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How May I "Know" That I Am Saved? , "And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. 18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. 19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven." Introduction: A. The testimony of Job. Job 19:25-26, "For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: 26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:" B. The testimony of Paul. 2 Timothy 1:12, "For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day." C. the testimony of John. 1 John 3:2, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." I. Some Reasons Given As To Evidence of Salvation Are All Wrong! A. I have been Baptized --- So was Judas. B. I belong to the Church --- so does the piano. C. I Believe in Jesus and I have declared it. James 2:19, "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble." D. I have had Prayers Answered --- How do you know ...? (Rom. 10:13, Titus 3:5) E. I have had an Experience with God. 1. Many and Strange are experiences Offered as Evidences of Salvation. 2. You Cannot base your hope of Heaven on some strange feeling or vision. 3. The Devil will even give you a Good Feeling and Lift A Burden ... by leaving you... Matthew 12:43-45, "When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. 45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation." 4. To depend upon feeling alone is dangerous. 5. There Is a feeling of Joy which accompanies Salvation --- but no two people are alike emotionally. F. Some of these may become evidences of salvation but they are Not To Be Depended Upon for Salvation. G. In order to have Full Assurance you must have Bible Evidence of Your Salvation! ( Now, What Are The Bible Evidences of Salvation? ) II. You Have Christian Fellowship And Love For God's People. A. 1 John 1:6-7, "If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." 1. You Cannot walk in the light Without having fellowship with other Christians. 2. You cannot have Christian fellowship and walk in darkness. B. Fellowship means "Companion," "Associate." 1. To be in Fellowship with others, one must consider himself a Partner, thus sharing in the Responsibilities and the Blessings. 1 Corinthians 3:9, "For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building." 2. If you do Not Share The Responsibilities. a. You are not in fellowship, b. You are not walking in the light, c. You loss this evidence of salvation. C. If You Do Have Christian Fellowship and Love for God's people: 1. You would Rather Be With God's People than any other people in the world. 2. A Husband who willingly leaves and stays away from his wife and children for a long period of time: a. Does not have fellowship with them, b. Does not love them. D. If you Love The Brethren, it is Indisputable Evidence that you are Saved. 1 John 3:14, "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death." E. If you Love God, then you will Automatically Love God's People. 1 John 4:20, "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?" F. Un-Saved people do Not Love Christians ..... They may Admire ... G. 1 John 4:7-8, "Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." --- V. 11-13, "Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. 13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit." H. Brotherly Love Tells The World that we are Saved. John 13:35, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." III. You Want God's Will Done In Your Life. A. 1 John 2:3-5, "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him." --- V. 24, "Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father." --- 5:2-3, "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous." 1. You are Not Saved By Keeping His commandments. 2. However, the Lord's work is Not A Burden to His children. a. Baptism, b. Church attendance, c. Prayer, d. Bible study, e. Tithing, f. Witnessing, Soul-winning, Visitation, g. Giving your testimony, etc. B. Obedience does not bring salvation but Is Evidence of salvation. John 14:21, "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." C. When you Fail To Keep God's Commandments, it is Evidence that you do Not Love God. John 14:23-24, "Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. 24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me." D. Obedience is Better Than Sacrifice. 1 Samuel 15:22, "And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." E. I would be Afraid that I was Not Saved if I did Not enjoy and want to obey God in: 1. Baptism and Church Membership, 2. Church and Prayer Meeting attendance. 3. Prayer and Bible Study, 4. Tithing and sacrificing 5. Visitation and Soul-winning, 6. Witnessing and giving my testimony. F. I am Not Saying that a man must do something to be saved --- But, if he is save, he will do something. 1. And, there is a Difference ..... 2. Your Actions Tell Whose Son You Are. Romans 6:16, "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" G. Your Actions tell upon What Foundation your profession is built. Matthew 7:24-27, "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it." IV. You Do Not Enjoy The Sinful Pleasures of This World. A. 1 John 2:15, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." --- V. 29, "If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him." 1. The Hog --- Loves the mud and mire --- and will return to it ..... 2. The Sheep --- Love the high ground --- may fall into the mud but will not stay there ..... B. If you can Sin, and Know it, and Enjoy it, then you are Not Saved. C. When a person is Truly Saved, he is made a New Creature. 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." D. If you are Not Willing to separate yourself from the things of the world, you had better Check Up to make sure of your salvation. 2 Peter 1:10, "Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:" V. There Is War In Your Soul. A. You have a Sinful Nature. 1. John 3:6, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." 2. Romans 8:7-8, "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." 3. John 6:63, "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." 4. Romans 7:18, "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not." 5. Ephesians 4:22, "That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;" B. As a Child of God, you also have a Sinless Nature. 1. John 3:6, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." 2. 2 Peter 1:4, "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." 3. 1 John 3:9, "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." 4. 1 John 5:18, "We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not." 5. 1 John 3:2, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." C. There is a Conflict between the Flesh and the Spirit. 1. John 3:6, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." 2. Galatians 5:17, "For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." 3. Romans 7:15-25, "For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. 17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin." D. If you Allow The Flesh To Win out over the Spirit, and do Not Grow In Grace, you may even Forget That You Were Saved. 2 Peter 1:5-9, "And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins." E. However, if you have Truly been saved, you Will Not Have A Desire To Be Saved Again. John 4:14, "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." VI. God Chastens You When You Do Wrong. A. Hebrews 12:6-8, "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards (Illegitimate), and not sons." B. If you can Live In Sin and God Not Chasten you --- it is because you do Not Belong To Him. C. The chastening of the Lord comes in Many Different Ways. VII. God's Word Testifies To Your Salvation. A. 1 John 5:13, "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." 1. The witness of God is greater than the witness of man. 1 John 5:9, "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." 2. It is a Great Sin not to believe God. 1 John 5:10, "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." B. God Says: 1. The Believer is Born of God. 1 John 5:1, "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him." John 5:24, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." John 3:36, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." 2. The person born of God Will Overcome. 1 John 5:4-5, "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?" 3. Eternal Life Is In Christ Jesus. 1 John 5:11-12, "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." 4. Christ come in Never To Leave. Hebrews 13:5, "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." VIII. God's Spirit Bears Witness With Your Spirit. A. 1 John 3:24, "And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us." --- 5:10, "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." B. You Must have the Spirit of God in order to be Saved. Romans 8:9, "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." C. God's Spirit bears Witness with Our Spirit that we are the Sons of God. Romans 8:15-16, "For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:" D. Christians are Led By The Spirit. Romans 8:14, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." E. As a matter of Fact: 1. The Spirit of God plays a big part in our salvation. John 3:6, "... born of the Spirit ...." 2. You Cannot Even Come To God Except The Spirit of God Draws You. John 6:44, "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." Conclusion: A. Do You have the Assurance of Your Salvation? B. God's plan of salvation is Very Simple. John 1:11-13, "He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." John 14:6, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
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