In this sermon, the preacher focuses on the reality of salvation and the importance of living continually by faith. He uses the analogy of a man crossing Niagara Falls on a wheelbarrow to illustrate the need for trust and reliance on God. The preacher emphasizes that salvation is not just a one-time event, but a ongoing journey of faith. He references Hebrews 3:6 and 3:14 to highlight the importance of holding fast to our confidence and hope in Christ. The sermon concludes with a powerful reminder that the just shall live by faith.

Hello, this is Brother Denny. Welcome to Charity Ministries. Our desire is that your life would be blessed and changed by this message. This message is not copyrighted and is not to be bought or sold. You are welcome to make copies for your friends and neighbors. If you would like additional messages, please go to our website for a complete listing at www.charityministries.org. If you would like a catalog of other sermons, please call 1-800-227-7902 or write to Charity Ministries, 400 West Main Street, Suite 1, EFRA PA 17522. These messages are offered to all without charge by the free will offerings of God's people. A special thank you to all who support this ministry. Alright, the word for tomorrow is sanctification. I also want you to read chapter 3 and 4 in Bone of His Bone. I read that entire book this weekend. There's a few things in there that's a little bit mystical, but overall I think he brings salvation down to where are you? Is there reality? You know, it's good. So 3 and 4 I want you to read and also for tomorrow I want you to read twice Romans 6, 7 and 8. Two times. Romans 6, 7 and 8. Alright, this morning, as I said, we're going to be focusing a bit more on the reality of salvation. The title of the message this morning is, The just shall live continually by faith. The just shall live continually by faith. So I want to, my desire is to broaden your understanding of faith today. In our last session, we thrilled to see what happens to a man when he comes by faith and believes on the Lord Jesus Christ. There are some powerful things that happen in the heart of man before the throne of God, before the judgment of God. There are some powerful things that happen when a man, a repentant sinner, comes believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. They're beautiful. And it's very important that salvation begins right. That's why I described a bit of the environment of salvation on Friday. And I like that little term that the Lord gave. A salvation friendly environment. It's very important that we get started right. However, there's way more to salvation than what happens at the beginning. Biblical salvation is past, present and future. It is the present aspects of salvation that we will be dealing with over the next few days. I told those Romanian young people as I was giving them my testimony, and oh, they thrilled as I told them how God took this poor, lost man in drugs and in alcohol and saved my soul. They thrilled on that one. They were listening while I was giving them that story. They liked that good story. But brothers, that's only the beginning. If all I have to do is share what God did 35 years ago, I don't have much to share. That's only the gateway into a glorious, beautiful life. As wonderful as it is, as transformational as it is, what a mighty salvation was wrought in my heart that day, 35 years ago, when I called upon God to save me. It was only the beginning. And if that's all God gets out of me, that's not much to the praise of the glory of His grace. Amen? It's what happens from then until all the way into eternity that will be to the praise of the glory of His grace. Salvation. It is God's provision for man's deliverance from his sinful condition through the person and work of Jesus Christ. It is deliverance from the penalty of sin that's in the past, from the power of sin that's in the now and now, and from the presence of sin that's in the future. Brethren, God is saving me today. Do you believe that? God is saving you today. You know, as I spent time in the last months meditating upon this whole subject, I came to the realization that it's okay for me to say when someone comes to me, maybe on a Sunday morning and says, Brother Denny, how are you doing today? It's okay for me to say, I'm doing wonderful. God is saving me today. Rejoice with me. Because basically all that means is God is pouring His salvation grace into my life present tense. I know His grace. I know His power. I know His strength. I know His ability to deliver me from everything that is evil around me. I know it now present tense. God is saving me today. By grace are ye saved. It says. And you know, many times we quote that as something that happened back there. But brethren, it stands true today also. By grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. It is not of works, lest any man should boast. One of you brothers was mentioning that just this morning. We are saved by faith. 35 years ago and this very morning, I'm saved by grace through faith. And that it's not of myself. It is the gift of God's grace working in my heart even today. I have nothing to boast about. Though there is a fire burning inside of my heart this morning, I have nothing to boast about. It is by grace through faith. It's not of myself. It is the gift of God. Lest any man would boast. Again, Paul's words in Romans chapter 8 and verse 23 are worthy for us to consider as we now are moving on from the moment of salvation to a life of salvation. Turn with me there to Romans chapter 8. We read the words already, but they're worthy to consider again this morning. Salvation. Past, present and future. Listen to what Paul says in verse 23. And not only they, talking about the creatures, the creation, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit. The firstfruits of the Spirit. Yeah. The down payment. The down payment. The Spirit of God which has been put in us, that which was deposited there in the center of man's being at the moment of salvation, is the firstfruits of the Spirit. It is the down payment. It's the earnest of our inheritance, Paul says in Ephesians chapter 1. It is the earnest money which tells us that we've got a full inheritance on the way. And I'll tell you what, brethren, if what we have now is just the down payment, what do you think the whole thing is going to be? Blessed be God! If what we have is just the firstfruits, if it's just the first few grapes that we plucked off of the vine, what do you think the full thing is going to be? And that's what Paul was talking about. We have the firstfruits of the Spirit. Even we ourselves, grown within ourselves, waiting for the adoption to which the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope. But hope that is seen is not hope. For what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Wait for what? Salvation future. Yes, there's salvation past. God saved me 35 years ago. Now I am in salvation present. God is saving me today. And I'm looking by faith and hope and confidence with a lively hope to a salvation that is future. And by the way, it is also by faith. It is also by faith. It's not of works, lest any man should boast. That hope that Paul was talking about here is a lively hope. And that lively hope is a hope that is energized by faith. That's where it comes from. Turn with me now. I want to read a little in 1 Peter just to show you how this word, salvation, gets tossed back and forth. Sometimes it's present. Sometimes it's future. In 1 Peter 1, let's read verse 4 so we can see some of the present before we look at the future. Peter says, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that faith is not a way reserved in heaven for you. Who are, present tense, kept by the power of God through faith under salvation. Wait a minute. Wait a minute, Peter. I have salvation. Not here. Who are kept, yes, today, this morning, kept by the power of God. How? Through faith. Through faith. Ready to be revealed. Unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time when ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptation, that the trial of your faith be much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried. Okay, faith. I'm kept through faith unto salvation. But my faith is going to be tried. My faith is going to be tested. But that's only going to work out to the better. That the trial of your faith be much more precious than gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory when at the appearing of Jesus Christ, whom, having not seen, we love. There's that faith again. Not going by sight. We're going by faith. In whom though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your soul. Here we are down here in the future. Receiving the end of my faith, even the salvation of my soul. Well, God saved my soul back there 35 years ago. What is He talking about receiving the end of my faith down here? That's the whole idea, brethren. It's faith there, it's faith here, and it's faith all the way to the end. Some people have already accused me and criticized me and said, oh, that brother Denny, he believes in salvation by works. I do not! I believe salvation by faith. Day one, day 35 years, and all the way to the end. That's what I believe. Also, Galatians 5, verse 5, Paul says these words. He says, We, through the spirits, wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. I am righteous by faith. What do you mean, Paul? I am righteous by faith. Ah, but my son, there's much more righteousness to come. Remember, we're studying how Christ makes man righteous. Christ is the way that God makes man righteous. Back there, on day one, Christ was the way that God made this man righteous. Here, 35 years later, Christ is still the way that God makes this man righteous. But up here somewhere into the future, I'm going to see all the ways that Christ makes this man righteous. The just shall live continually by faith. Romans 1, verses 16 and 17 again. We read them in the beginning of our lessons. I want to look at them again this morning. Paul says again, For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation. Now, I think you can understand a little more what he means by that after all that I've just explained to you. Yes, it is the power of God unto salvation back there, unto salvation right here, and unto the fullness of salvation down there. Christ is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth. And in your notes or in your Bible or the text there, I'd like you to circle the ETH on that word. Believeth. Circle the ETH. It's very significant. To the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein, that is in the gospel of Christ, is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith. As it is written, the just shall live and live and live and live by faith. And if you find someone who does not live and live and live by faith, he's not a just man. I don't care how well he dresses or how often he goes to church. If he does not live and live and live by faith, he's not a just man. That's what the Bible teaches. Now, I want to read these two verses for you again out of the Amplified because he brings out the Greek tenses very well. Now, I myself, I do not believe that the Amplified is a Bible. It's a paraphrase of the Bible. It is not the Bible. I cannot say in the Amplified Bible. I can't. In my heart, I can't say it. But he brings out the tenses of the words very well. Listen to what he says there. For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, the good news of Christ, for it is God's power working unto salvation, working all that we mentioned already this morning, working unto salvation to everyone who believes with a personal trust and a confident surrender and a firm reliance to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in the Gospel, a righteousness which God ascribes is revealed, both springing from faith and leading to faith, disclosed through the way of faith that arouses more faith. As it is written, the man who through faith is just and upright shall live and shall live and shall live by faith. Did you get that? Man, that's good stuff, brethren. Do you get that? The man that is truly just and upright, right standing with God, he shall live and he shall live and he shall live by faith. Turn with me now to Colossians chapter 1. In Colossians chapter 1 and verse 23. Ah, we should read verse 21 so you can see the context. And you that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he, Christ, reconciled in the body of his flesh through death. This is a beautiful salvation verse, isn't it? To present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight. Now, on Friday, we got that fellow saved on Friday, didn't we? And there he was, though he's not perfect yet. And there's lots of work to do in his life. But because that repentant sinner called upon God that he would save his soul, because that repentant sinner believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, God made him at that moment holy, unblameable and unreprovable in his sight. Just as if I'd never sinned. Wow! That's beautiful! Oh, what a standing is mine! But let's not stop with that verse. Let's read the next verse. Which they often don't read, by the way. If... Ye continue. If ye continue. So, here I am down here, holy, unblameable, unreprovable in his sight. Now, here I am down here, 35 years later, with a heart that's bowed before God, with a heart that has been cleansed and keeps on being cleansed by the blood of the Lamb through repentance. Holy, unblameable, and unreprovable in his sight. Am I perfectly holy? Am I perfectly unreprovable? No! God has some things that he wants to do in my life yet. But I'm walking in the light that he has given me. Holy, unblameable, and unreprovable in his sight. And down here at the end, still, because of the same beautiful atonement way back there, down here I also stand holy, unreprovable, and unblameable in his sight. If I continue. I mean, it's as plain and simple as anything. Any child can grab what that says. If ye continue in the faith, grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope. Look at those words, brethren. See, those words take on new meaning after we've been looking at this whole matter of salvation for two weeks. Those words take on new meaning, don't they? If ye continue in the faith, grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven, whereof I, Paul, am made a minister. Do you see what Paul is saying there? It's faith there. It's faith now. And it's faith all the way to the end. What would we say to this sinner that we led to the Lord on Friday? We would tell him, you are justified. Your account has been wiped clean. Be grounded. Be settled. Trust God. Keep on leaning upon Him. Walk in the light of what God has given you. Be grounded in the faith. Be settled in the faith. Be established in the faith. And continue in the faith all the way to the end. Oh, don't be removed. And don't doubt it, brethren. If God said, be not removed, that means you can be moved away. Or God wouldn't put that word in there. You can be moved away. Be not moved away from the hope of the gospel. That means you can be moved away. But it's by faith. It was by faith Friday. And it's by faith today. That same enlivening, quickening faith which God gives to the pure conscience. That's what it is. Alright. I want to look at a Greek tense here this morning. Remember I told you to circle that E-T-H? I want to look at a Greek tense this morning. And I'm not exactly sure Brother David could give you the Greek word of it. All I know is it's a present continuous tense. Present continuous tense. It means this. It is an act which keeps on going. That's present continuous tense. In our English language, and more so in the older English language, it is expressed with an E-T-H. Commiteth. Liveth. Eateth. Believeth. Cometh. It's expressed with an E-T-H, but it's a present continuous tense of word. It's very important for us to understand this. In Luke chapter 11, where the Lord Jesus is teaching His disciples how to pray, He uses those famous words. Ask, and it shall be given unto you. Seek, and ye shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Those are famous words. For everyone that asketh, present continuous. And everyone that seeketh, present continuous. And everyone that knocketh, it shall be given unto them. Now that's a lesson in perseverance of prayer. And we're not preaching about prayer this morning, but if the shoe fits, wear it. Many times people pray a prayer, nothing happens and they give up. That's not how Jesus said to pray. It's a present continuous thing. You see something. You see a need. You get a burden. You start asking, and you keep on asking, and you keep on asking, and God will answer it. You start knocking, and you keep on knocking, and God will open up the door. That's what Jesus is saying. And by the way, in the flow of the context there, the flow of the context is receiving the Holy Spirit. If ye, then being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall the Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask and keep on asking and keep on asking. That's the tense of those words. It's beautiful. It's enlightening. Once you begin to see that. I mean, I remember when I was a young Christian and the first time I came across those words there in 1 John 3 where it says, He that committeth sin is of the devil. Boy, that shook me as a young Christian. Whoa! I sinned? Does that mean I'm of the devil? I mean, in sincerity, that's what I thought. But if you study that again, that word committeth there, it doesn't mean one's sin. It means He that practices and lives in sin is of the devil. And I would say I agree with that 100%. I don't care what kind of an experience somebody had back there ten years ago or whatever. If they are living in habitual sin, they are of the devil. And he goes on there in 1 John 3 and says the same thing about righteousness. He who lives a life of righteousness is righteous, even as He, God, is righteous. So, this tense, this present continuous tense is very important. You can find it many places in the Bible. It would solve the whole issue of divorce and remarriage. You know, people are always saying, okay, so I divorced and I married somebody else, but I told God that I'm sorry. Doesn't God forgive me? Well, study the Word. It says, He that marrieth her that is divorced, what is it? Committeth. Present continuous. Committeth. So yeah, you can tell God, I'm sorry for what I did back there, but if you're going to keep living with that woman, you're committeth adultery. That makes it real clear, doesn't it? All through the Scriptures, we see this present continuous tense. In 1 Corinthians 13, there, I mean, it's just like a hammer in 1 Corinthians. Talking about charity. Charity. Suffereth long. Envieth. E-T-H. Vaunteth. Seeketh. Rejoiceth. Beareth. Believeth. Endureth. Never faileth. All those E-T-H's. And we know that. We read the context. We know that's not talking about charity is one time believeth. No. Charity believeth and continues to believe. Charity believeth all things. Charity hopeth and hopeth and hopeth. Always hoping. See the present continuous nature of those words. Well, brethren, our faith is also present continuous. And I believe that's where many people miss the whole thing. And somehow they think if you emphasize a continuing, if you emphasize a responsibility on our part, immediately they slot you in the works side. Oh, they're off the foundation. They're heretics. They're preaching works salvation. They're degrading the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Not so! Not so at all! In fact, we are lifting it up to a higher and a higher level. Because we find ourselves continually looking at that beautiful sacrifice and drawing all the grace that is there available into my heart and life every day. I mean, bless God. It's not communion once a month. It's not communion once every six months. It's communion every day. We're not blaspheming the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We're exalting it. Our faith is a present continuous thing. Having said that, I want to look at a few other verses in the Bible that have to do with believing. If you can turn to John now. Back to the book of John. We'll start with John 3.16. Oh, that sweet and famous verse. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever... and that whosoever means whosoever... believeth and believeth and believeth and believeth on Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. What does it mean to believe? Remember? We looked at that. It means to trust in, to rely upon, to commit oneself completely to. That's what believe means. In fact, as I studied more deeply, the word believe, take the ETH off of it. The word believe is not just something that happens. If you truly believe, you are going somewhere. It's going somewhere. It's a continual word. It's like abide. You know, abide, in some places in the Scripture, abide doesn't have an ETH on it, but abide means something that keeps on going. In fact, in some places, abide is translated continue. In some places, it's translated abide. But it's the same word. It means to continue. Again, in John 3, verse 36, this is a very revealing verse. In verse 36, He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, and he that believeth not and continues to not believe, the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God. There's that ETH again. Abideth. Not that it will. It does. It still does. It still does. And it will. And then it will for all eternity abide on Him. Do you see those ETHs? That little ETH can transform your Bible studies and your Bible reading. Just that little ETH. If you understand what that means, that's a transformation when you're studying the Bible. I want to illustrate what I'm saying now with this chair. And I thought a boat would be a little bit better, but I didn't know if I wanted to bring a boat in here this morning. You know what I mean? But you know, a lot of times, they say that man is lost and he's out on the sea, and he's drowning out there, and someone comes by in a lifeboat and reaches out a hand to him and he reaches his hand back out and you pull him into the lifeboat and he's saved! Amen! But bless God! Surely he's going to stay in the boat! Right? But this is what it means to trust. You know, I'm trusting this chair right now. I'm completely committing myself to this chair. I believe in this chair. This chair can hold me up. I have confidence in this chair that it is able to hold me up. And here I am. I'm standing on it. I'm trusting this chair. And hey, how long do you want me to stay up here? I'm trusting in this chair. That's faith. That's faith. Am I trusting in the chair now? John 6. And verse 35. First off, listen to what Jesus says. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life. He that cometh, there's that ETH, cometh to Me, shall never hunger. And he that believeth on Me shall never thirst. See, again, when I was young, I'd read verses like that and say, Lord, I'm hungry. I'm thirsty. What do You mean? You said if I came to You, I'd never be hungry again. I'd never thirst again. I'm hungry. I'm thirsty. When I began to see the present continuous nature of that Word and realized I must keep coming to God day by day in my heart. I must come to God every day. I must be trusting God. I must be leaning upon Him. I must be believing in His Son, continually believing and trusting and relying upon Him, committing my whole life to Him every day. And when I am, I'm not hungry. And I'm not thirsty. Right? Does that make sense? Look at verse 56 and 57. Jesus here is speaking about communion. He's getting deep with His disciples here at the end of John chapter 6. And He's talking about communion. The communion and union that takes place between one of those men that has been reconciled to God. And the union and the unity is there. He's talking about communion. And we know that communion takes place as we feast upon Christ, as we wash ourselves in the blood when we need to. Communion takes place. So they didn't understand what He was talking about. But look what He's really saying here, brethren. He that eateth and eateth and eateth My flesh and drinketh continually My blood, dwelleth in Me and I in Him. Now listen to the next word, because He's going to explain what He just said. You may read that and say, this is a hard saying. But if you read the next verse, you understand exactly what He meant. As the Living Father has sent Me and I live by Him, so He that eateth Me, even He shall live by Me. There again, see? He just told us. And He told His disciples, you've been watching Me. You've seen. You see how I've been living. I haven't been living of My own. I have been living of My Father. I have been trusting in My Father. Every day I'm trusting in My Father. Every day I'm communing with My Father. Every day I'm resting in Him. Every day I'm committing My whole heart and life to Him. Is that not what Jesus was doing? Isn't that how He lived that beautiful life that He lived? Committing Himself, trusting Himself, completely leaning upon His Father day after day after day, day in and day out. And then He says, as I live of My Father, if you believe on Me continually, you will also live by Me. Do you see what I'm saying, brethren? I mean, praise God for what happened to me thirty-five years ago. But what about the now and now? In John chapter 7, we have another one that's worthy to consider. Jesus here is speaking about the promise of the Holy Ghost. In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But notice the ETH. Again, a young Christian will read that and say, where's the river? Where's the believing? I did a study of this verse somewhere. I can't remember where I get everything because when I'm reading and I find a nugget, I put it in my Bible, so I'm not sure where I got this. But listen to this definition of believeth on Me. It means, believe into Me, losing your whole life in Me continually. And I wrote up above it, it's like the man with the wheelbarrow that was going across Niagara Falls, you know, on a wire. And he got the wheelbarrow and he got out there on the wire and he went on across and turned around and came back. And I mean, the crowds were watching and cheering him on as he went across on this wheelbarrow and came back over. And he said to the people, how many of you believe that I can carry somebody over there? Oh, they all raised their hands. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I believe it, I believe it, I believe it. He said, who will get in? Nobody got in. Who will get in? How many believe that He is able to keep you from falling and to present you blameless before the throne of His glory? How many believe that and trust Him and rely upon God, His character, His word, His promises. Continue. Continue. That's what salvation is. It's so, so much more than something that happened back there. Bless God for what happened back there. But brethren, you know, you know what I'm saying. There are multitudes, millions of people who are still giving a testimony of something that happened to them back there. And they don't have much to say at all about what's happening right now in my life. Come, let us reason together. Will they be in heaven someday? I don't think so. It's not what happened back there. That was God graciously giving you the opportunity of your life. But let us continue. Let us continue in the faith. Drowned and unsettled and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel. That's our responsibility. Jesus used the word in John 15, Abide. And John used the word again in 1 John, Abideth, E.T.H. The word abide means to continue. If ye abide in me and I in you, as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide in the vine, no more can ye bear fruit except you abide and continually abide in me. Those were Christ's last words to a group of men whom He loved very much and He knew they're going to need these words though they did not understand what He was saying when He gave them to them. But I guarantee you when the day of Pentecost was fully come and the Holy Ghost was poured out upon those men and they were all filled, engulfed, totally overwhelmed with the presence of the living God, those words came back to them very clearly then. If you abide in me, you shall bear much fruit. Just like the branch cannot bear fruit except it continues to abide in the vine where the sap flows out and into the branch and pushes out the fruit, no more can ye bear fruit except you abide in me. For without me, Jesus said, without me, without my presence in reality, in your life, every moment ye can do nothing. Nothing. Hear a few of these words. And this is the Greek word for abide, by the way. But it's a different word in English. Jesus said, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed. If ye abide, continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed. When Barnabas came to the church at Antioch and saw the grace of God upon them, he encouraged them to continue in the grace of God. That word is abide. Abide, continue abiding in the grace of God which is upon you. That was his encouragement to them. And Paul said to the Colossian church, I'm sorry, to the Romans, Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Romans 6. That's the word abide. Shall we continue in sin that grace might abound? God forbid. Shall we sin and keep on sinning and keep on sinning that grace may abound? God forbid. That's what it means. Matthew 6.33. Listen to what it says. Seek ye first the kingdom of God. Is that a one seek or a continual seek? How many think it's one? Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these other things shall be added unto you. Seek and keep on seeking and keep on seeking and ye shall be cared for. God will meet your every need. Colossians 3.1. Listen to what Paul says. If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of the Father. Seek. One time? Not one time. Continually and continually. If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above. Not the things that are on this earth. Seek. Seek today. Seek tomorrow. Seek the next day. Seek in the middle of the day. Have done with lesser things. Seek and keep on seeking those things which are above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God. Why? For ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God. But when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall we also appear with Him in glory. That's back over here on that glorious future that's yet to come. See? That's what God is trying to get across to us through the Apostle Paul. Now I think of the Apostle Paul's life and his beautiful life. Listen to his closing words in 2 Timothy. I mean, you already looked at them, but I want you to look at them in light of what we're saying here this morning. Paul says in 2 Timothy 4 and verse 6, For I am now ready. Ready to be offered. And the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course. I have kept the faith. Sounds like a lifetime job to me. What do you think? I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course. It started down here 35 years ago. I started running. And now I'm down here ready to be offered. Ready to get my head chopped off. I've finished my course. Sounds like a lifetime job to me. I kept the faith. Henceforth, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness. Oh, a salvation, Paul. I mean, if you think salvation was great, Paul, you only had 10%. The next 90% is yet to come. There, henceforth, is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge. There's judgment again on the good side. The Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day, and not to me only, but unto all them also that love is a thing. All these places where we're looking, it's saying the same thing. This is not something that just happened. And that's it. But it must be happening in my life today. I thought about some of the old patriarchs. You know, Noah. You remember Noah? He, Noah, believed the saving word that God gave to him, didn't he? But how long did Noah believe that saving word until the full reality of what he believed came to pass? A long time. Was he just trusting in that saving word one day? Was he just resting in that saving word one day? No. I mean, his whole life was wrapped up in that saving word, was it not, brethren? Day after day as he built that ark. Day after day as he motivated his boys to continue to build that ark. Day after day as the people were mocking him and making fun of him and who knows what else they put him through as he built a boat out in the middle of nowhere. Day after day he was believing that saving word. And the day came when God said to Noah and his sons, get into the ark. And they went into the ark. Do you get the point? I mean, God said to Abraham, I'm going to give you a son. And that son, through that son, I mean, you'll become nations of people through that son. And through that son, all the nations of the world shall be blessed. God told him that when he was 75 years old. He didn't hold that little baby in his hand until he was 100. But he believed the promise that God gave to him. We must also believe the saving word that God has given to us, that God has spoken to us by His Son in these last days. And if we do, oh glory, oh glory down the way, oh, wonderful future. I'm running out of time, so I'm slicing and cutting here. What a blessed problem to have so much to say that you don't have enough time to say it. Hebrews 3.6 says these words, But Christ, as a Son over His own house, whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. Verse 14, For we are made partakers of Christ down there at the end. And we have no idea what that really means to be in fact in total union, in oneness married to Jesus Christ for all of eternity. We have no idea what that means. But Paul says, We are made partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end. Now again, both of those verses, that's talking about faith. That's not a work. We entered in by faith all the joy, all the rejoicing, all the salvation that God brought in our hearts, all the confidence that we had, if we hold steadfast to the confidence and the rejoicing all the way to the end. By faith I am justified through the atoning work of Jesus Christ. By faith I am sanctified. By faith I am redeemed here this morning. By faith there is reconciliation between me and God. By faith I am crucified with Christ. By faith I am dead unto sin and alive unto God. By faith, by faith, by faith. It's all by faith. And yes, it gets worked out in very practical ways just like everyone else in the list of the heroes of the faith. It does produce actions, but it must be faith. Just like I'm resting in this chair. And as long as I'm here, I'm resting in this chair. By faith, I aim to go all the way through to the end. Whenever that is, I don't know. Whether I'll get to lose my head, I don't know. But I'm just going to rest in Christ all the way to the end. And as I rest, and as I trust in Christ, you know what happens. There is this energizing of the Spirit of God which takes place inside of my heart, which keeps on moving me, which constrains me, which drags me around, which makes me a slave, which makes my body a slave to the Holy Ghost. And you just keep on going, and you keep on going, and you keep on going. Why? Because you believe! And that believing creates an energy within the soul of man which causes man to live a life that's beautiful and right and holy. Yes! That just man shall live continually by faith. And that's the only way to heaven. I promise you. It's the only way to heaven. Let's stand for prayer. Oh, Father. God, we're excited this morning. Lord, I think about those soft hearts that we learned about on Friday that You gave us. Oh, I pray, Father, would You write this truth on the tables of our hearts. Yes, Lord, by Your Spirit, would You write, carve this truth so deeply on the tables of our heart that it will cause us to move in a way that we have not before. And, Lord, I pray for any who may be here who have lost their way, who that vibrant excitement is gone. Oh, I pray that You will restore them even as You promised. He restoreth my soul. Lord, bless these young men. Lord, bless the rest of this day. Bless Brother Mose and his session to come. We trust You for all of this, God. We thank You for hearing us. In Jesus' name, amen.