Absolute Assurance, Part 1

In today's politically charged climate.

There's a growing suspicion about the credibility of the Christian faith affect those who are devoted to Jesus Christ are often made to feel that our core beliefs are anchored in little more than blind faith.

Fairytales in a day of such uncertainty. It's comforting to know that we serve a God who offers his children absolute assurance today on Insight for living Chuck Swindoll teachers from first John chapter 5, we find bold statements that bolster our confidence. Chuck titled today's message absolute assurance if you love music, it isn't long to come in the sacred realm to the name of Charles Wesley, the composer of the hymn you just and I just enjoyed so much for you are still bearing children don't give up if you Susanna Wesley had 19 a number 18 was Charles so if you stop your short hardly grateful for the thousands of hymns that live in his legacy. Not enough of them remain in our hymnal today. His older brother John were known for their method of walking with Christ in serving Christ and loving Christ in their years at Oxford, and the method of their of their technique came to be known as the beginning of the Methodist church began there in that place of their deep devotion where the serve Christ and sought to make him known in others lives. Though they were even back then walked in the 18th century goes on today doesn't refinishing the letter of first John today and would love to have you follow along in the reading of the last section. First John chapter 5. If you're unfamiliar with your Bible very near the end of the New Testament we have John's final words in his first letter. Chapter 5 beginning at verse 13.

If you are able to do this we would love to have you stand with others around you for the reading of the Scriptures first on 513 these things I have written to you who believe in the name of the son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confident which we have before him that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us and if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from him. Verse 18 we know that no one who is born of God sends by that he means habitually as a regular habit of life but he who was born of God keeps him and the evil one does not touch.

We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one, and we know that the son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know him who is true, and we are in him who is true if his son Jesus Christ.

This is the true God and eternal life. Little children, guarding yourselves from idle. May God bless the reading and the living out the truth of his word. Please be seated your listening to Insight for living to search the Scriptures with Chuck Swindoll.

Be sure to download his searching the Scriptures. Studies by going to Insight world.org/studies another message called absolute assurance a letter of assurance is lovely thing, something endearing and enduring about such letters endearing because the one who is writing such a letters telling you how valuable you are to her or him and enduring because you can turn to the letter over and over again. Letters of assurance are the kinds of things we often hold on to Cynthia and I on occasion will receive note or letter from someone we may or may not know, and in reading it. The kind words are said and almost to the point where I wonder if they really mean to send that to us.

I mean it just doesn't just had no idea and she will say that my comment that's a framer need to frame that letter, perhaps you have some framed letters in your past two boys in the great Northwest certainly do they been reading their letters for years letters that they open on their birthdays with dates and place and always their mother's familiar handwriting letters sent when they graduate from that grade and move on to the next. They will someday read letters congratulations as they graduate from high school. Every Christmas there is a letter from their mom under the tree.

These boys are so familiar with letters of affection assurance from their mom and I should mention special letters, they will someday open on the day of their wedding as she has written their brides to be to tell her of her love for them to assure them of her love for the sons they were marrying, see their mother died years ago and before her death. During those agonizing days and months even she decided rather than simply to curl up in the bed and groaning complain her life away. She would invest her life in writing so she began to write to each of her sons by name. Checking the calendar of the future. Knowing what date it will be or what season it will be when they are at that stage in life and every so often through the year, dad would take the letter that he's been keeping give it to them.

No slice and opening the reader. Words of assurance. John has written the frame of the letter.

It's a letter of assurance, but it isn't all that John wrote though his handwriting was feeble by now in his mid-90s.

He didn't want to pass before he left in his legacy free letters along with the apocalypses. He wrote the top. The revelation we study that all 22 chapters, and what a magnificent piece. It is for us to turn to in these last days but he is also the one who wrote the gospel by John.

Interestingly, the purpose of writing the gospel is quite different from the purpose of writing his first letter in the person to whom he wrote the gospel is different in his mind than the person is in mine in the writing of the letter open your Bible to John chapter 20 in verse 31, and you will see either the reason he wrote the gospel. You'll notice first of all, for whom it was written when he began at verse 30 therefore many other signs.

Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book, but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the son of God, to whom did he write the letter to those who were lost. He wrote the letter for those who were seeking evidence, hard rock solid evidence even miraculous sign that prove he wasn't just another man, but in fact had come from God and was in fact God, these are written that you may believe the purpose for writing is that the reader who is searching for that evidence will find it in the seven miracles in the gospel and finding those coming to terms with those he or she will trust in the one who performed them and as a result will have life in his name. Don't know if you thought about it before but the finest tract you could ever give someone who was lost is a copy of the gospel of John written to those who don't know the Savior for the purpose of convincing those who were searching for one to find him in the writings of this old man's gospel.

When you get to the letter of first John chapter 5 verse 13 you notice the contrast this letter is not written to those who were lost, but to those who have already believed.

13 these things I have written to you who believe not, who and who are who have yet to believe, but who now believe you who have been walking with Christ, you who have trusted Jesus as your own master these things I written to you who believe in the name of the son of God, and why John Vaidya written that since we already believed, so that you may know that's one of his favorite words. Certainly in these verses that are at the end of the letter. It's his favorite in six of the eight verses the word no are the word confidence appears. These are written that you may know where you stand in your eternal life relationship with God that helpful when you read the gospel your reader through the eyes of an unbeliever for the purpose of coming to know the Savior. The miracle miracle working some of God and believing you may have life in his name, but when you read the letter of first John, you read it as a believer through the eyes of one who is already trusted him and the desire of the writer John is that you not only believe it, but you live it, and as a result, you have confidence in fact there are eight bold statements of confidence in these verses you pen ready to give you words to_verse 13 these things I written to you who believe, so that you may know KNOW_next verse. This is the confidence which we have in him_confidence there's assurance in the word that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. Verse 15 and if we know_it that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know_it already four times in a few verses down in verse 18 it appears again. We know verse 19 we know verse 20 and we know that the son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may. The eighth time.

No, I weary of the cynic who sees a Christian who knows his way in life. Viewing that is arrogance or bigotry. Neither is true. Arrogance and bigotry come from pride. They were sinful.

Confidence is not sinful is a very practical purpose in life. We long to be around people, not who were arrogant but who are confident the next time you take a flight you don't want to hear the pilot saying as he gets on.

I sure hope what I know what all those buttons and and and knobs mean I got the book here. I sure hope will you get ready to change flights why you want to pilot who knows if you need surgery and the doctor says now the appendix. Let's see now, not that side. Wait a minute, let me check if you go I'm going to get another opinion at least need to know where the appendix is for you start cutting why you want a surgeon who know someone going into combat needs to know how to do warfare to know the weapon to know the strategy to know the plan to know what to do when captured.

To know how to conduct herself or himself in uniform.

You want soldiers who know about somebody working on your car ever had this happen.

You drive in the shop and he walks out grease all over and got right is wipe his hands up what you need. Well this thing is not getting them leave.

You know, lotto oil and all really poke you what you lift the hood okay if the hood he goes that's carburetor right right here that's click goes down what you do you go to somebody who knows the car been around a mechanic like that he hears a knock is that that's a water pump shazam how does he know that he knows engines. He those cars and you say you know it's the gasket right there that's gonna cost you $58 for me to take time to get that all apart and put back together or whatever you want a mechanic who knew about somebody building your house you want to go see. I think the pipes and civil bathrooms all got the bath they got it. We need to connect the pipes with the bathroom. Yeah right. Okay well what's the problem you know it is talking about. You need a builder who knows this world needs Christians who know what they believe were not arrogant about it. Hopefully were gracious hopefully were still learning the arrogant person is unteachable the confident person knows areas and knows what he doesn't know or what she doesn't know John writes that we might know with assurance about these eight things and we find them right here in this section of Scripture look at your Bible first. We can know we have eternal life. You can actually know it verse 11 verse 13 these things I have written to you who believe in the name of the son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life is nothing to be proud of to say. Yeah, I'm not sure I'm a Christian, you know, I'm just not real sure push comes to shove it if eternal life is mine. My friend get with it. Read the letter first John read the Scriptures you have every reason to know, even when the day of your deathbed arrives, you will know that you have eternal life. You can be sure of it just doesn't stop that and illness doesn't change that life contingencies don't alter that you can know by faith in the son of God, that you have eternal life that isn't arrogant. That's confident I've never never met a mature Christian already maturing Christian who didn't know they possessed eternal life.

Now, when you've got it you don't flaunt it when you got it Sherry, which will get to later on.

The second thing we can know has to do with prayer. 14 to 70 look at this.

Love the verse. This is the confidence crate. This is the confidence which we have before him what that if we ask what's the word anything, but don't stop reading. There were in the middle of the sentence. Some stop reading their they look for a new car in the driveway but I asked for that new X5 BMW and I looked out there the next morning they will pick up… If I ask you to wait a minute that's 1/2 verse you're always in dangerous territory when you come to have verses culture full of false teachers love them must not use 1/2 verse. This is the confidence which we have before him that if we ask anything according to his will that instantly moves this from the convenient device of imposing our will on God or bending his will to our wish. According to your will of God. I pray this sound familiar course it does.

Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, O father I pray that the cup will pass from me. Nevertheless, I mean his breath. This is hardly out of his mouth before he adds. Nevertheless, nevertheless, not my will but be done. The father's answer is no.

My will is the cross go there. By the way, God can answer, only one of three ways. Very simple. He can answer yes we love that he can answer no. You can also answer wait and wait seems a lot like no if you're impatient, you will interpret weight as well. Not as one. But what Wakeman they that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength.

They will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not be weary, they will walk and not faint. So we asked with confidence anything according to his will that is the turning point every true prayer is a variation on that theme. Repeat every true prayer is a variation on that and if we know that he hears us and what ever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from him God's will in this I trust you father to guide me into your will.

When he guides us into his will and the door opens and we walked through we can know we are exactly where he would have us go when he doesn't want us to go. The door slammed shut.

By the way, it's a lot easier to read. Closed doors that open new close doors are obvious and you stop in your tracks.

May I help you.

Don't ever try to push a closed door open.

You may feel courageous or you may feel like persistent and doing it if the doors closely to close the answer is no. If the door is looking like it may be closing but is not yet put it, so it's a way to answer wait but we can know when the doors open and we have the request we ask of him.

Then we will get it. You're listening to Insight for living and Chuck's Windows message about absolute assurance to learn more about this ministry sure to visit us online@insightworld.org. There's much more from this study in first John chapter 5, we need to hear and listen to these programs at your own pace or to go back and catch up on programs you may have missed. You can easily listen online@insight.org or simply download the daily podcast directly to your mobile device.

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Call 1-800-772-8888 or go to insight.org/monthly. Join us again Friday when Chuck Swindoll continues his message about absolute assurance right here on insight for living. The preceding message absolute assurance and the sound recording copyright in 2009 by Charles R. Swindoll. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited