Three Attitudes Towards Sin that Give You Assurance with God, Part 2

Today on Summit life pastor Jeannie Greer explains how you can know for sure that you're saying you asked me are you sure that you will enter the heavens with returning with God know my answer is yes. Let's area because you think you better make note this because all the full weight of our condemnation was put onto the head of Jesus, who now stands as our advocate before the throne of God that gives me great confidence before Satan isn't very popular water cooler conversation. No one likes being reminded of their failures and even in Christian circles, the subject of sin tends to get glossed over easier to ask for prayer for an illness or job situation than it is to actually deepest struggles and failures that today on Summit life pastor and author JD Greer explains that the way we think about deal with our sin is a crucial sign of where we stand with God. Get your Bible in your notebook. Pastor JD titled this message toward sin give you assurance with God.

How no, no, God, you know that you know God had no that what you think about your experience of God is genuine.

That is the question that the book of first John is written to answer what John does as you did a 53 sides. In the last half of first John 13 signs of somebody that doesn't know God, even though they think they do all three of them of that right here at once, like one you don't know God. John says if one you said you continue to sin means willfully eventually will get to that number two you don't know God.

If you say you have no sin, number three, you don't know God. If you have no confidence before God, because of your said was you know God as you said you got a piece so you have a send you the God of the other confidence report because of your said this one is time for someone five.

This is the message we've heard from him and proclaim to you, but God is light and in him is no darkness at all. Is John's way of saying I'm not a Buddhist I got is not getting in yen, with a little bit of darkness and light all mixed together. God is all why there is no evil. There is no wickedness. Nothing comes from him but pure goodness and holiness.

If we say, therefore, verse six, we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and we 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. So number one you don't know God.

If you continue to sin, by the way, I don't mean by that that you ever said because all of us. Sin, you say that you don't continue to struggle with sin would be its own problematical bill within a minute. What he means. If you willfully defiantly pursue sin, you cannot.

John says say that you love God of the light. If you continue to seek after the darkness cannot tell you a few things I often hear or see in church people that that shows but there's no darkness if you thinking that you can believe without repenting. That's one I here's another way believers are so-called believers were casual about or even openly embracing of said I here's one more point a sinner's prayer with no accompanying light change verse eight if we say we have no sin, but we did receive if we said we understand, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. Verse 10 that on there.

If we say we have not sin, we make him a liar and his word is not in us. You don't know God. If you say you have your said to this is an error on the opposite side.

John says that what's this being unaware of the sinfulness in your heart is a sign that you don't actually know God because one of the first evidences of the light of God coming into your life is, you begin to have eyes to see the sin that is in your heart was someone at light of God comes in. You have one of a few reactions to it is very important what you do what you want to do is you want to retreat back into the darkness. I just darkness.

If your eyes are you students comfortable right movie theater, and after the movie usually will like out of the north of the hall in the back of the lobby and go out your eyes have a chance to get accustomed to the light graduate level X of the bottom right exit the screen you got walked out, you cut a cruise along the light of day just hit you what you were doing. That moment when you want to do you want to retreat back into the darkness because you're comfortable that that's happening to some of you right now. She started to come here and you never been in the presence of people who just said this is what the Lord God says in your heart is being exposed and I know I've been there. You want to go back into the darkness is more comfortable. But what happens if you stay in the light.

If you walk outside, you stay there. It's painful, but you could drive him into readjusting that you can see I have to go in life while you want to go back in the darkness because of so much more that you can see in the light. There are some people who that's how they responded as they want to retreat some people. Their response is they get defensive and they want to start insisting on their own goodness they start thinking well yeah yeah but you I'm better than other people. Right we do that right you know I'm not as bad as a bus. I said yeah but not going over there is always got grades of the curve on the view I will be okay because I'm pretty confident I'm on the north side of the bell curve making excuses for well the reason I made these days, with the wrong crowd. I had I had bad parents which he wants a bad idea for a couple reasons one called God a liar that's never a good idea for someone to use it if we don't acknowledge the sinfulness of our heart we make God a liar. The Bible says that you and I are children of wrath. The Bible says we are sons and daughters of disobedience. The Bible says that we are born in iniquity will sin because we hung out with the wrong crowd, we sin because we are the wrong crowd and that the reason we wanted to hang out with the wrong crowd is because the sin that was in their hearts resonated with the symptoms of our hearts. That's what we chose to hang out with the wrong crowd because we were more comfortable with the wrong crowd to disclose got a liar. Do you agree with God about his statement about your heart as you were to be condemn. Here's the other reason it's it's foolish is because it shows you completely blind to the holiness of God because for you to stand before God with sin in your life is built up the piece of tissue paper touching the surface of the sun. Grace taught my heart to fear.

So when you insist on your goodness when you want to rest in the fact that you are okay just shows that you don't get the concept of who God is and who you are when you're awake in the God you become deeply aware of your sinfulness and all you say is what was me Fryman.Grace teaches your heart to be afraid.

There other options you come to the light, and you can confess it, which is the third thing here number three you don't know God is. You have no confidence before God, because of your sin, you don't know God. If you continue and send you all know God, if you're unaware of your sin, you know God. If you have no confidence before God, because of your sin delivers one shepherd to my little children, I'm writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin because we all sin we have an advocate with the father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins and not for our sins, but also for the sins of the world.

Another two very key words in there that you have to understand, or simply say propitiation and advocate limit is one of the propitiation.

Most of you don't use it in casual conversation.

Did you know by the way, there is a school of preaching that says that I should just avoid words like that altogether. The hard words and their deep units is likely to make it accessible to me for people and you know just avoid those kind of words because people are going to get confusion. I don't about the church because these are hard words they don't understand. I say I want. It's my job to teach you those words are you with me because the deepest and most beautiful truth of the Bible are sometimes hidden in those words. Number two. If you can learn to link names at Starbucks. You can learn words I propitiation, I amen propitiation the were propitiation literally means a claim against you has been satisfied, literally and in Greek it means that wrath has been absorbed or ill will, has been replaced by goodwill Jesus propitiated the holy wrath of God against our sin by suffering get this the full panel see a bit in our place. God has no more claim against you because of your sin because it's been satisfied in Christ, which was an assigned word advocate advocate a legal term referring to somebody who argues up your case before the bar of justice on your bath.

We use that term today out in my advocate is not common, usually call your lawyer. They argue for you in a court of law. Now here's a question. What is your advocate arguing. This is very important.

Your advocate usually argues your innocence or even if you conceive your guilty, but you're pretty good person. Otherwise the light of God's justice. The last thing Jesus's argument is your innocence. You want your advocate is arguing is propitiation. He is standing before the bar of God's justice and he is saying my advocate right now.

Business right now have an advocate for the father and he is not stated before, the father saying exactly a good good God door that it he saying yes is guilty but every ounce of penalty every ounce. Father reported to me there's nothing left for him. You cannot punish them for that sin, because you punish me fully. You have told you before that I was seven years old when I learned this concept Jesus be my advocate before the father told you that never brought me comfort because always imagined going down like this. Okay so here's the Godfather, something like a seven-year-old. Here's the you that the court room and here's Jesus is my lawyer sent up in front of God and God's like all my good Greer again JD again seriously. No more leniency for Greer Messe 491st time he committed that sin and I did the whole 70 times everything but bone for anyone to draw the wrath on this kid right. That's what I thought to notice my advocate is not arguing for leniency is arguing for justice for someone.

I see this if we confess our sins, he is what faithful and just not lenient and kind but faithful and just by the way you want to underline faithful just because of the two most important words in all Bible faithful and just to forgive us our sins, which is my advocate right now looks a God the father and he says you can't punish me. It would be unjust.

It would be unjust for you punish him for the same sin that you punish me for so therefore there is no condemnation for those of us who are in Christ Jesus, because all the full weight of our condemnation was put onto the head of Jesus, who now stands as our advocate before the throne of God and that gives me great confidence before God.

Unicenter gives me great confidence before God before we sing in church before the throne of God above, I have a strong and perfect plea no way to judge hold me accountable, please pray for a great high priest whose name is love whoever lives and pleads for me. My name is graven on his hands. My name is written on his heart I know that while in heaven he stands no time to bid me, that's the part when Satan tempts me to despair and tells me all the guilt with the way, who tells about the guilt within his of the Holy Spirit. Posters are the only one who commits you your sin as well so that Satan doesn't love to tell you about how guilty you are to remove your confidence before God when Satan tempt me to despair and tells me all the guilt within what I do… Am I gonna say or not you're pretty good person, I'm good of them are quite on a days in a row now. No upward. I look and see him there made an end to all my sin because the sinless Savior died, my sinful soul is counted free for God. The justice satisfied propitiate to look on him and parted me, behold him there. The risen Lamb my perfect spotless righteousness. You know how you find assurance of salvation, your bolding, you do not like a God how awesome I am with how much little spiritual of God look much better than nobody else around me, behold him there. The risen Lamb my perfect spotless righteousness, the great unchangeable. I am King of glory and of grace, one with himself. I cannot die. My soul is purchased by his blood. My life is hid with Christ on high with Christ, my Savior and my God.

That is the assurance of the gospel.

I know that I am received before God. I know that I am safe before God. Not because I am in a position where I can boast about how righteous I am about because I know righteousness belongs to another who did it in my place in my plea to heaven is a sure is. His finished work, which is why would ask you this. If you're not confident if you're not confident of where you stand with God. If you're unsure about whether or not you go to heaven. I have to ask you even understand the gospel. I told you in the first week of the series that I often asked people are you a Christian and the most common response I get is this well I'm trying I'm doing better.

I have been a church like three times last for having certainly my Bible gable money to church. How much of the detail about the positive and encouraging like your knives in the time now somebody says that to me. I know they don't get it at all because they still think Christian is a title that you live up to someone who is a real Christian understands the Christian is not a title you you live up to its title. Jesus lived up to and gave it to you as a gift you asked me are you sure of your salvation. Are you sure that you will enter into heaven to spend eternity with God. You know my answer is yes, you are less arrogant because you think he better make note it's because I know that my salvation is now sure is Jesus Christ position before the father.

I could no more go to hell.

The Jesus could lose his position a favored status because he has become a righteousness is of no longer depending on what I do to get to heaven depend on what he is finished. So if you are unsure see about this it shows me don't get the gospel because the gospel always leads to confidence. In fact the gospel produces two things and you that no other religious truth know what the truth will ever produce at least not simultaneously.

But if the gospel produces humility and confidence. Nothing else will produce those at the same time you see what you believe about yourself usually produces either humility or confidence. They say if you become a person who's failed a lot, you realize how much you mess up then you have a natural humility. Can you like.

How can God love me. But if you're the kind of person who has succeeded at your religion when you think your righteous so you really confident before God. Like I'm good but other people and I'm on the good side of the bell curve. But you're proud and you will get another people who haven't done as well as you the gospel lesson which is that you are simultaneously more wicked than you ever imagined but also more loved and accepted than you ever dared hope to do produces both humility and confidence humility because you recognize how simple you are confidence because you recognize how complete Christ work is on your behalf, decide that you understand the gospel is humility and confidence, not one without the other three don't know God. If you have no confidence before God because your sin, you do know God is you rest confidently in the finished work of Christ, 20 doing this. We do this here. The action steps is little you do this more need to assess you to assess you to assess which of these are true about you because appearing on your personality. You probably gravitate toward one or some combination thereof.

Are you the kind of person who is as you get exposed to the light. You cannot bow up a little bit. You should rebellious and I will not you. You not to deny Jesus. I will follow you. Button not this or are you kind of person who when the light of God because to come in. You almost reflexively struck to self justify certain insist that your good because you've always built a building identity on other people thinking that you were better than others. There are some of you like that you're proud there are others of you that you could not imagine God really could be as gracious as the Bible says he is that he really could love you so much that it would take upon himself the penalty for your sin that they deserved Ellie would take in your place to the gospel requires you to believe two things are really difficult.

You are so bad that Jesus had to die for you, and he was so gracious. He was glad to die for you, a phrase, not original of me, but most people will go to either side of that because they don't want to think of themselves as that bad and they don't think of the God is that loving the preferred is mushy middleware you're pretty good person and God, like a benevolent Santa Claus and build out blessings. The Bible turns both those on their head and said you were worse than you think God is better than you think. So your salvation will have nothing to do with you and you will bow starting a righteousness for the rest of eternity, you will sink salvation belongs to our God is and what is given due to you. It could mean that you no longer negotiate with God about how much of your life. He gets to have and when you understand the gospel. You no longer think like what I have to give the God you start to say things like the hymn writer said were the whole realm of nature mine, that were present far too small.

Love so amazing, so did by demands my soul, my life, my all. If you ever get grace surrender becomes natural. Where would I be apart from grace. The ones that missed God three categories. You see it, the rebellious, the proud, and the unbelieving. Every time don't be one of those people don't let your rebellion take you into eternity apart from God because you think you're smarter than him.

Don't be proud and just refused to let the light come in because you bill your identity, but how other people think that your awesome build your identity on the fact that he loves you and gave himself for you. That's better than being awesome safer than being awesome because it is dependent on his grace never changes in Dolby unbelieving, only the kind of person the Delta. God really could be as good as God says he is because he is impotent and love as high as the heavens are above the earth. That's how great is his love for his children. So you say to assess beers like they want to be real quick right you need to learn to love. You need to learn to love and cherish conviction and repentance, like conviction. That's why when you my dojo. It's a good term of the day you come in nervous you what you talk about talk about what I get convicted because you think repentance and conviction that a trip to the woodshed were God hold you up back and start wailing on you. Repentance is not a trip to the woodshed. Repentance is like a bath were God is washing away from you all the darkness that is keeping you from joining him and he does so in love and it becomes pleasant it becomes sweet because it is administered in love that what God is doing this he is removing the things from you that keep you in darkness and is taking that darkness out of you bringing you into light and you begin to cherish it begin to sink.search my heart and know my ways and see if there is any wicked way in me, because these are the things are keeping me from having showing you learn to cherish and love repentance. Lastly, keep coming for the line told him in the go right number this summer.

Your eyes are hurting. I understand that I was there once keep coming. Let your eyes adjust because as your eyes just fine glory of God's grace is so much better than any of the false glories of the world put in front of you to keep coming stay here, keep, cut, listen and let God the Holy Spirit.

Adjust your eyes so that you begin to be comfortable in the light so much better. I can tell you that there is time that can make God love you last thing you continually make him love you more life-giving turn here on Senate language Pantera author and theologian Jeannie Greer in a message from our series called assured so JD, our listeners hear from every day.

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