Participants: Pr. Kevin Hart
Series Code: ASHF
Program Code: ASHF000050
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00:19 Welcome to a Sharper Focus.
00:21 Our Wednesday night Bible study coming to you live 00:24 from the Thompsonville Seventh-day Adventist Church 00:27 in Thompsonville, Illinois. 00:29 We want to welcome our viewing audience, 00:32 and we want to invite you if you are local, 00:34 please do feel free to come down and join us 00:37 right here in our classroom. 00:40 Our address is 3577, Angel Lane, 00:43 Thompsonville, Illinois 62890. 00:46 So you can google that. 00:47 If you're in the area, come on down. 00:49 And I want to welcome my classroom. 00:51 Welcome, everybody. 00:52 Thanks for joining us tonight. 00:54 I'm actually filling in for the pastor tonight 00:56 because Pastor Lomacang just recently got back from India 01:00 and as you can imagine with all the travels, 01:02 he is thoroughly exhausted. 01:04 So I'll be filling in for him tonight. 01:07 Now remember, if for some reason 01:09 we go off the air, 01:10 we are experiencing crazy weather around here. 01:13 All afternoon there has been a tornado watch, 01:16 not a warning, a warning is worse, 01:18 but we've been on a tornado watch. 01:19 So if we go off the air, please do pray for us. 01:21 You don't want us to be 01:23 spinning around in the clouds somewhere 01:24 looking at flying cows and houses. 01:27 So please do pray for us. 01:28 And hopefully, the airwaves will stay open 01:31 because I believe tonight's topic 01:32 is going to be a blessing to you. 01:34 Why don't we open up with a word of prayer? 01:37 Father, we do want to thank You so much for life. 01:40 We want to thank You for Jesus, 01:43 and we want to thank You, Lord, for salvation. 01:46 We want to thank You for all that You have done for us, 01:49 all that You have promised to do for us, 01:51 and just to know, Lord, 01:53 that as we lay down our heads on our pillows at night 01:56 and find rest, 01:57 we too can find rest in our Savior 02:01 and be sure that He will see us through to the end. 02:04 We thank You for these things tonight, Lord, 02:06 and we just ask all these things inviting Your presence 02:09 in Jesus' name, amen. 02:11 Amen. 02:14 The question we want to answer tonight 02:17 is a very important question. 02:20 Can we have assurance of salvation? 02:23 Yes. 02:25 A pretty important question, isn't it? 02:27 Now several dictionaries define assurance, 02:31 in fact, a lot of dictionaries do, 02:32 and one thing they all have in common is that 02:35 very simply put 02:37 assurance is freedom from doubt, 02:40 and some dictionary say freedom from self-doubt. 02:43 But in the Christian experience, 02:45 self-doubt is actually a good thing. 02:47 So we just want freedom from doubt. 02:49 Is that not correct? 02:50 Amen. Amen. 02:52 You know, we all want certainty in our lives. 02:55 When we get in the car in the morning, 02:57 we're just going to hope as it starts, right? 02:59 We're hoping that when we turn that key, 03:01 that car is going to fire it up. 03:03 When we get our paychecks at the end of the week, 03:05 we want assurance that 03:07 not only will we have enough money to pay the bills, 03:10 but we want the assurance that 03:11 we're also going to have a little bit of money 03:12 to put some food in the fridge. 03:14 Our children, as parents, 03:16 parents want assurance 03:19 that their kids when they grow up 03:20 are going to make wise decisions, right? 03:24 We get a lot of calls in the pastoral department 03:26 from parents who are worried, 03:27 sick about the choices their kids are making, 03:29 so we want assurance. 03:31 Assurance is a very good thing. 03:33 Assurance, kind of, sound like insurance, 03:35 but I guess assurance is kind of like insurance too. 03:38 But, you know, we all want assurance of good health. 03:42 You know, when your health fails, 03:43 it just seems like everything falls apart. 03:45 So we want assurance of good health. 03:48 And it's no different 03:50 when it comes to our eternal salvation. 03:53 In a world where everything seems as unpredictable 03:57 as the shifting sands on the seashore, 04:00 there is one thing above every other thing 04:03 we want assurance of. 04:05 And that's our salvation. 04:07 Now I want to ask the question 04:09 what causes us to doubt our salvation. 04:13 What causes these dark foreboding feelings 04:17 that we have about the future? 04:18 And I'm not talking about the events of this world, 04:22 we know that things eventually in this world 04:23 are going to go belly up. 04:25 I'm talking about 04:27 what causes us to doubt our assurance in Christ. 04:31 Where does the problem lie? 04:33 Well, I'm going to tell you right now 04:35 where the problem lies. 04:36 It lies right here, right here. 04:40 This is the problem. 04:42 I'm the problem, right? 04:44 And if you were to ask yourself that question, 04:45 you wouldn't be pointing at me, 04:47 you'd be pointing hopefully back at you, right? 04:50 So the problem about assurance when we don't have it, 04:54 I'm proposing to you tonight is right here. 04:57 The problem lies in our own experience. 05:00 Now with that in mind, please do turn with me to 05:02 1 Corinthians Chapter 13 in your Bibles, 05:05 I hope you all have them. 05:07 And I would like to remind our viewing audience, 05:08 we have a lot of scriptures 05:09 we're going to go through tonight. 05:11 So please grab a paper, grab a pencil or pen, 05:14 write down these scriptures, 05:15 you're going to want to keep track of them 05:16 because assurance is such a, not only a precious thing, 05:19 but a most sought after thing indeed. 05:23 1 Corinthians 13:1, 05:27 Paul says, 05:29 "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, 05:32 but have not love, 05:34 I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal." 05:38 You tell them, Paul, right? 05:40 "And though I have the gift of prophecy, 05:42 and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, 05:46 and though I have all faith, 05:47 so that I could remove mountains, 05:50 but I have not love, I am nothing." 05:54 Preach it, Paul. 05:56 You know, we as church members sometimes, 05:58 when we read the Bible, 05:59 we're like, "Preach it, brother." 06:01 And sometimes when the guy's sitting next to us 06:02 in the pew and we feel like 06:04 they're the ones who need to be convicted, 06:05 we're like, 06:07 "That's right, Paul. 06:09 You're reading it?" 06:11 You know, we don't want to look at ourselves. 06:12 We want the next guy over to be convicted. 06:15 So preach it, Paul. 06:16 That's our attitude so often. 06:18 And Paul goes on, 06:19 "And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, 06:22 and though I give my body to be burned, 06:24 but have not love, it profits me nothing." 06:28 Amen. You tell them, Paul. 06:30 Sick that spiritual dog on that, right? 06:34 "Love suffers long and is kind, 06:39 does not parade itself..." 06:42 Boy, I wasn't very kind to my wife this week 06:45 when she said that little thing 06:47 that just kind of got on my nerves. 06:49 Uh-oh! 06:50 "Love does not parade itself." 06:52 Okay, I got no problem with that. 06:53 I'm not a look at me kind of guy. 06:56 "Love is not puffed up, 06:57 love does not behave rudely..." 07:00 Yeah, that's right. 07:02 I called I came in the other day. 07:03 That guy wanted to argue about 07:05 the second coming in all the events I had. 07:07 It kind of got on my nerves a little bit, 07:09 and I just fired back all the scripture texts, 07:11 you know. 07:12 I'm not doing too good now. 07:14 "Love does not seek its own, does not behave rudely, 07:18 does not provoke, that thinks no evil." 07:20 Verse 6, "Does not rejoice in iniquity, 07:22 but rejoices in the truth." 07:24 Amen. 07:26 Amen to that. 07:27 "Bears all things," God bear all things, 07:30 "believes all things, hopes all things, 07:32 endures all things. 07:35 Love never fails. 07:36 But whether there are prophecies, 07:38 they will fail, 07:39 whether there are tongues, they will cease, 07:41 whether there is knowledge, 07:42 it will vanish away." 07:46 Now I was doing pretty good in the beginning 07:48 because Paul was preaching above the crowd. 07:52 But when I got to all the expressions of 07:54 what love really... 07:55 About how love really expresses itself, 07:58 something happened in me 07:59 where I suddenly my confidence just kind of crumble. 08:03 Why? 08:04 Why did my confidence crumble? 08:07 Because now I'm not looking at everybody else, 08:10 I'm looking at my works, right? 08:13 I mean, when I compare myself to 1 Corinthians 13, 08:16 all of sudden I'm not fairing too good, am I? 08:19 And I'm thinking to myself 08:22 if only I could master these traits, 08:24 I could say to myself, I'm saved, right? 08:28 If only I can master this, 08:29 if only I could somehow reflect this 1 Corinthians 13 08:32 in my own life, 08:33 then I can have the assurance that I'm saved. 08:36 If I could mirror this, 08:38 then I could have the assurance that God accepts me, right? 08:42 But herein lies the problem. 08:43 Remember, the problem is right here. 08:46 Because the problem with this thinking 08:49 is called righteousness by works. 08:52 You see, for some reason on some level, 08:54 I've come to believe in my experience, 08:56 and reason I share this 'cause 08:57 I think there's a lot of other people out there 08:58 who feel the same way. 09:00 On some level, 09:01 I have come to believe that my good works merit salvation. 09:07 You know, it's like a stack of golden coins. 09:09 You know, the more better things I do, 09:12 the more good things I do, 09:14 and all the things that I know to be right, 09:15 the more I do is like that stack of coins 09:17 just kind of gets higher and higher and higher. 09:19 And then one day when I get to the Pearly Gates, 09:21 I'm just going to go to little coin slot, 09:23 and hopefully, I'm going to have enough coins 09:24 to pop in there, right? 09:26 And then the gate is going to creak open. 09:28 I may have just enough. 09:29 And if that gate just gets open enough, 09:31 I'm going to slip on through, right? 09:33 Crazy, isn't it? 09:35 But, you know what, a lot of us have this kind of thinking, 09:38 if we could just be good enough. 09:42 Many feel like they're standing with God is like a door. 09:45 You know, you do a few good deeds 09:47 and the door is wide open. 09:49 You do few bad deeds, and the door slam shut. 09:52 Repent, doors back open, 09:55 mess up, doors shut again, right? 09:58 I mean, a lot of people have this concept 09:59 of their relationship with God. 10:01 Some feel like in the end, 10:03 Jesus is going to take out His behavior scale, right? 10:07 And He's going to take all of Dick's good deeds, 10:11 all the good things Dick has done in his life, 10:13 and He's going to put them on one side of the scale, 10:16 and then on the other side of the scale, 10:17 He's going to take all those bad things that Dick has done, 10:20 and He's going to put them on both sides, 10:22 and then we're going to look at the scale, 10:23 Dick's going to look at that scale 10:25 and if it just tips above 10:27 and if the good just goes 10:28 a little further down than the bad, 10:30 Dick is safe, right, 10:32 'cause he's got more good works than bad works, right? 10:35 But if for some reason, 10:37 he's got more bad deeds than good deeds, 10:39 then that scale's going to tip the other way. 10:41 Sorry, Dick, you're out of here. 10:44 You know, crazy, isn't it? Yeah. 10:46 But don't so many of us think like this? 10:50 Or, you know, and I'm using myself as an example. 10:52 It's almost like we imagine the book of life. 10:55 You know, the angels leaning over the book of life, 10:57 and he's got the pencil in his hand. 10:59 You know, and he's leaning over there, 11:01 and Kevin wakes up, 11:02 remember, I'm using myself as an example. 11:04 Kevin wakes up. 11:05 You know, it's a beautiful day outside. 11:07 I mean, it's sunny, the birds are singing. 11:09 You know, the air is clean and smells great. 11:13 I can see the mountains in the background. 11:14 Kids are quiet. 11:16 You know, my wife's in a great mood, 11:18 she woke up on the right side of the bed, 11:19 I woke up on the right side of the bed. 11:21 You know, and it's just a good day, 11:22 and I get in my car, 11:24 and I'm heading down to the gas station 11:25 to put some gas in the car. 11:27 And as I get to the gas station, 11:28 I notice there's a homeless man leaning against the dumpster. 11:32 And I decide to hop out, and I got to help this guy. 11:36 You know, so I run into the gas station, 11:38 I get him sandwich. 11:39 Now my angel yells up to the other angel 11:42 over the book of life and says, 11:44 "Kevin is buying a sandwich for the homeless guy." 11:48 And the angel says, "Good man. 11:51 Keep that name there." 11:53 But then all of a sudden Kevin comes out 11:54 and the angel looks at the sandwich, 11:55 he says, "Wait a minute. 11:57 It's got ham on it. 11:58 It's got ham on the sandwich." 12:01 Now the angel's like, "Oh, no, ham on the sandwich. 12:04 What do I do about that, Lord? 12:05 Doing something good, but he's got ham on the sandwich." 12:09 And then I go over to the homeless guy, 12:10 and I give him the sandwich. 12:12 And the guy thanks me. 12:14 Well, I gave him the sandwich. 12:15 So okay, I'm about to, wait a minute, wait a minute, 12:17 the ham slipped out of the sandwich 12:18 and it fell in Kevin's foot. 12:20 Now he's muttering under his breath. 12:21 He looks real mad. 12:22 Well, I mean, that went easy. 12:24 Let me just erase his name again, right? 12:27 Man, come on, Kev, get it together. 12:30 And on the way back home, as I'm driving back home, 12:32 I notice there's an old lady getting out of a car 12:34 and she's struggling, 12:35 and I decide to go over and help her out, right? 12:37 Now I'm going over to the car 12:39 and the angels smile and he sees me 12:40 and I'm helping the old lady, and I help her into the house. 12:42 And God bless you, I go back home. 12:44 And angel says, 12:46 "Kevin just helped an old lady out of the car. 12:48 Wow. Praise the Lord. I put his name back in there. 12:51 Man, I wish he just get it together though 12:52 'cause I'm running out of erasers here. 12:54 You know, and honestly if that's how it really was, 12:58 then he would run out on eraser 12:59 because when I look at my experience, 13:03 you know, it seems sometimes like such a rollercoaster ride, 13:07 and as funny as that is and it is funny. 13:10 But the sad part about that is do you know that 13:13 there are millions in this world 13:15 who view their relationship with God like that. 13:19 You know, it's a constant roller coaster of 13:21 save, lost, save, lost, save, lost, 13:23 door open, door shut, door open, door shut. 13:25 You know, name in the book, name erased, 13:26 name in the book, name erased. 13:29 So the problem is us, right? 13:33 It's righteousness by works. 13:34 What kind of assurance can you have 13:36 if you're constantly looking at your behavior? 13:38 Turn with me to our second scripture today. 13:40 Ephesians 2, everybody knows this scripture. 13:44 Ephesians 2:8. 13:46 We've got a lot to cover tonight. 13:48 I hope we can. 13:49 This is just one of those topics 13:51 that not only does it open up a can of worms sometimes, 13:56 but it brings up so many other issues in the process 13:58 that you just can't cover everything. 14:00 I'm going to do my best 14:01 to cover the most important aspects of it, 14:03 touch base on a couple other ones. 14:05 And if we are able to deal with this again, 14:07 maybe we can spend some more time. 14:08 But anyway, go to Ephesians 2:8-9, 14:12 and we all know this text. 14:15 And the Bible says, "For by grace 14:17 you have been saved through faith, 14:21 and that not of yourselves, 14:24 it is the gift of God, 14:26 not of works, lest anyone should boast." 14:31 If we want assurance of salvation, 14:33 it seems to me 14:35 that the first thing we need to do 14:37 is to realize that we can't save ourselves. 14:43 Is that not true? 14:45 I mean, the text is so clear. 14:48 It's by grace that we've been saved. 14:49 What is the definition of grace? 14:51 Unmerited favor, everybody knows that, right? 14:53 The definition of grace is unmerited favor. 14:56 And we have been saved through faith, right? 14:59 Faith is belief. 15:00 You choose to believe, that's faith. 15:02 It is the gift of God. Can you purchase a gift? 15:06 I mean, wouldn't you feel hurt 15:07 if you went to your loved one and you gave them a gift 15:09 and they said, "Let me give you 50 bucks for that." 15:11 You know, I mean, if I bought my dad a shirt for his birthday 15:14 and he sent me in a check a mail for $35, 15:16 I mean, I feel kind of insulted, wouldn't I? 15:19 "Dad, what is wrong with you?" 15:21 This is a gift. 15:23 You can't purchase a gift. 15:25 It is the gift of God it says, 15:27 and then it goes on to even more profound, 15:30 "not of works, lest anyone should boast." 15:33 If salvation was of works, I could walk around 15:37 and look at all my good deeds, right? 15:40 And probably, I'm looking at my good deeds 15:41 and have that forgetful memory, that selective memory thing, 15:43 forget all my bad deeds. 15:45 If we could do that, we'd be walking around, 15:46 saying, "Yeah, I'm safe. 15:47 I don't know about Bob, 15:49 I saw him get upset with that guy the other day." 15:50 You know, and you imagine what kind of relationships 15:52 we have with each other if it was by works? 15:55 "Not of works, lest anyone should boast." 15:58 Paul is extremely clear. 16:01 You know, in the garden, 16:02 Adam and Eve, when they sinned, 16:04 what's the first thing they did? 16:07 They grabbed the fig leaves, right? 16:09 And they try to make themselves coverings 16:11 because they knew they were naked. 16:13 And what does the Bible say a little bit later? 16:15 It says that God made tunics out of animal skins, 16:20 so the covering that Adam and Eve made for themselves 16:24 was not sufficient, correct? 16:26 That's right. 16:28 So God had to intervene 16:29 and make something that was sufficient, 16:31 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 16:35 Amen. 16:37 Turn to Romans 3:10. 16:45 Romans 3:10. 16:51 Going to delve a little deeper into 16:52 why we can't save ourselves. 16:55 Why salvation is a gift? 16:58 Okay, Romans 3:10. 17:00 It says, 17:02 Paul's writing, "As it is written, 17:05 'There is none righteous, no, not one. 17:09 None who understands," verse 11, 17:12 "There is none who seeks after God." 17:15 Now turn over to Romans 3:23, 17:19 Romans 3:23. 17:23 "For all have sinned," the Bible says, Romans 3:23, 17:26 "and fall short of the glory of God." 17:31 We've got a fundamental problem here, don't we? 17:34 Turn to Isaiah 64:6. 17:38 Same lines, we're talking about the human condition here. 17:42 Isaiah 64:6. 17:48 Isaiah says, 17:49 "But we are all like an unclean thing, 17:55 and all our righteousness are as filthy rags. 17:59 We all fade as a leaf, 18:00 and our iniquities, like the wind, 18:03 have taken us away." 18:05 "Hey, Dick, I got a runny nose, can I have a tissue?" 18:06 "Yeah, sure, Kevin, here you go. 18:08 I just used it couple of minutes ago." 18:10 Dirty rag. 18:12 It's disgusting, right? 18:14 All of our righteousness is like that, 18:17 a filthy rag. 18:19 And this is the human predicament. 18:22 We are not inherently righteous. 18:25 I mean, this is the most fundamental thing 18:27 about the plan of salvation, right? 18:29 It's the fact that we can't save ourselves. 18:32 The fact that God had to step in and do something 18:35 that we could never have done, right? 18:38 And the Bible says in the verses we just read that 18:40 we don't naturally seek after the Lord. 18:43 So I guess that means that 18:44 even when I am seeking after the Lord, 18:46 I'm thinking I'm doing pretty good, 18:47 I wake up, I read my devotionals every morning 18:50 and we start to think that 18:52 we've got this thing down pat. 18:55 But if we don't naturally seek after the Lord, 18:57 then who is doing the prompting? 18:59 God is. 19:00 So even at our best 19:02 when we're doing our Bible studies in the morning 19:03 or reading the text during the day and we're praying, 19:05 it's still God that is prompting us 19:07 to do all those things because Isaiah says, 19:09 we don't naturally seek after God. 19:11 There's none who understand, right? 19:14 And this is the beautiful thing about 19:16 understanding the fundamental human condition of sin. 19:21 You see, if I accept the fact 19:25 that I cannot save myself, 19:28 I am released from the inconsistent, 19:31 unpredictable trail that I have in my life 19:36 of good works and bad works, right? 19:39 If I accept that fundamental fact, 19:41 then I am free from the burden of looking at my behavior 19:45 to gain assurance. 19:47 Good works that are manifest in my experience 19:50 and then negated by bad works, 19:51 like constant rollercoaster. 19:53 Now let's turn to a parable that Jesus... 19:55 Actually, it wasn't really parable... 19:56 But let's turn to Luke 18:9. 20:01 Oh, my, our time flies. 20:03 Luke 18:9. 20:06 Luke Chapter 18. 20:11 I thought I was going to talk really slow 20:14 but as I'm looking at the clock, 20:16 I may have to hit my normal speed 20:17 and hopefully, I won't be going too fast. 20:20 Okay, Luke 18:9. 20:22 Okay, "Jesus also spoke this parable 20:25 to some who trusted in themselves," 20:27 we're in verse 9 of Luke 18, 20:29 "that they were righteous." 20:30 Luke right off the bat doesn't even wait for the discussion 20:36 that Jesus gives to explain us. 20:38 He just says right off the bat. 20:39 Jesus said this because of this, right? 20:44 For those who trusted in themselves. 20:46 "Two men went up to the temple to pray," 20:48 Jesus says, 20:50 "one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 20:52 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself..." 20:55 interestingly enough, he prayed with himself, 20:57 he didn't pray with the Lord, right? 20:59 Praying with himself. 21:01 He stood far off and prayed thus... 21:02 I mean, "Stood and prayed thus with himself, 21:04 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men, 21:07 the extortioners...'" 21:08 Oh, yeah, we compare ourselves with extortioners, 21:10 we came up pretty good, right? 21:13 "Adulterers," 21:14 I've been faithful in my marriage to my wife. 21:15 When I compared myself to 21:18 one of the guys who is cheating on his wife, 21:19 I'd fair pretty well, right? 21:21 Thank God, I'm not like that guy. 21:23 You know, 21:24 "Adulterers, or even as this tax collector." 21:28 Remember, the tax collector was at the bottom of the heap. 21:30 I mean, if you come after the list of extortioners 21:33 and adulterers and then as the tax collector, 21:35 you know how they felt about tax collectors. 21:37 You know it wasn't tax collector first 21:39 and then it get worse and worse, 21:40 he was the last dude. 21:41 Mentioned, okay, "I fast twice a week," 21:43 looking at the good works, 21:45 "I give tithes of all that I possess," 21:47 all that I posses. 21:48 You know, I don't only give tithes of my income, 21:50 but if I have 50 oranges, Lord, I will always give you 5. 21:52 You know, if I get 150 grapefruits, 21:54 Lord, I'll give you 15. 21:56 You know, so I tithe in all that I possess. 21:59 "But the tax collector," 22:01 Jesus makes it the contrasts, 22:03 "standing afar off, 22:04 would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, 22:06 but beat on his breast, saying, 22:07 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'" 22:10 And what is Jesus' conclusion about the whole thing? 22:13 I tell you this, we lost the lights here. 22:16 "I tell you, this man went down to his house 22:19 justified rather than the other. 22:22 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, 22:25 and he who humbles himself will be exalted." 22:29 Let there be light. 22:31 Amen. 22:32 So Jesus gives an example of two guys. 22:36 The first guy's trusting in his works, right? 22:38 And by all external appearances, 22:40 he looks pretty good. 22:41 But Jesus says, 22:43 his attitude is what matters, okay? 22:46 He's looking at himself, he's looking at what he's done 22:48 and he's saying, I've got it under control. 22:50 Meanwhile, the tax collector is standing afar off 22:52 beating on his breast, saying, 22:54 Lord, have mercy on me 22:57 because when I look at my own life, I'm a mess. 23:00 And Jesus says that 23:01 that's the one who went down justified. 23:05 If we like the tax collector, 23:08 come humbly to Jesus and recognize our predicament, 23:11 the predicament we just read about in Isaiah and in Romans, 23:14 and say, God be merciful to me, a sinner. 23:18 I can't save myself, Lord. 23:20 I can't lift myself up on my own bootstraps. 23:23 God who is plunges in mercy will show us mercy, 23:25 is that not beautiful? 23:27 Praise God. 23:28 Okay, another scripture, Titus 3. 23:30 Turn to Titus. 23:33 Titus is that one you always fly right over 23:35 when you're trying to find it. 23:37 Right before Hebrews. 23:39 Sneaky little, 23:41 sneaky little book hiding between Timothy and Hebrews. 23:44 Okay, Titus 3:3. 23:49 Titus 3:3, 23:53 "For we ourselves were once also foolish, 23:56 disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, 23:59 living in malice and envy, 24:03 hateful and hating one another. 24:04 But when the kindness 24:06 and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 24:09 not by works of righteousness 24:12 which we have done, but according to His..." 24:15 What? 24:17 "His mercy He saved us, 24:19 through the washing of regeneration 24:20 and renewing of the Holy Spirit..." 24:22 Not by works of righteousness, which we have done, 24:25 we've got to stop looking at our past efforts and actions 24:29 to try to find assurance of our salvation. 24:32 True? 24:34 Because any time our assurance, 24:37 and confidence, and salvation 24:38 is based on a review of our good works, 24:40 like the Pharisees, 24:42 it's false assurance, right? 24:46 Isn't that the parable that Jesus said? 24:47 It's false assurance. 24:49 If you're looking at your life 24:50 and you're saying, "You know what? 24:51 I line up pretty good with the Word of God." 24:54 It's false assurance because salvation is a gift. 24:58 It's a gift. 24:59 You know, I mean, we may help the poor, 25:02 we might encourage others, 25:03 we might pray three times a day, like Daniel did, 25:06 and we might even eat rice and beans every day 25:07 so that our neighbors can have food on their table, 25:10 but all these things as good as they are 25:12 and they are good things, they are good deeds, 25:14 they can never merit salvation. 25:17 It's false assurance, right? 25:19 I mean, at the very best these works 25:23 are indicators of an evidence 25:25 and evidence of a great relationship with the Lord. 25:27 And sometimes when I didn't have indicators of that 25:29 because you've got all kinds of wealthy people in the world 25:31 who are pouring millions of dollars into, 25:34 you know, help the children funds 25:35 and all these other things 25:36 trying to outdo the other guy. 25:38 You know, I know they're not all like that, 25:39 I don't want to say all wealthy people 25:41 who are helping the poor are corrupt 25:42 and doing it for selfish motives. 25:44 You know, but the fact is there are a lot of people. 25:46 So good works are never an indication 25:49 of your status with God, correct? 25:50 Amen. 25:52 Now if you're a Christian there should be evidence 25:55 of a growing relationship. 25:57 And I need to say something real quick about that. 25:59 Good works, we always say that as Christians, 26:02 it's fruit, right? 26:04 And so we should have fruit in our lives. 26:07 Turn with me real quick to John 15. 26:09 We want to just briefly touch base on this 26:12 because good works are important. 26:16 John, I'm going wrong way. 26:20 John 15, what did Jesus say? 26:23 John 15:5, 26:25 "I am the vine, 26:27 and you are the branches," right? 26:30 "He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit, 26:33 for without Me you can do nothing." 26:34 Wow, there it is again. 26:36 Without me, you can do nothing. 26:37 So if we're doing something, 26:39 it's not because of us because we can't do anything, 26:40 it's because of Jesus who is doing it through us, right? 26:43 So the good works that we are doing as a result of 26:46 God's Spirit in our life still can't merit salvation. 26:49 You know, as good as those words are, 26:52 you can't stack them up, throw them in a bag, 26:54 and when you get to the Pearly Gates, say, 26:56 "Here's my good works. Please, let me in." 26:59 Because ultimately how do we bear fruit? 27:01 We're just branches, right? 27:03 We're not the stalk. We're not the root. 27:04 So it's the root that causes the branches to bear fruit. 27:07 Okay, enough said on that. 27:11 You know, the Lord told Israel 27:13 a lot of things in the Old Testament. 27:16 You know, what was one of the warnings 27:18 that the Lord gave Israel in the Old Testament? 27:21 Well, He gave them a lot of warnings, didn't He? 27:23 Lots of warnings. 27:24 And like us, there are always fumbling around. 27:26 But there's one in particular 27:27 we want to check out real quick. 27:29 It's Deuteronomy 8:11. 27:34 It seems like I'm catching up with myself here, 27:35 moving a little faster. 27:37 Okay, Deuteronomy 8:11. 27:40 You're going to get there before I do. 27:42 Deuteronomy, Numbers. 27:48 Look at that, the students get there quicker than the teacher. 27:51 Numbers, Deuteronomy, 27:53 I always get those guys confused. 27:54 Deuteronomy 8:11. 27:57 Once again, I'm going to kind of read fast 27:58 'cause it's one of those verses we got to read not just one, 28:01 but you kind of got to read the surrounding parts. 28:03 Deuteronomy 8:11, 28:05 "Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God 28:07 by not keeping His commandments, 28:09 His judgments, and His statutes 28:10 which I command you today, 28:11 lest, when you have eaten and are full, 28:13 and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them," 28:16 I'm still trying to work on that one, 28:17 "and when your herds and your flocks multiply, 28:19 and your silver and your gold are multiplied, 28:21 and all that you have is multiplied, 28:23 when your heart is lifted up, 28:25 and you forget the Lord your God 28:28 who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 28:30 from the house of bondage, 28:31 who led you through that great and terrible wilderness," 28:34 oh, that's mouthful, 28:35 "in which were fiery serpents and scorpions 28:38 and thirsty land where there was no water, 28:42 who brought water for you out of the flinty rock, 28:45 who fed you in the wilderness with manna, 28:47 which your fathers did not know, 28:49 that He might humble you 28:52 and that He might test you, to do good in the end," 28:56 I got to think about this one, 28:58 "then you say in your heart, 'My power and my mind," 29:03 I mean, "the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.'" 29:07 And the most critical verse is verse 18 right here. 29:10 "And you shall remember the Lord your God," why? 29:13 "For it is He who gives you power to get wealth, 29:18 that He may establish His covenant 29:20 which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day." 29:23 And don't we have a problem with that sometimes? 29:26 You know, for those of us who have nice houses, 29:28 those of us who have good jobs, 29:29 those of us who have savings accounts. 29:32 You know, I mean, the temptation, 29:34 I would assume the temptation 29:35 it's because I won't have those things. 29:38 I'm happy with what I have, 29:40 let me just say that off the record. 29:41 But the temptation is the thing 29:43 and there are so many people who do this. 29:44 I've worked my whole life for this. 29:46 You know, I worked my whole life for this savings 29:49 and because of a lot of things are going in the government 29:50 sometimes, they're gone, 29:52 and they feel how dare you, I worked, and true. 29:55 Yes, obviously, effort was there, 29:57 and the strength was exercised by that person. 30:00 But what does the Bible say? 30:02 It's God who gives us strength to get wealth to do good 30:06 and all these other things, right? 30:07 And the same thing is true for salvation, 30:10 it's God who gives us strength to do these things. 30:14 Boy, Israel really needed to learn that one, huh? 30:16 And don't we all ourselves. 30:19 If we are seeking assurance in our walk with Christ, 30:21 we need to stop looking at our good works 30:26 and stop trying to find assurance 30:28 based on our behavior. 30:31 And I know what some of you are thinking out there. 30:33 You're saying, 30:34 I hope you say something about... 30:36 We'll get there, don't worry 30:38 'cause that's a scary subject sometimes for people. 30:41 Anyway, you know, 30:43 so we can't look at our good works and find assurance. 30:47 And if you don't have any good works, 30:49 you're going to be discouraged anyway. 30:50 You're going to be depressed 30:52 because they would be throwing dust and ashes 30:53 on your head all the time. 30:54 You know, 'cause you've got nothing to even 30:56 put in that little arsenal 30:57 where you're trying to find confidence from. 30:59 Okay, we need to transition. 31:00 Do we all agree that we can't save ourselves? 31:02 Amen. Okay. 31:04 We all agree that 31:05 assurance is built on what God does, correct? 31:08 Through us, it's never ourselves. 31:10 Okay, let's transition. 31:13 A word about a... 31:15 Something I want to say about assurance. 31:18 Assurance in any situation 31:22 is always built up on the credentials 31:25 of the one who has promised to do something. 31:29 Would you agree? Right. 31:30 If I tell my kids in my house that in the summer, 31:34 some point in the summer, we are going to go on vacation, 31:37 Garrett, right? 31:39 That we are going to go on vacation 31:42 Garrett can have assurance, why? 31:45 Because I said it, right? 31:48 My kids can have assurance 31:49 that at some point in the summer 31:51 we're going to go on vacation, why? 31:52 Because my word carries the most authority 31:55 in the house, true? 31:57 Well, there are times 31:59 where my wife's word overrides my authority, 32:02 but usually in good circumstances. 32:05 You know, somebody wants... 32:06 I think, some sweet lady, 32:08 See I was preaching a sermon somewhere 32:09 and we're talking about this and some lady said 32:12 that's true, the husband is the head of the house, 32:15 but the life is the neck and the life and the neck 32:19 always turns the head wherever it goes, 32:21 wherever it wants to. 32:23 So kind of silly but sometimes it's true, you know. 32:25 And that's okay, if you got a good marriage 32:26 and your wife loves the Lord, right? 32:28 Okay, I don't mind that. 32:29 As long as my wife loves Lord, as long as she is doing, 32:31 making me do is not crazy or irrational. 32:34 So anyway, 32:36 but the assurance my son and my kids can have 32:39 is because I have said it, right, 32:41 because my word has the greatest authority, 32:44 not because some church member told him that 32:45 we might go on vacation in the summer, 32:47 not because some guy on the street told them, 32:48 but because I told them, 32:50 that's why they can have assurance, correct? 32:53 Okay, so assurance is always based on the authority 32:56 and the credentials of the person 32:58 who gives that promise. 32:59 Now we got to ask ourselves a very elementary question, 33:01 it's almost the no-brainer. 33:03 You know, who is the author of salvation? 33:06 Jesus, right? 33:08 Hebrews 12:2, looking unto Jesus, 33:11 you don't need to turn there, looking unto Jesus, 33:13 the author and the finisher of our faith, right? 33:16 Okay, so Jesus is the author of salvation. 33:20 So if we want to have assurance, 33:21 we need to have that assurance come from the person 33:24 who's got the credentials 33:25 to deal with our assurance of salvation, right? 33:27 And since Jesus is the author of it, 33:29 we got to hear what Jesus has to say about it, right? 33:33 That's right. 33:34 Because we can't have confidence on our own words 33:36 so it's got to be based on something else. 33:38 We're getting a little further along 33:39 in the road to having assurance. 33:42 What is this book called that I'm holding in my hand? 33:44 Holy Bible. 33:45 The Holy Bible. That's correct. 33:47 But we also call it what? 33:50 The Word of God, right? 33:54 The Word of God, right, that's the Bible. 33:56 But we call it the Word of God, why? 33:58 Because holy men of old spoke as they were moved upon 34:01 by the Holy Ghost, right? 34:03 This is just no ordinary book that you pull out of your shelf 34:04 and read it for a good time. 34:06 This is the Word of God. It's God's word for us. 34:08 It's God's thoughts for us. Okay, good. 34:10 Now what does Peter say about the Bible. 34:12 Obviously, they didn't have the Bible in Peter's day, 34:13 but what did he say about what was available, 34:17 all the scrolls and the letters that are being written. 34:20 Turn to 2 Peter 1:2-4. 34:28 2 Peter 1:2-4. 34:30 Thanks for praying for us by the way, audience. 34:32 We're still here. 34:34 And the storm has not unleashed its fury. 34:37 So that is a good thing. 34:39 We are looking for at the Book of 34:41 2 Peter 1:2-4. 34:48 Okay, what does Peter say about the Word of God? 34:54 Right. Okay. 34:55 "Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God 34:58 and of Jesus our Lord," sometimes I talk too fast, 35:03 "as His divine power has given to us all things 35:06 that pertain to life and godliness," 35:07 praise the Lord, 35:09 "through the knowledge of Him 35:10 who called us by glory and virtue, 35:12 by which have been given to us 35:14 exceedingly great and precious promises, 35:18 that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, 35:21 having escaped the corruption in the world 35:22 that is through lust." 35:24 Jesus is the author of salvation, 35:27 Peter being inspired by the Holy Spirit. 35:29 You know, sometimes we trip up over the actual author saying, 35:32 "Oh, Peter said this, Paul said that." 35:34 And yes, those are the ones who wrote the book, 35:35 but ultimately who said it? 35:37 God said it, right? Jesus said it. 35:39 So when we're reading Peter's words, 35:41 we don't need to think, oh, Peter said it, 35:43 did he really mean that, 35:44 if God was speaking through Peter, 35:45 and what does the Lord say about his own book? 35:48 It's full of precious promises, true? 35:50 Yes. That's good news. 35:52 This book is a book full of precious promises. 35:55 You know, and if you're discouraged, 35:57 anybody knows 35:59 who has gone through trial and trouble in their life 36:02 and sorrow and the loss of loved one 36:05 who has in that deep remorse 36:08 and grieving pulled out this book. 36:12 Everybody can testify that 36:13 it's full of precious promises, right? 36:16 Because there is nothing that gets you through a bad time 36:19 like God's word, God's word can. 36:22 Okay, now this book is full of precious promises. 36:26 Now I'm not going to talk about the word faith tonight, 36:28 even though faith, 36:29 we will find is really synonymous with assurance. 36:32 You know, it's really, they're intrinsically linked, 36:34 you can't separate faith from assurance. 36:37 Keep saying insurance. 36:38 You can't separate them. 36:39 Let's turn to Philippians 1:6. 36:42 That clock is scaring me again. 36:44 All right, Philippians 1:6. 36:48 "Being confident of this very thing..." 36:50 What is God's word full of? Promises. 36:53 What is a promise for us tonight? 36:55 "Being confident of this very thing that 36:57 He who has begun a good work in you will complete it 37:00 until the day of Jesus Christ." 37:02 So what does God tell us through Paul? 37:05 Be confident that the good work 37:07 I've begun in your life, I'm faithful to complete. 37:10 You know, there's a lot of projects 37:11 that I've begun in my life. 37:12 Anybody started a project and not finished it? 37:15 Yeah, Greg. 37:17 He knows what I'm talking about. 37:18 When my wife and I were living in New York, 37:20 we bought an old farmhouse. 37:21 It was a big old farmhouse. 37:23 It was built in 1860. 37:24 You know, we like the old houses, you know. 37:27 And we bought it because we have a lot of vision. 37:30 You know, the Bible says, 37:31 without vision, the people perish. 37:32 But sometimes you have too much vision. 37:34 And in this case, we have too much vision. 37:36 The outside looked great, the inside need a lot of work. 37:38 We knew it, we had vision. 37:39 So we went forward, we bought it. 37:41 Would you know that at one point 37:43 I have the whole entire kitchen ripped apart, 37:45 totally got in, 37:46 I had the wood floors 37:47 on the process of redoing the wood floors. 37:50 I had half of the barn demolished, 37:51 the part that was rotten. 37:53 We had a huge barn in the back. 37:54 I was redoing the closet. 37:56 We have a larger garden we're trying to tend to, 37:59 all these things. 38:00 You think I finished all those projects? 38:02 No. 38:04 No, because I got overwhelmed, you know. 38:07 Maybe part of the problems 38:08 I had too many irons in the fire as they say, 38:11 but I didn't finish those projects 38:14 because I got overwhelmed. 38:15 Do you think the Lord gets overwhelmed 38:17 when He is working on us? 38:18 No. 38:19 Well, if I was working on me, I would be overwhelmed, right? 38:22 But God says, be confident of this one thing 38:25 that He, I, the Lord, 38:27 who has begun a good work in you 38:29 is faithful to complete it. 38:31 Does that sound like assurance? Yes. 38:33 You better believe it sounds like assurance. 38:34 Amen. 38:35 You should get excited about that. 38:37 Amen. 38:38 God is faithful to complete His good work. 38:39 Jesus says in John 10:27-28, 38:42 "My sheep hear My voice, and they follow Me. 38:46 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish," 38:49 that's John 10:27-28, 38:51 "neither shall any pluck them out of My hand." 38:54 Wow, sounds pretty good to me, right? 38:57 Now the only person 38:58 who can pluck out of Jesus' hand is us, right? 39:02 In fact, we can't even pluck ourselves, 39:03 or we're going to jump out, you can't pluck yourself. 39:06 But we're the only people who can walk 39:07 out of covenant relationship with the Lord, true? 39:10 Amen. 39:12 1 John 5:13, and this is... 39:14 Wow, this is just such a great verse. 39:17 1 John 5:13. 39:24 Feel like I'm talking 100 miles an hour, 39:25 forgive me. 39:27 1 John 5, we just got so much to cover. 39:30 1 John 5:13, 39:35 "These things I have written to you..." 39:36 Who is writing these things? 39:38 John, the beloved disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, 39:40 but really it's the Lord speaking through John. 39:42 "These things I have written to you 39:43 who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may," 39:46 doubt that you "have eternal life?" 39:48 No. 39:49 That you should double question it? No. 39:51 He says, "That you may know that you have eternal life." 39:55 Sounds like John wants us to be confident, doesn't he? 39:58 It sounds like John is confident himself, right? 40:00 I mean, and maybe that's part of the problem, 40:03 actually that is one of the biggest problems. 40:05 When you don't have assurance of salvation, 40:07 how can you share the Lord with someone 40:09 who doesn't know the Lord, 40:11 when you're not even sure 40:12 if you're in a covenant relationship with Him, right? 40:16 Miserable. 40:17 Doesn't work. Right. 40:19 I mean, you can tell all the facts, 40:20 and a lot of people are good at telling facts. 40:22 I mean, you can read the Bible, 40:23 you can study and you get all the facts. 40:25 Yes, Jesus is this... 40:27 You know, and they would maybe 40:29 because the Word of God is living and powerful 40:31 and God's grace and mercy, 40:32 you know, it might do them some good. 40:35 But ultimately, what really wins people's hearts 40:37 is when they see that 40:39 you do have a connection with the Lord, 40:40 you are confident of this one thing, 40:42 you know I'm confident that 40:43 when Jesus comes as Job said, you know. 40:46 My redeemer lives in at last day, 40:48 you know, I shall see Him in my flesh. 40:51 Right, John is confident. 40:53 John 14:1-3, lot of verses here but they're important. 40:57 This is Bible study, right? 40:59 Maybe that's why we have so many verses. 41:01 John 14:1-3, 41:06 John 14, one of my favorite passages. 41:08 John 14:1-3. 41:11 The disciples have one doubt, they're getting the sense 41:13 that something bad is about to happen. 41:15 You know, Jesus has shed a little light on the road 41:17 that he is about to travel. 41:19 He senses it and what does Jesus say to him, 41:21 "Let not your heart be troubled," John 14:1, 41:25 "you believe in God, believe also in Me. 41:28 In My Father's house are many mansions. 41:29 If it were not so, I would have told you. 41:32 I go to prepare a place for you. 41:35 And if I go, I will come again." 41:38 It sounds like the Lord wanted them 41:40 to be have assurance, right? 41:42 Didn't the Lord want them to be sure to have confidence? 41:46 Amen. 41:48 Now do we have any biblical examples of the characters 41:53 who had assurance? 41:55 I mean, that'd be a bumbler if we don't 41:56 because it seems like the whole thing will break down. 41:57 Well, if you can't find an example in the Bible, 42:00 you know, then it seems like 42:01 the whole thing would just break down. 42:03 Well, two dudes, two guys, forgive me, dudes. 42:06 Two guys I want to consider. 42:08 My son calls me dude sometimes, I don't know if I... 42:11 Maybe it's because I talks sometimes about my old days 42:14 skating the ramps and stuff. 42:15 But anyway, two guys, Paul and Peter, okay. 42:21 Now let's turn quickly to Romans 7, 42:25 in fact, yeah, Romans 7. 42:27 Everybody knows this chapter. 42:29 Paul is considering the human condition, 42:31 the condition that we talked about earlier 42:33 in the beginning part of the Book of Romans. 42:35 Paul is considering the human condition 42:37 and he realizes, what does he say, 42:39 the things I want to do, I don't. 42:41 The things I don't want to do, I do, I can't figure this out. 42:44 He says, I find them because of these things 42:47 that there is a law within me at war against my... 42:50 Allow my members at war against the law of my mind, right? 42:53 And what does he conclude 42:54 after this horrible assessment of the human condition? 42:58 Romans 7:24, 43:00 "O wretched man that I am! 43:03 Who will deliver me from the body of this death?" 43:05 Doesn't sound too confident, does he? 43:06 No. 43:08 And we can argue with 43:09 post-conversion, pre-conversion, 43:10 but the point is Paul felt that way. 43:13 Okay, Paul felt that way. 43:14 1 Timothy 1:15, we don't have time to turn there, 43:17 we got to move little bit faster here. 43:18 Turn 1 Timothy 1:15, Paul says to Timothy, 43:21 "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, 43:24 that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, 43:27 of whom I am chief." 43:29 Right? 43:30 Paul felt this way about himself, 43:32 post-conversion, right? 43:34 I am chief, he didn't say I was chief, 43:37 I was chief sinner when I was persecuting all the Christians, 43:39 he said I am chief. 43:40 I mean, this is after all the missionary work 43:42 that Paul has done, right? 43:43 All the good deeds that Paul has done. 43:46 I'm chief of sinners, Paul says. 43:48 Doesn't sound too confident, does he? 43:50 But then we get to 2 Timothy. 43:52 Let's look at 2 Timothy 4:7-8. 43:59 2 Timothy 4:7-8. 44:01 In the midst of all this, view himself in life, 44:04 what does he say in 2 Timothy 4:7-8. 44:09 He says, you know, 44:10 he is renewing the end of his life, 44:12 he is writing to Timothy, 44:13 "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race," 44:15 okay, good so far, yeah, okay, 44:16 he might be confident, "I have kept the faith." 44:18 Sounds confident to me. 44:20 "Finally, there is laid up for me 44:21 the crown of righteousness, 44:23 which the Lord, the righteous Judge, 44:24 will give me on that Day, and not to me only 44:27 but also to all who have loved His appearing." 44:31 That's a big claim. 44:32 There is laid up for me the crown in heaven, 44:34 not I hope there is. 44:35 I hope after all this work, after all this self-sacrifice 44:38 that there might be a crown for me when I get up there, 44:40 would be big disappointment. 44:41 He says, there is a crown laid up for me. 44:43 Paul had assurance, right? 44:46 Okay, what about Peter? 44:48 Good old Peter, you know. 44:49 Peter who denied his Lord three times 44:52 in front of all the other wicked men, right, 44:54 something we say we would never have done 44:55 but the truth is that if we're in Peter shoes, 44:57 we probably would have done the same thing, you know. 45:00 Peter who denied his Lord, okay, well, 45:02 we understand that Peter didn't have confidence 45:05 then he needed conversion, right? 45:06 That's right. 45:08 And then Peter does get converted 45:09 because the Lord not only brings him 45:10 back into the buddies, 45:12 brings back into the, you know, the group, 45:14 but Peter gets converted, does some great stuff, 45:18 Peter have a perfect record. 45:20 No. 45:21 And some would say, well, 45:23 you know, this is pre-conversion, Peter. 45:26 Of course, he wasn't confident 45:28 after all that nonsense, you know. 45:31 But if I remember correctly there was a story 45:32 in Galatians 2:11 45:35 where Paul had an issue with Peter, right? 45:37 Yeah, that's right. 45:39 He says, "When Peter had come to Antioch," 45:41 Paul is writing, 45:42 "I withstood him face to face, because he was to be blamed." 45:45 Okay, this is Galatians 2:11-13. 45:49 "For certain men would come from James, 45:51 and he would eat with the Gentiles." 45:53 So Peter is eating with all his gentile buddies, 45:54 yeah, it's great, love the Lord. 45:56 Good time, you know. 45:57 I love the Lord. 45:59 And when the other Jews show up, 46:01 Paul says, "But when they came, 46:05 he withdrew himself and separated himself, 46:07 fearing those of the circumcision." 46:08 So when the Jews showed up, all of a sudden Peter, 46:11 "Hey, what am I doing here?" 46:12 You know, he runs over and sits with the Jews. 46:14 And Paul basically, 46:16 he got really upset about it, right? 46:17 He said he played the hypocrite. 46:19 This is post-conversion Peter, correct? 46:22 Okay. 46:23 Well, what does Peter say in 1 Peter 5:1? 46:27 Is Peter confident of his salvation 46:30 in light of not a perfect track record? 46:32 1 Peter 5:1, 46:35 "The elders who are among you I exhort, 46:37 I who am a fellow elder 46:38 and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, 46:41 and also a partaker of the glory 46:43 that will be revealed." 46:45 Amen. 46:46 How do you partake of something that hasn't been revealed? 46:49 That's called assurance. 46:51 I'm a partaker of something 46:52 that hasn't even been revealed yet. 46:54 Peter's saying he's partaker of the glory 46:56 that hasn't even been revealed, right? 46:59 Exactly. Faith. 47:02 Faith and assurance, they're hand in hand, 47:04 you can't separate the two. 47:06 Okay, we got to move on here. 47:09 We ran a bunch of promises, didn't we? 47:11 We read a bunch of promises from the Word of God, 47:14 but you're feeling a little more confident? 47:16 Are you feeling like you have a little bit more assurance? 47:19 Okay, why? 47:20 Because we can't save ourselves. 47:21 Why? 47:23 Because we're dependent on the merits of a crucified 47:24 and risen savior. 47:27 Is that enough to be confident and have assurance? 47:30 Probably, but I'm gonna say no 47:32 because there's one more thing. 47:34 There's a lot of things 47:35 you need to really look into the subject, 47:37 but there's a biggie that I see, 47:39 you can't have assurance without. 47:41 It's called prayer, you know? 47:43 I mean, you can know all about what the Lord did for you. 47:46 You can know all from A to Z, the whole plan of salvation. 47:49 You can know it in theory in your head 47:51 called existential knowledge, right? 47:54 It's knowledge that is just kind of like out there. 47:57 You figure it out, okay? 47:58 You know you know it, you can recite it, 48:00 but you don't really know the person of Jesus 48:04 just because you know about him, right? 48:06 So prayer is what animates the facts of the gospel, true? 48:12 Prayer brings to life 48:14 what would otherwise be merely existential knowledge. 48:18 And I'm not saying that prayer 48:20 in and of itself has power, okay? 48:22 Prayer does not in and of itself have power. 48:25 It's not like the act of prayer has some inherent power. 48:28 Someone called prayer, the breath of the soul. 48:31 I'd like to read my famous quote about prayer 48:33 and this comes from a little mini book 48:35 called Steps to Christ. 48:36 All of us in here know that book. 48:39 She says, Ellen White says, 48:41 "Prayer is the opening of the heart 48:42 to God as to a friend. 48:44 Not that it is necessary in order to make known to God 48:46 what we are, 48:47 but in order to enable us to receive Him. 48:50 Prayer does not bring God down to us, 48:52 but brings us up to God." 48:55 Prayer. 48:57 So how can you have assurance 48:58 if you're not spending time 49:00 with the Lord of salvation, right? 49:02 And that's what prayer is. 49:03 It's the opening of the heart, 49:04 opening of the heart to God as to a friend. 49:08 So you can know all the facts of the gospel, 49:11 but if you don't have a prayer life 49:12 and spending time with Him, 49:14 then those facts are just facts. 49:16 They're lifeless facts. 49:17 You know, I know the Word of God 49:19 is living and powerful, blah, blah. 49:20 True. 49:21 But as far as our experience is concerned, 49:23 they're just facts, right? 49:26 We've got to have a prayer life. 49:28 When my wife and I got married, we had our vows. 49:31 Everybody does when they get married, right? 49:33 For richer, for poorer, for better, for worse 49:35 till death do us part. 49:36 You know, these days it seems like anything does us part, 49:39 you know, until I see another prettier woman 49:41 going down the street that does your part 49:43 or the woman sees a good man 49:44 who is richer than the current husband, 49:46 that'll do them apart, you know, right? 49:48 But the real vow is supposed to be 49:50 until death do us part, right? 49:52 So these are the vows my wife and I took when we got married. 49:56 What? 49:58 How can I find? 49:59 How can I have assurance in these vows? 50:01 The only way I can have assurance 50:02 about the vows we took way back when 50:04 is to spend time with her, right? 50:06 Because the more time I spend with my wife, 50:08 the more I realized that the vows we made are living. 50:11 You know, she does love me. 50:13 She has chosen to be with me till death do us part, right? 50:17 That's right. 50:18 And so it's not just facts, 50:21 they've got to have time and experience 50:24 and time with the Lord and experience with the Lord, 50:27 otherwise these are just facts 50:30 and you won't have assurance. 50:31 And the more time you spend with the Lord, 50:33 the sweeter it is. 50:35 One of my favorite hymns 50:36 is called sweet hour of prayer, right? 50:39 And real briefly to read the one verse. 50:42 It says... Sweet hour of prayer! 50:43 Sweet hour of prayer! 50:45 Thy wings shall my petition bear 50:47 To Him whose truth and faithfulness 50:50 Engage the waiting soul to bless 50:53 And since He bids me seek His face 50:56 Believe His Word and trust His grace 50:59 Unmerited favor. 51:00 I'll cast on Him my every care 51:02 And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer! 51:05 Is that not beautiful? 51:07 Spending time with the Lord. That's what makes it real. 51:09 There's another promise. John 5:24. 51:15 John 5:24. 51:22 Six minutes. 51:24 Okay, John 5:24. 51:26 Not a lot of time left. 51:27 "Most assuredly, I say to you, 51:29 he who hears My word and believes in Him 51:31 who sent Me has everlasting life, 51:34 and shall not come into judgment, 51:35 but has passed from death to life." 51:40 If you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, 51:42 if you have chosen to make Him your Savior, 51:43 if you seek Him daily, 51:45 you can have assurance 51:47 that your name is written in the Lamb's book of life. 51:49 Anybody know why it's called the Lamb's book of life? 51:52 Because it's the Lamb's book of life, right? 51:56 It's not Abraham's book of life. 51:57 It's not Sarah's book of life, 51:59 it's not the Jeroboam's book of life, 52:01 it's not Gabriel's book of life, 52:03 it's the Lamb's book of life. 52:04 And Jesus knows those who are His. 52:07 That's assurance to me. It's the Lamb's book of life. 52:10 To know there's not an angel up there 52:12 writing my name and scribbling it out, 52:13 writing it in, erasing it out. 52:14 You know, it's the Lamb's book of life. 52:19 We are nearing the end, 52:20 and I have to say something about this 52:22 because somebody's griping on the other end and I know it. 52:25 There is a problem with assurance. 52:28 Anybody know what that problem is? 52:29 Well, it's us, but within us it's sin, right? 52:35 There is one obstacle to having assurance 52:39 in your relationship with God, 52:41 and it's called cherished sin. 52:46 Cherished sin, we know this term, right? 52:48 We can never have assurance in our relationship with God 52:51 if we have cherished sin. 52:54 You know cherished sin, what is that? 52:56 It's the sin you don't want to give up. 52:59 It's not the sin... 53:00 And I need to be very clear here. 53:01 It's not the smoker who can't stand smoking 53:04 and they want to give up but they're addicted to it 53:06 and drive them crazy and are praying 53:07 and they're begging God to deliver them. 53:09 That's not cherished sin. 53:12 It's not the alcoholic 53:13 who has the same problem, right? 53:15 It's not even the guy addicted to pornography 53:18 who has the same problem. 53:19 At least if they, if they desire to be released from it, 53:23 but they're so addicted to it, they find within themselves 53:25 that they are powerless to deliver themselves. 53:27 No, cherished sin is 53:28 when I know all the facts of the gospel, 53:30 I have, I know the Lord, I knew the Lord at one point, 53:33 but for some reason I'm saying, Lord, I want salvation. 53:37 I believe everything you say, but I just can't give this up. 53:41 That's cherished sin 53:43 and you're never going to have assurance of salvation 53:46 if you're cherishing sin. 53:49 Now, how do you overcome? 53:50 I've got to say this real quick 53:52 because a lot of people want victory over sin 53:55 because it's that cherish, it's that struggle with sin 53:58 that gets in the way of assurance, right? 54:00 Absolutely. 54:01 So in the most simplistic form I can put it. 54:04 If I put a bowl of candy over here 54:06 and a bowl of lima beans, 54:08 I hate lima beans. 54:09 Actually, I don't hate them as much as 54:11 I used to when I was a kid. 54:12 And I put them right there and I told my six year old boy, 54:13 pick one. 54:15 What do you think he's going to pick? 54:17 The candy. Why? 54:19 Simply because he likes candy more than lima beans, correct? 54:22 Absolutely. 54:24 How do you get victory over your life over sin? 54:27 You focus on the Word of God. You focus on the cross, right? 54:30 What does Paul say about the cross 54:32 in 1 Corinthians 1:18? 54:34 The message of the cross is foolishness 54:35 to those who are perishing, 54:36 but to us who are being saved, it is what, 54:39 the power of God. 54:41 The love of God is the power we need in our lives. 54:43 And I guarantee you, if you look at the cross, 54:46 if you contemplate the cross, 54:47 if you contemplate the depths of the love of God long enough, 54:51 you're going to like lima beans more than candy, right? 54:57 I mean, candies will give him once a while, 54:58 I'm not saying candies a sin, but you know what I'm saying? 55:01 The more you contemplate the love of Christ, 55:03 eventually it's going to outweigh itself. 55:05 You're going to love Christ so much 55:07 because you have a recognition of what He's done for... 55:10 We would have recognition of what He's done for us, 55:13 that sin that you're struggling with so much, 55:14 it's going to look so heinous and so disgusting 55:17 in the light of Jesus' love 55:19 that you're going to gravitate toward Christ 55:21 and eventually you'll get the victory. 55:22 I mean, it's most simplistic form. 55:24 That is the truth of the gospel, is it not? 55:26 Absolutely is. 55:29 I wish we could spend more time on that. 55:30 I mean, that's just a totally different study. 55:32 But you want victory in your life over habits, 55:36 look at Christ. 55:37 No one can pull themselves up by their own bootstraps, 55:40 even Jesus said, 55:41 who of you by worrying can add one measure to a stature. 55:44 You know, stop looking at the problem and look at Christ 55:48 and let the love of Christ pervade your experience so much 55:51 that you don't want to have anything to do with it. 55:53 You know, the hymn says, how does the hymn go? 55:57 Look full in his wonderful face 55:59 and the things of earth will grow strangely dim 56:02 in the light of His glory and grace, right? 56:04 Same principle. 56:06 Okay, we got to wrap up. 56:08 We all want assurance, do we not? 56:10 We desperately desire assurance because we should have it. 56:15 The Lord has done so much 56:16 to pay for the price of our redemption. 56:17 Why shouldn't we have assurance? 56:20 Okay, 56:21 and a sincerity really is what God wants, right? 56:24 If you're struggling with sin, God just want sincerity. 56:27 If you're sincere, it's not going to. 56:28 He knows you're sincere. 56:29 He knows that if you had the power within you, 56:31 you dropped that that sin from your life, 56:34 and so He offers power. 56:37 Okay. 56:40 Love is power. 56:43 It is God who works in us both to will and to do 56:46 according to His good pleasure. 56:48 Closing thought. 56:51 I don't want to make it sound like reading the Bible, 56:55 praying and recognizing that 56:58 we cannot save ourselves is works 57:01 because some people will even look at that. 57:02 I mean, the sticklers. 57:03 You know, well, you're still saying you're doing work, 57:05 so he's got to pray this, no, 57:07 those are not worth that merit salvation. 57:09 They facilitate assurance, correct? 57:11 Amen. 57:12 Okay, so we got to get our eyes off of ourselves. 57:15 Put our eyes on Jesus. 57:17 Then we'll find assurance. 57:19 There is a phrase. I don't know who did it. 57:23 I don't know who said it. 57:24 I think I heard CA say at one time, 57:25 and it just clicked and I've never forgotten it. 57:28 It's a simple, simple phrase 57:30 and it goes something like this. 57:33 It says, when I look at myself, 57:40 I don't see how I can be saved. 57:44 But when I look at Jesus, 57:49 I don't see how I can be lost. 57:53 Is that not the truth of the gospel? 57:56 Get our eyes off of ourselves 57:58 and look full in His wonderful face. 58:00 Look full in His wonderful face. 58:02 God bless you. 58:03 Thank you so much for joining us this evening. |
Revised 2018-11-29