Assurance of Salvation (Part 2)

For a paperback book in outline form which addresses over 150 difficult verses that Arminians use against Sovereign Grace, check out: Problem Texts for Sovereign Grace: Rooting Arminianism Out of Every Verse. Watch the video of this sermon on YouTube: Assurance of Salvation (Part 2). For a master copy of the outline is attached below. To listen to or watch the previous sermon in the series, click here: Part 1. 3. Don't stop at simple faith, but add to your faith virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity (2Pe 1:5-7). A. If you do these things your knowledge of Christ will increase, and with it your faith (2Pe 1:8). B. If you don't do these things, you will forget that you were purged from your old sins and you will begin to doubt your salvation (2Pe 1:9). C. If you do these things you will make your calling and election sure in your own mind and dissolve your doubts (2Pe 1:10-11). 4. Read the word of God which admonishes and brings comfort to the soul of a child of God (Psa 19:10-14; Psa 119:9-11; Pro 6:21-23). 5. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Mat 6:33). 6. Stop living in sin, which destroys assurance of salvation. A. God warned Israel that if they rebelled against Him that He would severely judge them and that they would have no assurance of life (Deu 28:58-68). B. Living in sin brings guilt and causes doubt (Psa 32:1-5; Psa 38:1-8). C. Godly living is indicative of eternal life and sinful living is indicative of eternal damnation (Joh 5:28-29; Rom 2:4-13). D. If you want assurance of eternal life, then live like you have it. E. When you live righteously, you will have peace, quiet, and assurance forever (Isa 32:17). 7. When you do sin, confess it to God (1Jo 1:9) and feel sorrow for it. A. Godly sorrow worketh repentance not to be repented of (2Co 7:10). B. God is close to a contrite heart (Psa 34:18). C. Contrite adj.- 2. fig. Crushed or broken in spirit by a sense of sin, and so brought to complete penitence. D. God will not despise a broken and contrite heart (Psa 51:17). VI. How to deal with those nagging doubts that Satan tempts us with 1. It is Satan, not God, who is the accuser of the brethren (Rev 12:10). 2. God doesn't tempt us to doubt our salvation (Jam 1:13). 3. Satan tempted Jesus and tried to make Him doubt that He was God's Son (Mat 4:1-11; Luk 4:1-13). 4. Satan does the same thing to God's children and tries to get them to doubt they are sons and daughters of God. 5. When Satan levels this attack, we need to resist him steadfast in the faith (1Pe 5:8-9). A. If Satan tries this tactic on you, know that you are not alone. B. Your brethren endure the same afflictions (1Pe 5:9). C. This temptation, like all others, is common to man (1Co 10:13). D. With every temptation, God makes a way for you to escape (1Co 10:13). E. Jesus was tempted in all points as we are (Heb 4:15-16). F. He will help you (Heb 2:18). G. Ask Jesus to increase your faith (Luk 17:5). 6. If we resist the devil, he WILL flee from us (Jam 4:7). 7. Jesus showed us how to resist the devil. A. Satan must be resisted with the word of God. B. Satan leveled his attack on Jesus casting doubt on His Sonship saying "If thou be the Son of God..." (Mat 4:3,6). C. Jesus responded by quoting scripture to the devil each time (Mat 4:4,7,10). D. Jesus knew that He was the Son of God because God publicly declared that He was (Mat 3:17), and He therefore could confidently resist the devil's attacks. E. Jesus rebuked the devil with the word of God, saying "Get the behind me, Satan: for it is written..." (Luk 4:8). F. Jesus as a man was resisting the devil by using scripture. G. When Jesus resolutely resisted the devil multiple times, the devil left tempting Him for a season (Luk 4:13). 8. We must resist the devil the same way Jesus did. A. Don't rail against the devil, resist him with the word of God. B. The devil is more powerful than we are, but not God or His word. C. Even Michael the archangel didn't rebuke the devil on his own merit, but said "The Lord rebuke thee" (Jud 1:9). D. Just as God told Jesus that He was His beloved Son, God has told us that we are His beloved children (1Jo 3:1-2; 1Jo 5:13). i. The Bible tells us that as believers we are the sons of God (Joh 1:12-13). ii. The Bible tells us that as believers we have eternal life (Joh 3:36; Joh 6:47; Joh 5:24). iii. The Bible tells us that if we believe that Jesus is the Christ, we are born of God (1Jo 5:1). iv. If you believe what the Bible says about Jesus, then believe what it says about you! E. Therefore, when the devil comes to us and says something like: i. "If you were a child of God, God wouldn't have let that happen to you." ii. "If you were a child of God, you wouldn't have all the trouble in your life that you do." iii. "If you were a child of God, you would understand more of the Bible than you do." iv. "If you were a child of God, you wouldn't doubt that you are a child of God." v. "If you were a child of God, you would have stronger faith." vi. "You're just a pretender...you're a phony...you're a hypocrite." vii. "If you were a child of God, you wouldn't have just committed that sin." viii. "If you were a child of God, you wouldn't continually struggle with sin." ix. "If you were a child of God, you would act more like Jesus." x. "If you were a child of God, you wouldn't be depressed." xi. "If you were a child of God, you wouldn't have this persisting temptation." F. Resist him steadfast in the faith by saying: "Get thee behind me Satan, for it is written: 'Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God'" (1Jo 5:1). G. If you resist the devil in this way, he WILL flee from you (Jam 4:7).