Keys To Confidence

Introduction

Good morning. If you will, please open in your New Testament with me to Luke chapter 24. Luke chapter 24. So think about the centerpiece of Christianity. All that there is, all that there ever was, Christianity centers around Jesus the Christ. And Paul would say in the book of 1 Corinthians that everything centers around the death, burial, and yes, resurrection of that Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah, the resurrected Lord. And Luke chapter 24 is when you see the gospel account by Luke’s hand of this happening in verse 1. But on the first day of the week at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared, and they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. But when they went in, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you while he was still in Galilee that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and on the third day rise. And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb, they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary, the mother of James, and the other women with whom who told these things to the apostles.

Now note these last two verses. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter rose and ran to the tomb, stopping and looking in. He saw the linen cloth by themselves, and he went home marveling at what had happened. And it would be very easy and simple this morning to focus on the idea of belief. If you believe that Jesus did rise from the dead, that he was sealed in the tomb, dead for three days, as he had said before it happened, must come to pass. Then when he was resurrected, when he went to the empty tomb, if you believe and understand historically and by faith that this did happen, that changes everything. Because if someone has the power to be taken from dead to alive, to then in Acts 1, ascend to the hand of God, only the power of something supernatural.

Only the power of God would make that happen and possible. And so we would subvert our will to his. But the question this morning is not, do we believe? Although that would be interesting. You notice in verse 11, after the apostles have been told Jesus has been resurrected from the dead as he told them he would be, they did not believe. In verse 12, it was Peter who did believe, and he went and he found the evidence of the empty tomb. And so we have that first fork in the road. Will you believe? But do you accept Jesus as crucified and resurrected Lord? Or do you reject him thinking that just can’t be? But even once you’ve taken that fork in the road and had belief, there’s sometimes this problem about confidence in Jesus.

And we would never say we don’t we have a problem with God. We wouldn’t say that we’d really doubt the resurrection itself. But maybe we have questions as to whether or not I am in a saved condition. I asked you the question this morning are you confident, just as we should and must be, that Jesus was resurrected from the dead, that the stone was rolled away from the tomb, and that Jesus was among the living, not the dead. Are you equally confident and certain that you are going to be with God forever and eternity? See, the scriptures teach us that’s exactly the type of expectation we should have. Turn with me to 1 John. If you have a marker, drop it anywhere. 1 John’s not that long.

And we’re going to be in the majority of 1 John this morning. But in 1 John chapter 5, beginning in verse 9, note what John writes. If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater. For this is the testimony of God that he is born concerning his son. Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God is born concerning his Son. And this is the testimony that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life. Whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. Now note verse 13 carefully.

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. Now that’s striking in verse 13. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God. If you accept that Jesus was resurrected, you accept the miracles that he worked, the promises that God has made in the old and new testament alike, if you accept that he exists on that basis of belief, God’s expectation is that you may know that you have eternal life. The startling fact is, even though we all grapple with doubts of varying degrees, what this text tells us is undeniably, God desires and expects that if we are his children, that we do believe in the testimony of his son, that we will have confidence.

And so the question to address first and foremost is why am I lacking confidence in my salvation? The scriptures say it should be easy, should be easy, it should be clear, this should be an open and shut case. But the truth is there’s not one, there’s probably many of us this morning who have had this question before. And so there’s really only three possibilities. I’m casting wide umbrellas, of course. But the first one is maybe I’ve never sought God’s forgiveness. Recognizing that regardless of whether I acknowledge God is real, that God exists, that Jesus was resurrected from the dead, doesn’t change the words of Paul in the book of Romans when he says the wages of sin is death. But he also continues in that verse and says, But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Maybe I’ve never sought God’s forgiveness because I don’t believe he exists, I don’t think that I need it, or I haven’t been able to humble myself to recognize that it’s time to take a step forward towards God and away from my selfish desires. And just like 1 John 5 notes, there are only two pathways making God a liar, rejecting his testimony, or accepting it and having confidence that eternal life is ours through his Son. Maybe I doubt because I’ve never sought God’s forgiveness. Maybe I know I’m not doing what God demands. I’ve sought God’s forgiveness. I recognize the need to be cleansed from sin, which leads to death. I recognize that only God, only the resurrection of Jesus Christ allows me to have my sins forgiven, and I have at one point done what God has said to be forgiven.

But if I were to ask that question again this morning in a private way, are you confident in your salvation? There would be some hesitation, not because you’ve never done what Jesus said is necessary to fulfill a pleasing faith to God. Not because you’ve never asked for forgiveness from God, but because deep down I know I’m not really doing what God wants. When Jesus says we are to deny ourselves daily, pick up our cross and follow after him, I know that maybe it’s not just that I’m not doing bad things anymore, it’s that I’m not proactively sacrificing for him. If I look at my life, I don’t really see a whole lot of sacrifice. I take a couple hours on a Sunday, maybe an hour or two on a Wednesday, occasionally do something nice.

But I know this can’t be what Jesus died for. To have an easy, pain-free life. That’s not how the prophets lived. That’s not how the apostles lived, and certainly not how Jesus lived. Maybe I’m not confident in my salvation because I know I’m not doing what God expects. I don’t have the confidence God expects because I’m not doing what God demands.

It might be that ostensibly I’m looking at a list of my life. I’ve decided that I do need God’s forgiveness, and so I changed. I repented and changed course. That I recognize that maybe at first I wasn’t doing everything I could, but I’ve changed. I’ve done better. I’ve recognized Jesus expects a sacrifice, transformed life. But when I’m asked that question, am I confident in my salvation? I’m lacking trust. And really, you could make this into two categories. One is I’m trusting in myself, and I don’t trust myself for salvation. But the scriptural way of looking at that same self-doubt is to say we’re doubting whom salvation was given from. Who is the author and finisher of salvation? Who made salvation possible? It was God. Salvation is possible through Jesus, the Christ.

And so if I have doubts, that’s not just a me problem, that’s a me faith problem. Because the strength of salvation, the power of God to defeat sin is only possible through God. And so if I doubt his blessings and yet I’m doing the right thing, I have sought his will at every turn, and I still have doubts, that means I am doubting God or putting way too much stock into myself. And so I want to address these different types of issues this morning. One of them is very simple. If you’ve never sought God’s forgiveness, please recognize that you could talk with anyone here. Find me, find Ken, find the elders. We would be glad to go through what Jesus says is necessary to be wiped from the stain of sin.

1. God Offers Forgiveness

But in these second two categories, if you know you’re not doing what God demands, and we’re going to look at some of those things this morning, please start doing them now. Seek God’s forgiveness and start today. But really, when it comes to this trust, this faith problem, I know no one lesson can solve a crisis of faith. But maybe we can see what God wants us to be, how He wants us to get there. And in so doing, defeat the one who’s putting the stranglehold on us, the adversary, the devil. As we look in the book of 1 John, there are several keys to confidence. One of them is to be willing to seek and understand that God offers forgiveness. Look at me in 1 John chapter 1.

Now, one critical component to studying the book of 1 John is that John is writing this to a Christian audience. This was not necessarily a book written to a foreign city that was to be read in the square for no one who had ever heard about Jesus. This was for Christ’s followers. And that’s a helpful message for us this morning, because hopefully we’re in that camp as well. In 1 John chapter 1, we’ll even pick up in verse 5. This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 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 cleanses us from all sin.

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar. And his word is not in us. My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. Now, underline verse 2, 8,000 times in your Bible. Jesus did not just die for those who already have it all together.

Jesus didn’t die for the pinnacles of faith, Abraham, Moses, and once he got it together, Peter. Jesus died, verse 2 for the sins of the whole world. And in case you doubt that application, keeping in mind this was written to Christians, note what he says. Jesus didn’t just die for our sins, but for the sins of the whole world. That means Jesus died for the most militant atheist that our society has in 2019. That means Jesus died for the worst murderer that you can name in history or in this lifetime. And what that means for me is, if Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, that he died for me too. And that is a sobering fact. When the women saw in the tomb that it was empty, and they were told, why do you seek the living from the dead?

They went and they told the apostles about it. The apostles didn’t believe Peter went to check it out. He rose and went. And his life was changed because he knew Jesus was resurrected from the dead. And if that was possible, all things for him were possible. There was no obstacle that could overthrow him. Nothing that could overcome him, because Jesus had paid the price for victory. And so this morning, when I think about the fact that Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, I recognize two important facts. One is God is much stronger than I am. He will always be greater and stronger than I am, and that means that I can’t overrule God. And whether I feel like it this morning or not, the scripture is plain that Jesus died for the sins of the world.

It’s not a question of deserving it. We didn’t. The answer is in. The survey is set. No one deserved Jesus to die, but he came and died anyway. At the hand of God’s great plan. And so when you look at verse 1, then you say, well, but I do sin. But even though I’ve sought God’s forgiveness, even though I’ve changed my life, I keep on sinning. Verse 1, my little children, I’m writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with Jesus Christ the righteous. He is our advocate for the Father. Think about that. Not only did Jesus die for our sins, not only was he buried and resurrected so that we might live, we might have a resurrection.

He is a constant advocate. What is an advocate? But someone who’s in your corner. Someone who works with and for you. Jesus, the righteous, is the advocate of the Christians who have sinned. That is amazing. God’s plan works in a way men would never devise. We see somebody wrong us and we write them off. We keep them at a distance. God understands that there will be temptations of sin. And because of that, may we never underscore the seriousness of sin. He says in verse 1 here, first and foremost, don’t sin. But may we also recognize that God has a plan for that. Go back to verse 8 of chapter 1. God says, if we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

But God in verse 9 has an answer. Who is it that’s faithful? Who is it that’s just? Who is it that is involved in the cleansing of sin? It’s not just me. It does say in verse 9, me, if we confess our sins, but who? God is faithful. Jesus is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from our unrighteousness. That is amazing. If these facts are true, this lesson alone is all the scriptures would need to teach us that we can have confidence in salvation. Why? Because God made it possible, and he will secure those who using verse 5 through 7 walk in the light. And so the first key to confidence is recognizing that God offers forgiveness. And so we should seek it out.

2. Be Willing to Keep God’s Commandments

Secondly, though, we have to be willing to keep God’s commandments. There’s five, by the way, there’s five, so we’re going to be going quicker. We have to be willing to keep God’s commandments. Pick up in verse 3 of chapter 2. And by this we know that we have come to know him if we keep his commandments. Whoever says, I know him but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps his word in him, truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him. Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. Now that’s pretty clear that one of the categories of someone who would doubt in salvation is that middle one we put on the power point, which is to say, maybe I know I’m not doing what God says.

1 John 2 says, that’s not the case for a true child of God. If you are a Christian, John says, act like it. A Christian walks like the Christ. If Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, going back to verse 1 again, don’t sin. Just because there is an advocate, just because there is forgiveness of sins possible in confession, doesn’t mean it’s okay or to be winked at. The Romans had this problem. We remember in Romans chapter 6, the passage on baptism, they were saying, well, wait a minute. Paul, you’re talking about how great grace is, how wonderful it is that God’s going to give us grace. Maybe if we sin more, we’ll get more grace. And Paul said, depending on your translation, may it never be.

Certainly not. And what he teaches not only is the need for baptism, not only the need to connect with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. But to recognize when you become a child of God, you are no longer slaves to sin, but you are slaves. We are slaves to righteousness. And that’s a game changer. Because that means as a slave, I do whatever my Lord commands, and that means sacrificing self. Maybe I don’t have confidence this morning because I’m still calling the shots. God says, that’s not how it works to follow me. Jesus says, you take my way, Matthew chapter 7, verse 13, which is the narrow way, and you stay off the broad way, and it’s better for you, but that is your choice.

Enter by the narrowed way that leads to life. Many are going to go in by the broad path that leads to destruction. The choice is ours. But be confident. Sacrifice your life the way Jesus did, in accordance with God’s will. Was it easy for Jesus to be crucified at the hands of lawless men? Not in the slightest. In Matthew 26, Jesus is praying three times. Lord, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. This is one of the phenomenal aspects of our advocate. He knows what our weaknesses are. At Hebrews chapter 4, we recognize we have a high priest who can sympathize with our needs, with our weaknesses. And so what that means is not that we have a license to sin, but rather we must make a commitment to rise above it.

3. Cut Sin Out of My Life

Consider with me thirdly. I have to cut sin out of my life. In 1 John chapter 2, going down to verse 15, notice what John tells him, and there’s a reason for this that goes beyond just don’t lose your soul, although that’s part of it. He says, Don’t make this trade. Here’s why the trade’s not in your favor. In verse 15, do not love the world or the things in the world. If you love the things of the world, the love of the Father is not in him. It’s an either or proposition again. But verse 16, for all that is in the world, the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.

Round two. Make a choice. You’re with God or you’re with the world. Verse 17, and the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. Three times, in three verses, John makes it clear. You can choose the world, but what’s going to happen to it? It’s going to be over. You can make that choice. You can choose the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life. But you’re making a foolish decision. Trust in God, verse 17. Whoever does the will of God abides forever. And so, how do we do the will of God? Cut out the sin. Jesus makes it clear how important this is. He said, if your eye causes you to sin, do what with it?

Kind of pat it nicely. Try to be better next time. He says, pluck it out. If your hand causes you to sin, what do you do? Wear thick gloves. Cut it off. If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It’s better to enter into eternal life blind or lame than to have your whole body cast into hell. The scriptures are also clear that while we should be confident in our salvation, we should be confident that rejecting God’s offer of salvation is an acceptance of an eternal torment away from him. And so that puts sin in a different category. It makes sin less funny. When I think about Romans 12, let love be without hypocrisy, abhor what is evil, cling to what is good. With an eternal mindset, it becomes very clear.

4. Live a Life Consumed by Love

The jokes, the television program, what you look at on the internet, that’s not worth it. You can choose it, verse 16. You can love the things of the world, verse 15. But verse 17, those things are going to recognize that involves a commitment to living for the next life. Not for the sins of this world that will so quickly pass away. So, two final points this morning. Another key to confidence. What do we do instead? Now that we’ve plucked out our eye, cut off our hand, and taken off our foot? Live a life consumed by love. In 1 John chapter 3, as you look down to verse 15, note why that might be. As you look at chapter 3 and verse 15, why might it be that we live a life consumed by love?

Because God has already laid down that pattern. God’s not asking us to do anything he hasn’t done. We’re not even touching the proverbial hymn of the garment that Jesus experienced while in our form on this earth. God first loved us. In 1 John chapter 3 and verse 15, everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has this world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk, but in deed and in truth.

By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him. For whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God. And whatever we ask, we receive from him because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment that we believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us by the Spirit whom he has given us. I want to point your attention to verse 24. Whoever keeps his commandments and abides in God, what does it say of God?

He abides in him. This morning, there is an opportunity for everyone. Because Jesus died for everyone. There’s an opportunity for each and every one of us, down to the man or woman. To have God abiding in you. That God can be abiding in me is astounding. It is unfathomable. And so what is the secret in verse 23? We believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ. And that we love one another just as He commanded us. A life of security, of confidence, is confident and secure because God put it there. Because God has promised salvation to those who seek him. He’s told us what you have to do to seek him. The only doubt would be on our end. God has never moved. God is there offering salvation to all.

He is like the Father in Luke chapter 15 of the prodigal son. He is waiting. He is watching, hoping his children come home. And so we say, well, it’s not just enough to cut out sin, and that’s true. But we have to live a life consumed by love. In 1 John chapter 4 and verse 7, beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God. And whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God because God is love. Verse 11, beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God abides in us, and his love is perfected in us. This is not an option.

This is a mandate of following after God. If we’re going to have security, we have to believe and follow after what the one who makes our salvation secure demands. And one final point.

5. The Victory That Has Overcome the World: Our Faith

In 1 John chapter 5, notice with me the first five verses. Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever’s been born of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world, and this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? That is the answer. God has said victory is possible in what? Verse 4. In our faith.

Conclusion

And so we’ve come back around. What is the reason for doubting in salvation if I if I don’t believe that I can know I can be with God today if my soul was required of me? If I was to stand before God in judgment, what kind of problem is it? It’s not a God problem. He had a perfect plan of love. It’s not a Jesus problem. He was resurrected. The tomb was empty. It may not be a simple belief that he existed problem. It might be a faith that God will deliver on his promises problem. It might be that I think I’m too far gone for God problem. If Jesus did die for the sins of the whole world, and I’m a part of it. If he is an advocate, Jesus Christ the righteous for those that have sinned, even in the same verse of being told, but do not sin.

Know for certain God will heal you if you trust him enough to ask and sacrifice in love. What an amazing God we serve. Will you go to that God in prayer with me? Our dear God and most gracious and loving Heavenly Father, we approach your throne humbly recognizing how broken and sinful we are, particularly apart from you. And yet you sent Jesus to die on the cross for the sins of the whole world. Thank you for your promise. Thank you for the deliverance of your promise that has broken down humbled individuals that we can be restored in your sight, that our garments can be cleansed, we can be pure and righteous as you demand and expect we be. Thank you for the sacrifice of Jesus. Thank you for your awesome show of power in raising him from the dead.

Thank you for all those who fought so long and hard to proclaim the good news of the gospel that salvation is possible because of our crucified and resurrected Lord. May we trust you always. May we put our faith in you continually. Forgive us of when we stumble, forgive us of when we sin, forgive us of when we doubt. Help us to be pleasing in your sight, committed to your will, and stand up to fight the fight of faith. Thank you for the victory, dear Lord. May we always be confident and secure, as you have promised and you want for your your children. We pray all these things in Jesus the resurrected Christ’s name. Amen.