How To Be Sure Of Your Salvation

How You Can Be Sure of Your Salvation

I John 5:13

2 Timothy 1:7-12

Christians of all ages need the assurance of salvation. Carollyn’s step-father was an outstanding Christian gentleman. He was a retired School Superintendent in Michigan. He moved to Florida and married Carollyn’s mother after a short dating time. All his life he was active in the Free Methodist Church.

He because very sick and had to go to the hospital. While physically weak he had some doubts? He asked: “How Can I Be Sure I am Saved?” “Maybe there’s some sin in my life that I have forgotten to confess?” “If I die I want to be sure of my salvation?”

How can You be sure of your salvation? God’s word has clear teaching on Assurance. According to God’s Word you can not just sing words, but you can sing from your heart: “Blessed assurance Jesus is mine! O what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God.

God’s Word teaches a clear message on “How You can Be Sure of Your Salvation.”

I. Assurance of Salvation is not by feelings.

Human nature is such that judgments and decisions are often made according to feelings. If it makes you feel good it must be okay. If what you do brings pleasure it must be okay.

Emotions and feelings either good or bad come and go. Emotions and feelings are often determined by how your day goes. When you have stress, pressures, hurts, conflicts, and problems you may become frustrated and fell like giving up. But when you day goes great, you have extra money on hand, everybody likes you and all is well you feel great.

One simple life principle is this: “Don’t deny your feelings or emotions, but rather focus on the big picture of life.” When you are sick or weak or in crisis don’t panic. Be assured that Jesus is with you all the way in good times and bad.

If you gage your spiritual vitality by your feelings you will be disappointed. If you have to be on an emotional high and full of enthusiasm all the time to feel like your have spiritual victory watch out. Feelings don’t drive your spiritual health or vitality.

I like the example that the late Bill Bright, Past President of Campus Crusade for Christ uses to describe the Christian Life. He uses an old time train to describe the Christian Life.

Train Engine = Fact - God’s Word

Coal Car = Faith – faith in God keeps you going

Forward…

Caboose = Feeling comes at the end of the train

The caboose (feeling) has no power to pull the train.

By your human effort you can work up feelings of emotional high. You can take drugs to get an emotional high.

# When I was pastor of the Taylor FMC, Taylor, Michigan - I went to the church early one Saturday morning. A young man was kneeling down before the big tree at the back of the church near the parking lot. When I walked up to him he was very friendly and said he felt close to God and wanted me to pray with him. I said sure I’d be glad to pray with him. Then he said, “Do you see that tree. That is a spiritual tree. It has a sign for me. See the “M” in the trunk. That M gives me inner joy and peace. Of course you know what he was high on – marijuana. When I talked to him about surrendering his life to Jesus he had no interest. He was only looking for a good feeling. Neither good works or good feelings give the assurance of salvation.

Ephesians 2:8-9 – “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - this not from yourselves, it is a gift of God - not by, works so that no one can boast.”

II. Assurance of Salvation is by Faith.

The Apostle Paul said, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith…” In Romans 10:9 - Paul also said: “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

# Years ago Dr. Fred Smith, a renowned biochemist and professor at the University of Minnesota, was asked by a neighbor to attend the Billy Crusade in their city. He was skeptical of all churches and laughed at the invitation and said, “I don’t go in for that silly stuff.” He finally gave in when his neighbor persisted and attended the crusade with the neighbor.

He came away from the service thinking the song service was poorly done, and the sermon lacking in logic. But he said, “I could not get away from a verse of Scripture that had been quoted, “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”