Blessed Assurance

‘BLESSED ASSURANCE’

2 Timothy 1:12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

God wants every one of His children to sing, “Blessed Assurance, Jesus is Mine.”

I heard the story of a man on an airplane during a storm. He was scared to death thinking the plane might crash. But it didn’t and as he got off, he was still sweating. He noticed the pilot as he got off and he was whistling? The man said, I had been just as safe as him but he had assurance.

Many Christians are sure but they are not very sure about their salvation.

Lets consider thecause, the cost, and the cure for doubting one’s salvation.

I-NOTICE THE CAUSE OF DOUBT CONCERNING ONE’S SALVATION

John the Baptist was called the greatest born among women by Jesus, yet he doubted that Jesus was really who he thought he was. Now John wasn’t lost, but he lacked assurance.

A-SATAN IS ONE CAUSE OF DOUBT:

1-Have you noticed that the first words we have recorded of Satan was a question of doubt? According to Genesis 3:1, he was trying to plant the seed of doubt in Eve’s heart concerning what God had said.

2-There’s an old fable that says the Devil once held a sale and offered all the tools of his trade to anyone who would pay their price. They were spread out on the table and each one labeled. Hatred, malice, envy, despair,sickness, sensuality -- all the weapons that

everyone knows so well. But off to one side lay a harmless looking wood-shaped instrument marked “doubt and discouragement”.It was old and worn looking but it waspriced far above all the rest. When asked the reason why, the Devil replied, "Because Ican use

this one so much more easily than the others. No one knows that it belongs to me, so with it I can open doors that are tightly bolted against the others. Once I get insideI can use any tool that suits me best." 1

3-I heard a man give his testimony during a revival on how Satan tried to get him to doubt his salvation. He said, after he got saved, he fell on his job and broke both of his shoulders. While in the hospital, he gave the account how the devil would whisper in his ear, and say, you are not saved, you are lost. For if you were saved, God would not let this happen to you.

3-But he remembered what you and I need to remember, that God is truth and Satan is a liar, and also, God is bigger than Satan. Thus, we can always trust God.

B-SIN IS ONE CAUSE OF DOUBT:

1-The Bible says when we sin, it separates us from the fellowship of God.

Thus when we loose the presence of God its leads to doubt.

2-I believe if we had old-fashion dose of repentance in our Churches, we could see a lot of people quitting doubting their salvation as they got right with the Lord.

3-Now a child of God will sin according to 1 John 3:6. But he won’t make it a habit.

4-An all-American football player once in a while will get blocked to the ground, but he doesn’t stay there, but he gets up and gets back into the game. It is the same with a Christian, when he does sin, he doesn’t wallow in it, but gets up and back into God’s fellowship and work.

C-SELF IS ONE CAUSE OF DOUBT:

1-Sometime it is we our selves who causes the doubt in our life.

2-Someone has said, sometimes I don’t feel saved on Monday morning but after about 3 cups of coffee I feel saved? We can’t trust our feeling, we have to trust the Word of the Lord, for our feeling can deceive us .

3-Someone asked Luther, “Do you feel that you have been forgiven?” He answered, “No!but I’m as sure as there’s a God in Heaven .” “For feeling come and feelings go, and feelings are deceiving;my warrant is the Word of God, nought else is worth believing.”2

II-NOTICE THE COST OF DOUBT CONCERNING ONE’S SALVATION:

A-A PERSON’S WORSHIP WILL SUFFER:

1-A person that is doubting their salvation won’t be able to sing the songs of Zion, they won’t be able to pray or testify. They will have no joy in the Worship in the House of the Lord.

2-A wife remarked to her husband after the church service: "Did you see the hat Mrs.Jones was

wearing?" "No," said her husband, "I didn’t." "Did you see the new dress Mrs. Smith had on?" she asked. "I’m afraid I didn’t," said her husband. To this his wife replied: "Well a lot of good it does YOU to go