You Can Know You Are Saved I Jn. 5:11-13
INTRO.: Robert Shank, in his book, "Life In the Son" tells of a successful business man of Kansas City who was an earnest Christian. He was greeted by his banker with the question, "What do you know for sure, Pete?" He immediately replied, "I know the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses me from all sin, I’m a child of God by faith and I’m on my way to Heaven."
Surprised and impressed, the banker said, "Wait a minute. Come into my office. I want to talk to you." The man had the exciting experience of talking at length to the banker concerning the grace of God and the glorious things He has provided for all who will believe and trust Him.
There is very little we humans crave more than certainty. We want to be certain about our health. We want to know our car can be depended on. We want to know we can pay our bills and we can afford to retire someday. We want to know we are forgiven for our sins and we want to be certain of eternal life.
Yet, there are few who are certain. If you ask, "Are you saved?" many folk won’t know what you are talking about. Others will say, "I hope so," "I guess I am," or "I don’t know." Some will say, "I go to Church, etc." Some follow the very dangerous practice of relying on their feelings.
Some say we can’t be sure of salvation because we don’t know the future. That’s not quite true. I can reasonably predict what the future holds for you and me. I’ll get up tomorrow morning and make a pot of coffee. It’s reasonable to expect I’ll eat breakfast and then go about all the normal activities of the day. It is extremely unlikely I’ll rob a bank, murder anyone, or convert to Islam. I probably won’t curse God and it’s doubtful I’ll win the lottery even if I buy a ticket, which I don’t intend to do.
Technically, I suppose we don’t absolutely know the future, but that isn’t the issue. The issue is: "Am I saved now?" and "Can I have reasonable assurance of eternal life?" I want to assure you that you can. John states this is his reason for writing his epistle in 5:13. He gives us 7 tests by which we may assure our hearts before God:
I. Test #1: Do you believe Jesus Christ is God’s Son and are you trusting Him for your salvation?
A. Only believers have assurance of eternal life. 5:13
1. We must have a firm faith that He is God’s Son. "If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God." 4:15
2. There is no other Name under Heaven that has the power to save our souls.
3. It is this faith that overcomes the world and gives us second birth.
B. But, be careful. To confess this faith is not just a glib expression of mental assent. It involves serious conviction if it means anything at all.
1. We must be willing to live according to our faith. Faith that does not change lives is no faith at all. James 2:19, 20, 24
2. In John’s day, such a confession might endanger one’s life. In many lands this is true today as well.
3. Making a profession of faith may seem easy for you but don’t do it unless you consider its implications and you are serious about it.
II. Hebrews 5:8, 9: "Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him"
A. Jesus told the Jewish leaders they could become His disciples if they would hold to His teachings. John 8:31
1. He said if anyone would keep His word, he would not see death. John 8:51
2. Are you keeping His commandments? I John 2:3-5
3. We are liars if we claim to know Him and do not obey Him.
B. Love for Jesus is demonstrated by obedience: John 14:21-24
1. If we love Jesus, we will obey Him. Then He will love us and the Father will love us and abide with us.
2. Those who don’t love Him don’t obey Him because they follow their own inclinations and desires of the flesh.
3. If we love someone, we do what he asks. Many "Christians" show no evidence of love for Jesus.
III. Do you follow the example of Jesus?
A. He has set an example for us and calls us to imitate His integrity and faithfulness to God. I John 2:6
1. If He is our Savior, He must be our example.
2. Being a disciple of Jesus means more than just learning about Him. That’s involved, but there must also be a commitment to follow His example.
3. "What would Jesus do?" is a valid test of proper behavior.
B. Jesus claimed to be the light of the world in John 8:12:
1. Followers will not walk in the darkness of sin and guilt, but will have the "light of life."
2. We can’t live in the dark. We need light to find our way, grow our food, nourish our bodies and minds.
3. Jesus provides light for the Spirit of man as the sun provides for our bodies.
IV. Do you love the Father and not the world? I John 2:15-17
A. Sins of the world classified:
1. Cravings of sinful man. The desire to indulge the flesh through sex, food, drugs and alcohol. Many are motivated to these things by the flesh.
2. Lust of his eyes: One sees a nicer car, a bigger home, a prettier woman and he has to have it, even at the expense of others.
3. Boasting of what he has and does. I guess we’ve all met people who are so full of themselves we can’t get a word in.
B. John points out the weakness and error with these things:
1. They are not of the Father. They cannot bring us closer to God nor help us please Him. They come from the Devil.
2. They will not last past this life. Only what’s done for God will last.
3. They will interfere with doing God’s will and gaining eternal life.
V. Do you habitually practice righteousness rather than sin?
A. Righteousness is a trait inherited from God. 2:29
1. Genetics is a developed science. We can predict the color of an animals coat and eyes, its size, its ability to run, its intelligence, etc.
2. With humans, physical and mental traits are not quite so predictable, but research continues. Ethics is a serious issue.
3. One thing is predictable: If you are born of God, you will not habitually sin.
B. ILLUS.: The converts in Ephesus made a radical break with sin when they came to Christ. Acts. 19:18, 19
1. They recognized their sinful practices were of the Devil, not from God and were willing to pay the price to give up sin.
2. I John 3:8-10. One born of God cannot continue to live in sin.
3. This doesn’t mean he can never sin. It refers to a continual practice of sin. There is forgiveness for the occasional sin that is confessed.
VI. Do you love other Christians? I John 3:14, 15
A. ILLUS.: I knew one man who said, "There is no one in the Church I have anything in common with." He meant he was the only business man in the congregation.
1. Evidently he had not much love for the Lord. He was worldly.
2. Love does not save us. It is evidence of salvation. If we love the Lord, we must love His children.
3. We love because God loves us. I John 4:11
B. The evidence of our love:
1. I John 3:16-18 Are we willing to share to meet the brother’s needs?
2. His love is completed in us if we love one another. I John 4:12. God’s heart is hurt when we act hateful or indifferent to one another.
VII. Do you have a conscious awareness of the indwelling Holy Spirit? 3:24, 4:13
A. The indwelling of the Comforting Spirit of God is a great blessing given to those who truly love and trust Jesus. Acts 2:38
1. He strengthens, intercedes, and seals the Christian.
2. We are told our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. I Cor. 6:19.
B. But, we must be careful about relying on feelings alone as evidence of the Spirit’s Presence:
1. The Bible warns against both self deception and deceiving spirits.
2. Those who rely only on feelings are easy prey for the Devil because feelings can be so easily manipulated.
3. If we don’t show the other evidence of salvation, then it is fair to assume the spirit living in us is not God’s Spirit.
CONC.: At 2:20 on the morning of Jan. 25, 2002, Clifford Baxter was found shot to death in Sugarland in the front seat of his 2002 Mercedes. A suicide note was found, along with a 32 caliber revolver with which he had evidently shot himself. The 43 year old multimillionaire was a former Enron executive and had been subpoenaed by a Senate subcommittee investigating the organization’s crooked financial dealings. He had managed to sell his Enron stock for nearly 22 million dollars.
We don’t know what might have been in his mind or what guilt might have driven him to suicide, but we know Cliff Baxter had put his trust in the wrong place.
Do you trust Jesus for salvation? Do you have the evidence of assurance in your life?
