BLESSED ASSURANCE – Evidence #5
“Old Things Are Passed Away”
INTRODUCTION: We have been studying the EVIDENCES that give us the ASSURANCE of our salvation. In our study we have seen:
o Without the ASSURANCE of salvation, you can’t live a productive Christian life.
o EVIDENCE #1 – Your relationship with Christ gives ASSURANCE of salvation.
o EVIDENCE #2 – How you deal with sin in your life gives EVIDENCE of your salvation.
o EVIDENCE #3 – Your obedience to God’s Word gives EVIDENCE of your salvation.
o EVIDENCE #4 – Your love for other Christians gives evidence of your salvation.
NOW – We will see that your COMMITMENT TO CHRIST will give EVIDENCE as to whether or not you are a true born-again believer.
2 Cor. 5:17 – “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
When you are saved, there’s no going back to the old way of life. That bridge has been burned. You can never go back to being lost … that’s called ETERNAL SECURITY. You have become part of a new family … the family of God. You have ceased being a ‘child of the Devil’, and are now a ‘child of God’.
When I began my ministry, before I went to Bible College, I already had a college education … a bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida in the College of Architecture. Many well-meaning people told me, “at least you have something to fall back on.” Although I understood their hearts, what they said always bothered me. It was as if I was expected to fail, and I had a safety net to catch me. I always thought of my education as something to SUPPORT and ENHANCE my ministry … not to catch me when I fell.
As a Christian, we have nothing in this world to “fall back on”. “Old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” We have made a U-turn … and there is no turning back.
HYMN – “I Have Decided To Follow Jesus”.
There will be a CHANGE in the life of the Christian … from the old life to the new life. That gives us the ASSURANCE of our salvation. If there hasn’t been a CHANGE in your life, you will always DOUBT your salvation … for good reason.
HYMN – “Since Jesus Came Into My Heart”.
The CHANGE that John talks about is the CHANGE in LOVE. Before you were saved, you had a love for this WORLD. NOW that you are saved, it has been replaced by a love for GOD. It’s not INSTANTANEOUS … but once you are saved, your love for the world will decrease, and your love for Christ will grow stronger.
1 John 2:12 - John writes to Christians as part of the FAMILY OF GOD. Our sins are forgiven, and Satan no longer has a hold on us.
1 John 2:13 – John shows us 3 different LEVELS OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH.
1.- “Little Children” – These are new believers … “babes in Christ” … still feeding on the “milk of the Word” … they “know the Father”, and are growing to love Him.
2.- “Young Men” – These are those who have been Christians for awhile, and are experiencing daily BATTLES in their Christian life … “overcome the evil one” … see 2:14b
With each spiritual victory you get stronger in the faith, as you see God at work in your life. Strength & victory comes as you get into God’s Word, and take up the “sword”.
3.- “Fathers” – These are those who have a deeper relationship with the Lord. They know Him “Who has been from the beginning (2:13 & 2:14). God is not just their Heavenly Father, but they know Him as the Sovereign of the universe … the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords … the Eternal God Who has unlimited power and might and majesty.
The BATTLE never stops … from becoming a new-born Christian to Spiritual maturity and death. John gives us some INSIGHTS into this BATTLE.
1 John 2:15a – “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.”
This is where the BATTLE is. This is the EVIDENCE as to whether you are really saved or not … WHERE DO YOU STAND WHEN IT COMES TO THE WORLD?
WHAT DOES JOHN MEAN, WHEN HE SAYS “the world”?
The Bible uses the “world” in various different ways:
o The physical planet … mountains, tree, grass, rivers, etc.
o The people on the planet … ALL or a special group of people.
o False religions, lifestyles & values in opposition to God … this is what John means by the “world” here.
Satan is the ruler of the “world” - John 12:31 – “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.” Satan is orchestrating the world of politics, entertainment, culture, and even religion in a rebellion against God.
Satan is out to turn this “world” against God, so that we don’t think of God … but only for this “world” and this life … not in eternity. We live in a man-centered, humanistic, anti-God world that has turned its back on God.
2 Cor. 4:4 – “in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
Ephesians 2:2 – “in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.”
See 1 John 5:19
Satan has the world in his hands … he is the author of all the world’s lies, and behind all murder, crimes & violence. To “love the world” is to seek after the world’s applause, adopt its values, crave its pleasures, and follow its philosophies.
THAT’S NOT TO SAY that we aren’t to APPRECIATE some of the things in the “world” (planet). We LIVE in this world, and we can still appreciate God’s nature, use the things of this world for our pleasure, and enjoy the material and physical things of this “world”.
BUT – We aren’t to LIVE for the things of this “world” … we aren’t to LOVE the things of this “world”. We can possess THINGS … but THINGS are never to possess us. We are IN the world … but we are not to be OF the world. We are not to be CONFORMED to the world (Romans 12:2).
1 John 2:15b
You can’t love the “world”, and love God at the same time … they are diametrically opposed to each other. Either your love for the world will take the place of your love for God … or your love for God will take the place of your love for the “world”. You can’t have both “loves” in the same heart. If a person SAYS he is a Christian, yet loves the “world”, he’s a LIAR … because the love of God isn’t in him.
Matthew 6:24 – “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” You can’t travel down 2 roads at the same time.
EX.: The Rich Young Ruler came to Jesus and his heart was full of love for the “world”. Jesus told him to sell all that he had. BUT … he couldn’t give up his love-affair with the world, so he could fall in love with God. His desire for the world was so strong that he couldn’t let go of it.
Luke 14:33 – “So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.”
Does this mean that you have to SELL everything before you can follow Jesus? NO … but you do have to “forsake” them. This means to give up all CLAIM to all your possessions … to transfer ownership to God. God has made you a STEWARD of all your possessions … but God owns them. You can’t hold onto the world, and follow Christ. You can’t CLING to them … and embrace Christ at the same time. You must acknowledge that all you own belongs to God.
Matthew 16:24 – all turn
“cross-bearing” is a total commitment. It pictures a convicted criminal who is carrying his cross from the courtroom to the place of public execution. That’s a picture of total commitment.
Matthew 16:25-26 – all turn
James 4:4 – “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
You can’t love the world, and be a friend to God. When you love the one, you reject the other. If you live for this world, you are declaring yourself to be hostile toward God.
This doesn’t mean that the Christian will never STRUGGLE with the world. The world is always pulling on you, enticing you to conform to it. It’s a constant temptation to keep from having an affair with the things of the world.
John tells us how Satan does this to us – 1 John 2:16
Satan uses “lust” and “pride” to draw us away from loving God, and loving the world. I don’t have to tell you how Satan uses the “flesh”, and the “eye”, and “pride” to tempt you to follow the world. He caters the temptation to your particular & individual weakness.
What is the final result of following the “world”? 1 John 2:17
The world isn’t getting “better & better” … it’s getting “worser & worser”! Someone once said that “living for this world is like rearranging the furniture on the Titanic.” The Titanic IS going down. This world is doomed. You’d better jump ship. It does no good to spend all your time rearranging the furniture on the Titanic.
CONCLUSION:
The true, born-again Christian will give EVIDENCE of his salvation by how he deals with the “world”. TRUE, we may have momentary lapses of faith, when we yield to the seductive lure of the world. BUT … the true Christian will not be preoccupied with the things of the world.
“Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” Col. 3:2 – “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”
Let’s search our heart tonight.
What do you treasure more … living for the world … or living for Christ?
Does the world appeal to you as much now, as before you were saved?
Are you living as worldly now, as you did before you were saved?
As you are honest with yourself before God, you can look to see if there are EVIDENCES of salvation in your heart and life. A true Christian will replace their love for the world, with a love for God.
STAND - PRAYER
OUTLINE FOR HANDOUT:
BLESSED ASSURANCE – Evidence #5
“Old Things Are Passed Away”
INTRODUCTION: 2 Corinthians 5:17 – there is no turning back!
- A CHANGE in our life can give us the ASSURANCE of our salvation.
- Your love for the WORD has been changed to a love for GOD.
1 John 2:12 – Christians are part of the family of God.
2:13 – 3 Levels Of Spiritual Growth:
1.- “little children” – the “babe in Christ”, feeding on “milk”.
2.- “young men” – waged in the spiritual battle – 2:14b
3.- “fathers” – knowing God as Sovereign in their lives.
- The battle never stops.
2:15a – The battle is the “world” … false religions, lifestyles & values in opposition to God.
- Satan is the ruler of the “world” – John 12:31, 2 Corinthians 4:4, Ephesians 2:2, 1 John 5:19
- HOWEVER, we can appreciate some of the things of the planet “world” that God has given to us.
- We can possess things, but they aren’t to possess us.
- We are IN the world, but not to be OF the world – Romans 12:2
2:15b – Love for the “world” and love for God are diametrically opposed to each other – Matthew 6:24
- Luke 14:33 – You have to “forsake” the things of the world by giving them to God … don’t cling to them … He owns them.
- Matthew 16:24-26 – cross-bearing is a total commitment.
- James 4:4 – When you love the world, you reject God.
- The Christian is in a constant struggle with the world.
2:16 – Satan uses “lust” and “pride” to draw you away from loving God, and to loving the world.
2:17 – “Living for this world is like rearranging the furniture on the Titanic.” … it’s best to jump ship!
CONCLUSION:
A Christian may have a momentary lapse of faith when we yield to the seductive lure of the world - Colossians 3:2
o Have old things passed away?
o Do you love the world more than you love God?
PRISCILLA BAPTIST CHURCH – Ray Scott, Pastor
