John chapter 16. For a Bible reading today, John chapter 16. We'll begin our reading at verse 1. John chapter 16, verse number 1. The Lord Jesus Christ is speaking to His disciples here in the upper room. And He said these words, these things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. They shall put you out of the synagogues. Yea, the time cometh that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God's service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father nor me. But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you. Now I go my way to him that sent me. None of you asketh me, whither goest thou? But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth, it is expedient for you that I go away. For if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you, but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, righteousness and of judgment of sin because they believe not on me of righteousness because I go to my father and you see me no more of judgment because the prince of this world is judged I have yet many things to say unto you but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit, when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth, for he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak, and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me, for he shall receive of mine and shall show it unto you. Amen. We'll end our reading at the 14th verse. Let's unite in a short word of prayer together, please. Our Father and our God, we come before thee today as a company of people. We're here to hear thy word. O God, we're all gathered here. We're all gathered to hear the things that have been spoken unto me. Lord, we pray that as, therefore, I declare thy word, we pray that every heart will be receptive to it, that they will understand that this is what God would have to say to this congregation of people this day, that this would be what God would have to say to their heart. O God, be pleased, therefore, to assist in the preaching of thy word and filling, O God, this vessel, O God, with the Holy Ghost, that I might be a vessel unto honor, sanctify and meet for the master's use, answer prayer, glorify thy son, We offer prayer in and through our Savior's precious and holy name. Amen and amen. Well, last Lord's Day, we began considering the work of the Holy Spirit in redemption. And you'll recall that redemption is a work of the triune Godhead. And last week I gave you a simplistic outline as to the role of each person within the Godhead when it comes to our redemption, our deliverance from sin. We noted that God the Father authored redemption, God the Son accomplished redemption, and God the Holy Spirit applies redemption. Although I did say that each person within the Godhead cooperates with each of these different emphasis when it comes to redemption. But it is the Father that stands to the forefront when it comes to the offering of redemption. It is the Son that stands to the forefront when we think about the accomplishing of redemption, and it is the Holy Spirit that stands to the forefront as we think about the application of redemption. And we considered how God the Holy Spirit applies redemption to the sinner, how the sinner is brought into saving union with the Lord Jesus Christ. And that brought us to consider the doctrine of effectual calling, whereby the sinner is irresistibly, the sinner is effectually called in the gospel. Last week I gave you an explanation of effectual calling. We thought about the Bible's affirmation of effectual calling, and then we showed two exhibitions of effectual calling as they are recorded within the Word of God. Well, today we want to consider all that is entailed within effectual calling and see what role the Holy Spirit has to play in it. Let me begin by saying that if you're ever to be saved, from your sin, then the Holy Spirit must do a miracle within your soul. Because of the depravity of your own heart because of sin and because of your spiritual inability, it is impossible for you, the sinner, to bring yourself into a right standing or a right state before God. However, Before you think yourself to be free of any then responsibility, I want to remind you that it is your responsibility to hear the gospel. is your responsibility to come with a heart that's ready to receive the Word of God as it is revealed within the Word of God. The sad reality is that many are held captive by the devil because they simply will not let God speak to them and teach them from His Word. Although the sinner can never regenerate the heart God is prepared to come and work in the life of an individual and with respect to the individual that comes on to God by faith in Jesus Christ. Now today we have read in John chapter 16 of the work that the Holy Spirit does to bring the sinner to the place where they are willing to abandon their sin. and gladly received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives. Speaking of the Holy Ghost, Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, said in John chapter 16, verse 8 through to the verse 11, And when He has come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. of sin, because they believe not in me. Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye shall see me no more. Of judgment, because the prince of the world, this world, is judged." Now we live in a world where men and women love to be commended by others there are people and they just crave the world's applause individuals and they strive after the accolades of their peers certainly sinful man doesn't like to be told their imperfections, their sins, and their faults. However, the Scripture says that when the Spirit of God starts to deal with the sinner, when the Spirit of God effectually calls the sinner in the gospel, that sinner becomes aware by the ministry of the Holy Spirit that they are a sinner. The Spirit of God shows them their faults, their sins, their imperfections, their offenses against God. He deals with the sinner because He reproves the sinner. He most certainly does not congratulate the sinner. To reprove, this word in verse number 8. The spirit reproving, it simply means to admonish, to convict, to tell a fault. or to rebuke. We're told that the Holy Spirit, when He comes to convict, when He comes to reprove, when He comes to admonish, when He comes to rebuke the sinner, He focuses His reproving on three specific matters And it is upon those matters that I want to consider today as we consider what the Holy Spirit does as He effectually calls the sinner in the gospel. And so this message is very much going to be a gospel message this morning or this afternoon. And that will do you, the gospel dodger, no harm at all. That'll do you no harm at all. You who do not come to the gospel service, it'll do you no harm to hear a gospel message today. Want to think about what God does in the gospel, what the Spirit of God does, what he reproves a man, a woman, a boy or girl about as he works effectually within the soul, as he calls the sinner out of sin and on to Jesus Christ. Now I remind you yet once again of the shorter catechism's definition of effectual calling. Just a little snippet at the beginning, a factual calling as the work of God's Spirit were by, convincing us of our sin. and misery. And this is what God the Spirit does. He convinces the sinner. He convinces you, the sinner, of sin and of misery. And this convicting and this convincing is brought to light here in John chapter 16, the verses 8 through to 11. Now sinner, if you're ever to be saved, If you're ever to be saved from your sin, then God the Holy Spirit, as He effectually calls you in the Gospel, is going to have to reprove you about the matter of sin. Sin. He will reprove the world of sin. The word is offense. The word is fault. That's the word that we have here. It is referring to the person who misses the mark, the one who has erred with respect to the law and to the commandments of God. You see, when the Holy Spirit awakens a sinner, He awakens a sinner to the fact that they are a sinner, that they are the one who has transgressed God's law. They have violated God's commandments. Now, this matter of sin has become very blurred in these days. It seems that everything and anything goes in our society. And the only things that are frowned upon today are the matters of righteousness, morality, decency, Biblical truth. You can be an adulterer and society congratulates you. You can be a child abuser and society excuses you of your wicked deeds. You can murder the unborn child and society says that's your right to do. You can live an alternative sexual lifestyle and society calls that freedom of expression on your part. But be a Christian. live an honest life, walk in God's commandments, live by God's word, and society calls you a freak, an extremist, a bigot. Society is often shifting the goalposts when it comes to the matter of sin. But I want to say from this pulpit today that God never shifts the goalposts. Sin is always sin, and so it always will be in the sight of a holy and a righteous God. You see, God still views the worshipping of anything apart from himself as sin. He sees idolatry, the bowing down to grieving images, the worshipping of cars and businesses, the worshipping of family, the worshipping of money, the worshipping of our homes and our holidaying, All of these things God sees as sin. Today God sees blasphemy, the taking of His name and being still a sin. He sees Sabbath desecration, the doing of that of your own pleasure in the Lord's day at the expense of worshipping God, or working a job that is certainly not a job or a work of necessity of mercy. And let me say this, Even if it is, even if it is a work of necessity and mercy, it should be the longing of every child of God's heart to be in God's house on the Lord's day. It should not be your desire to get a bit of work for Sunday and getting paid a little bit extra. It should be your desire to be in God's house on the Lord's day. I'm speaking to God's people. I'm speaking to you. about your sin as a child of God. It should be your desire not to work shift after shift after shift. There is legislation placed for believers that they are not forced to work on the Lord's day. And so child of God, I speak to you about the Lord's day. not doing your own pleasure in the Lord's day, and being found in God's house on the Lord's day, morning and evening. Morning and evening. This is His day. This is His day. And so if you need to do other things, you have six days to do it, but this is a day of worship. And when the Spirit of God comes, and I trust the Spirit of God is speaking to your heart. But not only speaking, but you're going to make amends of it. There's going to be a change. I was reading just this morning in my own quiet time about James. About not only a hearer of the Word, but being a doer of the Word. There's no point in just hearing this message. There's no point in hearing the Spirit of God speaking to you about sin, and then staying in that sin. There needs to be an amending of your ways. There needs to be a considering of your ways, child of God. It needs to stop. God will honour you. God will bless your home. God will bless this church. And so, While the ungodly take this day as their own, this is the Lord's day. Disobedience to parents, the dishonoring of parents, the failing to honor mother and father, it's a sin. The killing of the born and the unborn, it's a sin. Adultery, the unfaithfulness of a husband or a wife to their spouses, sin. Stealing, that which does not belong, that which you have not paid for, is sin. The bearing of false witness, the telling of lies, it's sin. Coveting, the desiring of that which others have is a sin. Sin. Sinner, God the Holy Spirit must bring you to realize that you're a sinner. You see, that's what God did in this life of mine. He showed me that I was a sinner. that I was the one who had violated His law. I was the one who had offended Him. I had broken His law, and you've broken His law. And even if society has accepted such things, let me say that God hasn't, and God will bring you to account with respect to His broken law. But God the Son speaks about a specific sin in John chapter 16. A specific sin that every sinner must be reproved of. That's not any of the sins that I've mentioned already. It's not the sin of idolatry. It's not the sin of stealing. It's not the sin of adultery. It's not even the sin of murder. But the sin that every sinner is guilty of is the sin of unbelief. Verse number nine, of sin because they believe not on me. That is the greatest of sins. The sin of unbelief. The sin of unbelief. And it is the greatest of sins for this reason. It is upon the grounds of that sin that the sinner rejects Christ. It is on the grounds of the sin of unbelief that the sinner doubts the sufficiency that there is in the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse them from their sin and to bring them into a right and a proper standing before God. So let me ask you, are you guilty of the sin of unbelief? Because rejection of Jesus Christ as he is offered to you, the sinner, in the gospel is the height, is the pinnacle of any sinner's sinful career. That's the greatest sin that any sinner can ever commit, the sin of unbelief in Jesus Christ. I remind you of words. We have in the book of the Revelation chapter 21 verse 8, but the fearful and the unbelieving and the abominable and murderers and whoremongers and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death. Here's your company, unbelieving one. This is going to be your company in the lake of fire. The fearful, the abominable, murderers, whoremongers, sorcerers, idolaters, all liars, all those people you're going to accompany within to the very lake of fire because you're an unbeliever. Have you believed in Christ, the saving of your soul? Are you a believer? Have you trusted in Christ? Are you one who denies the work of Christ on Calvary's cross to be sufficient to deal with your sin? Or have you been convinced of your sin? Has the Spirit of God shown you your sin? Because if He has, There's hope for you in the gospel. Christ receiveth sinners. He did not come to call the righteous. No, but sinners to repentance. And if you are to know your sins forgiving, if you are to be called in the gospel, then you're going to have to come to an understanding that I am a sinner. I'm a sinner. And I'm in need of a Savior. Has the Spirit of God brought you to that point in life's journey? Oh, may the Holy Spirit reprove you about your sin, whatever that sin is. your sin." And so, he comes, as he effectually calls the sinner in the gospel, as he applies the word of God, he takes the word, the schoolmaster. He is the schoolmaster, bringing us, the law being the schoolmaster, to bring us to Christ. And the Spirit of God uses that means, the preaching of the word, the presentation of the law to convince the sinner that, I am one who has broken his law. I am a transgressor of his commandments, and as a result, I stand condemned in God's sight. He reproves of sin. The second thing, sinner, If you're ever to be right with God, then God the Holy Spirit, as he effectually calls you in the gospel, will have to reprove you on the matter of righteousness. Note the verse number 10. He will reprove the world of righteousness, because I go to my Father and ye see me no more. Righteousness, being right with God. being right with God. In this matter of righteousness, God the Holy Spirit will have to convince you of two things. First of all, he will have to convince you of the deficiency of your own righteousness. That's the first thing he'll have to do. He'll have to bring you to that point in life when you understand that there is nothing that I can do to bring me into a right standing before God. That all my praying, all my church attending, all my giving, all my moral living, none of those things can bring me into a right standing before God. He will have to show you that you have no righteousness of your own. That prop will have to be kicked away as it were. and all of that righteousness that you believe yourself to have, you will have to be brought to that state of mind and of heart and that appreciation that even that righteousness that you boast so gladly of, that righteousness falls far short of what God demands. You'll have to be convinced that the Bible is true. It says in Romans chapter 3 verse 10 that there is none righteous, no not one. You'll have to be convinced that the Bible is true, that Isaiah 64 verse 6 is true, that we are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. There is an insufficiency with respect to our righteousness, not of works of righteousness which we have done, But according to His mercy, He saved us. But you must first understand that I have no righteousness. I have no grounds of approach to God. I cannot in and of myself find a place of standing before Almighty God, because my righteousness in His sight are as filthy menstrual rags. That's the word. That's the word. So I asked you, sinner, are you aware that all your attempts to make yourself right before God have failed miserably? Let me ask you today, are you conscious that you have no grounds of acceptance before God? Do you recognize that even with all your goodness, you fall short of the glory? the glory of God. That's what we read, all have sinned and fallen short and fall short of the glory, the standard of God. There is a deficiency in the matter of our righteousness. Our righteousness is a faulty righteousness. A faulty righteousness. But not only must you be convinced of the deficiency of your own righteousness, if you were ever to be a Christian, The Holy Spirit must convince you, secondly, of the sufficiency of Christ's righteousness. Yes, there is a deficiency of righteousness on my part, but oh, the sufficiency of righteousness in Christ. Although we have no credible righteousness of our own, Christ in the gospel offers a righteousness to the sinner. makes a sinner acceptable before God, he has made unto us righteousness. Jesus, thy blood and righteousness My beauty are my glorious dress. Midst flaming worlds in these array, with joy shall I lift up my head. Oh, the righteousness. We read in the book of Isaiah that he clothes us. He clothes us with his righteousness. He covers us with the robes of his salvation, the garments of his salvation. There is a righteousness. righteousness that was secured by a righteous life, by one who fulfilled the law, who kept it perfectly, who obeyed every precept and command. He did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill the law for the purpose of of providing for us a righteousness, a perfection, that which is required to bring us in before Almighty God, that righteousness, that goodness becomes the sinners when they cast away their righteousness. When they say, I'm done with my goodness, I'm done with my righteousness, and I'm receiving from Christ the righteousness, a perfect righteousness, that He's secured by living a sinless life on my behalf. You may ask, preacher, what is your hope of heaven? My hope of heaven is certainly not that I'm a preacher of the gospel or that I come to church. that I study the Bible on a daily basis. That's not my hope of heaven. My hope of heaven is not based on how many prayers that I've said or how much aware I am of what the Bible says and how much of the Bible that I've read. My hope of heaven is based on none of those things, but my hope of heaven, my hope of heaven is built, it is grounded on nothing less than Jesus' blood and His righteousness. That's my only hope. That will be my only plea. And oh, that sinner today, you will understand there is a deficiency in your righteousness, that there is nothing that you can bring to Him. What did the hymn writer say? Nothing. In my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling. You have nothing to offer. no righteousness of your own, and yet seeing the deficiency of your own righteousness. Sinners, see at the same moment the sufficiency that there is in Christ and the righteousness that is Him. He will be made to you. He'll make Himself over to you. He'll become your righteousness. He'll be Jehovah's sekenu for you. The Lord my righteousness. He's my righteousness. He will reckon over to you His righteousness as you come as a sinner to Christ. Will you do that today? May you resort to Him. May you seek that great transaction, my sin to Him, His righteousness to me. The great transaction's done. I am my Lord's and He is mine. And so, in the gospel, as the Spirit of God comes to convict the sinner, he convicts him of sin, he convicts him of righteousness, a deficiency of their own, a sufficiency in Christ, and then he comes to reprove the sinner on the matter of judgment. He will reprove the world of judgment. When a sinner is convicted by God the Holy Spirit of their sin and convinced of their lack of righteousness, it's not long before that sinner comes to an understanding that they are deserving of God's judgment. There is an order, you see. There is an order to what Christ says here. To put it another way, when the sinner is convicted of their sin, and they reject the righteousness of Christ, then they come to realize that the only aim for them is to meet God in judgment. Yes, I'm a sinner, but I reject righteousness, Christ's righteousness. So what awaits me? Well, nothing less than judgment. And sinner, let there be no wrong thinking on your part. with regard to this matter, there is a judgment. There is a judgment. Look into the old, look into the new, and you'll find that God speaks of judgment time and time again. Psalm 1 verse 5, therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment. nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. Psalm 9 verse 7, but the Lord shall endure forever. He hath prepared his throne for judgment. Ecclesiastes 12 verse 14, for God shall bring every work into judgment with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil. Matthew 12, verse 36, Jesus Christ said, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give an account thereof in the day of judgment. Romans 14, 10, why dost thou judge thy brother, or why dost thou set it not thy brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 2 Corinthians 5, 10, for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. that we may, everyone may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Hebrews 9, 27, for as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this, the judgment. Sinner, there's a judgment. There's a judgment that awaits you. And yet with the threat of judgment, we find that even in this, even in John 16, there is an extending of mercy, an extending of mercy in light of judgment. You may say, where's the mercy of God revealed in these verses? Well, notice, notice in the verse number 8, that after sin and before judgment, there is righteousness. of sin, to reprove the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. Now the end of sin, the life of sin is judgment. But between that, between sin, the committing of sin and the judgment, there stands an offer of mercy and it's found in that word righteousness. There is a righteousness sinner that can be yours. You and I know that God would be just in bringing judgment upon the sinner the moment that they sin. Of course he would. God is holy, God is just, God is righteous. But he who is a God of mercy and a God of grace between judgment and sin, God makes the provision of righteousness for the sinner so that they can escape the judgment due upon them for their sin. I tell you, sinner, you reject Christ's righteousness, and you can be sure that you'll stand in the judgment. There is a judgment to come. The justice of God, the presence of sin demands such to be necessary. How do we escape? How do we escape the judgment? Well, quite simply, we escape the judgment by the putting away of sin and the receiving by faith of the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Have you done that? Has there been a moment when there has been a relinquishing of sin and a resting upon the righteousness of Christ? Has the Holy Spirit troubled you about coming judgment? Are you concerned? Are you concerned that there's a life of sin awaiting you at the judgment? Sin that must be accounted for and sin that must be paid for. Either it will be paid by you in eternal hail or you will have dealt with that matter whilst here on earth. by trusting in Christ who bore the judgment, the judgment for sin in his own body at the cross of Calvary. Flee to Christ, sinner run to the cross, confess your sin, repent of your sin, trust in Christ alone for mercy. May you be so convinced of sin May you become so convinced of the lack of your own righteousness that you flee to Christ and find in him a righteousness that is offered to you in the gospel. The Word of God, in most cases, is the outward means employed Why the Holy Spirit is always the effective agent in calling sinners into the kingdom of grace. It is as the word of God is preached, the law of God presented, that the sinner convinces the sinner of their sinfulness, shows them the danger that they're exposed to them, discovers to the sinner their utter sufficiency of their own works of righteousness as their ground of acceptance before God. As Robert Shaw put it by means of the gospel, God, the Holy Spirit, enlightens our minds in the knowledge of Christ, discovers to them the glory of his person, the perfection of his righteousness, the suitableness of his offices, the fullness of his grace, shows them his ability to save to the uttermost, his suitability to their condition, and his willingness to receive all that come on to him. In other words, in the gospel, Christ shows the sinner, or the Spirit of God shows the sinner, Christ. He shall glorify me. John 16, verse 14. He shall glorify Christ. Without the reproving and the revealing ministry of the Holy Spirit, no sinner can be brought to faith in Jesus Christ. But let me be clear, conviction of sin is not regeneration. It's not conversion. Yes, conviction, that which is done by the Spirit, convicting the sinner of sin and of righteousness and of judgment, that is all preparatory. It prepares, as it were, the soul for salvation, but it is not salvation. There must be the regenerating of heart. There must be the giving of the gifts of faith and repentance in conversion. There must be the implanting of new life within the soul if a person is ever to know God's salvation. And so, sinner, I would say to you today, don't stop short of salvation by simply knowing and feeling conviction over your sin. Felix was convicted. Agrippa was convicted, and yet we never read of them ever being saved. An outward disturbing of the soul as a result of the Spirit's inward convicting. It's a good start, but it's not the end goal. No, the end goal of the Spirit's work in convicting and effectually calling is to see a complete departure on your part from sin. That's the end goal. not just feeling a conviction and guilt of soul. No, you must go on. The road's started, but you must go to the end of the road. There must be a pressing through and a going forward. There needs to be a deeper, needs to be a work within the soul, within the heart, within the life. As I conclude, Let me impress then upon our hearts today a vital lesson that I trust that we are learning and that we have learned as we have considered the work of the Holy Spirit over the last two weeks. And it is this lesson, the indispensability of the Holy Spirit when it comes to the matter of any sinner's salvation. The absolute indispensability. of the working of the Spirit of God within the soul. Without the work of the Spirit of God, without the convicting of sin, the enlightening of the mind, the regenerating of the heart, the giving of faith and repentance, the gifts and the conversion of the soul, without His inward work, no sinner will ever be saved. A person may sit on to the finest of preaching, A child may be catechized in the truths of God's word from earliest days. They may be fully acquainted with all that is contained within the gospel message, but unless the Spirit of God works upon the soul, the sinner will then never, never be brought to faith in Jesus Christ. It is a work of the Spirit of God, the work of salvation. Now, child of God, here you are, you're saved. You lift your heart and thank God that God has worked in your heart. God has effectually called you. It is not the skill of a preacher. It is not the appeals of an evangelist. It's not the prayers of mummy and daddy that brings you to Christ. It's none of these things, although all of these things are used of God, but the ultimate cause, the chief cause, the first cause, we could say, with respect to the salvation of any sinner is that it is a work of God the Holy Spirit. Jonah was right. He got many things wrong, but Jonah was right with this. Jonah 2 verse 9, salvation is off the Lord. It's off the Lord. He is author and he is finisher of our faith. Now with that in mind, this truth, the indispensability of the work of the Holy Spirit, let me make two comments. applicatory in nature in light of this thought of the indispensability of the Holy Spirit. Firstly, you and I need to pray, if you're a Christian, you and I need to pray that the Holy Spirit will work upon the hearts of the unconverted. And let me say, the more truth that God the Holy Spirit has to work upon, the better. And so we do not shirk our responsibilities in getting people under the preaching of the Word of God. We do not shirk our responsibilities with respect to instructing our children in the things of God and the truths of the gospel. But we have to understand that unless the Spirit of God does a radical, transformational work in the soul, then every sinner will stay and remain in their sin. So understand it. We need to pray. That's why we were here. For five nights, some of you weren't here. Some of you weren't here. But many of God's people were, thank God for it. Because we're being brought to understand that unless the Spirit of God works, then no sinner will ever be saved. My child will not be saved, my grandchildren will not be saved, my neighbors will not be saved. So people that I worship with in the house of God, my husband, my wife, they will never ever be saved unless the Spirit of God moves. The second applicatory comment is this, when a sinner is saved from their sin, then we need to be careful who we attribute their salvation to. Ministers, evangelists, Christian workers. who are privileged to play a part in seeing others come to faith in Jesus Christ, must never take glory for such conversions that will occur under their watch. Now Satan would come and suggest to the Christian worker, what a great Christian worker you are. What a great Christian worker you are. When that person has been privileged to see someone come to Christ, but that Christian is immediately to say to the wicked one, it is nothing to do with me, but rather it is all of God. We must attribute the conversion of every sinner. to God the Holy Spirit alone. And I believe that we will, if we think biblically and as we consider the indispensability with respect to the Spirit of God in the salvation of the lost. With this I close, and I am closing. I close with an exhortation for every Christian here today, because you and I have heard And you and I have obeyed the effectual call of the Spirit in the gospel. Having heard and obeyed that call, it is then the responsibility of us to walk in the same spirit wherewith we have been called. Let me explain what I mean. 2 Timothy 1, verse 9 speaks about this calling as a holy calling. who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, there it is, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. What a marvelous verse. But the calling was a holy calling, a holy calling. and having been called by a holy calling on to salvation, then we are to exhibit holiness in our lives. Holiness is the badge of God's people. Holiness is that which distinguishes the godly from the ungodly. 2 Thessalonians 4 verse 7, For God hath not called us on to uncleanness, but on to holiness. A holy calling produces a holy people. If you're living in your sin, and you're happy to live in sin, and you have no desire for holiness, no desire to go on with God, no desire to pray, no desire to walk in fellowship with God and with the people of God, if you profess to have received this holy calling and you refuse, and you live a life that is marked by unholiness, I want to say to you that you have never known. God's salvation. You've never known God's salvation. A holy calling produces a holy people. Isaiah describes them as the holy people, the redeemed of the Lord. Holiness, holiness. This holy calling that comes to you and I in the gospel calls us on to holiness. holiness. Let us then walk in holiness, exhibiting to the outside world that we have been called onto the gospel by a holy calling from a holy spirit in order that I might walk as a holy man. as a holy woman, as a holy boy, girl, young person in this unholy world. It is our responsibility, believer, to reflect in our walk how we have been called into that walk, to walk a life of holiness. May God save you today He convicts you of sin, righteousness, and judgment. And if He does work within your soul, we'll give God the glory for it, because we have come to understand that it is the Spirit's work to bring the sinner out of sin and onto Christ. And then, having been saved, walk a holy life and live a holy life and walk the pathway of holiness. Because without holiness, no man will ever see the Lord. May God help you and I to heed the word today. Let's pray and let's seek the Lord together. Our loving and our eternal Father in heaven, We pray for those among us who are not saved, who have heard this word. Oh God, convince them of their sin, reprove them of it, and of their need of righteousness and of judgment coming. We think of Paul there before those individuals and how he spoke. He spoke to them about sin and righteousness and judgment to come, and how one would tremble, and yet, Father, remain in their sin. O God, take the sinner further than that. May they seek counsel, even today, even this afternoon. Here we are, ready to help. Here we are, dear God, ready to assist them as they come to Thee. Oh God, that's as much as we can do. Oh God, help them to be honest with their own hearts today. May there be that working within this meeting house. Do wonders among us, we pray, and then as I, people, help us to walk in holiness as we remember the holy calling by which we've been called. We'll answer prayer. Help us to obey the Lord. Help us to obey the Lord. And what has been of him, may at last, and that which has not been, and delivered in the flesh, let it fall to the ground, let it be forgotten. But most of all, glorify Christ, save the lost, and call sinners effectually. In the gospel we pray, for we offer our prayers and petitions in our Savior's precious name. Amen and amen. Thank you.