1 Cor. 13:6, "Rejoiceth in the truth,"

John 1:14, "And the Word was made 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 14:6, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

John 8:32, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

Eph. 4:21, "... the truth is in Jesus."

A. True Sincere Love For God is that which is Real and Effectual --- in contrast to the Weakness of that which is a mere Shadow or Speculative.

1. Nothing is accomplished or brought to pass by a Shadow --- it is Not Real, it is only an Image.

That which Looks Like Grace is only an Imitation of the real is Not Effectual because it Lacks Reality and Substance.

2. The Natural man has No Principle of Grace in his heart --- he is represented as a Dead Man.

a. A Dead man does Not act, or move, or bring anything to pass.

2 Tim. 3:5, "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away."

b. It is the nature of a principle of life to be a Principle of Action and Operation --- an exceedingly powerful principle.

B. The more powerful any principle is, the more effectual it is to Produce Fruits of Righteousness.

1. Sincere Love For God is the Opposite of everything that is Normal or Natural for us to do.

2. Is the Opposite of all Wickedness or Evil practice.

3. Tends to Righteousness or Holy Practice.

A. God’s Love Influences and Governs that person Throughout His Life.

1. The Change made by grace to our Heart --- also has a corresponding improvement in our Outward Life and Activities.

2. All true grace in our heart Leads Us To Holy Living.

Eph. 1:4, "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, That we should be holy and without blame before him in love:"

B. Through Redemption, Christ has purchased Grace and Holiness for His Own People.

John 17:19, "And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth."

Col. 1:21-22,"And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled 22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:"

Titus 2:14, "Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."

C. God’s Purpose for Redeeming Israel out of Egypt was that they might Server Him In Holiness.

Exo. 8:1, "And the LORD spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me."

D. The End of our Redemption (Salvation) is that we might be Holy.

1 Thess. 4:7, "For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but Unto Holiness."

1 Pet. 1:15, "But as he which hath Called you is Holy, so Be Ye Holy In All Manner of Conversation;"

A. A True Knowledge of God and Divine things ---

1. Sees the Beauty and Excellency of God which consist in His Holiness.

2. Sees the Hatefulness of Sin.

3. Sees the Loveliness of the ways of Holiness.

4. When the preacher Preaches Against Sin --- instead of saying, "I Feel Rebuked, He Is Picking On Me" --- they say, "What A Wonderful God We Have."

"His Beauty, Loveliness, and Holiness is Magnificent."

"We Strand In Wonder of God And Who He Is."

"We focus on His Greatness rather than Our Weakness."

5. The Narcissistic Personality Is Much More Absorbed With Their Sins --- Than They Are With The Holiness, Love And Forgiveness of Christ.

Learn To Accept God's Forgiveness And Then --- Get A Life ! ! !

B. As opposed to a Mere Speculative Knowledge of the things of Religion.

1. They may be able to argue strongly about the Attributes of God and the Doctrines of Christianity, but falls short of a Saving Knowledge.

2. Their knowledge is only Speculative and Not Practical.

Exo. 5:2, "And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go."

Psa. 14:4, "Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD."

C. The Keeping of Christ’s Commands is an Infallible Fruit of our Knowing Him.

1. John Stigmatizes the person as a Gross Hypocrite and Liar who Pretends that he Knows Christ and does Not Keep His Commandments.

1 John 2:3-4, "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."

2. Spiritual Knowledge and Understanding tends to make us men of Excellent Spirit.

Prov. 17:27, "He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit."

Such an excellent spirit will lead to a Corresponding Behavior.

A. The immediate seat of grace is in the Will or Disposition.

1. All True Grace leads to Practice.

2. All of man’s actions are Directed by and at the Command of His Will.

3. The Will of man is the Source of All of his Actions as the Mainspring is the source of all the actions of a Watch.

B. A man by the Act of His Will accepts Christ as his Savior --- Accepts Him as a Savior From Sin Not merely as a Savior From The Punishment of Sin.

1. It is Impossible for a person to Truly Receive Christ As His Savior From Sin if he does Not Will, and Sincerely Purpose in his heart to Turn From Sin.

2. If he does Not Will that he and sin should part --- he Cannot Have Willed To Receive Christ as his Savior from sin.

3. A True and Living Faith receives Christ as our Lord and King to Rule in our life --- Not merely as a Priest To Make Atonement For Us.

4. True faith yields in Submission and Obedience to His Authority and Commands.

C. Grace is a Principle of Holiness placed in the Heart of Every Believer.

1. A Principle of Life is a principle that is Vital and Acts in our life.

2. A principle of Understanding is a principle from which flows Acts of Understanding.

3. A principle of Sin is a principle from which flows Acts of Sin.

4. A principle of Grace is a principle from which flows Acts of Grace or Gracious Actions.

a. A principle of grace has as much relationship to practice as a plant has to its root.

b. It is absurd to speak of a root that is the root of nothing --- it is Absurd to speak of a principle of Grace That Does Not Lead To Gracious Actions.

c. If you are Not Very Kind or Gracious --- you are Not Very Holy.

A. True Saving Faith is that which Works --- False or Vain Faith is that which is Barren and Inoperative.

1 Cor. 15:2, "By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain."

James 2:18-20, "Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. 19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?"

B. Man Governs His Actions And Behavior By What He Is Convinced And Believes Is True.

1. If a Doctor tells a man he has Cancer but he does Not Alter His Life --- we conclude that he does Not Believe what the doctor told him.

2. Man Behaves According To What He Believes.

3. If a man truly believes what God says in the Gospels --- he will Live Accordingly.

4. A person lives according to his Convictions.

C. Vain or Common Faith is that which is Presumptuous and tends to Tempt God.

1. True Faith is Resting and Living in the Full Persuasion of His Sufficiency and Faithfulness.

2. Vain or Common Faith does Not Trust in such Sufficiency and Faithfulness and therefore does Not Venture because they do Not Trust or have such Confidence.

3. True Faith is Fully Ready to Venture out with Christ.

a. They Rest in the Full Persuasion that God Is Sufficient and Faithful.

b. They proceed in this Confidence To Follow God --- and if Need Be, to undergo Difficulties and Hardships for Him.

c. Such people are willing to Trust God with their Life and with their Estate.

4. God has Abundantly Promised To Reward us with things that will Infinitely More than make up for the losses or Difficulties or Sorrows we may experience while performing our duties as Christians.

D. Love is an Active Principle:

1. Love for our Fellowman will influence us in our actions and practices toward him.

2. If we Love Money, our actions will be influenced by that love.

3. If we Love Self or Honor, our actions will be influenced by that love.

4. If we Love Carnal Pleasures, our actions will be influenced by that love.

5. If we Love God, our actions will be influenced by that love.

E. True Saving Faith Works By Love.

Gal. 5:6, "For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love."

1. Man’s Actions are the most proper Test and Evidence of the Reality of His Love.

2. Evidence of a man being a True Friend to another is found in his Actions, not in his Words.

a. Is he willing to Deny Himself and his desires for his friend.

b. Is he willing to Put Himself Out --- to forgo his own personal interest for the sake of doing his friend a favor?

c. Actions Speak Louder Than Words And Reveals The Truth of Your Words.

1 John 1:6, "If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:"

1 John 2:4-6, "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. 6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked." --- 3:18, "My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth."

You Must Make A Choice --- The Truth or The Lie:

Jesus said --- John 8:46, "Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me"

Paul said --- Gal. 4:16, "Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?"

OR Will You Be Like:

Rom. 1:25, "Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen."

2 Thess. 2:10, "... them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved."

2 Tim. 3:7, "Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."

2 Tim. 4:4, "And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."

2 Peter 2:2, "And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of."

Why Not Give Us Reason To Thank God And Rejoice
With You In Your Choosing The Truth.

1 Tim. 2:4, "...(Jesus) will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth."

1 Thess. 2:13, "For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe."

Eph. 1:13, "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,"