"How to Know that You Know"
1 John 5:13
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.
Introduction: While studying for this message I ran on to a quote from a sermon by evangelist Dean Meadows, and I quote, "Do you have "Assurance" or "Insurance"? Both words sound very similar and have similar meanings. One of the definitions of both is a guaranty. Assurance is a guaranty of your word and Insurance is a guaranty of payment. The same, yet different. I have assurance that if certain people tell me that they will do something that I don't have to worry about it. Their word is all I need. This is a quality that we all should have, especially those of us who profess to be Christians. And I have insurance; lots of insurance. I have life insurance, car insurance, house insurance, and health insurance. They guaranty me compensation if anything were to happen to my possessions or my family or me. But the one huge difference is that assurance is not based on anything I do. Insurance has everything to do with what I do. Recently I received a "Final Notice" from my insurance in mail. They said that I owed $ 37.00 from my home insurance. I asked my wife about it and she assured me she had paid the bill. I went on line and bank statement and it assured that the money had been withdrawn from our account. So I contacted our agent and he didn't understand why we got the notice either. But he told me he would research it and get back with me. Now it ended up that our company had put in a new computer system in and it caused the glitch. But the point that I want to make is that my insurance was only good as long as my premiums were being paid. And like a good neighbor, the only way that they are going to be there for you, is if you pay the bill. If you don't pay your bill, then your insurance will be cancelled. So back to the question...do you have "Assurance" or "Insurance"? Do you have assurance that if you died today that you would end up in Heaven with our Lord and Savior or do you have insurance, thinking that as long as you do the right things that you will end up in Heaven."
This morning I want to take the time to share some thoughts with you about the importance of knowing that you are saved and that you have assurance of your salvation. I've heard folks say over the years that there is really no way to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are saved and that's just not true. Let me ask you a question my friend. Do you think that God would send His one and only Son to this old sin soaked, sin stained, sin cursed world to die for your sins and then not provide a way for you to know that you are saved? That would be ridiculous wouldn't it? Now let me tell you why you need to know that you are saved beyond the obvious fact that you need to know you are saved so that you will have the assurance that you will go to heaven when you die. First, if you don't have assurance of salvation then the devil will give you fits. In the Bible he is called the "accuser of the brethren" and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that he will seek to plant the suggestion in your mind that you are not really saved, that there is nothing to this salvation thing and that you are wasting your time.
There is also another very good reason to make sure that you are saved. The truth is that the devil wants to "plant" unsaved church members in every church to disrupt, distract, damage and even destroy the cause of Christ. If you don't believe this turn in you Bible to Matthew 13:24-30; just after teaching the disciples about the parable of the Sower Jesus tells this parable:
24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
Make sure that you are saved so you won't be one of the tares that tear up the Lord's work!
Third and even more dangerous are those who are seeking to live the Christian life without having been born again. Nothing could be more impossible! No matter how hard you may "try" you cannot live a Christian life without experiencing the new birth. You can even be a very religious person and yet not have a relationship with Jesus. Nicodemus, the Pharisee who came to Jesus by night is proof of that.
1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
I. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE FACTS
a. The truth of salvation
Have you ever asked someone if they are saved and they say well I think so or I certainly hope so or they give you some other ambiguous reply? It happens quite frequently but there is no uncertainty about the Scriptures. Read:
1 John 5:12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
It could not be any plainer my friend. You either have the Son and life or you don't have the Son and you don't have life.
b. The transformation of salvation
Has there been a change in your life or was there a change when you got saved? Even a five year old will notice a change when they truly come to Christ. People make decisions but they are not changed and if they are not changed they are not saved according to Scripture. I heard of a story about a boy who said that a friend of his had gone forward in VBS and told him that if he went forward he would get some candy so he went forward too! People make those kind of decisions all the time for some of the same kinds of reasons.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. ESV
"There is a difference between saying the words and receiving the words. If I was to take a $ 20 bill out of my wallet and I was to ask you if you wanted this $ 20, you may say that you want it, but until you get out of your seat and you come forward and take this $ 20 out of my hand, guess who has the money. I do. It is more than just saying the words it is receiving the words and when you receive the words it will make a difference in your life." Dean Meadows
c. The time of salvation
I don't know if any of you remember a song called "Somebody touched me" but it would be sung with each day of the week and if you were saved on a Monday you would stand up and if you were saved on a Tuesday you would stand up and so on and so forth thru all seven days of the week and it would end with "If you were saved on someday" then everyone would stand up. They don't sing like that anymore but maybe we ought to again to remind folks that there needs to be a time when they know they got saved. Don't you know that there was a time that you got truly, genuinely saved? You may not know the exact minute or hour or day but do you know that there was a day?
II. THE IMPORTANCE OF FAITH
a. The exclusivity of true faith
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ESV
ILL - As D. L. Moody said, "Trust in yourself, and you are doomed to disappointment; trust in your friends, and they will die and leave you; trust in reputation, and some slanderous tongue may blast it; but trust in God, and you are never to be confounded in time or eternity." Luther gave a similar testimony when he said, "I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess." We must place our faith and trust in the promise of God to not only save us but to sanctify us.
b. The essential nature of true faith
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. KJV
Martin Luther said: "Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible. Then, it accepts the impossible, does without the indispensable and bears the intolerable."
c. The expression of true faith
The expression of true faith is works. James makes the definitive statement about the relationship between faith and works.
James 2:14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food,
16 and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?
17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe--and shudder!
20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?
22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; ESV
ILL - A man fell off a cliff, but managed to grab a tree limb on his way down. "Is anyone up there?" he cried out. "I am here, I am the Lord, do you believe me?" the voice said. "Yes, Lord I believe, I really believe, but I can't hang on much longer." "If you really believe you will be alright, I will save you, just let go of the branch." The man paused for a moment then said, "Is there anyone else up there?"
III. THE IMPORTANCE OF FEELINGS
a. In terms of priority of feelings
Of the three, facts, faith and feelings the latter is the least important of all. Our assurance should rest in the promises of God that whosoever calleth on the name of the Lord shall be saved!
ILL - The flesh is a built-in law of failure, making it impossible for the natural man to please or serve God. It is a compulsive inner force inherited from man's fall, which expresses itself in general and specific rebellion against God and His righteousness. The flesh can never be reformed or improved. The only hope for escape from the law of the flesh is its total execution and replacement by a new life in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Mark Bubeck, The Adversary, Moody Press, p. 28.
b. In terms of power of feelings
In terms of the power to disturb us feelings reign supreme. Unfortunately we are subject to the influence of our feelings. If we are over reliant on our feelings we will inevitably have a difficult time with assurance.
ILL - It is dangerous to base our salvation experience entirely upon feeling. Knowing that, and acting upon it, are still sometimes strangers. Like the psychiatrist who took on a very disturbed man as a patient. The man thought he was dead. No matter what techniques the doctor tried, the man still thought he was dead. Finally the shrink tried one last desperate strategy. He asked the man if dead men bleed. "Of course not," said the patient, "they're dead." With that the doctor pricked the man's hand with a pin, and it started to bleed. "What do you say to that," asked the doc. "Well, I'll be," said the man, "Dead men really DO bleed after all!"
c. In terms of peace about feelings
The Samaritan woman found out some very important truths regarding salvation in John chapter 4. She learned that our peace concerning our eternal destiny is in a relationship not a religion, and in a person not a place.
1 John 5:11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
ILL - At the end of WWII the Japanese government faced a similar problem with thousands of soldiers who were hiding in the jungles and mountains in the South Pacific. Although the treaty with the U.S. had been signed and the war was over, thousands of Japanese soldiers living in the mountains and jungles of the South Pacific islands would not come out of hiding, surrender their weapons, and return to their homes to live in peace. These soldiers had been so indoctrinated with stories of what the Americans would do to them if they surrendered that they believed they would face certain torture or immediate death, so they remained in hiding and ready to fight. How could the Japanese government convince these die hard warriors that the war was indeed over and they were not just hearing American propaganda designed to capture unsuspecting soldiers? Finally, the Japanese Emperor made a speech detailing the end of the war and pleading with them to return home. The voice of the Emperor was broadcast by radio and recorded to be repeatedly played on loudspeakers directed into the jungles and mountain caves where these men were hiding. One by one the Japanese soldiers accepted the assurance of their Emperor and turned themselves in. Some waited to be certain the war had indeed ended, but within a few months all but a few had surrendered. After some years, it was assumed all of these hidden soldiers had been accounted for; those still missing were presumed dead. However, in March of 1974 a Japanese soldier finally came out of hiding, 29 years after the war was over. When asked why he had remained in hiding so long, this warrior now in his sixties said it had taken him that long to get over his fears. The U.S. and Japan had shared a friendly relationship for years, but this lone soldier had wasted 29 years hiding from an enemy he still feared within his mind (Healing of Memories, David Seamands). Can you imagine being held captive by your fears for 29 years? Imprisoned, not by an invading army, not by a cruel dictator, but held captive by the fear within your mind.
Conclusion: Can a true Christian doubt their salvation? The answer is yes. Doubt is possible, just not profitable! Is there any reason to stay in doubt? No! You don't have to live with doubt! You can overcome it. If you came to Jesus in genuine faith then you are saved. Jesus said so in John 6:37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. Realize dear friend that you could not doubt something that you don't have! Grieving about your doubts is evidence that you are saved. Remember the truth, the time and the transformation of your salvation and you will become a shouting Christian instead of a doubting Christian!
ILL - Many years ago, there was a very wealthy man who shared a passion for art collecting with his son. They had priceless works adorning the walls of their family estate. One day, the nation was at war and the young man left to serve his country. After only a few short weeks, his father received a telegram. His son had died. Distraught and lonely, the old man faced the upcoming Christmas holidays with sadness. The joy of the season had vanished with the death of his son. On Christmas morning, a knock on the door awakened the depressed old man. He opened the door and a soldier, with a large package in his hands greeted him, "I was a friend of your son. I was the one he was rescuing when he died. May I come in for a few moments? I have something to show you." The soldier mentioned that he was an artist and then gave the old man the package. It was a portrait of the man's son. Though the world would never consider it the work of a genius, the painting featured the young man's face in striking detail. Overcome with emotion, the man hung the portrait over the fireplace, pushing aside millions of dollars' worth of art. His task completed, the old man sat in his chair and spent Christmas gazing at the gift he had been given. The painting of his son soon became his most prized possession, far eclipsing any interest in the pieces of art for which museums around the world clamored. Half a year later, the old man died. The art world waited with anticipation for the upcoming auction. According to the will of the old man, all the art works would be auctioned on Christmas Day, the day he had received the greatest gift. The day soon arrived and art collectors from around the world gathered to bid on some of the world's most spectacular paintings. Dreams would be fulfilled that day. The auction began with a painting that was not on anyone's museum list. It was the painting of the man's son. The auctioneer asked for an opening bid, but the room was silent. "Who will open the bidding with $100?" No one spoke. Finally someone said, "Who cares about that painting. It's just a picture of his son. Let's move on to the good stuff." The auctioneer responded, "No, we have to sell this one first. Now, who will take the son?" Finally, a neighbour of the old man offered $50 dollars. "That's all I have. I knew the boy, so I'd like to have it." The auctioneer said, "Going once, going twice...gone." The gavel fell. Cheers filled the room and someone exclaimed, "Now we can bid on the real treasures!" The auctioneer looked at the room filled with people and announced that the auction was over. Everyone was stunned. Someone spoke up and said, "What do you mean, it's over? We didn't come here for a painting of someone's son. There is millions of dollars' worth of art here! What's going on?" The auctioneer replied, "It's very simple. According to the will of the Father, whoever takes the son...gets it all." The message is the same this Christmas. Because of the Father's love...whoever takes the Son gets it all. Will you take Him this Christmas?
