BLESSED ASSURANCE

2 Tim 1:12

Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day. NIV

Uncertainty and insecurity seem to be the life style of this generation. Any security in this uncertain world is little more than wishful thinking as some have come to believe.

Must uncertainty also be true in our spiritual lives?

SPIRITUAL UNCERTAINTY

Can we know that God cares for us and we are secure in His hands forever?

We may go through:

Spiritual struggles

Soul-searching

Did I commit the unpardonable sin?

In these times of uncertainty we may lack spiritual confidence and a security that our salvation is safe and solid.

You may have committed your life to Christ, but are not sure what eternity holds for you. Uncertainty may have invaded your spiritual life, causing you to doubt you salvation. “Is heaven really there for me”, you may ask.

You can be sure of one thing: If Satan can’t keep you away from Jesus Christ; he will at least try to make you doubt your relationship with Jesus and the Father. The devils overriding goal is to block God’s work--and if he can convince you God doesn’t really love you, and that you can’t fully trust Him, then he has blocked God’s work in you life and accomplished his goal. He cripples us with a lack of assurance about our salvation.

1.         SIN AND DOUBT

Why do sincere Christians doubt their eternal destiny?

Why do we lack assurance of our salvation?

      WE STILL SIN AND ARE AFRAID GOD MAY REJECT US BECAUSE OF IT.

One says:      I keep losing my temper, how can I be a Christian.

Another says: How can I be Christian and do the things I do? I guess I’m not a Christian after all.

And still another: I gave my life to Jesus, and I thought He forgave me. But now I’m not sure, because I still sin.

Sin is serious, and we may believe that God is just waiting to pounce on us if we do something wrong and punish us by taking away our salvation.

THIS IS NOT WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES. Even when we sin, the Bible says;

Ps 145:8-9

 The LORD is gracious and compassionate; slow to anger and rich in love.  The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. NIV

Rom 5:20-21

 The Ten Commandments were given so that all could see the extent of their failure to obey God's laws. But the more we see our sinfulness, the more we see God's abounding grace forgiving us. Before, sin ruled over all men and brought them to death, but now God's kindness rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. TLB

Eph 2:4-10

 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. NIV

Suppose someone gave you the best computer available. “This is to make your life better,” they say, and you thank them for such a great gift. Then they add, “I have one requirement. Although I know you have never had a computer before, if you make a mistake on it--even one--then I’m going to take it back. You can’t keep this computer unless you are perfect.”

Many people think God is like that. He gives us the gift of salvation, and then takes it back if we aren’t perfect. God does not operate like that! He is full of grace and mercy. Lam 3:22 says, “Great is his faithfulness; his loving-kindness begins afresh each day”. TLB

2. EMOTIONS THAT DECIEVE

Some Christians lack assurance about their salvation because they depend solely on their emotions.

Remember the joy and release you felt when you were saved?       Over time those emotions began to fade. Now you’re not sure you are saved after all. Emotions deceive us. Our emotions go up and down and if we base our faith on feelings, it won’t be stable.

Emotions can deceive us in other ways.

For instance:

If a child’s father is an alcoholic and he never know from one day to the next if Dad will be kind and gentle, or abusive and cruel when they are together, this is the way we may see God.

Emotions can also deceive us when life becomes hard or turns against us.

“God doesn’t love me after all.”

“Maybe He rejects me.”

“God must be angry at me.”

We must never let our circumstances blot out the truth of God’s Word. Our suffering may be great, but Christ’s suffering for us was far greater, and He is the final proof of God’s love.

John 3:16-18

For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it. "There is no eternal doom awaiting those who trust him to save them. But those who don't trust him have already been tried and condemned for not believing in the only Son of God. TLB

3. ASSURANCE VERSES PRIDE

Another reason some Christians lack assurance of their salvation might be called misguided humility.

God doesn’t save us because of who we are or how good we are, nor can we ever claim we are better than others—we are not. God saves us solely by His mercy and grace and we can not take credit for our salvation.

Eph 2:8-10

 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast. NIV

If our confidence was in ourselves, we could rightly be accused of pride, but our confidence must be in Christ and Christ alone. Someone who believes, “I won’t know if I’m saved until I die” probably is hoping they are good enough to get to heaven. Their faith is misplaced, because it is in themselves, not in Christ.

OUR FIRM FOUNDATION

Can we really know God cares for us and that someday we will be with Him for eternity? Can we KNOW He cares or us and will be with us to the end, no matter what happens? YES!!

Just as a careful builder first lays a solid foundation before constructing a building, so God’s Word gives us a solid foundation for building our spiritual lives.

1 Cor 3:10-11

 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. NIV

This is important because we if we aren’t sure whether or not God loves us, our journey through life will be hesitant, uncertain, and insecure.

But, if we have confidence in God’s love then our journey will be joyful, assured, and filled with hope.

A true Christian isn’t prideful or arrogant, his confidence is not in himself but in God, and he humbly trusts Him every day.

Ps 62:7-8

My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.

Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. NIV

Ps 22:4-5

In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them.

 They cried to you and were saved; you they trusted and were not disappointed. NIV

Isa 50:10

Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the word of his servant?

Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the LORD

and rely on his God. NIV

Let’s examine three reasons why we can have assurance, in this life and the life to come. These are like massive, unmovable stones----solid rocks God has placed under us as our sure foundation.

1. THE ROCK OF GOD’S PROMISES

Is there anything God can’t do? YES!! He can not do anything wrong. He can not lie, and because of that we can trust whatever He promises us in He Word.

God can never go back on His promises.

Ps 18:30-31

As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless.

He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the LORD?

And who is the Rock except our God? NIV

Dan 4:37

7 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble. NIV

Mal 3:6-7

"I the LORD do not change. NIV

What does God promise us when we come to Christ?

Rom 8:39

.... neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. NIV

John 10:28-30

I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one." NIV

1 John 5:11-12

 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; NIV

Are you unsure of your salvation? Make sure of YOUR commitment to Christ. Then learn Gods promises….memorize them….thank Him for them….and most of all trust them.

2 Peter 1:4

Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. NIV

2. THE ROCK OF CHRIST’S FINISHED WORK

John 19:30

When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. NIV

Jesus was not only speaking of His earthly life only when He said “it is finished.” He was saying that His purpose in coming into this world had now been achieved.

Why did He come? He came for one reason: to give His life for our salvation. Once He did that, His work of redemption was complete.

Luke 19:10

 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." NIV

Salvation has been accomplished. His purpose in coming has been fulfilled.

You and I can’t add anything to what Christ did for us because He has done it all. If Christ’s death is not enough …if we need to add our own good works to His in order to be saved….then we could never know for sure that we will go to heaven when we die, because we could never be for sure if we had done enough.

Heb 9:26

…….now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. NIV

1 John 1:7

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. NIV

The ransom has been paid in full, and Christ’s work is finished.

We can be sure it wasn’t just a tragic end to a good man’s life because He rose from the dead.

Matt 28:6-7

 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.  Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. NIV

1 Cor 15:6-8

 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also….

No event in human history is more startling or more significant. It proves beyond a doubt that Jesus was indeed who He said He claimed to be: the unique Son of God sent from heaven to save us from our sins.

YOU CAN BE SURE OF YOUR SALVATION, BECAUSE NOTHING MORE REMAINS TO BE DONE. CHRIST’S SACRIFICE IS COMPLETE.

3. THE ROCK OF THE SPIRIT’S WITNESS

Some people depend solely on their inner feelings for an assurance of their salvation. If we feel God is near, then we decide “I must be saved”, but if those feeling fade away, we decide God has abandoned us. Our emotions are up and down, and a faith that is built on feelings alone will never be secure.

The witness within us isn’t just an emotional feeling, instead the Spirit’s witness is settled, inner conviction that the gospel is true and we now belong to Christ.

Rom 8:16-17

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs-heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ….NIV

2 Cor 1:21-22

Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. NIV

“Don’t let anything or anyone steal your confidence in Christ. Your salvation depends on what HE has done for you, not on what you do for Him. It’s not your hold on Him, but His hold on you. God planned it. Christ paid for it, and the Holy Spirit assures you of it”

(The book “The Journey” by Reverend Billy Graham has had a great influence in this teaching).