How to Be Absolutely Sure | Part 2

Are you absolutely sure of your salvation?

Listen to this. You know, when it dawns on you that you know that you're absolutely sure of your promises. One of God's promises is the assurance of our salvation.

1 John chapter 5 reveals the basis for our belief and how to be absolutely sure of our salvation in Christ. If you have your Bible, turn there now as Adrian Rogers shares part 2 of this powerful message, how to be absolutely sure. Now, we divide people by upper class, middle class, lower class, but God doesn't do that. There are only two classes, the saved and the lost, the saints and the aint's. And you are in one category or you are in another. Well, you say, well, I'm not entirely saved, Pastor Rogers.

No, no. Nobody is half-saved. To be half-saved is to be altogether entirely lost. Either you are saved or you are lost. Well, you say only God can say who's saved.

Well, you're right about that. And that's what we're going to talk about today. And we're going to find out what God says. And then when we find out what God says, then you can say what God says and you can be sure.

Now, let's see what God says. 1 John chapter 5, verse 5. Who is he that overcometh the world? But he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God. This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ, not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit and the water and the blood.

And these three agree in one. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater. For this is the witness of God, which he hath testified of his Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself. He that believeth not God hath made him a liar, because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.

And this is the record that God hath given to us eternal life. And this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life. And he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

Now, here's the climactic verse, verse 13. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know, K-N-O-W, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. Now, are Christians fools?

Are we mere sentimentalists? Or do we have a basis for our belief? Now, the Gospel of John was written to tell us how to be saved. And this first John was written, the Epistle of John, to tell us how to know that we're saved. If you take your Gospel of John when you get home sometime and read it, circle the word, K-N-O-W. Just circle it. Maybe take a red pen and just circle it. By the way, don't mind writing in your Bible.

When you wear it out, get a new one. Amen? Just write, circle it. If you have a Bible falling apart, you have a life that's not falling apart.

Just circle it. Every time you find the word K-N-O-W, know, just circle it, and you will find that over 40 times in these five chapters, he uses the word know. It is the Gospel of certainty.

It is not a hope so, maybe so. It is a know so, salvation. These things, verse 13, Have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.

All right, now write this down. There is certainty from the abiding witness of the Spirit. What is the witness of the Holy Spirit?

Now I want you to be very careful here. The witness of the Holy Spirit is not an emotional feeling. Now if you don't get this, you're going to miss the whole thing. Most people think that the witness of the Holy Spirit is some emotional feeling. Goosebumps. Liver shivers. Oh, I know I'm saved because I feel it.

Oh boy. Then your assurance of your salvation is going to go up and down with the condition of your liver. If you live by emotions, you're going to be on a roller coaster.

No, no, no, no. The witness of the Spirit is far deeper than emotions. How does God know anything? Does He know something because somebody tells Him? Does He know something because He has learned it? Does He know something because He feels it?

No, spiritual knowledge goes beyond those things. Now very frankly, I'm not really an emotional person except when I preach. I get emotional when I preach. I don't get all that high. I don't get all that low.

But I can't take credit for that one way or the other. It's just the way I'm wired. That is my psychology. I'd be that way if I were not saved. That's my emotional band. I don't get all that high. I don't get all that low.

I'm more in a narrow band. Now the assurance of your salvation can show up in your emotions. You know when it dawns on you that you know that you're saved, you may get very excited about it. Nothing wrong with that.

The emotions are fine. That is not the witness of the Spirit. Your emotions may play on the witness of the Spirit. You say, Pastor, then what is the witness of the Spirit? Explain it.

You don't explain it. You receive it. God's Spirit speaks to you that you belong to Him. He that hath the Son hath the witness in Himself.

And, you know, so many times we're trying to make everybody else have the same kind of an emotional experience that we have. You know, in some churches they used to have altars where you came to the altar to kneel and get saved. Nothing wrong with that.

It's not necessary. You can be saved back there. You can be saved up here. You can be saved in an airplane. You can be saved in a submarine.

You can be saved anywhere. But this man came one of those old-fashioned prayer benches to get saved. And there were some of the brothers in this country church and sisters who came to help him to get through. One kneeled down alongside of him while he was praying and said, Brother, hold on. You'll never get saved if you don't hold on. Another well-meaning person came up right after that and said, Brother, let go. I never did get saved until I finally let go. And somebody else came right after that and said, Oh, man, look for a bright light. He said, When you see that bright light, you'll know you're saved.

And this man later on who finally did get saved, he said, You know, between trying to hold on and let go and look for that light, I almost didn't make it. Listen, don't you impose your emotions on me. I won't impose my emotions on you.

We are different emotionally. The witness of the Spirit is not an emotional experience. It is a certainty when God's Spirit speaks to your spirit and He tells you, You are mine. He that hath the Spirit, hath the witness in himself. The Holy Spirit of God witnesses to you. And then the Holy Spirit of God witnesses in you. And that, my friend, is when the Holy Spirit of God can witness through you. You remember what our Lord said?

Acts 1, He shall receive power after that. The Holy Ghost has come upon you. You shall be witnesses unto me. Man, when you have the assurance of your salvation and know so salvation is so much easier to be a witness because as the apostles said, we are witnesses of these things and so is also the Holy Ghost whom God hath given to them that obey Him. I am not dependent upon eloquence. I am not dependent upon logic.

I am not dependent upon those things in order to persuade you. And that's the reason before I came out here this morning I got on my knees and said, Oh God, Oh God, you're the witness. You witness through me. It's the Holy Spirit of God. Who is the witness?

How do we have this assurance? The atoning work of the Savior, the water and the blood. The abiding witness of the Spirit. Here's the third chord.

Remember now, a threefold chord is not easily broken. The work of the Savior, the witness of the Spirit. And here's the third chord, the word of the Father. The word of the Father. There you see this threefold chord, Father, Son and Holy Ghost together to bring this certainty. Now what is the word of the Father? I want you to listen to it here beginning in verse 10. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself and he that believeth not God.

Now here it is, the Father. He that believeth not God hath made him a liar because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record that God hath given to us eternal life and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. Now underscore this next phrase, these things have I written unto you.

That's the written word, friend, that believe on the name of the Son of God that ye may, K-N-O-W, know that you have eternal life. Now, God gave us a record. God gave us the Bible.

This is the record. These things have I written unto you. Aren't you glad for the Bible?

Say amen. Because where did we learn about the water and the blood? Where did we learn about the witness of the Spirit? We learned about that from the Word of God.

This is the threefold cord, again, that is not easily broken. God gave us his Word. Now, it's so very important that you believe the Word of God because the Word of God has one central message from Genesis to Revelation. You can put it in two words.

You ready for it? Jesus saves. That's it. This book was not written to tell you how the heavens go. It was written to tell you how to go to heaven. The message of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation is one message Jesus saves.

Jesus saves. Now, God gave us his Word that we might have that assurance that we might be absolutely sure. Now, if you don't believe the Bible, do you know what you're doing? You're calling God a liar. Look in verse 10.

He that believeth not God hath made him a liar. Now, sometimes a person will say to me, well, you know, Pastor Rogers, I am trying to believe the Bible. Oh, you are? How nice. Suppose you came to me and asked me for some information and I said, here's the way it is.

One, two, three, four. And I tell you some things. And you look at me and you say, well, Adrian, I'm trying to believe you. What does that say about me? I'm trying to believe you.

You know what that means? Adrian, you must be a liar part of the time. Or Adrian, you're not trustworthy.

I'm trying to believe you, Adrian. Friend, listen. When you say, oh, I'm trying to have faith, he that believeth not God hath made him a liar. God's no liar.

You see, listen. This is the record God hath given to us eternal life. There is the divine inspired Word of God and it is settled in heaven.

Psalm 119, verse 89, Forever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven. The atoning work of Christ, the abiding witness of the Spirit, and the affirming Word of God. You take those three, put them together, and then you can say, I know that I have eternal life. Now, let's break it down a little bit and let's just see what John did say in the Word. First of all, he tells us the source of this life. Notice the record. And this is the record that God hath given to us eternal life and this life is in his Son.

Now, that's the source. You don't have life if you don't have the Lord Jesus. Apart from Jesus, there is no eternal life.

When you say, I have life, no, you have existence. Jesus said, I've come that you might have life and have it abundantly. The source of the life is Jesus. Now, not only is Jesus the source of the life, but he's also the substance of the life.

Look in verse 12. He that hath the Son hath life. And he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. Now, Christianity is Christ. It's not a creed, not a code, not a cause. It is Christ. Jesus Christ is to your spirit what blood is to your body. It is not a religion about him.

It is not simply following his precepts. It is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Other teachers may point to life. Jesus says, I am the life.

Now, listen to me. The source of your life is Jesus. The substance of your life is Jesus and therefore the surety of your life is Jesus. Notice verse 13. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that you have eternal life.

Now, notice. He says these things have I written that you might know. So the surety of your life is the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, suppose you and your wife filed a joint income tax return and the tax man came to you and said you filed a wrong return. You have not proven that you're married. You say, well, I know I'm married.

No, I want some proof that you're married. You say, well, man, it was like yesterday. I stood there at the marriage altar with Joyce. Oh, you should have seen her. You should have seen her when she came down there in that white dress.

She was radiant. Oh, I remember when the pastor said, Adrian, do you take Joyce? Wilt thou? I just wilted. I remember. I remember the emotion I had. I remember the feelings that I had. Sir, oh, I can tell you all about the joy, the commitment in my heart. He said, well, son, I'm glad that you had that experience and you feel that way, but for our records, that won't count no matter how you felt. Do you have something better? I said, yes, I have something better.

Come back tomorrow and I'll have it. And I go down to the courthouse, and I get the record where Adrian Pierce Rogers was married to Joyce Louise Gentry, and it is signed and attested to. A seal is put upon it. I say, now, you want something better than emotion? There's the record. There's the record. God has given to us a record.

God has given to us His Word. It goes beyond emotion. Thank God for emotion. You ought to have some when you get married. But it's not the emotion that makes you married. Oh, no?

Don't get married without it. But, friend, let me tell you something. There's a threefold cord. The atoning work of Christ. The abiding witness of the Spirit. The affirming Word of the Father. Put them together.

Put them together! These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God. Listen, that you may know that you have eternal life. A little boy was in a revival meeting. The pastor preached from John 5, verse 24, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath eternal life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life.

That was the message. He believed it and was saved. You know, the devil always counterattacks, doesn't he? On the way home, the little fellow said, the devil began to whisper to him, said, you're not saved. You don't feel just right. You don't deserve it.

You're not good enough. And all the way home, the devil was just dogging the footsteps of that little boy. He sat on the couch trying to get it all sorted out because he wanted the absolute assurance that he was saved. He remembered the verse.

Where was it? John 5, 24. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Verily, verily, that means truly, truly, I say unto you, Jesus says, He that heareth my word, he said, I heard it, and believeth on him that sent me, he said, I believe, hath everlasting life. He said, I have everlasting life.

I've done it. The word says so. He said, by then it seemed like Satan was under the couch. He said, I took the Bible and stuck it under the couch, and I said, devil, read it for yourself.

He said, from there on, the doubt left. Listen, when the devil gets on your trail, don't argue with him. He's not worth it. Point him to the word of God and step out of the argument.

Let him argue with God himself. These things have I written unto you. That believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that you have eternal life. Pastor, only God can say who save. That's exactly right. And he has, he that hath the Son, verse 12, hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God, hath not life.

Do you have him? The Holy Spirit of God is here today telling you there was one who came by water and blood, who died for you. And as I'm preaching to you, he's saying that is right.

That is true. He is witnessing to you right now. Bow your heads in prayer and close your eyes. While heads are bowed and eyes are closed, now remember you can receive the witness of God. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater.

It is more than what Adrian is telling you today. It is what God is telling you. Would you pray this prayer if you want to be saved, dear God? I know that you love me and I know that you want to save me. Jesus, thank you for paying for my sin with your blood on the cross. I believe you're the Son of God.

I believe that God raised you from the dead and I now receive you as my Lord and Savior and Master forever. Save me, Lord Jesus. And help me never to be ashamed of you. Save me by your grace and keep me for your glory. Save me, Jesus. Lord Jesus, I thank you for doing it.

I will make it public. I will not be ashamed of you. And I will live for you the rest of my life as you give me strength. Father God, I just pray that many will say this today and mean it in your holy name. Amen.

Amen. And if you prayed to receive Jesus Christ just now, we would love to celebrate with you and invite you to our Discover Jesus page at the website. There you'll find answers you may need about your newfound faith.

We have a response section. You can share your testimony with us or how this message has made a difference in your life. Go to lwf.org slash radio and click the tab that says Discover Jesus. Welcome to God's forever family.

We can't wait to hear from you. Now, if you'd like to order a copy of today's message, call us at 1-877-LOVEGOD and request the title How to Be Absolutely Sure. This message is also part of the insightful series Sweetest Fellowship This Side of Heaven. If you'd like the complete collection, all 11 powerful messages, call 877-LOVEGOD or order online at lwf.org slash radio.

Or you can write us at Love Worth Finding, Box 38600, Memphis, Tennessee 38183. Are you absolutely sure of your salvation? Consider the three chords of your unbroken assurance today, the work Jesus did on the cross, the witness of the spirit, and the word of God. We hope you'll join us next time for more from Adrienne Rogers right here on Love Worth Finding. One of our Facebook friends wrote on our wall recently and shared something so inspiring. She said this, thank you for the encouragement, teaching, speaking, preaching, and for stepping on my toes, too. The Holy Spirit does use this program.

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