Beloved friends, we greet you in the precious name of the Lord Jesus. We welcome you to the ministry of God's Word again as we conclude the brief series on the great important subject, the assurance of salvation. Our basic text, which we found at the beginning, was taken from First John chapter five and verse twelve. God's saying, These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know, meaning right now, that ye have eternal life. God wants his believing children to know and to be assured of eternal life now. We propose from the word of God alone that there are three sources of assurance for the believer. First, an external proof. based upon definite facts of assurance declared in the Word of God. Statements of divine origin that concern the blessedness of salvation to all who believe on the Son of God, whereby it is God that says, I am saved. I take God in His Word. I know that Jesus did the work. I believe it. And that has settled it. Then we studied an internal proof. The Word of God reveals that. The presence of the indwelling Spirit of God. For we read that upon believing we are sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise. Ephesians one thirteen. My fellow believer, let this fact and this truth from the Word of God assure you that upon believing God gives you the presence of His Holy Spirit. And third, we now consider the last source of assurance which we mentioned, proving also the first two that we have already considered. Now, this last source that we take, the third, is the evidential proof of salvation, meaning literally, the evidence of the life. Did not the Lord Jesus say on one occasion, whereby or wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them? Matthew seven and verse twenty and did he not give express command in that wonderful chapter of the fifteenth of John that all of his followers should bear fruit for his glory and for the glory of his father now may we state we want to take a proper balance of this great subject the theme of the assurance of salvation the beloved apostle John in his first epistle where the Spirit of God assures the believer of eternal life. John also includes the necessity of true evidence of this being produced in and through the believer in his and her life. One has properly stated it is a grand thing to be saved and to know it, but it is better to be saved and show it. Now, my friend, this is important. and it has its bearing upon the assurance of salvation. Now let me read the words of First John, chapter two and verse four. In regard to any person who makes an empty profession, who professes to be saved, but fails to prove the reality of it. Here's what John writes. He that saith, meaning with his mouth, he professes to be saved. I know him, meaning I know Christ, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar and the truth is not in him now if you please note carefully and very clearly the apostle by the spirit of God is very bold he insists that if a professing believer has no desire and gives no evidence of obeying the word of God then that profession is empty false and in other words that life indicates no evidence of the reality of being saved. Now John said it, and the Spirit of God writes it. Now go to the words of John in First John chapter three in verse nine. They may be a little difficult to take in, but may God help us to understand them. John writes, Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin. Now please permit me to be very clear. These words By repeating them, we need to clearly understand them, for it would be a mistake, and some do make the mistake, by saying that a Christian cannot sin while in this earth. Now, beloved, that's not true, and anybody can prove it. Better is it to understand the meaning of what John has written by recording it this way. Whosoever is born of God does not practice. meaning he or she does not make a habit of sinning or continuing in sin now does not this sound sensible for that new life the life of God in the born-again Christian that new life does not encourage the believer to sin that new seed God's seed is a new nature which cannot sin yet though still possessing we do still possess that old nature while we're in this body don't tell me I know different that though I'm a Christian have been one for over seventy some years I know I can still sin but I do thank God I'm not practicing sinning it's an evidence I've been born again and so the born again believer will by the evidence of the life show a great change forsaking those previous habits of sin Do not the words of the hymn once sung by many Christians. Are they not true? What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought since Jesus came into my heart. God expects a change, and others expect a change, and the evidence will be the proof of a genuine salvation. Thank God. But now listen to first John chapter three and verse fourteen. We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren we love our fellow Christians now one good evidence of genuine salvation is to love God's people and his family my personal testimony I thank God I can give regarding this for before I was saved I had no desire to stay around Christians but strange to say but true As soon as I was saved, I wanted to be with my Christian fellow believers, and I still do. This is a proof assuring me that I'm saved. I love Christians. Not only that, can I not also add, I love the word of God. And surely you can see that from our first text we took from chapter two in verse four. If any man doesn't want to keep the word of God, it shows he doesn't love that word, no matter if he does say he or she is saved. Yes, my beloved. Love for Christians. Love for the Word of God is an evidence. And I will say, the moment the Lord saved me, I bought the biggest Bible as soon as I could. What for? I wanted to read God's Word and know more of my Savior. Now let's go to another scripture. First John chapter five, please. Verse four and five. For whatsoever is born of God, overcometh the world. And this is the victory that overcometh the world. Our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? That world, ah, my beloved, under the rule of Satan, controlled by sin and its power, it is filled with temptations, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. But without Christ as our Savior, without faith in him, one cannot be victorious in overcoming that world. But with Christ, A genuinely born-again believer has power to overcome that world in his temptations. And in so doing, it is a blessed evidence that this is an assurance of salvation. Let me quote the words of Jesus. John, verse thirty-three. In the world ye shall have tribulation but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. And the one who overcame the world stands ready to help me to do the same. and in the evidence of the life. In overcoming the world, salvation is proved. Let me quote the testimony of a dear old man, when challenged by his fellow workers, as they said to him, when he confessed Christ, Uncle, what can you do when the devil comes around and tempts you? You're no match for the devil. I think of the reply that dear old brother gave and never have forgotten it. He looked at the questioner and said, I tell you what I've done. When the devil comes round and tempts me, I get down on my knees and I pray. And I says, Lord, help me. The devil and tampering with tampering with your property. My goodness, he was right. The devil and tampering with your property. And yes, thank God we have a helper in the person of Christ. Oh, beloved, let me say, as we have covered even this far, and particularly today, The evidence of the life. It is important. Let me clearly state what John says. If you have no evidence, you're a liar if you say you're a Christian. And may I say, it may be little, it may be much, but even a little of it can prove that you have the assurance that you're saved. But I invite you to have a lot of evidence. May God give us all more evidence of being saved. Now let me recapitulate the study that we followed. On the great subject the assurance of salvation, by stating that God wants his children to know that they are truly saved and possess eternal life. First, we noted the external proof. God says I am saved. When I truly receive Christ as my Lord and Savior and trust his atoning death for my sins, God says I shall not perish. I have everlasting life. I take him at his word. Second, there is the internal proof. On believing, according to God's word, I have received the Holy Spirit. He dwells within me. God says so. And God also says, if he does not, I don't belong to him. And the blessed spirit of God witnesses with my spirit that I am God's child. And he does it through the promises of the blessed word. And then we have touched upon today the evidential proof. The change of life. A love for God, a love for Christ, a love for His Word, a love for His people, and forsaking the old habits of sin. All these give the evidence and blessed assurance of salvation. Now let me close, my friend, by asking you, do you have eternal life? Are you saved? It's the greatest thing that can take place in your history, only through believing and through receiving the Son of God by faith and trusting His death. Can you receive eternal life? If you've never done it, Will you not say these words? At least say them in substance. Jesus, I will trust thee. Trust thee with my soul. Guilty, lost, and helpless. Thou canst make me whole. There is none in heaven nor on earth like thee. Thou hast died for sinners. Therefore, Lord, for me. Father, we pray in the precious name of the Lord Jesus, pleading the merit of his blood, the greatness of his power, Through the Holy Spirit, convince, convict, and save some dear sinners, and give all the saints the joy of singing Blessed Assurance in Jesus' name. Amen.