I Know That I Know I Am Saved

2 Timothy 1:12

Outline:

I. The Source of Our Salvation

A) The Act of Salvation

B) The Fact of Salvation

II. The Surety of Our Salvation

A) The Cause of Doubt

B) The Cure for Doubt

III. The Security of Our Salvation

A) The Preservation We Have in Christ

B) The Reservation We Have from Christ

A businessman was traveling through the country and stopped to ask a young boy for directions; "Son, I seem to be lost. Do you know how to get to next town?" The boy replied, "Nope." "Do you know far it is to the next town?" Again he replied, "Nope." "Do you know the name of the next town? Again he answered, "Nope." "Do you know where this road goes?" Again the answer was "Nope." Finally the man said, "You don’t seem to know much do you?" The boy replied, "I know I ain’t lost."

There are a lot of things that I do not know. But, I know that "I ain’t lost!" As my pastor used to say, "I know that I know I am saved." With Fanny Crosby I can sing:

Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine,

Oh what a foretaste of glory divine;

Heir of salvation, purchased of love,

Born of His spirit, washed in His blood.

A pastor asked a dying man, "My friend, what persuasion are you?" The man replied, "I am of Paul’s persuasion." The pastor said, "I am afraid you didn’t understand me. Of what persuasion are you?" The man answered, "Oh, I understood you. I am of Paul’s persuasion." The pastor then said, "I’m afraid I don’t understand you. There is a Methodist persuasion, Baptist persuasion, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Nazarene persuasion, but what do you mean by ’Paul’s persuasion?’" The man smiled and then said, "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."

It is the spiritual privilege of every believer to be able to know that they are saved. We read in 1 John 5:13, "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God."

Horatius Bonar wrote: "In the early church there was nothing of the uncertainty we find among Christians now. They knew what they were, and it was on the authenticated facts concerning Christ that they rested this certainty. No one then thought of saying, I believe, but I am not sure whether I am born of God; for they took for granted that whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. They did not analyze their faith to ascertain how far it was of the right quantity and quality. All the epistles take for granted that they KNEW that they were Christians; nor is there anything written there to encourage them to suspect themselves, or to teach them the art of doubting."

As Christians, we do not have to hope we are saved. We can know that we are saved. We do not have to live with uncertainty or doubts about our salvation. The Bible tells us that we may know that we are saved.

As a pastor, some of the most miserable people I have ever met were those who were troubled with doubts about their salvation. I can remember a time in my life when as a young Christian I was harassed with doubts. I can remember getting on my knees or driving down the road and praying, "God, if I’m not saved, save me." I can still remember those agonizing days of wrestling with doubt about my salvation.

I do believe that you can be saved and have doubts about your salvation. If the devil can’t keep you from being saved, his next move is to try and keep you from knowing that you are saved. He knows that it is hard to enjoy and experience what you have if you are uncertain you have it.

However, a Christian does not have to live with doubts, but can be of Paul’s persuasion and know with certainty that they are saved. I believe that the reason people have trouble settling their doubts is they doing everything but the one thing they need and must do to be certain they are saved.

I remember during the time when I was having doubts. As so many do, I kept going back again and again to the day I was saved. I tried so hard to relive that day. I tried to remember every little detail. I tried so hard to feel just like I felt that day and remember every thing I did and said. I had heard people say, "You have to ask Jesus to come into your heart." The devil had said to me time and time again that I had not asked Jesus to come into my heart, and the truth of the matter was; I couldn’t remember asking Jesus to come to my heart. The harder I tried to remember what I did that day, what I prayed, and the harder it was to remember.