Beginning with Christ
5 Assurances
Introduction
If you have to the best of your knowledge received Jesus, God’s Son, as your own Savior, you have become a child of God.
Too many people make the mistake of measuring the certainty of their salvation by their feelings. Don’t make this tragic mistake.
Believe God! Take Him at His Word: “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).
A child may be born into a wealthy home but at the time of his birth it is not necessary that he be informed of that. There are more important matters to take care of first. He must be protected, for he has been born into a world with many enemies. In the hospital room he is handled with sterilized gloves and kept from outsiders that he might not fall victim to countless germs waiting to attack.
He must be given nourishment regularly, and protected from exposure to extreme hot or cold.
You have become a child of God; you have been born as a spiritual babe. You have the potential to live your life in victorious obedience to God.
These 5 assurances will strengthen you, and keep you safe from the onslaughts of Satan.
In 1 Peter 2:2 you will read, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.”
Let us consider the new enemy you face. Before you trusted Christ, Satan may not have bothered you. But now you are no longer in Satan’s domain. You belong to Christ, Who has bought you and paid for you with a price –the price of His own blood shed on the cross.
A very effective way to get the Bible into your life is to memorize key portions of it. Why?
In Psalm 119:9 we read, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.” Then in verse 11 the psalmist says “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
You may be sure that Satan will attempt to trouble you. His attacks assume many forms, but we want to speak of some of the most common ones, and help you resist them successfully.
Assurance of Salvation
The following five verses of Scripture will equip you for your first encounters with the enemy. His first approach is often to cast doubt on the work God has done in your heart. Although you won’t hear his audible voice, he will whisper something like this in your mind:
Assurance of Salvation
“You don’t think you are saved and your sins are forgiven just be believing and receiving Christ? Surely that is not enough!”
What will your answer be?
Your only hope of successfully resisting such an attack is to rely on God’s Word.
What does God say about the matter?
This is the the important thing. The first memory passage, 1 John 5:11-12 is entitled Assurance of Salvation and says:
“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life, he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”
1 John 5:11-12
When the truth of 1 John 5:11-12 is written in your heart, you can use it every time a doubt about your salvation arises.
Assurance of Answered Prayer
Another attack of Satan may be to cause you to doubt the effectiveness of prayer. He may encourage you to think,
“You don’t think God is really personally interested in you? He’s far away, and concerned about more important things. Surely you don’t think He’ll hear your prayers –much less answer them!”
But with Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, you have the unique privilege of speaking directly with your heavenly Father through Him.
God wants you to come to Him about everything (see Phil. 4:6; Heb. 4:14-16). He is intensely interested in you and your needs.
In the second verse, John 16:24, Jesus gives us assurance of answered prayer:
“Until now you have not asked for anything in My name. Ask and you will receive and your joy will be complete.”
John 16:24
In John 16:24 Jesus was speaking to His disciples the night before His crucifixion. He did not tell them they had never asked for anything in prayer. But He said they had not asked in His name. You yourself have probably prayed many times, especially when in trouble. But as a believer in Christ you can ask in Jesus’ name, because you belong to Him.
To ask in His name means to ask in His authority and on His merit. Just as the Father answered Jesus’ every prayer, so He will answer you when you ask in Jesus’ name.
Memorize this promise, apply its truth, and experience the joy of answered prayer.
Assurance of Victory
Still another attack from Satan may be along this line: He will whisper to you,
“You have life, all right, but you are a weakling; you have always been a weakling.”
He will remind you of some sin which has gripped you for years. He will point out something of which you are keenly aware, and say,
“You are weak, and you will not be able to stand against this temptation. You may be able to stand against others, but not this one.”
How will you answer him? Will you attempt to reason? Will you try to produce your own arguments? Will you run to see what other people say? Or will you rely on God’s Word?
The third verse, 1 Corinthians 10:13, is chosen especially to meet this attack of Satan.
“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful, He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”
1 Corinthians 10:13
This gives assurance of victory. God promises victory. It belongs to you as His child. Believe Him, and you will see how God does things that are impossible with men. It will thrill you to see chains of lifetime habits broken by His mighty power.
Assurance of Forgiveness
Although victory over sin is rightfully yours, there will be times when you miss the way of escape and you will fail and sin against God. Once you do, your enemy will be there to accuse you,
“Now you’ve done it. Aren’t you supposed to be a Christian? Christians doesn’t do those things.”
But God makes provision in His Word for the failures of His children, as we see in 1 John 1:9. We receive His full forgiveness as we confess to Him our sins.
The forth verse speaks of the assurance of forgiveness, 1 John 1:9
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
John 1:9
To confess a sin means to uncover it and call it exactly what God calls it. This honest confession must include the willingness to forsake the sin. God promises not only to forgive us, but also to cleanse us. What a gracious provision!
Assurance of Guidance
The four preceding assurances have been given to help you meet the principle attacks of Satan. However, the fifth passage for you to memorize is for a different purpose. You may have questions about the future, wondering how this new life of yours is going to work out. What about God’s will for your life? Will He really lead you?
But Proverbs 3:5-6 will give you assurance of guidance:
“Trust in the Lord will all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
Proverbs 3:5-6
God promises to lead you as you rely on Him completely. He can guide you perfectly, for He knows all your needs, and has infinite wisdom, power, and riches to give you the best life possible. He deserves your trust. Memorize and apply this Scripture and you will experience His guidance.
How to Memorize
Read the verse over several times to help you grasp the passage as a whole. Then break it into natural phrases. Memorize the reference and the first phrase. Then add the second phrase, then the third and so on. Each time you go over it state the reference, the verse and the reference again at the end. Repeating the reference before and after is very helpful.
The secret to mastering these verses is daily review. So each day as you work on your newest verse, review the ones you have already learned. One of the best ways to do this is to carry the verses with you so that they are handy to use during spare moments.
5 Assurances
Introduction
If you have to the best of your knowledge received Jesus, God’s Son, as your own Savior, you have become a child of God.
Too many people make the mistake of measuring the certainty of their salvation by their feelings. Don’t make this tragic mistake.
Believe God! Take Him at His Word: “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).
A child may be born into a wealthy home but at the time of his birth it is not necessary that he be informed of that. There are more important matters to take care of first. He must be protected, for he has been born into a world with many enemies. In the hospital room he is handled with sterilized gloves and kept from outsiders that he might not fall victim to countless germs waiting to attack.
He must be given nourishment regularly, and protected from exposure to extreme hot or cold.
You have become a child of God; you have been born as a spiritual babe. You have the potential to live your life in victorious obedience to God.
These 5 assurances will strengthen you, and keep you safe from the onslaughts of Satan.
In 1 Peter 2:2 you will read, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.”
Let us consider the new enemy you face. Before you trusted Christ, Satan may not have bothered you. But now you are no longer in Satan’s domain. You belong to Christ, Who has bought you and paid for you with a price –the price of His own blood shed on the cross.
A very effective way to get the Bible into your life is to memorize key portions of it. Why?
In Psalm 119:9 we read, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.” Then in verse 11 the psalmist says “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
You may be sure that Satan will attempt to trouble you. His attacks assume many forms, but we want to speak of some of the most common ones, and help you resist them successfully.
Assurance of Salvation
The following five verses of Scripture will equip you for your first encounters with the enemy. His first approach is often to cast doubt on the work God has done in your heart. Although you won’t hear his audible voice, he will whisper something like this in your mind:
Assurance of Salvation
“You don’t think you are saved and your sins are forgiven just be believing and receiving Christ? Surely that is not enough!”
What will your answer be?
Your only hope of successfully resisting such an attack is to rely on God’s Word.
What does God say about the matter?
This is the the important thing. The first memory passage, 1 John 5:11-12 is entitled Assurance of Salvation and says:
“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life, he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”
1 John 5:11-12
When the truth of 1 John 5:11-12 is written in your heart, you can use it every time a doubt about your salvation arises.
Assurance of Answered Prayer
Another attack of Satan may be to cause you to doubt the effectiveness of prayer. He may encourage you to think,
“You don’t think God is really personally interested in you? He’s far away, and concerned about more important things. Surely you don’t think He’ll hear your prayers –much less answer them!”
But with Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, you have the unique privilege of speaking directly with your heavenly Father through Him.
God wants you to come to Him about everything (see Phil. 4:6; Heb. 4:14-16). He is intensely interested in you and your needs.
In the second verse, John 16:24, Jesus gives us assurance of answered prayer:
“Until now you have not asked for anything in My name. Ask and you will receive and your joy will be complete.”
John 16:24
In John 16:24 Jesus was speaking to His disciples the night before His crucifixion. He did not tell them they had never asked for anything in prayer. But He said they had not asked in His name. You yourself have probably prayed many times, especially when in trouble. But as a believer in Christ you can ask in Jesus’ name, because you belong to Him.
To ask in His name means to ask in His authority and on His merit. Just as the Father answered Jesus’ every prayer, so He will answer you when you ask in Jesus’ name.
Memorize this promise, apply its truth, and experience the joy of answered prayer.
Assurance of Victory
Still another attack from Satan may be along this line: He will whisper to you,
“You have life, all right, but you are a weakling; you have always been a weakling.”
He will remind you of some sin which has gripped you for years. He will point out something of which you are keenly aware, and say,
“You are weak, and you will not be able to stand against this temptation. You may be able to stand against others, but not this one.”
How will you answer him? Will you attempt to reason? Will you try to produce your own arguments? Will you run to see what other people say? Or will you rely on God’s Word?
The third verse, 1 Corinthians 10:13, is chosen especially to meet this attack of Satan.
“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful, He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”
1 Corinthians 10:13
This gives assurance of victory. God promises victory. It belongs to you as His child. Believe Him, and you will see how God does things that are impossible with men. It will thrill you to see chains of lifetime habits broken by His mighty power.
Assurance of Forgiveness
Although victory over sin is rightfully yours, there will be times when you miss the way of escape and you will fail and sin against God. Once you do, your enemy will be there to accuse you,
“Now you’ve done it. Aren’t you supposed to be a Christian? Christians doesn’t do those things.”
But God makes provision in His Word for the failures of His children, as we see in 1 John 1:9. We receive His full forgiveness as we confess to Him our sins.
The forth verse speaks of the assurance of forgiveness, 1 John 1:9
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
John 1:9
To confess a sin means to uncover it and call it exactly what God calls it. This honest confession must include the willingness to forsake the sin. God promises not only to forgive us, but also to cleanse us. What a gracious provision!
Assurance of Guidance
The four preceding assurances have been given to help you meet the principle attacks of Satan. However, the fifth passage for you to memorize is for a different purpose. You may have questions about the future, wondering how this new life of yours is going to work out. What about God’s will for your life? Will He really lead you?
But Proverbs 3:5-6 will give you assurance of guidance:
“Trust in the Lord will all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
Proverbs 3:5-6
God promises to lead you as you rely on Him completely. He can guide you perfectly, for He knows all your needs, and has infinite wisdom, power, and riches to give you the best life possible. He deserves your trust. Memorize and apply this Scripture and you will experience His guidance.
How to Memorize
Read the verse over several times to help you grasp the passage as a whole. Then break it into natural phrases. Memorize the reference and the first phrase. Then add the second phrase, then the third and so on. Each time you go over it state the reference, the verse and the reference again at the end. Repeating the reference before and after is very helpful.
The secret to mastering these verses is daily review. So each day as you work on your newest verse, review the ones you have already learned. One of the best ways to do this is to carry the verses with you so that they are handy to use during spare moments.