The Believers Birthday Series

SERMON SERIES: “Blessed Assurance”

SERMON #1: “The Believer’s Birthday”

SERMON TEXT: I John 5:13

(Series inspired by “What every Christian Ought to Know” by Adrian Rogers and “Saved without a Doubt” by John Macarthur)

OPENING JOKE: “IF I CAN’T BE GOOD ENOUGH” Little Billy, caught in mischief, was asked by his mother, "How do you expect to get into heaven?" He thought for a moment and then said, "Well, I’ll just run in and out and keep slamming the door until they say, ’For heaven’s sake, either come in or stay out.’ Then I’ll go in."

INTRODUCTION: One basic truth every Christian ought to know is whether or not they are truly saved.

This should be a knowledge that is “beyond the shadow of a doubt”

Today, we are beginning a series called, “Blessed Assurance” which is a study of the third chapter of John’s Gospel and His first Epistle

John the Apostle wrote all of the books carrying his name in the NT. And interestingly we see a continuation from his gospel to his first epistle.

- John’s gospel was written to encourage people to believe in Christ for eternal life

(In fact, the word “believe” appears 86 times in John’s gospel alone, which only has 21 chapters)

- John’s first epistle was written to believers that they “may know that [they] have eternal life”

(The word “know” or “known” is used 38 times in only 5 chapters)

So assurance of salvation is something that God obviously wants us to have

QUESTION: But what is salvation, what are we to be assured of?

(1) It means every sin is forgiven and buried in the grave of God’s forgetfulness

(2) It means that the Holy Spirit comes to live within us

(3) It means that when we die (or Jesus comes again) we have the blessed assurance of a home in Heaven

QUOTE: Knowing that our salvation is a reality is a must if we are to live in the fullness of joy that we are called to by Jesus Christ.

Too many times we say things like, “I hope I’m saved” or “I think I’m saved”

Illustration: “Question Mark Christians” You ever see a question mark? A question mark is nothing but an exclamation point that’s hanging its head.

When we continually question our own salvation, we are going through our Christian walk with our heads bent over like a question mark.

Assurance allows you to stand erect, confident that you have a home in Heaven, and the deed has been purchased by the blood of Jesus

QUOTE: And you then become a ‘shouting Christian’ rather than a ‘doubting Christian’

A. Now, I am absolutely not teaching Christian pride fullness

o As you will see later in the message, I am not teaching assurance in myself

o Assurance of salvation comes when we realize that the one we are really trusting in is Jesus, and not ourselves for our eternal life

B. There was a time in history when it was taught that being assured of salvation was, itself a sin

o It was labeled as the ‘sin of assumption’

o The purpose of labeling this a sin was to try to keep people in line with the fear that they may not be saved

o And it was a very dark time in the history of the church, because salvation was solely based upon works and human merit

o Then a monk named Martin Luther came along… with a heart for God’s word… and he began to teach people the truth – that salvation can be a certain reality in their lives because salvation is based on the work of God and not human merit

o And this great truth, along with many others, began what is known as the ‘Great Reformation’

C. The uncertainty of salvation still plagues many people

o Illustration: “You can’t tell her that” Pastor Adrian Rogers tells of a time he went to visit a woman who was dying. He asked her if she was assured of her salvation, and she said she was not. He asked her if she would like to be. And she said, “Indeed I would”. So he explained to her from God’s Word what it meant to be saved, and then prayed with her. She prayed fervently and asked for forgiveness and confessed her trust in Jesus as Savior.

o He turned to her family, who was there, and said, “Isn’t it wonderful that she has been saved, and is going to heaven?”

o Her son-in-law immediately rebutted, “Nobody can know she’s saved”

o To which Pastor Rogers took out his bible, opened it to our passage for today and read “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.” (I John 5:13)