Sermon: "Tests of Assurance" (Part 1)
I want you to look at the following video and then answer this question – WAS THE BIRD IN THE VIDEO A ….
1. Turkey 2. Ostrich 3. Duck 4. Swan
SHOW VIDEO
Here is the question again – WAS THE BIRD IN THE VIDEO A ….
1. Turkey 2. Ostrich 3. Duck 4. Swan
Yes, it was a DUCK. If something looks like a duck, walks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, there is every reason to believe that it is a duck.
The same thing holds true for a Christian. If you are doing the things a Christian should do, if you are experiencing the things a Christian should experience, if you are speaking as a Christian should speak, and if you are thinking the thoughts a Christian should think, there is every reason to believe you are a Christian.
The book of I John was written to Christian people to confirm their beliefs and to encourage them to live as Christians should live. One of its primary purposes is to help people who receive Jesus as their Lord reach the fullness of joy that comes from knowing the reality of eternal life.
For the next two weeks we are going to explore the book of I John as we look at “Some Tests of Assurance.”
Two weeks ago we looked at the steps we need to take each week that will help us to be sure that we are one of God’s children. Here they are:
1. EXERCISE YOUR FAITH
By spending time in prayer, doing the things you know God wants you to do, and trying to do what you think you can’t do.
2. TRUST THE PROMISES OF GOD
If your trust in God and his promises is complete and wholehearted, it will do away with your fears, set your mind at rest and fill your heart with assurance.
3. STUDY GOD’S WORD
We can’t always trust our feelings, but we can trust God’s Word.
4. CULTIVATE YOUR CHRISTIAN LIFE
Live as a Christian should live.
Last week we looked at the foundation you need to stand upon in order to know that eternal life is yours – that when you die you will go to heaven. If you have received Jesus as your Lord, here are four things on which you can depend.
- GOD’S FORGIVENESS IS A SURE THING.
- YOUR ACCEPTANCE BY GOD IS A PRESENT REALITY.
- YOUR ADOPTION CHANGED YOUR FUTURE.
- YOU ARE PART OF JESUS’ KINGDOM.
Let’s now look at some things which indicate that you are a Child of God if they are evident in your life.
If you pass the tests of assurance contained in I John, it is an indication that you are a true Christian.
The first test of assurance is …
I. THE TEST OF CHARACTER
Turn in your Bible to chapter one of First John. Verse seven says …
I JOHN 1:7 – But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
This is not a test of profession, but a test of the purpose and aims of your life. This test is based upon the truth that God is light and that God is the giver of eternal life. In order to obtain that life you must have fellowship with the One who gives eternal life. In order to have such fellowship you must walk in the light.
People who walk in the light seek to be morally pure. They are honest and strive to always be truthful. They are sensitive to, and try to obey what is revealed in God’s Word.
Their lives are open to be examined. They are willing to have their deeds brought out into the light.
They make choices where they will be able to have fellowship with God, which means they choose to walk in the light instead of walking in darkness.
If that describes how you strive to live your life – striving to be pure – then you have passed the test of character and you have at least one confirmation that you are a true Christian.
If you fail this test or any of the nine which follow, you either need to humble yourself and receive Jesus as your Lord, or confess that you are not living as you should and make some changes in your life.
Next comes …
II. THE TEST OF CONFESSION
In First John we read …
I 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.
When you walk in the light, that is when you try to live a life of purity, it brings you closer to God. When you draw near to God and he comes closer to you, it makes you more aware of how unfit you are for such a relationship. That is why a true believer seeks constant cleansing.
A true believer must confess his need of repeated cleansing or forgiveness. Someone has said that, “A true believer is like a person who comes out of a coal mine covered with coal dirt and finds himself in a room filled with well-groomed people. He feels unfit to associate with such people and immediately seeks for some method of cleansing.”
A true Christian does not deceive himself by saying or thinking that he is not such a bad person. Listen to what John wrote about this.
I JOHN 1:8, 10 – 8If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 10If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
Some Christians are afraid to admit their sins to themselves, to others and to God. They place a Christian, which includes themselves, on a pedestal on which they do not belong. As a result, they become very discouraged with their own lives and disappointed in the way other Christians act.
Certainly we must not condone that which God condemns, but we also must not claim to be without sin. I like what one of the old time Bible scholars wrote about this verse – “The Christian religion is the religion of sinners, of such as have sinned, and in whom sin in some measure still dwells. The Christian life is a life of continued repentance, humiliation for and mortification (shame) of sin.” – Matthew Henry, 1706
I certainly do not think you must confess your sins to a priest, but often it is good for us to confess our sins to one another. James wrote …
JAMES 5:16 – Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
Confessing our sins to others, and more importantly to God, means that we view the sin we have committed the same as God views it. We make no excuses.
The closer you come to God, the more you realize how great a sinner you are. This deepening sense of sin demands one confession after another. The process of confessing and cleansing therefore goes on day after day.
The Bible tells us, we may claim the promise of God’s forgiveness and cleansing, if we will confess our sins. When we do this we have met God’s requirements and can have the assurance of eternal life. To doubt that is to call God a liar.
So far we have looked at …THE TEST OF CHARACTER – striving to live a pure life, and, THE TEST OF CONFESSION – confessing our sins and accepting God’s forgiveness.
Let’s now move to the third test.
III. THE TEST OF OBEDIENCE
John writes …
I JOHN 2:3-6 – 3We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. 4The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.
This test of obedience is closely connected to the next two tests we are going to study.
This test is a very reasonable and practical test of our Christianity. Any time we find a difference between our profession and our practice, we know something is wrong. Here we are not talking about a temptation that occasionally gets a victory over us – we have just seen that we all have such sins which we must confess – but instead we are talking about a life-style that constantly causes us to live in disobedience to God.
Listen to what Jesus said about obedience.
MATTHEW 7:24 – Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
MATTHEW 12:50 – For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.
JOHN 14:23 – If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
I think it is good that this test of obedience follows the test of confession, because it is important that we understand these two tests.
As a believer we do not need to walk around carrying a load of guilt for the sins we commit. God cleanses us from those sins when we confess them.
On the other hand we have no right to claim to be a Christian if the life-style we choose is one that does not obey God’s teachings. John wrote …
I JOHN 2:4 – The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
To profess to be a Christian, but to continually live in disobedience to his teachings, makes you a liar. In other words, you are not a true follower of Jesus and have no reason to believe that heaven is your eternal home.
Here is what Paul wrote about such people …
TITUS 1:16 – They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.
On the other hand, people who desire to please God because they love God and who strive to live a life of obedience to God’s teachings have great evidence that they truly are God’s children. Next comes …
IV. THE TEST OF LOVE
Perhaps we could call this, “The Test of Brotherhood” or “The Test of Social Compassion” because it relates to how we deal with one another. Here is what John wrote. First from chapter two …
I JOHN 2:9-10 – 9Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. 10Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble.
And then from chapter three …
I JOHN 3:14-18 – 14We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. 15Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.
16This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
In the test of obedience we saw that our love for God is the motivation for our obedience. This test of love is an application of the general principle of obedience.
Our love for God needs to be demonstrated in human relationships.
Our love for other Christians is proof that we are a true Christian. It is more than just deeds of helpfulness to our neighbors, which we should do. It is more than just giving aid to one who is needy or visiting one who is sick, but we should be doing those things. It is a love that has its roots in God’s love. We love our brothers and will do everything we can to help them because we know they are God’s children. Yes, we should do good things for all people, but we should have a special attraction to other Christians. Listen to what Paul wrote about this.
GALATIANS 6:9-10 – 9Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
This love for fellow believers is a distinguishing mark of Christians. Any person who constantly finds themselves disliking his fellow Christians is not walking in the light.
By the same token, when we habitually credit good motives to other Christians’ words and actions, we give evidence of our own eternal life. The Christian who can truly say that he possesses a genuine love for other Christians and demonstrates that love by his words and actions has evidence within himself that he is, indeed, a true follower of Jesus.
The final test we will look at this morning is …
V. THE TEST OF LOYALTY
This is a test of what you really love. Here is what John wrote …
I JOHN 2:15-17 – 15Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For everything in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does – comes not from the Father but from the world. 17The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
The question we first need to ask ourselves is … “What does John mean when he uses the word world?”
The Greek word translated as world is “kosmos”. It is the same word used in John 3:16 where it says, “God so loved the world.” So of course we see that part of what the world means is the people who live on planet Earth. But “kosmos” also can mean anything that life on this earth can provide. That’s why John goes on to mention things like …
- The craving of sinful man,
- The lust of his eyes,
and
- The boasting of what he has and does.
If you find a widening gap between your interests and the things unbelievers value … if you have a growing love for God, his kingdom, and his righteousness, it is an indication that you are a true Child of God.
CONCLUSION
This morning, through the help of God’s Word, we have seen five tests we can take to help us know for sure whether or not we are a true believer. Here they are …
- The Test of Character – do you strive to live a godly life?
- The Test of Confession – do you confess your sins and accept God’s forgiveness?
- The Test of Obedience – does your love for God give you a desire to obey him?
- The Test of Love—do you try to do good to others, especially fellow believers?
- The Test of Loyalty – do you love God above all people, possessions and pleasures?
If you can answer YES to those five questions, then you are most likely a true follower of Jesus and have no need to think that heaven will not be your eternal home.
If you can’t answer YES to those five questions you need to repent – that is, you need to change how you are living – and either turn back to following Jesus or ask him to be your Lord and Savior.