The Power of Assurance

Many Christians want the full assurance of hope, but they don’t want the full walk with Christ.

• • Hebrews 6:11–12 READ The Power of Assurance
  • Anything worth value in your life requires engagement. No Engagement- no nothing. 
  • You don’t go to the gym once. Must stay in your marriage, raise your kids, be engaged at work. 
  • Walking with Christ is a walk. You stay connected to him and you grow in him. 

• Many people want the full assurance of Hope without full walking with Christ

• It doesn’t work that way. If you want assurance, engage fully with the one who assures. 
• There is no reason a Christian should live every day wondering if they’re going to make it
•  you want Full Assurance? Assurance doesn’t come from standing still. It comes from walking with Christ. Now understand something, Our assurance doesn’t come from our performance 
•  It comes from Christ who secured our salvation. But the writer of Hebrews says when you walk with Him, assurance grows.

• Be fully diligent

• • Many people struggle with diligence. And I think that many people misunderstand the meaning of the word- to many people- they feel as though diligence is just working harder. Its not

• having or showing care and conscientiousness in one’s work or duties.

• Diligence is caring about what you’re doing, and being aware of what you’re doing. Engaged!
• Pro 13:4 The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.
• So the lazy man- he may have desires, but his soul- doesn’t do anything. He has no awareness
• The diligent will be made rich. He cares what he’s doing, is aware of what it takes to get there. 
• And yes, it requires work. But conscientious work, not just working harder. You can work hard at the wrong thing in the wrong way and you’ll get the wrong results. Work smarter not harder?
• Pr 22:29 Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before unknown men.
• When you’re a conscientious worker who shows care in what he does, you’ll prosper. You will. 
• So the writer of Hebrews says- 11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence
• To what? Back in v 10 forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
• Care and conscientiousness as you walk with the Lord- the way you work and walk matters
• It layers in every ministry. You can sing a song, lead a study, help w kids, clean, etc. but how?
• It has to be in love. Many people want to do things in the name of Christ w no love of Christ or the people. This requires diligence. You must remind yourself who you are doing if for and why
• in his name! You work in his name. if you want hope, it must be connected to christ alone!
• Colossians 3:23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.
• What does it mean- many people lose hope because they lose focus and you keep your focus by staying focused on why the work of Love is worth it. “ministered to the saints”
• How do you walk this out? Remind yourself of the finished work of the Cross. It is finished. Then
• One- Constantly check your heart– are my motives pure? Is this selfish ambition or for him
• Two- Check your energy- Am I tired because I’m doing this on my own strength or his spirit
• Three– Check your awareness- am I showing care and planning in what I’m doing? Or winging it
• Because this applies to every area of your spiritual and physical life. Diligence is awareness
• There’s not an area of my life where I’m not trying to be aware- Ask my wife what I need to work on, connect w my kids, ask p todd, check my weight, my bank balance etc. you got to know
• Same w the Lord- Romans 12:11 Not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.

• Be fully Responsive

• • The Scripture says- Do not become sluggish. Don’t be the guy who doesn’t respond. 
  • And that’s what sluggish is, right? You just kind of take your time to get there. Maybe you will
  • do we prefer promptness to our demands but not hold ourselves to the same standard?
  • Who wants the waitstaff that takes their time? A person picking us up? Something in the mail
  • But When God speaks, or the word says, you just do it. No feet dragging. No delayed obedience. 
  • Whats great about this scripture, and to most of you here this morning- is that they AREN’T sluggish, he’s just saying “do not become”. It means- they weren’t being sluggish at all!
  • The non sluggish is living in the power of Christ- Someone who isn’t sluggish sounds like this- 
  • Psalm 119:60 I made haste, and did not delay To keep Your commandments.
  • I did not delay. I heard what you had said, I knew it was the correct way to honor you so I did. 
  • And that’s really the simplest way to live as a Christian and not become sluggish- you just do it. 
  • The longer you think about something the longer you have to talk yourself out of it. ///
  • What I have found in my spiritual development and life is this- do it right away. 
  • Lu 11:28  He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
  • This is constant danger in our spiritual lives. Hearing and not doing. When HS speaks. We MOVE
  • Example- Money. Money is a point of obedience. Giving it to others, paying for stuff etc. 
  • How can you be obedient when you never carry cash? Do you just assume the spirit wont move
  • And it happens- we hear the word of God go forth and then we start negotiating with it
  • The time line. The intent. The focus. Does it apply to me? Did God really mean that?
  • This was simply an attempt to circumvent the basics of scripture and find something “higher”

• Ecc 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.

• Obedience to the Lord is central to who we are as people of faith- its what connects us to the Lord and keeps us in Hope. If you’re ‘sluggish’ you aren’t walking in a central ethos of God. 

• Your life gets complicated when you complicate it. Fear God. Keep his commandments

• • This is central Christian Doctrine. Immediate obedience to the things of the father. 
  • are you fearing God? Are you keeping his commandments?
  • Why is it that some people think the commands dont apply to them and they aren’t obligated to perform them? Christianity at some point was a demanding following that has turned into a much more loose and optional walk with God and his church. Spirit optional Christianity. 

• Modern Christianity has made obedience optional.

• • Society as a whole has become much more selfish, disobedient and anti-rules. Its where we are
  • Peter, Andrew, James, and John – Matthew 4:19–20 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
  • Can you think of that for a minute? You’re involved in your life, doing your thing- and they just lay them down right then and there. Don’t expect big spiritual catch if you’re keeping your net. 
  • The bible has great examples- Abraham getting up the next day, Zacheus getting out of the tree
  • Right now. I’m doing what you are asking right now. 
  • And you say- How does that connect to hope? How is that assurance?

• Those who walk in obedience experience the presence of the father and a daily connection

• The sluggish are hopeless because they are motionless. God uses us, but not the sluggard. 
• Can you think of the worst regrets of your life? Typically it involved not responding quickly
• Assurance flows when your respond quickly because you know you’re walking w God!
• Isaiah 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”
• James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
• Do you know a cheat code to be able to do this?

• Be an Imitator

• • Scripture says- Imitate those who through faith and patience it says- You are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses and in this church You are surrounded by a great bunch of Christians
  • Someone once said ‘imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” I say it’s the easiest way to grow
  • I don’t have to figure everything out, I just follow and imitate those who have.
  • At some point in life I realized I do not have to reinvent the Christian life.
  • I can watch people who have walked with God for decades and do what they do.
  • Watch how they pray. Watch how they endure suffering. Watch how they stay faithful year after year. Crystal and I have done this with the Ongs. Very easy to imitate- “what would Ps Ong Do”
    Its biblical- Paul said- 1 Corinthians 11:1 Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.
  • What would that have looked like in early Christianity: You cant read, write, or research

• You look at the way other Christians are walking with Jesus and you follow their model. 

• • You look at pauls life and see how he lives and what he does and say- I’m gonna live that way
  • Getting back to assurance of Hope- Look at Paul’s life and you see the outcome of faith. 
  • That man endured suffering, persecution, prison, rejection, and he never quit.
  •  you see a life like that you say, I want to follow that pattern. If he can, I can and I want to
  • I don’t have to wonder if I’m doing it right, I just imitate someone who is doing it right. 
  • One of the fastest ways to grow in assurance is to follow the pattern of people who have already proven the path works. Why would you try to invent your own way when there’s a clear path?
  • You look at their life and say that person endured suffering, stayed faithful, and inherited the promises.I am going to walk the same road. I’m just going to do what they do. I will make it
  • Phil 3:17 Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.

• Imitation strengthens assurance because you are not guessing at the Christian life anymore. 

• • You are following a path that has already taken others all the way to the promise. You’ll make it
  • I don’t think most people who follow Christ do it begrudgingly. I think they really want it
  • The struggle is- am I doing it right? Is this what God wants from me? I want assurance I’m ok. 
  • Philippians 4:9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
  • Practically- read your bible. Know the stories of the faithful and imitate them. Also- if you’re a newer Christian or even an older one- look at the room. Who is enduring? Who is making it?
  • Pastor Shelly and Jay- They’ve demonstrated this faithful endurance in life and currently cancer

• Good Christian people leave a pattern of faithfulness that you can imitate and walk in

Early on in my ministry- I often struggled what I should do. I had spent so much time with my pastor in High School and college I would literally ask me self what he would do. 

• Be a heir

• • Why does diligence, responsiveness, and imitation matter? to Inherit the promises!
  • Because the promises are real and we inherit them! To INHERIT to to be an HEIR
  • We inherit The promise of Hope, but many other promises of God.
  • Gal 3:29  if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
  • What are Abrahams Promises? Justification by faith. Salvation of all nations. Receiving the Holy Spirit. Inheriting the kingdom of God now and in eternity. 
  • God promises that if we watch how we walk, respond, follow the example we’ll inherit!
  • It is good be an heir because a heir receives something he did not earn from someone who already did. Their job is simply to receive it, rejoice and walk in it. A gift that belongs to you
  • Its like my dad. Throughout my life he’d often talk about this 50k policy. It lapsed. I got nothing.
  • Sometimes we think about spiritual things in the same way- promises that wont fulfill. Its NOT

• And yes, it’s a struggle to walk with God sometimes. Sometimes it doesn’t make sense

• Ive been reading Job this week. Job had many questions, not many answers. Its all faith
• Job wondered why the wicked prosper and the faithful struggle, and we ask it as well. 
• But Romans 8:17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
• Theres an endgame to this walk with God and the fullness of it will be glorious. Focus on it. 
• James 2:5 Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?
• The pathway to righteousness is a crooked painful walk through broken glass sometimes. It is. 
• 1 Peter 1:3–4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.
• And so we focus on that. We focus on this inheritance that is waiting for us. When I think about it- its not some existential fantasy. I picture the full inheritance. I dwell on Heaven often. Eternity. I think when you get older, start having grandkids you focus on it more. Do it now. 
• Here’s an encouraging verse- Rev 21:7 He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.
• Assurance doesn’t grow in people who stand still. It grows in people who keep walking with God. Its worth it friend. Its always worth it. 
• I want to finish well. I want to fight the good fight of faith and you should want to as well. 
• So be diligent- Don’t stop being aware of where you are spiritually. Don’t lose focus
• Be responsive- When the spirit of God or his word prompts you- immediately respond
• Imitate- Think of Bible people and Chrisitan people you know and imitate their faith
• And you’ll inherit the promises and the promises of God! You will! 
• One day your faith will become sight, your struggle will end, and you will stand in the kingdom you inherited through Christ. So don’t stop walking.