"What And How?" (A Message of Assurance!)
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· 23 viewsThere are two questions that people have been asking throughout the centuries, “What must I do to be saved” and “How do I know that I am saved?” This is a message to offer some firm assurance of both!
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How many of you are familiar with the following quote from Benjamin Franklin, “Our new Constitution is now established, everything seems to promise it will be durable; but, in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes”?
How many of you are familiar with the following quote from Benjamin Franklin, “Our new Constitution is now established, everything seems to promise it will be durable; but, in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes”?
How many of you would say that you agree with his statement, which is now 231 years old, that in this life, we can be certain of both death and taxes?
How many of you would say that you agree with his statement, which is now 231 years old, that in this life, we can be certain of both death and taxes?
Now, to be fair, there are certain ways that many, many people have found to escape certain taxes. There are the proverbial “loop holes”that the wealthy and the elite have paid others to find for them, in order to hold onto their wealth in every way possible!
Now, to be fair, there are certain ways that many, many people have found to escape certain taxes. There are the proverbial “loop holes”that the wealthy and the elite have paid others to find for them, in order to hold onto their wealth in every way possible!
And then there are those who have just flat out lied about their income status and and they cheat and don’t pay what they owe to good old “Uncle Sam” and his boys down at 1111 Constitution Avenue Northwest, Washington, D.C. (A.K.A. The IRS headquarters building!)
And then there are those who have just flat out lied about their income status and and they cheat and don’t pay what they owe to good old “Uncle Sam” and his boys down at 1111 Constitution Avenue Northwest, Washington, D.C. (A.K.A. The IRS headquarters building!)
Do any of you remember the infamous mob boss in the 20-30’s during the period of prohibition in the United States, named Al Capone? Despite all of the corrupt and vile things this man did as a crime boss in Chicago, it was actually the 31 counts of “tax evasion” brought against him, that ultimately sent him to prison! And then within 16 years of his conviction and imprisonment, Al Capone died at the age of 48!
Do any of you remember the infamous mob boss in the 20-30’s during the period of prohibition in the United States, named Al Capone? Despite all of the corrupt and vile things this man did as a crime boss in Chicago, it was actually the 31 counts of “tax evasion” brought against him, that ultimately sent him to prison! And then within 16 years of his conviction and imprisonment, Al Capone died at the age of 48!
It’s both interesting and ironic, that here was a man who lived his life trying to experience all of the pleasures and power that this world had to offer to him (in terms of sex and alcohol and drugs) and amassing for himself body guards and gangs to protect his life from threats of death and all the while, cheating the federal tax system in every way possible to gain more and more wealth!
It’s both interesting and ironic, that here was a man who lived his life trying to experience all of the pleasures and power that this world had to offer to him (in terms of sex and alcohol and drugs) and amassing for himself body guards and gangs to protect his life from threats of death and all the while, cheating the federal tax system in every way possible to gain more and more wealth!
And yet, it was his efforts to avoid the assurance of “death and taxes” (as Franklin quoted), that ultimately became the demise of Capone! He ultimately died due to complications from his zeal for the pleasures of this world and it was his lust for illegal wealth that brought an end to his career!
And yet, it was his efforts to avoid the assurance of “death and taxes” (as Franklin quoted), that ultimately became the demise of Capone! He ultimately died due to complications from his zeal for the pleasures of this world and it was his lust for illegal wealth that brought an end to his career!
For most people, the whole “death and taxes” quote is applicable, as we all experience them. And I say “most people”, because there are some, like Capone, who have learned to cheat the system and avoid the tax situation, but know this!
For most people, the whole “death and taxes” quote is applicable, as we all experience them. And I say “most people”, because there are some, like Capone, who have learned to cheat the system and avoid the tax situation, but know this!
There is not a human on the face of the earth who is exempt from the assurance of death in this life! There has never been, nor will there ever be, enough money and power and notoriety, to cheat one’s way out of their appointment with death!
There is not a human on the face of the earth who is exempt from the assurance of death in this life! There has never been, nor will there ever be, enough money and power and notoriety, to cheat one’s way out of their appointment with death!
The Word of God says in Hebrews 9:27, “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment”, showing us that each and every human upon the face of the earth, regardless of race, or creed, or sex, or religion, all have an appointed time that he/she will die and have to stand before the righteous and sovereign Lord God Almighty!
The Word of God says in Hebrews 9:27, “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment”, showing us that each and every human upon the face of the earth, regardless of race, or creed, or sex, or religion, all have an appointed time that he/she will die and have to stand before the righteous and sovereign Lord God Almighty!
Now you may cheat this part of life dealing with “taxes”, but be sure of this, EVERYONE IS DESTINED TO DIE IN THIS LIFE! No one can cheat or lie their way out of the grave!
Now you may cheat this part of life dealing with “taxes”, but be sure of this, EVERYONE IS DESTINED TO DIE IN THIS LIFE! No one can cheat or lie their way out of the grave!
“Death and taxes”, “heaven and hell”, are both two sets of realities that we can be sure we will face. Both here in this life with the first set of realities and then in the life eternal with the latter of the two sets!
“Death and taxes”, “heaven and hell”, are both two sets of realities that we can be sure we will face. Both here in this life with the first set of realities and then in the life eternal with the latter of the two sets!
As I just said, you can choose to cheat on your taxes and you can even try to cheat/postpone death, but in the end, it will win and you will succumb to it! And you and I will face the reality of one of the two eternal places that awaits everyone.........either an eternity with God in His kingdom, or an eternity in the Lake of Fire, which was prepared for the enemies of God who reject Him and His Son, Jesus the Christ! We get to choose which one we will face upon our appointed time with death; heaven or hell, the choice is yours and mine to make!
As I just said, you can choose to cheat on your taxes and you can even try to cheat/postpone death, but in the end, it will win and you will succumb to it! And you and I will face the reality of one of the two eternal places that awaits everyone.........either an eternity with God in His kingdom, or an eternity in the Lake of Fire, which was prepared for the enemies of God who reject Him and His Son, Jesus the Christ! We get to choose which one we will face upon our appointed time with death; heaven or hell, the choice is yours and mine to make!
Physical death is a guarantee and something that everyone can be assured of! And so this morning, I want to talk about having eternal “assurance” with all of you. As much as we know and can be assured that we will face death in this life, we can also have an assurance of where we will spend an eternity after we pass on from this natural life! Whether you want to face the reality of the “after-life”, or not, it is there and it is waiting on you!
Physical death is a guarantee and something that everyone can be assured of! And so this morning, I want to talk about having eternal “assurance” with all of you. As much as we know and can be assured that we will face death in this life, we can also have an assurance of where we will spend an eternity after we pass on from this natural life! Whether you want to face the reality of the “after-life”, or not, it is there and it is waiting on you!
The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3:11, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.” You see we know, even to the smallest degree, that eternity awaits us, because God has placed this understanding within our minds and hearts! Pretty much every culture and civilization that has ever existed, had some sense and understanding of the afterlife and they strived to attain this life with as much assurance as possible. What we do in this life and the decisions that we make here and now, will determine how we enter into the other side through the veil, called “death”.
The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3:11, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.” You see we know, even to the smallest degree, that eternity awaits us, because God has placed this understanding within our minds and hearts! Pretty much every culture and civilization that has ever existed, had some sense and understanding of the afterlife and they strived to attain this life with as much assurance as possible. What we do in this life and the decisions that we make here and now, will determine how we enter into the other side through the veil, called “death”.
Just a real quick side note about taxes before I finish up my introduction. I read from a blog post yesterday an article that I found interesting and I wanted to share one snippet of it with you.
The author of the article on Ben Franklin and of “death and taxes”, wrote this closing thought in their article.
They said, “One of the strangest taxes has been the National Lottery. It is very largely paid by poor people, and much of it is spent on the pleasures of rich people who patronize operas and art galleries. And it is entirely voluntary. Yet of all taxes it is probably the least unpopular!”
OK, short of Enoch and Elijah in the Bible being the only two men who escaped death by being taken up to be with God supernaturally, can we all agree that we each one have an appointed time to leave this earth through the death of our physical bodies? (And yes, short of the rapture of the Body of Christ, which is the only way that any of us would actually escape that appointed time.)
OK, short of Enoch and Elijah in the Bible being the only two men who escaped death by being taken up to be with God supernaturally, can we all agree that we each one have an appointed time to leave this earth through the death of our physical bodies? (And yes, short of the rapture of the Body of Christ, which is the only way that any of us would actually escape that appointed time.)
You see, here is the reality of the life that we each one live!
From the day that you and I were first conceived within our mother’s womb, we were infected with a disease!
A disease that is relentless and and guaranteed to destroy each and every one of us!
It is a disease that begins at conception and grows within us throughout our lives, until the day that we each one die because of it!
The Psalmist David wrote in Psalm 51:5, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.”
And then again in Psalm 58:3, David said, “The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies.”
In both of these passages, David acknowledges that we come into this world with sin inherit to us.
And without a desire to be found righteous in the eyes of God, we will always pursue that lifestyle of sin!
This disease that I speak of right now, is of course the disease of sin.
It is because of sin, that you and I every human that has existed since Adam and Eve, must die in the flesh!
God’s original creation was perfect and unmarred by the any sin and His creation would have reigned with Him eternally, never knowing death, had sin remained absent.
But because of the lies and the deception of the enemy, and man’s unwillingness to yield to and to adhere to the perfect will of God, sin came into existence and affected the relationship between mankind and its holy and righteous creator!
Death came through sin to every one of us.
I literally mean that physical death is the bi-product of sin.
Disease and physical death are consequences of our fallen nature.
Hence, whatever name we give a disease today, the pathology of that disease has the same root cause........sin!
I am not saying that if you are sick, it is because “YOU HAVE SINNED”, but rather I am saying that physical death and disease are part of our lives because of the presence of sin in the world!
And there is debate about the nature of sin and its affect upon us, as God’s creation.
There is debate about what Paul is saying Romans 5 and that of I Corinthians 15, where he is speaking about death and resurrection and the sin that came through the first Adam, vs the life that came through the second Adam (Jesus).
And in these discussions it’s said that man was created as strictly mortal, (carbon based, dust of the ground creatures), who would eventually degenerate and die, were it nor for God’s intervention by placing the Tree of Life within the garden for them to partake of and live forever. (ELABORATE: For sake of time in this message, I am not going to get into all of that discussion. But I will say this, that if man were destined to die without the Tree of Life’s properties for our physical bodies, then why, when after we have received our new, glorified bodies that are like Christ’s, (as Paul mentions in I Corinthians 15), why would we still need the Tree of Life and its leaves, as we read of being in the New Jerusalem in Revelation 22, for the healing of the nations?
In other words, if once we have glorified bodies that are incorruptible and imperishable, as Paul mentions, then why would we need the Tree of Life, unless there is, more to its presence than what the Word mentions?
Anyway, I digress. The point that I am making for today, is that either way you look at it and from whichever camp you look at it from, as to the effect of sin upon and our natural and spiritual bodies, the overall effect is the same........DEATH! (Death both physically in the natural state and then the second death, which is the spiritual death if sin is left unchecked in our lives!)
The Bible tells us in Romans 5: ‘Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.”
That is the main thing we need to realize, we are ALL guilty of sin and we are all born into the state of sin in the flesh!
The disease of sin is always there, working like a silent killer, like a cancer, spreading throughout our bodies destroying us!
That is the apparent BAD NEWS that I bring to you this morning!
I didn't come to bring you assurance of some bad news, (although most definitely, if you reject Jesus and the great price that He paid for you, to redeem you and buy you back to God, then there will be no assurance of good news, but only of dread and the expectation of judgement! “It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God!”
I didn't come to bring you assurance of some bad news, (although most definitely, if you reject Jesus and the great price that He paid for you, to redeem you and buy you back to God, then there will be no assurance of good news, but only of dread and the expectation of judgement! “It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God!”
But, I came to bring you assurance, BLESSED ASSURANCE, that Jesus is yours, if you have laid claim to the offer of salvation through faith in Him!
But, I came to bring you assurance, BLESSED ASSURANCE, that Jesus is yours, if you have laid claim to the offer of salvation through faith in Him!
And the reason that I say that I am bringing you assurance of your salvation, is for one very simple reason........DOUBT!
I mean let’s be honest, we all as Christians, at some point in our walk, have experienced doubt about the condition of our salvation, right?
Seriously, think about it, whether recently, or in the years past, when something happened, something bad happened to you, what was your response in terms of your position with God and that of your salvation?
You experienced doubt in some form, right?
You asked yourself and the Lord, “Am I REALLY saved”, right?
Does this sound familiar to anyone in this room today?
Of course it does!! We are spiritual beings trapped inside of a fleshly body and the fleshly body is the part that is equipped with all of the gadgets and bells and whistles that register stress and fear and pain.
Your flesh is the part that registers life experiences and then reacts to them from within your mind.
And the natural mind is not naturally programmed to default to faith and love and peace in God, right?
This is why Romans 12:1-2 are such important verses! We must renew our minds. Re-program our minds to think in terms of faith and become aligned with the Word of God!
Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:7, “You must be born again.”
And so, in order for you and I to become a child of God and enter into His kingdom, we must BE BORN AGAIN!
And when you are born again, just like when you are born in your natural state, you received a birth certificate, right?
Well, Holy Spirit within you becomes that CERTIFICATE of new birth.
You know, some people do not have birth certificates. One such person was Will Rogers (Actor, cowboy, humorist, columnist in the early 1900’s). Once, Will Rogers was applying for a passport and the clerk asked him for his birth certificate. He said that he didn’t have one. She said that she needed one in order to issue a passport. He asked why. She replied, “So I can have proof of your birth.” Rogers answered, “Well, I’m here, ain’t I?”
But it’s that “proof” of a birth certificate that we want to see sometimes in our life, right?
The Bible tells us expressly that we may know that we belong to Him, through our new birth. It serves as our assurance, right?
Let me give you another example real quick. How many people remember H.A. Ironside? (He was a Bible teacher, preacher, theologian, pastor, and author who pastored Moody Church in Chicago from 1929 to 1948.)
An elderly man said to H.A. Ironside, "I will not go on unless I know I’m saved, or else know it’s hopeless to seek to be sure of it. I want a definite witness, something I can’t be mistaken about!" Ironside replied, "Suppose you had a vision of an angel who told you your sins were forgiven. Would that be enough to rest on?" "Yes, I think it would. An angel should be right." Ironside continued, "But suppose on your deathbed Satan came and said, ’I was that angel, transformed to deceive you.’ What would you say?" The man was speechless. Ironside then told him that God has given us something more dependable than the voice of an angel. He has given His Son, who died for our sins, and He has testified in His own Word that if we trust Him all our sins are gone. Ironside read I John 5:13, "You may know that you have eternal life." Then he said, "Is that not enough to rest on? It is a letter from heaven expressly to you." God’s Spirit used that to bring assurance to the man’s heart.
And yet still, even in knowing that God’s Word is His love letter to us, showing us who He is and telling us who we are to Him, sometimes, doubt and disbelief creep in and take over our thoughts in our hearts and minds.
And this happens for different reasons:
Like I said earlier, life’s experiences happen and they will produce fear and doubt and shame!
Shame is one of those tools that the enemy loves to use against you and cause you to doubt who and what you are!
When you mess up and sin, then shame comes to mind and you hear that thought pop into your head, “Your still like you used to be! You’re no different!”
And then doubt and disbelief come into your mind and you start to question your salvation!
Witnessing other’s walk with the Lord and the gifts and talents that you witness in them may cause you to question who and what you are in Christ! (You feel inadequate!)
You’re lack of fruitfulness in the kingdom may cause this. (You see others doing great and mighty things and you are not, and thus you question your eternal position!)
Your diminishe, or non-existent time with the Lord in prayer and reading His Word, may cause you to have doubt about who you are in Christ Jesus!
And other things as well will cau us to have doubt in our walk with the Lord!
And we all want to have that assurance and that KNOWING in our hearts and minds that we are His and He is our Lord and we are eternally locked in with Him, right?
I mentioned a few minutes ago that sin is the disease that causes death to us, physically and spiritually.
And Jesus is the cure for that disease!
That’s what Romans 5:12-20 is basically all about. Jesus is the antidote for the disease of sin.
Through one man’s sin (Adam) came death, but through one man’s act of righteousness (JESUS), came justification and life for all who will believe!
And when you turn your life over to Jesus and He becomes Lord and Savior of your life, you “just know” that the transformation, the “new birth” has happened. It is something that happens within you and you KNOW that He is there!
Like when someone asked Melvin Trotter, who was a hopeless alcoholic before his conversion, "How do you know you are a Christian?" Trotter replied, "I was there when it happened!"
You know when it happens!
But life happens also and with it comes doubt!
It’s not wrong to question and ask yourself about why you do what you do, or say the things that you say sometimes. In fact, the Bible tells us in II Corinthians 13:5, “Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves.”
God cannot lie and He has promised us eternal life, as servants of His Son.
This is what Titus 1:2 tells us,
in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began
And in that testing and asking ourselves and looking for assurance of our salvation, which God has promised us, we experience doubt and we want proof that we have what we were told we would have!
The Bible tells us that when we receive salvation, we become adopted by God and thus, we become heirs to His kingdom of heaven! Ephesians 1:5 says, “He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will” and then again in Galatians 4:5, “To redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”
The Bible tells us that when we receive salvation, we become adopted by God and thus, we become heirs to His kingdom of heaven! Ephesians 1:5 says, “He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will” and then again in Galatians 4:5, “To redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”
Well, how do you and I know that the adoption has taken place? How do we know that we have received salvation?
If we continue reading in Galatians 4:6-7, we find this,
And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
God’s Holy Spirit within you and I becomes our guarantee, our assurance that we have received salvation and that we are His children through adoption!
The Bible says several different ways:
Ephesians 1:13-14,
In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
I Corinthians 6:19,
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,
I Corinthians 12:13,
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
Jesus Himself said to everyone listening, in John 7:37-39, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive.”
Holy Spirit within us is our guarantee that we are who we say we are and who we were told that we would be!
This was God’s plan through the ages, to give us a NEW HEART and place His Holy Spirit within these earthen vessels.
In Ezekiel 36: 26-27 God says, “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”
BUT HOW DO YOU KNOW IF HE IS IN YOU, OR NOT?
That’s the real question, right?
Well, when He is within us, He teaches us. I Corinthians 2:12-14 (He teaches so that we might understand the things given to us by God.)
I John 2:27,
But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.
Holy Spirit leads you when He is in you. (John 16:13)
He comforts you and helps you and gives you peace that surpasses all understanding.
John 16, He convicts us of our sin.
He reminds you of God’s Word and brings it to your remembrance when you need a specific Word!
BUT HOW DO YOU REALLY KNOW IF HE IS THERE?
Turn with me in your Bibles to a passage that I read from earlier and let’s look that passage a little more closely. Turn to Galatians 4:6,
Turn with me in your Bibles to a passage that I read from earlier and let’s look that passage a little more closely. Turn to Galatians 4:6,
And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”
God’s Holy Spirit is within us crying out, “ABBA FATHER”!
The verb used in this sentence for “crying”, is the word, “krazō”, and it refers to: crying out, shrieking, as if one is in need or suffering!
In other words, when you are going through something, when you are in need, In suffering and in turmoil and your immediate, involuntary response, is to begin to cry out to ABBA FATHER, then you know that Holy Spirit is inside of you and active in your life!
To say ABBA, in the Aramaic sense, is to say, “Pappa”, or “Daddy”!
You see, when you are going through trials and tribulations and various temptations and sufferings come against you and Holy Spirit is in you, then you instantlay want to run to DADDY!
Not begin to bellyache and moan and wail against life and the world and rehearse your woes and lash out against everyone and everything!
That is strictly the flesh and not the working of Holy Spirit!
Holy Spirit is linked with you and your spirit when He is in you and He produces this cry to the FATHER, in you and through you!
And one more final part to this evidence of Holy Spirit being found within you and I, can be seen in Romans 8:15, which reads,
And one more final part to this evidence of Holy Spirit being found within you and I, can be seen in Romans 8:15, which reads,
For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
Who is crying out “ABBA FATHER” in this verse?
We are......you and I!
In Galatians 4:6, it’s the Holy Spirit within us crying out to God and in Romans 8:15, is us crying out to ABBA, by the Holy Spirit!
He is linked with our spirit within us and when He cries out to Pappa, to Daddy, we begin to cry out ourselves!
The two are linked and forged as one!
Or, as Romans 8:16 goes on to say, “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.”
This is how you know, that you know, that you know, that you have Holy Spirit within you............He testifies with your spirit about who you are and from within you, He cries out to God and produces within you, the same unction and desire to run to your Father all of the time and not to the world and the things of this world!
Hebrews 10:22 tells us, “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.”
Praise God for His Holy Spirit within us, who gives us our BLESSED ASSURANCE!!