2008 You Pick ‘em Series – “What
the Bible Says About…”
2 Corinthians 13:5
Sermon preached at Curwensville Presbyterian Church – February 3, 2008
Prayer Introduction: Last week we began our “You Pick ‘Em” sermon series – where you get to pick the sermon topics. The first request I received was “What does the Bible say about…the assurance of salvation?” Can we know, for certain, in this life, that we are saved and will go to heaven and receive eternal life?
This is a great question. This is a big question. And the Bible says a great deal about it; because our loving God knew we would struggle with this. Last week we started looking at what God tells us in his word.
Do you remember what verse we
looked at last week? [1
Let’s say,
together, the good words of
Last week’s
sermon on
And so this morning we are going to look at a verse that will help those of you who struggle to have assurance. You ask, “Why don’t I have assurance? Why don’t I have confidence? Why don’t I experience the freedom that truth is supposed to have for me?”
The verse is
READ
I. False Assurance #1: Danger of going to Church;
Vs. True Assurance #1: Thrill of coming to Christ
The danger of going to church?1 Really?! Yup!
I was very active in my church after coming to Christ. Last week, I told you about how I came to Christ when I was in fifth grade, but because of the wishy-washy way Jesus was presented to me, I didn’t have much assurance.
Through my youth group years I excelled in church participation. I was the moderator of the “Junior Deacons” (peer leadership). Active in the youth group’s “Dance Club” (can you picture me in a dance club – it was cool in the 80’s). I sang in the Westminster Youth Group Choir. I attended Sunday School and Worship. All of this, when we were in-between youth pastors. Kids, you know how you have to wait for your parents to leave church? They had to wait for me. And then I went to seminary, and now here I am, a pastor.
Can I tell you something? God doesn’t give me extra points for any of this. God isn’t keeping a checklist of how many times you went to church. There is no such place as Purgatory for people who didn’t go to church enough.
In fact, the Apostle Paul once gave a list of all the reasons he should be able
to put confidence in his “church” activities (and his list is way more
impressive than mine). You know what he finally concluded: “I consider them
rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness
of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ –
the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith” (cf.
Paul had put his assurance in his works – and it made him arrogant. He would be the kind of church-goer who would say, “So and so should be going to church, too. So and so should be serving on some church committee. Our society would be better if more people went to church.”
And then Paul realized that is rubbish; because it’s not about going to church – it’s about coming to Christ.
You can’t really even “go to church.” Church isn’t a place. The church is the people. Church is gathering with others who are also coming to Christ. Christianity isn’t a religion; it is a relationship with the living God.
Think about your relationship with God. Imagine if I were talk to my wife the way we often pray to God: “Hey woman, I want something to eat, and to sit and relax – call me when the food’s ready.”
Yowser! Isn’t that kind of like, “Dear God, here’s the stuff I want – and make it snappy.” I think about the number of times I’ve prayed like that. Instead, God wants to have a relationship with us – talking to us, by His Word, through the ministry of the church.
Simply “going to church” leaves us with a cold, god-less, religion. But “coming to Christ” – with the church – is a thrilling, passionately hot, relationship with God and his people!
II. False Assurance #2: Danger of being good
Vs. True Assurance #2: Thrill of God being good
I call it the “that guy” theology. A person believes they won’t go to hell because they’re not nearly as bad as “that guy.” Of course that guy would say, well I’m not nearly as bad as “that guy.” And that guy would say, but I’m not nearly as bad as “that guy.” And so on…
Basically what it means, is that there is one guy – who’s really bad – going to hell, and everyone else is going to heaven. It’s why many people honestly think they’re going to heaven because, “I’m basically a good person (not as bad as that guy) and try to good things.”
Guess what? The standard is not “that guy.” The standard is another guy, a perfect guy – goes by the name of Jesus. If you’re as good as that guy, then you’re okay.
Yeah, me neither.
In comparison to Jesus, I seriously miss the mark. In fact, when I think about Jesus – who always loves God with all his heart, soul, mind and strength and loves his neighbor as himself – I begin to think about what a wretch I am.
When I realize that all of my sin – and each sin – is rebellion against the Lord, I realize that I cannot possibly be good enough.
That’s why my favorite summary of the Christian faith is: “Cheer up you’re a lot worse than you think you are. Cheer up God’s grace is a lot greater than you think it is.”
I’m not saved, because I am good; I am saved, because God is good.
Have you ever been on a roller coaster? I grew up 2 hours from Cedar Point – with the biggest, best and most roller coasters in the world. I love them. I’m dying to get on their new “Top Thrill Dragster.” It goes from 0 to 120 mph in 4 seconds and sends you straight up 420 feet, makes a 90 degree flip turn for a free fall 400 feet back down for a concluding 270 degree twist. Probably shouldn’t eat lunch right before going on this bad lad; or you’re gonna lose it.
But you know what happens before the ride starts? You sit in the seat, and a bar harness comes down over you. And when the ride starts, you instinctively grab hold of that bar.
You don’t have to hold on to the bar. If you let go – it continues to hold on to you. Part of the thrill is letting go of the bar.
Here’s the good news – God is holding you more than you hold him. He
won’t let you go.
If you have trusted in Jesus Christ as your Savior and surrendered to him as Lord, then there is an eternal inheritance that is yours – and it is kept in heaven for you. You can’t lose it. It is being shielded by God’s power.
In
{Footprints poem}
III. False Assurance #3: Danger of spiritual experience;
Vs. True Assurance #3: Thrill of experiencing the Spirit
Many people struggle here, in one of two ways. Some people put their false assurance in having a spiritual experience at some point in their lives – and think they must be saved, because they had a spiritual experience.
A couple of years ago, we had an incredibly powerful Winter Youth Retreat. A number of the students talked about a particularly powerful experience on the Saturday evening and asked what it meant. We told them, “It could just mean that you ate too many beans for dinner; but it could also mean that the Holy Spirit was gripping you.” Fruit of the Spirit will determine which one it was.
And sure enough, we
began to see the fruit of salvation happening in them – the fruit of the Spirit
– increased love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness and self-control (cf.
But not in all of them. Because just having a spiritual experience is different than responding to that experience by asking the Holy Spirit to come into your heart and change you from the inside out so that you can continually experience the Spirit.
So, some people have the false experience of a spiritual experience – but you all are Presbyterians, so you don’t have spiritual experiences J. You may struggle on the other end, that you have never had a spiritual experience; or that you are awaiting a spiritual experience.
Let me
repeat myself, there are lots of people who have had lots of spiritual
experiences; but there are lots of experiences out there that may come from
different spirits.
Indeed, there are evil spirits that are sent by the chief deceiver, and have convinced people that they are from God. And they are not.
There is one
sure-fire way to determine if a spiritual experience is a genuine experience of
the Spirit – you will desire holiness. This is really at the heart of our verse
–
The Apostle Paul is challenging the church of Corinth to examine themselves to determine if Christ Jesus is really in them. Paul is concerned for the church – afraid that there are people who are not repenting of their sin.
Paul knows that we all sin – and as long as we remain in this sinful body we will never be perfect, and will struggle with temptation and sin. In fact, we are going to look specifically at this concern next week. But there is a difference between struggling with temptation and sin, and simply giving in to temptation and sin.
The true Christian struggles. And true assurance comes from struggling well. Sometimes we struggle and have victory over a particular sin. Other times we may succumb to temptation; but then return to the Lord in confession – hating and forsaking the sin, because it displeases the God we love.
Rather than desiring a spiritual experience. The Lord wants us to desire him – that we may be holy as he is holy. I get concerned about those who say, “O I feel the Spirit and it is so warm and nice.” The truth is that when the Spirit shows up it is to kick our (well you know) and drive us to repentance.
IV. False Assurance #4: Danger of wanting others to love you;
Vs. True Assurance #4: Thrill of loving others
This could really be another sermon – actually a whole series of sermons. The danger of wanting others to love us is at the root of much of our sin. How often have we engaged in some sinful activity to go along with the crowd? How often do we do something wrong, so that others will like us?
Let me ask it this away. How afraid are we of speaking the truth, because we don’t want that person to be mad at us? We are more afraid of offending people, then we are of offending God.
The fact is that loving God and loving others are not contradictory, but go hand in hand. We love others by speaking the truth – in love. We love God by speaking the truth – in love.
True, people may sometimes get upset; but if we truly love them we will continue to pray for them, to reach out to them; to forgive them when they do repent.
We love others, not so they will love us; we love others so that they will love Christ. We love others, not so that they will be like us; we love others, so that that they will be like Christ. We love others, because Christ loved us.
“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you-- unless, of course, you fail the test?”
Is Christ in you? Let me conclude with a summary of five marks of assurance we’ve looked at last week and this week [adapted from ESV Reformation Study Bible]:
(1) Heartfelt dependence on Christ. At some point you put your trust in Christ for salvation, and you are still trusting in Christ for salvation – not in yourself, not in your works, but in Christ alone.
(2) Morally changed lives resulting in passionate obedience to Christ. Because you trust in Christ, there is a difference in your life. You are producing good works, not so that God will love you; but because God loves you.
(3) Presence of the Fruit of the Spirit. You don’t have perfect love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. But you have it. As Steve Brown says, “Bear with me, I’m better than I was and God’s not finished with me yet.”
(4) Love for other Christians. This may even mean tough love. Speaking the truth in love. Long-suffering love that doesn’t give up; but also doesn’t give in.
(5)
Positive fruit in the lives of others because of your influence. Are they
influencing you or you them? – “Bad company corrupts good character”
Examine yourselves. The willingness to examine yourself is assuring. Repentance flowing from that examination is assuring. The fact that God will never leave you or forsake you is very assuring. The truth that if the Son has set you free, you are free indeed, is very assuring.
MAY THE TRUTH SET YOU FREE – AMEN!