise? Shall not perish. Please note the promise. Shall not perish, but have everlasting life. Is God a liar? I'm sure you would never say that. Then if Christ is my Savior, if Christ is your Savior, If by faith I trust Christ and receive him, and you do the same, what does God say? He says, you have, not you shall have, you have right now, half everlasting life. God says so. But may I point out, my friend, he has not only said it, he's written it down. Here is the written proof. I did not write it. God wrote the word. And did God write the truth? You know he did, as the psalmist once said, Let God be true in every man a liar. Ah, my beloved, look, when I believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ, it's God that says I'm saved, and I take him as his word. But let me give another verse. John five, twenty-four. Verily, verily, meaning of a truth, I say unto you, He that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me, half everlasting life, shall not come into condemnation, but if passed from death unto life, Twice the Lord writes, I'm telling you the truth, verily, verily, and you can depend upon what he says. And you can listen to his word. And he says, if you listen to my word and if you believe that my Father sent me into the world to save you, right now you have everlasting life. I do not have to wait until I die and go into eternity, but I can know it. Now that I have everlasting life. God says you do not have to wait. I give to those who believe right now everlasting life. Further, they shall never come into judgment for their sins when they believe that Jesus died for them, and they have received him. Shall never come into condemnation, meaning judgment. And further still, That man, that woman, that boy, that girl, who believes and receives Christ is, right now, already is, passed from death to life. My beloved friend, stop trying to feel it. Read it and believe it. It is God's word. He wrote it. Jesus said it. Who is there better than our God so great who can tell you and me we are saved? God said it, Jesus did it, I believe it, that settles it. My beloved friends, are you willing to rest your faith on what God's word says? This external proof that it is God himself who writes the words of assurance? Why not? Did not the beloved apostle Paul once say, for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me? And if you as a repentant, believing sinner, have heard his message of salvation, if you have received his Son, if you believe God sent that Son to pay the penalty of your sins, can you not take him at his word and say, I believe I received thy Son. I accept thine assurance from thy word. And may I say, my friend, don't listen to any other source. Let me give you one more text. First John chapter five and verse twelve. He that hath the Son hath life. He that hath not the Son of God hath not life. Now that is a perfectly clear and simple explanation. If I have received the Son of God by faith, God says I have what? Yes, life, meaning eternal life. Now if I've never taken the Son as my Savior, I do not have life. And the whole matter rests just as God declares it. on possessing his son. Now, my beloved friend, if you ask what proof outside of myself and apart from all others, whereby I know that I am saved, whereby you too can know that you're saved, the true external proof must come, and it does come, from the Word of God. Tis not a question of the church. Tis not a question of the preacher. Tis not a question of the priest. Tis not the question of the Christian worker. Name who and what you will. Telling me that I'm saved. I must have God's authority, and it must come from the word of God. As a sinner, I came to God repentant, and in simple faith I put my trust in Christ, His beloved Son, whom I believe, died for my sins. Now I'm resting upon God's unbreakable promises. And there are many of them, but let me quote one more. John three, thirty-six. He that believeth on the Son half everlasting life. Truly I can sing in the words of the old hymn. Gratefully can I sing it. Verily, verily, I say unto you, verily, verily, message ever knew. He that believeth on the Son tis true, half everlasting life. Oh, beloved, listen. The external assurance, I look at the written word of God, it's God's word. I have believed. And God says, John, you have everlasting life. God said it. I believe Jesus did it for me. And I believe it. And I can gratefully say, that settles it. Blessed Father. Oh, that some dear sinner will put his and her trust in the Lord Jesus now. And every saint rejoiced in eternal life through Christ the Lord. Amen.