Assurance Leads To Confidence

2. Assurance is based on the WOG.

a. Illust: Many Christians are buffeted by nagging doubts about their salvation. They long for some reassuring word—some evidence that they are truly saved. An elderly man said to Pastor 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 1 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. (D.J.D., Our Daily Bread, October 8)

b. Do you trust the WOG? Do you KNOW that YOU have eternal life?

C. Applic:

II. Assurance Gives us Confidence to Perform 3 Important Functions… vv.14-19

A. To Approach and Petition God in Prayer vv.14-15

1. Assurance of Salvation Gives us a Boldness to Pray.

a. Illust- A few years ago Carol and M &D and I went to AiG’s “Ark Encounter” in Kentucky. The life-size replica of the ark is amazing, and is a faith building experience for the believer. However, at the “Ark Encounter” there is another, not quite so spiritual “faith building experience” at “The Ark Encounter”… Zip Lines! I had never been on a zip line in my life and thought no better time. Now my kids have said before that I have a fear of heights. I do not. I have a healthy aversion to falling from heights! About a 20 minute safety course. Demonstrated you are cabled in at all times. 1st test about 20’ high by 200’ run. When successfully ran that line and experienced the confidence in the safety gear, gave confidence in higher, longer, and faster zip lines! (PICTURE)

b. Assurance of salvation gives us this boldness to come to our Father in prayer. Heb. 4:16 states: “Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need.” (NASB). Now, John is giving us a general principle here. That general principle is that if we ask for anything according to God’s will, He hears and will answer that request.

2. Why Can We Have Confidence in Coming before God in Prayer?

a. Illust – You might be thinking, well, I remember in Lk 18:9-14, Jesus telling parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. Jesus told that parable to convict those who were “confident in their own righteousness”, The Pharisee prayed, thanking God that he was not “ a sinner like the tax collector”. The tax collector, recognized his sinful condition and wouldn’t even look up to heaven, but simply begged God: “Have mercy on me, God, a sinner.”