You Can Be Sure! Revival @ Wurtland Missionary Baptist!

I want to take just a moment to say thank you, church, for allowing us to be here this week.

And it's been such a blessing to us.

Thank you for our church at Greenup for their support I've had this week from you.

And I think it just came to be sure I'm where I sit.

I appreciate that very much.

And good to see a lot of folks that we hadn't had the opportunity to be in church with.

But Earl Kazee, oh, I promised you a song, didn't I?

Amen.

Honey, you don't have to if you don't have to.

Yeah, come on, Tom.

I can't even walk.

Big break of promise.

I can't even walk.

You promised me.

You've got to help me attain it all.

That row right there gets to help me.

That whole row.

For anybody else that knows it.

I'll sing this for Earl because, and I don't know how long it's been since I've tried to sing this song,

but it's called Alive House.

The rest of you can close your ears.

Earl won't matter.

He's a tall man anyway.

That's why he likes this song.

It doesn't matter to him.

I don't know.

It's been a long time since I've done this, so you pray for us.

And girls, I need your help.

I've got to hear you loud.

Thank you.

I told you, I don't know it.

How's it go?

Keep going.

Do all those during the album.

I can't get it.

There's a light out in my eyes

On the hillside

That old

I see

When I toast you

It's sins and lies

That I might see

I got

And the light that shines

In darkness now

Will safely lead me home

If it wasn't for you

If it wasn't for the lighthouse

My sin would say no more

And I thank God

For the lighthouse

I owe my heart to him

Jesus is the lighthouse

And from the wrong

I will see

He has shown the light around me

That I could clearly see

If it wasn't for the lighthouse

Where will this ship be?

Thank you.

© transcript Emily Beynon

is what the scripture is telling us here, that we not only have a something, but we

have somebody that we can rely on, okay? As I said a moment ago, God has a great work

for this church to do, so you can rely on God to get it done. You can rely on him to

say, Lord, you guide me, you lead me, and we will get it done. John is writing, as he's

writing this epistle, he wants to make perfectly clear to those of us who are saved, make it

perfectly clear that we have everlasting life, something that goes on and on and on.

And so the basis for this truth is found in four areas, and I want to make them as brief

as I can because I know that, you know, you mentioned food. I know that everybody's going

to be hungry. We're going to have a mass exodus after a while. I understand that. But I think

first of all, there's something you can count on and you can be sure of is the unchanging

promises of God. God says, and matter of fact, we look at his first promise, and we look

at his first promise, and we look at his first promise, and we look at his first promise,

and God says, I'll never change. God said, I'll be with you. I'll go with you. I'll guide

you. I'll lead you. God says, I'm the same yesterday, today, and forevermore. God says

that the place I, you know, where I send you, I'll be able to keep you. The promises of

God that said that promise of everlasting life is an important one. There are so many

folks in this world today, and I think as I asked a young man about his mother today,

I knew her, but I really didn't know her. You know what I mean?

I had an acquaintance with him, but I didn't know her condition of her soul. So I asked

her son. I said, what's she saying? He said, oh, yeah. He said, probably every one of my

family is saved in here today but one. And so often we hear that where they say, well,

they're a good person, and I think they were. And a lot of times people, you can ask people,

are you going to go to heaven? A lot of people will say, well, I hope I can get there. Folks,

I want you to know beyond any shadow of a doubt today that you can count on the Lord

Jesus Christ.

You can count on the Lord Jesus Christ knowing that you're going to heaven. You can count

on that because he said, I give unto you everlasting life. I gave you a Greek word the other night.

That Greek word was what? Bologna. Okay. But I'm going to give you another real Greek word

tonight. Epongalia. Epongalia. And what that means is, it means a divine assurance of good.

And that's what we can count on because you see, the one who made the promise of everlasting

life to us is the one who created the heavens and the earth. The one who brought it all

together. The one who spoke it into existence. The one who made man in the garden and he

breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul. So I'm convinced

today that the one who done all of that, that tells me you have everlasting life, I can

count on that.

I don't have it because of my good nature. I don't have it because I go to church. I don't

have it because I'm good to my family. But I have everlasting life because I rely on

Jesus Christ to give it to me. Oh, John 3, 16, you know, great verse that all of us know,

at least we should. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever

believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

And I'm glad for that whosoever part. I'm glad it doesn't make any difference. I'm glad

that the ground is level at the foot of the cross and whoever comes to him, Jesus said,

you're the whosoever. Wow. It's not just a Mr. Goody-two-shoes. It is not just one. Jesus

said, I didn't come. He said, I didn't come to those who are well and all these things.

I didn't come for the righteous, but I came to call the sinners to repentance. So we look

at that and realize, he said, for the righteous, I came to call the sinners to repentance.

For God so loved the world, he who believes in, he who trusts in, he who clings to, he

who relies on Jesus Christ to get me to heaven, to give me life. The Bible also says that

when we come to know Jesus, he said, you know, you pass from death unto life because you

love the brethren. And I know, I know, get this, I know some of the people sitting next

to you, it's kind of hard to love them.

Yeah, you're right, but you'll get over it. You'll get over it if you love Jesus. You'll

get over it. So we rely on him. And John chapter 6 and verse 37 says, get this, here's a great

promise, that promise that he's made to us, that God made. He says this, he said that

my father has those who are going to come to him through Jesus Christ. And he said,

those who come to him, get this, I like this.

I will no wise cast out. The promise that he made that said that whosoever will come

to me, no matter your condition, no matter how bad and how wicked you've been, when you

come sincerely, when the Holy Spirit draws you, the Bible says no man can come to the

Father except the Spirit draw him. When conviction comes in, sets in, and you come to Jesus Christ,

he won't say, I told you so. He said, you're here. I'll receive you. I accept you.

Oh, I love that. I love the story of the prodigal son, don't you? I love it when that

prodigal son comes down the road and had been through a lot of things, but yet the father

standing there with open arms, just waiting. Just waiting, and the son comes home, and

he said, Father, you know, he's mad. He's mind made up. Father, I sinned against him,

and I'm in thy sight. I'm not worthy to be called your son. Just make me a hard,

servant. Well, I'll tell you what. I've got news for you. The father didn't make him

a hard servant. He said when he saw him coming, he ran, and he kissed him. He ran and kissed

him, and he told his servants, he said, bring the rain for his hand. Bring shoes for his

feet. Bring the best robe for him. This was my child who was dead, who was alive. He was

lost, but now he's found. Amen. Wow. The promise that he made to you and I, the promise

of everlasting life, the promise that he said in John, the promise of everlasting life,

John chapter 10, he said, my sheep know my voice, and I know them, and when they come

to me, he says, like this, he said, I put them in my hand. Wow. I put them there, and

he said, no man is able to pluck them out of my hand, because greater is he that's in

me than he that's in the world. Wow. So this thing is, well, I hope I get there. I think

I'm going to get there. I'm going to get there. I'm going to get there. I'm going to get there.

Man, I'm glad I have a no-show salvation. I'm glad I have a no-show salvation. I'm glad

that day that John Ivey was preaching at our Bible school, and I'm sitting on the front

row, and he gives an invitation, and tears streaming down my face. I couldn't hardly

wait to get there. And that Sunday night, as my dad called all the young boys and girls

up front that got saved right there in Bible school, I'm standing there with the rest of

them. We were lined up across this thing, and I don't understand. I'm standing there

and I don't understand why, but nobody else was crying, but I was there in tears. I was

there in tears, because I knew something had happened to me. There was a change in my life

as a little boy, and I'm glad that he's kept me all through these years. He promised me

eternal life. He said, you'll live forever and ever and ever, and I know some of you

are wondering, Lord, don't let it be down here. He lives forever and ever and ever.

And I'm going to live forever. Amen. Because of God's promise.

The second thing that you can be sure of is the unconditional love of God. The unconditional

love of God. As I said earlier, you have to love that one next to you. You have to love

me if you're saved, because the Bible says to. But more important than that, you'll want

to. But the unconditional love of God, he provided our salvation with a great price.

What did he say? In Romans chapter 5, he said, God committed his love for us. He said, God

offered us that while we were yet sinners. It's hard for us to love somebody we can't

get along with, perhaps. He said, well, I can't love that wicked, vile person. You don't

have to love their sin. If you love the sinner, you hate the sin. But no matter what the condition,

you learn to love them. Because Jesus said, no matter your condition, I love you. Wow.

What was I saying the other night about loving?

I said, you know that word compassion means love in action. My goodness, folks, you can

be sure of the love in action that God had for you and I. And love so strong that he

told his son, he said, son, I want you to leave the splendor of heaven. And I want you

to go down to earth. And I want you to give your life on the cross for all these folks

who have sinned. And Jesus said, in the garden, Father, if there's any other way, let this

cup pass from me. But nevertheless, not my will, but thy will.

Not my will be done. That's love, isn't it? To die for someone like you and I. An unconditional

love. And nothing, as I spoke this morning on the funeral, I took the text from Romans

chapter 8 and verse 38. Who shall separate us from the love of God? Shall principality,

shall power, shall life or death or anything else separate us? He said, nay. None of those

shall separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ.

Jesus. You may feel as you go through life, nobody loves you. I tell our church all this

a lot of times because Jeanette taught me a song. And it says, nobody loves me. Everybody

hates me. Going down the garden to eat worms. That's a cool song, isn't it? But we feel

that way sometimes. People feel that no one cares. And I love the song that says there's

no one, no one ever cared for me like Jesus. There's no other friend so kind as he. No one

else can take the sin and darkness from me. Oh, how much he cares for me. You can count

on the promise. You can be sure of everlasting life. You can be sure of the unconditional

love of God that whosoever comes to him, he says, I will know why it's cast out. I will

save you. Man, that's love, isn't it? That's love.

And then the third thing. Boy, you're going to get down in a hurry tonight. Maybe.

I've got seven more points to go. The third thing I think that we can be sure of tonight

is the finished work of Christ on the cross. The finished work of Christ on the cross.

Aren't you glad this song says, and I even said it last night, amazing grace, how sweet

the sound that saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost, but now I'm found. I was blind, but now I see. He didn't say we had

to have amazing grace, plus something else. He said, for by grace are you saved through

faith, and that not in yourself. It's the gift of God. Not in works as any man should

boast. I believe with all my heart that when a person gets saved, he ought to want to work

for Christ. He needs to work for Christ, but your works did not save you. The work of Jesus

did.

Amen.

God saved you. It is finished, he said there in John chapter 19. It is finished as he's

hanging there on the cross. God's plan has been fulfilled. Knowing our only hope would

be for a supreme sacrifice of a lamb without spot and without blemish. You can be sure

that's the only way of salvation. You can be sure that the Bible says that Jesus and

I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no man comes to the Father but by me.

So you can be sure that tonight that Jesus took care of that plan of salvation. His part

is to give. Our part is to receive. Think about that. Wow. You can be sure that there's

no other way for salvation. You can be sure that no matter how many churches in Greenland

County, Boyd County, or all over Kentucky that you have your name on the church book.

You can be sure that that didn't save you. You can be sure that every Sunday morning

or Sunday night when you put your 10% or 15% or 20%, you see you're getting out of hand

now, preacher, in that hall, preacher. You can be sure that didn't save you. You can

be sure because you dress up and you come to church all the time, you can be sure that

didn't save you. But what saves you is the finished work at Calvary.

That's right.

What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole

again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh, precious is the flow that makes me white as

snow. No other fount I know. Nothing, nothing, nothing but the blood of Jesus.

And I might get riled up. We might have revival the rest of the week. But nothing but the

blood of Jesus. So you can be sure of that, of the finished work at Calvary. We just

started celebrating Easter. And so often people will say, well, you know, it's a good

celebration because, you know, we're celebrating the day that Jesus came forth from the grave.

Let me tell you something. Because it's finished work at Calvary, we can celebrate that every

day because Jesus is alive.

Amen. Amen.

Amen.

Wow. You can be sure he's alive. The fourth thing that you can be sure of, Romans chapter

8. You can be sure of the fact that of the witness of God.

You can be sure of the fact that of the witness of God's spirit to your heart.

I'm glad that the Holy Spirit is real, aren't you?

Amen.

I know beyond a shadow of a doubt there are some folks who don't like to talk about the

Holy Spirit because it's, oh, now wait a minute. Wait a minute. We don't want to get carried

away at the Holy Spirit. Well, I do.

Amen.

Don't you?

Amen.

And I tell the church a lot of times sometimes.

I believe people go to church and say, Lord, we want to stir your spirit. No, we don't.

We want his spirit to stir our spirit.

That's right.

To stir our spirit. In Romans chapter 8 and verse 15, it talks about how that we know

that we are saved. And he says that, for you have not received the spirit of bondage again

to fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

The spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.

Wow.

I have a birth certificate somewhere.

I have a birth certificate somewhere at home that tells me that I, regardless of what my

brothers and sisters say, I was not adopted into the Melbourne family.

But I have a birth certificate that proves that on February the 19th, 19th, you know,

I was born.

1951 and born into the Melbourne family.

I have proof of that.

And you know what I could do?

I could change my name.

I could change everything about me.

But my birth certificate still says that I'm a product of Dink and Law.

I want you to know something.

I'm glad tonight that when I know that I'm saved because the Holy Spirit from time to

time just tugged at that heart string and said, I will remind you who you belong to.

That's right.

Who you belong to.

I'm glad I belong to him, aren't you?

And I'm sure of that today, of his witness, because he says that, and not only just me,

but us together tonight, he said we are glorified together because of the Holy Spirit.

Wow.

Sometimes I just get beside.

I really do.

But you know why I don't want to apologize for that?

Because Jesus is real.

Amen.

The Holy Spirit is real in my life, and he's real in your life, and he gives us that assurance,

that promise.

And God says, I will never fail on a promise.

The promise that you have of eternal life, the promise of the unconditional love of God,

the promise that the finished work at Calvary has been taken care of.

That's it.

There's no other way.

Amen.

The promise of the witness of God's Spirit.

People will say a lot of times, you know, I've been saved, but I've never really felt

the Holy Spirit in my life.

They better check their relationship.

They better check that experience, because I've got news for you.

The Holy Spirit draws you to him.

That's right.

Amen.

And when you get saved, he moves in.

He moves in.

And I tell you, when he moves in, he moves in.

And he'll let you know that you...

You belong to him.

That's right.

Wow.

You belong to him.

I was thinking, I received a call yesterday from a friend of ours, Joe Beely, who used

to teach at school.

And she'd been trying, she'd been trying awful hard to get my granddaughter, Miranda, to

go to Marshall University.

And, but, so every now and then she'd call him.

And she gave us tickets.

She gave us tickets a month before about a performance they were doing, and, and, well,

she knows that Miranda is in, is, is in drama and all these things.

So she called and said, hey, Tom, I've got tickets to the final performance at Marshall

for you and Miranda and your wife and all this stuff.

I said, I'm waiting to go.

I said, well, when is it?

She said, well, this weekend.

I said, well, I'm sorry, Joe, but I said, but, but I said, Miranda is, is performing

in Barnum this weekend, as she did last week.

I said, oh, really?

She said, where is that?

I said, well, I'm not sure.

And I told her where it was, and she said, well, you know what?

And I said, it's a very good performance.

She said, well, I want you to know this.

She said, if Miranda's in it, and her parents, and her grandparents have anything to do with

it, it's bound to be good.

My head swelled up.

And I don't have a thing to do with it.

I just go and watch and listen.

She said, it has to be good.

And I get to thinking about that.

If the Holy Spirit has anything to do with your life, it's got to be good.

Amen.

It's got to be good.

So he said, I give you that promise.

Something that you can be sure of.

That the Holy Spirit is real.

And the great thing about the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life is this.

I think that, you know, when you look at parents, and they were pregnant.

The young man was pregnant with his mother today.

And you get to looking at parents and how that they...

They correct us.

And I said many times that when we are young and parents tend to correct us in a manner

that we just don't like.

Because sometimes we do hurt.

And so we don't think parents care for us.

And the only thing that they are doing is they are correcting us and saying this in

a sense.

You know, you've got to realize you belong to me.

And you've got to realize you need to be obedient to me.

Because I'm doing this for your good.

I'm glad the Holy Spirit's.

It's the same way, aren't you?

I'm glad that we that are saved tonight, when we get out of line, I'm glad for the presence

of the Holy Spirit that reminds us, you belong to God.

You belong to me.

And I'm going to correct you.

If you're here tonight and you said, man, since I've been saved, whatever I've done,

the Holy Spirit's never convicted me again.

You need to hit the altar somewhere.

But you haven't been saved.

I can guarantee you that.

Amen.

But you can rest assured, the witness of the Holy Spirit in our life is real.

So tonight, I want to ask you this question.

Do you know for sure that you have everlasting life?

Do you know for sure that you're going to heaven?

Do you know for sure that the presence of the Holy Spirit is real in your life?

You see, as we read the scripture tonight.

He said that you may know that you have everlasting life.

I would hate to go through this life not knowing for sure whether I'm saved or not.

I'd hate to lay down at night with the question on my mind, am I really saved?

Because you see, there may not be a tomorrow.

So you need to be able to say, yes, I know that I am.

Not because of what I've done, but because of what Jesus has done.

Amen.

And I believe Him.

I believe Him.

I trust Him.

I'm trusting Him.

And the great thing about having everlasting life, there's a lot of things in this life that, you know, we say,

well, I'd like to have this or I'd like to have that and I'd like to purchase this and purchase that.

But you need to understand we cannot purchase salvation.

We cannot purchase everlasting life.

But look what the scripture says.

In Romans chapter 10.

In verse 8 it says,

But what saith it?

The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart.

That is the word of faith.

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead,

He didn't say, maybe you'll get saved.

He said, thou shalt be saved.

That's a promise, isn't it?

Thou shalt be saved.

For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness.

And with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

For the scripture saith, whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

For there's no difference between the Jew and the Greek.

For the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

But get this.

For whosoever.

There it is.

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Amen.

That's right.

Now I understand and realize.

It's more than just saying, save me.

I understand that.

There's got to be repentance that goes a lot of times.

It really does.

Oh, and I'm sorry.

Sometimes people get sorry, but they're sorry they get caught in their sin.

But I'm sorry for my sin.

And I need to be saved.

I love the old song.

Why don't you just wish I knew all these songs I was talking about?

Just sing them.

Tell me don't worry.

I scared them to death today at the funeral.

Because I went to the funeral home and I asked the funeral director,

I need the hymn book.

Have you got a hymn book?

I'm going to sing.

And I said, no.

But I need the words.

But there's a song that says, when I'm gone, the last mile away.

Now that songwriter's got it down.

I know where I'm going when I'm going the last mile away.

But you know what?

There are people today.

Who sang the song, I've gone as far as I can.

What do I do now?

You turn to Jesus.

You go to him now.

So tonight, if you're not sure of salvation.

If you're not sure that you're going to heaven.

And there's a lot of good church members.

Who are not sure.

And that's sad.

But saved people know.

But not while every head is bowed, if you will, please.

You ask yourself that question.

Can I be sure that I'm going to heaven?

Can I be sure that I have everlasting life?

Can I be sure that God's promised me that?

Can I be sure that he loves me unconditionally?

Can I be sure that I'm going to heaven?

Can I be sure that Christ has done it all for me at Calvary?

Can I be sure that the Holy Spirit dwells in me?

And leads me in God's name?

Yes, you can.

Because Jesus said you could.

And he's asking you now.

Just trust me.

Just believe me.

Just receive me.

Just rely on me.

Confess your sins.

Repent of those sins.

Turn from yourself.

And turn to Jesus.

Tonight, he'll save you.

And you can leave here being sure that you're going to heaven.

Father, tonight I praise you and I thank you.

For this privilege tonight, you've allowed me to stand and proclaim your word.

And God, if I have said anything.

Anything on my own that would hurt anyone, not just this night, but throughout this week.

Let it fall on their feet.

But God, I just pray that by your Holy Spirit, that lives have been changed.

Hearts have been touched.

Not by what I said, but by what you do.

I pray for those tonight that don't have the assurance of the salvation.

Don't have the assurance of heaven.

But I pray that they come to you tonight.

That they leave here.

Knowing they're saved.

And knowing they have eternal life.

Thank you for the presence of the Holy Spirit.

We trust you'll continue guiding and leading us in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Page 321.

Amen.

There's nothing in this world to keep you apart.

What is your answer to him?

Time and time he has waited before, and now he is waiting again.

To see if you're willing to open the door.

Oh, how he wants to come in.

You'll take one step toward the Savior, my friend.

You'll find his arms open wide.

Receive him and all of your darkness will live.

Within your heart he'll abide.

Time and time he has waited before, and now he is waiting again.

To see if you've fulfilled his wishes,

Now your ch components will belong with him.

Time and time he has waited before, and now he is waiting again.

Oh, how he wants to come in.