Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] All right, let's turn in the Bible to the book of Ephesians.
[00:00:10] Ephesians. Let's look at the first chapter. Pick up where we left off this morning.
[00:00:15] We were talking about biblical assurance of salvation.
[00:00:23] There are a number of things that float around as I read this morning, as an example, things people hold onto.
[00:00:34] But worse yet, not just things people hold onto to give themselves comfort that they are truly God's child, that they are truly saved and born again. But also there are things by which some preachers and such judge whether you're saved. For instance, I knew of one preacher who said, remember what I said this morning? And read from First John, chapter 5, verse 13.
[00:01:01] And the preacher said that if he made an assertion, constantly made an assertion, that if a person doubted that they were saved, then that means they weren't.
[00:01:16] If they had ever doubted that they were saved, that means they weren't. Now, we saw from this, this morning that the Scripture does not support that. We saw what the Bible teaches very clearly there.
[00:01:29] And it's important, as I said, that we get our assurance from God's word. We know that will not change. It's not subject to our emotional state. It's not subject to how we feel.
[00:01:43] It is a way we can anchor our faith because as I said, we know that God knows where we stand with him. God knows those that are his.
[00:01:56] But the issue is sometimes we don't know that as we should, as God wants us to. So let's look at Ephesians, chapter one.
[00:02:05] The first point we made this morning was biblical ways you can know for certain and have assurance of your salvation. The first one is that a person who is truly born again, every person who is truly born again and has eternal life has the spirit of God dwelling in them. Has the spirit of God dwelling in them. And we looked at Romans chapter eight, and we saw that. And we'll look at a couple other verses that bear that out as well. But first of all, let's look at Ephesians, chapter one. And we'll also look at chapter four very quickly, Ephesians one. Let's pray together, and then we'll read a couple of verses here.
[00:02:47] Lord in heaven, thank you for the opportunity to look at your word again. Lord, how we need your help this evening as we try to understand the Scripture. Lord, these things are not difficult to understand, but, Lord, I pray that they would. The things we study would give each person here the comfort. And if there's one among us or some among us that are, that are or have struggled with attaining assurance of their salvation. I pray that you would make it perfectly clear to them and that, Lord, those that have assurance would have that assurance bolstered and strengthened according to your word. Lord, I just ask you that you would help me and that you would help your people and that you would truly meet with us and teach us in Jesus name. Amen.
[00:03:37] All right. Ephesians 1:13.
[00:03:40] Got to read verse 12. That we should be to the praise of his glory who first trusted in Christ, in whom ye also trusted. After that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit promise. So notice that. Remember I mentioned the seal of the Holy Spirit, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of his glory. What is an earnest? Earnest. Some of you that have bought and sold a house. I'm sure brother Phil knows what an earnest is. What is an earnest? It's not a word we use a lot except in that industry, I think.
[00:04:31] What does it mean exactly? It's money that you put up that shows that you're serious when you buy a house. But it's a down payment and God has given us an earnest, right? Think about that. In other words, the fact that the presence of the Spirit of God is a seal. But it's not just that there's a time element to it. In other words, it's an earnest. It's a seal. This is the real deal. The authenticity, authentic. The authentic thing, article.
[00:05:04] And that seal is permanent all the way until the Lord returns.
[00:05:10] So that mark is a mark, that the presence of the Spirit of God is a mark. That our future is certain.
[00:05:21] Is certain. The believer's future is certain. That's what it's saying. Until the redemption of the purchased possession, the Lord's not gonna. He's put down the earnest. He's not gonna go back. He's not gonna go back. He's not changing his mind once he does that, once a person receives the Spirit of God. And again, you gotta remember the Spirit of God is not something we get after we believe in Christ. It's something we get at the moment we believe in Christ. Not withstanding the doctrines that some, some Bible teachers and such teachers that you get saved. And then there's a. They call it a second work of grace. In other words, most of the time what they mean by that is you have to pray to receive the Spirit of God. And then when you receive the Spirit of God, then you can speak in Babel that they call tongues. But it's not really a language. And that is evidence that you've received the Spirit of God. That is not what the Bible teaches.
[00:06:15] This verse very plainly says that every person who has the spirit of God is sealed at the day of redemption. And look at chapter four.
[00:06:24] I say that I don't mean to mock.
[00:06:28] I am actually just stating it without any kind of. Without any nice language. I'm just stating it as it is. Chapter 4, verse number 29 says this. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God whereby ye are sealed. Notice the time element is here as well. Unto the day of redemption, it's permanent. So here's the thing. If you have the Spirit of God and that spirit of God is in you and has sealed you as the authentic article, you are a true blue child of God.
[00:07:16] And you are a child of God. You have been authenticated all the way until the Lord returns, the day of redemption, and your future is certain, then that means nothing between now and then will ever alter that relationship, right?
[00:07:39] If you're sealed as the authentic article until the day of redemption and you have that earnest, you have the spirit of God, that means nothing that can happen in the intervening time between now and then could ever change where you stay, where you are with God. Now, your relationship to God can go up and down, but you will be his child permanently. You see what I'm saying? You have assurance?
[00:08:03] Assurance. All right, look at one John again, if you would, chapter three.
[00:08:11] At this point, we're just kind of running references because I want you to see this truth over and over and over in different places. First John, chapter 3, and verse 24.
[00:08:29] First John 3, 24 says this. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in Him.
[00:08:37] And hereby we know. Notice that word know. We studied this morning. Hereby we know that he abideth in us by the Spirit which He hath given us. See it? The Spirit is the mark, chapter four, verse 13. Look at what it says.
[00:08:59] It says this. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he and us. That means we have God and God has us because he hath given us of His Spirit. So the presence of the Spirit of God is the mark for every believer of his or her true sonship. Okay, now how does this affect us? Because all of these, all the rest of these things I'm going to mention are are interrelated. In other words, none of them stand alone. They're all interrelated. And so the fact that we have the spirit of God affects our relationship to God. You think of Romans chapter 8. It says, because we have received the spirit of adoption, what do we cry?
[00:09:44] Abba Father. In other words, we have a new relationship to God because of the indwelling spirit of God in us. Again, I just ask you, do you have the spirit of God?
[00:09:57] Now, the reality is I can't fully explain to you what it means to have God in you. Right. I tried to explain it, no doubt poorly this morning, but it's somewhat mysterious because you're dealing in spiritual matters, you're not dealing in physical matters. But to everyone that has the spirit of God, it is evident to that person. Right now, it might not be evident immediately, but over time, that person, through the Spirit bearing witness with our spirit, that we're the children of God, we come to understand what that means and how that's true. But it changes our relationship to God. The fact that we have the Spirit of God causes us to cry to God, Abba Father, makes us recognize this new relationship to God as our Father. He teaches us. This is in John 14 and John 16. He teaches us. He brings things to our remembrance. He guides us into all truth in our relationship to sin. The Spirit of God alters our life. He brings upon us conviction. He reproves us. He works in us to rid us of sin. That's from the presence of. That's not us. That's not our diligent effort to rid ourselves of sin. No, no, this is a third party, I should say a second party working in us.
[00:11:22] And so we have nothing to glory of. It's just God's work in us.
[00:11:26] And then lastly, our relationship to other believers changes because. And you'll see that more in just a minute. So the second thing I want you to look at is in Romans chapter 8.
[00:11:36] Go back there if you would.
[00:11:42] Romans 8, verse number 14 says this.
[00:11:57] The second mark of true sonship is this. We are led by the Spirit of God. We are led by the Spirit of God.
[00:12:09] Chapter 8, verse 14 says, for as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
[00:12:21] Now, while we're here, let's look at First Corinthians, chapter 12. I know we're jumping around a little bit, but it's important that we see these things in the scripture with our own eyes.
[00:12:31] First Corinthians, chapter 12, verse 2.
[00:12:35] Look at this contrast.
[00:12:37] If you're a child of God, you have the spirit of God Number one. The second mark of a true believer is that God leads that person by his spirit. He is led by the Spirit of God. Now, what does that mean? Well, maybe. Maybe we can understand it by contrast, because in chapter 12 of First Corinthians, verse 2, look at what it says about us. Before we knew God, ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols even as ye were led.
[00:13:12] Led. See that? You know, before we knew God, we were led about also, but by a different leader.
[00:13:20] Before we knew God, we were led about by the flesh.
[00:13:25] Its dictates, the determined what we did. The world and its philosophies and its values and its priorities and its lusts that were laid before us, that's what led us. Or sometimes it might have been the devil himself and his doctrines led us. So before we knew God, we were also led. So basically, what has happened is there's been a change in leadership.
[00:13:52] There's been a change in leadership and a change in the person, excuse me, whose voice we follow.
[00:14:01] Remember, before we knew God, we floated around from lust to lust, from one pleasure to the next pleasure.
[00:14:09] We learned little and we brought a great deal of pain upon ourselves just floating around. The lusts were leading us. But now we have God leading us. Look at Deuteronomy, chapter 8 on this. I want to show you example of this leadership.
[00:14:29] Oh, thank you.
[00:14:32] Thank you. Isaiah, Deuteronomy, chapter 8.
[00:14:37] I was like, why is he coming up here?
[00:14:49] You know, God, as a biblical principle, God always leads his people. You know that always. Doesn't matter what dispensation you're looking at, what time period, God always leads his people. Here's an example.
[00:15:02] Verse 2, Deuteronomy 8:2. And thou shalt remember. The Lord says to the children of Israel all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these 40 years in the wilderness to humble thee and to prove thee to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldst keep his commandments or no. And he humbled thee and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna which thou knewest not. Neither did thy fathers know that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live. You see that thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell these 40 years. Thou shalt also consider in thine heart that as A man chasteneth his son. So the Lord thy God chasteneth thee. You see this? God led them through the wilderness in such a way. Through the ups, the downs, the goods, the bads. God led them. God was in front of them. Where they went was determined by God because he had some things he wanted to teach them. His. He was determined that he was going to instill in them an understanding of his ways. And he was going to rid them of those hindering sins that they had. And he was going to make them a people that were holy and upright. God determined it.
[00:16:28] This is God's work in us. God leading us.
[00:16:33] So, number one, we can have assurance that we are truly a child of God by the presence of the Spirit of God in us. Number two, we are led by the Spirit of God. Number three, in the fact that God chastens us. Look at Hebrews chapter 12.
[00:16:52] Hebrews chapter 12.
[00:17:04] What does it mean to chasten?
[00:17:07] To chasten?
[00:17:10] Chasten is discipline and correction. Discipline is such a nice euphemistic word these days, isn't it?
[00:17:17] In Hebrews chapter 12, it's very plain.
[00:17:21] It's talking about a whip.
[00:17:24] It's talking about corporal punishment. Okay, just so we're all clear about what we're talking about, look at verse 5 of Hebrews 12. And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children.
[00:17:37] This is quoted from Proverbs chapter 3, verse 11 and 12. It says, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him. For whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth and scourgeth. Lest there be any doubt what we're talking about, what's a scourge, right, that inflicts what kind of pain? Physical pain. That hurts. Right. He scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. Verse 7. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons. For what son is he whom the Father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards and not sons. That is illegitimate. That means you were born, but you have no father.
[00:18:23] Right?
[00:18:26] Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence. Shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits and live, for they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure. But he for our prophet, that we might be partakers of his holiness now? No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous nevertheless. Afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
[00:18:58] In verse 11, notice what is the result of this corporal punishment that God gives to his children.
[00:19:08] It's the peaceable fruit of righteousness that is God, as I said before, leading us.
[00:19:16] He is correcting our way.
[00:19:19] That is his leadership in our life. So that's how it's related to the other points we're making here. By chastening us, he corrects our way to be his way. And so he leads us in this way. But what you notice in these verses is the chastening, the correction has a twofold purpose. This is a very interesting point, a very comforting point if you think about it. How many of you have really, I mean royally, royally fallen on your face before God in some sin since you've been a believer?
[00:19:54] I mean, you really botched it bad.
[00:19:59] How many of you.
[00:20:01] How many of you have ever been. There's been a period of time in your life since you've been a believer that you lived in rebellion to God for a period of time.
[00:20:12] It might have been big thing, small thing, whatever it might be. Here's the thing.
[00:20:19] Chastening has a twofold purpose. Number one, we've already seen it. Correction.
[00:20:25] It is to change our will and our way.
[00:20:29] But there's a second purpose.
[00:20:32] While at the same time as God is correcting us, and that's painful, verse 11, he is reassuring us of our relationship to Him. It happens simultaneously. In other words, the same rod that brings pain, that corrects our will and brings us out of rebellion and sin, is the same rod and the same pain that reminds us that God is our Father.
[00:21:04] It's a paradox.
[00:21:07] And if you've ever been exercised with chastening by God because of your rebellion or your sin or something like that, if you've ever been exercised, it hurts at the moment, but in the final outcome, you realize you come out of that being comforted by the fact that God was not going to stand by and let you get away with sin.
[00:21:29] What kind of parent would that be that would watch their child do evil and do harm to themselves and others and stand by and just let it happen and not correct them? In fact, the Bible uses this terminology.
[00:21:44] He says, for what son is he whom the Father chasteneth not?
[00:21:53] It's a. What do they call it? Rhetorical question.
[00:21:57] I know for my children, no doubt for your children. You're not going to let them just continue. If you let listen, I'll just go ahead and say it. You know, you know our society these days and the way people are taught to raise their children. I'll just say it. If you let your children live in rebellion and sin and you don't stand in their way and you don't resist and correct them, you are not obeying the Lord.
[00:22:20] That is not biblical. That is not a godly way to raise your children. Alright? The Bible is just perfectly clear on that. Because God is our example and he will not stand by and let us just do whatever and rebel against him and disobey him. No, he's going to resist. He's going to correct.
[00:22:43] He's unwilling to allow us to sin freely and in peace.
[00:22:48] You know why he's unwilling?
[00:22:52] Because we are his child.
[00:22:56] On the other hand, this world, it's not true of this world.
[00:23:01] This world sins freely, happily they go on their way, led about from lust to lust in rebellion against God. And God generally speaking, doesn't hinder them, doesn't correct them, he reserves them for judgment.
[00:23:21] Why?
[00:23:24] Because they're not his child.
[00:23:27] You know, as a policy in our family, when we watch other people's kids, we do not discipline other people's kids under any circumstance. I don't care how crazy they are, I'll call mom and dad, come pick them up. But we are not disciplining other people's kids like we would our own. Why? They're not ours. It's from this principle here.
[00:23:52] The very chastening the correction of God in our life is because we are his children.
[00:24:01] And if you live a life of sin and rebellion against God and you do those things that you know are displeasing to him and that violate his word and God does not correct you, it is a sure sign that you're not his child.
[00:24:21] In Revelation, chapter 3, verse 19, the Bible says this. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.
[00:24:28] Be zealous therefore, and repent.
[00:24:32] Just like verse 8 uses the word we don't use often to refer to an illegitimate child. It's kind of a profane word these days. But the idea being you're a child without a father, he's not your father.
[00:24:49] See, this is a mark for the believer. You know, you just examine yourself like we talked about this morning, everybody. It's just a fact. Every believer in Christ sins. We mess up, right? Do we not? Sometimes we have periods of time when we live in rebellion against God and we're not living for God. Can you do that freely?
[00:25:09] If you can.
[00:25:11] Where is God's correction in your life? Because there should be correction.
[00:25:16] That is one way. Even in our sin. That's just amazing. Even in our sin, God shows assurance to us. It's amazing. It's amazing. Next, First John, chapter three. I'll fly through these so we can be finished here quickly. First John, chapter three.
[00:25:40] And verse number 11 says this. For this is the message that ye have heard from the beginning.
[00:25:56] That we should love one another. Not as Cain who was of that wicked one and slew his brother, and wherefore slew he him because his own works were evil, and his brothers righteous. 13. Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. You know, Cain was a religious man, but he's referred to as the world. You know what the world has? Hate.
[00:26:18] That's what the world has. Which is the opposite of love. Of course. Verse 14. We know that we have passed from death unto life. That's a term that John used in the Gospel of John. Right.
[00:26:32] Because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
[00:26:41] Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer. And ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
[00:26:48] Hereby perceive we the love of God because he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world's good and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up the bowels, his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth. Now, verse 19 I read this morning. But listen, now we know the context. The context of verse 19 is love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. He says, and hereby by this, this love for our brothers and sisters, we know that we are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before him. Loving your brother and sister in Christ gives you assurance.
[00:27:38] Now, what we also see in this is the connection. Why is the love of the brethren so important? Number one, we have the Spirit of God. But because we all have the Spirit of God, we can see the connection between all Christians.
[00:27:57] Every person in here that has trusted in Christ has also the Spirit of God. And that same Spirit of God cries out to the same God, Each one of us saying, abba, Father. Abba, Father. All of us as little children cry out to the same father. Meaning we're all brothers and sisters. We don't just say that because it sounds super spiritual. No, we all have a real connection to one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. And that connection, the relationship with one another as believers, can be a biblical source of assurance.
[00:28:36] We have been brought into a new family with the same heavenly Father.
[00:28:41] And because we have the spirit of God, we naturally love one another. It is a fruit of the Spirit that we love each other. You know, all you have to do is contrast that, what I'm describing here with religious people who are members of churches.
[00:29:01] And I hope none of you have ever been a part of that hope. None of you have had the unfortunate experience of having been a part of a church that's full of just religious people.
[00:29:13] They fight, they squabble, they hate.
[00:29:18] Dissension, jealousy, envy, love doesn't exist. You see, one of the marks of a biblical church that's full of born again Christians is love is love because it is a natural outgrowth of the presence of the spirit of God in you and you and you and you and you and you and you and you and you and you. And so it all works together, the love of God in us.
[00:29:49] But see, when you have just a religious person, it's just, it's, it's just, it's an ugly scene. They're members of the church, but they are carnal and hateful.
[00:30:06] They have a nice facade, but ungodly.
[00:30:11] And it's funny because when you get around those people when they're in private and they hack each other to death, you hear the words in private, how they criticize and pick at and destroy and malign and slander everybody else in the church.
[00:30:26] No love there. That's the difference between a child of God and a church member.
[00:30:35] There's plenty of people that are members of churches that aren't converted, right? That's why in our church, you know, and biblically, you can't be a member of our church unless you're converted.
[00:30:46] So last one, and I want to be careful here.
[00:30:50] Look at chapter first, John, chapter two, verse 29 says this, this one seems obvious, but I want to use my words carefully because I don't want to confuse anybody. But it is a biblical truth.
[00:31:09] Chapter 2, verse 29 says, if ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him. Look at chapter three, verse seven.
[00:31:22] Little children, let no man deceive you. He that doeth righteousness is righteous.
[00:31:31] That seems like a simple truth, right? Kind of plain. He that doeth righteousness is righteous even as he is righteous. Verse 8. He that committeth sin is of the devil. I like that. Nice and to the point, right? He that committeth sin is of the devil.
[00:31:50] You know that's not me talking. That's what the Bible says. It's pretty plain. Right?
[00:31:54] For the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God was manifest that he might destroy the works of the devil. Now, verse nine trips people up sometimes. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin, for his seed remaineth in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God.
[00:32:12] In this. Notice the words in the context. In this, the children of God are manifest and the children of the devil. Whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. I'll summarize it like this.
[00:32:33] We can have biblical assurance that we are a child of God because we do righteousness.
[00:32:40] Now let me hasten to say.
[00:32:42] We know that doing righteousness can never make us righteous.
[00:32:50] We are only made righteous by faith in Christ. However.
[00:32:54] However, the result of and fruit of the Spirit of God in us, who changes us, alters our actual life.
[00:33:08] Do you understand that? It's the result, not the cause. The cause is Jesus Christ. Him dying upon the cross, his resurrection, him taking our place as our substitute. We trust in Christ. Holy. I have no righteousness, Lord, you died for sinners. I'm a sinner. I need you to save me. We trust in Christ. And as a result of that faith, and as a result of that cross, he saves us, and then he gives us His Spirit. And the fruit of that Spirit in our life is a changed and a righteous life. So if I can summarize it. Listen.
[00:33:47] If someone thinks. If someone professes that they know God, but they live a life that is consistent with their. The devil, then they're of the devil.
[00:34:02] Is that not what the verses say? If someone says they're righteous and yet their life is wicked, they're lying.
[00:34:13] Now, these verses, not even verse nine are teach. None of these verses are teaching that a person can live without any sin whatsoever. Verse 9. I'll just say that we'll have to study first John sometime much later from now. But when you look at First John, chapter three, verse nine, his seed remaining in us is referring to the presence of the Spirit of God in us. The new nature which cannot sin.
[00:34:41] Right?
[00:34:43] But this verse is not. I mean, look at chapter one, chapter one, verse. I mean, we know verse nine. If we confess our sins.
[00:34:58] Verse eight.
[00:35:00] No, that's not the verse I was looking for.
[00:35:06] There it is. Chapter two, verse one. My little children, these things write out unto you that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father.
[00:35:18] So that's. Look, that states plainly, you are going to sin, I'm going to sin. And when we do, we have an advocate with the Father. Doesn't make it right. But we have an advocate with the Father. We have a lawyer on our side. Right? But here's the thing.
[00:35:32] These things have to go together. So in chapter three, it's saying, look, you live like the devil. You are of the devil. You live ungodly. You are ungodly. One deals with our state of being and one deals with what we do.
[00:35:46] But you see, if we are a child of God, it will be reflected in what we do in some measure or another. Some more, some less. But the point is, there's a connection between the way we live and what we are.
[00:36:01] Titus, I quoted it a minute ago. Titus indicated this.
[00:36:06] He says, they profess that they know God. That's what they say. But in what works, they deny him being abominable and disobedient. And unto every good work reprobate. You see that there's an inconsistency between what they say they are. I'm a Christian. And what they live like.
[00:36:32] That's what first John's talking about.
[00:36:35] And so none of us, no one, should deceive ourselves into thinking that we truly are a child of God while we live, at the same time an ungodly, disobedient and unrighteous life.
[00:36:54] Now, I'll just say this, and we're almost done.
[00:36:59] Once again, that does not mean that by living a righteous life, we're saving ourselves.
[00:37:05] It is the fruit of our salvation, the fruit of God in us, not the way to get our salvation. Okay, so what do we have here?
[00:37:21] We have, number one, we can know biblically that we are a child of God because we have the Spirit of God in us. Number two, because we are led by the Spirit of God. Number three, because God corrects and chastens us. Number four, because we love our brothers and sisters in Christ. Number five, because we do righteousness.
[00:37:48] Now, all five of these things, all five of these things do not so much describe what we do to demonstrate that and give us assurance that we're saved, but rather our descriptions of what God does in us, how God is acting in us. It's amazing. He gives us assurance by showing us what he's doing in us and saying, now look, Priscilla, now look, Caleb, now look, David, now look. Now, Look, Vernon, Judy, do you see this in your life that I am doing because I do this in all of my children's lives.
[00:38:34] This shows you you're my child because of what I am doing in your life, what I have done. That's amazing. It's not what we do to prove we're saved, to assure ourselves. Oh, no, no. This is observing merely what God is doing.
[00:38:50] Right. The second thing I want you to see and we'll be finished is this.
[00:38:54] All five of these things, if you look at them, these are all biblical things. We read it from the scripture.
[00:39:02] None of them go back in time to the day of our conversion. You notice that the Bible doesn't go back anywhere and say, do you want to know and have assurance that you're saved? Remember when you got saved? I mean, that's fine to do. But these don't say that you know what they do they want.
[00:39:26] These are intended to get us to look at ourselves now at this moment, because all these things are active at this moment. We don't have to remember when we got saved because as I said this morning, that might fade. No, this is present realities in a Christian. Things that we can observe and see today, literally today, Sunday, May 21st.
[00:39:51] So we don't. This is not to make us look back. And a lot of times people listen. Among independent Baptist churches, as I said, I have a dramatic salvation experience. I still remember clearly what happened when I got saved. And I know that's the day I got saved and that kind of thing. But you know what? That's not what gives me ultimate assurance.
[00:40:09] It's really not. I don't look back at that and think, well, I know I'm saved because that happened.
[00:40:16] I have a whole bunch of other things that happen to me every single day of my life, God working in me that demonstrate that. But I look back and I'm thankful.
[00:40:27] But that's not what's required.
[00:40:32] We can have biblical assurance from what God is doing in us today.
[00:40:38] Isn't that a blessing?
[00:40:41] Let's pray together.
