How Can I Know that God Loves Me?

This is core Christianity, where answering your questions about the Christian life Monday through Friday. Your hosts are author and seminary professor Dr. Michael Horton and Pastor atrial Sanchez call right now with your question. At 1833. The core that's 1-833-843-2673 and now here's atrial Sanchez I and welcome to another episode of Christianity, where we open up this church together and dig in. Where answering your questions about the faith with theology professor Michael Horton, I'm Pastor atrial Sanchez that old Christian nursery him rhyme.

Jesus loves me to cinema.

Would that be Micah nursery rhyme him him right in our hymnal and our hymnal.

We've never done that when a church the whole concept is really important ramming. Are we able so they can we as as followers of Jesus say Jesus loves me, not just people let me that's right. And I wondered you listening right now if if you can say that for yourself. Can you say Jesus loves me and does the Bible call us to be able to say, that is, should we be able to say that as Christians a Facebook message here from Ben and he's wrestling with this. He asked how do you know if God loves you. I believe that God loves people. But I really struggle with the sense that God loves me and I'm not sure what to do. First of all, Ben. You have to know you're not alone. Many Christians genuine Christian struggle to feel God's love, especially where to look and see God's love, a minister say the cross the cross. The cross he got to take your focus off of you and whether you feel God loves you too. The facts the way he convinces you that he loves you is at the cross of Jesus Christ go back to John 316 for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life. So right now you're transferred from death to life from condemnation to justification the moment you look to Jesus Christ and say he is my only hope he's my Savior, he's my mediator in John 13 you have the occasion were Jesus wanted to demonstrate his love and commitment to his disciples by taking the lowest place in the group. The position of a slave washing the disciples feet.

According to Jewish law, a slave never had to wash his disciples feet. That was the one thing a slave didn't have to do. According to Jewish law, but here Jesus goes beneath a slave any takes off his clothes, lays down his his clothes and the Greek, there is that he lays it down and he takes it back up again. What is that, go back to welcome few chapters back to chapter 10 Jesus said no one takes my life from me.

I lay it down and I take it back up again. Those same verbs are used now in John 13 as Jesus performs this parable.

He's saying I'm about to go to the cross beneath the place of a slave to wash her feet. I'm going to be your servant by going to the cross on a die for your sins and out.

Sometimes we don't feel this love, but often that's because we don't hear God's word proclaimed with Christ at the center Christ in his saving office as the one bearing our sins and being raised for our justification.

So I the first thing I'd say Ben is.

I hope you're in a church where you hear this proclaimed weak in and week out. You will feel God's love. But the thing is, there are times when you won't feel God's love, but don't think that that changes the fact that in 33 A.D. God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son. Even though your faith may be weak at times, even though you may not feel loved by God at times go back to the gospel go back to the.

The proclamation of Jesus Christ to say okay what he does regardless of whether I feel it right now or not he does love me. How do I know the Bible tells me so that the Bible proclaims this gospel and here's another center up here called by God to proclaim this announcement to me sit there and receive it. Embrace it.

Listen to the good news of what God has done for sinners in Jesus Christ. If you want to feel God's love, then go to where God proves his love every week for the preaching of the gospel in baptism. Hopefully you been baptized in the name of the father the son and the Holy Spirit. That's a sign and seal of God's love. Whenever you take communion to sign and seal of God's mercy and grace in Jesus Christ.

How you know God loves you. Take, eat my body broken.

Jesus says, for you drink this cup. This is the blood of the new covenant shed for you drink it, in remembrance of me.

For you been how do you know it's for you as surely as you take that bread and drink that cup so Shirley, do you know that Jesus Christ died for you and you know Ben is worth thinking about the relationship between the cross and the love of God for me for you, the individual. One passage I think it's really really good to bring up is in the book of Galatians, Paul is talking about the role of the cross and justification what Christ has done for us and he says in Galatians chapter 3 verse 19 for through the law I died to the law so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me was when Paul thinks about the cross of Jesus. He says boy what a picture what it would assign the reality of the fact Jesus loves me, not just people he loves me and gave himself for me. I think for you baptized part of the church.

That's what you're supposed to cling to. And I love Mike that you brought up there that the role of holy Communion the Lord's supper. It's because sometimes overhearing the preached word in the pastors talking about how Jesus forgives sins and he so merciful. It's easy for us to think well. He doesn't know my sentence as it is a know how bad I am sitting here in the pure what I've done this week. How can that be true of me and that's why we have the Lord separate seals. It certifies the reality of that word that we just heard preached it is not just out there for some people it's here taking eat you you been taking eat my body and blood of Jesus is it's for you and that's how you can know that Jesus loves you an email here that we received from Matt hi Mike and a drill. I have been loving the show and a while back you talked about doing family devotions. Recently my wife and I started reading a chapter of the Bible and having a short prayer with our three kids they are 97 and five. My question is should I be explaining the passage and how can I make it relevant to them first. Matt that is so heartwarming that is so wonderful to hear that you're doing that.

Yeah what it what a great habit to try to build into your your family.

Timing is the kids are going on for better you know in the morning.

Whatever it is that you do it sitting down and having a time of opening up the Scriptures together and of course some passages are more difficult to understand and go through.

I've noticed no one reading the Bible as a family there some text that the kids are really interested in David and Goliath of the exit is that kind of thing. There are other passages. If this were reading through a book of the Bible where it is a little bit more difficult to understand and I do I like to stop and try to explain. Another strategy is asking questions. Make it a discussion have a discussion with your children about the Scriptures that year that you're opening up your that your reading through that way there involved as well and and able to share one of things I love doing. You might do this to you if you're comfortable with it.

I totally do all the voices you know when I'm when I'm David or us all, or in assault got the bad guy voice and I find it least for our kids and my kids Matt are get into that when you yeah our oldest is a note 853 in one, and they're following along almost you know like the production of sorts, but were were digging into the Scriptures and I think that's one way to get them involved. Get out your inner thespian yeah I want to hear for you Mike but for the kids. I mean anything to help them understand the Bible is a self that is as Mike said what oh what a wonderful thing.

I think also just the consistency you know if you can be consistent and make it a habit, something that they expect and they're able to look forward to it, asking questions, I think your aunt on the right track Eurocentric or Christianity were answering your questions about the faith.

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Make sure you get your hands on that. Let's take a call now for Monica my name is Mark upon and I recently went through something and been doing a lot of fasting. There is no doubt in my mind it God is real recently God been telling me and showing me thinking a lot is starting out question whether or not it was not that I knew in my heart.

It was God been praying so hard for insurance you notice, assurance and I'm having trouble like CNN or no one will got a shot at coming out of it is scary to know the semi-lesser laws and that God is really coming and I'm thinking that heaven is really not. I'm trying to explain the people around you that you have to have thinking I think it such a powerful thing is a lot my brothers and sisters and struggling with having taking on an audit showed me and told me what is real is real but how do you know for sure how you know you will.

Monica, the first thing I want to do is pray for you right now. Dear Lord, I pray that you would give Monica a deep sense of assurance in Jesus Christ that her sins are paid for that.

She is justified that you are at work in her life. Sanctifying her and one day will glorify her pretty you give her that confidence in Jesus name women and men. Second thing is just as important. Monica, you really need to have Christ set before you regularly in his saving office. A lot of what you said there was about what you're feeling what you're experiencing the power of faith, but struggling to have faith in other words, it's about you and your experience that's subjective now. It's wonderful when we have experiences.

Don't get me wrong, it's it it is from God we have good biblically-based experiences, but sometimes we don't. And sometimes those experiences aren't biblical. What we have to go on to be sure to be confident and that is the word of God and specifically what we need to be assured of our salvation is Christ held up before us in his saving office in his saving office. I don't mean just Jesus talked about a lot you know Jesus as moral example what would Jesus do, or Jesus as the great teacher or Jesus as healer, but first and foremost Jesus Christ as God the son, who became human for you lived a perfect life in your place, died in your place because of your guilty bore your guilt and he rose again to guarantee your justification and resurrection on the last day go to a church where Christ is set before you.

In that way Sunday after Sunday after Sunday and interestingly what you'll find is you will really experience rest. You will experience God's love and assurance.

But it's not going to come from you. Looking within to find it, but from you looking outside of yourself to God in Jesus Christ as he is proclaimed in the gospel your fasting and you're trying to trust God are not the answer.

Your faith is not the answer were not saved by faith were saved by Christ through faith and even the weakest faith clings to the strongest Savior, though you struggle as we all do with the quality of our faith, the quality of our repentance. The quality of our of our experience. That's not the basis of our salvation at all.

Monica Jesus is the basis of our salvation. So instead of focusing on what you're doing or experiencing focus on what Christ has already done and experienced for you think the drowning person.

Monica you know, often times from people who are drowning will actually drown will die because they're splashing around in panic and so one of the things I've been told that rescuers try to do the first thing to try to do is calm the person down and let them just to be grabbed by the rescuer Monica you need to just stop splashing let Jesus rescue just be rescued. Be on the receiving end of his grace, put everything else, even good things.

Even your prayer life. Your fasting how much your trusting in everything else looking away from yourself completely is Hebrews 12 2000 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith for the joy set before him. He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and he sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Fix your eyes on the life, death, burial and resurrection, ascension, and present raining of Christ as he intercedes for you at the father's right hip.

Put that before your gaze and instead of turning inward turn outward, and behold, the son of God for you. Amen Monica thank you for your question.

And I know that that's an Encouraging Word for you to look outside yourself and onto geez that's how we can have assurance because our salvation, our hope is rooted in Christ was outside of us was perfect with righteous who is holy, and whoever lives to pray for us to pray for you Monica email question that we received from Bill. If you sensed as a pastor or a lack of zeal for the lost in your church, how would you recommend promoting evangelism bill yeah yeah this is all of our churches need the will the other first thing that I was actually convicted when I when I saw your email book is the unit is something we can all growing as Christians in our evangelism a passion for evangelism for single lost no Jesus. I think each of us could say you know there are times where where I don't take seriously as I should, is an area where we could all grow as a pastor of a local church will tell you one thing that I I wouldn't do and that I don't do and don't want to do. You don't want to guilt people into evangelism you what you don't want to make him feel like they have to do this. Otherwise, the really bad Christians and and so they're going out there. Try to head out tracks third to talk to people about Jesus awkwardly because I just feel like they have to and if they don't they're in trouble.

The reality is that that's just not effective. I've had conversations with people about Jesus. And in might myself at times of shared Jesus and it wasn't from a place of Jesus is the greatest thing Leo grateful yeah that I've experienced salvation is that I feel like I have to. Otherwise I'm a bad Christian anything that comes through when people see that and it's not attractive and Holly. Ultimately it's the word of the gospel that saves people but I think we we we can share the good news of the gospel in a way that seems to communicate that is not good news at all yeah and so what we want people to understand what I want the people in my church to understand what I would encourage any pastor to do who felt like to. Seems like my people are not excited about evangelism. So say look, do what Paul said he did in Galatians chapter 3 and billboard Christ crucified for your people help them to know the goodness of Jesus, the free forgiveness of sins. The mercy of God.

Even though we fall over and over and over again. He's there for us interceding for so that they can know the goodness of Jesus and from that place. We realize that it's good news when we realize it is good news. We want to share info.

I think we want this to be that the natural outcome of people who are seeing Jesus for them for the forgiveness of their sins. That's what I would encourage. I think there are different routes. We could go the route we don't want to go is guilt, shame, why aren't you doing this. You're such a bad Christian you guys need to get your act together.

People haven't been visiting the church.

Aren't you inviting people you know that that's not the route you want to go the route you want to go is preach Jesus faithfully and help people realize and see the goodness of Christ and from there embrace the implications of the gospel that we embrace which are hey let's let other people know about this wonderful Savior to absolutely sometimes it helps to have ways into evangelism.

Sometimes were not that good at talking to our neighbors about anything personal so it's sometimes hard. Well Christianity explored by Rico Tice T ICE is a great place to go because you play these videos that are in 15 minute snippets going through the gospel of Mark. He tells the story really well with clips from drawn from popular culture and everything and you can have people over for dinner.

You could say hey were were having it. It's it's not even a Bible study. It's just basically asking questions about who Jesus is and were just doing this with neighbors. If you want to come on over will just will have some snacks and you go through that and that is stop after you know every segment and you talk about the need watch another segment you talk about that can be it take a lot of the anxiety out of it. It becomes just a conversation with your neighbors will put that in the show notes for today it's Christianity explored Rico Tice is the author and the videos go with it just it's a terrific resource bill.

Thanks again for your question is protocol now for Mary Mary Mike how Alastair Gentile, and you patiently got Brian Jerusalem or because your heritage lies. Kaylee or how did you become a Gentile.

Thank you. Yeah, thank you, Mary. I've never been asked that question is a good one though.

According to Jewish law, you're a Jew.

If your mother is Jewish. Under the old covenant Gentiles were outsiders. Now, you could become an insider by undergoing circumcision and then embracing Torah and the dietary laws and so forth. You could become a full member of the, the people of Israel in the new covenant, though the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile has completely been torn down in the body of Christ in the Jewish Temple. You had the court of the Jews and the court of the Gentiles, so they be separated even if you are a God-fearing Gentile who wanted to follow Torah follow the Jewish law and so for you still were separated but the apostle Paul in Ephesians says that that wall separating the court of the Jews in the court of the Gentiles is been torn down in Jesus body on the cross.

Here's what he says in Ephesians 2.

Remember that you are it that time that is in the old covenant separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near not by your works, not by your following Torah, not by your circumcision, but by the blood of Christ, for he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances that he might create in himself one new person in place of the two, so making peace and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross thereby killing the hostility. So in other words, Jesus own body on the cross, replaced all of the laws and ceremonies that separated Jews from Gentiles. Paul goes on to say verse 17 and he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those were near for through him we both Jew and Gentile have access in one Spirit to the father.

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens really are no longer Gentiles, like 1/3 race but a spiritual race drawn from people from every tribe, and kindred, and tongue and people and nation, and therefore he says that we are all children of Abraham. Through faith we are Abraham's offspring.

Paul says there is neither Jew nor Greek anymore. Neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if your price then you are Abraham's offspring here.

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