Beloved friends, we greet you in the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We welcome you to another meditation from God's word on the subject, the assurance of salvation. Let me once again emphasize clearly that God's word contains words of assurance when in genuine sincerity of faith a penitent repentant sinner places his or her trust in the Son of God, for his and her salvation, believing that Christ alone, who was sent by his Father, accomplished that work of redemption upon the cross. And for all who by faith receive him, there are words of assurance we can know that we are saved. There can be no assurance of salvation without this, having believed upon the Lord Jesus. But unfortunately, may I say, just the opposite can be learned. For the word of God not only assures all those who believe upon Him that they are saved, but it also assures those who do not believe on His Son, they are in danger of everlasting punishment, even the late Messiah. You either have eternal life or you do not. You either face eternity with life and glory, or you face eternal death, at separation from God forever. But to all who believe, God reveals three sources of assurance from His Holy Word. We name them again. First, there is an external proof that I'm saved. Second, there is an internal proof that I'm saved. Third, there is an evidential proof that I'm saved. We have already spoken of the external proof in our preceding message. a proof that is found, not in oneself, but apart from self, from the word of God, the written word. Please remember the key verse that we have taken from first John chapter five. Verse thirteen, God saying, These things have I written unto you, that believe, that ye may know, that ye may be assured that ye have eternal life. Note very clearly, it is what God has written. Written in his word to us. From which we get the assurance. If you do not prove from the word of God that you were saved, my friend, you have no other external proof to show. Believe what God says. For example, believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved, said Paul and Silas in Acts, sixteen thirty-one to the Philippian jailer. God does not say thou shalt feel saved. Please note that. Thou shalt be saved. And if you will take him at his word, if you will receive his promise, if you will trust his son, I guarantee you may also feel saved. Please remember this. Believing is the root, and feeling is the fruit. I can say, I know that I'm saved, for God tells me so. The Lord Jesus did the work. I believe it, and that settles it for me. However, we wish to cover our subject thoroughly, for God has another source revealed in His Word to assure all who believe upon His Son and His redemptive work of their salvation. The second is this, the internal proof, not an external one, but internal, an internal witness. within the heart and the soul of the one who is believed upon the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now what is this internal proof? Within the believer to witness to the soul the assurance of salvation. Now listen carefully. That internal proof is the presence of the Spirit of God. The blessed comforter whom the Savior promised to send. often called the third person of the Godhead. For the Word of God clearly teaches the truth of a triune Godhead. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Three in one. One in three. And the one in the middle he died for me. Now let me present this proof of the Holy Spirit being a source of assurance. And first declare, unless you possess the Spirit of God, unless the Spirit of God dwells in you, according to the Word of God, you do not belong to Him nor to Christ. Listen to God's Word. Don't listen to any other words. Listen to God's Word and entirely rely on what God writes within His Word and put your confidence in your faith on that alone. Now let me present you some scriptures prayerfully and clearly. First of all, I quote from Romans chapter eight in verse sixteen, Paul writing to the believers at Rome, that spirit itself or himself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. Now note carefully that the Holy Spirit is an internal witness within, to witnessing to our spirit. Now you may ask, how does he witness to my spirit? telling me that I'm a child of God. Now let's not get mystical about it. Let's be sensible. How does the Spirit of God witness to me that I'm a child of God? Frankly, he uses the word of God. Don't try to pull a voice out of the air. Or you probably will be listening to the devil. Stick to the word of God. Now what has he to say from the word of God? Don't forget that the writer of the Bible or the writers of the Bible, they all wrote by the power of the Holy Ghost, according to Second Peter, one-twenty-one. So God speaks through his word, and the Spirit of God speaks through the same book. Stop listening to any other voice or voices. Now what does the Spirit of God say to me? Now I want you to go to another verse. Romans eight, nine. Now listen to these words. Paul's saying, Ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. If so be, the Spirit of God dwell where? In you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he's none of his. Now I want you to note the last phrase very carefully. Look at the meaning of it. Unless you possess the Spirit of God dwelling in you, you're not even saved. You're not even a Christian. You do not belong to God, nor to Christ. Now watch this. For sad to say, there are many enthusiastic but ignorant, so-called Christians that will try to tell you that after you are saved, you must seek to get the Holy Spirit. That is absolutely false. Listen to what God says. Shut your ears to everyone else. Right in Romans eight in verse nine, God tells anyone and everyone who does not have the indwelling spirit, they are not saved. Now, how do you get saved? Is it not by believing on Christ? Is it not by believing by the blessed spirit of God himself who convinced you and convicted you that you needed Christ for salvation? Now let me follow through to another verse which definitely tells me, When I believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, when I receive him as my Savior and Lord, the Holy Spirit enters into me to stay and dwell with me. Now listen to the Word of God. I quote from Ephesians chapter one, verse thirteen, Paul writing by the Spirit says, In Christ you also trusted after ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also, after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise. Now note first, who did you and whom did I trust for my salvation? Was it not Christ? We trusted him. When did we trust him? when we heard the gospel message, the word of truth, God's message of salvation. Now what happened when you and I, who have believed upon the Lord Jesus, trusted him? Now let me quote the verse again and read it literally as it means. Having believed, upon believing, ye have been sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise. It can be rendered, and I repeat it again, upon believing the moment I believe and the moment you believe my beloved fellow believer you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise now if you read Ephesians one and verse fourteen the presence of the Holy Spirit is the pledge the assurance when the Lord Jesus comes back he will claim the redeemed children and we shall be claimed by him when he comes for his glory. Ah, but let me also quote a word, another scripture from the lips of the Blessed Lord Jesus, again emphasizing the internal proof of assurance. But let me quote the words of the Lord Jesus from John chapter fourteen, sixteen, that you and I may realize it is an impossibility to be saved without also at the same time receiving the Holy Spirit. Let me quote the words of Jesus from John fourteen verse sixteen. I will pray the Father, he shall give you another comforter, meaning the Holy Spirit, that he may abide with you forever. And let me quote verse seventeen of the same chapter, wherein that verse Jesus says, You know him, meaning the Spirit, For he dwelleth with you, and he shall be in you. My beloved, are you assured from the word of God of your salvation? God doesn't lie. Rest upon his word. For when a sinner trusts the Savior, immediately upon believing, he or she is sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise. How long? Please listen to Ephesians four, verse thirty. the exhortation to the Christian by Paul. Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption, which means the day of the coming of the Lord. When the Savior comes to claim his blood children, my beloved, we raise the question, do you have the assurance of your salvation? First, Are you resting entirely on the promises of God's Word that, having believed on the Lord Jesus, you are saved? Are you assured that, according to His Word, you have within your heart the presence of the Holy Spirit? But may I ask the question to my unbelieving friends, why do you not believe on the Lord Jesus now? Father, may some sinner trust the Savior now, for His name's sake. Amen.