How To Be Certain That You Are Certain

“How To Be Certain That You Are Certain”
Thursday Night Bible Study
Valley Brook Community Church
By Pastor Dan S. Baty

Establishing Scripture Passages

John 5:24 (NIV) “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.

John 6:37 (NIV) All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.

John 10:27-30 (NIV) My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

Acts 13:38-39 (NIV) “Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.”

Romans 3:21-24 (NIV) But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Romans 6:23 (NIV) For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:1-4 (NIV) Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.

Romans 8:29-30 (NIV) For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

Romans 11:29 (NIV) for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV) God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Galatians 5:1-9 (NIV) It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again, I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.”

Ephesians 1:13-14 (NIV) And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession–to the praise of his glory.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV) For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– not by works, so that no one can boast.

Philippians 1:6 (NIV) being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

1 Timothy 1:15-17 (NIV) Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners–of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

1 John 5:11-13 (NIV) And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

 

Brief Essays on Grace
There are two paths and only two to righteousness. The path of works or the path of grace. The path of seeking to earn God’s favor or the path of receiving His favor by faith in Christ. There is no third way, though many Christians feel most comfortable with that idea. This is not merely true for salvation; it is also true for sanctification. Either receive the favor of the Lord by faith and wait patiently for Him, or choose to flatter and torture yourself with the notion that somehow your performance as a Christian is keeping you in God’s favor. But really there is only one path – the path of grace. The other, living a perfect life would be a possibility if someone could do it, but the only One who could is the One who did, Jesus Christ. And He did it for us. Thank God He did because according to the Scriptures, “by the works of the Law no one will be justified…” (Romans 3:20).
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It’s called the bad cop good cop strategy.

The angry, tough cop comes into the interrogation room and leaves the suspect terrified, fragile and contemplating the worse possible scenario. When the bad cop leaves the room, the good cop enters. His words and demeanor are friendly and conciliatory. The good cop brings the suspect a cup of coffee, asks him if he’s ok and then offers him a deal.

In the Scriptures, the Old Testament Law is the bad cop. The Law is not bad itself; it tells us how bad we are. It tells us the truth about ourselves. It tells us how far short we have fallen from what God requires. It tells us that we’ve done the wrong things, thought the wrong things and that we’re in big trouble with God.

The fact is every person sits in the interrogation room, guilty and without a plea, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

But thank God it doesn’t end there!

The good cop is The New Covenant. He enters and offers us a way out – the only way out -through faith in Jesus Christ. He offers us a deal. The terms are quite simple: accept Jesus’s payment for our sins and we get to go free. No strings attached. (See Romans 3:24.)

Many years ago, Jesus paid the fine, served the time and took the punishment for us by dying on the cross.

Have you taken the deal? Rejoice that you are no longer in jeopardy with God. You are now a citizen in good standing of the kingdom of heaven, and in fact, an adopted son or daughter of the Most High God.

Have you not yet taken the deal? What are you waiting for? The charges against you remain and the offer is on the table. Don’t delay. There is no more important decision you will ever make because this one is forever. ________________________________________

For Christians, moral excellence is not our primary goal; it is the fruit of our primary goal, which is to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). Moral excellence comes from a growing awareness of, and responsiveness to, the Lord’s influence within us as we get to know Him better. The better we know Him the more attracted we become to His ways, His values, and His excellence.

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Imagine for a moment what would happen if at the beginning of the school year you returned to your old high school and went to class with the rest of the students. Imagine taking a seat, pulling out your notebook and readying yourself for the morning lesson. The teacher calls the names. Yours isn’t on her list. She asks you if you’re certain you’re in the right class, the right grade and because you look so out of place, if you are even in the right school. You answer “I’m sure I’m in the right school because I graduated from here 20 years ago!”

Her next words are, “Security!!!”

The Scriptures instruct us in Christ we have fully met the requirements of the Law. Therefore, trying to meet those requirements again through our own effort is just as pointless as returning to high school. If the requirements have been fully met there is nothing more to be done about it. We cannot go back and graduate again.

There is also nothing that can rescind our status. Whatever else we may do after high school, we will forever be high school graduates because we met the requirements.

In the same way, through faith in Christ, no matter what else we go on to do, we have forever met the requirements of God’s Law. Not because we earned it but because Christ earned it for us. Because of His sacrifice, more than a high school diploma, we have been granted a Law degree from His Grace University. We are now fully qualified to be called sons and daughters of the Most High and ready to assume our place in the world as His ambassadors of love.

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Grace Points
Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV) For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– not by works, so that no one can boast.

1. Grace distinguishes the gospel of Jesus Christ from every other religion.
• Every other religion is a “Thou must do.” Christianity says, “It has been done for thee.”

2. Grace and works are mutually exclusive because each is an all-or-nothing proposition.
• Romans 11:5-6 (NIV) So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.
• From my journal: “You have to take a bold stand on either the side of grace or the side of works. Unless and until you do that it becomes difficult, if not impossible to truly help someone find their way spiritually. I am of course of the opinion that no one can find security down the road of works, but I think it is better to boldly walk that road and discover where it leads than it is to waste time dancing on both sides of the road and never being able to settle on either.”

3. For many people it is not the truth of the gospel that is difficult to accept; it is the implications that frighten them. They mistakenly believe that without the fear of losing their salvation people will become less motivated to obey God. But this fear is rooted in a misunderstanding in three primary areas:
1) A misunderstanding or lack of confidence in the transforming work of the Holy Spirit.
a. He works through biblical instruction
b. He works through godly counsel and sincere fellowship
c. He works through experience.

2) A misunderstanding about the true nature of sin.
a. Sin is not stealing a cookie; it is vomit, error, futility and death.
b. Sin is not “getting away” with anything. It is playing in sewage.
c. When we see the true destructive nature of sin, avoiding it becomes as natural as stepping around something disgusting lying on the street.
d. The closer we grow to Jesus personally, the more we are able to “see” sin through His eyes.

3) A misunderstanding of how attractive Jesus can become.
a. Jesus can become more attractive than the appeal of sin.
b. Paul’s sacrifice was for the prize of knowing Christ, (Philippians 3:8) not to earn eternal life, nor out of the fear of losing it.

Questions to Ponder
1. Why do you suppose people resist the idea that God’s love for them in Christ is secure?
2. Of the above passages, which one do you feel would help you the most to establish a fellow believer in the grace of God. Why?
3. If you were to emphasize one central truth about the gospel, what would it be?
4. When did the message of God’s grace become clear to you? What impact is it having on your life right now?