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Well, you can turn with me in 
your Bibles to the Gospel of John. John chapter one. John one, I wanna read the prologue, 
that's verses one to 18. So John 1, beginning in verse 
1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and 
the Word was God. He was in the beginning with 
God. All things were made through him, and without him nothing 
was made that was made. In him was life, and the life 
was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, 
and the darkness did not comprehend it. There was a man sent from 
God whose name was John. This man came for a witness to 
bear witness of the light that all through him might believe. 
He was not that light but was sent to bear witness of that 
light. That was the true light which gives light to every man 
coming into the world. He was in the world, and the 
world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He 
came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many 
as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children 
of God, to those who believe in His name, who were born, not 
of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of 
man, but of God. And the word became flesh and 
dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the 
only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John 
bore witness of him and cried out, saying, This was he of whom 
I said, He who comes after me is preferred before me, for he 
was before me. and of his fullness we have all 
received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through 
Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one 
has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is 
in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank you very much for this conference together. We thank 
you for the good things that we have heard, We thank you for 
the glorious truth of our salvation by grace alone, through faith 
alone in Christ alone. We thank you for what Jesus has 
accomplished on behalf of his people. We thank you for this 
wonderful plan of God and. in the salvation of your people. 
We just pray that these things would be hidden in our hearts, 
that we would rejoice in your goodness, in your loving kindness, 
that we would worship you based on or in accordance with these 
great things. May you affect our churches for 
good. May you cause us to be faithful 
in preaching these truths we long to see. More sinners come 
effectually out of darkness into marvelous light, confessing Jesus 
as Lord and Savior. As well, we long to see in our 
churches the growth in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord 
and Savior, Jesus Christ. So God be pleased to bless and 
provide the presence, the power of the Holy Spirit. And even 
now, may he indeed guide us as we consider your word. And may 
you now forgive us for all of our sins and unrighteousness 
and cleanse us in that precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And we pray in his name, amen. Well, in paragraph three, it's 
been read by Sam, at the end of paragraph three, or I'm sorry, 
yeah, paragraph three in chapter two, we read that which doctrine 
of the Trinity is the foundation of all our communion with God 
and comfortable dependence on him. So it is a relevant doctrine. I don't like to even use that 
word with reference to the Trinity, but I think you get my gist. 
It is applicable. In other words, it is to be something 
that drives us in terms of worship and in terms of gratitude and 
in terms of service. to our blessed God. So the focus 
of this address is going to be on the relevance of this doctrine 
for the divinely sanctioned ministry. And it's gonna be some, as the 
program says, pastoral reflections on this theme. But before we 
get there, I wanna first look at the revelation of the divine 
perfections, and then secondly, the relations of the divine persons 
from the prologue in John's gospel. It seems to me that when it comes 
to confessions and creeds, people have this sneaking suspicion 
that the creeds and confessions put things in the Bible that 
are not there. That is almost to say, or something 
analogous to saying that Philip put Jesus in Isaiah 53. We know 
that Philip doesn't put Jesus in Isaiah 53, but with the Ethiopian 
eunuch, he shows him what Isaiah spoke by the prophet. So when 
we come to the Nicene Creed or the Second London Confession, 
we are not placing things in the Bible. Rather, we thank God 
for these divines who have seen what Scripture teaches, and have 
articulated that in the Nicene Creed, just one among many, and 
the Second London Confession. So before we get to the bulk 
of the practical, we've been working our way through John's 
Gospel, and it's been encouraging, with reference to classical theism, 
to see that our divines, our forefathers, didn't make this 
up. They weren't spitballing. They 
didn't get together and say, you know, we're going to orchestrate 
this grand conspiracy and force this idea of a trinity of persons 
and the one living and true God. No, we see it here in John's 
gospel. So with reference to the revelation 
of the divine perfection. So in chapter two, you've got 
that, God in himself in terms of perfections. Dr. Dolezal dealt 
with that yesterday, and then in paragraph 3, the divine relations, 
so the relations of the divine persons, and Sam Renahan dealt 
with that today. But with reference to the revelation 
of divine perfections, if you think about John's gospel, It 
follows, or rather the creeds and confessions and theology 
follows the trajectory that we find in John's Gospel. I think 
it was Dr. Dolezal yesterday that mentioned 
a distinction in classical theism between theology, or who God 
is in himself, and an economy, what God does outside of himself, 
the external works of God. John's Gospel does that. John 
1, 1 to 18 is theology. It's who God is in himself. brings us behind the scenes, 
as it were, to show us who that Lamb of God who takes away the 
sin of the world really is. Not that Matthew, Mark, and Luke 
don't, but John does it very conspicuously and very profusely. The Gospel begins with a confession 
that Jesus is God, and it ends on that high note with Thomas' 
statement, My Lord, my God. There is a chapter 21, I think 
that's epilogue, but John's purpose is specific. So that distinction 
is not something, again, put on the Bible. We see it used 
in Scripture. But in terms of the revelation 
of divine perfections, if you look specifically at our passage 
in verse 17, it says, For the law was given through Moses, 
but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen 
God at any time, the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the 
Father, He has declared Him. Now this comparison with Moses, 
it's probably got some covenantal overtones to be sure, it's got 
some redemptive historical overtones to be sure, but the revelation 
of the Father by the Son in verse 18 invites the comparison with 
Moses and God in Exodus chapter 33. In Exodus 33, Moses says, 
show me your glory. And so in our passage, we see 
the revelation of the glory of the only begotten Son, and that 
glorious only begotten Son is the revealer of the Father. So 
notice in verse 18, no one has seen God at any time. The only 
begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared 
Him. He has exegeted Him. He has revealed 
Him. We see that in John 14, when 
Philip asks to see the Father. And Jesus says, if you've seen 
Me, you have seen the Father. Do you not know that I am in 
the Father and the Father is in Me? So again, this comparison 
with Moses invites that investigation of Exodus 33. And what does God 
reveal there to Moses? He reveals it in a way that Moses 
can handle. You can't see my glory. I'm gonna put you in the cleft 
of the rock, and I'm gonna cover you with my hand, and then I'm 
gonna pass by you. And in that passing by you, I'm 
gonna demonstrate my goodness. And then that goodness is amplified 
in chapter 34 in terms of God's grace, God's mercy, God's loving 
kindness. So that our confession starts 
chapter 2 in paragraph 1 on a consideration of the perfections of God. That's 
good theology. That's what we should do. We 
should consider what God or who God is in himself. John Gill 
says, concerning John 118, Jesus has clearly and fully declared 
his nature, perfections, purposes, promises, counsels, covenant, 
word, and works, his thoughts and schemes of grace, his love 
and favor to the sons of men, his mind and will concerning 
the salvation of his people, he has made and delivered a fuller 
revelation of these things than ever was yet, and to which no 
other revelation in the present state of things will be added. 
So from the outset, in John's prologue, he tells us that Jesus 
is going to reveal things about the Father that are glorious. 
But then as well, the eternal relations, or the relations of 
the divine persons. Again, what Dr. Renahan spoke 
on this morning. Both men, by the way, let me 
recommend and Thank you for your time with us. I hope you come 
back. I hope that we've been nice enough to you and that you've 
eaten good enough food. They both raved about the meal 
that was served last night, so that works in our favor. We might 
get them back out here with roast beef. But the relations of the 
divine persons. Note John 1.1. In the beginning was the word, 
and the word was with God, and the word was God. So this word, 
is co-eternal with the Father. This Word is distinct from the 
Father. This Word is consubstantial with 
the Father. In the beginning was the Word, 
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. That Word was 
incarnate. That Word came down for us men 
and for our salvation. Notice in verse 14, and the Word 
became flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld His glory, 
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace 
and truth. the incarnation of the Word, 
the Word spoken of in verse one, the Word who is on the Creator's 
side of creation, according to chapter one, verse three. With 
reference to the incarnation, Cyril makes the observation that 
he came forth a man of a woman, not casting aside his being as 
God and the fact of his having been begotten of God the Father. 
Even in the assumption of flesh, he remained what he was. the 
glory of the truth of the incarnation. He took on our humanity without 
ever ceasing to be God. As well, we see that emphasis 
on only begotten, again, speaking with reference to what Sam taught 
so well this morning, the generation of the son, the eternal generation 
of the son. What distinguishes the son and 
the father? The son is the only begotten 
from or of the father. And I've thought and I've quoted 
this often in our church when it comes to that only begottenness. And people say or talk about 
eternal generation. Well, it's hard to understand. 
Yeah, it's very hard to understand. The difference between the infinite 
and the finite. I've always loved this quote 
from Gregory of Nazianzen. The beginning of God must be 
honored by silence. It is a great thing for you to 
learn that he was begotten, but the manner of his generation, 
we will not admit that even angels can conceive, much less you. Shall I tell you how it was? 
It was in a manner known to the father who begat and to the son 
who was begotten. Anything more than this is hidden 
by a cloud and escapes your dim sight. He's right. The son is 
distinguished from the father by generation, but the spirit 
as well. And Sam mentioned the upper room 
discourse in John 15. In fact, you can turn there. 
So in John one, we see the distinction between the persons of the Father 
and the Son, but we see the Spirit as well. And if you read passages 
or texts that only mention the Father and the Son, I think Thomas 
has a good quote or good comment on John 17 three. This is eternal 
life that they may know thee, the only true God in Jesus Christ 
whom thou hast sent. Thomas says no mention is made 
of the Holy Spirit because whenever the Father and Son are mentioned, 
and especially in matters pertaining to the grandeur of the divinity, 
The Holy Spirit, who is the bond of the Father and the Son, is 
implied. In other words, where the Father 
and the Son are, there's the Spirit. Where the Spirit is, 
there's the Father and the Son. But John 15, in terms of the 
relation of the Spirit to the Father and the Son, verse 26, 
when the helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, 
the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will testify 
of me. Eternal processions are revealed 
in temporal missions. Not exhaustively, not all encompassing, 
but we see from the temporal missions we see glorious and 
good things concerning eternal processions. So all that to say 
that what we have in our confession, chapter two, paragraph three, 
is wonderful. There are three subsistences, 
the Father, the Word, or Son, and the Holy Spirit, or in this 
divine and infinite being, there are three subsistences, the Father, 
the Word, or Son, and the Holy Spirit. of one's substance, power, 
and eternity, each having the whole divine essence, yet the 
essence undivided." And then those relations of origin are 
specified. Again, I only want to bring this 
up because sometimes people might start learning or studying classical 
theism, and they want to preach it. And I never thought I would 
be the older pastor among younger pastors, but if I could give 
you a bit of encouragement, preach John's Gospel. and have Cyril 
of Alexandria nearby, and have Thomas Aquinas, and John Gill, 
and Matthew Poole. But what about the latest in 
the great book? I'm not saying don't buy new stuff, but don't 
neglect the old stuff, because those brothers are good. So all 
that to say, I just wanted to connect what we see in our confession 
so we don't go with that supposition that seems to be held by some 
that we, We've taken creedal or confessional theology and 
we've put it into the Bible. That's not it at all. Now, in 
terms of relevance, relevance for the divinely sanctioned ministry, 
I want to address two things here. And yeah, I'm gonna be 
mindful of the time. First, the ministerial function, 
and pastors, preachers, you're specifically in view here. I 
hope everyone else can benefit. So the ministerial function and 
then ministerial focus. And there I don't have an authoritative 
list, but just some things as I think through it that are connected 
to and affected by and much necessary in light of our theology proper. 
But with reference to the ministerial function, The Apostle Paul in 
1 Timothy chapter three tells us something about the church, 
and I think that it needs to be sounded over and over again. So in 1 Timothy 3, 14, he says, 
these things I write to you, though I hope to come to you 
shortly, but if I am delayed, I write. Why does he write? So that you may know how you 
ought to conduct yourself in the house of God. It doesn't 
say, Timothy, I want you to be innovative, I want you to be 
creative, I want you to rely on whatever encounter, No, I 
want you to do what you're supposed to do. If I am delayed, I write, 
so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in 
the house of God. And this isn't a Pauline ought, 
it's a God ought. And then he says, which is the 
church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. 
Now, you're all reformed men, I think. You believe this, right? Pillar and ground of the truth. You don't think it's the pillar 
and the ground of the experience. You don't think it's the pillar 
and the ground of entertainment. You think it's the pillar and 
ground of the truth. Back in 1 Timothy 3, 2, the qualifications 
for elders, specifically in terms of what he must do. The list 
of qualifications for elders, every Christian man should aspire 
to that. Every Christian man should want 
those virtues or pursue those virtues, godliness and righteousness 
and faithfulness and take good care of your wives, take good 
care of your children. I hope none of you ever read, 
well, I'm not an elder, so I don't have to treat my wife that way. 
No, no, no, not that. It's a demonstrable proven ability 
that is applied with reference to the elder. But the one thing 
that does distinguish the elder is this ability to teach. He 
must be able to teach. Titus, similarly, Paul gives 
instructions to Titus with reference to the island of Crete, and in 
verse nine he says, holding fast the faithful word as he has been 
taught that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort 
and convict those who contradict. Now brethren, before I even get 
to my list of practical applications, The very nature of the minister's 
function demands a knowledge of what we find in chapter two 
of our confession. It assumes a knowledge of what 
the Bible teaches concerning God. So at the most fundamental 
level, why is classical theism important for Christian ministry? 
Because it's true, and our function is to be proclaimers of truth, 
in the church of God, which is the pillar and ground of the 
truth, the one who is the Lord God of truth, according to the 
psalmist. Jesus says, I am the way, the 
truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except 
through me. Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the Holy Spirit 
not of emotion, the Holy Spirit not of entertainment, but the 
Holy Spirit, the spirit of truth. So the most fundamental reason 
why we should get our minds wrapped around the truth is because that's 
the job. That's what we're supposed to 
do. Calvin makes the observation concerning the minister's task. 
He says, this is the chief gift in a bishop who is elected principally 
for the sake of teaching. For the church cannot be governed 
in any other way than by the word. He wishes that a bishop 
should hold it fast. So as not only to be well instructed 
in it, but to be constant in maintaining it. Spurgeon says, 
brethren, to his students, if you are not theologians, you 
are in your pastorates just nothing at all. You may be fine rhetoricians 
and be rich in polished sentences, but without knowledge of the 
gospel and aptness to teach it, you are but a sounding brass 
and a tinkling cymbal. In our seminary curriculum, B.B. Warfield made the observation, 
if the whole function of the minister is inspirational rather 
than instructional. Brethren, this is a real danger. 
Inspirational? I don't think I'm inspiring. 
You say, well, you inspire me to want to get up and leave the 
church. I'd probably say, yeah, I get it at that level. He's 
talking about the rah-rah. He's talking about the pep squad. He's talking about the cheerleader. So he says, if the whole function 
of the minister is inspirational rather than instructional, then 
no doubt we may dispense with all serious study of the scripture. 
But if the minister is the mouthpiece of the Most High, charged with 
a message to deliver, to expound and enforce, standing in the 
name of God before men to make known to them who and what this 
God is, and what his purposes of grace are, and what his will 
for his people, then the whole aspect of things is changed. 
Then it is the prime duty of the minister to know his message, 
to know the instructions which have been committed to him for 
the people, and to know them thoroughly, to be prepared to 
declare them with confidence and with exactness, to commend 
them with wisdom, and to urge them with force and defend them 
with skill, and to build men up by the means of them into 
a true knowledge of God and of his will, which will be unassailable 
in the face of the fiercest assault. Amen. That's why we're doing 
what we're doing. That's why we've gotten two solid, 
faithful men. so that we can engage in this, 
so that we don't, we're not prone to be tossed to and fro by every 
wind of doctrine. Dr. Renahan mentioned the subordination. Many people do that today. What 
distinguishes the father and the son? Well, it's the eternal 
subordination of the son to the father. Well, that's a huge problem. 
Then you've got an authority will and a submission will. You've 
got two wills in God, or eternal relations of authority. That's 
not biblical. What distinguishes the persons 
are the things that we heard, the notions, the relative properties, 
the unbegottenness of the Father, the begottenness of the Son, 
the spiration of the Spirit from the Father and the Son. That's 
how the church has historically maintained distinction among 
the persons of the Godhead. It's pretty relatively new, I'm 
not the historian here, at least in my reading, it's kind of a 
newish thing to subordinate Jesus, I don't think it was a newish 
thing, I'm sure there's always been that, but to subordinate 
Jesus in theology, or God in himself. As Dr. Renahan mentioned, there's no 
problem in the economy when Jesus is, according to his humanity, 
prays that if it possible, let this cup pass from me. That's 
not problematic. The son always does what pleases 
the father. My meat is to do the will of 
him who sent me. The argument is not subordination 
in the economy. The argument is subordination 
in theology. Why are men falling prey to that? 
Well, because they haven't given due regard to chapters like chapter 
two in our confession or to the Nicene Creed. Now, in terms of 
focus, again, this isn't an authoritative list, just kind of reflecting 
a bit on the Bible and on the confession, and upon something 
that Dr. Jim Renahan has mentioned before, 
and I think it's very effective or something that you should 
keep in mind. Reading the confession sideways. 
I don't mean holding it like that and trying to figure it 
out. Reading it here and connecting 
it over here. In other words, if you don't 
have a good chapter two, then the rest of the chapters are 
gonna be a mess. But if you have a good chapter two, and all of 
it founded on chapter one, the holy scriptures, But if your 
chapter two is good, the way our chapter two is, and then 
you start reading it sideways and see its connection to other 
doctrines, that's a very helpful way to read the confession. It's 
a very helpful way to realize another thing that was mentioned 
yesterday. If you pull out one thread from a sweater, you're 
gonna mess the whole thing up. And so with that in mind, first, 
with reference to the doctrine of God or classical theism, when 
it comes to the salvation of sinners, The salvation of sinners, 
that's a big deal, right? We should have a good theology 
proper because it's really practical when it comes to the saving of 
sinners. Who God is is necessary for the salvation that God gives. Just foundational. We tend to 
focus, I think initially at our conversion, we tend to focus 
on the what. We've been saved. And hopefully 
as we grow and we learn and we start to study more, we then 
enter into the arena of more about who it is that has saved 
us. who it is that has redeemed us, 
who it is that for us men and for our salvation came down from 
heaven. Consider, in our confession, 
chapter three, the decree to save, chapter seven, the covenant 
to save, chapter eight, the mediator who saves, chapters 11 to 18, 
the manner of salvation. And of course, chapter 20 basically 
summarizes the emphasis on the gospel as that necessary message 
to be proclaimed for the salvation of sinners. If you don't have 
a good chapter two, You don't have any sure confidence you're 
going to heaven. If you don't have a good chapter 
two, you don't have any sure confidence that the sinner you're 
calling to faith and repentance in Jesus Christ is gonna go to 
heaven. There is a close connection between 
the God of the Bible and the salvation that is wrought by 
him. I would suggest, secondly, and 
this comes, again, practically, not so much just to pastors, 
but for all of us. We're in the book of Deuteronomy 
on our Wednesday night Bible study. and Deuteronomy chapter 
four. You don't need to turn there, 
but you can if you'd like, but you remember the scene in Deuteronomy. 
They're on the plains of Moab, they're getting ready to enter 
into the promised land. Deuteronomy is simply a series 
of exhortations by Moses to say, remember, this is what you're 
supposed to do when you get into the land. And then Moses dies, the succession 
of Joshua. But in Deuteronomy chapter four, 
there's these two emphases. And this time, we're gonna go 
sideways still in our confession. But instead of going that way 
toward chapter 32, we're gonna go back to the preface. So in 
Deuteronomy chapter four, specifically at verses nine and 10, only take 
heed to yourself and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget 
the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your 
heart all the days of your life. and teach them to your children 
and your grandchildren, especially concerning the day you stood 
before the Lord your God in Horeb, when the Lord said to me, gather 
the people to me, and I will let them hear my words, that 
they may learn to fear me all the days they live on the earth, 
and that they may teach their children. And then verse 25 seems 
to indicate there's gonna be a time coming when they will 
have neglected that. With reference to our children, 
don't we wanna teach them the truth of God? That should be 
fundamental. We don't want them to be little 
heretics. We don't wanna raise Arius or Susinus. We don't want it to be the case 
that if the church ever gets serious again, they end up exiled. 
They end up in Palmdale for their heresy. I'm sorry. Out in the 
deserts of Palmdale. Brethren, God in his grace and 
mercy has given us children and we're to bring them up in the 
training and admonition of the Lord. Listen to our confession 
at the preface. And verily there is one spring 
and cause of the decay of religion in our day which we cannot but 
touch upon and earnestly urge a redress of. And that is the 
neglect of the worship of God and families. by those to whom 
the charge and conduct of them is committed. May not the gross 
ignorance and instability of many with the profaneness of 
others be justly charged upon their parents and masters who 
have not trained them up in the way wherein they ought to walk 
when they were young, but have neglected those frequent and 
solemn commands which the Lord hath laid upon them, so to catechize 
and instruct them that their tender years might be seasoned 
with the knowledge of the truth of God as revealed in the scriptures. 
It goes on. Why did these Baptists write 
a confession? Because they saw the importance 
of training young people, teaching children. And certainly, we've 
got children in our home. We've got children in our churches 
that need to learn theology proper. They need to learn classical 
theism. I've long thought that a child 
in one of our churches, let's say a 10-year-old who knows Westminster 
Shorter Catechism numbers four to six, He's probably head and 
shoulders theologically than some men in pulpits in different 
parts of the world. God is spirit, infinite, eternal, 
and unchangeable, or God is spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, 
and is being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, 
and truth. That's probably more theology than you get, and I 
don't wanna pick on other churches. I wanna be a positive guy. But, 
but, Theology, it's not a primary 
emphasis today. We know that. I mean, in our 
churches, we try to have it that way. But we know that outside 
there, there's some weird stuff going on. And it is up to us 
to make sure that our kids don't end up in that weird stuff. I 
would suggest thirdly, in terms of reading the confession sideways 
from the doctrine of God, is the perseverance of the saints. 
I love when it gets to practical Christianity in our confession. I think our confession, far from 
being a dry, dusty, old orthodox thing, contains far more heartfelt 
practical religion and probably a whole bunch of books today 
on practical religion do. They're not afraid to admit that 
sometimes the temptations of the flesh prevail. They're not 
afraid to admit that sometimes the light of God's smiling countenance 
is withdrawn. They're not afraid to get down 
with the psalmist in Psalms 42 and 43. Why are you downcast, 
oh my soul? That happens in life, doesn't 
it? It does. Well, in terms of perseverance, 
how do we make it from point A to point B? Well, you've just 
got to knuckle under. Yeah, you do. You just got to try really hard. 
Yeah, you do. You gotta depend upon the glorious 
God of heaven and earth. Listen to 17.2. This perseverance 
of the saints depends not upon their own free will, but upon 
the immutability of the decree of election, the unchangeableness 
of the decree of election. Isn't that, put a little spring 
in your step when it comes to perseverance? flowing from the 
free and unchangeable love. There's those perfections or 
attributes given to God or ascribed to God in chapter two. are teased 
out and fleshed out and made concrete realities in lives of 
God's people. Flowing from the free and unchangeable 
love of God the Father upon the efficacy of the merit and intercession 
of Jesus Christ and union with him the oath of God, the abiding 
of his spirit and the seed of God within that and the nature 
of the covenant of grace from all which ariseth also the certainty 
and infallibility thereof. That's a good help to our perseverance. What about assurance? That's 
the next chapter. Assurance, 18.2. This certainty, let me just stop 
here. Where is our assurance? It's 
not ultimately my grip on Jesus, it's Jesus' grip on me. Supply 
you for me there. How often do we get bogged down 
in this idea that, man, I'm just not knuckling under well enough. 
I haven't pulled up my bootstraps high enough. And again, brethren, 
I'm not saying be an indolent wretch and lay around on your 
couch and eat Doritos. But you can do that once in a 
while if you'd like. You go right ahead. But so often, 
we look at things like perseverance and assurance as dependent upon 
us and us alone. Obviously, work out your own 
salvation with fear and trembling. Paul tells us that. For it is 
God who is at work in us, both to will and to do according to 
his good pleasure. Let's not forget that latter bit that God 
is actually doing and willing for his good pleasure. But assurance, 
paragraph two, chapter 18, this certainty is not a bare conjectural 
and probable persuasion grounded upon a fallible hope, but an 
infallible assurance of faith founded on the blood and righteousness 
of Christ revealed in the gospel, and also upon the inward evidences 
of those graces of the Spirit unto which promises are made, 
and on the testimony of the Spirit of God, witnessing with our hearts 
that we are the children of God, and as a fruit thereof, keeping 
the heart both humble and holy. Beautiful, and Trinitarian, Father, 
Son, and Spirit in the matter of perseverance. Father, Son, 
and Spirit in the matter of assurance. Edward Mote well wrote, my hope 
is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. 
I dare not trust the sweetest frame. I've grown to appreciate 
that clause because I've observed that more often than not, we 
do trust sweet frames. We do rest on sweet friends. You know, I don't really feel 
too good today, so I'm wondering if God is for me or not. Don't 
you love the theology we heard yesterday and this morning that 
tells us that that's just not the way it is? God doesn't love 
me because I performed well this week. God doesn't love me less 
because I didn't perform well this week. Again, perform well. Again, knuckle under. Again, 
do everything you need to do. But focus on the glory of the 
triune God when it comes to these things. I dare not trust the 
sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name. And then he says, 
his oath, his covenant, his blood support me in the whelming flood. 
I know any whelming floods I've ever gone through. It's not my 
oath. It's not my covenant, it's not my steadfastness that has 
ultimately got me out of that rut. On Christ, the solid rock 
I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. I saw a quote the 
other day, it was a scribe to Luther, sounds like something 
Luther would say, I don't have the reference, but he says, when 
I look at myself, I don't see how I can be saved. But when 
I look at Christ, I don't see how I can be lost. I like that. and that's grounded on a chapter 
two approach to theology. I would suggest, fifthly, and 
there's not that many more, fifthly, the foundation of communion with 
God. It's what our confession says at chapter two, paragraph 
three. Last bit, after perfections, 
after God at intra, God at extra, paragraph two. and then God at 
intra in terms of triunity in paragraph three, you have that 
statement, which doctrine of the Trinity is the foundation 
of all our communion with God and comfortable dependence on 
him. Notice where that's attached. It's attached to the doctrine 
of God. Not to self-help, not to do goodery, 
Not to entertainment, not to feeling, not to emotion, but 
that emphasis, this communion with God, or foundation of all 
our communion with God, and comfortable dependence on him, is connected 
inextricably to him. Makes perfect sense that it should 
be thus, but we need to be reminded of that. Boy, I really don't 
feel like God is with me. Well, maybe you should read a 
theology book. We don't usually recommend that, but it's probably 
not the worst idea. Kind of like when a man says, 
you know, I feel like my prayers aren't getting to God. I think 
a good question is, how are you treating your wife? What? First Peter chapter three, so 
that your prayers be not hindered. When it comes to this communion 
with God and dependence upon God, perhaps the best way to 
increase that is to know more of him. to glorify Him and to 
enjoy Him forever. I would suggest, sixthly, the 
worship of God. The worship of God. There's this 
wonderful movement in the book of Ephesians. In Ephesians 1, 
we have blessing from the Father, through the Son, in the Spirit, 
to the sinner. Just as He chose us in Him before 
the foundation of the world, Ephesians 1.4, Verse seven, in 
him, Christ, we have redemption through his blood. And then in 
verses 13 and 14, it's in the spirit. So from the father through 
the son, and this doesn't indicate any gradation amongst the persons, 
but from the father through the son in the spirit. And then on chapter two, for 
the redeemed sinner, It's the same thing, but now it's in the 
Spirit through the Son to the Father. In fact, if you look 
at 18, chapter two, verse 18, for through Him, the Father, 
we both, Jew and Gentile, have access by one Spirit to the Father. For through Him, Christ, we both 
have access by one Spirit to the Father. And then in verse 
22, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling 
place of God in the Spirit. Having recently gone, it's kind 
of an embarrassment, but having recently gone through the book 
of Ephesians, I finally think I figured out what chapter three, 
verse 19 meant. Chapter three, verse 19, I always 
understood that last bit, that you may be filled with all the 
fullness of God. I would typically explain it 
this way. I don't really know what Paul is saying, but it must 
be good. But understanding it connected 
to the temple language of 2.18 and 22, Be filled with all the 
fullness of God in your churches. When they built the tabernacle, 
what happens? The Shekinah glory comes down. 
When Solomon dedicates his temple in 1 Kings 8, what happened? 
the Shekinah glory had come down. So Paul says, I want you, the 
church in Ephesus, to be filled with all the fullness of God, 
that in your corporate worship services, it'll be as if the 
Lord God Most High is in your midst. And then we turn to Revelation, 
and where's Jesus? Jesus, according to Revelation 
1, is in the midst of the lampstands. This doesn't always feel that 
way in our corporate worship, but it is that way. So again, 
we trust sweet frames. We trust emotions. We trust what 
appears to be the case. Boy, that prayer meeting seemed 
boring. Boy, that church service seemed boring. I know we don't 
verbalize that, because we're a little more dignified, but 
you know, we've thought it. You say, well, no, I haven't. 
I have, I'm sorry. I'm outing myself here. I have 
thought that. We don't let what we think change 
what God says. This coming to the Father through 
the Son in the Spirit is new covenant, corporate worship. 
And Paul says, I pray that you will be filled with all the fullness 
of God. And then I would suggest finally, 
you can turn to John 17. It's the knowledge of God. What 
is the chief end of man? Man's chief end is to glorify 
God and to enjoy him forever. How does Jesus summarize? What 
does he say is the very essence of eternal life? This is eternal 
life, that they may have good experiences, they may have good 
feelings? No, that they may know thee, 
the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. What 
does God say through the prophet Jeremiah? It's not, don't let 
the rich man boast in his riches. Don't let the wise man boast 
in his wisdom. Don't let the strong man, you 
know, whatever it is that you have a tendency or proclivity 
to, don't boast in that, but rather boast in this, that you 
know me. It is the very sum and substance 
of eternal life to be familiar with, to grow in your understanding 
of, and to give lots of attention to chapters like we have in Chapter 
two like we have in Second London Confession. To know something 
of God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten 
not made, one in being, one in essence with the Father, through 
whom all things were made. These are the things that hopefully 
put the spring and the step of God's people in terms of their 
joy and their happiness. That's what we have. And I mean, 
we have a lot in the Western world. We thought it's probably 
easier to teach and preach on how great the knowledge of God 
and satisfaction in God is when you're in countries where they 
don't have food and they don't have water and they don't have 
all the necessities of life. We have all that. And there could 
be a tendency creeps in that, you know, we got that and God. 
But the God, part, and I don't mean it in how it sounds, is 
everything. How do you look at the history 
of the church and see people deprived? What does the apostle, 
Paul, if we're gonna continue the theme and the conference 
today, Paul in Hebrews 10, you joyfully, joyfully receive the 
plundering of your goods. Those disciples in Acts 5, They're 
beaten, why? Because they're preachers of 
Jesus Christ, they go from that place and they're rejoicing, 
why? Because they were counted worthy 
to suffer shame for the name. Or in Acts 14, remember Paul 
is stoned, he's dragged outside of town, the people think he's 
dead, but the next day he rises up and he goes to the next city 
to preach the gospel, what's his text? Through many tribulations 
we must enter the kingdom of heaven. Nobody had to say, what 
do you mean, Paul? What are you talking about, Paul? 
He had been stoned. It probably had left some marks 
on him. He speaks of those marks in Galatians 6. Don't let anybody 
trouble me anymore. I bear in my body the brand marks 
of Jesus. I told our church before that 
I love this statement from Sinclair Ferguson. He's commenting on 
that passage somewhere. I can't remember the particular 
book, but he says, you hear Paul say that, Galatians, From now 
on, don't let anybody trouble me, for I bear in my body the 
brand marks and the marks of Jesus. You don't really know 
what he is, what he's talking about until you go to the church 
picnic. And some of the kids in the church say, let's go swimming, 
Paul. And he takes off that outer garment, and there you see those 
brand marks of Jesus on him. My point is is that the knowledge 
of God and the relation that we sustain or we bear to God 
through our Lord Jesus Christ, grace through faith, that's everything. That's not just for preachers, 
oh, I wanna be good at theology so I can be good at what I'm 
doing. It's the soul-sustaining, life-sustaining 
stuff that each and every one of us need for the daily grind 
for the perseverance, for the assurance, for the appreciation, 
the gratitude. We've got guilt, grace, gratitude. We need to know the God that 
we're grateful to. So again, not an authoritative 
list. I'm sure you can think of five 
other things, perhaps 10 other things that should go along with 
that particular list. But those are some pastoral reflections 
on classical theism. that I hope we'll take to heart, 
think through, pray through, and see the value and the import 
of knowing what our confession says as it rightly rehearses 
and articulates what John says, what Isaiah says, what Moses 
says, what those men spake by the Holy Spirit. Well, let us 
pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank 
you for your word, we thank you for your truth, we thank you 
for the revelation of it, and we thank you that the Lord Jesus 
Christ, that son in the bosom of the father has exegeted the 
father. We ask that you would be glorified 
in our churches. I pray for your blessing upon 
each of the men here that preach, that you would just fill them 
with your spirit, fill them with that glorious truth concerning 
who you are and what you have done. And may this be the thing 
that promotes us or gives us that impetus to go into the pulpit 
each Lord's day. to proclaim the glory of God 
Most High and the gospel of free and gracious salvation.