Summary: In this day & age it is sometimes difficult to know what is true. But surely, there are some things we can count on, some things we can know for sure.

MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER

CENTRAL CHRISTIAN, BROWNSVILLE, TX

A. What do we know for sure? In this age of contemporary uncertainty it is difficult to know what is true, because what was considered true yesterday may not be considered true today.

ILL. For example, for a generation we have been worried about cholesterol, & we’ve tried very hard to cut out cholesterol in our diet. But now we’re being told that there is "good" cholesterol & "bad" cholesterol, & we’re confused.

And to our dismay, several years ago some scientists announced that they have discovered that butter is better for us than margarine. Here many of us have been using margarine for years because we thought that using butter was about the worst thing we could do!

What about milk? For some time now Ethel & I have been buying 2% lowfat instead of whole milk. But some scientists are saying now that it really doesn’t make much difference. So what are we to believe?

ILL. In the light of all this uncertainty, a friend of mine has said he is convinced that in the near future they’ll discover that Blue Bell ice cream with chocolate syrup is a cure for both heart disease & cancer. So anticipating that discovery, he is going to continue eating all the ice cream he wants.

B. In a time when we are surrounded by uncertainty, is it possible that we feel threatened by someone who speaks with certainty? If someone were to come up to you & say, "I have the truth & I want to share it with you," you might tend to think of that person as being arrogant because we usually feel more comfortable with people who say, "Well, it could be this, or it could be that. I believe this, but I realize you might believe something else & you’re entitled to your belief just as I’m entitled to mine."

ILL. But there is a problem with that attitude. The Dallas Morning News printed an article trying to explain why many churches lost almost a whole generation of people back in the 60’s & 70’s. Young people were leaving some of the so-called "main line" denominations en masse, "primarily," the article said, "because they weren’t receiving a sure message in the churches."

"Baby boomers" who dropped out said that the one thing lacking in their homes was a legacy of faith passed down from one generation to another. They said they knew what their dads liked to do - jog & go fishing, but they didn’t know what their dads thought about God. They knew that their mothers liked to be active in community causes, but they didn’t know what their mothers thought about God. So there was this vacuum in their life.

They also said, "On the rare occasions when we did go to church we heard such an uncertain message from the pulpit that we walked away unsatisfied. There was no certainty, no definiteness, no ring of truth in their messages."

PROP. In this day & age, it is sometimes difficult to know what is true, isn’t it? But surely, there are some things we can count on, some things we can know for sure. Just what do we know for sure?

I. THE BIBLE SPEAKS WITH ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY

First of all, the Bible never speaks with timidity. The Bible never says. "It could be this," or "It could be that." In His Word, God speaks with certainty. Just think about how the Bible answers these basic questions:

A. "How did life begin?" The world says, "Well, maybe there was a big bang 200 million years or so ago, & somehow that started an evolutionary chain. We started out as a tiny blob in a primordial sea that evolved into bigger & bigger blobs until finally you see what we are today. Of course, we don’t have all the links, but we’re sure we’ll find the missing links some day." Now that’s a rather uncertain answer.

But when you go to the Bible, it says, "In the beginning God created the heavens & the earth." God created all forms of life - in the sea, in the sky, on the earth. Then He reached down & fashioned man. He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life & man became a living soul.

But, you see, the answer is a certain one, isn’t it? There is no timidity there. "It’s this way. This is the way it happened."

B. Another question, "How did we get into the mess in which we find ourselves today?" Do you realize that some of the finest minds in the world are trying to answer that question? Politicians, sociologists, psychologists, psychiatrists - are all trying to figure out, "Why has mankind become so violent? How did we become so immoral? Why is there so much poverty? Why are there wars? Why can’t we live together in peace?"

The world is trying to answer those questions, & some of their answers are interesting. "Well, it is the fault of the educational system. If we would just beef up our educational programs & give everyone a good solid education that would make the difference."

Or, "The problem lies in the economy. If we can get the economy back on track, reduce the deficit, & give everyone a home in the suburbs with a white picket fence & a 6-figure income, there wouldn’t be any more fighting in our world." The world gives all kinds of answers.

But the Bible gives but one answer. The Bible says that we got where we are because of sin.

Go back to the Garden of Eden & study once again the fall of Adam & Eve, & you’ll realize that is the reason we sweat. That’s the reason we have weeds in our garden. That’s the reason there is pain in childbirth. That’s the reason there are diseases that kill us. That’s the reason there is poverty & sickness & death in our world. All because of sin.

C. "And how can we get out of our mess?" Again keen minds try to figure out, "What can we do to solve these problems that we have in the world?"

"Gun control, that would do it." Or, "If we could just solve the unemployment problem, that would take care of everything."

But the Bible says, "No, even if you do all that, it’s not going to change anything until we have changed inside - not until our hearts & our minds are changed, not until our wills & emotions are changed & refashioned into the image of Christ. It is not until we have been redeemed, & forgiven, & changed, that life on this planet will be changed for the better.

D. Again, "What is going to happen to us after this life is over? The world has myriad answers, all the way from reincarnation to just floating in never﷓never land.

But the Bible says that when we finish this life, if we have lived with Jesus Christ as our Lord, we go to heaven to be with Him for all eternity.

But the Bible also says that if you turn your back on Jesus & go into a Christless grave, that you will not go to heaven but to hell, without God & without hope for all eternity.

SUM. There is no middle ground in the Bible. No multiple choices. The Bible speaks with absolute certainty & says, "This is the way it is."

And when Jesus started preaching He said, "There is a way back to God, there is a source of truth where you can be absolutely confident, & there is a life where you can have love & joy & peace, for I am the Way & the Truth & the Life."

The Bible says, "There is one Lord & one faith & one baptism & one God & Father over all." That’s certainty. Do you hear it ring from the pages of the Scripture? There is no uncertainty there.

II. THE WORLD SPEAKS WITH A CONTEMPORARY UNCERTAINTY

And yet we look at our world & find contemporary uncertainty with many voices clamoring for our attention.

A. There is the voice of doubt that says, "If there is a God, how could He permit all these things that happen in our world? It seems to me that God’s people ought to have preferential treatment. God’s people ought to have a better lot in life than anyone else."

Yet, some of God’s people suddenly find themselves afflicted with cancer, disease, poverty, & loss of their jobs. So those who speak words of doubt say, "If there really is a God, then surely He would not permit this to take place." So they conclude that there is no God.

B. There are also the voices of knowledge. We have computer banks that are full of information. All you have to do is just push the right buttons to get all the information you want. But you go through the maze of all of that knowledge & ask, "What is the truth? And there is no answer.

ILL. As someone has said, "If you educate your children without God, all you do is make clever devils of them."

C. There is also the uncertain voice of religion. The Bible says the church is to be the pillar & support of truth. Yet, go to some churches & you’ll hear uncertain sounds.

Some preachers deny the very basics of our faith - the virgin birth, the resurrection, whether Jesus Christ is really God’s Son & whether He did die on the cross for our sins. And at the same time you see other preachers using religion to rip people off.

Too many people prefer religious leaders who say, "I don’t want to lay a guilt trip on you. Just do it your own way, as long as you’re sincere. This is what I feel, but you may have different feelings. So you do your own thing. It is all up to you."

III. GOD WANTS US TO BE SURE

A. And yet, God wants us to know that there are some things for sure, & that’s the reason His Word speaks with such confidence. Uncertainty leads to destruction, but certainty leads to confidence & courage.

Go back & study the martyrs who died for the Christian faith. Why did they die? Because they believed with all their heart & soul & mind & strength that the message was true. There was no wishy﷓washiness there. They were ready to stand up for God & even face death rather than deny Him.

That is what John says in 1 John 4:15-19. He says that if we rely on the love of God then fear is gone. We will no longer be afraid. We will be confident.

B. Let me read some of the confident words from the Word of God. First, in the Gospel of John 10:14. Jesus says, "I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep & my sheep know me..

1. Here is something we can know for sure. Jesus said, "You can know that I am your shepherd, & I know you intimately. I know every thought you’re thinking. I know every worry, every concern of your life. I know you so well that even the hairs on your head are numbered."

And then it goes on in verse 27, "My sheep listen to my voice. I know them & they follow me. I give them eternal life & they shall never perish. No one can snatch them out of my hand."

Jesus said, "I’m your shepherd, & because you’re my sheep I give you eternal life, & no one can take that away from you. No one can take you from my hand. I hold you in my arms like a shepherd holds a lamb."

In Romans 8:31, Paul says, "What then shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own son, but gave Him for us, how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?"

Paul is saying, "If God was willing to give His only begotten Son for us, then He will surely give us everything that we need."

2. Vs. 35 says, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?"

Vs. 38 says, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither present nor future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all of creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus, our Lord."

Do you hear the confidence there? Paul is saying, "Here is something you can know - nothing in this world, nothing in heaven, nothing in earth will ever be able to separate you from the love of God.

3. Then, in the last chapter of 1 John, these wonderful words of assurance in vs. 11, "This is the testimony God has given us, eternal life. And this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life, & he who does not have the Son does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life."

Here is something more we can know for sure. If you have the Son, you have eternal life. If you don’t have the Son, you don’t have life. It is "either/or." There is no multiple choice here, & you must decide. Is Jesus Christ your Lord & Savior? Do you have the promise of everlasting life?

Or is Jesus not your Savior? Are you just wandering through life with no real purpose or meaning? Does your life consist of just a bunch of uncertainties, with no direction or purpose? What do you know for sure? Is there anything worth knowing for sure?

CONCL. I’m convinced that there is. I’m convinced that God wants you to know what is true, & He wants you to follow the truth. "I’m the way & the truth & the life," says Jesus.

"Do you want to know the way back to the Father? I’m that way. I went to the cross, & I opened the door between you & God. I am the truth." You’ll not find truth anywhere else except in the person of Jesus. "I’m the very source of life itself." Do you want to live? Then come to Jesus. This you can build your life on. This is for sure!

I hope you know it. I hope you believe it. I hope you treasure it in your heart. And if that is not true of you this morning, then we offer you an opportunity to change all that. We extend to you the invitation of Jesus Himself. He stands here ready to receive you, to welcome you, to forgive you, to enfold you in His arms as a shepherd would his sheep - to forgive you of all your sins this morning.

So if that is your need we invite you to come & make your confession of faith, & be faithful to the Lord in Christian baptism. Or maybe you’re already a Christian & looking for a church home, a place where you can fellowship & where you can serve. We invite you to come & join us here, to share with us in the ministry that God has laid before us. We pray that you will respond to it as we stand & as we sing.