Address—D. Rule
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To receive.
Thyself without a staff for us.
That it might truly become a part of us.
And lead to thy glory.
So we pray our God and ask with Thanksgiving.
Name the one the alone worthy name.
Thy Son, Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen.
By way of introduction, what's before me? Would you turn with me to John's Gospel Chapter 3?
John's Gospel, chapter 3.
And verse 33.
He that hath received his God's testimony.
Have said to his seal.
That God is true.
Now we'll turn over before we comment on it to Genesis chapter two and three for two more verses.
Genesis chapter 2.
And verse 17.
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it. We're in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Chapter 3.
And verse 4.
And the serpent said unto the woman.
He shall not surely die.
The first verse that we read in John chapter 3 is the scriptural definition of faith.
Survival's definition to us of what faith is.
God gives.
Testimony. A report.
Of himself in some matter.
And my acceptance, your acceptance of that is true, is what faith is.
We have faith between people as well. You say something to me and I accept what you say is true.
That is my faith, what you say.
Acceptance of what you're saying?
In Genesis chapter 2 where we read, we have a report from God.
In the day that you eat thereof.
You shall surely die.
And.
Shortly thereafter, you assume it's shortly thereafter.
We have the opposite report given, the opposite testimony given, ye shall.
Not surely die.
And man, our forefather Adam and Eve were presented.
With a question, an issue you might say before them.
Who do I believe? In whom do I have faith?
And we know what happened.
They made the choice.
To believe Satan.
And as a consequence.
There's been tremendous sorrow and dishonor to God and His creation.
It's a tremendously fundamental and important matter. Faith.
And believing what God says is true.
And I trust that you this afternoon have accepted what God says is true. But we're going to look at some very what to me are fundamental, a few at least fundamental.
Parts of Christianity.
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And remind ourselves of the need to believe.
Simply and completely what God says.
Because all problems, all failure that has ever occurred in your life and mind comes from.
Come into our hearts and to.
Almost say into our natures.
I add occasion to.
Ask hundreds of young people.
This question.
Do you believe?
That God ever lies.
Many of these young people have never been in a Sunday school or building all the church.
Never, almost never, opened a Bible in their life.
I've never had one of them say no, God laughed.
There is something in everyone of us that recognizes the truth, and it is the truth.
That God never lies what his report is.
Is always worthy of acceptance of faith.
And we might say, well, I believe God in a general way, but when it comes to specific truths of Scripture, even as Christians, sometimes there is within us.
Unbelief.
So it's important this afternoon as we look at Scripture that we rest on.
Rock solid foundation that God is true and that everything that God says is true.
And we should accept it.
Like several times today I have.
Missed an absent person here this afternoon.
That's Merle Graham.
I suspect Brother Graham won't eat anymore Allendale conferences in this life.
Having seen him last Lord's Day.
I'm not saying he's right.
The end of his journey.
Physical health and his mental capacities diminished last year.
But I want to recount on this matter of faith for a moment how he was saved, because I think it illustrates the point that I'm trying to make here.
Merle Graham was about 25 or so years old. At his work at a bank, there was a brother in Christ who was concerned for his soul.
And he gave to him a book to read. It happened to be Charles Stanley's Romans book on.
And he gave it to Mr. Graham and he said read it. So he took it home and he.
Could see the earnest sincerity of the person that had given it to him. And so he sat down to read the book. And as he was reading the book, he said it took him. He wasn't, he read rather slowly. He wasn't very familiar with his Bible, but there were a lot of Bible references in the book. And so as he came to one, he would open it up and he would stop and look it up and read it in the scripture itself. And sometimes he had to look in the table of contents to find where that place was in the Bible and so on.
But he was it was a book on Romans and he was reading one evening, he said.
And he came to a scripture and I don't remember if he told me exactly which one, but.
A scripture like Romans 322 and three, there's no difference.
For all have sinned and come short the glory of God.
And then, he said, he stopped reading.
And he asked himself the question. He said Merle.
If you believe that.
You're lost.
Said after a moment. He said to himself.
I'm lost.
And he kept reading that same evening, and perhaps 15 minutes later he came and he looked up another verse of Scripture.
Going to quote one that would apply.
That the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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And he stopped, and he said to himself, Merle.
If you believe that.
And then he paused. Thought about it.
I'm saved.
And he said I've never doubted it so.
All Brethren, I.
Good to God that we all.
The youngest, the oldest, had that same simple.
Like confident, complete trust in what God says.
Faith.
Now let's, with that in mind, turn over to Romans chapter 4.
Romans, chapter 4.
And verse 3.
For what saith the scripture?
Abraham believed God.
Abraham believed God.
Make it personal this afternoon.
Commenting to somebody when you have the responsibility.