ASSURANCE OF SALVATION

1 john 2: 3-6

FREDINAND WALDO DEMARAFRED “THE GREAT IMPOSTER”

MASQUERADED AS MANY PEOPLE FROM MONK SURGEON PRISON WARDEN UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT LAWYER TEACHER ETC. ETC.

MADE A FULL LENGTH MOVIE OF HIS LIFE FROM 1961 BIOGRAPHY BY ROBERT CRICHTON

SO EASY TO DEFRAUD

IF “FRED DID IT” … … … …. THENTHINK ABOUT THE EARLY CHURCH….

WHO DID NOT HAVE THE PRINTING PRESS SO MOST PEOPLE DID NOT HAVE A COPY OF

SCRIPTURE MOST SCRIPTURES THEY HAVE NEVER SEEN ONLY COPIES AVAILABLE WERE HAND WRITTEN

COPIES.. ORAL REPLICATION WAS PRIMARY MEANS… SET-UP FOR SATAN TO DECEIVE……

MOTIVE

THIS ELDER STATESMAN, THE BELOVED JOHN, WHO MOST EVERYONE KNEW HAD BEEN WITH JESUS CHRIST …FROM THE BEGINNING… OF MINISTRY… AND WAS KNOWN AS “BISHOP” OF ALL ASIA MINOR (TURKEY)… WRITES A LETTER TO ENCOURAGE TRUE BELIEVERS.

MOST 1ST CENTURY WRITERS REVERE AND HIGHLY RESPECT THIS ONLY LIVING APOSTLE WHO WAS FORMERLY KNOW AS “SON OF THUNDER”

FALSE TEACHERS

HAD THE THEORY THAT SINCE GOD WAS ABSOLUTELY HOLY…. NO WAY GOD COULD BECOME MAN IN THE FLESH… WITH IT SINFUL WAYS… (lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and pride of life). SOUNDED REASONABLE to MANY DREW AWAY MANY FROM ASSEMBLING WITH THE

CHURCH… TO THEIR OWN ASSEMBLIES.

GENERALIZED DOCTRINEtaught by false teachers

PLATO /culture of day … (WELL KNOWN) MATERIAL …SINFUL

SOUL …………PURE

SO… APPLIED TO CHRISTIANITY….GOD IS HOLY (PURE/RIGHTEOUS/NO EVIL)

THEREFORE CHRIST HAD TO BE A SPIRIT(DID NOT HAVE A REAL BODY), ONLY

APPEARED TO HAVE A BODY… Thus, He did not leave footprints. ALLOWED FALSE TEACHERS TO LIVE DEBOTCHED

LIVES … (WHICH THEY DID)…. AS THEY SAW IMMORALITY AS “MATERIAL” …

PREVALENT FOR FIRST 250 TO 300 YEARS A.D.

So JOHN WRITE’S TO HIS DEAR FLOCK’S AN ENCOURAGING LETTER

I JOHNON KNOWING WHAT IS TRUE SALVATION…TRUE RELATIONSHIP AND FELLOWSHIP

JudgesJudges 1 John1 John

John as pastor of the Asia minor (Turkey) churches writes this letter to encourage

true believers

PRE-REQUISTE

MUST HAVE PROPER VIEW OF CHRIST… HOWARD BUCK AND SAM CALOROSO

BEST OF CHRISTMAS

• MUST HAVE PROPER VIEW OF SIN DR. SAM K. AND PETE MAHONEY CLEANED BY BAPTISM?? --- LUTHERN

FRIENDPHILOSOPHICAL SPECULATION, INTELLECTUAL ARGUMENTS, SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION

(ENCOURAGING TRUE BELIEVERS BY REFUTING THE FALSE TEACHING – GNOSTICS)

REMEMBER THEY DID NOT HAVE THE PRINTING PRESS

OT/NT

GOD NEVER CHANGES LEV. 17:11 “The life of the flesh is in the blood, and I

have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls’ for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.”

Romans 3:24-26 “Being justified freely by HIS grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by HIS blood, through faith, to demonstrate HIS righteousness, …. “

NOW JOHN WANTS TRUE BELIEVERSTO KNOW THEY POSSESS SALVATION

GOD KNOWS…. BUT DO YOU?MOST “CHRISTIANS” DON’T HAVE A CLUE

MANY DENOMINATIONS TEACH THAT ONE CAN LOSE SALVATION…. (ITS REALLY NOT ETERNAL LIFE) LAST RITES SINNING JUST AS ONE DIES WEARING LIPSTICK DRIVE A BUGGIE WITH CHROME GET REMOVED FROM ASSEMBLY

JOHN SPEAKS FOR APOSTLES

HE IS SAYING THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT CHRIST SAID… AND PETER, AND JAMES, AND PAUL, ET AL

(SO WE BETTER LISTEN UP)

THERE ARE SUBJECTIVE TESTS AND OBJECTIVE TESTS

FIRST, READ 1 JOHN 2: 3 - 6

“AND BY THIS WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE COME TO KNOW HIM, IF WE KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS. WHOSOEVER SAYS “I KNOW HIM” BUT DOES NOT KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS IS A LIAR, AND THE TRUTH IS NOT IN HIM, BUT WHOSOEVER KEEPS HIS WORD, IN HIM TRULY THE LOVE OF GOD IS PERFECTED. BY THIS WE MAY KNOW THAT WE ARE IN HIM WHOSOEVER SAYS HE ABIDES IN HIM, OUGHT TO WALK IN THE SAME WAY IN WHICH HE WALKED.” ESV

NOW, DON’T GO TO SLEEPI KNOW THIS HAS PROBABLY BEEN AN

EXHAUSTING WEEK

LET ME BEGIN BY A THOUGHT FROM DR. JOHN MITCHELL

TRUE HAPPY HOUR GOD (PROBABLY THE “WORD”) MEETING DAILY

FOR A WALK WITH ADAM AND EVE….. REMEMBER ADAM AND EVE WERE BRILLANT

A FEW GENERATIONS LATER, THEY WERE INVENTING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS (Gen 4:21) and ITEMS OF BRONZE AND IRON… I.E. THEY DEVELOPED SMELTERS, ETC.

SO THEIR CONVERSATIONS WITH GOD WERE AWESOME …. UNTIL THEY DISOBEYED GOD’S COMMANDS

BUT WHAT HAPPENED TO HAPPY HOUR AFTER THEY SINNED?

ANYONE KNOW?

THIS IS VERY VERY INSIGHTFUL

Have you ever observed that when we pray…. GOD IS ALWAYS THERE… (WAITING FOR OUR FELLOWSHIP)

Scripture Based

2 Peter 1:10 “Be diligent to make sure about God’s calling and choosing you”(You have to apply a certain diligence to the pursuit of

that certainty … a privilege that we should enjoy … you ought to know that you are saved)

Assurance is the best of blessings.. Peace, joy, taste of heaven on earth

Fanny Crosby wrote hymn about this wonderful scriptural truth..”Blessed Assurance”

(in contrast, some live in perpetual state of fear)

2 Cor. 13: 5

“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?” Satan will try to discourage you Roman Catholicism, Wesleyanism (Methodism),

Arminianism (many types of Pentacostalism) .. No assurance

Reformation attempted to restore

Reformers Taught

If I believe what the Bible says about my conditions… not as a righteous person, but as a sinner, the wickedness of my heart, the condemnation that awaits me, alienation from God…et al … then I see myself as wretched, miserable, naked, blind, cut off from God, separated, doomed, damned to hell…. Then

When THAT SAME scripture also says “BUT AS MANY AS RECEIVED HIM, TO THEM HE GAVE THE RIGHT TO BE CALLED THE CHILDREN OF GOD”

IF I BELIEVE THAT AND RECEIVE HIM…. THERE IS “COGNATIVE” ASSURANCE.

Our Minds are Weak

SO… GOD HAS GIVEN US “SUBJECTIVE” ASSURANCE… THE INTERNAL WITNESS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

IN US… ROMANS 8: 14-16 “For all who are lead by the Spirit

of God, these are the sons of God” Have you experienced in your life the direction and

leading of the Spirit of God, verse 14 says YOU ARE GOD’S SON.

VERSE 15

YOU HAVE RECEIVED THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION, AS SONS BY WHICH WE CRY OUT ABBA FATHER… HAVE YOU APPROACHED GOD WITHOUT FEAR? HAVE YOU APPROACHED GOD WITH AN EXTREME

NEED? YOU HAVE A RIGHT… TO GO AND CRY OUT…

VERSE 16

“THE SPIRIT HIMSELF BEARS WITNESS WITH OUR SPIRIT THAT WE ARE CHILDREN OF GOD.”

ONE OF THE WAYS THE SPIRIT LEADS US IS WITH CONVICTION… WHEN WE SIN… YOU FEEL HORRIBLE OVER YOUR FAILURE AND WEAKNESS AND DISHONORING OF THE LORD

(THAT’S A MINISTRY TO HIS CHILDREN OF THE HOLY SPIRIT) … THAT’S ANOTHER WAY THE SPIRIT LEADS US.

THAT’S AFFIRMATION THAT YOU’RE A CHILD OF GOD … WE COULD GO ON ABOUT “CHASTENING”

OK, WHERE ARE WE?

THERE IS THE COGNITIVE WITNESS.. SCRIPTURE

• THERE IS THE WITNESS INTERNALLY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

• NOW THE THIRD ELEMENT OF ASSURANCEOUR TEXT… OBEDIENCE (1 JOHN 2: 3-6)

P.S. TWO MORE TESTS OF ASSURANCE : NEXT SESSION (BY NONE OTHER THAN the Rev. HOWARD BUCK

Third Test of Assurance:OBEDIENCE

AND BY THIS WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE COME TO KNOW HIM, IF WE KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS. WHOSOEVER SAYS “I KNOW HIM” BUT DOES NOT KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS IS A LIAR, AND THE TRUTH IS NOT IN HIM, BUT WHOSOEVER KEEPS HIS WORD, IN HIM TRULY THE LOVE OF GOD IS PERFECTED. BY THIS WE MAY KNOW THAT WE ARE IN HIM WHOSOEVER SAYS HE ABIDES IN HIM, OUGHT TO WALK IN THE SAME WAY IN WHICH HE WALKED.” ESV

REASON FOR THE LETTEROF 1 JOHN

WE HAVE COME TO THE HEART OF THE BOOK…. AS CHAPTER 5: 13 SAYS: “THESE THINGS HAVE I WRITTEN TO YOU WHO

BELIEVE IN THE NAME (ALL THAT HE IS) OF THE SON OF GOD IN ORDER THAT YOU MAY KNOW THAT YOU HAVE ETERNAL LIFE”

GOD WANTS YOU AND ME TO HAVE ASSURANCE OF OUR SALVATION

‘AND BY THIS” – A NEW SUBJECT IN THE TEXT. JOHN IS DONE WITH DISCUSSING THE PRE-

REQUISITES … RIGHT VIEW OF CHRIST AND SIN HE IS NOW GOING TO DISCUSS THE “TESTS” FOR US

TO KNOW THAT WE ARE A CHILD OF GOD. TEST 1: IF WE OBEY HIS COMMANDMENTS

‘AND BY THIS WE “HOPE” --NO, NO 40 X’s IN THIS BOOK, JOHN USES WORD “KNOW”

ASSURANCE

SOME OF OUR EMOTIONS WILL COME FROM READING AND BELIEVING SCRIPTURE

SOME WILL COME FROM THE INNER WITNESS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

SOME WILL COME FROM OUR EXPERIENCE… DO WE OBEY HIS COMMANDS (SANTIFICATION) DO WE ….(OH TWO “TEST’S” FOR US TO OBSERVE

IN OUR LIFE…. IS NEXT SESSION)

ONE OF PAUL’S STATEMENT’S

Titus 1:16 “Such people claim to know God, BUT BY THEIR

WORKS (I.E. THEIR LIVES) THEY DENY HIM”

“YOU DON’T KNOW GOD UNTIL IT SHOWS UP IN HOW YOU LIVE” --- JOHN MacARTHUR

JEREAMIAH (PROMISE OF NEW COVENANT) … GOD SAYS HE WILL WRITE IN ON OUR HEARTS…. “DESIRE (DRIVEN FROM THE INSIDE) TO OBEY HIS COMMANDMENTS”

QUOTE FROM DAVID GUZIK

“WHEN A PERSON BECOMES A CHRISTIAN, THERE IS A CHANGE IN THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH SIN. SIN IS NOT ELIMINATED IN THE BELIVER UNTIL HE COMES TO GLORY, BUT THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO SIN IS CHANGED. A Christian no longer loves sin as he once did. A Christian no longer brags about their sin as he once did. A Christian no longer plans to sin as he once did. A Christian no longer fondly remembers his sin as he once

did. A Christian never fully enjoys his sin as he once did. A Christian no longer is comfortable in habitual sin as he

once was.”

ANOTHER OF PAUL’S STATEMENTS

QUOTING DAVID .. ROMANS 7 “EVEN THOUGH I DON’T DO WHAT I

OUGHT TO DO, AND OFTEN DO WHAT I OUGHT NOT TO DO, O HOW I LOVE YOUR LAW (I.E. SCRIPTURE)”.

GOD WANTS YOU TO KNOW YOU ARE HIS CHILD (BY OBSERVING YOUR OWN LIFE) PETER ….

LETS PRAY

OUR RESPONSE….

THANK HIM FOR PROVIDING THESE ASSURANCE’S OF SALVATION