1 00:00:00,560 –> 00:00:05,560 You are truly a remarkable group of students. 2 00:00:06,680 –> 00:00:07,640 And I’ll tell you why, 3 00:00:07,640 –> 00:00:10,880 we’ve been in two sessions 4 00:00:10,880 –> 00:00:13,080 from one of the toughest passages 5 00:00:13,080 –> 00:00:14,360 in all of the New Testament, 6 00:00:14,360 –> 00:00:17,000 and here you all are, and you’ve come back for more. 7 00:00:17,000 –> 00:00:20,180 I think that is absolutely remarkable. 8 00:00:20,180 –> 00:00:22,360 Now, I hope that you will feel 9 00:00:22,360 –> 00:00:25,440 that your perseverance is rewarded tonight, 10 00:00:25,440 –> 00:00:29,600 because tonight is all about encompasses. 11 00:00:29,600 –> 00:00:32,639 So an amen for that, all about encouragement. 12 00:00:32,639 –> 00:00:33,740 We need encouragement. 13 00:00:33,740 –> 00:00:36,759 Remember that Hebrews is addressed 14 00:00:36,759 –> 00:00:40,119 to three distinct audiences. 15 00:00:40,119 –> 00:00:44,240 We met first the character that I’m describing 16 00:00:44,240 –> 00:00:47,680 as drifting, has not really grasped 17 00:00:47,680 –> 00:00:50,000 the basic principles of the Word of God 18 00:00:50,000 –> 00:00:53,380 and needs to know why he needs Jesus. 19 00:00:53,380 –> 00:00:56,520 Then, last night we looked at the second character 20 00:00:56,520 –> 00:00:58,439 addressed in Hebrews and chapter six, 21 00:00:58,700 –> 00:01:01,160 her pretty and defiant who resists Jesus. 22 00:01:01,160 –> 00:01:03,619 And that awful phrase that is used 23 00:01:03,619 –> 00:01:07,639 that she crucifies the son of God again. 24 00:01:07,639 –> 00:01:10,120 And Hebrews says it is impossible, 25 00:01:10,120 –> 00:01:13,919 impossible to restore her to repentance. 26 00:01:13,919 –> 00:01:15,440 And we saw last night that the point 27 00:01:15,440 –> 00:01:18,559 that is being made here in these difficult verses 28 00:01:18,559 –> 00:01:22,879 in Hebrews and chapter six is actually a very simple one. 29 00:01:22,879 –> 00:01:25,599 It is, let me put it this way, 30 00:01:26,459 –> 00:01:27,419 it’s impossible to go east 31 00:01:27,419 –> 00:01:30,699 while you are still running west. 32 00:01:30,699 –> 00:01:34,260 If you want to go east you need to stop running west 33 00:01:34,260 –> 00:01:36,699 and then it will be possible for you to go east, 34 00:01:36,699 –> 00:01:38,379 but as long as you’re running west 35 00:01:38,379 –> 00:01:39,980 it’s not possible to go east. 36 00:01:39,980 –> 00:01:42,400 And in the same way it is impossible 37 00:01:42,400 –> 00:01:44,699 to be restored while a person is running away 38 00:01:44,699 –> 00:01:45,699 from Jesus Christ. 39 00:01:45,699 –> 00:01:47,900 Just can’t happen because Jesus Christ 40 00:01:47,900 –> 00:01:49,459 is the only one who can restore you. 41 00:01:49,459 –> 00:01:54,300 So by definition restoration becomes possible 42 00:01:54,360 –> 00:01:56,559 when a person stops running away from Jesus. 43 00:01:56,559 –> 00:01:59,720 Restoration, forgiveness, peace and joy 44 00:01:59,720 –> 00:02:01,300 are available to all. 45 00:02:01,300 –> 00:02:04,820 But they are available to all in Jesus Christ 46 00:02:04,820 –> 00:02:07,559 and cannot be found without him. 47 00:02:07,559 –> 00:02:11,220 So none of us has the ability to restore ourselves. 48 00:02:11,220 –> 00:02:15,039 Only Christ can restore, so stop defying him. 49 00:02:15,039 –> 00:02:18,860 There is always grace in and through our Lord Jesus Christ 50 00:02:18,860 –> 00:02:20,240 for all who will come to him, 51 00:02:20,240 –> 00:02:23,300 no matter how defiant a person has been 52 00:02:23,419 –> 00:02:25,000 for how long. 53 00:02:25,000 –> 00:02:28,600 But grace is found in Jesus and in Jesus alone. 54 00:02:28,600 –> 00:02:31,460 Now tonight we turn a corner 55 00:02:31,460 –> 00:02:33,940 from these first two characters. 56 00:02:33,940 –> 00:02:36,679 Drifting really needs to be challenged, 57 00:02:36,679 –> 00:02:40,639 a defiant really needs to be warned 58 00:02:40,639 –> 00:02:43,440 and tonight we’re going to meet a third character doubting 59 00:02:43,440 –> 00:02:47,039 who really, really needs to be encouraged. 60 00:02:47,039 –> 00:02:48,520 That’s where we’re going tonight. 61 00:02:48,520 –> 00:02:50,559 Now I think that some of you 62 00:02:50,759 –> 00:02:54,320 are going to identify with this third character, 63 00:02:54,320 –> 00:02:56,940 doubting, doubting as, let me introduce him, 64 00:02:56,940 –> 00:03:01,800 grew up also in church and professed faith early in life. 65 00:03:01,800 –> 00:03:06,279 He loves Jesus Christ and has a great desire to serve him 66 00:03:06,279 –> 00:03:11,279 but he feels that he falls a long way short. 67 00:03:11,399 –> 00:03:12,899 That’s what you feel, 68 00:03:12,899 –> 00:03:15,559 then you’re immediately connected to this character. 69 00:03:15,559 –> 00:03:19,080 His friends, doubting friends all seem to him 70 00:03:19,160 –> 00:03:22,500 to be more gifted than he is, more disciplined than he is 71 00:03:22,500 –> 00:03:25,800 and more godly than he is as well. 72 00:03:25,800 –> 00:03:27,800 And when doubting looks at his own life, 73 00:03:27,800 –> 00:03:31,460 he wonders why he has not made greater progress. 74 00:03:31,460 –> 00:03:33,880 His prayers seem terribly feeble, 75 00:03:33,880 –> 00:03:37,240 his grasp of scripture seems to be quite limited. 76 00:03:37,240 –> 00:03:40,039 He wishes that he could be more effective in evangelism 77 00:03:40,039 –> 00:03:41,399 but he’s actually quite shy. 78 00:03:41,399 –> 00:03:45,479 He doesn’t find it easy to speak to others about the gospel. 79 00:03:45,479 –> 00:03:47,440 He wishes he had greater faith 80 00:03:47,460 –> 00:03:50,960 but he lives with an awful lot of anxiety 81 00:03:50,960 –> 00:03:53,160 and sometimes he therefore wonders 82 00:03:53,160 –> 00:03:56,160 is he really a Christian? 83 00:03:56,160 –> 00:03:58,240 And his own sense of insecurity 84 00:03:58,240 –> 00:04:01,839 is made worse by the fact that he does know some people 85 00:04:01,839 –> 00:04:04,380 who once professed faith and then have drifted away 86 00:04:04,380 –> 00:04:07,020 or even denied the faith or become defiant. 87 00:04:07,020 –> 00:04:09,179 And so sometimes he scratches his head and says, 88 00:04:09,179 –> 00:04:13,619 well am I drifting or am I defiant? 89 00:04:13,639 –> 00:04:14,679 And he remains defiant. 90 00:04:15,600 –> 00:04:18,079 Now, I want you to see straight away this evening 91 00:04:18,079 –> 00:04:22,959 that doubting and drifting are very different indeed. 92 00:04:23,839 –> 00:04:27,480 Drifting, remember, thinks of himself as a good person, 93 00:04:27,480 –> 00:04:30,859 hasn’t really grasped why he needs Jesus. 94 00:04:30,859 –> 00:04:35,339 Doubting, on the other hand, knows that he is a sinner 95 00:04:35,339 –> 00:04:38,380 and in fact, that painful reality presses in 96 00:04:38,380 –> 00:04:42,700 on doubting’s mind and conscience just about every day. 97 00:04:42,700 –> 00:04:47,700 Another difference is that while drifting questions God, 98 00:04:48,019 –> 00:04:53,019 what doubting really does is to question himself. 99 00:04:53,200 –> 00:04:56,579 Doubting knows and believes that Jesus is the savior, 100 00:04:56,579 –> 00:04:59,540 he believes that he would be saved 101 00:04:59,540 –> 00:05:00,899 if he really belonged to him. 102 00:05:00,899 –> 00:05:04,779 But that’s the question for doubting, am I really his? 103 00:05:04,779 –> 00:05:07,220 Is my faith genuine? 104 00:05:07,220 –> 00:05:08,420 These are the questions 105 00:05:08,420 –> 00:05:13,140 to which doubting cannot find a settled answer. 106 00:05:13,140 –> 00:05:14,500 And I want you to see as well, 107 00:05:14,500 –> 00:05:18,220 because this is important that doubting and defiant 108 00:05:18,220 –> 00:05:20,820 are in a very different position as well. 109 00:05:20,820 –> 00:05:24,299 Defiant, remember, wants nothing to do with God. 110 00:05:24,299 –> 00:05:26,459 He is as it were holding up the straight arm 111 00:05:26,459 –> 00:05:30,359 towards Jesus Christ, the straight arm of resistance. 112 00:05:30,359 –> 00:05:34,000 But doubting’s not there, doubting wishes, 113 00:05:34,000 –> 00:05:37,420 wishes to be closer to the Lord, 114 00:05:37,440 –> 00:05:40,380 wants to be a better Christian, 115 00:05:40,380 –> 00:05:44,440 and fears that he may actually just be a big disappointment 116 00:05:44,440 –> 00:05:45,880 in the eyes of God. 117 00:05:45,880 –> 00:05:48,339 So let me give you a quick summary. 118 00:05:48,339 –> 00:05:51,440 So we’ve got the profile of doubting clear in our mind. 119 00:05:51,440 –> 00:05:53,880 Doubting knows that he is a sinner, 120 00:05:53,880 –> 00:05:56,640 so that’s very different from drifting. 121 00:05:56,640 –> 00:05:58,559 Wants to be closer to God, 122 00:05:58,559 –> 00:06:01,079 which is exactly the opposite of defiant, 123 00:06:01,079 –> 00:06:03,140 who wants to go the other way. 124 00:06:03,140 –> 00:06:08,140 But doubting fears that he may not be a true Christian. 125 00:06:08,320 –> 00:06:10,799 Am I the real deal? 126 00:06:12,079 –> 00:06:14,839 Now, with that profile, I want to encourage from the Bible, 127 00:06:14,839 –> 00:06:16,559 from Hebrews in chapter six tonight, 128 00:06:16,559 –> 00:06:19,359 the person who doubts. 129 00:06:19,359 –> 00:06:22,040 The person who battles with fear. 130 00:06:22,040 –> 00:06:24,359 The person who sometimes looks at others 131 00:06:24,359 –> 00:06:26,420 who seem to be making more progress and says, 132 00:06:26,420 –> 00:06:30,959 well am I really a genuine Christian at all? 133 00:06:31,959 –> 00:06:34,779 The session is especially for you. 134 00:06:34,779 –> 00:06:37,679 Now, doubting has faith, 135 00:06:37,679 –> 00:06:41,739 but does not have assurance. 136 00:06:41,739 –> 00:06:45,260 That’s at the heart of understanding this character 137 00:06:45,260 –> 00:06:48,820 who is addressed in Hebrews and chapter six. 138 00:06:48,820 –> 00:06:50,619 And the heart of assurance is this. 139 00:06:50,619 –> 00:06:55,619 Assurance is really the comfort and the peace and the joy 140 00:06:55,779 –> 00:06:59,679 of knowing that Jesus Christ is yours 141 00:07:00,399 –> 00:07:03,579 and that you are His forever. 142 00:07:03,579 –> 00:07:05,940 And notice that Hebrews speaks of this 143 00:07:05,940 –> 00:07:07,399 in chapter six and verse 11. 144 00:07:07,399 –> 00:07:12,119 “‘We desire each one of you to show the same earnestness 145 00:07:12,119 –> 00:07:13,119 to have,’ to have what? 146 00:07:13,119 –> 00:07:18,100 The full assurance of hope until the end. 147 00:07:18,100 –> 00:07:20,980 We want you,’ the writer to the Hebrews says, 148 00:07:20,980 –> 00:07:25,980 “‘to have this full assurance of hope until the end. 149 00:07:25,980 –> 00:07:28,239 We want you to have it.’” 150 00:07:28,239 –> 00:07:31,500 Now here are four observations from that simple statement. 151 00:07:31,500 –> 00:07:34,760 The first is that assurance is possible. 152 00:07:34,760 –> 00:07:38,600 God wants you to have the full assurance of hope. 153 00:07:38,600 –> 00:07:41,660 God wants you to have a joyful confidence 154 00:07:41,660 –> 00:07:46,660 and expectation of all that is yours in Jesus Christ. 155 00:07:46,660 –> 00:07:50,980 Second, assurance is possible now. 156 00:07:50,980 –> 00:07:53,459 See, some Christians have figured 157 00:07:53,459 –> 00:07:56,440 that since perseverance is the evidence 158 00:07:56,459 –> 00:07:59,100 that faith is genuine, that one would therefore 159 00:07:59,100 –> 00:08:01,100 have to wait until the end of one’s life 160 00:08:01,100 –> 00:08:04,579 to find out if one really is a true Christian or not. 161 00:08:04,579 –> 00:08:07,459 But notice that that is not what is said here. 162 00:08:07,459 –> 00:08:09,299 Hebrews speaks of an assurance, 163 00:08:09,299 –> 00:08:12,320 not an assurance that you enjoy at the end, 164 00:08:12,320 –> 00:08:16,140 but an assurance that you enjoy until the end. 165 00:08:16,140 –> 00:08:19,179 In other words, a confidence that Christ is yours 166 00:08:19,179 –> 00:08:21,179 and you are his that you can enjoy 167 00:08:21,179 –> 00:08:22,519 throughout your Christian life. 168 00:08:22,519 –> 00:08:24,420 That’s what we want you to have 169 00:08:24,579 –> 00:08:27,380 is what the writer to Hebrews is saying. 170 00:08:28,380 –> 00:08:30,260 Third observation, 171 00:08:30,260 –> 00:08:35,119 Christians have different degrees of assurance. 172 00:08:35,119 –> 00:08:37,840 Notice that he says we desire, 173 00:08:37,840 –> 00:08:39,700 so something that’s not yet the case, 174 00:08:39,700 –> 00:08:41,099 but this is what we want, 175 00:08:41,099 –> 00:08:43,979 that each one of you will have this. 176 00:08:43,979 –> 00:08:47,099 Very clearly that indicates that at least at that point 177 00:08:47,099 –> 00:08:49,760 some of the Hebrew believers did not yet have it 178 00:08:49,760 –> 00:08:52,820 or that they had it in differing degrees. 179 00:08:53,059 –> 00:08:55,739 And so some Christians will enjoy, 180 00:08:55,739 –> 00:08:59,320 do enjoy greater assurance than others 181 00:08:59,320 –> 00:09:01,739 and therefore by definition this is an area 182 00:09:01,739 –> 00:09:03,380 in which each and every one of us 183 00:09:03,380 –> 00:09:07,099 in chapel here tonight can grow. 184 00:09:07,099 –> 00:09:09,559 Fourthly, good news, 185 00:09:09,559 –> 00:09:12,619 believers who lack assurance 186 00:09:12,619 –> 00:09:16,440 still belong to Jesus Christ. 187 00:09:16,440 –> 00:09:18,780 Now this is where the turn in Hebrews 188 00:09:18,780 –> 00:09:20,580 is really, really important. 189 00:09:20,580 –> 00:09:21,659 What has the writer done? 190 00:09:21,659 –> 00:09:24,659 He’s challenged the drifter. 191 00:09:24,659 –> 00:09:27,479 He’s warned the defiant. 192 00:09:28,419 –> 00:09:30,219 But now the writer to the Hebrews 193 00:09:30,219 –> 00:09:33,219 turns to those who lack assurance 194 00:09:33,219 –> 00:09:34,580 and there’s a very different tone. 195 00:09:34,580 –> 00:09:36,320 It’s not challenge, it’s not warning, 196 00:09:36,320 –> 00:09:37,960 it’s encouragement. 197 00:09:38,859 –> 00:09:40,080 Look at verse nine. 198 00:09:40,080 –> 00:09:41,960 Though we speak in this way, 199 00:09:41,960 –> 00:09:43,659 that’s the way that we’ve been speaking 200 00:09:43,659 –> 00:09:45,219 over these last two sessions 201 00:09:45,219 –> 00:09:47,219 in the verses we’ve covered, 202 00:09:47,219 –> 00:09:50,880 yet in your case, beloved, 203 00:09:50,960 –> 00:09:54,359 we feel sure of better things. 204 00:09:54,359 –> 00:09:56,020 That’s better things than drifting 205 00:09:56,020 –> 00:09:57,820 and better things than defiant. 206 00:09:57,820 –> 00:10:00,679 Things that belong to salvation. 207 00:10:00,679 –> 00:10:03,320 In other words, drifting and defiant 208 00:10:03,320 –> 00:10:06,320 were in great spiritual danger, 209 00:10:06,320 –> 00:10:09,359 but doubting is safe 210 00:10:09,359 –> 00:10:13,820 despite his or her many fears. 211 00:10:13,820 –> 00:10:15,080 In the case of doubting, 212 00:10:15,080 –> 00:10:16,880 the writer to the Hebrews is saying 213 00:10:16,880 –> 00:10:19,400 we’re sure of better things. 214 00:10:19,400 –> 00:10:24,039 Things that belong to salvation. 215 00:10:24,039 –> 00:10:26,840 Now what this is making very clear to us 216 00:10:26,840 –> 00:10:29,020 is that it is possible then 217 00:10:30,039 –> 00:10:34,460 to have faith without assurance 218 00:10:35,520 –> 00:10:38,440 and if you are doubting, 219 00:10:38,440 –> 00:10:41,659 it will really help you to understand 220 00:10:41,659 –> 00:10:44,179 and grasp this important distinction. 221 00:10:44,179 –> 00:10:45,900 Let me put it to you like this. 222 00:10:46,880 –> 00:10:51,140 Faith is knowing that Jesus saves. 223 00:10:52,140 –> 00:10:56,900 Assurance is knowing that Jesus has saved you, 224 00:10:56,900 –> 00:10:58,960 that’s the distinction. 225 00:10:58,960 –> 00:11:03,700 Faith says Jesus is the good shepherd. 226 00:11:03,700 –> 00:11:08,700 Assurance says I am one of his sheep. 227 00:11:09,659 –> 00:11:12,340 Now obviously these are closely related 228 00:11:12,340 –> 00:11:14,260 but it should be clear to all of us 229 00:11:14,280 –> 00:11:17,419 that they are not the same thing. 230 00:11:17,419 –> 00:11:22,419 Doubting can say I believe that Christ is the good shepherd 231 00:11:22,859 –> 00:11:25,359 and if I really belonged to him, 232 00:11:25,359 –> 00:11:28,960 I know that I would thereby be safe forever. 233 00:11:28,960 –> 00:11:30,780 But the problem that doubting faces 234 00:11:30,780 –> 00:11:34,859 is a doubt and a questioning in regards to him or herself. 235 00:11:34,859 –> 00:11:37,039 Am I really one of Christ’s sheep? 236 00:11:37,039 –> 00:11:40,059 He or she believes that Christ is the savior 237 00:11:40,059 –> 00:11:43,419 but doubts him or herself. 238 00:11:43,460 –> 00:11:47,979 Now, the good news is that people 239 00:11:47,979 –> 00:11:49,979 who look to Jesus Christ with faith 240 00:11:49,979 –> 00:11:54,859 but lack assurance will be saved. 241 00:11:54,859 –> 00:11:59,479 Doubting may be surprised to find himself in heaven 242 00:11:59,479 –> 00:12:01,419 but he will be there. 243 00:12:01,419 –> 00:12:04,099 He will be there alongside brothers and sisters 244 00:12:04,099 –> 00:12:06,460 who enjoyed a much greater degree of assurance 245 00:12:06,460 –> 00:12:09,299 throughout their lives. 246 00:12:09,299 –> 00:12:11,659 Let me try and illustrate the point this way. 247 00:12:12,440 –> 00:12:14,299 Friend of mine by the name of Charles Price 248 00:12:14,299 –> 00:12:17,679 tells this story about the first time 249 00:12:17,679 –> 00:12:21,119 he ever flew on an airplane. 250 00:12:21,119 –> 00:12:22,979 And as he boarded the plane, 251 00:12:22,979 –> 00:12:27,979 he found himself seated in the middle seat of three, 252 00:12:28,219 –> 00:12:32,780 and next to the window sat an old lady 253 00:12:32,780 –> 00:12:35,599 who looked really nervous. 254 00:12:35,599 –> 00:12:40,559 And on the aisle side, there was a business person 255 00:12:40,559 –> 00:12:45,559 who looked like he had taken 1,000 flights before. 256 00:12:46,159 –> 00:12:49,080 So the story rolls on. 257 00:12:49,080 –> 00:12:51,179 As the plane took off, 258 00:12:51,179 –> 00:12:54,140 businessman takes out his newspaper. 259 00:12:54,140 –> 00:12:57,520 Charles in his first flight just holds on 260 00:12:57,520 –> 00:13:00,119 a little tentatively to the armrests, 261 00:13:00,119 –> 00:13:03,020 the lady reaches for the barf bag. 262 00:13:03,020 –> 00:13:04,640 Lunch is served. 263 00:13:04,640 –> 00:13:06,900 The businessman eats the whole lot. 264 00:13:06,900 –> 00:13:08,700 Charles eats half of his, 265 00:13:08,859 –> 00:13:12,039 the old lady leaves her entirely untouched. 266 00:13:12,039 –> 00:13:15,380 Now, I know this is sounding like the Goldilocks story, 267 00:13:15,380 –> 00:13:17,039 but here’s the point. 268 00:13:17,880 –> 00:13:19,979 All three of the passengers arrived 269 00:13:19,979 –> 00:13:21,859 in the same place at the same time. 270 00:13:23,140 –> 00:13:25,719 They were all equally safe, 271 00:13:26,659 –> 00:13:31,380 but they had very different experiences on the journey. 272 00:13:31,380 –> 00:13:33,080 That’s the distinction. 273 00:13:33,080 –> 00:13:35,859 Now, this simple, little story illustrates, 274 00:13:35,859 –> 00:13:38,400 I think, the difference between faith and assurance. 275 00:13:38,400 –> 00:13:40,619 Faith is like getting into the plane. 276 00:13:40,619 –> 00:13:43,599 Faith is what gets you in Christ. 277 00:13:43,599 –> 00:13:46,679 Assurance is enjoying the journey. 278 00:13:46,679 –> 00:13:49,799 Faith joins you to Jesus, and in Christ, 279 00:13:49,799 –> 00:13:52,119 you will arrive safely in heaven, 280 00:13:52,119 –> 00:13:54,039 no matter how tentative and nervous 281 00:13:54,039 –> 00:13:57,119 you are along the way. 282 00:13:57,119 –> 00:14:02,119 Your salvation does not rest on the degree of peace and joy 283 00:14:03,020 –> 00:14:05,320 that you experienced during your Christian life. 284 00:14:05,320 –> 00:14:10,219 You are justified by faith, not by assurance. 285 00:14:10,219 –> 00:14:13,080 But the degree of assurance that you have 286 00:14:13,080 –> 00:14:15,099 will make a very big difference indeed 287 00:14:15,099 –> 00:14:17,020 to your experience of the Christian life, 288 00:14:17,020 –> 00:14:18,599 and so, the writer to Hebrews says 289 00:14:18,599 –> 00:14:20,659 what we really desire is that you should have 290 00:14:20,659 –> 00:14:22,700 the full assurance of hope, 291 00:14:22,700 –> 00:14:24,119 because that’s going to be a great blessing. 292 00:14:24,119 –> 00:14:25,799 It’s going to be a great joy to you 293 00:14:25,799 –> 00:14:29,479 throughout your Christian life. 294 00:14:29,479 –> 00:14:32,780 So, two questions that I want to address today. 295 00:14:32,780 –> 00:14:35,179 The first, with some simple observations 296 00:14:35,179 –> 00:14:38,500 and the second directly out of these verses from Hebrews. 297 00:14:38,500 –> 00:14:41,179 First question, why do some people 298 00:14:41,179 –> 00:14:44,440 struggle with doubt and fear more than others? 299 00:14:44,440 –> 00:14:47,960 Second question, if you are doubting, 300 00:14:47,960 –> 00:14:52,200 how can you grow in assurance? 301 00:14:53,159 –> 00:14:55,500 Now first then, why is it that some people 302 00:14:55,500 –> 00:14:58,000 struggle with doubt and with various fears 303 00:14:58,000 –> 00:14:59,940 in the Christian life more than others? 304 00:14:59,940 –> 00:15:02,599 Why is it that the degree of assurance 305 00:15:02,659 –> 00:15:05,880 that people experience, that Christians experience, 306 00:15:05,880 –> 00:15:08,119 varies significantly? 307 00:15:08,119 –> 00:15:09,679 And there are a number of factors 308 00:15:09,679 –> 00:15:11,460 and I think you may find it helpful 309 00:15:11,460 –> 00:15:14,179 just to give them some consideration. 310 00:15:15,099 –> 00:15:17,700 The first is that your temperament 311 00:15:17,700 –> 00:15:20,140 will in some degree likely affect 312 00:15:20,140 –> 00:15:22,400 your experience of assurance. 313 00:15:23,280 –> 00:15:28,039 Some people find it very hard to be sure about anything. 314 00:15:29,080 –> 00:15:31,400 And if that is your nature, 315 00:15:31,460 –> 00:15:34,200 then it should not surprise you 316 00:15:34,200 –> 00:15:37,059 that you find it difficult to be sure 317 00:15:37,059 –> 00:15:38,599 in regards to your salvation 318 00:15:38,599 –> 00:15:40,719 and that you have many questions about yourself 319 00:15:40,719 –> 00:15:42,900 and that you find yourself doubting. 320 00:15:43,960 –> 00:15:48,559 When I have an opportunity to speak to a believer who doubts 321 00:15:48,559 –> 00:15:50,359 I sometimes just ask them 322 00:15:50,359 –> 00:15:53,780 about major decisions they have made. 323 00:15:53,780 –> 00:15:56,119 So for example, if they’re married, 324 00:15:56,119 –> 00:15:59,979 I’ll ask them how sure were they about making that decision? 325 00:16:00,979 –> 00:16:04,380 And often what I’ll find is that the person will say, 326 00:16:04,380 –> 00:16:06,500 actually I struggled to get to a settled decision 327 00:16:06,500 –> 00:16:08,440 over that for quite a long time indeed. 328 00:16:09,659 –> 00:16:12,020 How sure were you about coming to Taylor? 329 00:16:13,179 –> 00:16:17,559 How long did it take you to get to a settled decision 330 00:16:17,559 –> 00:16:18,919 in that regard? 331 00:16:19,979 –> 00:16:22,340 How sure are you right now about the career 332 00:16:22,340 –> 00:16:23,900 that you should pursue? 333 00:16:23,900 –> 00:16:26,299 You’re here to prepare for something. 334 00:16:26,299 –> 00:16:28,820 A key part of these years 335 00:16:28,820 –> 00:16:33,020 is discovering what it is that you are preparing for. 336 00:16:33,020 –> 00:16:37,619 Now, if doubting shows up in other areas of your life, 337 00:16:37,619 –> 00:16:40,460 please then don’t be too surprised 338 00:16:40,460 –> 00:16:44,619 if it shows up in relation to your walk with God. 339 00:16:44,619 –> 00:16:46,940 Remind yourself very simply 340 00:16:46,940 –> 00:16:51,179 that this is an area of vulnerability for you 341 00:16:51,179 –> 00:16:56,179 and then thank God that your salvation 342 00:16:56,859 –> 00:17:00,159 rests on the strength of your savior 343 00:17:00,159 –> 00:17:03,520 and not on the strength of your assurance. 344 00:17:04,619 –> 00:17:09,619 And then secondly, how you came to faith 345 00:17:10,520 –> 00:17:15,520 may effect your experience in regards to assurance. 346 00:17:15,819 –> 00:17:19,140 Some people and some among us here tonight 347 00:17:19,140 –> 00:17:24,140 will have a very clear, marked and decisive conversion. 348 00:17:26,900 –> 00:17:29,239 You know where you were, 349 00:17:29,239 –> 00:17:32,359 when it was that you came to faith in Jesus 350 00:17:32,359 –> 00:17:35,180 and there was a marked difference 351 00:17:35,180 –> 00:17:37,760 between the person you were before 352 00:17:37,760 –> 00:17:40,599 and the person you have become since 353 00:17:40,599 –> 00:17:43,439 you’re coming to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 354 00:17:43,439 –> 00:17:46,099 But for others of us 355 00:17:46,099 –> 00:17:51,099 and this would be true also in the experience of many, 356 00:17:51,459 –> 00:17:54,599 your story is much more gradual. 357 00:17:54,619 –> 00:17:59,619 God formed faith in you over a period of time 358 00:18:00,199 –> 00:18:04,300 and you can’t pinpoint a decisive moment 359 00:18:04,300 –> 00:18:06,140 and sometimes that bothers you. 360 00:18:06,140 –> 00:18:09,420 It makes you wonder, well now, am I the real deal 361 00:18:09,420 –> 00:18:12,140 or is there actually something missing for me? 362 00:18:13,520 –> 00:18:16,280 Now, if that’s your position 363 00:18:16,280 –> 00:18:19,699 then it’s very important for you to remember 364 00:18:19,739 –> 00:18:24,739 that you’re simple and very gradual conversion 365 00:18:24,780 –> 00:18:27,560 is a miracle of grace. 366 00:18:29,000 –> 00:18:34,000 By nature, you were dead towards God, 367 00:18:34,260 –> 00:18:37,380 that’s Ephesians 2 and verse one, 368 00:18:37,380 –> 00:18:41,060 and if God had not raised you to spiritual life, 369 00:18:41,060 –> 00:18:44,459 you would never have believed in him at all. 370 00:18:44,459 –> 00:18:47,699 By nature, your heart was rebellious 371 00:18:47,699 –> 00:18:52,540 and if Christ had not made you gradually his own, 372 00:18:52,540 –> 00:18:55,880 if he had not done this work of grace in your life 373 00:18:55,880 –> 00:18:59,420 that he’s done, who knows where you would have been by now 374 00:18:59,420 –> 00:19:02,020 and what you would have done by now. 375 00:19:03,020 –> 00:19:07,219 Saul of Tarsus had a dramatic conversion 376 00:19:07,219 –> 00:19:09,560 on the Damascus road, 377 00:19:09,560 –> 00:19:12,099 of Lydia in the New Testament, 378 00:19:12,099 –> 00:19:17,099 we simply read the Lord opened her heart. 379 00:19:18,640 –> 00:19:23,079 These two experiences were radically different, 380 00:19:23,079 –> 00:19:27,520 but the miracle was exactly the same, 381 00:19:27,520 –> 00:19:31,219 so thank God for what he has done in your life 382 00:19:31,219 –> 00:19:35,780 and resist the temptation to compare your story 383 00:19:35,780 –> 00:19:38,359 with the more dramatic experiences 384 00:19:38,359 –> 00:19:43,300 that others of your brothers and sisters may have had. 385 00:19:43,300 –> 00:19:45,060 And then thirdly, 386 00:19:45,060 –> 00:19:47,099 trying to identify some factors 387 00:19:47,260 –> 00:19:49,699 as to why experiences of assurance vary. 388 00:19:49,699 –> 00:19:51,500 And a third factor very obviously 389 00:19:51,500 –> 00:19:54,420 is that the strength of your faith 390 00:19:54,420 –> 00:19:58,699 will be a factor in your experience of assurance. 391 00:19:58,699 –> 00:20:01,920 Remember that Jesus spoke about great faith, 392 00:20:01,920 –> 00:20:04,479 I’ve not seen such great faith in all of Israel, 393 00:20:04,479 –> 00:20:06,560 he said in regards to the centurion, 394 00:20:06,560 –> 00:20:08,099 and then once to the disciples he said, 395 00:20:08,099 –> 00:20:09,920 oh, you have little faith. 396 00:20:11,060 –> 00:20:15,640 So, the more your faith grows, 397 00:20:15,640 –> 00:20:20,640 the more assurance you are going to enjoy. 398 00:20:21,239 –> 00:20:24,619 Growing strengthening faith will lead into 399 00:20:24,619 –> 00:20:29,319 a greater experience and joy in regards to assurance. 400 00:20:31,180 –> 00:20:33,900 Now, how then can you grow in faith? 401 00:20:33,900 –> 00:20:35,339 How can you make progress? 402 00:20:35,339 –> 00:20:38,540 We desire, we desire that you’ll all 403 00:20:38,540 –> 00:20:40,900 have the full assurance of hope. 404 00:20:40,900 –> 00:20:42,380 Now, how can each one of us, 405 00:20:42,400 –> 00:20:45,979 wherever we are in terms of our experience of the journey, 406 00:20:45,979 –> 00:20:48,619 how can we know more of this assurance, 407 00:20:48,619 –> 00:20:50,339 this joy, this confidence, 408 00:20:50,339 –> 00:20:53,300 in regards to our own relationship 409 00:20:53,300 –> 00:20:55,500 with the Lord Jesus Christ? 410 00:20:55,500 –> 00:20:57,660 Well, let me point out these three things 411 00:20:57,660 –> 00:21:01,500 very simply from Hebrews in chapter six. 412 00:21:01,500 –> 00:21:05,939 First, there is a life for you to pursue, 413 00:21:05,939 –> 00:21:07,439 verse 10. 414 00:21:07,439 –> 00:21:12,439 God is not unjust so as to overlook your work 415 00:21:14,119 –> 00:21:17,640 and the love that you have shown for his name 416 00:21:17,640 –> 00:21:21,780 in serving the saints as you still do. 417 00:21:22,760 –> 00:21:26,040 And we saw earlier that the writer of Hebrews 418 00:21:26,040 –> 00:21:31,040 was confident that these believers were genuine Christians. 419 00:21:32,040 –> 00:21:35,400 We feel sure of better things in regards to you. 420 00:21:35,459 –> 00:21:37,859 Now, why was he sure of better things? 421 00:21:37,859 –> 00:21:40,300 Well, this verse is telling us. 422 00:21:40,300 –> 00:21:43,640 God is not so unjust as to overlook your work 423 00:21:43,640 –> 00:21:46,180 and the love that you have shown 424 00:21:46,180 –> 00:21:50,579 in serving the saints as you still do. 425 00:21:50,579 –> 00:21:54,300 So the writer is sure, that’s his word, 426 00:21:54,300 –> 00:21:56,540 that these people to whom he is now speaking, 427 00:21:56,540 –> 00:21:58,339 though they may have many doubts, 428 00:21:58,339 –> 00:22:02,020 they really are true Christians, genuine believers, why? 429 00:22:02,020 –> 00:22:05,780 Because he sees the marks of it in them, their work, 430 00:22:05,780 –> 00:22:07,239 their love 431 00:22:07,239 –> 00:22:10,739 and their serving of the saints. 432 00:22:10,739 –> 00:22:14,739 He sees the fruit of genuine faith in their lives 433 00:22:14,739 –> 00:22:16,819 and that’s why he is confident that they’re not drifting 434 00:22:16,819 –> 00:22:18,979 and they’re certainly not defiant, they may be doubting, 435 00:22:18,979 –> 00:22:20,199 but they are true believers. 436 00:22:20,199 –> 00:22:21,260 They have genuine faith, 437 00:22:21,260 –> 00:22:25,380 even if they do not have great assurance. 438 00:22:25,380 –> 00:22:26,540 And so verse 11, 439 00:22:26,540 –> 00:22:31,099 we desire that each one of you will show the same earnestness 440 00:22:31,119 –> 00:22:35,459 to have this full assurance of hope until the end. 441 00:22:35,459 –> 00:22:39,359 Now notice the phrase, show the same earnestness. 442 00:22:39,359 –> 00:22:43,119 In other words, this assurance is a goal for you 443 00:22:43,119 –> 00:22:45,219 to go after. 444 00:22:45,219 –> 00:22:48,020 It’s something for you to pursue. 445 00:22:48,020 –> 00:22:51,020 It is a life to which God calls you 446 00:22:51,020 –> 00:22:54,439 and you will grow in assurance as you pursue 447 00:22:54,439 –> 00:22:57,180 the life to which God is calling you. 448 00:22:57,180 –> 00:23:00,500 And the more, the distinguishing marks 449 00:23:00,520 –> 00:23:04,560 of a genuine believer grow and develop in your life, 450 00:23:04,560 –> 00:23:07,079 the more confident you will be 451 00:23:07,079 –> 00:23:11,280 that you really are one of Christ’s sheep. 452 00:23:11,280 –> 00:23:13,819 And the apostle John, as some of you will know well, 453 00:23:13,819 –> 00:23:17,199 draws out this theme, the distinctive marks 454 00:23:17,199 –> 00:23:20,500 by which a genuine believer is known. 455 00:23:20,500 –> 00:23:23,479 For example, 1 John chapter 2 in verse 3, 456 00:23:23,479 –> 00:23:26,660 by this we know that we’ve come to know Him. 457 00:23:26,660 –> 00:23:27,839 You see, that’s assurance there. 458 00:23:27,839 –> 00:23:30,079 This is how we know that we know Him. 459 00:23:30,079 –> 00:23:32,239 If we keep His commandments. 460 00:23:32,239 –> 00:23:34,079 1 John chapter 3 in verse 14. 461 00:23:34,079 –> 00:23:36,839 We know that we have passed from death to life 462 00:23:36,839 –> 00:23:39,260 because we love the brothers. 463 00:23:39,260 –> 00:23:41,079 That’s a distinguishing mark of a person 464 00:23:41,079 –> 00:23:42,680 who has genuine faith. 465 00:23:42,680 –> 00:23:45,180 Or 1 John chapter 4 in verse 15. 466 00:23:45,180 –> 00:23:49,680 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, 467 00:23:49,680 –> 00:23:52,640 well, God abides in him 468 00:23:52,640 –> 00:23:54,900 and he in God. 469 00:23:54,900 –> 00:23:57,619 So, here again is a distinguishing market 470 00:23:57,619 –> 00:23:59,859 of a genuine believer. 471 00:24:01,000 –> 00:24:03,000 At this point, someone may well be thinking, 472 00:24:03,000 –> 00:24:05,319 oh, I’m not sure this is gonna help me, 473 00:24:06,319 –> 00:24:08,400 because I do love other Christians, 474 00:24:08,400 –> 00:24:11,359 but probably not as much as I should. 475 00:24:11,359 –> 00:24:12,939 And I certainly got a long way to go 476 00:24:12,939 –> 00:24:15,420 when it comes to keeping God’s commandments. 477 00:24:16,479 –> 00:24:17,819 But, please, remember friends, 478 00:24:17,819 –> 00:24:22,300 that these marks of grace are here to help us. 479 00:24:23,199 –> 00:24:24,959 You may not be able to see, then, 480 00:24:24,959 –> 00:24:28,359 in the degree to which you would like in your life, 481 00:24:28,359 –> 00:24:33,359 but if you can find even one of them in your life, 482 00:24:33,400 –> 00:24:37,160 then you have reason to say, by God’s grace, 483 00:24:37,160 –> 00:24:40,939 I am one of Christ’s sheep. 484 00:24:41,859 –> 00:24:46,839 Jesus said, by their fruits you shall know them. 485 00:24:48,319 –> 00:24:51,640 How many blackberries do you need 486 00:24:51,640 –> 00:24:55,199 to find on a bush before you could say 487 00:24:55,219 –> 00:24:59,119 with some kind of confidence, that’s a blackberry bush? 488 00:24:59,119 –> 00:25:01,959 See, I mean, it’s not a hundred is it? 489 00:25:01,959 –> 00:25:04,219 I mean you pick one, you taste it, 490 00:25:04,219 –> 00:25:06,400 you say, that’s a blackberry bush. 491 00:25:06,400 –> 00:25:10,640 So you can see even the beginnings of evidence 492 00:25:10,640 –> 00:25:11,880 of these things in your life, 493 00:25:11,880 –> 00:25:13,520 you’ve got reason for encouragement. 494 00:25:13,520 –> 00:25:15,439 That’s what’s been given to us here. 495 00:25:15,439 –> 00:25:17,959 It’s reason for encouragement. 496 00:25:17,959 –> 00:25:19,920 Are you seeking to follow Christ? 497 00:25:19,920 –> 00:25:21,619 You see, there’s a very basic question. 498 00:25:21,619 –> 00:25:23,599 Are you seeking to follow Christ? 499 00:25:23,599 –> 00:25:24,439 You say, yes. 500 00:25:24,439 –> 00:25:27,540 Well, you must be one of Christ’s sheep 501 00:25:27,540 –> 00:25:31,300 because he identifies his sheep as those who follow him, 502 00:25:31,300 –> 00:25:33,819 and this is what you must want to do. 503 00:25:33,819 –> 00:25:37,579 Do you love your brothers and sisters in Christ? 504 00:25:37,579 –> 00:25:39,780 Well, if you have even the beginning of love 505 00:25:39,780 –> 00:25:41,979 for your brothers and sisters in Christ, 506 00:25:41,979 –> 00:25:43,560 the life of Christ must be in you 507 00:25:43,560 –> 00:25:46,000 because the scripture says that this is how we know 508 00:25:46,000 –> 00:25:47,540 that we really belong to him. 509 00:25:48,439 –> 00:25:51,459 Do you want to live a life that is pleasing to God? 510 00:25:51,459 –> 00:25:53,459 Remember, defiant would say absolutely not. 511 00:25:53,459 –> 00:25:55,839 I don’t want anything to do with that. 512 00:25:55,839 –> 00:25:56,760 But if you’re here tonight 513 00:25:56,760 –> 00:25:57,680 and you’re saying I really, 514 00:25:57,680 –> 00:26:00,560 I want to live a life that is pleasing to God. 515 00:26:01,660 –> 00:26:02,839 Well, how did that come about? 516 00:26:02,839 –> 00:26:04,020 I’ll tell you how it came about. 517 00:26:04,020 –> 00:26:06,640 The Holy Spirit has got hold of you and he indwells you 518 00:26:06,640 –> 00:26:10,500 and he’s producing that desire in your heart. 519 00:26:12,859 –> 00:26:17,099 Now, remember, the questions we’re dealing with here 520 00:26:17,099 –> 00:26:20,739 are not how you can be saved 521 00:26:20,739 –> 00:26:24,339 but how you can be sure. 522 00:26:24,339 –> 00:26:26,380 And they are very different questions 523 00:26:26,380 –> 00:26:28,339 and this is important. 524 00:26:28,339 –> 00:26:32,500 You are saved by grace through faith. 525 00:26:32,500 –> 00:26:35,180 Salvation is God’s gift to you 526 00:26:35,180 –> 00:26:37,099 and your part is simply to receive it 527 00:26:37,099 –> 00:26:38,540 with hands that are open. 528 00:26:38,540 –> 00:26:39,420 That’s what faith is, 529 00:26:39,420 –> 00:26:44,099 a hand open to receive what God freely gives. 530 00:26:44,099 –> 00:26:47,819 But your assurance will grow 531 00:26:47,880 –> 00:26:51,900 as you follow Christ in a life of love 532 00:26:51,900 –> 00:26:54,400 and in a life of service. 533 00:26:54,400 –> 00:26:57,900 So, pursue the life to which he’s calling you. 534 00:26:59,219 –> 00:27:01,660 Verse 11, show the same earnestness 535 00:27:01,660 –> 00:27:04,560 to have the full assurance of hope until the end 536 00:27:04,560 –> 00:27:06,180 so that you may not be sluggish, 537 00:27:06,180 –> 00:27:08,479 but imitators of those who through faith 538 00:27:08,479 –> 00:27:10,780 and patience inherit the promises. 539 00:27:10,780 –> 00:27:14,900 Go after following Jesus and your assurance will grow. 540 00:27:14,900 –> 00:27:18,540 Second, there is a promise for you to believe. 541 00:27:18,540 –> 00:27:20,099 There’s a life for you to pursue 542 00:27:21,000 –> 00:27:24,739 and thee is a promise for you to believe. 543 00:27:24,739 –> 00:27:26,979 Notice what he says, verse 13. 544 00:27:26,979 –> 00:27:30,300 For when God made a promise to Abraham, 545 00:27:30,300 –> 00:27:34,739 since he had no one greater by whom to swear, 546 00:27:34,739 –> 00:27:38,020 he swore by himself saying, 547 00:27:38,020 –> 00:27:42,140 surely I will bless you and multiply you. 548 00:27:43,099 –> 00:27:44,619 Now the promise referred to here, 549 00:27:44,739 –> 00:27:47,660 the promise to Abraham is the promise where 550 00:27:47,660 –> 00:27:51,160 God said, I will bless you and in your offspring 551 00:27:51,160 –> 00:27:55,699 shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. 552 00:27:55,699 –> 00:27:59,619 I’ll bless you and then your offspring, singular, 553 00:27:59,619 –> 00:28:03,140 all the nations of the earth will be blessed. 554 00:28:03,140 –> 00:28:05,380 The offspring of course is a reference 555 00:28:05,380 –> 00:28:08,420 to the Lord Jesus Christ and so the blessing 556 00:28:08,420 –> 00:28:11,500 that is promised to Abraham belongs to 557 00:28:11,520 –> 00:28:15,819 everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ. 558 00:28:16,680 –> 00:28:19,319 Now when you struggle with doubt, 559 00:28:20,160 –> 00:28:23,800 when fears gain a grip within your life, 560 00:28:24,760 –> 00:28:29,579 you will not find it easy to believe that God is for you. 561 00:28:29,579 –> 00:28:31,560 Little voice in the back of your conscience 562 00:28:31,560 –> 00:28:33,339 will keep going off like an alarm 563 00:28:33,339 –> 00:28:35,540 saying to you God’s out to get you. 564 00:28:35,540 –> 00:28:37,380 Any time suffering comes into your life 565 00:28:37,380 –> 00:28:39,319 you say it must be that God’s kind of 566 00:28:39,319 –> 00:28:41,459 taking it out on you and so forth. 567 00:28:41,739 –> 00:28:42,959 And so on. 568 00:28:44,560 –> 00:28:48,859 But God wants you to have full assurance 569 00:28:48,859 –> 00:28:52,640 in regards to his love towards you. 570 00:28:52,640 –> 00:28:55,479 And that is why he has guaranteed 571 00:28:55,479 –> 00:28:59,420 his promise of blessing in Christ 572 00:28:59,420 –> 00:29:02,900 with an Outh. 573 00:29:02,900 –> 00:29:04,459 An Outh, verse 17. 574 00:29:04,459 –> 00:29:07,939 So when God desired to show more convincingly 575 00:29:07,939 –> 00:29:09,719 to the heirs of the promise that’s us, 576 00:29:10,380 –> 00:29:11,560 which is the unchangeable nature of his purpose, 577 00:29:11,560 –> 00:29:14,180 he guaranteed it with an Outh. 578 00:29:15,219 –> 00:29:18,099 Let’s pause for a moment, try and take this in. 579 00:29:18,099 –> 00:29:21,979 God never needs to take an Outh. 580 00:29:23,060 –> 00:29:25,140 His word is his bond. 581 00:29:25,140 –> 00:29:27,760 It’s impossible for him to lie. 582 00:29:29,099 –> 00:29:31,780 But we live in a world where people lie all the time 583 00:29:31,780 –> 00:29:33,619 and break promises all the time. 584 00:29:33,619 –> 00:29:38,439 And so it’s hard for us to believe, even when God speaks. 585 00:29:39,400 –> 00:29:42,400 And so God did what we do. 586 00:29:44,119 –> 00:29:47,140 He did what we do when we want to establish truth 587 00:29:47,140 –> 00:29:49,359 beyond any question. 588 00:29:49,359 –> 00:29:53,459 He guaranteed his word with an Outh. 589 00:29:54,560 –> 00:29:57,540 Now in a court of law, when you take an Outh 590 00:29:57,540 –> 00:29:59,500 with your hand on the Bible, 591 00:29:59,500 –> 00:30:04,500 you call on God to witness what you are saying. 592 00:30:04,780 –> 00:30:05,800 And in taking an Outh, what you’re really saying, 593 00:30:05,800 –> 00:30:08,040 when you put the hand on the Bible 594 00:30:08,040 –> 00:30:09,800 and you swear by almighty God, 595 00:30:09,800 –> 00:30:11,199 what you’re saying is this, 596 00:30:11,199 –> 00:30:14,160 let God himself come down on me 597 00:30:14,160 –> 00:30:16,800 if what I say now is not true. 598 00:30:16,800 –> 00:30:19,040 That’s what it means to take an Outh. 599 00:30:20,280 –> 00:30:22,079 Now when we take an Outh of course, 600 00:30:22,079 –> 00:30:25,000 we swear by one greater than ourselves. 601 00:30:25,000 –> 00:30:27,319 That’s why we swear in by the name of almighty God 602 00:30:27,319 –> 00:30:28,260 taking an Outh. 603 00:30:28,260 –> 00:30:30,000 But no one’s greater than God. 604 00:30:31,099 –> 00:30:32,520 So when God takes an Outh, 605 00:30:32,520 –> 00:30:34,260 He could only swear by Himself 606 00:30:34,260 –> 00:30:36,479 because there is no higher authority. 607 00:30:36,479 –> 00:30:37,739 What that means is this, 608 00:30:37,819 –> 00:30:42,020 God put himself on the line for his promise. 609 00:30:42,020 –> 00:30:43,199 In effect, God said, 610 00:30:43,199 –> 00:30:47,020 let me fall under my own judgment 611 00:30:47,020 –> 00:30:48,599 if I do not bless you. 612 00:30:49,939 –> 00:30:51,319 And of course, you’ll see immediately 613 00:30:51,319 –> 00:30:53,880 that in a very profound way, 614 00:30:53,880 –> 00:30:55,599 that is exactly what happened. 615 00:30:56,660 –> 00:30:57,819 That in Jesus Christ, 616 00:30:57,819 –> 00:31:01,579 God places himself under his own judgment 617 00:31:01,579 –> 00:31:06,239 in order that the blessing that he has promised 618 00:31:06,280 –> 00:31:09,479 will be yours. 619 00:31:09,479 –> 00:31:13,579 And so Jesus Christ himself became the guarantee 620 00:31:13,579 –> 00:31:18,579 of God’s promise to bless you and through him, 621 00:31:19,459 –> 00:31:23,000 you can be sure of God’s blessing 622 00:31:23,000 –> 00:31:25,280 forever and forever. 623 00:31:25,280 –> 00:31:27,920 And so what this means is that your assurance, 624 00:31:27,920 –> 00:31:30,739 your enjoyment of the journey will grow 625 00:31:30,739 –> 00:31:33,579 as you believe God’s promise, 626 00:31:33,619 –> 00:31:38,500 as your eyes are fixed on the Lord Jesus Christ. 627 00:31:39,420 –> 00:31:42,839 So pursue the life to which God calls you 628 00:31:42,839 –> 00:31:47,079 and believe the promise in Jesus Christ 629 00:31:47,079 –> 00:31:49,140 that God has given you that’s sealed 630 00:31:49,140 –> 00:31:50,500 right there in his cross. 631 00:31:50,500 –> 00:31:53,439 God is for you, he gave his own Son. 632 00:31:53,439 –> 00:31:55,780 How will he not also along with him, 633 00:31:55,780 –> 00:32:00,239 graciously give you all things? 634 00:32:00,239 –> 00:32:03,739 And then the very last thing, briefly, is simply this. 635 00:32:03,739 –> 00:32:06,520 There is an anchor that will always hold you. 636 00:32:06,520 –> 00:32:09,180 Here’s how assurance can grow, 637 00:32:09,180 –> 00:32:11,839 and especially if you struggle with many fears, 638 00:32:11,839 –> 00:32:15,040 here’s what you need to feed yourself on. 639 00:32:15,040 –> 00:32:16,939 It’s a life for you to pursue, 640 00:32:16,939 –> 00:32:19,800 there is a promise in Christ for you to believe, 641 00:32:19,800 –> 00:32:21,920 and there is an anchor that will always hold you. 642 00:32:21,920 –> 00:32:23,800 Verse 19. 643 00:32:23,800 –> 00:32:27,540 We have this as assurance, steadfast anchor of the soul. 644 00:32:28,540 –> 00:32:31,859 A hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain 645 00:32:31,859 –> 00:32:36,599 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf. 646 00:32:37,859 –> 00:32:42,640 Now imagine a man standing on the bow of a yacht 647 00:32:42,640 –> 00:32:44,640 with a chain in his hand. 648 00:32:45,739 –> 00:32:48,760 And you ask him what he’s doing, and he says 649 00:32:48,760 –> 00:32:53,180 I’m holding onto the anchor. 650 00:32:53,180 –> 00:32:54,619 Well, you would say, wait a minute, 651 00:32:54,640 –> 00:32:58,540 isn’t the anchor supposed to hold onto you? 652 00:32:59,560 –> 00:33:02,040 And this is the point that is being made by Hebrews 653 00:33:02,040 –> 00:33:05,579 in verse 18 God calls us to hold fast 654 00:33:05,579 –> 00:33:08,359 to the hope that’s set before us 655 00:33:08,359 –> 00:33:13,359 and we do this by trusting the unchanging promises 656 00:33:13,439 –> 00:33:16,119 that are ours in the Lord Jesus Christ. 657 00:33:16,119 –> 00:33:19,839 But now Hebrews tells us that Jesus himself 658 00:33:19,839 –> 00:33:23,699 is our ashore and steadfast anchor. 659 00:33:23,699 –> 00:33:27,619 So remember, as you are holding onto Jesus in faith 660 00:33:27,619 –> 00:33:29,859 the bigger truth is that Jesus Christ 661 00:33:29,859 –> 00:33:32,719 in all of the strength of his might is holding on to you. 662 00:33:33,959 –> 00:33:35,439 That’s your anchorage. 663 00:33:37,180 –> 00:33:39,660 I noticed that the anchor is behind the curtain 664 00:33:39,660 –> 00:33:43,160 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf 665 00:33:43,160 –> 00:33:45,339 in other words, the author is talking about heaven 666 00:33:45,339 –> 00:33:48,780 where Jesus is now an anchor of course, 667 00:33:48,780 –> 00:33:53,640 normally goes down, this is a gravity defying anchor 668 00:33:53,699 –> 00:33:58,359 that goes up and so we are anchored to heaven itself. 669 00:33:58,359 –> 00:34:01,680 That’s what we’re being told, by Jesus Christ 670 00:34:01,680 –> 00:34:05,979 and a very fact that he is there for us 671 00:34:05,979 –> 00:34:08,760 at the right hand of the father. 672 00:34:08,760 –> 00:34:11,600 Now try and take this in, these last moments. 673 00:34:12,879 –> 00:34:17,560 Right now, Jesus Christ your risen Savior 674 00:34:17,560 –> 00:34:19,600 is in heaven at the right hand of the father 675 00:34:19,600 –> 00:34:22,320 and he is there for you. 676 00:34:22,320 –> 00:34:26,600 He died to save you, He lives to keep you 677 00:34:26,600 –> 00:34:29,879 and he will never, never, never let you go. 678 00:34:30,600 –> 00:34:32,800 And you’re into entrance into heaven, 679 00:34:32,800 –> 00:34:34,080 brothers, sisters in Christ 680 00:34:34,080 –> 00:34:38,399 is as sure as the fact that Jesus is already there. 681 00:34:38,399 –> 00:34:41,879 Your faith in him may be very weak 682 00:34:41,879 –> 00:34:46,000 but His hold on you is very, very strong. 683 00:34:46,000 –> 00:34:48,560 And your arrival in heaven 684 00:34:48,560 –> 00:34:51,879 does not depend on the strength of your faith 685 00:34:51,879 –> 00:34:54,060 or the depth of your assurance. 686 00:34:54,060 –> 00:34:58,379 It depends on the strength of your Savior. 687 00:34:59,600 –> 00:35:01,500 One other story and then we’re through. 688 00:35:01,500 –> 00:35:04,280 Thank you, Thank you, thank you. 689 00:35:04,280 –> 00:35:08,399 The first winter that our family ever came here 690 00:35:08,399 –> 00:35:12,060 from Great Britain, we decided after Christmas 691 00:35:12,060 –> 00:35:14,439 we’d go exploring, and we went north from Chicago 692 00:35:14,439 –> 00:35:16,719 where we live up into Wisconsin 693 00:35:16,840 –> 00:35:19,639 and stopped at a little place called Fond du Lac, 694 00:35:19,639 –> 00:35:23,159 it was absolutely perishing cold. 695 00:35:23,159 –> 00:35:26,340 Coldest I’ve ever been in my life I think, 696 00:35:26,340 –> 00:35:28,780 20 below zero. 697 00:35:28,780 –> 00:35:32,580 And, we decided we’d get out and have a look 698 00:35:32,580 –> 00:35:35,219 and our boys who were 10 and eight at the time 699 00:35:35,219 –> 00:35:40,219 got out and said, hey Dad, can we go on the ice. 700 00:35:40,419 –> 00:35:43,439 And you’ve got to understand that parents 701 00:35:43,439 –> 00:35:46,699 aren’t always concentrating, and sometimes just say, 702 00:35:46,699 –> 00:35:48,699 whatever they’ve always said before. 703 00:35:49,879 –> 00:35:53,639 And in the UK, I mean yeah, there’s ice 704 00:35:53,639 –> 00:35:56,260 but it’s usually pretty thin and so we’re always cautious. 705 00:35:56,260 –> 00:36:00,419 And so I said spontaneously what I would always have said. 706 00:36:00,419 –> 00:36:02,500 Yeah sure go on the ice but be careful. 707 00:36:03,760 –> 00:36:05,520 And so these guys being very obedient 708 00:36:05,520 –> 00:36:08,419 or being very careful and cautious going out there 709 00:36:08,419 –> 00:36:11,500 and then their mother comes and then I’m coming 710 00:36:11,500 –> 00:36:14,419 and, you know what happens next. 711 00:36:14,419 –> 00:36:15,919 Just over the brow of the hill, 712 00:36:15,919 –> 00:36:18,459 there’s this four by four vehicle comes roaring 713 00:36:18,459 –> 00:36:21,560 with at least six students, packed into it, 714 00:36:21,560 –> 00:36:25,320 right into the middle of the lake and here we are 715 00:36:25,320 –> 00:36:26,879 four foreigners. 716 00:36:31,879 –> 00:36:35,120 We didn’t have a whole lot of confidence. 717 00:36:35,120 –> 00:36:38,020 We were absolutely secure 718 00:36:39,479 –> 00:36:42,120 because security doesn’t depend ultimately 719 00:36:42,120 –> 00:36:44,260 on the degree of confidence you have. 720 00:36:44,399 –> 00:36:45,800 It depends on the strength 721 00:36:45,800 –> 00:36:47,760 of that in which you put your trust. 722 00:36:47,760 –> 00:36:51,899 Your salvation, thank God, 723 00:36:51,899 –> 00:36:55,159 does not depend on the strength of your faith 724 00:36:55,159 –> 00:37:00,159 but on the strength of your savior. 725 00:37:00,840 –> 00:37:01,679 Be encouraged. 726 00:37:01,679 –> 00:37:03,580 Let’s pray together, shall we? 727 00:37:03,580 –> 00:37:05,540 Father, we are so thankful 728 00:37:06,879 –> 00:37:11,879 that when we feel that our grip on you is not strong, 729 00:37:12,739 –> 00:37:16,719 that your grasp of us is such 730 00:37:16,719 –> 00:37:20,300 that you will never let us go. 731 00:37:20,300 –> 00:37:24,199 So let assurance grow in our hearts, 732 00:37:24,199 –> 00:37:29,199 even tonight, and let it grow throughout our lives 733 00:37:29,479 –> 00:37:32,580 as we pursue the life to which you call us, 734 00:37:32,580 –> 00:37:35,199 as we believe the promise that you’ve given to us 735 00:37:35,199 –> 00:37:38,159 in Jesus Christ, and as we remember 736 00:37:38,199 –> 00:37:41,000 that we’re anchored in heaven 737 00:37:41,000 –> 00:37:44,860 by the Savior who died for us, 738 00:37:44,860 –> 00:37:48,360 lives for us, and never will let us go. 739 00:37:48,360 –> 00:37:50,320 We pray in his name with great thankfulness 740 00:37:50,320 –> 00:37:52,840 and everyone together said, Amen.