(Finding Assurance of My Salvation)
Introduction – From “I Hope” to “I Know”
Church, let me ask a question that will outlast every headline and every paycheck:
> When you lay your head on the pillow at night—when no one hears your thoughts—do you know that you are saved?
Not think so.
Not hope so.
Know so.
Every heart longs for certainty.
It is not the will of God that you should be uncertain whether you are saved or not. Do not think that because you are tempted you are not accepted by God.
Two Men the World Knew, One Fear They Shared
Think with me about two very different men.
First, the football giant.
He could dodge linebackers like they were standing still.
He broke records. He was feared on every field.
But when an interviewer asked what he feared most, he didn’t mention broken bones or lost championships.
He said,
> “Dying and going to hell. But I hope I don’t, because I’ve been a good person.”
Power on the field—panic in the soul.
Second, the comedian Chris Farley.
The world laughed with him on Saturday Night Live and in Tommy Boy and Black Sheep.
But before his sudden death at thirty-three, he confessed,
> “Lust, gluttony, booze and drugs are most of the things I confess to. I can’t help it. I hope to God that God will forgive me my sins. I don’t know.”
Different worlds. Same ache.
Hopeful words—but no assurance.
Friend, you can have money in the bank, trophies on the wall, followers online—
but if you don’t have rock-solid certainty of salvation through Jesus,
you go to bed with a question mark where God wants a period.
The Bible will not leave you hanging.
John writes,
> “These things are written so that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:13)
Let’s see how God turns I hope so into I know so.
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Point 1 – Christ’s Finished Work: The Ground of Assurance
Everything starts at the cross.
Romans 5:8 declares:
> “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
On the cross Jesus cried,
> “It is finished.” (John 19:30)
He didn’t say, It is started, now finish it yourselves.
He said, Finished.
Nothing that we can do will in any way entitle us to salvation. Our dependence is wholly upon Christ.
This is the heart of assurance:
His life was perfect, covering our imperfection.
His death was complete, paying our debt in full.
His resurrection was triumphant, securing eternal life.
Your feelings may rise and fall.
Your performance may be up and down.
But the cross does not fluctuate.
Illustration: The Bridge
Imagine a suspension bridge over a canyon.
Your confidence isn’t in how tightly you grip the handrail; it’s in the strength of the bridge.
Faith is the hand; Jesus is the bridge.
The only way in which man can attain to righteousness is through faith. By faith he can bring to God the merits of Christ.
So the first step toward blessed assurance is to stop balancing on the tightrope of “I’ve been good enough”
and put the whole weight of your life on Christ’s finished work.
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Point 2 – The Spirit’s Witness: The Voice of Assurance
Assurance isn’t only a historical fact; it’s a present relationship.
Romans 8:16 promises,
> “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”
It is the Spirit that bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.
The Holy Spirit does at least three things to seal that witness:
1. Convicts of sin—not to condemn, but to drive us to the cross.
When you sense the nudge to repent, that is heaven knocking, not God pushing you away.
2. Confirms forgiveness—quietly assuring you that what Jesus finished really covers you.
Sometimes it’s a deep peace in prayer; other times a Scripture comes alive with personal power.
3. Changes desires—the fruit of the Spirit grows (Galatians 5:22–23).
Love, joy, peace are not self-generated—they are evidence that you are alive in Christ.
Have you heard that inner witness?
Not a trumpet blast, but the steady voice that says, “You are mine.”
When we submit ourselves to Christ, the heart is united with His heart, the will is merged in His will… we live His life. This is what it means to be clothed with the garment of His righteousness.
This is not emotional hype; it is the Spirit of adoption calling you son or daughter.
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Point 3 – The Father’s Promise: The Security of Assurance
Finally, God anchors assurance in His own unbreakable word.
Jesus said,
> “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”
(John 10:27–29)
The promises of God are all yea and amen in Christ Jesus.
Picture a child on a busy street holding a parent’s hand.
Security depends on the parent’s grip, not the child’s strength.
In the same way, the Father’s promise holds you when your own grip feels weak.
1 John 5:11–13 echoes it:
> “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life.”
This is not arrogance; it is humble trust.
Assurance is confidence in God’s character, not in our record.
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Closing Appeal – From Question Mark to Exclamation Point
So we come back to the question.
Christ’s finished work on the cross is done.
The Holy Spirit is bearing witness right now.
The Father’s promise is unbreakable.
Why end the day with a question mark where God has placed an exclamation point?
You are not to look to yourself, not to let the mind dwell upon self, but look to Christ.
Today, trade I hope for I know.
I invite you—right where you stand or by coming forward—to place your full trust in Jesus,
to say, “Lord, I accept Your finished work. I welcome Your Spirit. I rest in the Father’s promise.”
Pray with me:
> Lord Jesus, thank You for finishing the work on the cross.
Spirit of God, thank You for witnessing to our hearts.
Father, thank You for holding us in a grip no power can break.
We choose today to know, not merely to hope.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
