Sermon Tone Analysis

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! Reading: 2 Pet 1:1-21

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!! Assurance

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Reading: 2 Pet 1:1-11

!! Assurance

 

Text: 2 Pet 1:10

Topic: Assurance

 

!!! *1.

No Assurance*

 

!!!! Illustration

Not long ago, an interviewer went to a train station, and he asked about 25-30 people if they knew for sure that they were going to go to heaven.

Everyone of those interviewed said, “No”.

In fact, some became quite indignant: “Nobody can ever know for sure such a thing like that.”

In all the world’s other great religions there is never any assurance of salvation.

You can never be sure that you will ever reach heaven.

All you can do is try your best, and then hope for the best.

!!!! Illustration

Early this century three women went to Tibet as missionaries.

Two of them (Mildred Cable and Francesca French) later on wrote of their adventures there.

And there, in the high country of Tibet, they would come across Buddhist pilgrims as they crawled on their hands and knees, from one sacred shrine to another:

They: /“Venerable traveller, how long is it since you started on pilgrimage ?”/

He: /“I have wandered for five years.”/

They: /“And what do you seek ?”/

He: /“I seek the forgiveness of my sins.”/

They: /“Have you found the forgiveness of your sins ?”/

He: /“I do not know; when I am dead, then I shall know.”/

Buddhism is a false religion.

And yet, even this false religion can give no assurance of salvation.

Illustration

You come to Roman Catholicism, and you find the same thing:

Roman Catholicism can give no assurance of salvation.

The official teaching of Rome: /“If anyone says that he will for certain persevere to the end and obtain eternal life – unless he has some special revelation – then let him be anathema” /(i.e.  accursed, cut off from God for ever).

There you are: if you believe you are definitely saved, and are going to heaven – the Roman Catholic Church says you are accursed.

You cannot possibly be sure – unless you are some special super saint and have been given a special divine vision from heaven itself.

Otherwise you are just a cheeky upstart – and worse.

Illustration

Even a lot of what passes for evangelical “Christianity” today is not much better, because so much of what passes for evangelical “Christianity” today is riddled with the doctrines that emerged after the time of the Reformation, known as Arminianism.

Arminianism says that: yes, you can be certain you are saved – at present!

But you can’t be certain that it will last.

You may well lose your salvation, and heaven along with it, before you finish your life here upon this earth.

And so, all the world’s great religions, in all their various versions, and perversions – including the various perversions of Christianity – all, in their own way, pretend to offer a hope of salvation.

But that is not only a false hope.

It is also, always, an uncertain hope.

It is not a hope that you can be assured of.

None of these can give any assurance that you will be able to hang onto the salvation they promise and will not, in the end, be damned.

The Gospel alone can offer that assurance.

However, first ...

 

!!! *2.

False Assurance*

 

Jer 17:9, /“The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it ?”/

It is easy to deceive ourselves when it comes to spiritual things.

Paul: /“I//f anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.”/

It is tragic when a believer is unable to find assurance of salvation.

It is a terrible thing when there are those who say that it is wrong, or wicked, to even believe that assurance of salvation is possible.

But, more terrible and tragic than that, is a wicked man who has assurance of his salvation, when he has no reason to.

That is a horrible thing.

That is a false assurance.

Jesus spoke about it:

Matt 7:21-23.

Here were some professing “Christians” who were, in their minds, absolutely certain of heaven.

Perhaps some tele-vangelist had told them not to worry because they would certainly obtain an eternal reward in heaven.

After all,

- they called upon the name of the Lord,

- they prophesied in the name of the Lord,

- they were able to cast out demons in the name of the Lord.

Like Benny Hinn, they were going around performing signs and wonders ...

...  they were absolutely certain that they had eternal life.

And so, they confidently fronted up at the gate of heaven.

But: Matt 7:23

 

Well I am certainly not here today to trouble those of you who are weak in the faith.

In fact, I am fearful of undermining the slight assurance of salvation that anyone here might legitimately have.

Rather, I am here today to preach assurance.

I am here to strengthen you – who have believed in Jesus Christ – in your own sense of assurance.

But, oh I must first warn you against a false assurance.

Because, /“not everyone who says ‘Lord, Lord’ shall enter the kingdom of God.”/

 

!!!  *3.

True Assurance *

 

Is there such a thing as true assurance ?

Can we know for sure that – not only are we saved – but,

- that we will continue, and go on being able to hang onto that salvation,

- that we will certainly be received into heaven when we die.

The testimony of God’s people all down through the ages:

 

!!!! Job:

!!!! Job 19:25-26

Now Job was not some super saint, walking serenely through life, hand in hand with God.

He was, as James reminds us, /“a man with a nature like ours”/.

He despaired, like we do.

He lost his temper like we do.

He complained against God, and said “Life isn’t fair” – just like we do.

And yet, in the midst of all this ...

- without any special revelation from on high,

- without a New Testament,

- without even an Old Testament – probably having no Bible at all,

- and without ever having known that Christ once walked upon this earth:

Job 19:25-26

 

The Apostle Paul:

At the end of his life, 2 Tim 4:6

And, what sort of departure was this ?

What was he expecting ?

2 Tim 1:12.

Paul was absolutely certain of this one great fact.

Also, in that great portion, in Rom 8, he was able to say:

/“I am persuaded that:/