Assurance

Lynn Huggins
08/04/24 - Sunday AM Worship

Assurance

2 Peter 1:5-21; 3:5-13

Introduction:  We all need assurance in a number of areas of our lives.  In marriage a man needs assurance of his wife’s love and respect, and the wife needs assurance of her husband’s love.  On the job we need assurance.  We call it job security.  Sometimes we hear of a company that has to down size, or a company that has to close its doors, and you begin to see the furrowed brows of those who are employed by that company.  They do not have the assurance they would like to have in regards to their job.

If assurance is important in secular realms, how important it must be in the spiritual realm.  I need assurance in regard to my faith.  I have accepted that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that the Bible is the word of God.  I have staked eternity on that, and I need assurance that my faith is well placed. 

Also, I have accepted the promises of God.  Can I rely on these promises?  Again, I have staked eternity on the promises that God has made.  I need assurance.

What about my personal salvation, that I have been forgiven of all my sins, that if the Lord came today, I would go to heaven with him?  I need assurance.  There are people who do not have any questions about who Jesus is and that the Bible is the word of God and that God always fulfills His promises, but they have nagging doubts about their personal salvation.

What we need is assurance.

Peter gives us in the book of 2 Peter assurance in all these realms - in regards to our faith in Jesus and the Bible, in regards to the promises of God, and in regard to our personal salvation.  This is what I want us to study today in this lesson.

I. Can We be Assured of our Faith in Jesus and in the Bible, OR Is Our Faith a Blind Leap into the

      Dark?

      A. 2 Peter 1:16-21     Peter, what about my faith in Jesus Christ?  Does it stand on solid ground?

            1. Peter says, “we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power

                  and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  He says we “were eyewitnesses of His majesty.”

            2. Peter saw Jesus transfigured on the holy mountain.  He heard the voice of God when God said,

                  “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

            3. Peter was there when Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead (Mark 5:22-24, 35-43).

                  He saw Jesus walk on the water, and Peter took a few steps on that water himself (Matt.

                  14:25-33).  Peter was with Him at the garden of Gethsemane.  Peter was a witness of Jesus’

                  resurrection.  Peter saw Jesus ascend into heaven and heard the two men in white apparel say,

                  "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven?  This same Jesus, who was taken up

                  from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven."

                  (Acts 1:11).

            4. Jesus was everything Peter said He was, or Peter was the biggest liar that ever walked the face

                  of the earth.  Peter is a credible witness.  Peter gave his life for the testimony he gave.

            5. All the other apostles gave witness to what they saw concerning Jesus.  None recanted their

                  testimony.

            6. Does my faith in Jesus stand on good, solid ground?  We have credible witnesses. We can be

                  assured that we are not taking some blind leap in the dark when we believe in Jesus Christ, the

                  Son of God.

      B. What about my faith in the word of God?  Can we be assured?

            1. 2 Peter 1:19   Peter says, “And so we have the prophetic word confirmed…”  Some translations

                  say, “…made more sure…”

            2. Peter is talking about the prophecies of the Old Testament.  This word of prophecy is

                  “confirmed,” “made more sure.”   HOW?  Well, Jesus came and He fulfilled all these Old

                  Testament prophecies. 

                  a. ILL  I call a plumber and he tells me he will be at my house to do the work Tuesday at 9 am.

                        I have no reason to doubt his word.  But when he comes Tuesday morning and does the

                        work, his word is confirmed.

            3. Have you heard of the “prophetic perfect.”  There were times that the prophets prophesied of

                  future events and wrote it in past tense to emphasize the certainty of its fulfillment.  They

                  wrote of future events as though it had already happened.

                  a. Isa. 53:7    “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was

                                    led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He

                                    opened not His mouth.”

                        Edward Young states, “this is to be understood as a prophetic perfect.  To the mind of the

                        speaker, what he depicts is so vivid and sure of occurrence that he sets it forth as already

                        having taken place.”

            4. And then Jesus came and fulfilled all those prophecies, the prophecies were confirmed, made

                  more sure.

            5. vs. 20-21   Here is a reason why prophecy of scripture is to be heeded.  The scriptures were

                  written by holy men of God who were moved by the Holy Spirit.

                  a. Verse 20 has been misunderstood by some.  Some say that this is saying that one cannot

                        interpret the scriptures for himself. 

                  b. This verse is not talking about the interpretation of the reader, but it is talking about the

                        interpretation of the writer.   When Isaiah wrote what he wrote he was not writing his own

                        interpretation of things.  “Private” means what is one’s own.  “Interpretation” comes from

                        a Greek word which means, “lit., ‘a release"’” (Vine)  

                        The passage is saying that what they wrote did not come from their own releasing or

                        thinking. 

                  c. Rather, these men spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. 

            6. Peter gives us assurance that we can trust the scriptures.

            7. Someone may be saying, “But this is the Old Testament scriptures.  What about the New

                  Testament scriptures?  Look at 2 Peter 3:14-16

                  a. Peter classifies Paul’s writings as “scripture.”  The word “scripture” refers to those writings

                        that are inspired of God.   Read 2 Tim. 3:15-17.   This includes Paul’s writings and the

                        other writings of the apostles and prophets of the New Covenant.

II. Can We be Assured of Our Faith in the Promises of God?

      A. 2 Peter 3:9   Is the Lord slack concerning His promise?

            1. Peter is talking about the promise of the Lord’s coming (vs. 3-4).  Some were ridiculing the idea

                  that the Lord is coming again.  Their argument is that all things continue as they were from the

                  beginning of creation.  Since nothing has changed, why conclude the Lord is coming again?

            2. Peter says they willfully forget that things have not always been the same - what about

                  creation that occurred by the word of God, and the flood?  vs. 5-6

            3. Also, God does not deal with time as we do.  One day is as a thousand years with the Lord, and

                  a thousand years as one day (v. 8).  Just because a thousand years has past does not mean that

                  the Lord has forgotten His promise.

            4. And then Peter assures us that the Lord is not slow concerning His promise as some count

                  slowness.  But the reason for the delay is God’s longsuffering.  He is giving people time to

                  repent.  v. 9

      B. When someone makes a promise there are only two things you are concerned about:  1) does he

            have the ability to fulfill the promise? and 2) is he true to his word?

            ILL.  When one goes to a bank to make a loan what does the banker inquire about? 

            1) What’s your income, and do you have any outstanding debts?  He wants to know if you have

            the ability to pay the monthly premiums.

            2) What is your credit history?  He will check your credit rating.  Why?  He wants to know how

            well you have fulfilled your promises in the past.  He wants to know if you are trustworthy.

      C. Is God able to fulfill His promises?   Rom. 4:19-21

            He was able to fulfill His promise to Abraham, that he and his wife Sarah would have a son in

            their old age.  God is able!

      D. Is God true to His word?   Rom. 3:3-4

            Even if all the Jews were unfaithful, this will have no effect on God’s faithfulness.

            Whenever there is a conflict between what God says and what man says, God will always be true.

            1. Heb. 6:18 says “it is impossible for God to lie.”

      E. In scripture God always fulfilled His promises.  God never made a promise that later He reneged

            on.

III. Can We be Assured of Our Salvation?

      A. Can I know that I am saved, and assured that I am going to heaven?

      B. Are there steps I can take as a Christian in order to be confident of my salvation?

            2 Peter 1:5-11

            1. Can a person make his call and election sure?  If he can’t, these verses make no sense.

      C. Hear me well, the Bible teaches the security of the believer.

            1. John 10:25-29   For those who hear Jesus’ voice and follows Him, they will never perish, and

                  no one can snatch them out of the Father’s hand.  These are ones who have security in the

                  hollow of God’s hand.

            2. I Peter 1:3-5   For people who believe in Jesus, they are kept by the power of God for salvation

                  ready to be revealed in the last time.  Is God weak?  NO!  Therefore, our salvation is secure.

            3. The Christian can KNOW he has eternal life.  1 John 5:13

      D. What the Bible DOES NOT teach is unconditional security. 

            1. Look again in 2 Peter 1:10-11    “10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your

                  call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; 11 for so an entrance

                  will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus

                  Christ.”  

                  a. That little word “if” is a big word in understanding this passage.  This is saying there are

                        conditions one must meet if he is to make his calling and election sure. 

                  b. I cannot say, “Now that the Lord has saved me, I cannot be lost regardless of what I do.”

                        NO!  Our security is not an unconditional security.

            2. Look at John 10:27-28 again.    “27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they

                  follow Me.  28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone

                  snatch them out of My hand.”  

                  a. Who are they that shall never perish? -  Those who hear His voice, and who follow Him.

                        As long as we hear His voice and follow Him, we have security.  It is not an unconditional

                        security.

            3. Look at 1 Peter 3:5 again.  “who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation

                  ready to be revealed in the last time.”  As long as we walk by faith, we have security in the

                  power of God.  We know this is not faith only (James 2:14-16)   You see, it is not an

                  unconditional security.

            4. Again look at 1 John 5:13.    “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the

                  Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to

                  believe in the name of the Son of God.”   Those who believe in the name of the Son of God are

                  those who know they have eternal life.   This is not unconditional security. 

            5. Heb. 3:6, 14   Notice the words “if” and “confidence” in these two passages.  Our confidence

                  is conditional.

      E. A person who believes in Jesus, who shows his faith by doing the Lord’s will, constantly seeking         

            the Lord’s will for his life, making application of what he learns, confessing his sins and repenting

            of them when he sins, being assured that the blood of Christ cleanses him of his sins, and

            continuing to grow in the Lord, never giving up, he is the one who can be assured of his salvation

            in the end. 

Conclusion:  Peter, I have placed my faith in Jesus as the Son of God and in the Bible as the word of

God.  Is my faith well placed?  Peter gives us assurance.  Peter, I have put my trust in the promises of God. Is my trust well placed?  Peter says the Lord is not slack concerning His promise.  Peter, can I be assured of my salvation and a home in heaven?  Peter says we can make our call and election sure.

Peter says, “…for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:10b-11).  There are things we can do to have this assurance.  

If you are not doing these things, come to Jesus today!