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How Do We Know We Are Saved?
First presented at the Mission Road Church of God
October 27, 2002
John 3
16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only [Or his only begotten] Son,[1] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Ephesians 2
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.
We are all familiar with these two verses of Scripture. Based on these Scriptures and others, we have what we call "The Sinner's Prayer" which is in various versions but all stating essentially the same:
"Jesus, I know I have sinned and that You died so that I could be forgiven. Forgive me and come into my heart. I receive You as my Lord and my Savior. Amen."
We have been taught and we have passed on to others that if a person confesses his sin and accepts the Lord Jesus as his Savior, he will be saved. It's that simple. As Paul wrote, "...by grace you have been saved, through faith...Not by works, so that no one can boast."
But, sometimes we leave out one important element: We must repent of our sins. We must vow to turn away from our sins. We must, as Jesus told the woman accused of adultery in John 8:11: "...go, and sin no more."
I have heard people who have said the sinner's prayer long ago, and who have been Christians for decades, express some doubt still in their own minds of whether they are indeed saved or whether they will go to heaven. I understand how that doubt can arise - and I believe I can offer some resolution to that doubt, not through my words but through Holy Scripture.
It is true that the sinner's prayer is not some magic formula in itself, although sometimes it is treated as if it were. But only when it is sincerely prayed, does it have life-changing meaning.
Now, none of us knows what is in the heart of another person. And sometimes, we can even be confused about what is in our own heart. But there is One who is never confused. Someone who knows for sure whether that prayer is said from the heart, or if it is nothing but mere words spoken with the intent to hedge a bet.
So, first we need to establish in our own minds, have I sincerely made that prayer a commitment of my heart to God? Have I really accepted Jesus as Savior and as the Lord my life?
At this point, let me emphasize that the purpose of this message is not to encourage us to look at or judge one another. Unfortunately, we do that too much, anyway, even though in Matthew 7:1, we are admonished not to judge others, or we will be judged in the same way. The fact is, we don't have the knowledge to judge the heart of anyone else; only God sees what is in the heart.
Scripture does give us some guidance that we can use for self-analysis. But, even here, we need to pray for God's guidance and for the wisdom for his insight as we look into our own behavior and motives. It is far too easy for us to see things only from our own selfish perspectives and thus ignore the beams in our own eyes and actually be blind to them.
In Galatians 5, verses 22-26, Paul writes:
"22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other."
One way to verify to ourselves that we did more than mere lip-service to the sinner's prayer is to examine our lives. How have we behaved since saying that we accepted Jesus as our Lord and our Savior? What changes have occurred? Do our lives reflect the fruit of the Spirit?
I read a story about a notorious gangster named Mickey Cohen who attended a revival where Billy Graham spoke. He expressed some interest in the message, and several people, including Billy Graham, spoke with him afterwards. But Mickey Cohen made no commitment until some time later when another friend urged him, with Revelation 3:20, to invite Jesus Christ into his life.
Cohen professed that he accepted Jesus into his life, but his subsequent life gave no evidence of repentance. There was no mighty change of mind, heart and life.
When later questioned by his friend, Mickey Cohen said to him, "You didn't tell me that I would have to give up my work!" He meant his rackets. "You didn't tell me that I would have to give up my friends!" He meant his gangster associates.
He had heard that so-and-so was a Christian cowboy, so-and-so was a Christian actress, so-and-so was a Christian senator, and he really thought he could be a Christian gangster.
Now, are we sometimes just as ridiculous in our attitudes and the things we do and say?
One more quick tale:
A little boy named Jimmy had trouble pronouncing the letter "R" in words so his teacher gave him a sentence to practice at home:
"Robert gave Richard a rap in the ribs for roasting the rabbit so rare."
Some days later, the teacher asked Jimmy to say the sentence for her. Jimmy rattled it off like this:
"Bob gave Dick a poke in the side for not cooking the bunny enough."
He had evaded the letter "R".
There are a lot of people today, including Christians, who go to great lengths to avoid the "R" word of "Repentance."
Too many of us want to be saved, but we also want to continue to live our lives the same way we always have.
Obviously, none of us can perfectly display the qualities described in Galatians 5 - the fruit of the Spirit. But, if we truly have repented and accepted Jesus as our Lord, we should have at least some of those qualities in evidence. We should be striving for all of those qualities that are pleasing to God, and we should be striving to turn away from the behaviors of our former sinful nature. Those behaviors are not only harmful to ourselves and others, but they are displeasing to God, the Father, to Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
When we have fallen short, we should be aware of and we should feel bad about it. If we are not aware, or we have no regret for having sinned, then we had better question our sincerity in accepting Jesus as our Lord. In fact, if we have so little conscience, we had better get really serious about the state of our soul.
Jesus said, in Matthew 7 verses 15-23,
15"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
21"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
The sins of the unsaved which are listed by Paul in Galatians 5:19-21, include sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissentions, factions and envy, drunkenness, and the like. And Paul warns us that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
It is not that we must perform the good deeds to get into heaven. We have already discussed that salvation is a gift from God coming from His grace, and not from anything we have done. But it seems obvious that if we are sincere in our acceptance of Jesus, we will want to please him.
Out of sheer gratitude, we should want to do the things and be the men and women that are pleasing to God. If our behavior is inconsistent with that goal, our sincerity about our faith and our acceptance of Jesus is in serious doubt.
Now, don't go glancing at the person next to you. I remember taking a course in abnormal psychology. It was easy to see the traits of all sorts of neuroses and psychoses described in the textbook in my college roommate and in my family members and friends. But that isn't what it is about. This is about self-examination. What traits do we see within?
Look inside. You know what things you enjoy listening to, or watching on TV, or reading, or thinking about and talking about. And you know what things motivate you.
Have material things become too important in your life? If so, they may be your idols that you are worshipping instead of God.
How about dirty jokes or malicious gossip? Do you find these attractive to you, or do you turn away from them, if and when they come your way?
How about jealousy of what someone else has or of what they have accomplished?
How about forgiveness of others? When we believe someone has done us wrong, intentionally or unintentionally, do we forgive them, or do we hold a grudge?
Are we bearing the fruit of the Spirit as we should? Are we acting as we should as children of God?
In Ephesians 4, verses 29-32, Paul wrote:
"29Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."
It's important that this is a self -examination because there is a difference between who we are and who others perceive us to be. A difference between reputation and character. We may be good at covering up our sins so that others are not aware of them. But we, ourselves, are aware if we harbor sinful traits in secret. And most definitely, God is aware if we sin in secret!
Recently it was explained that reputation is what people think about us. A good reputation can be ruined by a single act being found out, or even by false accusation.
Character, however, is what the person is when no one is watching. Character is what God knows us to be. Character is independent of what anyone else knows or thinks.
Through our desire to please God, and with His help, we should mold our character to that which is suitable for child of God. And as we mold our character in that direction, our behavior and our thoughts will reflect more and more the fruit of the Spirit.
While speaking of Character, I am reminded of how Pastor David Jeremiah recently explained the five aspects of our lives that are changed when we commit our lives to Christ Jesus.
If we have committed our lives to Jesus, we will see changes in
Our Character - Who we are
Our Conduct - What we do
Our Communications - What we say
Our Contributions - What we give (this is not just about money)
And the fifth aspect, which, he said, is where some people want to start is
Converts - Who we have brought to Jesus.
Pastor Jeremiah pointed out that if we don't have the first four aspects of our lives changed by our relationship to Christ, we won't be very effective in the fifth one.
But, if the first four are showing that we are followers of Christ, and that we are children of God, we will draw others who observe us, whether we are aware of it or not.
That is not to say that we shouldn't actively seek to share Jesus with others, but it does say that we need to "walk the walk" as it were, if we are to be effective when we "talk the talk."
So, you see, it is extremely important that we get to the truth of our commitment to Jesus.
In John 4, Jesus declared in verses 23 and 24:
"23...a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."
Now having said all this, and having done some soul-searching, let's get back to the question, "How Do We Know We Are Saved?"
Let's look at some more Scripture.
Jesus said, in John 11, verse 25 and 26,
25"...I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26and whoever lives and believes in me will never die..."
Whoever believes in Jesus Christ has a spiritual life that can never die. To those of us who believe, we have the assurance in Jesus' own words that we will never die.
In John 14, verses 1 ¡V 3, Jesus tells us,
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."
Jesus, in his own words, shows us that the way to eternal life with Him in heaven is secure. The Bible commentary that I mainly use says that the way which Jesus promises is as secure as our trust in Jesus. But here, I disagree.
The way that is promised by Jesus is not as secure or as insecure as our faith - which may be a small as a mustard seed. Indeed, the way to heaven that is promised is just as secure as the Person who made that promise - Jesus Christ, Himself!
Some months ago, I heard David Jeremiah talking about faith. He told about going ice-fishing in his youth. The lakes would freeze during winter, having six or more inches of ice to walk on and sit on while you fished through a hole cut in the ice.
If you went too early or too late in the season, the ice wouldn't be as thick. Pastor Jeremiah, after talking about this awhile, then asked his congregation in California, which would they rather have: A strong faith that a one-inch sheet of ice would support them, or a weak faith in a six-inch sheet of ice.
After giving them a few moments to think about it, he said, "If any of you would choose a strong faith in weak ice, I don't want to ever go ice-fishing with you!"
Yes, we need to have faith, but what is most important is not the level of our faith, but the object of our faith.
On a scale of one to ten, I would much rather have a level one faith in Christ Jesus than a level ten faith in some false god. All the faith in the world is of no value if it is misplaced.
But just a small amount of faith in Christ can be sufficient, and with prayer and by the grace of God, your faith can grow and grow, giving you a better life here on earth, and encouraging you to share your faith with someone who needs encouragement. Or even helping you share your faith with others who need to know where to place their faith.
But regardless or how strong your faith is, if your faith is in the Lord Jesus Christ, your getting into heaven is as secure as the Word of God! You may doubt your level of faith, but never doubt that God keeps His word!
And in John 14:6,
6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Jesus tells us that He is the way and the only way to God the Father. He is the way to God because He is both God and man. By uniting our lives to His, we are united with God. If we trust in Jesus, all the benefits of being the children of God will be ours. And again, our faith and trust may waiver in strength, but we are secure in the Word of God!
But wait! Maybe someone here has not yet made that sincere prayer for salvation. If any one of you has not sincerely repented of your sins and accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior who has washed away your sins with His own blood, this is the time and place for the good news.
Now is the time if you haven't already done so to give your life to Christ and gain eternal life through Him. Now is the time because not only are we not promised tomorrow, but we are not even promised that we will get home today.
You may come to the altar if you wish, or you may sit where you are and repeat aloud or silently this sinner's prayer along with me:
"Jesus, I know that I have sinned and that You died on the cross so that I could be forgiven. Jesus, I do repent of my sins, and I do ask You to forgive me and to come into my heart. I do receive You as my Lord and my Savior, and I thank You now for Your gift of salvation and eternal life. Amen."
If anyone here has just made this commitment to Jesus Christ, and has just received His promise of eternal life, tell someone now that you have done so. We would all like to rejoice with you and to welcome you into the family of God.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for each person whom You have saved!
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***BARNABAS, THE ENCOURAGER
First Presented at the Mission Road Church of God
June 5, 2002
Acts 4:36-37 "Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet."
This is the first we see of Barnabas, who was a respected leader of the church. He was a Levite by birth, a member of the Jewish tribe that carried out temple duties. But his family had moved to Cyprus, so Barnabas didn't serve in the temple. But we will look at some of the reasons Barnabas is identified with encouragement.
Going forward in the book of Acts, we find that after Saul's experience on the road to Damascus, he was taken into Damascus by the men he had been traveling with. For three days, Saul was blind and ate nothing. A man named Ananias came to where Saul was, place his hands on Saul and said, "Brother Saul, the Lord - Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here - has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit."
Saul's eyesight was immediately restored and he was baptized, ate, and regained his strength. He spent several days with the disciples in Damascus, and then went to the synagogues and began to preach that Jesus is the Son of God. The Jews in the area were baffled because they knew who he was and what he had been. Now he was presenting great and powerful arguments on behalf of Jesus.
After many days had gone by, the Jews conspired to kill him, but Saul escaped and went to Jerusalem.
In Acts 9:27-30, we learn that when Saul tried to join the disciples in Jerusalem, they were afraid of him. They did not believe that he could really have changed so much.
It was Barnabas, who was himself a Jewish convert, who bridged the gap. Barnabas was the one who had the courage to meet Saul, then introduce him to the apostles and to tell them how Saul had seen the Lord on the road and how afterwards, he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.
After Saul began moving around Jerusalem and talking boldly and debating with the Grecian Jews, his life was again placed in danger. When Saul's brother Christians learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.
After the martyrdom of Stephen, a number of disciples had left Jerusalem and had gone to Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message of Jesus only to Jews. Some others of them, though, also proclaimed the Good News to the gentiles, and many of these gentiles turned to Jesus. News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.
When Barnabas arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.
Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch.
During this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them, predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. The disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea. This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.
When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark. And it was Barnabas who was the one who encouraged Mark to go with him and Saul to Antioch and then, to accompany him and Saul on their first missionary trip.
In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers, including Barnabas and Saul. While they all were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on Barnabas and Saul and sent them off.
The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, along with John Mark as their helper, sailed to Cyprus, where they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. Again, it was Barnabas who encouraged Mark to accompany them on their first missionary trip. And it was Barnabas who encouraged Sauls preaching and the new Christians' faith.
They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos, and there they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, who was an attendant of the proconsul. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith.
Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, "You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind, and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the sun."
Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.
Barnabas and Paul continued their travels and preaching, traveling on to Perga and to Pisidian Antioch, preaching in the synagogues of the towns they visited. Paul delivered powerful messages including the history of the Jewish people that led them up to the prophecy of the Christ and on to the fulfillment of that prophecy in life, death and resurrection of Christ Jesus.
In all their travels described here plus many more, Barnabas was known as an encourager. When Mark left them, to go back to Jerusalem, Paul felt that Mark had let them down, and later refused to let Mark accompany them on another trip. Eventually, through the patient encouragement of Barnabas, Paul and Mark were later reunited in their missionary efforts.
From the story of Barnabas and his role in Paul's life, we can wonder what would have happened to Paul's ministry if Barnabas had not been the encourager that he was. Without Barnabas and the encouragement he provided, Paul might never have been accepted by the apostles in Jerusalem, and his ministry might never have come about as it did.
Then, traveling and ministering along with Paul, Barnabas stood with Paul through shipwrecks, stonings and rejection.
Today, there is still a need for people like Barnabas. People who minister to others, giving encouragement to those in need of it.
Author Robert Fulghum reports that sometimes, when attending lectures, he would respond in an unusual way to the speaker's final routine words: "Are there any questions?"
Mr. Fulghum would sometimes say, "Yes," and then ask, "What is the meaning of life?"
People would generally laugh and gather their notes, prepared to leave as the speaker would smile and shrug off the question. But one day, to his surprise, Fulghum got a serious answer.
It was from a Dr. Alexander Papaderos, a Greek philosopher and founder of an institute on the island of Crete. At the end of the lecture one day, Dr. Papaderos asked, "Are there any questions?"
"Yes," said Fulghum, "what is the meaning of life?"
The other attendees whispered and chuckled and prepared to leave, But Dr. Papaderos held up his hand and said, "I will answer your question."
He drew from his pocket a small round mirror, about the size of a quarter. As he was growing up during the war, he said, his family was very poor, and he had few toys. One day he found the broken pieces of a mirror, left over from the wreck of a German motorcycle. He tried in vain to piece the bits together , but finally ended up discarding all but the largest piece.
"This one," he said, holding it higher. And by scratching it on a stone, I made it round. I began to play with it as a toy and became fascinated by the fact that I could reflect light into dark places where the sun would never shine - in deep holes and crevices and dark closets. It became a game for me to get light into the most inaccessible places I could find.
"I kept the little mirror, and as I went about my growing up, I would take it out in idle moments and continue the challenge of the game. As I became a man, I grew to understand that this was not just a child's game but a metaphor for what I might do in my life...
"With what I have I can reflect light into the dark places of this world - into the black places in the hearts of men - and change some things in some people."
Having said that, Dr. Papaderos took his small mirror and, holding it carefully, caught the rays of daylight streaming through the window and reflected them in Robert Fulghum's face.
As Dr. Papaderos suggested, we can use our words and our deeds to reflect the light of encouragement into places of darkness.
When we give a touch of friendship to someone who feels alone or abandoned.
When we send a note or make a call to someone who is suffering.
When we express a word of hope to a person who feels beaten.
When we give a word of thanks to someone who is tired, and maybe feels discouraged in what seems a thankless task.
When we let someone know that we really do pray for that person's strength, healing, safety or comfort.
Or, when we give someone an ear that will hear his or her pain and frustration without dismissing it or throwing it back.
We can give that ray of light when we let someone know that we have faith that whatever the person's problem is, through prayer and God's help, the problem will be over come. The person will have the courage, the strength, the endurance and the faith to surmount whatever the problem may be.
All of us need encouragement from time to time. We can lift one another up by reflecting that light which comes from God, Himself.
Among some of my readings for tonight, I saw in an article from Focus on the Family that one of the people who needs our encouragement most may be the person we normally expect to receive it from: our pastor.
A Christian pollster, named George Barna, reports that pastors are the single most occupationally frustrated professionals in America. If that is actually true, it doesn't need to be so.
There are a number of ways we can encourage our pastor:
- We can faithfully attend church. As one writer said, the empty pew has an eloquent tongue. It tells the pastor, "Your sermon is not worthwhile." The empty pew is a weight; the occupied pew is a wing.
- We can pray. Most pastors pray regularly for members of their congregations, but who prays for the pastor? On pastor wrote, "When a layperson told me that he or she was praying for me, I felt sustained."
- We can share our spiritual growth. We can let him know how a particular sermon or a particular Scripture has been a lifeline during some time of crisis, or how his ministry has affected our walk with God. Better yet, the writer said, write it down in a letter so the pastor can keep it and re-read it.
- Invite a friend to church. A pastor is buoyed when he sees his congregation reach out and grow.
- Remember him on special days. Pastors celebrate birthdays, wedding anniversaries, Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter like everyone else. An expression of gratitude on those special days can boost his morale for a long time.
- Say "Thank you." A pastor is not just a preacher. He is an administrator, a teacher, a fundraiser, a counselor, an arbitrator, leader, visionary and sometimes a janitor. He is always scrutinized, but rarely applauded. It doesn't cost anything to let him know that his work is appreciated and that we can see the Lord working through him.
And we can encourage one another, in the church and in the home and in the workplace. It is so easy to criticize, but so rewarding to see what happens when we encourage, when we build up.
People are healed by encouragement; they grow to like themselves in a healthy way when they are encouraged, and they achieve things beyond their own expectations. People live down to or up to expectations.
Let us look for ways to encourage one another each day. Let us see the positives in one another, and comment on those things.
May our names come to be identified like that of "Barnabas the Encourager." Let our words and deeds reflect the light of God's love into all the nooks and corners and light up the spiritual life of everyone we encounter.
God Bless You, and May You Be Encouraged in His Word,
Henry
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